[Other] Level Up 5e - As Above, So Below

[Ermine]

Game Name Level Up 5e - As Above, So Below

Game System Other Roleplaying Games - Level Up 5e

Theme Up to the players

Flavour High magic adventuring with occasional sandbox elements

Plot Summary Rifts are opening to the Astral Plane (the home of angels, demons, dreams, fey, ghosts, gods, and various spirits), and things are escaping or being drawn in. Normally, access to and travel between planes is tightly controlled with magic, so this is unusual to say the least. The rifts seem to open randomly, either pulling things into the other world, or ejecting them into this one before sealing. Wild, primal magic is escaping each time, as well, though that is far easier to deal with than an ancient dragon spirit or a no longer worshipped, spiteful god. Adventurers are, therefore, very common. That isn't to say that there are many high level adventurers, but there are a decent number. Yet it is still a deadly profession. Though even old gods are appearing in the world, the modern gods have disappeared. Kami still exist in the part of the world that venerates them, as do cults to false or ancient gods (often ones that aren't worshipped correctly anymore). Some find the lack of known gods disconcerting, others find it somewhat normal; they never were part of everyday life for most people, after all. Ever since the first rifts, you have been dreaming of a glowing red cloud that pulses, writhes, twists, and twitches. You haven't been able to find any information on this dream, but it seems to get a tiny bit closer every day. You are a hunter of monsters. Or...you might be. You haven't done it yet. You wake up from the dreams determined that you should be. You've mainly done odd jobs around wherever you're from to get where you are today. Somehow, you found your way to Bryn, either by airship or magic, or you've been there the whole time. Regardless, you have a personal goal that requires you to be there.

Setting High Magic setting where technology is indistinguishable from magic (because it actually is magic). You are in a giant floating city in the sky, Bryn (meaning "hill", named when it was still a mining town on the ground), held down by massive mithral chains, called the Arms of Pilescu. Many people live in the tunnels (which are full of secret doors, according to folklore) under the surface of the city, but it also has enormous concrete, glass, and mithral towers that would touch the clouds even if you weren't so high up already. The underside of the city is lined with gold, an excellent conductor for magic, to hold the enchantment that keeps it afloat. Magic is not as common in the world below. Prices are also lower in the world below because resources are easier to get (at least this season). Unlike the lower world, prices do not fluctuate in the floating city. Seasons last for decades on Avarodia (the Common name for the world. Other languages have different names for it). It is currently mid-spring in this hemisphere, so expect rain! Years are therefore not 4 seasons long, but 280 days, 10 lunar cycles long, and are 10 months long (starting and ending on the new moon). The city's water is filtered and recycled, and rainwater is also collected. There are fountains in most parks, though in the winter, these are shut off. Bryn's government is a magocracy (obviously) ruled by a council of mages, with one taking the role of leader. Its main import is food, and main export is magic items. The leader of Bryn 20 years ago, Baron Heuestra, was found alive last month after being presumed dead for all these years, and claimed he never died, much less got resurrected. A political demonstration in which he was returned to power (and his benevolent heir relieved of the position) turned to chaos. As a result, spellcasting and enchantment is only allowed for those with permits in the city now. Those of you who use magic have applied for permits, but have yet to receive them. Pseudodragons (which are of animal intelligence (Int 2), able to communicate emotion telepathically, and with the personalities of cats) and faerie dragons (which are also of animal intelligence, but still magical) are common pests, even in Bryn, but they are also common pets. Many Brynian children learn to raise a pseudodragon, and those that raise faerie dragons often attend magic schools and universities later in life (correlation or causation unclear).

Some Basic Stuff Full HP at 1st, average HP every level after. Ability scores use the standard array (8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15) Starting level: 3 Starting gold: 200 Post Rate: Once a week (or faster). Short posts preferable to keep things moving. Characters start with two common magic items that aren't weapons or armor, and one uncommon magic item for free. VERY quick milestone leveling. Refluffing heritages and classes is perfectly fine. Want your fighter's abilities to be a form of chronomancy? I can work with that. Or you can even do arcanetics (magical cybernetics) to explain some of your class features.

Minor Homebrew and Fixes Clerics and Conjuration Arcanist Wizards add all spells that summon creatures to their available spell options. Clerics also prepare their spells from religious texts. They start with a book of religious text appropriate to their god or philosophy. They also do not draw their power from their god, but from their faith. Bards gain a songbook to record spells like a wizard. Unlike a wizard, they do not prepare spells from this songbook each long rest. Instead, they can swap one spell they know for another from the songbook each long rest. All their spells known are recorded in this songbook. They start with a songbook. Summoned creatures are summoned from the aether instead of from another plane, and add 10g per spell level worth of various gems as a material component that is consumed by the spell to summoning them.

