D&D 5E [Let's Read] Devabhumi: Heroic Indian Fantasy Setting for 5e and Pathfinder

[Libertad]

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The history and legends of the Indian subcontinent are full of material suitable for heroic fantasy, from the dynastic wars of the Mahabharata to the fearsome tales of asuras in their endless struggle against the devas. Such things did not escape the notice of tabletop gamers, as can be evidenced in the adoption of the rakshasha monster, or controversially the incorporation of Hindu deities into the old Deities & Demigods sourcebook. During the 3rd Edition of Dungeons & Dragons we got some material that sought to make self-contained settings inspired by Indian legends, such as Green Ronin’s Mindshadows and Wizard of the Coast’s Mahasarpha. However, Mindshadows is now out of print and not sold online, making it hard to get, while Mahasarpa was but a brief 11 pages. In line with increased emphasis on cultural sensitivity and social progressivism, WotC created several Indian-influenced content in their works written by people with ties to that land’s cultures, such as the domain of Kalakeri in Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft or the In the Mists of Manivarsha adventure detailed in Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel. However, full setting sourcebooks in the vein of Mindshadows more or less remain the province of third party publishers, and even then those are relatively rare.

Devabhumi is written by Khanjan Patel, who sought to write a setting inspired by the epic stories of India. Although they’ve published gaming content in the form of cartography as Silver Compass Maps, this appears to be their first hand at writing a full-on complete sourcebook. Written for both the 5th Edition of D&D and Pathfinder 2nd Edition rulesets, Devabhumi’s PDFs are split into a complete Campaign Setting and a Player’s Guide that just includes the content necessary for PC building, with a pair for each ruleset. As I am familiar with 5th Edition D&D and not Pathfinder 2e, I will be reviewing the former ruleset’s mechanics for this Let’s Read.

While the book is relatively short as far as campaign settings go in totaling 134 pages, the first thing I notice is a lack of bookmarks. This harms its navigability, and is also a problem in the Player’s Guide which is a much shorter 48 pages.

Welcome to Devabhumi is our introduction, setting up the core themes of the setting along with a lexicon of common terms and definitions. Devabhumi hews closely to epic fantasy, where heroes can be expected to travel across the land and meddle in the affairs of gods; where an adventuring party by happenstance might stumble upon long-forgotten ruins home to mythical beings; where magic is rare but those who do possess it are capable of wondrous feats spoken of for generations, such as erecting forests made of crystal or building chariots that can travel across planes of existence. And where even the victory of the gods and other divine beings isn’t certain, as mortals and rakshasa also scheme and plot to make their mark in history and influence world events to their liking.

History of Devabhumi talks about the major events of the setting, but just as importantly the cosmic concept of the Kalachakra, or “wheel of time.” Time itself has no beginning or end, and is infinitely cyclical. Due to this, there is no Big Bang or creation story in cultures, but people still research the past and present as a means of coming to understand the world and its changes. Time is divided into four Yugas, or Ages, which last around 4 million years each. Satya Yuga, the golden age, is the first yuga, where gods and mortals lived together in harmony and is generally regarded as the most ideal age by historians. However, it wasn’t a utopia free of conflict, for asuras sought to wreak division and suffering by encouraging mortals to commit evil via deception and tempting offerings.

Treta Yuga, the silver age, saw the first kingdoms to arise along with specific class distinctions via the division of labor, and through this many cultures walked a fine line between pursuing selfish desires and ambition while still striving for virtue. Gods still lived in the world of mortals, but they started becoming more isolated from wider society, and asura and other evil forces started to operate more openly via overt warfare and conquest.

The Dvapara Yuga, the bronze age, is the current age of the setting, and is 2.5 million years into the cycle. This age is marked by a notable decrease in the standard of living via frequency of wars, famine, natural disasters, and societies becoming increasingly fractured over competition of resources. The asura manage to become significant power blocs via the formation of expanding kingdoms, and the gods almost never interact with mortals beyond close circles of sages. On the plus side, this age is marked by development of innovative magic and technology, along with the discovery of new lands.

While it’s still far off, the end of the Dvapara Yuga will be marked by the gods leaving the world entirely and the asura conquering Devabhumi in full. Once this happens, the Kali Yuga, or iron age, will arrive, a time of strife and darkness where the asura rule almost completely unchecked, and knowledge and technology of past eras is forgotten. The age will end once the god Kalki reincarnates and destroys the world. Only a few pious souls will be spared, and then reality will reset into a new Satya Yuga.

After this general explanation, we get specific entries on recent history in Devabhumi proper. The last great war was the Mahabharata, which occurred a little over a thousand years ago but its effects are still being felt today. What began as a dispute between the Kuru and Pandava dynasties escalated into a cataclysmic war that used Astras* which destroyed entire regions and cities. The Pandavas achieved a pyrrhic victory, but the war left most of their subjects dead. Northern Devabhumi is covered in ruins, leading to southern realms on the subcontinent to grow as rising powers. We get a sidebar of notable figures who participated in the Mahabharata and would thus be remembered as household names in the setting, such as the peerless archer Arjuna and his charioteer Krishna, the latter of whom sought to remain neutral during the war. The calendar system has 12 months which each have 30 or 31 days, and the denomination for years is centered around the end of the war, with NS a shorthand for Nave Sal or “new year.” The current year is 1044 NS.

*basically magical Weapons of Mass Destruction.

The asura managed to take advantage of the political instability by seizing control of a handful of western coastal settlements. But one such figure, Maladhari, stands head and shoulders above the rest and became known as the Asura Queen. The precursor to her rule began at the end of the Treta Yuga, where the drying up of a great river that sustained millions of people saw mass migrations from the desertification of their homelands, with most fleeing to the coast and causing a refugee crisis. In the city of Khara, the rioting and political division from the stretching of resources allowed Maladhari to storm the city with an army of asura in the name of “restoring order,” and after establishing her power base she conquered nearby city-states in a growing kingdom-to-be.

I will note an inconsistency in the text regarding the Asura Queen. As the book notes that it’s 2.5 million years into the Dvapara Yuga, that would mean that the refugee crisis around the end of the Treta Yuga occurred around that long ago. But 11 pages later, the book notes that the Asura Queen’s rise to power happened a few decades ago, and the rest of the book treats her as a new rising power vs one that’s been in place for what would be countless mortal lifetimes.

This section ends with a description of seasons and how they manifest in regions. Basically Devabhumi is a hot subcontinent, being more arid in the north and more humid in the east and south. There are three Realms, which are similar to but distinct from planes of existence in that they are planets which can be visited via portals and magic. But people arrive there most commonly by being reincarnated into a being that then lives on said planet. Bhuloka is the planet that contains the continent of Devabhumi, Svargaloka is the home of the gods who each have their own kingdom populated by their servants and greatest devotees, and Patala is a planet shrouded in darkness home to asuras, nagas, and the souls of people who committed deeds of great evil in their past life. Yamaraj, the god of death and judge of souls, rules over the realm of Naraka, and releases souls back into Bhuloka once they “served their time.”

Spoiler

I wanted to include this big beautiful map (that you can also see for free on Itch.io), but as it would blow up the page I put it in spoilers.

The People of Devabhumi focuses on the continent’s major cultures on the macro-level. The inhabitants of the subcontinent are known as Devavasi, or Vasi for short, which translates to “dwellers.” Devabhumi also has a shortened term of Bhumi, which simply means “land.” The overarching customs, predominant languages, and religious traditions that tie the various people of the subcontinent together is known as the Indic culture, serving as an umbrella term encompassing the many varied subcultures living here. There are three major geo-cultural groups: the Bhavata preside in Devabhumi’s north and northwest regions which is home to deserts and heartland plains, the Parthiva comprise the south and are heavily based around the coast, while the Asrita dominate the eastern rainforests. There’s a fourth group, the Zhav, who are nomads that travel the land and adopt elements of various cultures they interact with yet also have their own unique traditions.

Indic culture has various commonalities, grouped up into 11 major subjects, ranging from organization of family units, common forms of food and currency, cultural taboos, holidays, and common forms of recreation. I won’t go over every subject, but I will highlight some I deem particularly important or interesting. Devabhumi still follows the copper/silver/gold standard, and particular kingdoms often stamp their own seals which are typically the face of the ruling raja.

There’s a wide variety of food, although barley and millet are common crops across Devabhumi and it’s taboo to eat any form of cattle (cows and bulls, buffalos, etc) as they are considered sacred animals. The majority of the populace has access to and eats various forms of meat and seafood, but vegetarianism is practiced by a minority. Abstaining from meat, garlic, and onions for 3 days is required to be pure enough to conduct a Puja, a form of ritual involving fire and a sacrifice whose particulars differ upon the god(s) being honored.

Reincarnation is a cosmic reality, where upon death a soul leaves the body and enters a new one. A soul’s karma, or accumulation of the deeds they performed in their last life, determines whether they are born into a new life in more or less fortunate circumstances. In a rare few cases they might descend into Patala or ascend into Svagaloka. There are exceptions and ways around reincarnation: the first case involves a soul who has a strong desire to rectify what they view as “unfinished business,” causing them to persist as a ghost-like bodiless Bhoota who is trapped in a constant cycle of hunger-like pain. The other way is via necromancy, as the soul thus becomes stuck in limbo and restlessness. Like most campaign settings, this school of magic is seen as particularly vile by the general populace.

Devabhumi has its own languages, with 8 major ones detailed here. Bhavata is the most common and functions as the Common tongue, being spoken in the center and north and is used for trade and cross-cultural interaction. Parthiva is the second-most common language, spoken mainly in the south and whose inhabitants take great pride in preserving it. Asrita is spoken in the east, and while the region is pretty isolated it has incorporated elements of Bhavita and Parthiva into everyday speech. Anarya is the umbrella term for the many languages of the Zhav nomads. In terms of racial languages, Vaanara is spoken by the primate humanoids known as the Vaanars, and Varali is spoken by the treelike Yakshi people. Patala is the “common” tongue of Patala as well as asura and naga in general, while Svarga is akin to Celestial in being the language of the gods along with apsaras and garudas.

One aspect of Indian society that is interestingly absent, save for an implied example in one kingdom the next section, is the caste system. The author explained this reasoning in the comments section of the Itch.io storefront here, basically that the desire to leave it out along with other sensitive issues of Indian history is to make a setting where a player has freedom to play the character they want and not “not a place where they face the same issues as the world that they live in.” While in the real world caste discrimination is illegal on paper in India, it isn’t always enforced and its legacy is still a major issue today. So I like Patel’s explanation on this, and feel that it’s worth pointing out given that most other Fantasy India campaign settings still have a caste system in some shape or form.

Nations & Tribes takes a look at Devabhumi’s various regions, split up into smaller kingdoms and domains listing major population centers and general points of interest. Like the culture section, I won’t be covering every such particular place, but rather highlight the ones that stand out the most.

