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Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Old World, Ancient Fantasy. Mysteries of Babylonia

Alright so, I've been world building this thing for a long time. The setting is in some vague ancient past. A time where dinosaurs are common place, Beasts of the Land are prehistoric, or monstrous, and the ways of life were simple. Why dinosaurs? Because they're cool, and Dinotopia was sweet. The main locations will be Semi-historically accurate cities of Mesopotamia. Babylon, Ninpur, Uruk, Asharbanipal, Etc. As well as some locations in Egypt, as well as a few other locations that will be detailed on the map (Yes I made a map). I'm a bit of an Archeology, and History nut so these locations are mostly accurate, with some fantasy license. The main themes will revolve around these sorts of ancient cultures. This is a low tech setting. Gunpowder is not a thing. Think, Rome for technology-ish. Late Bronze-Early Iron age kind of stuff.

The point of this setting is to make you feel like epic mythical heros. Demons, and monsters are just, part of reality. So play a Hercules, or Gilgamesh in allegory if you want to. Just keep it, with in the realm of plausibility for narrative synchronicity. The only real rule, is the same that applies to those Mythical Heroes. Power, has a cost. Nothing is given and must be earned. Finally, even Achilles had his heel. So, do a MHA or something. What is the downside of, whatever neat thing your character does, and how do you deal with it. I find it makes play much more interesting. Some cultural norms are painted on fantastical races. Notably, Dragonborn are like romans. Leonin (lion people) are Greek. And the Minotaurs are.... Minoan of course.


OK So, with the intro out of the way I have some just, basic rules and stuff. This is mostly to help you acclimate to the setting and navigate inside it. I will go into more detail about certain things later.

Common races of Enuma Elish (That's the name of the world) include (In order of frequency)

Human: Every Shade, and everywhere. However there are some notable groups mentioned later.
Elven Subraces available: Umber Elf (Drow equivelent called Ubrial'ihs), Alis'andre (High elf equivalent), Arre'thai (Wood Elf equivalent), Noc'usili (Elves of the Night)
Halfling: Unchanged
Dwarf Subraces available: Adamur Clan (Metallurgist), Throk Clan (Stonecarver), Urgarin Clan (Craftsman), Borl Clan (Deep Earth Miners)
Tiefling: Please choose one of the 72 Goetia, or Ask for a custom demonic pact-sire.
Kenku: You can speak normally, and get your own crow language
Half Orc
Orc: Texas accents, and similar southwest, and southern culture.
Tabaxi: Arabian Culture
Leonin: Ancient Grecian Culture
Luxodon: Buddhist/Hindu esque culture
Lamia: Aztec/Mayan Culture
Dragonborn: Roman Culture
Goliath: Viking Culture
Akhkhazu: (Underdevelopment please DM)
Tortle: Max life span 400 years. Taoist/Buddhist culture
Minotaur: Minoan Culture
Others (Ones I haven't mentioned otherwise Honestly just ask. This is a baseline. Satyrs, Fae, etc. Just let me know. )


Races not Found in Enuma Elish are:
Aarokocra
War Forged
Centaurs
Firbolg
Other Elf Subraces (There's too many)

DEITIES:

The Gods of this world are the ancient gods of earth. Greek, Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Norse, Celtic, and so forth. If you need help with these deities ask your friendly DM (me) who happens to be an Archeology nut.

There are also "The Witches" a deity like entity more analogous to the Oracles of Delphi.

Atum'Khmet: The Egyptian Diety faith, and the Cultural Faith of the egyptain lands

Iggi Tari: Mesopotamia's Religion

Olympia Monus: Greek Gods

Saturnalianix: Roman Religion

Cult of Akhet: Monotheistic Religion (Worships the disk of the sun)

Next up are the "Lords and Ladies of the land." Primarily a dwarven/goliath faith (Though not uncommon among halflings, humans, and others). This is similar to Animism. Notable major deities are: Oskir and Valni, that govern the earth and are God of forging and Goddess of creativity. Vokr, God of Craftsmanship. Aelia, Goddess of Marriage and Childbirth, Usela, Goddess of death, Falian, God of the Sky, Crunnanoc, God of Nature and Beasts, and Mael, God of War and Conflict. Minor Dieties are simply refer to as "Lord/Lady of _____"

The Ancient Ones are a group of very, very old gods worshiped almost exclusively by the ancient natives scattered across the land. These native people are not available currently to be played as a race.

Tezchequantals are gods worshiped by the Lamia. They are based off of Aztec mythology for the most part.