Homebrew Classes Below are three homebrew subclasses I need to have playtested: the Family Magic and Umbral Scion sorcerer archetypes and the Bloodshaper fighter archetype. Family Magic Sorcerer Archetype   You are a direct descendant of a powerful magical being. What that being was is lost to time. You just call them a great, great, great, great, great, great grandparent. Your family tree is entangled, to say the least, so your blood is "pure" in the sense it's at least mostly the same blood that flowed through the veins of this being. Your family comes from Highmarsh, originally the town of Gren's Bay, where a creature washed up on the shore, took human form, and seduced your great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather, creating the Corrum bloodline as it is now. Your family has taken great pains to hide the source of their magic, and the flings they have with others in the family, most of which are business dealings, or "peace offerings" when a specific clan within the family becomes estranged. As the blood needs to be undiluted for this bloodline to be present, only humans, not even half-elves or half-orcs, can have this sorcerer archetype. Corrum Family Taint Your family — and all sorcerers of this origin are indeed family — has..."unique" breeding practices, leading to all types of deformities and other abnormal conditions. There is nothing inherently wrong with anyone who has these conditions, they are just built different. Roll on this table or have the DM choose for you to determine what feature you gain. 1 You have an extra finger on each hand or extra toe on each foot 2 Your arms are longer or shorter than normal 3 Your body is notably asymmetrical 4 You are physically untouched by your family's taint. Mentally, on the other hand... 5 Your back is hunched 6 You have a particularly sacriligious mole somewhere obvious 7 You have differently colored eyes (heterochromia) 8 You are functionally intersex 9 You are neotenic — you do not look more than 12 years old, save for maybe being wrinkly 10 You have a vestigial tail 11 You are constantly sweaty or slimy 12 Roll twice more, rerolling 12s and doubles. You have two of these traits Blood Magic Spells Cantrip: chill touch 1st: calculated retribution, mage armor 2nd: alter self, spider climb 3rd: fear, vampiric touch 4th: blight, confusion 5th: dominate person, warrior's instincts Family Grimoire You have an inherited book bound in human flesh, with all its writing in blood. You can record sorcerer spells in this book as if it were a wizard's spellbook, but using your own or another's blood instead of special inks — the book refuses to accept anything but blood on its pages, even repelling water. You begin play with all your spells known inscribed in script indecipherable by any means to anyone but yourself and members of your family. Whenever you learn a spell through levels, as blood magic spells, or study a wizard's spellbook, it is automatically transcribed into the grimoire in blood, without needing to write it. Whenever you complete a long rest, you can switch out a spell you know with one from your grimoire. You have access to wizard spells in addition to sorcerer spells. If you lose your grimoire or it is destroyed, it reappears, intact, among your belongings the next time you finish a long rest. Strain the Blood At 6th level, you have the ability to sacrifice blood to power your magic. You don't have to spill it; centuries of this magic has taught your family how to siphon it directly from your veins as necessary. Once per turn, you can take damage equal to your proficiency bonus to regain three sorcery points and gain 1 point of corruption. This damage cannot be reduced or negated in any way, and cannot reduce temporary hit points instead. You can do this a number of times per long rest equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum 1) or until your Corruption points reach your Proficiency bonus (whichever comes first). For each point of Corruption you have, you subtract 1 from all saving throws you make (including death saves). You can reduce your Corruption by 1 point by completing a long rest. Apt Student Also beginning at 6th level, you can record any ritual spell, regardless of class spell list, into your grimoire. You can cast them using spell slots or as a ritual, though you must have it available to you as a spell known in order to cast it (you cannot cast it directly from your grimoire). They are all sorcerer spells for you. You add two 1st or 2nd level rituals to your grimoire automatically. Blood Barrier Beginning at 14th level, the magical taint within your blood protects you, making you pale, but tough. You add your Corruption points to your Armor Class while not wearing armor, and to Intimidation checks. Call of the Blood At 18th level, your blood sings to you and those you designate as friends. You and creatures you choose within 30 feet of you are immune to being charmed. Additionally, you are immune to diseases and the poisoned condition, and have