North Devabhumi is bordered by the Aakashparvat Mountains, from which the holy Devapani River flows and is a major economic and religious power for countless communities among its banks. Even after the end of the Mahabharata, conflict is still sadly a reality for the people. In addition to mortal rajas and ranis*, there are bandits, asura, and other evildoers and opportunists scouring the land to enrich themselves off of other people’s misfortune. But it is also a land of great beauty and history, with ruins once home to the dwellings of mythic races, sages, and even gods.

*female term for rajah.

The Kuru Kingdom is the oldest in the region, whose current raja treats his subjects well but is warlake and feared by his neighbors. The people hew to conservative and orthodox ways and are distrustful of esoteric teachings and foreigners. Their adherence to the Law of Dharma heavily discourages people from straying too much beyond their societal occupations. One interesting place includes the Colossus of Rudra, a likeness of one of the god Shiva’s forms that serves a popular yet dangerous pilgrimage route, as the water flowing from the head of the statue is believed to extend one’s natural lifespan by a century. Another is the battlefield of Kurkshetra, where the Mahabharata took place, and is a haunted realm where not even the smallest animal or blade of grass grows, and holds many abandoned legendary weapons. Opportunistic scavengers have to compete with asura and undead who prowl the land.

The Matsya Kingdom is west of the Kurus, and while smaller in land it is a magical superpower whose capital city of Virata is home to an old and famous school of magic. They allied with the Kurus, but even their power wasn’t enough to turn the tide of war, and in modern times they made up for their shortage of soldiers with magic-users. In comparison to the Kuru, the Matsya subjects are known for being open-minded and display a curiosity to new things and foreigners, but they are fiercely patriotic and brook no talk of disrespect to their land and people. In addition to a college of wizards, the raja is in possession of an airship known as the Vimana which he lends to adventurers in exchange for them accomplishing important quests for him.

Maladhari’s Dominion is the growing empire of the Asura Queen, currently consisting of four cities on the western coast. Each city has a governor appointed by her, not all of whom are necessarily asura. For example, the city of Ranapur is ruled by Vilamba Rani, a human woman. It is a dangerous realm to visit, for the people have been pretty thoroughly cowed into submission, being too fearful to mount rebellions and their reigning asuras are eager to do what they want and take what they will.

But the asura serving Maladhari are not necessarily unified. The city of Malini is a particularly chaotic place, whose soldiers are prone to killing and stealing for the thrill of it on a large scale. Maladhari might be wicked, but she isn’t fond of getting rid of too many mortal slaves and laborers at once, so if its ruler is unable to reign in such excesses the Asura Queen will send in outside armies to take control. Beyond the cities, one interesting place includes the cursed mobile town of Upadi, which appears like a mirage to tired travelers, inhabited by undead eager for new prey.

Not so much a location as a major culture, the entry on the Zhav concludes our overview of Northern Devabhumi. They immigrated to the subcontinent from foreign lands around the beginning of the Dvapara-Yuga. They come from a wide plateau to the far west, and worship a sky spirit by the name of Dyuman. They are renowned horse-riders and archers which are taught to them from a young age, and their talents and technology were incorporated in the rest of Devabhumi. One such example is the brigandine armor known as Chilta Hara Nakh, or “Coat of a Thousand Nails.” Even to this day, their livelihood revolves around the animals they herd.

I spotted an error in the entry of this book, where a section of a paragraph is repeated twice:

The Zhav people have their own unique culture separate from the culture of Devabhumi. Born under the open sky, a Zhav has lived on the road and slept under the stars as early as they can remember. Every Zhav learns the skills of archery and horse riding, starting as early as six. They believe in a central sky spirit, the one who created the vast open sky and the grand plains they roam. The Zhav have elaborate worship rituals, where they venerate their ancestors surrounded by a circle of stampeding horses. They are pastoralists that travel with large herds of goats and cattle, sustaining themselves from the animals alone.

The Zhav people have their own unique culture separate from the culture of Devabhumi. Born under the open sky, a Zhav has lived on the road and slept under the stars as early as they can remember. Every Zhav learns the skills of archery and horse riding, starting as early as six.

Eastern Devabhumi is heavily dominated by forests and jungles, with the eastern end of the Aakashparvat Mountains lowering into hills. The omnipresent woodland prevents large-scale warfare due to the difficulty of moving troops through them, and many kingdoms can be comfortably hidden beneath the eaves of tall trees. When diplomacy fails, conflict takes place as smaller skirmishes that inevitably end in negotiations. The smaller Hira mountain range is home to mostly-untapped veins of diamonds, known for being the largest known in Devabhumi. Many people have tried and failed to mount expeditions to them, and in addition to natural hazards the naga who live there are hostile to trespassers.

There are four major geo-political entities in the east. The first is the Magadha Kingdom, whose inhabitants live in treetop and stilt homes raised above the forest floor, and their friendliness and hospitality makes them a popular trading hub. The second is the Chandavati Kingdom, who are fiercely devoted to the god Indra who managed to dispel a roaming supernatural famine that afflicted their people when they were once desperate refugees, but their continual conflicts with rampaging danavas (bulky anthropomorphic fiends) and other threats have made them xenophobic. The Neelanag Kingdom has a naga-majority population, who make ample use of diamonds and gemstones into local art and architecture. But the realm is troubled by a succession crisis on the horizon, for its raja has been unable to conceive a child and it’s rumored that he might be able to sire offspring with a naga who shares his rare olive scale tone. Most naga in this kingdom are blue, as Neelanaga literally means ‘blue snake.’ Finally, we have the Samya Confederacy, a loose network of six hunter-gatherer tribes whose local appointed leaders convene regularly for important matters that affect them as a whole. We get brief names and details for each tribe, such as the Unnata tribe whose members are very tall, averaging seven feet or more. All of the tribes domesticated a rare animal known as a makara, aquatic beasts who have the head of an elephant and body of a crocodile, and can be ridden on safely in bodies of water which makes them effective naval cavalry.

There aren’t many Points of Interest in this section. Magadha has the shrine of Bhamsvedi, one of the holiest sites on Devabhumi whose waters are dedicated to the deity Moksha, and thus can help cleanse the sins of the truly remorseful. Crocodiles guard the way to the shrine and can see whether a pilgrim is pure of heart. The Saya Confederacy has Devabhumi Bay, the endpoint of the Devapani River that could be a major economic and trade hub. Yet the Samya people and many natural disasters prevent any large-scale town-building here. Lastly we have the Sampriya Wilderness, a portion of jungle that is home to animals of amazing size, and those few Samya who live here are on a constant combat footing against the many local dangers.

Southern Devabhumi is a diverse region, home to the Dakkhana Plateau that is the subcontinent’s heartland and teeming with towns both old and new, ruined and standing alike. The hilly Shur Range is home to many caves and an active volcano, with cities on the coast and misty forests inland where the elusive Vaanar people are known to dwell. The wet lowlands are a natural hiding place for monsters of all kinds, but its fertility makes it perfect for growing rice that feeds countless people across Devabhumi, making it a dangerous realm in which to live but necessary to defend. The subcontinent’s southern tip is home to the island of Thaara, from which many stories of amazing adventures come from.

There are five major geo-political entities in the south. The Avanti Confederation grew from hardy independent tribes who raided others. They united under a great warlord five centuries ago, but their territory has shrunk over the last two hundred years. The Confederation is made up of clans ruled by nobles who elect one of their own to be the Peshwa, who rules over all of them. The current Peshwa enacted a series of reforms, such as universal education in the capital city and forming a conventional standing army, not all of which is well-received by the Confederation. Another source of potential conflict includes the city of Jinkale, originally part of the Vindhya Kingdom but claimed by the Avanti during a prior war. The current rani of the latter kingdom seeks to liberate the city, which will lead to all-out war.

The Vindhya Kingdom has a long and proud history stretching back to the Satya Yuga, whose standards of living and wisdom of its leaders were the envy of even the gods. But it’s fallen greatly, and its current government is riddled with incompetence and corruption. Adding to this problem, a long-lasting famine has halved the kingdom’s population over the last hundred years, and they suffered various invasions over the last thousand years that saw the capital city losing much of its splendor.

The Danda Kingdom sits at a crossroad of several rivers, and the recent discovery of sea routes that circumnavigate the subcontinent granted the realm great wealth as well as a powerful navy. Some of Devabhumi’s most famous explorers hail from this kingdom, although its rulers have a less rosy reputation given the large amount of kinslaying and infighting over the throne.

The Vaanar Forest is home to the simian race of the same name, who are insular and their family units form larger clans. Vaanar are loyal first and foremost to their clans over any pan-Vanaar sense of identity. The forest is filled with magical clouds that can mislead visitors, along with monsters such as the cyclopean bhramrachok. Temples to the god Hanuman are hidden throughout the forest, who led an army of vaanar to aid Rama in rescuing his wife Sita from the asura king Ravana.

While there are hundreds of vaanar clans (and a series of tables for generating clan leader NPCs), two bear special mention. The Angada clan is the largest and most widespread, whose leader is wise and far-seeing but finds his hands full at being a peace-keeper. An increasingly popular movement to re-establish the old vanaar kingdom of Sugriva is growing, encouraging war with smaller clans and extending their borders beyond the forest. The other source of conflict is the Yugyuva clan, who ended up becoming possessed by demons known as yakkas whose evil nature is causing these vanaar to become monstrous in appearance as well as mentality. They have started attacking other vanaar and anyone else they can get their claws on.

The final realm of the south is the Kingdom of Thaara, a lush island that has been ruled by a dizzying array of cultures: mortal, asura, and gods alike, with Ravana being the most famous historical king. Currently the island is ruled by Aamaya Rani, whose origin is the speculation of folk tales. But the common consensus is that she was set out to sea as a baby, part of a raja’s sacrifice to appease the sea god Varuna for killing one of his priests. She was safely sheltered and the winds blew her to Thaara, adopted by a local family of fishers. Aamya later married the prince and was given the throne after his death. Thaara is notable for having not one, but two capital cities: Katalmakkal and Vanamakkal, the former on the coast and the latter in the interior forest. The raja/rani’s court traditionally switches places between them every so often, so as not to cause feelings of elitism or resentment in making one seem more favored.

In addition to the large number of kingdoms, Southern Devabhumi has a good amount of Points of Interest, too. For instance, the Tejasvi Falls are rumored to hold a secret cave temple to the sun god Surya that is rumored to hold a great reward, but can only be entered by a leap of faith from the waterfall’s peak. Or the ruined city of Aranyanagar, which is said to hold treasure that remains undiscovered by scavengers to this day. Or the Pushpaka Crash Site somewhere in the rainforest of Thaara, housing the remains of Ravana’s flying chariot but whose scattered pieces can still be useful for building a new magical vehicle.

