Spirals

Anthony

October 29, 2016

2

Spirals is a Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition campaign setting. It is a highly magical
world with unusual terrain and plot elements. This is not a module, but rather a campaign
guidebookit provides a description of a world and those who live within it, so you can make
your own adventures.
Todo list

Finish and edit this roll table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

This chapter needs a lot of work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Landcycles in-game are much, much faster than this table. Fix it! . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
This table also doesnt match reality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Contents

I The Worlds Structure 5

1 Tendrils 7
1.1 Physics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.2 Creating a Tendril . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

2 Magic 11
2.1 Presence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.2 Arcane Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Variant Rule: Supremely Wild Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.3 Magic Derived from Nature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.4 Magic Divine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

II The Worlds Locations 15

3 The Core 17
3.1 The Great City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
3.2 The World Temple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

4 Major Tendrils and Formations 19

4.1 The Great Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4.2 Frozen Tendril . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4.3 The Caldus Tendril . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4.4 The Kapatagan Tendril . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
4.5 The Dzan Tendril . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

3
4 CONTENTS

4.6 The Pacca Tendril . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

4.7 The Missing Tendril . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

5 Minor Formations 23
5.1 The Confused Mountain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

III The Worlds Inhabitants (and their Works) 25

6 Gods 27
6.1 Major Gods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
6.2 Minor Gods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

7 Technology 31
7.1 Landcycles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
7.2 Landchewers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

8 Culture 33
8.1 Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
8.2 Magic Itself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
8.3 Magic Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
 Part I

The Worlds Structure

5
Chapter 1

Tendrils

Alysha the Warlock takes the moment to rest, laying down in the grass and looking
up. Above her, land swirls through the sky, like passageways in a great ant colony.
Over the course of her short life, she has walked, ridden, and fled upon many. Yet,
now, with their vastness above her, she feels just as she did back in Ryngolang, a
young elf helping her mother do laundry and dreaming of the world beyond.

Spirals is perhaps most unique for how its land is organized. Spirals does not take place on
a planet, or even several planets. In fact, planets in the universe are a rarity. Instead, matter
is organized into twisting, irregular shapes, moving throughout reality in an infinite variety of
different ways. These shapes are commonly referred to as tendrils. In this chapter, we describe
their function, and provide instructions to make own.

1.1 Physics while others can be so thick they take years to

encircle.
The Tendrils that make up the land (and sea)
in Spirals are great masses of material floating
in a magical aether. They are made up of many
Lighting
materials, ranging from solid rock to loose dirt Tendrils experience a day and night cycle, just
to water. Some tendrils are even made entirely like in reality. Unlike in reality, however, the
of air or other gasses, although those are obvi- light generally does not have a defined source.
ously harder to detect. Lighting and heat are a function of the same
The tendrils have gravity, but it works a bit magic that holds up the tendrils, and patches
differently than it does in real life. The gravity of day move across them in strips several thou-
of a tendril is primarily a function of the magic sand miles wide. Each strip takes around six-
keeping it up. As a result, some tendrils can teen hours to move across a tendril during the
be tubes as little as ten feet around, but still warmer months, with a night lasting around
have gravity to hold large objects or creatures six hours. During the colder months, the night
safely on their surface. Tendrils which are close can last up to twelve hours, with day taking as
to each other may have gravitational fields so few as five. Different tendrils may have differ-
small that one can hop from one to the other, ent timings.
naturally finding their feet pulled to the floor
as they transition.
General Structure
Tendrils have a wide range of sizes. Some of
the smaller ones can be thin pillars of earth that The tendrils are not a completely unorganized
a typical human could wrap their hand around, mess. There are six main tendrils, the arteries

7
8 CHAPTER 1. TENDRILS

of the world. They start at a central location, a long time, and those who are magically
from the core and grow outwards, growing in sensitive will easily be able to detect what
width as they travel apart. is happening.
Those tendrils eventually branch off into
many more, around a hundred miles outside Adventure Idea
of the city. These tendrils continue to branch,
some of them growing side branches along the Tendril collapse can provide an interesting plot
way. hook for your own adventures. Perhaps a
This is not to say that the tendrils are a per- crazed villain decides to destroy a tendril for his
fect mesh network. Some are not attached to own material gain, or simply because he does
anything, floating alone in space. Some twist not like it. Perhaps the players must convince a
back on themselves, or spin off in random frac- group of wizards to help them collapse a spiral
tal directions. Some may even take the form of that houses an evil dragon or tarrasque, before
floating spheres or cubes. it wakes up. Perhaps a spiral has suddenly col-
lapsed, killing thousands and leaving the sur-
vivors pointing fingers at their rival groups,
Tendril Collapse
looking for somebody to blame.
The tendrils of Spirals are, in the general case,
incredibly stable. Physical forces seem to have
no effect on the actual position of the land- 1.2 Creating a Tendril
masses, and even the most powerful of explo-
The world of Spirals is home to uncountable
sions will, at most, leave a large crater or oblit-
erate a chunk of a thinner spiral, leaving both tendrils, making their way across the stars.
ends intact. Under rare circumstances, how- Some of the major ones are described in this
ever, a tendril can collapse completely. Typicaldocument. However, the situation may arise in
causes for this are: your campaigns where you wish to throw your
players onto a brand-new tendril, that you cre-
Intentional Destruction: groups of ex- ated, or when you want a unique Tendril for
tremely powerful wizards may be able a character backstory. Here, we will provide
to collapse a tendril entirely by unwind- some general guidelines for doing so, as well as
ing the magical framework in which it roll tables to help you if you get suck (or if you
sits. This is occasionally done by govern- just like the element of randomness).
ments to non-inhabited tendrils, in order
to make trade routes easier. Few Limitations
Extreme Magical Disturbance: certain The nature of tendrils gives you extreme free-
magical acts may cause the magic hold- dom as a DM. In fact, a tendril is able to
ing a tendril up to unravel on its own, have essentially any shape, size, environment,
destroying a spiral. or other characteristic that you desire.
Acts of the gods: the more powerful gods As such, the limitations mainly exist in
may chose to collapse a tendril to pun- terms of narrative consistency. A tendril should
ish mortals. It should be noted, however, not logically break the society of Spirals. For
that collapsing a tendril with people on example, a tendril made of solid gold thats
it is one of the most extreme actions a thousands of miles long would reduce the value
god can take. Even chaotic evil gods may of gold to near-worthlessness, due to the laws
think twice before doing so. of supply and demand. Putting such a tendril
in your campaign may not be a good idea
Natural Decay: some tendrils simply lose unless you can justify it. For example, perhaps
power over time, and will collapse on their the surface of the tendril is completely impene-
own. This process, however, takes quite trable, mocking those who attempt to mine it.
1.2. CREATING A TENDRIL 9

