Worldbuilding Thread
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
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/books/europe#wiki_middle_ages
https://www.reddit.com/r/worldbuilding
Some questions
>Is it possible to sum up an entire nation in your setting with a single image?
>Give me the overview of your nations in one sentence. Bonus points for humor.
>Is there a particular aspect of your setting you're very proud of? Tell us about it.
>Is it possible to sum up an entire nation in your setting with a single image?
I'll give it a shot, pic related is the majority of Cadogan Wick, covered in mist and chock full of ghosts. The only living humans survive in castles, forced to make use of all manner of undead just to make up the numbers.
>Give me the overview of your nations in one sentence. Bonus points for humor.
Used to be shining theocratic empire now a ghost of it's former self thanks to a goddess becoming angered by their hubris.
>Is there a particular aspect of your setting you're very proud of? Tell us about it.
The setting has an Irish Catholic theme because I wanted to involve my father, who I have recently reconnected with and has taken an interest in creative worldbuilding games.
Okay space opera bros, I need some serious help.
Maybe you guys have run into this problem too.
I'm writing a story in a fictional universe with 5 different planets, and at the beginning of each chapter I want to state the date and time of both GST (galactic standard time) and the local planet's calendar.
For example, something like this
Planet Name - City, Country - District
GST: January 1st, 384 - 19:34
Local Time: March 3rd, 4003 - 20:30
Let's say GST is exactly 1:1 with our Earth's calendar (Except every month has 30 days), but Planet Auron's calendar is as follows.
Year = 11 months
Month = 28 days
Day = 20 hours
Hour = 100 mins
Minute = 100 secs
Second = ½ a galactic second
What sort of mathematical equation would I have to use in order to keep up with this so as time progresses, I can keep an accurate time of all the calendars. For example, let's say in a later chapter I put
Planet Name - City, Country - District
GST: January 8th, 384 - 19:34
Local Time: ????????
Do you get what I'm asking? It's very hard to put into words.
Is this effort even worth it? What can I do to get around this? It's making me not even want to do a space opera setting.
>>46213150
Maybe just put in the date, but not the local time? Unless your plot requires the readers to be aware that what is happening takes place at 0800 hours, and then flashbacks to 0545 hours, before flashing forward to 2333 hours.
>>46213150
Why are your alien species using Base 10?
You should have them do everything in Base 6.
Working on building a setting, and I really like the idea of focusing on Grecian bronze-age culture and technology. Unfortunately, I really only have experience with your standard steel fantasy stuff. What are some of the major differences in the two eras? How could I go about really highlighting the difference from the standard fantasy world?
>>46213261
I don't know what this means
>>46213192
But my autism
>>46213263
Which Bronze Age? Pre-Collapse or Post-Collapse?
>>46213541
You're only using base 10 because you have 10 fingers. Computers use base 2 because it represents on and off.
Your aliens would probably use a number system that differs from galactic standard.
>>46213595
>Use a different base number system
But that'll send his autism into overdrive!
>>46213580
Illiad/Oddessy style Trojan War Greece. So given my limited knowledge, I'll assume generally pre-collapse peak civilization and culture.
>>46213665
I honestly can't speak to that time period, but pre-collapse armor and warfare looks fucking crazy.
>>46213263
Sanitation is one of the first things that comes to mind. You want to give something a Roman vibe put bathes, aqueducts, and indoor plumbing in their cities.
>>46213150
Just convert everything to seconds and then convert back.
Say you want to do January 8th. That is 7 days difference. 24 * 60 * 60 = 86400 seconds of time. So this is equal to 1728000 seconds of Auron time. Then just divide by your increments going up, 1738000 / 100 / 100 / 20 = 0.864 so not even a furl Auronian day has passed yet. Lets go back a step so we get a whole number and we have 17.28 Auronian hours have passed in 7 Earth days.
So the full equation is this,
(years * 12 * 30 * 24 * 60 * 60) / (0.5 * 100 * 100 * 20 * 28 * 11)
>>46212796
>Is it possible to sum up an entire nation in your setting with a single image?
See pic
>Give me the overview of your nations in one sentence. Bonus points for humor.
See pic.
>Is there a particular aspect of your setting you're very proud of? Tell us about it.
See pic.
>>46213642That's the point. Having multiple different systems for time and date is confusing enough
>>46213150
Yeah I get what you're asking. If it were me I'd just make a simple javascript thing where I could put in the local time frames, then you could put in an Earth date and a synch date or offset or whatever and it would just convert it.
I think it's just a matter of doing the following:
- having a common time step (like milliseconds).
- then doing number of milliseconds/number of milliseconds in a second (you want to get the result with and without remainder). Take the remainder and log it as the current millisecond count, and take the result without remainder and go to next step.
- do previous result/number of seconds in a minute, doing the same thing with remainder (logging it as the current second count).
- do previous result/number of minutes in an hour, doing same thing with remainder (logging it as the current minute count).
- etc.
I thiiiink that's how you would do it. I know I've done that kind of thing often when converting Unix time into regular Gregorian calendar dates, but forget the exact details. It's hard for me to figure out in a 4chan reply window but if it wouldn't be too hard to walk through it in a javascript/programming environment.
>>46213725
Lol I'm stupid I didn't multiply by 7 at the start. So it's 17.28 * 7 Auronian hours.
>>46213756
>- then doing number of milliseconds/...
Just to clarify what I meant by this, I meant having Universal Time logged in milliseconds, then taking that as the starting value and converting it both into whatever planet's calendar and Earth calendar from that.
Seconds that have passed since a certain date are how computers calculate time.
>>46212796
>Is it possible to sum up an entire nation in your setting with a single image?
Not yet per se but the best I can do would be this thing (pic). I can't recall the original title right now but they're like lighthouses/beacons, of the western coast of the nation of Anthense. It's a nation well beyond its "golden age", with most of the country's great cities and other structures falling into ruin. Only the oldest city remains, the capital, Carynth, as its walls repel virtually any siege or attack laid against it.
>Give me the overview of your nations in one sentence. Bonus points for humor.
Well, I have many nations thus far... But I will write about my personal favourites.
-Nibenblad: nestled in the heartland of the Northern Territory, this somewhat paranoid nation sends out deadly, efficient Inquisitors from the capital of Stielle Sleyf to hunt down and eradicate any perceived threats from the shadows, especially dreaded darkness creatures
-Faarsythe: an ancient and honoured island nation, sitting off the eastern coast of the Central Territory, renowned for its legendary warriors and smithing methods, governed by three pious monk-like individuals from the Temple of Scibility (the Blind Seer, the Deaf Listener, and the Mute Whisperer)
-Ange Elvassa: where extradimensional beings ("angels") first made contact with mortals, their awesome influence drove the mortals to construct a tremendous walled city of their own materials, but under the design of the angels, resulting in a hybrid of architectures; this city was called Ange Elvassa, and is a city steeped in legend, and something of a "holy city"
>Is there a particular aspect of your setting you're very proud of? Tell us about it.
I am trying to create something with many different sources of inspiration, but not to draw too much from any one. So far laying out any kind of timeline has been sort of a challenge, but the rough ideas I ave seem to make sense, and flow in a desirable, pleasant manner
>>46213263
>>46213722
All I know is Grecian/Classical Antiquity era fantasy is majorly underdone, so godspeed anon.
>>46213962
I know some basic details. I know that weapons were more limited, as bronze is not as strong as steel. So swords had to be smaller, and combat usually favored spear and knives, both of which were made by casting rather than forging.
>>46213756
Oh my god this sounds beautiful
Where could I learn to make such a thing. What would I even look up
Javascript local time calendar converter?
>>46214067
Maybe include Persians or something? The Persian Empire usually figured into the more famous moments of Ancient Greek history, like their invasion of Greece and getting rekt by Alexander
>>46214136
>>46213756
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhelp/julian.html
Something like this, but with time also right?
>>46214136
Hmm, I searched for 'javascript custom calendar converter' but it didn't turn up anything except apps/widgets that convert only from Gregorian to other existing calendars, not ones that let you input time frames and offsets.
As for learning javascript, that's a whole thing in itself. There are plenty of tutorials online but it might be hard to maintain interest if you are only learning it in order to make one small widget/app. If you have a friend who knows javascript they could probably do it pretty easily though.
>>46214136
Take any intro to programming course and you'll know enough to write such a utility in whatever language you learn. I honestly doubt you're going to find a converter online that will let you specify a custom date format and then convert to it. Honestly the equation is easy just use that. You just have to change the values as appropriate and take out the ones you don't need.
>>46214248
Well I've done some small coding before (HTML5, CSS, bit of Javascript) so I don't think it would be too hard to figure out.
I could probably rip the source off one of these existing calendar converter sites and just figure it out from there.
Thanks for suggesting it in the first place, I don't know why I didn't even think of it.
And thanks to everyone else who tried to help as well, I appreciate the effort
>>46214283
I'm gonna save the equation then just in case.
>>46214327
Oh if you've done a bit of coding before it should be pretty easy. As long as you know how to set a variable from user input and use the modulo operator those would be the tough parts so to speak. Look up something like "calculating date in [enter your language here]".
>>46214294
No problem, glad I could help.
If you've done web stuff before then you should be all set. It's just a matter of setting up some input boxes and doing the date conversion process, so you could just search tutorials for javascript form input and javascript date/calendar conversion.
>>46214067
One interesting thing about bronze is that, when sharp, it actually cuts almost or just as well as steel, so there is no issue when cutting flesh (bone is different though). You can still kill unarmoured people just as easily, so bronze isn't limited in that regard.
The issues with bronze are that:
- It bends. It was probably very common for soldiers to have to rebend their bronze swords into shape after hitting something hard or hitting something at a bad angle. (this was the main reason the length or swords was limited as far as I know)
- It loses its edge much, much quicker. Because it's softer, it has to be resharpened and becomes dull more easily.
- When put into direct conflict with steel, like if you parry a steel sword with a bronze sword, or enter a bind, the bronze gets chewed up extremely quick. The steel sword can basically cut chunks out of the bronze sword, and probably the same for iron as well.
What's a synonym for captain that could be used for a small group of paladins or travelling clerics? Captain works alright so I will probably use it if I can't find anything else. Is there an existing religious term for a leader of a group of missionaries or something?
>>46215085
Chaplain or Father, probably.
Mostly Father.
>>46215085
Hmm... Maybe consider creating a custom term to use? Almost like making up a title, or a rank.
