Chronicles & Commons: Recent Episodes
Klaatu
Holiday bonus episode.
shasum -a256=70d38bb15b590a1e03870b4da1c074f6dc598c1547821e0583bd48a567925f6b
Chessmen of Mars, monstrous races, and the end.
shasum -a256=eb4495f14a3396b99dab934ec7ab681870bf32d3fd7719491c9a34fb32f4d9bc
Technology of Barsoom.
shasum -a256=a134816ca948afd914c1e369ea050fcf6ee21315850523ef7f5463bc88165f60
Plants and animals of Barsoom.
shasum -a256=4b9e2f6ebf27adec2f1c2f5a7f303dc1eaf5781a465d6f08b8546db05857a523
The yellow martians (Okar) of Barsoom.
shasum -a256=c817b897970980392b5afdbf08914f8e7ac47089885c2d9c5bf3c5893d575acb
The white martians of Barsoom.
shasum -a256=767174711871b09754f3fcd1cf5edbdbffee2f5faba0227454217c3605734494
Black martians of Barsoom.
shasum -a256=37e2a624dcc7efdc9d8f2a6fe3555a4a974767459aa61355e5ccccf41964fdbc
The effects of common and shared lore on the gaming experience.
shasum -a256=cb4502104a80971aa282cc0a1792fa4a36a9eb3b3fa4392c1f1bb0ad5828a223
All about the red martians from Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom novels (also known as the John Carter of Mars series).
shasum -a256=9864166310ee0a5773b89320d29f11a96af1ab35eddd342f7f31ca016a07e484
All about the green martians of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom novels (also known as the John Carter of Mars series).
shasum -a256=cf1686d3b97a99d07d0bcf8597ca54caaa1f7a569cd5b6f320b877ed0fb8ea08
Flowers and faeries.
shasum -a256=c77a64744b5e815c0c6dbaede159158a8a5c5194d0b73ba3ded487cc292baf95
Chinese mid-Autumn festival legends
shasum -a256=e8de06ae24697db171f6e27e0ff2981438e34ae8dff9e1a1b3ccd25a1efaaa86
The Dungeon Dragon from Tome of Horrors by Frog God Games.
shasum -a256=c1fd77820bf48f7a26b0c0f056eea6da974117f5a806072f27bb20d24f274c10
Void dragons from the Tome of Beasts by Kobold Press.
shasum -a256=27cbe89325784507e3bb4d504706fa042e0d686c08a760ddd645beb539c89b53
Red Dragons in OGL lore.
shasum -a256=b2b03e84658e56c6b747f9f6174b5e010e2fd90229440c597ba6db7c9e0eeb46
Green dragons in the DnD multiverse and OGL lore.
shasum -a256=0da607e9b198e8088fd8d7d96ef0cdf2969e9fcb4ee69ce11cbbbfd6fb7285ae
Let's talk about black dragons.
shasum -a256=6fa19b279bc5c58a3d2b7e75cbce1fe9a34c4ffc71a9ff79444bf3dfa2abd4b7
Case study of a third party publisher's conversion of an old Gygax monster.
shasum -a256=8ed85247e8a60d27b529afec6841a7328813ae92132cd755e4dfbc867c512592
The tradition of dragons in D&D culture, and an overview of white dragons as detailed in 2e, Dragonlance, Pathfinder, and 5e.
shasum -a256=3c03c327011e6a36893a204f084d19816df7279862327db7d26f979ddf070303
This week, Klaatu reads a post from the Mixed Signals blog. This one isn't about lore, but THAC0 is an important part of D&D history, and if you ever thought to try AD&D for its historical charm, then you need to understand it.
