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Deity: Urania, The One Who Names The Stars

Hear me, brothers, sisters, my fellow orphans of the vast,

We are lost, but we are not forgotten,

The Bright Maiden has set a Star Burning for us,

And she calls us Home

The wild unknown and the simple laws that govern the universe, the cold embrace of space and the warmth of distant stars, the mystery of the infinite horizon and the knowledge of your course through it: The goddess Urania is a being of contrasts. Patron to astronomers, navigators, and any who find themselves alone with only the stars for guidance, the bright maiden is called upon by many who sail the astral sea to bless their journeys into the vast cosmos and to guide them back home again. 

Legend says it was It was the Gith who found her, aboard a lost and aimless refugee ship too full of desperate souls who’d just escaped from the tyranny of the ilithid. They saw a stranger cast adrift in the void, and though they did not have enough to go around they cast out a line and pulled her from the void because the thought of leaving anyone behind without hope of rescue was too terrible to bear. In rescuing her they rescued themselves, for when the captain gave up his ration of water the goddess awoke with her eyes full of grateful tears, whispering to him of a course towards sanctuary just as a new star flared on the horizon.

Since then it has been tradition among the Gith ( and those who have learned the art of astral navigation from them) to keep a star shaped lantern burning in the goddess’s honour, and to rescue any they find adrift, no matter who they might be.

SWORDTEMBER WEEK 3

Over halfway there now!! Still loving this challenge, even if it is a little hard to keep up with it! Haven't missed a day yet though! Than kyou guys for ur lovely comments, and for sharing my art! And to the few of you who have become patrons this month, THANK YOU so much! Excited to send out your prints come october!

One more week to go!

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WEEK 1

WEEK 2

(i originally made one of these on a defunct sideblog; i thought it was about time i made a new one! send an oc’s name and a number, go wild!)

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1. what drives them? what’s their ultimate goal?

2. what was your original concept for this character? how did playing them change that concept?

3. can they accept failure?

4. what one person, place, or thing do they love more than anything else?

5. is there something they want to be known for?

6. how have they changed in the last year? how about the last five years?

7. there’s a magic item (or technological innovation, or special resource) made just for them—what is it?

8. what songs remind you of them? if there are specific lyrics or movements, list ‘em!

9. when in their life were they most scared?

10. what inspired this character’s creation?

11. if they have a pet or animal companion, how do they spend time with them? if they don’t have one, what sort of animal would they be interested in raising, if any?

12. how have they altered their body? piercings, tattoos, biohacks, or other modifications—anything. why (or why not) did they (or someone else) make those changes?

13. what are some motifs you associate with them? did you intentionally bring in those motifs, or did it happen over time?

14. what keeps them up at night?

15. is there something that never fails to make them laugh?

16. do they value their appearance?

17. they’re crying—what did it take to make them cry?

18. what dish brings back the best memories for them?

19. what sparks genuine, unadulterated rage in them?

20. what attracts them to someone—platonically and/or romantically, anything counts.

21. do they have an idea about how they’ll die? do you?

22. how would they decorate their living space, if they had a chance?

23. in what moment did they consider themselves to be “grown up”?

24. are they close to any family members?

25. who is their best friend?

26. what type of person pisses them off?

27. how do they usually dress? why do they dress the way they do?

28. do they collect anything?

29. what feelings do they internalize?

30. how do they handle confrontation?

31. do they respond well to praise? how about criticism?

32. which of your decisions led to their voice being the way it is?

33. what artistic medium are they most drawn to?

34. what languages do they speak? how did they learn them?

35. when did they feel loneliest?

36. how do they fidget?

37. if they’ve had one, what was their first kiss like?

38. do they see themselves as an important part of their party?

39. are they insecure about their appearance? how about their personality? what aspects specifically worry them?

40. if you had to remake this character right now, how would you change them?’

41. how do you keep notes for this character, if at all?

42. can they dance?

43. how much do they know about the world they live in?

44. what lies do they tell others?

45. what lies do they tell themselves?

46. have they taught themselves any skills just for fun?

47. what could they talk about for hours on end?

48. do they relate to anyone in their group? conversely, which person do they relate to the least?

