D&D General how would you recommend I make this feel like a more magical culture?

[Mind of tempest]

I do not need help on government structure more easily observable cultural stuff

Name: odhi
the non-integrator name options? (I am not calling the high or pure odhi the first is too elf and I hate pure as a positive concept so if you guys have any idea please tell me)

When they speak of the wonders of the odhi they rarely mean the local integrator populations although they are well known for their scholarly or magic works who they mean are the odhi native culture the ones who came to this world and apparently many others although that is questioned deeply by other peoples scholars.

Odhi city builders? Are known for their love of scholarly subjects to the point if you have knowledge and or a story to share you will always be welcome and you can trade for lodging, food or other goods.

These people build small city-states mostly in largely in inaccessible locations which are deliberately selected for a variety of reasons from the slopes of mountains to far-off islands to the Underdark.

They have never been known to have knowingly gone to war with each other although they have only had a fifty-year history on this world so it may be simply the need has yet to happen they speak of a far-off time in their histories when they fought other aberrations such as aboleth, mindflayers and Psurlon but this is apparently long past.

I am struggling to think of ideas for them and I would love some input?

 

[Starglim]

What do they look like? I mean "describe them" and their clothing and items, rather than "pick something that they resemble", though either might suit your thought process.

 

[Bluebell]

So my big question here is, why do they build their city-states in such inaccessible locations? Are they deliberately setting themselves apart from other people and trying to make themselves difficult to reach? Does something about their magical practice necessitate being far away from other ambient magical sources? Or is it perhaps the opposite -- that they are drawing on the unvarnished magic of these remote areas? Because I think that right there can inform quite a bit of flavor. Maybe the cities have buildings that glow with magical runes or a dome of crackling magical energy, depending on what exactly they're doing there.

Another question I have is, if they are so open to trading knowledge, how do they reconcile that with their remote locations? Do they have sophisticated methods of communication or easily accessible teleportation circles? Or are they more like hermits, who develop their knowledge in private?

 

[Mind of tempest]

What do they look like? I mean "describe them" and their clothing and items, rather than "pick something that they resemble", though either might suit your thought process.

I am not asking for appearance but things to make the base culture feel magical and stuff.

So my big question here is, why do they build their city-states in such inaccessible locations? Are they deliberately setting themselves apart from other people and trying to make themselves difficult to reach? Does something about their magical practice necessitate being far away from other ambient magical sources? Or is it perhaps the opposite -- that they are drawing on the unvarnished magic of these remote areas? Because I think that right there can inform quite a bit of flavor. Maybe the cities have buildings that glow with magical runes or a dome of crackling magical energy, depending on what exactly they're doing there.

Another question I have is, if they are so open to trading knowledge, how do they reconcile that with their remote locations? Do they have sophisticated methods of communication or easily accessible teleportation circles? Or are they more like hermits, who develop their knowledge in private?

thank you this helps as this makes me ask in-universe questions.

 

[bedir than]

You call them integrators but then put them as far off from others as possible. This creates a disconnect immediately. Using ironic names should be avoided in original lore in fantasy and sci-fi.

If they are integrators they should be directly among the rest of the peoples -- have them be diplomats, conversationalists, merchants. For the magic elements as integrators focus on enchantment and illusions used to get to know new peoples and share their stories.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

I'd see them as a Oligarchy based on spell slots: Odhi economy is based on the exchange of spell slots as a currency and mark of power. Like literally: you exchange goods for a casting of a spell or recharging the seller's spell slot of a selected level.

As a society, I'd mix D.A Tevinter (with the whole Sorcerer Papacy/Church governing the house of princes) and Ravnica's Orzhov (gain power now, serve us in undeath to pay off your debt). Maybe with a touch of Thay or Halruaa from FR? With each city dedicated to a the specialist school of the Liege-Prince, who are themselves in service of a High Archon of X who answer only to the Magus-Most-Exalted.

 

[Mind of tempest]

You call them integrators but then put them as far off from others as possible. This creates a disconnect immediately. Using ironic names should be avoided in original lore in fantasy and sci-fi.

If they are integrators they should be directly among the rest of the peoples -- have them be diplomats, conversationalists, merchants. For the magic elements as integrators focus on enchantment and illusions used to get to know new peoples and share their stories.

I used the term non-integrator as I had already built the two integrator cultures.
my language must have been unclear I am sorry.

I'd see them as a Oligarchy based on spell slots: Odhi economy is based on the exchange of spell slots as a currency and mark of power. Like literally: you exchange goods for a casting of a spell or recharging the seller's spell slot of a selected level.

As a society, I'd mix D.A Tevinter (with the whole Sorcerer Papacy/Church governing the house of princes) and Ravnica's Orzhov (gain power now, serve us in undeath to pay off your debt). Maybe with a touch of Thay or Halruaa from FR? With each city dedicated to a the specialist school of the Liege-Prince, who are themselves in service of a High Archon of X who answer only to the Magus-Most-Exalted.

I was going for something less evil you got any ideas for that?

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

I was going for something less evil you got any ideas for that?

I think they would see themselves as pragmatic, not evil, much like magic itself. Some may be good, some less so, but everything is about magic.

