/wbg/ - Worldbuilding General

My setting (with the battle sloths) is a space setting, and humans are one of only three species who enjoy our particular oxygen/nitrogen atmosphere. The other two are the Hause (battle sloths), who enjoy a heavier gravity and denser atmosphere, and the Ja, a clannish species of hive-dwelling lizard analogues, who prefer a dryer and more argon-rich atmosphere.

There are many other species, all of which have a role in interstellar politics, but those are the only ones humans spend much time with, and the only onesopen to characters.

DnD, especially 5e, is good enough for what it does, but for anything outside a dungeon crawling fantasy adventure, it flounders. You could put a LOT of work into making the system work, but youd be better off spending that energy learning a good backup system.

I'd reccomend something versatile and rules-light, particularly the Cortex system. You can pick up the pdf quick, learn it in the morning, and teach it as they play the first setting.

humans
>jungle dwelling nomabs with strong oral traditions, primarily regarding water
>sailing people with ports in a wide variety of locations, heavy cultural emphasis on sailing and fishing
>temperate region dwelling people with a wide variety of tribes, but a unifying concept of agriculture involving powerful beasts of burden

raptors
>extremely cold dwelling, dwindling culture based on keeping ancient secrets, very superstitious — even by setting standards, but make up for it with unique technology
>more temperate and primitive (compared to the former) collection of tribes, based on strength, tribes migrate during the colder months to regions more temperate — for resources, and for an opportunity for youth to test their mettle

how gay/10?

What, biologically, are the raptors? Dinosaurs? Birds?

They look much more like dromaeosaurids, with a unique difference of being able to rotate their forearm.

What would you guys say is the scariest thing about vampires?

Their stunning good looks.

I've always found their supernatural powers to be terrifying. Wall-walking, fading into mist, it's their defiance of all known laws of science that makes them scary for me.

Their habit of passing as human.

That depends on the style of game and your ability to make them interesting. Some people shut down when you initially present them to many choices, but don't mind actually meeting them in the game. In a sci-fi setting you can functionally have unlimited and operate more with a character based philosophy.

For me personally in a fantasy setting it's about 50 as a soft limit.

Grunters: Large and thickly built with large teeth and tusks that makes complex speech impossible. Thick mane of hair extends onto the back and shoulders.

They communicate through sign language, augmented by communication magic that is fairly common in their kind. Socially organize into tight communities based around these talented 'speakers'.

Humans: Masters of language, other races can speak, but they can weave magic using words and songs. They write stories and myths that empower and mold people into powerful archetypes. Speeches and laws create order on a broader scale than the other races can manage.
This is why the human subspecies have conquered a large amount of the globe.

Any more detailed the cultures vary from place to place, just like in real life.

In response to the person who was helping me with my gunpowder problem in the last thread, here's what I've got:
>Most of the world's metals were used up by the ancient world-spanning empire
I already had the idea that they'd used up the world's supply of a particular high-quality construction material, which is a large part of why their structures have persisted for millennia.
>As a result, most metal currently used is salvaged and recycled
Stuff like steel isn't made, it's found.
>Typically a town's blacksmith can do little more than basic repairs/sharpening tools
It's a tropical region, so heating is not essential to most peoples' lives. Blacksmiths' forges mainly run on dried grasses and leaves, since most of the trees in the region burn poorly.
>New weapons and armor tend to be imported from nearby Meride, who use volcanic vents to provide much greater heat
And this actually gives me a much more satisfying reason why they bought a different region; maybe that's the only local source of wood that burns good.

Meride artisans tend to press their logo into armor when selling to international merchants, but these tend to fade as the armor undergoes various repairs; as a result, a slang term for when something is brand new and shiny is "still stamped".

>using geothermal for forging
That's how it works in my setting. Dwarves in their mountains are the only ones to work with the high-temperature metals like Orichalcum and Adamantium due to the heat required.

Ask me a question about my (high fantasy) setting.

Explain the ferrets

SO CUUUUUTEEEEE!

How tall is considered "tall" for a human?

How old is the oldest person alive? What might they say is the biggest change in the world since they were born?

What's something considered typically "masculine"? Something considered typically "feminine"?*

What's something everyone believes is true, but isn't?*

What is the fastest form of travel over long distances? What is the most common, if different?

