D&D General Vanity Frankenstein 5E: My homebrew D&D project [+]

Here is a spreadsheet of all the spell revisions. It includes the components, if the material component is consumed, if the spell can be used to brew a potion or craft a wand (assuming you have those class abilities or feats), and where to find it. (and in some cases, other notes)

PHB14 = 2014 5E Player's Handbook
VF5E = Vanity Frankenstein 5E rule companion
TK = to come (some spells are too much to revise now or I am not sure if they will be included)

I have a 100-page doc of new and revised spells, that I am not ready to share yet.
 

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Berserker

Berserkers are trained at tapping into that most primal of emotions: rage, practicing a cultural and military tradition that takes many forms throughout both the Inchoate Empires and Makrinos and the east. Berserkers may often be associated with outlander tribes living at the edges of civilization—either a force of chaos to be destroyed or an ennobled spirit of independence and strength—the martial skills of the berserker are not only found in that context. The savvy brawler, the bloodthirsty brigand, the demonic cultist might all foster the controlled rage of this martial tradition.

Berserkers rely on deft movement in battle, to move from foe to foe or break through lines to bring death down on the rear ranks and sow chaos in battle. They shake off grievous wounds and throw caution to the wind in their efforts to both have the tactical advantage and prove their might by taking out the most fearsome foes and sending minions fleeing.

Different peoples have different traditions of berserkers, the Primal Paths detailed here—raiders, vanguards, and ancestral guardian—are just three generic examples, dwarven battleragers are an example of a tradition tied to a specific people.

Berserker Alignment
While the profound rage of the berserker is said to have arisen from the corrupting force of Chaos found in mortals, and typically berserkers eschew the confines of law and order, respecting traditions based on strength, they can still be used as a force for Law, and an individual berserker might feel a different relation to the cosmos than the stereotype would suggest. The reputations of berserkers typically has them committing evil acts while ensconced in their rages, but the ethical outlook of a berserker (and thus of the berserker hero) can lean towards good or a benevolent neutrality. Even in the depths of their rage, a berserker’s nature is not obscured, and ultimately the choices they make are their own.

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Berserkers in the Inchoate Empires
While there are still some berserkers among the outlanders beyond the edges of civilization, who fend off the ever expanding empires of those lands with increasing difficulty. For the most part, the berserkers in the Empires are either elite troops, a vanguard meant to strike shock and awe in the enemies at the outset of a battle and end it quickly and bloodily, or among the various raiders, pirates, and skirmishers that make the targets of these brigands more likely to surrender. In the past, entire villages of people who cultivated the berserker tradition have been incorporated (some would say enslaved) into a kingdom or empire, in order to fashion a military order that transforms the tradition into a tool of rapacious civilization.

Berserkers in Makrinos
The berserker tradition is not that common in Makrinos, though there is a school of gladiator combat in the city of Caldera that teaches a style incorporating rages and among the dwarves of the Seven Dales, two of the Dales have a tradition of Battleragers. They are most common, however, among the raiders that patrol the shores of Makrinos and the islands east of it. There are also some non-incorporated human settlements deep in the mountainous interior who have a tradition of ancestral guardians and raiders among them.

As adventurers, however, a berserker might come from a range of places, having developed their martial rage through non-traditional circumstances or through a teacher of a raging tradition.
 

Cleric

Clerics are intermediaries between the mortal world and whichever of the 13 Gods to which they have devoted their lives, a devotion so complete and parallel to their own understanding of the universe, that they have been imbued with divine magic they can shape and cast through daily prayers to their patron and their allied gods. At some point in their lives, a cleric character has experienced some holy revelation that changed their understanding of the universe and thus of themselves to such a degree that they come to feel that anything short of full devotion would be a waste of their life.

