I'm years late, but hoping Matt will like this, given his fondness for real sayings finding new roots in his world - "Those who can, paint. Those who can't, patron."
Wine IS CULTURE. Many fantasy world builders imo gloss over wine & strong drink in their setting. I brewed beer back in the 90s & even tho Ed Greenwood had detailed the FR so well that he had all these wines & ales I introduced my own spin on Sembian Ale, etc. Gave another detail point my players enjoyed. So wine my friend, IS CULTURE. 😊
Like American Politicians always say you are a nation of "People who made it" and "People who are about to make it"? At least from the outside it looks like an important American Value.
I've been working on some lore myself, and I was missing a pantheon... one day I started turning the word "winter" around, and compared it to different languages, and it all sprouted from there: winter, night, moon, hell, summer, victory, war, celebration, spring, harvest, commerce, fortune, justice,.... before I realized it, bam, 20 gods, complete with crests, worship chants and paladins. I literally jumped out of bed, grabbed a pen and started writing, still in underwear, so I wouldn't forget lol best single-handed brainstorm I've had in years.
have you considered Greed as a vice in place of wealth on this list? Hoarding wealth is a sure thing, goes against gambling, and is something that the guilds would be guilty of.
For Art, maybe there is a saint that could be comparable to a muse in Greek mythology. When you think of art in many form painting, music etc. there is always a great story or a great woman (the portrait of Madam X by John Singer Sargent) sometimes these woman were courtesans or woman from noble families.
Stealing from Shakespeare, maybe the evil/black gods are bastards to the more virtuous or “high” gods. Baldessare maybe the god of nobility but not virtue. In the idea of the 7 sins and virtues, there can be balance, i.e. the idea of fate/serendipity as opposed to conspiracy and subterfuge.
I am reminded of a phrase from Carl Sagan "In order to make an apple pie from scratch, you first must invent the universe." It seems you are in company, Mr. Colville. Nice work and looking forward to the conclusion.
Just wanted to drop some praise. I have been watching your running the game series and now I started watching this. Love your content. It has served as an inspiration for my own dnd campaigns and writing. Really appreciate your content.
On several occasions my players have wanted to create their own gods when they’re in character creation. Because of the expectations of my group and my game I have always been able to work with them and support their vision
I haven't played D&D yet, I'm getting into it, but I can't imagine NOT wanting to know the pantheon! For example; I love the game Skyrim of the Elder Scrolls series, part of my favorite part of the game is the lore! I know way too much about what and who the gods are, Aedra and Daedra, and I have favorites who I know various stories of, such as Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness, challenged Molag Bal, the Daedric Prince of Destruction, Domination, and Rape. Molag Bal made a hideous creature who was big and strong and had sharp teeth and claws, good old Sheo made a pretty delicate bird. When they creatures entered combat Molag Bal's creature kept attempting to attack the bird, but the bird was too fast. Then the bird landed on the creature. and the creature attacked it, the bird moved out of the way and the creature hit its self. The bird kept doing this until the creature killed its self and Sheo won the bet! The knowledge of this story does nothing in the games, but I'm such a lore nerd, I love to know as much about the gods of fantasy worlds as possible.
Wasn't that a contest sheogorath had with hircine? =p (Doesn't really matter ofcourse, it's still a nice story and the Elder Scrolls do have a wonderfully deep lore with great little stories/myths in it)
LOL - Now I'm imagining, what if deities did operate a sort of stock exchange of faith? Maybe they trade shares (followers) for favors/aid from other deities.
This.., is actually a brilliant idea. Gods buying and selling ‘souls’ for their portfolio, and the souls actions in life determine their ‘stock value’.
ProfessirRay it would be a great reason for gods to argue. Wouldn't want someone taking over your domain. Certainly be a way for less straightforward gods to have power.
As a web developer, the pain of naming things is very familiar and real to me. Honestly your process here is _very_ like my day-to-day (Googling and naming is 80% of the job).
This was beyond helpful, thank you Matt. Seeing your skilled and developed thought process is so interesting and valuable. I will absolutely take away a lot from this stream. Thank you again for sharing it with us.
58:45 is around where Matt mentions how he steals a lot of stuff from the real world. "Why not just have your setting in the real world?" Well, because we don't want to be in the real world. I think a lot of players want to be somewhere disconnected from our real-world problems, yet familiar enough for comfort. For example, one of the most popular fantasy worlds ever devised was J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth/Arda. He borrows a lot from real-world mythologies, even going so far as to state that, in his "setting", golf was invented by an oversized hobbit decapitating a goblin king with a club, causing it to fall down a rabbit hole. Just thought this was interesting food for thought :)
I simply love the fact that you chose to take inspiration from the Italian Renaissance, and not for a weirdly exaggerated, overly zealous pride and sense of patriotism. I got none of that, I don't want that. But if there is one thing I personally take pride in, and the reason I'm writing this (hopefully not too much) long comment, is the fact that the medieval Italian Renaissance translates incredibly well to a fantasy setting. I love that, and I thank you for having even thought of that, of this culture in particular. I've spent a number of years, both in school, during class, and on my own, to research and learn about those times. So, again, thank you Matt, and keep up your amazing work!
Matt, Thank you so much for putting this all together! I'm an artist who's focusing on making video games atm. and it's fantastic being able to see the process of world building. Like seriously there is not enough of this kind of content on the interwebs. Thanking you, you are THE dude.
I know it's been some time since you uploaded this! But "Rioja" it's actually a Province from my country Argentina; it's called "La Rioja" and it's very beutifull and have some breathtaking landscapes. I'm very gratefull for all your work, a group of friends and I are since the last year playing D&D thanks to you and it has been a wonderfull time!
sometimes I really have to take a second to say wow this guy knows how to make basically everything for dnd, and me having run the game for about a year makes me feel a bit overwhelmed. Then again Matt has been playing since he was a teenager, the amount of resources and experience he has is giant.
Sir, you are an absolute genius, and seeing your process of thinking just inspired me to work on my world. It's amazing how your line of thought is fast and flexible, and I am definitely watching this series over and over again, thank you.
(Commenting before watching because the title got me going. Will edit if necessary.) This is a good approach to take because whether you believe in certain deities or not, it is the culture and the environment that affect a region's gods. The behavior of the deities is influenced by the environment and vice versa. Another reason to begin with culture is because it 100% affects the gameplay environment. Your players will always have to deal with the culture. They may never meet its deities, though they'll certainly have to deal with how that culture interprets those deities. (Sorry, this is why I love D&D rpgs: the worldbuilding)
I really appreciate that I can see you read this one article about Italian names and I hear members/names of the noble houses in capital coming through already! I'm listing to this after already listening to Up to episode 26 of the chain and I Think it is actually more exciting than doing it in the reverse order I am glad I didn't know where these names came from and then heard them in context I believe them to be reoohen and now we're seeing how the sausage was made feels extra exciting.
I have a dwarvish god of drunkeness in my setting. His sacred animal is the baboon. One of my players, who was a cleric, went on a crusade against the god. Great time.
There is a yet to be named god in my worldscape of drunkenness, marry making and feasts. That god also happens to be the patron deity of the vinyers, Brewers, and distillers.
I played a dwarven cleric once that worshipped a human saint who converted the communion of dwarves into human religion by introducing them the idea of church vine... Some stuff happened.
I had an evil Cult of Dadd in my campaign. Dadd is a God of puns, and his followers are granted the Vicious Mockery cantrip. However, they must wear a Hawaiian shirt, khaki shorts, and sandals over knee-high socks.
