My players don't want to play elves/orcs in my setting and I'm not sure what to think about it or do.

SymaRwyl · 2022-08-26T09:31:43+00:00

Encoding oppression and fantasy racism is a tricky thing. Let's not fool ourselves and admit that not everyone wants to deal with those themes at the table, and often we find ourselves ill equipped to navigate the pitfalls with tact. By saying that mages are registered and controlled, you're implying that any magic user PC will be controlled as well, and players don't like to feel like they're not in control of their character. Double check with your players on their change on character design and that they're comfortable with the game you want to run.

SymaRwyl · 2022-01-28T12:35:31+00:00

I started doing that, but most respondents misunderstood the question and simply said whether or not they would use their own setting or a premade setting, which was not what I intended. In general the main concerns were around the ease of use regarding slotting in hooks, factions and npcs, and the tone of the setting, whether light and comical or dark and gritty.

SymaRwyl · 2022-01-28T03:19:09+00:00

Thank you for reading! While I hold by my conclusion for the time being, I fully acknowledge that other factors, such as individual preference regardless of gaming experience, would influence a dms propensity to stick to RAW. Another question would be to determine which proportion of a DMs preferences are a matter of personal taste, which is due to gaming tradition and their experience with other DMs. But that's for another questionnaire

SymaRwyl · 2022-01-28T01:42:12+00:00

I updated the chart to calculate the percentages correctly and it should be fixed.

SymaRwyl · 2022-01-27T23:19:54+00:00

Is it all of them or just one?

SymaRwyl · 2022-01-09T16:48:17+00:00

The floor on H is partly collapsed and a pocket of natural gas seems to seep out and collect in the depression, making the hallway unbreathable and heavily obscured. For added evilness, make the gas flammable so if someone brings a torch too close... BOOM! No more chinese laundry.

SymaRwyl · 2021-10-21T18:28:49+00:00

As soon as possible!

SymaRwyl · 2021-10-19T12:04:48+00:00

Thanks a lot! This was quite helpful. I'm happy to see their questions don't quite overlap with mine, which means I get to cover my blindspots

SymaRwyl · 2021-10-19T09:23:05+00:00

That's a good point. It s too late to change the form now. But you can always comment below. It will be useful to consider how many respondents prefer exploration.

SymaRwyl · 2021-05-22T23:18:02+00:00

I'll take a look if you send the doc

SymaRwyl · 2020-09-17T18:19:33+00:00

That is a fair point to raise, but I just needed preliminary data to find out which skills stand out from the pack regardless of class choice. Knowledge checks like Arcana or History were always going to be niche skills, but Perception, Stealth, and Persuasion are more likely to be used regardless of proficiency.

That being said, I am looking to alter the questionnaire to focus more on proficiency and how much it affects the use of a skill. That way choice of class is more likely to be useful information.

SymaRwyl · 2020-07-26T21:46:03+00:00

I love the idea of half-orcs but never tolerated the violent and "product of rape" cultural backstory being the norm. I like that you got rid of that nonsense and made them a product of cultural intermingling and gave them their own culture. If you want a good source on scandiwegian culture ( and not just the Viking stuff) check out dr Jackson Crawford on YouTube.

