Level Up (A5E) Welcome to Level Up (Setting Development)

[Indagare Nogitsune]

Tried this before, but since no one got back, I figured there's no harm in continuing to try. The last one was based on a poll that seemed to do well, so I'm not sure why the folks never got back. Perhaps the Bronze Age thing threw everyone off. Ah well.

The A5e rules are pretty well laid-out, but a "Welcome to Level Up" adventure could probably help both new Narrators and Players as they learn to apply the rules.

What would be needed?

1) Some new area that's not Faerun or some other established setting and which either uses the Heritages of Level Up or some variant on them. Not all Backgrounds or Cultures need to be present--just those that make the most sense for the adventure. It should be assumed all Heritages are available because as soon as one is left out someone is going to want to play it.

2) A campaign covering levels 1 to 5 for people to play. Combat, Exploration, and Social Interactions are core features, so should be included. There's a whole encounter builder for this. I suppose if no one does get back I can try and do it all on my own but this thread is probably gonna be necroed a lot; my energy is practically nil right now.

3) Outside the Bronze Age, some interest was expressed in the Age of Exploration, Renaissance, and Points of Light. An easy way to do this is to simply have some Cataclysmic Event cause a major change-up of the world that was. Now things have gotten better, new technologies are being discovered/rediscovered, and places are starting to reconnect and form new routes.

One thought: there are a number of animal-themed Heritages.
1) Perhaps the Cataclysm was akin to the Pristine Tower or Greystone and caused a bunch of transformations. These might not have been limited to the bodies (or, possibly minds or even spirits) of the mortals, but might have reshaped the world and even the deities themselves.
2) Perhaps something permanently linked the Waking and the Dreaming and the fey invaded, creating Seemings that result in all the current Heritages (they might not have been alone: Human mages could also have done experiments). Some War could have happened and the world was permanently altered even more. After a long period, things have finally stabilized enough to allow civilizations to thrive once more, but there are a lot of perilous places. There are also some interesting ruins and the whole world is a bit like a Ghibli Studio movie. How deities would fit into this I'm not sure.

As a note, I'm not generally a fan of things like the Shadowfell/Bleak Gate or various Heavens and Hells. I am, however, a big fan of the Spirit World or something similar. The difference between this and the Feywild/Dreaming might be subtle at best or even completely non-existent. Another thing I like the idea of is a Primordial World where kaijū might live and, occasionally, enter the Prime.

Thoughts?

 

[Indagare Nogitsune]

"In the beginning, it is always dark."

From Darkness rose Light of equal beauty and equal might.

Energy and Matter abounded; Eidolia and Elemtia their joining founded.

The two together flowed both day and night until Epitopia arose to their delight.

The Three are thus now and forever bound and one another's joys and sorrows resound.


- A Tale of Creation

Epitopia is our world, a place created lovingly by Eidolia and Elemtia. We have here the Housed Spirits (often called Mortals), the Aethum Spirits (often called Elementals) and the Imagined Spirits (often called Fey).

All Spirits whether Mortal, Elemental, or Fey are energy and thus continue forever--changing, at times, but never destroyed. New energy emeges thanks to magic.

Mortals have corporeal bodies (Houses). This temporary body allows their spirit new experiences. The materials of their bodies are not everlasting. On death, their material bodies return to the elements and their inner spirits have choices of remaining (for whatever reasons) or wandering until they are reborn. In either case, while Unhoused, Mortal spirits can take on an Image like a Fey in order to interact with the corporeal world. Nothing stops a Mortal spirit from becoming an Elemental or Fey. Physical immortality transforms a Mortal into either an Elemental or Fey, depending on whether their spirit binds with their body to make an Aethum or if their spirit subsumes their body to make an Image.

Elementals have elemental bodies that are functionally the same as their spirits (Aethum). Because the elemental matter they are made of is derived from Elemtia, they are immortal. However, this comes with a related slowness to change. Their memories are long, but also take long to access the further back it goes. They can be dispersed, functionally killing them, but practically their spirit lingers on and may, in time, reform. Some choose instead to become Mortal or Fey to try a new state of being for a while.

Fey can take on a visible, tangible form (Image) that they wear like clothing. They thus do not die in the way Mortals do, but their Image can change. Under the best circumstances, the change is due to positive circumstances. However, negative circumstances can cause an Image to twist and distort. Images can also be broken or shattered and it takes time for them to either renew or make another. Sometimes Fey chose to become Mortals or Elementals instead of renewing their Image.