Hey Matt, I have been a viewer/subscriber for a little over a year now and, while I don't play D&D, I love world-building and storytelling. I found this pantheon concept particularly interesting. I want to respect that your world is your world, but I saw you respond to some twitch comments and entertain their ideas so I thought I might add a couple ideas to the conversation. I thought these up, not because I thought they were just cool ideas, but because I saw logical connections between the culture/gods you described and certain traits. 1. Attaching cowardice to the god of treachery and planning could be an awesome connection. Through this, you could have visuals of schemers and planners being cowards in plays/operas and them inevitably being foiled by the power of Fortune. This would also give another reason for commoners to despise guild members, because they attempt to spurn Fortune and, like cowards, rely on a "sure thing." 2. It might be interesting, with the concept of nobility, gods, and the changing of nobility being so closely tied, to have a belief that, if a member of nobility, from birth to natural death, stays in nobility, they get a chance to usurp the place of their ancestor god or saint, who didn't do their job of causing the wheel of fortune to turn on them. There could be a symbolic duel upon their death to determine if the previous god/saint succeeded in holding their position, or if fate pulled them from power. This would allow the pantheon to reflect Riojan culture, and allow for intrigue in the current story-point. Maybe the guilds, which are so hated for their scheming, have had the power to take over noble lines and they are starting to have children in that lineage, who would corrupt the whole concept of Fortune & Nobility if they survive to old age to challenge their saints. 3. It might be good to attach the concept of the sea and the god/goddess of fortune. With Riojans being so primarily attached to the sea, maybe it is where their first view of the Lord of Fortune came from, dashing some ships to the rocks and speeding others on their way. The fickle and unpredictable nature of the sea might be a good metaphor for the Lord of Fortune. 4. This one is a little out there. You could possibly have a Dionysus-esque god related to bravery and ambition. They could view being inebriated as a enlightened state where planning goes out the window and the normal fears and inhibitions are thrown aside, allowing for them to trust fortune. Once again, I don't intend to tell you how to make your world, but I found it intriguing and wanted to add to the discussion. Thanks for all you do for storytellers Matt!
Wow, I can't believe it's been over 6 years since I last saw one of your videos. Guess I just got too busy when I finished school. I loved your maps and your M&B gameplay, crazy seeing your (admittedly old) comment on a random video. Hope you're doing well.
There were more than 3 moments over the course of this video, that caused me to close fullscreen to like the video, only to find that I'd already liked it. Sign of high quality right there.
a) I found this very valuable, thanks Matt. b) I really enjoy watching Matt trying to assure us how short the video will be while I'm watching how long the video is.
St. Cajetan is the Catholic patron saint of Gamblers. Gambling itself has no patron, but gamblers do. Also St. Balthasar is the patron saint of playing card manufacturers...because he's one of the "Three Kings." The more you know.
Haven't seen the whole thing yet, but as you mentioned that Riojans are too familiar with political intrigue, I immediatly though of a saying: "The only lasting king is Baldassure." or "Mortal kings come and go" as to reinforce the everchanging nature of their society.
Darn it, I will have to watch this video out of order now as one of my players has just asked an in game npc about how to worship. I am only on video 28. I am a first time DM with almost no experience in playing, we are up to session 4 in our game and i am loving the experience. Thank you Matt for giving me the confidence to build my own world for a later campaign whilst using a pre-written adventure for this one. I was panicking about having to build my own world for the first session and watching your videos made me realise I didn't have to.
Thanks so much for this video Matt! So useful for DMs who don't know where to start in constructing a world (like many of your Running the Game videos). I kept waiting for the word "passion" to come up. That side of their culture looks like it bleeds into many of the virtues that you've identified, but to me it seems like a useful word to keep in mind. Can't wait to see the next part.
I like the idea that domains are filled with multiple gods, and that each one of those are embodiment of a more specific idea. It reminds me of Greek Myth, and how you not only had the god of "War", Ares who was more about the brutal aspects of it, but you also had Athena, who embodied warcraft and strategy, Kratos the god of strength, Nike the god of victory, Deimos the god of fear in battle, etc. It definitely makes your culture more varied and realistic.
The reason is Matt, Early Medieval Italian Names are actually called Late Roman Names. The fall of Rome as a military Power was the ushering in of the Medieval period, the Italian names remained very latinated even through to today in their surnames.
Matt this is awesome, honestly this is what I needed. Thank you please continue this kinda work, where we break down and analyze how you do your writing. It gives me the opportunity to compare how I would do it that situation, especially when I'm currently stuck on how to build my own world. Again thank you
Question: What is the Riojan opinion on Science, Philosophy and Invention, seperately? If they hate planning and overthinking, those professions which require detailed planning and are built around thinking are practiced less? Is technology upgraded to look nicer, but is only as functional as it was centuries prior, because nobody is scientifically minded? Is intelligence celebrated or shunned? - Smart people learn to lie earlier after all. Are Riojans discovering things? Are Riojans finding out things about neighbouring kingdoms, strategising for conquest or at least defense, and if not does that make them weak? Will Rioja fall because of their unwillingness to strategise and upgrade?
Liam Needham And because magic is an equivalent to science, what is their opinion on it. I see them seeing sorcerers as men blessed or cursed, both being romantic characters, while wizards aren't men to inspire, instead men to distrust. Warlocks are somewhere in between, they have taken their shot and fate will decide whether it works out
Instead of intelligence, Riojans admire savvy. Riojans respect those who have figured it all out, those who have put forth successful plans (even through treachery). Every plan is a gamble, but better than that, a gamble you can always win if you play your cards right. I think that Riojans have a mixed relationship with science. If we were talking about modern science, which is gathering data and evidence to back up and test a hypothesis, Riojans would think it was a waste of time, as all good scientific truths are self-evident. A Riojan wouldn't discover gravity, a Riojan would know all things fall down. Riojans hate career scientists but love revolutionary inventors, as the scientist is hoping to figure out about the world and the inventor already has. I want to write more but I think this is good for now. Edit: And right as I publish this, Colevile says riojans hate planning.
Dan Scantland i agree that sorcerers are the ones who would be romanticised, since magic is not pursued but thrust upon them. Do they consider magic as a scientific or technological utility to be shunned or do they see it as an art form to create beauty from that which is beyond our conception?
Dan Scantland Also are there any spells that are shunned or feared? If they dont invent, do they have access to named spells like the mansion one (i dont know exactly what its called)? Maybe they do but drop the name so as not to celebrate the inventor, to them its just a tool. Are there any illegal spells/schools? Do they even have access to the full spell list? Are there any spells they have that other places dont? What is there opinion on illusions - decietful or wondrous?
MajorWX They admire savvy and spontaneous heart-driven crime. The pirates and swashbucklers and highwaymen and duellists are romanticised, maybe even celebrated (with statues and books and plays and guided crime tours). But do the victims of these crimes accept such a light approach? How does the romanticism affect the justice system? How much does public opinion sway the courts and the lawmakers? Are there factions and political disputes that wish to toughen the government up? Why arent they winning, whats stopping them?
I call upon Fabio, god of beauty and good hair, to manifest a light spring breeze that sensuously blow my silken locks back as I gently shake my head back and forth in slow-motion, drawing the gaze of all available women in the immediate area.
I’m currently running a campaign where all the gods walk around the planet and are the children of gods from the PHB And making them wasn’t to bad but from watching this I need to add more to them just in case I get a cleric This has been very helpful thank you keep up the great work
This is why in my Homebrew setting(s) I use the same sort of religious panteón; for each domain their is a church or multiple church, such as a church of life, church of war, church of trickery , etc. And some clerics still worship individual gods, but most clerics (and even Paladins) worship the idea of a particular domain
Matt, the concept of nobility and art costing money, and the whole culture surrounding that culture phenomena, is strikingly similar to athletics and sports in the early 20th century, with the rise of the professional over the “wealthy” amateurs. Love this concept in your setting.
