Partially inspired by Old Gods of Appalachia podcast, partially by Witchwood, and my thoughts around changing the feel of DnD 5e to encourage more RP.

The goal is a low magic feeling world themed around exploring the old magics and gods from the perspective of people who grew up on the edge of the Wood.

This episode of OGA captures the feel I want pretty well.

The goal would be to mostly use DnD 5e rules, because they are simple and lack complexity, and reskin them to make them feel more thematic without having to do the work of writing a rules system.

Y'all grew up on the edge of The Wood as one of the Woodsfolk. The city folk had other names for The Wood, depending which of the cities they came from. The northern elven city called it the Wyldwood, and claimed most of it was owned by them owing to ancient claims of blood. The southern halfling city calls it the Deep Wood, and say they own it because of the treaty signed at the end of the Tallfolk war. In fact, each of the other races have a great city that claims the Wood with a different name and a different rational for the claim. And it seems like every decade or so one city or the other sends a force to try to enforce the claim. The woodsfolk know better than to argue with them, because none of them will be around for more than a few months. And while each of the great cities is the home of a given race, the woodsfolk are not so foolish to care about race; and realize family and neighbors mattered way more than an accident of parentage. And so when cityfolk came to lay claim, its best just to let them say what they say, and let The Wood take care of them.

Now as Woodsfolk, y'all know how to wander the edges of The Wood and when not to wander. There are places in the Wood that are very old, and some of them don't much like people. Y'all know to avoid being out at night during the full moon, or the new moon. Stay away from river when it has a red tinge, or a green one. If you see a circle of mushrooms, you know to grab iron and to stay well away from them, and to definitely not thank anyone you see nearby no matter how kind they are. And y'all know better to call out blasphemy of any god, as its known the Wood listens and the old gods can be quite wrathful and subtle.

Swapping to a more OOG summary: Magic exists in the world, but its mostly things you heard from legend. With that said, a lot of things have been lightly reskinned. For example, a wizard may be reskinned as an alchemist where his morning spell preparation involves preparing a bunch of vials and elixirs to allow a number of effects to be generated later that happen to basically be wizard spells. A paladin may be reskinned as less of a holy warrior and more of a motherly figure who knows the right way to sooth a harm; or sharp biting words to accompany an attack to make it hurt that much more. Its possible to serve powers (like cleric or warlock) but those may be a more fraught choice than in many campaigns.

The campaign is set in the outer edges of The Wood. The Wood is probably a couple thousand miles across. Its not generally thought of as possible to cross The Wood, and merchants talk about it taking more than a year to make a complete trip around the outside of the wood.

Names have power. Knowing a name can have power. As can Calling one. There's a reason all good parents Know that the best way to find a lost child is to Call their name, and somehow that child can be found in places where even the most diligent of bloodhounds had failed to turn up a scent.

Some folks, especially Elders and Grandmas and those inclined to be unnoticed, keep their names to themselves. A lot of the folk have use-names. Some think that part of where an Elder gets their power is from getting old enough that folks forget their Name.

Sometimes you are wandering and you find a spot, and sometimes you find a Place. Places can be Light or Dark, and have Stories. There are places that are so safe that even the rabbits don't feel the need to bolt. And there are places that aren't.

Most folks are living in the Wood. There are small clearings for gardens and a larger cleared area that is the town. There are some known Roads that lead to known places. Common wisdom is to not stop in the Wood for the night unless you have a known safe Place to camp. There are things that wander the woods, and travelers do sometimes just leave and never return.

• Basic Rules Races only (Dragonborn, Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Half-Elf, Half-Orc, Halfling, Human, Tiefling*, Aasimar*)
  • Dragonborn, Tiefling, Aasimar generally blend in and appear to be one of the other races - when choosing to play one choose your “cover” race
    • all look mostly like their cover race and generally only have one or two features distinct that reveal their true race
    • generally looked on very suspiciously if noticeable; and some races take the marks of these 3 races as signs of deals with evil entities and a plenty good reason to run a person out of town
    • please note that Tiefling & Aasimar likely come with limitations that may make them especially challenging and need DM approval
      • as it likely means one of your parents made an unwise decision that haunts their descendants
  • Long lived races don't mature any slower than humans; and generally only live twice as long humans at most
  • There has historically been conflicts by race, as well as Tall races vs Short races
  • Half-Elf & Half-Orc are both distinct races with a distinct racial identity
    • it is unusual to be one by having one parent who was an elf or orc.
    • most of the time the child matches one parent's race

Initially each class will have 1 or 2 advanced paths. Not all classes will be available initially.

