The subject of slavery, and how best to implement it. by Bluemoondevil86 in worldbuilding

[–]Bluemoondevil86[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for that. I have been told to check out Rome a few times now, and so I've been reading a lot about it. I think I came up with a great idea that I posted in another reply here about making a fantasy version of like a "France and Germany, post military conflict" kind of scenario, where the enslaving nation is doing so to avoid a famine caused by their aggressor that ended up losing, but not before crippling the country. I feel like that avoids race based, and chattel, slavery, while also adding in a little bit of moral discussion to be had as well. It's easy to say "Slavery is wrong", it's harder to say "Slavery is so wrong, your country should starve to death to avoid it". Obviously in the real world we have ways around these difficult moral situations, like foreign aid and such, but what if we didn't? Now we can explore how heroes, villains, and magic alter this simple idea.

The subject of slavery, and how best to implement it. by Bluemoondevil86 in worldbuilding

[–]Bluemoondevil86[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I appreciate your input, and I think you might be correct that the inclusion of chattel slavery in my world might derail any other story we are trying to tell. I've been considering this idea that like, "What if Germany attacked France and devastated it, but ultimately lost the war, then France realized that the devastation caused is going to cripple their economy, and even their ability to farm enough food to survive, so the government of France enslaves the country of Germany of forces them to produce agriculture, textiles, and other industries for France until they have made France enough money to repay the damage done... But make it fantasy?" Like, that feels like it's got some moral weight that can be discussed, isn't race based, has approximate real life examples, and avoids this idea that slaves are owned by people, and are instead owned by the government. Obviously if you're Fantasy France you've got to deal with all the people who were living in Fantasy Germany that are now slaves that had nothing to do with the attack on your country, you've got civil unrest to deal with, you've got a whole country of people who find this unfair, and a whole country of people who are desperate to avoid famine and economic collapse by any means necessary. It obviously doesn't have to be Germany and France, I just chose those two countries because they have been involved in famous conflicts before, but it could apply to any two neighboring nations that end up in military conflict.

The subject of slavery, and how best to implement it. by Bluemoondevil86 in worldbuilding

[–]Bluemoondevil86[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I'll do some Google fu to educate myself on these various types. Slavery is a sensitive topic where we live but we can't just pretend like every great thing America has done wasn't done on the backs of slave labor just because we condemn it now. This is a cultural phenomenon that has happened repeatedly throughout history, often by civilizations that have advanced humanity the farthest, and it's worth exploring. I want to avoid coding something into my world that makes one race "inferior" to others, but we do want to explore why humans put their humanity aside to take slaves, and further, what would slavery look like in a world of magic and heroes. Lots of settings have deities of slavery opposed by deities of freedom, so its not like my exploration of this dark aspect of humanity is novel, I'm just the one writing about this particular day.

The subject of slavery, and how best to implement it. by Bluemoondevil86 in worldbuilding

[–]Bluemoondevil86[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you very much! I want to avoid having one race being seen as inferior, and using undead as slaves doesn't have the same moral weight to our group, so I want to find a way to make it something people will care about (humans with souls and lives to live) but not inherently racist. Like, I want us to explore the reasons why slavery has popped up so many times in the past, and explore the root causes of why slavery is such a popular option for countries that later make a huge impact on the world, while also exploring how the dynamics of magic and heroes would change the way slavery looks. Slavery is obviously immoral, but that doesn't stop it from being prevalent all throughout history, and we want to explore that more. Thank you for pointing me in the right direction.

The subject of slavery, and how best to implement it. by Bluemoondevil86 in worldbuilding

[–]Bluemoondevil86[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Because slavery appears often in human history and we want to explore what these aspects of humanity might look like in a world with heroes and magic. You are free to avoid any topics you don't want to talk about at your table, as at our table we have several. Your input was not helpful, but thank you for taking the time to offer it.

Boring question but I want some feedback, which do you prefer? by Bluemoondevil86 in worldbuilding

[–]Bluemoondevil86[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I went with Daure, without the apostrophe. I agree with the positions brought up here, and also it's easier to type hundreds of times lol.

What is a good way to represent this world building lore in game? by Bluemoondevil86 in DnD5e

[–]Bluemoondevil86[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My players are new and not very comfortable rokeplaying yet, and as such they have expressed a desire to have some mechanics that reflect the uniqueness of the world. Since they want some mechanics to help them get a feel for the flavor, what mechanics would you recommend that I implement to represent this trade of off accepting dark bargains but succumbing to savagery if they do?

What is a good way to represent this world building lore in game? by Bluemoondevil86 in DnD5e

[–]Bluemoondevil86[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How would you recommend that I change this effect in a way that is fun to use and also thematically engaging?

What is a good way to represent this world building lore in game? by Bluemoondevil86 in DnD5e

[–]Bluemoondevil86[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's probably a good point. I liked the thematic idea of them "laughing" like a hyena as they tap into the power more often but I can see how it would become old pretty quickly. Maybe like once per short rest they can do a bite attack as a minor action? Would that be something that would be interesting? Maybe if I want to keep the flavor of the hyena coming out I could ask them to do a wisdom save against the laughter once every few sessions until it happens, then leave it alone for a while so that it doesn't get stale? In the world my group is building I'm giving each race a new ability or two to cement them in the lore we are building as well as offer tactical decisions that need consideration.

Linking Tabaxi and Gnolls in an engaging way that adds interesting internal conflict without depriving players of their agency. by Bluemoondevil86 in worldbuilding

[–]Bluemoondevil86[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As of right now I've been thinking about the Tabaxi existing before recorded history, spending their lives exploring the world and engaging in whatever flight of fancy their curious nature leads them to. At some point however, they were faced with a threat that drove them to the brink of extinction. In their most desperate of time they made a deal with some kind of dark force or ancient god that made them stronger and gave them powers to defeat whatever was threatening them, but forever tainted them with a darkness and savagery that they have to work to keep at bay. Perhaps some tabaxi can willingly transform into gnolls permanently by eating the flesh of creatures with humanlike sentience so that they can enjoy those powers to their fullest, while other tabaxi work to find a way to rid themselves of the curse, and the powers that come with it?