Tellus: On Monsters

Any fantasy setting filled with opportunities for adventures need, by very design, to be filled with monsters. In particular, taking many cues from its Tabletop RPG roots, many JRPG which followed off from the success of Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy are positively teeming with an endless array of monstrosities, from the relatively harmless slime to gigantic dragons to much stranger beasts.

Great Beasts

On Tellus, the line between ordinary animal and magical beast is quite blurry. While there are ordinary creatures which are used as pets and/or livestock as well as plenty of animals in the ecosystem which do not bother the Ulm and others as soon as one get into the realm of predators and scavengers is when things get nastier. Beasts refer to all non-sapient (or low sapient) creatures irrelevant of whether or not they are plausible animals or what D&D once called Magical Beasts and now calls Monstrosities. These are creatures which, for the most part, lacks a higher soul. Taking cues from folklore, especially Japanese folklore, this is not the be all end all for these creatures. Beasts of exceptional breeding and longevity, which eat many sapient creatures, survive many battles and end up living for centuries often find themselves transformed into semi-unique or unique monsters.

Just how long this process take or how accurate it is remain a mystery, as well as what exactly create what abilities. It is, in many ways, just a 'thing that happen'. Some creatures simply grow in size (and often, for inexplicable reasons change color) while others undergo a much more intense and complete metamorphosis into a radically different body, such as ancient fish or snakes transforming into dragon-like creatures (which are not True Dragons, those are a different thing).

Fiends

The creatures classified as Fiends are born of the negative side of mind and souls. As previously established, all life and all magic is ultimately connected on some deeper spiritual level. Fiends are born of (or the actions of) imbalanced minds. Generally speaking they are often associated with what the Ulma call 'Black Magic' or chaos/change/raw power but this is not universal. Light and dark, order and chaos are two sides of the same coin after all. Souls which become entangled into material matters fester upon the material plane, manifesting as Fiends.

Once the soul (or at least, part of it) become entangled it take decades or centuries to usually manifest. Fiends, generally speaking, do not really retain any of their memories or past identities. They become more of an immaterial taint which slowly manifest as a warping of nature. In time as the corruption grows, beasts might become a form of Fiend while others form twisted bodies in dark places, away from all sight. Fiends of Black Magic are driven by passion, destruction, madness and raw emotion and needs, similar to the concept of hungry ghosts or what has been previously written about with Undead for the Urban Fantasy setting. Fiends of White Magic are much more rare but far more terrifying, born of stasis, faith, belief and the collective needs. These are much more intelligent and insidious creatures.

Come on, you knew he'd show
up here, right?

Particularly powerful individuals are also at risk of slowly degenerating into Fiends, even if such transformations are very rare, as Tellus is not one of those worlds where overwhelming spiritual or physical corruption is commonplace. That said, truly powerful individuals who delve deep into more primordial powers are at a risk of turning into Fiends. A few mad souls even seek to do so on purpose as somekind of twisted apotheosis. It is not uncommon for such corrupted individuals, when wounded and under stress, surrounded by enemies they cannot match to completely 'give in'...and transform into monsters which reflect their inner selves. This is not easily achieved nor is it common knowledge, but power-mad archmages and their ilks have been known to do it once or twice.

Yes, this exist entirely to justify why some individuals, especially final boss, can transform into horrible monsters or glowing angelic beings. It is not a common phenomena in the world, nor is it well known or documented. The required catalysts usually mean tinkering with ancient spells and artifacts or to become possessed by some elder evil but the potential is there.

Tellus: Sky-Folks, Zhulen Clans and Gigas

Why not continue with a nod to several series, including Breath of Fire and Fire Emblem? Yes I know that one is a tactical RPG but its still a form of RPG and it is Japanese so it does sort of count. There's also a few nods to The Legend of Dragoon in there as inspiration for good measure but generally speaking that's a game way less people remember these days.

Sky-Folks (Siren)

An Aegyl from FFXII:
Revenant Wings

Winged humanoids, enchanting and ethereal. Among those of the elder races, the dwindling Sky-Folks have myths which tell the tale of the arrival of the Ulm to the world of Tellus. Since then, the Sky-Folks (and other races) have slowly waned in influence. Then again, by nature, the Sky-Folks were a nomadic people safe for their distant aeries where they met for religious ceremonies and breeding, where young Sky-Folks would hatch and be taught how to fly without breaking their wings. The Ulm's spread over the world took centuries before it became a problem to the Sky-Folks.

Appearance

The Sky-Folks are physically similar to the Ulm but of a much slighter and elongated build. Their most distinct features is the large pair of wings which grow from their backs. With their slim build and delicate features they are quite alluring to member of other races. A Sky-Folk able to hide his or her wings can pass for a very beautiful, if exotic Ulm. This is particularly true of half breeds who have very human-like features. Each distinct clan of Sky-Folks has a unique set of wing and hair colors/pattern combinations, from pure shades of white, brown, red or black to mixed patterns of these plus other colors such as blue or yellow.

As a race of flyers, Sky-Folks are fairly light on clothing when found outside of the aeries, as they cannot carry heavy loads when flying, resulting in simple clothing decorated in extremely unique and colorful patterns. Weapons and armor too are quite light and sparse for ease of travel. When inside their aeries, however, they are fine with wearing more such as ceremonial robes and richly decorated clothes so long as their wings can deploy to glide up and down between levels. They lay eggs but are also inter-fertile with human: however only those born from eggs laid by a Sky-Folk mother are born as Sky-Folks. The mixed race children do look like their parents in other regards. Rumors persist of unlucky children born wingless from eggs and of seemingly-human children growing wings as they approach adulthood but these might only be myths.

