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Red Dragon Inn

2021-07-01T02:32:47Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* Characters */

Created by SlugFest Games, Red Dragon Inn is a fast-paced, goofy card game that seeks to answer the question: "what happens to the adventuring party when they leave the dungeon and haul their loot back to the inn where it all started?"

According to Red Dragon Inn, the answer is that the adventurers get greedy and try to snatch ''all'' the gold for themselves. Each player takes up the role of one of the game's characters with the goal of trying to get all of the party's loot for themselves. To this end, you attempt to steal from your fellow players, win gambling games, get them drunk, or just have a bar brawl and aim to be the last one standing. Of course, your fellow players are trying to do the exact same thing to you. Last one still conscious with gold in their pockets wins!

There's currently a bunch of different characters a player can step into the shoes of, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Later decks also add a "Boss Battle" game mode where the party faces off against one of their archenemies.

Website can be found here: http://slugfestgames.com/games/rdi/

== Characters ==
Deirdre the Priestess: Female elven cleric of "The Goddess"... and holy damn, is she stacked for an elf. Don't treat her like a bimbo, lest she call down her holy powers and smite you. Specialises in using healing powers to protect herself from harm or bribing other players to protect her by offering to heal their injuries... though she can also take her spells back, and do so at the worst possible moment. Of course, she has the typical elfin constitution - or lack thereof. She'll pass out after a couple of drinks, so it's important to stay away from the booze.

Fiona the Volatile: Hot-tempered hot-blooded hard-drinking busty red-haired warrior-woman, Fiona is the kind of girl who chugs beer for fun, breaks kegs on her head, and can beat you over the head with the table you're sitting at. She can drink like a fish and beat anyone's teeth in, but she sucks at holding onto her gold, so she can hemorrhage her precious loot if you're not careful.

Gerki the Sneak: Shifty damn [[Halfling]] thief who specializes in picking pockets, spiking drinks and cheating like the dirty rat bastard he is. Of course, he'll go squish real easy if a brawl breaks out.

Zot the Wizard: Old human guy who knows lot of spells, making him surprisingly good at gambling, blowing stuff up, keeping himself from harm, and making sure he can drink with the best of them. His only flaw is that he has to constantly monitor the mood of his familiar, Pooky, a psychotic binge-drinking bunny with more teeth than a dragon.

Pooky: Remember what we said about Zot's crazy familiar? He's a playable character, too. Watch out for his mood swings; if he swings down to Psychotic mode, nobody's going to be happy. This is one bad bunny!

Gog the Half Ogre: The height of two men, the weight of four, the strength of sixteen... all wrapped up in a green-skinned, sweet-tempered lovable lug who just wants to dance and have fun. Pity he's so strong he breaks pretty much anyone or anything he tries to play with.

Fleck the Bard: Flirty arrogant half-elven [[bard]]. He's a real prick.

Eve the Illusionist: Spellcasting woman - we think - who loves to mess with people's heads by making them see things that aren't there. Or not see things which are there, which can be worse.

Dimli the Dwarf: He's a [[dwarf]]. Grumpy, greedy, booze-swilling armor-plated little bastard.

Wizgille the Tinker: A female [[gnome]] who loves to build all manner of crazy contraptions. Problem is, even she doesn't know what they'll do, or how well they'll work, until she gives them a try.

Brewmaster Phrenk: A laidback troll alchemist who loves to share out his special drinks with his buddies... for a price. Plus, you never know if he's giving you a helpful potion or some wicked brew that'll lay you out flat.

Kaylin the Renegade & Wulfrik: She's a bad-tempered, greedy, nasty pixie enchanter who has a chip on her shoulder bigger than she is. He's a pretty big wolf. Together, they raided the dungeon, and now they're going to be the last ones standing with all the gold!

Serena the Pious: Rescued by Paladins of Korash when she was just a little baby, this female [[orc]] paladin dedicates herself to upholding the principles of justice and light, even in the face of her orcish instincts to fight, steal, carouse and get drunk. A pity that being in a tavern gambling and drinking isn't very conducive to keeping to her paladin principles...

Captain Whitehawk: Red wearing fancy-hatted white haired female pirate captain. Smart and tough, very good at assessing the situation. Just... don't insult her crew or her ship where she can hear you. Not if you aren't tired of your teeth, anyway.

First Mate Remy: First Mate of Captain Whitehawk's crew, a mysterious blue-skinned [[swashbuckler]] from some far away land.

Brynn the Boatswain: Two-fisted hard-fighting hard-drinking Brynn lists her hobbies as taking on all of the ship's crew in a fistfight at the same time and winning, and skolling enough booze to make an ogre sick. Strong enough to carry a cannon. In fact, she brought her cannon to the pub, just in case it got lonely.

Tara the Navigator: Mysterious oracle whose blindness is compensated by her ability to see the future. You know that saying about knowing too much about the future being a bad thing? Tara doesn't buy a word of it.

Erin the Ever-Changing: A female elven [[druid]]... which, naturally, makes her absurdly powerful. She can shapeshift into a raven to steal gold, become a bear to beat up anyone she's fighting, or turn into a tree for the drinking contests. Seriously, have you ever tried to outdrink a tree?

Cormac the Mighty: Big muscled, bad tempered and psychotically violent. In other words, your classic [[Barbarian]].

Witchdoctor Natyli: Remember Brewmaster Phrenk? Turns out, he has a surprisingly [[monstergirls|cute]] niece. Up until you realize the various hexes and whammies she can slap on people with her voodoo dolls... which she loves using... and which she brought to the bar with her...

Ozrik the Adept: A younger wizard, specialized in the art of Blowing Shit Up.

Brother Bastian: A skilled caster of healing magics and divine prayers.

Zariah the Summoner: A female [[Conjurer]] whose specialty is her ability to call forth three loyal minions; Bandit the ferret, Scrappy the lion-cub, and Amber, an Alemental (like a water [[elemental]], but made of living booze) to help her out. Her ultimate ability is to merge the three of them into one [[chimera]]-like creature.

Keet & Nitrel: [[Goblin]] adventurer siblings who have each other's back. Keet is a whip-wielding Indiana Jones wannabe, whilst his sister Nitrel is a bomb-tossing [[artificer]].

Sara the Fleetfooted: A stealthy rogue who is a firm believer in keeping her skills sharp by sparring with her allies. Though sometimes she forgets to warn them first.

Lizwick the Collector: A pack rat with a bag of holding and a massive collection of random stuff she can pull out of it.

Joran the Trickster: Zot's pupil has an eye for misdirection that helps him pull a fast one on the bad guys...and his friends' gold, sobriety, and patience.

Zakhan the Drunken Master: A half-elf. His father was an elven martial arts guru and his mother was a rowdy barbarian warchief, and his heritage has lent itself to a unique "drunken style" of martial arts. This makes him a formidable foe when he's not just drunk.

Wrench: A kobold learning from Wizgille. His gizmos do great things, but they're fragile and break down after a while.

Daareka the Mindbreaker: This mean psychic will make you gamble away all your gold and drink yourself into a stupor, and will convince you that it was your own idea to do so.

Baron von Vlazlo: An ancient shapeshifting vampire who can be the real (un)life of the party. But the pint he's looking for isn't ale...

Amundyr the Cursed: A mummy whose pet scarabs can help her keep her gold away from any tomb robbers.

Torglesnarf Duncleton, First of His Name: King of the Goblins in his own mind. He's a wimp and not very intimidating, but he's got a bunch of goons he can bribe into backing him up.

Halden: A shaman whose totems allow him to set up combos if chained together correctly. The spirits would like to remind you that he is not hearing voices in his head.

The Magnificent Adonis, Bard of the Ages: This Bard/Barbarian (or "Bard-barian, as he prefers to be called) is pretentious and even more arrogant than Fleck, but boy can he carry a tune. His flute, lyre, and drum are equally good at casting bardic spells and bashing people over the head.

The Lich King: Even an undead wizard of incredible power likes to enjoy a pint every now and then, though how he drinks it without a stomach is an enigma. His defenses are strong and he can quite literally throw a punch thanks to his severed hand.

[[Munchkin (Card Game)|Spyke and Flower]]: A crossover with Munchkin, these Munchkins
retain their inimitable ability to equip loot and level up.

Ohava, the Grand Cleric: Matron of the Great Temple of Greyport, responsible for keeping the four Great Divines in harmony. Which turns out to be harder than it looks.

Murgath the Blessed: This Blackguard found out the hard way that blessed items work in reverse for bad guys- he's still a potent opponent in a fight, but he literally cannot let go of his holy sword Banefall, who shares her blessings with anyone he attacks.

Chronos the Time Mage: A time mage whose magic has the side effect of spontaneously changing his age.

Piper, Eagle-eyed Sniper: The party's sharpshooter, with a quiver full of trick arrows. She never misses a shot, including those of the alcoholic variety.

Ripsnarl: As a human, Ripsnarl is rather unimpressive. But as a werewolf, he brings new meaning to the phrase "party animal".

Warthorn Redbeard: The dwarf who runs the Red Dragon Inn. He's been around for a long time and he's got plenty of stories to share with the patrons.

Molly the Stablehand: A halfling who watches the stables. Unfortunately, the party's mounts don't really understand the concept of "stay outdoors".

Jasper the Bouncer: Don't underestimate this old wizard because of his age. He's a former adventurer himself and any whippersnapper who tries to cross him will see he's got plenty of strength in him yet.

The Wench: Nobody knows her name, but she's got the keys to the Inn's strongest drinks. Think you can handle them?

Roxana, Adventurous Chef: The Inn's head chef. They call her adventurous both because of her creative recipes and her ability to hold her own with adventurers.

[[Category: Card Games]]

Siren

2021-07-01T01:49:28Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* Monstergirls */

{{stub}}
{{Monstergirls}}
The '''Siren''' is a female monster from Classical Mythology, best known for using its hypnotially alluring voice to lure men to their deaths on jagged rocks. Due to various conflicting descriptions, sirens have often been confused with or even combined with the [[harpy]] or the [[merfolk|mermaid]] in many /tg/ media.

==D&D==
[[File:Sirine MM 2e.png|thumb|right|250px]]
The siren first appeared in [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]] as the ''Sirine''; a [[nymph]] with a deep spiritual connection to the sea. Described as often having yellow-green, green or blue skin and silver or dark green hair, they are an isolationist and contemplative species, caring for little more than to find themselves a secluded den close to the sea or on the sea where they can sit, think and sing. They want nothing from society and contribute nothing to it, except maybe misery by their lashing at out people who disturb them. They can cast Charm Person 1/day via their song, causing it to affect every listener within 30 feet, and can use fog cloud, polymorph self, and improved invisibility 1/day each; all of their spell-like abilities are cast as if by an 11th level [[mage]]. They can also reduce anyone foolish enough to let them touch them to babbling imbeciles, dropping their [[Intelligence]] down to 2.

Sirines would later make their way to 3.5 in the Monster Manual 2.

[[Ravenloft]] has its own breed of siren; a [[zombie]] [[merfolk|mermaid]] who uses illusions and a hypnotically beautiful song to lure men in for lunch.

In [[Birthright]], where most monsters are unique creatures, the Siren is actually a bit odd among awnsheigh in that she isn't a horrible murderous monster. Once a normal singer with minor Azrai blood, she was tainted, Phantom of the Opera style, by a mysterious tutor who lured her into the dark world and brought her bloodline powers to the forefront, rendering her incapable of speaking without blasting everyone in front of her with a huge cone of sonic damage. Resisting the dark urges of her Azrai bloodline, the Siren ended up wandering, accidentally destroying a few barns, until she happened upon the Dusk Man, another awnsheigh and a brutal tyrant, engaging in the traditional awnsheigh pasttime of rapacity upon a local family. They briefly contested powers, and then she [[awesome| gigged him in the heart when he started monologing about how her strength would soon be his]]. Now, she's the ruler of his holdings.

Life's rough there, but she has a tight-knit court of supporters who love her to bits, absorbing his power stabilized her own (though not the the point that she can speak without hurting people; she uses a sign language devised by her courtiers and written words to communicate), and she's even fallen in love with a ranger who recently moved in.

===Ixalan Sirens===
In [[Plane Shift]]: [[Ixalan]], sirens - interpreted here as a [[harpy]]-like race of bird-people with both male and female members, all of whom can produce supernaturally charming song - are presented as a playable race for [[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]]. They have the following stats:

*'''Ability Score Increase:''' Your Charisma score increases by 2.
*'''Size:''' Sirens stand about 5 to 6 feet tall, but their bodies are slender and their bones partially hollow to facilitate their flight. Your size is Medium.
*'''Speed:''' Your base walking speed is 25 feet.
*'''Flight:''' You have a flying speed of 30 feet. You can’t use your flying speed while you wear medium or heavy armor.
*'''Siren's Song:''' You know the Friends cantrip and can cast it without material components.
*'''Languages:''' Common and Siren

{{D&D5e-Races}}

===Thylean Sirens===
In the [[Odyssey of the Dragonlords]] setting, sirens are a tragic race of coastal bird-people, looking like humans (both female and male) with wings with scaled limbs that end in prehensile talons. Believed to be descended from a [[Nymph|nereid]] who fell in love with an avian [[celestial]], sirens are not amphibious, but are well-adapted for living in and around water. Their artworks, poetry and architecture emphasize their special releationship with both the clouds above and the sea below. Once, sirens dwelled in a great and beautiful city, where they spent their days singing praises to Sydon, the Titan who governs the ocean. Unfortunately Sydon is a vindictive, vainglorious prick who is never satisfied; he chastised the sirens as vain, selfish and hubristic for daring to build tall towers and to offer him songs instead of blood sacrifices, an act that shocked and mortified the sirens so badly that their entire city crumbled into nothingness and was swallowed by the sea. Many of the sirens went mad, and were corrupted by Sydon's sister-wife into the bloodthirsty [[harpy|harpies]] that now bedevil the coast. The survivors still dwell in small flocks along the shoreline, afflicted with a racial curse of manic-depression as a result of Sydon's pointless cruelty. One day, a siren may experience extremes of joy and hope - only to then fall into soul-crushing sorrow and pessimisim as she succumbs to the grief planted in her very soul.

Thylean sirens are a playable race with the following stats:
::Ability Score Modifiers: +2 Charisma, +1 Dexterity
::Size: Medium
::Speed: 30 feet
::Vision: Normal
::Enthralling Voice: You gain Advantage on Performance and Persuasion checks made with your voice.
::Powerful Lungs: You can hold your breath for up to 1 hour.
::Wavering Emotions: After completing a short or long rest, you must decide if you are experiencing Unbridled Joy or Unrelenting Sorrow. If you are experiencing Unbridled Joy, you can use your Flight ability. If you are experiencing Unrelenting Sorrow, you can use your Songs of Sorrow ability. You cannot use an ability if you are not in the proper moodset.
::Flight: You have a Fly speed of 30 feet, but cannot fly if wearing Medium or Heavy armor.
::Songs of Sorrow: You can cast Charm Person, Enthrall (from 3rd level) and Hold Person (5th level) once per short rest, using Charisma as your spellcasting ability score. These SLAs all have the Vocal component, as they use your singing to function; a creature that can't hear you sing is immune to these powers.

{{D&D5e-Races}}

===Vodari Sirens===
In the [[Seas of Vodari]], sirens more closely resemble the old sirines of AD&D; incredibly beautiful amphibious humanoid [[fey]] with golden or amber eyes, light blue to deep indigo hair, greenish blue to turquoise iridescent skin, fins on their calves and forearms, webbed hands and feet, and gills in their necks. Once native to the [[Feywild|Feylands]], sirens were stranded on Vodari after their vain queen agreed to a singing contest with an [[archfey]] named Muse, who wagered the eternal banishment of the loser and her people on the outcome, and then ''cheated''. Ever since, they have been trapped in the mortal world, where they live in small, tightly knit coastal communities that follow a loose matriarchy - it's implied but never explicitly stated that there are male and female sirens on Vodari.

Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
::Age. A siren matures at the same rate as humans, but they’re considered young until they reach the age of 30. On average, they live close to three centuries.
::Alignment. Sirens prefer having the freedom to do what they want rather than having to follow someone else’s rules. Most sirens tend to be self-serving, but fight to protect their companions and anything beautiful from harm.
::Size. Sirens have slender but muscular builds. Their height ranges from 5 to 6 feet. Your size is Medium.
::Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. You have a swimming speed of 30 feet.
::Amphibious. You can breathe air and water.
::Fey Ancestry. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.
::Language. You can speak, read, and write Common and Sylvan.
::Subrace. Two subraces of sirens are found in Vodari: seasinger sirens and wavedancer sirens. These distinctions are based on which magical gift a siren receives as they near adulthood. Seasingers and wavedancers usually live in the same communities, or at least in close proximity to each other. Choose one of these subraces.

Seasinger Siren
As a seasinger siren, your love of singing has bestowed magical gifts upon you. During adolescence, your beauty and presence became even more alluring and you gained the ability to enchant your songs.
::Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2.
::Alluring. You have proficiency in the Persuasion skill.
::Singer. Whenever you make a Charisma (Performance) check to sing, you can add twice your proficiency bonus, instead of any proficiency bonus you normally apply.
::Siren Song. You can use your action to sing a song laced with a subtle enchantment to a creature that you can see within 60 feet. If it can hear you (though it need not understand you), it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw. The DC for this saving throw equals 8 + your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus. On a failed save, it becomes charmed by you for one hour or until you or your companions do anything harmful to it. The charmed creature regards you as a friendly acquaintance. When the effect ends, the creature knows it was charmed by you. You can target an additional creature with your song at 3rd and 5th level. The creatures must be within 30 feet of each other when you target them. After you use your Siren Song, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Wavedancer Siren
As a wavedancer siren, your love of frolicking beneath the waves provided you with gifts as your grew from a child to an adult. You gained the ability to magically transform your legs into a tail.
::Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2.
::Sea Dancer. You gain proficiency in the Acrobatics skill and advantage on Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks made while underwater. In addition, whenever you make a Charisma (Performance) check to dance, you are considered proficient in the Performance skill.
::Darkvision. Accustomed to life deep underwater and having fey heritage, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
::Tail. As a bonus action, while the lower half of your body is submerged in water, you can magically transform your legs into a tail covered in bluish-green scales. Your tail has no impact on your worn equipment and any worn magical items work identically to when you have legs. While you have a tail, your base speed is 10 feet and your swim speed increases to 50 feet. You can change your tail back into legs as a bonus action.

==Pathfinder==
In [[Pathfinder]], the Siren is a distant relative of the [[Harpy]], appearing as a huge female bird of prey with the head of a gorgeous human woman. They are natural [[oracle]]s and wield powerful enchantment spells through their voices. Relying on human men to reproduce, unlike their man-eating cousins, they are actually devoted spouses who fall passionately in love with the men they select; sirens have been known to literally die of grief if they are separated from a mate they have selected.

==Monstergirls==
Naturally, the siren has appeared as a monstergirl in many, many depictions. That said, they're usually just portrayed as either mermaids or harpies with [[bard]]-like magical powers; even the [[Monster Girl Encyclopedia]] settled for just depicting its siren as a pop idol-themed [[harpy]].

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Sirine 1e.png
Sirine 3e.jpg|A nymph of the sea
Sirenrv.gif|Ravenloft sirens are a whole new level of horrifying.
</gallery>
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]][[Category:Pathfinder]][[Category:Monsters]]

Revenant

2021-07-01T01:45:15Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* The Reborn */

[[File:Revenant movie.jpg|thumb|right|200px|It's also a pretty good movie.]]
'''Revenants''' are an uncommon undead monster in various tabletop games, most notably [[Dungeons & Dragons]], but also appearing in horror games like the [[World of Darkness]] and [[All Flesh Must Be Eaten]]. Based upon certain real-world [[Mythology|mythologies]], they are restless souls whose obsession with something or someone (stereotypically, murdering the bastard(s) who murdered them) is so strong they rise up from their grave, and in some versions they cannot be killed permanently; they just come back again and again until their driving obsession is nullified. One notable feature of the original mythological version (at least compared to modern ideas about undead creatures) is that depictions could have the state of decomposition be near-fresh, skeletal, or anything in between.

The very term comes from early medieval France and means "returned" (''reveniens'', "returning", related ''revenir'', "to come back"). This is not to mention that by all means, the Revenant is a spiritual precursor to the zombie, yet with their personality intact and minus the insatiable hunger for the flesh of living beings.

==Revenants in folklore==
Revenants in folklore are walking corpses (or ghosts that have a more physical, visible form) that have their minds and personalities intact. Usually, they rose from their graves to spread terror among the living; in life revenants were often wicked, vain, wrongdoers or [[Heresy|unbelievers]]. These creatures often were linked with [[Nurgle|spreading diseases]], and in order to have them stay in their graves for good, people would often do exhumations of them and decapitate them, or rip out and burn their heart. Some stories even had revenants drink blood, a trait also associated with [[vampire]]s (especially since both were rooted in the then-unknown process of decomposition where the corpse would be swollen with blood).

Another example would be the Aptrgangr (more popularly known as the Draugr) from Norse Myths. These were essentially revenants with the addition of magical powers (like a [[Lich]]), and could also walk in broad daylight as opposed to the traditional revenants and their restriction to night walks only (not to mention having immunity to conventional weapons). Said magical powers include size-shifting and a life-draining "death field" which can be extended at will. They are also in full possession of their memories and intelligence, and, as many are former warriors, combat experience. This made them very dangerous, but luckily most of the time they would stay in their burial mounds.

==Dungeons & Dragons==
Revenants have a long history as monsters in D&D, debuting all the way back in the [[Fiend Folio]] for [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]] 1st edition, which basically defined them in D&D lore. There's an alternative: the mightiest form of Spirit in the Companion Set, so the nastiest undead in the canon up to PC level 24. This one didn't catch on.

Revenants are self-aware, sentient [[undead]] who rise from their grave through the power of sheer fury at being unavenged in order to seek retribution on their killers. They appeared in every edition thereafter as a monster, save for 4th edition where they got weird. They're mostly associated with the [[Ravenloft]] setting.
<gallery>
Revenant 1e.png|1e
Revenant 2e.png|2e
Revenant MM 2e.png
Revenant 3e.jpg|3e
Revenant 5e.png|5e
Revenant B2 PF.png|Pathfinder
Revenant PF 2e.png|Pathfinder 2e
</gallery>

===4th Edition===
Revenants were promoted to being playable undead creatures in [[4e|4th edition]] [[Dungeons and Dragons]], meant to serve a purpose dictated by either [[the Raven Queen]] or some other divine/magical individual, who gave them life in a body based on the corporeal form their soul once inhabited. They are not necessarily bound by the will of the person or deity who resurrected them, though; they have free will and are completely autonomous. A revenant's features are mostly similar to the previous life's, but the skin and hair color are ashy shades of gray or white or black, and instead of fingernails or toenails they sometimes gain black talons for nails and black scales on their forearms and lower limbs, reminiscent of the legs of a giant raven. They don't always have a vulnerability to religion-based or radiant powers, and are not inherently evil-aligned undead entities. They're weird and can be interesting characters depending on who's playing them and what the player's concept for the character is.

::Ability Scores: +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma or +2 Constitution
::Size: Medium
::Speed: 6 squares
::Vision: Low-light
::Languages: Common and one other
::Skill Bonuses: +2 Endurance, +2 Intimidate
::Dark Reaping: If someone within 5 spaces of you dies, one enemy you attack before the end of your next turn takes an additional +1d8+Con or Cha modifier necrotic damage
::Past Life: Select a race other than revenant. You are also considered a member of that race for the purpose of meeting prerequisites, such as feat or paragon path prerequisites.
::Undead: You are considered an undead creature for the purpose of effects that relate to the undead keyword. You are also considered a living creature.
::Unnatural Vitality: When you drop to 0 hit points or fewer and are subjected to the dying condition, you can choose to be dazed, instead of falling unconscious. You make death saving throws as normal, and if you fail one, you fall unconscious instead of being dazed

As you can notice from this statline, you find a race that can do quite a few things very well (special shoutouts go to the [[Assassin]] and [[Warlock]], whom these stat boosts best benefit), and the fact that it can poach off any one race's feats on top of their smattering of feats makes them even more customizeable. The "Past Soul" feat in particular lets you steal the racial power from your past life race, the only caveat being that you can't use both the other race's power and the Dark Reaping power in the same encounter (Which would be terribly weird for human revenants who picked a third at-will or half-elf revenants with their dilettante power made into an at-will).

On top of all this, they also have their own [[Paragon Path]] (Avenging Haunt) and [[Epic Destiny]] (Freed Soul) for extra spookiness.

{{D&D4e-Races}}

===5th Edition===
5th edition likewise made them playable in the April 2016 Unearthed Arcana article, which had a theme of "Gothic Heroes", adding the Revenant and the [[Fighter|Monster Hunter]] and [[Rogue|Inquisitive]] archetypes to the game. The 5e revenant is handled using the sub-race mechanics, where you take a base race and apply the Revenant's extra options to the base race. Of course, that doesn't solve the problem of how to apply it to [[Human]]s, [[Tiefling]]s and [[Dragonborn]], who don't use that system, but the document explains that quite handily, although it does leave it ambiguous if humans and dragonborn are supposed to get +3 stat points or not:

Human revenants increase two ability scores of the player's choice by +1 and get the Revenant traits. Variant humans replace their Skills and Feat traits with the Revenant traits.

Dragonborn revenants change their ability score modifiers to +1 Strength and +1 Charisma, inflict and resist Necrotic damage via their Draconic Ancestry trait (although they presumably keep the breath weapon type, so it's still a cone vs. line choice), and gain the Revenant traits.

Tiefling revenants get +2 Charisma and the Revenant traits.

Revenants in 5e gain +1 Constitution and the Relentless Nature trait. This represents their undying, goal-driven nature, so the player and the DM have to agree on a completeable goal that the PC is pursuing; this is what drew them back from the grave, and is important. Relentless Nature means that, when reduced below half of their maximum hit points, a revenant will regain 1 hit point each turn until they are at half maximum HP again. It also means that revenants cannot be permanently killed; if slain, a revenant will self-resurrect 24 hours later and no force can stop this. Even total destruction of the body won't do anything, the revenant will simply rematerialize somewhere within 1 mile of the place where it was destroyed. A revenant can sense the direction of their "goal target" and the distance to reach them so long as you are both on the same plane of existence. If you came back to murder the guy who killed you, then you know where he is. If you came back to protect your family, you know where they are.

Sound overpowered? Maybe. But Relentless Nature carries a sting in its tail: if you complete your goal, then you automatically and irrevocably ''drop dead on the spot''. With no further ties to the mortal world, you cannot be raised by any magic. So, your character ''will'' complete their goal, but that is '''it'''.

Coming back as a revenant is presented as a viable choice for players who have had a character die; you just adjust your stats as appropriate for switching out the subrace/core race traits, and then you crawl out of your grave, ready to resume your adventure.

{{D&D5e-Races}}

====Hollow Ones====
'''Hollowed Ones''' are an official revenant PC race added to D&D 5e through the [[Exandria]] setting, appearing in the ''Explorer's Guide to Wildemount''. They hail from the region known as Blightshore, where twisted necromantic magic infused into the terrain sometimes causes the dead to spontaneously return as semi-living creatures with an aura of necromantic magic and inhuman vitality. Mechanically, they're the weirdest race in any official 5e publication so far; you start with a "normal" 5e race, and then you apply the Hollow One "Supernatural Gift" (a kind of optional mystic power up from the [[Dungeon Master's Guide]]), which gives your character the following traits:
::Ageless: You don't age, period. You'll never die of old age, and effects that age people don't work on you.
::Cling to Life: When making death saving throws, you regain 1 hit point on a roll of a 16+.
::Revenance: You register as undead for spells and effects that detect the undead creature type.
::Unsettling Presence: Once per day, you can target a visible creature that is not a construct, undead, or immune to fear within 15 feet of you. The targeted creature suffers Disadvantage on the next saving throw it makes within the next minute.

====Cursed Ones====
Hailing from the 3rd party setting [[Seas of Vodari]] for 5e, Cursed Ones are a weird thematic mashup of the [[World Axis]] revenant and a playable ghost. As their name suggests, they are once-living mortals transformed into an undead state, somewhere between a revenant and a ghost, by either black magic curses or by the need to complete something that their sudden death interrupted. Cursed Ones have the following racial traits:
::Ability Score Increase: +1 to 2 ability scores of your choice; these should thematically be ones you gained bonuses to in your previous life.
::Size: As per original race
::Speed: As per original race
::Ghostlike Nature: You no longer need to eat or drink, nor do you age. In addition, you have resistance to necrotic damage.
::Ghostly Form: You can strengthen your connection to the Ethereal Plane and take an incorporeal form. When you take bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage from a nonmagical weapon, you can use your reaction to take on a ghostly form and halve the attack’s damage against you. In addition, you can move up to half your speed without provoking opportunity attacks. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a short or long rest.
::Unfinished Business: Your curse holds you to the mortal plane. If you fail a death saving throw, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
::Lingering Memories: You no longer need to sleep. Instead, you slip into a dreamlike state, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. While in this dreamlike state, you are aware of your surroundings and experience the memories of the person you were. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep.
::Enduring Traits: Cursed souls lose many of the traits of the person they were before they became cursed. You retain the traits for your former race as outlined below:
* [[Dragonborn]]: Draconic Ancestry, Breath Weapon
* [[Dwarf]]: Darkvision
** Hill/Mountain: Tool Proficiency, Stonecunning
** Sea: From the Depths
* [[Elf]]: Darkvision
** Dark/High/Wood: Keen Senses, Fey Ancestry
** Sea: Child of the Sea
* [[Gnome]]: Darkvision
** Forest: Natural Illusionist, Speak With Small Beasts
** Rock: Artificer's Lore, Tinker
* [[Halfling]]: Lucky, Halfling Nimbleness
* [[Half-Elf]]: Darkvision, 1 free skill proficiency
* [[Half-Orc]]: Darkvision, Savage Attacks
* [[Human]]: Increase a 3rd ability score by +1
* [[Siren]]: Amphibious and either Singer (Seasinger subrace) or Dancer (Wavedancer subrace)
* [[Minotaur]]: Horns, Powerful Build, Savant
* [[Tiefling]]: Darkvision, Hellish Resistance
* [[Voda]]: Amphibious, Shapeshift
====The Reborn====
Appearing in the January 2021 Gothic Lineages UA, [[Reborn]] are essentially Revenants, but also includes a broader range of various "died but came back" themes, which also makes them a pretty good option if your character kicks the bucket. As a Reborn, you are the result of some mishap that brought you back to life, at the cost of turning you into something quite different and jumbling up all of your memories. Examples include being stitched together like Frankenstein's Monster, being a necromancer's minion that suddenly regained consciousness, crawling out of your own grave with no memories, or actually being a stuffy doll filled with straw that gained the gift of life. All Reborn have jumbled up memories, and every time you sit in one place to think for a while, you can choose to roll on a table and recall a Lost Memory, giving you faint glimmers of (one of) your past life(s).

'''Traits:'''

'''Ability Score Increase.''' +2 to an ability score of your choice, +1 to a different ability score of your choice.

'''Type:''' Humanoid ''and'' Undead ''or'' Construct. Your choice when you take this lineage. Cure Wounds still works on you, since everything that works on a Humanoid still works on things that are Constructs or Undead.

'''Size:''' Medium or Small (choose when you gain this lineage)

'''Speed:''' 30 ft.

'''Darkvision:''' You get to see in the dark within 60 ft of you.

'''Deathless Nature:''' You get a boatload of different benefits because of the strange circumstances of your un-life.

* You have advantage on saving throws against disease and being poisoned, and you have resistance to poison damage.

* You have advantage on death saving throws.

* You don't need to eat, drink, or breathe.

* You don't need to sleep, and magic can't put you to sleep. You can finish a long rest in 4 hours if you spend those hours in an inactive, motionless state, during which you retain consciousness.

'''Knowledge of a Past Life:''' Anytime you would roll a skill check, you can add a d6 to the roll, as your previous life gives you a brief insight into what you're about to do. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Note that you don't actually have to have proficiency in the skill you're rolling to make use of this d6.

==World of Darkness==
Both of the [[vampire]] games have their own version of the revenant.

In [[Vampire: The Masquerade]], revenants are the result of [[ghoul]] eugenics. Yes, seriously. Essentially, the [[Tzimisce]] realized that certain attributes of ghouls could be inherited and through selective breeding, they gave birth to revenants, ghouls that produced their own, weak, vitae. They age four times slower than regular humans, have lesser versions of vampire weaknesses, along with their own unique weakness depending on the family, and can use disciplines. Of course the revenant families are depraved fucks, due to the Tzimisce having created them, with madness, cannibalism, incest, and other [[/d/|sexual]] [[/trash/|depravity]] being common, with the most depraved ones being kept out sight. They are split between the families loyal to the Tzimisce, the ''Zadruga'', and those loyal to other clans/factions.

In [[Vampire: The Requiem]], revenants are "spontaneous vampires", occasionally created when a human with vitae in their body dies, or when a human gets drained dry by a low-humanity vampire. They are pathetic creatures, having many of the weaknesses but only a few of the strengths of a vampire. They are almost constantly in a state of hunger frenzy, due to bleeding out their vitae during the daysleep. With few exceptions, their only fate is to either be killed or Embraced properly to become a full-fledged vampire. Some Revenants manage to eke out an existence and even create small "dynasties" if they can master their unique Vitae-retaining pseudo-Discipline called Chary, but even these stronger Revenant groups exist at the fringe of the All Night Society.

[[Category:Monsters]][[Category:Undead]][[Category:World of Darkness]][[Category:Vampire: The Masquerade]][[Category:Vampire: The Requiem]]

Seas of Vodari

2021-07-01T01:39:29Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597:

{{NeedsImages}}
'''Seas of Vodari''' is a swashbuckling themed 3rd-party campaign setting for [[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]]. It is set on a world that used to be normal, until a cataclysmic battle between the gods literally smashed the continents to splinters and raised the sea level, reducing the world to a mostly oceanic planet dotted with countless islands. The survivors of that cataclysm promptly shifted their culture to emphasize naval traditions, and the result centuries later is a world built around dashing explorers, swashbuckling pirates and sea monsters.

==Official Description==
''Long ago, a vast continent was annihilated. The devastation left only a scattered few to start rebuilding their civilization on a ring of islands…''

Vodari contains all of the iconic things you expect in a fantasy setting, but the familiar becomes surprising and new. Dungeons can be found above and below the waves, in the form of caves, shipwrecks, and lost temples. From island to island, you’ll find variety and wonders, ranging from bustling ports filled with travelers from distant lands to the unexplored wilderness, ruins, monsters, and other dangers. Halflings live in villages made of interconnected boats and anything that can float. Dwarves are respected shipbuilders, sailing the seas in search of relics from their sunken homeland and battling an enemy below in the Night War. Elves dwell high in the treetops and below the surface of the seas. Gnomes find themselves on opposite sides of a battle between machines and nature. Goblins are as likely to be encountered as raiders riding waveskippers as working as a tinkerer living in a city. Instead of land armies, Vodari has navies and pirates that battle with flintlocks and cannons to control the seas. The most dangerous monsters are found in the seas, such as sea dragons and white whales. Nature is as deadly as the most powerful monsters, with furious hurricanes, catastrophic tsunamis, and fiery volcanoes.

==Playable Races==
Vodari is home to all of the standard PHB races (minus some subraces, such as [[svirfneblin]] and [[duergar]]), plus the iconic [[goblinoid]]s ([[goblin]], [[bugbear]], [[hobgoblin]]) and, at the DM's discretion, [[aasimar]], [[aarakocra]], [[tabaxi]], [[genasi]], [[goliath]]s, [[kobold]]s, [[lizardfolk]], [[orc]]s, [[triton]]s and [[tortle]]s. It's also home to six unique races:
* [[Dwarf]] Subrace: Sea Dwarf
* [[Elf]] Subrace: [[Aquatic Elf]]
* [[Revenant|Cursed One]]
* [[Minotaur]]
* [[Siren]]
* [[Voda]]

==Religion in Vodari==
For obvious reasons, the gods are very important in Vodari; everybody accepts that they're real, although there's a tongue-in-cheek mention of atheists who are secretly being guided by Istoro. The Vodarian pantheon goes as follows:

{| class=wikitable
!Deity||Alignment||Suggested Domains||Symbol
|-
|Aerako, god of wind and mischief|| CG|| Nature, Tempest, Trickery|| Gust
|-
|Aubori, goddess of nature and beauty|| CG|| Nature, Light|| Flower
|-
|Dokahi, goddess of the deep sea, epic poetry and monsters|| LE|| Nature|| Sea monster
|-
|Fortana, goddess of freedom and luck|| CN|| Knowledge, Trickery|| Coin
|-
|Istoro, god of wisdom and knowledge|| LN|| Knowledge|| Owl
|-
|Kalder, god of winter, survival and valor|| NG|| Death, War|| Snowflake tridents
|-
|Mirta, goddess of birth and death|| LN|| Life, Death|| Circle
|-
|Morto, god of necromancy and secrets|| NE|| Death|| Broken circle
|-
|Okeano, god of the sea and sea creatures|| CN|| Nature, Tempest|| Waves
|-
|Scatho, god of conquest and tyranny|| LE|| Knowledge, War|| Ram
|-
|Sindri, goddess of creativity and invention|| CN|| Forge, Knowledge|| Hammer
|-
|Taeva, goddess of civilization and war|| LG|| Knowledge, Order, War|| Three points
|-
|Tero, god of light, love and healing|| LG|| Life, Light|| Rising sun
|-
|Toamna, goddess of agriculture and fertility|| LG|| Life, Nature|| Grain
|-
|Vesi, goddess of chaos, storms and darkness|| CE|| Tempest, Trickery|| Swirling storm
|-
|Volkan, god of fire and destruction|| CE|| Death, Nature|| Volcano
|}

==Classes==
Obviously, as a swashbuckling piracy themed setting, Vodari has a whole class dedicated to the [[Gunslinger]], with the Arcane Gunmaster, Musketeer, Pistolero and Sniper subclasses. However, it also has at least one new subclass for each class from the PHB.

* [[Barbarian]]: Path of the Buccaneer
* [[Bard]]: College of Nature, College of Shanties
* [[Cleric Domain]]: Spirit
* [[Druid]]: Circle of the Deeps
* [[Fighter]]: Cannoneer, Corsair
* [[Monk]]: Way of the Wild
* [[Paladin]]: Oath of Discovery
* [[Ranger]]: Stormcloak
* [[Rogue]]: Mask, Scoundrel
* [[Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)|Sorcerer]]: Tidal Sorcery
* [[Warlock]]: The Council
* [[Wizard]]: School of Mistwalking

==Beneath the Waves==
You might be wondering: since this is a heavily sea-focused campaign setting, does it give any love to the idea of underwater adventuring, long regarded as the ultimate black sheep of the D&D adventuring world? Well, not so much in the corebook, although it does establish the existence of underwater kingdoms, but a [[splatbook]] titled "Under the Seas of Vodari" is scheduled for release in October 2021 that focuses on expanding the underwater realms of the drowned world, which are specifically divided into three regions; the '''Sunlit Seas''', the '''Twilight Waters''', and the '''Midnight Depths'''.

Currently, the book's teaser on Kickstarter is promising 12 new race options, including cecaelias, sea dragonborn, sea dwarves, grindylows, merfolk, selkies, sirens, tiburons and vodas, and 13 new subclass, including the Path of the Wild Seas, College of the Deep Dreamer, College of The Sunlit Seas, Ocean Domain, Circle of the Sea, Way of the Dancing Current, Oath of the Waves, Leviathan Hunter (Ranger), Dreadmask (Rogue), Scavenger (Rogue), and the School of Bloodbinding. There's also the promise of two more subclasses and a race called "The Ancients" being added if the Kickstarter reaches $45K.

{{Template:D&D-Settings}}
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons Third Party]]

Dragonmech

2021-07-01T01:04:14Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* Races */

'''Dragonmech''' is a setting created for D20 Fantasy (so basically 3.5 D&D). It includes mechs, lunar monsters, a nerf to all divine casters, and lots and lots of fun things to play with. It was designed by Goodman Games, and published under [[White Wolf]]'s Sword and Sorcery Imprint.

== Setting/Plot Summary==
The main continent in the setting is called Highpoint. Highpoint's most notable geographic feature is the rising yearly tides, which change in height up to 30 feet between seasons. This, coupled with the largely flat nature of the land, made permanent settlements rare. Thus, most of the population is nomads. Highpoint's second most notable feature is that the moon decided to pull a Majora's Mask and attempt to face-slam the continent. This resulted in several things: firstly, meteor storms every single night as the surface of the moon was stripped bare by gravity; second, lots of scary lunar monsters; and thirdly, as a byproduct of the previous two, the end of most civilization. However, not all was lost. Many dwarves, who were chilling underground when the meteors hit anyways, were able to survive. Other races, noting this, decided that death was not a preferable alternative to having to live in tunnels, and so tried to move in with the dwarves. They were less than pleased. A fragile peace was made with the non-dwarves who managed to get into the city, but thousands were turned away, left at the mercy of the harsh meteor showers (called "lunar rain") and the associated lunar dragons. With the underground packed, it didn't take long for people to start fighting; no full-scale wars were fought, but unrest was frequent.

Then one day, a single dwarf showed up. Claiming to be a "gearwright", he had a large book with metal pages, and from these pages he gave the dwarves mechs- large machines, of brass and wood, powered by steam, that could fight the dragons. These mechs, though clumsy and slow, could fell lunar dragons more reliably than armies or even powerful mages, and could be built relatively quickly (no assembly lines yet, so each part was hand-crafted). One day, the gearwright told an army of mechs to clear one square mile, and to defend it with their lives. In this square mile, the first city-mech was built. And from this giant mech, hope sprang.

It is the Second Age of Walkers. Man and dwarf alike have discovered the power of steam and clockwork to power mechs; even the elves have resorted to walkers, though they use magic rather than technology. The lunar rain has abated to a slightly painful haze at night. Society now revolves around the mech- city mechs are safety, smaller mechs are security, and any mech at all will keep you safe from lunar rain and the dragons that rampage around the country. It is an age of adventure, where daring mech-riders loot the ruins of civilization. It is an era of strife, as even the gods themselves war in the heavens for power. It is a time of intrigue, as countless fluid city-states jockey for power in a new and dizzying world. It is the Second Age of Walkers. And it is time for adventure.

== What Does This Add? ==
Dragonmech adds a whole load of [[steampunk]] (with a bit of [[grimdark]] thrown in) to D&D. As such, there's a few new options for players and DM's to choose from when making characters.

===Classes===
*Mech Jockeys: They drive mechs. Get better skills with mechs, better driving in mechs, and able to do crazy stuff with mechs. Also gets some non-mech combat capability for when the DM gets sick of mechs [[RIP AND TEAR|eviscerating everything]].
*Coglayers: They make mechs, as well as small steam contraptions. Coglayers get an arsenal of small devices (pumps, nozzles, even video and audio generators). Individually, they're useless, but when combined you can make voice-controlled helicopter flame drones or make a taser with a 40-foot range. When they start making mechs, everything dies as long as they have someone to ride them.
*Steamborgs: People who decided that THE FLESH WAS WEAK. Replace parts of themselves with robot parts, giving them stat bonuses, AC bonuses, and other fun things, but after a certain level they need to roll CHA checks to see if they turn into a robot that day. Splatbooks add some nice possibilities for them, such as a psionics version, a versatility version that lets them put swords, lockpicks, and crossbows in their arms, and various others.
* A couple variants on the core classes like "Constructers" wizards who focus on making Golems, "Clockwork Rangers" who do the whole loving nature thing, only inside the ecosystems of the City mecs massive internal power plants and power trains, called the Gear Forests and Stalkers who are Rogues who are good at sabotaging mechs.

Prestige classes include: Assimilated, which requires a character to slowly become a quadruple amputee (and eventually just a brain in a jar) in exchange for physically becoming a mech; mech devil, a form of mech jockey that allows you to make a monk-mech that punches people instead of using cannons; riftwalker, which makes the character a planeswalker; anklebiter, a specialist rogue who takes down mechs by boarding them and murdering everything inside; and Prophet of Dotrak, a chosen prophet of a god that is just beginning to exist who manifests this chosenness by slowly turning into a [[warforged]].

===Races===
*Coglings: Feral [[Halflings]] infesting the gearwork forests of the larger mechs. Culturally obsessed with stealth.
*Tik'Toks: Basically [[Warforged]], but pure technology instead of a magic/tech hybrid.
*Tortogs: Turtle-people who can survive the lunar rains and thus tend to make a living as traders.
*Slathem: Fish people who were only affected by all this moon junk in that they can visit more places during the high tide seasons. They can survive out of water too.
*Zuleps: Dinosaur people obsessed with strength. You'll have to kill them [[Derp|if you want to take their stuff in exchange for yours]].

===Equipment / Spells===
Beyond the obvious with the mechs and all, Dragonmech also adds some steampunk-y weapons and armor, including a primitive steam-powered machine gun, a flamethrower, and even a [[Space Marine|chainsword]]. Some new spells get thrown into the fray as well, most having to do with mechanical stuff (such as Tick-Tock Knock, a construct-disrupting spell, or Ferrous Soul, which allows a caster to reincarnate himself as a robot).

== Religion in Highpoint ==
The whole "the moon very nearly murdered us" thing left many people wondering what the gods were doing when the moon decided to say hi. The gods were, in fact, trying to keep the lunar gods from screwing everything up, which they only partially succeeded in doing. Thus, most terrestrial gods are weakened and pragmatic; they'd rather give AntiLunar McSmitey his moon-monster-killing spells than give Healer McHealBot his Cure Light Wounds. Every divine caster must roll a check every morning to see if they get spells. If they pass, they get spells; if not, they get put on hold. Divine casters also have a much lower chance of being successfully resurrected, as the gods need their souls to murder moon-beast-souls, so getting brought back is a check, too. Lastly, a new deity is beginning to show up; Dotrak, the Machine God. People see mechs as salvation, and Dotrak is the embodiment of engineering. But he doesn't technically exist ''yet''.

== What About the Mechs? ==
Ah, yes, the mechs. Mechs in this setting are slow, clunky, and not all that agile (except for a few kinds, more on those later) think [[Titan (Warhammer 40,000)|Titans]] rather then [[Adeptus_Evangelion|Evas]]. They also take a ridiculous amount of time to build- since everything must be hand-made, larger mechs can take hundreds of thousands of man hours to complete. Mechs are sorted by size (traditional D&D size categories, but a few added to go up to "City-Mech") and power source. Power sources are as follows:
*Steam. The easiest to make, and the most prevalent. Slower, but quite a bit more durable, and one of the more affordable options. A decent all-round or starting mech.
*Spring/Clockwork. A step up from steam- faster, quieter, requires less fuel, and incredibly rare and difficult to make. Critical hits on them are especially devastating; expect total loss of power for weeks if a cannonball so much as grazes your mech's torso. They're also more agile, but still really clunky and awkward, so make of that what you will.
*Manpower (though typically slaves in larger mechs): Usually used by more primitive tribes (and Orcs) because they don't have anything else. Fairly slow, but affordable, if nothing else.
*Magic: These "mechs" are actually golems animated by lots of magic. Sleek, fast, immune to crits, and cost more than a diamond-encrusted Tarrasque. Only the Elves make these, and they require high-level mages to even begin to make. Once the creation is done though, they require less crew, have more living/shipping space, and are far more dangerous than their non-magical brethren.
*Zombies!: It was only a matter of time before some necromancer decided to be REALLY evil and build a giant mech out of dead things. This mech is relatively inexpensive (the only materials you need are bodies- sometimes a LOT of them) and requires precisely one crew member to function- the necromancer who made it. Zombie mechs are similar to Magic mechs in that they require a high-level spellcaster to make, are immune to crits, and are actually golems; however, they are slow, so their main purpose is a transporter for massive zombie armies.
Mech combat is done using hardness of material instead of AC, because mechs have ACs of somewhere around 5. Mechs get special weapons, some of which are just giant versions of normal weapons (giant chainsword anybody?) and some of which are awesome (like a giant cannon built to kill city-mechs). Sometimes critical hits are scored on mechs and a table must be rolled on to determine the extent of the damage. Sometimes a weapon is lost; sometimes an entire mech shuts down; sometimes your cupholder breaks. It varies. Without critical hits, however, mechs are nigh invulnerable as hardness, object damage resistances/immunities, and a literal boatload of HP means that the usual D&D methods of killing things have little hope of stopping them.

==See Also==
*[http://goodman-games.com/dragonmech/ The official site.]

{{D&D-Settings}}
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons Third Party]]

Su-Doppelganger

2021-06-30T23:21:39Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597:

'''Su-Doppelgangers''', also known as '''Albino Doppelgangers''', are a species of lesser [[Doppelganger]] native to the [[Greyhawk]] setting for [[Dungeons & Dragons]]. They only appear in a single source, the article "Legacies of the [[Suel Imperium]]", in [[Dragon Magazine]] #241, from which all information stems.

Su-doppelgangers - an abbreviation of "Suloise doppelganger" - are distinguishable from their cousins by their coloration, which consists of ivory- or chalk-white skin and blue eyes. Like a true doppelganger, a su-doppelganger appears as a 6ft tall, androgynous, almost emaciatedly thin, leathery-skinned and completely hairless humanoid with no sexual organs, long fingers and toes, pointed ears that stick out from the heat at a 45 degree angle upwards, and a blankish face with a slash of a mouth and virtually no nose.

Their precise origins are a mystery, but they are believed to have been magically created from Suloise [[human]] stock by a sect of [[wizard]]-[[cleric]]s dedicated to the worship of [[Syrul]], the Oerthian god of lies, treachery and deceit. It's anyone's guess if they were created to be used as weapons against the Baklunish with whom the Suel Imperium was at war, or if they were intended to be tools to seize power from the rulers of the Suel Imperium; their constant internal strife made the Suloise as great an enemy to themselves as they were to anyone else.

Regardless of the truth, the su-doppelgangers survived the [[Rain of Colorless Fire]] and spread out across the world, using their shapeshifting abilities to facilitate their integration into various human and sometimes [[demihuman]] cultures. Unlike true doppelgangers, su-doppelgangers are not inherently murderous, nor completely averse to work; they like their comforts, but they are willing to put in effort to get what they want, and they don't usually enjoy killing - they're more or less a race of wayfaring con-artists than anything else. Su-doppelgangers interbreed with other races, but their children are always more su-doppelgangers, simply disguised as the race of the other parent.

Compared to a true doppelganger, a su-doppelganger has more limited abilities. Notably, they have no affinity for magical energy at all, although this may be simply one of AD&D's attempts at "balancing" the race. They do have a unique ability to not only reshape their skin to create the semblance of close-fitting clothing, but also to alter their hands into the shapes of one-handed medium-sized weapons - a useful talent for a race of assassins, one would agree. They also have a [[troll]]-like level of durability, being able to regrow severed limbs or even heads! They do possess a more limited form of the doppelganger's telepathic abilities as well.

A su-doppelganger's physical abilities increase steadily with age and experience. Their shapeshifting becomes more adept, their natural weapons more deadly, their skin toughens and they become faster-moving. A veteran su-doppelganger can become quite a force to be reckoned with if provoked into battle.

Weirdly, su-doppelgangers can not only recognize true doppelgangers on sight (and vice-versa), but they can also do the same with [[skulk]]s, fellow chameleonic descendants of the Suel Imperium. Skulks can also recognize them on sight as well.

=PC Stats=
::Ability Score Minimum/Maximum: Strength 3/18, Dexterity 3/18, Constitution 3/18, Intelligence 6/18, Wisdom 3/18, Charisma 3/18
::Ability Score Adjustments: +1 Intelligence
::Racial Class: Su-doppelgangers can only take levels in the "Su-Doppelganger" class, which only reaches 8th level.
::Special Advantages:
:::Limited ESP: A su-doppelganger can use ESP at will, but only on one target at a time, and can only scan a creature within 30 feet. When attempting to retrieve a critical bit of information during a crisis situation, the target of su-doppelganger's ESP can attempt to prevent this fact being plucked from their mind by succeeding on a save vs. spells, or using magic that specifically blocks telepathy, ESP and scrying.
:::Malleable Anatomy: A su-doppelganger is not slain if its head or limb is cut off, but the drain this inflicts on their body to replace the missing body part means that the su-doppelganger cannot gain experience points or advance in levels again until it receives a Regenerate spell (and simply putting on a Ring of Regeneration won't suffice).
:::Heightened Durability: A su-doppelganger gains a +4 bonus to all saving throws.
:::Unsleeping: A su-doppelganger is immune to Sleep spells, and whilst it must rest, it remains fully alert and can continue scanning its surroundings with its ESP.
:::Charm-Proof: A su-doppelganger is immune to Charm spells.
:::Heightened Skillset: A su-doppelganger starts play with 6 languages (Common plus 5 other human/demihuman/humanoid of its choice) and 4 nonweapon proficiencies. It gains a new language at every every-numbered level it attains and a new nonweapon proficiency at every odd level above the 1st.
:::Borrow Proficiency: By using its ESP to read the mind of somebody, a su-doppelganger can imitate one of their nonweapon proficiencies with a -2 penalty as long as it focuses its ESP on that person.
::Special Disadvantages:
:::Bio-Weapon Affinity: A su-doppelganger cannot learn to wield artificial weapons; for melee attacks, it relies on its own reshaped hands, and it can only make 1 attack per round with them. For missile attacks, it can pick up a ranged or throwing weapon, and use these to their full potential, but it suffers a -2 penalty to its to-hit rolls.
:::Magical Vulnerabilities: A su-doppelganger is vulnerable to Hold Person spells, and its true species can be identified with a True Seeing spell.
:::Humanoid Forms Only: A su-doppelganger cannot create functional unusual appendages, such as wings or gills. At the DM's discretion, it may be able to make physical transformations that can grant minor game effects.

==Su-Doppelganger "Class"==
The su-doppelganger racial class uses the Experience Table, [[THAC0]] and saving throw table for a [[Fighter]]. They can reach 8th level in this "class", and they cannot take any other class. Their level in this class determines their Armor Class, their Movement Value, the Damage value of their natural weapons, the Size Range (in inches) they can assume for their forms, and the Accuracy with which they can imitate a specific being.

A su-doppelganger use a d10 for its Hit Dice, and has 1 Hit Dice per level.

A su-doppelganger can store a "library" of specific forms it can imitate in its memory. The total number of forms it can memorize at any one time is equal to its [[Intelligence]] score; if it learns an additional form, than the oldest of its memorized identities is forgotten to make room.

::Level: AC: MV: DMG: Size Range: Accuracy
::1: 8, 12, 1d6, 66-78, 80%
::2: 7, 12, 1d8, 60-84, 84%
::3: 6, 13, 1d10, 54-90, 88%
::4: 5, 13, 1d12, 48-96, 92%
::5: 4, 14, 2d6, 48-96, 94%
::6: 3, 14, 3d4, 42-102, 96%
::7: 2, 15, 2d8, 42-102, 98%
::8: 1, 15, 4d4, 36-108, 99%

[[Category: Dungeons & Dragons]] [[Category: Dungeons & Dragons Races]] [[Category: Greyhawk]]

Grim Hollow

2021-06-30T17:54:40Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* Vampire */

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'''Grim Hollow''' is a 3rd party [[Dark Fantasy]] setting for [[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]] published by Ghostfire Gaming. Currently, only the Campaign Setting and Player's Guide exists, with the Monster Grimoire being crowdfunded for on Kickstarter.

==The World of Etharis==
[[File:Damien-mammoliti-grimhollow-worldmap2-dm.jpg|300px|thumb|Lands of Etharis]]
Etharis, as the campaign setting's world is called, is a [[grimdark]] slant on the standard D&D 5e world. It takes place on a world where a brutal humanity rose up and almost annihilated the empires of [[dwarves]], [[elves]] and [[dragonborn]], then nearly annihilated itself in pointless internecine wars, allowing the oppressed remnants of those races to rise up and forcibly carve a place for themselves out of the ruins. Civilization exists in a [[Points of Light]] format; islands of light and hope surrounded by vast tracts of hostile, monster-infected wilderness. Some regions suffer supernatural or paranatural auras that shroud them in darkness, and plagues ravage the land - especially the dreaded Weeping Pox. The gods of Etharis annihilated each other in a brutal civil war, leaving behind only their lieutenants - the Arch Seraphs and Arch Daemons - to heed the prayers of mortal followers, and work to exploit the world as it exists for their own advantage. In many portions of the world, arcane magic is feared, and there is even a crusade, the Arcanist Inquisition, dedicated to destroying all who are even accused of dabbling with magic.

But despite all this... Etharis is not a relentlessly bleak world, and there is some hope for it to get better. To quote the book itself:
::''Etharis as a campaign setting is not meant to be relentlessly bleak and depressing, or to wallow in cruelty for its own sake. Small victories become heroic when they take heroic effort to achieve. No one in Etharis is safe by default, so any safety the characters win or give to others is a true blessing. No one in Etharis is good by default, so moments of genuine grace are worth celebrating – and can come from unexpected places. Amid profound darkness, even the smallest lights have value.

There's even a chapter in the Campaign Guide that breaks down [[Dark Fantasy]] into its four major components: [[Grimdark]], Horror, Dark Fairy Tales, and [[Sword & Sorcery]], with advice to the DM on how to pick and mix these themes to make Etharis more their own.

===Realms of Etharis===
As you can see from the map, Etharis is a pretty big place. Luckily, we're here to give you an breakdown of the various places of note on the map.

The '''Bürach Empire''' is the former ruling power of Etharis. An alliance of four provinces united by a divinely chosen emperor, Bürach has begun falling into ruination ever since the last emperor, the insane Leopold I, spread his insanity into the four gods whose powers once united and supported the empire, causing them to ultimately butcher each other in the name of proving which of them was the supreme god before Leopold was assassinated. Their madness and subsequent deaths have left powerful cultural and mystical scars on the lands they once championed. The provinces of the Bürach Empire are:'
* ''Abendland:'' Literal and metaphorical center of the Bürach Empire, once devoted to Aurelia, Goddess of Healing, Hearth and Home. It was the Hearthkeepers, Aurelia's priesthood, who helped locate the god-touched individual - Indorius - who became the first Emperor of Bürach Empire, and they were the ones who decreed the Edict of Eternal Blood, which allowed only direct descendants of Emperor Indorius to rule. This included coaxing the marriage of cousins and siblings to preserve the purity of said blood, despite the misgivings of the rest of Bürachs, that ultimately led to the insanity of Emperor Leopold I. Even now, the Hearthkeepers stifle their people and try to keep them ignorant of the waning divine powers of their priests and the fading fecundity of the land itself, with hope of turning Abendland into an open [[theocracy]].
* ''Nordenland:'' Always home to planar gates and crossings, especially to the [[Feywild]], Nordenland is the traditional home of the [[mage]]s of Bürach, which made it a natural homeland for Ulmyr, God of Magic and Chaos. The fall of the empire has broken Nordenland into two halves; those of the East, who have thrown off all allegiance to the empire and returned to the old ways, and those of the West, who still consider themselves part of Bürach and eagerly adopt new technologies from their former allies. Civil war is brewing, especially as the forests become filled with monsters and evils.
* ''Rauland:'' Kingdom of the [[dwarves]] and [[gnome]]s, Rauland was dedicated to Galt, God of Order and Construction. During the dark days of the godly civil war, Galt became a brutal tyrant, [[Laduguer|demanding toil for the sake of toil and treating all lives as tools for the sake of production]]. Ironically, with their patron dead, the Raulanders have found their crafts are declining in potency, stripped of the divine blessing they enjoyed in the empire's heyday.
* ''Unterland:'' A warrior society who were devoted to Maligant, the God of War and Strategy; with their patron gone, the cult of Tormach, [[Khorne|Archdaemon of Wrath and Slaughter]], is spreading like wildfire to take his place.

The '''Ostoyan Empire''' was Bürachs' major rival, founded by people who fled from Unterland during the chaos of Bürachs' early years due to refusing to accept Emperor Indorius as their new leader. They founded their own nation, Ostoya, but when the finally stabilized Bürach came and demanded the Ostoyans swear subservience to their long-lost and little-loved kinsfolk, it led to war. That war only grew more desperate with the Darkfall; a mighty earthquake that opened chasms leading to an ancient city buried beneath the ground, one infested by the [[undead]]. So desperate were the Ostoyans to remove this "homegrown" threat that they sent an entire army down into the deep to fight a holding action, then collapsed the chasms leading to the surface, burying their own men alive in the process. But this only made things worse; a survivor found a strange shrine and prayed for vengeance, before returning to the surface as a [[vampire]] and spreading his plague through Ostoya's nobility. With the new [[necrocracy]] in place, the Ostoyans expelled the Bürach invaders. Now, Ostoya resides under a permanent shadow; the sky is forever choked with thick clouds (often pregnant with snow or heavy rain) and mist, blotting the light from the sun. Ironically, Ostoya has schismed once again, and is now divided into two provinces; ''Soma'', the [[vampire]]-ruled [[necrocracy]], and the [[magocracy]] of ''Raevo'', which refuses to bow to the undead. Even more ironically, their civil war is remarkably civil: both sides share a hatred of Bürach that outweighs their antipathy towards each other, and the two provinces will fight to aid each other in remaining independent of Bürach. Definite shades of [[Sylvania]].

The '''Charneault Kingdom''' is a magical forest realm, the last stronghold of the [[elves]] and also home to a spiritual and honorable [[human]] culture who had found peace with their elven neighbors - thanks to the enforcing might of the [[Primal Spirits|nature spirits]] that reside here. But the Pact of the Sacred Land has been soured by the Dark Elves; an anti-human cult which attempted to use black magic to subvert the relationship the elves had long enjoyed with the nature spirits from that of equals to that of master and servant - whilst a human [[knight]], the valiant Ser Guilherm le Preux, managed to prevent the rite from fully taking place, Charneault has been tainted by the Dark Elves' actions. The magical mists that have always inundated Charneault now sometimes take on a dark coloration, throwing the spirits in turmoil, whilst Dark Elf sorcerers leading monsters and bewitched dark knights have begun to launch attacks against the human population of the land from their new base in the dead city of Tol Kerdywel, the prison of an elven princess turned foul [[lich]]. In return, the humans of Charneault are falling into disarry; the farmers dare not enter their fields when the Mist approaches, leading to shortages, and the king's order to swell the ranks of the various [[knight]]ly orders for which Charneault is famed has led to increased rivalry between those orders and their followers. And all the while, anti-elf sentiment is swelling in the minds of humanity...

The '''Valikan Clans''' of '''Grarjord''' are the [[Viking]]-like inhabitants of the [[elemental]]-haunted frozen northlands of Etharis, a region said to have once been ruled by [[Archomental|godlike elementals]] that warred with each other. Of these, the most fearsome was Gormadraug, the Great Prismatic Wyrm; a [[dragon]]-shaped [[elemental]] who was the master of "coldfire" - a white-blue flame that freezes instead of burns, consumes water, and can only be extinguished with fire and heat. Although reputedly slain by a band of seven heroes well over a thousand years ago, Gormadraug still shapes Grarjord's future. Over fifty years ago, a [[druid]]ic cult arose, the Prismatic Circle, who decreed that the Valikan must feed Gormadraug's spirit with bloodshed to keep him docile. This has led to a schims in Valikan society, dividing Grarjord into two provinces; ''Thrull'', a [[druid]]ic [[theocracy]] where the Prismatic Circle rules and raiding, slavery and human sacrifice are the order of the day, and ''Kandar'', which rejects the Prismatic Circle's rules and seeks strength through alliances and trade with the more fertile lands to the south. Making things worse is the rival Cult of the Wyrm, druids who seek to use the blood sacrifice of humans and elementals to ''awaken'' Gormadraug, and the mysterious appearance of outbreaks of coldfire, which sweep in deadly anti-blazes across the northland and leave behind only frozen wastes.

The '''Castinellan Provinces''' are a harsh, windswept peninsula, split down their center by an irregular mountain spine. These three provinces - ''Toletum'', ''Faro'' and ''Therpena'' - have long warred with each other, and only recently been united by a [[theocracy]] dedicated to the worship of Empyreus. Traditional homeland of the [[dragonborn]], the new priest-kings seek to tamper the warlike and vengeful nature of their people by first redirecting their attention outward in holy wars and crusades. It is also the birthplace of the Arcanist Inquisition, which seeks to control and limit the use of magic - ostensibly because Empyreus herself had told Montego Valieda, the first priest-king and Unifier of Castinellan, that magic was a curse that endangered its wielders and their associates alike.

'''Morencia''' is a powerful mercantile city-state occupies a series of small islands in a large lagoon, which is virtually impossible thanks to the magic-spawned mists that shroud the complex maze of reefs and sandbanks surrounding the city. Ruled over by the Augustine Trading Company, which has achieved this by absorbing the Banker's Guild and thus made mere puppets of the so-called Supreme Council, Morencia desires only to prosper, and is constantly targeted by the Castinellan Provinces as their first conquest.

'''Liesech''' is a city-state that lies to the north of the Charneault Kingdom and south of the Bürach Empire, the latter which now controls it, fighting an impossible battle to stave off the consumption of the city by the sea itself. Especially because of the mysterious god-thing, possibly a [[kraken]], known as the Filth Grazer, and the dreaded Weeping Pox.

===Etharis Races===
Etharis is home to the following races:

[[Human]]s: The most numerous race, who rose up from barbarism during the age of the dwarven and elven dominance over the world into a vast conquering horde that first almost annihilated the elves and dwarves, then nearly wiped themselves out. They technically are still the "dominant" race of Etharis, but their short lives have led to their old hatred fading... whilst the other races have not forgotten what humanity did to them...

[[Elf|Elves]]: Formerly the masters of Etharis' forests, their empires were burned to ashes during humanity's rise, and they spent decades as wandering nomads who were given magic by the forest spirits who survived as a way to avenge their loss.

[[Dwarf|Dwarves]]: During humanity's expansion, the dwarves retreated to their two greatest strongholds. Grevenstein was ultimately breached and its people annihilated, but Stehlenwald dug deeper and armed its people with adamantine; although their population was halved, their superior arms and armor allowed them to push humanity back. Still, they agreed to become a vassal race of humanity in the name of survival.

[[Half-Orc]]s: Pureblooded [[orc]]s are long gone in Etharis, but they remain figures of dark legends. Only half-orcs remain, and they are largely feared and distrusted, dwelling voluntarily amidst the harsh environment of the frozen north.

[[Half-Elf|Half-Elves]]: Nomadic outcasts rejected by both sides of their parentage.

[[Dragonborn]]: The small kingdom of the dragonborn fell when caught between warring humans and elves, but its people survived. They have abandoned their original gods, and instead embraced the new religion of the Divine Seraphs with fanatical zeal, winning a place in the Castinellan theocracy.

[[Gnome]]s: Cousins of the dwarves, they retreated into Stehlenwald with their kin, and were instrumental in turning back the tides of humanity by inventing the first primitive gunpowder weapons.

[[Halfling]]s: When humanity began its bloody Era of Expansion, the halflings surrendered rather than fight, voluntarily subsuming themselves into human culture as a race of servants.

The Player's Guide added several new races to the setting:

'''Wechselkind''' are essentially a cross between [[fey]] [[changeling]]s and [[warforged]]; they're [[fey]] [[construct]]s in the shape of children which the fey leave behind to disguise when they've stolen human children. Whilst most of these unfortunate creatures are destroyed when their foster family finds the truth, the lucky ones are kept because, despite constructs, they are as aware and intelligent as any human child. Unfortunately, although their minds can age, wechselkind are stuck with a child-like body forever. Ironcially, the Weeping Pox has been a boon to these golem-kin; being immune to disease has allowed them to become very effective nurses and doctor's assistants in the plague-lands.
::+2 Constitution, +1 Charisma
::Small
::Base Speed 25 feet
::'''Artificial Form:''' Though you are considered a Humanoid for effects that key off of type, you are Immune to Disease, Resistant to Poison damage, have Advantage on saves against the Poisoned condition, and don't need to eat, drink, sleep or breathe.
::'''Faerie Glamour:''' 1/day, you can take on the form of the child you were created to replace, which other than this restriction in available forms functions as disguise self.
::'''Childish Agility:''' You can move through the space of any creature of a size larger than yours, and you have Proficiency in Acrobatics.
::'''Unaging:''' You are immune to magical aging effects.

'''Laneshi''' are a strange race with a natural affinity for necromancy who hail from a kingdom deep below the waves. Their society is caste-based; those born as twins become mystics, who have their twin sibling sacrificed and spiritually bound to them to grant them heightened necromantic powers, whilst those born as single children become the warrior caste. Mystics are responsible for all things associated with the dead - funeral rites, crafting, construction, record keeping and food preparation - and and warriors are associated with all things of the living; warfare, ruling, diplomacy, farming, raisingr and educating children, etc. They appear as pale bluish-white skinned, almost elf-like figures with manes of green kelp-like hair.
::+1 Strength, +1 Wisdom
::Medium
::Base Speed 30 feet, Swim 30 feet
::Darkvision 60 feet
::'''Amphibious:''' You can breathe both air and water.
::'''Beast Whisperers:''' You can cast Speak with Animals 1/day.
::'''Subrace:''' Choose either the Warrior or Mystic subrace.
:::''Warrior:'' +1 Strength, '''Skirmish Tactics '''(when you hit a hostile with a weapon attack, you may Disengage as a bonus action until the end of your turn), and '''Laneshi Weapon Training''' (Proficiency in Spears, Tridents, Javelins, Light Armor, Animal Handling).
:::''Mystic:'' +1 Wisdom, '''Duality of Spirit''' (Resistance to Psychic damage, Advantage on Int, Wis and Cha saves vs. magic, first time this trait activates per day, pass a DC 12 Wis save or be Stunned until the end of your next turn), and '''Laneshi Magic''' (you know 1 Necromancy Cantrip, and gain a second Necromancy Cantrip at 5th level, both keying off of Wisdom).

'''Ogresh''' are a strange race of possibly [[giant-kin]]; whilst they appear as tall humans, they are characterized more by their massive girth than their height - they average 6 to 7 feet and average between 200 to 800 pounds, depending on if they are in their youthful "nomadic" state or their older "sedentary" state. Despite their bulk, they are creatures of great social skill and wisdom rather than brute strength, which they use to insinuate themselves into the societies of other races in pursuit of food, typically becoming master merchants, diplomats, advisors, entertainers, and other sagely figures.
::+2 Charisma, +1 Constitution, +1 Wisdom
::Medium + Powerful Build
::Base speed 30 feet
::'''Takes One To Know One:''' Advantage on saves vs. Charmed.
::'''Gift of Gab:''' Free Proficiency in two of these skills: Persuasion, Insight, Deception, Performance.
::'''A Friendly Ear:''' Once per short rest, you can attempt to charm a non-hostile creature you are conversing with, which requires at least a minute's conversation. If the creature fails a Wisdom save (DC 8 + your Cha modifier + your Proficiency bonus), they are Charmed by you for 1 hour and you learn one piece of information related to the topic of your conversation. Regardless of if the charm fails or succeeds, your target never realizes you have charmed them.

'''The Downcast''' are all that remains of angels who found themselves depowered and cast down upon Etharis after the end of the God-War. Their numbers dwindle, as fallen angels and their lingering divine essence are of great interest in a world where divine magic is failing - even without active predation, many of the Downcast have turned bitter, or simply withered from despair and disease.
::+2 Wisdom
::Medium
::Base speed 30 feet
::'''Divine Learning:''' You have Proficiency in Religion and know the Thaumaturgy cantrip.
::'''Divine Sangromancy:''' When an allied creature within 30 feet of you regains hit points, you may spend a hit die and add the result to the amount of hit points gained.
::'''Lingering Divinity:''' You have Resistance to Necrotic damage.
::'''Subrace:''' Choose the ''Aurelian'' (+1 Charisma, cast Cure Wounds (level 1) 1/day), ''Ulmyrite'' (+1 Intelligence, cast Detect Magic 1/day), ''Maliganti'' (+1 Strength, cast Branding Smite (level 1) 1/day) or ''Galtian'' (+1 Constitution, cast Shield of Faith 1/day).

'''Dreamers''' are a bizarre race unearthed by the Stehlnewald dwarves as they dug into the depths of their mountains during their beseigement by humanity during the "Era of Expansion". They are all that remains of a race that predates elves, dwarves and humans alike, who placed themselves into magical stasis in order to escape some great calamity that wiped out the rest of their civilization. The plan worked, but as a side effect, their memories of who they were as a people before their magical slumber have been stripped away.
::+2 Intelligence, +1 Constitution
::Medium
::Base speed 30 feet
::Darkvision 60 feet
::'''Dreamwalking: After finishing a long rest in which you slept, choose one skill or tool proficiency; gain a bonus equal to your Proficiency bonus to any rolls with that skill or tool until your next long rest. Additionally, whilst sleeping, you can touch the dreams of others within 1 mile.
::'''Even in Sleep:''' Your non-sight Perception rolls suffer no penalties when you are asleep.
::'''Power Nap: You can choose to sleep for 1 hour as part of a short rest; doing so removes 1 level of Exhaustion and restores 1 hit die, in addition to the standard short rest bonuses.

'''The Disembodied''' are the tormented remnants of the lost city of Ulmyr's Gate, a wizardly academy-town that attempted to create a permanent portal to the Ethereal Plane, only for it to go disastrously wrong and swallow the entire city instead. As their name suggests, the Disembodied are now trapped permanently halfway beween the material and ethereal.
::+2 Intelligence, +1 Dexterity
::Medium or Small (your choice)
::Speed: 30 feet
::'''Fade Away:''' 1/day, you can spend an action on your turn to slip into the Ethereal Plane, which lasts for 1 minute or until you use a bonus action to return. Whilst you remain in the Ethereal, you cannot affect the Material Plane or be affected by it, but you can still see and hear into the Material, and move around. When the effect ends, you reappear in the closest unoccupied space you disappeared from.
::'''Planar Outcast:''' You can cast Feather Fall (self only) 1/day. At 3rd level, you can cast Blur 1/day. At 5h level, you can cast Blink 1/day. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
::'''Arcane Origins:''' You have Proficiency in Arcana.

===Etharis Pantheon===
As stated above, Etharis' gods have all been wiped out, leaving a handful of powerful [[Archangel|Arch Seraphs]] and [[Archdevil|Arch Daemons]] to take their place.

The Arch Seraphs consist of:
* ''Miklas:'' Arch Seraph of Mercy, who wants to do the job of her former boss, the Goddess of Protection Aurelia, but just doesn't have the power.
* ''Empyreus:'' Arch Seraph of Valor, who seeks to take the place of the fallen war-god Maligant and champion good-aligned warriors to return Etharis to its Golden Age.
* ''Zabriel:'' Arch Seraph of Truth, who has abandoned the neutrality of her patron Typharia, God of Knowledge, to instead seek to weaponize knowledge and truth.
* ''Morael:'' Arch Seraph of Sacrifice, is a former aspect of the Vetara, Goddess of Love, and acts as the patron of heroes, martyrs and diplomats.
* ''Solyma:'' Arch Seraph of Justice and silent heir to the throne of the forgotten God of Justice, whose followers are straying from her ways due to her self-imposed vow of silence.
* ''Aphaeleon:'' Arch Seraph of Temperance, who has abandoned the way of the God of Joy, Myria, to instead champion those who seek freedom from worldly desires.

The malevolent Arch Daemons, on the other hand, consist of:
* ''Venin:'' Arch Daemon of Deceit
* ''Tormach:'' Arch Daemon of Wrath, Empyreus' bitter rival, who delights in killing and bloody violence.
* ''Gorodyn:'' Arch Daemon of Avarice, who has stolen the throne of the God of Commerce, Jezra, to spread his doctrine of naked greed and consumption.
* ''Sitri:'' Arch Daemon of Hedonism, who is basically [[Slaanesh]].
* ''Beleth:'' Arch Daemon of Fear, who revels in his ability to torment mortals.
* ''Malikir:'' Arch Daemon of Pride

Other entities of cosmic significance in Etharis are the ''Primordials'', which are basically Etharis' [[Archomental]]s, and the ''Aether Kindred'', which are [[Elder Evils]]-like god-tier [[aberration]]s who slew the original gods of Etharis.

==New Mechanics==
===Subclasses===
{{dnd-stub}}
The Campaign Guide for Grim Hollow added no new subclasses. That was left for the Player's Guide, which debuted in September 21, featuring the following new subclasses:

[[Barbarian]]:
* '''Path of the Primal Spirit:''' Want an animal companion, but think the 5e [[Ranger]] sucks? Well, congrats; this is the class for you! The Primal Spirit Path allows you to forge such a deep bond with a totemic animal spirit that it will physically manifest to adventure alongside you. Naturally, its features all revolve around your ''Primal Companion'' (3rd), which is abstracted to the choice of if it's a Primal Guardian (tanky) or Primal Striker (offense-focused), and if it's a Land, Sea or Air creature. ''Shared Rage'' (3rd) gives your Primal Companion a buff when you Rage, which combined with the solid but simple rules for controlling it is very nice. ''Kin to Beasts'' (6th) lets you cast Animal Friendship and Speak with Animals 1/short rest, both keying off of Constitution. ''Skinrider's Trance'' (10th) lets you possess your primal companion or a creature you've cast Animal Friendship on 1/day. Finally, ''Shape of the Wild'' (14th) les you use a bonus action to transform your Primal Companion into a different kind of Primal Companion 1/short rest.
* '''Path of the Fractured:''' Inspired by Jekyll and Hyde, with maybe a dash of the Hulk, the Fractured takes a more esoteric approach to rage, attaining the characteristic berserker furies by learning to divide their mind into two split personas; the Id and the Ego. This divide gives them a number of unique mental powers. Starting at 3rd level, they gain ''Face of Rage'', which causes them to turn into an unrecognizable monstrous version of themselves with suped-up unarmed strikes when raging, and ''Mask of Civility'', which gives them a bonus Int or Wis-based skill as well as either a free Artisan's Tool Kit tool proficiency or bonus language. ''Brains and Brawn'' (6th) gives the Fractured resistance to Psychic when not raging, and resistance to everything ''but'' Psychic when raging. ''[[Mork|Cunning]] and [[Gork|Brutal]]'' gives the Fractured increased interaction options when not raging, and boosted crits with unarmed strikes when raging. Finally, ''Better Half'' (14th) lets the Fractured cheat death (and fly into a rage, if it happened when they weren't raging) 1/day.

[[Bard]]:
* '''College of Adventurers:''' Taking the [[Skill Monkey]] archetype to the extreme, bards of the College of Adventurers study the tales of heroes and adventurers to the point they essentially become capable of [[multiclassing]] without actually multiclassing. Their key feature is the ''Adventurer's Talent'' (3rd), which basically lets them select any other class apart from the [[Artificer]] and gain one of their tricks in a limited format - a Barbarian's Rage, a Warlock Invocation, 2 Sorcery Points and one of the simpler [[Metamagic]]s, etc. They start with 1 Talent, and pick up another one at levels 6 and 14. Their other features are ''Party Planner'' (3rd, creatures under Bardic Inspiration can Help as a bonus action), ''Well Rounded'' (6th; gain a bonus skill, tool and language), and finally ''Improvisational Talent'' (14th, you can swap out one of your Adventurer's Talents whenever you complete a Long Rest).
* '''College of Requiems:''' ...It's the [[Necromancer]]-[[Bard]]. Were you ''really'' expecting anything else? At 3rd level, they gain ''Chilling Melody'' (two Necromancy cantrips of their choice as bonus cantrips) and ''Pluck the Heartstrings'' (allies under Bardic Inspiration can expend it to either deal bonus Necrotic damage with a weapon or avoid being dropped to 0 HP). 6th level grants ''Stir the Bones'' (gain Animated Dead as a bonus spell, can use Bardic Inspiration on their undead minions). Finally, 14th level gives them ''Dance of the Dead'' (can make a single-target Necromancy spell hit 2 targets 1/short rest).

[[Cleric]]:
* '''Eldritch Domain:''' This is the obligatory [[Cthulhu Mythos]] type "mad gods and dire cosmic forces" Cleric you'd expect in a [[Dark Fantasy]]. Most of its features revolve around an "Eldritch Effects" table of temporary insanities the cleric can inflict upon its enemies. At 1st level, it gains ''Unpredictable Inspiration'' (gain a bonus cantrip and skill of the player's choice each time they complete a long rest) and ''Eldritch Contagion'' (spend a bonus action when casting a level 1+ spell to force 1 target to Wisdom save or roll on Eldritch Effects). 2nd level lets them use Channel Divinity to invoke a ''Prophecy of Doom'' (all creatures in target area must Wisdom save or suffer an Eldritch Effect). 6th level gives them ''Otherworldly Calm'' (Resistance to Psychic damage, people who try to read the cleric's mind risk Psychic damage). 8th level gives them ''Potent Spellcasting'', and 17th level grants them the ability to ''Sing the Song that Ends the World'' (creatures take 10d10 Psychic damage if they succumb to Prophecy of Doom; survivors can't be affected by this again for 10 minutes).
* '''Inquisition Domain:''' You want to be a [[Witch Hunter]]? Well, this is a step in the right direction. You're basically pissed that [[arcanist]]s get to enjoy so much power on their own whilst divine magic is dying. These clerics gain bonus proficiencies in martial weapons and heavy armor, and a 1st level feature in ''Witch Hunter's Strike'' (add Force damage, which is more potent against targets that are casting a spell and can heal the cleric). 2nd level provides the Channel Divinity in ''Spell Shield'' (1 target gains Temporary HP and Resistance to magic). 6th level's ''Rebuke Invoker'' lets the cleric try to disrupt spellcasting attempts (causing Force damage in the bargain), 8th level gives them ''Divine Strike'' (Force), and 17th level grants them ''Supernal Safeguard'', letting them target Wisdom mod (min 2) targets with Spell Shield.

[[Druid]]
* '''Circle of Blood:''' It's all about that [[Blood Magic]], baby! Strength through sacrifice, that's the motto here. Aside from the bonus Sangromancy spells, these druids gain the features ''Blood Boon'' (2nd, gain temporary HP when a creature dies within 60 feet), ''Rite of the Blood Moon'' (6th, expend a use of Wild Shape to drive yourself or a nearby ally into a pseudo-[[Barbarian]] Rage), ''Blood Lust'' (10th, creatures under Rite of the Blood Moon can sacrifice hit dices for bonus damage), and ''Create Blood Elemental'' (14th, 1/day summon a water elemental as a reaction when a creature dies within 60 feet).
* '''Circle of Mutation:''' These druids study [[fleshcrafting]], seeking to enhance nature and accelerate its development towards perfection. Their features are ''Mutate Shape'' (2nd, when Wild Shaping, spend spell slots to add beneficial mutations to your animal form), ''Circle Forms'' (2nd, you can turn into more powerful forms than other druids), ''Unnatural and Unnerving'' (6th, free Intimidation proficiency, or else in Athletics, Acrobatics, Perception, Stealth or Survival, Advantage on Intimidation checks made in mutated beast shape), ''Endless Evolution'' (10th, gain free mutations when Wild Shaping, can touch a beast and spend spell slots to mutate it), and ''Apex Predator Aura'' (14th, animals must Wisdom save or be too scared to approach you).

[[Fighter]]
* '''The Bulwark Warrior Martial Archetype:''' Masters of the defensive fighting style, Bulwarks specialize in taking as many hits as they need in order to deliver the last blow. At 3rd level, they can issue a ''Protective Taunt'' to aggro enemies and can also use ''Weather the Storm'' to grant themselves temp HP 1/short rest. 7th level's ''Living Shield'' lets them penalize enemy attacks against their allies. 10th levels ''Aggressive Defense'' lets them spend temp HP and turn it into bonus melee damage. 15th level's ''Improved Second Wind'' causes Second Wind to grant temporary HP equal to the full health it restores. Finally, 18th level's ''Halt the Assault'' lets them burn their own temporary HP to reduce damage done to allies within 5 feet.
* '''The Crucible Martial Archetype:''' Warrior-[[alchemist]]s who use experimental drugs, tinctures and concoctions to boost themselves to superhuman limits. Their core feature is ''Compound Creator'' (3rd); this lets them select 3 Compounds, which are basically 3e-style Potions of (Insert Buff Here) - Elfsight Oil for Darkvision, Advantage on (Insert [[Ability Scores]] here), temporary [[regeneration]], etc. It takes ten minutes of work with some alchemical supplies to make a Compound, and it lasts for a day before going inert. The Crucible learns 2 more Compounds at levels 7, 10 and 15. However, they can only drink (1+Con modifier, min 1) Compounds at a time; drinking excessive Compounds imposes a level of Exhaustion per extra compound; it takes a long rest to flush the inert Compounds from their system. Only the Crucible can drink a Compound; anybod else dumb enough to try has to make a Con save or be Poisoned. 3rd level also gives them ''Student of Alchemy'' (Proficiency in Alchemist's Supplies, doubles proficiency bonus for any ability check made with them). 7th level unlocks ''Quick Creation'' (can make and consume a Compound as a bonus action). At 10th level, ''Living Cauldron'' lets the Crucible consume (3+Con mod) Compounds, which increases to (5+Con mod) at level 18. At 15th level, ''Toxin Transmutation'' lets the Crucible spend a bonus action to simultaneously end a Poisoned effect and gain temp HP. Finally, 18th level sees them become a ''Living Catalyst'', letting them swap out one of their known Compounds wen they finish a long rest.

[[Monk]]
* '''The Way of the Leaden Crown:''' Believing that humanoids need to be rid of the tyranny of supernatural beings, the Leaden Crown seek to hone their bodies and minds to unlock the powerful psionic abilities needed to do battle with otherworldly influencers like seraphs, daemons and primordials. At 3rd level, ''Subtle Hand'' lets them make telekinetic strikes, which are Monk Unarmed Strikes with 10ft reach that do Force damage, whilst ''Psionic Prowess'' lets them cast an invisible Mage Hand at will and use ki to cast detect evil/good (1 ki), protection from evil/good (1 ki), hold person (2 ki), levitate (2 ki), and shatter (2 ki). 6th level's ''Unsubtle Strike'' lets them push a foe 10 feet with an unarmed strike or monk weapon 1/turn. At 11th level, they gain the ''Psychic Crush'' feature, which lets them build up "psychic pressure points" on creatures that they hit with monk unarmed strikes; as a bonus action, they can burn a ki point to trigger these points, dealing Force damage and potentially restraining them. Finally, 17th level's ''Psionic Mastery'' lets them burn ki to cast dispel evil/good, hold monster, telekinesis and wall of force, all for 5 ki each.
* '''The Way of Self:''' Ever heard of the trope "Arrogant Kung Fu Guy"? That's these guys in a nutshell. At 3rd level, they gain ''Tall Tales'' (Proficiency in either Deception, Intimidation, Performance or Persuasion), ''Bruised Ego'' (gain temp HP whenever ki points are spent) and ''Assertive Attacker'' (Martial Arts die value goes up 1 step if the monk is at or below 50% maximum HP). 6th level gives them both ''Irrational Retaliation'' (spend 2 ki as a reaction to being damaged to gain advantage on attacks against the assailant) and ''Redoubled Efforts'' (when at or below 50% maximum HP, do +1 die of damage with Martial Arts attacks on a crit). Level 11 gives them the ''Ever Prideful'' state, which is the oh-so-anime ability to fight on out of pure stubbornness after being dropped 0 HP. Finally, at 17th level, ''Egotistical'' causes Bruised Ego and Redoubled Efforts to apply at over 50% max HP so long as the monk was damaged by an attacker within the past minute.

[[Paladin]]
* '''The Oath of Pestilence:''' It's the [[Nurgle]] subclass. No, seriously; Paladins of the Oath of Pestilence embrace disease and decay as natural, even benevolent, parts of the natural circle of life, and freely share rot and plague to winnow the weak from the strong. These Paladins get a bunch of disease-flavored spells, like stinking cloud, ray of enfeeblement and contagion. Their 3rd level Channel Divinity Options are ''Debilitating Fever'' (infect a non-undead, non-construct foe in melee with a natural disease) and ''Entropic Infection'' (remove necrotic resistance and curse the target to take +2d6 damage from necrotic effects). 7th level gives them an ''Aura of Rampant Sickness'', a 10ft aura (30ft from 18th level) that lets the paladin impose Disadvantage on an ability check, attack roll or saving throw 1/turn. 15th level's ''Disgusting Resilience'' lets the paladin spend hit dice to try and nullify an attack that would drop them to 0 HP - and if they are killed, then the paladin explodes in a shower of pus and gore for 8D6 Necrotic damage. Finally, 20th level's ''Plaguebringer'' grants the paladin immunity to poison and "reduce HP maximum value" effects, resistance to necrotic damage, and causes all enemies who get within 5 feet to take automatic necrotic damage.
** Tenets of Pestilence:
:::'''Strength in Resilience.''' Surviving hardship and plague make you stronger. Spreading these things causes strength to flourish.
:::'''All Things Must Pass.''' Death is the natural conclusion of life. There is nothing unnatural or amoral about the ending of life.
:::'''Might Makes Right.''' The laws of mortals mean nothing to poxes and plagues, they go where they wish and take what they want. So should you.
* '''The Oath of Zeal:''' Embracing the power of hate, Zealots are fanatics whose mad determination to destroy their enemies turns them into living weapons. Bonus spells for these paladins are a mixture of divination and "scourge of god" spells like Fear and Insect Plague. Their 3rd level Channel Divinity options are ''Mark of the Heretic'' (designate a target for increased crit range and a free reaction-fueled attack at the start of its turns) and ''Inquisitor's Eye'' (Advantage on Investigation, Insight and Perception, plus immunity to surprise, for 10 minutes). 7th level's ''Aura of Clarity'' gives you a 10ft aura (30ft from 18th) in whcih you and allies cannot be blinded and invisibility fails if you want it to. At 15th level, they can ''Compel Confession'', casting a Zone of Truth without burning a spell slot that also deals out psychic damage to any creature that succeeded on their save. Finally, 20th level's ''Apocalyptic Revelation'' lets the paladin gain a number of powerful buffs for 1 minute 1/day (Truesight 120ft, 5ft blinding aura, grant advantage to all attacks against a creature for 1 turn as a bonus action).
** Tenets of Zeal:
:::'''Uncover Corruption.''' Darkness cannot abide the light of day. Wickedness must be revealed before it can be destroyed.
:::'''Purge the Heretics.''' Heresy is a tumor that spread through the hearts of the innocent. Cut it out at the source.
:::'''No Mercy.''' The righteous path requires unwavering conviction and unflinching resolve.
:::'''By Any Means Necessary.''' There is no sacrifice too great when it comes to defeating the wicked.

[[Ranger]]
* '''The Green Reaper:''' [[Assassin]]s who specialize in the use of poisons. 3rd level gives them ''Envenomed Attack'' (add bonus poison damage to a weapon or 20 bits of ammo as a bonus damage, usable Proficiency bonus times per day; 11th level doubles the damage and makes it usable per short rest) and ''Toxic Tradecraft'' (Proficiency and Expertise with Poisoner's Kit, gain a free poisoner's kit you can replace with 8 hours, can burn spell slots to add extra effects to targets of Envenomed Attack; the more potent the spell slot, the nastier the effect options). 7th level's ''Poison Control'' grants Poison Resistance, Advantage on saves vs. Poisoned, and the ability to cast Protection From Poison for free Wisdom modifier times per day. 11th level's ''Variegated Vexations'' lets the ranger do Acid or Necrotic bonus damage with Envenomed Attacks instead of Poison damage. Finally, 15th level's ''Pain Tolerance'' lets the ranger spend a reaction to an attack to gain temp HP equal to the damage dealt.
* '''The Vermin Lord:''' Allies of the skittering legions of the natural world, who learn to take power from the creatures that are so small, but oh so very, ''very'' many. 3rd level's ''Verminkin'' grants the ability to speak with vermin and to summon vermin swarms by spending spell slots (2 swarms per slot level), whilst ''Septic Strikes'' lets them inflict Necrotic damage as a bonus action on any target of their own weapon attacks or their swarm's attacks. 7th level's ''Filth and Fortitude'' grants immunity to disease and proficiency in Constition saves. 11th level's ''Infectious Spread'' can be used Wisdom mod times per day to boost Septic Strikes to also poison the targets. Finally, 15th level's ''Strength of the Swarm'' lets the ranger transfer damage to adjacent swarms.

[[Rogue]]
* '''The Highway Rider Martial Archetype:''' Mounted combat specialist with a side-order in being surprisingly tanky. For a rogue. 3rd level gives them ''Hair Trigger'' (on rolling for initiative, spend a reaction to either attack with advantage, move full speed (whether on foot or mounted) without opportunity attacks, Dodge, or interact with an item), ''Trusty Mount'' (cast Find Steed (summons a Beast, not an outsider) 1/day) and ''Ride Them Down'' (can Sneak Attack after moving 20+ feet whilst mounted). 9th level's ''Horse Lord'' lets the Highway Rider spend a minute caring to their steed to give it double their level in temp HP, and also lets them Dash, Disengage or Dodge as a bonus action whilst mounted. 13th level's ''True Grit'' gives proficiency in Constitution saves and "Con save for half damage" effects are now "half damage on fail, no damage on save". Finally, 17th level's ''Desperado'' lets them use a Hair Trigger option as a Reaction to falling to 0 HP.
* '''The Misfortune Bringer Martial Archetype:''' Thieves of luck who have the ability to deliver all manner of terrible curses to those they choose to target. 3rd level gives them ''Evil Eye'', which is used to mark a target for their ''Misfortunist'' feature. They gain two "Misfortunes" (lesser curses powered by Jinx Points) and 3 Jinx points; they gain +1 Misfortune at 9th, 13th and 17th level (and can swap one out whenever they complete a long rest), and +2 jinx points at 13th level. 9th level's ''Steal Luck'' lets the rogue remove a creature's Advantage on an ability check, attack or save 1/short rest to regain an expend Jinx Point - from 17th, this can be done 3/short rest. Finally, 13th level's ''Curse Caster'' lets the rogue cast Bestow Curse for 3 Jinx Points.

[[Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)|Sorcerer]]
* '''The Haunted:''' Sorcerers who survived a brush with death and now have a ghostly companion guiding them through the spirit world. At 1st level, the Haunted gains the traits ''Haunted Spells'' (learn Unseen Servant, See Invisibility, Speak with Dead, Death Ward and Little Death as extra spells, they can be cast by substituting sorcery points for spell slots), ''Phantom Companion'' (gain a Familiar in the form of an Undead Specter, which can turn invisible and, from 3rd level, use Life Drain as one of your attacks), and ''Sixth Sense'' (add Charisma mod to Dex checks to determine initiative). 6th level's ''Strength of Spirit'' powers up the Phantom Companion so it can now channel spells like a familiar, whilst ''Deathly Pallor'' gives the Haunted Resistance to Necrotic and the ability to swap sorcerer spell damage types to Necrotic. 14th level's ''Phantom Possession'' lets the Haunted control creatures by having their Phantom Companion possess them. Finally, 18th level's ''Become Death'' lets the Haunted turn into a spectre themselves 1/day.
* '''The Wretched Bloodline:''' Inheriting an ancestral curse, this sorcerer has learned to take it apart and make it into a source of power.

[[Warlock]]
* '''The First Vampire Patron:''' Needless to say, this gives you [[vampire]]-lite abilities
* '''The Cosmic Parasite Patron:''' Agreeing to host the nascent offspring of an entity that feeds on the vitality of whole peoples and planets, these warlocks are surprisingly physically adept due to the monster lurking beneath their skin.

[[Wizard]]
* '''Plague Doctor:''' Practicing a blend of magic, alchemy and herbalism, plague doctors learn how to heal the sick... and to blight the healthy, should they desire.
* '''The School of Sangromancy:''' This is the [[Blood Magic]] tradition. Who're you trying to kid?

In addition, two [[Artificer]] subclasses were unlocked as part of the stretchgoals for the Kickstarter... unfortunately, because the Artificer was not in the SRD, Ghostfire Gaming is not legally allowed to put them in the GHPG; instead, they are going to be released as "Pay What You Want" on the DM's Guild website.

===Expanded Backgrounds===
{{dnd-stub}}
One of Grim Hollow's unique mechanics is that it takes the Backgrounds from basic 5th edition and simultaneously applies level-based features that represent increased status/proficiency in that particular field, as well as specializations to more specifically refine the basic concept. For example, instead of a generic Academic, you could be an Archivist, who keeps a personal library, or a Archaeologist.

===Transformations===
Grim Hollow's most iconic element, the ''Transformations'' mechanic is a kind of 4 level Prestige Class that allows a player to slowly become some kind of specific monster, gaining unique powers and flaws at each of the four levels. Transformations in the Campaign Guide consist of the '''Aberrant Horror''', the '''Fiend''', the '''Lich''', the '''Lycanthrope''', the '''Seraph''' and the '''Vampire'''. Yes, becoming an angel is treated as being as horrifying and dehumanizing as becoming a fiend.

The Player's Guide added the '''Primordial''', the '''Fey''' and the '''Spectre'''.

Here's how it works: each Transformation requires certain mechanical and story requirements to acquire, with at the very least each Transformation needing a certain value of [[Ability Scores]]. To progress in level, the player needs to undertake an in-game story-based progression milestone - it typically recommends keeping each Transformation Level to a certain range of class levels, so it doesn't become too weak or too powerful compared to non-Transforming characters.

When they get their first level in a Transformation, they gain two special Transformation Boons and a mandatory Transformation Flaw. On levels 2-4, they gain their choice of 1 of several Transformation Boons, which could be taken from an earlier Transformation level, and a mandatory Transformation Flaw.

Examples of Universal Transformation Milestones are:
* Undertaking an exceptional act of evil or good.
* Completing an ancient ritual.
* Performing a powerful artifact.
* Being cursed by a dark agent.
* Being exalted by a patron or god.

Can you undo a Transformation? Yes, if the DM agrees; it basically works like curing a curse, but requires a Regenerate spell rather than Remove Curse. However, a character who has reached the 4th level, or being Transformed for over a year, can only be cured with a Wish. It's up to the DM to decide if killing and resurrecting a character frees them from their transformation or not.

If a Transformation ability allows a save, the DC is always 8 + the character's Proficiency bonus + an ability score modifier, the precise modifier being determined by the precise Transformation.

====Aberrant Horror====
Aberrant Horrors are humanoids who have begun transforming into an [[aberration]], granting them grotesquely fluid anatomies and the ability to reshape their bodies in the most nightmarish, sanity-breaking ways.

Becoming an Aberrant Horror requires '''13 Constitution''' and some kind of encounter with an aberration, magical anomaly, or other phenomena to trigger the complete reshaping of your body. The following are possible level milestones for the Aberrant Horror:
* Defeating a powerful Aberration and absorbing its power.
* Undergoing a dangerous and costly experiment.
* Surviving a magical mishap.
* Acquiring the strength to give birth to a more powerful version of yourself, which then consumes your old self.
* Fulfilling an eldritch prophecy written in the stars.

An Aberrant Horror's save DC keys off of Constitution.

At 1st level, you gain the Boons '''Aberrant Adaptions''' (use bonus actions to activate biological heavy armor and weapons) and '''Aberrant Form''' (+2 Con, +1 Str, Type changes to Aberration), and you receive the Flaw '''Unstable Mutations'''. Each time you complete a Long Rest, you have to roll on a d100 to see how your fluctuating anatomy screws you over for a time.

At 2nd level, you can take the Boons '''Efficient Killer''' (powers up your bio-weapons from Aberrant Adaptions), '''Other-Worldly Tendrils''' (spend a bonus action to activate several different tentacle attack options) or '''Situational Evolution''' (spend a bonus action to gain a climb speed, swim speed + amphibious, or regeneration), and you receive the Flaw '''Hideous Appearance'''. Acquiring this flaw means that you become a shapeshifter, with a hideously warped base form and the ability to resume your original form. You revert to your true form if you Concentrate on a spell, are knocked unconscious, enter hallowed ground, or consciously choose to do so. At the DM's discretion, events of extreme emotional or physical stress may require a Constitution save to avoid reverting. Non-evil creatures that see your true form will instantly become hostile to you, unless the DM decides otherwise.