(pic unrelated)
Okay so how does one go about mapping a super massive space station the size of several galaxies?
Obviously I can't draw it all out because that would be impossible, so what do I do? An address system? How do I even do that for a three dimensional super structure that makes sense?
>>46215330
You make the story a space opera.
It's several galaxies dude, that means the station is several hundred thousand lightyears across. It's a station that was made by GOD. You can't map that shit out except on star maps.
So my Humans are actually Ape Beastmen, and my Halflings are actually Monkey Beastmen, what should my Dwarves be?
Elves are alright as they are, since they're slightly-alien mortal Fae.
>>46215557
Moles?
>>46215557
Mole Beastmen.
>>46215330
The Blam! megastructure is only the size of the solar system IIRC (there is a hollow cavity the size of Jupiter in it, implying it surpasses the orbit of Jupiter).
Having one the size of galaxies seems so farfetched that it could only exist in something that exceeds 40k's level of absurdity, which is saying something.
What is the rest of your setting like?
>>46215085
Deacon is just above priest in the Catholic church. And priest is just above the laymen.
>>46215612
>>46215615
That works.
I also have my Orcs being former Pig Beastmen.
>>46215557
>>46215711
Prairie Dogs. Moles are solitary while prairie dogs live in large underground colonies.
>>46215807
I feel like Moles fit them well.My Trogs are subterranean rodent people, anyway, and they fight with the Dwarves a lot
>>46215673
You got that reversed, Deacons (usually) become Priests, Seminarians become Deacons, laymen become, Seminarians.
How can I combine Celtic and Norse culture(specifically 800s Norse culture and Roman times Celtic Culture)with out it being totally glaringly opposite to each other.
Also, what reasons would these people from fantasy scotland/ireland have for raiding the coasts of mainland fantasy europe? Vikings raided beings the farming land wasn't that good in their homeland, but scotland and ireland have good farm land.
Also, they're 3 meter tall giants. If that changes anything.
>>46216128
They could raid Europe for loot, gold and slaves. Vikings also attacked Europe, with Paris getting sacked in one of the largest raids of the time, so it ain't much of a stretch to see Not!Irish/Scots raiding nearby France.
>>46215437
>>46215650
The super structure was created by an AI tasked with saving the universe from restarting (another big bang essentially). It did this by eating up as many galaxies as it could and using the mass and energy it harvested to create a structure big and powerful enough to hold every single organism that exists and withstand the reformation of the universe.
Fast forward later to some innumerable amount of time and the AI has gained enough self awareness that it has lost the will to live and committed suicide. Now without its controller the inhabitants of the station have broken free from their 'cages' (artificial solar systems) and are expanding into the stations depths.
Queue grand adventures and awesome not!space empires fighting each other over remnants of hyper advanced technology. There's also cool stuff like a Cthulu Tyranid hybrid thing called the Star Child and fleets of drones that patrol the station like white blood cells in veins.
Or any of you worldbuilding for a novel or webcomic or something beyond an RPG campaign? Feel free to give a synopsis of the story if so.
>>46216816
It's the opposite for me.
A novel or RPG setting could arise from my setting, but I probably won't do either.
>>46216816
it's for a series of novels I want to write. Not necessarily a series, more an anthology. Maybe it'll have multiple series all in the same world.
Or maybe Im a procrastinating biotch.
>>46217541
You're hitting too close to home.
Would love a quick review of a world I just started! It feels clichéd to me, so I'd love to hear some thoughts.
Cheers!
The land of Myrs is a supercontinent, with islands dotted off the shores all over. Our heros (the merry band of PCs) start on a relatively small island in a massive archipelago off the southwestern coast of the supercontinent, called “The Chain” .
They've heard rumours of "the Maelstroms" that were created by the spirits of gods inhabiting a certain area. The Maelstroms are zones of the world where the weather is frozen in a certain state permanently. These are caused by the release of powerful magic, that of a fallen god. The gods in this world are not immortal, they simply have very very long lifespans, and have predecessors like any position of power in our world.
There is a rumour that a race known as the "Stormborn" inhabit the Maelstroms, but it is simply a rumour to the PCs, as the Stormborn are very reclusive, and never leave the Maelstroms and rarely venture to the edges.
The world has two divisions of magic, Arcane and Runic. Runic magic deals with directly altering the properties of an object, or enhancing it, while Arcane deals with pretty much everything else. For example, "Light" is Runic magic, and to cast it on an object you must touch it in my world.
I have dropped them one magical weapon so far, titled the "Voidhammer". It is a very situational weapon, and its effect is that on impact, it deafens the victim for one round of combat. It serves more as a catalyst to curiosity than anything. The weapon is a warhammer with a rune inscribed on the head. It has a wrought-iron handle, and a head of polished granite. The blacksmith they had it appraised at told them that he'd heard of the weapon, but its smith was unknown.
Cont.
>>46217998
The magic rune is written in the language of the Stormborn. There have been many weapons imbued with power via runes, but this one seems to be the real deal. While their written language does hold a certain power, they have no need of weapons, so the Voidhammer must have been made unwillingly at some point in time.
As for story, I think it would be cool to have some sort of grand quest where the PCs must visit all or most of The Maelstroms, perhaps someone is once again trying to enslave the Stormborn, and the PCs are trying to prevent that? Or maybe one of the spirits of the Gods is stirring?
For geography, I would like the main landmass to be composed of mostly mountains. Plains, and absolutely massive forests, with the surrounding islands having more diverse terrain potentially.
Thoughts? Any tips or changes?
>>46217541
same, apart from the biotech part
>>46212796
>Give me the overview of your nations in one sentence. Bonus points for humor.
It's Hapsburg Europe, now with even more incest!
Do you have a messenger guild in your setting? Does it have a unique or interesting history? Does it have any unusual responsibilities?
>>46216816
Yeah. Novel came before I decided to convert the setting into workable 5E format. Writing a setting guide was excellent experience.
The novels follow a lad from 25th century Earth who was transported to Elenquelia via use of some ancient tech. Its a story about this journey of his as he tries to find his place in the new world while looking for a way back, making friends and enemies along the way and getting involved over his head in number of cases.
>>46216336
When I hear space station I think of an enclosed system that is not a planet. Your structure sounds like it has way too much localized mass that parts if not the entire thing will collapse into a black hole.
I think its best the AI used gravity manipulation to anchor several galaxies into a stable local group formation and use the same gravity tech to create wormholes to travel between parts of the construct. You can still have massive constructs like dyson rings or spheres but avoid the materiel issues of a full enclosure.
You can also use the grav tech as a plot device for the big crunch.
>>46218205
Sure. A book I'm writing at the minute features an in-between world where the dead pass on the way to reincarnation. The living can reach it through powerful rituals, but the rules are different there. Strong emotions and thoughts warp and influence the body, and soon visitors become part of the otherworldly fog, unable to be reborn or return to life. Slowly losing their minds to the mist.
>>46212796
>Is it possible to sum up an entire nation in your setting with a single image?
This picture pretty much sums up one of my nation's relationship with the dragons which inhabit this world. The Republic of Ehreist was one of the first to take some steps to uplift their dragon populations and start trying to integrate them into overall society.
>Give me the overview of your nations in one sentence. Bonus points for humor.
United Kingdom of Orelle: French cultural finesse meets American cockiness and industry in a beautifully incestuous mix.
Republic of Ehreist: German efficiency and innovation, plus American exceptionalism plus British stiff upper lip (and tea).
Republic of Lumine: Prussian militarism plus Swiss isolationism plus Enlightenment egalitarianism, with a bit of Islamic cultural values thrown in, all buried under tons of snow.
Kingdom of Raysh: Old-world glorious empire now reduced to a cog in the imperial machine, currently engaged with militant Mongolian cowboy secessionists.
>Is there a particular aspect of your setting you're very proud of? Tell us about it.
Well, I think I've hit upon an interesting method to the madness that is this world's biology. By taking the concept of symbiosis and applying it to macro-level organisms, I've come up with a number of interesting critters, photosynthetic animals being one variety.
>>46212796
>Is it possible to sum up an entire nation in your setting with a single image?
Instead if one, I'll give you two and their relationship with each other.
>Give me the overview of your nations in one sentence. Bonus points for humor.
Ever hear the one about the two nearly-identical countries which went to war over nothing?Yeah, that's just kind of sad, isn't it?
>Is there a particular aspect of your setting you're very proud of? Tell us about it.
Reality gets very fuzzy around the edges. Space and time warp when they aren't being observed on a regular basis. Or maybe they fade back into a state of quantum uncertainty like Schrodinger's Cat. Is there even a difference?
All this is supposed to give the impression that reality was an illusion to begin with, and invoke deep philosophical questions of what "reality" means in the first place.Of course, that doesn't mean I have the literary skill to sell it...
>46211736
>Anons, tell me how your species and nations achieved space travel.
They simply *walked*.
Walk far enough, for long enough, and eventually reality melts enough that you're effectively in a realm of pure chaos, from which you can reach anywhere in existence (or even nonexistence). Of course, at that point you have no way to choose your destination, and there's also the "Teletransportation Paradox" to deal with.
Although, that's more of meta-setting territory: as far as anyone in the setting I am currently working on is concerned, most people who wander too far simply never return, and rarely a strange traveler from a distant land they've never heard of before will arrive.
Also, journeying across the sea or into the bowels of the earth achieve the same effect much easier.
>>46217220
Same here. I enjoy building the world far more than the characters and stories in it. (Although I'm trying to do the latter, because how else will I share it?)
>>46216816
Worldbuilding for a video game. There isn't a set story, I want it to be as sandbox as possible with a major theme of the game being you deciding on what the story of your character will be. Become a legendary hero-king who rose to demigod status or a simple baker who became respected for his culinary skills. I hope to have both gradations be possible and satisfying in their own way.
>>46212796
Your choice of image is shit, OP.
>>46215330
I've got something similar to that.
It's the last thing that's left after the rest of the universe has succumbed to heat death. At the center is a singularity of pure enthalpy, radiating insanity and generating anomalies (basically, it makes SCPs). Basically, these anomalies have to be exploited to keep life alive, and that's the gist of initial player motivation.
I haven't done that much with it because such an unbelievably grimdark beyond all other grimdark setting, that the only way it'd work is as black comedy which I'm not good at.
I have a lot of basic concepts worked out though, if anyone wants to hear about them.
>>46212796
>Is it possible to sum up an entire nation in your setting with a single image?