One of my favorite elements from Raymond E Fiest's Riftwar Cycle series of novels is that there were originally 100 gods, 7 greater and 93 lesser. But then before Man arrived on the planet, there was a great war in the cosmos against an unknown enemy. After the Chaos War, only 12 gods remains. The remaining gods expanded their domains to absorb the ones that were no longer managed. The God of the Sea was killed, and so his domain was taken over by the God of Nature for example. I love this idea, and want to steal it. But I also want to push it into being a little ridiculous. What does it look like when the God of Sports and Competition takes over for the God of War? What happens when the God of Domesticated Animals takes over for the God of Nature? When the God of Travel takes over for the God of Death?
This was really interesting. Both as a world-building exercise and as a window into your personal perspective on religion. Thanks for taking the time to share it with us.
Yooo, this is sick. People should do writing streams! This really demystifies the entire process. Now I don't feel as bad that it takes me like 30 mins to write a page. Thanks, Matt!
Terry Pratchett reference FTW! Those books have given me a huge fount of inspiration for D&D worldbuilding and playing. Humorous but also deeply meaningful.
I think all of my players engage with my pantheon, because I don't like the idea that a character coming back from the dead is as simple as casting a spell, even if it's a very expensive spell. So except in the case of a wish spell or a true resurrection spell, I treat these spells as way to ask a god (and they can choose which one - doesn't have to be their own) to pretty please use their power to bring the character back from the dead. And whether or not the god does as asked depends on whether or not the god wants to, which depends on their personality, goals, relationship with the person being brought back and/or the person asking, etc. And when I explained this to my players, all of the sudden even the people who are not clerics or paladins want to know about the gods, what they care about, and how one ought to behave in order to make them very pleased.
Hey Matt, great video. As someone native from Spain I think that you may like to know that Rioja is famous throughout the country for having the best red wine. It might be fun for you to roleplay tavern owners that boast about their wines.
This gave me the drive to put some more work into my own setting. I'd love to see more streams like this where we just watch you do some worldbuilding or planning, it really gets my creative juices flowing. Keep up the great work!
Something I like doing for names is using Sean Puckett's Random Word Generator and putting in a number of names in from a real world culture or two that my fictional culture takes inspiration from, and it gives me a bunch of new names by combining ones from my list. I'm not sure how 'linguistically' sound this is but if I make a list long enough, I occasionally get some names that seem both unique and 'right'-feeling. Also get a bunch of ridiculous ones, as with all things you have to separate the wheat from the chaff. Was wondering if anyone had thoughts on doing it this way?
Love this video. Despite your intention to the contrary it feels like more of a discourse than your other videos (even if it is, bizarrely, with yourself, a very DM talent x) Really useful as guidance and reassurance. Reassurance because being DM can be isolating, literally spending your time with your mind in your own world.
comments while listening, which boils down to my interpretations of your ideas: - "They believe in upward mobility!" And downward, no? So they believe in the wheel of fate constantly turning. They venerate change, which ties into assassins and power changing hands. - "What do they think of wealth? They don't like guilds..." What if, for them, wealth was measured in leasure? And so being in a guild means you need to work to live. Questions that might be interesing to answer, these are interpersonnal and society-based questions that popped up based on the core beliefs that you laid out: - If Nobility and Art are major components to their culture, what are their responses to speech and emotions? - If a rough-spoken honest person and an elloquent liar present themselves to a riojan, who has better standing and why? - Is it acceptable to show emotions (semi-answerd with the adulation of Love)? If so, how? Modestly? Flamboyantly? With poetic speech? - Are there non-verbal cues or codes that a person needs to know to be fluent in riojan nobility? (thinking of Victorian flower speech, French noble fan language, and Italian hand gestures) - Honour seems important. Could there be a saint of honour? And what could be considered as an insult? Which goes to show how much can be deduced based on the society's core values, which the Pantheon represents. Thank you for showing your process.
Art is an end unto itself reminded me of another Terry Pratchett novel. In Maskerade, one of the characters has to explain to another that opera houses don't make money. "You put money in, and opera comes out."
Each culture had its own ideas on the gods, but these can generally be broken down into three very broad categories: The Greeks and Babylonians had the conceptions of gods we normally think of, kind of. They had "gods of x", and these gods were imperfect beings who could interact with and mate with mortals. These gods were also masters of nature, having power beyond mortal understanding. The Norse and Celts had an idea of deities as these beings who were powerful, yes, but more of Avenger-like super heroes and wizard-knights than forces of nature. These gods could be killed, and though they were extremely powerful- Loki could shape-shift into pretty much anything, Thor could create craters with his hammer, Dagda had a pot that could produce infinite porridge- but in the end, just a powerful race of humanoids that were to be respected and feared. The Turks and the Egyptians had more natural gods. These gods were forces of nature. Generally speaking, they did not breed with humans and seldom interacted with them, and were far removed from the material plane. These gods had few of the petty arguments of mortal life, instead being infallible, unthinkable evil, or amorally neutral. Most people now and days shift this notion, making all gods fit within the Greek/Babylonian model, making Thor not a strong god who wields lightning and a hammer, but The God of Strength, Lighting, and Hammers. Likewise, we think of Egyptian/Turkic-style deities as those that can be interacted with easily, so that you could have a casual talk with Horus or Umay. Try to think about these three pantheon models and decide which you think your campaign falls under.
One thing I like to do for engaging players with thing like gods, is if, for example, the cleric is playing a race/culture that I've not done much world building for, I have them help me make a god for their character. That way they have an attachment to the god in the same way that they have an attachment to their character. This can also work for other aspects of the culture.
Actually, scratch that. "Really interesting" is what I wrote when I wasn't even halfway through. Now that I watched everything, I really need to upgrade it to "fascinating". Also, I'm shocked and jealous at how much you get done in one hour and a half.
Great video, Matt. Thank you so very much for showing the creative process in action. For myself, the creation of culture is the cornerstone for my worldbuilding. Once you know the culture, the politics, economics, history and religion kinda falls into place. At least, that's _my_ mileage. YMMV.
Really looking forward to this, love to see more. 6:51 Gods evolve with the culture. Long before you hit the middle ages an ancient god of earthquakes would have either taken on new powers and new aspects (maybe become a god of war) or would have lost their god status but retained their powers either operating as an independent, usually evil or mischievous, entity in need of appeasement or acting as a servant to a greater deity. The Eutruscan god Selvans was a god of the hunt, master of the forests and wild places (similar to Pan, Cernunnos, or various other "horned god" archetypes). The Romans latinized his name to Sylvanus and under Roman worship he became a protector of boundaries. The ancient Jews were polytheists. When they switched to monotheism their god and goddess got merged into God, various lesser gods were erased, their powers/actions attributed to God, or their status reduced to angels and demons.
My favourite thing is taking the names of important figures during the 1st Crusade, as they are so old and steeped in tradition. People like Adhemar, Baldwin, Berenguer, Bohemond, Tancred, and so on.
I'm a big believer in just creating local gods for villages and regions. They almost always directly translate to gameplay and give you more options as a DM to crazy stuff with them since they're influence is more geographically limited.
Matt, I just had a great idea for the gemstone dragons. So you mentioned their inherent psyonic ability, which I am interpreting as telekineses as well as speaking through thought. With that in mind, a creature would not have to move at all, it could just will it to itself. That would explain why they don't have wings, don't use breath weapons and have gemstones developing on their bodies. They are so still that it allows for the gemstones to develop, and the wings to become useless, as the psyonics allow it that luxury. I hope this rambling makes some degree of sense, I am currently hopped up on caffeine trying to do some revision.