It's easier than you think, so tune in.
shasum -a256=8afad47042a9ef6705cabf1975397fae0025c1f9fa0357e9eb155ef341b3fa3f
Yes, there was no episode 26. In this episode: wood-burning stoves and winter magic.
shasum -a256=a712e52f3de8b204ffa515efd15ac5d86969ff1aa4d3eb2aa5810183752b00cd
The Maori creation myth and Matariki.
shasum -a256=bcdb03d96a3f6654fd62ed7edb4df5c0fd2dcd33947464d61217b8b09863cdb8
A look at the taniwha, from Maori legend.
shasum -a256=1c03fb54e402fe93ae740e2a082e8ddd0488f722c05cf3a20d920861f114477a
One more episode about non-combat XP, this time quick-and-dirty homebrew options for exploration and interaction.
shasum -a256=e0e090e1019754bfaa5c5bbec447a389fbe197f28a70e4f5b0293891d9f236a4
Non-combat XP in Pathfinder, using two rule systems already integrated into the Pathfinder system.
shasum -a256=6e46a943b702f847198488feb145144805bc6e6f78f14dadf9660c75e0c9c33a
C&C is branching out. To better reflect its parent website, Mixed Signals, the show will now cover not just lore but also open gaming in general. This is partly to buy time required for researching in-depth lore episodes, but also because it can be difficult to _not_ talk about game mechanics when talking about the lore around a game.
In this episode, Klaatu takes a look at the 3 Pillar XP system developed by Wizards of the Coast for D&D 5e. The idea for this new system is to better reward players for exploration and social interaction, and not just combat.
Download a cheat sheet for this system at mixedsignals.ml/games/blog /blog_noncombat-xp.
shasum -a256=1032a7d0fa9f250dfed94f45bf2d9ab57385bb2150f7f4f1b01c2825d98e5f9e
More technology, this time from the early sf books Armageddon 2419 and the Airlords of Han.
shasum -a256=0a56a08131380c116c6df75057c80e37114dee56d9af8c876b6935aa87e83936
The gods of the Norse pantheon, as defined by D&D, part 3.
shasum -a256=dd38cdb3736120c98e689592cb254c27aadb7e48abc2cbff4f6a97d9fa9564b5
Technology and fantasy.
shasum -a256=9c8d768571d67ba09799642363bdbe20d0186e39ad9edfd25f930b97dc51a7c0
Norse mythology, part 2.
shasum -a256=66b0d026f316ce83c564ff13e8bdc54f450fbe16315868c793af4ae3126b0dfc
A discussion of feats, and what makes characters unique, and how it all fits into 5e.
shasum -a256=995a4244ffa3fb114d16b5426d00a5da0f1bfa94251f5b694edc6970d518c670
Turn to page 299 of your Player's Handbook, because it's time to review the Norse pantheon as D&D dieties.
shasum -a256=d5dabf82931f857463f7eeaffb87949b9f62959767b859498d1187e04c1f28d8
Herbalism and incorporating it into games.
shasum -a256=b6b871a07e8ebb8c11f01c7cdd628c4074c369b55892d50d15e01e6ad81fac40
Learn about the magic of names with the Super Genius Guide to Name Traits. It's a fun way to gamify name creation for player characters, with a bunch of implied lore by nature.
shasum -a256=99b80634dc53652aabc80141b1b028f7641b5013b0252b419f34591f3bc70a19
The final god of the Porphyra pantheon: Vortain, the chaotic evil bringer of chaos, the corrupt one.
The Porphyra pantheon was written by Christopher Kaiser, Perry Fehr, Mark Gedak, August Hahn, John Hazen, Sean Holland, Sam Hing, James H. Lewis, Chris Longhurst, Scott Messer, Sean O’Connor, David Nicholas Ross, and Jeremy Whalen. It is published by Purple Duck Games.
shasum -a256=80c89d7e4cd759d09beeea32472c878da4d3994c59f95da295f9718564af5e0a
All about haunted regions ("haunts" in Pathfinder), featuring an excellent guide by Super Genius Games.
shasum -a256=4faf8001961a2c4e3b181a998753529d26b680e2e35a0acef0c61519bd6ce018
Rajuk Amon-Gore, so bad he's good, or so chaotic he's bad?
