dnd – Solethania

Solethania Wizards Revisted & Magical Currency

February 5, 2019 Rinsland Barratores

I decided to drop the global population down to a more manageable 300 million. Mostly because I didn’t want so many middling to large up and coming cities scattered about everywhere. While contemplating this, I also decided I wasn’t a fan of the Wizard demographic level distribution (original post here). There were just too many low level wizards and not enough mid level ones to my taste. So I gave it some thought. I decided that you aren’t really a true Wizard until you’ve mastered some iconic spells, and had some time to truly get into your chosen Tradition (I arbitrarily chose level 3). Levels 1-2 are merely Apprentice Wizards, going through their formal training and education.

With the help of an old friend from college, I now have a new Wizard Demographic by Level table:

Level	Population
1	100,650
2	100,650
3	814,797
4	544,367
5	204,456
6	460,828
7	268,126
8	169,417
9	214,632
10	97,864
11	11,396
12	5,813
13	3,102
14	1,700
15	947
16	535
17	304
18	175
19	101
20	58

How this was achieved was by basing it on current real world higher academic tiers. 1-2 would be those going into college/university. 3-6 would be those with a Bachelor’s. 6-10 would be those with a Masters. 10-20 would be those with at least one Doctorate. The math was calculated using general pop statistics (levels 3-6), slightly modified Chi-Squared distribution (6-10), and straight Chi-Squared distribution(10-20). I do think this is a much closer approximation to what an actual global academia of Wizards and their power would be like population wise.

As a minor aside, the population of the United States in 2016 was 323.4 million, which I think lends itself nicely to do some comparisons. Namely, according to the 2016 Bureau of Labor Statistics, all Protective Service Occupations (law enforcement, firefighters, lifeguards, animal control, security guards, etc.) only make up about 1.1% of the population of the United States. So if you were wondering how common a Wizard would actually be, that’d be the closest comparison.

Now, due to the prevalence of higher level wizards (never mind all the other spellcasters in the world…), I don’t think a traditional coinage system would really hold any weight anymore. When you can just magic up or transmute metals and materials, raw materials are going to lose their value pretty quickly. So what can replace it?

My idea is the currency of Solethania, called the Litia. The Litia is a coin that contains a specific amount of magical power. That is, it is essentially a magic battery. A spellcaster isn’t going to want to waste a spell slot (expend the effort) for a lot of ‘mundane’ magical work. So they can just use one of those instead. I figure one coin is worth either a cantrip or lvl 1 spell worth of ‘pure’ magic (I haven’t decided). A wizard can then either recharge it later, or trade it off to someone else. Different levels of magic give it different levels of worth.
In D&D coinage terms:

Empty	1 Copper
Part Full	1 Silver
Mostly Full	1 Electrum
Full	1 Gold

Now, considering that what would traditionally be the ‘slave class’ of D&D worlds has been replaced by non-sentient magic powered golems, it’s a small leap to make them essentially rechargeable with Litia. Since that may get rather expensive for most to afford, it is likely only nobility or upper class that can afford them -perpetuating and strengthening the power of a feudalistic system of governance throughout the world as they would be ‘leased’ to the serfs under them.

Kingdom of Ailech

January 21, 2019 Rinsland Barratores

Current Ruler: King Cuan the Sage (Age 18) of House Kaeivar, son of the late King Conghalach.

Noble Houses:

House Kaeivar, led by King Cuan the Sage (Age 18), son of King Conghalach, and has no children.
House Celos, led by Countess Féthnat (Age 39) daughter of Count Ruairí. Her two children are Flann and Aodhamair (Ages 8 and 1).
House Betan, led by Countess Sadhbh (Age 25), daughter of Count Dubhán. Her only child is Niall (Age 6).
House Alphus, led by Duke Feichín (Age 12), son of Duke Uaithne.
House Gammris, led by Count Eachaidh (Age 20), son of Count Deaglán, He has no children.
House Nautus, is led by Count Affraic (Age 34), Son of Countess Brónach. His two children are Cúmhaighe and Éibhear (Ages 12 and 10)

List of major Cities and Towns:

Aspenreach (pop: 6800). Seat of House Kaeivar
Abercaster (pop: 4104). Seat of House Celos
Burnmouth (pop: 1828). Seat of House Nautus
Kyleceter (pop: 4478). Seat of House Gammris
Blackdhu (pop: 1980). Seat of House Betan
Ecclesfoss (pop: 2583). Seat of House Alphus

Standing Monuments

Monument of Caitlín (820 years standing). Located in Abercaster.
Colossus of Aislin (776 years standing). Located in Burnmouth.
Palace of Toirleach (766 years standing). Located in Aspenreach.
Fortress of Conchubhar (224 years standing). Located in Blackdhu.
Fortress of Aoibheann (39 years standing). Located in Kyleceter.