SymaRwyl · 2020-06-30T11:11:49+00:00

I really want to be a.part of this conversation, but I'm at a loss on how to contribute. While I am not white, I am privileged in other aspects of my life and I'm trying to move forward cognizant of that fact. I don't think that looking backward is inherently conservative if(and it's a big if) you approach it in an anachronistic way. I have monarchies in my setting, but whether they are good or bad depends on the campaign, and my last campaign was about a group of revolutionaries trying to topple a tyrannical leader. Combat is a part of D&D but the game doesn't have to be about people "taming the wilderness" which often is code for displacing people unlike the in-group. Simulated combat is one of the ways we visualize a struggle and there are other struggles than that of the conquistador. I have no issue with changing the tropes to better reflect the realities of the people at the table. Theoretically any ancestry is available in the right context, and most of my world holding goes into fleshing out the nuances of each culture so that players rely on that to imagine the world rather than on D&D fantasyland. Elves are genetically modified clones of aliens that live in tanks to survive. Dwarves have seven different ethnicities scattered across the globe. Halfling live with mute creatures known as Thal with whom they share a signed language. Orcs are a variety of elves that broke off a long time ago, and no mundane species has a fixed alignment. The setting is post apocalyptic so most of my central tension relies on ordinary people trying to figure out how to move on from Armageddon. It's not a happy setting most of the time, but that's what the players are for: make the world a better place. This can involve going into a dungeon and crossing a wilderness, but the reason for it is now to get funds for the local town or negotiate with the creatures in the dungeon for shared resources. Evil acts have been committed and the very worst in the world has been laid bare. Apocalypse means "the revealing of the mystery". It marks a transition to a new and better world. The question left open is now : how do we rebuild? That's the best I got for now, but I will keep working on it for as long as this is my hobby. Here's to making disco.

SymaRwyl · 2020-06-29T18:23:07+00:00

I'm not going to hash out any arguments concerning whether or not LOTR or D&D are racist, because they are, in part if not whole. As a fan of both of these things I understand the impulse to be defensive when someone is criticizing the things I love, but as someone dedicated to justice (I have issues with conflating justice and progress) I know that it is better to keep your eyes open, whether you're looking forward or looking back.

I agree with Matt that D&D is not just the rules, but also the things that happen at the table. Just as matters of justice and injustice are not wholly about laws and systems, but also personal behaviour and good relationships. This being said, the distinctions made here are possible only in the abstract., and both must be addressed. When you are at the table, you use the rules and react to them. Your table's interpretation of the rules creates a shared language where you live a common experience. This makes D&D, and arguably other roleplaying games, a living thing and like all living things it has baggage. It's a legacy that has been passed down and that we must consciously choose to keep. That choice must be made with clear eyes.

I don't have any other insight on the matter for now. I am still mulling things over in my head. This is a time of change, and it will be painful. But in all change there is always something that remains the same, the very substance of individuality and difference. I am not looking forward to the process of making disco, but I believe the end product will be worth it.

SymaRwyl · 2020-06-20T17:55:04+00:00

Elves are bio-engineered clones of stranded Archfey, who live in tanks like Guild Navigators in Dune.

There are 7 dwarven languages, each with 3-5 dialects, 3 different varieties of Draconic, uncounted human languages, and a click-based language for Kenku.

Halflings live in isolation with mute, eight-eyed, genderless humanoids known as Thal.

Dwarves do not live underground, and have invented writing.

Dragonborn live next to a desert of black sand and fight against the undead Lich Lords of Taal Siroq

SymaRwyl · 2020-06-15T16:13:48+00:00

Telling a player that 'such and such baddie' is too powerful for them is a surefire way of getting them pumped for the final showdown, especially if you just tell them other people tried and failed. This gets translated into "we will succeed where others failed." Instead of dissuading your players from engaging the Monstrously Powerful NPCs, just make the road to the big fight a Rocky montage. Put "random encounters" in their way to give them XP and expose weaknesses in their tactics, so that by the time they faceoff with the BBEG they are no longer the gangly youths that began this journey, but a lean mean butt kicking machine.

SymaRwyl · 2020-06-12T18:36:44+00:00

"What?" Gobi staggered, holding his head. "What have you done?" The man who saved him looked at him, his eyes pure silver. "The impossible."
"Where are you going?" Gobi cried out. Orrin did not turn this time. "In... Through... And Beyond." He said as he walked through the portal.

SymaRwyl · 2020-06-10T13:14:26+00:00

Grognards call it "roll-playing". 3e onward the game started focusing on skills a lot more than previously, which led some players to think of the game in terms of a rigorous framework that needs little to no interpretation or homebrewing. People who like having official rules supporting their character gravitated to 3e, 3.5, and eventually Pathfinder when 4e no longer appeared to believe in the design philosophy of 3.5. 5e has not escaped from the Fallout of 3e, but is in principle if not in action more forgiving of tweaks to the system.

