Random World Generation

[Jace Nailo]

Inspired by the setting being created by DeathQuaker on her thread over here, I am going to roll up a random setting using the dice here on the messageboards. Yes, I am using the same basic structure as DQ, but I will be changing the order of some of the steps she did and also do some things slightly differently.

I’ll generate the world starting with the races, using Mikaze’s rules here. Next, I will work up the pantheons, using the methods of Silent Saturn here. After this, I will work up some prominent settlements in the setting, using Dasrak's guide here. Additionally, I will roll up some terrain features that will be required in the setting, as did DeathQuaker.

While I am going to use the dice here on the messageboards, I might use random generators from other sites. Additionally, I will go by these guidelines that DeathQuaker used:

DeathQuaker wrote:

While I intend largely to stick with what I get the first time, I reserve the right to reroll in the case of unnecessary duplicates or impossible contradictions I don’t want to deal with. I may also reroll in the case of specific complications; e.g., the setting generator includes IP-protected races; if I roll an IP-protected race I’ll probably reroll or chose a suitable OGL alternative.

[Dasrak]

I love how this has become a thing now. There's a great charm in how random generation forces you to consider combinations that might not have occurred to you ordinarily. The occasionally surreal result can be fun too.

[Jace Nailo]

Dasrak wrote:

I love how this has become a thing now. There's a great charm in how random generation forces you to consider combinations that might not have occurred to you ordinarily. The occasionally surreal result can be fun too.

Yes, it is quite fun.

[Jace Nailo]

For the first step, I am going to roll up the races for this setting. Now, as opposed to the basic system of rolling five races for the entire setting that Mikaze and DeathQuaker used, I am going to roll five core races and five secondary races. The core races will be akin to the seven core races in Pathfinder, being the dominant races which can be encountered throughout the lands. Meanwhile, the secondary races will be less frequently encountered, but with still enough numbers to be a playable race.

I am going to re-roll any race that I am unable to find within any Paizo published book.

Core Races:
Race 1: 1d100 ⇒ 54 Naga
Race 2: 1d100 ⇒ 64 Locathah
Race 3: 1d100 ⇒ 94 Ooze-based Humanoid (This will be intersting)
Race 4: 1d100 ⇒ 82 Changeling (Doppleganger Kin)
Race 5: 1d100 ⇒ 78 Vodyanoi

Secondary Races:
Race 1: 1d100 ⇒ 49 Treant
Race 2: 1d100 ⇒ 44 Nymph
Race 3: 1d100 ⇒ 80 Vampire
Race 4: 1d100 ⇒ 86 Asherati (reroll)
Race 5: 1d100 ⇒ 46 Forlarren (reroll)
Race 4 Reroll: 1d100 ⇒ 9 Goblin
Race 5 Reroll: 1d100 ⇒ 97 Bariaur (Reroll again)
Race 5 Re-reroll: 1d100 ⇒ 76 Shae

This is an interesting lineup of races. For the primary races, I will likely change most of them to one degree or another, especially the Nagas. The secondary races will definitely need work to be playable.

[Jace Nailo]

I am going to eventually post the write ups for each of the races, but I thought that I would post at least the concepts that I had for them. Any and all opinions or suggestions on them is welcome.

Naga, instead of divided into many distinct castes, have degenerated into a single race. Due to vast amounts of inbreeding between the various clans of the Naga and their humanoid slave races, the Naga are now semi-humanoid in appearance, with a pair of arms at the base of their neck. However, other than this they still maintain most of their general appearance, with a human-like face and a snake-like body.

As for the Locathah and the Vodyanoi, they will be more akin to their base races, but will have the humanoid type instead of their normal type.

The Changelings, since they are based on Dopplegangers instead of Hags, most of their abilities will be changed, notably their claws and their abilities derived from their hag ancestors. They will most likely be replaced with abilities of shape change and proficiency in all bladed weapons. These are both diluted versions of their Doppleganger ancestors abilities.

The Ooze-based race I still have no real idea about what I am going to do, but I do know that they will definitely be humanoids. I will likely get inspiration for them in a later point of this world-building.