Ruins

Statue of Meidhbhín (stood for 56 years). Located near Abercaster.
Library of Umos(stood 460 years, destroyed by arson). Located in Kyleceter.
Monument of Eachann (stood 389 years, destroyed by earthquake). Located near Blackdhu.
Tower of Eibhlín (stood 44 years, destroyed by warfare). Located near Aspenreach.
Lighthouse of Cliodhna (stood 820 years, destroyed in an uprising). Located on an island near Aspenreach.
Arch of Muireann (stood 511 years, abandoned). Located near Ecclesfoss.
Castle of Seachnasach (stood 259 years, destroyed by sabotage). Located near Burnmouth.
Fortress of Caitlín (lasted 448 years, destroyed in war). Located between Aspenreach and Ecclesfoss.
Monument of Raghnailt (stood 217 years, destroyed in an uprising). Located near Aspenreach.
Citadel of Feichín (lasted 331 years, destroyed by lightning). Located near Ecclesfoss.
Arch of Damháin (stood 462 years, abandoned and crumbling). Located near Kyleceter.
Palace of Nóirín (lasted 81 years, until destroyed by witchcraft). Located near Blackdhu.

Exports: Iron, Copper, Timber
Imports: Cotton, Hemp, Precious Crystal
Local Adventuring Group(s): The Aspensong, Cainneach’s Crew

Aspenreach:
Over eight hundred years old, Aspenreach is a human town ruled by King Cuan the Sage of House Kaeivar. The buildings and walls are formed of a white stone, carved of an ancient and ornate stonework. In the center of town is a high quality fountain, with five tigers carved standing alongside its outer rim. The mighty and ancient palace of Toirleach rises slightly above the town to the west.

Ecclesfoss:
Roughly six hundred years old, Ecclesfoss is a human town ruled by House Alphus, and run by the Fighter Aibhinn, a local noblewoman. Its buildings and walls are made up of a stark and bare wood. Nestled into the east of town is a dynamic silver statue of an Earl, depicted teaching to the town elders.

Burnmouth:
Roughly three hundred years old, Burnmouth is a human town ruled by the sorcerer Count Affraic, Patriarch of House Nautus. It is nestled deep in the forest at the foot of the mountains. Its buildings and walls are built from a soft local wood, giving it a wild, but comfortable feel. Somewhat hidden away in the north of town is an onyx fountain made with superior skill of a bear sitting at the center of the fountain, watching the town with an expression of deep sadness. The Colossus of Aislin juts out from the mountains to the east.

Abercaster:
Roughly five hundred years old, Abercaster is a human town ruled by House Celos, and run by the Ranger Orla, also a noblewoman of the House. Abercaster’s buildings and walls are formed of a pricey brown clay, and in the center of town is a poetic brass fountain with two brass lions standing in its center. The Monument of Caitlín is located on the outskirts of town.

Kyleceter:
Roughly six hundred years old, Kyleceter is a human town ruled by the wizard Eachaidh, Leader of house Gammris. Its buildings and walls are raised up from a simple and local white clay. Placed in the center of town is a high quality beech statue of an ancient king, depicted watching a fox. The Fortress of Aoibheann is the newest major addition to Kyleceter, and has been carefully integrated into the town’s defensive systems.

Blackdhu:
Nearly eight hundred years old, this venerable old human town is ruled by the Rogue Sadhbh, Countess and leader of House Batan. The buildings and walls are a strong, but light wood. Just outside town to the east, an ancient and dynamic limestone fountain of six lions stands near a small river. Fortress of Conchubhar is located nearby, its squat imposing form standing at odds with the town and forest surroundings.

Solethanian Dragonkind

January 11, 2019 Rinsland Barratores

In Solethania, Dragons, Lizardmen, Dragonkind, and Kobolds are all ‘Dragonkind’ and are modeled after bee hives/ant colonies. These Dragonkind colonies are called Clans. The only true Dragon is the Queen, always female. They’re capable of laying thousands of small unfertilized eggs in a very short amount of time (and will do so once every six months or so), eggs that will always hatch into kobolds, dragonborn, lizardfolk, and wyverns. She will lay one fertilized egg early in her life that will remain dormant and hatch as a new Dragon Queen immediately upon her death.

Kobolds are the lowest rung of the Dragonkind ladder. Their lives are short even if they make it to old age, and they rarely do. They’re the grunts, servants, bodyguards, and anything dangerous will likely have them in the middle of it. A Kobold will always gladly do whatever its master (any Dragonkind of its color not another Kobold) desires gleefully even if it means immediate death.

Dragonborn are Kobold wranglers. They translate the plans and goals of the Queen into actions. They see to the care and growth of to the small cadre of Kobolds placed under their control. In war, they are the front line officers. Dragonborn tend to be strong sorcerers, wielding the power of the Queen’s bloodline.

