Keldora: Eras of Divinity - (An Arcanopunk Setting)

[Xathan]

I do loves me my smoothie settings. I'm especially tickled when I don't recognize something at first, but then I go "Hey, that Gaunt World thing sounds like the Gith" and I feel smart.

I'm glad someone caught that! Yeah, the Guant World is meant to be a mashup of the Gith and the Etherguants from...I think it was the Fiend Folio? Must have been, that book was full of awesome races and monsters that never got used again and are often overlooked.

I like the tone you're shooting for. Strange and horrible without being a horror setting. It seems like players will focus on making their character's awesome (not statistically speaking, but through their achievements and deeds) rather than dealing with the mind warping psychology that is present in a true horror setting.

Glad you like it. I'm trying to be very careful to avoid getting too gritty and maddening and horrible, because A) I have some problems with that long term. We actually discussed that in general in IRC last night, and it boils down to the fact that it's hard with either super happy everyone loves each other settings (A la the way the Federation is depicted in early Star Trek) or super duper grim and gritty settings to maintain a suspension of disbelief. And B) at the point where I cross the line into too dark is the point where Keldora just becomes a bad knockoff of many of the excellently done gritty settings here on the CBG. Good to know I'm keeping it rightly there so far.

You've also succeeded on creating a world that is truly fantastical. A massive world, encircled by floating islands and further encircled by floating moons is an impressive thought. And while every environment under the sun can likely be found there, there's a cohesive system to them so that they don't feel out of place. Bravo.

That's exactly what I was going for. :) My biggest problem with my fantasy settings is that I so often end up killing them because I turn a logical eye to my work and realize that the whole thing isn't cohesive and doesn't make sense. I have no idea how 90% of the CBG is able to do geography, meteorology, and zoology to the point where it doesn't shatter disbelief, but since I'm not one of those, I decided to completely break the rules to go with fantastic and bizarre.

Horrible and Awesome
As I said before, this is pretty damned cool. I see a monster, and it's horribleness is meant to encourage me to take my companions and go kill it, rather than make me cower. It's evocative and fantastic without changing the play style of the game away from the "classic".

Again, I'm glad someone else likes this idea. :)

Help, I'm Being Oppressed!
Definitely an evocative feel. I'd be quite bothered by it personally, but this would strive me to greater acts of heroism as I sought to bring it down. I can imagine playing a Paladin in such a world, biting off more than she can choose, fighting against oppression of all kinds even as it becomes more and more clear it's a fruitless quest. It does make the world feel real, and adds to the darkness without it being hopeless.

Oh man, that got me wanting to talk about the Paladin types that I have intended here, because I think you'll love it. It's broken down into 3 main archetypes. Zealots are the traditional "Fists of God" types that permeate most fantasy settings. It is believed that they draw their power directly from the god they serve, but that's not entirely correct. They draw their power from the worship of that god and the ideals that god represents. This means that some Zealots can and do actually oppose the gods they "serve" because that god has become in some way heretical in the Zealots eyes - if a god claims to stand for justice but acts fairly unjust, they may find their own Zealots turning against them! [note]Yes, Zealots were inspired by Captain America's idea of "I stand for the ideals that America represents, not its government" that I love so much[/note]

Actual Paladins devote themselves to the more classic paladin idea of the weak and the helpless, or in opposition to tyranny, which strives right into the what you you were describing there - but they aren't divinely powered, instead drawing upon their inner strength in a manner similar to ki. (I'm going to get crunchy with Keldora. When I do, Paladins will have what is essentially a "limit break," that comes up the more outnumbered or out gunned they are.)

Finally are Crusaders, who devote themselves to a cause above all else. This can be as esoteric as is desired, but it almost always is something that is likely to never be accomplished in the Crusader's lifetime. They accept this joyfully, glad to know they are taking steps towards the ultimate fulfillment of their chosen cause. They draw power not from the gods or their own souls, but from the souls of others - in other words, they're powered by hero worship.

The Gods are Not Your Friends
Very interesting. I think your gods will feel fleshed out and realized. Their simultaneous distance from people and control over people makes them a present aspect of the setting. The fact that their power is within the bounds of potential PC power is interesting too. The Cult of Mortals intrigues me too.

Unfortunately I've been having the biggest problem with getting individual gods right. Every attempt so far has either felt cartoonishly evil, stupidly non-threatening, or too nice where it just becomes "okay, this guy is a good patron for PCs." I'm gonna need to hammer some out, because there is only so much I can write about Keldora before I need to do so. And since they're kind of the main problem of the setting, keeping them within the bounds of PC power was a must - otherwise, it's impossible to make a game with a really satisfying resolution, unless you're fighting for one of the gods against other mortals.

I'll be fleshing out the Cult of Mortals soon - hope you like what you see!

New Fantasy
As evidenced by my own setting, I'm a big fan of "the same, but different". Too much energy can be devoted to making something unique, sometimes to the point that it becomes unrecognizable, too complex, or just plain strange. Tropes are useful, and I know you know how to use them.

Thanks! :) I love taking a critical eye to tropes and trying to use them just enough where it's recognizable, but not where it's repetitive. (One of your strengths too, so I'm glad you're liking what I'm doing!)

On Virtue, Vice, Good, and Evil
While my own take on alignment is slightly more classical, I find this appealing, codified, and less apt for arguments and debate. The seven sins and seven vices are fairly easy to interpret, and if you steal a bit of World of Darkness, they can work as a good way to incentivize play decisions that are in character yet are tactically unsound (Yeah, I'll duel the taunting dragon, my sin is Pride).

Exactly what I was going for here. My least favorite part of the classic alignment system is the endless series of debates as to what it means. I maybe go back and tweak the 7 to be a bit more specific to the setting, but using them as character motivation is something I absolutely love and will do. That also makes it inform character in a more detailed way than classic alignment, at least in my way of looking at it.