No, it is not. Nothing is that simple.
>Give me the overview of your nations in one sentence. Bonus points for humor.
There are no nations, only city-states, kingdoms and empires where normal people tend to be loyal(or not) to whoever is in charge, mostly not caring so long as their lives are unimpeded.
>Is there a particular aspect of your setting you're very proud of? Tell us about it.
I very much like the idea of magic and prana that makes it usable being a side effect of an eldritch thing from beyond the stars bleeding into the Material Realm.
Now that I've set those aside, could any of you take a look at this? This is something I've been making, basically 2.0 version now, so it's still lacking stuff that's in 1.0 version. I don't want to bloat it up by copy-pasting it all right away, so I'm curious if the format is good and what's your thoughts on the little tidbits of worldbuilding inside.
>>46220913
>>46215807
Naked mole rats live in colonies too.
>>46212796
>Is it possible to sum up an entire nation in your setting with a single image?
Interstellar empire founded by the church of Jesus Christ and later day saints.
>>46212796
>Is it possible to sum up an entire nation in your setting with a single image?
Pic of the local empire, but with ray guns.
>Give me the overview of your nations in one sentence. Bonus points for humor.
Orellian Emprie: We rule the stars, and Heaven save the Emperor!
Allied Colonies of Inanna: YOU CAN'T TAKE THE SKIES FROM ME.
Confederation of Orios: Two plus two equals five.
Free Republic of Vermis: Orellia go home!
>>46213150
>>46213725
just use kiloseconds and megaseconds etc
>>46218709
It's not supposed to be realistic at all so the reason why it hasn't collapsed into a black hole is SPACE MAGIC BULLSHIT that I've yet to write out.
And yeah I want to come up with another way to refer to the super structure, but I usually leave names and stuff like that for last.
>>46221022
Do what I'm doing and replace the initial feelings of horror with curiosity. In my setting there is quite a lot of grimdark stuff but it's all hidden away in the corners of the world and waiting for someone to stumble upon it.
You could give the players some safe havens that lead to less horrific 'side quests' or something that breaks up the mood.
>Hey everyone read my wall of text with shitty names lol!
>Nobody responds to anyone
>Worldbuilding thread is dead on arrival
Gee, I wonder why.
>>46225375
>>46225375
>expecting replies
>>46225375
Don't forget OP image is an unrelated image macro instead of something actually related so people notice the thread in the catalog.
>>46225436
>everyone makes separate posts with no discussion
>this is acceptable for a discussion board
???
>>46225505
last warning bud
>>46225436
Why doesn't anybody discuss things or ask questions? The only replies I see are when somebody specifically asks for it.
How long do you guys develop your worlds until you feel their finished? Do your worlds ever feel finished or do you just keep doing till you run out of ideas?
>>46225570
Some people have asked for question and feedback. Some of those people are still waiting for someone to actually decide to do some of that. Stop complaining about no discussion if you're not contributing.
I'm working on a setting to be run in a hacked Fate system titles Soulmark. It's a dark fantasy game inspired by Russian and Germanic fairy tales, classical mythology, and the works of Lovecraft with a tone similar to that of the Souls series. There is a prevalent theme of Corruption and Damnation throughout. It's human only in a place aptly named the Crownlands, a series of petty kingdoms that was once an Empire, built upon the ruins of many civilizations before it. In the current age there is a war of succession in the kingdom of Istania. In the midst of the conflict, bids of power and dark forces emerge to take advantage of human weakness and ambitions. The players are people that are marked by these forces, and they are likely fated to die.
I need some ideas for kingdoms of the Crowlands. I have Istania, a kingdom divided by dragon's blood and the major conflict in the Crownlands. There is a dispute of succession between descendants of the ancient royal lines of Istania and the blood of High Saint Rodimar of the Godless Clergy, first of His Name, Emperor of the Crown, Slayer of the Dragon, Absolver of Sins and Destroyer of Gods. Those of Rodimar's line have been deposed and labelled blood-drinkers, dragon-lovers, and demonkin. Neighbouring countries have been pulled into the conflict, taking either side. All the while the small folk feel the worst of it, and forces dark and forgotten are emerging, lured by the emotions and blood.
>>46225631
My world will never be finished.
There is no state where it could be considered "done".
I've been working on ranks in an order of nuns, and to be honest, it isn't going smoothly.
How would a convent of warrior-nuns usually be ranked?
>>46226153
Thebiggest, meanest, and greenestNun is the war leader, while the rest fall into a hierarchy below her.
>>46226185
Right, and the name of the hierarchy is the concern.
Although in this case the leader is a council.
>>46226763
Is there a need to give the hierarchy a name? The Catholic Church doesn't have a name for it's hierarchy.
>You hear word of a wretched gathering. Some call it a cult, others a band of warriors, perhaps both and perhaps neither. It is believed to have been led by a vampire for decades. They overtook an unwanted fortress in an unwanted forest, and, so far, seem to be passive and not aggressive, save for the occasional kidnapping. Their fort has a pillar of smoke rising above it, a furnace constantly burning.
>As you approach the fortress, you notice the forest is littered with graves. Each of them small, shallow, but properly named and with befitting gravestones with names. They are so frequent, so plentiful, that, for a moment, you mistook them as part of the forest at first glance.
>As you sneak on the fortress walls, you find an abhorrent sight. A pile of bodies, about as tall as you are. All of them are perfectly clean.
>Upon further inspection, all of them had their throats slit and their heads snapped backward and pinned to their backs. They have all been nearly completely bled out.
>As you slip into the forest through the pipe from which the corpses come, you see dozens more; the pipe, however, is clean. The bodies, though mutilated, are perfectly clean.
>You enter the fortress through the sewer pipe, and enter a furnace room. Corpses hang over massive pots, blood dripping into cauldrons of boiling blood.
>The boiling room leads into a room where gremlins treat the dried blood. Interrogation reveals they're extracting minerals in the blood, and they send the minute amount of minerals in jars to the furnace room, where they are forged and reforged the materials to preserve their quality.
>After all the work rooms are the meager amount of guards. They bear swords that, though plain and simple, awaken strong emotions within you.
>Then, you see him, in the grand hall.
>The leader, clad in armor forged from the iron in human blood.>A Vampire Hunter.
r8
Is this where I go for Maptools questions?
>>46213725
This whole post is wrong
Does anybody else here planning on creating a great ruined landscape for high level adventures?
For example, I currently want to create something called the 'Floatsam', a great floating landmass of rotting fish and whales. It's home to horrible demons, and I wanted to steal the idea from Dishonored where whales were kind of magical and protecting the world from the abyss elder things. The Floatsam is the result if many of these whales dying and rotting eternally.
>>46227197
The name of the hierarchy of the Catholic Church is "the Catholic Church."
>>46221048
Naked mole rats aren't moles
>>46228266
That's... eerie. I like it. So the whales are in a sort of Prometheus state of eternal punishment? Constantly dying, regrowing, and dying again?
And yes, I love ruined landscapes. There's a certain romance about plumbing the depths of the Old.
>>46228954
Yes, not necessarily because they did anything wrong, but because of some horrid sickness on the world itself.
Also I was thinking of a relating legend where Whales are supposed to be bringer of the newborn. They find the souls of children on the bottom of the ocean and bring them up, and whenever they blow on the surface that's the release of a child, flying high into the air and travelling on the winds to find their mothers.
As to create a much more cosmic or evil threat, the number of trapped whales means infertility and still births are becoming more common. If the whales are not protected then children will no longer be brought to this world.
I like the idea so far, especially because it gives me the idea for cosmic evil hag fish Gods, but it might come off as preachy.
>>46229840
>but it might come off as preachy.
Yeah, I'm kinda getting that vibe just from your description. Don't want to go all Star Trek IV with it. It might be prudent to have these things not be "whales" necessarily, but something merely whale-like. If they're alien in some fashion, then you avoid the whole problem.
>>46227583
Yeah I responded to my own post saying I was stupid and forgot to multiply by 7 at the start lol.
>>46229840
I think the preachiness is going to depend on what is leading to the death of the whales. If it is not "If only the people would think about the environment and the long term instead of their own short term gain" deal I don't it will be too preachy. Also making them not just whales like other anon said will help a lot on that front.
>>46227390
Extracting the iron in human blood to forge some kind of ultra material is pretty cool. Very cool idea in that regard and you did a good job on the imagery of the story. (In my opinion though I am not a writer by any means so my opinion isn't too worthwhile in that regard). I am curious by what you meant about it being a Vampire Hunter in the last sentence. Are you going for a "To hunt monsters you have to become a monster" motif because that could also be cool.
How can I create gods for 5e?
Would a planet knocked significantly off its axis be able to not be a post-apocalyptic wasteland shortly after it happening? Is there way to do this without "lol gods and magic"
>>46233586
Sameposter here. By shortly, I mean within 30 years, there's parts of the world that might be worse-for-wear, but still have large, functioning civilizations and social structures and an ecosystem that isn't dead.
>>46233497
The DMG can be a source for this. Tl;dr use real-world inspiration and your own creativity to think of some gods and their fluff, and give them each 1-to-3 domains that best suits them. Be sure to create enough deities to cover all PHB Domains so clerics can take their pick. If the religion of the setting is monotheistic, it stands to reason its god has all domains, as it would likely be encompassing of all creation.
Aside from Inkarnate, is there any other program recommended or map making? Also, anyone have a potential torrent for Photoshop so I can get more detail in on my map..?
When designing a nation or particular faction, is there ever music you're particularly drawn to while writing?
The type of stuff that makes you think "yeah, when I have these guys show up I'm going to play this for combat music/ambient."
I know its derivative but I hope this thing I've been thinking about still sounds like an interesting world you want to know about.
