#monstrous arcanum

[whitefriartuck]

Fuck yeah found my Warhammer Forge books. Still upset Battle of Black Fire Pass never happened. In hindsight this should have been a warning sign that WFB was not Going Well.

[essektheylyss]

We can presume, based on the fact that this is a story, that what the Hells are seeing in Aeor's surveillance footage is largely complete and true, at least to the extent of whatever particular story the audience is about to be told. In universe, they're viewing something externally recorded, not reading or hearing someone's account, and while it is unclear if it has been edited by either the Aeorians or Ludinus's tampering, we can take this complete arc largely at face value.

With that being said, I do actually think the conservation of this area of Aeor is worth noting and considering for what it suggests in the context of Exandria, in that this is essentially the control center for the entire floating city. It would probably have significant structural support, even more than the rest of the Genesis Ward. Even the fact that Dominox was only allowed some leeway to cause issues after the Solstice suggests that the engine room was very well-built to take a hit. This is the nucleus of the city, likely something of a black box as well, and the mechanisms by which it stayed flying. It stands to reason that if nothing else, this would remain intact.

Also, a lot of the reason that Aeor is as well-preserved as it is is that it crashed in the Arctic. Zemniaz, which came down in the fields named for it, has basically been overtaken by the civilization that succeeded it, and we can imagine that it was both picked clean by survivors and travelers and that its ruins were subject to significant environmental decay.

Though even in reality, discoveries of conserved archeological finds in the Arctic are significantly better preserved than most, some of Aeor's preservation of course goes beyond what would be expected for ruins of its ilk, which we can attribute to magic and, as mentioned earlier, suspension of disbelief.* But Aeor's overall preservation, state of structural collapse, and position as an in-universe source of significant technological rediscovery makes it very interesting as an exploration of digital preservation in a technologically-advanced society, and what might be dug up long after such a society is gone.**

In our society, where this kind of question is still very much open, there's plenty of discussion around digital decay, which we have of course seen. But our digital technology is so incredibly nascent in the grand scheme of things, and we simply do not yet have the timescale to say for sure what might remain a thousand years on; most of it will be gone, yes, but we have found remarkably well-preserved relics of many different kinds.*** So it's entirely possible that some of our digital footprint will remain.

This campaign overall has been a long discussion about what stories are told about history, and how are they preserved, and I think that there is a lot to be said about Aeor being the best-preserved record of the Age of Arcanum. We know that it was, even in the eyes of its peers and probably a good portion of its own populace, a monstrous example of the abuse of both magical and institutional power in that era. We know that it drew such divine ire that its downfall was the product of a brief truce in the most destructive war in living memory. We know that the discoveries that come out of it speak of blatant ethical and moral violations against other cultures, mortals, and nature itself.

These are things that have been conveyed in historical record, through the memories and histories of both FCG and FRIDA, and in the discussions within Avalir, one of Aeor's most powerful contemporaries and seemingly one of few other cities of the age that came close to the same level of advancement, which Aeor only seems to have surpassed via the aforementioned lack of ethical and moral qualms. What discoveries are made in Aeor already paint an incredibly skewed picture of the era, one that seems as though it would more likely inspire more apprehension about mages, arcane technology, and by extension, the cause that Ludinus wants to convey. The fact that Aeor placed significant intrinsic value upon the conservation of the product of extensive and long-running mass surveillance, to the point that it remains intact for us and the Hells to see now, only feeds further into the idea that, even when a discovery is seemingly complete****, we cannot ever know how representative the stories of the past actually were.

(Footnotes under the cut)

* Plenty has been written about time scales in fantasy, but in general this tends to be true of any dungeon crawling. In fact, it's probably a lot of the reason magic items are explicitly noted as being breakable only via other magic, and otherwise remain in good condition.

** I was going to have a fun quote to pull from the last chapter of Underland: A Deep Time Journey by Robert Macfarlane which is relevant to this discussion but unfortunately my mother has yet to give my copy back and it is on hold at the library so I am giving you all a summer reading assignment. Please go read this book right now. It is my number one nonfiction book of all time.

*** The oldest known intact shipwreck, aged somewhere over three millennia, was actually found recently.

**** For instance, based solely on fossilized bone, even a complete skeleton, it would never have become clear that dinosaurs had feathers!

[schneiderenjoyer]

Now that global's getting some more good world lore with the recent two events, I can finally just talk about how much it fascinates me that arcanists, by nature of their genetics, actually are just a different species of their own.

Like, the clear discrimination aside, the fact they definitely stand out among humans truly emphasizes the battle they face to be recognized as equals to humans if you view their race as not a sub-category of human, but as a different species entirely. How like fantasies depict humanoid creatures such as elves and dwarves, but they're never classified as human. That's what arcanists are starting to feel like.

This idea is also supported by the many hints and factoids scattered around the in-game UI. How the Celluloid Activity (the game's energy system) is a form of genetic DNA seen only in arcanists that help them control arcanum. Or how the concept of Gnosis or Deep Thought is their way of focusing their energy and help process the world and the arcanum around them. Blonney's struggle narratively in the event shows just how much arcanists think very differently compared to humans that it's seen as "odd" and "not normal" (also love the neuro divergent subtext of that for arcanists honestly).

But the real kicker of how it makes me confirm that it's not just a human discrimination of a race, but straight up xenophobia for an entire species is the conversations we get from the entire Nightmare in Green Lake, where the majority of the cast is purely arcanists interacting with other arcanists.

From the conversation in car of casually talking about Tooth Fairy eating fairies to the point she got cursed to have her teeth stolen like it's a conversation about the weather, to them just glossing over the erratic behavior of Changeling keeping campers hostage and later just getting rid (or throwing them out of the campsite) once she's bored of them. These are seen as normal behavior to arcanists.

Like, forget the members of the foundation probably seeing worse, I'm surprised Blonney didn't react more to the realization, it's honestly hilarious. But that just shows the clear divide of what makes arcanists different from humans. Which also explains why a lot of the arcanists talk so cryptic and artistic, sometimes not making sense unlike the human characters who talk straightforward and direct.

Because to us, as humans, we understand that language better and viewing arcanists' language is hard to decipher since they're a different species with a different culture and way of thinking.

This opens up larger avenues of viewing the struggles of arcanists in a human dominated world and the dark implication of the Foundation potentially experimenting on arcanists not to find the cell to withstand the Storm, but to transplant the ability to use arcanum onto humans through genetic alteration. Which can be backed up with the masks the Manus gives to humans to withstand the Storm, but in exchange turns them into monstrous beings because they can't handle the forced application of Celluloid Activity on their body.

[coolyo294]

I really haven't gotten anything done in October, so I just picked up one of the projects sitting on my desk at 95% completion and finished it. This is forgeworld's old basilisk, sculpted by Edgar Skomorowski as part of the Monstrous Arcanum range.

[bardly-working]

 just a little Ludinus Da’Leth meta (c3ep44 spoilers)

Say you’re an elf living in Wildemount.

It is well after Calamity, an event which lasted several centuries, devastating the entire world, permanently altering the landscape of entire continents.  You grow up hearing stories of how your god Corellon the Archeart abandoned your people, leaving the greatest elven civilization in Wildemount to ruin.  The elves of Northern Wildemount were only saved by the brilliance and benevolence of the archmages who managed to transport the elves to the Feywild.  And even so, despite this gift of the arcane, they returned to a broken land.

Some say the Archeart didn’t mean to turn his back on the elves; that he was deafened by the screams of his enemy and could not hear their cries.  But it matters little.

