Worldbuilding Thread - Under Construction Edition
Some worldbuilding resources:
On designing cultures:
http://www.frathwiki.com/Dr._Zahir%27s_Ethnographical_Questionnaire
Random generators:
http://donjon.bin.sh/
Mapmaking tutorials:
http://www.cartographersguild.com/forumdisplay.php?f=48
Free mapmaking toolset:
www.inkarnate.com
Random Magic Resources/Possible Inspiration:
http://www.darkshire.net/jhkim/rpg/magic/antiscience.html
http://www.buddhas-online.com/mudras.html
http://sacred-texts.com/index.htm
Conlanging:
http://www.zompist.com/resources/
Random (but useful) Links:
http://futurewarstories.blogspot.ca/
http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/
http://military-sf.com/
http://fantasynamegenerators.com/
http://donjon.bin.sh/
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/index.html
http://kennethjorgensen.com/worldbuilding/resources
Questions:
>Why do you like to worldbuild?
>How pages of lore/backstory do you have?
>What's a trivial, random fact about your world?
>What's something you need feedback on? Or, maybe you need an expert's opinion on a random subject?
>>47972452
>no new thread-opening questions
I am disappointed in you OP
>>47972452
>Why do you like to worldbuild?
not really sure. compulsion i guess.
>How pages of lore/backstory do you have?
for my current project.... probably 10 or so pages, with 10 or so pages of random notes littered around the place. i've been trying to keep it really light, i think that works best.
>What's a trivial, random fact about your world?
there exists a village of lizardmen who are obsessed with lifting, and if you can compete with them toe to toe they'll make you an honorary member of their gym.
>What's something you need feedback on? Or, maybe you need an expert's opinion on a random subject?
i just need someone to tell me how to be good at coming up with names for villages and shit. some guy did help me with this a thread or two back, but its still so hard. i'm so bad with names.
>>47972550
I don't know what that anon told you, but I usually name things like villages after a landmark like rivers or natural springs.
>>47972452
>Why do you like to worldbuild?
Because I like thinking up the Lore and Background better than actualy playing.
>How many pages of lore/backstory do you have?
A little over 10 for my current idea. Will be more pages the more I flesh out.
>What´s a trivial random fact about your world?
Kobolds once mistook Kender for Gnomes and wiped them out completely. Since then, they are taken more seriously as a possible threath, by virtue of having committed genocide.
>What´s something you need feedback on? Or, maybe an expert´s opinion on a random subject?
Elemental Planes. Since the Mortal Realm has been shattered into countless tiny pieces "swimming" on the elemental planes, I´m a bit unsure on how travell between the islands should be, given how dangerous the elemental planes are. Portals? Ships? Or maybe some sort of magic?
>>47972550
>think of something related to the thing
>translate that into a language that sounds vaguely like the cultures
>swap letters around to make it sound better
>What's something you need feedback on? Or, maybe you need an expert's opinion on a random subject?
Is it okay for me to hang out in these threads even though I'm worldbuilding for a story and I don't actually play much in the way of traditional games?
>>47972452
>>47972519
I'll try one which makes me curious:
>Which parts do you do not care much about and hasn't really developed?
For me it's surely music. When it comes to "what do they sing and how" I'm like "whatever people did during renaissance from Portugal to the Ural Mountains".
>>47972986
Considering some of us worldbuild for the sake of worldbuilding and not for either a story or a game, I don't think it's a problem anon
>>47972601
magic portal ships
something something final fantasy crystal chronicles
>>47973257
>magic portal ships
Okay, that´s something I didn´t consider at all. Gonna look it up for inspiration. Thanks, anon.
>>47972452
>Why do you like to worldbuild?
I can't GM games and I can't get into any games that aren't complete shit. So I try and worldbuild.
>How pages of lore/backstory do you have?Less than half of a page of bullet points. I can't worldbuild either. No motivation.
I'm not sure whether those mountains look right.
And I'd rather have interesting shapes than play with tectonics autism.
Just fuck my shit up.
Pick a culture in your setting
>What is their food like?
>Their art
>Their music
>What do they consider virtues ? What do they consider taboo or vice?
>What is their architecture like?
>Their clothing?
>What is the common stereotype of them to outsiders?
>>47974629
I can't say mountains on the edge of the ocean are any interesting.
If you lived near the mountains, there'd be no point crossing them, since there's just water on the other side.
Try putting them inside the land, that will help shape your nations and stuff.
>>47972452
>>Why do you like to worldbuild?
Because I want to run a game or write a fic, and it gives me something to do when bored.
>>How pages of lore/backstory do you have?
Probably about 6, if I wrote it all down.
>>What's a trivial, random fact about your world?
Extended exposure to a harmonic drive will turn your bones blue.
>>What's something you need feedback on? Or, maybe you need an expert's opinion on a random subject?
How do I into pantheons?
>So basically you tried to throw inflammatory shit around just so you can soapbox about how your setting is going to miraculously set new standards and become the next Tolkien. Wouldn't your time have been better served actually writing and publishing things?
No, because, again, I do not feel that I have an original, groundbreaking idea to contribute, and I don't want to settle on stale emulation or combination. That is the very reason I made these posts in the first place.
>Why do you like to worldbuild?
I have way too many ideas for my own good and so far I have not gotten into actually writing stories/novels. At first I just wanted to be a player, but when i kept getting more ideas, i found joy in making my own settings.
>How pages of lore/backstory do you have?
Well I wrote an official lore guide for players written in the style of Deckard Cain, but otherwise i have mostly notes on stuff that makes me remember it.
>What's a trivial, random fact about your world?
Up north is the City of Man - a city where women have forbidden entry and thus family houses are actually outside the city itself.
>What's something you need feedback on? Or, maybe you need an expert's opinion on a random subject?
I guess id want feedback on the map, while i like inkarnate, the trees seem iffy. Also the general geography of the world, I suppose.
>>47976261
>inkarnate
>empire of apostrophe
>"tribal lands"
>desert both coastal and on the same latitude as temperate zones, nearly same latitude as ice area
>extremely egg like geography
>that red text
>>47976130
NO
>>47976261
>Well I wrote an official lore guide for players written in the style of Deckard Cain, but otherwise i have mostly notes on stuff that makes me remember it.
NICE. Would you mind posting it?
>>47976468
I thought the Sirnaan/Cernaan thing was a nice touch.
>>47976261
Is this a tiny island?
>>47976542
>Sirnaan
>Cernaan
>Kaerran
>arth
>areth
>ahryn
Help me /tg/.
I want my setting to be three different things at once. I want it to be a gritty fantasy realpolitik simulator, and a mysterious Dark Souls-a-like, and a pulpy science fantasy cyberpunk/post-apoc.
How do I deal with these totally different atmospheres? Do I just give up, and make separate times have separate feels?I tried doing that but I keep wanting to bring in foreign elements.
>>47976628
My setting has elements of all of these save science fiction, which can always be added subtly, it can be done as long as you excise the pulpy part.
You just make it what dark souls was 50 years before the game started and everything went to TOTAL shit.
>>47976130
Why drag up shit from the last thread? This general isn't life support yet, doesn't need shitposting to stay alive.
>>47976130
>He can literally only make stale emulations or combinations
You're not very good at this, are you?
>>47976980
No.
>>47976628
You could increase the scope of your setting in terms of size, or mesh it together through different frames in terms of time and locale, emphasizing certain elements in one area, other elements in another.
>>47976980
That guy already said that he thinks there's nothing original, and refuses to worldbuild as long as he can't come up with something that no one has ever thought up of before.
Delicious thread, thanks.
>>47977342
Then that guy is wrong.
>>47977342
He just came in to let everyone in the worldbuilding general know he doesn't worldbuild
What a swell fella
So, Im making a setting where all the gods are gods from Earth, exiled to another dimension by the god calling himself YHWH. This happened a little over two thousand years ago, which was long enough for some of them to become established but not all. Also, most of them are dead from the war preceding their exile.
Here's the problem, under this explanation, a lot of really obscure gods would be the survivors, the famous gods going down in the war. Which has its advantages, but the disadvantage is the players wont recognize the gods and thus wont get it.
Suggestions? On which gods I should include?
>>47976619
On that topic when is it okay to have the same ending to a nation? Way that we have -stan, 'ia/' (Bulgaria, Romania, Wallachia, Arachosia/Gedrosia/Media/ect).
I liked having the common ending of -an for a group of my common culture states (Khasahan, Ashragan, Sanukharan, Asvaryan) as their version of the -stan ending and the suffix for land of. They spoke the same language, belonged to the same general polity, ect.
But does that become a problem for keeping track of names?
And how would you go about defining an area that has no single dominant political entity but is rather a patchwork of various clans, tribes and so on? "Tribes of the ______", "_______ tribes"? I could go into the trouble of outlining the major confederacies or macro-tribal blocs but then that really bogs down the map in evn more details.
>>47977490
What happens to all the other really big religions?
>>47977541
What do you mean?
>>47977519
It's fine within that context. Don't overdo it, and mix up spellings/pronunciations if you want to get into it, but it's a cool way of tying the world together.
>>47977569
Well, what happened to the Aztec gods? They survived, presumably, being relatively new.
I'm working on a small system to suit my world as a hobby. What I want to know is, how much about the world do you want to know from the core book?
