I'm gearing up to try my 1st 5e homebrew setting, and the design aesthetic is "The Lord of the Rings meets Dinotopia." Every PC option from the PHB and XGE would be available to players, along with my homebrewed dinosaur- and pterosaur-people races (which I sneak-peek on this thread; the final version won't be shared for a bit more yet as I work out the precise lore about them). NOTE: I changed the name of the race(s) to "Saurianfolk."
In keeping with the Dinotopia half of that pitch, the setting has no large-bodied natural mammals (in game terms, no mammalian beasts), such as horses, cattle, etc. The niches for draft animals, mounts, and pets are filled by domesticated dinosaurs (including birds) or other reptiles and amphibians. The standard riding mount, for instance, is a hadrosaur (stats in VGtM). War ceratopsians are also a thing.
To design the setting, I'm doing the opposite of my usual approach, and starting small, with a focus on the bits that would immediately be relevant to starting PCs. So, I've made notes on a starting homebase -- the village of Crichton's Mill -- and surrounding region -- the province of Verneshire, and am working on a Local Heroes tier campaign sketch to flesh out.
I'll be using this thread to post links to Homebrew monsters, items, spells, etc., as they become relevant. I don't plan to run this game on these forums or tell my players this thread is here, so spoilers should be easily avoided.
To that end, here is a monster I homebrewed, that will possibly be a central villain for the PCs. It's a dinosaurian "lycanthrope" that I basically reskinned from the werewolf, with a few tweaks.
The only thing I want to make different is that "sauranthropes" like this have a weakness not for silver, but for weapons of meteoric iron. But I don't see any way in the Homebrew tools to do that.
Anyway, stay tuned for more Dungeons & Dinosaurs fun!
For those wanting it, here is a list I compiled of every stat block for "dinosaur" in official Wizards products. It's pretty thin, but might be helpful. Could definitely be fleshed out, but I suspect I'll just be re-skinning mammalian beasts to represent dinosaurs of varying sizes.
Allosaurus (Large) MM page 79 Allosaurus, Young (Medium) ToA page 32 ("Racing Dinosaurs" table) Ankylosaurus (Huge) MM page 7 Brontosaurus (Gargantuan) VGtM Page 139 Deinonychus (Medium) VGtM Page 139 & ToA page 217 Dimetrodon* (Medium) VGtM Page 139 & ToA page 217 Hadrosaurus (Large) VGtM Page 139 and 140 & ToA page 224 Plesiosaurus* (Large) MM pages 79-80 Pteranodon* (Medium) MM pages 79-80 Quetzalcoatlus* (Huge) VGtM Page 139 and 140 Stegosaurus (Huge) VGtM Page 139 and 140 & ToA page 231 Triceratops (Huge) MM page 79-80 Triceratops, young (Medium) ToA page 32 ("Racing Dinosaurs" table) Tyrannosaurus Rex (Huge) MM page 79-80 Tyrannosaurus, Young (Size?) ToA page 32 ("Racing Dinosaurs" table) Velociraptor (Tiny) VGtM Page 139 and 140 & ToA page 235
Made this map on MS Paint, after spending (wasting?) several hours searching for and watching video tutorials on free mapping software I just didn't really want to learn right now. Sometimes, it's best to just stick with what you know.
Anyway, here are the notes I wrote up for this starting village homebase. I'm using the Dawn War pantheon as a placeholder, until I have a clearer idea what I want to do for a homebrew pantheon.
Enjoy!
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The village of Crichton’s Mill is a remarkably cosmopolitan community relative to others of its size. It is situated along one of the most important overland trade routes in the known world (the Scalytrade Road), and on the shores of an almost equally important water route, the Burroughs River. In short, on any given day, you can meet (or be!) almost any kind of person from almost anywhere in the world on the dusty streets of this deceptively sleepy-looking village. During the spring, summer, and moderate autumn weather, the town square bustles with visitors and merchants, all mingling with local farmers who’ve come to town to sell their wares. It’s the 3rd-largest permanent settlement in the Duchy of Verneshire, behind the capital of Vernesburg and the border town of Gurneyville. Crichton’s Mill is in a border region between the cooler lands of the south where most “furryfolk” (humans, dwarves, elves, etc.) live, and the warmer climes of the north, that most saurianfolk call home. Its autumns and winters are cold enough for most saurianfolk to find annoying, but not at all unbearable. Indeed, some saurianfolk have made permanent homes in the area, such as Rrossovvirr Alecrafter, the local clubtail inn-keep, and Ssovvothh Farseer, the mysterious spearcrown wizard.
