Planegea

The Star-Shaman's
Song of Planegea

A Primordial Campaign Setting
for D&D Fifth Edition

By David Somerville

Version 0.1.1

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Contents

Preface: A World of Bone & Fire 5 CAslceatsics(eMsonk) 37
5 Barbarian 37
Unfamiliar Everything 6 Chanter (Bard) 37
Answer the Howl Druid 37
7 Fighter 37
Chapter 1: Overview Guardian (Paladin) 37
9 Heretic (Warlock) 37
Chapter 2: Geography 9 Mender (Artificer) 37
9 Ranger 37
Blood Mountain 9 Scavenger (Rogue) 37
The Venom Abyss 9 Shaman (Cleric) 38
10 Sorcerer 38
Canopy 10 Spellskin (Wizard) 38
Understory 11 38
The Unfalls 13 Chapter 5: Equipment & Trade
15 40
The Great Valley 16 Languages 40
17 Tool Proficiencies & Knacks 40
The Brothers 17 Adventuring Gear 40
Wintersouth 18 Armor 41
The Eel 18 Weapons 41
18
The World-Fangs 20 Chapter 6: Running the Game 42
20 42
TThheeStGonieaEnmtpEirempires 20 Stone-Age Adventures 42
The Fire Empire 20 42
The Air Empire Villanous Schemes 43
The Storm Empire 21 Primordial Monsters 43
21 Awarding Loot 43
The Elemental Wastes 21 Magic Items 43
The Sea of Stars 21 43
Nod 23 Dungeons & Ruins 45
The Kingdom of the Dead 23
23 Ruins 46
Chapter 3: Adventuring Guide 23 Dungeons 46
23 46
Primordial Cunning 23 Urban Adventures 46
The Clanfire Is Sacred 23 46
Every Place Has Its God 24 Chapter 7: Survival 47
The Stars Tell Stories 24 HHuunngetriIns agC&onHstaanrt vesting 47
You Are What You Eat 47
Star Magic 26 Dangers of the Hunt 47
Watching the Stars 26 Taboos 48
WPreaipmoanlShPauttserh 26 Harvesting
Blood Offering 27 Crafting 49
Spellburn 28 49
29 Travel & Tracking 49
The Black Taboos 29 49
Discovering Your Character 31 Getting Lost 51
32 51
Chapter 4: Character Options 32 Chapter 8: Clans 51
33
Playable Races 34 Clan Life 52

Dwarves Full Days
Elves Magic Nights
Halflings Feasts & Festivals
Humans Rites & Rituals
Dragonborn
Gnomes Each Clan is Different
Half-Elves
Orcs Find Your Planegea
Monstrous & Exotic Races
Half-Oozes

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Credits & Notes 53

Creative Team 53
Artwork 53
Inspiration 53
Version Notes 53

The oozing jungle shakes with the thunder and roar of A World of
the barbarian atop his mastodon steed. He whirls his Bone & FireHIS IS PLANEGEA—PRIMORDIAL
enchanted bone axe, signaling the sorceress soaring
above. She folds her wings and dives, ablaze with magic. Dungeons & Dragons, where a dungeon
Tonight, her spells and his rage will at last lay waste to means the curse-painted caves of a cannibal
the slimy lair of the tentacled tyrant-lizard and its clan, and a mindless, monstrous dragon is as
corrupted brood!
Still vibrating with star-magic, the translucent elf Tlikely to eat you as look at you. Gone are the
scavenger—her edges dreamlike and indistinct—holds safe hearths of taverns and libraries, kingdoms
her breath. She carries her flint dagger in one hand and and cathedrals. Planegea is a place of utter
her offering of blood in the other as she descends, trailed wildness, where survival is the only law and it must be carved
noiselessly by her ever-silent halfling companion, into from the world by force of might and magic.
the cave of the bear-god.
His stony beard glittering with gemstones, the dwarvish Here, you must eat or be eaten. Fashion your own armor
hunter and the saurian spellskin bow their heads to from fur, feathers, bone, and stone. Shatter your hand-carved
receive the clan blessing as they prepare to track the fire- blades on the backs of your enemies in savage single combat.
giant slave-raiders. The great clanfire claws at the night Hide from massive predators and seek safety in numbers as
sky and the shaman sings of rescue and dawn, but the you journey through an epic world before myth—a land of
rocky heart of the dwarf beats only with the drum-song smoke, song, blades, dreams, blood, and magic.
of revenge.
Unfamiliar Everything

Nothing is as you expect in Planegea. Elves are shimmering
dream-walkers, dwarves are half stone, humans are beast-
tamers, halflings are silent stalkers, gnomes are filthy
scavengers, and dragonborn are just a heartbeat away from
their draconic or saurian ancestors.

There are no great, universal gods—only a patchwork quilt
of local deities, often in the shapes you least expect, with
powers that are bought with offerings and strange favors.

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In Planegea, the planes have not yet separated, and a great Answer the Howl
warrior can travel by foot from the Sea of Stars to the infinite,
volcanic peak of Blood Mountain; but along the way, that For those who rise to the call, for those heroes who can hear
warrior must battle everything—from cold alien intelligences clan-drums and star-song, Planegea offers endless adventure.
to the genie caravans—from the four empires of the giants to Will you escape the slave-pits of the giant empires and lead
the monsters that hunt the howling peaks and roaring oceans the Great Valley to revolt? Will you survive the Venom Abyss
that ring the Great Valley—from the cold, bony fingers of the to find the heart of the world in Blood Mountain? Will you
Nightmare World to the terrifying jaws of the jungle known reach into the Sea of Stars and slay the Hounds of the Blind
by as the Venom Abyss—every step of the journey is plagued Heaven who hunt those who dare to rise above their destiny?
with danger and death.
If you dare—if you’re strong enough, hungry enough, wild
enough—Planegea is calling you with an echoing, untamed,
fire-blackened howl.

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Chapter 1: Overview Honor the clanfire. Planegea is a wandering world, with
temporary tent-cities springing up in rich flood-planes and
PLANEGEA IS D&D. WHATEVER YOU mammoth-riding raiders erecting ribcage fortresses
want to explore in D&D—slaying monstrous overnight. You never know what you’ll find over the next
creatures, exposing political intrigue, exploring ridge, which is why you must make crafty alliances and create
ancient ruins, crafting enchanted weapons, a string of safe places in the world. Fools die first, so bring all
infiltrating evil cults, battling, building, casting, your intelligence and charisma to bear as you root out
carousing—it’s all here. Planegea rises out of traitors, strengthen friendly clans, and undermine brutal
our earliest ancestral memory, a world we can tyrants across the Great Valley and beyond.
barely recognize, yet holds all the adventure we can imagine.
You won’t find limitations on class or race in these pages; Everything can be found. Everything in D&D can be
rather, they are filled with ideas and inspiration for running a found in Planegea. Aberrations lurk in deep ruins. Beasts,
long and glorious game set before written words, hammered plants, and monstrosities prowl for prey. Celestials and fiends
ore, and plowed fields. flicker in faith’s dawn. Constructs shamble from shamanistic
fires. Dragons and elementals roar at each other across the
Drawn from the traditions of sword & sorcery pulp radius of the world. Fey drift from mortal’s dreams. Giants
adventures, infused with the blood-pounding thrills of Fury raise massive empires on the backs of mortal slaves, and the
Road, and caught in the jaws of primordial dreams, Planegea undead linger wherever oaths are broken.
has adventures for everyone who ever felt the cold wind raise
a chill of hunt and hope on their raw skin. The rest of this document explores each of these ideas in
greater depth.
These eight principles shape Planegea:
The worlds are one. Here at the beginning, all the planes Discover Planegea if you dare.
exist in a single world called Planegea, where a hunter can
travel by foot from Blood Mountain at the center to the the hunt for the night-thing
outermost Sea of Stars. In the Great Valley, where most
mortals dwell, nomadic clans gather in flood-cities, warlords Skarn Two-Axe, a brutal dwarven warlord, calls for hunters who
erect tent-fortresses, and monsters and walking forests roam will slay the monster that has been devouring his clan in the
in search of prey. dark. Little does he realize that the monster is an evil form
Nothing is the same. In Planegea, life is abundant and taken by his daughter, Adaki. In league with the nightmare
strange. The myriad races and monsters of D&D are here, elves, she seeks to overthrow Skarn and rule what’s left of the
but they are strange and primal. Dwarves are half-stone, elves clan herself.
are half-dream, and monsters are mixed in strange and
unpredictable combinations to frighten and bewilder even the
most seasoned of adventurers.
It all starts here. The traditions that will someday become
classes all begin in Planegea, from the divine shaman making
offerings to local gods to the arcane spellskin burning his
tattoos with mana to the martial hunter shattering a bone
sword on the back of a monster.
Beware the taboos. It’s not ignorance that keeps Planegea
from developing higher technology… it’s fear. Breaking the
Black Taboos—which forbid writing, farming, currency, and
the wheel—summons terrible spectral creatures called the
Hounds of the Blind Heaven which devour those who dare to
defy the fates.
The ancient is alien. For those wandering souls who dare
to tread on ancient ruins or forbidden places, they will find no
palaces of elven lords or ancient dwarven kingdoms. The
desolate places of the world hold dungeons, but not made by
mortal hands. Alien minds—aboleths, mindflayers,
beholders, dragons, giants—these dread beings have all held
sway over the world in their epochs, and their grim ruins are
full of unfathomable danger and strangeness.
Eat or be eaten. There are many great beasts in the world,
and great is their hunger. In Planegea, you are prey as well as
hunter, and must beware lest a wandering monster catch you
off-guard. But when you do battle, don’t waste what falls—
every monster can be harvested for its meat or bile or bones.

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The Primal World of Planegea

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Chapter 2: Geography
IN THE BEGINNING WAS BLOOD MOUNTAIN,
and from its fires spewed forth the world of The Venom Abyss
Planegea. It stretches out, pushing creation’s sprawl
further and further. The edges of the world are old, Blood Mountain sits in an enormous chasm, roughly circular
alien and cruel, and its center is new, burgeoning in shape, and filled with a writhing jungle full of dinosaurs,
with life and danger. apes, and gigantic poisonous crawling beasts of all kinds.
Everything about the Venom Abyss is alive and growing.
Twisted poison vines, enormous carnivorous plants, things
What follows are brief introductions to the landmarks, that are half-plant, half-monster... the jungle crawls with
regions, and people of Planegea. But it isn't all-encompassing. danger, most of it mindless and instinctual.
What's written here is just the edge of all that wanders and
skulks, tunnels and soars through the world. There are a
great many places unexplored, broad horizons unwritten. You Canopy
never know what you'll find in Planegea. A sudden drop in
the land may reveal an ancient stone temple, a cave might There is an entire world in the treetops of the Venom Abyss,
offer passage to a hidden kingdom, or a mysterious creatures who live and die without ever touching the jungle
encampment could lead to untold wonders of discovery. floor. Aboreal villages gather fruits and nuts, hunt birds,
monkeys, lizards, and other small prey (and avoid their prey's
Each Planegea is different. Make the land your own, fill it larger, predatory cousins).
with adventures, monsters, and locations that breathe your
life into it. Dragon cults. The Venom Abyss canopy is largely without
its own gods, who tend to dwell in sacred places near land—
Let the hunt begin. but there are clans who revere the dragons that fly to and

from Blood Mountain. Some enact elaborate rituals to
summon and feed the dragon, and other clans live in fear of
the the dragon cult raiders stealing their young for some
The Skies of Planegea awful sacrifice.

There is no single sun in Planegea. Rather, just Nexes of the spider-queen. Wise hunters know to avoid
before the end of each night, as they complete areas where great webs have been spun. The spider-queen
their constellation dance, the stars begin to swirl and her people are ever-thirsty for the blood of foolish prey,
overhead, bobbing and diving at each other, and it's said that mortals who avoid being eaten are horribly
swooping and streaking in an attempt to knock the transformed into her arachnoid kin.
others out of the sky. As they battle, the victorious
stars grow brighter until only three or four heavy,
bright stars glow like lanterns above. Then there are Understory
two, until the winner of the duel rams its opponent
from the heavens, taking on the full brilliance of In the emerald darkness below the treetops is an entirely
the Day Star, and parading across the heavens in different world, untouched by wind or sun. Here, the air is
the fullness of its glory all day. thick and wet, full of mists and insects and plants that curl
their tendrils to sting and devour. Only the fierce and
The defeated stars spend the day recovering ferocious survive here—and even then, it seems that more
their strength, siphoning light from the Day Star creatures die than live.
until it is weak enough for them to rise in shining Reptilian hunting ground. The understory teems with life,
fountains from the horizon, to begin again their
constellation dance and the endless cycle of night and the greatest beasts are the dinosaurs—although they
and day. normally go unnamed in that green darkness. Though they
fight for survival, many have been corrupted by the dark
things that swarm and slither in the forests, and many a
great, scaled, fanged beast stalks the forest floor aglow with
necromantic magic or writhing with twisted tentacles alien to
its natural form.
Blood Mountain Living temples. The great practitioners of dark arts in the
Understory are the snake-people who call themselves the
At the center of Planegea, visible for countless miles in all Yuan-Ti. These powerful spellworkers and warriors live in
directions, an impossibly tall spire of rock, fire, and smoke constant combat with the dragonborn who hunt the
rises from the tangled mass of a primordial jungle. All of perimeter of Blood Mountain, preferring to avoid open
Planegea wheels around this central axis, which equally combat by slithering into their great tree-temples, formed by
creates and destroys life with primal power. using unholy energy to twist the massive trees of the forest
into inhabitable structures.
This infinitely high volcano crawls with dragons both
cunning and feral. It is said that in the center of its fire lives
the being that made all things: the Worldheart Dragon, an
incredibly massive, ancient, and powerful creature who is Prisoners of the Snake Shaman

dreaming reality into existence, and her five consorts, the You awake chained to the slimy wood of a rotting tree in total
legendary Sacred Dragons, whose scales glitter with colorful
sheens of an impossibly smooth, strong material, like nothing darkness. From far away, you hear hissing chants. You have
else seen in the world.
been captured by the vile snake-people of the Venom Abyss,
and it will take all your strength and cunning to escape alive.

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The Breathtaking Lagoon. Legend tells of a place where the
vines and trees fall away to reveal a lake of majestic beauty.
Rainbows arc across its surface, its shimmering depths glow
with pristine purity. Many a weary hunter has touched its
surface in great relief, only to feel the utter anguish of being
sucked under by its sticky pseudopods—for the lake is a lie,
and is in fact the greatest of all primordial oozes, and its
appearance a lure for the hapless creatures on which it feeds.

The Rotting Gloom. Beneath the feet of dinosaurs and
yuan-ti, in the thick roots and black volcanic soil of the
Venom Abyss, an entire underworld of caves, crawling
creatures, and predatory oozes is alive with hunger. Hidden
here are secrets so powerful that they have never been
pushed outward into the rest of Planegea, remaining always
close to Blood Mountain, feeding on its energy and—perhaps
—plotting their eventual return to the surface of the world.
The Unfalls
Five great rivers flow in reverse from the Venom Abyss,
surging upwards in great eternal fountains that pulse as if
pumped by the great heart of the world itself. Terrible
monsters often wash up these fountains and—finding
themselves in the Great Valley—fall to devouring the beasts
and clans of that fertile land.

The Great Valley

Most of the mortals in Planegea make their home in the
Great Valley—a wide and well-watered land, rich in rivers,
good hunting, and plentiful plant life. Existing in a band
between the violence of the Venom Abyss and the tyranny of
the giant empires, the clans of the Great Valley move in an
endless ring, always only a few steps ahead of death.

The circle of seasons. Every year, the four seasons chase
each other through the air, and the herd animals move their
grazing lands in an arc around the Venom Abyss. The
predators that rely on them for food—including the hunting
and gathering mortals—travel with them. So the clans of
men, dwarves, elves, and the rest move each year in a
clockwork curve, following their food supply as it travels.

Divine hallows. Scattered throughout the land,
dominating regions large and small, stand the divine hallows.
These places can be anything: a bend in the river, an ancient
tree, a deep cave—what sets them apart are that they are the
claimed sanctuary of a god. From a hallow, a god's power
emanates, and many are shrouded in regional effects such as
darkness, wind, tremors in the earth, fertile plant life, or other
effects suitable to the power of their god. Most regions are
ruled by only a single god at a time, but some can coexist if
their spheres of influence do not overlap.

Hunters, gatherers, & raiders. The greatest power in the
Great Valley are the mortal clans, who make their homes
(both temporary and permanent) there. These can be of one
race or many, dedicated to trade or violence, governed gently
or with great cruelty. Each clan is unique, with its own
politics, personalities, troubles, and gifts. And each must
keep moving to stay ahead of the fierce winter that always
seems to come a little sooner every year.

Wandering woods. Planegea is young and awake. Verdant
forests comprised entirely of treants and dryads wander the
landscape. When peaceful, they are full of food, shade, rest,
and wisdom—when angered, they spell utter devastation.

