Levantis D&D at the onset of an Industrial Revolution

A high (weird) fantasy setting in an urbanized world, dominated by civilization with supernatural forces crawling at the edges or below the seams, waiting to overturn the recent rise of the humanoid nations.

The primary focus is on the effects of rising industrialization caused by the discovery of steam power in society, and the resulting conflicts between civilization and nature and the monstrous races.

Note that the advancement of technology does not mirror the path taken in our own world due to the presence of magic and lack of certain elements. This means certain discoveries are delayed, or even entirely invalidated by low-level magic. An example would be gunpowder, which is not available due to a lack of saltpeter, while more advanced alternatives are simply not yet discovered.

Not all races from the standard D&D setting are present. Those who are can be quite different due to cultural changes, but their physiology is still the same. All currently implemented races and sub-races are listed under Races and Ethnicities.

Levantis is a world where magic is widely available. While high level magic may be rare, lower level magic is near ubiquitous. Small cantrips are widely used for daily life convenience.

In larger cities food stocks are further amplified through use of Create Food and Water by experienced Clerics. These Clerics also provide resurrection services via Revivify, or in some cases Raise Dead or Reincarnate. Capitals and other large cities possess Teleportation Circles and sigil sequences to other cities. Merchant Guilds also make extensive use of pocket dimensions in the Plane of Holding for storage of valuable goods.

Industry has also been on the rise. The discovery of steam power has massively propelled the nations who have invested in it early, in terms of production. Production is also far more centralized in large cities now, from where the raw materials and finished products are transported via canals or the seas.

The newfound use of coal over charcoal has also been a huge boon to metallurgy, massively increasing the production of iron and steel. This has lead to cast iron being available for many civil purposes such as bridges, factory frameworks and iron aqueducts. The textile industry has also been revolutionized with the introduction of the power loom, and grain milling has become significantly more efficient leading to reduced starvation rates. Furthermore, the introduction of the printing press has had a significant effect on political participation and awareness in contemporary society.

However these advancements have also caused negative side effects, such as a decrease in job stability for the working classes or the worsened treatment of serfs in countries where those exist.

Furthermore militias are starting to be replaced by standing armies and the expansion of the civilized races means monstrous creatures are having a harder time of surviving.

In fact, monsters are actively being pushed out of their territory and nature has to make way more and more often for ever-expanding civilization. Survival favors those manage to adapt, such as Oozes, Trogs or Ghouls who live in sewers where they find their food, or Shadows who stalk the slums for prey at night.

But the beasts who can't easily adapt and whose territory people now encroach upon are starting to bite back, fighting for their very survival and hurting people in the process. Run-off from magical labs and mechano-magical experimentation has also lead to the birth of new types of monsters like blind pygmy crocodiles or human-sized rats, which are often found below these cities.

Meanwhile, Druidic Circles have to go to greater and greater lengths to protect the lands and groves they hold dear. Change does not always come easy. And the rampant change caused by industrialization may lead to a level of violence never seen before.

The existence and easy availability of especially low-level magic has a significant effect on the world around it and particularly the budding industry. Even common people can learn a cantrip with proper guidance, and trained Wage Mages are a common sight that are highly valued even if they have only a few simple spells at their disposal.

A basic cantrip like Mold Earth, which many are capable of casting, allows for easy construction of structures for supply storage or transport while significantly aiding irrigation and agriculture. It can also be used to create temporary fortifications in the field, and even many smaller villages will have some kind of dry moat or other defensive battlements. Mending means that machinery is in practice ever-lasting as any damage can be easily repaired and objects can even be intentionally broken to insert new parts or rearrange parts before mending it back to a serviceable state. Floating Disks are commonly used to transport materials and popular amongst longshoremen. And water is supplied in large quantities through magic. Ships often have one or two weather mages aboard, which can fill the sails with castings of Gust for faster transport or Gust of Wind for emergencies such as escaping pirates. Metallurgists also significantly benefit from cantrips as they can use Produce Flame to keep their forges stoked, while Gust allows them to cool materials more quickly.

Higher level magic is much more rare, but even a few solitary instances can have a dramatic effect. For example, the city of Corasonne is in the process of developing a steam locomotive using a bound Fire Elemental they have available. Even with just the one, if they successfully develop this, it would have immense effects on their in-land trade and transportation. Another example is Levitation, which allows for small-sized dirigibles to transport up to a handful of people while avoiding the busy streets.

