Welcome to /wbg/, the thread for the discussion of in-progress settings for traditional games.Here is where you go to present and develop the details of your worlds such as lore, factions, magic and ecosystems. You can also post maps for your settings, as well as any relevant art. Please remember that dialogue is what keeps the thread alive, so don't be afraid of giving someone feedback or post whatever relevant input you might have, cunt!Last thread: >>96999149Worldbuilding links: Post someFantasy map generator: https://watabou.itch.io/medieval-fantasy-city-generator
>>97165346What are some other ways of depicting earth magic that isn't just throwing rocks around?
>>97165346Hey, why did you delete the resources links in the OP? Is it the same as the reason you created a new thread while the old thread was still around?Resources for Newfags: https://sites.google.com/view/wbgeneral/Worldbuilding links: https://pastebin.com/JNnj79S5https://cryptpad.fr/pad/#/2/pad/view/Eo+fK41FKVR7xDpbNO0a0N4k0YYxrmyrhX3VxnM14Ew/
>>97165680They're decrepit 6+ year old links that are not discussed in the threads. I would think actual useful shit belongs in the OP instead of repositories of links.
>>97165865Nobody talks about the watabou link either, but you included it anyway.
>>97165888Read the full text of my post you butthurt HUEHUE.
>>97165912You seem to be the one butthurt by the inclusion of links you don't like, given you created this thread before the old one autosaged and randomly deleted old links.
>>97165495Controlling the Telluric Currents to shape the earth itself.
I have created a world of such superlative quality that all other worlds are redundant, even our own reality is rendered obsolete by the sheer cosmic profundity of my world. The design carries a sublime elegance that mocks rivalling worlds through its mere existence. Even if you are not aware of my world, doubtless you have felt it, the creeping inadequacy of your own creations laid bare, senseless and ugly by the divinity of my effortless and original worldbuilding. May you see it? No. No, you may not.
>>97166461My world is your world times two. Checkmate, atheist.
I want (You) to tell me what parts of your world are shamelessly stolen from somewhere else.
>>97165495Trees, grass.Earthquakes.
>>97167875The writer's shameless waifu character is blatantly just Dorothy.
What clandestine organization exist in your setting? I've been working on one for character I'm planning for, which I hope my GM will like (or maybe I'll use it when I get to GM). I'm trying to make it sound less like "The Dark Brotherhood uhhh", and more like something seemingly innocent like "House of Ten" or "The Third Chamber" as the underhand of the crown. It has slowly coalesced, dissolved, and been purged, and reformed more than once under different names, structures, and different organizations, legal and criminal, as the crown has accumulated more and more centralised power. I'm trying to gather inspiration from real intelligence agencies.
So one of my players is making a minotaur character, whose whole deal is that he was a slave in the Local Evil Kingdom that broke free and will encounter the party during their travels to join them. In my setting, minotaurs are one of many different species of beastmen that frequently raid the kingdom and generally make life difficult for the kingdom's expansion, so there's a lot of local animosity towards them and he figured that means it'd make sense they might enslave some of the beastmen they capture. I'm inclined to approve the concept, it's straightforward enough and the party will definitely be sympathetic to that kind of character. However, when I stopped to think on it, the question came up in my head of what and how exactly they'd keep beastmen around as slaves for?Usually, the three primary reasons slaves were kept were for labor, sex, and entertainment. Sex doesn't work because, aside from not wanting to wander down into magical realm territory, beastmen in my setting all look properly animal-like rather than just looking like humans with some minor animal features. So that leaves labor and entertainment. Both make sense on the surface, but labor might not actually make sense? You wouldn't exactly train a beastman to do house chores, and while most beastmen species are stronger than humans and could do lots of heavy labor, that means they're harder to keep passive too since something like a minotaur could easily kill most humans with their bare hands. That leaves entertainment, and the only thing I could see beastmen slaves being used for there (other than I guess a fucked up circus) is as gladiators. That's definitely fitting for a minotaur, but I don't want to pidgeonhole my player into only one specific kind of backstory if there's other things his character could have beenWhat do you guys think, is there something I'm not considering? Some field or detail that would make keeping minotaurs and other beastmen slaves worth all the danger and effort?
>>97172071>So that leaves labor and entertainment. Both make sense on the surface, but labor might not actually make sense?https://antifandom.com/forgottenrealms/wiki/Slavery>Magical enslavement—such as by mind-controlling enchantment magic—allowed unparalleled control over victims, but still had limitations. A slave was unable to perform creative work under this influence, as free thought was required for creativity.
>>97165680Thanks for pointing out this faggot OP is another mother fucking troll trying to ruin this board. Planning either to fuck off to a new general that has nothing to do with this or just creating specific threads for worldbuilding without being generals. I honestly don't see a point in this shithole general anymore.
>>97167875Gourmet cells from Toriko to explain why there are monstrously big animals, it's like Venom (the symbiote) but without being sentient.
>>97165346Anon include the links when you make a new thread.
>>97165680>every general on 4chan has a concerted effort to remove pastebin and archive linksswear i'm not going crazy
>>97174461You should take your schizo pills.
In my list of spaceships I have two patterns called the lion and tiger, then another pair called the lioness and tigress. Now, I know what the lion and tiger are (standard workhorse cruiser and missile carrier respectively) but I'm not sure exactly what to make of the -ess ones
>>97172392Well? What is your setting-wide policy on acceptable mud huts?
What is the bug equivalent of goblins? I'm going to be running a hollow knight like game soon and I'm trying to fill out my blocks for various foes
>>97177927Small ants.
>>97177927Maggots. Grubs.
>>97172071Why exactly couldn't a minotaur be made to serve on a cash crop plantation or break rocks?People don't grow strong from that kind of work, they break down. The backbreaking labor of Africa slaves in Haiti didnt make them swole, it broke their backs and cut off their limbs. It gave them an expiry date, necessitating the need to continually replenish the slave stock, which gave them the necessary numbers once the troubles began to rise up.
>>97178062>>97177988Wrong>>97177927The answer for little small guy who serves as a basic enemy is mites. Like its obviously mites. They're assholes, theyre tiny, they suck (Literally) and they do weird shit like build sperm houses.If you want them to be sympathetic and silly its weevils.
>>97167875The majority of the people in it are just longshanks from 40k. There's a planet that is Sunsa from VOTOMSMost of the major faction leader's designs are directly based off gundam characters.And then names taken from anything and everything. Halo, Mad Max, VtM, the city 2 hours from me, among others.
>>97180987How does busting rocks all day not make you swole?
>>97167875Its just 16-17th century wars of religion in no particular order with a bunch of dark fantasy stuff from warhammer and various cool shit I have found over the last 35 years of reading. Its all stolen. This is fine. Endless material to use at this point.
>>97174461There's been a mix of >autists trying to change generals to suit their own bias and a lot of the pastebins being ancient so >autists trying to make things more accurate or efficient getting mixed up.
>>97165495Shaping things from clay.
>>97181919Poor diet and poor rest. You need nutrients to build muscle and working while injured worsens the injury.
>>97172428...You know, I don't know why I didn't consider magic. I've been running too much low-fantasy lately, I guess. Thanks anon.>>97180987The issue is less in them getting strong and more in the fact they're already strong. Chattel slavery works when they're all roughly the same size as you and can be coerced into obedience with whips, guns, etc. However I'd imagine it gets a little more difficult when the slaves in question are all around 8 feet tall and 600 pounds of muscle. Unless you have equally big overseers, I'm not sure how long you could keep something like a group of minotaurs obedient before they decide to snap their owner/overseer in half like a twig.
Working on a bronze age setting. Mythological and ahistorical, but grounded-ish around 1200bce. Here's my map so far. Naming the campaign "The Wine Dark Sea" and yes, because of Eric Cline. Roughly based on Anaximander's and Hecataeus' maps (yes from 500bce so way later). So no: it's not important that the geography is wildly incorrect. It's supposed to be.Any feedback?
>>97165346How do you come up with demon names for your worlds? Especially for succubi?
>>97185131Use the real world.
>>97185131Hey I know that map. Not much to give feedback on honestly but cool to use the method of presentation.
>>97187305Thank you. I guess for "feedback" I meant nerding out over "how dare you think of 1200bce and not remember to include my favorite location!" I decided to just draw it--something that simplistic looks dumb like that.
