Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Messages - Libertad

Pages: [1] 2 3 4 5 6 ... 179
2
I also forgot to include a Bibliography (and Artist/Writer Portfolios). I'll include it in this post for further reading by interested parties.


3
Chapter 9: Beast Compendium

Jeosung is home to a lot of typical fantasy monsters, but a few new creatures are particularly numerous and/or prominent to merit mention. This chapter gives us 11 new types and 23 stat blocks, a fair amount for a non-bestiary sourcebook. Additionally each creature also has a listed elemental affinity. This doesn’t have any specific game statistics beyond showcasing the universality of the five elements in the setting’s cosmology, although it does have greater mechanical relevance in the OSR version.



Agma Bagjwis (CR ½) are giant bat-like monsters which lair in the Open Wounds of Haenamguk, flying out in droves to kidnap and feed on prey. The creature focuses on strength in numbers, mobility, stealth, and can communicate telepathically.



Bulgarsari (CR 5) are scaly elephant-like beings who were once valiant defenders of all that was good and right, but now they devolved into animal-like intelligence and serve none but their gullets. They are physically strong specimens who can shoot scalding steam from their trunks.



Dokkaebis (CR ¼ to 5) are the major servants and masterminds behind the Winds of Darkness. They mostly live underground in Jihaguk and plot the day to take over the world of Iseung once again, engaging in hit and run raids on the surface as well as other wicked plots. We have stat blocks for three different ranks of Dokkaebis; all of them are shapechangers who can take the forms of humanoids and have minor innate spellcasting (usually focusing on enchantment and hexes), but their true forms are humanoids with claws and sharp quills emerging from their bodies. Basic Dokkaebis are humanoid cannon fodder akin to goblins and orcs, while Dokkaebi Infiltrators are tougher creatures who have more powerful spellcasting and Arcane Trickster-like abilities. Dokkaebi Elite are the dread lords of their kind, and in addition to being the strongest of them all they have spellcasting that focuses on weakening and sickening their enemies.



Dragons (CR ½ to 17) are one of the most famed descendents of the Heavenly Beings and made their mark in history in significant ways. Much like traditional dragons they grow in size and power with age, but that isn’t solely a biological process. Dragons who seek a more powerful form undergo a meditation-like hibernation where they perform countless mental tests after closing their minds to the outside world. Those unable to complete such tests become Kkangcheoli, decaying rotting dragons driven to madness and evil. Those who succeed may eventually achieve the lofty heights of the Yong dragon, the most powerful variety that hasn’t been seen in the world since the Age of the Dragon Kings.

The least powerful dragons are merely Giant Serpents of animal intellect with venomous bites, although Imugi are the next step up and gain the ability to spit fire as well as sentience. Kkangcheoli lose the ability to spit fire and instead gain superheated melee attacks, can violently explode upon their deaths, and Legendary actions. Yong Dragons are physical powerhouses with a true breath weapon and also possess innate spellcasting, with a variety of restorative and utility magic along with Legendary Actions.



Foxes (CR 0 to 7) can evolve into higher states of being much like dragons. The mundane fox can eventually turn into a bulyeonwoo, a shapeshifter who can take on humanoid form. Being better able to pass in humanoid society allows them to learn more about the world, causing a disproportionate amount to involve themselves in academic professions. Bulyeonwoo have minor spellcasting focusing on illusion and enchantment, and in humanoid form they are skilled martial artists, capable of making Chimsul strikes that can rob a target of their ability to take reactions. The Gumiho are the oldest and most powerful foxes, notable for their 9 tails. They have the abilities of bulyeonwoos but are more powerful with more spells, can shapechange into a variety of animals, possess prehensile tails, a Chimsul strike that can incapacitate foes for 1 round, advantage on saves vs Illusion and Enchantment spells, and Legendary Actions.



Gwishin (CR ½ to 4) are ghosts, a kind of spirit trapped in Iseung and unable to move on to their final resting place. Such a tragedy is incredibly distressing, causing gwishin to react angrily to their surroundings. Common Gwishin are incorporeal beings with a chilling touch that can temporarily prevent a target from recovering from damage along with some minor spellcasting and a rechargeable ability that forces a target to reroll a d20 result. Bulgwishin are spirits of those who burned to death and emanate a dangerous aura of supernatural heat. Dalgyalgwishin are faceless ghosts who hunt and stalk lone targets near graveywards, having a multiattack claw attack, limited short-range teleportation, and can Sneak Attack like a Rogue. Mulgwishin are those who drowned to death and have an aura which can darken nearby light sources, cold-based magical attacks, and when standing in water can grapple and start to drown targets.



Kyeryong (CR ¼) are a local breed of cockatrice who are hunted for their meat and magical properties. There are various kinds out there, such as the fire kyeryong who can breath fire which exhausts them, mountain keryongs who possess the ability to glide, and snow kyeryongs whose magical sleep breath and ability to camouflage themselves in snow makes them the most elusive kind.



Mulyong (CR ½) are an evolutionary offshoot of dragons, appearing as human-sized fish with dragon heads. They are capable of ramming small vessels and their tails can propel them at great speed underwater.



Samjokgu (CR 0) are three-legged dogs with a third blue-colored eye on their foreheads. Through this eye they have short-range truesight, making them prized animals for ferreting out shapeshifters and illusions.

Suhosins (CR 5, no picture) are direct descendents of the Heavenly People, so rare as to be thought mythical. They live in pocket demiplanes of their own creation, and only come to the Material Plane when in need of some person or object they cannot get in their self-created paradise. They appear as tall athletic humanoids, although they emit a subjective illusion that makes them appear different in the eyes of each viewer. In terms of stats they are multi-talented, being proficient in a variety of mental skills, have superb Strength and Charisma (20) and add the latter score to their AC, possess a wide variety of innate spells, and have powerful unarmed and throwing attacks in melee along with Legendary Actions.

Sushosin are ordinarily non-violent, but when they are pushed to anger their tempers are nearly unstoppable, only coming to regret their actions when the battle stops and they regain self-awareness.



The Unseen (CR 5) is actually a single entity of unfathomable size who can project clawed extensions of itself into the Material Plane. Not much is known about the being save that it manifests in the forest of Giljobeun in Mudangguk and can create illusions to attract and misdirect prey. A manifestation of its fangs are represented as a single monster, naturally invisible save when it makes an attack or grapple. It can also generate a damaging psychic Scan where they learn of a target’s deepest desires, and such targets can be further subject to a Lure which charms them. Beyond these abilities the Unseen can grapple and drain targets of their life energy, and hide/retract as a bonus action or reaction respectively (latter is rechargeable) to become invisible again.

These monsters also have stats in Pathfinder and the OSR. Overall they are faithful conversions, and in Pathfinder’s case their CR values are more or less the same. However, Pathfinder has some new things. For one, Dokkaebi are of the Goblinoid subtype and speak Goblin and Common (in 5e they spoke Common and the Spiritual Lexicon), and the Suhosin are outsiders with the (angel) subtype. A few monsters also have limited class features such as the Bulgwishin casting sorcerer spells with the Elemental (fire) bloodline.

The OSR bestiary is more or less similar to the base 5e, although there are some new things. For example, the poison of Dragons has a 2d6 table of random negative effects, the Gumiho has a mini-system for grappling for OSR rulesets that would lack it (1d20 + Strength bonus for contested rolls, save vs Paralysis to break free), we have listed GP values for kyeryong captured to be domesticated or poached for meat and eggs, and there’s a sub-table for opposing elemental affinities in regards to certain elemental spells and the Monk/Sunim’s bonus unarmed strike damage.

But the OSR bestiary gives us one more entry in neither the 5e or PF versions: stats for Wild Spirits, which is less a predetermined stat block and more a monster template for generating stats of spirits based on their rank. It’s pretty comprehensive, and includes guidelines for recommended special abilities and references the earlier tables for a mudang’s patron spirit generation in determining known spells.

Appendix

Our final section of Koryo Hall of Adventures discusses two rules that couldn’t easily fit into prior chapters: the Team Leader and Reputation systems. The first is a simplified means of determining the effectiveness of hirelings, recruited NPCs, and mobs. This is meant more for when PCs recruit allies to their party as opposed to foes they face, and the rules focus on this side of things. In short, a PC can declare themselves a Team Leader of a group of NPCs. Said NPCs determine initiative and actions collectively as one, and the team leader can give one order per round for them to perform an action. The exception is in regards to attacks, where depending on the enemy size a number of NPCs in a team make individual attacks all at once.

For NPC groups taking damage there are two suggestions: keeping track of each NPC’s HP individually (not recommended by the book) or determining a Hit Threshold via averaging the group HP and multiplying it by the number of NPCs. Lowering of Hit Threshold determines overall morale and fighting spirit, and as the more they suffer the harder it is for the team leader to get them to follow orders. In such cases a Charisma check is required, whose DC is determined by the percentage of HT remaining and the overall martial training of the NPCs (untrained, well-trained, elite).

The second system, Reputation, reflects the overall level of fame and notoriety of the PCs’ status, both as adventurers in the Koryo Hall and in broader society. Basically for every Deed (quest) they complete which is particularly good or evil, they mark one check (good) or one X (evil). Every time 3 of those boxes are filled they gain +1 or -1 Reputation for good or evil Deeds respectively. This modifier also occurs when the PC levels up and if they have more checks or Xs.

The Reputation system doesn’t account for minor acts of charity, opportunism, and selfishness. At least, not beyond the lower levels. As the PCs’ Reputations increase, only obviously selfless acts of good and utterly selfish evil can further modify their scores.

The Reputation score is relevant in certain social situations, where one’s honorable nature or infamy may be particularly advantageous or not. Instead of a universal value the book proposes two modifiers: a Reputation modifier for situations where having a good reputation is relevant, and an Infamy modifier where having a bad reputation is advantageous.

The Reputation System exists as-is in the Pathfinder version, although the Team Leader rules exist only in 5e. Many OSR systems already have dedicated hireling/follower sub-systems, and I presume the lack of a Reputation System is in line with the OSR’s minimalist nature.

Thoughts So Far: The new monsters are interesting and have some variety. There isn’t much talk on existing monsters and how they can be adapted to the setting, which I feel is a bit of a negative. My favorite entries are the foxes, who have an interesting spin on the East Asian “trickster fox spirit” archetype by making them eager to integrate into humanoid society as pursuers of knowledge. The Unseen is another neat monster as well. The Dokkaebi felt a bit too close to the role of orcs and goblins, which I didn’t like as much. While I can understand having cannon fodder of an evil nation as a fantasy trope, there wasn’t much novel done with them beyond their deceptive magic. I also wish the Wild Spirit creation rules in the OSR version were adopted to 5th Edition and Pathfinder, although if I had to guess its inclusion into that system was to make up for old-school retroclones having comparatively smaller bestiaries.

I’ve seen quite a bit of minion/follower systems for 5th Edition, and Koryo Hall’s doesn’t really resonate with me. While it’s intended to be a simplification, the use of totalling Hit Point averages and individual attacks for ‘ganging up’ still necessitates the separation of individual NPC stats, which is counterintuitive. The Reputation system is good in concept in representing PCs making names for themselves in the guild, but tying it to “is this good or evil?” morality can easily spawn arguments similar to Alignment debates that are the dread of countless gaming groups.

Final Thoughts: The Koryo Hall of Adventures is hard to sum up, as I have conflicting feelings. On the plus side, a lot of work has gone into it; the base setting paints a good picture for immersing oneself in the world and is full of interesting lands with great adventuring potential. Beyond the write-up of a little-known culture in fantasy gaming from an author who has lived in and researched it, the book has a few interesting departures from typical D&D tropes to make the world stand out. For example, the dearth of true gods, the different systems of government beyond base feudalism which make the regions feel sufficiently distinct, and a detailed write-up of the new Mudang class which provides an interesting “pick and choose” system for supernatural patron spirits. And while it would’ve been easy to just make the system for the most popular tabletop system and call it a day, the author put in extra effort for conversions to other popular D&D-style RPGs.

But even with all that said, there are many small things in Koryo Hall of Adventures which add up, and still leave the book feeling unfinished. In some cases it’s the fluff text not being descriptive, like the actual function of Chilseong gates or what role the non-Mudang spellcasting classes have to play in the setting’s cosmological framework. In other places it’s missing material that should be included or are instead scattered throughout the conversion documents, such as no 5th Edition or OSR write-ups for the new dragonborn subraces. This is not to say that the book is unable to be played right out of the box; individually such things are small in the grand scheme of things, but they’re numerous enough that one cannot help but notice.

But in spite of these doubts, I am overall impressed with the work that Aurélien Lainé and the various proofreaders/editors/illustrators/etc put into this. I’m eager to see the lands of Jeosung further developed, and await the day more material is released for it!

For my next Let’s Read, I’m going to focus on another well-researched fantasy counterpart setting of another notable peninsula. Join us next time as we visit the rough-and-tumble Italian-inspired world of Brancalonia!


4

Chapter 6, Part 2: the Mudang Class

Also known as shamans, mudang are mortals whose souls bond with spirits. This decision is rarely made by the mortal, and as such most mudang ‘come into’ their powers rather than through study or training. The bonding process opens up the shaman to the spirit realms, making them better able to better draw upon their power. The spirit-bonding process is a very painful experience, and a lot of mudang are impacted by some form of trauma. But spirits rarely choose a mortal vessel without long consideration, and go out of their way to find those whose personality and goals align with their own.

As a 5th Edition class, mudang are sort of like warlocks albeit they aren’t entirely spontaneous casters and “prepare” their spells via convening with spirit types. They have a d8 Hit Die, are close to wizards in weapon and armor proficiency, are proficient in Wisdom and Charisma saves, and choose 2 skills from a list of knowledgeable/insightful options. At 1st level they have an unarmoured AC equal to 10 their Charisma modifier (but no Dexterity). They can use shields to add to this value, but they don’t start with shield proficiency by default. Also at first level they can cast spells with the ritual tag as rituals.

Mudang use Charisma as their spellcasting ability, and every long rest they can select a number of common and/or uncommon spirits to prepare. Said spirits are themed around particular elements and concepts, allowing the mudang to spontaneously cast their listed spells via Kutt* Slots. Like warlocks they have a maximum slot level of 5th, but there are greater spirits (Daeshin and Daegam) who can grant access to 6+ level spells at 11th and 17th levels respectively. A Daeshin can also be summoned to command Common Spirits, and Daegam can be summoned to Command Uncommon Spirits. Both choices can either grant the ability to multicast 3 common/uncommon spirit spells as part of the same action, or take command of up to 3 of said spirits who are treated as charmed towards the mudang and their allies.

*term for a spell cast through a spirit.

A mudang can prepare 2 types of Spirits at 1st level, and prepare more as they level up, all the way up to 9 spirits at 20th level. They have 2-12 spell slots to cast kutt from Common spirits (1st-2nd level spells) depending on their level, and starting at 5th they gain 2 Uncommon spirit kutt slots (3rd-5th level spells) which are tracked separately, and can gain up to 5 of those slots at 11th level. At 11th to 15th level they can summon a Daeshin 1-3 times per long rest for a spell and/or service, and at 17th and 19th level they can summon a Daegim 1-2 times. As Common and Uncommon spirits grant access to 3-4 spells each on average, mudang are akin to very versatile warlocks. They must draw upon tightly-themed magic, but as they gain levels they have a generous list of choices as to what spells they can cast from said themes.

At 2nd level the Mudang adds double their proficiency bonus on Insight and Persuasion checks when interacting with spirits. Also at this level they gain access to a subclass reflective of the initial spirit who bonded with their soul. They have one of the five elements to choose from as a subclass, and they can spend a kutt slot to gain a Momju’s* Blessing which grants a specific effect based on the element. If the Blessing matches their elemental affinity the mudang can cast it for as many slots as they have but non-affiliated choices are limited by long rests. At 3rd level they can pass this Blessing on to their allies once per short or long rest. The Blessings are Tang (gain temporary HP and more temp HP whenever an effect grants it), Būl (AC boost or minimum AC value), Mūl (restore HP and increase HP maximum), Gongi (increase speed), and Maheum (allow touched ally to “take 10-13” on a d20 roll). The values of said Blessings increase with level. At 18th level the mudang always benefits from their affiliated elemental blessing, and at 20th level they can use other affinities an infinite number of times on themselves and their allies.

*term for spirit.

Beyond the Blessings, Spiritual Affinities grant more abilities both initial and at later levels. Each one grants the choice of two themed cantrips (+2 more at higher levels) and a unique cantrip spell the mudang always has access to, among other options. Tang is all about the enduring bounty of the earth, granting proficiency in simple melee weapons, shields, a single set of artisan’s tools, and its unique cantrip allows the mudang to mold and shape conjured earth, gain temporary HP, and deal bonus bludgeoning damage equal to their remaining temporary HP. At 6th level they can create large and sustainable domes and pillars of earth, at 10th they gain advantage on all checks to avoid being forcefully moved and can treat themselves as 3,000 pounds heavier, and at 14th level they gain 5 temporary HP whenever they have 0 temporary HP.

Būl represents the beautiful yet deadly power of fire, and grants proficiency in light and medium armor as well as all simple weapons along with some martial ones. Its unique cantrip envelops the caster in a fiery aura that adds additional fire damage to their next weapon or fire-based damaging attacks and can also deal burn enemies as a reaction. At 6th level they grant a touched target advantage on attack rolls and end the frightened condition, at 10th they gain resistance to fire damage and automatically deal damage to creatures grappling and touching them, and can raise their body temperature to 100 degrees Celsius. No game stats for this last part, though. At 14th level they can create an even more powerful aura that gives similar boons of the prior class features to allies, but at higher values.

Mūl symbolifies water and is favored by healers and traders. Its unique cantrip summons magical waters to swirl around a target, which can alternately empower healing magic to heal more damage, deal cold damage, or move light unattended objects. At 6th level they can impose a debuff via a touch by soothing a target’s emotions, which in combat applies disadvantage on relevant actions and out of combat increases the target’s impression of the caster (hostile to neutral, neutral to charmed). At 10th level the caster can take the Disengage action as a bonus action, can treat occupied hostile squares as difficult terrain while doing so, and can lower their internal body temperature to 0 degrees Celsius. At 14th level they can create an aura of cold that creates difficult terrain, grants resistance to cold damage, and can choose alternatively to prevent targets from healing damage or healing damage to a target as a reaction.

Gongi is favored by travelers who go wherever the winds take them, and is also favored by exorcists due to said element’s association with transitioning beyond the mortal coil. Their unique cantrip summons up winds which allow for short-term flight and the Disengage action as well as imposing magical slashing damage on a reaction. At 6th level they can generate a 10 foot radius of updrafts which can make creatures and objects hover in the air. At 10th level they can take the Dash action as a bonus action, at 0 hit points they can still move while unconscious as their bonded spirit possesses them, and can choose to weigh only 1 pound and take reduced fall damage when in such a state. At 14th level they can spend a reaction to treat a 0 HP creature as conscious and hold off their need to make death saving throws. Damage taken in this state forces such a save rather than auto-failing it.

Maehum is strongly associated with divination, and its practitioners often adopt fatalist attitudes and have a fondness for the Dallaenuen mushrooms. Their unique cantrip chooses two creatures for its effects: whenever one either makes an opposed roll or damages the other, the caster can have the roll/damage increased or reduced by a small yet noticeable amount as a reaction on the part of the mudang. At 6th level they can blow magical smoke onto a nearby creature, suppressing one condition for 1 minute. And a wide variety to choose from, ranging from blind to charm to incapacitated to 1 level of exhaustion! At 10th level they can roll initiative twice and choose the better result, and can shapeshift to appear anywhere from an adolescent to an elder version of themselves. At 14th level the mudang can touch a creature, connecting the two souls via an immaterial red string. Neither can drop unconscious or roll death saving throws due to being at 0 HP unless both are, but any extra damage dealt to one of the affected parties carries over to the other. They also share the same results of death saving throws, where collectively reaching 3 successes or failures results in stabilization/death.



Our section ends with 6 new mudang-related feats. One of them, Kutt Initiate, teaches the character a unique subclass spell and a single common spirit’s kutt spells cast at their lowest level. The rest of the feats key to one of the elemental Blessings, adding higher results as well as unique boons: Tang allows an ally to gain the AC bonus, Maheum forces a hostile opponent to replace a d20 roll with a 10-7, etc.

The Pathfinder version for the class is similar, although they have a good Fortitude and poor Reflex and Will saves, a notable departure from the 5e’s mind over matter. The conversions make some changes in places, like the class adding their Charisma bonus to their AC and a value from 0 to 5 based on level or the Tang subclass’ tool proficiency treating one Craft skill as a class skill. This may sound useless, but the Mudang is unique in that it doesn’t have Craft as a class skill.* The class casts in a similar manner, preparing particular spirits but casting spontaneously from the spirit’s spells.

*This is rather peculiar, as it’s industry standard for Craft to be a class skill for every class in official Pathfinder material. Same for Profession, with Barbarians being the odd class out in not getting it.

The OSR version is similar, although it is proficient in a shield right off the bat rather than getting it through a subclass, and its Prime Requisite is Charisma and either Dexterity (Būl) or Wisdom (other affinities). They attack as Magic-users but save and progress experience-wise as Clerics, and their method of spellcasting employs the similar “prepare spirits, cast your choice of spells through them” method which makes them rather spontaneous in their fields of expertise. They add their Charisma modifier as an AC bonus, which can be problematic as said score in OSR games doesn’t have a modifier by default but has modifiers for things such as NPC Reactions. Maybe that’s what was meant, but it’s not clear. Their elemental blessings are a bit lower-powered, such as Tang giving a flat +2 on saves vs spells and Gongi +10 feet to their movement rate.

There’s also something interesting that OSR Mudangs can do and the other systems can’t: When calling upon a Daeshin or Daegam spirit, they can capture a fragment of a Common or Uncommon spirit’s essence, adding them to the Mudang’s roster of bound spirits above and beyond the limitations of their class level. This still has the “GM’s Discretion” clause to it, indicating it’s not something that can be done regularly.


Chapter 8: Spirit List

Note: For those curious, Chapter 7 was Equipment and Magic Items, covered in my previous post.

As much as I’d like to make a judgment now, we can’t really touch upon the Mudang’s true power without covering this section. The spirits are something akin to cleric deity domains. Spirits are grouped into the five elemental categories, and further split between Common and Uncommon. Every element has 5 Common and 6 Uncommon spirits, which cover a broad variety of phenomena but aren’t meant to be an end-all be-all exhaustive list. Each spirit has an alignment and 2-4 themed spells* which the mudang can call upon. Generally speaking, Common spirits’ spells are 1st and 2nd level, while the spells of Uncommon spirits range from 3rd to 5th.

*a spirit with 2 is rare, and most have 3 to 4.

Preferred Jesa is also listed, which is good for making negotiations with newly-encountered spirits and when the mudang wishes to call upon one they recently discovered. When mudang wish to ‘trade out’ their prepared spirits for new ones on a long rest, it is customary to offer jesa in making a good first impression.

The Tang (earth) spirits cover a wide range of non-evil alignments, and their spells tend to hew closely to the utility side of things, with some earth and plant/nature-themed spells. Their phenomena ranges from the already mentioned nature stuff to household ancestral spirits and protectors of gates and homes. Būl (fire) hew closely to Chaotic Neutral options, with only one being Lawful (Neutral). Their spells are more offensive, covering fire as well as more general destruction, and some light/vision-based offense and utility spells. Their phenomena ranges from various aspects of fire and heat, soldiers, and revealers of the unseen. Mūl (water) spirits are overwhelmingly good-aligned in line with their common personalities as empathetic healers. Their spells tend towards protection, healing, and buffs, as well as some water and cold-based magic. Their phenomena range from food, healing, seafaring, commerce, and all kinds of bodies of water. Gongi spirits are the most widespread, reflecting the ever-moving nature of air, and are closely associated as messengers between the mortal and spirit worlds. They are mostly Chaotic with 2 Lawful spirits, and their spells range from air, mobility and illusion-based spells, with a few outliers such as Hideous Laughter and Confusion. Their phenomena range from free-spiritedness, wind and storms, spirits of deceased shamans who communicate through dreams, jet streams, and guardians of the dead. Finally, Maheum (mind) spirits tend to be eccentric beings who are attracted to libraries, drug-users and brewers, and others who seek to alter their minds in various ways. Their alignment ranges are rather broad, and their spells heavily favor utility magic with a few mental buffs and debuffs. Their phenomena are diverse, ranging from judgment, social manipulation, departed souls, suffering, and purifiers of sacred grounds among other things.

There is mention of spirit Sightings as special sidebars in the sections of the four major regions of previous Chapters, in some cases giving a list of powers and spells for that particular spirit. The idea is that while traveling a Mudang PC can gain access to unique spirits in one region but typically cannot call upon their service when traveling elsewhere. Mudangguk has Chaotic Good Cheonmando Protector Spirits who have water and healing-related kutt spells; Noonnara has the stony and playful Chaotic Good Golybosü spirit, who has two water-themed and Dominate Beast as kutt spells; and Daewanguk has the Lawful Neutral forest spirit Poongchun who has divination and summoning-related kutt spells.

Daeshin and Daegam Affinities are their own special cases. They cover phenomena and concepts which are wide-ranging and enduring over the course of time. Daeshin are much like Common and Uncommon spirits in that they are grouped by their elemental affinity, have alignments, and 3 kutt spells albeit ranging from 6th to 8th level. For example, Tang Daeshin can represent large topographic features, the beauty of nature, and protectors of city gates and palaces, while Maheum Daeshin cover exceptional knowledge of world-changing events to the reapers of dead souls.

Daegam are the most powerful known spirits. Unlike the previous kinds they are not grouped by element or have generic names: each one is a specific named individual holding dominion over a 9th level spell and a universal concept. There are ten of them, and their alignments are a bit skewed: 3 are Chaotic Evil, 2 are Lawful Neutral, 2 Chaotic Neutral, and 1 each remaining of Lawful Good, True Neutral, and Neutral Evil. I won’t cover them all, but some of the more interesting ones include Jaenan (incarnation of all anger, casts Storm of Vengeance), Yokgu (sum of all desires and dreams, casts Wish), Bari (the first shaman who is now a guide of the dead in the Underworld, casts Astral Projection), and Janggun (the patron of all warriors and whose visage is omnipresent in Haenamguk, casts Raise Army).

The Pathfinder equivalents more or less have the same standard, albeit with some swapped spells that don’t exist in 5e replacing one or more options. The OSR version dispenses with the spirit lists, instead giving us a very in-depth guide for Converting/Generating Mudang Spirits. This last one has a generous helping of charts and tables any OSR veteran has grown to know and love. The reason for this is that there’s a lot less spells to choose from in this system than in 5th Edition or Pathfinder, so for assigning spells there are guidelines for selecting and reskinning spells, along with slight alterations in line with the spirit’s element.

Existing Class Comparisons & Thoughts So Far: The mudang class differs greatly depending on the system in question for terms of comparison. And given that it is outright replacing one of the core classes, comparing it to said class is inevitable.

For 5th Edition the mudang is a pseudo-Warlock but less overtly offensive barring the right subclass and spirit choices. Unlike the Cleric it doesn’t have great weapon/armor proficiency unless you take a certain subclass, which pushes it more into the squishy caster role. More than anything they are closest to wizards; they have a wide assortment of potential spells to draw upon, but in between long rests they are limited to some themed choices.

As for whether they are a satisfactory replacement for the cleric...the problem with a replacement class is that they’re not just competing with the core class, they’re also competing with every piece of new material made for said class. This is even more egregious in the case of Pathfinder, who over its decade-plus history has made so many spells, class archetypes, feats, and other things for the Cleric that the Mudang as a replacement cannot help but come up short. This isn’t as egregious with 5th Edition, although there’s still a notable amount of released material. In comparison to the OSR Cleric, it is likely on more even footing, perhaps stronger, on account of being more free-form for spells due to the pseudo-spontaneous casting method. But all 3 editions at 11+ level have a pretty sweet ability to multicast spells, which opens the class up to some pretty powerful combos.

And as to whether the mudang can feel new and unique...its pick and choose nature for various spirits feels more free-form than being stuck with one deity like the standard cleric. Alignments are still listed and some options are weighted such that certain elements have a moral bias, but much like in basic 5e the alignments and the role-play of petitioning spirits are more a guideline than hard-and-fast rules restrictions.

In short, the Mudang looks like a serviceable class with a lot of options that tie in well to the setting. Its greatest weakness is the competition with the Cleric’s multitude of options, and the possibility that some gaming groups would find it lacking when wanting to play a priest-type character in Jeosung.

Join us next time as we complete this review with a Bestiary and Appendice!

5

Chapter 6: 5th Edition (& Pathfinder, OSR) Options

Note: Some of you reading ahead may see that I haven’t covered the Mudang class in this post. This is intentional; Koryo’s Cleric replacement is more complicated than the subclasses here. Since it also has a chapter of its own for the various spirits it gains spells from, it’s best covered in a post of its own.

