Thoughts on the Classes of Magic The Gathering and 5e, Part 1

Not something I originally intended to write but, hey, I was asked by a friend to write some more thoughts on ideas and concepts in relation to D&D 5e and Magic: The Gathering, specifically about "What color of mana would each class be tied to?".

This is both a simple and not-so-simple question, so instead I've decided to turn to the absurdly massive array of 3rd party supplements available to 5e. One important concept in Magic, however, is that generally non-human races are tied to one (maybe two, depending on the plane) color of Mana and this rarely changes. As a result, much of this information assume Human characters, give or take a few gifted individuals who could develop far beyond the capacities and association of their race. Of course, the Magic multiverse is vast and near-infinite so just because a thing isn't the norm doesn't mean it can't exist.

Cleric

Mikaeus the Lunarch, by Steven Belledin

In MTG, the Cleric class is heavily tied to White and Black mana, which may initially appear to be a bit odd until one dig deeper. The idea of Clerics being tied to White or Black mana may very well have root in the idea of Good/Lawful and Evil/Chaotic Clerics of early D&D. Combined with the Cleric's ability to either turn and/or command Undead as well as their ability to Heal and/or Harm and suddenly a lot of this make sense. This further plays into classical fantasy imagery, at least before Magic decided it didn't want to do that for brownie points which tend to depict good-aligned Cleric as tied to positive divine forces while the archetype of evil Clerics are those serving demons, evil gods or dark lords.

In recent years, however, with the popularity of the Theros Gods (of all Colors), the idea of tying the divine to just White or Black has somewhat faded, even if the other colors naturally fit other classes better in most cases. Still, any spellcaster whose magic is at least partially derived from faith and/or an entity which may functionally be akin to a god on any given plane could be considered fitting the Cleric class.

White Cleric Domains

Given that White is one of the two colors associated primarily with the class, it come as no surprise that there are many Cleric Domains which are well suited to the MTG color White. These Clerics tend toward the more iconic aspects of the class, namely healing, support and/or waging a holy war of some kind be it justified or not.

• Life is one of the quintessential Cleric domains, with healing being both iconic to the Cleric class as a whole as well as healers often being of the Cleric class in MTG anyway. This is assumed to be among the 'default' option for White-aligned Clerics across the multiverse and represent the abilities of that color very well.
• Light is an another obvious contender for being a mainline White Cleric domain and part of the common/innate abilities of the mana type. There are multiple MTG spells depicting White magic as being some sort of holy light including the incredibly deadly Wrath of God.
• Order (Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica/Tasha's Cauldron of stupid ideas Everything) represent Clerics which are more aligned to the Lawful side of White mana than some of its kinder and holier aspects, although this need not be entirely the case. White mana has strong association with order and social cohesion nonetheless, sometimes going quite far.
• Peace (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything) is also within the purview of White, since fundamentally the color is about harmony and lack of conflict. A Cleric of Peace represent the kinder, more merciful side of the color as well as its political side all trying to negate conflict where possible.
• Solidarity (Planeshift Amonkhet) is very much a White cleric domain as it gets, since the deity it is associated with is mono-white. The domain is well suited to the typical holy cleric with a reliable weapon in hand, some armor and a holy symbol going around being a beacon to its fellow soldiers and adventurers.

Black Cleric Domains

The Clerics using Black mana are (or rather, were) the archetypal 'evil priests' of pulp and fantasy, indebted to dark gods, eldritch entities and more of than not to demons. They are very much schemers and minions, those who serve a dark power for an equally dark reward or those who simply serve it out of fear. While one could certainly image a plane where Black mana-aligned Clerics aren't evil, its difficult to imagine one where they aren't simply neutral at best.

• Ambition (Planeshift Amonkhet) is perhaps the least 'completely evil' Domain for a Black Cleric and that isn't saying much. The Black color has always been one to focus on ambition, power and achievement at all cost.
• Abyssal is a domain well suited to demon worshipping and/or summoning Clerics which use Black Mana for their end. Demons are the Iconic Creature of Black mana and so this Domain is well suited to those Cleric who wish to unleash the power of Demons.
• Pestilence and plagues are a recurring theme for Black spells so it come to no surprise that a Domain of Pestilence would befit a vile and cruel Cleric which use Black mana, using its power to spread death and decay all around.
• Famine is the twin brother to Pestilence and unsurprisingly, Black can draw upon it too. In turn, Black instill in those who wield it a sense of hunger for more which they can use to spread death, decay and more.
• The vile concept of the Ur Priest is well suited to a Cleric of Black, especially since few of any of them ever truly display anything resembling faith or any positive qualities. The themes of Black draining and parasitism are well on display in that faux-Domain as well.

Other Colors

Generally speaking, the Cleric class is mostly only found in White and Black. For example, Blue Spellcasters tend to be the intellect-driven Wizards, while Red has the emotion-powered Shaman and Green has the nature-connected Druids. As a result, Clerics of the other three color tend to be a bit more rare. Should they exist, they would likely be tied to Planes which place a strong importance on specific Gods or similar divine entities where an established priesthood could exist.

• Red Clerics would be well-suited to any Domain tied to violence and conflict, such as War as well as any Domain which give Fire or Ice damage spells. White/Red Clerics overlap greatly with the White Clerics but tend to increase the martial bent of White even more.
• Blue Clerics are quite rare and mostly tied to Deities associated with Knowledge. To a lesser extent, any Domain that give Ice or Illusion spells can be tied to blue. White/Blue Clerics tend to increase the traits of orderliness found in White, preferring to combine strict law with logic. 
• Green Clerics are well suited to the Nature Domain or any Domain which ties into natural forces. Anything more would make them overlap far too much with the Druid class, which is very emblematic of Green overall.
• Black/Blue Clerics have a few domains that suit their (admittedly rare) niche, namely the Madness domain. These would be mad hierophants and cultists worshipping mind-breaking horrors.

"Human Fighters Are Boring!" A rebuttal of the idea to nobody in particular

Well, this is going to come off as a bit rambling and somewhat oddly specific to a few people. I imagine anyone reading this blog who is more into OSR-related stuff and plays with older people doesn't deal with this mentality. This is very much a byproduct of Generation Y and Z that plays modern D&D, I've noticed.

I'm sure this is how this post will come across.

There's a bit of a stigma on the Fighter. Especially if its a 'Human Fighter'. The term is sometimes used as a joke by people who like the more fantastical aspects of D&D and fantasy RPG in general. Now I'm not going to shame people who play odd races and more exotic classes, provided that player does it well and in a way that doesn't hurt the game setting. This isn't what I got a beef with. My beef is with this idea that the 'Human Fighter' is a boring character. The idea on the surface has some merit, as it implies a very 'average joe' character on the most surface of level. The character is implied to be some guy (and its usually even more leveled at a guy) who has a sword and maybe a bow. He's that: a guy who is good with a weapon, in a party that usually include things like Tiefling Paladins, Dragonborn Barbarians, Goliath Sorcerers or Gnomish Hexblades or even more bizarre and nonsensical things. Yet in this parade of oddballs and freaks stand one man, an average man, a mortal man with nothing but his sword, his wit, his skill and hopefully a bit of luck.

