Oct 4, 2022 4:53 pm
Setting Information
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Oct 4, 2022 5:09 pm
This is Planegea—a primordial fantasy campaign setting for 5th Edition, where a dungeon means the curse-painted caves of a cannibal clan,
and a mindless, monstrous dragon is as likely to eat you as look at you. Gone are the safe hearths of taverns and libraries, kingdoms and cathedrals. Planegea is a place of utter wildness, where survival is the only law and it must be carved from the world by force of might and
magic.
Here, you must eat or be eaten. Fashion your own armor from fur, feathers, bone, and stone. Shatter your handcarved blades on the backs of your enemies in savage combat. Hunt primordial beasts, hold your breath as you hide from massive predators, and seek safety in numbers as you journey through an epic world before myth—a land of smoke, song, blades, dreams, blood, and magic.
and a mindless, monstrous dragon is as likely to eat you as look at you. Gone are the safe hearths of taverns and libraries, kingdoms and cathedrals. Planegea is a place of utter wildness, where survival is the only law and it must be carved from the world by force of might and
magic.
Here, you must eat or be eaten. Fashion your own armor from fur, feathers, bone, and stone. Shatter your handcarved blades on the backs of your enemies in savage combat. Hunt primordial beasts, hold your breath as you hide from massive predators, and seek safety in numbers as you journey through an epic world before myth—a land of smoke, song, blades, dreams, blood, and magic.
Oct 4, 2022 5:10 pm
UNFAMILIAR EVERYTHING
Nothing is as you expect in Planegea. Elves are shimmering dream-walkers, dwarves are half stone, humans are beast-tamers, halflings are silent stalkers, gnomes are filthy scavengers, and dragonborn are just a heartbeat away from their draconic ancestors.
There are no great, universal gods—only a patchwork quilt of local deities, often appearing in the shapes you least expect, with powers that are bought with offerings and strange favors.
In Planegea, the planes of existence have not yet separated, and a warrior can travel by foot from the Sea of Stars to the infinite, volcanic peak of Blood Mountain. But along the way, that warrior must battle everything—from cold, alien intelligences to the genie caravans; from the four empires of the giants to the monsters that hunt the howling peaks and roaring oceans that ring the Great Valley; from the cold, bony fingers of the Nightmare World to the terrifying jaws of the jungle known as the Venom Abyss. Every step of the journey is plagued with danger and death.
Nothing is as you expect in Planegea. Elves are shimmering dream-walkers, dwarves are half stone, humans are beast-tamers, halflings are silent stalkers, gnomes are filthy scavengers, and dragonborn are just a heartbeat away from their draconic ancestors.
There are no great, universal gods—only a patchwork quilt of local deities, often appearing in the shapes you least expect, with powers that are bought with offerings and strange favors.
In Planegea, the planes of existence have not yet separated, and a warrior can travel by foot from the Sea of Stars to the infinite, volcanic peak of Blood Mountain. But along the way, that warrior must battle everything—from cold, alien intelligences to the genie caravans; from the four empires of the giants to the monsters that hunt the howling peaks and roaring oceans that ring the Great Valley; from the cold, bony fingers of the Nightmare World to the terrifying jaws of the jungle known as the Venom Abyss. Every step of the journey is plagued with danger and death.
Oct 4, 2022 5:12 pm
A WORLD OF BONE AND FIRE
Planegea is primal fantasy roleplaying. Whatever you want to explore in 5th Edition—slaying monstrous creatures, navigating political intrigue, exploring ancient ruins, crafting enchanted weapons, infiltrating evil cults, battling, building, casting, carousing—it’s all here. Planegea rises out of our earliest ancestral memory, a world we can barely recognize, which holds all the adventure we can imagine.
You won’t find limitations on class or race in these pages. Rather, they are filled with ideas and inspiration for running a long and glorious game set before written words, hammered ore, and plowed fields.
Drawn from the traditions of sword & sorcery pulp adventures, infused with the blood-pounding thrills of life-or-death action, and caught in the jaws of primordial dreams, Planegea has adventures for everyone who ever felt the cold wind raise a chill of hunt and hope on their raw skin.