Only watched part of the video so far so he might answer it better than I can, but heres what I would do for the question of getting your players to care about the gods. If the gods are present and active in the world, then you should show them doing things (good or bad) even at low levels. Eg. A storm blows through, and as the sky grows dark over the mountains, you hear the cries of the preist. He yells, "The Storm God has arrived, join me brethren to send him on his way!" He is joined by upwards of thirty people, dressed like ordinary townsfolk except for the silver symbol hanging from their neck. They all start chanting words of an unknown tongue that together mimic the sounds of the storm until they fade together and become one voice..... If the gods are not present and active, then the followers are the active party. Followers can be small like town preists and ignorable doomsayers, or large like orders of templars, armies and church states. You dont need to have these events be so huge, or even have them be involved with the main storyline. Just including them as more than a peice of info in a book, can make them engaging. Treating them as characters or as part of the game world mechanics, rather than lore. If it doesnt impact the game in a visible engaging way, then players arent going to engage with it. Plus you can always put in the more detailed histories and lore in for the players who will explore the world beyond what they are playing.
So many questions, the signs of a great setting being formed. I'll just leave these here, for eventual musings and discussion. Are the merchants rewarded for being bold, despite (or perhaps because of) going against their culture? It seems like planning, divination and notions of long-term destiny clashes heavily with the Riojan culture. Is there a god in that realm, opposing the rest of the pantheon, which is helping the merchants prosper? Is there a god of schemes keeping both them and the assassins well off? Have the merchants adopted the faith of other gods during their trade with other cultures? Are there gods from outside trying to spread their influence to Rioja? Are the guilds seen as a threat by the nobles? They use money to make money, not art, and their influence is growing. If they are seen as a threat, would anyone actually do anything about it, or is the cultural focus on impulses enough to keep people from planning an action against them. What does Riojans think about art merchants?! Would it be a crime to sell art? Are there art galleries where the nobles make money showing off the work of artists they have sponsored? How high is the turnover rate on nobility, really? Nobles are expected to be or support artists. Artists are expected to die poor, regardless of success. Are there nobles that spend all their money on art, and fall into obscurity? Is that how the gods bring down the mighty? If so, how do they raise up the meek? Do good artists become nobles? How does the privilege of nobility work, in a world where everyone is (or is claiming to be) related to a noble? I have a hard time separating Riojan "Royals" (the ones who actually reside in the Halls of Nobility) from rich celebrities in my mind. If most people are set on replacing them, the Royals only seem to be protected by either money or personal loyalty. If so, is befriending Royals a way of becoming one of them? How central is gambling to the wheel of fortune? Are there nobles who gamble with their very titles?
"Riojans hate planning, hate administration and bureaucracy and outlines!" That line alone makes me wonder how they would build/run a city/population; how they would live, since money, and living takes planning and personal bureaucracy; if they are like a barbarian horde, or like a gypsy type civilization, former nomads who settled in a place they did not build. Not to say it's wrong, but I think it would be more natural to say 'they PREFER a relaxed living situation; Planning, administration, and bureaucracy are not considered a natural state of existence, but a price one must pay.' Add a bit of Eden in there 'The gods saw that they had spoiled their children, drunk with luxury and spontaneous pleasures, and cast them out from (eden stand in) to curse them with mortal woes so that they could better appreciate the gifts that had been bestowed upon them' But that's my thought. I thoroughly enjoyed this video. I'm told I do too much research for my stories, but this just tells me, I don't do enough world building XD Feeling inspired, thank you, and hope my 'input' was at least enjoyable (even though its like a year after this was posted, lol)
I was literally thinking about making a proper pantheon for my homebrew (40 ish hours ago) and wasn’t sure how I wanted to implement it in 5e without clashing with the gods other DMs came up with. So this timing couldn’t have been better for me!
When you raised the question of how Riojans view wealth, my immediate thought was that, in their view, wealth comes with nobility but is not the goal of nobility. Wealth is a tool or a weapon to be wielded, not an end in itself. One of the reasons the guilds are distasteful is that they ignore the virtues of nobility in favor of gathering wealth to themselves. I wonder whether the guild masters and merchants try to emulate the nobility and sponsor artists (who perhaps fall out of favor because of it) or if they spend their lavish sums in other ways. Do the merchants spend their wealth to compete with each other through constructing large artless structures, warehouses, ships? Perhaps their homes are gaudy without being artful. Merchants in private say to themselves and each other, "To seek wealth is noble."
In regards to naming I find my process to be very similar and I learn a lot along the way. Also, sometimes typing an abstract term into Google Translate provides pleasing results.
3:25 I find this very interesting! I would say your correct, people don't really have gods of abstract concepts, I feel like it depends on the nature of Gods in your world. If its the Gods who make their creations (mortals like humans, elves, dwarves etc.), I feel like it would make sense for Gods of abstract concepts as they are the creators and shapers of the world. If the mortals who's belief in gods gives them creation, then I definitely agree that there wouldn't be any abstract ideas of Gods. Either way, love the video!
I'm years late, but hoping Matt will like this, given his fondness for real sayings finding new roots in his world -
"Those who can, paint. Those who can't, patron."
Good comment
at 53:10 I expected the sentence to end "Vaslorians believe every man has his place, but Riojans believe every man has his time."
Same! That would have been much snappier!
Mage 424046 stealing that for my campaign (in some variation)
Excellent
Being from Spain, it is really weird to hear you talk about Rioja as a fantastical place (it is a region here, know for its wine and little else).
Love a good Rioja, nice full-bodied wine.
Wine IS CULTURE. Many fantasy world builders imo gloss over wine & strong drink in their setting. I brewed beer back in the 90s & even tho Ed Greenwood had detailed the FR so well that he had all these wines & ales I introduced my own spin on Sembian Ale, etc. Gave another detail point my players enjoyed. So wine my friend, IS CULTURE. 😊
@@helixxharpell I didn't say it wasn't (?)
So Riojan commoners think of themselves not as commoners but 'temporally embarrassed Nobles'?
Like American Politicians always say you are a nation of "People who made it" and "People who are about to make it"? At least from the outside it looks like an important American Value.
That's exactly what I was I was referring to Civer.
It's like the american dream but instead of making it rich, everyone aspires for true nobility
I've been working on some lore myself, and I was missing a pantheon... one day I started turning the word "winter" around, and compared it to different languages, and it all sprouted from there: winter, night, moon, hell, summer, victory, war, celebration, spring, harvest, commerce, fortune, justice,....
before I realized it, bam, 20 gods, complete with crests, worship chants and paladins.
I literally jumped out of bed, grabbed a pen and started writing, still in underwear, so I wouldn't forget lol
best single-handed brainstorm I've had in years.
I may continue this before next Saturday. I don’t want to wait a whole week before we continue, this may become a regular thing weeknights.
Matthew we are running a competition on Deities RIGHT Now for our guild member in World Anvil :D We will be sharing this with them. - :D
Thank you for uploading this so quickly. I started watching it with everyone but it was late here in the UK and I fell asleep half way through.
have you considered Greed as a vice in place of wealth on this list? Hoarding wealth is a sure thing, goes against gambling, and is something that the guilds would be guilty of.
For Art, maybe there is a saint that could be comparable to a muse in Greek mythology. When you think of art in many form painting, music etc. there is always a great story or a great woman (the portrait of Madam X by John Singer Sargent) sometimes these woman were courtesans or woman from noble families.
Stealing from Shakespeare, maybe the evil/black gods are bastards to the more virtuous or “high” gods. Baldessare maybe the god of nobility but not virtue. In the idea of the 7 sins and virtues, there can be balance, i.e. the idea of fate/serendipity as opposed to conspiracy and subterfuge.