One would think such a character actually has an innate cool factor. Yet apparently, the appeal of the 'everyman' character isn't what it used to be. To make a comparison to something which these people still find currently very popular, the Marvel Cinematic Universe: the 'human fighter' is Steve Rogers, Hawkeye or even arguably The Falcon (as he's just a guy with a bird jetpack). While some of these aren't the most popular of the Avengers, they're not exactly hated last I checked. Now I know people will bring up that Steve is a super soldier but really, his 'power' is that he was chemically given really good stats all around without being fully superhuman, if you really think about it. And a special shield. Steve is just a Fighter with really good stats all around and a special shield. He doesn't shoot fire, he doesn't levitate and he doesn't have magic. Yet, somehow, when you take these people who are fan of this you'd have to tie them to a chair and torture them to play a 'human fighter'. Pathetic.

I've come to realize the problem isn't 'exotic' races by themselves or even oddball classes. The problem is a fundamental inability to craft anything compelling, character-wise, without the crutch of a character's very state of being. Now I'm not saying everyone should come to a table with 26 pages of backstory, this is often quite useless in any game where you apply a modicum of Old School thinking and remove plot armor. However people have a certain inability to have a certain hook to their character which doesn't require a special exotic race and/or class. To prove my point I've collected a series of ideas, some my own, some found elsewhere to create a compelling 'Human Fighter' backstory that accomplish the following goals:

1. It provide a fairly simple, yet efficient hook or 'gimmick' to showcase that the character's class lend itself to more than playing 'Mike the generic human guy with a sword' and to show that the class and/or race itself is not the backstory.
2. It explains why the character is currently adventuring.
3. It's simple enough to be usable to add roleplay flavor without forcing the game world to bend to an overly complex backstory should the game focus more on dungeon crawl, hexcrawling and/or sandboxing.

In order to do so and be relevant to the currently most popular RPG, I have built these basic character ideas from the Backgrounds as outlined in various Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition books. As an additional limitation, these Fighters will be assumed to be either Champions or Battle Masters as anything else is too 'fancy' and different from the Fighter of older editions.

• Acolyte: A non-spellcaster disciple of Kord or similar non-evil gods of war and physical might. Big burly dude with high CHA who love history, religious songs and weird fighting techniques like hitting people with a sword's pummel. A bruiser but hardly a brute or an idiot, but possibly lacking in Wisdom.
• Charlatan: An asshole walking around with very fancy, very polished armor and nice, clean weapons. Pretend to be some holy knight-errant, some prince of a faraway land raised by elves or some other fancy shit. Is really just a charlatan that's good at fighting, a mercenary who over-inflate his prices.
• Criminal: The usual tough and morally dubious thug. He's a fighter and not a rogue, so that makes him some hired muscle. Alternatively, a bow-focused fighter who is a cold blooded assassin.
• Entertainer: A professional actor, specializing in re-enacting the plays of the greatest warriors, heroes and demi gods of the land. Fell on some bad times and now is using his weapon and skills to fight actual monsters and not stage props.
• Entertainer (Gladiator): Need no explanation.
• Folk Hero: He's from the same mold as humble heroes, farmboys-turned-chosen one and shonen protagonists alike. Good heart, good guts and as dense as a sheet of adamantine master crafted by dwarven smith.
• Guild Artisan: A smith and craftsman of weapons and armors who has fallen on hard times and, like the entertainer, has turned his skills to more practical goblin-slaying or whatever use. He knows how to maintain his gear perfectly.
• Hermit: Perfect for the battle master, this guy is some weirdass hermit taking cues from wuxia, living in the woods and trying to master weird sword techniques. His techniques are peerless, or will be with enough practice.
• Noble: Plenty of possible ways to implement this background, as historically speaking a fighter would have been from nobility.
• Outlander: Not every guy-from-a-more-primitive-background is a ranger or barbarian. Like the noble this can be done in a variety of ways, from Conan ripoff to even something slightly closer to Aragorn-minus-the-ranger-class.
• Sage: Not every scholar is a Wizard and not every area of research is safe. With both brain and brawn, this adventuring scholar knows how to fend for himself just fine. While this type of backstory work even better for a Rogue, whose to say this one doesn't prefer a more blunt solution to problems?
• Urchin: Born in the mean streets, he rely on his raw skill and guts. Unlike other Fighters, he prefer to use crappier weapons rather than nice swords and armors. Probably a concept best reserved for games where Feats are available to further customize in some weird ways. Probably a battle master whose 'special techniques' who are actually cheap tricks like hitting someone in the balls.

Tellus: More Classes from Mage Hand's Press?

Magic Swordsman class from
Bravely Default.

It's been a while since the last Tellus post. The main reason why I haven't worked on Tellus a whole lot is that I consider most of the setting to be 'complete', in so much as having nailed down all the key elements which define the world overall. Everything else would depend on the details of the campaign I'd run with it. All the key information is laid out and easy to digest both for the player and Game Master. That said...

I've got some mixed feelings about 'option bloat'. On one hand I'm all too aware of the damage it has caused to D&D over the years and created this obsession with number crunching and 'builds'. On the other hand, if judiciously used, options can certainly help define a setting a bit more. Given that it is very likely Tellus will be ran with a group that's more focused on a 'modern' mindset I have taken time to gather my thoughts on some Third Party material, namely the entirely new classes by Mage Hand's Press, whose archetypes I frequently link to.

One thing to keep in mind with Tellus is that nothing beyond the core material exist unless I deliberately use it. This is a rule I myself must respect, self imposed as it may be. Things only exist as an option to add to the setting if desired, rather than something which is retconned and crow barred in.

Binder

Should the Binder class exist then the existence of Vestiges is tied to Tellus' Afterworld as it is the domain where ancient and bygone eras of the world (or even, maybe, universe?) exist in a tangible form which is halfway between reality and a living dream. Binder would be a variant of the Warlock, albeit one which is much more rare and ill understood.

Channeler

Intended as a, and I quote, a 'Gish class' (an antiquated term for the spellblade or eldritch knight archetype, taken from the Gith of D&D) the Channeler is a base class whose entire shtick is being a hybrid between a martial and spellcasting class rather than having to rely on archetypes/subclasses or multiclassing. Given a solid point has long been made to make the human and non-human races stand out more from each others on Tellus, the Channeler makes for a good replacement to any archetype which add spellcasting to an otherwise non-spellcasting class. In a way, this could make it closer to the Elf racial class of old, where 'being an elf' was enough to define a character. Given the element focus and martial bent of this class, its quite clear: the Dragon Clans would be well suited to primarily have Channelers. The only issue here is that the class is Intelligence, not Charisma-based.

Warden

Now there's a class which seems tailor made for one of Tellus' main races, the Gigas. Originally conceived during the maligned Fourth Edition, the Warden is a 'tank' class which draws upon the primal powers of nature in ways rather different than the more spellcasting-focused Druid. Here we see a class which is perfectly suited to them: it's strong, its tough and its nature-powered. In fact I'd go as far as to say that, should I go with some racial restrictions, the Warden would be well suited to replace the Fighter for the Gigas race as a whole.