So far the bulk of material for Koryo Hall of Adventures has been system-neutral setting stuff. As of now the rest of the book is pure mechanics. The main sourcebook has rules for 5th Edition D&D, but rules for Pathfinder 1e and OSR are available as separately-purchased conversion documents. This is unfortunate as fans of those systems have to pay more, but as yours truly has both of those documents I’m going to review them as well!

Backgrounds cover aspects of one’s character before they became an adventurer. In 5th Edition they are new Backgrounds specific to the setting culture, in Pathfinder they are Traits, and in the OSR they don’t exist. For the most part they are the same concept albeit with different rules, although the Pathfinder version has 2 more not included in the 5e version. The 7 shared ones include Hamaeng Hosa, Daewanguk’s secret police) who get some sneaky/investigative perks; Hanisa, physicians practiced in a variety of medicines and good bedside manners) who get healing and gaming set-related boons; Hero of the Hall, notable characters of Koryo Hall who get some social skill proficiencies and minor discounts from the Hall’s services (can only be selected in 5e if starting at 5th level or higher); Hwarang, Haenamguk’s propaganda youth wing, who gain 2 bonus weapon proficiencies of their choice among Athletics/Religion in 5e and +1 to 3 ‘neighborly’ skills in PF (Diplomacy, Know-Local, Sense Motive); Kisaeng, performers and courtesans, get various entertainment-related proficiencies and a bonus language. In 5e their Feature allows them to access a tit-for-tat information network to learn various secrets about yangbans, and in PF that’s their primary benefit. Moving on, Tea Masters are experts at the various intricacies of brewing tea and get bonuses on Insight/Sense Motive checks in general and higher bonuses on said skill when performing a tea ceremony. Finally the Yangban are the nobility of Daewanguk and Haenamguk, and get various ‘high class’ proficiencies and a boatload of starting cash (250 gp) in 5e. In Pathfinder, they get an amount of “liquid assets” that are the equivalent of 100 gold to be spent on services and non-material goods which replenishes every week but cannot be “hoarded” over time. The book gives several examples, but calls out paying for spellcasting services as a viable option. In core PF, spellcasting services equal Caster level × spell level × 10 gp, so you can easily gain access to spells from cantrips up to 2nd level this way.

The two Pathfinder-exclusive background traits are as follows: Trader, which is exactly what it sounds like and lets you buy/sell items at 5% in your favor along with Appraise as a class skill, and Wonwha who are veterans of Daewanguk’s various “gifted children programs” and once per day can roll a trained only skill as if they were trained.

The backgrounds overall don’t really stand out, save for the Yangban’s purchasing power. I am glad that we have a generic “doctor” background for 5e that isn’t a wilderness hermit or monastery dweller. In 5th Edition money isn’t as necessary as it is in 3rd Edition, while in PF the liquid assets are mostly useful at low levels, so the background doesn’t stand heads and shoulders above the others. But it is still a very attractive option.

Races of Jeosung is a Pathfinder-specific entry, detailing the major dragonborn subraces. Called “dragonkin” in the document, this is an effective Pathfinder conversion of the 5e race, albeit with some changes here and there. Each subrace is built from 20 Racial Points and is treated as a race unto their own for game mechanics. They are all Medium size and have the Dragon type, along with Darkvision, low-light vision, typical dragon immunities (magical sleep and paralysis), and a 1/day breath weapon that is a 1d6 damaging cone. Unlike 5e’s dragonborn, this damage doesn’t increase with level and a successful reflex save avoids damage entirely unlike most AoE stuff, making it very underpowered. Hwasanyong are the most martial subrace, gaining +1 natural AC, +2 on melee attack rolls and AC when below half HP or fighting away from any ally, and gain fast healing 2 for 1 round whenever they take fire damage. Nokyong are spiritual forest-dwellers who gain +2 AC and +4 Stealth when in a specific type of favored terrain chosen at character creation, along with bonuses to Diplomacy and Knowledge (History, Local) checks for gathering information about local areas. Yulaeyong are the winged dragonborns of Noonnara, gaining +1 natural AC, a climb speed, +2 bonus on Sense Motive and Survival, and wings which don’t grant flight but can let them glide and fall at a safe descent.

We have 3 new feats for Dragonkin: Ascended Draconic Breath makes their breath weapon’s damage dice increase by 1d6 for every 2 levels after 1st, Dragon King’s Breath increases the breath weapon’s size and gives an additional daily use, and Dragon King’s Fury grants an additional daily use and the breath weapon deals half damage on a failed save.

The dragonborn subraces get a variety of useful traits, although the most iconic feature (the breath weapon) is a bit underwhelming unless it gets some feat taxes to make it suck less. And even after getting the feats, it still doesn’t measure up to a lot of damaging spells out there.



Jaein: the Bards of Jeosung gives us a new subclass for 5e and PF, and a new class for the OSR. Jaein are entertainers of Jeosung, trained in a broad variety of skills but tend to specialize in acrobatics, acting, or music. The College of Gwangdae (5e) teaches that a Jaein must be well-rounded in all 3. At their initial 3rd level upon entry they gain proficiency in Acrobatics, Performance, Disguise Kits, and a single Musical Instrument, and if already proficient in one or both of the former skills can trade it out for another. Also at 3rd level they can cave a special mask to take on a common fictional persona (Elder, Soldier, Scholar, etc) which grants them some kind of special feature, usually the expenditure of Bardic Inspiration in adding to a skill check or the casting of a 1st-level spell. At higher levels they can make a mask which can embody multiple personas at once. At 6th level they become better at feats of agility and grace, reducing balance-based Acrobatics check DCs by 10 and learn Feather Fall as a spell cand can cast it an additional number of times per day equal to their Charisma modifier. At 14th level they gain a very powerful AoE where they conjure a spectral stage, forcing those within to take certain actions on a failed saving throw and those within cannot leave the area of effect without the Bard’s permission or if they become unconscious.

The PF version more or less is a faithful conversion minus the bonus proficiencies, the Bard adds either half their level or their Charisma modifier in lieu of the Mask’s Bardic Inspiration die boons. However, Pathfinder subclasses have to trade out class features to gain the new abilities, and in this case the Jaein must give up their Bardic Performance. Which is a bit of a loss, especially considering the fact that the subclass’ most powerful feature doesn’t kick in until 16th level and its masks and acrobatics are more situational and personal-use.

The Jaein OSR class is kind of like a “support Thief.” Its Prime Requisite is Charisma, has a d6 Hit Dice, and has XP/Attack/starting resources as a Thief, although they have the Saving Throws of a Halfling (which are pretty good). Their weapon proficiencies aren’t as versatile, focusing on lighter graceful weapons and some heavier bludgeoning ones (flail, quarterstaff). They can wear any armor, but anything heavier than “light armor” restricts their use of Performance Abilities. Their class table makes mention of “spell songs” which can be composed and prepared, along with casting time of said spell songs by level (2 rounds at 1st level, 1 round at 8th, instantaneous at 14th). But as there’s no mention of what this means or what spells they do learn, this class feature is more or less useless. Their Mask Magic is much like the 5e/PF versions, but the bonuses range from 1d4 to the Jaein’s level.

The class’ Performance Skills are separated into Styles and Arts, the former which are ranked Novice to Master and the latter Lesser and Greater. The Jaein has some freedom of choice in choosing which ones to learn as they level up, but once taken the “increases” for Styles at certain levels are locked in. Acrobatic Style grants them the ability to cast various acrobatics-related spells (Spider Climb, Feather Fall, Haste, etc) and gains static percentile bonuses on various rolls and Thief skills for actions related to agility; Impressionist Style lets them mimic the sound of a limited number of animal species and can imitate and disguise themselves as specific individuals; Musician Style makes them cast spell songs faster, can use music to erase hostility in targets, and can grant listeners the benefit of Cure Light Wounds before a night’s rest.

Jaein Arts are taken individually; once you learn an Art, you know it, but Greater Arts only kick in at 5th level and the Jaein learns them later over the course of a 20 level career. Lesser Arts include things like being able to automatically succeed on balance-related checks out of combat (and in combat albeit suffering certain penalties), gaining bonuses to speed and AC, gaining bonuses to Thief spells involving sleight of hand and and can cast Phantasmal Force/Light/Wall of Fog once per day via stage magic, and can grant bonuses on morale checks and 1d4+1 to an ally’s die roll via oratory skills. Greater Arts include better AC vs missile attacks and can catch missed ranged attacks and throw them back automatically, performing a puppet show which lets them subtly use various Styles, Arts, and Spell Songs and not be detected as such by observers, can 1/day automatically succeed in telling a lie or faking a wound or their own death, and elicit sharp words which can force an NPC to make a Morale check, ventriloquism that can confuse targets, disrupt spellcasting, communicate secretly with allies, or impose penalties on rolls.

Existing Class Comparisons: in 5th Edition and Pathfinder the subclasses feel a bit lacking. The Masks may be the most versatile, but only being able to use a few at once and on themselves make them very much a situational jack of all trades. Their capstone ability is pretty powerful, but kicks in too late to be of use in most campaigns.

As a new OSR class, the Jaein has a good amount of options and some of which can be quite powerful. Unfortunately it feels incomplete due to the lack of Spell Song descriptions, and some of the Arts and Styles are broader than others. Still, the class as it is can make for a good “social rogue” type.



Sunim: the Monks of Jeosung discuss the role Monks play in the setting. While many of the class’ fantasy tropes are still intact, there’s more flavor text which specifically grounds their ideologies beyond “enlightenment through meditation.” Almost all Monks are Purists of some sort, who view the current state of mortalkind as flawed and seek to achieve the status once held by the Heavenly Beings. Their monasteries were built during times of war and strife, when people sought to isolate themselves from the world so as to better find ways of ascension and to distance themselves from danger. They weren’t pacifists, however, teaching themselves martial arts known as sunmudo that calls upon their own spiritual energy in the event that others bring violence upon them. In-universe monks are called Sunim in the Spiritual Lexicon, while those who are Purists but don’t follow the monastic life are known as Followers of Hwanggung.

Purism has five major tenets, each linked to one of the four classical elements and mind, which have their own linguistic terms.

Quote
Tang (earth). Do not let yourself be bound to earthly desires. As such, renounce intimate relationships, marriage, and the consumption of meat.

Būl (fire).While you may have to fight to defend yourself and the oppressed, you may never be the first one to strike.

Mūl (water). Be the hand that helps and nurtures. Show compassion to those in need, support your teachers and elevate your students. Never ignore injustice.

Gongi (air). Your words show your true nature. Do not lie, and use your knowledge to help elevate those around you.

Maheum (mind). Keep a clear mind at all times; do not drink alcohol or use mind altering substances.

Via these tenets, Purists believe that they can alter their natures to be closer to the Heavenly Beings of old, and meditations are done for the purpose of emptying one’s mind of earthly desires and to detach oneself from past mistakes and suffering.

We have two new monk subclasses for 5e and Pathfinder. For the latter system, they are archetypes for the Unchained version of the monk.

The Sunmudo Monastic Tradition for 5th Edition grants bonus proficiencies in Insight and a musical instrument, the former swapped for another skill of choice if already proficient. Additionally they can prepare a number of stances equal to their Wisdom every short rest, corresponding to the 5 tenets: Tang grants resistance to all non-psychic damage if the monk doesn’t move during their turn, Būl adds +1d4 fire damage per attack with Flurry of Blows, Gongi grants temporary fly speed equal to movement with Step of the Wind, Mūl grants +2 AC when using Patient Defense, and Maheum allows the monk once per short rest to spend a Ki point to regain 1 HP whenever they drop to 0 HP. At level 6 they learn a meditation rite which after 15 minutes heals them a number of hit points equal to their monk level and counts as meditation for regaining Ki points. At 11th level they can spend 2 Ki Points as an AoE effect centered on them, imposing disadvantage on attack rolls against the monk and their allies on a failed Charisma save. At 17th level they can draw in spiritual energy from elsewhere once per long rest, gaining 2 Ki points per round for 1 minute or until they fall unconscious.

The Pathfinder version is more or less a faithful conversion, although the meditation ritual doesn’t restore ki points and restores 1d8 + monk level in HP, the AoE is specifically the Calm Emotions spell, and the damage resistance is merely their monk level rather than halved damage. As an archetype they must give up Style Strike, their 6th and 12th level Ki powers, and Timeless Body. As Timeless Body’s benefits don’t come up in most campaigns and the Unchained Monk has plenty of Ki powers to choose from as they level up, they don’t give up that much for this rather nifty and versatile archetype.

The Taekwondo Monastic Tradition for 5th Edition was developed by soldiers of Haenamguk who emphasize quick powerful strikes and kicks at the expense of stability. The fighting style has become immensely popular, spreading throughout Jeosung in various academies. Members of this tradition can treat quarterstaffs and nunchaku (game stats as clubs) as monk weapons, and in addition can treat them as Versatile weapons and use their Dexterity rather than Strength score when performing the Shove action with them. At 3rd level the monk learns a variety of special kick attacks which augment their ki-based abilities, such as +1d4 damage with Flurry of Blows, triple jump distance with Step of the Wind and can knock creatures prone with a kick that deals damage one die type higher (d6 to d8, d8 to d10, etc), and can make an unarmed attack as a reaction when using Patient Defense and struck targets have disadvantage on any attack rolls made against the monk. At 6th level they add their proficiency bonus to initiative as well as Performance and Intimidation checks where they show off their martial prowess, and at 11th level once per short rest can unleash a war cry that restores 3 Ki points and imposes the frightened condition on nearby creatures that fail a Wisdom save. At 17th level they can unleash a special tornado kick attack that crits on a 19-20 and can deal 1, 3, or 6 extra dice of damage if 1-3 Ki points are spent. Creatures who suffer a critical hit become stunned for 1 round on a failed Wisdom save.

The Pathfinder conversion is faithful, although the 3rd level feature separates the special kick attacks by level (3rd, 7th, 10th), the 7th level kick can trip a creature, the disadvantage is a mere -2 penalty, the reaction-based attack is an attack of opportunity, and a ki point can be spent to make an additional unarmed strike as a swift action with flurry of blows. Wisdom is added to initiative instead of proficiency bonus, the way cry is a multi-target Intimidation demoralize, and the bonus die for the tornado kick is 1d4-3d4 bonus damage. As for what the archetype gives up, they trade in their 6th, 12th, and 16th level ki powers.

Just like the Bard, the OSR document has a whole new class. The Monk/Sunim is the default, with Sunmudo and Taekwondo as one of two chosen traditions. Overall the class is a bit of a glass cannon: their Prime Requisite is Wisdom, they have a d6 Hit Die, and their only weapons beyond unarmed strikes are the quarterstaff, club, dart, and flail. They cannot use any form of armor or shield, and Attack as a Fighter and Save as a Cleric. They gain a base Unarmed Damage Die and inherent bonus to their base AC, both of which improve as they level (1d4 to 1d12+5 for the former, +3 to +11 for the latter). As they level up they can treat their unarmed attacks as having the silver and magical properties at 3rd and 5th level, and at 9th level they deal 1d6 bonus damage to creatures related to an element that they learned* as a Bangsaek Gift. Furthermore, they don’t suffer negative effects from touching/striking creatures with an innate defense such as poisonous skin or a damaging aura. Like the Bard they have a versatile set of choices in Bangsaek Gifts and Monastic Tradition Disciplines. Bangsaek Gifts correspond to the 5 elements and there are a total of 10, mostly either static perks (bonus to saves, movement speeds, communicate in all languages, etc) or activated abilities, a few of which are once per day (move up and intercept an attack meant for an ally, end a personal physical affliction, deflect and catch missile weapons, etc). A Monk cannot use every Gift available to them, and must prepare which ones they have access to per day like a spellcaster.

*DM’s discretion, but the OSR document basically says that everything has an affinity for various elements to greater and lesser extents. Aquatic creatures with water, birds with air, etc.

The two Monastic Traditions teach Disciplines based on rank and also give +1 to an ability score (Wisdom for Sunmudo, Dexterity for Taekwondo). Both traditions are more or less faithful conversions of the 5e/PF subclasses, substituting proper effects: morale checks for the frightened condition, can use Bangsaek Gifts an additional time per day instead of restoring ki points, etc. Finally at 20th level the Monk can choose one of their Bangsaek Gifts to be ‘permanently’ known and thus automatically have it when choosing which ones they have access to per day.

Existing Class Comparisons: The 5e Taekwondo subclass is a great option for those who want to maximize their damage potential, although it’s rather lacking in the utility department in favor of pure offense and combat prowess. The bonus to initiative is pretty nice, too. The PF version feels a bit less impressive, if only due to the fact that the minor bonuses and penalties by themselves are meant to stack with a multitude of other features in the system as is the case for most character-building. Wisdom bonus to initiative is very good, however, and the mere d4 bonus dice is mitigated by the fact that Pathfinder contains many, many ways to gain bonus attacks in a round, particularly for Monks.

For the OSR class, most retroclones are rather monk-phobic save for Swords & Wizardry, so we’re going to use that RPG’s class as a comparison point. In contrasting the two, Koryo’s monk class is more tightly focused. The player has more freedom to choose what abilities to learn, but they correspond more closely to elements and fighting styles rather than being a hodgepodge assortment of spell-like abilities and features that have little synergy with each other. Koryo’s weaponless damage has a lower cap and its AC bonus has a better initial bonus at lower levels, but the AC progression becomes equivalent at higher levels. The XP chart for Koryo’s monk is much faster than S&W’s monk, topping out at 1.5 million XP at 20th level vs the latter’s 4.2 million, so overall Koryo’s has a much more noticeable feeling of progression over the course of a campaign. And also quite importantly, Koryo’s monk won’t be screwed when fighting an enemy which has immunity to non-magical weapon attacks, which can become quite common at the higher levels.



Equipment & Magic Items is relatively short, covering a short list of common goods and services along with new culture-specific adventuring kits: a Hanisa/acupuncture kit for medicine, a Shaman’s Pack for the Mudang, and a Tea Master’s Kit. Duri’s Amazing Items is the name of a local shop at the Koryo Hall of Adventures. It has a list of gimmicky magic items and their gold piece prices, providing short descriptions or referring to the new Magic Items section for more complicated abilities. At the lower end you have a belt that conjures a set of illusory pants and a dagger that heals 1d4+Wisdom modifier in damage of creatures it stabs,* while at the more expensive end you have a tiger skull helmet that adds double proficiency in Survival when tracking animals and masks which add either +1 to Intimidation or Performance checks depending on whether they are meant to evoke entertainment or fear.

*the stabbing still deals damage so using it is a gamble.

For new non-gimmicky magic items we have 10 new entries and more generic Mudang Charms. For the former we have an assortment of options, such as a Flute of Invisibility that turns the performer invisible but they must still audibly play it to remain in such a state, a Chalice of Dragonfire that grants 3 charges of the fire breath weapon,* a Four Corners Gem where each section can be broken off to perform a certain effect (produce a small amount of gold coins, rations, let a dying creature stabilize, or kill a dying creature), a Fan of Folly which can confuse a creature the user waves the fan at, and Saljaebi Flowers made of old scroll papers of good luck which if smashed against a target (as bonus or immediate action) grant +2 AC for 1 round. Perhaps most interesting is the Orb of Time Reset, which records all phenomena within a 30 foot radius at a certain point in time and can reverse everything to that point when the orb is broken. The orb has some nasty side effects: creatures who aren’t present within the specific AoE when activated die as they are torn from the timeline, with no possibility of resurrection.

*In 5th Edition the item doesn’t specify if it’s like a dragon’s breath weapon and what age category, but Pathfinder specifies it has the effects of the Fire Breath spell. In the OSR it is a 30 foot range 6d8 damaging attack, but every 10 HP inflicted has a 1% chance of granting the user a draconic feature like fangs, tail, and scales. Some of which can grant new features like natural weapons.

We also have a list of Jesa and prices divided into elements and rarity for said elements. For example, Būl spirits prefer the burning of various plants, crops, and herbs, while Gongi prefer seasonal flowers which either smell nice or who scatter their spores via the wind like dandelions.

Mudang Charms are magic items corresponding to the new class. Shamanic Charms are consumable parchments which turn to ash after activation and grant a +1 or +2 to skill checks related to an ability score for 1 hour. Bujeoks are amulets representative of an animal renowned for a certain physical or mental prowess and grant +1 to an appropriate ability score when worn. Finally there are five Mudang Rare Magic Items which correspond to a certain element, granting +1 bonus to spell attack rolls and saving throw DCs of that particular affinity. They also grant a bonus special ability while attuned: for example, the +1 Folding Fan can let the wielder once per short rest float 6 inches off the ground and can Dash, Dodge, or Disengage as a bonus action for 1 round, while the +1 Incense Burner once per short rest blinds creatures within 10 feet of the wielder on a failed Constitution save. The Charms and Bujeoks have costs in gold pieces, although the Rare Magic Items do not.

The bonuses for Pathfinder are more or less carried over, but the OSR version has a lot of specific new material. Not only are there rules for PCs crafting said charms themselves, the Bujeoks can even have randomly-determined variable effects rolled on a 2d6 table ranging from the positive to the negative. The Bear (Strength) charm for example can force a penalty on enemy Morale due to the wearer’s frightful bear-roars. But another effect makes them ravenously hungry after the effect expires, forcing them to eat a days’ worth of food or starve.

Spells include not just the spells included in the default book (of which there are few), but also magic from the Homebrew Spells Lists which are available as Pay What You Want PDFs on Drive-Thru RPG. The OSRified spells are already included in the default paid-for conversion document, so while the 5e/PF versions are free the scattered nature makes it a bit inconvenient for cross-referencing.

We have 18 new spells, 4 of which are Evil spells developed by Yun Sepyeong. Being caught using the latter spells makes the caster a killable target for Koryo Hall’s adventurers, not to mention any number of governmental bodies. Their use also marks the caster as an enemy of all spirit-kind, meaning that no spirits will aid the caster voluntarily.

Let’s cover the non-evil spells first. The Calculate cantrip suspends an object in a floating cube of water, imparting mathematical dimensions and economic value to the caster. Flame Spear is a fire damage cantrip that can lodge itself in the target, dealing initial damage and 1d8 further when it ignites if the target attacks the caster. Heavy Gong is a cantrip that creates a shell of earth that deals bludgeoning damage in melee, while Muck Bang is a ranged cantrip that hurls damaging mud that also creates an area of difficult terrain for 1 round. Campfire creates a magical fire that in addition to dealing damage has minor healing properties of those who take a short rest by it. Slippery Space imposes disadvantage on Sleight of Hand and Stealth in its long-lasting AoE, while Fissure creates a long line in the earth that can deal damage to those who fall in via a failed Dexterity save. Sinking Sand is similar in damage-dealing to those caught within the AoE, but is a radius rather than a line and reduces the speed of those within to 0 until they free themselves with a Strength check. Heighten Emotion is an enchantment that imposes disadvantage on future charmed and frightened conditions, while Unleash is a buff that instills fighting spirit in a target (even an unconscious one) by gifting them temporary hit points, an immediate Action to use after the spell’s casting, and deals +1d8 fire damage on melee weapon attacks. Promare can ignite the flames of life in a target, allowing the spellcaster to spend their own Hit Dice to restore the target’s points; it can even be used on a deceased target provided that they were dead for up to 1 hour or less. Targets healed in such a way shed blue light and have resistance to all damage for 1 minute. Raise Platoon and Raise Army summon swarms of Spectral Soldiers who have their own stat block. Raise Army is the higher-level version, which summons 3 Swarms instead of 1 and has a longer duration and range (8 hours and 120 feet vs 1 hour and 60 feet). A Spectral Soldier Swarm is a CR 4 Gargantuan undead creature, which can attack 1-2 targets in the swarm’s space, is incorporeal, treats all of its attacks as magical, and has a host of damage resistances and condition immunities.

For the major OSR and Pathfinder differences, the cantrips become 1st level spells in the OSR, while in Pathfinder the cantrips don’t increase in damage by level as cantrips do by default in 5e. The resistance/advantage/etc spells give more minor bonuses and minuses in other systems, and Pomare has a mere Damage Reduction 5/- in Pathfinder. Pathfinder’s Fissure is a lot less damaging (only 2d6 from falling), and the OSR’s Mukbang can immobilize a target on a failed save or halve their movement on a successful one. Promare in Pathfinder and OSR (called Spark of Life in the latter) forces the target to give up their own Hit Points to heal the target, which makes it a much less appealing option to use.

Now let’s cover the EVIL Spells! Why are they evil? Well they all involve the destruction and/or enslavement of spirits, which is a danger to the connection between the mortal and spirit realms and screws around with the natural order and the flow of magic into the world. They are uniformly very high level, with Spiritual Cage 8th and Consume Spirit 9th level, with Ender of the Gods 10th level in 5e or 9th level in PF. Oddly, the OSR document has no conversion of such spells.

Spiritual Cage takes over a spirit’s mind, forcing it to do anything the caster commands of it. It has a 1 hour duration, but if cast continuously over the course of 8 hours* then the duration jumps to permanent. A diamond is needed to hold the spirit’s material form, and its destruction frees the spirit from the caster’s control. Consume Spirit has the caster swallow the diamond, literally eating the spirit and gaining their powers in the form of one of the spirit’s Kutt spells* and can be cast via the expenditure of an appropriate spell slot. This isn’t permanent, as spell slots gained in such a way are not restored after a long rest. And in case you’re wondering, any diamonds eaten pass through the caster’s digestive tract, allowing them to be reused for enslaving other spirits.

*I presume that this is an 8 hour casting time, as this would otherwise involve the expenditure of 480 spell slots.

Finally, Ender of the Gods is a totally ridiculous spell. First off it requires 1,000 spell slots of 6th level and higher accumulated via the Consume Spirit spell to be cast. Once that is met as well as the 10 minute casting time, the caster transforms into a golden spear of light that has a 10,000 foot range and 60 feet width. All those within the AoE take 40d20 force damage or half on a successful save, while divine creatures (including all spirits) take double damage. After the casting, the caster’s body is paralyzed until a Greater Restoration is cast upon them.

*pseudo-cleric domain style spells associated with particular spirits.

Pathfinder has a 9th level Greater Spiritual Cage spell, which allows the caster to affect any spirit regardless of rank. In 5e, the base Spiritual Cage can do the same via casting it with a 9th-level slot. Pathfinder’s Ender of the Gods has a more down to earth damage value of 20 force damage per caster level.

Thoughts So Far: The rules-centric section for player-facing material is all over the place. There’s quite a bit of usable material, but said options vary in usability and quality. Interestingly the OSR gets the most, with two new classes that can emulate bards and monks beyond the Jeosung-centric specialties. The Pathfinder version has some new material that isn’t present in the others for some reason, such as the dragonborn subraces and 2 backgrounds. Ironically the Pathfinder versions feel lacking in comparison to 5e. In the OSR modifiers are few and far between, while in 5e Bounded Accuracy, advantage/disadvantage, and resistance/vulnerability options make the various modifiers a lot more meaningful. Compare this to the minor bonuses handed out in Pathfinder, which on their own aren’t so hot but need to be stacked with a bunch of other spells/feats/etc to be significant.

I do appreciate that a lot of the new magic items have listed gold piece prices in reflection of Jeosung’s higher-magic nature, and I did enjoy the new monk subclasses. The magical items were flavorful as well.

Overall, the spells are a good mixture of nifty abilities, although they vary in balance. Two of the damaging cantrips have some nice debuffs, while the water-calculation one is good for ascertaining the value of recovered treasure. Promare in 5e is very powerful in the granting of damage resistance, although it consumes a 300 gp diamond in all versions, which prevents it from becoming too OP in 5e but makes it a bit too gimmicky to be a sure option in Pathfinder/OSR.

The Evil Spells are too high-level and situational to be of use in most campaigns. They’re the kind of thing you’d give to a bad guy NPC spellcaster, and the downsides of PCs using it outweigh the good. Their most practical use is to gain the service and spells of spirits, the latter of which is a temporary casting vs the permanent destruction of an enslaved spirit. Ender of the Gods will not be cast in any real campaign unless the GM handwaves months of downtime for the PC caster. “Okay, no need to roll initiative hundreds of times, let’s say that you enslave 400 spell slots worth of spirits.” And on top of that, it has way too long of a casting time to be usable in combat, its intended primary purpose.

Join us next time as we learn the secrets of shamanism with the new Mudang Class and Spirit List!

6
D&D 5e / Re: High 5e: Review, Resource, & Request Thread
« on: June 17, 2021, 07:33:02 PM »
3 more entries!





Adventures From the Pot-Bellied Kobold: A series of 15 short adventures.





Blue Rose Adventurer's Guide: A 5e conversion on the notable queer-friendly romantic fantasy setting.





Grim Hollow: A dark fantasy setting that got a notable bump from Critical Role. Currently available as a Campaign Guide and supplementary Player's Guide.