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Dwarvish ruins. The dwarves are famous for building and Urhosh is a gregarious god, and when he is merry, great
abandoning stone circles, dwellings, fortresses, even cities. feasts are held at his doorstep. All who eat at Urhosh's table
As soon as construction is complete, these master craftsmen are imbued with divine endurance, and the shamans say that
lose interest, eager to begin the next edifice. Dwarvish ruins after such a feast his hunters cannot be harmed for a night
scatter the landscape, making great places for encampment, and a day.
settlement, ambush, or hunting. Many secrets are hidden in
the ruins of dwarves, and though some clans make them their Bitewater & Fishgather. The great lake called Bitewater
regular habitation, others are to be avoided by those who do is so named for the numberless monsters that lurk in its
not wish to perish in a most unsettling death. depths, having swum up the Unfalls from the Venom Abyss.
Still, it teems not only with predators, but also with fat fish,
Hidden doorways. Planegea is a world where you can good crabs and shrimp, and all manner of shorebirds, edible
walk from one end of reality to the other—but even so, some lakeweed, and the edible plenty of the water. As such, a
ways are concealed from plain sight. More commonly than permanent community of fishers live on the lake in a network
most believe are doorways to the Nod—the worlds of dreams of houseboats, lashed together in the shallows and carefully
and nightmares—and the Kingdom of the Dead, where guarded against the great and hungry things that might swim
Nazh'Agaa Skull-King rules over all. These doors are secret, from below. In the summer they harvest the lake's wealth, and
but real, and can be found by the very clever, the very stupid, in the winter they ply the ice with great lines and spears
and the very desperate. while the things below sleep and dream dark, fishy dreams of
the sun.
The Brothers
Three fertile slopes of three rivers in the north of the Great Killbrother Vale. This serene meadow stands halfway
Valley—the Bear, the Ape, and the Lion—are jealously between the Bear and Ape rivers. In the good days, it is full of
guarded in the warm seasons by three powerful, warring gatherers harvesting sweetgrass and children catching
clans. Each seeks to destroy the other two and rule as the butterflies. But it is better known as the place where the
preeminent power in the valley. Although weather and warring clans of Bear and Ape come together in terrible
migrations force the clans to leave their rivers every year, they battles every spring. Parents tell their children that the
linger as long as they can and seasonally fight to reclaim butterflies are lost spirits, and to catch and crush them is to
what they have built with proud fury. release them into their afterlife. They may be telling the truth.

The Bear Raiding Plains. These sweeping, open lands are just
fertile enough to sustain life, but not much of it. Instead, they
The Bear River winds from the edge of the Venom Abyss are the host to grazing raider-clans, who use the endless
northwest towards a great lake called Bitewater, and is expanse and dried river beds as hiding places until they ride
known for the wide and gentle valley that surrounds it, rich out of the mist on roaring beasts to take the riches of the
with grazing beasts. valley below.

The Bear Clan. This clan of mighty warriors values The Whispering Veldt. This dry, grassy space is known
strength above all, and its children are raised to preform for its infinite voices, calling the names of those lost long ago.
great feats of physical might and endurance. Bear Clan tents It is said that a great god-battle was fought here, with many
are built to resemble hives, and they welcome bees as a good clans clashing in stone-edged combat. As the legend goes, all
omen from their god, Urhosh. who raised a weapon here died, and the ground soaked in
their souls along with their blood. It is foolish to spend a night
Hallow of Urhosh. The Unkillable Bear-God Urhosh in the Whispering Veldt... if the ghosts don't openly attack, the
dwells in a great cave, the entrance of which is always lit with echoing voices of the dead are still enough to drive even a
fire and surrounded by honeycombs and fish gathered by his weak hunter mad.
loyal followers.
Earthblood Shrine. This temple, hewn by unknown hands
to an unknown god, is a baleful place of lava, fiery creatures,
and visions of the Kingdom of the Dead.

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The Ape Firegrass Wilds. This burning prairie, frequently scorched
by wildfires, stands at the foot of the Fire Empire. It is a
The Ape River is the shortest of the five great rivers, and frequent hiding place for escapees and runaways, since their
hooks crookedly through the land to empty into the giant captors assume that no mortal can live for long in that
undrinkable depths of Bittersea. It is known for its living dry and desolate wilderness. By and large, they're right.
forests and the rich variety of birds that nest along its banks.
Dire Grazelands. These open grassy plains are host to
The Ape Clan. This clan of daring hunters values massive grazing beasts—enormous reptiles, descended from
resourcefulness above all, challenging one another to trials of creatures that fell into the Upfalls long ago, as well as
survival and extreme persistence in the face of impossible massive sheep, huge cattle, and other gigantic creatures of
odds. Ape Clan tents are famous for being cleverly built so as other kind. Their great size is said to be due to the magic of
to be quick to raise and lower, and the entire clan is said to be fire giants, and giant herdsmen do roam the plains with their
able to break camp as if they'd never been there before the flocks—but so do entire mortal villages built on the backs of
Day-Star can travel a handsbreath across the sky. great roving beasts, their huts connected by a lattice of rope
and wood bridges stretched across open air between their
Hallow of Kho. The Many-Armed Ape-God Kho makes his animals. The grazelands provide milk, meat, and hides in
dwelling in a massive tree, so great that it pulls the entire Ape great quantities, making them wealthier than their great
River towards it with the might of its roots. Kho is a brooding grassy expanses would suggest.
and difficult god, but he loves the sound of drumming, and
can be lulled to sleep with the ritual drums of the shamans. It The Lion
is during his sleep that he grants generous boons from his
dreams of his younger days, and the Ape Clan's shamans do The Lion River cuts southeast through ever-deepening
all that they can to keep him slumbering as long as they can. canyons across the highlands that end in the infinite cliffs of
the Air Empire. It is known for its excellent fishing and the
Saltwood. This sleeping forest is deserted by treants and lionberries that grow plentifully along its edges.
dryads, who consider it as good as dead, its branches and
leaves covered with crystals leeched from the waters of the The Lion Clan. This clan of fearless fighters values
Bittersea. Yet the plants here have found a way to survive, courage and watchfulness above all, teaching their children to
and the salty air makes things grow strange. It is said that the never blink in the face of fear or look away from disaster. The
Saltwood has great arcane power, and spellskins often Lion Clan barely uses shelter, except in the fiercest weather,
journey to its white groves to seek what power may be found. preferring to sleep out of doors, even in rain or snow, and live
a life fully exposed to the dangers around them.
Bittersea & Swapshore. This narrow, incredibly deep
body of water is long-since poisoned by the minerals that Prideblood Slopes. Of all clans, the Lions travel least,
blow seasonally across its surface from the Fang of Salt & remaining on their sloping hills long after all the other clans
Sand. Nothing lives in the Bittersea, but the Ape have moved on. They fiercely fortify these uplands with
River is drinkable until it empties into its basin, so defensive barricades and traps, making travel through these
there is life and settlement here. An old dwarvish lands dangerous for outsiders. For this reason, other clans
fortress at the sea's edge is a well-traveled trading often avoid these slopes, even when making assaults on the
ground and respite from the wilderness. It's said Lion Clan.
that if anything is lost, it will someday turn up at
Swapshore, although it won't be unchanged by Hallow of Glelh. The Hallow of Glelh the Unblinking is a
its journey to those strange market tents. pile of stones high on a windswept hill. Herd animals caught
within sight of it are drawn in inexorably towards it by the
hypnotic hunger of the lion-god. The stones at the top are
dark red with the blood of the lion's prey. It is said that from
the top of the hill, a shaman can see the entire Valley with
perfect clarity.

Howlgrove. A wild wood, thick with wolves. Howlgrove is
said to be inhabited by an accursed people—half man, half
wolf, whose bite spells death and whose hunger is immortal.

Lastwater Wilds. These dusty wastelands are a solitary
place, speckled with little pools where there can be found the
last clean water before the Fang of Sand & Wind. Some say
it's a ritual place where ghosts gather for a final look at the
land of mortals before departing to the Kingdom of the Dead.

The Eyestone. A great towering landmark—a single stone
with a great, seemingly natural hole drilled in the middle, in
which sputters and burns a glowing light of ever-changing
color and brightness. All manner of spellcasters have
examined the Eyestone, trying to unlock the secrets of the
monolith—but aside from a terrifying feeling of been not only
watched but seen and known utterly, there appears to be no
other effect.

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Bendgather. When winter fades into spring, this riverside Edgegather. Jutting out over the lashing palm trees of the
ruin of dwarven construction is the ceremonial meeting place Venom Abyss, Edgegather is a permanent encampent on the
of the Brothers clans. Here they discuss the coming season, inner edge of the world. A place of trade and ritual, festival
make plans of festival and marriage and war. Outside the and council, the stacked wooden huts of Edgegather pile and
fortress, the members of all three clans exhange goods and descend over the lip of the cliff, with dangling cages where
information, stories and greetings, before all divide into their sentries keep vigil over the jungle and Blood Mountain,
claimed lands and the start of the hot hunting season. watching for signs of deliverance or destruction. For those
who meet in Edgegather, there is a spirit of merriment, of
Icehook Peaks. These vicious mountains cut jagged spires dancing on the edge of a volcano, and their venomwine and
into the air, the wind from their peaks a frigid blast of doom endless carnivals are legendary.
to any who would dare to venture onto their slopes.
Sharpfang Sweep. This open land is littered with the
Sorrows Edge. This lonely land is the very edge of the bones of mighty reptiles washed into the Valley by the Unfalls
world—a last step of land between the Fang of Sand & Wind and brought down by fearless mortal hunters—or by own
and the Air Empire, where infinite cliffs fall into dark kind. It is a region that must be crossed at the end of every
nothingness. It is to Sorrows Edge that disgraced druids are winter, in a clan's final push to Bendgather before start of
brought in cases of ultimate justice, bound with vines to leech spring... but each year many lives are lost to the predatory
away their magic and thrown into the endless void away from tyrannasaurs and raptors that stalk these lands.
the world they have disgraced.
The Watchers. If a shaman or a chanter tells you they
Wintersouth know who carved the Watchers, they are lying or making a
In the southern arc of the Great Valley lie wide, sparse fool of you. These towering stone heads, submerged at the
grazing lands with hearty grass, uneven hills, and little collarbone, throat, chin, mouth, or cheekbones, stand as tall
forests and pools of water. This land, drier and tougher than as trees and as silent, all looking inward toward Blood
the nothern arc, is the seasonal refuge of herd animals and Mountain, as if waiting for something with infinite patience.
the clans that depend on them for food. This land is
unwelcoming, and its little hills and valleys are claimed by Ribcage Canyon. The only open pass through the Starstep
countless minor deities known collectively as the Winter Cliffs is the ominous arcing bones of Ribcage Canyon.
Gods, whose spitefulness, petty agression, and limited power Hunters no stranger to massive beasts wonder what kind of
makes them an object of reluctant worship for the shamans creature could have died to create these unthinkably large rib
forced to make camp in their lands. bones that jut out of the earth and soar into the sky above,
higher than an elf can see on a day of low clouds. Raiders
The Bull lurk in the pass, though they are often cleared out by the
watch-clans, who will take journeyers through for a hefty
The Bull River is a mighty, charging force, thundering price in trade.
downhill with a neverending roar. It is known to change
course abruptly midseason, sweeping away encampments in Starstep Cliffs. Between the raging storms of the Fang of
flash floods and ripping out trees that have dared to grow in Shadow & Thunder and the frozen spires of Icehook rise
its way. It calms as it enters the great expanse of the these piled buttes and mesas, these endless stepped cliffs.
Slumbering forest before continuing its downward plunge to Here the leatherfolk gather in uncountable flocks, chanting
the lightning-lashed sea at the foot of Mabros, capital city of ancient lizard-magic as they wheel from their sanctum towers
the Storm Empire. and incense-filled aeries to survey prey and threats below.

13

14

The Slumbering Forest. No other forest but the Venom The Vale of Rituals. This misty valley between the Horse
Abyss can compare with the vast black, gray, and green-blue and the Bear is known for its shifting fog that brings with it
stretches of this deciduous wilderness. An ancient forest that visions and spirits from the past and future. Here, many clans
long ago exiled its treants and dryads, the slumbering forest come to consult the ghosts of their ancestors, seeking
has more than its share of monsters, echantments, and guidance for the winter's challenges, and here many young
secrets hidden just beyond the veil of perception. They say children are named by their clan's shaman, for it is said that if
that lost hunters in the forest fall asleep, and that when they an infant's name is spoken for the first time in the Vale of
sleep they dream of taking root—and when they wake, they Rituals, it echoes through the mist into the Hallow of every
stretch their branches towards the heavens in search of the god in the Great Valley.
winter sun.
Firstblood Basin. This natural amphitheater is where
Seerfall. In the heart of the Slumbering Forest, along the many young hunters are put through their initiation rights,
white waterfalls where the Bull drops off steep cliffs, stands fighting single combat against captured predators or
an abandoned dwarven refuge. The stonework is interwoven engaging in ritual vigils or duels with other hunters to earn
to the waterfalls, the original cave system carved into an their place of honor and adulthood in the clan.
intricate and serene sanctuary. These falls are one of the
most sacred places in Planegea, home to a council of The Well of Dreams. A hill powerful with druidic magic,
shamans who gather to discuss the business of the gods and where stand a star-shaped pattern of moss-covered stones,
the beginning and end of the world. The falls tremble with the Well of Dreams is open at the top and holds water that
divine magic, and it is to Seerfall that the desperate, the reflects the dance of the stars. There are handholds carved
brilliant, and the ambitious flock, to seek the blessing and into the sides of the well, which druids are known to climb
foresight of the high shamans. down, submerging themselves in the well in pursuit of
ancient and secret knowledge known only to their kind.
Thunderverge. This storm-tossed grassland is the home of
centaurs and mighty saber-toothed cats, terrible rocs and Daggerwood. An evil place, famous for its twisted treants
things that laugh and dance in the face of a whirlwind. and alluring spirits that haunt and tease the weak-willed into
Mortals who camp here are in danger on every side—giants sinking deaths in oozing mud. The Daggerwood is home to
to the west, storms to the south, leatherwings to the east, and outcasts, exiles, murderers and traitors, and the scavengers
the slumbering forest to the north. Yet despite all this—or who dwell there—though they pretend at refinement and
perhaps because of it, Thunderverge is home to some of the pageantry in their Cuththroat Council—are nothing but a
greatest chanters and sorcerers of Planegea, and their songs clan of the dishonored and the ruined.
and spells crackle as if struck by lightning from the
Everstorm itself. Lake Littleblood. A favorite retreat of spellskins. Lake
Littleblood has poor fishing, but excellent limesetone cliffs,
Fields of Fargone. These pleasant and temperate lands where the spellcasters work out their intricate magics on the
run along the border of the Storm Empire, and represent a ever-crumbling walls carved by the rising and falling of the
tempting trap that has lured many a lost clan into the arms of lake with the land's melts and thaws. The lake is known to
waiting giant raiding parties. shimmer and dance with the reflected light of dueling
spellskins hurling their magics across the water at each other
Soaring Stones. Who can offer an explanation of the in battles of power and pride.
Soaring Stones? These massive menhirs, too large to be
lifted even by the hands of a mighty giant, arranged in a The Cult Riverland. Young hunters are warned from the
circle, drift in midair, many heights of men above a flat stone cradle—do not go to the Cult Riverland. Never. This soggy,
ground, smooth and black and unfathomable. Their bases are desolate, foggy place is home to the worst gods of Planegea...
lit with a red light that is not fire nor magma nor arcane a miserable, bloodthirsty, shadowy host of evil spirits who
magic as it can be understood by spellskins. They simply are, long for nothing but murder and misery. Their wretched
and by existing, defy the wisdom of even the most ancient followers live in reeking mosshouses, sift through mud for
mortal sages. blind fish to eat, and wage eternal silent wars on their
neighbors in attempt to cut the throats of those who would
The Horse follow any other god but the idol of their clan's little rain-
soaked hummock. Worst of all are the powerful Kraken Cults,
The Horse River is gentle, unremarkable in its course and who make their home in the delta between the Fang of Salt &
simple in its pleasures, offering ample grazing land, but little Slime and the edge of the Storm Empire, chanting their
cover or heavy growth for good gathering. As such, it serves endless rites and rituals to summon their tentacled god to
its purpose in watering the Allhunt, but little else can be said crawl onshore and devour the land in slime and hatred once
of its short and sandy banks. and for all.

The Allhunt. In the winter months, with food desperately The Eel
scarce, it is essential that clans—even those who were at war The Eel River is the only major river of Planegea that does
a mere season ago—can hunt without fear of attack from not have it source at Blood Mountain, running instead
other mortals. As long as the taboos and customs are southwards from the Skyfang Mountains to the Fang of Salt
respected, the Allhunt is an open ground where any hunting & Slime. Many consider it an accursed river, but that has
party may pursue game without fear of harm from another more to do with the wild and fearful lands of its course than
clan. To assault another hunter in the Allhunt is considered a the actual waters themselves, which are remarkably cool and
great dishonor to the clan, and worthy of the most severe fresh, even in the swamps.
punishment that a shaman may mete out.

15

Free Citadel. At the source of the Eel—where its not called
that, but the Dakru—is a mighty city, built for giants by their
mortal slaves. It towers in a natural canyon, defended on all
sides by cliffs and air and ice. And it is here, in this
unassailable place, that the mortal slaves of the Stone
Empire rose up and slew their giant captors. The city has
been free for only a short time... many years, but not
generations... and the people there live and work as one, in
sworn servie to the leader of their rebellion, the great and
wise Usurper Queen.

Ghostmire. An endless wetland, haunted by the living and
the dead. What can be said of Ghostmire? Its depths are
unfathomable, its mists unsearchable, its monsters
unimaginable. Yet there are dwellings here—stilt-villages
built by stilt-walkers who know secret ways through the foul
muck and murky fog to find reasons to stay alive.

Temple of the Mushroom Lord. This curious structure is
known by chanters to be the sovereign domain of a being
called the Mushroom Lord—a myconid, or living fungus, that
communicates by means of magical spores and has an army
of mushroom folk to do his bidding. They engage in strange
rites and rituals here, of great interest to druids and those
who believe that there are secrets in the world which mortal
minds have barely begun to grasp.