After the Calamity, the northern elves were forced to rebuild. And so they did: Molaesmyr, the most beautiful city in the world, designed to emulate nature’s best qualities but bend them to the will of mortals.  Buildings taller than the highest trees, an incredible metropolis nestled and the seat of power of the new Elven kingdom.  Molaesmyr is home to the greatest scholars seen since the Age of Arcanum.  It is still a fairly new city when you are born, but already its beauty and potential is self-evident.  And you will see it grow only greater.  You will see to it that your people reclaim their place in the world, that they rebuild their glorious civilization.  This city can be a shining beacon for all the world to see, a symbol of man’s triumph over adversity, of the power of intellect and creativity and the Elven spirit.  It is your home, and you love it more than anything.

Catastrophe strikes again.  Different, this time.  You are a man grown, but still on the younger side, and are not privy to the higher ups who might know how this disease started, whether it was something researchers brought back from the north or some natural plague spawned from the forest, or something even worse.  And no one knows why it interacts with the veil between planes as it does, how it draws such wild fey beasts here and twists the people, your people, into monstrosities.  Shadow creatures, chitines, banshees, and wraiths.  Once again, the elves — those who survive — flee.  Many of them cry out to the Archeart, still in vain.  This time the story is that he cannot interfere because of the Divine Gate.  He is too far removed, a consequence of protecting your people from the Betrayer Gods.

But your people weren’t protected!  They suffered and died by the thousands!  Your civilization is gone!

You live in the Empire now.  A largely human world, but no matter: they are short lived, you can shape the kingdom over time in a way their small minds fail to even notice.  You don’t bother with the mockery of an Elven capital they have scraped together: Bysas Tyl will only fall again, as seems the destiny of your civilization unless you find a way to prevent it.  So that’s what you do.  You study, and work, and learn.  You learn everything there is, and then you keep learning.  History and all its forbidden knowledge is laid bare before you.  The intricacies of the planes.  The warp and weft of the weave from which you draw your magic.  You hear whispers of the secrets of the moon, of gods devoured before the Founding.  Of a god eater.  But this means little.  This is yet another fairy tale of beings locked away, whether incapable or unwilling to act.

Then you hear tell of a foul empire rising to the east, a corrupt and treacherous people: the Drow, followers of the Betrayer Gods.  Slavers and monsters, all.  Those who fought for Lolth, the Spider Queen against your own people, even against the Archeart during the Calamity.  Their very name speaks of shadow and hate.

Yet their empire didn’t fall.  Eight hundred years, and their godless empire shines brighter than ever.

But what have these gods ever done for you?  Rewarded the faithless and monstrous, while punishing those who were faithful?  Decimated the land in their petty squabbles between each other?  How can a god call himself all-powerful if a gate bars him from doing his duty to protect his people?  And if he can, but chooses not to?   What does that make him?  All ethics and philosophy would deem such an entity an evil and oppressive force, exerting their will and dominance over the world, demanding worship as their right while destroying lives at their whim.

And if you view yourself as good, or at least working for the greater good, then... aren’t you compelled to fight against them?

Expeditions come back from the north again, echoing discoveries of long ago, from your first home.  They are led by your colleagues and subordinates this time, granting you access to all the knowledge they have gleaned.  And among their discoveries you hear of something called the Factorum Malleus.  The Creator Hammer.  The key you never realized you’d been waiting for.

Ludinus Da’Leth leads his Ruby Vanguard ever closer, each day, to the dawning of a new world.  A world made and molded only by mortal hands.

A world without Calamity.

[making-arcanum-the-ttrpg]

Arcanum's World's Majora

This is the beginning of a series of posts about the Worlds Majora, where the primary races of Arcanum originated. Generally larger than most Worlds Minora, and with a lot more history to them, these are the main places for adventures to begin.

Fulma and Dalrune: The Twin Worlds

Unlike later posts, this one will feature 2 worlds in one, as the world itself is 2 in one. One encasing the other, both the origin of iconic and important fantasy races

Fulma

Fulma is the sand covered outer shell of the Twin Worlds Majora Fulma and Dalrune. Hot, sandy, and difficult to survive in, Fulma is an arid place where little can be found between fonts of civilization. While from a birds eye view Fulma appears as a featureless planet of sand, on the ground all manner of unique environments can be found, whether they be the Sandstone Pillars of the west, the Blazing Brushes of the south, the Glass Spires so prized by the elves, the various cavernous holes that lead down to Dalrune, or the enormous World Cactus at the north pole (a still hot place).

Elves

The incredibly long lived native inhabitants of Fulma, Elves are a learned and odd people. Known for their vast libraries and impressive glass and crystal work, all of which are gathered or made with years upon years of work, study, and dedication, a thing an elf can do due to living for around 1000 years. Additionally, elves also have a unique biology, as they reproduce through spore like seeds, and as such never developed sexual dimorphism, meaning most elves align with more feminine characteristics (by human standards) by birth, but do sometimes transition through various means to a more masculine form.

Scoria

The more solitary inhabitants of Fulma, Scoria are a scorpion like people. Known for their more monstrous appearance and solitary nature (only being found in the company of another for extended periods of time when in cases of injury or mating season), Scoria are an intelligent (relatively) and reasonable (relatively) people, who act as a guardian of Fulma´s ecosystem and its travelers, as the amount of stories of a dying traveler being saved by a passing by Scoria are numerous. Additionally, do not confuse a Scoria’s more solitary nature for general anti-socialness or dislike of people, as in more recent times Scoria have been known to settle down in population centers or travel with others in caravans.

Dalrune

Dalrune is the frigid inner planet of the Twin Worlds Majora Fulma and Dalrune. Cold, windy, mountainous, and almost always covered in snow, Dalrune is a frigid place where-similar to Fulma-little is found between fonts of civilization. While from a birds eye view Dalrune appears as a featureless planet of snow and ice, on the ground all manner of unique environments can be found, whether they be lifesaving hot springs, the Frozen LunarIce Lakes, or the Abandoned Mountains where the Dwarves originally lived, or the new magnificent peaks where the Dwarves now call the capital of their civilization.

Dwarves

The stout and hardy inhabitants of Dalrune, Dwarves are a stalwart and creative people. Known for their impressive metal works, dedicated craftsmen, and quality booze, due to their culture, which prides hard work, dedication, and methodical work. Additionally, dwarves have a unique biology, as early on in their people's history they evolved the ability to change their gender (like a fish), causing them to develop a culture which treats gender more like a fancy hat.

Jelio

The odd and solitary inhabitants of Dalrune, Jelio are a jellyfish like people. Known for their less humanoid appearance and tendency towards a more isolationist life, only really interacting with other Jelio, they are an intelligent (relatively) and reasonable (relatively) people, who just often prefer to keep to themselves. 

[abyssm0]

I know it’s mostly because the model was made around the same time they were planning to axe fantasy and kept it around to prevent pissing off the people who bought the Monstrous Arcanum line, not to mention they haven’t really been mentioned since that one Audio Drama but I absolutely love how Mournguls still exist even within the Mortal Realms.

Despite the Winds of Magic being transformed into several realms and kind of dividing apart from each other their very essence still somehow coalesces to create these things as if they’re some kind of unavoidable cost to magic persisting.

Like some kind of laws of magic dictate that where there is the eight lores there will be Mournguls created from the souls of cannibals.

The last Mourngul will cease to exist once the Mortal Realms and, in a sense, all of reality falls like some kind of fucked up magical zombie ghost cannibal tardigrade thing.

I love them so fucking much and hope they get more of the spotlight that they deserve.

[bladedges]

when the star, turning to blade

Credit: Guai3mu on X

In the days of his youth, Yingxing's world crumbled, consumed by the ruthless borisin, who turned it into a breeding ground for their deadly weapons. Yet, somehow, he managed to escape, finding sanctuary aboard a merchant vessel bound for the mystical realm of Xianzhou.

It was there, amidst the ethereal realm of the Xianzhou, that Yingxing's destiny took a turn. A fateful encounter with the revered Master Huaiyan of the Xianzhou Zhuming's Artisanship Commission changed his life forever. The master recognized something extraordinary in the young boy and took him under his wing as an apprentice.