>>97182030
Rate this:>The Earth Federation, the first Space Nation, went to war against the North Atlantic Republic after the latter refused to open their borders to trade.>On paper, this wasn't a very fair fight. >The EF had just around 20M people, and sent an army of around 2k soldiers. The NAR has nearly half a billion citizens and an army numbering over a million soldiers.>However...only one of them had orbital supremacy.>The NAR nuclear arsenal was destroyed in the first three minutes of combat. >Over a 12 week period, the E.F. bombed 33% of total NAR infrastructure to rubble, with sorties by the Mechanized Corps to establish ground control after their defenses had been obliterated.>The NAR Chair(wo)man was sheltered from news of the rout, with her advisors (including her husband) assuring her that the EF was on the brink of collapse, all their offensives had been repelled with minimal losses, and that the EF was already sending peace offers.>She only realized the true severity of their position once New York was occupied and sacked. >The resulting peace treaty would be signed ten days later. The N.A.R. unconditionally surrendered to prevent a complete state collapse, with all trade barriers removed and special extraterritorial status granted to all EF citizens.Following this horrific display of new age warfare, the Chinese Republic would surrender by the next year. Russia tried a preemptive strike, but A.I. predicted their offensive and sent a pre-preemptive bombardment that would destroy Moscow and shatter the 700 year old state.
>>97188699Oh, there's all sorts of cool shit you could put in there. Cyclopean ruins but actual cyclopes.Atlantis or atleantean refugees being sea people. Nephilim of varying description with mercenary bands from the cradle of civilization. Looks like you're missing a Troy equivalent.
Among the infinite timelines of the human race, one has been selected and groomed by the elites of humanity.These elites are of two factions:1. The militant religious orders of the Imperial Faith, who believe in a Day of Reckoning where the God-King absorbs all human souls- past, present and future- into His Holy Corpse, and throws the sinners and heretics into a fiery chasm while His Faithful are allowed to ascend to Timeless Paradise.2. The Downstreamers, a time travelling organization of scientists that intend to colonize the entire galactic supercluster and eventually construct a Matryoshka Brain to store the consciousness of every human to ever exist (that they care about) in a Virtual Reality afterlife.They have spent countless worldlines pruning and selecting every single set of events that would bring about both their paradises.And both gave the endpoint a single name: The Golden Order. A world where every wrong has been righted and the world is as it should be.
Oathmark kingdom drabble;Lle'r Corynod (Pronunciation note; the double L in Welsh is pronounced "ch") - "Place of Spiders", is a pastiche of Celtic and Tolkienian sensibilities, with a dash of Moorcock. This demense was established by a legendary sorceror-tyrant named "Loppe" (which also means "Spider" in Old English) who brought his people into exile with him from across The Sorrowing Sea, "Not by Currach or tall ship, but by art alone, riding upon a darkling cloud" to paraphrase the Lebor Gabála Érenn.Loppe forced treaties on the Parliament of Spiders, and settled the rivers and plains.In the three hundred and thirty third year of his reign, Loppe suddenly abdicated the throne, under an inauspicious omen, and changed himself into a gigantic spider; mating with the Queen of spiders (Spider monarchy is constitutional; which is why they also have a parliament) in the Sylvan wood, and being devoured by her.From this union many great and terrible spiders and abominations were spawned.Pwyll left behind him ten sons begat on Elven women; the eldest was most like his father; a natural sorceror blessed with the might of elder days, and was thought fated to rule.The second eldest, was called Pwyll, bereft of magic, but most ruthless of all.He murdered his nine brothers under his own roof, violating sacred hospitality and committing an arch-fratricide that led to civil war, widespread oathbreaking and general kinslaying ensued across the land.Before he died, his eldest pronounced a curse on Pwyll; that first he would go mad, and thereafter would die a threefold death.But Pwyll the accursed was the only heir of the blood remaining, and Elves are peculiar creatures who put great stock in ancient tradition and protocol; Pwyll absorbed the resistant holdings of his brothers one by one, and intensified the slaving operations that drove whole Goblin clans from the wild interior, to labour in mines and fields under constant threat of being spider food.
>>97189625>Pwyll left behind himThat should read "Loppe left behind him"But actually I could have ballsed that up far harder.
>>97189605As you may have guessed, this is inspired by Dune. However, I turned the Space and Fantasy parts (Spacing Guild and CHOAM on one hand, Imperial nobility and Bene Gesserit on the other) into independent state factions that collaborate for a common goal.One faction lives entirely in space and one entirely on Earth, so there's little to no competition for resources or power.
>>97183732The answer is to hire Minotaurs as overseers. Wealthy white slave owners usually had another slave do all the whipping.
>>97189301All the beats flow well. My only issue is how small this is. Is this all limited to Earth? Cause unless they are and there is an insanely limited number of people/low replacement rates, it makes no sense. The first space nation, to me, should number in the 100 millions at minimum, with maybe 10 mil for fighting forces, a million at least.
>>97193586It will eventually have hundreds of millions, have no fear of that. But first, the Earthbound must learn that space colonization isn't just a fad, but rather the future.
>>97175594
>>97194028Alright. Personally, I'd still go for bigger military forces, but it could be justified by whatever stuff is happening at the time.
>>97194435I really wanted the opposing forces to be small enough that the scale is comprehensible. "The US army got pasted by a single regiment" is something people can understand.Besides, one of the main inspirations was the First Opium War.
Thales, the great city of magic, has its own mythology. The city is old enough (time isn't linear there) and big enough (space isn't smooth there), that the public government records have no relation to reality whatsoever.Some of its major urban myths:
>>97195564Sorry, cut off.1. A minor sub city of perfectly identical, empty skyscrapers that can be visited by taking coffee from a certain vending machine.2. Half demon hybrids running organized crime rackets in the immigrant enclaves.3. Aliens crashed in the central park's main lake. The government enclosed the area, but mysterious individuals kidnapped the (dead or alive) aliens from the ship and disappeared. 4. A certain ambassador is a secret prince hiding from his siblings.
I think I'll use the Nephilim and Canaite/Lilith as basis for Tiefling/Aasimar genesis. Both brough knowledge and built the first cities, but became cruel and arrogant and were destroyed by the Flood for their divine transgression. I think it is better than "my grandma meet an angel once" or a "succubus once seduced my grandpa".
Anyways, urban myths are much more believable in a city where the Magical World is an open secret, and almost every third person has first hand experience of supernatural phenomenon. Once you know your Chairman is a time travelling magic user and the major Superpower of the planet was founded by alien immigrants that controlled the entire galaxy, nothing feels impossible.
Is there a precedent for universities to test your practical skills rather than your academic ones?For all its political aspect, a magical academy is supposed to be a really elite trade school. All that matters is whether you can do Magic, not whether you can score high marks in written tests.Your ranking isn't determined by test scores, it's determined by how well you can use your magic skills in conflict.
>>97175667If the class name is clearly derived from another class, I'd make it a variant based on the same hull but some alterations to suit a slightly different role. Like if the lion-class is a general purpose "jack of all trades" design, the lioness-class could be built on the same hull but mount bigger guns at the expense of losing speed/acceleration, making it more of a battlecruiser, or do the opposite and increase the power of the engines at the cost of reduced firepower or armor.
>>97185131Learn how rivers work.
>>97165495would
>>97195300Alright. Fair enough.
What races would fir a world is entering the early modernity and the world has gone through cycles of civilization, collapse, renaissance and progress? What fantasy races would fit in a setting with that sort of backstory and themes? I'm not sure if the standard elves, dwarves, halflings fit that world. They represent a world too static, unless they stay on the sidelines.
>>97165346Imagine getting invaded by DEVO's hats
>>97198475>the standardWhich is why you make your own spin on them
>>97187109https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/demon-names.phphttps://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/succubus-names.php
>>97195644Not necessarilyHarry Potter has him doing shit like History of Magic and Herbology. It really is just high school for people who can't imagine not including magic in everything they do.
>>97200127probably because harry potter is a young adult novel
>>97171614I haven't figured out the name, but there's a, "secret society," named something like, "The Stonesmiths". An immense amount of rich and influential people belong to it, and it's fairly well known to the public. There are constant, never-ending conspiracy theories generated about it.In truth, it's mostly a drinking club with obscure hazing rituals that are an excuse to drink more. Some shady business deals and political bargains are made in it, but not much else. Maybe there is a true kernel of diehard weird occult dudes at the heart of it, but nobody in the organization cares about them.I don't really like the idea of a single hidden conspiracy group being responsible for a bunch of bad things. Despite what /pol/ tells you, that's not how it works.To me, it's more satisfying if the collapse of the global magical teleportation network was NOT caused by some dudes in robes and masks ushering in the apocalypse, but instead a society becoming complacent, cutting funding for maintenance, repairs, and research, and making short term gains and profits a priority.You know, human nature and stuff.
>>97165346I am working on a ttrpg setting that is very inspired by Greek mythology and I am looking for a good name for a dragon humanoid race. I've been using "Ophoio" as their term for now, but I want to change it to something else. I'm thinking of something to do with the legend of Cadmus and sowing the dragon's teeth, like calling them Kadameans or Draksperi. Do either of those two sound good, or do any of you have better ideas? I'm totally open to sharing more info about the race to help.
