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  1. - Top - End - #691
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    I'm entertaining the possibility that I'm crazy, but I'm pretty sure that the map is missing a D and J column.

    Also, I suggest Greyflood, simply because it sounds much cooler than the other names.
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  2. - Top - End - #692
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Hm... You're right. The grid is just for our reference, a temporary thing to get place names down, but eh.

    Greyflood it is, then.

    I suppose we ought to do borders at some point, to make it easier to place things. Hm..... I'll give that some thought.

    Thanks for contributing!
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  3. - Top - End - #693
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Intro: These feats can all be activated as move actions. Your rune level is equal to the number of rune feats you have. They can be used twice per day per rune level. So, if you have two rune feats, you can use a total of 4 rune feats. That can be 2 and 2, 3 and 1, whatever.

    Yes, I’m fully aware that nobody in their right mind would take these individually. They suck that bad. However, this is just the beginning. If you take, for example, Thurisaz and Uruz, you get both an increased bonus, duration, and number of uses per day, but you also get a super-special extra ability, none of which I have written yet. These synergy abilities (Phrases) take two uses to activate, and are generally awesomer that the sum of their parts.

    So, if you have rune feat A, you can use ability A. If you have A and B, you can use A, B, and AB. A and B will both be better than they were if you only had one feat. If you get C, you can use A, B, C, AB, AC, BC and ABC. I may not write synergy abilities for every pairing, but I’d like to do a bunch.

    You’re probably thinking “right, because everyone has feats to burn?” Well, I’m considering doing a race, template or maybe a 5-level prestige class to address that, the templace/race giving a couple bonus Rune Feats, the PrC giving more feats, more uses, a higher effective Rune level and other cool stuff.

    Fehu

    Meaning: Social Success, Financial Income, Possessions

    Base Effect: +1/Rune Level to social skills (Gather Information, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Bluff) for 1 minute/Rune Level.

    Uruz

    Meaning: Physical Strength, Speed and Potency, Action

    Base Effect: +1/Rune Level to strength-based skill and ability checks for 1 minute/Rune level.

    Thurisaz

    Meaning: Reactive Force, Conflict

    Base Effect: +1/Rune Level to melee attack rolls for 1 minute/Rune Level

    Ansuz

    Meaning: Understanding, Communication, Truth

    Base Effect: +1/Rune Level to all knowledge checks for 1 Minute/Rune Level. You can also make Knowledge checks untrained during the duration of this effect.

    Raidho

    Meaning: Travel, Rhythm, Dance of Life.

    Base Effect: +5 feet/ Rune Level to movement speed for 1 min/Rune level.

    Kenaz

    Meaning: Vision, Knowledge, Revelation

    Base Effect: Use Detect Magic as a caster of your Rune Level.

    Gebo

    Meaning: Gifts, Balances, Exchanges

    Base Effect: Each enemy that damages you in melee combat takes 1 damage/Rune level. This effect lasts 2 rounds/Rune level. This cannot be blocked by Damage Reduction or other similar traits, although it reacts normally to Regeneration.

    Wunjo

    Meaning: Joy, Comfort, Harmony

    Base Effect: +1/Rune level on a single Will save. This is an immediate action. You must declare your use of this ability before rolling.

    Hagalaz

    Meaning: Destructive Power of Nature, Controlled Fury.

    Base Effect: +1 to melee damage rolls for 1 minute/level.

    Nauthiz

    Meaning: Delay, Restriction, Resistance

    Base Effect: A touched enemy takes -1/Rune level to melee attack rolls for 1 round/rune levels.

    Isa

    Meaning: Clarity, Coldness, Frustration

    Base Effect: +1/Rune Level to Touch AC for 1 Minute/Rune Level. This cannot make your Touch AC higher than your regular AC.

    Eihwaz

    Meaning: Reliability, Endurance, Oak Trees.

    Base Effect: +1/Rune level on a single Fortitude save. This is an immediate action. You must declare your use of this ability before rolling.

