Shadow Spire - A dark fantasy campaign setting [Now with PDF optional!]

[MaddHadda_|106|]

Shadow Spire
D&D 5e Campaign Setting
Player's Manual

The world of Karn is a dark and desolate land filled with strife, chaos, and turmoil. Hatred and greed run rampant, and the homes of men and nan alike are dwindling. Violence and slavery are common place in the current day and age of Karn. But it wasn't always such a dark land filled with bloodshed.
No, in fact, once long ago the lands were filled with supernatural magics and spiritual wonders; but such old tales lie only in the dusty tombs of ancient ruins. For now magic and the supernatural are both feared and despised. Cut out with sharp blades by hunters and slayers both nan and human.
In current decades a great calamity has torn a sunder the already dim world of Karn, shaking the plane to its very core. The great event stirred even the deepest of residents, some so long forgotten that the names no longer exist.


“ The heat of battle will forever cling to the air of this place. The ground forever damp with the blood of those who died. It is a truly dead land, bound to the darkness that we have created in it. This is a world without hope, or perhaps maybe it is the people who are without. But in the end it was our own actions that lead us down such paths. Our greed... and our hate.”

Raulin Marris; 08SS - Before the Massacre at Shadow's Edge

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Spoiler: World of Karn

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Rise of the Spire ; 00SS
Before the giant shadow spire was risen in the center of the Ashen Sandsea, the kingdoms of Karn mostly existed apart from each other, with some occasional trading between Fol'Tir and the Mhyji. Relations between different cultures where not generally friendly, yet typically manageable in the end.
Then came tales of a dark cloaked figure in the sandseas. First from the North, then South. The east and the west as well. A dark magician, walking in all directions. All bound to end in one fateful location. So rose a giant shadowy spire in the center of the Ashen Sandsea, and with it rose out a calling. Power. Strength. Come, claim me.
Effects of the Spire
The spire's effects on the world where so catastrophic it broke down most of Karn societal structure. The world and it's people have forever been changed.
At first came the short term effects, inciting bloodthirstiness and war. The spire sent out some sort of psionic charm. It was desired by most. The city-states of what was then Deh Marsol began to fight among themselves, trying to encroach their territory onto the unclaimed and until recently undesired Ashen Sandsea. Then the kingdoms of the other continents began to flood in. Waves of war ran across the sandsea, and lives from all sides were slaughtered in the hundreds of thousands. Many of the survivors ending up as slaves.
The long-lasting effects only still beginning to show. Hatred and pride rule over much of the remaining civilized strongholds and cities. National relations ruined in the wake, some nations themselves lie ruined as well. With society upturned, magic and the supernatural have begun creeping back up through out the lands. So with it have come a surge of faithful crusaders to purge it from the land.
Further down though things stir, as strange humanoid races long lost to legend stir from beneath Karn. Rumor and rants abound speak of the old races appearing once again. One can only wonder what has driven them up from there long forgotten homes.

Altered Alignment System
The world of Karn is not so black and white as good and evil, and so it is not beneficial to identify oneself as such. In a dark world the people can be just as dark. Those of righteous cause do terrible things, and those hunted by most may sacrifice others to save themselves. Good and evil lives in all people in the world of Karn.
Better to see things by the borders of ones morals and beliefs and the nature of ones spirit.

Sanctified/Naturalist !Good/Evil!
For many generations the people of Karn have sought out and destroyed the supernatural and magic. But the uncivilized borders of the world still remember the old gods and the ways of magic. Practicing in circles by the light of the coven's fire. As well even the walls of civilization are often breached, perhaps by an astute scholar studying by dim candle in a dark wine cellar secreted away.
Every player must choose whether they uphold the divine laws of holy light or find strength in natures magical luminescence.

Civilized/Tribal !Law/Chaos!
The concept of law misconstrued and chaos around every corner, there's no need worrying which you might be mixed up in. Far more important is the lands in which you grew up and your upbringing. Are you a civilized Human of the Fol'Tir capital? Perhaps you come from a Nan Jon tribe far from any cities or towns. These factors will play a much heavier role on the way you will behave in the lands of Karn.

Spoiler: Theology, Magic and the Supernatural

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The world of Karn has long be connected to the worlds of gods as well itself been seeped in magic. Karn is not a natural planet in a vast universe of many, but was created by the Mother, a god, with great magic. In being a creation of magic Karn itself is deeply rooted with it. Because of this supernatural occurrences are commonplace, in both it's splendor and it's horrors.
Since the dawn of man supernatural threats have left people in horror. Vampires and werewolves ravaged small villages. Mountain imps and Tul-Ocka carrying of the children that wander to close to the secret entrances of the tulga. Creating fear and desperation in the hearts of men, many turn to the divine to aid them in the fight against the dark creatures of the world. Many men and women rallied under the symbols of Giin and Zia in battle against supernatural enemies in an order known as Sanctuary of Silver. but not all that is supernatural or magic is necessarily evil and the fallacies and terrors of man can run just as deep.
Still some turned to magic and the supernatural itself, embracing it and drawing from it's power to protect themselves. Great covens of witches and powerful wizards and sorcerers once were the majority of the world. Tribal shamans danced to primal gods to empower their warriors and farmer's wife sacrificed livestock for good harvests by magical rites.
In the current age magic is considered to defile the soul, and the over arching religious structure of Karn calls for divine justice on those who would break such sacred laws spoken by the goddess of the sacred light, Venria. When the Nan Witch Hunters brought the divine words of Venria to the human lands they came in cloaks of gold with glimmering silver armor, putting an end to any and all magic in their path.