Planegea is primal fantasy roleplaying. Whatever you want to explore in 5th Edition—slaying monstrous creatures, navigating political intrigue, exploring ancient ruins, crafting enchanted weapons, infiltrating evil cults, battling, building, casting, carousing—it’s all here. Planegea rises out of our earliest ancestral memory, a world we can barely recognize, which holds all the adventure we can imagine.
You won’t find limitations on class or race in these pages. Rather, they are filled with ideas and inspiration for running a long and glorious game set before written words, hammered ore, and plowed fields.
Drawn from the traditions of sword & sorcery pulp adventures, infused with the blood-pounding thrills of life-or-death action, and caught in the jaws of primordial dreams, Planegea has adventures for everyone who ever felt the cold wind raise a chill of hunt and hope on their raw skin.
Oct 4, 2022 5:13 pm
THE CLANFIRE IS SACRED
Life begins and (if you’re lucky) ends at the clanfire. Every clan keeps a fire burning as hot and high as they can; the bigger the fire, the greater the strength of the clan. Clans compete to build the greatest fire, and dare young hunters to make dousing raids on the fires of their enemies.
For wanderers, the clanfire has even more significance—the light acts as a signal-fire, a place to gather and rest. It is a great tradition that strangers are welcome without question at the clanfire between sunset and sunrise, as long as they leave their weapons outside the firelight.
The clanfire is the heart of clan life—food, strong drink, stories, songs, ceremonies, disputes, judgments, dreams, and more are all shared around it.
The clanfire replaces the tavern. When looking for a place to rest and spend the night, seek out the nearest clanfire. You’ll have to leave your weapons behind, but strong tradition will keep you safe until morning… probably. It’s also a great place for gathering rumors, asking advice about the landscape and local gods, and bartering goods and favors.
Life begins and (if you’re lucky) ends at the clanfire. Every clan keeps a fire burning as hot and high as they can; the bigger the fire, the greater the strength of the clan. Clans compete to build the greatest fire, and dare young hunters to make dousing raids on the fires of their enemies.
For wanderers, the clanfire has even more significance—the light acts as a signal-fire, a place to gather and rest. It is a great tradition that strangers are welcome without question at the clanfire between sunset and sunrise, as long as they leave their weapons outside the firelight.
The clanfire is the heart of clan life—food, strong drink, stories, songs, ceremonies, disputes, judgments, dreams, and more are all shared around it.
The clanfire replaces the tavern. When looking for a place to rest and spend the night, seek out the nearest clanfire. You’ll have to leave your weapons behind, but strong tradition will keep you safe until morning… probably. It’s also a great place for gathering rumors, asking advice about the landscape and local gods, and bartering goods and favors.
Oct 4, 2022 5:17 pm
EVERY PLACE HAS ITS GOD
Planegea exists in an age of proto-gods, where divine beings are only beginning to gather their power and understand what it is to ascend to rule the cosmos. There are no great universal gods with dominion over entire aspects of reality. Instead, Planegea is an animistic place, with powerful spirits reigning as gods over local environments.
Many beings can become gods, in a mysterious process that is unknown even to the wisest of shamans. Creatures, plants, rivers, places—even objects and weather patterns—all of them can develop into divine spirits over time. But a few principles unite these proto-gods:
Gods are tied to a place. Once a spirit becomes a god, it is restricted in its movement to its sacred place—a forest glade, a cave, a bend in the river, and so on. They cannot leave these places, called hallows, so they call on mortal agents to enact their will in the world.
Gods barter with power. Since they are confined to their hallows and hungry for glory, gods are more than willing to help mortals—even passing strangers—in exchange for offerings and favors. The hallows of gods can take the place of a magic shop, where food and drink are blessed, totems are crafted, and weapons, armor, and other wondrous items are enchanted… for the right offering.