Warmage

Magic, completely tuned to the crafts of war and murder. The Warmage class would be a rather new development in the current era of Tellus, born of the intense magical research for the purpose of warfare which is so common in the Sheradilan Empire. The rare few individuals with magical talent which are found among each generation would be taken (often against their will if necessary) and molded into living weapons.

Wuxia 5e: How I'd Do It, Lazily

Artist unknown.

My relationship with D&D 5e is an odd one: mechanically I consider it to be the strongest and most usable of the modern/WOTC-era Dungeons & Dragons as its not as stupidly designed as third edition, easier to mod and its not fourth edition which, while it has strengths, is such a contentious game that it can't really be used in any way resembling the originally intended form of D&D.

Where 5e shine however is that it has quite a bit of support from third party and homebrewing to a level which went missing during the era of 4th edition. As a result of this more modular design and the handful of homebrew out there the game has never been more modular, at least not since the pre-WOTC days. While I'd personally be quite happy to keep running OSR and homebrewed stuff, my crop of available players in my social circle is a lot more fussy and would rather play the current edition. As a result I've adapted my notes and ideas for a Wuxia game to simply using 5e. Its worth noting there are far better options for things even vaguely related to Wuxia than D&D. This is just meant to be a very quick, very easy to grasp modification which I could use to introduce the average D&D 5e player to some Wuxia and, to a lesser extent, some Xianxia material. Of course, given D&D is very western it would make the game's true genre to actually be 'Xuanhan' but we are getting into dense terminology that would utterly lose the average player. Basically, it's a lot more Chinese-flavored and not the bat-soup or soy sauce kind of way.

Character Options

A key thing with people who play 'modern D&D' is that they expect a lot of character options. That's just the nature of modern game design, people expect to have a lot of frankly very similar options and a lack of options is perceived not as verisimilitude (like OD&D and OSR Fighting-Men) but as some lackluster or even lazy part of the game system. However, this being a Wuxia game much greater focus is put on the following options:

• Unlike other games where it might be an afterthought, the Monk is one of the two main classes in a Wuxia game, in its myriad bizarre forms and whatever odd homebrew might exist out there. In a world where Martial Arts are central to the setting identity just as much as monsters and gods, just about any type of Monk could exist. In particular, the Swordsage will line up well with the next important class...
• The second class which is key to the setting is the Battle Master Fighter Archetype and its Maneuvers. With many expansions to the Maneuvers, both official and unofficial, this class will pretty much cover any Wuxia character that prefer to use weapons as opposed to their bare hands.
• For those of a more sneaky persuasion the Duelist Rogue from Kobold Press's Midgard Heroes Handbook is similar to a Battle Master, gaining specific techniques and tricks to use in battle.

Unlike other campaigns of 5e where characters stick to a single class, the Wuxia campaign would actively encourage players to multi class either into a Monk or a Battle Master to represent the fact just about anyone with a name knows kung fu and/or cool techniques when a fight breaks out, even seemingly pacifist doctors or demure courtesan. The bread and butter of a character's theme/gimmick should be in their chi abilities as a monk or their maneuvers as fighters. Anyone not taking levels in those classes ought to then take some variant with an access to maneuvers or something suitably thematic. One issue with D&D is that anything beyond the fighter and thief archetypes are too rooted in Western culture and fantasy to properly fit in so it requires quite a bit more fussing around to try to fit a square part into a round hole.

• Druids are less like their new age/neo-pagan 'mother nature' inspirations and are instead odd forest monks who learn from animals and forest spirits: often members of Buddhist sects which have been cast out for various heresies and turned to a life of isolation. The Fist of the Forest or Circle of the Mantis make excellent primary classes and the main source of a character's martial arts.
• Wizards are weird because one could argue they are, on some level, very Wuxia and Xianxia-esque in their own way. The D&D Wizard's power and magic is drawn from their intellect and knowledge and their overall mastery of their craft, rather than any external power. In a way one could argue that D&D Wizards are a form of 'cultivation'.
• Warlocks may initially not make a lot of sense, but their highly specific patrons could be refluffed as a form of internal alchemy meant to emulate certain beings and gods or to enhance certain styles.

So to recap: Monk, Fighter, Rogue, Wizard and maybe some highly specific form of Druid or Warlock seems the obvious way to go. The Cleric, Paladin and their ilk are too 'western' to really fit in. Given the focus on fighting with martial arts and/or weapons, it make sense most character be multi classed into something which can properly fight.

What About Races?

All Human. What? It's perfectly valid! In any case, this would still be a setting which is very, very human-centric in spite of being a world of Gods and Immortals. The modern D&D concept of treating fantasy races as another flavor of human is one I've expressed intense displeasure before, however there are still ways to make use of that.

• One possible way to use this is to play some Special Clan of ambiguously supernatural people. Members of an extended family, this clan are mostly human-like barring a few odd features. Examples of these could be a 'Demon Clan' 'Tieflings' or the strange family of Mountain Men (Goliaths) who live in the north province and are known for their large size and strength.
• Generally, playing some supernatural being should be limited to about one party member at best to keep it suitably odd and mysterious. Keep in mind none of the Dwarf, Elf, Orc and other Tolkien-esque staples are right out the window here. A possible option would be to refluff the Eladrin or Aasimar stat block for some sort of lesser 'immortal' (Xian).

Urban Fantasy: Mages

What's an Urban Fantasy setting without mages of some kind, right? They are just as much a staple as Vampires and Werewolves (*cough*) so it come to no surprise there would be some form of primarily-human spell casters running around. There's a bit of just about everything under the sun rolled into these Mages. This leave 'magic' both a very specific thing within the greater ecology of the setting and also something that's rather hard to define as to what exactly they are. There is definitely some influence here from Unknown Armies and Shadowrun, I think.

On Mages

Oddly accurate.

To wield magic is to wield a power beyond conventional science and understanding. These powers can range from the subtle and etheric to the much more flashy and blatant, although the D&D-styled Vancian fireballs are quite rare in the modern world notably because wielding destructive magic is extremely hard to hide and also quite hazardous in any urban center. Mages come in all shape and form and all manner of levels of power, with the vast majority of them being rather weak all things considered. Magecraft exist in all cultures but how it is viewed and understood is something no two mages would ever agree on: indeed most would not recognize each others as a 'proper' practitioner of magic as their craft, tradition, culture and personal philosophy would vary. In the modern age there are just as many mages following ancient, half-lost traditions and techniques as there are self-taught weirdos whose entire magic and world view is shaped by their personal philosophy and beliefs on the nature of the world.

The first thing to understand is that a mage is created, never born. While there might still be highly isolated and insular bloodlines and clans of witches and the like somewhere in the world, the power that mages wield isn't something carried 'in the blood'. Mages are not a distinct sub-species of human nor do they really have a secret world where everyone is a wizard and treat each others as such. A mage is created when a non-supernatural human claim a fragment of cosmic power through its arcane research or pact. In theory this is a power anyone can acquire but there is a reason why this is just theoretical and not the reality.