Temple of the Sanctified Light
The major religion followed by the vast majority of human and nan kind alike. It is a glorified divine following worshiping Venria, the Goddess of the Sacred Light. She is the daughter of the god and goddess Giin and Zia. Her birth was said to be like a great light being washed over the world to blind the darkness.
Looking over the lands of men, she saw despair, war and sin hidden in every corner. Blood stained battlefields littered with raider warriors and werewolves corpses. Terrible warlocks burning villages to the ash. Abominations and defilers of Karn, destroying the land and overstepping their bounds. So she reached out to those still pure; those of the northern isles, the Nan.
In the year 061.2 AS the first Temple of the Sanctified Light was built in the location of what would later become the Nan Ynn capital and Holy City of the Sacred Light. The Nan Ynn are believed to be the high spiritual councils of her lady Venria, and gifted with her light to help purge the world from her enemies and the powers of magic and the supernatural.

Sanctuary of Silver
The Sanctuary is a clan of hunters and warriors known by many as the Silver Slayers. More supernatural bounty hunters than a religious institute, the Sanctuary of Silver was originally banded together by several tribal leaders on Fol'Tir who payed homage to the gods Giin and Zia to aid them in battle against the supernatural. Though outwardly a member of the sanctified culture the Silver Slayers are not magic hunters but hunters of the supernatural things that would try to hurt others.
Giin and Zia, the patrons of the Sanctuary of Silver, are the parents of Venria, who furthered down the path that her parents started down. Giin is the child of the primal gods Fain'Ra and Foeai-shi while Zia is the daughter of Fain'Ra and Vaela. It is said Zia, having a vision of a great war between humans and the supernatural forces of the world, sought out her half-brother Giin to help hunt down these forces and quell the war before it began. Giin agreed to help, in exchange for her aid in hunting the ultimate prize; the silver stag. Of which he made a stake from its silver horn and bestowed it and all metals akin to it the gift to weaken their prey.
With the tides of battle evened the Sanctuary began to branch across Karn, building headquarters in several prominent pockets of civilization by the year 042.6 AS. The Sanctuary of Silver and it's Silver Slayers would grow and spread for thousands of years, fighting back against the supernatural forces that wreaked havoc on human kind.

The Old Gods
The old gods are still worshiped in some small circles and by some solitary followers. It is often kept secret due to the hunting of those who practice magic and the supernatural and the fact that many of the practices of the old gods are magical rites. The old gods have existed for longer than the world itself, and some are even in part responsible for Karn's creation.
In the beginning it is said the Mother came into the darkness of space and weaved a great sphere in her hand. As she spun and spun it grew and grew, until finally she could no longer hold it and she sent it spinning forth forever in motion. With it she sent four guardians to uphold the laws of nature and the force of the elements. They were the great beast gods known as Zhen, Fain'ra, Baelo, and Psyio.
In the wake of the coming of human kind, the beast gods cared little for the triviality and workings of humanity. But instead the children of the beasts came to bear the task of finding interest and aiding in the ways of mortals. They became the Primal Gods of the world of men, and would care for matters for which the beast gods did not.

Religious Order or Pantheon Culture Suggested Domains Symbol

Temple of the Sanctified Light A golden rose with a radiant sun behind
Venria, Goddess of Sacred Light CS Light, Life

Sanctuary of Silver A silver stake made of an antler
Giin, God of the Hunt TS Nature Two crossed arrows
Zia, Goddess of War and Knowledge S War, Knowledge A shield with a half open eye

The Old Gods

Court of the Mother
Circle with sprout in the center The Mother, Goddess of Karn CN Life, Death A golden seed
Zhen, Serpent God of the Sky and the North CN Tempest, Light Flying serpent
Fain'ra, Hound God of Fire and the East TN War Flaming hound
Baelo, Fish Goddess of Water and the South N Knowledge Jumping Koi
Psyio, Fox Goddess of Earth and the West TN Nature, Trickery Thirteen-tailed fox

The Primal Gods
De'Sone, God of the Hearth C Light Burning log
Foeai-shi, Goddess of Night N Trickery Crescent moon
Hodon, God of Stars N Tempest, Knowledge Star
Jehng, God of the Rebirth TN Death, Life Full circle scythe
Osha, Goddess of Balance TN Life, Trickery An orange rose and purple rose with intertwined stems.
Phiorn, Goddess of Balance CN Death, Light "
Tou, God of the Smith C Knowledge A sparking hammer
Vaela, Goddess of Fate T Knowledge A mirror
Xaz, God of the Field CN Knowledge, Nature A sickle

Spoiler: Calander of Karn

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Being a world still in its youth records and measurements of time are new to society. However the lepach had originally devised a cycle of seasons and years to be used in their recordings of history and curiosities. As of the rising of the spire many more races had became adept at cataloging history, marking a multi-natural accepted annual calendar.

