D&D 5E Setting Idea: Bronze Age Utopia

[dave2008]

That is exactly the idea I had, Iron causes Wild Surges when in contact with spell casters especially when they are using magic, which is dangerous. Also Wild Surges cause a euphoric feeling in the magic user it's triggered from, so Wild Surges are addictive, hence why Iron is a drug in the hands of Magic Users to the point where some inject iron dust into their veins.

Perhaps iron also causes bag things just by being close to magic items / users. Maybe an iron spike starts sparking or something near magic - very dangerous when most all builds are flammable. however, that would make iron a default detect magic.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

This isn't a bad idea, but I'll say that if I want to play in a Bronze Age themed setting I'd probably just use Theros, or the Arcanum Worlds setting Odyssey of the Dragonlords... or one I have right now, Arkadia.

Arkadia: The Mythic Greek Setting for 5e

A new setting exclusively for 5e - inspired by the history and myths of Ancient Greece

www.kickstarter.com

 

[gyor]

This isn't a bad idea, but I'll say that if I want to play in a Bronze Age themed setting I'd probably just use Theros, or the Arcanum Worlds setting Odyssey of the Dragonlords... or one I have right now, Arkadia.

Arkadia: The Mythic Greek Setting for 5e

A new setting exclusively for 5e - inspired by the history and myths of Ancient Greece

www.kickstarter.com

I love Odyssey of the Dragon Lords and Arkadia, I have them both, but I wanted to explore more none traditional Classical Greece/Egyptian Settings, there were other amazing and cool cultures from that time period that don't get the same level of attention. I still love ancient Greece, Egypt, Rome ect..., but those already get alot more love then other cool ancient cultures.

 

[Tonguez]

He also mention that iron was banned, which would need a reason why.
You can also add in that cast spells while holding iron has a penalty (spell failure, DC lowered, uses higher spell level than normal)
Giving Iron clear advantages does a few things:

• PC want to use it, but it would get them in trouble
• PC see enemy has Iron, and realize the fight will be A LOT harder
• Quests to hunt down Iron users or suppliers

If Iron causes wild magic surely that in itself would be enough to enforce its Outlaw status, especially if the release of wild magic was very volatile and deadly - dangerous magic exploding everywhere would get Iron-users classed as terrorist with WMDs.

I'd consider it a "Near Utopia" not a "Perfect Utopia", because that would be lacking the Free Will.

Utopia really just implies universal satisfaction and for that Bread and Circuses become a clear goal of the governing authority ie a Bronze Age society where everyone has unlimited food supply, good habitat and access to what they want and need would generally be viewed as Utopian.
Druids is whats needed in such a society to ensure abaundance, then theirs good education and a lot of public festivity and community ritual.

The other thing is that Utopia does not imply that there arent an excluded class of criminals and exiles - ie anyone who isnt satisfied and chooses to be an Chaotic neutral agitator, will quickly be excluded from society and sent ‘elsewhere’ to live amaongst the Brutals

Construction would use a good chunk of the lower class labor. Not for expansion, but for the nobles to tear down houses and build new ones every few years. Resources would not be an issue, just the labor to tear down and rebuild.

Actual magical weapons could be very rare or even not exist. This would give Lycanthropes a greater threat with the limited supply of silver.

I’ve been fascinated by Shang Dynasty (1500 bc) because it was a stratified society where the Nobles living in cities had access to Bronze weapons and chariot fittings but the peasantry was limited to using Stone weapons and tools.

Farmers were highly honoured in Shang society and the Shang Emperor was primarily the Advisor to Farmers and responsible for the religious Rituals of Farming, this included using Oracle stones (dragon bones) for divinition.
The Shang farmers grew Millet and Soybean (thus Tofu and Soy sauce) and observed that Soybean enriched the soil, they were also the group responsible for domestication of Water Buffalo and were using Horses 1000 years before they were domesticated in Europe.

Strangely enough Merchants were very low caste in Shang Society, ranking just above slaves, This was because they were not considered ‘Productive’ and instead had to involve themselves in the dishonourable practice of buying other peoples work and selling it at inflated prices.

Shang had slaves who were either criminals, war prisoners or those who failed to repay debts. The Shang also practiced animal and human sacrifice.

 

[Derren]

Farmers were highly honoured in Shang society and the Shang Emperor was primarily the Advisor to Farmers and responsible for the religious Rituals of Farming, this included using Oracle stones (dragon bones) for divinition.
The Shang farmers grew Millet and Soybean (thus Tofu and Soy sauce) and observed that Soybean enriched the soil, they were also the group responsible for domestication of Water Buffalo and were using Horses 1000 years before they were domesticated in Europe.

Strangely enough Merchants were very low caste in Shang Society, ranking just above slaves, This was because they were not considered ‘Productive’ and instead had to involve themselves in the dishonourable practice of buying other peoples work and selling it at inflated prices.

This order of the castes was not unique to the Shang dynasty. Japan also valued farmers more than merchants.
But still, money talks and a rich merchant could always buy respect.

The Four-Tiered Class System of Feudal Japan

Feudal Japan had a four-tiered class system based on Confucian logic, with samurai warriors on top and merchants at the bottom.

www.thoughtco.com

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Perhaps iron also causes bag things just by being close to magic items / users. Maybe an iron spike starts sparking or something near magic - very dangerous when most all builds are flammable. however, that would make iron a default detect magic.

I like that. Iron + Magic = Sparks.

But there ought to be a relatively easy way to prevent the sparking- perhaps leather is an insulator- or it doesn’t just become a magic detector, it becomes a powerful anti-mage weapon. A bunch of iron strewn near a caster suddenly becomes a bomb of sorts.

Iron projectiles couldn’t be removed by magic without torturing the victim.

 

[Eltab]

Anybody familiar with Traveller? The Zhodani have a happy cooperative society with social stratification, by the use of scientifically-applied psionics.

People who are not happy with their lot in life can be detected and addressed (sometimes by becoming adventurers or colonists or such). People who are not happy with any lot in life are treated before their illness becomes acute.

 

[Eltab]

Another sourcebook for Bronze Age (plus other) societies is Testament, by Green Ronin.
Besides Biblical-inspired material, the book covers Canaanite and Philistine cultures.

 

[Tony Vargas]

That is exactly the idea I had, Iron causes Wild Surges when in contact with spell casters especially when they are using magic, which is dangerous. Also Wild Surges cause a euphoric feeling in the magic user it's triggered from, so Wild Surges are addictive,

Yeah, that'd be a troubling dynamic for an otherwise utopian-thanks-to-magic society.

Magic is vital to society, but it can be subverted and blown up.

hence why Iron is a drug in the hands of Magic Users to the point where some inject iron dust into their veins.
Also the children of spellcasters who inject or eat high concentrations of Iron have a high likely hood of being born Wild Magic Sorcerers, aka Iron Blooded, which is seen as a dangerous birth defect.

Is this iron in the scientific sense that includes it being present in hemoglobin, is it iron in the fantasy-elemental sense and things that'd iron-containing compounds irl are just different materials, entirely?

 

[gyor]

Yeah, that'd be a troubling dynamic for an otherwise utopian-thanks-to-magic society.

Magic is vital to society, but it can be subverted and blown up.

Is this iron in the scientific sense that includes it being present in hemoglobin, is it iron in the fantasy-elemental sense and things that'd iron-containing compounds irl are just different materials, entirely?

Iron at reasonable high concentrations, the iron in the blood is simply too low and too impure, except in Wild Sorcerers and those who ingest Iron dust or inject iron dust.