Maybe it is extremely far away from any set-

tled area, accessible only via a long and near- Tendril Climates (d10)
suicidal journey through a tendril that alter- 1 Underwater
nates between bitter ice and scorching desert, 2 Jungle
and your players are simply the first to reach
3 Desert
it. Perhaps everybody knows it exists, but it is
4 Forest
floating by itself far from any other landmass,
through a vacuum that is unaccessible for even 5 Swamp
flying creatures, with an aura around it that 6 Tundra
prevents magical teleportation.1 7 Plains
In truth, almost nothing is completely off- 8 Ice
limits. If you have an idea for an especially 9 Rocky
unique Tendril, just be sure to think through 10 Volcanic
its logical consequences. You may even want
to run your idea past others, to get a second
opinion on the matter.

1.2.1 Shape
Tendrils come in many shapes. We list some
here.

Tendril Shapes (d12)

1-2 Cylinder
3-4 Rectangular Prism
5-6 Hollow cylinder, with walkable inside
surface
7-8 Half pipe
9-10 Flat surface
11 Planetoid
12 Floating chunks of land

1.2.2 Climate
Tendrils vary widely in climate, from dense jun-
gle to arid desert. Some are even composed
entirely of water.
Tendrils tend to be fairly consistent in cli-
mate across their surface, although some do
change. Tendrils that suddenly undergo an ex-
treme transition (such as from tundra to desert)
may be considered to actually be two tendrils
pressed together.

1 Such a tendril is almost guaranteed to be iresistable to your players, likely eventually resulting in a spaceship

mission to acquire its wealth. Of course, a space race campaign seems to have a lot of potential, so perhaps thats
a good thing.
10 CHAPTER 1. TENDRILS
Chapter 2

Magic

Magic in Spirals, on the surface, is similar to magic in other worlds. Mechanically it works
much the same: it may be granted in a variety of ways, channeled into spells, and brewed into
potions. Beneath the surface, however, the way the world of Spirals interacts with its magic is
quite different.

2.1 Presence dangerous task indeedmagic, at its core, de-

sires to be used, to make its mark on the world,
In Spirals, the presence of magic is felt in the and it eagerly rushes to a caster, attempting to
lives of all creatures. It is what holds the Ten- make that desire reality. Unfortunately for the
drils together, gives them form and substance, caster, however, the eagerness of the magic to
lights them during the day, and, occasionally, be used does not extend to a desire to be con-
creates them from nowhere. trolled, or to be limited. Without careful focus
and application of arcane techniques, the caster
will lose control of her magic, and it will run
2.2 Arcane Magic wild within her. This can have a wide variety
of effects, but, unfortunately, the most common
When an arcane caster uses a spell in Spirals, by far is to cause the caster to burst into flames.
they seek to move the ambient magic around Those who use arcane magic must study
them, to give it form and substance. This is a carefully, and keep their minds clear.

Variant Rule: Supremely Wild Magic

The naturally wild nature of magic in Spirals makes being a sorcerer even more taxing. Those
who use wild magic may occasionally experience effects even more random than normal.
Using this variant rule, wild magic sorcerers get a very small chance to lose control of their
magic in a ridiculous way. Whenever you roll a 1 on the wild magic dice, an additional D20,
and a D8.1 If both are one, roll on the extremely wild magic table to see what sort of effect
manifests.
Be warned that the effects of this rule will make your campaign quite silly. Many will grant
your sorcerer or one of his allies a new ability, permanently effect their appearance, or otherwise
destroy any sense of narrative cohesion on your campaign. The chances of getting to roll on
1 If you rarely have a wild magic sorcerer roll a wild magic dice, you may want to remove the d8 from the

equation.

11
12 CHAPTER 2. MAGIC

1
the Supremely Wild Magic table are 3200 , but the effects are potentially cataclysmic, and could
derail your entire campaign in a glorious way.
Finish and edit this roll table