One could argue that the things a Mage studies, examine, replicate and belief are impossible things. These can range from studying implausible supernatural creature and phenomena to being a loony with strange beliefs about the nature of the universe, ranging from some hardscore post modernist shroom-snorting and anarcho-whateverism to people who think that space is actually still aether and modern science is lying. Simply reading a text on the theory and principle behind another Mage's entire life work is not enough to grasp the process. One could ready such a detailed account (if it ever existed) and replicate all the experiments, all the movements, all the formula and all the rituals and not be able to cast a single spell. There's a very personal and also maniacal side to magic. Magic is a mindset. It is also a philosophy and a state of mind and each state of mind is unique to either a pre-existing magical tradition or one which is self created.

Becoming A Mage

This mindset, understanding and philosophy is the first catalyst to magecraft but it is also what limits the mage in the long run. It is the focus and angle through which one's magic is expressed and this isn't something that is changed. It is a fundamental, profound change and dedication. There are a few dabblers who are able to learn just about any weak spell and incantation but these are individuals who treat magic more as a tool, which forever locks away the truth depths of power from them.

The second catalyst is actual power (in an abstract) form, which is bargained or taken/stole from the universe. People have long debated how exactly this works and even to this day there's no real consensus because that explanation may just be an abstraction. Through years of dedication, study, experimentation and a lot of nutty ideas there is a real breakthrough for some mages and they become imbued with the power they need to wield their form of magic. Others however, bargain for it. They spend years beseeching the blessing of various and often disparate spirits, ancient deities and more and take this power into themselves. Other people believe this power is somehow 'stolen' but, again, this is all quite abstract. The final, quickest and most dangerous way to wield magic is to flat out sacrifice parts of oneself by offering it to entities willing to empower a mortal in a way not to dissimilar to the concept of Patron for Warlocks in D&D. Indeed it is likely most mages technically have one or more patron but that patron is unaware of their use of power. Those who contact an active, listening power can expect great results in a short amount of time...at a high, high cost. Many individuals fail at the transcendence, however.

Unsurprisingly, it is Demons which love to empower such a mage and the cost they demand is a steep one which invariably will doom the mage, either killing them or possibly damning them until they become a demon-like being of their own, even if the former scenario is the most common and likely. Demonic magic excel at destruction and corruption and often exert a physical toll on the user just as much as it exert a mental toll. These flaws in the magic are, of course, entirely deliberate in design since demons are assholes and revel in suffering and imperfection. Many of these demonic spellcasters become shriveled husks consumed by diseases and/or madness but by the time they have degenerated their sanity and morality (if they ever had any) are long gone.

But What For?

The thing is: why dedicate oneself to such a craft? Well, why do some people dedicate massive chunk of their lifespan to some hobbies? Or maybe drugs? Or, perhaps, to some ideology and way of life? There are a myriad of reasons and it would be somewhat reductive to simply state 'power' as an obvious choice. Power is nothing by itself: it is always a mean to an end. Generally speaking said end is often an attempt at a greater understanding of the universe, oneself and one's place in it. For others it is less about an understanding of said place as a desire to redefine said place. This is where the Mage's relationship with their patron or 'power source' if you will can greatly color their way of thinking. Most will never truly go far in their quest. A rare few, however, will achieve transcendence over their humanity.

Playing A Mage

This is where it gets complicated. There are so many ways to approach magic, so many different style and traditions that creating a spell list for Mages can get very complicated. Using Stars Without Numbers revised, a mage is a (Heroic) Magister class. This mean it naturally and automatically learn its spells, even if in-universe there might still be more work involved. Creating a spell list is where it would get complicated and need more works from a GM. Finally, it is generally assumed that Heroic Magister are a pure class and not a hybrid via the Adventurer, as their work is rather all consuming. The rare few Partial Magisters are mere dabblers in the art of magic, incomplete mages forever crippled and denied their full potential.

Tellus: Character Concepts (Sky Folks)

Leanne from Fire Emblem

At their most basic, the Sky Folks fills (parts of) the niche occupied by elves in more classic settings: They are an ancient, aloof and slowly dying/fading race. This is such a common archetype to fantasy as a whole that it has long been ingrained within JRPG, to no one's surprise.

Unlike the elves, however, the Sky Folks are much more mortal with a lifespan much closer to that of the other races compared to earlier depiction of elves having massively vast lifespans. How long exactly this lifespan is would vary between Sky Folks clan and individuals. Sky Folks age gracefully, retaining their grace and beauty for a long time but they age from hatchling to adult at the same rate as Ulma and Dragon Clans. This has allowed them to better intermingle and live alongside Ulma.

Arcane Spellcaster

Much of what is deemed 'White Magic' by the Ulma has its root in the magic and mystical traditions of the Sky Folks: they channel the power of rejuvenation, healing, stasis and light more than the chaotic and raw elemental side of magic. The Ulma have long outstripped the Sky Folks in many aspects when it come to magic: having a higher % of their population being magically gifted doesn't exactly translate to 'all Sky Folks are good at magic'. Much of their vaunted prowess is a mixture of myth and tall tale and whatever truth may have existed has long faded in this era, with their knowledge of magic having grown increasingly limited and stagnant. Nonetheless, as adventurers are (usually) gifted individuals it make sense for a Sky Folk character to display such powers attributed to the Sky Folks of old.

• The expression of the innate magic of the Sky Folks would be the Sorcerer. What Bloodline exactly can vary between aeries. Honestly I haven't found a good Origin which fit well with the Skyfolks (yet).
• The Bard class, if it exist in Tellus, would be rooted in the ancient songs of the Sky-Folk. The ancient songs of the Sky Folks were said to carry potent magic and singing has long remained ingrained in the general culture of Sky Folks as well as playing various wind instruments. Even a non-spellcasting Sky Folks singer could earn some good money purely by their singing skill and the exotic, awe-inspiring nature of their presence.
• Sky-Folks are well-suited to the Warlock class but not in the traditional depiction of the class. These 'Warlocks' are not power-hungry dabbler who sell their souls to eldritch powers but rather willing channelers of ancient spirits of great magical potency who willingly lend their aid to the Sky-Folks. The Celestial Patron is a good choice, as is The Dreamer, The Sybil (Kobold Press' Deep Magic: Combat Divination) or any Patron that isn't something ominous or destructive.
• Given their image of holyness and being very much angel-like, it make sense for Sky Folks Wizards to be Angelic Scribes (Kobold Press' Deep Magic: Angelic Seals). The 'angels' of the Sky-Folks are mixture of abstract beings, spirits of light/healing/whatever and the ascended thoughts and memories of their ancestors.

Divine-Aligned Characters

As with all races of Tellus, the religion of the Sky-Folks isn't something which has been greatly detailed and it doesn't really need to, as it is exactly one would expect: the usual about the light, ancestor spirits, protection, blablabla you get the point. However on average, the Sky-Folks have slightly more divinely-empowered champions and spellcasters than the Ulma or the Dragon Clans, if only just barely. The days of myth where their very songs summoned the Gods of old are long gone.