    Perthro

    Meaning: Uncertainty, Mysteries, Femininity

    Effect: 5% concealment per rune level for 1 min/rune level. (max 50%)

    Algiz

    Meaning: Protection, A Shield, Divine Connections

    Effect: DR 1/- per rune level for 1 min/ rune level.

    Sowilo

    Meaning: The Sun, Health, Life Force

    Effect: Light, as the spell, with a caster level equal to your rune level.

    Tiawaz

    Meaning: Bravery, Nobility, Honorable Deaths.

    Effect: 5 temporary hit points per rune level.

    Berkano

    Meaning: Birch Trees, new life, rebirth.

    Effect: +1/rune level to ranged attack and damage rolls for 1 minute/rune level.

    Ehwaz

    Meaning: Horses, travel, messages.

    Effect: +1/rune level to Ride, Handle Animal and Wild Empathy checks for 1 minute/rune level.

    Mannaz

    Meaning: Humanity, shared culture, traditions.

    Effect: +1/ Rune level bonus to caster level on spells with a range of personal or touch for 1 minute/rune level. The target of the spell can choose to negate the bonus without needing to be aware of it. (So, buffs)

    Laguz

    Meaning: Water, the unconscious, precognition

    Effect: +2/Rune level to initative for 1 minute/rune level

    Ingwaz

    Meaning: Masculinity, resolution, protection.

    Effect: +2/Rune Level to resist combat maneuvers for 1 minute/Rune Level.

    Dagaz

    Meaning: Balance, Caution, Twilight

    Effect: +1/Rune level to Balance, Search, Disable Device and Open Lock checks for 1 minute/Rune level.

    Othala

    Meaning: Inheritance, Spiritual Values, Heritage.

    Effect: Make Bardic Knowledge checks as a bard of your Rune level a number of times per day equal to your rune level.
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  4. - Top - End - #694
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    I may have a solution for the whole "I don't have enough feats slots to make these worthwhile" thing. In Warrior, Rogue, and Mage, magic users acquire spells like treasure or quest items, rather than merely learning them as they level up. As long as you have a note in the Runes section about how the GM needs to maintain strict control over the accumulation of these runes, I think it would be appropriate to make these runes more like WRM spells than 3.x feats. In fact, you could theoretically use these runes as the sole form of spellcasting in Vallheim. You could use Words of Power, a Pathfinder variant casting method, as a model.
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  5. - Top - End - #695
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Quote Originally Posted by Zap Dynamic View Post
    I may have a solution for the whole "I don't have enough feats slots to make these worthwhile" thing. In Warrior, Rogue, and Mage, magic users acquire spells like treasure or quest items, rather than merely learning them as they level up. As long as you have a note in the Runes section about how the GM needs to maintain strict control over the accumulation of these runes, I think it would be appropriate to make these runes more like WRM spells than 3.x feats. In fact, you could theoretically use these runes as the sole form of spellcasting in Vallheim. You could use Words of Power, a Pathfinder variant casting method, as a model.
    I could allow DM's to give them out for free as rewards, yeah. That's a possibility. I'm not sure about making it mechanically the sole Vallheimer magic system, but I could make a note about most Vallheimer Vancian spellcasters fluffing their spells as runes. I'll need to reread the section on WRM spells before I make a decision on that.

    Also, NeoSeraphi suggested that I give these out two-for-one, so if you take one feat you get two runes. Thoughts on that?

    Also, as we saw in the intro, there will be a runeborn template (LA+0 or +1), that gives bonus rune feats, a PrC that gives more of everything, and a magic item that allows individual use of each feat, but not the phrases, as well as one that gives access to one, two or three runes each day. I may make the second item into a class feature.

    Hell, I may end up doing three or four PrC's, a runic tattooed warrior, a runic diviner, a Phrase-focused one and some else....
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  6. - Top - End - #696
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    I have an idea for an artifact/PrC/organization/story.