The Great Churning is the final region of this chapter, consisting of the Purvaja Sea. The Great Churning is the name of an old legend, speaking of a rare collaboration between the Devas and Asuras in churning the ocean in order to obtain an immortal elixir known as Amrita. Many mighty monsters spawned from the Great Churning as a result, such as the seven-headed horse of legend, the Uchaishrava, that was once used as a mount by the god Indra.

The sea is home to a chain of islands that lay mostly undisturbed, and contain all manner of wondrous places, creatures, and treasure, but the book is kind enough to give us two sample locations. The first is the Garuda Isles, inhabited by legendary bird-people who form various settlements here, trading, interacting, and warring with each other. It is said that they are descendents of the great sage Kashyapa, which would make them distant relatives of the nagas. Garudas primarily hunt and build nests for their young, and there’s hundreds of colonies across the isles. Being ardent worshipers of Vishnu, they build temples inside trees dedicated to him. There is a clan of asura known as the Nastasva who were long forgotten by the gods and other asura during the Great Churning. Lacking the traditional magical abilities of much of their kind, they fruitlessly seek ways of amassing power. They are still a danger, often raiding isles and sailors unlucky enough to be in their path.

Jalpurush is both an island and a creature, a gigantic turtle believed to be an avatar of Vishnu. A mountain reaching to the heavens on the turtle’s back is known as Magnha Pravatah, or “the sinking mountain.” Jalpurush’s blood flows through the many tropical plants and animals growing upon its back, each bearing a cerulean mark as proof of their ties to divinity. Natural springs of amrita give the native life immortal lifespans. A magnificent city known as Deakurmapuram is carved into the mountain, a near-utopian settlement of splendor and plenty whose inhabitants devote themselves to various forms of art and music.

Thoughts So Far: Devabhumi starts out with a strong first impression right out of the gate. Its introduction is brief yet paints a clear picture of what kind of campaigns the setting wishes to support. Its history and locations paint a picture of a land wrought in various kinds of conflict, along with potential realms of interest to dungeon-delving and adventuring types. While one gets the sense that the Asura Queen is being set up as the BBEGal, there’s quite the number of smaller-scale threats in every region of Devabhumi. Due to this, just about anywhere feels like an ideal place to start a campaign, without feeling the need to move the party to a more interesting locale.

The text is easy to read, as strategic use of bolded font calls attention to locations, NPCs, and concepts of note under the various sections, and the placement of illustrations is frequent enough that you’re not hit with too many walls of text. The book also does a good job of providing brief descriptions of new monsters or unfamiliar concepts so that the reader can quickly know what the author is talking about. It still has that “first-time publisher” feel, like the lack of bookmarks and the accidental repeating text, but so far the errors haven’t been too numerous.

Join us next time as we cover two major Cities and Devabhumi’s gods and cosmos in Religion, Cults & Factions, and Karma!

 

[Libertad]

You can see a full-sized map on Reddit.

Whereas our prior post looked at Devabhumi on a subcontinental and then regional level, Cities goes even smaller scope by detailing two major population centers. The first is Hastinapur, the capital of the Kuru Kingdom. It is one of the largest metropolises on the continent in both land and population, and circular stone walls separate the city into several districts. The Devapani River runs through its center from west to east, with smaller tributaries running through the city that are used for drinking and bathing. Beyond the walls, several farming communities are counted as part of the city’s population, while the outermost ring holds districts housing artisans, merchants, and skilled laborers. The second inner ring houses the noble families, temples, and guard barracks along with the royal palace.

Hastinapur has 20 detailed locations, such as the Temple of Vishnu whose high priest secretly possesses a powerful astra and is in search of a worthy wielder to use against the Asura Queen. There’s also the Royal Palace, which houses two princely brothers, with the younger one willing to resort to dishonorable tactics to secure himself being next in line. For those with an eye for shopping, the impressive Mandir Markets sell just about everything legal, from street food to a rare magic item every now and then. But there’s a conspiracy of merchants engaging in counterfeit spices to sell to those not sophisticated enough to discern real ones of quality. An arena used to train war elephants supplements the armies of the kingdom, and they’re even willing to sell mounts to civilians. But only the older and injured ones, and via auctions that are the frequent site of expensive bidding wars.

Devakurmapuram, the City of the God Turtle, is located on the mountain adorning the island-sized turtle Jalpurush. Its architecture is shaped by Saraswati’s Stonemasons, a guild of spellcasters who use a blend of geomantic and aquatic magic combined with bardic music to shape rocks and rivers for urban development. It is separated into three districts, each named after a deity. The Vishnu District houses much of the city-state’s military, and is home to the city’s only hostel where soldiers disguised as travelers keep an eye on visitors. The Indra District house stables for mounts, where magical towers channel the power of lightning to repel large-scale invasions and more powerful monsters. This district is home to Yashdeva, the half-asura general of Devakurmapuram’s army who is willing to go the extra mile to prove that his heritage doesn’t define him, and has recently become susceptible to Gayatri’s plots.

Finally, the Saraswati District is an artistic neighborhood with problems spelling trouble in paradise. First off, the local oracle Gandhari used to apply her talents in predicting future calamities so that the city can avert or prepare for them, as well as giving blessings to newborn children in choosing their name. But she’s fallen ill the past three months, and nobody’s been able to cure her. She may very well die from this, and there’s nobody talented enough to replace Gandhari as orcale. The other problem pertains to Gayatri, a half-apsara whose human heritage caused her to be spurned by her fellows, with her own mother going on to leave with them in a secluded garden part of the city. Gayatri is eager to prove herself a worthy equal to the three immortal apsaras and finally live with her mother. In order to do this, she secretly plots to obtain a dose of amrita from the exclusive garden and drink it. The city’s inhabitants are forbidden from consuming the elixir of immortality, for in so doing the island would become overcrowded and the supply of amrita would eventually run out. If Gayatri becomes the first to do this, this will spell eventual political instability as the once-sacrosanct line has now been crossed. “For if she can be justified in doing so, why can’t others?”

Thoughts: Hastinapur may be short in page count, but it has just enough sample sites and characters for the DM to build the foundations for adventure, along with some seeds to grow further plots such as the Vishnu priest’s hidden astra or the scheming younger prince. The other locations covered strike a balance between general world-building to make the city feel authentic, and places of interest to adventuring PC types like suggestions on where one might look to buy magic items and other common services. Devakurmapuram feels lacking in comparison, as barring two sample crisis points the city feels too idyllic and well-defended to be the site of adventures. It’s the type of place that in an RPG would serve as a safe haven where characters can stop between adventures, as opposed to a place that can sustain adventures.

Religion in Devabhumi is united by three central concepts: Karma, where every action comes with a consequence; Dharma, or behaviors that are in line with nature and harmony and pertain to the duties of an individual; and Samsara, the cycle of reincarnation that governs all life. Powerful though they may be, not even the gods can defy these cosmic laws, and are subject to them just as much as mortals. But beyond these three rules, faiths take on many forms and can change, not just from kingdom to kingdom but even village to village. Devabhumi is a land of many gods, and in some cases even non-godly beings such as rakshasa form religious orders dedicated to their worship.

The Indic pantheon has six major gods, followed by an innumerable number of devas (devi is feminine form, basically a “goddess”) that cover just about everything in existence, both conceptual and material. The latter category has over 10,000 such divinities chronicled in-universe, but only 11 of the most commonly-worshiped ones are covered in the book. As evidenced with the Zhav’s sky spirit and the Samya Confederacy’s adoption of relatively unknown nature spirits, there are deities foreign to Devabhumi, so they aren’t the end-all be-all. The book notes that the DM is encouraged to create deities based on the needs of the campaign, particularly for local gods, and has a list of common questions to ask when creating local faiths and their traditions.

The listed gods and devas are all explicitly taken from real-world Hinduism. The gods have specific alignments listed on the ninefold axis: for example, Brahma is True Neutral while Shiva is Chaotic Good. The Devas, however, are more fluid in that they only cover one axis of alignment in being “lawful,” “good,” and so on. For instance, Ganesha is listed as Lawful. No deity has an evil listing, and while not technically gods the role of asura and rakshasa appear to fill in the role of “evil deities” in Devabhumi. None of the gods have listed domains, although the text discusses common areas of influence along with holy symbols and why said symbols are representative of that deity. Additionally, a god’s worshiper doesn’t have to be the same or even close in alignment, and such people usually perform great penances and sacrifices for proscribed behavior in order to get back into a deity’s good graces.

The six main gods have male-female pairings of spouses and consorts, each representing creation, preservation, and destruction. They are Brahma (creator deity, responsible for creating many creatures that populate the world to this day) and Saraswati (governs education and the arts, the more ‘practical’ aspects of creation), Vishnu (a rather hands-on god who acts as a divine do-gooder and is a very popular deity) and Lakshmi (represents beauty, fertility, and worldly gain and success), and Shiva (holds the role of destroying the world in order to create a new one) and Parvati (goddess of motherhood, gentleness, and strength and can take the form of Kali when roused to anger). Common types of temples and worshipers vary in line with the god’s nature. For example, Lakshmi’s centers of worship tend to be small waystation shrines or household paintings and statues, the former to help grant travelers good fortune and the latter as a means of inviting the goddess to dwell within a house.

The eleven devas and devis include Agni (god of fire, acts as a middleman to other deities given the use of fire in puja rituals), Ganesha (god of good luck and prosperity who people commonly pray to before beginning great tasks and endeavors), Hanuman (god of loyalty, strength, and wisdom, favored by soldiers, laborers, and others saddled with burdens), Indra (god of storms and rain, worshiped by farmers and sacrifices are made during the planting season), Kali (goddess of death and violence, not regularly worshiped save by Thugees and usually turned to by people who view violence as inevitable in their lives), Kamadeva (god of beauty and desire, favored by couples and the married who wish to sire children), Kartikeya (god of battle and strategy, is a popular deity in the south and soldiers often call upon his name before carrying out their duties), Surya (god of light, the sun, and new beginnings, a dispeller of darkness of all kinds and is universally popular), Varuna (god of the sky, sea, and other bodies of water, does not control the ocean so much as soothes and nudges it, is a popular deity among sages and doctors as well as sailors), Vayu (god of the wind, messages, and breath, plays an important role in keeping living creatures alive via giving them air to breathe, not commonly worshiped save in order to enact particular healing rituals), and Yamaraj (judge of the dead, is impartial and was actually one of the first mortals to exist by rejecting immortality to avoid a life of endless boredom and ennui).