I am reminded of a phrase from Carl Sagan "In order to make an apple pie from scratch, you first must invent the universe." It seems you are in company, Mr. Colville. Nice work and looking forward to the conclusion.
I LOVE this.
A
Had something else up on screen blocking my view and for a solid ten seconds was CERTAIN you'd listed "fate and Portugal" as godly virtues.
As a portuguese, can't say I would be against that xD
Just wanted to drop some praise. I have been watching your running the game series and now I started watching this. Love your content. It has served as an inspiration for my own dnd campaigns and writing. Really appreciate your content.
On several occasions my players have wanted to create their own gods when they’re in character creation. Because of the expectations of my group and my game I have always been able to work with them and support their vision
"How do you spell bureaucracy?"
"With a 'B'."
Charlie Turk /there's a b?/
I haven't played D&D yet, I'm getting into it, but I can't imagine NOT wanting to know the pantheon! For example; I love the game Skyrim of the Elder Scrolls series, part of my favorite part of the game is the lore! I know way too much about what and who the gods are, Aedra and Daedra, and I have favorites who I know various stories of, such as Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness, challenged Molag Bal, the Daedric Prince of Destruction, Domination, and Rape. Molag Bal made a hideous creature who was big and strong and had sharp teeth and claws, good old Sheo made a pretty delicate bird. When they creatures entered combat Molag Bal's creature kept attempting to attack the bird, but the bird was too fast. Then the bird landed on the creature. and the creature attacked it, the bird moved out of the way and the creature hit its self. The bird kept doing this until the creature killed its self and Sheo won the bet!
The knowledge of this story does nothing in the games, but I'm such a lore nerd, I love to know as much about the gods of fantasy worlds as possible.
Wasn't that a contest sheogorath had with hircine? =p
(Doesn't really matter ofcourse, it's still a nice story and the Elder Scrolls do have a wonderfully deep lore with great little stories/myths in it)
"Portfolio" makes it sound like Lathander has 900 shares in Light & Dawn Inc.
LOL - Now I'm imagining, what if deities did operate a sort of stock exchange of faith? Maybe they trade shares (followers) for favors/aid from other deities.
This.., is actually a brilliant idea.
Gods buying and selling ‘souls’ for their portfolio, and the souls actions in life determine their ‘stock value’.
ProfessirRay it would be a great reason for gods to argue. Wouldn't want someone taking over your domain. Certainly be a way for less straightforward gods to have power.
He doesn't?
Why can I only click once on the lick button for this comment?
As a web developer, the pain of naming things is very familiar and real to me.
Honestly your process here is _very_ like my day-to-day (Googling and naming is 80% of the job).
This was beyond helpful, thank you Matt. Seeing your skilled and developed thought process is so interesting and valuable. I will absolutely take away a lot from this stream. Thank you again for sharing it with us.
58:45 is around where Matt mentions how he steals a lot of stuff from the real world. "Why not just have your setting in the real world?" Well, because we don't want to be in the real world. I think a lot of players want to be somewhere disconnected from our real-world problems, yet familiar enough for comfort. For example, one of the most popular fantasy worlds ever devised was J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth/Arda. He borrows a lot from real-world mythologies, even going so far as to state that, in his "setting", golf was invented by an oversized hobbit decapitating a goblin king with a club, causing it to fall down a rabbit hole.
Just thought this was interesting food for thought :)
That is literally what Matt means.
I simply love the fact that you chose to take inspiration from the Italian Renaissance, and not for a weirdly exaggerated, overly zealous pride and sense of patriotism. I got none of that, I don't want that. But if there is one thing I personally take pride in, and the reason I'm writing this (hopefully not too much) long comment, is the fact that the medieval Italian Renaissance translates incredibly well to a fantasy setting. I love that, and I thank you for having even thought of that, of this culture in particular.
I've spent a number of years, both in school, during class, and on my own, to research and learn about those times.
So, again, thank you Matt, and keep up your amazing work!
Matt, Thank you so much for putting this all together! I'm an artist who's focusing on making video games atm. and it's fantastic being able to see the process of world building. Like seriously there is not enough of this kind of content on the interwebs. Thanking you, you are THE dude.
I know it's been some time since you uploaded this! But "Rioja" it's actually a Province from my country Argentina; it's called "La Rioja" and it's very beutifull and have some breathtaking landscapes. I'm very gratefull for all your work, a group of friends and I are since the last year playing D&D thanks to you and it has been a wonderfull time!
I'm currently tinkering with a game in a 1960s Africa inspired setting and this video really helped me naming the cities, towns and important NPCs
This is the kinda thing I love about this channel.
sometimes I really have to take a second to say wow this guy knows how to make basically everything for dnd, and me having run the game for about a year makes me feel a bit overwhelmed. Then again Matt has been playing since he was a teenager, the amount of resources and experience he has is giant.
Sir, you are an absolute genius, and seeing your process of thinking just inspired me to work on my world. It's amazing how your line of thought is fast and flexible, and I am definitely watching this series over and over again, thank you.
(Commenting before watching because the title got me going. Will edit if necessary.) This is a good approach to take because whether you believe in certain deities or not, it is the culture and the environment that affect a region's gods. The behavior of the deities is influenced by the environment and vice versa. Another reason to begin with culture is because it 100% affects the gameplay environment. Your players will always have to deal with the culture. They may never meet its deities, though they'll certainly have to deal with how that culture interprets those deities. (Sorry, this is why I love D&D rpgs: the worldbuilding)
I really appreciate that I can see you read this one article about Italian names and I hear members/names of the noble houses in capital coming through already! I'm listing to this after already listening to Up to episode 26 of the chain and I Think it is actually more exciting than doing it in the reverse order I am glad I didn't know where these names came from and then heard them in context I believe them to be reoohen and now we're seeing how the sausage was made feels extra exciting.
I have a dwarvish god of drunkeness in my setting. His sacred animal is the baboon. One of my players, who was a cleric, went on a crusade against the god. Great time.
Holy crap! Some of my players would absolutely LOVE a god of drunkenness! LOL Might have to steal that. 😃👊
There is a yet to be named god in my worldscape of drunkenness, marry making and feasts. That god also happens to be the patron deity of the vinyers, Brewers, and distillers.
I played a dwarven cleric once that worshipped a human saint who converted the communion of dwarves into human religion by introducing them the idea of church vine... Some stuff happened.
I had an evil Cult of Dadd in my campaign. Dadd is a God of puns, and his followers are granted the Vicious Mockery cantrip. However, they must wear a Hawaiian shirt, khaki shorts, and sandals over knee-high socks.
I hope the 'amen' equivalent of the followers of Adun is "En Taro Adun"
Adun toridas.
Nas beru uhn'adarr?
Hey Matt, I have been a viewer/subscriber for a little over a year now and, while I don't play D&D, I love world-building and storytelling. I found this pantheon concept particularly interesting. I want to respect that your world is your world, but I saw you respond to some twitch comments and entertain their ideas so I thought I might add a couple ideas to the conversation. I thought these up, not because I thought they were just cool ideas, but because I saw logical connections between the culture/gods you described and certain traits.
1. Attaching cowardice to the god of treachery and planning could be an awesome connection. Through this, you could have visuals of schemers and planners being cowards in plays/operas and them inevitably being foiled by the power of Fortune. This would also give another reason for commoners to despise guild members, because they attempt to spurn Fortune and, like cowards, rely on a "sure thing."
