Culture Books

D&D Next culture books:

• • Culture books modeled on Oriental Adventures. Split OA into different culture books: China, Japan, India, Southeast Asia, Korea.

  • Real World-based classes, PC races from mythology, themes, equipment, monsters, spells, deities

  • Several D&D Earth campaign models in each book. (Same world as the Earth glimpsed in various D&D or d20 Modern products.)

  • Equivalent of Department-7 in each culture book. Knighthood of the Seven in medieval culture, Sodality of the Seven in indigenous cultures.

  • Also "culturocentric Earth" campaign model for each, where even the world map is shaped how that culture traditionally perceived the world. Like the "Norse alternate world" called Midgard in the Mystara cosmology, which is mentioned in the Northern Reaches Gazetteer

  • Other campaign models show how to use this material in published D&D Worlds, laying out explicitly which D&D fantasy cultures are based fully or partly on Real World cultures. Acknowledges that some settings (such as Mystara) use RW inspirations directly, while other settings (such as Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Greyhawk, and Dragonlance) tend to mix or alter RW elements; and some settings (such as Dark Sun and Eberron) avoid RW influences, but the crunchy bits can still be useful in those settings.

  • Gamer glossaries for key languages of each culture. For example, in Cathayan Adventures, includes Chinese names for all the relevant D&D classes (e.g. Fighter = Wushi), equipment, monsters, spells, ability scores, skills, etc.; Zipangu Adventures would give Japanese names for the relevant D&D classes, (Fighter = Bushi) etc.

  • The less popular cultures done as Dragon magazine articles or web-enhancements

  • Each of these are lovingly crafted, so that each might be the epitome of their genre, while benefiting from being coupled with the streamlined 5e rules system. They aim to be better than all the existing rpgs which feature those cultures.

Emirate Adventures (or Arabian Adventures or Caliphate Adventures; but "Arabian" excludes the Islamic Persian and Ottoman cultures, and "Caliphate" or "Caliphal" may be touchy.)

• • Sha'ir class

  • Gamer glossary: Arabic (Representing the Midani language in Toril and the Alasyian language in Mystara); also Islamic-era Persian and Ottoman Turkish.

  • Campaign Models:

    • D&D Earth campaign models at key points in Middle-eastern history.

    • "Emirate Earth": A D&D setting whose map comes from early Islamic world maps, with south at the top of the map.

    • In Toril: Zakhara, Calimshan, and the Bedine of the Anauroch Desert

    • Mystara's Emirates of Ylaruam, the Desert Nomads (quasi-Afghan), the Great Hagiarchy of Huyule (quasi-Ottoman Turkish, but the illustration of the Master appears to be evocative of the Ayatollah), and Huyule's colony of Bogdashkan on the Jungle Coast; also gnolls of Gnollistan, lead by Nizam Pasha (Nazim Pasha was Chief of Staff of the army of the Ottoman Empire, and “pasha” is an Ottoman title); the culture of The Manor and of the ancient city of Tuma in B8: Journey to the Rock (e.g the name "Hakeem" and the arabesque architecture in the illustration of the Ghostly Warriors).

    • Phazaria in the Amber Wastes of Ravenloft

    • Land of Arir in the stand-alone 1e adventure I9: Day of Al-Akbar

    • Desert of Desolation, stand-alone 1e adventure trilogy, later placed in Faerun's Plains of Purple Dust; Also, GAZ2 suggested placement in Mystara's Ylaruam

    • Khinasi of Birthright setting

    • Bakluni peoples of Greyhawk

  • Better than Tales of the Caliphate Nights True20

Cathayan Adventures

• • Wuxia

  • Gamer glossary: Chinese (Kara-Tur-style Wade-Giles spellings and modern Pinyin spellings); Fighter = Wu-shih (Wade-Giles spelling) and Wushi (pinyin spelling)

  • Resource: 2e-era Dragon Fist rpg

  • Campaign Models:

    • D&D Earth campaign models in key moments in Chinese history

    • "Cathayan Earth" campaign model, with a world that is really shaped like traditional Chinese worldmaps.