Thoughts: I am not a Hindu and I don’t know much about the religion beyond common knowledge stuff from a Western perspective, so I cannot speak to the appropriateness of their portrayal in a role-playing supplement, much less how accurate are their assigned alignments. But their descriptions in Devabhumi more or less seem to match their general portfolios and purposes in the real-world religion. The divinities provided here cover a wide ground for PCs of the more religious types, and along with the below cults there’s enough distinctive faiths and methods of worship to make a cleric of Kartikeya feel different from one who pays homage to Indra.

Devabhumi is very Hindu-inspired in terms of the religious traditions of real-world India. But when it comes to the other religions of the subcontinent, I did spot some things associated with Jainism in this book. Such as special shoes in the equipment chapter designed to minimize surface area, and thus less likely to crush bugs and small creatures. But for Buddhism and Sikhism, I don’t see any counterpart groups, or rather I may not have enough know-how in their traditions and peculiarities to immediately spot things that jump out at me, like the aforementioned shoes. And I do know enough about Islam to say that they aren’t present as a fantasy counterpart here. This isn’t a criticism necessarily, as trying to holistically cover every major faith of the world’s most populous country is beyond the scope of an RPG book. But I did feel it worth pointing out for those who might be wondering how, and if, those groups get represented here.

Cults & Factions represent widespread groups in Devabhumi, usually but not always of a religious nature. Unlike other settings, the term “cult” doesn’t necessarily imply a secretive circle of evildoers nor an abusive pyramid scheme ruled by a charismatic leader. It instead refers to a subculture bonded together via a common god, group of gods, and/or rituals. It is not considered unusual or shameful to join a cult in and of itself, although certain cults can earn societal scorn and even retribution depending upon their actions and ideologies. This section provides us with 9 sample cults.

Ahimsayas are pacifist worshipers of Vishnu who maintain strict lifestyles designed to cause the least amount of harm. They are vegetarians and perform occupations deemed to be largely beneficial to the common good, such as artisans and merchants. They have a universally good reputation to the point that some inns and restaurants provide vegetarian menus to encourage their patronage. They also get involved in local government in order to advance their principles of non-violence on a political scale.

Aghoris are a decentralized, individualistic movement of Shiva worshipers who believe that the world is an illusion. Furthermore, they believe that things regarded as unhealthy and unclean are actually spiritually beneficial, and that pleasurable things are the opposite. They tend to do actions in line with this, like consume cold and rotten food or live as hermits, although some still live relatively normal lives save in largely avoiding worldly luxuries. Beyond their patron deity and questioning of reality, they have no other steadfast tenets, so each Aghori is encouraged to find their own path.

The Hijra are people who are considered neither male nor female, to embody qualities of both masculine and feminine genders. Hijra are largely considered blessed by the gods and are commonly sought after to bless newborns and newly married couples. They live in communal housing with a guru serving as their leader, and their households are considered to be “neutral ground,” so those on the run from an enemy or the law can come in for sanctuary. Hijra tend to worship female deities, but this isn’t universal and they often worship one based on how they identify.

The Kamuaram, or Cult of Kartikeya, is a sect of warrior-sages whose namesake patron deity is revered as a role model for which to model one’s principles. Their group was founded by Agastya the Sage, who created an internal language of Por Moli designed for clarity of communication in regards to “the language of war,” a new martial art known as Silambam, and scientific medicine to encourage a multi-faceted path for a warrior. That way, a practitioner becomes more than just a slayer of lives. Cult bases are closer in purpose to community centers than military fortifications, where they teach civilians means of practical self-defense.

Maha Yaksha is a little-known movement that worships Yakshis, nature spirits* who live in forests. They hope to earn the aid of such Yakshi as a means of having some goal or desire fulfilled, such as finding an ideal romantic or marriage partner.

*and a new playable race.

Tirth Taraka are a society of traveling warriors who owe no allegiance to any particular deity, instead united by ideals of religious freedom and so act as guardians of pilgrims on the road. While they were once large and influential, the Mahabharata caused most of their order to die. In current times they are a small and stretched out sect who have their hands more than full yet no less vigilant in protecting who they can, where they can.

Thugees are a loose movement of bandits across Devabhumi. Many worship Kali and even the more secular members tend to adopt her iconography, but by and large their primary motivation is selfish opportunism wrought by violence and the threat of it. They draw most of their number from the desperate and outcast, but prospects are subjected to demanding trials in order to prove both their loyalty and competence. Thugees play a delicate balancing act; they need to keep a certain distance away from civilization in order to evade the law, but retreating too far places them in dangerous and remote territory with little reward.

Yamadutas are centered around the god of death, but don’t worship him so much as use his name as an excuse to enrich themselves as killers-for-hire. They draw their number from the worst-off in society, granting them shelter and a new family of sorts in order to gain their loyalty. Such loyalty is expected to be absolute, for a superior’s orders are to be followed without question. Failure or insubordination are grounds for execution.

Yogis are practitioners of exercises known as yoga. While some perform them as a means of religious expression, yogis are overall secular in being united as fans of the activity. Yoga is performed as a means of strengthening one’s physical and mental discipline, and their schools are known as Ashrams and typically located in the wilderness. But even nobles and the financially well-off have grown fond of yoga, so some tempt yogi to urban centers as well-paid teachers.

Thoughts: While brief, the sample groups provided have a good mixture of general world-building, patrons and allies for PCs, and adversaries to oppose. For instance, the Ahimsayas’ vows of non-violence aren’t ideal for most 5e PCs, but their integration into communities and politics makes the setting feel more realized and three-dimensional. The Kamuaram and Tirth Taraka look the most suitable for paladins and “honorable warrior” types. Thugees and Yamadutas are tailor-made to be antagonists in the classic bandits in the wilderness and sneaky assassin” types, or perhaps a backstory for a PC with a checkered past.

Karma is a new sub-system that acts as a kind of point-based morality. This reflects the universe reacting to an individual’s deeds and misdeeds, bringing them boons and consequences down the road. Karma is rated on a scale from -15 to 15, and as one gets closer to one end of the spectrum it requires greater and greater acts of altruism or villainy in order to continue. Conversely, slip-ups that knock one’s Karma back become easier; if you’re saintly, even minor selfish desires and actions can lower your karma, while the world’s wickedest person can end up gaining karma from even a tiny act of self-restraint or kindness. Due to this, even the gods and oldest entities rarely if ever maxed out their score or dropped it to its lowest point, and those few who did are some of the most holiest sages and vile entities that ever lived.

Examples are given for what kind of person sits at a general level of karma, and what they would have to do in order to make amends to raise a negative score or how easy it is to slip up and falter for a positive score. For instance, the score range of -3 to 3 is an inoffensive medium, where karma can be gained via minor good deeds that result in a tangible loss or inconvenience that is not dangerous or ruinous, like giving some coins to a beggar. Conversely, karma can be lost via acts of minor harm, such as petty theft or insulting a god. For another example, a karma score of 10 to 14 is typically the highest most pious people get in their whole lives, where in order to gain more one must perform actions of great danger and sacrifice such as putting one’s life in danger to save another or completing a difficult pilgrimage. Meanwhile, losing karma at this level can come from even telling a white lie or succumbing to anger.

The rewards and punishments for karma are primarily driven by DM Fiat, where things auspiciously line up in ways that might be supernatural but have a rational explanation. The magnitude and frequency increases the farther along one gets on the axis. For example, someone of -3 to 3 karma may find a coin in the street as a little convenience after performing a good deed, or mud is splattered on them from a passing horse after doing a bad deed. Meanwhile, someone of 10 to 14 karma will have good things happening to them on a daily basis, with enemies subconsciously targeting others in combat and they seem to stumble upon treasure just from traveling around. Albeit this last example this tends to happen to PCs in a typical campaign by default, so it might not be the best means of showcasing karmic justice.

Thoughts: Given the prominence of karma in Indian culture and their religious traditions, I can understand making it an important and persistent aspect of a campaign in order to reinforce themes in line with myths and legends. However, whenever one introduces a new sub-system, it should ideally be both easy to understand and seamless enough to insert into play. Barring gaming groups whose PCs shoulder their burdens together and make decisions as a team all the time, a DM will need to juggle the consequences of various individual karma scores and come up with events of cosmic consequence for each PC’s actions during play.

Then, there’s the delicate balancing act of ensuring that the players feel that said consequences are the natural result of said actions, rather than making them continually guess as to what is just a coincidence or karmic in nature. At worst, perceptions of favoritism can arise if one player appears to be suffering less or being rewarded more despite having a close or same score, or arguments over the DM being inconsistent in their rulings. While I don’t think that a karma or “morality with consequences” sub-system is a bad one in and of itself, Devabhumi’s default could use more fleshing out to account for these potential difficulties.

Thoughts So Far: I found these chapters to be overall good, but the Karma subsystem left much to be desired. The coverage of gods and cults does much to make Devabhumi’s religious traditions feel authentically unique as opposed to generic fantasy with a South Asian paint job. The maps for the two sample cities are beautiful and just begging to be used.

If I had any suggestions for improvement, I would’ve liked to see more discussion on where divine casting classes would fit into Devabhumi’s faiths. While it would more appropriately be covered in the next set of chapters, there isn’t much talk about in this book on how existing classes and subclasses fit into the setting beyond some generalities. I would’ve loved to see how Druids, with their penchant for animal shapeshifting and unique shared language, would’ve been interpreted in the setting, or how Paladins and their oaths would interact with gods and the world.

Join us next time as check out new races, backgrounds, feats, and items in Character Creation and Equipment!

 

[Libertad]

Character Creation is a brief overview that summarizes the following chapters. I should also note that all of the content in this post (minus the Astras) are also available in the Devabhumi Player’s Guide, which also includes the History of Devabhumi and People of Devabhumi chapters in addition to the Welcome and Epilogue. Said guide’s content more or less has everything the same, save for a formatting error on page 12 where the colored sidebars for particular entries don’t exactly line up with the text. An error that isn’t in the main campaign PDF.

The book mentions that backgrounds and classes from the SRD can fit into the world without trouble, although it doesn’t really talk in detail about how the classes would be different in flavor than the typical Western fantasy realm. The mentioning of the SRD is an odd choice, as the only applicable background from that is Acolyte. I presume that the author meant to say that Devabhumi is built with allowing the Player’s Handbook options, but can’t outright say that on account of being a third party creator.

There are eight major Races of Devabhumi, which more or less replace the ones from the core rules. Humans are by far the most populous race, followed by half-apsaras and half-asuras. Unless noted otherwise, the following races are medium humanoids with walking speeds of 30 feet.

Humanity was created by Brahma during the Satya Yuga, with Manu being the first among them. Thus, many humans call themselves Manushya, or “children of Manu.” They used to live peaceful, egalitarian lives before Kausilya became the first king, imagining himself to be greater than all the others. This caused humans to divide themselves over all sorts of matters. In terms of stats, humans use the Variant Human option from the PHB, although they don’t get a bonus skill.