>>97199603>>97199671Realized the only map I had with the borders was an older version, so just made this.Blue: SolbergGreen:EldingfoldRed: ModgardYellow: FjarrjordPurple: ForngardOrange: GrunjorthA lot of overlap because a lot of these peoples are tribal and move around without much regard for official borders. And the Solberg Empire claims the entire continent as theirs with varying degrees of power and influence across the land.>>97199661The Gods' names from left to right are:Megindyr: God of creation, time, knowledge, magic, and balanceRohylde: Goddess of order, protection, healing, cities and civilization, light and the sunHorrym: God of life and nature, including animals and plants, birth, and huntingFylladr: God of chaos, storms, including wind, rain, and floods, fire, and strengthOrgrymyr: God of death, disease, destruction, lies, darkness, and night (the only God considered to be evil, all others are thought of as having good aspects, including Fylladr who brings the rain)
Bump.
>>97200319>probably because harry potter is a young adult novelChildren's book*Harry Potter is in no way YA. It's written for 11 year olds.
>>97165346Any advice on doing steampunk properly when worldbuilding? Always loved steampunk and steampunk adjacent aesthetics.
>>97209082Have 5-10 books/movies/games to define the genre, and start working from there.
>>97195644Most have a practicum or fieldwork placement as past of summer jobs and/or 4th year. Gets you out of the classroom and into the world a bit. That being said, having gotten a degree and gone back to get a red seal, test scores and being able to do the work is what matters. The technical training is a combination of being able to read, measure, draw and do the thing. Magic would be similar.
>>97209162>Have 5-10 books/movies/games to define the genreAlright ummm.>the Leviathan trilogy (3)>Arcanum (1)>Larklight books (3)Is that enough? What else is there? Or should the steampunk aspects be confined to the background where the real stories and narrative and history around the world happens around it?
>>97167875One of the main alien factions, from a race of space frogs, is just the Starship Troopers book society and combat philosophy. Human colonists fighting against cyborgs is lots of rips from the Terminator future war. All kinds of stuff. Picrel is average human equipment and I've got a historical RBA vest, XM148 grenade launcher lookalike, Star Wars looking grenade, a Trek TOS tricorder, and a headset from Universal Soldier. I figure if I smush enough stuff together the end result is its own thing. I've long ago stopped being subtle about ripping stuff off. (What the fuck even are these new capatchas)
>>97209496Steamboy if you like anime, I guess.
>>97209496How about The Difference Engine, since it's what Steampunk is based on?
>>97199603is this supposed to be comparable to iceland in size?
>>97167875>what partsMy settings is literally wh40k but in one star system and no magic.
>>97211510Pretty close, maybe even a bit smaller than Iceland.
I tried to make a map for my setting and I hate how it turned out. But the basic idea is there, which I'll use for future maps. I was so angry that I started doodling on it, but those turned out like shit so I won't post them.>>97167875It's blatantly 3rd to 5th century Europe and Middle East but with greek style city-states instead of the sassanid empire.
>>97167875There is a narrow and swampy isthmus that connects the main setting to the rest of the world that is called "The land's neck".And it's inhabited by Fimir.
Know any good sources for getting an idea of what life was like in the late-middle ages and early-modern age?
>>97167875Golden Sun, Avatar the last airbender and Gothic
>sister and I decide to try our hands at making urban fantasy>my setting idea is that a stock fantasy world has developed into the mid-20th century, but with magical artifacts taking the role of things like telephones, car engines, and even cybernetics>the pitch I gave for myself is "the equivalent of a ripperdoc is either a dwarven smith or an elvish artificer">start realizing that the actual fantasy worldbuilding is taking a backseat and the setting's becoming "cyberpunk with a fantasy veneer"What should I be keeping in mind while I course-correct this?One thing that comes to mind is preserving classic landmarks, businesses, and institutions that you'd see in generic fantasy like guilds, taverns, and churches with clerics. But it feels like I'm going in circles with this.
>>97214054You can't unless you tone down the technology.
>>97214054First, did you fuck your sister? Second, watch harry potter, modern fantasy is a thing.
>>97214270How far back do you reckon I'd have to dial back the year to in order for the fantasy parts to not be a coat of paint?
>>97214349Before smarthphones.
>>97214396That's what I've been planning. I think it's best to not have stuff like cameras, cellphones, computers, or other technology like that.
>>97214426Take the Flintstones approach.Magic and magical creatures take the place of modern appliances.
>>97210130I've seen Steamboy. >>97210164>The Difference EngineI need to look into that. Thank you.
>>97171614One of the most prominent ones is the Silver Hand. Started as a "revange plot" against the ruling noble family of the biggest kingdom in the world, with a desire to kill the major members and their supporters. Over time, its members have found some shady shit that is connected to stuff like godhood and also the nature of other world and demons. Nowadays, it has several different 'sects' that have various goals and try to work together, somewhat.They are also very prominent in alchemical and technological fields. One of their most infamous sub-organizations are alchemically-infused elite murderhobos that have little to no restraint. Other than that, their main power is them having a lot of money and influence.Named after a punishment performed against thieves and bandits.
>>97195644https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GwageoThe Korean civil exam included practical tests for those wishing a red or white hat. Included practical demonstrations of medical and weapon skills
How much language theory I need to know to be able to come up with some good names with meaning and that are consistent enough to give the impression that there's a full language and history behind them
>>97214014EU4 is perfect for fantasy because it already has mana
>>97167875Parts of the metaphysics and magic are stolen from the Elder Scrolls, which are themselves stolen from Gnosticism>>97216103You need enough of a lexicon and grammar rules to describe environment, abstract ideas, anatomical features, ect. Conlang is the path to madness though, I wish I had listened to this >>97163698
>>97165346Based on >>97165495, what about water magic that isn’t just miniature waves or shooting ice spikes at someone? My best idea is ice/water constructs, like golems but made of H2O.
>>97220083controlling the water in peoples bodies to like explode their blood out of their orifices
>>97220083>what about water magicIce lenses for laser arrays. Pressure cutters. Steam explosions. Ice bombs. Δp. Ice floor. Ice mirror maze. Sinkholes/quicksand. Aquatic creature command. Mirages to create position offsets for attack/defense. Flooding the area to slow down attackers. Coating the area in a thin layer of water to track movement. Coating the area in a thin layer of water so you can vibrate the surface at different positions to create audio illusions. Skip bombing if we're combining it with projectiles. Multi-arms if we're combining it with weapons. Saturating the air around someone so they can't cool off with evaporative cooling and slowly cook to death for invisible assassinations. Being able to turn any vessel into an assassin's teapot with fluid manipulation. Super hard rain/hail. Acid rain. Blinding fog. Ultrafast rusting. Water jetpack for flight. Ice skates/skiis on ice/water+jet propulsion for high speed ground movement.Honestly what can't water do?
>>97165495Diamond armor. Obsidian blades. Obsidian mirror maze. Ruby laser focuses. Golems. The floor is lava. Sandstorms. Quicksand/sinkholes/fissures. Ultrafast erosion/compromising structures. Rapid construction. Tarpits. Hiding and releasing poison in porcelain/ceramic. Sandblasting to tear shit to shreds. Salt in all wounds. Mudslides. Pitfall traps. Floor spikes. Plant manipulation including symbiosis, poison, pheromones, medicine, and parasitism. Toxic gas releases. Extra rock arms. Earthquakes. Sound detection/manipulation/amplification by vibrating or shaping the earth. Nukes, lmao.
>>97165495>>97221769Oh, and marbles.
Are there any examples of settings described from exotic POVs, like dragons, gods or other ancient powerful creatures instead of human-like races?
>>97165346I’m considering having Genie/Djinn as a race in my setting, what do I need to consider when doing so?
>>97221769>>97220083>>97165495I've come to realize the follow of thinking in terms of the single element. Especially for myself where I am going for a more sci-fi/fantasy bent where the Humans have to utilize a more sciency approach to what little magic they can use which is all based around fire/heat since Humans have a natural affinity for.Magic powered jets to blast high pressure wind and debris, super heated jets of steam to broil enemies, laser guided lightning strikes, metallic bits launched with crushing force with magnetic force.
Why yes, my sci-fi setting does have horseback cavalry with laser rifles
>Hate big bland kingdomslop (ew, gross)>Love individual city states with unique cultures and customs (mmm yum delicious more please waiter)What are some ways I can stop boring kingdoms from forming in my setting?
>>97167875I usually try to take at least one step away from just blatant switch the names around theft, but I don't think I've ever had a fully original idea. For fantasy warcraft 1 and 2 were huge for me and the Dominions series is even bigger. The closest I have come to outright theft is running a near 1:1 of the original RE1, puzzles and all, with a few changes, and I created a city that was heavily based on Carcer City from manhunt, with my own gangs, but they had a fantasy bend
>>97171614My most recent setting is modernish, so the two biggest powers in the world have all kinds of 3 letter agency types, that I have based on everything from the CIA, to SPECTRE
>>97227159rugged geography. Plenty of uninhabitable features on the map carving territories apart.That makes cultures more insular isolated and allows for diverse cultures to prop up. Greece is the third mosr mountainous country in europe. Therefore in the small valleys, nooks and crannies different city states propped up. Macedonia is mostly flat filled with rivers and lakes. So it was a kingdom. You get the gist. The Mesopotamian city states were all found in a fertile region dominated by rivers surrounded by inhospitable environments, so regions were cut up by these rivers and their offshoots and made natural borders for city states developing.