Culture

Nina from Breath of Fire II

The Sky-Folks are a race of nomads, poets, philosophers explorers, travelers, seer and troubadour. Being not only attractive and gifted with an innate ability to enthrall others has helped the Sky-Folks to not completely go extinct as the Ulm covered the world. They travelled across the Ulm's new kingdoms and nations, bringing gifts from faraway lands and teaching the Ulma new sciences and magic. Others became courtesan or even lovers to great heroes and nobles. It is believed that much of Ulm magic and mythology is derived from their early mingling of the Sky-Folks and both races share some fairly common points when it come to their myths and beliefs.

However that was a long time ago.

The Sky-Folks are increasingly growing embittered by a world they find more and more alien. Many of their aeries have turned to isolationism and even xenophobia, fearing the earth-bound Ulm. Others found themselves trapped between warring nations and faced extinction. Others found themselves enslaved. This has hurt the collective pride of race which once flew from one end of the world to the next. There are young Sky-Folks who are being brought into the service of the Sheradil Empire as flying shock troops, allowed to fly with heavier armor and weapons through magic and technology. This is an interesting prospect to the more war-like Sky-Folks as it would completely negate the one weakness of their flight.

Zhulen Clans (Dragonborn)

Artist unknown but I absolutely love her design.

Said to have the blood of True Dragons in their veins, the Zhulen people have remained as unchanged as ever in the modern age. Equally gifted as sorcerers and warriors their culture has continued to thrive where the Sky-Folks have faltered. Perhaps it is because the Sky-Folks were evasive, and shifting like the wind and sea whereas the Zhulen were like a raging fire and unbreakable mountain and so have remained defiant in spite of the spread of the Ulma.

The Zhulen takes a few ideas from the previous Opherian description of the otherwise unrelated crossover of Godbound and the Opherian scrolls but with as much, much lighter tone.

Appearance

At a quick glance, the draconic ancestry of the Zhulen people is not quite obvious as they appear akin to tall and muscular Ulm. Their teeth are slightly sharper, as are their nails and even slightly their ears. The hair of the Zhulen people is notoriously wild and spiky, with vivid colors such as red, orange and the slightly rare blue being common. Like the Sky-Folks they are egg-layer and follow similar rules when it come to mating with the Ulm. It is unknown if they can breed with Sky-Folks but presumably the child would also be the race of the mother if they can.

Befitting of their fiery personality, the Zhulen are a notoriously bold people and favor particularly fancy clothes and armor: the flashier and/or more intimidating, the better. Gold and bronze are well-favored elements in their gear, as are feather and scale motifs. Many of their more baroque designs have been adopted by the Ulma over the years. When going on about their daily lives, they like skirts, short tunic and poncho. Being naturally-resistant to the elements give them much less of a reason to cover their bodies and as such, elaborate body art is not uncommon as a mean for a member of the Zhulen clan to establish their identity.

Culture

Kain from FFIV

The Zhulen Clans cannot be completely reduced to a simple shtick as warrior, mages or merchants: these three however are very common sight in other lands, as Zhulen adventurers are decently common with traders and mercenaries being just as if not more common. Pride, self-expression and passion are very important to their culture and finding a meek Zhulen is about as likely as finding ice in the desert. They fight harder, they love deeper and they drink even deeper still: few people can out fight or out drink a Zhulen. In spite of all this they are neither brutes nor stupid or reckless, they simply have higher self-confidence than the average Ulm and are far more open than the more silent, aloof and private Sky-Folks. Bards sing many tale of Ulm-Zhulen romance and most of them usually involve a passage about being tsundere difficult.

The Zhulen Clans are notoriously a bit more inclined toward what Ulm would classify as 'Black Magic', which is to say destructive and/or alteration magic. The Zhulen have a fairly casual attitude toward magic, seeing it as something as innate to them as any other part of their bodies and culture. It is their innate gift and birthright. They worship their gods and ancestors more through deeds than complex rituals but that doesn't mean temples don't exist in their lands.

Being so much more lively has downside and they clash far more commonly with other races. With a strong body and equally strong temper, the Zhulen Clans have been known to march to war and revel in the warrior elements of their culture fairly eagerly. Even in the current age there are stories of Zhulen mercenaries and pirates who eagerly jump to action, if not violence. As previously established, they have not taken to isolation like the Sky-Folks and have openly embraced the challenges faced when the Ulm spread over Tellus. Even today there are a few Zhulen Clan stronghold which remain trading ports with the other races.

Connection to Sky-Folks?

Both are human-like races who lay eggs. One is an avian race and one is a reptilian (or rather, draconic) race. In real-life, birds are descendant of a type of dinosaurs. They both have an innate bonus to the Charisma stat. They are both very colorful too. In addition, both races existed on Tellus before the Ulm (apparently) arrived. Are these two races related? Are they connected through some ancient link? Who knows.

Gigas (Firbolg and Goliath)

The D&D 4e Firbolg art is good enough for these.

In the wild places where not even the Sky-Folks and Zhulen did not dare to thread in ancient times lay ancient site of primordial power. This primordial power connects the planet to all living beings, all plants and even the abstract realms of Spirits and Gods. It is a living web of life and death, matter and spirit, past and future. All myths of the different races, be they the Ulma, the Sky-Folks and the Zhulen acknowledge these universal, all encompassing forces of life and nature. What few people realize is that the feared giants of myth have a deep connection to these forces. These are the Gigas.

They are not a well-known race, since they have shunned all others since the beginning of time it seems. Indeed, the race is so isolated even among themselves that much of their own history and very nature is open to speculation equally from outsiders as it would be from a young Gigas asking their elders what is their meaning and purpose in life.

Appearance

The Gigas are not a naturally-born race: they are more of a loose category of similar beings, fashioned in primeval times from raw elemental forces. Taller than any of the other races, standing almost (or over) seven feet tall they have harsh and intimidating features and glowing eyes. Their bodies are larger, either muscular or corpulent (not that it matters, as even obese Gigas are incredibly strong). Their skin is hard and coarse, like hard leather or sometimes almost like stone or bark. Many of them, especially the forest-dwelling ones, have moss growing on it. Most of them have broad, squat heads with thick brows and jaws as well as long ears, some of them drooping. Others display animalistic traits such as tusks, horns or scales. No two Gigas is ever the same, safe for their sheer size and bulk.

