I just celebrated my birthday, and the day before that released my first supplement on DM's Guild. I'm not sure which one I'm happier about, and I've gotten nothing but positive feedback so far.
It's PWYW, so it'll be easy to sink your teeth into whether you have a spare coin or not, so let me know what you think!
I also put up an intro video over on YouTube. I also have a longer video on my channel that serves as an extensive player hook and DM primer to help get players interested and DMs ready to incorporate them into their worlds.
Anyway, I'd love to chat with you guys about it, and if you like it then maybe build some interest in my future projects.
I've never played that game, unfortunately. I think my older brother might have played it some, though, because I vaguely recognize the title from somewhere. But man, I just googled that, and the island called Dewata was secluded until they decided to share their culture, which is pretty similar lore-wise. Still, Diwata are a real world myth which is what informed my design, and certainly theirs as well.
Before I named mine Diwata, I was actually inspired by the Twelve Kingdoms anime where any given couple in that sort of Narnia or Oz like alternate world pray to divine trees to have children. The children grow in large fruit on the tree as if in a womb. Mine are also born from fruit on trees, but it's very different from just a human that does that.
After making the race (this was about 4 years ago by the way), I started a search to find out what mythical races might fit this design. Specifically I wanted a name that wasn't just made up. I looked at Dryad, but they don't commune with their ancestors like the creatures I had made do, they're not so divine in origin, and D&D already has dryads anyway. That's when I found the Diwata and the name stuck. They're divine, live inside trees, commune with their ancestors, and more which all very closely fit the design I had made. I studied up on them. Their mythology re-informed my original design to more closely align, and this Diwata race was born.
I hope you like it. It has been a four year project, and is pay what you want (like I said above) so you can check it out even if you don't have any coin to spare and see how unique it actually is.
A lot like that, yeah! The primary difference being that the Diwata tree is part of the Diwata's life cycle very directly, so related as more than just a cool symbiotic relationship. The tree contains their soul after they die within a sort of spiritual micro plane. Over the course of the life of the tree, that Diwata fractures its soul, placing a piece within a fruit. This piece grows into a full blown Diwata soul for the offspring, and maintains a connection between the parent and child throughout the child's life. The connection goes back generations, so it's easier for a Diwata to do seance style magic to commune with their ancestors. This also means a Diwata soul never passes on to an afterlife, because they make their own afterlife in living with their descendants or ancestors.
They also have a mechanical aspect. Because they're born from trees like this, they aren't male or female. Instead they have 'natures' they can choose to assume. Mechanically these natures are like subraces, except you as the player can switch between them during gameplay. If you have one already, you can clear it by meditating as part of a long rest to 'center yourself'. When you are centered, you can meditate during another long rest to take on a new nature. There are 5 you can choose from, each with their own unique features, and 1 more that you take on at special times such as failing a specific wisdom save. These natures help a Diwata fill a chosen social or cultural role in their society, or any other society they're staying in.
Hey, I just made a new, much more bite sized intro video to the race if you're interested:
I'm also going to edit the thread's original post to have this new one instead. I'm keeping the long one online, but it's the "In-Depth or Comprehensive" version on my channel now.
Hey, thanks for the questions, and I'll answer them point for point!
They're medium, because I didn't feel there was a specific reason for them to break that mold, and Wizards is super adamant to not make a larger race. I wanted to respect that, because it's not like they haven't had pressure to do so. I trust that they know why it won't work, or otherwise why it would break the game.
They live well into their 9th century, so almost 1000 years.
They do only have 1 sex, or rather they have none? They reproduce asexually. That being said, they tend toward gender fluid, and non-binary. Although, just like Humans their genders vary from person to person. Those two are just their most common genders. Also, while asexuality is most common among them, they can also develop an appetite with other races while in relationships with them.
They have skin. It's super smooth, and wrinkle free. Their skin tones are wildly different from one another, including from parent to child. Basically their skin tones will match any fruit or vegetable you can think of, and sometimes they may match other plant life, such as leaves or peanut shells. However, regardless of the sometimes deceptive pattern, such as little peanut shell pits, their skin is actually always smooth like an apple's skin. This is based on Diwata mythology where they can be all manor of colors such as reds and blues, and their skin is described as being more like fingernails in texture than normal skin. I interpreted those myths to basically be describing fruit skins, such as eggplant etc., and they were already born from fruit in trees so I made my interpretation literal.
Hey speak Diwata and Common. I mean, every playable race speaks Common, but yeah. They speak Diwata, which sounds like native Filipino, although I don't mention that sound in the supplement because I didn't want to encourage caricatures of Filipino accents. I figured that if anyone figures that part out for themselves, then they will have to do research to find it, meaning they will be people who are more likely to be respectful in their portrayal. Or at least that's the hope. I do encourage good portrayals of accents both real and imaginary in my own games so long as it's respectful.
All of this (except for the accent) is in the supplement, by the way. And the beauty of pay what you want is that if you are someone who likes to support your favorite creators, you can get a supplement for free to see if you like it. Afterward, if it's something you like or love, then you can return and actually buy it again, this time putting in a payment. DM's Guild is built to support that, and I encourage you to do that as well! You don't have to send me any money unless you want to, but I'd appreciate the support as I want to continue making cool stuff.
Thanks! I want to be able to devote time to continue this on DM's Guild, so I appreciate the support. If you like my design style, I am making a lot more, too.