    Long ago, a brave hero, Saint Christopher (Known as Kristoff in the Vallheim and an ancestral hero. He's a Sentinel in the Solerian tradition) fought an evil king. Details aren't important, and are lost to history anyway.

    When the king felt his defeat was near, he tricked Christopher into meeting him atop a high mountain on the pretense of negotiating a peace. There, he poisoned the hero, pierced him with a sword, bound him with chains and staked them to the mountaintop. He then returned to celebrate his victory, leaving Christopher for dead.

    For three days Christopher laid there dying atop the mountain. For three days he laid dead, and his spirit ventured past the Fogbound River, beyond the realm of men. Accounts of what happened while he was there differ, the Vallheimers say he learned the ancient runes of power, the Solerians say that Tuhan Sky-Father spoke to him and sent him back to Earth as a prophet. Regardless, for three days his soul journeyed back to his body, and he broke his chains, tore up the stake from the earth and pulled the sword from his heart. Then, bearing the tools that killed him, he faced down the evil king and slew him, to take his place on the throne and rule as a just and wise king.

    (This is my own personal idea of what all fighters should be like)

    When Christopher died (again), the weapons that he had carried as a warrior and revolutionary were all but forgotten. The weapons he bore as a hero and king, though, were passed down. The Sword, Stake and Chain were given to his three knights, the purest of heart and nicest of smile .

    Since then, there has always been a Knight of the Sword, a Knight of the Stake (it's a spear) and a Knight of the Chain. They owe allegiance to no king, and do not align themselves - in their duties as a Knight, at least - to any church or monastery. When the weapon decides that the current bearer's time as Knight is up, it will remove itself and find a new bearer.

    There is a prophesy that someone, with the blessing of Saint Christopher, will arise against a tyrant who threatens all mankind, and will be chosen by the Sword, Stake and Chain, to lead all of Patria to freedom.




    So, any character at all who fights with a sword, spear or a spiked chain could hypothetically become a Knight of the X. They would be bound to a higher moral law, with any major transgressions of their duty punished with the loss of their Knighthood. Like a paladin's code, but not dumb.

    Pretty cool?

    Oh, Seraphi, would you mind tacking these on to the list of Artifacts? A Sword, Spear and spiked Chain for a hero who died and returned, Odin-style, but with a paladin-influenced vibe.
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  7. - Top - End - #697
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    I like it. You do a good job of drawing analogues to many, many pre-existing mythologies and the like (which I won't mention here, if only to err on the side of safety) while still maintaining an original narrative. The separate denominations of 'Knights' is an interesting and compelling idea. I'd be interested to see the actual artifacts statted out, myself.
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  8. - Top - End - #698
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Knight of the Stake! ATTACK!

    Wait... you're not a...
    LGBTA+itP

  9. - Top - End - #699
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    And thus I found the name of Generic Inn #546....
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  10. - Top - End - #700
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Better make that Night of the Steak, then.
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  11. - Top - End - #701
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Heh, indeed.

    Let's see.... for that archipelago west of Holmark, E-1 through H-2, how about the Teeth? Like, someone got punched and their teeth scattered. Plus they're small, pointy and rocky. Sound good?
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  12. - Top - End - #702
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    So, it's now canon.

    The capital city of Sunshan is Ban Se, and it's a port of some sort. I like it where that river meets the sea in the corner of G7. It would also be the original site of Tiber Gaios Asteri's capital city. Maybe a tower or castle of some sort that's original?

    Also, the mountains that go between Sunshan and the Dotze Affariata, in C7 and E8 are the Stormwall Mountains. They're part of the same range as the Elder Mountains, but eh. They have a different political importance, as they form a border, and are aligned differently.
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  13. - Top - End - #703
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    I'll do a little thing on money in Patria.

    I think that for simplicities sake that each nation should coin to the same weight and quality, just so we don't have weird conversion rates.

    We'll just go Copper;Silver;Gold.