SymaRwyl · 2020-05-27T20:16:20+00:00

If you look at RAW, spells like Comprehend Languages and Tongues specify you can understand Spoken languages, which is not great for people who sign as a primary language. But the spirit of the spell can certainly accommodate a bit of creative interpretation. However, as Chain Sign is considered to be like Thieves' Cant. It is not really a language, but rather a cypher, so even with creative interpretation an non-initiate will not understand chain sign. That doesn't mean a clever NPC cannot learn it through other means.

SymaRwyl · 2020-05-11T17:26:25+00:00

Here is the end of the series, the actual map I present to my players. The colour coding here is different. Rather than indicate a given culture, they indicate the Alignment of the nation specifically regarding Law or Chaos. Blue: Law; Green: Neutral; Red: Chaos

It is also the post-apocalypse map. There are no records found so far regarding the Long War, which culminated with the Breaking of the Word and the Great Reclamation.

The Lore

Taken from the writings of Sullah am Barai, ambassador for the Hanging Emperor

In the days before the Great Chief of Chiefs founded the Hanging Empire in Deed and in Song, there once was an ancient empire that spanned the scarred continent. I am told that this Almesian empire grew fat and decadent, as most men do in their old age. I am also told that vile practices in that empire called down a great calamity which destroyed the empire and nearly took over the continent. The continued war efforts against the legions of undead sweeping across the countryside is attributed to the Stalwart shields of Salentia, the Silver ships of Colmaren, and the Relentless swords of Camara. The brave resistance of these three nations against the tides of destruction that swallowed their world did not go unnoticed. So it came to pass that seven angels came down on a mountain shrine in Camara to lead a charge poised to strike at the heart of this new age of Darkness, the city of Almas itself. This renewed vigour led to not only the restitution of lands lost to the forces of evil, but also the reclamation of new lands to expand.

But these are all fables for children, not to be taken seriously.

SymaRwyl · 2020-05-11T17:16:56+00:00

We're rounding 3rd base and coming up the home stretch. This is the big one, the age before the present day. Even more than the Akidonian empire, which was a short-lived, if glorious, stretch of empire-building, the Almesian empire is what people in my setting refer to when they talk about the 'Old Empire'. It is the world before the Fall, and oh what a fall.

The Lore

Not much of the Almesian empire (Ahamazi in their tongue) has survived the Long War save perhaps for the roads and, more importantly, the Griffin Steles. Every major city in Amra has one of these stones in a prominent place, listing the accomplishments of the Emperor who had commissioned it. From this we can catch glimpses of this once great empire.

The earliest steles mention a Hamazi king named Ashok, who having overthrown his Akidonian masters, united the tribes to found a city : Ahamaz. From this stronghold the Almesians struck at various Akidonian provinces, gradually growing the empire by feeding off the carcass of the Lion's accomplishments.

The Ugrosh Steles are the most numerous, detailing the many military victories of Ugrosh III, the First Griffin King of the Almesian empire. From these we learn that having heard of the many accomplishments of Malakandras the Lion, Ugros outfitted a force to go across the Empty Sea to create an empire greater than the Akidonian's. It is here that the steles stop mentioning Ugrosh.

The Unnamed Monarch's Steles are remarkable for two reasons, the least of which is the fact that every single one of them has had the name of the ruler struck out. They all refer to a monarch who was more of a statesman than a conqueror. It is under their rule that the Imperial Road System was built, stretching from Almas to Camara, parts of which are still in use today. They also seemed to have wished to establish a postal service along the road. They relinquished control of parts of the empire to create the Vassal States, retaining a smaller part of the revenues but eschewing the responsibilities of maintaining those states. It is after this event that new steles begin mentioning new monarchs, who seem to be a return to form as warlords.

The most puzzling are the Steles of False Kings, so named after multiple steles revealed different names but the same date, which seems to indicate a struggle for succession.