2. It might be interesting, with the concept of nobility, gods, and the changing of nobility being so closely tied, to have a belief that, if a member of nobility, from birth to natural death, stays in nobility, they get a chance to usurp the place of their ancestor god or saint, who didn't do their job of causing the wheel of fortune to turn on them. There could be a symbolic duel upon their death to determine if the previous god/saint succeeded in holding their position, or if fate pulled them from power. This would allow the pantheon to reflect Riojan culture, and allow for intrigue in the current story-point. Maybe the guilds, which are so hated for their scheming, have had the power to take over noble lines and they are starting to have children in that lineage, who would corrupt the whole concept of Fortune & Nobility if they survive to old age to challenge their saints.
3. It might be good to attach the concept of the sea and the god/goddess of fortune. With Riojans being so primarily attached to the sea, maybe it is where their first view of the Lord of Fortune came from, dashing some ships to the rocks and speeding others on their way. The fickle and unpredictable nature of the sea might be a good metaphor for the Lord of Fortune.
4. This one is a little out there. You could possibly have a Dionysus-esque god related to bravery and ambition. They could view being inebriated as a enlightened state where planning goes out the window and the normal fears and inhibitions are thrown aside, allowing for them to trust fortune.
Once again, I don't intend to tell you how to make your world, but I found it intriguing and wanted to add to the discussion. Thanks for all you do for storytellers Matt!
Great timing Matt. I am literally working on my first custom pantheon for a campaign setting. :)
Wow, I can't believe it's been over 6 years since I last saw one of your videos. Guess I just got too busy when I finished school. I loved your maps and your M&B gameplay, crazy seeing your (admittedly old) comment on a random video. Hope you're doing well.
There were more than 3 moments over the course of this video, that caused me to close fullscreen to like the video, only to find that I'd already liked it. Sign of high quality right there.
a) I found this very valuable, thanks Matt.
b) I really enjoy watching Matt trying to assure us how short the video will be while I'm watching how long the video is.
"No no no, pistols right now" Has got to be one of my favorite things I've heard you say.
"The Saint of gambling", now I know what to aspire for :D
Irawulf Ecaflip
St. Cajetan is the Catholic patron saint of Gamblers. Gambling itself has no patron, but gamblers do. Also St. Balthasar is the patron saint of playing card manufacturers...because he's one of the "Three Kings." The more you know.
I want that saint to be called Eadric Vegas
Haven't seen the whole thing yet, but as you mentioned that Riojans are too familiar with political intrigue, I immediatly though of a saying: "The only lasting king is Baldassure." or "Mortal kings come and go" as to reinforce the everchanging nature of their society.
Victor Braz Hail Noxus. Hail the Triferix
Tyler H Strength, Vision and Guile.
Darn it, I will have to watch this video out of order now as one of my players has just asked an in game npc about how to worship. I am only on video 28. I am a first time DM with almost no experience in playing, we are up to session 4 in our game and i am loving the experience. Thank you Matt for giving me the confidence to build my own world for a later campaign whilst using a pre-written adventure for this one. I was panicking about having to build my own world for the first session and watching your videos made me realise I didn't have to.
Thanks so much for this video Matt! So useful for DMs who don't know where to start in constructing a world (like many of your Running the Game videos). I kept waiting for the word "passion" to come up. That side of their culture looks like it bleeds into many of the virtues that you've identified, but to me it seems like a useful word to keep in mind. Can't wait to see the next part.
I like the idea that domains are filled with multiple gods, and that each one of those are embodiment of a more specific idea. It reminds me of Greek Myth, and how you not only had the god of "War", Ares who was more about the brutal aspects of it, but you also had Athena, who embodied warcraft and strategy, Kratos the god of strength, Nike the god of victory, Deimos the god of fear in battle, etc. It definitely makes your culture more varied and realistic.
Ok, this is my favorite type of video I've seen you make so far, it's so involved and detailed from both a DM and a writer point of view.
Oh man, I want to play in your Riojan cluture! The Pratchett reference was perfect, so evocative.
I absolutely love you audio. Most everyone else sounds like they are transmitting through a tin can. Also - no adds. Love it.
I have literally been putting off my pantheon section. Then I saw this, you sir are awesome thank you.
I've literally been slowly reading through priest and it wasn't until this video that it dawned on me they're set in your campaign world...
I plan on DM'ing my first session EVER next month. You have made me a much better DM before I ever started, so thank you!
The reason is Matt, Early Medieval Italian Names are actually called Late Roman Names. The fall of Rome as a military Power was the ushering in of the Medieval period, the Italian names remained very latinated even through to today in their surnames.
Matt this is awesome, honestly this is what I needed. Thank you please continue this kinda work, where we break down and analyze how you do your writing. It gives me the opportunity to compare how I would do it that situation, especially when I'm currently stuck on how to build my own world. Again thank you
Question: What is the Riojan opinion on Science, Philosophy and Invention, seperately? If they hate planning and overthinking, those professions which require detailed planning and are built around thinking are practiced less? Is technology upgraded to look nicer, but is only as functional as it was centuries prior, because nobody is scientifically minded? Is intelligence celebrated or shunned? - Smart people learn to lie earlier after all. Are Riojans discovering things? Are Riojans finding out things about neighbouring kingdoms, strategising for conquest or at least defense, and if not does that make them weak? Will Rioja fall because of their unwillingness to strategise and upgrade?
Liam Needham And because magic is an equivalent to science, what is their opinion on it. I see them seeing sorcerers as men blessed or cursed, both being romantic characters, while wizards aren't men to inspire, instead men to distrust. Warlocks are somewhere in between, they have taken their shot and fate will decide whether it works out
Instead of intelligence, Riojans admire savvy. Riojans respect those who have figured it all out, those who have put forth successful plans (even through treachery). Every plan is a gamble, but better than that, a gamble you can always win if you play your cards right.
I think that Riojans have a mixed relationship with science.
If we were talking about modern science, which is gathering data and evidence to back up and test a hypothesis, Riojans would think it was a waste of time, as all good scientific truths are self-evident. A Riojan wouldn't discover gravity, a Riojan would know all things fall down. Riojans hate career scientists but love revolutionary inventors, as the scientist is hoping to figure out about the world and the inventor already has.
I want to write more but I think this is good for now.
Edit:
And right as I publish this, Colevile says riojans hate planning.
Dan Scantland i agree that sorcerers are the ones who would be romanticised, since magic is not pursued but thrust upon them. Do they consider magic as a scientific or technological utility to be shunned or do they see it as an art form to create beauty from that which is beyond our conception?
Dan Scantland Also are there any spells that are shunned or feared? If they dont invent, do they have access to named spells like the mansion one (i dont know exactly what its called)? Maybe they do but drop the name so as not to celebrate the inventor, to them its just a tool. Are there any illegal spells/schools? Do they even have access to the full spell list? Are there any spells they have that other places dont? What is there opinion on illusions - decietful or wondrous?
MajorWX They admire savvy and spontaneous heart-driven crime. The pirates and swashbucklers and highwaymen and duellists are romanticised, maybe even celebrated (with statues and books and plays and guided crime tours). But do the victims of these crimes accept such a light approach? How does the romanticism affect the justice system? How much does public opinion sway the courts and the lawmakers? Are there factions and political disputes that wish to toughen the government up? Why arent they winning, whats stopping them?
I call upon Fabio, god of beauty and good hair, to manifest a light spring breeze that sensuously blow my silken locks back as I gently shake my head back and forth in slow-motion, drawing the gaze of all available women in the immediate area.
XD
All hail fabio 'the peerless'
how are his followers/priests/vestals called?
"The Fabulous".
XD
EXACTLY! XD
Great video, thank you. It seems like the theme running through all the Riojan virtues is "passion".