    Vallheim: Bit;Slip;Krone.

    Soleh: Chip;Talent;Sovreign

    Sunshan: Qin;Don;Okane

    Dotze Affariata: Rame;Argento;Denario

    That good? Satisfy your inevitable money-related curiosity?
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  14. - Top - End - #704
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    If you want to have "in-universe" terminology for the different levels of currency, I think you're more than welcome to do so, but I think that's better for fiction than for RP. If every country uses gold, silver, and copper to denote their transactions, then your players are going to use the same terminology. Simply because they are nothing more than observers, very few people will busy themselves with the details that fascinate the creator.
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  15. - Top - End - #705
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Yeah, I knew that it wasn't important when I did it. More for fun than anything else.
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  16. - Top - End - #706
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Let's do some city locations, shall we?

    How about the Big Four of the Dotze Affariata:

    On the line between B8 and C8 there's a fork in a river. I think Marcelena, the cultural, religious and political hub of the Dotze Affariata belongs there.

    In the strait between A8 and A9 we can put Maregio, the biggest naval power in Patria, and the trade hub of the Dotze Affariata.

    Llanca, the military powerhouse, metalworking center and alchemical capital can go on the line between C7 and C8.

    I know it's the Big Four, but I'm still thinking about the fourth. It may become the Big Three.
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  17. - Top - End - #707
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    What's the latest on this bad boy? Nothing's been posted in a little while, and I wanted to make sure that the project wasn't temporarily shelved or anything.
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  18. - Top - End - #708
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    No, we're still going!

    I've thrown out a couple of names for cities and places, as well as locations. I still need to do the Solerian capital and major cities around the world.
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  19. - Top - End - #709
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Quote Originally Posted by Wyntonian View Post
    No, we're still going!

    I've thrown out a couple of names for cities and places, as well as locations. I still need to do the Solerian capital and major cities around the world.
    I can certainly help with naming things! I'm slogging through all the pages slowly (as the beginning post seems to not be very up to date). Maybe you could post links to pertinent information? I'd love to help (a world creator myself) but it appears I'm backlogged over a year in this thread. I'm liking what I've been seeing though!

    Solerian...what culture was that again?
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  20. - Top - End - #710
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Quote Originally Posted by TheWombatOfDoom View Post
    I can certainly help with naming things! I'm slogging through all the pages slowly (as the beginning post seems to not be very up to date). Maybe you could post links to pertinent information? I'd love to help (a world creator myself) but it appears I'm backlogged over a year in this thread. I'm liking what I've been seeing though!
    Hooray! Good to have you! And yeah, this is a years worth of work, and I should really get my act together and recompile this into a new thread.... I will, at some point.

    Solerian...what culture was that again?
    Soleh is the sun-focused theocracy between the Vallheim and Sunshan. Their noble class is pretty generic-European, with some Middle-Eastern cultural traits (Their knights are raised Jannissary-style, for example). The further you go west, the plainsier it gets, and the farms and such give way to ranchers, then roaming nomadic bands of Piloti. (Mongol-type guys)
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  21. - Top - End - #711
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    I understand. Been world building the same world for...12 years now. In some ways, you've accomplished more than I have, but then again, you have a lot more help. Since I'm going through the posts anyway, let me know if I can assist in recompilation.

    Matahari is Indonesian for sun, but for the capitol, maybe Matahar? Or even Tahar? You could even steal names of deserts, and change them around. I actually came up with Sahar from Sahara, which is interesting: Sahar and Tahar. Kinda like Tahar better though.

    Some others: Jera, Nimbus, Helius, Almere... I don't know if you like any, but let me know if you do, or want me to go a different direction.
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Also, who did your map? I like it a lot! I love maps and drawing them. Will it get more enhanced as you decide where cities lie and so on?
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  23. - Top - End - #713
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Good names, all of them. I see a couple border forts, maybe a monastery, as well as the capital. Thanks!