How much does the proverbial mud-farmer know about magic?

*If you're the person who posted the "ask me any question" thing toward the end of the last thread, you can skip these, since they're pretty much the same ones I asked there.

The ferrets are a kind of fae folk. Small forest critters sometimes just get up on two legs and start walking around, and will probably eventually join with others in some of their small and enclosed communities- ferrets, bunnies, foxes, squirrels, rats, badgers, hedgehogs, and so on are all possible members of this race.

Also, what the heck, I've got nothing to do today. Ask me questions about my setting.

How does magic work?
Is there an afterlife?
Are there any talking swords?
What is "natural", as far as druid stuff is concerned?

That's just Westeros with the serial number filed off.

Here's a summary of the key points in the setting. It's not 100% updated, but you get the gist.

I don't think Westeros has monopoly on such generic tropes.

Hundreds of years of experience at keeping secrets.

When I see all parts to make a monkey laid out on the table, I tend to jump to conclusions concerning where the parts came from.

Well, Martin wrote low fantasy heavy on "realism" and so do I. Just like he did, I'm having vast number of different cultures and when you distill it into a single sentence, there's going to be a lot of similarities.

However, this is superflous similiary. Aside of medieval-Europe standard, of course. Which I'm actually largely neglicting, while for ASOIaF it is primary setting.

>Tall
Tall is anything above average height, which is about 6 foot tall. So 6'2 is a little tall, and 6'4 and us would be really tall. Humans tend to measure their weight in cubits though, so humans average at 4 cubits.

>Old
Probably some edgy druid/wizard that's been around since the stone age. There are probably several wee folk that much older then him though.

>Masculine
It's the same as our world; wars and hard labor are generally seen as masculine, veils and housework is seen as womanly, etc. I fail to see why this needs to be asked.

>Everyone believes
That lizardfolk are related to dragons. They are not.

>Fastest form of travel
Once again, probably magical. Or actually divine, a God scooping you up and putting you back down where you need to go is fastest of all, but obviously doesn't happen unless a God needs you to do it. Probably sail boat otherwise.

>Mud farmer know about magic

This is actually a really good question, because they know quite a bit about magic. The exception is they don't cast traditional spells, but they still have folk magick.

Essentially only a few rare and select people (genetic) can cast Wizard spells. However pretty much anyone can cast folk magick, which is mostly based around luck and fate. For example a poor farmer is down on his luck, so he takes a bit of clay and draws a few symbols on it; probably the symbol for money and wealth, a symbol for a man, his family name, or maybe just a little doodle of himself, maybe he draws a sunrise for hope, and so on. Later, he casts this into a fire and buries it at the foot of his house, or attaches it to the bottom of his wagon, or carries it is in his coin purse.

Now the next time the farmer goes to make some money, mechanically speaking he gets his roll improved by +1 until it makes a difference.

Other forms of folk magick include minor curses, potions, and talismans of personal power, etc.

>How tall is considered "tall" for a human?
6 feet is usually the upper limit. Most Humans this tall have some Snow Elf or Dragon blood.
>How old is the oldest person alive? What might they say is the biggest change in the world since they were born?
Define "person". The oldest living beings are the two remaining Dragon Aspects, who were the first intelligent life created. They're only ~8,000 years old.
>What's something considered typically "masculine"? Something considered typically "feminine"?*
In terms of magic; damaging evocations and transmutation are masculine, while utility magic like abjuration and the healing arts are feminine.
>What's something everyone believes is true, but isn't?*
That the Gods grant Clerics their power, or exist at all
>What is the fastest form of travel over long distances? What is the most common, if different?
Griffons are fairly fast, but only Elves, Half-Elves, and Halflings are light enough to ride them. Until airships are a thing, the fastest mode of transportation is river travel by boat.
>How much does the proverbial mud-farmer know about magic?
He knows that the smelly hippy that lives in town can do some weird shit that makes the crops grow better.

>Magic
Magic is ill defined as of right now. My setting isn't complete and I sometimes fail at high concepts like this, but what I will tell you is that basically magic comes in two forms; the more 'low' kind of magic involving luck and chance that basically everyone can do, and then the powerful spells that only Wizards can do.

