Alright, so I've spent the past few weeks designing on my own spiritual successor, with an eye towards whatever the eventual 2024/25 OGL/CC License is going to look like, rather than basing it off A5e. So, with all due deference to
@Steampunkette, here is my own take on the concept:
Beneath the Bleeding Sun
Introducing Dasca
Light glares down from the two suns, hanging high in the sky above the world of Dasca, sweltering. Twin shadows move across the desert, chasing people and beasts, clinging for survival in a world without mercy. Sra rises and sets with perfect predictability, marking the cycle of the day, for those whom time still matters. But it is the bleeding sun, the Great Sin, that chases the night erratically across the sky, wilting plants, burning flesh, and turning the seas to silt. The night, when it does come, is even more deadly than life under both suns, with temperatures dropping well below freezing and monsters beyond imagination prowling in the darkness.
And we deserve every agonizing minute of it.
The eight Magi, the greatest heroes of a past age, promised to free us from the yoke of our oppressive and uncaring gods. We followed them, and they delivered on that promise. Little did we know the cost. When the last living god, Vita, drew her last breath, the Great Sin rose in the sky to punish us for our misdeeds. What’s worse, the magic the Magi claimed would break our chains was powered by the very lifeblood of our planet. The spells they weaved to end the reign of the gods ravaged the land and its inhabitants, killing thousands in instants. When the smoke cleared, we had traded one group of tyrants for another.
The seven surviving Magi became the Veneficus, immortal rulers over the few city-states that survived the cataclysm. They grew paranoid, breaking ties with one another and jealously guarding the secrets to their power. Heralds patrol the streets, priests who've traded their souls to the Veneficus for a fraction of that power, serve their masters by rooting out dissenters and would-be magical practitioners.
Yet there is one thing that the paranoid Veneficus, the cruel Heralds, and even the deadly Great Sin have all proven incapable of completely eradicating from the face of Dasca: hope.
A small spark of hope has been struck in the darkest corners of Dasca’s scattered communities and city-states. Hidden in depths, away from the watchful eyes of the Heralds, leagues of spellweavers have discovered a new way of channeling magic while sustaining the planet’s lifeforce. Rumors abound of oases and groves deep in the desert, tended to by the last of the primal caretakers. And a new source of power has been slowly unlocked across Dasca; drawn not from the planet, nor the Veneficus, nor even the dead gods, but rather, from the strength of one’s own will.
And those small sparks grew into a raging fire in the city-state of Bastar, and what was once the seven Veneficus has now become the six. The Tyrant Kletian’s death has sent shockwaves through the world; proving that the Veneficus, once thought invincible, are anything but. Some even swear that on that day, the bleeding sun grew just a little dimmer. In the wake of that momentous event, Bastar has become the first Free City of Dasca since before the Age of the Gods. One can expect the vengeance of the Veneficus to be swift indeed.
This is the world of Dasca that we have inherited. A dying world; a world on the brink of ruin; mad, power-hungry tyrants fighting to rule over the ashes; a hopeless world… no longer. The planet and its people are not a lost cause. The Veneficus are vulnerable. They can be overthrown. They can be replaced.
Just like the Gods were, at the turning of the age. Is a new age eminent, and what fate will it have in store for us?
Overview
Beneath the Bleeding Sun is a tabletop role-playing game based off of the 2024 version of the rules of the 5th edition of the world’s most popular role-playing game. It is a standalone game that can be played with merely this book. While it is largely mechanically compatible with other games and rulesets built upon these same foundations, you may find some tonal incompatibility with adding material from these other sources.
Here are the ten things you need to know about role-playing in the world of Dasca:
1: Survival is hard. Water and food are difficult to source, outside the auspices of the tyrannical Veneficus. In many ways, shelter is even harder to obtain. Any shelter must be capable of protecting from both the harsh heat of the twin suns as well as the freezing cold of the occasional night. Survival is one of many challenges that player characters will face in Dasca, and it is not a challenge to take lightly.
2: One resource that is scarce and increasingly in fewer and fewer hands is steel. Really, metal of all kinds is hard to find and incredibly valuable. Tanned hide and worked leather; sharpened bone and the re-shaped chitin of giant desert insects; stone and clay; these are the materials most crafters have to work with.