 

[Mind of tempest]

I think they would see themselves as pragmatic, not evil, much like magic itself. Some may be good, some less so, but everything is about magic.

both examples you used are clearly evil so I am not really following how they are pragmatic?

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

both examples you used are clearly evil so I am not really following how they are pragmatic?

Those are inspirations, not copies
Tevinter, Thay and Orzhov are pretty evil indeed. You dont need to use the whole blood magic and slavery stuff. But they are good example on how a society (hierarchy) based around magic knowledge both in the life and afterlife of its people would work, IMO.

Halruaa and the classic monks of Candlekeep might be other inspiration where your knowledge of magic = your place in society.

But of course, ''power corrupts'' and all that could be reflected in some enclaves.

 

[CreamCloud0]

Could they of been the ones who properly collected and categorised all the types of spells and magic from across the land into their respective classifications in your world? To identify arcane, primal and divine power source, to be the ones who determined fireball was ‘a 3rd level spell of the evocation school’ instead of just ‘these are the components you need to do it if you’re a capable enough spell-caster’

 

[MarkB]

Do you want them to be well-versed in familiar magic, or should there be a strange other-worldliness to their powers?

Are magic items plentiful in their culture (and thus plentifully available to the PCs when they visit) or is it more about innate personal abilities?

You mentioned scholarly pursuits, so is this purely magic gained through study, as with wizards, or are other forms of magic also commonplace?

 

[Mind of tempest]

Those are inspirations, not copies
Tevinter, Thay and Orzhov are pretty evil indeed. You dont need to use the whole blood magic and slavery stuff. But they are good example on how a society (hierarchy) based around magic knowledge both in the life and afterlife of its people would work, IMO.

Halruaa and the classic monks of Candlekeep might be other inspiration where your knowledge of magic = your place in society.

But of course, ''power corrupts'' and all that could be reflected in some enclaves.

candle keep is a large library, not a city-state hence I am a bit lost on how it is in any way applicable it is like comparing a university to a town?

Could they of been the ones who properly collected and categorised all the types of spells and magic from across the land into their respective classifications in your world? To identify arcane, primal and divine power source, to be the ones who determined fireball was ‘a 3rd level spell of the evocation school’ instead of just ‘these are the components you need to do it if you’re a capable enough spell-caster’

interesting? seems a bit small but usable.

Do you want them to be well-versed in familiar magic, or should there be a strange other-worldliness to their powers?

both, both is good.

Are magic items plentiful in their culture (and thus plentifully available to the PCs when they visit) or is it more about innate personal abilities?

no idea, do you have any?

You mentioned scholarly pursuits, so is this purely magic gained through study, as with wizards, or are other forms of magic also commonplace?

possibly I just have no ideas how to make the others cultural?

 

[Baron Opal II]

How easy or plentiful is magic to them? Think about daily life of the common folk.

Do they have ovens and stoves that burn wood or coal, or is there a basalt or granite stone cut to exact dimensions that they cause to heat with a wave of their hand?

Is there a central well or fountain? Do they use a bucket to get the water, or does the nereid of the well take your earthenware ewer and fill it for you?

Do all the adults have a connection to the Grand Wordsmith, so that when they speak a key phrase, all adults hear the Wordsmith's words until their next breath?

Providing shelter, growing food, sourcing water, and making cloth* were the activities that consumed the majority of peoples time. If they pursued a trade, it allowed them to make money so that they didn't have to do some of those activities. How did they make their day-to-day lives easier? And, are these spells they cast, magically receptive objects that work with cantrips rather than higher level spells, or functionally magic items that are handed down to the household's next generation?

* Which takes an amazing amount of time, I've recently discovered. One reason that you see so many pictures of women and girls spinning thread or weaving is that such activities were what they did mostly when they weren't bringing the harvest in.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

candle keep is a large library, not a city-state hence I am a bit lost on how it is in any way applicable it is like comparing a university to a town?

It is not just ''a large library'' its is pretty much a castle-town with its own particular culture, but if you are not well versed in its lore, it's not that important.
You can only enter by giving a 10 000 gp book to the Keep, Thethoryl (the master of the place) is personally protected by 3 gods of magic, their politics are pretty much centered on the accumulation of knowledge and magic over any notion of good or evil. Divination and prophecies are what orient most of the decision taken for the city. The town is protected by OP abjuration spells acting has a magic shield similar to the old Mythals. The vaults are guarded by at least on undead (ghost dragon) but I think other ghostly non-evil creatures (undeads or illusions) are used also.
And so on, so forth. These are all elements you could use to make your culture ''More magical''.

The sewer of your towns could be filled with alchemical uthyughs or lost Nothic/Allip/Barbalang/Deathlock wraith, or living spells etc

Dawn and Darkness spells could be used by the regents so that each town or even neighborhood has their own cycle of night/day, depending of their needs or preference.

Nobles can have most of their belongings animated or awaken so they could live in an ''intelligent house'' without butlers or servants.

You could have necromantic libraries where the head of famous scholars or artists are kept to be interrogated by Speak with Death.

You could have families worship the famous magister from their line at personal familial shrine, instead of gods.