Gods consume gods. Some gods are content to remain in their hallows and commune with their followers, but many strive to grow their power and influence. Gods will often incite those within their influence to conquer neighboring areas, destroying what is sacred to them—damming rivers, cutting trees, hunting animals, etc.—to weaken them so that the conquering god can extend their range to the defeated god’s hallow and devour their essence.
Planegea exists in an age of proto-gods, where divine beings are only beginning to gather their power and understand what it is to ascend to rule the cosmos. There are no great universal gods with dominion over entire aspects of reality. Instead, Planegea is an animistic place, with powerful spirits reigning as gods over local environments.
Many beings can become gods, in a mysterious process that is unknown even to the wisest of shamans. Creatures, plants, rivers, places—even objects and weather patterns—all of them can develop into divine spirits over time. But a few principles unite these proto-gods:
Gods are tied to a place. Once a spirit becomes a god, it is restricted in its movement to its sacred place—a forest glade, a cave, a bend in the river, and so on. They cannot leave these places, called hallows, so they call on mortal agents to enact their will in the world.
Gods barter with power. Since they are confined to their hallows and hungry for glory, gods are more than willing to help mortals—even passing strangers—in exchange for offerings and favors. The hallows of gods can take the place of a magic shop, where food and drink are blessed, totems are crafted, and weapons, armor, and other wondrous items are enchanted… for the right offering.
Gods consume gods. Some gods are content to remain in their hallows and commune with their followers, but many strive to grow their power and influence. Gods will often incite those within their influence to conquer neighboring areas, destroying what is sacred to them—damming rivers, cutting trees, hunting animals, etc.—to weaken them so that the conquering god can extend their range to the defeated god’s hallow and devour their essence.
Oct 4, 2022 5:21 pm
THE BLACK TABOOS
The people of Planegea are no fools. They are intelligent, curious, and possessed of a strong will to survive. Yet they are locked in the Stone Age by powers beyond the reckoning of gods or mortals. Mighty minds and spirits of Planegea fight against these bonds, staying clever and inventive under the constraints they face.
There is a force in the cosmos known as the Hounds of the Blind Heaven. Nobody knows where they come from, or the origin of their curse. But one thing is certain: breaking the so-called Black Taboos rouses their wrath, and means certain death. The Black Taboos are these:
Writing is death. The dark magic known as "writing" summons the unthinkably horrible and merciless Hounds.
Anyone who forms a written word will instantly be pursued until dead by awful beings that seem to know the moment a glyph is shaped anywhere in the world. Pictures and patterns do not seem to rouse the Hounds’ ire, but any abstract symbology that can be used to communicate meaning over distance is a breaking of the First Taboo.
No number after nine. Holding up both hands and counting the fingers there ends in "many." Every number above nine is many. A family of more than nine is many. An endless sea of herd animals that stretches from horizon to horizon is many. A journey of countless miles is many.
For mechanical purposes of movement, range, combat, etc., numbers still have meaning. But in roleplay and conversation, anything numbering above nine is ambiguous and mysterious, and doing any calculation of high numbers is fraught with peril from the Hounds.
No wheels or money. Writing is not the only taboo that summons the Hounds. So too do wheels on axles and the creation or exchange of currency of any kind. Whatever the Blind Heaven is, wherever the Hounds come from, they seem utterly committed to keeping Planegea in its most primitive form.
The people of Planegea are no fools. They are intelligent, curious, and possessed of a strong will to survive. Yet they are locked in the Stone Age by powers beyond the reckoning of gods or mortals. Mighty minds and spirits of Planegea fight against these bonds, staying clever and inventive under the constraints they face.
There is a force in the cosmos known as the Hounds of the Blind Heaven. Nobody knows where they come from, or the origin of their curse. But one thing is certain: breaking the so-called Black Taboos rouses their wrath, and means certain death. The Black Taboos are these:
Writing is death. The dark magic known as "writing" summons the unthinkably horrible and merciless Hounds.
Anyone who forms a written word will instantly be pursued until dead by awful beings that seem to know the moment a glyph is shaped anywhere in the world. Pictures and patterns do not seem to rouse the Hounds’ ire, but any abstract symbology that can be used to communicate meaning over distance is a breaking of the First Taboo.