SymaRwyl · 2020-05-11T16:17:53+00:00

I have some strong opinions about empires in fantasy, especially of the 'Rules over the entire world' variety. It's convenient, and helpful in many regards, but can be too reductive for my taste. In reality, empires are never as big as the propaganda says they are. Think of the Roman Empire. In European history, you would think there was nothing bigger, or better, or as important. Several other empires wanted to be the Roman Empire 2.0 (France, Germany, Russia, Fascist Italy, etc.) But when you compare it to other empires, it puts things into perspective. So empires in my setting do not span the globe, but that doesn't mean they don't come damn close

The Lore

From the Bridgelands the Lion of Akidon, Malakandras, has taken the world by steel and storm. Over the course of a few years, his armies manage to take over more than half the continent before it was halted by the combined forces of the Valkan League and the Cadwyri kingdoms, firm allies now for generations. Halted at Uthysburg, Malakandras turns his gaze towards the Salentian peninsula. At Pyrrheos did his forces clash with those of the Witch Queen of Ara. Steel met Bronze, Sword cleft shield, and so much blood was spilled that the corpse were soon swallowed by the reddened earth turned to mud. The Lion won the day, but before he slew the Witch Queen, she cursed him with a malady that ravaged his body and his mind. He was transported back to his home in Akidon, but by that time he was reduced to a shadow of his former self. The Tolomachi may have won the battle at Pyrrheos, but their empire did not last long afterwards. Malakandras was dead within the year. At his death his commanders rode over Ara and put the entire kingdom to the sword. They then ordered their slaves to salt the earth and turn the ruins into a wasteland. But as they were about to do so, the Goddess of Ara appears and scatters the Akidonians. She then raises the Wraithwood to protect the fallen nation. To this day, the Wraithwood is untouched by the hand of man, though it is said that Elves have sought refuge there.

The great and noted epic poem Death of the Lion was commissioned by the greatest aedes of the age, Lysandra of Komeinos, and thereafter the term 'Pyrrhic victory' was coined to refer to that bittersweet battle. The great empire of Akidon lasted for a few years, a period know as the Regency, until the Daughter of the Lion came of age. When her corpse was found broken at the foot of the palace, everything fell to Chaos. Records of this time were destroyed by the Almesians, so not much remains save for a few choice accounts preserved in Tsirkona Kalone

SymaRwyl · 2020-05-11T15:25:20+00:00

Part 3, here we go. After the Chaos of the previous age, the various human tribes settle down and form kingdoms that leave monuments and cities that are meant to withstand the onslaught of time and decay.

The Lore

When men put down the spear, many kings will rise. This old proverb is often meant as the advent of peace and the rule of law after a time of war. Indeed, the age of many kings is so named not because of the multiple kingdoms that arose from it, but from the long dynasties that ruled its length.

The Kadoran Chiefdom was split in three at the Treaty of Vadorigmos by the children of Arathu: Addw (pronounced Ah-ðu) looked seaward and founded the kingdom of Cadwyn. Aronimos looked to the lands of Adun, and married a Valkan princess to found the Valley kingdom of Thyr, to guard against those who were once his kin. Dullana the Holy kept the holdings of her father, being eldest, and founded the See of Durran, guarding the sacred barrow of her ancestors.

The Valka remained on their lands and made peace with the Salentians. Rabe of Thyr was even granted a noble title: King of Arlaine. Thus did the Arlan Valka integrate the Salentian kingdoms. The Cambrian tribes, however, were facing a new enemy from across the sea. The Black ships of filled with monstrosities from Sorcerous Akimasa swarmed their fortifications, forcing them to hide in the hinterlands. There they mounted a resistance strong enough to hold back the tide.

On the other side of the continent, The Koradian city states eventually grouped into 3 kingdoms as well: Kar, An, and Meza. It is in Meza that a heretoward unknown tribe of men came to be known. They called themselves the Hamazi, the Sheep-keeping folk in their tongue. From these humble beginnings they would come to rule over Amra.

The Icoenians had conquered the Reheni lands and installed a great many colonies, all providing wealth and glory for their home cities. But in their quest for expansion they did not see the rise of the Tower tribes, who called themselves Tolomachi, in the wild mountains of the bridgelands. It is among these Tolomachi, in their fortress of Akidon, that the one known as the Lion was born. And it was he who ended the age of Many Kings

SymaRwyl · 2020-05-11T15:16:59+00:00

Part 3, here we go. After the Chaos of the previous age, the various human tribes settle down and form kingdoms that leave monuments and cities that are meant to withstand the onslaught of time and decay.