A lot of the setting deals with exploring a forgotten, ruined land shrouded in mist and full of secrets. I thought I would include a brief intro chapter with everything the players need to know and say, "From here on out, feel free to make things up. Fill in the map with what you and your players want to see. Make this your own. What follows is my vision and ideas." Then I'd go into more detail about what lays in the mist and why this pervasive mist persists.
What do you think?
>>47977490
>all the gods are gods from Earth
>under this explanation, a lot of really obscure gods would be the survivors
Plenty of solutions to this.
a) Plenty of pantheons exist, not all Gods are war gods, there's no reason why there wouldn't be any that fled from the get go, unless you're trying to emphasize that your YHWH is omnipotent and killed them all before they had a chance. But this creates a different hole in itself.
b) Consider what you define as a God, and see what available Gods you have in the pool. Pick the ones most likely to survive or the ones most well known. Or let the players have a say on what Gods are there, though that part would really depend on your players.
c) Is the setting on Earth or the exiled realm? If it's the exiled realm and the gods have set up base, then there's no reason you can't just do intros in the beginning if the players are natives to that realm.
I dunno, there's other stuff you could do, but immortals in general are delicate to work with when you're dealing with a player base. Might not even factor that much in the end
>>47976474
Well sure, Its fairly simple though, dont expect Blizzard levels of writing: http://pastebin.com/mPdVuBkA
>>47976468
Yes Inkarnate because I wanted a easy presentable map to show to others. Coastal deserts are a thing, you know? Plus latitude does not mean evrything. Though geography, might have to put some fjords in...
>>47976593
Nah its the main continent.
>>47977656
Won't work. Players want to be entertained, not vice versa. You are only going to look lazy.
>>47977656
I'd agree with >>47977702, you're putting yourself in a very precarious situation, especially dependent on what your players are like. Give them too much information to begin with, and they might not know what to fill in the map with. Give them too little, and you risk them messing with whatever your vision/ideas are. It'd be tricky enough with a single player, but with a group of players then there's no way of knowing how things will turn out.
You want to keep going with it? Explain to them whatever this mist thing is beforehand, and lay down ground rules. If people are going to see "What follows is my vision and ideas." as railroading anyways, you might as well be upfront with it beforehand.
>>47977692
Inkarnate produces clipart tier shit that is inferior to even hand drawn maps.
Just take the 2 days it takes to learn Photoshop and make something that doesn't just look like babies first forgotten realms rip off.
>>47977656
Don't explain mysteries if you want your world to be mysterious, mongoose.
>>47977692
>dont expect Blizzard levels of writing
Blizzard is not exactly top-tier writing.
>>47977882
How the fuck do you make something on PS without a pad?
>>47977702
>Players want to be entertained, not vice versa.
>Entertainers don't want to be played
>>47977702
>>47977872
To clarify, I would have all the typical explanation of a normal RPG corebook, including a completed map and explanations of various settlements, ruins, etc.
But that would all be after the break, with a note saying "feel free to change it." It's less about them having the experience I want and more about helping them be inspired to have fun.
>>47977976
>Don't explain mysteries if you want your world to be mysterious, mongoose.
Would you rather have a GM's section that explains the mysteries or just leaving it up to the imagination altogether?
>>47978195
If you're going to go at it like a normal RPG corebook then why don't you just look at RPG corebooks and emulate that? They evidently have a working formula, the more successful ones at least.
>Would you rather have a GM's section that explains the mysteries or just leaving it up to the imagination altogether?
This depends on how often the setting is used. If it's a one shot deal, there's no sense in ruining the surprise, especially if that's your only card to play. If you intend to have your group revisit this over and over again, and the "mystery" is just there for the first session, it doesn't matter as much.
>>47978195
>>47978296
And I ain't trying to give you vague answers on purpose. It's just that when your group is your audience, this is the sort of thing that you should be asking them, not us. You know your group better than we know your group (hopefully). For all I know if I tell you I want to know the major countries, factions, and NPCs, there'll be two of your players that don't give a shit about that and will think it's boring fluff.
Tailor to your audience.
>>47977600
>>47977667
Aztec gods weren't exiled until a few hundred years ago, and they can take the place of the evil new cults demanding blood sacrifices. YHWH went around ahead of the spread of Christianity and slaughtered their enemy's Gods, that's why Europe (Christianity) took over the world, they were the only ones getting miracles.
I figure that at about 0 AD YHWH was shifting over from the small time god of a few sand people into what would become the supreme ruler of Earth, and he wasn't hot shit at the beginning so he cut deals and played diplomatic with the Greek, Norse, and Egyptian pantheons (Nah, he's totally always been my agent. His name's not Thor, it's uh... Michael) and that worked out okay until the war with the Hindu Gods that got most everyone killed and forced YHWH to go "EVERYBODY GET OUT REEEEEE" and exiled them to the other world.
The question, if I stick with all this, is what I want to do with zorastrianism.
Also, the setting isisekai, so the player awareness of the gods does matter.
>>47977882
pic related isn't something you're gonna be able to make with 2 days of PS tutorials though.
>>47978380
Do a Morgoth/Sauron thing between Zoroastrianism/Abrahamic. YHWH idolises his inspiration.
>>47978380
If it's isekai, then how important is this backstory really? Do you intend the campaign to revolve around it, or is it more freeform? Right now it sounds like YHWH is really just some sort of background character at best here.
I mean frankly, if they are still gods, and they have worshippers, there's no reason why your isekai party can't just come across them one by one, and learn about the lesser known ones through NPC interaction and other such measures. Unless you intend to have divine intervention right away, I don't really the awareness factor hitting hard right in the beginning.
>>47978469
YHWH is why the gods are still there instead of back on Earth, and why 80% of them are dead and consumed. The backstory is the determinant of what gods survived to be exiled, and thus impact the story.
I suppose I could have a few well known ones running about (Loki brought them over) and then kind of go Supernatural on the lesser gods, make them try to reverse engineer who the god is and then use Earth myths to find their weaknesses and subjugate them.
>>47978004
You can make really fine maps just with cutting and pasting and layer effects and the sort
>>47978383
Maybe not the town, but the regional maps? They are not overly complex to do with Photoshop.
>>47978527
Well, if that's the case, and your intended plot line revolves around this exile backstory, then you should probably just pick gods based off of themes that you want to be prevalent or ones that you have a possible plot line in mind for. Grab a small assortment more from various mythologies so that you present a bit of "variety". Don't really need to care in this case whether your players are immediately familiar with all of these gods, can play both sides to your advantage as long as you can follow the situation.
If you were writing a novel or something, the choice of characters would be much more important, but with a campaign generally it's the PCs that matter more so than the NPCs.
You weren't going to have the players choose to be the exiled gods, were you?
>>47978699
>You weren't going to have the players choose to be the exiled gods, were you?
Noooo no no no no except kind of because human souls have a non-zero amount of god in them, and the elves and majin in the other world don't.
What advice would you have if this were a novel? Or like, a series of shlock bullshit self-published on amazon for $1 per 100 pages.
>>47978756
Well if you're writing it out as fiction, generally you don't need a massive array of Gods, and you're afforded flexibility in ways that a gaming session wouldn't permit. You have your POV character depending on your writing style, and you can control how you introduce your gods, as well as the backstory.
If you're writing out something relatively simple for instance, you might just need one deity, and you can work a plot around them pretty easily. Like the Loki plotline you mentioned in itself could form the basis of a fic. You'd have a lot more freedom also in terms of how things go since as the author, you drive the story forward. The pace and such are all dictated by you. Furthermore because the prospective audience is bigger than just a gaming group, your initial concern about people not knowing the gods is significantly reduced. They can just look things up if they get hooked onto the character, and you can introduce obscure gods via more well known gods.
But a gaming session can be a bit more volatile. Only showing one deity might be seen as railroading (if deities are everything), and because your audience is immediately there, the implications of not knowing who a deity is might be more significant. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, I mean for instance players who don't know who Sedna is and accidentally club a seal in front of her might trip a plotline and you can set up things like that (not the best move though I suppose). But it does have a lot more pitfalls than a story where you can plan out sequences and not have as many potential deviations.
People more experienced than me in both fields probably has better advice though. Isekai and immortals in general are a finicky topic to work with, even though I like them both a fair bit.
>>47977600
Cool, thanks. The -an ending are limited to those I named (and their collective ethnic group of Raoxshan), elsewhere any other culture with a lot of various states will use a different suffix - I was thinking for the steppe dwellers the macro grouping of: Akahiysa (southern steppe) and Dasyahisa (northern steppe). I pronounce it as Ak-ah-ee-sah and Das-yah-ee-sah).
I'm making sure to have no damn apostrophe names. And some that just have that 'cheap fantasy feel' I'll avoid, but that goes on gut.
>>47978004
Follow this guide but do not use its river method. I will post a PDF another anon suggested using the rivers of and it works a lot better. I'll also do a few recommendations with this PDF, but I do not have a pad and I've been able to make satisfactory maps.
>>47979005
River guide: Start from his tutorial at 1.5/1.6. (However go to page 5/8 for the specifics of the river stuff)
You create a new file, make a filter-render-difference clouds, image-adjustment-threshold (aim to have the same white/black territory as you see in his picture), then do magic wand tool, select the black space anywhere on the map. Then go to select - similar.
Once you've done that then you go to edit > Stroke. My map is 2800x2309, his stroke for my scale is too high so I went with a stroke of 5 for main rivers, a stroke of 3 for smaller rivers/tributaries.
After you've done the stroke, press control+I. That will invert all but the stroke into the 'land' white color, leaving you a very thin bunch of squiggly black lines.