>Tens or hundreds of thousands of years ago, generational ships carrying millions of humans and a sci-magic "terraforming core" crash land on a desert planet
>The crash creates a huge crater, the main ship was made to survive such an impact and stuck into the surface like a colossal leaning tower
>Humans awaken and get off the ship, but due to malfunctioning systems, revert to the dark ages over time. The terraforming core still does its job and creates and ecosystem within the vicinity of the crater
>Now we have peasants, knights, kings, and old high tech artifacts, including weapons, some of which still work
>The terraforming core has special commands and a highly complex command language that can be activated to make small and localized-to-massive planetary environmental changes. This essentially becomes "magic" - wizards are people who rediscovered how to use it, often by accident
>The ship is an ancient cyclopean ruin, few venture in there as the security systems are still active and disruptions in the terraforming core have lead to an interdimensional tear, letting monsters into this world, and infesting the entire "tower"
>High genetic variation due to the alien environment (some places terraformed differently than others, especially in a half-incorrect way) leads to different races of subhumans, including a large ogre-ish race, and a slight elf-like race with supernatural senses and incredible agility
>>46234142
I usually have a whole bunch of classical music queued up while worldbuilding, but there was one moment that broke that mold in a good way. I just happened to have this show up while working on a particular country, and I thought, "Yeah, this is basically their national anthem."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_SVRM51NhY
>>46234142
I listen to quite lot of different stuff, but when I am brainstorming fluff I usually listen to GoT, Skyrim or LotR soundtracks among other things. Then usually switch to other music when doing menial stuff.
>>46234142
The more I listen to it, the more I realize this is perfect for my Lunarians (name pending, they're still the Moon Elves.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJhtIv_Yd5w
>>46227197
There is, as there is a chance that if a fight breaks out, I want to be able to differentiate between them. My games can get video-gamey like that.
>>46225631
When it is ready to launch as an online roleplay site. So, from the worldbuilding angle, when I've developed all the major assets and accumulated enough art of said assets to move onto the development of the website.Which I'd have to commission from a website designer, though I have no clue where to find one.
>>46234484
Then you should be calling them by the convent right? Unless there's some kind of gender civil war in the church.
In which case, you can name them after something in-universe they did. Protestants protested the rulings of the Catholic church, Methodists got named because they loved using the word 'method' and orthodoxy got named because the majority viewpoint won a vote.
Anyway, maybe you can use 'mater' (latin for mother) in the title somehow
>>46212796
>Is it possible to sum up an entire nation in your setting with a single image?
pic related, except more complicated.
>Give me the overview of your nations in one sentence. Bonus points for humor.
The two major countries are a Red October-ish Russia with Indian influences, with a religion that has a death fetish; the other has a Romance of the Three Kingdoms/Warring States thing going on, in a rainforest/savannah landscape with Aztec and even more Indian influences thrown in.
>Is there a particular aspect of your setting you're very proud of? Tell us about it.
I like going in detail about religion, and boring things like trade/social mores/inheritance laws that no one cares about.
>>46216816
Attempting to make a webcomic.
The story involves three noble/royal siblings that, after their father is unfairly executed and their estate is forced to pay crippling fines, have to go get the fantasy equivalent of a day job to keep their estate and lands afloat so that other families don't swoop in and take it.
The main character is basically a lawyer/arbitrator that specializes in land/inheritance disputes, due to the backwards and confusing inheritance laws in the country.
>>46234704
>In which case, you can name them after something in-universe they did. Protestants protested the rulings of the Catholic church, Methodists got named because they loved using the word 'method' and orthodoxy got named because the majority viewpoint won a vote.
A S C E T I C
>>46221108
>church of Jesus Christ and later day saints
actually...
>Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
muh autism. sorry.
>>46234779
I was phone posting and couldn't be bothered to capitalize.
>>46212796
>Is there a particular aspect of your setting you're very proud of? Tell us about it.
I've been drawing these cute little accompanying comics/not comics to better illustrate some of the worlds details.
Pic related, one of the comics in question educated a few of the methods one might use to get around the world!
>>46234729
What does asceticism have to do with it?
>>46234957
Protestants protestesd, Methodists were methodical, Orthodoxy was Orthodox and Ascetics were A E S T H E T I C
>>46234729
I think you're misunderstood the question. The group has a name, they're a military order.
I'm trying to figure out the rankings of each individual within their ranks.
What's the coziest place in your setting?
Say I want great food and wine, comfortable temperatures, or a great view of the stars, where would I go?
Is there any place that isn't raided by Goblins/Orcs/Demons/Undead?
>>46235961
Cut nearly unabridged from a piece of fluff written for my D&D setting, considered to be the 'comfiest place in the setting' by a player.
>The Order of the Blossoming Lily is a relatively recent creation. Blooming out of the town of Bellowing Falls, the order was originally composed of the monks and priests who worked at the town's great cathedral which stands over the Crissinbreath, one of the large streams that feeds into the great Jahnite River along the north side of Sathennheim province. The short waterfall from which the town takes its name is only a few hundred yards from the cathedral itself, and thus the two landmarks form the iconic silhouette of Bellowing Falls.
>The peoples of Bellowing Falls enjoyed fruitful growing seasons and the Crissinbreath carried with it schools of fish, and their summer festivals are a favourite within the region. Given their position, however, they tend to suffer the some of the worst of Helinde's infamous winters, finding their plains blasted with heavy winds and excessive snowfall. Harsh as they may be, the people of the town are hearty, and wait out winter huddled around their great hearths and communal longhouses, a holdover from traditions long past.
>>46235961
Do you prefer city-life, or something quiet and out in the countryside?
If the former, you can never go wrong with the Chalesian capital of Mirabel, a bustling center of culture and commerce with wide boulevards, boutiques and pleasing architecture. It's nestled within one of the setting's most prosperous nations, and is explicitly designed to be a symbol of might, security and importance to the players; no matter how bad things get, there's always Mirabel.
For something more laid back, the answer is again, Chalon; a nation of quaint villages and thriving towns, Chalon is essentially an idealized vision of the French countryside, with verdant forests, fields of golden wheat and a hundred varieties of flower that give the spring air a rich sweetness that has been bottled by mages and turned into a high-demand air freshener for more Northernly folk. Monsters are nonexistent, the roads are patrolled, life is good.
Buy a chateau with your adventuring money and sit back, because you've *made it.*
>>46236531
>deletedDo you want a clean generation of the coasts in photoshop?
>>46212796
>is it possible to sum up an entire nation with a single sentnece?
I will try
Dufresne- Loose feudal confederation of nobles
Aarya- Elven colony kingdom spreading Elven influence through the region
Orc tribes- Canfederation of Orc tribes waging war to reclaim land from the elves
Empire- Multi-cultural empire dominated by Hobgoblins and Helflings. [Rome.mosaic]
Quinshan Hold- Dwarven nation-state incorporated into empire as inependent province.
Neutral land- buffer zone created by treaty between Empire and Dufresne, largely anarchic, or minor village-states
Jacquard- City-state republic.
Verdant Ruinland before dotted gray line- inhabited by various races, including goblins, gnools, lizardfolk, and notably Kobolds.
Verdant ruinland past dotted line- massive ruined city. Defenses still active.
Human kingdoms- more feudal places.
>is there a particular aspect of your setting you're proud of?
It's a ring. My setting is a niven ring. With an ancient galactic empire as the backstory. I am disproportionately proud of this
This makes world maps... impractical
>>46236865
I'm waiting to do a neater version when the map is more finalized.
deleted the post cause i forgot to mention some things.
>>46234726
>backwards and confusing inheritance laws in the country.
Are you using an existing model or are you making one yourself?
>>46235961
>great food and wine
The "wine country" is on the main continent's southern shore. The land down there becomes more tropical on the islands, if you'd prefer that. Be warned, it's full of Elves and Half-Elves.
>comfortable temperatures
You can find everything from tropical to boreal on the main continent. Halflings usually settle in valleys with mild winters and cool summers.
>great view of the starsThe stars are the source of all magical energy in the world.You'll have a fantastic view wherever you go.
>>46234142
Eyyy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYlc6D-b3Fw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMuXaLB2xAY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZuQywrS3ew
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GX9cmbAulQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23yURhMXa1Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2sWOZ1kkTw&index=2&list=PLZK4FAIypUFG3nyIbjU-wXzPVEVWwIsF_
This channel has a bunch more as well. Maybe it's just the nostalgia hitting me, but these are great.
Can't go wrong with Witcher 3 music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-ER61uE_o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gokhBJWSjeM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWuycrTNnaU
And its tavern music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIxGNurYnsA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41giaALoo94
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2p3fb0G2Ok
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHYsgJ9Kgq4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7ivDOUeIK0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WeE9AisvMY
Also a few large playlists full of music from all over; including some of the tracks just posted from the Witcher games, Runescape, the Elder Scrolls. Also some of the Assassin's Creed series and the Dwarf Fortress mode theme.
Too many links?
>>46234142
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5Z6Aez6T3c
>>46235961
probably a desert camp after a successful hunt in which the whole clan has participated. they'll have fertile ground, animals to hunt, water to drink etc for years to come, so they hold a huge festival and celebrate those who managed to fell the beast.
I have a conundrum.
My players wanted a harsh fantasy world. Long story short I created a world where volcanoes began to erupt almost constantly, severely reducing the population and putting the land under a grey pale of ash.
What I want to avoid is a world that is TOO dark. I need ideas to add color and fun to a devastated way.
What can hollowed out asteroid filled with biomass and meant to devour everything living could use to communicate with humans if I don't want to write telepathy into my sci-fi setting?
>>46240334
What if you made it like the Crystalline Entity in Star Trek: TNG? It relayed a series of graviton pulses that the crew discerned was of meaning, but lacked the time to decode.
>Is it possible to sum up an entire nation in your setting with a single image?
Actually, no. Well, I haven't got any distinct nations yet, just ideas, architecture, themes etc.
Plus it probably wouldn't be that simple, after all.
I should get working on that.
I haven't marked too much down yet, jeez... I need to find my map's working file.
>Is there a particular aspect of your setting you're very proud of? Tell us about it.
Dunno, it does feel pretty comfy.
>>46240334
Visually
> Chromatophores, bio luminescence
> Opening-closing vents for Morse code or binary
> Appendages using sign language
Electromagnetically
> Radio using binary or straight radio voice/image
Physically
>Vibration via appendage or surface contact making a speaker
>>46215085
bishop/abbot/vicar were in charge of varying territories. Perhaps your roving paladin parties can be stationed out of the leading paladin's church? If you want a more militaristic feel for your paladin groups perhaps prior (overseer of up to 30 knights), grand prior, seneschal, chancellor, turcopolier, or marshal? Those were some of the more unique Knights Templar ranks.
>>46235961
The neutral city-state of Branien. It is an open mercantile state and a member of the Federation of Commonwealths. It is located on the north side of the Sword Coast, well placed between Gedask, Sha'hara and the Alwara Tribal Lands and is one of the main international trade hubs. It rose to prominence after Sha'hara conquered Siegerveld as an exclusive military and trade port. Being where it is it is virtually shielded by its neighbors while being too far to properly control.
