Credits

Author: David Foxfire
Formatted on: GM Binder
Using Material by: 1d4chan, Alit Design, AshenGT, Faith D'Ambrosio, Fontsite, Kimberly Geswein, Sebastian Kosch, Rhaenon, tina @ google, Valloric
dnd4 Wikia, Forgotten Realms Wikia, Forgotten Realms Cormyr Wiki, The Genius Inc, The Hand of Fate Gaming, Pitfalls and Pixels Webblog
From DnD Beyond: Greeney1234, MGTank85, Oddlot
From Discord: Issy|InfKore
From Reddit: Capaluchu, Frozengnomes, FTW Yall, Headless, Irishbandit, petite renarde, RavagedMuffin

Artwork Sources:
Father in Law's Library by Hanan Levin (Background)
Half Genie No Bottle by João "Myke Greywolf" Rocha (Model for Pose)
Owl bear creature sketch by Matthew "hamosart" Hamilton (Used Illustration)
Wikimedia Commons for several pictures.
Note: Some of these sources are modified enough to qualify as Transformative Works.
All other artwork was created by the author.

Special Thanks to:
Bill, Richard and John, Meiou, Tim Fewell

Discord, Gab.ai, Minds, OneBookShelf, Siteground

Stefan Molyneux, Freedomain Radio and the following from board.freedomainradio.com: barn, Donnadogsoth, RichardY, Siegfried von Walheim

Jesus Christ, for being a good sport and not smiting me down for putting Him in a D&D setting. I'm buying Him a beer when I meet Him over this.

Extra Special Thanks to all those who support free speech and freedom of expression in the Current Year.

Contact David:

While efforts in proper proofreading and editing have been made, there is still the possibility for spelling and grammar errors. Reports of such found errors will always be appreciated.

• davidfoxire@foxfirestudios.net
• https://foxfirestudios.net
• Gab.ai: DavidFoxfire
• Minds: DavidFoxfire
• Discord: David Foxfire#7694
• Twitter, Tumblr, Google, or Facebook: Don't bother.

Introduction

’ve started designing Æthercoil about two years ago, when I needed a distraction from both feeling forgetting about being successful in making comics and the 2016 Election (I will go to my grave blaming the Chicago Cubs for President Trump. I knew they'll doom the world.) It’s been garnered a lot of interest whenever I mention the campaign setting to people, and the periodical Æthercoil Magazine has even paid for a pizza or two.

As I found more people interested in Æthercoil is gaining, while I'm just talking about a proper setting book, I see the need to have some playtest material. Hence the “Quickstart Rules” books. This will not give you everything about Æthercoil, just the basics to get started. It will contain all the changes to the D&D Standard Rules to make Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition to this new setting. In this version, I'll stick to the Standard Rules (listed on Page 9), with some Unearthed Arcana articles and a Matthew Mercer archetype. I won't add much homebrew content here; they'll be for the campaign setting guidebook proper.

At first the Eladrin feared that any remnant of their past was lost forever, but as they explored this broken world, they found that History wasn’t completely erased. Relics and records of the Lost Age, especially Inventions and scientific discoveries, books and recordings, artwork and stories, were hidden away in caves, dungeons, towers, and ruins. Buried so that the torches and bonfires wouldn’t reach them, with the hopes that someone from the future—the campaign setting’s present time, 300 W.R.—would find them and restore the Modern Day.

That is the basic story behind Æthercoil.

How to use this document:

Important Tags

Character Options

Even as I keep with the current boundaries, the need to change some items and replace others reared its head. Hence these two Icons: A New Option Icon for the few options needed for the Campaign Setting right away, and a Reskin Icon for existing options that needed to be adapted for the Setting.  

Lore Sidebar

While this campaign setting has just started to worldbuild, there are some parts of lore that has already ‘set,’ so to say. In some places of this document, these tidbits and factoids will appear in sidebars alongside the page. These should provide a bit of insight into the campaign setting, and maybe inspire you to build on it.

Before you ask, yes. Some of these are spoilers at this time.

All those crazy notes...

Last, but not least, you've probably noticed by now that I'll be using a lot of those memo tags for personal notes, references, reminder texts, and the occasional snide remark.

And a cuss word or two. Sorry, not sorry.

About the style

While I try to keep as close to the style approved for Wizards of the Coast, there are some parts of my style that follow Stunk & White’s The Elements of Style better. This includes not using twelve words when five would suffice. For example, when the Player’s Handbook says, “Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest;” I say, “Once between rests, short or long, your character can…” or even “1/rest” when I don’t have room on the page. And wait until you see my version of a Monster Stat Block.

Some would say, “Use Your Words!” I would retort with, “Rule 17: Omit Needless Words.” Followed by an expletive.

Whenever an explanation of something in the main text is needed, it will be in a box like this one.

The 4-D Notebook got its inspiration by Richard Garriot, aka Lord British, the creator of the Ulitma series of classic RPGs. You can read about it at https://www.pcgamer.com/ richard-garriott-game-designers-suck/

And oh yeah, the language!

While I will make attempts to make the language formal in most of the document, I have to warn you regardless that an occasional four-letter word will pop up,especially in the memo tags. It's not that I have a limited vocabulary; it's because I'm Autistic. Ask anyone on the Spectrum and they'll tell you how hard it is to connect with someone with just words. Especially with online communication. Sometimes you need a wrecking ball to get through the wall between myself and everybody else and that ball usually has the word F@&K stamped on it.

I also have two people for defenses:

• Stephen King: "Always use the first word that comes to your mind, if it is appropriate and colorful."
• Penn Jillette: "It's also a legal matter. If one calls people liars and quacks, one can be sued and lose a lot of one's money. But "motherfuckers" and "assholes" is pretty safe."

Oh, yeah, here’s an Eighth thing you should know about Æthercoil:

It’s still in a playtest stage. Probably will be for some time.

Most of the content here are still in experimental stages, and a good chunk of it haven’t even been tested yet. While I do take steps to keep things as balanced as can be and still be within the flavor of the campaign setting, there’s only so much I can do. Hence my putting this document out to you dirt cheap to free. Feel free to playtest some of the following options, and brainstorm with me over some of the details in this campaign world. You might even come up with a better idea on one item or another than I have, and I’d love to include it into the official version and give you credit for the addition. Connect addresses on various social media, as well as an E-Mail address, is given in the credits page..

Important Thigns to know about character creation

reating a character for Æthercoil is no different than in any other Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition camapign. You can even use the same character sheets. However, some of the options that exist in the Standard Rules have changed, and in some instances, completely replaced. Because of this, automatic character managers, including online sites like D&D Beyond, are not recomended.

What about tokens? Should I get one?

It would be a good idea to get one. Granted, whatever or not you need a token to play Dungeons & Dragons depends on the DM's style. At the default setting, 5th Edition relies on the Theater of the Mind (tm).

However, Æthercoil's default setting
rely on maps and grids. Travelling over-
land is presented on a map resembling a
game board, a concept known as "path-
crawling." Combat are made on
varying gridded maps or even some-
thing as simple as a chess board. In
this light, it's best to have something
to represent where your character
is on the map.

Explanations of this mechanic will
be included in Part 3.

It’s easier to list what isn’t Æthercoil Legal, especially when Wizards keeps spitting out Unearthed Arcana articles.

However, every table running any campaign is different, so consult with your Dungeon Master if you have any questions over which option is in or out.

Races

I'll be focusing on the races in the Player's Handbook for now. The Campaign Setting Book will have options for other races, such as the ones found in Volo's Guide to Monsters and other sources.

Elves and Eladrin

Those who believe in Ancient Aliens would find Eladrin very familiar, with their white skin, black hair, and flowing grace that is indeed otherworldly. They won’t be that far off: Eladrin would claim that they have visited Earth and Humans before, some of them have even inspired a religion or two. The Eladrin saw great potential in Humanity and they wanted to guide them through their evolution from afar. It wasn’t until the dust was cleared after the True Order fell that they felt the need to be more hands-on.

As the Eladrin took in a good number of the younger surviving humans with 'The Light' (before they found out that there were more people in China; they thought they were the only ones left) and helped humans off the endangered species list. While they did so, they settled into the realm themselves, and discovered that their own offspring became the High Elves, and later on, the Wild Elves. It is discovered that the new environment caused these evolutionary changes.

Race Breakdown

Both High and Wild Elves in the Player’s Handbook are legal here. The Eladrin will use the Elf Subrace option given in Unearthed Arcana: Eladrin and Gith, with the option to either be primarily in one season, or switch among some or all four. Example: Silverskin Wintertouch, an Eladrin Witch who adopted Jamie in an upcoming novel, The Red-Haired Elf, is an Eladrin who focuses on Autumn almost by necessity. Plagued with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (known in-setting as “The Psychic Itch,”) Silverskin felt the need to keep her inner world as calm and quiet as possible to keep her mental illness under control. By the time Jamie entered her life, she has become so accustomed to this season that she seldom moves from it, despite her half-human daughter’s shenanigans.

There is also room for the four other sub-races in Unearthed Arcana: Elf Subraces. The Ghaele Court is run by a family of Avariel Elves, and the Shadar-kai would hail from the Shadowwild.

Dark Elves (Drow)

The Drow in Æthercoil is a special case. Not only did they not originate from Eladrin, but their nature is quite different from the Drow you know. The first and foremost difference is that they are all Surface-Dwellers, living in what became of Africa.

From their spoken history, it is rumored that a mysterious and elegant dark-skinned elf that resembled a photo-negative image of an Eladrin (Dark skin with white hair) appeared among the chaos that brought the rise of the True Order. She called herself Araushnee, the Spider Queen.

Most players have heard of Araushnee from more standard D&D settings, who is more known as the evil Drow Goddess, Lolth. This version of Araushnee is from a mirror realm where she didn't become the Demon Queen of Spiders: She is Chaotic Good, believes in a sense of fair play and sportsmanship, and is closer to Eilistraee in regard to kindness and free-spiritedness.

Where she came from is only rumored, only that she somehow found her way into the Shadowwild and taken in disgraced elves--and their descendants--into her people. The descendants of these elves became the Drow, elves that appear as a color-flipped Eladrin with dark skin and white hair. When Araushnee entered Æthercoil in Africa. When she saw the still-human Africans and the strife they were in, she knew she had to aid them.

Utilizing a ritual that infused these people with her essence, she created the Dark Elves, or African Elves as the people in-setting call them, who dealt with the warlords and fundamentals that oppressed them. By the time the Eladrin arrived, almost all of Africa is under Araushnee’s watchful yet benevolent eye.

The Player’s Handbook has the Subrace information for Dark Elves.

Halflings

As you've read earlier in this book, In Æthercoil, a good chunk of the Humanoid Races and some of the monsters as well have their genesis in Humankind, and it concerns “The Light” of a human’s humanity. There were millions of humans who didn’t have “The Light,” and have lost their humanity thanks to the True Order. If you see someone wandering around with that 500-yard stare, or Winston Smith staring blankly in the always-on television screen in Nineteen Eighty-Four, then you know what a human without The Light is like. Most of them fled to parts unknown and eventually devolved into the Orcs; more on them later.

Some of these soul-numb humans wander into a haunted areas where souls of other humans slain during the Lost Age—with no easy way to get to the afterlife—linger, these spirits, seeing a broken and empty shell of a human wandering nearby and go and possess them; in effect taking the place of that human's lost Light.