7

Chapter 5, Part 5: Haenamguk

Our final region in Jeosung, Haenamguk is an island nation off the southern peninsular coasts. The terrain fared far worse during the Winds of Darkness than other regions, and the devastation wrought by Yun Sepyeong’s fall and the monsters that spilled out into the world turned much of the land into a burning ruin. But the realm of Haenamguk managed to recover, and its people are proud of how they managed to build a nation out of what seemed to be unlivable conditions.

Ever since the Retaking of the Lands, Haenamguk has been a military dictatorship. Like Daewanguk it is a single nation with a centralized government employing the Yangban system. Unlike Daewanguk and the other kingdoms of Jeosung, the primary hierarchy is between civilian and soldier, not nobleman and peasant. Haenamguk officially defines itself as a civilian Directorship with armed forces, and the two branches of government have their own roles and functions in theory. In reality, the military government has legal authority to overturn any actions undertaken by the Directorship. In practice, the army doesn’t invoke this right frequently save during times of crisis or when an example needs to be made, as much of the bureaucratic minutia is better handled by civic administrators than warriors. As a result, the Directorship plays a careful balancing act, prizing what autonomy they can take and doing their part not to antagonize the power behind the throne too much. The military isn’t just for show; while not omnipresent there are various Open Wounds scattered about the country, from which demons and other foul monsters climb out to menace the countryside. A constant military presence is required to keep them in check, and many criminals are conscripted for the front lines here. By Haenamguk’s reasoning, they’re given a chance to make up for themselves by defending the country from danger. And for naval defenses, legions of heavily-armed dragonships are a constant presence around and between Haenamguk’s major island and smaller chains.

Beyond these power structures, there are other notable groups. Haenamguk is home to the Hwasanyong dragonborn and the Hwasan dwarves, who for generations have been racial enemies. During the Winds of Darkness they united in common cause against the dokkaebis and other forces of evil, and now the dragonborn serve as soldiers while the dwarves devote their lives to engineering and construction projects. There’s still simmering resentment between the groups, although the dictatorship does its best to put a clamp on things from evolving into all-out war. There are also three prominent families of Haenamguk: the Chloe clan, made up of bureaucrats related to the current Director; the Kim clan, a prosperous farming and fishing family who fastened a strong economy by opening up economic ties with foreign lands, especially with the Gaya Confederacy and Gomnaru Port Authorities; and the Yi clan, a family of wizards and information brokers who run the Chenju College of Wizardry. Many of the Yi’s members secretly belong to the Sect of Changjo in hopes that the return of the gods would usher in a new world order with them as rulers.

Chaandö and Haemadö comprise the northermost island chains off Haenamguk’s coast. It is here most foreigners make entry into the kingdom, where they must register with a local government office and be within the presence of a guide at all times. Said guide is actually a soldier in civilian clothes in charge of keeping tabs on visitors, ensuring that they don’t wander into restricted areas. Nobody needs to register in Haemadö, but the major population centers are crawling with plainclothes police. The town of Haemasijang is the primary port foreigners come to, and from which goods from the rest of Jeosung are imported. It’s also the least orderly place in Haenamguk, filled with petty thieves, rival schools of Shamanist and Purist monks jockeying for followers and coin, occasional brawls between buyers and merchants of magic items of questionable quality, the nearby community of Eastend which has the biggest black market in Jeosung and also an open Sect of Changjo temple that most people stay away from due to the creepy black-cloaked figures keeping tabs on passersby.

Sodihodö is home to a shrine of the same name, containing tombs of thousands of soldiers of those who fell during the Wars between the Dragon Kings of the Second Age. There are no records of this one’s construction, leading many to debate its origins, but people still visit during the local Festival of the Hidden Path to honor the fallen with jesa.



Komundö is home to the capital city of Sejong, a relatively new metropolis whose foundations are built from grey volcanic rock but whose architecture is graceful and aesthetically pleasing. Neighborhoods are segregated into living quarters for civilians and the military, and the bureaucracy is obsessed with ensuring that the capital remains as perfect-looking and orderly as possible. Civil servants regularly visit shops and residences to ensure that everything is up to par and nobody is engaging in immoral behavior. Administrative buildings, offices, and halls are built to impress, from miniature constructions of the kingdom’s most famous inventions to a main thoroughfare full of candle-lit statues of famous scholars and soldiers who made their mark in Haenamguk’s history.

The Broken Cliffs of Chimultoji are the fabled birthplace of the chollima, a species of legendary yet sadly extinct winged horse. The sheer cliffs are unnatural, with formations indicative of being ripped apart by a sudden massive force, causing some to theorize that the gods once fought here.

Ulyongdö is home to two interesting features. The first is a floating island hovering high above Lake Boseok, containing ruins of unknown origin but all attempts at magical flight have been mysteriously dispelled. The second is the city of Chenju, stronghold of the Yi clan and home to a famed magical academy. The settlement’s entire economy revolves around aiding magical research, and the populace have to endure indignities such as sudden changes in weather and food ruined by ambient magic. Although open to foreigners, most outsiders give up, either due to the lack of privacy from military inspectors or weird vibes from the college’s values. Many mages have a feeling that every aspect of education is subtle propaganda for being groomed to “take part in a world-shattering event.” The Yi clan’s family estate is notable for having shrines and statues of the gods Ylryeo and Mago, which have brought increased scrutiny on them from the other families and Haenamguk’s factions.

Sajidö is home to Asan, a farming town which recruits outside labor to supplement its fieldwork. It’s rather multicultural as a result, and surprisingly there’s little conflict between citizens and foreigners. The island also houses Kilsangsa Temple, a multiple-purpose Purist temple and brothel designed to cater to both physical and spiritual needs. The kilseang* and monks operate more or less independently of one another, with the building’s layout designed so that there’s little overlap between the two.

*a special type of performer and entertainer who may also do sex work.

Imjadö houses the largest number of soldiers in Haenamguk thanks to the military training center of Hatong Gundabae. All those wishing to join the army must go here for basic training, and facilities and communities are built to aid and help in this endeavor. It’s also home to magical training centers where civilians learn from a list of authorized cantrips. The teaching of cantrips is still universal in Haenamguk, although only a pre-approved list of spells are taught. Predictably, damaging cantrips are not on the approved list, and only light, mage hand, mending, and spare the dying are taught to civilians.

Udö is an island containing a secret base where major military research projects are undertaken. It’s much more heavily guarded than usual, and the dragonships are prone to attack and sink any unidentified ships that so much as get a little bit close to the coast.

Gamangsupdö is our last detailed island before hitting the mainland. Its only notable feature is the Shrine of Kae, portraying a giant sculpture of a dog that towers over the forest. The whole island is woodlands, and the military’s attempts at scouting the place ended in failure: ships sunk for no reasons, while the trees were impervious to being cut or burned down. There are rumors that the island is guarded by dokkaebis and suhosins,* and strange flashes of blue spiritual energy rise from the forest every so often.

*The rarest race in Jeosung, direct descendents of the Heavenly People who live in their own private demiplanes.



Chhilsandö is the name of Haenamguk’s main landmass and home to most of its population. There are many interesting places to explore, such as the giant Donuimum Gate that marks the major passing of ships to the mainland amid ruined fortifications of prior eras; the town of Kapsang which is home to the Fisher’s Guild headquarters and the Kim family’s private estate; Shipwrecked Ruins of unknown origin whose technology indicates it once possessed flying capabilities and is now watched over by the military; the town of Chungwha, which decided to placate the monsters coming out of the nearby Open Wound by sacrificing criminals to the monsters as food; Camp 13, a secret prison deep in a bamboo forest whose prisoners are subject to experiments turning them into warbeast abominations; and the Great Forges, a network of factories built into the Hwasan Volcano, taking advantage of geothermal energy to craft Hwasan weapons, specially-inscribed magical tools of war with a seal marking its origin (화산); and the village of Dongji, a cluster of simple druids and shamans who manage to live free of Haenamguk’s government due to natural magical defenses. Dongji houses a Chilseong Gate that has so far been kept secret from the Directorship. If its existence was found out, the military very well may invade again.

The GM Tips section predictably emphasizes the authoritarian nature of Haenamguk. Even if the PCs manage to infiltrate and/or shake off their guide-handler, the ever-present nature of the military dictatorship is a constant reminder, from regular check-points along the roads to army barracks in every city. There’s hardly an opportunity to let one's guard down, as outsiders are looked askance if they don’t have a guide present and local soldiers and officials need no excuse to stop people they deem suspicious.

There’s surprisingly few sample deeds for a section this size, with only 6 quest hooks. One deed for heroes involves investigating the Sangincheong Agency of Haemasijang, which is suspected of making forbidden magic items. Two deeds for scoundrels involve stealing a Hwasan sword out of the country and stealing military secrets from Udö. Ones for those of all moralities include mercenary work fighting monsters emerging from Open Wounds, a Desperate Measure involving exorcising spirits disrupting Asan’s harvests, and catching mulyong* fish for the Chenju College of Wizardry. I have noticed that every Desperate Measure sample mission involved hostile spirits menacing communities, often putting their local economy under threat. While not bad hooks per se, it is a bit monotonous.

*A species of horned flying fish whose scales and organs are valued for magical research.



For notable NPCs, we have 3 major characters and 24 minor ones. Interestingly the Director of Haenamguk is but a minor character, a passionate scholar who resents the fact that any decision she makes can be overturned by the military. The three major character descriptions include the Head of the Fisher’s Guild retiring for some delicious soup after a hard day’s work, a dwarven soldier in charge of keeping illegal and counterfeit weapons from being smuggled out of the county by catching a thief in the act, and the head of the Sangincheong agency in an argument with her aging father’s smoking habit.

Thoughts So Far: It would be easy to label Haenamguk as the “evil country” of Koryo Hall of Adventures. And in several cases this would be right; the dictatorship is harsher than its needs to be and is up to a lot of unethical things. However, there are many people in the nation who merely seek to get by and live lives similar to that of others in Jeosung. Beyond aligning with the Gaya Confederacy and a potential civil war in Mudangguk that would come from that, Haewanguk isn’t interested in invading and taking over the rest of the setting, meaning that it’s mostly a threat to those within their borders more than anything. The most obvious “bad guy faction,” the Yi clan who venerates the Sect of Changjo, aren’t universally beloved for this decision, and there is still tension and dissension behind the scenes of the otherwise unified front that Daewanguk’s propaganda espouses.

Although Daewanguk does have adventuring potential, I feel that risks becoming a bit one-note. “Confounding the military dictatorship” may get a bit old as an adventure style, and quite a few of the locales don’t have much variety in terms of adventure material, with some exceptions like the Open Wounds and the northern ‘gateway’ islands being the more rough and tumble places. There’s still interesting ruins, untouched wilderness, and fortresses and estates whose inhabitants are up to no good, although the low number of sample deeds reinforces the feeling of being less adventurer-friendly than prior sections of the worldbook chapter.

Join us next time as we cover the rules-based sections of the book in 5th Edition Options...along with Pathfinder and OSR Conversions!

9
D&D 5e / Re: High 5e: Review, Resource, & Request Thread
« on: June 12, 2021, 12:13:53 AM »
Well now, I haven't posted here in like. Forever, but I figured this thread's in sore need of an update.

But without further ado, here’s 19 more products that caught my eye:



The Adventurer’s Guide to Theria: A campaign setting based off of a livestreaming group’s D&D sessions.



Ancestry & Culture: An Alternative to Race in 5e: A book that seeks a compromise between the bioessentialist “all dwarves know how to dodge giants” and making race not matter by providing new rules separating the two. That way, one can mix and match to have an elf raised in human communities, a hero of mixed gnome-tiefling heritage, and guidelines for converting existing races into the new system.



Arcana of the Ancients: A conversion of the technomagic items of Monte Cook’s Numenera to D&D.



Arcanis 5e Setting: A 5th Edition conversion of the Arcanis setting.



BEOWULF: Age of Heroes: A 1 player 1 GM setting in a mythical version of Early Medieval Britain and Scandinavia based on the tales of Beowulf.



Brancalonia Spaghetti Fantasy Setting Book: A campaign setting derived from Italian culture and media where the PCs are lovable scoundrels constantly looking for the next big job.



Esper-Genesis 5e Sci-Fi Core Manual: A starfaring science-fiction setting.



Faerie Fire, a 5e Supplemental: A fey-themed bestiary with a 1980s neon aesthetic.



Koryo Hall of Adventures: A campaign setting inspired by Korean history, mythology, and folklore.



Legendary Planet Adventure Path: A 1st to 20th Level sword and planet style adventure path.



Manastorm: World of Shin’ar (5e): A high-magic setting where magical radiation surrounds the inhabited planet.



Midgard Heroes Handbook for 5th Edition: a collection of new races, class archetypes, spells, and optional subsystems for Kobold Press’ Midgard campaign setting.



Mini-Dungeon Tome for 5th Edition: A collection of bite-sized dungeons perfect for an evening one-shot.



Rocket Age Corebook: A pulp-flavored retro-future campaign setting.



Runewild Campaign Setting: A dark fairy-tale themed forest setting.



Spheres of Power & Spheres of Might: Conversions of Drop Dead Studios’ notable Spheres system to 5th Edition!



Supers & Sorcery: Costumed vigilantes in medieval fantasy



Ultimate Kingdoms (5e): A domain management system for 5th Edition.



Unbreakable Volume 1: A group of authors from East and Southeast Asian nations and backgrounds who got together to write a series of adventures showcasing folklore, monsters, and other fantasy elements from their respective societies.



Witch + Craft: A 5e Crafting Supplemental: A sourcebook of “domestic magic” spells and rules options.



The World of Alessia Campaign Primer: A science-fantasy space opera setting.

10
D&D 5e / Re: [Mini-Let's Read] City of Brass 2020
« on: June 11, 2021, 09:24:20 PM »

Book 3

This section of the book is sort of a “sandbox adventure path,” detailing various locales of importance in the City of Brass and how the people and events within can help bring about the downfall of the Grand Sultan. The book infers here and in earlier points that the PCs may join him and serve under his rule, although the vast majority of the AP’s events and choices take the opposite stance. No compelling in-character reason is provided either, besides...well, assuming that the PCs just choose to do so? Not even an argument along hte lines of “this planar empire is so impossibly vast that concession to the enemy will save more lives in the long run.”

Book 3 is separated into 15 chapters, the vast majority derived from the original 3.5 book. There’s three new chapters provided, which are the Freeman’s Tower, Cathedral of the Lightbringer, and Ard’s Sanctuary. Two chapters were originally part of Book 2, detailed as locations in the City of Brass to visit, but have been placed here as mini-adventure chapters. The chapters are all technically optional and can be done out of order, although most are Tier 4 (17 to 20th level) with three being listed as Tier 3 (11th to 16th level). I haven’t crunched the numbers to see if said adventures can bump the PCs up 6 levels on their own, although I presume the many encounters on the Plane of Molten Skies and random encounters are designed to help with this. Almost all of them being dungeon crawls certainly helps as well. Each chapter has sample hooks for why the PCs may go there, along with relevant factions and what they plan to do with the MacGuffin treasure/person that is the object of the quest.

Chapter 16: Prologue Rahib al Tarsih Zafir, or simply Tarbish, is the Grand Vizier of the Grand Sultan, and while by no means good-aligned he’s had it up to here with the current rulership. He views the PCs as great patsies for his schemes, and disguises himself as an abasheen genie who wishes to overthrow the usurper for the glory of the former Sultana. Initially he won’t force the PCs to do his bidding, although if they refuse he’ll show up at later points determined by the GM, usually helping save the party’s bacon, and remake his offer. If they persist in turning him down, Tarbish will force them into servitude via a Greater Geas spell. This spell charms up to 6 people for 1 year, but it has a casting time of 1 minute, so that’s a lot of room for non-incapacitated PCs to realize something’s up. This chapter also details two artifacts, the Flask of Sulymon and the Carnelian Idol, which can be randomly placed somewhere in the later chapters with sample locations as two more ways of overthrowing the Sultan. The Idol can be used to free the trapped Angel Dahish detailed in the last post, while the Flask (lost by the Burning Dervishes sent to retrieve it) will summon Sulymon himself, but only in the presence of the Grand Sultan. Sulymon is a CR 28 elemental with legendary actions, 20th level spellcasting of a Clerical theme, along with some miscellaneous abilities such as maintaining two concentration spells, affecting double the volume/duration of cast transmutation magic, transforming into a tornado, etc.

Chapter 17: Ard’s Secret Sanctuary: A rather out of order chapter, this occurs when the PCs find out that the worshipers of Lucifer the Lightbringer may be acting against their interests. Lucifer and the Grand Sultan have a sort of alliance, although neither is under any illusion of it lasting forever and both secretly plot to take over each other’s domains. Lucifer was the former leader of Hell, but was cast out during a power struggle and thus has to build up his forces to reclaim his throne, and the weapons bazaars of the City are a great means to this end. Lucifer’s devotees can operate openly in the City, and Viceroy Ard is an archmage who serves as a counselor for the Lightbringer himself. His apartment also contains one of the captured villagers of Lornedain if they haven’t been wished to safety yet, along with two other prisoners. It’s a miniature dungeon crawl with a few devils, magical items, and enchanted mirrors which act as a limited teleportation network.

Chapter 18: the Shining Pyramid of Set: Thanks to an alliance with the Grand Sultan, the servants of Set have a floating ebon pyramid as headquarters and receive some preferential treatment in the City. The high priest has an artifact known as the Mask of Ankev which along with two other artifacts of the same named figure (located in the Grand Sultan’s Palace of Wonders museum) can turn someone into a lich. On its own the Mask grants a bunch of undead immunities and some necromantic abilities along with INT and AC bonuses. The Pyramid itself is a short dungeon crawl, pitting the PCs against various Egyptian-themed monsters and poison-using cultists. If the Pyramid’s treasures and functions are compromised, Set himself will be pissed at the Grand Sultan for letting this happen and visit 3 Biblical-style plagues upon the city (falling serpents, hellwasp swarms, and acidic blood rain) for a little over a week.

Chapter 19: the Freeman’s Tower: A new chapter and the longest one of the book if only due to several full-page maps, this is a towering tenement that serves as a cheap alternative to renting apartments in the City of Brass. Currently the place is in a state of chaos, as infighting among a gang known as the Scorpion League has consumed the first five levels. The Scorpions are humans and various monsters whose leadership came from a technologically-advanced material plane, and have access to modern automatic firearms, grenades, and even cybernetic grafts, all of which have rules for NPC and even PC use! As for the landlord Oruk, he’s gone whacko and styles himself as a Sword & Sorcery warlord, spending all his free days in the Great Wild, a pocket jungle demiplane full of prehistoric creatures. He only ever ventures back out to collect rent, and he hasn’t realized that the Great Wild is slowly intruding into the Freeman’s Tower. The PCs could side with any of the factions and even broker a deal with Oruk, who in spite of his newfound obsession is reasonable enough to conclude that the Grand Sultan will view the Great Wild as a threat to conquer. In a dramatic oversight, no stats are provided for Oruk, either as his own new NPC or using an existing NPC template. PCs can even become landlords of their own if they find a new home for Oruk and his creatures to live.

The Minaret of Screams: A Lovecraftian abomination was once lost and drifting, until it found the Plane of Molten Skies. Taking the shape of a creepy pseudo-organic tower, it placed itself in the City of Brass. It is used as a prison by the burning dervishes, who made a deal with the silaal* living in the Minaret to hold prisoners of value. The silaal extract information and fleshcrafting components via torturing the prisoners. The creatures beyond those mentioned include various ooze themed monsters and roving groups of madmen driven insane by the horrors within the Minaret. The “boss” of the dungeon is Samiij the Unclean, a priestly servant of Jubiex who fashioned a unique saddle to ride black puddings into battle, and a secret boss is the Minaret’s heart which if defeated will collapse the entire tower. As for why one would visit this place, it has a secret entrance into the Great Repository, and one of the captives is an efreeti nobleman who can tell the party about the secret passage or serve them for 1 year and 1 day.

*a race of torture-loving aberrations.


Chapter 21: The Great Repository: This is one of the greatest libraries of the planes, the tallest structure in the entire City of Brass. Its surface is covered with the Laws of Horadin, an ancient king whose legal structure was written by efreeti and thus brought his empire to ruin. And the exterior walls themselves whisper, inflicting Wisdom damage on people who linger too close to them for too long. The text is indecipherable, but anyone who is capable of reading it aloud will bring devastation to the surrounding civilization. The library itself is filled with Scholars, cloaked figures who are both administrators and prisoners, and corpulent attendants who are their slaves. People don’t just go into the Repository and visit; they must either have an eye cut out by an Attendant, which one of the Scholars takes and the character sees through in order to learn the knowledge, or they can soul-swap their body with one of the Scholars for seven days. The Scholars are wicked beings who desire temporary escape and seek to commit sadistic crimes, and given that this has created the most amount of serial killers in the City the police slay anyone believed possessed. This means the Attendants (the smarter ones at least) try to be more subtle. On the other hand, a PC has more freedom of access in the Repository within their bodies.

The Repository has a “haunted library” feel of a dungeon, and there’s a page and a half worth of sample Tomes of High Knowledge serving as unique treasures. Books can provide all sorts of things, from spells to advantage/bonuses on checks to even unforeseen side effects if they contain forbidden knowledge. One such example is the Dreaming Scrolls, which tell of nightmarish entities from the Realm of Dreams that will soon infect the readers’ mind and pull such creatures into the real world via a 1% chance during every period of their research. There’s also a Scrying Bell which can be used to scry any event at any point in history albeit with a host of side effects, and a Hall of Contracts presided over by a Pit Fiend and Planetar who hate each other but act as judges for any legal argument that cannot be answered by all the laws in existence.

There are some small editing errors I caught. Tomes which can grant bonuses on scholarly fields are sorted by 3.5 Knowledge skills rather than 5th Edition’s, and there’s mention of an Epic Spell Seed which can be researched for Dahish to resurrect the army of undead janni. Epic Spell Seeds are a mechanic from 3rd Edition’s Epic Level Handbook, and thus don’t exist in 5th Edition, nor does City of Brass provide any sort of conversion notes for such magic. One of the books that could be found in the 3.5 version was the Tome of Horrors, and could grant a wide variety of Knowledge checks to identify monsters. It is absent in the current version.

As to why the PCs may visit, there’s a “blood room” that can divine the history and nature of the original owner, and the blood of the dead former Sultana can be found here. There’s also an ankle bone of Tlaunnech Tnek, a powerful dragon whose skeleton is in the Grand Sultan’s Palace of Wonders and will reanimate if whole again. Finally there are the trapped Builders, the immortal forms of the first humans who became aware of the existence of the gods, trapped in an everburning kiln. If freed they can call upon the gods to grant the party a Wish, can tell the party the Sultan’s true name, or read the Laws of Horadin and “bring down the apocalypse upon the City of Brass.” In this last instance the book mentions to look at the “Finishing Adventures” section at the end of the chapter for details on this...but nothing is provided. This was also the case of 3.5, although the older book had a “DM’s Guide to Repercussions” which illuminated what happened chapter by chapter. In this instance the apocalypse will destroy the entire Plane of Molten Skies, and provides an early end of sorts to the campaign whether or not the PCs flee in time.

Chapter 22: City of the (Dead) Sultana: This abandoned section of city is warded so that any efreeti who passes its gates is struck by a disintegrating ray, and as such no citizen of the City of Brass willingly ventures forth. Ambient magic makes it impossible to fly or climb over it, so one must pass through a guardian Demon Gate monster (and can be bypassed by keys in possession of Tarbish). The place is full of good-aligned guardian constructs and beautiful gardens among ruins. There’s a giant jade colossus in the likeness of the former Sultana, which can be activated by at least one of two artifacts located in this place. Said colossus will go on a rampage in the City, and PCs with access to True Resurrection (and manage to convince the guardians of their pure intentions) can bring the Sultana back to life. She will escape to the Elemental Plane of Air, seeking safety under her family.

Chapter 23: The Circus of Pain: Whether sold into slavery, lured by money, or on a quest for the chapter’s MacGuffin, the Circus of Pain is a giant colosseum full of various deadly games. One of the Lornedain villagers is here as a gladiator, who managed to survive so far through natural talent. The place has a rather whimsical feel. Vendors sell Eyes of the Eagle (cheap ones permanently attach to one’s face) for people to get better looks, illusionary screens act as magical Jumbotrons, and vendors sell snacks from Bags of Holding. There are many games here along with relevant rules, ranging from typical gladiatorial fights and chariot races to remote-controlled golem fights and Dodgeball played with a lime-hardened brain enchanted with a touch-range Power Word Kill. Beyond saving the villager, the current arena champion is the other major hook: the titan Hezoid. He can only be faced by gladiators who earned a name for themselves, and was sold into slavery by the Grand Sultan after foolishly challenging him to combat. Hezoid is currently enchanted and bears an artifact maul which can be used to destroy the Great Ziggurat. He can be defeated the old-fashioned way, but if presented with the Mymyr Stone (obtained from the KhizAnah bank) he will break free of the charming magic and go on a rampage. If he survives he will lend the PCs the Maul of Hezoid for a year.


Chapter 24: Cathedral of the Lightbringer: This mini-dungeon is another new addition to the 5e book. Lucifer has a bit of an obsession with the City of Brass; he was banished from there by Sulymon and the god Anumon during his fall from heaven, and while he is seemingly an ally of the Grand Sultan he still views the city as rightfully his. The Lightbringer’s worshipers thus act behind the scenes to gradually weaken the Sultan’s rule, and can be a potential faction for the PCs to ally with. Additionally, the Church houses Phosphorus, an artifact sword once wielded by Lucifer that can serve as a powerful weapon.

The Cathedral appears all smiles and happiness to bypassers, with lush gardens and Rococo art of utopian serenity, but crossing past the gate warps the illusions into their hellish realities: blood-fed thorn bushes feeding on corpses and artwork portraying grand civilizations built upon legacies of death and domination. There are various traps keyed to affect Lawful Good characters, but paladins of all alignments are immune and can bypass several locks and traps. The main foyer has a priest demand visitors get on all fours as they approach the altar, spitting on the images of good-aligned deities painted into the floor as they do so. This is a blasphemous act that can result in a caster with a godly power source to lose a level and prepared spells, and the Satanists will attack anyone who doesn’t pay Lucifer the proper respect. There’s also an Aura of Temptation surrounding the Statue of Lucifer, tempting PCs with idyllic visions that can all be theirs if they sign over their immortal soul. If a PC accepts willingly, they may gain a variety of effects, from dying and being risen as a devil in Infernus (Lucifer’s plane in exile) or becoming a lich or paladin/death knight of the Lightbringer.

Chapter 25: the KhizAnah: This central bank is a well-secured fortress which even the gods use to store valuables. It has a bevy of conventional guardians and traps as well as ambient magical wards and enchantments to ensure security. Every employee and slave are enchanted with unique geas spells that make them forget the contents of the vaults and their locations, and attempting to gain access to their thoughts hits the mind-reader with a Feeblemind. Safety deposit boxes are kept in interdimensional spaces, and Canisters of Holding with Arcane Locks are used to transport contents to and from the Great Vault. There are also trapped false treasure vaults full of worthless items, and gnomish engineer slaves can be helpful if freed and their geas spells removed.

Beyond the obvious thrill of a bank heist, PCs may visit the KhizAnah if given a deposit box number as a reward by a patron or to retrieve the Mymyr Stone. This magic item is a sentient artifact capable of solving the most complex mathematical calculations, which the bank uses in lieu of a ledger. It can also be used to break Hezoid out of his enchantment or to activate the Juggernaut of Kil Kath Kesh (again, also in the Palace of Wonders). It also has a few limited-per-day use divination spells. There’s also a Durbakke of Wakefulness, which if played by a Bard can be used to reverse the maddening effects of the Great Repository’s whispering walls.

Chapter 26: the Underbasin: This mini-dungeon crawl is accessible only via large iron grates in the Lower City’s Basin. It has been repurposed by a cult of Orcus secretly operating in the City of Brass, who have the body of Ashur Ban, the former Sultana’s husband. The corpse is in a tomb whose ambient abjurations have yet to be dispelled by the cult. There’s also a model of the City of Brass here, projecting real-time illusions of the Grand Sultan, every efreet, and nearly every citizen along with accurate maps of places like the Ziggurat of Flame. Touching a model can teleport a user to the area touched. The usefulness of this place is obvious, although PCs who manage to gain the trust of Chufa Um Sophanie will have her tell them about the Underbasin’s rumored location.

Not present in the 5e version but present in the 3.5 version was a sidebar talking about how to resurrect Ashur Ban and what happens if the PCs do this. He will only allow himself to be returned to life by a Lawful Good or Lawful Neutral cleric, and only if his wife has also been resurrected. He will tell the PCs some backstory of how the Grand Sultan usurped the throne and promises to bring a great army to assault the City of Brass if the Ziggurat of Flame is destroyed.