I’m currently running a campaign where all the gods walk around the planet and are the children of gods from the PHB
And making them wasn’t to bad but from watching this I need to add more to them just in case I get a cleric
This has been very helpful thank you keep up the great work
Oh man, I'm about to paint miniatures for the entire day, what a great start to have this in the background!
This is why in my Homebrew setting(s) I use the same sort of religious panteón; for each domain their is a church or multiple church, such as a church of life, church of war, church of trickery , etc. And some clerics still worship individual gods, but most clerics (and even Paladins) worship the idea of a particular domain
Matt, the concept of nobility and art costing money, and the whole culture surrounding that culture phenomena, is strikingly similar to athletics and sports in the early 20th century, with the rise of the professional over the “wealthy” amateurs. Love this concept in your setting.
Really enjoyed watching your thought process! Would definitely watch another If you made this a thing.
One of my favorite elements from Raymond E Fiest's Riftwar Cycle series of novels is that there were originally 100 gods, 7 greater and 93 lesser. But then before Man arrived on the planet, there was a great war in the cosmos against an unknown enemy. After the Chaos War, only 12 gods remains. The remaining gods expanded their domains to absorb the ones that were no longer managed. The God of the Sea was killed, and so his domain was taken over by the God of Nature for example.
I love this idea, and want to steal it. But I also want to push it into being a little ridiculous. What does it look like when the God of Sports and Competition takes over for the God of War? What happens when the God of Domesticated Animals takes over for the God of Nature? When the God of Travel takes over for the God of Death?
+1 for a fun idea. +1,000 for any reference to the Riftwar Saga.
What happens when the God of Travel takes over for the God of Death? He kills settlers. Everyone must be nomadic!
DrLipkin if i remember correctly, Midkemia is based on a homebrewed game that Feist played
This was really interesting. Both as a world-building exercise and as a window into your personal perspective on religion. Thanks for taking the time to share it with us.
Yooo, this is sick. People should do writing streams! This really demystifies the entire process. Now I don't feel as bad that it takes me like 30 mins to write a page. Thanks, Matt!
Terry Pratchett reference FTW! Those books have given me a huge fount of inspiration for D&D worldbuilding and playing. Humorous but also deeply meaningful.
I think all of my players engage with my pantheon, because I don't like the idea that a character coming back from the dead is as simple as casting a spell, even if it's a very expensive spell. So except in the case of a wish spell or a true resurrection spell, I treat these spells as way to ask a god (and they can choose which one - doesn't have to be their own) to pretty please use their power to bring the character back from the dead. And whether or not the god does as asked depends on whether or not the god wants to, which depends on their personality, goals, relationship with the person being brought back and/or the person asking, etc. And when I explained this to my players, all of the sudden even the people who are not clerics or paladins want to know about the gods, what they care about, and how one ought to behave in order to make them very pleased.
Just found this. You're very entertaining, Matt. Thank you. I love your process.
Hey Matt, great video. As someone native from Spain I think that you may like to know that Rioja is famous throughout the country for having the best red wine. It might be fun for you to roleplay tavern owners that boast about their wines.
I started thinking about that Terry Pratchett bit just before you started talking about it! It was like you read my mind!
Thanks for doing this Matt! I loved seeing you work things out and found this super valuable.
This campaign setting looks awesome can't wait for when the live game starts
This gave me the drive to put some more work into my own setting. I'd love to see more streams like this where we just watch you do some worldbuilding or planning, it really gets my creative juices flowing. Keep up the great work!
They hate planing, spawning phrase, "The devils are in the details."
Hour and a Half video uploaded at 2 AM? Thank Colville it's a Sunday.
Best quote - "We've already been talking for twelve minutes, and we haven't made ONE god yet!"
Something I like doing for names is using Sean Puckett's Random Word Generator and putting in a number of names in from a real world culture or two that my fictional culture takes inspiration from, and it gives me a bunch of new names by combining ones from my list. I'm not sure how 'linguistically' sound this is but if I make a list long enough, I occasionally get some names that seem both unique and 'right'-feeling.
Also get a bunch of ridiculous ones, as with all things you have to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Was wondering if anyone had thoughts on doing it this way?
Love this video. Despite your intention to the contrary it feels like more of a discourse than your other videos (even if it is, bizarrely, with yourself, a very DM talent x) Really useful as guidance and reassurance. Reassurance because being DM can be isolating, literally spending your time with your mind in your own world.
comments while listening, which boils down to my interpretations of your ideas:
- "They believe in upward mobility!" And downward, no? So they believe in the wheel of fate constantly turning. They venerate change, which ties into assassins and power changing hands.
- "What do they think of wealth? They don't like guilds..." What if, for them, wealth was measured in leasure? And so being in a guild means you need to work to live.
Questions that might be interesing to answer, these are interpersonnal and society-based questions that popped up based on the core beliefs that you laid out:
- If Nobility and Art are major components to their culture, what are their responses to speech and emotions?
- If a rough-spoken honest person and an elloquent liar present themselves to a riojan, who has better standing and why?
- Is it acceptable to show emotions (semi-answerd with the adulation of Love)? If so, how? Modestly? Flamboyantly? With poetic speech?
- Are there non-verbal cues or codes that a person needs to know to be fluent in riojan nobility? (thinking of Victorian flower speech, French noble fan language, and Italian hand gestures)
- Honour seems important. Could there be a saint of honour? And what could be considered as an insult?
Which goes to show how much can be deduced based on the society's core values, which the Pantheon represents. Thank you for showing your process.
Art is an end unto itself reminded me of another Terry Pratchett novel. In Maskerade, one of the characters has to explain to another that opera houses don't make money. "You put money in, and opera comes out."
Having read your novels, Priest and Thief, I love your religious system of Saints and Gods!
Each culture had its own ideas on the gods, but these can generally be broken down into three very broad categories:
The Greeks and Babylonians had the conceptions of gods we normally think of, kind of. They had "gods of x", and these gods were imperfect beings who could interact with and mate with mortals. These gods were also masters of nature, having power beyond mortal understanding.
The Norse and Celts had an idea of deities as these beings who were powerful, yes, but more of Avenger-like super heroes and wizard-knights than forces of nature. These gods could be killed, and though they were extremely powerful- Loki could shape-shift into pretty much anything, Thor could create craters with his hammer, Dagda had a pot that could produce infinite porridge- but in the end, just a powerful race of humanoids that were to be respected and feared.
The Turks and the Egyptians had more natural gods. These gods were forces of nature. Generally speaking, they did not breed with humans and seldom interacted with them, and were far removed from the material plane. These gods had few of the petty arguments of mortal life, instead being infallible, unthinkable evil, or amorally neutral.
Most people now and days shift this notion, making all gods fit within the Greek/Babylonian model, making Thor not a strong god who wields lightning and a hammer, but The God of Strength, Lighting, and Hammers. Likewise, we think of Egyptian/Turkic-style deities as those that can be interacted with easily, so that you could have a casual talk with Horus or Umay. Try to think about these three pantheon models and decide which you think your campaign falls under.
This was fascinating! I wonder what you could do with a dual pantheon, like the Norse Aesir and Vanir?
Hmmm...**opens Excel**
One thing I like to do for engaging players with thing like gods, is if, for example, the cleric is playing a race/culture that I've not done much world building for, I have them help me make a god for their character. That way they have an attachment to the god in the same way that they have an attachment to their character. This can also work for other aspects of the culture.
I'm Italian and I appreciate this...
I could watch you do that all day, man. Really interesting and inspiring process.
Actually, scratch that. "Really interesting" is what I wrote when I wasn't even halfway through. Now that I watched everything, I really need to upgrade it to "fascinating".
Also, I'm shocked and jealous at how much you get done in one hour and a half.
