Magic changes the dynamics of warfare by leaps and bounds. For every offensive spell you can think of, a world would inevitably be forced to engage in an arms race to come up with a counter. The most dangerous forms of magic I could think of for warfare would be fire, wind, and water. Water and...
I'll echo the sentiment that you can have world-building take place before creating a story board, or even going too deeply into what kind of story you'll be telling. This is especially easy when you're creating a world for a D20 session, as you can't predict how PC's are going to screw with the...
I have thought about this problem a lot in my setting, because both exist and compete quite frequently, with various results. Some of these results depend very heavily on the 'rules' for Magic.
Technology is hard to beat, even with magic, because you don't need that much extra training to use...
I don't see the harm in the idea itself, since there are many reasons why aluminum could be used as a coin. I don't find it to be the best suited for currency, but that's because it doesn't really suit "earth". Now, if we are talking another world, we are talking about a whole new ball game. We...
I've done a few, but only to account for ethnic/gene/culture diversity amongst a very large population. Even humans in my setting aren't always entirely "human" as it were.
I have a particular ethnic group of dwarves that aren't small at all. They're still stocky and muscular, but can range in...
Can't edit, so here's something that explains Shinji very well. It shows that is probably THE most believable anime protagonist ever written. It also explains exactly why no one likes him too. It is long. But if you want to watch it, watch it.
Edit: After watching some of the content, the URL...
I can't believe I am saying this, but you need to realize that some of this stuff makes Shinji sounds worse than he is when taken out of context (reason I didn't want to go into details on his actions). That said, Shinji, Asuka, and Rei have a very complicated relationship. Hell, throw in Misato...
I was having a discussion today with some friends after talking about a character of mine. Afterwards, I was left feeling... conflicted. Going to shy away from the details for now to focus on the core of what I want to know. How do YOU feel about the presentation of a villainous antagonist? The...
That is actually the point of it all. Several characters in the story use Nietzsche-ish principles to suggest that the gods themselves are useful, but only to a point, and that they should eventually be eliminated entirely, IF mortals progress to the point where the existence of gods holds no...
While it is very similar to how Plato's Republic operated, it is more akin to a Theological Republic than what Plato might have intended for his "ideal Republic". The fact that they are followers or any kind of ingrained religious system is what makes it a theocracy, of sort. I assume whatever...
Technology in Ynol is... complicated as the plane has gone thru several upheavals that have resulted in "dark age" periods. The first sentient beings, the Old Gods, were "perfect" creatures beyond most mortal comprehension. They were capable of rearranging the physical world as casually as a...
I wouldn't be so sure about this. It all depends on how you do magic in your world. If mages cast via long incantations, firearms are going to win out in any spontaneous battle. However if magic can be quickly executed with a gesture/thought, firearms will most likely lose, if the scope of what...
I see no problem here. In context, it seems fair, and even in our world there are a great deal many who would see it as a fair punishment. Now as many have already stated, are you trying to sell this society as being a fair one? Or are you trying to sell it as being a harsh and at times...
My setting Alchemy is a quasi-magic that has risen because your average person has limited to no magical potential. Magical potential is inherent, and cannot increase. You have a mana capacity (how much magic you can hold), a processing speed (how fast you can build incantations), and an...
I read thru a recent topic on if Gods should be "real" or not, but was curious about something beyond that question. If Gods are real, then what is their nature. How powerful are they? What is their stack in the world? Should they have any?
In my current project, I already decided long ago...