>Afterlife
~Nobody Knows~
No actually nobody really knows because I'm tired of trying to think of how an afterlife would work. The managers of heaven keep a soul in long waiting lists and queues to go off to the afterlife, and that's where ghosts come from (grandpa died 3 years ago and stilll haunts his house because the bureaucrats in heaven are slow as fuck). One day they'll pass on and I haven't decided what happens after that.

>Talking swords
Oh yes, absolutely. Objects start talking for no reason sometimes in this world. But there is also a good chance it was the result of a meddling Wizard.

>What is 'natural'
You know I really hate this concept, but not the question, because I feel like its always done poorly in every fantasy setting. Even in real life people answer this question poorly.

Anything 'unnatural' is just made from natural things, it's kind of a misnomer. My setting doesn't even have druids, but I'm kind of considered making druids and wizards a combination class.

>How tall is considered "tall" for a human?
6 foot. not bizarrely tall, but tall.

>How old is the oldest person alive? What might they say is the biggest change in the world since they were born?
Human? Early Nineties. The Crimson Tide, the fall of the Southern Empire, and the third Unification. But that was about 50 years ago, so they aren't alone in that.
Including Elves. Lost track several hundred years ago. The arrival of humans in the continent, and the founding of their empire.

>What's something considered typically "masculine"?
soldiery. Particularly line infantry, as the 'auxiliary' roles are open to women too.

>Something considered typically "feminine"?*
Weaving. Other arts are considered at least someone coed, but weaving is the feminine art.

>What's something everyone believes is true, but isn't?*
that the Kateeth, Shadow Lords, and Norks are different humanoid species in the same way elves, grunters, and stonekin are. Their actually subspecies of humans.

>What is the fastest form of travel over long distances?
by sea, ships. Same with most common. By land, fastest is horseback, but most common aux cart caravans.

>How much does the proverbial mud-farmer know about magic?
low level magic is extremely common, even a typical mud-farmer knows a spell song or two that helps with their task.
They probably also know that elves weave magic into metal and grunters do it with their dances.

>How does magic work?
There are 3 types; "Elder Magic" the Creator-God performs, chaotic magic Dragons can perform, and formulaic magic mortals can learn.
>Is there an afterlife?
Souls are just a type of elemental spirit. Death is no different from a lucid dream, so expectations of the afterlife influence it greatly.
Resurrection and reincarnation is a thing in-setting, but most people don't want to come back.
>Are there any talking swords?
There's plenty of ways to make one.
Wizards/Artificers of the current era aren't skilled enough to make them, though. It would have to be forged by a demigod.
>What is "natural", as far as druid stuff is concerned?
The processes of "life" (like growth and conversion of food into energy/heat) produces "positive energy", while rot and decay produces "negative energy". This duality is the founding principle of any natural spellcaster, which allows for healing magic and resurrection.

>I fail to see why this needs to be asked.
Same reason any question about your setting needs to be asked. It's a reflection of the rules of society.

Hammak, the only race other than humans which exists in every mirror of the setting.

They appear pretty much exactly like the Mystics in The Dark Crystal, except with only two arms. This probably won't change, it's too ingrained into my mind. Hammak are most closely related to birds, although they are possibly the lone species of their own phylum. They have no feathers, only leftover pores on their grotesque and wrinkly backs that they cover in rags or fabrics. Hammak have very resilient internal organs and incredible digestive abilities, being immune to all but the strongest toxins in the highest doses. They can eat, drink, and smoke almost anything, and with enough experience, analyze and identify what they have just consumed. Their 600-year lifespans coupled with their slow movement makes them avoid combat.

The growth process of a Hammak is drawn-out and certainly not pretty. Because of this, Hammak are raised communally and lack families, instead they are family to their entire tribe. They are born as fat slugs and spend the first few years of their lives wiggling aimlessly with the others in dens of filth where the adults throw food to ferment and nourish the grubs. When they emerge, they are taught to work and communicate so that they can serve the tribe. Some Hammak leave their home around age 70, and most will return by the end of their long lives. They may end up among humans in guilds and universities to hone their skills, or in hidden refuges to live as hermits.

Culturally, Hammak are fond of smoking things using ornate devices. Invention and medicine are revered. It is more common in Hammak than in humans to practice alchemy, gematria, witchcraft, and the arcane. They usually dislike children because they've never had to deal with them.