Lasso a bunch of squigglies you want. It doesn't have to be a big part, you can go with a small selection and then build up the river.
Copy and paste it onto your map (following the tutorial >>47979005 make sure you are pasting it at the top of the photoshop order. beyond ice/land/ect.) Magic wand the white parts, delete it. Then Control + L, drag INPUT LEVEL black triangle all the way to the right. Then usually I will control+T (Free transform) and turn the river to the left or right and then press enter. This'll make it a bit blurrier and not so crisp. You may have to control L again to make it all pure black.
Position a bunch of those squiggly rivers where you want them on your map (continuing next post)
>>47979310
Map has since adjusted and changed locations so you have some ghost rivers that are since moved or removed, but you can get an idea. You'll want to do some nice touches at the template stage - use a small opacity (11-15 maybe) irregular kind of eraser brush (Spatter or soft round, just make sure you jack up the spacing, and the shape dynamics and scatter so it looks like a jackson pollock painting in the brush preview) and dab the eraser on the further inland ends of the river.
When you are satisfied with your rivers (I recommend doing a backup of your land-mass, as you will be editing it with these rivers. Maybe a quick temp save copy of your PSD) - I forget the exact thing I did, but it was something like lower the river template layer to 75% opacity/fill, possibly down to even 50%.
Magic wand the picture (not on the rivers, outside of it), then invert selection (Control+shift+I, I think). This selects your river templates.
Go down to your land layer from the tutorial >>47979005. Alt + left click on the black and white thumbnail, not the pure white thumbnail. With the river templates selected from before, press delete.
Leave the land thumbnail, click anywhere else to bring the map back to its colored normal self. Disable the river template layer.
You should see land now removed where the river template was, which introduces the look you see on the right.
In following >>47979005 I recommend skipping the ocean part of the tutorial beyond that initial cloud layer & blue overlay. Worrying about the continental shelf and shallow/deep is not necessary until you are 100% set on your map's land mass.
Anybody know how to make the fantasy maps on donjon not be connected to the top or bottom or the map?
Would a 15th-16th century European society have had a census? If so would they be accurate to a point? For example if I wanted to say that it is known that the free city of such and such has a population of 16,074 people, would that make sense? Or would it be more accurate to say that the local duke says that there are about 15,000 people and that is generally the number people go with?
>>47982376
I figure there would be a decent motivation for a lord to know how many serfs he has to a man, but in a city the number of illegal inhabitants, migrants, traders and such make it more of an estimate at best
>>47982398
That makes sense, thanks for the reply!
>>47982376
How else would you tax them
>>47982376
Romans had a pretty accurate census, mostly for tax purposes. That said, it's the sort of thing that's costly and not easy to do frequently, so you'd end up with a rough estimate, even accounting for births and deaths. You could get it to maybe within 100 accurately.
Of course, if you're that worried, you could come up with some sort of 'census spell' that can just tally up how many people live somewhere, or at least how many are in an area.
>>47982376
The Domesday book was a survey taken of England and Wales after William the Conquerer took over. That was in 1086, so I'd say you have good reason for it to happen. Its purpose was more to work out who owned how much of what land so that it could be taxed.
>>47982502
>City is using an ancient artifact to count how many people are in the city and where
>They use it just for the census
>It was actually designed as a super weapon
>The interns are allowed to use it
>>47982376
Don't forget, Halflings only count as half a person.
>>47982376
>15th-16th century European society.
Actually, yeah, they usually had. But it's not what you would expect. They didn't count individuals, but families. They wanted to know how many families inhabited certain places, because the families paid the taxes. So you can see censuses were there are like 1000 families, but the members of said families aren't know.
Cities were a bit complicated. There were territories associated to cities that weren't part of the city itself. Then you had the fact that beggars and huge parts of the lower classes weren't usually considered when making a census.
That said, they're usually accurate, and you can guess that each family has about five members (the father, the mother, two children and a grandparent) and go from there.
>>47982604
more children than that due to mortality and replacement
>>47982754
Yeah, I was just giving a small frame to work with. There are tons of exceptions and special cases that don't conform to the family I mentioned, but that's the decision of the interested party.
This song has inspired me lately.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGczmeOnKNQ
I see a cluster of isles in the far north of a world. The main island houses a number of disunited celtic-type kingdoms. A warmer, southern isle is the seat of a romanized celtic vestigial kingdom, and a colder land far off serves as the home of a norse-people. And just over the western horizon the mythical land of the Fey has returned from the Otherworld. The Old Gods return, with blood and fire. Magic returns to the world where once there was none for a thousand years or more. The numbers 3, 7, and 9 become cursed and blessed both by the gods. Shedding ones blood and making an oath will actually, truthfully call down divine power to seal it. Gods, demihumans, wizards, heroes, all walk the earth again.
Listen warriors of the Old Gods,
As the Wild Hunt’s horn does sound.
All their works shall fall before us,
And the evil ones be bound.
Raise the shield of bright Athena,
Swing the hammer of great Thor.
Avalon is risen, is risen, is risen.
Avalon is risen, to fall no more.
>>47986727
Also, bumping with Celtic and Dark Age stuff, or close to it.
>>47986747
>>47972452
that bridge district is inspired by the Krämerbrücke in Erfurt, Thüringen in case anyone was wondering
Really nice place to visit, and it's not that big either so you could easily cop it for a campaign
>>47986727
Actually, now thinking about this again,:
>What music do you listen to to get inspired to create a setting?
>>47979005
But that tutorial generates a random landform. There doesn't seem to be a way to decently draw a premade map in PS.
>>47987272
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtyBBoOUgho
>>47987438
Sounds pretty chill, in a way. What sort of settings does this song conjure in your mind?
>>47987272
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyC5RKzQm9I
For some reason, always conjures up the feeling of technological incomprehensibility I need.
>>47987462
A hopeful struggle, fearsome monstrosities that are very much kill-able, whispers of eventual glory.
Basically just cozy.
>>47987499
Cozy is nice.
>the objectively "good" side triumphs
>the story is one big overdose of hope for a better future
I can't bring myself to put victorious evil in my settings.
>>47987557
Ey, that's okay. Although I fear to ask what you think is "objectively good". Not that it matters. It's your setting, not mine.
![chrysippus-an-ancient-athenian-philosopher-died-from-laughing-at-one-of-his-own-jokes[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/WGUk01z.jpg "chrysippus-an-ancient-athenian-philosopher-died-from-laughing-at-one-of-his-own-jokes[1].jpg")
How would Shaka's Bull's Horn turn out when exercised by Ancient Greek troops? What kinds of units would needed for this?
I need this for world building reasons. My elves are pretty much ancient Greeks and I need some "revolutionary" new strategy that focuses on offense over (phalanx) defense without requiring a lot of high quality troops.
>>47988037
>How would Shaka's Bull's Horn turn out when exercised by Ancient Greek troops? What kinds of units would needed for this?
I guess it could turn out alright. Going by Classical Greek armies, you would need a core of hoplites, preferably with previous combat experience, who would compose the "Chest" of the formation, the portion holding the line and keeping the enemy busy. Then you would need two wings of peltasts and/or cavalry to be the "Horns", to quickly flank the enemy phalanx and take it by surprise.
However, you would still need high quality troops. Arguably, you need even more high quality troops than before. If you used the Bull's Horn against a phalanx without highly trained warriors, you would lose pretty quickly. I mean, you're sending light infantry to take on heavily armoured enemies. Unless your guys are prepared for such a fight, defeat is certain.
How can the WW1 era world exist with the technology of 1400s?
I want to tell a story in a world connected with the period of WW1 and the subsequent wars and revolutions but I don't want technology or steampunk in my setting.
Guys, general question: how do you catalog all your fluff? Just random word files, actual maps, some kind of program, a wiki?
>>47988457
>An era so intimately linked to technological advances.
>Without said technological advances.
You can't.
>>47988519
I am thinking of substituting it with magic as the Renaissance was the rediscovery and relearning of the Art.
>>47988542
Unless magic is both widely available to everyone and easy to learn, you still can't get anything like WWI with it. And that is without getting into demographics.
Is there anything unique to RPG vs. JRPG world design? I saw this map on /a/ and I immediately thought "yeah, a Japanese person came up with that," but I'm not really sure why. Maybe something about discrete geographic regions separated by mountain passes?
>>47988564
Why not? Some wizards can replace the canons and tear down the feudal lords by destroying their walls with magic.
Some magical form of communication can accelerate the forming of big societies and nations instead of electricity based communications.
>>47988602
I think it's the fact that it's a big island that makes me think it's a JRPG
>>47988519
You literally can, assuming anon means "utter fucking shitshow of a war" rather than "war with the exact kind of trenchlines the western front had".
Thirty Years War + Three Kingdoms happened without industrial tech.
>>47988689
fun fact: centuries old ottoman medieval canons were used in gallipolli front because of the lack of modern artillery.
>>47988607
Okay, >>47988689 makes a good point. Is that what you want? Or do you want magical 1920s?
>>47988744
Yeah I want the social effects and results. I don't care for trench warfare or other technological things of the period.
>>47988758
>social effects and results
Well, if by "social effects" you mean the veterans, that can be done.
Suffragism and the "Russian Revolution" are harder to get, though. Fascisms are als oa bit tricky, because they were deeply related to nationalism, and I can't see how nationalism can appear in a feudal world.