AS–Antecede Shadow (Pre-Rise)
Most of the records predating the
spire were written by the Lepach, and not all are wide-spread throughout Karn. These rare relics of history are often worth quite a lot. The lepach records represent the years in separations of tenth years. The year span of known records date from 013.1 to 234.0 and are not exactly fluent or constant. There are many gaps in the records, though some say the lepach themselves can fill in many of the gaps from years of passed down knowledge.

SS–Spires Shadow (Post-Rise)
After the rise of the spire, and maybe even a bit before it, it became more and more common for humans to make recordings and writings about the history happening before them. With war and trade came the importance of tracking times and dates, and an annual calendar slowly came together. The calendar of Karn consist of 236 days split up among 10 months, with 4 majorly celebrated festivals. The lunar cycle runs on a 29 and a half day cycle, the first full moon falling on Maitol the 17th.

The Calendar of Karn

Month
Name
Days

1
Maitol
23
Annual holiday: Warming Festival

2
Phain
24

3
Ju
23

4
Ari
25

5
Koo'un
22

6
Hicu
20
Annual holiday: The Great Harvest

7
Venar
36
Annual holiday: Sacred Summers Dawn

8
Lisum
16

9
Zi
26
Annual holiday: The Great Hunt

10
Guin
21

Warming Festival; A mid winter holiday celebrated by a weekend of feasting around a communal bonfire.

The Great Harvest; There is a very short growing season in Karn, due to the extreme summer heats and cold winters. Most the lands are harvested at the same time, and has since evolved into a holiday for the common folk.

Sacred Summers Dawn; During the end of Karns summer falls a week of almost always perfect weather. Since the dawn of the TofSL it has been celebrated as the birth-week of Venria and is considered a divine holiday.

The Great Hunt; As the dawn of winter approaches the wilds begin to forage and prepare, and so do the people. The Great Hunt is the final day of the hunting season and is celebrated by the cooking of the best kill of the season and sharing it with the community.

Spoiler: Races of Karn

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Spoiler: SIU-TULGA

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(lit. meaning; Underman)
The Siu-Tulga are a subterranean race that long ago left the world of Men. Once traders from the Depths of the Siu-Tulga in centuries past, the stock men and women of the north seemed to disappear. Fearing more of the violence of men than the supernatural as the battle intensified above ground the Siu-Tulga sank down to safely shelter themselves from the fallout, and so the ages went with but few stories of traders from the north bearing great treasures and metalworks.
500 Years in the Tulga
Hundreds of years passed, and the small yet sturdy race thrived on. Their skin growing as gray as the stones that surrounded them. Resistant to the supernatural creatures that roam in the tulga, they built large settlements under the karn without worry to the lower residents. Great cities of stone and metal, intertwining throughout torch lit caverns to create great structures and dim lit halls connecting them. Honing abilities in metal working and stone cutting, they became masters at smelting, blacksmithing and jewelcrafting; creating wonderous gold teasures and fearsome black iron weapons.
Tulga Traders
The once proud traders of the northern isle had separated themselves from the people who wanted their goods. But the tulga isn't deprived of other intelligent creatures, and the they would find a few ways of which to export their goods. The Nan Tulga where a deep race that, although nan and not widely liked in Siu-Tulga culture, often traded goods with them. Occasionally some Goblin exporters would be trusted enough to sell goods to take to the upper realms.
Rising Through the Stone
In the chaos and calamity during the rising of the dark spire, something has shifted in the deepest depths of the tulga. From the darkness came creatures of not the supernatural, but of other planes. Infernal and Abyssal fiends clashing against the great gates of the major cities in the Depths of the Siu-Tulga, and so the Siu-Tulga looked back up to the sky, beginning to emerge from the cities depths into which they once retreated.
Siu-Tulga Names
The Siu-Tulga still use old world naming traditions, and don't use surnames. Instead the Siu-Tulga have a given name and upon reaching adulthood get a chosen name, which may either replace or add-on to the given name. Often families pass down the same or similar given names.