This possessed human continues the life of the deceased spirit, who finds himself with an opportunity to finish any unfinished business. During this time, some of them resumed any relationship—or spark a new one—and bear children. These children will be the first Halflings in Æthercoil.

Humans

Both versions of the Human Race as listed in the Player’s Handbook, the Standard and the Variant, are approved.

There are still a multiple of ethnicities in the Human Race, just like any other campaign setting or even real life. Since human history has been erased, the only groups that harbor any animosity with any other group are few and small in number. The general consensus among the many Human cultures is that we're all in this together..

Would this change with the gradual revelation and rediscovery of human history and the many atrocities performed through the centuries, will old resentments rear their ugly heads again or would people go, “That’s in the past. It shouldn’t mean much anymore. After all, we’ve got plenty of common foes now.”

Dragonjin

Damage Resistance. While in Human form, the Dragonjin gains the Damage Resistances in the element that his Dragon form is Immune from. (He does not gain the Breath Weapon feature, unlike Dragonborn.)

Languages. The Dragonjin can speak, read, and write Common and Draconic.

Half-Orc

Ever had that dream where you’re looking into a mirror and are outright horrified by what you see? That’s basically what the Orcs see in humans. They see us humans and they see what they have lost thanks to the fall of the Lost Age. Of course, it works both ways, unless you really like seeing an Orc and seeing what you could have become. I guess that explains where all the animosity comes from.

In Æthercoil, most of the Orcs the player characters will run across are really Half-Orcs, but instead of the traditional source of Half-Orcs—the product of conquest—they exist by an extreme case of evolutional regression.

As previously mentioned, the humans without ‘The Light’ scattered in all directions when the dragons and eladrin spilled into the world. Without a well-used intellect or drive to thrive, they wonder the earth with no knowledge or heritage of who they were as a people. Not knowing any other way, they become hunter-gatherers and allow the Darwinian law of Survival of the Fittest to take over.

The result is a plunging evolutional regression back into cavemen, right down to the bone structure and primitive language. When the Æther arrived, it only accelerated the devolution, turning their skin greenish grey, growing teeth into tusks, and instilling a brutish sense of raw emotion in their core. By the time of the campaign setting, they have forgotten that they were once human and consider themselves “Orcs” wholly and completely.

They do not know why they can’t stand civilization, they just do. They don’t have any reasons why they war, pillage, and raid, it’s just their way. They are convinced that the strong and mighty should rule the world, and the softness of civilization is a vestigial aberration that should just drop off and die. Maybe Nature needs the Orcs to deal with this stubborn pest.

Tiefling

If there was any race that's the most radically altered to fit Æthercoil, it would be tieflings. Without any connections to either the Nine Hells or the Abyss, there is no demon or devil for which to form any infernal pacts to produce the halfling, so another source is required to include this race into the handbook.

Fortunately, the Feywild has a similar creature in the Satyr. Their hedonistic nature can be devilish enough, and it's not above Satyrs to take in a stray human wondering around with that far off stare and take them in as a plaything, corrupting him or her into a life of debauchery.

The product of such revelry became Æthercoil’s Tieflings. They resemble normal Tieflings with the horns and tail, but their heritage is fey, not infernal. Their physical appearance hasn’t changed, which is surprising to see providing that a Satyr has goat legs while a Tiefling has humanoid legs. Their Satyr heritage is more shown in their personality and proclivities, craving the wild life of drink, feasts, dances, and orgies, and the lengths they can go through is limited only by the people on the table.

Use with Caution:

Do keep the sensibilities of the other players and the Dungeon Master into account when playing a Tiefling. While a tiefling character may be more prone to Adult-oriented themes, not too many players wish to play a RPG in the Red-Light District. You can easily create a Tiefling who is more prankish than promiscuous, of course, but make sure that it’s all right with the other people on the table before you decide to go Tieflings Gone Wild.

Race Breakdown

Use these modified traits for an Æthercoil Tiefling:

Ability Score Increase: Intelligence score increases by 1, Charisma score by 2.

Age: Tieflings mature at the same rate as humans. They could reach 100 years of age, if they could refrain from hard partying. (Yeah, right.)

Alignment: Tieflings tend toward the Chaotic side, with Chaotic Neutral being the predominant alignment, although some go into Chaotic Good or Chaotic Evil.

Size: Tieflings are about the same size as a human. Their size is Medium.

Speed: 30 feet.

Senses: Darkvision for up to 60 feet.

1/Day

I use this ratio to show how many uses of a certain feature a PC has in a 24 hour period, usually separated by Long Rests.

x/Rest

A similar ratio, but any rest, short or long, resets the amount.

Classes

As with the races, I’m only going to focus with the Standard Rules. There will be more options in the Æthercoil Sourcebook.

Before we go through this list, let’s talk homebrew. Æthercoil can be a perfect place for people to playtest any kind of homebrew, from character options to new spells to crazy inventions, and even monsters. Ed Greenwood invites people to “Make the Realms their own,” and I'm no different with Æthercoil.

Not only that, but since this campaign setting is still in playtesting, there is an opportunity for you to include an option or two into the cannon. If you have an option that would fit well in this setting, let me know about it or, if you have it online and I find it, I might just contact you asking for permission. Either way, you will get credit for your input.

Battlesmith

Level 1: Bonus Proficiency

The Battlesmith gains Proficiency with Medium and Heavy Armor.

Level 3: Suit Construction

At this point, the Battlesmith has inscribed his current suit of armor with glyphs, infusing it with Arcane power and giving it abilities beyond normal or even magical armor. When worn, the armor is considered a +1 armor which stacks with other protection.

As a reaction against any attack, he can spend 1 Spell Point to gain resistance on the damage type of the attack.

This first armor is free of charge. If another armor is needed, it requires 5 times the asking price of the mundane version of the armor, and inscribing it is the same as construction (1 day per 50 GP required, rounded up.)

There is no limit on the number of Suits the Artificer can create, but he can only attune to one of these suits. This attunement does not count toward the total number of attuned Magic Items.

Level 6: Special Rule for Mechanical Servant

At this level, instead of creating your Mechanical Servant, whenever you're not in your currently attuned Suit, the Suit becomes your Mechanical Servant. All other rules apply.

Suit Upgrades

At levels 9, 14, and 17 the Battlesmith can add one of the following abilities into any inscribed Power Suit. Any new Power Suits can have available upgrade slots available on creation. Once an upgrade is chosen, however, it cannot be removed.

• Alacrity: 10 feet is added to Speed, and The Battlesmith can spend a Spell Point to gain Advantage on Athletic (STR) checks to Jump.
• Counter Surge: Choose any one damage type: Acid, Cold, Fire, Force, Lightning, Necrotic, Radiant, or Thunder. As a reaction against a Melee Attack, The Battlesmith can spend X Spell Points to deliver Xd4 damage of the chosen type. This effect can be taken more than once.
• Enduring Resistance: Choose any one damage type: Acid, Cold, Fire, Force, Lightning, Necrotic, Radiant, or Thunder. This armor gains resistance to this type. This effect can be taken more than once.
• Fortification: As a reaction against a Critical Hit, the Battlesmith can spend a Spell Point to downgrade that attack into a normal hit. If the attacker has an Enhanced Critical, an additional Spell Point is required for each number below 20. (If the attack crits on a 19, 2 Spell Points are needed; 3 if the critical range is 18, and so on.)
• Stabilization: The Battlesmith can spend a Spell Point to gain Advantage on Acrobatics (DEX) checks to balance, to Save against forced movement, and to stand up from prone without losing any movement.
• Stealth: The Battlesmith can spend a Spell Point to gain Advantage on Stealth (DEX) checks. If the armor invokes disadvantage on this check, it requires 5 Spell Points to activate this feature.
• Teleportation: The Battlesmith can spend 3 Spell Points to cast Misty Step as a Move Action.
• Vitality: The Battlesmith can spend 2 Spell Points to have the armor cast Cure Wounds on him as a Level 1 spell as a Minor Action. He can also, as a reaction to any save against poison, spend 1 Spell Point to gain Advantage on the save.

Level 9: Combat Infusion

The Artificer can now use his Infuse Magic ability as a Standard Action.

Level 14: Bonus Attack

When the Artificer is in his attuned armor, he can attack twice per Attack Action

Level 17: Enhanced Critical

When the Artificer is in his attuned armor, he can now crit on a 19 or 20.

Barbarian

Barbarians remain unchanged in Æthercoil, and all the archetypes in the Core Rules and Unearthed Arcana are viable:

• Path of the Ancestral Guardian (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything)
• Path of the Battlerager (Sword Coast Adventurers Guide)
• Path of the Berserker (Player’s Handbook)
• Path of the Storm Herald (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything)
• Path of the Totem Warrior (Player’s Handbook)
• Path of the Zealot (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything)

Bard

Gameplay in Æthercoil has more emphasis on exploration and interaction then combat. Because of this, Bards will have a more vital role. All of the archetypes in the Core Rules and Unearthed Arcana are viable:

• College of Glamour (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything)
• College of Lore (Player's Handbook)
• College of Valor (Player's Handbook)
• College of Satire (UA: Kits of Old)
• College of Swords (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything)
• College of Whispers (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything)

Cleric

The Council of the Eight began with Eight divine elder dragons; Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon and All-Father of the dragons in the setting, and seven Elder Dragons, one for each of the domains listed in the Player’s Handbook. It is these eight dragons (and several others who joined in after the Council’s forming) that allows Æther to be used for Divine powers. A good number of these dragons are in fact draconic incarnations of classic deities from several settings from Wizards of the Coast.

• Knowledge, Life, Light, Nature, Tempest, Trickery, and War (Player’s Handbook)
• Arcana Domain (Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide)
• Forge Domain (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything)
• Grave Domain (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything)
• Protection Domain (UA: Divine Domains)

Druid

Possible Beast Shapes in the Europa Coast

Since the first major area of the campaign setting is the former Western and Central Europe, a Temperate region, the Temperate Common Beast Shapes table will be added here.

 

Fighter

Fighting Styles

Fighting Styles are expanded in the Unearthed Arcana articles, and all of them will apply to other classes with a Fighting Style feature; such as the Paladin and Ranger. The compiled list or styles are below:

• From the Player’s Handbook
  • Archery: +2 to attacks with ranged weapons
  • Defense: While wearing armor, +1 to AC
  • Dueling: While wielding a melee weapon in one hand and the other hand is free, +2 to Damage
  • Great Weapon Fighting: While wielding a ‘two-handed’ or ‘versatile’ weapon, reroll the first 1 or 2 rolled on a damage die.
  • Protection: If a creature within sight attacks anyone within 5 feet (or 1 square) of the character.
  • Two-Weapon Fighting: While wielding two weapons, the second attack gains the weapon’s ability modifier in the damage.
• From Unearthed Arcana: Waterborne Adventures
  • Mariner: When not wearing heavy armor or using a shield, the character can Swim and Climb up to their normal Speed, and they gain +1 to AC
• From Unearthed Arcana: Light, Dark, Underdark
  • Close Quarters Shooter: When making a ranged attack within 5 feet of a hostile creature, there is no Disadvantage on attacks. Also, ranged attacks gain +1 on the attack role and can ignore half and ¾ cover within 30 feet.
  • Tunnel Fighter: Assume a defensive stance as a Minor/Bonus action. While in this stance, the character can make opportunity attacks without using a reaction. He can use his reaction to attack a creature that moves more than 5 feet while within reach.