No number after nine. Holding up both hands and counting the fingers there ends in "many." Every number above nine is many. A family of more than nine is many. An endless sea of herd animals that stretches from horizon to horizon is many. A journey of countless miles is many.
For mechanical purposes of movement, range, combat, etc., numbers still have meaning. But in roleplay and conversation, anything numbering above nine is ambiguous and mysterious, and doing any calculation of high numbers is fraught with peril from the Hounds.
No wheels or money. Writing is not the only taboo that summons the Hounds. So too do wheels on axles and the creation or exchange of currency of any kind. Whatever the Blind Heaven is, wherever the Hounds come from, they seem utterly committed to keeping Planegea in its most primitive form.
Oct 8, 2022 10:05 am
PLANEGEAN PLAYER OPTIONS
These variant mechanics add unique Stone Age abilities into your game.
Star Stories
In Planegea, the stars are not fixed—the stories of great hunters and monsters are still being painted in the heavens. For now, the stars tell of the world’s events, and their rumors can be read by those with sufficient knowledge. Perhaps your character might even have their greatness told in constellations beheld by future generations.
STAR MAGIC
The stars inspire greatness. As an action, you may make an Intelligence (Nature) check to locate a constellation with a story or song based on one of the six attributes (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma). On a success, you can take 10 minutes to tell its story.
At the end of the story, make a Charisma (Performance) check. The DC is higher if your audience is exhausted, wounded, frightened, or discouraged. On a failure, nothing happens. On a success, all creatures who can hear and understand you are inspired by the tale and gain 1d4, which can be added to one check or saving throw of that attribute in the next 24 hours. This feature cannot be used again until the following nightfall, and when used again replaces any previous inspiration gained by this feature.
WATCHING THE STARS
The stars watch the world and gossip amongst themselves, and their dance reflects the secrets of mortals and gods alike. With cunning, a mortal can discover what’s happening in the world around them by scanning the stars.
If you can see the stars, as an action, you may make an Intelligence (Arcana) check to search for news, rumors, and secrets. Your DM will determine the outcome of the roll. The stars are untrustworthy and biased, and may communicate half-truths, cryptic fragments, or outright deceptions.
Primal Push
This world is a raw and wild place, where anything can happen and mortals can push themselves beyond the boundaries imposed on their descendants. Each class has access to a new feature that grants them additional power at cost or danger to themselves.
If your character multiclasses, giving you access to more than one Primal Push feature, choose one. Next time you gain a level, you may choose again.
WEAPON SHATTER
Martial feature, available to ascetic, barbarian, fighter, ranger, and scavenger
When you deal damage with a melee weapon attack using a magical weapon, not including those made temporarily magical by spell effects, you may throw all of your ferocity behind it and shatter your weapon against your enemy. Your weapon is irreparably destroyed and your attack becomes a critical hit. You may not use this feature again until after a short or long rest. The weapon cannot be repaired except with powerful magic such as a wish spell.
RAW MAGIC
Arcane feature, available to chanter, sorcerer, spellskin, and warlock
Magic is primal and dangerous, not yet bound by millennia of tradition and teaching. You may cast a spell that you know or have prepared for which you do not have spell slots, with the following effects:
• Level 1–5 spells: Take 1 level of exhaustion per spell level.
• Level 6 spells: Take 5 levels of exhaustion and fall unconscious.
• Level 7 spells: Take 5 levels of exhaustion, fall unconscious, and automatically fail 1 death saving throw.
• Level 8 spells: Take 5 levels of exhaustion, fall unconscious, and automatically fail 2 death saving throws.
• Level 9 spells: Take 5 levels of exhaustion and die. (Levels of exhaustion remain if your character is restored to life except by a wish spell.)
