I agree with the thoughts presented.


I believe it is possible for this to cause Strain and even Wars between the Two, with this being the case, it is possible that while they are the major refugee hub, that some may feel it unwise to side with their enemy and seek more peaceful lands elsewhere like the Chessboard Village.

I too, am also find with this development.

So... we got ex-villagers living in a former prison. Now, that prison was noted as having  been built before whatever cursed made the swamp. OR had the swamp always existed? Doesn't seem that way in the description. So Cagers have been around a while? The Cage is covered in smoke? Smokeweed doesn't make smoke, does it? Only when it is smoked, yeah?

   Interesting Q for Cagers - Dislike others who cultivate Smokeweed is what causes the stress between the chessboard and them? Or is it also possible that the chessboard is an area that belonged to the former kingdom existent before the swamp, now independent, that still views the cagers as little more than criminals or bandits?

Then the Frogs. Who dislike everyone or everyone dislikes them. Same difference really. Refugee frogs flee to the cage seems right. If the cage has been there for generations taking in refugees, there's probably a notably large proportion of frogs. A secondary community of the creatures, right? Other than frogs, you say its a mix of races. But over time, that would be hard to maintain. Also, other than frogs and humans and Hapids, what races are there. More on half-orcs later...

Still, frogs and cagers make a nice balance of order and chaos.

And down south the Uglolla are minding their own business. I suspect that means the Uglolla have access to a south-western coast area? Mangroves and such?

Also minding their own business when not getting chased by sharks are the Waveriders. They do cultivate their own smokeweed, but there are far enough away from the Cagers that I doubt it's a problem.

Now to half-orcs. What's an orc? Since this game seems premised in avoiding standard D&D tropes, what's an orc that we have half-orcs? My suggestion, orc is less a race and more a class. Working class, low-brow types. Just spitballing trying to understand. Not even touching the background of where they came from, that can just be some type of creation myth they have.

Hapids just be chillin in the desert lookin like cats and rabbits. Find myself wondering how sexuality works in that context. But that's pretty idle.

No.



Right.



Perhaps they're burning it (a lot) as a part of religious or other societal rites/services/rituals?



Wait, where'd you get that idea? I see nothing about the Frogs not liking others. In fact, they freely let newcomers emigrate to their kingdom as long as the new people join the caste system...




Including half-orcs, that's about all anyone's mentioned so far.



Agree.



Agree



I don't think you can have a class without a society to be in... Which doesn't invalidate what you're saying, but it makes it harder.

I picture ORC (in this context) as being like "7-to-7.5-foot-tall people with green skin and noticeable tusks coming up from the lower jaw, physically strong and tough" and half-orcs averaging 6.5 feet tall with smaller tusks and slightly less strong and tough than orcs.

No one has mentioned orcs being a thing unto themselves, though... maybe they merged into humanity in the form of hybrid kids? Or maybe something else happened to them? (Or maybe they just have some villages along the eastern coast that aren't complex enough to have a very complicated culture?) Maybe we'll hear about some of these things in Round Four or later...?

That brings up an interesting point what kind of level do people want Hapids to be?

If you need info on a particular level ill try to bring up actual examples of what the Hapids could look like at that level.

With the change of prisoners being ex-villagers, I'm going to say that the prisoners have long since died out, but the town is still fully functional when it was founded by the Cagers (who were just the run of the mill bandits and exiles of Chessboard), even though some of it is still submerged with swamp water. On the question of this whole smokes appearing round the Cage, I was thinking it was some sort of environmental affect due to constant usage of Smokeweed, it's made a good barrier for any folks of Law though, but theirs also some barriers for Chaos (in order to sell all kinds of Smokeweed of course). But most of the populace are either neutral and maybe some just adapt to form an immunity to it.

Their are varying tales (at least to what I thought of) to the origins of their conflict with Chessboard. One said that the leader of the Cagers was original person that harvested Smokeweed of the Chessboard folk (who were mostly pilgrims in the run from persecution at the time), but was  ousted out of the village due to greed. Either that or the Cagers (at the time it was just some bandits and a few exiled pilgrims) believe they were the first people to have cultivated Smokeweed as the Cage had an abundance of it hidden in the darkest areas of the town. Either way, Cagers will not relent on their claims that Smokeweed belong to them, and will not bow down to the laws of the past.

Also, I mostly painted the orcs as a blank and hope someone else can make it work. For all I know, instead of them being pigs, they could have bat or hippo features. Guess that needs some explanation, whoops.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:50, Sat 04 June 2022.

Anything like 2, 3, or 4, I suppose... 2.5 ish?

EDIT: I was thinking kinda USAGI YOJIMBO, really.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:53, Sat 04 June 2022.

Yeah that's what I was thinking clearly Cat or Rabbit but humanoid.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:56, Sat 04 June 2022.

And Hapids Breed Like Hapids. Nuff said.