Determined to avenge his lost homeland and family, Yingxing devoted himself to crafting weapons for the valiant Cloud Knights. His skills were nothing short of extraordinary, earning him praise and accolades at a tender age. His creations were works of art, the embodiment of his burning desire for justice.

But fate had more in store for Yingxing. His path crossed with that of Baiheng, a courageous soul on a mission to seek aid for the Yaoqing's Crane Feather Orbit Fleet, locked in a fierce battle against the relentless borisin. Tasked with escorting Baiheng and her delegation, Yingxing found himself drawn to her spirit and warmth.

Baiheng, affectionately referring to him as "Little Yingxing," coaxed the shy craftsman into sharing his painful past. At Flamedisk Forge Palace, Master Huaiyan generously allocated a formidable arsenal of fighter jets, thunder crossbows, and devastator glaives to reinforce Helm-Master Qingying's plea. Yet, only a handful of personnel were granted.

As time passed, Yingxing forged countless weapons, each one a testament to his unwavering determination. Four of his creations gained renown, wielded by the esteemed High-Cloud Quintet. Though he didn't stand on the battlefield, his presence was felt, and he collaborated closely with military engineers.

Yingxing's bond with the other members of the Quintet ran deep, and they shared moments of camaraderie through drinks and sparring. Dan Feng, the High Elder, extended a favor, allowing Yingxing access to the sacred Dragon Palace at Scalegorge Waterscape.

In the year 7379 of the Star Calendar, a momentous event unfolded, known as the "Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae." Dan Feng, with Yingxing's involvement, tapped into the power of the Abundance and invoked the Transmutation Arcanum. This act shattered the greatest of ten unpardonable sins within Xianzhou.

The cataclysmic event followed a devastating war against Shuhu, an Emanator of Yaoshi, where Baiheng tragically lost her life. Their interference with the Ambrosial Arbor gave birth to a monstrous entity, while Yingxing, in a twist of fate, became immortal but plagued by mara. This bitter transformation fueled Yingxing's animosity towards Dan Feng and his reincarnation, Dan Heng.

In the aftermath of the Sedition, Yingxing was exiled from Xianzhou, losing the bulk of his memories. During this tumultuous period, he crossed paths with Jingliu, a mentor who taught him the art of swordplay but also subjected him to torment, repeatedly "killing" him.

Driven by a vengeful determination, Yingxing relentlessly pursued Dan Heng across the expanse of multiple IPC spaceships. In due course, he encountered Elio, who recognized the potential in Yingxing's immortality. Elio offered him a pact, convincing him to join the enigmatic Stellaron Hunters in exchange for a promise—a final end to his existence and all that he despised.

Thus, Blade was born.

Etymology: Blade's Chinese name, 刃 Rèn, means "blade's edge."

[wizard-spider-man]

Expedition Successful, Mithra's Ritual Begins...

#In Cania, a band of volunteers embarked on a daring mission to rescue our friendly neighborhood Wizard Spider-Man.

#This team, a motley crew, included Helnara, Inferno, the Agent, Kavrala, Sarissa the Witch, and a host of other unsung heroes.

#Each member, a titan in their own right, proved their gumption in this perilous endeavor.

#In the heart of the mighty Citadel, the Wizard had ignited a beacon, a glimmer of hope in the icy expanse. With the aid (and permission) of Verglas, Cania's Archduke, this beacon guided our intrepid team through the fortress, leading them to the core; the throne room.

**But, true believers, the journey was far from over.**

The Grimdark Blizzard, a curse of chilling proportions, was evolving into a monstrous entity. This blight, a swirling tempest of necrotic ice and bloody despair, threatened to consume the material plane as we know it!

Yet, in the face of such adversity, our heroes did not falter.

They had secured the cooperation of Verglas, and now, it was up to him and Spider-Man to conjure their blessing that hopefully, was potent enough to reverse the curse of the Ice King.

It was not long did they linger, before promptly returning home.

And so, the unlikely duo, Verglas and Spidey, set up shop on the rooftop of the Wizard's Institute for Secure Housing Governance Hub, where the components for the ritual had been safely gathered.

The fate of the city, no, the *world* hung in the balance.

Underneath the awning of the hastily prepped worksite, they would prepare to cast the ritual. Spider-Man worked with quick pace, a magical amount of hands manipulating the materials around him.

Verglas, his hands encased in frost, clutches the Enchidrion Arcanum (a powerful and ancient grimoire), light magics bleeding forth from his aura.

The components for their divine blessing, each steeped in symbolism and spiritual power, have been collected from the finest hearts in Asfelaeia.

Love, Truth, and Humilty, were the essences required to pull this off.

- They rest within a box, its previous life as an empty donation bin a stark contrast to its current purpose. (Humility)

- A lock of hair, the echo of a brother's vow, unforgotten by the passage of time. (Love)

- The stuffing of a plush rabbit, painstakingly restored, a testament to innocence reborn from the ashes. (Love)

- An age-old compass, its needle dancing between dimensions unseen and paths untrodden. (Truth)

- A medley of spices and flowers, scents intertwining in a blissful scent of earth and life. (Humility)

The Wizard Spider-Man, add these ingredients to the cauldron, and stirs the concoction.

His voice, a steady undercurrent in the silence, reverberates through the roof as he speaks the incantation:

"Rolling boil, truth from toil, hellfire burn thine cauldron bubbles..."

The mixture reacts, sparking and hissing, a greenish brew that reeks of onions.

Yet, as the incantation weaves its magic, the stew begins to radiate a warm, inviting orange.

The snowfall and rain fizzle away at the very touch of the brew.

Verglas steps forward, his soulstone from Cania pulsing in sync with his heartbeat...He channels the raw, untamed power of the 8th Hell through the grimoire, enhancing its already immense restorative powers.

Their voices rise and fall in a haunting melody, the incantations echoing in unison.

"Rolling Boil, Reek of Oil, Seek the Tome of Which Darkness Toils..."

The cauldron levitates, suspended in the air, as the mana from the grimoire mingles with the orange essence, a beacon of light in the encroaching darkness.

[phobos-vii]

Elixirs and Arcanum

Arcanum is the art of wonder, and Elixir is its blood and soul. The city is a place of marvel and magic, of dazzle and spectacle, of great feats of skill. But magic always has a cost. Every flying toy, every flaming sword, every flash of lightning, every conjuration of steel, every monstrous chimera, every loyal golem… all need the precious lifeblood that is the Elixir to function. This magic potion permits all the glory of arcanum, whether it is ingested by man or machine.

With training, anyone can learn to make use of the magic sequestered inside the liquid. Near any effect can be learned with proper direction: great bursts of flame, hardening to steel, levitation, teleportation, duplication, increasing one’s intelligence, charming allure, befuddling minds, skipping time, shattering space, delaying death, birthing wonders, erasing mistakes… all of these are possible with talent, dedication, and, above all else, Elixir.

The exact recipe for Elixir is a closely guarded secret in the city. The license to produce the substance is given sparingly: a state monopoly granted only to the most trusted of citizens. Permission to brew elixirs is seen as a privilege coveted by all Patricians, and hoarded by the Senate fiercely for the wealth it represents. The ravenous hunger for elixirs by the golem carvers, wonder crafters, chimera stitchers, and all who purchase these products ensure that the demand for Elixirs is eternal. Even the dregs of failed batches have their use in other industries. Farmers and aquaculturists have found ways to meet the needs of the hungry populace using Elixir in secret rites.

