> ##### The Standard Rulebooks
> * Player's Handbook (PH)
> * Monster Manual (MM)
> * Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG)
> * Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide (SCAG)
> * Volo's Guide to Monsters (VGTM)
> * Xanathar's Guide to Everything (XGTE)
>
> The related Acronym will be used throughout the documnet
hile you can use the Basic Rules in the Æthercoil setting (Available for free
at dnd.
wizards.com,) this setting works best with the Standard Rulebooks, listed above. The Quick Rules and later on the Corebooks will build from there, replacing parts when needed. You can even expand on this with *Unearthed Arcana* articles from the same site, such as the a Mystic and
Artificer.
The document assumes that you know what Dice Notation means, how to fill a character sheet form, that tanks go up front, the difference between Advantage and Disadvantage, that TACHO is gone and not coming back, the difference between an ability score and ability modifier , that Wizards of the Coast is sometimes abbreviated into ‘WotC,’ and that even in a family friendly campaign, you should never split the party. Ever. By reading further, it will be assumed that you are not a noob.
\columnbreak
>For the record, Ability *scores* are referred by the full name (Strength) and *modifiers* by the Abbreviation (STR)
Since Æthercoil uses the Open Game License for D&D 5th Edition, this document must abide within the parameters given by the System Resource Document . This of course shouldn’t keep you from using all of the Player’s Handbook, of course; it’s part of the Gold Standard. This restriction is solely for publishing purposes. If there is any item here that is out of place, please inform me of the problem so I can correct it.
### The Books
**Book 1: Players:** This is the book you’re reading now. This book is for
players who want to create Æthercoil characters and would want to know where
this campaign setting differs from a more traditional D&D setting. *Part 1*
introduces the setting for the players. *Part 2* gives a list of all the allowed
character options from the existing Standard D&D rulebooks, with some additional
options that the players can use now. This part not only includes altered
classes, but also replacement classes as well as a couple prestige classes and a
modified equipment list. *Part 3* explains the customized rules designed to
streamline some parts of the D&D rules and expand the game from a series of
dungeon delves and combat to a game of character progression.
**Book 2: Dungeon Masters:** This is for the Dungeon Masters, and it delves
further into what I know about the Æthercoil world to date. *Part 1* describes
the Æthercoil setting, how the Modern-Day world we all live in devolved into a
Tolkien-esque Middle Age level and gives some insight on several regions in the
Eurpoa Coast. *Part 2* gives tips on how to create an Æthercoil campaign,
including several go-to random tables, maps, and settings for DMs in a bind to
use. *Part 3* provide instructions on how to implement the new mechanics
explained in Book 1. *Part 4* reveals a streamlined format of the Monster Stat
Blocks with not just a line-by-line explanation of the streamlining, but also an
item by item listing of all Monsters in the SRD effected by this streamlining.
\pagebreakNum
**Book 3: Lost Archive of Calais:** I don’t feel that I should give this
campaign setting without a starter campaign. Because of this, I took the
campaign from the D&D Starter Set, *The Lost Mine of Phandelver*, and customize
the ever-loving f\@\#k out of it. Not only did I set it into northern France,
but I also spliced in several other modules throughout the history of D&D,
including modules from the TSR days. The campaign is also organized into an easy
to navigate ‘Four Dimension Notebook.’ It’s split into four parts: *Part 1*
deals with the grand storyline, outlining how the adventure flows and how each
quest, encounter, and dungeon connect with each other. *Part 2* deals with the
major NPCs of the campaign, how to portray them on the table, and even expansive
character sheets on them. *Part 3* deals with all the locations, all the cities,
all the dungeons, all the maps, and all points of interest therein. *Part 4*
deals with everything else. The Magic Items, the Monsters, the handouts, and
even some extra tables to roll a dice over. Anything that needed to be printed
out and handed out, including maps and cards, will be put into their own PDF to
feed to the printer or printshop.
### Important Tags
#### Override
In parts where this document replaces the Standard Rules, this icon will be
shown, designating that this part takes precedence over what is in the WotC
books. This icon will signify which parts are made to replace parts of the Standard books.
#### New Mechanic
While you can easily run an Æthercoil campaign with just the standard rules, there are additional rules and mechanics that adapt the game to fit the flavor of the Æthercoil setting. This campaign has a larger focus of learning and study, and focuses on traveling and interaction as much as combat. The new mechanics and rules, designated with this Icon, will bring Exploration and Interaction up to an even standing with Combat.
#### 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.
\columnbreak
#### 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/
\pagebreakNum
> ##### 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."
What the fuck...I wasn't intending on getting published from Wizards of the Coast anyway. DriveThruRPG is the site for me.
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..
Politically wise, I am a free-thinking Classical Liberal. However, I'm 'to the right' to Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Castro, and any Liberal Arts College Student.
For some people, this alone is enough...
\columnbreak
A campaign Setting without Honor or Humanity
Æthercoil is not a political themed campaign setting, but it is inspired by real
life political events. Or rather, real life political melodrama.
The initial linchpin behind this setting’s creation was the social environment
surrounding the years leading up to the 2016 (AD/CE) presidential election.
Regardless of what your opinion is over who ran, or even who won, my friend, I
can say that you might fear open warfare on the streets with how the society
said election took place in is so fragmented and divided. Granted, there always
were those who consider anyone on the other side in a dark light, but having
those people dress up in all black, pick up blunt objects, and chase down anyone
who doesn’t think like them is something you’ve probably haven’t heard of. At
least in your life, quite possibly since the 1960s, most definitely since World
War I or even Civil War I.
Yes, I said ‘Civil War *I*.’ I fear a Civil War *II* coming within my lifetime.
The most telling sign to what I fear coming is the trend toward Millennial
College Students, Social Justice Warriors, Post-Modernistic Cultural Marxists,
and other groups taking down statues, plaques, artworks, names of streets and
buildings, and many other vestiges of history and culture because they disagree
with it.
Which isn’t too far removed from ISIS smashing down archeological artifacts
because they didn’t fit their narrow view of the world. If you compare that with
a video of a bunch of college students pulling down a Civil War memorial, I
doubt you could tell the difference.
I’m not known for political debate, and I avoid it as much as I could in this
current year, but I do have my concerns and fears over the world in large with
this divided and balkanized society, and it found an outlet in my creativity. A
created a world that is the result of this mass removal of history, culture, and
heritage. A world where a species of people was *just this close* to evolving
into a higher being, only to backslide so frighteningly far to frighteningly
fast. A world that suffered not just one societal collapse, but two: One that is
the very world we live in, and another that was an Orwellian Nightmare. A world
that had even the memory of their past erased.
A World that will struggle to rebuild with what little they have on hand.
Book 2 in this set will delve into my thought process behind Æthercoil’s
creation further.
\pagebreakNum
# PART 2
##### Character Creation
\pagebreak
Storytime
\pagebreakNum
# 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 are Passive Checks?
The most prevalent change in gameplay is an expanded list of skills to be proficient in, especially knowledge based skills, performances, and a new area for 5th Edition, crafting.
To emulate this feature, Æthercoil will have more use of the passive check for more than just Perception. A passive check is when you add 10 to a skill's modifier. This static number, which can improve in more ways then just leveling up, will be used instead of rolling skill checks.
More information on Passive Checks will be in Part 3 of this book.
### Spell Slots or Spell Points?
There are two methods in the Core Rulebooks available with managing
Spellcasting: The Standard that is and the Spell Points variant, mentioned in Pages 288-289 in
the *Dungeon Master’s Guide*. Either method is permitted.
A head's up though: There will be some character options that require you to use Spell Points. This is because these options will use that resource--the character's magical energy supply--for more than casting spells. Such options will let you know that you need to make the transition.
### What about Backgrounds?
Under normal circumstances, a background is chosen while you're creating a character. In some
instances, the background can even be custom made, which is possible by following the
instructions in Page 289 in the *Dungeon Master’s Guide.* Players can also use
the *This is Your Life* approach shown in *Xanathar’s Guide to Everything*
(starting on page 61,) and then there are those who have no idea what background
to use, or even what makes their Character tick, and leave it blank at the
start, hoping to fill it in as they go along.
Any of these options is permitted. However, it might be a good idea to leave
some extra room here. In Æthercoil, your character might be awarded not just in Gold,
Magic Items, or XP, but boons, feats, bonus spell slots (or points), increases
in Ability Scores, and even whole backgrounds. This will be detailed in the
the DM's Book under “Story Awards.”
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### What about spells? Are some spells banned?
99% of all the spells listed in all source books, be they Basic, Standard or
Supplemental, is permitted. The only spells that are banned are the *Power Word*
Spells. The Spells in *UA: Modern Magic* are also prohibited.
### And for those who like Feats?
Like with spells, almost all Feats listed in all sources are legal, with the
sole exception being Dragonmarks from *UA: Eberron*.
### 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.
\pagebreakNum
# 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.
## Dwarves
Nobody knows with any certainty how Dwarves came to this world, and the Dwarves
themselves like it that way. They’ve know the most about human history through
the thousands of years, provided that they care at all about what happens on the
surface. (90% of the entire dwarven population still lives underground.) They know the
most about how nasty human shenanigans can get, so the prevalent belief is “Let
the surface fools kill themselves. Hopefully, they’ll just go extinct. In that
case, Good Riddance!”