>>97227159Make inheritance laws favor fragmentation over time.
>>97226909If the horses arn't augmented in anyway I'm not interested.
>>97227159Just ripoff the HRE.
>>97167875So far I'm sliding into Destiny/Mortal Kombat with a dash of Anthem.
>>97165346Hey >>97165495, what about cool shit that can be done with fire magic that doesn't just rip off Fire Force? Especially if there's other magical disciplines that can be tied to fire magic, like potentially transmutation for instance. Same for water element magic like >>97220083 suggested.
>>97233086Use your fire abilities to super-heat the ground and create your own blob of magma/lava to manipulate.
Are there any LLMs that are helpful for worldbuilding? Can any help with NSFW content?
>>97233086>what about cool shit that can be done with fire magicMagical flames that enchant shit cooked/forged/tempered/blown/alchemically prepared in them. Purifying flames. Rapid corrosion. Rapid oxygen consumption. Floor is lava. Plasma cutter. Flames as a medium for scrying. Fire constructs. Flashbangs. Napalm. Bombs. Lasers. Melting shit. Heating shit. Xianxia body tempering. Glassing the ground to fuck with the terrain either shooting for a smooth polish or razor sharp edges everywhere. Plasma railgun. Forest deletion. Smoke concealment. Become smoke. Become fire. Become magma. Combustion engines. Jet propulsion. Fire walls. Buffing coldblooded forces. Cooking things alive unnoticed with temperature manipulation. Mirages. Holy fire.A reminder that not all flames are clearly visible.>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFn_bXEzzIk
>>97233911only if you know how to use them and their limits, none are good for nsfw unless you want to attempt running one of the uncensored ones locally
>>97165346How would you write interesting gods, well in this case, false gods who took the mantle after the true god left/died/vanished (Anyone who played dominions, you can probably see where this is going)Mages, ancient kings or monsters that have found the means to become a god through magic or other means, some are fine or harmless as they only worship in own little village like a mini cult leader, some maybe even benevolent but most half gone mad or just out right evil (as in cursing entire regions because they felt it was amusing or out of the most pettiest of reasons)So it up for regular joes set off on a impossible quest to slay them, it going to be set in a ancient world so mainly bronze and some iron and rarely steel and cultures being early ancient rome, celts, norse and maybe even some egyptian if things go well. I'm still working on a map mind you lotBut my goal is gods right now, any suggestions or tips, crazier and more bullshitty the better these aren't just 'oh god of thunder that all he does is thunder' I got these little ideas in mind rn that I can't explain but it for a rough example it's type that would throw a spear across a continent and striking you in the chest and curse your whole bloodline for even mentioning you hate him type of god
Any tips on worldbuilding through solo RP?
>>97235295Worldbuilding is a bottomless well. The more you worldbuild, the more you realise how shallow most settings really are. The more you worldbuild, the more you realise that it is a never-ending endeavour because you can always add just one extra detail. This is especially true if you research real cultures, language, and history. Also a warning: have some restraint. It is very easy to begin a never-ending worldbuilding spiral. It feels like work, it is work, but it might serve no purpose.
>>97235295Practice the Iceberg Theory: You should know 90% of the world, but only 10% should ever appear on actual RP. The 90% exists only to give the 10% weight. If you find yourself researching the crop rotation cycles of a province your protagonist will never visit, you’ve likely crossed into the bottom of the iceberg. When you look at real-world history, you realize that nothing exists in a vacuum. A simple choice—like a character eating a bowl of spicy noodles—is actually a web of complexity from agriculture, trade routs, culture, linguistics, sociology, science, history.The very words you use have a backstory. When you use a word like Duke (or Duque), you aren't just using a synonym for "leader"; you are dragging 2,000 years of Roman military history (dux), Latin evolution, and Carolingian feudalism into your fictional world. If your world doesn't have a "Rome," how can it have a "Duke"? You either have to accept that you are translating the story to a modern audience (very easy and common and even recommended solution), made up a backstory for why Dukes coincidentally are called as such in-universe, or invent a whole new title.Once you see these, you can never un-see them and they are EVERYWHERE. Here are a few words that often "break" worldbuilding if you're being strictly logical and don't use "translation" as a device:Draconic law: Named after an Athenian Greek law reformer. Lynch: Named after Charles Lynch (American Revolution).Boycott: Named after Captain Charles Boycott (19th-century Ireland).Sandwich: Named after the 4th Earl of Sandwich.January/March: Named after the Roman gods Janus and Mars.July/August: Did Julius Caesar and August exist in your setting?Quixotic: Derived from Don Quixote impossible unless Cervantes exists in your world.If you don't use the translation meta-device, you soon find yourself unable to say "vandalize" (The Vandals) or "spartan" (Sparta).
>>97235973unless you want to go down the route of deriving words for all of these things/concepts then accepting them as translations for things is far easier
Is World Anvil worth the price?I'm asking as both a GM (World of Darkness, Mekton, Cyberpunk, occasionally D&D, recently Maid RPG, Call of Cthulhu) and as an aspiring writer.Like, sure it's the price of a Netflix sub but I'm wondering if anybody here has paid for it and if you think you got good value out of it. Bonus points if you can tell me which tier you got.
>Write a 50 page document about my homebrew setting to keep track of all the notes I've had over the years>Delete it all in a fit of rage since I don't like anything I've written>Rewrite the entire thing in 60 pages>Delete it againThere must be better ways to spend my Christmas.
>>97239001Rewrite it again but do it right this time. (500 words.)
>>97239079I don't need that many words to say "It's like dnd but there are no black people."
>>97239001rewrite it again but make it 100 pages
>>97165346How above wind magic, >>97165495? And >>97233086, what are some secondary capabilities wind mages can have besides flight? When I first watched picture related, it always seemed off to me that they didn’t add specialties to airbending like metalbending for earth, etc. Even flight only came years later in Korra.
>>97242205In Grappler Baki, one of the prison convicts Yanagi had the whole void palm thing going for all of 5 minutes until switching over to the poison hand. He could grip things by forming a perfect vacuum with his palm which he used to break out of reinforced glass prison. He also incidently blew the brains out of one of the guards by blowing into his ear.There is also Naruto where Danzo is spitting vacuum blades at Sasuke and using his Chakra to form a blade of wind on his shuriken so he could sword duel him nevermind his summon that sucked in everything towards him.Beyond that, you're probably not going to get much more out of it without going into the realm of ridiculous or esoteric.
>>97242205Weather manipulation e.g. for lightning spam, smell manipulation, sound manipulation, vacuum creation, Δp, air bubbles for diving, become air, levitating shit, disease spreading, cavitation bubble barrages, explosions, sonic booms, air composition manipulation for firestorms or poisoning or dust explosions or firefighting, qi breathing techniques, air/vacuum blades, air bullets, drag manipulation for superspeed or slowing shit down, temperature manipulation, magical distillation for alchemy or cooking, breath of life imbuement/draining, light refraction manipulation, and projectile manipulation.
>>97243951Oh, and magic music.
>>97165346What do you have to consider/change when including dragons in your settings? Especially if you can ride them.
>>97244242https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_elephant
>>97189301>The NAR nuclear arsenal was destroyed in the first three minutes of combat.This is handwavium considering all those countries have second-strike capability.
>>97244242How do you feed them because those are some big ass animals, often carnivores. And how do you train them, are the dragons domesticated animals or are they tamed because those are two different things.
>>97244242Are traditional castles still worth building?
Is there any kind of software that acts like a wiki website? It would be so helpful to be able to format my several notepad docs into pages with links between them
>>97245537I haven't used it but it took me less than 60 seconds to find this: https://chronicler.pro/
Howdy lads, I'd like some suggestions from peoples more knowledgeable than I, if I may. There is this character, which is a rogue not!persian alchemist from an House of Wisdom style structure. She's a genius, and she was exiled from her homeland for crimes against God and man (which involved, among else, creating artificial life untouched by the light of God, cloning and other very unethical things). She fled to western kingdoms, greatly extended her life through alchemy, made herself indispensable to the local elites, and created a small organisation to do her bidding while she plot for her triumphant return home. She may be an ally or antagonist for the party, depending of their choices.Now, I'm struggling to figure an adequate and satisfying sigil for her (and her organisation). She consider herself an enlightened scholar, but traditional symbols of wisdom and knowledge are unimaginative and probably already claimed by her old colleagues (narrow-minded fools one and all!). Anyone have a suggestion?
