Minecraft Build Project: Castle Ravenlot - Part 6

 For this update, I focused primarily on finishing up the chapel at the end of the castle. Obviously I haven't finished the wall height, as I am doing the floorplan first, apart from that landing.

 This was time consuming, but easy once I got one side one, thanks to the symmetry.

After that, I decided to add a ceiling to the hall leading to it. The height was restricted to being this low due to the positioning of a nearby staircase.

The following was originally posted to DeviantArt on December 27, 2016. It is a short story connecting my character from a Pathfinder game to the larger Draconis setting.

Recruitment

Owlbear’s Wrath 13, 1844

Alford University, Riple, Mirth

Professor Verna Tealeaf stepped into the office for the History faculty at the University of Alford, eager to begin work a paper about her experiences in the Helian town of Von. It had been a harrowing ordeal, to say the least. After that, even grading that stack of papers she left to pile up would feel relaxing. She was greeted by the receptionist, a Gnome by the name of Jeben Durand, who said, “Welcome back, Professor. There’s a Doctor Telford waiting to speak with you outside your office. I told her you wouldn’t be very long.”        “Thank you, Jeben. I was on my way there anyway.” Verna was mostly confused. Out of all the other institutions she was regular contact with, none of them had a Doctor Telford in the faculty, and a medical doctor wouldn’t come to her office like that. Coming up on it, she saw an elf woman, with brown hair tied back in a braid, and wearing an unusual pair of glasses, waiting outside.        “Professor Tealeaf, I’ve been looking forward to meeting you,” the elf said, extending a hand to Verna.        “Doctor Telford? I was expecting someone a little more ... “ Verna said, stopping herself before saying more.        “Human? It’s a married name, and I didn’t have a surname before that. But yes, I am Doctor Telford. Doctor Marwen Telford, University of Zervanos Partition,” the elf said, as Verna accepted the handshake.        “I’ve never heard of Zervanos Partition. It doesn’t even sound like the name of a real place,” Verna pointed out.        “That’s part of what I’d like to talk to about. Can we speak privately?” Marwen asked. Verna unlocked the door to her office, though she still looked skeptical. After shutting the door and sitting down, Marwen continued by saying, “I represent an organization that documents and observes pre-spaceflight civilizations. When necessary, we take steps to prevent their premature destruction with minimal interference.”        “Pre-spaceflight? Spaceflight is impossible.” Verna was starting to regret letting this elf into her office. At best, this was an elaborate prank. At worst, the elf was delusional.        “With the magic and technology currently available on your world, yes,” Marwen admitted. Noting the expression on Verna’s face, she added, “I know the look of a skeptic when I see one. I could be making all of this up, to waste your time. What you need is proof.” Marwen withdrew a small object resembling a marble and placed it on Verna’s desk. “This item and another just like it have been enchanted to serve as a two way teleport. It’s called an Entanglement Stone.”        Verna was still suspicious. “Even if you’re telling the truth, you could be teleporting me straight to my death. What guarantee do I have that it’s safe?”        Marwen smiled, “Simple, I’ll use it first. Then you can follow me if you’re interested. I’ll give you ten minutes, and if you’re not interested, I’ll come back down and retrieve this half of the pair,” she explained, placing her hand on the Stone and vanishing in a flash of light.        For the next minute Verna stared at the device, unsure whether to use it or leave it alone. She then realized that she nothing to lose from indulging the elf, wherever she really came from, so took a deep breath and activated the marble.        The next thing Verna knew, she was staring out a wide window at a blue and green orb amid a starry expanse. Recalling the myriad of maps at the university, she quickly realized she was looking at the planet Mirth from space and found herself speechless at the sight.                “There’s nothing quite like seeing your home planet from space for the first time, is there?” Marwen asked, looking out at it as well. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions, so I’ll start with the basics. This is a small interstellar spacecraft, called the Wayfarer, originating from the planet Zenith, though I myself come from a planet called Arenemus.” “This is a lot to take in. The best we have on Mirth is a horse drawn carriage, and you’re telling me this vessel is capable of faster than light travel. This is far beyond the most powerful magic we have. Even the teleport you used. The most similar magic device I have seen can't do more than a hundred miles, and it certainly can't teleport people.” “I’m sure your ancestors would say similar things if they saw your world as it is today,” Marwen pointed out. “Many worlds were like Mirth at one point. Others will be eventually.” “Is sounds as if you're describing a clear path of development, which civilizations follow without consciously knowing,” Verna surmised. “That is what we have observed on dozens of planets, including yours, though I'm not denying the presence of variations. Nations and landmasses naturally differ, and technological discoveries don’t always occur in the same order. I know of one world that mastered blood transfusions before discovering electricity,” Marwen explained, adding, “While one would expect an isolated society to develop in distinct ways, only to adopt traits of their neighbours when the isolation ends, the opposite appears to be true on an interstellar scale.” The elf then activated an overlay on the window, changing the view to one of Verna’s home city of Alford. “I’m sure you recognize this city,” Marwen stated, changing the view to a similar looking city, albeit one on a coast. “Yorkshire on Gyarkalithu.” She changed it again, now to a northern city lightly coated by snow, stating, “High Hearth on Montac. Gyarkalithu has only been part of the galactic community for about thirty years, while Montac is still isolated like Mirth. These next planets have been connected to the rest of the galaxy for much longer.” The next image was an expanse of skyscrapers reaching beyond the horizon. “Zenith. The city spans the entire planet, so the two are synonymous.” Another city followed it, though it didn't reach as far and was in a dilapidated state. On closer inspection, Verna could see some buildings in better condition, and building materials being moved around by cranes and aircraft. “Madrid on Proxim. Slowly healing since the fall of Red Serpent nearly thirty years ago.” The final image was a great stone ziggurat at night, guarded by floodlights and low flying aircraft. “Zoser on Ziblidu.” Verna was awestruck by the sights, but she still had questions on our mind. “You’re made your point, but I don’t see how I fit into all of this. Compared to what you’ve shown me, my world must seem like a backwater.” “Because there is more to the Observers than keeping an eye on worlds like yours,” Marwen explained, deactivating the overlay and restoring the view of Mirth. “In addition to covert research, we also help prevent world-ending threats to such worlds, and we seek to prevent exploitation of magic beyond the purview of typical casters by unscrupulous individuals. Your magical prowess, insight, and prior experience with the paranormal and supernatural is exactly what we’re looking for. As much are you appreciate that, I can see you’re not entirely convinced. Let me ask you something else. Despite being from another world, I appear to be an elf, not unlike those found on Mirth, correct?” Verna didn’t see where Marwen was going with this, but deciding to play along, she said, “Yes.” “That is because I am an elf. Across the galaxy, the same races can be found on thousands of worlds, with no historical records of settling there. The true origin of all these species is the mystery we are seeking to solve, and the Technological Development Path I described before is a part of it. On some worlds, legends tell of a planet called Earth, where humanoid life originated, though no one knows where it is. I think our research may eventually lead us to it.” Marwen brought up a holographic display of the galaxy for emphasis. “As a scholar, I’m sure you see the appeal of that,”        “Alright, I’m interested, but you know I have a job that can’t just walk away from,” Verna pointed out, looking over the hologram.        “I wouldn’t expect you to. I’m not asking for a full time commitment, and I think membership in the Observers may benefit your own work,” Marwen offered. “Regardless, keep the Entanglement Stone.”        Verna considered the offer for several minutes, looking over the galaxy map and the window, and finally said, “Alright, I’m in.”