shasum -a256=e3edaff8c3ededf445ea7f69f997a6e27f8b08f4992f34fb5134e0dc13a270e7
The beasts (and constructs) of Pellucidar, the land at the center of the Earth.
shasum -a256=86fd24ab28b8016103c2a29f35b1c2a4c78b6c0f534c432371c51e29d0564b59
Mal, the chaotic evil god of annihilation, the destroyer of worlds.
shasum -a256=c11260788a698c4616cf24187dbf556cda571bc4a62205f3893c6cb7e26937ed
The environments of Pellucidar, a world within a world.
shasum -a256=03b1e051f562d29dabbf54ebda671a78805ab20411e9fe904a5fbc5ada55a01f
Ul'ul, the Mad Maiden, the Vortex: the chaotic neutral goddess of art, madness, and storms. Hers is an appropriately tumultuous tale, so buckle up!
shasum -a256=5132ea1ad61619a22a8447fe08a2b453ef6b62294ab63537ee46725189c46ff3
A review of some optional gem socketing rules, and the idea of upgrading items and powers with magickal gemstones.
shasum -a256=3d4a943c2a88b8208904e338d70aecd6e62cabb3879b097d14df745795395e7c
Explore the Earth's core! In this episode, Klaatu takes a look at the pulp fiction ideas of a hidden world at the very center of the Earth.
shasum -a256=b54260c4667f7f56d4384a28ad959dd69217e6d8fb8bd23526bf50fcdc1899fb
Rune magic is a great addition to magic systems, whether in a tabletop game, video games (like Witcher 2), or books. This episode takes a look at some of the mechanics and runes in Kobold Press's Deep Magic: Rune Magic.
shasum -a256=1580961983123af576409fa8dba8a340834fea6908282cea538d4276b6a0ce95
Hear all about the chaotic neuntral goddess, Nise.
shasum -a256=82eb5ededbbe87411ac955e177dbbc5fa237f65d989742bc95b215d250d09363
An extra episode to get you through the holidays: the Hyborian Age by Robert E. Howard, in its entirety, read by Klaatu. It's a little academic as lore goes, but it's the authoritative history of the world of Conan the Barbarian.
shasum -a256=faa0446dc39e0b12f070a806d9b1ad8839e91c7b71a4e276a439b876dc446626
Winter magic from Super Genius Games.
shasum -a256=2f198ddb3007ba8fd9434368991593c236b8f6e5bbfa19bdc96587403170d78d
All about the chaotic neutral god, Nemyth Vaar, called Nemesis, the Knight Demise, the God of Betrayal, Insanity, and Revenge. Worshipped by fallen knights, mercenaries, and outcasts.
shasum -a256=2eb77d18f6b453102e4aad9756c7db9d422050a260524d1253a7c24ea310415c
Wrapping up our exploration of the Conan universe, this episode mentions a bunch of elements, like Ophir, Xapur, Hyrkania (home to expanded universe heroine Red Sonja), and others, that didn't quite fit in any of the previous Conan episodes.
shasum -a256=bbc31e1b1ed68cd748424171cc50049de11b8f0e44dd2fc8bff31d5c1bc5c1d4
The chaotic good goddess, Yolana: the Twin Liberty, the Maid of Memory, the Truth Light.
shasum -a256=d5752adbe55a6e6e7374a199b8c625c6680c61de3684b6d39e046d7a13b011e4
Two factions by Brent Newhall: the Invisible Hand and the Blackblades.
shasum -a256=40bde713a1c2f9f9311b51b03bca4f86440cd20bd03c29c73928a34f58d92109
Crom, Set, Ishtar, Asura, Mitra, and more. Yes, it's an overview of ALL the gods in the Conan universe.
shasum -a256=68c95d977a696782266004071eec9d30d1d274348c4f77667df633f4d4f2f810
Tulis, the martyr. The chaotic good goddess of strength and defiance.