At 3rd level, you can take the Boons '''Wings''' (bonus action gives you wings for 10 minutes), '''Additional Tendrils''' (requires Other-Worldly Tendrils, you can use 2 tentacles simultaneously, upgrades to 3 at 4th stage) or '''Enhanced Hypertrophy''' (Unarmed Strikes do d8 damage, offensive adaptations increase their damage by +1 die type), and you receive the Flaw '''Unstable Existence'''. Your Hideous Appearance is revealed whenever you roll a natural 1-3 on a save against a spell or magical ability.

At 4th level, you can take the Boons '''Savage Predator''' (on a nat-20, do +6d6 damage and force enemies to save vs. fear), '''Master of the Deep''' (requires Additional Tendrils, 1/short rest you can make a debuffing attack against all enemies within 15 feet) or '''Extremophiliac Conditioning''' (spend a bonus action to gain Resistance to either all Physical damage, Fire+Lightning+Acid damage, or Cold+Thunder+Poison damage), and you receive the Flaw '''Entropic Abomination'''. When you fail a save vs. spell or magical ability, roll on the Unstable Mutations table and switch to the new result if it's lower than your current result.

====Fiend====
Quite self-explanatory, this Transformation causes you to become a Fiend - closer to a [[devil]] than a [[demon]], what with the focus on Faustian bargains.

Becoming a Fiend requires Charisma 13 and somehow damning one's soul for power, such as by pacting with a Fiend or by undergoing an infernal ritual. The following are possible level milestones for the Fiend:
* Defeating a greater rival Fiend and taking their place in the hierarchy.
* Ensnaring a particularly powerful or influential soul with a contract.
* Establishing a cult of worshipers who offer their strength to you.
* Establishing a portal between the material plane and the Netherworld.
* Killing or corrupting a Seraph.

A Fiend's Transformation Save DC keys off of Charisma.

At 1st level, you gain the Boons '''Gifts of Damnation''' (you can sign soul contracts with mortals to gain special powers) and '''Fiendish Form''' (+2 Charisma, +1 Intelligence, Type changes to Fiend), and you receive the Flaw '''Planar Binding'''. This flaw causes you to suffer Disadvantage on death saving throws, and if you die, you cannot be raised.

At 2nd level, you can take the Boons '''Brand of the Chainer's Gaze''' (inflict a curse that penalizes saves), '''Brand of the Tyrant's Hellfire''' (inflict a curse that adds bonus Fire damage to your attacks) or '''Brand of the Deceiver's Guile''' (inflict a curse that penalizes attack rolls), and you receive the Flaw '''Hideous Appearance'''. Acquiring this flaw means that you become a shapeshifter, with a hideously warped base form and the ability to resume your original form. You revert to your true form if you Concentrate on a spell, are knocked unconscious, enter hallowed ground, or consciously choose to do so. At the DM's discretion, events of extreme emotional or physical stress may require a Constitution save to avoid reverting. Non-evil creatures that see your true form will instantly become hostile to you, unless the DM decides otherwise. All of the Boons at this level can be used Charisma modifier times per day, and the curses they create last for 1 minute, or until the target is knocked unconscious, enters hallowed ground, or is targeted by Remove Curse.

At 3rd level, you can take the Boons '''Alluring Deceit''' (free Proficiency/Expertise in Deception and Persuasion, immunity to magic that detects lies and compels truthful speech), '''Infernal Resistance''' (burn a reaction to halve damage from non-silvered weapon attacks) or '''Nether Blade''' (spend a bonus action to summon an infernal burning blade to fight with), and you receive the Flaw '''True Name'''. This flaw causes you to manifest a talisman inscribed with your true name, which other creatures can use to control you.

At 4th level, you can take the Boons '''Commanding Obedience''' (your spells can force your opponents to fall prone), '''Brimstone Pyrolysis''' (your fire attacks can turn slain enemies into miniature bombs) or '''Infernal Summoning''' (you can summon a squad of up to 4 imps 1/day), and you receive the Flaw '''Pull of the Netherworld'''. This causes you to take 1d6 Force damage per two character levels whenever you roll a natural 1 on a save against a magical spell or ability.

====Lich====
Self explanatory, the Lich transformation allows powerful spellcasters to assume a form that will allow them to continue to study magic for all eternity.

As such, this is the hardest Transformation to qualify for: Intelligence 16, ability to cast 7th level spells, and you must track down and successfully perform the Ritual of Dread. The following are possible level milestones for the Lich:
* Discover ancient and dark arcane knowledge.
* Consume the soul of an exceptionally powerful spellcaster.
* Build a monument to your power to serve as a giant arcane focus.
* Create an army of undead.
* Kill a god.

At 1st level, you gain the Boons '''Harvester of Souls''' (creatures you kill become phylactery charges you can burn to recover spell slots) and '''Undead Form''' (+4 Int, +2 Wis, type changes to Undead, lowered benefit from external healing effects, immunity to aging, air, food, drink and sleep), and you receive the Flaw '''Phylactery'''. This causes you to create a talisman to bind your soul into; if it gets destroyed, you die, instantly. If you die, you will revive 1 week later so long as there is a soul charge in your phylacterty - otherwise, at the end of the week, you become a Demilich NPC.

At 2nd level, you can take the Boons '''Puppet Master''' (undead mooks you create are permanent and cannot be stolen from you), '''Lichdom of the Arcane''' (killing a creature with a spell that does fire, necrotic, or poison damage triggers a bonus effect) or '''Rift to the Dreadscapes''' (As an action, create a zone of super-killy necrotic energy), and you receive the Flaw '''Hideous Appearance'''. Acquiring this flaw means that you become a shapeshifter, with a hideously warped base form and the ability to resume your original form. You revert to your true form if you Concentrate on a spell, are knocked unconscious, enter hallowed ground, or consciously choose to do so. At the DM's discretion, events of extreme emotional or physical stress may require a Constitution save to avoid reverting. Non-evil creatures that see your true form will instantly become hostile to you, unless the DM decides otherwise.

At 3rd level, you can take the Boons '''Relentless Undead''' (undead you control can make a full move + attack before dying), '''Arcane Supremacy''' (you can suffer Exhaustion to Concentrate on two spells simultaneously) or '''Staff of the Dreadscapes''' (as an action, summon an enchanted quarterstaff), and you receive the Flaw '''Necromantic Dystrophy'''. If you go more than 24 hours without converting 4 CR worth of souls into spell slots, you suffer severe penalties.

At 4th level, you can take the Boons '''Lord of Undeath''' (humanoids you kill auto-rise as zombies under your command), '''Arcane Omniscience''' (you know all Wizard spells and can cast Int modifier bonus Wizard spells per day) or '''Deathly Being''' (gain lich immunities and resistances), and you receive the Flaw '''Weight of Ages'''. This is the more severe form of Necromantic Dystrophy, forcing you to burn up 8 CR worth of souls per day.

====Lycanthrope====
Obviously, becoming a Lycanthrope turns you into a [[therianthrope|werebeast]]. Whilst the easiest way is to be bitten by a werebeast and survive, there's also a [[druid]]ic ritual called the Lunar Sacrament that can curse a victim with this transformation, which is obviously viewed in a holy perspective by druids.

Mechanically, taking this Transformation requires 13 Strength, and its Save DC keys off of Strength. The following are possible level milestones for the Lycanthrope:
* Establishing a pack of lycanthropes.
* Killing an alpha lycanthrope.
* Gaining control of your animalistic urges.
* Unleashing the beast within and losing your humanity.

At 1st level, you gain the Boons '''Hybrid Transformation''' (you can change into a half-humanoid, half-beast shape) and '''Shapechanger's Form''' (+2 Strength, +1 Constitution, gain the Shapechanger type), and you receive the Flaw '''Lust for the Hunt'''. This flaw forces you to make a DC 10 Wisdom save at the start of each turn, or move towards the nearest NPC, prioritizing the helpless, so you can try to kill it; when exposed to a full moon's light, you automatically fail this save. The first time you see a full moon, you need to pass a DC 20 Wisdom save or be forcibly transformed into hybrid shape until dawn.

At 2nd level, you can take the Boons '''Iron Pelt''' (gain resistance to physical damage from non-silver and non-magical sources in hybrid form), '''Hunter's Howl''' (you can use a howl to mark a creature as prey, gaining bonuses to tracking and killing it) or '''Kindred Form''' (you can now assume animal form as well as hybrid form), and you receive the Flaw '''Silver Sensitivity'''. This makes you Vulnerable to damage done by silvered weapons when you're in hybrid or kindred form, and you cannot apply any Resistance to an attack made by a silvered weapon.

At 3rd level, you can take the Boons '''Titanic Vigor''' (+2 max HP per level, gain 5 temp HP each turn in hybrid form), '''Predatory Leap''' (double jumping distance, can make pounce attacks in hybrid form) or '''Bestial Savagery''' (hybrid form gains: attacks are damage-buffed and count as magic, +1 AC, immunity to charm & fear), and you receive the Flaw '''Fraying Memories'''. This flaw gives you Disadvantage on Intelligence ability and skill checks based on recalling information or knowledge.

At 4th level, you can take the Boons '''Savage Instincts''' (hybrid form attacks are suped up vs. hurt targets), '''Kindred Affinity''' (requires Kindred Form, lets you speak and cast spells in kindred form) or '''Unstoppable Rage''' (you can keep fighting at 0 HP), and you receive the Flaw '''Predatory Nature'''. This flaw makes it harder to resist your urge to kill the weak and helpless, as well as making it harder to return to your original form.

====Seraph====
Seraphs are the Angels of Etharis, and consist of mortals uplifted for their devotion to a virtue or ideal; as such, they are commonly selected from noble martyrs, tireless crusaders, and other exemplary individuals.

Becoming a Seraph requires Wisdom 13 and either exaltation by an Arch-Seraph or exposure to powerful divine energies. The following are possible level milestones for the Seraph:
* Defeating a powerful force of darkness.
* Create a hallowed landmark for pilgrims.
* Establish a parish of worshipers who uphold your virtue.
* Establish a portal between the Material Plane and the Empyrium.
* Redeem a soul that was considered beyond redemption.

At 1st level, you gain the Boons '''Celestial Form''' (+2 Wisdom, +1 Constitution, type changes to Celestial) and '''Angelic Wings''' (you've a Fly speed equal to your Normal speed, but can't wear clothes or armor that aren't tailored to fit), and you receive the Flaw '''Planar Binding'''. This is identical to the Fiend flaw of the same name, but is based on your connection to a divine plane rather than an unholy one.

At 2nd level, you can take the Boons '''Divine Retribution''' (grant a Radiance-charged bonus attack to yourself or an ally), '''Divine Clemency''' (when you or an ally is hurt, you can cast a healing spell as a reaction) or '''Divine Expedition''' (burn a reaction to move yourself or a nearby ally), and you receive the Flaw '''Divine Appearance'''. This is the same as Hideous Appearance, but obviously revolves around you looking like an obvious angel, which has its problems in a world crawling with monsters and the wicked.

At 3rd level, you can take the Boons '''Radiant Strike''' (your melee attacks do bonus Radiant damage, especially against fiends, fey and undead), '''Cleanse Affliction''' (your healing spells also remove negative conditions) or '''Bow of Celestial Judgement''' (you can summon a magic bow that shoots holy lasers), and you receive the Flaw '''Beacon to Darkness'''. This flaw means that if you or allies within close proximity commit evil acts, you pick up "corruption points" that temporarily impede your ability to fight the naturally evil.

At 4th level, you can take the Boons '''Aura of Holy Purge''' (grant a free critical hit 1/day), '''Aura of Merciful Blessing''' (you or an ally can survive a killing attack with 1 HP 1/day) or '''Aura of Empyreal Valor''' (grant yourself or an ally increased speed and dexterity 1/day), all of which have a radius of 20 feet and are only active whilst you're conscious, and you receive the Flaw '''Pull of the Empyrean'''. This is just a name-tweaked version of the Fiend's "Pull of the Netherrealm".

====Vampire====
Simple, obvious, self-explanatory. You were bitten by another vampire, you drank a vampire's blood, you handled the wrong (or right!) cursed magical artifact, or you performed a dark rite to willingly infect yourself with the Sanguine Curse.

This Transformation requires Dexterity 13, and its save DC keys off of Dexterity. The following are possible level milestones for the Vampire:
* Establish a coven of vampire spawn.
* Drink the blood of a legendary monster.
* Learn the great secrets of vampirism from a Vampire Lord.
* Learn to embrace your Hideous Form and lose the ability to conceal it.
* Discover the lost crypts of an ancient vampire and consume its essence.

At 1st level, you gain the Boons '''Blood Fury''' (doing damage to living creatures lets you rack up points you can use to power special attacks) and '''Undead Form''' (+2 Dex, +1 Cha, type changes to Undead, lowered benefit from external healing effects, immunity to aging, air, food, drink and sleep), and you receive the Flaw '''The Sanguine Curse'''. This gives you Darkvision 60 feet if you don't already have it, but prevents you from entering a residence unless invited, causes you to suffer Disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks when in sunlight, and requires you to feed on blood at least once per 7 days.

At 2nd level, you can take the Boons '''Dread Knight Combat Training''' (you can enter a special stance to boost offense, defense or accuracy), '''Sanguine Magic''' (you can convert non-typed spell damage into necrotic damage, gain Fury Points with spell attacks, and gain some spellcasting-related options for Blood Fury) or '''Shapechanger''' (you can turn into a bat and a cloud of mist), and you receive the Flaw '''Hideous Appearance'''. Acquiring this flaw means that you become a shapeshifter, with a hideously warped base form and the ability to resume your original form. You revert to your true form if you Concentrate on a spell, are knocked unconscious, enter hallowed ground, or consciously choose to do so. At the DM's discretion, events of extreme emotional or physical stress may require a Constitution save to avoid reverting. Non-evil creatures that see your true form will instantly become hostile to you, unless the DM decides otherwise.

At 3rd level, you can take the Boons '''Cruel Riposte''' (you gain a bonus melee attack against assailants), '''Creatures of the Night''' (you can summon swarms of bats, rats and wolves to aid you) or '''Captivating Glance''' (free proficiency in Deception + Persuasion, immunity to having your thoughts read), and you receive the Flaw '''Greater Sanguine Curse'''. This increases your Darkvision to 120 feet, causes you to take 1d10 acid damage per turn from running water, makes you suffer 1d10 radiant damage per turn when exposed to sunlight, and requires you to feed every 3 days.

At 4th level, you can take the Boons '''Grim Executioner''' (requires Dread Knight Combat Training; a critical hit will insta-kill a foe with 50 or fewer HP), '''Beguiler's Entrancement''' (requires Captivating Glance, lets you Charm a creature 1/day) or '''Regenerate''' (lets you regenerate damage unless exposed to sunlight, radiant damage or running water), and you receive the Flaw '''Stake to the Heart'''. With this flaw, a natural 20 to hit you with a wooden or silvered weapon, if you have 50 or fewer HP left, causes you to be paralyzed for 1 hour or until the weapon is removed, whichever is greater.

====Primordial====
This upcoming Transformation turns you into an [[elemental]].

====Fey====
As its name suggests, this Transformation turns you into a [[fey]].

====Spectre====
An unlocked stretch goal for the Player's Guide, this Transformation turns you into a [[ghost]].

{{D&D-Settings}}

[[Category: Dungeons & Dragons]][[Category:Dungeons & Dragons Third Party]]

Grim Hollow

2021-06-30T17:49:17Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* Fiend */

{{NeedsImages}}
'''Grim Hollow''' is a 3rd party [[Dark Fantasy]] setting for [[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]] published by Ghostfire Gaming. Currently, only the Campaign Setting and Player's Guide exists, with the Monster Grimoire being crowdfunded for on Kickstarter.

==The World of Etharis==
[[File:Damien-mammoliti-grimhollow-worldmap2-dm.jpg|300px|thumb|Lands of Etharis]]
Etharis, as the campaign setting's world is called, is a [[grimdark]] slant on the standard D&D 5e world. It takes place on a world where a brutal humanity rose up and almost annihilated the empires of [[dwarves]], [[elves]] and [[dragonborn]], then nearly annihilated itself in pointless internecine wars, allowing the oppressed remnants of those races to rise up and forcibly carve a place for themselves out of the ruins. Civilization exists in a [[Points of Light]] format; islands of light and hope surrounded by vast tracts of hostile, monster-infected wilderness. Some regions suffer supernatural or paranatural auras that shroud them in darkness, and plagues ravage the land - especially the dreaded Weeping Pox. The gods of Etharis annihilated each other in a brutal civil war, leaving behind only their lieutenants - the Arch Seraphs and Arch Daemons - to heed the prayers of mortal followers, and work to exploit the world as it exists for their own advantage. In many portions of the world, arcane magic is feared, and there is even a crusade, the Arcanist Inquisition, dedicated to destroying all who are even accused of dabbling with magic.

But despite all this... Etharis is not a relentlessly bleak world, and there is some hope for it to get better. To quote the book itself:
::''Etharis as a campaign setting is not meant to be relentlessly bleak and depressing, or to wallow in cruelty for its own sake. Small victories become heroic when they take heroic effort to achieve. No one in Etharis is safe by default, so any safety the characters win or give to others is a true blessing. No one in Etharis is good by default, so moments of genuine grace are worth celebrating – and can come from unexpected places. Amid profound darkness, even the smallest lights have value.

There's even a chapter in the Campaign Guide that breaks down [[Dark Fantasy]] into its four major components: [[Grimdark]], Horror, Dark Fairy Tales, and [[Sword & Sorcery]], with advice to the DM on how to pick and mix these themes to make Etharis more their own.

===Realms of Etharis===
As you can see from the map, Etharis is a pretty big place. Luckily, we're here to give you an breakdown of the various places of note on the map.

The '''Bürach Empire''' is the former ruling power of Etharis. An alliance of four provinces united by a divinely chosen emperor, Bürach has begun falling into ruination ever since the last emperor, the insane Leopold I, spread his insanity into the four gods whose powers once united and supported the empire, causing them to ultimately butcher each other in the name of proving which of them was the supreme god before Leopold was assassinated. Their madness and subsequent deaths have left powerful cultural and mystical scars on the lands they once championed. The provinces of the Bürach Empire are:'
* ''Abendland:'' Literal and metaphorical center of the Bürach Empire, once devoted to Aurelia, Goddess of Healing, Hearth and Home. It was the Hearthkeepers, Aurelia's priesthood, who helped locate the god-touched individual - Indorius - who became the first Emperor of Bürach Empire, and they were the ones who decreed the Edict of Eternal Blood, which allowed only direct descendants of Emperor Indorius to rule. This included coaxing the marriage of cousins and siblings to preserve the purity of said blood, despite the misgivings of the rest of Bürachs, that ultimately led to the insanity of Emperor Leopold I. Even now, the Hearthkeepers stifle their people and try to keep them ignorant of the waning divine powers of their priests and the fading fecundity of the land itself, with hope of turning Abendland into an open [[theocracy]].
* ''Nordenland:'' Always home to planar gates and crossings, especially to the [[Feywild]], Nordenland is the traditional home of the [[mage]]s of Bürach, which made it a natural homeland for Ulmyr, God of Magic and Chaos. The fall of the empire has broken Nordenland into two halves; those of the East, who have thrown off all allegiance to the empire and returned to the old ways, and those of the West, who still consider themselves part of Bürach and eagerly adopt new technologies from their former allies. Civil war is brewing, especially as the forests become filled with monsters and evils.
* ''Rauland:'' Kingdom of the [[dwarves]] and [[gnome]]s, Rauland was dedicated to Galt, God of Order and Construction. During the dark days of the godly civil war, Galt became a brutal tyrant, [[Laduguer|demanding toil for the sake of toil and treating all lives as tools for the sake of production]]. Ironically, with their patron dead, the Raulanders have found their crafts are declining in potency, stripped of the divine blessing they enjoyed in the empire's heyday.
* ''Unterland:'' A warrior society who were devoted to Maligant, the God of War and Strategy; with their patron gone, the cult of Tormach, [[Khorne|Archdaemon of Wrath and Slaughter]], is spreading like wildfire to take his place.

The '''Ostoyan Empire''' was Bürachs' major rival, founded by people who fled from Unterland during the chaos of Bürachs' early years due to refusing to accept Emperor Indorius as their new leader. They founded their own nation, Ostoya, but when the finally stabilized Bürach came and demanded the Ostoyans swear subservience to their long-lost and little-loved kinsfolk, it led to war. That war only grew more desperate with the Darkfall; a mighty earthquake that opened chasms leading to an ancient city buried beneath the ground, one infested by the [[undead]]. So desperate were the Ostoyans to remove this "homegrown" threat that they sent an entire army down into the deep to fight a holding action, then collapsed the chasms leading to the surface, burying their own men alive in the process. But this only made things worse; a survivor found a strange shrine and prayed for vengeance, before returning to the surface as a [[vampire]] and spreading his plague through Ostoya's nobility. With the new [[necrocracy]] in place, the Ostoyans expelled the Bürach invaders. Now, Ostoya resides under a permanent shadow; the sky is forever choked with thick clouds (often pregnant with snow or heavy rain) and mist, blotting the light from the sun. Ironically, Ostoya has schismed once again, and is now divided into two provinces; ''Soma'', the [[vampire]]-ruled [[necrocracy]], and the [[magocracy]] of ''Raevo'', which refuses to bow to the undead. Even more ironically, their civil war is remarkably civil: both sides share a hatred of Bürach that outweighs their antipathy towards each other, and the two provinces will fight to aid each other in remaining independent of Bürach. Definite shades of [[Sylvania]].

The '''Charneault Kingdom''' is a magical forest realm, the last stronghold of the [[elves]] and also home to a spiritual and honorable [[human]] culture who had found peace with their elven neighbors - thanks to the enforcing might of the [[Primal Spirits|nature spirits]] that reside here. But the Pact of the Sacred Land has been soured by the Dark Elves; an anti-human cult which attempted to use black magic to subvert the relationship the elves had long enjoyed with the nature spirits from that of equals to that of master and servant - whilst a human [[knight]], the valiant Ser Guilherm le Preux, managed to prevent the rite from fully taking place, Charneault has been tainted by the Dark Elves' actions. The magical mists that have always inundated Charneault now sometimes take on a dark coloration, throwing the spirits in turmoil, whilst Dark Elf sorcerers leading monsters and bewitched dark knights have begun to launch attacks against the human population of the land from their new base in the dead city of Tol Kerdywel, the prison of an elven princess turned foul [[lich]]. In return, the humans of Charneault are falling into disarry; the farmers dare not enter their fields when the Mist approaches, leading to shortages, and the king's order to swell the ranks of the various [[knight]]ly orders for which Charneault is famed has led to increased rivalry between those orders and their followers. And all the while, anti-elf sentiment is swelling in the minds of humanity...

The '''Valikan Clans''' of '''Grarjord''' are the [[Viking]]-like inhabitants of the [[elemental]]-haunted frozen northlands of Etharis, a region said to have once been ruled by [[Archomental|godlike elementals]] that warred with each other. Of these, the most fearsome was Gormadraug, the Great Prismatic Wyrm; a [[dragon]]-shaped [[elemental]] who was the master of "coldfire" - a white-blue flame that freezes instead of burns, consumes water, and can only be extinguished with fire and heat. Although reputedly slain by a band of seven heroes well over a thousand years ago, Gormadraug still shapes Grarjord's future. Over fifty years ago, a [[druid]]ic cult arose, the Prismatic Circle, who decreed that the Valikan must feed Gormadraug's spirit with bloodshed to keep him docile. This has led to a schims in Valikan society, dividing Grarjord into two provinces; ''Thrull'', a [[druid]]ic [[theocracy]] where the Prismatic Circle rules and raiding, slavery and human sacrifice are the order of the day, and ''Kandar'', which rejects the Prismatic Circle's rules and seeks strength through alliances and trade with the more fertile lands to the south. Making things worse is the rival Cult of the Wyrm, druids who seek to use the blood sacrifice of humans and elementals to ''awaken'' Gormadraug, and the mysterious appearance of outbreaks of coldfire, which sweep in deadly anti-blazes across the northland and leave behind only frozen wastes.

The '''Castinellan Provinces''' are a harsh, windswept peninsula, split down their center by an irregular mountain spine. These three provinces - ''Toletum'', ''Faro'' and ''Therpena'' - have long warred with each other, and only recently been united by a [[theocracy]] dedicated to the worship of Empyreus. Traditional homeland of the [[dragonborn]], the new priest-kings seek to tamper the warlike and vengeful nature of their people by first redirecting their attention outward in holy wars and crusades. It is also the birthplace of the Arcanist Inquisition, which seeks to control and limit the use of magic - ostensibly because Empyreus herself had told Montego Valieda, the first priest-king and Unifier of Castinellan, that magic was a curse that endangered its wielders and their associates alike.

'''Morencia''' is a powerful mercantile city-state occupies a series of small islands in a large lagoon, which is virtually impossible thanks to the magic-spawned mists that shroud the complex maze of reefs and sandbanks surrounding the city. Ruled over by the Augustine Trading Company, which has achieved this by absorbing the Banker's Guild and thus made mere puppets of the so-called Supreme Council, Morencia desires only to prosper, and is constantly targeted by the Castinellan Provinces as their first conquest.

'''Liesech''' is a city-state that lies to the north of the Charneault Kingdom and south of the Bürach Empire, the latter which now controls it, fighting an impossible battle to stave off the consumption of the city by the sea itself. Especially because of the mysterious god-thing, possibly a [[kraken]], known as the Filth Grazer, and the dreaded Weeping Pox.

===Etharis Races===
Etharis is home to the following races:

[[Human]]s: The most numerous race, who rose up from barbarism during the age of the dwarven and elven dominance over the world into a vast conquering horde that first almost annihilated the elves and dwarves, then nearly wiped themselves out. They technically are still the "dominant" race of Etharis, but their short lives have led to their old hatred fading... whilst the other races have not forgotten what humanity did to them...

[[Elf|Elves]]: Formerly the masters of Etharis' forests, their empires were burned to ashes during humanity's rise, and they spent decades as wandering nomads who were given magic by the forest spirits who survived as a way to avenge their loss.

[[Dwarf|Dwarves]]: During humanity's expansion, the dwarves retreated to their two greatest strongholds. Grevenstein was ultimately breached and its people annihilated, but Stehlenwald dug deeper and armed its people with adamantine; although their population was halved, their superior arms and armor allowed them to push humanity back. Still, they agreed to become a vassal race of humanity in the name of survival.

[[Half-Orc]]s: Pureblooded [[orc]]s are long gone in Etharis, but they remain figures of dark legends. Only half-orcs remain, and they are largely feared and distrusted, dwelling voluntarily amidst the harsh environment of the frozen north.

[[Half-Elf|Half-Elves]]: Nomadic outcasts rejected by both sides of their parentage.

[[Dragonborn]]: The small kingdom of the dragonborn fell when caught between warring humans and elves, but its people survived. They have abandoned their original gods, and instead embraced the new religion of the Divine Seraphs with fanatical zeal, winning a place in the Castinellan theocracy.

[[Gnome]]s: Cousins of the dwarves, they retreated into Stehlenwald with their kin, and were instrumental in turning back the tides of humanity by inventing the first primitive gunpowder weapons.

[[Halfling]]s: When humanity began its bloody Era of Expansion, the halflings surrendered rather than fight, voluntarily subsuming themselves into human culture as a race of servants.

The Player's Guide added several new races to the setting:

'''Wechselkind''' are essentially a cross between [[fey]] [[changeling]]s and [[warforged]]; they're [[fey]] [[construct]]s in the shape of children which the fey leave behind to disguise when they've stolen human children. Whilst most of these unfortunate creatures are destroyed when their foster family finds the truth, the lucky ones are kept because, despite constructs, they are as aware and intelligent as any human child. Unfortunately, although their minds can age, wechselkind are stuck with a child-like body forever. Ironcially, the Weeping Pox has been a boon to these golem-kin; being immune to disease has allowed them to become very effective nurses and doctor's assistants in the plague-lands.
::+2 Constitution, +1 Charisma
::Small
::Base Speed 25 feet
::'''Artificial Form:''' Though you are considered a Humanoid for effects that key off of type, you are Immune to Disease, Resistant to Poison damage, have Advantage on saves against the Poisoned condition, and don't need to eat, drink, sleep or breathe.
::'''Faerie Glamour:''' 1/day, you can take on the form of the child you were created to replace, which other than this restriction in available forms functions as disguise self.
::'''Childish Agility:''' You can move through the space of any creature of a size larger than yours, and you have Proficiency in Acrobatics.
::'''Unaging:''' You are immune to magical aging effects.

'''Laneshi''' are a strange race with a natural affinity for necromancy who hail from a kingdom deep below the waves. Their society is caste-based; those born as twins become mystics, who have their twin sibling sacrificed and spiritually bound to them to grant them heightened necromantic powers, whilst those born as single children become the warrior caste. Mystics are responsible for all things associated with the dead - funeral rites, crafting, construction, record keeping and food preparation - and and warriors are associated with all things of the living; warfare, ruling, diplomacy, farming, raisingr and educating children, etc. They appear as pale bluish-white skinned, almost elf-like figures with manes of green kelp-like hair.
::+1 Strength, +1 Wisdom
::Medium
::Base Speed 30 feet, Swim 30 feet
::Darkvision 60 feet
::'''Amphibious:''' You can breathe both air and water.
::'''Beast Whisperers:''' You can cast Speak with Animals 1/day.
::'''Subrace:''' Choose either the Warrior or Mystic subrace.
:::''Warrior:'' +1 Strength, '''Skirmish Tactics '''(when you hit a hostile with a weapon attack, you may Disengage as a bonus action until the end of your turn), and '''Laneshi Weapon Training''' (Proficiency in Spears, Tridents, Javelins, Light Armor, Animal Handling).
:::''Mystic:'' +1 Wisdom, '''Duality of Spirit''' (Resistance to Psychic damage, Advantage on Int, Wis and Cha saves vs. magic, first time this trait activates per day, pass a DC 12 Wis save or be Stunned until the end of your next turn), and '''Laneshi Magic''' (you know 1 Necromancy Cantrip, and gain a second Necromancy Cantrip at 5th level, both keying off of Wisdom).

'''Ogresh''' are a strange race of possibly [[giant-kin]]; whilst they appear as tall humans, they are characterized more by their massive girth than their height - they average 6 to 7 feet and average between 200 to 800 pounds, depending on if they are in their youthful "nomadic" state or their older "sedentary" state. Despite their bulk, they are creatures of great social skill and wisdom rather than brute strength, which they use to insinuate themselves into the societies of other races in pursuit of food, typically becoming master merchants, diplomats, advisors, entertainers, and other sagely figures.
::+2 Charisma, +1 Constitution, +1 Wisdom
::Medium + Powerful Build
::Base speed 30 feet
::'''Takes One To Know One:''' Advantage on saves vs. Charmed.
::'''Gift of Gab:''' Free Proficiency in two of these skills: Persuasion, Insight, Deception, Performance.
::'''A Friendly Ear:''' Once per short rest, you can attempt to charm a non-hostile creature you are conversing with, which requires at least a minute's conversation. If the creature fails a Wisdom save (DC 8 + your Cha modifier + your Proficiency bonus), they are Charmed by you for 1 hour and you learn one piece of information related to the topic of your conversation. Regardless of if the charm fails or succeeds, your target never realizes you have charmed them.

'''The Downcast''' are all that remains of angels who found themselves depowered and cast down upon Etharis after the end of the God-War. Their numbers dwindle, as fallen angels and their lingering divine essence are of great interest in a world where divine magic is failing - even without active predation, many of the Downcast have turned bitter, or simply withered from despair and disease.
::+2 Wisdom
::Medium
::Base speed 30 feet
::'''Divine Learning:''' You have Proficiency in Religion and know the Thaumaturgy cantrip.
::'''Divine Sangromancy:''' When an allied creature within 30 feet of you regains hit points, you may spend a hit die and add the result to the amount of hit points gained.
::'''Lingering Divinity:''' You have Resistance to Necrotic damage.
::'''Subrace:''' Choose the ''Aurelian'' (+1 Charisma, cast Cure Wounds (level 1) 1/day), ''Ulmyrite'' (+1 Intelligence, cast Detect Magic 1/day), ''Maliganti'' (+1 Strength, cast Branding Smite (level 1) 1/day) or ''Galtian'' (+1 Constitution, cast Shield of Faith 1/day).

'''Dreamers''' are a bizarre race unearthed by the Stehlnewald dwarves as they dug into the depths of their mountains during their beseigement by humanity during the "Era of Expansion". They are all that remains of a race that predates elves, dwarves and humans alike, who placed themselves into magical stasis in order to escape some great calamity that wiped out the rest of their civilization. The plan worked, but as a side effect, their memories of who they were as a people before their magical slumber have been stripped away.
::+2 Intelligence, +1 Constitution
::Medium
::Base speed 30 feet
::Darkvision 60 feet
::'''Dreamwalking: After finishing a long rest in which you slept, choose one skill or tool proficiency; gain a bonus equal to your Proficiency bonus to any rolls with that skill or tool until your next long rest. Additionally, whilst sleeping, you can touch the dreams of others within 1 mile.
::'''Even in Sleep:''' Your non-sight Perception rolls suffer no penalties when you are asleep.
::'''Power Nap: You can choose to sleep for 1 hour as part of a short rest; doing so removes 1 level of Exhaustion and restores 1 hit die, in addition to the standard short rest bonuses.

'''The Disembodied''' are the tormented remnants of the lost city of Ulmyr's Gate, a wizardly academy-town that attempted to create a permanent portal to the Ethereal Plane, only for it to go disastrously wrong and swallow the entire city instead. As their name suggests, the Disembodied are now trapped permanently halfway beween the material and ethereal.
::+2 Intelligence, +1 Dexterity
::Medium or Small (your choice)
::Speed: 30 feet
::'''Fade Away:''' 1/day, you can spend an action on your turn to slip into the Ethereal Plane, which lasts for 1 minute or until you use a bonus action to return. Whilst you remain in the Ethereal, you cannot affect the Material Plane or be affected by it, but you can still see and hear into the Material, and move around. When the effect ends, you reappear in the closest unoccupied space you disappeared from.
::'''Planar Outcast:''' You can cast Feather Fall (self only) 1/day. At 3rd level, you can cast Blur 1/day. At 5h level, you can cast Blink 1/day. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
::'''Arcane Origins:''' You have Proficiency in Arcana.

===Etharis Pantheon===
As stated above, Etharis' gods have all been wiped out, leaving a handful of powerful [[Archangel|Arch Seraphs]] and [[Archdevil|Arch Daemons]] to take their place.

The Arch Seraphs consist of:
* ''Miklas:'' Arch Seraph of Mercy, who wants to do the job of her former boss, the Goddess of Protection Aurelia, but just doesn't have the power.
* ''Empyreus:'' Arch Seraph of Valor, who seeks to take the place of the fallen war-god Maligant and champion good-aligned warriors to return Etharis to its Golden Age.
* ''Zabriel:'' Arch Seraph of Truth, who has abandoned the neutrality of her patron Typharia, God of Knowledge, to instead seek to weaponize knowledge and truth.
* ''Morael:'' Arch Seraph of Sacrifice, is a former aspect of the Vetara, Goddess of Love, and acts as the patron of heroes, martyrs and diplomats.
* ''Solyma:'' Arch Seraph of Justice and silent heir to the throne of the forgotten God of Justice, whose followers are straying from her ways due to her self-imposed vow of silence.
* ''Aphaeleon:'' Arch Seraph of Temperance, who has abandoned the way of the God of Joy, Myria, to instead champion those who seek freedom from worldly desires.

The malevolent Arch Daemons, on the other hand, consist of:
* ''Venin:'' Arch Daemon of Deceit
* ''Tormach:'' Arch Daemon of Wrath, Empyreus' bitter rival, who delights in killing and bloody violence.
* ''Gorodyn:'' Arch Daemon of Avarice, who has stolen the throne of the God of Commerce, Jezra, to spread his doctrine of naked greed and consumption.
* ''Sitri:'' Arch Daemon of Hedonism, who is basically [[Slaanesh]].
* ''Beleth:'' Arch Daemon of Fear, who revels in his ability to torment mortals.
* ''Malikir:'' Arch Daemon of Pride

Other entities of cosmic significance in Etharis are the ''Primordials'', which are basically Etharis' [[Archomental]]s, and the ''Aether Kindred'', which are [[Elder Evils]]-like god-tier [[aberration]]s who slew the original gods of Etharis.

==New Mechanics==
===Subclasses===
{{dnd-stub}}
The Campaign Guide for Grim Hollow added no new subclasses. That was left for the Player's Guide, which debuted in September 21, featuring the following new subclasses:

[[Barbarian]]:
* '''Path of the Primal Spirit:''' Want an animal companion, but think the 5e [[Ranger]] sucks? Well, congrats; this is the class for you! The Primal Spirit Path allows you to forge such a deep bond with a totemic animal spirit that it will physically manifest to adventure alongside you. Naturally, its features all revolve around your ''Primal Companion'' (3rd), which is abstracted to the choice of if it's a Primal Guardian (tanky) or Primal Striker (offense-focused), and if it's a Land, Sea or Air creature. ''Shared Rage'' (3rd) gives your Primal Companion a buff when you Rage, which combined with the solid but simple rules for controlling it is very nice. ''Kin to Beasts'' (6th) lets you cast Animal Friendship and Speak with Animals 1/short rest, both keying off of Constitution. ''Skinrider's Trance'' (10th) lets you possess your primal companion or a creature you've cast Animal Friendship on 1/day. Finally, ''Shape of the Wild'' (14th) les you use a bonus action to transform your Primal Companion into a different kind of Primal Companion 1/short rest.
* '''Path of the Fractured:''' Inspired by Jekyll and Hyde, with maybe a dash of the Hulk, the Fractured takes a more esoteric approach to rage, attaining the characteristic berserker furies by learning to divide their mind into two split personas; the Id and the Ego. This divide gives them a number of unique mental powers. Starting at 3rd level, they gain ''Face of Rage'', which causes them to turn into an unrecognizable monstrous version of themselves with suped-up unarmed strikes when raging, and ''Mask of Civility'', which gives them a bonus Int or Wis-based skill as well as either a free Artisan's Tool Kit tool proficiency or bonus language. ''Brains and Brawn'' (6th) gives the Fractured resistance to Psychic when not raging, and resistance to everything ''but'' Psychic when raging. ''[[Mork|Cunning]] and [[Gork|Brutal]]'' gives the Fractured increased interaction options when not raging, and boosted crits with unarmed strikes when raging. Finally, ''Better Half'' (14th) lets the Fractured cheat death (and fly into a rage, if it happened when they weren't raging) 1/day.

[[Bard]]:
* '''College of Adventurers:''' Taking the [[Skill Monkey]] archetype to the extreme, bards of the College of Adventurers study the tales of heroes and adventurers to the point they essentially become capable of [[multiclassing]] without actually multiclassing. Their key feature is the ''Adventurer's Talent'' (3rd), which basically lets them select any other class apart from the [[Artificer]] and gain one of their tricks in a limited format - a Barbarian's Rage, a Warlock Invocation, 2 Sorcery Points and one of the simpler [[Metamagic]]s, etc. They start with 1 Talent, and pick up another one at levels 6 and 14. Their other features are ''Party Planner'' (3rd, creatures under Bardic Inspiration can Help as a bonus action), ''Well Rounded'' (6th; gain a bonus skill, tool and language), and finally ''Improvisational Talent'' (14th, you can swap out one of your Adventurer's Talents whenever you complete a Long Rest).
* '''College of Requiems:''' ...It's the [[Necromancer]]-[[Bard]]. Were you ''really'' expecting anything else? At 3rd level, they gain ''Chilling Melody'' (two Necromancy cantrips of their choice as bonus cantrips) and ''Pluck the Heartstrings'' (allies under Bardic Inspiration can expend it to either deal bonus Necrotic damage with a weapon or avoid being dropped to 0 HP). 6th level grants ''Stir the Bones'' (gain Animated Dead as a bonus spell, can use Bardic Inspiration on their undead minions). Finally, 14th level gives them ''Dance of the Dead'' (can make a single-target Necromancy spell hit 2 targets 1/short rest).

[[Cleric]]:
* '''Eldritch Domain:''' This is the obligatory [[Cthulhu Mythos]] type "mad gods and dire cosmic forces" Cleric you'd expect in a [[Dark Fantasy]]. Most of its features revolve around an "Eldritch Effects" table of temporary insanities the cleric can inflict upon its enemies. At 1st level, it gains ''Unpredictable Inspiration'' (gain a bonus cantrip and skill of the player's choice each time they complete a long rest) and ''Eldritch Contagion'' (spend a bonus action when casting a level 1+ spell to force 1 target to Wisdom save or roll on Eldritch Effects). 2nd level lets them use Channel Divinity to invoke a ''Prophecy of Doom'' (all creatures in target area must Wisdom save or suffer an Eldritch Effect). 6th level gives them ''Otherworldly Calm'' (Resistance to Psychic damage, people who try to read the cleric's mind risk Psychic damage). 8th level gives them ''Potent Spellcasting'', and 17th level grants them the ability to ''Sing the Song that Ends the World'' (creatures take 10d10 Psychic damage if they succumb to Prophecy of Doom; survivors can't be affected by this again for 10 minutes).
* '''Inquisition Domain:''' You want to be a [[Witch Hunter]]? Well, this is a step in the right direction. You're basically pissed that [[arcanist]]s get to enjoy so much power on their own whilst divine magic is dying. These clerics gain bonus proficiencies in martial weapons and heavy armor, and a 1st level feature in ''Witch Hunter's Strike'' (add Force damage, which is more potent against targets that are casting a spell and can heal the cleric). 2nd level provides the Channel Divinity in ''Spell Shield'' (1 target gains Temporary HP and Resistance to magic). 6th level's ''Rebuke Invoker'' lets the cleric try to disrupt spellcasting attempts (causing Force damage in the bargain), 8th level gives them ''Divine Strike'' (Force), and 17th level grants them ''Supernal Safeguard'', letting them target Wisdom mod (min 2) targets with Spell Shield.

[[Druid]]
* '''Circle of Blood:''' It's all about that [[Blood Magic]], baby! Strength through sacrifice, that's the motto here. Aside from the bonus Sangromancy spells, these druids gain the features ''Blood Boon'' (2nd, gain temporary HP when a creature dies within 60 feet), ''Rite of the Blood Moon'' (6th, expend a use of Wild Shape to drive yourself or a nearby ally into a pseudo-[[Barbarian]] Rage), ''Blood Lust'' (10th, creatures under Rite of the Blood Moon can sacrifice hit dices for bonus damage), and ''Create Blood Elemental'' (14th, 1/day summon a water elemental as a reaction when a creature dies within 60 feet).
* '''Circle of Mutation:''' These druids study [[fleshcrafting]], seeking to enhance nature and accelerate its development towards perfection. Their features are ''Mutate Shape'' (2nd, when Wild Shaping, spend spell slots to add beneficial mutations to your animal form), ''Circle Forms'' (2nd, you can turn into more powerful forms than other druids), ''Unnatural and Unnerving'' (6th, free Intimidation proficiency, or else in Athletics, Acrobatics, Perception, Stealth or Survival, Advantage on Intimidation checks made in mutated beast shape), ''Endless Evolution'' (10th, gain free mutations when Wild Shaping, can touch a beast and spend spell slots to mutate it), and ''Apex Predator Aura'' (14th, animals must Wisdom save or be too scared to approach you).

[[Fighter]]
* '''The Bulwark Warrior Martial Archetype:''' Masters of the defensive fighting style, Bulwarks specialize in taking as many hits as they need in order to deliver the last blow. At 3rd level, they can issue a ''Protective Taunt'' to aggro enemies and can also use ''Weather the Storm'' to grant themselves temp HP 1/short rest. 7th level's ''Living Shield'' lets them penalize enemy attacks against their allies. 10th levels ''Aggressive Defense'' lets them spend temp HP and turn it into bonus melee damage. 15th level's ''Improved Second Wind'' causes Second Wind to grant temporary HP equal to the full health it restores. Finally, 18th level's ''Halt the Assault'' lets them burn their own temporary HP to reduce damage done to allies within 5 feet.
* '''The Crucible Martial Archetype:''' Warrior-[[alchemist]]s who use experimental drugs, tinctures and concoctions to boost themselves to superhuman limits. Their core feature is ''Compound Creator'' (3rd); this lets them select 3 Compounds, which are basically 3e-style Potions of (Insert Buff Here) - Elfsight Oil for Darkvision, Advantage on (Insert [[Ability Scores]] here), temporary [[regeneration]], etc. It takes ten minutes of work with some alchemical supplies to make a Compound, and it lasts for a day before going inert. The Crucible learns 2 more Compounds at levels 7, 10 and 15. However, they can only drink (1+Con modifier, min 1) Compounds at a time; drinking excessive Compounds imposes a level of Exhaustion per extra compound; it takes a long rest to flush the inert Compounds from their system. Only the Crucible can drink a Compound; anybod else dumb enough to try has to make a Con save or be Poisoned. 3rd level also gives them ''Student of Alchemy'' (Proficiency in Alchemist's Supplies, doubles proficiency bonus for any ability check made with them). 7th level unlocks ''Quick Creation'' (can make and consume a Compound as a bonus action). At 10th level, ''Living Cauldron'' lets the Crucible consume (3+Con mod) Compounds, which increases to (5+Con mod) at level 18. At 15th level, ''Toxin Transmutation'' lets the Crucible spend a bonus action to simultaneously end a Poisoned effect and gain temp HP. Finally, 18th level sees them become a ''Living Catalyst'', letting them swap out one of their known Compounds wen they finish a long rest.

[[Monk]]
* '''The Way of the Leaden Crown:''' Believing that humanoids need to be rid of the tyranny of supernatural beings, the Leaden Crown seek to hone their bodies and minds to unlock the powerful psionic abilities needed to do battle with otherworldly influencers like seraphs, daemons and primordials. At 3rd level, ''Subtle Hand'' lets them make telekinetic strikes, which are Monk Unarmed Strikes with 10ft reach that do Force damage, whilst ''Psionic Prowess'' lets them cast an invisible Mage Hand at will and use ki to cast detect evil/good (1 ki), protection from evil/good (1 ki), hold person (2 ki), levitate (2 ki), and shatter (2 ki). 6th level's ''Unsubtle Strike'' lets them push a foe 10 feet with an unarmed strike or monk weapon 1/turn. At 11th level, they gain the ''Psychic Crush'' feature, which lets them build up "psychic pressure points" on creatures that they hit with monk unarmed strikes; as a bonus action, they can burn a ki point to trigger these points, dealing Force damage and potentially restraining them. Finally, 17th level's ''Psionic Mastery'' lets them burn ki to cast dispel evil/good, hold monster, telekinesis and wall of force, all for 5 ki each.
* '''The Way of Self:''' Ever heard of the trope "Arrogant Kung Fu Guy"? That's these guys in a nutshell. At 3rd level, they gain ''Tall Tales'' (Proficiency in either Deception, Intimidation, Performance or Persuasion), ''Bruised Ego'' (gain temp HP whenever ki points are spent) and ''Assertive Attacker'' (Martial Arts die value goes up 1 step if the monk is at or below 50% maximum HP). 6th level gives them both ''Irrational Retaliation'' (spend 2 ki as a reaction to being damaged to gain advantage on attacks against the assailant) and ''Redoubled Efforts'' (when at or below 50% maximum HP, do +1 die of damage with Martial Arts attacks on a crit). Level 11 gives them the ''Ever Prideful'' state, which is the oh-so-anime ability to fight on out of pure stubbornness after being dropped 0 HP. Finally, at 17th level, ''Egotistical'' causes Bruised Ego and Redoubled Efforts to apply at over 50% max HP so long as the monk was damaged by an attacker within the past minute.

[[Paladin]]
* '''The Oath of Pestilence:''' It's the [[Nurgle]] subclass. No, seriously; Paladins of the Oath of Pestilence embrace disease and decay as natural, even benevolent, parts of the natural circle of life, and freely share rot and plague to winnow the weak from the strong. These Paladins get a bunch of disease-flavored spells, like stinking cloud, ray of enfeeblement and contagion. Their 3rd level Channel Divinity Options are ''Debilitating Fever'' (infect a non-undead, non-construct foe in melee with a natural disease) and ''Entropic Infection'' (remove necrotic resistance and curse the target to take +2d6 damage from necrotic effects). 7th level gives them an ''Aura of Rampant Sickness'', a 10ft aura (30ft from 18th level) that lets the paladin impose Disadvantage on an ability check, attack roll or saving throw 1/turn. 15th level's ''Disgusting Resilience'' lets the paladin spend hit dice to try and nullify an attack that would drop them to 0 HP - and if they are killed, then the paladin explodes in a shower of pus and gore for 8D6 Necrotic damage. Finally, 20th level's ''Plaguebringer'' grants the paladin immunity to poison and "reduce HP maximum value" effects, resistance to necrotic damage, and causes all enemies who get within 5 feet to take automatic necrotic damage.
** Tenets of Pestilence:
:::'''Strength in Resilience.''' Surviving hardship and plague make you stronger. Spreading these things causes strength to flourish.
:::'''All Things Must Pass.''' Death is the natural conclusion of life. There is nothing unnatural or amoral about the ending of life.
:::'''Might Makes Right.''' The laws of mortals mean nothing to poxes and plagues, they go where they wish and take what they want. So should you.
* '''The Oath of Zeal:''' Embracing the power of hate, Zealots are fanatics whose mad determination to destroy their enemies turns them into living weapons. Bonus spells for these paladins are a mixture of divination and "scourge of god" spells like Fear and Insect Plague. Their 3rd level Channel Divinity options are ''Mark of the Heretic'' (designate a target for increased crit range and a free reaction-fueled attack at the start of its turns) and ''Inquisitor's Eye'' (Advantage on Investigation, Insight and Perception, plus immunity to surprise, for 10 minutes). 7th level's ''Aura of Clarity'' gives you a 10ft aura (30ft from 18th) in whcih you and allies cannot be blinded and invisibility fails if you want it to. At 15th level, they can ''Compel Confession'', casting a Zone of Truth without burning a spell slot that also deals out psychic damage to any creature that succeeded on their save. Finally, 20th level's ''Apocalyptic Revelation'' lets the paladin gain a number of powerful buffs for 1 minute 1/day (Truesight 120ft, 5ft blinding aura, grant advantage to all attacks against a creature for 1 turn as a bonus action).
** Tenets of Zeal:
:::'''Uncover Corruption.''' Darkness cannot abide the light of day. Wickedness must be revealed before it can be destroyed.
:::'''Purge the Heretics.''' Heresy is a tumor that spread through the hearts of the innocent. Cut it out at the source.
:::'''No Mercy.''' The righteous path requires unwavering conviction and unflinching resolve.
:::'''By Any Means Necessary.''' There is no sacrifice too great when it comes to defeating the wicked.

[[Ranger]]
* '''The Green Reaper:''' [[Assassin]]s who specialize in the use of poisons. 3rd level gives them ''Envenomed Attack'' (add bonus poison damage to a weapon or 20 bits of ammo as a bonus damage, usable Proficiency bonus times per day; 11th level doubles the damage and makes it usable per short rest) and ''Toxic Tradecraft'' (Proficiency and Expertise with Poisoner's Kit, gain a free poisoner's kit you can replace with 8 hours, can burn spell slots to add extra effects to targets of Envenomed Attack; the more potent the spell slot, the nastier the effect options). 7th level's ''Poison Control'' grants Poison Resistance, Advantage on saves vs. Poisoned, and the ability to cast Protection From Poison for free Wisdom modifier times per day. 11th level's ''Variegated Vexations'' lets the ranger do Acid or Necrotic bonus damage with Envenomed Attacks instead of Poison damage. Finally, 15th level's ''Pain Tolerance'' lets the ranger spend a reaction to an attack to gain temp HP equal to the damage dealt.
* '''The Vermin Lord:''' Allies of the skittering legions of the natural world, who learn to take power from the creatures that are so small, but oh so very, ''very'' many. 3rd level's ''Verminkin'' grants the ability to speak with vermin and to summon vermin swarms by spending spell slots (2 swarms per slot level), whilst ''Septic Strikes'' lets them inflict Necrotic damage as a bonus action on any target of their own weapon attacks or their swarm's attacks. 7th level's ''Filth and Fortitude'' grants immunity to disease and proficiency in Constition saves. 11th level's ''Infectious Spread'' can be used Wisdom mod times per day to boost Septic Strikes to also poison the targets. Finally, 15th level's ''Strength of the Swarm'' lets the ranger transfer damage to adjacent swarms.

[[Rogue]]
* '''The Highway Rider Martial Archetype:''' Mounted combat specialist with a side-order in being surprisingly tanky. For a rogue. 3rd level gives them ''Hair Trigger'' (on rolling for initiative, spend a reaction to either attack with advantage, move full speed (whether on foot or mounted) without opportunity attacks, Dodge, or interact with an item), ''Trusty Mount'' (cast Find Steed (summons a Beast, not an outsider) 1/day) and ''Ride Them Down'' (can Sneak Attack after moving 20+ feet whilst mounted). 9th level's ''Horse Lord'' lets the Highway Rider spend a minute caring to their steed to give it double their level in temp HP, and also lets them Dash, Disengage or Dodge as a bonus action whilst mounted. 13th level's ''True Grit'' gives proficiency in Constitution saves and "Con save for half damage" effects are now "half damage on fail, no damage on save". Finally, 17th level's ''Desperado'' lets them use a Hair Trigger option as a Reaction to falling to 0 HP.
* '''The Misfortune Bringer Martial Archetype:''' Thieves of luck who have the ability to deliver all manner of terrible curses to those they choose to target. 3rd level gives them ''Evil Eye'', which is used to mark a target for their ''Misfortunist'' feature. They gain two "Misfortunes" (lesser curses powered by Jinx Points) and 3 Jinx points; they gain +1 Misfortune at 9th, 13th and 17th level (and can swap one out whenever they complete a long rest), and +2 jinx points at 13th level. 9th level's ''Steal Luck'' lets the rogue remove a creature's Advantage on an ability check, attack or save 1/short rest to regain an expend Jinx Point - from 17th, this can be done 3/short rest. Finally, 13th level's ''Curse Caster'' lets the rogue cast Bestow Curse for 3 Jinx Points.

[[Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)|Sorcerer]]
* '''The Haunted:''' Sorcerers who survived a brush with death and now have a ghostly companion guiding them through the spirit world. At 1st level, the Haunted gains the traits ''Haunted Spells'' (learn Unseen Servant, See Invisibility, Speak with Dead, Death Ward and Little Death as extra spells, they can be cast by substituting sorcery points for spell slots), ''Phantom Companion'' (gain a Familiar in the form of an Undead Specter, which can turn invisible and, from 3rd level, use Life Drain as one of your attacks), and ''Sixth Sense'' (add Charisma mod to Dex checks to determine initiative). 6th level's ''Strength of Spirit'' powers up the Phantom Companion so it can now channel spells like a familiar, whilst ''Deathly Pallor'' gives the Haunted Resistance to Necrotic and the ability to swap sorcerer spell damage types to Necrotic. 14th level's ''Phantom Possession'' lets the Haunted control creatures by having their Phantom Companion possess them. Finally, 18th level's ''Become Death'' lets the Haunted turn into a spectre themselves 1/day.
* '''The Wretched Bloodline:''' Inheriting an ancestral curse, this sorcerer has learned to take it apart and make it into a source of power.

[[Warlock]]
* '''The First Vampire Patron:''' Needless to say, this gives you [[vampire]]-lite abilities
* '''The Cosmic Parasite Patron:''' Agreeing to host the nascent offspring of an entity that feeds on the vitality of whole peoples and planets, these warlocks are surprisingly physically adept due to the monster lurking beneath their skin.

[[Wizard]]
* '''Plague Doctor:''' Practicing a blend of magic, alchemy and herbalism, plague doctors learn how to heal the sick... and to blight the healthy, should they desire.
* '''The School of Sangromancy:''' This is the [[Blood Magic]] tradition. Who're you trying to kid?

In addition, two [[Artificer]] subclasses were unlocked as part of the stretchgoals for the Kickstarter... unfortunately, because the Artificer was not in the SRD, Ghostfire Gaming is not legally allowed to put them in the GHPG; instead, they are going to be released as "Pay What You Want" on the DM's Guild website.

===Expanded Backgrounds===
{{dnd-stub}}
One of Grim Hollow's unique mechanics is that it takes the Backgrounds from basic 5th edition and simultaneously applies level-based features that represent increased status/proficiency in that particular field, as well as specializations to more specifically refine the basic concept. For example, instead of a generic Academic, you could be an Archivist, who keeps a personal library, or a Archaeologist.

===Transformations===
Grim Hollow's most iconic element, the ''Transformations'' mechanic is a kind of 4 level Prestige Class that allows a player to slowly become some kind of specific monster, gaining unique powers and flaws at each of the four levels. Transformations in the Campaign Guide consist of the '''Aberrant Horror''', the '''Fiend''', the '''Lich''', the '''Lycanthrope''', the '''Seraph''' and the '''Vampire'''. Yes, becoming an angel is treated as being as horrifying and dehumanizing as becoming a fiend.

The Player's Guide added the '''Primordial''', the '''Fey''' and the '''Spectre'''.

Here's how it works: each Transformation requires certain mechanical and story requirements to acquire, with at the very least each Transformation needing a certain value of [[Ability Scores]]. To progress in level, the player needs to undertake an in-game story-based progression milestone - it typically recommends keeping each Transformation Level to a certain range of class levels, so it doesn't become too weak or too powerful compared to non-Transforming characters.

When they get their first level in a Transformation, they gain two special Transformation Boons and a mandatory Transformation Flaw. On levels 2-4, they gain their choice of 1 of several Transformation Boons, which could be taken from an earlier Transformation level, and a mandatory Transformation Flaw.

Examples of Universal Transformation Milestones are:
* Undertaking an exceptional act of evil or good.
* Completing an ancient ritual.
* Performing a powerful artifact.
* Being cursed by a dark agent.
* Being exalted by a patron or god.

Can you undo a Transformation? Yes, if the DM agrees; it basically works like curing a curse, but requires a Regenerate spell rather than Remove Curse. However, a character who has reached the 4th level, or being Transformed for over a year, can only be cured with a Wish. It's up to the DM to decide if killing and resurrecting a character frees them from their transformation or not.

If a Transformation ability allows a save, the DC is always 8 + the character's Proficiency bonus + an ability score modifier, the precise modifier being determined by the precise Transformation.

====Aberrant Horror====
Aberrant Horrors are humanoids who have begun transforming into an [[aberration]], granting them grotesquely fluid anatomies and the ability to reshape their bodies in the most nightmarish, sanity-breaking ways.

Becoming an Aberrant Horror requires '''13 Constitution''' and some kind of encounter with an aberration, magical anomaly, or other phenomena to trigger the complete reshaping of your body. The following are possible level milestones for the Aberrant Horror:
* Defeating a powerful Aberration and absorbing its power.
* Undergoing a dangerous and costly experiment.
* Surviving a magical mishap.
* Acquiring the strength to give birth to a more powerful version of yourself, which then consumes your old self.
* Fulfilling an eldritch prophecy written in the stars.

An Aberrant Horror's save DC keys off of Constitution.

At 1st level, you gain the Boons '''Aberrant Adaptions''' (use bonus actions to activate biological heavy armor and weapons) and '''Aberrant Form''' (+2 Con, +1 Str, Type changes to Aberration), and you receive the Flaw '''Unstable Mutations'''. Each time you complete a Long Rest, you have to roll on a d100 to see how your fluctuating anatomy screws you over for a time.

At 2nd level, you can take the Boons '''Efficient Killer''' (powers up your bio-weapons from Aberrant Adaptions), '''Other-Worldly Tendrils''' (spend a bonus action to activate several different tentacle attack options) or '''Situational Evolution''' (spend a bonus action to gain a climb speed, swim speed + amphibious, or regeneration), and you receive the Flaw '''Hideous Appearance'''. Acquiring this flaw means that you become a shapeshifter, with a hideously warped base form and the ability to resume your original form. You revert to your true form if you Concentrate on a spell, are knocked unconscious, enter hallowed ground, or consciously choose to do so. At the DM's discretion, events of extreme emotional or physical stress may require a Constitution save to avoid reverting. Non-evil creatures that see your true form will instantly become hostile to you, unless the DM decides otherwise.

At 3rd level, you can take the Boons '''Wings''' (bonus action gives you wings for 10 minutes), '''Additional Tendrils''' (requires Other-Worldly Tendrils, you can use 2 tentacles simultaneously, upgrades to 3 at 4th stage) or '''Enhanced Hypertrophy''' (Unarmed Strikes do d8 damage, offensive adaptations increase their damage by +1 die type), and you receive the Flaw '''Unstable Existence'''. Your Hideous Appearance is revealed whenever you roll a natural 1-3 on a save against a spell or magical ability.

At 4th level, you can take the Boons '''Savage Predator''' (on a nat-20, do +6d6 damage and force enemies to save vs. fear), '''Master of the Deep''' (requires Additional Tendrils, 1/short rest you can make a debuffing attack against all enemies within 15 feet) or '''Extremophiliac Conditioning''' (spend a bonus action to gain Resistance to either all Physical damage, Fire+Lightning+Acid damage, or Cold+Thunder+Poison damage), and you receive the Flaw '''Entropic Abomination'''. When you fail a save vs. spell or magical ability, roll on the Unstable Mutations table and switch to the new result if it's lower than your current result.

====Fiend====
Quite self-explanatory, this Transformation causes you to become a Fiend - closer to a [[devil]] than a [[demon]], what with the focus on Faustian bargains.

Becoming a Fiend requires Charisma 13 and somehow damning one's soul for power, such as by pacting with a Fiend or by undergoing an infernal ritual. The following are possible level milestones for the Fiend:
* Defeating a greater rival Fiend and taking their place in the hierarchy.
* Ensnaring a particularly powerful or influential soul with a contract.
* Establishing a cult of worshipers who offer their strength to you.
* Establishing a portal between the material plane and the Netherworld.
* Killing or corrupting a Seraph.

A Fiend's Transformation Save DC keys off of Charisma.

At 1st level, you gain the Boons '''Gifts of Damnation''' (you can sign soul contracts with mortals to gain special powers) and '''Fiendish Form''' (+2 Charisma, +1 Intelligence, Type changes to Fiend), and you receive the Flaw '''Planar Binding'''. This flaw causes you to suffer Disadvantage on death saving throws, and if you die, you cannot be raised.

At 2nd level, you can take the Boons '''Brand of the Chainer's Gaze''' (inflict a curse that penalizes saves), '''Brand of the Tyrant's Hellfire''' (inflict a curse that adds bonus Fire damage to your attacks) or '''Brand of the Deceiver's Guile''' (inflict a curse that penalizes attack rolls), and you receive the Flaw '''Hideous Appearance'''. Acquiring this flaw means that you become a shapeshifter, with a hideously warped base form and the ability to resume your original form. You revert to your true form if you Concentrate on a spell, are knocked unconscious, enter hallowed ground, or consciously choose to do so. At the DM's discretion, events of extreme emotional or physical stress may require a Constitution save to avoid reverting. Non-evil creatures that see your true form will instantly become hostile to you, unless the DM decides otherwise. All of the Boons at this level can be used Charisma modifier times per day, and the curses they create last for 1 minute, or until the target is knocked unconscious, enters hallowed ground, or is targeted by Remove Curse.

At 3rd level, you can take the Boons '''Alluring Deceit''' (free Proficiency/Expertise in Deception and Persuasion, immunity to magic that detects lies and compels truthful speech), '''Infernal Resistance''' (burn a reaction to halve damage from non-silvered weapon attacks) or '''Nether Blade''' (spend a bonus action to summon an infernal burning blade to fight with), and you receive the Flaw '''True Name'''. This flaw causes you to manifest a talisman inscribed with your true name, which other creatures can use to control you.

At 4th level, you can take the Boons '''Commanding Obedience''' (your spells can force your opponents to fall prone), '''Brimstone Pyrolysis''' (your fire attacks can turn slain enemies into miniature bombs) or '''Infernal Summoning''' (you can summon a squad of up to 4 imps 1/day), and you receive the Flaw '''Pull of the Netherworld'''. This causes you to take 1d6 Force damage per two character levels whenever you roll a natural 1 on a save against a magical spell or ability.

====Lich====
Self explanatory, the Lich transformation allows powerful spellcasters to assume a form that will allow them to continue to study magic for all eternity.

As such, this is the hardest Transformation to qualify for: Intelligence 16, ability to cast 7th level spells, and you must track down and successfully perform the Ritual of Dread. The following are possible level milestones for the Lich:
* Discover ancient and dark arcane knowledge.
* Consume the soul of an exceptionally powerful spellcaster.
* Build a monument to your power to serve as a giant arcane focus.
* Create an army of undead.
* Kill a god.

At 1st level, you gain the Boons '''Harvester of Souls''' (creatures you kill become phylactery charges you can burn to recover spell slots) and '''Undead Form''' (+4 Int, +2 Wis, type changes to Undead, lowered benefit from external healing effects, immunity to aging, air, food, drink and sleep), and you receive the Flaw '''Phylactery'''. This causes you to create a talisman to bind your soul into; if it gets destroyed, you die, instantly. If you die, you will revive 1 week later so long as there is a soul charge in your phylacterty - otherwise, at the end of the week, you become a Demilich NPC.

At 2nd level, you can take the Boons '''Puppet Master''' (undead mooks you create are permanent and cannot be stolen from you), '''Lichdom of the Arcane''' (killing a creature with a spell that does fire, necrotic, or poison damage triggers a bonus effect) or '''Rift to the Dreadscapes''' (As an action, create a zone of super-killy necrotic energy), and you receive the Flaw '''Hideous Appearance'''. Acquiring this flaw means that you become a shapeshifter, with a hideously warped base form and the ability to resume your original form. You revert to your true form if you Concentrate on a spell, are knocked unconscious, enter hallowed ground, or consciously choose to do so. At the DM's discretion, events of extreme emotional or physical stress may require a Constitution save to avoid reverting. Non-evil creatures that see your true form will instantly become hostile to you, unless the DM decides otherwise.

At 3rd level, you can take the Boons '''Relentless Undead''' (undead you control can make a full move + attack before dying), '''Arcane Supremacy''' (you can suffer Exhaustion to Concentrate on two spells simultaneously) or '''Staff of the Dreadscapes''' (as an action, summon an enchanted quarterstaff), and you receive the Flaw '''Necromantic Dystrophy'''. If you go more than 24 hours without converting 4 CR worth of souls into spell slots, you suffer severe penalties.

At 4th level, you can take the Boons '''Lord of Undeath''' (humanoids you kill auto-rise as zombies under your command), '''Arcane Omniscience''' (you know all Wizard spells and can cast Int modifier bonus Wizard spells per day) or '''Deathly Being''' (gain lich immunities and resistances), and you receive the Flaw '''Weight of Ages'''. This is the more severe form of Necromantic Dystrophy, forcing you to burn up 8 CR worth of souls per day.

====Lycanthrope====
Obviously, becoming a Lycanthrope turns you into a [[therianthrope|werebeast]]. Whilst the easiest way is to be bitten by a werebeast and survive, there's also a [[druid]]ic ritual called the Lunar Sacrament that can curse a victim with this transformation, which is obviously viewed in a holy perspective by druids.

Mechanically, taking this Transformation requires 13 Strength, and its Save DC keys off of Strength. The following are possible level milestones for the Lycanthrope:
* Establishing a pack of lycanthropes.
* Killing an alpha lycanthrope.
* Gaining control of your animalistic urges.
* Unleashing the beast within and losing your humanity.

At 1st level, you gain the Boons '''Hybrid Transformation''' (you can change into a half-humanoid, half-beast shape) and '''Shapechanger's Form''' (+2 Strength, +1 Constitution, gain the Shapechanger type), and you receive the Flaw '''Lust for the Hunt'''. This flaw forces you to make a DC 10 Wisdom save at the start of each turn, or move towards the nearest NPC, prioritizing the helpless, so you can try to kill it; when exposed to a full moon's light, you automatically fail this save. The first time you see a full moon, you need to pass a DC 20 Wisdom save or be forcibly transformed into hybrid shape until dawn.

At 2nd level, you can take the Boons '''Iron Pelt''' (gain resistance to physical damage from non-silver and non-magical sources in hybrid form), '''Hunter's Howl''' (you can use a howl to mark a creature as prey, gaining bonuses to tracking and killing it) or '''Kindred Form''' (you can now assume animal form as well as hybrid form), and you receive the Flaw '''Silver Sensitivity'''. This makes you Vulnerable to damage done by silvered weapons when you're in hybrid or kindred form, and you cannot apply any Resistance to an attack made by a silvered weapon.

At 3rd level, you can take the Boons '''Titanic Vigor''' (+2 max HP per level, gain 5 temp HP each turn in hybrid form), '''Predatory Leap''' (double jumping distance, can make pounce attacks in hybrid form) or '''Bestial Savagery''' (hybrid form gains: attacks are damage-buffed and count as magic, +1 AC, immunity to charm & fear), and you receive the Flaw '''Fraying Memories'''. This flaw gives you Disadvantage on Intelligence ability and skill checks based on recalling information or knowledge.

At 4th level, you can take the Boons '''Savage Instincts''' (hybrid form attacks are suped up vs. hurt targets), '''Kindred Affinity''' (requires Kindred Form, lets you speak and cast spells in kindred form) or '''Unstoppable Rage''' (you can keep fighting at 0 HP), and you receive the Flaw '''Predatory Nature'''. This flaw makes it harder to resist your urge to kill the weak and helpless, as well as making it harder to return to your original form.

====Seraph====
Seraphs are the Angels of Etharis, and consist of mortals uplifted for their devotion to a virtue or ideal; as such, they are commonly selected from noble martyrs, tireless crusaders, and other exemplary individuals.

Becoming a Seraph requires Wisdom 13 and either exaltation by an Arch-Seraph or exposure to powerful divine energies. The following are possible level milestones for the Seraph:
* Defeating a powerful force of darkness.
* Create a hallowed landmark for pilgrims.
* Establish a parish of worshipers who uphold your virtue.
* Establish a portal between the Material Plane and the Empyrium.
* Redeem a soul that was considered beyond redemption.

At 1st level, you gain the Boons '''Celestial Form''' (+2 Wisdom, +1 Constitution, type changes to Celestial) and '''Angelic Wings''' (you've a Fly speed equal to your Normal speed, but can't wear clothes or armor that aren't tailored to fit), and you receive the Flaw '''Planar Binding'''. This is identical to the Fiend flaw of the same name, but is based on your connection to a divine plane rather than an unholy one.

At 2nd level, you can take the Boons '''Divine Retribution''' (grant a Radiance-charged bonus attack to yourself or an ally), '''Divine Clemency''' (when you or an ally is hurt, you can cast a healing spell as a reaction) or '''Divine Expedition''' (burn a reaction to move yourself or a nearby ally), and you receive the Flaw '''Divine Appearance'''. This is the same as Hideous Appearance, but obviously revolves around you looking like an obvious angel, which has its problems in a world crawling with monsters and the wicked.

At 3rd level, you can take the Boons '''Radiant Strike''' (your melee attacks do bonus Radiant damage, especially against fiends, fey and undead), '''Cleanse Affliction''' (your healing spells also remove negative conditions) or '''Bow of Celestial Judgement''' (you can summon a magic bow that shoots holy lasers), and you receive the Flaw '''Beacon to Darkness'''. This flaw means that if you or allies within close proximity commit evil acts, you pick up "corruption points" that temporarily impede your ability to fight the naturally evil.

At 4th level, you can take the Boons '''Aura of Holy Purge''' (grant a free critical hit 1/day), '''Aura of Merciful Blessing''' (you or an ally can survive a killing attack with 1 HP 1/day) or '''Aura of Empyreal Valor''' (grant yourself or an ally increased speed and dexterity 1/day), all of which have a radius of 20 feet and are only active whilst you're conscious, and you receive the Flaw '''Pull of the Empyrean'''. This is just a name-tweaked version of the Fiend's "Pull of the Netherrealm".

====Vampire====
Simple, obvious, self-explanatory. You were bitten by another vampire, you drank a vampire's blood, you handled the wrong (or right!) cursed magical artifact, or you performed a dark rite to willingly infect yourself with the Sangine Curse.

This Transformation requires Dexterity 13, and its save DC keys off of Dexterity. The following are possible level milestones for the Vampire:
* Establish a coven of vampire spawn.
* Drink the blood of a legendary monster.
* Learn the great secrets of vampirism from a Vampire Lord.
* Learn to embrace your Hideous Form and lose the ability to conceal it.
* Discover the lost crypts of an ancient vampire and consume its essence.

At 1st level, you gain the Boons '''Blood Fury''' (doing damage to living creatures lets you rack up points you can use to power special attacks) and '''Undead Form''' (+2 Dex, +1 Cha, type changes to Undead, lowered benefit from external healing effects, immunity to aging, air, food, drink and sleep), and you receive the Flaw '''The Sanguine Curse'''. This gives you Darkvision 60 feet if you don't already have it, but prevents you from entering a residence unless invited, causes you to suffer Disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks when in sunlight, and requires you to feed on blood at least once per 7 days.

At 2nd level, you can take the Boons '''Dread Knight Combat Training''' (you can enter a special stance to boost offense, defense or accuracy), '''Sanguine Magic''' (you can convert non-typed spell damage into necrotic damage, gain Fury Points with spell attacks, and gain some spellcasting-related options for Blood Fury) or '''Shapechanger''' (you can turn into a bat and a cloud of mist), and you receive the Flaw '''Hideous Appearance'''. Acquiring this flaw means that you become a shapeshifter, with a hideously warped base form and the ability to resume your original form. You revert to your true form if you Concentrate on a spell, are knocked unconscious, enter hallowed ground, or consciously choose to do so. At the DM's discretion, events of extreme emotional or physical stress may require a Constitution save to avoid reverting. Non-evil creatures that see your true form will instantly become hostile to you, unless the DM decides otherwise.

At 3rd level, you can take the Boons '''Cruel Riposte''' (you gain a bonus melee attack against assailants), '''Creatures of the Night''' (you can summon swarms of bats, rats and wolves to aid you) or '''Captivating Glance''' (free proficiency in Deception + Persuasion, immunity to having your thoughts read), and you receive the Flaw '''Greater Sanguine Curse'''. This increases your Darkvision to 120 feet, causes you to take 1d10 acid damage per turn from running water, makes you suffer 1d10 radiant damage per turn when exposed to sunlight, and requires you to feed every 3 days.

At 4th level, you can take the Boons '''Grim Executioner''' (requires Dread Knight Combat Training; a critical hit will insta-kill a foe with 50 or fewer HP), '''Beguiler's Entrancement''' (requires Captivating Glance, lets you Charm a creature 1/day) or '''Regenerate''' (lets you regenerate damage unless exposed to sunlight, radiant damage or running water), and you receive the Flaw '''Stake to the Heart'''. With this flaw, a natural 20 to hit you with a wooden or silvered weapon, if you have 50 or fewer HP left, causes you to be paralyzed for 1 hour or until the weapon is removed, whichever is greater.

====Primordial====
This upcoming Transformation turns you into an [[elemental]].

====Fey====
As its name suggests, this Transformation turns you into a [[fey]].

====Spectre====
An unlocked stretch goal for the Player's Guide, this Transformation turns you into a [[ghost]].

{{D&D-Settings}}

[[Category: Dungeons & Dragons]][[Category:Dungeons & Dragons Third Party]]

Grim Hollow

2021-06-30T17:41:12Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* New Mechanics */

{{NeedsImages}}
'''Grim Hollow''' is a 3rd party [[Dark Fantasy]] setting for [[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]] published by Ghostfire Gaming. Currently, only the Campaign Setting and Player's Guide exists, with the Monster Grimoire being crowdfunded for on Kickstarter.

==The World of Etharis==
[[File:Damien-mammoliti-grimhollow-worldmap2-dm.jpg|300px|thumb|Lands of Etharis]]
Etharis, as the campaign setting's world is called, is a [[grimdark]] slant on the standard D&D 5e world. It takes place on a world where a brutal humanity rose up and almost annihilated the empires of [[dwarves]], [[elves]] and [[dragonborn]], then nearly annihilated itself in pointless internecine wars, allowing the oppressed remnants of those races to rise up and forcibly carve a place for themselves out of the ruins. Civilization exists in a [[Points of Light]] format; islands of light and hope surrounded by vast tracts of hostile, monster-infected wilderness. Some regions suffer supernatural or paranatural auras that shroud them in darkness, and plagues ravage the land - especially the dreaded Weeping Pox. The gods of Etharis annihilated each other in a brutal civil war, leaving behind only their lieutenants - the Arch Seraphs and Arch Daemons - to heed the prayers of mortal followers, and work to exploit the world as it exists for their own advantage. In many portions of the world, arcane magic is feared, and there is even a crusade, the Arcanist Inquisition, dedicated to destroying all who are even accused of dabbling with magic.

But despite all this... Etharis is not a relentlessly bleak world, and there is some hope for it to get better. To quote the book itself:
::''Etharis as a campaign setting is not meant to be relentlessly bleak and depressing, or to wallow in cruelty for its own sake. Small victories become heroic when they take heroic effort to achieve. No one in Etharis is safe by default, so any safety the characters win or give to others is a true blessing. No one in Etharis is good by default, so moments of genuine grace are worth celebrating – and can come from unexpected places. Amid profound darkness, even the smallest lights have value.

There's even a chapter in the Campaign Guide that breaks down [[Dark Fantasy]] into its four major components: [[Grimdark]], Horror, Dark Fairy Tales, and [[Sword & Sorcery]], with advice to the DM on how to pick and mix these themes to make Etharis more their own.

===Realms of Etharis===
As you can see from the map, Etharis is a pretty big place. Luckily, we're here to give you an breakdown of the various places of note on the map.

The '''Bürach Empire''' is the former ruling power of Etharis. An alliance of four provinces united by a divinely chosen emperor, Bürach has begun falling into ruination ever since the last emperor, the insane Leopold I, spread his insanity into the four gods whose powers once united and supported the empire, causing them to ultimately butcher each other in the name of proving which of them was the supreme god before Leopold was assassinated. Their madness and subsequent deaths have left powerful cultural and mystical scars on the lands they once championed. The provinces of the Bürach Empire are:'
* ''Abendland:'' Literal and metaphorical center of the Bürach Empire, once devoted to Aurelia, Goddess of Healing, Hearth and Home. It was the Hearthkeepers, Aurelia's priesthood, who helped locate the god-touched individual - Indorius - who became the first Emperor of Bürach Empire, and they were the ones who decreed the Edict of Eternal Blood, which allowed only direct descendants of Emperor Indorius to rule. This included coaxing the marriage of cousins and siblings to preserve the purity of said blood, despite the misgivings of the rest of Bürachs, that ultimately led to the insanity of Emperor Leopold I. Even now, the Hearthkeepers stifle their people and try to keep them ignorant of the waning divine powers of their priests and the fading fecundity of the land itself, with hope of turning Abendland into an open [[theocracy]].
* ''Nordenland:'' Always home to planar gates and crossings, especially to the [[Feywild]], Nordenland is the traditional home of the [[mage]]s of Bürach, which made it a natural homeland for Ulmyr, God of Magic and Chaos. The fall of the empire has broken Nordenland into two halves; those of the East, who have thrown off all allegiance to the empire and returned to the old ways, and those of the West, who still consider themselves part of Bürach and eagerly adopt new technologies from their former allies. Civil war is brewing, especially as the forests become filled with monsters and evils.
* ''Rauland:'' Kingdom of the [[dwarves]] and [[gnome]]s, Rauland was dedicated to Galt, God of Order and Construction. During the dark days of the godly civil war, Galt became a brutal tyrant, [[Laduguer|demanding toil for the sake of toil and treating all lives as tools for the sake of production]]. Ironically, with their patron dead, the Raulanders have found their crafts are declining in potency, stripped of the divine blessing they enjoyed in the empire's heyday.
* ''Unterland:'' A warrior society who were devoted to Maligant, the God of War and Strategy; with their patron gone, the cult of Tormach, [[Khorne|Archdaemon of Wrath and Slaughter]], is spreading like wildfire to take his place.

The '''Ostoyan Empire''' was Bürachs' major rival, founded by people who fled from Unterland during the chaos of Bürachs' early years due to refusing to accept Emperor Indorius as their new leader. They founded their own nation, Ostoya, but when the finally stabilized Bürach came and demanded the Ostoyans swear subservience to their long-lost and little-loved kinsfolk, it led to war. That war only grew more desperate with the Darkfall; a mighty earthquake that opened chasms leading to an ancient city buried beneath the ground, one infested by the [[undead]]. So desperate were the Ostoyans to remove this "homegrown" threat that they sent an entire army down into the deep to fight a holding action, then collapsed the chasms leading to the surface, burying their own men alive in the process. But this only made things worse; a survivor found a strange shrine and prayed for vengeance, before returning to the surface as a [[vampire]] and spreading his plague through Ostoya's nobility. With the new [[necrocracy]] in place, the Ostoyans expelled the Bürach invaders. Now, Ostoya resides under a permanent shadow; the sky is forever choked with thick clouds (often pregnant with snow or heavy rain) and mist, blotting the light from the sun. Ironically, Ostoya has schismed once again, and is now divided into two provinces; ''Soma'', the [[vampire]]-ruled [[necrocracy]], and the [[magocracy]] of ''Raevo'', which refuses to bow to the undead. Even more ironically, their civil war is remarkably civil: both sides share a hatred of Bürach that outweighs their antipathy towards each other, and the two provinces will fight to aid each other in remaining independent of Bürach. Definite shades of [[Sylvania]].

The '''Charneault Kingdom''' is a magical forest realm, the last stronghold of the [[elves]] and also home to a spiritual and honorable [[human]] culture who had found peace with their elven neighbors - thanks to the enforcing might of the [[Primal Spirits|nature spirits]] that reside here. But the Pact of the Sacred Land has been soured by the Dark Elves; an anti-human cult which attempted to use black magic to subvert the relationship the elves had long enjoyed with the nature spirits from that of equals to that of master and servant - whilst a human [[knight]], the valiant Ser Guilherm le Preux, managed to prevent the rite from fully taking place, Charneault has been tainted by the Dark Elves' actions. The magical mists that have always inundated Charneault now sometimes take on a dark coloration, throwing the spirits in turmoil, whilst Dark Elf sorcerers leading monsters and bewitched dark knights have begun to launch attacks against the human population of the land from their new base in the dead city of Tol Kerdywel, the prison of an elven princess turned foul [[lich]]. In return, the humans of Charneault are falling into disarry; the farmers dare not enter their fields when the Mist approaches, leading to shortages, and the king's order to swell the ranks of the various [[knight]]ly orders for which Charneault is famed has led to increased rivalry between those orders and their followers. And all the while, anti-elf sentiment is swelling in the minds of humanity...

The '''Valikan Clans''' of '''Grarjord''' are the [[Viking]]-like inhabitants of the [[elemental]]-haunted frozen northlands of Etharis, a region said to have once been ruled by [[Archomental|godlike elementals]] that warred with each other. Of these, the most fearsome was Gormadraug, the Great Prismatic Wyrm; a [[dragon]]-shaped [[elemental]] who was the master of "coldfire" - a white-blue flame that freezes instead of burns, consumes water, and can only be extinguished with fire and heat. Although reputedly slain by a band of seven heroes well over a thousand years ago, Gormadraug still shapes Grarjord's future. Over fifty years ago, a [[druid]]ic cult arose, the Prismatic Circle, who decreed that the Valikan must feed Gormadraug's spirit with bloodshed to keep him docile. This has led to a schims in Valikan society, dividing Grarjord into two provinces; ''Thrull'', a [[druid]]ic [[theocracy]] where the Prismatic Circle rules and raiding, slavery and human sacrifice are the order of the day, and ''Kandar'', which rejects the Prismatic Circle's rules and seeks strength through alliances and trade with the more fertile lands to the south. Making things worse is the rival Cult of the Wyrm, druids who seek to use the blood sacrifice of humans and elementals to ''awaken'' Gormadraug, and the mysterious appearance of outbreaks of coldfire, which sweep in deadly anti-blazes across the northland and leave behind only frozen wastes.

The '''Castinellan Provinces''' are a harsh, windswept peninsula, split down their center by an irregular mountain spine. These three provinces - ''Toletum'', ''Faro'' and ''Therpena'' - have long warred with each other, and only recently been united by a [[theocracy]] dedicated to the worship of Empyreus. Traditional homeland of the [[dragonborn]], the new priest-kings seek to tamper the warlike and vengeful nature of their people by first redirecting their attention outward in holy wars and crusades. It is also the birthplace of the Arcanist Inquisition, which seeks to control and limit the use of magic - ostensibly because Empyreus herself had told Montego Valieda, the first priest-king and Unifier of Castinellan, that magic was a curse that endangered its wielders and their associates alike.

'''Morencia''' is a powerful mercantile city-state occupies a series of small islands in a large lagoon, which is virtually impossible thanks to the magic-spawned mists that shroud the complex maze of reefs and sandbanks surrounding the city. Ruled over by the Augustine Trading Company, which has achieved this by absorbing the Banker's Guild and thus made mere puppets of the so-called Supreme Council, Morencia desires only to prosper, and is constantly targeted by the Castinellan Provinces as their first conquest.

'''Liesech''' is a city-state that lies to the north of the Charneault Kingdom and south of the Bürach Empire, the latter which now controls it, fighting an impossible battle to stave off the consumption of the city by the sea itself. Especially because of the mysterious god-thing, possibly a [[kraken]], known as the Filth Grazer, and the dreaded Weeping Pox.

===Etharis Races===
Etharis is home to the following races:

[[Human]]s: The most numerous race, who rose up from barbarism during the age of the dwarven and elven dominance over the world into a vast conquering horde that first almost annihilated the elves and dwarves, then nearly wiped themselves out. They technically are still the "dominant" race of Etharis, but their short lives have led to their old hatred fading... whilst the other races have not forgotten what humanity did to them...

[[Elf|Elves]]: Formerly the masters of Etharis' forests, their empires were burned to ashes during humanity's rise, and they spent decades as wandering nomads who were given magic by the forest spirits who survived as a way to avenge their loss.

[[Dwarf|Dwarves]]: During humanity's expansion, the dwarves retreated to their two greatest strongholds. Grevenstein was ultimately breached and its people annihilated, but Stehlenwald dug deeper and armed its people with adamantine; although their population was halved, their superior arms and armor allowed them to push humanity back. Still, they agreed to become a vassal race of humanity in the name of survival.

[[Half-Orc]]s: Pureblooded [[orc]]s are long gone in Etharis, but they remain figures of dark legends. Only half-orcs remain, and they are largely feared and distrusted, dwelling voluntarily amidst the harsh environment of the frozen north.

[[Half-Elf|Half-Elves]]: Nomadic outcasts rejected by both sides of their parentage.

[[Dragonborn]]: The small kingdom of the dragonborn fell when caught between warring humans and elves, but its people survived. They have abandoned their original gods, and instead embraced the new religion of the Divine Seraphs with fanatical zeal, winning a place in the Castinellan theocracy.

[[Gnome]]s: Cousins of the dwarves, they retreated into Stehlenwald with their kin, and were instrumental in turning back the tides of humanity by inventing the first primitive gunpowder weapons.

[[Halfling]]s: When humanity began its bloody Era of Expansion, the halflings surrendered rather than fight, voluntarily subsuming themselves into human culture as a race of servants.

The Player's Guide added several new races to the setting:

'''Wechselkind''' are essentially a cross between [[fey]] [[changeling]]s and [[warforged]]; they're [[fey]] [[construct]]s in the shape of children which the fey leave behind to disguise when they've stolen human children. Whilst most of these unfortunate creatures are destroyed when their foster family finds the truth, the lucky ones are kept because, despite constructs, they are as aware and intelligent as any human child. Unfortunately, although their minds can age, wechselkind are stuck with a child-like body forever. Ironcially, the Weeping Pox has been a boon to these golem-kin; being immune to disease has allowed them to become very effective nurses and doctor's assistants in the plague-lands.
::+2 Constitution, +1 Charisma
::Small
::Base Speed 25 feet
::'''Artificial Form:''' Though you are considered a Humanoid for effects that key off of type, you are Immune to Disease, Resistant to Poison damage, have Advantage on saves against the Poisoned condition, and don't need to eat, drink, sleep or breathe.
::'''Faerie Glamour:''' 1/day, you can take on the form of the child you were created to replace, which other than this restriction in available forms functions as disguise self.
::'''Childish Agility:''' You can move through the space of any creature of a size larger than yours, and you have Proficiency in Acrobatics.
::'''Unaging:''' You are immune to magical aging effects.

'''Laneshi''' are a strange race with a natural affinity for necromancy who hail from a kingdom deep below the waves. Their society is caste-based; those born as twins become mystics, who have their twin sibling sacrificed and spiritually bound to them to grant them heightened necromantic powers, whilst those born as single children become the warrior caste. Mystics are responsible for all things associated with the dead - funeral rites, crafting, construction, record keeping and food preparation - and and warriors are associated with all things of the living; warfare, ruling, diplomacy, farming, raisingr and educating children, etc. They appear as pale bluish-white skinned, almost elf-like figures with manes of green kelp-like hair.
::+1 Strength, +1 Wisdom
::Medium
::Base Speed 30 feet, Swim 30 feet
::Darkvision 60 feet
::'''Amphibious:''' You can breathe both air and water.
::'''Beast Whisperers:''' You can cast Speak with Animals 1/day.
::'''Subrace:''' Choose either the Warrior or Mystic subrace.
:::''Warrior:'' +1 Strength, '''Skirmish Tactics '''(when you hit a hostile with a weapon attack, you may Disengage as a bonus action until the end of your turn), and '''Laneshi Weapon Training''' (Proficiency in Spears, Tridents, Javelins, Light Armor, Animal Handling).
:::''Mystic:'' +1 Wisdom, '''Duality of Spirit''' (Resistance to Psychic damage, Advantage on Int, Wis and Cha saves vs. magic, first time this trait activates per day, pass a DC 12 Wis save or be Stunned until the end of your next turn), and '''Laneshi Magic''' (you know 1 Necromancy Cantrip, and gain a second Necromancy Cantrip at 5th level, both keying off of Wisdom).

'''Ogresh''' are a strange race of possibly [[giant-kin]]; whilst they appear as tall humans, they are characterized more by their massive girth than their height - they average 6 to 7 feet and average between 200 to 800 pounds, depending on if they are in their youthful "nomadic" state or their older "sedentary" state. Despite their bulk, they are creatures of great social skill and wisdom rather than brute strength, which they use to insinuate themselves into the societies of other races in pursuit of food, typically becoming master merchants, diplomats, advisors, entertainers, and other sagely figures.
::+2 Charisma, +1 Constitution, +1 Wisdom
::Medium + Powerful Build
::Base speed 30 feet
::'''Takes One To Know One:''' Advantage on saves vs. Charmed.
::'''Gift of Gab:''' Free Proficiency in two of these skills: Persuasion, Insight, Deception, Performance.
::'''A Friendly Ear:''' Once per short rest, you can attempt to charm a non-hostile creature you are conversing with, which requires at least a minute's conversation. If the creature fails a Wisdom save (DC 8 + your Cha modifier + your Proficiency bonus), they are Charmed by you for 1 hour and you learn one piece of information related to the topic of your conversation. Regardless of if the charm fails or succeeds, your target never realizes you have charmed them.

'''The Downcast''' are all that remains of angels who found themselves depowered and cast down upon Etharis after the end of the God-War. Their numbers dwindle, as fallen angels and their lingering divine essence are of great interest in a world where divine magic is failing - even without active predation, many of the Downcast have turned bitter, or simply withered from despair and disease.
::+2 Wisdom
::Medium
::Base speed 30 feet
::'''Divine Learning:''' You have Proficiency in Religion and know the Thaumaturgy cantrip.
::'''Divine Sangromancy:''' When an allied creature within 30 feet of you regains hit points, you may spend a hit die and add the result to the amount of hit points gained.
::'''Lingering Divinity:''' You have Resistance to Necrotic damage.
::'''Subrace:''' Choose the ''Aurelian'' (+1 Charisma, cast Cure Wounds (level 1) 1/day), ''Ulmyrite'' (+1 Intelligence, cast Detect Magic 1/day), ''Maliganti'' (+1 Strength, cast Branding Smite (level 1) 1/day) or ''Galtian'' (+1 Constitution, cast Shield of Faith 1/day).

'''Dreamers''' are a bizarre race unearthed by the Stehlnewald dwarves as they dug into the depths of their mountains during their beseigement by humanity during the "Era of Expansion". They are all that remains of a race that predates elves, dwarves and humans alike, who placed themselves into magical stasis in order to escape some great calamity that wiped out the rest of their civilization. The plan worked, but as a side effect, their memories of who they were as a people before their magical slumber have been stripped away.
::+2 Intelligence, +1 Constitution
::Medium
::Base speed 30 feet
::Darkvision 60 feet
::'''Dreamwalking: After finishing a long rest in which you slept, choose one skill or tool proficiency; gain a bonus equal to your Proficiency bonus to any rolls with that skill or tool until your next long rest. Additionally, whilst sleeping, you can touch the dreams of others within 1 mile.
::'''Even in Sleep:''' Your non-sight Perception rolls suffer no penalties when you are asleep.
::'''Power Nap: You can choose to sleep for 1 hour as part of a short rest; doing so removes 1 level of Exhaustion and restores 1 hit die, in addition to the standard short rest bonuses.

'''The Disembodied''' are the tormented remnants of the lost city of Ulmyr's Gate, a wizardly academy-town that attempted to create a permanent portal to the Ethereal Plane, only for it to go disastrously wrong and swallow the entire city instead. As their name suggests, the Disembodied are now trapped permanently halfway beween the material and ethereal.
::+2 Intelligence, +1 Dexterity
::Medium or Small (your choice)
::Speed: 30 feet
::'''Fade Away:''' 1/day, you can spend an action on your turn to slip into the Ethereal Plane, which lasts for 1 minute or until you use a bonus action to return. Whilst you remain in the Ethereal, you cannot affect the Material Plane or be affected by it, but you can still see and hear into the Material, and move around. When the effect ends, you reappear in the closest unoccupied space you disappeared from.
::'''Planar Outcast:''' You can cast Feather Fall (self only) 1/day. At 3rd level, you can cast Blur 1/day. At 5h level, you can cast Blink 1/day. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
::'''Arcane Origins:''' You have Proficiency in Arcana.

===Etharis Pantheon===
As stated above, Etharis' gods have all been wiped out, leaving a handful of powerful [[Archangel|Arch Seraphs]] and [[Archdevil|Arch Daemons]] to take their place.

The Arch Seraphs consist of:
* ''Miklas:'' Arch Seraph of Mercy, who wants to do the job of her former boss, the Goddess of Protection Aurelia, but just doesn't have the power.
* ''Empyreus:'' Arch Seraph of Valor, who seeks to take the place of the fallen war-god Maligant and champion good-aligned warriors to return Etharis to its Golden Age.
* ''Zabriel:'' Arch Seraph of Truth, who has abandoned the neutrality of her patron Typharia, God of Knowledge, to instead seek to weaponize knowledge and truth.
* ''Morael:'' Arch Seraph of Sacrifice, is a former aspect of the Vetara, Goddess of Love, and acts as the patron of heroes, martyrs and diplomats.
* ''Solyma:'' Arch Seraph of Justice and silent heir to the throne of the forgotten God of Justice, whose followers are straying from her ways due to her self-imposed vow of silence.
* ''Aphaeleon:'' Arch Seraph of Temperance, who has abandoned the way of the God of Joy, Myria, to instead champion those who seek freedom from worldly desires.

The malevolent Arch Daemons, on the other hand, consist of:
* ''Venin:'' Arch Daemon of Deceit
* ''Tormach:'' Arch Daemon of Wrath, Empyreus' bitter rival, who delights in killing and bloody violence.
* ''Gorodyn:'' Arch Daemon of Avarice, who has stolen the throne of the God of Commerce, Jezra, to spread his doctrine of naked greed and consumption.
* ''Sitri:'' Arch Daemon of Hedonism, who is basically [[Slaanesh]].
* ''Beleth:'' Arch Daemon of Fear, who revels in his ability to torment mortals.
* ''Malikir:'' Arch Daemon of Pride

Other entities of cosmic significance in Etharis are the ''Primordials'', which are basically Etharis' [[Archomental]]s, and the ''Aether Kindred'', which are [[Elder Evils]]-like god-tier [[aberration]]s who slew the original gods of Etharis.

==New Mechanics==
===Subclasses===
{{dnd-stub}}
The Campaign Guide for Grim Hollow added no new subclasses. That was left for the Player's Guide, which debuted in September 21, featuring the following new subclasses:

[[Barbarian]]:
* '''Path of the Primal Spirit:''' Want an animal companion, but think the 5e [[Ranger]] sucks? Well, congrats; this is the class for you! The Primal Spirit Path allows you to forge such a deep bond with a totemic animal spirit that it will physically manifest to adventure alongside you. Naturally, its features all revolve around your ''Primal Companion'' (3rd), which is abstracted to the choice of if it's a Primal Guardian (tanky) or Primal Striker (offense-focused), and if it's a Land, Sea or Air creature. ''Shared Rage'' (3rd) gives your Primal Companion a buff when you Rage, which combined with the solid but simple rules for controlling it is very nice. ''Kin to Beasts'' (6th) lets you cast Animal Friendship and Speak with Animals 1/short rest, both keying off of Constitution. ''Skinrider's Trance'' (10th) lets you possess your primal companion or a creature you've cast Animal Friendship on 1/day. Finally, ''Shape of the Wild'' (14th) les you use a bonus action to transform your Primal Companion into a different kind of Primal Companion 1/short rest.
* '''Path of the Fractured:''' Inspired by Jekyll and Hyde, with maybe a dash of the Hulk, the Fractured takes a more esoteric approach to rage, attaining the characteristic berserker furies by learning to divide their mind into two split personas; the Id and the Ego. This divide gives them a number of unique mental powers. Starting at 3rd level, they gain ''Face of Rage'', which causes them to turn into an unrecognizable monstrous version of themselves with suped-up unarmed strikes when raging, and ''Mask of Civility'', which gives them a bonus Int or Wis-based skill as well as either a free Artisan's Tool Kit tool proficiency or bonus language. ''Brains and Brawn'' (6th) gives the Fractured resistance to Psychic when not raging, and resistance to everything ''but'' Psychic when raging. ''[[Mork|Cunning]] and [[Gork|Brutal]]'' gives the Fractured increased interaction options when not raging, and boosted crits with unarmed strikes when raging. Finally, ''Better Half'' (14th) lets the Fractured cheat death (and fly into a rage, if it happened when they weren't raging) 1/day.

[[Bard]]:
* '''College of Adventurers:''' Taking the [[Skill Monkey]] archetype to the extreme, bards of the College of Adventurers study the tales of heroes and adventurers to the point they essentially become capable of [[multiclassing]] without actually multiclassing. Their key feature is the ''Adventurer's Talent'' (3rd), which basically lets them select any other class apart from the [[Artificer]] and gain one of their tricks in a limited format - a Barbarian's Rage, a Warlock Invocation, 2 Sorcery Points and one of the simpler [[Metamagic]]s, etc. They start with 1 Talent, and pick up another one at levels 6 and 14. Their other features are ''Party Planner'' (3rd, creatures under Bardic Inspiration can Help as a bonus action), ''Well Rounded'' (6th; gain a bonus skill, tool and language), and finally ''Improvisational Talent'' (14th, you can swap out one of your Adventurer's Talents whenever you complete a Long Rest).
* '''College of Requiems:''' ...It's the [[Necromancer]]-[[Bard]]. Were you ''really'' expecting anything else? At 3rd level, they gain ''Chilling Melody'' (two Necromancy cantrips of their choice as bonus cantrips) and ''Pluck the Heartstrings'' (allies under Bardic Inspiration can expend it to either deal bonus Necrotic damage with a weapon or avoid being dropped to 0 HP). 6th level grants ''Stir the Bones'' (gain Animated Dead as a bonus spell, can use Bardic Inspiration on their undead minions). Finally, 14th level gives them ''Dance of the Dead'' (can make a single-target Necromancy spell hit 2 targets 1/short rest).

