#flintlocks and fireballs

[rubecso]

i'm okay i'm fine i'm fine

[daisychainsandbowties]

What dnd podcast is it? 👀

it’s this

it’s so so important to me i literally can’t explain. my fav is Celestia Stardust (you will hear her intro and go… 😂 yeah ofc casper likes this absolute disaster of an elf). it just gets better and better and better as it goes on. there’s gay disaster bard romance, there are pirates, the french revolution, a horrible witch and her apprentice who is the sweetest girl on the planet. the worldbuilding is incredible it’s insane how much detail & love & humour is poured into this. yeah it’s a “got me through tough times” media so i owe it a lot 💖

[cbairdash]

Author’s note: Hoist the Colors may eventually inspire fiction. Most likely will and I’ll gladly write it. But right now, it’s a role-playing game setting with what I hope is an interesting take and look at an “Alternate History” of Earth. It isn’t really “steampunk”, though I can see how someone would get that impression. For me, it’s more a “flintlock fantasy” set on Earth of 1722 in all it’s historical mess… that I’ve stirred up even more!

So, with that said, lets get into the mystical a bit. This one is a bit different and covers a lot that will show up in the upcoming web serial for Hoist the Colors, and the roleplaying game. 

Etherwave Arcana

Magic. The Etherwave Arcana. It isn’t simple mind tricks, but altering the rhythm of the universe with the force of a person’s willpower and determination. - Professor Elistar Riley, Archbinder of the Royal Academy of Arcanum and Science

Across the world, natural forces are at work. Storms, oceans, wind, and more clash in unending struggles for power. A delicate, but devastating dance as old as time itself. But there is another natural force, one that flooded the world after Crossing’s Fall. A power as deep and ancient as the earth itself. Often called magic, scholars and those who study this power call it the Etherwave Arcana. An enigmatic force that binds the very air, sea, land, and perhaps reality itself.

Many believe that the Etherwave Arcana has always been present. A force in the background of the world that has been hard to reach until Crossing’s Fall. Pulsating, rhythmic energy that flows like water or air, but can only be reached once a person is attuned to those steady currents.

To Harness the Arcana

Practitioners who cast magic, or students of the Etherwave Arcana, are often called “Wavebinders” or “Navigators”. Skilled students who have learned to tap into this mysterious force. They use intricate hand gestures, resonating incantations, and more to shape their miraculous ‘spells’.

These ‘spells’ are often simple, such as lighting logs in a fireplace, or making something lift into the air and fly backwards. But a practitioner’s skill with the Etherwave Arcana can extend to the miraculous, such as arrows of lightning or glowing light-shields. Then there is the most dramatic of all, a Navigator opening an Arcane Gate using a ship’s portal platform. A mystical means to let a ship cover vast distances in the blink of an eye.

Wavebinders and Navigators don’t just “cast spells” on a whim like from a tall tale. Instead, it takes concentration, if not deep focus, to channel magic. Practitioners must attune themselves to the Etherwave Arcana’s ebb and flow. They must be able to feel the currents of power moving between themselves and the world around them. The sensation of an ever moving web of energy that flows between all things, from rocks and trees to clouds, water, and even people.

As they focus their mind, practitioners can channel the arcana and use their skill at manipulating its rhythm. This lets them blur the line between magic and laws of nature. Skilled Wavebinders have created many types of effects. Some are more physical, like generating blasts of lightning or fireballs. Others perfect their skills at magical stone shaping, or moving objects with the power of their minds. Then there are the Wavebinders who dabble in air and light-bending to create illusions, fog, or alter sounds.

Risk of the Reward

It’s all fun and games until you dissolve part of your arm. - Professor Elistar Riley, Archbinder of the Royal Academy of Arcanum and Science

Manipulating the Etherwave Arcana is as much art as it is science. Wavebinders and Navigators tread carefully when channeling this power. Anyone that loses their concentration on its rhythm and pulse, risk being consumed by its currents.

If a Wavebinder or Navigator loses control this way, the result is always the same. The Arcana turns on them with a vengeance. Power floods uncontrolled through the practitioner, like lightning through a tree. If they’re lucky, the Wavebinder or Navigator might only suffer a purple, lightning bolt shaped scar or have a limb vaporize. In the worst case, the practitioner is swallowed whole by the Arcana and vanishes in a blast of hot, white light.

