#Arclore

[making-arcanum-the-ttrpg]

Welcome to the realm of Thoughts and Dreams made true!

Arcanum is a TTRPG inspired by others, such as D&D or Lancer, primarily being made by tumblr user @v-for-vibes, nicknamed Aggy here, and supported by @anarchyandbastardry, Hazel, (who is writing this post)

Arcanum is the name of both game and realm, where there are all the classics. Sentient, humanoid animals; fantasy races of Dwarves, Gnomes, Orcs and Elves; robots, and more, in a myriad of planets, divided into the categories of Worlds Majora and Worlds Minora.

Worlds Majora are the planets and areas the primary races of Arcanum originate from, and are the ones that are generally going to be more well defined and very centric to many events

Worlds Minora on the other hand are celestial bodies of varying size, from restaurants to moons to giant inhospitable planets

All of this is contained within, as the creator says, "a realm of real space within thought space," and the space between planets is indeed breathable, but still extremely cold and harsh without proper precautions. Outside of this is a realm of untold depth, where the minds of mortals can gradually create wonders that rain down to populated lands.

In this realm of infinite possibility, there's mystery, history, dragons, factions, danger and things far stranger than you may ever know

Currently Arcanum is being written up in Homebrewery, and once enough of it is finished and in a readable state, an addition to this pinned post will be added with the link to the Homebrewery doc

Asks will normally be open, feel free to ask about anything in Arcanum, both to help us cleanly explain aspects of the game and also to help us create stuff we may be missing

Finally, here are the tags we will use to organize shit;

#Arclore - specifically for lore, history, and stuff that doesn't fully effect the mechanics

#Arcmechanic - specifically for classes, subclasses, racial features, and more

#arcanum meta - for talking about things not necessarily related to game design; will likely be used sparingly

#Arcdesign - specifically for discussing the design process of things

And probably more tags later once this blog is more developed!

[hipertexto]