resistance to poison and psychic damage. Umbral Scion Sorcerer Archetype   This subclass is intended for the Shadow Elf culture, with strong magical bloodlines, but can be selected with DM approval for any sorcerer. Umbral Scion Spells -1st: charm person, detect poison and disease, disguise self, feather fall, hex -3rd: levitate, mirror image, spider climb, suggestion -5th: counterspell, dispel magic -7th: dominate beast, locate creature -9th: dominate person, hold monster Umbral Sorcery You can use the higher of Constitution or Charisma to determine spell attack and spell save DCs for your sorcerer spells. Innate Magic Beginning at 6th level, when you cast any spell of 1st level or higher from your Umbral Scion Spells feature, you can cast it by expending a spell slot as normal or by spending a number of sorcery points equal to the spell's level. If you cast the spell using sorcery points, it requires no material, somatic, or verbal components. You can also cast Detect Magic at will, without expending a spell slot. It has no verbal or somatic components when cast through this feature. At 14th level, you instead constantly detect magic as if by a nonmagical effect, and it cannot be dispelled or counterspelled. Magic Resistance At 14th level, you have advantage on saving throws against spells. Improved Innate Magic At 18th level, choose two spells of 1st or 2nd level from the Umbral Scion Spells feature. You can cast these spells at will without expending spell slots, and with no verbal or somatic components. Bloodshaper Fighter Archetype   Bloodshaping At 3rd level, you can create magic items around yourself out of, and infuse your weapons with, your blood. At the end of a long rest, you can expend a point of exertion to create one wearable magic item from your blood. Alternatively, you can impale yourself with a bladed weapon, expending a point of exertion, at any time, to grant it the effects of a magic weapon. The latter effect only lasts until the weapon is sheathed, but the former lasts until the end of your next long rest. Your skin takes on a pale countenance the more you use this ability in the day. You cannot regain exertion spent on creating a magic item, but you can get it back if you infuse a weapon. You cannot infuse a weapon if you have a wearable magic item shaped (or two at 7th, 3 at 10th, 4 at 15th, or 5 at 18th). You can shape an additional item or infuse an additional weapon at 7th, 10th, 15th, and 18th level. These items can be rare at 10th level and Very Rare at 15th level. At 18th level, one item can be of Legendary rarity. Additionally, you can shape blood armor instead of a magic item, granting an armor class of 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Constitution modifier. This does not cost exertion and can be done as a bonus action. Blood Enchantments At 7th level, you gain the ability to enchant your blood further. You can invest exertion into these abilities until the end of your next long rest. As a bonus action, you can shift the points around between them, but you cannot reduce the amount invested until you take your next long rest. You can invest up to 2 exertion in each ability, or 3 at 10th, 4 at 15th, and 5 at 18th. These blood enchantments are: -You gain a +1 bonus with your blood armor for every 2 exertion invested in this ability. -You gain a +1 bonus to all saving throws per 3 invested exertion. -You extend the range of your melee weapon into a cone that is 5 feet long for each point of exertion invested, lasting until your weapon leaves your hand. You must reinvest exertion each time you lose or sheathe your weapon. -You extend the range of your weapon to a 5' radius circle, +5 feet for each 2 exertion invested, lasting until your weapon leaves your hand. You must reinvest exertion each time you lose or sheathe your weapon. -You can shape an additional magic item for every 3 exertion invested. -You gain an expertise die to one skill for each exertion invested. -Your unarmed strikes deal 1d4 force damage +2 for each exertion invested. -You gain a +5' bonus to all your speeds per exertion invested. Bloody Armory At 10th level, you can create any weapon with which you are proficient out of your blood. If it has the Ammunition property, it is automatically loaded with blood ammunition as you attack with it. This ignores the Loading property. You cannot pick up blood ammunition once it is used; it simply reverts to normal blood. Extra Attunement At 15th and 18th level, you can have 1 additional item attuned. Rapid Bloodshaping At 18th level, you can change shaped blood magic items into other ones on a short or long rest, instead of just on a long rest. Additional Bloodshapes Ring of Beauty and Nourishment Requires Attunement You do not need to eat or drink while this bloodshape is shaped. Additionally, you add your Constitution modifier to in-person Persuasion checks because of your healthy glow. Ring of Comfort You are acclimated to temperatures as low as -40°F and as high as 140°F while this bloodshape is shaped.