>>97245537there's this but it requires some effort to set up and use https://js.wiki/
>>97245563a third eye with a pentagram for a pupil surrounded by a chain that is broken at one end
>>97245563>Anyone have a suggestion?A green cat or some other representation of her unnatural experiments.
>>97245537MediaWiki is what all good wikis are based on.DokuWiki and TiddlyWiki are simpler versions.But Obsidian works well and is easier to use. It's not the same style but it has links between pages like a wiki and is easier to use imo.
>>97245563A chrysalis
>>97165495why not try a less cliche type of magic?
>>97249313So...lightning?
>>97249313Yeah, I just wanted to see what sort of sciency type magic I could come up with out of it but everything points back to fire and the four states of matter.
>>97165495Corrosive mud that turns things it touches into swampy goop.
>>97171614Untold ages ago, the first emperor of humanity sought immortality. He sent his top alchemist (along with a few thousand people) on a voyage to search for the elixir of life. Of course, they didn't find it.When they returned, however, they found only ocean where a continent once was. That day, they formed an organization to investigate the destruction of their homeland. Their main goal now is to kill the emperor.
>>97165346I want my next magic system to have a language of creation, which magic users speak to alter reality. What are some existing settings that handle the concept well, after Earthsea and Eragon, and what do I need to consider, especially in regards to keeping things from being too OP?
>>97250519Unironically Skyrim, as that's what Shouting is
>>97250519the second apocalpyse
Anyone do disabled people on their settings? Any tips on avoiding the "turning the disability into advantage" trope? Like, even on pic rel. Guts having no left arm is actually an advantage because his prosthetic arm is cannon and have no issue on using a sword.
>>97251180Yeah I have a bunch of cripples (not) running around being crippled and shit and their lives all suck and they're retarded tooit's things like these that really make a world feel ALIVE, you know?
In the history of the world, there have been 7 archmages. Each of them supreme existences that stood above everyone in their era.Who were they?
>>97251792SolomonMerlinAbe no SeimeiAdi ShankaracharyaHermes TrismegistusParacelsus/Agrippa/Dee/Kelley, take your pick of which oneCrowley or Austin Osman Spare, maybe Blavatsky if you really want to include a woman although personally I think the divine feminine deserves its own archetype (like a "supreme crone" or something).
>>97251180>Anyone do disabled people on their settings?Before you decide to do disabled people in a setting, you need to first ask yourself if that even makes fucking sense in the first place.If magic or technology is progressed enough that people can heal or make up for any disabilities, don't. It makes no sense for people to be disabled in a setting where magic can heal grievous wounds or animated skeletons are running around or people are running around with grafted or robot limbs unless that magic/tech is cutting edge experimental and/or expensive as fuck (and if it is expensive as fuck there needs to be an in universe reason for that).If your setting has that sort of shit that would commonly mitigate disability, then if anything you should be leaning into that shit for worldbuilding purposes. Don't try to shove disability into a world it doesn't belong.Or stick to shit like dyslexia.If your world is relatively mundane, then I guess it's fine to do disability, but historically treatment of the disabled varied wildly from execution, to abandonment, to exploitation, to care. Depending on time and place, the disabled were just as likely to be found on a sledge with their family as dead in the street.
The rating system of the Royal Navy is a better and more accurate description for modern warships and spaceships. Fight me.
>>97252976i would if i could read anything on this pic
>>97253146Rate is mostly defined by how many guns (or missiles) it carries.
>>97253160seems reasonable but the categories are kinda vague and overlapping. if you fix that then it's a decent classification for warships.
>>97253160I might steal that for some of the factions in my space game. Rules-wise ships are split into size classes 1 (destroyer/other subcapital), 2 (cruiser) and 3 (battleship), and the human navy uses the destroyer/cruiser/battleship classification and uses the same terms for other faction's ships of similar size (with the exception of obvious carriers being referred as such), but internally other factions could use different classifications.
>>97253209And here's my take on ship classification based on factions. Game rules wise, ships are supposed to be split into battleship-sized and cruiser-sized capital ships and smaller subcapital ships that operate as squadrons, so the classification is designed to roughly match that regardless of faction (though lorewise for the Collective Fleet only the core ships are in their terminology equivalent to capital ships and everything else considered to be escorts).
>>97167875Fable. Not anything specific. I just like the feel, style, and humor of the world. Really it inspired me to figure out how to combined elements of the present with the past in a way that seems believable.>>97169934It's funny because Big O steals a lot from Batman and adds some 70s anime tropes to make it just different enough.
>>97254908Big O was literally created by the Japanese studio that made Batman the Animated Series. Yes, that one.
I'm trying out a new style and need some suggestions for what else to put on the map. I already have a cyclops, hag in the swamp, dragon in the mountains, ruined keep, ruined tower. Im gonna springle some more dungeons in there also. But would like ideas for specific things to put on the map.For reference the cyclops icon is THE cyclops, same for hag and dragon.The coat of arms each symbolise a cursed knight that roams that specific
>>97253964what makes something a battlecruiser as opposed to a battleship?
In my work in progress fantasy setting, the planet is tidally locked to its star, with six moons (one of which has a 24.2h rotation, and they use to count "days"). How do you think people would sleep? The sun is always up, so there's no restricting people to all sleep at around the same time. Would you have "upmoon" and "downmoon" cultures, or per-village, or would it be workers in the cities, etc? It's roughly 1900-ish tech level.
>>97256957>How do you think people would sleepLightly, and at different times. Perhaps even with half of their brain awake, like some aquatic animals do.If it's 1900's tech level, they'd probably have a set schedule as to facilitate factory work. I would go with three sleeping phases to match three shifts of ~8 hours each.
>>97256957Are they human? I don't think anything that evolved on that planet would need sleep, at least not in the way we do. How would plants grow with constant sunlight, would they still need have cycles of producing sugars if they can just get all their energy from a constant source? How do the people dissipate heat on the sun side?
>>97256935In real world it was a fairly nebulous term (I don't think it actually was an official ship classification in the same way light cruiser or armored cruiser were) but primarily referred to a cruiser with battleship-scale guns.In this case it's just a terminology difference. The humans refers to ships bigger and more heavily armed than cruisers as battleships, While the Seirans consider their biggest ships to be more heavily armed and armored versions of their standard cruisers, and so call them battlecruisers or heavy cruisers. Seiran battleships/battlecruisers also do perform more like big cruisers, since they're fast for their size and there's more overlap in armament size between them and cruisers.
>>97256935Now you triggered my autism. Basically there's multiple flavors battlecruisers.The one people think of is usually the british flavor. A battleship sized ship, with downstripped armor (enough to stand up to cruisers, but might as well be paper against proper battleships) standard battleship caliber guns but less of them (they usually lost a turret compared to a battleship of the same era) and more speed. They were designed to destroy cruisers and act as scouts, and since scouting groups were usually made of cruisers, to destroy enemy scouts and screens. They won't last long in the line of battle because no fucking armor as the bongs learned painfully when their battlecruisers started exploding during the battle of Jutland. Although there's more to it than that, the battlecruisers had dropped all ammo handeling safety to achieve higher firerates, so good hits were likely to blow the entire thing up.The other is the Imperial German flavor. Also battleship sized, fast enough to keep up with cruisers, with better armor and the same number of guns but at the low end of what you'd consider battleship scale. These were meant to fill the same role as the british BCs, but were also intended to survive in the line of battle, hence the better armor compared to british BCs. They actuall held up okay during Jutland, although there were plenty of losses anyway.Battlecruisers eventually became obsolete with technonlogical improvment. Once fast battleships became a thing (just before or during WW2), there was no longer a need for a ship that sacrificed armor and/or firepower for speed. You could have a proper battleship going fast, why build a battlecruiser? Things like ships carrying floatplanes for scouting also meant the role of destroying scouts could no longer be fully fulfilled by them.
>>97256935Think of it as a Glass Cannon: Battleship Armament + Cruiser Armor. The problem is that they were rarely used this way and they just grouped them together with Battleships, wasting their speed advantage, and ending in battle roles for which they weren't designed for. Also Battleships eventually became just as fast as Battlecruisers making the later obsolete.
>>97238121Sorry to insist, but has anyone here used World Anvil?Should I just pull the plug on the lowest monthly tier and report back?
>>97260776how much is it and what does it provide over a free account?
Rate my patchwork. Just wanted to reconcile Warhammer FB with Dragon Age and some cool Northern settings (Symbaroum, Skyrim, etc.). This is a map of the first version, now I changed it to more traditional Eurasian view (because it is basically two Europes symmetrically mirrored in the first version): Ferelden went to Skyrim, Orlais and Free Marches went to Italy and Spain, Tevinter, Anderfels and Nevarra went to North Africa. The idea is borrowed from Symbaroum: there was an ancient mighty empire of humans with epic architecture (Elden Ring, Dark Souls), which built three extended laboratory/research areas (yellow dots), then those areas were contaminated, the empire fell, rest of its people migrated to "Tevinter Imperium", and after that elves from "Ulthuan" seized the research areas to restrict access to them and to results of experiments. Then new semi-barbarian people migrated from "Westeros" and created current civilizations.Which "grounded" settings also fit to this picture?