Chapter 27: The Secret Tomb of Rah’po Dehj: This upper city apartment belongs to the lich Ra-po Dehj. Said person is a lich whose true name is Jhedophar (read it backwards) and is one of Book 3’s quest-givers. Unlike the other patrons he entertains no grand political ambitions, being more a thief who wants to collect rare magic items for his own research purposes. His apartment contains a Hall of Portals leading to the Plane of Shadow, a tributary of the River Styx, and a section of the Astral Plane containing a jackal-headed statue with a set of golden scales containing Jhedophar’s phylactery. Each area has a trial and guardian to obtain a magic item of value to Jhedophar, including said phylactery.

This place feels like it’s detailed just to be detailed. Jhedophar apparently is a character from earlier Frog God Games works, and there isn’t much reason for the PCs to seek out the apartment on their own or at the behest of another faction beyond them becoming suspicious of his motives and tracking down one of his minions.


Chapter 28: The Ziggurat of Flame: So far Book 3 has been overall...inoffensive. Just good clean high-level fun in an open-ended series of adventures in a planar metropolis. Well, such times must come to an end. Buckle up everyone, the worst is yet to come!

The Ziggurat of Flame is a huge multi-level structure, whose confines are only partially detailed in the adventure. The dungeon is separated into three areas: the private Temple of the Sultan, accessible only by those who speak the Sultan’s true name while entering through the body of Nar al Nar. Nar is the imprisoned lord of all fire elementals and the father of Qalb al Nar (or “Sparque”). He can be freed if the Ziggurat is destroyed, or if Qalb is present at which point Nar overcomes his various imprisoning enchantments. He allies with the party for a raid on the dungeon before returning with Qalb to the Plane of Fire, promising to come to the party’s aid during their hour of greatest need.

The other sections of the Ziggurat include the City of Burning Dervishes, the Mosque of Light, and the Foundries. They’ve been mentioned before, and they show up frequently as mooks throughout the adventure path, but the Burning Dervishes are a tribe of janni who were the first to pledge loyalty to the Sultan and almost entirely destroyed the religion of Anumon. In exchange they were given the secrets to the Heart of the Flame, which is located in the Mosque of Light, a large structure in the Ziggurat.  The Foundries are the lowest level, home to azer slaves fueling the machinery and craftwork of the City of Brass. And finally the Mosque of Light, and our final Mosque in this Adventure Path, houses the Heart of Flame. It is the source of the Burning Dervishes’ powers and life force, and every day they kneel down on mats and pray in the direction of the Flame. If they’re on another plane of existence they pray towards the rising sun instead. This is a veiled reference to the Kaaba, the physical structure Muslims pray to, and the Salah, the five daily prayers, the first of which is performed at sunrise.

So the Burning Dervishes aren’t an organization; they are an entire race of janni. In fact the City of Burning Dervishes lists children as noncombatants, who can be found in homes and chambers of their City. In the original 3.5 version the children had no stat blocks beyond “10 HP,” but in 5e they now do as CR 1 lawful evil fiends.

Furthermore, the destruction of the Mosque’s Heart of Flame is one of the hooks for eroding the Grand Sultan’s power base, performed via the Maul of Hezoid with the aid of a specific azer slave with intimate knowledge of the artifact’s structural weaknesses. Once destroyed, not only will the Ziggurat start to collapse, “every single burning dervish suddenly and violently combusts until nothing is left but ash and memories.”

I’d like to note that while not omnipresent, the City of Brass has listed certain actions as being evil and/or blasphemous, possibly affecting a character’s alignment and the relationship with their deity/warlock patron/etc. One such example is in a Middle City establishment where smoking tobacco made of sentient beings is an evil act. And I earlier mentioned the blasphemous spitting in the Cathedral of the Lightbringer.

So is this act of widespread genocide an evil action, one the book warns about one way or the other? It doesn’t say. On the contrary, City of Brass only focuses on the immediate effects to the Sultan’s rule and the civil war it causes as the Azer and other factions rise up from the power vacuum.

Some of you may already see it, but the adventure is telling us something very ugly. So far the Fantasy Islam aspects of City of Brass have been more or less confined to the Cult of the Burning One. An evil organization to fight and free people from, as opposed to a race that includes noncombatants. The Burning Dervishes entry goes hard against this, and the adventure doesn’t shy away from portraying them as very much a people whose powers are inborn, have families, and have divisions between warrior and civilian. And yet, the adventure’s major means of reducing the Sultan’s power in this chapter is basically killing all of these Not-Muslims, children including, by destroying their Not-Kaaba.

The cosmic enormity of such actions aren’t dwelt upon, or discussed on a moral level. But the adventure has plenty of personal alignment consequences to spare on smoking corpse-cigars and spitting on holy paintings.

Chapter 29: the Pagoda of Devils: This multi-level tower is home to the Order of Devils, an organization who honors the archdevil Geryon of Hell’s orthodoxy and thus makes them enemies of Lucifer’s forces. It has a bit of an East Asian feel, with martial arts style enemies both human and fiendish, with encounters taking place in dojos and obstacle courses filled with traps. The Pagoda’s leader, Pang Goy, is one of the Sultan’s advisors, so his death can indirectly harm his rule.


Chapter 30: Tower of the Grand Vizier: This chapter is one of the possible “endings” for this adventure path. It is the lair of Tarbish, and the PCs may come here after realizing he's the Vizier and thus suspect the worst, or maybe after overthrowing the Sultan they realize they may end up replacing him with another evil. Or any other number of reasons.

The Tower is a short dungeon crawl with various prisoners who can be turned against Tarbish if freed: a cloud giant worshiper of Pazuzu, undead mages who via ritual have their spell slots transferred to the Vizier when he casts spells, a halfling adventurer who was given to said cloud giant as a dancing girl slave, and a Harem of the Six and Sixty-Six made up of succubi and alu-demons who would love to be freed but would also be fine with energy draining intruders.

Come on, you had to know this trope would return at some point!

The Vizier will try to persuade any intruding PCs by revealing how he secretly detests the Sultan, and has been uncomfortable with the various alliances with otherworldly power players into the City such as the cults of Lucifer and Set. The adventure has two options for the DM to pick depending upon if he’s truthful or lying; if the former he’ll ally with the characters and even battle the Sultan openly if the PCs seem to be winning. Otherwise he’ll do anything to save his neck before turning the party over to the Sultan at the earliest convenience.

Quote from: The End?
Should they defeat Rahib and completed any number of the previous adventure locations within Tales of Brass, the characters have likely gathered sufficient allies and mighty artifacts to challenge the Sultan of Efreet1. If they choose this route (and who’s kidding whom right?) and make a last great heroic stand versus the Sultan’s remaining loyal legions, the outcome could very well create a great shift in the cosmic balance and place the heroes on the path of legends. How this turns out is entirely up to you. The Palace of the sultan of efreet is detailed in Chapter 31 and a good summary of his entourage is given there.

So yeah, there’s no “default ending,” final battle, or adventure resolution in this AP. How the PCs confront the Sultan and how things shake out is up to them. Given the open-ended nature of this high-level adventure and the many magical items and alliances gained, this is understandable.

Chapter 31: The Palace of the Grand Sultan of Efreet: This details the stronghold of the City of Brass’ ruler, and it is appropriately end-game in the level of opposition. Beyond legions of fire giants, efreeti guards, and burning dervishes (who may not be around after the Ziggurat quest), there’s also named entities such as an ancient red dragon, chief torturers, and randomly-generated members attending the Sultan’s Court. There are also many servants both free and unfree, some of whom can hold their own even if technically noncombatants.

If they haven’t been wished free, the final Lornedain villager is a servant in the Palace of Concubines, and once freed the PCs gain 10,000 experience for rescuing the last of the prisoners. Given that they could’ve all been freed long ago, I feel that this XP award should’ve been mentioned far earlier in the text. And naturally there are various generic and named concubines, some willing servants and others not-so-willing who can help out the PCs in return for freedom.

Other interesting places in the Palace include:

A network of Farm World Gates linking to entire planes of existence dedicated to feeding the Sultan’s extraplanar empire.

The Palace of Wonders museum that houses (among other things) the incomplete skeleton of Tlaunehc Tnek and the Juggernaut of Kil Kath Kesh, both of which have full stats and can be used to cause some havoc.

Al-Batani’s Wondrous Machine, an irreplaceable model of the known universes and planes of existence. The machine houses the soul of its creator, who can answer questions about events pertaining to the universe via a successful Deception/Persuasion check, and traps trigger on a failed save. Given that the text mentions that efreeti auto-pass the roll, what is preventing the Sultan from finding the PCs if they grow too big of a nuisance. The Flask of Sulymon is specifically warded from any kind of scrying as an explanation, but if the Grand Sultan plays 20 Questions he can easily narrow down the party’s hiding spots.

The Sultan’s Sanctum, which contains a well-concealed Codex of Infinite Planes which he’s in the process of researching.


There’s a half-page description of guidelines for PCs fighting the Sultan. If Sulymon is summoned, the Sultan will focus all of his efforts on capturing him alive so that he can sacrifice him in a ritual to become a greater god. But if Sulymon is slain, he will devote every moment of his existence to destroying the responsible party, for all of his plots of divine ascension are now in ruin. If the Sultan is defeated and Sulymon lives, the prophet will absorb him back into his soul and call for Anumon to take him to the afterlife. The god will give whatever story awards the DM deems appropriate to the party at this time.

And that’s it! There’s some suggestions on further adventures in the City of Brass and beyond, although nothing in-depth. It would’ve been nice to at least have some write ups on how the City of Brass’ power structure, and the ripple effects it causes in the Multiverse beyond, would change based on who ends up ruling and other events during Book 3.

Appendices: There are 5 appendices which take up the last third of City of Brass. The Bestiary provides the vast majority for page count, and the following appendices provide new magic items, mundane items & diseases, spells, and 101 adventures and encounter seeds.

If this book has a definite high point, it’s the Bestiary. This section is chock full of new NPCs and monsters, many of which are easily portable to other sorts of games. The section for Humans and the Like has a treasure trove of generic NPC types. You know how core 5e only had an Archmage as the highest-CR opposition of human(oid)s? Well here we have stats for Archpriests, Grand Master Assassins, Hierophants (druids), Master Bards, Master Illusionists, and Master Thieves for high-level opposition of other class types! We also get a wide variety of other pseudo-class stat blocks spanning a wide variety of CRs, from Fallen Paladins to Eldritch Archers to Sorcerers and more. And of course we have NPC stats that don’t key to any class in particular but represent a wide variety of archetypes.

And the new monsters are also up to snuff. Quite a bit of them are converted versions of 3.5 monsters, including some from the Epic Level Handbook such as the Shape of Fire and Ha-Naga. And a lot of these monsters (and NPCs) have been uploaded to the 5e SRD, so if one good thing came out of City of Brass it would be this useful gaming resource.

As much as I’d like to cover the other appendices, I’m feeling pretty tapped out after this review, and I feel that I covered this products’ most salient points.

Final Thoughts: There is no doubt that a lot of work went into writing up the City of Brass. It even has the same authors from the original version nearly 15 years ago, so it’s clear that the book had an enduring place in their hearts. The artwork is gorgeous, and there’s some downright creative adventure ideas and locales. The Great Repository is perhaps my favorite, and even back in 2007 the concept of books as treasure with game mechanics for imparted knowledge was a pretty rare one. And is still rather rare today, spellbooks excepted. City of Brass had the potential to be a great and memorable campaign, and could have been the equal of Wizards of the Coast and Paizo’s work’s, if not more.

I say could. Although not omnipresent, there are clear cases where City of Brass was blind idiot-translated from one game system to the other, with aspects of rules referenced that no longer exist in the current system. Several consequences of the adventures, such as the XP reward for the missing villagers placed way in the back or the utterances of the laws of Horadin, are not elaborated on, or missing, or otherwise have aspects not accounted for.

But beyond these editing mistakes and oversights is another black mark against the book. One cannot read City of Brass without feeling the rather explicit xenophobic overtones that bleed throughout the work. Taken on its own original 3.5 version, it may have been easier to brush aside as the aspects of a campaign set in a Lawful Evil dictatorship. When I first got City of Brass, I was in my early 20s. Like so many books of its size I never read it in full, instead using it as a sourcebook to skim ideas from by paging through its contents and settling on chapters of most interest to myself, which can explain why I may have forgotten or passed over entries such as the Ziggurat of Flame.

But now in doing an in-depth read, such material cannot be so easily ignored, especially when the parallels to bigoted rhetoric and conspiracy theories in Book 1 of the new 2020 version are so up front and center. They show that the writers haven’t really changed in 14 years; in some cases, like statting up the Burning Dervish children, they seemed to have gotten even worse. Changing the adventure to excise such content will be a lot of work on its own, given the number and frequency such material appears. And that’s on top of the other work a DM will need to do to fix any other problems mentioned earlier, along with those little tweaks necessary to tailor an adventure to the players.

City of Brass may not be one of the worst adventure paths I’ve read, on a mechanical or game balance level. But in terms of the rhetoric espoused both overtly and covertly, it most certainly is. It cannot be salvaged without dwelling in the muck or removing parts of it to use in a better campaign, like the aforementioned Bestiary.

11
D&D 5e / Re: [Mini-Let's Read] City of Brass 2020
« on: June 10, 2021, 11:20:53 PM »

Book 2


Well I just read all of Book 2 yesterday and today, and since I’m on a roll I may as well talk more about City of Brass! So what’s interesting about this section of and the next Book is that these parts existed in the original 3.5 version, so a lot of the material is converted to 5th Edition along with new art. Out of curiosity I checked the product’s main authors, and they’re the same two people who did the 3.5 Edition way back when.

Notes on the BBEG: I will first admit to an error in the previous post. The current Grand Sultan is not the original instigator of the rebellion who was cursed by the gods. That was Iblis, a noble genie appointed by Sulymon (who was a genie at the time) who eventually misused his power. Sulymon later cast out his dark half to avoid repeating his past errors of judgment, which took the form of the Grand Sultan. This new evildoer violently overthrew the Sultana of the City of Brass, who was a fair and just ruler. There are some who believe that the current ruler is Iblis reincarnated, which the Grand Sultan encourages for propaganda purposes. And is also why he wants to capture the soul of Sulymon, who is the greatest threat to his rule.

In regards to this, in traditional Islamic theology Iblis is an entity who rebelled against God and occupies a similar role as a hellish entity tempting mortals to sin. Also in the City of Brass and the Lost Lands, Lucifer is an exiled archdevil seeking to reclaim his throne in Hell. He made an alliance with the City of Brass’ ruling Sultan, and his Cathedral of the Lightbringer is one of the more significant evil religions in the Upper City.

So let’s get to Book 2, which shares the same name as the product as a whole. It covers the City of Brass proper and the outlying environs of the Plane of Molten Skies. Sitting at a triangular crossroads between the Elemental Planes of Air, Earth, and Fire, it is an ideal planar trading point among the inner planes, its terrain consisting of varying shades of parched rocky expanses with stronger elemental influences the closer one gets to any of the respective borders.




In spite of sounding barren, the book has spared no expense in populating it with interesting characters and encounters. Although the Grand Sultan is the undisputed ruler, there are various factions within and without the City who for various reasons wish to see him overthrown, and the PCs can gain their trust and assistance in various ways. Or they can kill them instead and loot their lairs for treasure. It’s a nice sandboxy feel, and being one of the extraplanar variety, the factions range from a treacherous vizier, an imprisoned angel of Anumon who will raise 10,000 undead janni to assault the city, a formian queen who believes that dust is the essence of chaos and is building giant war-ant mechas to assault the city, an ancient dust dragon biding his time until the City experiences upheaval to fly in and lay waste to the Sultan’s palace, a group of salamander insurgents making use of illusory cloaks to move about unhindered in the City, and so on. There’s even some cool neat encounter locations, such as rare airship merchant and pirate fleets near the Plane Air border, a hidden tomb to Anumon that contains a secret watering hole to the Elemental Plane of Water, and the tower of Abdul Alhazred. The Cthulhu crossover NPC is an insane archmage who can give the party a bound balor servant if they retrieve his spellbook from the Great Repository (a dungeon-library) within the city...or randomly go insane and try to kill them.

The City itself has a great high magic feel appropriate for a planar metropolis, with various events and scenarios indicating that the PCs, mighty as they are, are still just mere specks in an impossibly vast multiverse full of unimaginable beings. Random encounters in the city can just as easily include a lich as a visiting Commoner, and even the Commoners are a cut above the common cloth, with references to the Hardy/Greater Commoner stat blocks in the bestiary appendix which are basically Commoners with more Hit Dice. Fiends, dragons, and archmages can be encountered going about on errands and running shops selling exotic wares and services. Even more “mundane” shops have fanciful touches, such as a teahouse whose signature beverages are magically enchanted with random effects, and patrons make a game of seeing who’ll be rendered into a foolish and ridiculous fate by the tea first.

City of Brass, Book II, is a definite highlight in comparison to the preceding set of chapters; when rid of the “swarthy religious fanatics taking over the West” angle, it really shines as an entertaining place to go on adventures. Another thing in its favor is that due to the Middle Eastern theme, there’s a lot more Arab-coded NPCs around, and while there’s plenty of bad guys (it’s a Lawful Evil dictatorship) there're many such characters who are not. One of the potential faction leaders against the Sultan is led by Chufa um Sophanie, the second cousin of the former ruling Sultana and meant to be an explicit “good guy” option. Her stat block is unfortunately not present in the text, a likely oversight.

Sounds good, right? Well in spite of the above positives, the kind of content I criticized in the last post still shows up way too often. I also can’t help but notice the bulk of Arab-coded allies who aren’t evil or have ulterior motives for aiding the party are women, even in Book 2.

Very early on in the Plane of Molten Skies chapter is something peculiar, with an abandoned palace of a long-dead king by the name of Kush. The building contains inscribed poetry telling of the king’s fate.

Quote
The main entry hall is a long, wide chamber with a ceiling 30 feet from the floor. Every square inch of stone is inscribed with poems decrying the fate that befell Kush, commenting on his hubris for thinking he could defeat the army of Sulymon, the prophet of Allah, the All-Mighty Creator. In the next room, a long table that would have been truly majestic in better days awaits travelers. There are no seats around it.

Allah is referenced but once and nowhere else in the book, implied to be the god Anumon. Dahish, a trapped angel the PCs meet elsewhere on the Plane, states that “there is no god but the All-Creator and Sulymon is his prophet,” which strengthens the “Allah is Anumon” implication. I checked the 3.5 version, and noted that this is the same case in that book as well.




The City of Brass and the surrounding environs are a very sexist society, with discrimination heavily weighted against women. There is a nomadic group of humans outside the city named after Kush, and are known for breeding prized fireproof horses. They are violently misogynistic, where women are to be utterly obedient, and “any transgression is enough to warrant death at the hands of a Kush male.” There are other inferences of sexism against women in the sections and one instance of homophobia in the city proper. The Grand Sultan declared that among the burning dervishes,* sheikhs can only have spouses of the opposite gender, but concubines can be of any gender. Granted that’s mentioned further on in Book 3, but wanted to raise it here as it’s a related issue.

*a race of jann who pledged their loyalty to the Grand Sultan in exchange for unique powers.

Slavery is omnipresent, although in regards to sexual slavery such characters are disproportionately women. There’s a brothel known as the Purple Veil with male and female slaves hooked on drugs to keep them docile and dependent, and text for a notorious slave-training building says that “many of the slaves and daughters of deposed nobles who find themselves in the Bazaar of 1,000 Sins need some training before being turned loose upon the unsuspecting masses who throng to the bazaar.” In the Lower City, there are dancing girls and sex slaves in a rough and tumble brothel known as the Flame Maiden’s Voyage, the former described as dancing to Middle Eastern instruments (buzak, daff, and tablah (sic) music) and the latter being “of average beauty but are well treated.” The book mentions this being a good place for PCs to hide out if they attract too much attention. There’s 2 more brothels of significance in the Lower City: one has night hags in disguise who drug and rob patrons, while the second has youthful slave women who cater to well-to-do non-efreeti residents of the city.

It’s not just background material, either. In a location on the Plane of Molten Skies, the PCs can run across a fire nymph, whose sister was kidnapped by a dragon and sold into sexual slavery in the Purple Veil. If they help her out they can get magic items as a reward. While this event was in the original 3.5 book, looking back on my last post I’m starting to notice a theme of “helpful women NPCs to rescue from sexual slavery” as a recurring element.




There’s some rare uses of Middle Eastern/North African terms in the text, although in some cases looking them up they’re applied inaccurately. Or in a way that a sensitivity reader would catch. For example, casbah is used as a term for generic buildings when it was traditionally used for a fort, watchtower, or town square. The term harem is repeatedly used to infer an area of sexual delights rather than the traditional term of a woman’s quarters for a building. For one example, “Harem of the Bound Dancer” is an S&M brothel that caters to clients of all genders.

There’s a residential complex in the Lower City known as the Ubaydulah Tower, and it has a full-page gridmap which indicates it being of some importance to the module. Granted it’s also housing Chufa um Sophanie’s rebel groups, which may explain why. It rents exclusively to women, and men are not allowed beyond the first floor. This was made so by the former Sultana, the building originally fashioned as a domestic violence shelter for women escaping from abusive and misogynistic homes. The book notes that there’s many such women in need, given that the current Sultan has a “predilection for cruelty toward the opposite sex.” They are all practitioners of a singular religion whose name and/or deity is not mentioned, but it has some specifics: they conceal their identities behind veils in public, “which is proper behavior for a traditional, upstanding woman of their particular religious sect.” They also view goblinoids and non-cleric spell casters as abominations, and view celestials/fiends/fey/elementals in general as untrustworthy. It also says if they had their way, arcane casters would be stoned to death on sight. There’s some coded Islamic aspects, such as washing feet before entering the tower, and a public mosque that leads prayer services by a misogynist preacher:

Quote
This temple is part of the tower’s west side. A tall minaret rises from the outer wall, its hammered bronze bulb-shaped dome coming to a point just above the tower’s roof. Though a public mosque, few traditional men come to it during prayer or other services because of its connection to the all-female residence next door. As such, the floor in the prayer hall is more often than not deserted. Women, according to tradition, may worship from the upper galleries, of which there are seven in order to accommodate them all. Male guests of the women sometimes come to the mosque to pray, though not very frequently and usually then just to impress the women. If word gets out a man does pray in the mosque, he is quickly stigmatized.

The holy man who presides over prayer services is an ancient dwarf named Pudush bin Duba (emeritus chaplain1) from the outlying territories, an ultra-conservative who approves of the Ubaydulah ladies’ lifestyles. Women, in his backward-thinking mind, should neither be seen nor heard. Living in the tower keeps them from tempting the males of the city, which is a good thing, according to his doctrine.

In Book 2 there’s also a Mosque of Smoke, whose vapors grant divination visions as part of its services. But looking at its interior dome for the first time can drive people permanently insane.

Of the 3 mosques encountered so far in this Adventure Path, 2 have deleterious enchantment effects and 1 is operated by someone with backwards gender views. They are not places of safety and inspiration, but ones of mind-breaking and regressivism.




There’s mention of magic item pricing in general, but besides some sample prices for a few specific items this doesn’t really work for 5th Edition which has no magic item price lists by default. The related text is copy-pasted from the 3.5 book with minimal changes, like Knowledge (Arcana) being replaced with Arcana. On the other hand, there’s a weapon’s market which has sample rules and prices for three pretty cool advanced technomagic siege weapons: a Magic Missile Ballista, a Shattering Ram (battering ram that casts the Shatter spell), and War Golems that have lightning guns and cannons which shoot Fireballs or Cones of Cold. They’re ridiculously expensive, but they’re a cool inclusion and I wanted to see more stuff like this.

This is more a case of proofreading, but the Maw of Righteousness among the Sultan’s Law section is discussed repeatedly as a place where those convicted of capital offenses are sentenced to death. There’s mention of Smoldering Judges who track down the guilty and call down the wrath of the gods upon the guilty in this section, and a sidebar mentions that said Judges are independent mercenary lawmen who are attacked on sight by the Sultan’s burning dervishes. The text is not clear if the Judges hang out and try to assassinate prisoners being escorted to the Maw, which seems a moot point, or are part of the Maw’s system, which seems like an odd oversight.

Thoughts So Far: I can surmise this chapter as being one step forward, one step back. It’s a lot more of an entertaining read than Book 1, but it introduces a host of new problems, most notably institutional misogyny. Granted, it’s a Lawful Evil city, the Grand Sultan is himself a misogynist who makes the laws such a way, and having bigoted bad guys in an RPG setting is not necessarily a flaw in and of itself. But it’s the kind of thing you shouldn’t spring on gaming groups without warning. Furthermore, in contrast to the earlier dog whistles, it mirrors a lot of anti-immigration and far-right talking points. While the gender roles of Lornedain, Freegate, and Numeda haven’t been elaborated on, the City of Brass’ patriarchy and their stance as an invading foreign force of Islam and Arab-coded characters is not unlike propaganda that justifies bigotry and discrimination against immigrants from North Africa and the Middle East:

Foreign religions that help get beggars back on their feet and administer to disenfranchised groups only do so for ill intent. The poor people who flock to them are simultaneously too loose and foolish with their money but also under suspicion for not spending it outside their community. The marginalized who attend their services cannot possibly have any legitimate grievances against the status quo: they must be brainwashed, their mosques training centers for a secret military invasion of western lands. They claim to be a religion of good, but are in fact led by a hellish entity bearing a horned crown. They’re after our women. Meanwhile their women must be rescued from servitude and will be grateful to us for doing so, while also illustrating and describing in lascivious detail their ordeals. But their men? They can’t be trusted; if they're allies they have ulterior motives.

Any of these things on their own can be brushed off as unintentional errors, small blips of bad judgment and mistakes. But the repetition of such material makes it look more and more intentional.

12
D&D 5e / [Mini-Let's Read] City of Brass 2020
« on: June 10, 2021, 11:19:53 PM »
I’m still focused on Koryo Hall of Adventures, but I’ve started reading another book which I have some strong opinions and thoughts on, so I’m going to do a mini-review. The City of Brass was one of those products I considered reviewing for High 5e, and while this is coming to pass I cannot really review it like I do with my other ones. While there's a lot of worthwhile material that can be mined for other games, the more objectionable content reoccurs repeatedly enough throughout the book that it's impossible to ignore. An in-depth chapter-by-chapter analysis would be too draining, so I'll leave that to others who wish to pick up the torch.




For those not in the know, City of Brass' earlier incarnation was a city-based planar metropolis made during the final years of the 3.5 era, with some accompanying adventures. Back in the day I read it and found it very much my jam, but as of 2020 Frog God Games wanted to revamp it for 5th Edition and the OSR, along with expanding the adventures into a true level 1 to 20 epic Adventure Path. The City of Brass is ruled over by the Grand Sultan of the Efreet, who back in primordial times was a tyrant who among other things caused a civil war among the genie clans and rebelled against the gods. As to why the latter, he wanted to enslave mortals who the gods sought to appoint as masters of the universe. The once-scenic and nice City of Brass ended up his dominion ever since, and he's been pissed off ever since at life in general. He seeks to achieve godhood by invading as many worlds as possible and retrieving the soul of Sulymon, a mortal prophet who is believed necessary in restoring a shard of his former power.

Notes on the BBEG: I will first admit to an error in the previous post. The current Grand Sultan is not the original instigator of the rebellion who was cursed by the gods. That was Iblis, a noble genie appointed by Sulymon (who was a genie at the time) who eventually misused his power. Sulymon later cast out his dark half to avoid repeating his past errors of judgment, which took the form of the Grand Sultan. This new evildoer violently overthrew the Sultana of the City of Brass, who was a fair and just ruler. There are some who believe that the current ruler is Iblis reincarnated, which the Grand Sultan encourages for propaganda purposes. And is also why he wants to capture the soul of Sulymon, who is the greatest threat to his rule.

The stuff relevant to the AP proper is that the Sultan is planning an invasion of the Material Plane via a Cult of the Burning One which worships him under the guise of a merciful god. They are infiltrating various lands under the guise of a new religion, recruiting among poor and disenfranchised groups. Once they get enough power,  they foster civil war and invasions, seeking to raise a Caliphate of Flames across the Lost Lands.*

*which is the material plane setting of Frog God Games.

So upon reading the above, one would be rightly concerned about problematic portrayal. Well Frog God games seemed aware of it, and apparently sought to take this into consideration.



Frog God Games sought to hire a sensitivity reader/cultural consultant to tackle potentially contentious topics, although from my reading I’ve come to one of two conclusions:

1.) they more or less just ignored her besides one or two itty bitty things, because there’s still a lot of stuff in here that sets off alarm bells.
2.) this product was so damn racist it's practically unfixable, and what we have now is but a pruned version of something much worse.

And while it's an entirely separate book, I'm also reading the DM's Guild 5e conversion of al-Qadim, which more or less manages to do everything right so far that FGG did wrong. They hired actual Arabs to edit and do sensitivity reads, they de-emphasized things like non-evil slavery (although mamluks are still a thing), and replaced religious-specific mentions of Mosques/Imams/etc with more religiously neutral terms like shrine, temple, and priest. I dunno if I'll review that book, but it's interesting in contrasting the two as I read them.