Hammak archetypes include alchemists, witches, architects, drug dealers, gangsters, lorekeepers, inventors, secretaries, and surgeons.

Would silver be too common to be used as antimagic material?

I want something accessible, but no so accessible that you can just grab it out of your drawers at home or a shop in town, or anything. Modern-day setting, also. Working on urban fantasy.

Could have multiple tiers to anti-magic materials.
In my setting, magic is a form of radiation. Lead can be used to block it, but as a poisonous soft metal it's ineffective to use in construction. Iridium reflects it, and an Iridium/Platinum alloy called Orichalcum in-setting reflects it to the point of bypassing magical resistances.

Prismals are humanoid magical creatures that are generally 3-4ft tall, have antenna, pastel-colored skin, and gastropod-like shells on their backs. They feed off of intangible things—mostly music and dreams. Nightmares taste bad to them, and the more complex music is the more delicious it is. A drum beat is a nice snack, but an orchestra is a feast. Consuming these things means actually making good dreams disappear and silencing music. For this reason, Prismals are often considered vermin among the other races.

The shells on their backs are said to contain all of their magic and memories, and when they die the shell is left behind, acting as a gravestone. Some have tried to make use of a Prismal shell’s vast magical potential, but were unsuccessful—in fact, the shell would attach itself to anyone who stepped too close and overload their brain with the Prismal’s memories, corrupting them. These “shell zombies” are rare, but often live for a long time.

Prismals tend to be loners because of the way they eat. A bunch of Prismals together means almost certainly that they’ll end up feeding on each other’s good dreams.

made these guys a long time ago in high school, sorry for my autistic tumblr art

>How does magic work?
Force of will to tell the laws of physics "sit down, shut up, you can say your piece later." Intellect plays a part, mainly in figuring out the most efficient way to accomplish your goal--like thinking to use a lever to move a rock and the best place to put it versus just moving the rock.
>Is there an afterlife?
People believe they are subsumed into the world upon death. A farmer believes his essence becomes part of his farm, part of his collection of models, part of his family, etc. in some poorly-defined ethereal sense.
>Are there any talking swords?
Kind of, but it's just an illusion. They talk but they don't think any more than one of those plastic Power Rangers swords that make slashing/zapping sounds.
>What is "natural", as far as druid stuff is concerned?
There aren't druids, but groups obsessed with the "natural" tend to have no problem with technology; it comes from the earth, don't it? These groups tend to have more of a problem with magic, what with it literally breaking nature's laws.

S'fey. Hairless and lanky with webbed fingers and toes; they can hold their breath for over half an hour (longer with training). They tend to live on barges in warmer parts of the world's oceans, diving for salvage and other valuables.

And I'm the one who asked these, but
>How tall is considered "tall" for a human?
1.85m for men, 1.75m for women. The average for the region is 1.72m for men, 1.67m for women.
>How old is the oldest person alive? What might they say is the biggest change in the world since they were born?
In the world, 221; in the area, 108. In the last hundred years, private adventuring (as opposed to the state-run Service) has taken off as a career, and the mail system has been vastly improved. Unless she's anything like my granny, who despite being a small business owner in her lifetime, said the most revolutionary invention was the garbage disposal.
>What's something considered typically "masculine"? Something considered typically "feminine"?
The true "militaries" of the region are roughly 70% male; however, the Service (mentioned above) is almost 60% women.

Jobs which require classroom education (such as medicine and engineering) are more likely to be held by women; jobs which depend more exclusively on on-the-job training or apprenticeships are more likely to be held by men.

However, the more dramatic differences are in leisure, not work. Alcohol, for example, is masculine; other drugs (like the misleadingly-named eden root, which is a leaf) are feminine. Reading fiction is feminine, fighting/sparring is masculine--so much so that the concept of "foxy boxing" would never exist here, and Freeda Foreman would probably be a disappointment to her father.
>What's something everyone believes is true, but isn't?
Sleeping without a good circulation of air (say, an open window) will make you sick.
>What is the fastest form of travel over long distances? What is the most common, if different?
Galanier has a rudimentary rail system (inspired by the Bamboo Railroad) that travels nearly twice as fast as most ships. Unfortunately, it can only carry a few people at a time and only exists in Galanier. Otherwise, hybrid sail/electric ships.