• The Sky-Folk Paladin is both a logical yet unexpected choice at a glance. The classic Paladin as a holy warrior empowered by the gods of justice, light and all that-other-stuff make sense with the racial connection to the forces of good and light. However a Paladin is generally a heavily armored frontline warrior, which clash with the lithe and mobile Sky-Folks.
• A Sky-Folk Cleric is very much one of the ultimate expression of their ancient culture, as they would be a divinely-inspired healer, magician and holy man or woman. Such a character would need a good explanation as to why they are not actively protecting their aerie. However this explanation could be as simple and basic as some divinely inspired youth flipping the finger to crusty elders and going off in the world to do good. Suitable Domains include: Life, Light, Protection or Solidarity.

Other Options

'Martial' characters are hardly impossible for Sky-Folks but they'd be looked at a little bit funny due to people's expectations of some graceful, almost divine magician or gifted singer with a magical voice. Sky-Folks Fighters are generally those who rely on their innate mobility and dexterity rather than frontline fighters who would risk damaging their wings. Rangers might exist too but the other classes are generally unheard of among that race.

Tellus: Character Concepts (Dragon Clans)

The niche of the Dragon Clans is a bit of an odd one due to them being Dragonborns. They do not fit  niche taken by Elves or Dwarves: they are an ancient and magically-potent race but aren't as magically focused as Elves are and while powerful warriors they are too magically inclined to be akin to Dwarves. They are ferocious and deadly like Orcs and other 'monster races' but look mostly human and have an established culture.

Dragon Knight by Mike Azevedo.

Arcane Spellcasters

The Dragon Clans, as with other races deeply rooted into Tellus history and powers are an innately magical race, said to posses the power of dragons as one would expect from a race of vaguely draconic humanoids. Much of this is hyperbolic, as the average individual of the Dragon Clans isn't going to be that powerful or even magically gifted. However when the 'gift of dragons' does manifest it become quite clear why Dragon Clans have such a reputation. Their blood is infused with the more chaotic elements: a raging storm, a scorching inferno and a flesh-rending hailstorm. They are gifted in the ways of the more chaotic side of magic but they themselves are not chaotically-inclined. Rather, Dragon Clans walk an interesting tight rope of balance between self discipline and raw emotions. They are naturally wild, fiery in personality and shamelessly self confident but never unpredictable, willfully destructive or disruptive. Their power is one of wild and chaotic forces which are channeled toward a purpose rather than dominating the Dragon Clans.

• Most Dragon Clans are Draconic Sorcerers, obviously. This is the simplest manifestation of their magical gifts.
• Those who learn to channel their innate magical gifts through not raw expression of their bloodlines are Wizards of the Dragon Mage Tradition (Kobold Press' Deep Magic: Draconic Magic), who use elaborate and complex formula, totemic rites and ancestral prayers all inter-weaved together and (sometimes) with modern Ulma spell casting techniques focused through a Dragon Clan lens.
• As mentioned here, Tattoo Mages were inspired in Ulma by ancient Dragon Clans traditions to mark one's skin.
• While the Barbarian is technically a 'martial' class, Elemental Barbarians draw upon raw elemental fury which is heavily aligned with the magic affinities which the Dragon Clans are imbued with. Generally speaking, the Dragon Clans seem themselves as a civilized people and would scoff at the notion of being labelled as 'Barbarians' however, yet the class does exist among them.

Divine-Aligned Characters

The mythology and religion of the Dragon Clans is ill understood by outsiders and beyond the scope of this post. They worship their own gods and their ancestors, which are invariably held to be ancient draconic beings: great feathered serpents. As with the Ulma, the Dragon Clans have the few rare divinely-inspired spellcasters and warriors able to truly enact miracles, even if minor ones.

• Being such a passionate people, it come to no surprise to anyone that the Oath of Vengeance is extremely common among the Paladins of the Dragon Clans.
• There are rumors of Dragon Clan warriors who swear the Oath of the Wyrm with powerful draconic beings. At a GM's discretion, the tenets of the Oath could be altered slightly to simply reflect a general dedication to the ancient ways of the Dragon Clans rather than a specific dragon master.
• The rare Dragon Clan Druid may very well be a member of the Circle of the Scales, worshiping draconic beasts as the pinnacle of natural life.

Multiclassing

It is very rare for a member of the Dragon Clans to be either a full spellcaster or a full warrior. Generally speaking, since Dragon Clans characters are implied to be at the very least vaguely gifted individuals (as is anyone with even a single level in a PC class) most of them will be a mixture of spellcasting and combat classes, reflecting their races' innate magical qualities and their strong martial culture. Those who are of a single class, such as pure Fighters, are very likely to be of a sub-class which grant spellcasting or some measure of magical ability.

Tellus: Character Concepts (Ulma)

Just me throwing around some crude characters ideas (for my JRPG-inspired setting) made up of one or two sentences so my potential players can use them. It might also double as NPC ideas, who knows? Many of these are taken from the excellent blog Middle Finger of Vecna.

Ulma

The term Ulma is fancy-pretentious-alternate-name for the 'Human' of Tellus. They fill the same setting niche as human in other settings. However, it isn't impossible to introduce rare variants of Ulm which are functionally another D&D race. These individuals tend to belong to a single clan or small nation and have become changed by exposure to magic. On the whole, Ulma are an ambitious lot and capable of producing great heroes and horrific villains in equal measures. They are the least innately magical race but that has never stopped them from producing many arch mages through sheer pluck and ingenuity. Visually most Ulma exist in this weird artistic style of looking indistinctly neither Asian nor Caucasian, as is often the case with JRPG characters but there are other tribes and nations which look different. They also take many of the ideas and concepts associated with Dwarves, such as clans and giant cities carved in stone. They, likewise, are the most technologically advanced race and have begun developing devices we would associate with 'magitek' or 'steampunk'.

Arcane Spellcasters

Etrian Odyssey Harbinger, aka
a good style for a JRPG-styled Warlock.

While Ulma are the least innately magical race, this hasn't remotely stopped them in attempting to master all forms of magic and inventing quite a few more in the process. Being the most common race also help in ensuring Ulma spellcasters remain plentiful, even if truly powerful individuals remain quite rare. The vast majority of Ulm spellcasters belong to the Black Mage or White Mage class. These are examples which deviate from this norm. These tend to be Bards or Wizards, as Sorcerer are nearly completely unheard of in Ulma barring the truly rare and unusual individual.

Wizards

The arts of the Wizards have developed alongside (or aside) from the modern Black Mages. Their magic is a tad more complex and unusual as it draws upon disparate sides and energies of magic. Many of their techniques and spells have since been absorbed by the standard Black Mage class in the modern age, leaving the more unusual Wizards to be seen as strange orthodox techniques passed down through a mentor and student relationship. Other Wizards are unusual because they come from rare and bizarre cultures.

