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2018-05-15, 02:26 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Let's build YOUR setting! Idea smorgasbord
Manna with two n's is the food that God sent the Isrealites in the desert, the nature of which is never stated in Exodus, but is often depicted as bread. And I thought they were the same, the stuff of magic named for the magical stuff of life that God sent.
If it's not that, then what is the origin of "mana"?
Edit: Never mind. I Googled it. Mana at WikipediaLast edited by jqavins; 2018-05-15 at 02:31 PM.
-- Joe“Shared pain is diminished. Shared joy is increased.”-- Spider RoninsonAnd shared laughter is magical
Always remember that anything posted on the internet is, in a practical if not a legal sense, in the public domain.
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2018-05-15, 08:47 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Let's build YOUR setting! Idea smorgasbord
In my first dungeon in what became my home campaign for many years I combined my love of mazes and the brand new AD&D Monster Manual to create a labyrinth of monsters. All kinds of creatures were around, but no ecology for them to survive. My little brother opines the monsters should all have eaten one another long before.
"You've kicked in a hundred doors, killed whatever was on the other side, looted the corpses for valuables, and now you want logic from me?"
At some point you have to acknowledge it's just a game.
Speaking of which:
In the city of Shalladar, a game similar to Chess is played between three Statti, or generals, who lead teams of gladiators on a giant triangular chess board surrounded by an arena. Unlike chess, the attacking piece doesn't always win. While not always fatal, the fights are intended to be spectacular. The Arena draws considerable revenue into the city in taxes and tourism, so the city leadership are strong supporters of the games.
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2018-05-15, 10:27 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Let's build YOUR setting! Idea smorgasbord
Most languages don't have a word sharing both meanings of the word "good" (sense 1 "benevolent", sense 2 "desirable"). The orcish word denoting something desirable translates more closely to "smashing", the Yugoloth word translates closer to "wicked", etc.
"If you want to understand biology don't think about vibrant throbbing gels and oozes, think about information technology" -Richard Dawkins
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2018-05-16, 07:44 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Let's build YOUR setting! Idea smorgasbord
Dwarves are related to dragons.
The idea came from the concept of lineages of the common races. Elves are related to the fey, so it would make sense that dwarves would have a similar relation to another creature that likes gold and shiny things. I always wanted to do a large family tree for the creatures, with every race having some form of god-like entity that they can trace their ancestry to."My new favorite spell is Ice Knife, because it is a throwing knife made from ice, and a grenade."
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2018-05-16, 07:59 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Let's build YOUR setting! Idea smorgasbord
"If you want to understand biology don't think about vibrant throbbing gels and oozes, think about information technology" -Richard Dawkins
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2018-05-16, 08:21 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Let's build YOUR setting! Idea smorgasbord
I actually did this for all my races and it made a total change in how I see them. Proteans served the Primordial of Change, who rebelled before history began and was imprisoned in the Abyss. For their progenitor's crimes, they were debased into goblins. Titans (runic creators) and Wyrm (elemental unmakers) warred in the early history; the rise of elven wizardry put an end to that. The elves created most of the other races by experimental soul-shaping (with various admixtures), although some have arisen since.
In rough form:
Race Ancestor Notes Human-kin Proteans (via hobgoblins + elves) Humans were created by modifying hobgoblins to include high elven soul-matter; the rest were created from human stock Orcs Proteans (via hobgoblins + pigs) Orcs were created by wood elves out of hobgoblins and porcine soul-matter (and druidic magic) Elves Lightbound (proto-angels) They are kin to angels and devils; high elves embraced the arcane and bred for that while wood elves did not. Halflings Proteans (via goblins) Descended from goblins that got mutated by magical nuclear warfare. Recent race. Dwarves Titans Giants also come from titans; dwarves held on to runic magic while each race of giants bound itself ("swallowed") one major rune. Gnomes Proteans (via goblins + ???) Believed to be goblins + elf soul-matter, but could also be goblins + dwarf soul matter, done by elves. Currently believed to be extinct (although they're not really). Goblinoids Proteans Goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears are all the same race. They're a mutable, shared-memory race; they pump the tribe's spare energy into a few, turning them into (neuter) hobgoblins. If the need passes, the hobgoblins revert to goblins. In extremis they create bugbears, but this transformation is permanent. Dragonborn Proteans (via humans) Artificially created using soul-transfer techniques (refined blood magic). Very recent race, second only to halflings.