The World-Fangs

Shamans say that Planegea is a wide mouth opened in a roar
with four great teeth at its corners—the World-Fangs. These
regions of devestation are the meeting places of the
Elemental Wastes, and are too inhospitable for any mortal to
make permanent residence—or any giant for that matter.

The Fang of Rock & Flame. A volcanic land, hotter than
many clanfires, the air full of choking ash and smoke. The
peaks and crags of this sulfurous oven are inhabited by all
creatures who love flame and despise anything that is
consumed by burning.

The Fang of Sand & Wind. A searing desert, where
constant sandstorms choke and bite and rip the flesh off of
mortals or giants foolish enough to wander into them. If a
storm is not blowing, the sun can reduce a traveler to dizzy
weakness in a matter of hours—after that, it's the skull-
scarabs that will finish them off when they fall.

The Fang of Shadow & Thunder. Darkness and towering
cliffs, illuminated only by the blinding flashes of lighting,
where the constant roar of thunder reverberates off every
cliffside, triggering endless avalanches and rockslides into
the bottomless pits and dark waters of the rainwater lakes of
that unlivable land.

The Fang of Salt & Slime. A coastal nightmare where
great tentacled things from the sea and great oozing things
from the swamps wrestle in the mucky silt and sand where
black waves devour black shores with endless, mindless,
gnawing hunger.

Marauders of the World-Fangs

A group of villains from Daggerwood, having gotten their
hands on secret lore by murderous means, discover the
locations of four great weapons, one hidden in each of the
World-Fangs. Uniting the weapons will put their wielders on
part with the Worldheart Dragon itself. And these cutthroats
will be stabbed if they'll let anyone else get there first.

16

The Giant Empires The Stone Empire
The mountain region known as Skyfang is home to two types
Woe to those enslaved by a giant raiding party. The great of giants: the crafting stone giants and the raiding frost
giant empires, with their mighty ziggurats and dark rituals, giants. These two clans live in peace by dividing the Skyfangs
are merciless in their worship and brutal in their sport. The into "above" and "below." The caves and caverns and hollow
Storm Empire, Fire Empire, Air Empire, and Stone Empire places below the mountains belong to the stone giants, who
are set between the four world-fangs, and they are at all costs carve their endless symbols, chant, and dream, while the
to be avoided by mortals. peaks, crags, and icy slopes belong to the frost giants. It is the
latter who go forth and raid the Great Valley for slaves, who
Stone-Age Slavery terrorize the mortals, but it is the stone giants who gaze into
the secret oracle-pools deep in the roots of Skyfang and lead
Modern slavery and resulting social injustice is a the Empire with their powerful portents of days to come.
human rights tragedy. We recognize that certain
groups may wish to exclude themes of slavery Skyfang Mountains. These pine-covered, snowy slopes are
from their game. Our intent is not to offend, but to but the foothills of the Worldquake Waste beyond, but even so
explore historic and mythic archetypes. The slavery they are mighty in their own right. Many a wandering
depicted here is intended as economic and monster makes these mountains their home—they are too
political captivity explicitly depicted as evil, and is great a range to be fully conquered, even by giants. But then
not based on race or heredity. again, there are mountain peaks which have been carved by
tools too huge and powerful for mortals to imagine, scratched
However, if you do not wish to include slavery as in glowing lines with the geometric patterns of the stone
a theme in your game in any way, we completely giants... so perhaps these mighty ones of stone and ice have
support your world-building. Perhaps in your full sway in the peaks after all.
Planegea, the giants have no need of slaves,
building their empires with magic and their own High-Walled Akmon. This is the great capital city of the
hands. Perhaps giant raiding parties are simply for Stone Empire, where the Thrones of Stone & Ice stand back
sport, to capture prisoners for information or to pack in a throne room whose hall stretches through the
entertainment. Perhaps the giants keep to side of a mountain. Akmon is a city of endless ceremonies
themselves and actively bar smaller races from and rituals, songs and vigils performed day after day. Of all
entering their empires. It's your Planegea, make the the great cities of the giants, Akmon is perhaps the most like
choices that will lead to the most fun at your table. one of the great gathering places of mortal clans—although
to tell a giant as much would spell instant death.

O'oteka. This gateway city is gaurded by elite frost giant
raiders. It is a place to gather supplies and repare before
making a raid on the Great Valley, and is know for its Wailing
Markets and great grinding stones for sharpening blades.

17

Mazu. Too hot for frost giants and too far from raider's prey, Apa'aku. Seated on an oasis, Apa'aku is the pleasure-city of
Mazu is a quiet city of stone giants. Remarkable for its the Fire Kingdom, full of mystics, dancers, weapon-eaters,
soaring stone towers, which look as if they are simply stacked fortune-tellers, and all manner of entertainments and
boulders that might topple at any moment, there are diversions for the fire giants or their guests.
generations of giant patterning and story-scars etched into
every wall, and the Stone Empire looks to ancient Mazu for Emissaries of the Betrayer-Giant
wisdom and learning.
Gol’mas, a fire giant prince of Apa'aku, has released a select
The Towering Weald. This massive forest is made of group of his slaves on a secret mission: Carry an amulet across
redwoods—enormous pines that have soaked in giantish the Fang of Sand & Wind, through the Great Valley and the
magic until they grow to outlandish proportions... large Venom Abyss, to the very mouth of Blood Mountain. This
enough that a single hollow tree can encircle an entire mortal amulet bears secrets that will ignite open war between
clanfire. The Weald is considered sacred hunting ground for dragons and giants, perhaps bringing down the slave-empires
the Stone Emperor, and any but he and his chosen who set of the giants once and for all.
foot among the trees forfeit their lives.
The Air Empire
The Fire Empire The Air Empire is the least violent of the four giant empires,
The highly organized and regimented Fire Empire looks but perhaps the most manipulative and corrupt. Clothed in
down on all other empires as weak, decadent, or barbaric. In refinement borrowed from the elegant and powerful djinn,
the minds of the fire giants, only they possess the strength, the Air Empire prefers to watch the world from the towers of
discipline, and passion to rule as it should be. As such, they its soaring cities, only acting when the occasion suits and the
frequently send messengers—wanted or not—to other Empire cannot lose.
empires, which are usually seen as meddling at best and
declarations of war at worst. But the Fire Empire welcomes The Wind-City Nebhis. This floating citadel, suspended by
such conflict, eager to show their prowess and might against a gift from the Djinn, is more palace than city, a watered
any enemy, not least of all their giant cousins. garden of dreamlike delights and gentle visions. Still, the
beauty of the city hides a cruel underbelly, with its filthy slave
The Scalding & Maddening Dunes. The Fire Empire sits quarters and cruel torture chambers for those who displease
on the verge of the endless burning desert known as the the oh-so-noble cloud giants.
Inferno Waste. It stretches from the Scalding Dunes in the
north—where there are sulferous steam vents volcanic spirits Lo-Pa. The Jewel City, She-of-the-Waterfalls, the Crown of
of all kinds—to the Maddening Dunes in the south—where Eternity—Lo-Pa has many names, all well-deserved. This
there are trackless sandhills and mirages and creatures that stunning metropolis sits where the Lion River drops into
prey on the minds of those who get lost among them. endless waterfalls, in a cradle of dramatic natural beauty.
Unique to the giant cities, Lo-Pa has no walls, protected
Shining Eknis, the Obsidian City. The walls of the capital instead by the natural barrier of the Icehook Peaks. In Lo-Pa,
of the Fire Empire are covered in black volcanic glass, everything seems possible. And (given the magic of its giant
gathered by skilled giant artisans from the Fang of Rock & sorcerers and their djinn allies) everything probably is
Flame. The city is too bright in the desert sun to look at, and possible.. for the right price.
many a hapless slave being hauled to the city for the first time
has burned their eyes out trying to get a glimpse of the gates Ufu & the Island of Wings. Ufu, the war-city, sits on the
through which they would never again depart. Eknis is known Island of Wings, which floats across a chasm from the
for its highly regimented society, as well as for the great mainland of Planegea. In times of conflict, Ufu's mighty
gladiator matches, both of the slave folk as well as free giants menders cause the island to join back with the mainland,
who test their might in the ring for salt or favor with the connecting a great bridge that allows the shock troops of the
Emperor's throne. Air Empire to pour with fresh ferocity into the land and skies
of their domain.
The Ruins of Bosa. A foolish Fire Emperor, long-dead,
tried to invade the Inferno Waste and build a fortress-city The Storm Empire
there, beyond the agreed-upon border carefully negotiated by Mighty are the storm giants, and mighty is their burden. For
his forebears. The city was ravaged by the rage of the Efreeti, they alone among the empires must contend not only with
and still exists as a fire-blackened, magic-twisted ruin today, upholding their own civilization and pacifying the genies of
haunted by undead giants and fire elementals as a warning to the wastes—the Storm Empire never ceases to struggle with
any who would break the bond of treaty again. the Kraken, Aboleths, and the other gods of the deep, ever
summoned forth by their foolish worshipers from the Cult
Kalaq. Called the Shepherd's Gate by the proud giants of Riverlands. The Storm Empire has attempted to stamp out
Eknis, Kalaq is the kitchen of the Fire Empire. It is here that these cults time and again, but they rise and rise tirelessly,
the great grazing beasts are sent out and brought in and ever calling out to the great alien things beneath the waves.
slaughtered, their meat salted with Bittersea salt and sent on
great supply caravans throughout the empire. Without Kalaq The Everstorm. Always raging, always shaking the ground
feeding it, the Empire would fall in weeks. Fortunately, the with its fury and lashing out with its lightning, the everstorm
Shepherd's Gate stands less than a day's ride (by giant is an infinite wall of elemental fury where the water battles
standards) from Eknis, and any direct attack on Kalaq would the air. For storm giants, this environment is home. For any
surely bring down the full fury of the empire. other creature, it is terrifying and untraversable without
incredibly powerful magic wards against disaster.

18

19

Mabros. The capitol city of the Storm Empire has no grand Cyclone Waste. The vast white windstorm that is the
title, and needs none. It stands as a rock against the chaos of elemental realm of air howls with an endless wildness, but
the sea, concentrating the fury of the storm into endless rain within the floating sky-caravans of the Djinn, all is serene and
and lashing lightning like whips against the waves. The seven full of comfort and pleasure. The elegant genies travel in
satraps of Mabros are charged with ruling the city and the endless loops and swirls across the skies, attempting with
empire, for the Emperor has only one concern—containing deadly earnestness to outdo one another in magical delights
the evil that lurks within the sea. and wonders. The Air Empire is a useful supply of trinkets
and souls for them to use in their games and amusements,
Thuzo. The first giant city of Thunderverge, Thuzo acts as and they are more than willing to pay handsomely out of the
a raiding outpost as well as a place of counsel for the giants abundance they create quite literally out of thin air.
to seek the wisdom of the centaurs and even—occasionally—
the sages of Seerfall. Make no mistake, it is a cruel and Murder in the Djinn Caravan
haughty place, full of slaves, more prison-fortress than a true
city, but in the struggle against the sea, the Emperor is not A traveling band of hunters finds themselves yanked from
willing to lose any potential insight or resource, no matter their lives, summoned by the great djinn Yawm-Yamin to solve
how mortal or puny. a series of mysterious killings aboard his airborne yacht, flying
somewhere in the infinite emptiness of the Typhoon Waste.
Zarkez. The greatest seers of the Storm Empire dwell in
the ancient city of Zarkez, where in great open-roofed palaces The Sea of Stars
they gaze upwards and read the patterns of the lightning,
drinking the rain and seeking enlightenment beyond the It’s said that when Blood Mountain first erupted, it didn’t
measure of mortal comprehension. spew forth flame, but stars. Those stars surround the world,
and if you walk to the very edge of the elemental wastes, you
Aktok. This remote city is the point of the spear for the can fall into the stars' infinity. Yet even the bravest hunter
Storm Empire's constant attempts to destroy the craven would be wise to stay away... for there are things among the
Kraken-worshipers of the Cult Riverlands. The empire raids stars that mortals have long forgotten—and that we can only
what slaves it can from here, but most cultists would rather hope have forgotten us.
die than be captured, and in their ritual deaths they further
empower their undersea gods. Nod

The Elemental Wastes Nod is not one place but two, and these twin worlds drift in
and out of existence, their thresholds in places of great
These desolations of earth, air, fire, and water are the first beauty or terror. Elves travel from Planegea to their worlds,
lands spewed by Blood Mountain, the domain of the cruel but they carry with them some aspects of that shimmering,
and corrupt caravans of genies, the final edges of the world— translucent place.
the last place a mortal can set foot before falling into the
endless Sea of Stars. The World of Dreams (Feywild). This wondrous land, full
of twilight beauty and strange delights, works with a shifting,
Typhoon Waste. This vast and dark sea is home to great metamorphic logic that is an expression of inner state and
coral catamarans and undersea palaces of the Marid, piscene desire, full of allure and magic, but one in which things can
water-genies who are convinced of their infinite wisdom and change abruptly to be much stranger and more fearful than
wit. They trade with the storm giants, but find the empire's one could possibly imagine.
endless war against aboleths, kraken, and the like tiresome,
believing that it would be no great loss if the land was swept The World of Nightmares (Shadowfell). This dark land is
away and covered in water and slime, as it once was. full of the twisting, turning undead, and all dark things that
raise their slack jaws from horrible places to gaze with
Worldquake Waste. No mountains imagined by mortals unblinking eyes into the awful places in the soul. The
can rival the limitless heights of the roaring, soaring ranges shepherds of this land are the Omenbringers, dark elves who
of Worldquake Waste. Home of the greedy and heartless Dao act as knights, lords, and guardians for those mortal souls
who never stop demanding more slaves for purchase from who find themselves lost in the haunted places of the heart.
the Stone Empire, the elemental realm of earth is a grinding
mouth of avalanche, earthquake, tunnel, and volcano, and The Kingdom of the Dead
puts the sea to shame in its tectonic unrest.
In the cold grip of the earth, beyond mortal sight, the terrible
Inferno Waste. A hellscape, the flames of which would skull-king Nazh-Agaa rules the invisible world of those whose
consume Planegea in a moment if there were not a great death broke taboo—the murdered, the lost, the unmourned. It
barrier desert to break them, the realm of fire is inhabited by is said that there are secret ways for the living into Nazh-
the bloodthirsty Efreeti. These genies, locked in endless wars Agaa’s kingdom, but that once you find your way in, you can
and political machinations with each other, could turn and never again depart.
destroy the Fire Empire in a moment if they would unite—
however, the giants know that such cooperation is impossible
for them, in their haughty and destructive hearts, and so the
giants play all sides of their endless war against each other,
provisioning, making weaponry, and benefiting from the role
of host and aide to each warring efreeti warband.

20

Chapter 3: Adventuring GuideLANEGEA IS A LAND OF ADVENTURE,
full of terror and wondrous possibility. This
section explores some of the features that make

Padventures here unique, and give players a
foothold as you prepare characters native to Any powerful beast or spirit can become a god, in a
this world. And remember, your Planegea mysterious process that is unknown even to the most
powerful Shamans.

Roll on this table for inspiration for a local god that might
have influenced your character:

d8 Local gods

character is as clever, resourceful, and 1 A cave bear so ancient it has become immortal.
intelligent as you want her or him to be... just because it's the
stone age doesn't mean it won't take all your wits to survive. 2 A waterfall that stops roaring and starts singing.

3 A great tree that grows where lightning struck stone.

Primordial Cunning 4 A battleground infused with bloodthirsty malevolence.
5 A ring of carved totems that trapped a wind spirit.
Survival isn't guaranteed in Planegea. In order to stay alive, 6 A deep cave where the shadows echo like voices.
you'll need to be as intelligent as possible. Although you're 7 A cold mist in a canyon that shows visions and secrets.
welcome to play a character with an intelligence score of 8 8 A mortally wounded dragon, dying but never dead.
who doesn't know words beyond "ooga booga," Planegea is
home to poets, philosophers, savvy strategists, smooth- These ideas are just the beginning. Any beast, plant, river,
talking charmers, and wise counselors. Don't limit your fun place, even made objects and weather patterns—all of them
by playing a low-intelligence character unless that's what you can develop divine spirits over time. But a few principles
really want. unite these proto-gods:

History becomes Memory. Since history is unwritten, Gods are tied to a place. Once a spirit becomes a god, it is
replace your History skill with Memory. This works as you restricted in its movement to its sacred place—a forest glade,
would expect, representing recall, knowledge of lore, and a cave, a bend in the river, and so on. They cannot leave this
information about people and places around you. place, which is called a hallow, so they call on mortal agents
to enact their will in the world.
The Clanfire is Sacred
Gods barter with power. Since they are limited to their
Life begins and—if you're lucky—ends at the clanfire. Every hallows, gods are more than willing to help mortals—even
clan keeps a fire burning as hot and high as they can; the strangers—in exchange for offerings and favors. The hallows
bigger the fire, the greater the strength of the clan. of gods can take the place of a magic shop, blessing food and
Neighboring clans compete to build the greatest fire, and drink, crafting totems, and even enchanting weapons, armor,
daring young hunters make dousing raids on the fire of their and other wondrous items... for the right price.
enemies.
Gods consume gods. Some gods are content to remain in
For wanderers, the clanfire has even more significance— their hallows and commune with their followers, but many
the light acts as a signalfire, a place to gather and rest. It is a desire to grow their power and influence. Gods will often
great tradition that strangers are welcome without question incite those within their influence to conquer neighboring
at the clanfire between sunrise and sunset, as long as they areas, destroying what is sacred to them (damming rivers,
leave their weapons outside the firelight. cutting trees, hunting animals, etc) in an attempt to weaken
them so that the conquering god can extend their range to
The clanfire is the heart of clan life, and food, strong drink, the defeated god's hallow and devour their essence.
stories, songs, ceremonies, disputes, judgments, dreams, and
more are all shared around it. Finding Stats for a God

The clanfire replaces the tavern. When looking for a When running a Planegea game, try using the stat
place to rest and spend the night, seek out the nearest blocks for any high-level, spellcasting monster as a
clanfire. You'll have to leave your weapons behind, but stong god. It is common for proto-gods to form out of
tradition will keep you safe until morning... probably. It's also celestial or fiendish spirits, so the demon, devil,
a great place for rumors, advice about the landscape and and celestial monsters are a great place to start;
local gods, and to barter goods and favors. but your god could just as easily be undead, fey, a
monstrosity—even a great plant, a dire beast, or
Every Place Has Its God any creature with access to magic. (For inspiration
on how a god affects its domain, look at the
Planegea exists in an age of proto-gods, where divine beings regional effects for particularly powerful creatures
are only beginning to gather their power and understand in the Monster Manual.)
what it is to ascend to rule the cosmos. There are no great
universal gods with dominion over entire aspects of creation
—instead, Planegea is an animistic place, with powerful
spirits acting as gods over their local environment.