• Classes not available: Artificer, Bard
• Classes not available initially, but possibly unlockable: Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer

Path available: Berserker, Beast

Path available: Battlemaster, Champion

Commonly referred to as Brawler

Path available: Drunken Master, Open Hand

Paladin renamed to Elder. Sometimes referred to as a Grandma.

• Lay on Hands
• Divine Smite → renamed “Scolding Word” - make a biting comment about your target to deal additional damage
• Spellcasting - largely reskinned as inspiring speech, though some involve preparing specific items. For example cure wounds spells are usually home made cookies or other snacks administered with an encouraging word.

Path available: Ancients, Devotion, Watcher

Ranger renamed to Greenman. Sometimes referred to as a Grandma.

Ranger spellcasting is RP'd as embracing knowledge from nature. Sometimes it involves using powders & potions & items collected from the Wood.

Path available: Hunter

Path available: Thief, Swashbuckler

Warlock renamed to Pact Bound

Most warlocks have made a pact with an old and dark creature; and most of these pacts are made at times when the warlock would have otherwise died.

Warlocks are among the few that open spellcast and generate things clearly magic. Though most attempt to keep from being known for doing so, as most folks are quite uncomfortable around magic.

Path Available: Undead, Undying

Wizard renamed to Trickster. Spells are largely replaced with various potions, powders, bombs, ungeants, and small devices.

Wizards are alchemists, sideshow stage magicians, tinkers, or scientists. Regardless they rely on preparation and appropriate props to generate effects that any rational person could clearly understand if only they knew how the tricks were done. Most wizards know that if their tricks became revealed, they would stop working and guard these secrets closely, relying on obscure ciphers to keep their tricks private.

• Spellbook is replaced with Formula Book
• Spell preparation is done as mixing & filling vials, preparing tools, or otherwise preparing for their chosen way of doing magic

Path available: Enchantment, Evocation, Necromancy

• Alarm - can be ritually cast to ward a campsite and make a camp that is not a Place, a Place temporarily. If cast daily for a year will become permanent. Additional augmentations to flavor the type of the place are possible. When ritually cast lasts until sunrise.
• Detect Evil and Good - can detect some types of places
• Detect Magic - can detect some types of places
• Goodberry - does not generate berries. Generates snacks as appropriate to the materials used in casting. Butterscotch candies are a popular material component.
• Magic Circle - can be augmented similarly to ritually cast protection from evil.
• Prayer of Healing - effect is doubled in an appropriate place
• Protection from Evil - can be ritually cast to ward a campsite and make a camp that is not a Place, a Place temporarily. If cast daily for a year will become permanent. Additional augmentations to flavor the type of the place are possible. When ritually cast lasts until sunrise.

• see also gm lore additional spell changes

Y'all are older teenage children of various families who live around the edges of the Wood, near the town of Grey Hollow, on the eastern side of the wood. Or perhaps y'all are folks who have come to settle in Grey Hollow for one reason or another. Regardless, you've been around long enough the woodsfolk consider you 'close enough' to one of them, if not one of their kin. The town has a tavern, general store, a crafters consortium building with various workrooms, a smithy, and a half dozen houses - all built around a large central green with a large stone Church in the middle. There are a number of families that live within an hour walk of town. The town is considered to be on the outer edges of the Wood, but getting outside of the wood is a full days walk; and from there its a couple days to another town.

Most folks who live close to town attend Church every Sunday. Preacher Shy conducts a mostly nondenominational service carefully crafted to not offend or mention any god in specific while attempting to appease them. Values are largely around supporting your blood, respecting the Wood, and generally being good neighbors. The Church coordinates a lot of social activities, a variety of seasonal celebrations, and the occassional historical remembrances.