[[Cleric]]:
* '''Eldritch Domain:''' This is the obligatory [[Cthulhu Mythos]] type "mad gods and dire cosmic forces" Cleric you'd expect in a [[Dark Fantasy]]. Most of its features revolve around an "Eldritch Effects" table of temporary insanities the cleric can inflict upon its enemies. At 1st level, it gains ''Unpredictable Inspiration'' (gain a bonus cantrip and skill of the player's choice each time they complete a long rest) and ''Eldritch Contagion'' (spend a bonus action when casting a level 1+ spell to force 1 target to Wisdom save or roll on Eldritch Effects). 2nd level lets them use Channel Divinity to invoke a ''Prophecy of Doom'' (all creatures in target area must Wisdom save or suffer an Eldritch Effect). 6th level gives them ''Otherworldly Calm'' (Resistance to Psychic damage, people who try to read the cleric's mind risk Psychic damage). 8th level gives them ''Potent Spellcasting'', and 17th level grants them the ability to ''Sing the Song that Ends the World'' (creatures take 10d10 Psychic damage if they succumb to Prophecy of Doom; survivors can't be affected by this again for 10 minutes).
* '''Inquisition Domain:''' You want to be a [[Witch Hunter]]? Well, this is a step in the right direction. You're basically pissed that [[arcanist]]s get to enjoy so much power on their own whilst divine magic is dying. These clerics gain bonus proficiencies in martial weapons and heavy armor, and a 1st level feature in ''Witch Hunter's Strike'' (add Force damage, which is more potent against targets that are casting a spell and can heal the cleric). 2nd level provides the Channel Divinity in ''Spell Shield'' (1 target gains Temporary HP and Resistance to magic). 6th level's ''Rebuke Invoker'' lets the cleric try to disrupt spellcasting attempts (causing Force damage in the bargain), 8th level gives them ''Divine Strike'' (Force), and 17th level grants them ''Supernal Safeguard'', letting them target Wisdom mod (min 2) targets with Spell Shield.

[[Druid]]
* '''Circle of Blood:''' It's all about that [[Blood Magic]], baby! Strength through sacrifice, that's the motto here. Aside from the bonus Sangromancy spells, these druids gain the features ''Blood Boon'' (2nd, gain temporary HP when a creature dies within 60 feet), ''Rite of the Blood Moon'' (6th, expend a use of Wild Shape to drive yourself or a nearby ally into a pseudo-[[Barbarian]] Rage), ''Blood Lust'' (10th, creatures under Rite of the Blood Moon can sacrifice hit dices for bonus damage), and ''Create Blood Elemental'' (14th, 1/day summon a water elemental as a reaction when a creature dies within 60 feet).
* '''Circle of Mutation:''' These druids study [[fleshcrafting]], seeking to enhance nature and accelerate its development towards perfection. Their features are ''Mutate Shape'' (2nd, when Wild Shaping, spend spell slots to add beneficial mutations to your animal form), ''Circle Forms'' (2nd, you can turn into more powerful forms than other druids), ''Unnatural and Unnerving'' (6th, free Intimidation proficiency, or else in Athletics, Acrobatics, Perception, Stealth or Survival, Advantage on Intimidation checks made in mutated beast shape), ''Endless Evolution'' (10th, gain free mutations when Wild Shaping, can touch a beast and spend spell slots to mutate it), and ''Apex Predator Aura'' (14th, animals must Wisdom save or be too scared to approach you).

[[Fighter]]
* '''The Bulwark Warrior Martial Archetype:''' Masters of the defensive fighting style, Bulwarks specialize in taking as many hits as they need in order to deliver the last blow. At 3rd level, they can issue a ''Protective Taunt'' to aggro enemies and can also use ''Weather the Storm'' to grant themselves temp HP 1/short rest. 7th level's ''Living Shield'' lets them penalize enemy attacks against their allies. 10th levels ''Aggressive Defense'' lets them spend temp HP and turn it into bonus melee damage. 15th level's ''Improved Second Wind'' causes Second Wind to grant temporary HP equal to the full health it restores. Finally, 18th level's ''Halt the Assault'' lets them burn their own temporary HP to reduce damage done to allies within 5 feet.
* '''The Crucible Martial Archetype:''' Warrior-[[alchemist]]s who use experimental drugs, tinctures and concoctions to boost themselves to superhuman limits. Their core feature is ''Compound Creator'' (3rd); this lets them select 3 Compounds, which are basically 3e-style Potions of (Insert Buff Here) - Elfsight Oil for Darkvision, Advantage on (Insert [[Ability Scores]] here), temporary [[regeneration]], etc. It takes ten minutes of work with some alchemical supplies to make a Compound, and it lasts for a day before going inert. The Crucible learns 2 more Compounds at levels 7, 10 and 15. However, they can only drink (1+Con modifier, min 1) Compounds at a time; drinking excessive Compounds imposes a level of Exhaustion per extra compound; it takes a long rest to flush the inert Compounds from their system. Only the Crucible can drink a Compound; anybod else dumb enough to try has to make a Con save or be Poisoned. 3rd level also gives them ''Student of Alchemy'' (Proficiency in Alchemist's Supplies, doubles proficiency bonus for any ability check made with them). 7th level unlocks ''Quick Creation'' (can make and consume a Compound as a bonus action). At 10th level, ''Living Cauldron'' lets the Crucible consume (3+Con mod) Compounds, which increases to (5+Con mod) at level 18. At 15th level, ''Toxin Transmutation'' lets the Crucible spend a bonus action to simultaneously end a Poisoned effect and gain temp HP. Finally, 18th level sees them become a ''Living Catalyst'', letting them swap out one of their known Compounds wen they finish a long rest.

[[Monk]]
* '''The Way of the Leaden Crown:''' Believing that humanoids need to be rid of the tyranny of supernatural beings, the Leaden Crown seek to hone their bodies and minds to unlock the powerful psionic abilities needed to do battle with otherworldly influencers like seraphs, daemons and primordials. At 3rd level, ''Subtle Hand'' lets them make telekinetic strikes, which are Monk Unarmed Strikes with 10ft reach that do Force damage, whilst ''Psionic Prowess'' lets them cast an invisible Mage Hand at will and use ki to cast detect evil/good (1 ki), protection from evil/good (1 ki), hold person (2 ki), levitate (2 ki), and shatter (2 ki). 6th level's ''Unsubtle Strike'' lets them push a foe 10 feet with an unarmed strike or monk weapon 1/turn. At 11th level, they gain the ''Psychic Crush'' feature, which lets them build up "psychic pressure points" on creatures that they hit with monk unarmed strikes; as a bonus action, they can burn a ki point to trigger these points, dealing Force damage and potentially restraining them. Finally, 17th level's ''Psionic Mastery'' lets them burn ki to cast dispel evil/good, hold monster, telekinesis and wall of force, all for 5 ki each.
* '''The Way of Self:''' Ever heard of the trope "Arrogant Kung Fu Guy"? That's these guys in a nutshell. At 3rd level, they gain ''Tall Tales'' (Proficiency in either Deception, Intimidation, Performance or Persuasion), ''Bruised Ego'' (gain temp HP whenever ki points are spent) and ''Assertive Attacker'' (Martial Arts die value goes up 1 step if the monk is at or below 50% maximum HP). 6th level gives them both ''Irrational Retaliation'' (spend 2 ki as a reaction to being damaged to gain advantage on attacks against the assailant) and ''Redoubled Efforts'' (when at or below 50% maximum HP, do +1 die of damage with Martial Arts attacks on a crit). Level 11 gives them the ''Ever Prideful'' state, which is the oh-so-anime ability to fight on out of pure stubbornness after being dropped 0 HP. Finally, at 17th level, ''Egotistical'' causes Bruised Ego and Redoubled Efforts to apply at over 50% max HP so long as the monk was damaged by an attacker within the past minute.

[[Paladin]]
* '''The Oath of Pestilence:''' It's the [[Nurgle]] subclass. No, seriously; Paladins of the Oath of Pestilence embrace disease and decay as natural, even benevolent, parts of the natural circle of life, and freely share rot and plague to winnow the weak from the strong. These Paladins get a bunch of disease-flavored spells, like stinking cloud, ray of enfeeblement and contagion. Their 3rd level Channel Divinity Options are ''Debilitating Fever'' (infect a non-undead, non-construct foe in melee with a natural disease) and ''Entropic Infection'' (remove necrotic resistance and curse the target to take +2d6 damage from necrotic effects). 7th level gives them an ''Aura of Rampant Sickness'', a 10ft aura (30ft from 18th level) that lets the paladin impose Disadvantage on an ability check, attack roll or saving throw 1/turn. 15th level's ''Disgusting Resilience'' lets the paladin spend hit dice to try and nullify an attack that would drop them to 0 HP - and if they are killed, then the paladin explodes in a shower of pus and gore for 8D6 Necrotic damage. Finally, 20th level's ''Plaguebringer'' grants the paladin immunity to poison and "reduce HP maximum value" effects, resistance to necrotic damage, and causes all enemies who get within 5 feet to take automatic necrotic damage.
** Tenets of Pestilence:
:::'''Strength in Resilience.''' Surviving hardship and plague make you stronger. Spreading these things causes strength to flourish.
:::'''All Things Must Pass.''' Death is the natural conclusion of life. There is nothing unnatural or amoral about the ending of life.
:::'''Might Makes Right.''' The laws of mortals mean nothing to poxes and plagues, they go where they wish and take what they want. So should you.
* '''The Oath of Zeal:''' Embracing the power of hate, Zealots are fanatics whose mad determination to destroy their enemies turns them into living weapons. Bonus spells for these paladins are a mixture of divination and "scourge of god" spells like Fear and Insect Plague. Their 3rd level Channel Divinity options are ''Mark of the Heretic'' (designate a target for increased crit range and a free reaction-fueled attack at the start of its turns) and ''Inquisitor's Eye'' (Advantage on Investigation, Insight and Perception, plus immunity to surprise, for 10 minutes). 7th level's ''Aura of Clarity'' gives you a 10ft aura (30ft from 18th) in whcih you and allies cannot be blinded and invisibility fails if you want it to. At 15th level, they can ''Compel Confession'', casting a Zone of Truth without burning a spell slot that also deals out psychic damage to any creature that succeeded on their save. Finally, 20th level's ''Apocalyptic Revelation'' lets the paladin gain a number of powerful buffs for 1 minute 1/day (Truesight 120ft, 5ft blinding aura, grant advantage to all attacks against a creature for 1 turn as a bonus action).
** Tenets of Zeal:
:::'''Uncover Corruption.''' Darkness cannot abide the light of day. Wickedness must be revealed before it can be destroyed.
:::'''Purge the Heretics.''' Heresy is a tumor that spread through the hearts of the innocent. Cut it out at the source.
:::'''No Mercy.''' The righteous path requires unwavering conviction and unflinching resolve.
:::'''By Any Means Necessary.''' There is no sacrifice too great when it comes to defeating the wicked.

[[Ranger]]
* '''The Green Reaper:''' [[Assassin]]s who specialize in the use of poisons. 3rd level gives them ''Envenomed Attack'' (add bonus poison damage to a weapon or 20 bits of ammo as a bonus damage, usable Proficiency bonus times per day; 11th level doubles the damage and makes it usable per short rest) and ''Toxic Tradecraft'' (Proficiency and Expertise with Poisoner's Kit, gain a free poisoner's kit you can replace with 8 hours, can burn spell slots to add extra effects to targets of Envenomed Attack; the more potent the spell slot, the nastier the effect options). 7th level's ''Poison Control'' grants Poison Resistance, Advantage on saves vs. Poisoned, and the ability to cast Protection From Poison for free Wisdom modifier times per day. 11th level's ''Variegated Vexations'' lets the ranger do Acid or Necrotic bonus damage with Envenomed Attacks instead of Poison damage. Finally, 15th level's ''Pain Tolerance'' lets the ranger spend a reaction to an attack to gain temp HP equal to the damage dealt.
* '''The Vermin Lord:''' Allies of the skittering legions of the natural world, who learn to take power from the creatures that are so small, but oh so very, ''very'' many. 3rd level's ''Verminkin'' grants the ability to speak with vermin and to summon vermin swarms by spending spell slots (2 swarms per slot level), whilst ''Septic Strikes'' lets them inflict Necrotic damage as a bonus action on any target of their own weapon attacks or their swarm's attacks. 7th level's ''Filth and Fortitude'' grants immunity to disease and proficiency in Constition saves. 11th level's ''Infectious Spread'' can be used Wisdom mod times per day to boost Septic Strikes to also poison the targets. Finally, 15th level's ''Strength of the Swarm'' lets the ranger transfer damage to adjacent swarms.

[[Rogue]]
* '''The Highway Rider Martial Archetype:''' Mounted combat specialist with a side-order in being surprisingly tanky. For a rogue. 3rd level gives them ''Hair Trigger'' (on rolling for initiative, spend a reaction to either attack with advantage, move full speed (whether on foot or mounted) without opportunity attacks, Dodge, or interact with an item), ''Trusty Mount'' (cast Find Steed (summons a Beast, not an outsider) 1/day) and ''Ride Them Down'' (can Sneak Attack after moving 20+ feet whilst mounted). 9th level's ''Horse Lord'' lets the Highway Rider spend a minute caring to their steed to give it double their level in temp HP, and also lets them Dash, Disengage or Dodge as a bonus action whilst mounted. 13th level's ''True Grit'' gives proficiency in Constitution saves and "Con save for half damage" effects are now "half damage on fail, no damage on save". Finally, 17th level's ''Desperado'' lets them use a Hair Trigger option as a Reaction to falling to 0 HP.
* '''The Misfortune Bringer Martial Archetype:''' Thieves of luck who have the ability to deliver all manner of terrible curses to those they choose to target. 3rd level gives them ''Evil Eye'', which is used to mark a target for their ''Misfortunist'' feature. They gain two "Misfortunes" (lesser curses powered by Jinx Points) and 3 Jinx points; they gain +1 Misfortune at 9th, 13th and 17th level (and can swap one out whenever they complete a long rest), and +2 jinx points at 13th level. 9th level's ''Steal Luck'' lets the rogue remove a creature's Advantage on an ability check, attack or save 1/short rest to regain an expend Jinx Point - from 17th, this can be done 3/short rest. Finally, 13th level's ''Curse Caster'' lets the rogue cast Bestow Curse for 3 Jinx Points.

[[Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)|Sorcerer]]
* '''The Haunted:''' Sorcerers who survived a brush with death and now have a ghostly companion guiding them through the spirit world. At 1st level, the Haunted gains the traits ''Haunted Spells'' (learn Unseen Servant, See Invisibility, Speak with Dead, Death Ward and Little Death as extra spells, they can be cast by substituting sorcery points for spell slots), ''Phantom Companion'' (gain a Familiar in the form of an Undead Specter, which can turn invisible and, from 3rd level, use Life Drain as one of your attacks), and ''Sixth Sense'' (add Charisma mod to Dex checks to determine initiative). 6th level's ''Strength of Spirit'' powers up the Phantom Companion so it can now channel spells like a familiar, whilst ''Deathly Pallor'' gives the Haunted Resistance to Necrotic and the ability to swap sorcerer spell damage types to Necrotic. 14th level's ''Phantom Possession'' lets the Haunted control creatures by having their Phantom Companion possess them. Finally, 18th level's ''Become Death'' lets the Haunted turn into a spectre themselves 1/day.
* '''The Wretched Bloodline:''' Inheriting an ancestral curse, this sorcerer has learned to take it apart and make it into a source of power.

[[Warlock]]
* '''The First Vampire Patron:''' Needless to say, this gives you [[vampire]]-lite abilities
* '''The Cosmic Parasite Patron:''' Agreeing to host the nascent offspring of an entity that feeds on the vitality of whole peoples and planets, these warlocks are surprisingly physically adept due to the monster lurking beneath their skin.

[[Wizard]]
* '''Plague Doctor:''' Practicing a blend of magic, alchemy and herbalism, plague doctors learn how to heal the sick... and to blight the healthy, should they desire.
* '''The School of Sangromancy:''' This is the [[Blood Magic]] tradition. Who're you trying to kid?

In addition, two [[Artificer]] subclasses were unlocked as part of the stretchgoals for the Kickstarter... unfortunately, because the Artificer was not in the SRD, Ghostfire Gaming is not legally allowed to put them in the GHPG; instead, they are going to be released as "Pay What You Want" on the DM's Guild website.

===Expanded Backgrounds===
{{dnd-stub}}
One of Grim Hollow's unique mechanics is that it takes the Backgrounds from basic 5th edition and simultaneously applies level-based features that represent increased status/proficiency in that particular field, as well as specializations to more specifically refine the basic concept. For example, instead of a generic Academic, you could be an Archivist, who keeps a personal library, or a Archaeologist.

===Transformations===
Grim Hollow's most iconic element, the ''Transformations'' mechanic is a kind of 4 level Prestige Class that allows a player to slowly become some kind of specific monster, gaining unique powers and flaws at each of the four levels. Transformations in the Campaign Guide consist of the '''Aberrant Horror''', the '''Fiend''', the '''Lich''', the '''Lycanthrope''', the '''Seraph''' and the '''Vampire'''. Yes, becoming an angel is treated as being as horrifying and dehumanizing as becoming a fiend.

The Player's Guide added the '''Primordial''', the '''Fey''' and the '''Spectre'''.

Here's how it works: each Transformation requires certain mechanical and story requirements to acquire, with at the very least each Transformation needing a certain value of [[Ability Scores]]. To progress in level, the player needs to undertake an in-game story-based progression milestone - it typically recommends keeping each Transformation Level to a certain range of class levels, so it doesn't become too weak or too powerful compared to non-Transforming characters.

When they get their first level in a Transformation, they gain two special Transformation Boons and a mandatory Transformation Flaw. On levels 2-4, they gain their choice of 1 of several Transformation Boons, which could be taken from an earlier Transformation level, and a mandatory Transformation Flaw.

Examples of Universal Transformation Milestones are:
* Undertaking an exceptional act of evil or good.
* Completing an ancient ritual.
* Performing a powerful artifact.
* Being cursed by a dark agent.
* Being exalted by a patron or god.

Can you undo a Transformation? Yes, if the DM agrees; it basically works like curing a curse, but requires a Regenerate spell rather than Remove Curse. However, a character who has reached the 4th level, or being Transformed for over a year, can only be cured with a Wish. It's up to the DM to decide if killing and resurrecting a character frees them from their transformation or not.

If a Transformation ability allows a save, the DC is always 8 + the character's Proficiency bonus + an ability score modifier, the precise modifier being determined by the precise Transformation.

====Aberrant Horror====
Aberrant Horrors are humanoids who have begun transforming into an [[aberration]], granting them grotesquely fluid anatomies and the ability to reshape their bodies in the most nightmarish, sanity-breaking ways.

Becoming an Aberrant Horror requires '''13 Constitution''' and some kind of encounter with an aberration, magical anomaly, or other phenomena to trigger the complete reshaping of your body. The following are possible level milestones for the Aberrant Horror:
* Defeating a powerful Aberration and absorbing its power.
* Undergoing a dangerous and costly experiment.
* Surviving a magical mishap.
* Acquiring the strength to give birth to a more powerful version of yourself, which then consumes your old self.
* Fulfilling an eldritch prophecy written in the stars.

An Aberrant Horror's save DC keys off of Constitution.

At 1st level, you gain the Boons '''Aberrant Adaptions''' (use bonus actions to activate biological heavy armor and weapons) and '''Aberrant Form''' (+2 Con, +1 Str, Type changes to Aberration), and you receive the Flaw '''Unstable Mutations'''. Each time you complete a Long Rest, you have to roll on a d100 to see how your fluctuating anatomy screws you over for a time.

At 2nd level, you can take the Boons '''Efficient Killer''' (powers up your bio-weapons from Aberrant Adaptions), '''Other-Worldly Tendrils''' (spend a bonus action to activate several different tentacle attack options) or '''Situational Evolution''' (spend a bonus action to gain a climb speed, swim speed + amphibious, or regeneration), and you receive the Flaw '''Hideous Appearance'''. Acquiring this flaw means that you become a shapeshifter, with a hideously warped base form and the ability to resume your original form. You revert to your true form if you Concentrate on a spell, are knocked unconscious, enter hallowed ground, or consciously choose to do so. At the DM's discretion, events of extreme emotional or physical stress may require a Constitution save to avoid reverting. Non-evil creatures that see your true form will instantly become hostile to you, unless the DM decides otherwise.

At 3rd level, you can take the Boons '''Wings''' (bonus action gives you wings for 10 minutes), '''Additional Tendrils''' (requires Other-Worldly Tendrils, you can use 2 tentacles simultaneously, upgrades to 3 at 4th stage) or '''Enhanced Hypertrophy''' (Unarmed Strikes do d8 damage, offensive adaptations increase their damage by +1 die type), and you receive the Flaw '''Unstable Existence'''. Your Hideous Appearance is revealed whenever you roll a natural 1-3 on a save against a spell or magical ability.

At 4th level, you can take the Boons '''Savage Predator''' (on a nat-20, do +6d6 damage and force enemies to save vs. fear), '''Master of the Deep''' (requires Additional Tendrils, 1/short rest you can make a debuffing attack against all enemies within 15 feet) or '''Extremophiliac Conditioning''' (spend a bonus action to gain Resistance to either all Physical damage, Fire+Lightning+Acid damage, or Cold+Thunder+Poison damage), and you receive the Flaw '''Entropic Abomination'''. When you fail a save vs. spell or magical ability, roll on the Unstable Mutations table and switch to the new result if it's lower than your current result.

====Fiend====
Quite self-explanatory, this Transformation causes you to become a Fiend - closer to a [[devil]] than a [[demon]], what with the focus on Faustian bargains.

Becoming a Fiend requires Charisma 13 and somehow damning one's soul for power, such as by pacting with a Fiend or by undergoing an infernal ritual. The following are possible level milestones for the Fiend:
* Defeating a greater rival Fiend and taking their place in the hierarchy.
* Ensnaring a particularly powerful or influential soul with a contract.
* Establishing a cult of worshipers who offer their strength to you.
* Establishing a portal between the material plane and the Netherworld.
* Killing or corrupting a Seraph.

A Fiend's Transformation Save DC keys off of Charisma.

At 1st level, you gain the Boons '''Gifts of Damnation''' (you can sign soul contracts with mortals to gain special powers) and '''Fiendish Form''' (+2 Charisma, +1 Intelligence, Type changes to Fiend), and you receive the Flaw '''Planar Binding'''. This flaw causes you to suffer Disadvantage on death saving throws, and if you die, you cannot be raised.

At 2nd level, you can take the Boons '''Brand of the Chainer's Gaze''' (inflict a curse that penalizes saves), '''Brand of the Tyrant's Hellfire''' (inflict a curse that adds bonus Fire damage to your attacks) or '''Brand of the Deceiver's Guile''' (inflict a curse that penalizes attack rolls), and you receive the Flaw '''Hideous Appearance'''. Acquiring this flaw means that you become a shapeshifter, with a hideously warped base form and the ability to resume your original form. You revert to your true form if you Concentrate on a spell, are knocked unconscious, enter hallowed ground, or consciously choose to do so. At the DM's discretion, events of extreme emotional or physical stress may require a Constitution save to avoid reverting. Non-evil creatures that see your true form will instantly become hostile to you, unless the DM decides otherwise. All of the Boons at this level can be used Charisma modifier times per day, and the curses they create last for 1 minute, or until the target is knocked unconscious, enters hallowed ground, or is targeted by Remove Curse.

At 3rd level, you can take the Boons '''Alluring Deceit''' (free Proficiency/Expertise in Deception and Persuasion, immunity to magic that detects lies and compels truthful speech), '''Infernal Resistance''' (burn a reaction to halve damage from non-silvered weapon attacks) or '''Nether Blade''' (spend a bonus action to summon an infernal burning blade to fight with), and you receive the Flaw '''True Name'''. This flaw causes you to manifest a talisman inscribed with your true name, which other creatures can use to control you.

At 4th level, you can take the Boons '''Commanding Obedience''' (your spells can force your opponents to fall prone), '''Brimstone Pyrolysis''' (your fire attacks can turn slain enemies into miniature bombs) or '''Infernal Summoning''' (you can summon a squad of up to 4 imps 1/day), and you receive the Flaw '''Pull of the Netherworld'''. This causes you to take 1d6 Force damager per two character levels whenever you roll a natural 1 on a save against a magical spell or ability.

====Lich====
Self explanatory, the Lich transformation allows powerful spellcasters to assume a form that will allow them to continue to study magic for all eternity.

As such, this is the hardest Transformation to qualify for: Intelligence 16, ability to cast 7th level spells, and you must track down and successfully perform the Ritual of Dread. The following are possible level milestones for the Lich:
* Discover ancient and dark arcane knowledge.
* Consume the soul of an exceptionally powerful spellcaster.
* Build a monument to your power to serve as a giant arcane focus.
* Create an army of undead.
* Kill a god.

At 1st level, you gain the Boons '''Harvester of Souls''' (creatures you kill become phylactery charges you can burn to recover spell slots) and '''Undead Form''' (+4 Int, +2 Wis, type changes to Undead, lowered benefit from external healing effects, immunity to aging, air, food, drink and sleep), and you receive the Flaw '''Phylactery'''. This causes you to create a talisman to bind your soul into; if it gets destroyed, you die, instantly. If you die, you will revive 1 week later so long as there is a soul charge in your phylacterty - otherwise, at the end of the week, you become a Demilich NPC.

At 2nd level, you can take the Boons '''Puppet Master''' (undead mooks you create are permanent and cannot be stolen from you), '''Lichdom of the Arcane''' (killing a creature with a spell that does fire, necrotic, or poison damage triggers a bonus effect) or '''Rift to the Dreadscapes''' (As an action, create a zone of super-killy necrotic energy), and you receive the Flaw '''Hideous Appearance'''. Acquiring this flaw means that you become a shapeshifter, with a hideously warped base form and the ability to resume your original form. You revert to your true form if you Concentrate on a spell, are knocked unconscious, enter hallowed ground, or consciously choose to do so. At the DM's discretion, events of extreme emotional or physical stress may require a Constitution save to avoid reverting. Non-evil creatures that see your true form will instantly become hostile to you, unless the DM decides otherwise.

At 3rd level, you can take the Boons '''Relentless Undead''' (undead you control can make a full move + attack before dying), '''Arcane Supremacy''' (you can suffer Exhaustion to Concentrate on two spells simultaneously) or '''Staff of the Dreadscapes''' (as an action, summon an enchanted quarterstaff), and you receive the Flaw '''Necromantic Dystrophy'''. If you go more than 24 hours without converting 4 CR worth of souls into spell slots, you suffer severe penalties.

At 4th level, you can take the Boons '''Lord of Undeath''' (humanoids you kill auto-rise as zombies under your command), '''Arcane Omniscience''' (you know all Wizard spells and can cast Int modifier bonus Wizard spells per day) or '''Deathly Being''' (gain lich immunities and resistances), and you receive the Flaw '''Weight of Ages'''. This is the more severe form of Necromantic Dystrophy, forcing you to burn up 8 CR worth of souls per day.

====Lycanthrope====
Obviously, becoming a Lycanthrope turns you into a [[therianthrope|werebeast]]. Whilst the easiest way is to be bitten by a werebeast and survive, there's also a [[druid]]ic ritual called the Lunar Sacrament that can curse a victim with this transformation, which is obviously viewed in a holy perspective by druids.

Mechanically, taking this Transformation requires 13 Strength, and its Save DC keys off of Strength. The following are possible level milestones for the Lycanthrope:
* Establishing a pack of lycanthropes.
* Killing an alpha lycanthrope.
* Gaining control of your animalistic urges.
* Unleashing the beast within and losing your humanity.

At 1st level, you gain the Boons '''Hybrid Transformation''' (you can change into a half-humanoid, half-beast shape) and '''Shapechanger's Form''' (+2 Strength, +1 Constitution, gain the Shapechanger type), and you receive the Flaw '''Lust for the Hunt'''. This flaw forces you to make a DC 10 Wisdom save at the start of each turn, or move towards the nearest NPC, prioritizing the helpless, so you can try to kill it; when exposed to a full moon's light, you automatically fail this save. The first time you see a full moon, you need to pass a DC 20 Wisdom save or be forcibly transformed into hybrid shape until dawn.

At 2nd level, you can take the Boons '''Iron Pelt''' (gain resistance to physical damage from non-silver and non-magical sources in hybrid form), '''Hunter's Howl''' (you can use a howl to mark a creature as prey, gaining bonuses to tracking and killing it) or '''Kindred Form''' (you can now assume animal form as well as hybrid form), and you receive the Flaw '''Silver Sensitivity'''. This makes you Vulnerable to damage done by silvered weapons when you're in hybrid or kindred form, and you cannot apply any Resistance to an attack made by a silvered weapon.

At 3rd level, you can take the Boons '''Titanic Vigor''' (+2 max HP per level, gain 5 temp HP each turn in hybrid form), '''Predatory Leap''' (double jumping distance, can make pounce attacks in hybrid form) or '''Bestial Savagery''' (hybrid form gains: attacks are damage-buffed and count as magic, +1 AC, immunity to charm & fear), and you receive the Flaw '''Fraying Memories'''. This flaw gives you Disadvantage on Intelligence ability and skill checks based on recalling information or knowledge.

At 4th level, you can take the Boons '''Savage Instincts''' (hybrid form attacks are suped up vs. hurt targets), '''Kindred Affinity''' (requires Kindred Form, lets you speak and cast spells in kindred form) or '''Unstoppable Rage''' (you can keep fighting at 0 HP), and you receive the Flaw '''Predatory Nature'''. This flaw makes it harder to resist your urge to kill the weak and helpless, as well as making it harder to return to your original form.

====Seraph====
Seraphs are the Angels of Etharis, and consist of mortals uplifted for their devotion to a virtue or ideal; as such, they are commonly selected from noble martyrs, tireless crusaders, and other exemplary individuals.

Becoming a Seraph requires Wisdom 13 and either exaltation by an Arch-Seraph or exposure to powerful divine energies. The following are possible level milestones for the Seraph:
* Defeating a powerful force of darkness.
* Create a hallowed landmark for pilgrims.
* Establish a parish of worshipers who uphold your virtue.
* Establish a portal between the Material Plane and the Empyrium.
* Redeem a soul that was considered beyond redemption.

At 1st level, you gain the Boons '''Celestial Form''' (+2 Wisdom, +1 Constitution, type changes to Celestial) and '''Angelic Wings''' (you've a Fly speed equal to your Normal speed, but can't wear clothes or armor that aren't tailored to fit), and you receive the Flaw '''Planar Binding'''. This is identical to the Fiend flaw of the same name, but is based on your connection to a divine plane rather than an unholy one.

At 2nd level, you can take the Boons '''Divine Retribution''' (grant a Radiance-charged bonus attack to yourself or an ally), '''Divine Clemency''' (when you or an ally is hurt, you can cast a healing spell as a reaction) or '''Divine Expedition''' (burn a reaction to move yourself or a nearby ally), and you receive the Flaw '''Divine Appearance'''. This is the same as Hideous Appearance, but obviously revolves around you looking like an obvious angel, which has its problems in a world crawling with monsters and the wicked.

At 3rd level, you can take the Boons '''Radiant Strike''' (your melee attacks do bonus Radiant damage, especially against fiends, fey and undead), '''Cleanse Affliction''' (your healing spells also remove negative conditions) or '''Bow of Celestial Judgement''' (you can summon a magic bow that shoots holy lasers), and you receive the Flaw '''Beacon to Darkness'''. This flaw means that if you or allies within close proximity commit evil acts, you pick up "corruption points" that temporarily impede your ability to fight the naturally evil.

At 4th level, you can take the Boons '''Aura of Holy Purge''' (grant a free critical hit 1/day), '''Aura of Merciful Blessing''' (you or an ally can survive a killing attack with 1 HP 1/day) or '''Aura of Empyreal Valor''' (grant yourself or an ally increased speed and dexterity 1/day), all of which have a radius of 20 feet and are only active whilst you're conscious, and you receive the Flaw '''Pull of the Empyrean'''. This is just a name-tweaked version of the Fiend's "Pull of the Netherrealm".

====Vampire====
Simple, obvious, self-explanatory. You were bitten by another vampire, you drank a vampire's blood, you handled the wrong (or right!) cursed magical artifact, or you performed a dark rite to willingly infect yourself with the Sangine Curse.

This Transformation requires Dexterity 13, and its save DC keys off of Dexterity. The following are possible level milestones for the Vampire:
* Establish a coven of vampire spawn.
* Drink the blood of a legendary monster.
* Learn the great secrets of vampirism from a Vampire Lord.
* Learn to embrace your Hideous Form and lose the ability to conceal it.
* Discover the lost crypts of an ancient vampire and consume its essence.

At 1st level, you gain the Boons '''Blood Fury''' (doing damage to living creatures lets you rack up points you can use to power special attacks) and '''Undead Form''' (+2 Dex, +1 Cha, type changes to Undead, lowered benefit from external healing effects, immunity to aging, air, food, drink and sleep), and you receive the Flaw '''The Sanguine Curse'''. This gives you Darkvision 60 feet if you don't already have it, but prevents you from entering a residence unless invited, causes you to suffer Disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks when in sunlight, and requires you to feed on blood at least once per 7 days.

At 2nd level, you can take the Boons '''Dread Knight Combat Training''' (you can enter a special stance to boost offense, defense or accuracy), '''Sanguine Magic''' (you can convert non-typed spell damage into necrotic damage, gain Fury Points with spell attacks, and gain some spellcasting-related options for Blood Fury) or '''Shapechanger''' (you can turn into a bat and a cloud of mist), and you receive the Flaw '''Hideous Appearance'''. Acquiring this flaw means that you become a shapeshifter, with a hideously warped base form and the ability to resume your original form. You revert to your true form if you Concentrate on a spell, are knocked unconscious, enter hallowed ground, or consciously choose to do so. At the DM's discretion, events of extreme emotional or physical stress may require a Constitution save to avoid reverting. Non-evil creatures that see your true form will instantly become hostile to you, unless the DM decides otherwise.

At 3rd level, you can take the Boons '''Cruel Riposte''' (you gain a bonus melee attack against assailants), '''Creatures of the Night''' (you can summon swarms of bats, rats and wolves to aid you) or '''Captivating Glance''' (free proficiency in Deception + Persuasion, immunity to having your thoughts read), and you receive the Flaw '''Greater Sanguine Curse'''. This increases your Darkvision to 120 feet, causes you to take 1d10 acid damage per turn from running water, makes you suffer 1d10 radiant damage per turn when exposed to sunlight, and requires you to feed every 3 days.

At 4th level, you can take the Boons '''Grim Executioner''' (requires Dread Knight Combat Training; a critical hit will insta-kill a foe with 50 or fewer HP), '''Beguiler's Entrancement''' (requires Captivating Glance, lets you Charm a creature 1/day) or '''Regenerate''' (lets you regenerate damage unless exposed to sunlight, radiant damage or running water), and you receive the Flaw '''Stake to the Heart'''. With this flaw, a natural 20 to hit you with a wooden or silvered weapon, if you have 50 or fewer HP left, causes you to be paralyzed for 1 hour or until the weapon is removed, whichever is greater.

====Primordial====
This upcoming Transformation turns you into an [[elemental]].

====Fey====
As its name suggests, this Transformation turns you into a [[fey]].

====Spectre====
An unlocked stretch goal for the Player's Guide, this Transformation turns you into a [[ghost]].

{{D&D-Settings}}

[[Category: Dungeons & Dragons]][[Category:Dungeons & Dragons Third Party]]

Grim Hollow

2021-06-30T17:36:39Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* Etharis Races */

{{NeedsImages}}
'''Grim Hollow''' is a 3rd party [[Dark Fantasy]] setting for [[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]] published by Ghostfire Gaming. Currently, only the Campaign Setting and Player's Guide exists, with the Monster Grimoire being crowdfunded for on Kickstarter.

==The World of Etharis==
[[File:Damien-mammoliti-grimhollow-worldmap2-dm.jpg|300px|thumb|Lands of Etharis]]
Etharis, as the campaign setting's world is called, is a [[grimdark]] slant on the standard D&D 5e world. It takes place on a world where a brutal humanity rose up and almost annihilated the empires of [[dwarves]], [[elves]] and [[dragonborn]], then nearly annihilated itself in pointless internecine wars, allowing the oppressed remnants of those races to rise up and forcibly carve a place for themselves out of the ruins. Civilization exists in a [[Points of Light]] format; islands of light and hope surrounded by vast tracts of hostile, monster-infected wilderness. Some regions suffer supernatural or paranatural auras that shroud them in darkness, and plagues ravage the land - especially the dreaded Weeping Pox. The gods of Etharis annihilated each other in a brutal civil war, leaving behind only their lieutenants - the Arch Seraphs and Arch Daemons - to heed the prayers of mortal followers, and work to exploit the world as it exists for their own advantage. In many portions of the world, arcane magic is feared, and there is even a crusade, the Arcanist Inquisition, dedicated to destroying all who are even accused of dabbling with magic.

But despite all this... Etharis is not a relentlessly bleak world, and there is some hope for it to get better. To quote the book itself:
::''Etharis as a campaign setting is not meant to be relentlessly bleak and depressing, or to wallow in cruelty for its own sake. Small victories become heroic when they take heroic effort to achieve. No one in Etharis is safe by default, so any safety the characters win or give to others is a true blessing. No one in Etharis is good by default, so moments of genuine grace are worth celebrating – and can come from unexpected places. Amid profound darkness, even the smallest lights have value.

There's even a chapter in the Campaign Guide that breaks down [[Dark Fantasy]] into its four major components: [[Grimdark]], Horror, Dark Fairy Tales, and [[Sword & Sorcery]], with advice to the DM on how to pick and mix these themes to make Etharis more their own.

===Realms of Etharis===
As you can see from the map, Etharis is a pretty big place. Luckily, we're here to give you an breakdown of the various places of note on the map.

The '''Bürach Empire''' is the former ruling power of Etharis. An alliance of four provinces united by a divinely chosen emperor, Bürach has begun falling into ruination ever since the last emperor, the insane Leopold I, spread his insanity into the four gods whose powers once united and supported the empire, causing them to ultimately butcher each other in the name of proving which of them was the supreme god before Leopold was assassinated. Their madness and subsequent deaths have left powerful cultural and mystical scars on the lands they once championed. The provinces of the Bürach Empire are:'
* ''Abendland:'' Literal and metaphorical center of the Bürach Empire, once devoted to Aurelia, Goddess of Healing, Hearth and Home. It was the Hearthkeepers, Aurelia's priesthood, who helped locate the god-touched individual - Indorius - who became the first Emperor of Bürach Empire, and they were the ones who decreed the Edict of Eternal Blood, which allowed only direct descendants of Emperor Indorius to rule. This included coaxing the marriage of cousins and siblings to preserve the purity of said blood, despite the misgivings of the rest of Bürachs, that ultimately led to the insanity of Emperor Leopold I. Even now, the Hearthkeepers stifle their people and try to keep them ignorant of the waning divine powers of their priests and the fading fecundity of the land itself, with hope of turning Abendland into an open [[theocracy]].
* ''Nordenland:'' Always home to planar gates and crossings, especially to the [[Feywild]], Nordenland is the traditional home of the [[mage]]s of Bürach, which made it a natural homeland for Ulmyr, God of Magic and Chaos. The fall of the empire has broken Nordenland into two halves; those of the East, who have thrown off all allegiance to the empire and returned to the old ways, and those of the West, who still consider themselves part of Bürach and eagerly adopt new technologies from their former allies. Civil war is brewing, especially as the forests become filled with monsters and evils.
* ''Rauland:'' Kingdom of the [[dwarves]] and [[gnome]]s, Rauland was dedicated to Galt, God of Order and Construction. During the dark days of the godly civil war, Galt became a brutal tyrant, [[Laduguer|demanding toil for the sake of toil and treating all lives as tools for the sake of production]]. Ironically, with their patron dead, the Raulanders have found their crafts are declining in potency, stripped of the divine blessing they enjoyed in the empire's heyday.
* ''Unterland:'' A warrior society who were devoted to Maligant, the God of War and Strategy; with their patron gone, the cult of Tormach, [[Khorne|Archdaemon of Wrath and Slaughter]], is spreading like wildfire to take his place.

The '''Ostoyan Empire''' was Bürachs' major rival, founded by people who fled from Unterland during the chaos of Bürachs' early years due to refusing to accept Emperor Indorius as their new leader. They founded their own nation, Ostoya, but when the finally stabilized Bürach came and demanded the Ostoyans swear subservience to their long-lost and little-loved kinsfolk, it led to war. That war only grew more desperate with the Darkfall; a mighty earthquake that opened chasms leading to an ancient city buried beneath the ground, one infested by the [[undead]]. So desperate were the Ostoyans to remove this "homegrown" threat that they sent an entire army down into the deep to fight a holding action, then collapsed the chasms leading to the surface, burying their own men alive in the process. But this only made things worse; a survivor found a strange shrine and prayed for vengeance, before returning to the surface as a [[vampire]] and spreading his plague through Ostoya's nobility. With the new [[necrocracy]] in place, the Ostoyans expelled the Bürach invaders. Now, Ostoya resides under a permanent shadow; the sky is forever choked with thick clouds (often pregnant with snow or heavy rain) and mist, blotting the light from the sun. Ironically, Ostoya has schismed once again, and is now divided into two provinces; ''Soma'', the [[vampire]]-ruled [[necrocracy]], and the [[magocracy]] of ''Raevo'', which refuses to bow to the undead. Even more ironically, their civil war is remarkably civil: both sides share a hatred of Bürach that outweighs their antipathy towards each other, and the two provinces will fight to aid each other in remaining independent of Bürach. Definite shades of [[Sylvania]].

The '''Charneault Kingdom''' is a magical forest realm, the last stronghold of the [[elves]] and also home to a spiritual and honorable [[human]] culture who had found peace with their elven neighbors - thanks to the enforcing might of the [[Primal Spirits|nature spirits]] that reside here. But the Pact of the Sacred Land has been soured by the Dark Elves; an anti-human cult which attempted to use black magic to subvert the relationship the elves had long enjoyed with the nature spirits from that of equals to that of master and servant - whilst a human [[knight]], the valiant Ser Guilherm le Preux, managed to prevent the rite from fully taking place, Charneault has been tainted by the Dark Elves' actions. The magical mists that have always inundated Charneault now sometimes take on a dark coloration, throwing the spirits in turmoil, whilst Dark Elf sorcerers leading monsters and bewitched dark knights have begun to launch attacks against the human population of the land from their new base in the dead city of Tol Kerdywel, the prison of an elven princess turned foul [[lich]]. In return, the humans of Charneault are falling into disarry; the farmers dare not enter their fields when the Mist approaches, leading to shortages, and the king's order to swell the ranks of the various [[knight]]ly orders for which Charneault is famed has led to increased rivalry between those orders and their followers. And all the while, anti-elf sentiment is swelling in the minds of humanity...

The '''Valikan Clans''' of '''Grarjord''' are the [[Viking]]-like inhabitants of the [[elemental]]-haunted frozen northlands of Etharis, a region said to have once been ruled by [[Archomental|godlike elementals]] that warred with each other. Of these, the most fearsome was Gormadraug, the Great Prismatic Wyrm; a [[dragon]]-shaped [[elemental]] who was the master of "coldfire" - a white-blue flame that freezes instead of burns, consumes water, and can only be extinguished with fire and heat. Although reputedly slain by a band of seven heroes well over a thousand years ago, Gormadraug still shapes Grarjord's future. Over fifty years ago, a [[druid]]ic cult arose, the Prismatic Circle, who decreed that the Valikan must feed Gormadraug's spirit with bloodshed to keep him docile. This has led to a schims in Valikan society, dividing Grarjord into two provinces; ''Thrull'', a [[druid]]ic [[theocracy]] where the Prismatic Circle rules and raiding, slavery and human sacrifice are the order of the day, and ''Kandar'', which rejects the Prismatic Circle's rules and seeks strength through alliances and trade with the more fertile lands to the south. Making things worse is the rival Cult of the Wyrm, druids who seek to use the blood sacrifice of humans and elementals to ''awaken'' Gormadraug, and the mysterious appearance of outbreaks of coldfire, which sweep in deadly anti-blazes across the northland and leave behind only frozen wastes.

The '''Castinellan Provinces''' are a harsh, windswept peninsula, split down their center by an irregular mountain spine. These three provinces - ''Toletum'', ''Faro'' and ''Therpena'' - have long warred with each other, and only recently been united by a [[theocracy]] dedicated to the worship of Empyreus. Traditional homeland of the [[dragonborn]], the new priest-kings seek to tamper the warlike and vengeful nature of their people by first redirecting their attention outward in holy wars and crusades. It is also the birthplace of the Arcanist Inquisition, which seeks to control and limit the use of magic - ostensibly because Empyreus herself had told Montego Valieda, the first priest-king and Unifier of Castinellan, that magic was a curse that endangered its wielders and their associates alike.

'''Morencia''' is a powerful mercantile city-state occupies a series of small islands in a large lagoon, which is virtually impossible thanks to the magic-spawned mists that shroud the complex maze of reefs and sandbanks surrounding the city. Ruled over by the Augustine Trading Company, which has achieved this by absorbing the Banker's Guild and thus made mere puppets of the so-called Supreme Council, Morencia desires only to prosper, and is constantly targeted by the Castinellan Provinces as their first conquest.

'''Liesech''' is a city-state that lies to the north of the Charneault Kingdom and south of the Bürach Empire, the latter which now controls it, fighting an impossible battle to stave off the consumption of the city by the sea itself. Especially because of the mysterious god-thing, possibly a [[kraken]], known as the Filth Grazer, and the dreaded Weeping Pox.

===Etharis Races===
Etharis is home to the following races:

[[Human]]s: The most numerous race, who rose up from barbarism during the age of the dwarven and elven dominance over the world into a vast conquering horde that first almost annihilated the elves and dwarves, then nearly wiped themselves out. They technically are still the "dominant" race of Etharis, but their short lives have led to their old hatred fading... whilst the other races have not forgotten what humanity did to them...

[[Elf|Elves]]: Formerly the masters of Etharis' forests, their empires were burned to ashes during humanity's rise, and they spent decades as wandering nomads who were given magic by the forest spirits who survived as a way to avenge their loss.

[[Dwarf|Dwarves]]: During humanity's expansion, the dwarves retreated to their two greatest strongholds. Grevenstein was ultimately breached and its people annihilated, but Stehlenwald dug deeper and armed its people with adamantine; although their population was halved, their superior arms and armor allowed them to push humanity back. Still, they agreed to become a vassal race of humanity in the name of survival.

[[Half-Orc]]s: Pureblooded [[orc]]s are long gone in Etharis, but they remain figures of dark legends. Only half-orcs remain, and they are largely feared and distrusted, dwelling voluntarily amidst the harsh environment of the frozen north.

[[Half-Elf|Half-Elves]]: Nomadic outcasts rejected by both sides of their parentage.

[[Dragonborn]]: The small kingdom of the dragonborn fell when caught between warring humans and elves, but its people survived. They have abandoned their original gods, and instead embraced the new religion of the Divine Seraphs with fanatical zeal, winning a place in the Castinellan theocracy.

[[Gnome]]s: Cousins of the dwarves, they retreated into Stehlenwald with their kin, and were instrumental in turning back the tides of humanity by inventing the first primitive gunpowder weapons.

[[Halfling]]s: When humanity began its bloody Era of Expansion, the halflings surrendered rather than fight, voluntarily subsuming themselves into human culture as a race of servants.

The Player's Guide added several new races to the setting:

'''Wechselkind''' are essentially a cross between [[fey]] [[changeling]]s and [[warforged]]; they're [[fey]] [[construct]]s in the shape of children which the fey leave behind to disguise when they've stolen human children. Whilst most of these unfortunate creatures are destroyed when their foster family finds the truth, the lucky ones are kept because, despite constructs, they are as aware and intelligent as any human child. Unfortunately, although their minds can age, wechselkind are stuck with a child-like body forever. Ironcially, the Weeping Pox has been a boon to these golem-kin; being immune to disease has allowed them to become very effective nurses and doctor's assistants in the plague-lands.
::+2 Constitution, +1 Charisma
::Small
::Base Speed 25 feet
::'''Artificial Form:''' Though you are considered a Humanoid for effects that key off of type, you are Immune to Disease, Resistant to Poison damage, have Advantage on saves against the Poisoned condition, and don't need to eat, drink, sleep or breathe.
::'''Faerie Glamour:''' 1/day, you can take on the form of the child you were created to replace, which other than this restriction in available forms functions as disguise self.
::'''Childish Agility:''' You can move through the space of any creature of a size larger than yours, and you have Proficiency in Acrobatics.
::'''Unaging:''' You are immune to magical aging effects.

'''Laneshi''' are a strange race with a natural affinity for necromancy who hail from a kingdom deep below the waves. Their society is caste-based; those born as twins become mystics, who have their twin sibling sacrificed and spiritually bound to them to grant them heightened necromantic powers, whilst those born as single children become the warrior caste. Mystics are responsible for all things associated with the dead - funeral rites, crafting, construction, record keeping and food preparation - and and warriors are associated with all things of the living; warfare, ruling, diplomacy, farming, raisingr and educating children, etc. They appear as pale bluish-white skinned, almost elf-like figures with manes of green kelp-like hair.
::+1 Strength, +1 Wisdom
::Medium
::Base Speed 30 feet, Swim 30 feet
::Darkvision 60 feet
::'''Amphibious:''' You can breathe both air and water.
::'''Beast Whisperers:''' You can cast Speak with Animals 1/day.
::'''Subrace:''' Choose either the Warrior or Mystic subrace.
:::''Warrior:'' +1 Strength, '''Skirmish Tactics '''(when you hit a hostile with a weapon attack, you may Disengage as a bonus action until the end of your turn), and '''Laneshi Weapon Training''' (Proficiency in Spears, Tridents, Javelins, Light Armor, Animal Handling).
:::''Mystic:'' +1 Wisdom, '''Duality of Spirit''' (Resistance to Psychic damage, Advantage on Int, Wis and Cha saves vs. magic, first time this trait activates per day, pass a DC 12 Wis save or be Stunned until the end of your next turn), and '''Laneshi Magic''' (you know 1 Necromancy Cantrip, and gain a second Necromancy Cantrip at 5th level, both keying off of Wisdom).

'''Ogresh''' are a strange race of possibly [[giant-kin]]; whilst they appear as tall humans, they are characterized more by their massive girth than their height - they average 6 to 7 feet and average between 200 to 800 pounds, depending on if they are in their youthful "nomadic" state or their older "sedentary" state. Despite their bulk, they are creatures of great social skill and wisdom rather than brute strength, which they use to insinuate themselves into the societies of other races in pursuit of food, typically becoming master merchants, diplomats, advisors, entertainers, and other sagely figures.
::+2 Charisma, +1 Constitution, +1 Wisdom
::Medium + Powerful Build
::Base speed 30 feet
::'''Takes One To Know One:''' Advantage on saves vs. Charmed.
::'''Gift of Gab:''' Free Proficiency in two of these skills: Persuasion, Insight, Deception, Performance.
::'''A Friendly Ear:''' Once per short rest, you can attempt to charm a non-hostile creature you are conversing with, which requires at least a minute's conversation. If the creature fails a Wisdom save (DC 8 + your Cha modifier + your Proficiency bonus), they are Charmed by you for 1 hour and you learn one piece of information related to the topic of your conversation. Regardless of if the charm fails or succeeds, your target never realizes you have charmed them.

'''The Downcast''' are all that remains of angels who found themselves depowered and cast down upon Etharis after the end of the God-War. Their numbers dwindle, as fallen angels and their lingering divine essence are of great interest in a world where divine magic is failing - even without active predation, many of the Downcast have turned bitter, or simply withered from despair and disease.
::+2 Wisdom
::Medium
::Base speed 30 feet
::'''Divine Learning:''' You have Proficiency in Religion and know the Thaumaturgy cantrip.
::'''Divine Sangromancy:''' When an allied creature within 30 feet of you regains hit points, you may spend a hit die and add the result to the amount of hit points gained.
::'''Lingering Divinity:''' You have Resistance to Necrotic damage.
::'''Subrace:''' Choose the ''Aurelian'' (+1 Charisma, cast Cure Wounds (level 1) 1/day), ''Ulmyrite'' (+1 Intelligence, cast Detect Magic 1/day), ''Maliganti'' (+1 Strength, cast Branding Smite (level 1) 1/day) or ''Galtian'' (+1 Constitution, cast Shield of Faith 1/day).

'''Dreamers''' are a bizarre race unearthed by the Stehlnewald dwarves as they dug into the depths of their mountains during their beseigement by humanity during the "Era of Expansion". They are all that remains of a race that predates elves, dwarves and humans alike, who placed themselves into magical stasis in order to escape some great calamity that wiped out the rest of their civilization. The plan worked, but as a side effect, their memories of who they were as a people before their magical slumber have been stripped away.
::+2 Intelligence, +1 Constitution
::Medium
::Base speed 30 feet
::Darkvision 60 feet
::'''Dreamwalking: After finishing a long rest in which you slept, choose one skill or tool proficiency; gain a bonus equal to your Proficiency bonus to any rolls with that skill or tool until your next long rest. Additionally, whilst sleeping, you can touch the dreams of others within 1 mile.
::'''Even in Sleep:''' Your non-sight Perception rolls suffer no penalties when you are asleep.
::'''Power Nap: You can choose to sleep for 1 hour as part of a short rest; doing so removes 1 level of Exhaustion and restores 1 hit die, in addition to the standard short rest bonuses.

'''The Disembodied''' are the tormented remnants of the lost city of Ulmyr's Gate, a wizardly academy-town that attempted to create a permanent portal to the Ethereal Plane, only for it to go disastrously wrong and swallow the entire city instead. As their name suggests, the Disembodied are now trapped permanently halfway beween the material and ethereal.
::+2 Intelligence, +1 Dexterity
::Medium or Small (your choice)
::Speed: 30 feet
::'''Fade Away:''' 1/day, you can spend an action on your turn to slip into the Ethereal Plane, which lasts for 1 minute or until you use a bonus action to return. Whilst you remain in the Ethereal, you cannot affect the Material Plane or be affected by it, but you can still see and hear into the Material, and move around. When the effect ends, you reappear in the closest unoccupied space you disappeared from.
::'''Planar Outcast:''' You can cast Feather Fall (self only) 1/day. At 3rd level, you can cast Blur 1/day. At 5h level, you can cast Blink 1/day. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
::'''Arcane Origins:''' You have Proficiency in Arcana.

===Etharis Pantheon===
As stated above, Etharis' gods have all been wiped out, leaving a handful of powerful [[Archangel|Arch Seraphs]] and [[Archdevil|Arch Daemons]] to take their place.

The Arch Seraphs consist of:
* ''Miklas:'' Arch Seraph of Mercy, who wants to do the job of her former boss, the Goddess of Protection Aurelia, but just doesn't have the power.
* ''Empyreus:'' Arch Seraph of Valor, who seeks to take the place of the fallen war-god Maligant and champion good-aligned warriors to return Etharis to its Golden Age.
* ''Zabriel:'' Arch Seraph of Truth, who has abandoned the neutrality of her patron Typharia, God of Knowledge, to instead seek to weaponize knowledge and truth.
* ''Morael:'' Arch Seraph of Sacrifice, is a former aspect of the Vetara, Goddess of Love, and acts as the patron of heroes, martyrs and diplomats.
* ''Solyma:'' Arch Seraph of Justice and silent heir to the throne of the forgotten God of Justice, whose followers are straying from her ways due to her self-imposed vow of silence.
* ''Aphaeleon:'' Arch Seraph of Temperance, who has abandoned the way of the God of Joy, Myria, to instead champion those who seek freedom from worldly desires.

The malevolent Arch Daemons, on the other hand, consist of:
* ''Venin:'' Arch Daemon of Deceit
* ''Tormach:'' Arch Daemon of Wrath, Empyreus' bitter rival, who delights in killing and bloody violence.
* ''Gorodyn:'' Arch Daemon of Avarice, who has stolen the throne of the God of Commerce, Jezra, to spread his doctrine of naked greed and consumption.
* ''Sitri:'' Arch Daemon of Hedonism, who is basically [[Slaanesh]].
* ''Beleth:'' Arch Daemon of Fear, who revels in his ability to torment mortals.
* ''Malikir:'' Arch Daemon of Pride

Other entities of cosmic significance in Etharis are the ''Primordials'', which are basically Etharis' [[Archomental]]s, and the ''Aether Kindred'', which are [[Elder Evils]]-like god-tier [[aberration]]s who slew the original gods of Etharis.

==New Mechanics==
===Subclasses===
{{dnd-stub}}
The Campaign Guide for Grim Hollow added no new subclasses. That was left for the Player's Guide, which debuted in September 21, featuring the following new subclasses:

[[Barbarian]]:
* '''Path of the Primal Spirit:''' Want an animal companion, but think the 5e [[Ranger]] sucks? Well, congrats; this is the class for you! The Primal Spirit Path allows you to forge such a deep bond with a totemic animal spirit that it will physically manifest to adventure alongside you. Naturally, its features all revolve around your ''Primal Companion'' (3rd), which is abstracted to the choice of if it's a Primal Guardian (tanky) or Primal Striker (offense-focused), and if it's a Land, Sea or Air creature. ''Shared Rage'' (3rd) gives your Primal Companion a buff when you Rage, which combined with the solid but simple rules for controlling it is very nice. ''Kin to Beasts'' (6th) lets you cast Animal Friendship and Speak with Animals 1/short rest, both keying off of Constitution. ''Skinrider's Trance'' (10th) lets you possess your primal companion or a creature you've cast Animal Friendship on 1/day. Finally, ''Shape of the Wild'' (14th) les you use a bonus action to transform your Primal Companion into a different kind of Primal Companion 1/short rest.
* '''Path of the Fractured:''' Inspired by Jekyll and Hyde, with maybe a dash of the Hulk, the Fractured takes a more esoteric approach to rage, attaining the characteristic berserker furies by learning to divide their mind into two split personas; the Id and the Ego. This divide gives them a number of unique mental powers. Starting at 3rd level, they gain ''Face of Rage'', which causes them to turn into an unrecognizable monstrous version of themselves with suped-up unarmed strikes when raging, and ''Mask of Civility'', which gives them a bonus Int or Wis-based skill as well as either a free Artisan's Tool Kit tool proficiency or bonus language. ''Brains and Brawn'' (6th) gives the Fractured resistance to Psychic when not raging, and resistance to everything ''but'' Psychic when raging. ''[[Mork|Cunning]] and [[Gork|Brutal]]'' gives the Fractured increased interaction options when not raging, and boosted crits with unarmed strikes when raging. Finally, ''Better Half'' (14th) lets the Fractured cheat death (and fly into a rage, if it happened when they weren't raging) 1/day.

[[Bard]]:
* '''College of Adventurers:''' Taking the [[Skill Monkey]] archetype to the extreme, bards of the College of Adventurers study the tales of heroes and adventurers to the point they essentially become capable of [[multiclassing]] without actually multiclassing. Their key feature is the ''Adventurer's Talent'' (3rd), which basically lets them select any other class apart from the [[Artificer]] and gain one of their tricks in a limited format - a Barbarian's Rage, a Warlock Invocation, 2 Sorcery Points and one of the simpler [[Metamagic]]s, etc. They start with 1 Talent, and pick up another one at levels 6 and 14. Their other features are ''Party Planner'' (3rd, creatures under Bardic Inspiration can Help as a bonus action), ''Well Rounded'' (6th; gain a bonus skill, tool and language), and finally ''Improvisational Talent'' (14th, you can swap out one of your Adventurer's Talents whenever you complete a Long Rest).
* '''College of Requiems:''' ...It's the [[Necromancer]]-[[Bard]]. Were you ''really'' expecting anything else? At 3rd level, they gain ''Chilling Melody'' (two Necromancy cantrips of their choice as bonus cantrips) and ''Pluck the Heartstrings'' (allies under Bardic Inspiration can expend it to either deal bonus Necrotic damage with a weapon or avoid being dropped to 0 HP). 6th level grants ''Stir the Bones'' (gain Animated Dead as a bonus spell, can use Bardic Inspiration on their undead minions). Finally, 14th level gives them ''Dance of the Dead'' (can make a single-target Necromancy spell hit 2 targets 1/short rest).

[[Cleric]]:
* '''Eldritch Domain:''' This is the obligatory [[Cthulhu Mythos]] type "mad gods and dire cosmic forces" Cleric you'd expect in a [[Dark Fantasy]]. Most of its features revolve around an "Eldritch Effects" table of temporary insanities the cleric can inflict upon its enemies. At 1st level, it gains ''Unpredictable Inspiration'' (gain a bonus cantrip and skill of the player's choice each time they complete a long rest) and ''Eldritch Contagion'' (spend a bonus action when casting a level 1+ spell to force 1 target to Wisdom save or roll on Eldritch Effects). 2nd level lets them use Channel Divinity to invoke a ''Prophecy of Doom'' (all creatures in target area must Wisdom save or suffer an Eldritch Effect). 6th level gives them ''Otherworldly Calm'' (Resistance to Psychic damage, people who try to read the cleric's mind risk Psychic damage). 8th level gives them ''Potent Spellcasting'', and 17th level grants them the ability to ''Sing the Song that Ends the World'' (creatures take 10d10 Psychic damage if they succumb to Prophecy of Doom; survivors can't be affected by this again for 10 minutes).
* '''Inquisition Domain:''' You want to be a [[Witch Hunter]]? Well, this is a step in the right direction. You're basically pissed that [[arcanist]]s get to enjoy so much power on their own whilst divine magic is dying. These clerics gain bonus proficiencies in martial weapons and heavy armor, and a 1st level feature in ''Witch Hunter's Strike'' (add Force damage, which is more potent against targets that are casting a spell and can heal the cleric). 2nd level provides the Channel Divinity in ''Spell Shield'' (1 target gains Temporary HP and Resistance to magic). 6th level's ''Rebuke Invoker'' lets the cleric try to disrupt spellcasting attempts (causing Force damage in the bargain), 8th level gives them ''Divine Strike'' (Force), and 17th level grants them ''Supernal Safeguard'', letting them target Wisdom mod (min 2) targets with Spell Shield.

[[Druid]]
* '''Circle of Blood:''' It's all about that [[Blood Magic]], baby! Strength through sacrifice, that's the motto here. Aside from the bonus Sangromancy spells, these druids gain the features ''Blood Boon'' (2nd, gain temporary HP when a creature dies within 60 feet), ''Rite of the Blood Moon'' (6th, expend a use of Wild Shape to drive yourself or a nearby ally into a pseudo-[[Barbarian]] Rage), ''Blood Lust'' (10th, creatures under Rite of the Blood Moon can sacrifice hit dices for bonus damage), and ''Create Blood Elemental'' (14th, 1/day summon a water elemental as a reaction when a creature dies within 60 feet).
* '''Circle of Mutation:''' These druids study [[fleshcrafting]], seeking to enhance nature and accelerate its development towards perfection. Their features are ''Mutate Shape'' (2nd, when Wild Shaping, spend spell slots to add beneficial mutations to your animal form), ''Circle Forms'' (2nd, you can turn into more powerful forms than other druids), ''Unnatural and Unnerving'' (6th, free Intimidation proficiency, or else in Athletics, Acrobatics, Perception, Stealth or Survival, Advantage on Intimidation checks made in mutated beast shape), ''Endless Evolution'' (10th, gain free mutations when Wild Shaping, can touch a beast and spend spell slots to mutate it), and ''Apex Predator Aura'' (14th, animals must Wisdom save or be too scared to approach you).

[[Fighter]]
* '''The Bulwark Warrior Martial Archetype:''' Masters of the defensive fighting style, Bulwarks specialize in taking as many hits as they need in order to deliver the last blow. At 3rd level, they can issue a ''Protective Taunt'' to aggro enemies and can also use ''Weather the Storm'' to grant themselves temp HP 1/short rest. 7th level's ''Living Shield'' lets them penalize enemy attacks against their allies. 10th levels ''Aggressive Defense'' lets them spend temp HP and turn it into bonus melee damage. 15th level's ''Improved Second Wind'' causes Second Wind to grant temporary HP equal to the full health it restores. Finally, 18th level's ''Halt the Assault'' lets them burn their own temporary HP to reduce damage done to allies within 5 feet.
* '''The Crucible Martial Archetype:''' Warrior-[[alchemist]]s who use experimental drugs, tinctures and concoctions to boost themselves to superhuman limits. Their core feature is ''Compound Creator'' (3rd); this lets them select 3 Compounds, which are basically 3e-style Potions of (Insert Buff Here) - Elfsight Oil for Darkvision, Advantage on (Insert [[Ability Scores]] here), temporary [[regeneration]], etc. It takes ten minutes of work with some alchemical supplies to make a Compound, and it lasts for a day before going inert. The Crucible learns 2 more Compounds at levels 7, 10 and 15. However, they can only drink (1+Con modifier, min 1) Compounds at a time; drinking excessive Compounds imposes a level of Exhaustion per extra compound; it takes a long rest to flush the inert Compounds from their system. Only the Crucible can drink a Compound; anybod else dumb enough to try has to make a Con save or be Poisoned. 3rd level also gives them ''Student of Alchemy'' (Proficiency in Alchemist's Supplies, doubles proficiency bonus for any ability check made with them). 7th level unlocks ''Quick Creation'' (can make and consume a Compound as a bonus action). At 10th level, ''Living Cauldron'' lets the Crucible consume (3+Con mod) Compounds, which increases to (5+Con mod) at level 18. At 15th level, ''Toxin Transmutation'' lets the Crucible spend a bonus action to simultaneously end a Poisoned effect and gain temp HP. Finally, 18th level sees them become a ''Living Catalyst'', letting them swap out one of their known Compounds wen they finish a long rest.

[[Monk]]
* '''The Way of the Leaden Crown:''' Believing that humanoids need to be rid of the tyranny of supernatural beings, the Leaden Crown seek to hone their bodies and minds to unlock the powerful psionic abilities needed to do battle with otherworldly influencers like seraphs, daemons and primordials. At 3rd level, ''Subtle Hand'' lets them make telekinetic strikes, which are Monk Unarmed Strikes with 10ft reach that do Force damage, whilst ''Psionic Prowess'' lets them cast an invisible Mage Hand at will and use ki to cast detect evil/good (1 ki), protection from evil/good (1 ki), hold person (2 ki), levitate (2 ki), and shatter (2 ki). 6th level's ''Unsubtle Strike'' lets them push a foe 10 feet with an unarmed strike or monk weapon 1/turn. At 11th level, they gain the ''Psychic Crush'' feature, which lets them build up "psychic pressure points" on creatures that they hit with monk unarmed strikes; as a bonus action, they can burn a ki point to trigger these points, dealing Force damage and potentially restraining them. Finally, 17th level's ''Psionic Mastery'' lets them burn ki to cast dispel evil/good, hold monster, telekinesis and wall of force, all for 5 ki each.
* '''The Way of Self:''' Ever heard of the trope "Arrogant Kung Fu Guy"? That's these guys in a nutshell. At 3rd level, they gain ''Tall Tales'' (Proficiency in either Deception, Intimidation, Performance or Persuasion), ''Bruised Ego'' (gain temp HP whenever ki points are spent) and ''Assertive Attacker'' (Martial Arts die value goes up 1 step if the monk is at or below 50% maximum HP). 6th level gives them both ''Irrational Retaliation'' (spend 2 ki as a reaction to being damaged to gain advantage on attacks against the assailant) and ''Redoubled Efforts'' (when at or below 50% maximum HP, do +1 die of damage with Martial Arts attacks on a crit). Level 11 gives them the ''Ever Prideful'' state, which is the oh-so-anime ability to fight on out of pure stubbornness after being dropped 0 HP. Finally, at 17th level, ''Egotistical'' causes Bruised Ego and Redoubled Efforts to apply at over 50% max HP so long as the monk was damaged by an attacker within the past minute.

[[Paladin]]
* '''The Oath of Pestilence:''' It's the [[Nurgle]] subclass. No, seriously; Paladins of the Oath of Pestilence embrace disease and decay as natural, even benevolent, parts of the natural circle of life, and freely share rot and plague to winnow the weak from the strong. These Paladins get a bunch of disease-flavored spells, like stinking cloud, ray of enfeeblement and contagion. Their 3rd level Channel Divinity Options are ''Debilitating Fever'' (infect a non-undead, non-construct foe in melee with a natural disease) and ''Entropic Infection'' (remove necrotic resistance and curse the target to take +2d6 damage from necrotic effects). 7th level gives them an ''Aura of Rampant Sickness'', a 10ft aura (30ft from 18th level) that lets the paladin impose Disadvantage on an ability check, attack roll or saving throw 1/turn. 15th level's ''Disgusting Resilience'' lets the paladin spend hit dice to try and nullify an attack that would drop them to 0 HP - and if they are killed, then the paladin explodes in a shower of pus and gore for 8D6 Necrotic damage. Finally, 20th level's ''Plaguebringer'' grants the paladin immunity to poison and "reduce HP maximum value" effects, resistance to necrotic damage, and causes all enemies who get within 5 feet to take automatic necrotic damage.
** Tenets of Pestilence:
:::'''Strength in Resilience.''' Surviving hardship and plague make you stronger. Spreading these things causes strength to flourish.
:::'''All Things Must Pass.''' Death is the natural conclusion of life. There is nothing unnatural or amoral about the ending of life.
:::'''Might Makes Right.''' The laws of mortals mean nothing to poxes and plagues, they go where they wish and take what they want. So should you
* '''The Oath of Zeal:''' Embracing the power of hate, Zealots are fanatics whose mad determination to destroy their enemies turns them into living weapons. Bonus spells for these paladins are a mixture of divination and "scourge of god" spells like Fear and Insect Plague. Their 3rd level Channel Divinity options are ''Mark of the Heretic'' (designate a target for increased crit range and a free reaction-fueled attack at the start of its turns) and ''Inquisitor's Eye'' (Advantage on Investigation, Insight and Perception, plus immunity to surprise, for 10 minutes). 7th level's ''Aura of Clarity'' gives you a 10ft aura (30ft from 18th) in whcih you and allies cannot be blinded and invisibility fails if you want it to. At 15th level, they can ''Compel Confession'', casting a Zone of Truth without burning a spell slot that also deals out psychic damage to any creature that succeeded on their save. Finally, 20th level's ''Apocalyptic Revelation'' lets the paladin gain a number of powerful buffs for 1 minute 1/day (Truesight 120ft, 5ft blinding aura, grant advantage to all attacks against a creature for 1 turn as a bonus action).
** Tenets of Zeal:
:::'''Uncover Corruption.''' Darkness cannot abide the light of day. Wickedness must be revealed before it can be destroyed.
:::'''Purge the Heretics.''' Heresy is a tumor that spread through the hearts of the innocent. Cut it out at the source.
:::'''No Mercy.''' The righteous path requires unwavering conviction and unflinching resolve.
:::'''By Any Means Necessary.''' There is no sacrifice too great when it comes to defeating the wicked.

[[Ranger]]
* '''The Green Reaper:''' [[Assassin]]s who specialize in the use of poisons. 3rd level gives them ''Envenomed Attack'' (add bonus poison damage to a weapon or 20 bits of ammo as a bonus damage, usable Proficiency bonus times per day; 11th level doubles the damage and makes it usable per short rest) and ''Toxic Tradecraft'' (Proficiency and Expertise with Poisoner's Kit, gain a free poisoner's kit you can replace with 8 hours, can burn spell slots to add extra effects to targets of Envenomed Attack; the more potent the spell slot, the nastier the effect options). 7th level's ''Poison Control'' grants Poison Resistance, Advantage on saves vs. Poisoned, and the ability to cast Protection From Poison for free Wisdom modifier times per day. 11th level's ''Variegated Vexations'' lets the ranger do Acid or Necrotic bonus damage with Envenomed Attacks instead of Poison damage. Finally, 15th level's ''Pain Tolerance'' lets the ranger spend a reaction to an attack to gain temp HP equal to the damage dealt.
* '''The Vermin Lord:''' Allies of the skittering legions of the natural world, who learn to take power from the creatures that are so small, but oh so very, ''very'' many. 3rd level's ''Verminkin'' grants the ability to speak with vermin and to summon vermin swarms by spending spell slots (2 swarms per slot level), whilst ''Septic Strikes'' lets them inflict Necrotic damage as a bonus action on any target of their own weapon attacks or their swarm's attacks. 7th level's ''Filth and Fortitude'' grants immunity to disease and proficiency in Constition saves. 11th level's ''Infectious Spread'' can be used Wisdom mod times per day to boost Septic Strikes to also poison the targets. Finally, 15th level's ''Strength of the Swarm'' lets the ranger transfer damage to adjacent swarms.

[[Rogue]]
* '''The Highway Rider Martial Archetype:''' Mounted combat specialist with a side-order in being surprisingly tanky. For a rogue. 3rd level gives them ''Hair Trigger'' (on rolling for initiative, spend a reaction to either attack with advantage, move full speed (whether on foot or mounted) without opportunity attacks, Dodge, or interact with an item), ''Trusty Mount'' (cast Find Steed (summons a Beast, not an outsider) 1/day) and ''Ride Them Down'' (can Sneak Attack after moving 20+ feet whilst mounted). 9th level's ''Horse Lord'' lets the Highway Rider spend a minute caring to their steed to give it double their level in temp HP, and also lets them Dash, Disengage or Dodge as a bonus action whilst mounted. 13th level's ''True Grit'' gives proficiency in Constitution saves and "Con save for half damage" effects are now "half damage on fail, no damage on save". Finally, 17th level's ''Desperado'' lets them use a Hair Trigger option as a Reaction to falling to 0 HP.
* '''The Misfortune Bringer Martial Archetype:''' Thieves of luck who have the ability to deliver all manner of terrible curses to those they choose to target. 3rd level gives them ''Evil Eye'', which is used to mark a target for their ''Misfortunist'' feature. They gain two "Misfortunes" (lesser curses powered by Jinx Points) and 3 Jinx points; they gain +1 Misfortune at 9th, 13th and 17th level (and can swap one out whenever they complete a long rest), and +2 jinx points at 13th level. 9th level's ''Steal Luck'' lets the rogue remove a creature's Advantage on an ability check, attack or save 1/short rest to regain an expend Jinx Point - from 17th, this can be done 3/short rest. Finally, 13th level's ''Curse Caster'' lets the rogue cast Bestow Curse for 3 Jinx Points.

[[Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)|Sorcerer]]
* '''The Haunted:''' Sorcerers who survived a brush with death and now have a ghostly companion guiding them through the spirit world. At 1st level, the Haunted gains the traits ''Haunted Spells'' (learn Unseen Servant, See Invisibility, Speak with Dead, Death Ward and Little Death as extra spells, they can be cast by substituting sorcery points for spell slots), ''Phantom Companion'' (gain a Familiar in the form of an Undead Specter, which can turn invisible and, from 3rd level, use Life Drain as one of your attacks), and ''Sixth Sense'' (add Charisma mod to Dex checks to determine initiative). 6th level's ''Strength of Spirit'' powers up the Phantom Companion so it can now channel spells like a familiar, whilst ''Deathly Pallor'' gives the Haunted Resistance to Necrotic and the ability to swap sorcerer spell damage types to Necrotic. 14th level's ''Phantom Possession'' lets the Haunted control creatures by having their Phantom Companion possess them. Finally, 18th level's ''Become Death'' lets the Haunted turn into a spectre themselves 1/day.
* '''The Wretched Bloodline:''' Inheriting an ancestral curse, this sorcerer has learned to take it apart and make it into a source of power.

[[Warlock]]
* '''The First Vampire Patron:''' Needless to say, this gives you [[vampire]]-lite abilities
* '''The Cosmic Parasite Patron:''' Agreeing to host the nascent offspring of an entity that feeds on the vitality of whole peoples and planets, these warlocks are surprisingly physically adept due to the monster lurking beneath their skin.

[[Wizard]]
* '''Plague Doctor:''' Practicing a blend of magic, alchemy and herbalism, plague doctors learn how to heal the sick... and to blight the healthy, should they desire.
* '''The School of Sangromancy:''' This is the [[Blood Magic]] tradition. Who're you trying to kid?

In addition, two [[Artificer]] subclasses were unlocked as part of the stretchgoals for the Kickstarter... unfortunately, because the Artificer was not in the SRD, Ghostfire Gaming is not legally allowed to put them in the GHPG; instead, they are going to be released as "Pay What You Want" on the DM's Guild website.

===Expanded Backgrounds===
{{dnd-stub}}
One of Grim Hollow's unique mechanics is that it takes the Backgrounds from basic 5th edition and simultaneously applies level-based features that represent increased status/proficiency in that particular field, as well as specializations to more specifically refine the basic concept. For example, instead of a generic Academic, you could be an Archivist, who keeps a personal library, or a Archaeologist.

===Transformations===
Grim Hollow's most iconic element, the ''Transformations'' mechanic is a kind of 4 level Prestige Class that allows a player to slowly become some kind of specific monster, gaining unique powers and flaws at each of the four levels. Transformations in the Campaign Guide consist of the '''Aberrant Horror''', the '''Fiend''', the '''Lich''', the '''Lycanthrope''', the '''Seraph''' and the '''Vampire'''. Yes, becoming an angel is treated as being as horrifying and dehumanizing as becoming a fiend.

The Player's Guide added the '''Primordial''', the '''Fey''' and the '''Spectre'''.

Here's how it works: each Transformation requires certain mechanical and story requirements to acquire, with at the very least each Transformation needing a certain value of [[Ability Scores]]. To progress in level, the player needs to undertake an in-game story-based progression milestone - it typically recommends keeping each Transformation Level to a certain range of class levels, so it doesn't become too weak or too powerful compared to non-Transforming characters.

When they get their first level in a Transformation, they gain two special Transformation Boons and a mandatory Transformation Flaw. On levels 2-4, they gain their choice of 1 of several Transformation Boons, which could be taken from an earlier Transformation level, and a mandatory Transformation Flaw.

Examples of Universal Transformation Milestones are:
* Undertaking an exceptional act of evil or good.
* Completing an ancient ritual.
* Performing a powerful artifact.
* Being cursed by a dark agent.
* Being exalted by a patron or god.

Can you undo a Transformation? Yes, if the DM agrees; it basically works like curing a curse, but requires a Regenerate spell rather than Remove Curse. However, a character who has reached the 4th level, or being Transformed for over a year, can only be cured with a Wish. It's up to the DM to decide if killing and resurrecting a character frees them from their transformation or not.

If a Transformation ability allows a save, the DC is always 8 + the character's Proficiency bonus + an ability score modifier, the precise modifier being determined by the precise Transformation.

====Aberrant Horror====
Aberrant Horrors are humanoids who have begun transforming into an [[aberration]], granting them grotesquely fluid anatomies and the ability to reshape their bodies in the most nightmarish, sanity-breaking ways.

Becoming an Aberrant Horror requires '''13 Constitution''' and some kind of encounter with an aberration, magical anomaly, or other phenomena to trigger the complete reshaping of your body. The following are possible level milestones for the Aberrant Horror:
* Defeating a powerful Aberration and absorbing its power.
* Undergoing a dangerous and costly experiment.
* Surviving a magical mishap.
* Acquiring the strength to give birth to a more powerful version of yourself, which then consumes your old self.
* Fulfilling an eldritch prophecy written in the stars.

An Aberrant Horror's save DC keys off of Constitution.

At 1st level, you gain the Boons '''Aberrant Adaptions''' (use bonus actions to activate biological heavy armor and weapons) and '''Aberrant Form''' (+2 Con, +1 Str, Type changes to Aberration), and you receive the Flaw '''Unstable Mutations'''. Each time you complete a Long Rest, you have to roll on a d100 to see how your fluctuating anatomy screws you over for a time.

At 2nd level, you can take the Boons '''Efficient Killer''' (powers up your bio-weapons from Aberrant Adaptions), '''Other-Worldly Tendrils''' (spend a bonus action to activate several different tentacle attack options) or '''Situational Evolution''' (spend a bonus action to gain a climb speed, swim speed + amphibious, or regeneration), and you receive the Flaw '''Hideous Appearance'''. Acquiring this flaw means that you become a shapeshifter, with a hideously warped base form and the ability to resume your original form. You revert to your true form if you Concentrate on a spell, are knocked unconscious, enter hallowed ground, or consciously choose to do so. At the DM's discretion, events of extreme emotional or physical stress may require a Constitution save to avoid reverting. Non-evil creatures that see your true form will instantly become hostile to you, unless the DM decides otherwise.

At 3rd level, you can take the Boons '''Wings''' (bonus action gives you wings for 10 minutes), '''Additional Tendrils''' (requires Other-Worldly Tendrils, you can use 2 tentacles simultaneously, upgrades to 3 at 4th stage) or '''Enhanced Hypertrophy''' (Unarmed Strikes do d8 damage, offensive adaptations increase their damage by +1 die type), and you receive the Flaw '''Unstable Existence'''. Your Hideous Appearance is revealed whenever you roll a natural 1-3 on a save against a spell or magical ability.

At 4th level, you can take the Boons '''Savage Predator''' (on a nat-20, do +6d6 damage and force enemies to save vs. fear), '''Master of the Deep''' (requires Additional Tendrils, 1/short rest you can make a debuffing attack against all enemies within 15 feet) or '''Extremophiliac Conditioning''' (spend a bonus action to gain Resistance to either all Physical damage, Fire+Lightning+Acid damage, or Cold+Thunder+Poison damage), and you receive the Flaw '''Entropic Abomination'''. When you fail a save vs. spell or magical ability, roll on the Unstable Mutations table and switch to the new result if it's lower than your current result.

====Fiend====
Quite self-explanatory, this Transformation causes you to become a Fiend - closer to a [[devil]] than a [[demon]], what with the focus on Faustian bargains.

Becoming a Fiend requires Charisma 13 and somehow damning one's soul for power, such as by pacting with a Fiend or by undergoing an infernal ritual. The following are possible level milestones for the Fiend:
* Defeating a greater rival Fiend and taking their place in the hierarchy.
* Ensnaring a particularly powerful or influential soul with a contract.
* Establishing a cult of worshipers who offer their strength to you.
* Establishing a portal between the material plane and the Netherworld.
* Killing or corrupting a Seraph.

A Fiend's Transformation Save DC keys off of Charisma.

At 1st level, you gain the Boons '''Gifts of Damnation''' (you can sign soul contracts with mortals to gain special powers) and '''Fiendish Form''' (+2 Charisma, +1 Intelligence, Type changes to Fiend), and you receive the Flaw '''Planar Binding'''. This flaw causes you to suffer Disadvantage on death saving throws, and if you die, you cannot be raised.

At 2nd level, you can take the Boons '''Brand of the Chainer's Gaze''' (inflict a curse that penalizes saves), '''Brand of the Tyrant's Hellfire''' (inflict a curse that adds bonus Fire damage to your attacks) or '''Brand of the Deceiver's Guile''' (inflict a curse that penalizes attack rolls), and you receive the Flaw '''Hideous Appearance'''. Acquiring this flaw means that you become a shapeshifter, with a hideously warped base form and the ability to resume your original form. You revert to your true form if you Concentrate on a spell, are knocked unconscious, enter hallowed ground, or consciously choose to do so. At the DM's discretion, events of extreme emotional or physical stress may require a Constitution save to avoid reverting. Non-evil creatures that see your true form will instantly become hostile to you, unless the DM decides otherwise. All of the Boons at this level can be used Charisma modifier times per day, and the curses they create last for 1 minute, or until the target is knocked unconscious, enters hallowed ground, or is targeted by Remove Curse.

At 3rd level, you can take the Boons '''Alluring Deceit''' (free Proficiency/Expertise in Deception and Persuasion, immunity to magic that detects lies and compels truthful speech), '''Infernal Resistance''' (burn a reaction to halve damage from non-silvered weapon attacks) or '''Nether Blade''' (spend a bonus action to summon an infernal burning blade to fight with), and you receive the Flaw '''True Name'''. This flaw causes you to manifest a talisman inscribed with your true name, which other creatures can use to control you.

At 4th level, you can take the Boons '''Commanding Obedience''' (your spells can force your opponents to fall prone), '''Brimstone Pyrolysis''' (your fire attacks can turn slain enemies into miniature bombs) or '''Infernal Summoning''' (you can summon a squad of up to 4 imps 1/day), and you receive the Flaw '''Pull of the Netherworld'''. This causes you to take 1d6 Force damager per two character levels whenever you roll a natural 1 on a save against a magical spell or ability.

====Lich====
Self explanatory, the Lich transformation allows powerful spellcasters to assume a form that will allow them to continue to study magic for all eternity.

As such, this is the hardest Transformation to qualify for: Intelligence 16, ability to cast 7th level spells, and you must track down and successfully perform the Ritual of Dread. The following are possible level milestones for the Lich:
* Discover ancient and dark arcane knowledge.
* Consume the soul of an exceptionally powerful spellcaster.
* Build a monument to your power to serve as a giant arcane focus.
* Create an army of undead.
* Kill a god.

At 1st level, you gain the Boons '''Harvester of Souls''' (creatures you kill become phylactery charges you can burn to recover spell slots) and '''Undead Form''' (+4 Int, +2 Wis, type changes to Undead, lowered benefit from external healing effects, immunity to aging, air, food, drink and sleep), and you receive the Flaw '''Phylactery'''. This causes you to create a talisman to bind your soul into; if it gets destroyed, you die, instantly. If you die, you will revive 1 week later so long as there is a soul charge in your phylacterty - otherwise, at the end of the week, you become a Demilich NPC.

At 2nd level, you can take the Boons '''Puppet Master''' (undead mooks you create are permanent and cannot be stolen from you), '''Lichdom of the Arcane''' (killing a creature with a spell that does fire, necrotic, or poison damage triggers a bonus effect) or '''Rift to the Dreadscapes''' (As an action, create a zone of super-killy necrotic energy), and you receive the Flaw '''Hideous Appearance'''. Acquiring this flaw means that you become a shapeshifter, with a hideously warped base form and the ability to resume your original form. You revert to your true form if you Concentrate on a spell, are knocked unconscious, enter hallowed ground, or consciously choose to do so. At the DM's discretion, events of extreme emotional or physical stress may require a Constitution save to avoid reverting. Non-evil creatures that see your true form will instantly become hostile to you, unless the DM decides otherwise.

At 3rd level, you can take the Boons '''Relentless Undead''' (undead you control can make a full move + attack before dying), '''Arcane Supremacy''' (you can suffer Exhaustion to Concentrate on two spells simultaneously) or '''Staff of the Dreadscapes''' (as an action, summon an enchanted quarterstaff), and you receive the Flaw '''Necromantic Dystrophy'''. If you go more than 24 hours without converting 4 CR worth of souls into spell slots, you suffer severe penalties.

At 4th level, you can take the Boons '''Lord of Undeath''' (humanoids you kill auto-rise as zombies under your command), '''Arcane Omniscience''' (you know all Wizard spells and can cast Int modifier bonus Wizard spells per day) or '''Deathly Being''' (gain lich immunities and resistances), and you receive the Flaw '''Weight of Ages'''. This is the more severe form of Necromantic Dystrophy, forcing you to burn up 8 CR worth of souls per day.

====Lycanthrope====
Obviously, becoming a Lycanthrope turns you into a [[therianthrope|werebeast]]. Whilst the easiest way is to be bitten by a werebeast and survive, there's also a [[druid]]ic ritual called the Lunar Sacrament that can curse a victim with this transformation, which is obviously viewed in a holy perspective by druids.

Mechanically, taking this Transformation requires 13 Strength, and its Save DC keys off of Strength. The following are possible level milestones for the Lycanthrope:
* Establishing a pack of lycanthropes.
* Killing an alpha lycanthrope.
* Gaining control of your animalistic urges.
* Unleashing the beast within and losing your humanity.

At 1st level, you gain the Boons '''Hybrid Transformation''' (you can change into a half-humanoid, half-beast shape) and '''Shapechanger's Form''' (+2 Strength, +1 Constitution, gain the Shapechanger type), and you receive the Flaw '''Lust for the Hunt'''. This flaw forces you to make a DC 10 Wisdom save at the start of each turn, or move towards the nearest NPC, prioritizing the helpless, so you can try to kill it; when exposed to a full moon's light, you automatically fail this save. The first time you see a full moon, you need to pass a DC 20 Wisdom save or be forcibly transformed into hybrid shape until dawn.

At 2nd level, you can take the Boons '''Iron Pelt''' (gain resistance to physical damage from non-silver and non-magical sources in hybrid form), '''Hunter's Howl''' (you can use a howl to mark a creature as prey, gaining bonuses to tracking and killing it) or '''Kindred Form''' (you can now assume animal form as well as hybrid form), and you receive the Flaw '''Silver Sensitivity'''. This makes you Vulnerable to damage done by silvered weapons when you're in hybrid or kindred form, and you cannot apply any Resistance to an attack made by a silvered weapon.

At 3rd level, you can take the Boons '''Titanic Vigor''' (+2 max HP per level, gain 5 temp HP each turn in hybrid form), '''Predatory Leap''' (double jumping distance, can make pounce attacks in hybrid form) or '''Bestial Savagery''' (hybrid form gains: attacks are damage-buffed and count as magic, +1 AC, immunity to charm & fear), and you receive the Flaw '''Fraying Memories'''. This flaw gives you Disadvantage on Intelligence ability and skill checks based on recalling information or knowledge.

At 4th level, you can take the Boons '''Savage Instincts''' (hybrid form attacks are suped up vs. hurt targets), '''Kindred Affinity''' (requires Kindred Form, lets you speak and cast spells in kindred form) or '''Unstoppable Rage''' (you can keep fighting at 0 HP), and you receive the Flaw '''Predatory Nature'''. This flaw makes it harder to resist your urge to kill the weak and helpless, as well as making it harder to return to your original form.

====Seraph====
Seraphs are the Angels of Etharis, and consist of mortals uplifted for their devotion to a virtue or ideal; as such, they are commonly selected from noble martyrs, tireless crusaders, and other exemplary individuals.

Becoming a Seraph requires Wisdom 13 and either exaltation by an Arch-Seraph or exposure to powerful divine energies. The following are possible level milestones for the Seraph:
* Defeating a powerful force of darkness.
* Create a hallowed landmark for pilgrims.
* Establish a parish of worshipers who uphold your virtue.
* Establish a portal between the Material Plane and the Empyrium.
* Redeem a soul that was considered beyond redemption.

At 1st level, you gain the Boons '''Celestial Form''' (+2 Wisdom, +1 Constitution, type changes to Celestial) and '''Angelic Wings''' (you've a Fly speed equal to your Normal speed, but can't wear clothes or armor that aren't tailored to fit), and you receive the Flaw '''Planar Binding'''. This is identical to the Fiend flaw of the same name, but is based on your connection to a divine plane rather than an unholy one.

At 2nd level, you can take the Boons '''Divine Retribution''' (grant a Radiance-charged bonus attack to yourself or an ally), '''Divine Clemency''' (when you or an ally is hurt, you can cast a healing spell as a reaction) or '''Divine Expedition''' (burn a reaction to move yourself or a nearby ally), and you receive the Flaw '''Divine Appearance'''. This is the same as Hideous Appearance, but obviously revolves around you looking like an obvious angel, which has its problems in a world crawling with monsters and the wicked.

At 3rd level, you can take the Boons '''Radiant Strike''' (your melee attacks do bonus Radiant damage, especially against fiends, fey and undead), '''Cleanse Affliction''' (your healing spells also remove negative conditions) or '''Bow of Celestial Judgement''' (you can summon a magic bow that shoots holy lasers), and you receive the Flaw '''Beacon to Darkness'''. This flaw means that if you or allies within close proximity commit evil acts, you pick up "corruption points" that temporarily impede your ability to fight the naturally evil.

At 4th level, you can take the Boons '''Aura of Holy Purge''' (grant a free critical hit 1/day), '''Aura of Merciful Blessing''' (you or an ally can survive a killing attack with 1 HP 1/day) or '''Aura of Empyreal Valor''' (grant yourself or an ally increased speed and dexterity 1/day), all of which have a radius of 20 feet and are only active whilst you're conscious, and you receive the Flaw '''Pull of the Empyrean'''. This is just a name-tweaked version of the Fiend's "Pull of the Netherrealm".

====Vampire====
Simple, obvious, self-explanatory. You were bitten by another vampire, you drank a vampire's blood, you handled the wrong (or right!) cursed magical artifact, or you performed a dark rite to willingly infect yourself with the Sangine Curse.

This Transformation requires Dexterity 13, and its save DC keys off of Dexterity. The following are possible level milestones for the Vampire:
* Establish a coven of vampire spawn.
* Drink the blood of a legendary monster.
* Learn the great secrets of vampirism from a Vampire Lord.
* Learn to embrace your Hideous Form and lose the ability to conceal it.
* Discover the lost crypts of an ancient vampire and consume its essence.

At 1st level, you gain the Boons '''Blood Fury''' (doing damage to living creatures lets you rack up points you can use to power special attacks) and '''Undead Form''' (+2 Dex, +1 Cha, type changes to Undead, lowered benefit from external healing effects, immunity to aging, air, food, drink and sleep), and you receive the Flaw '''The Sanguine Curse'''. This gives you Darkvision 60 feet if you don't already have it, but prevents you from entering a residence unless invited, causes you to suffer Disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks when in sunlight, and requires you to feed on blood at least once per 7 days.

At 2nd level, you can take the Boons '''Dread Knight Combat Training''' (you can enter a special stance to boost offense, defense or accuracy), '''Sanguine Magic''' (you can convert non-typed spell damage into necrotic damage, gain Fury Points with spell attacks, and gain some spellcasting-related options for Blood Fury) or '''Shapechanger''' (you can turn into a bat and a cloud of mist), and you receive the Flaw '''Hideous Appearance'''. Acquiring this flaw means that you become a shapeshifter, with a hideously warped base form and the ability to resume your original form. You revert to your true form if you Concentrate on a spell, are knocked unconscious, enter hallowed ground, or consciously choose to do so. At the DM's discretion, events of extreme emotional or physical stress may require a Constitution save to avoid reverting. Non-evil creatures that see your true form will instantly become hostile to you, unless the DM decides otherwise.

At 3rd level, you can take the Boons '''Cruel Riposte''' (you gain a bonus melee attack against assailants), '''Creatures of the Night''' (you can summon swarms of bats, rats and wolves to aid you) or '''Captivating Glance''' (free proficiency in Deception + Persuasion, immunity to having your thoughts read), and you receive the Flaw '''Greater Sanguine Curse'''. This increases your Darkvision to 120 feet, causes you to take 1d10 acid damage per turn from running water, makes you suffer 1d10 radiant damage per turn when exposed to sunlight, and requires you to feed every 3 days.

At 4th level, you can take the Boons '''Grim Executioner''' (requires Dread Knight Combat Training; a critical hit will insta-kill a foe with 50 or fewer HP), '''Beguiler's Entrancement''' (requires Captivating Glance, lets you Charm a creature 1/day) or '''Regenerate''' (lets you regenerate damage unless exposed to sunlight, radiant damage or running water), and you receive the Flaw '''Stake to the Heart'''. With this flaw, a natural 20 to hit you with a wooden or silvered weapon, if you have 50 or fewer HP left, causes you to be paralyzed for 1 hour or until the weapon is removed, whichever is greater.

====Primordial====
This upcoming Transformation turns you into an [[elemental]].

====Fey====
As its name suggests, this Transformation turns you into a [[fey]].

====Spectre====
An unlocked stretch goal for the Player's Guide, this Transformation turns you into a [[ghost]].

{{D&D-Settings}}

[[Category: Dungeons & Dragons]][[Category:Dungeons & Dragons Third Party]]

Orc Stain

2021-06-30T17:25:22Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* Orcs */

[[File:Orc Stain.jpg|thumb|right|500px]]
{{/co/}}
{{Promotions}}

'''Orc Stain''' is a comicbook created by the artist James Stokoe, who is known for his extremely elaborate pictures that heavily utilize a mix of warm and cool colors to create visually striking palettes. It follows the adventures of a group of characters including an [[Orc]] veteran, a Nymph Witch, and a Samurai rabbit (no, not THAT samurai rabbit) along with the Nymph's companion (who resembles living hair) in a world obsessed with penises.
It makes much less sense than it sounds, yet is far more [[awesome]] than you can imagine.

==The Setting==
In the world of Orc Stain, everything is alive. Want a can of beer? The can is alive, you kill it by popping the top and drink it's insides. Want to store your valuables in a vault? The vault is alive, you have to kill it to open it. Want to drive around in a tank? The cockpit is inside it's skull, and the gearshifts are needles poking in it's brain.
Not only is everything alive however, but all life is either resigned to their fate/unaware or uncaring about it, or is designed to kill or manipulate other life in horrifying ways. Most life is sapient and capable of speech, including the unborn fetuses of birds who's eggs are prematurely hatched. Eyes, snouts, and mouths are a natural part of the landscape and almost every suitable building material comes from an organic source.
===Orcs===
Let's get the [[Orcs & Goblins|Orc]] and [[Ork]] references out of the way now, Stokoe is a big fan of [[Warhammer Fantasy]] and [[Warhammer 40,000]].

Orcs are a race of humanoids with only the male gender, which reproduce asexually. Orcs come in a large number of varieties and skin tones, with a range of intellects ranging from morons who cannot speak in complete sentences or do much other than physical labor and nothing with a degree of competency to absolute geniuses and civilized beings (who still hearken to their more primitive natures when pressed however).

Orcs have varying degrees of sophistication; from ninja Orcs to Orcs that make giant living tanks to Orcs that run trading posts.
<gallery>
Image:Orc Stain Army.jpg|An Orcish army.
Image:Orc Stain Fight.jpg|An Orcish ex-USMC style Marine having a flashback to fighting Orcish Viet-cong while actually fighting Orcish ninjas. Yep, it's that kinda comic.
Image:Orc Stain Poxa Gronka.jpg
</gallery>
====Gronches====
Orc culture is based on the penis. Yes, the penis. Called "Gronches", Orcs reproduce when their "Gubbin tubs" (testicles) generate a "Jazzum Spore" (a sentient plant-like organism) which painfully bursts from the Gronch of the Orc. The Jazzum Spore flies away to find a place to root itself and suck nutrients from the soil, while growing until it becomes a Thrall Sack which contains approximately twenty-five Orc embryos that gestate until fully grown and emerge from the vagina-like entrance of the Thrall Sack with basic knowledge such as language. Orc warlords use newborn Orcs as redshirt soldiers for their armies, as they lack the knowledge or personality to disobey or seek anything higher in life. Those who escape such a fate develop personalities and become civilized (sometimes).
Default Orc language is fairly low class speech and comes in a variety of accents.

Despite asexually reproducing, Orcs seek pleasure through sex with another race of their planet, the Nymphs. Also animals, and sometimes each other. Or holes in the ground. Anything really.