But that isn’t to say anytime a practitioner fails to channel the magic, it ends in a scar or even death. Far from it. Wavebinders and Navigators can fail to channel enough of the Arcana’s power to fuel a spell. When that happens, the spell simply fails with a fizzle and brief sparkle of light, leaving behind one frustrated practitioner.

For the rest about The Etherwave Arcana in Hoist the Colors, see the link above!

Taglist: @thelaughingstag

[audiofictionuk]

Do you ever feel like you get burned out from listening to shows and need to stop for a while?

I get burnt out on new things - it's quite hard to keep track of what's going on and get invested, though sometimes one does grab me (like the recent @SectedPodcast).

But then I just listen to an old long-running favourite. Still catching up with five years of Flintlocks and Fireballs (I'm somewhere in the mid 80s).

But I can't stop the cataloguing, mostly because if I ever stop, I'll never catch up (don't ask me about the 50k I'm working through that started somewhere before 2019 - only *some* of which are fiction).

[official-megumin]

Okay, here are my questions about your world?

Do cat people exist in your world? Are they more “human with cat traits” or more “cat with human traits”? And if you use a magnifying glass or mirror and some sunlight to make a medieval version of a laser pointer will they chase it?

Is there a way for non-mages to counter or defend against magic?

Are firearms the only ranged weapons people use? Are there still people who use weapons like bows, crossbows, slings, etc? Are these localised to particular individuals or do some nations still make use of them in their army in some capacity?

Do werebeasts exist in your world? How does stuff like lycanthropy work?

Are there any fantastical metals? Like adamantium or mithryl?

How common are pre-rip ruins? Do they exist at all?

How advanced are they when it comes to firearms in this setting? Do they only have simple muzzle loading muskets or have they started to use more complicated techniques like breech loading or cartridges?

Have people managed to travel across the ocean to different continents yet? Or is there a need to cross the ocean to get to different continents? Like is the world one massive Pangea like landmass?

I may come up with more at some point.

I have not given much thought to races yet, not outside of those I have mentioned before such as goblins, humans, dwarves and elves. So I don't know if there are cat people.

whilst most elves have some connection to magic, it's actually not as powerful as you'd think. Like Pyra for example can only really do fairly basic fireballs and ignite things with her hands. She also exclusively knows fire spells. Magic also tends to be very elemental, so fire, ice, water and etcetera, so no super powerful spells or protection that would require specific counters.

Firearms as we know them today do not really exist. The people of this world got stuck on flintlock and similar weapons that they've then improved fixing some of the fire rate problems. That being said bows and crossbows are still in use even though they're not as common as fire arms as they don't do as much damage.

I once again have not given much thought to the existence of lycanthropy as I've mostly been focusing on the more personal level of the world with a few set characters(only one of which have any significant development). That being said, lycanthropy would probably exist and be connected to the merging of dimensions. This means that transformations would occur when some people are different species between dimensions and said dimensions battle over dominance in real space.

I would think there are mostly just metals like in the real world. But I also think there are some materials with abilities you don't see in the real world. Like crystals actually having special powers sometimes. Other times they're just fancy rocks tho.

depending on where you are, pre-rip ruins are quite common. They might not look like ruins tho as they have been warped by spacetime leaving them often look almost organic in shape. Of course inside the nordic tear itself, there are countless ruins sometimes even having still functional tech from before the rip. Be careful with that tho as there might be mosters lurking in the shadows.

I explained this one earlier, so mostly breachloading weapons with very primitive cartridges made of paper or similar materials.

There aren't really any big oceans in the world, only big lakes. However, these lakes open up wider as you go deeper into them often revealing huge ruined cities underneath some of which are still inhabited by merpeople.

[maybemorriganthemagnificent]

character concept: a mage-turned-marksman who uses their magic to enchant the gunpowder they use in their flintlock rifles to cast pseudo-spells. For example, powder of fireballs to use incendiary rounds or powder of seeking to have guided musket balls.

[potatolordofficial]

So maw of the deep is a flintlock low fantasy, I picked it bc I realized historical fiction is a beast I cannot wrangle, so I did the east thing and built a new world

The opposite of this is of course a mad-max style novel with fireball slinging and lots of wheeled vehicles

Let's learn a bit more about your story. Let's learn a bit more about your story is NOT.