It maintains a friendly militia and hold no direct ties to any of the more powerful factions making it an ideal political neutral ground. This means that the city is open to all races and political affiliation so long as they obey the local laws.
It is built right next to the main port on hilly land where local residences are side-by-side with private manors and estates. Several foreign merchants and expatriates have taken up residence alongside locals which are friendly and accommodating. There are several establishments catering to trade, tourism and travelers offering a variety of services and goods.
Being a port city it is also abundant in goods from several lands such as Alwaran wines, spirits and spices; Sha'haran metal goods, magical artifacts, gems and coffee; Gedan drugs, cloths and sugar. There are also the occasional Luwasati trading their rare elven woods, spices and fruits as well as Xuande bearing exotic gems, gold and cloths from the far west.
The food is a mix of local and foreign fare able to cater to almost any palate. Entertainments are restricted only to how much you are willing to pay and what risks you are willing to take.
One of my setting has got some crossover shit going on, some planets are unique to the setting, but some are named after a game or a material they're coming from, but have a lot of extra stuff on it outside of the main thing tourists come visit it for.
The thing is, one of my players is currently trying to create some kind of galactic empire, so I'm thinking about the planet names more than ever, and I'm starting to realize "Luigi's Mansion" or "Mario Sunshine" isn't a great name for a planet.
In the case of Luigi's mansion, it's a planet of eternal night, who's getting heat from it's star, and should get day and night, but it's numerous dark arts users are just fucking it up. Outside of the obvious, It contains a village that's relatively welcoming of tourists and has merchants, and quite a number of vampire structures and werewolves camps if you go off the road.
Mario sunshine is an archipelago planet, with tropical temperature on most of the inhabited planet, all of the islands have the shapes of stuff that lives in the sea. There are smaller island with cool stuff on it you sometimes find with a good roll when traveling.
Do y'all feel like helping me find new names for those two planets? It'll help me find a pattern for issue with naming those kinda planets that are beginning to need one.
>>46235961
>Say I want great food and wine,
I guess Rich-Rich Island is your best bet for the great food and wine, though you could get half as good for a ridiculously small portion of the price if you went to Escalia.
> comfortable temperatures,
If you like it warm, Delphino Hotel is pretty comfy. If you want something a bit more neutral, and entirely safe from raids, you got, once again Rich-Rich Island, but also Miros' Light and Air department.
>or a great view of the stars, where would I go?
If you want to see the stars like you've never seen them before, your best bet is Ruins-13. Which is a planet reserved exclusively for settling fights, but who does happen to be at a fantastic place for viewing the stars. If you don't feel like going to such a gloomy place, you can just watch from a spaceship somewhere around the vicinity of the planet.
>Is there any place that isn't raided by Goblins/Orcs/Demons/Undead?
There's a lot of places that are "safe places" in that they are either guarded by something very strong or some strong spell prevents confrontation in this location, but even though those places are safer, and most of those have never seen any danger, it's not impossible for a danger to appear.
>>46235961
An Archipelago called Siblings, where you can trade or grow bananas and be ruled by people whom you actually elect sometimes, and not cunts who think they are better then you because they have magic powers.
>>46240887
>prior
Thank you, this is exactly the vibe I was looking for. I was playing with father, sergeant, brother-sergeant, constable, and things like that but they didn't sound old or religious.
Are "great forests" a little too generic? I wanted to include one that's in 2 kingdoms, which kind of defies conventional borders. Basically big enough to have its own unique culture, but not so massive it would take weeks for a caravan to cross it. Also having a river (serving as the border between the two kingdoms) running through it, east to west.
>>46242452
What, like the Black Forest?
The best thing to do with a "great forest" is to play it completely straight; it's not some massive mysterious region of evil and sinister undertones, it's simply a large forest with it's share of nooks and crannies for beasts and Fae. It will be a cultural landmark and the source of basically half the folk stories either kingdom will have among the peasantry - in fact, if you want to include a cool quest or NPC into the campaign, have the party go from village to village in this forest, collecting folk stories and cataloguing them in a great book. Turn the party into the Brothers Grimm, or make them encounter the setting equivalent.
>>46242578
Sounds in line with what I had planned really, just also sorta spooky at night cause have you ever been in a forest at night? Though maybe instead of a river a lake could be in the center
>>46215168
>MI36274
>"VIKING"
>>46242623
Lakes are good, they typically hold significance in folklore (especially in forests) and should be home to a powerful nymph queen, or be a gateway to the First World.
>>46242692
and I will ruin it by making it the home of elves and catgirls
>>46242798
It's your setting, buddy. If it works within the vision of your setting than more power to you.
Another fun thing to encounter are ascetics, which is a fancy way of saying "hermits."
>>46242857
Hermits? Maybe. Witches definitely, welcome to the magical forest now get out.
>>46242798
>making it the home of elves and catgirls
>ruin it
>>46212796
>Is it possible to sum up an entire nation in your setting with a single image?
>Give me the overview of your nations in one sentence. Bonus points for humor.
Hang on...
- Beiguo: Petty disuinited fiefdoms
- Dongzhou: KIngdom of backstab and betrayal
- Nanguo: Land of the Horse Lords and warriors
- Xifangguo: Land of magic and rules
- Kyodoku Clans: Japan just before the Meiji Restoration with an Emperor who's getting sick of the clan's shit.
- Sangtae: Recently reuinted after a long civil war between north and south. The North were under the dominion of a cruel, merciless, insane family.
- Mosihiri: Really hoping that Kyodoku never actually gets its shit together because if it does, they're next.
- Vuong Quoc: Jungles, tigers, disease, and death
- Bangsa Isles: Islands rich in resources, pirates
- Cinkappur: Clearly you've never been there.
- Siraya: Ruling party of formerly united Zhongjiang (Beiguo, Xifangguo, Nanguo, Donzhou) fled here and established their own nation.
- Mianfei Shi: Tiny merchant enclave where foreigners who smell like onions do business.
- Kaharian Isles: Brown jungle Spaniards, big on religion and trade.
- Rastra Empire: Elephants and Mowgli. Aforementined merchants who smell like onions want to set up some trade deals with some of the subject Raj.
- Empire of Tuongo: Buffer trade empire
- Kingdom of Laa: Seems to exist solely to piss off the Rastrans
- Sharangi Temples: Martial arts fiefdoms who fight each other a lot.
- Tsoliin Desert: it's fuckin' hot
- Khunic Tribes: Some dude named Timujin has started suggesting forming a band.
- Apuni Islands (not shown on map): Surfs up, Big Kahuna.
The goal is to create a setting that's just as ready for HIGH ADVENTURE as most faux-European settings are. It's totally anachronistic and disunited.
>>46243309
By the way, believe it or not "Khunic" didn't come from "khan". Rather I just used the Mongolian word for "person", which is "khün"
Culture question:
In a culture that views battle as glorious and death against a worthy opponent worthy of bardic tales, an assassin has been sentenced to death by his lord for breaking up a war negotiation. Said assassin attacked a member of the opposite side before negotiations actually broke down without orders to do so.
His act is viewed as having been cowardly, dishonorable, and insubordination unbefitting of his rank.
Now, the lord is entitled to choose a method of execution.
Would it be considered rules lawyering for the lord to point the assassin at the enemy king (who the assassin wants to kill anyways) and tell him "You're not coming back until either that king is dead or you are."?
Given that the culture glorifies death in battle, I'm worried this would be considered an anti-punishment rather than simply pragmatic.
>>46243471
If I understand it correctly, that kind of mission is the kind of mission he'd have gotten without it being a punishment, right?
Coming back without killing his target would have been unacceptable either way, especially in this kind of culture.
It'd be a farce to do so, but if you choose to go that way, maybe you can hint that the person responsible for that punishment doesn't hate the assassin, but is simply forced to punish him.
>>46212796
DEMON ON THE ROOF!
>>46243555
The lord likes to be just, but there really is no other way of handling a fuck-up of that caliber on part of the assassin.
The decision is handled kind of like this in his mind:
>On the one hand, the assassin definitely deserves to die, because he destabilized an already tense situation and set our sides back at war, putting hundreds if not thousands of lives to waste as a result of his anger.
>On the other, the king he was trying to kill is admittedly a douchebag (at least from what the lord knows) and killing him would be justified in just about ANY other situation, especially because they're at war.
I'm thinking the lord would send him without weapons (he's lost the right to them), and stripping him of his rank and honor unless he succeeds.
>If he fails, he dies a failure and his failure and dishonor dies with him, he will be forgotten by time and punished in the Valhalla equivalent.
>If he succeeds, the war ends with the death of the king, the assassin's honor is restored, and the situation that the assassin caused is effectively defused.
Something something poetic justice.
Is this considered something a Lawful or even Good lord would do?
>>46243471
>Now, the lord is entitled to choose a method of execution.
really if the king wanted to punish the assassin and deny him a glorious death, he would sentence the assassin to die at the gallows. Not only does his mean he wont die in battle, but hanging in general has the connotation of being an undignified death for common criminals (while death by firing squad is seen as befitting a soldier)
>>46243883
>really if the king wanted to punish the assassin and deny him a glorious death, he would sentence the assassin to die at the gallows
That was my first thought, but it kind of gnaws at me to have the punishment be so anticlimactic, especially for an assassin of that caliber (which is the point, obviously, because he threw away years of glory on what amounts to a hissy fit).
Maybe I'm just being overdramatic- I'm considering rolling for it, to be honest, evens pottery, odds just executing him nonchalantly.
>>46243827
If the king's Lawful Good, this does sound like it could potentially be a good course of action. The question I'd ask myself if I were you is: From this king's point of view, does it appear that killing the enemy king is the quickest way to end the war? I'd think the thousands of lives at stake would be a major concern to a lawful good monarch, and that ending the war as quickly as possible would therefore be his top priority.
Since last thread I got some feedback on an alien species I was working on for a Space Opera setting I' going to post what I have on another species and would like some feedback on:
>species:
Kepler
>Homeworld:
A large terrestrial world with a wide diversity of ecosystems but more known for its large menagerie of deadly and nightmarish predatory species.