Gnomes are a mystery. They're probably goblins + dwarf soul matter (but probably at elven hands). Currently thought to be extinct. They are very much tied to the earth--those that consort with elemental powers tend to gravitate to earth, as dwarves gravitate to fire.Dawn of Hope: a 5e setting. http://wiki.admiralbenbo.org
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2018-05-18, 10:31 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Let's build YOUR setting! Idea smorgasbord
The god of rogues is also a nature deity. He's in charge of hemp plants, and making it rain, and certain kinds of mushrooms, and things like that.
Last edited by Bohandas; 2018-05-18 at 10:39 AM.
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2018-05-18, 10:45 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Let's build YOUR setting! Idea smorgasbord
On that thought--judges and lawyers in one society belong to the Thieves Guild*, as do the police. And secular** prostitutes and other "undesirable" types.
* Yes, there is an official, sanctioned Thieves Guild. Most actual criminal types consider them to be sell-outs and belong to another organization. Sanctioned theft is supposed to be more "investigate and recover misappropriated items", but has become quite corrupt.
** There is a goddess whose clergy are often involved in such acts. But those are separate and much more highly regarded. And paid.Dawn of Hope: a 5e setting. http://wiki.admiralbenbo.org
Rogue Equivalent Damage calculator, now prettier and more configurable!
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2018-05-18, 02:48 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Let's build YOUR setting! Idea smorgasbord
Since 1st ed. I have considered gnomes to be dwarf/elf hybrids. The functional equivalent of half-elves.
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2018-05-19, 02:56 AM (ISO 8601)
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- May 2010
Re: Let's build YOUR setting! Idea smorgasbord
Orcs really believe that you are what you eat and that eating the flesh of lesser beasts dilutes their raw orcish power. Like the deadly hippopotamus, they are vegetarians (but belligerent and insanely violent). They view eating plants as consuming the flesh of the earth itself.
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2018-05-19, 04:02 PM (ISO 8601)
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2018-05-25, 04:38 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Let's build YOUR setting! Idea smorgasbord
Elves are vegetables... hmmmm.
Elves are a kind of dryad.
There is a special tree that grows deep in the forest. One might not think it a tree, as it is colonial, it spreads vast roots and grows many trunks. To protect itself, it has elves. Humanoids, lithe and comely to charm travellers. Any travellers who come upon the elves will find them feasting, or playing music, or frolicking in the water. It's a trap. Once the traveller is fed and... charmed, and lies drunk in a stupor under the branches, the elves fall on him, and slit his throat and his blood is used to water the roots. The flesh is devoured and the bones are taken deep in the forest, where a pod opens and the bones are placed and then, the pod closes, and shoots and resin grow over the bones until, a year later... the pod opens and a new elf is born.Resident Vancian Apologist
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2018-05-25, 10:06 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Let's build YOUR setting! Idea smorgasbord
-- Joe“Shared pain is diminished. Shared joy is increased.”-- Spider RoninsonAnd shared laughter is magical
Always remember that anything posted on the internet is, in a practical if not a legal sense, in the public domain.
You are completely welcome to use anything I post here, or I wouldn't post it.
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2018-05-25, 10:09 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Let's build YOUR setting! Idea smorgasbord
Dawn of Hope: a 5e setting. http://wiki.admiralbenbo.org
Rogue Equivalent Damage calculator, now prettier and more configurable!
5e Monster Data Sheet--vital statistics for all 693 MM, Volo's, and now MToF monsters: Updated!
NIH system 5e fork, very much WIP. Base github repo.
NIH System PDF Up to date main-branch build version.
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2018-05-29, 08:37 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Let's build YOUR setting! Idea smorgasbord
Not my original idea, found it on tumblr and liked it.
Instead of an ocean there is a large forest, and the further down you go, the taller the trees get and the bigger the animals get. Near the bottom the forest is completely dark aside from luminescent organisms.
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2018-05-29, 08:42 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Let's build YOUR setting! Idea smorgasbord
Continuing on the "sea" theme (but very different)--
The oldest creature in the world is Leviathan. Leviathan is actually a distributed entity, composed of thousands (millions?) of individual bodies of all shapes and sizes, all living in the deep ocean. It continually sings its memories to itself, echoing back and forth. Its point of view is completely alien to any surface dweller--time is not a thing to it. Everything is "now"--from before the Dawn War at time's beginning, it's all present.
Kraken (and other sea monsters) are parts of Leviathan that have become defective, closed off from the song. It's believed that the Twisted One is one of these pieces, "ascended" to Demon Prince status.Dawn of Hope: a 5e setting. http://wiki.admiralbenbo.org
Rogue Equivalent Damage calculator, now prettier and more configurable!