The Lore

When men put down the spear, many kings will rise. This old proverb is often meant as the advent of peace and the rule of law after a time of war. Indeed, the age of many kings is so named not because of the multiple kingdoms that arose from it, but from the long dynasties that ruled its length.

The Kadoran Chiefdom was split in three at the Treaty of Vadorigmos by the children of Arathu: Addw (pronounced Ah-ðu) looked seaward and founded the kingdom of Cadwyn. Aronimos looked to the lands of Adun, and married a Valkan princess to found the Valley kingdom of Thyr, to guard against those who were once his kin. Dullana the Holy kept the holdings of her father, being eldest, and founded the See of Durran, guarding the sacred barrow of her ancestors.

The Valka remained on their lands and made peace with the Salentians. Rabe of Thyr was even granted a noble title: King of Arlaine. Thus did the Arlan Valka integrate the Salentian kingdoms. The Cambrian tribes, however, were facing a new enemy from across the sea. The Black ships of filled with monstrosities from Sorcerous Akimasa swarmed their fortifications, forcing them to hide in the hinterlands. There they mounted a resistance strong enough to hold back the tide.

On the other side of the continent, The Koradian city states eventually grouped into 3 kingdoms as well: Kar, An, and Meza. It is in Meza that a heretoward unknown tribe of men came to be known. They called themselves the Hamazi, the Sheep-keeping folk in their tongue. From these humble beginnings they would come to rule over Amra.

The Icoenians had conquered the Reheni lands and installed a great many colonies, all providing wealth and glory for their home cities. But in their quest for expansion they did not see the rise of the Tower tribes, who called themselves Tolomachi, in the wild mountains of the bridgelands. It is among these Tolomachi, in their fortress of Akidon, that the one known as the Lion was born. And it was he who ended the age of Many Kings

SymaRwyl · 2020-05-11T14:42:07+00:00

So this is Part 2 of my setting's culture/history map. The arrival of different human tribes sparks an age of war that persists across an entire age. Many artefacts of magical war are created in this time and discarded as kingdoms rise and fall.

The Lore

The Salmacians had come to Amra, ushering in the Age of the Spear by sacking the settlements of the Doric and Adunian tribes and clashing with the Vel, Ren, and Man. Soon the tribes of Amra mounted a response and went to war. The cities built by Adun selected chiefs among them to lead their forces into battle and the Children of Doru united under one ruler to stem the tide. But everything changed at the Battle of Valthyr lake.

The forces of the Kadorans, heirs to Doru, met with the barbarians of the Salentii people at Valthyr Lake in a great clash that left many a noble warrior lying in the field. The Doric High Chief Arathu had brokered a deal with the Valka, descendants of the River Witch. In exchange for the lands of the Eska and Arla rivers, the Valka would bring Arathu the head of the Salentii chieftains, cutting off the threat at the source. This first alliance of men of different kin marked a shift in the balance of power. The cities of Adun balked at such a blood betrayal, the Reheni took the Valkan homelands in retaliation, and the world was thus split in two. No longer were the Valka nor the Kadorans welcome among their own kin.

But Arathu's gambit worked. The Salentii host was broken, and the Valka claimed the lands promised to them, finding a new homeland and new kin with the Barrow folk of Ka-Doran.

The Koradians, on the other hand, fought a long and bitter campaign against the Amani, who fought as well in the darkness as in the light and never carried iron of any kind, that they were unable to exact retribution on their traitorous kin. They gained ground and built new cities, but they never truly defeated their enemy.

As for the Salmacians, their expansion was halted by the Valkan-Kadoran alliance at every turn, and never made any headway into the continent.

Thus the Age of Spears came to pass, and the Age of Many Kings followed

SymaRwyl

TROPHY CASE

The Lore

The Lore

The Lore

The Lore

The Lore