The closest neighboring community, west of Crichton’s Mill along the Burroughs River, is Thaellorna, an elven forest-city that guards shoreline access to the deeper woodlands beyond. Elves from Thaellorna sometimes visit Crichton’s Mill to trade, and their warriors are known to use dryosaurs as mounts… a popular sight, since humans mostly rely on tamed hadrosaurs for getting around.
The elves aren’t the only denizens of Thaellorna, though. The forest is also known as an ancient home for a tribe of elderwings (small pterosaur-folk), who have a mutual defense pact with the elves. And it is a pilgrimage site for several flocks of wanderwings (nomadic, human-sized pterosaur-folk), who visit Thaellorna (and Crichton’s Mill) on their seasonal migrations.
Life is not all rosy in Crichton’s Mill, though. It’s a crossroads village in a frontier region with lots of open wilderness around. That wilderness houses many bandit troupes, deinonychus and velociraptor flocks,wandering monsters, and even a prominent tribe of kobolds who are a persistent nuisance to surrounding communities.
Locations
The Raptor’s Folly Inn
The most popular and well-known inn & tavern in all of Verneshire, The Raptor’s Folly often doubles as a community news hub and meeting place. Its proprietor, Clubtail Rrossovvirr “Ross” Alecrafter, is a retired adventurer (warrior sidekick class, 3rd level), and has made sure the building is well-fortified in case of attack. His menu is top-notch (including fresh daily samples of the Mill’s world-famous breads and pastries), his lodging prices surprisingly modest, and he is full of stories about his brief career as a trouble-seeker… but he has never told the story of how he lost his tail…
Crichton’s Mill
The oldest building in town, and the one that gives the village its name. The Mill has been in service for six human generations, producing flours of the highest quality. Some whisper that the Mill is both enchanted and haunted by benevolent spirits, who use their magic to ensure the flour’s quality. The current overseer is Hideo Ishima (middle-aged human cis male), who co-owns the Mill with his wife, Nora Ishima-Crichton (middle-aged human cis female). Nora is a descendant of the Crichton family who founded the Mill. Hideo and Nora’s son, Forrest Ishima-Crichton (pre-teen human cis male) helps out in the bakery and is working diligently to learn the family trade.
Ssovvothh’s Tower
The home of a reclusive spearcrown wizard, who somehow erected it overnight when he moved to the Mill five years ago. Spearcrown Ssovvothh Farseer (adult saurianfolk cis male Divination wizard, 10th level) rarely comes to the village in person, instead acting through his apprentice, Garrett Toadthrall (young adult halfling cis male rogue, 1st level), who dotes on him like a father. Garrett’s nickname “Toadthrall” comes from his pet toad, Thoop, whom he carries with him everywhere.
Keyed Locations (Scale 1 inch = 100 yards)
Hadrosaur Stables -- owner is Valerie (adult human cis femal). Operated with her son, Vincent (teenaged human cis male), and her boyfriend, Adrian (adult human cis male)
Hadrosaur Farrier -- owner is Adrian, above. He’s training Vincent.
Dentratha’s Trades & Wares -- owner is Dentratha (adult dragonborn cis female, no family in town). Keeps common spell components in stock for the Temple and Ssovvothh.
Temple of Belenus -- priest is Uzoma (adult human cis male sidekick spellcaster class, 3rd level), whose sister Ebele (adult human cis female) lives on the grounds with him.
Shrine to Ayé Shaluga-- attended by Trella Wonderseeker (adult gnome cis female expert sidekick class, 4th level), who is not a priest but takes the faith very seriously
Crichton’s Fine Breads & Pastries -- owners are Hideo & Nora Ishima, above, who also own the village’s namesake Mill. They and their son Forrest are continuing the Crichton family tradition of baking the finest breads and pastries in the kingdom.
Tanner -- owner is Patrick (middle-aged human cis male), a lifelong bachelor with no known living family. He is friendly and a good neighbor, but keeps to himself.
Leatherworker -- owner is Finn Bootstrapper (adult halfling cis male), one of the most renowned craftsmen in the kingdom. He recently married Fiona (adult halfling cis female), and they are enjoying their newly-wedded bliss to everyone’s great delight.