Application Name: Heritage (Gift): Culture: Classes (Subclasses): Background: Destiny: Goals and Motivations: (at least two short term and two long term goals, and two things that motivate your character into action. More are always nice) Deity: (make up a deity and their area of expertise, or choose one of the two I'm about to say. There are only two gods that are non-player created: The Shifting Mound (Destined Death, Endless Reincarnation) and the Long Quiet (Unending Life), which are directly stolen from Slay the Princess) Connection: Memento: Description: (Appearance, Personality, anything else you'd use to describe a character. One to two paragraphs preferred. Please no AI "art" if you can avoid it. Pictures aren't even necessary, and if you don't have one, you can write another paragraph (if you want).) Backstory: (no more than 3 paragraphs, please. I don't want a book. But feel free to create places in The World Below, or even locations within Bryn) What are you doing? (essentially, you're coming up with your first solo quest. You may not finish it before you join the group; just keep that in mind. That depends on the scope and where you end up going) Decide one of the following: (because I am bad at names) The name of a cozy and inviting café The name of a clockwork conservatory The surname of a fancy/influential family (can be repeated) The name of an arcanoscientist (can be repeated) The name of the golem independence movement A better, informal name for the Astral Plane (other than The Dreaming)

[Ermine]

Name	Player	Heritage	Class	Destiny
Ramzie Tarlaen	page6e23	Elf	Ranger (Beastmaster)	Underdog
Brenna Olafsdottir	The Rat Queen	Human	Bard (Warchanter)	Excellence
Logrist	Drachenspirit	Spiderfolk	Rogue (Throwing Ace)	Underdog
Lilley	Nade	Human	Artificer (Scrap Crafter)	Knowledge
Vas D'Amore	epelj1	Elf	Sorceress (Songweaver)	Underdog?
Arneulf Bjornsson	Drifter One	Human	Berserker (Defiant)	Dominion
Virion	Aza	Doppelganger	Fighter (Bloodshaper)	Chaos
Agaricus	Aura Wolf	Mycelial	Adept (Tranquil Master)	Underdog

[Ermine]

I can assure you your idea probably fits.

[page6e23]

Name: Ramzie Tarlaen
Heritage / Gift: Elf / preternatural awareness
Culture: Shadow Elf
Class: beastmaster ranger
Background: guild member
Destiny: underdog

Goals and Motivations: (at least two short term and two long term goals, and two things that motivate your character into action. More are always nice)
Deity: (make up a deity and their area of expertise, or choose one of the two I'm about to say). There are only two gods that are non-player created: The Shifting Mound (Destined Death, Endless Reincarnation) and the Long Quiet (Unending Life), which are directly stolen from Slay the Princess)

Connection: your guildmaster's ambitious second-in-command who is recruiting allies for a coup.
Memento: explorers' guild, a roll of incomlete maps, each with a reward for completion.

Description: (Appearance, Personality, anything else you'd use to describe a character. One to two paragraphs preferred. Please no AI "art" if you can avoid it. Pictures aren't even necessary, and if you don't have one, you can write another paragraph (if you want).)

Backstory: (no more than 3 paragraphs, please. I don't want a book. But feel free to create places in The World Below, or even locations within Bryn)

What are you doing? (essentially, you're coming up with your first solo quest. You may not finish it before you join the group; just keep that in mind. That depends on the scope and where you end up going)

The name of a clockwork conservatory: Segments of Eternity

idea heap:
- class abilities are metallic tattoos, can be activated by a pop-up holographic display
- didn't want to be an explorer, her family essentially sold her for political gain, she physically resisted the first few tattoos
- she escaped the Underdark, but realized she can't get rid of her 'abilities', so she joined an explorer's guild, but this time voluntarily

[Ermine]

Question: Where are you finding deep elf? Do you perhaps mean Shadow Elf? (If yes, that's a culture)

[Nade]

I'm interested but not familiar with Level Up 5e, is it massively different from vanilla 5e and is there an SRD for it?

[Ermine]

It's not TOO different. And the SRD is here.

[page6e23]

Yes, it's Shadow Elf.

[Ermine]

Woo~ I was right~ ^~^ Probably the last time!

[Nade]

Originally Posted by Ermine

It's not TOO different. And the SRD is here.

Brill, much appreciated!

[Ermine]

If it means I get players, I'm happy to help. Selfish like that. ^~^

[The Rat Queen]

Originally Posted by Ermine

I can assure you your idea probably fits.

Ehhh, I started off with one idea, but wound up morphing into a Viking-style bard. Seems a little out of place in a Steampunky-magical-tech world.

[Ermine]

Only Bryn is that way, by default. A skald from the world below could be possible. I left that part of the world largely undefined on purpose.

[Drachenspirit]

This... is interesting. Never heard of this version either. Checking it out to see if I have the mental bandwidth to throw an application in.

[The Rat Queen]

Hmm...okay, I'll reconstruct my skald.