Antaño, si mal no recuerdo, mi vida era un festín donde se abrían todos los corazones, donde todos los vinos corrían. Una noche, senté a la Belleza en mis rodillas. —Y la encontré amarga.—Y la injurié. Me armé contra la justicia. --------- Es evidente que siempre fui raza inferior. No comprendo la rebeldía. Mi raza sólo se sublevó para saquear: como los lobos al animal que no mataron. ---- ¡Oh! ¡la ciencia! Todo se ha retomado. Para el cuerpo y el alma, —el viático,— contamos con la medicina y la filosofía, —los remedios de buenas mujeres y las canciones populares arregladas. ¡Y los entretenimientos de los príncipes y los juegos que ellos prohibían! ¡Geografía, cosmografía, mecánica, química!... La ciencia, ¡la nueva nobleza! El progreso. ¡El mundo marcha! ¿Por qué no habría de girar? --- por mi máscara, me juzgarán de una raza fuerte. --- Cuando aún era muy niño, admiraba al presidiario intratable tras el cual se cierran siempre las puertas de la cárcel; visitaba los albergues y las posadas que él había santificado con su presencia; veía con su idea el cielo azul y el florido trabajo del campo; husmeaba su fatalidad en las ciudades. El era más fuerte que un santo, más sensato que un viajero—y él, ¡sólo él! como único testigo de su gloria y de su razón. En las rutas, durante las noches de invierno, sin techo, sin ropas, sin pan, una voz oprimía mi corazón helado: "Debilidad o fuerza: hete aquí, es la fuerza. No sabes a dónde vas ni por qué vas, entra en todas partes, responde a todo. Como si fueras un cadáver ya no te podrán matar." A la mañana tenía una mirada tan extraviada y un aspecto tan mucrto que aquellos que encontré quizá no me hayan visto. En las ciudades el fango se me aparecía súbitamente rojo y negro, como un espejo cuando la lámpara circula en la habitación contigua, ¡cual un tesoro en el bosque! Buena suerte, exclamaba, y veía un mar de llamas y humo en el cielo; y, a izquierda, a derecha, todas las riquezas resplandecicntes como un millar de rayos. ---- ¡Perpetua farsa! Mi inocencia podría hacerme llorar. La vida es la farsa en que participamos todos. ---- Voy a revelar todos los misterios: misterios religiosos o naturales, muerte, nacimiento, porvenir, pasado, cosmogonía, la nada. Soy maestro en fantasmagorías. --- Tengo suerte de no sufrir más. Mi vida sólo fue dulces locuras, es lamentable. --- Tal vez yo debiera dirigirme a Dios. Estoy en lo más hondo del abismo, y ya no sé rezar. ---- ALQUIMIA DEL VERBO A mí. La historia de una de mis locuras. Desde tiempo atrás me vanagloriaba de poseer todos los paisajes imaginables, y me parecían irrisorias todas las celebridades de la pintura y la poesía modernas. Gustaba de las pinturas idiotas, ornamentos de puertas, decorados, telas de saltimbanquis, enseñas, iluminadas estampas populares; la literatura pasada de moda, latín de iglesia, libros eróticos sin ortografía , novel as de nuestras abuelas, cuentos de hadas, pequeños libros de infancia, viejas óperas, estribillos bobos, ritmos ingenuos. Soñaba cruzadas, viajes de descubrimiento sobre los que no existen relaciones, repúblicas sin historia, guerras de religión sofocadas, revoluciones de costumbres, desplazamientos de razas y de continentes: creía en todos los encantamientos. ¡Inventaba el color de las vocales! —A negra, E blanca, I roja, O azul, U verde.—Regía la forma, el movi m ie n to de ca da conson a nte, y , con ritmos instintivos, me jactaba de inventar un verbo poético accesible, un día u otro, a todos los sentidos. Reservaba la traducción. Al comienzo fue un estudio. Escribía silencios, noches, anotaba lo inexpresable. Fijaba vértigos ----- (poema hambre) Aullaba bajo la fronda el lobo escupiendo plumas de un volátil desayuno: como él ¡ay! yo me consumo. --- la acción no es la vida, sino una forma de malgastar una fuerza, un enervamiento. La moral es la debilidad del cerebro. ---- Mandaba al diablo las pa]mas de los mártires, los resplandores del arte, el orgullo de los inventores, el arclor de los bandidos; retornaba al Oriente, a la primera y eterna sabiduría. —¡Parece un sueño de grosera pereza! --- Pero ¿no es realmente un suplicio que, desde esa declaración de la ciencia, el cristianismo, el hombre se burle, se pruebe las evidencias, se hinche de placer al repetir esas pruebas y sólo viva en tal forma? ¡Tortura sutil, tonta; fuente de mis divagaciones espirituales! ¡La naturaleza quizá pudiera hastiarse! El señor Prudhomme ha nacido con Cristo. ---- —Es cierto. ¡Pensaba en el Edén! ¿Qué significa para mi sueño la pureza de las razas antiguas? --- ¡Ah! ¡la ciencia no avanza lo suficientemente veloz para nosotros! ---- Mi vida está desgastada. ¡Vamos! Finjamos, holguemos, ¡oh piedad! Y existiremos divirtiéndonos, soñando amores monstruosos y universos fantásticos, quejándonos y combatiendo las apariencias del mundo, saltimbanqui, mendigo, artista, bandido, —¡sacerdote! Sobre mi lecho de hospital, el olor del incienso retornó a mí tan potente; guardián de aromas sagrados, confesor, mártir … ---  —A veces veo en el cielo playas sin fin cubiertas de blancas naciones jubilosas. Por encima de mí, un enorme navío de oro agita sus pabellones multicolores en las brisas de la mañana. He creado todas las fiestas, todos los triunfos, todos los dramas. He tratado de inventar nuevas flores, nuevos astros, nuevas carnes, nuevos idiomas. Creí adquirir poderes sobrenaturales. ¡Y bien! ¡debo enterrar mi imaginación y mis recuerdos! ¡Bella gloria de artista y de narrador perdida!

Una temporada en el infierno, Arthur Rimbaud

[making-arcanum-the-ttrpg]

Arcanum: Foreword

Currently, Aggy is busy, so his trusted compatriot and resident transbian is handling this first post. Specifically, we both wished to present the introduction to Arcanum

"Table Top Role Playing Games hold a special place in my heart, though I only know how to play 2, D&D 5th Edition and Lancer. I’ve been playing since high school, and before I had even played in my first campaign I had been overcome with the need to make Homebrew for D&D (and then later when I learned Lancer, I started making Homebrew for that too), though I’ve never posted any of my Homebrew online. However as I created more, as I played more, as I lurked more in the communities for D&D 5e, I began to realize significant problems with it.