This small hope that humanity would stop their crap by erasing themselves could
be behind their animosity with Elves and Eladrin: The Fey’s intervention in
rescuing humanity from extinction didn’t sit too well with the Dwarves, who
believed that it would be better if humans really did go the way of the dodo.
They believe that the Eladrin did more harm than good and will say so to their
faces. Provided they'd bother themselves to go to the surface, of
course.
Those who do head to the surface world do so for a
reason. More common is the necessary for trade. Dwarves would
never admit it out loud, of course, but they do have a need for certain items,
such as food and materials and transport routes.
While Dwarves might be the first people who use Æther for technology, they are
very, very, *very* hesitant on sharing them. They do not believe the
Surface World will ever be ready for their Ætherpunk tech and would loathe to
give it to any other race. However, if a dwarf forges a strong enough connection
with someone else, he might impart with some tech to someone he cares about.
Case in Point: Karl Kinderforge. A young member (Young being a mere century old) of a clan of Mountain Dwarves setting up a guild of trade routes both over and underground. He forged a friendship with a human artificer named Justin Mercurial, who just became Burgomaster of the Village of Parnast. To aid his efforts, Karl gave him one of the Kinderforge Clan’s mechanical workhorses, the Spider Engine.
The Spider Engine is a variant of the Apparatus of Kawalish that replaces swimming capability for pure hauling power. One Spider
Engine has the pulling power of six draft horses.
\columnbreak
### Race Breakdown
It might be a bit strange to see that the Kinderforge Clan are Mountain Dwarves,
not Hill Dwarves. Some would say that there’s some Hill Dwarf in that clan’s
bloodline. Hill Dwarves are more prevalent in the Surface world, since they do
not share the same isolationistic tendencies as their Mountain Dwarf
cousins. Both of which are listed in the *Player’s Handbook*. Some of them would even be xenophobic, with only their Lawful
tendencies keeping them turning trespassers into slaves, although Lawful Evil
Mountain Dwarves won’t consider it beneath them.
Hill Dwarves are known for their requisite Dwarven craftmanship—so much so that
they’d insist on Dwarven work when it comes to building, constructing, and
forging anything and everything. “Look for the Dwarven Label,” as Karl would
say.
## 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.
\pagebreakNum
### Race Breakdown
> ##### Link
> Unearthed Arcana: Eladrin and Gith:
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.
### Race Breakdown
The *Player’s Handbook* has the options for both Lightfoot and Stoutheart (Stout
in the PH) Halflings. Both generalizations in their subraces are approved:
Lightfoots tend to wander around and keep on friendly terms with everybody,
while Stouthearts tend to keep to their homes and try to keep out of troubles
the best they can, which at times doesn’t work; Halflings are nothing if not
chronic trouble magnets. (Example: The Baggins Clan from the JR. Tolkien books?
Textbook Stouthearts.)
For the Record, the Halfling language they speak to each other is known as the
Hin Language.
## 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.”
\pagebreakNum
## Dragonjin
Æthercoil starts with 128 Dragons in total, the number of dragons that came through the rifts from the Shadowfell. This number is iron clad; the only time a dragon egg hatches is immediately after another dragon's death. Unless a Dragonjin is hatched. Dragonjins can increase the number of dragons in the realm.
Dragonjin are Æthercoil’s answer to Dragonborn, and replaces that race from the *Player's Handbook*. Their origin is similar to a ritual mentioned in older D&D editions: A human spirit, usually the spirit of a just deceased human or a spirit found floating aimlessly in a dragon’s lair, is placed inside a dragon’s egg.
A Dragonjin has two forms, human and dragon. The human form is a human—usually resembling the Dragonjin’s former life—with dragon wings, horn, and tail. Some forms even incorporate some scales in some areas of their body or have slits for pupils. The dragon parts of a dragonjin would require him or her to wear robes flowing enough to cover them so not to completely startle others. Or they’d just go “I stop giving a fsk.” and dress like any other person, letting those wings and tail poke out.
The dragon form matches the color of the dragonjin—more on that later—and starts off as just a Wyrmling and moves up to Young, Adult, and eventually Ancient. The breakdown part has the specifics.
> ##### Move, Minor, Standard?
> These three terms are offshoots from D&D 4th Edition, and are sometimes mentioned here. The Standard Action is referred to as just your main "Action" in 5th Edition, while any action that uses a "Bonus" Action can be referred as your "Minor" Action.
A Dragonjin will remain loyal to either the dragon who sired him or the clan they grew up in. In some rare cases, the parent dragon would do something un-dragonlike: Make the dragonjin inherit the dragon’s hoard after the dragon dies. The reason behind this uncharacteristic ego-swallowing (under normal conditions, no dragon wishes to part with even a coin of their hoard) shows the big picture mindset prevalent within the Council of the Eight: Civilization has just started to get back on their collective feet and already it has threats beyond its current capability to handle, not just from outside threats like the Evil Dragon King Tyrannus, but also from more local evils that would prey on a still-vulnerable Humanity. They need more than just more dragons and elves; heroes are needed. By the thousands. They need support, and they need guidance.
While Dragonjin can be Player Characters at this point, there will be an option for the Dungeon Master to have a character in-adventure: a Dragonjin taking in a party of adventurers and guiding them along their journey. The Dragonjin can aid the party from a distance, such as in the case of the 'Designated Healer', or pull some pranks to keep them on their toes…or just do things to liven up boring traveling montages.
> ##### Designated Healer
> An unexpected role for the DM; the 'Designated Healer' or 'Healbot' is an party NPC that joins the party when nobody on the table brought a PC with a healer role. The Rules for the 'Designated Healer' are as follows:
> * Assumes an initative roll of 0
> * Can only move and cast healing spells; he can cast *healing word* and *cure wounds* on the same turn.
> * Does no other action, including attack and spellcasting
### Dragonjin Traits
**Ability Score Increase.** The Charisma score and one of the Attributes that has proficiency in Saves are increased by 2.
**Age.** Dragonjin age as slowly as the parent dragon. They hatch from
their egg already physically matured, or at the age of the spirit at the time of
his death.
**Alignment.** While Dragonjin retain the Human’s whole spectrum as far as
alignment goes, each Dragonjin tend to hover around the same Alignment of his
parent or the elders of his clan.
**Size.** In Human form, a Dragonjin’s standing height is about the same as a human’s, from
five to six feet, with a wingspan of about 10 feet with the wings stretched out.
His size is Medium.
**Speed.** Base walking speed is 30 feet. This speed can be flight as long as he
isn’t encumbered. The Dragonjin can hover in place at the end of his turn but,
if hit with an attack that makes him become incapacitated, paralyzed, petrified,
fall prone, or become unconscious, he will start falling; taking damage if necessary
> ##### Encumberance
> Æthercoil will use the standard rule for Encumberance: Multiply your Strength (score) by 15. That's how much your character can carry in pounds/kilograms without being Encumbered.
\pagebreakNum
**Dragon Form.** The Dragonjin chooses a type of dragon. He can then *Wild
Shape* a la the Druid Class. It takes a Standard Action to assume the Dragon form, and a Minor to revert to his Human form. Unless the Dragonjin has taken levels in Druid, he
can assume this form once between rests for a duration of his CHA in hours (If the character's CHA is 0 or below, this duration is 30 Minutes); if
the Dragonjin is a Druid, this form takes up one of his known beast shapes.
- At 1st Level, the Dragonjin can assume the Wyrmling form of his chosen Dragon Type.
- At 5th Level (total combined levels,) he can assume the Youth version of this Dragon.
- At 12th Level, he can assume the Adult version.
- And at 20th Level, he can assume the Ancient version.
**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.
## Gnomes
Not all fey-like beings comes from the Feylight. Earth has its own
group of Fairy-like beings: Pixies, brownies, pooka, nymphs, nipkins, sprites
and the like. They’ve been around in this world hidden from the humans of the
Lost Age and the oppression of the True Order. But when the Dual Feywilds
connect with the world, the Æther integrated these wee folks and turned them
into the Gnome race.
### Race Breakdown
Both Forest and Rock Gnomes exist in the campaign world, as depicted in the
*Player’s Handbook.* Rock Gnomes are more known as “Tinker Gnomes” due to their
inventiveness.
The Tinker Gnome’s ‘Tinker’ feature can create more than just the three items
listed in the *Player’s Handbook*. He can create any contraption that is not a
weapon or a kit within the limit of 10 GP of materials and 1 Hour of time.
There is no such thing as Cultural Appropriation in Æthercoil. Just
Culture Sharing and Mixing. In other words, dressing up like Legolas might not be who Æthercoil
     Elves are...but they're cool with it.
## Half-Elf
Even in the short time Eladrin, Elves, and Humans had together as the former two pulled the latter one off the cliff, it was only a matter of time that Elven-Human matings occur that produce a Half-Elf Child. (This will especially occur in China, where the sex ratio there became 7 males to 1 female, more on that in China's setting.) There is also a blood-bonding ritual that Eladrin can make with a human, in a form of adoption or a Warlock pact, that instills the Fey's nature into the human, transforming that human into a half-elf.
It only proves to show that you just can’t account for everybody’s
kinks.
Unlike other traditional campaign settings, Half-Elves are a new race, being
that they only appeared when Humans and Elves began cohabitating together.
Because of this, Half-Elves enjoy a bit of novelty, although
the awkwardness of “Walking in two worlds but truly belonging to neither,”
is apparent. Fortunately, the consensus (There are some groups of Elves
who do look down on Half-Elves for being half-breeds.) among both Humans and
Elves is positive, if not embarrassing. To both groups, a Half-Elf is considered
a human with elven blood, with the better qualities of both races.