Supremely Wild Magic

1-2 Roll on this table at the start of your turn for the next two minutes. If you get this item again,
the duration is refreshed. Duration can be refreshed a maximum of twice. If your roll lands on
this, strap in. Youre about to see some serious shit.
3-4 Gain a new class ability, Ultimate Perception. This ability may be cast after a short rest. Roll
a d20. On a 20, you gain vision through the eyes of every creature within a 300-foot radius of
where you cast it. The effect lasts until the creatures die, or you leave the radiusthe creatures
may leave, and you retain vision.
5-6 You burst into flames. You take four times your maximum health as damage. You can chose
one target within 10 feet of you to also take this damage. If this spell kills you (which it most
likely will), you instantly and inexplicably gain a cosmically significant position in whatever your
afterlife would be, of your DMs choosing.
6-7 A tarrasque appears 2d100 squares away from you. It heads for the nearest populated area at its
maximum movement seed. The tarrasque disappears after two hours.
7-8 You (and all allies within 100 feet) instantly change race in terms of appearance, gaining the new
races bonuses, and retaining those of your old race. The DM may decide if you get to pick the
new race, or if it is randomly selected.
9-10 The world wants to kill you for 1d4 days. Every five minutes, Meteor Storm will be cast at
whatever position you were at in the previous round, until you die, or the duration of the effect
ends.
11-12 On all subsequent level ups, the additional hit points you gain are doubled.
13-14 Your appearance changes to that of a small archdemon. You also gain the ability to cast Finger
of Death as a bonus action once a month.
15-16 You gain hordelust. You will become physically sick if you do not increase your net worth by at
least 5% every week, gaining disadvantage on WIS and DEX saving throws if you fail to do so.
You gain advantage on all checks relating to the appraisal of wealth, as well as Persuasion checks
when buying or selling items.
17-18 Roll a d4. Your height permanently increases by the result, in feet.
19-20 The heat around you spontaneously vanishes. All creatures in a 30-foot radius of you take 10d10
ice damage. If a creature dies as a result of this roll, their body becomes an ice sculpture.
21-22 You feel the power of sacrifice within you. You gain the ability to heal up to three creatures to full
whenever you reduce yourself to negative hit points. When you perform this sacrifice, you lose the
ability to be magically healed until you are non-magically restored to consciousness. Recharges
on a long rest.
23-24 You and all creatures you can see suddenly become magically attracted to a faraway tendril. You
will fall towards it, upwards through the air, until you touch down on its surface. Your falling
speed is capped to 20 m s
. The fall may take several days, or even weeks, at the discretion of your
DM.
25-26 You permanently grow feathers all over your body, and gain the ability to speak to birds.
27-28 You permanently grow a pair of wings, gaining a flying speed equal to your walking speed if
unarmored, or wearing armor specially deigned to allow you to use the wings. You also gain a
wing attack. It has a reach of 10 feet, has 3 plus your dexterity modifier to hit, and does 1d12
damage. You may use this attack as a bonus action.
29-30 All gold and platinum within 50 feet of you permanently vanishes. You gain the ability to cause
this effect as a standard action, with a recharge time of one week.
31-32 All creatures you have witnessed the death of in the last week are instantly resorted to life as if
by the reincarnation spell.
2.2. ARCANE MAGIC 13

33-34 Creatures automatically fail all saving throws against your spells for the next 1d4 minutes.
35-36 All plants and animals within a ten-mile radius are put under the effects of the Awaken spell,
minus the charm.
37-38 Your physical form loses its cohesion. You gain the ability to change you physical appearance
to any creature you have seen within one size category of yourself as a bonus action, which also
changes your voice. When not imitating another creature, you appear blurry and ethereal.
39-40 Your strength permanently increases by three, but you physically gain the appearance of some-
body who is severely malnourished.
41-42 You gain 8 eye-stalks, like a beholder. You get a +5 to wisdom checks that rely on sight.
43-44 A new Tendril sprouts out of the ground 5 feet in front of you. The DM decides its properties.
45-46 Magic screams into your veins, begging you to release it. On your turn, you must expend half
of your remaining spell slots on spells of your choosing, and cast all of your cantrips once. Each
spell is cast as a free action regardless of its normal cast time. Immediately afterwards, you will
fall unconscious for 4d8+12 hours. You gain the ability to manifest this effect once every four
months.
47-48 You and all creatures within 400 feet become Tyrannosaurus Rexes. You alone keep your ability
to cast spells, although everybody keeps their normal stats and intelligence. This effect may only
be reversed by the usage of a Greater Restoration spell, although it may be difficult to convince
a cleric to cast it on your partyespecially since you cant speak in anything that isnt a roar.
49-50 The magic around you is so eager to help you that it forgets about gravity for a moment. You
(and all other creatures you can see) become weightless for fifteen minutes. You may manifest
this effect once a month.
51-52 You gain the ability to speak in tongues, which allows creatures that understand any language to
understand your speech. You also gain the ability to understand all languages.
53-54 All weapons in a 100-foot radius of you are transformed into foam replicas, which do 1d2 blud-
geoning damage, but keep enchantments. This effect manifests regularly in monthly intervals.
55-56 From now on, critical hits on offensive spells you cast will create a 1d8 foot deep crater below the
target.
57-58 You permanently gain a dragonborn breath weapon, of your choosing. If you are already a
dragonborn, you get another breath weapon.
59-60 Every unoccupied space on the map is filled with a flumph, which is controlled by the DM and
frightened of you.
61-62 Time stops in a 400-foot radius (centered on you) for a duration of one year. Nobody may enter
the zone of stopped time.
63-64 Magic enjoys how you kill things. Form now on, when you deal a killing blow, you regain health
equal to the damage the blow did.
65-66 A huge forest sprouts around you, along with an entire civilization of very confused Elves. The
Elves are aware that they were just brought into existence, but somehow have knowledge equiv-
alent to their age.
67-68 You gain a suit of huge magical armor for one minute. Your size is changed to huge for the
duration, and your AC increases by +10. You may manifest this effect once a month.
69-70 You become immune to all mind-alerting substances.
71-72 All your skin appears to fall off, revealing the muscles and organs beneath. Somehow, you are
unharmed. Your skin will grow back in 1d4 weeks, however, whenever you drop to zero hit
points, it will fall off again. Medicine checks against you have advantage while skinless. You also
gain advantage on intimidation checks, owing to your horrifying appearance, with the penalty of
disadvantage on persuasion checks.
73-74 You gain the ability to scream incredibly loudly. This action causes creatures within 30 feet of you
to take 2d8 thunder damage, and shatters any non-magical glass item in the radius. It recharges
on a short rest.
75-76 You can trade your life force for time. You gain the ability to become immune to all damage for
one minute, instantly dropping to zero hit points at the end of the duration.
14 CHAPTER 2. MAGIC

77-78 All people of noble blood within 40 miles disappear. The DM decides where they go, or if they
die. Those within the world temple are immune.
79-80 You gain the ability to speak to small woodland creatures.
81-82 A clone of you, with all your memories and abilities, appears right next to you. It will die in one
week, a fact which it knows, and is somewhat upset about. It may have some requests of things
it wants to do before it perishes, or it may seek to get revenge, depending on your personality.
83-84 The spell gets lost on the way to its target. Somehow, it manages to hit something very far away.
85-86 HELP
87-88 Everyone within 200 feet of you gain a permanent psychic link to each others mind and know
what each of you are thinking at all times.
89-90 HELP
91-92 The next 1d8+1 times you die, you instantly come back to life, as if via the Reincarnate spell.
93-94 HELP
95-96 The world desires a comedy. As a standard action, you can chose to create a 40-foot-square Zone
of Bad Luck, which gives disadvantage on all rolls, centered around yourself. The zone of bad
luck follows you around, and lasts for two minutes. You may use this ability once a month.
97-98 Your maximum sorcery points increases permanently by 1d12. You also regain all expanded
sorcery points.
00-00 Everybody in your party gets 1d2 free levels in sorcerer, including you. These levels do not
count to the required XP to level up, and are granted regardless of stat eligibility.