Spoiler: GOBLINS

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The diminutive goblin race is seen mostly in their trade towns along the mountain ranges of the Northern Island and northern coast of Fol'Tir. Smart of wit and extremely keen in mechanical prowess, their gear works are highly sought after though they are often looked down on or even feared. Many a Goblin has sailed the seas and pirated the ships of passing merchants, but as is widely known the word of a Goblin shall never be broken. Or at least so they say.
Pirate's of the Goblin Arkships
Many goblins take to the ocean, pirating and exporting goods and treasures throughout the northern waters of Karn. Be they swashbuckling rouges or rapier wielding hunters there are many hardy and fierce crews that sail deep azure tides. The strongest and most successful and feared of these crews cutting through the waves in great metal arkships with unchallenged naval presence. But more feared are the infamous pirate captains that command the armored war vessels, whose naval tactics and brilliant sailing has led them to greatness.
Obsidian Royale
One of these Goblins was known as Poxin, the Pirate Empress of the Obsidian Ark. A renown pirate throughout the seas of Karn, she has supposedly since retired and rules over the Goblin hierarchy from the helm of the Goblin capital and massive city-ship the Obsidian Royale. A city rich with Goblin treasures, riches, and secrets that has only been seen by Goblins and dead men of the "higher races".
Goblin Goodies
But not all goblins are pirates or treasure hunters, some are simple traders and importers. Living in small trade villages along the northern borders of Fol'Tir. They attempt to fill their pockets by selling off the imported items from On Nan and Deh Martol and sometimes even rare treasures, arms and goods from the Depths of the Siu-Tulga.
Goblin Names
Goblins have given birth names and clan names. They take great pride in their clan name, and must strive to uphold it, least they be stripped of it and emancipated from the clan. Although this is not often thought of as a terrible thing, many forsaking their clans for their crews.

Spoiler: LEPACH

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The small men and women of the Southern Isle, the Lepach are born on the island in mystery even to themselves. With no real mother or father, they are awakened in the Forests of the Fey and grow protected by its supernatural magic and the other fey folk that live with in it. Fortunately this is something only known to lepach, as they are cautious never to reveal such secrets to outsiders of the forest.
Forever Young
Lepach never truly grows to adulthood in a normal sense, most usually being free of spirit and child like in attitude till there dying breaths. Often called children of the forest, they do have what seems to be a coming of age ceremony. Where in the Lepach leaves the Southern Isle to travel the lands of Karn. Often times the Lepach will make pilgrimages home to the Southern Isle, sometimes never venturing past the jungles of Mor'I. They barely seem to age and usually live an extremely long life.
Strength of Curiosity
The child like attitudes of the lepach lead them to be of a very curious nature. Even though the lepach are small they are not a fearful people, and travel the world on there own or with other adventurers. They are careful to be secretive with their supernatural nature, seeing the world and it's fear of such things as a problem that is at least manageable.
Lepach Names
The lepach decide on their names or are sometimes given to them by the fey folk. They can be widely varied, but generally have some familiar patterns.

Spoiler: NAN

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The Nan, sometimes known as Elven kind in other realms, are a slender and tall race of people that have lived a secluded life on the continent of On Nan. The nan are another race naturally attuned to magic, the Nan Ynn professing to be vassals of Venria and user of only the divine magic she blesses them with. The majority of the nan or of the nan ynn subrace, and generally when people think of the nan they think of them.
Residents of the Secluded North
The nan live on the north eastern island of On Nan, and it is a seldom traversed land by anyone but the nan. Mostly wild forests and Steep cliffs, it's lack of roads and paths make it a dangerous trek for anyone who doesn't know the land. The nan don are scattered about in hidden tribal villages, and are not very fond of strangers on their borders. As well the many nan ynn cities and Temples of the Sacred Light are well guarded from strangers and those that are not trusted.

Nan Ynn
The nan ynn are the higher families of the nan people, living in great cities built within the forest of On Nan. Protected by divine magic and the surrounding wild. Not many ever come to see such great wonders. The buildings tall and gilded in gold and silver much like the nan ynn themselves. They are the tallest of the nan, with pale white to almost golden skin tones.
Divine Hunter of Magic
The base of the hierarchy of nan culture, they preside over all cultural and temple matters, and are generally rarely seen in the other continent unless for political reasons or witch hunts. They are renowned throughout Karn to hunt down and extinguish any and all magic that threatens the world of Karn. Some speculate that the nan ynn do not protect the world from magic, but instead act as saviors to hold dominance over its power.

Nan Jon
The Nan Jon are slightly smaller than their royal brethren, but the major differences come from a much different up bringing. Living in small tribal villages scattered throughout the forests of On Nan they are generally thought of as wild and sometimes even savages.
Healers of the Wildlings
Distinguishable by their tanner skin and darker hair colors, the shorter Nan are almost at one with nature and are highly revered for their medical remedies and potions. Unfortunately for the Nan Jon, well-practiced healers are often brought into servitude for these strengths in the nan ynn cities and temples.

Nan Tulga
The Nan Tulga are a subterranean and cave dwelling offshoot of the nan, long ago retreating from the upper world into the tulga. For hundreds of centuries they have lived in the tulga, roaming its darkest reaches in an attempt to find what translates from the old tongue to The True Unbalance.
Bloody Bonds
All nan tulga are hunted by the nan ynn, and are most generally killed on sight. Although the they seldom visit the upper world, the nan ynn have raided the tulga on several occasions over time and rumors persist that raiding parties still enter the tulgas depths.
The Deeper You Go
The nan tulga were once themselves nan ynn and nan jon, and look very much the same for the major exception of their dark skin and blazing eyes. The deeper tulgas making more of an impression on their skin than that of the Siu-Tulga. The nan tulga often have much deeper and darker skins, ranging from jet blacks and dark grays to extremely dark greens and blues. The eyes of the Nan Tulga pierce through the dark in fiery oranges and brilliant reds.