Being encouraged to make their own fusion culture, and wishing not
to be noticed all the time, they began to form their own communities. With that longer lifespan (longer than a
Human’s but shorter than an Elf’s) they have more time to devote to seeing the
world, bridging various cultures, and stopping
to smell the proverbial roses.
### Race Breakdown
In Æthercoil, Half-elves are further broken down into subraces, replacing the
Skill Versatility trait shown in the *Player’s Handbook.* Skill Versatility is
still legal, if the player so wishes.
**Ability Score Increase:** Add +2 to Charisma Score, +1 in two other ability Scores.
**Age:** Maturing at about 20; once Puberty has run its course, the aging
process is slowed to about 30-50%, often exceeding 180 years.
**Alignment:** Favors the Chaotic side of the array.
**Size:** Medium: They can be as tall as Human and are slender builds.
**Speed:** 30 feet.
**Senses:** Darkvision up to 60'
**Fey Ancestry:** Advantage on Saves vs Charm, cannot be magically put to sleep.
**Languages:** Common, Elven, and 1 Other
**Elven Bloodline:** Instead of the Player Handbook’s “Skill Versatility,” the
Half-Elf gains an ability based on what his elven side hails from:
\pagebreakNum
- **Half Wood Elf**
- *Proficiencies:* Longbow, Longsword, Shortbow, Shortsword.
- *Fleet of Foot:* +5 Speed
- **Half High Elf**
- *Proficiencies:* Longbow, Longsword, Shortbow, Shortsword.
- *Cantrip:* The Half-Elf can learn any Cantrip from any spell list. If
not a spellcaster, use INT as the spellcasting ability.
- **Half-Drow Elf**
- *Proficiencies:* Rapier, Shortsword, Hand Crossbow.
- *Drow Magic:* Dancing Lights as Cantrip, Faerie Fire at Level 3,
Darkness at Level 5. If not a spellcaster, Faerie Fire and Darkness can
be cast 1/Day and CHA is the ability.
- **Half-Eladrin Elf**
- *Proficiencies:* Longbow, Longsword, Shortbow, Shortsword.
- *Fey Step*: Can innately cast *Misty Step* once between rests.
## 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.
### Race Breakdown
The standard traits in the *Player Handbook* can be used for a Half-Orc, or
rather, you can just drop the Half-Part.
\columnbreak
## 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.
\pagebreakNum
**Musical Instrument Proficiency.** Choose one musical instrument. Your
character is proficient with that instrument and will have it included in his
starting inventory. If the Tiefling is in a spellcasting-capable class, that
instrument is also the implement.
**Satyr Heritage.** The Tiefling knows the *Druidcraft* cantrip. At 3rd Level,
he can cast *Charm Person* and *Sleep* 1/day each. At 5th Level, he can cast
*Fear* 1/day. CHA is the ability used.
**Languages.** You can speak, read, and write Common and Sylvian.
> ##### 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.
\columnbreak
Additional Races in Æthercoil
No initial list of player character options is complete, and Æthercoil will be
no different. Granted, you can always eschew all Homebrew races and stick with
the *Player’s Handbook* which is what I did here. (I expanded to the other
sourcebooks for the upcoming class options.) Of course, with the upcoming
sourcebook, there will be additional races included with the usual suspects,
which I’ll summarize here.
The new races come in two categories, anthropomorphic and technologic.
Æthercoil is not exclusively a ‘furry’ campaign setting by any stretch, but
there is room for animal-based races where the Æther rapidly evolved members of
the animal kingdom to homo sapien resemblances of these animals. The result can
resemble characters, in both appearances and personality traits, to characters
in the movie *Zootopia*. Henceforth, there will be animal races in the campaign
setting, expanding on the Taxabi race from *Volo’s Guide to Monsters* and
Tortles from the *Tomb of Annihilation* season. Foxes, Rodents, Wolves, Rabbits,
and even Pandas become Character Races in Æthercoil, and they will be made
available here.
That's right. Pandafolk. You can blame Blizzard for this one.
At this time, I’d also like to tell you a deep secret about this campaign
setting. Not every part of this world regressed to medieval levels. There is a
small island in the far east who not just retained the technological
advancements of the Lost Age—where android technology just got into its
infancy—but they continued to progress, so much so that the technology acquired
sentience.
This will allow a variant of a popular race from the Eberron setting—the
Warforged—to enter Æthercoil. At this time, this will be rare instance, but the
occasional Android character still appear. Not too earlier than in the playtest
campaign in this very ruleset!
\pagebreakNum
# 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.
## Artificer
> Link to Artificer
Being that this is a classic D&D world built on top of a fallen Modern Era, and
that there will be Modern Inventions popping up in the world, you can bet that
Artificers will be prevalent in Æthercoil.
### Additional Archetypes
The Alchemist and the Gunsmith are two options available. Two other archetypes
are available, created by combining various items from the Internet: The
Engineer, who focuses on creating what is needed out of scraps, trinkets, and
even unused Magic Items, and the Battlesmith, who builds an enchanted suit of
armor with special abilities.
With these two archetypes, it is necessary for the character sheet to convert to Spell Points, because both archetype utilizes Spell Points for their features.
#### Engineer
**Level 1: Gadget Builder**
The Artificer is able to gather enough spare parts to inscribe them
with glyphs that allow him to build various mundane items on the fly. They are
collected in his inventory with a Gadget Pouch. A Gadget Pouch weighs 5
lbs.
As an action, he can build any mundane item with these parts.
They remain constructed until dismissed as a minor or taken more than 100 feet
from the Engineer, at that point the parts disassemble themselves and reappear
in the bag. The Pouch has a number of parts equal to the Engineer’s INT + His
Artificer Level. Gadget Parts can be expended or destroyed, in which case, during any rest
the Engineer can spend a Spell Point to regain a Gadget Parts per action, 1
point per point.
The Engineer can use the Adventuring Gear table on page 150 in the PH as a
starting list of objects, with the exception of *Potion of Healing*, *Antitoxin*, or any alchemical agent such as *Alchemist's Fire*.
He can construct an item at the rate of 1 Gadget Part per 1 GP rounded up,
minimum of 1 Part. He can even make an arcane focus out of Gadget Parts.
Keep in mind that, for some of these items, the Gadget Part will be consumed,
often by making consumable items or ammunition. In this case, the Gadget Part
will need to be replaced as listed above.
**Level 3: Wondrous Gadgets**
Your Gadget Pouch can construct any available item in the Wondrous Invention
list.
**Level 9: Quick Repair**
The Artificer can now add a specialized version of Cure Wounds and Healing Word
to his list of prepared spells (On top of the prepared spells he already has.)
These two spells only heal damage caused to constructs and machines.
**Level 14: Recycle Materials**
The Engineer can destroy two existing Magic Items and create a new one. Take the
two items to be destroyed, note the lowest rarity of the pair, and locate both
in the Magic Item Tables listed in pages 144-149 in the *Dungeon Master's Guide*.
Take the table letters of both items’ earliest occurrence and convert them into
numbers; 1 for A, 2 for B, 3 for C, and so on. Average both numbers, rounding
low, and convert that number back into its letter. You can create any item of
that Magic Item Table or lower at the noted rarity or lower.
The process only requires time instead of Materials: 1 Day for every 50gp needed to build the required item. You can either use the *Crafting Magic Items* table in page 129 in the DMG or use a supplemental document like "Sane Magic Item Prices"
> Link to this *Sane Magic Item Prices* document:
**Level 17: Superior Infusion**
When the Artificer uses the Infuse Magic ability, the spell remains on the item
for 7 days. The limit of infused spells remains the same.
\pagebreakNum
#### 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*)
> Link to *UA: Kits of Old*:
\pagebreakNum
### 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*)
> Link to *UA: Divine Domains*:
#### About the Grave Domain
In D&D, there can be a Noble deity related to the Death Domain. In 4th Edition’s
“Dawn War” setting, it is the Raven Queen. In 5th Edition’s Forgotten Realms, it
is Kelemvor. In Æthercoil, these two combine into Helinoir, the Raven. Like her other mentioned deities, Helinoir deals with the safe ferrying
of dead souls to the afterlife, an harrying concept if you believe the Demiplane theory. She also grates against the concept of undeath, so her
followers do what they can to deal with them. In this light, she set up the
Grave Domain for her Clerics.
### Druid
#### Archetypes
The only thing that has been changed with Druids is the Wild Shape, which has
been expanded in *UA: Druid Circles and Wild Shape.* Other than that, all of the
archetypes in the Core Rules and Unearthed Arcana are viable:
- Circle of Dreams (*Xanathar’s Guide to Everything*
- Circle of the Land (*Player's Handbook*)
- Circle of the Moon (*Player's Handbook*)
- Circle of the Shepherd (*Xanathar’s Guide to Everything*)
- Circle of Spores (*UA: Three Subclasses*)
- Circle of Twilight (*UA: Druid Circles and Wild Shape*)
> Link to *UA: Three Subclasses*:
> Link to *UA: Druid Classes and Wild Shape*:
\columnbreak
#### Wild Shape Modification
The Unearthed Arcana article expands on the Wild Shape mechanic in the
*Player’s Handbook* and will be in play in Æthercoil. The Druid
can have up to three wild shapes at Level 2, and another one at every new level in
Druid. You don't have to fill these empty spaces when you level up. See below.