3: Most of the known world is under the control of the Veneficus, six seemingly immortal, extremely powerful magi, who wield their power and influence to lord over what they see as their own world to inherit. They are cruel and capricious, and see the people clinging to their city-states as parasites, useful only for what value can be extracted from them, provided only the bare necessities for survival, as long as they continue to be useful. Fortunately for most people, the Veneficus care little for small details or individual people they see as far beneath them.
4: Instead, most Veneficus concentrate their attention and energy on those they see as their greatest threats: each other. The Veneficus constantly scheme and sabotage the efforts of their former allies. Each dreams of one day becoming the lone God Ruler of all Dasca. The only true obstacles on their path to apotheosis can be those whose power can rival their own.
5: Most individuals will never see or interact with their city’s Veneficus. Most of the day-to-day rule of the city-states fall to the Heralds, the Veneficus’ loyal agents, afforded a fraction of their master’s power in exchange for their service. Most Heralds are wicked, utilizing their power to horde resources and deeply mistreating the people under their “care”. Many Heralds share their masters’ lust for power and penchant for scheming, conniving, and backstabbing to one-up each other.
6: The fantasy species you might be familiar with are rare, and may not seem as similar as you might expect. Humans may be by far the most common species of sapient life found on Dasca, but they are not the only ones. Chitin-crafting dwarves, dead-worshipping elves, and studious goliaths are just some of the common species you can expect to see in the dusty streets of the city-states.
7: The gods are dead, having been slain by the Magi before they ravaged the planet and became the brutal Veneficus. But some vestiges of their divine power can be found, for those who know where to look. Perhaps the bleeding sun, that Great Sin that appeared in the sky once every last god died, bears some measure of their influence. Even dead gods can still have worshippers. And what of the slain eighth Magi, killed in the battle to slay the gods? She is a presence now in the afterlife, seeing what has become of her former comrades in arms. What might she call those who follow her to perform?
8: The most powerful source of arcane energy on Dasca is the very lifeblood of the planet and those that live upon it. Casting magic in this way destroys all life in the caster’s vicinity; even the weakest of cantrips can drain another human of their life force, and the more powerful the magic, the more life force consumed. The spells necessary to slay gods ravaged the planet, killing thousands of sapients and other creatures, eradicating miles of plant life, and turning life-giving water into draining silt. Only the Veneficus and their select Heralds are, under penalty of death, allowed to possess and wield this power.
9: Other sources of power do exist, however, from the caretakers of the oases to those spellweavers who have learned, in secret, to sustain the life around them by drawing upon limited reserves of their own life force. The temptation for these new magi to ravage the world around them instead is always great, as it is an easier road to greater power. Only those most committed to hope for a better future of the planet are able to resist this temptation.
10: An even stranger form of power has awakened across the face of Dasca. Rarely seen and even more rarely understood, this power, called “psionics” by its wielders, draws not from life force or divine or primal sources but from the manifester’s own force of will. How this power came to be, and why it is only being discovered in recent years, is a mystery to all.
Species
Here are the most common species you’ll find in the desert cities and sands of Dasca.
Humans
Humans are the most common species you’ll find in the city-states of Dasca. Highly adaptable, resourceful, and tenacious, humans have found more success in surviving the harsh bleeding sun than others.
Elves
Elves have found their long lives to be a curse in a world of misery and pain. Their dead are revered and worshipped, as a result. When their time comes, all Elves must make the harsh and perilous pilgrimage to their ancient pyramid temples. Those who make it find their place along the outer walls and wait for death to take them, adding their spirits to the collective Elven Dead who watch over their living flock until it is their own time to make the pilgrimage.
As a result of this unusual practice, most Elves tend to be fatalists. Their own connections to the planet long severed, most Elves content themselves with silent prayer to those long dead. While any worship is technically illegal on penalty of death within the city-states of the Veneficus, the pilgrimage is the only Elven religious practice that most outsiders have awareness of, and with the end result of the practice being death, few Heralds find it worth their time to prosecute.