Thoughts: There isn’t much to say that hasn’t been said about Variant Humans, although I am curious why they don’t get a bonus skill in this case. They’re still a really good option due to their bonus feat.

Half-apsaras are humans with apsara lineage, the latter of whom were creations of the gods made to entertain them. Apsaras sought to leave the heavenly realms to explore the world, so the gods punished them by casting them into the mortal world naked without any of their belongings and limited to mortal lifespans. Half-apsaras are known to look beautiful and have a great passion for art, crafting, and scholarship, but have a shorter lifespan than humans where they die of old age in their 50s. In terms of stats they have +2 Charisma, +1 to another ability of their choice, have Svarga as a bonus language, a once per day Inspiring Voice ability that grants up to 6 allies a bonus on ability checks and saves equal to the Half-apsara’s PB (proficiency bonus) for 1 minute, and a Warding Light which is akin to the Light Cleric’s Warding Flare but whose use is based on PB rather than Wisdom modifier.

Thoughts: The Warding Light is too powerful to include for a race, as it’s part of the reason why the Light domain is one of the best subclasses for Clerics. Furthermore, the Inspiring Voice really messes with bounded accuracy at middle-to-higher levels. A +2 bonus alone is still a significant boon.

Half-asuras are humans with asura heritage. Asura in Devabhumi serve the narrative purpose of demons and the text even describes them as “demons” and “demonic” at times. While half-asura have free will, they experience urges throughout their lives to do violent and wicked deeds. Half-asura that continue to give in to these impulses have their physical appearance grow more and more beastlike. In terms of stats they have +2 Strength, +1 to another ability of their choice, darkvision 60 feet, gain Patala as a bonus language, and a unique feature based upon whether they have an evil or non-evil alignment. Non-evil half-asura are particularly strong-willed specimens who gain proficiency in Wisdom saves and advantage on saves to avoid becoming charmed and frightened. Evil asura can assume a more monstrous form once per short rest (no action type listed), causing any hostile creatures who see them to become frightened for 1 minute should they fail a Wisdom save, and can make a new save every round to shake it off.

Thoughts: Aside from the naga, the half-asura are the only race in Devabhumi that have darkvision by default, which makes them rather useful for dungeon-delving and night-time encounters. Their alignment-based features are both quite strong, with the non-evil one being more broadly applicable and also persistent in use rather than per rest. Frightened is still a very potent condition to apply to foes, and being able to target multiple foes makes it even better. Even evil half-asura aren’t necessarily suboptimal, depending on the right build.

Garuda are humanoids with birdlike wings, heads, and feet. They were created by the god Vishnu, where a sage with two wives prayed to the god in order to conceive children. Vishnu answered each woman their wish: one asked for a thousand offspring, the other asked for just two who would be equal to the other’s thousand. Both laid an egg, one of which hatched two eagles that became the garuda, the other hatched a thousand snakes that would later become the naga.

Garuda and naga have a fierce hatred of each other, much like eagles and snakes. Naga are nocturnal, while garuda operate during the day, and naga are fond of kidnapping garuda eggs to eat. Garuda have a tradition known as the Shahi Shikar, where a young member of their species goes on a hunt for a dangerous creature as part of a coming-of-age ritual. Those who fail in their hunt are exiled from their society, which can be a background story for a garuda PC.

In terms of stats garuda have +1 to Dexterity, Wisdom, and third ability score of their choice. They have Svarga as a bonus language, a flying speed of 40 feet provided they’re not wearing medium or heavy armor, their talons are unarmed strikes that deal slashing damage and grant advantage on checks to grapple targets, and once per short rest can Mark Prey by granting themselves advantage on all attack rolls until the end of their next turn. This last one doesn’t require an action type to activate.

Thoughts: The flying speed alone makes the garuda a powerful race. While they don’t get a boost to strength by default, advantage on grapple checks opens them up to some rather potent combos: if they get some speed-boosting effect like Cunning Action or Haste, they can fly upwards with a grappled foe and drop them from a great height. Furthermore, their Mark Prey is useful for Rogue’s Sneak Attack or a Fighter’s Action Surge in really being able to up their potential damage.

Vaanar are monkey-like humanoids with fur and long tails who live in isolated jungle communities. They were created by Brahma in order to aid Rama in fighting Ravana who kidnapped the latter’s wife. Vaanar worship their creator deity as well as Hanuman, who was also a fierce foe of Ravana while he still lived. Vaanar society is divided into groups of clans and tribes, the former being smaller and higher priority in loyalty. They spend their childhood years in schools known as Gurukulas to be instructed in practical skills along with language and spiritual matters. They are incredibly social and enjoy spending time with their fellows, so exile from a clan is considered a fate worse than death and reserved for only the most heinous crimes.

In terms of stats, Vaanar have +2 Dexterity, +1 to another score of their choice, speak Vaanar as a bonus language, have a climbing speed of 30 feet provided they aren’t wearing heavy armor, can Disengage as a bonus action, and have a prehensile tail that can carry objects weighing up to 10 pounds and spend a bonus action to perform various simple tasks. Tails cannot be used to wield weapons or aid in spellcasting.

Thoughts: The Vanaar’s features come up short in comparison to the other races here. A climb speed isn’t as impressive as outright flight, and their tail is more of a situational utility.

Naga are serpentine shapeshifters who can assume various forms between a full giant (human-sized) snake and humans who have telltale signs such as faint scales and yellow eyes. A naga’s human form is always unique to themselves and cannot be used to impersonate others, and in all of their forms they possess a meena, a forehead jewel that constantly emits a radius of light. Many humans regard nagas as beautiful, but such unions are the story of tragic romances, for both societies look down upon inter-marriage and they cannot conceive children with each other.

Statwise naga have +2 Charisma, +1 to another ability score, gain Patala as a bonus language, are resistant to poison damage and saves vs the charmed condition, their meena shines bright light up to 10 feet and dim light up to 20 feet but can be covered up by a hat or head wrap and loses its light if a naga is knocked out or dies. They can assume a fully Serpent Form that melds their equipment into their body in order to gain darkvision 60 feet, natural armor of 12 plus Dexterity modifier, and a natural bite attack that deals 1d6 piercing + 1d6 poison damage which has the finesse property. They can assume such a form as a bonus action, but can also enact partial cosmetic transformations, such as having the lower half of a snake and upper half of a human, a human with a snake head, and so on. However, the mechanical benefits of their Serpent Form only activate when fully snakelike.

Thoughts: Naga are the only other race that has darkvision, but their meena also grants them a continual source of hands-free light which can aid their party members in dungeon-delving. Their Serpent Form’s bite attack is effectively as damaging as a greatsword but suitable for Dexterity builds, but is hobbled due to poison being one of the most resisted and immunized damage types. A base Armor Class of 12 isn’t very impressive on its own, so naga focusing on a bite build are likely going to be Rogues, Monks, or Mage Armor gish casters.

Yakshi are nature spirits who look like humanoids with flowers, stones, and other natural features growing upon their flesh. They live in remote forested regions, and while there are many tales as to their origin no outsiders can be certain and the yakshi aren’t forthcoming. While most are staunch defenders of their woodland homes, yakshi have a natural curiosity which leads some to venture out into the wider world. In terms of stats they gain +2 Wisdom, +1 to another ability score, speak Varali as a bonus language, are fey instead of humanoid in type, have a base AC of 13 + Dexterity modifier when not wearing armor, and once per short rest they can dig their roots into a patch of soil at least 5 feet deep in order to regain maximum hit points for each hit die rolled to regain health. Yakshi also gain bonus spells at 1st, 3rd, and 5th level akin to tieflings, with the bonus spells being Druidcraft, Entangle, and Spike Growth, using their Wisdom modifier for casting checks and DC.

Thoughts: Yakshi are a very strong race, in that being nonhumanoid makes them immune to a variety of effects which specifically target that creature type, and as their rest-based healing is activated as part of a short rest its usage limitation is effectively a nonissue. Furthermore, Entangle and Spike Growth are very useful bonus spells suitable for all manner of builds.

Jambavan are humanoid bears who are rare in number. In fact, most live solitary existences, most only ever encountered a few dozen others of their race, and are raised by their mothers and expected to live on their own once they demonstrate adequate skill in hunting and building. They are known for being expert hunters and craftspeople, and are known to build multiple cabins to serve as homes for them to stay in while surveying their territory. In terms of stats they have +2 Strength, +1 to another ability score of their choice, get Varali as a bonus language, have a climb speed of 15 feet, their unarmed attacks deal 1d6 slashing damage due to their claws, can communicate with bears and have advantage on checks to convince bears to help them, treat themselves as one size category large for push/drag/lifting purposes, gain proficiency in one set of artisan’s tools of their choice, and have advantage on checks to build and repair any kind of construct, object, or structure.

Thoughts: Much of a Jambavan’s features are situational rather than broadly applicable. Their climb speed is worse than a Vanaar’s, bear communication is highly reliant upon DM Fiat in encountering such creatures, and 5e by default doesn’t have a crafting sub-system so their tool proficiency and advantages may not see that much use or get easily eclipsed by spells such as Mending.

Devabhumi provides us with five new Backgrounds representing unique cultural vocations and organizations. They adhere to the standard of core backgrounds in providing two skill proficiencies, bonus equipment, a unique feature, and tables for personality traits. However, their bonus languages and tools can differ in that not all line up to being two in total. For example, the Pehelwan has only one bonus language and no tool proficiency, while a guru has a whopping three bonus languages and one tool proficiency, and the ayurved has proficiency in two bonus languages and a herbalism kit. The five backgrounds are Ayurved (practitioner of traditional medicine who are trained by gurus and believe that illnesses are caused by disturbances in both the mind and body and that healing one isn’t enough), Guru (general term for a teacher of some kind of subject and schooling consists of individual student/mentor relationships), Pehelwan (practitioners of akhada, a mud wrestling sport), Sarathee (charioteer, either for sport or battle), and Yogi (veteran practitioner of yoga).

Unlike other background Features which tend to be more geared towards vague roleplaying for DM Fiat, the ones in Devabhumi all have explicit mechanical benefits. For instance, Ayurved can create a batch of consumable herbs once per day by spending 25 gold on ingredients to end a disease or the blinded, deaf, or paralyzed condition. Sarathee earn 2d4 gold pieces a day when using their skills to entertain others, guru gain a noncombatant NPC student companion, a Pehelwan can maintain a Comfortable lifestyle in a population center free of charge by either competing in wrestling events or training others at a lodge, and a Yogi can once per day meditate for 10 minutes to regain an expended Hit Die and remove the frightened and charmed conditions upon themselves. Alternatively, yogi can choose a variant Feature known as Tantra, which lets them recognize magical effects and the appropriate spell school via a successful Wisdom check. There’s no sample DC or action type for this latter ability, so this is more up to DM Fiat.