Goetic Dawn is worshiped mostly in secret for it's use of dark practices and heretical rituals. This group worships the Devils of the Goetia and the Demiurge.

Arcanum Infucarum is a religion based around the rejection of gods and other faiths. This is essentially atheism. They believe only in the natural forces they can see and understand.

Finally there are The Primordials. This is a group of powerful beings believed to be integral to the creation of the world.

For more information please PM me.


CURRENCY:

Gold, Copper, Silver, and Platinum are universal currencies in every country (except one OoooOOooOoooo).
Coins are stamped to be specific to the country or region.

Additional Currencies include:
Commodity Currencies:
1m of Trade Good Silk= 1gp
1m of High Quality Silk= 1platium
1 bushel of wheat= 1gp
10 grains of Witchsand = 10gp
1 grain of Goldsand= 1 Platium
1kg of Spice= 1gp
10 stems of saffron= 1gp
1 Lapis Disc= 1gp
1 gram of Ultramarine= 1 Platium
1 gram of Tyrian Purple= 50 Platium


Grain, Ore, Alcohol, Gem Stones, and Textiles are also common trade items. (edited)


TECH LEVELS:

This world is just past the cusp of the Iron Age. Gunpowder does not exist. Bronze is still a popular metal for making things out of. Stone and other materials are also Common Place. Please look below for a complete list. Most common metals and materials function identically to their RL counterparts. These include Obsidian, Copper, Bronze, Iron, Brass, Steel (rare), etc. I will list the 'fantasy materials' below.

FANTASY MATERIALS:

ONXYIDAN: A weaker metal Analogous to Aluminum. It has a gray sheen, and a bluish tint. It is light weight and strong when alloyed

BIKMOCS: A dense stone that conducts arcane energy. It is a light green and translucent.

ADAMANT: An extremely dense metal. It is the ore used to make Adamantiun, and Adamantite. The Ore is Rare and must be mined or found.

ADAMANTIUM: Ductile, and tensile strength to the Nth degree. Used most often in weapons and arms. Alloy of Bronze, Wolfram, and Iron. Nearly Indestructible

ADAMANTITE: Dense, and high compression strength. Used in buildings and structural applications. Alloy of Wolfram, Bikmocs, and Bone. Nearly Indestructible

IRONWOOD: Extremely strong, difficult to work wood that is harvested from specific trees. Sinks in Water.

MITHRIL: Alloy of Adamant and Onyxidan, as well as a secret ingredient closely guarded by Mithrilsmiths. Light, Nearly Indestructable, Highly conductive for magic.

BLACKWOOD: A dense black wood. It is completely indestructible. Impossible to shape, harvest, or work with without special skills and knowledge guarded by the ancient natives. The trees are not moved merely built around.

DWARVEN STEEL: A secret closely guarded by the dwarven people. They will not speak about the alloys required in it's creation. Except to family members. It is non- magnetic and never tarnishes. (Stainless steel)

WITCHSAND:

Witchsand:
This is a sacred resource for the people of Babylonia. It has incredible properties as a reagent in spell work, potions, metal work, and whatever else you can think of. The effects are kept purposefully vague. It’s a bit of soft magic for you to play with. They come in Four Colors. Each color is linked to a creature that is sacred to the people. The color of the sands is more abundant in some cities than it is in others. It is highly valuable for mages, smiths, and many others. If it is traded it is traded by the grain. This is what goes into powering most magical devices and things of that nature.


Black Witchsand: (AKA Night Sand)
The Serpent of Flame. This witchsand is black in color and when broken will summon a snake of flames. The snake must be tamed by the user through songs and poetry. It is used to Shape, and Transform things made by mortal hands. It can infuse heat with its fangs. The greater the user’s mastry the more, or larger the snakes will be. It is found mostly in southern cities where they worship flames. 10 grain = 1 gold

Azure Witchsand: (AKA Ocean Sand)
The Scorpion of Primordial Waters. This witchsand is a brilliant blue color. When broken it will summon a Scorpion of waters. The scorpion must be given gifts to be tamed. It is used to create, bring destruction, and works with the natural forces of water. It is found in the northern cities at the mouth of the great rivers. 10 grains = 1 gold


Verdant Witchsand: (AKA, Forest Sand)
The Bull of the Earth. This wichsand is a deep green in color. When broken it will summon a large bull of earth. The Bull must be tamed with ropes and chains. It is used to plow, work, and bring life to the lands and works the forces of the land. It is found in the eastern cities 10 grains =1 gold