>Physiology
Kepler are very stocky creatures averaging between 7-8 feet tall with broad shoulders, barrel-chest, muscular tail, powerful arms, and over-sized hands and feet which end in long claws (which appear to have once been used for burrowing). Keplar have a dense bone structure and their ribs are flat and broad causing them to overlap. on the kepler's back, just below the shoulder blades is a small shell of hardened layers of dentin and enamel under which is another layer of dense bone protecting their brain. The Kepler's disproportionately small head sits at the top of a long neck and is dominated by bat-like ears, large eyes, and a long, narrow snout full of hooked teeth. Their torso, thighs, and upper arms are covered in thick fur ranging in color from black to dark-brown. Kepler possess an amazing regenerative ability that allows them to quickly recover from injuries and even regrow lost limbs, tail, even their heads will regrow if severed.
>Society
Despite their physique, Kepler are a timid and cautious species that prefers to avoid confrontations whenever possible, and keep their distance from dangerous situations. This may in-part be due to the Kepler not being the dominant species on their planet and even today most Kepler living on their home world live in fear of the predators that they share their world with. This has earned them an unfair stereotype of being a cowardly species, which is still not entirely true as they will not abandon their comrades and are still willing to defend their friends and loved-ones if a peaceful solution is not possible.
Thoughts?
>>46244285
He believes that killing the enemy king will cause the enemy forces to collapse due to infighting and a break in military morale, and he's mostly right.
The only thing that could cause the situation to turn sour in that case would be the king's daughter being convinced to continue the war (not in her personality, but it could be done) or external circumstances changing the playing field (none of which, if they exist, he knows about).
>>46243052
Yes beware travelers, the elves and catgirls are fighting again. The catgirls are kidnapping elven men to replenish their numbers, while the elven women fight to the death to defend their men for how can an elven women compare to a catgirl? The elven men don't seem to care much either way.
>>46244780
Wouldn't elven females then be sex-selected for attractiveness and slowly balance the scales?
Not an immediate solution, but...
Hey /tg/, here's a map I made for my vaguely constructed fantasy world.
>Juinni, Yemelynn, Quathi
Dacians and Thracians with a bit of a "pre-historic" twist- they wear furs, herd cattle, and live quasi-nomadically, some hunting, others raising livestock. They're heavy drinkers and have a warlike attitude- very late-antiquity Germanic (maybe too much so). To spice them up, I added a vaguely Cossack aesthetic to their dress and culture- dancing, singing, big fur hats, brightly-colored dress for the upper nobility and in particular their women. Their towns- they don't really have huge cities- are largely mountainside wood-and-earth affairs, well defended and accustomed to tribal warfare. Lots of brass, bone, animal fur, and iron weapons. Chieftains and tribal confederations in a early kind of feudalism.
>Syezi, Ludals, Haedals
Forest people, again inspired by the Germanics of Caesar's campaigns- tribe warfare, overpopulation, a tendency to mistreat women among young men. Underdeveloped.
>Balotons
Carolingian esque- "civilized" Germanic types. Bit of a chop suey. Also underdeveloped.
>Hokchaq
Steppe Asians with largely pre-Islam Turkish and Japanese influence. A big empire united a few decades ago, massively expansionist and well-run. Militaristic and zealous. Shamanism, sky worship, fermented mare's milk and boar's blood drinking. Bright colored dresses for the women, trousers and tunics for the men. Women manage cattle and money, men tend to horses. Great house-families of military-men and bureaucrats manage the state, led by the Don, a absolute monarch who also leads the state religion, which is enforced by the government but disliked by the traditional families.
>The rest
Orientals, Slavs, and Poles! Occasional anachronistic Assyrians.
>>46243309
Good map, I like the Not-So-Far East feel. But a bit too parallel to East Asia in some respects- the Kyodoku are basically the Japanese in the same spot, so who knows.
>>46244304
Sounds pretty anime. I don't know how else to say that.
>>46244847
>Sounds pretty anime
What do you mean?I don't watch anime so bear with me
>>46244810
That's foolish, the less elven blood in the offspring the better.
Just started working on a new setting and I'm not really sure where to go from here in terms of what needs developed:
All of society has taken to war and with the development of robotics it has become an unmanned war. Through nuclear arms and robotic mercenaries, the outside world has become completely inhospitable. The only way to traverse it is by going into stasis in a pod while their brain is hooked up to a robot. Even then, the robots fighting each other ouside of the dome cities would destroy your robot on sight if not for the rail. The rail being the remains of a magnetic train system that scrambles their sensors. The dome cities have also made it illegal to leave since their environments are so maticulously regulated.
The idea is that players all decide on different robots. I have a bunch of different companies with varying costs. People would want to protect their investments since it would essentially be their life savings. On the other hand they could just buy the cheapest robot which is just a box on treads. Some ideas I have already are mutated animals, rogue AI war machine robots, other travelers, and maybe even people who forsook their body entirely and live a life free on the rail. It's stalker inspired to say the least but not sure what I should be focusing on now. I kind of wanted dome cities to exist on a case by case basis.
>>46213263
Horse nomads! Lots of them, but they're not Mongolian or Turkish- they're Alans and Sarmatians, white Iranians, some with reddish or blonde hair, even. Those people exist in the plains and the steppes, but often facilitate trade.
Assyrians! Big, big empires of chariot-rides on a scale surpassed only by Rome- huge walled cities, scale armor, semi-divine rulers with big emphasis on well-trimmed facial hair.
The world is not fully mapped. Most civilizations are not Greco-Roman, but rather based around Babylon, Syria, Mesopotamia, Egypt.
In many places of the earth ancient hunter-gatherers still roam. The world has not been civilized- even a military campaign undertaken by an empire will find new, yet unseen people.
>>46244994
Also, in general: it was the Semitic ethnic groups- Egyptians, Phoenicians, Mesopotamia, Judea, etc, that dominated the Bronze-Age world, not Greeks nor Romans nor other Indo-Europeans.
>>46234816
I like this anon, do you have a blog or anything?
>Coastal city by a major river
>Inland city by a major river
Which is generally better for your capital? Coastal seems ideal but cities like London, Berlin and Paris were all inland.
Yet at the same time, Winchester, Copenhagen and Constantinople were coastal.
What are the advantages or disadvantages of each? What is the *ideal* location for a capital if we ignore the whole "it's the capital since X historical figure said so" thing?
>>46246343
Inland is better if there are sea raiders, and trade is upriver.
Coastal is better if you're sailing places to trade.
>>46244820
>Good map, I like the Not-So-Far East feel. But a bit too parallel to East Asia in some respects- the Kyodoku are basically the Japanese in the same spot, so who knows.
Basically. The idea is to get a functional HIGH ADVENTURE Asia setting working first; I was more interested in the cultures I should be stealing than the geography, which I kept basically similar in order to make things easy for me. Hence all the anachronisms:
- Zhongjian (China) is in the middle of a Three Kingdoms period (~AD 250)
- The Khunic people are about to go Great Khan (AD 1162)
- Kyodoku's Emperor is about to go full Meiji Restoration (AD 1868)
- But the Mosihiri (Ainu) people are still independent in the north (Pre-AD 1700s)
- Rastra (India) has just met some pleasant but smelly people from Brythonia (England) (~AD 1772)
- There's a strong Tuongo (Burmese) Empire (~AD 1600)
- "Southeast Asia" (Vuong Quoc, Bangsa Isles) is a disunited mess (~BC 1000)
- But Cinkappur (singapore) and Mianfei Shi (Hong Kong) are major trade/pirate cities (~AD 1700)
- Siraya (Taiwan) has just been occupied by political refugees from the mainland (~AD 1950)
- And apparently the Hysperians (Spanish) have already occupied the Kaharian Islands (Philippines) (~AD 1700 again)
- Sharangi (Tibet) is independent and all Shaolin (~AD 1500)
>>46246660
Oh, I forgot:
- Sangtae: An apparently recently-reunited North and South Korea (~AD 20XX, if ever, or 1994 if you're in Tom Clancy's Ryanverse)
How do you justify having "fantasy" arms and armor?
I can't think of a way to include "fashionable" equipment other than having my Adventurers value fashion as a way to advertise their services.
Is anyone working on a post-apocalypse setting?
If so, what's it like?
>>46212796
Reposting from a previous thread since I got no answers :(
My setting revolves heavily around Necromancy. I'm having my players enter the mausoleum of a pretty powerful necromancer lord in Notegypt, after a long search for it (think The Mummy meets Indiana Jones with swords and sorcery)
I want it to be a double pyramid, shaped like an hourglass (pic related) and buried almost fully in the sand so that when they kill the final boss, traps open around the mausoleum and fill the hourglass with sand, making for a tension-filled finale.
I have already decided the bottom half would have originally served as a burial ground for mummies, before being partially refitted to house a large magical crystal smack dab in the point where the two pyramids meet. The crystal is actually beaming energy to the sarcophagus of the necromancer, powering his eternal prison.
What about the upper half? I kinda want to steer clear from making it just a temple of sorts, or a recharging device for the crystal itself. Any ideas?
>>46248287
Well, what end are the players entering from? I presume they're entering the top, with the bottom half buried beneath the sands or something.
I suppose the question might be answered by thinking about the structure's purpose. Okay, yeah, it's a tomb, but why was it built to such a massive scale? The pyramids of Egypt were built to showcase the wealth and power of the kings interred within them. Maybe the original, bottom pyramid was built for this purpose, as a final resting place for the king and his family, with the last of his line doing the whole necromancy thing and necessitating his containment?
If that's the case, it seems to me that the most logical reason for the top half to exist is to prevent access to the bottom half. Did the locals build the top portion as a fortress to prevent anyone from ever trying to release the necromancer from his slumber? Perhaps with an army of golems or mummies to guard the trap-filled halls? Otherwise, well, a recharging device for the containment crystal seems to be the second most logical reason. Have the locals been sacrificing things or people to keep the crystal powered or something? Is there some ritual involved that would require all the space of the original pyramid? Did they build the place out of reverence for this ritual?
>>46248027
Were ornate armors like this ever a thing in real life?
The only justification I have so far are the value Adventurers put into fashion, and the fact that magical crafting methods can allow for detailed armor pieces.
>>46248027
>How do you justify having "fantasy" arms and armor?
Personally, I don't. The theory for me is that the armor - much like everything else - is supposed to TELL SOMETHING about the world, and not be disjoined or slapped on. In a world heavy with magic ores or other physical manifestations of magic, the armor may reflect that, and be frequently adorned with amulets or imbued with said magical substances, in a world where fire-arms are common, but not particularly strong, the armor should be designed to match the needs of such warfare etc... It seems pretty weird to design a world, but then completely ignore it's logic when it comes to specific details.