Spoiler: HUMANS

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The humans of Karn are now few and scattered throughout the lands. Though some larger pockets of civilization still exist in most of the human territories. Humankind was still in the dawning of its youth before the rising of the shadow spire, and civilizations of large city states and religious theocracy were new to them. Still many tribal and raiding clans existed among the lands. Now being thrust into an even darker age these tribes and clans have thrived in the chaos.
Raiders and Slavers
In the war warriors raided Deh Martol from all the human nations, some tribal and nomadic raiders and others the actual armies of the Fol'Tir and Myhji. Most of the human cities of Deh Martol where ravaged and destroyed, a few even by the Dath'Ur people themselves. When the other nations arrived the Dath'Ur had already become weakened due to the city states fighting among themselves. Many were killed, but many more being to weak to resist anymore were shackled and placed into slavery for the war. Even after the influence of the spire had subsided though, many of the tribal raiding parties continued to raid and sometimes even claim lands in Deh Martol. Some of the Fol'Tir and Mhyji raiding armies as well adapted to the new way of life, and instead of returning home continue to ravage Deh Martol and help build a thriving slave trade with other raiders, pirates and traders.
Civilization Before the Spire
Before the war ravaged Deh Martol and the populations of much of the rest of Karns people civilization was beginning to thrive. The large city states of Deh Marsol prospered in agricultural trade. The Myhji mountainous terrain dotted with elevated cities and towns safe from the dangers of the world, soaring through the sky in great airships billowing clouds of steam. A great Fol'Tir city carved into a giant mountain peak housing some of the finest warriors and craftsman of the human world. But still a civilization in its youth it was not prepared for the major calamities that were to come, and most of the civilized places of human kind fell.

Hi everyone and thanks for visiting my GitPG project thread for the Shadow Spire campaign setting. As I am still working on the core documentation i recommend checking back often for new beta revision and the soon to come official v1.0. So to get the in depth look at the current version of Shadow Spire including it's unique races and new classes (The fool and the witch) as well as the many changes to the already existing d&d 5e classes check below. I will try and provide as much world information as possible here on the forum directly, but as is the manual is 32 pages and simply is to big to all be displayed here. Luckily google drive is just a click away and will simply pull up a new tab for you with the nicely laid out pdf with no download required. You can also find a link to the Fool class in my signature as well as the pdf.

Click Here for the Latest Version of the Shadow Spire Campaign Setting Player's Manual

As always I encourage people to share there insight, comments, critiques, and in general anything you might wish to share or discuss.

[Ninjadeadbeard]

Appears that access is denied.

[MaddHadda_|106|]

Appears that access is denied.

Oh man, thanks for the heads up, haven't used google drive much didnt realize it auto privates everything at first. Should be good to check it out now guys.

[QuintonBeck]

The Sanctified/Naturalist comes off a little biased towards Naturalism with the "last hope" line. Something added in to temper it would help make the other side seem more reasonable (The Shadow Spire was clearly a work of magic after all and look what it's done)

So too does the ToTSS seem a little lackluster in its offerings to Sanctified inclined players (you may have picked up I like the idea of being Sanctified aligned) The goddess seems to lack a real motivation for despising magic other than "it exists and so do bad things so its a bad thing" Perhaps if there were an explanation that magic had caused a great destruction/devastation in the past (could even by the Shadow Spire as its unclear how new the ToTSS is) prompted the people to turn to this goddess who promised to cleanse the world of that unnatural threat we call magic. Perhaps she and the church even follow a "it might be useful but it's too dangerous" policy with magic having them be somewhat sympathetic but ultimately driven against its use and spread for the betterment of Karn. If you wanted you could even have a sub-faction within the ToTSS that instead of destroying magic stuff tried to contain and control it and use it to further Sanctity goals (whether a group of rebellious hypocrites or the top echelons of the church I leave up to you)

I like the explanation for silver's power against the supernatural.

I like your symbols for the gods but I wonder if a mirror would be a tough symbol to illustrate in a practical sense. Perhaps another symbol for fate?

For the goblins you might want to remove the Pirate Empress from the writeup or at least the level of detail so you can use it in-game for a plothook.

Also, in general on the re-naming of races while I expect goblin will go over fine Siu-Tulga or Lepach (maybe not Nan since you use it a fair amount in the document) may not actually be used by your players and the OG name will probably be used. I'd expect that from any group I played with anyway so you'll want to be aware of that and either make those special names their personal names for their people with the other being Common names or be prepared to correct your players and use your names to refer to the races until they stick.

