D&D Deluge

Last time I promised D&D links. So here you go.

First off you need to know what to call your character. I have to have a good name....nay, a great name. Once they have the right handle, the character builds themselves.

D&D Character Name Generator

Then you have to figure what they're going to do. They can't just float in the void or hang out in the tavern - unless that's their schtick and what you were going for the whole time.

DM Adventure Ideas
300+ adventure ideas - especially useful for DMs. If you can't find something here that gets the juices flowing, I have horrible news friend, your imagination is broken. Finito. Kaput.

If you need a little more than a one liner to get going, try this

Adventure Hook Generator
I especially like the Bare Bones version because I tend to outline this way. The intro to the D&D Classic is pretty catchy too.

Just for added fun, take the quiz and see who you would be in D&D. Who says you have to create an avatar to play? You know you (well, maybe). How would your persona transmogrify into somewhere like the Forgotten Realms? Find out here.

D&D Character Quiz
I always come out a ranger druid, I guess that's just my inner Aragorn.

Let's say you're more into by the book D&D character creation (but you don't really buy the book), without getting into the raging war of which edition is best, I present to you

D&D 4E Character Creation
The Dummies How To of 4th Edition character creation - I especially like the starting gear pack, but you can nit pick through the Players Guide goodies if you wish.  

A shadow of fear passes over the village. Menace drifts on leathery wings. Circling the mountain, it lands on the jagged peak and releases a bellowing roar with a gout of flame. DRAGON!

Draconika.com - D&D Dragons
Types of dragons in D&D - and one of the best one-stop-shops for all things scaly and toothed that I've ever come across.

What to Wear: Suit Up When Stepping Out

** Great news: www.fantasy-armor.com is back!**

I hate it when I find broken/outdated links in my favorites list. I used to visit www.fantasy-armor.com all the time for reference and ideas. But now it's apparently defunct, which really super sucks because it was an awesome site. I'll link it anyway in case it comes back. I know it changed ownership not too long ago and was under construction for a while; hopefully it's coming back bigger and better. (fingers crossed)

The bright side is I found this going through the web's other suggestions

Mercwars.com - Fantasy Armor

It's a great article that's right up my alley because I always try to steer clear of overdone anime/Final Fantasy style armors. I think Lord of the Rings resonated with me so much because of how realistic it was in terms of visuals. The armor, weapons, architecture, etc all seemed very feasible....given the expertise of elves, dwarves, wizards and ancient cultural foundations ;)

Don't miss out on cruising the rest of mercwars.com I can't speak for all of it yet since it's such a new find for me, but what I've seen so far is fantastic.

This is another fav that has survived the test of time.

Elads Fantasy Armor

I especially like the Drizzt armor based on the incredible Todd Lockwood's art. What can I say? I love me some R.A. Salvatore stories. In fact, next post I'll drop a bunch of D&D links.....and I mean a BUNCH!

Worldbuilder Toolbox

There are lots of questions a worldbuilder must ask when setting out to create. Some are involved, some are very involved, and some are so obvious that you wouldn't ever think to think of them. The list goes on and on. That is primarily the reason I created this blog in the first place. I want it to be a resource toolbox for anything and everything a worldbuilder would need.

Like anyone with a creative spark and internet access, when I sit down to do something I usually end up doing something else. As such I have found many many worldbuilding sites, which now crowd up my favorites list and bookmarks. I'm going to share those with you. About a dozen such links are already scattered through older posts if you care to scroll through the past.

Today I present you with these:

Squidoo.com - Fantasy Worldbuilding

SFWA Worldbuilding Questions

Worldbuilding Strategy

This is what I'd hope my blog to be. Helpful, insightful, well written.

Because honestly when I am looking for worldbuilding resources I just Google "Worldbuilding". Best of luck fellow builders. Whether you find it here or elsewhere I'm just glad someone somewhere is crafting other someones somewheres.

I know how much (aka how little) this blog is visited and I figure that's because I'm not really out there. Well I am now! I finally broke down and joined Facebook, with Pinterest soon to follow. [Insert resigned sigh here]

Curse you life-sucking social media! Bless your potential usefulness.