    • Shou Lung and T'u Lung in Toril

    • I'Cath in Ravenloft

    • Ochalea in Mystara

    • Celestial Imperium/Shaofeng/Sufang of Oerth

  • Invite Chris Pramas to co-author.

Zipangu Adventures (or Nipponic Adventures)

• • Chanbara (swordfighting) and other genres

  • 5e Ninja, Samurai, Shugenja classes

  • Gamer glossary: Japanese (e.g. Fighter = Bushi)

  • Campaign Models:

    • Kozakura and Wa in Toril

    • In Mystara: Empire of Myoshima on Mystara's invisible moon of Patera; also Yasuko barbarians of the Jungle Coast, and the rakastas of the Yazak Steppes in the Savage Coast

    • Nippon/Ryuujin of Oerth

    • Rokushima Taiyoo in Ravenloft

    • 3e Rokugan/Lot5R

  • Better than Legend of the Five Rings and Sengoku

Nubian Adventures

• • Gamer glossaries: Swahili, Zulu, Kongo, Hausa, perhaps others

  • Campaign Models:

    • The Touv in Oerth

    • Afrik in Ærth

    • Katashaka continent and Jungle of Chult in Forgotten Realms

    • The Wildlands in Ravenloft (The Crocodile King is an evil version of the Lion King)

    • In Mystara: Yavdlom (Swahilis), Ulimwengu (pygmies), N'jatwaland elf-ogres and Simbasta lion-folk in Davania, Tangor in Skothar, Tanagoro (Zulu) in Hollow World

    • In Dark Sun: the Ivory Triangle

  • Better than Nyambe. Maybe collaborate with Atlas Games since Nyambe is aleady such a well-crafted Campaign Model.

Celtic Adventures

• • leprechaun PC

  • monsters: redcap, banshee

  • Gamer glossaries: Irish, Welsh, perhaps others

• HR3: Celts

  • Campaign Models:

    • The Ffolk of the Moonshae Isles in Toril

    • The Flannae of the Old Faith in Oerth

    • In Mystara: Principality of Klantyre (Scotland), Province of Redstone (Ireland), Kingdom of Robrenn (Gaul) (and adjacent quasi-Celtic goblinoids), and Thratian Hinterlanders (tribal Conan-style Old Irish/Welsh "Cimmerians")

    • Forlorn domain in Ravenloft

    • AD&D1e quasi-Celtic adventures: C4: To Find a King (1985) and C5: The Bane of Llywelyn (1985)

    • Hibernia in Ærth

  • Better than Sláine

Koryoan Adventures

• • Gamer glossary: Korean

  • Campaign Models:

    • Koryo in Toril

    • Nippon Dominion in Oerth (not to be confused with "Nippon" as such, which is Oerth's analogue of Japan. Nippon's "Dominion" is presumably a Korean analogue.)

Turtle Island Adventures

• • Campaign Models:

    • Anchorome continent of Forgotten Realms

    • In Mystara: Atruaghin Clans, Red Orcs, Yazi goblinoids

    • Rovers/Arapahi of Greyhawk (like Arapaho)

    • Partial inspiration for Plains Barbarians of Krynn

  • Resources: 1e Amerindian pantheon, Atruaghin Gazetteer

  • Gamer glossaries: Mohawk, Lakota, Arapaho, Tlingit, Hopi, Navajo, perhaps others

Suvarnabhumi Adventures (or Golden Land Adventures; Southeast Asia)

• • Gamer glossaries: Malay/Indonesian, Tagalog/Filipino, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Burmese, Thai, Lao

  • Campaign Models:

    • On Mystara: the Indonesian-inspired Siswa Elves in Tracy Hickman's B7: Rahasia module. "Siswa" means "Student" in Indonesian (and they are called "Elven students"), and other Indonesian names: "Rahasia" (='secret, confidential') and "the Rahib" (='monk').