Another general note both the Lepach and Nan writeups reference quite a bit of magic which seems out of place with the setting's dead but coming back and feared tone it had taken at the beginning about magic.

Reading the Nan Ynn if they follow the ToTSS they seem like good candidates for the "lock away the magic for proper use" sect I proposed above.

I will also add that if there's wizards I wonder if there ought not be some form of Paladin. Seems like the organized church are the anti-magic crusaders so having a class to lead those ranks seems appropriate.

Those are my comments, feel free to disregard all of them if you want to I just have too much time on my hands

[MaddHadda_|106|]

The Sanctified/Naturalist comes off a little biased towards Naturalism with the "last hope" line. Something added in to temper it would help make the other side seem more reasonable (The Shadow Spire was clearly a work of magic after all and look what it's done)

So too does the ToTSS seem a little lackluster in its offerings to Sanctified inclined players (you may have picked up I like the idea of being Sanctified aligned) The goddess seems to lack a real motivation for despising magic other than "it exists and so do bad things so its a bad thing" Perhaps if there were an explanation that magic had caused a great destruction/devastation in the past (could even by the Shadow Spire as its unclear how new the ToTSS is) prompted the people to turn to this goddess who promised to cleanse the world of that unnatural threat we call magic. Perhaps she and the church even follow a "it might be useful but it's too dangerous" policy with magic having them be somewhat sympathetic but ultimately driven against its use and spread for the betterment of Karn. If you wanted you could even have a sub-faction within the ToTSS that instead of destroying magic stuff tried to contain and control it and use it to further Sanctity goals (whether a group of rebellious hypocrites or the top echelons of the church I leave up to you)

I like the explanation for silver's power against the supernatural.

I like your symbols for the gods but I wonder if a mirror would be a tough symbol to illustrate in a practical sense. Perhaps another symbol for fate?

For the goblins you might want to remove the Pirate Empress from the writeup or at least the level of detail so you can use it in-game for a plothook.

Also, in general on the re-naming of races while I expect goblin will go over fine Siu-Tulga or Lepach (maybe not Nan since you use it a fair amount in the document) may not actually be used by your players and the OG name will probably be used. I'd expect that from any group I played with anyway so you'll want to be aware of that and either make those special names their personal names for their people with the other being Common names or be prepared to correct your players and use your names to refer to the races until they stick.

Another general note both the Lepach and Nan writeups reference quite a bit of magic which seems out of place with the setting's dead but coming back and feared tone it had taken at the beginning about magic.

Reading the Nan Ynn if they follow the ToTSS they seem like good candidates for the "lock away the magic for proper use" sect I proposed above.

I will also add that if there's wizards I wonder if there ought not be some form of Paladin. Seems like the organized church are the anti-magic crusaders so having a class to lead those ranks seems appropriate.

Those are my comments, feel free to disregard all of them if you want to I just have too much time on my hands

Thanks for the c&c. You make some good points, but I should say many of the things you ask for are DM info and really just don't belong in this document as it's for players. I didn't think the information on the Goblin hierarchy was that informed, but Ill def try and water it down more as not to give to much information.

I actually think the whole document is very heavily leaning towards the sanctified side which is why I added that notion, to help encourage players to take the more difficult path and not just follow the side of the "norm". But maybe I should rethink the consideration as it doesn't seem to have such an effect.

The sanctified and naturalist is a basic concept of religion versus reason. Magic is in no way unnatural, in fact it's the essence of nature, and is the breaking point of the world from the DM stand point. It's prejudice is what has lead the world to downfall, and the spire may come to be from a sanctified source as opposed to naturalist. Keep in mind both the divine and supernatural are both magic. But one coming from the gods and one from nature itself. To destroy magic is to destroy the world itself in the end. But again, this is not a part of the pc's knowledge and really just doesn't belong in the document. I will try and flesh out the information better for the players in any way I can though with out revealing to much information. I think over all you might be looking to far into or expecting to much out of "the righteousness" of a dark fantasy religious organization. You may want them to be the light in the darkness, but that's not really how dark fantasy works. There is no light in the darkness, in fact, the light is the darkness in most cases. To further dilute any misconception, I will flat out say that while there may be plenty of well meaning individuals in the order, Venria by no means cares one bit about people and the world they live in, but about the world she desires.

It's unfortunate you don't think the racial names will stick, specifically because they don't tie to other d&d races that well. The Siu-Tulga are pretty much in no way dwarves at all. As well the Lepach is actually derived from the leprechaun and might lose it's presence if thought of by another name. The only one that would really be acceptable to call otherwise would be the Nan, or elves as they are exactly that and only different in worldly culture and upbringing. Though I know this won't be a problem in my groups and the races are by far the section needing more information so it should be all good in further versions. And yes the Lepach and Nan are both steeped in magic, one of a divine grace (the Nan) and one of supernatural (the Lepach). You use the term dead, and I'd like to point out this is very extremely wrong. Magic has never been dead in the world, only subjected to prejudice and hatred. The Nan Ynn use divine magic gifted to their race to purge out supernatural magic which has been around since the creation of Karn. The Lepach are a race of supernaturally born beings of the uncivilized continent; one that def needs more documentation to understand probably. I found some difficulties in balancing what information to give to the players and what to uphold to keep them in a state of common knowledge but no more. I'll def work on that for sure. Your thought on the Nan, btw, comes into play in the first adventure module.