2.3 Magic Derived from life. These servants rarely cause direct harm to
the living, as the rotting of flesh is itself a haven
Nature for life, choosing instead to expel the living to
Those who walk in wild places may have magic more suitable places. Occasionally, however, a
of their own. Unlike arcane magic, it is not desolate place will grow discomforted, unsatis-
derived from the listless sort of magic that sim- fied with its domain. In these cases, a Druid
ply exists, but from a more purposeful, directed of Decay may arise, blindly serving his or her
form: that which gives nature its shape. This arcane master, singly devoted to the goal of ex-
magic is found in the ground of the Tendrils, panding desolation and removing life. Most of-
and in the features on (or below) their surface. ten these evils are quickly dispatched by those
It is more introspective, gentler than the arcane who preserve living nature, but they occasion-
magic, granting wondrous abilities to those it ally may have a larger effect.
deems worthy.
2.4 Magic Divine
2.3.1 Nature without Life
Divine magic, as the name implies, stems from
Unlike in other settings, the magic of nature is the Gods. The divine power of the gods may
not necessarily the magic of lifeTendrils cov- be sent across great distances, loaned to their
ered in parched desert or suffocating ice have servants so they may perform great works. It
magic in equal measure as those painted with may also be used directly, to smite an evildoer
plants and trodden upon by animals. This or destroy an abomination, although this hap-
magic, however, rarely allows itself to be used pens only rarely. Divine magic is the safest and
by those among the living, preferring the inan- most consistent magic for mortals to use, car-
imate. When it does allow itself to be used, it rying little risk of destruction. Obtaining favor
is generally out of self-preservation: the desire from a god, however, may be difficult, and cler-
to have its domain kept as it likes it, with little ics must primarily live the life of a servant.
 Part II

The Worlds Locations

15
Chapter 3

The Core

At the center of Spirals is The Core. This ancient structure is where the root tendrils meet. It
is the most magical place in Spirals, and also the most populated.
The Core takes the shape of a large, oblong spheroid, with a radius of roughly 716,000 miles.
Root tendrils protrude straight from the surface, spiraling away into space as they move outwards
from it.

3.1 The Great City

The Core is covered in the works of mortals, active merchant districts existing next to ancient
ruins. Many people live on the core, but most simply travel through it, using it as a means to
get from one tendril to another.

3.2 The World Temple

The Core is not a solid mass. Beneath its surface lays a massive, holy structure: The World
Temple.
The name is somewhat inaccurate. Rather than being a temple to one god, it is a complex
of temples to every god. Each deity from every pantheon has their own room, of varying size.
For the gods, this is their holiest place of worship, and a symbol of their divine power.

3.2.1 Existent, not Created

The temple was not built by hands mortal, or even divine, but by the universe itself. It is a place
so deeply magical it is impossible to comprehend or study.
The magic of the temple overpowers that of even the gods. Although they may do as they
please in their own temples, they cannot influence the temples of others. Mortals, too, are bound
by the rules of the temple, and those who gain enough power to challenge the gods cannot do so
inside the temple.

Severe Punishments
Those who violate the rules of the temple are not smote, but punished. These punishments are
horrible, irreversible, and poetic in natureand, although they would not admit it, the gods
themselves fear them.

17
18 CHAPTER 3. THE CORE

Perhaps the most notable of these punishments was inflicted on the human paladin Dygromac
and his followers, some ten thousand years ago. He was a deeply holy man, a friend to all, and
a protector of the innocent. So great was his justice that he possessed power to rival the gods,
and his followers were said to be almost angelic in nature.
When the followers of the god Bane tortured and mutilated his love, Dygromac became
filled with holy rage. He lead his army into the temple, to destroy the god once and for all.
The righteous army made it within Banes temple, Dygromacs thirst for justice so powerful
as to shield them from the gods wrath. For an instant, it looked as if the paladin would be
triumphantbut, the instant he drew his sacred blade, he collapsed to the ground. His features,
and those of his followers, changed, taking on the colored skin, horns, and tails of the demonic. All
of Dygromacs power was stripped from him, and he became but a mortal once more, completely
at the mercy of the god of Tyranny.
Bane, for his part, let the former holy man (and his follows) go free, knowing that a life of
disgrace would be worse than any punishment he could inflict. Dygromacs holy army was no
more. In their stead was a new race, the Tieflings, doomed to forever share the shameful origin
of their forefathers.

Neutral Grounds
Certain portions of the World Temple, such as the hallways connecting individual temples, belong
to nobody. In these rooms, all forms of violence or magical trickery are prohibited. They act as
a ground for negotiation, taunting, and a wide variety of other interaction.

3.2.2 A true home

Each gods temple is perfectly tailored to their personality. The temple of Lolth, for example,
is dark and damp, with spiderwebs dressing the halls and poisoned daggers hanging from the
ceiling. That of Silvanus is teeming with life, bright light filtering through thick vines, without
an inch of stone visible.
The gods feel most at home in their temples, although their divine business often forces them
to travel. Even so, whenever they can, they dwell within their rooms, either in solitude, or
surrounded by worshippers.