Gronches are also used as [[Toof|currency]] by Orcs. By removing the Gronch of another Orc, it becomes a valuable trade commodity. Intelligent Orcs will take care to preserve Gronches which increases their value, slicing them into flat coins called "Chits" while the head is cut into two "Chuggets". The larger the Gronch, the higher the value. Obviously the Orc who loses his Gronch can no longer take pleasure by fucking things.
Orcs who's Gronch are removed become extremely violent, and the rest of their life is dedicated to a "Poxa Gronka" or the pursuit of vengeance. A large and otherwise civilized community of Orcs can still revert into a violent and wholly destructive mob when a single Orc steps into town and says the word "Poxa Gronka".
<gallery>
Image:Orc Repro1.jpg
Image:Orc Repro2.jpg
Image:Orc Repro3.jpg
Image:Gronch.jpg
</gallery>

===Nymphs===
Blue-skinned, winged, and exclusively female humanoids. There is currently little info available on nymphs, although they often behave as prostitutes and girlfriends to Orcs capable of providing luxuries in exchange for sex, and in the past and possibly present organized into small bands of toxin-utilizing guerrilla fighters during a very Vietnam-inspired war between two groups of Orcs.

<gallery>
Image:Orc Stain Nymph.jpg
Image:Orc Stain Bowie Knaked.jpg
Image:Orc Stain Romance.jpg|The extent of romance between Orcs and Nymphs.
Image:Orc Stain Bowie Intro.png
</gallery>

==The Story==

==Gallery==
<gallery>

</gallery>

Vast Kaviya

2021-06-30T16:33:20Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* Warlords */

{{dnd-stub}}

'''Vast Kaviya''' is a [[Sword & Sorcery]] themed 3rd-party campaign setting by [[Legendary Games]] for [[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]]. It is set on a mega-sized primeval world whose sheer scale prevents the fast advancement of technology or sorcery, where primal tribes battle prehistoric monsters and struggle under the opposing rule of 21 different warlords, ranging from a diplomatic tribal chieftain to a sapient coral reef which absorbs humanoids and animals into its telepathic mind hive to an orc pyromaniac to a genocidal lich who lives in a mobile castle carried around by an ever-growing army of undead minions.

==Official Fluff==
''Blood, grit, and survival are at the fore in these primordial lands.''
If you like Conan the Barbarian, Xena the Warrior Princess, Tarzan, Fafrhd, Khal Drogo, Thundarr, Red Sonja, Grognar, the Scorpion King, Beowulf, Kull the Conqueror, Fire and Ice, or are just a fan of savage adventures on a primal and untamed world—Vast Kaviya is for you!

==Races==
Vast Kaviya is home to a number of new races, as well as a couple of new subraces for core races.

'''New Races:'''
* [[Aasimar]]
* [[Alai]]
* [[Boggard]]
* [[Gnoll]]
* [[Kanca]]
* [[Mongrelfolk]]
* [[Ottunni]]
* [[Taino-Kar]]

'''New Subraces:'''
* [[Dwarf]]: Mistdweorg
* [[Halfling]]: Mistling
* [[Genasi]]: Acid, Ash, Mist, Mud

==Classes==
Vast Kaviya has a number of unique subclasses for the common PHB classes. But it also includes two unique classes; the [[Gemini]] and the [[Monster Tamer]], as well as the mechanic of [[Prestige Class]]es, which core 5e experimented with but never made official.

===PHB Subclasses===
* [[Barbarian]]: Path of Psion-Primal
* [[Cleric Domain]]: Lunar
* [[Druid]]: Circle of Burning
* [[Fighter]]: Primal Leader
* [[Monk]]: Pyrokine
* [[Paladin]]: Oath of Webs
* [[Ranger]]: Primal Hunter
* [[Rogue]]: Savage Poisoner
* [[Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)|Sorcerer]]: Animator, Dreamer
* [[Warlock]]: The Grandmother, Hivemind

===Prestige Classes===
* Elementalist
* Fractured Souil
* Magic-Eater
* Primal Shaman

==Mana and Alignments==
To emphasize the primal, savage sort of world that Vast Kaviya is, the system incorporates a new ability score called "Mana", which also replaces the traditional 9-grid of D&D [[Alignment]] with one representing the six fundamental elements; Air, Earth, Fire, Water, Holy and Evil. Mana checks are used to try and influence or draw power from expressions of these six elements already physically present in the world around them.

Air
::The forces of the winds are everywhere and nowhere, here and gone with the bat of an eye. Creatures of a naturally fickle inclination are aligned with this element as are unseen supernatural forces.
::'''Aspects:''' Swiftness, Divination, Guerilla Offense, fey, elves, halflings, mistlings
::'''Behavior: Wild.''' Those associated with air are frequently of a chaotic alignment. Confinement drives them mad and they embrace the freedoms of life, reveling in being their own masters.

Earth
::It’s said that all comes from the dirt and it’s certainly true that’s where everything that lives eventually goes. Of the elemental themes in Vast Kaviya this is the least changing and most final, the traditions of those aligned to it engraved into their cultures like etchings chiseled into rock.
::'''Aspects:''' Hardiness, Abjuration, Strong Defense, alai, dwarves, kanca
::'''Behavior: Stoic.''' Association with earth means a stalwart attitude toward life and a confidence in what is known to be certain. They find being surprised to be extremely unpleasant and do as they’ve set out to, resolute in achieving the goals they set for themselves. Usually they have lawful alignments.

Evil
::There is little mercy in the world and those who rapture in inflicting pain or cruelty upon others. These are the mad warlords that seek power at any cost, utilizing the forces infernal or the service of undeath to complete their foul plans.
::'''Aspects:''' Necromancy, Aggressive, fiends, mistdweorg, ottuni, tieflings
::'''Behavior: Malicious.''' An evil alignment means more than simple nefarity or a pitiless soul—in Vast Kaviya it marks a genuine desire to inflict harm for the sake of it and a zealous willingness to strike first.

Fire
::To many the flame is life. Societies of fire are often tribal in nature and prone to leaders that are the most lethal (not necessarily the wisest). Like their element they are usually a force to be reckoned with, appearing and disappearing with ease, expending most of their resources to make a big, brief impact, and there is always evidence of their passing.
::'''Aspects:''' Strength, Evocation, Fast Offense, gnolls, half-orcs, orcs, taino-kar
::'''Behavior: Spontaneous.''' Those associated with fire have a need for spontaneity and feel dead when their lives are lacking in variety, eager to explore and see more of the world or master what they consider their own lands. Typically their alignments are chaotic.

Holy
::They are few and far between but there are those who believe in higher ideals and a better way of life, willing to sacrifice themselves for the betterment of others. Societies of this ilk are bastions in whatever regions they reside in, used as mediators between warring factions and as a safe haven for trade.
::'''Aspects:''' Healing, Protective, celestials, aasimar
::'''Behavior: Altruistic.''' The holy of Vast Kaviya are almost always of good alignment. They seek a better world noticeably improved by their own efforts, encouraging the same samaritan attitude in others. Unfortunately they are often abused because of their positivity and taken advantage of or lured into danger.

Water
::Nomadic societies and those that respond quickly to new threats or changes to nearby regions are aligned with water. Like their element they are a constant, inexorably evolving through the most applicable means at their disposal. Perhaps more noticeably they are quite prominent and common, though their ability to outlast other elements does not impress.
::'''Aspects:''' Psionics, Mobile Defense, boggarts, half-elves, humans, gnomes
::'''Behavior: Adaptive.''' Those associated with water are frequently of a neutral alignment. They are fast to change tactics, rarely staging the same kind of assault twice in a row and usually moving their forward attack posts as well. When faced with obstacles they consider a variety of solutions, employing a different one with each failure.

==Warlords==
'''Kion Gozi (CR 2)''' is known as ‘Peacemaker’ for unifying the tribes of the Endless Plains of the N’Elu, but how firm is her hold over the nomadic region? Her diplomatic skills are as strong as her arm and she should not be underestimated, able to lead her people against some of Vast Kaviya’s deadliest natural creatures.

'''Puteri, Mother of Kanca (CR 4)''' is the bloated insectile queen of the kanca that infest the titanic Kanca Colossus corpse, her once small hive now grown into a small empire. She hides behind illusory magic and appears to all but her closest confidants as a beautiful butterfly-winged fairy queen.

'''Akal, Avatar of the Devouring Moon (CR 5)''', is a feared weretiger granted power by one of Vast Kaviya’s many moons. With cunning, ferocity, and lycanthropic strength she controls a cannibal cult in the Urimak Valley and believes she is a true incarnation of Kalune, performing ritual sacrifices on kidnapped villagers and devouring sentients’ flesh to strengthen their intertwined spirit.

'''Jayallie (CR 5)''' is a seer sorceress of the mistlings, a race of wild halflings that live within Tay Ninaivakam Rainforest under the protection of ‘Mother Remembrance’. The region is shrouded in whispering mists, a psychic fog that saps the intellect and changes those within it into feral beasts. Immune to its effects, the mistlings use the fog to their advantage, raiding nearby settlements and luring the unwary into the mind-sapping haze.

'''Ligéi Xóon (CR 5)''' and the Maiden Eagles dwell in the black caverns beneath the Shaa Litká Mountains, fiercely defending their territory and paying homage to the dangerous harpies of the deep crags. The clan members all devote themselves to the monstrous Grandmother spirit that protects the labyrinthine passages they call home.

'''Trevolee (CR 5)''' is the oldest of the Gone, a people of disparate races unified by their loss of memory. A mystery to themselves, they live deep underground beneath the light of the magical Sun Stone, a bubble of light allowing the City of Lost to survive where none should. Trevolee channels its radiant power to protect her people, because on all sides monsters are closing in seeking to snuff out the light.

'''Nilaiyarra, the Transient (CR 7)''' is a force of nature that leads the Children of a Hundred Masks to do the bidding of Vast Kaviya as they see fit. They make their home in the Spiraling Woods, traveling throughout its countless trees to settle in different areas depending on the season.

'''The Awakened Reef Tohgai (CR 8)''' is the central hivemind of the Thamash Archipelago. The psionic coral seeks to grow their power by melding more minds with theirs, and will stop at nothing to finally defeat the storms that destroy it every year with the changing of the seasons.

'''The Beast of Three Karm’ra (CR 8)''' is a sleek, powerful chimera and the Xerica’s apex predator. She has dominated it unchallenged for centuries and cares nothing for tribes, beasts, religion, or politics—like a force of nature, she simply is. Gnolls worship her and manticores envy her, but all who dwell in the arid grasslands share a healthy fear of and respect for this majestic matriarch.

'''Witch of Mana: Rowena (CR 8)''' is an old crone that’s learned all the tricks needed to survive in the Kalavaiyaip Badlands, harnessing the raw mana hidden within and ruling over the intruders it transforms into mongrelfolk.

'''Zivrasa of the Truest Green (CR 11)''' zealously believes in the purity and superiority of nature over all things, hunting down dabblers of the arcane arts to capture and bring back to the Verdurous Grove so they can be sacrificed to Vast Kaviya.

'''Auntie Gonfler (CR 12)''' is a conniving boggard shaman who’s taken the reigns of a monstrous creature that her fellow toad folk in the Bellows worship as a god. She keeps the beast fed with regular sacrifices as she expands her influence over the other shamans and out into the world at large.

'''Gragth Bloodfire (CR 13)''' leads a vicious orc warband obsessed with the power of flames accessing pyromancy by burning many of their own to death in tribal practices that use the lava pits of their primitive settlement in Bloodfire Gulch.

'''Psionicus (CR 14)''' is an ancient ottunni of great psionic potency, growing in primal power with every passing season and protected by vicious cannibals in the Maṉanōy Caverns—underlings that consume the flesh of other sentient creatures in an attempt to gain but a fraction of their leader’s psychic mastery.

'''Sawfin, The Slithering Horror (CR 15)''' Already an apex predator in life, the gift of intelligence and the horror of undeath have turned Sawfin from a simple mosasaur into a walking nightmare—she scrabbles across the ground on decaying fins, stalking her prey at high speed while calling out in a soft feminine voice. Leader and adoptive mother of all creatures in the Wake of Maws, Sawfin is also thought to be the first of its members.

'''Corryn, the Abandoned (CR 16)''' was discarded into the Kaṉavu-Valai by her noble parents, only to be saved by a community of similarly displaced driders in The Web. The supernatural waterways changed her and after their touch she returned to slaughter her callous parents along with any other tyrants who dare endanger the downtrodden.

'''Kalar the Lizard Lord (CR 16)''' was mutated by waters empowered with lunar energy from the many moons orbiting the planet and has created a society of intelligent reptiles like him, though none wield the mental powers at his disposal or dare challenge his control over Sickle Canyon.

'''Oscarvol the Timeless (CR 17)''' is a sorcerer of unparalleled power whose mastery of magic has extended his life, allowed him dominion over the hidden city of Undermist, and helped him keep a dark secret. Within the deep caverns he holds court over the mistdweorg dwarves; artists, philosophers, gladiators, and sorcerers protected from the chaos of the world above.

'''Grandfather Triskal (CR 18)''' claims to be the first vampire, barbaric and savage, more beast than man. He is the patriarch of a nearly feral clan of vampiric savages and he works to expand his territory to beyond the Blind Grove to better feed his ever-growing bloodthirsty brood.

'''The Earthstorm (CR 20)''' is an impossibly potent amalgamation of earth and lightning obsessed with the raw mana it needs to continue building the mass on its body, using the primordial energies and the sacrificial victims drawn from its followers to both transform its minions and attain more power for itself.

'''Varasuul the Necrolord (CR 21)''' thought to be the oldest creature in all of Vast Kaviya, this master of undeath is surrounded at all times by a field of corpses and skeletons—which it animates to lift the stone fortifications of Death Castle in an inexorable march forward to wipe out all that which still lives.

{{Template:D&D-Settings}}
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons Third Party]]

The Galchutt

2021-06-30T16:16:15Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* The Galchutt Races */

{{Infobox Deity
|Name = The Galchutt
|Symbol = [[File:Galchutt Symbol.png|150px]] Many-pointed arrow, green spiral, or broken square
|Aliases = The Chaos Gods, Lords of Chaos
|Alignment = Chaotic Evil
|Divine Rank = Demon Princes
|Pantheon = Praemal
|Portfolio = Chaos, destruction
|Domains = Chaos, Destruction, Evil
|Home Plane = [[Prime Material Plane]] (''Caverns of the Galchutt'', [[Ptolus|Praemal]])
|Worshippers = [[Aberration]]s, chaositech users, the insane, members of House Vladaam, nihilists, the psychotic, ratmen, rhodintor, wintersouled
|Favoured Weapon =
}}
'''The Galchutt''' are the beings of deep chaos, and the equivalent of the [[Chaos Gods]], which is actually an alias for them, in [[Monte Cook]]'s [[Ptolus]].

==History==
The Galchutt were ancient beings even before Praemal was created. They originally ruled over the [[Lower Planes]], and they went from one world to another, destroying and corrupting them in an attempt to end all existence. Eventually the god Praemus created Praemal as a prison for them, and lured them there by disguising it as a regular world. The Galchutt, realizing they were trapped, tried to escape by first attempting to corrupt the wardens of their prison, the mortal races, creating the Vested, two of whom would later ascend to godhood, and then attempting to kill the wardens of the world's soul with a disease. In a final bid, they tore the veil between life and death apart, creating the first undead, but a group of heroes, with the aid of the elder gods, use a chunk of the Vallis moon to fix the veil, catapulting the moon, and the soul of the world in it, to the outer reaches of space.

The Galchutt, furious at their situation, instructed their servants to go and destroy all civilizations they came across, and gave them chaositech, think [[Dark Mechanicus]] items in a fantasy setting, to use as was fit. Eventually however the servants turned against each other, with the zaug rebelling against their masters, and eventually the Galchutt themselves decided to bide their time and dissolved their physical forms and melded with the caverns they settled in. There they wait for the ''Night of Dissolution'', when the soul of the world returns and they can once again attempt to escape, whilst corrupting those close to their resting place. (Or for some idiot to get to the Dread One's Path.)

In ''The [[Banewarrens]]'', they were the Natharl'nacna; "Galchutt" is (implicitly) the name of their prison. But nobody liked to remember or pronounce "Natharl'nacna" so "Galchutt" it is.

==The Galchutt themselves==
The Galchutt can be divided into two categories: the unique, and the Galchutt races. The unique are rather self-explanatory and they're usually on par with [[Demon Prince]]s, and the races are just those Galchutt of whom there are groups of.

===Abhoth===
'''Abhoth, the Source of All Uncleanliness''', is one of the deities from [[Clark Ashton Smith]]'s Hyperborea cycle. Here he's the patron of the zaug and revered by The Plagueborn. The ratmen of Ptolus worship him in the guise of the ''Rat God''.

===Baalhazor===
'''Baalhazor, the Demon God of Technology''', is the one who holds dominion over chaositech. Originally he was one of the Vested of the Galchutt, but managed to gain divinity of some sort afterwards. Beings intrigued by chaositech often worship him, and his [[cleric]]s have access to Technology [[Cleric Domain|domain]] instead of destruction.

===Bhor Kei===
'''Bhor Kei, the Eye of the Legion''', is an entity of rage, power, and tireless destruction. Some believe that it represents the destructive thoughts of many beings, while others say that all beings slain by it are bound to follow it forever as ghosts from which it draws its terrible strength and power. It appears as humanoid with flesh that shimmers like polished steel, four massive arms that end in huge claws that resemble serrated cleavers, and a long, pointed face, with eyes that glisten deeply green.

===Gorgoth-Lol===
{{Main|Gorgoth-Lol}}
'''Gorgoth-Lol''' was also originally one of the Vested of the Galchutt, but eventually became the goddess of [[drow|dark elves]] of Praemal.

===Kihomenetoth===
'''Kihomenethoth, the Writhing One''', is the only one of the Galchutt still mainly aware what's happening around them. He was the one in charge of their mortal followers when the Galchutt were active. He appears a massive pillar of writhing tentacles and serpents with eyes.

===Nyogtha===
'''Nyogtha, the Thing That Should Not Be''' is one of the [[Old Ones|Great Old Ones]] from [[H.P. Lovecraft|Lovecraft]]'s writings.

===Shallamoth Kindred===
'''Shallamoth Kindred, the Dweller in the Darkness''', is the closest thing the Galchutt have to a leader, as it's often described leading the other races in battle. Most describe it as the act of mutilation and destruction given life, and some say that it was born from the end of another universe, and that this is merely it trying to continue its reproductive cycle. It has two forms, both of which are completely emotionless. In the first form, it appears as a tall and lithe, completely black humanoid, with dagger-shaped eyes that are yellow-brown. The second form is that of a squirming mass of ropy tendrils covering an obese, pox-ridden, bulbous, decaying, vaguely humanoid body with vestigial, bat-like wings hanging limply behind it.

===Slaachma'jur===
'''Slaachma'jur, the Touch of Mutation, and the One Who Is Many''', is only mentioned by name, but may be affiliated with the Ebon Hand.

===Sothoth===
'''Sothoth, the Key and the Gate''', is just an obvious reference to Lovecraft.

===The Galchutt Races===
The [[daemon]]s to the chaos gods above, they are:

*'''Carach''' (both singular and plural) are the [[assassin]]s and enforcers of the Galchutt. They have an insectoid body from which a long, muscular neck that ends in tentacles grows. The tentacles surround a mouth full of teeth, with two small eyes on the sides, and four of the tentacles are particularly long and end in spikes.
*'''Dhar Rhyth''' are sentient holes that lead to a dimension filled with squirming worm-like beings, intent on reducing all to nothingness. They're usually vaguely man-shaped, and sometimes mistaken for humanoids covered in tendrils or [[Worm That Walks|made of worms]].
*'''Shaadom''' (both singular and plural) are the closest equivelant to the [[Lord of Change|lords of change]], in that they are powerful chaos spellcasters and plotters. They represent individuality taken to the utmost extremes of obsession and selfishness, to the point where they see only enemies and rivals. They appear as floating, hulking humanoids with two muscular, three-fingered arms, an arachnid-like head, and short, wide tentacles below its torso.
*'''Vreeth''' are what remain of powerful chaos cultists after they were taken from the mortal realms and altered by the Galchutt. Unable to do nothing but serve and worship the higher concepts of deep chaos, they sometimes serve as the masterminds behind chaos cults, but they mainly spend their time performing continuous rituals and ceremonies to bring the end of the world. At first they look like empty, tattered, hooded cloaks floating in the air, but closer inspection reveals numerous tentacles hanging from beneath the cloaks edge.
*'''Zaug''' are the equivalent of [[Great Unclean Ones]], massive, disease-ridden, rotting humanoids with horns and rotten, vestigial wings who love spreading disease and decay. Most zaug rebelled when the Galchutt shed their forms, seeking to rule over existence rather than destroy it. The only way to hurt them is by casting healing magic on them.
*'''The Elder Brood''' are the daemonic beasts of the Galchutt that comprise at least half a dozen different beings. Only two are known, the obaan, bat-winged clumps of tentacles with beaks born from the blood of shaadom, and the sscree, toad-like beings with two clawed feet and tentacles that end in mouths.

==The Cults of Chaos==
The cults of chaos are what you would imagine them as if you've ever glanced at the [[Chaos Cults]] page. Here they all believe that the all of creation being a creation of order and structure makes it fundamentally flawed, as it lacks what living creatures need. And what they need is murder, [[rape]], anarchy, destruction, and all equally nice things that the Galchutt bring. Doing this will make everything right again by bringing an end to all that is wrong, with the faithful being rewarded with the coming [[Warp|realm of utter chaos]]. Of course what they don't know is that the realm is a lie, and everyone will be rewarded with death and destruction like all others.

===The Brothers of Venom===
[[File:Brothers of venom symbol.png|right|75px]]
Poisons and venoms are their main bread and butter, using them to slowly and quietly kill important individuals, especially those who have influence over laws and order. They are mainly found in cells of half a dozen and prefer to stay hidden from everyone. Their rituals often include substance abuse, [[/d/|sexual perversions]], and acts of cruelty and violence. Their symbol is a shadowy, coiled serpent.

===The Crimson Coil===
Mainly manifesting as sudden torches & pitchforks mobs or groups of murderers, wearing all red and hiding their faces, that commit random acts of destruction and death. The Crimson Coil is one of the harder cults to destroy, as they often build their temples in hidden places, fill them with traps and, if found, they will fight to the last man. Even after being rooted out, they often come back stronger.

===Deathmantle===
[[File:Deathmantle symbol.png|right|65px]]
Also known as ''Death's Grimace'', they worship death and the act of murder, and more specifically slaughter, with their main goals often being the slaughter of an entire town, city, nation, or race. The members wear copper, bronze, or skull-white death's head masks and often associate with [[necromancer]]s and the [[undead]]. They also associate with an assassin's guild called ''Vai'', whose member believe that the path to power and enlightenment is found through killing others. Their symbol is a skull.

===The Ebon Hand===
[[File:Ebon hand symbol.png|right|65px]]
The cult of the Ebon Hand worships deformity, and often its members are deformed or mutated in some way, while those who aren't seek mutation, or ''the touch of the Ebon Hand'' as they refer it. They are found in small cells and often kidnap adolescents to magically deform and mutate. While most die, those that survive become slaves to the cult. They tend to make their temples in difficult to find places, and are ready to abandon them the moment they arouse suspicion, making some liken them to cockroaches. Their symbol is a black hand.

===The Order of the Blooded Knife===
[[File:Blooded knife symbol.png|right|40px]]
The Order of the Blooded Knife is a cult that performs blood sacrifices to the Galchutt while posing as followers of other gods. They often either claim to follow a god who's harmless but distasteful enough to make other leave them alone, or infiltrate the faiths of other gods and turn them to fronts for their faith, while using them for prostitution, black marketeering, extortion, and gambling to make money for the cult. Their symbol is a curved knife dripping blood.

===The Plagueborn===
Not!cult of [[Nurgle]], is a good description for them. They seek elegance and artistry of destruction through disease, pestilence, and vermin. They often hang around in trash heaps, sewers, and other places of filth and vermin, trying to harbor diseases in themselves and spread them, promote the accumulation of filth, rot, and decay, and help vermin infestations foster wherever they are. Rats are important animals to them, with the rat often being their totem animal, wearing ratskin rags, and using them as symbols. They often leave hunks of rotten meat on hooks as their calling cards and markers.

===The Tolling Bell===
[[File:Tolling bell Symbol.png|right|60px]]
The most straightforward cult in that they want the apocalypse to come, and for this they research to find ways to create disasters that would bring greater disasters and eventually the apocalypse. Though found in small numbers, members of other cults seem to eventually "graduate" to members of this cult. Their name comes from ancient texts where the apocalypse is described as coming like the "tolling of a bell". Their symbol is a bell filled with cracks on the surface.

{{D&D-Ptolus-Deities}}

The Galchutt

2021-06-30T16:14:12Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* The Galchutt Races */

{{Infobox Deity
|Name = The Galchutt
|Symbol = [[File:Galchutt Symbol.png|150px]] Many-pointed arrow, green spiral, or broken square
|Aliases = The Chaos Gods, Lords of Chaos
|Alignment = Chaotic Evil
|Divine Rank = Demon Princes
|Pantheon = Praemal
|Portfolio = Chaos, destruction
|Domains = Chaos, Destruction, Evil
|Home Plane = [[Prime Material Plane]] (''Caverns of the Galchutt'', [[Ptolus|Praemal]])
|Worshippers = [[Aberration]]s, chaositech users, the insane, members of House Vladaam, nihilists, the psychotic, ratmen, rhodintor, wintersouled
|Favoured Weapon =
}}
'''The Galchutt''' are the beings of deep chaos, and the equivalent of the [[Chaos Gods]], which is actually an alias for them, in [[Monte Cook]]'s [[Ptolus]].

==History==
The Galchutt were ancient beings even before Praemal was created. They originally ruled over the [[Lower Planes]], and they went from one world to another, destroying and corrupting them in an attempt to end all existence. Eventually the god Praemus created Praemal as a prison for them, and lured them there by disguising it as a regular world. The Galchutt, realizing they were trapped, tried to escape by first attempting to corrupt the wardens of their prison, the mortal races, creating the Vested, two of whom would later ascend to godhood, and then attempting to kill the wardens of the world's soul with a disease. In a final bid, they tore the veil between life and death apart, creating the first undead, but a group of heroes, with the aid of the elder gods, use a chunk of the Vallis moon to fix the veil, catapulting the moon, and the soul of the world in it, to the outer reaches of space.

The Galchutt, furious at their situation, instructed their servants to go and destroy all civilizations they came across, and gave them chaositech, think [[Dark Mechanicus]] items in a fantasy setting, to use as was fit. Eventually however the servants turned against each other, with the zaug rebelling against their masters, and eventually the Galchutt themselves decided to bide their time and dissolved their physical forms and melded with the caverns they settled in. There they wait for the ''Night of Dissolution'', when the soul of the world returns and they can once again attempt to escape, whilst corrupting those close to their resting place. (Or for some idiot to get to the Dread One's Path.)

In ''The [[Banewarrens]]'', they were the Natharl'nacna; "Galchutt" is (implicitly) the name of their prison. But nobody liked to remember or pronounce "Natharl'nacna" so "Galchutt" it is.

==The Galchutt themselves==
The Galchutt can be divided into two categories: the unique, and the Galchutt races. The unique are rather self-explanatory and they're usually on par with [[Demon Prince]]s, and the races are just those Galchutt of whom there are groups of.

===Abhoth===
'''Abhoth, the Source of All Uncleanliness''', is one of the deities from [[Clark Ashton Smith]]'s Hyperborea cycle. Here he's the patron of the zaug and revered by The Plagueborn. The ratmen of Ptolus worship him in the guise of the ''Rat God''.

===Baalhazor===
'''Baalhazor, the Demon God of Technology''', is the one who holds dominion over chaositech. Originally he was one of the Vested of the Galchutt, but managed to gain divinity of some sort afterwards. Beings intrigued by chaositech often worship him, and his [[cleric]]s have access to Technology [[Cleric Domain|domain]] instead of destruction.

===Bhor Kei===
'''Bhor Kei, the Eye of the Legion''', is an entity of rage, power, and tireless destruction. Some believe that it represents the destructive thoughts of many beings, while others say that all beings slain by it are bound to follow it forever as ghosts from which it draws its terrible strength and power. It appears as humanoid with flesh that shimmers like polished steel, four massive arms that end in huge claws that resemble serrated cleavers, and a long, pointed face, with eyes that glisten deeply green.

===Gorgoth-Lol===
{{Main|Gorgoth-Lol}}
'''Gorgoth-Lol''' was also originally one of the Vested of the Galchutt, but eventually became the goddess of [[drow|dark elves]] of Praemal.

===Kihomenetoth===
'''Kihomenethoth, the Writhing One''', is the only one of the Galchutt still mainly aware what's happening around them. He was the one in charge of their mortal followers when the Galchutt were active. He appears a massive pillar of writhing tentacles and serpents with eyes.

===Nyogtha===
'''Nyogtha, the Thing That Should Not Be''' is one of the [[Old Ones|Great Old Ones]] from [[H.P. Lovecraft|Lovecraft]]'s writings.

===Shallamoth Kindred===
'''Shallamoth Kindred, the Dweller in the Darkness''', is the closest thing the Galchutt have to a leader, as it's often described leading the other races in battle. Most describe it as the act of mutilation and destruction given life, and some say that it was born from the end of another universe, and that this is merely it trying to continue its reproductive cycle. It has two forms, both of which are completely emotionless. In the first form, it appears as a tall and lithe, completely black humanoid, with dagger-shaped eyes that are yellow-brown. The second form is that of a squirming mass of ropy tendrils covering an obese, pox-ridden, bulbous, decaying, vaguely humanoid body with vestigial, bat-like wings hanging limply behind it.

===Slaachma'jur===
'''Slaachma'jur, the Touch of Mutation, and the One Who Is Many''', is only mentioned by name, but may be affiliated with the Ebon Hand.

===Sothoth===
'''Sothoth, the Key and the Gate''', is just an obvious reference to Lovecraft.

===The Galchutt Races===
The [[daemon]]s to the chaos gods above, they are:

*'''Carach''' (both singular and plural) are the [[assassin]]s and enforcers of the Galchutt. They have an insectoid body from which a long, muscular neck that ends in tentacles grows. The tentacles surround a mouth full of teeth, with two small eyes on the sides, and four of the tentacles are particularly long and end in spikes.
*'''Dhar Rhyth''' are sentient holes that lead to a dimension filled with squirming worm-like beings, intent on reducing all to nothingness. They're usually vaguely man-shaped, and sometimes mistaken for humanoids covered in tendrils or [[Worm That Walks|made of worms]].
*'''Shaadom''' (both singular and plural) are the closest equivelant to the [[Lord of Change|lords of change]], in that they are powerful chaos spellcasters and plotters. They represent individuality taken to the utmost extremes of obsession and selfishness, to the point where they see only enemies and rivals. They appear as floating, hulking humanoids with two muscular, three-fingered arms, an arachnid-like head, and short, wide tentacles below its torso.
*'''Vreeth''' are what remain of powerful chaos cultists after they were taken from the mortal realms and altered by the Galchutt. Unable to do nothing but serve and worship the higher concepts of deep chaos, they sometimes serve as the masterminds behind chaos cults, but they mainly spend their time performing continuous rituals and ceremonies to bring the end of the world. At first they look like empty, tattered, hooded cloaks floating in the air, but closer inspection reveals numerous tentacles hanging from beneath the cloaks edge.
*'''Zaug''' are the equivalent of [[Great Unclean Ones]], massive, disease-ridden, rotting, humanoids with horns and rotten, vestigial wings who love spreading disease and decay. Most zaug rebelled when the Galchutt shed their forms, seeking to rule over existence rather than destroy it. The only way to hurt them is by casting healing magic on them.
*'''The Elder Brood''' are the daemonic beasts of the Galchutt that comprise at least half a dozen different beings. Only two are known, the obaan, bat-winged clumps of tentacles with beaks born from the blood of shaadom, and the sscree, toad-like beings with two clawed feet and tentacles that end in mouths.

==The Cults of Chaos==
The cults of chaos are what you would imagine them as if you've ever glanced at the [[Chaos Cults]] page. Here they all believe that the all of creation being a creation of order and structure makes it fundamentally flawed, as it lacks what living creatures need. And what they need is murder, [[rape]], anarchy, destruction, and all equally nice things that the Galchutt bring. Doing this will make everything right again by bringing an end to all that is wrong, with the faithful being rewarded with the coming [[Warp|realm of utter chaos]]. Of course what they don't know is that the realm is a lie, and everyone will be rewarded with death and destruction like all others.

===The Brothers of Venom===
[[File:Brothers of venom symbol.png|right|75px]]
Poisons and venoms are their main bread and butter, using them to slowly and quietly kill important individuals, especially those who have influence over laws and order. They are mainly found in cells of half a dozen and prefer to stay hidden from everyone. Their rituals often include substance abuse, [[/d/|sexual perversions]], and acts of cruelty and violence. Their symbol is a shadowy, coiled serpent.

===The Crimson Coil===
Mainly manifesting as sudden torches & pitchforks mobs or groups of murderers, wearing all red and hiding their faces, that commit random acts of destruction and death. The Crimson Coil is one of the harder cults to destroy, as they often build their temples in hidden places, fill them with traps and, if found, they will fight to the last man. Even after being rooted out, they often come back stronger.

===Deathmantle===
[[File:Deathmantle symbol.png|right|65px]]
Also known as ''Death's Grimace'', they worship death and the act of murder, and more specifically slaughter, with their main goals often being the slaughter of an entire town, city, nation, or race. The members wear copper, bronze, or skull-white death's head masks and often associate with [[necromancer]]s and the [[undead]]. They also associate with an assassin's guild called ''Vai'', whose member believe that the path to power and enlightenment is found through killing others. Their symbol is a skull.

===The Ebon Hand===
[[File:Ebon hand symbol.png|right|65px]]
The cult of the Ebon Hand worships deformity, and often its members are deformed or mutated in some way, while those who aren't seek mutation, or ''the touch of the Ebon Hand'' as they refer it. They are found in small cells and often kidnap adolescents to magically deform and mutate. While most die, those that survive become slaves to the cult. They tend to make their temples in difficult to find places, and are ready to abandon them the moment they arouse suspicion, making some liken them to cockroaches. Their symbol is a black hand.

===The Order of the Blooded Knife===
[[File:Blooded knife symbol.png|right|40px]]
The Order of the Blooded Knife is a cult that performs blood sacrifices to the Galchutt while posing as followers of other gods. They often either claim to follow a god who's harmless but distasteful enough to make other leave them alone, or infiltrate the faiths of other gods and turn them to fronts for their faith, while using them for prostitution, black marketeering, extortion, and gambling to make money for the cult. Their symbol is a curved knife dripping blood.

===The Plagueborn===
Not!cult of [[Nurgle]], is a good description for them. They seek elegance and artistry of destruction through disease, pestilence, and vermin. They often hang around in trash heaps, sewers, and other places of filth and vermin, trying to harbor diseases in themselves and spread them, promote the accumulation of filth, rot, and decay, and help vermin infestations foster wherever they are. Rats are important animals to them, with the rat often being their totem animal, wearing ratskin rags, and using them as symbols. They often leave hunks of rotten meat on hooks as their calling cards and markers.

===The Tolling Bell===
[[File:Tolling bell Symbol.png|right|60px]]
The most straightforward cult in that they want the apocalypse to come, and for this they research to find ways to create disasters that would bring greater disasters and eventually the apocalypse. Though found in small numbers, members of other cults seem to eventually "graduate" to members of this cult. Their name comes from ancient texts where the apocalypse is described as coming like the "tolling of a bell". Their symbol is a bell filled with cracks on the surface.

{{D&D-Ptolus-Deities}}

The Galchutt

2021-06-30T16:13:12Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* Shallamoth Kindred */

{{Infobox Deity
|Name = The Galchutt
|Symbol = [[File:Galchutt Symbol.png|150px]] Many-pointed arrow, green spiral, or broken square
|Aliases = The Chaos Gods, Lords of Chaos
|Alignment = Chaotic Evil
|Divine Rank = Demon Princes
|Pantheon = Praemal
|Portfolio = Chaos, destruction
|Domains = Chaos, Destruction, Evil
|Home Plane = [[Prime Material Plane]] (''Caverns of the Galchutt'', [[Ptolus|Praemal]])
|Worshippers = [[Aberration]]s, chaositech users, the insane, members of House Vladaam, nihilists, the psychotic, ratmen, rhodintor, wintersouled
|Favoured Weapon =
}}
'''The Galchutt''' are the beings of deep chaos, and the equivalent of the [[Chaos Gods]], which is actually an alias for them, in [[Monte Cook]]'s [[Ptolus]].

==History==
The Galchutt were ancient beings even before Praemal was created. They originally ruled over the [[Lower Planes]], and they went from one world to another, destroying and corrupting them in an attempt to end all existence. Eventually the god Praemus created Praemal as a prison for them, and lured them there by disguising it as a regular world. The Galchutt, realizing they were trapped, tried to escape by first attempting to corrupt the wardens of their prison, the mortal races, creating the Vested, two of whom would later ascend to godhood, and then attempting to kill the wardens of the world's soul with a disease. In a final bid, they tore the veil between life and death apart, creating the first undead, but a group of heroes, with the aid of the elder gods, use a chunk of the Vallis moon to fix the veil, catapulting the moon, and the soul of the world in it, to the outer reaches of space.

The Galchutt, furious at their situation, instructed their servants to go and destroy all civilizations they came across, and gave them chaositech, think [[Dark Mechanicus]] items in a fantasy setting, to use as was fit. Eventually however the servants turned against each other, with the zaug rebelling against their masters, and eventually the Galchutt themselves decided to bide their time and dissolved their physical forms and melded with the caverns they settled in. There they wait for the ''Night of Dissolution'', when the soul of the world returns and they can once again attempt to escape, whilst corrupting those close to their resting place. (Or for some idiot to get to the Dread One's Path.)

In ''The [[Banewarrens]]'', they were the Natharl'nacna; "Galchutt" is (implicitly) the name of their prison. But nobody liked to remember or pronounce "Natharl'nacna" so "Galchutt" it is.

==The Galchutt themselves==
The Galchutt can be divided into two categories: the unique, and the Galchutt races. The unique are rather self-explanatory and they're usually on par with [[Demon Prince]]s, and the races are just those Galchutt of whom there are groups of.

===Abhoth===
'''Abhoth, the Source of All Uncleanliness''', is one of the deities from [[Clark Ashton Smith]]'s Hyperborea cycle. Here he's the patron of the zaug and revered by The Plagueborn. The ratmen of Ptolus worship him in the guise of the ''Rat God''.

===Baalhazor===
'''Baalhazor, the Demon God of Technology''', is the one who holds dominion over chaositech. Originally he was one of the Vested of the Galchutt, but managed to gain divinity of some sort afterwards. Beings intrigued by chaositech often worship him, and his [[cleric]]s have access to Technology [[Cleric Domain|domain]] instead of destruction.

===Bhor Kei===
'''Bhor Kei, the Eye of the Legion''', is an entity of rage, power, and tireless destruction. Some believe that it represents the destructive thoughts of many beings, while others say that all beings slain by it are bound to follow it forever as ghosts from which it draws its terrible strength and power. It appears as humanoid with flesh that shimmers like polished steel, four massive arms that end in huge claws that resemble serrated cleavers, and a long, pointed face, with eyes that glisten deeply green.

===Gorgoth-Lol===
{{Main|Gorgoth-Lol}}
'''Gorgoth-Lol''' was also originally one of the Vested of the Galchutt, but eventually became the goddess of [[drow|dark elves]] of Praemal.

===Kihomenetoth===
'''Kihomenethoth, the Writhing One''', is the only one of the Galchutt still mainly aware what's happening around them. He was the one in charge of their mortal followers when the Galchutt were active. He appears a massive pillar of writhing tentacles and serpents with eyes.

===Nyogtha===
'''Nyogtha, the Thing That Should Not Be''' is one of the [[Old Ones|Great Old Ones]] from [[H.P. Lovecraft|Lovecraft]]'s writings.

===Shallamoth Kindred===
'''Shallamoth Kindred, the Dweller in the Darkness''', is the closest thing the Galchutt have to a leader, as it's often described leading the other races in battle. Most describe it as the act of mutilation and destruction given life, and some say that it was born from the end of another universe, and that this is merely it trying to continue its reproductive cycle. It has two forms, both of which are completely emotionless. In the first form, it appears as a tall and lithe, completely black humanoid, with dagger-shaped eyes that are yellow-brown. The second form is that of a squirming mass of ropy tendrils covering an obese, pox-ridden, bulbous, decaying, vaguely humanoid body with vestigial, bat-like wings hanging limply behind it.

===Slaachma'jur===
'''Slaachma'jur, the Touch of Mutation, and the One Who Is Many''', is only mentioned by name, but may be affiliated with the Ebon Hand.

===Sothoth===
'''Sothoth, the Key and the Gate''', is just an obvious reference to Lovecraft.

===The Galchutt Races===
The [[daemon]]s to the chaos gods above, they are:

*'''Carach''' (both singular and plural) are the [[assassin]]s and enforcers of the Galchutt. They have an insectoid body from which a long, muscular neck that ends in tentacles grows. The tentacles surround a mouth full of teeth, with two small eyes on the sides, and four of the tentacles are particularly long and end in spikes.
*'''Dhar Rhyth''' are sentient holes that lead to a dimension filled with squirming worm-like beings, intent on reducing all to nothingness. They're usually vaguely man-shaped, and sometimes mistaken for humanoids covered in tendrils or [[Worm That Walks|made of worms]].
*'''Shaadom''' (both singular and plural) are the closest equivelant to the [[Lord of Change|lords of change]], in that they are powerful chaos spellcasters and plotters. They represent the individuality taken to the utmost extremes of obsession and selfishness, to the point where they see only enemies and rivals. They appear as floating, hulking humanoids with two muscular, three-fingered arms, an arachnid-like head, and short, wide tentacles below its torso.
*'''Vreeth''' are what remain of powerful chaos cultists after they were taken from the mortal realms and altered by the Galchutt. Unable to do nothing but serve and worship the higher concepts of deep chaos, they sometimes serve as the masterminds behind chaos cults, but they mainly spend their time performing continuous rituals and ceremonies to bring the end of the world. At first they look like empty, tattered, hooded cloaks floating in the air, but closer inspection reveals numerous tentacles hanging from beneath the cloaks edge.
*'''Zaug''' are the equivalent of [[Great Unclean Ones]], massive, disease-ridden, rotting, humanoids with horns and rotten, vestigial wings who love spreading disease and decay. Most zaug rebelled when the Galchutt shed their forms, seeking to rule over existence rather than destroy it. The only way to hurt them is by casting healing magic on them.
*'''The Elder Brood''' are the daemonic beasts of the Galchutt that comprise at least half a dozen different beings. Only two are known, the obaan, bat-winged clumps of tentacles with beaks born from the blood of shaadom, and the sscree, toad-like beings with two clawed feet and tentacles that end in mouths.

==The Cults of Chaos==
The cults of chaos are what you would imagine them as if you've ever glanced at the [[Chaos Cults]] page. Here they all believe that the all of creation being a creation of order and structure makes it fundamentally flawed, as it lacks what living creatures need. And what they need is murder, [[rape]], anarchy, destruction, and all equally nice things that the Galchutt bring. Doing this will make everything right again by bringing an end to all that is wrong, with the faithful being rewarded with the coming [[Warp|realm of utter chaos]]. Of course what they don't know is that the realm is a lie, and everyone will be rewarded with death and destruction like all others.

===The Brothers of Venom===
[[File:Brothers of venom symbol.png|right|75px]]
Poisons and venoms are their main bread and butter, using them to slowly and quietly kill important individuals, especially those who have influence over laws and order. They are mainly found in cells of half a dozen and prefer to stay hidden from everyone. Their rituals often include substance abuse, [[/d/|sexual perversions]], and acts of cruelty and violence. Their symbol is a shadowy, coiled serpent.

===The Crimson Coil===
Mainly manifesting as sudden torches & pitchforks mobs or groups of murderers, wearing all red and hiding their faces, that commit random acts of destruction and death. The Crimson Coil is one of the harder cults to destroy, as they often build their temples in hidden places, fill them with traps and, if found, they will fight to the last man. Even after being rooted out, they often come back stronger.

===Deathmantle===
[[File:Deathmantle symbol.png|right|65px]]
Also known as ''Death's Grimace'', they worship death and the act of murder, and more specifically slaughter, with their main goals often being the slaughter of an entire town, city, nation, or race. The members wear copper, bronze, or skull-white death's head masks and often associate with [[necromancer]]s and the [[undead]]. They also associate with an assassin's guild called ''Vai'', whose member believe that the path to power and enlightenment is found through killing others. Their symbol is a skull.

===The Ebon Hand===
[[File:Ebon hand symbol.png|right|65px]]
The cult of the Ebon Hand worships deformity, and often its members are deformed or mutated in some way, while those who aren't seek mutation, or ''the touch of the Ebon Hand'' as they refer it. They are found in small cells and often kidnap adolescents to magically deform and mutate. While most die, those that survive become slaves to the cult. They tend to make their temples in difficult to find places, and are ready to abandon them the moment they arouse suspicion, making some liken them to cockroaches. Their symbol is a black hand.

===The Order of the Blooded Knife===
[[File:Blooded knife symbol.png|right|40px]]
The Order of the Blooded Knife is a cult that performs blood sacrifices to the Galchutt while posing as followers of other gods. They often either claim to follow a god who's harmless but distasteful enough to make other leave them alone, or infiltrate the faiths of other gods and turn them to fronts for their faith, while using them for prostitution, black marketeering, extortion, and gambling to make money for the cult. Their symbol is a curved knife dripping blood.

===The Plagueborn===
Not!cult of [[Nurgle]], is a good description for them. They seek elegance and artistry of destruction through disease, pestilence, and vermin. They often hang around in trash heaps, sewers, and other places of filth and vermin, trying to harbor diseases in themselves and spread them, promote the accumulation of filth, rot, and decay, and help vermin infestations foster wherever they are. Rats are important animals to them, with the rat often being their totem animal, wearing ratskin rags, and using them as symbols. They often leave hunks of rotten meat on hooks as their calling cards and markers.

===The Tolling Bell===
[[File:Tolling bell Symbol.png|right|60px]]
The most straightforward cult in that they want the apocalypse to come, and for this they research to find ways to create disasters that would bring greater disasters and eventually the apocalypse. Though found in small numbers, members of other cults seem to eventually "graduate" to members of this cult. Their name comes from ancient texts where the apocalypse is described as coming like the "tolling of a bell". Their symbol is a bell filled with cracks on the surface.

{{D&D-Ptolus-Deities}}

The Galchutt

2021-06-30T16:11:00Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* The Galchutt themselves */

{{Infobox Deity
|Name = The Galchutt
|Symbol = [[File:Galchutt Symbol.png|150px]] Many-pointed arrow, green spiral, or broken square
|Aliases = The Chaos Gods, Lords of Chaos
|Alignment = Chaotic Evil
|Divine Rank = Demon Princes
|Pantheon = Praemal
|Portfolio = Chaos, destruction
|Domains = Chaos, Destruction, Evil
|Home Plane = [[Prime Material Plane]] (''Caverns of the Galchutt'', [[Ptolus|Praemal]])
|Worshippers = [[Aberration]]s, chaositech users, the insane, members of House Vladaam, nihilists, the psychotic, ratmen, rhodintor, wintersouled
|Favoured Weapon =
}}
'''The Galchutt''' are the beings of deep chaos, and the equivalent of the [[Chaos Gods]], which is actually an alias for them, in [[Monte Cook]]'s [[Ptolus]].

==History==
The Galchutt were ancient beings even before Praemal was created. They originally ruled over the [[Lower Planes]], and they went from one world to another, destroying and corrupting them in an attempt to end all existence. Eventually the god Praemus created Praemal as a prison for them, and lured them there by disguising it as a regular world. The Galchutt, realizing they were trapped, tried to escape by first attempting to corrupt the wardens of their prison, the mortal races, creating the Vested, two of whom would later ascend to godhood, and then attempting to kill the wardens of the world's soul with a disease. In a final bid, they tore the veil between life and death apart, creating the first undead, but a group of heroes, with the aid of the elder gods, use a chunk of the Vallis moon to fix the veil, catapulting the moon, and the soul of the world in it, to the outer reaches of space.

The Galchutt, furious at their situation, instructed their servants to go and destroy all civilizations they came across, and gave them chaositech, think [[Dark Mechanicus]] items in a fantasy setting, to use as was fit. Eventually however the servants turned against each other, with the zaug rebelling against their masters, and eventually the Galchutt themselves decided to bide their time and dissolved their physical forms and melded with the caverns they settled in. There they wait for the ''Night of Dissolution'', when the soul of the world returns and they can once again attempt to escape, whilst corrupting those close to their resting place. (Or for some idiot to get to the Dread One's Path.)

In ''The [[Banewarrens]]'', they were the Natharl'nacna; "Galchutt" is (implicitly) the name of their prison. But nobody liked to remember or pronounce "Natharl'nacna" so "Galchutt" it is.

==The Galchutt themselves==
The Galchutt can be divided into two categories: the unique, and the Galchutt races. The unique are rather self-explanatory and they're usually on par with [[Demon Prince]]s, and the races are just those Galchutt of whom there are groups of.

===Abhoth===
'''Abhoth, the Source of All Uncleanliness''', is one of the deities from [[Clark Ashton Smith]]'s Hyperborea cycle. Here he's the patron of the zaug and revered by The Plagueborn. The ratmen of Ptolus worship him in the guise of the ''Rat God''.

===Baalhazor===
'''Baalhazor, the Demon God of Technology''', is the one who holds dominion over chaositech. Originally he was one of the Vested of the Galchutt, but managed to gain divinity of some sort afterwards. Beings intrigued by chaositech often worship him, and his [[cleric]]s have access to Technology [[Cleric Domain|domain]] instead of destruction.

===Bhor Kei===
'''Bhor Kei, the Eye of the Legion''', is an entity of rage, power, and tireless destruction. Some believe that it represents the destructive thoughts of many beings, while others say that all beings slain by it are bound to follow it forever as ghosts from which it draws its terrible strength and power. It appears as humanoid with flesh that shimmers like polished steel, four massive arms that end in huge claws that resemble serrated cleavers, and a long, pointed face, with eyes that glisten deeply green.

===Gorgoth-Lol===
{{Main|Gorgoth-Lol}}
'''Gorgoth-Lol''' was also originally one of the Vested of the Galchutt, but eventually became the goddess of [[drow|dark elves]] of Praemal.

===Kihomenetoth===
'''Kihomenethoth, the Writhing One''', is the only one of the Galchutt still mainly aware what's happening around them. He was the one in charge of their mortal followers when the Galchutt were active. He appears a massive pillar of writhing tentacles and serpents with eyes.

===Nyogtha===
'''Nyogtha, the Thing That Should Not Be''' is one of the [[Old Ones|Great Old Ones]] from [[H.P. Lovecraft|Lovecraft]]'s writings.

===Shallamoth Kindred===
'''Shallamoth Kindred, the Dweller in the Darkness''', is the closest thing the Galchutt have for a leader, as its often described leading the other races in battle. Most desribe it as the act of mutilation and destruction given life, and some say that it was born from the end of another universe, and that this is merely it trying to continue its reproductive cycle. It has two forms, both of which are completely emotionless. In the first form, it appears as a tall and lithe, completely black humanoid, with dagger-shaped eyes that are yellow-brown. The second form is that of a squirming mass of ropy tendrils covering an obese, pox-ridden, bulbous, decaying, vaguely humanoid body with vestigial, bat-like wings hanging limply behind it.

===Slaachma'jur===
'''Slaachma'jur, the Touch of Mutation, and the One Who Is Many''', is only mentioned by name, but may be affiliated with the Ebon Hand.

===Sothoth===
'''Sothoth, the Key and the Gate''', is just an obvious reference to Lovecraft.

===The Galchutt Races===
The [[daemon]]s to the chaos gods above, they are:

*'''Carach''' (both singular and plural) are the [[assassin]]s and enforcers of the Galchutt. They have an insectoid body from which a long, muscular neck that ends in tentacles grows. The tentacles surround a mouth full of teeth, with two small eyes on the sides, and four of the tentacles are particularly long and end in spikes.
*'''Dhar Rhyth''' are sentient holes that lead to a dimension filled with squirming worm-like beings, intent on reducing all to nothingness. They're usually vaguely man-shaped, and sometimes mistaken for humanoids covered in tendrils or [[Worm That Walks|made of worms]].
*'''Shaadom''' (both singular and plural) are the closest equivelant to the [[Lord of Change|lords of change]], in that they are powerful chaos spellcasters and plotters. They represent the individuality taken to the utmost extremes of obsession and selfishness, to the point where they see only enemies and rivals. They appear as floating, hulking humanoids with two muscular, three-fingered arms, an arachnid-like head, and short, wide tentacles below its torso.
*'''Vreeth''' are what remain of powerful chaos cultists after they were taken from the mortal realms and altered by the Galchutt. Unable to do nothing but serve and worship the higher concepts of deep chaos, they sometimes serve as the masterminds behind chaos cults, but they mainly spend their time performing continuous rituals and ceremonies to bring the end of the world. At first they look like empty, tattered, hooded cloaks floating in the air, but closer inspection reveals numerous tentacles hanging from beneath the cloaks edge.
*'''Zaug''' are the equivalent of [[Great Unclean Ones]], massive, disease-ridden, rotting, humanoids with horns and rotten, vestigial wings who love spreading disease and decay. Most zaug rebelled when the Galchutt shed their forms, seeking to rule over existence rather than destroy it. The only way to hurt them is by casting healing magic on them.
*'''The Elder Brood''' are the daemonic beasts of the Galchutt that comprise at least half a dozen different beings. Only two are known, the obaan, bat-winged clumps of tentacles with beaks born from the blood of shaadom, and the sscree, toad-like beings with two clawed feet and tentacles that end in mouths.

==The Cults of Chaos==
The cults of chaos are what you would imagine them as if you've ever glanced at the [[Chaos Cults]] page. Here they all believe that the all of creation being a creation of order and structure makes it fundamentally flawed, as it lacks what living creatures need. And what they need is murder, [[rape]], anarchy, destruction, and all equally nice things that the Galchutt bring. Doing this will make everything right again by bringing an end to all that is wrong, with the faithful being rewarded with the coming [[Warp|realm of utter chaos]]. Of course what they don't know is that the realm is a lie, and everyone will be rewarded with death and destruction like all others.

===The Brothers of Venom===
[[File:Brothers of venom symbol.png|right|75px]]
Poisons and venoms are their main bread and butter, using them to slowly and quietly kill important individuals, especially those who have influence over laws and order. They are mainly found in cells of half a dozen and prefer to stay hidden from everyone. Their rituals often include substance abuse, [[/d/|sexual perversions]], and acts of cruelty and violence. Their symbol is a shadowy, coiled serpent.

===The Crimson Coil===
Mainly manifesting as sudden torches & pitchforks mobs or groups of murderers, wearing all red and hiding their faces, that commit random acts of destruction and death. The Crimson Coil is one of the harder cults to destroy, as they often build their temples in hidden places, fill them with traps and, if found, they will fight to the last man. Even after being rooted out, they often come back stronger.

===Deathmantle===
[[File:Deathmantle symbol.png|right|65px]]
Also known as ''Death's Grimace'', they worship death and the act of murder, and more specifically slaughter, with their main goals often being the slaughter of an entire town, city, nation, or race. The members wear copper, bronze, or skull-white death's head masks and often associate with [[necromancer]]s and the [[undead]]. They also associate with an assassin's guild called ''Vai'', whose member believe that the path to power and enlightenment is found through killing others. Their symbol is a skull.

===The Ebon Hand===
[[File:Ebon hand symbol.png|right|65px]]
The cult of the Ebon Hand worships deformity, and often its members are deformed or mutated in some way, while those who aren't seek mutation, or ''the touch of the Ebon Hand'' as they refer it. They are found in small cells and often kidnap adolescents to magically deform and mutate. While most die, those that survive become slaves to the cult. They tend to make their temples in difficult to find places, and are ready to abandon them the moment they arouse suspicion, making some liken them to cockroaches. Their symbol is a black hand.

===The Order of the Blooded Knife===
[[File:Blooded knife symbol.png|right|40px]]
The Order of the Blooded Knife is a cult that performs blood sacrifices to the Galchutt while posing as followers of other gods. They often either claim to follow a god who's harmless but distasteful enough to make other leave them alone, or infiltrate the faiths of other gods and turn them to fronts for their faith, while using them for prostitution, black marketeering, extortion, and gambling to make money for the cult. Their symbol is a curved knife dripping blood.

===The Plagueborn===
Not!cult of [[Nurgle]], is a good description for them. They seek elegance and artistry of destruction through disease, pestilence, and vermin. They often hang around in trash heaps, sewers, and other places of filth and vermin, trying to harbor diseases in themselves and spread them, promote the accumulation of filth, rot, and decay, and help vermin infestations foster wherever they are. Rats are important animals to them, with the rat often being their totem animal, wearing ratskin rags, and using them as symbols. They often leave hunks of rotten meat on hooks as their calling cards and markers.

===The Tolling Bell===
[[File:Tolling bell Symbol.png|right|60px]]
The most straightforward cult in that they want the apocalypse to come, and for this they research to find ways to create disasters that would bring greater disasters and eventually the apocalypse. Though found in small numbers, members of other cults seem to eventually "graduate" to members of this cult. Their name comes from ancient texts where the apocalypse is described as coming like the "tolling of a bell". Their symbol is a bell filled with cracks on the surface.

{{D&D-Ptolus-Deities}}

The Galchutt

2021-06-30T16:10:17Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* The Galchutt themselves */

{{Infobox Deity
|Name = The Galchutt
|Symbol = [[File:Galchutt Symbol.png|150px]] Many-pointed arrow, green spiral, or broken square
|Aliases = The Chaos Gods, Lords of Chaos
|Alignment = Chaotic Evil
|Divine Rank = Demon Princes
|Pantheon = Praemal
|Portfolio = Chaos, destruction
|Domains = Chaos, Destruction, Evil
|Home Plane = [[Prime Material Plane]] (''Caverns of the Galchutt'', [[Ptolus|Praemal]])
|Worshippers = [[Aberration]]s, chaositech users, the insane, members of House Vladaam, nihilists, the psychotic, ratmen, rhodintor, wintersouled
|Favoured Weapon =
}}
'''The Galchutt''' are the beings of deep chaos, and the equivalent of the [[Chaos Gods]], which is actually an alias for them, in [[Monte Cook]]'s [[Ptolus]].

==History==
The Galchutt were ancient beings even before Praemal was created. They originally ruled over the [[Lower Planes]], and they went from one world to another, destroying and corrupting them in an attempt to end all existence. Eventually the god Praemus created Praemal as a prison for them, and lured them there by disguising it as a regular world. The Galchutt, realizing they were trapped, tried to escape by first attempting to corrupt the wardens of their prison, the mortal races, creating the Vested, two of whom would later ascend to godhood, and then attempting to kill the wardens of the world's soul with a disease. In a final bid, they tore the veil between life and death apart, creating the first undead, but a group of heroes, with the aid of the elder gods, use a chunk of the Vallis moon to fix the veil, catapulting the moon, and the soul of the world in it, to the outer reaches of space.

The Galchutt, furious at their situation, instructed their servants to go and destroy all civilizations they came across, and gave them chaositech, think [[Dark Mechanicus]] items in a fantasy setting, to use as was fit. Eventually however the servants turned against each other, with the zaug rebelling against their masters, and eventually the Galchutt themselves decided to bide their time and dissolved their physical forms and melded with the caverns they settled in. There they wait for the ''Night of Dissolution'', when the soul of the world returns and they can once again attempt to escape, whilst corrupting those close to their resting place. (Or for some idiot to get to the Dread One's Path.)

In ''The [[Banewarrens]]'', they were the Natharl'nacna; "Galchutt" is (implicitly) the name of their prison. But nobody liked to remember or pronounce "Natharl'nacna" so "Galchutt" it is.

==The Galchutt themselves==
The Galchutt can be divided into two categories: the unique, and the Galchutt races. The unique are rather self-explanatory and they're usually on par with [[Demon Prince]]s, and the races are just those Galchutt of whom there are groups of.

===Abhoth===
'''Abhoth, the Source of All Uncleanliness''', is one of the deities from [[Clark Ashton Smith]]'s Hyperborea cycle. Here he's the patron of the zaug and revered by The Plagueborn. The ratmen of Ptolus worship him in the guise of the ''Rat God''.

===Baalhazor===
'''Baalhazor, the Demon God of Technology''', is the one who holds dominion over chaositech. Originally he was once the Vested of the Galchutt, but managed to gain divinity of some sort afterwards. Beings intrigued by chaositech often worship him, and his [[cleric]]s have access to Technology [[Cleric Domain|domain]] instead of destruction.

===Bhor Kei===
'''Bhor Kei, the Eye of the Legion''', is an entity of rage, power, and tireless destruction. Some believe that it represents the destructive thoughts of many beings, while others say that all beings slain by it are bound to follow it forever as ghosts from which it draws its terrible strength and power. It appears as humanoid with flesh that shimmers like polished steel, four massive arms that end in huge claws that resemble serrated cleavers, and a long, pointed face, with eyes that glisten deeply green.

===Gorgoth-Lol===
{{Main|Gorgoth-Lol}}
'''Gorgoth-Lol''' was also originally one of the Vested of the Galchutt, but eventually became the goddess of [[drow|dark elves]] of Praemal.

===Kihomenetoth===
'''Kihomenethoth, the Writhing One''', is the only one of the Galchutt still mainly aware what's happening around them. He was the one in charge of their mortal followers when the Galchutt were active. He appears a massive pillar of writhing tentacles and serpents with eyes.

===Nyogtha===
'''Nyogtha, the Thing That Should Not Be''' is one of the [[Old Ones|Great Old Ones]] from [[H.P. Lovecraft|Lovecraft]]'s writings.

===Shallamoth Kindred===
'''Shallamoth Kindred, the Dweller in the Darkness''', is the closest thing the Galchutt have for a leader, as its often described leading the other races in battle. Most desribe it as the act of mutilation and destruction given life, and some say that it was born from the end of another universe, and that this is merely it trying to continue its reproductive cycle. It has two forms, both of which are completely emotionless. In the first form, it appears as a tall and lithe, completely black humanoid, with dagger-shaped eyes that are yellow-brown. The second form is that of a squirming mass of ropy tendrils covering an obese, pox-ridden, bulbous, decaying, vaguely humanoid body with vestigial, bat-like wings hanging limply behind it.

===Slaachma'jur===
'''Slaachma'jur, the Touch of Mutation, and the One Who Is Many''', is only mentioned by name, but may be affiliated with the Ebon Hand.

===Sothoth===
'''Sothoth, the Key and the Gate''', is just an obvious reference to Lovecraft.

===The Galchutt Races===
The [[daemon]]s to the chaos gods above, they are:

*'''Carach''' (both singular and plural) are the [[assassin]]s and enforcers of the Galchutt. They have an insectoid body from which a long, muscular neck that ends in tentacles grows. The tentacles surround a mouth full of teeth, with two small eyes on the sides, and four of the tentacles are particularly long and end in spikes.
*'''Dhar Rhyth''' are sentient holes that lead to a dimension filled with squirming worm-like beings, intent on reducing all to nothingness. They're usually vaguely man-shaped, and sometimes mistaken for humanoids covered in tendrils or [[Worm That Walks|made of worms]].
*'''Shaadom''' (both singular and plural) are the closest equivelant to the [[Lord of Change|lords of change]], in that they are powerful chaos spellcasters and plotters. They represent the individuality taken to the utmost extremes of obsession and selfishness, to the point where they see only enemies and rivals. They appear as floating, hulking humanoids with two muscular, three-fingered arms, an arachnid-like head, and short, wide tentacles below its torso.
*'''Vreeth''' are what remain of powerful chaos cultists after they were taken from the mortal realms and altered by the Galchutt. Unable to do nothing but serve and worship the higher concepts of deep chaos, they sometimes serve as the masterminds behind chaos cults, but they mainly spend their time performing continuous rituals and ceremonies to bring the end of the world. At first they look like empty, tattered, hooded cloaks floating in the air, but closer inspection reveals numerous tentacles hanging from beneath the cloaks edge.
*'''Zaug''' are the equivalent of [[Great Unclean Ones]], massive, disease-ridden, rotting, humanoids with horns and rotten, vestigial wings who love spreading disease and decay. Most zaug rebelled when the Galchutt shed their forms, seeking to rule over existence rather than destroy it. The only way to hurt them is by casting healing magic on them.
*'''The Elder Brood''' are the daemonic beasts of the Galchutt that comprise at least half a dozen different beings. Only two are known, the obaan, bat-winged clumps of tentacles with beaks born from the blood of shaadom, and the sscree, toad-like beings with two clawed feet and tentacles that end in mouths.

==The Cults of Chaos==
The cults of chaos are what you would imagine them as if you've ever glanced at the [[Chaos Cults]] page. Here they all believe that the all of creation being a creation of order and structure makes it fundamentally flawed, as it lacks what living creatures need. And what they need is murder, [[rape]], anarchy, destruction, and all equally nice things that the Galchutt bring. Doing this will make everything right again by bringing an end to all that is wrong, with the faithful being rewarded with the coming [[Warp|realm of utter chaos]]. Of course what they don't know is that the realm is a lie, and everyone will be rewarded with death and destruction like all others.

===The Brothers of Venom===
[[File:Brothers of venom symbol.png|right|75px]]
Poisons and venoms are their main bread and butter, using them to slowly and quietly kill important individuals, especially those who have influence over laws and order. They are mainly found in cells of half a dozen and prefer to stay hidden from everyone. Their rituals often include substance abuse, [[/d/|sexual perversions]], and acts of cruelty and violence. Their symbol is a shadowy, coiled serpent.

===The Crimson Coil===
Mainly manifesting as sudden torches & pitchforks mobs or groups of murderers, wearing all red and hiding their faces, that commit random acts of destruction and death. The Crimson Coil is one of the harder cults to destroy, as they often build their temples in hidden places, fill them with traps and, if found, they will fight to the last man. Even after being rooted out, they often come back stronger.

===Deathmantle===
[[File:Deathmantle symbol.png|right|65px]]
Also known as ''Death's Grimace'', they worship death and the act of murder, and more specifically slaughter, with their main goals often being the slaughter of an entire town, city, nation, or race. The members wear copper, bronze, or skull-white death's head masks and often associate with [[necromancer]]s and the [[undead]]. They also associate with an assassin's guild called ''Vai'', whose member believe that the path to power and enlightenment is found through killing others. Their symbol is a skull.

===The Ebon Hand===
[[File:Ebon hand symbol.png|right|65px]]
The cult of the Ebon Hand worships deformity, and often its members are deformed or mutated in some way, while those who aren't seek mutation, or ''the touch of the Ebon Hand'' as they refer it. They are found in small cells and often kidnap adolescents to magically deform and mutate. While most die, those that survive become slaves to the cult. They tend to make their temples in difficult to find places, and are ready to abandon them the moment they arouse suspicion, making some liken them to cockroaches. Their symbol is a black hand.

===The Order of the Blooded Knife===
[[File:Blooded knife symbol.png|right|40px]]
The Order of the Blooded Knife is a cult that performs blood sacrifices to the Galchutt while posing as followers of other gods. They often either claim to follow a god who's harmless but distasteful enough to make other leave them alone, or infiltrate the faiths of other gods and turn them to fronts for their faith, while using them for prostitution, black marketeering, extortion, and gambling to make money for the cult. Their symbol is a curved knife dripping blood.

===The Plagueborn===
Not!cult of [[Nurgle]], is a good description for them. They seek elegance and artistry of destruction through disease, pestilence, and vermin. They often hang around in trash heaps, sewers, and other places of filth and vermin, trying to harbor diseases in themselves and spread them, promote the accumulation of filth, rot, and decay, and help vermin infestations foster wherever they are. Rats are important animals to them, with the rat often being their totem animal, wearing ratskin rags, and using them as symbols. They often leave hunks of rotten meat on hooks as their calling cards and markers.

===The Tolling Bell===
[[File:Tolling bell Symbol.png|right|60px]]
The most straightforward cult in that they want the apocalypse to come, and for this they research to find ways to create disasters that would bring greater disasters and eventually the apocalypse. Though found in small numbers, members of other cults seem to eventually "graduate" to members of this cult. Their name comes from ancient texts where the apocalypse is described as coming like the "tolling of a bell". Their symbol is a bell filled with cracks on the surface.

{{D&D-Ptolus-Deities}}

The Galchutt

2021-06-30T16:09:39Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* The Galchutt themselves */

{{Infobox Deity
|Name = The Galchutt
|Symbol = [[File:Galchutt Symbol.png|150px]] Many-pointed arrow, green spiral, or broken square
|Aliases = The Chaos Gods, Lords of Chaos
|Alignment = Chaotic Evil
|Divine Rank = Demon Princes
|Pantheon = Praemal
|Portfolio = Chaos, destruction
|Domains = Chaos, Destruction, Evil
|Home Plane = [[Prime Material Plane]] (''Caverns of the Galchutt'', [[Ptolus|Praemal]])
|Worshippers = [[Aberration]]s, chaositech users, the insane, members of House Vladaam, nihilists, the psychotic, ratmen, rhodintor, wintersouled
|Favoured Weapon =
}}
'''The Galchutt''' are the beings of deep chaos, and the equivalent of the [[Chaos Gods]], which is actually an alias for them, in [[Monte Cook]]'s [[Ptolus]].

==History==
The Galchutt were ancient beings even before Praemal was created. They originally ruled over the [[Lower Planes]], and they went from one world to another, destroying and corrupting them in an attempt to end all existence. Eventually the god Praemus created Praemal as a prison for them, and lured them there by disguising it as a regular world. The Galchutt, realizing they were trapped, tried to escape by first attempting to corrupt the wardens of their prison, the mortal races, creating the Vested, two of whom would later ascend to godhood, and then attempting to kill the wardens of the world's soul with a disease. In a final bid, they tore the veil between life and death apart, creating the first undead, but a group of heroes, with the aid of the elder gods, use a chunk of the Vallis moon to fix the veil, catapulting the moon, and the soul of the world in it, to the outer reaches of space.

The Galchutt, furious at their situation, instructed their servants to go and destroy all civilizations they came across, and gave them chaositech, think [[Dark Mechanicus]] items in a fantasy setting, to use as was fit. Eventually however the servants turned against each other, with the zaug rebelling against their masters, and eventually the Galchutt themselves decided to bide their time and dissolved their physical forms and melded with the caverns they settled in. There they wait for the ''Night of Dissolution'', when the soul of the world returns and they can once again attempt to escape, whilst corrupting those close to their resting place. (Or for some idiot to get to the Dread One's Path.)

In ''The [[Banewarrens]]'', they were the Natharl'nacna; "Galchutt" is (implicitly) the name of their prison. But nobody liked to remember or pronounce "Natharl'nacna" so "Galchutt" it is.

==The Galchutt themselves==
The Galchutt can be divided into two categories: the unique, and the Galchutt races. The unique are rather self-explanatory and they're usually on par with [[Demon Prince]]s, and the races are just those Galchutt of whom there are groups of.

===Abhoth===
'''Abhoth, the Source of All Uncleanliness''', is one of the deities from [[Clark Ashton Smith]]'s Hyperborea cycle. Here he's the patron of the zaug and revered by The Plagueborn. The ratmen of Ptolus worship him in the guise of the ''Rat God''.

===Baalhazor===
'''Baalhazor, the Demon God of Technology''', is the one who holds dominion over chaositech. Originally he was one the Vested of the Galchutt, but managed to gain divinity of some sort afterwards. Beings intrigued by chaositech often worship him, and his [[cleric]]s have access to Technology [[Cleric Domain|domain]] instead of destruction.

===Bhor Kei===
'''Bhor Kei, the Eye of the Legion''', is an entity of rage, power, and tireless destruction. Some believe that it represents the destructive thoughts of many beings, while others say that all beings slain by it are bound to follow it forever as ghosts from which it draws its terrible strength and power. It appears as humanoid with flesh that shimmers like polished steel, four massive arms that end in huge claws that resemble serrated cleavers, and a long, pointed face, with eyes that glisten deeply green.

===Gorgoth-Lol===
{{Main|Gorgoth-Lol}}
'''Gorgoth-Lol''' was also originally one of the Vested of the Galchutt, but eventually became the goddess of [[drow|dark elves]] of Praemal.

===Kihomenetoth===
'''Kihomenethoth, the Writhing One''', is the only one of the Galchutt still mainly aware what's happening around them. He was the one in charge of their mortal followers when the Galchutt were active. He appears a massive pillar of writhing tentacles and serpents with eyes.

===Nyogtha===
'''Nyogtha, the Thing That Should Not Be''' is one of the [[Old Ones|Great Old Ones]] from [[H.P. Lovecraft|Lovecraft]]'s writings.

===Shallamoth Kindred===
'''Shallamoth Kindred, the Dweller in the Darkness''', is the closest thing the Galchutt have for a leader, as its often described leading the other races in battle. Most desribe it as the act of mutilation and destruction given life, and some say that it was born from the end of another universe, and that this is merely it trying to continue its reproductive cycle. It has two forms, both of which are completely emotionless. In the first form, it appears as a tall and lithe, completely black humanoid, with dagger-shaped eyes that are yellow-brown. The second form is that of a squirming mass of ropy tendrils covering an obese, pox-ridden, bulbous, decaying, vaguely humanoid body with vestigial, bat-like wings hanging limply behind it.

===Slaachma'jur===
'''Slaachma'jur, the Touch of Mutation, and the One Who Is Many''', is only mentioned by name, but may be affiliated with the Ebon Hand.

===Sothoth===
'''Sothoth, the Key and the Gate''', is just an obvious reference to Lovecraft.

===The Galchutt Races===
The [[daemon]]s to the chaos gods above, they are:

*'''Carach''' (both singular and plural) are the [[assassin]]s and enforcers of the Galchutt. They have an insectoid body from which a long, muscular neck that ends in tentacles grows. The tentacles surround a mouth full of teeth, with two small eyes on the sides, and four of the tentacles are particularly long and end in spikes.
*'''Dhar Rhyth''' are sentient holes that lead to a dimension filled with squirming worm-like beings, intent on reducing all to nothingness. They're usually vaguely man-shaped, and sometimes mistaken for humanoids covered in tendrils or [[Worm That Walks|made of worms]].
*'''Shaadom''' (both singular and plural) are the closest equivelant to the [[Lord of Change|lords of change]], in that they are powerful chaos spellcasters and plotters. They represent the individuality taken to the utmost extremes of obsession and selfishness, to the point where they see only enemies and rivals. They appear as floating, hulking humanoids with two muscular, three-fingered arms, an arachnid-like head, and short, wide tentacles below its torso.
*'''Vreeth''' are what remain of powerful chaos cultists after they were taken from the mortal realms and altered by the Galchutt. Unable to do nothing but serve and worship the higher concepts of deep chaos, they sometimes serve as the masterminds behind chaos cults, but they mainly spend their time performing continuous rituals and ceremonies to bring the end of the world. At first they look like empty, tattered, hooded cloaks floating in the air, but closer inspection reveals numerous tentacles hanging from beneath the cloaks edge.
*'''Zaug''' are the equivalent of [[Great Unclean Ones]], massive, disease-ridden, rotting, humanoids with horns and rotten, vestigial wings who love spreading disease and decay. Most zaug rebelled when the Galchutt shed their forms, seeking to rule over existence rather than destroy it. The only way to hurt them is by casting healing magic on them.
*'''The Elder Brood''' are the daemonic beasts of the Galchutt that comprise at least half a dozen different beings. Only two are known, the obaan, bat-winged clumps of tentacles with beaks born from the blood of shaadom, and the sscree, toad-like beings with two clawed feet and tentacles that end in mouths.

==The Cults of Chaos==
The cults of chaos are what you would imagine them as if you've ever glanced at the [[Chaos Cults]] page. Here they all believe that the all of creation being a creation of order and structure makes it fundamentally flawed, as it lacks what living creatures need. And what they need is murder, [[rape]], anarchy, destruction, and all equally nice things that the Galchutt bring. Doing this will make everything right again by bringing an end to all that is wrong, with the faithful being rewarded with the coming [[Warp|realm of utter chaos]]. Of course what they don't know is that the realm is a lie, and everyone will be rewarded with death and destruction like all others.

===The Brothers of Venom===
[[File:Brothers of venom symbol.png|right|75px]]
Poisons and venoms are their main bread and butter, using them to slowly and quietly kill important individuals, especially those who have influence over laws and order. They are mainly found in cells of half a dozen and prefer to stay hidden from everyone. Their rituals often include substance abuse, [[/d/|sexual perversions]], and acts of cruelty and violence. Their symbol is a shadowy, coiled serpent.

===The Crimson Coil===
Mainly manifesting as sudden torches & pitchforks mobs or groups of murderers, wearing all red and hiding their faces, that commit random acts of destruction and death. The Crimson Coil is one of the harder cults to destroy, as they often build their temples in hidden places, fill them with traps and, if found, they will fight to the last man. Even after being rooted out, they often come back stronger.

===Deathmantle===
[[File:Deathmantle symbol.png|right|65px]]
Also known as ''Death's Grimace'', they worship death and the act of murder, and more specifically slaughter, with their main goals often being the slaughter of an entire town, city, nation, or race. The members wear copper, bronze, or skull-white death's head masks and often associate with [[necromancer]]s and the [[undead]]. They also associate with an assassin's guild called ''Vai'', whose member believe that the path to power and enlightenment is found through killing others. Their symbol is a skull.

===The Ebon Hand===
[[File:Ebon hand symbol.png|right|65px]]
The cult of the Ebon Hand worships deformity, and often its members are deformed or mutated in some way, while those who aren't seek mutation, or ''the touch of the Ebon Hand'' as they refer it. They are found in small cells and often kidnap adolescents to magically deform and mutate. While most die, those that survive become slaves to the cult. They tend to make their temples in difficult to find places, and are ready to abandon them the moment they arouse suspicion, making some liken them to cockroaches. Their symbol is a black hand.

===The Order of the Blooded Knife===
[[File:Blooded knife symbol.png|right|40px]]
The Order of the Blooded Knife is a cult that performs blood sacrifices to the Galchutt while posing as followers of other gods. They often either claim to follow a god who's harmless but distasteful enough to make other leave them alone, or infiltrate the faiths of other gods and turn them to fronts for their faith, while using them for prostitution, black marketeering, extortion, and gambling to make money for the cult. Their symbol is a curved knife dripping blood.

===The Plagueborn===
Not!cult of [[Nurgle]], is a good description for them. They seek elegance and artistry of destruction through disease, pestilence, and vermin. They often hang around in trash heaps, sewers, and other places of filth and vermin, trying to harbor diseases in themselves and spread them, promote the accumulation of filth, rot, and decay, and help vermin infestations foster wherever they are. Rats are important animals to them, with the rat often being their totem animal, wearing ratskin rags, and using them as symbols. They often leave hunks of rotten meat on hooks as their calling cards and markers.

===The Tolling Bell===
[[File:Tolling bell Symbol.png|right|60px]]
The most straightforward cult in that they want the apocalypse to come, and for this they research to find ways to create disasters that would bring greater disasters and eventually the apocalypse. Though found in small numbers, members of other cults seem to eventually "graduate" to members of this cult. Their name comes from ancient texts where the apocalypse is described as coming like the "tolling of a bell". Their symbol is a bell filled with cracks on the surface.

{{D&D-Ptolus-Deities}}

The Galchutt

2021-06-30T16:07:49Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* History */

{{Infobox Deity
|Name = The Galchutt
|Symbol = [[File:Galchutt Symbol.png|150px]] Many-pointed arrow, green spiral, or broken square
|Aliases = The Chaos Gods, Lords of Chaos
|Alignment = Chaotic Evil
|Divine Rank = Demon Princes
|Pantheon = Praemal
|Portfolio = Chaos, destruction
|Domains = Chaos, Destruction, Evil
|Home Plane = [[Prime Material Plane]] (''Caverns of the Galchutt'', [[Ptolus|Praemal]])
|Worshippers = [[Aberration]]s, chaositech users, the insane, members of House Vladaam, nihilists, the psychotic, ratmen, rhodintor, wintersouled
|Favoured Weapon =
}}
'''The Galchutt''' are the beings of deep chaos, and the equivalent of the [[Chaos Gods]], which is actually an alias for them, in [[Monte Cook]]'s [[Ptolus]].

==History==
The Galchutt were ancient beings even before Praemal was created. They originally ruled over the [[Lower Planes]], and they went from one world to another, destroying and corrupting them in an attempt to end all existence. Eventually the god Praemus created Praemal as a prison for them, and lured them there by disguising it as a regular world. The Galchutt, realizing they were trapped, tried to escape by first attempting to corrupt the wardens of their prison, the mortal races, creating the Vested, two of whom would later ascend to godhood, and then attempting to kill the wardens of the world's soul with a disease. In a final bid, they tore the veil between life and death apart, creating the first undead, but a group of heroes, with the aid of the elder gods, use a chunk of the Vallis moon to fix the veil, catapulting the moon, and the soul of the world in it, to the outer reaches of space.

The Galchutt, furious at their situation, instructed their servants to go and destroy all civilizations they came across, and gave them chaositech, think [[Dark Mechanicus]] items in a fantasy setting, to use as was fit. Eventually however the servants turned against each other, with the zaug rebelling against their masters, and eventually the Galchutt themselves decided to bide their time and dissolved their physical forms and melded with the caverns they settled in. There they wait for the ''Night of Dissolution'', when the soul of the world returns and they can once again attempt to escape, whilst corrupting those close to their resting place. (Or for some idiot to get to the Dread One's Path.)

In ''The [[Banewarrens]]'', they were the Natharl'nacna; "Galchutt" is (implicitly) the name of their prison. But nobody liked to remember or pronounce "Natharl'nacna" so "Galchutt" it is.

==The Galchutt themselves==
The Galchutt can be divided into two categories: the unique, and the Galchutt races. The unique are rather self-explanatory and they're usually on par with [[Demon Prince]]s, and the races are just those Galchutt of whom there are groups of.

===Abhoth===
'''Abhoth, the Source of All Uncleanliness''', is one deities from [[Clark Ashton Smith]]'s Hyperborea cycle. Here he's the patron of the zaug and revered by The Plagueborn. The ratmen of Ptolus worship him in the guise of the ''Rat God''.

===Baalhazor===
'''Baalhazor, the Demon God of Technology''', is the one who holds dominion over chaositech. Originally he was one the Vested of the Galchutt, but managed to gain divinity of some sort afterwards. Beings intrigued by chaositech often worship him, and his [[cleric]]s have access to Technology [[Cleric Domain|domain]] instead of destruction.

===Bhor Kei===
'''Bhor Kei, the Eye of the Legion''', is an entity of rage, power, and tireless destruction. Some believe that it represents the destructive thoughts of many beings, while others say that all beings slain by it are bound to follow it forever as ghosts from which it draws its terrible strength and power. It appears as humanoid with flesh that shimmers like polished steel, four massive arms that end in huge claws that resemble serrated cleavers, and a long, pointed face, with eyes that glisten deeply green.

===Gorgoth-Lol===
{{Main|Gorgoth-Lol}}
'''Gorgoth-Lol''' was also originally one of the Vested of the Galchutt, but eventually became the goddess of [[drow|dark elves]] of Praemal.

===Kihomenetoth===
'''Kihomenethoth, the Writhing One''', is the only one of the Galchutt still mainly aware what's happening around them. He was the one in charge of their mortal followers when the Galchutt were active. He appears a massive pillar of writhing tentacles and serpents with eyes.

===Nyogtha===
'''Nyogtha, the Thing That Should Not Be''' is one of the [[Old Ones|Great Old Ones]] from [[H.P. Lovecraft|Lovecraft]]'s writings.

===Shallamoth Kindred===
'''Shallamoth Kindred, the Dweller in the Darkness''', is the closest thing the Galchutt have for a leader, as its often described leading the other races in battle. Most desribe it as the act of mutilation and destruction given life, and some say that it was born from the end of another universe, and that this is merely it trying to continue its reproductive cycle. It has two forms, both of which are completely emotionless. In the first form, it appears as a tall and lithe, completely black humanoid, with dagger-shaped eyes that are yellow-brown. The second form is that of a squirming mass of ropy tendrils covering an obese, pox-ridden, bulbous, decaying, vaguely humanoid body with vestigial, bat-like wings hanging limply behind it.

===Slaachma'jur===
'''Slaachma'jur, the Touch of Mutation, and the One Who Is Many''', is only mentioned by name, but may be affiliated with the Ebon Hand.

===Sothoth===
'''Sothoth, the Key and the Gate''', is just an obvious reference to Lovecraft.

===The Galchutt Races===
The [[daemon]]s to the chaos gods above, they are:

*'''Carach''' (both singular and plural) are the [[assassin]]s and enforcers of the Galchutt. They have an insectoid body from which a long, muscular neck that ends in tentacles grows. The tentacles surround a mouth full of teeth, with two small eyes on the sides, and four of the tentacles are particularly long and end in spikes.
*'''Dhar Rhyth''' are sentient holes that lead to a dimension filled with squirming worm-like beings, intent on reducing all to nothingness. They're usually vaguely man-shaped, and sometimes mistaken for humanoids covered in tendrils or [[Worm That Walks|made of worms]].
*'''Shaadom''' (both singular and plural) are the closest equivelant to the [[Lord of Change|lords of change]], in that they are powerful chaos spellcasters and plotters. They represent the individuality taken to the utmost extremes of obsession and selfishness, to the point where they see only enemies and rivals. They appear as floating, hulking humanoids with two muscular, three-fingered arms, an arachnid-like head, and short, wide tentacles below its torso.
*'''Vreeth''' are what remain of powerful chaos cultists after they were taken from the mortal realms and altered by the Galchutt. Unable to do nothing but serve and worship the higher concepts of deep chaos, they sometimes serve as the masterminds behind chaos cults, but they mainly spend their time performing continuous rituals and ceremonies to bring the end of the world. At first they look like empty, tattered, hooded cloaks floating in the air, but closer inspection reveals numerous tentacles hanging from beneath the cloaks edge.
*'''Zaug''' are the equivalent of [[Great Unclean Ones]], massive, disease-ridden, rotting, humanoids with horns and rotten, vestigial wings who love spreading disease and decay. Most zaug rebelled when the Galchutt shed their forms, seeking to rule over existence rather than destroy it. The only way to hurt them is by casting healing magic on them.
*'''The Elder Brood''' are the daemonic beasts of the Galchutt that comprise at least half a dozen different beings. Only two are known, the obaan, bat-winged clumps of tentacles with beaks born from the blood of shaadom, and the sscree, toad-like beings with two clawed feet and tentacles that end in mouths.

==The Cults of Chaos==
The cults of chaos are what you would imagine them as if you've ever glanced at the [[Chaos Cults]] page. Here they all believe that the all of creation being a creation of order and structure makes it fundamentally flawed, as it lacks what living creatures need. And what they need is murder, [[rape]], anarchy, destruction, and all equally nice things that the Galchutt bring. Doing this will make everything right again by bringing an end to all that is wrong, with the faithful being rewarded with the coming [[Warp|realm of utter chaos]]. Of course what they don't know is that the realm is a lie, and everyone will be rewarded with death and destruction like all others.

===The Brothers of Venom===
[[File:Brothers of venom symbol.png|right|75px]]
Poisons and venoms are their main bread and butter, using them to slowly and quietly kill important individuals, especially those who have influence over laws and order. They are mainly found in cells of half a dozen and prefer to stay hidden from everyone. Their rituals often include substance abuse, [[/d/|sexual perversions]], and acts of cruelty and violence. Their symbol is a shadowy, coiled serpent.

===The Crimson Coil===
Mainly manifesting as sudden torches & pitchforks mobs or groups of murderers, wearing all red and hiding their faces, that commit random acts of destruction and death. The Crimson Coil is one of the harder cults to destroy, as they often build their temples in hidden places, fill them with traps and, if found, they will fight to the last man. Even after being rooted out, they often come back stronger.

===Deathmantle===
[[File:Deathmantle symbol.png|right|65px]]
Also known as ''Death's Grimace'', they worship death and the act of murder, and more specifically slaughter, with their main goals often being the slaughter of an entire town, city, nation, or race. The members wear copper, bronze, or skull-white death's head masks and often associate with [[necromancer]]s and the [[undead]]. They also associate with an assassin's guild called ''Vai'', whose member believe that the path to power and enlightenment is found through killing others. Their symbol is a skull.

===The Ebon Hand===
[[File:Ebon hand symbol.png|right|65px]]
The cult of the Ebon Hand worships deformity, and often its members are deformed or mutated in some way, while those who aren't seek mutation, or ''the touch of the Ebon Hand'' as they refer it. They are found in small cells and often kidnap adolescents to magically deform and mutate. While most die, those that survive become slaves to the cult. They tend to make their temples in difficult to find places, and are ready to abandon them the moment they arouse suspicion, making some liken them to cockroaches. Their symbol is a black hand.

===The Order of the Blooded Knife===
[[File:Blooded knife symbol.png|right|40px]]
The Order of the Blooded Knife is a cult that performs blood sacrifices to the Galchutt while posing as followers of other gods. They often either claim to follow a god who's harmless but distasteful enough to make other leave them alone, or infiltrate the faiths of other gods and turn them to fronts for their faith, while using them for prostitution, black marketeering, extortion, and gambling to make money for the cult. Their symbol is a curved knife dripping blood.

===The Plagueborn===
Not!cult of [[Nurgle]], is a good description for them. They seek elegance and artistry of destruction through disease, pestilence, and vermin. They often hang around in trash heaps, sewers, and other places of filth and vermin, trying to harbor diseases in themselves and spread them, promote the accumulation of filth, rot, and decay, and help vermin infestations foster wherever they are. Rats are important animals to them, with the rat often being their totem animal, wearing ratskin rags, and using them as symbols. They often leave hunks of rotten meat on hooks as their calling cards and markers.

===The Tolling Bell===
[[File:Tolling bell Symbol.png|right|60px]]
The most straightforward cult in that they want the apocalypse to come, and for this they research to find ways to create disasters that would bring greater disasters and eventually the apocalypse. Though found in small numbers, members of other cults seem to eventually "graduate" to members of this cult. Their name comes from ancient texts where the apocalypse is described as coming like the "tolling of a bell". Their symbol is a bell filled with cracks on the surface.

{{D&D-Ptolus-Deities}}

The Galchutt

2021-06-30T16:06:23Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* History */

{{Infobox Deity
|Name = The Galchutt
|Symbol = [[File:Galchutt Symbol.png|150px]] Many-pointed arrow, green spiral, or broken square
|Aliases = The Chaos Gods, Lords of Chaos
|Alignment = Chaotic Evil
|Divine Rank = Demon Princes
|Pantheon = Praemal
|Portfolio = Chaos, destruction
|Domains = Chaos, Destruction, Evil
|Home Plane = [[Prime Material Plane]] (''Caverns of the Galchutt'', [[Ptolus|Praemal]])
|Worshippers = [[Aberration]]s, chaositech users, the insane, members of House Vladaam, nihilists, the psychotic, ratmen, rhodintor, wintersouled
|Favoured Weapon =
}}
'''The Galchutt''' are the beings of deep chaos, and the equivalent of the [[Chaos Gods]], which is actually an alias for them, in [[Monte Cook]]'s [[Ptolus]].

==History==
The Galchutt were ancient beings even before Praemal was created. They originally ruled over the [[Lower Planes]], and they went from one world to another, destroying and corrupting them in an attempt to end all existence. Eventually the god Praemus created Praemal as a prison for them, and lured them there by disguising it as a regular world. The Galchutt, realizing they were trapped begun to escape by first attempting to corrupt the wardens of their prison, the mortal races, creating the Vested, two of whom would later ascend to godhood, and then attempting to kill the wardens of the world's soul with a disease. In a final bid, they tore the veil between life and death apart, creating the first undead, but a group of heroes, with the aid of the elder gods, use a chunk of the Vallis moon to fix the veil, catapulting the moon, and the soul of the world in it, to the outer reaches of space.

The Galchutt, furious at their situation, instructed their servants to go and destroy all civilization they came across, and gave them chaositech, think [[Dark Mechanicus]] items in a fantasy setting, to use as was fit. Eventually however the servants turned against each other, with the zaug rebelling against their masters, and eventually the Galchutt themselves decided to bide their time and dissolved their physical forms and melded with the caverns they settled in. There they wait for the ''Night of Dissolution'', when the soul of the world returns and they can once again attempt to escape, whilst corrupting those close to their resting place. (Or for some idiot to get to the Dread One's Path.)

In ''The [[Banewarrens]]'', they were the Natharl'nacna; "Galchutt" is (implicitly) the name of their prison. But nobody liked to remember or pronounce "Natharl'nacna" so "Galchutt" it is.

==The Galchutt themselves==
The Galchutt can be divided into two categories: the unique, and the Galchutt races. The unique are rather self-explanatory and they're usually on par with [[Demon Prince]]s, and the races are just those Galchutt of whom there are groups of.

===Abhoth===
'''Abhoth, the Source of All Uncleanliness''', is one deities from [[Clark Ashton Smith]]'s Hyperborea cycle. Here he's the patron of the zaug and revered by The Plagueborn. The ratmen of Ptolus worship him in the guise of the ''Rat God''.

===Baalhazor===
'''Baalhazor, the Demon God of Technology''', is the one who holds dominion over chaositech. Originally he was one the Vested of the Galchutt, but managed to gain divinity of some sort afterwards. Beings intrigued by chaositech often worship him, and his [[cleric]]s have access to Technology [[Cleric Domain|domain]] instead of destruction.

===Bhor Kei===
'''Bhor Kei, the Eye of the Legion''', is an entity of rage, power, and tireless destruction. Some believe that it represents the destructive thoughts of many beings, while others say that all beings slain by it are bound to follow it forever as ghosts from which it draws its terrible strength and power. It appears as humanoid with flesh that shimmers like polished steel, four massive arms that end in huge claws that resemble serrated cleavers, and a long, pointed face, with eyes that glisten deeply green.

===Gorgoth-Lol===
{{Main|Gorgoth-Lol}}
'''Gorgoth-Lol''' was also originally one of the Vested of the Galchutt, but eventually became the goddess of [[drow|dark elves]] of Praemal.

===Kihomenetoth===
'''Kihomenethoth, the Writhing One''', is the only one of the Galchutt still mainly aware what's happening around them. He was the one in charge of their mortal followers when the Galchutt were active. He appears a massive pillar of writhing tentacles and serpents with eyes.

===Nyogtha===
'''Nyogtha, the Thing That Should Not Be''' is one of the [[Old Ones|Great Old Ones]] from [[H.P. Lovecraft|Lovecraft]]'s writings.

===Shallamoth Kindred===
'''Shallamoth Kindred, the Dweller in the Darkness''', is the closest thing the Galchutt have for a leader, as its often described leading the other races in battle. Most desribe it as the act of mutilation and destruction given life, and some say that it was born from the end of another universe, and that this is merely it trying to continue its reproductive cycle. It has two forms, both of which are completely emotionless. In the first form, it appears as a tall and lithe, completely black humanoid, with dagger-shaped eyes that are yellow-brown. The second form is that of a squirming mass of ropy tendrils covering an obese, pox-ridden, bulbous, decaying, vaguely humanoid body with vestigial, bat-like wings hanging limply behind it.

===Slaachma'jur===
'''Slaachma'jur, the Touch of Mutation, and the One Who Is Many''', is only mentioned by name, but may be affiliated with the Ebon Hand.

===Sothoth===
'''Sothoth, the Key and the Gate''', is just an obvious reference to Lovecraft.

===The Galchutt Races===
The [[daemon]]s to the chaos gods above, they are:

*'''Carach''' (both singular and plural) are the [[assassin]]s and enforcers of the Galchutt. They have an insectoid body from which a long, muscular neck that ends in tentacles grows. The tentacles surround a mouth full of teeth, with two small eyes on the sides, and four of the tentacles are particularly long and end in spikes.
*'''Dhar Rhyth''' are sentient holes that lead to a dimension filled with squirming worm-like beings, intent on reducing all to nothingness. They're usually vaguely man-shaped, and sometimes mistaken for humanoids covered in tendrils or [[Worm That Walks|made of worms]].
*'''Shaadom''' (both singular and plural) are the closest equivelant to the [[Lord of Change|lords of change]], in that they are powerful chaos spellcasters and plotters. They represent the individuality taken to the utmost extremes of obsession and selfishness, to the point where they see only enemies and rivals. They appear as floating, hulking humanoids with two muscular, three-fingered arms, an arachnid-like head, and short, wide tentacles below its torso.
*'''Vreeth''' are what remain of powerful chaos cultists after they were taken from the mortal realms and altered by the Galchutt. Unable to do nothing but serve and worship the higher concepts of deep chaos, they sometimes serve as the masterminds behind chaos cults, but they mainly spend their time performing continuous rituals and ceremonies to bring the end of the world. At first they look like empty, tattered, hooded cloaks floating in the air, but closer inspection reveals numerous tentacles hanging from beneath the cloaks edge.
*'''Zaug''' are the equivalent of [[Great Unclean Ones]], massive, disease-ridden, rotting, humanoids with horns and rotten, vestigial wings who love spreading disease and decay. Most zaug rebelled when the Galchutt shed their forms, seeking to rule over existence rather than destroy it. The only way to hurt them is by casting healing magic on them.
*'''The Elder Brood''' are the daemonic beasts of the Galchutt that comprise at least half a dozen different beings. Only two are known, the obaan, bat-winged clumps of tentacles with beaks born from the blood of shaadom, and the sscree, toad-like beings with two clawed feet and tentacles that end in mouths.

==The Cults of Chaos==
The cults of chaos are what you would imagine them as if you've ever glanced at the [[Chaos Cults]] page. Here they all believe that the all of creation being a creation of order and structure makes it fundamentally flawed, as it lacks what living creatures need. And what they need is murder, [[rape]], anarchy, destruction, and all equally nice things that the Galchutt bring. Doing this will make everything right again by bringing an end to all that is wrong, with the faithful being rewarded with the coming [[Warp|realm of utter chaos]]. Of course what they don't know is that the realm is a lie, and everyone will be rewarded with death and destruction like all others.

===The Brothers of Venom===
[[File:Brothers of venom symbol.png|right|75px]]
Poisons and venoms are their main bread and butter, using them to slowly and quietly kill important individuals, especially those who have influence over laws and order. They are mainly found in cells of half a dozen and prefer to stay hidden from everyone. Their rituals often include substance abuse, [[/d/|sexual perversions]], and acts of cruelty and violence. Their symbol is a shadowy, coiled serpent.

===The Crimson Coil===
Mainly manifesting as sudden torches & pitchforks mobs or groups of murderers, wearing all red and hiding their faces, that commit random acts of destruction and death. The Crimson Coil is one of the harder cults to destroy, as they often build their temples in hidden places, fill them with traps and, if found, they will fight to the last man. Even after being rooted out, they often come back stronger.

===Deathmantle===
[[File:Deathmantle symbol.png|right|65px]]
Also known as ''Death's Grimace'', they worship death and the act of murder, and more specifically slaughter, with their main goals often being the slaughter of an entire town, city, nation, or race. The members wear copper, bronze, or skull-white death's head masks and often associate with [[necromancer]]s and the [[undead]]. They also associate with an assassin's guild called ''Vai'', whose member believe that the path to power and enlightenment is found through killing others. Their symbol is a skull.

===The Ebon Hand===
[[File:Ebon hand symbol.png|right|65px]]
The cult of the Ebon Hand worships deformity, and often its members are deformed or mutated in some way, while those who aren't seek mutation, or ''the touch of the Ebon Hand'' as they refer it. They are found in small cells and often kidnap adolescents to magically deform and mutate. While most die, those that survive become slaves to the cult. They tend to make their temples in difficult to find places, and are ready to abandon them the moment they arouse suspicion, making some liken them to cockroaches. Their symbol is a black hand.