Unlike the other races who reproduce sexually, Gigas are 'born' from raw elemental and natural forces in wild places usually tended by others of their kind, growing from cocoons of crystal and/or plant matter (or, if born in the deserted lands either ice or sand turned to glass). Of all the races they have the strongest belief in reincarnation and in their case it might be completely true.

Culture

It is hard to truly describe Gigas culture for it doesn't really exist, not truly. They live in isolated enclaves in the wild, living off hunting and scavenging for food. While a truly ancient race, they lack any extensive written or oral history beyond their creation myth and the core rules of their tribe, such as it is. These tend to be fairly simple rules meant to enforce social cohesion. Beyond that it is hard to know for sure if more complex rules and rites exist because outsiders aren't permitted to know of them and even Sky-Folks archive are somewhat inconclusive about the depths and intricacies of the Gigas and their culture such as it is.

Variations

Being more of a collection of races than a completely homogeneous one, there are many variations to the Gigas:

• Forest-dwelling Gigas use the stats for Firbolg. They are generally the kindest type.
• Mountain-dwelling Gigas are a harsher lot and use the stats for regular Goliath.
• There are elemental Gigas and these would use the Goliath Variants found in a homebrew PDF called the Subrace Handbook.

Tellus: The Ulma (Humans)

A new series and a new world. That doesn't mean the others won't keep being expanded upon but it does mean these disparate ideas related to JRPG are being finally brought back again. After the worldbuilding of the Random World I've started to feel inspired in working on something where I am not quite as constrained by the ideas born of a random generation algorithm.

Down the line there is a chance I might end up running D&D 5th edition (for a change) and increasingly I've been tempted to run it as something loosely inspired by Pointcrawls. The setting style and trappings, meanwhile, would be that of the JRPG of old.

Edit: The world has been named Tellus, which is the Roman name for Gaia.

The Ulma

Art by Simon Jude Albaran

Or Human as we know them, because using stupid names for humans is a thing that Final Fantasy has done before. The Ulma, singular Ulm are the current dominant race. They are defined as being industrious, ambitious prideful and sometimes self-destructive. The least magically-inclined of the current races, they are nonetheless an increasingly dominant race in nearly every aspect: society, technology, military and more. They have raised great cities, greater than any in the modern era, vast metropolis of stone and metal. They have begun deeply researching into the true nature of magic and reality and begun to pull the world out of its faux-antiquity roots.

The largest Ulma nation is the Sheradil Empire and it is exactly what one would expect: highly organized with a vast military combined with magic and technology more advanced than other nations. From humble roots as a besieged people in a hostile land they have developed into mighty conquerors and where the Sheradil don't rule by force they rule through culture and money. There was a time people saw the more positive side of their empire but, as clichés demand there might be dark days ahead and the Empire might be on the cusp of spiraling into a totalitarian, world-consuming engine of wrath and hubris.

Appearance

Imperial class from Etrian Odyssey IV.

The Ulma are, well, human. They cover a wide range of ethnicity but the vast majority of them would appear somewhat racially ambiguous to us Earth human, as a nod to many JRPG characters being depicted in art as alternating between being vaguely Asian (hey, these games were made in Japan!) but at the same time sporting features one would generally not associate with Asians. Most Ulm have black, brown or blonde hair and these are generally unrelated to skin tone and southern Ulm with bright blonde hair clashing against darker skin is hardly implausible. Red hair is quite rare and while called red it is really more that rusty brown we see in real life.

Ulma clothes are a combination of the functional clothes one would expect the city worker and pastoral farmers to have. They frequently augment these drab colors with jacket, capes, scarves and turban of bright colors and those who are of noble blood or rich will no doubt try to go for even fancier clothes. Their armor and weapons strike a delicate balance between plausible and the more ludicrous, fantastical style we associate with the genre. They tend toward using metal armor which combine the appearance of baroque medieval plate with a somewhat 'dungeonpunk' look for good measure. It is not uncommon for Ulm nobles, especially those who are married, to have increasingly elaborate hair which extend to facial hair for men. It is a sign of maturity to have a well-trimmed, suitably elaborate mustache or beard. Young Ulm, however, are generally clean shaven and a bit more androgynous for the men when it come to their styling. Both sex are known to use some form of makeup but this is not universal. Very campy, almost clownish makeup is not unheard of for particularly goofy Sheradil nobles.

Culture

Forming the 'base point' for the world, the Ulm culture is recognizable as fairly standard fantasy fare. They are primarily organized either in a semi-feudal system or into city-states with a few independents in between. They prize the core values we expect of a civilization and are, ultimately, fairly ordinary people with ordinary wants and needs. At least, for the average Ulm, anyway. Seen as a race of extremes by others, the Ulma as a whole have produce many great heroes and equally as many villains. Their core societal unit is the family.

Art by Yunjin Jung.

The Ulma have many gods and even more religious branches and sects. The Gods of this still-unnamed world (I am bad at naming worlds, aren't I?) are abstract and non-personified. Many Ulm worship deities which embody abstract concept as as 'the Light' or 'Justice' or 'Protection' and it suit them just fine: so long as it keep their bellies full and their family safe that is all that's needed. However, the Sheradil Empire has increasingly been treating spiritual matters as nothing more than fuel for their growth and ascendancy to the point of increasingly alienating their priesthood. Some fear they might destroy the planet in trying to harness forces best left untouched.

Only about one in several hundred human has an innate gift for magic, be it being able to tap into (or contact) divine/cosmic forces or to wield complex spellcraft. Many of these powers have ended up eternally mingled with human mythologies and religious rites and it is from human that terms such as 'White Magic' and 'Black Magic' have emerged, as human tend to ever-so-slightly favor the more constructive and protective side of magic when it come to their religious ceremonies, finding the power to heal most effective. The other, more chaotic side of magic, is seen either with suspicion and fear or as a deadly tool of war to rain down hail and fire on hordes of enemies.