Share the genre of your story here. Tell everyone why you picked that genre. What part makes you most excited?

Then take a moment and think about what your story would look like if it was the complete OPPOSITE genre, and share a few thoughts about it!

[shutupeiffel]

Ranking RPG Podcast By Their Theme Tunes

As written by someone who knows almost nothing about music but has listened to an ungodly amount of podcasts. This is by no means a comprehensive list, and if anyone has any recommendations based off these, hit me up!

6. Rusty Quill Gaming

Steampunk! Jaunty! Toe-tapping! Definitely feels weirdly out of place after the intense emotional cliffhangers of late-game RQG! That being said, this song fits into the semi-Victorian ‘industrial but with magic’ feeling of the RQG setting, setting the mood perfectly - if luring you into a false sense of security.

5. Oxventure (The Podcast)

This has such a great Fantasy Vibe, it’s exactly the kind of song you’d expect to hear playing in a tavern or played over a swooping shot of forests in a fantasy film. Honourable mentions to the pieces of music also used in the podcast for ad breaks/the end of the adventure before the outro chat, which are also excellent. 

4. Join The Party

Although there have been three different variations, the fact that Brandon Grugle has kept the same melody throughout is Very cool, and each different campaign (and CAMP-aign) has a theme song that fits perfectly - shout out to Campaign 2′s song which, when I first heard it, made me feel like a protagonist in a cool teen movie while walking round the city. 

3. Flintlocks & Fireballs

What’s better than an instrumental theme tune? Writing your own shanty! Shores of Calcinea does an amazing job of a)introducing the Napoleonic-Wars-inspired setting, b) setting the tone and context for the story, c) getting stuck in your head forever - much to the annoyance of anyone who lived with me while I was binging the show to catch up. If anything will make you want to “Gather your muskets and gather your spears”, it’s this song. (Also the time we all got to sing along to it at a live show was the best)

2. Dungeons & Daddies (Not a BDSM Podcast)

Listen. ‘Alright’ from the Odyssey campaign? Great song, works well playing under the intro/outro as a good theme should. ‘On My Way’? Nigh on PERFECT. The lyrics are such teen angst “the world sucks and the only person I can rely on to fix it is me”, the chorus absolutely SLAPS, and I for one cannot wait for the bittersweet acoustic cover in the final episode.

1. No Small Rolls

This is what I want from an RPG show’s theme! Opening with intense drums, Lyrics about playing D&D, the whole cast singing, “Prepare your party of players and polyhedral dice”, “Your haggard character swaggers with daggers in each hand”! There’s even a hurdy-gurdy version!!! You cannot listen to this without immediately wanting to go out with a group of rag-tag adventurers on an epic fantasy quest. 10/10, everyone else step your game up

[dsntstpbngmagic]

Yeah I also started a TTRPG Podcast during Lockdown

Hello lovely followers!  As you probably know, I don’t usually make personal posts on here - but I thought I would share something pretty rad my friends and I have made together: A Rendezvous with Destiny! @softbutchbi and I, along with some undergraduate friends, started a podcast based on the Scion game system, about demigods in 2019 Washington DC! All four of us have been playing TTRPG for years, and we’re all perpetual GMs - so we’ve got a fair bit of experience goofing around and rolling dice together. I’m the editor, and I’ve composed a few original pieces, including the theme :D 

Basically, if you enjoy Percy Jackson, Naddpod, Dimension20, we have that fun, silly-but-serious vibe, along with an entirely queer cast! Please do take your time to give us a listen, we’re A Rendezvous with Destiny on Spotify, Acast, iTunes, Youtube and @RWD_Pod on twitter (links below). We just finished our first arc (episode releasing as I post this) - and I hope you all enjoy very much!

ACAST: https://shows.acast.com/a-rendezvous-with-destiny

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5J88EbuGAVu2Qgv2j40U1R?si=kPLHym-NQbirjhXKHPs3kA

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/a-rendezvous-with-destiny/id1511734244

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrFt9hU8oT1eW8P_8EPNsog?view_as=subscribert

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RWD_Pod?s=20

[rubecso]

My nichest cosplay yet is the rocking Celestia Stardust (nice to meet you) from Flintlocks and Fireballs 😁

[imperitvs]

Hearing the Ghoul's dying whimper as it collapsed to the ground faded quickly when Osian focused instead on the groan in Finn's voice. It had quickly been pieced together what had happened... Finn put himself in such danger just to save him?