See D&D 5e has this philosophy, one of many, which is make things simple. However, I feel this has been taken to its extreme in a bad way, it has become too simple, to its detriment, making build choices less meaningful as everything becomes flattened and similar. Besides, they don’t even follow this philosophy very well when you consider full casters, considering how complicated they can get.

But anyhow, that is besides the point. I wanted to make a TTRPG than can do what D&D 5e does, but better-a lofty wish, I know. I wanted to make something where everybody can have fun and be powerful without needing to all be spell-casters. I wanted to make a TTRPG that lets the players do batshit insane things in a world with balls to the walls lore."

This is the first thing in the document for Arcanum, simultaneously a love letter and criticism of the iconic role playing game, D&D 5th Edition, written out by Aggy so as to show both his reasons to start Arcanum and to introduce what his goals with the game are.

[making-arcanum-the-ttrpg]

Arcanum's World's Majora

This is the beginning of a series of posts about the Worlds Majora, where the primary races of Arcanum originated. Generally larger than most Worlds Minora, and with a lot more history to them, these are the main places for adventures to begin.

Fulma and Dalrune: The Twin Worlds

Unlike later posts, this one will feature 2 worlds in one, as the world itself is 2 in one. One encasing the other, both the origin of iconic and important fantasy races

Fulma

Fulma is the sand covered outer shell of the Twin Worlds Majora Fulma and Dalrune. Hot, sandy, and difficult to survive in, Fulma is an arid place where little can be found between fonts of civilization. While from a birds eye view Fulma appears as a featureless planet of sand, on the ground all manner of unique environments can be found, whether they be the Sandstone Pillars of the west, the Blazing Brushes of the south, the Glass Spires so prized by the elves, the various cavernous holes that lead down to Dalrune, or the enormous World Cactus at the north pole (a still hot place).

Elves

The incredibly long lived native inhabitants of Fulma, Elves are a learned and odd people. Known for their vast libraries and impressive glass and crystal work, all of which are gathered or made with years upon years of work, study, and dedication, a thing an elf can do due to living for around 1000 years. Additionally, elves also have a unique biology, as they reproduce through spore like seeds, and as such never developed sexual dimorphism, meaning most elves align with more feminine characteristics (by human standards) by birth, but do sometimes transition through various means to a more masculine form.

Scoria

The more solitary inhabitants of Fulma, Scoria are a scorpion like people. Known for their more monstrous appearance and solitary nature (only being found in the company of another for extended periods of time when in cases of injury or mating season), Scoria are an intelligent (relatively) and reasonable (relatively) people, who act as a guardian of Fulma´s ecosystem and its travelers, as the amount of stories of a dying traveler being saved by a passing by Scoria are numerous. Additionally, do not confuse a Scoria’s more solitary nature for general anti-socialness or dislike of people, as in more recent times Scoria have been known to settle down in population centers or travel with others in caravans.

Dalrune

Dalrune is the frigid inner planet of the Twin Worlds Majora Fulma and Dalrune. Cold, windy, mountainous, and almost always covered in snow, Dalrune is a frigid place where-similar to Fulma-little is found between fonts of civilization. While from a birds eye view Dalrune appears as a featureless planet of snow and ice, on the ground all manner of unique environments can be found, whether they be lifesaving hot springs, the Frozen LunarIce Lakes, or the Abandoned Mountains where the Dwarves originally lived, or the new magnificent peaks where the Dwarves now call the capital of their civilization.

Dwarves

The stout and hardy inhabitants of Dalrune, Dwarves are a stalwart and creative people. Known for their impressive metal works, dedicated craftsmen, and quality booze, due to their culture, which prides hard work, dedication, and methodical work. Additionally, dwarves have a unique biology, as early on in their people's history they evolved the ability to change their gender (like a fish), causing them to develop a culture which treats gender more like a fancy hat.

Jelio

The odd and solitary inhabitants of Dalrune, Jelio are a jellyfish like people. Known for their less humanoid appearance and tendency towards a more isolationist life, only really interacting with other Jelio, they are an intelligent (relatively) and reasonable (relatively) people, who just often prefer to keep to themselves.