    Zap Dynamic did the map, and I suppose it's up to him if it gets improved. I'm thinking it will be .
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Quote Originally Posted by Wyntonian View Post
    Good names, all of them. I see a couple border forts, maybe a monastery, as well as the capital. Thanks!

    Zap Dynamic did the map, and I suppose it's up to him if it gets improved. I'm thinking it will be .
    Great! Glad I could help! Also, know if you need any illustrations or should Zap be unavailable, you've got me at your disposal. I've got a degree in Art, and don't get to use it much in this economy, so I'm always looking for an excuse! Also, you may want to consider natural disasters as things that effect your populations, and not just political or societal influence. This can be determined by deciding things like: What created the mountains? (glaciers? Earthquakes?) Is there a fault line near there? Is an area prone to flooding? Hurricane and tornados are prevalent where? Are there long dry spells in certain areas? Forest fires? Disease?

    Also, foriegn (other country) relations generally have two effects - biological and social. Biological could be sickness that they have grown immune to that they carry with them. It could be animals or plants that come over, and take root in the new country. (Bamboo is an example. Dear god that stuff is a monster to get rid of! Plant one stalk and it will take over your whole yard in a year) Non native animals disrupt the food chain.

    So...what's next?
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  25. - Top - End - #715
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    I'll second the vote for natural weather patterns. The easiest thing to do might be to come up with a random table for generating weather. You can create a "basic" table, and then you can create a more specialized table that's tailored to each region.

    Just spitballing: the south is where you might find your hurricanes, the central plains would be ripe for tornados, and the northern areas would be a great place for a blizzard. I can't imagine how much it would suck to get caught in a blizzard at sea. Is that sort of thing even possible?

    ...Turns out that a sea foam blizzard is a thing, and it's a little terrifying.
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Quote Originally Posted by Zap Dynamic View Post
    I'll second the vote for natural weather patterns. The easiest thing to do might be to come up with a random table for generating weather. You can create a "basic" table, and then you can create a more specialized table that's tailored to each region.

    Just spitballing: the south is where you might find your hurricanes, the central plains would be ripe for tornados, and the northern areas would be a great place for a blizzard. I can't imagine how much it would suck to get caught in a blizzard at sea. Is that sort of thing even possible?

    ...Turns out that a sea foam blizzard is a thing, and it's a little terrifying.
    Yes. Blizzards at sea happen. And they are indeed terrifying.

    To get a good and realistic weather patern system you need to account for things already in the map. Mountains block or attract weather. I used to live in a valley that had rain CONSTANTLY because weather kept building up there. The himolayas and rocky mountains block weather from going over them, and cause arid and dry climates, even deserts. Large bodies of water like lakes and oceans greatly effect storm patterns. I live in Pennsylvainia and the Great Lakes effect us a lot with rainstorms. The hot air from the south comes up to meet the wet cooler air from canada and the lakes and creates thunderstorms often. It's why New England gets so much snow, too. The great lakes were carved into existance by glaciers and erosion. Oceans effect weather patterns. Especially the currents in the water and wind patterns, as well as climates. These patterns move in large swirls.

    http://www.noao.edu/education/gsmt/weather

    Hurricanes feed off of water, so when over land they break up. You also may want to figure out your plate tectonics a bit so that you can easily figure out other things like earthquake areas,
    Scientific Name: Wombous apocolypticus | Diet: Apocolypse Pie | Cuddly: Yes

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  27. - Top - End - #717
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Wow, that's a lot of detail .

    Plate tectonics both in the works and hella simple. One plate is west of the Elder mountains, one is southeast, and the Elder/Stormwall mountains are a convergent boundary (same concept as the Himalayas, but smaller in scale).

    The land to the north is a separate plate that's moving away from the Vallheim. Slowly, but still.

    So, this puts most of the earthquakes in the southwestern parts of Sunshan, and the northwestern parts of the Dotze Affariata. I like that.