Archetypes

One option, the Purple Dragon Knight, will be reskinned here, and two other options will return later as a Prestige Class.

• Arcane Archer (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything)
• Battle Master (Player’s Handbook)
  • All of the Maneuvers in the Players Handbook are good.
• Brute (UA: Three Subclasses)
• Caliver (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything)
• Champion (Player’s Handbook)
• Dragon Knight (See Below)
• Eldritch Knight (Player’s Handbook)
• Gunslinger (from Matthew Mercer)
• Knight (UA: Fighter)
• Monster Hunter (UA: Gothic Heroes)
• Samurai (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything)
• Scout (UA: Kits of Old)
• Sharpshooter (UA: Fighter)

Link List

• Matthew Mercer's Gunslinger: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/170778
• UA: Fighter: https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/unearthed-arcana/fighter
• UA: Gothic Heroes: https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/gothic-heroes
• UA: Kits of Old: https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/unearthed-arcana/kits-old
• UA: Light, Dark, Underdark: https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/unearthed-arcana/light-dark-underdark
• UA: Three Subclasses: https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/unearthed-arcana/three-subclasses
• UA: Waterborne Adventures: https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/unearthed-arcana/unearthed-arcana-waterborne-adventures

Dragon Knight

The Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide has the Purple Dragon Knight Fighter Archetype, styled after a specific knight order in Faerun’s kingdom of Cormyr. In order to have this option be available for Æthercoil, this archetype needs to be reskinned. The features on this archetype remain the same.

The Council of the Eight and the Ghaele Court started talking to each other early, and while they do differ in some areas, they have a common goal: To pick up the pieces of this broken world and re-instill The Light into the populace. Through constant communication between the two, they came up with several ways to do this. One of them is having Eisenhower the Lorekeeper channel his inner Stephen King and churn out novel after novel. Another is to create the Order of the Dragon Knights.

An independent organization created by warriors from both factions, the Dragon Knights branched out to take the fight against evil throughout the world, wandering the land as Knights Errant and inspiring greatness in others by their deeds.

You can use the Purple Dragon Knight archetype (page 128 in the SCAG) for a member of this order, with the omission of the Knighthood restriction

Monk

When you have a campaign setting set in an post-apocalyptic Earth where the only country that remained in one piece is China, it should come to no surprise that you’ll see a whole lot of Martial Arts in Æthercoil.

• Way of Shadow (Player’s Handbook)
• Way of the Drunken Master (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything)
• Way of the Four Elements (Player’s Handbook)
• Way of the Kensei (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything)
• Way of the Long Death (Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide)
• Way of the Open Hand (Player’s Handbook)
• Way of the Sun Soul (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything)
• Way of Tranquility (UA: Monk)

Mystic

Æthercoil will have more characters that have psionic abilities (including Telepathy or Telekinesis) in both stories and NPCs, you can be sure that the Mystic option is viable for this campaign setting. The official version in the Dungeon Masters Guild will be used.

Since the Mystic’s Talents & Disciplines is listed in their entirety in this particular document, the ‘spell’ list is not included in the List Section.

Paladin

At first, some of the darker Paladin Oaths were banned, but a poster from Reddit gave me some ideas for reskinning those oaths:

Oath of Might

The Oath of Might calls paladins who seek glory in battle and the defeat of their enemies. It isn’t enough for these paladins to uphold their values; These Paladins, known as Iron Knights, make sure that anyone who opposes them regrets it.

Tenets of Might

• The Strong Survive. The world is harsh, and only those who cultivate strength of body and mind will thrive.
• Never Surrender. Those who submit to their failures can never be strong, as victory is forged in the fire of defeat. When you are outmatched, you must grow mightier and meet the challenge, or fall to your own ruin. Iron Knights doesn’t say that they’ve lost a battle but claim that they’re still fighting it; a work of progress, so to say.
• Douse the Flame. There’s no kill like overkill, and the Iron Knights are the personification of that phrase. Last thing they want is to fight the same enemy twice, so their victory must be so overwhelming that the enemy—some might call them ‘victims’—will never come back in any form.

Channel Divinity

There are two Options for your Channel Divinity feature:

• Conquering Presence. You can use your Channel Divinity to exude a terrifying presence. As an action, you force any creature you see within 30 feet to make a WIS save. On a fail, a creature becomes frightened of you for 1 minute. The frightened creature can repeat this saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
• Guided Strike. You can use your Channel Divinity to strike with supernatural accuracy. When you make an attack roll, you can use your Channel Divinity to add 10 to the roll. You make this choice after you see the roll, but before the DM says whether the attack hits or misses.

7th and 18th Level: Aura of Might

Starting at 7th level, you constantly emanate a menacing aura while you’re not incapacitated. The aura is a Close Burst of 10 Feet, blocked by total cover.

If a creature is frightened of you, its speed is 0 while in the aura, and takes the Paladin’s CHA as Psychic damage if it starts its turn there.

At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.

 

Close Burst X

Another offshoot from 4th Edition. A Close Burst centers on the caster and streches out on all directions, including vertically. X is the radius distance from the caster, usually in feet.

Save and Check Notation

You'll see something like "DC 15 CON" for a check or save. This is a short notation placing the Difficulty Class and Ability Modifier together. Skill checks will have any related skills listed in parenthesis after this notation.

15th Level: Implacable Spirit

At this level, those who dare to strike you are psychically punished for their audacity. Whenever a creature hits you with an attack, that creature takes the Paladin’s CHA as psychic damage if you’re not incapacitated.

20th Level: Commanding Titan

At this level, you gain the ability to harness extraordinary martial prowess. Once a Day (Between Long Rests), As an action, you can magically become an avatar of might, gaining the following benefits for 1 minute:

• You have resistance to all damage.
• When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can make one additional attack as part of that action.
• Your melee weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.

Oath of Secrecy

Paladins of the Oath of Secrecy believe in both the redemptive and destructive power of knowledge. Known as Shadow Knights, many of these warriors are dedicated to seeking forbidden and dangerous knowledge, either to harness it, or to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. Many Shadow Kngihts work alone, seeking out ancient tombs, secret libraries, and hidden archives to secure and preserve—or perhaps destroy—texts of great power.

Remember: Scores by Name; Modifiers by Abbreviation.

Tenets of Secrecy

• Secrets Bind. To discover a person’s secrets is to know their weaknesses, and thus control their will. Secrets must never be allowed to fall into the wrong hands under any circumstance.
• Strength in Solitude. The power of knowledge increases the fewer people hold it, and the only person a Shadow Knight can trust to keep a secret is the Shadow Knight himself. As such, to be the sole keeper of a secret is to be fully in control of that knowledge.
• Deception is a Tool. Lying should never be taken lightly, but when necessary to protect an important secret, should be done without hesitation or remorse.

Channel Divinity

• Invoke Duplicity. As an action, you create a perfect illusion of yourself. This is like a Concentration Spell that lasts for 1 minute. The illusion appears in an unoccupied space that you can see within 30 feet of you. The illusion looks exactly like you; it is silent; it is your size, is insubstantial, and doesn’t occupy its space; and it is unaffected by attacks and damage. As a bonus/minor action on your turn, you can move the illusion up to 30 feet to a space you can see, but it must remain within 120 feet of you.
  For the duration, you can cast spells as though you were in the illusion’s space, but you must use your own senses. Additionally, when both you and your illusion are within 5 feet of a creature that can see the illusion, you have advantage on attack rolls against that creature, given how uncanny the illusion is to the target.
• Poison Strike. You can use your Channel Divinity to make a weapon deadlier. As a bonus action, you touch one weapon or piece of ammunition and conjure a special poison on it. The poison lasts for 1 minute. The next time you hit a target with an attack using that weapon or ammunition, the target takes 2d10 + Paladin Level as poison damage in addition to the weapon damage. If this attack was rolled with Advantage, the 2d10 is maximized.

7th Level: Aura of Solitude

At this level, you emanate an aura that sews discord amongst others. You gain the following benefits:

• Cull the Herd. You have advantage on melee attack rolls against any creature that has one or more of its allies within 5 feet of it.
• Treacherous Strike. If a creature within 5 feet of you misses you with a melee attack, you can use your Reaction to force the attacker to reroll that attack against a creature of your choice that is also within 5 feet of the attacker. The ability does not work on anyone immune to being Charmed.

You can use this ability three times between Rests.

15th Level: Furtive Escape

At this level, you can slip away from your foes. Immediately after an Attack hits you, you can use your Reaction to turn Invisible and teleport to any spot within sight, up to 60 feet. This condition remains until the end of your next turn or until you attack, deal damage, or force a creature to make a saving throw. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

20th Level: Inscrutable Puppetmaster

At this level, you gain the ability to slip behind the curtain and become the one pulling the strings. With a Standard Action, once per day, you become an avatar of secrecy, gaining the following benefits for 1 minute:

• You are invisible.
• If a creature damages you on its turn, it must WIS save (Using the Paladin’s Spell Save DC) or the Paladin controls its next action. The Paladin must not be incapacitated and the creature cannot be immune to being Charmed.
• If you have advantage on an attack roll, you gain a bonus to its damage roll equal to the Paladin level.

The House of Knowledge & Learning

The biggest cause of the rapid devolution of Humans began long before the rise of the True Order. Anyone observing the sorry state of real world education today would know how bad it has become, especially in the College level. During the fall of the Lost Age, this degradation no longer showed any pretense, dropping even the fundamentals in favor of indoctrination. By the time the True Order fell, you can count on one hand the number of humans who can read, and they can only speak in short text statements of 180 characters of less.

At first, the Eladrin had to depend on their Queen, Clarion, to telepathically imprint a usable language and even basic knowledge into their human charges--they were that emptied--but as soon as they could they went to more preferred methods to educate the young. Partnering with the God-Dragon of Knowledge, Oghmaioun, they formed this faction to spread knowledge and learning throughout the world. Almost every village in an Æthercoil campaign will have one of their Houses as both a library and a school.

Oath of The Shield

Paladins who take the Oath of the Shield are sworn to protect the weak. The paladins who swear this oath dedicate themselves to serving society and, in particular, aid those who are most vulnerable and defenseless.

These paladins are the humble guardians, standing between the people and those who would exploit or abuse them and are commonly known as guardians or sentinels.

Tenets of the Shield

• Courage. You must be willing to do what needs to be done for the sake of those without power, even in the face of overwhelming odds. If you don’t act, who will?
• Responsibility. You must deal with the consequences of your actions, as they ripple out through the communities you are sworn to protect.
• Compassion. All people, even the lowliest and most wretched, deserve recognition and protection. Give as much as you can to those in need.

Channel Divinity

• Champion Challenge. You issue a challenge that compels other creatures to do battle with you. Each creature of your choice that you can see within 30 feet of you must WIS save. On a failed save, this creature can't willingly move more than 30 feet away from you. This effect ends if you are incapacitated or if the target is moved more than 30 feet away from you.
• Turn the Tide. As a bonus/minor action, you can bolster injured creatures with your Channel Divinity. Each creature of your choice that can hear you within 30 feet of you regain hit points equal to 1d8 + the Paladin’s CHA.

7th Level: Divine Defense

At this level, when an ally within 5 feet of you takes damage, you can use your Reaction to substitute your own health for that of the target. Instead of the target, you take the damage. This damage to you can't be reduced or prevented.