Minecraft Build Project: Castle Ravenloft - Part 5

I concluded that the best way to do that stair section was to remove the curve entirely and extend the landing out into the stairway.

 Building the landing itself was straightforward, but it dit take some time as I hadn't built anything with that kind of elevation yet.

 After setting up the landing, I opted to work on the chapel section of the castle. It's likely to be the widest room on the ground floor, and I haven't actually finished laying it out.

Due to the nature of Minecraft blocks, the stair section actually resulted in determining the ceiling for the hall leading to the chapel.

Minecraft Build Project: Castle Ravenloft - Part 4

For my next update, I opted to take a break from working on the castle proper in favour of a few secondary buildings. This one is designed to house a carriage.

 This section is something of a overlook, though it doesn't really have as much impact without the elevation in the actual setting.

Basic mockup of the walls of that section.

 Setting up the grand staircase. So far, my approach to use two blocks in Minecraft for five feet in the D&D map is working well.

And now here's a challenge. I have to set up stairs to go up four blocks, and turn 90° smoothly. I'll figure something out.

Minecraft Build Project: Castle Ravenloft - Part 3

For this update, I opted to start with the floor of the Grand Entry, followed by the Hall of Faith leading up to the Chapel. I'll get to the Chapel itself later.

Next up was the Guest Hall. The alcove was a little difficult due to Minecraft blocks not curving. Other than that, this section was fairly easy.

 When I first set up the Dining Hall, I laid out the floor too early, not realizing how it lined up, but this was easily corrected.

After handling the Archer's Post on this side, along with the Turret Post, I realized I'll have to redo it on the other side so they line up.

Minecraft Build Project: Castle Ravenloft - Part 2

After successfully testing the height of the exterior walls, I put myself to work building the footprint of the castle walls. AGAIN.

I have some slight confusion until I realized the Roll20 map of the castle was slightly asymmetrical on the back end. After realizing this, I set up my build to match.

Once I finished the wall footprint, I started on the ground floor of the inner keep. This may be a challenge due to the difference in how walls work between D&D maps and Minecraft. That being said, I have previously built maps based on randomly generated maps from donjon, in which walls work very much like in Minecraft, making it easier. I also realized after the fact that I over-calculated the height of section K19, making it three times as high as it should have been. I'll have to fix that later.

Minecraft Build Project: Castle Ravenloft - Part 1

 I recently decided to try my hand at building the infamous Castle Ravenloft from Dungeons & Dragons, partially because I'm currently running the 5th Edition Ravenloft adventure Curse of Strahd on Roll20, and because it's been a long time since I've built anything particularly fancy in Minecraft.

 Using the top-down maps exclusive to Roll20 and the standard isometric maps for reference, I determined that the best scale would be four Minecraft blocks for every square in the D&D map. For reference, a block in Minecraft is one metre wide while a square in a most D&D maps is five feet. This conversion isn't exact, but it's close enough for my purposes.

 I opted to start with a footprint, going from the main gate outwards, trying to maintain symmetry. This required constant reference to the Roll20 map and careful calculation, but I eventually got the base for the outer walls done.

Unfortunately, I realized that the superflat preset I used went too far underground, severely limiting my upward building space. I couldn't even get the castle walls to their full height, so I had to start over.

The new map is only around 50 blocks deep, giving ample room to build both up, and down.

Source Mixing

Hello, and welcome to the Draconis Fantasy blog, my new blog for discussing various geek stuff, including tabletop roleplaying, as well as sci-fi and fantasy in various media.

What does the name Draconis Cosmic Fantasy refer to? It's in reference to a homebrew fantasy setting used in tabletop roleplaying I've been involved in since late 2009, though it had been around for four or five years before that.

While I might discuss that setting more in a later post, that's not what this first post is about. The majority of games played in this setting use systems for which the third-party licencing is through the Open Game Licence or OGL for short. That is what I'd like to talk about.

Introduced in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast as part of the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons, the OGL is in my opinion, one of the best things that's ever happened to tabletop roleplaying. As the name suggests, it takes an open source approach to game mechanics, allowing the same game systems to be used by a wide variety of publishers, as well as allowing them to build off each others' work.

Of course, as there is a great deal of intellectual property involved in tabletop gaming. This is handled in the OGL by Product Identity, meaning material that other publishers are not allowed to use. In general, this includes things like the name of one's products, artwork, as well as settings, characters and storylines. It's not unheard of to declare other elements, such as specific creatures, spells, or character options as Product Identity as well, like Beholders or Illithids in Dungeons & Dragons.

Now, it's easy to forget that Product Identity restrictions only apply to publishers, not to GM's. Obviously there's nothing wrong with playing with resources from one publisher, or sticking to Open Game Content and your own creations, but at the same time, when you're privately running the games, and not publishing or doing organized play, there's nothing stopping you from fully utilizing works from every publisher as a resource for your games.

So, if you want to throw a Beholder (Dungeons & Dragons) at a party of Hobbits (Adventures in Middle-Earth) or a Balrog (Adventures in Middle-Earth again) at a party of anthropomorphic dogs, nothing's stopping you. That's the beauty of the OGL.