>>47988811
>>47988607
At that point feudalism will be finished already with the methods I described.
I want to have the social and political results such as the destruction of big empires, emergence of new states and subsequent partition/independence wars followed the WW1 such as the Middle East theater, Greek-Turkish War and social upheavels like the German and Russian revolts. But the problem is without the technology, the magic wouldn't create a worker class or industrial revolution so there won't be a communist revolution. I need something to replace the communism.
>>47988849
Huuum...
Actually, I think you could have communism nonetheless. Sort of. As long as there exists a privileged class, most socialist theories argue that the lower classes will organise themselves against the upper ones. They just need a way of organising themselves. You have examples in the Middle Ages of small villages that wage a sort of guerrilla war against the nobles. As in, avoiding tax collectos, moving their houses so the nobles can't say they're in their lands, etc. If some mages wanted to improve the situation of the peasants, it would be easy to organise such activities on wider areas.
>>47974965
>>What is their food like?
They eat lots of wheat-like grains, legumes and large domesticated waterfowl. A popular streetfood consists of a pita-like bread filled with a sauce of ground meats, root vegetables and tart fruits, sort of similar to real-world bolognese sauce. It is cooked continually throughout the whole day, so the later you go and get some, the thicker the sauce.
>>Their art
Art is mostly found in rich ornaments on weapons, tools and everiday objects, but also in frescos and woven blankets. It often depicts heroes, ancestors, gods and legends. They seem to have an obsession with the numbers twelve and eight, and with octagonal shapes.
>>Their music
Drums and other percussion play a large role in their music. They are accompanied by stringed and woodwind instruments and choral singing. Songs are often chaotic, jam-like with no lyrics. Making music together is an important social ritual. Structured songs with verses and lyrics are slowly becoming more popular by external influence.
>>What do they consider virtues ? What do they consider taboo or vice?
They are very collectivistic. Any kind of antisocial behavior is frowned upon and often punished with temporary servitude. They highly value proficiency with things that can help the whole community, including martial prowess. Adhering to a code of honor in a serious battle is seen as stupid and foreign ideas of honor are often ridiculed.
Cont.
>>47974965
>>47988988
Cont.
>>What is their architecture like?
The cities are dominated by almost favela-like wooden huts, mostly mounted on trees but also extending all the way down to the ground. These settlements are chaotic and feature highly irregular architecture.
Noble houses and fortifications are often made of stone with high metal content. Again, octagonal shapes are preferred, especially for temples. There's high roads being built to cross the primeval forest, with high palisades and occasional stepped pyramids to serve as shelters for travelers.
>>Their clothing?
Often light due to the relatively warm climate, consisting of cotton, hemp, feathers and leather. Heads and feet often remain naked, except for military and ceremonial purposes.
>>What is the common stereotype of them to outsiders?
Fierce, sly, wild, pragmatic, better to have as a friend than as an enemy. They're conquerors, but not entirely malevolent.
made some adjustments o my map, what do you guys think?
>>47974965
The Empire of Gedask, a human dominated empire.
>What is their food like?
Being rather large its different regions have particular foods they focus on. The north have a lof of hams. smoked meats(usually pork and goat) and grains such as wheat and barley. Beer is the common alcoholic drink and they are reputed to grow the best hops. The usual fare is rich in fats/oils and flavors focus on local herbal mixtures.
In the south the traditional rustic fair is popular such as unleavened brads and roasted fruits, vegetables and meats. Being a sub-tropical to tropical region various preserves and pickles are part of the diet as well as beans and rice. The food is often described as light in the stomach and relatively heavy in spices.
The west describes itself as having more refined tastes and prides itself in elaborate preparations especially for festivities. The rich farming and grazing lands give a varied choice of foods, spices and herbs. They are especially proud of their cakes, made of especially cultivated and refined flour that makes it fluffier and more moist than any else in the land.
To the east there is a clash of cultures and food is not an exception. Traditionally following the lead of the south in cuisine lately there has been a large influx of far-east and even Sha'haran cooking making its way into society. 24-hour barbecues and perpetual stews are fast becoming staples in taverns and homes. It is not uncommon for border veteran's families to supplement their diets with grubs and insects, something often learned from Sha'haran captors and prisoners.
>>47979005
>>47979310
>>47979468How applicable are these to programs that aren't Photoshop?
>>47991594
I'm sure that if you were able to understand those programs well enough you could achieve the same effects, its just that this tutorial give you the proper tools, layer masks, and opacity to make the map in the first picture.
>>47991594
I did the first step in Gimp, I dunno about the rest.
>>47988602
whole setting is based on one island = japs
lifting names off of europe an often misplacing/using them (in this case toulouse) = japs
eastern this, western that = japs
alphonse = japs
>>47991810
you're an idiot
What sorts of conditions are needed for coastal deserts to form?
>>47988508
I wanna fuck that thing.
>>47991594
If you check https://www.cartographersguild.com/forumdisplay.php?f=48 they have GIMP tutorials.
>>47987431
If you're wanting to translate a map you've already drawn then yeah you're out of luck. But while it generates a random land mass there is a part of the tutorial where you are able to edit (with still a degree of randomness) out land or in land.
>>47992476
-30 degrees north or south latitude give or take a few degrees (5? 10?)
-A 'nearby' land mass that further limits the presence of water (coastal Arabia, Western side of the red sea, Sinai, ect.)
-A lot of land to the side that isnt' coastal - think Western Sahara coastline in Morocco/Mauretania and how there's a big fat desert next to it.
I'm still not 100% clear on why Florida and Georgia and Alabama are subtropical at 30 degrees and not a desert. Some source I read said south-eastern coasts of a continent are often more subtropical than desert but it wasn't clear why (You have New South Wales in Australia, South-East USA, compare SE South America around 30 degrees south to SW South America at the same latitude.
>>47992870
Thanks. That's helpful information. I knew about the latitude part, though I wasn't sure what sorts of other things would factor in.
Reason I ask is because I'm trying to work on a setting with varied terrain, but a smaller map so its not quite as vast, at least to start. I figured having a desert region that could also house major port cities might offer some good opportunities.
My time has come
>>47995453
>Big Jack's Jerky Stop
>>47993184
I dunno when or where I grabbed this old D&D worldbuilding thing but it's a nice reference point. I'd recommend looking far and wide for information. Googling it, googling questions or asking here.
http://pastebin.com/7KQmyMF8 - was what two anons (it's messy copypasta, I think I copied it twice by accident) posted to some of my earlier questions. I think prevailing winds is the other big thing. I'm not sure how dead they are at 30 degrees (there has to be -some- prevailing wind but clearly it's weak and mixed) but google "prevailing winds maps" and you'll see how it goes from south to north above 30 degrees North, and from north to south below it. Still clockwise, it's counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere.
The result is the prevailing winds for the Sahara are all coming from land across land, the prevailing winds in Europe are coming mostly from the sea into land. Baja California is surrounded on 3 sides by water but the prevailing winds come from the southwest and Mexico with not enough water in the baja bay to make it verdant.
It's a little confusing why the Yemen and Horn of Africa is not more verdant than it is since the prevailing winds are coming from the ocean between Oman and India.
Ocean currents also play a role but I'm more uncertain on their shape/pattern. I think they generally resemble prevailing winds.
I recommend you chart out latitudes and longitudes (if photoshop, use the rulers - my 0' axis North is 60°, my 100' is equatorial.) It doesn't have to be perfect, mine got borked when I added to the size of my map. But it (along with the arrows to let me know prevailing wind pattern) helps me to check and make sure everything is making sense.
And hey at the end of the day nobody gives a fug if Middle Earth or Westeros has fucked up climate so long as there isn't any major fax-piss like icy equatorial or 60° Desert (Mongolian steppe being an exception)
>>47995453
>wawa
Are they in a perpetual war with the kingdom of sheetz?sheeeeeeeeet nigga
how are my rivers and canyons
>>47988602
Bright colors
>>47974629
>>47974994
Also remember that under certain conditions, mountains are a big cause of deserts. Long story short, they block rain. Could inspire a good spot for both geological phenomena.
>>47991810
World of Warcraft had Western and Eastern Plaguelands
And as a French speaking person, I'd say using French names inappropriately is pretty common to all non-French community
Naming things is difficult.
>>47996671
when you only know English... yes.
>>47996917
What if your world is not based on human culture and naming a town Saint-Jacques or Shinto would look weird?
>>47997319
"Saint-Jacques" could just be the equivalent in English. In the in-setting language, it's named after a "Blessed Supplanter" from the nation's history.
>>47997632
Pic related; same general concept applied to this world.
>>47997655
Another.
>>47997815
>northern land of friends
>friends
>>47997815
>land of those that speak normally
Does anyone have good resources for plotting the effects of volcanic eruptions on ecosystems downwind?
In return, I can offer free, relaxing documentaries on Canada: https://www.knowledge.ca/program/canada-over-edge
>>47997655
>Myanmar
>>47995453
I feel like there's a joke I'm not getting.
>>47997815
>Noblebright's Land
>Alberta
Clearly something's changed since being named.
>New Settlement of the Brown One.
>Not Vancouver
Mistakes have been made
>Doveland of the Tattoed
>British Columbia
Yup. Crappy tattoos from crappy tattoo shops
>>47988037
The ancient Greeks specialized in elite fleets and a hardened core of spear infantry aka the hoplites supported by skirmishers as well as horsemen.