An annoyance of layout
The one downside for the gods is how their rooms are organized. Whether out of a desire for
balance or some twisted sense of humor, the temple organizes its rooms such that the gods that
hate each other most are closest. The entrance to Tiamats temple is a mere ten feet away from
Bahamuts, and Bane and Mysterias temples share a wall.
This occasionally leads to chance encounters between hated enemies. Bound by the rules
of the temple, these encounters most often result in nothing more than an uncomfortable lack
of acknowledgement, although two rivals will occasionally become involved in a verbal battle of
wits. In one case, Corellon and Lolth made known their distaste of each other via verse, reciting
spontaneously-invented sonnets for several days.
Chapter 4

Major Tendrils and Formations

Mapping out all the tendrils of spirals is a pointless task. They flow onwards into infinity,
multiplying seemingly infinitely and never ending. It can be useful, however, to give a brief
rundown of the most important tendrils

4.1 The Great Flow dril are home to dwarven minesand the occa-
sional white dragon.
The Great Flow is the name given by the citi- This tendrils light cycle takes much longer
zens of Spirals to the largest water tendril, and than normal, with nights lasting up to 1440
the only root tendril created entirely out of wa- hours during the colder months, with extremely
ter. One of the six root tendrils, the Great Flow short days. Even when the light is present, the
starts at a giant portal and flows outwards from tendril stays freezing, barely increasing in tem-
the center of Spirals, branching only occasion- perature.
ally. The tendril is around twenty miles wide
and a perfect cylinder. Unlike most of the other
root tendrils, it does not travel in a straight 4.3 The Caldus Tendril
line, opting instead to spiral and twist through
the air as it travels. The Caldus tendril is a vast desert landmass,
The saltwater of the tendril hosts a variety and one of the six root tendrils. It is a flat
of marine life, ranging from small fish near the tendril with only one navigable surface. The
edges to gargantuan sea monsters in the cen- tendril is home to massive sandstorms, and is
ter. Some sentient races fish the waters of the generally inhospitable to life. Even so, some
tendril, although the strong current makes this believe that the tendril may be home to a lost
endeavor rather difficult. civilization or some kind of ancient treasure.
The nights on Caldus last about an hour,
with days as long as thirty hours. Nights, as a
4.2 Frozen Tendril result, provide very little shelter from the blis-
tering heat.
The aptly-named Frozen Tendril is the cold- The tendril would be completely abandoned
est of all the root tendrils. From the second were it not the most efficient way to get to Syn-
it leaves the center, the tube-shaped tendril is gland. Even though the planetoid is barely a
coated in ice and snow. It would be completely hundred miles out from the Core, anybody dar-
abandoned, were it not for the great quanti- ing to make the trip for trade purposes will no
ties of gold that appear in veins underneath its doubt need to stop at least once to quench their
surface. As a result of this potential wealth, thirst and rest. The most unusual city of Sethi
both the outer and inner surfaces of the ten- provides this.

19
20 CHAPTER 4. MAJOR TENDRILS AND FORMATIONS

4.3.1 Syngland At some points, the grass fields turn into

thick forests. Most attempt to get through
Syngland is a planetoid located along the Cal- those as fast as possible, to avoid death by the
dus tendril, about five miles across. It is well creatures that live within.
known for its Silk production, as well as for
being one of the very few Tiefling settlements
anywhere. Unlike the Tendril it floats off, it 4.4.1 Kheti
is quite humid in climate, and several degrees
Kheti is a major settlement on Kaptagan, fo-
cooler. Most of the planetoid is a large silk
cused mainly on farming. Initially created by
farm, where magical silkworms spin the finest
monks wishing to provide the residents of the
threads in all of Spirals.
Sacred Core with food, it quickly grew in size
Of course, since its mainly populated by
until it was a major farming community.
Tieflings, and a rumors of its true purpose
Kheti provides the entire city of The Core
abound. Many think that the silk is actually
with food, ranging from grains to livestock.
provided by some demon source, and stories of
The once peaceful city, however, grew a dark
small children being kidnapped, taken to Syng-
underbelly as it grew in size. Illegal horse races
land, and forced to spin until they die are com-
take place in shady tracks, where criminal loan
mon in Nursery books.
sharks are all too willing to give the desperately
addicted money. Some claim that ranch build-
4.3.2 Sethi ings are home not to cows, but slaves or drug
factories.
Sethi is one of the extremely few settlements on
the Caldus tendril. It is located about halfway
between the core and the Syngland Planetoid. 4.4.2 Crash
The city is used almost exclusively by mer- Crash is an offshoot tendril from the Kapata-
chants delivering goods from Syngland, with gan tendril, about three hundred miles from
the only permanent residents being a clan of its origin at the core. The tendril is approx-
Dragonborn. This clan was blessed by a god- imately one hundred miles long, and takes the
dess long ago, who gave them a special por- form of a wide, thin rectangle, nine miles across
tal that led within The Great Flow. The high on one pair of sides, and a quarter mile on the
priest of the clan is able to control the rate of other. Although once greatly populated, the
this at will, although the goddess specified that crops were quickly overtaken by thick, thorny
it should not be open too quickly. The clan uses vines. The settlers left, believing it cursed, and
this water to provide an oasis along the harsh there no longer exists any major settlements on
desertfor those with enough gold, of course. its surface. Sentient creatures rarely venture
inwards.

4.4 The Kapatagan Tendril

4.5 The Dzan Tendril
The Kapatagan Tendril, one of the six root ten-
drils, is a rectangle around thirty miles across The Dzan Tendril is a wet, humid Tendril cov-
on each side. The corners of the tendril are ered in jungle. It has short days and nights,
all coated in water, forming four streams that with each stage lasting around six hours.
flow outwards from the origin point. The easy The tendril is moderately populated. Its in-
availability of water, combined with the mild habitants include Elves, Dwarves, and Lizard-
climate, cause the tendril to be coated with folk. Settlements do not tend to last very long,
plants and ripe for farming. The typical set- however. Typically, a city may survive for only
tlers are human closer to the core, and halfling a few decades before the residents decide to
as one more farther away. move to a more fertile spot. This leaves the
4.6. THE PACCA TENDRIL 21

jungle full of ruins, causing the Dzan tendril to Tendrils most famous resident, David of the
be a popular location for adventure stories. Burn, who used his music to defeat both a Lich
and a dragon over the course of his life.