>>97255551Try to thumb through "Dolmenwood - Campaign Book", they have pretty nice suggestions for filling a map.
>>97260914>because it is basically two Europes symmetrically mirrored in the first versionSo Dragon Age is basically Europe.
>>97260911The free version is super bare bones, doesn't even have private articles.I'd probably get the first paid tier and if I reeeaaaally like it I may go to the next one.
>>97261121You're pants on head retarded if you're paying for gamified SaaS when there are free offline programs that do the same thing.
>>97261358Any suggestions?
>>97261121>doesn't have private articlesI swear it used to, and allowed up to like 200 of them too
>>97261605Read the thread dumbass >>97245537
>>97261105>basically EuropeIsn't one of the kingdoms literally just France?
What races fit 16th century-inspired world from the standard D&D roster? The more I look, the more it seem like traditional races don't work. The ones that work are humans, half-elves, gnomes (Rock & Forest, perfect for scientist, and inventors), Tieflings & Aasimar (Excellent for the religious conflicts of the era especially if you make both feared), Changelings, and Dragonborn (Byzantines, Janissary, Ming). Everyone else, need works or be removed to remote localizations in the world.
>>97263793I have only played the first two games and read The Art of Dragon Age books, but Orlais is more Italian to me (from the Renaissance period) or maybe Baroque France, I'm not familiar with that period.Anyway, in the artbooks Ferelden is also basically dark-age Scandinavia + Britain, (although in the first game it looks more high-medieval).
>>97264051Dwarves definitely (take a look at the Empire in Warhammer FB, it is one of the best representations of The Holy Roman Empire in the 16 century). I would say wood elves, but only if they stay in their woods (mystic Schwarzwalds).
>>97264051You can add and justify whatever you want, it is just a matter of taste. Personally I don't like new races (tieflings, dragonborn, etc) and would stick with traditional ones.
Let's be honest: the only plausible lizard/amphibia race is Lovecraftian Deep Ones, and only if they are culturally and mentally alien as they were portrayed in the novella.
>>97165495enhanced/expanded metalurgy seems easy. also using dirt for things you normally don't think of. like "put some dirt on it and walk it off" and its like volcanic ash and its heals.
>>97167875I put the Harpells in every game I play because>wacky family of eccentric wizardsis too fun to pass up.
>>972644741. The fuck does plausible mean2. Lovecraft's Deep Ones weren't even particularly alien. They understood humans well enough to manipulate them. Many of them were formally humans or lived alongside humans. They form societies. They have art and science. Hell, they're even able to safely work with shoggoths, suggesting a greater level of empathy than other Lovecraftian races. They are able to conceive of and engage in warfare as a political end against humans. The only thing really alien about their mentality is the unexplained desire for human sacrifices, but it's not like that's not found in human societies historically.
>>972645461. (of an argument or statement) seeming reasonable or probable.2. That's just rudimentary organisational traits. Lions are also live in prides and fight for females, food, territory, etc. And they are mimicking people to some degree to infiltrate and live among us. What I meant is that you cannot co-exist with them in some honest way because there is some uncrossable difference (it like to co-exist with vampires in some honest way).
>>97264474Symbaroum does it the best.
>>97264616
>>97264597>What I meant is that you cannot co-exist with them in some honestThey literally coexist with humans in the freaking story. Hell, the rapid expansion of their species is predicated on coexistence with humans. Legitimately the only point of real racial conflict is the human sacrifice, which is unexplained in both need and nature.>it like to co-exist with vampires in some honest wayPlenty of settings have humans coexist with vampires and the ones that don't generally rely on contrivances like vampires being inherently stupid, evil, and/or impulsive and bizarrely anti-social even among each other if other vampires even exist on a level where their continued survival in the first place makes no sense.
>>97264657>They literally coexist with humans in the freaking storyNot in any honest (or mutually conscious) way.>Plenty of settingsThat just means that you can tweak your setting as you like.
>>97264707They say give us women and we’ll give you gold. Then they do that. Totally honest.Ideological xenophobia is cringe and dumb.
>>97264737It is like totally honest hooking on drugs. Not accepted by the whole society as a norm.>Ideological xenophobia is cringe and dumb.Modern mentality killed all the thrill. "We are friends with everybody now, even if they normally want to kill us" or "that's your typical alienated lizardman whose mental processes are the same as of an American basedboy".
>>97165346>>97165495What about giving it thematic spells, like defensive wards and shit? Same with the other elements? Also, what are some abilities you would suggest for light and darkness magic specifically besides shooting lasers and light speed movements for the former and shadow tendrils and traveling through shadows for the latter?
>>97264707>Not in any honest (or mutually conscious) way.Yes? You're treating this as a race v race thing because they didn't coexist peacefully with all humans, but humans don't even do that. They formed alliances with human societies out of mutual self-interest.>>97264841>Not accepted by the whole society as a norm.Dumb standard. They were accepted by the whole of society they directly dealt with as a norm. You're just adjusting the scale to get an outcome you want, but you could do that shit with all sorts of things from drinking to women's rights.>that's your typical alienated lizardman whose mental processes are the same as of an American basedboyWe have no evidence of any inhuman thoughts or behaviors from the fishmen.A society being hostile to another society insofar as they choose to sacrifice them to their gods does not make them alien. Aztecs sure as shit weren't aliens, for example.
>>97265004>mutual self-interestThere is no self-interest with Deep Ones because the end point is destruction of humanity.>They were accepted by the whole of societySo why did they destroy the town and killed the people in 1846? That's how the mutual interest looks like.>does not make them alienThen there is nothing alien at all. The Alien from the Ridley Scott's movie is just a typical predator, you can find them all around the world. Just your typical crocodile.And yeah, Aztecs and Spanishards were pretty alien to each other. And up to 90 % of the native people died after the invasion, although mainly due to illnesses.
>>97264841>It is like totally honest hooking on drugs.People do not generally pay you to take drugs, and indeed the problem is people like taking drugs too much. It is actually just analogous to totally normal sex work/surrogacy/arranged marriage/etc.>Modern mentality killed all the thrill. "We are friends with everybody now, even if they normally want to kill us" or "that's your typical alienated lizardman whose mental processes are the same as of an American basedboy".You think the only two options that exist are inimical to human existence and American basedboy because you are an ideological xenophobe. You are cringe and retarded. People with autism or schizoid personality disorder have significantly different psychological processes from the norm, they are not evil, and it's perfectly possible for them to work together with other different people. The idea that people who are very different from you naturally must be your enemies is a product of your tiny walnut-sized brain.
>>97265100>There is no self-interest with Deep Ones because the end point is destruction of humanity.Literally what the fuck are you talking about?>So why did they destroy the townThey didn't. >and killed the people in 1846?Half the people. As in half weren't killed. Sounds like a civil war.>Then there is nothing alien at all. The Alien from the Ridley Scott's movie is just a typical predator, you can find them all around the world. Just your typical crocodile.The Deep Ones don't act as predators preying upon humans. If they did, you might have a point. Unless you don't find crocodile psychology alien.>And yeah, Aztecs and Spanishards were pretty alien to each otherNow you're equivocating. If your standard for alien psychology would apply to other humans, then how does it differ from an "American basedboy"?
>>97265179>People do not generally payPeople generally make money on your habits, and especially those habits which could cost your life or health. That's not win-win situation for both parts.>because you are an ideological xenophobeNo, because you are an uneducated basedboy. Read some books about actual history and actual social interactions between different cultural groups. If you make a basedboy pseudo-historical setting, when even nowadays in your fucking country people kill each other because of some ideological and alienated hatred, then you are just stupid. I didn't say that they are evil, maybe you are evil (but no, you are just stupid). When you eat your fucking chicken on dinner that doesn't mean that you are evil toward chickens, idiot.
>>97265278>People generally make money on your habits, and especially those habits which could cost your life or health. That's not win-win situation for both parts.Then it sounds like the humans are the ones who are taking advantage of the Deep Ones, as they are the ones receiving the money (gold) in exchange for indulging the Deep One's habits (fucking human women).>No, because you are an uneducated basedboy. Read some books about actual history and actual social interactions between different cultural groups. If you make a basedboy pseudo-historical setting, when even nowadays in your fucking country people kill each other because of some ideological and alienated hatred, then you are just stupid. I didn't say that they are evil, maybe you are evil (but no, you are just stupid). When you eat your fucking chicken on dinner that doesn't mean that you are evil toward chickens, idiot.See, this is exactly what I am talking about, you are an ideological xenophobe. The alien could have literally any trait but it's different so it's intrinsically bad. You're fucking retarded. Americans and Japanese engage in mutually beneficial trade today, and have for the past 80 years, but that doesn't count as "actual history" because that's only when different groups are violent, not when they cooperate for mutual benefit.