15th Level: Unyielding Spirit

At this level, you have Advantage on Saves verses becoming paralyzed or stunned.

20th Level: Exalted Champion

At this level, your presence on the field of battle inspires those dedicated to your cause. As a Standard Option, once per day, you can use your action to gain the following benefits for 1 hour:

• You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
• Your allies have advantage on death saving throws while within 30 feet of you.
• You and all allies within 30 feet of you have Advantage on WIS saves.

This effect ends early if you are incapacitated.

Ranger

Link to UA: Revised Ranger: https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/unearthed-arcana-ranger-revised

Æthercoil uses the revised version of the Ranger from the Unearthed Arcana (UA: Revised Ranger), which is preferred over the one in the Player’s Handbook. However, if the Dungeon Master approves of it, the Player can use the original version.

If you’re using an original archetype with the Revised version of the Ranger, you can use this to fill in a missing piece in said archetype:

Level 5: Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th Level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

If there is an archetype that has a different feature for this level, that feature overrides this feature.

Archetypes

• Beastmaster (UA: Revised Ranger)
• Gloom Stalker (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything)
• Horizon Walker (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything)
• Hunter (UA: Revised Ranger)
• Monster Slayer (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything)
• Primeval Guardian (UA: Ranger and Rogue)

The Companion Bond Expansion

While this feature is designed for the Ranger, this mechanic can be used on any class feature with kind of animal companion. This includes familiars acquired by the Find Familiar spell as well.

Whenever a Player Character has an animal companion, regardless of the class of the character, the companion have these changes in its Monster Stat Block.

• The Companion loses all Multiattack actions if normally available.
• The Companion will obey their partner’s (The PC in this partnership) commands unless the partner is incapacitated or absent, which at that point the Companion acts on its own.
• The Companion has its own initiative roll.
• The Companion shares all features of the partner’s class that are applicable; if the partner uses Natural Explorer, so does the companion; the partner can cast contact spells through the familiar as usual for a spellcaster. Refer to the class features to see which feature can apply to the Companion.
• The Companion uses the partner’s Proficiency Bonus instead of its own. This applies to the following:
  • Armor Class.
  • Two Skills that the partner chooses when the companion is acquired.
  • All Saving Throws.
  • All Attacks.
  • All Damage Rolls.
• As the Companion’s partner levels up, the companion gains an additional Hit Die as listed in the stat block, and its Max HP is increased accordingly; the Companion can also roll Hit Dice to heal at short rests.
• The Companion can gain Ability Score Improvement increases along with its partner. The companion can either increase one ability by 2 or two abilities by 1. Unless shown otherwise, an ability cannot be above 20.
• The Companion shares its partner’s alignment and can gain personality traits, as listed in the UA: Revised Ranger document.

Rogue

The Rogue as depicted in the Player’s Handbook remains a valid option, including all the available Archetypes:

• Arcane Trickster (Player’s Handbook)
• Assassin (Player’s Handbook)
• Inquisitive (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything)
• Mastermind (Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide and Xanathar’s Guide to Everything)
• Scout (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything)
• Swashbuckler (Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide and Xanathar’s Guide to Everything)
• Thief (Player’s Handbook)

Sorcerer

The Sorcerer as depicted in the Player’s Handbook remains a valid option, including all the available Archetypes:

• Draconic Bloodline (Player’s Handbook)
• Divine Soul (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything)
• Phoenix (UA: Sorcerer)
• Sea Sorcery (UA: Sorcerer)
• Shadow Magic (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything)
• Stone Sorcery (UA: Sorcerer)
• Storm Sorcery (Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide and Xanathar’s Guide to Everything)
• Wild Magic (Player’s Handbook)

Warlock

The only Warlock Patron that isn’t legal here is The Fiend. That is because there is no connection to either the Nine Hells or the Abyss, and because of this, no devils or demons available. Thank you demiplane theory. A new Patron is needed to replace the Fiend, and that comes with the Shadowwild’s answer to the Archfey: The Dragon.

Eldritch Invocations

All Eldritch Invocations from the Player’s Handbook, UA: Warlocks and Wizards and Xanathar’s Guide to Everything are legal. More Invocations will be included in future documents.

At this time, Invocations that require the Fiend Patron can be used with the Dragon Patron. They will be reskinned at a later time.

The Dragon Patron

It’s not too uncommon for a Dragon to make a Warlock Pact with someone. Maybe the Dragon needed someone to keep an eye on a village or provide an extra set of eyes and ears to look out for threats. Maybe the Dragon wants to add their Warlocks into his hoard or have them be agents to seek out and find items to add to said hoard.

This Archetype is a compilation of several existing options from many sources. Further developments will occur by the release of the Official Campaign Guide.

Level 1: Draconic Senses

Before anything else, select a Dragon Color. This will be important for some of the options later. This color can be Chromatic or Metallic. As of this time, Platinum isn’t an approved option.

At this level, the Warlock is proficient with the Draconic language, and any check related to Dragons—including lore checks and conversations with Dragons—will have the proficiency bonus added which will stack.

Additionally, the Warlock inherently knows the worth of any treasure or valuable item when he holds it, and have Advantage on INT (Investigation) checks to find any items of significant worth.

6th Level: Blood of Dragons

At this level, consult the Draconic Ancestry table on Page 34 of the Player’s Handbook. On the line of the chosen color and find the Damage Type. The Warlock is resistant to the Damage Type, or Types, if there's more than one.

10th Level: Draconic Affinity

At this level, the Damage Type the Warlock is resistant to is now added to the type of damage on any attack made, including weapons. If a spell or affect already deals that Damage Type (like with Immolation from a Red Dragon Warlock) the Warlock’s CHA is added to the Damage, stacking with any other bonuses.

 

14th Level: Draconic Presence

At this level, the Warlock has the same Draconic Presence effect his patron has, and it works the same way as it is in the Monster Manual. Once per day, as a Standard Action, all non-ally creatures in a Close Blast area of 60 feet must WIS save against his spell save DC or become either Charmed or Frightened, the Warlock’s choice. Those affected can retry their WIS save at the end of their turns. Once the save is successful, they are immune to all Draconic Presence actions for the next 24 hours.

Wizards

The Wizard as depicted in the Player’s Handbook remains a valid option, including all the available Archetypes. One item will be converted into a Prestige Class for non-elf characters.:

• Abjuration (Player’s Handbook)
• Bladesinging (Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide)
  • Note: The Elf Race Restriction can be ignored; any race can be a Bladesinger. An explanation is below with the Prestige Class version of this archetype.
• Conjuration (Player’s Handbook)
• Divination (Player’s Handbook)
• Enchantment (Player’s Handbook)
• Evocation (Player’s Handbook)
• Illusion (Player’s Handbook)
• Invention (UA: Three Subclasses)
• Lore Mastery (UA: Warlocks and Wizards)
• Necromancy (Player’s Handbook)
• Theurgy (UA: Wizard Revisited)
• Transmutation (Player’s Handbook)
• War Magic (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything)

Prestige Classes

Prestige Classes were introduced early in the Unearthed Arcana series. These specialized classes are designed to supplement the base class. They are used more extensively in 3.5th Edition. While 5th Edition is still young, Prestige Classes isn’t implemented much.

That changes with Æthercoil. There are some character options that can be used by multiple classes. These options will be expanded into Prestige Classes, and some of them are listed here. More will come in later documents and the players are encouraged to create and playtest others. Those who pass muster will be included into the official Campaign Guide, with proper credits given.

Before we discuss them, the necessity of levels beyond 20 is needed. In the Dungeon Master’s Guide, it is possible for characters that reach Level 20 to continue to gain experience for Epic Boons, gaining a ‘Level’ for every 30,000 XP beyond 355,000 XP, the Level 20 Milestone.

In Æthercoil, these Epic Levels are more concrete, and they come into play more with Multiclassing. There are even some rules on Multiclassing for this setting.

Bow Caster Prestige Class

The official Arcane Archer is given as a Fighter Archetype. But there was another version of Arcana Archery that caters to spellcasters, mentioned once when 5th Edition was in Beta, where spells can be imbued into the arrows. This Prestige Class brings back this capacity.

3rd Level: Imbue Arrow

At this level, the Arcane Archer can imbue a spell into an arrow. When this arrow is fired, the arrow's damage is replaced with the effect of the spell, with the point of origin being the physical location of the arrow's impact with anything solid.

It takes a Standard Action to both Imbue the Arrow and Fire it, it must be fired in the round that the spell is cast of the spell is wasted.

The Arcane Archer must use a prepared spell or Cantrip. Cantrips can be cast as if normally. The spell slot level of spells of Level 1 onward depend on whatever it’s an attack spell or a save spell. Spell Attack spells can be used at the chosen level of spell slot. Spells with a Spell Save spells must use a doubled level of spell save. This can be either a single spell slot or two. (Example: You can imbue an arrow with a 4th Level Fireball with either an 8th Level spell slot or using two 4th Level Spell Slots)

4th Level: Seeker Arrow

Once per Day with a Standard Action, the Arcane Archer can launch an arrow at a target he knows within range. This arrow will travel to the target, turning corners, and evading cover. This arrow will negate all cover and concealment modifiers, but otherwise, the attack is rolled as normal. Only unavoidable obstacles or the limit of the arrow’s range will prevent this arrow’s flight. The Enhance Arrow ability cannot enhance this Arrow and it cannot be Imbued.

6th Level: Phase Arrow

Once per Day as a Standard Action, the Arcane Archer can launch an arrow at a target known within range. This arrow will travel in a straight line, passing through all non-magical obstacles as if etheral. This arrow will negate all cover and concealment modifiers, but otherwise, the attack is rolled as normal.

The Arcane Archer can enhance this arrow with a 1st Level Spell Slot to pass through Magical barriers. It cannot be enhanced any other way, nor can it be Imbued.

8th Level: Hail of Arrows

Once per Day as a Standard Action, the Arcane Archer can launch an arrow at every available target within range, targeting many targets up to a third of his total number of levels rounded down. Each enemy can only be targeted by a single arrow and each attack is rolled as normal. The arrows cannot be Imbued

10th Level: Vorpal Arrow

The Arcane Archer can create an especially deadly arrow which automatically hits; there is a Pathfinder-style confirmation roll (like a standard attack) and if that roll is a ‘hit,’ then that attack is a critical. If that confirmation roll is a Natural 20, the damage is doubled on top of all bonuses. (It’s up to the DM if, in the event of a Double 20, that the attack Chunkies the target.) The Vorpal Arrow cannot be Imbued.

It takes one day (downtime can be used) and the arrow only functions for the Arcane Archer who created it. The arrow lasts up to one game year, and he can only have one such arrow in existence at the same time. After this arrow is used, the magic fades and it becomes a mundane arrow.

Bladesinging Prestige Class

Under normal campaign settings, the High Elves would keep Bladesinging as a Elvish tradition and keep the Elves Only restriction (as shown in the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide.) In Æthercoil, however, the Elves were raising what they thought were the surviving humans in the world. While they're doing this, some of them decided to do something very rare for Fey: They swallowed their pride and taught Bladesinging to humans who had spellcasting abilities.

Therefore, with this campaign setting, not only is the Elves Only restriction of the Bladesinger ignored, Bladesinging can be used for other classes in the form of the Prestige Class.