Folks of note:

• Captain - wears a pirate hat & rapier at all times - elven woman - not from the Wood but moved here 50 years ago, so still a newcomer - can be counted on to help when asked
• Grandma Jules - runs the smithy and is famously known for the quality of her baking - very solidly built blond woman in her late 40s - blond women
  • if you know what to look for, you can tell she's a gold dragonborn - her finger nails are gold scales and she is clearly fire resistant
• Grandma Rose - runs the general store - notorious gossip - she's maybe 20, has no children, but has inherited her name from her mother who passed away a year ago
• Grandma Roger - runs the tavern - rumor has it he has contacts and get all sorts of things; may or may not run fight club - rotund human in his late 50s
• Poke - hunter who comes in to town about once a week - rumor has it someone has heard her speak more than a 3 word sentence but no one is sure who
• Preacher Shy - conducts nondenominational services at the Church - older halfling man who walks with a limp - rumored to have a notorious past
• Sheriff Zev - an older dwarven man, known for his love of a good smoke and good whiskey - apparently a famous brawler in his youth - no one is willing to pick a fight with him

There are several extended families around. Its not unusual for a family to have a compound where a couple families live relatively close together. In general its considered rude to come visit without an invitation, but if you need help, go knocking on doors because the families help each other. Some of the families who have compounds maintain a house in town too, where family can stay or folks can leave messages. Its relatively common for the unmarried but marriageable family members to stay in the town house.

Local Families of note:

• Barn - have a compound more towards the outer edge of the wood - about 2.5 hours from the town by foot
  • there compound is referred to as “The Barn” and has a huge barn
  • only local family that maintains large herds - most folks buy their livestock from them
  • own a herd of horses they lend but almost never sell - if you see a horse around its probably part of that herd
  • host a festival at “The Barn” each fall - generally coincides with a bunch of merchants bringing in huge amounts of winter feed
• Dari - a very private family known for being extremely good crafters
  • Elder Saro is the matriarch of the family
  • Grandma Roses's mother was Saro's sister, but Rose is oddly not considered part of the family even though much of the durable goods she sells come from the Daris
• Libarrow - a branch of an old family from the western wood
  • have a compound where they do a bit of mining - seem to have access to a good variety of different metals and gems
  • Grandma Jules is considered an adopted member even though she doesn't live in the compound, but everyone knows she's one of theirs
• Verde - rumored to be one of the old, old families
  • Have a big old compound about an hour outside of town, but if you need a midwife or someone is badly hurt you send someone to the Verde's and help will come

About a half hour north from town is “The Road”. The Road is a folly of the city folk – who have this grand idea to build a road from one side of the Wood to the other. And every decade or so, a bunch of city folk show up, extend The Road a bit, and then just disappear. Sometimes its as if they packed up & left, other times their camp will be bloodied and disturbed. But everyone local knows better than to help work on The Road because any one who does isn't seen again – but also everyone knows the cityfolk have more money than sense, and y'all should fleece them for what you can. At this point the road runs basically due east for about a day, and maybe an hour west of the town. Its about 20ft wide, covered in compressed gravel, and nothing grows on it.

As far as money goes, most folk do trade around here. If you need something, you can arrange a trade. Grandma Rose is willing to manage credit a bit, and most folks will honor her promises of debt and future payments. So while coin is used some, its mostly used for trading with outside of town. Woodsfolk take care of their own.

• Standard point buy planned, but used Generous starting stat block - 18/16/14/12/10/8 ; can take races with 2 +1's and combine in to a single +2.
• Basic Rule Classes - note that subclasses are very restricted, but additional ones may unlock through player choices; and if they become available there may be options to swap to the newly unlocked subclass
• Start at 3rd level
• Multiclass generally disallowed without DM approval; but a reasonable backstory allows it. Story events may also open up specific multiclass options (*cough* warlock *cough*).
• Choose 2 feats that might be appropriate for your character's background; and the DM will probably pick one of them to start as a bonus feat unless something else amuses them.
  • (Please note if the feat has “master” in the title I'm not going to pick it.)
  • (Didn't end up doing this for the first session - instead just gave better starting stats)

• Ailmar - dave's rogue
• Celiask - sierra's wizard
• Orka - jen's ranger
• Finn - ben's warlock
• Zeph - beth's paladin

Sessions