21

22

The Stars Tell Stories Primal Push

In Planegea, the stars are not fixed—the stories of great The world of Planegea is a raw and wild place, where
hunters and monsters are still being painted in the heavens. anything can happen and mortals can push themselves
As such, the stars can be read, for those with sufficent beyond the boundaries imposed on their descendants. Each
knowledge, telling of the world's events. Perhaps your hunter class has access to a new feature that grants them additional
might even have their greatness told in constellations that power at cost or danger to themselves.
future generations will behold with awe.
Weapon Shatter
Star Magic Martial feature, available to ascetic, barbarian, fighter, ranger,
The stars inspire greatness. As an action, you may make an and scavenger.
Intelligence (Nature) check to locate a constellation with a
story or song based on one of the six attributes (Strength, When you deal damage with a melee weapon attack using a
Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma). martial weapon with which you are proficient, you may throw
all of your ferocity behind it and shatter your weapon against
If you are successful, you may take 10 minutes to tell its your enemy. Your weapon is irreparably destroyed and your
story. At the end of the story, make a Charisma (Performance) attack becomes a critical hit. You may not use this feature
check. The DC is higher if your audience is exhausted, again until after a short or long rest. Your weapon cannot be
wounded, frightened, or discouraged. repaired except with powerful magic such as a Wish spell.

On a failure, nothing happens. On a success, all creatures Blood Offering
who can hear and understand you are inspired by the tale Divine feature, available to druid, guardian, and shaman.
and gain 1d4, which can be added to one check or saving
throw of that attribute in the next 24 hours. This feature Blood has powerful magic, irresistable to almost any god, be
cannot be used again until the following nightfall, and when they good or evil. As a bonus action, you may spill your own
used again replaces any previous inspiration gained by this blood to empower your spell. Roll a number of your hit dice
feature. equal to the spell's level (minimum 1), and take the resulting
amount as slashing or piercing damage as if from a magical
Watching the Stars weapon, ignoring resistances or immunities.
The stars watch the world and gossip amongst themselves,
and their dance may reflect the secrets of mortals and gods As a result of your offering, gain one of the following
alike. With cunning, a mortal can discover what's happening blessings:
in the world around them by scanning the stars.
Gain advantage on your next spell attack or check.
If you can see the stars, as an action, you may make an Impose disadvantage on the next creature you target with
Intelligence (Arcana) check to search for news, rumors, and a spell effect.
secrets. Your DM will determine the outcome of the roll. The The effects of your next spell are as if the spell had been
stars are untrustworthy and biased, and may communicate cast at 1 spell level higher than it actually was.
half-truths, cryptic fragments, or outright deceptions. Spellburn
Arcane feature, available to chanter, mender, sorcerer,
spellskin, and warlock.

Magic is primal and dangerous, not yet bound by millennia of
tradition and teaching. You may cast a spell that you know or
have prepared for which you do not have spell slots, with the
following costs:

Level 1–5 spells: Take 1 level of exhaustion per spell
level.
Level 6 spells: Take 5 levels of exhaustion and fall
unconscious.
Level 7 spells: Take 5 levels of exhaustion, fall
unconscious, and automatically fail 1 death saving throw.
Level 8 spells: Take 5 levels of exhaustion, fall
unconscious, and automatically fail 2 death saving throws.
Level 9 spells: Take 5 levels of exhaustion and die. (The
levels of exhaustion remain if your character is restored to
life except by the powerful magic such as a Wish spell.)

23

The Black Taboos Discovering Your
Character
The people of Planegea are no fools. They are intelligent,
curious, and will to survive. Yet they are locked in the stone- Who is your character in the world of Planegea? We
age by powers beyond the reckoning of gods or mortals. Still, recommend using the "This Is Your Life" tables from
the mighty minds and spirits of Planegea fight against these Xanathar's Guide to Everything, supplemented by the
bonds, being as clever and inventive as possible under the following tables for inspiration:
constraints they face.
2d4 Upbringing
No such thing as metal. It's not that Planegea wouldn't 2 You were raised in a cage as food for a warlord’s
use metal if it were there—but metal simply does not exist in prized beasts. You only managed to escape by
the world; or if it does, it is undiscovered and seemingly forging an understanding with your fellow prisoners
impossible even for the gods to find. or the beasts themselves, and have vowed to return
to exact vengeance on the warlord.
Writing is death. There is a force in the cosmos known as 3 Your clan barely eked by on the desolate edges of the
the Hounds of the Blind Heaven. Nobody knows where they world, barely escaping giant slave-raids and ravaging
come from, or the origin of their curse... but one thing is predators. You know nothing of the comfort, plenty,
certain: the black magic known as "writing" summons these or safety, always watching your back and the skies.
monsters, unthinkably horrible and merciless. Anyone who 4 You were the favorite child of a powerful clan, set to
breaks the taboo of the written word will instantly be pursued inherit the spear of the chief—until one day a
until dead by these awful beings, who seem to know the monster slew and scattered your people. You now
moment a glyph is shaped anywhere in the world. roam the world in search of your lost clan, and in
pursuit of the beast that took everything from you.
No wheels, no farming, no money. Writing is not the only 5 Your clan roamed the Great Valley, following the
taboo that summons the Hounds. So too do wheels, planting herds and seasons in the world-circle around Blood
and harvesting of crops, and exchange of currency of any Mountain. You did your best to avoid the Three
kind. Whatever the Blind Heaven is, wherever the Hounds Brothers, and although you now travel far in search of
come from, they seem utterly committed to keeping Planegea glory, you still know where to find your clan in every
in its most primitive form. season, should you need counsel or comfort.
6 You were apprenticed to your clan’s shaman. Trained
Hunters of the Heavenly Hounds in their service, you were always well-fed and
instructed, taught in the old ways and armed with
A band of strangers are united by a common thread—each of ceremonial weapons. When you were old enough,
them has lost the most important in their life to the Hounds your shaman sent you out from the clan on a
of the Blind Heaven. These hunters have dedicated their lives mysterious mission you cannot fully comprehend.
to a single purpose: Find the Blind Heaven and slay the 7 You grew up separate from your clan—a lone hunter,
Hounds that killed their loved ones, no matter what the cost. raised in the sacred place of a god without a shaman.
You gained great gifts from its magic, and still hear
No number after nine. Holding up both hands and counting its whisper from afar. But over time, you grew to
the fingers there ends in "many." Every number above nine is doubt your god’s judgment and wisdom. Believing it
many. A family of more than nine is many. An endless sea of to be sick—or worse, mad—you now travel in search
herd animals that stretches from horizon to horizon is many. of a cure… but how does one cure a god?
A journey of countless miles is many. 8 You are from one of the far reaches of Planegea: the
Venom Abyss, the World-Fangs, or even the
For mechanical purposes of movement, range, combat, Elemental Wastes or Dream Worlds. You glipsed
etc., numbers still have meaning. But in roleplay and something that irrevocably altered the course of your
conversation, anything numbering above nine is ambiguous life—a great secret of the stars or stone—and now
and mysterious, and doing any calculation of high numbers is you live on the run, always afraid that the Hounds of
fraught with peril from the Hounds. the Blind Heaven are only a footstep behind you.

Stonepunk

Let your imagination run wild within the limits of
the taboos. Build cities on the backs of
mammoths, hang wooden temples from giant
trees, craft great hang-gliders that soar on volcanic
heat—whatever can be made with skill and simple
tools, bring into your vibrant stone-age world.

24

2d4 Life event d12 A god you have encountered
2 Someone close to you was lost in a sudden storm, 1 Urhosh the Gray Bear
and their body was never found. You fear that they 2 Hekeh the River Woman
still wander the world, either alive or as an accursed 3 Hrewdos the Blood-Bull
and unburied ghost. 4 Doru, the Tree of Light
3 You made a powerful enemy within your own clan. 5 Kewero, Voice of the Canyon
Work with your DM to decide whether it was your 6 Hehter-Who-Smolders
fault or you are blameless, but regardless this enemy 7 Dhghu the Endless
seeks your harm and downfall. 8 Gerbha the Many
4 You were attacked by a great predator, and still have a 9 Menh the Mountain
scar, a limp, or show other signs of the injury, though 10 Gheim Shadow-Whisper
they do not impair your abilities. 11 Glelh the Lion
5 You traveled far on a long hunt for extraordinary prey, 12 Peth-Pewhr the Dragon-Grave
and experienced many dangers and saw wonders
along the way, returning home forever changed from
the journey.
6 A friend or stranger gave you a gift—an unusual
weapon, totem, or other object. It is mysterious in
nature, with a strange history and unanswered
questions that you desire to answer.
7 You made a strong ally with a member of another
clan when you survived danger together. They owe
you a favor and seek to do right by you and advance
your interests where it does not harm their own clan.
8 You fell in love, were married, or had children. Work
with your DM to decide the nature of the
relationship, and what the status of your loved one
might be.

2d4 Brush with death
2 You died for a moment, and saw the gates of the
kingdom of the dead. Only powerful magic brought
you back, and you're still haunted by that vision.
3 You hovered between life and death in a dream state,
and walked in the worlds of the elves. You only
returned when your spirit found a doorway back to
your own world... and you half-remember where that
doorway was.
4 You were separated from your clan in a storm and
clung to life—but only barely. You returned half-
frozen, starved, or drowned, and some consider you
still marked for death.
5 You were within a hair's breadth of being trampled by
a mammoth in a hunt or stampede. Your clan took it
as an omen that your life was spared for a reason.
6 You led a fire-raid on an enemy clan, winning great
glory by dousing their fire—but their hunters nearly
caught you and your name is hated by that clan to
this day.
7 You endured a harrowing vigil, remaining awake and
upright for a week in service of your clan's god. You
were rewarded with a powerful vision by the god, the
meaning of which you're still trying to unravel.
8 You almost lost your life heroically rescuing a group
of children cornered by a predator. Though the beast
was far too powerful for you to defeat, you attacked it
selflessly, allowing them time to escape and very
nearly being devoured in the process.

25

Chapter 4: Character OptionsO CREATE YOUR CHARACTER FOR A
Planegea campaign, you won't require any
specialized mechanics or materials beyond the
core books of D&D. Rather than creating new
mechanics which might unbalance the game,

TPlanegea uses classic races and classes,
d6 Quirk
1 Once you've made up your mind, no force in Planegea

can change it
2 You love showing off your stony nature, challenging

other hunters to break their weapons on your skin

reflavored to fit a primordial world. 3 You are very slow to make any promise, for a promise
once made is utterly binding

Playable Races 4 You sleep sitting up, motionless as a stone, and have
been mistaken for a rock on many occasions
All the races of D&D can be found in Planegea, though they
may not look or act the way you remember them from their 5 Change confuses you, and you have a hard time
distant descendants. They are primordial here, less alike than recognizing even close friends if they change their
ever, yet unburdened by tradition and legacies of xenophobia. clothes or appearance

Survivors, not cultures. Beings band together to stay alive 6 You are embarrassed by your rocky outcroppings, and
in Planegea. The world is hostile and hungry, and the mortal do all you can to conceal them, preferring to pass as a
races have not been in the world long enough to create hard human when possible
divisions between the races. Many clans welcome any able
body who is willing to work. Some clans keep to their own Ruin makers. If you see an abandoned cliff-fortress or
kind, but this is usually due less to racial prejudice and more menhirs set high on a hill, you can be almost certain it was
to a shared vision for the best methods of survival. once dwarvish. Obsessive builders and carvers of stone,
dwarves have been known to build a fortress for generations,
Stories, not histories. The world is new, and races have only to abandon it overnight when the last stone is mortared,
not yet written their great histories of proud ancestors and ready to start anew. Their industry is ferocious, their
long bloodlines. Kingdoms have yet to be built, mortal dedication to craftsmanship eternal. Many a wandering dwarf
empires are unformed. Ask an elf the history of her people, can be tracked by an unconscious habit of piling pebbles into
and she'll tell you the tale of her parents or her clan before little cairns wherever they go.
she realizes you're asking about the elves. The stories people
know and tell about where they came from are personal, not Industrious & competitive. A losing endeavor is called a
far removed in the shrouded recesses of the past. "dwarvish bet," because those who live beside dwarves know
Dwarves that once they set their mind to a task or challenge, nothing
can stop them. Their tirelessness and dedication is respected
DWARVES ARE TOO STONY TO CHANGE. I'VE KNOWN by those around them, yet with every generation, dwarvish
a dwarf to keep a promise made a lifetime ago to his own elders grow a little more suspicious of a growing love for ale
harm, long after everyone he ever made it to was gone. and the ease of life on the banks of the Three Brothers.

— Yughom Two-Ox, elvish shaman Friends of giants. It is known that the giants greatly
Still half-stone, dwarves were born of rock, and only recently admire the dwarves for their natural cunning with stone, and
carved their way out of the deep places of the world. Their that dwarves are often invited into their high-walled cities as
skin and hair glitters with minerals and gemstones. Dwarves guests, counted as friends and advisors in construction,
consider other races—softskins, as they call them—strange building, and crafting projects of all kinds. Some, however,
and mercurial, full of whimsy and change. To be a dwarf is to believe the giants are a little too welcoming, and worry that
live with crystal clarity and stony certainty. there might be some larger, darker plan that the empires have
for their stone-working allies.
Outcroppings. Almost all dwarves have some visible
element of stone or crystal in their skin or hair, growing Stonehewn Dwarf (Hill Dwarf)
naturally from their bodies. This might be as subtle as a
patches of pebbly scales, or nearly cover the body in rocky It's said that not all dwarves are born—some are carved from
shards and spines. rock and given life with secret magic only known to the
dwarves. These stonehewn dwarves are more rock than skin,
Stone quirk. Thanks to their mineral roots, Dwarves are and often look at the softskin world with a mixture of
unlike all other races—although they share a distant kinship confusion, contempt, and curiosity.
with the waste-children of earth. Use this table to inspire how
your stony background manifests. Valleybreed Dwarf (Mountain Dwarf)

Some dwarves are born (or hatched from gemstone eggs, if
certain stories are to believed) in the Great Valley, and only
have fragmentary signs of their stony ancestry. Valleybreed
dwarves mingle more easily with softskin races, but their
blood, when spilled, still glows like molten rock.

26

Elves The Cloak of Fire-Feathers

"ELVES AREN'T REALLY REAL, YOU KNOW," SAID THE Holasa, the great elvish druid, has summoned together a band
old man, gazing out at the snow. I was young. It was cold. We of his followers, to gather a rare prize—fire-feathers from the
were waiting for the hunters to signal the approach of the blazing eagles of the Fang of Rock & Flame. To collect the
mammoths. "You can see through them. They're dreams. plumage will be a great undertaking—a journey through the
Walking dreams, no more real than that." skytouch pines of the Towering Weald, under the watchful eye
of the stone giant city of Mazu, and into the primal
I knew better than to disagree with my elder. But when I volcanolands where the birds roost. Little do the feather-
thought about the elves I'd seen—their wild ways, their gatherers know that they are not the only ones who covet the
laughing eyes, their clever hands—they had seemed real to feathers, and they will have to contend with the greedy and
me. More real than anything else. vain efreeti of the Inferno Waste, who count the birds as their
rightful property.
— The Lifesong of Ula Vitar, ranger of the Skyfang Peaks
The call of Nod. Elves don't sleep, and don't dream—the
Semi-translucent, elves have indistinct edges, with something world of dreams and nightmares is real to them, and they
not-quite-real about them. You can see the sun rise through must travel through doorways or by magic to go there.... and
an elf, as through the end of a dream. Originating in Nod, the it never stops calling to them. Whether born in Nod or
world of dreams and nightmares, elves never quite sleep, Planegea, an elf always feels the draw of the dream world,
always seeming only partly attached to Planegea, their and rare is the elf who does not at some point in their long
thoughts ever wandering far away... life seek a way to at least gaze into their former home.