By far the most valuable are Elixirs produced in the Dominus’s own factories, with the best ingredients and the purest of recipes. These Elixirs supply the Watchers, the Gladiators, the Venatio, the Charioteers. Order and wonder both are produced in the Dominus’s factories, and sold for the good of the city in perfect vials of glass. In a dark mirror of this glory, the criminal elements of the city have found their own alternatives. These misshapen recipes of miserable quality, aping at the glory of the city, still possess the barest spark of arcanum. And that smallest spark is enough for the criminal element to slaughter one another to possess.

Through this means, a guttersnipe brute might manage some mockery of magic. But possessing vials of elixir without license is as serious a crime, which the Watchers will ruthlessly crush just as they would any other weapon. The average, law-abiding plebeian will never acquire a single vial of the substance, unless they are employed as an artificer in some workshop, to be used in their employment. For the wealthy, Elixir vials are an expensive novelty, to power their toys or to play with their arcanum, if the interest takes them. For the greatest of Citizens, Elixir is the lifeblood of their estates, fueling their golems and their industry. For all the rest, it is what allows the marvels of their entertainment to function from afar.

There are some that claim they are capable of magic without use of Elixir. These are known to be charlatans, trying to make a fool of others for their amusement or their profit. Only uneducated plebes would fall for such obvious scams.

[starry-skies-116]

AU HEADCANONS

(Update: Changed Ronin’s name to Robin cuz I can):

Creations are immortal, bionic artificial lifeforms created from the soul and body of a dead biological organism and their various spiritual and physical aspects via many methods such as body reconstruction surgery, blood rearrangement, remnant infusion, etc. Creations can take on a variety of different forms and have a variety of physical features, from perfectly resembling humans (save for a few barely noticeable distinguishing features) to monstrous, hulking beasts akin to the ones extolled in legends, to miniscule faerie-like creatures created from small dead animals.

All Creations have a Tesseract Core, a circular stone that is a source of seemingly infinite and supernatural power, functioning as their heart and the primary source of their power, memories, and basically their life. For Gregory and Robin, it is stored inside a sac that serves as their heart, granting them a heartbeat and a pulse. The Tesseract Core is powered primarily by remnant, however, Creations that have artificially constructed blood with a similarly constructed bionic respiratory system can also power the core this way.

Gregory and Robin are two creations in particular whose physical blood that flows through their bloodstream/respiratory system are extracted from their original bodies as well as the blood animals alongside said animal’s remnant: For Gregory, his blood was purposed from both his/Evan’s blood as well as the remnant and hemolymph of butterflies, whereas for Robin, her blood was also used, yet both blood and remnant was extracted from reptilian animals and used in her creation (lizards). This causes some after-effects of the experiment, such as Gregory’s blood being blue and Robin’s blood being green (as well as Robin’s camera/robotic eyes having their pupils shift into slits when in monitoring mode, plus Gregory’s eyes doing something similar with his pupils flashing red like cameras but that’s a topic to discuss for a later time lol).

Creations have occasional and barely noticeable non-human behaviors, such as tics and rare twitches. They also do not share a few human habits despite requiring sustenance and rest as humans do- for example, they do not need to excrete. They also possess strange habits, such as a need for sunbathing and even ice bathing as a form of temperature control for their bodies, as well as slumbering for more than a few days to recover their strength, then going many nights without sleep at all (hibernationnnn~).

Creations have more constitution and durability than regular humans as per the nature of their structure. Durability levels, as well as the levels of other abilities and aspects vary depending on their physiology, as well as how they are built, but ALL Creations have superior durability, as well as a somewhat potent level of intelligence.

All humanoid Creations born/built from the soul and body of human beings have slightly sharper canine teeth than everyone, however, prominence and noticeability levels of how sharp said canines are depend on how they are built.

All humanoid Creations are built from remnant/the spiritual lifeblood of the soul, and therefore possess prominent coalescions of power and soul incarnate called Arcanum Crests. Humans possess very powerful and major ones as well, yet as they do not exist in corporeal form (e.g. passed down via the blood), they are generally very suppressed and their existence is not acknowledged at all until later eras, the exception being the dawn of human civilization up until medieval times.

Creations due to their physiology, Arcanum Crests and unique hearts/cores can ping to each other as non-human. Humans, however cannot recognize Creations instantaneously in this manner.

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms #147: Gorgon

Today on Fate and Phantasms we’re making the one goddess of the three goddess alliance who actually had some skin in the game, Gorgon! This misbegotten monstrosity of a Medusa is made of a Undead Warlock for some scary surprises and the ability to make all her enemies into statues as well as a Rune Knight Fighter for a bit of help winning at basketball.

Check out her build breakdown below the cut, or her character sheet over here!

Next up: Purrsonally I purrfurred Tamamo Cat, but ny’all can pick whichefur you want!

Race and Background

Sadly there aren’t any large player races, but we can still go Yuan Ti for all the goodies you get from there! As a snerson (snake person), you come equipped with Darkvision, Innate Spellcasting for Poison Spray and Animal Friendship (to snakes) at will. Starting at third level, you’ll also be able to use Suggestion once per long rest. All these spells use Charisma to cast. Finally, you get a defensive buff thanks to Magic Resistance and Poison Immunity. The former gives you advantage on saves against magic, while the latter makes you immune to poison damage and the poisoned condition.

Since you’re the only goddess in the alliance that believes in the destruction of humanity, we’ll call you the Goddess Alliance Cultist, but we’re messing with the background a bit, so instead you’ll get proficiency with Athletics and Religion.

Ability Scores

If you want monstrous Strength, you better be ready to invest a lot in it. As a walking apocalypse, you’re pretty scary-that’s Charisma. You can’t be a video game boss without plenty of Constitution either, so make that #3. Your strongest weapons are based on your eyesight, so make Wisdom next. Surprisingly enough Guda didn’t try to defeat the giant rampaging monster with a math quiz, so we’ll just have to assume your Intelligence is average. That means we’re dumping Dexterity. You are literally a giant target, it’s not that surprising. 

Class Levels

1. Fighter 1: Fighters start off with a better hit die, plus you get proficiency with Strength and Constitution saves as well as Intimidation and Survival checks. Your Unarmed Fighting Style lets you punch people for 1d6 damage, or 1d8 if both your hands are empty. You’re not big on “weapons”, so that’s fine by you. You also get a Second Wind, letting you regrow some snake heads as a bonus action. I might be getting my myths mixed up.

2. Warlock 1: Quite a bit of your power is coming on loan from Tiamat, and she literally can’t die, making you an Undead warlock. This gives you Pact Magic, spells you cast with Charisma that recharge on short rests. You also gain a Form of Dread, transforming a little bit into Tiamat for 1 minute. While transformed, you gain temporary HP, can force a wisdom save (DC 8+proficiency+charisma mod) to frighten a creature you attack once per turn, and you become immune to being frightened yourself. You can transform proficiency times per long rest.

Going back to spells, you get a lot of them thanks to your background. For cantrips, you get Fire Bolt and Vicious Mockery, and for first level spells you get Burning Hands, Dissonant Whispers, and Hellish Rebuke. There’s a lot of fire in there, but we can reflavor it in a couple of levels, don’t worry. 

As far as spells we can choose, you get Blade Ward to make up for the 9 AC you’re rocking by gaining resistance on most physical attacks, Eldritch Blast to shoot snake hair at your foes, Armor of Agathys to make attacking you a losing proposition thanks to your temporary HP and counterattack, and Arms of Hadar for more snakes, turning the area within 10′ of you into a snake pit.

3. Warlock 2: Second level warlocks get Eldritch Invocations, letting you customize your eternal servitude how you see fit. We’re swapping one next level, but use the other to get Armor of Shadows, boosting your 9 AC to an amazing 12 AC! Wow!

You also learn the spell Hex, cursing someone to deal 1d6 extra necrotic damage and giving disadvantage on one kind of ability check.

4. Fighter 2: Second level fighters get an Action Surge, letting you slap an extra action onto your turn once per short rest. Raid bosses can cheat the action economy a bit, everyone knows that.