Alexander the great conquered vast swathes of turf with the ancient Greeks and even the Romans ripped off the Greeks like there was no tomorrow.
For revolutionary strategies around that time look at the Romans and the horse archers who gave people trouble for entire millennia. Horse archers are actually very fucking old.
Fucking horse archers man.
Its interesting to note spearmen never really fell out of practice for a very long time. Even in times of gunpowder you had the pike and shot. Even when guns got more advanced it was common to modify for them to be able to mount a dagger for stabby stabby action.
Fucking spears even outlasted the goddamn horse archers.
>>47999850
>tfw arrows are just tiny spears made for cowards
>>47997815
>Texas
>Land of friends
Riiiiight
>>47999134
It's Michigan, Wisconsin, and Canada
>>48003326
I thought it was Greyhawk
I'm totally new to making homebrew maps and such, I'm trying to find tips on how to make a ship deck plan.
Any resources I can use?
I don't need anything amazing, but I know I'd like better then the ms paint doodle we use atm.
>>48000752
And javelins are just normal spears, made for cowards.
>>47991285
"The Kindgom of Chazaria under the Gaze of Aton"
>What is their food like?
Fairly plain. One thing that sets them apart from other cultures is heavy use of fruits and nuts - special species of apple and apricot-like fruit all native to the deep valley and fairly high altitude plains of their homeland are used to brew porridge or dried in the sun. Flour is even rarer in their lands than in the rest of the world, so bread is considered a luxury food. They make heavy use of goat and sheep cheese and milk too.
>Their art
The Chazarians are a fairly strict, monotheistic theocracy: the Church of Aton is by far the biggest commisioner of arts. However, based on extremely abstract ideas, the Church does not support much of visual and figurative arts. They have some beautiful mosaics usually depicting highly schematic and abstract images of cosmology.
One thing that is unique to them however is the art of clockworkery: Atonists often call their God "the divine Clockmaker" and imagine the world as a giant clockwork machine: creating smaller, intricate machines, such as orreries is considered one of the highest forms of art. These machines are often richly decorated with precious gems and metals too.
>Their music
Music is where Chazarians compensate a lot for their lack of visual arts: their music is some of the most rich and beautiful existing in the whole world. It's very similar to late renaissance/baroque music sacral music.
>What do they consider virtues
The greatest virtue in the moral system of Atonism is complacency and obedience. According to Atonists, a clockwork is a divine ideal of world, and human society is supposed to reflect that ideal as closely as possible. Everyone is a "just a cog in the machine". It's not as evil as it sounds though. It actually means nobody is really expendable either - in a clockwork, even the smallest gear can be completely vital to the function of thing. Also, it makes them the only society where slavery is taboo.
>>48005037
>What is their architecture like?
As the only european-inspired nation of my world, their architecture can be probably most easily compared to Byzantine or Armenian architecture. That said, it's fairly grim and dull in comparison to the crazy and colorful stuff some of the other cultures build. Houses of commoners usually lack almost any decor, even the temples are fairly plain on the outside - just a giant golden triangle above the simple portal. Chazarians always place more emphasis on interiors than exteriors though and their houses, small and somewhat cramped, can be pretty cozy and comfortable if lacking in light, as their cold, high-altitude homelands don't actually encourage large windows and open architecture.
>Their clothing?
Drab and plain, usually in tones of grey, brown and green, not far spell from the stereotypical medieval peasant stereotype: baggy woolen or linen shirts and pants for men, simple and plain dress for women. Even the noblemans clothes aren't very decorative.
>What is the common stereotype of them to outsiders?
That they are almost robotic, unthinking machines. That they have absolutely no joy in life.
At the same time, many see their land as a promised land, thanks to the no-slavery-policy.
>>47997655
>blue sea
>is not a sea
>is landlocked
>>48005564
Maybe it means something else. Like how the silk road isn't an actual road made of silk. Maybe the blue sea is full of people who were blue, so when they all go out it's like a sea.
Or something.
Does anyone have that meme infographic about geography that's done in MSpaint?
>>48005564
>>48005830
It's named after the lake in the northeast of the province. Also I think you can forgive people living a thousand miles inland for not knowing what actual seas look like.
>>47989924
I think it looks like a Picasso painting of two people kissing.
>>47991285
>Their art
Gedan Art is a somewhat odd mix in that they are generally using theory and techniques learned from and improved upon from their old elven overlords who's own artwork they have mostly destroyed. Visually there is a strong drive towards Realism in the past 300 years in different mediums, a drive built uo and away from the elven technique of Recreation. Little to no magic is used in current artwork and those that do are often considered Low and useful only as baubles for the festivities of the elite.
There is a rise of street and theater performers whose styles are split from east and west. Western performances focus on entertainment and song usually in jest, comedies or heroic tales performed in a refined manner while the eastern performers are predisposed to satire and tragedies usually in common language.
>Their music
Instruments are commonly wind and percussion based of varying materials, styles and sounds. Few string instruments such as lutes and harps exist and are usually made by the practitioners themselves. A common composition will usually have 4 instruments performed in concert alone or as an accompanyment to lyrics. There is a universal, formalised notation of musical tones and notes taught by masters to their apprentices.
>What do they consider virtues ? What do they consider taboo or vice?
Wresting food and wealth from the land is a virtue of equal to weight to Gedan freedom and supremacy. Laying with non-human slaves is a very strong taboo in society and, depending where they are, those guilty of it can be punished by shunning/shaming up to death. Generally women receive a harsher punishment than men.
rate my geography /tg/. I have some cities & borders, but I want to make sure the world itself is good before I put them in.
>>48008568
Looks good to me, except there should be more Ice and Snow up north in my opinion.
Take it with a grain of salt though.
>>48008742
Thanks. Forgot to put ice in the top right of the central continent. Fixing now.
Everybody in these threads seems to be doing entire continents, planets or universes. Has anyone here worldbuilt a single county or barony or other small territory?
>>48010015
I did a city, once. I should pull it back up, now that you've reminded me.
>>48009951
No problem anon. Glad to be of help.
>>48010015
My only project is still a kingdom that needs to be fleshed out still. Migth as well try to do the cities and prefectures inside of it.
I just keep getting distracted with planning the continent and other places of the world.
I mean Attack on Titan replaced with Giants and a china expy. It´s kinda distracting.
>>48010079
>I mean Attack on Titan replaced with Giants
So...Attack on Titan?
>>48010281
No, not exactly. Meant the giants from the d&d monster manual. 5e.
>>48010015
yeah, a Bloodborne ripoff based on post WW1 Vienna.
>been editing in ms paint a map of the earth after some theoretical flooding
>the world me and a friend are making is essentially our earth but with fantasy races and landmasses altered in size from high sea levels
>based on the age of sail, a also drawing from a few animes and fantasy worlds we like
>core concept is a world with colonialism in reverse were the main human societies are in the americas and then colonizing asia/europe/africa/australia
>most of the core pathfinder races have their own societies in several places
>the human societies are mainly based on mythical legends like eldorado, altantis ect.
>for example the elven socites is in greenland which is like magictech empire based on the elven societies described in many other fantasy worlds before said societies were destroyed by humans
Pic related and log horizon gave us the idea, what do you guys think?
Also, I got photoshop to turn this like mspaint map into a more legit looking one.
I've been trying to find a guide to make a fantasy map, but rather then use the clouds method to generate shape and then make it look landmasses, use the shapes I already have and then make that look like a map.
>What is their food like?
Great deal of molluscs. Clam soup, roasted clams, god knows what the fuck else they do with their molluscs. Obviously, like all settled cultures they have to rely on grain, but they have less arable land then others and they mastered art of farming molluscs. Also they have a very large state-owned orchard supplying fuits for affordable price. Scurvy is everywhere.
>Their art
They like all sorts of metalsmithing and wood carving
>What do they consider virtues ? What do they consider taboo or vice?
Loyalty to family and gaining wealth for it is good. Disobeying your family, not upholding its honour or costing its money is bad
>What is their architecture like?
Lots of marble is used. The city is built where marble is commonplace. Owned land translates into having a vote in city assembley so people who can want to build their homes wide, to secure their claim. In some districts marble mansions are in ruins and wooden hovels built over them housing the poor
>Their clothing?
They like to mimic togas of the old empire they spawned from but updated it so now it looks like a very assimetric vest
>What is the common stereotype of them to outsiders?
They are greedy, obese people who however can be trusted to keep their word.
>>48005037
>The greatest virtue in the moral system of Atonism is complacency and obedience. According to Atonists, a clockwork is a divine ideal of world, and human society is supposed to reflect that ideal as closely as possible. Everyone is a "just a cog in the machine". It's not as evil as it sounds though. It actually means nobody is really expendable either - in a clockwork, even the smallest gear can be completely vital to the function of thing. Also, it makes them the only society where slavery is taboo.
i dig this. might s t e a lfor a campaign that probably won't ever happen because i just world build and world build even though real life campaigns take months to finish
>>48010079
>I just keep getting distracted with planning the continent and other places of the world.
Same, but I keep remembering that when I run a campaign in my world, it'll be low-key stuff at first, not traveling from the Edge of the World-Disk to the Shadow Realm or whatever.
>Gold is valuable in-setting, used to make magic items
>A Gold Coin uses 0.1 ounce of gold
>1,000 Gold (6.25 pounds) is a fortune
>A fancy Flaming Adamantine Long Sword only costs ~600g
>the strongest Creation spell can create 1 cubic foot of material, with scaling experience cost based on type of material created
>1 cubic foot of Gold is over 1,250 pounds (200,000g)
>the setting's strongest Wizard could crash the world economy with no survivors
Does anyone have something like the OP culture questionaire, but for species? As in, I'm trying to make articles about a given species of sentient.