As varied as the gods they serve, clerics strive to embody the domain of their deities as they understand it. Most clergy in churches great and small throughout Makrinos and Inchoate Empires, exhibit no magical ability at all, or perhaps some rudimentary cantrips, but clerics are especially chosen to honor their god through deeds, though what those deeds might be — from attending to the complex bureaucracy of a powerful church to undertaking harrowing quests in deep ancient dungeons for sacred relics to leading an army to war — can vary not only between gods, but among their very fol

Clerics may share some basic powers in common, but a cleric’s choice of god determines the spell list they have access to and grants them a specific minor class feature. The cleric’s choice of domain (of which each god provides a choice of 2 to 3) determines the cleric’s specific powers and grants an additional set of domain spells added to their spell list. In this way, two clerics of the same god might have access to different spells and powers, as might two clerics of the same domain who approach that aspect of existence differently depending on their specific god. Clerics also all look different, depending on their god, domain choice, and personal traditions. While some wear heavy armor and approach their mission like a warrior, other are healers and advisors who rely on persuasion and spells to accomplish their understanding of what is holy.

While traditionally, clerics may only take one of the 13 Gods as their patron deity, respect and abeyance for the other 12 Gods is typically an expected attitude among clerics, and it is not uncommon for a cleric to add supplementary prayers to one or more of the other gods when the subject of prayer falls under the purview of the god’s portfolio. There are also rare clerics of some of the syncretic formations of the gods [see 13 Gods – Syncretic Gods], but these clerics are either independent of a church, part of a syncretic cult (and thus without the social and political cache of a church), or are operating within a more progressive church for one of the component gods. The Under Gods do not have clerics, but are patronized by warlocks and sometimes petitioned by druids.

Cleric Alignment

Clerics are granted their access to divine power and maintain it through deeds, prayer, and in some cases proselytizing, but are otherwise free to use those powers as they think best in pursuit of their understanding of their gods’ interests and philosophies. As such, while the 13 Gods, their syncretic forms, and the various innumerable Under Gods are aligned with Cosmic Order, Primal Chaos, or Universal Balance [see Alignment], the ethics of specific churches, church networks, and their leaders can vary widely even for gods that according to tradition are a “good” or “evil” god. Typically, a cleric’s Cosmic Alignment mirrors that of their chosen god, thus a cleric of Zenithos, would typically be Lawful, but they might be good, neutral, or evil according to their specific church, sect, or individual approach to serving their god. That being said, some understandings of gods can run opposite to their popular image, for example a cleric of Zenithos who favors the god’s relationship to the all-consuming and unpredictable nature of fire, might serve Chaos.

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Clerics in the Inchoate Empires

There are two basic kinds of clerics in the Empires. “Good” clerics are those whose view and worship of the 13 Gods is in line with a particular empire, and use their social capital and divine magic to further that political goal. “Bad” clerics are rabble-rousers who raise followers among common people and soldiers and seek to either upend the status quo or replace it with their own theocratic system. Regardless, the dampening of magic in the lands of the Empires, means the great divine miracles of high-level clerics never manifest or have the kind of influence one would think that the chosen few of a deity might have in that turbulent part of the world. It is for that reason that clerics are more commonly referred to as “the martyrs” in Empires, given their common fate.

Clerics might have multiple reasons for leaving the Inchoate Empires, from being driven into exile to seeking a divine revelation from their deity to pursuing religious freedom.

Clerics in Makrinos

There are few powerful clerics in Makrinos and those few either lead churches or are famous adventures of the legendary past. The vast majority of clergy are simply acolytes or priests with little to no access to divine magic, but nevertheless with the power of a church behind them. Clerics can be divisive figures whose idiosyncratic views can lead to accusations of apostasy and diverging sects among the gods’ followers fomenting chaos. While the religious figures of Makrinos are frequently involved in the rituals of politics through ceremonial roles, when a cleric stands for office, there is often turmoil in both political and religious circles, even as the popular view of interaction of church and state shifts with each generation further away from the founding of the Republic. In the traditions of Makrinos, the gods protect the institutions of democracy, but to use divine power to manipulate the outcome of an election is a sacrilege.

Clerics in Makrinos work to further the aims of their gods, defend and foster the community of their followers, and undertake deeds that brings glory to their church and/or deity.
 

Druid

Whether calling on the elemental forces of nature or emulating the creatures of the animal world, druids are an embodiment of nature's resilience, cunning, and fury. They claim no mastery over nature. Instead, they see themselves as extensions of nature's indomitable will, organizing themselves into Circles, each one beholden to see after some element of nature or way of examining the universe.