The Unearthed Arcana article also provides a way to add more wild shapes while
adventuring. There are two ways and yes, magic such as *Animal Friendship* can
aid in this:
- **Observation**. The Druid observes the beast within 150 feet for at least 1
hour, after which he can make a INT (Nature) check against DC 10 + the
beast’s challenge rating. If successful, the beast is added to the list of
known Wild Shapes. If the Druid has studied scholarly works beforehand, he
gains Advantage on the check.
- **Interaction.** The Druid interacts with this beast on peaceful terms for
10 minutes within 15 feet of the beast, after which he can make a WIS
(Animal Handling) check against DC 10 + the beast’s challenge rating. If
successful, the beast is added to the list of known Wild Shapes. If the
Druid pets the creature during this time, he gains Advantage on the check.
> ##### Sourcebooks Broken by Regions.
> Æthercoil’s sourcebooks will be divided by volumes with each volume representing
a particular region of the world. The Quick Rules as well as Volume 1 of the
official sourcebooks will focus on Europe which best represents classic RPG
settings such as the Forgotten Realms or Greyhawk. This similarity is also the
reason why most of the campaigns—including the ones springboarding off Wizards
of the Coast’s published campaigns—will reside in this region, at first.
>
> Volume 2 will focus on Asia, and the sole country that survived the fall of the
Modern Age: China. China has experienced a resurgence to their own medieval
time, combining tropes from classic ‘Hong Kong’ Martial Art films with some
surviving technology that is more advanced than what’s in Europe. Finding that
the rest of the world—not to mention parts of China that is still in the Third
World—has gone dark and having successfully driven back the True Order, those
who survived the Orwellian Regime believe that—like the Half Million in
Europe—they are the only remaining humans on Earth. (Discovering each other will
be a campaign in its own.)
>
> Volumne 3 will take place in the New World and will follow an epic campaign that will lead up to airships recreating Christopher Columbus' attempt to 'wrap around' the world and by accident re-discover the Americas
\pagebreakNum
##### 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.
\columnbreak
### 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*)
\pagebreakNum
> ##### Link List
> - Matthew Mercer's Gunslinger:
> - UA: Fighter:
> - UA: Gothic Heroes:
> - UA: Kits of Old:
> - UA: Light, Dark, Underdark:
> - UA: Three Subclasses:
> - UA: 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
\columnbreak
### 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.
> Link to *Unearthed Arcana: Monk*:
- 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
> Link to 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:
#### Archetypes
- Normal Archetypes
- Oath of the Ancients (*Player’s Handbook*)
- Oath of Devotion (*Player’s Handbook*)
- Oath of Redemption (*Xanathar’s Guide to Everything*)
- Oath of Vengeance (*Player’s Handbook*)
- Altered Archetypes
- Oath of Might, reskinned from Oath of Conquest (*Xanathar’s Guide to
Everything*)
- Oath of Secrecy, reskinned from Oath of Treachery (*UA Paladins: Sacred
Oaths)*
- Oath of the Shield, reskinned from Oath of the Crown (*SCAG*)
Here's the link to the Reddit article involved: https://www.reddit.com/r/UnearthedArcana/
comments/71elaq/ua_sacred_oaths_reskinned_
and_revised/
\pagebreakNum
#### 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.
\columnbreak
> ##### 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.
\pagebreakNum
##### 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.
\pagebreakNum
#### 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*:
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*)
\pagebreakNum
### 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.
#### Archetypes
- Items as listed
- The Archfey (*Player’s Handbook*)
- The Celestial (*Xanathar’s Guide to Everything*)
- The Great Old One (*Player’s Handbook*)
- The Hexblade (*Xanathar’s Guide to Everything*)
- The Seeker (*UA: The Faithful*)
- The Undying (*Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide*)
- Renamed
- The Raven Queen (*UA: Warlock & Wizard*) renamed as ‘Helinoir,’ this
settings version of the Raven Queen.
- Replacement
- The Dragon (see below), replacing The Fiend
#### 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.
\pagebreakNum
#### 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.
\columnbreak
##### 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*)
\pagebreakNum
Prestige Classes
----------------
> Link to *UA: 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.
### Æthercoil Multiclassing Rules
Multiclassing is possible in accordance to the rules listed in pages 163-165 in
the *Players Handbook*, with these additional rules
1. The Player Character can Multiclass up to a Maximum of three classes,
including Prestige Classes.
2. The Player Character must Multiclass in all classes by the 16th Level, after
that he cannot choose another class.
3. A Multiclassed Player Character cannot take consecutive levels in one of
their Classes whenever possible. That is; if a Fighter/Thief takes a level
in Fighter, his next level must be taken as Thief. With three classes, the
level must be in a class not chosen by the previous two classes.
4. When the Player Character maxes out in all chosen classes, progression turns
to Epic Boons, as listed in Page 231-232 in the *Dungeon Master’s Guide* or
the two alternative options shown in a text box on Page 230:
1. Ability Score Improvements, with the Scores up to 30, or
2. Gaining a new Feat.
___
\columnbreak
The Black Forest Coven
In Æthercoil, the most prevalent undead in the real is not zombies—word of
warning: These are the *fast* variety—or ghouls or even vampires: It’s ghosts.
Due to the screwed up cosmology caused by its connection with the dual Feywild,
not to mention the possibility of the realm being a Demiplane cut off from
almost every Real World deity, spirits have a hard time finding their
appropriate afterlife, oftentimes roaming around looking for a way to pass on to
the next life. It won’t be uncommon for a party exploring some abandoned
location to find one, and more often than not outside of said ghost hitching a
ride in someone they’re not hostile. It won’t be hard for some adventurers to
seek out ways to help these wandering souls.
Enter the Witch. A special class of magic user which will be in the Campaign
Guide—not yet in the Quick Rules—that incorporate the realm’s natural magic with
Æther. Witches are known not just for being a benevolent version of a hag—some
of them are quite beautiful—but for being able to commune with these spirits to
guide them to their next life in exchange of gaining their knowledge, wisdom,
and powers. The most famous group of Witches in Æthercoil is the Black Forest
coven. Located in what was once Eastern Germany, the Black Forest Coven takes
after characters and stories from the Brother’s Grimm Fairy Tales. Even the
three Grandmother Witches leading this Coven are named Schneewittchen,
Aschenputtel, and Dornröschen. That’s right: Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora
aka Sleeping Beauty, respectively. Before you ask, yes, they look like Witch
versions of their Disney cartoon versions and each one can pack enough power to
take out their respective Evil Stepmother (or Maleficent in the case of
Dornröschen) It is rumored that all three of them combined were able to push
back the True Order and before that an even worse group: The Axis of WWII. In
fact, they still have warning signs written in the 40s: Danger: Black Forest
Coven Territory KEEP OUT!! (with this scribbled underneath: You fsking heard
‘im! – Gen. Patton)
(Honestly, you don’t want to know why the Allies never found Hitler. Those three
got to him first. What they did to him gave Patton nightmares.)
\pagebreakNum
### 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.
#### Prerequisites
- Must have a normal Spellcasting ability that utilizes Spell Slots or Points:
Cleric, Druid, Paladin, Eldritch Knight, Arcane Trickster, Sorcerer, Witch,
or Wizard. (Warlocks are not eligible; they already have an option of using a bow with *Pact of the Blade*.)
- Must be proficient with Short Bows.
- Dexterity and Intelligence must be 14 or higher.
- Must convert their character sheet to use Spell Points (Listed in Pages
288-289 in the *Dungeon Master’s Guide*.)
- Must have a Quiver and a Bow of any kind when you begin this Prestige Class.
#### Hit Points
**Hit Dice:** 1d8 per level;
**Hit Points per Level:** {1d8 or 5} + CON;
#### Proficiencies
**Armor:** Light Armor.
**Weapons:** All simple and martial ranged weapons.
**Lost Proficiency:** Firearms are not permitted with this Prestige Class.
**Tools:** None
#### 1st Level: Bonded Bow and Quiver, Bonus Cantrips
To utilize the abilities in this Prestige Class, you must have a bow and quiver
bonded to you. The Bonding ritual takes one hour you can only bond with one bow
and quiver at a time. You can move this bond to a new bow or quiver if it is
available, but at the cost of your previous bond.
With this bond, as a Minor Action, the Arcane Archer can summon the bonded
weapon and quiver to his hand as long as they are in the same plane as he.
When this occurs the first time, the Arcane Archer gains one cantrip from the below Cantrip List, and has the option to replace one existing cantrip with another one from this list. If the character can gain a new Cantrip, he can also chose from this list.
> ##### Location of Spell Lists
> One of the biggest complaints I get from the *Player's Handbook* is that they put the spell lists in Chapter 11, instead of putting each spell list in their respective classes in Chapter 3. When I make a new class, I'll rectify this by putting the Spell List in with the rest of the Class Descriptions. The Spell Descriptions will still have their own place on the back of this book, in Chapter 9
#### Bow Caster Cantrips
* Booming Shot
* Brilliant Shot
* Burning Shot
* Caustic Shot
* Shocking Shot
* Sickening Shot
* Vexing Shot
#### 2nd Level: Enhance Arrows
When the Arcane Archer nocks a non-conjured arrow in his bonded bow, he can as
part of his attack action enhance that arrow, giving a bonus to both Hit and
Damage (this stacks with any bonuses both the arrow and the bow already have.)