The adventure kicks off in the Barony of Lornedain, a European-coded realm whose inhabitants have been kidnapped by slavers working for the Cult of the Burning One. Although it talks about other options, the PCs are presumed to be locals in the area, which kind of heavily implies that the party will be European-coded characters. This isn't the only time the AP will imply this assumption, either.

The local Baroness is actually in on this; she secretly converted to the Cult and has been using an eccentric local villager as a scapegoat. The PCs end up searching for the villagers, first through an underground series of caverns and eventually into the baroness' estate, where the PCs find evidence of her employment with said Cult.

The major means of the PCs being tipped off is finding the journal of one of the kidnapped farmers, who was a crusader part of a larger army who invaded the eastern lands of Numeda and looted their temples in the name of his gods. He saw a noblewoman among his number make a deal with an efreeti for 3 wishes, and has fearfully kept the knowledge to himself ever since.

So while the NPC in particular is rather ashamed of his past, the PCs are indirectly aided by a character who is basically a Deus Vulter.

Numeda is one of the middle eastern-coded nations that fell to the Cult early on.
Also, in one of the written missives to the baroness, a cultist speaks of a ‘caliphate of flames’ and the text describes the overall missive as the "gibbering thoughts of a true believer."




But enough about coded Islamophobia, let's take a break to talk about bad game design in adventures!

PCs can gain a magic ring that gives them a fire elemental ally by the name of Qalb, whose father has been turned into a living geothermal battery by the City of Brass' Sultan and thus shares a common enemy against the Cult. It's rather cool, as he levels up in size and Hit Dice with the party and there are (so far) 2 scenarios which acknowledge NPCs reacting differently with him in the party.  Although the adventure doesn’t take into consideration how population centers would react to the PCs taking such a creature within their boundaries, given it’s quite literally living flame. Qalb cannot be dismissed either by his own abilities or by the ring, so he's pretty much with the party at all times. And over the course of leveling up he can reach from Small all the way to Huge size, which presents maneuverability problems. The ring necessary to summon the elemental is hidden in warg shit as part of the cavern-based dungeon and won’t be found unless Detect Magic is used. There are multiple magical visions showing the PCs where to find the ring, which can result in backtracking and seems unnecessary.

There’s mention of a ledger in the traitor noblewoman’s house of selling kidnapped people to a boathouse near the city of Bard’s Gate. It explicitly references an adventure from the city sourcebook of the same name, and acknowledges that such an adventure is beyond the capabilities of the party at their current level and says that pursuing the lead will most certainly get them imprisoned and enslaved. Even though the kidnapped people were those who the PCs don't know and not the specific villagers who kicked off the quest, it's still a hook many gaming groups may want to jump on. Putting it there seems counter-intuitive. Granted they later get a hook of the kidnapped people they do know being taken to the city of Freegate, which is detailed in this book and the next area to visit after killing/imprisoning/etc the baroness.

Thus ends the first chapter of this AP, the next begins as the PCs visit the City of Freegate!




The cultists’ new religion and establishment in Akados (the 'western' continent of the Lost Lands) has semi-covert Islamophobia and some overall anti-immigrant/anti-poor people vibes: mysterious groups from Libynos (the African/Arabia continent) showing up in foreign and poor neighborhoods of cities, their religion drawing in disenfranchised people, and building large spires as centers of worship. The Cult builds big structures known as Brazen Spires in cities where they establish power bases, using magic to erect them overnight. I cannot help but see comparisons to the minarets of mosques, which are also tall and spire-like. Freegate’s political leadership has been compromised with clones from a Mirror of Duplication, so the government seems blind to the worries of the indigenous populace, who "can’t believe the authorities are letting a new religion take root." One of the uncorrupted officials who directly invokes this opinion is meant to be a PC ally. Additionally the thieves’ guilds are worried about Libynosian customs, preferring staying a few months in jail to getting limbs chopped off, and can also be a PC ally due to this reason (along with wanting the Spires’ loot).

Random encounters include a sex worker desperate for money whose work has gotten harder due to the cults’ rising popularity (they offer sex, and food, and other stuff, for free), protestors invoking rights of free speech at the local forum being attacked by a mob of cultists, and said cultists causing chaos as they show off their newfound wealth by throwing money in the streets which causes a greedy mob to block up traffic.

The Cult of the Burning One is talked about as everything from a sinister group to local nuisances in-character. The sole positive trait  is mentioned in-character that the cult has helped a lot of homeless people and beggars due to just giving away money and food for free, but also similar rumors of how suspicious it is in where this money's coming from and how the cult doesn't seem to spend outside the community.




So the Spire proper is a dungeon crawl. The first floor level of the Burning Spire is called the Mosque of Adoration, where a giant burning head of the Grand Sultan of Efreet can magically enchant worshipers to praise and trust him. Guards at the ground floor are described as being from lands foreign to the characters, implying that the PCs can’t be Libynosian/from Numeda/etc. To further the "PCs are Western-coded" theme, some NPCs in the Burning Spire are from other lands in Libynos besides Numeda, such as Khemit (not-Egypt) and the Maighib Desert (not-North Africa), that were recruited into the Cult of the Burning One.

People are recruited via free food and sex, with enchanted doppelgangers who can shapeshift to fit peoples’ ‘heart’s desire.' The room of “Paradise,” the public-facing area that entices new worshipers, is quite orientalist in its descriptions: pools full of “visitors and nubile servants splashing playfully in the waters,” a platform where a quarter of performers “play music with an oboe-like instrument, a tambourine, a long-necked lute, and a dancing girl in a tight orange gown with brass cymbals on her fingertips,” people smoking “strange herbs from glass hookahs,” and doppelganger servants are dressed “in lewd attire consisting mainly of strings of pearls and beads of ruby, emerald, and sapphire bring plates of steaming meats and honey-dipped delicacies to the attendees.”

Two Praetors (Freegate's military officers) can be freed from the Burning Spire’s dungeons, and if escorted out will gather troops to lead an assault on the Spire to destroy it immediately. The adventure discusses what happens if PCs try to assault the complex openly (hundreds of cultists rally to defend it) but doesn’t say what happens if the Praetors lead the assault or what must be done to sway the city over to this (most of the leadership has been cloned/replaced). There is discussion on various ways of destroying the Spire, so credit where credit is due.

The adventure ends when the PCs find out where the cult's been sailing from, the nation of Numeda across the sea in the continent of Libynos. From here the adventure opens up into a pseudo-sandbox where the PCs (in addition to fighting the Cult of the Burning One) have to find 4 elemental stones which can help them get to the City of Brass.




The Isle of Sarmad Yazdg-or is an optional dungeon crawl in the Sea of Bhaal chapter. It is a temple dedicated to Hecate whose oracles are born with the ability to see visions when consuming lotus leaves that are ordinarily poisonous to others. Despite being a Greek goddess, there are small hints at the inhabitants being Arab-coded, such as having musical instruments specific to Middle Eastern and North African cultures . Although they are rather mercenary and sell their services to all manner of political power players, they are aligned at the moment with the Cult of the Burning One.

Quote
In addition to the extra seats and pews, this voluminous chamber also holds a small area on the north end dedicated to musical instruments, which are often used during ceremonies. In addition to the usual sitars, flutes, and drums, a number of mizwad (a type of bagpipes), mizmar (horns), riqq (hand drums), and sagat (hand cymbals) can be found.

One of the senior priests has a concubine by the name of Al-Sheera, and is found “scantily clad and chained by her ankle to the bed.” She is helpful to the PCs who free her given her abusive treatment, marking her as the first good-aligned Arab-coded NPC in the adventure path...who is a sex slave.

During a brief trip to the Elemental Plane of Air, the PCs can meet a cloud giant and djinn who are Arab-coded NPCs, with the names Imlaq and Caliph Omar. They are helpful to the party, although the cloud giant is of ill intent and stole Omar’s castle in his absence. So besides the sex slave, the only other “good guy Arab” so far in this AP is distinctly non-humanoid.




When the PCs get to Numeda, they find it in the middle of a civil war with one side backed by the Cult of the Burning One and the other side being remnants of the former king’s government. Like in Freegate, the Cult offered relief and succor to the beggars and the poor of the streets. The text later refers to them as “brainwashed citizens (seeking to) exact vengeance on their perceived former oppressors with the help of burning dervishes, hariphs, and monsters from the City of Brass itself.” The capital city of Kirtius, which houses the bulk of the adventure, has a crime-ridden Foreign Quarter full of the largest numbers of loyalists to the Cult and more (and unique) random encounters. The cultist patrols are led by an Imam of Fire, further codifying the “Cult of the Burning One = Islam” subtext. And also a bit of “you can’t trust foreigners wherever you go” vibe.

There are Good Guy Arab-coded characters here; 2-4 are named characters, but there's several dozen nameless resistance movement scouts and soldiers. The book mentions that the former government had holy orders of paladins who worshiped Anumon, a Lawful Neutral god with good tendencies. There is the surviving prince of the former kingdom now kept as a hostage, and Sir Muniq who is a knight leading a band of resistance members. And two princesses who are sex slaves of the ruling efreeti emir.

The adventure 'concludes' once they defeat said emir, who may grant them a wish in exchange for sparing his life. Said wish can help return the rest of the missing villagers, although the AP still gives PCs motive to continue the fight. Soon after, the Sultan of the Efreet manages to steal the soul of Sulymon, the immortal prophet who was instrumental in defeating the Efreeti so long ago. As Sulymon was favored by Anumon, a god in charge of shepherding souls to the afterlife, said god is pissed off enough to stop doing his job until things are set right. This causes the Material Plane to crawl with undead specters all over the place.

Thoughts So Far: When it comes to tabletop RPGs and the Arab/Muslim world, it's inevitable that there's some degree of orientalism or coming in from an outsider's perspective and getting things wrong. Still, I think there's something to be said in intent and how much said writers try. Al-Qadim, for all its faults, does have Arab/Middle Eastern/Muslim fans, and at the time was written in a liberal "well-intentioned white guy" sort of way. And there are some writers who just do the surface level stuff (genies, deserts, camels, etc) that are still very stereotypical and orientalist, but don't automatically indicate ill intent or xenophobia. And then, there are books like City of Brass.

The AP is awash in coded prejudices, from the "East vs West" implications, the evil religion infiltrating not-Europe being strongly Fantasy Islam, having an Arabian Nights flair but the PCs are very much expected to be European-coded, the overall dearth of non-villainous Arab-coded NPCs, Frog God overall being a problematic publisher, other Lost Lands material which has had subtle and blatant racism.

For the last part, read my Northlands review, particularly the latter half involving Native American Trolls and an Ottoman-coded invading empire worshiping a Babylonian death god.

In the interests of fairness, I'd like to note that Northlands had an initially inclusive setting, and the original creator helped write up the first half of the AP. But after that he had to work on other projects and the Frog God Games core staff got to work on it, which was a stark contrast to the earlier material.

It all adds up to paint a very unpretty picture.

I may or may not continue this mini-F&F if there's enough interest. Right now I'm focusing on Koryo Hall of Adventures and some others after this, but as these are just brief initial readthrough impressions they're quicker to do.

13

Chapter 5, Part 4: Daewanguk

Covering the entire eastern peninsula of the Jeosung region, the kingdom known as Daewanguk has its origins in being rebuilt by Käl after the Winds of Darkness. Looking back at older kingdoms for inspiration, the yangban system was reinstated to ensure a revival of Second Age culture. The once-fractured lands united under a single king supported by levels of yangban families descended from those who performed acts of heroism in the Retaking of the Lands. The most powerful families were those both skilled and lucky enough to invest in entrepreneurial enterprises. The exaltation of education, especially among the upper class, helped save many old forms of art and lore from being forgotten to the mists of time, and its economic power instilled a sense of pride.

Yet such a system came at a cost. Käl was a great war-time ruler, but he had little expertise in peacetime. Various factions jockeyed for his ear, with the Shadows of the North feeling that the yangban were perverting their founder’s dream. Eventually they broke off, renaming themselves the Eyes of Käl and acting against the ruling throne in acts of terror and sabotage. As of Daewanguk today, it is unified on the surface, but the once-lofty ideals of scholarship and wisdom have been perverted into the jockeying of power. The rich seek to ascend the exams and thus their place in society by knocking others down, and many commoners stop at nothing for their progeny to be elevated to a higher social standing. The government traditionally had a nomination system where the most powerful yangban families formed the Hwabaek Council. Traditionally said council used to vote on who among their number should be king, but the former King Sinmun moved to a new one where familial blood of the current king determines the nation’s ruler. Needless to say, this has earned his family and the current King Songdok no small number of enemies.

As for magic and schooling, the system used for educating the populace in cantrips is legal, although many yangban are doing their best to prevent commoners from learning too much. The government maintains the illusion of “anyone can be someone” by operating special schools which are theoretically open to anyone, but only ever elevate a few successful test-takers to be granted cushy administrative positions. As for religious practices, Purism is highly favored by the ruling class and temples and monks of such practices receive generous support. Shamanism is present, most often in a form of divination known as Saju reading favored by people who for various reasons find Purism to not be giving them the answers they seek. Shamans are discouraged from displaying their powers too openly, so the Soengsucheong Agency doesn’t have much official representation barring the southernmost city of Saro.

Imjeong Province is the northernmost region of Daewanguk, its proximity to Noonnara giving it a frontier feel. The city of Tanchön was built around the remnants of a fortified castle, and is now home to a thriving black market known as the Backyard and a hidden cursed temple that is the headquarters for the Sect of Changjo. This shrine of wickedness is warded by spiritual energy, capable of removing the memories of intruders in addition to more mundane defenses such as pit traps and treacherous cliff pathways.

The other major feature of Imjeong is Hugak Swamp, home to many bands of dokkaebis as well as a hidden village of evil mages known as Kapeunsoom. They are more than eager to kill and enslave anyone coming through unannounced or disappeared without consequence, and there’s a rumor that an evil counterpart to the Koryo Hall of Adventures is being built here.

Hwanghai Province centers around the Muji Forest, sprawling bamboo woodlands home to various bandit gangs fighting each other over territory and harassing passing travelers. Towns on both the northern and southern ends of the forest see heavy traffic on the Scholars’ Road, where many students travel to the city of Gomnaru and are always in need of adventurers for safe escorts. The bandits themselves have some rather gimmicky themes, such as “gentlemen thieves” of unflappable dispositions, wood elves who claim that they’re saving up purloined funds to build ships to sail back to their homeland, and rejects from other gangs who aren’t too bright but make up for it with brutal straightforwardness.

Other interesting locations include the Kusäng military camp which recently cut off all contact with the rest of Daewanguk, causing many to fear the takeover of a hostile group such as the Eyes of Käl; the besieged town of Kyochä whose heavy traffic on the Scholar’s Road is counterbalanced by the stress and paranoia from the nearby villainous groups previously mentioned; the town of Sakju whose lord is little more than a heavy-handed tyrant who squeezes every bit of coin from an oppressed populace; the surprisingly undisciplined military base/town of Sukchön whose position on the Endless Sea was for guarding against seaborne enemies from prior eras; and Gamsija Island, a set of ruins dating from the Winds of Darkness which give off an eerie green glow and has resisted all attempts at being retaken.

Donggyeong Province is the central crossroads of Daewanguk. The port city of Huju is a diverse place which is paradoxically discriminatory of outside influence. It is also notable for being the headquarters of the Gomnaru Port Authorities instead of Gomnaru city proper due to said organization wanting to move further out of the crown’s influence. You’d think that they’d rename themselves then. Huju’s other major attraction is the Hwangak College of Magic, and its storied halls have a tradition of churning out Daewanguk’s best court mages and supernatural advisors.



Gomnaru is the capital city of Daewanguk, sitting on the peninsula’s central-eastern shores. Its urban planning is shaped like a drawn-back bow, with the “arrow” being a long road that runs from the ocean-side ports to the river-linked Inner Port. The city is huge, being separated into districts, and various functions of state are overseen by members of the Hwabaek Council. The seaside districts see the most travel from realms beyond Jeosung, most often coming as traders with unique goods. Such outsiders are forced to trade in a single well-guarded port area, not entirely trusted by the government, which has given rise to no small amount of hidden smugglers’ caches to get around such restrictions.

Gomnaru is also home to a unique martial art known as Ssireum, a grappling and throw-focused fighting style that arose as one-on-one dueling between tribal leaders to avoid larger-scale bloody wars. Nowadays it is mostly done for entertainment, although its practitioners still take it seriously and pay homage to a primordial bear spirit to impart upon them strength and skill in matches.



Other interesting places in Donggyeong include the Ruins of Palgeun Milae, a moss-ridden ruined military camp and temple to the old gods whose latest round of investigators and delvers have met various deaths; Dr. Lee Jaema’s Provincial Clinic, a former court physician who sought to dedicate his craft to treating more esoteric diseases; the Shrine of Infinite Emptiness, whose original purpose and faith is of unknown origin but agents of the Sect of Changjo seek to study it; the seven-story Dudanjeol Shrine which is home to the Sect of Yoggu Haneul, its trials of enlightenment ruses by its leader to enchant and blackmail Jeosung’s rich and powerful; the large and prestigious Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, which has been compromised to act as a propaganda distribution center for the king; and Pyeonghwa Peak, a mountain range dotted by many small and isolated shrines and whose entire region has a seemingly supernatural phenomena where travelers and inhabitants feel an aura of peace. This even affects unintelligent and supernaturally evil creatures, causing some to theorize that the mountains were home to the first communities of Heavenly Beings. There’s also the Shrine of Ondal, home to a magically-petrified soldier who is the center of a local legend. In life he was overlooked by female suitors who sought richer and more handsome husbands, but is now immortalized for saving his unit by taking the blow from an enemy commander’s petrifying sword by keeping the blade within his body as he turned to stone.

The southern Eondok Province is filled with beautiful forests and rolling hills, a land favored by artists and other pursuers of the creative spirit. Gaeul forest is magically stuck in a state of eternal autumn, and its origins are unknown yet still being studied. Jangseung* with dragonborn features can be found throughout, and the local dragonborn who live here are xenophobic and take pains to go unnoticed. The fertile farmlands of Ssalbada are the breadbasket, or rather rice basket, of Daewanguk. They were well-defended due to their vital necessity for the kingdom, although its soldier protectors of the Ssalbada Rice Farmer’s Guild are less concerned about the welfare of the farmers than the crops they grow. The town of Ilsijeok is the largest community in the area, a settlement seemingly made entirely out of bamboo scaffolding, staircases, and structures that somehow keep from falling. A fast-growing fishing village of Buldotäng seems all too strange, and its inhabitants are believed to either be ruled over by dokkaebis or are actually such monsters in disguise. In a more isolated region of the province is another village fallen on supernatural hard times: Hongju has been taken over by a traveling monk who brutally slain the local lord that graciously offered him hospitality, and a heavy fog and supernatural silence has hung over the community ever since. Another place stricken by evil magic are the Cursed Plains of Kyeoltuji, expanses of empty grassland whose trees grow no leaves and the bodies of fallen soldiers from a long-ago battle are preserved by supernatural means.

*term for special totems erected at the edges of villages to ward off evil spirits.

Wow, it seems like Eondok has been dealt a bad hand! But its last two locations are seeing brighter days. The Tree of Exaltation has a shrine built around it by Daewanguk’s only registered shamanic organization. Hundreds of smaller intertwining trees link up with the larger tree, bent into shapes resembling the bodies of dancing shamans. The community exists as a support group for shamans who are unable to find formal training and mentorship in their hometowns. The town of Saro is the southernmost community of Daewanguk, a sort of artist’s retreat where buildings are built to allow for the flow of comfortable breezes through them, and its urban planning is deliberately designed to encourage the proximity and interaction between social classes. A large park-like field is reserved for people to practice painting, music, reading, and other such pursuits, and is notable for being the only community where the Seongsucheong Agency operates an office openly.



The GM Tips section advises making use of the reputation system provided within this book. Even if the PCs are commoners, Daewanguk in general is much more regimented than the more freefaring realms of Mudangguk and Noonnara, and their actions can bar them from even meeting with and visiting certain NPCs and locations. This cuts both ways, as the competitive politicking often means that altruistic deeds for one group inevitably raise the ire of another.

There are 10 sample Deed adventure hooks, and barring 2 exceptions they are all gated off based on Reputation for Heroes or Scoundrels only. The only ones open to both are working as security during a festival in Gomnaru due to reports of Eyes of Käl activity, and a Desperate Measure in saving the people of Hongju. The hero deeds are the standard variety for fantasy adventurers: escorting a scholar to Gomnaru, investigating the strange happenings at the Kusäng military base, investigating a malfunctioning Chilseong gate, defending a village from bandits, and locating a missing person and a traveling group of yangbans is suspected. The scoundrel deeds include an assassination attempt on a target who is only disclosed by a contact in person, infiltrating a military camp to learn of its weaknesses, and a third assassination attemp of a competing yangban. Some of the hero deeds feel like they don’t need sufficient morality to do, but having two-thirds of scoundrel deeds being assassination missions is rather unimaginative.

But as for the NPCs, we got a lot of entries: 1 major and 34 minor! The major character is Naemul Minsu, the non-binary elven ruler of Saro teaching daily music lessons with an apprentice. The minor entries are numerous, covering a wide amount of who’s who in Daewanguk. They range from the head shaman of the Sect of Changjo who views herself as a chosen prophet but must be carried by a litter due to failing health, King Songdok whose increasing paranoia is sending him into a self-defeating spiral, and the Saju reader Doha who is well-known for the accuracy of her readings but is suspected of putting contracts on those who compete with or criticize her.

Another notable thing about this entry is a large amount of non-binary NPCs. Although a CTRL F search reveals around 13 such characters, 9 of them are in Daewanguk (2 each in the previous realm entries). The book denotes their entries as “androgyn,” and makes use of Spivak pronouns for them (e/eir/em).

Thoughts So Far: In comparison to the previous realms Daewanguk doesn’t really jump out at me. I’ll admit that this is mostly due to being so used to feudal aristocracies in fantasy gaming that it feels like a return to form after the entries on Mudangguk and Noonnara. But such countries are more the exception than the norm, and I can understand having a more classically familiar society to contrast against the more novel entries. In spite of being the most “civilized” realm of Jeosung, there’s still an awful lot of wilderness dungeon-crawl areas to have adventures in, which is a plus in my book. While there’s plenty of greedy and oppressive nobles to oppose, there’s a relative lack of yangban family dynasties and relationship trees that I’d expect in such a realm. There are a lot of NPCs, but most of the conflict seems to stem more from pre-determined organizations such as the Sect of Changjo or more local troubles. Daewanguk is perfectly serviceable as a realm for wandering adventurers with a backdrop of scheming nobility rather than the scheming being a central plot. This isn’t objectively good or bad, but more a subjective taste that I still feel is worth pointing out to readers. I wished that we got more text on the “evil adventuring academy” in Hugak Swamp; sounds like a great excuse to pit rival adventuring parties against the PCs.

Join us next time as we visit the final realm of Jeosung, the authoritarian Hermit Kingdom of Haenamguk!

14

Chapter 5, Part 3: Noonnara

The northernmost realm of Jeosung, Noonnara contains some of its most inhospitable terrain. Cold year-round, the Infinite Forest is the furthest-explored area before the land gives way to the uncharted territories of the goliaths, and the charted territories are decentralized and self-governing. Every community in Noonnara has learned to stand on its own, knowing that outside help in the event of disaster is far from guaranteed.

Kwanbuk Is the southernmost region of Noonnara, where the snow is omnipresent yet more readily traversable. Goliath warships from their far-off kingdom sail south, but most of them end up destroyed by unknown circumstances. Locals attribute this to a protective spirit by the name of Zud. The major settlement of note is Yangdong, home to a renowned training center for shamans that sees lots of traffic from Mudangguk. Their training regiments are harsh, where they live communally on subsistence agriculture and hunting, which has a track record of forming trusted bonds of friendship among the trainees which lasts long after they leave to walk their own paths. Shaman Paengteon, the leader of the town, has an honorary seat on Mudangguk’s Council of Twelve, and tension has arisen given how useful his community is for training the latter country’s shamans. He’s not afraid to use this as political leverage.

Also present in the region is the Shrine of Zud, where shamans help upkeep it to ensure peace and respect from the spirit, and the Banggeoson Watchtowers dating back to the Second Age (Age of the Dragon Kings) contain soldiers from Michuhol and Yodongseong to keep alert for foreign invasion. A lack of any significant foes and the harsh weather mean that most of them are in poor condition, with most soldiers reluctant to keep vigil outside for very long. The Yalu River has been the site of many battles, attracting souls of the dead, and a cursed pier known as the Crossing of the Dark Souls is unused due to having been built by monsters during the Winds of Darkness. It was also used by the Dark King himself to harvest soul-slaves, but this is the only time we see mention of such a character in this book. I’m unsure if they’re a mortal monster leader or a powerful spirit. Finally there is Ulchi Mundok’s Mansion, Jeosung’s sole community of goliaths living in the middle of an island lake. Their people are descendants of an exiled king and his entourage, and their martial reputation made them favored by various people as guardians for rare items and treasure. The mansion is a fortress capable of withstanding prolonged sieges, and the current goliath king keeps meticulous notes of the stored precious items and their owners in a secret journal.

Dornod is home to the Infinite Forest, an artificially-created woodland by the Noonsalam to act as a natural barrier against northern invaders. Pine trees, rainforest vines, and other plants that can’t grow in the same climate can be found here, and the large amount of spiritual energy needed to maintain the biosphere has turned the place into a magic-sapping area deadly to unprepared spellcasters and spirits. Native wildlife has twisted into strange abominations from exposure to all the energy flowing into the forest. The Plains of Dornod are an equally-dangerous desolate realm, but the frequent blizzards prevent any landmarks besides the frozen rivers from aiding navigation. And some of those rivers are camouflaged by a thick layer of snow, and the wrong step can plunge travelers to an icy doom. The only reason people would come here besides to feed the Infinite Forest is to visit the Shrine of Yong, a building which is partially integrated into a giant spiral dragon sculpture whose body digs deep into the ground. It is said within a hidden set of stairs in the dragon’s body there lies a hidden temple of unknown origin and content.

Cheonsanju is also known as the Land of Heavenly Mountain for housing Jeosung’s tallest peaks and the believed birthplace of the world’s first civilization. Lore states that this region was home to the last fortress of the Heavenly People before its inevitable demise, and the Followers of Hwanggung built their holiest temple somewhere deep within the mountain range. Said temple is accessible through the Ten Thousand Stairs as the first test of faith, and there are always pilgrims here using the quiet sereness to reflect on life and self-improvement. The other settlement here is Kuklak, a Noonsalam cliffside village of caverns warmed, lit, and gardened by magic which makes it a rather pleasant place to live.



Dongnoonnara is home to the largest number of settlements in Noonnara. The Temple of the Midnight Oil is a watchtower with an everburning flame that acts as a guiding light to lost travelers, and a single monk keeps the flame alive and administers to the physical and mental needs of travelers. The Kingdom of the Fat Toad attracts travelers of a more selfish disposition, a kind of Fantasy Las Vegas founded by gnome thieves who nabbed a big score and built by dwarven engineers from Hwangmoon. All kinds of games of chance and skill are held here, particularly the famous Cave Games which is a part obstacle course, part gladiator arena where contestants have a chance at winning rare magic items and gold. A community of goblins with secret magical techniques live relatively unseen by the rest of the Kingdom by making a deal with the gnomes: the goblins are in charge of maintaining the ambient magic and build magic items for the Cave Games, and the gnomes receive 100% of the profits. The goblins don’t seem to mind.

Other communities are similarly rough and tumble, or well-ordered but martial in Hwangmoon’s case. Gungnae is practically a single cramped street (and many multi-level structures) running through a chasm where the Palm and the Eyes of Käl clash over territory. Hwangmoon is a dwarven community who control a vast network of underground tunnels they let travelers and merchants use for a fee. Although the environs are claustrophobic and require regular sweeps of air magic to keep breathable, many find it preferable to traveling on the snowy surface. Hwangmoon amassed a lot of money from this network and also deep mining, so they have a very strong militia and security to ward off thieves and organized crime syndicates in the other towns. In lieu of a typical prison, those convicted of major crimes are exiled to the “Jail of Hwangmoon” which is basically one giant dungeon crawl of monster-filled natural tunnels which may empty out to daylight in Noonnara’s southern coast.

The town of Yezo is the headquarters of the Eyes of Käl. While once a settlement of hope and happiness, it is now a chaotic community where everyone fends for themselves. Illegal substances are bought and sold openly, newcomers who look like easy marks are accosted by thugs, and members of the Eyes regularly get high and dance in public, sometimes engaging in orgies until they pass out from exhaustion. Omnipresent fire pits throughout the town are powered by vapors which increase sexual arousal, and the heat causes people to sweat all the time and…

...and I think this section of the book was written one-handed.