• Each of the once-core Arcane Traditions of the Player Handbook could be chosen, with the player character and heir to this decayed and half-lost tradition. Potentially this could even make their form of magic nearly unique and at the heavy risk of being lost forever.
• In fact, Universalists are quite likely to be the more common type of Wizard, even if they are more likely to be found in exotic lands.
• War Magic is a new style developed by the many military schools of the Sheradil Empire. It fully embrace the idea of magic-as-weapon. They are likely to be distrusted and any defector will be hunted down and captured as to not spill the secrets of this new tradition.
• You are a Tattoo Mage, member of an exotic culture called the Chiwel. You were heavily influenced by the colorful markings found on the body of the Dragon Clan people, both natural and unnatural. Your odd bodily markings mark you as a foreigner wherever you go.
• You are a Chaos Mage (Kobold Press Chaos Magic) of the tradition of the School of Chaos. As a native of the bizarre land of Ysmin, you live in a particularly unstable region charged with unusually high amount of random energy. You are wacky, bizarre and probably a comic relief.

Warlock

Just because innate magical affinity is rare and set a birth doesn't mean there aren't other ways of obtaining power. The Warlock is just that. In-universe, most Warlocks are generally unique due to the nature of their pact.

• In a moment of despair you forged an Fiend Pact with a powerful Fiend. This experience has likely horribly scarred you (physically or mentally) and made you really, really edgy. You probably dress in all black and red! That said, odds are you aren't evil. Just mopey. Any kind soul might even manage to help you turn your powers toward the forces of good.
• The Hexblade is a suitable alternative to a Fiendish Pact but the details remain mostly the same. Alternatively, you are a Hexblade because you have bonded with some ancient cursed weapon from the distant past. This weapon isn't so much as a physical object as some metaphysical curse.
• Japan is generally less bothered by gambling, thus a Lady Luck Warlock is well suited to the setting as some dashing rogue with unusual luck. Backstory may or may not be irrelevant.
• Your Patron is a Feline Spirit and this has left its mark on you, complete with cat ears! Yes, its stupid. I know.

Other Options

Then there are some even more oddball cases:

• The Eldritch Knight, Arcane Trickster and Arcane Archer (cut from its Elven association) are all example of a magically-gifted character who turn his or her skills toward wielding magic in a way which complement their fighting style. Overall 'magic knights' are fairly common in JRPG.
• An alternate Hexblade from Vecna's Middle Finger also works as does their take on the Magus. They also have a Spellthief which is a valid archetype in its own right.

Divine-Aligned Characters

Paladin from Final Fantasy
Tactics Advance.

The faiths of Tellus are deliberately vague, given that most JRPG tend to either go into too much depth (because of plot relevance) or not enough depth (because its not relevant and they just want something vaguely like a D&D Cleric around) when it come to established and fleshed out religion. The general assumption is that, in addition to the lifestream-esque Animism and the Taoist aspects of duality implied by the magic system, there are Gods but they are not an active force. Gods, at least the way I see it right now, are an abstract force and made up of archetypal beings/forces within the natural magical energies of all living things. Thus Cleric and their ilk exist but at no point will a God pop into existence to solve a plot. That said, Ulma, as the main civilization in the current era of Tellus, provide many opportunities for characters with a religious background. It can be assumed most deities worshiped by the Ulma are of the usual stuff you'd expect to be praising: Gods of healing, protection, the light and all that stuff.

Cleric

Clerics are not ordinary priests but rather people with a stronger connection to these ill-defined archetypes which exist within the magical energies of all things. In addition to White Mages, they tend to form the spell casting elite of whatever local faith exist. Some are humble and pious individuals while others are self-serving dickheads. In general, the Gods have no direct power over their Clerics. A good example of a Cleric-like player character would be Yuna from FFX. She's well meaning and self-sacrificing...despite not even realizing the darker truths of her faith. Another good example would be Agnes Oblige from Bravely Default.

• Your character is a shrine maiden, taking cues from Shinto beliefs. An inciting event is what drags your character into action, possibly against her will. This is the kind of character well suited to be 'the childhood friend' to someone else. Life or Light are suitable domain.
• You are a  Water-Keeper, a member of southern sects dedicated to the preservation of life and water. Born in the harsh desert environments of southern lands, you wield the powers of the Water domain. What was the inciting event/backstory element which made you travel from your homeland?
• An alternative/addition to the concept of the Water-Keeper is that you are an Elemental Priest, dedicated to one of the four Elements. Such power is generally associated with Black Magic but you are neither evil nor destructive: instead you harness the constructive and transformation aspects of each Element. Your magic is quite rare and poorly understood by the main civilizations of the world.

Other Divine Options

Not every Divinely-touched character is of the Cleric class. Some are even not directly empowered by divine energies so much as driven by Faith alone.

• Your character is a Sin-Eater Paladin and his class would likely be listed as a 'shinigami' in the game menus. The odds of you being a gloomy, misunderstood androgynous emo are relatively high but none can call you selfish. Your mission is to purify souls so they pass on and don't become fiends.
• Deeply driven by your faith, you fear that too many individuals abuse the sacred powers of magic and see it as nothing but a tool. Lacking any magic yourself, you have trained in the way of the Spellbreaker. Balance must be restored. Magic and faith are so much more than the tools of tyrants!
• As a Celestial Pact Warlock, your patron is a being associated with the (hopefully more positive sides of) the Light side of magic. You yourself lacked a proper connection to magic but nonetheless, faith, pluck and a desire to do good have imbued you with powers.
• As a Divine Soul Sorcerer you are an extremely rare being touched with a level of innate power very few, if any Ulma, naturally has. It is likely you bear some fancy mark, such as silver hair or something like that. Whatever the true origin of your power is, its bound to be linked to some major event. It is recommended to pick Good or Law as your Affinity.

In general, people with a connection to the Divine are rare. Even more rare than the one-in-several-hundred magically gifted individuals. Usually each major region will only see a few divinely-touched individuals per generation, of which most never have the potential to get past 1st or 2nd level in overall power. This has left the ranks of many churches and sects filled more with White Mages than proper Clerics. Some of the more exotic Divine Casters, such as Divine Souls, are believed to be tied to very specific cosmic events ill-understood by mortals or even be the reincarnation of ancient heroes and saints.

There are rare and ancient bloodlines which produce a much higher-than-average level of divinely-attuned individuals. Many of these can be traced back to ancient heroes and mighty kings. Several of these even predate the emergence of Ulma and were once Sky-Folks or members of long-lost races unknown to modern historians. Since Ulma can cross-breed with Sky Folks, these bloodlines may have some ancient and latent blessings beyond modern magical and scientific understanding. In time of great need, perhaps they act some sort of vessel to these ancient souls.

Eastern Flavor

Etrian Odyssey Ronin.

Wutai Rule: Most RPGs, no matter what their mythology, include a land based on ancient Japan. Full of pagodas, shrines, shoguns, kitsune, and sushi, this completely anachronistic place is the source of the entire world's supply of ninja and samurai characters.

-The Grand List of Console Roleplaying Game Cliches

Just about every JRPG out there, at least those from the NES to PS1 era had a tendency to feature ninjas and samurai no matter how heavily the setting was ripped straight out of Dungeons & Dragons. This, of course, make sense: these games were made in Japan. Not only that but Asian pop culture as a whole is replete with wandering swordsmen (be they heroes of Wuxia from Chinese novels or Ronin roaming Feudal Japan), spellcasters and assassins. Oh and monks who know kung fu.