Thoughts: The sample backgrounds are higher-powered than the PHB ones, if more due to the fact that their Features provide explicit benefits and several grant one or two more tool/language proficiencies than normal. But as the latter proficiencies are quite situational in most campaigns, none of them are unbalanced enough to be a problem in the average session.

Devabhumi has 10 new Feats, and seven of them have some sort of prerequisite (usually race) in order to be selected. Most are quite powerful in being worthy options to take for particular builds or broad options, such as Bhakt (devout worshiper of a particular god, +1 ability score of choice and advantage* vs charmed and frightened conditions), Charred (yakshi who got burnt, gain +1 to their Natural Armor, +10 maximum hit points, and learn Flaming Sphere as a racial spell at 5th level), Dhanudara (amazing practitioner of the bow, bow attacks deal extra damage equal to PB, can spend a reaction to shoot a projectile and negate a ranged weapon attack within 30 feet), Gadadhari (deal extra damage with maces equal to PB, critting with a mace causes targets to be stunned on a failed Constitution save), and Might of the Wild (Jambavan only, +1 Strength and can make a bonus action unarmed strike whenever they successfully grapple a target). One of the feats, Vaanar’s Cunning, breaks convention with the feat format in granting +1 to not one, but two different ability scores (Intelligence and Wisdom) along with granting expertise in one skill of the PC’s choice and can perform the Help action as a bonus action. Personally, I’d reduce the ability score increase to just one ability rather than two, as it’s too tempting to select otherwise.

*the book says resistance, but that’s for damage types, not saves.

The remaining four feats are more situational in terms of build. Two of them involve mounted combat of some sort, with Hathi-Yodha for elephant riders and Ratha-Yodha for chariots, along with advantage on rolls for repairing/controlling their vehicle of choice. The latter doesn’t grant proficiency with land vehicles, but only for their particular mode of transport. Charioteers actually make good sniper builds, for when wielding a ranged weapon in a chariot they ignore disadvantage on attack rolls at long range, but otherwise Sharpshooter is the superior choice for this. Fierce Hunter is the garuda racial feat, granting triple damage on critical hits and darkvision up to 60 feet along with a +1 ability score increase, while Naga’s Charm grants Charm Person once per day, +1 Charisma, and can let them appear as a full human with no telltale snake signs.

Thoughts: In terms of balance, Charred is perhaps the most powerful in regards to granting a substantial hit point boost along with a (not so powerful) bonus spell and situational Armor Class increase. Dhanudara is going to be a no-brainer for most archer builds for the damage bonus, but I don’t think it will win out over Sharpshooter; the likely case is that a PC will take both of them rather than one or the other. Hathi-Yodha is going to be of situational use, only taken by that one player who really likes the idea of an elephant war mount, and same for Ratha-Yodha. Bhakt is also a good option in applying to a wide variety of mind-affecting effects.

Equipment is a chapter for new gear, mounts, and magic items for campaigns set in Devabhumi. In the major urban centers, the subcontinent’s technological wonders are on full display, and there’s even day-to-day magical effects helping maintain city infrastructure. But there’s a large divide as seen in rural communities, where artisanry is more basic and given over to small smithies and woodworking. Many city-dwellers act elitist to their “primitive” neighbors, while visitors from the country are often gobsmacked at seeing how people live in a metropolis.

Horses and elephants are favored Mounts in terms of “mundane” animals, although we have stats for five new monster mounts as well as new rules for chariots and elephants. Chariots have variable speeds depending upon how many horses are pulling them, ranging from 40 feet for 1 horse to 70 feet for 4 horses, while most chariots have room for two occupants. As for elephants, they are traditionally used as powerful cavalry in war, although they require a special proficiency in elephant-riding in order to ride one in combat. Those mounted on an elephant are out of reach of non-reach melee attacks,* but in return they cannot make non-reach melee attacks against those on the ground. Elephants are particularly mercurial, where an Animal Handling check is required to avoid it going berserk whenever the mount takes damage. The DC is equal to half the damage dealt, rounded down. A berserk elephant acts erratically as determined by a d4 table, such as attacking a randomly-determined target, fleeing, or freezing up and doing nothing. The elephant stat block is reprinted in the book, but with a curious addition of natural claw attacks instead of stomping, and can Multiattack with one gore and one claw attack. Damn, Devabhumi elephants must look extra-scary!

*What about Large and larger melee attackers? Presumably they have a better chance, but the book doesn’t specify.

Chariots and elephants can also be outfitted with their own unique gear and customization. Elephants get barding types and giant sword extensions for their tusks, while chariots get armor plating and wheel scythes that deal AoE damage to adjacent targets for up to 20 feet.

The other five mounts include Gajasimha (CR 1 beast with head of elephant and body of lion, move as fast as a riding horse but have a core and claw multiattack), Farasa Bahari (CR 1 amphibious green-maned horses from Jalpurush, swim speed and advantage on Stealth checks to hide in aquatic environments), Bhimthadi (CR 1 horse breed found on the central plains, have a trample attack to knock a foe prone and bonus attack against them if this happens, can Dash or Disengage as a bonus action and rider can Help horse as bonus action), Kathiawari (CR 1 desert-dwelling horse breeds that have advantage on saves vs exhaustion and only needs half food), and Makara (CR 1 creature with elephant head and crocodile body, are used by humans and vanaar as naval cavalry, gore attack that deals double damage to ships and naval vessels).

The following section lists a variety of Clothing and Mundane Items, of less specific interest to adventurers but do much for world-building. They all derive from things that originated from the real-world Indian subcontinent, such as the bansuri bamboo flute that is used by shepherds to call their animals, gadra flower garments that are traditionally worn by women during festivals, holidays, and other times of celebration, and rudraksha stones that are incorporated into prayer beads for worshiping Shiva.

Weapons & Armor more or less replace the ones from the SRD, which the book says can still exist in Devabhumi but “might be rare.” Unfortunately we don’t have a handy table for reference listing all of their stats and properties, which makes it harder to compare at a glance. We have 5 simple melee weapons, 1 simple ranged weapon, 10 martial melee weapons, and 2 martial ranged weapons. For armor we have two types for each category of light, medium, and heavy armor as well as 2 shields. Like the prior section, all of these implements of warfare are based off of real-world South Asian inventions, such as the iconic Bagha Nakha “tiger’s claw” of three sharp blades or the Katar “punching dagger,” although the dao sword shares the same name as one that’s Chinese in origin yet is functionally distinct.

I won’t go over each piece of gear, instead highlighting those of particular interest. Such entries for weapons include Bichuwa (basically a dagger, but has the 1d6 Versatile property and deal 1d6 piercing when two-weapon fighting with Bagha Nakha), Dao (rectangular sword dealing 1d6 slashing damage and doubles as an axe and shovel), Bagha Nakha (claw-like weapon, 1d6 slashing that has light, finesse, and Versatile property and deals 1d8 when two-weapon fighting with Bichuwa), Dandpatta (1d6 sword that grants +1 AC to the wielder as its hilt is also a steel gauntlet), Gada (sharp two-handed mace that deals either 1d12 bludgeoning or 2d6 piercing), Katar (basically a dagger without thrown property, and when wielding it and no other weapon can make an additional attack with it for free), Talvar (1d6 saber with light property that grants advantage when attacking with it while riding a horse or chariot), and Chakra (1d4 throwing disc with light property that ignores half and three-quarters cover). For armor we have the Sunwheel (has a dozen wooden balls affixed that when spun with both hands can automatically deflect any number of ranged projectiles within a 5 foot radius, no action required) and the Kavacha (steel breastplate, basically half-plate but no disadvantage to Stealth checks and is 500 rather than 750 gold). For the heavy armor, the Varman and Chilta Hazar Nakh (coat of a thousand nails) grant the same AC as splint and plate mail respectively, although they are both much more expensive than their PHB counterparts at 1,000 and 2,000 gold pieces.

Thoughts: I like the new mounts and chariot rules, although I think that forcing an Animal Handling check for every time an elephant mount is damaged is going to make it a very suboptimal choice. The more times a player has to roll, the more times they risk failure, and as an elephant’s default AC isn’t very high at 12 (plus being a big tempting target for enemies) is going to make it so such a scenario is going to happen a lot.

As for weapons and armor, I think it would’ve been better to have the weapons as supplementing existing common ones rather than a general replacement. Even though the book says SRD weapons “may be rare,” I imagine that daggers, shortbows, spears, leather armor, and the like are “common” enough across cultures to more or less be allowed without any major hassle. A few weapons are going to be optimal choices, like the Bichuwa/Bagha Nakha combo for two-weapon fighting given their high damage dice, and the Katar’s additional attack is going to work nicely with poison and other damage-stackers. I personally think that the Vadda Chakkar/sunwheel shield is too strong in auto-negating multiple ranged projectiles in an AoE. Even if it requires both hands and thus prevents a character from easily using weapons and spells, using a summoned creature/companion with opposable thumbs or even a hireling is going to be something many gaming groups try.

Magic Items wraps up our equipment section with 25 new supernatural treasures to reward your PCs. In terms of rarity we have 1 Uncommon item, 10 Rare ones, 8 Very Rare ones, and 6 Legendary ones. And of those 25, 15 require attunement, in some cases requiring an appropriate race or alignment (no evil ones, however). Some of the more interesting magic items include the Amrita elixir (legendary consumable whose effects last for 24 hours, regain 1d10 hit points per round and can only be killed by an Astra), Anklet of a Gandharva (uncommon item worn by celestial dancers that let you choose from 1 of 4 magical dances that grant certain effects to onlookers such as +1 bonus to damage rolls for the next hour or compelled to dance along on a failed Wisdom save), Conchshell of Kurukshetra (very rare, when blown summons 1d6+1 bhootas who fell during the Marahbarata war and will attack any creature you point to for the next hour, cursed to have 50% chance that they will attack you instead and will summon once per day even if not blown), Guru’s Upanaya (very rare, holy threat containing accumulated knowledge of a wise sage that grants additional effects as the attuned person’s PB increases, such as gaining an additional proficient skill, Wisdom score increase, or regaining a spent spell slot once per day), Kalachakra (+3 chakra weapon, can intercept a ranged weapon projectile attack as a reaction a number of times per day equal to PB, can swap two creatures’ initiative results once combat begins, reduce speed of creature they crit to 0 feet for 1 turn), Manisha (legendary +3 khanda sword, grants one clear-sightedness in various forms such being able to see 60 feet into the Ethereal Plane and immunity to blind and defeaned conditions), Teerpani Wand (rare, can spend 1 of 3 available charges to turn a stone of up to 200 pounds into a pool of fresh water, can use 2 charges to turn an incoming ranged projectile into harmless drops of water as a reaction), and Vayuratha (legendary chariot once used by Indra when fighting asuras, was given to a mortal warrior during the Mahabharata and disappeared; rider cannot be knocked off chariot through nonmagical means, immune to grappled and restrained conditions, chariot is immune to all damage types and cannot be destroyed).