Prerequisites:

• Can be Eladrin, Elven, Half-Elf, and Human
• Must have a spellcasting class that has Spell Slots or Points
  • This includes: Cleric, Druid, Eldritch Knight, Arcane Trickster, Ranger, Sorcerer, and Wizard.
  • Warlock isn’t
• Dexterity of 15 or higher
• Intelligence of 16 or higher
• Had some training in Bladesinging from an elven instructor. (Can spend 10 days of downtime to get training)

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d8 per level
Hit points per level: 1d8 (or 5) + CON per level

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor
Skills: Performance
Lost Proficiencies: Medium Armor, Heavy Armor, shields

1st Level: Bladesong

Once your character adopts this prestige class, he learns the elven magic of the Bladesong, and he can invoke it at any time.

He chooses a one-handed melee weapon. He is proficient in this weapon for both attacks and spellcasting. Some campaign settings (like Æthercoil) will have special Bladesinger swords, when attuned to a Bladesinger have bonuses that apply to both.

A Bladesong is started with a minor and lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if the Bladesinger is incapacitated, switches to two hands to attack, or ends the Bladesong early as a free action. He can invoke a Bladesong twice per rest.

When the Bladesong is active, he gains the following:

• A bonus to AC equal to the Bladesong bonus listed in the progression chart.
• Attacks use the Spellcasting Bonus instead of the Ability related to the weapon.
  • At level 8, the bonus is the character's INT Modifier. (Remember: Score by name, Modifier by Abbreviation)
• Speed is increased by 10.
• All Acrobatics (DEX) checks are made with Advantage.
• A bonus to any Concentration check (CON) to maintain a spell equal to the Bladesong bonus listed in the progression chart.

Level 3: Extra Attack

The Attack action allows two attacks.

Level 5: Song of Defense

With the Bladesong active, whenever damage is taken, a spell slot can be expended to reduce the damage by {5 * Spell Slot Level}.

Level 7: Song of Victory

With the Bladesong active, damage gets a bonus equal to the character’s chosen spellcasting ability.

Gunslinging Prestige Class

Thanks to it being a Post-Apocalyptic Real-World Earth, you can bet that Æthercoil would have guns. When you have Guns, you have classes that specialize in Guns.

That is why Matthew Mercer’s (of Critical Roll fame) Gunslinger Class is a legal option in Æthercoil, you can even multiclass Gunslinger with other classes. Of course, a lot of other classes would use a firearm. Therefore, I converted Matthew Mercer’s Gunslinger Archetype into a Prestige Class. It’s not that difficult; I only took the features from the Archetype and put them into the Progression Chart.

Requirements

• 15 Dexterity
• Must be Proficient in Firearms
  • Meaning: Must have done the training course.
• Cannot take consecutive levels in this Prestige Gunslinger.
  • If the character only has one base class, the character must level up twice in the base class before another level in Prestige Gunslinger.
  • Characters with multiple classes already requires a level in each other class before another level in Prestige Gunslinger.

Each Level in this prestige class adds 1 hit die from the character’s base class. In characters with more than two classes, the added hit die is of the highest rank of die. Each feature in the table corresponds to the feature in Matthew Mercer’s archetype.

Backgrounds

s written earlier, all backgrounds listed in any sources, including homemade backgrounds are legal in Æthercoil. However, there are some backgrounds that are already made in the setting itself, which will be listed here. Others will be formulated and included as the Quick Rules graduate into the Campaign Sourcebook.

Raised by the Fey

There was a time when the Eladrin were forced to rescue Man from extinction, that time more recent then some cared to think about. That means that there’s a lot of humans who had one of these High Elves as a step-parent. While they did have the best intentions, the reality still stands that an Eladrin is as far more advanced as a being over you as you are over a primate. Because of this, some misunderstandings might, or should they say would, occur.

Did your Eladrin that took you in treated you as close as you could to the Eladrin’s child, or were you little more than a pet to the alien Fey? Was your upbringing as golden as it could be, or were you kept in some sort of cage? Were you raised to acquire a love for learning and an appreciation for culture or did that Eladrin just warped your mind with enchantment spells to act the way you’re supposed to act. Were you grateful over your time here, and appreciative of the Eladrin letting you free when you’re ready, or are you just resentful over what you think are the Overlords of the world? Or did you like being with your step-parent so much that you decided to stay with him or her, even as you’re set off to adventure in their name.

Witch’s Coven

Maybe you were born into the craft or adopted by parents who were witches themselves. Or you joined in a group that took you in as one of their own, teaching you their ways and starting you along the path. Whatever reason, you are part of a Witch’s Coven, a group of like-minded, if not like-skilled magic users who come together to pool their resources and powers into a family-like setting. The coven watches each other, keeps everyone along the path they’re chosen, and perform rituals and ceremonies that require a group to do. It might be in secret or out in the open, but the Coven, and its members provide a close-knit group that is like family to you.

Feats

s mentioned earlier, only the Dragonmarks from Unearthed Arcana: Ebberon are banned from all the mentioned feats in the Standard Rules. Nevertheless, additional Feats have been designed and will be availabe at this time for Æthercoil campaigns. More will come as the book evolves into a published document.

Equipment

he main changes in the equipment list in Æthercoil comes from two sources: One is the Fey influence by the Eladrin, the other being the rise of the adventuring industry.

The time when the Eladrin assisted humans still have their influence in some fashion genres. While most common villagers would wear what is expedient for them, it’s a common practice among adventurers to dress the part, that means outfits that just plain pop. Paladins wears armor with chrome plating and vibrant colors, Magic Users wear flowing robes and iconic insignia, rogues wear slick armor or if they prefer all black, their leather armor is oiled just right. Girl Adventurers are not required to be sexy, but there are attractive and feminine outfits for them, including appropriate and reasonable dresses and even princess gowns with armor incorporated with them or even sewn into the fabric! Well known adventuring teams would even create their own uniformed look with their clothes to encourage a group motif. In other words, you could have groups that resemble your superhero or Magical Girl cartoon show emulated in Æthercoil. Every major village in Æthercoil will have at least one seamstress that’s more than willing to make that perfect look for a certain Player Character, and each character begins with one such outfit. Needless to say, having the player describe or even draw this outfit isn’t a bad idea.

As adventuring grows, there are also some enterprising people who decide to gain coin in a very capitalistic approach and create items that these adventurers need. Because of this, many items become mass produced. Some of these entrepreneurs become household words. One such example would be Andrew Heward, a wizard who dabbled into leather work and found a way to mass produce the Bag of Holding. This well-known magic item has become so common enough that stores in some cities have a number of them on sale, and there is an option for an adventuring kit to be upgraded with such a bag (for 100 GP plus the asking price of the normal kit.) Food packs, Healing Kits, and various toolkits are packaged for freshness, have some quality control, and are sold in general stores that resemble 7-Eleven or Quicktrips. And no matter where you are in the Europa Coast, you are at most 35 miles away from an advertisement of Chris Perkins brand ‘Green Flame’ Alchemist’s Fire.

Because of these two changes as well as others, the list of standard equipment differs from the tables in the Player’s Handbook. This section will not only have those changes inforced, but there will also be a space for how many of each item a certain store would have.

Armor

Weapons

At this point, there’s going to have some new keywords related to weapons. I’ll list them before I go through this list, as well as a little quirk I have.

Scatter

Two firearms have the Scatter feature, which means that the weapon usually has a group of projectiles, such as buck shot, pebbles, or whatever you could put in front of gunpowder. When fired, the gun sprays its ordinance in a 30-foot cone. All creatures in the area of effect is targeted. Roll an attack roll on each creature in the area.

Adventuring Gear

Kits and Tools

As you've read through these revised tables, you'll notice that I've designated various businesses where a character can buy these items, with a dice roll to generate how much of these items they'll have in stock. Almost every village would have one each of such business within their vincinity with the exception of Jewler. You'll find one of those in the large city.

Also to be found in the larger cities is an Adventurers Market. If the General Store could be the realm's Convience Store or Mom and Pop store, the Adventurers Market is the big chains; the Walmarts, the Targets, the big department stores. These stores--and major cities will have several of them--will have an unlimited supply of almost everything listed above and they're the only places that have the kits and toolsets below.

General Mechanics

Flanking on a Grid

I still allow Attacks with Advantage for any character in combat, and I have a easy to follow rule to designate who is flanking. Take an allied character adjacent to who you're attacking, and draw a line perpendicular to said ally. I have a screencap from Roll20 to illustrate what I'm talking about. On a Real-life Table, you can use a card and place it above the target at 90 degrees from your flanking partner.

Every full square at the other side of that line is flanking. And no, you don't have to be directly across with your partner to be flanking, as in 4th Edition. But then again, you can't split your total speed into two Moves during your turn in 4th Edition; you can in 5th.

 

Downtime

Æthercoil will utilize the Downtime mechanic more then some homebrew campaign settings, so it’s best that character records keep track of how many Downtime Days the character earns.

On a typical campaign, Downtime Days are added as follows:

• 1 Day per session, with a minimum time limit (roughly 2 hours)
• 3 Days per successful major quest or milestone, (like rescuing Sildar from Lost Mine of Phandelver)
• 5 Days per successful chapter in the campaign, (like dealing with the Redbands in their hideout)
• 5 Days per Level Up.
• Other added days, either announced by the module or at the DM’s discretion.

Each Downtime day requires you to spend a certain amount of coin for living expenditures for you to use. In Æthercoil, Adventurers have a uniform 1GP living expenses regardless of background, unless a background feature or story award reduces or even negates this expense.

The Standard rulebooks have plenty of options for PCs to spend their downtime, which are compiled here. The campaigns will also have additional opportunities and developments for Downtime Activity, which will be addressed within each module.

• Player’s Handbook, Page 187
• Dungeon Master’s Guide, Chapter 6, Starting from Page 125
• Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, Pages 125 to 134

Villages and Towns in all Æthercoil campaigns will have plenty of locations for adventurers to spend downtime days, and they will be labeled and described in the module. Each major desgination will have at least one lending library, at least a general store and various other specialty shops, a smithy who'd let an adventurer use their forge or tools as long as they're on speaking terms, and various other locations where a character can hone their skills, do some research, make some spare coin, or just hang out with the local folk. Unless mentioned otherwise or if the party members are complete dicks, assume that villagers and adventurers are on neutral terms going on friendly once they get to know the party.

The Passive Check

y now, you know about the passive check, and why it’s a part of the Æthercoil rules. In Æthercoil, they will be used for not just Knowledge checks, but also for Perform and Crafting. With traditional D&D rules, Perform is a catch-all skill for general performance. In Æthercoil, you can make specific types of Performances that you can use a Passive Check for and progress along your campaign. (Do you think that a Bard who’s skilled with a fiddle would fare the same with a xylophone? Or a dancer be just as skilled at performing Stand-Up Comedy?) Ditto for a skill that Wizards didn’t touch: Crafting. Eventually your characters are going to need to craft something. Proficiency in any artisan’s kit or toolset can have its Passive Check.

The Map as Game Board

f all of the methods I use to streamline D&D, I find that simplifying the maps is the best way to do so. Granted, using an elaborate map to put all the miniatures on makes for a great experience, and some Dungeon Masters (like myself) look forward to making these maps with relish. Some even turn them into art projects creating elaborate panoramas. However, it isn’t always the case. In some cases, elaborate maps are isn’t always available, especially when the party travels off the proverbial beaten path, or they’re just not feasible because of (1) the limited space on the table and (2) trying to physically carry all of those maps from place to place, especially if they’re three-dimensional maps.