shasum -a256=bdefde884c3f37bc27271b78ed47e01e9a1e91fb93238b859a96877653f37c23
The kingdom of Turan, along the Vilayet Sea, from the Conan the Barbarian universe.
shasum -a256=51525bf5652ffc4592332d202982907dd8306a58d220b1b6014191aadd1d49d9
The chaotic good god, Saren the Untamed, of the Porphyra pantheon: the god of forests, animals, and lust. A god for druids, foresters, rangers, and sylvan creatures. shasum -a256=2372a536b7585b5d90ed8194a28f97fc0b0e2d3332ecccfcc7b06053b6d4a82a
The kingdom of Nemedia from the world of Conan the Barbarian.
shasum -a256=0301cace016d17ea8cf295b73c2a56f18f3e3de987360495f5639935c080abbb
Shade, the master of murder and god of subterfuge, from the neutral evil division of the Porphyra pantheon.
shasum -a256=52ae199f86645409424f9ee04f5d5a4b26d4dd210c52dc312516ab7625daac72
Learn all about the kingdoms of Koth and the land of Shem from the world of Conan the Barbarian.
shasum -a256=a20a1ff1f7485d26fcda0524f095d9eef7ba77f99297ea263339042013590a11
Lyvalia, the neutral evil goddess of deception.
shasum -a256=e6e3cfed9183a001ae625628a00710d7da5576a6fafd31472242a00becba6889
Zingara and Argos, two kingdoms of Conan the Barbarian's Hyperborean world.
shasum -a256=3c85e97d6b7cb2b0d8d595c3b7f8ad4276aead77d823adda8684686e7fcbd0d2
Visit Aquilonia, the ancient kingdom situated between the Bossonian Marches and Nemedia. It's a frontier kingdom, holding fast against Pictish savages. Can it hold back the threat, or will its own internal political strife tear it apart first?
shasum -a256=cf7f6968d891e4d1679a53b393df7aeaeef2e1b2f9a5aa06cebc06f0713e472a
The evil continues. Stygia last week, the god of destruction this week. This episode introduces the neutral evil division of the Porphyra pantheon, starting with Fenris Kul. Grab your battleaxe and vulture.
shasum -a256=5e1498c0f619ca710f089126cc9ba5735edb69894ad6affab5cd73e14fb07c8d
Get a tour of the mysterious lands of Stygia, a kingdom of Set worship, necromancy, and vampires. This is information taken from the original Conan stories by Robert E. Howard.
shasum -a256=f9887d7555eb037b039d00f4ed62e8bd531e678c98bd6f658b4b0b24c100505e
Myketa, a neutral goddess of Porphyra.
shasum -a256=f8e50fcdaf5ec0769e07f4ae5d3d2f889bb86f82bef7ea4c79476111fffc49d1
Ferrakus, the neutral god of mining, stonecraft, earth, and caverns.
shasum -a256=44da74fe9cdbaf983e7a0ef4a7c0c772dc50000534eed6439d8a3b1b8ec2c441
Stat blocks for a Kala war party.
shasum -a256=2d8c822a26b39c3e60562fe3a181934ce8a90fb04826332a82886e73182979de
D&D 5e allows for playable Dragonborn, but so far lacks much information about the race. In this episode, Klaatu briefly talks about Draconic races since the early days of DragonLance, and then discusses the rich alternate history for the Kala, as developed by indie game designer Brent Newhall.
shasum -a256=fc96b0a1ec3bd2db1d174e7b47bb76745dea11af8c6c774094ced39b75040e5f
Indian vampyre lore from Vikram and the Vampyre as transribed by Richard F. Burton in 1870.
shasum -a256=cdcb45e9994763664e6b872e3d18dd98c03ecc1e559871c596e96acb6179c1cf
Vampyres before Bram Stoker. shasum -a256=f5ddf8c2218d1f743de272de97164e421eda7dda7bcfb155469766dfc65b6f62
Chiuta, a true-neutral god of Porphyra.
