It’s time for another blog for The World Below!
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In The World Below, all characters possess a Calling. A Calling in this game is one of your three Paths, which as a reminder are:
Dawn: Where you’re from, your culture, your beliefs, and your guild.
Dialectic: Your attunement to the World Below, such as to insects (Scarab), gems (Adamas), or Kaos (Qeobaca).
Calling: Your class, role, or profession.
In this blog, we’ll talk a little about your Calling, and the Callings already presented in the game.
What Calls to You?
In many RPGs, a Calling would be referred to as a “Class.” While the two fulfil similar functions, a Calling differs in the following ways:
- Even if you follow a martial Calling such as that of the Hunter, you still gain access to Sorceries, meaning every character has capacity to use magic.
- Your Calling defines as many Skills and Skill dots as your Dialectic and Dawn.
- People in the World Below identify by their Calling in-universe, so you may find etchings on a wall noting that “a Hunter has claimed this place as her territory” or a map may note a symbol that indicates “Alchemist experiments take place here.”
- How tightly tied to your Calling your character is, is up to you. If you decide to put your Experience into Dawn and Dialectic, that opens up more Theses and Syntheses, and tells a very different tale about your character.
The Callings in The World Below core book are:
The Alchemist: Masters of the elements, of transmutation and necromancy, and concocters of explosives and potions. Alchemists can make provisions toxic or highly nutritional.
The Farsighter: Those who can hear the World Below, foretell disasters, command plant- and wildlife, and lead people to sanctuary or ruin. Farsighters are diplomats and kings as well as druids and seers.
The Holy: Paladins and priests who dedicate their lives to the gods, philosophies, and worship of Kaos. Holies heal and resurrect, but they also purge enemies with righteous damnation.
The Hunter: Stalkers, warriors, and rangers who tame beasts, harvest resources from distant caves, and brave the wilds to slay their peoples’ enemies. Hunters are feared, and with good reason.
The Kaosist: Wild sorcerers who tap into the rawest Kaos to manipulate magic in destructive, wondrous, and unpredictable ways. Nobody craves the company of a Kaosist, but they have their uses.
The Silhouette: Thieves, spies, and assassins. Silhouettes map the Dark, alter their bodies to suit inhospitable realms, and strike with deadly precision.
Six Callings help span the gamut of possible roles your characters might occupy in the World Below, but it’s highly likely there are even more besides these six. While these are the options presented in the core book, I’m always open to answering questions about existing content and hearing suggestions. With that in mind, this open development phase is open, and here’s the question:
Which Callings would you like to see in The World Below?
Take a look at the Callings above. Is there a gap you can easily identify? A role you’d want to play in a game like this that we’ve not already covered? We won’t be adding further Callings to the core book, but your thoughts on such things can have an impact on future books. What’s more, if you say “I want a character who acts like a D&D Barbarian” I may be able to point you to what in the existing game covers that function.
As part of game design, we have to consider a few things when making Callings. 1.) Is there a gap? 2,) How does this fit into the setting and differ from the existing options? 3.) Is the new suggestion offering something desirable for play? We want to avoid overlap and only create Callings that work within the World Below as a world, while also appealing to players.
When you play an RPG, what kind of character do you enjoy playing, and do you see your preferred character type as absent and includable? If so, please let me know! I will be reading all your comments, and in the next blog, will address any questions and suggestions that arise.
Please continue to share these blogs. Post about them, message them to your roleplayer friends, and discuss what you want to do with this game!
A difficult choice to pick just one, but my vote is for The Hunter. Not only keeping their communities safe, but taming the beasts of The World Below gives them an edge few have.
I’m finding a lot of people gravitate toward the Hunter!
My character types vary quite dramatically, but one thing they all have in common is their sociability. Looking over the lust above, while I can easily see how a social slant could be given to each of these, there isn’t an obvious, out-and-out social Calling – such as an entertainer, poet, creator, or performer. It could be a nice deviation from the norm, as these are the people who keep other’s spirits up when things get tough, inspire people to greater deeds, and even give people something worth fighting for.
Hmmm… Given the emphasis this game has on community and the Kalm Phase, I kinda feel like *all* the Callings should have some social/community capability and the ability to play in that arena, if only to give them options for things to do during the Kalm Phase.
That doesn’t preclude creating a Social Primary calling, granted, but it might be less necessary if it’s something everyone can do.
The Farsighter (and secondarily, the Holy) are the most social Callings presented in the game to date, but your requests are noted!
I noticed the same thing Chris did. Where would a character who uses songs and poems and dresses in bright, entertaining colors fit?
Hmmm… Not sure it’s necessarily a gap, but… Possibly something to do with Water, as that’s going to be something everyone needs down there. Or maybe Temperature/Airflow, as a cavern remaining habitable will be important.
Combine them into the Fluid who commands the flows of air, water, heat and other things? I dunno. Might be too much overlap with existing things, but it might do.
Making an Elementalist kind of a Calling isn’t a bad idea, though we do have an Elemental Dialectic. It’s worth considering!
I can see a gap – Skald/Bard/Historian/Archeologist, but I’m not sure that they quite fit… someone trying to keep track of the history of the various settlements, or even the World Below as a whole. I mean, I think there would be people like that in a world like this, but they may fit just fine into existing Callings or else wouldn’t be the “go out adventuring” type.
That may be more a part of the guilds than the Callings, but I’m going to think on those suggestions!
The Word Collector:
There are many different people living in the World below and there have been so many before them. Delvers can find hints of their lives but more often than not don|t have a clue about their cultures, ideas and stories. Word Collectors venture into the dark to gather the signs, broken tablets and half remembered tellings of those who have been here before. One can be amazed by their findings and the power they can draw from them. But not only do they write histories about the world below but also do their best to provide a form of communication between far out outposts by relaying messages with magical signs and translations. Within their communities they are known for their inspirational tales.
That be something I‘d be interested in playing. 🙂
This is a very interesting concept indeed… I’ll be thinking about this in depth.
Have fun! I feel, there is much more in it. Stories and news conserve, reform, twist information.
People identify by their classes in-universe in D&D, and I think several other RPGs.
Silhouette, for me, especially as part of an official and public “ambassador” grouping of some sort. The ‘cultural level’ of the “World Below” setting doesn’t seem sophisticated enough to handle ‘journalists’ as such, but for every threat in the Dark that announces itself with bellowing roars, there are dozens if not hundreds who move about unaware of the dangers they pose… or who wield weapons of economics, influence or other ‘civilized’ things…
(Lost access to previously-used email address: Please, Mr. Dawkins, a link to your previous mention of me?)