Thoughts: I like most of these magical items, and find that they have both interesting flavor text and neat abilities. I don’t have any real complaints about them.

Astra are technically magical artifacts, but their special niche in Devabhumi makes them deserve an entry of their own. They are divine weapons created by the gods, and intended only to be used by them in times of great need. In the setting they are akin to nuclear weapons, but on a much larger scale. They have enough fearsome power to destroy the world, but there have been a few rare times when a mortal got their hands on one. Either via stealing it from a god, being rediscovered if lost, or being bequeathed to a mortal by a god during a time of great need.

Astras do not take on physical forms. One comes into possession of an astra as an unseen spiritual force that is activated by the chanting of a specific mantra. Once activated, its powers can be implanted in a weapon or piece of ammunition. An Astra can only be activated once per day, and only one Astra can be used in a day even should one end up possessing multiple Astras. An Astra that is given to another or otherwise surrendered causes the last user to lose all memory of it. Otherwise, Astras use the format of spells in terms of game stats, albeit with no level or school of magic and often with extremely large ranges and areas of effect.

The sourcebook provides us with six Astras and what gods are known to possess them, and their names correspond with said deity. Devabhumi mentions that the ones listed here are “all of the Astras,” which feels a bit limiting in that one would think that leaving their total number open would allow for making more for future sourcebooks, to say nothing of encouraging the DM to come up with their own. They are Agniastra (shoots out a 200 foot line of fire that deals 6d10 fire damage, but affected creatures, objects, and spaces catch fire and continue to burn over 1 minute and can only be put out by Varunastra), Brahmastra (summons a cloud of divine light can be used either to counter the effects of another astra or deals a pool of 1,050 radiant damage to be spent on killing all creatures in an area, strongest to weakest), Brahmashira (the most powerful astra, summons a fiery spear and dark stormclouds that can target anything up to a city or mountain in size, the target and all living within it are utterly erased from existence and nothing can grow in the location for 10 years), Indrastra (takes the form of a lightning bolt that takes the form of a 50 foot radius up to 1 mile away that deals 10d10 lightning damage to all within), Manavastra (not known to be possessed by any god, was first used by the original human Manu, lets one teleport themselves to a location that they have seen or heard, including unknown locations provided that they are adjacent to known locations), and Varunastra (releases a giant wave of water in a 100 foot radius up to 1 mile away, dealing 10d8 bludgeoning damage to all within, can be used to counter the effects of Agniastra).

Thoughts: The Astras are a cool conceptual plot device, the kind of stuff that should define campaigns. So barring the Brahmastra and Brahmashira, they still feel less than I would’ve expected. Take in point Manuvastra, which is basically no-error teleport but can only target yourself rather than a group. Or Agniastra, which can affect a large area but its raw damage output isn’t going to be enough to put a dent in epic-tier foes. And when you look at Meteor Swarm, which has a similar range yet greater damage (but smaller radius) as Varunastra’s AoE, these feel less like world-ending magic nukes that even epic-tier PCs marvel at, but rather high-level spells with altered stats of existing baseline ones.

Thoughts So Far: I overall like the new races, feats, and backgrounds, but would definitely knock the half-apsara down a peg and give the Vaanar a bit more to chew/climb on. I was let down by the astras, and the weapons and armor are another weak point particularly in not having tables.

Join us next time as we finish this review by going over Devabhumi’s new Monsters!

 

[Voadam]

The Hijra are people who are considered neither male nor female, to embody qualities of both masculine and feminine genders.

A quick search shows that is a recognized SE Asian thing but it surprised me as I am only familiar with the Islamic term Hijra, which refers to Muhammad and followers moving from Mecca to Medina, a completely different concept.

 

[Libertad]

Monsters is our final chapter of Devabhumi, with 29 unique stat blocks, two of which are repeated entries for mounts from the prior chapter: the Gajasimha and Makara, to be specific. When it comes to type, the most common is fiend standing at 9, followed by Monstrosity and Undead at 5 each. We have 3 types of Beasts and Celestials each in this chapter, and 1 of each for Construct, Dragon, Elemental, and Fey. So paladins and other banishers of the unholy will be quite effective in this setting.

In regards to Challenge Rating, a little over half hover around being suitable for Tier 1 campaigns at CR 4 or less, being 16 of the 29 entries. Tier 2 is the next most common at 8 entries, with Tiers 3 and 4 being rare yet formidable figures at 2 and 3 entries respectively.

The Airavata is a unique being, a three-headed elephant who is the king of its kind and guards the ways into Svarga. Its great wisdom and power makes even asuras think twice before crossing it. Airavata is a CR 18 Celestial that has excellent mental ability scores, is formidable in melee, and specializes in lightning and weather-based magic.

Asuras are one of the three major groupings of monsters in this chapter, beings that were first created by a vengeful woman named Diti to war against the gods after Indra killed her son. They more or less serve similar roles to demons and devils in other settings: they have no moral compass, seek to corrupt mortals, and destroy the gods. But unlike typical demons and devils, asura do have genuine bonds of loyalty to each other in spite of their overall lack of conscience. There are many kinds of asura out there, but we have a basic stat block for a CR 1 monster who specializes in illusion and enchantment magic, fights with a khanda (big sword) in melee, and has a frightening appearance.

Daityas are large, bulky asura who can back up their words with their strength. They are also keen on trickery-based tactics like the base Asura, but are Large in size instead of Medium and thus have more hit points and a more damaging melee attack.

Danavas live in isolated mountains and are much more magically proficient than the average asura, possessing up to 6th level Sorcerer spells with a penchant for damaging elemental magic. Other asura take pains to recruit them for their battles, for their spells make them a potent force multiplier.

Kalakeyas are among the weakest of the asura, being similar in role to fantasy goblins in relying on sheer numbers to overwhelm opponents. They live in caves, forests, and ruins where they conduct raids on nearby settlements. They have Pack Tactics and can spend their remaining movement moving away from a target they just struck in melee as a bonus action. This last ability avoids opportunity attacks, which makes kalakeyas suited for mobile skirmishing.

Nivatakavachas are amphibian asura with the features of predatory fish, such as dagger-like teeth and razor-sharp scales. They live in luxurious undersea palaces decorated with plunder from land-dwellers, and sometimes their oceanic kingdoms manage to invade and conquer human settlements. They fight with tridents that deal bonus cold damage, force creatures holding their breath to begin drowning if they score a critical hit against them, have an Evasion-like feature that works on all saves rather than just Dexterity, and their spell options are a blend of illusion and direct offense.

Rakshasa are the most powerful of asura, embodiments of a particular vice that they go on to further as wicked champions. Every asura hopes to become a rakshasa, as they are regarded as the pinnacle of their kind. Every rakshasa has a unique type of Boon, which makes them only able to be killed under one particular set of circumstances. For example, one rakshasa may not be killed on land, another may only be killed by someone who is more evil than it, and so on. Rakshasa are designed for being major villains, the kind who would be the evil overlord in an adventure path or video game RPG.

An asura is a CR 19 fiend who cannot be reduced to 0 hit points by any means that falls outside its Boon. They have a variety of Intelligence and Charisma skills, and their truesight and passive Perception of 21 make them hard to fool. They can cast 9th level wizard spells, including fan favorites such as Counterspell, Contingency, Simulacrum, and Time Stop. They can attack in melee up to six times, and they can Twist Fate as a reaction which functions in a similar manner to the Silvery Barbs spell. They don’t have any Legendary or Lair Actions, which kind of blunts their usability as BBEGs.

An Azhdaar is a winged, dragon-like serpent who traditionally lives in mountains, hunting large animals such as bears and even humans. They are the subject of many tales, taking the role of dangerous monsters who threaten nearby settlements. In terms of stats they are pretty much aerial creatures whose primary attacks focus on melee. In spite of being CR 16, they look rather weak for this range, as they have 147 hit points and 16 Armor Class which even lower-level groups will easily cut through. And while they have blindsight and flight, they don’t have a lot of means for dealing with long-range attacks and casters who know to stay away.

Bhootas are our next major grouping of related monsters. They are spirits unable to reincarnate, usually due to a strong desire to fulfill some task in life, a particularly traumatic death, or appropriate funeral rites not being performed for the corpse. They usually hang around your typical haunted places, and while a bhoota can be temporarily destroyed, they will reform unless someone performs an elaborate funeral rite. They also cannot touch someone covered in dirt, which is regarded as holy, and they are attracted to milk and can inhabit it if left out. They can then possess whoever next drinks the spoiled beverage.

While there are all kinds of bhootas, and the book suggests making each one unique in how they came to be as well as their stats, Devabhumi details a few sample stat blocks.

Content Warning: Child Death

Spoiler

Acheris are the spirits of children who died from disease or starvation, and tend to target living children with their maladies or barring that, the youngest and frailest creature in an area. They are incorporeal undead with a life-draining attack, can mimic animal and humanoid voices, and can shapeshift into Medium and smaller humanoids they’ve previously seen.

Churels are spirits who died at the hands of another in an unnaturally cruel way, and are filled with a strong desire for vengeance. A vengeance that they instead take out on anyone unlucky enough to cross their paths. They tend to take the forms of beautiful people as a means of catching victims unaware, but their feet are always backwards in whatever form they take, so this is a giveaway that the person you’re dealing with is undead. They are similar to Acheri save with more hit points, better stats, and their primary attack drains Strength as well as dealing necrotic damage.

Pretas are the spirits of addicts, those who were dependent upon one or more kinds of earthly pleasures and couldn’t abide the thought of existence without it. They are similar to the other two bhootas in being incorporeal undead that can shapeshift, but their touch attack instead robs a target of their lowest-level spell slot if they fail a Constitution save.

Vetala are our final kind of bhoota, particularly canny and powerful undead who manage to possess a physical body long-term. This possession lasts indefinitely, and they spend their pseudo-life accumulating supernatural power and knowledge before discarding the now-dead body to go on to another, repeating the cycle. The only way to make its spirit pass on is to find the original body and cremate it. Vetalas have physical bodies unlike other bhoota, and they have a variety of spells up to 4th level such as Arcane Eye, Animate Dead, Shield, and Hallucinatory Terrain. They have four arms which they can use to do a variety of melee attacks, such as strangling targets with a necklace of beads or hitting someone’s chakra to deal slashing and necrotic damage.

Bhramrachok might be a low CR 2 monster, but it is a unique creature that has already built up a frightening reputation. It is a cyclopean being with a burning plume of flame on top of its bald head, and the light from this fire can supernaturally charm and captivate creatures to get closer to the monster. Those so entranced are ordered to take Bhramrachok home with them, where it kills and devours them along with any other inhabitants before burning down the house. Bhramrachok can also use a gaze attack that causes a target to believe that their allies suddenly vanished, being unable to perceive and interact with them for 1 minute.