Druids revere nature itself as divine above all else, gaining their spells and other magical powers from the force of nature itself, though sometimes through the intermediary of a god or other cosmic beings that they revere but do not worship how a cleric might. The ancient druidic traditions are sometimes called the Old Faith, in contrast to the worship of gods in temples and shrines. While druidic temples and shrines do exist, more often druids cultivate groves or other natural gardens that also serve as holy sites for worship and ritual.

Druid spells are oriented toward nature and animals—the power of tooth and claw, of sun and moon, of fire and storm. Druids also gain the ability to take on animal forms, and some druids, depending on the circle they join, have developed alternate forms they can adopt.

Druid Circles
Upon achieving 3rd level, a Druid must join a circle, requiring some contact with a community of (ostensibly) like-minded worshipers and caretakers of nature. The four druid circles described in this chapter (land, moon, star, and sea), are the four main druid circles found in Makrinos and the surrounding regions. Your druid might belong to a local circle who meet regularly to perform the rites of the moon and other celestial events, sometimes even in conjunction with other Circles. Or perhaps, you are more of a loner, only attending to the great moots where all the regional druids gather to discuss weighty matters. These circles are synecdoches for each other, referring to the "Circle of the Moon" might mean a small group of local druids, the greater network of such circles, or literally every druid who follow those traditions. In Makrinos the druids of all four circles work closely together, but each regional circle has its own rules and customs.

Typically, joining a circle requires a sponsor or the presentation of a gift for the entire circle. Many druid orders adhere to the Old Faith’s trust in trial by combat, and a violation egregious enough for expulsion might come with other violent consequences.

Druid Moots
Moots are great meetings usually organized by one or more Druid Circles by which topics of cosmic and apocalyptic import are discussed among a diverse body of druids, though in some cases the meetings are political in nature. Sometimes non-Druids may find themselves invited to a moot to give testimony on such a
topic. The mustering of a moot takes some time and how large it is can vary widely depending on the subject. Generally speaking, however, moots are announced weeks or months in advance and last several days.

Druid Alignment
In the course of cosmic events, druids typically do not choose a side in the conflict between Law and Chaos, understanding that a balance between these two primal forces are necessary for life to thrive and for nature to unfold as intended. Nevertheless, individual druids, and some minority sects, do lean more towards one pole of the other, some seeing the structure of Law in the nested patterns of the natural world, while others see primal chaos in the unpredictable and explosive nature of life and its resistance to the curbing power of civilization and mortal dominion over the wilderness.

In terms of ethical alignment, druids also lean towards a neutral outlook in dealing with others and social responsibility, but nearly as many have a good bent, regarding the methods by which they approach their divine mission. On the other hand, some number of druids are, for all intents and purposes, evil, given their disregard for individual life and thriving on nature’s reputation for cruelty.

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Druids in the Inchoate Empires
Druidic traditions have mostly died out in these lands where no square inch of earth seemed untilled or torn up by war and disaster. While a few common folk still follow the Old Faith, fewer still have retreated into wild places to practice the sacred rites and learn how to be one with nature. Those who have soon fins themselves at odds with the powers that be or seeking more fruitful lands to oversee.

Druids in the Republic of Makrinos
All four circles have a strong influence in the Republic of Makrinos. It is even written into the republic’s founding charter that the Council of Great Druids must be consulted when laws or civic projects require the clearing and/or cultivating of wild lands. Druids are respected as guardians of the wild lands and even important figures to consult during planting and harvest. Farmers seek their knowledge to predict the coming weather cycles and to give proper offering to the spirits of nature. This, however, has caused some friction in the past with the churches of the 13 Gods.

Furthermore, several apostate druidic circles (also known as druidic cults) have agendas that do not include the best interests of the Republic and people living in settle land, while others still,
 

Fighter

Fighters are found on any battlefield. Questing knights, royal champions, elite soldiers, salty marines, and hardened mercenaries—as Fighters, they all share an unparalleled prowess with weapons and armor. And they are well acquainted with death, both meting it out and defying it.

Fighters master various weapon techniques, and a well-equipped Fighter always has the right tool at hand for any combat situation. Likewise, a Fighter is adept with every form of armor. Beyond that basic degree of familiarity, each Fighter specializes in certain styles of combat. Some concentrate on archery, some on fighting with two weapons at once, and some on augmenting their martial skills with magic. This combination of broad ability and extensive specialization makes Fighters superior combatants and perhaps the most diverse and common of the character classes.