Graceful translucence. You can see moonlight through an Exile of Nod (High Elf)
elf's hand. They have a quality of not-quite-there-ness, born of
their origin in the mists and secrets of Nod. They are a Many lifetimes ago, by mortal measure, a great crime or sin
slender people and are known to move with a dancer's step, was committed by a clan of elves from the world of dreams.
their eyes seemingly focused on something jsut out of reach. These elves were cast out, banished forever from Nod, and
have dwelled in Planegea ever since. Exiles of Nod are less
Wandering minds. Elves are known for being in a state of translucent than their kin, and have spent their outcast
distraction. They usually seem either a step behind or two generations learning how to survive. Because of this, they
steps ahead of the conversation, as if their thoughts are tend towards more practicality and skill with both magic and
wandering on quite a different path than that of other weaponry than others of their kind.
mortals. Yet when they arrive at their destination and choose
a course of action, they are both brilliant and intuitive. Use No human—and few elves—know why they were banished,
this table to inspire how your wandering mind manifests. but the oldest of the exile elves know, and some say they are
still working towards some larger plan for return or revenge.
d6 Wandering
1 You lose focus quickly, distracted by the next Dreamwalker (Wood Elf)

interesting thing you see Elves who have only recently come from Nod—whether
2 You have a habit of interrupting the conversation with themselves having crossed over or being born of parents
from the dream world—have one foot in the dream and one
an unrelated observation or question in Planegea. They are more see-through than their exiled
3 You reject the binaries of black and white, yes and no, cousins, and this serves as natural camoflauge, making them
excellent natural hunters, scavengers, and scouts.
life and death—there's always a third option
4 You don't like walking in a straight line, and create your Dreamwalkers love stories above all, and will seek out
strange and interesting people and situations in order to
own detours discover a good story.
5 There are always two or three problems or mysteries
Omenbringer (Drow)
you're working on solving in the back of your mind
6 Wherever you go, you trace, draw, and paint swirling, These dark elves, hailing from the world of nightmares, are
seen as seers and sought for their insight into possible
abstract patterns that reflect your inner state dangers in the days ahead. Many believe that omenbringers
can see trouble coming, and indeed the Court of Nod has
Eternal beauty. Elves remain in the prime of their life an sent messengers to powerful mortals to foretell of great
unthinkably long time... in a world with no number over nine, coming disasters.
they are believed to simply be immortal. Although many elves
enjoy the company of other races, finding their perspectives Omenbringers are feared, yet respected, and keep largely to
interesting, they can be aloof in their distraction and themselves so as not to unnecessarily frighten others. Within
immortality. Some elves prefer to live with their own kind, to their own circles, they're known for their love of dangerous
avoid the pain of getting attached to such short-lived bets and dark games of chance, enjoying the feeling teetering
companions. Such elvish clans are almost never permanent on the edge of something awful.
encampents, preferring to wander in search of places of great
natural beauty. Elves are known for their work in feathers,
beads, colorful paint, and weaving, and their textiles are
highly sought, especially for feasts and festivals.

27

Halflings Kill or be killed. Somewhere in the halfling people's past,
they realized that, thanks to their size, they could be easy
BEWARE THE SILENTKIN, WITH THEIR MANY KNIVES prey or become predators, and decided on the latter.
& noiseless steps. They can kill before you know that you're Halflings keep to their own kind more than most other races,
surrounded largely because they find others too noisy and clumsy to
survive in the halfling way. Their clans tend to camp in
— Great Valley hunter's warning hidden places and live their days in total silence, considering
it a great offense to make more noise than absolutely
Called silentfolk or ghostchildren, halflings are unseen until necessary. But when halflings feel safe—when sentries are
it’s too late. A secretive people who hunt by ambush, they are posted, the tents are well-hidden, and the land and sky are
eerie and unsettling, yet highly valued as hunters and allies, if empty of threats or intruders–it's said that there isn't a sound
other races are able to befriend them. in all of Planegea to match the joyful uproar of halflings
letting loose.
Small and deadly. Halflings are known by their small
stature and quiet step. Because of their size, they are natural The three favors. There is an old story about a halfling
prey for many hungry beasts, and so halflings have learned who wandered through the jungle so silently that it snuck up
the art of hiding, and striking first from the shadows. They on Death, who was trapped under a fallen tree. Twice, Death
tend to wear dark natural colors, and are known for elaborate asked the halfling for help, and twice the halfling refused. On
striped face painting or tattoos as an art of camouflage. the third request, the halfing agreed, but only in exchange for
three favors from Death in days to come. Death agreed, and
Not seen, not heard. Halfling culture is built around ever since, halfings have been a people touched by
silence, and their clan tongue is an elaborate sign language preternatural luck, which they rely on and count as their well-
created for stalking large prey. It's hard to get a halfling to deserved birthright.
open up, but it's said that on the rare occasions when they
feel safe and secure, they are clever and bright companions, Silentfolk (Lightfoot Halflings)
full of all the jokes and insights they've been holding back
until it was time to speak. Use this table for inspiration on Most halflings are from clans that have long kept quiet and
how this tradition of silence affects your character. kept to themselves. Some leave their clans because curiosity
draws them into the world, others are sent out as long-range
d6 Silence hunters or scouts and then—through misfortune or curiosity
1 You sneak up on people without meaning to, often —never find their way home.

startling your companions by appearing behind them The Favored (Stout Halflings)
without warning
2 You don't speak until spoken to, but once you start Not all halflings are suited to the ritualistic silence of the
talking, you can't stop clans. The Favored is the chosen name of those halflings who
3 You bottle up grudges—literally. Your belt has skins seek out the company of other races. These halflings,
and jars that hold objects that remind you of who considered weak and foolish by their own kind, are usually
you're going to get back at held in high regard by their adopted clans, celebrated for
4 You consider flambouyance of all kinds a great sin and their knack for cheating death and their courage in the face of
personal offense, and instinctively distrust anyone who a large and hungry world.
attracts attention
5 You love a good jump scare, and will go out of your
way to startle your companions for a laugh
6 You often forget that other races don't know halfling
sign language, and slip in and out of your native dialect
without realizing it

28

Humans Dragonborn

YOU'VE NEVER SEEN SUCH A DIFFERENCE AS FROM GREAT ARE THE DRAGONBORN, AND GREAT IS OUR
one human to the next. It's dizzying. pride, for we are the heirs of the Worldheart. Great are we
and great is our pride, for in our veins runs creation's blood.
— Bazrhu, stonehewn dwarvish guardian
— Dragonborn Chant
Known for their remarkable adaptability, humans are
unparalleled as beast-tamers. They can be found everywhere Arising from the Venom Abyss, soaring up the unfalls in great
in Planegea, both as servant and master of mighty beasts of bamboo rafts, these draconic mortals are the newest race to
all kinds, equally likely to have tamed a creature as to have appear in the Great Valley. They are a gregarious people,
been subjugated by it. known for their showmanship, insane fearlessness, and
overwhelming pride, declaring with fierce joy their rightful
A dazzling array. Humans in Planegea come in all shapes place as the hatchlings of the Worldheart Dragon's own brood
and sizes, every shade and color—including tints of blue, and the harbingers of the will of Blood Mountain.
purple, and green from elvish or orcish ancestry. Humans are
known for their diverse tastes and ability to alter their Powerful predators. The dragonborn are a towering,
appearance and culture to whatever landscape they find dominating people, full of hunter's pride and conquering
themselves to a degree considered remarkable by others. strength. They laugh easily and loudly, kill for sport, and are
unafraid to speak their mind. They vary in hue from white to
Infinite adaptability. Humans thrive in nearly every black, and all chromatic shades in between. The metallic
environment across Planegea, from the stormy plains of scales of dragonborn that will someday walk the world are
Thunderverge to the soaring pinewood pillars of the nowhere to be found among them.
Towering Weald, from the mold-huts of Ghostmire to the
dinosaur-back villages of Lastwater Wilds. Use the following Heirs of the world. According to the dragonborn, they are
table to inspire your diverse origin. the direct descendants of the Worldheart Dragon, hatched of
her eggs on Blood Mountain. They say they cut down mighty
d6 Origin trees of the Venom Abyss, lashed them together with
1 You grew up on the houseboats of Fishgather, poisonous vines, and sailed up the Unfalls to bring the
Worldheart's will to Planegea. This confidence or pride is a
watching traders come in from across the Raiding hallmark of their people. Use the table below to inspire how
Plains and down from the Skyfang Mountains. that plays out in your dragonborn character.
2 You lived in the tree-villages of the Slumbering Forest,
gathering nuts and fruits from the sleeping trees and d6 Confidence
learning at the feet of the Shamans of Seerfall. 1 You are always certain you will succeed, no matter
3 You were trained as a young hunter by the mighty
clans of The Brothers river valleys, where game was what the odds or your skill level
plentiful and you camped wherever the prey wandered. 2 You believe fear is a weakness, and look down on
4 You built mosshouses as a child in the Cult Riverland,
with a sharp stone dagger your first possession and an those who express it
oath to never let a godless neck go unsliced. 3 You love a good laugh, even at another's expense
5 You lived in a dinosaur-back village that roamed across 4 You have a habit of giving counsel and advice when it's
the Dire Grazelands, running along the bridges from
platform to platform as your beasts wandered wide. not asked for or wanted
6 You started life as a proud citizen of Free Citadel, in 5 You're the first to volunteer for any task, especially the
the vast stone palaces of giants built by mortal hands,
breathing icy mountain air that was clear and wild. dangerous ones
6 You always eat last and take care of others first,
Consummate survivors. It seems that humans will do
anything to survive. Humans can be found worshiping convinced that you don't need help
anything, partaking in strange and bewildering rituals and
traditions, adapting their dwellings, their clothing, all aspects Boastful athletes. When the dragonborn sailed up the
of their life simply to eke out a few more years of breath. Unfalls in their catamarans, they announced that they had
arrived to enact the will of the Worldheart. However, it
Natural allies. Of all races, humans find it easiest to became clear in time that they had no fixed purpose or clear
cooperate with other kinds of beings—for good or for ill. way forward, nor any way to return to their birthplace on
Human encampments are remarkable for the range of other Blood Mountain. In the years that have passed since they
races and beasts they mingle into their societies. Sometimes, arrived, some dragonborn have joined with other clans as
of course, it is the humans who are mingled in, and many a hunters or makers, while most have kept to their own kind
powerful monster has its share of human pets. and live in a state of perpetual hunting, feasting, and
challenging each other to feats of strength or courage.
Dragonborn camps are raucous, dangerous places, which
most other mortals take great pains to avoid.

29

30

A dubious birthright. Dragonborn are not long-lived, and Hidden treasures. Gnomish scavenger-camps can be
several new generations have been born in the Great Valley found at the fringes of larger hunter-gatherer societies. Their
since their arrival. The oldest of their kind are passing away, huts tend to be made of unwanted bones covered in
and none have ever told the full story of their origin, keeping gnomequilt—pieces of hide too small for others to use,
to the same vague generalities. Some of the young stitched together in strange patchwork patterns. They
dragonborn raised among other clans have started to wonder arrange their huts in a tight circle, and in front of each they
whether their old ones are telling the truth... if they were the place found or fashioned trinkets and tools for sale; each
children of the Worldheart, wouldn't she have told them their gnomish camp is as much a marketplace as a dwelling-place.
purpose? Wouldn't they know what to do? The inside of their huts—too small for tallfolk to enter—are
covered in wonders of invention, art, and beauty... tiny oases
Chromatic Ancestry of craftsmanship and light in a dark and violent world.

None of the dragonborn in Planegea are metallic, as it is a Star whispererers. The gnomish people have a deep
world without metal. The chromatic colors—black, blue, affinity for the stars—something about their small brilliance,
green, red, and white—are present. Although the people of their clever dances across the sky—there is a kinship.
the Great Valley don't know it, the inherent alignment of Gnomish star-shamans are known for their remarkable
chromatic dragons towards selfishness and violence runs understanding of the rumors of the heavens. And some even
deep in the scales. say that the darkest of the gnomes have secret
communication with the unfathomable, ancient minds that
Gnomes lurk and spiral in the dark Sea of Stars...

"I'D RATHER DEAL WITH GOBLINFOLK THAN WITH A Wilderness Gnomes (Forest Gnomes)
gnome. Little rats scurry and creep, their fingers finding and
fashioning things an honest hunter can barely understand. Some gnomes live far from other mortals, in the hidden
curves of forests or heights of cliffs. These gnomes, unable to
— Khügoz, orcish fighter of Howlgrove scavenge from hunters, have learned to speak with the beasts
and hide in plain sight, making their way in a world much
Every race hates these little scavengers. Gathering like rats larger and wilder than they are.
after a kill, beggar-gnomes fashion clever trinkets, which they
attempt to trade for food, but would as soon cut a throat as Scavenger Gnomes (Rock Gnomes)
make a deal. They are dishonorable, tricky, too small to hunt,
and always seem to have something up their sleeves. Little do These gnomes are those commonly seen in the Great Valley,
those who reject them know of gnomish cunning, courage, or living in bone-and-gnomequilt huts encircled by crafted goods
the beauty that's to be found just out of sight in their for trade, fashioned from the cast-off waste of other clans.
scavenged society.
Mender's Lore (Artificer's Lore). Whenever you make an
Small and quick. Gnomes stand at about half the height of Intelligence (Story) check related to magic items, alchemical
most other mortals, taller only than the silentfolk. Their objects, or stars, you can add twice your proficiency bonus,
fingers are long and clever, their eyes large and luminous, instead of any proficiency bonus you normally apply.
their hair drifts as if defying gravity around their pointed
faces. Gnomes move with the air of prey, habitually checking Crafter. You have proficiency with artisan’s knack. Using
around, above, and over their shoulder for danger. this knack, you can spend 1 hour and 10 ps worth of
materials to craft a Tiny magical device (AC 5, 1 hp). The
Despised cunning. The tallfolk, as gnomes call them, device ceases to function after 24 hours (unless you spend 1
reject and despise the gnomish people for their willingness to hour repairing it to keep the device functioning), or when you
pick over kills, scavenge in trash piles, and steal what they use your action to dismantle it; at that time, you can reclaim
need to get by. Gnomes, however, know better. They are the materials used to create it. You can have up to three such
survivors in their own right, more clever than the brutish devices active at a time.
races that must use brawn to get by. Gnomes are clever,
inventive, and find—or make—a way through the world When you create a device, choose one of the following
where none exists. Use this table to inspire your gnome options:
character's cunning scavenger nature.
 
d6 Cunning Kinetic Toy. This toy is a moving animal, monster, or
1 You're always absentmindedly gathering materials and person, such as a frog, mouse, bird, dragon, or hunter. When
placed on the ground, the toy moves 5 feet across the ground
making things without realizing it on each o f your turns in a random direction. It makes noises
2 You hate to leave anything behind, preferring to gather as appropriate to the creature it represents.
Fire Starter. The device produces a miniature flame, which
everything in case it someday might be useful you can use to light a candle, torch, or campfire. Using the
3 You are unwilling to accept things at surface value, device requires your action.
Song Jar. When opened, this jar plays a single song at a
always seeking a deeper meaning or significance moderate volume. The jar stops playing when it reaches the
4 You ask "why" a lot... too much, according to your song’s end or when it is closed.

companions 31
5 Curiosity will always get the better of you
6 You study other creatures in order to be able to

perfectly mimic them

Half-Elves d6 Upbringing
1 I was abandoned as an infant, left to die by parents
"A CHILD OF TWO WORLDS IS WELCOME IN BOTH
worlds or neither one. Which are you?" who rejected me outright. I've hated both humans and
elves ever since
— Suunpha of Nod 2 My human parent raised me, and never spoke of elves
Often called Twilight or Dawn Children, these descendants of or allowed me to go near their encampments
humans and elves share traits from both bloodlines, yet are 3 My elvish parent raised me and would spin endless
generally trusted by neither, often forming their own caravans tales of Nod, while attempting to ground my feet
or raiding parties and keeping to their own half-kind. Still, firmly in the practicalities of life in Planegea
their natural grace and understanding of two perspectives 4 I was born to half-elven parents, who had already found
makes them skilled performers and negotiators, when they each other in a performing caravan ... I never thought
can find a listening ear. of myself as strange, and still don't
5 My elvish parent was from the World of Nightmares,
An uneasy mix. Elvish and human blood doesn't mix and I have been told since I was young that my destiny
evenly, and the children of these unions are often a mottled is to one day find them there and bring them back
mixture—translucent and blue in some patches of skin, 6 As the child of a shaman and a lord of Nod, I traveled
sometimes with one pointed ear and one rounded, or fluidly between the two worlds, learning all that each
differently-colored eyes. These combinations often settle into had to offer—the beloved heir of magic and power
graceful patterns, like the stripes or spots of a hunting cat or
swirls and loops that remind one of clouds, water, or leaves. Raiders and performers. When half-elves separate from
Regardless, they stand out as strange no matter where they other clans—by choice or by rejection—they usually either
go, unmistakable as a people of strange blood. form vicious raiding parties or colorful caravans of
entertainment. There is great unease when a band of half-
Oil and water upbringing. This union of two backgrounds elves is sighted, for sometimes raiders pretend to peform or
can make for curious outlooks on the world. Some half-elves performers put on mock raids to gather a crowd. Either way,
turn violent and cruel as they're rejected by both lineages. the striped half-folk certainly have a flair for dramatics and
Others enjoy the best of both worlds, literally. Whatever your showmanship.
upbringing, use the table below to inspire how it shaped your
half-elf character. Blood dancers. It is said that some half-elves have a
unique ability to supress either of their ancestries, appearing
as fully human or fully elvish at will. Such beings have great
power to live two lives, being accepted by both kinds without
suspicion—as long as their ruse goes undiscovered.