Random World Variations: D&D 5e Version

Continuing off the last post for variations of my Random World.

Fantasy Warrior by Alejandro Olmedo.

Races

Generally-speaking, the Random World has been described as very human-centric, at least when it come to the major civilization as the core idea was born of a mixture of the assumptions of OD&D and the 4th Edition Point of Light design (which are very similar). That said they aren't the only playable race, especially when one take into account that human variations and crossbreeds are considered part of 'humans' for the most part.

Men

These are your baseline human (and no, not just a race of reverse amazon with only dudebros...even if that would be hilarious!) and their close relatives. They are the mortal inhabitant of the world and form the majority of the civilizations established around the Random World. In addition to the baseline human, the following sub-races exist:

• Those of High Blood descend from the Fey and Elemental-blessed nobles and knights of the fallen civilization of Karnegras, whose only remaining city is Waywood. While slightly taller and more comely than average, they are otherwise very similar to their human relatives. Indeed, some of the people displaying such features as per their bloodline might very well lack the blessings it come with, as the blood and its blessings are growing thinner and thinner. Mechanically, they use the stats for Half Elves.
• Those of Troll Blood around the Mavre Woods fill a niche vaguely similar to half orcs but with a fortunately much less sordid heritage, as myths and folklore tell their ancestors did not so much mate with trolls as acquire/steal their might and vitality (of course that could just cover up the ugly truth). In general people from the Mavre Woods are taller and brawnier than average but otherwise look human, lacking monstrous features altogether. Mechanically they use  As one would expect, they have the stats of Half Orcs.
• The People of Yarford have their own magical bloodline in the form of animalistic blessing, the result of ancient magical rites and their ritualistic hunt of spirit-beasts. This manifest as them being part of the Shifter race. Unlike the depiction of Shifters from their original setting, these are a civilized and feudal people with a strong warrior culture which help them channel these animal instincts.
• There are humans which have become warped by exposure to elemental forces. These beings would use the stats of Genasi in some shape or form. An example of a location with a Genasi population would be the Furnace Wastes.

Goblins

The races of goblins are two of the not-quite-fey-not-quite-mortal 'branches' of supernatural creatures which include both them and the trolls. As a general rule of thumb, Goblins are physically weak and small creatures, mysterious and often fickle. They represent mystery, darkness, wickedness, trickery, madness and more. They dwell in dark forests and under the earth.

• The Dwarves of the Random World are a Goblin race, even if they would not really admit it up front. They are among the most human-like of the goblins, as well as the most 'mortal'. These dwarves aren't particularly known for their warrior skill (that said, any Dwarven adventurer is expected to know how to handle weapons) or alcoholism and are rather secretive craftsmen, traders and nomads. They are notoriously more mean spirited and aloof than the common fantasy dwarf stereotype. For most people, the stories of the Dwarven homelands, their mountain cities, are just fairy tales. They are Hill Dwarves. Another Option: If Duergar exist they could very well be playable too.
• Hobgoblins are a form of warrior-goblin, elevated to greater power as elite servants either by some powerful being (a Goblin Lord or a human one will do, as does a powerful spellcaster). Stronger, taller, more focused than their scatterbrained lesser kin they very much play the role of 'monster minion' to other forces, At the same time, however, it does mean some patron could assign a hobgoblin to a party and thus justifying their presence.

Classes

There are two way classes could work in the Random World. The first is to use the core classes as presented in D&D 5e, which works (almost) fine while the other is to use the Low Fantasy Classes as presented in that PDF I-can't-seem-to-find-the-sources-for. Whichever option is used would certainly color the setting in a certain way, as the former is much higher on the fantastical scale. In any case, this is all a correction/addition to the thoughts on where each class might belong in that world.

In addition, any type of class variant generally associated with Elves can be generally assumed to work with the people of Waywood, as they clearly draw quite a bit from the typical elven imagery as a whole, down to (possibly) using Elven racial stats.

Monk

The Monk class has often been seen as an oddball in D&D, as it derive itself not from western tradition but rather eastern traditions, especially that of Wuxia with concepts such as martial arts and chi. Thus adding a monk to any setting adds a certain amount of oriental elements which may not fit certain worlds. Fortunately this is not the case.

• The Way of the Open Hand is the default.
• The Way of the Four Elements was invented by martial artists through study of various elemental beings manifesting upon the material plane and how they interacted with the world. These ancient, wandering masters spread far and wide both teaching others as they learned themselves. As such, there are countless schools and small enclave of Monks of this type, especially around places where elementals exist.
• The Way of the Kensei is also quite common, with no particular origin. These days it can be taught in the lands south of the Jungle of Spears just as much one could learn the ways of regular sword fighting. It remain seen as alien around the northern lands, however.

Setting Role: The Monk is, well, exactly what one would expect as he is a martial artist. Their teachings have roots in other lands (currently not fleshed out in my notes!), away from those which have been the focus of the blog posts. That doesn't mean their teachings haven't reached far and wide or become established its just that they remain as 'exotic'.

Sorcerer

The term sorcerer has been used, when writing about the Random World, interchangeably with any kind of arcane caster. In modern D&D, however, the name is that of a specific arcane spellcasting class, one tied to their innate magical gift via bloodlines.

• There is a series of homebrew of Sorcerous Origins called Yorviing's Sorcerous Grimoires. Several of them are well-suited (alongside, possibly, the Genasi race) to represent a human who has been deeply touched by raw, unfiltered elemental forces. Origins tied to elemental forces (like Volcanic One or Oceanborn) as well as those tied to natural concepts (such as Wooden Soul) are all suitable for this type of Sorcerer. Alternatively (or in addition to, since such powers are inherently chaotic and diverse) there would be the Elemental Essence origin from Kobold Press. The Storm Sorcery origin, found in the Sword Coast Adventeres Guide is also well suited to this category.
• There also Sorcerous Origins which ties well into the various other human subraces, with the people of Yarford having an affinity for the Primal Hunter (see Yorviing's Sorcerous Grimoire: Children of the Wild) origin.