Tong-In is a hidden settlement of the Gomnaru Port Authorities. It is disguised as a simple fisher village, but the higher than usual presence of armed bands is a dead giveaway that something’s afoot. After some business disagreements with the government of Daewanguk, Gomnaru sought to resettle part of their navy in a realm less burdened by red tape. The Eyes of Käl sought to form an alliance, as they too had a bone to pick with the long arm of the law. Although there was mutual distrust and misgivings at first, the two came to an agreement: the Eyes would work with the Port Authorities in “port disruption missions” (aka piracy) and the gangsters could keep whatever look they could carry. So far this plan’s working great for both parties, although neither side believes that this alliance will last forever.



Our GM Tips for sessions in Noonnara suggest emphasizing the deadly nature and tight sense of community. The land is a danger all its own, but the people of the north can recognize the value of talented adventurers. Magic-using communities creating spots of warmth among the endless white, wayside shrines home to people from many lands, and nomadic groups saving people from blizzards can help show that there’s still a land worth fighting for even at the edge of civilization.

There’s far fewer NPC descriptions than in Mudangguk. We have only one major character and 15 minor ones, with the former being Lord Nahri of Hwangmoon. His in-character text has him presiding over a criminal before having him dragged off to the Jail of Hwangmoon.

As for sample adventure board notices, we have 6. Four tie into the locations proper, such as stealing the goliath king’s Treasure Log, finding what the Shrine of Yong contains for research purposes, conducting an ethnographic expedition on Noonsalam culture, and disrupting the “pirates” operating out of Tong-In. But one is generic and involves rescuing a yangban family’s son from bandits. Another involves tracking down and killing a party of adventurers sentenced to death by Koryo Hall, which definitely sounds like a moral dilemma particularly if they were people the PCs socialized with at the Hall. But the quest is marked for “Heroes,” which seems...tonally inappropriate and more of a Scoundrel thing to do.

Thoughts So Far: Noonnara is less varied than Mudangguk in terms of themes: the harshness of the elements and far flung outposts of civilization is omnipresent, but there is some variety in the potential adventure locations and communities. Ulchi Mundok’s Mansion and Hwangmoon’s treasure vaults practically scream “heist mission,” and the adventure hooks for the Kingdom of the Fat Toad write themselves. Unfortunately some locations don’t work well on their own, having no hook beyond what the GM puts into them. The watchtowers’ poor maintenance seem like a great opportunity for invading goliaths, although said groups aren’t really given much material in the setting other than the fact that they exist, and their crashed sailing vessels indicate that the natural world alone is doing a good enough job at repelling them. The Infinite Forest sounds like a cool place to explore, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned from D&D campaigns, nothing screams “forlorn place of death to avoid at all costs” than an entire region that’s an effective anti-magic field. Or one where magic becomes unpredictable and ineffective. Such concepts aren’t bad in and of themselves, and can be useful for world-building.* But given how strongly magic is tied into most classes of Pathfinder, 5th Edition, and OSR games, it requires some care in using.

*Final Fantasy 9 did a good job of this with Oeilvert, but it worked for the game on account that 1.) the party was blackmailed into venturing there and 2.) half the party members function just fine without magic.

Join us next time as we travel the expansive kingdom of Daewanguk, aka Game of Thrones Korean Style!

15

Chapter 5, Part 2: Mudangguk

Occupying the western peninsula of Jeosung, Mudangguk is peculiar for being a mostly-forested region, the home of the Koryo Hall of Adventures, and its large emphasis on spirits in politics and daily life. Although every major land counts shamanists among its number, Mudangguk’s founding by Yül led to various events resulting in a much more decentralized and pseudo-classless society. In lieu of the yangban system, Mudangguk’s communities do not have noblemen or aristocrats, instead making use of appointed people known as Guardians and Heads when larger-scale coordination is needed. There’s still division of labor and specialized occupations, but there are policies in place that mandate mutual aid and universal access to resources in the assurance of a minimum standard of living. In spite of this, there are still concentrations of wealth building up both locally, such as the Koryo Hall of Adventures and the Gaya Confederacy, which is a bit of a sore talking point among many.

Shamans have a distinctive role in the acting of intermediaries between the mortal and spirit realms, but as they are chosen by spirits and not mortal institutions their appointment is rather informal. For education, shamans and wizards travel between towns to ensure that citizens learn cantrips, and every five years a census is taken to see which communities are lagging behind for them to focus on more. Festivals and the concentration of jesa is more frequent, and everyone knows at least a few rituals to invoke when performing regular labor. In fact, Yül’s teachings of the common folk of the ways of spirits helped rapidly rebuild the realm and obviated the need for a professional soldier class to ensure defense and rulership. Effectively, the spirits of Mudangguk are a rather hands-off nobility, where jesa are the taxes to ensure mortals’ continued welfare.

For government at the national level, five shamans with proven track records for good skill and behavior are appointed to the Council of Five in five-year terms, while the Council of Twelve is made up of influential people across Mudangguk who don’t have to be shamans. In theory both groups have checks and balances to counteract each other’s power, but the Council of Five declared that all empty seats during the meetings are considered votes in their favor. Two members of the Council of Twelve are too far away to reliably visit every congress, but the honorific seat kept open for Yül (who rarely leaves her island fortress) effectively guarantees three votes for the shamans. This has gotten quite a few people upset, especially the Gaya Confederacy which is using this as an excuse to break away from Mudangguk. For relationships with other realms, they’re horrified at Haenamguk’s use of slavery to the point that trade sanctions have been threatened. This will hit the Gaya capital city of Saenam the hardest, and its guardian and self-declared King is hoping to gain Haenamguk’s favor and protection if the sanctions come to pass.

What follows, and is the standard for each of the four realm entries, are various sub-regions with major settlements and locations of note. Another recurring feature are Deed sidebar handouts acting as potential adventure hooks in the form of notice board entries pinned at the Koryo Hall of Adventures. They are scattered throughout the chapter and tied to the most immediate locations being discussed, and Mudangguk has 9 of them. Some of the jobs sample jobs include spying on the Gomnaru Port Authority, exorcising a ghost harassing a local community of farmers, intercepting and destroy a cargo ship containing a poison that kills tea plants, and disrupting trade deals between Hwando arms merchants and the dokkaebis of Jihaguk.



Kwan Province is home to the port town of Yonggu-Myeon as well as the head of the region’s Gomnaru Port Authority who are seen by many locals as unwanted foreign interlopers. Samjhok Chilseongmun is a collection of shaman communities overseeing a major gate for traffic.* Mudangguk’s capital city of Michuhol is home to a beautiful Tree of Souls whose roots run through the river bed, and the various buildings make use of existing natural terrain so as not to disrupt the local spirits too much. It’s mostly a crime-free city, but a major festival that occurs once every 25 years when Yül makes a pilgrimage to the Tree of Souls sees a lot of outside visitors. The city hires adventurers to keep a lookout for petty thieves and other opportunists of ill intent.

*It’s known as a Chilseong gate, which is referenced several times in the book but whose properties are unknown. Apparently it’s a magical gate of some kind.

Yodong State covers the surrounding lands of the Yodongseong city-state, with roads connecting it to smaller communities for trade. The southern lands are used for tea farming, but the forested and coastal west are filled with evil creatures and watchtowers safeguarding society from such monsters. Increasing frequency of pirate attacks has threatened the fishing industry of Chungju village, and there’s some evidence pointing to false flag raids by the Gomnaru Port Authority using them as an excuse to make inroads “for maritime security.” Gwayang is a walled city that entered into a defense pact with Haenamguk to keep the surrounding seas safe, but behind the walls the Palm has a growing underworld presence. The city-state of Yodongseong is unique in being contained within a single massive tower with outer circles of earthen mounds for defense. The place served as a battleground during the Winds of Darkness, and the cantrips favored by its population are offensive in nature and its local council of Key Holders each bear one key that can open up a vault containing scrolls and tomes of great power to be used during a time of need. The community’s current Guardian is growing in age and has seen decades of short-sightedness and poor judgment in others that make him distrustful of training any successors. This in turn has impacted his ability to attend to his duties on the Council of Twelve, and there’s already bitter debates arising from the Key Holders and populace over his judgment. Michuhol and the Gaya Confederacy are hoping to sweep in if events get chaotic to provide security...and also cynically to expand their power base against the other, who would surely do the same.

Namkaebi Province is a region blessed with soil ideal for tea farming. Sadly such fertile land has brought no end of grief, for various clans and the Gaya Confederacy have sought to get a heavier hand in the local economy. The headquarters of the Tea Farmer’s Guild tries to keep above it all, and their town of Goseong hosts their House of Happenings which is one of the best-defended buildings in Jeosung due to holding the secrets of preparing its famed tea. There’s also Hamheung, an impoverished town by the mudflats whose economy is supplemented by addictive drugs,* harvested body parts of protected creatures, and other illegal goods. Two such illegal drugs are Dallaeneum mushrooms and Gaeulsoop leaves.  Gaeulsoop leaves are briefly mentioned but not elaborated on in the text proper, but Dallaeneun (there’s 8 instances in the book ended in an ‘n,’ 3 in an ‘m’) mushrooms have their own sidebar. They are harvested from an ooze-like substance emitted by said mushrooms, containing mild hallucinogenic properties. They are often used in shamanic rituals, but can also be used recreationally or distilled into alcohol. Improper use of them among many shamans caused fatal overdoses which resulted in their ban.

Taeyang and Sooptap are small arboreal communities of Nokyong dragonborn and halflings; the former still believe that the olds gods are alive and will return someday, and have great skill with wizardry. The latter build treetop houses and hanging bridges well above forest level, being semi-nomadic due to generations of hiding from monsters during the Winds of Darkness. They know where the best batches of Dallaeneum mushrooms grow, and trade them to people in exchange for food.

Hamgyöng Province dominates Mudangguk’s southwest coast. Limestone caverns and rainforests are common here, and a unique breed of feather-winged goblins known as the Mulgashi live here in secret. They are neither hostile nor friendly to other humanoids, being uninterested in trade or interaction with other communities. Most of them live in Urigashi, a self-sustaining town protected by a magical shield. More open non-goblin communities include Inju whose warm beaches are a tourist hot spot, Yangyang which stands at the frontier between civilization and the dangers of Jobeuntang province, the capital of Saenam which is the center for the Gaya Confederacy and growing separatist movement, and a mostly-deforested region known as the Edge whose tree cutters have been attacked by unknown figures believed to be either Nokyong dragonborn and/or shamans. The Confederacy’s leader, King Suro, cares little for the contemporary culture of Mudangguk and pours money into ever-extravagant construction projects to celebrate mortal achievements both past and current. The pseudo-nation derives much of its wealth from timber and iron deposits, doing heavy trade with Haenamguk whose island lacks much in the way of forests and thus the accompanying woodcraft.

Wünu Mountains & Jobeuntang Province are the least civilized regions of Mudangguk. The Wünu Mountains have a storied presence in Jeosung history, from the legend of the Five Sisters who raised the earth from the ground to form impassable mountains between two warring states to many historic strongholds of Yül’s shamans during the Winds of Darkness. There are some small communities of shamans who opt to live in the lower elevations, seeking out lives of spiritual retreat to bring one closer to nature.

There is also the dreaded land of Jihaguk, a subterranean network of unknown size filled with cities of dokkaebis and other fell monsters. It is from here the monstrous forces of the Winds of Darkness emerged to take over Jeosung, and the resentful surviving forces retreated here to lick their wounds. Some amoral merchants have even begun selling the monsters weapons in exchange for unique artifacts. There’s a worrisome rumor of a portal that links directly to Gamangnara, the darkest realm of the afterlife, to which the monsters have access. Finally there is the Giljobeun forest, a cursed place home to ghostly beings known as the Unseen who ambush and trap travelers by creating illusions out of their hearts’ desire.



There are only two settlements of note here. The first is Hwando, where the aforementioned merchants of questionable loyalties gather, and the bulk of the town is a haphazard collection of broken parts repurposed from crashed ships of prior ages. One of the few bright points in this broken realm is the Bulkyeryong restaurant, whose owner is rumored to be a retired pirate who discovered a love for cooking that changed his priorities in life. The second settlement is Wangonseong, a snowy mountain town home to an eroded shrine of the Followers of Hwanggung.

Yuldö is a small island at the peninsula’s southern tip. Home to the legendary shaman Yül, its grounds are barred to all but her and those who earned her trust. She lives here year-round save during the Great Visit every twenty-five years.



Rounding out our chapter is a gallery of stat-free NPCs. We have 3 major characters each described in one page long in-character descriptions along with artwork, and 26 minor characters who have a paragraph or two worth of description along with their notable traits and adventure hooks. Our big three include the proud headmaster of the Saenam Naval Academy giving a rousing speech to the newest graduates, the Head of the Tea Farmer’s Guild who’s taking a hands-on approach in tracking down a would-be burglar of the House of Happenings, and a letter from the Guardian of Yodongseong reminiscing about happier times.

A sidebar offering GM Tips for sessions set in Mudangguk suggests playing up the “romantic mysticism” of the lands’ natural beauty and the ever-present influence of spirits. Some may even manifest in the mortal realm to ask the party for favors or act as obstacles in their adventures.

Thoughts So Far: Mudangguk is a strong first entry for the realms of Jeosung. In spite of striving for classless ideals, there are still societal imperfections and the folly of greed corrupting many a mortal. It’s neither a tyranny by majority dystopia bound to fail, nor is it an uncritical portrayal like Eclipse Phase’s anarchist habitats. Most of the provinces have some kind of local conflict or danger ideal for adventurers to handle, and while there’s more of a “natural harmony” theme there’s a good division between wilderness and urban locales for such adventure opportunities.

There are some weak points I wish were expanded or touched upon. The presence of Jihaguk as the Evil Monster Nation feels like it could’ve used more word count, given the great emphasis on the Winds of Darkness. Some of the locales merely seem like interesting places to explore but have little beyond that, such as the winged goblins who more or less just wish to be left alone and don’t seem to be threatened by any dangerous forces in need of interloping adventurers.

Join us next time as we cover Noonnara, Jeosung’s frost-ridden final frontier!

16

Chapter 3: Agencies & Factions

Note: This chapter had no heading image, so I used the one for the Koryo Hall of Adventures proper in Chapter 5 given it is the most relevant.

This section covers the major institutions of Jeosung. These tend to be ‘big picture,’ covering organizations that have an effect on the national or international level.

Agencies are institutions dedicated to serving a larger interest beyond just one kingdom. Geumyongcheung is an agency in charge of keeping records of yangban families as well as those who were stripped of their status and why. Their records aren’t available to the public, and it’s a closed circle for the aristocracy. Gomnaru Port Authorities are a maritime merchant consortium which has its own private army and in some port cities is the de facto government. Jaeichcheong is an agency for entertainers of all stripes, but is currently suffering an internal rift between practitioners of Jongak music (preferred by high-class formal types) and Minsogak music (working class traveling musicians). Sangincheong is an agency for traders which provides various financial services and networking for members. Seongsucheong is a guild for shamans which keeps a registry of all known shamans in Jeosung and whose records provide details on rituals and spells. They have offices in every single village in Mudangguk, and in spite of their proclaimed political neutrality having a member sitting on said nation’s Council of Five. This has caused increased scrutiny of their order in Daewanguk and Haenamguk.

Criminal Factions represent those few crime syndicates that got powerful and lucky enough to have agents all over Jeosung. The Brethren of Bulkutt specialize in stealing magical items to sell on the black market, with their base of operations in the city Huju. As to why, the town has a magical academy and also a network of secret tunnels and passageways which is effective for their trade. The Eyes of Käl broke off from the Shadows of the North due to anger at the reinstatement of old aristocracies, and specialize in committing terrorist actions against the government of Daewanguk. The Palm is a more traditional crime syndicate and specializes in theft of all kinds, but also oversees other illegal activity which can turn a profit.

Farmer & Fisher Guilds are predictably the most mundane of the groups save for aspects of political intrigue and conflict growing to dominate their affairs. The Fishers’ Guild of Nakshi Yeonan provides most seafood for Haenamguk, and its brisk trade with other nations means that many spies seeking to penetrate the country’s authoritarian curtain often disguise themselves as guild members. The Rice Farmers’ Guild of Ssalbada (located in Daewanguk) are a tremendously powerful organization given their control over the canal which feeds countless rice paddies. This is causing discontent among farmers unable to afford guild dues, and the appearance of soldiers making sure that farmers are meeting their quotas is only making matters worse. The Tea Farmers’ Guild of Boseong has a tidy relationship with Mudangguk’s Council of Five, but as the town where their HQ is located joined the Gaya Confederacy this may hurt their coffers no matter which side they choose or don’t choose.

Political Factions detailed here are those dedicated more to an ideology rather than a specific government. The Gaya Confederacy is headquartered in the city of Saenam of Mudangguk. Unsatisfied with the decisions of the Council of Five, the city government and allied families seek to use their regional power in the timber and iron trade to gain legitimacy from Daewanguk and Haenamuk in their goal of becoming an autonomous nation. The Saenam Separatist movement has similar grievances, although they want the creation of a yangban system and all the privileges that come with it, pointing to the actions of their ancestors during the Winds of Darkness as claims that their families deserve more for their aid in rebuilding society. The Shadows of the North were founded by Käl as a post-war peacekeeping force to hunt down and guard against monstrous remnants. Over time they became more self-interested, which caused disillusioned members to break away into the Eyes of Käl.


Religious Factions cover more specific institutions beyond the broad animism/purism belief systems. The Sect of Changjo pay fealty to neither religion, instead wishing for a return of the gods of old. However, they believe that the gods view mortals in their current state as unworthy of their love and thus seek violent revolution against the system and eradication of non-believers. As such they’re a villainous group who also devote time and resources into finding and stealing magical artifacts, particularly any rumored to be the Heavenly Heirlooms of old which disappeared long ago. The Sect of Yoggu Haneul, meanwhile, is a purist group who believes that the best way to overcome worldly attachments and desires is to overconsume on such desires until the body and mind are sick of them. This ideology was quickly taken advantage of by predators who turned the Sect into sex trafficking ring patronized and supported by wealthy yangbans.

Overall, the organizations strike positive for me. A few make logical sense in the context of the world but provide less adventure fodder than others. The Gaya Confederacy and Saenam Separatist Movement feel that they could be one organization instead. I was impressed that the otherwise mundane-sounding Farmers’ & Fishers’ Guilds had grist for conflict instead of being a dry economic treatise, and the rival musician groups of the Jaeichcheong are an interesting bit of cultural world-building that can also provide excuses for PC hijinks.

There’s quite a bit of antagonistic factions here beyond the typical criminal groups. The Sect of Changjo is cool, although the Sect of Yoggu Haneul will take careful consideration to use in most gaming groups given some triggering themes.


Chapter 4: Visualizing Jeosung

This illustration-heavy chapter goes over material to better immerse players in the world of Jeosung, drawing heavily from pre-modern Korea.




Houses tend to use the placement of kitchens as a heating system and as such said room is often lower than the rest of the house. The foundations are made of thick stones covered by a wooden floor to create a sort of floor heating, and during the summer months it is typical to cook outside instead. The construction of buildings differs depending on social class and wealth, although only larger buildings have corridors; most houses prefer roof-covered walkways connecting buildings.

Regarding common social services, agencies have local offices in just about every town within their domains of influence, with only very small and isolated villages lacking them. Daedonghae are local authority figures representing the interests of a community, and their appointment differs based on the political system. Options range from being democratically voted, appointed by a lord, being part of a council rather than an individual, and so on. Inns are uncommon, and most travelers rely upon local hospitality and empty rented rooms in houses for cheap accommodations. Public baths are free and appear in larger cities, with more elaborate ones providing special rooms with herbal and heated baths.



Jeosung culture is full of versatile cuisine and shiktangs are restaurants that appear just about everywhere. There are no indoor bars and taverns in Jeosung; instead, sooljibs are outdoor drinking places with tables. Just about every village has some local specialty in which they take pride, and travelers are fond of keeping foodie journals of such specialties which they share with others on the road. We also have a list of the most common crops farmed and the kingdoms known for certain staples, along with common meals, food, and drinks from local households to restaurants.




When people die it is customary to bury the dead. Mounds, graves, and mausoleums are popular based upon available physical space and wealth. It is also a universal practice to build Jangseungs, totems representing spirits and famous figures which can manifest spiritual energy to protect an area from evil spirits. The totems also bear markings of more mundane matters, such as directions to nearby settlements and their distance. Shrines are also important, used by animists and purists alike to perform religious ceremonies. They can be small simple affairs, such as a tree with colorful decorations and stones stacked upon each other, or huge buildings with their own rooms.



Jeosung uses a “common currency” which was created after the Winds of Darkness to help facilitate inter-kingdom trade and cooperation for rebuilding. The copper/silver/gold coin standard endemic to D&D is the most common, although they bear holes in the center so that they can be easily strung together. Older forms of currency exist, such as jade coins and copper/silver/golden knives used by the Dragon Kings of old, and are prized for their historical value. The most recent kind of currency is paper money, favored by merchants of Sangincheong who make use of blood to identify one’s soul as a sort of magical banking ID system for easy transfer of liquid assets.

Overall I’m a big fan of this chapter: visual inspiration goes a long way to immersing players in a world, particularly in a culture which isn’t that well-covered in tabletop gaming.


Chapter 5: Jimyeongsajeon, the Gazetteer of Jeosung, Part 1: the Koryo Hall of Adventures

This chapter is by far the largest in the book, spanning 141 pages out of the book’s 275. It covers the Koryo Hall of Adventures as its own entry along with the four kingdoms of note: the forested pseudo-egalitarian realm of Mudangguk, the icy frontier that is Noonnara, the regimented and formal aristocracy of Daewanguk, and the militaristic Hermit Kingdom of Haenamguk. For obvious reasons I’m going to handle them all as their own entries rather than doing them all at once.

We start out with a discussion of the realms of reality. There are two known planes of existence: first is Iseung, the material plane and home of mortals. Then there is Shinseung, also known as the spiritual plane but what foreigners would recognize as the Ethereal Plane. Shinseung is only accessible by spirits, the dead, and mages with the right spells. Most spirits have the ability to go back and forth between Iseung and Shinseung. Jeosung observes a lunar calendar that has an annual total of 240 days. The four seasons are recognized, and each season (and quarter of a season) are associated with one of the four elements: Spring and first quarter with Earth, Summer and second quarter with Fire, Autumn and third quarter with Water, and Winter and the fourth quarter with Air. Jeosung also has a monsoon period which strikes annually at the beginning of summer, lasting three to six weeks.

The Koryo Hall of Adventures was created by Yül after the Winds of Darkness as an international group of soldiers, mercenaries, shamans, and other specialists who’d protect people and places in need of them during the chaotic period of rebuilding society. She chose the Sanshinamü, the headquarters she used to summon the great spirit to return magic to the lands, as a center of operations for building the Hall. Although originally a volunteer organization, the growth in numbers and rising prosperity of the realms who felt less need for them turned the Koryo Hall of Adventures into a for-profit business.

The Hall is a self-sufficient fortress reached via a mountain pass in Mudangguk, with its own shops, restaurant, scholarly archives, and training centers for a variety of skills. People in need of members’ services post notes on a public board with details on the job and rewards, and there’s a sample map, list of shops and services, and locations of note within the complex. Adventurers who are members can stay for free up to 2 nights per visit between Jobs, and also have free access to the practice grounds for improving their skills and can conduct research in the Study for free. They cannot take out manuscripts for any reason, as they’re often old, fragile, and/or rare.



This sidebar is but one of many examples of others of their kind within the book. The following sections of Chapter 5 provide sample hooks relevant to locations of note, which is a pretty good way of inspiring GMs for adventures.

Following the details of the Hall as a location are the various rules and regulations. Newtime adventurers register for membership when picking their first job, getting 40% cut of the profits and the Hall uses the 60% portion to help process registration. Afterwards, members take 90% of the profits for every job. Beyond this, the Koryo Hall of Adventures has some broad terms for conduct of behavior:* they don’t take responsibility for what types of jobs are posted, although acts of genocide, those which put the balance of the material/spiritual worlds in jeopardy, and actions which can have repercussions across the realms are refused on principle.** Members cannot steal, kill, or do general trouble-making while within the Hall’s premises, must respect fellow members, and once they accept a job must finish it or die trying. All sorts of jobs are posted, although the Hall splits some jobs as being “for Heroes” or “for Scoundrels” based on the ideal morality for job-takers. And yes, this setting does have a bean-counting morality system determining one’s Heroic/Scoundrel nature.

*although only those relevant to gaming sessions are detailed.

**this last one may be hard to enforce.

Those who post jobs are known as Requesters, and must pay the reward in advance in order for the job to be completed. To ensure that the Hall is not seen as usurers, they send additional teams to complete a failed job at no extra cost, and a full refund if the job is time-sensitive. Desperate Measures are rare exceptions where a requester is short on funds and the trouble is significant. The method of authenticating a completed job is laid out in the job description, and adventurers collect their payment back at the Hall after showing their proof. Adventurers who fail a job suffer punishment depending on the circumstances and expense: unpaid labor at the hall for a period of time, a fine, and doing missions for free are common, although those who make a habit of sloppiness or engage in forbidden activity become targets of the Hall who send out hit squads to kill them. The terms of punishment are detailed in the Appendix, so the GM is not left to gut feelings and fiat.

The last part detailing the Hall has write-ups for 9 NPCs. Each entry shows a scene entirely in-character with them interacting with someone as a means of showing their personality. No stats are provided beyond their race and gender, and in one case noting that they possess shamanic magic.

Thoughts So Far: The concept of the Koryo Hall of Adventures is a strong appeal to the adventurer’s guild concept as seen in many video game RPGs, up to and including a notice board of quests. This is more an aesthetic thing, but the artificial nature of the Hero/Scoundrel system rubs me the wrong way; even though the Hall is an isolated fortress it makes me imagine that “scoundrel jobs” effectively advertising the Requester’s evil plans to an audience of any passersby who cares to read the notice board.

Furthermore, the Koryo Hall’s location in Mudangguk’s mountain range is a bit problematic. The necessity of going to the Hall and back with every completed Job sounds rather onerous, particularly for quests located in Daewanguk and Haenamguk. A way around it would be if the Hall had localized branches much like agencies, although if this is the case the text does not imply this. That being said, the core concept of an organization of adventurers for the PCs and base of operations is a great way of providing plot hooks and replacement characters for those who get killed in action.

Join us next time as we cover the nation of Mudangguk, a near-classless society of arboreal beauty and omnipresent spirits!

17
D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder / [Let's Read] The Koryo Hall of Adventures
« on: May 31, 2021, 05:40:08 PM »

Note: This book is technically 5e but have Pathfinder/OSR conversion documents. As this subforum gets the most traffic and are perhaps most interested in the PF mechanics, I'm posting it here.

The intertwining of Dungeons & Dragons, and role-playing games in general, with East Asia is a long one. Western tabletop designers inspired Japanese video game designers with series such as Lodoss War, and also the first Final Fantasy which then eclipsed tabletop as a household name. On the Chinese front, the advent of wuxia and martial arts films gave rise to the D&D monk class, which became almost as iconic as the Fighter and Mage in countless fantasy games. And when it comes to monsters, RPGs are more than happy to borrow from all sorts of folklore.

But when it comes to Korea there’s not as many obvious influences. Aurélien Lainé is a Frenchman who lived in Seoul for over ten years, and immersed himself heavily in the culture from learning the language to taking classes and making 2 documentaries. Dungeons & Dragons and tabletop roleplaying were growing progressively popular in South Korea, which was one of the reasons for inspiration in the creation of Koryo Hall of Adventures. Seeking to make a campaign setting inspired by Korean history and legends, Aurélien sought to provide such an option for players in the country while also showing an international audience a broader lens for a culture that is relatively untouched in western fantasy.

Although the product of a successful KickStarter and with mini-supplements under its belt, Koryo Hall of Adventures still remains rather obscure. Although it was sold for a while on the official WordPress site, it is now on DriveThruRPG! The game itself uses the 5th Edition ruleset, but there are separate conversion manuals for Pathfinder and the OSR, which I’ll also be covering. The bulk of the book is rather rules-neutral, with most mechanical content being in the last third.

One more thing: I hate to say it, but the first thing I notice while perusing this book is the lack of bookmarks. There is an index, but as I need to keep referring to the table of contents to find appropriate entries it is inconvenient for a PDF. Additionally, while the chapters are numbered in their respective sections the Table of Contents does not list chapters by number: they’re bolded instead. This is another point against it for easy maneuverability.


Chapter 1: Jeosung’s Mythology And Early History

The land of Jeosung is a pair of peninsulas and a southern island chain, one land out of an unknown many in the material plane world of Iseung. But what is known are the many tales of the world’s creation; in the times before time itself there was but only primordial chaos known as the Infinite Night. Two deities known as Yulryeo and Mago came into existence. The first couldn’t bear living in such a dreadful sea of nothingness and died of despair, and to avoid loneliness Mago gave birth to two Heavenly Men and two Heavenly Women who were perfect paragons of what would later serve as the framework for mortals. They were gifted with the ability to procreate, and in harnessing spiritual energy they brought Yulryeo back to life by reincarnating him as the four elements and thus the world of Iseung. Mag transformed into seasons, colors, and the weather, and the Heavenly Beings sought to build a civilization in the honor of their creators.