BLOOD OFFERING
Divine feature, available to druid, guardian, and shaman
Blood has powerful magic, irresistible to almost any god, be they good or evil. As a bonus action, you may spill your own blood to empower your spell. Roll a number of your hit dice equal to the spell’s level (minimum 1), and take the resulting amount as slashing or piercing damage as if from a magical weapon, ignoring resistances or immunities.
As a result of your offering, gain one of the following blessings:
• Gain advantage on your next spell attack or check.
• Impose disadvantage on the next creature you target with a spell effect.
• The effects of your next spell are as if the spell had been cast at 1 spell level higher than it actually was.
These variant mechanics add unique Stone Age abilities into your game.
Star Stories
In Planegea, the stars are not fixed—the stories of great hunters and monsters are still being painted in the heavens. For now, the stars tell of the world’s events, and their rumors can be read by those with sufficient knowledge. Perhaps your character might even have their greatness told in constellations beheld by future generations.
STAR MAGIC
The stars inspire greatness. As an action, you may make an Intelligence (Nature) check to locate a constellation with a story or song based on one of the six attributes (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma). On a success, you can take 10 minutes to tell its story.
At the end of the story, make a Charisma (Performance) check. The DC is higher if your audience is exhausted, wounded, frightened, or discouraged. On a failure, nothing happens. On a success, all creatures who can hear and understand you are inspired by the tale and gain 1d4, which can be added to one check or saving throw of that attribute in the next 24 hours. This feature cannot be used again until the following nightfall, and when used again replaces any previous inspiration gained by this feature.
WATCHING THE STARS
The stars watch the world and gossip amongst themselves, and their dance reflects the secrets of mortals and gods alike. With cunning, a mortal can discover what’s happening in the world around them by scanning the stars.
If you can see the stars, as an action, you may make an Intelligence (Arcana) check to search for news, rumors, and secrets. Your DM will determine the outcome of the roll. The stars are untrustworthy and biased, and may communicate half-truths, cryptic fragments, or outright deceptions.
Primal Push
This world is a raw and wild place, where anything can happen and mortals can push themselves beyond the boundaries imposed on their descendants. Each class has access to a new feature that grants them additional power at cost or danger to themselves.
If your character multiclasses, giving you access to more than one Primal Push feature, choose one. Next time you gain a level, you may choose again.
WEAPON SHATTER
Martial feature, available to ascetic, barbarian, fighter, ranger, and scavenger
When you deal damage with a melee weapon attack using a magical weapon, not including those made temporarily magical by spell effects, you may throw all of your ferocity behind it and shatter your weapon against your enemy. Your weapon is irreparably destroyed and your attack becomes a critical hit. You may not use this feature again until after a short or long rest. The weapon cannot be repaired except with powerful magic such as a wish spell.
RAW MAGIC
Arcane feature, available to chanter, sorcerer, spellskin, and warlock
Magic is primal and dangerous, not yet bound by millennia of tradition and teaching. You may cast a spell that you know or have prepared for which you do not have spell slots, with the following effects:
• Level 1–5 spells: Take 1 level of exhaustion per spell level.
• Level 6 spells: Take 5 levels of exhaustion and fall unconscious.
• Level 7 spells: Take 5 levels of exhaustion, fall unconscious, and automatically fail 1 death saving throw.
• Level 8 spells: Take 5 levels of exhaustion, fall unconscious, and automatically fail 2 death saving throws.
• Level 9 spells: Take 5 levels of exhaustion and die. (Levels of exhaustion remain if your character is restored to life except by a wish spell.)
BLOOD OFFERING
Divine feature, available to druid, guardian, and shaman
Blood has powerful magic, irresistible to almost any god, be they good or evil. As a bonus action, you may spill your own blood to empower your spell. Roll a number of your hit dice equal to the spell’s level (minimum 1), and take the resulting amount as slashing or piercing damage as if from a magical weapon, ignoring resistances or immunities.
As a result of your offering, gain one of the following blessings:
• Gain advantage on your next spell attack or check.
• Impose disadvantage on the next creature you target with a spell effect.
• The effects of your next spell are as if the spell had been cast at 1 spell level higher than it actually was.