Setting Role: It is likely that Sorcerers lack a unified setting role, as they are as distinct from each others as two completely different classes. Some of them might be seen as blessed tribal shaman of some isolated elemental-blooded tribe while others are deeply tied into a people's history and bloodline (such as Yarford) while in other places they are shunned as freaks of nature.

Warlock

The Warlock is a neat addition to D&D that doesn't get enough credit, being based off the idea that a spellcaster makes pact with an otherworldly patron, such as a demons. Its a cool, extremely ancient concept but for some reason (possibly because it is a later addition to D&D post-TSR) the class is a bit unpopular. Suitable Warlock Patron in the Random World include:

• The Archfey is a no-brainer, given that fey and fey-like beings have long been established. Many of them are quite alien and of a very nasty temperament, so they make poor Patron to directly interact with.
• The Fiend is likely to be an option even if, currently, I've not worked out just what exactly demons/fiends are. Still, its a corebook option and it works fine as is.
• The Hexblade is a pretty clear stand-in for the likes of Stormbringer and the Warlock tend to overlap with what D&D has called Hexblades as well as Eldritch Knight or even the Magus of Pathfinder.

Setting Role: The Warlock are obviously those who want to 'cut corners' when it come to wielding magic. Those with an Archfey Patron can be found in the areas around Waywood or even within the city itself, masquerading as some other type of spellcaster: in which case their patron are those ancient beings protecting the city which have increasingly chosen to have their own agenda rather than keep protecting a shadow of the former glory of Karnegras. NPC Warlock could also include intelligent/self aware Orcs who have retained their allegiance to their creators, the Witch-Trees. In exchange for their continued obedience and leading their less self-aware brethren they are taught magic.

Random World Variations: Different systems, different styles

Ah, the Random World: originally a short experiment for fun which ended up as a pseudo-setting I'm quite fond of. The reason it is branded a 'pseudo setting' is that, really, there's never going to be a 'true' or 'canonical' version.

A two-headed troll eating, Art by Albert Urmanov.

The notes, right now, primarily rely on Basic Fantasy (or Labyrinth Lord) and the choice of races and classes are very much influenced by it. By default, the presentation of the Random World is just generic enough that I can decide to use it by running Basic Fantasy or Labyrinth Lord right off the box with little to no homebrew. In its default form the setting may have some odd idiosyncrasies but its generally written to work with all the most basic and simple assumptions of a D&D game. However if I want to, this is a setting which can be modded or altered to work off different games and different D&D editions or OSR games. The setting can vary in presentation and style to be a bit more grim and gritty and morally gray or I could make it much more clear cut high fantasy with good and evil. I could also run it with D&D3e/Pathfinder and add more unusual magic forms such as Psionics or Akashic among others. For what its worth, I consider the modularity and re imagination potential to be a feature, not a bug. After all the entire point of the setting was a deliberate loose canon, core D&D elements and some gonzo whatever-the-hell-goes. It is a setting that is fleshed out enough to be gameable but its not a serious write up in the sense it harken back to those kind of mish mashed settings made from whatever I found cool when running D&D in high school.

Variations Upon A Theme

So what could possibly change depending on the game and/or mixture of supplements for said game or edition? Here is a non exhaustive list:

• Scarlet Heroes or Exemplars & Eidolon: Nothing is changed setting-wise, but the characters are more powerful and noteworthy individuals rather than starting as impoverished yet brave nobodies. Likely the most obvious pick after Basic Fantasy or Labyrinth Lord.
• Dungeon Crawl Classics: The opposite happen and the characters are even more pathetic and vulnerable than by default. The world is presented as more grim, chaotic and brutal.
• +Hubris: One of my favorite DCC settings. The setting remain as the above but even more bleak and horrifying. Classes taken from Hubris add new layer and setting elements, such as Mutants (briefly mentioned as possibly existing here and here) and Half-Demons add a bit more of a dark and/or weird fantasy vibe.
• Pathfinder: There is a crapload more of options and rules, maybe too much! The general power level of classes is vastly increased especially for spellcasters. It might be wiser to use E6 for sanity's sake. Overall, the fantasy level is vastly increased.
• +Psionics: By default I have not written in Psionics into the setting but that doesn't mean they can't exist and fit in. Adding psionics greatly add to the weird fantasy elements. One way to make psionic distinct would be to very much tie it to 'mortals' as the power of their mind rather than the primordial powers of the cosmos that arcane and divine magic both channel. Another option, which could be interesting, is to make it a relatively new and poorly understand phenomena which has slowly crept up over the past centuries, with mages and clerics fearing it might eclipse magic.
• +Akashic: It was called Incarnum in 3e, while the 3rd party Pathfinder remake is called Akashic. Being based off Vedic mythological concepts is great and it would add quite a bit of exotic and mystical elements too. Unlike Psionics this would definitely be an ancient and well-established power (but not necessarily a common one).
• Dungeons & Dragons 5e: Much like Pathfinder, it too is essentially boiled down to 'alot of options' and greatly increase the overall amount of fantastical elements. Unless...
• +Low Fantasy Classes: I've got no clue who wrote this PDF I found (it likely isn't a paid product as it lack any indication of a person or company having published it) but its certainly right up my alley when it come to playing the 'Random World' with D&D 5e as, since it was written with baseline OSR in mind the classes aren't as filled with weirdo powers as they are in 3e, 4e or 5e. In particular, it has an order of Knights (their low fantasy not!Paladins) tied to fey and elves which fits in perfectly with what has been established with Waywood's knights and druids.
• Black Hack: Not much change except the system is different, I guess?