Use electrum instead. That shit is cool as fuck.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrum

>How much does the proverbial mud-farmer know about magic?
As much as I know about what makes my car go. I know which pedals to press, and I know roughly how an internal-combustion engine works, but pop open the hood and you lose me.

>Electrum
I had completely forgotten about this. It makes a lot more sense for my Dwarves to use that than Copper/Silver/Gold/Platinum the rest of the world uses.

>Objects start talking for no reason sometimes in this world.
That seems like it could be inconvenient.
"Hey, you're trying to snipe that guard? Good luck, buddy, I've seen your aim, I'm your freakin' bow. Don't you shush me!"

Druid could be college-aged wizards who won't shut up about how much better organic food is and who doesn't own any shirts that don't feature a cannabis leaf.

>a race of short-lived immature rat kids, under dictature and won't allow anyone in or out

I love what martin did with all the different cultures and ethnic groups. I always missed that level of detail in star wars and star trek.

that's neat and cute and where do you post your art
also
do shell zombies keep the personality of the victim or do they become a mix or just the prismal again?
what happens if a prismal shell gets cracked and leaks, if that can happen?
how often prismal shell tragedies happen?

So Worldbuilders thus far in my setting I have only created large and over arching concepts. Things like the races, the cosmology, the gods, how magic works, how religions work, etc.

But then I get caught on a snag even trying to go one step lower; like nations, important individuals, locations. How should I do this?

What helped for me was watching a bunch of Crash Course World History (and to a lesser extent, Crash Course Economics). It's got a lot of interesting insight into how cultures rise and develop.

youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8dPuuaLjXtNjasccl-WajpONGX3zoY4M

Something else that worked for me was to actually start smaller--cities and individuals. Then build outwards from there. Maybe come up with a venerated king and then figure out what societal ideals make him so good (like if he conquered a bunch of territory and the country values expansion).

Thanks! angeban.tumblr.com

There might be an old leftover defense mechanism from the shell, so it'll try to essentially take over, but since there's only memories and no actual brain in there it just melts the victim's own brain faculties. So though they're still alive and can eat, sleep, and still speak, what comes out of their mouth is usually a nonsense mix of their old memories and the original prismal's. Hence "zombie".

Not everyone who tampers with an old shell will have it react and attack them, but it happens enough that normal people will stay away if they find one.

Prismal shells are pretty durable (more like a tortoise shell than a snail's or anything), but if they do get cracked and start leaking it could be fatal. Since shells have both magic and memories stored in them, the leakage is basically a mixed form of them both and manifests in the physical world as apparitions that play out old memories. These apparitions will hover like a cloud around the prismal, basically making them relive their past over and over again until they either die or the crack is repaired.

What are you aiming for? Are you trying to establish a sense of verisimilitude? Are you trying to tie things together to make it a feasible RPG? Are you trying to put together a plausible plot? If you don't know your direction, it's easy to get caught in a snag.

can they eat just music or also sounds as well?
can they eat animal dreams?
do they eat "dreams" aka life goals?

They can certainly eat sounds but it probably doesn't taste good. Might be like eating soil for humans. Again, generally more complex or pleasing-to-the-ear music is better.

If animals dream then they can.

No life goals though, those are more strictly human emotion based, and prismals don't tend to eat emotions. That's for other soul-sucking types of creatures.

>They feed off of intangible things
they can eat memories, beliefs, opinions and ideas?
if yes no wonder they're considered vermin

Living on the delta of the Noeki River, the Sobki are a race of large humanoid crocodiles. Ruled by a Pharaoh and its harem of "wives", the Sobki control the south, past the Gobyetti Desert. Relations are strained with the northern kingdoms, due to the desire for exotic good the Sobki control, but lacking desired goods themselves. The Sobki have a good relationship with the nomadic Gnoll tribes the wander the desert, hunting and killing large earth elementals that inhabit it, mining ore, stone, and precious metals and gems from the corpses.