However, I don’t want to just cop out and just do a travelling montage. I’d like to have a bit of travelling time between towns, dungeons, castles, and what not. I’d also want to have some form of visual representation of the dungeons, especially when 5th Edition no longer breaks adventures by battle maps like they do with 4th Edition. (If you’ve expanded a 5th Edition map into the needed 1-inch square per 5 feet scale and printed them out, the resulting map would be bigger than most game stores. I doubt the managers would approve.) Last to be said is the obvious: Not every player have an imagination strong enough to maintain Theater Of The Mind(™)

To help ease through travelling from place to place, Æthercoil takes the D&D maps and applies concepts from board games. You’ll rarely see a Hex Map in this campaign setting, but there’s plenty of overland maps where the points of interest are connected with paths similar to several well-known board games. Dungeons are turned into a series of rooms connected with hallways and the party is represented by a Meeple (or even a series of cards). And there’s always the simplest of game board as a map.

Pathcrawling

Inevitably in any D&D campaign, there will be a need for overland travel. The means of addressing this need on the table are legion, from elaborate hex crawling to the hand wave that is the traveling montage.

With Æthercoil’s philosophy of using Game Boards for maps, I designed a useful hybrid method that is easy to understand yet has room for ample exploration and random events: The Path Crawl.

Each Campaign, or even parts of the campaign with an overworld section will have maps with roads—as expected in a setting based on the Real Earth—with spaces in certain intervals. (Usually at a regular interval displayed on the map itself: One Space per Mile, for example)

Most of these spaces will be white to show the actual path, interspaced by several colored spaces.

Red spaces are Event Spaces, where the DM will roll for a possible event. These can usually be encounters, but they can also be chance meetings with other adventurers, a scene that appears before the characters, a particular scene designed to liven up the place, or even have a plot device to add a side quest into a slow day. There may be some highlights in some of these nodes for certain events set in the module, or for specific conditions, such as a series of switchbacks on roads that go up mountains.

Blue spaces are Rest Camps that are set in usual or opportune places along the road. More often than not they’re set on crossroads or an abandoned shack restored good enough for a shelter. They are little more than small fields stable enough to pitch a tent and well visible enough to provide a place to rest undisturbed. Some campsites even have some amenities such as a useful fire pit, a pump well to fill waterskins, a shelter of some kind to duck in from the rain, an outhouse for the inevitable necessity, and even one of those Little Free Libraries that books (or notes, or even messages from other adventurers) can be taken and left.

A party can use these campsites to have a proper rest, Short or Long, without being interrupted by a random encounter. Usually. In some campaigns the chances of an encounter are only reduced: Instead of a 19-20 on a d20 roll, getting interrupted on a rest requires a 20.

Some of these camp sites are Mission Houses: Constructed buildings designed to have parties stay for longer periods. These places are built houses with all the utilities and places to rest indoors. These Mission Houses allow rests with zero chances of a random encounter. Sometimes these places even have guards overlooking the immediate region watching for trouble.

Action Zones for Dungeons

Have any of you wondered that, while the 4E Red Box had a bunch of maps and several cards of punch-out tokens, while the 5E Starter Set doesn’t? You’ll find out why the moment you page through Lost Mine of Phandelver and look at the maps. After you feel like you’re getting gypped by WotC for 15 minutes.

Those maps are hyuge. Donald Trump’s Ego huge. Some of them have the squares representing 10 feet and more. I think I mentioned about how big the map would be if printed to scale.

I needed an alternative to the 4E map, found two of them that work well together. I made one of them myself, and the other is taken from one of the more popular D&D alternatives: FATE CORE.

In FATE, the dungeons are split up into zones (Fate Zones in FATE’s RPG system; They’re called ‘Action Zones’ in Æthercoil) connected together in a ‘hub and spoke’ configuration. This can be ported into D&D by having every room in a dungeon be represented by a zone. With the maps in the Starter Set, you print them all on Tabloid Paper, refer to the numbers as the Zones and use a single token (or a Meeple) to place the party in the dungeon and move them around. So far, I had no complaints about this technique.

This can also be used with maps where the DM doesn't want to show the whole thing: All you need is a large blank sheet of paper (A giant-sized sketchbok from any art store will do) and draw a circle for each room the party visits and connect them with lines.

Event Deck

sing random dice rolls to determine random events has their place, but I prefer a little extra planning in my random events and want something more visual than rolling a dice behind my screen.

That’s why I switched from a d20 to a standard deck of playing cards. I set up a table of a few events already prepared in advance and use a red card (Hearts or Diamonds) to represent each of these events. I then shuffle in the Aces through 10s of the black cards (Clubs and Spades,) and use them as the Event Deck. I can use them as in a standard draw pile, deal them face down in a line or set them into a prepared map. Any configuration that visually shows the party traveling or exploring can be incorporated with this deck.

If a black card is turned up, nothing happens. If a red card is turned up, that event of that card’s number is triggered. Simple for a child to follow.

Events can be replaced and used cards can be reshuffled as the campaign progresses.

Event Tables will be put in the Campaign session, a different table for each chapter, dungeon, town, season, or whatever. I hope to include a long list of extra events to plug into a Table if more variety is needed. You can also modify the frequency of the events by adding or removing cards in the event deck or remove all of the encounter events if you want a less violent game.

Game Cards

ne of the bigger problems I have with Dungeon Mastering is to make sure that the party keeps track of what they have to do, especially when the resident notetaker of the team is out sick. Nothing can be more aggravating than having the next step or steps (if you create a campaign right) for the party to do on the table and all you get is an awkward silence and blank states.

While I’d never question the ability of any party on the table to connect the dots right, I do feel a necessity to show them where the dots are. Thus, I print out note cards detailing all the clues, quests, and important items for reminders.

By the time Æthercoil goes into it’s campaign setting corebook form, there will be a unique card update for these cards. Until that time, I use the “M15 Big Text Template” from the Magic Set Editor program to create these cards (the ‘Big Text’ variant should be enough to satisfy the Transformative requirement) which I hand out to the party. They work much like the certificates from the Adventurer’s League, only with more uses and are shared by the team members. I even separate things by color:

Action Points

he most important version of these cards is the return of a 4th Edition staple, the Action Point. In 4th Edition, Action Points are given every second or third encounter, and will allow its owner to take a second Standard Action.

This got replaced with the Inspiration mechanic in 5th Edition. However, I felt the need for something to encourage attendance in my table, so I brought back Action Points, with some extra functions. You gain one Action Point at the start of every session, a session lasting past a certain time interval, usually two hours. Your character has no limit on the number of Action Points he has and can even carry over from one campaign to another if the DM permits it, but they cannot be transferred to another PC or a new one.

Under normal conditions, you can spend one Action Point between rests, short or long. In some instances, such as facing a major villain or at the climatic scene in the campaign, the DM can declare that you can spend an Action Point each round. Spending an Action Point allows you to do one of the following:

• Take an extra Standard Action; this can not be chosen if the character already used another feature that allows an extra Standard Action, such as Attacking more than once in a Turn.
• Granting Advantage or Negating Disadvantage on any d20 roll. This must be announced before the dice roll.
• Adding a d10 to any roll after the DM states. This can be made before or after the result is deemed a success or failure.
• Retcon a mundane item. (The party needs a 10-foot pole someone forgot to buy. Spend an Action Point to get that 10-foot pole.)

Having these action points have a separate style from the above designed Game Cards would be a good idea.

Spell List

s mentioned in the Bow Caster Prestige Class, I’ll be making the list of preparable spells in with the rest of each Class Descriptions for a better reader interface. I will continue on improving from Wizard’s Player’s Handbook in with the spell descriptions. Instead of just listing them in alphabetical order, I’ll group them in spell level, followed by Magic School in alphabetical order, and then the spells themselves in alphabetical order. This should make the list easier to skim through and get to the spell you need, which is to me more important then adhering to any established style. You will see more of this in how I write monster stat blocks which will be part of the Dungeon Master part of this book.

Some of these spells will replace spells listed in the Player's Handbook, while others are new spells that can be prepared by certain classes. These will be listed instead of the Spell Type

Cantrips (Level 0)

No School

Signature Cantrip

Every Spellcaster beyond 1st Level

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• Casting Time: Standard Action
• Range: See below
• Components: V, S
• Duration: Instantaneous

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At every spellcaster who can add a cantrip to the ones they already get at the beginning, beyond their first level in any class, the spellcaster knows enough about cantrips to design their own custom cantrip, tailored fit to suit them.

The player has a total of seven points which they can spend on any of the features listed in the table to the right. The spell gains an additional damage die at 5, 11, and 17 total Levels.

Enchantment

Friendliness

Can be used on any caster with access to Friends: Enchantment Cantrip

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• Casting Time: Standard Action
• Range: Self
• Components: S, M (a small amount of makeup, perfume, or cologne applied to the face as this spell is cast)
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 Min.

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For the duration, you add your proficiency (Stacking when applicable) to all CHA checks directed at one creature of your choice that isn't hostile toward you. When the spell ends, the creature makes a WIS check to realize that you use magic to influence his mood. It is the DM's discretion whatever or not that creature become hostile toward you, but it will remember your actions. The same creature now has a permanent WIS save to resist the charm.

 

Evocation

Booming Shot

Bow Caster: Evocation Cantrip

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• Casting Time: Standard Action
• Range: Bow Range
• Components: V, M (Ranged Weapon with Ammunition, the Ammunition will be consumed)
• Duration: 1 Round

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You cast this spell as you attack with your weapon. On a hit, instead of normal weapon damage, the damage is 1d6 Thunder and all creatures within 5' of the point of impact are deafened until the start of your next turn. This spell emits a thunderous boom audible out to 300'. The spell's damages increases to 2d6 at 5 total levels, 2d6 at 11, and 4d6 at 17.

Total Character Levels

Cantrips add a damage die when the character reaches certain levles, usually the 5th, 11th, and 17th. This can be confusing to those who multiclass their characters so I re-written this part to "X Total Levels" meaning the total levels among all classes.

Brilliant Shot

Bow Caster: Evocation Cantrip

• Casting Time: Standard Action
• Range: Bow Range
• Components: V, M (Ranged Weapon with Ammunition, the Ammunition will be consumed)
• Duration: 1 Round

You cast this spell as you attack with your weapon. The projectile transforms into a missile of light. On a hit, instead of normal weapon damage, the damage is 1d8 Radiant. The spell's damages increases to 2d8 at 5 total levels, 2d8 at 11, and 4d8 at 17.

Burning Shot

Bow Caster: Evocation Cantrip

• Casting Time: Standard Action
• Range: Bow Range
• Components: V, M (Ranged Weapon with Ammunition, the Ammunition will be consumed)
• Duration: 1 Round

You cast this spell as you attack with your weapon. The projectile transforms into a missile of flame. On a hit, instead of normal weapon damage, the damage is 1d6 Fire. The missile continues to burn at the rate of 1d4 Fire at the start of each of your turns into someone uses a Minor Action to extinguish it. Any flammable item hit with this missile ignites if it isn't worn or carried. The spell's damages increases to 2d6 at 5 total levels, 2d6 at 11, and 4d6 at 17.