Fighter Alignment
Fighters have as diverse a view on issues of cosmic matter and personal ethics as mortals of any class or profession might. A fighter is as likely to be an agent of chaos, as a defender of order, or a withdrawn observer of life who is mostly interested their own personal motives and goals. Similarly, a fighter is as bound do evil or good as anyone else shaped by the mortal world with its spiritual influences.

Fighters in the Inchoate Empires

In many ways, the Empires are lands that all belong to fighters, both in the terms of the large warbands that patrol its many shifting and violent borders, and in terms of increased value placed on martial prowess in a place where magic’s effects are dampened and not as reliable. Learning how to fight and to take a role in military missions is a common way to try to make a place for yourself in the Inchoate Empires. There are as many fighters as there are reasons to leave the Empires behind forever.

Fighters in Makrinos

While most able-bodied adults in Makrinos have the very basic training needed to take part in a mustered militia, most are still do not have the skill and specialization to be a Fighter. Those who are fighters might be the Bailiffs of large towns or cities, officers in the militia (usually a scion of a formerly noble family), bandit leaders, mercenaries for hire, but most often, adventurers.
 

Mage
Mages are mortals with a bit of innate arcane magic they have learned to access and shape, and who, with time and experience, can follow an arcane tradition that expands and empowers what they are capable of by accessing that arcane power through different means. That said, most mages do not advance very far, not having the requisite talent to pursue the craft beyond cantrips and some 1st-level spells, serving as hedge mages (local arcane casters who aid a community) or simply using what little magic they know to supplement their other skills. However, among some of the greatest adventurers and both benevolent and infamous figures of history are the wizards and sorcerers who have moved beyond the basics (see Arcane Traditions). There are rumors and legends of other arcane traditions, but they are extremely rare, if not completely lost to time.

The arcane traditions of mages are more common among certain peoples than others. It is much more common to encounter mages who are human, gnome, fey-touched or tieflings, than among dwarves, halflings, lizardfolk, or the orc-born. Whether this discrepancy is based on some innate factor or because of general negative cultural attitudes among some peoples is unknown. Nevertheless, mages of all kinds can be found, even if they tend to be humans and some others.

Mage Alignment
It is often said that you can determine what side in the great Cosmic Conflict a mage is one based on their chosen tradition. Wizards are often agents of Law, and their careful records, arcane histories, detailed ceremonies, and astrological charts are all part of an orderly tradition based on the establishment and maintenance of institutions. On the other hands, by the very nature of the powerful magic they try to bring under their yoke (and consistently fail), sorcerers are easy to see as agents of Chaos. Despite the alignment between their arcane tradition and their Cosmic outlook, when it comes to ethics, mages are as diverse as mortals more broadly, though in some places they are assumed to have maleficent intent.
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Mages in the Inchoate Empires
The state of magic, especially arcane magic, in the Empires, means that few mages ever advance far enough to adopt a tradition, though those few that do are heavily weighted towards wizards, as sorcerous magic is forbidden in many places in the Empires, and many of the desolate places that cannot support life are said to be the result of sorcerous magic gone wild. Sorcery is frequently a capital offense. Instead, most mages in the Inchoate Empires are happy to remain anonymous hedge mages, helping local people and sometimes acting as an alternative or companion to the village witch.

Mages in the Republic of Makrinos
Mages have a mixed reputation in Makrinos. While there is a tradition of local hedge mages to go along with that of village witches (as is common in the Empires), the power to beguile and charm is looked upon with suspicion in a democracy where each citizen is promised their part in a vote without arcane influence. This is especially true of the sorcerous tradition, which locals associate with the bloodline of the emperors of Celestrune, even if it is clearly not limited to it.

As wizardry is an expensive tradition, it is more closely associated with the wealthy class. As such the magic schools of Makrinos cater to the high-born or the wealthy or both, which is not to say that the supposed meritorious values of the polis has not led to scholarships and charities sponsoring destitute candidates to these schools. Furthermore, a network of individual mages with apprentices also keeps the traditions alive among the other social classes. Nevertheless, mages, whether wizards or sorcerers are not common in Makrinos, with those few often called to adventure, making it a dangerous life.

