The Barren was designed for my homebrew D&D campaigns, specifically with the intention to allow classes, races, and items from several official sources while staying lore friendly to the Barren. Additionally, as a means to avoid excessive worry about realism in the setting (which I wished to at least be somewhat applied) every aspect in this world that
could be scientifically explained in the real world could be instead magically explained in the Barren, this could be seen most prominently in its geography and biology.
Magic & Technology
Magic is everywhere in the Barren, but utilizing it is no easy feat. The most common form of magic usage is through items crafted with enchantments by people who've dedicated their lives and craft towards the protection of those items (called
Forgers). But even those items, be it a sword that can split steel or an animated broom, are rarely in the hands of the common person. Learning how to use these items is incredibly easy as long as you've been instructed on how to activate them which can be through a command word or certain movement with the item. True mastery of magic is shown through the ability to alter an item's magic from its original intention. For example, if a wand was made to shoot an arrow made of fire in a straight line, a master of magic would be able to apply their own twist to it: multiply the arrows that are shot out at once, curve the arrow midair, have them explode on impact, etc.
As for technology, "scientific" advancement appears in areas where magic is less utilized. Take the city of Aekminur for example, it is the single most technologically advanced location in the Barren, utilizing steampunk jet packs and rifles. Aekminur still has enchanted weaponry for sure but has a noticeable difference in power between other locations and is typically used a lot less.
Gods & Goddesses
Deities have an unusual role in the Barren compared to other settings. Gods are not the omnipotent creators of the universe but are in a sense the staples of the universe's fabric. Each god (of which there are many) has their own domain in which they represent, if the god were to cease to exist, so would their domain. *For example, the first carpenter to ever make a door would become the god of doors, and if they are killed all doors cease to exist. Gods have powers that reflect the importance of their domain, so the door god example would probably have little change in their power as a mortal, unlike a god of love which would need more power to keep their domain protected.
Worshipping of gods multiplies their power while allowing worshipers who share the same alignment, personality, or virtues of their deity to gain a fraction of it.
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