Caustic Shot

Bow Caster: Evocation Cantrip

• Casting Time: Standard Action
• Range: Bow Range
• Components: V, M (Ranged Weapon with Ammunition, the Ammunition will be consumed)
• Duration: 1 Round

You cast this spell as you attack with your weapon. On a hit, instead of normal weapon damage, the damage is 1d6 Acid and targets that rely on sight are blinded. The target can use his reaction to wipe the acid from their eyes to end the condition. The spell's damages increases to 2d6 at 5 total levels, 2d6 at 11, and 4d6 at 17.

Chilling Shot

Bow Caster: Evocation Cantrip

• Casting Time: Standard Action
• Range: Bow Range
• Components: V, M (Ranged Weapon with Ammunition, the Ammunition will be consumed)
• Duration: 1 Round

You cast this spell as you attack with your weapon. On a hit, instead of normal weapon damage, the damage is 1d6 Cold and the target's speed is reduced by 10' until the start of your next turn. The spell's damages increases to 2d6 at 5 total levels, 2d6 at 11, and 4d6 at 17.

Shocking Shot

Bow Caster: Evocation Cantrip

• Casting Time: Standard Action
• Range: Bow Range
• Components: V, M (Ranged Weapon with Ammunition, the Ammunition will be consumed)
• Duration: 1 Round

You cast this spell as you attack with your weapon. On a hit, instead of normal weapon damage, the damage is 1d6 Lightning and the target cannot take reactions until the start of his next turn. The spell's damages increases to 2d6 at 5 total levels, 2d6 at 11, and 4d6 at 17.

Sickening Shot

Bow Caster: Evocation Cantrip

• Casting Time: Standard Action
• Range: Bow Range
• Components: V, M (Ranged Weapon with Ammunition, the Ammunition will be consumed)
• Duration: 1 Round

You cast this spell as you attack with your weapon. On a hit, instead of normal weapon damage, the damage is 1d6 Necrotic and the target cannot regain Hit Points until the start of his next turn. The spell's damages increases to 2d6 at 5 total levels, 2d6 at 11, and 4d6 at 17.

Vexing Shot

Bow Caster: Evocation Cantrip

• Casting Time: Standard Action
• Range: Bow Range
• Components: V, M (Ranged Weapon with Ammunition, the Ammunition will be consumed)
• Duration: 1 Round

You cast this spell as you attack with your weapon. On a hit, instead of normal weapon damage, the damage is 1d6 Psychic and the target has Disadvantage on his next Attack until the end of his next turn. The spell's damages increases to 2d6 at 5 total levels, 2d6 at 11, and 4d6 at 17.

Level 1 Spells

Conjuration School

Conjure Arrows

Any Spellcaster: 1st-Level Conjuration

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• Casting Time: Standard Action
• Range: Self
• Components: V, S, M (A mundane piece of ammo, which is consumed, and an appropriate empty case or quiver.)
• Duration: 10 Minutes

---

20 copies of the consumed ammunition appears in the chosen container. They are considered magical in regards to any resistances or immunities, but otherwise behave as mundane arrows. They disappear at the end of the Duration. At Higher Levels With each additional Level of Spell Slot or Spell Point, these arrows gain +1 to attack and damage. You can kick this spell up to three times.

Find Familiar

Replaces Find Familiar In PH: 1st-Level Conjuration (Ritual)

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• Casting Time: 1 Hour
• Range: 10 Feet
• Components: V, S, M (10gp worth of charcoal, incense, and herbs that must be consumed by fire in a brass brazier)
• Duration: Instant

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You gain the service of a familiar, a spirit that takes an animal form you choose: bat, cat, crab, frog (toad), hawk, homunculus, lizard, octopus, owl, psudodragon, poisonous snake, fish (quipper), rat, raven, sea horse, spider, sprite, tressym or weasel. Appearing in an unoccupied space within range, the familiar has the statistics of the chosen form, though it’s monster type is fey instead of its normal monster type.

The spell can also be cast on a willing individual and have the same effect placed on the person.

Your familiar acts independently of you, but it always obeys your commands. If applicable, the familiar can gain levels and abilities according to the Companion Feature as listed in the Player's Quickrules. A humanoid familiar can level up as a Player Character, gaining a Class (Archfey Warlock as a default) and the amount of experience equal to the caster per session.

Unless that familiar is humanoid, when the familiar drops to 0 hit points, it disappears, leaving behind no physical form. It reappears after you cast this spell again.

While your familiar is within 100 feet of you, you can communicate with it telepathically. Additionally, as an action, you can see through your familiar’s eyes and hear what it hears until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of any special senses that the familiar has. During this time, you are deaf and blind regarding your own senses.

As an action, you can temporarily dismiss your familiar. It disappears into a pocket dimension where it awaits your summons. Alternatively, you can dismiss it forever. As an action while it is temporarily dismissed, you can cause it to reappear in any unoccupied space within 30 feet of you. This cannot be done on an humanoid familiar.

You can’t have more than one familiar at a time. If you cast this spell while you already have a familiar, you instead cause it to adopt a new form. Choose one of the forms from the above list. Your familiar transforms into the chosen creature.

Finally, when you cast a spell with a range of touch, your familiar can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell. Your familiar must be within 100 feet of you, and it must use its reaction to deliver the spell when you cast it. If the spell requires an attack roll, you use your spellcasting modifier for the roll.

Transmutation School

Railgun

Any caster with access to Catapult: 1st-Level Transmutation

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• Casting Time: Standard Action
• Range: Weapon's Long Range
• Components: V, M (Ranged Weapon with Ammunition, the Ammunition will be consumed)
• Duration: Instant

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This is Jamie Wintertouch's Signature Spell, a variant of Catapult used with a Bow and Arrow, the effect of the spell accelerates the arrowhead to Mach 3. Due to the Electromagnetic energy involved with this spell, Jamie named it after a weapon from the Lost Age.

You cast this spell as you attack with your weapon. The projectile flies in a straight line up to the weapon's long rage, creating a crackling boom that can be heard up to 300' in all directions. All objects within the line of fire must DEX save of take 3d8 damage of the weapon's type. If the damage reduces the character to below 0 HP, the character must CON save against instant death.

At Higher Levels: Damage is increased by 1d8 for every spell slot above 1st or every spell point beyond 2.

If cast by an Bow Caster: The attack becomes a magic attack instead of a spell save. The attack is not made with Disadvantage on account of range.

Level 2 Spells

Abjuration School

Lesser Restoration

Spell Modification: 2nd-Level Abjuration

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• Casting Time: 1 Minute
• Range: Touch One Being
• Components: V, S, M (Requires a Hit Dice of the recipient to be paid. If the recipient does not have any unspent Hit Dice, the spell will not work.)
• Duration: Instantaneous
• Restriction: Can only be targeted to a single person up to that person's CON per day. Additional attempts will have no effect.

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This Spell is modified to raise the difficulty in using this spell

The person or creature touched by you can end one of the following:

• one naturally occurring bacteria or virus-based disease (Diseases with a supernatural origin cannot be cured with this spell)
• The Blinded condition
• The Deafened condition
• The Paralyzed condition
• The Poisoned condition

Remember: Scores by Name; Modifiers by Abbreviation.

Level 3 Spells

Necromancy School

Revivify

Adds to the original Revivify: 3rd Level Necromancy

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• Casting Time: 1 Action
• Range: Touch
• Components: V, S, M (300 GP worth of Diamonds, which is consumed)
• Duration: Instantaneous

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You touch a creature that has died within the last minute. The Caster makes a Spellcasting Check against the DC of 10 + the creature's Proficiency if available + The number of previous times that character has been revived. On a success, that creature returns to life with 1 hit point. his spell can’t return to life a creature that has died of old age, nor can it restore any missing body parts.

At Higher Levels: If a 5th Level Spell Slot is used, the Spellcasting Check is not required. The spell automatically takes effect.

Level 4 Spells

Enchantment School

The Killer Joke

For Bards and Wizards: 4th Level Enchantment

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• Casting Time: 1 Action
• Range: 60 ft.
• Components: V, S, M (Feather waived in the air.)
• Duration: Concentration, 10 Minutes

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"The official name is as long as your arm. It was necessary, as I'm told, because there was this killer clown from the Lost Age who'd sue in a heartbeat over this. At full strength, it works just like this Joker's trademark poison: You literally die laughing, and your body retains this death smile fused on your face. At a diluted strength, such as with this smoke grenade, you just spend the next three hours having a case of the giggles."

A creature of your choice that you can see and that can hear you within range suddenly curl up their mouth into a wide smile, uncontrollably laughing, their terrified and/or confused eyes the only thing betraying the look of amusement upon their face as the lack of airflow slowly becomes apparent.

The target must WIS Save. On a failure, the spell takes effect: The creature is Incapacitated, falling prone in a fit of laughter. At the end of each of the creature's turns, it must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the creature remains Incapacitated or becomes Incapacitated if it had recovered prior. On a success, the creature is no longer Incapacitated, but is still laughing. After failing three of these saving throws after the first, the creature falls unconscious, and the spell ends. The creature recovers after a short rest. After succeeding on three of these saving throws, the creature recovers from the effects fo the spell and the spell ends for it.

Creatures who do not need to breathe do not fall unconscious.

At 6th Level: Instead of falling unconscious, creature begins to Suffocate for the duration (see the rules for Suffocation), the creature continues to make saves until three saves or until death occurs. Creature who do not need to breathe do not suffer the Suffocation effects.

At 8th Level: When the creature starts to Suffocate, the creature does not make any more saves. The spell can be broken with any spell that negates magic, such as Dispel Magic, or restoration spells such as Lesser Restoration.

Level 5 Spells

Abjuration School

Greater Restoration

Spell Modification: 5th-Level Abjuration

• Casting Time: 10 Minutes
• Range: Touch One Being
• Components: V, S, M (Different for Each effect.)
• Duration: Instantaneous
• Restriction: Can only be targeted to a single person once per day. Additional attempts will have no effect.

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This Spell is modified to raise the difficulty in using this spell

You imbue a creature you touch with positive energy to undo a debilitating effect. The Material component differs for each of the following effects; which the spell consumes.

• Diamond dust worth at least 100 gold: Remove 1 Level of Exhaustion
• A mixture of dirt and blood: End the Petrified Condition.
• An unblemished rose: End the Charmed Condition.
• 10 GP worth of the base material of a cursed magic item: Ends the cursed magic item’s effect, including the target’s attunement.
• A piece of a curse’s source, can include hair or clothing of the person that made the curse: End the curse. This includes any afflictions or diseases of a supernatural origin, such as lycanthropy or vampirism.
• 2 Hit Dice from the recipient, a target with zero or one current Hit Dice cannot be affected by this spell: End any reduction to one of the target’s ability scores or the target’s maximum hit points.

Elder Dragon, Arch Fey, and Other Deity List

ue to the Demiplane Theory, the people in Æthercoil’s Material Plane are cut off from any traditional deity, or even—since Æthercoil’s Material Plane is based on the Real World—all but a few religions.

However, there is a replacement for Deities in the realm. There are two Eladrin goddesses that act in the realm, one of which is a non-demon version of Lolth! The rest are Elder—and some others who are younger—Dragons that represent the source of Divine Magic. Some of them are even dragon versions of more classic D&D deities, some of them are even compilations of several like deities..

What follows is a short and non-exhaustive list of what Æthercoil Player Characters can have for a patron, either as a Cleric, a Paladin, or even (gasp) a Warlock!