Next I have some practical supplements, such as land vehicle stat blocks using the vehicle rules in Saltmarsh, but I am also working on getting several more of my previously homebrewed playable races, classes, and subclasses ready for release.
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I just celebrated my birthday, and the day before that released my first supplement on DM's Guild. I'm not sure which one I'm happier about, and I've gotten nothing but positive feedback so far.
It's PWYW, so it'll be easy to sink your teeth into whether you have a spare coin or not, so let me know what you think!
The store page for Diwata Revealed on DM's Guild
I also put up an intro video over on YouTube. I also have a longer video on my channel that serves as an extensive player hook and DM primer to help get players interested and DMs ready to incorporate them into their worlds.
Anyway, I'd love to chat with you guys about it, and if you like it then maybe build some interest in my future projects.
Thanks for coming! :D
I guess someone here is fan of an old PC game called Ragnarök Online .....
My Ready-to-rock&roll chars:
Dertinus Tristany // Amilcar Barca // Vicenç Sacrarius // Oriol Deulofeu // Grovtuk
I've never played that game, unfortunately. I think my older brother might have played it some, though, because I vaguely recognize the title from somewhere. But man, I just googled that, and the island called Dewata was secluded until they decided to share their culture, which is pretty similar lore-wise. Still, Diwata are a real world myth which is what informed my design, and certainly theirs as well.
Before I named mine Diwata, I was actually inspired by the Twelve Kingdoms anime where any given couple in that sort of Narnia or Oz like alternate world pray to divine trees to have children. The children grow in large fruit on the tree as if in a womb. Mine are also born from fruit on trees, but it's very different from just a human that does that.
After making the race (this was about 4 years ago by the way), I started a search to find out what mythical races might fit this design. Specifically I wanted a name that wasn't just made up. I looked at Dryad, but they don't commune with their ancestors like the creatures I had made do, they're not so divine in origin, and D&D already has dryads anyway. That's when I found the Diwata and the name stuck. They're divine, live inside trees, commune with their ancestors, and more which all very closely fit the design I had made. I studied up on them. Their mythology re-informed my original design to more closely align, and this Diwata race was born.
I hope you like it. It has been a four year project, and is pay what you want (like I said above) so you can check it out even if you don't have any coin to spare and see how unique it actually is.
So the Diwata race are like those insects that lives inside the trees ?? Or more related to the birds that makes nests inside the trees ??
My Ready-to-rock&roll chars:
Dertinus Tristany // Amilcar Barca // Vicenç Sacrarius // Oriol Deulofeu // Grovtuk
A lot like that, yeah! The primary difference being that the Diwata tree is part of the Diwata's life cycle very directly, so related as more than just a cool symbiotic relationship. The tree contains their soul after they die within a sort of spiritual micro plane. Over the course of the life of the tree, that Diwata fractures its soul, placing a piece within a fruit. This piece grows into a full blown Diwata soul for the offspring, and maintains a connection between the parent and child throughout the child's life. The connection goes back generations, so it's easier for a Diwata to do seance style magic to commune with their ancestors. This also means a Diwata soul never passes on to an afterlife, because they make their own afterlife in living with their descendants or ancestors.
They also have a mechanical aspect. Because they're born from trees like this, they aren't male or female. Instead they have 'natures' they can choose to assume. Mechanically these natures are like subraces, except you as the player can switch between them during gameplay. If you have one already, you can clear it by meditating as part of a long rest to 'center yourself'. When you are centered, you can meditate during another long rest to take on a new nature. There are 5 you can choose from, each with their own unique features, and 1 more that you take on at special times such as failing a specific wisdom save. These natures help a Diwata fill a chosen social or cultural role in their society, or any other society they're staying in.
Hey, I just made a new, much more bite sized intro video to the race if you're interested:
I'm also going to edit the thread's original post to have this new one instead. I'm keeping the long one online, but it's the "In-Depth or Comprehensive" version on my channel now.
Nice info. Now you only need to focus in :
* what size they have ??
* how long do they life for ??
* do they have 2 genders, or 1 gender ??
* do they have scales or they have a skin ??
* what language they speak ( if they speak any ) ??
My Ready-to-rock&roll chars:
Dertinus Tristany // Amilcar Barca // Vicenç Sacrarius // Oriol Deulofeu // Grovtuk
Hey, thanks for the questions, and I'll answer them point for point!
All of this (except for the accent) is in the supplement, by the way. And the beauty of pay what you want is that if you are someone who likes to support your favorite creators, you can get a supplement for free to see if you like it. Afterward, if it's something you like or love, then you can return and actually buy it again, this time putting in a payment. DM's Guild is built to support that, and I encourage you to do that as well! You don't have to send me any money unless you want to, but I'd appreciate the support as I want to continue making cool stuff.
Nice information.... great job.....
Now I have to roll an Investigation check ( with advantage ) just to remember where did I put my Credit card yesterday.
24
Ok, I remember where it is....... now I go pay you some PHPs.....
is this your current coin ??? xDD
My Ready-to-rock&roll chars:
Dertinus Tristany // Amilcar Barca // Vicenç Sacrarius // Oriol Deulofeu // Grovtuk
Thanks! I want to be able to devote time to continue this on DM's Guild, so I appreciate the support. If you like my design style, I am making a lot more, too.
Next I have some practical supplements, such as land vehicle stat blocks using the vehicle rules in Saltmarsh, but I am also working on getting several more of my previously homebrewed playable races, classes, and subclasses ready for release.