The existence of Sending allows for good communication and coordination even over long distances or in difficult situations such as battles.

In a world full of magic some rules are meant to be broken. Mortality is one of those, but there are certain limiting factors to the use of resurrection services. First of, they are rather expensive, which means that only the middle and upper class can afford this, and only the upper class can do so comfortably. Use throughout the ages has led to some scarcity in the availability of diamonds, causing significant price hikes. There are organizations that have noticed this and saw the opportunity, such as the Diamond Vigil that originated from Middenland. The Delver's Guild as they are also called provides retrieval and resurrection insurances throughout many countries, and they hold a dominant position in the diamond market which forces the clergies to make exclusive deals with them.

Aside from economical considerations, there are also practical limitations. Any resurrection spell requires both the body to be present, which means assassins often take away the head, and the soul to be willing and available. Many prefer to stay in the afterlife where things are more peaceful unless they have unfulfilled business, and those who have bound themselves to otherworldly entities cannot be resurrected as their souls are taken upon their deaths. There are also very few spellcasters of a high enough level to access the more advanced resurrection spells and Revivify has a time limit of 1 minute, severely limiting its use.

Lastly, infinite resurrection is not possible. The soul degrades over time and consecutive resurrections have increasing side effects or even a chance of outright failure. Those who have died of old age cannot be resurrected either as their soul would immediately pass on again. There are also some cases where resurrection is outlawed, such as in many kingdoms or countries with other forms of hereditary succession where resurrection of monarchs is prohibited. This is usually done to prevent bloody succession wars.

Ah heroism, the trait many aspire to. Adventures in such a wondrous world are to be expected of course. The grinding of bonemeal beneath one's feet, a ruin full of arcane traps, and most importantly of course: loot. But that's not quite how it goes. Cities are built upon the ruins resulting from past wars of course, but leaving just any upstart to run around and cause trouble by fighting and looting is a recipe for trouble. Mercenaries are naturally distrusted, and self-proclaimed heroes even more so.

A&D Venturella Incorporated (and its many copycats) have brought significant change to this however. Their professional heroes are still unreliable and amoral at best, but within the limits of a set contract that details things like loot distribution and acceptable property damages. This has made them vastly more popular than your average mercenary. And since the person who has placed the quest also gains part of the loot, there's serious incentive to ask for help with any trouble one might stumble upon.

In fact it has led to a certain level of commerce and speculation. Placing a quest of course requires submitting a baseline sum to pay for the heroes, but the percentage of the hoard can be sold in advance at any price. If the hoard is expected to be large, companies may invest in a percentage hoping to see a profit. Often packages of different hoard shares are sold as loot funds, creating an entirely new and dynamic field of economics.

But at the heart of it all are the heroes. Those who stand up to help others, or at least themselves. Ones who are born with a strength beyond their peers, or at least a certain affinity for destruction. Beacons of light in an uncertain age, or well, maybe none of that. It depends really. They're affordable though, and that's the important part. Will you be one of them?

The most commonly used calendar in Levantis originates from southern Middenland and is named after the Gods for their role in creation. The Progenitor Gods are the basis of the twelve months, while the weekdays are named after the First Five with a slight nod to the Dead Gods (or Elder Titans) and the Fae Sidhe.

Rimuary-Gormas-Cinuary-Yuluary-Iuray-Kyden-Nerist-Alessuary-Skaraust-Nephidinn-Lyden-Hrimuary

Which corresponds to:

Rimorbus-Gormar-Cinarus-Yulavir-Iuras-Kydross-Nerissa-Alessar-Skarann-Nephini-Lydia-Hrimrur

Formday-Cropday-Truthday-Toughday-Changeday-Deathday-Turnday

Corresponds to:

Aurora-Sicere-Verio-Argor-Larum-Titans-Sidhe

These days also represent a sort of cycle. First something is created, something is formed (Aurora is the Goddess of Creation). Then the seeds for life (or something else) are planted (Sicere is the Goddess of Fertility and Family). We learn about the world around us (Verio is the God of Truth and Knowledge). We then have to suffer and struggle through the hardships of our lives (Argor is the God of Passion and Survival). But what we know may change over time or turn out to be untrue (Larum is the God of Lies and Change), this also represents the change from week to weekend. Until the (week)end comes, which is represented by the Elder Titans who would destroy everything if they were released. But after every end comes a new beginning, represented by the Fae Sidhe responsible for the turning of the seasons.