shasum -a256=37a796bfad5f97cbbd12ceff675c76fdb170add36e42c5b1756ae90710de481c
The neutral good god Veloria, goddess of adventurers and travellers.
shasum -a256=872a7f35330384c972bd7010c2ea46b6be2c20d561ee0aa6f102e46ec7bc7214
The neutral good god Paletius, brother of Camus. God of knowledge, magick, and the sun.
shasum -a256=
Marie Corelli's Romance of Two Worlds, a Victorian treatise on the mysticism of electricity and a good primer on building up a fantasy-based science for sorcerers and wizards specialising in spells dealing lightning damage.
shasum -a256=fd1e8e3a9180a88ea058389f1312c837379f659a4f937e8a0b732692ade9984a
The mysterious land of Leng revealed at last, and the final installment of Lovecraft's Dreamlands.
shasum -a256=0c9e7d839932508843724d940c9cdc7a6301d183255c4aa27536e65bec853b76
Overview of the neutral good god, Neria, the dreamspeaker, the oracle of fate, the singer of songs.
shasum -a256=bf91cc5dc1a5bc7c0a66686a87b117d84fb457f34c7ae5c9b9d63c76bca3eec7
Inquanok, home to the descendants of gods.
shasum -a256=05b26ca8fa8fbf04de0440bc2d122b86a3fba1431b0d0d6a4eb37d280f15756e
Rolterra, the lawful evil god of Porphyra.
shasum -a256=4391fdeea0b76bdff8ded9d7a857cc7bbf5a526a4f55cf962d23b817f7bf647f
A tour of the island of Oriab, including the great Mount Ngranek. It's basically a Lovecraft resort. So don't fall asleep outside.
shasum -a256=105243e34f114a43ff1ef9e7fe06fb13b6be859784bd87c314e37521d8e0d0be
Kamus is a lawful evil god from the Porphyra pantheon. Stop by and say hi to him in this exciting but informative episode.
shasum -a256=5ebbf6e4d7e6e36426621875c3842b741b06295a34e36aa061d4153a32d52e5a
West across the Southern Sea, starting out from Dylath-Leen, with views of the Temples of Zak, the demon city of Thalarion and its eidolon Lathi, Zura the land of pleasures unattained, Sona-Nyl, Cathuria, and the void cataract, Oriab, and a mysterious sunken city.
shasum -a256=defcb69cad3fe51955a4e6df2fb5a9a90307f0883ad0d68bc8d190d36bc435e3
Eshsalqua, the lawful evil god of Porphyra.
shasum -a256=ce0530db2f3bfb9ae17d369e03818717e590ba78b744a3af68a037b880baedd4
Visit the Cerenarian Sea, within Lovecraft's Six Kingdoms. It's should be horrific, this time of year.
shasum -a256=621071a30b04422347e71f7a4607f9b24133954a7a8ff05d1ee425e0dcd37f69
Do you like the lawful neutral alignment? Then you'll love Shankhil, the god of transition, from Porphyra.
shasum -a256=e0cf1511bae2e2b680c7a582a89171f0967e05ed149ed4edeb437d07ee5b2d50
What are the six kingdoms of HP Lovecraft's Dreamlands? Klaatu speculates, and then takes you on a tour to the magnificent city of Thran and the Oukranos River.
shasum -a256=790823a26817f159e0a037b6393fbec0cc31c68dce7e017f179d51054e52bccb
Part 2 of the pantheon of ancient Egypt, as interpreted by Appendix B of the D&D Player's Handbook.
shasum -a256=82f96c289423f04b5a2a046847cc1681b0a9cf2d32ef4cb473bc32107c390ca1
This week, we take a break from reviewing open lore to meet one of its creators. In this episode, Klaatu interviews the very non-fictional Brent Newhall, a prolific game designer, creature creator, faction founder, and tabletop geek.
shasum -a256=662d864acfcfeb434d1090204790308ff190e533f7c8af9558c75ede09b3eb15
Part 1 of the pantheon of ancient Egypt, as interpreted by Appendix B of the D&D Player's Handbook.
shasum -a256=9c21442a95d7b1a927b1cf1fe92d951c5123e7844e83fd06feb7c0a9c7a170fc
Exploring the Moon of Lovecraft's dreamland realm.