In a good world-building, every details of your world should reflect something about the nature of the world. That is what gives the settings consistency, and what ultimately makes it fun to explore in the long run, as people will naturally start to discover relevant patterns and start drawing connections.
>>46248027
armor made to fight much larger foes, magical means of production, many options
>>46249297
Large armor plates to deflect or dampen hits from monstrous creatures? That could work.
The kind of Adventurers who actually wear fancy full plate would also be fighting wyverns and Chimera.
>>46249138
as usual, the best answers are more questions. thanks a lot, I think I have a few pointers to get things going :)
One thing I put a lot of thought into for my setting was the unique relationship between the magic system and the vaguely 1940s level of technology.
Magic users are racially different from humans, but only internally - they produce Mana the same way we produce endorphins and adrenaline. Mana in fact, is an official unit of measure for magic power gained from this gland production. Mana is restored through simple things like eating right and sleeping right, except that everything a mage eats and drinks is converted into mana with no waste byproduct whatsoever. An old joke goes, "Have you ever seen a fat sorcerer? No? Didn't think so."
The problem is, most people were non-mages, and people fear the unknown by default, ESPECIALLY when that unknown looks just like you and cannot be told apart from usual people. A couple bad-egg sorcerers made the whole magic community look bad when they assassinated the largest military nation's equivalent of Emperor Hirohito. The world militaries eventually started purging mages when fear took hold. You can't merely arrest someone and confiscate their magic like you can impound a stolen car, of course, so mages were summarily executed - some more publicly than others.
Of course, some fought back, and the armies started issuing their soldiers with MP ammo. MP ammo is like armor piercing penetrators but for breaking through magic force fields instead, and in place of lead poisoning the mage who is shot by it has their Mana production gland blocked so they can't regenerate any more Mana.
By the time this pogrom policy was reversed by a new Empress taking power it was far too late. She'd hoped to militarize the powers she'd seen demonstrated by an Onmyouji she'd invited to her court, but by then, magic was a fraction of what it had been before. Despite appointing the Onmyouji a general and tasking her to build an Imperial Army Mage Corps, there remained very few mages alive.That Onmyouji is the novel's heroine.
>>46249400
possibly you can also run with magically augmented armor working a little like an exoskeleton, providing the required strength. Then you can also introduce interesting mechanics like temporarily dispelling the effect of the armor making the wearer much slower. Depends on setting really
>>46249885
Magitech exo-suits are on my "to-do list" for future-proofing my setting.
They'll probably function similarly to Golems you can 'wear', with a personality of their own ala Jarvis.
Same poster as >>46249812 , replying to >>46248027
>Arcane weaponry
Guns, artillery, and primitive Nebelwerfer-esque rockets are commonplace. However, the Imperial Army did figure out that Ofuda (paper spell talismans) could be stuffed en masse into artillery canister-shells for delivering magical attacks at up to 30 miles' range. Later, scattering them from aircraft became viable too. I actually made a post describing this idea in better detail awhile back here on /tg/ but I dunno if anything became of that or not.
>Armor
Traditional fantasy armor isn't too common, but anti-aircraft gunners in the Capital City are often issued primitive anti-shrapnel armor which is basically plates under a cloth, similar to the old flak armor the Russians and Japanese both experimented with in WW2.
>Melee weapons
Swords are common simply because old style armies means officers wearing swords; doesn't mean they effectively use them, though. Civil defense militias in various remote places often make spears by lashing bayonettes to long broomsticks or the like, since fending off monster attacks is an actual thing you have to do if you live close enough to the wild border territories.
>>46249949
>>46249885
Iron Kingdoms has magic-steam power armor
>>46250002
>>46249812
May I hear more about this? Early 20th century stuff hits me in just the right spot.
>>46250174
Not him, but I could rant about how Not!WWI was fought when dragons were involved if you're interested.Because having our gushing about our ideas reciprocated is what we all want, isn't it?
>>46250300
Was it the one with draconic aircav gliding from zeppelins?
>>46246080
>I like this anon, do you have a blog or anything?
As a matter of fact I do!
You can check out the whole world building blog and even ask questions or make requests here: http://spaghettiart.tumblr.com/
Here's a cool channel with vids about literal world building. it's mostly about creating solar systems and its planets. And it also explains how language works.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CItDiuBWP5I
>>46250429
Aye, 'tis.
>>46250174
Sure bro, feel free to ask questions!
The main difference in warfare though is that, because of that planet's size difference from ours, seagoing ships are considered obsolescent and "airships" are the norm - NOT gasbags, more like WWII era vessels that fly, think like an In-Atmosphere version of Star Blazers's universe. Some stuff got reworked, of course; airship tactics replacing naval tactics doesn't always translate well.
>Destroyers
The "torpedo" function DDs were originally meant to fill still exists, but their tubes are in their bow-end, and fire straight-on like submarine torp tubes. These "torpedoes" are very large unguided rockets, something akin to an upscaled Sturmtiger rocket; the DDs charge the enemy fleet, release their rocket torpedoes, and then turn 180 hard about and retreat. Thus some DD classes opt to have the majority (or entirety) of their guns aft of the superstructure.
>Amphibious landings
D-Day to these guys would be interesting; amphibious pulse-engine-assisted gliders are launched from high-altitude APA-type airships and power-glide their way down to the landing zone. Many of these can carry artillery or light tanks as well. In fact, there are some of these gliders which are fitted with weapons or even explosives (think of the Baka Bomb but more insane).
>Naval gunnery
Ship-to-ship combat in three dimensions using gunshells does create a lot of risk for collateral ground damage. So the shells fired by these vessels are all double- or triple-fused. Self destruct fuses are the norm, if the shell passes by the target and keeps going too far it will break apart. The second fuse is the detonator of course, but the oft-used third fuse is a proximity fuse which detonates near-misses as they pass by airship hulls. Degaussing has some limited success at preventing this but it's a crapshoot.
(1/2)
>>46234238
>dark ages
>peasants, knights
choose one.
>>46251137
>>46250174
>Anti-aircraft warfare
Airships have, of course, anti-aircraft cannons and AA machine-cannons, but the main guns on a battleship or heavy cruiser usually will have some sort of absurd anti-aircraft shell like the infamous "beehive" for killing squadrons of bombers. Some use proximity fuses, others are fused to pre-set distances, while still others detonate right out of the barrel like a colossal buckshot shell.
>Air-to-ground warfare
Although airships do have underside weapons for attacking ground targets or underflying aircraft, and the flying artillery would allow the vessels to simply shell a ground target from a great distance, a favorite tactic of cruiser or battleship captains is to tilt the ship over as steeply as they can without damaging themselves and simply firing the main battery guns (like WWII battleship guns) downward at the target. Imagine an Iowa-class size vessel doing the duty of an AC-130...
>Special Ship Classes
Dedicated Anti-Aircraft ship classes exist, like the Atlanta(?) class USN did. They're called Flak Cruisers. The iconic Wakaba-class, for example, has 57mm miniguns in turret mounts as its main battery guns, specifically to enforce a no-fly zone for military fleets in wartime. If an enemy carrier wanted to air-raid a group of battleships, the fighter/bomber pilots would reconsider their mission when they found out they'd be flying down a volcano of flak like that. Most pilots during wartime feared the mere idea of attacking an airship fleet that had Flak Cruiser escorts.
Other ships like the Itano-Class VLS Tender acted something akin to a flying version of the US Navy's "Landing Ship, Rocket" - The entire length of the ship is comprised of vertical launch system (VLS) tubes for rocket artillery. Because of this, they have a blocky carrier-like shape and could be mistaken for a CV up until it starts spamming rockets at you.
(2/2)
>>46251482
Do these ships fly by magic? And, going by your focus on batlleships and cruisers, what prevents carriers from taking their crown as queens of the sky?
Bumping with some interesting art.
>>46251637
>Do these ships fly by magic?
Depends who you ask. Remember, having magic was heresy punishable by summary execution until very recently. Magical artifacts, however, don't rely on your body's magic, so they are a gray area.
The ships' construction heavily relies on a mineral unique to that planet that, although not well-understood, seems to give gravity the middle finger. So using lots of it for structural non-armored parts of the ship can bring its weight down to a low enough level that the lift/propulsion systems keep it aloft.
>What prevents carriers from taking their crown as queens of the sky?
Well, one short answer would be that in real life, carries are queens of the seas because air power beats sea power. However, air power in this setting already has beaten sea power by default because all the ships also fly. So now a healthy mix of fighters, bombers, and flying warships makes up the average fleet.
>>46252139
So what other uses for magic do you have, other than the ofuda-shells?
>>46252880
The army's Mage Corps exists to centralize magic users to military service. So you have soldiers who can cast magic of various sorts.
In addition, barrier-generators were developed, the largest of which are located around the Imperial Palace to project a protective barrier over it that keeps out artillery shells and bombs (and later, monsters).
Army medics and field surgeons will benefit from being assisted by potions and healing spells.
Divination spells could be used, like for navigation, targeting, and searching/detection purposes.
Additionally, magic wielding MPs could be deployed to hunt down any enemy of the state who wields magic as well (a lot of rogue elements are still pissed off about the pogroms). Of course, these MPs would be backed up by troops carrying magic-piercing ammunition as previously mentioned.
How does one do space dinosaurmen in a setting without it becoming too goofy?
What would be some good Magitech devices?
Magic rifles, energy swords, airships, magic-powered engines, combat exoskeletons, what else?
>>46254071
im actaully coming up with a story called inter dimensional cyborg space raptor pirates.
theres little to no seriousness.
its basically just an excuse to draw space pirate ships with cyborg raptors.
>>46212796
>Is it possible to sum up an entire nation in your setting with a single image?
Azureans, who want to wear black instead of blue for some reason. And look as imposing as possible.
>Give me the overview of your nations in one sentence. Bonus points for humor.
Azurea, a collection of bizarre principalities but scarily competent and competitive, used to own a lot of shit
Hadionia,ruled by deadly decadent vampires that attempt to prey on all other nations
Keorn, an elven federalist matriarchy that is the longest lived state in spite of getting mauled by everyone
Zonast , a collection of monstrous petty kingdoms that are as wise as they are savage
Khez, the fucking hordes of the steppe that really need to find their China
Isala, the fucking monotheists who want to conquer everybody but are kept in check by the Hadionions
Baloria, where the motherfucking demons live with a bunch of other smucks
The Maze, where adventurers go to die horribly and where Angels are massive cunts
Jacal, where the somewhat educated barbarian hordes meander about fighting Khez and lusting for Azurea
Gortor, where the relatively insane dwarves live, perfect except for all the Dwarves and the sea monsters
>Is there a particular aspect of your setting you're very proud of? Tell us about it.