5. Warlock 3: Gorgon did give us a bit of trouble when it came to their pact boon- she doesn’t use weapons, doesn’t rely on familiars, and she’s definitely not a bookwyrm. By process of elimination, you’ve earned the Pact of the Talisman, giving you a trinket that can add 1d4 to a failed ability check proficiency times per long rest.

That alone isn’t particularly scary, but the invocation Rebuke of the Talisman lets you deal a bit of psychic damage and push an attacking creature away from you as a reaction.

You also get the prerequisite flood of second level spells- from your background, you get Crown of Madness, Enthrall, and Flaming Sphere. Honestly I think Enthrall works for you- it’s not like there’s something out there that’s more distracting than you, right?

You also learn Hold Person for baby’s first petrification.

6. Warlock 4: If your AC’s really going to be that bad, we should at least use this Ability Score Improvement to bump up your Constitution for better HP. You also learn Infestation to summon your first Demonic Beasts (they’re just small) and Earthbind to stone up flying creatures enough to force them to land.

7. Warlock 5: Fifth level warlocks get another invocation and third level spells! From your background you get Fear and Haste, both of which are actually in character for you! You also learn to Summon Lesser Demons for some small-fry demonic beasts. Just remember you don’t actually count as a demon yourself in D&D, so they will happily kill you as soon as anyone else.

You also get the invocation Cloak of Flies, giving you a poisonous 5′ aura that you can invoke as a bonus action once per short rest. The aura gives you advantage on intimidation checks, but disadvantage on all other checks, and deals damage to anything within it equal to your charisma modifier. Just be glad Guda didn’t summon your other sisters.

8. Warlock 6: Sixth level undeadlocks are Grave Touched, meaning you no longer need to eat, drink or breathe- the full servant experience! You can also replace the damage of any attack with necrotic damage, and while your Form of Dread is up, you add an extra die of damage to the attack as well!

You also learn how to make a Spirit Shroud, dealing extra necrotic, cold, or radiant damage on all attacks you make within 10′ of yourself. You also slow down creatures that start their turn in the shroud.

9. Fighter 3: As a Rune Knight, you become a Rune Carver, letting you stick runes on weapons, armor, jewelry, or other small objects for small bonuses-you can also invoke them once per short rest for bigger bonuses. 

The Fire rune doubles your tool proficiencies, and you can also invoke the rune add extra fire (or necrotic) damage to the attack. If it fails a strength save (dc 8+proficiency+intelligence modifier) it becomes restrained, and takes extra fire damage each turn.

The Stone rune gives advantage on insight checks, and gives you extended darkvision. You can also use your reaction to charm creatures who end their turn near you, leaving them incapacitated if they fail a wisdom save.

More importantly, you also get Giant Might, using a bonus action to grow to Large size for a minute. While transformed, you have advantage on strength checks and save, and deal an extra d6 damage per weapon attack. You can transform proficiency times per long rest.

10. Warlock 7: Seventh level warlocks get fourth level spells. From your background: Confusion and Wall of Fire. Neither are great for us, but you also get Shadow of Moil, making attacking you an even worse idea thanks to a necrotic counterattack.

You also get the invocation Protection of the Talisman, letting you add a d4 to a failed save proficiency times per long rest.

11. Warlock 8: Use this ASI to bump up your Charisma for better spells, and to make it easier to control your new spell, Summon Greater Demon. For up to an hour, you can summon a demon of CR 5 or lower. If it continually fails a charisma save each turn, it will obey you. Otherwise it’ll run wild. Honestly? Both work for you.

12. Warlock 9: Fifth level spell time! You know what? Since we’re not making a Tiamat build, we might as well have some fun with the primordial sea while we still can. Dominate Person, Danse Macabre, and Minions of Chaos will help you raise a Ushiwakamaru Alter army in whatever flavor you prefer- living, undead, or elemental!

13. Warlock 10: Our last undead goody makes you a Mortal Husk, giving you resistance to necrotic damage (or immunity while using Form of Dread). On top of that, once per 1d4 long rests you can blow up your body when you hit 0 HP, dealing necrotic damage in the area and reviving yourself with 1 HP. It’s one hell of a guts skill, but it does give you some exhaustion.

We also continue our Ushiwakamarufication tour with Negative Energy Flood, a spell that deals tons of necrotic damage and turns a target into a zombie if it kills them. It can even heal your existing zombiwakamarus! 

14. Warlock 11: Your Mystic Arcanum gives you the option to cast Flesh to Stone once per long rest. If a targeted creature fails a constitution save three times, they become stone. If they succeed three times, they escape. If you keep concentration on the spell for the full minute while they’re petrified, it lasts until dispelled. 

15. Warlock 12: Our last warlock level is another ASI, which we’re putting into Constitution for better concentration checks and more HP. You also get the invocation Sculptor of Flesh, letting you cast Polymorph once per long rest. Have you ever wanted to actually be a giant snake? Now you can! (You can also do, like, a T. Rex, if you wanna powergame.)

16. Fighter 4: Another ASI already? Bump up your Strength for better punching. That’ll be relevant soon.

17. Fighter 5: It’s soon! This level gives you an Extra Attack each attack action, for two punches per action, or four in a turn with Action Surge.

18. Fighter 6: Use this ASI to bump up your Constitution for even more HP.

19. Fighter 7: Seventh level rune knights can use their Runic Shield to force a creature to re-roll their attack when they hit an ally. You can do this proficiency times per long rest. You also get the Hill rune, which has absolutely useless passives, but you can invoke it as a bonus action to get resistance to physical attacks for a minute.

20. Fighter 8: You thought we were gonna max out our constitution this level, right? WRONG! Grab that Tough feat for an extra 40 HP!

Pros:

Thanks to your Spirit Shroud being forcibly maxed out, you have terrifying short range damage options. With an action surge, your Form of Dread, and two eldritch blasts, you can deal 16d10+24d8 Necrotic damage in a single turn, and that’s not even including any critical hits! That gives you an average damage just shy of 200, and a possible maximum of 352. Plus rolling that many dice is probably really satisfying.

Adding to that, you have plenty of other reasons for enemies to avoid melee range- your counterattack game is wild. Armor of Agathys, Hellish Rebuke, Shadow of Moil, Cloak of Flies... getting too close to you really is dangerous.

For a mostly spellcaster build, you are incredibly thick. With over 200 hp and a couple different ways to give yourself protection from most attacks, it will take a lot of hits to topple this kaiju.

Cons: 

Speaking of a lot of hits, you’ll be taking those! Your AC is only 12, 14 at best if you’re hasted. Of course this problem could be solved with some heavy armor, but I doubt they make it in your size.

You also have a heavy focus on Necrotic damage, meaning that your options will become much more limited against undead, Aasimar, and demons.

Speaking of, you summon Demons. That’s kind of a deal breaker for a lot of adventuring parties. It’s not even like you could keep a low profile for plausible deniability, people are going to notice the big snake lady hanging around the demon attacks.

[jonthethinker]

Does the Cerberus Assembly need to be reformed, or destroyed? And can it really be either?

Let’s start with an opinion we can all agree on; Trent Ikithon sucks. He’s clearly a very bad person, and our collective hatred of him is one of the rare things this fandom seems to actually agree on. What he’s done to his “disciples” is horrifying, and his general ideology is monstrous and abhorrent, although not surprising considering the role he plays in the Empire. We can, on this, agree that the world would be a better place if he was removed from power, correct?

Now this is where I start explaining my probably very divisive opinion.

A lot of people would say that all it takes to make the Cerberus Assembly better would be to replace the members like Ikithon with Good People. Maybe Caleb Widogast, for instance. If you simply put someone with a stronger moral character into that position, then its output in turn will also be Good.