    • On the invisible moon of Patera of the World of Mystara: Selimpore (Singapore), Malaycalog (Philippines), Kompor-Thap (Cambodia), Surabayang (Malay)

    • Malatra, the Island Kingdoms, and other lands in the south of Kara-Tur of the Forgotten Realms

Babylonian Adventures (or Mesopotamian Adventures)

• • Campaign Models:

    • Unther of Forgotten Realms (pre-Spellplague)

    • In Mystara: Nimmur and Enduks of Eshu

    • Ishtarland in western Oerth

  • Babylonian pantheon from 1e

  • Babylonian deities from 2e Return to the Keep on the Borderland

  • scorpion-folk

  • Gamer glossaries: Akkadian, Sumerian

Biblical Adventures

• • D&D Earth's equivalent of Biblical Palestine

  • campaign model: Magiocracy of Herath in Mystara (Hebrew-speaking shapechanger spider-folk (araneas))

  • Gamer glossary: Ancient Hebrew

  • Better than Green Ronin's Testament

Tawantinsuyu Adventures (or Incan Adventures or Andean Adventures)

• • Gamer glossaries: Quechua and Aymara

  • Campaign Model: Oltec of Mystara's Hollow World

  • Non-WotC: Southern Cross continent mentioned in Northern Crown setting.

Amazonian Adventures (perhaps merge with Tawantinsuyu Adventures?)

• • Gamer glossary: Guarani, Old Tupi, Yanomami

  • Campaign Models:

    • In Mystara: Phanatons of Jibaru (on the Savage Coast), Manacupuru (in Davania), and Caymen of the Blight Swamp in AC2: Combat Shield & Mini Adventure (caimen-folk, based on the Galibi Carib culture of South America:) https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/caiman

    • Lopango: The Land of Fire in Forgotten Realms

Turanian Adventures (or Tatarian Adventures; Central Asian Mongols, Turkics, and Scythians)

• • Gamer glossary: Mongolian, Old Turkic, Scythian (or invented Scythian-style names, since the language is barely recorded)

  • Campaign Models:

    • In Toril: the Horse Plains; also Murghôm (said by Rich Baker to be partly evocative of the Cossacks/Turanians of the Conan stories). Also, the Ama Basin peoples are parallel to the Tarim Basin peoples (could be grouped in Hyperborean/Siberian adventures instead.)

    • In Mystara: the Ethengar Khanates, Yellow Orcs, and hobgoblins of Hobgobliny; also Jennites (Scythians) of Mystara's Skothar continent and in the Hollow World

    • In Oerth: Tiger Nomads and Wolf Nomads

    • In Krynn: The Khanate of Khur in Ansalon; and on the continent of Taladas: the Uigan, Purgi, Pureshk, Kazar (quasi-Kazakh), and Alan-Atu (quasi-Buryat) tribes, and the Tamire Elves

Hellenic Adventures

• • Dryad, Centaur, Satyr, Minotaur PC races

  • monsters: lamias, titans

  • Gamer glossary: Classical Greek

• HR6: Age of Heroes

  • Campaign Models:

    • D&D Earth at key moments in Greek history (Trojan War, etc.)

    • "Hellenic Earth" where the world is really shaped like the ancient Greek worldview, like these Homeric worldmaps.

    • Mystara: Minaeans (Minoans) near Skothar; Milenian colonies of the Grass Coast; Cathos and Vacros; Milenians and Traldar of Hollow World

    • Chessenta of Forgotten Realms

    • Tharquish Empire in Oerth, based on how it's portrayed in the Black Moon Chronicles.

  • Better than Green Ronin's Trojan War

Northern Adventures (Norse-Germanic)

• • Gamer glossaries: Old Norse, Anglo-Saxon, Old High German, Old Saxon, Gothic

  • 1e Norse pantheon

• HR1: Vikings

  • 3e Asgardian pantheon

  • Campaign Models:

    • The Northmen of the Moonshae Isles and the Uthgardt Barbarians of Forgotten Realms

    • The Northern Reaches of Mystara (Vestland=Sweden, Ostland=Denmark, Soderfjord=Norway) and the Heldann Freeholds (Iceland) before the invasion of the Knights. Also, the Midgard "Norse-centric" Outer Plane mentioned in GAZ7.