Lizardfolk are the administrators. Their emotions seem distant and alien even within the Clan. They create the overarching plan of the hive based on the will of the Queen. They see to and coordinate the logistics and resource management of the entire clan, ensuring the whole thing runs smoothly and efficiently. Their sheer emotionless pragmatism is what keeps the Clan running like a well oiled machine.

Wyverns are the elite bodyguard of the Queen. There’s rarely more than a dozen in the largest of Clans, the average is closer to three or four. Their entire existence is built around protecting the Queen, and they are the last line of defense before the Queen herself. Many adventurers have mistaken Wyverns for Dragons, and most those who claimed to have ‘Killed a Dragon’ have only killed a Wyvern.

While all members of the Clan are capable of complete autonomy on their own outside the Clan, they are literally incapable of knowingly going against the will of the Queen, and by extension, the Clan. I will likely go into Dragonkind clan society and cultures in another post.

Letters From Draconia

December 29, 2018 Rinsland Barratores

Sir Avell Norclair,
Off. The Ivory Guard,
Mikayis, 2nd Frathes
Somewhere in Eastern Mountains,
Draconia Major

Dearest Sister,

It has been some time since last I wrote, as we have joined the Draconic Armies proper. You may recall, if my previous letter arrived safely, I mentioned the color of these creatures to be quite uniformly gold, the littlest of them to be called Kobolds, and the largest Dragonborn. Their faces are deeply angular and reptilian, not unlike old Wizard Nevell’s pets from our childhood. However, now that we have somewhat integrated into their grand army, I was shocked to learn they are not all of a singular color. Indeed, their coloration is that of what they call a clan or family. Each clan not only has a unique coloration (the one we were introduced to being the unimaginatively named Gold Clan) but temperament as well. In the two months of travel through these war torn lands to reach our assignment, I have determined the metallic colors to be the more friendly and amiable of the lot, while the more painterly colors are more alien, violent, and aloof.

Thus, dear sister, it was with great dismay to learn we had been assigned watch upon the snow covered mountains of Eastern Draconia Major with the White Dragonkind, or Clan White as they call themselves. We are assigned to guard these tall mountain passes with them, as the mountain climate here is not unlike our own, and we have great experience fighting in the kind of conditions that may arise. Of all the Clans I have met so far, none are like Clan White. They are, from what our helpful Gold Clan Kobold guide said, “The smallest in number of all the clans” because “The Queen is still young.” What the age of the Queen has to do with the size of the clan is quite beyond me, and I never had the opportunity to ask.

The members of Clan White are, like the gold coloration in Gold Clan, aptly named. We were met by a Dragonborn Sorcerer named Ethinon, and his cohort of Kobolds. Ethinon is a full head taller than I and almost twice my width, giving him a deeply powerful appearance like he could lift a golem by himself. But despite his immense size and number of Kobolds with him, we didn’t even notice they were there until we were nigh on top of them, so well and effortlessly were they blended into the snow. Their scales are a shimmery white, like freshly fallen snow, their tongues black, and eyes as deeply blue as the delphiniums in your garden. These creatures walk like ghosts, and we nearly lost sight of them traveling to our new fortification line. Their mannerisms are that of apex hunters, constantly stalking unseen prey.

But worst of all, dear sister, is what we learned very soon after setting up our encampment. The Kobolds of Clan White are cannibalistic. They eat their fallen in ritual meals, and turn the skins of their dead into leather pieces of armor. One of my men learned this horrific fact when he politely inquired to a Kobold about the similarity of its armor to its own scales. The Kobold apparently spent no small length of time regaling the poor man about the bravery and exploits of all the deceased Kobolds that made up this grotesque suit as if it were some form of great honor to wear their skin to guard his own.

Were it not for the greater Enemy we are so gallantly and dutifully fighting in the name of Eghrodro, I may have just turned our group around right then and there and come home, and gladly let the Dragonkind and the Demons and the Tieflings kill each other off.

However, it is not all terrible here, on the sunny days the view is stunning. I believe I can almost see the Midder Sea from our vantage point, and the mountains themselves are very much like the ones you and I explored in our youth. And you needn’t worry, and tell mother not to worry overmuch, for while there is some occasional fighting, it is much quieter here than it is nearer Ixubexo. I eagerly await any news of home and civilization you may care to send my way.

Your Brother,

Sir Avell Norclair
Off. The Ivory Guard

Solethanian Warforged

December 18, 2018 Rinsland Barratores

It wasn’t long after the group that became the Red Rock Golemancer Guild created the first golem automatons, that people, especially artificers and wizards, began to experiment with creating their own more… martial versions, often with large sums of money from local lords.