As far as wizardry goes, you may notice the added class as well uses a "spellbook". The basic concept is humanity does not derive magic from themselves but from nature or another source entirely except in rare cases. As far as Paladins go, there's just no place for such classes in dark fantasy. There are no crusaders of good, protecting and upholding the weak. At least not in the generally knightly sense. As in the Dark Sun setting, they simply don't work in Karns story. There are classes already that uphold the TofSS as well a subrace in it's entirety.

I really appreciate your c&c and look forward to continued discussion on the matters with you. Thank you for your time, and I will most certainly be referencing your advice in upcoming revisions.

[QuintonBeck]

The Sanctified/Naturalist thing I think may be an origin of our having different experiences. I rarely assemble a PC group who are quick to align with the "norm" or "law" (Though I myself find my strongest suit to be Lawful Neutral which is why I think I prefer DMing mostly nowadays so I can be amused by the chaos of the PCs rather than trying to clean up after them ) most of the ones I get together are chaotic. I know the S/N is supposed to sub for G/E but to me it reads as a conflict between the hierarchical order of a human order, law, and justice (even twisted as it might be on Karn) vs the natural order/law of survival of the fittest and by any means necessary. Neither being particularly right but essentially two lenses for looking at the world.

To me magic seems to come across a bit all over the place in its various descriptions. The division between supernatural and divine seems vague or implied that one should know which is which and the idea of magic as an integral force of the world seems lacking. I know you don't want to tip your hand too much in a player briefing but we know in our world that humanity can get along just fine without magic so I think some form of indication that magic is the foundation of Karn and the people's distance from it as the cause for despair (probably phrased in such a way as to be speculative rather than factual) could help lead your players where you're seeming to want them to go. A clearer reason for the hate magic gets would also help I think since right now it seems like it's "dumb" to hate magic in your world from an OOC perspective despite that being what most people do IC. Clarifying and giving a legitimate reason for that IC hate would help make those against magic seem more sympathetic. It may be they've taken it too far and are hurting the world because of it but I think they need something other than just "distrust." After all in the real world people have distrusted lots of technologies but they've still gone ahead and become part of everyday life because they're useful and those complaints have fallen by the wayside. It's only when something really catastrophic happens because of a particular thing that people start to shy away from that thing.

I'm aware that Dark Fantasy lacks a real light in the darkness but I'm of the opinion that no world is devoid of hope IC and I would imagine the ToTSS would laud themselves as a light even if they weren't. Let the story and stray implications in the writeup indict them as a dark and no better than the rest group of people but I can't imagine they wouldn't actually portray themselves and even see themselves as the holy sword in the darkness. Forum rules prevent discussion of RL religion and the like but I think there's a wealth of evidence of organizations using a bright banner for less bright acts while still calling themselves bright and often being seen as bright by the common people.

As regards the racial names it may simply be my groups of players but even then I think there is a solution and that's constantly using your names and not the others. I would go so far as to say you ought to remove the crossed out "what they were" section so they aren't given an alternate option even if it isn't intended as an option.

The Paladin thing I think stems from my having a slightly different definition of paladin than the PHB and the general player-base. For me a Paladin is a devout warrior, one so driven and devoted to a particular cause that she has made it her life. It doesn't have to be "good" or "law" or the like, it is simply a concept, an organization, a deity, or something else that consumes the passions of the paladin and drives her to fulfill what she perceives as the desires of that entity. They are the martial versions of clerics for me so if you have clerics of organized religious gods and not just wise healers you probably should have paladins to bring the cudgel.

Again these are all just my opinions and ideas so take them with a salt lick.

[MaddHadda_|106|]

The Sanctified/Naturalist thing I think may be an origin of our having different experiences. I rarely assemble a PC group who are quick to align with the "norm" or "law" (Though I myself find my strongest suit to be Lawful Neutral which is why I think I prefer DMing mostly nowadays so I can be amused by the chaos of the PCs rather than trying to clean up after them ) most of the ones I get together are chaotic. I know the S/N is supposed to sub for G/E but to me it reads as a conflict between the hierarchical order of a human order, law, and justice (even twisted as it might be on Karn) vs the natural order/law of survival of the fittest and by any means necessary. Neither being particularly right but essentially two lenses for looking at the world.