4.6 The Pacca Tendril

4.7 The Missing Tendril
The pacca Tendril is a cold, rainy tendril which
meets the core near the Kpatagan tendril. It is The orientation of the root tendrils suggests
shaped like a large letter U, and curves around that there should be one more, between the Ka-
itself extremely slowly. The large amount of patagan and Caldus Tendrils. No such Tendril,
rainfall cause its surface to be full of lakes and however, has ever been known to exist.
rivers, many of which provide enough fish to Wizards have long found trace magical en-
support a town or city. ergies where this Tendril would have met the
While not freezing, the tendrils tempera- core, leading many to believe that there used
ture are low enough that the people tend to to be a Tendril in this location. This Tendril
wear heavy clothing. Most inhabitants are from is commonly referred to as The Missing Ten-
the heartier races as well, and elves are a rare dril or The Seventh, and is the subject of
sight on the Tendril. The Tendril is best known conspiracies, ghost stories, and religious tales
for its bards, who follow the example set by the the world over.
22 CHAPTER 4. MAJOR TENDRILS AND FORMATIONS
Chapter 5

Minor Formations

5.1 The Confused Mountain

The confused mountain is one of the stranger structures in spirals. It is formed by six tendrils,
three which branch off the Frozen Tendril, and three which branch off the Caldus. They spiral
around each other, forming the mesh outline of a cone and meeting at the center. The result is a
mountain-like structure thats half frozen and half desert, with stripes of either terrain running
up its side. The Confused Mountain is a popular subject for artists due to its natural beauty and
inherent commentary on the nature of life, and is a symbol of the struggle between fanaticism
and indifference in several religions.

23
24 CHAPTER 5. MINOR FORMATIONS
 Part III

The Worlds Inhabitants (and

their Works)

25
Chapter 6

Gods

The gods of Spirals are extremely close to the activities of mortals. They are often physically
present in the World Temple (described in section 3.2), and most have numerous clerics. The
pantheon of Spirals takes inspiration from that of Forgotten Realms, although some familiar
faces have different personalities.

6.1 Major Gods Personality

These Gods, as their title implies, stand above Tiamat is a pragmatic deity, perhaps more so
the others in terms of importance. Their di- than any other draconic diety, or even most
vine power is greater, their place in the temple dragons. She looks at her wealth over the long
larger, and their influence more prominent. term, and is more than willing to part with
small parts of her horde to increase its size later
on. It is not uncommon for her to loan her cler-
ics rare magical items, scrolls, or other useful
Tiamat items. She has even been known to give those
exceptionally loyal to her small gifts, to incen-
tivize similar behavior in others.
Alignment Lawful Evil Tiamat views her pride as another compo-
nent of her wealth, but her pride is not fragile.
Domains Knowledge
The insults of a small creature far away are al-
Symbol Five Dragon Heads most certainly not worth the time to incinerate
in Profile them, and she respects the few who have more
power than her.

Tiamat is the dragon goddess of greed and

wealth, as well as the mother of all dragons.
You most likely recognize hershes present in
many D&D settings, although her personality Physical appearance
in Spirals is altered. Tiamat, like Bahamut, is
an extremely old God, and has spent most of Tiamat typically takes the form of a dragon
her long life becoming impossibly, ludicrously with five heads, one for each chromatic color.
wealthy. Tiamat sees the acquisition of wealth She occasionally also takes the form of a beauti-
as a sacred duty, which dragons have a respon- ful young woman, dressed in stupendously valu-
sibility to exercise. able clothing.

27
28 CHAPTER 6. GODS

World Temple Room a few portraits of himself. All else is located

behind a small door, which has his symbol on
Tiamats room in the world temple takes the
it. Many have been brought behind the door
form of an elegant palace. The walls are lined
none returned in any state to tell the outside
with Platinum, carved into intricate murals,
world what they saw.
and decorated with fine art.
Behind her throne, in a room only she may
access, Tiamat keeps the bulk of her horde. Few Bahamut
have set eyes on it, and fewer have spoken of it
afterwards. What can be said for certain is that Alignment Lawful Good
it is staggeringly large, and contains items the
Domains Knowledge
likes of which can hardly be described.
Symbol The head of a
Bane dragon, in silver

Alignment Chaotic Evil Bahamut, the lord of good dragons, is a

powerful force for good in the world of Spirals.
Domains Trickery An ancient and powerful God, he has been alive
for as long as mortals have recorded history,
Symbol A cloud of smoke
and still interacts with the world on a daily ba-
sis. Unlike his Sister, he cares for all creatures,
Bane, the god of fear and Tyranny, is one great and small, and fights daily so they may
of the most hated (and most worshipped) gods live their lives in a world filled with justice and
in the Spirals pantheon. peace.

Personality Personality
Banes personality is surprisingly charismatic. Bahamut is a kind soul with a firm personality.
He is confident, oddly funny, and even cordial. It is rare to see a smile grace his features, and
Even those who hate what he stands for must he can be stern in his dealing with his clerics.
admit that he is quite the charmer. Tyranny, This is not out of any distaste for mortals
indeed, he cares for the lives of those beneath
of course, is best executed by a leader who is at
least somewhat liked, and fear is most effectivehim more than most of his draconic worship-
when ones guard is down. pers, and is far more active in their affairs than
he is obligated to be. Instead, his emotionless
Physical Appearance composure is borne of the grave nature of his
task: evil is everywhere, and fighting it is a
Bane normally takes the shape of a handsome constant, endless struggle.
man, in his mid-twenties, wearing a black robe. In certain forms, the dragons personality
When he wishes to personally spread fear, he may be altered. When traveling in the disguise
takes on an amorphous form, like black smoke. of an old man, for example, he can seem al-
This form quickly morphs to depict what the most mad, laughing for no discernible reason
viewer fears most. When in this form, all that and sprouting vague prophecies. Some see this
view him must succeed on a DC 30 wisdom sav- is a sign of inner turmoil, while others believe
ing throw, or become frightened for 1d8 days. it to merely be a form of stress-relief.