    • Rjurik of Birthright setting

    • The Ice, Snow, and Frost Barbarians of Oerth

    • Partial inspiration for Ice Barbarians of Krynn

Hyperborean Adventures (Finnish, Saami, Siberian, and Inuit-Aleut)

• • Finnish pantheon from 1e Deities & Demigods, incl. Loviatar

  • Siberian pantheon(s)

  • Inuit pantheon

  • 2e Angakok wizard kit (Inuit shaman)

  • Campaign Models:

    • In Toril: the Ulutiun people (Inuit) of the Great Glacier; the Northern Wastes (Siberia); also the realm of Vaasa seems to have originally been conceived as quasi-Finnish, so perhaps might still have some Finnish elements.

  • Gamer glossary: Finnish, Inuit, perhaps others

Eastland Adventures (Slavic, Hungarian, Gypsy/Romany, Albanian; Caucasus?)

• • Taltos (Hungarian shaman) and Gypsy classes or themes, Baba Yaga, Kostchtchie

  • Ravenfolk and Goatfolk PC races

  • Slavic pantheon, Magyar pantheon. (Armenian and Georgian pagan pantheons?)

  • Campaign Models:

    • Rashemen of Forgotten Realms

    • Rhennee gypsies and Stonefist barbarians of Greyhawk

    • Vosgaard of Birthright setting

    • In Mystara: Traladarans of Karameikos, Boldavia, and the City-States; the Goatmen of Kavaja; and the Duchies of Vyostograd and Stamtral in Norwold, from CM4: Earthshaker

    • Barovia, Nova Vaasa, and Vorostokov in Ravenloft

    • James Wyatt's Petroyeska campaign setting

  • Gamer glossary: Old Slavonic, Russian, Romany ("gypsy"), Hungarian, Romanian, Serbian/Croatian, Albanian, perhaps others

  • Tales of the Old Margreve for Pathfinder

Pharaonic Adventures (or Egyptian Adventures)

• • Gamer glossary: Ancient Egyptian names for all the relevant D&D classes, races, equipment, spells, monsters, etc

  • Campaign Models:

    • Mulhorand in Forgotten Realms

    • Erypt of Oerth

    • Hutaakans and Thothia in Mystara; Nithia in the Hollow World

    • Sebua and Har'Akir in Ravenloft--featured in the video game Ravenloft: Stone Prophet

    • In Ærth: the land of Ægypt/Khemit, featured in Gygax's Necropolis d20 adventure by Necromancer Games

  • Better than Hamunaptra: Egyptian Adventures and Gygax's Khemit

Roman Adventures

• HR5: The Glory of Rome

  • Campaign Models:

    • Thyatian Empire in Mystara (Byzantine, but mixed with some ancient Roman features)

    • The Minotaur League (on the continent of Taladas in Krynn)

    • James Wyatt's Imperium Romanum and Shield of Faith settings

  • Gamer glossary: Latin (also used for Old Oeridian)

  • Better than Green Ronin's Eternal Rome and Adamant Entertainment's FVLMINATA: Armed With Lightning

Arthurian Adventures

• • The "Matter of Britain"

  • Campaign Models: How to use Cormyr as an Arthurian Campaign Model

  • Better than Pendragon. Maybe even collaborate with Greg Stafford.

Carolingian Adventures (or Frankish Adventures)

• • The "Matter of France"

• HR2: Charlemagne's Paladins

  • Campaign Model: Kingdom of Eusdria in Mystara

Jambudvipa Adventures (or Bharatian Adventures)

• • monsters: bhut, juggernaut

  • Gamer glossaries: Sanskrit, Tamil

  • 1e and 2e Indian pantheons, Ascetic class in 2e Legends & Lore

  • CD&D Thug class in Champions of Mystara boxed set

  • Kolhapur in stand-alone 2e adventure Star of Kolhapur

  • "Rhino's Armor, Tiger's Claws" Dragon #189

  • "Caste of Characters", "Monsoons & the Power of Om", and "Bazaar of the Bizarre" in Dragon #226, 227, 229

  • Campaign Models:

    • Sind, Jaibul, and Glantri's principality of Krondahar in Mystara; Rajahstan on the invisible moon of Patera; Shajapur in Hollow World

    • Utter East of Forgotten Realms

    • Zindia/Zahind of Oerth

    • Sri Raji in Ravenloft

    • 3e Mahasarpa campaign

  • Better than Green Ronin's Mindshadows

Anahuac Adventures (or Mesoamerican Adventures)

• • Campaign Models:

    • Olmans in Oerth

    • Maztica, formerly in Toril, now in Abeir

    • In Mystara: Viper/Tiger Clan of the Atruaghin Clans; Schattenalfen; the orcs of Oenkmar; Oceotl catfolk; Azcan Empire in the Hollow World

  • monsters: sahuagin, ixitxachitl

  • Gamer glossary: Classical Nahuatl and Classical Maya

Persian Adventures (pre-Islamic)

• • Gamer glossary: Ancient Persian

Himalayan Adventures

• • Yeti, Yak-folk

  • Gamer glossaries: Tibetan and Nepalese

  • Campaign Models:

    • Tabot (Tibet) and Ra-Khati (Nepal) in Toril

    • In Mystara: Lhamsa in the Principalities of Glantri, and the Snow Pardasta catfolk

Dreamtime Adventures

• • Campaign Models:

    • Osse continent of Forgotten Realms

    • Wallara chameleon-men in Mystara

    • The continent of Magmur in Ærth

  • Gamer glossary: Western Desert Language

Oceanic Adventures (or Island Adventures, or South Sea Adventures, or Pacific Adventures; Micronesian, Melanesian, and Polynesian)

• • Gamer glossaries: Hawaiian, Maori, Tok Pisin, perhaps others

  • Campaign Models:

    • Kara-kara (quasi-Melanesian) of Isle of Dread (located in Mystara, Oerth, and Feywild of Nerath)

    • Mystara: Makai (Hawaiian) of Ierendi and the Hollow World

Medieval Adventures (medieval western & central Europe of D&D Earth).

• • Covers post-tribal, pre-renaissance Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Dutch, British cultures (though Arthurian Adventures is its own genre; perhaps Carolingian genre is included in Medieval Adventures)

  • Similar to Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe by Expeditious Retreat Press.

  • D&D Earth equivalents of Christian clerics, etc (Touches on real world religions in the same way that the Urban Arcana modern campaign model would)

  • Resources:

  • 2e HR: Crusades

    • 3e Robin Hood mini-setting from Dragon Magazine

  • Campaign Models: (though most D&D countries are quasi-medieval, only those which are mostly inspired by Real World medieval western European countries would be featured in this book)

    • Robin Hood

    • Crusades

    • Amn (Spain) in Faerun

    • Narvaez (Inquisition Spain) in Mystara

    • several medieval Western cultures in Ravenloft

  • Better than Green Ronin's Medieval Players Manual

Renaissance Adventures (post-medieval, pre-industrial western and central Europe of D&D Earth)

• • Elizabethan England, Italian Renassiance, Age of Reason, Three Musketeers, etc.

  • Resources:

    • AD&D2e HR4: A Mighty Fortress

  • Campaign Models:

    • Age of Adventure campaign model from d20 Past

    • In Mystara: Bellayne (Elizabethan English catfolk), Renardy (Absolutist French dogfolk), several Glantrian principalities (Averoigne/France, Caurenze/Italy, Fenswick/England, etc.), Minrothad Guilds (East India Trading Company)

    • Chondath in Faerun (renaissance Italy)

    • several Renaissance Western cultures in Ravenloft

  • Better than 7th Sea

New World Adventures (or Colonial Adventures)

• • Focuses on the settler/immigrant cultures of North and South America, from the 1500s through the 1700s. The indigenous cultures are covered in D&D Turtle Island Adventures, Anahuac Adventures (Aztec and Maya), Tawantinsuyu Adventures (Incan), and Amazonian Adventures.

  • Campaign Models:

    • New Waterdeep (British North America) and New Amn (New Spain) in Toril

    • Mystara: Texeiras (Brazil), Almarron (Mexico), Guadalante (Argentina), Torreon, Nouvelle-Renardie (Louisiana), Free City of Dunwick and Richland (British colonies) in the Savage Coast

    • Capoeira "Battle-dancer" PC class; other colonial American classes.

    • If it's too much to fit North and South America in one book, then perhaps include all South American cultures (immigrant and indigenous) into a single Tawantinsuyu Adventures book.

  • Better than Northern Crown: New World Adventures by Atlas Games; maybe collaborate to make Northern Crown a campaign model.