The enhancement he instills into the arrow and the spell points he spends appear
on the Progression Chart from his Level in Arcane Archer and above. The arrow
must be used before the end of his next turn or the spell points used is wasted.
\pagebreakNum
#### 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.
\columnbreak
> ##### Chunky Salsa Rule
> Some DMs, like myself, have the Chunky Salsa rule: Any situation that
reduces the PC to the consistency of Chunky Salsa permakills, with only *True
Resurrection* or *Wish* to bring them back.
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
\pagebreakNum
#### 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.
> ##### The dice's Rank
> The Rank of the die is the number after the ‘d’ in the notation. From
lowest to highest, the ranks are {d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20}.
\columnbreak
### Gunslinging Prestige Class
>Link to Matthew Mercer's Gunslinger:
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.
> Before you ask, yes, you can use guns for the prementioned Bow Caster Prestige Class. You just don't gain the same benefits as from the Gunslinger Class.
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.
\pagebreakNum
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.
Dragon Minion
-------------
No too dragons are alike, not even two dragons of the same color. This axiom
really comes into play when you compare their hoards. One dragon might have a
secluded mountain lair guarded by a death trap dungeon, while another would
settle in a large castle. One would be a complete hermit and consider anathema
parting with even a copper coin, while others would use their coins to invest or
even set up a bank, offering savings and loans. While it is common for dragons
to use a bed of coins to sleep on (or in some cases in) but gold might not be
the sole contents of a hoard. Some would collect statues, books, vehicles,
ships, scientific equipment, even vinyl records (You could tell that you're in
Eisenhower the Lorekeeper's castle lair because he pipes classic rock albums to
speakers through almost every room.)
And every now and then, that horde gains a human being.
Maybe you were a child who hid under a wagon during the dragon attack, and that
dragon found you when he scanned for spoils afterward. Or maybe you were a
princess who got kidnapped (or was it rescued?) by a dragon before the wedding
with an appointed prince? Or maybe you stumbled into the lair and offered
yourself up to the dragon in exchange of your life. Regardless of the reason,
you found yourself in the care and mercy of a dragon as part of his lair.
How did you fare there? Where you put into a cage, chained to a leech, or
allowed to roam free like a pet? Did you help the dragon with things too small
for his taloned claws to handle? Became an intermediary between your master
(Owner? Parental figure? Claude?) and other humanoid groups? Were you hired for
a long-time job instead of being a slave? Were you dolled up with part of his
hoard, so he can use you to show off his wealth? And what is your feelings
toward him? Were you afraid, resentful, grateful for his protection? In love
with him? Worship him? Even more?
### Proficiencies and Items
**Skill Proficiencies:** Intimidation, Persuasion
**Languages:** Draconic
**Equipment:** A gold-lined outfit picked by the Dragon; 50 GP worth of jewelry,
including possible hand-angle-neck bands meant for binding. A trinket connecting
you with the dragon in charge (possibly so that the dragon can keep track of you
regardless of where you are in the material plane) A more mundane item from a
non-coin part of the dragon's hoard.
\columnbreak
### Feature: Draconic affinity
Being around dragons so much not only grants you an easier chance to parlay with
dragons, but you also picked up some things about treasure. You gain proficiency
in all CHA checks and saves when conversing with other dragons, stacking if
applicable. You also can ascertain the estimated value of any gem, magic item,
or piece of treasure by holding it for 2-4 minutes.
### Personality Characteristics
**Traits**
1. I am very well learned in the history of the world and very knowledgeable
about things, as i was taught by the Dragon.
2. I'm always polite and respectful.
3. If you cross me, i will end you.
4. I can stare down Count Dracula and not even flinch.
5. I like to show off the contents of my Dragon's hoard I'm wearing to other
people, it makes me feel special.
6. I have a tale to tell for every situation, the tale normally has a moral or
a lesson that could be learnt.
7. I often give out my information in the form of riddles or puzzles; make them
work for their protips.
8. I face problems head-on. Simple, Direct, and light on the pretense.
**Ideals**
1. **Responsibility.** I do what I must and obey just authority. (Lawful)
2. **Power.** Being half-dragon makes me superior, I am above the laws of men.
(Evil)
3. **People.** I’m loyal to my friends and family, not to any ideals, and
everyone else die for all i care. (Neutral)
4. **Independence.** When people follow orders blindly, they embrace a kind of
tyranny. (Chaotic)
5. **Balance.** I seek to bring balance to the natural order of the world.
(Neutral)
6. **Knowledge.** Knowledge is power, without it we would be nothing. (Any)
**Bonds**
1. I would still lay down my life for the people I served with.
2. The dragon saved my life, and he told me to pay it forward. To this day, I
never leave a friend behind.
3. My honor is my life.
4. Those who fight beside me are those worth dying for.
5. I am loyal to dragon's first, everything else second.
6. I fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.
\pagebreakNum
**Flaws**
1. I have a weakness for treasure, it calls to me like a siren song that i
can't deny.
2. I am very knowledgeable, i think that i always know best and won't just
blindly follow anyone or any order.
3. I made a terrible mistake in battle that cost many lives, and I would do
anything to keep that mistake secret.
4. I do not trust people very easily.
5. I get emotionally attached to people really fast and give them too much
information about certain things.
6. I’d rather eat my armor than admit when I’m wrong.
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.
### Proficiencies and Items
**Skill Proficiencies:** Arcana, Persuasion
**Languages:** Elven, Sylvian
**Equipment:** Colorful Fancy or Travelling outfit, Text Book written in Elvish,
Trinket from your Eladrin Guardian (such as a signet ring, rearing, or pendant,)
and a belt pouch with 15 GP
### Feature: Eladrin Affinity
While you’re pretty much an uncultured brute in comparison to an actual Eladrin,
you were able to pass as cultured enough to be welcomed into Eladrin company. As
long as they’re not initially hostile, all relations with Elves or Eladrin start
off as Friendly.
### Personality Characteristics
**Trait**
1. I like to modify my body to suit fey tastes. Odd color hair, flora tattoos,
glitter, etc.
2. I'm so familiar with Eladrin Culture that civilizations on Earth are foreign
to me.
3. Even though I know Common, some sayings and terms go over my head.
4. The changing seasons or even the changing weather affect me personally
5. I feel tremendous empathy for all who suffer.
6. I live for the thrill of discovery
7. Pranking and pulling tricks on people is second nature to me.
8. This planet's too dull and boring. I need to shake things up!
**Ideals**
1. **Wonderment.** There is a lot to admire in many places and I believe that
it is worth protecting. (Good)
2. **Cruelty.** The pain of others delights me somehow - and the pain of others
is a prime way to gain power. (Evil)
3. **Curiosity**. What drives me the most is the curiosity I feel towards the
Realm and the Feywilds. (Any)
4. **Honorary.** I will never break my word, nor violate any contract I make.
(Lawful)
5. **Prankster**. Having fun is the biggest reason for living. Sometimes at
expense of others. (Neutral)
6. **Rebel.** Bureaucracy and unneeded rules are such a bother - I feel no
reason to follow them. (Chaotic)
**Bonds**
1. I would sacrifice my life and my soul to protect the innocent.
2. There is a thing in the Realm of great importance that I need to locate and
retrieve.
3. I am here only temporarily - my loyalties and loved ones are with the
Eladrin.
4. There is a Fey that utterly detests me and is jealous of me for some reason
and they have Driven me from my home. I wish to return and dispose of them.
5. I am in love with an immortal Fae and I seek immortality so I can be united
with them forever.
6. I suffer awful visions of a coming disaster and will do anything to prevent
it.
**Flaws**
1. Consciously, or unconsciously, I tend to charm or scare people into giving
me what I want.
2. talk to spirits that no one else can see.
3. I have certain rituals that I must follow every day. I can never break them.
4. When nervous tends to repeat the same phrases over and over again.
5. My cryptic attitude confuses and befuddles people. This makes me hard to
listen to and understand.
6. I reject conventional society norms and advocate simple, idealistic values
others consider odd.
\pagebreakNum
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.
### Relationship in the Coven
You don’t necessarily need to be a Witch to be in a Coven. Any Coven will have
members in other classes, even non-Spellcasters. The reasons for being in one
are varied and would be more than the ten options listed here:
1. Practicing Witch
2. Witch's Apprentice or Warlock
3. Resident Thief or Handyman
4. Group Entertainment
5. Lead Witch (current or former) in the Coven
6. Heabalist/expert of plantlife
7. Resident Healer or Physician
8. Spiritualist or Oracle to any deity or spirit connected to the coven.
9. Resident Lore-Keeper, Librarian, or Researcher
10. Resident Animal Handler.
### Proficiencies and Items
**Skill Proficiencies:** Arana, Medicine
**Languages:** One of your Choice
**Tool Proficiencies:** Herbalism Kit
**Equipment:** Wizards Robe or Witches’ Gown, a book of rituals and chants
according to your craft’s path, a guild membership insignia, and a pouch
containing 15 GP
### Special Feature: Coven Assistance
As a member of the Coven, you enjoy the camaraderie of the other witches, and
you can join in all ceremonies in the craft. She can get free healing and care
at any coven or wizard's group friendly toward you, though she must provide any
material components needed for spells. Those in the craft will support her at a
modest lifestyle, including food and lodging for the Witch (just this PC) if
need be. She can also do various research and rituals while in the group.