49. how often do they cut their hair, if at all?

50. do they have a go-to beverage, alcoholic or nonalcoholic?

51. what element of their backstory are you proudest of?

52. how would they dress themselves up for a formal event?

53. do they keep their plans close to their chest?

54. how important is money in their life? do they save up for ages, or spend quickly?

55. they’re seeing their greatest wish come true—what’s happening?

56. who would they trust with their life, unequivocally?

57. do they see value in the laws of where they live?

58. how often do they swear? do they mind when others swear?

59. what’s an element of their philosophy that you disagree with?

60. what do they have faith in? what keeps them believing?

61. is there an in-game moment of theirs you think about and just laugh?

62. do they believe in good and evil?

63. what’s a meme or tiktok or vine (or whatever) that you associate with them?

64. how would a party member describe them?

65. what would their go-to karaoke song be?

66. which fruit do they like most?

67. do they consider themselves to be special?

68. where’s their home?

Hullo, Gentle Readers. This week’s Question from a Denizen comes to us from an Anonymous reader. They wrote, “I’ll be running my first Theros campaign soon and was wondering if you had any tips on keeping a consistent vibe/tone throughout a campaign? I know the DMG has a section on genres/tones but I’m concerned the vibes aren’t gonna be Ancient-Greek enough and I was wondering if you had any Theros-themed thoughts?”

I’ve written before about delving into the core of a setting in order to get its essence. In the case of Theros, this isn’t much of a mystery - it’s strongly modeled after ancient Greek mythology. Happily, this isn’t a difficult genre to delve into…we have tons of surviving Greek literature, and many movies have been made set in this type of environment as well.

While I haven’t set up to run such a campaign before, I’d recommend immersing yourself into the myths it was based on for inspiration. Read through some of Bullfinch’s mythology, or the Odyssey or Iliad. Watch some movies based on Greek myths, such as some of the old Hercules films, or even Clash of the Titans (the one from the 80s, please…I’m not a fan of the recent remake). Pull out what you think the important themes are, as well as things that are cool. Look at which monsters appear in those tales…many D&D monsters (hydra, chimera, pegasus, minotaur, just to name a few) originate from Greek myths.

When you delve into these myths, you find a lot to do with the interaction between gods and people. Often, this doesn’t go well, but there are certainly exceptions. In Theros, the gods are very active, so this works very well. Fate and the “Hero’s Quest” are also very common in Greek myths, and both of those elements can fit in well for a Theros campaign.

Another element that shows up a lot is the theme of “just rewards”. Greedy King Midas wishes for more gold, and he’s given the power to turn everything he touches to gold. Not only does he turn his own daughter to gold, but he also starves to death, because everything he tries to eat turns to gold as well. Tantalus serves the flesh of his own son to the gods to test their omniscience. He is chained in the underworld with food and drink just out of reach forever.

The Mythic Odysseys of Theros book itself is an excellent source of material for a Theros campaign (oddly enough). There’s plenty of material in there about making adventures and stories that fit into the feel of the setting. If you want another book about mixing D&D with Greek mythology, TSR published it back in 2nd edition. While not everything within will be useful, it could be useful as a resource, and it can be had in PDF form at https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/16920/HR6-Age-of-Heroes-Campaign-Sourcebook-2e

I love making Critical Role OCs on it for my fics and rps.

And I love the app a lot.

But I sometimes have a hard time navigating it?

TOO MANY TABS AND PAGES

So I decided to make a simpler Character Sheet template.

It doesn't tell you stats, dice or spell requirements etc., it's more just a note of what it is you have/are and who it is your character is.

I made it on Google Sheets originally, but I also converted it to an Excel version as well.

If anybody is interested, feel free to check it out and share it with others who may want it.

Save the file and edit it as you see fit, adding or removing boxes if the template doesn't quite fit your needs.

And feel free to share your finished sheet with others!

No need to credit me or anything. But I'd appreciate being tagged in finished sheets to see what you make!

Enjoy!

Google Sheets File -

Excel File -

Lunchtime Sketches

I tried a bolder approach to my character sketches that I do during lunchtimes.