Game Concept: Opherian Scrolls + Godbound

Of course, its another Godbound post. Because that's what I do.

So Blood of Pangea is pretty sweet and simple but I'm especially found of its supplement. For context, BoP is very clearly a not!Hyborian Age Sword & Sorcery game with a small attached setting which ticks all the Howardian fantasy boxes. Meanwhile, its supplement the Opherian Scrolls very much ticks all the Moorcockian dark fantasy boxes. Its basically very much Elric with the serial numbers filed off. As such I've decided to expand upon it and give it my flair and style, within the reasons and confines that I can't directly reproduce the content of the PDF.

This post is not complete without
a picture of THE White Wolf!

Options for Crossover

There are a few ways to combine a pre-existing game with Godbound, some mutually exclusive as I once outlined in the post on combining Red Tide and Godbound. Hell, go all 'cosmic' and combine all three. Add Yoon-Suin too! Go nuts! Bwahahaha...ahem, anyway:

• Blood of Pangea As Base: In this version, the BoP setting is the base for all the cosmos. There is an eternal struggle between Chaos and Law, Moorcock-style and everything. The 'Godbound' powers simply represent beings with God-like powers, such as (cursed) Champions of Chaos and Law, archmages who have mastered dread powers and possibly godlings and other super powered beings.
• Godbound As Base: In this version, the history and cosmos of Godbound form the base. The world of Pangea is a Realm somewhere in the fractured universe of Godbound. In ages past, the Opherian were posthuman (similar to those of Polyarchy of Kham but of different stock and of different origin) who ruled their decaying world before it reverted into absolute barbarism, taking away all traces of the advanced theotechnical wonders found in that world. The Opherian struck many bargains with the Uncreated pouring from the void to the point these beings began to change, becoming more interested in raw chaos and change than complete unmaking. These are the beings known as the Demons of Chaos. The Gods of Law, meanwhile, are all the divine beings of other origins who would very much prefer to rule a slightly-less-crappy Pangea rather than an eternal hellscape if the Opherian had their way long ago.

It is worth noting that the Opherian Scrolls mention that the Gods of Law include both gods of Good and Evil. As such their ranks would include all manners of creatures, from benevolent ascended beings to vile and brutal Parasite Gods who nonetheless are a slightly lighter shade of grey. Dark Fantasy isn't very happy, after all. That said, this made me think of an third option which is a variation of the second:

• Godbound is the PAST: In that version, the rough 'present time' of Godbound was anywhere between centuries to millennia in the past. In this grim future of the Godbound universe, the decay of the Celestial Engines was never remotely repaired. The Godbound appeared, challenged the old gods and in time replaced them. Much like the Made Gods before them they waged war for supremacy and the kinder, more reasonable Godbound were destroyed. Today, the dreadful Gods of Law are embittered beings who have formed their own Paradises (see the Deluxe version of Godbound for that). They try to influence beings in what may be the last remaining realm to still support normal life: Pangea.

Yeah that seems dark enough, doesn't it? This setup basically implies that, ultimately, the Godbound universe was cursed to endure a repeat of the war which destroyed Heaven, albeit likely as an even slower burn. Great magics and cosmic powers were used and ultimately lost, possibly forever.

Uncreated - The Demons of Chaos

Godbound established that there is such thing as the Uncreated: demon-like eldritch abominations, unliving, unnatural things. Horrific fusions of flesh and inorganic material or monstrous perversions and mockery of existing life. Uncreated seek nothing else than to unmake reality if they can. The Demons which Opherian made pacts with are the least horrible (but not by much!) of the Uncreated: the sort of wicked powers which seem more interested in the slow corruption and tarnishing of the world. Some Opherian and sages hold that there are Demons whose true motivation is to simply bring change itself and thus alter and eventually unmake existence to lead way to the next creation. Just what exactly is the truth (if there even is such a thing) depend on which option was chosen above.

Redesigning the Opherian

The book describe the Opherian as very much accurate to the appearance of the Melnibonean. Which is to say they look kind of like elves. Now that's fine and all but, personally? I think we can do better and make them stand out tiny bit more. Plus, 'evil elves' is a bit overplayed these days. As such, here is my proposed redesign:

Opherian are an hybrid race of a stock similar to Men. Taking cues from the Melnibonean being related to dragons, the Opherian (and hey their name vaguely rhyme with Ophidian!) posses serpentine and/or reptilian traits, albeit to a very vague degree. While they retain their elfin beauty, it is one which is cold and terrifying. Their skins are pale and their hair range in the white, gold, pale blue or pale green. They have piercing, exotic eyes which seem to never blink enough. Their teeth are pale and long, not completely fang-like but certainly a bit too sharp. Their skin is smooth, scarless and has an almost unnatural sheen. Their grace is almost alien, as if they have too many bones. Opherian women remain forever thin and the disturbing reason for this (that outsiders remain unaware of) is that they lay eggs and then nurse the hatchling. As such pregnancies are short. Eating the unborn eggs of a rival is a great way to insult them: Opherians care more about their pride and failure to protect their assets than the life of the child, however. Very few of them live anyway: sacrificing a child is a great way to earn dark favors.

Kain (from Legacy of Kain) is already an Elric-lite as it is
so its no surprise he's how I imagine a more deformed Opherian.

The Opherian Nobles display a bit more reptilian traits, a side effect of a combination of inbreeding., magical experiments and their connection to Chaos. Very few of them are completely and utterly deformed but those that are have truly terrifying visages. These individuals are shunned in Opherian high society yet their status as outsiders make them excellent spies, assassins and eccentric sorcerers. In time they either die or find ways to make themselves indispensable.

