Players' Guide

Introduction

Basiliath is a mid-fantasy world located somewhere within the Material Plane, relatively cut off from the magic of the multiverse by a force known as The Veil. Magic is generally scarce, accessible only to those with the means to acquire it or individuals possessing innate talent.
Most of my campaigns have so far begun in overwhelmingly Human lands. Most NPCs encountered will thus be human- and for that reason, I typically encourage players who would like their characters to have a sense of "belonging" in my campaign world to start with human characters, or otherwise work with me to bring your background into the world. Other regions of Basiliath will of course be explored in the future, and I'm hoping to expand on other peoples and lineages as time goes on. If the campaign will revolve around a certain region, I additionally encourage you to consider tying your backstory close to that region. This will allow me to seamlessly integrate your backstory into a choesive whole.
If you'd rather play another lineage, that's awesome too, with the following caveats:
Lineages from specific D&D settings like Forgotten Realms, Eberron, or the Magic: The Gathering worlds (this includes things like Warforged, Tabaxi, Loxodon, Simic Hybrids, etc.) in many cases simply do not exist on the planet (at least, as they exist in their home settings). If you would like to play any such lineage, we can work together to insert them somewhere in the world - though that may not always be feasible.
Most lineages from the PHB exist somewhere in Basiliath. Some non-PHB lineages also exist and will be featured as pages on this site eventually.
Lineages can be roughly divided into Lawful, Special, Neutral, and Chaotic. Lawful lineages typically hold cities and lands and have advanced, organized cultures. Special lineages are not cultures per se and arise out of blessings or curses bestowed upon people of other lineages. Chaotic lineages tend to be viewed as "monstrous" by those of Lawful lineages and live on the fringe of Lawful civilization. There are also Miscellaneous Lineages that do not fall into any of these categories. Please note that these classifications are only a framework for how the world is divided; in essence, the typical "Chaotic" Lineage individual is Chaotic or otherwise not integrated into Lawful society, but this is not always the case! Exceptions always exist! Playing a Lawful-aligned Goblin may come with challenges, but it's not unfeasible.

Choosing a Lineage and People

The following is a list of the thought-out lineages and corresponding peoples that have so far appeared in the world. Characters in Basiliath have a Lineage, or race/species, and a People, or culture/ethnicity. Check each people for character creation rules just in case, but most follow standard PHB 2024 rules. I'm working on a "Basiliath Addendum" to codify any additional race or class options, but it will likely be hosted elsewhere as a few of the options have been taken from 3rd party sources and I'm not sure if I can post any of that here.

Lawful Lineages

Humans

Charlishmen and Marlishmen, "The Men-at-Arms"
Gerishmen, "The Men of the Dale"
Aşcalites, "The Men of Winds and Waves"
Northmen, "The Men of Blood and Glory"
Nithene, "The Animal-Men from the Sands"
Perellians, "The Men of Empire"

Elves

Wispenroot Elves (Wood Elves), "The Elves of Oak and Birch"
Galariath Elves (Frost Elves), "The Elves of Frost and Cold"

Dwarves

Halflings

Gnomes

Special Lineages

Tieflings
Dragonborn

Chaotic Lineages

Goblins

Common Goblins
Coastal Goblins
Gorecap Goblins

Hobgoblins

Imilzzar's Host Hobgoblins

Bugbears

Northern Bugbears

Lizardmen

Xogh Tribe Lizardmen

Miscellaneous Lineages

Vulpin

Vulpin of Wispenroot

Choosing a Background

As with all things, work with me, work with me, work with me! Whether you know exactly what kind of character you want to play or want some ideas to fulfill a vague "character type" you've thought up, we should work together to integrate your character into the world. I believe that characters with a sense of belonging are more fun to play, and they're certainly more fun to DM for! Once you have an idea for background, we can work together to agree on what languages your character would know. The PHB 2024 and other products compatible with 5e have plenty of premade background, but if there's none to your liking we can make one up!

Very Important Questions (VIQ)

This website has too much information! How much of this is actually important?

Okay, ouch. But also fair point- the good news is that most of this is not at all relevant to your gameplay experience! You're free to not interact with any of the lore or as much as you want to. I never enforce things like naming conventions, physical descriptions, or anything of the like. Still, I reserve a veto for character options that bring down others' enjoyment; naming your Drow character Brizzt Do'Burden is fine, but if you name your Northman Barbarian Tinkle McFay or C*mwagon the Fart-gotten, it detracts from the theme. This has never happened in the history of my games, and I think most people (me included) act in good faith when it comes to setting up before a campaign.

How much of the stuff here did you write? What will happen to my character once the campaign or session is over?

FOR THE MOST PART all player characters in Basiliath become "canon"- that is, following their adventure, the effects they had on the world, whether it be worldbuilding in preparation for character creation or actions within the story, are integrated. I won't say what's mine and what's not- actually, none of it is mine alone! If you play in Basiliath, it'll be yours, too.

How much creative freedom do I have over my character? What if I want you delete them later?

Yes. In all seriousness, as I said before, your character is your own- if you later want me to remove references to them in the "lore", I will- though I'll also make something up to patch up any inconsistencies. Generally, though, before playing in Basiliath you should at least understand that while your character is your own, their effects on the world become everyone else's.