Tempest Sand: (AKA Crystal Sand)
Dragonfly Eagle. This witchsand is perfectly clear in color like glass. When broken it will summon a dragonfly the size of an eagle. The dragonfly must be tamed with honey, and twine. It is used to send messages, and bring winds and good fortune. 10 grains =1 gold


Golden Witchsand:
The Sacred Scarab. This is the rarest and most valued of the sands. It is only used by royalty, and those of high stature. When broken it will summon a glorious golden scarab. The scarab cannot be tamed. It is used to work with gods and affect things on a grand scale. It is a closely guarded secret of the central cities. 1 grain = 1 platinum

They also act as potent reagents in potions and inscriptions (Cuneiform flavored Runes). Creating 11 grains of sand requires a religious ritual lasting 3 days. Gold Sand can only be created by Grand Sorceresses and High Priests of a temple. A Titan of Ur can create 1 sand color naturally. The process takes 1.5 days. The sand can only be produced in prime number batches. Each grain is a 1 cm long crystal that can be broken with moderate force.

REAGENT PROPERTIES: in potions, magic items, and other applications it can be used to trigger effects without expending Mana (or equivalent), to enrich existing magical effects, or grant elemental affinity and magic quality to an item during the item's creation process. 1 gain can make 1 health potion into 1 greater health potion. 10 to superior, 100 to supreme. As an example. The specifics are up to your discretion. It’s a moderately powerful semi-soft magic ingredient. Goldsand is much more potent. 1 grain to a Superior. 10 gains to supreme.



Uh yeah, That should be enough for this post. There will be some rolling involved here, and I will act as the GM and play some other characters and NPC's. If this sounds interesting and you'd like to know more about it PM me.
Witchthief Topic Starter

So, here is the map and some of the technical rule stuff. If you use D&D 5e as a guide point you'll be just fine.

CRITICAL FAILURE/SUCCESS RULES:

Instead of Critical Fumbles we will be using this system. Combat:

Rolling a Natural 1 on an attack causes damage to your weapon that must be repaired. A damaged weapon will do minus 1d4 damage until repaired. (Applies to enemies wielding a weapon)

Taking a Critical Hit damages armor and it must be repaired. You will take an additional 1d4 of damage until armor is repaired. (Resistances still apply. Applies to enemies that wear armor)

Critical Spell Attack Failures or Critical Enemy Saves Causes arcane backlash. This deals 1d4+spell level of force damage on the caster.

Unskilled Repairs to weapons and arms can take place during downtime, or Long Rests. Proficiency with correct tools allows this to be considered "Light Activity," and the ability to repair on short rests. Unskilled DC (10), Skilled DC (5)

Magical Items take 2 Critical Failures before being considered "Damaged" Legendary and Artifact Items are Exempt from this rule.

Critical Failures outside of combat will be handled through RP (edited)


A Critical Hit allows you to deal max damage x2

A Critical Save causes Arcane backlash on the enemy caster.

DEATH SAVES AND CARRY OVER DAMAGE:

If a Character is unconscious and struck by an attack. That Character suffers 2 failed Death Saves and must take a "Lasting Injury." These will be in the forms of a scar, limp, or other such permanent damage. This WILL NOT AFFECT YOUR COMBAT, but may affect social interactions either to your benefit or detriment depending on the NPC, and how you RP. This rule is intended to give a sense of realism and progress.

Lasting Injury applies if an attack is more than your max HP. Eg. Dragonfire hits for 40, your hp is 35, You must take a lasting Injury. However, you do not automatically fail 2 death saves and are only rendered unconscious.

NOTE: This is a world where healing magic is common. Enemies are unlikely to ignore a downed PC for long.


MAGIC RULES:

There are 5 main methods of using magic.

Study and Components: This takes years to study, as in your classic wizard. This type of magic requires material components, or a Focus

Natural: Some Creatures are blessed with innate magical abilities. Though it's rare they have access to higher level magics natrually

Sorcerous Talent: Some are naturally adept at "Weaving" Magic. The origins of this power is up to debate (Use your imagination)

Scriptive: Magic of writing and runes. Often used by priests, and craftsman. It can be both Devine and Arcane.

Primeval: Some magic doesn't fit into the categories above, that is this magic.



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The Marked sections are where most civilization is. These are loose boundary countries known mostly through cultural practices. I will go in-depth on each one later. The unmarked to the east is your "From a Distant Land" excuse. We can discover what's there together.

Here is a link to more detailed zooms of the map
Nicely done! Couldn't think of coming up with something g do comprehensive.

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