Great video, Matt. Thank you so very much for showing the creative process in action. For myself, the creation of culture is the cornerstone for my worldbuilding. Once you know the culture, the politics, economics, history and religion kinda falls into place. At least, that's _my_ mileage. YMMV.
Really looking forward to this, love to see more.
6:51 Gods evolve with the culture. Long before you hit the middle ages an ancient god of earthquakes would have either taken on new powers and new aspects (maybe become a god of war) or would have lost their god status but retained their powers either operating as an independent, usually evil or mischievous, entity in need of appeasement or acting as a servant to a greater deity.
The Eutruscan god Selvans was a god of the hunt, master of the forests and wild places (similar to Pan, Cernunnos, or various other "horned god" archetypes). The Romans latinized his name to Sylvanus and under Roman worship he became a protector of boundaries.
The ancient Jews were polytheists. When they switched to monotheism their god and goddess got merged into God, various lesser gods were erased, their powers/actions attributed to God, or their status reduced to angels and demons.
Interesting Idea, building the gods around the culture, never thought of doing it that way.
My favourite thing is taking the names of important figures during the 1st Crusade, as they are so old and steeped in tradition. People like Adhemar, Baldwin, Berenguer, Bohemond, Tancred, and so on.
what's the program / website Matt uses for the descriptions of the Gods of Vasloria (for example at 31:38)?
I'm a big believer in just creating local gods for villages and regions. They almost always directly translate to gameplay and give you more options as a DM to crazy stuff with them since they're influence is more geographically limited.
What shortcut keys do you keep using to expand excel columns to size and title lines of word text?
Matt makes this look so easy.
It IS easy!
I would love to see you talk with The Lorerunner. Two extreme with world building and lore.
This is so interesting and right up my alley!! Awesome and illuminating video, looking forward to part two! :D
Matt, I just had a great idea for the gemstone dragons. So you mentioned their inherent psyonic ability, which I am interpreting as telekineses as well as speaking through thought. With that in mind, a creature would not have to move at all, it could just will it to itself. That would explain why they don't have wings, don't use breath weapons and have gemstones developing on their bodies. They are so still that it allows for the gemstones to develop, and the wings to become useless, as the psyonics allow it that luxury.
I hope this rambling makes some degree of sense, I am currently hopped up on caffeine trying to do some revision.
Only watched part of the video so far so he might answer it better than I can, but heres what I would do for the question of getting your players to care about the gods. If the gods are present and active in the world, then you should show them doing things (good or bad) even at low levels. Eg. A storm blows through, and as the sky grows dark over the mountains, you hear the cries of the preist. He yells, "The Storm God has arrived, join me brethren to send him on his way!" He is joined by upwards of thirty people, dressed like ordinary townsfolk except for the silver symbol hanging from their neck. They all start chanting words of an unknown tongue that together mimic the sounds of the storm until they fade together and become one voice.....
If the gods are not present and active, then the followers are the active party. Followers can be small like town preists and ignorable doomsayers, or large like orders of templars, armies and church states. You dont need to have these events be so huge, or even have them be involved with the main storyline. Just including them as more than a peice of info in a book, can make them engaging. Treating them as characters or as part of the game world mechanics, rather than lore. If it doesnt impact the game in a visible engaging way, then players arent going to engage with it. Plus you can always put in the more detailed histories and lore in for the players who will explore the world beyond what they are playing.
Does anyone know the name of the software Matt opens up at around 16:51?
I’m just about to start my pantheon for my campaign that starts in August... I still got time, but this is perfect timing! Amazing work as always!
So many questions, the signs of a great setting being formed. I'll just leave these here, for eventual musings and discussion.
Are the merchants rewarded for being bold, despite (or perhaps because of) going against their culture?
It seems like planning, divination and notions of long-term destiny clashes heavily with the Riojan culture. Is there a god in that realm, opposing the rest of the pantheon, which is helping the merchants prosper? Is there a god of schemes keeping both them and the assassins well off? Have the merchants adopted the faith of other gods during their trade with other cultures? Are there gods from outside trying to spread their influence to Rioja?
Are the guilds seen as a threat by the nobles? They use money to make money, not art, and their influence is growing. If they are seen as a threat, would anyone actually do anything about it, or is the cultural focus on impulses enough to keep people from planning an action against them.
What does Riojans think about art merchants?! Would it be a crime to sell art? Are there art galleries where the nobles make money showing off the work of artists they have sponsored?
How high is the turnover rate on nobility, really? Nobles are expected to be or support artists. Artists are expected to die poor, regardless of success. Are there nobles that spend all their money on art, and fall into obscurity? Is that how the gods bring down the mighty? If so, how do they raise up the meek? Do good artists become nobles?
How does the privilege of nobility work, in a world where everyone is (or is claiming to be) related to a noble? I have a hard time separating Riojan "Royals" (the ones who actually reside in the Halls of Nobility) from rich celebrities in my mind. If most people are set on replacing them, the Royals only seem to be protected by either money or personal loyalty. If so, is befriending Royals a way of becoming one of them?
How central is gambling to the wheel of fortune? Are there nobles who gamble with their very titles?
"Riojans hate planning, hate administration and bureaucracy and outlines!"
That line alone makes me wonder how they would build/run a city/population; how they would live, since money, and living takes planning and personal bureaucracy; if they are like a barbarian horde, or like a gypsy type civilization, former nomads who settled in a place they did not build.
Not to say it's wrong, but I think it would be more natural to say 'they PREFER a relaxed living situation; Planning, administration, and bureaucracy are not considered a natural state of existence, but a price one must pay.'
Add a bit of Eden in there 'The gods saw that they had spoiled their children, drunk with luxury and spontaneous pleasures, and cast them out from (eden stand in) to curse them with mortal woes so that they could better appreciate the gifts that had been bestowed upon them'
But that's my thought. I thoroughly enjoyed this video. I'm told I do too much research for my stories, but this just tells me, I don't do enough world building XD
Feeling inspired, thank you, and hope my 'input' was at least enjoyable (even though its like a year after this was posted, lol)
I was literally thinking about making a proper pantheon for my homebrew (40 ish hours ago) and wasn’t sure how I wanted to implement it in 5e without clashing with the gods other DMs came up with. So this timing couldn’t have been better for me!
What is that application or website he has open on right side alongside excel at 18:33? Help me out kind people, pretty please.
When you raised the question of how Riojans view wealth, my immediate thought was that, in their view, wealth comes with nobility but is not the goal of nobility. Wealth is a tool or a weapon to be wielded, not an end in itself. One of the reasons the guilds are distasteful is that they ignore the virtues of nobility in favor of gathering wealth to themselves. I wonder whether the guild masters and merchants try to emulate the nobility and sponsor artists (who perhaps fall out of favor because of it) or if they spend their lavish sums in other ways. Do the merchants spend their wealth to compete with each other through constructing large artless structures, warehouses, ships? Perhaps their homes are gaudy without being artful. Merchants in private say to themselves and each other, "To seek wealth is noble."
In regards to naming I find my process to be very similar and I learn a lot along the way. Also, sometimes typing an abstract term into Google Translate provides pleasing results.
What's that tool on the right side of the screen while using excel? He brings it up at 16:48
3:25 I find this very interesting! I would say your correct, people don't really have gods of abstract concepts, I feel like it depends on the nature of Gods in your world. If its the Gods who make their creations (mortals like humans, elves, dwarves etc.), I feel like it would make sense for Gods of abstract concepts as they are the creators and shapers of the world. If the mortals who's belief in gods gives them creation, then I definitely agree that there wouldn't be any abstract ideas of Gods. Either way, love the video!
Glad to know that I don't struggle alone with names.
Gary Gygax's Extraordinary Book of Names was probably my greatest investment.