• You are an exiled warrior or prince from some faraway Eastern land. Alternatively you are some morally dubious mercenary who is slightly older than the rest of the party (but still 'the old man' even if you're barely scratching forty!). Either way, you are a Samurai and most of the fanbase will think you're cool.
• Do I need to point out the entire Monk class?!

Tellus: Of Mages and Sorcerers

It is no surprise that, with it being my first edition, that D&D 3e has left a significant mark on me for better and for ill and this is quite apparent in how I've separated the concept of a Wizard and a Sorcerer. Tellus is not different and while the two classes are similar enough they have deep differences whose roots are in the misty past of that world.

The Black, Red and White Mage are from this Final Fantasy-inspired homebrew.

On Magic

Maybe a Dragon Clan lady with unusual hair?
Art by Jeff Chen.

It is a well-known and established fact that, on Tellus, the Ulma (or Human, as we'd recognize them) are the least naturally attuned to raw magic. On average it is said that about one in several hundred Ulma has the potential to wield magic. There have been many theories proposed, ranging from the scientific to the completely mystical and religious (with a few smug Sky-Folks or Dragon Clan simply believing the Ulma to be inferior beings) to explain this. It takes more than the required stats of a class to be able to learn magic, meaning there are many intelligent individuals who could master entire crafts and never be able to cast a meager magic missile. However, for simplicity sake the rules for multiclass are unchanged and any player who wish for his character to multiclass is simply assumed to unlock some latent potential.

Those designated as Sorcerers are member of the non-human races (generally speaking either Sky-Folks and Dragon Clan as they are the most well known and still extant sapient non-human beings of Tellus) whose blood and/or soul resonate with a deeper connection to magical energies. Mages, on the other hand rely on complex formula and their spellbooks in order to cast spells. These traditions are rooted in a mixture of human and non-human beliefs, philosophies and sciences which have all melded together to form the current paradigm of magic.

White Magic and Black Magic

Accept no substitute.

The early Ulma's view on magic has massively shaped all thoughts surrounding it. Ulm belief separate magic into two opposite-yet-complementary forces, which they designate under the crude terms of White and Black magic. The first is a magic of stasis, order, support, reinforcement and light. The other is that of change, transformation, chaos and raw power. Neither is technically good/evil but the cultural trend and the history of the Ulma has colored these views, as ancient Black Mages were seen with suspicion and fear due to their destructive powers while those who wielded more benign powers were seen in a better light. This, combined with Ulm religion, has long shaped the image of White Magic as the power of divinity when in reality it is completely distinct from that of the (much rarer) Clerics. The root of these traditions are themselves found in the culture of the Sky Folks and Dragon Clans.

In modern times, Black Magic has evolved from being seen as evil witchcraft into something more orderly and scientific: the study of primordial forces which can impact the world through fundamental changes. While White Mages have remained healers and mystics, the Black Mages are increasingly seen as scholars who wield their magic to fuel the larger and more impressive feat of geomancy and engineering which the Ulma have accomplished. The energies are seen as part of the natural world, even if some still believe they have a spiritual component. They are fundamental forces but not under the direct control of the Gods and thus technically separate from the spellcasting of other, stranger and more exotic classes.

Other Mages and Wizards

The Wizard of the core Dungeons & Dragons rules still exist but is not the default 'Arcane Spellcaster'. Wizards are more specialized, more unique and unusual mages whose traditions might have split off from the common branch which became the modern Black Magic (which is a very wide array of topics but also very heavily invested in elemental forces). A few of them appear among the ranks of Black Mages: iconoclasts trying to bring back a certain form or tradition of magic back into the fold of modern magic. Others, most likely, are people from exist land and locale or members of more insular Wizard communities or perhaps the apprentice to an eccentric hermit.

There is no clear naming convention for these mages, but there are those who sometimes call the nine major schools of magic by names such as Grey Mages (for Necromancy) or Purple Mages (Illusionist). In truth there is no official or coherent naming scheme for these and the attempt at slapping a color on it is a result of people assuming you have to slap on one them less the entire system falls apart. They simply draw upon some aspects of both sides in specific ways and do not represent a completely new dimension of magic for the most part.

Meanwhile, Red Mages are a result of pragmatism and wisdom: where Ulma science and theology had increasingly pulled apart two sides of the same coin, the Red Mages were born from a desire to wield back both forces and refining them as one. Where the current paradigm preached for spellcasters to forget the mundane and physical, there were those who believed in the importance of both The term Red Mage come from the fact many early adopter of this philosophy of magic, which seek to balance white/black magic and the physical/mental, were mercenaries and warriors of some stripe who applied their new skill to the battlefield. 

Red Tide 5e: Classes for Human

I realized that last post was too focused on class restriction for races other than human without really giving a clear indication of where I wanted to take the option for human. While it would be very easy to just shrug and say 'sure, they can do everything' this isn't as interesting.

Human Classes (by Nation)

By default, the human have the most option in classes. That's just how it is because generally speaking in fantasy we tend to treat human as the baseline and the every man. Less specialized around a certain theme which define their inhuman nature and more what skills they can pick up. However, this is still a bit boring so I've decided to narrow it down a tiny bit more to make some of the various human nations in Red Tide stand out a bit more.

• Humans can be Fighters, Rogues, Monks, Wizards and Clerics (with generally some restrictions on what God they worship and thus on their domain). They have access to the options found in the Player's Handbook. However, if one intend to keep the Elves a bit more unique then it could be worth it to remove those Fighter and Rogue sub-class who learn spells.
• Eirengarder add to their options the Paladin class. These are the holy, anointed knights of various religious and military orders dedicated to The Maker. Their Paladins generally take either the Oath of Devotion or the Oath of Redemption.
• Kueh add the option of the Samurai Martial Archetype. In addition, those who serve the Hell Kings are known to become Paladin of the Oath of Conquest.
• Skandr add the option of the Barbarian and Bard, the latter of which are much more common among their kind than 'regular' arcane spell casters.
• The Eshkanti, Gadaal, Imperials and others don't particularly have any strong thematic leanings and as such could be open to a variety of Wizard sub-classes to represent more unique spell casting traditions (Gadaal, for example, are very fond of Divination). Various options found in Xanathar's Guide or even third party and/or homebrew can work too.

Cleric Domains

One key thing in the Red Tide setting is that human have a connection with the divine which other races lack. This is obviously a byproduct of Labyrinth Lord and the fact the Cleric class isn't available to other races because they don't have classes. Their race is their class but obviously this is rambling about shit everybody knows. As such, Divine Magic is entirely the purview of the human (and the Shou but that is for another time).

The Nine Immortals

The Nine Immortals are the 'main' deities of the Red Tide setting but they are a little more complicated than simply being just nine deities. In many ways, they remind of the Sovereign Host of Eberron (down to their number!) crossed with the realities of how the myths and beliefs of the Indian world, China, Japan and neighboring countries have mixed and matched through syncretism and the fusion of various religion and philosophies. They exist, having Clerics who do cast spells, but my understanding of them is that they are not quite singular entities and more that each is a portfolio of key ideas and concepts created from absorbing other myths.