Pictured: an African buffalo and some oxpeckers. As they are so fundamentally and psychologically different, they are incapable of engaging in mutually beneficial actions. The oxpeckers are clearly about to kill the African buffalo.
>>97265100>the end point is destruction of humanity.In the plain text of the story the Deep Ones are explicitly described as not wanting to destroy humanity.
>>97265256>Literally what the fuck are you talking about?The great replacement is definitely a part of their plan. At least.>Half the peopleOh, that calmed me down. Half the people who thought differently.>The Deep Ones don't act as predators preying upon humansYeah, half the people were just some minor mistake.>If your standard for alien psychology would apply to other humans, then how does it differ from an "American basedboy"?I didn't understand what's your point. Different cultures can have psychology alien to each other. An American basedboy cannot properly understand a Taliban fighter. But when we are talking about "historical consciousness" (medieval, for example) in comparison to basedboy's consciousness, that have pretty different anachronistic character, which is much less plausible to have.>, as they are the ones receiving the money (gold) in exchange for indulging the Deep One's habits (fucking human women).Yeah, the great replacement for gold is a good deal.>but it's different so it's intrinsically badYeah, when you are killed because you don't pray to the only right god, I would say it is bad. So, who will surrender first: the Deep Ones stop to kill unfaithful or a basedboy starts to pray to Dagon?
>>97265390Oh, also, the fate of sacrifices to the Deep Ones isn't revealed. It's possible, nay probable, that they're just sex slaves for breeding, since that seems to be their primary concern when dealing with humans.>>97265402>Yeah, when you are killed because you don't pray to the only right godThey didn't. Outsiders were left alone unless they were to be sacrifices and residents were left alone if they submitted to the authority of the Deep Ones. They even guaranteed anyone that submitted a right to a jury trial if they were suspected of any wrongdoing.A FUCKING JURY TRIAL! Truly a completely alien society. Who could imagine what is going through their heads?
>>97265425>Outsiders were left alone unless they were to be sacrifices and residents were left alone if they submitted to the authority of the Deep Ones.Just mimicking to infiltrate and not attract attention. Have you seen the movie "Mimic" (1997). It is a perfect example.
I had this world I used to think about all of the time but I didn't write anything down and now I don't remember any if the details. It's fucking driving me crazy. It was about this planet with an edible rock that gave people special abilities and there was this city based around a lake with a sacred god fish that used to be a pet of the ancient humans. Their entire religion is based on the dialogues between the fish and its creator and they await the time when the fish wakes up again.
I’ve got an idea of how to pull of the trope of "cold iron" in a simple, yet effective and flavorful way.First of all, "cold iron" in this context would be a purely poetic way to refer to *any* kind of iron (including steel), as in the original real-world folklore, with the Fae’s weakness to it being the result of the inherent magical symbolism of "wild nature being conquered by human civilization and progress". Second of all, iron actually does *not* just deal increased damage to Fae; in fact, it inflicts the same amount of harm it would do to a regular human (because *anyone* will dies from being shanked, no matter the material). It´s just that it’s *everything else* that deals *less* damage. Due to supernatural biology and/or access to healing magic, Fae are able to shrug off non-magical physical damage relatively easily, and in order to counter that, weapons made from any non-iron material need to be enchanted separately first. Iron’s special because it’s the only material that *doesn’t* need magical enchantement in order to harm Fae normally; enchanting would still make it even more deadly, but any old kitchen knife or farming/gardening tool will still do the job in a pinch.It would also explain why nailing an iron horseshoe above your front door keeps the Fae from entering: it’s not a magical ward or anything (like how a crucifix repels vampires and demons), but instead a warning sign that lets the Fae know that this is a household with relatively easy access to iron objects and that the residents will thus not be defenseless against them.
How do I add interesting restrictions to my magic system? The way it works now is that you obtain mana by draining it from something that has it, then use it to cast spells. The only limitations are what kind of mana it is (fire, dark, time, etc.), how much mana you can hold, how many relevant materials you can obtain, and what spells you know or can create. And different types of mana conflict with each other.Other than that, you can basically do anything and I feel that it’s a little too open ended. I still want it to be able to do almost anything, but also be less flexible in a way? I just don’t want new abilities to feel like asspulls.
>>97267406Add some metaphysical/transcendental (source of) corruption, it is a popular way in horror settings recently. Like there is some veil of corruption, which shields all mana. Either ypu can use magic and then recharge/clean yourself for a long time, or you can use some costly item for this, or organize some cult and clean yourself by contaminating followers, etc.
>>97267406First of all, there's an issue with where mana comes from natively. Where do the things you get mana from get mana? If it's all spent as spells, there's a finite amount?As for possible limits>Mana decreases over time>Draining mana requires holding still and takes time>Using conflicting mana types in the same area in too short of a timeframe risks an explosion or some other destructive outcome like random spell echoes>Materials have to be alive>Materials have to be human>Spells require a physical construct unique to each spell design to be cast, eg a totem or magic circle, either carried on the caster's person or preserved somewhere in the world to be connected to>The faster you drain/spend mana, the more strain you experience>Spells require an audible component of a particular frequency or a chant
>>97267478I could have it so that holding and using mana gradually leaks it into your body, which must be regularly cleansed or otherwise organized into some useful spell. Or maybe you just have to wait some time for your body to naturally “digest” it. Like a cooldown period.This somewhat overlaps with alchemy, which (in part) involves imbuing yourself with mana to imitate the abilities of magical beasts.>>97267526Mana comes from nature. Everything has some amount of mana, although most things only have a little.Once the mana is spent, it’s spent. Well, it turns into an unusable, low energy state.Materials get mana from nature directly (like a mountain absorbing earth mana from the earth) or by converting it from another source (like a fire burning wood, or a plant absorbing light). Some mages keep familiars, which they essentially farm for mana. Of course you still have to feed the familiar an equivalent amount of relevant materials, but if you have an abundance of one type and a lack of another it may be a worthwhile trade. And it can act as a battery or even fight for you.As for nature itself, it gets mana by splitting off portions of the infinite chaos outside the world. This is also how new types of mana are created.Yes, draining mana requires concentration and normally can’t be done in battle.The physical construct thing is interesting. I was just going to relegate that a technique (enchantment), but maybe it would be better if all magic worked that way.
Running a D&D campaign for the first time, told players that they could have any type of character they want and make it work. The only hard limits I gave were no special abilities, and max height/lack of.So far I have a:>Woman with dragon wings/tail>Bird with a helmetAnd maybe:>A blue blob (???)How do I make this make sense lorewise, and any tips for a first time DM/GM (other than basic ones, like no Piss Forest)?
Is A Midsummer Night’s Dream interesting enough to use as a basis for my elves?
>>97268165A local famine might not be caused by a monster, but by two Elven nobles going through a messy "divorce." Players could be hired as "divorce attorneys" or mediators to save the region.
>>97268165If you think they are then yes. Just keep in mind that how interesting they are don't really matter to how interesting your elves will be to other people in the end, that's going to be down to what you make of it.
>>97264885There is plenty of stuff you could do with shadow based/themed stuff. Thinking strictly from a D&D perspective one idea would be to manipulate light to adjust how far your shadow can extend and use it to "touch" things so you can use touch spells on someone.Or you can use the similar ability to adjust the length and shape of your shadow and transfer one of your senses directly to it like one of your eyes so you can see from a different angle or have a particular form of illusion that only activates in low-light conditions among other such ideas.
>>97267934>Woman with dragon wings/tail>Bird with a helmetMutants
>>97267934>Woman with dragon wings/tail>Bird with a helmet
I'm toying with the idea of making a Tamerlane-equivalent a Tiefling figure. Would that be appropriate?
>>97267934just play gamma world with them and tell them its dnd
So, I'm thinking of giving various races more Biblical-inspired and mythological origins, or at least that's something people belief in-universe. Let's see if it works:Humans: Children of SethElves: Children of LilithTieflings: Children of Cain.Wanderers of the Land of Nod. Bearers of the Mark of Cain.Aasimar: Children of the Nephalim. The descendants of the giant/heroes who ruled and tyrannized the world. Destroyed by the Flood.Dwarves: The Line of Tubal-Cain. Or Golems. Orcs: The Children of Ham or descendants of beast-men. I have to decide.Dragonborn: The Children of Leviathan.Does this work?
>>97270742Consider making Orcs the Children of Ishmael (the "wild donkey of a man" whose hand is against everyone) or, more mythologically, the Descendants of Nimrod. Nimrod was a "mighty hunter" and the builder of the Tower of Babel; Orcs could be the remnants of the culture that tried to storm heaven and were "scattered and broken."