This, whether knowingly or not, implies that institutions, even those like the Cerberus Assembly, are by their nature at the very least morally neutral. That all it takes to make an institution like the Assembly be Good is have Good People run it. You do that, and with time, all is well.

But what if institutions did have a moral character? what if the responsibilities and powers given to a body like the Assembly and its requisite components are not Good or even neutral, but instead very, very bad? And what if the incentives the people deciding who stands on the Assembly, namely the members of the Assembly themselves, are actually antithetical to any ideas of a substantially reformed Assembly in the first place?

Let’s think for a minute about Trent and his job. We are all horrified by his methods of creating his Volstruckers. But as much as it bothers me, what bothers me more, personally, is what they are for. While we tend to view them as arcane assassins, what they really are is a wholly unaccountable means of performing all of the Assembly’s, and by extension the Empire’s, dirty deeds not meant for public notice. And seeing as they fall under the sole purview of the Archmage of Civil Influence, this is largely going to translate to “managing dissidence and discontent” in the polite language a body like the Assembly would use to describe its work.

What this means is that its job, and the job of Trent’s office as a whole, is to keep the wrong ideas from getting too popular and the people from getting too loud about the awfulness of their everyday lives, and inside a broader system like the Empire, this is usually going to be dealt with by means of coercion and outright violence. While it’s easy to feel sorry for the incredibly abused and tormented people under Trent’s power, like Caleb and Astrid and Eadwolf, I feel like I’m one of the few in the fandom who has really considered the true extent of terror being unleashed on so many whose faces we’ll never know.

Peasant farmers’ organizing for lower taxes on their grain sales. Laborers gathering to raise hell over the low wages they receive from mandatory state projects. Citizens concerned about the unchecked brutality of the Crown’s Guard. Religious worshipers worried the Empire is straying from the path set by their gods. The mentally ill and other people who simply don’t comfortably fit into the grand scheme of things. Races of folks seen as outsiders suspected of conflicting allegiances. How many people like this have vanished in the night, either to be imprisoned or tortured or killed, or I guess in many cases, all three? How much suffering has been caused, hidden away from any measure of accountability?

And this brings me to my next point; While Trent is truly awful, his title, and the role he plays, are also awful, and I think you don’t get into a position like that in the first place without being someone like Trent. I say this because we’ve gotten to meet a handful of people on the Assembly outside of Trent, and they’ve all generally had the same things to say about him; he gives them the creeps and they don’t like him personally, but he has his uses. I interpret this to mean he performs the responsibilities of his office well enough, and while his methods and general demeanor may be off-putting, it isn’t worth causing a fuss about so long as the work gets done. If they simply ignore what he’s doing, they get the benefits of a suppressed polity with very little of the personal hangups of what it requires to make that happen.

So let’s say, for some reason, Trent dies or is imprisoned and disgraced, and Caleb assumes his role. Caleb has experienced a remarkable amount of personal growth, although not without his own stumbles and set-backs like any victim of severe trauma such as he. He is, in my humble opinion, a Good Man. I know if given the power of this office, he’d be motivated to end the traumatizing of children, and killing of parents, and perhaps even the wholesale disbanding of the Scourgers itself. He’d maybe seek to alleviate the suffering of those his office is meant to contain instead of inflicting more pain upon them. And wouldn’t that be nice?

But when you’ve got this entrenched elite like the Empire does, those sorts of efforts are not going to go unnoticed, and in many cases, are going to cause one hell of a backlash among the powerful, who more often than not believe in their heart of hearts that those lowly commoners deserve their lot in life, and to spare the lash is to spoil the child, and soon you’ll have a bunch of peasants thinking they can go so far as to ask for actual power, actual control over the direction of their lives, and for any empire, but especially this one, how do you imagine that’s going to fly?

I’m reminded of an anecdote out of Brazilian politics. Former President Lula da Silva is one of the the most popular Brazilian political figures of all time, and managed to massively alleviate poverty in Brazil while also working with Brazil’s entrenched elite to make sure not to piss off the wealthiest of the wealthy. But the comfortably upper middle class, or “petite bourgeoisie” as Marx would call them, were disgusted that all these poor people were suddenly climbing the ladder. According to some folks, they complained “The airports are starting to look like bus stations,” because for the first time, working class people in Brazil could actually afford to fly. This discontent among the comfortable led to a chain events ending in the false arrest and imprisonment of Lula and the rise of their current terrifying president Jair Bolsonaro. I learned from this, and other tales like it, to never underestimate how angry some people will become when their special status ain’t so special anymore.

This is to say, that while Caleb is an undoubtedly brilliant man, without the potential intervention of DM magic, I don’t see someone with his lack of political savvy either holding power long or holding onto his convictions long enough to do anything meaningful, if someone like him is considered for the job in the first place. AND even if he does accomplish all those wonderful things through this office and survives until he’s old and gray, he will eventually die. And judging solely on the general quality of character among the wizards we’ve met thus far, I’m not so optimistic about his potential replacement.

This example does spill out my major beef with the whole “Good Person in power” idea of reform. Good People either can’t live up to their values and actually wield power, or the clock itself defeats them and everything they ever stood for. This is also my problem with governmental models overly dependent on norms, as all it takes is someone willing to just completely ignore them,and for the people in power around them to have no incentive to stop them, for things to completely go off the rails. This is why reforms generally don’t last unless they universally redistribute power itself, from the top to the bottom, and even this is going to come with its own backlashes, and it generally doesn’t happen from polite attempts at reform by well meaning leaders, at least not all on their own, but through the sheer force of mass movements or outright revolutions.

And its not just Trent’s office that has this problem. It’s every single seat on the Assembly. His is just a particularly egregious example. Vess DeRogna didn’t get her job by being polite, of that much I’m sure. She’s clever, devious, and patient, not to mention her skill set and interests directly line her up for the role as Archmage of Antiquity. I don’t really think her sole interest is making sure nobody gets hurt by all these artifacts lying around, and neither do I imagine the Empire itself has any intention of keeping her discoveries behind lock and key; they pretty clearly want them mass produced where they can and immediately wielded against their enemies, both foreign and domestic.

And I’ve hinted at this earlier, but if you think Trent is a unique monster in the halls of Dwendalian mages, I’m going to have to disagree. I’m certain there are more than a few wizards in service of the Assembly and the Empire, who if not already believing similarly to Trent, could easily be convinced of his convictions, and ready to use his power themselves in an eerily identical manner. People like Trent aren’t as rare as we’d like them to be, and they’re all ready to grab power just as soon as they can.

So it would seem I come firmly on the “burn it all down” side of things. If only I believed it were that simple.

You see, I see the Cerberus Assembly as an institution that exists, in its entirety, for the cementing of power of the Dwendalian Elite and the progression of its interests. It protects them from threats both from inside and out, it teaches their children magic, it helps negotiate its trade, it aids in putting food on its table, and makes sure its armed for bear with the deadliest of magic only the Age of Arcanum and ancient elves could provide. It’s very reason for existence is to uphold the way of life for those on top. Even if it competes idly for who sits at the head of the table, it very much is invested in maintaining the structure of that table.

So if it were sundered and destroyed as an institution, what is to stop its functions from simply being absorbed by the broader Empire? What’s to stop the Empire from simply recreating the Volstrucker program under a different name? What’s stopping them from hiring its wizards to perform their original tasks, just under the sole discretion of the king? So I’d wager the problem isn’t the Assembly, but the very distribution of power required to maintain an Empire like Dwendal’s in the first place. The assembly is an immoral institution upholding a much larger, equally immoral institution. And you can’t truly solve the problem without tearing the whole damn thing down.

Do I think this campaign is going to be one in which our lovely players start a revolution? Hell no. I expect Trent at least to die or be deposed, and with the aid of some DM magic, things will get a little better. But Matt has given enough consideration to the political forces present in his world building, that I wanted to treat his world as if it were subject solely to the forces and motivations our own is. Just to see how things could turn out without a generally kind god like Matthew Mercer at the helm.