Dwarves
Dwarves are a rare sight within the city-states. Building tunnels deep in the earth underneath human cities, most Dwarves rarely live to see the surface at all. Those that do tend to bear trade to and from the underground to the Heralds of the city-states above. While Dwarves are responsible for most of the metals that still exist to be extracted from the earth and worked to build tools, they are most commonly associated with the ornate chitin armor and jewelry their traders are often adorned with. It is believed that Dwarves have somehow managed to domesticate giant beetles or some other form of large insect that roam the deep dark.
Dwarves are also seen as some of the happiest creatures to still walk the sands of Dasca. Their wealth and resources are often on display, and they delight in humor and trickery. The dour personalities of most other species, especially the fatalist Elves, do not endear themselves to one another, and as a result only Heralds tend to interact with the Dwarven traders when they arrive.
Dwarves that live in the city-states full time do exist, and they have a tendency to enjoy the open air and wide, available space for them to work. Their craftsmanship and sole ability to work metals into usable shapes often makes such city dwarves relatively well-off as they make weapons and armor for the Heralds.
Halflings
People of the flock, most halflings are desert nomads and beastmasters. The smallfolks’ caravans are often the only folk who are willing to risk the road between the city-states, and thus Halflings are often the only source of trade between them. Aside from trade, they are most often associated with the creatures of the wastes. Tamed aurochs pull their stone carts and leather sleeper wagons, and large ibex bear their scouts and bone archers. Few are the desert predators desperate enough to risk attacking a Halfling caravan, and fewer still are those that live to learn the lesson.
Halflings also appear to have a preternatural connection to the bleeding sun, and have an uncanny ability to predict, with more success than most, when the erratic star will set. They time their travel for daylight when only a single sun graces the sky, stopping to wait out the heat of the twin suns when they occur. But no Caravan leaves the safety of the city-states when night finally falls. Halflings are renowned for their incredible courage, but not even they would risk what tends to come out when both suns are set.
Goliaths
Goliaths claim they descend from Giants, who ruled the smaller peoples of Dasca before even the Age of the Gods. Students of history, Goliaths maintain strong oral traditions that date back many millennia. Sturdy as the stone they resemble, Goliaths are a monolithic, insular culture; deeply resistant to change. While Goliath Stonesingers are happy to share the tales and songs of the history they have collected, there are two fields of knowledge that any Goliath will die before sharing with an outsider: the knowledge of Agriculture and Dowsing. Goliath farms and orchards may be sparse, and their wells may produce little water, but without them, even the Heralds would starve and die of thirst. Few Goliaths are taught these secrets; those that learn must swear never to leave the safety of the enclave.
This grants Goliaths some small measure of autonomy within their city-state enclaves, but they are well aware that it is a tenuous peace at best, and that if any outsider learned their secrets to finding water and turning dead soil fertile enough to be farmable, they would no longer find safety within the city walls.
Goliaths rarely travel outside their enclaves, but those that do tend to be Stonesingers who provide some measure of learning and entertainment to the people of the city-states. The Heralds allow this as long as the songs offer praise for the Veneficus, but keep careful watch over the proceedings all the same.
Dragonborn
Dragonborn on Dasca are always exclusively referred to as the Godstouched. Those born of any sapient species under the bleeding sun have a chance of bearing a piece of the gods’ long lost essence. Over time, the growing child will begin to exhibit the signs: scaled skin. Such signs are often a mark for death, and those that live to reach adulthood and finish their transformation into the Godstouched find no safety within the walls of the city-states.
Some believe them to be the Gods reborn; others as a sign or a promise that the Gods will soon return to Dasca. In either case, Dragonborn are often shunned even by those outside the power and control of the Veneficus.
The Godstouched have a divine connection that is unmistakable, and it is rumored that a colony of such Dragonborn exists somewhere out in the wastes, paying tribute to the dead gods from which they sprang.
Other Species and Mutants
These species listed above are only the most common found throughout Dasca, but other rare sights exist as well. In addition, wild magic springs from the unlikeliest of places, both in the endless desert and within the city-states themselves. Humans born with horns, tails, claws, even wings are not unheard of. Ultimately, it is up to the Game Master to determine which species from other possible sources are available for player characters in their games, but many such species would not be entirely out of place in the city-states of Dasca.