Acererak, the Dungeon Builder

Ancient Blue Dragon, 20th Level Wizard Abjurer

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Domain: Arcana, Trickery; Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

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He is the Æthercoil version of the big bad Lich of both The Tomb of Horrors and Tomb of Annihilation fame; with the sole difference being that he’s a still-alive Bronze Dragon instead of an Arch Lich. The main thing he has in common from his more infamous variant is his love of constructing dungeons and campaigns of all styles and stripes. He works with the Eladrin regularly to create learner campaigns in special camps known as Adventurer Gardens, and even taught others the inner tricks in dungeon creation. Eisenhower was one of his most recent apt pupils.

 

Araushnee, the Spider Queen

Drow Archfey Patron Goddess

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Domain: Trickery, Life, Arcane; Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

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At this time, not much is truly known about this alignment-flipped version of Lolth outside of her being better compared to Eilistraee of the Forgotten Realms. This is because she's based in Africa while I'm currently focusing on Europe. When I expand to other continents, I'll further develop Araushnee as a deity. (Until then, refer to Eilistraee as a ballpark estimate of who Araushnee is like.)

Avandra, the Traveler

Elder Copper Dragon

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Domain: Trickery; Alignment: Chaotic Good

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Core Beliefs:

1. Fortune favors the bold. Take your fate into your own hands, and always be quick to smile and laugh.
2. Overly prank those who would rob you of your freedom and urge others to fight for their own liberty.
3. Change is inevitable, so work to ensure that change is for the better.

Copper Dragons are known for being incorrigible pranksters, and none are more so than their patron God-Dragon, Avandra. Representing good fortune, travel, and luck, she sees the material plane as a vast and open new world for her to explore, and she does so almost constantly. She spreads her good nature wherever she goes and is not above clowning around for a good time. No kidding on the clowning: Her human guise is that of a court jester and she usually has a troupe with her. Think of DC’s Joker only without the murderous tendencies.

Bahamut, the All-Father

Platinum Elder Dragon, All-Father in the Council of the Eight.

Domains: Life, War; Alignment: Lawful Good

Core Beliefs:

1. Justice and Good above all.
2. Honor and Fealty to the King.
3. Honor and Respect to Righteous Innocence.
4. Honor and Duty to Council.
5. Honor and Protection to those who are troubled.
6. Honor and Correction to the Enemies of Justice and Good.
7. Honor and Forbearance for oneself.

Bahamut lead his Draconic pantheon into the Æthercoil world and formed the Council of the Eight, choosing eight Elder Dragons to represent each of the Eight main Divine Domains. He’s usually found in his human guise, that of an elderly peasant in a simple cloak. It appears that omnipotent beings of Good Alignment assuming unassuming forms isn't a trait predominantly found in Abrahamic deities.

Chauntea, the Queen of Bounty

Elder Green Dragon

Domains: Life; Alignment: Neutral Good

Core Beliefs:

1. Nurture at least one living thing at all times.
2. Practice responsible farming. Genetic Modification is okay within moderation, but strong chemicals are out. Also make sure that the land is properly irrigated and rotated.
3. Conserve the environment as much as possible and seek practices that do not overly harm it.

She not only deals with agriculture, and most of her worshipers are known to keep farms and raise crops for the communities around them, she also focuses on the many natural cycles in the world including the cycles of life and death. She is the conservationist of the Council and would do what she can to insure that any future discovery and invention works well with the environment—or strives against those who aren’t. Expect her to argue against the use of Coal or Petroleum until someone finds a way to use it without making a mess.

Queen Clarion

Avariel Archfey, Queen of the Ghaele Court

Domains: Arcana, Knowledge, Nature; Alignment: Chaotic Good

Clarion is the closest thing Eladrin has for a deity, although they regard her more as their queen. She resides in a rebuilt and repurposed Cathedral of Notre Dame where she set up her court and rules over the city of Paris with a velvet hand. She is such a natural psionic that there are less than the fingers of one hand the number of people who could resist her abilities. This will prove vital when she finds a human so undereducated that they never learned language. Fortunately, that’s the most direct use for her telepathy.

When not holding court, she does what she could to promote her people’s culture and beliefs throughout the world. Although she doesn’t approve of conquest or empire building, she does believe that the ways of her people can help anyone who would seek them out.

Eisenhower, the Lorekeeper

Former Human, Current Platinum Dragonjin, 15th Level Bard—Lore College.

Domains: Arcana, Knowledge, Trickery; Alignment: Chaotic Good

Core Beliefs:

1. Freedom and Liberty is the innate right to all sentient beings.
2. Always be learning and improving your skills. Literacy is sacrosanct.
3. Do no harm but take no crap.

The public knows him more as an author (spitting out books with Stephen King-like regularity) and a young philosopher than a Deity Dragon, and he doesn’t present himself as such, even though they know he’s Bahamut’s son. However, he isn’t above granting people divine abilities to those he deems necessary. He has few followers, but he maintains very close relationship with them.

Helinoir, the Raven

Elder Black Dragon

Domain: Death; Alignment: True Neutral

Core Beliefs:

1. Hold no pity for those who suffer and die, for death is the natural end of life. (Doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t offer relief from pain, though.)
2. Bring down the proud who try to cast off the chains of fate. As the instrument of Helinoir, you must punish hubris where you find it.
3. Watch for the cults of Undeath and stamp them out whenever they arise. All undeath is an affront of Nature and must be addressed accordingly.

Helinoir does more than just strive to provide a way for dead spirits trapped in the Demiplane to progress to the next life, she also focuses on what she calls “The spiritual balance of the realm.” It is rumored that she has focused more on the balance part long before the Æthercoil setting and is the one responsible—in spite of undead being anathema for her—for a certain Romanian Lord becoming a Vampire. (his name doesn’t mean “Son of the Dragon” for nothing you know.)

To Helinoir, the forces of Good and Evil, of Order and Chaos, must be kept in strict harmony, lest one gets too strong and undermine the cosmic order. She’ll never let go of stating that the True Order is a perfect example of a Lawful Good group gaining dominance and turning into tyranny. Whatever or not the True Order is Lawful Good is up to debate. (Ike would call them Lawful Evil from the start, but he was once shot and nearly scalped by the group.)

Lathander, the Lightgiver

Elder Gold Dragon

Domain: Light; Alignment: Neutral Good

Core Beliefs: Strive always to aid, to foster new hope, new ideas, and new prosperity for all humankind and its allies. It is a sacred duty to foster new growth, nurture growing things, and work for rebirth and renewal. Perfect yourself and be fertile in mind and body. Wherever you go, plant seeds of hope, new ideas, and plans for a rosy future in the minds of all. Watch each sunrise. Consider the consequences of your actions so that your least effort may bring the greatest and best reward. Avoid negativity, for from death comes life, and there is always another morning to turn a setback into a success. Place more importance in activities that help others than in strict adherence to rules, rituals, and the dictates of your seniors.

Lathander is the spokesdragon of the Council, and he’s known (or notorious) for grand oratories with plenty of scenery chewing. Some younger dragons often have favorite sauces and seasonings to hand to the Morning Lord as a joke. Lathander is also known to make dragonjins more then any other dragonjin other than Bahamut.

Mystara, the Mother of Magic

Elder Silver Dragon

Domain: Arcana; Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Core Beliefs: Love magic for itself. Do not treat it just as a weapon to reshape the world to your will. True wisdom is knowing when not to use magic. Strive to use magic less as your powers develop, for often the threat or promise of its use outstrips its actual performance. Magic is Art, the Gift of the Lady, and those who wield it are privileged in the extreme. Conduct yourself humbly, not proudly, while being mindful of this. Use the Art deftly and efficiently, not carelessly and recklessly. Seek always to learn and create new magic.

The second oldest and second most powerful Elder Dragon in Æthercoil; second to Bahamut of course. Mystara operates separate from the Council, focusing her time on studying Æther in it’s most raw nature, and how it gets channeled into arcane spells. Like her Forgotten Realms counterpart, Mystra, she spear-heads the global study of arcane powers and maintains a standard for all uses of magic. She’s the one who keeps an eye out for ‘Karsus’s Folly’ like scenarios and is very concerned over the development of high-powered spells, especially spells of 6th Level and Higher, doubly so for 9th Level…and Higher!

Oghmaioun the Sage

Elder Brass Dragon

Domain: Knowledge; Alignment: Neutral Good

Core Beliefs:

1. Seek the perfection of your mind by bringing reason, perception, and emotion into balance with one another.
2. Accumulate, preserve, and distribute knowledge in all forms. Pursue education, build libraries, and seek out lost and ancient lore.
3. Recognize that some knowledge can be more powerful than others, and some might even be dangerous if in the wrong hands. Ensure that what you know can be used for the most Good.

Oghmaioun works alongside the Ghaele Court with the effort to educate Humanity and re-instill a love for learning. Oghmaioun even invested a good part of his hoard to start The House of Knowledge and Learning, a faction dedicated to spread literacy and books abroad the realm.

Taloir the Stormrider

Elder Red Dragon

Domains: Tempest; Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Core Beliefs: See Ecclesiastes 3 (Turn, Turn, Turn…)

Traditionally, Taloir represents the everchanging weather and the four seasons, but during the campaign setting of Æthercoil, he became the Tyler Durdren of the Council. He’s a firm believer in destroying something if it means that something better can be built on top of it and is convinced that the Lost Age fell under its own weight, as it should. While he would pay lip service to seeking out the relics of the Lost Age, he would prefer that the past just remain buried and have everyone and everything start over from scratch.

Torm the Righteous Fury

Elder Bronze Dragon

Domain: War; Alignment: Lawful Good

Core Beliefs: Salvation may be found through service. Strive to maintain law and order. Obey your masters with alert judgment and anticipation. Stand ever alert against corruption. Strike quickly and forcefully against rot in the hearts of mortals. Bring painful, quick death to traitors. Question unjust laws by suggesting improvement or alternatives, not additional laws. Your fourfold duties are to faith, family, masters, and all good beings of the Realm.

While Bahamut is the brains of the Council of the Eight, and Lathander the heart, Torm is by far the backbone. He’s the Dragon of Justice and Honor and would be the first to go into a fight…as long as Taloir doesn’t jump the gun, of course. It was Torm who spearheaded the war to defeat the True Order and is called upon to deal with any major evils where every other course of action has been expended. He’s who you call when the Shit Hits the Fan, and he usually leaves a battlefield a smoldering rubble. His signature spell is called The Dragon Slave. Think accordingly.

Because of this tendency to blow things up, he appreciates being a part of the Council so that he can help address any matter that befall the realm before it gets to the point where he’s needed.

Yeshu

Indigenous Demigod, Patron deity of Christianity, one-third of the Abrahamic Trinitarian Deity.

Domains: Light, Life, Nature; Alignment: Neutral Good

Core Beliefs: See Matthew 5-7

Better known as Jesus Christ, son of the Abrahamic God and Patron Deity of Christianity, He is the sole indigenous deity to exist in the Æthercoil campaign setting. Sensing the Natural Realm—the very same Earth He himself walked on at the start of the Common Era—become cut off into a Demiplane, He took the initiative and returned to the plane before the Demiplane cut said plane from all the other indigenous religions, including his own! He retains a low-key presence in the realm, only appearing when he deems necessary, in the efforts to undo the Demiplane effect.

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