I am currently debating about the Treants and the Dryads. On the one hand, I could work them up as a single race with extreme sexual dimorphism, or I could work them up as separate races with male and female components for each of them.

As for the Vampires, I am currently planning on making them to be more like the Dhampir race, in order to make them more playable.

Goblins will be kept essentially as they are, but I might make them less evil.

Finally, I currently have no idea about how the Shae will work in this world, but they will likely be influenced by some other element of the world building process.

[Jace Nailo]

As for the deities of his setting, there will be:
3d4 ⇒ (4, 4, 3) = 11
11 is a decent number of deities, and it will likely create a nicely rounded pantheon.

God 1
Alignment 1d10 ⇒ 1 LG
Domain 1 1d31 ⇒ 5 Community
Domain 2 1d31 ⇒ 9 Earth
Domain 3 1d31 ⇒ 20 Protection

God 2
Alignment 1d10 ⇒ 4 LN
Domain 1 1d31 ⇒ 11 Glory
Domain 2 1d31 ⇒ 29 War
Domain 3 1d31 ⇒ 19 Plant
Domain 4 1d31 ⇒ 13 Knowledge

God 3
Alignment 1d10 ⇒ 4 LN
Domain 1 1d31 ⇒ 28 Void
Domain 2 1d31 ⇒ 14 Liberation
Domain 3 1d31 ⇒ 12 Healing
Domain 4 1d31 ⇒ 13 Knowledge

God 4
Alignment 1d10 ⇒ 2 NG
Domain 1 1d31 ⇒ 2 Animal
Domain 2 1d31 ⇒ 5 Community
Domain 3 1d31 ⇒ 12 Healing
Domain 4 1d31 ⇒ 23 Scalykind

God 5
Alignment 1d10 ⇒ 7 LE
Domain 1 1d31 ⇒ 24 Strength
Domain 2 1d31 ⇒ 9 Earth
Domain 3 1d31 ⇒ 21 Repose

God 6
Alignment 1d10 ⇒ 8 NE
Domain 1 1d31 ⇒ 7 Death
Domain 2 1d31 ⇒ 5 Community
Domain 3 1d31 ⇒ 20 Protection
Domain 4 1d31 ⇒ 15 Luck

God 7
Alignment 1d10 ⇒ 10 Choose (TN)
Domain 1 1d31 ⇒ 1 Air
Domain 2 1d31 ⇒ 8 Destruction
Domain 3 1d31 ⇒ 25 Sun
Domain 4 1d31 ⇒ 31 Weather
Domain 5 1d31 ⇒ 4 Charm

God 8
Alignment 1d10 ⇒ 8 NE
Domain 1 1d31 ⇒ 29 War
Domain 2 1d31 ⇒ 13 Knowledge
Domain 3 1d31 ⇒ 20 Protection
Domain 4 1d31 ⇒ 4 Charm

God 9
Alignment 1d10 ⇒ 5 TN
Domain 1 1d31 ⇒ 30 Water
Domain 2 1d31 ⇒ 19 Plant
Domain 3 1d31 ⇒ 18 Nobility
Domain 4 1d31 ⇒ 10 Fire
Domain 5 1d31 ⇒ 25 Sun

God 10
Alignment 1d10 ⇒ 10 Choose (CN)
Domain 1 1d31 ⇒ 6 Darkness
Domain 2 1d31 ⇒ 7 Death
Domain 3 1d31 ⇒ 28 Void
Domain 4 1d31 ⇒ 24 Strength

God 11
Alignment 1d10 ⇒ 3 CG
Domain 1 1d31 ⇒ 24 Strength
Domain 2 1d31 ⇒ 7 Death
Domain 3 1d31 ⇒ 23 Scalykind

The only domains that are missing are artifice, madness, magic, rune, travel, and trickery. I might rework one or two of the deities to include some of these domains.