===The Order of the Blooded Knife===
[[File:Blooded knife symbol.png|right|40px]]
The Order of the Blooded Knife is a cult that performs blood sacrifices to the Galchutt while posing as followers of other gods. They often either claim to follow a god who's harmless but distasteful enough to make other leave them alone, or infiltrate the faiths of other gods and turn them to fronts for their faith, while using them for prostitution, black marketeering, extortion, and gambling to make money for the cult. Their symbol is a curved knife dripping blood.

===The Plagueborn===
Not!cult of [[Nurgle]], is a good description for them. They seek elegance and artistry of destruction through disease, pestilence, and vermin. They often hang around in trash heaps, sewers, and other places of filth and vermin, trying to harbor diseases in themselves and spread them, promote the accumulation of filth, rot, and decay, and help vermin infestations foster wherever they are. Rats are important animals to them, with the rat often being their totem animal, wearing ratskin rags, and using them as symbols. They often leave hunks of rotten meat on hooks as their calling cards and markers.

===The Tolling Bell===
[[File:Tolling bell Symbol.png|right|60px]]
The most straightforward cult in that they want the apocalypse to come, and for this they research to find ways to create disasters that would bring greater disasters and eventually the apocalypse. Though found in small numbers, members of other cults seem to eventually "graduate" to members of this cult. Their name comes from ancient texts where the apocalypse is described as coming like the "tolling of a bell". Their symbol is a bell filled with cracks on the surface.

{{D&D-Ptolus-Deities}}

Rasilhi

2021-06-30T15:55:38Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* Subraces/Stats */

'''Rasilhi'in''' (singular: '''Rasilhi''') are a human subrace from the [[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]] 3rd party setting [[World of Farland]]. The secret rulers of the land of Ishia, Farland's analogue to [[Egypt]], Rasilhi'in emerged when the people of that land built the city of Ushpnath, unknowingly doing so atop a nexus of powerful, primordial divine magic. This had the side effect of causing any human child born on a day sacred to one of the Ishian deities to take on a monstrous form; a human's body with the head of a beast sacred to that deity, and skin covered in fur, feathers or scales as appropriate. Initially, this was greeted with fear, suspicion and horror, but over time, they came to be seen as being blessed; living emissaries of the gods they resembled. They became the priest-kings and queens of Ishia, and fell to their own decadence; desperate for total control over Ushpnath, the only place in the world where new generations of Rasilhi'in can come into being, they fought first with politics, then with murderous subterfuge, and then finally a bloody civil war that ripped the Ishian empire apart and reduced it to a faded echo of its former glory.

But they cling to their existence, and their power. They conduct hideous breeding experiments to try and unlock the secret to their creation, but it defies them; only children allowed to come to term in the womb of a human and then born naturally on a sacred day are born as Rasilhi'in - forcing them from the womb early results in a normal human child. They are deep in the thrall of the God of Evil, Vornoth, or Vornok-ka as the Ishians know him. But a rare few potentially leave their dark homes and become adventurers.

==Subraces/Stats==
All Rasilhi'in have the following core traits. Their divinely influenced heritage means they age more slowly than humans, not reaching maturity until 30 years old and living for over 150 years.

::Ability Score Modifiers: +1 Wisdom, +1 Charisma
::Size: Medium
::Speed: 30 feet
::Vision: Normal
::Blessed of the Gods: You can cast Cure Wounds using Wisdom as your spellcasting ability score, and have automatic proficiency in the Religion skill.

There are ten subraces of Rasilhi'in in Ishia, representing the ten gods still worshipped in that land - an eleventh lineage was driven away in the ancient spiritual-cannibalistic civil war between the Rasilhi'in. These are known by the name of their patron god, followed by the suffice "-Sihk".

Rasilhi'in of '''Hahtmet-ka''' have been touched by the god of healing and water, granting them the faces of fish (75% perch, 25% pike). These rasilhi'in gain +1 Constitution and have the Amphibious racial trait, allowing them to breathe water and air. They also have the unique racial trait "Fish-Headed", which grants them Advantage on Perception checks to avoid being surprised by visible threats, but Disadvantage on Perception checks based on hearing - they have sharp eyes that are uniquely positioned to scan their surroundings, but their lack of ears means they don't hear as well as humans.

Rasilhi'in of '''Padmek-ka''' have been touched by the god of war and ruination, granting them the faces of leopards (75%) and lions (25%). Female lion-faced Padmek-Sihk also bear manes. These rasilhi'in gain +1 Strength and have both a Bite attack (natural attack, 1d6+Str piercing) and the Keen Smell trait (Advantage on Perception checks based on smell).

Rasilhi'in of '''Shemzan-ke''' have been touched by the goddess of law and justice, granting the faces of birds (50% ibis, 30% crane, 20% owl). These rasilhi'in gain +1 Intelligence and have the racial traits High Adjudicator (Advantage on Insight checks) and Keen Sight (Advantage on Perception checks based on sight).

Rasilhi'in of '''Nekhbet-ka''' have been touched by the god of the dead, embalming and necromancy, granting them the faces of vultures (80%) and falcons (20%). These rasilhi'in have a particularly high rank in Ishia, where necromancy is considered part of the sacred rites of caring for the dead. They gain +1 Constitution and the racial traits Keen Smell (Advantage on Perception checks based on smell) and Necrophage (you are Resistant to Poison damage and can safely eat rotten or spoiled foodstuffs and liquids).

Rasilhi'in of '''Seket-ka''' have been touched by the god of deception, sorcery, lies and revenge, granting them the faces of snakes (50/50 hooded cobra or horned viper). These rasilhi'in gain +1 Dexterity and have the racial traits Hypnotic (free Proficiency in Persuasion) and Venomous (you have a Bite attack that does 1d2+Str piercing and, once per short rest, can force a bitten target to make a Constitution save against DC 8 + your Proficiency bonus + your Dexterity modifier or be Poisoned; they can save again at the end of each of their turns, ending the condition on a success).

Rasilhi'in of '''Tenlennen-ke''' have been touched by the goddess of foolishness and buffoonery, granting them the faces of swans. These rasilhi'in are actually tied to the original goddess of light and hope, Vornoth's sworn enemy, but even despite being forced into the perceived cosmic role of fools and jesters, they retain an underlying majesty. Tenlennen-Sikh gain +1 Charisma and the racial traits Keen Sight (Advantage on Perception checks based on sight) and Jester (free Proficiency in performance, Advantage on comedy-based Performance checks).

Rasilhi'in of '''Khephri-ka''' have been touched by the god of carrion eaters and decay, granting them the faces of vermin (50% scarab beetles, 25% scorpions, 25% spiders). These rasilhi'in are particularly reclusive, as even other rasilhi'in find them hard to look at, to say nothing of how they horrify humans, and their god's opposition to necromancy makes him anathema to Ishian culture. Khephri-Sikh gain +1 Charisma and the racial traits Patient (Advantage on Initiative checks) and Repulsive (free Proficiency in Intimidation, Disadvantage on Persuasion checks against non-rasilhi'in).

Rasilhi'in of '''Heshket-ka''' have been touched by the god of rodents, plague, famine and despair, granting them the faces of mammalian vermin (60% rodent, 40% mustelid). These rasilhi'in gain +1 Dexterity and have the traits Sneaky (free Proficiency in Stealth) and Plague-Bringer (Advantage on saves to resist disease).

Rasilhi'in of '''Absoket-ke''' have been touched by the goddess of women and motherhood; for this reason, more females are born to this crocodile-faced rasilhi subrace than males. These rasilhi'in gain +1 Wisdom, a Bite attack (1d6+Str piercing), and the Patient racial trait (Advantage on Initiative checks).

Rasilhi'in of '''Vornok-ka''' have been touched by the god of evil - or, as the Ishians believe him to be, the supreme god above all, giving them the faces of bats. Naturally, whilst this makes them highly respected in Ishia, they earn particularly intense fear and loathing outside of their homeland for their obvious connection to the god of evil. These rasilhi'in gain +1 Intelligence ''and'' +1 Wisdom, and have the racial traits Emissary of Heaven (Advantage on Charisma checks against rasilhi'in and Ishians) and Echolocation (you have Blindsight 30 feet which you lose if Deafened, and suffer Disadvantage on saves against the Deafened condition).

==The Lost Rasilhi'in==
During the bloody civil war of the rasilhi'in, one subrace tried to stop the madness; the cattle-faced children of Athwar-ke, Goddess of Jubilation. For this rationality and mercy, they united the other subraces against them and were driven out of Ishia entirely. They made their way to Saafsibben, the Archipelago of Pirates, where they settled down and interbred with a local tribe of [[ogre]]kin. From this strange union was born a pair of twinned races, both resembling humanoid cattle; the ''Asterians'', touched by savagery, and the ''Minotaurs'', who are larger and more imposing, but also naturally gentle and kindly. The twin peoples, as they call themselves, are a truly intertwined race; the two subraces can no longer interbreed with anything other than members of their own or the opposing subrace, and regardless of parentage, children will randomly be of one subrace or the other - indeed, a multiple pregnancy may very well produce offspring of both subraces! It is this interdependence that has kept the two subraces united, despite their continued moral drift; unbeknownst to them, whilst minotaurs retain their distant connection to Athwar-ke, asterians have fallen under the influence of [[Baphomet]], who is working to subtly corrupt the race as a whole to his own worship.

Asterians and minotaurs share the following core racial traits:
::Size: Medium
::Speed: 30 feet
::Vision: Darkvision 60 feet
::Type: Humanoid AND Monstrosity
::Labyrinthine Recall: You gain Advantage on checks made to determine directions and find your path, indoors and outside.
::Horns: You can make a horn attack as a natural weapon, which does 1d6+Str Piercing damage for asterians and 1d8+Str Piercing damage for minotaurs.

The demon-touched asterians look more like their original rasilhi'in stock, being under 6ft tall and with foot-long horns, and like them they age slowly, taking 30 years to mature and living for over 150 years. They gain +2 Constitution and +1 Strength. Baphomet's interest in subverting the race gives them the racial trait Demonic Luck, which allows them to grant themselves Advantage to an attack roll, ability check or saving throw once per day. They also maintain the more vicious temperament of their distant rasilhi'in kinsfolk, giving them the racial trait Reckless (you can grant yourself Advantage on all your melee attack rolls for one turn, but grant attacks against you Advantage until the end of your next turn).

The more patient and kindly minotaurs are enormous, reaching heights of up to 8ft at the shoulder and with 2ft long horns, thickly muscled and intimidating despite their passive temperaments. They gain +2 Strength and +1 Constitution, and have the racial trait Bearer of Burdens, a crappier Powerful Build that lets them count as 1 size larger only for carrying, pushing and dragging capacity - just switch this out for Powerful Build, there's really no point to it. They also have the ability to make a Ram attack once per short rest, which can be done by moving at least 10 feet straight toward a target and then hitting it with their horns in the same turn; the target must then pass an opposed Strength check against the minotaur or take +2d8 damage and be simultaneously pushed 10 feet and knocked prone.

{{D&D5e-Races}}

Kult

2021-06-30T15:46:43Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597:

'''Kult''' is a contemporary fantasy horror [[RPG|role-playing game]] originally designed by Gunilla Jonsson and Michael Petersén, first published in Sweden by Target Games in 1991. The first English edition was published in 1993 by Metropolis Ltd., a now defunct American publisher

The short description of Kult would be "Call of [[Cthulhu]]: This Time You Can Win!" with bits of Gnosticism.

The [[fluff]] basically goes that [[human]]ity were once the supreme deities of creation until the Demi-Urge tricked us into forgetting our divine powers and convinced us we were basically mortals. Severe mental trauma, seeing shit that CAN'T BE REAL and so forth can knock people out of it and help them regain their divine powers - of course, odds are they'll go screaming insane on the way and just end up as demi-gods in some private little hell that's permanently collapsing on them.

The basic mechanics are [[D20]], based on [[Roll_under|rolling lower]] than your various abilities, the farther you roll below a skill, the better(example: you have 15 in a stat, rolling a 5(10 below) is better than a 12(3 below).).

Combat is always deadly, magic almost always backfires, and the only way to get more powerful is to go more insane. Based around "mental balance", the overall goal is to become a demi-god; you reach god-hood at a mental balance of +500 or -500. The problem is that the average person has a mental balance of +5 to -5 and every time your mental balance changes, it becomes more difficult to change, and the further away from zero you get, the harder to play your character becomes. So one way or another, you're fucked.

The game was remade in 2018 after a successful Kickstarter campaign under the name Kult: Divinity Lost. Aside from a total change of ruleset (using Powered By the Apocalypse), it also features some lore changes and updates the setting to incorporate more contemporary elements, like the Internet, the immigration crisis, and terrorism.

==Links==

[http://www.kult-rpg.com/ Kult Fan Site] It's dead, Jim

[[Category:Roleplaying]]

Denev

2021-06-30T15:28:34Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597:

{{Infobox Deity
|Name = Denev
|Symbol = [[File:Denev symbol.jpg|150px]] A stone sickle with flowers or leaves growing from the handle
|Aliases = The Earth Mother
|Alignment = True Neutral
|Divine Rank = Titaness
|Pantheon = Scarn
|Portfolio = '''3E:''' Cycles of life, earth, nature, seasons '''5E:''' The earth, the firmanent, growth, nature, plants
|Domains = None
|Home Plane = [[Prime Material Plane]] ([[Scarred Lands|Scarn]])
|Worshippers = [[Barbarian]]s, [[druid]]s, [[elemental]]s, farmers, sylvan races
|Favoured Weapon = ''Stone Sickle of Denev'' (Sickle)
}}
'''Denev''' is the only titan that is still unbound in Scarn. Currently she is recovering from the war, helping the land recover alongside. She's the mother of [[Corean]], [[Tanil]], [[Hedrada]], [[Genie|djinn]]i, and [[elemental]]s.

==History==
When the Divine War started, Denev was the only titan to speak against war, fearing the damage that the war would bring to the spirit of Scarn and knowing that the Titans couldn't win the war. She attempted to get the titans to negotiate, but her pleas fell on deaf ears. She then went to the Gods and offered to join on their side, some welcoming her, others treating her with suspicion, and other calling for her death, with Corean eventually allowing her to join the Divine Alliance. She then went to the Djinn, seeking their help against the Titans, but they rejected her and swore to fight for the Titans, leading to their losses at the hands of the gods.

From there Denev helped the gods bind and seal other Titans, eventually subsuming [[Golthain]] into herself, to finally end his torment. After the war ended, Denev fell into a deep slumber beneath Scarn to recover herself and the earth she loved.

==Appearance==
Denev's appearance depends on the environment, as she often forms her body from the surroundings, eschewing a form made of flesh.

==Worshippers & Faith==
Denev is mainly worshipped by [[druid]]s, who are the only druids tolerated on Ghelspad, who help the earth heal and recover, so that their Great Mother can in return heal. Some [[barbarian]] tribes worship her, as do some farmers.

Denev's faithful believe that everyone has a purpose, whether small or great, given to them from birth, and that they must discover this purpose and work towards it, usually by consulting druids, [[fey]],
and other beings close to Denev. The refusal to accept or work towards this fate is as bad as despoiling the land, and to stop another from finding his/her fate is a grave sin. They also believe in reincarnation, believing that every lifetime has lessons to teach to the soul, and once they find themselves in balance with creation, followed their fates, and helped nature heal and respected it, in the hopes that will they be able to join the World-Soul, the essence of Denev.

{{D&D-SL-Faiths}}

Golthain

2021-06-30T15:25:20Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* Worshippers */

{{Infobox Deity
|Name = Golthain
|Symbol = [[File:Golthain's symbol.jpg|150px]] A blank-faced mask
|Aliases = The Faceless
|Alignment =
|Divine Rank = Dead titan
|Pantheon = Scarn
|Portfolio =
|Domains = None
|Home Plane =
|Worshippers = Bat devils, deryth, [[druid]]s, shadowravens, unseeing [[Slitherin|ratmen]]
|Favoured Weapon =
}}
{{Topquote|He deserves your forgiveness! Golthain, the Punished one, the tearful one, the faceless and diminished! His brethen’s crimes were not his! If he still had eyes, he would cry for the crimes of [[Golthagga]], [[Chern]], [[Kadum]] and [[Mormo]]! If he still possessed a body, he would scourge himself for the sins of [[Mesos]], [[Gaurak]], and [[Thulkas]]! If he still had hands, he would use them to heal the suffering of the world! But he is dead! The kindest of the titans, and he is the only one that is truly dead!|A preaching member of the ''Redeemers of Golthain''}}
'''Golthain''' was one of the few titans that actually cared about living beings, and for being sympathetic to others, he got [[Grimdark|crippled by his fellow titans]]. He's the father of [[Hedrada]].

==History==
[[File:Golthain.png|thumb|150px|left|The faceless titan and his eyes and ears]]
Golthain had a unique gift among titans, for he could project himself into the mind and senses of other creatures, giving him great insight into the world at the price of being able to know that life had meaning to them, and that the actions of his fellow titans had consequences... this may not sound like much of a price at first, but it meant he was the only titan who ''wasn't'' a solipsistic sociopath. When his fellow titans killed living beings or destroyed communities, Golthain felt their pain. Eventually he had enough, and when Kadum attempted to destroy the world flowers, a species of plant that grew taller than the mountains and created new colors, Golthain intervened. Kadum said that as he created them and had grown tired of them, he had the right to get rid of them, and called the other titans to punish Golthain. They each enacted their punishment, Mormo flaying apart the members of his favored race, the deryth, Kadum tearing his face off so that he could not see or hear, and Golthagga burning his flesh so he couldn't feel anything. Before Chern could inflict his punishment, Mesos intervened and told others to leave him as he was, with the others respecting his wishes. Golthain, despite having been stripped of his senses, learned to use other living beings as his eyes and ears, and became the patron of all living things on Scarn, offering them comfort in exchange for easing his own suffering.

During the Divine War, Golthain became more saddened and withdrawn, taking no side in the beginning of the war as he hated both sides and headed to the nothern wastes. Eventually however, the other titans convinced him to join their side as a spy, though it's unknown how effective he was. Eventually the gods captured him, and they were unsure what to do to, with [[Vangal]] calling for his death, and [[Madriel]] and Hedrada calling for mercy. Golthain, as the only titan left, embraced Madriel's mercy, and gave himself over to [[Denev]] to be subsumed into her, dying a true death, and finally finding peace.

==Worshippers==
Despite being very much dead, there are a number of races that worship him, namely the deryth, bat devils, and shadowravens. A group of [[druid]]s loyal to the titan, the ''Redeemers of Golthain'', still worship the dead titan, mainly through self-flagellation and mutilation and undoing the evil of the titan in order to earn him forgiveness. Many also consider it a honor to become a host for a part of a deryth, or fully become one. Many of these redeemers are seen chanting, ranting, preaching and/or praying on street corners and marketplaces, carrying with them a list of names that they attempt to get people to sign. These lists are petitions for the gods to forgive Golthain for his and his kins' crimes. The druids are unable to cast druid spells above 2nd level, unless they undergo a special ritual, then they can cast spells up to 6th level.

{{D&D-SL-Faiths}}

Golthain

2021-06-30T15:24:21Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597:

{{Infobox Deity
|Name = Golthain
|Symbol = [[File:Golthain's symbol.jpg|150px]] A blank-faced mask
|Aliases = The Faceless
|Alignment =
|Divine Rank = Dead titan
|Pantheon = Scarn
|Portfolio =
|Domains = None
|Home Plane =
|Worshippers = Bat devils, deryth, [[druid]]s, shadowravens, unseeing [[Slitherin|ratmen]]
|Favoured Weapon =
}}
{{Topquote|He deserves your forgiveness! Golthain, the Punished one, the tearful one, the faceless and diminished! His brethen’s crimes were not his! If he still had eyes, he would cry for the crimes of [[Golthagga]], [[Chern]], [[Kadum]] and [[Mormo]]! If he still possessed a body, he would scourge himself for the sins of [[Mesos]], [[Gaurak]], and [[Thulkas]]! If he still had hands, he would use them to heal the suffering of the world! But he is dead! The kindest of the titans, and he is the only one that is truly dead!|A preaching member of the ''Redeemers of Golthain''}}
'''Golthain''' was one of the few titans that actually cared about living beings, and for being sympathetic to others, he got [[Grimdark|crippled by his fellow titans]]. He's the father of [[Hedrada]].

==History==
[[File:Golthain.png|thumb|150px|left|The faceless titan and his eyes and ears]]
Golthain had a unique gift among titans, for he could project himself into the mind and senses of other creatures, giving him great insight into the world at the price of being able to know that life had meaning to them, and that the actions of his fellow titans had consequences... this may not sound like much of a price at first, but it meant he was the only titan who ''wasn't'' a solipsistic sociopath. When his fellow titans killed living beings or destroyed communities, Golthain felt their pain. Eventually he had enough, and when Kadum attempted to destroy the world flowers, a species of plant that grew taller than the mountains and created new colors, Golthain intervened. Kadum said that as he created them and had grown tired of them, he had the right to get rid of them, and called the other titans to punish Golthain. They each enacted their punishment, Mormo flaying apart the members of his favored race, the deryth, Kadum tearing his face off so that he could not see or hear, and Golthagga burning his flesh so he couldn't feel anything. Before Chern could inflict his punishment, Mesos intervened and told others to leave him as he was, with the others respecting his wishes. Golthain, despite having been stripped of his senses, learned to use other living beings as his eyes and ears, and became the patron of all living things on Scarn, offering them comfort in exchange for easing his own suffering.

During the Divine War, Golthain became more saddened and withdrawn, taking no side in the beginning of the war as he hated both sides and headed to the nothern wastes. Eventually however, the other titans convinced him to join their side as a spy, though it's unknown how effective he was. Eventually the gods captured him, and they were unsure what to do to, with [[Vangal]] calling for his death, and [[Madriel]] and Hedrada calling for mercy. Golthain, as the only titan left, embraced Madriel's mercy, and gave himself over to [[Denev]] to be subsumed into her, dying a true death, and finally finding peace.

==Worshippers==
Despite being very much dead, there are a number of races that worship him, namely the deryth, bat devils, and shadowravens. A group of [[druid]]s loyal to the titan, the ''Redeemers of Golthain'', still worship the dead titan, mainly through self-flagellation and mutilation and undoing the evil of the titan in order to earn him forgiveness. Many also consider it a honor to become a host for a part of a deryth, or fully become one. Many of these redeemers are seen chanting, ranting, preaching and/or praying on street corners and marketplaces, carrying with them a list of names that they attempt to get people to sign. These lists are petitions for the gods to forgive the Golthain for his and his kins crimes. The druids are unable to cast druid spells above 2nd level, unless they undergo a special ritual, then they can cast spells up to 6th level.

{{D&D-SL-Faiths}}

Golthain

2021-06-30T15:22:45Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* History */

{{Infobox Deity
|Name = Golthain
|Symbol = [[File:Golthain's symbol.jpg|150px]] A blank-faced mask
|Aliases = The Faceless
|Alignment =
|Divine Rank = Dead titan
|Pantheon = Scarn
|Portfolio =
|Domains = None
|Home Plane =
|Worshippers = Bat devils, deryth, [[druid]]s, shadowravens, unseeing [[Slitherin|ratmen]]
|Favoured Weapon =
}}
{{Topquote|He deserves your forgiveness! Golthain, the Punished one, the tearful one, the faceless and diminished! His brethen’s crimes were not his! If he still had eyes, he would cry for the crimes of [[Golthagga]], [[Chern]], [[Kadum]] and [[Mormo]]! If he still possessed a body, he would scourge himself for the sins of [[Mesos]], [[Gaurak]], and [[Thulkas]]! If he still had hands, he would use them to heal the suffering of the world! But he is dead! The kindest of the titans, and he is the only one that is truly dead!|A preaching member of the ''Redeemers of Golthain''}}
'''Golthain''' was one of the few titans that actually cared about living beings, and for being sympathetic to others, he got [[Grimdark|crippled by his fellow titans]]. He's the father of [[Hedrada]].

==History==
[[File:Golthain.png|thumb|150px|left|The faceless titan and his eyes and ears]]
Golthain had a unique gift among titans, for he could project himself into the mind and senses of other creatures, giving him great insight into the world at the price of being able to know that life had meaning to them, and that the actions of his fellow titans had consequences... this may not sound like much of a price at first, but it meant he was the only titan who ''wasn't'' a solipsistic sociopath. When his fellow titans killed living beings or destroyed communities, Golthain felt their pain. Eventually he had enough, and when Kadum attempted to destroy the world flowers, a species of plant that grew taller than the mountains and created new colors, Golthain intervened. Kadum said that as he created them and had grown tired of them, he had the right to get rid of them, and called the other titans to punish Golthain. They each enacted their punishment, Mormo flaying apart the members of his favored race, the deryth, Kadum tearing his face off so that he could not see or hear, and Golthagga burning his flesh so he couldn't feel anything. Before Chern could inflict his punishment, Mesos intervened and told others to leave him as he was, with the others respecting his wishes. Golthain, despite having been stripped of his senses, learned to use other living beings as his eyes and ears, and became the patron of all living things on Scarn, offering them comfort in exchange for easing his own suffering.

During the Divine War, Golthain became more saddened and withdrawn, taking no side in the beginning of the war as he hated both sides and heading to the nothern wastes. Eventually however the other titans convince him to join their side as a spy, though it's unknown how effective he was. Eventually the gods captured him, and they were unsure what to do to, with [[Vangal]] calling for his death, and [[Madriel]] and Hedrada calling for mercy. Golthain, as the only titan, embraced Madriel's mercy, and gave himself over to [[Denev]] to be subsumed into her, dying a true death, and finally finding peace.

==Worshippers==
Despite being very much dead, there are a number of races that worship him, namely the deryth, bat devils, and shadowravens. A group of [[druid]]s loyal to the titan, the ''Redeemers of Golthain'', still worship the dead titan, mainly through self-flagellation and mutilation and undoing the evil of the titan in order to earn him forgiveness. Many also consider it a honor to become a host for a part of a deryth, or fully become one. Many of these redeemers are seen chanting, ranting, preaching and/or praying on street corners and marketplaces, carrying with them a list of names that they attempt to get people to sign. These lists are petitions for the gods to forgive the Golthain for his and his kins crimes. The druids are unable to cast druid spells above 2nd level, unless they undergo a special ritual, then they can cast spells up to 6th level.

{{D&D-SL-Faiths}}

Golthain

2021-06-30T15:20:24Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597:

{{Infobox Deity
|Name = Golthain
|Symbol = [[File:Golthain's symbol.jpg|150px]] A blank-faced mask
|Aliases = The Faceless
|Alignment =
|Divine Rank = Dead titan
|Pantheon = Scarn
|Portfolio =
|Domains = None
|Home Plane =
|Worshippers = Bat devils, deryth, [[druid]]s, shadowravens, unseeing [[Slitherin|ratmen]]
|Favoured Weapon =
}}
{{Topquote|He deserves your forgiveness! Golthain, the Punished one, the tearful one, the faceless and diminished! His brethen’s crimes were not his! If he still had eyes, he would cry for the crimes of [[Golthagga]], [[Chern]], [[Kadum]] and [[Mormo]]! If he still possessed a body, he would scourge himself for the sins of [[Mesos]], [[Gaurak]], and [[Thulkas]]! If he still had hands, he would use them to heal the suffering of the world! But he is dead! The kindest of the titans, and he is the only one that is truly dead!|A preaching member of the ''Redeemers of Golthain''}}
'''Golthain''' was one of the few titans that actually cared about living beings, and for being sympathetic to others, he got [[Grimdark|crippled by his fellow titans]]. He's the father of [[Hedrada]].

==History==
[[File:Golthain.png|thumb|150px|left|The faceless titan and his eyes and ears]]
Golthain had a unique gift among titans, for he could project himself into the mind and senses of other creatures, giving him great insight into the world at the price of being able to know that life had meaning to them, and that the actions of his fellow titans had consequences... this may not sound like much of a price at first, but it meant he was the only titan who ''wasn't'' a solipsistic sociopath. When his fellow titans killed living beings or destroyed communities, Golthain felt their pain. Eventually he had enough, and when Kadum attempted to destroy the world flowers, a species of plant that grew taller than the mountains and created new colors, Golthain intervened. Kadum said that as he created them and had grown tired of them, he had the right to get rid of them, and called the other titans to punish Golthain. They each enacted their punishment, Mormo flaying apart the members of his favored race, the deryth, Kadum tearing his face off so that he could not see or hear, and Golthagga burning his flesh so he couldn't feel anything. Before Chern could inflict his punishment, Mesos intervened and told others to leave him as he was, with the others respecting his wishes. Golthain, despite having been stripped of his senses, learned to use other living beings as his eyes and ears, and becoming the patron living things on Scarn, offering them comfort in exchange for easing his own suffering.

During the Divine War, Golthain became more saddened and withdrawn, taking no side in the beginning of the war as he hated both sides and heading to the nothern wastes. Eventually however the other titans convince him to join their side as a spy, though it's unknown how effective he was. Eventually the gods captured him, and they were unsure what to do to, with [[Vangal]] calling for his death, and [[Madriel]] and Hedrada calling for mercy. Golthain, as the only titan, embraced Madriel's mercy, and gave himself over to [[Denev]] to be subsumed into her, dying a true death, and finally finding peace.

==Worshippers==
Despite being very much dead, there are a number of races that worship him, namely the deryth, bat devils, and shadowravens. A group of [[druid]]s loyal to the titan, the ''Redeemers of Golthain'', still worship the dead titan, mainly through self-flagellation and mutilation and undoing the evil of the titan in order to earn him forgiveness. Many also consider it a honor to become a host for a part of a deryth, or fully become one. Many of these redeemers are seen chanting, ranting, preaching and/or praying on street corners and marketplaces, carrying with them a list of names that they attempt to get people to sign. These lists are petitions for the gods to forgive the Golthain for his and his kins crimes. The druids are unable to cast druid spells above 2nd level, unless they undergo a special ritual, then they can cast spells up to 6th level.

{{D&D-SL-Faiths}}

Hrinruuk

2021-06-30T15:18:53Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597:

{{Infobox Deity
|Name = Hrinruuk
|Symbol = [[File:Hrinruuk's symbol.jpg|150px]] A broken or an intact bow
|Aliases = The Hunter
|Alignment =
|Divine Rank = Titan
|Pantheon = Scarn
|Portfolio = Hunting
|Domains = None
|Home Plane = Unknown
|Worshippers = Blood reapers, [[chuul]], desert stalkers, [[druid]]s, [[gnoll]]s, hunters hounds, night-touched beings, proud, [[ranger]]s, stalker [[slitherin]], taurons, umber hulks
|Favoured Weapon =
}}
[[File:Hrinruuk.png|thumb|left|275px|Look at this fucking smug asshole.]]
'''Hrinruuk''' (pronounced either he-RIN-rook, h-RIN-rook, or RRIN-roo-ick) is the titan of hunting in [[Scarred Lands|Scarn]]. He's the father of [[Tanil]] and [[Idra]]. He was also, arguably, the worst of the titans.

==History==
Before the Divine War, Hrinruuk, due to his personality, was actually on friendly terms with [[Enkili]], [[Vangal]], and several other demigods, and created many of the monsters that now roam Scarn. He also was one of the reasons that the Divine War started, as he decided to go after his own daughter Tanil and proceeded to [[rape]] her.

When the war started properly, Hrinruuk didn't take it seriously at all, seeing it merely as the greatest hunt there is. He hid from the gods and their armies, ambushed them and retreated before any serious harm could be done to him. In one battle however, he managed to kill the goddess '''Miridum''', the daughter of [[Hedrada]]. The Judge became truly furious, and called the gods and their armies to hunt Hrinruuk, and for the first time, he feared the gods as he couldn't hide any longer. After he retreated to nurse his wounds after a battle, Tanil approached him and convinced him to join the gods side by giving his bow to her to take to the gods as a sign of good faith. Tanil however took control of the bow from Hrinruuk, causing him to lose some of his power, and bent it to her will. The Hunter realized this and left his hiding place to find her, only to find Hedrada waiting for him. Recognizing Hedrada as the first god to rebel, not even remembering he killed his daughter, he flew at the Judge in a desperate frenzy. Though he appeared to be winning over Hedrada, the arrival of Tanil and [[Corean]] turned the situation on its head, with Corean decapitating the titan, and giving the still-living head to Hedrada.

This however wasn't the end, as the headless body of the titan rose up and begun a campaign of destruction and terror, before being finally taken down by Tanil, Corean, and Vangal, with Tanil taking care of hiding the pieces of Hrinruuk so they couldn't do any harm to the land. After the war the gods also found the monstrosity that the Hunter had created before the war, a being tougher, more magical, and terrible than the [[tarrasque]].

==Personality==
Hrinruuk was often described as a witty, fun-loving, and charming titan, with everyone from mortals to gods and fellow titans having a hard time not liking him. Of course, he was a titan, and like most, he was a narcissist, and believed the world was his personal playground. All he cared about was hunting and creating new creatures to hunt. When he grew bored hunting them, he left them to their own devices and begun making new beings.

==Worshippers==
Hrinruuk's follower, in Ghelspad at least, are apologists, whether they know it or not, as they tell their own versions of the events. They say that Hrinruuk didn't know that he had fathered Tanil with [[Denev]], and that while he did have sex with her it wasn't rape. Though they do acknowledge that the Divine War was necessary and reasonable, they do belive that Hrinruuk was wronged during it. Tanil, or as they call her the Traitress, and Idra had, according to them, lied to the gods about Hrinruuk for selfish and power-hungry reasons, and that he was innocent of the accusations leveled against him. They also claim that the creatures he made were a benevolent way by which he could strengthen the creatures of Scarn through natural selection, and that he was no worse than Denev, and that Tanil would've had her killed if she had the chance. However most people who hear these raving apologist's often react with disgust at their claims, or in extreme cases, find the nearest blunt object to cave their skulls in.

{{D&D-SL-Faiths}}

Hrinruuk

2021-06-30T15:16:55Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* History */

{{Infobox Deity
|Name = Hrinruuk
|Symbol = [[File:Hrinruuk's symbol.jpg|150px]] A broken or an intact bow
|Aliases = The Hunter
|Alignment =
|Divine Rank = Titan
|Pantheon = Scarn
|Portfolio = Hunting
|Domains = None
|Home Plane = Unknown
|Worshippers = Blood reapers, [[chuul]], desert stalkers, [[druid]]s, [[gnoll]]s, hunters hounds, night-touched beings, proud, [[ranger]]s, stalker [[slitherin]], taurons, umber hulks
|Favoured Weapon =
}}
[[File:Hrinruuk.png|thumb|left|275px|Look at this fucking smug asshole.]]
'''Hrinruuk''' (pronounced either he-RIN-rook, h-RIN-rook, or RRIN-roo-ick) is the titan of hunting in [[Scarred Lands|Scarn]]. He's the father of [[Tanil]] and [[Idra]]. He was also, arguably, the worst of the titans.

==History==
Before the Divine War, Hrinruuk, due to his personality, was actually on friendly terms with [[Enkili]], [[Vangal]], and several other demigods, and created many of the monsters that now roam Scarn. He also was one of the reasons that the Divine War started, as he decided to go after his own daughter Tanil and proceeded to [[rape]] her.

When the war started properly, Hrinruuk didn't take it seriously at all, seeing it merely as the greatest hunt there is. He hid from the gods and their armies, ambushed them and retreated before any serious harm could be done to him. In one battle however, he managed to kill the goddess '''Miridum''', the daughter of [[Hedrada]]. The Judge became truly furious, and called the gods and their armies to hunt Hrinruuk, and for the first time, he feared the gods as he couldn't hide any longer. After he retreated to nurse his wounds after a battle, Tanil approached him and convinced him to join the gods side by giving his bow to her to take to the gods as a sign of good faith. Tanil however took control of the bow from Hrinruuk, causing him to lose some of his power, and bent it to her will. The Hunter realized this and left his hiding place to find her, only to find Hedrada waiting for him. Recognizing Hedrada as the first god to rebel, not even remembering he killed his daughter, he flew at the Judge in a despearte frenzy. Though he appeared to be winning over Hedrada, the arrival of Tanil and [[Corean]] turned the situation on its head, with Corean decapitating the titan, and giving the still-living head to Hedrada.

This however wasn't the end, as the headless body of the titan rose up and begun a campaign of destruction and terror, before being finally taken down by Tanil, Corean, and Vangal, with Tanil taking care of hiding the pieces of Hrinruuk so they couldn't do any harm to the land. After the war the gods also found the monstrosity that the Hunter had created before the war, a being tougher, more magical, and terrible than the [[tarrasque]].

==Personality==
Hrinruuk was often described as a witty, fun-loving, and charming titan, with everyone from mortals to gods and fellow titans having a hard time not liking him. Of course, he was a titan, and like most, he was a narcissist, and believed the world was his personal playground. All he cared about was hunting and creating new creatures to hunt. When he grew bored hunting them, he left them to their own devices and begun making new beings.

==Worshippers==
Hrinruuk's follower, in Ghelspad at least, are apologists, whether they know it or not, as they tell their own versions of the events. They say that Hrinruuk didn't know that he had fathered Tanil with [[Denev]], and that while he did have sex with her it wasn't rape. Though they do acknowledge that the Divine War was necessary and reasonable, they do belive that Hrinruuk was wronged during it. Tanil, or as they call her the Traitress, and Idra had, according to them, lied to the gods about Hrinruuk for selfish and power-hungry reasons, and that he was innocent of the accusations leveled against him. They also claim that the creatures he made were a benevolent way by which he could strengthen the creatures of Scarn through natural selection, and that he was no worse than Denev, and that Tanil would've had her killed if she had the chance. However most people who hear these raving apologist's often react with disgust at their claims, or in extreme cases, find the nearest blunt object to cave their skulls in.

{{D&D-SL-Faiths}}

Scarred Lands

2021-06-30T15:14:43Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* Lords of Creation */

[[File:Scarred lands logo.jpg|center]]
A [[grimbright]] [[Dungeons & Dragons]] setting released by [[White Wolf]] under their OGL license subsidiary/front "Swords & Sorcery". Involves a world devastated by the war between the Titans/Primordials (immensely powerful "Elder Gods") and the Gods (younger, weaker but more mortal-friendly deities), with the various mortal races having to live in it. Features one of the coolest twists on dying [[elves]] ever (they're dying because they took down a ''Primordial'', something that mortal races should fucking '''not''' be able to do, and it cursed them all in its death throes), a sea polluted with blood because a Primordial's still-living sundered halves are buried in it, a swamp region filled with utterly psycho faerie-creatures & mutants, and is generally a "the world has gone to shit, but it can get better and it ''is'' getting better" kind of place.

White Wolf pushed the Scarred Lands out of the door as quickly as it could, and this led to various problems. Most notably, their stuff was incredibly disorganized. The very first book - ''[[Creature Collection]]'' - was borked, and had to be republished. We'd suggest they learn to code except that rushing buggy shit to publication doesn't fly in that profession.

==Lords of Creation==
The Scarred Lands is defined by its Greco-Roman battle between elder deities called the Titans and their God progeny. But who are they?

===Titans===
The Titans were primordial beings, drawing their power directly from the elemental essences of the planes themselves. Petty, short-sighted, callous and cruel, they consisted of the following:

'''[[Chern]]''', also known as The Scourge and The Last Great Sickness and Suffering, was the creator of plagues, vermin and disease. He was slain by the High Elves of Termana, his body entombed beneath the Mourning Marshes. His dying curse transformed the surviving High Elves into the Forsaken Elves. His symbol is a braided rope adorned with bone figurines.

'''[[Gaurak]]''', aka The Glutton and The Voracious One, was a 100-toothed eating machine who devoured every scrap of life upon the once-verdant moon. The gods ripped out his teeth and scattered them across the world, where they turned into mountains, monoliths and even trees that blight the lands around them, before burying him deep in the earth. His titanspawn creations seek to feed his hunger, metaphorically or literally. His symbol is a fang.

'''[[Golthagga]]''' of the Forge, also known as the Shaper, was a misshapen brute who loved to meddle with the "toys" - sapient races - created by his fellows, spawning horrible aberrations out of his whimsy. Some still worship him for his talent of shaping the world around him, or his elemental affinity for earth and flame. His symbol is a forge or anvil.

'''[[Golthain]]''' the Faceless was a Titan with a vague compassion for the life-forms that the Titans created. For this, they mocked him and stripped him of his senses. In return, he betrayed them during the Divine War and then requested a merciful death. His symbol is a blank-faced mask.

'''[[Gormoth]]''' the Writhing Lord spent centuries in poisoned agony after incurring the wrath of his sister-wife Mormo. He ultimately recovered and began venting his spite and hatred on the world, targeting individuals rather than working on the grand scale. Defeated in the Divine War by Vangal and Chardun, they split him down the middle from skull to crotch and then dumped each still-flailing half on opposite sides of a great chasm. His followers still fight a vendetta against his three great enemies. His symbol is a two-headed flail.

'''[[Gulaben]]''', Lady of the Winds and Mistress of Madness, is an obscure Titan about which nobody knows anything. Her symbol is a swirling cloud with a blue eye set at its center.

'''[[Hrinruuk]]''' the Hunter relished the challenge of hunting, and created many of the most lethal monstrosities to ever stalk Scarn just to give himself something better to hunt. This chucklehead basically triggered the divine war when he decided to hunt his own daughter, Tanil, brutally rape her, and then leave her to die. This was the last straw in a string of abuses for the gods. Tanil and Corean slew him during the Dawn War, giving his still-living head as a gift to Hedrada, whose daughter Miridum he had killed for sport. His symbol is a broken bow.

'''[[Kadum]]''', the Mountainshaker, the Bleeding One, the Father of Monsters. Implied to resemble/be this setting's version of the [[Tarrasque]]. The Blood Sea exists because the best plan that the gods could come up with for defeating him was to cut out his heart, chain him to a rock, and throw him into the deepest ocean chasm, and his ever-bleeding wound poisons the sea. His symbol is a bloody heart.

'''[[Lethene]]''', the Dame of Storms, the Untamed One, is another mysterious Titan who may have actually been one and the same as Gulaben. Her symbol is a whirlwind or whirlpool.

'''[[Mesos]]''', Sire of Sorcery, the Disrupted, was the Titan most associated with arcane magic and is reputed to be the ultimate creator of all forms of sorcery. He was the first to be slain by the gods during the Divine War. His symbol is six arms clasping each other to form a six-pointed star made of two overlapping triangles.

'''[[Mormo]]''', Mother of Serpents and Queen of Witches was one of the most prolific of all Titans, creating [[hag]]s, [[asaatthi]], [[medusa]]e and [[gorgon]]s amongst dozens of others. Hacked into pieces during the Divine War, her blood transformed the Hornsaw Forest into a homeland for mutant terrors. Her symbol is a serpent.

'''[[Thulkas]]''', Father of Fire, also known as the Iron God, was an elemental force of flaming metal. So durable was he that Corean could not slay him, instead forcing him onto Golthagga's own anvil and hammering him with the Shaper's tools into the form of an arrow, which Tanil then shot into the sun using the bow she had taken from Hrinruuk. His symbol is a red sun with a black eye in the center.

===Gods===
The progeny of the Titans, the Gods found they drew their power from the belief and worship of the mortal races. This made them naturally more empathetic to the suffering of mortals, and so, ultimately, the abuses of the Titans roused them to put an end to it. That said, not all of the Gods are nice people - many of them are fucking assholes in their own right. They consist of the following:

'''[[Corean]]:''' God of [[Lawful Good|Law]], Protection, Chivalry, Wisdom, Craftwork, and Strength.

'''[[Madriel]]:''' Goddess of the Sun, Light, Sky, Redemption, Healing, and Agriculture.

'''[[Tanil]]:''' Goddess of [[Chaotic Good|Chaos]], Music, Good Fortune, Trickery, Travel, Freedom, Hunting, Forestry, and Archery.

'''[[Hedrada|Hedrada the Lawgiver]]:''' God of [[Lawful Neutral|Law]], Order, Protection, Judgement, Justice, Knowledge, Cities, and Wealth.

'''[[Denev]]:''' Titaness of Earth, Nature, The Seasons, and the Cycles of Life.

'''[[Nemorga|Nemorga the Gatekeeper]]:''' [[True Neutral|Neutral]] psychopompic demigod of Death, Executions, Funerals, Judgement, Underworld, Portals, Gateways, Travel, and Knowledge.

'''[[Enkili|Enkili the Shapeshifter]]:''' God/dess of [[Chaotic Neutral|Chaos]], Storms, Trickery, Luck, Misfortune, and Travel.

'''[[Idra]]:''' Demigoddess of [[Chaotic Neutral|Chaos]], Sexuality, Physical Affection, Carnal Knowledge, Passion, Entrancement, Prostitutes, Secrets, and Health.

'''[[Chardun|Chardun the Slaver]]:''' [[Lawful Evil|Lawful]] god of War, Domination, Slavery, Bindings, Conquest, Avarice, and Pain.

'''[[Belsameth|Belsameth the Slayer]]:''' Goddess of Darkness, Death, Nightmares, Deception, Witchcraft, Magic, and Madness.

'''[[Vangal]]:''' God of Destruction, Pestilence, Famine, Bloodshed, Thunder, and Disasters.

===Ushada===
According to their worshipers, the Ushadan, the Ushada are the spirits of all things. And they mean ALL THINGS. In a forest, every tree, animal and rock have its own Ushada, and the forest itself have an Ushada. All Ushadan see the Titans as abnormal forms of Ushada, and respect them even if they also see them as corrupt and evil. In the matter of the gods the Ushadan are divided. Most see them as an unusual form of Ushada, but other believed to be not a part of the world and fear them.

===Agency of the Emperor===
The [[Agency of the Emperor]] is the faith followed by the inhabitants of the Dragon Lands in Scarn.
The people of the Dragon Lands believe that the draconic shape is the mark of an august spirit, lifting [[dragon]]s above other mortals, and the only being above them is the emperor, also a dragon, who is the embodiment of an august spirit. The followers of the Agency obey the dragons and seek to emulate them, so that they can become spiritually august as well. The [[cleric]]s of the faith act the earthly representatives of the Unseen Emperors and serve the emperor directly. 
When a person dies, they go to the ''August Court of the Highest Heavens'', a paradise ruled over by the ''Unseen Emperors'', the spirits of the former emperors, but only if they have followed the societal standards, and prayed and supplicated their ancestors dwelling in the Court of the Unseen Emperors.

==Races of the Scarred Lands==
As part of the charm of this chaotic imprint, instead of the common races appearing in either the "Campaign Setting: [[Ghelspad]]" or "Scarred Lands Gazetteer: Ghelspad" sourcebooks like you'd expect, they only showed up in the ''DM's Companion'', the last place any player would think to look! Luckily, 1d4chan is the internet's #1 source of obscure D&D racial crunch, so you can get the basics here and go looking for the pdfs of lore and other goodies on /tg/.

It bears mentioning that, of these races, the Forsaken Elves and the Charduni Dwarves were apparently the most popular with the fanbase, even getting their own dedicated sourcebook ("The Faithful And The Forsaken"). This may have something to do with their unique takes on the iconic "dying elf" and "dwarven" archetypes... or the Charduni Dwarves being represented by a curvaceous dusky-skinned female in a dress she's almost falling out of, fishnet stockings and high-heels.

'''Mountain Dwarves''' are native to the mountainous areas of Ghelspad, especially the Kelders, and so are sometimes named after that. They are pretty much your typical [[dwarf]], save for one key difference: as part of their superior craftsmanship, mountain dwarves possess strong natural traditions of wizardry, and readily embrace magic as one of their strengths. They are particularly known for the art of runic magic, which they invented during the Divine War. Also, they care a lot less about their beards than most standard dwarves do. They have the following racial traits:
::+2 Constitution, -2 Charisma
::Medium
::Base speed 20 feet
::Darkvision 60 feet
::Stonecunning: +2 racial bonus on checks to notice unusual stonework, including things disguised as stone, always considered to be actively searching for unusual stonework that is within 10 feet, can use Search to find stonework-based traps as if they were a [[Rogue]], can always intuit depth underground.
::Runic Heritage: Can cast Detect Magic and Arcane Mark 2/day each, both as if cast by a sorcerer of caster level equal to the dwarf's character level.
::+2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison, disease, spells and spell-like effects.
::+2 dodge bonus to AC against Huge or larger foes.
::+2 racial bonus to melee attack rolls if another allied dwarf is within 5 feet.
::+2 racial bonus on Appraise and Craft checks relating to stone and metal.
::+2 racial bonus on Handle Animal checks with dwarf hounds and related creatures.
::+r4 racial bonus to Will saves against the deafening bark of the dwarf hound.
::[[Favored Class]]: [[Fighter]] and [[Wizard]].

'''[[Charduni]] Dwarves''' are natives of Termana who invaded southwestern Ghelspad before the Divine War, where they inadvertently became unlikely saviors by fighting the [[asaatthi]] empire to mutual destruction during that time period. As their name suggests, the Charduni worship Chardun, God of Domination and Conquest - in fact, it's implied he made them as mockeries of the original Mountain Dwarves to be his perfect slave soldiers, then abandoned them when he realized that this made them struggle to recover from social upset; independent thought isn't their strongest point. They are effectively a dwarven analogue to [[drow]], complete with being born a sickly gray and darkening to increasingly deep blacks as they age.
::-2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma
::Medium
::Base speed 20 feet
::Darkvision 90 feet
::Stonecunning: +2 racial bonus on checks to notice unusual stonework, including things disguised as stone, always considered to be actively searching for unusual stonework that is within 10 feet, can use Search to find stonework-based traps as if they were a [[Rogue]], can always intuit depth underground.
::+2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison & disease.
::+1 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects.
::+2 dodge bonus to AC against Huge or bigger opponents.
::+2 racial bonus to Profession (Mining) checks.
::+2 racial bonus on Appraise & Craft checks relating to stone or metal.
::Skin of Rock: +1 natural armor bonus at 40 years old, with a further +1 every 40 years, maxing out at +6 at 240 years old. A natural armor bonus of +4 or high gives a charduni a [[Level Adjustment]] of +1.
::[[Favored Class]]: [[Cleric]] and [[Fighter]]

'''Forsaken Dwarves''' are an offshoot of the mountain dwarves whose homes in the World's End mountains were destroyed during the opening volleys of the Divine War. Refusing to get along and traumatized, these dwarves fled to the shelter of Krakadom, tallest and most treacherous mountain in all of Ghelspad, where they have pursued a strict doctrine of isolation and slowly begun to degenerate, losing ever more of their traditional crafting skills and slipping into madness.
::+2 Constitution, -2 Charisma
::Medium
::Base speed 20 feet
::Darkvision 120 feet
::Stonecunning: +2 racial bonus on checks to notice unusual stonework, including things disguised as stone, always considered to be actively searching for unusual stonework that is within 10 feet, can use Search to find stonework-based traps as if they were a [[Rogue]], can always intuit depth underground.
::+2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison or disease.
::+1 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects.
::+2 dodge bonus to AC against Huge or larger foes.
::+2 racial bonus to melee attack rolls if another allied dwarf is within 5 feet.
::+2 racial bonus to Intimidate checks.
::+1 racial bonus on Appraise & Craft checks relating to stone and metal.
::Trap-Mastery: +2 racial bonus to Craft (Trap-making), which stacks with the bonus for Craft checks relating to stone & metal, and can make Disable Device skills even when untrained.
::[[Favored Class]]: [[Fighter]] and [[Rogue]]

'''Dark Elves''' are a mysterious race of malicious, cruel, black-skinned elves from below the peaks of the Kelder mountain range, who routinely war on their dwarven neighbors and any other surfacers. Unlike standard [[drow]], they don't worship [[Lolth]], nor revere spiders, nor are they a matriarchy. They do wear luminescent tattoos though.
::+2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma
::Medium size
::Base speed 30 feet
::Darkvision 120 feet
::Immune to Sleep spells and magical effects that induce Sleep.
::+2 racial bonus to saving throws against enchantment spells and effects.
::+2 racial bonus on Listen, Search and Spot checks, is always considered to be actively searching for secret & concealed doors within 5 feet.
::+2 racial bonus on Will saves against spells and spell-like abilities.
::Spell-Like Abilities: Blur and Mirror Image, both 1/day, with caster level as per a sorcerer of the dark elf's character level.
::[[Favored Class]]: [[Rogue]] and [[Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)|Sorcerer]]

'''Forsaken Elves''' are the cursed remnants of the High Elves; afflicted with a divine malady that renders it impossible to produce children, and also suffer from an inability to access the true power of their patron deity, Jandaveos, who was slain in the battle against Chern. With most of their youngsters slain in that same battle, the Forsaken Elves are a dying race. With little else left, they cling to what they have left, mostly pride, giving them a reputation as arrogant, cynical, fatalistic bastards. So stubborn are they that they refuse to abandon their dead god, and thus potentially save themselves by embracing a new patron.
::-2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence
::Medium size
::Base speed 30 feet
::Low-Light Vision
::Immune to Sleep spells and magical effects that induce Sleep.
::+2 racial bonus to saving throws against enchantment spells and effects.
::Proficient with 1 of longspear, shortspear or rapier, proficient with all of shortbow, longbow, composite shortbow and composite longbow.
::+2 racial bonus on Listen, Search and Spot checks, is always considered to be actively searching for secret & concealed doors within 5 feet.
::Chern's Curse: Cannot produce living, viable, Forsaken Elf offspring. Should start play as at least a middle aged character.
::Curse of the Forsaken: Forsaken Elf clerics of Jandaveos can never advance in spellcasting ability higher than 2nd level, regardless of character level. Those who forsake Jandaveos for another patron god lose this trait, but are outcast from their society.
::Wealthy: Begin play with +50% gold and one masterwork weapon or suit of armor.
::[[Favored Class]]: [[Cleric]] and [[Wizard]]

'''Wood Elves''' are pretty much your standard elves, with little to differentiate them from their standard portrayal. Except maybe their love of tattooing themselves as a racial art form.
::+2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution
::Medium size
::Base speed 30 feet
::Low-Light Vision
::Immune to Sleep spells and magical effects that induce Sleep.
::+2 racial bonus to saving throws against enchantment spells and effects.
::Proficient with longspear, shortspear, quarterstaff, shortbow, longbow, composite shortbow and composite longbow. Wood Elf [[Druid]]s can use these weapons without violating their druidic oaths.
::+2 racial bonus on Listen, Search and Spot checks, is always considered to be actively searching for secret & concealed doors within 5 feet.
::+2 racial bonus on Craft (Tattoo) checks.
::[[Favored Class]]: [[Druid]] and [[Ranger]]

'''Half-Elves''' in Scarn have a really awful sense of luck; whilst the comparative minority born of wood elven blood is welcomed and accepted, the vast majority are born of forsaken elf parents. The forsaken have taken to [[grimdark|buying human slaves as breeding stock (or kidnapping children for this purpose)]] in hopes that crossbreeding will free them from the Curse of Chern. And, in fact, it works; Forsaken half-elves are healthy, strong and full of life. [[Derp|So the Forsaken Elves treat their halfbreed progeny like absolute shit for being half-human, and are then surprised when they tend to run away in huge numbers to Ghelspad, where they are treated decently]].
::No ability modifiers
::Medium
::Base speed 30 feet
::Low-Light Vision
::Immune to Sleep spells and magical effects that induce Sleep.
::+2 racial bonus to saving throws against enchantment spells and effects.
::+1 racial bonus to Listen, Search and Spot checks.
::Elven Blood: Treat as an Elf for all special abilities and effects that key off of race.
::+1 skill point at each level from level 2 onwards.
::[[Favored Class]]: Any

'''Half-Orcs''' are typically either bred for slave labor or the victims of orcish raids upon settlements outside of the orcish homeland of the Plains of Lede. This builds a certain amount of sympathy, although just enough that they are allowed to make their own way in the world on their own merits rather than being harassed just for being part-orcish.
::+2 Strength, -2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma
::Medium
::Base speed 30 feet
::Darkvision 60 feet
::+2 racial bonus to Bluff, Intimidate and Sense Motive checks.
::Orc Blood: Treat as an Orc for all special abilities and effects that key off of race.
::[[Favored Class]]: [[Barbarian]] and [[Rogue]]

'''Halflings''' are basically your standard peaceful, agrarian little people. It's just that, in a grimbright setting like this, they've basically been kicked around for generations and are mostly a race of slave-laborers.
::+2 Dexterity, -2 Strength
::Small
::Base speed 20 feet
::+2 racial bonus on Climb, Jump, Listen and Move Silently checks.
::+1 racial bonus on all saving throws.
::+2 morale bonus on saving throws against fear.
::+2 racial bonus on attack rolls with thrown weapons.
::+2 racial bonus on Bluff checks.
::Impoverished: Start the game with -25% of the normal starting gold.
::[[Favored Class]]: [[Rogue]]

'''Humans''' are everywhere in Ghelspad and Termana alike, with dozens of unique cultures, because of course that's what any setting does with them.
::No ability modifiers - or use the "Humans By Region" variant and gain ability score modifiers based on region of origin.
* Calastia & The Sweltering Plains: -2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma
* Gascar Cities & Dunahnae: -2 Strength, +2 Intelligence ''or'' +2 Wisdom
* Karria, Darakeene & Albdia: +2 Strength ''or'' +2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence ''or'' -2 Wisdom
* The Plains of Lede: +2 Dexterity, -2 Charisma
* Vesh, Cordrada & The Repose Peninsula: -2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom
* Durrover & the Kelders: +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma
* Crilos & The Gray Isle: +2 Strength, -2 Intelligence
* Kingdoms of the West: -2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma
* Tehlasos: +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma
* Tepuje Cities & Gamulganjus: +2 Dexterity, -2 Wisdom
::Medium
::Base speed 30 feet
::+1 extra feat at first level
::+4 extra skill points at first level
::+1 skill point at each level from 2nd onwards.
::[[Favored Class]]: Any

'''Gnomes''' are indigenous to the jungles of southern Termana, living a semi-nomadic lifestyle. Intensely xenophobic, their innate mystical connection to the animals of the jungle means that whilst many gnomes are vegetarians by default, a good number of them may also consider the meat of sapient races to be an acceptable source of protein. May possibly be dark skinned, but this is never mentioned.
::+2 Constitution, -2 Strength
::Small
::Base speed 20 feet
::Low-light Vision
::+2 racial bonus on saving throws against Illusions.
::+4 dodge bonus to AC against giants.
::+2 racial bonus on Listen checks.
::Animal Tongue: Cast a variant of Speak With Animals as a 1st level Sorcerer 1/day, which lasts 1 minute and allows for communication with any jungle bird or tiny-sized mammal.
::Spirit Weaving: A jungle gnome with Int 10+ can cast Dancing Lights, Ghost Sound and Prestidigitation 1/day each, all as a 1st level caster.
::[[Favored Class]]: [[Druid]] and Illusionist

'''Gnolls''' are pretty much the standard savage nomadic raiders of every setting, although there are multiple tribes who have settled down to a more peaceful existence and adventuring gnolls are surprisingly common.
::+4 Strength, +2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma
::Medium
::Base speed 30 feet
::Darkvision 60 feet
::Tough Hide: +1 natural armor class bonus
::+3 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks
::Start play with 2d8 Hit Dice (apply Con modifier to both rolls), +1 BAB, +3 Fort, and Power Attack as a bonus feat.
::[[Level Adjustment]]: +2
::[[Favored Class]]: [[Barbarian]] and [[Ranger]]

'''Terali''' are a race of [[catfolk]] native to the southern jungles who resemble humanoid leopards. Deeply spiritual, they have an extremely complex culture revolving around ritual cleansing and taboos. The rare (1 in 20) melanistic "marked ones" of their kind have an innate affinity for sorcery.
::+2 Dexterity, -2 Wisdom
::Medium
::Base speed 40 feet
::Low Light Vision
::Natural Weapons: 2 claw attacks (1d3 damage each) per round, or 1 bite attack (1d4 damage) per round; a terali cannot use these when armed with a weapon or carrying a shield, and still provokes attacks of opportunity when using them unless it has the Improved Unarmed Strike feat.
::+2 racial bonus to Listen, Search and Spot checks.
::+2 racial bonus to Wilderness Lore checks in jungle and forest terrain.
::[[Favored Class]]: [[Druid]] and [[Ranger]] for normal terali, [[Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)|Sorcerer]] for marked one terali.

==Regions of the Scarred Lands==
The Scarred Lands are divided into two major continents, each of which has its own Campaign Setting book and its own Gazetteer, and three minor ones, crammed into a single book.

'''Ghelspad''' is the more "traditional" of the two continents, being your standard human-dominated pseudo-European sort of setting. It was the site of the Divine War and the big ongoing conflicts today still often echo the machinations of God against Titan and God against God.

'''Termana''', conversely, plays with the traditions; it's a tropical-themed region where demihuman races rule, and where the Gods & Titans have drastically less impact.

'''Asherak''' is almost entirely desert and is the literal birthplace of the gods, with a far larger pantheon of demigods.

'''Dragon Lands''' is where your standard D&D dragons live along with their worshippers.

'''Fenrilik''' is Termana, except it's arctic instead of tropical and has more Titan worshippers.
<gallery>
File:SL Ghelspad map.png|Map of Ghelspad
</gallery>

==The Relaunching==
In 2017, having acquired the rights when they took everything else from White Wolf, [[Onyx Path Publishing]] decided to create a "2nd edition" Scarred Lands setting, which they proceeded to release for both [[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]] and [[Pathfinder]] rulesets. As of October 2017, only two such books exist; the Player's Guide, and an updated version of "The Wise and the Wicked", a splatbook examining notable figures from Scarn. 2021 saw the release of two more physical splats; "Frostlands of Fenrilik", which examines the arctic region of the planet for the first time ever, and Yugman's Guide to Ghelspad, a sort of Worldbook 2.0 to follow up to the Player's Guide.

An unusual decision made for this 2nd edition was to convert a number of Titanspawn races from mere antagonists to viable player races, via the addition to the setting of "The Redeemed". The races that've received this treatment so far are [[Asaatthi]], [[Hollow Legionnaire]]s, [[Manticora]]s, [[Slitherin]]s, [[Sutak]]s (calling themselves "Ironbred") and [[Orc]]s.

==External Links==
*[https://scarn.fandom.com/wiki/Scarred_Lands_Wiki Scarred Lands Wiki (badly in need of love)]
{{WW-Games}}
{{D&D-Settings}}

[[Category: Dungeons & Dragons]]
[[Category: Dungeons & Dragons Campaign Settings]]
[[Category: Scarred Lands]]
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons Third Party]]

Scarred Lands

2021-06-30T15:07:58Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597:

[[File:Scarred lands logo.jpg|center]]
A [[grimbright]] [[Dungeons & Dragons]] setting released by [[White Wolf]] under their OGL license subsidiary/front "Swords & Sorcery". Involves a world devastated by the war between the Titans/Primordials (immensely powerful "Elder Gods") and the Gods (younger, weaker but more mortal-friendly deities), with the various mortal races having to live in it. Features one of the coolest twists on dying [[elves]] ever (they're dying because they took down a ''Primordial'', something that mortal races should fucking '''not''' be able to do, and it cursed them all in its death throes), a sea polluted with blood because a Primordial's still-living sundered halves are buried in it, a swamp region filled with utterly psycho faerie-creatures & mutants, and is generally a "the world has gone to shit, but it can get better and it ''is'' getting better" kind of place.

White Wolf pushed the Scarred Lands out of the door as quickly as it could, and this led to various problems. Most notably, their stuff was incredibly disorganized. The very first book - ''[[Creature Collection]]'' - was borked, and had to be republished. We'd suggest they learn to code except that rushing buggy shit to publication doesn't fly in that profession.

==Lords of Creation==
The Scarred Lands is defined by its Greco-Roman battle between elder deities called the Titans and their God progeny. But who are they?

===Titans===
The Titans were primordial beings, drawing their power directly from the elemental essences of the planes themselves. Petty, short-sighted, callous and cruel, they consisted of the following:

'''[[Chern]]''', also known as The Scourge and The Last Great Sickness and Suffering, was the creator of plagues, vermin and disease. He was slain by the High Elves of Termana, his body entombed beneath the Mourning Marshes. His dying curse transformed the surviving High Elves into the Forsaken Elves. His symbol is a braided rope adorned with bone figurines.

'''[[Gaurak]]''', aka The Glutton and The Voracious One, was a 100-toothed eating machine who devoured every scrap of life upon the once-verdant moon. The gods ripped out his teeth and scattered them across the world, where they turned into mountains, monoliths and even trees that blight the lands around them, before burying him deep in the earth. His titanspawn creations seek to feed his hunger, metaphorically or literally. His symbol is a fang.

'''[[Golthagga]]''' of the Forge, also known as the Shaper, was a misshapen brute who loved to meddle with the "toys" - sapient races - created by his fellows, spawning horrible aberrations out of his whimsy. Some still worship him for his talent of shaping the world around him, or his elemental affinity for earth and flame. His symbol is a forge or anvil.

'''[[Golthain]]''' the Faceless was a Titan with a vague compassion for the life-forms that the Titans created. For this, they mocked him and stripped him of his senses. In return, he betrayed them during the Divine War and then requested a merciful death. His symbol is a blank-faced mask.

'''[[Gormoth]]''' the Writhing Lord spent centuries in poisoned agony after incurring the wrath of his sister-wife Mormo. He ultimately recovered and began venting his spite and hatred on the world, targeting individuals rather than working on the grand scale. Defeated in the Divine War by Vangal and Chardun, they split him down the middle from skull to crotch and then dumped each still-flailing half on opposite sides of a great chasm. His followers still fight a vendetta against his three great enemies. His symbol is a two-headed flail.

'''[[Gulaben]]''', Lady of the Winds and Mistress of Madness, is an obscure Titan about which nobody knows anything. Her symbol is a swirling cloud with a blue eye set at its center.

'''[[Hrinruuk]]''' the Hunter relished the challenge of hunting, and created many of the most lethal monstrosities to ever stalk Scarn just to give himself something better to hunt. This chucklehead basically triggered the divine war when he decided to hunt his own daughter, Tanil, brutally rape her, and then leave her to die. This was the last straw in a string of abuses for the gods. Tanil and Corean slew him during the Dawn War, giving his still-living head as a gift to Hedrada, whose daughter Miridum he had killed for sport. His symbol is a broken bow.

'''[[Kadum]]''', the Mountainshaker, the Bleeding One, the Father of Monsters. Implied to resemble/be this setting's version of the [[Tarrasque]]. The Blood Sea exists because the best plan that the gods could come up with for defeating him was to cut out his heart, chain him to a rock, and throw him into the deepest ocean chasm, and his ever-bleeding wound poisons the sea. His symbol is a bloody heart.

'''[[Lethene]]''', the Dame of Storms, the Untamed One, is another mysterious Titan who may have actually been one and the same as Gulaben. Her symbol is a whirlwind or whirlpool.

'''[[Mesos]]''', Sire of Sorcery, the Disrupted, was the Titan most associated with arcane magic and is reputed to be the ultimate creator of all forms of sorcery. He was the first to be slain by the gods during the Divine War. His symbol is six arms clasping each other to form a six-pointed star made of two overlapping triangles.

'''[[Mormo]]''', Mother of Serpents and Queen of Witches was one of the most prolific of all Titans, creating [[hag]]s, [[asaatthi]], [[medusa]]e and [[gorgon]]s amongst dozens of others. Hacked into pieces during the Divine War, her blood transformed the Hornsaw Forest into a homeland for mutant terrors. Her symbol is a serpent.

'''[[Thulkas]]''', Father of Fire, also known as the Iron God, was an elemental force of flaming metal. So durable was he that Corean could not slay him, instead forcing him onto Golthagga's own anvil and hammering him with the Shaper's tools into the form of an arrow, which Tanil then shot into the sun using the bow she had taking from Hrinruuk. His symbol is a red sun with a black eye in the center.

===Gods===
The progeny of the Titans, the Gods found they drew their power from the belief and worship of the mortal races. This made them naturally more empathetic to the suffering of mortals, and so, ultimately, the abuses of the Titans roused them to put an end to it. That said, not all of the Gods are nice people - many of them are fucking assholes in their own right. They consist of the following:

'''[[Corean]]:''' God of [[Lawful Good|Law]], Protection, Chivalry, Wisdom, Craftwork, and Strength.

'''[[Madriel]]:''' Goddess of the Sun, Light, Sky, Redemption, Healing, and Agriculture.

'''[[Tanil]]:''' Goddess of [[Chaotic Good|Chaos]], Music, Good Fortune, Trickery, Travel, Freedom, Hunting, Forestry, and Archery.

'''[[Hedrada|Hedrada the Lawgiver]]:''' God of [[Lawful Neutral|Law]], Order, Protection, Judgement, Justice, Knowledge, Cities, and Wealth.

'''[[Denev]]:''' Titaness of Earth, Nature, The Seasons, and the Cycles of Life.

'''[[Nemorga|Nemorga the Gatekeeper]]:''' [[True Neutral|Neutral]] psychopompic demigod of Death, Executions, Funerals, Judgement, Underworld, Portals, Gateways, Travel, and Knowledge.

'''[[Enkili|Enkili the Shapeshifter]]:''' God/dess of [[Chaotic Neutral|Chaos]], Storms, Trickery, Luck, Misfortune, and Travel.

'''[[Idra]]:''' Demigoddess of [[Chaotic Neutral|Chaos]], Sexuality, Physical Affection, Carnal Knowledge, Passion, Entrancement, Prostitutes, Secrets, and Health.

'''[[Chardun|Chardun the Slaver]]:''' [[Lawful Evil|Lawful]] god of War, Domination, Slavery, Bindings, Conquest, Avarice, and Pain.

'''[[Belsameth|Belsameth the Slayer]]:''' Goddess of Darkness, Death, Nightmares, Deception, Witchcraft, Magic, and Madness.

'''[[Vangal]]:''' God of Destruction, Pestilence, Famine, Bloodshed, Thunder, and Disasters.

===Ushada===
According to their worshipers, the Ushadan, the Ushada are the spirits of all things. And they mean ALL THINGS. In a forest, every tree, animal and rock have its own Ushada, and the forest itself have an Ushada. All Ushadan see the Titans as abnormal forms of Ushada, and respect them even if they also see them as corrupt and evil. In the matter of the gods the Ushadan are divided. Most see them as an unusual form of Ushada, but other believed to be not a part of the world and fear them.

===Agency of the Emperor===
The [[Agency of the Emperor]] is the faith followed by the inhabitants of the Dragon Lands in Scarn.
The people of the Dragon Lands believe that the draconic shape is the mark of an august spirit, lifting [[dragon]]s above other mortals, and the only being above them is the emperor, also a dragon, who is the embodiment of an august spirit. The followers of the Agency obey the dragons and seek to emulate them, so that they can become spiritually august as well. The [[cleric]]s of the faith act the earthly representatives of the Unseen Emperors and serve the emperor directly. 
When a person dies, they go to the ''August Court of the Highest Heavens'', a paradise ruled over by the ''Unseen Emperors'', the spirits of the former emperors, but only if they have followed the societal standards, and prayed and supplicated their ancestors dwelling in the Court of the Unseen Emperors.

==Races of the Scarred Lands==
As part of the charm of this chaotic imprint, instead of the common races appearing in either the "Campaign Setting: [[Ghelspad]]" or "Scarred Lands Gazetteer: Ghelspad" sourcebooks like you'd expect, they only showed up in the ''DM's Companion'', the last place any player would think to look! Luckily, 1d4chan is the internet's #1 source of obscure D&D racial crunch, so you can get the basics here and go looking for the pdfs of lore and other goodies on /tg/.

It bears mentioning that, of these races, the Forsaken Elves and the Charduni Dwarves were apparently the most popular with the fanbase, even getting their own dedicated sourcebook ("The Faithful And The Forsaken"). This may have something to do with their unique takes on the iconic "dying elf" and "dwarven" archetypes... or the Charduni Dwarves being represented by a curvaceous dusky-skinned female in a dress she's almost falling out of, fishnet stockings and high-heels.

'''Mountain Dwarves''' are native to the mountainous areas of Ghelspad, especially the Kelders, and so are sometimes named after that. They are pretty much your typical [[dwarf]], save for one key difference: as part of their superior craftsmanship, mountain dwarves possess strong natural traditions of wizardry, and readily embrace magic as one of their strengths. They are particularly known for the art of runic magic, which they invented during the Divine War. Also, they care a lot less about their beards than most standard dwarves do. They have the following racial traits:
::+2 Constitution, -2 Charisma
::Medium
::Base speed 20 feet
::Darkvision 60 feet
::Stonecunning: +2 racial bonus on checks to notice unusual stonework, including things disguised as stone, always considered to be actively searching for unusual stonework that is within 10 feet, can use Search to find stonework-based traps as if they were a [[Rogue]], can always intuit depth underground.
::Runic Heritage: Can cast Detect Magic and Arcane Mark 2/day each, both as if cast by a sorcerer of caster level equal to the dwarf's character level.
::+2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison, disease, spells and spell-like effects.
::+2 dodge bonus to AC against Huge or larger foes.
::+2 racial bonus to melee attack rolls if another allied dwarf is within 5 feet.
::+2 racial bonus on Appraise and Craft checks relating to stone and metal.
::+2 racial bonus on Handle Animal checks with dwarf hounds and related creatures.
::+r4 racial bonus to Will saves against the deafening bark of the dwarf hound.
::[[Favored Class]]: [[Fighter]] and [[Wizard]].

'''[[Charduni]] Dwarves''' are natives of Termana who invaded southwestern Ghelspad before the Divine War, where they inadvertently became unlikely saviors by fighting the [[asaatthi]] empire to mutual destruction during that time period. As their name suggests, the Charduni worship Chardun, God of Domination and Conquest - in fact, it's implied he made them as mockeries of the original Mountain Dwarves to be his perfect slave soldiers, then abandoned them when he realized that this made them struggle to recover from social upset; independent thought isn't their strongest point. They are effectively a dwarven analogue to [[drow]], complete with being born a sickly gray and darkening to increasingly deep blacks as they age.
::-2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma
::Medium
::Base speed 20 feet
::Darkvision 90 feet
::Stonecunning: +2 racial bonus on checks to notice unusual stonework, including things disguised as stone, always considered to be actively searching for unusual stonework that is within 10 feet, can use Search to find stonework-based traps as if they were a [[Rogue]], can always intuit depth underground.
::+2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison & disease.
::+1 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects.
::+2 dodge bonus to AC against Huge or bigger opponents.
::+2 racial bonus to Profession (Mining) checks.
::+2 racial bonus on Appraise & Craft checks relating to stone or metal.
::Skin of Rock: +1 natural armor bonus at 40 years old, with a further +1 every 40 years, maxing out at +6 at 240 years old. A natural armor bonus of +4 or high gives a charduni a [[Level Adjustment]] of +1.
::[[Favored Class]]: [[Cleric]] and [[Fighter]]

'''Forsaken Dwarves''' are an offshoot of the mountain dwarves whose homes in the World's End mountains were destroyed during the opening volleys of the Divine War. Refusing to get along and traumatized, these dwarves fled to the shelter of Krakadom, tallest and most treacherous mountain in all of Ghelspad, where they have pursued a strict doctrine of isolation and slowly begun to degenerate, losing ever more of their traditional crafting skills and slipping into madness.
::+2 Constitution, -2 Charisma
::Medium
::Base speed 20 feet
::Darkvision 120 feet
::Stonecunning: +2 racial bonus on checks to notice unusual stonework, including things disguised as stone, always considered to be actively searching for unusual stonework that is within 10 feet, can use Search to find stonework-based traps as if they were a [[Rogue]], can always intuit depth underground.
::+2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison or disease.
::+1 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects.
::+2 dodge bonus to AC against Huge or larger foes.
::+2 racial bonus to melee attack rolls if another allied dwarf is within 5 feet.
::+2 racial bonus to Intimidate checks.
::+1 racial bonus on Appraise & Craft checks relating to stone and metal.
::Trap-Mastery: +2 racial bonus to Craft (Trap-making), which stacks with the bonus for Craft checks relating to stone & metal, and can make Disable Device skills even when untrained.
::[[Favored Class]]: [[Fighter]] and [[Rogue]]

'''Dark Elves''' are a mysterious race of malicious, cruel, black-skinned elves from below the peaks of the Kelder mountain range, who routinely war on their dwarven neighbors and any other surfacers. Unlike standard [[drow]], they don't worship [[Lolth]], nor revere spiders, nor are they a matriarchy. They do wear luminescent tattoos though.
::+2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma
::Medium size
::Base speed 30 feet
::Darkvision 120 feet
::Immune to Sleep spells and magical effects that induce Sleep.
::+2 racial bonus to saving throws against enchantment spells and effects.
::+2 racial bonus on Listen, Search and Spot checks, is always considered to be actively searching for secret & concealed doors within 5 feet.
::+2 racial bonus on Will saves against spells and spell-like abilities.
::Spell-Like Abilities: Blur and Mirror Image, both 1/day, with caster level as per a sorcerer of the dark elf's character level.
::[[Favored Class]]: [[Rogue]] and [[Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)|Sorcerer]]

'''Forsaken Elves''' are the cursed remnants of the High Elves; afflicted with a divine malady that renders it impossible to produce children, and also suffer from an inability to access the true power of their patron deity, Jandaveos, who was slain in the battle against Chern. With most of their youngsters slain in that same battle, the Forsaken Elves are a dying race. With little else left, they cling to what they have left, mostly pride, giving them a reputation as arrogant, cynical, fatalistic bastards. So stubborn are they that they refuse to abandon their dead god, and thus potentially save themselves by embracing a new patron.
::-2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence
::Medium size
::Base speed 30 feet
::Low-Light Vision
::Immune to Sleep spells and magical effects that induce Sleep.
::+2 racial bonus to saving throws against enchantment spells and effects.
::Proficient with 1 of longspear, shortspear or rapier, proficient with all of shortbow, longbow, composite shortbow and composite longbow.
::+2 racial bonus on Listen, Search and Spot checks, is always considered to be actively searching for secret & concealed doors within 5 feet.
::Chern's Curse: Cannot produce living, viable, Forsaken Elf offspring. Should start play as at least a middle aged character.
::Curse of the Forsaken: Forsaken Elf clerics of Jandaveos can never advance in spellcasting ability higher than 2nd level, regardless of character level. Those who forsake Jandaveos for another patron god lose this trait, but are outcast from their society.
::Wealthy: Begin play with +50% gold and one masterwork weapon or suit of armor.
::[[Favored Class]]: [[Cleric]] and [[Wizard]]

'''Wood Elves''' are pretty much your standard elves, with little to differentiate them from their standard portrayal. Except maybe their love of tattooing themselves as a racial art form.
::+2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution
::Medium size
::Base speed 30 feet
::Low-Light Vision
::Immune to Sleep spells and magical effects that induce Sleep.
::+2 racial bonus to saving throws against enchantment spells and effects.
::Proficient with longspear, shortspear, quarterstaff, shortbow, longbow, composite shortbow and composite longbow. Wood Elf [[Druid]]s can use these weapons without violating their druidic oaths.
::+2 racial bonus on Listen, Search and Spot checks, is always considered to be actively searching for secret & concealed doors within 5 feet.
::+2 racial bonus on Craft (Tattoo) checks.
::[[Favored Class]]: [[Druid]] and [[Ranger]]

'''Half-Elves''' in Scarn have a really awful sense of luck; whilst the comparative minority born of wood elven blood is welcomed and accepted, the vast majority are born of forsaken elf parents. The forsaken have taken to [[grimdark|buying human slaves as breeding stock (or kidnapping children for this purpose)]] in hopes that crossbreeding will free them from the Curse of Chern. And, in fact, it works; Forsaken half-elves are healthy, strong and full of life. [[Derp|So the Forsaken Elves treat their halfbreed progeny like absolute shit for being half-human, and are then surprised when they tend to run away in huge numbers to Ghelspad, where they are treated decently]].
::No ability modifiers
::Medium
::Base speed 30 feet
::Low-Light Vision
::Immune to Sleep spells and magical effects that induce Sleep.
::+2 racial bonus to saving throws against enchantment spells and effects.
::+1 racial bonus to Listen, Search and Spot checks.
::Elven Blood: Treat as an Elf for all special abilities and effects that key off of race.
::+1 skill point at each level from level 2 onwards.
::[[Favored Class]]: Any

'''Half-Orcs''' are typically either bred for slave labor or the victims of orcish raids upon settlements outside of the orcish homeland of the Plains of Lede. This builds a certain amount of sympathy, although just enough that they are allowed to make their own way in the world on their own merits rather than being harassed just for being part-orcish.
::+2 Strength, -2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma
::Medium
::Base speed 30 feet
::Darkvision 60 feet
::+2 racial bonus to Bluff, Intimidate and Sense Motive checks.
::Orc Blood: Treat as an Orc for all special abilities and effects that key off of race.
::[[Favored Class]]: [[Barbarian]] and [[Rogue]]

'''Halflings''' are basically your standard peaceful, agrarian little people. It's just that, in a grimbright setting like this, they've basically been kicked around for generations and are mostly a race of slave-laborers.
::+2 Dexterity, -2 Strength
::Small
::Base speed 20 feet
::+2 racial bonus on Climb, Jump, Listen and Move Silently checks.
::+1 racial bonus on all saving throws.
::+2 morale bonus on saving throws against fear.
::+2 racial bonus on attack rolls with thrown weapons.
::+2 racial bonus on Bluff checks.
::Impoverished: Start the game with -25% of the normal starting gold.
::[[Favored Class]]: [[Rogue]]

'''Humans''' are everywhere in Ghelspad and Termana alike, with dozens of unique cultures, because of course that's what any setting does with them.
::No ability modifiers - or use the "Humans By Region" variant and gain ability score modifiers based on region of origin.
* Calastia & The Sweltering Plains: -2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma
* Gascar Cities & Dunahnae: -2 Strength, +2 Intelligence ''or'' +2 Wisdom
* Karria, Darakeene & Albdia: +2 Strength ''or'' +2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence ''or'' -2 Wisdom
* The Plains of Lede: +2 Dexterity, -2 Charisma
* Vesh, Cordrada & The Repose Peninsula: -2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom
* Durrover & the Kelders: +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma
* Crilos & The Gray Isle: +2 Strength, -2 Intelligence
* Kingdoms of the West: -2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma
* Tehlasos: +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma
* Tepuje Cities & Gamulganjus: +2 Dexterity, -2 Wisdom
::Medium
::Base speed 30 feet
::+1 extra feat at first level
::+4 extra skill points at first level
::+1 skill point at each level from 2nd onwards.
::[[Favored Class]]: Any

'''Gnomes''' are indigenous to the jungles of southern Termana, living a semi-nomadic lifestyle. Intensely xenophobic, their innate mystical connection to the animals of the jungle means that whilst many gnomes are vegetarians by default, a good number of them may also consider the meat of sapient races to be an acceptable source of protein. May possibly be dark skinned, but this is never mentioned.
::+2 Constitution, -2 Strength
::Small
::Base speed 20 feet
::Low-light Vision
::+2 racial bonus on saving throws against Illusions.
::+4 dodge bonus to AC against giants.
::+2 racial bonus on Listen checks.
::Animal Tongue: Cast a variant of Speak With Animals as a 1st level Sorcerer 1/day, which lasts 1 minute and allows for communication with any jungle bird or tiny-sized mammal.
::Spirit Weaving: A jungle gnome with Int 10+ can cast Dancing Lights, Ghost Sound and Prestidigitation 1/day each, all as a 1st level caster.
::[[Favored Class]]: [[Druid]] and Illusionist

'''Gnolls''' are pretty much the standard savage nomadic raiders of every setting, although there are multiple tribes who have settled down to a more peaceful existence and adventuring gnolls are surprisingly common.
::+4 Strength, +2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma
::Medium
::Base speed 30 feet
::Darkvision 60 feet
::Tough Hide: +1 natural armor class bonus
::+3 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks
::Start play with 2d8 Hit Dice (apply Con modifier to both rolls), +1 BAB, +3 Fort, and Power Attack as a bonus feat.
::[[Level Adjustment]]: +2
::[[Favored Class]]: [[Barbarian]] and [[Ranger]]

'''Terali''' are a race of [[catfolk]] native to the southern jungles who resemble humanoid leopards. Deeply spiritual, they have an extremely complex culture revolving around ritual cleansing and taboos. The rare (1 in 20) melanistic "marked ones" of their kind have an innate affinity for sorcery.
::+2 Dexterity, -2 Wisdom
::Medium
::Base speed 40 feet
::Low Light Vision
::Natural Weapons: 2 claw attacks (1d3 damage each) per round, or 1 bite attack (1d4 damage) per round; a terali cannot use these when armed with a weapon or carrying a shield, and still provokes attacks of opportunity when using them unless it has the Improved Unarmed Strike feat.
::+2 racial bonus to Listen, Search and Spot checks.
::+2 racial bonus to Wilderness Lore checks in jungle and forest terrain.
::[[Favored Class]]: [[Druid]] and [[Ranger]] for normal terali, [[Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)|Sorcerer]] for marked one terali.

==Regions of the Scarred Lands==
The Scarred Lands are divided into two major continents, each of which has its own Campaign Setting book and its own Gazetteer, and three minor ones, crammed into a single book.

'''Ghelspad''' is the more "traditional" of the two continents, being your standard human-dominated pseudo-European sort of setting. It was the site of the Divine War and the big ongoing conflicts today still often echo the machinations of God against Titan and God against God.

'''Termana''', conversely, plays with the traditions; it's a tropical-themed region where demihuman races rule, and where the Gods & Titans have drastically less impact.

'''Asherak''' is almost entirely desert and is the literal birthplace of the gods, with a far larger pantheon of demigods.

'''Dragon Lands''' is where your standard D&D dragons live along with their worshippers.

'''Fenrilik''' is Termana, except it's arctic instead of tropical and has more Titan worshippers.
<gallery>
File:SL Ghelspad map.png|Map of Ghelspad
</gallery>

==The Relaunching==
In 2017, having acquired the rights when they took everything else from White Wolf, [[Onyx Path Publishing]] decided to create a "2nd edition" Scarred Lands setting, which they proceeded to release for both [[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]] and [[Pathfinder]] rulesets. As of October 2017, only two such books exist; the Player's Guide, and an updated version of "The Wise and the Wicked", a splatbook examining notable figures from Scarn. 2021 saw the release of two more physical splats; "Frostlands of Fenrilik", which examines the arctic region of the planet for the first time ever, and Yugman's Guide to Ghelspad, a sort of Worldbook 2.0 to follow up to the Player's Guide.

An unusual decision made for this 2nd edition was to convert a number of Titanspawn races from mere antagonists to viable player races, via the addition to the setting of "The Redeemed". The races that've received this treatment so far are [[Asaatthi]], [[Hollow Legionnaire]]s, [[Manticora]]s, [[Slitherin]]s, [[Sutak]]s (calling themselves "Ironbred") and [[Orc]]s.

==External Links==
*[https://scarn.fandom.com/wiki/Scarred_Lands_Wiki Scarred Lands Wiki (badly in need of love)]
{{WW-Games}}
{{D&D-Settings}}

[[Category: Dungeons & Dragons]]
[[Category: Dungeons & Dragons Campaign Settings]]
[[Category: Scarred Lands]]
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons Third Party]]

Wild Hunt

2021-06-30T14:57:55Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597:

{{stub}}

'''The Wild Hunt''' is a mystical organization that appears in various forms throughout myriad European mythologies. At its core, the Wild Hunt is a supernatural hunting party that can be seen racing through the wilderness at night, although details such as who partakes ([[fey]], [[fiend]]s, [[ghost]]s, or some combination thereof have all been cited), who leads the hunt, and what it actually ''hunts'' depends on the precise tale that you hear!

As a key bit of European mythology, the Wild Hunt has made appearances in both [[Dungeons & Dragons]] and in [[Pathfinder]]. Its ties to faerie-lore has seen it appear in [[Changeling: The Lost]] as well. It is also a major part of wood elves lore, heavily related to [[Orion]].

==D&D==
The D&D version, in fact, consists of three versions; one for the [[Great Wheel]], one for the [[World Axis]], and one for the [[Demiplane of Dread]].

The Great Wheel version is covered in [[Dragon Magazine]] #342, and is... not very well detailed; the rear-section of the issue dedicates its Divine character option to presenting the [[Master of the Wild Hunt]] as a deity that can be worshipped by clerics. He is described as a Neutral (leaning towards Neutral Evil) deity mostly worshipped by [[druid]]s and [[ranger]]s, who exists to hunt the most worthy prey imaginable; Wild Hunts in the [[Prime Material]] are typical sects of his mortal worshippers, and usually have more specific quarry.

The World Axis version is first mentioned in the pages of the [[Monster Manual]] 2. Here, it is explained that the [[Firbolg]]s, a race of [[fey]] [[giant]]s, undertake Wild Hunts as a sacred rite, seeking to prove their worth to the three goddesses whom they worship and to punish oathbreakers. [[Dragon Magazine]] #428 would subsequently explain that the Wild Hunt of the Firbolgs is a pale imitation of the ''true'' Wild Hunt, which is led by an outcast [[archfey]] named [[Cerunnos]], the Horned Lord. The "true" Wild Hunt comprises of many different Gloaming Fey, as well as [[firbolg]]s and [[centaur]]s, aided by [[undead]] (especially [[vampire]]s; an [[eladrin]] vampire demigod named Kannoth was once a member of the Wild Hunt himself) and [[warlock]]s.

The [[Warden]] [[Paragon Path]] called the Horned Champion may be tied to the Wild Hunt in some way, as well.

In [[Ravenloft]], the Wild Hunt, while superficially similiar to the versions above, is a manifestation created from the mists by the [[Dark Powers]]. They most often manifest in Forlorn, but can manifest anywhere temperate, and from there begin searching for any intelligent being of any [[alignment]], except True Neutral, for prey. Any being who sees the Wild Hunt after the prey has been chosen, is compelled to join the hunt, and often evil beings, such as [[hag]]s, [[Werewolf|werewolves]], [[fey]], and [[undead]], and PCs who've failed a Powers check are invited to join the hunt. Oh, and the [[Darklord]]s are immune to the call and can't be chosen as prey.

The name is also invoked in the [[Birthright]] setting as the name of an elf supremacist anti-human hate-group that is striving to drive humanity off of Cerilia through acts of murder and terrorism.

==Pathfinder==
Appearing in the 6th Pathfinder bestiary, the Wild Hunt of [[Golarion]] is a civilization of distinctive [[fey]], who collectively owe loyalty to a god-like [[archfey]] called the Horned King, and whose culture revolves around hunting the greatest trophies they can imagine. Stats are presented for three specific varieties of "Wild Hunter"; the Scout, Archer and Monarch. Stats are also presented for their fey hounds and steeds, too.

==Changeling: The Lost==
The Wild Hunt of Arcadia is not one singular organization, but a phenomena; it refers to one of the True Fey going on the hunt, with an entourage of hobgoblins at their beck and call. A cursed fey artifact allows a changeling to summon a Wild Hunt to their presence, and is regarded as one of the very last things you should ever, ''ever'' have to use.

==Warhammer Fantasy==
Basically the WAAAGH!!! for the Wood Elves. Every midsummer, Orion would lead a bunch of his forest kin to assrape any of his enemies. Everybody that is part of the Wood Elves faction in Athel Loren would often feel their primal instinct arise at this period, such that they would either join the hunt or avoid it. The targets that usually get assraped during this period are either the Bretonnians (because they live nearby) or the Greenskins (live in the nearby mountains but also got assraped in the first ever wild hunt when they tried to WAAAGH!!! the Oak of Ages).

==See Also==
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZIl8RZvv6I| A video by Overly Sarcastic Productions going into more specific detail about the phenomenon.]

[[Category: Dungeons & Dragons]] [[Category: Pathfinder]] [[Category: World of Darkness]]

Wild Hunt

2021-06-30T14:31:20Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* Warhammer Fantasy */

{{stub}}

'''The Wild Hunt''' is a mystical organization that appears in various forms throughout myriad European mythologies. At its core, the Wild Hunt is a supernatural hunting party that can be seen racing through the wilderness at night, although details such as who partakes ([[fey]], [[fiend]]s, [[ghost]]s, or some combination thereof have all been cited), who leads the hunt, and what it actually ''hunts'' depends on the precise tale that you hear!

As a key bit of European mythology, the Wild Hunt has made appearances in both [[Dungeons & Dragons]] and in [[Pathfinder]]. Its ties to faerie-lore has seen it appear in [[Changeling: The Lost]] as well. It is also a major part of wood elves lore, heavily related to [[Orion]].

==D&D==
The D&D version, in fact, consists of three versions; one for the [[Great Wheel]], one for the [[World Axis]], and one for the [[Demiplane of Dread]].

The Great Wheel version is covered in [[Dragon Magazine]] #342, and is... not very well detailed; the rear-section of the issue dedicates its Divine character option to presenting the [[Master of the Wild Hunt]] as a deity that can be worshipped by clerics. He is described as a Neutral (leaning towards Neutral Evil) deity mostly worshipped by [[druid]]s and [[ranger]]s, who exists to hunt the most worthy prey imaginable; Wild Hunts in the [[Prime Material]] are typical sects of his mortal worshippers, and usually have more specific quarry.

The World Axis version is first mentioned in the pages of the [[Monster Manual]] 2. Here, it is explained that the [[Firbolg]]s, a race of [[fey]] [[giant]]s, undertake Wild Hunts as a sacred rite, seeking to prove their worth to the three goddesses whom they worship and to punish oathbreakers. [[Dragon Magazine]] #428 would subsequently explain that the Wild Hunt of the Firbolgs is a pale imitation of the ''true'' Wild Hunt, which is led by an outcast [[archfey]] named [[Cerunnos]], the Horned Lord. The "true" Wild Hunt comprises of many different Gloaming Fey, as well as [[firbolg]]s and [[centaur]]s, aided by [[undead]] (especially [[vampire]]s; an [[eladrin]] vampire demigod named Kannoth was once a member of the Wild Hunt himself) and [[warlock]]s.

The [[Warden]] [[Paragon Path]] called the Horned Champion may be tied to the Wild Hunt in some way, as well.

In [[Ravenloft]], the Wild Hunt, while superficially similiar to the versions above, is a manifestation created from the mists by the [[Dark Powers]]. They most often manifest in Forlorn, but can manifest anywhere temperate, and from there begin searching for any intelligent being of any [[alignment]], except True Neutral, for prey. Any being who sees the Wild Hunt after the prey has been chosen, is compelled to join the hunt, and often evil beings, such as [[hag]]s, [[Werewolf|werewolves]], [[fey]], and [[undead]], and PCs who've failed a Powers check are invited to join the hunt. Oh, and the [[Darklord]]s are immune to the call and can't be chosen as prey.

The name is also invoked in the [[Birthright]] setting as the name of an elf supremacist anti-human hate-group that is striving to drive humanity off of Cerilia through acts of murder and terrorism.

==Pathfinder==
Appearing in the 6th Pathfinder bestiary, the Wild Hunt of [[Golarion]] is a civilization of distinctive [[fey]], who collectively owe loyalty to a god-like [[archfey]] called the Horned King, and whose culture revolves around hunting the greatest trophies they can imagine. Stats are presented for three specific varieties of "Wild Hunter"; the Scout, Archer and Monarch. Stats are also presented for their fey hounds and steeds, too.

==Changeling: The Lost==
The Wild Hunt of Arcadia is not one singular organization, but a phenomena; it refers to one of the True Fey going on the hunt, with an entourage of hobgoblins at their beck and call. A cursed fey artifact allows a changeling to summon a Wild Hunt to their presence, and is regarded as one of the very last things you should ever, ''ever'' have to use.

==Warhammer Fantasy==
Basically the WAAAGH!!! for the Wood Elves. Every midsummer, Orion would lead a bunch of his forest kin to assrape any of his enemies. Everybody that is part of the Wood Elves faction in Athel Loren would often feel their primal instinct arise at this period, such that they would either join the hunt or avoid it. The targets that usually get assraped during this period are either the Bretonnians (because they live nearby) or the Greenskins (live in the nearby mountains but also got assraped in the first ever wild hunt when they tried to WAAAGH!!! the Oak of Ages).

[[Category: Dungeons & Dragons]] [[Category: Pathfinder]] [[Category: World of Darkness]]

Wild Hunt

2021-06-30T14:28:12Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* Warhammer Fantasy */

{{stub}}

'''The Wild Hunt''' is a mystical organization that appears in various forms throughout myriad European mythologies. At its core, the Wild Hunt is a supernatural hunting party that can be seen racing through the wilderness at night, although details such as who partakes ([[fey]], [[fiend]]s, [[ghost]]s, or some combination thereof have all been cited), who leads the hunt, and what it actually ''hunts'' depends on the precise tale that you hear!

As a key bit of European mythology, the Wild Hunt has made appearances in both [[Dungeons & Dragons]] and in [[Pathfinder]]. Its ties to faerie-lore has seen it appear in [[Changeling: The Lost]] as well. It is also a major part of wood elves lore, heavily related to [[Orion]].

==D&D==
The D&D version, in fact, consists of three versions; one for the [[Great Wheel]], one for the [[World Axis]], and one for the [[Demiplane of Dread]].

The Great Wheel version is covered in [[Dragon Magazine]] #342, and is... not very well detailed; the rear-section of the issue dedicates its Divine character option to presenting the [[Master of the Wild Hunt]] as a deity that can be worshipped by clerics. He is described as a Neutral (leaning towards Neutral Evil) deity mostly worshipped by [[druid]]s and [[ranger]]s, who exists to hunt the most worthy prey imaginable; Wild Hunts in the [[Prime Material]] are typical sects of his mortal worshippers, and usually have more specific quarry.

The World Axis version is first mentioned in the pages of the [[Monster Manual]] 2. Here, it is explained that the [[Firbolg]]s, a race of [[fey]] [[giant]]s, undertake Wild Hunts as a sacred rite, seeking to prove their worth to the three goddesses whom they worship and to punish oathbreakers. [[Dragon Magazine]] #428 would subsequently explain that the Wild Hunt of the Firbolgs is a pale imitation of the ''true'' Wild Hunt, which is led by an outcast [[archfey]] named [[Cerunnos]], the Horned Lord. The "true" Wild Hunt comprises of many different Gloaming Fey, as well as [[firbolg]]s and [[centaur]]s, aided by [[undead]] (especially [[vampire]]s; an [[eladrin]] vampire demigod named Kannoth was once a member of the Wild Hunt himself) and [[warlock]]s.

The [[Warden]] [[Paragon Path]] called the Horned Champion may be tied to the Wild Hunt in some way, as well.

In [[Ravenloft]], the Wild Hunt, while superficially similiar to the versions above, is a manifestation created from the mists by the [[Dark Powers]]. They most often manifest in Forlorn, but can manifest anywhere temperate, and from there begin searching for any intelligent being of any [[alignment]], except True Neutral, for prey. Any being who sees the Wild Hunt after the prey has been chosen, is compelled to join the hunt, and often evil beings, such as [[hag]]s, [[Werewolf|werewolves]], [[fey]], and [[undead]], and PCs who've failed a Powers check are invited to join the hunt. Oh, and the [[Darklord]]s are immune to the call and can't be chosen as prey.

The name is also invoked in the [[Birthright]] setting as the name of an elf supremacist anti-human hate-group that is striving to drive humanity off of Cerilia through acts of murder and terrorism.

==Pathfinder==
Appearing in the 6th Pathfinder bestiary, the Wild Hunt of [[Golarion]] is a civilization of distinctive [[fey]], who collectively owe loyalty to a god-like [[archfey]] called the Horned King, and whose culture revolves around hunting the greatest trophies they can imagine. Stats are presented for three specific varieties of "Wild Hunter"; the Scout, Archer and Monarch. Stats are also presented for their fey hounds and steeds, too.

