D&D General Neolithic D&D

[Alzrius]

I recall an old article in Dragon #223 that made several characters from the Primal Rage video game into demigods. It was one of the few times (that I recall) that the idea of D&D in a prehistoric period was talked about in any official capacity

 

[Loren the GM]

Again, I am talking about the neolithic era, which is later than those game seem to be setting themselves up in.

Designer of Born from Ice here. While the game is technically designed around the period leading up to the Neolithic, there is very little that would separate the time periods other than some advances in technology (specifically around farming and animal domestication, and the slow change from hunter-gatherer to settlement).

Very little of this would be rules/mechanics, but rather specific flavor to a story you are telling, and the setting you are building. Additionally, during this transition period, it wasn't a switch being thrown but a gradual change, so while some settlements began and the first cities were born, there were still hunter-gatherer societies (and to be clear, even into modern history there have continued being hunter-gatherer societies).

I'd recommend checking out our free Quickstart Guide to see if it does what you are looking for. I really don't think it would be a stretch at all to use the Born from Ice system within a Neolithic setting, up until the use of metal began and into the Copper Age.

 

[Lakesidefantasy]

View attachment 373987
Not saying the movie was that good, but may give you ideas and a bit of how much you can flex the idea.

I agree. It is best look to movies and books here rather than science.

 

[aco175]

Not sure how much to incorporate the other races in the idea. My thought would be that other races such as dwarves and elves could/would develop ideas at different rates than humans. Elves may have had writing and magic and looked at humans as little more than orcs. Dwarves might have iron weapons and some armor that they developed by this time, but not shared the ideas for thought of theft.

The campaign might need to approach the dwarves and elves for help in dealing with the threat that may end them all. Learning magic from the elves to iron-smithing from the dwarves might allow the PCs to make a magic weapon mcguffin to defeat the BBEG.

 

[I'm A Banana]

I missed this above, but wizards as weavers is pretty on point. Color and pattern and natural knowledge and the ability to bring together strands of magic just as you would strands of reeds and fibers. Replace your orbs and wands with needles, spindles, etc. Before we were writing things down, we were weaving them into our clothes. The qipu idea goes alongside this pretty well.

 

[Lakesidefantasy]

Are we assuming that the setting is neolithic Faerun/Toril/Middle Earth/etc.?

Could it be neolithic Earth or would that be too boring?

 

[Tonguez]

I missed this above, but wizards as weavers is pretty on point. Color and pattern and natural knowledge and the ability to bring together strands of magic just as you would strands of reeds and fibers. Replace your orbs and wands with needles, spindles, etc. Before we were writing things down, we were weaving them into our clothes. The qipu idea goes alongside this pretty well.

Thats pretty brilliant actually, fits in with the Ideal of the Norns/Fates as weaving Divination magics and then bringing in threads of power.

I’d think Arcane magics would start as divination, abjurations and enchantments, with transmutations coming later.
Control Fire and Weather spells make sense but Id limit evocation

 

[Reynard]

Are we assuming that the setting is neolithic Faerun/Toril/Middle Earth/etc.?

The problem with those settings, from a neolithic perspective, is in many cases the non human races in particular appear with their civilizations essentially fully formed, as ordained by their gods/creators. Durion started digging Khazad Dum immediately, and the elves were given their culture by the valar.

 

[Tonguez]

The problem with those settings, from a neolithic perspective, is in many cases the non human races in particular appear with their civilizations essentially fully formed, as ordained by their gods/creators. Durion started digging Khazad Dum immediately, and the elves were given their culture by the valar.

We did a paleolithic setting where the expansion of humans had caused earlier ‘neanderthals’ to retreat to caves/underground where they then adapted to become dwarfs. Their specialisation to tunnelling and smelting was a necissity for subterranean living.
In the same setting a group of Homo erectus had become exposed to the Fey realms and thus became elfs.

 

[Reynard]

We did a paleolithic setting where the expansion of humans had caused earlier ‘neanderthals’ to retreat to caves/underground where they then adapted to become dwarfs. Their specialisation to tunnelling and smelting was a necissity for subterranean living.
In the same setting a group of Homo erectus had become exposed to the Fey realms and thus became elfs.

My intent wasn't to suggest it couldn't be done -- demihumans as the ultimate evolution of various near human species is pretty common, i think. Rather I was just saying that Forgotten Realms and Middle Earth did not do it that way.