Classes
The unique nature of Dasca means that not all common fantasy adventuring classes are available paths for its people. Player characters in Dasca can choose between one of the following classes:
Bard
Entertainment is as rare a commodity as water in the world of Dasca, and outside of gladiators, bards are its premier purveyors. With the resources and tools required to build most musical instruments well outside the means of the typical entertainer, most Bards excel in singing and storytelling, with perhaps simple percussion on the side. While there are many entertainers plying their craft in the city-states, Bards are a cut above; with a bit of subtle magic behind their voice. Whether their power is truly magical or a form of psionics, the subtlety is truly what is important. An illusion here, and enchantment there, nothing overt, to catch the attention of the Veneficus and their Heralds.
Caretaker
Preservers of the knowledge of the planet, Caretakers see their role as essential to the future of Dasca. Many people have no ability to imagine a Dasca covered in green, but the Caretakers can remember. They have to remember, because that memory, that knowledge, will be crucial to seeing it truly turn green once more. Caretakers carry a bit of the old primal power, able to tap into the essential elements of the world to make miracles happen. They must keep this knowledge, this power, secret, to preserve it for when the time comes to finally bring peace and restoration to the world.
Empath
Recently awakened, Empaths were the first to discover the power called psionics. Based entirely on their own force of will, Empaths are able to perform feats of telepathy, telekinesis, and more. Psionics lack the obvious flourish of most magic, allowing more manifesters to keep their abilities in secret. Where did this power come from? Why was it only awakened recently? And what does it mean for the future of life on Dasca?
Gladiator
Part fighter, part entertainer, Gladiators carry an unmistakable air of swagger and showmanship into any battle they face. Whether it’s intimidating foes or encouraging allies, they carry their ability to perform in even the most intense combat. After all, it is how the audience feels that is the most important thing to a Gladiator. The best Gladiators are masters of deception, quick to feint, and revel in toying with weaker victims before going in for the kill. And only the best Gladiators survive long enough to escape their servitude or earn their freedom.
Herald
While the followers of the Veneficus are known as Heralds, they are not the only ones who can stake claim to the moniker. In essence, a Herald is someone whose powers are granted from something bigger than themselves. Whether that’s the immortal Magi ruling the city-states with an iron grip, the dead gods, or the bleeding sun, they all are granted their powers by promising themselves to someone or something. Elven Heralds commune with their ancestral dead. And what of the lost Magi, who failed to see the end of the war against the gods. What power of hers still lingers?
Marshal
Leaders of men, Marshals project confidence and strategic thought as they issue commands to others. While skilled fighters themselves, the true danger of the Marshal is the value they provide to those who fight at their side. With a sharp mind and a commanding presence, the Marshal leads others to their fullest potential, and perhaps even beyond. Such charismatic and intelligent leaders who do not offer their service to their Veneficus are branded as seditious and dangerous.
Rogue
Thieves and scoundrels, thugs and assassins, the Rogue always has a role to play in the worlds of fantasy, and Dasca is no exception. Neither physically burly nor magically powered, Rogues are forced to get by on the strength of their agility, guile, and sheer force of personality, and in these areas they excel. Quick-footed, quick-thinking, and quick-talking, many Rogues are more than capable of getting themselves out of any trouble they find themselves in, and when trouble does not find them, they love to go looking for it.
Ranger
Some warriors study battle to hone their tactics; others fight for the entertainment of others. Rangers, meanwhile, are warriors trained for pure survival. Scouts and hunters, Rangers are capable of living off the desert almost indefinitely. They are masters of tracking and stealth, equally at home hunting down bounties or even more dangerous prey.
Shaper
While Empaths have honed their psionic power to affect the world around them, Shapers have learned to turn that power inward, honing their own bodies into weapons. Through intense training and immense willpower, a Shaper can be dangerous in any situation. They are deadly with or without a weapon in their hands, and can fight through pain that would bring lesser warriors to their knees.
Sorcerer
Arcane power still flows through this world, and Sorcerers have learned how to harness that magic without drawing on the planet’s lifeblood. Keeping their power secret is essential to their survival, as the Veneficus jealously guard their monopoly on such power. But keeping that secret isn’t the only thing Sorcerers must guard against. The temptation for greater power, the instinct to draw directly on the source of life surrounding them, is always present. To give in would be so easy, but would also damn the world.
A company that could take it up a level. 
