WorldEmber 2023 Homework

Chapter #1: Area of Focus

First off this is my first WorldEmber so I am excited and nervous all at once. My struggles with getting the pledge image to work alone kept me up late last night. So my world is the main setting for the D&D campaign I run for a group of my friends. We've been playing in this world for about a year and a half now starting from level 1. They are currently level 10 and getting close to the end of the second arc. As a part of the third arc, without disclosing too much to them, I have some unique villains, magic effects, and spells. In essence I am creating an entire system to create and control clockwork creatures. Along with this I am creating spells associated with this system to make it fair, learnable by the players if they wish, and really challenge my creative juices a bit.

WorldEmber seems to be the perfect time to really commit to this idea and get it on paper and worked out. Plus the amount of expertise and skill on here will be incredibly beneficial and I can't wait to glean from you all out there. Thanks so much and happy journeying forward! I pledged 10,000 words for this at starting off on my first WorldEmber wanting to complete and not bite off more than I can chew.

Pledge

by WorldAnvil

Chapter #2: Mini-Meta

I had never thought about a mini-meta for larger concepts like this before. Really it is a great focusing piece and way of making sure you are hitting everything you want to. I know for someone like me who is jumping from point to point and has OCD it really helps me remember the direction and goals I had set from the beginning.

Scope

The overall scope of this project is to have a new type of magic, spells, stat block for automatons, system of creating automatons, and system for controlling them.

Themes and Mood

For theme the spirit of creation is among this magic system. Even though the PCs will initially find out about it through a villain, the system isn't inherently evil. It is also the combination of fantasy and artifice. Looking for like a version of steampunk but with magical artifice instead, not solely castable and craftable by artificers.

Goals

My goal is to have enough spells for a diverse casting experience. Along with that a plethora of created automatons for players to make and for varied mobs to face for the upcoming arc. Lastly, and most importantly, a rich narrative and description for this magic system that supports the technical aspects of it.

Chapter #3:

Upon looking at my homepage and going through the very helpful article provided by WorldAnvil I started to pick up on things that could help improve and entice people into my world.

Art

I had been working on this prior to WorldEmber prep starting. However it has been something that I'm working on daily to get things up to date and the way I would like them. Using MidJourney I am adding header art to each article and inside my article categories to give it a splash of color and examples of my world. It has been fun, but also challenging. Not only working within an AI generated tool, but also what art to put there that really speaks to the content included.

Pitch

I took a hard look at my current pitch and decided to change it up a bit and bring it up to date. Basically I had to explain, without too many words and jargon, that Zennith is actually my entire world, while Zhen Gho is actually one of three continents within it. This had been something I struggled with since the inception of the world. Originally it was going to be an Asian/Oriental inspired universe throughout. However as time grew I wanted to explore other options and cultures and bring them in other places. I decided that Zhen Gho would be one nation continent and there would be other varied cultures on the others surrounding. Those are still in the works (maybe another WorldEmber project down the road).

Chapter #4:

Playlist

I am a big one to work and listen to music. I have put together a Spotify playlist entitled WorldEmber 2023. Going to be the music I listen to whenever I am working on a WorldEmber material. I brought songs that I listen to now very heavily, but also went back to some college and high school for a bit of a switch. Sometimes I get into music funks and need some stimulation. I am hoping that this playlist will get me thinking in new creative ways and try new angles.

Organization

I am correctly in the process of getting a new routine for my work and writing schedules. I just lost my dad a couple weeks ago and it has flipped everything on its head. This is a great way to get myself organized, find the new routine, and move forward with the new life that is before me. He loved that I got to write not only for a living, but much more for enjoyment now. I want to keep writing in his honor and not get away from it. This has involved moving locations where I work in my kitchen, my office space, and time routines for when I work and when I allow myself to do fun writing for myself.

Research

The last area I have been working on is research. I am familiar with spells and monsters within D&D. However, in the vein of creating a new school of magic, many new monsters, ways to control those monsters, narrative for the history of this school, and anything else needed to complete the work I have been studying D&D material. I am looking into spells and their effects to find how they balance and how I can keep that going. I want this to be distinct and special, but not something that breaks the game. So been running encounters and different types of spells through players and my own tests to get an idea going in what the balance will look like.

by MidJourney

The Clockwork Commander harnessing the power of Automaktion