The name Sobki comes from their chief diety, Sobkesh, a large crocodile said to spend eternity warming itself on the sun. When a Sobki dies, its soul travels to Sobkesh, who judges it. If the soul is worthy, Sobkesh opens its maw, where a gate to the afterlife is held. If the soul is unworthy, Sobkesh slaps it away with its tail. The stars are said to be the tears of these souls, as they weep, trying to shed their sins. Sobki preserve their dead, as it is not unheard of for one of these souls to wander back to thier body, resurrecting themselves. These returned are both honored for returning to make ammends, but held with suspicion, due to their wicked life they must have led to be rejected by Sobkesh.

The best way is to do a combined top-down and bottom-up method.
You should make a character that lives in the setting, and plot out how their life would be like.

You guys alllowed to talk about Scifi stuff in here or is it only fantasy?

Sci-fi is welcome.

>Unique Races
So we should share are unique races? How about my modern fantasy game with some weird races?

Rate mapo and or ask questions about setting

Veeky Forums isn't the traditional games board or the fantasy board user, it's the collaborative fiction and methods to achieve it board (also MTG)

>Rate mapo
REJOICE/10

6/10
Technically adept, but could use more contrast for labels.
I like the small landforms, but not the region as a whole.
Although the mountains with the single ridge and the forests meld very good, I would have preferred a style with more greebeling to invoke more little nooks to explore.
While moody, the coloring makes it look drab and boring.
It just doesn't awaken imagination and urge to explore.

>They feed off of intangible things
can they feed off memes? your art blog is cute [/spoiler ]

You're free to do as you like, mein friend. Urban fantasy, unfortunately, is not a common genre for worldbuilding, but I'm in the same boat ad you are.

Please stay alive.

I'd be interesting is seeing more urban fantasy not set in the real world.
The only examples I can think of is the Alloy of Law trilogy.

Are there any historical kingdoms in which brothers legally came before sons in inheritance?

I feel like almost any monarch would just rewrite the laws to put his son in power, however in this case the monarch is also the religious figurehead who descends directly from their prophet who wrote the laws, so I guess it could work.

I wish there were some more creative urban fantasy setting earth weren't just "like earth except pointy ears lol"

I want to see underground dwarven urban complexes and shit

Plenty, though it was often a matter of circumstance (e.g. the dad dies when the son is too young). That's exactly what happened in Hamlet, after all, except for the "too young" bit.

Have you read Neverwhere?

What are some cool space phenomenon to have cool space aliens come from? Real outlandish, bizarre stuff, to make for bizarre life. I'm not very well-versed in sciency-stuff, so I'd appreciate the help.

What do you mean, space phenomena like stellar bodies and weather phenomena? cause generally you're not going to find much life coming from a white dwarf or a pulsar user. Even if the lifeform has a non human composition, they're generally still going to have requirements to sustain life and boundaries within which they can survive.

Unless you're talking about Neutronium Golems.

Weather, atmospherics, anything really that is a particularly forgien concept to humans.

I have only the most basic, passing knowledge about white dwarfs and pulsar stars, but what really about them prohibits life from popping up?

>Neutronium golems as the obligatory warrior species

Schlock Mercenary had aliens made of dark matter that could only interact with normal matter via gravity manipulation. Hence they often crushed starships into tin cans.

There's also the phenomenon where a proton particle travelling at 0.98c hits the Earth's atmosphere every once in a while. Gives a big boom but not much else.

Maybe you can do something about black holes and the event horizon.

My take on orcs is that they come in generational cycles. If mass population calamity strikes they move back down the cycle.

>Red: They are small, weak, unintelligent, and basically animalistic. They're fully mature within a couple of years. They spread rapidly looking for a place to settle.

>Orange: In sufficient numbers oranges are born. They are slightly bigger and smarter, but more or less like Reds.

>Yellow: When the Oranges have sufficient food supply and population growth they begin to turn yellow. Bigger, smarter, longer lived, and better at tool use.

>Green: After a sufficient population boom there is a mass "greening" of the population in which all children born are green. They are big and strong, but not too bright.

>Blues: Smaller than greens, smarter, and more dexterous. They could be described as more skilled workers or perhaps in a pinch archers than bruisers.

>Indigo: The indigos are smarter, stronger, more dexterous, and longer lived than any previous generation of orcs. They take decades to mature. When they first emerge, they are a tiny minority with greens still making up 2/3-1/2 of the populace. In many ways they are comparable to elves.