To play a blood dancer half-elf, replace the Skill Versatility
feature with the ability to change between your elf aspect,
your human aspect, or your mixed aspect as an action.

Orcs

"MIGHT, STAMINA, COURAGE, WISDOM—WHAT MORE
COULD you ask for? Is there any other people who can
compare to the majesty of the orcs?

— Tula Ma'Zos, spellskin of Seerfall

Orcs are among the mightiest, feared, and honored races in
Planegea, hailed as conquerors and warlords. Their people
often lead clans and win great glory as hunters. Few doubt
the future of the race as the rightful rulers of the land,
although some resent it and will do all they can to oppose
orcish might for as longa s they can.

Majestic might. An orc is awe-inspiring—taller than a
man, green skin that blends with grass and trees, mighty
tusks that can gore with no need for a knife. They are
considered a beautiful and blessed people, and much
admired throughout the world of Planegea.

32

Spiritual unrest. The orcs have long been a reverent people, Monstrous & Exotic Races
with deep roots in the worship of the gods of the land. Yet All types of beings may be found in Planegea, including those
something has changed in the last few generations. Their of stranger form and bloodline...
power has grown, and some have started to doubt whether
their fate is always to bend the knee to the gods. They are a Godborn (Aasimar). In some places, the local gods are of a
mighty people, and some believe that the way of survival is shape and an inclination to bear children. These godborn are
one led not by spirits in their hallows, but by the hand of the often raised by a shaman-mother or their divine parent,
hunters who risk their lives at spearpoint. This tension with sometimes together.
the divine can play out in many ways—use this table to
inspire how it affects your orcish character. Leatherwings (Aarakocra). These offspring of flying
reptiles are notable for their large wings and head ridges, and
d6 Unrest powerful shamans who can conjure the spirits of air.
1 You see worship as suffocating, and desire to have as
Sharpfangs (Lizardfolk and Kobold). These recent
little to do with the gods as you can descendants of saurians and lesser dragons are regarded as
2 You respect the old traditions, and believe that the dangerous monsters, yet are said to have within their own
clans access to great primal power.
gods have their uses, but see them as a means to an
end—and the end is orcish power in Planegea Giantkin (Goliath and Firbolg). Lesser giants who have
3 You believe balance is necessary, and think that the left or never joined the Giant Empires roam as powerful
interests of the gods and the orcs can co-exist hunters, raiders, and druids. They are known for their bond
peacfully... if only your clan could see that too with mammoths, and a thundering herd of mammoth-riding
4 You fear the wrath of the gods, and have chosen to goliaths is greatly to be feared.
serve them, though some of your brethren brand you a
coward for your worship Golem (Warforged). Some powerful spellcasters have
5 You are on the hunt for a god worthy of worship—one been known to infuse wandering souls into bodies formed of
who awes you more than the natural might and glory clay and wood and stone. These constructs are usually
of the orcs ... and so far, you haven't found one reviled by all but their makers, seen as blasphemous
6 As far as you can see, the only good god is a dead god offspring of secret rites.
... makes room for more unclaimed land for the orcs
Waste-Child (Genasi). These unfortunate souls are the
Proud hunters. The orcs live as nobility in Planegea. Their offspring of the decadent genies and the mortal slaves they
numbers are not great—orcish life is hard, and many do not purchase from the Giant Empires. Though they rarely find
survive the brutal upbringing of a clan hunter. But those who their way back from the Elemental Wastes, some have been
reach adulthood are hunt-scarred, the strongest of the strong, known to escape to the Great Valley.
warrior-poets who have been groomed to lead.
Bugbear, Goblin, and Hobgoblin. The various goblinoid
Enemy-makers. The powerful make powerful enemies. races are not clearly distinguished and do not have their own
Through their pride and conquest, the orcs—though feared strong cultures. Yet each is welcome among the clans of
and admired by most—have more than their share of others, so long as they are honorable and can contribute.
opposition. There are gods who conspire for their downfall,
clans dedicated to their destruction, even some giant empires Tabaxi, Kenku, Tortle. These beings are usually born of
who think the green mortals would do better if they learned a magic and remain close to their ancestral species, often
lesson in humility. The orcish elders laugh at warnings of acting as go-betweens between their great ones and the
such dangers, however, daring all to come from any direction. mortal races.

The Doomed Star-touched (Tiefling). It’s said that sometimes the stars
walk the Great Valley and give gifts of the beyond to mortals.
The orcs listed in the Monster Manual (MM 244– These are the star-touched, whose horns and black eyes
247) are known as monsterblood orcs, the speak to an otherworldly origin. Their otherworldly nature
Doomed, or the Taboo-Breakers. These clans once and their natural charisma makes it easy for them to hold a
lived alongside other races—but in their pride and captive audience. Because of this, there are few (if any) star-
thirst for power, they broke the Black Taboos and touched clans. Rather, they pass in safety and security from
ate beings they should not have consumed. In clan to clan, telling real or invented tales, accepting food and
doing so, they gained great physical power, but had supplies in exhange, and then moving on.
their minds darkened with murderous rage. They
are the half-orcs .... they exist in a half-place Invasion of the Bird-People
between mortal and monster, and though they still
retain vestiges of their former nobility, the Kenku emissaries flood into the Great Valley from the Starstep
pounding of war-drums never ceases beating in Cliffs, using fragments of stolen speech to promise a coming
their ears. invasion by their lords, the Exalted Rocs. The invasion arrives
as foretold, and the only hope of the clans are the secrets of
the ancient enemies of the bird people—the sorcerous and
suspicious leatherwings of Thunderverge.

33

Half-Oozes Appetite for Adventure

THE PALMS AND TALL GRASSES SHOOK, AND FULGA Half-oozes all come into existence with ravenous hunger, and
raised her spear in alarm, ready to strike at whatever beast that appetite continues to drive them throughout their life.
might come through—but then she saw her companion, who Most half-oozes will give the same answer to anyone who
had been missing for two days. She smiled in great relief... asks them why they did something—they were hungry. The
but then her smile faded. He was strange-looking—pale, with rare half-ooze who can find a constant food supply might
a glistening greenish hue. His eyes did not look at her with seek to better itself for its short life, in learning or building
recognition, only hunger. And then, with an awful slurping something, or in seeking to make the world a better place.
sound, he stretched out his arms to an unnatural length, There have even been half-oozes who sought out the families
grasped a branch above, and was gone. of their dams and tried to make restitution for whatever was
broken in their last life... as long as it doesn’t get in the way of
— The Dark Tale of Fulga's Abyssal Hunt the next meal.
Sometimes, in dark caverns or cruel forests, a hapless
forager or hunter meets an untimely end at the creeping A Bad Beginning
pseudopids of an ooze sire. Usually catching wanderers while
asleep, the sire slies into a mortal’s ears, nose, and mouth— Your half-ooze adventurer has arisen from unpleasant
and once it’s inside, it’s too late. What awakes from that circumstances. Use the tables below to find out a few details,
slumber is a new creature, a half-ooze, half-humanoid being or sort it out yourself.
that is aware of only three things: its strangely malleable
body, the dim memories of its past life, and an overwhelming Dam
hunger.
d6 The creature who your sire infested was...
Is That You? 1 A lost forager who stumbled into the wrong cave
2 A mighty hunter on a critically important journey
Half-oozes wear the outside form of the creature that died 3 An explorer trying to find unknown places
when the ooze sire took their life, although they are a little 4 An outcast hiding from execution
more pale, and clammier to the touch. Their skin tends to 5 A spellskin trying to learn more about ooze sires
have an unusual tint, depending on the type of ooze that sired 6 You don’t know
them. Half-oozes usually exist in dark and dangerous places,
and are typically dressed in ragged wraps that let them Awakening
stretch their limbs when occasion calls for it.
d6 You woke up in...
So Hungry 1 A deep, dark cave, far below the sunlit surface
2 A forest considered to be cursed by those who live at
When a mortal meets its end at the touch of an ooze sire, that
creature ceases to exist. Half-oozes can, with great eff ort, its edge
recall some dim shreds of the memory of the creature that 3 The prison-cave of a powerful warlord
died to bring them into being (called the ooze dam, 4 The sanctum of a spellskin
regardless of gender). But although they wear the outer face 5 A wrecked catamaran at the edge of a stormy coastline
and form of their dam, they are entirely a new creature in 6 A battlefield strewn with bodies
their thinking. Half-oozes usually come to consciousness in
dark places, alone, without any knowledge of how they got Survival
there—only the need to eat.
d6 You've managed to make my way so far because...
More often than not, the dark and lonely origins of half- 1 When I stumbled into the sunlight, a kind forager had
oozes, and their voracious appetites, leads them to a life of
murder and villainy. They tend to fall in with the desparate, pity on me and took me in
doing whatever they need to do to stay alive. 2 I got in trouble with a nearby clan immediately, but

Born in Darkness they established me in my background as a path to
redemption
Nobody knows how the first ooze sires came to be. Most 3 I watched the locals from hiding for some time before
think they crept from the Venom Abyss, others believe them sneaking in amongst them
to be the trick of some dark god, still others that it’s 4 Hunters found me in the darkness and brought me to
something that leaked through from a more distant and the nearest clan, setting me on my current path
unsettling plane of existence. Still, regardless of their origin, 5 I was mistaken for my dam and I’ve never corrected
ooze sires and their off spring are a fact of life grudgingly the error
accepted by those at the edges of dark and eerie places. 6 Nobody’s ever given me anything—everything I have, I
fought for, tooth and nail

34

Half-Ooze Names Pseudopodic Limbs. As an action, you may extend either
your arms or legs to twice their normal length. When doing
Half-oozes usually call themselves by the first word or phrase so, your AC decreases by 1. If you extend your legs, add 10
that pops into their mind. This is often one of the last feet to your speed on foot. If you extend your arms, any melee
thoughts of their dam as they drifted off to sleep. Since dams weapon you’re weilding is considered to have the Reach
usually meet their end in dark and lonely places, this lends a property. If a weapon already has the Reach property, it does
macabre air to the names of most half-oozes. not gain additional range, as it’s too awkward to handle at
Common Names: Lost, Hopeless, Dark, Cold, Miss-You, that length. You may end the effect as a bonus action. Your
Desparate, Soon, What-Was-That, Damp, Alone, So- Tired, arms and legs cannot both be extended at the same time.
Not-Safe.
Rubbery. Your ooze origin makes you able to fit through
The Ooze Sire life Cycle small spaces. Your body can fit through openings normally
suitable only for Small or Tiny creatures. Depending on the
The dreadful creatures known as ooze sires wait in size of the opening, your armor and equipment may not fit
the dark for unsuspecting humanoid victims for through.
one reason—reproduction. As an asexual species,
they infest a humanoid host, posthumously called Echoes of the Dam. You have the faintest memories from
an ooze dam, permanently fusing with it and using the life of your dam. Choose one: Gain one skill proficiency,
it to consume as much nourishment as possible. gain one weapon proficiency, or gain two knacks.
The fused creature—called a half-ooze—tends to
live until the end of the ooze dam’s natural Subrace. Half-oozes are sired by one of three types of
lifespan. When the half-ooze dies, the final stage of ooze. Choose one.
the ooze sire’s life cycle begins, and 1d4 new ooze
sires depart the corpse, to seek new dams, Acidic
perpetuating the species’ miserable existence.
The ooze that sired you was of a peculiarly acidic variety. The
Half-Ooze Traits skin of acidic half-oozes tends to have a pale greenish hue, a
faintly sharp smell hangs around them.
Your half-ooze character has a number of qualities in
common with other half-oozes. Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases
by 1.
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution and Dexterity
scores increase by 1. Corrosive Strike. Once per day, when hit by a melee
attack, you may as a reaction deal acid damage equal to your
Age. Half-oozes don’t last long, since their bodies begin on Constitution modifier. You may not use this trait again until
borrowed time. They usually live out about half their dam’s after a short or long rest.
original lifespan, if the dam was young when the half-ooze
was sired. A half-ooze with an elvish dam might live for a Omnivore. You do not require your food to be cooked, and
hundreds of years, where one with an orcish dam might die are immune to being poisoned by food or drink you ingest.
of old age after only a couple of decades.
Sticky
Alignment. Half-oozes are, more than anything, hungry.
This constant need to consume renders them either neutral, The ooze that sired you was of a creeping, sticking nature.
or somewhat evil—although if they can get the food they need The skin of sticky half-oozes tends to have a yellowish hue,
through good and lawful means, they may do so. and they smell faintly of rot.

Size. Half-oozes range in height from under 4 feet to over Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by
6 feet tall, depending on their Dam. Ooze sires don’t usually 1.
prey on smaller races such as halflings or gnomes, as they’re
not suitable for their life cycle. Your size is Medium. Ooze Climb. Your sticky fingers help you cling to the walls.
Climbing no longer costs you extra movement.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common, and Sticky Fingers. You gain proficiency in the Sleight of Hand
can understand one other language of your choice, but you skill.
can’t read, write, or speak it.
Hunger of the Ooze. You must eat every day, or suffer 1 Magical
level of exhaustion. When eating, you require twice as much
food as other Medium humanoids. The ooze that sired you was of arcane origin, perhaps
concocted by some strange spellskin for unknown
experiments. The skin of magical-half-oozes tends to have a
purplish hue, and they have a vaguely sweet smell.

Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases
by 1.

Cantrip. You know one cantrip of your choice from the
spellskin (wizard) spell list. Intelligence is your spellcasting
ability for it.

Magic Knows Magic. You gain proficiency in the Arcana
skill.

35

36

Classes Druidic & Scavengers Cant

The classes of Planegea are the earliest roots of future These two secret languages are a rare gift—a way
adventurer classes. Though the niche they occupy in the of leaving messages that don't call down the
world may be different, the martial, divine, and arcane powers Hounds of the Blind Heaven. Neither language
that these archetypes wield is a common thread from the relies on written words, but rather on encoded
prehistory of Planegea to their distant descendants. signs and signals (a twisted knot, a colored stone, a
Mechancially, the classes are the same as in D&D (with broken branch left in a certain place).
minor adjustments assumed for the starting equipment and
any features having to do with any of the taboos). The ability of druids and scavengers to
communicate over long distances is one of the
Some DMs might choose to add or remove classes based reasons they are rejected and mistrusted by others
on their preference and the story they're telling in their own —such tricks are seen as verging on black magic,
Planegea. But as written, each of these has its place. and breaking the taboos is punishable in many
clans by immediate death.
Ascetic (Monk)
The ascetic refuses food and water for days, sometimes Guardian (Paladin)
weeks at a time, feeding instead on the very essence of magic The chosen warriors of shamans, guardians work closely
itself that flows through the world. This magic nourishes their with the leaders of the clans to carry out the will of the deities
body and makes them deadly hunters and warriors. Ascetics who reveal themselves to the people. A guardian takes a
are highly respected, and often feared, by their clans. They are solemn oath in the service of the supernatural, swearing their
called upon in times of crisis to aid in the clan's defense. lives in order to channel that power to survive, to heal, and to
protect the clan.
Barbarian Heretic (Warlock)
The classic barbarian is a familiar sight in the wild lands of Even in a world full of gods, there are other powers at work.
Planegea. Fighting for survival with unbridled rage, These powers, with no shamans or hallows or trappings of
barbarians are most commonly found in especially warlike or divinity, seek out the desperate and offer them power at a
hunt-oriented clans in regions where the prey is especially terrible price. Those who strike such a pact are known as
dangerous. heretics, for they reject the gifts and service of the gods for
other, stranger masters. But unlike gods, the patrons of
Chanter (Bard) heretics aren't bound to specific locations, allowing them to
Chanters, renowned song-singers and storytellers are, after wander freely wherever their calling may lead.
shamans, the most respected and honored members of clan Mender (Artificer)
life. A gifted weaver of song or story can uplift a clan, These master craftsmen have powerful insight into the flow
transport them, working wonders through their words. As and shape of magic in the world, and understand how to
long as they bring word from afar to the clanfire, a chanter weave together stone and spells into powerful combinations.
never need worry about where their next meal is coming According to Mender lore, all was once equal parts magic
from. and matter, and to enchant a thing isn't to add magic to it—
instead, menders merely repair objects back to their properly
Bardic College becomes Chanter Tradition. Chanters magical state.
hail from various Traditions rather than Bardic Colleges.
(Mechanically, these are unchanged.) Lithomancer. The work of a Mender is mechanically
identical to the official Articifer (ERftLW 54–63), but instead
Druid of metal and glass, Menders use stone and bone, feathers and
Although most clans are in an endless war for survival, some fur, etc.
individuals forge a different relationship with the world, Ranger
drawing on the natural magic to weave themselves into the Rangers are master hunters, who have given their lives over
very roots and feathers of life. Druids live apart from the to the study of the hunt. Usually arising from especially
clans, as shamans believe their magic angers the gods, and difficult environments, raiders may hunt deadly prey through
others tend to see them as too sympathetic with the cliffs and deserts, quicksand and ice fields, stalking and
predators who threaten their lives. If taboo druidic magic is planning before executing the perfect kill, and feeding their
suspected in a clan, its practitioner will be driven out to make entire clan for months.
their own way in the wild.

Fighter
The expert hunters, guards, and raiders among a clan are
known as fighters—those who leap onto the backs of
mastodons or strike down other humanoids in the struggles
to stay alive. Fighters are great masters of weapons, and are
often entrusted with the clan’s enchanted weapon, to send the
killing blow home when it counts the most.

