Editing Atlantis

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'''Atlantis''' is a fictional island kingdom mentioned in an allegory by the Greek philosopher Plato, in which a vast and powerful maritime civilization rises in the Atlantic Ocean, but in time it's leadership becomes expansionist and hubris, earn the ire of the gods who as such decide to sink it. The story could be thought of as the classical age version of the War of the Worlds, a tale of a vast superior external civilization invading and enslaving those less advanced to it with a political allegory in in mind. During the 20th century, many people believed instead of a parable, Atlantis was a real place, and mounted searches to find it, but belief in its reality has waned over the decades. That being said, its possible that Plato's story may be a very, **very** distant retelling of a Bronze Age civilization that disappeared among many others during the mysterious Bronze Age collapse.

It is most commonly referred to on /tg/ for its popularity in [[Sword & Sorcery]] novels - thanks to its strong historical presence in the [[Hyperborea]] setting - and for its frequent appearances in [[capeshit|comic books]]; both [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] and [[DC Comics|DC]] have used the idea of Atlantis having survived by its people adapting into aquatic humanoids to generate superheroes, which means Atlantis commonly appears in superhero RPGs like [[Mutants and Masterminds]]. And cartoons.

The idea of Atlanteans existing as amphibious humanoids has even made its way into [[Dungeons & Dragons]] and [[Pathfinder]]; the [[Aventi]] race (and its [[Gillman|Gillmen]] counterparts), and the [[Triton]] race in 5th edition, both are from the D&D equivalent of Atlantis.

==Hyperborea==
Atlantean blood flows through the Cimmerian people from [[Hyperborea]]; [[Conan the Barbarian]] himself is sometimes rumored to be a direct blood descendant of [[King Kull]].

==Middle Earth==
In the works of [[JRR Tolkien]], a prominent civilization is Númenor, an advanced civilization of humanity which has a golden age of prosperity but eventually turns to violent expansionism; and thanks to Sauron, descends into death cult worship, which ultimately results in the sinking of its home island. Those who avoided Númenor's fall to darkness fled to Middle Earth to found the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor. In Quenya the word for the downfall of Numenor is ''Atalantie''.

==Pathfinder==
The sunken continent of Azlant is very clearly an Atlantis stand in. True Azlanti are described as having skin that's "olive to pale white", hair that "ranges from deep brown or dark red to black" and eye colors that include a deep purple.

Stats wise they're simple: They're [[Human]], but instead of +2 to one ability score of their choice, they get +2 to ''all'' of them. They aren't playable (except as a result of one trap in Shattered Star), but can show up as ancient evil that awakens.

Their descendants are the [[Gillman|Gillmen]]; unwitting slaves of the [[Aboleth]].

They're also in [[Starfinder]], having established a colony (later independent Empire) off-world that continues to the setting's present. They're dicks and not playable, though the monsters stated indicated the +2 to everything is maintain.

==Primeval Thule==
In the [[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]] setting of [[Primeval Thule]], Atlanteans are a fallen race of hyper-advanced humans whose civilization was annihilated and whose population was devastated when some mysterious magical catastrophe spontaneously erased 9/10ths of their race from existence, due to the obliteration of their homeland of Atlantis. The survivors, many thousands strong, descend from sailors, merchants and colonists, but their bloodline is becoming increasingly watered down by interbreeding with the other human ethnicities of Thule, and after 300 years, their culture is slowly fading from existence.

Atlanteans are fully human, and possess a human range of builds, body types, and features. They form a distinct ethnicity, and can be identified as Atlantean at a glance. They are a tall and handsome people in general, and many Atlanteans are natural athletes. Their skin color ranges from a light copper hue to a deep bronze, their hair is usually dark brown or raven-black, and their features tend to be fine. Their most notable features are light-colored eyes in hues that are rare among other humans: gray, green, an icy pale blue, or even a bright gold. The contrast between the light-colored eyes and the copper or bronze complexion is often quite striking. Because Atlanteans are declining in numbers, more and more have married into the general population of Thule. Classic Atlantean features are becoming hard to find, although the wealthiest and most powerful families are more likely to preserve the old bloodlines.

Despite their faded glory, Atlanteans still believe themselves to be "kings among men"; they view themselves as the smartest, most capable and worthy of all human races, buoyed by the strength of their empire and its centuries of domination, and the fact that they achieved heights of learning, scholarship and arcane lore far beyond those of the other humans of Thule. To this day, they still view learning, both practical and sorcerous, as the greatest of strengths, and strive to live up to the legacy of their fallen nation. At its best, this can make them wise and protective patriarchs and matriarchs. At its worst, they can be stuck-up assholes.

===Statblock===
In 5e, Atlanteans of Thule have the following stats:
::Ability Score Increase: +2 Intelligence, +1 Strength
::Size: Medium
::Speed: 30 feet
::Broad Education: Atlantean characters begin play with training in any two Intelligence-based skills. Atlanteans are raised with a love of learning and are encouraged to study any subject that catches their interest.
::Headstrong: Atlanteans gain tactical advantage on saving throws against command, dominate, geas, and hold spells. Atlanteans are willful and are used to having their way; when confronted with spells or effects that threaten to master the will with a direct attack, they are difficult to break.
::Wealthy: Atlantean characters begin play with five times the normal starting wealth for their class, and can purchase common magic items with their starting wealth for 100 gp each. Atlanteans come from wealthy families with a number of heirlooms.

==Rifts==
In the [[Rifts]] megaverse, Atlanteans escaped the sinking of Atlantis by fleeing into the megaverse. True Atlantean is a Racial Character Class in the sourcebook on the Rifts era version of Atlantis, which has been conquered by alien tentacle monsters called the Splugorth.

[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons Races]][[Category:Greek Mythology]][[Category:Pathfinder Races]][[Category: Rifts]]