They ran into some issues though, because warfare is a vastly complex thing, especially with the inclusion of magic. Standard golems can handle an array of basic commands, and are capable of not putting themselves or others in danger, but could not (and still cannot) operate on a level that is in any way ‘combat ready’ or ‘intelligent’. It was also quickly determined that if one were to make a combat golem, there would have to be some organic components to prevent certain basic magics like Mold Earth (a cantrip) from immediately rendering them useless. A breakthrough occurred when a wizard discovered a process of rendering metal both liquid and cool, powered by a central source (this would become the heart of a Warforged), which satisfied some previously unknown magical constant of what constitutes organic (this being a world of ‘elements’ and not atoms). However, the issue of complexity still eluded these inventors, but slowly and steadily battle golems began to be added and used in minor engagements as experiments as complexity was slowly added.

Decades upon decades of research, study, and experimentation led to increasingly more complex and intelligent automatons, things that would later be called proto-warforged. However, there eventually reached a point where the magic was too complex and too little understood, and either by divine fiat or completely on accident, some wizard at a combat golem factory called Warforged Inc. created life. The wizard immediately tried to shut it down, but the newly created being killed the wizard in self defense. It killed off all the workers at the factory out of fear for its survival, and then copied its template into the system, creating more sentient beings. It didn’t take long for surrounding populace to learn something had gone terribly wrong at Warforged Inc, and try to shut down and destroy these new Warforged golems.

And thus what the Warforged call the War of Souls and everyone else called the Golem War began. After many violent years the war came to an end, with the Warforged being officially recognized as a new race. As part of the agreement, the Warforged allowed for the removal (but not destruction) of the Warforged Inc. factory from the Material Plane, and in return all major kingdoms ceased the official study and production of organic system golems or any golem capable of complex or martial commands.

Warforged, while capable of being any profession they set their mind to, tend to gravitate to one of three things: soldiering, crafting, or religion. Soldiers because warfare is an innate skill and part of their inherent design. Kingdoms will pay large sums to have them in their army. Craftsman because simple repetitive tasks with a mixture of creativity meshes well with their bodies and general state of mind, and their works tend to be consistent and higher than normal quality. They gravitate toward Religion because of a constant desire for affirmation of their sentience and soul. Being Creatures of metal and stone instead of bone and flesh, they are the closest thing the world is to monotheistic, in that it is uncommon for one to care about the other gods outside the Forge domain. Because of this Roadan and other subdeities of the Forge domain have valued Warforged highly, and some wizards and theologians suspect that Roadan may have had a hand in granting them sentience in the first place.

Being inherently mechanical beings, a Warforged is capable of customizing its body, leading to a massive variation in Warforged appearance and style. Though once they have chosen a ‘look’ they will rarely -if ever- change it again.

Demographics of Solethanian Wizards

December 10, 2018 Rinsland Barratores

I upgraded WordPress to 5.0, and added TLS/SSL (https) to the site, just to be more ‘professional’. I do actually have some professionally built branding I’m working on too that is in the works and should be finished soon. The main purpose of this post is to test out the new features and see how things look with the new text editor.

I was curious about how many wizards of each level exist in the world of Solethania. I know that there is a total population of 500 million (this encompasses all sentient life born from the Material Plane). Of whom only 7.5 million (1.5%) are both capable of, and desire to become, a Wizard.

Evenly distributing the levels 1-20 leaves an absolutely absurd number of level 20 Wizards (375,000). And I wanted to have high level (10+) wizards to be much rarer than lower level ones. So I decided it should probably be done with exponential decay. Pria Tama’s player was kind enough to calculate this out for me, because I am not very good at math. I chose to end the calculation with one Level 17 wizard, because that’s the first level that can cast 9th Level spells, and I arbitrarily chose to have only one Level 17, 18,19, and 20 Wizard currently existing in Solethania.

Honestly I think only Wizards, Fighters, and possibly Clerics can really be calculated this way, because of the nature of how other classes gain their powers and abilities. Maybe Rangers too, if I go by the number of wilderness explorers/mountain men of the early United States as a subset of the total population.

The number of Wizards per level in the world of Solethania:

Level 1	4,584,551	Can cast 1st level spells
Level 2	1,826,706
Level 3	682,164	Can cast 2nd level spells
Level 4	254,747
Level 5	95,132	Can cast 3rd level spells
Level 6	35,526
Level 7	13,267	Can cast 4th level spells
Level 8	4,954
Level 9	1,850	Can cast 5th level spells
Level 10	691
Level 11	258	Can cast 6th level spells
Level 12	96
Level 13	36	Can cast 7th level spells
Level 14	13
Level 15	5	Can cast 8th level spells
Level 16	2
Level 17	1	Can cast 9th level spells