>Violet: Violets are born in small numbers to indigos. Physically they are equal to them, but mentally stronger and with inherent magical capabilities on par with that of a young dragon. They take a century to reach young adulthood. By the time they are born greens are 25% of the population or less, with blues making up the majority and indigos having a large enough populace to have some sort of hierarchy.

Violets and Indigos are why elves hate orcs. They can't stand the rivalry.

For the most part, for a species to come from space phenomena in the way you're thinking, they'd need to survive in vacuum without much issue. Unless you plan on giving stars an atmosphere and the creatures some sort of chemical exchange system from which it can gather energy/grow and so forth, it'll be difficult for a creature, much less a species to survive. This isn't mentioning the different gravitational conditions and other extreme conditions found in stellar bodies. Some stars have extreme gravitational fields, other stars release massive pulses of radiation. Depending on what phenomena you go for, you need to adjust the race accordingly.

Take 's suggestion of a black hole for instance, for a creature to freely move in and out of a black hole's event horizon you basically need to either find a loophole around what we understand about black holes, or invent a new concept of astrophysics in order to handwave it.

The idea of Neutronium Golem Phalanxes is neat admittedly, even if it isn't very feasible.

Maybe Crash Course Astronomy will help.

youtube.com/watch?v=0rHUDWjR5gg&list=PL8dPuuaLjXtPAJr1ysd5yGIyiSFuh0mIL

>Crash Course
whoa, this is highschool AP US History all over again.

It sums up a ton of shit in a relatively short amount of time. It ain't the most detailed presentation of physics, but it's at least fast and lacking in all the bells and whistles an hour-long documentary usually does

>but it's at least fast and lacking in all the bells and whistles an hour-long documentary usually does
Know any good hour+ long documentary/lectures/essays? Those are my jam

>John Green

ugh. A long time ago I tried to watch him, and found it pretty interesting for a while, but as the show went on his overt liberalism got more and more grating.
I wish there was a more neutral, non-apologist, comprehensive history channel on youtube, but thus far I have not been able to find any.

That's cool worldbuilding. It feels like it's from a trippy 70s fantasy movie. Nice art too!

What map-making tool did you use?

I'm trying to create a post-magic apocalypse setting, with magic tanks, and the remnants of all sort of crazy magitechnology.

any good systems for how to operate tanks? also, any good resources to learn in more detail about tanks?

The Fae of the Twilit Kingdom are one of the most eclectic races on the face of Creation. Their number include the diminutive and energetic Hyppen; masters of gems and magic, the towering Gren; fast friends to all the spirits who nurture the plants which feed their kin, and the flighty Peryion; second only to the Gryphons in their ability to navigate the maelstrom.

The Fae, despite their startling amount of physical diversity, are united both by their common heritage as Night's children and by their natural affinity for music. As the Fey have no spoken language and instead speak in ideas and concepts, they need do little more than wish their words be melodious.

I've been trying to come up with more than just three types of fae for the sake of variety (their shtick is supposed to how varied they are), but I'm running out of niches. Considering fire and water to finish them out, but I don't know what those would even be/do.

photoshop

There are channels that take specific periods and stuff. The Great War comes to mind.

Personally, I like Crash Course. Considering how fast I've forgotten everything that isn't English, maths and physics from high school, it has the perfect level of detail to get me into stuff again. I hope they start a Geography course soon.

Best map on /wbg/. Unlike the other user, I think this map invites to exploration. I also think the map kind of tells a story in itself.

>coming up with reimaginings of classic horror monsters and how they fit into your world.

Fun times. Making everything a little spoopier to fit the theme of things is enjoyable.

Really I just love coming up with terrible monsters for fun, I have whole doc files of random red shirt monster men ready to throw at my party.

>tfw I spent ages on the lore and world-building of my setting
>tfw I dropped it in autism rage and other projects for two months
>tfw I'm whipping up a campaign in the setting and everything just clicks

Have you lads ever done this? Decide to revisit an old setting and realize all the pieces fit for a fun campaign, you just never saw it at the time due to tunnel-vision?

I´ve been working on a space setting recently and thougth that before I go into the political or cultural segments of it, I´d try to create more aliens.

Already trying to take inspiration from halo, mass effect, star wars, star trek, xcom and the like.

Do you guys know of any sites or guide lines for creating aliens?