Domain List and Alignment:

1 Lawful Good
2 Neutral Good
3 Chaotic Good
4 Lawful Neutral
5 True Neutral
6 Chaotic Neutral
7 Lawful Evil
8 Neutral Evil
9 Chaotic Evil
10 Choose

1 Air
2 Animal
3 Artifice
4 Charm
5 Community
6 Darkness
7 Death
8 Destruction
9 Earth
10 Fire
11 Glory
12 Healing
13 Knowledge
14 Liberation
15 Luck
16 Madness
17 Magic
18 Nobility
19 Plant
20 Protection
21 Repose
22 Rune
23 Scalykind
24 Strength
25 Sun
26 Travel
27 Trickery
28 Void
29 War
30 Water
31 Weather

[Jace Nailo]

Basic information for the Deities. I still have to decide on their names, symbols, mysteries, and finish their backstories. I reworked the first and last deities to include the Artifice, Magic, and Travel Domains.

.

Deity of Civilization, Creation
Alignment: Lawful Good
Domains: Artifice, Community, Good, Law, Protection
Favored Weapon: Warhammer

Deity of Agriculture, Organized Conflict
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Domains: Earth, Glory, Law, Plant, War
Favored Weapon: Sickle/Longsword

Deity of Memories, The Stars
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Domains: Healing, Knowledge, Law, Liberation, Void
Favored Weapon: Starknife

Deity of Family, Hunting
Alignment: Neutral Good
Domains: Animal, Community, Good, Healing, Scalykind
Favored Weapon: Longbow

Deity of Tyranny, Order
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Domains: Earth, Evil, Law, Repose, Strength
Favored Weapon: Spiked Chain

Deity of The Underworld, Protector of Souls
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Domains: Community, Death, Evil, Luck, Protection
Favored Weapon: Scythe

Deity of Destructive Weather, The End-Month Sun
Alignment: True Neutral
Domains: Air, Charm, Destruction, Sun, Weather
Favored Weapon: Whip

Deity of War, Keeper of Forbidden Knowledge
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Domains: Charm, Evil, Knowledge, Protection, War
Favored Weapon: Heavy Flail

Deity of The Sun, The Aristocracy
Alignment: True Neutral
Domains: Fire, Nobility, Plant, Sun, Water
Favored Weapon: Morningstar

Deity of Death, The Space Between Stars
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Domains: Chaos, Darkness, Death, Strength, Void
Favored Weapon: Longspear

Deity of Magic, Trade
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Domains: Chaos, Good, Magic, Scalykind, Travel
Favored Weapon: Dagger

[Jace Nailo]

Now to roll up some of the mandatory terrains for this setting.

1 Mountains
2 Forest
3 Wetlands/Swamp
4 Dessert
5 Volcano
6 Plains
7 Jungle
8 Inland Sea
9 River Delta
10 Cold (Glaciers/Tundra/other) or Wasteland
11 Underground/elaborate cave-based realm
12 Mystical phenomena (portal, magically twisted land, dead magic zone, etc.)
13 Roll again twice and include choice of result

Mandatory Terrain 1: 1d13 ⇒ 12 Mystical Phenomena
Mandatory Terrain 2: 1d13 ⇒ 4 Dessert
Mandatory Terrain 3: 1d13 ⇒ 3 Wetlands/Swamp

Additionally, I will roll for some information about the kingdoms of this setting.
Number of Kingdoms: 4d4 ⇒ (2, 2, 4, 1) = 9

Kingdom Size:
1 Microscopic
2 Tiny
3 Small
4 Medium
5 Large
6 Huge
7 Vast

Kingdom 1 Size: 1d7 ⇒ 5 Large
Kingdom 2 Size: 1d7 ⇒ 4 Medium
Kingdom 3 Size: 1d7 ⇒ 1 Microscopic
Kingdom 4 Size: 1d7 ⇒ 1 Microscopic
Kingdom 5 Size: 1d7 ⇒ 2 Tiny
Kingdom 6 Size: 1d7 ⇒ 2 Tiny
Kingdom 7 Size: 1d7 ⇒ 3 Small
Kingdom 8 Size: 1d7 ⇒ 1 Microscopic
Kingdom 9 Size: 1d7 ⇒ 7 Vast