>>97270742How about? Halflings: Line of Abel. Gnomes: Line of Naamah (Tubal-Cain's sister)
>>97270580you could add some attila and really make him the scourge of the gods
>>97212928>Land of a thousand cities>5 cities
>>97270742>Does this work?A mishmash of WotC, New Age Esotercism and Jewish Demonology?I mean... it works in that all three groups pray on the most gullible dipshits you've ever met.
Can we talk about slightly more NSFW lore here?
>>97165346Why is there NO old world shit it stores? I went to 2 warhammer stores and 1 independent wargame stores and the best they had was the rulebook.Whats with that? Its 40k all on one side AoS all on the other, I want to go in a store and actually buy things for my big army damn it. I guess I could buy online, but still.
>>97272154as long as you don't post nsfw images I don't think jannies care
>>97270742Tubal-Cain is descended from Cain and Ham is descended from Ham so it doesn't really work and I find it kinda meh to include biblical mythology and just throw in standard DnD races. I'd want a pseudo-biblical game to have races that seem to fit thematically, so randomly having a race of Dwarves, a race of Orcs, a race of elves, and a race of tiefling sounds boring.
>>97272834Fair point. It's just a draft of a framework and needs work. Tiefling and Aasimar in particular are very Christian-coded. I think making Tiefling and Aasimar echo the Children of Cain and the Nephalim is a stronger origin story than "my grandpa had sex with a succubus once and here I am." Others might have different mythology. Work in progress
>>97273367Tiefling and Aasimar are pretty perfect as descendants of angels and demons.>my grandpa had sex with a succubus once and here I am."Immaculate Conception. Add some mysticism to your setting, everything shouldn't be vulgar. Personally I like the WoD's idea of vampires as descendants of Cain, but that mainly fits with modern settings (something like WoD + KULT setting + Tiefling and Aasimar).
>>97273367>my grandpa had sex with a succubus once and here I am.Wouldn't that make more sense for Lilith? The mark of Cain was on one dude and I think you'd be better off focusing on the first murderer aspect and the generally sinful nature of his line than the mark of Cain even if his progeny were marked.Also I think you're mixing too many mundane lines with too many supernatural lines. On the one hand you have the descendents of angels, descendents of a woman whose essentially a demon, the first murderer, and then just Seth and the first blacksmith.If you want more mundane origins I'd look at the descendents of Noah since they essentially define the three races of man from the biblical perspective. The other alternative, focusing on earlier biblical history is focusing less on people and more on superhumans.>Sons of Seth/Able (not that Able had kids according to theology but he's better known)>Sons of Cain>Children of Lilith>Nephilim (you could have individual sub-races, races, or tribes based on the named angels in the book of Enoch)That gives you 4 to ten races I think (forget how many angels are named in Enoch) and could give you some stuff to play around with. Beyond that if you want to play around with theological influences what some of the watchers taught men is described by for specific angels and the descriptions of the nephilim tend to be giant and generally somewhat monsterous.In general I'd say>SethNormal dude>CainDudes inclined to sorcery, witchcraft, and sin>LilithPhysically monstrous but psychologically relatively reasonable>Nephilim/AnakimPhysical giants with monstrous appetites both for sex and (human) fleshThe Dominions game have a line of nations Himmon/Berytos -> Ashod -> Gath that I think could provide neat influences on the topic of the Nephilim vased race.
>>97272834Mate, Tolkien already made the most of it in The Silmarillion for standard (pseudo)medieval fantasy with dwarves and elves.
>>97270742Why do you need to cater to (post)tolkienian races? Taking off even the few ACTUAL tolkienian "biblical" themes (nominally, jews=dwarves).You can either take the lineage inspo (which would probably not make much sense as a "race", but still) or go wild with new races (which would not be very biblical, but still, again). Just using the player handbook's races is very, very, very uninventive.Some ideas for the latter:Children of Adam and Lilith=the "still blessed" immortals of Eden, without the gift of knowledgeChildren of giants/nephilim trying desperately to redeem themselves (yes, I did like Noah the movie)I don't think making Tubal-Cain or using the Table of Nations as basis for "another race" makes much sense, as in those guys are pretty clearly humans. IIRC this is true of Cain's descendants as well, but I THINK they are supposed to have been pre-sacrifice Cain, so maybe you could claim you token evil race could be post-sacrific cainites or something.Unfortunately jinns while definitely more apt to this kind of shit aren't biblical.>>97270756Really like the Nimrod ones. A fallen from their heights (ahem) race is rarer in fantasy these days.
>>97273499I have to admit I preferred the NWOD approach here. The image of vampires as predators of Jesus himself, their dark mirror, is more badass than "just" killing your brother because God had a very bad passive-aggressive way of communicating.
>>97273621Ok. My point was that blatant Biblical themes work mainy in "our 19-21th century" type of urban fantasy. Even if you find theoretical justification to add elves and orcs, it would be organic only in the formula>(N)WoD + KULT setting + Tiefling and Aasimar + Bright (2017, film)
>>97273721>(N)WoD + KULT setting + Tiefling and Aasimar + Bright (2017, film)+ Hellblazer + Hellboy
>>97273529I'm drawn to Cain because of several elements:The Mark of Cain.City of Enoch.Destined to Wander the Land of Nod.Founded the Fist City.Also, making Tiefling symmetrical to the Aasimar is compelling and gives a much needed myth gravity that normal Aasimar lack because they are less my grandpa had sex with an angel, I won the lottery, and more my grandpa were great heroes but also tyrants.
>>97273529As for elves = indistinguishable from actual demons for longer than people remember.
I'm making Magitek that runs off Rei Ayanami bondage.>To elaborate, magic can only be harnessed by human thought in my verse. If you want to create Magitek, you need to somehow figure out a way to get some human to run it forever and ever.>Their solution was simply to take a particularly excellent female Mage, clone her, and use the Clones as the main component in creating magic using Spaceships/Airships and Mecha.>The clones are usually young girls that are engineered to be emotionless, submissive, and highly intelligent so that they can be turned into sapient tools. The real controllers (ie captains) are usually normal young male soldiers that subdue these clones to their will.>The mechanism that harnesses the clones' power is designed to literally bind them and turn them into passive objects for the human controllers. The usual design is just the clone bound to a cross while dressed in a white jumpsuit (barefoot, of course) while the pilot sits in the seat and does all the actual fighting.You could say the girls are basically just U.I. slash concubines for the male pilots. It's dirty business, but it works. And more often than not motivates pilots to fight harder so that their Core doesn't think they're cowards.
>>97167875I'll be honest, I ripped a lot of stuff from the Elder Scrolls, Warhammer, Fromsoft Games, Game of Thrones, Etc, I took some names and place ideas from Bathory albums for my Viking Lands and People
>>97276203Isn't that just Melfina in Outlaw Star
Realistically what would life in a world of superheroes where your ability is defined by your bloodline be like? Would eugenics be common place in such a world? Would government affect them if the abilities could range from pointless to Homelander level at best?
Elves are hunted because >Their meat tastes better than anything>Their blood can cure illnesses>Their bones are beautiful and jewel-like>Their hair is nearly unbreakable and can be woven into unbreakable fabric>Their organs have specific propertiesAs a result, they've gone from living like well, elves to basically becoming an entire race consisting of Guts from Berserk.
>>97276203>>97278886That's Five Star Stories.
>>97281054Depending on the timeline of the powers appearance:In Ancient times: It would probably be a feudalistic society with the superheroes being treated as gods or noble with noble arranged marriages being the closest thing eugenics. In modern times: Superheroes might be encouraged to use their power for good. If they are sufficiently strong the government could legally institutionalized to closely monitor them. Probably away from others like them to prevent an uprising.
>>97281836Actually it's also Valkyria Chronicles 4
>>97278886It's a very old trope. I'm a major Mecha fan.>>97281836And yes, one of the inspirations.
"Innocent girl gets used as a weapon" is actually inspired by the original Mobile Suit Gundam, specifically Lalah Sune, a young sex worker that was groomed by Char and Zeon to be a psychic super-soldier. Her close emotional connection with Amuro, the protagonist, and her tragic death at his hands made her something of a hit with the melodramatic audiences of that era.And we've been plagued with magic space psychic girls since.
>>97281054>Realistically what would life in a world of superheroes where your ability is defined by your bloodline be like?Well, for a start, bloodline powers means secret identities do fuck all unless your entire family tree keeps that shit secret, so masks are out.Also means supervillains would be pretty rare for the same reason. You aren't gonna have people start trying to crime when their powers are basically a fingerprint unless they're immediately willing to live on the run. There's a difference between running after you get caught and running in the first place and people willing to do A aren't necessarily going to be willing to do B.
>>97281771So they are basically Wolverines and can start hunting humans.
>>97283402Huh?
>>97285165>Their blood can cure illnesses>Their bones are beautiful and jewel-like (Adamantium)>Their hair is nearly unbreakable and can be woven into unbreakable fabric
>>97285959I never thought of it like that, but they're not nearly as unkillable.They can die easily like anyone else, and are hunted like animals