Spend Some Time in the Real World

So you're the Creator? You spend your time and energy contemplating the Void (the web), occasionally you have a spark of clarity and inspiration (you find a good worldbuilding/name site), this leads you to pour order into the swirling chaos (you refill your coffee mug), and finally you shape a world.

Now before you go on to create a timeline, pantheon, solar system, languages, and currency exchange....log off and go outside! I know, I know, you're the Creator. The unblinking, omnipotent, invincible Watcher! An hour to you is days, years, ages in your world. But still, a little fresh air and time away is good for you. Even God rested on the 7th day. Odin had to sleep sometime. 

If you absolutely refuse to interact with the real world and find the very notion vile and abhorrent....well then, you are a true geek/nerd and I give you a tip of my hat. I guess you wouldn't be escaping into a concocted world if you were an immense fan of the actual one. Nothing wrong with geeking out.

Do not totally shirk the real world because you will be cheating yourself from a wealth of information and inspiration. There is so so much to draw from. It's a whole wide world out there. Open yourself to it, even if it means taking a book or idea pad to the park. Take a wander with a notepad in your pocket. Stare up at the clouds/stars. Look at birds, bugs, trees, etc....really consider them. Think of what they are, what they do, what they mean. If you open your mind to the questions most others gloss over it's amazing the stream of thought it will lead you through. Sit up on a hill/rooftop and watch traffic patterns. Think of why cars move the way they do. Why are the roads laid out like that? Is the timing of traffic lights significant? Where is everyone going? Destination and motivation is extremely important.

And if you still won't do any of that and insist on wiling away the hours in the hypnotic lambency of your monitor, at least check these out:

History of the Universe.com

FREE Physical World Maps

D-maps.com
 
I swear, the real world is interesting and you will get something from it.

Together. Again.

These are oldies but goodies.

Red Dragon Inn.com

Red Dragon Inn is always useful, whether you're needing character/town/tavern names, a dice roll when you find yourself without any, and especially if you're heading out on a quest, but need to do a bit of shopping first at Sal's Outfitters. I especially like "window shopping". I just hope Sal doesn't mind that I'm always in there perusing and handling the merchandise, but never putting down the coins for anything. I also frequently nerd out with the dwarven name generator since I've created my own runic alphabet and I love "translating" the names. It's got the great feature of being able to choose realistic or fantasy names. And you can get clan/surnames too. The elven name generator is great too, but I get confused with the gender option. How can you tell by a name if one of those pointy-eared, limb-skippers is a guy or girl? Ain't they kinda known for being androgynous-ish?

Greywolf Doodles

Greywolf's gallery is great for picturing the merchandise from Sal's Outfitters (since there aren't pics, only descriptions). I've cruised the gallery many times and never do I leave uninspired. The drawings are imaginative, simple, and I absolutely love the rough pencil work. I can imagine the items on a table/shelf, armor on a mannequin, or miscellany piled in some slain dragons hoard. Rummage to your heart's content, but remember, Thorin II Oakenshield will hold a grudge if you pilfer the Arkenstone.

A Way With Worlds

I can't say enough about this column by Steven Savage. It is jam packed with great advice and tips for worldbuilders. Whether you're new to it or have been at it for a while, it's a must. Sadly it has been defunct for some time now, but a big thank you to Seventh Sanctum.com for hosting such a wonderful compendium on top of an already great generator.

Without further ado, have at it:

A Way With Worlds

BEWARE! Enter at Your Own Risk

Not like this blog gets a lot of traffic, but you may have noticed that several posts/images have been removed. That is thanks to the cautionary, well-intentioned advice of my friends.

While I did not know, and certainly did not mean any harm, I was infringing upon others' copyrighted works. It's not like I was served with papers to appear in court for art theft, but in an extreme case it could happen.

To hopefully help others avoid from stepping in the same mess, READ THIS:

How To Avoid Copyright Infringement

As it points out, just because you found it on the internet does not grant you a free for all to take it and post it elsewhere - even if you do give credit where it's due. Simply saying "Look at this, Joe made it" is not enough. You have to have Joe's expressed permission.

You might not think it's a big deal, but it is to someone. If the internet teaches us anything it's that someone, somewhere, sometime will have something to say about it.