    Oh, and Sir Wombat, if you feel the desire to draw pretty much anything, go for it. Pictures are lovely, and props to you for earning that art degree! If you latch onto an idea (a city, a little Vallheim village, a Solerian cavalry charge, a Affariatan duelist, whatever) I'm more than willing to help you out with details.

    Weather patterns are incoming. Maybe a table of some sort for DMs.....
    Guess who's good at avatars? Thormag. That's who.

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  28. - Top - End - #718
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    smile Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Quote Originally Posted by Wyntonian View Post
    Wow, that's a lot of detail .

    Oh, and Sir Wombat, if you feel the desire to draw pretty much anything, go for it. Pictures are lovely, and props to you for earning that art degree! If you latch onto an idea (a city, a little Vallheim village, a Solerian cavalry charge, a Affariatan duelist, whatever) I'm more than willing to help you out with details.

    Weather patterns are incoming. Maybe a table of some sort for DMs.....
    As I said, I have some experience with the inner workings of world building. I may ask questions that are needlessly specific. Stop me if the answer is unnecessary, I just have found that a lot of problems are answered through unrelated (and so related) topics. Such as plate techtonics and a kingdom. Very different topics, but one can significantly influence others. Some of it is how thurough you want to get. I'm sure you don't necessarily want to get into the evolution of the various creatures of your world as this is a role playing setting, but its good to think about some random things for flavor.

    I think you may now have an inkling as to why I'm still doing world creation 12 years after I started my book.

    As for drawing anything, we'll see what strikes my fancy...but if you think of anything let me know.
    Scientific Name: Wombous apocolypticus | Diet: Apocolypse Pie | Cuddly: Yes

    World Building Projects:
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    : The Stuff of Sentience | Fate: The Fabric of Physics | Luck: The Basis of Biology

    Order of the Stick Projects:
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  29. - Top - End - #719
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    At the risk of derailing the thread for a moment: Wombat, are you a part of the Cartographer's Guild? I'm more active on their deviantArt site than on their forums, but I've posted a couple times over there. It's always nice to meet a fellow worldbuilder who knows a thing or two about geography!

    Back to the thread: I don't have a terribly large amount of time these days, but at some point in the near future I'll be adding all the place names to the map. Things are going to get even busier than they are now in August, but I'll try to get something together in July.

    Also: If you want a template for a weather table, I've got one that I made for the Blackwood setting. It's really simple (basically all you roll is a couple d12s).
    Last edited by Zap Dynamic; 2012-06-26 at 12:51 PM.
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Quote Originally Posted by Zap Dynamic View Post
    At the risk of derailing the thread for a moment: Wombat, are you a part of the Cartographer's Guild? I'm more active on their deviantArt site than on their forums, but I've posted a couple times over there. It's always nice to meet a fellow worldbuilder who knows a thing or two about geography!

    Back to the thread: I don't have a terribly large amount of time these days, but at some point in the near future I'll be adding all the place names to the map. Things are going to get even busier than they are now in August, but I'll try to get something together in July.

    Also: If you want a template for a weather table, I've got one that I made for the Blackwood setting. It's really simple (basically all you roll is a couple d12s).
    Most of my maps are too big to scan onto the computer, though I'll probably be getting som up on DA soon. Most of my stuff on DA is very old, or if new photos. But I am not in the Cartographer's guild! I've never even heard of it. > . > (I'm WillowtheWombie on DeviantArt) < . <
    Scientific Name: Wombous apocolypticus | Diet: Apocolypse Pie | Cuddly: Yes

    World Building Projects:
    Magic
    : The Stuff of Sentience | Fate: The Fabric of Physics | Luck: The Basis of Biology

    Order of the Stick Projects:
    Annotation of the Comic | Magic Compendium of the Comic | Transcription of the Comic
    Dad-a-chum? Dum-a-chum? Ded-a-chek? Did-a-chick?
    Extended Signature | My DeviantArt | Majora's Mask Point Race
    (you can't take the sky from me)

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