One thing I'd insist on is that there's no divine or arcane or primal magic to them, its only THE Magic, classification and class restriction are an invention and simplification from humans and the rest.

 

[Mind of tempest]

How easy or plentiful is magic to them? Think about daily life of the common folk.

Do they have ovens and stoves that burn wood or coal, or is there a basalt or granite stone cut to exact dimensions that they cause to heat with a wave of their hand?

Is there a central well or fountain? Do they use a bucket to get the water, or does the nereid of the well take your earthenware ewer and fill it for you?

ah, the questions of infrastructure, tricky but important to get right

Providing shelter, growing food, sourcing water, and making cloth* were the activities that consumed the majority of peoples time. If they pursued a trade, it allowed them to make money so that they didn't have to do some of those activities. How did they make their day-to-day lives easier? And, are these spells they cast, magically receptive objects that work with cantrips rather than higher level spells, or functionally magic items that are handed down to the household's next generation?

* Which takes an amazing amount of time, I've recently discovered. One reason that you see so many pictures of women and girls spinning thread or weaving is that such activities were what they did mostly when they weren't bringing the harvest in.

that does sound important?

Do all the adults have a connection to the Grand Wordsmith, so that when they speak a key phrase, all adults hear the Wordsmith's words until their next breath?

what?

 

[Mind of tempest]

It is not just ''a large library'' its is pretty much a castle-town with its own particular culture, but if you are not well versed in its lore, it's not that important.
You can only enter by giving a 10 000 gp book to the Keep, Thethoryl (the master of the place) is personally protected by 3 gods of magic, their politics are pretty much centered on the accumulation of knowledge and magic over any notion of good or evil. Divination and prophecies are what orient most of the decision taken for the city. The town is protected by OP abjuration spells acting has a magic shield similar to the old Mythals. The vaults are guarded by at least on undead (ghost dragon) but I think other ghostly non-evil creatures (undeads or illusions) are used also.
And so on, so forth. These are all elements you could use to make your culture ''More magical''.

The sewer of your towns could be filled with alchemical uthyughs or lost Nothic/Allip/Barbalang/Deathlock wraith, or living spells etc

Dawn and Darkness spells could be used by the regents so that each town or even neighborhood has their own cycle of night/day, depending of their needs or preference.

Nobles can have most of their belongings animated or awaken so they could live in an ''intelligent house'' without butlers or servants.

You could have necromantic libraries where the head of famous scholars or artists are kept to be interrogated by Speak with Death.

You could have families worship the famous magister from their line at personal familial shrine, instead of gods.

One thing I'd insist on is that there's no divine or arcane or primal magic to them, its only THE Magic, classification and class restriction are an invention and simplification from humans and the rest.

you got a link?

also how would the latter point work?

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

you got a link?

also how would the latter point work?

Mechanic wise? I dont really know.
In lore? Their wizards (if they even have that classification) are able to scribe and understand the underlaying and inner workings of Entangle or Spiritual Guardian, even if for the common human wizard, those are not ''arcane'' magic.

As for Candlekeep, I know Greenwood published a whole gazetteer of it last year on the DMsguild and there's probably some information on the city in Tales of Candlekeep (?), but for easy reference, I'd point to the wikia Candlekeep. It mixes and match sources from many editions, but most of it should be there.

 

[Baron Opal II]

that does sound important?

The process of gathering fibers, spinning thread, weaving cloth, and making clothes took a vast amount of time until the industrial revolution. It is, at least, as time consuming as growing food.

I just mention it as something that nearly everyone had to do, so if there was a magical way to skip a step or make it easier it would free up a tremendous amount of time for the population. Automating the process of lace knitting would be another one.

What?

Yeah, that was a little vague. I was thinking of the town crier having an item that allowed them to message every adult in the village with news. Also a call back to the Imperial Orb in the Jhereg series by Steven Brust.

 

[Mind of tempest]

Mechanic wise? I dont really know.
In lore? Their wizards (if they even have that classification) are able to scribe and understand the underlaying and inner workings of Entangle or Spiritual Guardian, even if for the common human wizard, those are not ''arcane'' magic.

As for Candlekeep, I know Greenwood published a whole gazetteer of it last year on the DMsguild and there's probably some information on the city in Tales of Candlekeep (?), but for easy reference, I'd point to the wikia Candlekeep. It mixes and match sources from many editions, but most of it should be there.

okay, so great knowledge of how magic works, no idea how to make it a part of society in a way that makes sense but I will think about it.

The process of gathering fibers, spinning thread, weaving cloth, and making clothes took a vast amount of time until the industrial revolution. It is, at least, as time consuming as growing food.

I just mention it as something that nearly everyone had to do, so if there was a magical way to skip a step or make it easier it would free up a tremendous amount of time for the population. Automating the process of lace knitting would be another one.


Yeah, that was a little vague. I was thinking of the town crier having an item that allowed them to message every adult in the village with news. Also a call back to the Imperial Orb in the Jhereg series by Steven Brust.

what about something more technologically advanced but with still old by modern standards? when did cloth making start to get easy?

ah so like notifications on your phone, could be done but how?