37

Scavenger (Rogue) Sorcerer
Relying not on might or force of great magic, but on cunning, Harnessing the raw, primal magic power of the world,
stealth, and expert timing, scavengers make their way sorcerers are by far the most common arcane casters in
through cover of darkness to take what they desire. Most Planegea. Sorcerers are feared and respected, often existing
clans detest scavengers, but their skills can be critical for in tension or outright conflict with shamans. Their magic
staying alive when food is scarce or dangerous predators being driven by their own will, sorcerers are often a law unto
leave behind massive kills. themselves, which can be exhilarating, threatening, and
Shaman (Cleric) (often) quite deadly.
In a time before temples and religious hierarchy, shamans
serve as intermediaries between mortals and gods. Shamans Spellskin (Wizard)
are leaders of clans, and hear personally from local deities. In deep caves, thickets, or hide shelters, spellskins mutter
Shamans are vital to the clans for their ability to interpret and trace the shapes of magic. Creating patterns and designs
dreams and lead ceremonies crucial to clan life. Most that echo the mana of living things, spellskins use natural
shamans have a specific deity they revere, and it is not dyes and clays to paint powerful creatures, real or imagined.
uncommon for a clan to be given over to the worship of one Then, once the shape of a creature and its magic is fully
god or goddess above others thanks to the influence of their understood, the spellskin copies its form onto their own
shaman. bodies. Powerful spellskins are covered in tattoos, and can
call forth the magic they have wrestled into their skin at will.
Local Deities. When shamans travel, they sense and can
connect with the gods of their new location, paying homage Spellbook becomes Mana Tattoo. Rather than carrying a
and forging connections. Many shamans prefer to follow book, spellskins tattoo the shapes of magic onto their skins.
certain types of gods, seeking out deities of a similar domain. These shapes are not writing—rather, they are a symbolic set
A shaman must draw their power from a nearby god or divine of shapes, particular to every spellskin, which defines the
force, as there are no universal gods supplying power equally shape of magic as the spellskin comprehends it. This tattoo is
throughout the world. a kind of shorthand for the larger symbols the spellskin has
painted or carved into a wall or flat surface requiring 10’
Regional Domains square for each spell level. (Thus a 4th level spell requires a
40’ square surface.)
The power of a god is limited by its location. When
adventuring shamans travel outside of their god's In order to learn a new spell (either their own spell or a
domain there are a few options to explore: spell copied from another spellskin’s wall), a spellskin must
create the spell on a space equal to 10’ square or more per
Different god, same domain: Regions can have spell level. Thus, high-level spellskins are known for their
more than one god (although one is usually huge walls covered in intricate paintings or carvings. A
dominant), so the new region might have a god spellskin must only create the spell on the wall when first
with similar values and power. learning it. After they have created their mana tattoo, they can
Divine alliance: Gods are able to commuicate prepare their spells by studying their tattoos, envisioning the
with each other, and a god who favors a shaman wall, repeating incantations made while creating the wall, and
might reach out to a neighboring god and ask so on.
that their power be allowed to flow through
them into their region. One spellskin who encounters another cannot copy a mana
New god, new domain: Sometimes there is no tattoo from their body, as it is a mere shorthand for the spell’s
alliance or similar god to be forged, and instead full shape. If a spellskin discovers another’s painting or
the shaman must source their power from a carving, they may copy one spell from it in a process that
different type of god altogether. In this case, takes 2 hours and causes 1/2 level of exhaustion per each
the shaman may change their subclass and level of the spell. If the process of copying it is interrupted, the
divine domain, setting aside all features from copying fails, and the spellskin must begin again.
their old domain and adopting all features from
their new domain at their current level. The Shattered Sanctum

A powerful spellskin known as Mel'nes the Beekeeper seeks
aid in discovering the perpetrator of a great tragedy—the
destruction of his sanctum. A canyon, its seemingly endless
walls painted with the life work of Mel'nes, was shattered by
some powerful magical force. The same force also attacked his
mind, reducing his magical knowledge to the barest shred of
its former power. What Mel'nes doesn't know is that he
himself shattered the walls upon learning a terrible secret that
—if recovered—could open a gate to the Sea of Stars and let
in a terrible alien threat that could unweave reality itself.

38

39

Chapter 5: Equipment & TradeLANEGEA IS A WORLD WITHOUT COIN,
and barter is the most common form of
exchange. However, if you don't want to haggle

Pover every purchase, salt is commonly accepted
Where tool proficiencies are listed, replace these with
knacks. A knack is a natural affinity for a kind of work or
craftsmanship. So proficiency with thieves’ tools means a
thieving knack, proficiency with a brewer’s kit becomes a
knack for fermenting strong drink, and so on. These knacks
as a standard form of trade, since it's useful for also allow you to add your proficiency bonus to craft these
preserving and flavoring all kinds of food. A kits from basic materials.
useful rule of thumb is that 1 coin-sized portion
of salt is equal in value to 1gp in the Forgotten Realms. This Adventuring Gear
coin-sized portion of salt is written as 1ps (portion salt).
That said, in regions where salt is plentiful (like the Fang of Most items in the Player's Handbook can be used as they are
by simply describing them as made of bone, wood, stone,
Salt & Slime or desert regions) or extremely scarce, other hide, rope, etc. A few particular items are a bit more
exchanges are more common. Use this table as a rough guide specifically modern, and are converted to Planegea in the
to common transactions. Gear Conversion table.

Currency Conversion Gear Conversion Planegea
Counting sticks
Type Equivalent of 1 Gold Piece Player's Handbook Smooth pebbles

Salt 1 portion Abacus

Food 1 meal Ball bearings
1 cup of wine

Raw 25 bundles of dry sticks Bottle, flask, tankard, or Skin or jar (made of clay,
goods 1 sack of flint, plants, or feathers vial wood, stone, bone, etc.)
1 common skin or set of bones Caltrops Knuckle-bones or vertibrae
Crafted 1/2 rare skin or set of bones Chain Knotted rope studded with
goods 1/4 very rare skin or set of bones wood, stone, or bone
1 knife Crowbar Lever
Easy Labor 1 jar Hourglass Notched, slow-burning stick
Hard/Skilled 1 pouch Ink Paint
1/4 tanned leather Ink pen Paintbrush
Labor 10 fishhooks Lantern Skull
1 temporary shelter (1 person) Lock Knot, often specialized,
5 hours with various stone needles
1 hour or other complications
worked in
Languages

The total number of languages known at character creation is Magnifying glass Crafting hoop1
halved, to a minimum of 1. If a character option such as a feat Paper Smooth hide
or class level ability grants the ability to learn new languages, Parchment Rough hide
the number added is also halved, to a minimum of 1. To Pot, iron Pot, stone
communicate with a creature who does not speak your Spellbook Spellskin's sanctum2
language, you must rely on Charisma (Performance) and
Wisdom (Insight) checks. Spikes, iron Tusks
Spyglass Scouting hoop1
Tool Proficiencies & Knacks
Planegea is as varied in places and people as any fantasy 1. Glass is rare and crude throughout Planegea, usually only formed by
world. You use the backgrounds listed in the Player’s volcanic or elemental forces. The listed items are much easier
Handbook for your character’s origin, translating the obtained as common magic items, usually in the form of wood or
technology downward to a prehistoric world. Sages study oral bone hoops enchanted by seers or gods to aid in crafting or scouting.
traditions, soldiers march at the command of warlords,
acolytes serve at the command of shamans. 2. Spellskins use large areas to design their spells, then transfer those
spells as tattoos onto their bodies. The only way to find a spellskin's

spells is to locate the place where their spells are crafted, which is

usually secret, hidden, and guarded.

40

Armor in Planegea Cost Armor Class (AC) Strength Stealth Weight

Armor 5ps 11 + Dex modifier — Disadvantage 8 lb.
Light armor 10ps 11 + Dex modifier —— 10 lb.
 Padded 45ps 12 + Dex modifier —— 13 lb.
 Leather
 Stone-studded leather 10ps 12 + Dex modifier (max 2) —— 12 lb.
Medium Armor 50ps 13 + Dex modifier (max 2) —— 20 lb.
 Beasthide 50ps 14 + Dex modifier (max 2) — Disadvantage 45 lb.
 Heavy fur 400ps 14 + Dex modifier (max 2 —— 20 lb.
750ps 15 + Dex modifier (max 2) — Disadvantage 40 lb.
 Bone
 Wooden chestpiece 30ps 14 — Disadvantage 40 lb.
75ps 16 Str 13 Disadvantage 55 lb.
 Wood 200ps 17 Str 15 Disadvantage 60 lb.
Heavy Armor 1,500ps 18 Str 15 Disadvantage 65 lb.
 Monsterhide
 Stone & leather 10ps +2 —— 6 lb.
 Stone & wood

 Stone
Shield
 Shield

Armor
Armor is handmade and can vary greatly in appearance and
construction. Still, the basic materials used offer a common
amount of protection, as shown above.

Weapons
The weapons list is identical to the list in the core books
(PHB 149), but the weapons are handmade with stone tools.
Knives are made of knapped stone, axes are stone knives
affixed to wooden shafts, and swords are usually worked
piece of wood, shaped like a pole, bat, club, or staff, with
stone blades affixed to the edges.

Stone-Age Armor & Weapons

To protect combat balance, Planegea does not alter
the bonuses or penalties of armor or weapons in
any way. Mechanically, they are identical to the
Player's Handbook. Thematically, the assumption is
that combat is relative, and that as all creatures are
using natural materials for both attack and defense,
the overall scale of damage should be similar.

If you want to alter these numbers, to advantage
natural armor and weapons, be aware that this will
make almost all creatures listed in the Monster
Manual deadlier and harder to kill. To implement
this option, make the following changes:

On all edged or bladed weapons, decrease the
damage by 1 die size (d6 becomes d4 etc), to a
minimum of 1 point of damage
On all armor that was previously made of metal,
decrease AC by 2.

41

Chapter 6: Running the GameHE WORLD OF PLANEGEA IS BORN
for bold, imaginative, exciting campaigns full of
every kind of adventure. From dungeon-
crawling pulpy monster hunts to deep political

Tand intrigue roleplaying, from gritty survival to
Setting Variant: The Utter Future

There is a post-apocalyptic tradition in the pulp
mythic, world-shaping campaigns, from urban literature that inspired D&D of worlds where magic
and technology are mixed, and our present is the
skulduggery to wars in the Underdark, it can unimaginable past. To explore this idea, consider
all happen in Planegea. Each group has their own Planegea, introducing sealed bunkers, buried deep
and every one is different, uniquely tailored to the play style underground, with modern or futuristic technology.
of that party. What follows are suggestions for how to run The question, then, is why are they sealed away,
exciting and satisfying adventures in Planegea as-written. what happened to all the metal on the surface, and

Stone-Age Adventures what are the Hounds of the Blind Heaven?

Although Planegea is its own campaign setting, it's certainly Villainous Schemes
possible to run published adventures in the world of Most of the classic villainous schemes from fantasy literature
Planegea by converting some common tropes to a prehistoric apply in Planegea—murder, revenge, usurption, dark
variant that stays true to their original spirit. devotion to an evil god... all of these can be brought directly
into this world without alteration. For ideas, consult the
Use the Adventure Conversion table to bring the best of Villain Schemes & Methods tables (DMG 94-95). A few
other campaigns to the world of Planegea. examples to get you started (for more complex schemes,
combine two or more of these into a single diabolical plan):
Adventure Conversion

Classic trope Planegea equivalent

Ancient kingdom Powerful, ritualistic clan

Airship Tamed flying creature

Blacksmith Master crafter Immortality: Destroy gods and devour their essence to
Book or tome Painting or song become a god.
Carriage Beast of burden Influence: Conquer the Three Brothers and rule the
Castle Cave system entire Great Valley.
City Gathering of clans Magic: Open a portal to the dwelling of alien beings from
Guard Clan hunter or warrior the Sea of Stars.
House or mansion Tent or fortress Mayhem: Kill the Worldheart Dragon at the center of
Innkeeper or server Elder, host, or drinkmaster Blood Mountain.
King, noble, or mayor Warlord, chieftan, or elder Passion: Resurrect a long-dead loved one.
Library Gathering of elders or chanters Power: Usher in an invasion by the Giant Empires.
Ruin Cursed or taboo place Revenge: Wipe out an entire clan in payment for an old
Sailing ship Catamaran or great-canoe insult or injury.
School or monastery Hidden sanctuary Wealth: Plunder taboo ruins for artifacts of great power.
Spell scroll Talisman
Secret cult Secret cult Primordial Monsters
Shop Clanfire or crafter's tent The primal nature of Planegea means that there need be no
Tavern Clanfire or shady pool such thing as a "normal monster." A couple of considerations:
Temple Hallow or shaman's tent
Thieves guild Scavengers or secret alliance Avoid names. When describing monsters, avoid using
Tomb or crypt Burial ground or catacombs their names as long as possible, describing their appearance,
Tower Tower, cliff, or tree their behavior, their smell, and the sounds they make. It's very
Trapdoor Disguised tunnel or tent flap possible this is the first or only monster of its kind.
Wizard's tower Spellskin's cliff-sanctum
Village Small clan Reskin boldly. DMs are encouraged to play fast and loose
with the stat blocks of monsters in Planegea. A harpy might
become a leatherwinged saurian. A gorgon might be a stone-
feathered mastadon. A cockatrice might be a wicked jungle-
fey from the Venom Abyss. By using existing stat blocks and
reskinning them as you see fit, you'll introduce fresh and
primal flavor to your game, while still retaining the use of
tools for combat balance in published materials.

(The easiest way to do this is simply to literally change the
skin. Make furry creatures scaly, smooth creatures feathered,
add stripes or bristles or other cosmetic details to create a
new visual aspect.)

42

Alter monsters. Whenever you're able, add or remove Dungeons & Ruins
aspects to make monsters unique and surprising. Consult the
Monster Features table (DMG 280–281) for ideas. Be aware What besides dragons could be more essential to D&D than
that adding features will increase the monster's CR. dungeons? Yet how do you introduce the mainstays of
dungeons, ruins, and long-vanished kingdoms into Planegea?
Here are some useful primal aspects to spark ideas:
Extra eyes (Blind Senses, Invisibility) The answer is simple: dungeons are—as always—
Hypnosis (Charm, Read Thoughts, etc.) constructed by the powerful, and ruins still exist...but they
Slime (Slippery, Stench, etc.) were never inhabited by humanoids.
Spines (Breath Weapon, Death Burst, etc.)
Swell (Blood Frenzy, Enlarge, etc.) Ruins
Tentacles (Constrict, Grappler, Reel, etc.) All long-abandoned ruins belong to various races very
Tusks (Rampage, Reckless, etc.) different in thought, logic, and belief than ourselves. Whether
Wings (Dive, Flyby, etc.) it's the underwater palace of an aboleth, the dizzying tunnels
This list is just the beginning. Any morphology you want to of a beholder, the catacombs carved by the magic of sphinxes,
explore is fair game. This is the beginning of the world— or the horrifying colony of an elder brain, ruins should be as
there will be millennia for nature to find its final form for weird and otherworldly as possible.
these creatures. For now, all is new and wild and deadly.
To explore this concept, consider the following possibilites:
Awarding Loot Not made for feet. The ruin or dungeon might have been
Given that Planegea has no coin or currency, conquering the carving of a beholder or an aboleth, who have no need of
enemies large and small come with other rewards. Use the floors or thresholds as such.
Currency Conversion table at the start of the previous section Noxious air. Did the previous inhabitants of this ruin
for simple conversion from gold. Loot can also take the form breathe air? If not, perhaps terrible vapors fill the air,
of magic items, finely crafted goods, or extraordinary raw requiring constitution saves and a hurried pace lest the party
materials (such as prized scales, feathers, blood, bones, teeth, succumb to sleep, paralysis, or death from the very air itself.
etc). These materials might be carried by the defeated Strange geometries. Some places are so other that
creature or harvested from them. merely inhabiting them is enough to drive mortals mad. Use
the Short-Term Madness tables (DMG 259) to affect those
Loot can also be claimed in the form of favors, gratitude, who linger too long in shadowed and alien corners.
and bonds. If the party defeats a creature that has menaced
an individual, a clan, or a region, they may now be owed a Dungeons
debt of gratitude, which they can use to gain whatever What we call dungeons are really confined environments
advantages they might seek. where heroes encounter a high degree of challenge and
danger, with limited opportunities for rest and recovery.
Magic Items Planegea is full of places where dungeons may be found.
Magic items tend to be crafted by shamans or spellskins, or Here are a few varations to explore:
else given by the gods. Many divine hallows act as de facto
magic shops, with mortals giving offerings to the local deity Divine dungeons. Hallows, trial grounds, ritual sites, and
in order to gain blessed items. vision quests are all potential dungeons springing from divine
magic. Such dungeons could be built by a god trying to keep
Most magic items in the Dungeon Master's Guide and itself safe from attack, a clan creating a training ground for its
other published materials can be used in Planegea, simply by potential future shamans, a cult trying to empower a dark
converting any glass or metal components to prehistoric deity, or a shaman proving the mettle of hunters on an
materials (stone, wood, bone, shell, etc), with a two obvious ethereal journey.
exceptions:
Arcane dungeons. Sanctums, enclaves, secret crafting
Spell scrolls become talismans. Talismans are small, places, and locations of great raw resources are all potential
fragile trinkets, usually made of clay, fragile bones, string, and dungeons formed by arcane magic. Such dungeons could be
the like. When used correctly, a talisman unravels to cast its built by a powerful sorcerer seeking seclusion, a twisted
spell, and then disintegrates into dust. However, it is possible spellskin teaching apprentices dark magic, a jealous warlock
to unravel a talisman clumsily, failing to activate the magic. hiding a prized belonging of their patron, or a chanter's
Use the spell scroll rules (DMG 139-140) for talismans. gaurded source of magical inspiration.