To me magic seems to come across a bit all over the place in its various descriptions. The division between supernatural and divine seems vague or implied that one should know which is which and the idea of magic as an integral force of the world seems lacking. I know you don't want to tip your hand too much in a player briefing but we know in our world that humanity can get along just fine without magic so I think some form of indication that magic is the foundation of Karn and the people's distance from it as the cause for despair (probably phrased in such a way as to be speculative rather than factual) could help lead your players where you're seeming to want them to go. A clearer reason for the hate magic gets would also help I think since right now it seems like it's "dumb" to hate magic in your world from an OOC perspective despite that being what most people do IC. Clarifying and giving a legitimate reason for that IC hate would help make those against magic seem more sympathetic. It may be they've taken it too far and are hurting the world because of it but I think they need something other than just "distrust." After all in the real world people have distrusted lots of technologies but they've still gone ahead and become part of everyday life because they're useful and those complaints have fallen by the wayside. It's only when something really catastrophic happens because of a particular thing that people start to shy away from that thing.

I'm aware that Dark Fantasy lacks a real light in the darkness but I'm of the opinion that no world is devoid of hope IC and I would imagine the ToTSS would laud themselves as a light even if they weren't. Let the story and stray implications in the writeup indict them as a dark and no better than the rest group of people but I can't imagine they wouldn't actually portray themselves and even see themselves as the holy sword in the darkness. Forum rules prevent discussion of RL religion and the like but I think there's a wealth of evidence of organizations using a bright banner for less bright acts while still calling themselves bright and often being seen as bright by the common people.

As regards the racial names it may simply be my groups of players but even then I think there is a solution and that's constantly using your names and not the others. I would go so far as to say you ought to remove the crossed out "what they were" section so they aren't given an alternate option even if it isn't intended as an option.

The Paladin thing I think stems from my having a slightly different definition of paladin than the PHB and the general player-base. For me a Paladin is a devout warrior, one so driven and devoted to a particular cause that she has made it her life. It doesn't have to be "good" or "law" or the like, it is simply a concept, an organization, a deity, or something else that consumes the passions of the paladin and drives her to fulfill what she perceives as the desires of that entity. They are the martial versions of clerics for me so if you have clerics of organized religious gods and not just wise healers you probably should have paladins to bring the cudgel.

Again these are all just my opinions and ideas so take them with a salt lick.

Your opinions are worth far more than a grain of salt my friend, and I very much appreciate how in depth and detailed your reviewing is as I don't have many to go by, the only other suggestion I have gotten is more racial information. I am revising and re-writing some things now and once finish will reply in more depth about the revision and your help in it as well as update it. Thank you again Quinton.

[MaddHadda_|106|]

Hey everyone, alright just got a new updated version (v0.5) posted up on the main post. A lot of work went into this one, and I'm proud to say it's coming along very nicely.

Here's a partial list of what was worked on;

• Map Updated, now in ink stage lol (but oh if you only could see all the city, travel, dungeon, and battle maps :P )
• World, Theology, and History of Magic heavily updated.
• Added Time and Calendar information including holidays and lunar cycles.
• Complete Race Overhall; Extended Descriptions and Info; all WOTC racial text replaced with original writing
• Monk Class revised and improved, changed to represent more of a religious monk feel
• Some other minor class revisions and editing
• Ect, Minor Thing, Yata Yata

The Paladin thing I think stems from my having a slightly different definition of paladin than the PHB and the general player-base. For me a Paladin is a devout warrior, one so driven and devoted to a particular cause that she has made it her life. It doesn't have to be "good" or "law" or the like, it is simply a concept, an organization, a deity, or something else that consumes the passions of the paladin and drives her to fulfill what she perceives as the desires of that entity. They are the martial versions of clerics for me so if you have clerics of organized religious gods and not just wise healers you probably should have paladins to bring the cudgel.

So I used a lot of our conversation to help guide me in revisions and editing to flesh out the world, and hopefully you get the time to check out the new information. I wanted to talk a moment on your paladin concerns and say to you fear not, the martial counterpart of clerics are actually meant to be monks in the world of Karn.

[MaddHadda_|106|]

Today I have released the v0.9 revision, which takes us over the final leg of creation giving us a fully and complete campaign setting players manual! Of course I will list any major additions and changes as per norm. Thanks for anyone that has helped me so far or even just showed interest or a liking. The final version will most likely be a little while from this point, as the major factor in getting it from the beta testing v0.9 to the full v1 is actually testing and balancing, as well as refining and adding more info that might be found useful. But as is everything is ready to go, and if you do decide to try out a session of Shadow Spire, please let me know how everything goes and if you have any advice, revisions, or just in general c&c. Thanks, and enjoy!

• Fool Class
• All text added and completely original (no WOTC written sections)
• Simple Over-arching design through out document implemented fully
• New Rogue Archetype added: Swashbuckler (designed by WOTC designers and re-written and edited)
• Editing and revision
• Fully Inked Out Map of Karn
• More stuff I can't remember

Again, at this point testing and balance will be most important, but as well please do continue to help me flesh out the world of Karn with your advice and suggestions. Minor revisions may come between here and the finished release, I probably won't announce them unless there are major changes or revisions.

[MaddHadda_|106|]

Hey guys, just did a major forum overhaul and got pretty much all of the world information here on the forum itself, no links required! So if you want to just sink your teeth into the story without all the PDF glory here's your chance.