### Personality Traits
#### Traits
1. The rules of the coven are absolute.
2. If anything is shiny or looks vaguely interesting, it belongs in my pocket.
3. Nothing comes between the success of my family.
4. I am the most beautiful creature in the land. If someone disagrees with
this, I pity them.
5. The wealthier you are, the less of a friend I see you as.
6. Sometimes I wish that some would see us beyond our skin appearances.
7. Wearing the guise of another fills me with glee.
8. Who can resist a little blood sacrifice?
#### Ideals
1. Power is paramount, even at the expense of others (Evil)
2. My Coven has taken the place of my parents who died when I was young. (Good)
3. Your chosen family is the most important thing (Lawful)
4. If one is above you in the coven, then their word is law. No questions
asked. (Lawful)
5. You are one of us. That is reason enough for me to trust you. (Good)
6. Vanity is like a virus that needs to be purged completely. (Chaotic)
7. Through any means necessary, I shall rule the coven and witch-kind possibly.
(Evil)
8. You scratch my back, I’ll return the favor. (Neutral)
9. Whoever said I can’t raise hell clearly hasn’t seen my past times! (Chaotic)
#### Bonds
1. The others of my coven are the only people who matter to me
2. My Mistress/Master is everything to me, and I want nothing more than to
follow her steps in the Craft
3. My familiar is my best friend. I will kill before I let it come to harm
4. It is my obligation to see my fellow coven-members are safe.
5. My life is a mystery surrounded by enigmas. I must see that they are
deciphered.
6. I once had a familiar who I treated like family. I wish I knew where he/she
went.
7. My lover is a man who I can never be with, or else the child would be a
monster.
8. Isolation brings me peace and insight.
9. My revenge for a person will be as fiery as an inferno.
#### Flaws
1. I’m planning something to do with the bones of children, or some other taboo
components in spells
2. I only tell the truth when necessary, and lie the rest of the time
3. Non-casters or the uneducated are ignorant dullards and I’ll tell them so.
4. I will do just about anything for knowledge. Anything.
5. That which is more beautiful than me will feel my wrath in full.
6. I fear that I will never be a contributor to my coven, and will falter.
7. I hold a deep-seated hatred for another coven member. I feel they overshadow
me.
8. The meager amount of money I have is spent on alcohol.
9. The potions I make I exchange for… other such goods on the black market.
\pagebreakNum
# 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.
#### Bladesong Adept
*Requisite: Arcane Spellcasting, Elven Race (Can be dropped)*
You gain proficiency of a one-handed melee weapon of your choice.
Once per rest, you can invoke a Bladesong, as long as you only holding the above melee weapon and not wearing medium or heavy armor. You can start the Bladesong with a Minor Action and lasts for 1 minute or until dismissed. While the Bladesong is active, you gain the following:
* A bonus to AC equal to your INT (Minimum +1)
* Speed increases by 10’
* Advantage on Acrobatics Checks
* Bonus on all Concentration (CON) saving throws equal to your INT (Minimum +1)
### Gunslinger Feats
Also, with the case of multiclassing with Gunslinger, there are also several
feats to consider.
#### Rage Cannon
*Requires: Barbarian class with Gunslinger, Base Class or Prestige*
Spend 1 Grit to channel your rage into your gun. For the next attack with your
weapon, all targeted creatures automatically hit. An attack roll is made instead
to verify a Critical; that is, you roll your attack roll, and if you ‘hit,’ the
hit is a Critical.
#### Divine Barrel
*Requires: Any class with a Channel Divinity attack and Gunslinger, Base Class or
prestige*
Spend your channel divinity on charging the next round in your firearm with the
used feature (preferably a Turn Undead or Holy Smite like action.) When the next
attack with your firearm hits, after weapon damage, the Channel Divinity feature
takes effect with any areas centered on the hit target.
#### Gun Kata
*Requires: Monk class or Two-Weapon fighting style and Gunslinger, Base Class or
Prestige*
You can wield two one-handed firearms. When wielding two one-handed weapons and
not wearing any armor, your AC is 10+DEX+DEX. If any unarmored defenses from
your class are higher than this, use the higher AC.
#### Sniper Shot
*Requires: Ranger class or Archery fighting style and Gunslinger, Base Class or
Prestige*
Spend a full turn to aim with your weapon, exhaling to steady your hand. On the
next round, your attack ignores any imposed disadvantage due to distance or
cover.
#### Eldritch Bullet
*Requires: The ability to cast a touch-ranged cantrip and Gunslinger, Base Class
or Prestige*
As part of the attack action, charge the round with the cantrip. Instead of
normal weapon damage, this attack will deliver damage according to the cantrip.
> #### The Æthercoil Guild
> Æthercoil campaigns when I'm personally Dungeon Mastering (aka "The laughing idiot behind the screen") will usually involve this guild. This is Eisenhower the Lorekeeper's personal adventuring guild, where he either hand-selects adventurers from all around the world (or have anyone join if they could just pass a trial dungeon...based on Gary Gyrax's *Tomb of Horrors*!!) to aid the dragonjin in his main goal: To restore technology lost in the fall of the Modern Age into the current campaign world.
>
>While his guild has its headquarters in his castle lair overlooking Karlesbruun, a humble village in what was Western Germany, he already has some guild houses in other locations, such as Paris, where he connects with the Ghaele Court, and Rome, where the Council or the Eight (and by extension his father Bahamut) is located. Each guildhouse is connected to Ike's castle by a portal that allows instant travel to and from the castle, and from there other guildhouses.
>
>In my runs of all the various campaigns in Æthercoil, I will have a new guild house set up and the new characters already members of the guild. Dungeon Masters who wish to have multiple campaigns in the campaign setting are encouraged to do the same, even setting up their own Dragonjin character. This can come into play when the need of a legacy arises. This is when players make multiple characters that they can swap in and out of campaigns if they so wish, and whatever magic items or excess supplies can be stored and shared among the group.
>
>In other words, possibily the most important reason why an adventuring party would form a guild in the first place.
>
>More information in setting up a Legacy Guild will be available int he official published campaign guide.
\pagebreakNum
I have this rule of thumb : If a girl would
wear a chainmail bikini, and it’s appropriate for her, and she wouldn’t mind
wearing it in public, and some blue-haired soy-drinking twat bitches about it on Tumblr,
she’s wearing that chainmail bikini and that’s the
way it’s going to be. Too bad, So Sad. Besides, those who bitch at my artwork
also bitched at Alenna the Cleric and she was in a chainmail goddamned burqa!
# 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.
\columnbreak
## Standard Equipment
Each new player character gets the following on character creation, overruling
any quick build equipment based on class:
- One set of clothing, described by the player.
- One set of armor that the character is proficient in.
- One Melee Weapon the character is proficient in.
- One Ranged Weapon the character is proficient in with one set of appropriate
ammunition, or 12 throwing items, or 3 Javelins.
- A Holy Symbol, Spellbook, Druidic Focus, Thieve’s Tools, musical instrument,
or any other implement if applicable.
- Any Adventuring Kit of your choice.
- All equipment from your Background, if applicable, or a belt sack with 50 GP
if no background is chosen
- 50 GP in addition, for any other purchases.
- A Trinket if desired. (A list for Æthercoil trinkets will be given below)
An adventuring party gains at the start of their campaign.
- A wagon pulled by two draft horses and enough feed for 7 Days.
- Campsite equipment to build a proper and safe camp when needed.
- A Chest with a lock for party loot.
- An Emergency Signal Rocket.
> #### Signal Rocket
>
> Consumable Mundane Item, 3 GP each, General Stores will have 1d6 units available. Looks like one of those big firework rockets that you'd buy out in the country side. By someone with five fingers on both hands.
>
> In some regions where adventuring is commonplace, it is not uncommon for a governing body to set up regular patrols among the major roads, aiding travelers stuck on the road and attempt to keep banditry at a manageable level. It is assumed that they will come to adventuring parties when they're in dire straights, and are told to look for a signal rocket shooting out of the treelines.
>
> For best results, be as close to a road as possible before using this rocket. Place on a level ground clear of debris with a clear view of open sky. Light fuse, and get away.
>
> The rocket will go straight up to 1,000 feet in altitude and detonate in a colorful display of sparks and a audible bang.
\pagebreakNum
## Armor
\pagebreakNum
## 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.
### Poleaxe vs Glave
You can thank a certain 80s era sci-fi movie for this one. What the *Player’s
Handbook* calls a ‘Glave’ resembles a sword with a long handle, as long as a
polearm. However, when I hear of the word ‘Glaive,’ I think of a five-bladed
weapon that when you throw it, it comes to live and slices through anything and
everything in its path. Do not ask me how it doesn’t slice off your hand when
you catch it.
You can thank the movie *Krull* for this one. It’s a so-so flick from 1983 with
what would be one of the most awesome weapons ever imagined! It’s a weapon only
duplicated much later in the *Xena: Warrior Princess* series with the Chakram,
which is one of those long-distance ring frisbees made of sword!
When I designed this campaign setting, I just had to have both here.
### Boomerang
Usually implied with thrown weapons. A weapon with Boomerang X means that you
can throw this weapon and attack any target up to X distance in feet. The weapon
than returns to your hand.
### High Crit
One possible enhancement I’ll include in weapons is a new keyword: High Crit
19-20. A weapon with High Crit crits with a natural d20 roll in the following
range. Usually it’s a Crit on a 19 or 20.