There are laws regarding the use of magic in the Republic that are taken very seriously in most places. These involve restrictions on charming, especially in the commission of a crime, the raising or commanding of undead, and destroying property as a result of magic use. While such laws make no distinction between arcane and divine magic, arcane magic is more likely to be highlighted as a menace.
 

Monk​

Monks use rigorous combat training, mental discipline, and meditation in an effort to perfect the relationship of their mind and body in such a way to achieve supernatural feats beyond that which mortals are usually capable of without magic. This resolve manifests as striking displays of martial prowess, as subtler manifestations of defense and speed, and as power over body and spirit. They follow strict traditions developed over countless centuries in this pursuit.

Organized into orders housed in monasteries, most monks adopt an ascetic life dedicated to focusing on their training and whatever philosophical outlook they have come to believe is part of achieving their enlightened state. These monasteries vary widely, some serving as schools from which its monk students graduate and move on to engage with the world, undertaking missions in line with their outlook or seeking to establish a new monastery and draw a body of students, while other monasteries serve as cloisters, places for monks and other seekers to sequester themselves away from the distractions of the mortal world. Many monks view adventures as tests of their physical and mental development. They are driven by a desire to accomplish a greater mission than merely slaying monsters and plundering treasure, however, they strive to surpass the limits of a mortal form and achieve true self-actualization.

However, monks are not required to reside in a monastery or actively belong to an order, instead they dedicate themselves to a Way. Some monks are purposefully solitary, at least in terms of spending time with others of their kind, preferring to immerse themselves in life as a context for their discipline. Monastery life, however, with its schedules and order, is conducive to staying on that path through the support of a fraternity of monks.

Monks are often treated as if religious figures by laypeople, but very few orders are dedicated to deities or other spiritual beings - some even taking offense at the suggestion - with the few exceptions taking on one of the 13 Gods, their paragons, or other syncretic forms as patrons representing their philosophical ideals. However, even more than their misdirected reputation for piousness, monks are widely seen as eccentrics. The amount of deprivation and discipline required to become a monk, along with the self-focus of being one can be seen as a kind of obsessive vanity, if not faintly ridiculous.

Monk Alignment​

While there is no restriction on a monk character’s alignment, generally speaking they are agents of Law, whose self-discipline is a reflection on the benefits of an orderly universe. Even in the chaos of battle, a monk’s forms and training creates a skene by which the disorderly becomes ordered. To whatever degree a bit of Chaos is required for the universe to exist (reality having cohered into order from chaos), it is Law that provides the framework for an enlightened life worth living.

In terms of ethics, monk behaviors and motives are as varied as any other mortal. While their circumspection can lead many to have a neutral outlook, generally an order’s monastic rules determine the expected behavior of its members, regardless of what is in their hearts.

Monks in the Inchoate Empires​

Several different orders of monks can be found throughout the Empires, but historically many monks have been persecuted when their philosophies were denounced as heretical or subversive, often as a response to their strange unmatched powers. That said, there might also exist sanctioned monasteries with a noble or imperial patron in some places. A monk from the Empires might be an exile fleeing the destruction of his order, a sojourner seeking new challenges by which to test his mettle and thus better himself, or a seeker pursuing some legend of a technique or sublime location that can aid in the achievement of total control over one’s existence.

Monks in the Republic of Makrinos​

There are a fair number of monks orders of varying degrees of fame in Makrinos, and several of the great heroes of the Republic were monks. Some commoner families have traditions regarding housing and feeding a monk for a night. According to legend, several different monasteries were flashpoints for the resistance against the Celestrune Empire, and later in helping to organize commoners in the movement for the Republic. This makes them popular among common folk as long as they are not too “eccentric” or bring trouble with them. Nonetheless, the monks of Makrinos are not usually involved in electoral politics, and are unpopular when they are (as the general consensus is that monks should be “above” politics—not all monks agree). Some orders have very specific rules against its members running for office or accepting appointed office.

Trouble does follow monks of Makrinos and the East, however, as they have a tendency to want to test each other, leading to everything from organized sparring exhibitions to roving battles of monks leaping around a town or city. Some monks have earned titles - such as the “Wrath of the Tranquil Heart” and “the Radiant Palm” - that come with boons that can only be gained by defeating its previous holder. It is because of this that the monks often challenge each other.