==Changeling: The Lost==
The Wild Hunt of Arcadia is not one singular organization, but a phenomena; it refers to one of the True Fey going on the hunt, with an entourage of hobgoblins at their beck and call. A cursed fey artifact allows a changeling to summon a Wild Hunt to their presence, and is regarded as one of the very last things you should ever, ''ever'' have to use.

==Warhammer Fantasy==
Basically the WAAAGH!!! for the Wood Elves. Every midsummer, Orion would led a bunch of his forest kin to ass raped any of his enemies. Everybody that is part of the Wood Elves faction in Athel Loren would often felt their primal instinct arise at this period that they would either join it or avoid it. The notable enemy victim that gets assraped during this period are either the Bretonnian (because they live closely) or the Greenskins (lives in the nearby mountains but also got assraped in the first ever wild hunt when they tried to WAAARGH the Oak of Ages).

[[Category: Dungeons & Dragons]] [[Category: Pathfinder]] [[Category: World of Darkness]]

Black Iron

2021-06-30T12:33:45Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* Classes */

'''Black Iron''' (officially called ''The'' Black Iron for some reason) is a third-party post-apocalyptic [[Dark Fantasy]] released by FeralGamersInc for [[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]]. If you like [[Dark Souls]] and [[Warhammer Fantasy]], but think they're too cheerful and optimistic, then Black Iron is the setting for you!

==A Primer on the Pale==
Black Iron takes place on a world where the gods, or Yazata, long ago fought a mutual war of annihilation with their offspring, the giants, leaving the world to the inheritance of three races; [[dwarves]] (whose origins are lost to history), [[elves]] (who grew from trees fed with giant's blood) and [[human]]s (who crawled from the mud created when gods-blood soaked the earth). As in most D&D worlds, the elves quickly advanced far beyond the efforts of humanity, achieving first civilization and then mastery over [[magic]] whilst humans were still figuring out [[Stone Age]] tribal societies. This, of course, gave the elves an ego problem... so they decided they were the new lords and masters of the world, invented [[fleshcrafting]], and set about "beautifying" the world.

This resulted in the elves exterminating the dwarves to the last when they decided they just couldn't "fix" them. With waves of eldritch fire and armies of twisted monsters they slaughtered them all and burned their underground homes clean of life. By which point humanity had developed iron weapons and armor and decided that they were so sick of being chattel to the elves that they risked it all and made war on their "masters".

To give humanity credit where it's due, they reaped a bloody tally on the elves. But in the end, the elves got the last laugh. Using their magic, they opened portals to some unknown realm and fled the world... but not before they blew up the moon and caused its core, which was made of the magical metal called "Black Iron" (sort of a bastard offspring of [[Red Steel]] (the mineral, not the setting) and [[Warpstone]]) to crash into the planet, triggering planet-wide earthquakes, tidal waves, firestorms and volcanic eruptions, followed by an artificial ice age.

That was barely a generation ago. Now you're stuck living in the ruins, scrabbling to survive in some pissant tribe, huddling in the ancient dwarven ruins for shelter, or clawing a living in the last two bastions of civilization left: the Black Fort and the Last City. Opposing you are mutants, madmen, cannibals, monsters, the remnants of the elven war-creatures and the growing hordes of the Blood Lords. To the west lies the great poisoned forest, sinking into tainted marshland. To the east lies the frozen sea. From the north comes the hungry ice, creeping ever downwards, and to the south lies the volcano-blasted, chemical-poisoned ashy dunes of the grey desert.

Good luck. You'll need it...

===The Last City===
Hidden in a fortified redoubt in the northern mountains, the Last City is, as its name suggests, the last major stronghold of civilization left on the world's surface since the fall of the Black Iron. Threatened from without by monsters and from within by starvation and the mad cults of the Blood Lords, the Last City stands defiant.

===The Black Fort===
Standing two leagues west of the Last City, the Black Fort is a fortress-city that houses the only stronghold of mages left in the Pale. Here is where those with magical talents come to train, and in return their powers are turned to the desperate struggle to preserve life in this blasted wasteland of a world. Its twelve towers, the Sun Spires, use the magically burning hearts of twelve master pyromancers to produce heat and light, beating back the encroaching cold and allowing life to survive.

===The Lost Cities===
These five great dwarven ruins are the center of humanity's survival in the Realm Below, the [[Underdark]] of the Pale Lands.

===The Blood Lords===
Seven abominations, once human, now something... ''other''. Whether this is because of elven meddling, the corruptive effects of the Black Iron, or both, nobody knows. These are the would-be [[Chaos Gods]] of the setting, and gather armies of monsters and madmen about them to claim the blasted world for their own.

'''Axas: Lord of Blood and Vein'''

'''Barston: Lord of Salt and Rust'''

'''Kial: The Lord Chirugeon'''

'''Laidon: Lord of Depravity'''

'''Nicran: Lord of Death and Rot'''

'''Xertin: Lord of Conflict and Murder'''

==Playable Species==
None of the races (or "species", as the book insists on calling them) from the PHB are used in Black Iron. Instead, you have access to the following races:

'''Chimeer:''' The result of elven experiments in [[Beastmen|merging humans and animals]] to create superior slave-soldiers, now left to find their own way in a world that distrusts them. All Chimeers are Medium sized, but they gain ability score modifiers, movement speed and a single racial trait depending on which animal they were melded with. Players are ordered to roll randomly to determine what kind of Chimeer they are, because that's the sort of setting this is. ''Bear'' Chimeers have a speed of 30 feet, +2 Strength and the talent "Strong" (Advantage on Str checks to bust doors, break bars and lift gates, +1 damage with unarmed strikes). ''Boar'' Chimeers have a speed of 25 feet, +1 Str and +1 Con, and the talent "Tough" (+2 AC). ''Lizard'' Chimeers have a speed of 35 feet, +2 Constitution, and the talent "Regeneration" (you recover HP on a short rest as if you had completed a long rest). ''Rat'' Chimeers have a speed of 35 feet, +1 Dexterity and +1 Constitution, and the talent "Strong Guts" (Advantage on Con saves vs. ingested poisons & diseases). ''Wildcat'' Chimeers have a speed of 30 feet, +1 Dexterity and +1 Wisdom, and Darkvision 60 feet. Finally, ''Wolf'' Chimeers have a speed of 30 feet, +1 Dexterity and +1 Intelligence, and the talent "Sense of Smell" (Advantage on Perception checks to discover hidden creatures).

'''[[Half-Elf|Vri-Dael]]''' were the result of diabolical breeding experiments on human women by elven men, and are the most hated race left in the Pale as a result. Black Iron Half-Elves are sterile, which is ironic because they were intended to see if elves could co-opt human fecundity for their own purposes. They have to choose whether their human or elven heritage is dominant; both subraces are Medium sized with a speed of 30 feet, but Elf-Dominant vri-dael gain +2 Dexterity, can infravision (heat-sight) and magic-sight, and gain an extra 1st, 2nd or 3rd level spell per level, whilst Human-Dominant vri-dael get +1 to all stats, have Darkvision 60 feet, and have Advantage on Acrobatics/Athletics checks relating to maintaining their balance.

Finally, '''[[Human]]s''' are the dominant race of the Pale, as you'd expect. They get +1 to all stats, are Medium sized, base speed 30 feet, and have Advantage on Survival checks to find food and on saves vs. Frightened.

==Classes==
Black Iron doesn't use the standard [[Player's Handbook]] classes of 5th edition, but instead uses the following classes and subclasses. The setting is also level-locked at 12th level; you can't get any higher than level 12 as a PC by official rules, so no class has abilities higher than that.

'''Fighter:''' Basic warrior class. The least changed from the PHB class. Subclasses are the ''Pit Fighter'' (specialist in unarmed combat), ''Sell Sword'' (master of dirty combat) and ''Warrior'' (expert at great weapons).

'''Hunter:''' Replaces the [[Ranger]]. Subclasses are ''Bounty Hunter'', ''Monster Hunter'', and ''Scout''.

'''Mage:''' The only spellcasting class in Black Iron. Uses one of three styles of magic, which are emphasized by subschool; ''Pyromancy'' (master of fire [[elementalism]], highly respected), ''Necromancy'' (a healing-centric art in the Pale Lands), or ''Sorcery'' (master of esoteric magic, essentially a wizard who gains the Font of Sorcery, Metamagic and Sorcerous Restoration features as it levels up).

'''Scavenger:''' A hunter of ancient lore and artefacts, combining elements of the [[rogue]] and the [[bard]]. Subclasses are ''Knowledge Broker'', ''Relic Hunter'' and ''Treasure Seeker''.

'''Tribal:''' A member of the savage tribes that scratch out a living in the Pale Lands. Replacement [[Barbarian]]. Subclasses are ''Brave'', ''Hunter'' and ''Shaman''.

'''Vagrant:''' A member of the criminals, beggars and other scum of civilization. Replacement [[Rogue]]. Subclasses are ''Basher'', ''Guide'' and ''Burglar''.

{{D&D-Settings}}

Council of Wyrms

2021-06-30T11:00:28Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* Lesser Races */

{{dnd-stub}}
{{stub}}
[[Image:DragonSizeChart.jpg|thumb]]
{{topquote|How can you have something called Dungeons & '''Dragons''' and not allow people to play as dragons?|Bill Slaviscek to Gary Gygax}}
And thus, '''''Council of Wyrms''''' was born.

Simply put, you get to play as the Dragons. No, you don't get to play normal dragons in a normal D&D world, having your hoard targeted by would-be adventurers or fighting for control of puppet governments. That would be too cool. You play the thrilling game of democratic dragon politics on an island chain populated mostly by [[dragon]]s, their [[demihuman]] vassal races, and the [[half-dragon]] offspring of dragon/vassal mating.

===The Races and Classes===
*'''Dragons''': Of course, you can play as legit dragons, though you're not gonna be as broke-ass powerful as the guys you've fought against. You're generally restricted to the varieties of Chromatic, Metallic, and Gemstone dragons, each with some truly drastic stat adjustments. However, your dragons are limited to specific classes: ''Dragon'' (a generic template of a kit that permits their development), ''[[Cleric|Dragon-Priests]]'' and ''[[Wizard|Dragon-Mages]]'' (though limited to using specific kits to not hamper your development), and ''Dragon-[[Psion]]icist'' (Using kits exclusive to the Gemstone Dragons), and your levels are dictated by how many magical items are in your hoard. You could also play a ''Dragon-Sage'', which gives you access to both cleric ''and'' wizard spells, but only [[Diviner|Divination]] and [[Conjurer|Conjuration]] spells from both classes.
*'''Kindred''': Of course, there are other races besides the dragons. These are the vassals, the various servants each dragon accumulates to manage all the boring stuff while they go take care of business. Each dragon species has their own preferences, but you're stuck with either [[Dwarf|dwarves]], [[Elf|elves]], and [[Gnome|gnomes]] for vassal races, and all can select a kit that lets them ride their masters.
*'''[[Half-Dragons]]''': The result of a tryst between Dragon daddy and Vassal mommy, these don't quite look like dragons, but definitely aren't like their mother race either. They're only found between Gold, Silver, and Bronze dragons.

Unlike the CRB, proficiencies are mandatory here, and the proficiencies available are drastically different to the core book's, mainly to cater to the unique lifestyle of the dragons.

==The Io's Blood Isles==
[[File:Io's Blood Island Chain.jpg|350px|thumb|right]]
The adventure takes place on a chain of islands created by [[Io]] to stop the various types of dragons from killing each other. To accomplish this he forcibly separates the dragon types from each other. Eventually the different clans decided to make an island into a neutral seat. This island is populated by the Platform of Wyrms, which has representatives of every clan with a dragon of at least 1000 years, and the Platform of Dominates where dragons of any age can debate (and just debate).

One thing that should be mentioned is the ''scale'' of the islands. Going by the map, the chain is over 2500 miles top to bottom. That's larger than the continental US flipped on its side. Accordingly, the top of the map holds the world's north pole and the bottom holds a tropical ring of fire. The only outside locations in the setting are said north pole and tropical fire land, home to the [[Frost Giant|Frost]] and [[Fire Giant]]s respectively, and "far off" continents inhabited by humans, including dragon slayers.

===Lesser Races===
Whilst the dragons and their "Vassals" get all the attention, there's actually quite a lot of intelligent races running around the Io's Blood Isles according to the random encounters charts, so this'd actually be a perfect place to run "weird race" centric campaigns. These races include:
* [[Frost Giant]]s
* [[Fire Giant]]s
* [[Ogre]]s
* [[Troll]]s
* [[Hobgoblin]]s
* [[Kobold]]s
* [[Bugbear]]s
* [[Ettin]]s
* [[Yeti]]s
* [[Quaggoth]]s (an arctic-adapted surface-dwelling race which hunts dragons with the aid of pots of brown mold as throwing weapons)
* [[Hag]]s
* [[Duergar]]
* [[Wemic]]s (at war with the hobgoblins who share their terrain)
* [[Firbolg]]s (Neutral Evil in the isles, strangely)
* [[Centaur]]s
* [[Satyr]]s
* [[Dryad]]s
* [[Nymph]]s
* [[Gnoll]]s
* [[Goblin]]s (ride giant spiders)
* [[Cyclops]]es
* [[Hill Giant]]s
* [[Aquatic Elf|Aquatic Elves]]
* [[Sirine]]s
* [[Koalinth]]s
* [[Drow]]
* [[Manscorpion]]s (bitter enemies of the thri-kreen)
* [[Thri-Kreen]] (bitter enemies of the manscorpions)
* [[Yuan-Ti]] (at war with the other swamp-dwellers)
* [[Lizardfolk]] ("Advanced" cultural variant, working at controlling reptilian [[Gargantua]])
* [[Bullywug]]s (psionic, True Neutral, with a [[druid]]ic cultrual belief, control and ride giant swamp worms, breed carnivorous plant guardians)
* [[Svirfneblin]]
* [[Spriggan]]s (dwell in the underdark, all but indistinguishable from svirfneblin)
* [[Kuo-Toa]] (dwell in surface waters, unaffected by sunlight)

Additionally, certain monsters take on more unusual forms here. [[Cave Fisher]]s are fully sapient, rather than mere predatory animals, and capture humanoids from the surface to sell as slaves to the [[Aboleth]]s in the [[Underdark]]. [[Manticore]]s are characterized as "wise, but stingy and hard bargainers". A species of fire-breathing canine, described as "[[Hell Hound]]s, but True Neutral" are common in the deserts and trained by local hobgoblins.

==External Links==
*[http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?630849-Let-s-Read-Council-of-Wyrms Let's Read: Council of Wyrms]

{{D&D-Settings}}

Council of Wyrms

2021-06-30T10:58:59Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* The Io's Blood Isles */

{{dnd-stub}}
{{stub}}
[[Image:DragonSizeChart.jpg|thumb]]
{{topquote|How can you have something called Dungeons & '''Dragons''' and not allow people to play as dragons?|Bill Slaviscek to Gary Gygax}}
And thus, '''''Council of Wyrms''''' was born.

Simply put, you get to play as the Dragons. No, you don't get to play normal dragons in a normal D&D world, having your hoard targeted by would-be adventurers or fighting for control of puppet governments. That would be too cool. You play the thrilling game of democratic dragon politics on an island chain populated mostly by [[dragon]]s, their [[demihuman]] vassal races, and the [[half-dragon]] offspring of dragon/vassal mating.

===The Races and Classes===
*'''Dragons''': Of course, you can play as legit dragons, though you're not gonna be as broke-ass powerful as the guys you've fought against. You're generally restricted to the varieties of Chromatic, Metallic, and Gemstone dragons, each with some truly drastic stat adjustments. However, your dragons are limited to specific classes: ''Dragon'' (a generic template of a kit that permits their development), ''[[Cleric|Dragon-Priests]]'' and ''[[Wizard|Dragon-Mages]]'' (though limited to using specific kits to not hamper your development), and ''Dragon-[[Psion]]icist'' (Using kits exclusive to the Gemstone Dragons), and your levels are dictated by how many magical items are in your hoard. You could also play a ''Dragon-Sage'', which gives you access to both cleric ''and'' wizard spells, but only [[Diviner|Divination]] and [[Conjurer|Conjuration]] spells from both classes.
*'''Kindred''': Of course, there are other races besides the dragons. These are the vassals, the various servants each dragon accumulates to manage all the boring stuff while they go take care of business. Each dragon species has their own preferences, but you're stuck with either [[Dwarf|dwarves]], [[Elf|elves]], and [[Gnome|gnomes]] for vassal races, and all can select a kit that lets them ride their masters.
*'''[[Half-Dragons]]''': The result of a tryst between Dragon daddy and Vassal mommy, these don't quite look like dragons, but definitely aren't like their mother race either. They're only found between Gold, Silver, and Bronze dragons.

Unlike the CRB, proficiencies are mandatory here, and the proficiencies available are drastically different to the core book's, mainly to cater to the unique lifestyle of the dragons.

==The Io's Blood Isles==
[[File:Io's Blood Island Chain.jpg|350px|thumb|right]]
The adventure takes place on a chain of islands created by [[Io]] to stop the various types of dragons from killing each other. To accomplish this he forcibly separates the dragon types from each other. Eventually the different clans decided to make an island into a neutral seat. This island is populated by the Platform of Wyrms, which has representatives of every clan with a dragon of at least 1000 years, and the Platform of Dominates where dragons of any age can debate (and just debate).

One thing that should be mentioned is the ''scale'' of the islands. Going by the map, the chain is over 2500 miles top to bottom. That's larger than the continental US flipped on its side. Accordingly, the top of the map holds the world's north pole and the bottom holds a tropical ring of fire. The only outside locations in the setting are said north pole and tropical fire land, home to the [[Frost Giant|Frost]] and [[Fire Giant]]s respectively, and "far off" continents inhabited by humans, including dragon slayers.

===Lesser Races===
Whilst the dragons and their "Vassals" get all the attention, there's actually quite a lot of intelligent races running around the Io's Blood Isles according to the random encounters charts, so this'd actually be a perfect place to run "weird race" centric campaigns. These races include:
* [[Frost Giant]]s
* [[Fire Giant]]s
* [[Ogre]]s
* [[Troll]]s
* [[Hobgoblin]]s
* [[Kobold]]s
* [[Bugbear]]s
* [[Ettin]]s
* [[Yeti]]s
* [[Quaggoth]]s (an actic-adapted surface-dwelling race which hunts dragons with the aid of pots of brown mold as throwing weapons)
* [[Hag]]s
* [[Duergar]]
* [[Wemic]]s (at war with the hobgoblins who share their terrain)
* [[Firbolg]]s (Neutral Evil in the isles, strangely)
* [[Centaur]]s
* [[Satyr]]s
* [[Dryad]]s
* [[Nymph]]s
* [[Gnoll]]s
* [[Goblin]]s (ride giant spiders)
* [[Cyclops]]es
* [[Hill Giant]]s
* [[Aquatic Elf|Aquatic Elves]]
* [[Sirine]]s
* [[Koalinth]]s
* [[Drow]]
* [[Manscorpion]]s (bitter enemies of the thri-kreen)
* [[Thri-Kreen]] (bitter enemies of the manscorpions)
* [[Yuan-Ti]] (at war with the other swamp-dwellers)
* [[Lizardfolk]] ("Advanced" cultural variant, working at controlling reptilian [[Gargantua]])
* [[Bullywug]]s (psionic, True Neutral, with a [[druid]]ic cultrual belief, control and ride giant swamp worms, breed carnivorous plant guardians)
* [[Svirfneblin]]
* [[Spriggan]]s (dwell in the underdark, all but indistinguishable from svirfneblin)
* [[Kuo-Toa]] (dwell in surface waters, unaffected by sunlight)

Additionally, certain monsters take on more unusual forms here. [[Cave Fisher]]s are fully sapient, rather than mere predatory animals, and capture humanoids from the surface to sell as slaves to the [[Aboleth]]s in the [[Underdark]]. [[Manticore]]s are characterized as "wise, but stingy and hard bargainers". A species of fire-breathing canine, described as "[[Hell Hound]]s, but True Neutral" are common in the deserts and trained by local hobgoblins.

==External Links==
*[http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?630849-Let-s-Read-Council-of-Wyrms Let's Read: Council of Wyrms]

{{D&D-Settings}}

Council of Wyrms

2021-06-30T10:50:40Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* The Io's Blood Isles */

{{dnd-stub}}
{{stub}}
[[Image:DragonSizeChart.jpg|thumb]]
{{topquote|How can you have something called Dungeons & '''Dragons''' and not allow people to play as dragons?|Bill Slaviscek to Gary Gygax}}
And thus, '''''Council of Wyrms''''' was born.

Simply put, you get to play as the Dragons. No, you don't get to play normal dragons in a normal D&D world, having your hoard targeted by would-be adventurers or fighting for control of puppet governments. That would be too cool. You play the thrilling game of democratic dragon politics on an island chain populated mostly by [[dragon]]s, their [[demihuman]] vassal races, and the [[half-dragon]] offspring of dragon/vassal mating.

===The Races and Classes===
*'''Dragons''': Of course, you can play as legit dragons, though you're not gonna be as broke-ass powerful as the guys you've fought against. You're generally restricted to the varieties of Chromatic, Metallic, and Gemstone dragons, each with some truly drastic stat adjustments. However, your dragons are limited to specific classes: ''Dragon'' (a generic template of a kit that permits their development), ''[[Cleric|Dragon-Priests]]'' and ''[[Wizard|Dragon-Mages]]'' (though limited to using specific kits to not hamper your development), and ''Dragon-[[Psion]]icist'' (Using kits exclusive to the Gemstone Dragons), and your levels are dictated by how many magical items are in your hoard. You could also play a ''Dragon-Sage'', which gives you access to both cleric ''and'' wizard spells, but only [[Diviner|Divination]] and [[Conjurer|Conjuration]] spells from both classes.
*'''Kindred''': Of course, there are other races besides the dragons. These are the vassals, the various servants each dragon accumulates to manage all the boring stuff while they go take care of business. Each dragon species has their own preferences, but you're stuck with either [[Dwarf|dwarves]], [[Elf|elves]], and [[Gnome|gnomes]] for vassal races, and all can select a kit that lets them ride their masters.
*'''[[Half-Dragons]]''': The result of a tryst between Dragon daddy and Vassal mommy, these don't quite look like dragons, but definitely aren't like their mother race either. They're only found between Gold, Silver, and Bronze dragons.

Unlike the CRB, proficiencies are mandatory here, and the proficiencies available are drastically different to the core book's, mainly to cater to the unique lifestyle of the dragons.

==The Io's Blood Isles==
[[File:Io's Blood Island Chain.jpg|350px|thumb|right]]
The adventure takes place on a chain of islands created by [[Io]] to stop the various types of dragons from killing each other. To accomplish this he forcibly separates the dragon types from each other. Eventually the different clans decided to make an island into a neutral seat. This island is populated by the Platform of Wyrms, which has representatives of every clan with a dragon of at least 1000 years, and the Platform of Dominates where dragons of any age can debate (and just debate).

One thing that should be mentioned is the ''scale'' of the islands. Going by the map, the chain is over 2500 miles top to bottom. That's larger than the continental US flipped on its side. Accordingly, the top of the map holds the world's north pole and the bottom holds a tropical ring of fire. The only outside locations in the setting are said north pole and tropical fire land, home to the [[Frost Giant|frost]] and [[Fire Giant]]s respectively, and "far off" continents inhabited by humans, including dragon slayers.

===Lesser Races===
Whilst the dragons and their "Vassals" get all the attention, there's actually quite a lot of intelligent races running around the Io's Blood Isles according to the random encounters charts, so this'd actually be a perfect place to run "weird race" centric campaigns. These races include:
* [[Frost Giant]]s
* [[Fire Giant]]s
* [[Ogre]]s
* [[Troll]]s
* [[Hobgoblin]]s
* [[Kobold]]s
* [[Bugbear]]s
* [[Ettin]]s
* [[Yeti]]s
* [[Quaggoth]]s (an actic-adapted surface-dwelling race which hunts dragons with the aid of pots of brown mold as throwing weapons)
* [[Hag]]s
* [[Duergar]]
* [[Wemic]]s (at war with the hobgoblins who share their terrain)
* [[Firbolg]]s (Neutral Evil in the isles, strangely)
* [[Centaur]]s
* [[Satyr]]s
* [[Dryad]]s
* [[Nymph]]s
* [[Gnoll]]s
* [[Goblin]]s (ride giant spiders)
* [[Cyclops]]es
* [[Hill Giant]]s
* [[Aquatic Elf|Aquatic Elves]]
* [[Sirine]]s
* [[Koalinth]]s
* [[Drow]]
* [[Manscorpion]]s (bitter enemies of the thri-kreen)
* [[Thri-Kreen]] (bitter enemies of the manscorpions)
* [[Yuan-Ti]] (at war with the other swamp-dwellers)
* [[Lizardfolk]] ("Advanced" cultural variant, working at controlling reptilian [[Gargantua]])
* [[Bullywug]]s (psionic, True Neutral, with a [[druid]]ic cultrual belief, control and ride giant swamp worms, breed carnivorous plant guardians)
* [[Svirfneblin]]
* [[Spriggan]]s (dwell in the underdark, all but indistinguishable from svirfneblin)
* [[Kuo-Toa]] (dwell in surface waters, unaffected by sunlight)

Additionally, certain monsters take on more unusual forms here. [[Cave Fisher]]s are fully sapient, rather than mere predatory animals, and capture humanoids from the surface to sell as slaves to the [[Aboleth]]s in the [[Underdark]]. [[Manticore]]s are characterized as "wise, but stingy and hard bargainers". A species of fire-breathing canine, described as "[[Hell Hound]]s, but True Neutral" are common in the deserts and trained by local hobgoblins.

==External Links==
*[http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?630849-Let-s-Read-Council-of-Wyrms Let's Read: Council of Wyrms]

{{D&D-Settings}}

Mordor

2021-06-30T10:25:16Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* Plateau of Gorgoroth */

{{cleanup}}[[Image:Rock_into_mordor.jpg|thumb|right]]
[[Meme|One does not simply walk into '''Mordor'''.]]

Great, now THAT'S out of the way:

'''Mordor''' is a region featuring prominently in the [[Lord of the Rings]] saga, written by [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]. It's known primarily for being ''the'' hotbed of evil on Middle-Earth.

==Our Founding Bothers (History of Mordor)==
Mordor is a colossal [[retcon]] inasmuch as Tollers hadn't thought of it as of the first edition of [[The Hobbit]]. The second edition also doesn't mention it but does try to foreshadow the general [[metaplot]] with that Necromancer of Dol Guldur, which is in the Mirkwoodiest part of the great Greenwood forest.

===THE FIRST AGE===

When the Valar woke up every morning to set out and create a world of beauty and wonder, Melkor, one of their number and Middle-Earth's answer to Satan, looked upon what they had wrought and declared: "Gay." So he did what anyone of his [[Chaos|disposition]] would and started smashing it to all nine hells. The early First Age was loaded with his exploits, with Melkor and the other Valar battling with mountains and continents as Arda burned beneath their feet. Eventually, the Valar managed to stabilize the planet, kicked Melkor off to the north, and fucked off to Valinor in the far west. Mordor was a remnant of the ruckus that went down across all of Middle-Earth, but being so far east compared to Beleriand, where most of the interesting shit happened in the First Age (to the point where Khazad-dum, featured in the Lord of the Rings, was just a myth of those peoples) it mostly sat empty, except for Shelob and her ancestors setting up a few flats in the eastern mountains.

That all changed when Melkor was thrown down by the Valar in the War of Wrath. Being much less of a [[Horus|destructive crybaby]] than Melkor, Sauron, a maiar spirit adept in the art of magic and turning into a furry, surrendered to the Valar. But when he learned he would have to submit to their justice, he fled for his life, settling in Mordor because he thought it looked pretty cool.

===THE SECOND AGE===

Sauron raises his humble abode of Barad-dûr, the biggest and baddest fortress seen since Melkor's stronghold of Angband fell in the War of Wrath. (The central tower was five miles high, if you take the movies as an accurate depiction.) Then he went out into the world in the form of Annatar, Lord of Gifts, helping the elves to make the Rings of Power. [[Meme|But they were all of them deceived, for another ring was made.]] Sauron took up his Great Ring and declared himself King of the World, sending his armies of orcs and trolls out to conquer, pillage, and probably [[FATAL|do other stuff.]]

Sauron, like his master, was a [[Erebus|dick]] of an overlord and was hell-bent on the domination of the peoples of Middle-Earth, because he thought all that sun, trees and other queer shit wasn't his cup of tea. Mordor was invaded and put to the sword by the Nümenorians, who were upset that someone was stealing their thunder, and like his deceptive mentor, Sauron feigned honorable defeat in front of Ar-Pharazôn, the king of Nümenor. After which he was taken prisoner on Numenor and began his typical antics there, which resulted in Melkor-worship and the sinking of Numenor by Erú-Illuvatar. Sauron pulls a "BAIL BAIL BAIL" and his spirit returns to Mordor, while Numenor sinks into obscurity both literally and figuratively.

And it doesn't stop there yet. After Sauron regains his strength and grows a new army of orcs and trolls, he puts on his "King of the World" suit again, yells at the remaining Numenorians to [[Game of Thrones|bend the knee]], and goes apeshit when they don't. Once again, he has to be put down, this time by the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. (The Dwarves would have shown up, but they were backed into Moria and Erebor and couldn't make the date.) Sauron is destroyed, but his Ring is saved, and he is able to keep going as a whispery spirit until such time as he could rebuild his body. The Numenorians build the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor, with Osgiliath as the capital and Minas Ithil being the largest fortress set upon the mountains to keep watch over Mordor.

===THE THIRD AGE===

The fortresses surrounding Mordor fell, after a nasty [[Nurgle|black wind from the East]] that sickened the land's wardens. Angmar rises up in the North, Arnor falls, and after a lot of battles the Witch-King of Angmar flees to Minas Ithil (now renamed Minas Morghul) to keep the heat on until Sauron returns. Which he does, after he's BTFO from Dol Guldur in the lower Mirkwood; whatever human population Mordor had, offers a pathetic resistance and retreats to Nurn, ending up agricultural chattel.

Eventually, two halflings and a mutant junkie halfling do simply [[Raven Guard|sneak]] into there. A brief scuffle occurs and the tiniest thing keeping the hell-hole of Mordor intact falls into a fiery pit and turns into slag along with Gollum. This causes the entirety of a continent to fall to pieces with its occupants running in different directions in terror, leaving the black land as no more than a bad memory in the minds of the peoples of Middle Earth.

==Places to Visit!==

Mordor is more than just an arid plateau with its toxic streams and choking atmosphere, it has a whole rainbow of variety to its evil nature.

===Plateau of Gorgoroth===

An ashen wasteland, where Sauron held court in the fortress of Barad-Dûr, which has a lovely view of Orodruin (Mt. Doom). This is where most of the action happens.

===Udûn===

Before exiting the black gate, an orc needs a good implement of slaughter as well as a decent suit of armour, which he receives from the forges and armouries of the valley of Udûn. Thanks to the contribution of slaves, the forges spew out a steady supply of wicked tools and suits fit for orc raids.

===Núrn===

Orcs need to eat, and the lands of Núrn supply them with a steady diet of meat and [[Meme|maggoty bread]], courtesy of the, you guessed it, man-slaves. Volcanic ash works wonders on the crops, supplying a constant stream of fertilizer.

===Lithlad===

The ruins of ancient Nümenorians that lived there during the days of Gil-Galad and Isildur. Now the ownership like with all the failures of the Edain, has been moved over to <s>lesser creatures</s> competent masters like orcs.

==Other Depictions of The Land of Wonder, Magic and Misery==

Although not canon in the slightest, there's a game ''Shadow of Mordor'' which showcases the attempt by Gondor (or at least allies) to colonise Mordor. As a volcanic depression it was full of essential agricultural minerals like phosphorus. Although there was some leftover toxicity as well. The game's authors used pictures of recovering Mount St. Helens as a template.

[[category:Meme]][[Category:The Lord of the Rings]]

Mordor

2021-06-30T10:25:03Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* Places to Visit! */

{{cleanup}}[[Image:Rock_into_mordor.jpg|thumb|right]]
[[Meme|One does not simply walk into '''Mordor'''.]]

Great, now THAT'S out of the way:

'''Mordor''' is a region featuring prominently in the [[Lord of the Rings]] saga, written by [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]. It's known primarily for being ''the'' hotbed of evil on Middle-Earth.

==Our Founding Bothers (History of Mordor)==
Mordor is a colossal [[retcon]] inasmuch as Tollers hadn't thought of it as of the first edition of [[The Hobbit]]. The second edition also doesn't mention it but does try to foreshadow the general [[metaplot]] with that Necromancer of Dol Guldur, which is in the Mirkwoodiest part of the great Greenwood forest.

===THE FIRST AGE===

When the Valar woke up every morning to set out and create a world of beauty and wonder, Melkor, one of their number and Middle-Earth's answer to Satan, looked upon what they had wrought and declared: "Gay." So he did what anyone of his [[Chaos|disposition]] would and started smashing it to all nine hells. The early First Age was loaded with his exploits, with Melkor and the other Valar battling with mountains and continents as Arda burned beneath their feet. Eventually, the Valar managed to stabilize the planet, kicked Melkor off to the north, and fucked off to Valinor in the far west. Mordor was a remnant of the ruckus that went down across all of Middle-Earth, but being so far east compared to Beleriand, where most of the interesting shit happened in the First Age (to the point where Khazad-dum, featured in the Lord of the Rings, was just a myth of those peoples) it mostly sat empty, except for Shelob and her ancestors setting up a few flats in the eastern mountains.

That all changed when Melkor was thrown down by the Valar in the War of Wrath. Being much less of a [[Horus|destructive crybaby]] than Melkor, Sauron, a maiar spirit adept in the art of magic and turning into a furry, surrendered to the Valar. But when he learned he would have to submit to their justice, he fled for his life, settling in Mordor because he thought it looked pretty cool.

===THE SECOND AGE===

Sauron raises his humble abode of Barad-dûr, the biggest and baddest fortress seen since Melkor's stronghold of Angband fell in the War of Wrath. (The central tower was five miles high, if you take the movies as an accurate depiction.) Then he went out into the world in the form of Annatar, Lord of Gifts, helping the elves to make the Rings of Power. [[Meme|But they were all of them deceived, for another ring was made.]] Sauron took up his Great Ring and declared himself King of the World, sending his armies of orcs and trolls out to conquer, pillage, and probably [[FATAL|do other stuff.]]

Sauron, like his master, was a [[Erebus|dick]] of an overlord and was hell-bent on the domination of the peoples of Middle-Earth, because he thought all that sun, trees and other queer shit wasn't his cup of tea. Mordor was invaded and put to the sword by the Nümenorians, who were upset that someone was stealing their thunder, and like his deceptive mentor, Sauron feigned honorable defeat in front of Ar-Pharazôn, the king of Nümenor. After which he was taken prisoner on Numenor and began his typical antics there, which resulted in Melkor-worship and the sinking of Numenor by Erú-Illuvatar. Sauron pulls a "BAIL BAIL BAIL" and his spirit returns to Mordor, while Numenor sinks into obscurity both literally and figuratively.

And it doesn't stop there yet. After Sauron regains his strength and grows a new army of orcs and trolls, he puts on his "King of the World" suit again, yells at the remaining Numenorians to [[Game of Thrones|bend the knee]], and goes apeshit when they don't. Once again, he has to be put down, this time by the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. (The Dwarves would have shown up, but they were backed into Moria and Erebor and couldn't make the date.) Sauron is destroyed, but his Ring is saved, and he is able to keep going as a whispery spirit until such time as he could rebuild his body. The Numenorians build the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor, with Osgiliath as the capital and Minas Ithil being the largest fortress set upon the mountains to keep watch over Mordor.

===THE THIRD AGE===

The fortresses surrounding Mordor fell, after a nasty [[Nurgle|black wind from the East]] that sickened the land's wardens. Angmar rises up in the North, Arnor falls, and after a lot of battles the Witch-King of Angmar flees to Minas Ithil (now renamed Minas Morghul) to keep the heat on until Sauron returns. Which he does, after he's BTFO from Dol Guldur in the lower Mirkwood; whatever human population Mordor had, offers a pathetic resistance and retreats to Nurn, ending up agricultural chattel.

Eventually, two halflings and a mutant junkie halfling do simply [[Raven Guard|sneak]] into there. A brief scuffle occurs and the tiniest thing keeping the hell-hole of Mordor intact falls into a fiery pit and turns into slag along with Gollum. This causes the entirety of a continent to fall to pieces with its occupants running in different directions in terror, leaving the black land as no more than a bad memory in the minds of the peoples of Middle Earth.

==Places to Visit!==

Mordor is more than just an arid plateau with its toxic streams and choking atmosphere, it has a whole rainbow of variety to its evil nature.

===Plateau of Gorgoroth===

A ashen wasteland, where Sauron held court in the fortress of Barad-Dûr, which has a lovely view of Orodruin (Mt. Doom). This is where most of the action happens.

===Udûn===

Before exiting the black gate, an orc needs a good implement of slaughter as well as a decent suit of armour, which he receives from the forges and armouries of the valley of Udûn. Thanks to the contribution of slaves, the forges spew out a steady supply of wicked tools and suits fit for orc raids.

===Núrn===

Orcs need to eat, and the lands of Núrn supply them with a steady diet of meat and [[Meme|maggoty bread]], courtesy of the, you guessed it, man-slaves. Volcanic ash works wonders on the crops, supplying a constant stream of fertilizer.

===Lithlad===

The ruins of ancient Nümenorians that lived there during the days of Gil-Galad and Isildur. Now the ownership like with all the failures of the Edain, has been moved over to <s>lesser creatures</s> competent masters like orcs.

==Other Depictions of The Land of Wonder, Magic and Misery==

Although not canon in the slightest, there's a game ''Shadow of Mordor'' which showcases the attempt by Gondor (or at least allies) to colonise Mordor. As a volcanic depression it was full of essential agricultural minerals like phosphorus. Although there was some leftover toxicity as well. The game's authors used pictures of recovering Mount St. Helens as a template.

[[category:Meme]][[Category:The Lord of the Rings]]

Mordor

2021-06-30T10:24:22Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* THE THIRD AGE */

{{cleanup}}[[Image:Rock_into_mordor.jpg|thumb|right]]
[[Meme|One does not simply walk into '''Mordor'''.]]

Great, now THAT'S out of the way:

'''Mordor''' is a region featuring prominently in the [[Lord of the Rings]] saga, written by [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]. It's known primarily for being ''the'' hotbed of evil on Middle-Earth.

==Our Founding Bothers (History of Mordor)==
Mordor is a colossal [[retcon]] inasmuch as Tollers hadn't thought of it as of the first edition of [[The Hobbit]]. The second edition also doesn't mention it but does try to foreshadow the general [[metaplot]] with that Necromancer of Dol Guldur, which is in the Mirkwoodiest part of the great Greenwood forest.

===THE FIRST AGE===

When the Valar woke up every morning to set out and create a world of beauty and wonder, Melkor, one of their number and Middle-Earth's answer to Satan, looked upon what they had wrought and declared: "Gay." So he did what anyone of his [[Chaos|disposition]] would and started smashing it to all nine hells. The early First Age was loaded with his exploits, with Melkor and the other Valar battling with mountains and continents as Arda burned beneath their feet. Eventually, the Valar managed to stabilize the planet, kicked Melkor off to the north, and fucked off to Valinor in the far west. Mordor was a remnant of the ruckus that went down across all of Middle-Earth, but being so far east compared to Beleriand, where most of the interesting shit happened in the First Age (to the point where Khazad-dum, featured in the Lord of the Rings, was just a myth of those peoples) it mostly sat empty, except for Shelob and her ancestors setting up a few flats in the eastern mountains.

That all changed when Melkor was thrown down by the Valar in the War of Wrath. Being much less of a [[Horus|destructive crybaby]] than Melkor, Sauron, a maiar spirit adept in the art of magic and turning into a furry, surrendered to the Valar. But when he learned he would have to submit to their justice, he fled for his life, settling in Mordor because he thought it looked pretty cool.

===THE SECOND AGE===

Sauron raises his humble abode of Barad-dûr, the biggest and baddest fortress seen since Melkor's stronghold of Angband fell in the War of Wrath. (The central tower was five miles high, if you take the movies as an accurate depiction.) Then he went out into the world in the form of Annatar, Lord of Gifts, helping the elves to make the Rings of Power. [[Meme|But they were all of them deceived, for another ring was made.]] Sauron took up his Great Ring and declared himself King of the World, sending his armies of orcs and trolls out to conquer, pillage, and probably [[FATAL|do other stuff.]]

Sauron, like his master, was a [[Erebus|dick]] of an overlord and was hell-bent on the domination of the peoples of Middle-Earth, because he thought all that sun, trees and other queer shit wasn't his cup of tea. Mordor was invaded and put to the sword by the Nümenorians, who were upset that someone was stealing their thunder, and like his deceptive mentor, Sauron feigned honorable defeat in front of Ar-Pharazôn, the king of Nümenor. After which he was taken prisoner on Numenor and began his typical antics there, which resulted in Melkor-worship and the sinking of Numenor by Erú-Illuvatar. Sauron pulls a "BAIL BAIL BAIL" and his spirit returns to Mordor, while Numenor sinks into obscurity both literally and figuratively.

And it doesn't stop there yet. After Sauron regains his strength and grows a new army of orcs and trolls, he puts on his "King of the World" suit again, yells at the remaining Numenorians to [[Game of Thrones|bend the knee]], and goes apeshit when they don't. Once again, he has to be put down, this time by the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. (The Dwarves would have shown up, but they were backed into Moria and Erebor and couldn't make the date.) Sauron is destroyed, but his Ring is saved, and he is able to keep going as a whispery spirit until such time as he could rebuild his body. The Numenorians build the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor, with Osgiliath as the capital and Minas Ithil being the largest fortress set upon the mountains to keep watch over Mordor.

===THE THIRD AGE===

The fortresses surrounding Mordor fell, after a nasty [[Nurgle|black wind from the East]] that sickened the land's wardens. Angmar rises up in the North, Arnor falls, and after a lot of battles the Witch-King of Angmar flees to Minas Ithil (now renamed Minas Morghul) to keep the heat on until Sauron returns. Which he does, after he's BTFO from Dol Guldur in the lower Mirkwood; whatever human population Mordor had, offers a pathetic resistance and retreats to Nurn, ending up agricultural chattel.

Eventually, two halflings and a mutant junkie halfling do simply [[Raven Guard|sneak]] into there. A brief scuffle occurs and the tiniest thing keeping the hell-hole of Mordor intact falls into a fiery pit and turns into slag along with Gollum. This causes the entirety of a continent to fall to pieces with its occupants running in different directions in terror, leaving the black land as no more than a bad memory in the minds of the peoples of Middle Earth.

==Places to Visit!==

Mordor is more than just an arid plateau with its toxic streams and choking atmosphere, it has a whole rainbow of variety- to its evil nature.

===Plateau of Gorgoroth===

A ashen wasteland, where Sauron held court in the fortress of Barad-Dûr, which has a lovely view of Orodruin (Mt. Doom). This is where most of the action happens.

===Udûn===

Before exiting the black gate, an orc needs a good implement of slaughter as well as a decent suit of armour, which he receives from the forges and armouries of the valley of Udûn. Thanks to the contribution of slaves, the forges spew out a steady supply of wicked tools and suits fit for orc raids.

===Núrn===

Orcs need to eat, and the lands of Núrn supply them with a steady diet of meat and [[Meme|maggoty bread]], courtesy of the, you guessed it, man-slaves. Volcanic ash works wonders on the crops, supplying a constant stream of fertilizer.

===Lithlad===

The ruins of ancient Nümenorians that lived there during the days of Gil-Galad and Isildur. Now the ownership like with all the failures of the Edain, has been moved over to <s>lesser creatures</s> competent masters like orcs.

==Other Depictions of The Land of Wonder, Magic and Misery==

Although not canon in the slightest, there's a game ''Shadow of Mordor'' which showcases the attempt by Gondor (or at least allies) to colonise Mordor. As a volcanic depression it was full of essential agricultural minerals like phosphorus. Although there was some leftover toxicity as well. The game's authors used pictures of recovering Mount St. Helens as a template.

[[category:Meme]][[Category:The Lord of the Rings]]

Bionicle

2021-06-30T10:12:59Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* Year 12: RIP (again) */

{{meh}}

Bionicle is a setting and toyline created by the [[Lego]] company. The story centers on some polynesian, element-themed, kid-sized robots* on an island, living under the shadow of evil, etc.; until some element-themed, adult-sized robot* heroes appear. And it gets unendingly more complicated from that. If Warframe had a grandpa as a toy franchise, Bionicle would be it.

==History==

[[File:Bionicle-Poster-1-.jpg|thumb|right|500px|Hold on to your britches, all you ten-year olds out there - You're in for a ride.]]

Despite always being a popular toy line among children, the Lego corporation in the late 90's was on the verge of bankruptcy. They had almost no licensed intellectual properties outside of Star Wars which only produced limited returns due to royalties, and leaned heavily on generic ideas like "knights" and "pirates". They were unsuccessful in obtaining the rights to make licensed sets and by all market projections would have been shut down by the 2000's.

Lego had previously had sets with larger pieces utilizing gears and gimmicks like a bendy arm to fire things or looking like a car under the name "Technic". Originally concieved as a voodoo theme by employees involved in marketing, Alastair Swinnerton worked with them on revising the concept over multiple drafts into a Polynesian-inspired story about biological technological chronicles, which inspired the name Bionicle. The end result was a VERY elaborate story which spanned multiple generations, full of plot hooks and creatures to make sets of. Bob Thompson lead the team that grouped the story by medium.

The first set, each of the six heroes the story focused on, was released with only mild advertising in North America in the 2000 Christmas season. It was an AMAZING success, earning the company more revenue than any line previously. Lego quickly scrambled to market it, making [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk47EDfWK10 CG television commercials depicting each of the heroes] as well as selling boxed sets containing a mask molded in the shape of each of the six but in each other's colors.

Lego Magazine began featuring an ongoing comic series written by Greg Farshtey that contained most of the lore for the series, and was later published by DC Comics as an ongoing series. The internet factored heavily in their promotion with early flash games, later Playstation 2 and Gameboy Advanced games being used as marketed advertising. Four movies and many shorts were made, and a few musicians made a career just writing music for Bionicle (Rob Zombie was even on board to create a song for Bionicle at one point). Podcasts and novels were also involved in some of the storytelling, although they were largely sidelined in favor of the visual mediums.

The Bionicle theme (which is what groupings of sets under a given, well, theme are called in Lego) continued through multiple generations until 2010 when it was ended in favor of the newer original lines including Ninjago. Like most companies in the late 2010's, Lego resurrected the Bionicle line in 2015 to cash in on nostalgia and start a new generation with a Lego addiction the same as the last. As of now, research indicates 85% of American children know about Bionicle and 45% own at least one set.

==Setting==
Bionicle, as stated above, is based in Polynesian folklore.

Most non-plant life in the setting is actually organic robots (which is to say some of their tissues are mechanical while others are organic, sort of a "fully-integrated cyborg" if you will) who can lose or replace their parts although they can feel pain and suffer fatal wounds, eat and thus most likely excrete, and have genders (but not sexes). Compared to a similar work, Transformers, Bionicle is closer to the organic side of things. (How do they procreate, you ask? well that's a question that the writers impressively avoided having to address until almost the very end, see below).

An unfortunate fact about this universe is that it eventually got bogged down by a shitton of serials and plot near the end, which was already being forcibly wrapped up due to financial reasons, so thing may get really sketchy at parts.

===Prologue===
A long time ago, on a planet called Spherus Magna, a race of godlike creatures (who appear to be humans, although they are only ever shown in silhouette) called Great Beings, although whether naturally from there or if they came from someplace else is not clear; they had to tame the planet early on. Also living on the planet were other intelligent species, living in six tribes. Great Beings were creators at heart, although they ruled over their creations and saw to it that balance was maintained. In time they chose six individuals from the planet’s other native, intelligent species to become the Element Lords whom they infused with the power to control one of the respective elements, and whose sole task was to rule while the Great Beings created. This worked for thousands of years, during which the Great Beings attempted to build a giant race of robots with the prototype simply exploding.
Eventually however, a shift in power left the Elemental Lord of Ice with a spring of Energized Protodermis, a substance from the core of Spherus Magna which was used by the Great Beings to create life and if necessary destroy it as well. He refused to share it, and the Core War broke out with each Element Lord attempting to destroy the others, and in the process of their mining the Energized Protodermis destabilizing the planet itself.

Knowing what was to happen, the Great Beings created a race of tiny robots called Matoran who in turn built a giant robot called Mata Nui out of Protodermis. The Great Beings busied themselves creating artifacts which their robots could use called Kanohi masks, which grant various powers when worn. Without a Kanohi mask, a Matoran will fall unconscious. The Great Beings then made final efforts to stop the destruction caused by the Elemental Lords, who refused to see reason and fought against all creations the Great Beings made to attempt to control them. They also created many McGuffins, from the Mask of Life to a mysterious device to basically kill all robots everywhere, all with the general idea "the solution to more potential for things to go wrong is more and more failsafes".
Eventually the planet was split in three during the Shattering. One planet which was one giant desert, and two moons with one being simply a giant ocean ball and another as one giant jungle which was half frozen, among which where dispersed the remaining inhabitants of Spherus Magnus.
Long before this the Great Beings had activated Mata Nui and sent him flying off into space, to return when it was time to reunite the three broken bits of Spherus Magnus. They eventually fucked off to who knows where, although one hid himself as a Matoran to live inside Mata Nui and see firsthand what they had wrought, and another hung around on the jungle moon doing nothing useful..

Mata Nui used an artifact from the great beings, known as antidermis, to create a species that would populate his body (“The Matoran Universe”) with animals, and who soon called themselves the Brotherhood of Makuta, lead by one of their number called Miserix. They protected the Matoran while Mata Nui explored the universe, and to do this they were given the power to shape the various mechanical lifeforms of the planet into "Rahi" which were modified servants. Mata Nui’s brain was based in a giant mechanical city called Metru Nui. In time the Matoran began to worship Mata Nui as their god, and a secret society called the Order of Mata Nui came about among the more powerful species of the universe. The Order chose the best of the Matoran to be elevated/upgraded into warriors called Toa which were patterned after ancient warriors called Toa Mata (more on them later).

Not long after Mata Nui created the Barraki, six "perfect" leader lifeforms who formed the "League of Six Kingdoms" because of the six divisions of Mata Nui's body one of which each was designated to guard over in order to contain the numerous threats which the feral creations of the Great Beings had begun to pose. They quickly raised legions of robotic organisms. They were instructed to never harm the Makuta, Matoran, or Metru Nui, and had a very uneasy alliance with the peoples that Mata Nui had created. As the Barraki grew more and more bold they coerced the robot peoples into aiding them in their plan to overthrow Mata Nui and veritably take their territories as their own (as they were only technically glorified wardens at the time). When it was discovered that the Barraki had grown bold enough to infiltrate Metru Nui while planning to kill Mata Nui himself, the Makuta finally declared war on them and formed an uneasy alliance with the Toa (whose origins the Makuta were not aware of).

After the defeat of the Barraki by the combined forces of the Toa (armed in giant robots (yes, a robot within a robot within an even bigger robot) called "Exo-Toa") and the Makuta, the Order of Mata Nui took them away before the Makuta second in command could execute them, trapping them rather than destroying them. Some among Makuta then began to plan to overthrow Mata Nui themselves while destroying all threats to Metru Nui (which increasingly became a police state). After a small war between two factions of Matoran over territory, the Makuta destroyed the combatants to the last in a spectacle for all Matoran to see. The Matoran, rather than be cowed, began to fear and hate the Makuta. Miserix responded by moving the Makuta further from the city, assigning his second-in-command Teridax to control Metru Nui itself from his skyfortress Mangaia. After a Makuta became aware of Teridax's own plan to destroy Mata Nui, the Brotherhood of the Makuta met to vote on the course of action. Miserix and the loyalists were in the minority, with Miserix sentenced to death but hidden instead by his executioners while the others had "accidents".

The Makuta became increasingly close to Mata Nui as they planned their betrayal, subjugating all beings they encountered to form their massive armies (using their already massive armies of Rahkshi, which were enforcer-like robot suits powered by organic worms called Kraata that the Makuta could synthesise from their bodies) with only the Matoran still revering Mata Nui and the Great Beings. This last unattainable symbol, the love of the laborers, was what drove Teridax to finally betray Mata Nui by messing with his on/off switch when he began to pull both the moons back together to restore Spherus Magna to its original state, as his 'brain' is essentially located somewhere within Metru-Nui. He was forced into a comatose-like state, collapsing on the watery moon that was Aqua Magna. Before all this though the remaining Toa of Metru Nui, Lhikan, distributed his powers into Toa Stones, giving them to destined Matoran, while Mata Nui himself manipulated Teridax into believing different matoran were destined. These new Toa would replace Lhikan and save the Matoran, foiling Teridax’s original plan. Through kidnapping and impersonating the Turaga (a Toa who has sacrificed their power, revered as tribe leaders (this one's a mayor)) of Metru-Nui Makuta was able to turn these Toa into outlaws in the minds of the Matoran of Metru-Nui, however the Toa with the help of Lhikaan discovered Teridax' plot to enslave the Matoran of Metru-Nui. The ensuing battles against Teridax and two members of the 'Dark Hunters' organisation (another conglomeration of robot organisms, these having decided they liked money and would work for whoever paid them) he had hired to help him deal with the new Toa saw the two mercenaries and Lhikaan killed or destroyed and Teridax encased in solid protodermis, though not before the Matoran were forced into mind-wipe chambers and turned comatose as the first stage of Teridax' seemingly failed grand scheme.

The new Toa team, dubbed 'Toa Metru' transported the Matoran out of Metru-Nui to Mata-Nui, which was the island formed on top of Mata Nui's gigantic robot face (which was slightly above the sea level of Aqua Magna) as part of his camouflage system. They then realised they forgot some and went back to Metru-Nui to find that it had been overrun by Visorak (giant robot spiders) who were being controlled by two Vortixx (a manufacturing race of robot organisms constructed to produce replacement/new parts for Mata Nui within Mata Nui, that like every other race of robot organisms that the Great Beings screwed up so severely ended up manufacturing weapons and selling them to anyone who wanted them), one with a strange fetish for Teridax, who had carved off a crystal piece of the protodermis that held Teridax and placed it near her heartlight (a mechanical light that beats to indicate that the particular robotic organism is still functioning properly). This Vortixx, named "Roodaka" planned to release Teridax (even she didn't know how, at least not until the Toa Metru came back). The ensuing war resulted in: the formation of the Toa Hordika (grotesque beast-like mutated versions of the Toa Metru after they were exposed to Visorak venom), the discovery of the legendary Keetongu (a healer? organism that cured the Matoran of robot sickness, disease and poisoning), the discovery of the Rahaga (previously the Toa Haga, mutated into small Rahkshi-like organisms by Roodaka, hence the contraction), hundreds of dead Visorak (animal cruelty), one renegade Toa Hordika, one nearly-dead Toa Hordika and 2 very dead Vortixx (Sidorak, Roodaka's partner, who wasn't that bad a guy, was crushed by Keetongu's fists. He was just tagging along for the ride. Maybe he fell for the wrong female robot, but seriously. What the fuck Keetongu.). It all went Just as Planned for Roodaka however as only the power of the Toa who made the protodermis seal could break the seal, and after the Toa fired all their combined powers at her (genius idea) Vakama (Toa-turned renegade-turned good again leader of the Toa Metru) killed her with his own Rhotuka blast, straight to the heart (which is where she'd placed the small fragment of Makuta's protodermis seal), and Teridax was free. But they got the Matoran so it was worth it... right?
However, all the Matoran they had transported were still comatose (some had also been lost in the protodermis sea, but the Toa Metru gave no fucks as they were mostly the corrupted Matoran (not that they knew that)). The Toa Metru decided to sacrifice their Toa power and become Turaga in order to wake the comatose Matoran, and since they were mind-wiped the new Turaga taught them a pretty little lie to keep them in the dark about the truth of their origins in Metru-Nui and that they were living in a giant robot. Their mythology put Mata Nui as the creator and god of all things and Teridax, now merely named Makuta, as his evil brother, who out of jealousy struck Mata Nui down and was then free to unleash his darkness upon all of Matorankind.
Meanwhile, the newly reawakened Teridax waited underneath the island at the gate between Mata-Nui and Metru-Nui (which was actually Mata Nui's mouth) while he watched his plan to control all of creation unfold.

And this is all the backstory.

===Year 1: Hunting Masks===
Mata Nui, like almost everything else in the Bionicle universe, is conveniently grouped into six dominant geographical features including coasts, jungles, volcanic areas, canyons, an expansive underground, and a snowy mountainous region. The Matoran quickly spread throughout them and lived lives full of suffering (other than the rare occasions when they could gather to play sports of course) as they were constantly preyed on by Rahi. Each Matoran tribe is lead by a village elder called a Turaga. During the time before the shattering, the Great Beings had created two robots designed to look after the Matoran. Karzahni was the being who controlled the facility which repaired the ancient Matoran, and in time in their mythology he had become known as a master of some vague horrible underworld. The other being, Artakha, was created to construct the Matoran and to upgrade them as needed; in Matoran mythology he is seen as a brother to Karzahni and rules over a divine realm where evil cannot enter.
In time most of the knowledge of the ancient Matoran was lost to all but their seemingly immortal Turaga, save that Mata Nui is the loving creator, Makuta is his hated brother who forced him to sleep, Toa are ancient heroes of some kind, and that if you go out of the village without your Kanohi on a Rahi will eat you.

One day a traveling Matoran named Takua who was a [[Bard|storyteller]] unintentionally gathered six ancient stones and brought them to the heart of Mata Nui, called Kini Nui, which summoned six ancient canisters from the ocean to the island (these canisters are identical to the containers of the original toys and were intended to be used to play with). Each canister contained a fabled hero, called the Toa. They each burst from their canister in parts, and assembled themselves before setting off instinctively in search of their respective people. Each knew only how to speak and what their own name was.
In actuality, they were the very first of the Toa; the aforementioned Toa Mata, who were never Matoran. The Toa Mata were created by Artakha and trained by the first Matoran warrior, all as a contingency plan in case Mata Nui was ever vanquished.

* Tahu, Toa of fire. Wields a sword made of fire, generic red-headed leader guy. His tribe of Matoran are Ta-Matoran, and are a disciplined people. All Ta-Matoran are male.
* Gali, Toa of water. Has hooks for hands and can breath underwater, chill as fuck until you piss her off. She's also the smartest of the Toa. Her tribe are the Ga-Matoran, an easy-going race of diplomats. All Ga-Matoran are female, and on Mata Nui are the ONLY females of the Matoran race.
* Lewa, Toa of air. Has a giant fucking axe,and is the cliche as fuck rookie character.When the writers need someone to get fucked up he's always the first choice. His tribe is the Le-Matoran, who are a race of less-annoying [[Kender]]. All Le-Matoran are male.
* Pohatu, Toa of stone. Has REALLY strong feet, and with his friendliness and joviality, is a pretty swell guy. His tribe is the Po-Matoran, who are craftsmen and ''huge'' sports fans. All Po-Matoran are male.
* Onua, Toa of earth. A tunneler with claws, the conscience of the Toa. His tribe is the Onu-Matoran, a race of historians and industrialists. All Onu-Matoran are male.
* Kopaka, Toa of ice. Has a sword and a shield. A complete 2cool4school loner who only likes Pohatu and Gali. His tribe is Ko-Matoran, isolationists and scholars. All Ko-Matoran are male.

The Toa initially fought against the Rahi, first gathering five masks each (the same as the others had, but in their color) which formed into a golden mask (looking like their own) which granted all the special powers of the masks at once, then gathering six Makoki stones to unlock the Makuta lair. There the six merged into two and fought Teridax's minions then split again and suffered through Teridax's trials until they could vanquish his body.

===Year 2: The Bohrok Awaken===

[[File:Toa Nuva.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Well, we all know that insects give you superpowers when they throw their faces at you.]]

They then fought the Bohrok, old feral creations of the Great Beings who were controlled in a hivemind through mask-like critters in their heads called "Krana" (which when worn controlled the mind of the Toa or Matoran it was on). The Toa continued their gathering quests by collecting all six colors of the eight types of Krana to unlock the nest of the Bohrok and defeat the twin Bahrag, the queens of the Bohrok swarms. After the fight, the Toa Mata fell into some pits of energized protodermis, and were mutated into a new form, now known as the Toa Nuva. The final servants of the Bahrag, Bohrok-Kal, were freed when the Bahrag were defeated with the intent of freeing them in a contingency plan. The Toa temporarily lost their powers, fought amongst themselves, yadda yadda, used the Mask of Time to slow time and defeat them. No collecting shit this time though.

===Year 3: The Mask of Light===
Takua, the Matoran who had initially summoned the Toa by mistake, discovered the Mask of Light and with his pal Jala/Jaller (Yeah, legal issues meant name-changeroos. Who knew the Maori people would get pissed their language was used?) went on a quest to find the legendary seventh Toa of Light while the Toa themselves fought Teridax's contingency plan of having been defeated (everyone seems to have one) called the Rahkshi, powerful anti-Toa controlled by shadow-slugs called Kraata. Takua was revealed to actually BE the seventh Toa, Takanuva, who would go on to defeat Teridax, merge with his corpse after falling into another pit of energized protodermis, and use the last of Teridax's power to resurrect fallen Matoran.

===Year 4: Metru Nui===

[[File:Toa Metru.jpg|thumb|400px|left|High tech city, futuristic guns and double wielding - [[Shadowrun]] in LEGO form.]]

The Matoran leaders, the Turaga, then summoned the seven Toa to tell them of the history of Metru Nui and how they themselves were the Toa in the final days of the island. They informed them the seventh Matoran tribe, the Av-Matoran (who are both male and female) still reside there. Metru Nui was essentially Mata Nui, but as a massive sprawling metropolis, so everyone had fancy tech.

See, the Toa Metru (Different name for different gen) were chosen to deal with some giant weed called the Morbuzakh, but as it turned out, that was all a front for a bigger conspiracy involving the Turaga being corrupt (and actually being Teridax in disguise) and hunting down an older Toa with the help of mercenaries. The mercenaries get assimilated by Teridax, Teridax gets beaten with the help of the Mask of Time (a macguffin that's appeared before-later), and the team had to evacuate the entire metropolis.

===Year 5: Web of Shadows===
The Toa must rescue the rest of the matoran, and to do so they must venture back into Metru Nui to complete their quest. Upon their arrival they find their beloved city has gone to shit, overrun by the rahi that escaped from containment after an earthquake caused by Mata Nui crashing into the ocean moon of Aqua Magna. This caused the archives to be breached, and allowed the Rahi spill out into streets to damage the city further. Before the Toa can make it back across the shore,
their improvised boat sinks, with the Toa just barely making it across, only to br captured by the Visorak. They are paralyzed and left helpless only able to watch as we hear the sounds of the visorak and see a closeup of their meat grinder mouths. The Visorak are a species of four legged spiders that attack in massive hordes, usually destroying the ecosystem they currently inhabit, and for a kids toyline have some pretty horrifying powers such as fatally dehydrating their victim or inflating them until they burst.

After that horror scene we're introduced to our two sapient villains, Sidorak an egotistical asshole who takes credit for other people's accomplishments, and generally likes to act like the big kahuna even though he's a coward. His right hand woman is known as Roodaka, and she prefers to work from the shadows, and even manages to seduce one of the heroes..

After being cocooned by the Visoraks and injected with venom they begin to painfully mutate, becoming more [[Furry|reptilian and developing animalistic tendencies]], before they are dropped from the very top of the Metru Coliseum,. They are saved by the Rahaga, another group of mutated toa, who reveal to them they've been transformed into the Hordika: a mutant that is half-toa and half beast. The only hope of a cure lays with a rare Rahi called Keetongu, but after being told that they have to search for him their leader Vakama leaves the group and goes to rescue the matoran by himself and gets captured, allowing Roodaka to seduce him to her side in an attempt to free Makuta from his protodetmis cage.

In the end, the mutation was reversed, the rest of the Matoran were saved, and the Toa Metru became the Turaga of Mata Nui.

===Year 6: Voya Nui - The Closest We'll Get to a Ghetto===

[[File:The Piraka 2006.png|thumb|350px|right|"Holla's, pose fo the camera! Big grins ya'all! Look real tough an' ghetto!"]]

The Toa Nuva (save Takanuva) decided to scout out a new island called Voya Nui, but get kidnapped by some insane thugs called the Piraka, who had their own cheesy rap number. Oh, and they also apparently kidnapped the All-American Rejects, but who likes that band? Well, the deal is that they're looking for something and are only working together just so they can get the big prize and stab all the others in the back in reality-tv drama. With angry gangstas.

Regardless, a pack of Matoran (All major players with names and toys) take a voyage there and get transformed into the Toa Inika. While there, they realize that a) the Piraka are enslaving the populace. and b) The Piraka are looking for a major macguffin called the Mask of Life, which could save the island of Mata Nui. The issue with this is that the mask then goes underwater after the Toa beat all its contrived and press-ganged guardians.

===Year 7: Mahri Nui - Under the Sea===

[[File:500.jpg|thumb|300px|left|You'd think robots don't need underwater gear, but what gives. Matoro is the guy out right.]]

The Toa Inika realize that they're now mutated by the dick...ridged Mask of Life and thus have to go underwater to retrieve it. Also, they get new tools and become the Toa Mahri.
They discover the ruins of a civilization called Mahri Nui, now run by deranged marine warlords called the Barraki, who are still angry about shit. Also, Teridax is looking for the Mask too, but is disguised as a seemingly-dead robot. In the end, Toa Matoro (the Ice one) realizes that the island is dying and thus decides to sacrifice his life in order to empower the Mask of Life.

Thus, Matoro died an hero.

===Year 8: The Toa Nuva's Comeback===
Part of the upheaval Mata Nui's emergency CPR triggered involved an anchor breaking and Voya Nui raising above-ground, revealing a hive of the last-remaining Av-Matoran, besieged by lesser Makuta. With the yunguns now short a man, the Toa Nuva decide to split up, with half of them going to the skies and the other half going to a swamp and Takanuva being busy having time-traveling adventures or some shit. Both sides realize that they might've been here before and find the Mask of Life building its own body. They eventually manage to convince the mask to revert into a mask and then use it to finish waking Mata Nui up, revealing that the entire island was actually part of a colossal fucking robot large enough to step on a mountain. [[Awesome|Yes, that means we're nearing Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagan niveau of huge.]]

Oh, and as a bigger kicker, it turns out Teridax hijacked Mata Nui's body and booted the real guy into the Mask of Life and booted it out light years into space...

===Year 9 - Glatorians===
Mata Nui ends up crashlanding on Bara Magna, a desert-like wasteland where tribes fight for survival by having their gladiato- Errh, Glatorians fight in non-lethal combat while also warding off a tribe of scorpion-people and roving bandits. So the Great Spirit decides to make a body while trying to find out what happened and along the way foil an invasion plot by the likely-evil Strakk.
After killing their leader, Mata Nui discovers another-less stable body of massiveness which he orders back into shape so he can finish things.

===Year 10: S.T.A.R.S - The End===

[[File:Teridax & Mata Nui.jpg|thumb|right|500px|Anything is better with giant robots beating up giant robots while robots within said robots beat up other robots within said other giant robot.]]

While Mata Nui was busy being a gladiator, Makuta's been busy making everything a living hellhole inside him. Matoran are slaves and Toa are helpless to stop an infinite legion of baddies. Then Mata Nui arrives in his fuckhuge suit and the two deities begin having an apocalyptic smackdown. The Toa meet the Glatorians, both sabotage the Makuta, more plot threads wrap up, and in the end, Makuta ends up 360-Noscoping his own dumb ass.

And that's the end of the Bionicle.

===Year 11: REBOOT TIME BITCHES!===
Then 2015 came around and Bionicle, which was pretty much abandoned since 2010, was brought back in 2015 as a reboot, now focused on an island called Okoto.

Now the origin involves two brothers: Ekimu and Makuta. Both made masks, but Makuta was jealous at how people liked his bro's masks, so he made one that was essentially too hax to exist. The brothers fought, Ekimu was sent into deathless sleep, and the world became infested by SKULL SPIDERS.

Prophecies mentioned that 6 heroes (the Toa Mata, <s>now renamed the less culturally-insensitive Masters</s> Apparently an arbitrary name. They're still called the Toa in story, and the 2016 sets call them "Uniters") would come to deliver them. Surprise they did. They had to dig up Golden Masks in order to max their powers out, teamed up, and <s>killed</s> defeated the Giant Enemy Spider (The Lord of Skull Spiders is killed later in one of the books. Apparently falling off a cliff wasn't fatal to it).

After all that, the Toa then went into an ancient city where Ekimu and Makuta used to live. They fought and defeated the army of skeletons which had infested the city (Not without being forced to work together after each toa was stupid enough to try blindly charging into fights alone and getting their masks stolen) and revived Ekimu. They fought the big bad of the year, a big evil skeleton named Kulta, defeated him and put him in skeleton jail (Which he later breaks out of in one of the books), and retrieved the first of the 3 MacGuffin masks of the reboot. There is more plot detail in the books, but most of it is simply world building, mostly irrelevant to the current toa's objectives.

===Year 12: RIP (again)===

Skip to year two. Major upgrade in story vehicle, rather then the simplistic 2D flash animations on the website, now there is a netflix series!. Starts largely the same, Toa need more golden masks, need to find Really Important Mask no. 2, though, there are a few twists:

1. They also need to find elemental creatures, and befriend them.

2. The villain is, instead of a big spider with a lot of mooks, a "Hunter", who works for Makuta, named Umarak.

This goes as expected: Toa get masks largely without issue (Despite Lewa getting into an incursion with the aforementioned Hunter, he managed to hold his own against him). Afterwards, they mind-meld with the creatures by taping them to their backs, and go to a fuckhuege maze. However, Pohatu apparently hates his creature after a traumatic encounter with some Skull Scorpions he had last year, since his creature is, incidentially, a scorpion. So, apparently having the pre-reboot Kopaka's personality, decides to largely try to fly solo. This ends badly, with Umarak managing to exploit the gap in Pohatu and his creature's bond, and allowing him to steal the aforementioned Important Mask no 2 (Makuta's mask of control). After Pohatu learns the power of friendship and saves his creature's life, Umarak goes back to his secret meeting spot with Makuta... who then forces him to put on the Mask of Control, turning him into a hideous monstrosity now under Makuta's control! [[Just as planned]].

The remainder of the second year seems to be focusing on Makuta trying to get his body back, as well as retrieving the Very Important Mask no. 3, but very little is known about it at the moment, and the release date for the other two episodes of the netflix series isn't until the 29th of July.

The last 2 episodes of the Netflix series came out! And well, shit. The first one was OK, the Toa basically just fought a bunch of golem monsters and then confronted a mutated version of Umarak, who now looks like some kind of jacked up demon. Then the 2nd episode was a clusterfuck which ended with all of the remaining questions just being hand waved, and the toa going back to the stars, for some reason.

Turns out, Lego had decided to cancel Bionicle last minute, forcing the writers to write in a proper ending for the series last minute. So, yeah, no more Bionicle. Likely ever, this time. We aren't even getting the final mask or the main villain (Makuta), in set form, so that's fun.

At least Lego has the decency to take a bunch of detailed pictures of the model they used for their netflix show, so if you need Makuta, you can build him yourself!...sans his mask. Oh well, hopefully some tool will make it on shapeways or something

RIP BIONICLE (again): 2001-2010, 2015-2016

==That's Great And All, What The Fuck Does This Have To Do With /tg/?==

There have been many tabletop Bionicle games, an official RPG, multiple unofficial RPG's, and Bionicle is a popular subject for [[Quest Threads]] on /tg/.



==A fan wargame perhaps==

I mean it could be possible as some of the toys backstory give them a war game like status like the Bohrok being akin to the [[Necron|Necrons,]] and the Visorak being akin to [[Tyranids|Tyranids]] who wouldn't want a game like that it would be bad-ass, hell Lego already confirmed that their are alternate universes so it could be set in an alternate one.

Give the Matoran a [[Imperial Guard]] or [[Squat]] load out and let them blast apart Rahkshi and Makuta who have a loadout similar too chaos.

TG get your shit down!

==Red Star Games==

The fan group Red Star Games has made a fan D20 TTRPG, and is fully ready to go. It's a somewhat generic blend of 3.5 and 5e, with skill points, feats, and a generic proficiency bonus that scales to your level. You have levels in archetypes, which new, sequential abilities at each level, up to level six. Each archetype belongs to a supertype, which gives its own abilities every three levels. Later archetype abilities sometimes key off of early supertype abilities. Doronai Nui's weapon system is retardedly complex, but lets you design a huge range of possible weapons, and can replicate any of the elemental, combining, multiform weapons from the toys, which is pretty awesome. Dozens of masks of power have been stated out, at both Great and Noble power levels. You can only play as Matoran, Toa, and Turaga, but other species are presumably one the way. In addition, they are working on Barranai Nui, a Tabletop Wargame set in Bionicle's world. They also have a D12 system set in g2's world.

==links==
Doranai Nui by Red Star Games:

https://www.redstargames.org/doronai-nui

Barranai Nui by Red Star Games:

https://www.redstargames.org/barranai-nui

Heroes of the Stars, set in G2 by Red Star Games:

https://www.redstargames.org/heroes-of-the-stars

Bionicle

2021-06-30T09:38:42Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* Prologue */

{{meh}}

Bionicle is a setting and toyline created by the [[Lego]] company. The story centers on some polynesian, element-themed, kid-sized robots* on an island, living under the shadow of evil, etc.; until some element-themed, adult-sized robot* heroes appear. And it gets unendingly more complicated from that. If Warframe had a grandpa as a toy franchise, Bionicle would be it.

==History==

[[File:Bionicle-Poster-1-.jpg|thumb|right|500px|Hold on to your britches, all you ten-year olds out there - You're in for a ride.]]

Despite always being a popular toy line among children, the Lego corporation in the late 90's was on the verge of bankruptcy. They had almost no licensed intellectual properties outside of Star Wars which only produced limited returns due to royalties, and leaned heavily on generic ideas like "knights" and "pirates". They were unsuccessful in obtaining the rights to make licensed sets and by all market projections would have been shut down by the 2000's.

Lego had previously had sets with larger pieces utilizing gears and gimmicks like a bendy arm to fire things or looking like a car under the name "Technic". Originally concieved as a voodoo theme by employees involved in marketing, Alastair Swinnerton worked with them on revising the concept over multiple drafts into a Polynesian-inspired story about biological technological chronicles, which inspired the name Bionicle. The end result was a VERY elaborate story which spanned multiple generations, full of plot hooks and creatures to make sets of. Bob Thompson lead the team that grouped the story by medium.

The first set, each of the six heroes the story focused on, was released with only mild advertising in North America in the 2000 Christmas season. It was an AMAZING success, earning the company more revenue than any line previously. Lego quickly scrambled to market it, making [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk47EDfWK10 CG television commercials depicting each of the heroes] as well as selling boxed sets containing a mask molded in the shape of each of the six but in each other's colors.

Lego Magazine began featuring an ongoing comic series written by Greg Farshtey that contained most of the lore for the series, and was later published by DC Comics as an ongoing series. The internet factored heavily in their promotion with early flash games, later Playstation 2 and Gameboy Advanced games being used as marketed advertising. Four movies and many shorts were made, and a few musicians made a career just writing music for Bionicle (Rob Zombie was even on board to create a song for Bionicle at one point). Podcasts and novels were also involved in some of the storytelling, although they were largely sidelined in favor of the visual mediums.

The Bionicle theme (which is what groupings of sets under a given, well, theme are called in Lego) continued through multiple generations until 2010 when it was ended in favor of the newer original lines including Ninjago. Like most companies in the late 2010's, Lego resurrected the Bionicle line in 2015 to cash in on nostalgia and start a new generation with a Lego addiction the same as the last. As of now, research indicates 85% of American children know about Bionicle and 45% own at least one set.

==Setting==
Bionicle, as stated above, is based in Polynesian folklore.

Most non-plant life in the setting is actually organic robots (which is to say some of their tissues are mechanical while others are organic, sort of a "fully-integrated cyborg" if you will) who can lose or replace their parts although they can feel pain and suffer fatal wounds, eat and thus most likely excrete, and have genders (but not sexes). Compared to a similar work, Transformers, Bionicle is closer to the organic side of things. (How do they procreate, you ask? well that's a question that the writers impressively avoided having to address until almost the very end, see below).

An unfortunate fact about this universe is that it eventually got bogged down by a shitton of serials and plot near the end, which was already being forcibly wrapped up due to financial reasons, so thing may get really sketchy at parts.

===Prologue===
A long time ago, on a planet called Spherus Magna, a race of godlike creatures (who appear to be humans, although they are only ever shown in silhouette) called Great Beings, although whether naturally from there or if they came from someplace else is not clear; they had to tame the planet early on. Also living on the planet were other intelligent species, living in six tribes. Great Beings were creators at heart, although they ruled over their creations and saw to it that balance was maintained. In time they chose six individuals from the planet’s other native, intelligent species to become the Element Lords whom they infused with the power to control one of the respective elements, and whose sole task was to rule while the Great Beings created. This worked for thousands of years, during which the Great Beings attempted to build a giant race of robots with the prototype simply exploding.
Eventually however, a shift in power left the Elemental Lord of Ice with a spring of Energized Protodermis, a substance from the core of Spherus Magna which was used by the Great Beings to create life and if necessary destroy it as well. He refused to share it, and the Core War broke out with each Element Lord attempting to destroy the others, and in the process of their mining the Energized Protodermis destabilizing the planet itself.

Knowing what was to happen, the Great Beings created a race of tiny robots called Matoran who in turn built a giant robot called Mata Nui out of Protodermis. The Great Beings busied themselves creating artifacts which their robots could use called Kanohi masks, which grant various powers when worn. Without a Kanohi mask, a Matoran will fall unconscious. The Great Beings then made final efforts to stop the destruction caused by the Elemental Lords, who refused to see reason and fought against all creations the Great Beings made to attempt to control them. They also created many McGuffins, from the Mask of Life to a mysterious device to basically kill all robots everywhere, all with the general idea "the solution to more potential for things to go wrong is more and more failsafes".
Eventually the planet was split in three during the Shattering. One planet which was one giant desert, and two moons with one being simply a giant ocean ball and another as one giant jungle which was half frozen, among which where dispersed the remaining inhabitants of Spherus Magnus.
Long before this the Great Beings had activated Mata Nui and sent him flying off into space, to return when it was time to reunite the three broken bits of Spherus Magnus. They eventually fucked off to who knows where, although one hid himself as a Matoran to live inside Mata Nui and see firsthand what they had wrought, and another hung around on the jungle moon doing nothing useful..

Mata Nui used an artifact from the great beings, known as antidermis, to create a species that would populate his body (“The Matoran Universe”) with animals, and who soon called themselves the Brotherhood of Makuta, lead by one of their number called Miserix. They protected the Matoran while Mata Nui explored the universe, and to do this they were given the power to shape the various mechanical lifeforms of the planet into "Rahi" which were modified servants. Mata Nui’s brain was based in a giant mechanical city called Metru Nui. In time the Matoran began to worship Mata Nui as their god, and a secret society called the Order of Mata Nui came about among the more powerful species of the universe. The Order chose the best of the Matoran to be elevated/upgraded into warriors called Toa which were patterned after ancient warriors called Toa Mata (more on them later).

Not long after Mata Nui created the Barraki, six "perfect" leader lifeforms who formed the "League of Six Kingdoms" because of the six divisions of Mata Nui's body one of which each was designated to guard over in order to contain the numerous threats which the feral creations of the Great Beings had begun to pose. They quickly raised legions of robotic organisms. They were instructed to never harm the Makuta, Matoran, or Metru Nui, and had a very uneasy alliance with the peoples that Mata Nui had created. As the Barraki grew more and more bold they coerced the robot peoples into aiding them in their plan to overthrow Mata Nui and veritably take their territories as their own (as they were only technically glorified wardens at the time). When it was discovered that the Barraki had grown bold enough to infiltrate Metru Nui while planning to kill Mata Nui himself, the Makuta finally declared war on them and formed an uneasy alliance with the Toa (whose origins the Makuta were not aware of).

After the defeat of the Barraki by the combined forces of the Toa (armed in giant robots (yes, a robot within a robot within an even bigger robot) called "Exo-Toa") and the Makuta, the Order of Mata Nui took them away before the Makuta second in command could execute them, trapping them rather than destroying them. Some among Makuta then began to plan to overthrow Mata Nui themselves while destroying all threats to Metru Nui (which increasingly became a police state). After a small war between two factions of Matoran over territory, the Makuta destroyed the combatants to the last in a spectacle for all Matoran to see. The Matoran, rather than be cowed, began to fear and hate the Makuta. Miserix responded by moving the Makuta further from the city, assigning his second-in-command Teridax to control Metru Nui itself from his skyfortress Mangaia. After a Makuta became aware of Teridax's own plan to destroy Mata Nui, the Brotherhood of the Makuta met to vote on the course of action. Miserix and the loyalists were in the minority, with Miserix sentenced to death but hidden instead by his executioners while the others had "accidents".

The Makuta became increasingly close to Mata Nui as they planned their betrayal, subjugating all beings they encountered to form their massive armies (using their already massive armies of Rahkshi, which were enforcer-like robot suits powered by organic worms called Kraata that the Makuta could synthesise from their bodies) with only the Matoran still revering Mata Nui and the Great Beings. This last unattainable symbol, the love of the laborers, was what drove Teridax to finally betray Mata Nui by messing with his on/off switch when he began to pull both the moons back together to restore Spherus Magna to its original state, as his 'brain' is essentially located somewhere within Metru-Nui. He was forced into a comatose-like state, collapsing on the watery moon that was Aqua Magna. Before all this though the remaining Toa of Metru Nui, Lhikan, distributed his powers into Toa Stones, giving them to destined Matoran, while Mata Nui himself manipulated Teridax into believing different matoran were destined. These new Toa would replace Lhikan and save the Matoran, foiling Teridax’s original plan. Through kidnapping and impersonating the Turaga (a Toa who has sacrificed their power, revered as tribe leaders (this one's a mayor)) of Metru-Nui Makuta was able to turn these Toa into outlaws in the minds of the Matoran of Metru-Nui, however the Toa with the help of Lhikaan discovered Teridax' plot to enslave the Matoran of Metru-Nui. The ensuing battles against Teridax and two members of the 'Dark Hunters' organisation (another conglomeration of robot organisms, these having decided they liked money and would work for whoever paid them) he had hired to help him deal with the new Toa saw the two mercenaries and Lhikaan killed or destroyed and Teridax encased in solid protodermis, though not before the Matoran were forced into mind-wipe chambers and turned comatose as the first stage of Teridax' seemingly failed grand scheme.

The new Toa team, dubbed 'Toa Metru' transported the Matoran out of Metru-Nui to Mata-Nui, which was the island formed on top of Mata Nui's gigantic robot face (which was slightly above the sea level of Aqua Magna) as part of his camouflage system. They then realised they forgot some and went back to Metru-Nui to find that it had been overrun by Visorak (giant robot spiders) who were being controlled by two Vortixx (a manufacturing race of robot organisms constructed to produce replacement/new parts for Mata Nui within Mata Nui, that like every other race of robot organisms that the Great Beings screwed up so severely ended up manufacturing weapons and selling them to anyone who wanted them), one with a strange fetish for Teridax, who had carved off a crystal piece of the protodermis that held Teridax and placed it near her heartlight (a mechanical light that beats to indicate that the particular robotic organism is still functioning properly). This Vortixx, named "Roodaka" planned to release Teridax (even she didn't know how, at least not until the Toa Metru came back). The ensuing war resulted in: the formation of the Toa Hordika (grotesque beast-like mutated versions of the Toa Metru after they were exposed to Visorak venom), the discovery of the legendary Keetongu (a healer? organism that cured the Matoran of robot sickness, disease and poisoning), the discovery of the Rahaga (previously the Toa Haga, mutated into small Rahkshi-like organisms by Roodaka, hence the contraction), hundreds of dead Visorak (animal cruelty), one renegade Toa Hordika, one nearly-dead Toa Hordika and 2 very dead Vortixx (Sidorak, Roodaka's partner, who wasn't that bad a guy, was crushed by Keetongu's fists. He was just tagging along for the ride. Maybe he fell for the wrong female robot, but seriously. What the fuck Keetongu.). It all went Just as Planned for Roodaka however as only the power of the Toa who made the protodermis seal could break the seal, and after the Toa fired all their combined powers at her (genius idea) Vakama (Toa-turned renegade-turned good again leader of the Toa Metru) killed her with his own Rhotuka blast, straight to the heart (which is where she'd placed the small fragment of Makuta's protodermis seal), and Teridax was free. But they got the Matoran so it was worth it... right?
However, all the Matoran they had transported were still comatose (some had also been lost in the protodermis sea, but the Toa Metru gave no fucks as they were mostly the corrupted Matoran (not that they knew that)). The Toa Metru decided to sacrifice their Toa power and become Turaga in order to wake the comatose Matoran, and since they were mind-wiped the new Turaga taught them a pretty little lie to keep them in the dark about the truth of their origins in Metru-Nui and that they were living in a giant robot. Their mythology put Mata Nui as the creator and god of all things and Teridax, now merely named Makuta, as his evil brother, who out of jealousy struck Mata Nui down and was then free to unleash his darkness upon all of Matorankind.
Meanwhile, the newly reawakened Teridax waited underneath the island at the gate between Mata-Nui and Metru-Nui (which was actually Mata Nui's mouth) while he watched his plan to control all of creation unfold.

And this is all the backstory.

===Year 1: Hunting Masks===
Mata Nui, like almost everything else in the Bionicle universe, is conveniently grouped into six dominant geographical features including coasts, jungles, volcanic areas, canyons, an expansive underground, and a snowy mountainous region. The Matoran quickly spread throughout them and lived lives full of suffering (other than the rare occasions when they could gather to play sports of course) as they were constantly preyed on by Rahi. Each Matoran tribe is lead by a village elder called a Turaga. During the time before the shattering, the Great Beings had created two robots designed to look after the Matoran. Karzahni was the being who controlled the facility which repaired the ancient Matoran, and in time in their mythology he had become known as a master of some vague horrible underworld. The other being, Artakha, was created to construct the Matoran and to upgrade them as needed; in Matoran mythology he is seen as a brother to Karzahni and rules over a divine realm where evil cannot enter.
In time most of the knowledge of the ancient Matoran was lost to all but their seemingly immortal Turaga, save that Mata Nui is the loving creator, Makuta is his hated brother who forced him to sleep, Toa are ancient heroes of some kind, and that if you go out of the village without your Kanohi on a Rahi will eat you.

One day a traveling Matoran named Takua who was a [[Bard|storyteller]] unintentionally gathered six ancient stones and brought them to the heart of Mata Nui, called Kini Nui, which summoned six ancient canisters from the ocean to the island (these canisters are identical to the containers of the original toys and were intended to be used to play with). Each canister contained a fabled hero, called the Toa. They each burst from their canister in parts, and assembled themselves before setting off instinctively in search of their respective people. Each knew only how to speak and what their own name was.
In actuality, they were the very first of the Toa; the aforementioned Toa Mata, who were never Matoran. The Toa Mata were created by Artakha and trained by the first Matoran warrior, all as a contingency plan in case Mata Nui was ever vanquished.

* Tahu, Toa of fire. Wields a sword made of fire, generic red-headed leader guy. His tribe of Matoran are Ta-Matoran, and are a disciplined people. All Ta-Matoran are male.
* Gali, Toa of water. Has hooks for hands and can breath underwater, chill as fuck until you piss her off. She's also the smartest of the Toa. Her tribe are the Ga-Matoran, an easy-going race of diplomats. All Ga-Matoran are female, and on Mata Nui are the ONLY females of the Matoran race.
* Lewa, Toa of air. Has a giant fucking axe,and is the cliche as fuck rookie character.When the writers need someone to get fucked up he's always the first choice. His tribe is the Le-Matoran, who are a race of less-annoying [[Kender]]. All Le-Matoran are male.
* Pohatu, Toa of stone. Has REALLY strong feet, and with his friendliness and joviality, is a pretty swell guy. His tribe is the Po-Matoran, who are craftsmen and ''huge'' sports fans. All Po-Matoran are male.
* Onua, Toa of earth. A tunneler with claws, the conscience of the Toa. His tribe is the Onu-Matoran, a race of historians and industrialists. All Onu-Matoran are male.
* Kopaka, Toa of ice. Has a sword and a shield. A complete 2cool4school loner who only likes Pohatu and Gali. His tribe is Ko-Matoran, isolationists and scholars. All Ko-Matoran are male.

The Toa initially fought against the Rahi, first gathering five masks each (the same as the others had, but in their color) which formed into a golden mask (looking like their own) which granted all the special powers of the masks at once, then gathering six Makoki stones to unlock the Makuta lair. There the six merged into two and fought Teridax's minions then split again and suffered through Teridax's trials until they could vanquish his body.

===Year 2: The Bohrok Awaken===

[[File:Toa Nuva.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Well, we all know that insects give you superpowers when they throw their faces at you.]]

They then fought the Bohrok, old feral creations of the Great Beings who were controlled in a hivemind through mask-like critters in their heads called "Krana" (which when worn controlled the mind of the Toa or Matoran it was on). The Toa continued their gathering quests by collecting all six colors of the eight types of Krana to unlock the nest of the Bohrok and defeat the twin Bahrag, the queens of the Bohrok swarms. After the fight, the Toa Mata fell into some pits of energized protodermis, and were mutated into a new form, now known as the Toa Nuva. The final servants of the Bahrag, Bohrok-Kal, were freed when the Bahrag were defeated with the intent of freeing them in a contingency plan. The Toa temporarily lost their powers, fought amongst themselves, yadda yadda, used the Mask of Time to slow time and defeat them. No collecting shit this time though.

===Year 3: The Mask of Light===
Takua, the Matoran who had initially summoned the Toa by mistake, discovered the Mask of Light and with his pal Jala/Jaller (Yeah, legal issues meant name-changeroos. Who knew the Maori people would get pissed their language was used?) went on a quest to find the legendary seventh Toa of Light while the Toa themselves fought Teridax's contingency plan of having been defeated (everyone seems to have one) called the Rahkshi, powerful anti-Toa controlled by shadow-slugs called Kraata. Takua was revealed to actually BE the seventh Toa, Takanuva, who would go on to defeat Teridax, merge with his corpse after falling into another pit of energized protodermis, and use the last of Teridax's power to resurrect fallen Matoran.

===Year 4: Metru Nui===

[[File:Toa Metru.jpg|thumb|400px|left|High tech city, futuristic guns and double wielding - [[Shadowrun]] in LEGO form.]]

The Matoran leaders, the Turaga, then summoned the seven Toa to tell them of the history of Metru Nui and how they themselves were the Toa in the final days of the island. They informed them the seventh Matoran tribe, the Av-Matoran (who are both male and female) still reside there. Metru Nui was essentially Mata Nui, but as a massive sprawling metropolis, so everyone had fancy tech.

See, the Toa Metru (Different name for different gen) were chosen to deal with some giant weed called the Morbuzakh, but as it turned out, that was all a front for a bigger conspiracy involving the Turaga being corrupt (and actually being Teridax in disguise) and hunting down an older Toa with the help of mercenaries. The mercenaries get assimilated by Teridax, Teridax gets beaten with the help of the Mask of Time (a macguffin that's appeared before-later), and the team had to evacuate the entire metropolis.

===Year 5: Web of Shadows===
The Toa must rescue the rest of the matoran, and to do so they must venture back into Metru Nui to complete their quest. Upon their arrival they find their beloved city has gone to shit, overrun by the rahi that escaped from containment after an earthquake caused by Mata Nui crashing into the ocean moon of Aqua Magna. This caused the archives to be breached, and allowed the Rahi spill out into streets to damage the city further. Before the Toa can make it back across the shore,
their improvised boat sinks, with the Toa just barely making it across, only to br captured by the Visorak. They are paralyzed and left helpless only able to watch as we hear the sounds of the visorak and see a closeup of their meat grinder mouths. The Visorak are a species of four legged spiders that attack in massive hordes, usually destroying the ecosystem they currently inhabit, and for a kids toyline have some pretty horrifying powers such as fatally dehydrating their victim or inflating them until they burst.

After that horror scene we're introduced to our two sapient villains, Sidorak an egotistical asshole who takes credit for other people's accomplishments, and generally likes to act like the big kahuna even though he's a coward. His right hand woman is known as Roodaka, and she prefers to work from the shadows, and even manages to seduce one of the heroes..

After being cocooned by the Visoraks and injected with venom they begin to painfully mutate, becoming more [[Furry|reptilian and developing animalistic tendencies]], before they are dropped from the very top of the Metru Coliseum,. They are saved by the Rahaga, another group of mutated toa, who reveal to them they've been transformed into the Hordika: a mutant that is half-toa and half beast. The only hope of a cure lays with a rare Rahi called Keetongu, but after being told that they have to search for him their leader Vakama leaves the group and goes to rescue the matoran by himself and gets captured, allowing Roodaka to seduce him to her side in an attempt to free Makuta from his protodetmis cage.

In the end, the mutation was reversed, the rest of the Matoran were saved, and the Toa Metru became the Turaga of Mata Nui.

===Year 6: Voya Nui - The Closest We'll Get to a Ghetto===

[[File:The Piraka 2006.png|thumb|350px|right|"Holla's, pose fo the camera! Big grins ya'all! Look real tough an' ghetto!"]]

The Toa Nuva (save Takanuva) decided to scout out a new island called Voya Nui, but get kidnapped by some insane thugs called the Piraka, who had their own cheesy rap number. Oh, and they also apparently kidnapped the All-American Rejects, but who likes that band? Well, the deal is that they're looking for something and are only working together just so they can get the big prize and stab all the others in the back in reality-tv drama. With angry gangstas.

Regardless, a pack of Matoran (All major players with names and toys) take a voyage there and get transformed into the Toa Inika. While there, they realize that a) the Piraka are enslaving the populace. and b) The Piraka are looking for a major macguffin called the Mask of Life, which could save the island of Mata Nui. The issue with this is that the mask then goes underwater after the Toa beat all its contrived and press-ganged guardians.

===Year 7: Mahri Nui - Under the Sea===

[[File:500.jpg|thumb|300px|left|You'd think robots don't need underwater gear, but what gives. Matoro is the guy out right.]]

The Toa Inika realize that they're now mutated by the dick...ridged Mask of Life and thus have to go underwater to retrieve it. Also, they get new tools and become the Toa Mahri.
They discover the ruins of a civilization called Mahri Nui, now run by deranged marine warlords called the Barraki, who are still angry about shit. Also, Teridax is looking for the Mask too, but is disguised as a seemingly-dead robot. In the end, Toa Matoro (the Ice one) realizes that the island is dying and thus decides to sacrifice his life in order to empower the Mask of Life.

Thus, Matoro died an hero.

===Year 8: The Toa Nuva's Comeback===
Part of the upheaval Mata Nui's emergency CPR triggered involved an anchor breaking and Voya Nui raising above-ground, revealing a hive of the last-remaining Av-Matoran, besieged by lesser Makuta. With the yunguns now short a man, the Toa Nuva decide to split up, with half of them going to the skies and the other half going to a swamp and Takanuva being busy having time-traveling adventures or some shit. Both sides realize that they might've been here before and find the Mask of Life building its own body. They eventually manage to convince the mask to revert into a mask and then use it to finish waking Mata Nui up, revealing that the entire island was actually part of a colossal fucking robot large enough to step on a mountain. [[Awesome|Yes, that means we're nearing Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagan niveau of huge.]]

Oh, and as a bigger kicker, it turns out Teridax hijacked Mata Nui's body and booted the real guy into the Mask of Life and booted it out light years into space...

===Year 9 - Glatorians===
Mata Nui ends up crashlanding on Bara Magna, a desert-like wasteland where tribes fight for survival by having their gladiato- Errh, Glatorians fight in non-lethal combat while also warding off a tribe of scorpion-people and roving bandits. So the Great Spirit decides to make a body while trying to find out what happened and along the way foil an invasion plot by the likely-evil Strakk.
After killing their leader, Mata Nui discovers another-less stable body of massiveness which he orders back into shape so he can finish things.

===Year 10: S.T.A.R.S - The End===

[[File:Teridax & Mata Nui.jpg|thumb|right|500px|Anything is better with giant robots beating up giant robots while robots within said robots beat up other robots within said other giant robot.]]

While Mata Nui was busy being a gladiator, Makuta's been busy making everything a living hellhole inside him. Matoran are slaves and Toa are helpless to stop an infinite legion of baddies. Then Mata Nui arrives in his fuckhuge suit and the two deities begin having an apocalyptic smackdown. The Toa meet the Glatorians, both sabotage the Makuta, more plot threads wrap up, and in the end, Makuta ends up 360-Noscoping his own dumb ass.

And that's the end of the Bionicle.

===Year 11: REBOOT TIME BITCHES!===
Then 2015 came around and Bionicle, which was pretty much abandoned since 2010, was brought back in 2015 as a reboot, now focused on an island called Okoto.

Now the origin involves two brothers: Ekimu and Makuta. Both made masks, but Makuta was jealous at how people liked his bro's masks, so he made one that was essentially too hax to exist. The brothers fought, Ekimu was sent into deathless sleep, and the world became infested by SKULL SPIDERS.

Prophecies mentioned that 6 heroes (the Toa Mata, <s>now renamed the less culturally-insensitive Masters</s> Apparently an arbitrary name. They're still called the Toa in story, and the 2016 sets call them "Uniters") would come to deliver them. Surprise they did. They had to dig up Golden Masks in order to max their powers out, teamed up, and <s>killed</s> defeated the Giant Enemy Spider (The Lord of Skull Spiders is killed later in one of the books. Apparently falling off a cliff wasn't fatal to it).

After all that, the Toa then went into an ancient city where Ekimu and Makuta used to live. They fought and defeated the army of skeletons which had infested the city (Not without being forced to work together after each toa was stupid enough to try blindly charging into fights alone and getting their masks stolen) and revived Ekimu. They fought the big bad of the year, a big evil skeleton named Kulta, defeated him and put him in skeleton jail (Which he later breaks out of in one of the books), and retrieved the first of the 3 MacGuffin masks of the reboot. There is more plot detail in the books, but most of it is simply world building, mostly irrelevant to the current toa's objectives.

===Year 12: RIP (again)===

Skip to year two. Major upgrade in story vehicle, rather then the simplistic 2D flash animations on the website, now there is a netflix series!. Starts largely the same, Toa need more golden masks, need to find Really Important Mask no. 2, though, there are a few twists:

1. They also need to find elemental creatures, and befriend them.

2. The villain is, instead of a big spider with a lot of mooks, is a "Hunter", who works for Makuta, named Umarak.

This goes as expected: Toa get masks largely without issue (Despite Lewa getting into an incursion with the aforementioned Hunter, he managed to hold his own against him). Afterwards, they mind-meld with the creatures by taping them to their backs, and go to a fuckhuege maze. However, Pohatu apparently hates his creature after a traumatic encounter with some Skull Scorpions he had last year, since his creature is, incidentially, a scorpion. So, apparently having the pre-reboot Kopaka's personality, decides to largely try to fly solo. This ends badly, with Umarak managing to exploit the gap in Pohatu and his creature's bond, and allowing him to steal the aforementioned Important Mask no 2 (Makuta's mask of control). After Pohatu learns the power of friendship and saves his creature's life, Umarak goes back to his secret meeting spot with Makuta... who then forces him to put on the Mask of Control, turning him into a hideous monstrosity now under Makuta's control! [[Just as planned]].