### Misfire
Firearms are still returning to the world at this timeframe. Gunpower has just
been rediscovered, and they’re not exactly the best quality of explosives in the
world. Because of this, guns can be as unreliable as they are gamebreaking.
Every firearm Misfire on a Natural 1, rendering itself inoperable. It will take
a Short Rest to restore a misfired weapon to working order. (You’ll still gain
the effects of a Short Rest while your character is doing this.)
### Primer
Another quirk that comes with the novel return of guns are what guns the
gunsmiths are making: The cruder flintlock variety. (Note: More advanced weapons
are available, but more often than not, you need to find them, or buy an antique
gun that’s often auctioned.) Guns with the Primer keyword requires the owner to
have gunpowder, and wads (available in the Adventuring Gear section) and go
through the long process of preparing the gunpowder for use.
If he’s good for it, your character could do this priming in under a minute.
Unfortunately for your character, a round of combat is six seconds. Suffice it
to say that your character will not be able to prime another round in a normal
encounter. Normally. If there is a pause in the combat for more than a minute,
your character can use his reaction to prime.
A weapon that needs to be primed will have all the tools needed to do so
included. Gunpowder, wads, and ordinance are separate.
### Reload X
Some guns can stash more than one round at a time. A weapon with Reload X means
that when fully loaded, this weapon can attack X number of times before you need
to reload the weapon. Reloading takes one minute to do it by hand. There are
also ammunition clips and quick loaders that will allow a character to Reload as
a Standard Action.
Notice that, in the future, there is a good chance that other weapons will have
reload as well, such as the Repeating Crossbow.
### 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.
\pagebreakNum
\pagebreakNum
## Adventuring Gear
\pagebreakNum
\pagebreakNum
\pagebreakNum
## 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.
\pagebreakNum
\pagebreakNum
# PART 3
##### New Mechanics
\pagebreak
Storytime
\pagebreakNum
# General Mechanics
## Can you use the standard rules to play an Æthercoil campaign?
In short, Yes. You can. You may. You have permission to do so.
Æthercoil is based on D&D Fifth Edition, and because of this, you can use the
rules as written in at least the Basic Rules and preferably the Standard Rules
from the main Rulebooks without any problem. This is especially true for those
who knows D&D like the back of their proverbial hands.
However, Æthercoil is designed to draw younger players into traditional RPGs.
They’ve probably played a computer RPG and wants to transition to the tabletop
variety. Even with the youthful age of this edition, there may be the need for
proverbial ‘Training Wheels’ to help them learn the system, much like using
Trailing Wheels to learn how to ride a bike. This part contains several such
Training Wheels that can be added to the rules to help bridge Computer RPG
knowledge to Tabletop RPG experiences. These mechanics are further expanded in
the next part—the part for Dungeon Masters—to aid DMs in implementing them. Talk
with the other players and the DM so that the whole group can agree on which
mechanic, add-on, or homerule.
Another reason for these mechanics is to bring exploration and interaction up to
par with combat. Those are the three pillars of a good Role-Playing Game. The
Standard Rules has combat down all right, but exploration and interaction,
especially with puzzles, is a bit lacking. These mechanics are made to fill in
these gaps.
An Æthercoil campaign, especially a published campaign will have XP awarded not
just on resolving an encounter (with bonus XP if you resolve it without
attacking), but also on reaching a certain location, acquiring certain items,
solving trouble, disabling traps, getting information out of an NPC, and every
other instance in gameplay. In the published document, the XP awarded will be
listed right there with the item. While this will be touched in the Dungeon
Master’s section, more information on this Three-Pillar approach can be found at
the Wizard’s D&D web site:
> #### Awarding XP in Æthercoil:
> Tracking Experience is one of the more major
things Wizards dropped the ball on. At the start, the standard rules as well as
the initial campaigns, like *Lost Mine of Phandelver* and *Hoard of the Dragon
Queen*, award XP on encounters only. Over time, by the time of *Curse of Strahd*
and *Storm King’s Thunder*, they forgoed XP altogether and switched to a
Milestone approach, which has it’s own problems.
\columnbreak
## Reviving PCs from Death
In order to make Death more serious in D&D, Matthew Mercer created his own Resurection Challenge to make reviving PCs more difficult. It concerns a challenge ritual that requires the participation of up to three other party members with their own skill checks. Æthercoil will have a variant of this.
For the record, Death occurs at the third failed Death Save. In some cases, enemies do not intend to kill but only knock their victims unconscious. In this case, Death Saves are still rolled in an effort to regain consciousness; on the third fail, the character remains unconscious and recovers in time. Of course, there are cases where the character is Chunkied. This happens when a charcter is brought down to zero HP and the remaining damage equals his Maximum Hit Points. When that happens, the physical body is rendered so damage that no Revival is capable outside of *True Resurrection* or *Wish*
First off, each character must have the number of times that character was brought back from death by any means, including effects that do not require this challenge.
Revival of the character by any means has a DC of 10 + the Character's Proficiency + The number of times that person was raised.
When someone casts a revival spell that has a casting time of a Standard Action (such as *Revivify*) The Caster rolls Spellcasting Check (think of a Spell Attack) vs the Revival DC. On a Success, the spell is successful and the revived character adds 1 to the number of revivals he has. On a Fail, the spell cannot be used again, but a Ritial-speed Spell can be used. *Revivify* can be cast at 5th Level, in this case no check is required, but the number of revivals are still increased.
On Revival Rituals, such as *Raise Dead*, once the preparations are made and the spell is cast, the caster makes his Spellcasting Check. If the Check beats the DC, the spell automatically succeeds. The character is raised with the required Resurrection Penalty and +1 to the number of revivals he has.
If the roll is lower than the DC, but did not roll a Natural 1, the other party members can influence the roll by contributing to the ritual. It could involve prayer, loud damands, assistance in the mechanics of the spell, or any other relatable skill. The contributing character makes the appropriate Skill Check against the Challenge DC. If successful, the contributor adds the modifier of the skill involved, including Proficiency if applicable, to the original roll. If this pushes the roll past the DC, the spell is successful. Up to three members of the party can do this.
If after three parties make their contributions, but the final result of the roll is still below the DC, or if at any time someone rolls a Nat 1 including the caster of the revival spell, or if the soul of the character in question is not willing, the spell is a failure. The soul does not return and the character is lost. Game Over.
\pagebreakNum
Or not quite. There is one other way to bring someone back, which is possible due to the nature of the Æthercoil setting: *Reincarnation.* If the soul of the deceased character is found, this spell can be cast on it, and the soul finds himself in a new body. Of course, this is a body of a Level 1 character. There are other options available to the party if this soul is found, such as installing it into an automation such as an android, or by putting it in a Dragon Egg and hatching a Dragonjin. Any of these methods does not require a Revival Challenge, but does require a new character sheet with zero recorded resurrections.
And then there's *True Resurrection*. This spell can work without the Ritual, but it will still require a Revival Check against the current DC. Whatever the check passes or fails, the resurrection count increases by one, but the same spell can be attempted again. Party members during this spell can contribute if need be, as like a normal *Raise Dead*.
*Wish* can bring a person back without a challenge, and even resets the number of resurrections to 0, but the caster of the Wish will not be able to use *Wish* again in his life, even through the use of Magic Items.
## 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.
\columnbreak
## 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.
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# 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.
## How to use a Passive Check
Using a Passive Check doesn’t even use a dice roll: Just ‘Take Ten,’ adding 10
to the dice roll and compare that to the DC. If someone else assists you, they
get to add their related modifier (The Passive Check – 10, of course) to your
Passive Check. It can also be boosted by spells such as *Aid.*
If the Passive Check is not enough to be at or above the DC, the player can do
two things: One is to make a standard Skill roll. Replace the 10 with a d20
roll, accounting for any Assists or Spells. That roll is accepted even if the
result is lesser. The other is to record the current result, so some research to
add to the passive check, and then go back to the item in question and see if
the new Passive Check is enough. The player can only do one of these and cannot
do both. Of course, there are some circumstances where only one of these two
options are available for certain skill challenges.
If the player goes the “Let me read/train/practice/whatever up on it,” track, he
will find that there are plenty of places in a published Æthercoil campaign
where a character can hone his skills. Almost every town will have a Reading
Library, or a Sage running a house of learning, an elderly wizard who’d enjoy a
conversation to share his knowledge, local artisans to jam with, trademasters
who’ll share their work, and plenty of other opportunities to add a much-needed
point to a passive check.
These will especially be useful during Downtime, which an Æthercoil campaign
will make copious use thereof.
## Where to use a Passive Check
Passive checks come in three areas: Lore, Perform, and Crafting.
Since the passive checks expand on existing skills and introduce another, it is
prudent that you keep a list in the character sheet. Add a blank sheet or a Note
Sheet in your character sheet and make a list of all the related skills, each
with the passive check. Feel free to show your math with each line item, if you
wish. Write down *’10 + {The Ability Modifier} + {The Proficiency Bonus if
applicable} + {The number of points added to this equation, 0 being the
default}.’* At Character Creation, this list would look something like this:
Passive Checks
INT-Based (Lore)
Arcana: 10+3+2+0=15
History: 10+3+0=13
Nature: 10+3+0=13
Religion: 10+3+2+0=15
CHA-based (Perform)
Lute: 10+2+2+0=14
DEX-based (Craft)
Herbivore Kit: 10+4+2+0=16
Calligraphers’ Supplies: 10+4+2+0=16
Tinker’s Tools: 10+4+0=14
An added bonus of using tis list (which is easier to implement than adding a
specific page in your character sheet) is that this list is expandable, where
more categories and items will be added to the list. Therefore, having extra
space to add stuff and being able to change some of the numbers (as more points
are added to the passive check) would be a good idea.