5e Monster Data Sheet--vital statistics for all 693 MM, Volo's, and now MToF monsters: Updated!
NIH system 5e fork, very much WIP. Base github repo.
NIH System PDF Up to date main-branch build version.
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2018-05-30, 02:36 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Let's build YOUR setting! Idea smorgasbord
not getting a lot of attention in my own thread so i'm hoping maybe i can get some input from here.
long story short, low-magic setting, very few if any people have magic normally, can't learn magic i.e. no wizards. Having trouble explaining Gnomes and possibly other Fey. Current working idea is that maybe there is a valley somewhere where some magical artifact broke and started leaking magic all over the place, magic grows more powerful as it ages, and so halflings or their common ancestor that lived in the valley evolved into Gnomes as they adapted to the magic, other fey likely also originating there, area would tear apart non-fey from magical overload in the current time.
could use additional thoughts and opinions, possible ways to alter gnomes to be less fey / magic orientated, maybe more mechanically inclined, other explanations as to how they could possibly exist in a world where magic is rare and only the material world and one afterlife exist with little to no crossover.
Pathfinder for the record.Last edited by Draconi Redfir; 2018-05-30 at 02:36 AM.
Avy by Thormag
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2018-05-30, 09:26 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Let's build YOUR setting! Idea smorgasbord
The problem here is that there are an infinity of possibilities. The basic contradiction of a magical species in a non-magical world could be solved by:
a portal from a magical world
non-magical gnomes
secret knowledge of real magic not shared with others
magic linked to genetics which requires fey heritage
stage magic used to frighten ignorant humans
that's just the way it is and nobody knows why
And on and on and on. You have to pick one direction and go with it. People want to critique and fill in the gaps, not create your world for you.
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2018-05-30, 09:49 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Let's build YOUR setting! Idea smorgasbord
-- Joe“Shared pain is diminished. Shared joy is increased.”-- Spider RoninsonAnd shared laughter is magical
Always remember that anything posted on the internet is, in a practical if not a legal sense, in the public domain.
You are completely welcome to use anything I post here, or I wouldn't post it.
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2018-05-30, 11:07 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Feb 2016
Re: Let's build YOUR setting! Idea smorgasbord
D&D's humans' adaptivity and successfulness comes not from their humanity, but from their lack of it. The average human is about 40-50% human and 50-60% miscallaneous (fiend, celestial, dragon, elf, elemental, githzerai, genie, orc, vampire, gnome, doppleganger, werewolf, space alien, yeti, etc. etc. etc.).
The rare pureblooded humans have no skill bonus or bonus feat, but gain no new abilities to replace them. Their alignment is usually lawful neutral"If you want to understand biology don't think about vibrant throbbing gels and oozes, think about information technology" -Richard Dawkins
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2018-05-30, 12:20 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Let's build YOUR setting! Idea smorgasbord
Well that's good! I don't know most of them and i'd love to hear some more, hense the asking for input.
a portal from a magical world
non-magical gnomes
secret knowledge of real magic not shared with others
magic linked to genetics which requires fey heritage
stage magic used to frighten ignorant humans
that's just the way it is and nobody knows why
People want to critique and fill in the gaps, not create your world for you.
I'm just struggling with one small piece of it so i'm looking for input, advice, ideas, and thoughts. that is VERY different from asking you to build a setting for me.
that IS also a possibility i'm keeping in mind. Main things stopping me are that the other two racial groups (humans, elves + orcs, and Goblins Hobgoblins +Bugbears) all of three closely related races. Were i to remove gnomes, the remaining races (Dwarves + Halflings) would be without this pattern for a third related race. not a huge deal as i doubt that would come up very often in the game, but it is something i'm keeping in mind. I also want to avoid telling people they can't play their favorite core race if possible, especially since it would be the only core race not allowed of the bunch. So any alternatives i can find to keep them around would be great.Last edited by Draconi Redfir; 2018-05-30 at 12:21 PM.
Avy by Thormag
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2018-05-30, 01:05 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Let's build YOUR setting! Idea smorgasbord
@Draconi Redfir you’ve already made your own thread for this and you’re kind of hijacking this one. If people were interested in your thread they would have clicked on it.
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2018-05-30, 01:12 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Let's build YOUR setting! Idea smorgasbord
That's exactly the sort of thing that I would have to remind myself not to get hung up on too.