For a time things were good, but there was not enough Jiyu, or spiritual energy, to sustain the Heavenly Beings’ growing numbers. One of them grew to know hunger, and ended up eating fruit found in the wilderness. This began the fall of the Heavenly Beings, who soon discovered the weaknesses of mortality, such was the price to pay for consuming other living beings. Many transformed into the animals known today as well as dragons, and were exiled for their impure status. Such resentment led to war, with the exiled people invading their homeland only to discover that the Jiyu had utterly dried out. In such desperate times order was needed, so a figure by the name of Hwanggung prayed to Mago and learned of ways to help the fallen retain their pure status, even if it took untold eras to reverse the damage. Mago gave him Four Heavenly Heirlooms, artifacts of supernatural might, representing each of the four elements. These Heirlooms helped teach people agriculture and other tools of living, and with them the first kingdoms were forged under Hwanggung’s guidance.

The Age of Heaven ended as Hwanggung’s bloodline died out. Not all sought to follow the founder’s example, the dragons and dragonborn seeking to forge a new path of their own and turned to the gods for inspiration.* They hated the Heavenly People and warred upon them. These Dragon Kings raised armies, and over time the Heavenly People became but mere humans. Wizards developed all manner of research during the war effort, including delving into subjects best left forgotten...

*It’s not said initially, but there are other gods besides those of the two creator deities. It sounds odd as one would think that the Heavenly Beings are also devout, what with Hwanggung praying to Mago. Perhaps the Heavenly Beings felt themselves unworthy to be faithful later on or something.

Yun Sepyeong is the most famous wizard in history, but for all of the wrong reasons. He violated the sacred oaths that the mortal and spiritual worlds would not enslave the other by inventing the Spiritual Cage spell. Such dread magic creates an illusory reality over the mind of a spirit, making them but dolls to be played with by the caster. Under the shelter of a remote tower far from worldly affairs, Yun Sepyeong used his research to raise an army with the intention of achieving godhood. He angered the gods with his hubris, and when denied immortality Yun Sepyeong retaliated with the mass murder of mortals and spirits alike. The Dragon Kings declared war on the wizard’s forces as the world itself was rent with weather of divine retribution, and Sepyeong died after casting one final cataclysmic spell which killed off all of the gods. The wizard’s reign of terror ended, but at the price of the death of the Dragon Kings and huge sections of their army.

The Age of the Dragon Kings ended, and thus began the Winds of Darkness.

The downfall of the Dragon Kings brought political chaos, but the death/disappearance of the gods, the unnatural weather, and Yun Sepyeong’s foul works also brought supernatural chaos. Monsters of all kinds rampaged across the land, including some which were once stories of myth. The Dokkaebis* rose to positions of prominence and led armies of other monsters. The entire continent was claimed, and what few texts remain of this time speak only of terror. When all hope seemed lost, people found old records of Hwanggung’s teachings, and soon a covert organization of Followers dedicated to his name plotted in secret to free the land. Three great heroes all performed tireless works to this goal: Käl the dragonborn used guerilla warfare. Li Yongjeon the engineer escaped the continent and made contact with a foreign elven kingdom who offered to help his cause, in exchange for blueprints of warship plans purloined from Jeosung. Yül made contact with a mighty entity known as the Seven Stars Spirit, who helped reignite the teachings of shamanism. By coordinating efforts, the three heroes led the Followers of Hwanggung to besiege the monstrous legions with the aid of elven warships. The Retaking of the Lands ended the Winds of Darkness, and soon people began to rebuild.

*Jeosung’s pseudo-orc equivalents, but more diverse in appearance.

The 200 years afterwards covers Jeosung’s modern age, and the four nations arose due to the examples of the three heroes. Yül established a group of shamans known as the Council of Five who acted as intermediaries between the mortal and spirit worlds and became the major authority figures of Mudangguk. Käl created the kingdom of Daewangguk, using old texts of past societies to resurrect the philosopher-king system of the Yangban. Admiral Yeonjo found the shattered southern islands to be the worst off, and created a closed-off militaristic society known as Haenamguk which resisted contact with the rest of the world. The fourth land, Noonnara, is a northern realm of deadly cold and wilderness whose existence is owed to the Council of Five pushing the winter seasons farther north to help create more arable land.

And as for faith and religion, the gods never spoke to the people again. Perhaps Yun Sepyeong did indeed kill them all, or maybe they left of their own volition. With their silence people turned to other faiths, either that of shamanism which sought the patron of spirits suffusing everything, or the doctrine of Purism which sought the ultimate goal of restoring mortals to their former Heavenly status. Things are much better than they were during the Winds of Darkness, but monstrous remnants and the follies of humanoid nature are still real and present dangers. So where conventional armies and village militias could not (or would not) help restore order, independent groups of specialists were sought. This gave rise to a new class of people, adventurers, whose most famous order is the Koryo Hall of Adventures.


Chapter 2: the People of Jeosung

This covers Jeosung in broad strokes, with more specific details in their respective chapters. Jeosung is quite linguistically homogeneous; this was not originally the case, but genocides during the Winds of Darkness destroyed many cultures and ethnic groups to the point that their tongues are no longer spoken in regular conversation. The two major languages are the Common tongue, which arose as a sort of pidgin language during the Age of the Dragon Kings from increased trade, while the Spiritual Lexicon is the language of spirits, the Heavenly People, and the Gods. The various races also have their own tongues (Draconic, Elven, etc) but they are rare and not typically taught to outsiders.

Jeosung is a class-based society, although it differs in some respects from feudalism and there are some exceptions in the four major kingdoms. The Yangban are the traditional aristocracy, whose formation is based on an old philosopher-king ideal where the most educated people in society are judged best able to rule and administer affairs. Although supposedly a meritocratic system, the tests and exams determining social ascension are rigorous to the point that the average peasant cannot devote enough labor and resources to the program when dawn to dusk fieldwork is needed in sustaining society. As a result, the best-educated people are almost always from families of wealth. The system is solid enough that the Yangban are for all intents and purposes hereditary rulers, but fluid enough that the ranking system encourages elitism and intrigue just as much as hard work.

Below the Yangbans are the Joongins, the non-noble officials and administrators who do the majority of labor in the bureaucracy, and as such have a broad range of occupations from educated occupations from calligraphers to engineers. Quite a few Joongin are actually Yangban born from illegitimate affairs as well as those who scored poorly on exams. They still have financial support from their parents, but are clearly inferior in the eyes of the rest of the nobility.

The Sangmin are the commoners of Jeosung and comprise 75% of the population. They include farmers and laborers, but also people of means such as merchants. Said merchants score better on the national exams, and as such there was a rising “new noble” class in Daewangguk from them. The old money naturally panicked, and laws were passed that merchants could only ever be Sangmin. The justification was that rulers should only come from backgrounds who dedicated their entire lives to “studies and labor for the betterment of the realm.” Haenamguk followed suit, whereas the realms of Mudangguk and Noonnara are too isolated, decentralized, or actively against the formation of a class system for any such laws (much less Yangban) to come into being.

The final two social classes are disenfranchised groups. The Cheonmin are those whose occupations are considered unclean by the Yangban on both a hygienic and moral level. Butchers, gravekeepers, shoemakers, criminals, mercenaries, sex workers, and necromancers are considered part of this class. The Nobi only exist in Haemanguk and are indentured servants: they can own land of their own, marry, and raise families of their own volition, but their ‘employment’ can be traded and given to others. They are usually domestic servants or farmers, and can earn their freedom by working off their debt or via military service.


There are separate entries on the Foundations of Magic, Spirits in Jeosung, and Religion, but they’re inter-related enough that I’m covering them together. All forms of magic originate from spiritual energy which is present in all things, even in the mortal world of Iseung. During the Winds of Darkness when the gods were gone and the spirits fled, access to magic was lost, only coming back after Yül and her followers found a means of reconnecting with them. Spiritual energy leaks into the material plane whenever spirits interact with said world, and these leaks create invisible phenomena known as Sparks which can be shaped into spells. Traditional spellcasters aren’t the only ones who care about this; various rituals from burning incense, prayers, gifts at shrines, and festivals help the flow of spiritual energy which fuels the growth of magic. Such actions are known as Jesa, or the exchange of honoring spirits in ways that please and nourish them in exchange for the continued creation of Sparks and thus magic.

Spirits themselves are a diverse assortment of entities. There exist spirits for just about every creature, object, and concept out there, and those who die become ancestral spirits. Spirits are free-willed entities, even if many times their behavior is closely tied to their affiliate concepts and people. They have a hierarchical society where one’s placement represents their overall level of power and popularity. Shin are common spirits, mostly those of people and beasts as well as smaller dwellings and geographic locales. Daeshin are ‘officers’ of the spirit world who gained the respect of their peers and are thus elevated to a more powerful status. Daegam are powerful entities who hold sway over incredibly broad phenomena, such as a spirit holding purview over all doors, entrances, and portals. Gods are technically the greatest spirits of all, but not even their lower-ranking peers know of their ultimate fate.

This foundation of the world strongly influences religious beliefs in Jeosung. There are two major belief systems in the realm, although both are decentralized, don’t have official organizations, and adhering to one doesn’t preclude being faithful in the other. Shamanism is the more popular faith, which prioritizes the relationship between Iseung and the world of spirits. The other religion is Purism, which arose during the Age of the Dragon Kings emphasizing the teachings of Hwanggung and the elevation of mortal nature to former Heavenly status via meditation and self-improvement. Purism teachings helped create the Yangban system, and while they also acknowledge the existence of the spirits, various Purists have differing views of Shamanism. Some view the reliance on spirits as weakness and the Shamans as competition, while others view the two faiths as compatible and incorporate both of their teachings into daily life.

Jeosung is a high-magic setting, but not like the industrialized nature of Eberron nor the archmage-riddled cities of Faerûn. The emphasis on education is such that even isolated and autonomous villages possess exams which can teach people minor spells, and most people know 3 wizard cantrips. Members of the Wizard class get 3 more, while casters of other traditions add those cantrips to their list of known ones. But the kind of magic which Jeosung lacks is the magic of Clerics. Although the gods created the world, they don’t answer prayers, that is, if they’re even still alive. Filling the role are Mudangs, or shamans who make treaties with spirits in exchange for magic. They are their own new class detailed in the rules section of the book. As for Purists, those skilled enough to be represented in class format are typically Monks of the new Sunim Monastic Tradition.

Unfortunately Koryo Hall of Adventures doesn’t really talk about how the spellcasting classes are further differentiated beyond these points. Although there’s a universal power source for magic via spirits and Sparks, is there any particular reason why some classes manifest differently? Are Druids merely Mudang who exclusively traffic with nature spirits? Are warlocks mages who signed exclusivity contracts with powerful Daegam? Are sorcerers people descended from the union of spirit-mortal dalliances? Do paladins get their spells from spirits of ideologies? The book doesn’t say.


Races of Jeosung details the major playable fantasy species of the setting. Like just about every other published one out there it’s human-centric, although the other Player’s Handbook races have a part to play along with one new one. Humans were once in a position of irrelevancy, being weaker than the dragonborn and unable to survive against monstrous beings without their help. But seemingly out of nowhere during the Second Age their communities rapidly developed into city-states, then confederations, then kingdoms. Their rise to prominence engenders a sense of pride in comparison to other races, and they display this in the creation of their art and the maintenance of their pseudo-meritocratic aristocracy.

Quote
They want to be the big dog in town, as if most of their existence prior to emerging as a dominant race was built on a need for recognition that would ensure their survival. It is fair to say that the entire human race at this point in time is in a constant fight with its own insecurities by showing off its manufactured relevance in any way possible.

Dragonborns are the other indigenous race to Jeosung, descendants of primordial beasts and Dragons. Dragonborn are just as likely to have old noble families as humans, and have their own new subraces. Hwasanyong are Haenamguk’s military caste and tend to be what people think of when associating the race with martial prowess. The Nokyong live mostly in Mudangguk and keep to the forests, helping guide travelers through the woodlands. They’re normally quite chill, but they have contempt for the Hwasanyong. Yulaeyong are the most isolated of the subraces, having grown wings which they use to glide among the Cheonsanju mountain range in icy Noonnara. They mostly keep to themselves and are slow to act, preferring to get as much information as possible about a situation or dilemma before committing to a task.

Of the PHB races, Dwarves are also native to the region and used to have nations of their own during the Age of the Dragon Kings. Their two major cultural groups include the Hwangmoon and Hwasan. The Hwangmoon live under the Cheonsanju mountains and are famed for gems and subterranean treasure. The Hwasan primarily live in the volcano of the same name and are the reason Haenamguk has such a famed heavy industry. The latter have a rocky history with the Hwasanyong dragonborn, of mutual wars and enslavement of both sides which is today kept to a resentful simmer under the current military dictatorship. Halflings are the third native race, and much like their Tolkien inspiration they mostly are content with simple rural lives. Their two subraces are Forest Halflings who live a hidden subsistence lifestyle in treetop villages, and the Plains Halflings who settled the Pyeojngji Flatlands of Haenamguk and provide said nation with an agricultural bounty.

Elves came from unknown realms across the sea. Although their traders were present during the Age of the Dragon Kings, they showed up in far greater numbers during the Winds of Darkness and those who stayed after the war helped rebuild society. The only known subraces living in Jeosung are the High Elves and Wood Elves. Gnomes also came via Elven merchant vessels, and are obsessed with the accumulation of wealth. They have a land of their own in Noonnara known as the Kingdom of the Fat Toad. Goliaths are rare in Jeosung, mostly coming from warlike kingdoms to the north of Noonnara. Said realms made unsuccessful invasion attempts of Jeosung during the Age of the Dragon Kings, and the few who settled south live mostly in Noonnara and forsworn violence in order to better integrate into society. Half-elves are described pretty poorly by the book, as “self-centered opportunists often in positions of power that they don’t deserve.” They came from intermarriages between humans and elves during and after the Winds of Darkness, considered to possess the best of both cultures and often appointed to leadership positions for possessing aesthetic qualities prized by both races. Such favoritism engenders an entitlement complex in most half-elves, who prefer to rely upon nepotism and shortcuts over hard work which creates resentment from others.

Noonsalam are Jeosung’s new race. Also known as the Snow People, they came from lands north of Noonnara to hide from the goliaths. They are best known for growing the Infinite Forest that separates Jeosung from the unknown north, but don’t really interact with the rest of the realms. Noonsalam live as self-sufficient villagers and hunter-gatherers who like to build magic items in their spare time, which are prized by traders who give them goods to help them better survive in exchange. Noonsalam society has little need for coins. Strangely they do not have stats as a playable race, much less a Bestiary entry in this book or the Pathfinder/OSR conversion documents. On that note, there aren’t any entries for the new subraces either. The only exception is that the Pathfinder conversion document has write-ups for the Dragonborn subraces.

Thoughts So Far: Jeosung’s first impression is one that hews closely to classic fantasy RPG tropes: you’ve got the gods creating the world, a Golden Age and a fall from grace, kingdoms with mystical artifacts, and an evil monster-demon army overthrown by legendary heroes. I enjoyed the write-ups on spirits and how intertwined they are with daily life, magic, and religion, which gives spellcasting a specific grounding and origin. I also liked how the aristocracy was a system founded on lofty ideals only to become just like so many other aristocracies. The omnipresence of cantrips among the general populace is an interesting touch, and the use of a world with no active gods is another novel idea.  Although I was a bit surprised to see no real discussion on how the character classes, particularly the magical ones, fit into Jeosung’s society. Even if magic has a universal origin, it still begs the question of why spellcasters other than Mudang exist and why their particular magic manifests in a different way.

Join us next time as we cover Chapters 3 & 4, where we learn about the power players in Agencies and Factions and get ample illustrations and descriptions of homes, food, instruments, and more in Visualizing Jeosung!

18
D&D 5e / Re: [Creative] Spheres of Power & Might by Setting
« on: May 29, 2021, 11:58:32 PM »

Dark Spheres: the Spheres System for Dark Sun

Athas was once a lush green world brimming with life, but magic and warfare warped the land into so much dry dust. Violence is a way of life in the Tablelands, and invokers of the supernatural derive their powers from the land itself, the fell Dragon-Kings, or their own minds.

Major Traditions: Dark Sun is a scorched land where metal is scarce, so traditions emphasizing light and unarmored forms of defense are more common. Equipment in other settings made out of metal such as swords and axes are still available, but made out of stone, bone, obsidian, and wood. Bows, crossbows, spears, slings, whips, and clubs are the most common weapon proficiencies, so traditions focusing on those are preferred by many warriors.

As for armor, Athas has adapted to using non-metal alternatives, so in most cases such armor remains unchanged. The exceptions are chain shirts, chainmail, splint, and half and full plate armor, which have to be made with metal and are prohibitively expensive, rare, and impractical. As this more or less closes off the bulk of heavy armor, any martial tradition that would grant Armor Training twice (or move a character to heavy armor proficiency) can opt instead to replace the second talent with some other defensive talent. Armor Expert, Einhander, Unarmored Training, Versatile Shield, and the Shield sphere are all appropriate choices.

Edit: wellis of RPGnet pointed out that the 4th Edition conversion of Dark Sun had non-metal heavy armors. Chainmail is replaced with bone/horn/wood-stupped leather jacks made from kank and cyclops body parts, while plate armor is made from the chitin of insects, crustaceans, braxats, gaj, and even drakes. Such armor is designed to be worn in hot climates so it does not impose disadvantage on Constitution saving throws to resist exhaustion.

Advanced/Legendary Talents: Dark Sun’s harsh ways make characters more powerful than usual out of necessity. Arcane magic is most responsible for the world’s state of affairs, the Sorcerer-Kings possess magic and psionic powers lost to the ages, and defiler wizards find it all too tempting to achieve feats of eldritch might at the cost of further killing the planet. Advanced and Legendary Talents certainly fit the world of Athas. Most such talents that are in line with spells and psionic powers from AD&D can fit, provided they don’t contradict the base magic and technological assumptions (see New Rules & Subsystems).

Technology Level: Dark Sun is more primitive than the typical medieval setting. Beyond what is mentioned under Major Traditions, a lot of gear is recycled and piecemeal, and beasts of burden are the most common means of transportation. There are devices in Athas that are rare in other settings, such as skimmers capable of sailing upon the Sea of Silt and wind-powered wheeled sand skiffs which travel easily across wide open terrain.

The Tinkerer sphere’s accessories and gadgets can range from devices which can be easily reflavored from local materials such as the Suit Improvement talent, to ones which can only be the result of lost wonders from prior Ages such as Recording Gadgets. Certain talents from this sphere may be restricted depending upon the PC backstory and DM’s judgment.


New Rules & Subsystems

Wild Talent: Just about every person in Athas has some degree of minor psionic skill. In the original rules they rolled randomly for 1 (or a lucky 2-3) psionic powers, but anything more powerful than that necessitated a proper psionic class.

In the Spheres system this can be emulated via granting every PC a psionically-themed bonus feat. For the spheres system proper the granting of the Magical Training feat for non-spherecasters to simulate a psionic casting tradition works well enough. But for spherecasters the spheres system unfortunately doesn’t have options for “multi-tradition” builds, which means that their powers must be in line with the drawbacks and boons of their proper spherecasting class. In such a case, Extra Magic Talents or Magical Expertise are feats that can let the PC gain access to an otherwise unthematic sphere/talent, representing a psionic origin rather than a traditional arcane/divine one. Otherwise, Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything has some feats that grant the use of a minor spell or two per long rest, such as Fey Touched, Telekinetic, and Telepathic.

Non-Metal Weapons: Weapons made out of non-metal material are more apt to break. When used against a creature with resistance or immunity to the weapon’s damage type or material, said weapon has a cumulative 5% chance of breaking per attack. A broken weapon deals the minimal amount of damage if it can still conceivably still be used to injure; otherwise it’s useless.

Weapons made out of metal cost ten times the normal amount they’d be in other settings.

Rare Terrain: Much of Athas is hot and arid, and the few exceptions are small and isolated regions. Barring campaigns set predominantly in such places, it’s fair to say that most Dark Sun campaigns will be in desert-like environs. Additionally, iron, steel, and metal in general are extremely scarce.

Any talent or effect which creates water can never be of instantaneous or permanent duration. In such a case the duration becomes 24 hours. The Metal geomancy package’s Recover Ore ability can only work a number of times per long rest equal to the spherecaster’s proficiency bonus. Once this limit is reached, the area is temporarily tapped out of resources.

Sphere talents reliant upon certain terrain for their effects are less optimal choices, and thus not as valuable as others. One solution would be that PCs at character creation gain one bonus talent for an otherwise sub-optimal sphere package/talent choice. Nature’s metal, plant, and water geomancy packages qualify, as do the Weather sphere’s shroud and mantle talents reliant upon cold and precipitation conditions.

Another option is presenting a new, if rather macabre, talent has been made for Nature sphere users with the metal and water geomancy packages:

Blood Mastery (geomancy, metal, water)

Augment 0 sp: Whenever a metal or water package ability would require water or metal, you can instead use blood to fill that requirement.

Augment 0 sp: You can use blood siphon on a creature or corpse containing blood within range to supply the required blood for the effect you are augmenting. Generally speaking, a living creature can supply enough material necessary for a space or object two size categories smaller than their own size. Exsanguinating a non-undead corpse can supply material one size category smaller.

You gain the following geomancy abilities.

Blood Siphon
Target: one creature containing blood.

(requires a living creature containing blood) You can telekinetically drain a target of blood within range, dealing 1d8 necrotic damage and making the target suffer 1 level of exhaustion (max 1 level of exhaustion per creature) on a failed Constitution saving throw. A successful Constitution saving throw halves this damage and avoids the exhaustion. The damage increases by 1d8 at 5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 17th level (4d8).

Mounting Wounds
Cost: 2 sp

(concentration, requires a bleeding creature) You can cause a bleeding creature within range to heal less efficiently. They take 1d8 additional damage from any piercing or slashing damage attacks done to them, and any healing effects restore only half the usual number of hit points (rounded down).

Red Mist
Area: 10-foot square
Cost: 1 sp

(concentration, requires a bleeding creature) As the water geomancy package’s fog ability, save that those within the area of effect suffer disadvantage on saving throws vs the frightened condition, the Confusion spell and Confusion charm sphere talent, and similar effects that bestow distracting negative emotional effects.


Popular Archetypes

Bards: Bards on Athas do not have knowledge in spells, instead specializing in poison and with more thief-like abilities. The Guild Trained Martial Tradition is the best fit in granting access to the Alchemy and Scoundrel spheres, and for the former they invariably pick poison talents. Talents which can alter the form of poisons, such as Contact Poison Delivery and Gaseous Application, are eventually picked up, especially at higher levels. Those which increase the speed and reliability of delivery such as Quick Doses, Risky Business, and Skilled Applicator are common.

For the more secondary talents, the Warleader sphere’s shout-based talents are a good means of ‘inspiring’ allies, particularly Harangue, Rallying Speech, and Rousing Claxon.

A Bard’s actual class can vary. Alter Ego is the most thieflike of the Sphere of Might classes, although it’s alternate identity is most likely of the mundane double agent/spy variety. Conscripts with the Knave subclass and Strikers with the Skirmishing Scout subclasses represent other good sneaky options.

Druids: Druids are specialized priests who make a pact with spirits of a localized geographic area known as a Guarded Land. Although capable of long-range travel at lower levels, they are expected to eventually settle down and choose a permanent location to defend.

In terms of Casting Tradition they are closest to Druidic, but are similar to Elemental Priests (see below) in that they must choose Nature and a relevant geomancy package for a favored element as one of their two sphere options. They do not speak  Druidic as a bonus language given Athas’ lack of an overarching culture or organization of druids. Furthermore, they also are likely to have the Nature Warden drawback, representing their bond to a Guarded Land.

The benefits derived from their Guarded Land can be simulated in a number of ways. The Photosynthesis feat can emulate a Druid’s ability to not need to eat or drink for sustenance, while the ability to speak with animals and plants may be reflected via the Nature sphere’s Speak with the Elements talent and either Alteration’s Bestial Spirit talent or Beastmastery’s Wild Speaker legendary talent. As the latter is a martial sphere, the GM may make an exception in letting it be taken as a Nature sphere talent. The ability to shapechange into creatures common to one’s Guarded Lands is best replicated as the Alteration sphere with the Animalistic, Avian, Plant, and/or Vermin genotype talents, with complementary talents such as Bestial Reflexes and Size Change.

Elemental Priests: Divine magic in Dark Sun comes from the elements or the Dragon-Kings. In the case of the former, priests pledge themselves to one of the four elements and derive power from making said element more influential in the Material Plane. As a Casting Tradition they can be emulated as Divine Petitioners, choosing the Nature sphere with the geomancy package of their favored element, and either another Nature talent in line with their element or another sphere that can simulate this. Conjuration for summoning an elemental companion, Destruction for blast types of related elemental energies, and Weather for phenomena related to their favored element are common choices.

The Elementalist with the Geomancer subclass is a popular choice, and its ability to trade out class proficiencies for a martial tradition can better replicate weapon restrictions: Earth priests can use any weapons and armor, Air priests focus on ranged weaponry ‘guided by the air,’ Fire priests are likely to have Bombardier Training and access to the Alchemy sphere for the Alchemist’s Fire talent, and Water priests have a preference for bows, spears, and bludgeoning weapons.

Gladiator: Not only does Spheres of Might have a Gladiator Martial Tradition, it also has an entire sphere of the same name! Unfortunately, the Gladiator class’ major feature in Dark Sun is that they are proficient in all weapons. As the Spheres of Might system encourages specialization in small families of weapons rather than being a broad jack of all trades, other options are necessary for an authentic conversion. The Mageknight and Prodigy classes both have Blended Training and can choose to not opt for a Martial Tradition at character creation, still giving them access to talents as they level up while maintaining their universal weapon proficiencies. For the Prodigy the Battleborn subclass is the best choice, while for Mageknight magical spheres can be reflavored to be less magical or reflective of Wild Talents. The Psionicist path is a great choice for this, as is the Spellblade who takes variants to have their magical spheres be self-buffing, such as Protection’s Protected Soul and taking the Blade blast shape talent for Destruction.

The Gladiator’s expertise in unarmed combat can be represented in them taking the Equipment sphere’s Unarmed Training and Mystic Fist talents, and complementary spheres such as Brute and Wrestling. For the AC bonus to worn armor, the Enhancement sphere’s Enhance Equipment talent combined with the Personal Magics variant is a good choice. Finally, the gladiator’s ability to attract followers is best represented as the Leadership sphere with the follower package and Soldiers talent.

Psionicist: Special Note: These guidelines are useful for other campaign settings that employ the use of 2nd/3rd Edition style psionics.

Dark Sun may be a low magic setting, but it’s certainly a high-psionics one. Unlike divine or arcane magic which draws power from an external source, psychic powers come from one’s own personal will. As a Casting Tradition it is closest to Natural, albeit having Wisdom as its key ability modifier. The Psychic Casting Tradition may seem more appropriate at first glance, although the bonus spheres may differ depending on one’s favored disciplines and AD&D psionics are not necessarily limited by a caster’s concentration or emotional state. The most likely drawbacks are Mental Focus and Rigorous Concentration, and ones which rely upon external physical objects such as Diagram and Material Casting are inappropriate.

For classes psionicists can vary wildly, although “pure psionicists” are more likely to be pure casters and thus be Incanters and other classes that don’t have Blended Training or Martial Traditions.

Psionic Combat is discouraged as a wholesale conversion; using typical offensive and defensive sphere effects is preferred. For psionic attack forms, the Destruction sphere is ideal: Ego Whip and Id Insinuation are best emulated via the Slowing blast type, Mind Thrust via the Disrupting blast type, Psionic Blast via the Siphoning blast type, and Psychic Crush Corrosive or Scorching. For psionic defenses, they can be emulated via various features that impose disadvantage on enemy rolls and advantage on the user’s defensive rolls. The Universal sphere’s Dispel package can be used as a reaction by default when augmented with spell points, while the Protection sphere’s Resistance talent can grant advantage to a saving throw as a reaction. The Mind sphere’s Mind Shield talent is a highly appropriate choice, too.