New creatures: moonbeings, folk of Leng, men of Parg, cats from Saturn.
New locations: the moon.
shasum -a256=4221fdd310f73c8307b5ca29f424f875539c69fa47cb70361266040d76df54c7
Introducing lawful neutral god Linium, the forge father, from the Porphyra pantheon.
shasum -a256=7d1703324f899814ce9fc5509ef9e3fced50ae7448165ed9e00196e4febae34f
Visit the underworld of HP Lovecraft's dreamland realms.
New creatures: ghouls, ghasts, gugs, dholes.
New lands: the Peaks of Throk, Pnoth valley, Vaults of Zin, and the Kingdom of the Gugs.
shasum -a256=2a034fa4a197f59e1f4d616192f7e4e8cea6347023458ed667867435ee32361b
Introducing the lawful neutral goddess Ithreia from the Porphyra pantheon.
shasum -a256=015e7fecbaf4aee5c9744371783ab70e360b80f74fbd096a18a3bc05858b50f7
Meet Toma Thule, a lawful good god from the Porphyra pantheon.
shasum -a256=850d5868cb8f73c5be6572380092d154f6e59a34460405194a175ab3f68bdc13
Part 2 of 2. Finishing up the Gods of Pegana by Lord Dunsany. In this episode, the last couple of main gods, and thousands-and-thousands of house gods.
shasum -a256=c4728352111157c92014d68546e455c14510ab4e3c0a3d287b6af5ef1ad656f5
Part 1 of 2. A look at the Gods of Pegana, a book by Lord Dunsany. This is an old book, and freely available on Project Gutenberg. It's definitely worth a read.
shasum -a256=991f1501bd9c732a64fe417d3ea7681462748dd6609f226c3623287051a570d7
Meet Aleria, a lawful good goddess from Porphyra.
shasum -a256=3974b93ea42a468b9edca8496e148508dd3ed1725ab6a19c4a6a43f97787a467
Klaatu, who is not a lawyer, takes a break from the regularly scheduled programme to discuss open licenses and how to read them.
shasum -a256=a30cd8db959e8e4caa329c01e428c43b33a41b3f41216814ea527de0ba665b8b
A tour of the enchanted woods and countrysides of the dreamlands realm, around the river Skai, in the Six Kingdoms.
Three cities are covered in varying levels of detail: Nir, Ulthar, and Dylath- Leen.
One new creature type: the zoogs, with approximate stats.
Two gods are briefly mentioned: Azathoth and Nyarlathotep.
Priests of Nasht and Kaman-Thah maintain a cavern-temple and a pillar of flamethe, where they offer assistance to travellers on their ways to the dreamland realm.
One new potion: moon-tree wine, a zoog delicacy, served in a gourd. The wine is produced from a magical tree that grew from a seed dropped by someone on the moon. Like many wines, it is known to induce intoxication and drowsiness.
There is much more to cover, but this is a good introduction to the dreamlands. We will definitely be returning later.
shasum -a256=112e25c51553cd09e3887888102f071ce542d83ab5066a97d67f3acbc25f5135
The loose pantheon of Porphyra. This episode covers Gerana, the Lawful Good goddess and keeper of the Divine Record.
shasum -a256=5184a23ad327128b2d2310b979d04095c3bd6bfc179925dd93a811ca7c037cb8
New to the show? Start here.
shasum -a256=6a1b241eee9239c82670109625ec4cc317278795db27eb88385b2015f1729932