Books become chants. Various books grant abilities and Martial dungeons. Fortresses, encampments, clifftop
unleash effects when read over time. These magic items hideaways, and even war camps on the move are all potential
become chants, which must be memorized and uttered from dungeons powered by martial might. Such dungeons might
start to finish, requiring the same amount of time as the time be built by conquering warlords, a xenophobic clan of trap-
required to read the book. savvy rangers, secretive ascetics, or hunted scavengers
desperate to cover their tracks.
The Cry of the Cursed Skull
Natural dungeons. Living forests, flooded caverns,
A skull buried deep in a cursed cave has been haunting mortal volcanic slopes, and stormy cliffs are all potential dungeons
dreams, crying out to be reclaimed, no matter what the cost. shaped by the natural world. Such dungeons might be
completey natural, uninhabited by mortals, or might be home
to those who wish to hide from other souls.

43

44

Urban Adventures Flood Cities. In the Great Valley, seasonal floods rise and fill
the land with bounteous flowers, fruit, and prey animals of all
Running urban adventures in Planegea might—at first— kinds. This plenty attracts all manner of life, including
seem like an impossibility. But there are at least four urban countless clans arriving to partake of the bounty. These
environments in the game to explore: sudden settlements, with tents stretched from horizon to
horizon, are a surge of life, celebration, noise, birds and
The Giant Empires. Each of the giant empires has animals, marriages, abrupt violence, competitions, theft, and
multiple cities with mighty ziggurats, cultivated gardens, rituals of all kinds. The haphazard nature of the settlements
merchants, nobility, intrigue, crime, and everything else you makes them a scavenger's paradise, and many an adventure
could seek in an urban environment. Each of the cities is built is to be had among the towering tents and feasting lawns of a
for giants on the backs of mortal slaves, and so features not flood city.
only the great architecture of the masters, but a human-scale
undercity as well, running throughout the titanic structures of Generational Camps. In places with stable, steady food
the giant lords. supplies and limited natural predators, some clans spend
generations building encampents, adding story after story to
Free Citadel. In the Skyfang Mountains, between the wooden structures, tent after tent to sprawling hide warrens.
Worldquake Waste and the Ghostmire, there is a giant city These camps can grow so large and complex that they
where the mortal slaves rose up and overthrew their master. become small cities in their own right. Usually constructed in
Because of its awe-inspiring natural fortifications, the Stone some peculiar hideaway, out-of-sight from would-be
Empire has not been able to re-take the city, although they marauders and conquerers, these generational camps are
attack it frequently and ferociously. Still, the mortals who live known for rites and rituals, severe punishments for broken
within, ruled by the great and deadly Usurper Queen, have taboos and traditions, and complex politics.
refashioned the massive architecture and streets of the city to
their own liking, and it is by far the most advanced mortal city The Siege at Free Citadel
anywhere in Planegea—though its utter isolation renders it
vulnerable to terrible trials. A relentless horde of stone giants, armed with terrible
weapons and equipped with the magic of the Dao Dominion
from the Worldquake Waste, are laying siege to the city of
Free Citadel. Food is scarce, the people are panicking, and it is
up to the most trusted and skilled warriors of the Usurper
Queen to break through the stone giant army and bring help.

45

Chapter 7: Survival Choosing Extraordinary Prey

IT'S NOT EASY TO SURVIVE THE PERILS OF If your party is eager to hunt to gain one of the
Planegea. A creature must be ready to hunt, ready to benefits listed, it's the DM's choice which creature
hide, ready to fight to defend its life and its kill from they need to hunt to gain the desired effect.
other hunters and scavengers. And Planegea is a Consider their CR, environment, and the magical
world on the move—from stars to rivers to forests to potency of various prey. As a rule, it's a good idea
clans, it takes more than a sense of direction to find to start with Monstrosities, choose prey which
your way. It takes luck, timing, and skill at reading the doesn't speak and—if the prey is a common animal
shifting patterns of the world. such as a wolf or bear—give it extraordinary
aspects such as those listed in the Primordial
But for those who can intuit the winds and see patterns in Monsters section.
hoofprints of valuable prey, there is great might and glory to
be gained in the hunt, and great joy in coming home to the Dangers of the Hunt
welcome of a bright clanfire. There is far more to hunting than merely stalking and
bringing down prey. The wily hunter will be wary of the
Hunting & Harvesting following perils:

The rules for hunting and harvesting in Planegea are Predators. In the words of an ancient ascetic, "There's
intended only to enrich your adventures. If your party isn't always a bigger fish." Beware when hunting that you are not
interested in playing a campaign involving survival elements, the prey for some mightier and stealthier creature.
you can play the game as-written in the core books. However,
these optional rules give added reasons to embark on the Competitors. You are not alone in the world. Even if other
trials and triumphs of the hunt. predators aren't hunting you, easy prey may already have
been sighted by other creatures. Make sure that your kill isn't
Hunger Is a Constant stolen at the critical moment by a creature willing to
It's assumed in Planegea that creatures are always hungry, challenge you for the prey.
always passively gathering food such as berries, small prey,
and edible grasses, bark, and other plants, and have basic Scavengers. After you bring down your prey, deal with it
knowledge about what is edible and what isn't. quickly. Leaving fallen prey out in the open attracts
scavengers—and though scavengers may be individually
This means that characters will not starve to death unless weak, they tend to gather just outside your vision in ever
special circumstances apply (such as being in a particularly larger numbers.
barren regions or if a spell or other effect limits your ability to
perform basic functions). Tricks & traps. Not all prey panics when pursued. Take
care lest you be drawn into dangerous ground—quicksand,
Instead of hunting merely to survive, in Planegea, you hunt tangling vines, the lair of a larger beast. Some would-be prey
to thrive. have a symbiotic relationship with creatures or places that
thirst for the blood of the over-eager.
You Are What You Eat
In Planegea, you can gain benefits from a successful hunt. Seeing red. In the heat of the hunt, it's all too easy to lose
Whether you pursue your prey strictly for food, or simply eat track of where your feet are taking you. Keep awareness of
what you kill along the course of your adventures, harvesting your surroundings, lest when the killing blow is landed, you
the right kinds of food can grant you the strength you need raise your eyes to realize you are in a place you do not know,
you survive. nor have any idea how to escape.

Satiety. Eating your fill of good food brings a rare feeling
for Planegeans—fullness. If you eat two pounds of food in a
single meal, you gain the Sated condition. For 8 hours, you
gain advantage on an attack roll, saving throw, or ability check
of your choice.

Ability enhancement. Certain prey can be harvested to
briefly bolster various aspects of the hunter. When
successfully harvested, prepared, and eaten, gain the benefits
of the enhance ability spell. The ability affected is determined
by the DM, based on the nature of the creature consumed.

Spell effect. Some magical prey, when harvested,
prepared, and eaten, can bestow the benefits of spells, as if
from a potion or amulet. The nature of the spell and the prey
is determined by the DM.

46

Taboos Crafting
A basic survival skill is avoiding foods with bad effects. This When crafting items using harvested materials, players must
boils down to the three food taboos: make the following checks:

Nothing raw or rotten. Do not eat meat uncooked or any Intelligence: To understand the nature of the materials
food that exhibits the signs of spoiling. and what they can be used for.
Nothing that speaks. Do not eat a creature that speaks to Wisdom: To evaluate the materials and decide the best
you in a language that you can understand. way to combine them.
Nothing made of many. Do not eat a creature with more Dexterity: To craft the components into the end product.
than nine eyes or nine appendages—including arms, Each of these checks has a seperate DC, based on the
wings, legs, antennae, feelers, claws, and so on. DM's evaluation of the complexity of the project and the
The taboos aren't merely symbolic. If the taboos are ability of the character. For more complex crafting projects,
broken, the DM can decide on any appropriate effect, or roll other skills (such as Religion, Arcana, Memory, etc) may
on the Taboo Effect table for inspiration: come into play, or the Dexterity check may be made for the
various components before bringing the full product to
Taboo Effect completion.

d20 Result The Reincarnation of Tasa'Ja
1–10 Poisoned condition
11–14 Poison damage Ku'kulu, the ancient shaman, has lost his bride to the winter's
15–17 Roll on the Short-Term Madness table (DMG 259) cold. But his god has promised him that, if the proper
18–19 Roll on the Tricks table (DMG 298). materials can be gathered and crafted into a golem of bone
and moss and crystal—and if a pact can be struck with the
20 Roll on the Wild Magic Surge table (PHB 104) very King of the Dead himself—Tasa'Ja can be reborn.

Harvesting Travel & Tracking
Harvesting a hunt is an activity with countless permutations,
so rather than offer a single method of harvesting, consider Planegea is a world on the move. Nothing stays in the same
the following when the party brings down a kill: location for long. Rivers shift in their course at the whims of
their animating spirits and the violent storms that surge
Ability checks. Any of the following ability checks can across the land. Forests full of wakeful treants wander across
come into play when harvesting prey: the landscape. Stars shift based on the story they wish to tell.
And most of all, clans migrate, following herds of prey across
Strength: Breaking bones, snapping off tusks, ripping off the landscape.
tough hide, cracking natural armor, etc.
Dexterity (Sleight-of-Hand): Nimble extraction of In Planegea, time is as important as location. Consider not
delicate parts, careful skinning, nimble plucking, etc. only where a place is, but when you last saw it there—a clan
Constitution (Concentration): Withstanding stench, may return to the same cave every winter, or a river flow back
maintaining focus on a long or delicate harvest, etc. into its same course come flood season. Though the larger
Intelligence (Medicine): Knowing which parts to harvest, landscape of the world is fixed, with its world-fangs and giant
determining healthy and rotten parts, careful cutting to empires, the local landscape is different each season, and can
avoid internal damage, etc. deceive and confuse even the most experienced of hunters.
Intelligence (Nature): Recognizing the type and value of
a harvest, identifying useful components, etc. Ability checks. Any of the following ability checks can
Intelligence (Religion): Recognizing divine patronage, come into play when finding your way in Planegea:
honoring the local deity and clan customs, etc.
Wisdom (Survival): Skillful butchery of meat, cooking, Constitution (Concentration): Avoiding distractions,
preservation, burying offal, etc. keeping an eye on your path, maintaining a trail, etc.
Wisdom (Perception): Watching for scavengers, noticing Intelligence (Nature): Following the contours of the land,
marks of ownership, signs of privation or prior harm, etc. understanding the direction of migration, predicting
Resolving a harvest. Some harvests are simple, others are changes in the weather, etc.
complex and risky. Use any of the following methods to Intelligence (Memory): Remembering the movement
resolve the harvest based on your group's play style and the patterns of the land and people, recognizing a landscape
importance of the harvest to the story. altered by time—a newly-dry river bed, a barren ridge
Single roll: If a harvest is not a particularly significant where a forest used to be, etc.
story moment, it's sufficient to choose a relevant skill, roll Wisdom (Perception): Spotting distant landmarks,
once, and move on. noticing places where things used to be, smelling clanfire
Best two out of three: If the stakes are higher, raise the smoke on the breeze, etc.
stakes by requiring two successes before two failures. Wisdom (Survival): Finding and following tracks,
Skill challenge: For major harvests that the adventure orienteering, locating prey, etc.
hinges on, run a skill challenge, requiring players to use
various skills and getting 5 successes before 3 failures. 47

Getting Lost The Lost Raiders
Sometimes, due to a wild hunt or strong weather or magical
effects, you may become lost. At other times, you may choose A band of vicious raiders are attacking clans across the Great
to lose your way. Here are a few reasons to get lost: Valley, appearing out of nowhere and slaughtering men,
women, and children with impunity. A convocation of elders
Zigzag. When pursued by predators, creatures may choose and shamans have appointed a group of hunters to find these
to flee erratically, opting to lose their way in order to escape raiders and defeat them. What they don't know is that the
pursuit. If you escape from a predator in this way, you cannot raiders have no home base, no shelter. They have perfected a
use the same technique again on the same predator or a strong mead which, when consumed, forces its drinker to
member of the same group of predators, if it is a pack hunter. become lost and confused, and enter an in-between world,
which they use to travel from raid site to raid site, haphazardly.
Lost is sacred. Some gods will only appear to the lost. When the hunters confront the raiders, they discover that their
Some doors to the World of Dreams or the World of leader has started to flicker in and out of existence, presenting
Nightmares won't appear unless you're lost. Being lost is one a dangerous, semi-incorporeal challenge as he moves between
of the best ways of discovering the unexpected, and many seen and unseen, here and there, all blades and malice.
shamans use magic to encourage and enable their most
skilled hunters to wander lost, to discover what the world has
to show them.

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Chapter 8: Clans Shaman Magic

WHEREVER YOU GO IN PLANEGEA, YOU Once the sun has set, the shaman casts spells, drawing from
find adventure. But it isn't always the snarling the shaman (cleric) spell list based on the needs of the clan.
teeth of a sabertoothed cat. Sometimes it's the Shaman magic usually has a strong performative aspect to it,
false smile of a lying advisor, their eyes and is often supported by music from chanters and the
glittering with subtle malice. Sometimes it's in hushed attention of the whole clan.
a tense negotiation between clans on the brink
of all-out war. Clan Magic
And sometimes—rarely, but every now and then—life in
Planegea is good, peaceful, and worth fighting to protect. Sometimes a clan has need of more powerful magic than that
of a single caster, even one as powerful as a shaman, and will
Clan Life unite to perform Clan Magic. (Clan magic is mechanically
similar to coven casting, found on page 176 of the Monster
Every clan is different, with its own customs, local taboos, Manual.) In order to perform clan magic, a fire must be lit,
duties to its god, struggles, and joys. But most mortal with a cleared perimeter around the fire for ceremonial
societies in the Great Valley have at least a few similarities movements. These may be dances, re-enactments, speeches,
that unite them. etc. A ceremony takes 1 hour to begin, and must be led by a
shaman. Once a ceremony has begun, any clan member
Full Days partaking in the ceremony can cast spells from the shaman
An average day is busy, full of bustle and industry for every (cleric) spell list, but must share the spell slots among
member of the clan. themselves. The number of spell slots is determined by the
shaman’s level as follows:
Children are responsible to gather fuel for the clanfire,
clean the encampment, watch and teach younger children, Shaman Level Spell level (spell slots)
and aid the adults as any has need.
1–4 1st level (4 slots), 2nd level (2 slots)
Low-status clan members are assigned to heavy labor—
beating hides for tanning, carrying stones or lumber for 5–10 1st level (4 slots), 2nd level (3 slots),
construction, digging latrines, and so on. 3rd level (3 slots), 4th level (3 slots),
5th level (2 slots)
Able adults informally divide themselves by mood,
preference, and natural ability into hunters and gatherers. 11–16 1st level (4 slots), 2nd level (3 slots),
Hunters typically rest until prey is spotted, and may at first 3rd level (3 slots), 4th level (3 slots),
seem lazy. But when scouts (often young hunters with 5th level (2 slots), 6th level (1 slot),
something to prove) return with word of game on the horizon, 7th level (1 slot), 8th level (1 slot)
the hunters spring into action and may go for days and nights
without rest to bring down a kill that will feed the entire tribe. 17–20 1st level (4 slots), 2nd level (3 slots),
Gatherers travel as far as half a day's journey from the 3rd level (3 slots), 4th level (3 slots),
encampment, checking traps and fishing lines and filling 5th level (3 slots), 6th level (2 slots),
large baskets and satchels with whatever food and useful 7th level (2 slots), 8th level (1 slot),
materials they can find for the clan. 9th level (1 slot)

Elders, seers, shaman's aides, and crafters remain at the For casting these spells, each ceremonial participant is a
camp, engaging in council, adjudicating conflict, preparing for 4th, 10th, 16th, or 20th-level spellcaster that uses Wisdom as
the night's magic, cooking, tanning leather, crafting needed their spellcasting ability. The spell save DC is 12 +the
tools and supplies, or repairing and expanding the participant’s Wisdom modifier, and the spell attack bonus is 4
encampment. +the participant’s Wisdom modifier.

The shaman usually sleeps or meditates for much of the Magical Weapon. Rather than casting other spells, a clan
day, preparing for the night's magic, but may consult with the ceremony can enchant a weapon with magic to strike truer
elders, resolve disputes, perform minor rites, or travel to the and deeper. Such magical weapons are typically made by the
local god's hallow if summoned or in need of divine aid. clan’s best artisan, and feature special decoration, patterning,
or exceptional craftsmanship. Each weapon requires an
Magic Nights entire ceremony to enchant, and requires twelve hours to
After the work of the day, as sun sets, the clan gathers and complete. After such a ceremony, all participants suffer one
the clanfire is built high. Sentries are posted outside the ring level of exhaustion, and the shaman suffers two levels of
of firelight to watch for danger, and the rest of the clan exhaustion. If any participant leaves the ceremony for more
gathers to eat, drink, tell stories, sing songs, and do magic. than 1 minute, the ceremony fails and the weapon is
By gathering the inherent magic of the land and people destroyed. A clan can have only one magical weapon at a
together, even clans with weak shamans can create magical time, and cannot create a second magical weapon while the
effects, sometimes surprisingly strong. However, given its first one exists. The magical weapon receives a +1, +2, +3, or
ritual nature, magic is not performed lightly, with some clans +4 bonus to attack and damage rolls, depending on the power
utterly shunning any magic but that performed at the clanfire of the shaman who led the ceremony.
ceremonies.

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