Open-Source Story setting

Etz Chaim Game Handbook

Introduction

# Table of Contents, Introduction, credits, and prolegomenon.

## A message from the author

*Because I’m a nerd*: I like to world build.

*I write for my own amusement*: Do Not pester me about my choices, they amused me, that’s why.

*I am a middle-aged Transgender Woman*: I am way past caring about other people’s opinion of me.

*I am a USMC Veteran*: I love firearms, I understand discipline (Not the BDSM stuff) and honor.

*I am Dyslexic*: Which makes writing a painful and slow process. This also means Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs, and Heteronyms are never going to be correct with me. I try very hard to get them right, but unless Word tells me it is wrong, I have no way of seeing the errors, unless I hear them in Text to speech. A lot of times I will just reword a sentence to remove the need for them.

## Disclaimer

*Because we live in an age of disclaimers.*

“The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this book are mostly fictitious.”

Because let’s face it, half of this story is going to be non-fiction set in a fictitious world, or is it?

## Game System & Open-Source Story setting

These are the basic rules for this setting, which is originally based in 3.5 D&D, and has been modified for compatibility with 5.0 and D&D Beyond. This setting is designed as a campaign setting, and as a setting for others to write fiction in.

All Races and Classes from the Official and semi-official content is allowed for the setting, the Character Creator found on DnDBeyond allowing for all content, Homebrew races and classes are not allowed, with specific exceptions. But I as DM will indicate which Homebrew races is allowed.  (Once the game is started, the homebrew switch should be turned on, because items earned in the game might not be official)

## Goals

To make a fun world, that others will want to pick up and run games with.

## Dedication

*Family* *(by family I mean those I choose to be my family which does not include all that many people related to me by blood),* *friends*, *loved ones*, *gods*, *demons*, *old ones*, *etc.*…

(*Note*: I’m an atheist, but because everyone includes a dedication to god so be it, I’ll also include everything then.)

## Developed by

*A* –Designer

*B* – Co-Designer

# Worlds and setting

This story takes place in its own Crystal Shell in the phlogiston of D&D, however it’s history and relationship to other D&D worlds is very different, this setting is so far away from Toril that it might as well be in some other reality.

The worlds in this book are loosely based on both mythology and pseudoscience. Not that I agree with any pseudoscience, it’s just imaginative.

So, this setting is a case of mythology kicking physics in the hoohaws so hard that Einstein cried out in pain.

## Quick vocabulary of the D&D Multi-verse

Each World in D&D sits inside its own unique crystalsphere, between the crystalspheres is the phlogiston a formless space of rainbow colors which drain magic and divine energy if not properly shielded from it. The Crystalspheres protect the worlds and deities we know about. Some crystal spheres are as large as entire universes (ours has an official location BTW), Toril the home world of Forgotten Realms is in its own with a sun and 9 living planets. Based on our actual solar system.  All of this sits in the Prime Material Plain. There are a bunch of outer plains and demiplains. The Gods usually live in the outerplains in the ones that match their alignments. However, each crystalsphere has its own unique set of deities and demigods. Our setting is no different in this.

The Etz Chaim setting is in a very Large Crystal Sphere which technically operates mostly by the laws of physics as we know them. So, the stars in the sky may or may not be actual stars, with other worlds.

## Deities & Demi-Gods

The gods of this system are based on D&D, but there are significant differences which I will explain.

### The Gods in their domains and not the planes

The Gods unlike in most D&D worlds are not as cut off from these worlds as the gods of Toril.

This Crystal Sphere is cut off from the Astral-plane. The outer Plains are also all cut off from this Crystalsphere. In fact, there is no way to enter or exit this Crystalsphere besides from the highest power in the multiverse. There are good reasons for this, and it’s mostly to keep the threat of Ithilid invasion out. As the location of this Crystalsphere is right in the center of Ithilid controlled phlogiston.

So, the gods in order to serve this space have their Domains attached to the inside of the crystalsphere. These spaces are physically attached to places inside the Etz Chaim crystalsphere. Each deity has their own space, and each pantheon has a shared space, the souls of mortals go to these spaces instead of the normal heaven/hell planes, and the souls of mortals get reincarnated after a set period of time as determined by the pantheon they worshiped. The Domains grow to size based on the number of followers whose souls go to a Domain. Gods usually start with a Village sized space; some Gods have full planet sized Domains. To access these Domains without dying you have to find the sacred space to the deity in question, they will always have a door to their Domain in the sacred space. Most of the Doors are found on the planet, a few are on nearby Celestial bodies, for instance a God of a Volcano, will have the Door to their space inside their Volcano, the Goddess of the Moon has her Door on the Moon, don’t try and find the Door to a Sun god it’s a bit warm.

Note: There are two major exceptions to the extra-planar spaces rule, and it also makes for an interesting way to skirt around the blockage to the Crystalsphere. The Feywild and Shadowfell operate as normal for this setting. Due to these mirrors of the prime material plane being shadows and Echoes of the physical world. The Shadowfell and Feywild are a continuous plane within the prime material plane that reflect all worlds as an infinitely long flat plane. All land and oceans are reflected in these mirrors, with the Feywild being the reflection of nature and the Shadowfell being the Dark Mirror. It is possible to walk to every world in D&D in these planes, and even the Greater Gods cannot cut off these planes from a Crystalsphere without disastrous effects, i.e., the destruction of a Crystalsphere. However, due to the random shapes of the lands, and oceans, and because you have to transverse thousands of worlds with hostile races at every step, no invading force can use these planes to bypass the rules. However, an exceptional individual or two has made the journey. And the World Tree has made use of this loophole to pull life from other realities, which is how the Romans arrived here long after the barrier was established.

## The Common History of the Crystal Sphere

This is the History that a well-educated person or dragon would have rudimentary knowledge of. Some of these details may be altered by certain cultures and races to fit their own world views.

# The races

### Player Races

#### *Campaign Notes:*

1. 2nd ed attempt – While Working in Huntington Beach Ca. (Darksun/Spelljammer Meets Earth campaign.)
2. 3rd ed rewrite – While Working at Always Gaming Chatsworth 2002 (Added Ravenloft)
3. MMORPG idea – Simi Valley, still an idea I would pursue if I could.
4. Campaign 4th edition –Introduction of J and his girlfriend the Dragon Queen (both are Demi-God Player Characters) – Short Campaign, too many people, too many characters.
5. Campaign Iron Heroes 1 – Meet the Dragon Queen Officially (many great moments, lots of frustrations and personality clashes)
6. Campaign Iron Heroes 2– Defeating the Empire, Ending the reign of the Second Remen Emperor, Destroying the Shield that stops the illithid Invasion. Successful End. Everyone walks away a Demi-god.
7. Current Campaign - The second invasion of the illithids
8. One Shot (Post illithid invasion) - The game day will be Day 15 of Tertio Mense, in the year 965 of the reign of Emperor Bael Mateus is killed on the Sky Monk Island.