The remainder of the second year seems to be focusing on Makuta trying to get his body back, as well as retrieving the Very Important Mask no. 3, but very little is known about it at the moment, and the release date for the other two episodes of the netflix series isn't until the 29th of July.

The last 2 episodes of the Netflix series came out! And well, shit. The first one was OK, the Toa basically just fought a bunch of golem monsters and then confronted a mutated version of Umarak, who now looks like some kind of jacked up demon. Then the 2nd episode was a clusterfuck which ended with all of the remaining questions just being hand waved, and the toa going back to the stars, for some reason.

Turns out, Lego had decided to cancel Bionicle last minute, forcing the writers to write in a proper ending for the series last minute. So, yeah, no more Bionicle. Likely ever, this time. We aren't even getting the final mask or the main villain (Makuta), in set form, so that's fun.

At least Lego has the decency to take a bunch of detailed pictures of the model they used for their netflix show, so if you need Makuta, you can build him yourself!...sans his mask. Oh well, hopefully some tool will make it on shapeways or something

RIP BIONICLE (again): 2001-2010, 2015-2016

==That's Great And All, What The Fuck Does This Have To Do With /tg/?==

There have been many tabletop Bionicle games, an official RPG, multiple unofficial RPG's, and Bionicle is a popular subject for [[Quest Threads]] on /tg/.



==A fan wargame perhaps==

I mean it could be possible as some of the toys backstory give them a war game like status like the Bohrok being akin to the [[Necron|Necrons,]] and the Visorak being akin to [[Tyranids|Tyranids]] who wouldn't want a game like that it would be bad-ass, hell Lego already confirmed that their are alternate universes so it could be set in an alternate one.

Give the Matoran a [[Imperial Guard]] or [[Squat]] load out and let them blast apart Rahkshi and Makuta who have a loadout similar too chaos.

TG get your shit down!

==Red Star Games==

The fan group Red Star Games has made a fan D20 TTRPG, and is fully ready to go. It's a somewhat generic blend of 3.5 and 5e, with skill points, feats, and a generic proficiency bonus that scales to your level. You have levels in archetypes, which new, sequential abilities at each level, up to level six. Each archetype belongs to a supertype, which gives its own abilities every three levels. Later archetype abilities sometimes key off of early supertype abilities. Doronai Nui's weapon system is retardedly complex, but lets you design a huge range of possible weapons, and can replicate any of the elemental, combining, multiform weapons from the toys, which is pretty awesome. Dozens of masks of power have been stated out, at both Great and Noble power levels. You can only play as Matoran, Toa, and Turaga, but other species are presumably one the way. In addition, they are working on Barranai Nui, a Tabletop Wargame set in Bionicle's world. They also have a D12 system set in g2's world.

==links==
Doranai Nui by Red Star Games:

https://www.redstargames.org/doronai-nui

Barranai Nui by Red Star Games:

https://www.redstargames.org/barranai-nui

Heroes of the Stars, set in G2 by Red Star Games:

https://www.redstargames.org/heroes-of-the-stars

Bionicle

2021-06-30T09:35:11Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: Undo revision 772971 by 2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597 (talk)

{{meh}}

Bionicle is a setting and toyline created by the [[Lego]] company. The story centers on some polynesian, element-themed, kid-sized robots* on an island, living under the shadow of evil, etc.; until some element-themed, adult-sized robot* heroes appear. And it gets unendingly more complicated from that. If Warframe had a grandpa as a toy franchise, Bionicle would be it.

==History==

[[File:Bionicle-Poster-1-.jpg|thumb|right|500px|Hold on to your britches, all you ten-year olds out there - You're in for a ride.]]

Despite always being a popular toy line among children, the Lego corporation in the late 90's was on the verge of bankruptcy. They had almost no licensed intellectual properties outside of Star Wars which only produced limited returns due to royalties, and leaned heavily on generic ideas like "knights" and "pirates". They were unsuccessful in obtaining the rights to make licensed sets and by all market projections would have been shut down by the 2000's.

Lego had previously had sets with larger pieces utilizing gears and gimmicks like a bendy arm to fire things or looking like a car under the name "Technic". Originally concieved as a voodoo theme by employees involved in marketing, Alastair Swinnerton worked with them on revising the concept over multiple drafts into a Polynesian-inspired story about biological technological chronicles, which inspired the name Bionicle. The end result was a VERY elaborate story which spanned multiple generations, full of plot hooks and creatures to make sets of. Bob Thompson lead the team that grouped the story by medium.

The first set, each of the six heroes the story focused on, was released with only mild advertising in North America in the 2000 Christmas season. It was an AMAZING success, earning the company more revenue than any line previously. Lego quickly scrambled to market it, making [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk47EDfWK10 CG television commercials depicting each of the heroes] as well as selling boxed sets containing a mask molded in the shape of each of the six but in each other's colors.

Lego Magazine began featuring an ongoing comic series written by Greg Farshtey that contained most of the lore for the series, and was later published by DC Comics as an ongoing series. The internet factored heavily in their promotion with early flash games, later Playstation 2 and Gameboy Advanced games being used as marketed advertising. Four movies and many shorts were made, and a few musicians made a career just writing music for Bionicle (Rob Zombie was even on board to create a song for Bionicle at one point). Podcasts and novels were also involved in some of the storytelling, although they were largely sidelined in favor of the visual mediums.

The Bionicle theme (which is what groupings of sets under a given, well, theme are called in Lego) continued through multiple generations until 2010 when it was ended in favor of the newer original lines including Ninjago. Like most companies in the late 2010's, Lego resurrected the Bionicle line in 2015 to cash in on nostalgia and start a new generation with a Lego addiction the same as the last. As of now, research indicates 85% of American children know about Bionicle and 45% own at least one set.

==Setting==
Bionicle, as stated above, is based in Polynesian folklore.

Most non-plant life in the setting is actually organic robots (which is to say some of their tissues are mechanical while others are organic, sort of a "fully-integrated cyborg" if you will) who can lose or replace their parts although they can feel pain and suffer fatal wounds, eat and thus most likely excrete, and have genders (but not sexes). Compared to a similar work, Transformers, Bionicle is closer to the organic side of things. (How do they procreate, you ask? well that's a question that the writers impressively avoided having to address until almost the very end, see below).

An unfortunate fact about this universe is that it eventually got bogged down by a shitton of serials and plot near the end, which was already being forcibly wrapped up due to financial reasons, so thing may get really sketchy at parts.

===Prologue===
A long time ago, on a planet called Spherus Magna, a race of godlike creatures (who appear to be humans, although they are only ever shown in silhouette) called Great Beings, although whether naturally from there or if they came from someplace else is not clear; they had to tame the planet early on. Also living on the planet were other intelligent species, living in six tribes. Great Beings were creators at heart, although they ruled over their creations and saw to it that balance was maintained. In time they chose six individuals from the planet’s other native, intelligent species to become the Element Lords whom they infused with the power to control one of the respective elements, and whose sole task was to rule while the Great Beings created. This worked for thousands of years, during which the Great Beings attempted to build a giant race of robots with the prototype simply exploding.
Eventually however, a shift in power left the Elemental Lord of Ice with a spring of Energized Protodermis, a substance from the core of Spherus Magna which was used by the Great Beings to create life and if necessary destroy it as well. He refused to share it, and the Core War broke out with each Element Lord attempting to destroy the others, and in the process of their mining the Energized Protodermis destabilizing the planet itself.

Knowing what was to happen, the Great Beings created a race of tiny robots called Matoran who in turn built a giant robot called Mata Nui out of Protodermis. The Great Beings busied themselves creating artifacts which their robots could use called Kanohi masks, which grant various powers when worn. Without a Kanohi mask, a Matoran will fall unconscious. The Great Beings then made final efforts to stop the destruction caused by the Elemental Lords, who refused to see reason and fought against all creations the Great Beings made to attempt to control them. They also created many McGuffins, from the Mask of Life to a mysterious device to basically kill all robots everywhere, all with the general idea "the solution to more potential for things to go wrong is more and more failsafes".
Eventually the planet was split in three during the Shattering. One planet which was one giant desert, and two moons with one being simply a giant ocean ball and another as one giant jungle which was half frozen, among which where dispersed the remaining inhabitants of Spherus Magnus.
Long before this the Great Beings had activated Mata Nui and sent him flying off into space, to return when it was time to reunite the three broken bits of Spherus Magnus. They eventually fucked off to who knows where, although one hid himself as a Matoran to live inside Mata Nui and see firsthand what they had wrought, and another hung around on the jungle moon doing nothing useful..

Mata Nui used an artifact from the great beings, known as antidermis, to create a species that would populate his body (“The Matoran Universe”) with animals, and who soon called themselves the Brotherhood of Makuta, lead by one of their number called Miserix. They protected the Matoran while Mata Nui explored the universe, and to do this they were given the power to shape the various mechanical lifeforms of the planet into "Rahi" which were modified servants. Mata Nui’s brain was based in a giant mechanical city called Metru Nui. In time the Matoran began to worship Mata Nui as their god, and a secret society called the Order of Mata Nui came about among the more powerful species of the universe. The Order chose the best of the Matoran to be elevated/upgraded into warriors called Toa which were patterned after ancient warriors called Toa Mata (more on them later).

Not long after Mata Nui created the Barraki, six "perfect" leader lifeforms who formed the "League of Six Kingdoms" because of the six divisions of Mata Nui's body one of which each was designated to guard over in order to contain the numerous threats which the feral creations of the Great Beings had begun to pose. They quickly raised legions of robotic organisms. They were instructed to never harm the Makuta, Matoran, or Metru Nui, and had a very uneasy alliance with the peoples that Mata Nui had created. As the Barraki grew more and more bold they coerced the robot peoples into aiding them in their plan to overthrow Mata Nui and veritably take their territories as their own (as they were only technically glorified wardens at the time). When it was discovered that the Barraki had grown bold enough to infiltrate Metru Nui while planning to kill Mata Nui himself, the Makuta finally declared war on them and formed an uneasy alliance with the Toa (whose origins the Makuta were not aware of).

After the defeat of the Barraki by the combined forces of the Toa (armed in giant robots (yes, a robot within a robot within an even bigger robot) called "Exo-Toa") and the Makuta, the Order of Mata Nui took them away before the Makuta second in command could execute them, trapping them rather than destroying them. Some among Makuta then began to plan to overthrow Mata Nui themselves while destroying all threats to Metru Nui (which increasingly became a police state). After a small war between two factions of Matoran over territory, the Makuta destroyed the combatants to the last in a spectacle for all Matoran to see. The Matoran, rather than be cowed, began to fear and hate the Makuta. Miserix responded by moving the Makuta further from the city, assigning his second-in-command Teridax to control Metru Nui itself from his skyfortress Mangaia. After a Makuta became aware of Teridax's own plan to destroy Mata Nui, the Brotherhood of the Makuta met to vote on the course of action. Miserix and the loyalists were in the minority, with Miserix sentenced to death but hidden instead by his executioners while the others had "accidents".

The Makuta became increasingly close to Mata Nui as they planned their betrayal, subjugating all beings they encountered to form their massive armies (using their already massive armies of Rahkshi, which were enforcer-like robot suits powered by organic worms called Kraata that the Makuta could synthesise from their bodies) with only the Matoran still revering Mata Nui and the Great Beings. This last unattainable symbol, the love of the laborers, was what drove Teridax to finally betray Mata Nui by messing with his on/off switch when he began to pull both the moons back together to restore Spherus Magna to its original state, as his 'brain' is essentially located somewhere within Metru-Nui. He was forced into a comatose-like state, collapsing on the watery moon that was Aqua Magna. Before all this though the remaining Toa of Metru Nui, Lhikan, distributed his powers into Toa Stones, giving them to destined Matoran, while Mata Nui himself manipulated Teridax into believing different matoran were destined. These new Toa would replace Lhikan and save the Matoran, foiling Teridax’s original plan. Through kidnapping and replacing the Turaga (a Toa who has sacrificed their power, revered as tribe leaders (this one's a mayor)) of Metru-Nui Makuta was able to turn these Toa into outlaws in the minds of the Matoran of Metru-Nui, however the Toa with the help of Lhikaan discovered Teridax' plot to enslave the Matoran of Metru-Nui. The ensuing battles against Teridax and two members of the 'Dark Hunters' organisation (another conglomeration of robot organisms, these having decided they liked money and would work for whoever paid them) he had hired to help him deal with the new Toa saw the two mercenaries and Lhikaan killed or destroyed and Teridax encased in solid protodermis, though not before the Matoran were forced into mind-wipe chambers and turned comatose as the first stage of Teridax' seemingly failed grand scheme.

The new Toa team, dubbed 'Toa Metru' transported the Matoran out of Metru-Nui to Mata-Nui, which was the island formed on top of Mata Nui's gigantic robot face (which was slightly above the sea level of Aqua Magna) as part of his camouflage system. They then realised they forgot some and went back to Metru-Nui to find that it had been overrun by Visorak (giant robot spiders) who were being controlled by two Vortixx (a manufacturing race of robot organisms constructed to produce replacement/new parts for Mata Nui within Mata Nui, that like every other race of robot organisms that the Great Beings screwed up so severely ended up manufacturing weapons and selling them to anyone who wanted them), one with a strange fetish for Teridax, who had carved off a crystal piece of the protodermis that held Teridax and placed it near her heartlight (a mechanical light that beats to indicate that the particular robotic organism is still functioning properly). This Vortixx, named "Roodaka" planned to release Teridax (even she didn't know how, at least not until the Toa Metru came back). The ensuing war resulted in: the formation of the Toa Hordika (grotesque beast-like mutated versions of the Toa Metru after they were exposed to Visorak venom), the discovery of the legendary Keetongu (a healer? organism that cured the Matoran of robot sickness, disease and poisoning), the discovery of the Rahaga (previously the Toa Haga, mutated into small Rahkshi-like organisms by Roodaka, hence the contraction), hundreds of dead Visorak (animal cruelty), one renegade Toa Hordika, one nearly-dead Toa Hordika and 2 very dead Vortixx (Sidorak, Roodaka's partner, who wasn't that bad a guy, was crushed by Keetongu's fists. He was just tagging along for the ride. Maybe he fell for the wrong female robot, but seriously. What the fuck Keetongu.). It all went Just as Planned for Roodaka however as only the power of the Toa who made the protodermis seal could break the seal, and after the Toa fired all their combined powers at her (genius idea) Vakama (Toa-turned renegade-turned good again leader of the Toa Metru) killed her with his own Rhotuka blast, straight to the heart (which is where she'd placed the small fragment of Makuta's protodermis seal), and Teridax was free. But they got the Matoran so it was worth it... right?
However, all the Matoran they had transported were still comatose (some had also been lost in the protodermis sea, but the Toa Metru gave no fucks as they were mostly the corrupted Matoran (not that they knew that)). The Toa Metru decided to sacrifice their Toa power and become Turaga in order to wake the comatose Matoran, and since they were mind-wiped the new Turaga taught them a pretty little lie to keep them in the dark about the truth of their origins in Metru-Nui and that they were living in a giant robot. Their mythology put Mata Nui as the creator and god of all things and Teridax, now merely named Makuta, as his evil brother, who out of jealousy struck Mata Nui down and was then free to unleash his darkness upon all of Matorankind.
Meanwhile, the newly reawakened Teridax waited underneath the island at the gate between Mata-Nui and Metru-Nui (which was actually Mata Nui's mouth) while he watched his plan to control all of creation unfold.

And this is all the backstory.

===Year 1: Hunting Masks===
Mata Nui, like almost everything else in the Bionicle universe, is conveniently grouped into six dominant geographical features including coasts, jungles, volcanic areas, canyons, an expansive underground, and a snowy mountainous region. The Matoran quickly spread throughout them and lived lives full of suffering (other than the rare occasions when they could gather to play sports of course) as they were constantly preyed on by Rahi. Each Matoran tribe is lead by a village elder called a Turaga. During the time before the shattering, the Great Beings had created two robots designed to look after the Matoran. Karzahni was the being who controlled the facility which repaired the ancient Matoran, and in time in their mythology he had become known as a master of some vague horrible underworld. The other being, Artakha, was created to construct the Matoran and to upgrade them as needed; in Matoran mythology he is seen as a brother to Karzahni and rules over a divine realm where evil cannot enter.
In time most of the knowledge of the ancient Matoran was lost to all but their seemingly immortal Turaga, save that Mata Nui is the loving creator, Makuta is his hated brother who forced him to sleep, Toa are ancient heroes of some kind, and that if you go out of the village without your Kanohi on a Rahi will eat you.

One day a traveling Matoran named Takua who was a [[Bard|storyteller]] unintentionally gathered six ancient stones and brought them to the heart of Mata Nui, called Kini Nui, which summoned six ancient canisters from the ocean to the island (these canisters are identical to the containers of the original toys and were intended to be used to play with). Each canister contained a fabled hero, called the Toa. They each burst from their canister in parts, and assembled themselves before setting off instinctively in search of their respective people. Each knew only how to speak and what their own name was.
In actuality, they were the very first of the Toa; the aforementioned Toa Mata, who were never Matoran. The Toa Mata were created by Artakha and trained by the first Matoran warrior, all as a contingency plan in case Mata Nui was ever vanquished.

* Tahu, Toa of fire. Wields a sword made of fire, generic red-headed leader guy. His tribe of Matoran are Ta-Matoran, and are a disciplined people. All Ta-Matoran are male.
* Gali, Toa of water. Has hooks for hands and can breath underwater, chill as fuck until you piss her off. She's also the smartest of the Toa. Her tribe are the Ga-Matoran, an easy-going race of diplomats. All Ga-Matoran are female, and on Mata Nui are the ONLY females of the Matoran race.
* Lewa, Toa of air. Has a giant fucking axe,and is the cliche as fuck rookie character.When the writers need someone to get fucked up he's always the first choice. His tribe is the Le-Matoran, who are a race of less-annoying [[Kender]]. All Le-Matoran are male.
* Pohatu, Toa of stone. Has REALLY strong feet, and with his friendliness and joviality, is a pretty swell guy. His tribe is the Po-Matoran, who are craftsmen and ''huge'' sports fans. All Po-Matoran are male.
* Onua, Toa of earth. A tunneler with claws, the conscience of the Toa. His tribe is the Onu-Matoran, a race of historians and industrialists. All Onu-Matoran are male.
* Kopaka, Toa of ice. Has a sword and a shield. A complete 2cool4school loner who only likes Pohatu and Gali. His tribe is Ko-Matoran, isolationists and scholars. All Ko-Matoran are male.

The Toa initially fought against the Rahi, first gathering five masks each (the same as the others had, but in their color) which formed into a golden mask (looking like their own) which granted all the special powers of the masks at once, then gathering six Makoki stones to unlock the Makuta lair. There the six merged into two and fought Teridax's minions then split again and suffered through Teridax's trials until they could vanquish his body.

===Year 2: The Bohrok Awaken===

[[File:Toa Nuva.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Well, we all know that insects give you superpowers when they throw their faces at you.]]

They then fought the Bohrok, old feral creations of the Great Beings who were controlled in a hivemind through mask-like critters in their heads called "Krana" (which when worn controlled the mind of the Toa or Matoran it was on). The Toa continued their gathering quests by collecting all six colors of the eight types of Krana to unlock the nest of the Bohrok and defeat the twin Bahrag, the queens of the Bohrok swarms. After the fight, the Toa Mata fell into some pits of energized protodermis, and were mutated into a new form, now known as the Toa Nuva. The final servants of the Bahrag, Bohrok-Kal, were freed when the Bahrag were defeated with the intent of freeing them in a contingency plan. The Toa temporarily lost their powers, fought amongst themselves, yadda yadda, used the Mask of Time to slow time and defeat them. No collecting shit this time though.

===Year 3: The Mask of Light===
Takua, the Matoran who had initially summoned the Toa by mistake, discovered the Mask of Light and with his pal Jala/Jaller (Yeah, legal issues meant name-changeroos. Who knew the Maori people would get pissed their language was used?) went on a quest to find the legendary seventh Toa of Light while the Toa themselves fought Teridax's contingency plan of having been defeated (everyone seems to have one) called the Rahkshi, powerful anti-Toa controlled by shadow-slugs called Kraata. Takua was revealed to actually BE the seventh Toa, Takanuva, who would go on to defeat Teridax, merge with his corpse after falling into another pit of energized protodermis, and use the last of Teridax's power to resurrect fallen Matoran.

===Year 4: Metru Nui===

[[File:Toa Metru.jpg|thumb|400px|left|High tech city, futuristic guns and double wielding - [[Shadowrun]] in LEGO form.]]

The Matoran leaders, the Turaga, then summoned the seven Toa to tell them of the history of Metru Nui and how they themselves were the Toa in the final days of the island. They informed them the seventh Matoran tribe, the Av-Matoran (who are both male and female) still reside there. Metru Nui was essentially Mata Nui, but as a massive sprawling metropolis, so everyone had fancy tech.

See, the Toa Metru (Different name for different gen) were chosen to deal with some giant weed called the Morbuzakh, but as it turned out, that was all a front for a bigger conspiracy involving the Turaga being corrupt (and actually being Teridax in disguise) and hunting down an older Toa with the help of mercenaries. The mercenaries get assimilated by Teridax, Teridax gets beaten with the help of the Mask of Time (a macguffin that's appeared before-later), and the team had to evacuate the entire metropolis.

===Year 5: Web of Shadows===
The Toa must rescue the rest of the matoran, and to do so they must venture back into Metru Nui to complete their quest. Upon their arrival they find their beloved city has gone to shit, overrun by the rahi that escaped from containment after an earthquake caused by Mata Nui crashing into the ocean moon of Aqua Magna. This caused the archives to be breached, and allowed the Rahi spill out into streets to damage the city further. Before the Toa can make it back across the shore,
their improvised boat sinks, with the Toa just barely making it across, only to br captured by the Visorak. They are paralyzed and left helpless only able to watch as we hear the sounds of the visorak and see a closeup of their meat grinder mouths. The Visorak are a species of four legged spiders that attack in massive hordes, usually destroying the ecosystem they currently inhabit, and for a kids toyline have some pretty horrifying powers such as fatally dehydrating their victim or inflating them until they burst.

After that horror scene we're introduced to our two sapient villains, Sidorak an egotistical asshole who takes credit for other people's accomplishments, and generally likes to act like the big kahuna even though he's a coward. His right hand woman is known as Roodaka, and she prefers to work from the shadows, and even manages to seduce one of the heroes..

After being cocooned by the Visoraks and injected with venom they begin to painfully mutate, becoming more [[Furry|reptilian and developing animalistic tendencies]], before they are dropped from the very top of the Metru Coliseum,. They are saved by the Rahaga, another group of mutated toa, who reveal to them they've been transformed into the Hordika: a mutant that is half-toa and half beast. The only hope of a cure lays with a rare Rahi called Keetongu, but after being told that they have to search for him their leader Vakama leaves the group and goes to rescue the matoran by himself and gets captured, allowing Roodaka to seduce him to her side in an attempt to free Makuta from his protodetmis cage.

In the end, the mutation was reversed, the rest of the Matoran were saved, and the Toa Metru became the Turaga of Mata Nui.

===Year 6: Voya Nui - The Closest We'll Get to a Ghetto===

[[File:The Piraka 2006.png|thumb|350px|right|"Holla's, pose fo the camera! Big grins ya'all! Look real tough an' ghetto!"]]

The Toa Nuva (save Takanuva) decided to scout out a new island called Voya Nui, but get kidnapped by some insane thugs called the Piraka, who had their own cheesy rap number. Oh, and they also apparently kidnapped the All-American Rejects, but who likes that band? Well, the deal is that they're looking for something and are only working together just so they can get the big prize and stab all the others in the back in reality-tv drama. With angry gangstas.

Regardless, a pack of Matoran (All major players with names and toys) take a voyage there and get transformed into the Toa Inika. While there, they realize that a) the Piraka are enslaving the populace. and b) The Piraka are looking for a major macguffin called the Mask of Life, which could save the island of Mata Nui. The issue with this is that the mask then goes underwater after the Toa beat all its contrived and press-ganged guardians.

===Year 7: Mahri Nui - Under the Sea===

[[File:500.jpg|thumb|300px|left|You'd think robots don't need underwater gear, but what gives. Matoro is the guy out right.]]

The Toa Inika realize that they're now mutated by the dick...ridged Mask of Life and thus have to go underwater to retrieve it. Also, they get new tools and become the Toa Mahri.
They discover the ruins of a civilization called Mahri Nui, now run by deranged marine warlords called the Barraki, who are still angry about shit. Also, Teridax is looking for the Mask too, but is disguised as a seemingly-dead robot. In the end, Toa Matoro (the Ice one) realizes that the island is dying and thus decides to sacrifice his life in order to empower the Mask of Life.

Thus, Matoro died an hero.

===Year 8: The Toa Nuva's Comeback===
Part of the upheaval Mata Nui's emergency CPR triggered involved an anchor breaking and Voya Nui raising above-ground, revealing a hive of the last-remaining Av-Matoran, besieged by lesser Makuta. With the yunguns now short a man, the Toa Nuva decide to split up, with half of them going to the skies and the other half going to a swamp and Takanuva being busy having time-traveling adventures or some shit. Both sides realize that they might've been here before and find the Mask of Life building its own body. They eventually manage to convince the mask to revert into a mask and then use it to finish waking Mata Nui up, revealing that the entire island was actually part of a colossal fucking robot large enough to step on a mountain. [[Awesome|Yes, that means we're nearing Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagan niveau of huge.]]

Oh, and as a bigger kicker, it turns out Teridax hijacked Mata Nui's body and booted the real guy into the Mask of Life and booted it out light years into space...

===Year 9 - Glatorians===
Mata Nui ends up crashlanding on Bara Magna, a desert-like wasteland where tribes fight for survival by having their gladiato- Errh, Glatorians fight in non-lethal combat while also warding off a tribe of scorpion-people and roving bandits. So the Great Spirit decides to make a body while trying to find out what happened and along the way foil an invasion plot by the likely-evil Strakk.
After killing their leader, Mata Nui discovers another-less stable body of massiveness which he orders back into shape so he can finish things.

===Year 10: S.T.A.R.S - The End===

[[File:Teridax & Mata Nui.jpg|thumb|right|500px|Anything is better with giant robots beating up giant robots while robots within said robots beat up other robots within said other giant robot.]]

While Mata Nui was busy being a gladiator, Makuta's been busy making everything a living hellhole inside him. Matoran are slaves and Toa are helpless to stop an infinite legion of baddies. Then Mata Nui arrives in his fuckhuge suit and the two deities begin having an apocalyptic smackdown. The Toa meet the Glatorians, both sabotage the Makuta, more plot threads wrap up, and in the end, Makuta ends up 360-Noscoping his own dumb ass.

And that's the end of the Bionicle.

===Year 11: REBOOT TIME BITCHES!===
Then 2015 came around and Bionicle, which was pretty much abandoned since 2010, was brought back in 2015 as a reboot, now focused on an island called Okoto.

Now the origin involves two brothers: Ekimu and Makuta. Both made masks, but Makuta was jealous at how people liked his bro's masks, so he made one that was essentially too hax to exist. The brothers fought, Ekimu was sent into deathless sleep, and the world became infested by SKULL SPIDERS.

Prophecies mentioned that 6 heroes (the Toa Mata, <s>now renamed the less culturally-insensitive Masters</s> Apparently an arbitrary name. They're still called the Toa in story, and the 2016 sets call them "Uniters") would come to deliver them. Surprise they did. They had to dig up Golden Masks in order to max their powers out, teamed up, and <s>killed</s> defeated the Giant Enemy Spider (The Lord of Skull Spiders is killed later in one of the books. Apparently falling off a cliff wasn't fatal to it).

After all that, the Toa then went into an ancient city where Ekimu and Makuta used to live. They fought and defeated the army of skeletons which had infested the city (Not without being forced to work together after each toa was stupid enough to try blindly charging into fights alone and getting their masks stolen) and revived Ekimu. They fought the big bad of the year, a big evil skeleton named Kulta, defeated him and put him in skeleton jail (Which he later breaks out of in one of the books), and retrieved the first of the 3 MacGuffin masks of the reboot. There is more plot detail in the books, but most of it is simply world building, mostly irrelevant to the current toa's objectives.

===Year 12: RIP (again)===

Skip to year two. Major upgrade in story vehicle, rather then the simplistic 2D flash animations on the website, now there is a netflix series!. Starts largely the same, Toa need more golden masks, need to find Really Important Mask no. 2, though, there are a few twists:

1. They also need to find elemental creatures, and befriend them.

2. The villain is, instead of a big spider with a lot of mooks, is a "Hunter", who works for Makuta, named Umarak.

This goes as expected: Toa get masks largely without issue (Despite Lewa getting into an incursion with the aforementioned Hunter, he managed to hold his own against him). Afterwards, they mind-meld with the creatures by taping them to their backs, and go to a fuckhuege maze. However, Pohatu apparently hates his creature after a traumatic encounter with some Skull Scorpions he had last year, since his creature is, incidentially, a scorpion. So, apparently having the pre-reboot Kopaka's personality, decides to largely try to fly solo. This ends badly, with Umarak managing to exploit the gap in Pohatu and his creature's bond, and allowing him to steal the aforementioned Important Mask no 2 (Makuta's mask of control). After Pohatu learns the power of friendship and saves his creature's life, Umarak goes back to his secret meeting spot with Makuta... who then forces him to put on the Mask of Control, turning him into a hideous monstrosity now under Makuta's control! [[Just as planned]].

The remainder of the second year seems to be focusing on Makuta trying to get his body back, as well as retrieving the Very Important Mask no. 3, but very little is known about it at the moment, and the release date for the other two episodes of the netflix series isn't until the 29th of July.

The last 2 episodes of the Netflix series came out! And well, shit. The first one was OK, the Toa basically just fought a bunch of golem monsters and then confronted a mutated version of Umarak, who now looks like some kind of jacked up demon. Then the 2nd episode was a clusterfuck which ended with all of the remaining questions just being hand waved, and the toa going back to the stars, for some reason.

Turns out, Lego had decided to cancel Bionicle last minute, forcing the writers to write in a proper ending for the series last minute. So, yeah, no more Bionicle. Likely ever, this time. We aren't even getting the final mask or the main villain (Makuta), in set form, so that's fun.

At least Lego has the decency to take a bunch of detailed pictures of the model they used for their netflix show, so if you need Makuta, you can build him yourself!...sans his mask. Oh well, hopefully some tool will make it on shapeways or something

RIP BIONICLE (again): 2001-2010, 2015-2016

==That's Great And All, What The Fuck Does This Have To Do With /tg/?==

There have been many tabletop Bionicle games, an official RPG, multiple unofficial RPG's, and Bionicle is a popular subject for [[Quest Threads]] on /tg/.



==A fan wargame perhaps==

I mean it could be possible as some of the toys backstory give them a war game like status like the Bohrok being akin to the [[Necron|Necrons,]] and the Visorak being akin to [[Tyranids|Tyranids]] who wouldn't want a game like that it would be bad-ass, hell Lego already confirmed that their are alternate universes so it could be set in an alternate one.

Give the Matoran a [[Imperial Guard]] or [[Squat]] load out and let them blast apart Rahkshi and Makuta who have a loadout similar too chaos.

TG get your shit down!

==Red Star Games==

The fan group Red Star Games has made a fan D20 TTRPG, and is fully ready to go. It's a somewhat generic blend of 3.5 and 5e, with skill points, feats, and a generic proficiency bonus that scales to your level. You have levels in archetypes, which new, sequential abilities at each level, up to level six. Each archetype belongs to a supertype, which gives its own abilities every three levels. Later archetype abilities sometimes key off of early supertype abilities. Doronai Nui's weapon system is retardedly complex, but lets you design a huge range of possible weapons, and can replicate any of the elemental, combining, multiform weapons from the toys, which is pretty awesome. Dozens of masks of power have been stated out, at both Great and Noble power levels. You can only play as Matoran, Toa, and Turaga, but other species are presumably one the way. In addition, they are working on Barranai Nui, a Tabletop Wargame set in Bionicle's world. They also have a D12 system set in g2's world.

==links==
Doranai Nui by Red Star Games:

https://www.redstargames.org/doronai-nui

Barranai Nui by Red Star Games:

https://www.redstargames.org/barranai-nui

Heroes of the Stars, set in G2 by Red Star Games:

https://www.redstargames.org/heroes-of-the-stars

Bionicle

2021-06-30T09:34:44Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* Prologue */

{{meh}}

Bionicle is a setting and toyline created by the [[Lego]] company. The story centers on some polynesian, element-themed, kid-sized robots* on an island, living under the shadow of evil, etc.; until some element-themed, adult-sized robot* heroes appear. And it gets unendingly more complicated from that. If Warframe had a grandpa as a toy franchise, Bionicle would be it.

==History==

[[File:Bionicle-Poster-1-.jpg|thumb|right|500px|Hold on to your britches, all you ten-year olds out there - You're in for a ride.]]

Despite always being a popular toy line among children, the Lego corporation in the late 90's was on the verge of bankruptcy. They had almost no licensed intellectual properties outside of Star Wars which only produced limited returns due to royalties, and leaned heavily on generic ideas like "knights" and "pirates". They were unsuccessful in obtaining the rights to make licensed sets and by all market projections would have been shut down by the 2000's.

Lego had previously had sets with larger pieces utilizing gears and gimmicks like a bendy arm to fire things or looking like a car under the name "Technic". Originally concieved as a voodoo theme by employees involved in marketing, Alastair Swinnerton worked with them on revising the concept over multiple drafts into a Polynesian-inspired story about biological technological chronicles, which inspired the name Bionicle. The end result was a VERY elaborate story which spanned multiple generations, full of plot hooks and creatures to make sets of. Bob Thompson lead the team that grouped the story by medium.

The first set, each of the six heroes the story focused on, was released with only mild advertising in North America in the 2000 Christmas season. It was an AMAZING success, earning the company more revenue than any line previously. Lego quickly scrambled to market it, making [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk47EDfWK10 CG television commercials depicting each of the heroes] as well as selling boxed sets containing a mask molded in the shape of each of the six but in each other's colors.

Lego Magazine began featuring an ongoing comic series written by Greg Farshtey that contained most of the lore for the series, and was later published by DC Comics as an ongoing series. The internet factored heavily in their promotion with early flash games, later Playstation 2 and Gameboy Advanced games being used as marketed advertising. Four movies and many shorts were made, and a few musicians made a career just writing music for Bionicle (Rob Zombie was even on board to create a song for Bionicle at one point). Podcasts and novels were also involved in some of the storytelling, although they were largely sidelined in favor of the visual mediums.

The Bionicle theme (which is what groupings of sets under a given, well, theme are called in Lego) continued through multiple generations until 2010 when it was ended in favor of the newer original lines including Ninjago. Like most companies in the late 2010's, Lego resurrected the Bionicle line in 2015 to cash in on nostalgia and start a new generation with a Lego addiction the same as the last. As of now, research indicates 85% of American children know about Bionicle and 45% own at least one set.

==Setting==
Bionicle, as stated above, is based in Polynesian folklore.

Most non-plant life in the setting is actually organic robots (which is to say some of their tissues are mechanical while others are organic, sort of a "fully-integrated cyborg" if you will) who can lose or replace their parts although they can feel pain and suffer fatal wounds, eat and thus most likely excrete, and have genders (but not sexes). Compared to a similar work, Transformers, Bionicle is closer to the organic side of things. (How do they procreate, you ask? well that's a question that the writers impressively avoided having to address until almost the very end, see below).

An unfortunate fact about this universe is that it eventually got bogged down by a shitton of serials and plot near the end, which was already being forcibly wrapped up due to financial reasons, so thing may get really sketchy at parts.

===Prologue===
A long time ago, on a planet called Spherus Magna, a race of godlike creatures (who appear to be humans, although they are only ever shown in silhouette) called Great Beings, although whether naturally from there or if they came from someplace else is not clear; they had to tame the planet early on. Also living on the planet were other intelligent species, living in six tribes. Great Beings were creators at heart, although they ruled over their creations and saw to it that balance was maintained. In time they chose six individuals from the planet’s other native, intelligent species to become the Element Lords whom they infused with the power to control one of the respective elements, and whose sole task was to rule while the Great Beings created. This worked for thousands of years, during which the Great Beings attempted to build a giant race of robots with the prototype simply exploding.
Eventually however, a shift in power left the Elemental Lord of Ice with a spring of Energized Protodermis, a substance from the core of Spherus Magna which was used by the Great Beings to create life and if necessary destroy it as well. He refused to share it, and the Core War broke out with each Element Lord attempting to destroy the others, and in the process of their mining the Energized Protodermis destabilizing the planet itself.

Knowing what was to happen, the Great Beings created a race of tiny robots called Matoran who in turn built a giant robot called Mata Nui out of Protodermis. The Great Beings busied themselves creating artifacts which their robots could use called Kanohi masks, which grant various powers when worn. Without a Kanohi mask, a Matoran will fall unconscious. The Great Beings then made final efforts to stop the destruction caused by the Elemental Lords, who refused to see reason and fought against all creations the Great Beings made to attempt to control them. They also created many McGuffins, from the Mask of Life to a mysterious device to basically kill all robots everywhere, all with the general idea "the solution to more potential for things to go wrong is more and more failsafes".
Eventually the planet was split in three during the Shattering. One planet which was one giant desert, and two moons with one being simply a giant ocean ball and another as one giant jungle which was half frozen, among which where dispersed the remaining inhabitants of Spherus Magnus.
Long before this the Great Beings had activated Mata Nui and sent him flying off into space, to return when it was time to reunite the three broken bits of Spherus Magnus. They eventually fucked off to who knows where, although one hid himself as a Matoran to live inside Mata Nui and see firsthand what they had wrought, and another hung around on the jungle moon doing nothing useful..

Mata Nui used an artifact from the great beings, known as antidermis, to create a species that would populate his body (“The Matoran Universe”) with animals, and who soon called themselves the Brotherhood of Makuta, lead by one of their number called Miserix. They protected the Matoran while Mata Nui explored the universe, and to do this they were given the power to shape the various mechanical lifeforms of the planet into "Rahi" which were modified servants. Mata Nui’s brain was based in a giant mechanical city called Metru Nui. In time the Matoran began to worship Mata Nui as their god, and a secret society called the Order of Mata Nui came about among the more powerful species of the universe. The Order chose the best of the Matoran to be elevated/upgraded into warriors called Toa which were patterned after ancient warriors called Toa Mata (more on them later).

Not long after Mata Nui created the Barraki, six "perfect" leader lifeforms who formed the "League of Six Kingdoms" because of the six divisions of Mata Nui's body one of which each was designated to guard over in order to contain the numerous threats which the feral creations of the Great Beings had begun to pose. They quickly raised legions of robotic organisms. They were instructed to never harm the Makuta, Matoran, or Metru Nui, and had a very uneasy alliance with the peoples that Mata Nui had created. As the Barraki grew more and more bold they coerced the robot peoples into aiding them in their plan to overthrow Mata Nui and veritably take their territories as their own (as they were only technically glorified wardens at the time). When it was discovered that the Barraki had grown bold enough to infiltrate Metru Nui while planning to kill Mata Nui himself, the Makuta finally declared war on them and formed an uneasy alliance with the Toa (whose origins the Makuta were not aware of).

After the defeat of the Barraki by the combined forces of the Toa armed in giant robots (yes, a robot within a robot within an even bigger robot) called "Exo-Toa") and the Makuta, the Order of Mata Nui took them away before the Makuta second in command could execute them, trapping them rather than destroying them. Some among Makuta then began to plan to overthrow Mata Nui themselves while destroying all threats to Metru Nui (which increasingly became a police state). After a small war between two factions of Matoran over territory, the Makuta destroyed the combatants to the last in a spectacle for all Matoran to see. The Matoran, rather than be cowed, began to fear and hate the Makuta. Miserix responded by moving the Makuta further from the city, assigning his second-in-command Teridax to control Metru Nui itself from his skyfortress Mangaia. After a Makuta became aware of Teridax's own plan to destroy Mata Nui, the Brotherhood of the Makuta met to vote on the course of action. Miserix and the loyalists were in the minority, with Miserix sentenced to death but hidden instead by his executioners while the others had "accidents".

The Makuta became increasingly close to Mata Nui as they planned their betrayal, subjugating all beings they encountered to form their massive armies (using their already massive armies of Rahkshi, which were enforcer-like robot suits powered by organic worms called Kraata that the Makuta could synthesise from their bodies) with only the Matoran still revering Mata Nui and the Great Beings. This last unattainable symbol, the love of the laborers, was what drove Teridax to finally betray Mata Nui by messing with his on/off switch when he began to pull both the moons back together to restore Spherus Magna to its original state, as his 'brain' is essentially located somewhere within Metru-Nui. He was forced into a comatose-like state, collapsing on the watery moon that was Aqua Magna. Before all this though the remaining Toa of Metru Nui, Lhikan, distributed his powers into Toa Stones, giving them to destined Matoran, while Mata Nui himself manipulated Teridax into believing different matoran were destined. These new Toa would replace Lhikan and save the Matoran, foiling Teridax’s original plan. Through kidnapping and replacing the Turaga (a Toa who has sacrificed their power, revered as tribe leaders (this one's a mayor)) of Metru-Nui Makuta was able to turn these Toa into outlaws in the minds of the Matoran of Metru-Nui, however the Toa with the help of Lhikaan discovered Teridax' plot to enslave the Matoran of Metru-Nui. The ensuing battles against Teridax and two members of the 'Dark Hunters' organisation (another conglomeration of robot organisms, these having decided they liked money and would work for whoever paid them) he had hired to help him deal with the new Toa saw the two mercenaries and Lhikaan killed or destroyed and Teridax encased in solid protodermis, though not before the Matoran were forced into mind-wipe chambers and turned comatose as the first stage of Teridax' seemingly failed grand scheme.

The new Toa team, dubbed 'Toa Metru' transported the Matoran out of Metru-Nui to Mata-Nui, which was the island formed on top of Mata Nui's gigantic robot face (which was slightly above the sea level of Aqua Magna) as part of his camouflage system. They then realised they forgot some and went back to Metru-Nui to find that it had been overrun by Visorak (giant robot spiders) who were being controlled by two Vortixx (a manufacturing race of robot organisms constructed to produce replacement/new parts for Mata Nui within Mata Nui, that like every other race of robot organisms that the Great Beings screwed up so severely ended up manufacturing weapons and selling them to anyone who wanted them), one with a strange fetish for Teridax, who had carved off a crystal piece of the protodermis that held Teridax and placed it near her heartlight (a mechanical light that beats to indicate that the particular robotic organism is still functioning properly). This Vortixx, named "Roodaka" planned to release Teridax (even she didn't know how, at least not until the Toa Metru came back). The ensuing war resulted in: the formation of the Toa Hordika (grotesque beast-like mutated versions of the Toa Metru after they were exposed to Visorak venom), the discovery of the legendary Keetongu (a healer? organism that cured the Matoran of robot sickness, disease and poisoning), the discovery of the Rahaga (previously the Toa Haga, mutated into small Rahkshi-like organisms by Roodaka, hence the contraction), hundreds of dead Visorak (animal cruelty), one renegade Toa Hordika, one nearly-dead Toa Hordika and 2 very dead Vortixx (Sidorak, Roodaka's partner, who wasn't that bad a guy, was crushed by Keetongu's fists. He was just tagging along for the ride. Maybe he fell for the wrong female robot, but seriously. What the fuck Keetongu.). It all went Just as Planned for Roodaka however as only the power of the Toa who made the protodermis seal could break the seal, and after the Toa fired all their combined powers at her (genius idea) Vakama (Toa-turned renegade-turned good again leader of the Toa Metru) killed her with his own Rhotuka blast, straight to the heart (which is where she'd placed the small fragment of Makuta's protodermis seal), and Teridax was free. But they got the Matoran so it was worth it... right?
However, all the Matoran they had transported were still comatose (some had also been lost in the protodermis sea, but the Toa Metru gave no fucks as they were mostly the corrupted Matoran (not that they knew that)). The Toa Metru decided to sacrifice their Toa power and become Turaga in order to wake the comatose Matoran, and since they were mind-wiped the new Turaga taught them a pretty little lie to keep them in the dark about the truth of their origins in Metru-Nui and that they were living in a giant robot. Their mythology put Mata Nui as the creator and god of all things and Teridax, now merely named Makuta, as his evil brother, who out of jealousy struck Mata Nui down and was then free to unleash his darkness upon all of Matorankind.
Meanwhile, the newly reawakened Teridax waited underneath the island at the gate between Mata-Nui and Metru-Nui (which was actually Mata Nui's mouth) while he watched his plan to control all of creation unfold.

And this is all the backstory.

===Year 1: Hunting Masks===
Mata Nui, like almost everything else in the Bionicle universe, is conveniently grouped into six dominant geographical features including coasts, jungles, volcanic areas, canyons, an expansive underground, and a snowy mountainous region. The Matoran quickly spread throughout them and lived lives full of suffering (other than the rare occasions when they could gather to play sports of course) as they were constantly preyed on by Rahi. Each Matoran tribe is lead by a village elder called a Turaga. During the time before the shattering, the Great Beings had created two robots designed to look after the Matoran. Karzahni was the being who controlled the facility which repaired the ancient Matoran, and in time in their mythology he had become known as a master of some vague horrible underworld. The other being, Artakha, was created to construct the Matoran and to upgrade them as needed; in Matoran mythology he is seen as a brother to Karzahni and rules over a divine realm where evil cannot enter.
In time most of the knowledge of the ancient Matoran was lost to all but their seemingly immortal Turaga, save that Mata Nui is the loving creator, Makuta is his hated brother who forced him to sleep, Toa are ancient heroes of some kind, and that if you go out of the village without your Kanohi on a Rahi will eat you.

One day a traveling Matoran named Takua who was a [[Bard|storyteller]] unintentionally gathered six ancient stones and brought them to the heart of Mata Nui, called Kini Nui, which summoned six ancient canisters from the ocean to the island (these canisters are identical to the containers of the original toys and were intended to be used to play with). Each canister contained a fabled hero, called the Toa. They each burst from their canister in parts, and assembled themselves before setting off instinctively in search of their respective people. Each knew only how to speak and what their own name was.
In actuality, they were the very first of the Toa; the aforementioned Toa Mata, who were never Matoran. The Toa Mata were created by Artakha and trained by the first Matoran warrior, all as a contingency plan in case Mata Nui was ever vanquished.

* Tahu, Toa of fire. Wields a sword made of fire, generic red-headed leader guy. His tribe of Matoran are Ta-Matoran, and are a disciplined people. All Ta-Matoran are male.
* Gali, Toa of water. Has hooks for hands and can breath underwater, chill as fuck until you piss her off. She's also the smartest of the Toa. Her tribe are the Ga-Matoran, an easy-going race of diplomats. All Ga-Matoran are female, and on Mata Nui are the ONLY females of the Matoran race.
* Lewa, Toa of air. Has a giant fucking axe,and is the cliche as fuck rookie character.When the writers need someone to get fucked up he's always the first choice. His tribe is the Le-Matoran, who are a race of less-annoying [[Kender]]. All Le-Matoran are male.
* Pohatu, Toa of stone. Has REALLY strong feet, and with his friendliness and joviality, is a pretty swell guy. His tribe is the Po-Matoran, who are craftsmen and ''huge'' sports fans. All Po-Matoran are male.
* Onua, Toa of earth. A tunneler with claws, the conscience of the Toa. His tribe is the Onu-Matoran, a race of historians and industrialists. All Onu-Matoran are male.
* Kopaka, Toa of ice. Has a sword and a shield. A complete 2cool4school loner who only likes Pohatu and Gali. His tribe is Ko-Matoran, isolationists and scholars. All Ko-Matoran are male.

The Toa initially fought against the Rahi, first gathering five masks each (the same as the others had, but in their color) which formed into a golden mask (looking like their own) which granted all the special powers of the masks at once, then gathering six Makoki stones to unlock the Makuta lair. There the six merged into two and fought Teridax's minions then split again and suffered through Teridax's trials until they could vanquish his body.

===Year 2: The Bohrok Awaken===

[[File:Toa Nuva.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Well, we all know that insects give you superpowers when they throw their faces at you.]]

They then fought the Bohrok, old feral creations of the Great Beings who were controlled in a hivemind through mask-like critters in their heads called "Krana" (which when worn controlled the mind of the Toa or Matoran it was on). The Toa continued their gathering quests by collecting all six colors of the eight types of Krana to unlock the nest of the Bohrok and defeat the twin Bahrag, the queens of the Bohrok swarms. After the fight, the Toa Mata fell into some pits of energized protodermis, and were mutated into a new form, now known as the Toa Nuva. The final servants of the Bahrag, Bohrok-Kal, were freed when the Bahrag were defeated with the intent of freeing them in a contingency plan. The Toa temporarily lost their powers, fought amongst themselves, yadda yadda, used the Mask of Time to slow time and defeat them. No collecting shit this time though.

===Year 3: The Mask of Light===
Takua, the Matoran who had initially summoned the Toa by mistake, discovered the Mask of Light and with his pal Jala/Jaller (Yeah, legal issues meant name-changeroos. Who knew the Maori people would get pissed their language was used?) went on a quest to find the legendary seventh Toa of Light while the Toa themselves fought Teridax's contingency plan of having been defeated (everyone seems to have one) called the Rahkshi, powerful anti-Toa controlled by shadow-slugs called Kraata. Takua was revealed to actually BE the seventh Toa, Takanuva, who would go on to defeat Teridax, merge with his corpse after falling into another pit of energized protodermis, and use the last of Teridax's power to resurrect fallen Matoran.

===Year 4: Metru Nui===

[[File:Toa Metru.jpg|thumb|400px|left|High tech city, futuristic guns and double wielding - [[Shadowrun]] in LEGO form.]]

The Matoran leaders, the Turaga, then summoned the seven Toa to tell them of the history of Metru Nui and how they themselves were the Toa in the final days of the island. They informed them the seventh Matoran tribe, the Av-Matoran (who are both male and female) still reside there. Metru Nui was essentially Mata Nui, but as a massive sprawling metropolis, so everyone had fancy tech.

See, the Toa Metru (Different name for different gen) were chosen to deal with some giant weed called the Morbuzakh, but as it turned out, that was all a front for a bigger conspiracy involving the Turaga being corrupt (and actually being Teridax in disguise) and hunting down an older Toa with the help of mercenaries. The mercenaries get assimilated by Teridax, Teridax gets beaten with the help of the Mask of Time (a macguffin that's appeared before-later), and the team had to evacuate the entire metropolis.

===Year 5: Web of Shadows===
The Toa must rescue the rest of the matoran, and to do so they must venture back into Metru Nui to complete their quest. Upon their arrival they find their beloved city has gone to shit, overrun by the rahi that escaped from containment after an earthquake caused by Mata Nui crashing into the ocean moon of Aqua Magna. This caused the archives to be breached, and allowed the Rahi spill out into streets to damage the city further. Before the Toa can make it back across the shore,
their improvised boat sinks, with the Toa just barely making it across, only to br captured by the Visorak. They are paralyzed and left helpless only able to watch as we hear the sounds of the visorak and see a closeup of their meat grinder mouths. The Visorak are a species of four legged spiders that attack in massive hordes, usually destroying the ecosystem they currently inhabit, and for a kids toyline have some pretty horrifying powers such as fatally dehydrating their victim or inflating them until they burst.

After that horror scene we're introduced to our two sapient villains, Sidorak an egotistical asshole who takes credit for other people's accomplishments, and generally likes to act like the big kahuna even though he's a coward. His right hand woman is known as Roodaka, and she prefers to work from the shadows, and even manages to seduce one of the heroes..

After being cocooned by the Visoraks and injected with venom they begin to painfully mutate, becoming more [[Furry|reptilian and developing animalistic tendencies]], before they are dropped from the very top of the Metru Coliseum,. They are saved by the Rahaga, another group of mutated toa, who reveal to them they've been transformed into the Hordika: a mutant that is half-toa and half beast. The only hope of a cure lays with a rare Rahi called Keetongu, but after being told that they have to search for him their leader Vakama leaves the group and goes to rescue the matoran by himself and gets captured, allowing Roodaka to seduce him to her side in an attempt to free Makuta from his protodetmis cage.

In the end, the mutation was reversed, the rest of the Matoran were saved, and the Toa Metru became the Turaga of Mata Nui.

===Year 6: Voya Nui - The Closest We'll Get to a Ghetto===

[[File:The Piraka 2006.png|thumb|350px|right|"Holla's, pose fo the camera! Big grins ya'all! Look real tough an' ghetto!"]]

The Toa Nuva (save Takanuva) decided to scout out a new island called Voya Nui, but get kidnapped by some insane thugs called the Piraka, who had their own cheesy rap number. Oh, and they also apparently kidnapped the All-American Rejects, but who likes that band? Well, the deal is that they're looking for something and are only working together just so they can get the big prize and stab all the others in the back in reality-tv drama. With angry gangstas.

Regardless, a pack of Matoran (All major players with names and toys) take a voyage there and get transformed into the Toa Inika. While there, they realize that a) the Piraka are enslaving the populace. and b) The Piraka are looking for a major macguffin called the Mask of Life, which could save the island of Mata Nui. The issue with this is that the mask then goes underwater after the Toa beat all its contrived and press-ganged guardians.

===Year 7: Mahri Nui - Under the Sea===

[[File:500.jpg|thumb|300px|left|You'd think robots don't need underwater gear, but what gives. Matoro is the guy out right.]]

The Toa Inika realize that they're now mutated by the dick...ridged Mask of Life and thus have to go underwater to retrieve it. Also, they get new tools and become the Toa Mahri.
They discover the ruins of a civilization called Mahri Nui, now run by deranged marine warlords called the Barraki, who are still angry about shit. Also, Teridax is looking for the Mask too, but is disguised as a seemingly-dead robot. In the end, Toa Matoro (the Ice one) realizes that the island is dying and thus decides to sacrifice his life in order to empower the Mask of Life.

Thus, Matoro died an hero.

===Year 8: The Toa Nuva's Comeback===
Part of the upheaval Mata Nui's emergency CPR triggered involved an anchor breaking and Voya Nui raising above-ground, revealing a hive of the last-remaining Av-Matoran, besieged by lesser Makuta. With the yunguns now short a man, the Toa Nuva decide to split up, with half of them going to the skies and the other half going to a swamp and Takanuva being busy having time-traveling adventures or some shit. Both sides realize that they might've been here before and find the Mask of Life building its own body. They eventually manage to convince the mask to revert into a mask and then use it to finish waking Mata Nui up, revealing that the entire island was actually part of a colossal fucking robot large enough to step on a mountain. [[Awesome|Yes, that means we're nearing Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagan niveau of huge.]]

Oh, and as a bigger kicker, it turns out Teridax hijacked Mata Nui's body and booted the real guy into the Mask of Life and booted it out light years into space...

===Year 9 - Glatorians===
Mata Nui ends up crashlanding on Bara Magna, a desert-like wasteland where tribes fight for survival by having their gladiato- Errh, Glatorians fight in non-lethal combat while also warding off a tribe of scorpion-people and roving bandits. So the Great Spirit decides to make a body while trying to find out what happened and along the way foil an invasion plot by the likely-evil Strakk.
After killing their leader, Mata Nui discovers another-less stable body of massiveness which he orders back into shape so he can finish things.

===Year 10: S.T.A.R.S - The End===

[[File:Teridax & Mata Nui.jpg|thumb|right|500px|Anything is better with giant robots beating up giant robots while robots within said robots beat up other robots within said other giant robot.]]

While Mata Nui was busy being a gladiator, Makuta's been busy making everything a living hellhole inside him. Matoran are slaves and Toa are helpless to stop an infinite legion of baddies. Then Mata Nui arrives in his fuckhuge suit and the two deities begin having an apocalyptic smackdown. The Toa meet the Glatorians, both sabotage the Makuta, more plot threads wrap up, and in the end, Makuta ends up 360-Noscoping his own dumb ass.

And that's the end of the Bionicle.

===Year 11: REBOOT TIME BITCHES!===
Then 2015 came around and Bionicle, which was pretty much abandoned since 2010, was brought back in 2015 as a reboot, now focused on an island called Okoto.

Now the origin involves two brothers: Ekimu and Makuta. Both made masks, but Makuta was jealous at how people liked his bro's masks, so he made one that was essentially too hax to exist. The brothers fought, Ekimu was sent into deathless sleep, and the world became infested by SKULL SPIDERS.

Prophecies mentioned that 6 heroes (the Toa Mata, <s>now renamed the less culturally-insensitive Masters</s> Apparently an arbitrary name. They're still called the Toa in story, and the 2016 sets call them "Uniters") would come to deliver them. Surprise they did. They had to dig up Golden Masks in order to max their powers out, teamed up, and <s>killed</s> defeated the Giant Enemy Spider (The Lord of Skull Spiders is killed later in one of the books. Apparently falling off a cliff wasn't fatal to it).

After all that, the Toa then went into an ancient city where Ekimu and Makuta used to live. They fought and defeated the army of skeletons which had infested the city (Not without being forced to work together after each toa was stupid enough to try blindly charging into fights alone and getting their masks stolen) and revived Ekimu. They fought the big bad of the year, a big evil skeleton named Kulta, defeated him and put him in skeleton jail (Which he later breaks out of in one of the books), and retrieved the first of the 3 MacGuffin masks of the reboot. There is more plot detail in the books, but most of it is simply world building, mostly irrelevant to the current toa's objectives.

===Year 12: RIP (again)===

Skip to year two. Major upgrade in story vehicle, rather then the simplistic 2D flash animations on the website, now there is a netflix series!. Starts largely the same, Toa need more golden masks, need to find Really Important Mask no. 2, though, there are a few twists:

1. They also need to find elemental creatures, and befriend them.

2. The villain is, instead of a big spider with a lot of mooks, is a "Hunter", who works for Makuta, named Umarak.

This goes as expected: Toa get masks largely without issue (Despite Lewa getting into an incursion with the aforementioned Hunter, he managed to hold his own against him). Afterwards, they mind-meld with the creatures by taping them to their backs, and go to a fuckhuege maze. However, Pohatu apparently hates his creature after a traumatic encounter with some Skull Scorpions he had last year, since his creature is, incidentially, a scorpion. So, apparently having the pre-reboot Kopaka's personality, decides to largely try to fly solo. This ends badly, with Umarak managing to exploit the gap in Pohatu and his creature's bond, and allowing him to steal the aforementioned Important Mask no 2 (Makuta's mask of control). After Pohatu learns the power of friendship and saves his creature's life, Umarak goes back to his secret meeting spot with Makuta... who then forces him to put on the Mask of Control, turning him into a hideous monstrosity now under Makuta's control! [[Just as planned]].

The remainder of the second year seems to be focusing on Makuta trying to get his body back, as well as retrieving the Very Important Mask no. 3, but very little is known about it at the moment, and the release date for the other two episodes of the netflix series isn't until the 29th of July.

The last 2 episodes of the Netflix series came out! And well, shit. The first one was OK, the Toa basically just fought a bunch of golem monsters and then confronted a mutated version of Umarak, who now looks like some kind of jacked up demon. Then the 2nd episode was a clusterfuck which ended with all of the remaining questions just being hand waved, and the toa going back to the stars, for some reason.

Turns out, Lego had decided to cancel Bionicle last minute, forcing the writers to write in a proper ending for the series last minute. So, yeah, no more Bionicle. Likely ever, this time. We aren't even getting the final mask or the main villain (Makuta), in set form, so that's fun.

At least Lego has the decency to take a bunch of detailed pictures of the model they used for their netflix show, so if you need Makuta, you can build him yourself!...sans his mask. Oh well, hopefully some tool will make it on shapeways or something

RIP BIONICLE (again): 2001-2010, 2015-2016

==That's Great And All, What The Fuck Does This Have To Do With /tg/?==

There have been many tabletop Bionicle games, an official RPG, multiple unofficial RPG's, and Bionicle is a popular subject for [[Quest Threads]] on /tg/.



==A fan wargame perhaps==

I mean it could be possible as some of the toys backstory give them a war game like status like the Bohrok being akin to the [[Necron|Necrons,]] and the Visorak being akin to [[Tyranids|Tyranids]] who wouldn't want a game like that it would be bad-ass, hell Lego already confirmed that their are alternate universes so it could be set in an alternate one.

Give the Matoran a [[Imperial Guard]] or [[Squat]] load out and let them blast apart Rahkshi and Makuta who have a loadout similar too chaos.

TG get your shit down!

==Red Star Games==

The fan group Red Star Games has made a fan D20 TTRPG, and is fully ready to go. It's a somewhat generic blend of 3.5 and 5e, with skill points, feats, and a generic proficiency bonus that scales to your level. You have levels in archetypes, which new, sequential abilities at each level, up to level six. Each archetype belongs to a supertype, which gives its own abilities every three levels. Later archetype abilities sometimes key off of early supertype abilities. Doronai Nui's weapon system is retardedly complex, but lets you design a huge range of possible weapons, and can replicate any of the elemental, combining, multiform weapons from the toys, which is pretty awesome. Dozens of masks of power have been stated out, at both Great and Noble power levels. You can only play as Matoran, Toa, and Turaga, but other species are presumably one the way. In addition, they are working on Barranai Nui, a Tabletop Wargame set in Bionicle's world. They also have a D12 system set in g2's world.

==links==
Doranai Nui by Red Star Games:

https://www.redstargames.org/doronai-nui

Barranai Nui by Red Star Games:

https://www.redstargames.org/barranai-nui

Heroes of the Stars, set in G2 by Red Star Games:

https://www.redstargames.org/heroes-of-the-stars

Bionicle

2021-06-30T09:32:08Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* Prologue */

{{meh}}

Bionicle is a setting and toyline created by the [[Lego]] company. The story centers on some polynesian, element-themed, kid-sized robots* on an island, living under the shadow of evil, etc.; until some element-themed, adult-sized robot* heroes appear. And it gets unendingly more complicated from that. If Warframe had a grandpa as a toy franchise, Bionicle would be it.

==History==

[[File:Bionicle-Poster-1-.jpg|thumb|right|500px|Hold on to your britches, all you ten-year olds out there - You're in for a ride.]]

Despite always being a popular toy line among children, the Lego corporation in the late 90's was on the verge of bankruptcy. They had almost no licensed intellectual properties outside of Star Wars which only produced limited returns due to royalties, and leaned heavily on generic ideas like "knights" and "pirates". They were unsuccessful in obtaining the rights to make licensed sets and by all market projections would have been shut down by the 2000's.

Lego had previously had sets with larger pieces utilizing gears and gimmicks like a bendy arm to fire things or looking like a car under the name "Technic". Originally concieved as a voodoo theme by employees involved in marketing, Alastair Swinnerton worked with them on revising the concept over multiple drafts into a Polynesian-inspired story about biological technological chronicles, which inspired the name Bionicle. The end result was a VERY elaborate story which spanned multiple generations, full of plot hooks and creatures to make sets of. Bob Thompson lead the team that grouped the story by medium.

The first set, each of the six heroes the story focused on, was released with only mild advertising in North America in the 2000 Christmas season. It was an AMAZING success, earning the company more revenue than any line previously. Lego quickly scrambled to market it, making [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk47EDfWK10 CG television commercials depicting each of the heroes] as well as selling boxed sets containing a mask molded in the shape of each of the six but in each other's colors.

Lego Magazine began featuring an ongoing comic series written by Greg Farshtey that contained most of the lore for the series, and was later published by DC Comics as an ongoing series. The internet factored heavily in their promotion with early flash games, later Playstation 2 and Gameboy Advanced games being used as marketed advertising. Four movies and many shorts were made, and a few musicians made a career just writing music for Bionicle (Rob Zombie was even on board to create a song for Bionicle at one point). Podcasts and novels were also involved in some of the storytelling, although they were largely sidelined in favor of the visual mediums.

The Bionicle theme (which is what groupings of sets under a given, well, theme are called in Lego) continued through multiple generations until 2010 when it was ended in favor of the newer original lines including Ninjago. Like most companies in the late 2010's, Lego resurrected the Bionicle line in 2015 to cash in on nostalgia and start a new generation with a Lego addiction the same as the last. As of now, research indicates 85% of American children know about Bionicle and 45% own at least one set.

==Setting==
Bionicle, as stated above, is based in Polynesian folklore.

Most non-plant life in the setting is actually organic robots (which is to say some of their tissues are mechanical while others are organic, sort of a "fully-integrated cyborg" if you will) who can lose or replace their parts although they can feel pain and suffer fatal wounds, eat and thus most likely excrete, and have genders (but not sexes). Compared to a similar work, Transformers, Bionicle is closer to the organic side of things. (How do they procreate, you ask? well that's a question that the writers impressively avoided having to address until almost the very end, see below).

An unfortunate fact about this universe is that it eventually got bogged down by a shitton of serials and plot near the end, which was already being forcibly wrapped up due to financial reasons, so thing may get really sketchy at parts.

===Prologue===
A long time ago, on a planet called Spherus Magna, a race of godlike creatures (who appear to be humans, although they are only ever shown in silhouette) called Great Beings, although whether naturally from there or if they came from someplace else is not clear; they had to tame the planet early on. Also living on the planet were other intelligent species, living in six tribes. Great Beings were creators at heart, although they ruled over their creations and saw to it that balance was maintained. In time they chose six individuals from the planet’s other native, intelligent species to become the Element Lords whom they infused with the power to control one of the respective elements, and whose sole task was to rule while the Great Beings created. This worked for thousands of years, during which the Great Beings attempted to build a giant race of robots with the prototype simply exploding.
Eventually however, a shift in power left the Elemental Lord of Ice with a spring of Energized Protodermis, a substance from the core of Spherus Magna which was used by the Great Beings to create life and if necessary destroy it as well. He refused to share it, and the Core War broke out with each Element Lord attempting to destroy the others, and in the process of their mining the Energized Protodermis destabilizing the planet itself.

Knowing what was to happen, the Great Beings created a race of tiny robots called Matoran who in turn built a giant robot called Mata Nui out of Protodermis. The Great Beings busied themselves creating artifacts which their robots could use called Kanohi masks, which grant various powers when worn. Without a Kanohi mask, a Matoran will fall unconscious. The Great Beings then made final efforts to stop the destruction caused by the Elemental Lords, who refused to see reason and fought against all creations the Great Beings made to attempt to control them. They also created many McGuffins, from the Mask of Life to a mysterious device to basically kill all robots everywhere, all with the general idea "the solution to more potential for things to go wrong is more and more failsafes".
Eventually the planet was split in three during the Shattering. One planet which was one giant desert, and two moons with one being simply a giant ocean ball and another as one giant jungle which was half frozen, among which where dispersed the remaining inhabitants of Spherus Magnus.
Long before this the Great Beings had activated Mata Nui and sent him flying off into space, to return when it was time to reunite the three broken bits of Spherus Magnus. They eventually fucked off to who knows where, although one hid himself as a Matoran to live inside Mata Nui and see firsthand what they had wrought, and another hung around on the jungle moon doing nothing useful..

Mata Nui used an artifact from the great beings, known as antidermis, to create a species that would populate his body (“The Matoran Universe”) with animals, and who soon called themselves the Brotherhood of Makuta, lead by one of their number called Miserix. They protected the Matoran while Mata Nui explored the universe, and to do this they were given the power to shape the various mechanical lifeforms of the planet into "Rahi" which were modified servants. Mata Nui’s brain was based in a giant mechanical city called Metru Nui. In time the Matoran began to worship Mata Nui as their god, and a secret society called the Order of Mata Nui came about among the more powerful species of the universe. The Order chose the best of the Matoran to be elevated/upgraded into warriors called Toa which were patterned after ancient warriors called Toa Mata (more on them later).

Not long after Mata Nui created the Barraki, six "perfect" leader lifeforms who formed the "League of Six Kingdoms" because of the six divisions of Mata Nui's body one of which each was designated to guard over in order to contain the numerous threats which the feral creations of the Great Beings had begun to pose. They quickly raised legions of robotic organisms. They were instructed to never harm the Makuta, Matoran, or Metru Nui, and had a very uneasy alliance with the peoples that Mata Nui had created. As the Barraki grew more and more bold they coerced the robot peoples into aiding them in their plan to overthrow Mata Nui and veritably take their territories as their own (as they were only technically glorified wardens at the time). When it was discovered that the Barraki had grown bold enough to infiltrate Metru Nui while planning to kill Mata Nui himself, the Makuta finally declared war on them and formed an uneasy alliance with the Toa (whose origins the Makuta were not aware of).

After the defeat of the Barraki by the combined forces of the Toa (armed in giant robots (yes, a robot within a robot within an even bigger robot) called "Exo-Toa") and the Makuta, the Order of Mata Nui took them away before the Makuta second in command could execute them, trapping them rather than destroying them. Some among Makuta then began to plan to overthrow Mata Nui themselves while destroying all threats to Metru Nui (which increasingly became a police state). After a small war between two factions of Matoran over territory, the Makuta destroyed the combatants to the last in a spectacle for all Matoran to see. The Matoran, rather than be cowed, began to fear and hate the Makuta. Miserix responded by moving the Makuta further from the city, assigning his second-in-command Teridax to control Metru Nui itself from his skyfortress Mangaia. After a Makuta became aware of Teridax's own plan to destroy Mata Nui, the Brotherhood of the Makuta met to vote on the course of action. Miserix and the loyalists were in the minority, with Miserix sentenced to death but hidden instead by his executioners while the others had "accidents".

The Makuta became increasingly close to Mata Nui as they planned their betrayal, subjugating all beings they encountered to form their massive armies (using their already massive armies of Rahkshi, which were enforcer-like robot suits powered by organic worms called Kraata that the Makuta could synthesise from their bodies) with only the Matoran still revering Mata Nui and the Great Beings. This last unattainable symbol, the love of the laborers, was what drove Teridax to finally betray Mata Nui by messing with his on/off switch when he began to pull both the moons back together to restore Spherus Magna to its original state, as his 'brain' is essentially located somewhere within Metru-Nui. He was forced into a comatose-like state, collapsing on the watery moon that was Aqua Magna. Before all this though the remaining Toa of Metru Nui, Lhikan, distributed his powers into Toa Stones, giving them to destined Matoran, while Mata Nui himself manipulated Teridax into believing different matoran were destined. These new Toa would replace Lhikan and save the Matoran, foiling Teridax’s original plan. Through kidnapping and replacing the Turaga (a Toa who has sacrificed their power, revered as tribe leaders (this one's a mayor)) of Metru-Nui Makuta was able to turn these Toa into outlaws in the minds of the Matoran of Metru-Nui, however the Toa with the help of Lhikaan discovered Teridax' plot to enslave the Matoran of Metru-Nui. The ensuing battles against Teridax and two members of the 'Dark Hunters' organisation (another conglomeration of robot organisms, these having decided they liked money and would work for whoever paid them) he had hired to help him deal with the new Toa saw the two mercenaries and Lhikaan killed or destroyed and Teridax encased in solid protodermis, though not before the Matoran were forced into mind-wipe chambers and turned comatose as the first stage of Teridax' seemingly failed grand scheme.

The new Toa team, dubbed 'Toa Metru' transported the Matoran out of Metru-Nui to Mata-Nui, which was the island formed on top of Mata Nui's gigantic robot face (which was slightly above the sea level of Aqua Magna) as part of his camouflage system. They then realised they forgot some and went back to Metru-Nui to find that it had been overrun by Visorak (giant robot spiders) who were being controlled by two Vortixx (a manufacturing race of robot organisms constructed to produce replacement/new parts for Mata Nui within Mata Nui, that like every other race of robot organisms that the Great Beings screwed up so severely ended up manufacturing weapons and selling them to anyone who wanted them), one with a strange fetish for Teridax, who had carved off a crystal piece of the protodermis that held Teridax and placed it near her heartlight (a mechanical light that beats to indicate that the particular robotic organism is still functioning properly). This Vortixx, named "Roodaka" planned to release Teridax (even she didn't know how, at least not until the Toa Metru came back). The ensuing war resulted in: the formation of the Toa Hordika (grotesque beast-like mutated versions of the Toa Metru after they were exposed to Visorak venom), the discovery of the legendary Keetongu (a healer? organism that cured the Matoran of robot sickness, disease and poisoning), the discovery of the Rahaga (previously the Toa Haga, mutated into small Rahkshi-like organisms by Roodaka, hence the contraction), hundreds of dead Visorak (animal cruelty), one renegade Toa Hordika, one nearly-dead Toa Hordika and 2 very dead Vortixx (Sidorak, Roodaka's partner, who wasn't that bad a guy, was crushed by Keetongu's fists. He was just tagging along for the ride. Maybe he fell for the wrong female robot, but seriously. What the fuck Keetongu.). It all went Just as Planned for Roodaka however as only the power of the Toa who made the protodermis seal could break the seal, and after the Toa fired all their combined powers at her (genius idea) Vakama (Toa-turned renegade-turned good again leader of the Toa Metru) killed her with his own Rhotuka blast, straight to the heart (which is where she'd placed the small fragment of Makuta's protodermis seal), and Teridax was free. But they got the Matoran so it was worth it... right?
However, all the Matoran they had transported were still comatose (some had also been lost in the protodermis sea, but the Toa Metru gave no fucks as they were mostly the corrupted Matoran (not that they knew that)). The Toa Metru decided to sacrifice their Toa power and become Turaga in order to wake the comatose Matoran, and since they were mind-wiped the new Turaga taught them a pretty little lie to keep them in the dark about the truth of their origins in Metru-Nui and that they were living in a giant robot. Their mythology put Mata Nui as the creator and god of all things and Teridax, now merely named Makuta, as his evil brother, who out of jealousy struck Mata Nui down and was then free to unleash his darkness upon all of Matorankind.
Meanwhile, the newly reawakened Teridax waited underneath the island at the gate between Mata-Nui and Metru-Nui (which was actually Mata Nui's mouth) while he watched his plan to control all of creation unfold.

And this is all the backstory.

===Year 1: Hunting Masks===
Mata Nui, like almost everything else in the Bionicle universe, is conveniently grouped into six dominant geographical features including coasts, jungles, volcanic areas, canyons, an expansive underground, and a snowy mountainous region. The Matoran quickly spread throughout them and lived lives full of suffering (other than the rare occasions when they could gather to play sports of course) as they were constantly preyed on by Rahi. Each Matoran tribe is lead by a village elder called a Turaga. During the time before the shattering, the Great Beings had created two robots designed to look after the Matoran. Karzahni was the being who controlled the facility which repaired the ancient Matoran, and in time in their mythology he had become known as a master of some vague horrible underworld. The other being, Artakha, was created to construct the Matoran and to upgrade them as needed; in Matoran mythology he is seen as a brother to Karzahni and rules over a divine realm where evil cannot enter.
In time most of the knowledge of the ancient Matoran was lost to all but their seemingly immortal Turaga, save that Mata Nui is the loving creator, Makuta is his hated brother who forced him to sleep, Toa are ancient heroes of some kind, and that if you go out of the village without your Kanohi on a Rahi will eat you.

One day a traveling Matoran named Takua who was a [[Bard|storyteller]] unintentionally gathered six ancient stones and brought them to the heart of Mata Nui, called Kini Nui, which summoned six ancient canisters from the ocean to the island (these canisters are identical to the containers of the original toys and were intended to be used to play with). Each canister contained a fabled hero, called the Toa. They each burst from their canister in parts, and assembled themselves before setting off instinctively in search of their respective people. Each knew only how to speak and what their own name was.
In actuality, they were the very first of the Toa; the aforementioned Toa Mata, who were never Matoran. The Toa Mata were created by Artakha and trained by the first Matoran warrior, all as a contingency plan in case Mata Nui was ever vanquished.

* Tahu, Toa of fire. Wields a sword made of fire, generic red-headed leader guy. His tribe of Matoran are Ta-Matoran, and are a disciplined people. All Ta-Matoran are male.
* Gali, Toa of water. Has hooks for hands and can breath underwater, chill as fuck until you piss her off. She's also the smartest of the Toa. Her tribe are the Ga-Matoran, an easy-going race of diplomats. All Ga-Matoran are female, and on Mata Nui are the ONLY females of the Matoran race.
* Lewa, Toa of air. Has a giant fucking axe,and is the cliche as fuck rookie character.When the writers need someone to get fucked up he's always the first choice. His tribe is the Le-Matoran, who are a race of less-annoying [[Kender]]. All Le-Matoran are male.
* Pohatu, Toa of stone. Has REALLY strong feet, and with his friendliness and joviality, is a pretty swell guy. His tribe is the Po-Matoran, who are craftsmen and ''huge'' sports fans. All Po-Matoran are male.
* Onua, Toa of earth. A tunneler with claws, the conscience of the Toa. His tribe is the Onu-Matoran, a race of historians and industrialists. All Onu-Matoran are male.
* Kopaka, Toa of ice. Has a sword and a shield. A complete 2cool4school loner who only likes Pohatu and Gali. His tribe is Ko-Matoran, isolationists and scholars. All Ko-Matoran are male.

The Toa initially fought against the Rahi, first gathering five masks each (the same as the others had, but in their color) which formed into a golden mask (looking like their own) which granted all the special powers of the masks at once, then gathering six Makoki stones to unlock the Makuta lair. There the six merged into two and fought Teridax's minions then split again and suffered through Teridax's trials until they could vanquish his body.

===Year 2: The Bohrok Awaken===

[[File:Toa Nuva.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Well, we all know that insects give you superpowers when they throw their faces at you.]]

They then fought the Bohrok, old feral creations of the Great Beings who were controlled in a hivemind through mask-like critters in their heads called "Krana" (which when worn controlled the mind of the Toa or Matoran it was on). The Toa continued their gathering quests by collecting all six colors of the eight types of Krana to unlock the nest of the Bohrok and defeat the twin Bahrag, the queens of the Bohrok swarms. After the fight, the Toa Mata fell into some pits of energized protodermis, and were mutated into a new form, now known as the Toa Nuva. The final servants of the Bahrag, Bohrok-Kal, were freed when the Bahrag were defeated with the intent of freeing them in a contingency plan. The Toa temporarily lost their powers, fought amongst themselves, yadda yadda, used the Mask of Time to slow time and defeat them. No collecting shit this time though.

===Year 3: The Mask of Light===
Takua, the Matoran who had initially summoned the Toa by mistake, discovered the Mask of Light and with his pal Jala/Jaller (Yeah, legal issues meant name-changeroos. Who knew the Maori people would get pissed their language was used?) went on a quest to find the legendary seventh Toa of Light while the Toa themselves fought Teridax's contingency plan of having been defeated (everyone seems to have one) called the Rahkshi, powerful anti-Toa controlled by shadow-slugs called Kraata. Takua was revealed to actually BE the seventh Toa, Takanuva, who would go on to defeat Teridax, merge with his corpse after falling into another pit of energized protodermis, and use the last of Teridax's power to resurrect fallen Matoran.

===Year 4: Metru Nui===

[[File:Toa Metru.jpg|thumb|400px|left|High tech city, futuristic guns and double wielding - [[Shadowrun]] in LEGO form.]]

The Matoran leaders, the Turaga, then summoned the seven Toa to tell them of the history of Metru Nui and how they themselves were the Toa in the final days of the island. They informed them the seventh Matoran tribe, the Av-Matoran (who are both male and female) still reside there. Metru Nui was essentially Mata Nui, but as a massive sprawling metropolis, so everyone had fancy tech.

See, the Toa Metru (Different name for different gen) were chosen to deal with some giant weed called the Morbuzakh, but as it turned out, that was all a front for a bigger conspiracy involving the Turaga being corrupt (and actually being Teridax in disguise) and hunting down an older Toa with the help of mercenaries. The mercenaries get assimilated by Teridax, Teridax gets beaten with the help of the Mask of Time (a macguffin that's appeared before-later), and the team had to evacuate the entire metropolis.

===Year 5: Web of Shadows===
The Toa must rescue the rest of the matoran, and to do so they must venture back into Metru Nui to complete their quest. Upon their arrival they find their beloved city has gone to shit, overrun by the rahi that escaped from containment after an earthquake caused by Mata Nui crashing into the ocean moon of Aqua Magna. This caused the archives to be breached, and allowed the Rahi spill out into streets to damage the city further. Before the Toa can make it back across the shore,
their improvised boat sinks, with the Toa just barely making it across, only to br captured by the Visorak. They are paralyzed and left helpless only able to watch as we hear the sounds of the visorak and see a closeup of their meat grinder mouths. The Visorak are a species of four legged spiders that attack in massive hordes, usually destroying the ecosystem they currently inhabit, and for a kids toyline have some pretty horrifying powers such as fatally dehydrating their victim or inflating them until they burst.

After that horror scene we're introduced to our two sapient villains, Sidorak an egotistical asshole who takes credit for other people's accomplishments, and generally likes to act like the big kahuna even though he's a coward. His right hand woman is known as Roodaka, and she prefers to work from the shadows, and even manages to seduce one of the heroes..

After being cocooned by the Visoraks and injected with venom they begin to painfully mutate, becoming more [[Furry|reptilian and developing animalistic tendencies]], before they are dropped from the very top of the Metru Coliseum,. They are saved by the Rahaga, another group of mutated toa, who reveal to them they've been transformed into the Hordika: a mutant that is half-toa and half beast. The only hope of a cure lays with a rare Rahi called Keetongu, but after being told that they have to search for him their leader Vakama leaves the group and goes to rescue the matoran by himself and gets captured, allowing Roodaka to seduce him to her side in an attempt to free Makuta from his protodetmis cage.

In the end, the mutation was reversed, the rest of the Matoran were saved, and the Toa Metru became the Turaga of Mata Nui.

===Year 6: Voya Nui - The Closest We'll Get to a Ghetto===

[[File:The Piraka 2006.png|thumb|350px|right|"Holla's, pose fo the camera! Big grins ya'all! Look real tough an' ghetto!"]]

The Toa Nuva (save Takanuva) decided to scout out a new island called Voya Nui, but get kidnapped by some insane thugs called the Piraka, who had their own cheesy rap number. Oh, and they also apparently kidnapped the All-American Rejects, but who likes that band? Well, the deal is that they're looking for something and are only working together just so they can get the big prize and stab all the others in the back in reality-tv drama. With angry gangstas.

Regardless, a pack of Matoran (All major players with names and toys) take a voyage there and get transformed into the Toa Inika. While there, they realize that a) the Piraka are enslaving the populace. and b) The Piraka are looking for a major macguffin called the Mask of Life, which could save the island of Mata Nui. The issue with this is that the mask then goes underwater after the Toa beat all its contrived and press-ganged guardians.

===Year 7: Mahri Nui - Under the Sea===

[[File:500.jpg|thumb|300px|left|You'd think robots don't need underwater gear, but what gives. Matoro is the guy out right.]]

The Toa Inika realize that they're now mutated by the dick...ridged Mask of Life and thus have to go underwater to retrieve it. Also, they get new tools and become the Toa Mahri.
They discover the ruins of a civilization called Mahri Nui, now run by deranged marine warlords called the Barraki, who are still angry about shit. Also, Teridax is looking for the Mask too, but is disguised as a seemingly-dead robot. In the end, Toa Matoro (the Ice one) realizes that the island is dying and thus decides to sacrifice his life in order to empower the Mask of Life.

Thus, Matoro died an hero.

===Year 8: The Toa Nuva's Comeback===
Part of the upheaval Mata Nui's emergency CPR triggered involved an anchor breaking and Voya Nui raising above-ground, revealing a hive of the last-remaining Av-Matoran, besieged by lesser Makuta. With the yunguns now short a man, the Toa Nuva decide to split up, with half of them going to the skies and the other half going to a swamp and Takanuva being busy having time-traveling adventures or some shit. Both sides realize that they might've been here before and find the Mask of Life building its own body. They eventually manage to convince the mask to revert into a mask and then use it to finish waking Mata Nui up, revealing that the entire island was actually part of a colossal fucking robot large enough to step on a mountain. [[Awesome|Yes, that means we're nearing Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagan niveau of huge.]]

Oh, and as a bigger kicker, it turns out Teridax hijacked Mata Nui's body and booted the real guy into the Mask of Life and booted it out light years into space...

===Year 9 - Glatorians===
Mata Nui ends up crashlanding on Bara Magna, a desert-like wasteland where tribes fight for survival by having their gladiato- Errh, Glatorians fight in non-lethal combat while also warding off a tribe of scorpion-people and roving bandits. So the Great Spirit decides to make a body while trying to find out what happened and along the way foil an invasion plot by the likely-evil Strakk.
After killing their leader, Mata Nui discovers another-less stable body of massiveness which he orders back into shape so he can finish things.

===Year 10: S.T.A.R.S - The End===

[[File:Teridax & Mata Nui.jpg|thumb|right|500px|Anything is better with giant robots beating up giant robots while robots within said robots beat up other robots within said other giant robot.]]

While Mata Nui was busy being a gladiator, Makuta's been busy making everything a living hellhole inside him. Matoran are slaves and Toa are helpless to stop an infinite legion of baddies. Then Mata Nui arrives in his fuckhuge suit and the two deities begin having an apocalyptic smackdown. The Toa meet the Glatorians, both sabotage the Makuta, more plot threads wrap up, and in the end, Makuta ends up 360-Noscoping his own dumb ass.

And that's the end of the Bionicle.

===Year 11: REBOOT TIME BITCHES!===
Then 2015 came around and Bionicle, which was pretty much abandoned since 2010, was brought back in 2015 as a reboot, now focused on an island called Okoto.

Now the origin involves two brothers: Ekimu and Makuta. Both made masks, but Makuta was jealous at how people liked his bro's masks, so he made one that was essentially too hax to exist. The brothers fought, Ekimu was sent into deathless sleep, and the world became infested by SKULL SPIDERS.

Prophecies mentioned that 6 heroes (the Toa Mata, <s>now renamed the less culturally-insensitive Masters</s> Apparently an arbitrary name. They're still called the Toa in story, and the 2016 sets call them "Uniters") would come to deliver them. Surprise they did. They had to dig up Golden Masks in order to max their powers out, teamed up, and <s>killed</s> defeated the Giant Enemy Spider (The Lord of Skull Spiders is killed later in one of the books. Apparently falling off a cliff wasn't fatal to it).

After all that, the Toa then went into an ancient city where Ekimu and Makuta used to live. They fought and defeated the army of skeletons which had infested the city (Not without being forced to work together after each toa was stupid enough to try blindly charging into fights alone and getting their masks stolen) and revived Ekimu. They fought the big bad of the year, a big evil skeleton named Kulta, defeated him and put him in skeleton jail (Which he later breaks out of in one of the books), and retrieved the first of the 3 MacGuffin masks of the reboot. There is more plot detail in the books, but most of it is simply world building, mostly irrelevant to the current toa's objectives.

===Year 12: RIP (again)===

Skip to year two. Major upgrade in story vehicle, rather then the simplistic 2D flash animations on the website, now there is a netflix series!. Starts largely the same, Toa need more golden masks, need to find Really Important Mask no. 2, though, there are a few twists:

1. They also need to find elemental creatures, and befriend them.

2. The villain is, instead of a big spider with a lot of mooks, is a "Hunter", who works for Makuta, named Umarak.

This goes as expected: Toa get masks largely without issue (Despite Lewa getting into an incursion with the aforementioned Hunter, he managed to hold his own against him). Afterwards, they mind-meld with the creatures by taping them to their backs, and go to a fuckhuege maze. However, Pohatu apparently hates his creature after a traumatic encounter with some Skull Scorpions he had last year, since his creature is, incidentially, a scorpion. So, apparently having the pre-reboot Kopaka's personality, decides to largely try to fly solo. This ends badly, with Umarak managing to exploit the gap in Pohatu and his creature's bond, and allowing him to steal the aforementioned Important Mask no 2 (Makuta's mask of control). After Pohatu learns the power of friendship and saves his creature's life, Umarak goes back to his secret meeting spot with Makuta... who then forces him to put on the Mask of Control, turning him into a hideous monstrosity now under Makuta's control! [[Just as planned]].

The remainder of the second year seems to be focusing on Makuta trying to get his body back, as well as retrieving the Very Important Mask no. 3, but very little is known about it at the moment, and the release date for the other two episodes of the netflix series isn't until the 29th of July.

The last 2 episodes of the Netflix series came out! And well, shit. The first one was OK, the Toa basically just fought a bunch of golem monsters and then confronted a mutated version of Umarak, who now looks like some kind of jacked up demon. Then the 2nd episode was a clusterfuck which ended with all of the remaining questions just being hand waved, and the toa going back to the stars, for some reason.

Turns out, Lego had decided to cancel Bionicle last minute, forcing the writers to write in a proper ending for the series last minute. So, yeah, no more Bionicle. Likely ever, this time. We aren't even getting the final mask or the main villain (Makuta), in set form, so that's fun.

At least Lego has the decency to take a bunch of detailed pictures of the model they used for their netflix show, so if you need Makuta, you can build him yourself!...sans his mask. Oh well, hopefully some tool will make it on shapeways or something

RIP BIONICLE (again): 2001-2010, 2015-2016

==That's Great And All, What The Fuck Does This Have To Do With /tg/?==

There have been many tabletop Bionicle games, an official RPG, multiple unofficial RPG's, and Bionicle is a popular subject for [[Quest Threads]] on /tg/.



==A fan wargame perhaps==

I mean it could be possible as some of the toys backstory give them a war game like status like the Bohrok being akin to the [[Necron|Necrons,]] and the Visorak being akin to [[Tyranids|Tyranids]] who wouldn't want a game like that it would be bad-ass, hell Lego already confirmed that their are alternate universes so it could be set in an alternate one.

Give the Matoran a [[Imperial Guard]] or [[Squat]] load out and let them blast apart Rahkshi and Makuta who have a loadout similar too chaos.

TG get your shit down!

==Red Star Games==

The fan group Red Star Games has made a fan D20 TTRPG, and is fully ready to go. It's a somewhat generic blend of 3.5 and 5e, with skill points, feats, and a generic proficiency bonus that scales to your level. You have levels in archetypes, which new, sequential abilities at each level, up to level six. Each archetype belongs to a supertype, which gives its own abilities every three levels. Later archetype abilities sometimes key off of early supertype abilities. Doronai Nui's weapon system is retardedly complex, but lets you design a huge range of possible weapons, and can replicate any of the elemental, combining, multiform weapons from the toys, which is pretty awesome. Dozens of masks of power have been stated out, at both Great and Noble power levels. You can only play as Matoran, Toa, and Turaga, but other species are presumably one the way. In addition, they are working on Barranai Nui, a Tabletop Wargame set in Bionicle's world. They also have a D12 system set in g2's world.

==links==
Doranai Nui by Red Star Games:

https://www.redstargames.org/doronai-nui

Barranai Nui by Red Star Games:

https://www.redstargames.org/barranai-nui

Heroes of the Stars, set in G2 by Red Star Games:

https://www.redstargames.org/heroes-of-the-stars

Bionicle

2021-06-30T09:31:15Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* Prologue */

{{meh}}

Bionicle is a setting and toyline created by the [[Lego]] company. The story centers on some polynesian, element-themed, kid-sized robots* on an island, living under the shadow of evil, etc.; until some element-themed, adult-sized robot* heroes appear. And it gets unendingly more complicated from that. If Warframe had a grandpa as a toy franchise, Bionicle would be it.

==History==

[[File:Bionicle-Poster-1-.jpg|thumb|right|500px|Hold on to your britches, all you ten-year olds out there - You're in for a ride.]]

Despite always being a popular toy line among children, the Lego corporation in the late 90's was on the verge of bankruptcy. They had almost no licensed intellectual properties outside of Star Wars which only produced limited returns due to royalties, and leaned heavily on generic ideas like "knights" and "pirates". They were unsuccessful in obtaining the rights to make licensed sets and by all market projections would have been shut down by the 2000's.

Lego had previously had sets with larger pieces utilizing gears and gimmicks like a bendy arm to fire things or looking like a car under the name "Technic". Originally concieved as a voodoo theme by employees involved in marketing, Alastair Swinnerton worked with them on revising the concept over multiple drafts into a Polynesian-inspired story about biological technological chronicles, which inspired the name Bionicle. The end result was a VERY elaborate story which spanned multiple generations, full of plot hooks and creatures to make sets of. Bob Thompson lead the team that grouped the story by medium.

The first set, each of the six heroes the story focused on, was released with only mild advertising in North America in the 2000 Christmas season. It was an AMAZING success, earning the company more revenue than any line previously. Lego quickly scrambled to market it, making [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk47EDfWK10 CG television commercials depicting each of the heroes] as well as selling boxed sets containing a mask molded in the shape of each of the six but in each other's colors.

Lego Magazine began featuring an ongoing comic series written by Greg Farshtey that contained most of the lore for the series, and was later published by DC Comics as an ongoing series. The internet factored heavily in their promotion with early flash games, later Playstation 2 and Gameboy Advanced games being used as marketed advertising. Four movies and many shorts were made, and a few musicians made a career just writing music for Bionicle (Rob Zombie was even on board to create a song for Bionicle at one point). Podcasts and novels were also involved in some of the storytelling, although they were largely sidelined in favor of the visual mediums.

The Bionicle theme (which is what groupings of sets under a given, well, theme are called in Lego) continued through multiple generations until 2010 when it was ended in favor of the newer original lines including Ninjago. Like most companies in the late 2010's, Lego resurrected the Bionicle line in 2015 to cash in on nostalgia and start a new generation with a Lego addiction the same as the last. As of now, research indicates 85% of American children know about Bionicle and 45% own at least one set.

==Setting==
Bionicle, as stated above, is based in Polynesian folklore.

Most non-plant life in the setting is actually organic robots (which is to say some of their tissues are mechanical while others are organic, sort of a "fully-integrated cyborg" if you will) who can lose or replace their parts although they can feel pain and suffer fatal wounds, eat and thus most likely excrete, and have genders (but not sexes). Compared to a similar work, Transformers, Bionicle is closer to the organic side of things. (How do they procreate, you ask? well that's a question that the writers impressively avoided having to address until almost the very end, see below).

An unfortunate fact about this universe is that it eventually got bogged down by a shitton of serials and plot near the end, which was already being forcibly wrapped up due to financial reasons, so thing may get really sketchy at parts.

===Prologue===
A long time ago, on a planet called Spherus Magna, a race of godlike creatures (who appear to be humans, although they are only ever shown in silhouette) called Great Beings, although whether naturally from there or if they came from someplace else is not clear; they had to tame the planet early on. Also living on the planet were other intelligent species, living in six tribes. Great Beings were creators at heart, although they ruled over their creations and saw to it that balance was maintained. In time they chose six individuals from the planet’s other native, intelligent species to become the Element Lords whom they infused with the power to control one of the respective elements, and whose sole task was to rule while the Great Beings created. This worked for thousands of years, during which the Great Beings attempted to build a giant race of robots with the prototype simply exploding.
Eventually however, a shift in power left the Elemental Lord of Ice with a spring of Energized Protodermis, a substance from the core of Spherus Magna which was used by the Great Beings to create life and if necessary destroy it as well. He refused to share it, and the Core War broke out with each Element Lord attempting to destroy the others, and in the process of their mining the Energized Protodermis destabilizing the planet itself.

Knowing what was to happen, the Great Beings created a race of tiny robots called Matoran who in turn built a giant robot called Mata Nui out of Protodermis. The Great Beings busied themselves creating artifacts which their robots could use called Kanohi masks, which grant various powers when worn. Without a Kanohi mask, a Matoran will fall unconscious. The Great Beings then made final efforts to stop the destruction caused by the Elemental Lords, who refused to see reason and fought against all creations the Great Beings made to attempt to control them. They also created many McGuffins, from the Mask of Life to a mysterious device to basically kill all robots everywhere, all with the general idea "the solution to more potential for things to go wrong is more and more failsafes".
Eventually the planet was split in three during the Shattering. One planet which was one giant desert, and two moons with one being simply a giant ocean ball and another as one giant jungle which was half frozen, among which where dispersed the remaining inhabitants of Spherus Magnus.
Long before this the Great Beings had activated Mata Nui and sent him flying off into space, to return when it was time to reunite the three broken bits of Spherus Magnus. They eventually fucked off to who knows where, although one hid himself as a Matoran to live inside Mata Nui and see firsthand what they had wrought, and another hung around on the jungle moon doing nothing useful..

Mata Nui used an artifact from the great beings, known as antidermis, to create a species that would populate his body (“The Matoran Universe”) with animals, and who soon called themselves the Brotherhood of Makuta, lead by one of their number called Miserix. They protected the Matoran while Mata Nui explored the universe, and to do this they were given the power to shape the various mechanical lifeforms of the planet into "Rahi" which were modified servants. Mata Nui’s brain was based in a giant mechanical city called Metru Nui. In time the Matoran began to worship Mata Nui as their god, and a secret society called the Order of Mata Nui came about Among the more powerful species of the universe. The Order chose the best of the Matoran to be elevated/upgraded into warriors called Toa which were patterned after ancient warriors called Toa Mata (more on them later).

Not long after Mata Nui created the Barraki, six "perfect" leader lifeforms who formed the "League of Six Kingdoms" because of the six divisions of Mata Nui's body one of which each was designated to guard over in order to contain the numerous threats which the feral creations of the Great Beings had begun to pose. They quickly raised legions of robotic organisms. They were instructed to never harm the Makuta, Matoran, or Metru Nui, and had a very uneasy alliance with the peoples that Mata Nui had created. As the Barraki grew more and more bold they coerced the robot peoples into aiding them in their plan to overthrow Mata Nui and veritably take their territories as their own (as they were only technically glorified wardens at the time). When it was discovered that the Barraki had grown bold enough to infiltrate Metru Nui while planning to kill Mata Nui himself, the Makuta finally declared war on them and formed an uneasy alliance with the Toa (whose origins the Makuta were not aware of).

After the defeat of the Barraki by the combined forces of the Toa (armed in giant robots (yes, a robot within a robot within an even bigger robot) called "Exo-Toa") and the Makuta, the Order of Mata Nui took them away before the Makuta second in command could execute them, trapping them rather than destroying them. Some among Makuta then began to plan to overthrow Mata Nui themselves while destroying all threats to Metru Nui (which increasingly became a police state). After a small war between two factions of Matoran over territory, the Makuta destroyed the combatants to the last in a spectacle for all Matoran to see. The Matoran, rather than be cowed, began to fear and hate the Makuta. Miserix responded by moving the Makuta further from the city, assigning his second-in-command Teridax to control Metru Nui itself from his skyfortress Mangaia. After a Makuta became aware of Teridax's own plan to destroy Mata Nui, the Brotherhood of the Makuta met to vote on the course of action. Miserix and the loyalists were in the minority, with Miserix sentenced to death but hidden instead by his executioners while the others had "accidents".

The Makuta became increasingly close to Mata Nui as they planned their betrayal, subjugating all beings they encountered to form their massive armies (using their already massive armies of Rahkshi, which were enforcer-like robot suits powered by organic worms called Kraata that the Makuta could synthesise from their bodies) with only the Matoran still revering Mata Nui and the Great Beings. This last unattainable symbol, the love of the laborers, was what drove Teridax to finally betray Mata Nui by messing with his on/off switch when he began to pull both the moons back together to restore Spherus Magna to its original state, as his 'brain' is essentially located somewhere within Metru-Nui. He was forced into a comatose-like state, collapsing on the watery moon that was Aqua Magna. Before all this though the remaining Toa of Metru Nui, Lhikan, distributed his powers into Toa Stones, giving them to destined Matoran, while Mata Nui himself manipulated Teridax into believing different matoran were destined. These new Toa would replace Lhikan and save the Matoran, foiling Teridax’s original plan. Through kidnapping and replacing the Turaga (a Toa who has sacrificed their power, revered as tribe leaders (this one's a mayor)) of Metru-Nui Makuta was able to turn these Toa into outlaws in the minds of the Matoran of Metru-Nui, however the Toa with the help of Lhikaan discovered Teridax' plot to enslave the Matoran of Metru-Nui. The ensuing battles against Teridax and two members of the 'Dark Hunters' organisation (another conglomeration of robot organisms, these having decided they liked money and would work for whoever paid them) he had hired to help him deal with the new Toa saw the two mercenaries and Lhikaan killed or destroyed and Teridax encased in solid protodermis, though not before the Matoran were forced into mind-wipe chambers and turned comatose as the first stage of Teridax' seemingly failed grand scheme.