Personally, I have long thought that gnomes are useless as a distinct race, as they're nothing more than cuter dwarves. Sure, they have a greater tendency to use magic and tinker with machines, but nothing says dwarves can't use magic like gnomes, and some do (but not in your world, where gnomes wouldn't either). In some (not RAW D&D) settings the dwarves are the ones likely to be into gadgetry as well as mining. (Which makes sense, as a lot of real world engineering is historically tied to the need for mining technology.)
So how about replacing gnomes as written with a subgroup - perhaps call it a tribe - of dwarves who long ago took up mechanics and started wearing pointy hats? And call them gnomes if it makes your players happy to play something called gnomes.-- Joe“Shared pain is diminished. Shared joy is increased.”-- Spider RoninsonAnd shared laughter is magical
Always remember that anything posted on the internet is, in a practical if not a legal sense, in the public domain.
You are completely welcome to use anything I post here, or I wouldn't post it.
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2018-05-30, 01:17 PM (ISO 8601)
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2018-05-30, 01:36 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Let's build YOUR setting! Idea smorgasbord
Dragonlance gnomes, and most "tinker" gnomes, don't use magic though they are capable of using magic objects and effects in their technology.
Here is my fundamental issue with helping you: I could pare off half of infinity and still have infinity of ideas, the vast majority of which will not serve your needs. I lack sufficient detail to target ideas you might like.
When worldbuilding, you sometimes encounter issues which don't have easy solutions. The easiest solution is to write around the issue, very often discovering the bit that fills the hole when you get to the other side. Sometimes you discover by writing around it that it's a bit you never needed in the first place.
You've decided you want gnomes.
You've decided you want them to be non-magical.
Okay, that's fine. Gnome characters are just like humans, but they have small stature instead of medium. Everything else about gnomes relates to NPC and monster gnomes. If you want to retain some unique aspects, alter their affinity for illusion to an affinity for gardening like this:
Natural Affinity:
This bonus feat is granted only to Level 1 Gnome characters. Characters with this feat gain a +2 Competence bonus when using Animal Handling, Gardening, Herbalism, Survival, and Wilderness Lore skills.
As for why they don't use magic: nobody does. Why should they?
Worldbuilding is not about filling in every detail. It's about painting background with a broad brush. Many details will simply never come up in game, (what do gnomes wear beneath their kilts?) Many details are a waste of time generating, (how do gnomes educate their children?) and many details distract the played from the adventure, (a hidden gnomish city in Gnomlandia where nothing needs adventurers to fix.) It is a complete waste of time to generate these details.
I acvocate using the broad brush, and wait until it's needed to break out the fine point Sharpie. In other words, there is absolutely no need to explain non-magical gnomes beyond the blanket statement that there are no magical races in your world.
[P.S. The answer to what gnomes wear beneath their kilts is, "A blue ribbon." It's true, google it.]Last edited by brian 333; 2018-05-30 at 01:38 PM.
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2018-05-30, 02:56 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Let's build YOUR setting! Idea smorgasbord
-- Joe“Shared pain is diminished. Shared joy is increased.”-- Spider RoninsonAnd shared laughter is magical
Always remember that anything posted on the internet is, in a practical if not a legal sense, in the public domain.
You are completely welcome to use anything I post here, or I wouldn't post it.
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2018-05-31, 12:33 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Feb 2016
Re: Let's build YOUR setting! Idea smorgasbord
Followers of the god of rogues practice rat baiting as a form of animal sacrifice
"If you want to understand biology don't think about vibrant throbbing gels and oozes, think about information technology" -Richard Dawkins
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2018-05-31, 02:35 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Let's build YOUR setting! Idea smorgasbord
Huh. Aren't thief gods in D&D usually a bit more on the Charming Rogue side than the Hardened Criminal side? Rat baiting seems to me to be more something for a Might Makes Right, The Weak Suffer As They Must kind of thing.
Resident Vancian Apologist
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2018-05-31, 02:51 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Let's build YOUR setting! Idea smorgasbord
No moreso than any other kind of animal sacrifice; or the meat industry for that matter
"If you want to understand biology don't think about vibrant throbbing gels and oozes, think about information technology" -Richard Dawkins
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2018-05-31, 09:44 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Let's build YOUR setting! Idea smorgasbord
Less so, since it's disposing of vermin. Those who eventually banned the practice don't try to stop rat extermination by other means, which bears more than a whiff of hypocrisy.
-- Joe“Shared pain is diminished. Shared joy is increased.”-- Spider RoninsonAnd shared laughter is magical
Always remember that anything posted on the internet is, in a practical if not a legal sense, in the public domain.
You are completely welcome to use anything I post here, or I wouldn't post it.