Chatiboy is a wolf-like elemental that is the precursor to landslides and flash floods, marked by howls and midnight. It creates such natural disasters as a means of fulfilling the natural cycle, and it doesn’t take pleasure in the death and destruction it creates. Slaying a chatiboy will end said disaster prematurely, although this often has long-term negative environmental consequences, and the next such disaster may be even greater. In terms of stats, chatiboy is a CR 4 creature that has a melee rend attack along with rechargeable Landslide and Flash Flood AoEs that impose forced movement or the prone condition on top of damage.

Chumur Deki is a bipedal monster whose legs are made of iron, and it stalks the vicinity of snowbound towns on the hunt for victims. Anyone who has the misfortune to see it are chosen to be hunted, so it is customary in such towns to immediately go inside and close all doors and windows upon hearing the sound of trudging iron legs. In terms of stats, Chumur Deki can cause any creature within 30 feet who can see it (and if the monster can see the target) to become paralyzed on a failed Constitution save, and its primary attacks are a fist that can knock targets prone and can stomp on prone creatures as a bonus action.

Dvarapala are stone statues built to be guardians to historic landmarks, tombs, palaces, and other places of importance. They are intelligent and can speak, unlike most constructs, and have a unique form of telepathy that allows them to sense a creature’s intentions. In addition to fighting with a gada (mace), they can also throw electrically-charged beads whose lightning can arc between targets.

Gangine are fey who sustain themselves on pleasant scents, and thus live in fields of flowers and near the homes of nobles who enjoy perfume. Alchemists and sorcerers have been known to search for them as servants, using their olfactory creations as payment. Gangine are more or less noncombatants, as their only means of offense is a 1d4 fist. But their forms are unsettling to most, causing those who would make an attack roll within their presence to suffer disadvantage unless the target succeeds on a Wisdom save.

A Hemaraj is a crocodile-like monster that lives in swamplands. They are named after an ancient king by the name of Hemaraj, whose impossible standards made him unable to see any of his children as a worthy heir to the throne. After praying to Brahma for a perfect child, he still found something to criticize, so out of anger the deity transformed his children into what would become known as the monsters bearing his name. They are pretty much crocodiles on steroids, being CR 5 with better stats and ambush-based tactics such as advantage on stealth in their native terrain, advantage on attack rolls vs surprised creatures, and can death roll a restrained creature as a bonus action to deal additional slashing damage.

Kamadhenu is another unique entity, a celestial cow born during the Great Churning and represents the bovine creatures of Devabhumi. She has the power to grant wishes, and history is filled with greedy and ambitious rulers who sought to take her for themselves before inevitably falling under some kind of just punishment. Those who are lucky enough to come upon her, will be granted a wish as per the spell of the same name should they display genuine respect. In terms of stats Kamadhenu is mostly defensive in nature, such as reflecting an equivalent amount of radiant damage back onto an attacker, radiating an aura of blinding light, and debuff curses.

Kirtimukha is another unique monster, created from Shiva’s third eye after an arrogant asura king had the gall to challenge the god to a duel for his wife’s hand, Parvati. Kirtimukha ate the asura, and his current duties involve guarding remote temples from the unworthy. The creature does this by disguising itself as a beggar asking for alms, and those who refuse are later hunted and attacked by Kirtimukha in its natural form. In terms of stats it is akin to a predatory feline, with claw and bite attacks (the latter is poisonous), can move up to half its speed at a target when hit with a ranged attack, and can shoot rays from its mouth as a rechargeable ability dealing radiant damage.

Pishacha is a type of undead that is the personification of hate, and is known to be even more evil than most asura. They take sadistic pleasure in hunting, capturing, and torturing prey, and prefer victims unable to fight back. They radiate a constant deathly aura that deals necrotic damage to non-undead and non-fiends, has a claw attack that can curse a target to not be affected by magical healing and a tongue attack that heals the monster, and as a reaction can redirect a healing spell within 30 feet to affect the pishacha instead of the intended target.

Timingila is a unique monster, and also one with the highest Challenge Rating in the book at 23. It has only been spotted by sailors in the most remote corners of the ocean, appearing from below as a mouth of gigantic proportions large enough to swallow multiple whales. In reality it is a serpent of unmatched size, and while its current territory is unknown the book gives some suggested sightings and areas. As can be expected, it is a melee-focused sea creature with a bite and swallow whole attack, and generates such tremendous force that creatures within 15 feet take damage and lose unspent Hit Die (drop to 0 HP if they have none remaining) as fluids are ripped out of their lungs. The Timingila also has potent defenses in the form of truesight, a permanent Freedom of Movement effect, Legendary Resistance, and can choose either to ram a vessel or perform an AoE tail smash as one of its Legendary Actions.

Uchaishrava is a unique celestial being, a seven-headed horse that can not only swim and fly, it can travel between planes once per day. It is believed to be the ancestor of all horses, and many throughout history sought to tame it, often meeting a violent end in trying. But only a rare few managed to succeed, most notably the god Indra. In terms of stats, Uchaishrava isn’t that powerful, being a CR 5 creature whose only offensive feature is its hooves and the ability to get in a free attack and flee without provoking opportunity attacks as a reaction to someone moving adjacent to it. But its real prize is in its value as a steed, as even its walking speed is an impressive 80 feet. It also has multiple defensive features, such as proficiency in 3 saving throws, an immunity to Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, and Paralyzed conditions, and its multiple heads grant it advantage against becoming blinded, deafened, or stunned.

Ulama are medium-sized birds of prey that live in jungles. They are predators that developed an appetite for human flesh, and are known to feed off of travelers and unlucky villagers. It is like a hummingbird in agility, highly energetic and in constant motion, appearing as a red blur which grants it advantage on checks to hide and imposes disadvantage on checks to target it. The monster fights with talons and a peck that can blind a target on a failed Constitution save.

Yakkas are our third and final grouping of related monsters, shapeshifting fiends who are forbidden from directly killing mortals lest they incur the wrath of the gods. So instead they specialize in just about every other way in causing people to die. They dislike asura, for they both disagree on the means in how to bring about mortal woe, and both groups of fiends are given to warring against each other. Their Challenge Ratings are all within Tier 1 of play, so unlike the asuras they won’t be much of a direct threat at middle to higher levels.

We have a stat block for a basic yakka as well as two subtypes. The basic one is a CR 2 fiend that can shapeshift into a harmless animal such as a mouse, insect, or small bird. They have a claw attack that deals 2d6+2 slashing damage, but the book has a misprint at 22 damage average, which initially took me by surprise. They are capable of possessing humanoids, but the recharge rate is only 1 on a 1d6, making it a very unreliable ability.

Content Warning: Suicide, Implied Sexual Assault

Spoiler

Kalu Kumaraya is a fiend that takes a similar role to an incubus, visiting people at night to grant them sexual pleasure. It is so great that the victim becomes addicted and suicidal if denied, which inevitability happens as the yakka moves on to its next victim. In terms of stats they have a claw attack, can cast Charm Person three times per day, and a Maddening Kiss that deals psychic damage and incapacitates a target on a failed Wisdom save.

Reeri Yakka are monkey-faced fiends who spread diseases, and like the base yakka they can take the forms of mundane animals. They are repelled by the scent of incense, so it is common for those in the know to burn it in their homes to ward off illnesses. In terms of stats they are the strongest type of yakka at Challenge Rating 3. Their claw attacks cause a target to continuously bleed for 1 minute on a failed Constitution save, and they can also impose a short-range Blood Curse on a target that takes one of three effects, also lasting for one minute: unable to cast spells with verbal components, are deafened, or blinded.

After the bestiary, our book ends with an Epilogue from the author, talking about their surprise in seeing the interest in their setting from a surge of KickStarter supporters, and gratefulness at the opportunity in sharing some of the culture and stories they had growing up via this RPG setting. Furthermore, Patel doesn’t intend for Devabhumi to be a one and done project, and expresses interest in creating more content for their world.

We also get a bibliography of texts used in the creation of this setting, which I’ll repeat in quotation below:

Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi, Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore.

History of Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300 by Romila Thakur.

India: A History by John Keay.

Indian Philosophy by Dr. Radhakrishnan

The Immortals of Meluha by Amith Tripathi.

The Discovery of India by Jawaharlal Nehru.

The Mahabharata, a Mondern Rendering by Ramesh Menon.

The Ramayana of Valmiki by Robert P. Goldman and Sally J. Sutherland.

Thoughts So Far: The bestiary provides a good amount of new creatures for the setting, and while there’s a preference for unholy beings like fiends and undead, there’s still enough variety to provide a host of foes for adventurers to fight. I also like how several entries are less traditionally combative and can in fact be helpful to PCs who prove their worth, such as the celestials Kamadhenu and Uchaishrava. The entries also do a good job of world-building, particularly in descriptions of how society has adapted to the threat of monsters with a mixture of “practical folklore.” Such as avoiding bhoota possession being another reason people don’t leave milk out to spoil.

Unfortunately, I spotted errors in several stat blocks throughout that chapter. Sometimes they are small, such as the Danava stat block having a melee attack is +5 despite being CR 5 and a 17 Strength, in which case it should be +6. Other times it’s more substantial, such as a Daitya: that one’s a Challenge Rating 4 and thus has a Proficiency Bonus of +2. But their Strength is 18, and their attack roll and Strength save are +7, making it 1 higher than normal. While their Wisdom save is +5, their Wisdom’s only 12. Their spellcasting save DC, spell attack modifier, and Insight and Intimidation proficiency bonuses are also 1 too high as well. Due to these, this chapter is in need of another editing pass even if the monster stats are usable in play.

Final Thoughts: In spite of its relatively small page count, Devabhumi is a complete, self-contained setting with enough content for both players and Dungeon Masters to create many adventures inspired by the myths and legends of India. Even in that brevity it manages to do enough world-building to make the setting feel lived-in, with adequate explanations for less-familiar concepts so that gamers largely unaware of Indian culture won’t feel the need to regularly consult Wikipedia and similar sources for understanding. The races, magic items, and monsters are easily minable for other settings in adding some South Asian flavor, and as witnessed with the aforementioned recent content in WotC products,* I can see Devabhumi’s material working for those worlds as well.

*to say nothing of existing Fantasy Indias such as the Shining Lands in the Forgotten Realms.

But what prevents me from giving Devabhumi top marks is that it is in need of polishing around the rougher edges due to aforementioned mistakes made when covering this review. That being said, I do have hope in improvement, for this is their first gaming supplement made. Overall, I rate this product positively and am eager to see more content for it in the future.