Gods if he wasn't so useless.. So utterly and completely inept, it wouldn't have been necessary! He couldn't afford to crumble under this realisation - instead, Osian gathered every frustration and grievance he had with himself and twisted it to aid him to get Finn to safety.

The sudden clamor from the flintlock was Osian's signal. Snapping his head toward the Shepard Finn fired at, he saw the creature recoil as it was struck, but adjusted itself to continue it's onslaught. His jaw tightened as he moved out from behind Finn's protection. There was no time for second guesses or hesitation...

"Ardē..." The word itself was barely whispered, yet he could feel the power swell in his chest. The somatic movements were pefect, graceful even. Rapid. Flawless for the first time as he released the fireball in the Shepards direction - taking down both it and severely burning a nearby Ghoul. Which made it all the easier for Karlach to finish off.

With his fury quelled, he hurried back to Finn's side, hoisting Finn's arm over his shoulders to bring him away from the battlefield. What was left of it. "They can handle the stragglers. Come, we have to take a look at that before it gets worse."

@imperitvs | from here

Fuck. Fuckity fucking fuck. The concept of a peaceful walk in the mountains was certainly an impossible notion for this party. Between ghouls, Githyanki wanting to extract their brains or whatever the fuck that Zaith'isk was doing, and now a fucking group of Death Shepherds, peace was a laughable dream.

Finn wasn't ready to admit it, but he was tired and thought that crèche might have finally been their salvation. A tadpole-free walk back to Baldur's Gate didn't seem to be in the cards for them just yet, as they were now en route to Moonrise Towers, fighting every step of the way.

If he was tired, he wondered how Osian fared. This lifestyle wasn't foreign to the pirate, but he was concerned about how his companion, his friend, was handling the stress and exhaustion.

Clearly not well, as he saw Osian make what seemed to be a fatal mistake and open his left side to an attack. What was a moment felt like an eternity in Finn's mind, juggling the worth of their lives. Finn was a pirate; his only family being his arsehole Da, who probably didn't care that he was presumed dead. Meanwhile, Osian had his parents, his sister, his niece. They needed him home. In that split second, he made the decision to throw his body against the elven wizard, taking the full brunt of the spell against his back, feeling the life and energy zap out of that part of his body. It was excruciating but thankfully not fatal.

Fuck, though it hurt. The pain fuelled his rage. The near attempt at hurting Osian only enraged him further, and all that anger made him forget his injury long enough to spin around, withdraw his flintlock, and fire it at the Death Shepherd in the distance.

"Talk later, fight first," he groaned, bending over and clutching his withered side.

[daisychainsandbowties]

Hi :) do you like or listen to fiction podcasts?

i don’t know if this counts as fiction but i listen to quite a few d&d podcasts. on account of my sophistication 😌

my favourites are Flintlocks and Fireballs (regency-adjacent fantasy world. amazing characters) and the Aerois campaign by High Rollers (also check out their Curse of Strahd one. their DM is rlly cool)

in terms of actual fiction i recently started The Silt Verses which is genuinely the most caspercore thing of all time. it’s horrific and profound and wet with blood & seawater. 10/10

aside from that though i’m a podcast barbarian (as the british would say)

if you have any recs though i would love to hear them! 😁

[gaiash]

12 Days of Christmas - Day 8. Olga Gristlegums Never Lies

When thinking of who I could draw from Flintlocks and Fireballs for this year's project the moment Olga popped back in my head I knew it had to be her.

12 Days of Christmas

Previous Years: 2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018 2019-2020

Happy Hogswatch

Here we are in the future

Spranne Against the World

Frozen Noses

Higher, Further, Faster, More

Game of the Year

Tunic of the Luminary

Olga Gristlegums Never Lies

Flintheart Glomgold

Hey Adora

Sal Walkerton

Full Grown

[spicybeaurito]

Feel free to send me some writing prompts for fanfiction! I’m looking to get back in the swing of things, and, as always, am accepting prompts. Just drop it in my inbox and I’ll set to work on it!

[antiquery]

flintlocks and fireballs is singlehandedly getting me through finals

[teampoduk]

We’re hosting a ‘How to Make an Actual Play Podcast’ panel at PodUK 2020!  

More information at www.podcastconvention.uk