World Temple Room Physical Appearance

Banes world temple complex is extremely Bahamut normally takes the form of a colos-
sparse. It consists mainly of his throne and sally large dragon, majestic and beautiful in the
6.2. MINOR GODS 29

same way as a piece of great architecture. His Tecumtaz is the god of just war, and per-
scales shimmer and glow as if light by moon- haps one of the strangest gods in Spirals.
light, and his dark grey eyes seem to contain Wherever mortal fight tyranny and oppression,
storms. he is there, but he is not a god of kindness, and
Bahamut occasionally travels in other forms is barely one of restraint.
as well. Most notably, he often mingles among
mortals in the form of a human, appearing as Personality
either an insane old man wearing tattered robes
or a handsome noble in a simple cloak. Tecumtaz hates war. This simple fact burns
throughout his personality and actions. Unlike
other deities of war, who respect great warriors
World Temple Room
and bless mighty conquerors, the mightiest sol-
Bahamuts complex in the world temple is im- dier in Tecumtazs eyes is the one who ends the
pressive, so much so that many clerics who do conflict the most quickly and justly, honor be
not worship the platinum dragon make stops to dammed. This hatred seeps into all other parts
visit it when on official business for their own of his personality. The face he presents to those
guards. The marble walls are coated in art- who righteously end conflicts is one of supreme
work, and every room has at least one sculp- kindness, almost familial in nature. Regardless
ture. A grand red carpet leads to the throne of their status, he respects those people above
room of the god himself, where he sits sur- all others.
rounded by yet more art, as well as a carefully- To those fools who start senseless conflict,
organized collection of history books. A door however, Tecumtaz presents a very different
behind his throne leads to the room where he face, one full of terror and fury beyond all mor-
keeps his own horde, which consists largely of tal comprehension. This includes many other
enchanted weapons, along with coins and other gods, even ones who supposedly share his align-
treasure. ment and domain.
Bahamuts temple is not only inhabited by
the god himself, but also his most trusted ser- Physical Appearance
vants. A variety of ancient clerics live in the
temple, performing divine research, surveying Tecumtaz most often takes the form of a man
the outside world, and occasionally even an- in an officers uniform. When enraged, his eyes
swering prayers on their masters behalf. These glow with terrible fire.
clerics have their own rooms, as well as common
working areas that they all share. World Temple Room
The vast majority of those invited to live
Tecumtazs room in the world temple takes the
with the god are dragons, but Bahamut will oc-
form of a military encampment at dusk, a vast
casionally grace a member lesser race this honor
field filled with several tents. The air inside
if they perform great feats in his name. For a
is cool and damp. Tecumtaz himself takes po-
cleric loyal to the platinum god, this is an honor
sition within the officers tent, which is only
unimaginable.
slightly bigger than the rest. Any clerics who
happen to be residing with him stay in other
Tecumtaz tents.

Alignment Lawful Good

6.2 Minor Gods
Domains War
These gods are not as powerful as the major
Symbol A flaming hammer gods, but still have divine power. They are not
all enumerated here, for purposes of brevity.
30 CHAPTER 6. GODS

Byrnke the Wise Byrnkes avatar will occasionally instruction

students on the subject of economics at several
Alignment Lawful Good colleges throughout the world.

Domains Knowledge Physical Appearance

Symbol Three gold coins Byrnke takes the form of a humanoid in
surrounding an eye bankers robes. His exact species changes de-
pending on the audience: elven when among
God of money and monetary policy, Byrnke elves, human amidst humans, and dwarven
the wise is a respected, if little-known, deity. in the presence of dwares. Some have even
Whenever wise and prudent treasurers discuss claimed that he has draconic or demonic forms,
their currency, his presence is felt, guiding their although they are rarely used if they exist. The
gentle hands. only common feature among his forms is his fa-
cial hair, a short goatee.
Personality
World Temple Room
Byrnke is a kind, if somewhat distant, god.
His clerics help in just financial institutions the Byrnkes room is extremely small. it consists
world over, guiding their decisions and easing of several offices, occupied by his clerics, and
their extreme stress. Some even rumor that one head office, occupied by himself.
Chapter 7

Technology

This chapter needs a lot of work

The world of Spirals requires some special technology, mostly to help in transportation.
Interesting locations may be hundreds of miles away from each other, and nobody wants to play
a campaign where the vast majority of time is spent in transit.

7.1 Landcycles
The primary form of personal transportation in Spirals is the landcycle. These vehicles use the
magic that holds the spirals up to travel long distances at extreme speeds. Landcycles are a
common piece of technology, and can generally be acquired cheaply. They can be made from
various materials, ranging from wood to metal to strange matter. However, they have a few
important catches:

Limited Carrying Capacity: Landcycles can carry only approximately four hundred pounds.
If one wishes to transport a larger weight, they need to look for other options.

Landcycles in-game are much, much faster than this table. Fix it!

Table 7.1: Types of Landcycle

Name Material Cost (GP) Range (mi) Speed Downtime Startup

(MPH) (hours) Time
(min-
utes)
Jaunter Wood 100 200 45 10 15
Cityrunner Wood/Metal 200 500 60 7 15
Trekker Wood 600 800 60 10 20
Harlot Iron 1,000 1,000 75 15 10
Blackbird Steel 10,000 2500 250 10 5

31
32 CHAPTER 7. TECHNOLOGY

7.2 Landchewers
A slightly less common (and much more expensive) form of transportation is the Landchewer.
While not as fast, or as maneuverable, they are able to transport much heavier goods.
This table also doesnt match reality

Table 7.2: Types of Landchewer

Name Material Cost (GP) Range (mi) Speed (MPH) Downtime Max
(Hours) Weight
(tons)
Tortoise Iron 10,000 200 45 24 0.75
Ripper Iron 20,000 250 60 24 2.0
Hauler Lead/Iron 35,000 400 70 40 5
Gnasher Lead/Iron 100,000 900 100 40 20
Chapter 8

Culture

The world of Spirals, like all other worlds, has its own unique culture. This will probably influence
your character creation.
This chapter contains both general and specific cultural descriptions. The more specific
descriptions are provided to assist you in designing your own unique subcultures.