Among the better known orders in Makrinos are the Sisters of Nyra (who are not limited to just women, despite the name) who have the goddess of war and medicine as a patron and revere several monk/cleric saints from their storied history of mercy and resistance, the Truth of the Sword, a school of sword-saints with a nearly cultish devotion to the rule set down by their ancient master, the Manicheans, who adhere to a strict dualistic view of the Cosmos and see themselves as Agents of Law, and the Cuckoos, an order of monks who wear masks and built their monasteries in remote fortresses that once belonged the Celestrune Emperors.
 

Today I am working on rewriting the Hallow spell (and creating its opposite Desecrate) to be a lower level spell (probably won't have the add on effect), since I am adding a bunch of effects in the game that are best removed or recovered from by casting certain spells (like healing or restoration) on hallowed ground or spending a Long Rest there.

Furthermore, since levels are capped at 10th, it didn't seem to make much sense that only the highest level clerics can consecrate ground. As such, I'll be dropping it down to 3rd - and see what I can change to make that work.
 

Paladin

Paladins are united by the vows they make in the name of one of the 13 Gods to uphold an oath. The origins and motives of this vow are their own, but the force of it binds them and manifests as divine power to be used in pursuit of that oath’s promises. Paladins train to learn the skills of combat, mastering a variety of weapons and armor. In addition to their martial skills, they can channel magical power granted by their chosen god: the power to heal the injured, to smite their foes, and to protect the helpless and those who fight at their side.

Paladins are figures from stories and songs and are so rare that a person might go their whole lives or a family multiple generations before meeting a paladin in the flesh. It is said that in times of great crisis more paladins are called to take holy vows by the gods.

Unlike clerics, whose devotion to the gods subsumes who they are and becomes their primary mode of engagement with the world, paladins revere their gods for recognizing and empowering their vow. In other words, the vow often comes first. In fact, while the vast majority of paladins’ own philosophies and values align with their god, there is no requirement this be the case. The only requirement is that the tenets of the chosen oath are fulfilled. The oath itself is a two-way street, for it is said that a god will not accept the vow of someone who would egregiously violate their heavenly edicts.

Paladin Orders
While some paladins are solitary in their pursuit of justice, many others realize that working with others of their calling is more effective and efficient in achieving their goals. These paladins establish orders, sometimes sponsored by a church, but also sometimes by a sympathetic wealthy patron. The rites of initiation and rules for membership can vary widely between groups, but often are more strident that the paladin’s oath itself. Because paladins are so elite a position, however, most paladin orders have very few members at any given time. Even in legends, the most ever in an order at once was 13, but it is much more likely to be four or five at most. Some orders grant titles to their members, and in some cases these title are hereditary.

Paladin Alignment
Paladins are commonly Agents of Law, bound to fulfill oaths made to maintain order and mete justice, while in some cases serving as a buffer for the powerless and innocent against the harsher edge of institutions and lawful rigor. Even the vow they make itself is an expression of the power of Cosmic Law to bind mortals and immortals alike to their word. However, this tempering of the force of Law in the name of compassion and a more smoothly operating society, might cause a paladin to latch on to the necessity of Cosmic Balance, or the importance of personal freedom as a virtue.

In terms of ethics, paladins are expected to be virtuous and pursue justice, and in those terms, paladins must be good in alignment. However, more than one paladin has strayed from the good in pursuit of fulfilling their vow. Ultimately, it is adhering to the vow they made that keeps a paladin in good standing with a god. Typically, the precepts of the vow are already in line with the expected ethical conduct of a paladin, so to violate one is to violate both, but when they are not aligned or unspecified, it is the fulfillment of the vow that takes precedence.

Paladins in the Inchoate Empires
There is an old saying “There are no paladins in the Empires,” which is another way of saying no one there can be trusted to tell the truth or keep their word. This may be an exaggeration, but there are few paladins among the warriors and holy people of the Inchoate Empires and fewer still that leave that corrupt place for adventures in Makrinos and the East. Most paladins find themselves on the wrong side of autocratic corruption and thus are prosecuted and put to death. Still others may even work for an upstart king who professes benevolent ideals, but for the common folk these holy warriors still represent the crushing boot of oppression. A paladin who leaves the Empires for Makrinos, may not have determined the nature of their vow yet, or has decided to abandon the Empires to their chaotic rot and corruption and serve where order and good might yet prevail.