When it comes to disciplines, their particular talents can vary wildly, much like the core rules’ schools of magic. Clairsentient powers are best replicated via Divination sphere talents. Psychokinetic powers typically use the Creation and Telekinesis spheres, with some miscellaneous spheres for more specialized effects: Enhancement’s Animate Objects talent for the power of the same name, the Dark and Light spheres for Control Light, Enhancement’s Manipulate Hardness for Molecular Manipulation, etc. Psychometabolic powers manipulate the physical form and thus are best replicated by the Alteration, Enhancement, and Life spheres; the Illusion sphere’s Illusionary Disguise is good for replicating the Chameleon Power. The Cannibalize power is less represented as a talent, and more of the Overcharge Casting Tradition boon, which lets a caster treat their proficiency bonus as 1 higher in exchange for suffering a level of exhaustion. Psychoportation powers are best reflected by the Conjuration and Warp spheres, as well as the Death Sphere’s Astral Projection for the power of the same name. Telepathic powers are best represented via the Mind sphere, with the Life sphere’s Break Enhancement and Restore Mind talents useful for emulating Psychic Surgery, Divination sphere’s Detect Life talent for the Life Detection power, and the Destruction sphere’s Frightful blast type talent emulates the Inflict Pain power.

In Dark Sun’s Expanded & Revised Edition, Metapsionics no longer exists as a discipline, being folded into the previous one. But some have not made the transition, which I’ll cover here. Aura Alteration can be replicated as the Illusion sphere’s Veiled Illusions talent, Empower is best emulated as the Enhancement sphere’s Bestow Intelligence talent, Psychic Clone is represented as the Death sphere’s Project Spirit advanced talent, Split Personality is emulated by the Time Sphere’s Adjusted Frequency and Shift Time talents for the apportioning of additional actions, Gird can represent augmenting spells to persist without concentration in general instead of a specific talent, Convergence is emulated by various Manabond talents from the Universal sphere, and Retrospection is closest to the Divination sphere’s Delve for Knowledge advanced talent, to name just a few.


Templar: Templars best represent hybrid/gish spherecasters, most likely a class or subclass with access to Blended Training. For Casting Traditions they are most commonly Divine Petitioners with spheres related to their Sorcerer-King’s areas of influence. For Martial Traditions they can be diverse in a variety of fighting styles, but the institutional authority they wield often grants them Traditions with the Warleader and/or Gladiator spheres, particularly those options which impose and play off of the frightened condition. Their ability to requisition soldiers, draw upon the city treasury, and give commands to slaves may be represented by the Leadership sphere with the Followers package, with the Detectives, Soldiers, and even Friends in Low Places as common talents.

Trader: This thieflike class focuses more heavily on social skills and contacts. Their fast-talk can be easily emulated as proficiency in Deception and perhaps the use of proficiency-doubling features such as the Alter Ego’s Socialite persona or the Skill Expert feat from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. The followers and special agents can be replicated both via the Leadership sphere and the Commander’s Politician subclass. For the Leadership sphere, the Merchant and Messenger follower talents are obvious choices, followed by others reflective of the trader’s areas of expertise. Alchemists, Artificers, and Craftsmen are appropriate for production of specialized goods, Entertainers for services of a non-physical nature, Friends in Low Places for illegal and black market goods, Laborers for construction projects, and Managers and Base of Operations for those whose business empire grows beyond any one person’s ability to operate. For the Politician subclass, Call In a Specialist emulates a Trader’s ability to hire on retainers of exceptional quality, as does the Leadership sphere’s sidekick package.

Wizards: This entry covers both defilers and preservers. All arcane magic draws upon surrounding life energy, specifically plants and soil, for the powering of spells. Defilers and Preservers are cut from the same cloth, but the difference is in their mindset. In traditional AD&D they were treated as separate classes, with defilers leveling up faster to represent the tempting ease of their power.

Preserver Wizards more or less function as standard Wizards in other D&D settings for conversion: the Traditional Magic Casting Tradition being the most likely, and from there it’s all up to the player on what class and spheres best reflect their favored spells. As for defilers, they are equally versatile but always have the Terrain Casting Drawback and Terrain Defiler boon.

19
D&D 5e / Re: [Creative] Spheres of Power & Might by Setting
« on: May 29, 2021, 01:38:41 AM »

Spheres of the Mists: the Spheres System for Ravenloft

A world that obeys not the laws of nature, but the tortured whims of malevolent entities and their godlike captors. Those unlucky enough to be claimed by the Mists need to use every bit of skill and wit at their disposal to survive in this world of monsters and fell magic.

Major Traditions: The Demiplane of Dread has claimed entire lands and civilizations from a myriad of worlds, a milieu of cultures and lost histories that point at unknown legacies. Hunter-gatherer tamers of beasts, musketeers in tri-coned hats, and medieval knights on horseback can all be found within the Mists’ shrouded worlds to some degree.

The same applies to magic, although the tainted influence of the Dark Powers means that the supernatural is often a rare and subtle art. Traditions that point to ‘dark fantasy’ influences and come at a price such as Added and Blood Magic are more common than in other settings, while paladins and high priests of good-aligned deities are as rare as hen’s teeth given they eventually draw the baleful eyes of a domain’s Darklord.

Advanced/Legendary Talents: Ravenloft is a lower-power setting, one where the heroes often face overwhelming odds and cannot easily rely upon miraculous wonders with no strings attached. Advanced and Legendary Talents, particularly those with a prerequisite of 11th level and higher, are often unsuitable in the hands of PCs.

But instead of a blanket ban, the DM should look over particular talents in the relevant spheres possessed by the PCs, and ask themselves the following: “Can this talent effortlessly bypass certain elements in the adventure, particularly those necessary for maintaining a sense of horror?” Beyond this, talents which ignore the setting limitations under New Rules & Subsystems, such as Warp’s Planeshift, should be banned, although even high-level talents can still have a place in gothic horror. Scrying is a common spell in horror and folkloric stories, while Creation’s Fleshcraft is thematically appropriate for characters seeking to push the boundaries of the humanoid body into uncharted (and potentially dangerous) territory

Technology Level: In pre-5th Edition the Ravenloft setting divided domains into Cultural Levels, a comparison of the land’s technological prowess compared to real-world timelines. The majority of domains are medieval, although lands ranging from the Stone Age to Victorian Times have been possibilities. No known domains have reached a truly “modern” or futuristic age. And of those exceptions, such as the alien workings of Bluetspur’s illithids, have been more or less monstrous realms whose inventions are unfathomable to mortal safety and sanity.


New Rules & Subsystems

Note: Although 2nd and 3rd Edition are very different ruleswise, the latter tried to be faithful in converting material to the D20 System. Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft is notably a lot more free-wheeling and rules-lite, where things such as altered magic and Cultural Levels are more or less gone. In the discussion of rules, “classic” refers to 2nd/3rd Edition versions of the setting, while “5e” refers to the latest version.

Altered Magic (classic): The Dark Powers have a vested interest in making magic of a dark and morally dubious nature more tempting to spellcasters, while those that allow for easy travel and the vanquishing of aforementioned dark magic are heavily restrained. Instead of going over every individual sphere and talent, a set of rules discuss how certain forms of magic are changed or even unavailable.

Summoning and Banishing: Summoning-related magic that calls and banishes entities from other planes only function normally as a one-way into Ravenloft, and such creatures often resent such imprisonment. Conjured companions are more likely to be those already bound to the Demiplane of Dread, such as ghostly haunts, spirits of the land or Mists, manifestations of the caster’s subconscious, beings already physically present heeding the spell’s call, and the like. Talents which can banish a creature to another plane of existence are equally fruitless.
Travel: Spells which allow for extradimensional travel cannot leave the Demiplane of Dread proper or cross through domain borders closed by a Darklord. Basically if the start and endpoint are still within Ravenloft proper, the talent can work as usual. Coterminous planes such as ethereal travel are an exception in that it works normally, but further travel into the Deep Ethereal cannot work.  “Pocket dimensions” such as the Dark sphere’s Shadow Stash, Warp sphere’s Extradimensional Room, and Warp sphere’s Extradimensional Storage are allowed and are still technically within Ravenloft’s planar fabric.
Alignment Detection: Divination magic cannot detect alignment on the good/evil axis, although lawful/chaotic still works. Magical detection of an indirect fashion, such as Fate sphere’s Divine Force, still works normally.
General Divination: Undead are better capable of concealing their natures, and are always allowed a saving throw vs the Sphere DC against Divination sphere talents that would reveal their true nature. Furthermore, the Scrying advanced talent manifests a ghostly version of the caster’s relevant sensory organ. This can be detected via an opposed Perception/Stealth roll with the scryer having advantage on the check. The organ makes them vulnerable to sensory effects performed in the sensor’s area of influence, such as gaze attacks for visual senses, thunder damage for auditory senses, etc.
Divine Communion: Spells which allow the caster to petition a deity or similar being of power can be intercepted by the Dark Powers. Relevant rolls for information-gathering should be made by the GM in secret, and on the result of a failed check give a misleading result rather than a silent/“no result” one.
Shadow Magic: Spells that make use of shadow are stronger than usual in Ravenloft. PC spherecasters specializing in such magic (and not just dabblers who want a free talent!) may be given a bonus talent in reflection of this, typically of the Dark or Illusion spheres. The Shadow Creature form talent for Conjuration, the Beshadowed/Ink/Shadow blast types for Destruction, the Detect Shadows divine talent for Divination, and the Shadow Cage dual sphere talent for Universal are also appropriate choices.
Necromancy: It is easier to create undead creatures but harder to control them in Ravenloft. Casters with the Death sphere can have a total number of reanimated creatures equal to double their proficiency bonus. This comes at a price: undead created beyond the caster’s normal proficiency bonus will not only persist when the spell’s duration ends, they end up outside the caster’s control. In some cases they can end up under the Darklord’s control!
Challenging the Darklord’s Will: PCs who make use of talents that affect a spell or supernatural effect created by a domain’s Darklord (such as foul weather, curses, etc) must succeed at a spellcasting ability check vs. the DC of the effect, even if the talent normally has an auto-success. Such a check is made with disadvantage. In cases that involve bypassing closed domain borders, the check automatically fails.

Cultural Level (classic): In most cases the Cultural Level of a domain is more a set of guidelines than hard and fast rules for determining starting equipment and proficiencies. PCs are by nature exceptional individuals, and there’s a limited amount of trade between domains allowing travelers and people of means to obtain items that would otherwise be beyond their homeland’s meager resources.

But in a few cases some backstory justification is heavily encouraged. A “mad scientist” style PC in a Medieval domain whose devices come to him in fevered dreams can have Tinkerer sphere talents, but a Barovian peasant whose family is just getting by is a harder sell. At least not without a patron willing to supply them the necessary gear and training!

PCs from realms of a Chivalric or Renaissance Cultural Level are proficient with Renaissance-era firearms if they’d be proficient with all martial weapons, effectively possessing the Renaissance Voyager discipline talent from the Equipment sphere. In the case of beginning play with a martial tradition, said discipline talent may be taken as though it was a regular (non-legendary) talent.

Curses (classic/5e): The curse rules found in Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft are open-ended and thematic enough to be used in a Spheres game relatively seamlessly. But the Spheres system also introduces many spells that have their own category as the [curse] descriptor. Spherecasters who possess such spells are capable of pronouncing their doom upon creatures with their dying breaths.

Should a spherecaster suffer instant death upon dropping to 0 hit points or fail their third death saving throw, they may choose to cast a talent with the [curse] tag as a reaction against the creature who brought about their end. The target suffers disadvantage on any relevant ability checks and saving throws to resist, and for non-instantaneous effects the duration becomes permanent. Once cast in such a way the caster seals their fate, becoming permanently dead and unable to be restored to life. They may come back as undead, with their nature tied to the curse in some way.

Soothing the Mind (5e): Certain sphere effects can be used to reduce a target’s Stress Score as defined in Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft. The Life Sphere’s Restore Mind talent can reduce a target’s Stress Score by 1, while Restore Mind & Body reduces it to 0. Appropriate charm talents of the Mind sphere (Amnesia, Calm, etc) can suppress the effects of the Stress score for the duration of the talent.

Tarokka: This set of mystical cards is famous for determining the fate of the heroes and villains of Ravenloft. Those learned in its ways can find inspiration in the card’s readings, deriving magical power from them.

The use of the Tarokka Deck can take many forms in the Spheres system. One suggestion is to make it a Casting Tradition, like so:

Tarokka Reader

Spellcasters who rely on the Tarokka Deck entrust their power to fate, understanding that some things are beyond their control. Still, there is power to be found in this mindset, for knowledge learned from such inevitability can be used to guide mortals in the here and now.

Bonus Spell Points: None
Key Ability: Wisdom
Bonus Magic Talents: Divination, Fate
Drawbacks: Focus Casting (Gaming Set Tools-Tarokka Deck), Mental Focus, Prepared Caster, Skilled Casting (Gaming Set Tools-Tarokka Deck)
Variants: None
Boons: Aptitude (Gaming Set Tools-Tarokka Deck), Heart of the Cards (see below)
Granted Items: Gaming Set (Tarokka Deck)

New Boon: Heart of the Cards

Your magical potential is bound up in the Tarokka, its whims bestowing you with random gifts.

At the end of a long rest, you roll a 1d20, reflecting the consultation of the Tarokka deck. You gain that Motif talent from the Fate sphere as a bonus talent until the next long rest. If you roll a Motif you already know, then its duration increases by 1 step (4 hours typically).

Die ResultMotif Talent
1The Chariot
2The Devil
3The Emperor
4The Empress
5The Fool
6The Hanged Man
7The Hermit
8The Hierophant
9Judgment
10Justice
11The Lovers
12The Magician
13The Moon
14The Star
15Strength
16Sun
17Temperance
18The Tower
19The Wheel
20The World



Popular Archetypes

Anchorite: Anchorites are priests who serve the church of Ezra. They are invariably spherecasters, although how their spells manifest differs. Common spheres of the goddess include Divination, Life, Mind, and Protection. Each major denomination has a bonus sphere relevant to their religious interpretation: Destruction for the Lawful Evil (Nevuchar Springs) sect, Light for the Lawful Good (Mordant) sect, Universal (wild magic package) for the Neutral (Dementlieu) sect, and Weather for the Lawful Neutral (Borca) sect. Anchorites are also capable of turning the undead, which can be reflected as the Priest subclass of the Incanter.

Anchorites have an all-or-nothing approach to armor, either only wearing the heaviest kinds of armor reflecting their image as defenders of the common folk, or trusting solely in Ezra to protect them and thus wear no armor at all. The Evangelist or Shield of Faith Martial Tradition where Armor Training is taken as the bonus variable talent is sufficient enough to grant heavy armor proficiency for classes that begin with proficiency in light armor. Alternatively the Hermit Tradition has Ascetic and Weapon Master which both grant Unarmored Training while also having some religious flavor text.

The Anchorite’s Mistwalking talent can be reflected as the Warp sphere, with True Teleport at higher levels, and perhaps unique to Anchorites given their special connection with Ezra. Shield of Ezra manifests differently depending on the sect, albeit is almost always some variety of Protection sphere effect: Exclusion (usually against metal) for the Lawful Good (Mordant) sect, Inner Peace or the Mind sphere’s Mind Shield for the Lawful Evil (Nevuchar Springs) sect, Obstruction for the Lawful Neutral (Borca) sect, and Spell Ward for the True Neutral (Dementlieu) sect.

3rd Edition gave additional abilities as well as the division of the Anchorite into three prestige classes: Anchorite Inquisitor and Anchorite Wanderer in Heroes of Light, and Anchorite of the Mists in Van Richten’s Arsenal. The Inquisitor’s Candle Communication (where two priests communicate via magical lit candles) can be replicated via the Mind sphere’s Greater Communication advanced talent, while its various immunities can be simulated as the aforementioned Mind Shield and Spell Ward talents, and True Seeing has a Divination sense talent of the same name. As for the Anchorite Wanderer, the class is more physically inclined, particularly in the mobility department. Athletics sphere talents, especially Rapid Motion and Swift Movement, are common, while Absolution can be replicated by the Fate sphere’s Atonement advanced talent. Wanderers choosing to wear heavy armor often take the Equipment sphere’s Armor Expert twice to allow for faster donning and stealth in such gear.

Anchorites of the Mists rely upon using the misdirection of the Mists to cloud their opponent’s minds, often manifesting as the Illusion sphere, the Mind sphere’s Confusion talent, and the Warp sphere’s ability to teleport. The Divination sphere’s Blindfolded Oracle and Scout’s Sight Beyond Sight can replicate the class’ blind-fighting abilities.

Arcanist: Arcanists are a specialized discipline of wizards who delve into arts that are regarded as occult and macabre by other spellcasters. No matter their alignment, all study forbidden lore such as necromancy and pacts with strange entities, although their motivations for doing so differ.

Arcanists are best simulated with the Traditional Magic Casting Tradition, specializing in the Conjuration, Death, and Life spheres and subclasses which enhance such spheres. Their general-purpose knowledge of various “dark magic” can be reflected as being proficient in various Intelligence skills, especially Arcana, History, and Religion. The Incanter’s Priest subclass is appropriate, even if the arcanists technically aren’t clerics of a god, and the Necromancer and Summoner subclasses are also common choices. The Soul Weaver’s the other common class, often following the Path of the Gothi or Path of the White Necromancer subclasses, with Gothi’s proficiency addition/doubling to Intelligence checks being highly appropriate for them being knowledgeable sorts. Path of the Lichling represents those who seek to become free-willed undead.

Avenger: These driven warriors are motivated by a burning desire for revenge. Their ability to push onwards for this goal is best emulated via the Berserker sphere’s more defensive-minded talents, such as the Berserk adrenaline talent and the Deathless talent. Their Intuition in knowing the direction to head in achieving such vengeance may be replicated via the Scout’s Track the Scene talent, the Scholar’s Dowing Study, or the Scholar Occultist subclass’ Esotery of Divination.

Bardic College of Spirits: The Bard Spherecaster with this subclass works quite well. Most of its class features are more or less independent from Vancian magic and can be used relatively unhindered, but some conversion is necessary. Guiding Whispers can be reflected as gaining the Mind sphere’s Inspiration talent as a bonus talent. The Spiritual Focus’ 6th-level feature applies the d6 to a sphere effect that deals damage or restores hit points. For Spirit Session, the Bard gains a bonus talent from either the Death or Divination sphere.

Eremite/Hallowed Witch: Devotees of Hala and witches of the less religious sort, these spellcasters prefer to imbue their magic in otherwise mundane objects. This is best simulated as a Casting Tradition with the Material Casting drawback and Physical Magic boon. Those with access to Blended Training and thus martial sphere talents commonly take the Alchemy sphere and the Witch Martial Tradition for obvious reasons.

Knight of the Shadows: Hailing from the Shadowlands, this honorable order was founded by the noble Shadowborn clan. Very much bastions of virtue in an otherwise dreary land, they often find themselves worn down by the pressures of their ideals and vocations. The best among their lot stay true to their cause, even as their bodies and minds slowly fray.

The archetype is best reflected via the Guardian sphere, given their role as protectors of the innocent from evil. They are also spellcasters of the divine sort, commonly of the Divine Crusader Casting Tradition, and thus belong to classes that have Blended Training. They aren’t particularly potent in their spellcasting, so they tend to be dabblers in the magical arts at most.


Monster Hunter: Less a direct class conversion and more a variety of suggestions, Ravenloft’s monster hunters are a diverse bunch of people who pursue vocations that mark them as madmen by others. The Scout sphere is perhaps the most common martial sphere among this profession, for it is unmatched in the granting of knowledge and lore of foes. The Target Weakness talent grants them a limited amount of tools to overcome monstrous defenses, while Discern Illusions, Heightened Awareness, and Sense and Resist Scrying are common options for “witch-hunters.” Talents which reduce the chances of ambush such as Piercing Senses, Sight Beyond Sight, and Somnambulance are also common talents. Alchemy is another favored sphere option, both for offensive purposes such as the Holy Water formula talent and various poison talents, and overcoming supernatural maladies with Panacea, Salve, and Smelling salt formula talents.

Monster hunters in the vein of Rudolf Van Richten and other “brains over brawn” noncasters are most commonly of the Scholar class, usually either Natural Philosophers or Occultists. The former subclass grants various features useful to a monster hunter: the Belladonna and Salt material impositions are specifically defensive against certain monster types and attacks.

Spiritualists: These more benevolent kinds of death mages prefer to treat ghosts and other undead with respect, viewing them as wounded souls in need of aid in passing on. They are not necromancers, for they do not seek to dominate such souls.

Spiritualists are most commonly Soul Weavers of either the Gothi or White Necromancer subclasses. They often specialize in abilities to ensure a spirit’s proper passage, such as the Death sphere’s Gravetongue talent, the Life sphere’s Break Enchantment talent, and the Fate sphere’s Exorcise talent. Undead allies are incorporeal spirits and thus can be reflected either as Conjuration companions manifesting when ‘called,’ or have the Death sphere’s Incorporeal talent applied to a Reanimated undead. The Death sphere’s Summon Spirit Advanced Talent is another good choice.

Undead Warlock Patron: The Warlock Spherecaster subclass works well enough. For Expanded Spells, the bonus talents most appropriate are the Conjuration sphere (Phantom Steed), the Death sphere’s Gravetongue talent (Speak with Dead), the Illusion sphere (Phantasmal Force), the Life sphere (False Life), the Illusion sphere’s Obscure talent (Greater Invisibility), Protection sphere’s Deathless talent (Death Ward), the Protection sphere’s Exclusion talent (Antilife Shell), and the Destruction sphere with the Poison blast type and the Sphere blast shape (Cloudkill).

The 14th-level Spirit Projection’s feature where it waives verbal, somatic, and material components is a bit trickier, as spherecasters generally can’t avoid their Casting Tradition drawbacks without retraining and thus losing boons and bonus spell points. One suggestion would be to have it provide a bonus Casting Tradition boon that only lasts in spirit form. Or simply waive it; this class feature gets a lot of other benefits as is!

20
D&D 5e / Re: [Let's Read] Seas of Vodari
« on: May 25, 2021, 07:30:22 PM »

Chapter X: Starter Adventure: The Island with No Name

This adventure is meant to introduce players to the Seas of Vodari, suitable for 4 1st level PCs. A classic treasure hunt with a dangerous island temple, the backstory is that fifty years ago a pirate captain known as Blackheart decided to hide his ill-gotten wealth on a deserted island. As said land was home to a set of ancient ruins in the middle of a jungle, it was deemed a suitable spot. Unfortunately the ruins were once a temple dedicated to Morto, god of necromancy and secrets. The deity’s dread influence wormed its way into Captain Blackheart’s mind which caused the crew to fall to betrayal and infighting. Voyce Fayette, the sole survivor, sailed away on a longboat, his former companions now animated skeletons forced to guard the island for eternity.

Voyce Fayette comes into contact with the PCs via some other appropriate adventure hook (he’s part of the PC’s crew, the PCs find him in a tavern looking to put together a group, etc) and learn about the island’s location and its treasure via his map and journal. The only captain of note willing to sail to such a location is Magnolia “Mags” Montrésor, who accepts the job for either 500 GP* or a share of recovered treasure. She has a crew of nine who all have referenced stat blocks (Scout, Sailor, Pirate, etc), including an Awakened parrot by the name of Polly, and the captain herself is a CR 1 character with low-level Rogue abilities (Sneak Attack, Uncanny Dodge, Cunning Action). Unfortunately there are others who caught on to Fayette’s knowledge, a disreputable pirate-turned-local-gangster known as Theoban Taggart who sends a group of five thugs to ambush the PCs at the docks. Regardless of how the party handles the encounter (and may even learn about Taggart’s plans as a result) the wily scoundrel will show up later in the adventure.

*It’s unlikely 1st level PCs have this kind of money.

Once it comes time to leave port (and said port has a small selection of sample shops and NPCs with brief lines of personality for pre-adventure shopping), the party’s next major encounter is a violent storm at sea. It is resolved as a communal skill challenge where for two rounds every PC has to perform a DC 13 task, with the skill/tool/spell attack roll based on what they can justify in keeping the crew and ship safe. Failures cause 4d10 damage to the ship on average rather than the PCs and crew proper, and getting more failures than successes imposes a further 8d10 damage. As Mags’ ship (the Albatross) is a Sloop whose Hull has 250 hit points, it’s unlikely to be completely demolished, but even if it is, the PCs will arrive shipwrecked on the Island with No Name but in need of finding another way off once the adventure’s done.

Mags’ crew will set up a camp on the beach while the PCs scout out the jungle, but not before a giant crab attacks; said monster will be trivial to handle, as while the PCs are fragile 1st levelers they have the action economy of allies on their side. The jungle itself has an automatic quicksand hazard and the possibility of a random encounter if the party is unable to make a DC 10 Survival check to avoid getting lost. Said encounters mostly consist of fractional CR animals, although a Carnivorous Plant is a potential option (12 on a d12) and is certainly going to kill at least one PC unless the party runs away.


The adventure at this point offers the opportunity for rest at a stream and that the PCs should have enough XP for 2nd level, or level them up automatically if using the milestone rules. The next bit of the adventure is a proper dungeon crawl in the Temple of Morto! After dealing with a patrol of pirate skeletons outside, the Temple proper is a 5-6 room dungeon. The entrance is trapped with poisoned spike darts and more pirate skeletons, while the doors further past the entrance are Arcane Locked. A key that can disable said locks is found in a room with a magical fountain that can compel the party to drink from it on a failed Wisdom saving throw. The water bestows a variety of conditions ranging from the positive (heal HP, gain advantage on the next attack/ability/save roll, etc) to the negative (take damage, have a swarm of insects fly out of your mouth, etc). The key to this room is found after at least half the party has drunk from the fountain and five minutes have passed; the first person to take a drink vomits up the key.

This is bad design. There’s no other indication of obtaining the key, and a party may very well have made their saves or restrained their fellows to not drink the water. And given that 2nd-level PCs don’t really have adequate ways of getting past an Arcane Locked door made of stone, this can very well cause a softlock without GM Fiat.

One other room in the dungeon contains an animated bearskin rug with the stats of a Brown Bear, and the final room contains the skeleton of Captain Blackheart (Pirate Captain Skeleton stats) who fights the PCs after briefly telling them about the curse and treasure. The fight’s difficulty alternates based on how well the party is doing: Persuasion checks can be made to confuse Blackheart and force him to take the Dodge action instead of more offensive options for 1 round. If a party manages to deal 32 or more damage in a single round to him (half his HP) then 2 Pirate Skeletons join the battle.

The treasure hoard consists of ~1,400 GP worth of coins and fancy objects: a pouch full of small gems indicates that they’re worth 50 GP each, but the exact number is not given. There’s also a spyglass and compass, 2 Potions of Healing, and a Ship in a Bottle. I like the magical item placement; they’re clearly meant to help a party who suffered a bad run earlier on. Not only can they heal themselves up, they also get either a new ship to escape or a cool magical back-up one to use in emergencies.

Unfortunately Captain Blackheart’s a load-bearing boss: Morto’s displeased at the loss of his guardians and begins to collapse the temple, forcing a Dexterity save each minute as rocks fall from tremors. Beyond that, the adventure suggests the possibility of more pirate skeletons and/or Taggart’s crew waylaying the party as they get back to the beach depending on their overall strength and resources.

The adventure ends with a set of open-ended suggestions: the PCs take to the seas to wherever the winds of Aerako blow them, mounting a rescue attempt of Mags’ crew taken hostage by Taggart, or even Mags betraying the party and teaming up with Taggart to take the treasure for themselves!

Our book ends with two Appendices, the first organizing the new monsters and NPCs by type, challenge rating, and location, while the second is a list of common nautical terms.

Thoughts So Far: The adventure hits many thematic notes for Seas of Vodari by mixing them up with typical D&D tropes. The pre-jungle parts of the adventure are ‘low-lethality’ while still having some stakes: Taggart’s thugs on the docks won’t kill the PCs but squeeze information out of them on a loss, while the storm at sea robs the PCs of a ship rather than a TPK if there are too many bad die rolls. Things don’t get real dangerous until the jungle trek and temple, which is good for first-time players getting a feel for the system.

Concluding Thoughts: I feel conflicted-to-positive on Seas of Vodari, and it is a stellar book for a company’s first big project. A lot of the material can be adapted towards other campaigns of a nautical nature, and much of its mechanical options do a great job in supporting character concepts and adventures centering around a traveling ship’s crew. The art style is an acquired taste but it makes the book stand out more, the sample setting has plenty of adventure opportunities, and I’m pleasantly surprised at seeing Renaissance firearm rules that I’d actually want to use in D&D.

That being said, there are many smaller concerns I have with the book. While individually none of them are enough to make the product a nonsell, they add up to the point that gaming groups would need to change and/or add things to make certain aspects workable. Most notably the lack of a dedicated naval combat system and the varying degree of quality in the new PC options, as well as some half-measures which make things feel incomplete. The threadbare rules on dueling and handling ship combat vs sea monsters as particular standouts. At 270 pages I by no means feel cheated, as the book has a little bit of everything, but I still would have liked more in certain areas.

As usual I thank everyone who read this far. I am currently debating whether to review Sprawlrunners, a Shadowrun with the serial numbers filed off for Savage Worlds, or Koryo Hall of Adventures, a 5e/PF/OSR setting based on Korean fantasy and history.

Pages: [1] 2 3 4 5 6 ... 179