• Kusha the Red Goddess: War and Protection
• Fa Chia the Yellow God: Order
• Mimasa the Blue Goddess: Knowledge and Arcana
• Sankhya the Gray God: Peace
• Shinrai the White God: Grave
• Kega the Green Goddess: Travel
• Tendai the Black God: Trickery and Entropy
• Hesika the Vermillion Goddess: Love and Madness
• Inren the Purple God: He seemingly has no Clerics outside of Cleric who worship the entire Pantheon, being the God of 'blank spaces within schema'.

Currently there are no Domains which fit enough of the portfolio of each of the Nine Immortals so that leave them in this current state.

The Skandr Gods

The Gods of the Skandr are noticeably more simplistic than the complex history and theology of the Nine Immortals. My 'headcanon' of sort, for the Skandr Gods, call upon the idea of the Aesir-Asura correspondence, making this pantheon uniquely composed of Asura, which is what I've renamed what Red Tide call the negative emanation of a deity a 'Devil'. In this case, the Skandr Gods aren't evil as much as they are wilder, following a path of passion rather than restraint.

• Sifr: Tempest and Travel
• Anghad: Life and Forge
• Hjal: War and Strength

The Maker

Unique among the people of the Sunset Isles, the Eirengarder are monotheistic. While it would be easy to just shrug and say a Cleric of the Maker has access to everything I've instead chosen to focus on their imagery as hardened warriors and battle-priests as well as the more classically OD&D image of a Cleric as some kind of templar or crusader figure in both the more positive aspects as a stalwart protector of the weak as well as the negative aspects of zealotry.

• The Maker's domains consist of Life, Solidarity and Zeal.

Red Tide 5e: Race Conversions

Continuing off my 'mood' of D&D 5e and branching away from OSR, I've brought back from the grave a scrapped post written in 2018. These are my notes for converting Red Tide to Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition.

Races (and Race-Based Class Restrictions)

The 'core' races of D&D are all already represented in Red Tide given that it was written to work with Labyrinth Lord. The ever-iconic setup of humans, elves, dwarves and halflings are all represented in a form which is both extremely familiar and iconic yet still unique to the setting. With the exception of the Drow (who lack any equivalent in Red Ride), the subraces of the elves/dwarves/halflings could seamlessly exist as variations without much need for a retcon: the elven subraces of High and Wood elves are simply different Elven Creed while the dwarven and halfling subraces could very much exist within the setting as distinct cultural groups who may or may not be noticeable to outsiders. Alternatively these may simply be abstractions of the rules representing variant racial traits and not distinct sub races much like in the case of the elves.

Red Tide-Accurate Class Restrictions

As an option to make the races a bit more accurate to what is presented in Red Tide, the following class restrictions would apply:

• Elves can only be Rangers or Wizards as well as Fighters and Rogues but only in those sub-classes which learn spells, such as Eldritch Knight, Arcane Archer or Arcane Trickster.
• Dwarves may only be Barbarian, Fighters or Rogues and cannot use a sub-class which learn spells, such as Eldritch Knight or Arcane Trickster. They can, however, channel the primal power of Barbarians through their connection to their ancestors.
• Hafllings can only be Fighters or Rogues and cannot use a sub-class which learn spells, such as Eldritch Knight or Arcane Trickster.  One possible option, to allow Halflings to do a bit more, would be to allow them to be Monks of some form. Certainly, Halfling ninjas are a scary thought.

Of course while this works just fine for OSR systems like Labyrinth Lord or Basic Fantasy, nowadays people tend to expect a lot more option for their characters.

Alternate Spellcasting Options

Under this system, the restrictions are similar to those outlined above but they open up each race to a few unique origins for the Sorcerer, allowing each race to channel the unique origins and powers of their kind in ways ordinary Human and Shou Wizards cannot replicate.

• Elves function as above, but add to their option the Sorcerer with the origin of Ultimate Magus origin, representing an Elf with the peak potential for the arcane they have acquired, combining innate magic with several lifetime of wisdom and intellect.
• Dwarves, under this option, do have their own form of Wizardry which is unique to them: the Ring Warden from the Deep Magic: Ring Magic third party supplement from Kobold Press. These Dwarves have learned to cast magic through the forging of mystical rings of gold. Meanwhile, Dwarven Sorcerers can call upon the powers of the deep Earth through some of the options found in the homebrew called Yorviing's Sorcerous Grimoire: Children of the Earth. The origin called Deep Earth works well for such a connection.
• Halflings are a little harder to pin down, which might just be a fitting trait. That and their luck, which brings me Yorviing's Sorcerous Grimoire: Children of the Strange has an origin called Lucky One.
• Warlock Class: Here is an interesting one which both change the Red Tide setting while also fitting in very well. If magic is an internal process, born of a mixture of one's own soul and geomantic energies which demi-human races struggle with (except those damn smug elves...), even assuming the addition of their rare in-setting spellcaster class options, then what about the Warlock? Much like Clerics they derive their magic from an outside source. As it happen, it is said the Demi-Human of Red Tide shunned the Gods in some form or another but...what about other patrons, hmmm? Food for thought...

Contentious Races

Not everything is as easily translated to fitting in Red Tide as the core races of D&D. These are either races which exist within the lore and fluff of Red Tide but with some unique twist/traits which don't line up with core D&D 5e (such as Half Elves and Half Orcs) or races which don't exist but are now part of the D&D core races (the Tieflings).

Half Elves

In the Red Tide setting, Half Elves are not a naturally-occurring crossbreed but rather what happen when an elven soul is born to lowly mortal flesh: physically (mostly) human but spiritually elven. Now due to the race-as-class mechanics of Labyrinth Lord, the Half Elves of Red Tide are by default a bit...weirder...than your ordinary Half Elves. As a result there are a few loose ways to imagine them for 5e:

• Option A is the most boring which is to simply use the Half-Elf stat line and say that it represent these strange half men/half elven beings. They would have restrictions similar to Elves. However this is boring.
• Option B is to represent them with the Sorcerer class, more specifically the Wild Magic option which would be uniquely available to them. They could use the racial stats of human, elves or half-elves depending on what seem most appropriate. The Half-Elves are an odd case of a race more associated with their class when converted to 5e.

Tiefling

The default presentation of Tieflings as humans-damned-and-twisted-by-infernal-powers requires very little tweaking to fit into Red Tide as they would be the descendants of humans whose ancestors made dark deals with the Hell Kings. While there could be some enclaves of pre-existing Tieflings (some of which who may in fact be Shou-Tieflings!), a new generation of Tieflings could have been born in the Kueh lands as those who worship the Hell Kings sought their blessings such as the birth of mighty demonic champions. Yet these creatures would still be gifted with human souls and as such could very well turn against the very forces which created them. Kueh Tieflings could be called Majin or Akuma if one feel like being a weaboo draw from the Japanese influence found in the Kueh.

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.