Paladins in the Republic of Makrinos
Paladins are highly respected in Makrinod society, and many ancestral paragons are paladins, making them notable ancestors to include in prayers to the 13 Gods. They are the subjects of songs and poems, and the culture has even developed their own paladin order, the Aurum Drakon, who take the Vow of the Union, promising to defend the Republic against all threats foreign and domestic, and those who would seek to exploit its citizens.

There was a tradition among those families descended from the theoretically defunct noble lines of Makrinos to give succor to a traveling paladin for fear of coming under their scrutiny for refusing. It is not so commonly invoked these days, but the memory of it resounds through the culture.
 

Ranger

Wilderness warrior, monster hunter, civilization defender, nature guardian, bounty-hunter, animal friend, and ecology preserver. Rangers can be any, some, or all of these things. And, regardless of whichever of these paths they happen to be following, they feel most at home in the rough and untamed places in the world, stalking animals or living among them, avoiding people or guiding them along ancient paths, keeping hunters away from the territory of a beast or monster, or leading the hunt to destroy it.

Rangers learn to track their quarry as a predator does, moving stealthily through the wilds and hiding themselves in brush and rubble. Rangers focus their combat training on techniques that focus on the weaknesses of those they battle. Their time in the wilderness leads them to develop nearly preternatural skills to move through and across the land, though they favor a particular kind of terrain they are most familiar with, a ranger can survive in any region of untamed wilderness better than most.

Some rangers never set foot in a city or town, while others see no issue with availing themselves of the services and goods acquired there and not as easily attainable in the wild. Regardless, rangers tend to be fiercely independent and would never rely too regularly or readily on the comforts of civilization. This makes them well suited to adventuring, since they are accustomed to life far from a dry bed and a hot
bath.

Ranger Alignment
While many, if not most rangers, take a side in the eternal conflict of Law and Chaos, it would be impossible to say which is the one individual rangers are more likely to support. Some rangers see themselves as Agents of Law, battling monsters and other chaotic forces at the edges of civilization in order to keep it safe and orderly, keeping disruptive and destructive forces from getting a toehold in settled areas. Other rangers are Chaos Agents, who resist the all-incorporating force of Law that wants to leave no room for the wild and unpredictable. For these rangers, civilization is not where creativity comes from, but the force that wants to quash all individual creativity and understanding of the world outside an all-encompassing skein.

In terms of ethos, most rangers see their calling as a benevolent one that nevertheless requires familiarity with violence, and seek to help others who they deem worthy of aid. That said, for some rangers, especially solitary types, the instinct for self-preservation leans towards precluding compassionate action for others, and for some go as far as to embrace the darker side of nature, adopting a predator’s mindset, or what most folk would call “evil.”

Rangers in the Inchoate Empires
Most rangers left in the Empires serve one either officially or through a parallel philosophy of destroying the chaotic threats from the rapidly narrowing areas of pure wilderness left in the part of the world. They are Agents of Law, typically Wardens, who take command over an area of land to access its resources and curb its dangers. Of course, some rangers still resist the near all-encompassing power of the Empires.

A ranger leaving the Empires behind may have come to find the fight futile, better to travel to where they might still influence the conflict between civilization and wilderness. On the other hand, they might also see Makrinos and the East as lands that remain to be exploited, whether that be with the measured strides of someone who embraces the need for healthy wild ecologies along side the need to extract resources, or with the rapacious appetite of a colonizer.

Rangers in the Republic of Makrinos
Rangers became mythic figures in the history of Makrinos during the time of the Celestrune Empire, when they helped those persecuted by the Empire by hiding whole villages of people deep in the wilderness or provided aid to the impoverished who had to hand over the vast majority of their yield to the local Baron in the form of food and other resources, but also by fighting guerilla wars all over the island. The actual truth of the extent of these stories is hard to establish so many centuries later, but to this day rangers are seen both as an important buffer between the State and the threats that emerge from wild places, but also a check on its power to (whether inadvertently or with intention) destroy wild places and ruin the environment for other Peoples and for the people of Makrinos itself. The current First Minster is a ranger.
 

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