Making modifications to 'the only fantasy world map you'll ever need' because I needed more Africa and Asia. Still debating where to put my Skraelings... in a pocket in the moutains of what would be Asia, or off the map to the west.

Originals by EotBeholder:

Fantastic Heraldry

Quite busy with the move. All hobby supplies (save one little EM4 mini sitting by the computer) have been packed and mostly transported. Even the computer is gone... I type now on an old laptop. Going to be like this for a while, until summer when the house is complete, and we've unpacked.

Until then, I've been worldbuilding the old fashioned way... in spiral notebooks. Getting ideas together in anticipation of my kids playing D&D...

So, since I have a moment, here is what I've been working on:

Fantasy World Heraldry Guidelines (WIP)

Under the Imperial system there were seven castes; commoners, yeomanry, gentry, peerage, nobility, royalty, sovereignty (listed in ascending order).

Commoners were not granted, and not permitted, arms of their own.

Yeomanry were permitted a simple arms of 3 complexity points. Each color, charge, field division, and non-standard line was worth one point. Thus, upon entrance to a military order, a new knight was granted arms, typically in the Order's colors, featuring a single charge, division, or ordinary. For example: Argent, a cross sable (3 points = 2 colors + 1 cross).

Gentry. Should an exceptional knight be awarded a holding, he or she was authorized an additional point of complexity (4 points total). In this case our knight added an ordinary: chief sable. The most common modification was to add a line of division and countercharge.

Peerage. Attaining a position in the this caste was difficult, and those who attained it were awarded another TWO complexity point (6 points total). In the case of our knight, she has added three griffon heads, in a third color, to the chief; the number of heads is immaterial as the group is counted as a whole.

Nobility. Again as our knight advances in status, she is awarded the right to make her Arms more complex (7 points of complexity in all) as well as the right to use a bordure - in this case she has altered the line on the chief.

Royalty. Really getting up there now. Royals are permitted another point of complexity (total of 7 pts.) and the use of furs. Our knight has chosen to alter the field to ermine.

Sovereignty. The top level has no real limits on what they can or cannot do, however there are no known examples of an arms bearing more than eight points of complexity - represented here in with a bordure or.

Of course the addition of complexity was a privilege not a requirement, and there were humble knight-kings who bore simple arms of three complexity points.

What D&D Character Am I? (Or: Lawful Good? Really?!)

I Am A: Lawful Good Elf /Rogue (3rd/2nd Level)

Ability Scores:
Strength-13
Dexterity-16
Constitution-14
Intelligence-15
Wisdom-16
Charisma-14

Alignment:
Lawful Good A lawful good character acts as a good person is expected or required to act. He combines a commitment to oppose evil with the discipline to fight relentlessly. He tells the truth, keeps his word, helps those in need, and speaks out against injustice. A lawful good character hates to see the guilty go unpunished. Lawful good is the best alignment you can be because it combines honor and compassion. However, lawful good can be a dangerous alignment when it restricts freedom and criminalizes self-interest.

Race:
Elves are known for their poetry, song, and magical arts, but when danger threatens they show great skill with weapons and strategy. Elves can live to be over 700 years old and, by human standards, are slow to make friends and enemies, and even slower to forget them. Elves are slim and stand 4.5 to 5.5 feet tall. They have no facial or body hair, prefer comfortable clothes, and possess unearthly grace. Many others races find them hauntingly beautiful.

Primary Class:
Monks are versatile warriors skilled at fighting without weapons or armor. Good-aligned monks serve as protectors of the people, while evil monks make ideal spies and assassins. Though they don't cast spells, monks channel a subtle energy, called ki. This energy allows them to perform amazing feats, such as healing themselves, catching arrows in flight, and dodging blows with lightning speed. Their mundane and ki-based abilities grow with experience, granting them more power over themselves and their environment. Monks suffer unique penalties to their abilities if they wear armor, as doing so violates their rigid oath. A monk wearing armor loses their Wisdom and level based armor class bonuses, their movement speed, and their additional unarmed attacks per round.

Secondary Class:
Rogues have little in common with each other. While some - maybe even the majority - are stealthy thieves, many serve as scouts, spies, investigators, diplomats, and simple thugs. Rogues are versatile, adaptable, and skilled at getting what others don't want them to get. While not equal to a fighter in combat, a rogue knows how to hit where it hurts, and a sneak attack can dish out a lot of damage. Rogues also seem to have a sixth sense when it comes to avoiding danger. Experienced rogues develop nearly magical powers and skills as they master the arts of stealth, evasion, and sneak attacks. In addition, while not capable of casting spells on their own, a rogue can sometimes 'fake it' well enough to cast spells from scrolls, activate wands, and use just about any other magic item.

Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus

Terrene Map – NW Continent

New group of players about to start a Castles & Crusades campaign. I’m looking forward to some old-school dungeon crawls (kill things, steal their stuff). While I don’t have an overarching theme for the campaign (other than “kill monsters, steal their stuff”), I have been plotting out a campaign map – which has tied into something I’ve been toying with for years.
I was living in Kaga when Ace Combat 5: Unsung War came out and I snatched it up and poured through it.  I really enjoyed the fictional world of “Strangreal” – and it struck me as a fantasy RPG world brought out of the mythic era into the modern age.  Since that time I’ve wanted to make something similar.  Now I have the chance.
The map above focuses on the pseudo-EuroAfrican continent.  In the Mythic Age the major powers will include a Teutonic empire, a Skraeling dominated wildland, and a Moorish/Spanish kingdom.

UPDATE – 17 JUNE 2012
Well, I killed the party 4 times, with goblins and two gnolls. The farthest they made it from their cell was room 5. Basically old school D&D had a certain Darwinian aspect to it – you rolled your character (including those 1st level HP) and if you died you rolled up a new one and he/she was found bound and gagged in the next room. But newbie RPGs are all “I like my character,” and eschew replacing the horribly weak, evolutionary dead-end, characters. Instead they just want you to give them more HPs. Yep, “give.” WTF?
Soooo Castles & Crusades was a bust, since the game was hosted at one of the players apartments, and he was particularly un-fond of D&D – in an effort to appease and find a better fit with the play-style of the group – we decided to return to our Delta Green/Realms of Cthulhu game.
Yes – D&D was too deadly so we are going to go with Cthulhu… I know.
Still this is cool for me – I started blogging to support my Delta Green campaign and that blog was expanded to become 10x28mm. It’s a nice return to home in a way. My host gets to shoot things (his request), most people have characters already, and I get to put them in mortal/preternatural danger on a regular basis.