• The 'crown' mutation is a bony growth found on Opherian nobles, which form ridges and spikes above their eyebrows, which curve up into stubby and useless crowns of horns as they reach adulthood. Many of them enhance this deformity by jamming metal and gems into it, creating an organic crown of nobility. This is seen as a favorable mutation and is generally seen as very attractive to other Opherian.
• Eye mutations usually result in a more reptilian appearance but a few unlucky Opherians are born without eyes. Some are slightly more lucky and merely blind. The myths of the Younglings have given Opherian the ability to bring chaos and mutation with a mere glance, like some messed up Gorgon but this is likely the stuff of myths and tall tales. Or is it?
• Forked tongues, claw-like nails and colorful scale-like patterns exist within the Opherian bloodlines and these are seen as relatively normal. True freaks, however, are born misshapen, bald, with clove feet or bug eyes: the stuff of chaos wrought upon the flesh. These are often killed at birth which would appear paradoxical but, to the Opherian mind, they are offering the blackened souls of these blessed children to their true parent: the lords of Chaos.
• Other sickness are tolerate and accepted as part of the Opherian bloodline: deafness, myriad flavors of insanity and other forms of crippling are the norm and not the exception.

Words (and their Alignment?)

The Words of Godbound represent primordial and/or fundamental concept. As it is, there is currently no Word of Chaos or Word of Law, as Kevin Crawford once argued that such terms are so hard to define in any universal term that it would be impossible to make a suitably generic Word for either. In any case, here's some quick ideas on what Words would lean more toward Chaos or Law. Assume the others are Neutral and open to both alignment. These include some which were homebrewed by other people and can be fond here.

• Chaos: Fate, Shapeshifting, Entropy, Madness and Decay*.
• Law: Knowledge, Covenant*, Hearth* and Truth*.

* From the aforementioned homebrew document.

If anyone has better ideas, by all mean post them in the comments. This is the part of the post I'm the least satisfied with anyway.

Urban Fantasy: The Undead, Part 2

Undead are pretty scary creatures in spite of us being just out of a zombie overdose in pop culture. Anyone remember how big zombies got in the 2000? Anyway, feeling old aside: the Revenant type of the Undead is a dangerous opponent.

Purposeful and Dangerous

One key element which make Revenant-types much more dangerous than some shambling, decaying corpse is their sense of purpose. The transformation from human to supernatural being endow these creatures with a deeper metaphysical nature, which combine will, form and purpose as one. One must remember an Undead is an utter violation of entropy and yet it exist. It functions. It is no longer a fully material being but rather a metaphysical fact. An unliving nightmare.

Even the most insane or feral of Revenant is intelligent and driven by purpose, even if that purpose might just be murder and/or feeding. Where ghosts are ephemeral and have difficulties interacting with the world, corporeal undead lack such a weakness.They exist for a purpose and until it is fulfilled (if it can be!) that creature will never stop existing. If this description bring to mind images of indestructible, masked serial killers straight of 'slasher movies' this is entirely accurate and correct. If such a creature retain parts of or its entire memories and even personalities then the end result is a monster to be feared: a human devoid of mortality and fear, their mind entirely rewired toward purposes and goals. Remember this quote from the original Terminator movie:

"Listen, and understand. That terminator is out there. It can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead."

Oddly accurate.

And while it may robotic and cold, the Terminator is definitely extremely intelligent. Its mind is not burdened by fears, likes and dislikes or human morality. It is an artificial intelligence, yes, but artificial or not that's still intelligence nonetheless. It is capable of adapting and lateral thinking yet also perfectly able to use its brute strength when it need. Keep in mind here we're talking of a baseline Terminator, however, and not those reprogrammed by humans toward more heroic goals and later taught to slowly become more 'human'. In its raw state it is an unfeeling killing machine.

Some Revenants aren't that detached, however. Indeed some of them are the complete opposite: utterly driven by their human passions, their rage, their sorrow or even blood lust. Where the previous type was a human mind liberated from frailties this one is...different. The failings of the human mind are warped and turned into an all-consuming passion almost elevated to an alien level. It feel fear, anger, love or pain but it doesn't feel them as we do, only as warped and twisted rush of adrenaline. Every challenge to its mission fuel its all consuming madness like a drug addict constantly injecting himself for a greater high.

Revenant Abilities & Some Stats

There is a near-endless variety of undead monstrosities, so consider these but a sample. The main inspiration behind them come from a very neat and very hand All Flesh Must Be Eaten supplement called Atlas of the Walking Dead. It describe undead creatures from all over the world and its various mythologies and folklore. Good stuff, excellent book and worth a read even if one isn't running AFMBE. First, however, some stat blocks: generally speaking unless they are the minions of some greater evil one could argue Revenant-type undead should be a main villain and thus a 'Nemesis'-type enemy. Even the dumber ones are expected to have that slasher villain level of threat factor. This plays into their higher HD, higher AC and morale but rather pitiful mobility and accuracy.

Name	HD	HP	AC	Atk	Dmg	Move	ML	Ski.	Svs.	Effort
Lesser Revenant	3 HD, no HP		16	+0	1d10	5m	12	+1	12+ (14+)	2
Revenant	3	12	16	+4	1d10	5m	12	+1	12+ (14+)	2
Mighty Revenant	5	19	18	+4	1d12	5m	12	+1	10+ (13+)	3

All the Revenants posses the following abilities by default:

• Unkillable Bastard: The Revenant has Saving Throws as if it had twice the normal amount of HD. However, keep in mind some Revenant might have a bane or weakness which treat their save as if the default value.
• Hardy Nemesis: A Nemesis Revenant has +3 HP by default and receive +1 additional HP every 3 other HD.