>>48016125
>matter being created or destroyed
>>48016454
Are you seriously bringing laws of physics into a discussion about magic? Isn't disregarding physics the exact definition of magic?
>>48016470
Not when magitech is a thing. Also, some magic systems view magic as an alternate way of accomplishing the same things physics/science does.
>>48016454
>infinite supply of magical energy
>inner planes allow a caster to tap into an infinite supply of energy
>perpetual motion machines are easy to make
>said Creation spell creates fully real, un-dispellable matter
>>48016544
And how does that apply to the other guy's setting, which isn't yours and doesn't adhere to your standards of magic?
ok /wbg/, tell me about your ranking/classification systems. Because I watch a lot of anime/read a lot of LNs and manga, I have this absurb obsession with ways of ranking or classifying things. Like for instance, my ranking system for mages in my setting. Or military ranking systems that I make up for my more modern settings.
So, what about your settings guys?
>Is there a ranking system for a particular organization or nation?
>What is it used for?
>How important is it to that nation's culture?
>What was the inspiration for that classification system?
>One detail about it that sets it apart
>>48016578
that anon is clearly using the D&D magic system though, which has been used in Eberron, a setting that has magitech in it.
>>48016647
It's derived from a D&D system, but it's not a carbon copy. The world isn't a closed system in the first place, so the Law of Conservation of Mass doesn't apply.
>>48016626
In my setting once an individual reaches a certain threshhold of power, their true power begins to be restricted by the Gods. They do this because beyond that threshold their attacks and movements become capable of greatly damaging the planet. Said warriors are assigned a class based on how many times stronger than that threshold they are.
For example, a human warlord three times stronger than the limit set by the Gods would be a Class 3. Such individuals can use their true powers in duels with other threshold-crossers, in small spontaneously-generated realities that prevent collateral damage.
>>48016626
>Is there a ranking system for a particular organization or nation? What is it used for?
The Adventurer's Guild uses a metal-based ranking system for its Adventurers. Adventurers are ranked based on their personal ability and experience.
As it's personal, some Adventurer teams might have a variety of rankings within them.
>How important is it to that (organization)'s culture?
Higher ranked Adventurers are more popular, the highest ranked being closer to superheroes than celebrities. Higher ranking also nets you perks within whatever country you live, as a couple top-tier Adventurers saves a metric buttload for the city's defense budget.
>What was the inspiration for that classification system?Ripped it from Overlord
>One detail about it that sets it apart
The Adventurer's Guild is actually centralized in one of the member countries, and the namesake Adventurers are expected to travel around; never staying in the same place for more than a year. They're also allowed to cross national borders carrying weapons and the magical equivalent of a siege weapon.
Likewise, the source's ranking system was team-based.
>>48017019
>The Adventurer's Guild uses a metal-based ranking system for its Adventurers.
>Ripped it from Overlord
I knew it as soon as you said it was a metal-based ranking system
>>48017069I added a rank beyond Adamantine for heroes that go far beyond human limitations, tooThe level system in Overlord is pretty good for setting power levels for gods and mortals, too.
When doing world building and building cultures, how do you guys go about it?
When I build cultures, I try not to just throw together a hodge podge of generic characteristics and say that's their culture. Usually I try to consider history(conquests, religions, leadership, etc.), location, and practicality based on the world fluff.
>>48017130
It's ok I basically stole my mage classification/ranking system from a combination ofRakudai and Nanoha
once more, unto the breach
Any decent music that you guys use to think up aggressive militarist societies?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yF7FP8LSSM
I've been looking for something similar to this, but longer, so that I can buckle down and finish typing up a few things. I could have sworn something in the Nausicaa soundtrack had a similar staccato vibe to it, but I'll be damned if I can actually find it anywhere.
>>48020727
dance of the knights, perhaps
What wildlife do you have?
>>48021061
Mostly oozes, elementals, dinosaurs and various "ancient" mammals, including rocs the size of a city, why?
>>48017585
>When doing world building and building cultures, how do you guys go about it?
Made a rough outline/list of things I want the culture to be. Using that I backtrack in their history and insert elements and history that would lead to what they currently are and what they are supposed to likely be in the future.
What are your favorite IRL words for witches and mischievous she-shamans? I need ideas for such a caste. They work with semi-nomadic desertfolk that ride hyenas, if that helps.
>>48021950
the African word for witches is heks. plural is hekse.
>>48021950
Witch is my favourite. Sorcerer is great, so is warlock; I like magus because I like the Biblical and Zoroastrianism is cool as shit, and calling them "scholars", or metanatural philosophers, creates its own atmosphere.
>>48016626
The Fallen Empire of ashes goes by the popular Imperial Standard. Despite the Fall of the Empire the colonies and others still use it. So its quite well spread.
Measuring.
Very. Way back when the ruler got sick and tired of everybody using different measurements and languages. To deal with the problem the ruler ordered for there to be a standard language and measurements to be taught to all schools and peoples so as to make things easier. The merchants loved it as it made trading across borders SO much goddamn easier and cheaper. The military and scholarly peoples also grew quite fond of the changes. The only people who hated it were elders, traditionals, and arts.
irl measurements. Working on bullshitting an excuse for metric system next.
There is not really anything I decided I needed to bullshit some in setting excuses for irl measurements. Always having to make up my own got old and tiring. Figured bullshitting irl measurements into the setting would give the excuse why charts translating between measurements would exist. Which is actually the real reason why. I wanted an excuse in setting excuse for that sorta thing.
>>48017585
Base them off an irl culture then adjust them according to the setting. Cultures always change wildly and then I age it a bit allowing for further drift.
Makes things so much easier and surprisingly unique.
>>48021061
monsters, outsiders, magical beasts, undead, earthly wildlife and extinct wildlife.
Really run the gamut it does depend rather heavily where you are though.
>>48016125
>>48016454
Just assume that chemical elements have values of magic comparable to radioactivity. You can fissure gold or other precious metals into helium or hydrogen and set free magical energy that way. Thus is looks like the matter is destroyed.
>>48016626
I do enjoy ranking-shit as well ( ranked assassins, etc. are love ), but I don't think it would fit well into the setting. Maybe someday?
I did make some sort of pecking-order for higher beings, though. It just has some examples. And mind logrus/pattern-naming, I just don't have good names for the things yet.
>>48021950
Hagazussa
>>48022037
>>48022777
Fun fact for >>48021950: both of those are related to the German "Hexe(r)" (witch/sorceror), from which the word "hex" is derived.
>>48022783
Interestingly, all those words seem to share a root with the word "hedge" and the German compound "-hagen", (fence, wall, enclosure) which can be found in many place names.
>>48023155
>yfw witches are literally hedge mages
r8 my astronomically inaccurate starmap
>>48023977
Jesus Fuck, the inaccuracy is astronomical!
>>48023983
>>48016626
I really like making military ranking systems so here we go.
>The 391st Infantry Regiment of Vrenuska, like other military regiments in the nation, has a military ranking structure that promotes unit cohesion and organization. When a soldier first joins the regiment, they are awarded the rank of Private, the lowest NCO rank. Upon several years of service in the military, they are given the rank of First Private, in recognition of their dedication to both regiment and nation. Upon taking a specialized Military College training course, a First Private may be promoted to a Specialist, someone who has particular skill in a singular skill set. These are usually communications or medical specialists. If a soldier proves themselves worth either through leadership or through valor on the battlefield, they can be awarded the rank of Corporal, who acts as the second in command of a fireteam. Further acts of leadership may warrant a promotion to Sergeant, a fireteam leader. Beyond this rank is the rank of Staff Sergeant, who commands a squad (usually of around 50 soldiers). If that Sergeant has undergone Specialist training, they have the option to becoming a Technical Sergeant, a rank that doubles a Staff Sergeant as well as a higher grade Specialist. Beyond the Technical Sergeant and Staff Sergeant ranks, there is the rank of First Sergeant, who serves as the second in command to a 2nd Lieutenant. The 2nd Lieutenant is the lowest CO rank and is allowed to command a platoon, albiet with supervision from a First Sergeant. However, a 1st Lieutenant is able to lead a platoon with no supervision. Beyond the 1st Lieutnenat is the Captain, who serves as a second in command to a Major but should the regiment be low on Majors, a Captain can be deemed able to lead a company. For the highest ranks in the regiment, a Lieutenant Colonel is the commander of a battalion while a Colonel leads the whole regiment.
>>48022617
ah you! i really like you art!
>>47972452
>why do you like world building
It gives me an outlet for my creativity and incredibly enhances the campaign and my players' enjoyment when they are exploring a world that was essentially created and tailored to them.
>how many pages of lore?
I have a notebook with dozens of pages of notes scribbled down. Nothing long-form, though. That's all in my head.
>trivial random fact
The Lizardfolk in my setting are more crocodilian than how they're normally depicted and are less tribal/more advanced, taking more to sea-faring and piracy.
>questions
How do you decide which gods to put in your pantheon, I originally wanted to totally invent my own, but decided against it. The only gods that have factored into the campaign so far are Bahamut, Tiamat, Chauntea, and Yondalla. I guess I can pick and choose as I need them, but I was thinking I should probably be more consistent and put more thought into it.