Plus I just really love trying to understand how fantasy political structures would really work. It’s usually a lot less depressing than real political structures, at least in so far as there are no real consequences for their abject failures. But I’ve rambled long enough. Thank you to the poor souls who read this ramble. You’re truly wonderful.

[theunwrittenman]

YETI THEORY

GUYS, the Yeti are unusually intelligent and live in an isolated commune: 

THEY’RE CONSECUTED.  Matt talked about how the Luxon could override the usual “monstrous” nature of d&d critters ( gnolls, minotaurs etc). There is a Pre-Calamity Luxon somewhere near that settlement that’s gifted them with atypical “ urbane”-ness compared to their normal kin. 

BEAU LEVEL CONSPIRACY THEORIZING BELOW THE CUT

Ok, so, We know there are Luxon scattered all over Exandria, deep underground. 

We also know that consecuted souls reincarnate within the radius of the Luxon, and the dynasty centers their religious practice around catching their elites in this system. 

WHAT WE DIDN’T KNOW UNTIL NOW ( if I’m correct), is that at-least some of the Luxon come pre-consecuted, likely with souls from before the calamity ( since everything in Matt’s campaign is some weirdness due to the age of Arcanum)  

Since the current arc seems to deal with methods one of the arcane mega-cities attempting to survive the coming calamity, I am BETTING MY BOTTOM COPPER that the Luxon are a sort of soul fallout shelter, constructed by a civilization AT WAR WITH THE GODS and thus fearful of the afterlife. 

[starsoverxadia]

Through the Moon: Between Humans and Elves

Another aspect of “Through the Moon” I wish to discuss is what the interactions between the various characters have to say about the state of human/elf relations post-S3 and what we might expect to see going forward in the story. 

Spoilers for “Through the Moon” behind the cut.

While observing Rayla and Callum interact over dinner, not to mention discussing her own budding romance with the human Alan, Lujanne says this:

Certainly it’s easy to believe relations between humans and elves are rapidly changing when there’s multiple elf/human romances in bloom and the successful joined effort to return Zym. But how true is this statement really? Since Lujanne made this claim, let's start by examining her behavior.

There are two very telling scenes showcasing Lujanne’s real feelings about humanity in general. The first occurs when Callum goes to Lujanne for advice after having an argument with Rayla. This leads to a discussion about possibly rebuilding the Moonhenge, a notion Lujanne flat-out rejects. 

Lujanne won’t restore the Moonhedge due to her continuing distrust of humans. Sure, she might makes the odd exception for individual humans, but humans as a people are dangerous. 

Also, shortly before this discussion, Lujanne gives Callum a few moon opals, both as a way to possibly help Callum assist Rayla and an apology for thinking humans couldn’t learn magic. But when Callum uses the moon opals in his plan to reopen the Moon Nexus’s portal, she says this when he succeeds: 

So even though Callum had already achieved what was long thought impossible, that being a human connecting to a primal source, she still assumed he didn’t have the skills and resourcefulness to figure out a way to reactivate the Moon Nexus. 

It seems Lujanne’s view of humanity really hasn’t changed all that much since her introduction. Though, given her personality and some of the other things she says, I strongly suspect she never really believed her own words. Obviously she’s not outright hateful of them, but her overall  attitude is one of distrust and condescension. To further drive this human, check out her reaction when Callum tells her he knows the Sky Arcanum:

“Silly human! I won’t even give you chance to prove this. I’ll just assume you’re completely deluded and need another lecture!”

But is that really a surprise? These are the views she’s likely held of centuries, and they’re not going to completely disappear overnight because of she made few human friends and one of them figured out how to throw lightning blots. They’re exceptions! There are also elves like Queen Khessa who are overly hateful towards humans to the point they regard them almost like animals. It will not surprise if we see at least a few elves that are, either covertly or openly, resistant with allying with humans. 

Lets also take a look at the human side of things. The show makes it clear human society believes elves are monstrous and bloodthirsty. The book also takes the time to remind us of this when Lujanne describes how she and Alan got involved:

But lets remember the history of Xadia isn’t just the evil greedy humans picking on the pure sweet innocent elves who have done nothing wrong ever. Humans have harmed Xadians in numerous ways, with the greatest being the genocide of unicorns. But Xadians have also committed their share of crimes against humans, which the books reminds when Callum expresses anger over Runaan killing Harrow:

So far there’s been a lot of focus on humanity’s crimes against Xadia and their need to atone. Hopefully going forward we’ll also see elves and Xadians having to recognize the wrongs like they’ve committed against humans. Just like Runaan needs to atone for killing Harrow, elves as a people need to atone for their roll creating the current mess, like ethnically cleansing all of humanity from Xadia due to the actions of a few Dark Mages, and allowing humans to suffer and starve before they had access to any kind of magic. Callum’s dialogue here shows that despite season 3′s triumphant ending with Zym’s return, there are still open wounds that need tending for there to be meaningful reconciliation between humans and elves. 

And all this why I think Rayla’s response to Callum is possibly the biggest truth bomb regarding the current state of elf/human relations:

The rift between humans and elves (and, more broadly, Xadia) is far from healed and I suspect that will be big part of the TDP’s story-line in upcoming seasons. Things TRULY changing between likely goes against whatever Aaravos has planned for Xadia. We know he wants humans to worship him and he wants to rule Xadia, and Xadia and the human world reconciling makes achieving these goals much harder. Personally, I suspect Aaravos will attempt to somehow play upon these continuing deep seated prejudices and wounds to keep the two sides for ever truly uniting and, perhaps, drive them apart once and far all. 

[dnd5a]

Patch 2.11 - Favour of the Overbeing

This is largely one of the biggest patches thus far, featuring two class reworks and a revamp of over a hundred spells, alongside multiple other minor alterations.

CLASSES

PALADIN Oh look. My least favourite class from base 5e (ranger doesn’t count, it’s too easy a target). The alterations it received in 2018 were clunky and awkward, but they were a step in the right direction. This new version defines those changes more clearly.

Rework - Sacred Oath Sacred oaths are now gained at first level, replacing the spot taken by Divine Sense. Sacred oaths grant new features at 1st, 3rd, 7th, 11th, 15th, and 20th level.

New features at 1st and 11th level provide core mechanics for each subclass otherwise absent in base paladin. These features are unrecorded in the patch notes for the sake of time.

Rework - Lay on Hands This update is compared to base Lay on Hands from base, rather than the 2018 version

Lay on Hands is now a bonus action, with a healing cap of your paladin level + your Charisma modifier. Healing an unconscious creature is still an action. Lay on Hands can pull a prone creature to their feet.

Lay on Hands no longer cures disease or poisons.

Buff - Fighting Style Now gains access to Two-Weapon Fighting

Buff -  Channel Divinity Most channel divinities for the Sacred Oaths have been buffed in varying ways.

Removed - Divine Health It didn’t make a lot of thematic sense, so it’s gone

Rework - Divine Sense Now gained at 5th level. Can sense any extraplanar type of creature, plus undead.

New - Lay on Life Gained at 10th level. Once per day use Lay on Hands as an action like in base. You can also now cure poisons and disease.

Rework - Aura of Courage Creatures in the area can’t be frightened, whilst already-frightened creatures have the effects suppressed and can repeat their save more easily.

New - Sacred Oath: Oath of Freedom Replaces Oath of Rebellion. Turn your enemies to your side for a time and command your allies in battle with guerrilla tactics

New - Sacred Oath: Oath of Glory From Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. Be a paragon of combat and an inspiration to allies.

New - Sacred Oath: Oath of the Reaper Replaces Oath of the Grave. Smite the unliving and other fun things like that.