8.1 Religion The huge amounts of ambient magic present

throughout Spirals allows simple spells which
The various faiths and cults in the world of Spi- require only power to function to thrive. Me-
rals are, like everything else, effected by its ge- chanically simple motion or heat charms have
ography. Various tendrils are considered holy the most practical uses, and are by far the most
to different deities, depending on their compo- commonplace. Most notably, they are used in
sition. Landcycles and Landcrawlers, which you can
read about in the technology section of this doc-
8.1.1 The Core ument.
Spells which require higher levels of preci-
The most major difference comes from the tem-
sion are much harder to contain within an ob-
ple within the Core. The temple allows clerics
ject. If one wished to create a sword which cut
and worshippers to have a much more direct
through enemies more efficiently, for example,
location with their gods. If one is particularly
they would need to take care to temper the en-
troubled, they may make a pilgrimage to the
chantment so it draws only the required amount
temple, to ask their god what to do. It is un-
of energy from the surrounding area. Failure, of
likely, of course, they that will get to meet the
course, would result in the sword exploding vi-
god themselves, but praying near their physical
olently the moment the enchantment was cast.
presence tends to be more effectiveand most
As a result, enchanted weapons and items are
of the world temples are filled with helpful cler-
rarer than in other settings, as they are more
ics.
difficult to make.
It should be noted, however, that the high
8.2 Magic Itself levels of ambient magic increases the overall po-
tential for enchanted items. Few, if any, wiz-
Owing partially to the dangerous nature of ards have ever lived who were skilled enough
casting spells, many wizards employ enchant- to take advantage of this potential, but, if they
ments as opposed to directly casting spells. could, the results could be wondrous (or devas-
1 Yes, this does mean that you can give your favorite player a +10 STR +30 DEX Sword of Epic Awesomeness

without breaking setting lore, although it may have a negative effect on your game.

33
34 CHAPTER 8. CULTURE

tating) indeed.1 they may use tools crafted by them on a daily

basis. Wizards are viewed as learned beings,
but the risks involved in using magic lead many
8.3 Magic Users to view them as having a certain undercurrent
of imprudence or recklessness. Many would eat
As outlined in the chapter on magic, Magic be- dinner with them in a public place, but few
haves differently in Spirals than in many other would invite them into their home.
worlds. This, naturally, comes with some dif-
ferent cultural attitudes towards those who use
it.
8.3.2 Warlocks
8.3.1 Wizards Warlocks gain their power not from careful
study, but from a patron. They rely on both
Wizarding in the World of Spirals has a unique
their own knowledge of magic, and their pa-
place, owing to the unique role of magic in
trons, to cast spells, although the patron has
the world. Magic in Spirals is more prominent
significently more control. Their patrons chose
in Spirals than it is in other worlds, but this
them well, and they are generally safe from the
prominence adds danger. The risk inherit in
stress of arcane spellcastingalthough their
spellcasting makes wizarding a very mentally
patron may cause them stress of a different va-
taxing job, both because of the risk and the
riety.
mental fortitude required to overcome it. Wiz-
ards can be good-natured, but the stress inherit
in their profession makes many irritable.
In order to reduce this risk and manage the Interactions with Wizards
stress of using magic, wizards in Spirals are
Many wizards view the arrangement between
carefully trained. The process of becoming a
a Warlock and his Patron as a kind of cheat-
wizard is extremely difficult, requiring nearly a
ing. Wizards are distrustful of Warlocks, and
decade of schooling and mentorship. Wizards
generally avoid them.
jealously guard major spells, and can be ex-
tremely competitive in their knowledge of the
arcane, but they have sympathy for each other
as well. Wizards will generally be friendly with 8.3.3 Sorcerers
each other, assuming they have no major dif-
ferences in worldview or goals, and will provide Sorcerers derive their magic from their own na-
help to each other in times of need. ture. For reasons unknown, magic is especially
In their old age, wizards look forward to- active around them, pressing in on their minds,
wards their legacies, and backwards at their visibly moving through their bodies.
origins. Older wizards who are not consumed Sorcerers are more commonplace in Spirals
with research will often seek to train appren- than in most other worlds. Unfortunately, how-
tices or students, and many of the most power- ever, they rarely survive until adulthood. For
ful wizards will eventually teach at the College most, the magic is too much for them, and it
De Arcana. consumes them early in childhood. Those who
survive until adulthood are reasonably stable,
however, it is not unheard of for them to lost
Interactions with Society
control and burst into flames as well. The au-
Wizards are generally respected, if slightly thor of this handbook does not recommend that
feared. For most citizens in Spirals, they will you have this happen to any of your player char-
see very few wizards in their lives, although acters. 2
2 There are exceptions to this, for example, rolling 10 or more critfails consecutively, or when you desperately

need to get rid of a player with a particularly foul personality or odor.

8.3. MAGIC USERS 35

Interactions with Wizards tional wizarding means: the sorcerers who tried
all died in spectacularly violent ways. Since
Wizards generally view sorcerers with pity, then, many wizards have sought to study sor-
mixed with suspicion. While they wont say cery, in the hopes of one day understanding its
it in polite company, Wizards often refer to causes. The end goal varies from researcher
them asPowderkegs, Flares, or Kindling, to researcher: some wish to harness its power,
although this is done more as sympathetic gal- some wish simply to understand, and others
lows humor than anything else. wish find some way to magically reduce the
Long ago, wizards learned that the magic mortality rate. As of yet, however, sorcery re-
of sorcery could not be controlled via conven- mains a mystery.