Also, map critiques are always appreciated. I know it's standard Inkarnate autism, but I plan on learning how to use photoshop better and making a much better version once it's mostly finalized.
I don't know where to ask this and I don't want to make a separate thread because the mods will probably remove it because my question sounds a lot like magical realm, even though it isn't. So I'll just ask it here, it seems like the most suitable place because my question kind of relates to building an immersive world.
An npc in a game I'm running is a streetrat thief. She's also a single teen mother and impoverished. My question: can underfed women breastfeed? What conditions would make a mother unable to naturally breastfeed her baby. I want to involve some subplot where she steals shit to buy milk for her baby.
>>48000892
This is all etymology, you idiot.
"Texas" means "friends". Literally.
>>48029091
It's a joke, you spergmaster.
>>48028369
Starving women will have problem producing breast milk I think I've heard somewhere sometimes.
>have a vague concept for a shortstory
>finally have a time and patience to sit down and write it down
>spend 15 minutes thinking about the fucking title
this is an obscure kind of feel
Does your world have anthropomorphic personifications?
>>48028369
Basic physics and chemistry suggest that no, human bodies are pretty bad at producing what they don't have.
I heard about women losing ability to breastfeed for less reasons. I'm not an expert on breastfeeding in any way, but you don't need for every woman to lose milk under certain condition to have one woman do so.
>>48026819
Looks like a shorter Westeros with Egypt Island in the south and China Island in the east.
>>47995453
>Houghton as the apparent capital
Oh, fuck you, eh.
What are some punishable crimes in ancient societies?
Theft, murder, rape...? I need a few more.
>>48034974
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_of_Hammurabi
>>48034974
Fines
Exile
Limb removal
Whipping/lashing/beating
Stones
Servitude
Execution and straight imprisonment were very rare
>>48036237
I wonder how execution and imprisonment would be handled in a world where resurrection is a thing, and people can live for centuries.
>Evil Lich dude gets sentenced to 500 years in prison
>Kingdom falls in 300, Lich gets parole
>>48036307
>not sentencing the sleepless Undead to physical labor
Elf Subraces are important for my setting
How many should I have? Of the OGL ones from 3e D&D, we have:
Dark Elves
Aquatic Elves
Gray Elves
Wild Elves
Wood Elves
High Elves
Fire Elves
>>48037692
Just going off names?
No need for wild elf + wood elf. One or the other.
What is the diff of Gray elf and high elf, or gray elf and dark elf.
Keep Aquatic elves
Fire elves, what's their deal?
I'd say:
Dork elf
slippery-wet-pineapple-dwelling-under-the-sea elf
Teakwoodelves
High elves
>>48037692
>Space Elves; Elves from Space
>Stout Elves; Weirdly hairless Dwarves
Too complicated for me to get into the specifics of how it would change cultures, geopolitical layouts but which map do you find more appealing, the left or the right?
Or should I try and add more land to that island in the rightmost picture so it becomes a mini continent instead of a big island?
>>48038775
I like the left one. If your world is one with continental drift, it feels much more fitting.
>>48038775
for me right, but all the continents in both seem too close together.
Appreciate the input from yous two guis.
Have tried to put into words the dilemma I'm facing but it'd take too many posts and ramble. But I'll try and do it succinctly.
This is the world as it stands right now, still a huge wip. Will explain situation next post and try to keep it to 1 more post, maybe 2 at most. But I think I need to decide -who- I want in the North-West before I decide -how- I want them there.
>>48038818
It does have continental drift. Good point, I was thinking it was volcanic or a britain scenario but drift works. I have to admit looking at the left the vast empty space feels 'wrong' from a visual point of view. Whole idea of negative space in artwork. This isn't art, just a map, but something about it feels off. It reinforces a feeling that I'd be well off enlarging that island - not to be as big as the NW continent that moves in the two pics, but maybe half as big.
>>48038822
I needed the continents to be within a reasonable sailing distance (I'm not yet certain of the scale but the very northernmost land mass is around 60 degrees latitude (akin to the baltic or scandinavia) while the ocean at the very bottom of the picture is equatorial. Plus I figure that while today Eurasia/Africa and America are very far apart at some point they were close but not quite Pangaea - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pangaea#/media/File:Pangaea_to_present.gif think the Cretatious period. So think the distance of Africa and Europe with the Mediterranean enlarged a bit and no narrow Sicilian-North African straits.
>>48038979
>I'm not yet certain of the scale but the very northernmost land mass is around 60 degrees latitude (akin to the baltic or scandinavia) while the ocean at the very bottom of the picture is equatorial.
if thats the case... idk it seems off to me but thats also fine because its not earth. so i think you're fine. i still prefer the right but what that other anon said about drift seems reasonable to me as well.
>>48038979
Can't seem to unravel the tangled thoughts, but what I am aiming to do is to have the center of that map be akin to the middle-east as a region of clashing faiths, cultures, great empires and proxy wars. It sits on the main artery of trade (From the western continent to Nakkarum, up the Khasahan highlands and down to the Eastern bay). I'll probably need to expand Continent 1 in the south to both preclude sailing from that narrow sea up to Arazala/Makhenai. That, along with religious matters and good ol Imperialism, draws the Raoxshanids there. Similar factors galvanize their centuries removed kin of Niravahnam northward. I wanted 1-2 more great powers (one on the Western continent's peninsula and one on the NW's lowlands) to be able to get involved there as well. Though the more I think the more that feels a bit gimmicky - 3 great powers in close proximity sure (think Babylon/Egypt/Lydians, Fatimids/Seljuks/Romans, Ottoman/Timurid/Mamluk, but 4 great powers in close proximity and from different continents is silly)
>>48039072
Well it's not earth but I don't want it to be some unbelievable fantasy situation. What do you recommend? Continent 2 and 3 being pulled far away from continent 1 so that travel is rare? Or maybe tilting the peninsula of continent 2 so that it stays relatively close but the rest of it is far away?
I could definitely pull one of the two continents further away. I'm going to play around with it, try some unorthodox stuff, see about a wider distance and maybe just adding more land to continent east.
Thanks bud.
>>48039166
>>>48039072 (You)
>Well it's not earth but I don't want it to be some unbelievable fantasy situation. What do you recommend? Continent 2 and 3 being pulled far away from continent 1 so that travel is rare? Or maybe tilting the peninsula of continent 2 so that it stays relatively close but the rest of it is far away?
>I could definitely pull one of the two continents further away. I'm going to play around with it, try some unorthodox stuff, see about a wider distance and maybe just adding more land to continent east.
>Thanks bud.
i'm just messing around idk if this helps at all
>>47972452
>>Why do you like to worldbuild?
I have an addiction to RPGs. Worldbuilding is how I feed my addiction without draining everyone around me of their free time
>>How pages of lore/backstory do you have?
for the setting I'm working on? I only just started this one, so I only have 1 and a half pages. I don't generally write things down.
>>What's a trivial, random fact about your world?
baobabs are a delicacy in northwest france
>>What's something you need feedback on? Or, maybe you need an expert's opinion on a random subject?
what was the general political makeup of 1830s france? what are some cool adventure places in france?
>>48039252
FORGOT THE PDF
>>48039222
That's pretty good. It lets the western hemisphere (of that map, not sure if that's the entire world or not) balance out the right. I was having no idea what the hell would occupy the NW of the Western continent but that gives them something to interact with in the North-western continent. While it detaches the Western continents from the east for any political involvement beyond trade the distance between the two would be what, like India and East Africa or maybe Malay vs East Africa. I did originally want to have the western continent interact with the east in a military way but that may not be feasible.
I'll have to fiddle around but I appreciate the example from a different pair of eyes, I'm def going to save it as a reference point.
Have to run for now but thanks anon.
>>48039267
crappy mappy
white is french controlled, orange in mutant raided, green is sheep colonized, purple is roman taxed
>>48039252
Not familiar with that period for france but I believe in general the 19th century was a political battle between the conservative/reactionaries and liberal/republicans. Having never read les miserables (Shame, shame shame) I think it deals with revolutionary republicans wanting to overthrow the re-instated Bourbons. Later on in the 50s you get the return of the Napoleonics with Napoleon the third. Just looking it up right now the Bourbons got the boot in 1830 and were replaced by a liberal constitutional monarchy until Nappy III comes along.
The military, at least as late as the Dreyfus period, was the bastion of conservatism and royalism.
1830 had the invasion and conquest of Algeria, which at least from what I remember reading in the history of the foreign legion was like much of French colonial conquests a quixotic business of accidentally conquering a foreign land by ambitious local commanders against the wishes of the metropolitan. Later on very often detractors in mainland France felt that Africa was a distraction from their struggles with Prussia and the reclaimation of Alsace-Lorraine.
La Legion etrangere was formed in part to sift off the undesirable elements of Spanish republicans during the Carlist wars as well as to rid France of some of its own republicanist die-hards.
The Catholic church also is going to play a big part in trying to reclaim the great hegemony it held before the revolution, and is naturally the ally of the conservative bloc.
Geographically all I know is that Brittany and pays de la loire region were bastions of the conservative royalists: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chouannerie
>>48039342
The land that was conquered almost by accident was Vietnam. Algeria was an expedition set by Charles X to increase his popularity in 1830, the same year he was evicted from the thone.
An interressing point is that since the expedition was from the previoys regime, the military weren't rewarded a lot.
Also, even with theblot of attended revolution, republicans were often hidden.