New - Sacred Oath: Oath of the Scroll Replaces Oath of the Scripture. Make magical scrolls and gain k n o w l e d g e.

New - Sacred Oath: Oath of Steel Replaces Oath of Iron. Imagine dying. This post was made by the Oath of Steel gang.

New - Sacred Oath: Oath of Treachery The best one. Evil paladins with Coldsteel powers.

New - Sacred Oath: Oath of the Watchers Kill extraplanar stuff

PRISM

Fix - Everlight Now works properly with the new Photon Sense

New - Lifluence New 15th level feature that allows for periodic use of influence to heal allies

Buff - Facet: Halo 4th level facet spell replaced with death ward

WARLOCK This update seeks to tackle warlock pacts and the monstrous invocation list, as well as smoothing out some of the patrons

Buff - Pact of the Blade You can use Charisma for your attack and damage rolls, but until 5th level, your pact weapon is not magical. You also gain a pact-weapon exclusive extra attack at 5th level. 

Removed - Pact of the Brand Lack of design-space and uniqueness. Some invocations have persisted.

Buff - Pact of the Chain Your familiar can now attack normally on its turn, and the Voice of the Chain master invocation has been incorporated. At 5th level, the Investment of the Chain Master invocation becomes incorporated too.

Rework - Pact of the Cloak Your cloak grants your unarmoured defence (+Charisma), and increases you speed by 10 feet. From 5th level onwards, you can use your bonus action to gain a flying speed for a turn, as well as subtracting large distances from when you fall.

Rework - Pact of the Talisman Now uses the Tasha’s Cauldron of everything version. At 5th level, a creature can add its d4 to saves too.

Rework - Pact of the Tome You start with the Book of Ancient Secrets benefits, later gaining the bonus spells at 5th level.

Buff - Eldritch Master You get +2 Charisma alongside previous benefits

Rework - Patron: The Archfey Fey Presence is a bonus action, single target, and can be used multiple times and Misty Escape now lets you outright ignore an attack.

Buff - Patron: The Ashen Hunter Malevolent Retaliation pushes people away and makes a smokescreen

New - Patron: The Darklord A reworked form of The Raven Queen patron from Unearthed Arcana. Get a bird, turn into a bird, and do other things too.

New - Patron: The Demon Invoke the fight or flight response. Breath stuff, corrupt stuff, etc.

Rework - Patron: The Fiend Devil 1st level feature replaced with devil-summoning abilities

New - Patron: The Fathomless Summon tentacles and stuff like that. It’s a fun time.

Rework - Patron: The Great Old One Awakened Mind is now two-way. Aberrant Presence adds extra psychic damage. Entropic Mind lets you ignore an attack, forcing the target to save against frightened.

Nerf - Patron: The Hexblade Hex Warrior’s Charisma attacks have been moved to Pact of the Blade.

New - Patron: The Lorekeeper Get a little magic book with spooky lore in it. Get extra mystic arcanum and fly on written wings.

New - Patron: The Noble Genie Get a special lamp you can vibe in. It does other stuff, but ultimately who cares? You get a cool house in a bottle!

New - Patron: The Spirit of Hate Angy. Reaction stab

New - Patron: The Undead Become a dead guy. It’s more interesting than that

Rework - Eldritch Invocations Many invocations have been moved, added, removed, etc. Mainly: all spell invocations allow for one free cast per day, and certain invocations have been incorporated into their respective pacts

SPELLS

The Archive of Esoteric Secrets was updated during this patch, meaning that over 130 spells have been changed in some small way. The patch notes will attempt to cover everything relevant, but will start with spells outside of the archive for ease of reading.

New - Age A cantrip that lets you briefly age objects and creatures. Creatures get weaker, objects get more susceptible to damage

Buff - Cauterise Now grants more temporary hit points

New - Conjure Dragon Maybe a mistake.

New - Death Throe Turn corpses into your weapons

Buff - Echoed Form Your echo doesn’t disappear when it damages something, grants flanking, and provokes attacks of opportunity

New - Gamma Burst Two-directional laserbeam

Fix - Gomez’s Scattered Sand Was incorrectly listed as an action whereas it should have been a bonus action

New - Mass Revivify Pretty obvious was this one does

Buff - Merdiecurdie’s Sword'n’Board Mordenkainen’s Sword Now does a lot more damage and moves faster

New - Otiluke’s Omegapshere Big zone of illusion, protection, or obliteration. it also has a very cool name

Rework - Revitalise Now only grants healing over time, but gives more of it

Buff - True Strike Now grants advantage on all attack rolls against the target until the end of your next turn. It’s probably usable now.

ARCHIVE UPDATE Boy howdy there’s a lot here

Rework - Abyssal Punishment No longer causes madness, instead gives disadvantage on attacks and checks that use Str or Dex

Rework - Aetheral Zone Now called Magical Zone. Covers all spells cast in the area

Buff - Angwe’s Instilled Rage 4th level, instead of 6th

Buff - Animate Sword The sword uses your attack bonuses and its damage scales with level. It’s also magical

Nerf - Ashes of the Phoenix Casting time increased to 1 minute

Rework - Auminair’s Luminous Chains Now doesn’t increase its hold, instead does better damage over time and is non-concentration

Rework - Binding Burst Having been removed, it’s back and works this time

Nerf - Blast of Darkness Now a 30-foot cone. 90 feet was a bit much

Buff - Blooming Lethality Not concentration

Rework - Break Causes people to become brittle, taking extra damage from other sources

Buff - Caustic Killer The bolts now fire automatically. it’s non concentration too

Rework - Chrono Sphere Covers an area, is no longer a bonus action.

Nerf - Comet Rush You have to melee spell attack an unwilling creature

Nerf - Create Flameskull The flameskull doesn’t regenerate at all now

Rework - Dread Runes Now only frightens and does damage, no other bs

Rework - Flesh to Flesh Now grosser, and more concrete in its effects

Nerf - Galoran’s Glorious Gambit Does less damage

Buff - Gomez’s Simoom Reactivating is a bonus action

Rework - Hands of Manos No longer summons hands. Now summons tendrils in a fixed place that grapple people around them, doing a bunch of bludgeoning and psychic damage

Rework - Intimidating Aspect Now called Social Aspect. When you cast, you choose one Charisma skill for them to get better at, with a corresponding Charisma skill they get worse at.

Rework - Iron Angel Now summons a spinning orb of spinning metal

Rework - Jackdaw’s Malevolent Vision Now targets a close creature and does more significant damage

Fix - Nether Void The curse is more specific in what it does

Buff - Noir Now does damage to creatures in dim light too

Buff - Noor’s Armistice Attackers outside the area suffer disadvantage to attack within

Buff - Nox’s Inhabiting Darkness Now lasts 10 minutes. Effect is more specifically defined as “inhabiting”

Nerf - Reflexive Shot Now doesn’t give straight-up advantage

Rework - Sand Prison Now creates an area of sand that collapses in on itself and restrains everything inside

Buff - Septic Shock Now does damage on hit too

Rework - Shocking Sphere Now called Static Field

Rework - Spiritual Duality Now fire Body and Soul bolts. Body does damage, Soul heals

Rework - Stellular Strike Now does flat damage and halves speed, with damage over time.

Buff - Stone Bolt Now does a d10

Rework - Syphon Life Now grants a ward instead of healing

Buff - Thoughtseize Now does far more damage and allows you to ask three questions

Buff - Uplift/Depress Both effects are more prominent now

Nerf - Wink Is now concentration

Rework - Wrath of Bizzare Now just does regular damage in an area, instead of weird storm of vengeance stuff

RULES

Rework - Cones A cone’s diameter is its length and can be orientated how one chooses, as long as the total perimeter is the length x 4

Rework - Injuries Most effects that cause injuries must deal damage to inflict the injury