Sufficiently Advanced Magic
Definitely interesting. It feels medieval yet is still quite advanced. What form does the Corpus take? Is it earthy, or still fleshy?

Thanks! What I'm trying to go for in terms of power for these devices is similar to what you get in the semi-schlocky B fantasy movies like Van Helsing or Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, which are guilty pleasures of mine through and through.

Corpus (which I have as of yesterday renamed to Sarx, and need to go back and modify the original posts to reflect this) varies depending on the Titan it comes from, but in general, it looks like unworked gemstones of some variety in terms of coloration - and typically with a slight shine of some kind - but it feels like flesh or warm leather when held. Some times, it even seems to pulsate slightly like a living thing. Needless to say, those that work with unrefined Sarx typically wear thick gloves - it's disturbing stuff to touch.

Size Matters
As I said before, the fantasy level of the environment is a huge selling point. There's so much to explore, and I do loves me some exploration.

If/when I run a game in Keldora, a significant portion of the game would have to take the form of a travelogue as people move from one place to the next, because I'd feel like I was cheating my own setting if I didn't explore that. Glad that you like it! :D

Without calling out all the planes you mentioned, I just have to say how cool it is. I especially like the Wastes of Urd, partially because I love kaiju and giants.

Glad we agree on this. Part of the reason Keldora came in to being the way it is was to reconcile the major problems I have with giants and kaiju and dragons and the like with basic ecology, and the Wastes of Urd were a major part of my solution there. Plus...giant monsters and giant people are awesome, and more are needed in everything. :)

I'm also tickled by your description of humans (it makes me think there's going to be a lot of decidedly unhumanoid races around). Your blooded human-halfbloods sound cool (variant tiefling and aasimar?). Are the Urog your Orcs, or something else?

Un/nonhumanoids are definitely going to be a thing. I can't imagine the Gods to be so limited as to make all Mortals the same basic shape. It was fun to write, about humans like that!

Yeah, the Blooded are basically meant to be variant tiefling and aasimar - and other types of Planetouched - as well as a bit of half-elf (I need to write up elves, they're not what I imagine people would be expecting) and other half-[blank] races.

Urog are meant to be my Orcs, yes, with a justification for why they are the way they are. (Also, I'm taking off the tails, that's starting to hurt my brain when I picture it.) Classic Orcs will appear, but they have a very different mythology (I need to write those up too) than the standard and aren't nearly as widespread, so Urogs were made to fill that gap.

As for your mythology, I love the cyclic nature of it. The theme of oppression even runs through it to this day. I like how the gods at first seemed to have transcended the cycle, and are now falling into it full force.

Thanks! I initially didn't have the gods look like they were transcending the cycle, and a lot of the feedback was "Why are the gods so dumb?" which I tried to handwave with some mystical "They cannot see the patterns of their own demise..." that sounded forced even to me. The fact that they looked like they beat it was my way of justifying why they would believe that they had.

Thanks for the feedback! I'll be hopping back to peruse more Xev20 stuff or anything else you want me to look at - probably not until after work tonight. :)

[Xathan]

Zhoatech has been moved to its own post and greatly expanded upon, though it's still very much a WIP. Any name suggestions would be hugely appreciated here, in addition to other feedback. Also, I'd love any suggestions for Zhoatech I could add to this list.

EDIT: Added about a dozen and a half more items.

[Magnus Pym]

I've begun reading your setting a bit. I'd definitely enjoy playing a roleplaying game in your world. Some of the tones and themes of Keldora I feel a connection to; like the Horrible and Awesome, the   "I can slay that gigantic, oozing centipede (or crimson-aura dark dragons with three heads) without using my hands! We bettin' buddy?"   feeling is badass; The Gods are Not your Friends part really helps to set the tone as well, and is a nice touch; I'm not a fan of alignment, but if I had to play a game with an alignment system, yours seem like the one I'd use; and I'm not a fan of dragons, half-races and magic in such high quantities, but the way you included them seem interesting enough.

I've read your entry about Arcanopunk and I thought it was well described.

I'm definitely going to read the mythic story, about the gods and more about zhoatech at some point soon.

[Xathan]

I've begun reading your setting a bit. I'd definitely enjoy playing a roleplaying game in your world.

That is the best complement for a setting on here, period. :) I'm hoping once I get the setting more developed and my schedule normalizes to run an IRC game in Keldora.

Some of the tones and themes of Keldora I feel a connection to; like the Horrible and Awesome, the   "I can slay that gigantic, oozing centipede (or crimson-aura dark dragons with three heads) without using my hands! We bettin' buddy?"   feeling is badass;

That's exactly the reaction I'd hope to inspire in players. :D If a group ever actually took bets on a fight like that, I'd be thrilled.

The Gods are Not your Friends part really helps to set the tone as well, and is a nice touch;

Much appreciated. :)

I'm not a fan of alignment, but if I had to play a game with an alignment system, yours seem like the one I'd use;

I was hoping to make a system that would appeal to people who aren't fans of alignment! The general "Good Vs. Evil" alignment system is something that has always bugged me - good to know I've pulled off something preferable.

and I'm not a fan of dragons, half-races and magic in such high quantities, but the way you included them seem interesting enough.

Thanks! I love those things, obviously, so I decided to make them integral to the setting as opposed to tacked on at the end like they often feel.

I've read your entry about Arcanopunk and I thought it was well described.

Excellent. I felt like the genre needed to be spelled out a bit better than just the name, so I'm happy to see it worked out.

I'm definitely going to read the mythic story, about the gods and more about zhoatech at some point soon.

Can't wait to hear what you think! :)