In my opinion, Napoléon III is a great setting : France is modernising, colonisation is really starting. There are confict between republicans, napoleonians, orleanists and Bourbons. Industry is rising and, with it, the issues related.
The regime start with the coup d'Etat from the first president of the 2nd Republic : Louis Napoléon Bonaparte. THe regime become a dictature but become more liberal in the 60's.
In Europe, France become closer to UK, participe in the Italian revolution (but protect the Vatican) and tension is rising with Prussia who try to reunite Germany.
>>48039272
Said I was going but I lied. Gave one last try at random placings. Forgot to do a #3. http://imgur.com/a/d97rJ/all Welcome hearing which seems best.
Rather partial to the 3rd pic or the one I've uploaded here. The Eastern continent looks like it naturally continental drifted from the center continent (kind of like South America and Africa lining up), and likewise for the western continent and center continent. I could put that big island anywhere. That does eliminate my desire of a three-way competition over Nakkarum and means the Asiatics in the Western continent can't interact militarily with the Center-continent. On the one hand I found the idea of it appealing but on the other hand Vietnam-Cantonese crossbowmen and halberdiers fighting Sassanian cataphracts with proxy Assyrians and Babylonians on both sides is a little silly.
I might still bring it back closer to Nakkarum but I'm growing partial to the Continent 3 being in the North-East. Arazala takes the lowland, has a "Trojan war" situation with the Makhenai (perhaps encouraged by Raoxshan in order to distract their rival neighbor), Germanic barbars dwell in the highlands of continent 3 and might have come onto the mainland to establish their own successor kingdoms on territory Arazala lost on the mainland.
I could always move the small island Arazala used to be to the North-west and enlarge it a little, make it an archipelago off the coast of Nakkarum to get that three-way conflict.
I'd likely expand the center continent in the south (possibly bumping up the western continent so it isn't quite as south as it is). I don't really have anything to -put- if it goes super south (below the river of Niravahnam I could put Berber-inspired folks who gradually segway into East-African Abyssinian/Nubian/Somali, and then below them either african tribals or beastfolk tribals. That would prevent easy naval travel from west to east, and I can just bullshit harsh rocks and winds and shit in the north.
>>47972452
>>Why do you like to worldbuild?
Because i love the feeling of having "created" something coherent, well crafted ad unique other people can then derive their enjoyment from and even write their own stories in.
>>How pages of lore/backstory do you have?
I have about 100 Pages written for my latest project but very little of it is actual backstory: it's mostly geography, description of cities and cultures, factions and Schools.
>>What's a trivial, random fact about your world?
Melphas's Genesculpters are actually behind the recent emergence of The Axolytl: they were a potential "product" that was deemed unworthy and escaped The Purge. Now the Genesculpters are pressuring the Oecumene for keeping them from obtaining civil rights and help in exterminating them.
>>What's something you need feedback on? Or, maybe you need an expert's opinion on a random subject?
I would like to exchange cool science fantasy ideas.
>>48037692
Sand elves
I have never seen arabic-inspired elf culture
>>48039532
Really? I thought that was pretty passe at this point, along with Mongol Elves
>>48038775
I would go adventuring on the left one. The right one is off-putting for some reason. Feels a bit too constructed. Reminds me too much of all the JRPGs I've played. It doesn't feel that interesting either, something about how it feels obvious with "four parts of the world with each their flavor".
>>48038775
>>48039734
That said, both of them are pretty good. That's good work right there. How did you make them?
>>48039692
Everything is passé at this point.
>>48039736
Looks like it was made using these guides:
>>47979005
>>47979310
They did a really good job with their mountains, makes me feel bad about my own.
There was a post somewhere in this board about what would happen if all the animals in your setting had human faces, and it got me interested in making a small setting full of purposefully weird and strange things. Almost like some 'elemental plane of strange and unsettling' but with some small semblance of order.
does this sound too try-hardy, or should I see where I can go with this?
so far I am going to keep the animals with human face thing, and steal the 'blue sun pendulum thing' from Mechanical Dream.
>>48039742
MongolOozes
>>48039791
You're basically making a "Feywild", go for it.
My setting has a "Collective Unconscious" that serves as the afterlife/reservoir of souls/dreamworld. If you go there in person it's some fucked up, dangerous shit.
>>47974965
The Venterfelk, a vast tribe of people living in the frigid mountains and tundras to the far North-West of the land
>What is their food like?
A staple of the Venterfelk people is shark meat. The only ocean accessible in their territories in a nearly frozen coastline, which is abundant in sharks, due to the growth of a kelp-like plant that grows in the freezing cold waters, the main food supply of many fish, which creates a plentiful feeding ground for the sharks (the fish themselves are not very appetizing, and usually only provide decent sustenance to people in large quantities, it's just easier and more efficient to catch sharks and eat them instead) A popular Venterfelk dish is Hentfis, where a hard load of bread is cut open, the insides coated with hot butter and a thick, charred slab of shark meat slipped inside, the top then covered in a gravy.
>Their art
Due to the abundance of it, Venterfelk art uses shark teeth quite a bit. They also have a penchant for ice and stone sculpting. Usually at the center of a Venterfelk town, there will be a large ice sculpture. These are created by the most talented young artist, each year, as a celebration to welcome the new year.
>Their music
The most common instruments of the Venterfelk are hide drums, they come in various sizes and designs, and it's common to see a drum in every household.
>What do they consider virtues ? What do they consider taboo or vice?
The Venterfelk are a hardy people, who take great pride in strength, they are also very family oriented, and hold a belief in taking pride in their children, no matter what they take interest in, "In the harsh chill of winter's embrace, home and hearth is the warmest place"
>>48039854
Forgot to mention; it's fucked up and dangerous simply because it follows dream logic, not "real world" logic. Unless the individual has enough willpower to shape the "seas" around themselves, they'll be caught up in the flow.
>>48039909
Because of their importance of family, even if their culture teaches to be proud of their children no matter what, it is generally looked down upon for youths to leave their family and home to travel, though not openly treated so, they are referred to in hushed tones as "Fel Welks", which means "Home Leaver", a simple word, but to be called that is a stinging insult. But true taboo in the Venterfelk is cowardice, the people believe that to be Venterfelk is to be courageous and mighty, as if it were a natural fact, as such, Venterfelk and the word "coward" together are seen as an impossibility, to show cowardice is to tarnish the proud Venterfelk blood, and to insult the gods of the snow. There is no word for cowardice in the Venterfelk language, the closest they have is "Gelfelk" which means "No longer us"
>What is their architecture like?
Venterfelk architecture relies heavily on masonry, due to wood being a bit of a rarity in their lands, at least in the heart of their lands. It's an easy indication of when you have stepped into the depths of the Venterlands when the wooden huts slowly begin to change to stone huts. All Venterfelk buildings are constructed majorly into the ground, with low, rounded roofs, studded with small stone peaks (otherwise it would be hard to distinguish a snow hill from your neighbors home, the peaks are also usually installed with windows) the walls are usually lined with a mixture of straw and dried sea plants as a manner of insulation. The only buildings not built mainly into the ground are the meeting halls and the place of worship. To be above ground is to face the full strength of winter's chill, thus it is seen as a challenge to the gods of the cold, the meeting halls are placed above ground because it is seen by the Venterfelk people as an invitation for the gods of the cold to enter the meeting hall and join in with the congress, and the altar of worship is there to welcome the gods to their town and home.
>>48026819
I like the naming. Especially on the desert island. I am a sucker for Lovecraft
>>48040003
>Their clothing?
Fur. Fur is a constant in all Venterfelk garbs, taken from their goats usually. A combinations of hide, fur and dried plants (land or sea) make of the assortment of Venterfelk clothing. Fur coats are an image of status among townships, with the chiefs and priests usually draped in massive, thick fur coats, dyed in various colors and decorated with trophies or iconography. The warriors of the Venterfelk take a different approach, both fights and hunters, warriors take pride in trimming their coats with fur, usually around the neck or shoulders, rarely will they use goat fur, due to how common and simple it is to acquire. The greatest of Venterfelk warriors will be decorated in thick shark-skin coats or vests, trimmed with gallant bear or wolf fur, never dyed, for that would tarnish the beasts image. Shark skin coats are also a popular choice, but it is a common belief that only the mightiest of sharks should be made into warrior coats.
>What is the common stereotype of them to outsiders?
"Those Venterfelk savages are nothing but snow-eating, dirt-sleeping, laying on a bed of ice, gutting sharks with their own teeth, cold worshiping barbarians. Invite one into your home and expect to find a block of ice left in your bed as "gratitude" And One Above Us forbid you ask them about their damnable shark teeth"
Have you anons ever considered something you've made 'finished', or do you just keep adding to it?
Hows this for a concept of magic
>All objects have souls, from the living to the inanimate
>Thus, stars too have souls
>Because we are all made of stars, there in a tiny fragment of a star's soul within all of us
>It is through the Bright Arts that we ignite that sparkling drop of starlight and harness the might of stars
>>48040089
My settings are finished when I get bored of them and move onto something new.
Currenty making a generic low fantasyfurryworld
How structured is your worldbuilding?
I find that some small things get unreasonable amount of details, while crucial information is still WIP.
Partially as I fear committing to big things at this stage in case they rule out individual ideas later.
Anyone have a map of that chinese island coal mine thats now a decaying, abandoned city?
>>48041332
It's actually Japanese, try to google that.