The new Toa team, dubbed 'Toa Metru' transported the Matoran out of Metru-Nui to Mata-Nui, which was the island formed on top of Mata Nui's gigantic robot face (which was slightly above the sea level of Aqua Magna) as part of his camouflage system. They then realised they forgot some and went back to Metru-Nui to find that it had been overrun by Visorak (giant robot spiders) who were being controlled by two Vortixx (a manufacturing race of robot organisms constructed to produce replacement/new parts for Mata Nui within Mata Nui, that like every other race of robot organisms that the Great Beings screwed up so severely ended up manufacturing weapons and selling them to anyone who wanted them), one with a strange fetish for Teridax, who had carved off a crystal piece of the protodermis that held Teridax and placed it near her heartlight (a mechanical light that beats to indicate that the particular robotic organism is still functioning properly). This Vortixx, named "Roodaka" planned to release Teridax (even she didn't know how, at least not until the Toa Metru came back). The ensuing war resulted in: the formation of the Toa Hordika (grotesque beast-like mutated versions of the Toa Metru after they were exposed to Visorak venom), the discovery of the legendary Keetongu (a healer? organism that cured the Matoran of robot sickness, disease and poisoning), the discovery of the Rahaga (previously the Toa Haga, mutated into small Rahkshi-like organisms by Roodaka, hence the contraction), hundreds of dead Visorak (animal cruelty), one renegade Toa Hordika, one nearly-dead Toa Hordika and 2 very dead Vortixx (Sidorak, Roodaka's partner, who wasn't that bad a guy, was crushed by Keetongu's fists. He was just tagging along for the ride. Maybe he fell for the wrong female robot, but seriously. What the fuck Keetongu.). It all went Just as Planned for Roodaka however as only the power of the Toa who made the protodermis seal could break the seal, and after the Toa fired all their combined powers at her (genius idea) Vakama (Toa-turned renegade-turned good again leader of the Toa Metru) killed her with his own Rhotuka blast, straight to the heart (which is where she'd placed the small fragment of Makuta's protodermis seal), and Teridax was free. But they got the Matoran so it was worth it... right?
However, all the Matoran they had transported were still comatose (some had also been lost in the protodermis sea, but the Toa Metru gave no fucks as they were mostly the corrupted Matoran (not that they knew that)). The Toa Metru decided to sacrifice their Toa power and become Turaga in order to wake the comatose Matoran, and since they were mind-wiped the new Turaga taught them a pretty little lie to keep them in the dark about the truth of their origins in Metru-Nui and that they were living in a giant robot. Their mythology put Mata Nui as the creator and god of all things and Teridax, now merely named Makuta, as his evil brother, who out of jealousy struck Mata Nui down and was then free to unleash his darkness upon all of Matorankind.
Meanwhile, the newly reawakened Teridax waited underneath the island at the gate between Mata-Nui and Metru-Nui (which was actually Mata Nui's mouth) while he watched his plan to control all of creation unfold.

And this is all the backstory.

===Year 1: Hunting Masks===
Mata Nui, like almost everything else in the Bionicle universe, is conveniently grouped into six dominant geographical features including coasts, jungles, volcanic areas, canyons, an expansive underground, and a snowy mountainous region. The Matoran quickly spread throughout them and lived lives full of suffering (other than the rare occasions when they could gather to play sports of course) as they were constantly preyed on by Rahi. Each Matoran tribe is lead by a village elder called a Turaga. During the time before the shattering, the Great Beings had created two robots designed to look after the Matoran. Karzahni was the being who controlled the facility which repaired the ancient Matoran, and in time in their mythology he had become known as a master of some vague horrible underworld. The other being, Artakha, was created to construct the Matoran and to upgrade them as needed; in Matoran mythology he is seen as a brother to Karzahni and rules over a divine realm where evil cannot enter.
In time most of the knowledge of the ancient Matoran was lost to all but their seemingly immortal Turaga, save that Mata Nui is the loving creator, Makuta is his hated brother who forced him to sleep, Toa are ancient heroes of some kind, and that if you go out of the village without your Kanohi on a Rahi will eat you.

One day a traveling Matoran named Takua who was a [[Bard|storyteller]] unintentionally gathered six ancient stones and brought them to the heart of Mata Nui, called Kini Nui, which summoned six ancient canisters from the ocean to the island (these canisters are identical to the containers of the original toys and were intended to be used to play with). Each canister contained a fabled hero, called the Toa. They each burst from their canister in parts, and assembled themselves before setting off instinctively in search of their respective people. Each knew only how to speak and what their own name was.
In actuality, they were the very first of the Toa; the aforementioned Toa Mata, who were never Matoran. The Toa Mata were created by Artakha and trained by the first Matoran warrior, all as a contingency plan in case Mata Nui was ever vanquished.

* Tahu, Toa of fire. Wields a sword made of fire, generic red-headed leader guy. His tribe of Matoran are Ta-Matoran, and are a disciplined people. All Ta-Matoran are male.
* Gali, Toa of water. Has hooks for hands and can breath underwater, chill as fuck until you piss her off. She's also the smartest of the Toa. Her tribe are the Ga-Matoran, an easy-going race of diplomats. All Ga-Matoran are female, and on Mata Nui are the ONLY females of the Matoran race.
* Lewa, Toa of air. Has a giant fucking axe,and is the cliche as fuck rookie character.When the writers need someone to get fucked up he's always the first choice. His tribe is the Le-Matoran, who are a race of less-annoying [[Kender]]. All Le-Matoran are male.
* Pohatu, Toa of stone. Has REALLY strong feet, and with his friendliness and joviality, is a pretty swell guy. His tribe is the Po-Matoran, who are craftsmen and ''huge'' sports fans. All Po-Matoran are male.
* Onua, Toa of earth. A tunneler with claws, the conscience of the Toa. His tribe is the Onu-Matoran, a race of historians and industrialists. All Onu-Matoran are male.
* Kopaka, Toa of ice. Has a sword and a shield. A complete 2cool4school loner who only likes Pohatu and Gali. His tribe is Ko-Matoran, isolationists and scholars. All Ko-Matoran are male.

The Toa initially fought against the Rahi, first gathering five masks each (the same as the others had, but in their color) which formed into a golden mask (looking like their own) which granted all the special powers of the masks at once, then gathering six Makoki stones to unlock the Makuta lair. There the six merged into two and fought Teridax's minions then split again and suffered through Teridax's trials until they could vanquish his body.

===Year 2: The Bohrok Awaken===

[[File:Toa Nuva.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Well, we all know that insects give you superpowers when they throw their faces at you.]]

They then fought the Bohrok, old feral creations of the Great Beings who were controlled in a hivemind through mask-like critters in their heads called "Krana" (which when worn controlled the mind of the Toa or Matoran it was on). The Toa continued their gathering quests by collecting all six colors of the eight types of Krana to unlock the nest of the Bohrok and defeat the twin Bahrag, the queens of the Bohrok swarms. After the fight, the Toa Mata fell into some pits of energized protodermis, and were mutated into a new form, now known as the Toa Nuva. The final servants of the Bahrag, Bohrok-Kal, were freed when the Bahrag were defeated with the intent of freeing them in a contingency plan. The Toa temporarily lost their powers, fought amongst themselves, yadda yadda, used the Mask of Time to slow time and defeat them. No collecting shit this time though.

===Year 3: The Mask of Light===
Takua, the Matoran who had initially summoned the Toa by mistake, discovered the Mask of Light and with his pal Jala/Jaller (Yeah, legal issues meant name-changeroos. Who knew the Maori people would get pissed their language was used?) went on a quest to find the legendary seventh Toa of Light while the Toa themselves fought Teridax's contingency plan of having been defeated (everyone seems to have one) called the Rahkshi, powerful anti-Toa controlled by shadow-slugs called Kraata. Takua was revealed to actually BE the seventh Toa, Takanuva, who would go on to defeat Teridax, merge with his corpse after falling into another pit of energized protodermis, and use the last of Teridax's power to resurrect fallen Matoran.

===Year 4: Metru Nui===

[[File:Toa Metru.jpg|thumb|400px|left|High tech city, futuristic guns and double wielding - [[Shadowrun]] in LEGO form.]]

The Matoran leaders, the Turaga, then summoned the seven Toa to tell them of the history of Metru Nui and how they themselves were the Toa in the final days of the island. They informed them the seventh Matoran tribe, the Av-Matoran (who are both male and female) still reside there. Metru Nui was essentially Mata Nui, but as a massive sprawling metropolis, so everyone had fancy tech.

See, the Toa Metru (Different name for different gen) were chosen to deal with some giant weed called the Morbuzakh, but as it turned out, that was all a front for a bigger conspiracy involving the Turaga being corrupt (and actually being Teridax in disguise) and hunting down an older Toa with the help of mercenaries. The mercenaries get assimilated by Teridax, Teridax gets beaten with the help of the Mask of Time (a macguffin that's appeared before-later), and the team had to evacuate the entire metropolis.

===Year 5: Web of Shadows===
The Toa must rescue the rest of the matoran, and to do so they must venture back into Metru Nui to complete their quest. Upon their arrival they find their beloved city has gone to shit, overrun by the rahi that escaped from containment after an earthquake caused by Mata Nui crashing into the ocean moon of Aqua Magna. This caused the archives to be breached, and allowed the Rahi spill out into streets to damage the city further. Before the Toa can make it back across the shore,
their improvised boat sinks, with the Toa just barely making it across, only to br captured by the Visorak. They are paralyzed and left helpless only able to watch as we hear the sounds of the visorak and see a closeup of their meat grinder mouths. The Visorak are a species of four legged spiders that attack in massive hordes, usually destroying the ecosystem they currently inhabit, and for a kids toyline have some pretty horrifying powers such as fatally dehydrating their victim or inflating them until they burst.

After that horror scene we're introduced to our two sapient villains, Sidorak an egotistical asshole who takes credit for other people's accomplishments, and generally likes to act like the big kahuna even though he's a coward. His right hand woman is known as Roodaka, and she prefers to work from the shadows, and even manages to seduce one of the heroes..

After being cocooned by the Visoraks and injected with venom they begin to painfully mutate, becoming more [[Furry|reptilian and developing animalistic tendencies]], before they are dropped from the very top of the Metru Coliseum,. They are saved by the Rahaga, another group of mutated toa, who reveal to them they've been transformed into the Hordika: a mutant that is half-toa and half beast. The only hope of a cure lays with a rare Rahi called Keetongu, but after being told that they have to search for him their leader Vakama leaves the group and goes to rescue the matoran by himself and gets captured, allowing Roodaka to seduce him to her side in an attempt to free Makuta from his protodetmis cage.

In the end, the mutation was reversed, the rest of the Matoran were saved, and the Toa Metru became the Turaga of Mata Nui.

===Year 6: Voya Nui - The Closest We'll Get to a Ghetto===

[[File:The Piraka 2006.png|thumb|350px|right|"Holla's, pose fo the camera! Big grins ya'all! Look real tough an' ghetto!"]]

The Toa Nuva (save Takanuva) decided to scout out a new island called Voya Nui, but get kidnapped by some insane thugs called the Piraka, who had their own cheesy rap number. Oh, and they also apparently kidnapped the All-American Rejects, but who likes that band? Well, the deal is that they're looking for something and are only working together just so they can get the big prize and stab all the others in the back in reality-tv drama. With angry gangstas.

Regardless, a pack of Matoran (All major players with names and toys) take a voyage there and get transformed into the Toa Inika. While there, they realize that a) the Piraka are enslaving the populace. and b) The Piraka are looking for a major macguffin called the Mask of Life, which could save the island of Mata Nui. The issue with this is that the mask then goes underwater after the Toa beat all its contrived and press-ganged guardians.

===Year 7: Mahri Nui - Under the Sea===

[[File:500.jpg|thumb|300px|left|You'd think robots don't need underwater gear, but what gives. Matoro is the guy out right.]]

The Toa Inika realize that they're now mutated by the dick...ridged Mask of Life and thus have to go underwater to retrieve it. Also, they get new tools and become the Toa Mahri.
They discover the ruins of a civilization called Mahri Nui, now run by deranged marine warlords called the Barraki, who are still angry about shit. Also, Teridax is looking for the Mask too, but is disguised as a seemingly-dead robot. In the end, Toa Matoro (the Ice one) realizes that the island is dying and thus decides to sacrifice his life in order to empower the Mask of Life.

Thus, Matoro died an hero.

===Year 8: The Toa Nuva's Comeback===
Part of the upheaval Mata Nui's emergency CPR triggered involved an anchor breaking and Voya Nui raising above-ground, revealing a hive of the last-remaining Av-Matoran, besieged by lesser Makuta. With the yunguns now short a man, the Toa Nuva decide to split up, with half of them going to the skies and the other half going to a swamp and Takanuva being busy having time-traveling adventures or some shit. Both sides realize that they might've been here before and find the Mask of Life building its own body. They eventually manage to convince the mask to revert into a mask and then use it to finish waking Mata Nui up, revealing that the entire island was actually part of a colossal fucking robot large enough to step on a mountain. [[Awesome|Yes, that means we're nearing Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagan niveau of huge.]]

Oh, and as a bigger kicker, it turns out Teridax hijacked Mata Nui's body and booted the real guy into the Mask of Life and booted it out light years into space...

===Year 9 - Glatorians===
Mata Nui ends up crashlanding on Bara Magna, a desert-like wasteland where tribes fight for survival by having their gladiato- Errh, Glatorians fight in non-lethal combat while also warding off a tribe of scorpion-people and roving bandits. So the Great Spirit decides to make a body while trying to find out what happened and along the way foil an invasion plot by the likely-evil Strakk.
After killing their leader, Mata Nui discovers another-less stable body of massiveness which he orders back into shape so he can finish things.

===Year 10: S.T.A.R.S - The End===

[[File:Teridax & Mata Nui.jpg|thumb|right|500px|Anything is better with giant robots beating up giant robots while robots within said robots beat up other robots within said other giant robot.]]

While Mata Nui was busy being a gladiator, Makuta's been busy making everything a living hellhole inside him. Matoran are slaves and Toa are helpless to stop an infinite legion of baddies. Then Mata Nui arrives in his fuckhuge suit and the two deities begin having an apocalyptic smackdown. The Toa meet the Glatorians, both sabotage the Makuta, more plot threads wrap up, and in the end, Makuta ends up 360-Noscoping his own dumb ass.

And that's the end of the Bionicle.

===Year 11: REBOOT TIME BITCHES!===
Then 2015 came around and Bionicle, which was pretty much abandoned since 2010, was brought back in 2015 as a reboot, now focused on an island called Okoto.

Now the origin involves two brothers: Ekimu and Makuta. Both made masks, but Makuta was jealous at how people liked his bro's masks, so he made one that was essentially too hax to exist. The brothers fought, Ekimu was sent into deathless sleep, and the world became infested by SKULL SPIDERS.

Prophecies mentioned that 6 heroes (the Toa Mata, <s>now renamed the less culturally-insensitive Masters</s> Apparently an arbitrary name. They're still called the Toa in story, and the 2016 sets call them "Uniters") would come to deliver them. Surprise they did. They had to dig up Golden Masks in order to max their powers out, teamed up, and <s>killed</s> defeated the Giant Enemy Spider (The Lord of Skull Spiders is killed later in one of the books. Apparently falling off a cliff wasn't fatal to it).

After all that, the Toa then went into an ancient city where Ekimu and Makuta used to live. They fought and defeated the army of skeletons which had infested the city (Not without being forced to work together after each toa was stupid enough to try blindly charging into fights alone and getting their masks stolen) and revived Ekimu. They fought the big bad of the year, a big evil skeleton named Kulta, defeated him and put him in skeleton jail (Which he later breaks out of in one of the books), and retrieved the first of the 3 MacGuffin masks of the reboot. There is more plot detail in the books, but most of it is simply world building, mostly irrelevant to the current toa's objectives.

===Year 12: RIP (again)===

Skip to year two. Major upgrade in story vehicle, rather then the simplistic 2D flash animations on the website, now there is a netflix series!. Starts largely the same, Toa need more golden masks, need to find Really Important Mask no. 2, though, there are a few twists:

1. They also need to find elemental creatures, and befriend them.

2. The villain is, instead of a big spider with a lot of mooks, is a "Hunter", who works for Makuta, named Umarak.

This goes as expected: Toa get masks largely without issue (Despite Lewa getting into an incursion with the aforementioned Hunter, he managed to hold his own against him). Afterwards, they mind-meld with the creatures by taping them to their backs, and go to a fuckhuege maze. However, Pohatu apparently hates his creature after a traumatic encounter with some Skull Scorpions he had last year, since his creature is, incidentially, a scorpion. So, apparently having the pre-reboot Kopaka's personality, decides to largely try to fly solo. This ends badly, with Umarak managing to exploit the gap in Pohatu and his creature's bond, and allowing him to steal the aforementioned Important Mask no 2 (Makuta's mask of control). After Pohatu learns the power of friendship and saves his creature's life, Umarak goes back to his secret meeting spot with Makuta... who then forces him to put on the Mask of Control, turning him into a hideous monstrosity now under Makuta's control! [[Just as planned]].

The remainder of the second year seems to be focusing on Makuta trying to get his body back, as well as retrieving the Very Important Mask no. 3, but very little is known about it at the moment, and the release date for the other two episodes of the netflix series isn't until the 29th of July.

The last 2 episodes of the Netflix series came out! And well, shit. The first one was OK, the Toa basically just fought a bunch of golem monsters and then confronted a mutated version of Umarak, who now looks like some kind of jacked up demon. Then the 2nd episode was a clusterfuck which ended with all of the remaining questions just being hand waved, and the toa going back to the stars, for some reason.

Turns out, Lego had decided to cancel Bionicle last minute, forcing the writers to write in a proper ending for the series last minute. So, yeah, no more Bionicle. Likely ever, this time. We aren't even getting the final mask or the main villain (Makuta), in set form, so that's fun.

At least Lego has the decency to take a bunch of detailed pictures of the model they used for their netflix show, so if you need Makuta, you can build him yourself!...sans his mask. Oh well, hopefully some tool will make it on shapeways or something

RIP BIONICLE (again): 2001-2010, 2015-2016

==That's Great And All, What The Fuck Does This Have To Do With /tg/?==

There have been many tabletop Bionicle games, an official RPG, multiple unofficial RPG's, and Bionicle is a popular subject for [[Quest Threads]] on /tg/.



==A fan wargame perhaps==

I mean it could be possible as some of the toys backstory give them a war game like status like the Bohrok being akin to the [[Necron|Necrons,]] and the Visorak being akin to [[Tyranids|Tyranids]] who wouldn't want a game like that it would be bad-ass, hell Lego already confirmed that their are alternate universes so it could be set in an alternate one.

Give the Matoran a [[Imperial Guard]] or [[Squat]] load out and let them blast apart Rahkshi and Makuta who have a loadout similar too chaos.

TG get your shit down!

==Red Star Games==

The fan group Red Star Games has made a fan D20 TTRPG, and is fully ready to go. It's a somewhat generic blend of 3.5 and 5e, with skill points, feats, and a generic proficiency bonus that scales to your level. You have levels in archetypes, which new, sequential abilities at each level, up to level six. Each archetype belongs to a supertype, which gives its own abilities every three levels. Later archetype abilities sometimes key off of early supertype abilities. Doronai Nui's weapon system is retardedly complex, but lets you design a huge range of possible weapons, and can replicate any of the elemental, combining, multiform weapons from the toys, which is pretty awesome. Dozens of masks of power have been stated out, at both Great and Noble power levels. You can only play as Matoran, Toa, and Turaga, but other species are presumably one the way. In addition, they are working on Barranai Nui, a Tabletop Wargame set in Bionicle's world. They also have a D12 system set in g2's world.

==links==
Doranai Nui by Red Star Games:

https://www.redstargames.org/doronai-nui

Barranai Nui by Red Star Games:

https://www.redstargames.org/barranai-nui

Heroes of the Stars, set in G2 by Red Star Games:

https://www.redstargames.org/heroes-of-the-stars

Avitus

2021-06-30T07:58:47Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597: /* Chaos Rising */

[[File:Avitus_portrait.jpg|thumb|200px|right|The canonical Angry Marine.]]
{{Topquote|You are purging yourself of a weakness, Thaddeus, but there are more to come. You cling to hope, which just brings despair. We are weapons. There is the Emperor and there is war. Nothing more. ([[Tarkus]]: "There is the Chapter, Avitus.") And its secrets. And its lies. Who ever heard of [[Blood Ravens|a Chapter]] that has forgotten its [[Primarch]]? We would sooner forget our own name! There is [[Azariah Kyras|something dark and hidden there]]. And look at [[Davian Thule|Captain Thule]], [[Dreadnought|a shadow of his former self who can barely stay conscious for a single battle]]. [[Grimdark|That's what heroism gets you.]] War is all we are. Killing is all we are good for. The rest is delusion.|Avitus, [[Dawn of War II]]}}

Avitus was a Space Marine [[Devastator Squad|Devastator]] in the ranks of the Blood Magp- uuh I mean, [[Blood Ravens]] and was featured with the rest of the Blood Raven squad in [[Dawn of War II]]. Was, because while it isn't directly said, it's heavily implied that he was canonically the traitor during the events of Chaos Rising. (By process of elimination, Cyrus, Tarkus, Martellus, and Jonah are returning loyalists in the next game. Commander Hairgel is exempt by dint of being the Player Character, and Davian is exempted because ''Bitch, please.'' Thaddeus was taken off the list because he wasn't on Kronus; Tarkus mentions that the Traitor had been there, and Avitus was explicitly noted to have taken part of the final battle against the Guard there.) Avitus was well known for his extreme hatred of anything that wasn't a Space Marine (you tryin' to imply something Avitus?). Now, you may think Avitus is your classic SPESS MEHREEN MUST KILL DA HERESIES, but in reality he is a hulking mass of pure negative emotions - a mixture of rage, contempt, and generally being a [[Marines Malevolent|bitter, hateful person]] with a pessimistic outlook on life, implied to include self-hating. This tends to leave him at odds with [[Thaddeus]], who is idealistic, [[Cyrus|Spike Spiegel]], who is emo, and [[Tarkus]], who does not like smack talk about other servants of the Emperor.

One thing everyone ''can'' agree on is that Avitus should have been an [[Angry Marine]]. Or a [[Marines Malevolent]]

==History==
Avitus, like many of the other Blood Ravens, was a veteran of many battles, but more specifically, the Kronus campaign where the Blood Ravens fought against the Kronus Liberators in the Battle of Victory Bay. The Blood Ravens won, but Avitus was still pretty fucking angry at the guardsmen for killing some of his battle-brothers, calling them traitors and weaklings which seems to have been a foreshadowing of future events and the start of a long history of hilarious outbursts regarding the Imperial Guard. This also wasn't helped by his home on Typhon being terrorized on a regular basis by a corrupt Guard regiment, resulting in Avitus projecting his hatred on the entirety of the Imperial Guard, including regiments that were actually decent like [[Merrick|the 85th Vendoland]] .

==Dawn of War II==
Avitus's squad is with you from the start of the game, appearing in the second mission. While tenderizing some Orks his squad fell, but Avitus survived (too stubborn to fall, as Cyrus put it). He's a good source of hilarious quips revolving around the reduction of enemies into meaty salsa, and quickly becomes [[Cyrus|Cyrus's]] ally in dispensing a tide of morbidity. Most notably, he foreshadows the fact that [[Azariah Kyras]] is a traitor by noting that the chapter has far too many secrets and lies to be fully legitimate.

His one moment of kindness is forming a kind of respect for the Imperial Guard during the final mission when it seems like the mission is going to end in a last stand and the local sergeant (implied to be Merrick) decides they should all stand strong and take down as many Tyranids as possible.

==Chaos Rising==
{{Topquote|I can almost hear your mewling now. "How could he betray us?!" "Why, Avitus, why?!" Look at this planet! Look at it! That is why! The entire galaxy is the same: Broken. Shattered. Rotten to the core! Honor, brotherhood, duty — they are no more than delusions and lies. We use them to justify the slaughter left in our wake. I cannot tolerate it any longer! I have seen the rot that runs through our chapter's honor — and it justifies nothing! My memories are full of the screams of those I have killed. Where others see life, I see only death. We all know how this will end. We have always known. It ends in blood.|Avitus' parting message after his treachery is exposed}}

In [[Chaos Rising]], Avitus remains more or less identical to his previous appearance. In the first mission, he gets to accompany [[Blood Ravens Force Commander|Commander Hairgel]] to kill some [[Lost and the Damned|traitor guard]], which is more or less his wet dream apart from him saying he was just starting to respect them. He generally advocates doing pragmatic things that will up your corruption meter, such as blowing up the gate to Angel Forge. If he turns traitor, Avitus becomes the only heretic to use Terminator armor against you, along with a cyclone missile launcher and assault cannon. This still leaves him nowhere near a certain [[Eliphas|Chaos Champion]] or a [[Martellus|Techmarine]] in annoying boss fights, but he will still wreck your shit if you ever give him the chance to fire any of his ranged weapons at you, especially with his cyclone missile barrage on Primarch difficulty.

During the fight the true extent of his grief spills out, with a greater loathing expressed than ever before. The nature of Kyras and the extent of his corruption demolish the pillars of sanity he had invested in the Imperium and the honor of the Chapter. Having held the rest of the galaxy in contempt prior, suddenly he did not even have the cause of the Space Marines to laud above that which he had loathed. The prior conviction he had toted in killing his foes was gone, and the dead returned to plague his conscience. Everything he had been taught was a lie; the galaxy was not the divine right of mankind and the God-Emperor - [[Grimdark|it is nothing but a nihilistic void that only demands endless killing]]. Which is entirely correct. In truth, Avitus did not fall to Chaos in the way his brothers might have understood it, instead he fell to the truth. He saw the galaxy for what it was once stripped of the comforting veneer of morality and higher purpose ingrained into him as a Space Marine; understood what it meant and could not stomach it.

This makes Avitus a notable example of a 40k character becoming "self-aware". It isn't his love of violence or any lust for power or the corruption of Kyras that turns him traitor, but a sudden awareness of the galaxy in the way we as spectators understand: [[Grimdark|it is a hopeless meat grinder, and nothing more; the setting exists for violence alone, for our pleasure]]. Avitus had been grappling with this doubt since the events of Victory Bay in Dark Crusade, and Kyras' cavorting with Eliphas pushes him over the edge. When he betrays the Imperium, it isn't because he suddenly hates it or his brothers or suddenly loves Khorne, but because of his new perspective. When Avitus betrays the Imperium, it is because he is a proud man with nothing left to ever take pride in again. Where he once held conviction he was only left with a death wish and he sought his demise in the only way he could ever respect it: amidst the heat of battle, in blood and fire, where the raging dead can be drowned out under the roar of bolter fire. In the end, Avitus died staging his last stand not against the alien, heretic, or loyalists, but against the whole cruel, uncaring universe.

==Retribution==
[[Tarkus|The Ancient]] implied that Avitus was the canonical traitor, saying that a friend of his from Kronus was corrupted by Kyras. This automatically discounts everyone but Avitus, since Davian Thule, Jonah, Martellus, and Cyrus are still loyalists and Thaddeus was recruited after the Kronus Campaign. Furthermore, no one but Avitus is known to be familiar with Tarkus from before the events of Dawn of War II.

However, it was probably meant to be kept open to interpretation since no one was specifically mentioned, and we can thank THQ for keeping the door open on Captain Hairgel, a known and dangerous hairetic. However, do note that it was unlikely that Hairgel was friends with Tarkus on Kronus. Perhaps Tarkus was jealous of his flowing locks.

==Gameplay==
In the game, he provides suppression with heavy bolters, high single-target anti-vehicle damage with missile launchers and high area-of-effect damage with plasma cannons, which is balanced by his squad's relative fragility, necessity of standing still to fire, and complete lack of capability in melee. If you are [[Indrick Boreale|tactically deficient]] you can equip him with a bolter, and you will deserve everything that happens to you. He becomes more useful for some playstyles in Chaos Rising, where he makes artillery strikes and cyclone missile barrages energy-costing abilities and gains access to lascannons for superior single-target anti-vehicle firepower (the missile launchers are compensated by access to frag missiles for mulching blobs of infantry).

This makes him a well-balanced unit in a force containing [[Tarkus]], [[Cyrus]], and [[Davian Thule]], meaning that he is hopelessly outclassed in damage potential by the latter two, and in health by the former. Overall solid, but not necessarily the optimal choice for a [[Powergamer]]'s squad. Unless you used him with a special heavy bolter which never ever needs to reload.... Throw this with him never having to set up AND causes mini-explosions with each shot in focus fire (also handy when he gains energy from every kill he makes) he will rape everything in his arc of fire. Of course, the moment he gains Terminator Armor and a good Assault Cannon, he will cause everything short of heavy vehicles to suffer critical existence failure the moment he uses focus fire. And with the Terminator power fists, be can just punch said vehicles until they stop moving if you don't want to give him the Cyclone Missile Launcher (which incidentally becomes energy-based with the right perks).

==Codex Avitus==
Now you too can play as everyone's favorite Angry Marine wannabe, either as a Devastator Sergeant, Terminator Sergeant, or a Chaos Terminator Champion (to represent him after he is exposed as a traitor).

{| class=wikitable
! || Pts || WS || BS || S || T || W || I || A || Ld || Sv
|-
| '''Sergeant Avitus''' || 80 || 4 || 5 || 4 || 4 || 2 || 4 || 3 || 10 || 3+
|-
| '''Avitus the Traitor''' ||100 || 5 || 5 || 4 || 4 || 3 || 4 || 4 || 10 || 2+/5++
|}

'''Unit Type''':
* '''Infantry (Character)'''

'''Unit Composition''':
* '''1 Unique'''

'''Wargear''':
* '''Neverending Hail of Devastation''': Only usable as Sergeant Avitus. Can be swapped for Lament of Mars for 15 pts, Daystar for 20 points, or Cleansing Light of Dawn for 25 pts. If Avitus chooses to take the Crusade Eternal, then he automatically swaps any weapons he has for the Neverending Hail of Obliteration and the Cestus of Terror, and may also take a Cyclone Missile Launcher for 25 points. Avitus the Traitor must replace these weapons with the Khorne's Whisper and the Persephone's Liberation, and may take a Cyclone Missile Launcher for 25 points.
* '''Power Armour''': Sergeant Avitus only. May be swapped for Cuirass of Prathios for 10 points or Crusade Eternal for 25 points. If the Crusade Eternal is taken, Avitus can only join Terminator Squads.
* '''Terminator Armor''': Avitus the Traitor only. May be replaced with Aegis of Obliteration for 30 points.
* '''Frag Grenades'''
* '''Krak Grenades'''

'''Special Rules''':
* '''And They Shall Know No Fear''' (Sergeant Avitus only)
* '''Chapter Tactics (Blood Ravens)''': Sergeant Avitus only. As per the rules for all Chapters who do not know their primogenitor Chapter, the Blood Ravens do not have a unique Chapter Tactic. Instead, the player can elect to use any existing Chapter Tactics from Codex: Space Marines and any Forge World supplements.
* '''Champions of Chaos''' (Avitus the Traitor only)
* '''Crusader''' (Crusade Eternal only)
* '''Preferred Enemy (Infantry)'''(Aegis of Obliteration only)
* '''Mark of Khorne''' (Avitus the Traitor only)
* '''Rage''' (Persephone's Liberation only)
* '''Fear''' (Cestus of Terror only)
* '''Stubborn''' (Cuirass of Prathios only)
* '''Tank Hunters''' (Cleansing Light of Dawn only)
* '''Hatred (Imperial Guard)'''
* '''Focus Fire''': Once per battle, for the duration of one turn, declare that Avitus and his squad will initiate Focus Fire. For the duration of Focus Fire, Avitus and his squad may not move in the Movement Phase, but gain a +1 to BS and may re-roll all failed to-hit and to-wound/armor penetration rolls in shooting.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Range !! Strength !! AP !! Type
|-
| '''Neverending Hail of Devastation''' || 42 || 5 || 4 || Heavy 5, Pinning, Hail of Fire
|}
* '''Neverending Hail of Devastation''': Scores of xenos were cut down like chaff, but still they came. Bolts ripped through their lines as the Blood Ravens desperately held the line against their endless foe to protect their fallen sergeant. When the bulk of the second company arrived in response to the distress calls, the body of Sergeant Martinus remained untouched by alien claws, and the last remaining battle brother collapsed... still firing his heavy bolter. The Neverending Hail of Devastation is a heavy bolter.
**'''Hail of Fire''': During the Shooting Phase, Avitus can sacrifice the ability to Overwatch on the current turn and shooting on the next turn to make the Neverending Hail of Devastation Heavy 10.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Range !! Strength !! AP !! Type
|-
| '''Lament of Mars (Frag)''' || 54 || 4 || 6 || Heavy 2, Master Crafted, Blast
|-
| '''Lament of Mars (Krak)''' || 54 || 8 || 3 || Heavy 2, Master Crafted, Armourbane
|-
| '''Lament of Mars (Flakk)''' || 54 || 7 || 4 || Heavy 2, Master Crafted, Skyfire
|}
*'''Lament of Mars''': After the Blood Ravens pacification of Victory Bay, the Techpriests are said to have looked upon the wreckage of the vehicles used by the treasonous Imperial Guard and wept. This missile launcher was responsible for much of their sorrow.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Range !! Strength !! AP !! Type
|-
| '''Daystar''' || 48 || 7 || 2 || Heavy 1, Blind, Large Blast, Gets Hot!
|}
*'''Daystar''': Facing the incalculable horror of the Nightbringer, a veteran devastator of the Angels Sanguine leveled this mighty cannon at his foe and fired a burst of plasma that seemed brighter than the midday sun on a desert world. Daystar is a Plasma Cannon.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Range !! Strength !! AP !! Type
|-
| '''Cleansing Light of Dawn''' || 60 || 10 || 1 || Heavy 1, Master Crafted, Lance, Precision Shots
|}
*'''Cleansing Light of Dawn''': "Those who stand in the shadows, plotting against the God Emperor, shall face the light of dawn and be cleansed." Cleansing Light of Dawn is a Lascannon. Avitus and his squad gain Tank Hunters when equipped with this weapon.
*'''Neverending Hail of Obliteration''': The withering hail of explosive bolts fired from this mighty assault cannon has broken entire armies and quelled enormous Ork uprisings throughout the galaxy.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Range !! Strength !! AP !! Type
|-
| '''Unrelenting''' || 30 || 7 || 4 || Heavy 5, Master Crafted, Rending, Obliterate
|}

**'''Obliterate'''- When a model is killed by this weapon, roll a d6; on a 6, place a Blast marker on the model's unit that hits for S5 AP5.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Range !! Strength !! AP !! Type
|-
| '''Khorne's Whisper''' || 30 || 7 || 4 || Heavy 5, Soulblaze, Rending, Whispers of the Blood God
|}
*'''Khorne's Whisper''': Each Space Marine to have wielded this weapon swears that it was the voice concealed in the roar of its fire which compelled them to turn it upon their comrades. Khorne's Whisper is an Assault Cannon.
**'''Whispers of the Blood God''': All allied units gain Furious Charge when charging a unit that has taken a wound from this weapon.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Range !! Strength !! AP !! Type
|-
| '''Cestus of Terror''' || - || 2x || 2 || Melee, Specialist Weapon, Unwieldy
|}
*'''Cestus of Terror''': Brother Captain Leo Niveus used this power fist to crush the life out of a planetary Governor he considered treasonous. This act triggered a general uprising that ended with an inquisitorial Exterminatus. The Cestus of Terror is a Terminator Power Fist. Avitus and his squad cause Fear when equipped with this weapon.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Range !! Strength !! AP !! Type
|-
| '''Persephone's Liberation''' || - || 2x || 2 || Melee, Specialist Weapon, Unwieldy, Concussive
|}
*'''Persephone's Liberation''': Bound by a Chaos Sorcerer of the Thousand Sons, Battle Sister Persephone sent psychic messages to an old ally, Librarian Uriah Kos, calling for help. Upon his arrival, Kos fell under the power of Chaos and slew Persephone in cold blood. Persephone's Liberation is a Terminator Power Fist. Avitus gains Rage when equipped with this weapon.

*'''Cuirass of Prathios''': "Brothers, though the secrets of our great chapter's past are still clouded and uncertain, we will forever be vigilant in our quest to both unearth hidden lore and to smite the foes of mankind in His name. Knowledge is power, Guard it well..." - Chaplain Prathios of the Blood Ravens. The Cuirass of Prathios is a set of Artificer Armor that gives Avitus the Stubborn USR.

*'''Crusade Eternal''': A piece of Captain Trythos' holy dreadnought was forged into this suit of Terminator armor. As a result, the captain's undying fury manifests in the wearer, allowing them to sustain the most ferocious of attacks. The Crusade Eternal is a set of Terminator Armor that gives Avitus the Feel No Pain USR on a 5+.

*'''Aegis of Obliteration''': Stripped from a mortally wounded Astral Claw renegade during the Badab War, Techmarine Domitus believed it was his duty to restore this relic for use against the enemies of Man. He did not succeed. The Aegis of Obliteration is a set of Terminator Armor with a 4++ invulnerable save and grants Avitus' entire squad Preferred Enemy (Infantry).

== See also ==
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXIQAKq6VEE Avitus' betrayal, set to amazingly emotional music picked by the ever glorious BigDickCheney, a word of warning; this scene can cause manly tears as you see the despair of a man broken by the grimdark of the 41st/42nd millenium]

{{Marines-Characters}}
[[Category: Dawn of War]]

Dark Sun

2021-06-30T04:13:34Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597:

[[Image:DSlogo.gif|center]]
{{Grimdark}}
[[File:Dark Sun 3e PHB.png|400px|thumb|right|The cover of the 3e [[PHB]].]]
{{Topquote|For thousands of years, the Tablelands have remained untouched: its politics frozen in a delicate stalemate, its life in a balance even more delicate. It is true that the Dragon Kings amused themselves with their petty wars, rattling sabers to punctuate the passing of ages. It is true that, occasionally, another city would be swallowed by the wastes.

''But there were no surprises. The Dragon Kings steered everything from their omnipotent perches, content in their superiority, but ever thirsting for challenge. All that has changed. The Tablelands have been thrown into turmoil, the likes of which have not been seen since times forgotten. The Dragon Kings have been thrown into confusion, grasping for the tedium they so recently lamented.

''And yet I fear the worst is yet to come. Change is in the air, and change has never come gently to Athas.|[[Avangion| Oronis]], sorcerer‐king of Kurn}}

'''Dark Sun''' is a campaign setting made for AD&D 2nd edition back in '90; there are [[3e]] conversions approved by [[WotC]], but we had to wait until 2010 and [[4e]] for an updated official version. Dark Sun is essentially a playable [[grimdark]] post-apocalyptic mix of Mad Max, Edgar Rice Burrough's Mars series, Stargate (the movie), and [[Dune]]; it's pretty [[awesome]], but immediately proceeds to eschew common sense (unlike Dune).

==Setting==
[[File:Dark Sun World Map 4E.png|thumb|right|350px|Map of the Tyr Region, as depicted in [[4E|4th edition]]]]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW3DTCIO5Zs Some music to help set the mood.]

The game is set in the world of Athas, a dying planet. Once full of happiness and sunshine, the planet was drained of all resources during the long and rich history the creators came up with. There is no water, no minerals, and no hope: only cannibal halflings, a lot of sand and a dying sun.

The world is so fucked up it makes Mad Max's setting look like a hippie paradise. Kinda looks like Barsoom on massive grimdark crack. Everyone wears [[Female Fantasy Armor]] (yes, even the dudes), and according to the developers, this was the entire reason they picked a hot climate for the setting instead of an icy one, [[Derp|despite the fact that wearing Female Fantasy Armor in the desert would result in a quick death from sunstroke and dehydration]]; if they wanted everyone to wear [[Female Fantasy Armor]] then a hot ''and humid'' environment like a jungle or a tropical place, such as the setting for the comics series [https://comicvine.gamespot.com/shanna/4005-4579/ Shanna the She-Devil], is the ideal choice (less clothes keeps you cool when it's hot and humid, means less things to get caught in foliage or get pulled by predators or rivals).

The only few realms remaining are fascist police city-states ruled by wizards (all of them varying shades of evil) whose environmentally-unfriendly magic is responsible for fucking up the planet in the first place, and who're slowly losing their humanity as they turn more and more into dragons. Beyond civilized lands everything eats everything. The best weapon you can find is the femur of your party's cleric after being eaten by something that looked like a rock and the best armor is mostly the remains of a giant cockroach. There are no gnomes, orcs, kobolds, or furries because all of them were exterminated by some jerks with psychic brains and magic hands. They were the Champions of Rajaat, and they and the Sorcerer-Kings are by-and-large one-and-the-same.

The original ''Dark Sun'' setting got pretty harshly wrecked by advancing novel continuity. Once a buncha [[Mary Sue|tie-in protagonists]] have already killed all the iconic villains and started fixing the setting's problems, what's there left for ''you'' to do? In response, [[4e]] went full-reboot and adopted an [[Eberron]]-style anti-continuity system: every campaign begins in exactly the same time and place, and the story never advances. It was, especially for a 4e idea, incredibly well-received, and will probably carry over into any attempts to adapt the setting for [[5e]].

Thus far, the closest Wizards of the Coast has come to actually ''adapting'' the setting over to 5e is a few ideas about how to change over any adventuring paths to Athas, though the design team has repeatedly mentioned they intend to try in the future. Co-creator of 5th Edition and creative lead designer [[Mike Mearls]] has stated that he's pretty much converted Dark Sun to 5th, even if only for an office campaign.

===Races===
Most of the less-popular generic fantasy races were exterminated a long time ago, good riddance! This means no [[gnome]]s! First reason why this setting is full of win and awesome.
*'''[[Aarakocra]]''' - Sentient vultures, for those who don't want to play anything normal, but hate bugs or lizards.
*'''[[Dray]]''' - Horribly deformed dragon-people. Basically a failed magic experiment - like [[Draconian|Traag and Sesk]] in ''Time of the Dragon'' Taladas. Created by Dregoth, the undead Dragon King. Later generations were less-mutated. 4e made them straight-up [[Dragonborn|dragonborn]].
*'''[[Dwarf]]''' - Almost typical dorfs, except taller, waaay more muscular, bald with Klingon-like head plates and are even more fixated on their stuff than the hairier, stuntier variety. So fixated, in fact, that if they died without completing the shit they were obsessing over, they came back from the dead as banshees (sentient zombies that looked like a dwarf without skin).
*'''[[Eladrin]]''' - Added in 4e, the dwindling remnants of the race that once ruled the [[Feywild]], which on Athas has literally dissolved into nothing, leaving only a scattering of extradimensional oases as a result of defiling.
*'''[[Elan]]''' - An experiment in creating human uber-psychics by a psionicist order that went wrong due to being too powerful
*'''[[Elf]]''' - No forests for them, ha! They are desert nomads, thieving and griefing all the time. Finally, straight players can consider playing an elf. Again foreshadowing ''Time of the Dragon''.
*'''[[Gith]]''' - Descendants of a contingent of [[Githyanki]] that came to Athas generations ago and became stuck, unable to leave. As a race inherently strong in psionics, they are feared opponents and gladiators, but are still often employed as slaves, which is funny, because they always end up like that, but this time without [[Illithid]]s.
*'''[[Genasi]]''' - Only present in the 4e version. They claim they were originally set up as rulers over Athas by the [[Archomental|Primordials]] once they killed all of the gods... but they became decadent and indolent, so the other races drove them off the thrones. And then they blew Athas all to fuck, which the genasi are still gloating about. Now they're starting to emerge from the wastes because they believe it's their job to take command again and fix this shit. Known subraces: Earth, Fire, Wind, Ember, Magma, Sand and Sun.
*'''[[Half-Giant]]''' - Big dumb muscle, with a ''lolrandom'' alignment because they're ''so'' impressionable. Usually really fucking stupid.
*'''[[Halfling]]''' - Cannibals who live in the remaining strips of forest. Despite [[Troy Denning]]'s initial fuckup in ''The Verdant Passage'', where he has the dragonfly riding midgets flinging spells hither and thither, no they cannot use arcane magic. Tries to retcon this in ''The Cerulean Storm'' but it doesn't quite work. MAJOR PLOT LOOPHOLE. Actually (spoilers!) the origin of all other demi-human races on Athas, as theirs was the high civilization of the Blue Age.
*'''[[Human]]''' - Sentient halfling, only larger. Always average, always racist. Just like in real life, the race arguably responsible for fucking up the planet. Somehow still manage to be the norm, large and in charge.
*'''[[Kenku]]''' - I shit you not. These crow-like humanoids are mentioned as existing as a viable race (with an accompanying language), but is then promptly forgotten and never mentioned again, so most people never think of them in the context of ''Dark Sun''.
*'''[[Maenad]]''' - Alien berserker-psion emos that Andropinus recruited from somewhere beyond "The Black", then turned loose to die in the wasteland after they helped him get his city-state back. Rather pissed at that.
*'''[[Mul]]''' - [[Half-dwarf]]! Second reason why this setting is full of win and awesome! Bred for size and strength, but without the lack of agility of the typical stunty dorf, no slave was worth more than a Mul. Except a better Mul. Very prized as gladiators. Suck it, Russell Crowe. Unfortunately, like real-life hybrids tend to be, Muls are sterile, and they also tend to be [[Grimdark|born into slavery and kill their mums on the way out]].
*'''[[Pterran]]''' - Pterodactyl-man shamanistic retards that remind you of a certain cheesy villain from the X-Men comic books.
*'''[[Pyreen]]''' - A non-player (though 4e made them an epic destiny) race of ancient guardians from before the world was burned to shit, [[Rajaat]] was one of these guys before he went screaming off the deep end. Looks like a prettier version of how 3.5's [[Mongrelman|Mongrelfolk]] are supposed to look based on fluff; a harmonious blending of human, halfling, dwarf and elf. This mysterious & mystical mongrelfolk nature is strange, considering that halflings were the original inhabitants, and it also ignores several now-extinct but previously prominent (or at least "normal" non-monstrous) races, such as orcs. Epic-level immortal multiclassed druid/psions attempting to fix the world. Not getting very far.
*'''[[Ssurran]]''' - 2-legged sentient komodo dragons. Lives in the desert and loves them some lava. Very resistant towards heat and the Dark Sun, these guys enjoy worshiping Fire and Magma.
*'''[[Tarek]]''' - Earth-worshipping, hulking, ape-like humanoids from the mountains. Pretty obviously an "evolved" strain of Athasian [[Orc]]s, like how Ssurrans are Athasian [[lizardfolk]]. Take obvious inspiration from the ape-men of popular pulp novels and Frazetta/Vallejo paintings the same way the rest of the setting does.
*'''[[Tari]]''' - Dark Sun has a race of [[ratfolk]] out there in the desert, but despite the fact they are a fully sapient and civilized race, you can't play them.
*'''[[Tiefling]]''' - Another 4e addition, brutal raiders from the most hostile and barren regions of the desert, descendants of people who turned to fiend-worship for the strength to survive in the wasteland.
*'''[[Thri-kreen]]''' - Sentient mantis. Strange, scary folk who can only communicate via their own language or telepathy. Like their elves raw. With four wickedly clawed arms, these guys can ''fuck shit up''.
*'''[[Yuan-ti]]''' - Much like the kenku, the classic yuan-ti are only technically part of the setting, and seem to have been largely forgotten the second after the core setting material was published, despite featuring prominently in the Dark Sun [[CRPG]] [[Wake of the Ravager]], a game nobody remembered until GOG.com began selling many (most?) of the SSI AD&D modules of the 80s and 90s. Now that WotR is readily available, the thing people remember most about that game is the numerous, game-breaking bugs. (But you should still buy it, as workarounds to the bugs do exist.)

We gotta talk dragons now.

*'''[[Athasian Dragon|Athasian]]''' - Only "playable" by a very technical definition of the term, since it was an epic-level class for level 21+ characters with nastily-difficult requirements, though 4e made it an epic destiny. Not at all like the normal ''D&D'' variety, which don't exist on Athas, Athasian Dragons are horrible monsters that embody the corrupted nature of arcane magic in the setting: rapacious, violent, and filled with rage and a lust to dominate or destroy. Depending on source, there's either many or only one being that has ever successfully completed the transformation, and he's the ''other'' [[BBEG]] of the setting, as mentioned above, but almost all of the Sorcerer-Kings are at least part of the way there.
*'''[[Avangion]]''' - The opposite version of an Athusian dragon, being the life-nurturing embodiment of what arcane magic ''should'' be. Looks like a bizarre glowing manta ray-dragonfly, with a huge wingspan. Not as much balls-out murder power as a dragon, but able to no-sell many of its abilities, actually support its party, and not be an insane rage-cauldron the DM could take over whenever he felt like it. Just as hard to qualify for though, and also a 4e epic destiny. No one in the Tyr region has ever successfully become one, though one NPC as far down the process as most of the Sorcerer-Kings are to being dragons, and unlike many of them is actively trying to advance.

===Classes===
*'''[[Cleric]]s''' - There are no real gods in the setting (according to 4e, this is because the Primordials drove them off in the [[Dawn War]]), so most clerics [[elementalist|worship elements or quasi-elements]] - the game implies there ''were'' gods at one point, however, because an [[undead]] monster unique to the setting is a '''Raaig''', the pissed-off [[ghost]] of a long-dead [[cleric]] or [[paladin]]. In a desert world, summoning water elementals will get you pussy until you realize that if you level up to much you become a true elemental too. Very nasty to be drank alive for being a water elemental. The way they are described, they are more "elemental shamans" than archetypical clerics. Other types are insinuated to exist, such as a 'sun cleric' featured in the novels, representing the aspect and domain of the sun as a natural force rather than a deity.
*'''[[Druid]]s''' - Druids serve spirits of the land. They have a guarded lands that they are responsible to look after.
*'''[[Gladiator]]s''' - You know. Like the movie. Also one of the most overpowered classes in the times of AD&D, a low level gladiator could be the personification of a certain Frank Frazzeta illustration entitled "The Destroyer". Essentially, they were [[Barbarian]]s before Barbarians as 3e made them were a thing.
*'''Dune Traders''' - lol that's actually a class? Was more one the role-playing side of things, could get loads of handy contacts and power within tradehouses. Took care of diplomacy, trading, and generally any situation that could be resolved without a weapon.
*'''[[Fighter]]s''' - Not as good as a Gladiator in personal combat, but who is? Really excelled at attracting and leading armies at higher levels.
*'''[[Bard]]s''' - Most bards sing songs and boost the other party members' rolls. Dark Sun bards will poison and kill you, and maybe fuck you. Maybe in that order, too.
*'''[[Paladin]]s''' - lol nope. Honor and virtue fell by the wayside a long time ago on Athas, but what else would you expect from a planet this Darwinian?
*'''[[Templar]]s''' - Replace Paladins thematically, but more on the police side of things to the point they are essentially the Sorcerer-Kings's Gestapo. Ability-wise, they're more like Clerics with slower spell-progression but more spellslots and the ability to use any weapon. Worship the Sorcerer King who rules their city.
*'''[[Psion]]icists''' - Psionicists are considered accepted and normal in this setting. In fact, every PC is guaranteed to have ''at least'' one psionic power! OMGWTF! Think Jedis, kind of. Wanna move shit with your mind without casting a spell like some bitch ass looking wizard? Check. Mindrape? Check. ''Fucking Time Travel?'' Double Check. Unfortunately suffered from the fact that psionics in 2e were a horrible mess, and with a few notable exceptions, most of your powers are either incredibly niche or use clunky subsystems.
*'''[[Ranger]]s''' - Same old shit. Think Aragorn in the desert.
*'''[[Rogue]]s''' - Pretty similar to the non-Athasian kind. Attracted a Patron at level 10, aka you work for me now bitch.
*'''[[Wizard]]s''' - Two types exist in the setting, but everyone hates them both:
** [[Defiler]] - Evil mages, who suck out the life force of things. When they level up enough, they usually have an allergic reaction called dragon metamorphosis.
** [[Preserver]] - Mages who are not manly enough to steal life force, so they sacrifice efficiency to keep the stuff around them alive. Unfortunately for them, the commoners think all wizards are the same. Fortunately for them, most of their shit can be passed off as psionics. When they grow up enough to be considered bad ass they turn into the manta ray like aliens from ''Abyss''.
** [[Cerulean_Storm#Cerulean_Wizards|Cerulean Mages]] were added after the [[Prism Pentad]] novels caused the whole series to be rewritten, and are basically neutral mages who try to use the giant raging storm elemental now stranded on Athas as a battery.
** [[Necromancer]]s were retconned into the setting as wizards who draw power from the realm of the dead, which slowly turns them into undead beings. Ironically, they're actually neutral aligned, and technically even good aligned because their powers don't require them to hurt the planet.
** [[Shadow Magic|Shadow Mages]] are like Necromancers, but they draw from the [[Plane of Shadow]] instead of the Gray.

===Sorcerer-Kings===
Sorcerer Kings were the jerks chosen by [[Rajaat]] with the deepest reservoirs of hatred (read:racists) for everything. Except halflings. Or was it humans. SPOILER! These were usually the big bad dudes that Dark Sun campaigns revolved around killing. Unfortunately, author Troy Denning killed off most of them in the series ''The Prism Pentad'', thus giving the campaign setting nothing left to live for. TSR brought out a small post-novel supplement entitled "Beyond the Prism Pentad", which also included references to a product called "Dark Sun: ''A New Age''" that was never released, to try and save what little scraps of the setting was left after [[skub|Denning's]] royal buttfuck of it all. It didn't work. As a result TSR brought it out back and shot it while you cried in your mother's arms.

Most/all Sorcerer-kings were/are in various stages of Dragon metamorphosis, i.e. turning into a Dragon, you idiot, as a result of their addiction to Defiling. "Real" dragons don't exist on Athas, and only the most powerful Wizard/Psionicists with the help of handy [[Necronomicon|forbidden lore]] could start on this journey to REAL ULTIMATE POWER. Side effects include deepening of voice, a bad case of scaly skin, and the desire to FUCKING KILL EVERYTHING. Which gave rise to the most common-sense Dark Sun rule ever, via the rulebook ''Dragonkings'', where a 25th level Dragon, if you were lucky/good enough to make it that far and survive a series of spells that ''had an outright chance to kill you'', WAS COMPLETELY TAKEN OVER BY THE DM UNTIL LEVEL 30. How fun is that shit. The reasoning being the Dragon entered a period of Animalistic Rage. And of course only the DM could properly portray that shit, moron. Go sit on the couch and shut up. (Granted, it was better than giving players literal dragon-god-like power, give the tendencies of the sorts of player willing to commit the atrocities necessary to become a dragon to [[Murderhobo|steal, fuck and kill everything they see including their fellow PCs.]])

Originally, just one of the Dragon-Kings was an actual '''dragon''', formerly Borys of Ur-Draxa. PCs could confront him in '''[[DSR4: Valley of Dust and Fire]]''', which ''Dark Sun'' fans consider rather difficult, and which ''itself'' cautioned that it was meant for ''Dragon Kings'' parties over level 21. Wonder how those "[[Mary Sue|Prism Pentad]]" dipshits managed it... Especially since not a single one of them were even level 20 (their stats are given in "Beyond the Prism Pentad") , much less a full 5-man party of level 21+ characters.

To expand their use as a plot device, each Sorcerer-King/Queen ruled a City-State, up until they were slain by Denning like it was a bodily function:

*'''Abalach-re''' - The queen bitch of the City-State of Raam, this paranoid schizo cunt makes [[Skaven|your average Skaven]] look like Ghandi. Also universally loathed and held in contempt by both her own people and all the other Sorcerer Kings. Whether her neurotic paranoia is the result or the cause of this is a bit of a chicken-or-egg question.
*'''Andropinis''' - He had egg shaped nostrils. He wore a toga and ruled over the Greek inspired City-State of Balic. Unique for being the only Lawful Neutral sorcerer-king (All the others are listed as Lawful Evil, naturally), and for running a state that actually somewhat functions, in a democracy-turned-dictatorial-sham kind of way.
*'''Hamanu''' - Mr. Lionface. Not one of the original 13 Champions, he was the ruler of Urik and a blatant homage to Hammurabi. Evil and cruel, with his draconic transformation halted rather than reversed, but his devotion to order, justice, rationality, and his father's dream of a green and peaceful land make him one of the best of a terrible lot.
*'''Kalak''' - You know your old, shriveled, power-hungry, slave-master of a grandfather? That's this guy. Ruler of Tyr before his plan to get jacked up quick on dragonsauce was discovered and foiled by a bunch of meddling kids and one talking dog. The 4e reboot explicitly starts every game with him being overthrown and Tyr being established as a Free City, before letting the PCs see where things go from there.
*'''Kalid-Ma''' - Former Sorcerer-King of Kalidnay, currently trapped in a near-death coma in [[Ravenloft|a completely different campaign setting]] thanks to his head honchessa's cruel betrayal of everything good in her life in favor of her freaky, possessive stalker crush on him. Probably not coming back, regardless of what the deluded cultists rifling through his garbage think.
*'''Lalali-Puy''' - The hottest Sorcerer-Queen, and ruler of the barely civilized Jungle-Town of Gulg. Also one of the less-evil Sorcerer Kings by virtue of not doing much to actively hurt the people who adore her, with some liner notes specifically calling her the most likely King to make a face turn who hasn't already, though her current rule over Gulg is cemented by brutal enslavement of nature spirits, one of whom she's masquerading as.
*'''Nibenay''' - Called the Shadow King. Either he really, really hated people and being seen, or he was too stupid to cast a simple glamour to NOT MAKE HIM LOOK LIKE A DRAGON around his superstitious subjects. Ruler of the largest City-State of the same name, which was locked in a perpetual war with Gulg for some crazy strong blue balls. Or blue wood. Whatever. His templars are all female, and are forced to mate with him for the job, which is frankly par for the course for evil at this point. Even considering his hideous, part-dragon/part-man appearance.
*'''Tectuktitlay''' - He's a ladykiller, he'll rip your heart out and throw it down the fucking ziggurat. Bird like in appearance, he was the Aztec inspired ruler of Drag. Drek. Er, Draj. Smart, despite his insanity and cruelty.
*'''Oronis''' - Former Sorcerer-King of Kurn. Kinda. Oronis is a special case. He started to feel bad about... you know exterminating all the lizard-men, especially when he saw that it was all for a lie, and he and his comrades were turning the world into a ruin rather than a paradise. So, he took his vitamins, drank his milk, and managed to put the brakes on the whole "morph into a dragon through genocide" thing... and go the other direction into becoming an avangion. Kurn is dying, but it's just a facade for New Kurn now anyway, and he's withdrawn from politics to pursue further experiments into avangion-hood while leaving behind a "true" democracy. Literally the only Sorcerer-King actively trying to make his shithole of a world a better place.
*'''Daskinor''' - Kim Jong Il's Dark Sun doppelganger. Ruler of Eldaarich, this <strike>paranoid asshat</strike> omnipotent and benevolent God King keeps his city <strike>on permanent lockdown</strike> safe and protected from all the evils of Athas. Literally built massive walls to close off his city from the outside world <strike>thanks to his insanity starting to leak into the city as a whole</strike> because it is totally self-sufficient and wants for nothing the outside world has to offer. Especially not water and food.
*'''Dregoth''' - The undead dragon sorcerer-king, ruler of Giustenal. This dude got ganked by a bunch of the other Sorcerer-Kings who were tired of him bragging about the size of his <strike>cock</strike> book of spells a couple thousand years ago, but his loyal Templars brought him back as a Lich, and he's just been chilling underground unbeknownst to every else, for quite some time now. Created the [[dray]] race, which he hopes will one day completely replace humanity as the new "master race."

===Cosmology===
Athas is... ''different'' to the standard realm in the [[Great Wheel]]. Looking across various sources (most prominently "Defilers & Preservers" and "Earth, Air, Fire & Water" for Dark Sun itself) reveals that Athas is connected to only a small handful of planes; the Gray, the Black, and the [[Elemental Planes]]. Further differentiating its cosmology, whilst Athas retains connections to the four standard "True" Elemental Planes (Earth/Air/Water/Fire), it only has four Paraelemental Planes consisting of Magma, Rain, Silt and Sun.

The Gray is essentially the afterlife of Athas; a dreary, endless limbo realm of dismal mists, which serves to blockade Athas from both the [[Ethereal Plane]] proper and the [[Astral Plane]]. Depending on who you ask, it's either Athas's "Border Ethereal" or an analogue region for the Astral Plane.

The Black is analogous to the [[Plane of Shadow]], and mostly serves as a prison for Rajaat.

It's noted that Athas is unusually close to the [[Elemental Planes]], and this is, in part, why the world is so screwed up.

Athas can actually interact with the [[Great Wheel]], and be reached by [[Spelljammer]]s, but it's extremely difficult to do so - the whole thing is effectively a sealed zone, as if something trapped the entire pocket of reality inside a locked room.
* The [[Githyanki]] are known to have opened a portal to Athas and tried to invade... then they ran home with their tails between their legs and closed up the portal, before leaving behind the proverbial sign saying "Do not open this fucking door!" Athasian [[Gith]] are believed to be the degenerate remnants of githyanki stranded here as a result of the failed invasion.
* The Mists of [[Ravenloft]] can also reach into Athas and pluck victims into its embrace. There's even an Athasian [[Domain of Dread]] called "Kalid-Ma". It says something about life on Athas that being stuck in the [[Demiplane of Dread]] is actually perceived by most Athasians as a step up.
* The [[World Serpent Inn]] hosts at least one known two-way portal to Athas.

==Controversies==
As beloved as it is by the fandom, Dark Sun has... its share of base-breaking lore. Three major things tend to be either loved or hated by fans of the game.

===The Halfling Conspiracy===
A lot of people are less than impressed with the revelation that [[halfling]]s were the precursor race and that Dark Sun became such a fucked up world because one psycho wanted to go back to the days when halflings (and technically thri-kreen) were the only extant race.

===Beyond the Prism Pentad===
As mentioned above, the changes of the Prism Pentad tie-in novels really messed up with the status quo of Dark Sun. Beyond killing off a bunch of Sorcerer-Kings, it also created the Cerulean Storm, an enormous perpetual rain storm wandering randomly across Athas, bringing water back to the planet but at the same time doing so with such violence that it's almost as bad as the original drought.

===Mind Lords of the Last Sea===
This module, which reveals there is one last sea on Athas, is pretty controversial for various different reasons. Such as the existence of a place where a secretive bunch of psion-lords use telepathy to force people to comply with social standards, the existence of a large body of water on Athas, the fact that it retcons that [[lizardfolk]] aren't extinct (but then, ssurans were basically fireproof lizardfolk under a different name all along and nobody batted an eye at them), or the fact that it has actual telepathic dolphins and surfing rules in it.

On the other hand, some people like the idea of doing ''The Prisoner'' by way of ''Mad Max'', and the actual content isn't quite as stupid and poorly-written as its reputation suggests, with lots of discussion of how many Athasians would react to seeing the titular Last Sea when enough water to fill a bathtub is wealth beyond measure.

==3e Dark Sun==
While by [[Dungeons and Dragons 3rd Edition|third edition]] official support for non-[[Forgotten Realms]], non-[[Greyhawk]] settings had largely been dropped, two separate updates for Dark Sun material exist.

In a surprisingly cool move by Hasbro, fan groups were given official permission to update several [[Planescape|orphaned]] [[Spelljammer|settings]] to 3rd edition for free ([[Ravenloft|or one not so free in exchange for a check]]). In Dark Sun's case this spawned Athas dot org and its several PDFs updating the setting.

A separate update was published in [[Dragon Magazine]] #319. This one is far more divergent than the fan conversion, setting the timeline forward 300 years to restore the status quo after the Prism Pentad fuckup. This update uses the standard 3rd edition class lineup, making Templars just Clerics of their respective Dragon King instead of their own class and having [[Paladin]]s actually exist. Since the psioncs book was already needed for psionics, Half-Giant and Thri-Keen, the other races from that book have been thrown in for the hell of it. One unusual mechanical change is how it adapted the higher than average ability score generation Dark Sun used and that several of its races were already printed with [[Level Adjustment]]: The conversion decided to give ''everyone'' [[Level Adjustment]] +1, giving the non-LA races (like [[Human]]) extra stuff to bring them up to LA +1.

==4e Dark Sun==
Surprisingly, when Dark Sun made it into 4th edition, it was welcomed with great warmth and enthusiasm. This might be because WoTC had learned from the mistakes of Forgotten Realms and so whilst there were changes to 4e, none of them were as setting-breaking as the Spellplague, and many actually regarded these changes as being for the better.

What changed? Well...

'''Cosmology''': Athas is now a world where, during the [[Dawn War]], the [[Archomental|Primordials]] won and killed the [[God]]s. The [[Elemental Chaos]] replaces the [[Elemental Planes]]. The Gray is still around, and is the local name for the [[Shadowfell]], but the Black isn't mentioned. If one makes it through the Gray into the [[Astral Sea]], it's empty; the Gods are dead, their halls are abandoned, and there's nothing but ancient celestial ruins and cosmic battlefields to scavenge through. The [[Feywild]] exists, but has been almost completely destroyed by defiling and its remaining pockets are zealously guarded by the Eladrin. The moons of Ral and Guthay are rich, verdant worlds in their own right, according to astrologers, but beyond the rumored existence of unpredictable "moongates" that allow access to them, nothing more is mentioned.

'''Races''': [[Half-Giant]]s lost their ADHD and are now a reflavoring of [[Goliath]]s, mechanically. [[Dray]] went from an obscure race hidden in one module to being mentioned in the core, although mechanically they're just reskinned [[Dragonborn]]. [[Eladrin]] and [[Tiefling]]s are in the setting now, as the bitter survivors of the nearly-destroyed [[Feywild]] and fiend-worshipping cannibal raiders from the depths of the wastelands respectively. A [[Dragon Magazine]] article states that there are [[Genasi]] on Athas who were originally created to rule the mortal races for the Primordials after they fucked off, but they screwed up so badly they were overthrown and then Rajaat came along. Some races (and horses) previously stated to be extinct are present.

'''Classes''': All Divine classes are officially Not Present Here, although there is a sidebar for being The Last Cleric In The World if you really must. [[Shaman]]s, [[Ardent]]s, [[Bard]]s and [[Warlord]]s take up the healer's niche. A new pair of themes, the Elemental Cleric and the Primal Guardian, fill the niches of the Elemental Cleric and the Athasian Druid from AD&D. Defiling is no longer a variant [[Wizard]], but a power that any Arcane caster can risk using. [[Templar]]s went from their own class to being your choice of either a theme or a subclass for the [[Warlock]].

'''History''': The halflings as precursors is no longer explicit fact.

'''Timeline Reset''': The "default setting" in Dark Sun is now just after the Sorcerer-King of Tyr was assassinated by unknown parties. There is NO metaplot, no timeline advancements, nothing; officially, all Dark Sun 4e material is set at this starting point and it's up to the individual DM to decide what, if anything, has happened since Kalak was killed. And there was Much Rejoicing.

==Plot Holes==
Hey, you remember that bit up at the top where Elemental Shamans summon water elementals for people to drink, since there's (supposed to be) no water left on the planet? Well the thing is, assuming everyone's bladders and sweat glands are functioning properly, this by itself should logically be enough to gradually repair Athas.

That said, as bodies of water would gradually start to form and grow more accessible (and these would be bodies of actual ''water'', not urine and sweat, as there's a reason Earth's oceans are still composed of water and not prehistoric dinosaur urine), there'd be less and less reason to keep an elemental-summoning shaman around. "Why should I pay that shaman for a glass when I can walk to the lake for free?" So the rate of repair would get slower and slower as time went on, possibly completely plateauing before the job was finished.

Of course plugging this hole is as simple as positing a route for water to be lost from the environment. Maybe sandtrout are sequestering it underground. Maybe the Primordials are taking some to be dicks. Maybe water from elementals eventually drifts back to the Elemental Chaos.

A tougher plot hole to work out is, how has no one figured out that full body robes are much better protection in the desert than going borderline-naked? Do the locals all have inherited UV protection? Does the sun not shine in the UV spectrum so sunstroke isn’t a thing?

==External links==
[http://darksun.wikia.com/ Darksun Wiki] - <strike>a wiki almost as empty as this one</strike> {{BLAM|HERESY!'''*BLAM*'''}} 
[http://athas.org Athas.org] - conversion for 3.5, <strike>scheduled to be complete just after 5e comes out.</strike> Sweet shit, it's actually finished!

{{D&D-Settings}}

[[Category:Dark Sun]]

Dark Sun

2021-06-30T04:10:27Z

2603:8001:3500:CB:24B9:D24D:E4CE:3597:

[[Image:DSlogo.gif|center]]
{{Grimdark}}
[[File:Dark Sun 3e PHB.png|400px|thumb|right|The cover of the 3e [[PHB]].]]
{{Topquote|For thousands of years, the Tablelands have remained untouched: its politics frozen in a delicate stalemate, its life in a balance even more delicate. It is true that the Dragon Kings amused themselves with their petty wars, rattling sabers to punctuate the passing of ages. It is true that, occasionally, another city would be swallowed by the wastes.

''But there were no surprises. The Dragon Kings steered everything from their omnipotent perches, content in their superiority, but ever thirsting for challenge. All that has changed. The Tablelands have been thrown into turmoil, the likes of which have not been seen since times forgotten. The Dragon Kings have been thrown into confusion, grasping for the tedium they so recently lamented.

''And yet I fear the worst is yet to come. Change is in the air, and change has never come gently to Athas.|[[Avangion| Oronis]], sorcerer‐king of Kurn}}

'''Dark Sun''' is a campaign setting made for AD&D 2nd edition back in '90; there are [[3e]] conversions approved by [[WotC]], but we had to wait until 2010 and [[4e]] for an updated official version. Dark Sun is essentially a playable [[grimdark]] post-apocalyptic mix of Mad Max, Edgar Rice Burrough's Mars series, the planet Abydos from Stargate, and [[Dune]]; it's pretty [[awesome]], but immediately proceeds to eschew common sense (unlike Dune).

==Setting==
[[File:Dark Sun World Map 4E.png|thumb|right|350px|Map of the Tyr Region, as depicted in [[4E|4th edition]]]]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW3DTCIO5Zs Some music to help set the mood.]

The game is set in the world of Athas, a dying planet. Once full of happiness and sunshine, the planet was drained of all resources during the long and rich history the creators came up with. There is no water, no minerals, and no hope: only cannibal halflings, a lot of sand and a dying sun.

The world is so fucked up it makes Mad Max's setting look like a hippie paradise. Kinda looks like Barsoom on massive grimdark crack. Everyone wears [[Female Fantasy Armor]] (yes, even the dudes), and according to the developers, this was the entire reason they picked a hot climate for the setting instead of an icy one, [[Derp|despite the fact that wearing Female Fantasy Armor in the desert would result in a quick death from sunstroke and dehydration]]; if they wanted everyone to wear [[Female Fantasy Armor]] then a hot ''and humid'' environment like a jungle or a tropical place, such as the setting for the comics series [https://comicvine.gamespot.com/shanna/4005-4579/ Shanna the She-Devil], is the ideal choice (less clothes keeps you cool when it's hot and humid, means less things to get caught in foliage or get pulled by predators or rivals).

The only few realms remaining are fascist police city-states ruled by wizards (all of them varying shades of evil) whose environmentally-unfriendly magic is responsible for fucking up the planet in the first place, and who're slowly losing their humanity as they turn more and more into dragons. Beyond civilized lands everything eats everything. The best weapon you can find is the femur of your party's cleric after being eaten by something that looked like a rock and the best armor is mostly the remains of a giant cockroach. There are no gnomes, orcs, kobolds, or furries because all of them were exterminated by some jerks with psychic brains and magic hands. They were the Champions of Rajaat, and they and the Sorcerer-Kings are by-and-large one-and-the-same.

The original ''Dark Sun'' setting got pretty harshly wrecked by advancing novel continuity. Once a buncha [[Mary Sue|tie-in protagonists]] have already killed all the iconic villains and started fixing the setting's problems, what's there left for ''you'' to do? In response, [[4e]] went full-reboot and adopted an [[Eberron]]-style anti-continuity system: every campaign begins in exactly the same time and place, and the story never advances. It was, especially for a 4e idea, incredibly well-received, and will probably carry over into any attempts to adapt the setting for [[5e]].

Thus far, the closest Wizards of the Coast has come to actually ''adapting'' the setting over to 5e is a few ideas about how to change over any adventuring paths to Athas, though the design team has repeatedly mentioned they intend to try in the future. Co-creator of 5th Edition and creative lead designer [[Mike Mearls]] has stated that he's pretty much converted Dark Sun to 5th, even if only for an office campaign.

===Races===
Most of the less-popular generic fantasy races were exterminated a long time ago, good riddance! This means no [[gnome]]s! First reason why this setting is full of win and awesome.
*'''[[Aarakocra]]''' - Sentient vultures, for those who don't want to play anything normal, but hate bugs or lizards.
*'''[[Dray]]''' - Horribly deformed dragon-people. Basically a failed magic experiment - like [[Draconian|Traag and Sesk]] in ''Time of the Dragon'' Taladas. Created by Dregoth, the undead Dragon King. Later generations were less-mutated. 4e made them straight-up [[Dragonborn|dragonborn]].
*'''[[Dwarf]]''' - Almost typical dorfs, except taller, waaay more muscular, bald with Klingon-like head plates and are even more fixated on their stuff than the hairier, stuntier variety. So fixated, in fact, that if they died without completing the shit they were obsessing over, they came back from the dead as banshees (sentient zombies that looked like a dwarf without skin).
*'''[[Eladrin]]''' - Added in 4e, the dwindling remnants of the race that once ruled the [[Feywild]], which on Athas has literally dissolved into nothing, leaving only a scattering of extradimensional oases as a result of defiling.
*'''[[Elan]]''' - An experiment in creating human uber-psychics by a psionicist order that went wrong due to being too powerful
*'''[[Elf]]''' - No forests for them, ha! They are desert nomads, thieving and griefing all the time. Finally, straight players can consider playing an elf. Again foreshadowing ''Time of the Dragon''.
*'''[[Gith]]''' - Descendants of a contingent of [[Githyanki]] that came to Athas generations ago and became stuck, unable to leave. As a race inherently strong in psionics, they are feared opponents and gladiators, but are still often employed as slaves, which is funny, because they always end up like that, but this time without [[Illithid]]s.
*'''[[Genasi]]''' - Only present in the 4e version. They claim they were originally set up as rulers over Athas by the [[Archomental|Primordials]] once they killed all of the gods... but they became decadent and indolent, so the other races drove them off the thrones. And then they blew Athas all to fuck, which the genasi are still gloating about. Now they're starting to emerge from the wastes because they believe it's their job to take command again and fix this shit. Known subraces: Earth, Fire, Wind, Ember, Magma, Sand and Sun.
*'''[[Half-Giant]]''' - Big dumb muscle, with a ''lolrandom'' alignment because they're ''so'' impressionable. Usually really fucking stupid.
*'''[[Halfling]]''' - Cannibals who live in the remaining strips of forest. Despite [[Troy Denning]]'s initial fuckup in ''The Verdant Passage'', where he has the dragonfly riding midgets flinging spells hither and thither, no they cannot use arcane magic. Tries to retcon this in ''The Cerulean Storm'' but it doesn't quite work. MAJOR PLOT LOOPHOLE. Actually (spoilers!) the origin of all other demi-human races on Athas, as theirs was the high civilization of the Blue Age.
*'''[[Human]]''' - Sentient halfling, only larger. Always average, always racist. Just like in real life, the race arguably responsible for fucking up the planet. Somehow still manage to be the norm, large and in charge.
*'''[[Kenku]]''' - I shit you not. These crow-like humanoids are mentioned as existing as a viable race (with an accompanying language), but is then promptly forgotten and never mentioned again, so most people never think of them in the context of ''Dark Sun''.
*'''[[Maenad]]''' - Alien berserker-psion emos that Andropinus recruited from somewhere beyond "The Black", then turned loose to die in the wasteland after they helped him get his city-state back. Rather pissed at that.
*'''[[Mul]]''' - [[Half-dwarf]]! Second reason why this setting is full of win and awesome! Bred for size and strength, but without the lack of agility of the typical stunty dorf, no slave was worth more than a Mul. Except a better Mul. Very prized as gladiators. Suck it, Russell Crowe. Unfortunately, like real-life hybrids tend to be, Muls are sterile, and they also tend to be [[Grimdark|born into slavery and kill their mums on the way out]].
*'''[[Pterran]]''' - Pterodactyl-man shamanistic retards that remind you of a certain cheesy villain from the X-Men comic books.
*'''[[Pyreen]]''' - A non-player (though 4e made them an epic destiny) race of ancient guardians from before the world was burned to shit, [[Rajaat]] was one of these guys before he went screaming off the deep end. Looks like a prettier version of how 3.5's [[Mongrelman|Mongrelfolk]] are supposed to look based on fluff; a harmonious blending of human, halfling, dwarf and elf. This mysterious & mystical mongrelfolk nature is strange, considering that halflings were the original inhabitants, and it also ignores several now-extinct but previously prominent (or at least "normal" non-monstrous) races, such as orcs. Epic-level immortal multiclassed druid/psions attempting to fix the world. Not getting very far.
*'''[[Ssurran]]''' - 2-legged sentient komodo dragons. Lives in the desert and loves them some lava. Very resistant towards heat and the Dark Sun, these guys enjoy worshiping Fire and Magma.
*'''[[Tarek]]''' - Earth-worshipping, hulking, ape-like humanoids from the mountains. Pretty obviously an "evolved" strain of Athasian [[Orc]]s, like how Ssurrans are Athasian [[lizardfolk]]. Take obvious inspiration from the ape-men of popular pulp novels and Frazetta/Vallejo paintings the same way the rest of the setting does.
*'''[[Tari]]''' - Dark Sun has a race of [[ratfolk]] out there in the desert, but despite the fact they are a fully sapient and civilized race, you can't play them.
*'''[[Tiefling]]''' - Another 4e addition, brutal raiders from the most hostile and barren regions of the desert, descendants of people who turned to fiend-worship for the strength to survive in the wasteland.
*'''[[Thri-kreen]]''' - Sentient mantis. Strange, scary folk who can only communicate via their own language or telepathy. Like their elves raw. With four wickedly clawed arms, these guys can ''fuck shit up''.
*'''[[Yuan-ti]]''' - Much like the kenku, the classic yuan-ti are only technically part of the setting, and seem to have been largely forgotten the second after the core setting material was published, despite featuring prominently in the Dark Sun [[CRPG]] [[Wake of the Ravager]], a game nobody remembered until GOG.com began selling many (most?) of the SSI AD&D modules of the 80s and 90s. Now that WotR is readily available, the thing people remember most about that game is the numerous, game-breaking bugs. (But you should still buy it, as workarounds to the bugs do exist.)

We gotta talk dragons now.

*'''[[Athasian Dragon|Athasian]]''' - Only "playable" by a very technical definition of the term, since it was an epic-level class for level 21+ characters with nastily-difficult requirements, though 4e made it an epic destiny. Not at all like the normal ''D&D'' variety, which don't exist on Athas, Athasian Dragons are horrible monsters that embody the corrupted nature of arcane magic in the setting: rapacious, violent, and filled with rage and a lust to dominate or destroy. Depending on source, there's either many or only one being that has ever successfully completed the transformation, and he's the ''other'' [[BBEG]] of the setting, as mentioned above, but almost all of the Sorcerer-Kings are at least part of the way there.
*'''[[Avangion]]''' - The opposite version of an Athusian dragon, being the life-nurturing embodiment of what arcane magic ''should'' be. Looks like a bizarre glowing manta ray-dragonfly, with a huge wingspan. Not as much balls-out murder power as a dragon, but able to no-sell many of its abilities, actually support its party, and not be an insane rage-cauldron the DM could take over whenever he felt like it. Just as hard to qualify for though, and also a 4e epic destiny. No one in the Tyr region has ever successfully become one, though one NPC as far down the process as most of the Sorcerer-Kings are to being dragons, and unlike many of them is actively trying to advance.

===Classes===
*'''[[Cleric]]s''' - There are no real gods in the setting (according to 4e, this is because the Primordials drove them off in the [[Dawn War]]), so most clerics [[elementalist|worship elements or quasi-elements]] - the game implies there ''were'' gods at one point, however, because an [[undead]] monster unique to the setting is a '''Raaig''', the pissed-off [[ghost]] of a long-dead [[cleric]] or [[paladin]]. In a desert world, summoning water elementals will get you pussy until you realize that if you level up to much you become a true elemental too. Very nasty to be drank alive for being a water elemental. The way they are described, they are more "elemental shamans" than archetypical clerics. Other types are insinuated to exist, such as a 'sun cleric' featured in the novels, representing the aspect and domain of the sun as a natural force rather than a deity.
*'''[[Druid]]s''' - Druids serve spirits of the land. They have a guarded lands that they are responsible to look after.
*'''[[Gladiator]]s''' - You know. Like the movie. Also one of the most overpowered classes in the times of AD&D, a low level gladiator could be the personification of a certain Frank Frazzeta illustration entitled "The Destroyer". Essentially, they were [[Barbarian]]s before Barbarians as 3e made them were a thing.
*'''Dune Traders''' - lol that's actually a class? Was more one the role-playing side of things, could get loads of handy contacts and power within tradehouses. Took care of diplomacy, trading, and generally any situation that could be resolved without a weapon.
*'''[[Fighter]]s''' - Not as good as a Gladiator in personal combat, but who is? Really excelled at attracting and leading armies at higher levels.
*'''[[Bard]]s''' - Most bards sing songs and boost the other party members' rolls. Dark Sun bards will poison and kill you, and maybe fuck you. Maybe in that order, too.
*'''[[Paladin]]s''' - lol nope. Honor and virtue fell by the wayside a long time ago on Athas, but what else would you expect from a planet this Darwinian?
*'''[[Templar]]s''' - Replace Paladins thematically, but more on the police side of things to the point they are essentially the Sorcerer-Kings's Gestapo. Ability-wise, they're more like Clerics with slower spell-progression but more spellslots and the ability to use any weapon. Worship the Sorcerer King who rules their city.
*'''[[Psion]]icists''' - Psionicists are considered accepted and normal in this setting. In fact, every PC is guaranteed to have ''at least'' one psionic power! OMGWTF! Think Jedis, kind of. Wanna move shit with your mind without casting a spell like some bitch ass looking wizard? Check. Mindrape? Check. ''Fucking Time Travel?'' Double Check. Unfortunately suffered from the fact that psionics in 2e were a horrible mess, and with a few notable exceptions, most of your powers are either incredibly niche or use clunky subsystems.
*'''[[Ranger]]s''' - Same old shit. Think Aragorn in the desert.
*'''[[Rogue]]s''' - Pretty similar to the non-Athasian kind. Attracted a Patron at level 10, aka you work for me now bitch.
*'''[[Wizard]]s''' - Two types exist in the setting, but everyone hates them both:
** [[Defiler]] - Evil mages, who suck out the life force of things. When they level up enough, they usually have an allergic reaction called dragon metamorphosis.
** [[Preserver]] - Mages who are not manly enough to steal life force, so they sacrifice efficiency to keep the stuff around them alive. Unfortunately for them, the commoners think all wizards are the same. Fortunately for them, most of their shit can be passed off as psionics. When they grow up enough to be considered bad ass they turn into the manta ray like aliens from ''Abyss''.
** [[Cerulean_Storm#Cerulean_Wizards|Cerulean Mages]] were added after the [[Prism Pentad]] novels caused the whole series to be rewritten, and are basically neutral mages who try to use the giant raging storm elemental now stranded on Athas as a battery.
** [[Necromancer]]s were retconned into the setting as wizards who draw power from the realm of the dead, which slowly turns them into undead beings. Ironically, they're actually neutral aligned, and technically even good aligned because their powers don't require them to hurt the planet.
** [[Shadow Magic|Shadow Mages]] are like Necromancers, but they draw from the [[Plane of Shadow]] instead of the Gray.

===Sorcerer-Kings===
Sorcerer Kings were the jerks chosen by [[Rajaat]] with the deepest reservoirs of hatred (read:racists) for everything. Except halflings. Or was it humans. SPOILER! These were usually the big bad dudes that Dark Sun campaigns revolved around killing. Unfortunately, author Troy Denning killed off most of them in the series ''The Prism Pentad'', thus giving the campaign setting nothing left to live for. TSR brought out a small post-novel supplement entitled "Beyond the Prism Pentad", which also included references to a product called "Dark Sun: ''A New Age''" that was never released, to try and save what little scraps of the setting was left after [[skub|Denning's]] royal buttfuck of it all. It didn't work. As a result TSR brought it out back and shot it while you cried in your mother's arms.

Most/all Sorcerer-kings were/are in various stages of Dragon metamorphosis, i.e. turning into a Dragon, you idiot, as a result of their addiction to Defiling. "Real" dragons don't exist on Athas, and only the most powerful Wizard/Psionicists with the help of handy [[Necronomicon|forbidden lore]] could start on this journey to REAL ULTIMATE POWER. Side effects include deepening of voice, a bad case of scaly skin, and the desire to FUCKING KILL EVERYTHING. Which gave rise to the most common-sense Dark Sun rule ever, via the rulebook ''Dragonkings'', where a 25th level Dragon, if you were lucky/good enough to make it that far and survive a series of spells that ''had an outright chance to kill you'', WAS COMPLETELY TAKEN OVER BY THE DM UNTIL LEVEL 30. How fun is that shit. The reasoning being the Dragon entered a period of Animalistic Rage. And of course only the DM could properly portray that shit, moron. Go sit on the couch and shut up. (Granted, it was better than giving players literal dragon-god-like power, give the tendencies of the sorts of player willing to commit the atrocities necessary to become a dragon to [[Murderhobo|steal, fuck and kill everything they see including their fellow PCs.]])

Originally, just one of the Dragon-Kings was an actual '''dragon''', formerly Borys of Ur-Draxa. PCs could confront him in '''[[DSR4: Valley of Dust and Fire]]''', which ''Dark Sun'' fans consider rather difficult, and which ''itself'' cautioned that it was meant for ''Dragon Kings'' parties over level 21. Wonder how those "[[Mary Sue|Prism Pentad]]" dipshits managed it... Especially since not a single one of them were even level 20 (their stats are given in "Beyond the Prism Pentad") , much less a full 5-man party of level 21+ characters.

To expand their use as a plot device, each Sorcerer-King/Queen ruled a City-State, up until they were slain by Denning like it was a bodily function:

*'''Abalach-re''' - The queen bitch of the City-State of Raam, this paranoid schizo cunt makes [[Skaven|your average Skaven]] look like Ghandi. Also universally loathed and held in contempt by both her own people and all the other Sorcerer Kings. Whether her neurotic paranoia is the result or the cause of this is a bit of a chicken-or-egg question.
*'''Andropinis''' - He had egg shaped nostrils. He wore a toga and ruled over the Greek inspired City-State of Balic. Unique for being the only Lawful Neutral sorcerer-king (All the others are listed as Lawful Evil, naturally), and for running a state that actually somewhat functions, in a democracy-turned-dictatorial-sham kind of way.
*'''Hamanu''' - Mr. Lionface. Not one of the original 13 Champions, he was the ruler of Urik and a blatant homage to Hammurabi. Evil and cruel, with his draconic transformation halted rather than reversed, but his devotion to order, justice, rationality, and his father's dream of a green and peaceful land make him one of the best of a terrible lot.
*'''Kalak''' - You know your old, shriveled, power-hungry, slave-master of a grandfather? That's this guy. Ruler of Tyr before his plan to get jacked up quick on dragonsauce was discovered and foiled by a bunch of meddling kids and one talking dog. The 4e reboot explicitly starts every game with him being overthrown and Tyr being established as a Free City, before letting the PCs see where things go from there.
*'''Kalid-Ma''' - Former Sorcerer-King of Kalidnay, currently trapped in a near-death coma in [[Ravenloft|a completely different campaign setting]] thanks to his head honchessa's cruel betrayal of everything good in her life in favor of her freaky, possessive stalker crush on him. Probably not coming back, regardless of what the deluded cultists rifling through his garbage think.
*'''Lalali-Puy''' - The hottest Sorcerer-Queen, and ruler of the barely civilized Jungle-Town of Gulg. Also one of the less-evil Sorcerer Kings by virtue of not doing much to actively hurt the people who adore her, with some liner notes specifically calling her the most likely King to make a face turn who hasn't already, though her current rule over Gulg is cemented by brutal enslavement of nature spirits, one of whom she's masquerading as.
*'''Nibenay''' - Called the Shadow King. Either he really, really hated people and being seen, or he was too stupid to cast a simple glamour to NOT MAKE HIM LOOK LIKE A DRAGON around his superstitious subjects. Ruler of the largest City-State of the same name, which was locked in a perpetual war with Gulg for some crazy strong blue balls. Or blue wood. Whatever. His templars are all female, and are forced to mate with him for the job, which is frankly par for the course for evil at this point. Even considering his hideous, part-dragon/part-man appearance.
*'''Tectuktitlay''' - He's a ladykiller, he'll rip your heart out and throw it down the fucking ziggurat. Bird like in appearance, he was the Aztec inspired ruler of Drag. Drek. Er, Draj. Smart, despite his insanity and cruelty.
*'''Oronis''' - Former Sorcerer-King of Kurn. Kinda. Oronis is a special case. He started to feel bad about... you know exterminating all the lizard-men, especially when he saw that it was all for a lie, and he and his comrades were turning the world into a ruin rather than a paradise. So, he took his vitamins, drank his milk, and managed to put the brakes on the whole "morph into a dragon through genocide" thing... and go the other direction into becoming an avangion. Kurn is dying, but it's just a facade for New Kurn now anyway, and he's withdrawn from politics to pursue further experiments into avangion-hood while leaving behind a "true" democracy. Literally the only Sorcerer-King actively trying to make his shithole of a world a better place.
*'''Daskinor''' - Kim Jong Il's Dark Sun doppelganger. Ruler of Eldaarich, this <strike>paranoid asshat</strike> omnipotent and benevolent God King keeps his city <strike>on permanent lockdown</strike> safe and protected from all the evils of Athas. Literally built massive walls to close off his city from the outside world <strike>thanks to his insanity starting to leak into the city as a whole</strike> because it is totally self-sufficient and wants for nothing the outside world has to offer. Especially not water and food.
*'''Dregoth''' - The undead dragon sorcerer-king, ruler of Giustenal. This dude got ganked by a bunch of the other Sorcerer-Kings who were tired of him bragging about the size of his <strike>cock</strike> book of spells a couple thousand years ago, but his loyal Templars brought him back as a Lich, and he's just been chilling underground unbeknownst to every else, for quite some time now. Created the [[dray]] race, which he hopes will one day completely replace humanity as the new "master race."

===Cosmology===
Athas is... ''different'' to the standard realm in the [[Great Wheel]]. Looking across various sources (most prominently "Defilers & Preservers" and "Earth, Air, Fire & Water" for Dark Sun itself) reveals that Athas is connected to only a small handful of planes; the Gray, the Black, and the [[Elemental Planes]]. Further differentiating its cosmology, whilst Athas retains connections to the four standard "True" Elemental Planes (Earth/Air/Water/Fire), it only has four Paraelemental Planes consisting of Magma, Rain, Silt and Sun.

The Gray is essentially the afterlife of Athas; a dreary, endless limbo realm of dismal mists, which serves to blockade Athas from both the [[Ethereal Plane]] proper and the [[Astral Plane]]. Depending on who you ask, it's either Athas's "Border Ethereal" or an analogue region for the Astral Plane.

The Black is analogous to the [[Plane of Shadow]], and mostly serves as a prison for Rajaat.

It's noted that Athas is unusually close to the [[Elemental Planes]], and this is, in part, why the world is so screwed up.

Athas can actually interact with the [[Great Wheel]], and be reached by [[Spelljammer]]s, but it's extremely difficult to do so - the whole thing is effectively a sealed zone, as if something trapped the entire pocket of reality inside a locked room.
* The [[Githyanki]] are known to have opened a portal to Athas and tried to invade... then they ran home with their tails between their legs and closed up the portal, before leaving behind the proverbial sign saying "Do not open this fucking door!" Athasian [[Gith]] are believed to be the degenerate remnants of githyanki stranded here as a result of the failed invasion.
* The Mists of [[Ravenloft]] can also reach into Athas and pluck victims into its embrace. There's even an Athasian [[Domain of Dread]] called "Kalid-Ma". It says something about life on Athas that being stuck in the [[Demiplane of Dread]] is actually perceived by most Athasians as a step up.
* The [[World Serpent Inn]] hosts at least one known two-way portal to Athas.

==Controversies==
As beloved as it is by the fandom, Dark Sun has... its share of base-breaking lore. Three major things tend to be either loved or hated by fans of the game.

===The Halfling Conspiracy===
A lot of people are less than impressed with the revelation that [[halfling]]s were the precursor race and that Dark Sun became such a fucked up world because one psycho wanted to go back to the days when halflings (and technically thri-kreen) were the only extant race.

===Beyond the Prism Pentad===
As mentioned above, the changes of the Prism Pentad tie-in novels really messed up with the status quo of Dark Sun. Beyond killing off a bunch of Sorcerer-Kings, it also created the Cerulean Storm, an enormous perpetual rain storm wandering randomly across Athas, bringing water back to the planet but at the same time doing so with such violence that it's almost as bad as the original drought.

===Mind Lords of the Last Sea===
This module, which reveals there is one last sea on Athas, is pretty controversial for various different reasons. Such as the existence of a place where a secretive bunch of psion-lords use telepathy to force people to comply with social standards, the existence of a large body of water on Athas, the fact that it retcons that [[lizardfolk]] aren't extinct (but then, ssurans were basically fireproof lizardfolk under a different name all along and nobody batted an eye at them), or the fact that it has actual telepathic dolphins and surfing rules in it.

On the other hand, some people like the idea of doing ''The Prisoner'' by way of ''Mad Max'', and the actual content isn't quite as stupid and poorly-written as its reputation suggests, with lots of discussion of how many Athasians would react to seeing the titular Last Sea when enough water to fill a bathtub is wealth beyond measure.

==3e Dark Sun==
While by [[Dungeons and Dragons 3rd Edition|third edition]] official support for non-[[Forgotten Realms]], non-[[Greyhawk]] settings had largely been dropped, two separate updates for Dark Sun material exist.

In a surprisingly cool move by Hasbro, fan groups were given official permission to update several [[Planescape|orphaned]] [[Spelljammer|settings]] to 3rd edition for free ([[Ravenloft|or one not so free in exchange for a check]]). In Dark Sun's case this spawned Athas dot org and its several PDFs updating the setting.

A separate update was published in [[Dragon Magazine]] #319. This one is far more divergent than the fan conversion, setting the timeline forward 300 years to restore the status quo after the Prism Pentad fuckup. This update uses the standard 3rd edition class lineup, making Templars just Clerics of their respective Dragon King instead of their own class and having [[Paladin]]s actually exist. Since the psioncs book was already needed for psionics, Half-Giant and Thri-Keen, the other races from that book have been thrown in for the hell of it. One unusual mechanical change is how it adapted the higher than average ability score generation Dark Sun used and that several of its races were already printed with [[Level Adjustment]]: The conversion decided to give ''everyone'' [[Level Adjustment]] +1, giving the non-LA races (like [[Human]]) extra stuff to bring them up to LA +1.

==4e Dark Sun==
Surprisingly, when Dark Sun made it into 4th edition, it was welcomed with great warmth and enthusiasm. This might be because WoTC had learned from the mistakes of Forgotten Realms and so whilst there were changes to 4e, none of them were as setting-breaking as the Spellplague, and many actually regarded these changes as being for the better.

What changed? Well...

'''Cosmology''': Athas is now a world where, during the [[Dawn War]], the [[Archomental|Primordials]] won and killed the [[God]]s. The [[Elemental Chaos]] replaces the [[Elemental Planes]]. The Gray is still around, and is the local name for the [[Shadowfell]], but the Black isn't mentioned. If one makes it through the Gray into the [[Astral Sea]], it's empty; the Gods are dead, their halls are abandoned, and there's nothing but ancient celestial ruins and cosmic battlefields to scavenge through. The [[Feywild]] exists, but has been almost completely destroyed by defiling and its remaining pockets are zealously guarded by the Eladrin. The moons of Ral and Guthay are rich, verdant worlds in their own right, according to astrologers, but beyond the rumored existence of unpredictable "moongates" that allow access to them, nothing more is mentioned.

'''Races''': [[Half-Giant]]s lost their ADHD and are now a reflavoring of [[Goliath]]s, mechanically. [[Dray]] went from an obscure race hidden in one module to being mentioned in the core, although mechanically they're just reskinned [[Dragonborn]]. [[Eladrin]] and [[Tiefling]]s are in the setting now, as the bitter survivors of the nearly-destroyed [[Feywild]] and fiend-worshipping cannibal raiders from the depths of the wastelands respectively. A [[Dragon Magazine]] article states that there are [[Genasi]] on Athas who were originally created to rule the mortal races for the Primordials after they fucked off, but they screwed up so badly they were overthrown and then Rajaat came along. Some races (and horses) previously stated to be extinct are present.

'''Classes''': All Divine classes are officially Not Present Here, although there is a sidebar for being The Last Cleric In The World if you really must. [[Shaman]]s, [[Ardent]]s, [[Bard]]s and [[Warlord]]s take up the healer's niche. A new pair of themes, the Elemental Cleric and the Primal Guardian, fill the niches of the Elemental Cleric and the Athasian Druid from AD&D. Defiling is no longer a variant [[Wizard]], but a power that any Arcane caster can risk using. [[Templar]]s went from their own class to being your choice of either a theme or a subclass for the [[Warlock]].

'''History''': The halflings as precursors is no longer explicit fact.

'''Timeline Reset''': The "default setting" in Dark Sun is now just after the Sorcerer-King of Tyr was assassinated by unknown parties. There is NO metaplot, no timeline advancements, nothing; officially, all Dark Sun 4e material is set at this starting point and it's up to the individual DM to decide what, if anything, has happened since Kalak was killed. And there was Much Rejoicing.

==Plot Holes==
Hey, you remember that bit up at the top where Elemental Shamans summon water elementals for people to drink, since there's (supposed to be) no water left on the planet? Well the thing is, assuming everyone's bladders and sweat glands are functioning properly, this by itself should logically be enough to gradually repair Athas.

That said, as bodies of water would gradually start to form and grow more accessible (and these would be bodies of actual ''water'', not urine and sweat, as there's a reason Earth's oceans are still composed of water and not prehistoric dinosaur urine), there'd be less and less reason to keep an elemental-summoning shaman around. "Why should I pay that shaman for a glass when I can walk to the lake for free?" So the rate of repair would get slower and slower as time went on, possibly completely plateauing before the job was finished.

Of course plugging this hole is as simple as positing a route for water to be lost from the environment. Maybe sandtrout are sequestering it underground. Maybe the Primordials are taking some to be dicks. Maybe water from elementals eventually drifts back to the Elemental Chaos.

A tougher plot hole to work out is, how has no one figured out that full body robes are much better protection in the desert than going borderline-naked? Do the locals all have inherited UV protection? Does the sun not shine in the UV spectrum so sunstroke isn’t a thing?

==External links==
[http://darksun.wikia.com/ Darksun Wiki] - <strike>a wiki almost as empty as this one</strike> {{BLAM|HERESY!'''*BLAM*'''}} 
[http://athas.org Athas.org] - conversion for 3.5, <strike>scheduled to be complete just after 5e comes out.</strike> Sweet shit, it's actually finished!

{{D&D-Settings}}

[[Category:Dark Sun]]