Some Revenants might have faster movement speed and/or better skills. These stats are the bare-bone of Revenants, with most of them in the lesser or ordinary category. Mighty Revenants are quite rare, either being very ancient beings or very pissed off powerful individuals in life. This category also include Revenants created from spirit possession. In terms of abilities, here's a sample of horrible tricks they might have up their rotting sleeves:

• Sense Murderer (Passive): This is most common for Revenant born of a need for revenge, granting them an innate ability to sense where their killer is. Generally speaking they always know the main direction no matter where that person is on Earth, losing only track of them when they are in another dimension. If within 60 meters they can Commit Effort for the day and gain some insane tracking ability which knows where their killer is at all time until the start of the next day. Think of it as a 'minimap pointer' in a videogame, telling the Revenant where to go.
• Sense Victim (Passive): Like the above but for less heroic reasons. In order to designate someone as their victim the Revenant must have attempted to kill said person (and obviously failed) in the last 24 hour. Slasher-like Revenant use this to track down those who evaded them.
• Pursuit (Passive): An ability which compliment the two above. When tracking someone using either Sense Murderer or Sense Victim, the Revenant triple its movement speed. Or, if you feel nasty, it move 'at the speed of plot' off screen.
• Shapeshift: One that is generally associated with Vampires nowadays. By Committing Effort, the Revenant can assume a different shape as long as the Effort remain committed. GM discretion is best used to decide if that form has any use beyond quick travel.
• Hard to Kill: The Revenant always take 1 point less of damage from attacks, except perhaps against something it might be weak to.
• Dread: This ability usually has some limitation or require some action, such as howling or weeping. By Comitting Effort for the scene, the Revenant inspire fear/madness/despair/whatever in humans. Those who can see/hear (depending on what action said Revenant use) must pass a Saving Throw or immediately flee the Revenant's presence.
• Paralysis: Similar to Dread except the poor bastard become unable to act, becoming either frozen in place by fear or having their minds ravaged by the madness of the undead.
• Long Tongue: This revenant has a long, flexible tongue which allows it attack in melee at a distance of up to 10m. This tongue usually deal 1d6 damage. In some cases, it might carry the Paralysis ability.

A Sample Bestiary

Here is a bunch of Revenants from folklore and mythology:

• Draugr: The drowned dead of Norse mythology are bloated, frost-bitten monstrous corpses. Some of them grow in size and strength while others have abilities related to the fog and cold. They have the Hard to Kill ability (except against fire) and can Commit Effort for the scene to lift any mundane object or destroy it, including walls. Draugr are generally inactive outside of the winter months.
• Egyptian Mummy: The classic Egyptian mummy might have a variant of the Sense X ability, but for those who stole its treasure. In addition they are weak to fire (they take double damage from it) and might be repelled with Egyptian funeral prayers or rite at the GM discretion. When exposed to such a thing they must either Commit Effort for the day or become unable to act for 1d4 rounds.
• Aztec Mummy: A variation of the above, except for Aztec (or some other Meso-american civilization which had pyramid-like structures because, hey, pop culture get so much wrong!). In addition they have the ability to Shapeshift, possibly into insect or spider swarms or giant bats.
• Penanggalan: Probably one of the most gruesome monsters out there, the Penangallan takes the form of a woman who can detach her head, flying off into the air as a monstrous head with entrails just dangling there. These creatures lack the Hardy Nemesis ability, being quite squishy (literally). During the day they appear as human beings and, should any kind of magical ability be used to try to detect them they cab Commit Effort for the day to register as a normal human woman. In their monstrous, true form they fly around at a speed of 40m, have the Long Tongue ability and they can use the Paralysis ability in some way or another, using it to feed. If exposed to sunlight in their true form they must pass a Saving Throw or die. They can also be destroyed if one, among other things, smearing ash and/or garlic on its separated body parts.
• Slasher: The most iconic undead of American pop culture, the slasher was likely a serial killer and/or a freak of some kind in life. They range in intelligence from dumb brutes to witty, almost funny quipster with a questionable sense of humor. They have the Sense Victim, Pursuit and Hard to Kill abilities.
• Vampyr: One of the many variations of the disease-ridden, bloodsucking fiends of European folklore. These creatures are usually Lesser or Average Revenant of questionable intellect, having been turned into blood-craving rotting corpses. Many of them have the Dread or Paralysis ability, possibly with the triggering effect being simply to see these horrible, bloated and sometimes monstrously deformed corpses. They usually transmit mundane (if still horribly disgusting and dangerous) diseases by touch. Some of them have the Long Tongue ability.

Five(ish) Games/Settings I need to play someday

Just a regular old filler post, with some thoughts on games and/or game settings I'd like to try some day but odds are will never get to change to experience as a player or Game Master.

1. Talislanta and Glorantha/Runequest

I'm putting these two together because of how similar they are: not so much as settings (granted you could easily argue they emerged from similar roots in Fantasy) but rather in terms of what they are as games. They're old games with oddball fantasy settings that have basically completely flown under the radar of modern fantasy gaming. Its the very opposite of mainstream and its boring-ass Forgotten Realms and Qel'Dorei or even Golarion (granted, that one has enough pulp love to have interesting elements).

2. Dark Sun

Another odd fantasy setting, this time one for Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Sun is another one of those bizarre settings which doesn't really register in the mainstream of fantasy in spite of having some top notch setting books for D&D 4e (which were arguably the best setting books of that era). What else can I say? I'd love to run it, its cool, its unique and its kind of horrific and depressing in the most metal of ways.

3. Battle Century G

What can I say with this one? I'm a mecha fan, even if it isn't a subject I've mentioned a whole lot on this blog, namely because there isn't much of an interest in the subject matter around the OSR and there's a clear lack of any good OSR-compatible mecha game. Closest that exist is the Mecha Hack, for the Black Hack. Anyway, Battle Century G is one of the few mecha games that seem to generally know what it is doing simply because the guy who worked on it was such a fan of the genre to begin with. The game is easy enough to mods in order to accomodate various style of mecha campaigns.

4. Star Trek Adventures

Now for something completely different: the still-in-publication current official RPG for the venerable (and much abused, sadly) Star Trek license. This one is as far removed thematically and mechanically from anything I've ever mentioned on this blog yet at the same time, having (almost completely, at least as of this post) binged through Deep Space Nine has made me want to run some Srar Trek stuff.

5. Maid RPG

....Because why not?