Wow, the implication is that the smoke from smokeweed doesn't dissipate as much as normal smoke does... hangs around a lot longer. Very interesting.



Yeah probably this.




Yeah well when one finds a "blank" area one thinks has potential, that's the time to fill it in in a later round...


Edit: OKAY so anything else we want/need to discuss before I start Round Four?

EDIT: Bring something up, or else say "nah let's move on GM"
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:21, Sat 04 June 2022.

Let's move on Gm

Someone give me at least one more Move On GM (or else bring something up), please...

Keep moving on GM

Well y'all can keep discussing round three in this thread, but for now...



ROUND FOUR:
1 or 2 powerful beings (1 or 2 per player).
--Each player will describe one or two very powerful being/s that exist/s in the fantasy world. Each powerful being can be a deity, or something that does not count as a deity (like just the sort of thing that could be a warlock's patron, say). Ask yourself: "Could this powerful being I have in mind could maybe win in some sort of contest against a lesser deity?" If the answer is "yes," then you're probably on the right track.
--NO DEVILS NOR DEMONS. In fact, no powerful being is allowed to be eeeeeevilllll at all. Selfish, maybe! Mischievous, maybe! Destructive, maybe! Scary, maybe! BUT NOT eeeeeevilllll.
--NO LOVECRAFT.
--DO NOT SUGGEST THINGS THAT ARE EXACTLY LIKE A POWERFUL BEING THAT ALREADY EXISTS IN D&D/PATHFINDER/ANYWHERE ELSE.
--Each player may create one or two powerful beings. Two powerful beings will give you more chances to get votes.
--Top six recipients of votes will become officially canon as existing in the fantasy world.

Just one question:

Are this intended to be individuals or creatures?

I mena, would it  be St George (a specific individual) or Archangels (generic creatures)?

These are intended to be individuals.

However, if you wanted to make-- JUST FOR EXAMPLE-- a deity of Light or Protection (or both), I'd let you toss in them also having angels/archangels too if you wanted.

(EDIT: Also: I don't THINK traditional St. George would be powerful enough to count for Round 4? I could see ramping up his power and importance to the point where he could, though...)
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:07, Sat 04 June 2022.

Santa Claus could easily beat a lesser diety given his Powerful Knowledge, and Massive Speed.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:16, Sat 04 June 2022.

I do not dispute this.

EDIT: after all, I did say "some sort of contest with a lesser deity" ...I didn't say WHAT SORT of contest...
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:24, Sat 04 June 2022.

Almost ready to post the results for voting... just want to confirm a detail with Balance...

ROUND FOUR: POWERFUL BEINGS is up.

To help avoid the need for a runoff, give 3 points to two entries, and then 2 to two others, and then 1 to two others. (Like last time, it may not succeed in avoiding a tie, but at least it seems fair.)

PM me your votes.

Do NOT vote for your own submission at all.

Just one person left to vote in Round Four...

No need for tie-breaking this time. The top 6 slots all got 6 or more points. The 7th-and-lower slots all got 5 or lower: a clear and inarguable division.

Noric 8
The Man 8
Ossiga, the Ghost Queen 7
Bor’Ma 6
The Grand Lizard 6
That-Which-Thrashes-in-the-Deep 6

These, then, will be in canon.

Any need for discussion of the results of Round Four before we move on to Round Five? I see no need for discussion, as such, but I'm not going to presume that there's no need for discussion just because I'm not immediately seeing such a need...

Nah, all those selected seem clear.

Move on, I say.

ROUND FIVE:
1 magic thing (1 per player)
--Each player will describe one magical thing that exists in the fantasy world. Each magic thing can be small and common (Potion of Lucky Birdwatching), or something unique and powerful (Giantbane, a sword that makes you totally immune to heat and fire that also instantly slays all Fire Giants it cuts), or in-between. (But the more powerful it is, the more rare it should be.)
--DO NOT SUGGEST THINGS THAT ARE EXACTLY LIKE A MAGICAL THING THAT ALREADY EXISTS IN D&D/PATHFINDER/ANYWHERE ELSE.
--Top three recipients of votes will become officially canon as existing in the fantasy world.

BUT I WILL ALSO SAY TWO MORE THINGS:

It may occur to some people to make items with a mind/will of their own... a book, a magic sword, who knows what.

Extra Rule One: if it/they has/have a mind/will of its/their own, it/they absolutely cannot be as powerful as the stuff submitted for Round Four.

Extra Rule Two: like Round Four, powerful or not, if it/they has/have a mind/will of its/their own, it/they cannot be eeeeeeeeviiilllll.


Okay, having said all that, start submitting...

ROUND FIVE: MAGICAL ITEMS is up.

To help avoid the need for a runoff, give 3 points to one entry, and then 2 to another, and then 1 to another. (Like last time, it may not succeed in avoiding a tie, but at least it seems fair.)

PM me your votes.

Do NOT vote for your own submission at all.