\pagebreakNum
# 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.
## Instant Action Grid
Most of the times when give those most famous words in all Role-Playing Games,
(“[Ladies and] Gentlemen, Roll for Initiative!”) I have the need to have
something for monsters and player characters to fight with. Nine times out of
ten I didn’t need to have anything elaborate. I just have to drop in a chess
board, put the player’s tokens on one side, the monsters on another and lets the
dice roll.
Nine times out of ten encounters, and in almost all random encounters, just
having a blank grid of some kind is all that’s needed. While there are some
blank grids available to use, something as simple as a chess board can be used
in a pinch.
## 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.
\pagebreakNum
Green Spaces are towns, cities, villages, and other destinations. These places
are usually destinations along your travels and would have at least a place to
stay—a Tavern or Inn—as well as a general store, place of worship, NPCs for
quests or information, and plenty of other good stuff. Like with Mission Houses,
you can have a completely uninterrupted rest in this space. Some cities are
bigger and would have larger spaces and would have a lot more places to visit;
libraries, specialty stores, universities, monarchs for audiences, major guilds,
standing armies, and anything else the party can think of.
Not so in a Brown space. Æthercoil is a post-apocalyptic setting, where the
human race in all of Europe got reduced to one half million in living souls.
There are plenty of places where everybody in one way or another disappeared
from existence. These places were left to time and the elements to reclaim.
These are the ruins and there are plenty of them in any Æthercoil campaign
setting. Any of them have ample places for the party to explore and discover.
The Dungeon Master section will have ample instructions on how to construct and
seed a ruin and will have a sample ruin for the DM to plug into any campaign
when needed.
## 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.
About time isn't it. All those references toward Current Year politics and *finally* a Trump Joke!
A reminder though: If you at any time catch me as your DM quoting the Donald, you have my permission to shoot me where I stand.
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.
> Learn more aobut FATE RPG at
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.
\pagebreakNum
# 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.
> ### Link List:
> Get Magic Set Editor:
> The M15 Big Text Template:
> Needed Fonts:
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:
| Color | Type |
|:---:|:-----------:|
| White | Letters of Recommendation and Boons |
| Blue | Lore |
| Black | Pitfalls such as curses or rivals |
| Red | Magic Item that Requires Attunement |
| Green | Consumable Item |
| Gold | Treasure |
| Land | Quest, be it start, progression, or end |
| Artifact | Magic or Wonderous Item |
| None | Other Key Items |
# 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:
\columnbreak
- 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.
\pagebreakNum
# PART 4
##### Annex
\pagebreak
# 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*
___
- **Casting Time:** Standard Action
- **Range:** See below
- **Components:** V, S
- **Duration:** Instantaneous
___
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*
___
- **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.
___
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.
\columnbreak
### Evocation
#### Booming 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 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.
\pagebreakNum
> ##### 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.
\pagebreakNum
## Level 1 Spells
### Conjuration School
#### Conjure Arrows
*Any Spellcaster: 1st-Level Conjuration*
___
- **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)*
___
- **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
___
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*
___
- **Casting Time:** Standard Action
- **Range:** Weapon's Long Range
- **Components:** V, M (Ranged Weapon with Ammunition, the Ammunition will be consumed)
- **Duration:** Instant
___
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.
\pagebreakNum
## Level 2 Spells
### Abjuration School
#### Lesser Restoration
Spell Modification: *2nd-Level Abjuration*
___
- **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.
___
*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*
___
- **Casting Time:** 1 Action
- **Range:** Touch
- **Components:** V, S, M (300 GP worth of Diamonds, which is consumed)
- **Duration:** Instantaneous
___
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*
___
- **Casting Time:** 1 Action
- **Range:** 60 ft.
- **Components:** V, S, M (Feather waived in the air.)
- **Duration:** Concentration, 10 Minutes
___
*"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*.
\pagebreakNum
## 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.
___
*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
____
Domain: Arcana, Trickery; Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
____
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.
\columnbreak
#### Araushnee, the Spider Queen
Drow Archfey Patron Goddess
____
Domain: Trickery, Life, Arcane; Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
____
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
____
Domain: Trickery; Alignment: Chaotic Good
____
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.
\pagebreakNum
#### 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.
#### Eisenhower's Siblings
In classic depictions of Bahamut, he is accompanied by seven canaries, actually gold dragons in disguise who are the Dragonic All-Father's closest and most trusted assistants. In the Æthercoil storyline—especially when dealing with stories about Eisenhower—these dragons are in fact Bahamut's children, fathered with various other colors of dragons, and each will have highlights of their mother along with their uniform Platinum form. The following list is in birth order from oldest to (next to) youngest, with Ike being the runt of the bunch:
* Brokkad the Claw (Plat-Bronze, LG): Bahamut's Number One; he keeps track of the laws of the realm, and carries out said law on those who operate above it.
* Kuria the Eye (Plat-Silver, NG): She's the subtle one in the group; more apt for stealth and espionage.
* Sonngrad the Wing (Plat-Copper, TN): She's the capricious one, usually out exploring, but dependable as a messenger.
* Gruemar the Voice (Plat-Brass, LN): The negotiator and mediator of the group, although the others would claim that he's just full of hot air at times.
* Marroshok the Tail (Plat-Red, LN): The resident hothead, quick to defend his father, and his siblings, to the death. Which often means the attacker's.
* Troannaxia the Presence (Plat-Gold, LG): She sometimes backs up her close brother, Gruemar, when deeds are needed more than words.
* Urgala the Fang (Plat-Black, LN): The strategist of Bahamut's armies, her skill with tactics has few peers.
My, for a Lawful Good dragon, he certainly gets around.
\pagebreakNum
#### 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.
\pagebreakNum
#### 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.
> #### Campaign Seed
> With Yeshu, it is possible for Christians to have their own
campaign with Yeshu as the Deity: When Yeshu found out what happened to his
homeland of Israel, he broke his shepherd rod in the understanding moment of
anger. The rod became Æthercoil's Rod of Seven Parts. If the party gathers the seven
parts, and assembles the Rod, the combination of raw Godly energy and the
realm’s Æther can break the Demiplane effect, restoring Earth to its place in
the cosmology.
>
> But, would that be a good thing?
\pagebreakNum
## Licenses
### Creative Commons (BY-NC-CA)
The following is the human-readable summary of the license, available at [Creative Commons dot org](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ "CC BY-NC-SA 4.0").
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With this license, you are free to:
* **Share** -- copy and redistribute this document in any medium and format
* **Adapt** -- remix, transform, and build upon the material.
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Under the following Terms:
* **Attribution** -- You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
* **NonCommerical** -- You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
* **ShareAlike** -- If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.
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**No Additional Restrictions** -- You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits. (Note: This only applies to the document itself, since creating Homebrew D&D falls under the Open Game License.)
The Licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation.
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.
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### OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a
The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc ("Wizards"). All Rights Reserved.
1. Definitions: (a)"Contributors" means the copyright and/or trademark owners who have contributed Open Game Content; (b)"Derivative Material" means copyrighted material including derivative works and translations (including into other computer languages), potation, modification, correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or other form in which an existing work may be recast, transformed or adapted; (c) "Distribute" means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute; (d)"Open Game Content" means the game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such content does not embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works under copyright law, but specifically excludes Product Identity. (e) "Product Identity" means product and product line names, logos and identifying marks including trade dress; artifacts; creatures characters; stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, concepts, themes and graphic, photographic and other visual or audio representations; names and descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities, teams, personas, likenesses and special abilities; places, locations, environments, creatures, equipment, magical or supernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or graphic designs; and any other trademark or registered trademark clearly identified as Product identity by the owner of the Product Identity, and which specifically excludes the Open Game Content; (f) "Trademark" means the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are used by a Contributor to identify itself or its products or the associated products contributed to the Open Game License by the Contributor (g) "Use", "Used" or "Using" means to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise create Derivative Material of Open Game Content. (h) "You" or "Your" means the licensee in terms of this agreement.
2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only be Used under and in terms of this License. You must affix such a notice to any Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or subtracted from this License except as described by the License itself. No other terms or conditions may be applied to any Open Game Content distributed using this License.
3. Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate Your acceptance of the terms of this License.
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4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license with the exact terms of this License to Use, the Open Game Content.
5. Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing original material as Open Game Content, You represent that Your Contributions are Your original creation and/or You have sufficient rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License.
6. Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NOTICE portion of this License to include the exact text of the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game Content You are copying, modifying or distributing, and You must add the title, the copyright date, and the copyright holder's name to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any original Open Game Content you Distribute.
7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of each element of that Product Identity. You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute a challenge to the ownership of that Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and interest in and to that Product Identity.
8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must clearly indicate which portions of the work that you are distributing are Open Game Content.
9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized version of this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open Game Content originally distributed under any version of this License.
10. Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every copy of the Open Game Content You Distribute.
11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the Open Game Content using the name of any Contributor unless You have written permission from the Contributor to do so.
12. Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open Game Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open Game Material so affected.
13. Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License.
14. Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable.
15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.