No stasis, everything is on the Renaissance around the Late Italian Wars.
Don't you love it when your setting surprises you with how things click?
>One of the major religions is that of the Sun, with the Moon representing the cherished spouse and eternal partner of the Sun. This religion is primarily worshiped by Humans.
>The Elves of the setting, being originally from the Moon, worship the Moon and see the Sun as a caring father
>mfw this means the founder of this Solar Religion could have been a Human who got it on with an Elf, or simply studied with Elves and was inspired by their philosophies and that of the Dragons (who purely worship the Sun.)
>mfw this means there is an added religious incentive for humans to get it on with Elves, and Elves with Humans. Incentives that might get added into scripture or church policies.
>mfw this also means the Dragon States, who abhor the Eldar and actively oppress them, are probably seen with the same amount of disdain as Russia did with the Ottomans in the 19th century
>mfw this also *also* means half-elves have a unique standing in society, which will come into major play with the Kingdom of Gevalia (which has a huge half-elven population.)
Anyone have some suggestions on how I could further angle this? I need some eyeballs here.
Note: I'm using the following link's Daoine Sidhe for Elven stats: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pBP7kQ14gCc-xTsjIdK7EJov38IpDZFG73anj6KyifI/edit
>>46255351
You'd be surprised how easily settings can simply fall into place if you give them enough room. It's why both the bottom-up and the top-down method work and feel natural, and the ones that go full melting-pot right out of the gate tend not to work unless they've got an expert eye at the helm.
As for how you could further angle things, where does the Earth (or lowercase earth, or Oerth, or whatever) fit into this Sun/Moon cosmology?
>>46255351
I feel you. That's honestly the best feeling of worldbuilding, when it comes alive and does things before your eyes without you really intending it to - it's a sign that it is quality, at least to some degree.
I've posted bits and pieces of my world here before, but it's starting to come together. What I've got is a collection of bronze-age civilizations living in a variant of Earth that strongly resembles the climate and wildlife of the Triassic period, but using the map from the Cretaceous seen here.
What I'm looking for now is ideas for cultures. I've got six major civilizations, each based around an elemental god. Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Life, and Death. Assuming that the people are variants of humans, what are some ideas for cultures?
>>46255498
>where does the Earth (or lowercase earth, or Oerth, or whatever) fit into this Sun/Moon cosmology?
(Sorry if this sounds rambling, I'm literally doing this in a stream of consciousness so stuff may be open to revision.)
The Sun is pure and life-giving.
The Moon and stars are ageless (the Elves are ageless too, since they came from a land of agelessness.)
The Earth is neither of those things, in fact the Earth is quite filthy and tainted with mortality. Through worship and leading "pure" lives, the faithful can hope to cleanse themselves of impurities and become like the sun and stars - a thing of pure light and ageless beauty.
Humans are not allowed on the moon because of their impurity, same with the Elves who have set foot on the Earth thus becoming impure themselves. I could go wild with this and say the prophet of this religion supposedly "ascended" to become one of the major stars in the setting, and all saints (similar to Christian saints; those who express qualities of God) supposedly become stars themselves.Dammit, I feel filthy not writing this more coherently, or with more colorful prose, but my brain is just sorta scrambled at the moment.
>>46248027
Normal shit is Normal
Magic shit is Fabulous
>>46255640
I feel like the only thing holding me back now is my inability to draw, since I've really reached the point in my world-building where I need to start making regional, kingdom, provincial and city maps.
Does anybody know any good software, programs or websites to draw out ships or starships?
I figured this would be the most appropriate thread for this.
Does anyone have that .PDF about humanity among the stars, and then an alien race sweeps through the galaxy and splinters humanity into radically different animal-level species that evolve into fucked up aliens? Sorry for not contributing but I didn't want to bump off a thread.
>>46257168
Paint
>>46258749
>>46258877
Any program that doesn't require a million hours to make something?
>>46257126
Do what I do and commission an artist for them.
>>46259488
Who are the good ones? Got any examples of their work? I'm willing to pay for quality, but I need to know what quality is first.
>>46259567
I don't know, I've been actively on DAand FAfor close to a decade now, so a lot of the artists I followed have come and gone. What kind of maps do you want? Environment-based, political? Do you want it more realistic or more cartoony?
>>46259622
Definitely political, though environmental may be good too. I'm aiming for realism, though, so the less cartoonish the better.
>>46259738
Well, while most of these artists don't have much map experience, I've been following them for awhile, and if you talked to them when they were open, they might accept your offer. Some of them are going to be wildly more pricey than others. I'd use these five as a base, and jump off from there. Go on their DAs/FAs, see who the favorite and follow, and network until you find someone you like. That's how I've done it.First is Damien Mammoliti. Good fucking luck commissioning him, I wish I did when I had the chance, he's gone on to become incredibly established since I first followed him in 2009. Francis John is up next. Hibbary/Hillary Luetkemeyer is pretty up there. Lhuin is not bad, and neither is Nimrais, though they haven't done commissions for a very long time.
Expect to shell out a minimum of 150 dollars per map, though, if you go this route. Good artists know they're good, and charge accordingly. Finding relatively cheap, unknown up-and-coming artists is not a walk in the park.
>>46258929
Learn Solidworks or some other 3D CAD tool.
>>46249812
This seems so simple, but works so well and feels really coherent. Often the idea of magic being innate is tossed around but when you actually drill down and flesh everything out like you have done here it fills my mind with interesting possibilities and makes me want to know more about the setting. Good work anon.
>>46249812
>Mana is restored through simple things like eating right and sleeping right, except that everything a mage eats and drinks is converted into mana with no waste byproduct whatsoever.
This confuses me. So magic users don't go through normal digestion? Do mages not shit? Does mana double as calories?
>>46260919
These are the kind of questions that made me make mana a simple buildup of non-ionizing radiation.
Apropos of nothing, some weapon designs for my setting that I just finished.
>>46261739
>example18c
Awesome.
>>46261865
Not sure why I quoted the filename, didn't mean to
So I've been trying to diversify my magic academy.
Currently, I have a "Primary" and "Secondary" level, where "Primary" can be seen as teaching base classes, where "Secondary" teaches prestige classes.
>Primary
Students can either learn full magical theory to qualify as a Wizard, or applied magic to qualify as a Magewright.
Primary also features classes on magical beasts and the natural world, so it's popular for nobles to send their kids here to learn.
>Secondary
Students who complete the Wizardry curriculum can receive further training towards using magic in combat, as a "War Mage", or just classes on proper magical experimentation, as Wizards are the ones who make "new" spells.
Students who graduate as a Magewright can receive further training as an Artificer or an Alchemist.
Any suggestions on fluffing it out more?
>>46262012
Forgot to mention; this academy is located in my setting's Empire, which is a meritocracy.
The Academy also trains non-Arcane spellcasters to be Artificers and Alchemists, and most Wizards who become War Mages are destined to be Adventurers or rank-and-file magic artillery.
>>46212796
Let this shit thread die.
>>46264365
Yeah don't bump it and let itBump
>>46264365
Yeah it's been a slow one. /wbg/ goes back and forth, sometimes they are great and productive, other times not. Not a big deal.
What kind of Sports does your setting have?
I've been thinking up some sort of magical laser tag.
>>46265865
Elf Hunting and escaping from humans, so far Humans are winning.
>>46240648
the area around the "southern barrier" really tickled my imagination for a minute
>>46265865
Fencing is huge. The most prestigious kind uses two-handed swords and participants in full plate armor. Wrestling is entirely legal in this form of fencing.
There's another event where two fencers with arming swords and full plate armor alternate between attack and defense in ten second spans. Whoever's attacking can score one point by striking the other guy on the body or arms, two by striking the other guy on the head. When you're on defense, you can't score points.
With the introduction of the bayoneted rifle sixty years back, bayonet fencing has also been introduced, though it's yet to achieve the refinement of the centuries-old swordighting fencing forms.
>>46212796
>Is it possible to sum up an entire nation in your setting with a single image?
Pic related; Princess Arminia Caliak, of Astaria
>Give me the overview of your nations in one sentence. Bonus points for humor.
Honor, grace, and chivalry in the age of industry and artillery. Their most basic summary being "For Princess and Country!"
>>46265865
Colosseum fights against captured magical creatures are a big one. It's what the "Great-Tier" Adventurers do in their seemingly endless downtime.
>>46254348
Okay, that's kinda the opposite of what I need.
>>46233586
Just go for it. None by the most autistic neckbeards will call you out on it.
>>46268664
>pic related
C U T EBayonet fencing is great, too.
>>46271502
I'm working on a series where she's either the main character or the villain, depending on whether you prefer monarchist soft socialism or libertarian capitalism. Book 1 will be titled "Crowned In Lightning"
>>46271602
>monarchism
>socialism
pick one
>>46271955
It's called Communism.
>>46271955
It's called constitutional monarchy.
>>46272158
No
>>46272189
Late Bismarck-era, yeah.
>>46271955
After the collapse of the Aquilonese Empire, its western provinces ended up under the control of the sole remaining member of the royal family, Queen Sayphay. She established economic policies that would, in our world, be considered socialist. Whether she did this because of her sense of responsibility to her subjects or because she needed to appease the masses and create a broad base of support is debatable.
Queen Sayphay's ideas are called Matronism, and essentially are the idea that the state and the aristocracy's proper roles are to be a mother to its people. After Sayphay died of consumption, her daughter's regent kept up the same policies, but shortly after Princess Arminia takes the throne, the needs of a war against the capitalist states of Kiserre and Aquileon will force the Astarian Principality to give up on its Matronist ideals and adopt capitalist economics; this will happen over the course of the series.
>>46271955
No.
>>46272343
any good books on the history of banking? or any anons knowledgeable on the subject?
Currently I'm working on a player's homeland. which is basically Westeros if Westeros worshiped a goddess of war, conflict and merit and their saint Elf Sigmar, and was neighboring onto haunted gothic japan.
What sort of cultural quirks would come from that, as I'm trying to separating it from another kingdom of banners, nobles, peasants, and dickstabbing across the world.
The key difference being the one across the world got invaded and is being dragged into the new age, while this one is considered the planet's retarded cousin.
Pic unrelated, mostly.