Blacksmith -- owners are Callum (adult dwarf cis male) and his wife Lagaertha (adult dwarf cis female), who are publicly supportive of their daughter Freya (young adult dwarf trans female), but privately struggle with her “elven” ways. Freya hopes to magically transition in a spring ceremony when the elves send their next delegation to the Mill.
Reeve’s Hold -- the chief law-enforcement officer is HQ’d here. Wolfgang (adult human cis male sidekick warrior, 4th level) lives on a farm outside of town with his wife, Bethrynna (adult elf cis female), but spends daylight hours manning the hold and supervising the village militia.
Carpenter -- owner is Escobar (elderly human cis male). His wife, Esmerelda (adult human cis female) is several decades younger than him, which is sometimes the cause of scandal and whisper campaigns.
Wheelwright -- owner is Gadreel (adult tiefling cis female) and her wife, Francesca (adult human cis female) is known as a fine engraver in her own right. Their wheels often carry engraved inscriptions that they claim “protect” buyers.
Mews (Falconer) -- The Mill’s falconer is a mysterious elf named both Kelladra and Kelladar (adult elf non-binary) who sometimes seems to relate to birds better than people. Freya hopes they will officiate at her transition ceremony.
Graveyard -- no trouble here currently. Everyone hopes it stays that way. Tended by an eccentric fellow named Dobbler (elderly human cis male) and his pet protoceratops, Digger (a small ceratopsian dinosaur).
Cobbler -- the owner, Lu Xin (adult human cis male), and his wife, Jennifer (teenage human cis female) are expecting a child in the winter
Weaver -- run by two sisters, Millicent (elderly human cis female) and Phillippa (elderly human cis female), who have no known family or heirs
Chandler -- owners are Wendel Waxmonger (adult halfling cis male) and CoraWaxmonger-Strongale (adult halfling cis female), who go in equal on every venture. They are considered the most happily married couple in the Mill.
Potter -- owner is Willem (adult human cis male). His husband, Eric, is a retired adventuring companion of “Ross” (middle-aged adult human cis male, 5th level Battle Master fighter). Eric never speaks of how “Ross” lost his tail, either. Sometimes, the two of them can be seen sitting quietly together by the fireplace at the Inn, sharing drinks but rarely speaking.
Fortune Teller -- Drenna (adult half-orc trans female, 3rd level Divination wizard) is a reclusive woman who makes money telling fortunes in the town square. She is rumored to be a former pupil of Ssovvothh who either quit or washed out of his training program.
For the Silvered / Meteorite Weapon problem, you can use the same rules as Silvered weapons, and make actual silvered weapons unavailable, and just tell your players it's meteorite iron, instead of silver.
For the Silvered / Meteorite Weapon problem, you can use the same rules as Silvered weapons, and make actual silvered weapons unavailable, and just tell your players it's meteorite iron, instead of silver.
Oh yeah, I know that I can do that at the table. I was just referring to the Beyond Homebrew formatting itself. Thanks!
Latest bit of homebrew for the PC's-eye view. Note that these stats are simply re-skinned from existing PHB options, and don't reflect game stats of dinosaurs from other sources. The baked-in assumption is that the "fantasy Mesozoic" ecology is more diverse than the fossil record shows, so there would be animals of each of these clades to fit the needed categories without too much tinkering. This is mostly just to give PCs the option of readily-available dinosaur mounts and draft animals.
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Mounts & Other Animals
The world of Truehome lacks large mammals like horses, cattle, elephants, even dogs and cats. Its natural land ecology is dominated by avian and non-avian dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and to a lesser extent, other reptiles, and amphibians. Thus, the humanoid species brought to this world during the Gathering have had to rely on domesticated varieties of these animals, introduced to them by the dragonborn and saurianfolk natives. The table below shows the most common types of mounts and other animals in this setting, along with their Speed and base Carry Capacity. For campaigns set in Truehome, this table replaces the one found on page 157 of the Player’s Handbook.
NOTE: This post is no longer relevant, and has been superseded by the more recent one, below. Homebrew is always a work in progress!
Nothing too original here. Mostly just reshuffled and tweaked options about deities, with some bits of deeper lore mixed in. I'll likely develop a more unique pantheon & cosmology in the future, but this is enough to get players started and a campaign up and running.
Deities of Truehome
There are two families of gods overseeing the lives of mortals in Vis’Okarthel (Draconic for "true home"). The oldest, who call themselves the Urathear, are draconic deities who have enjoyed worship by Truehome natives (dragonborn, dragons, lizardfolk, and saurianfolk) since the world was born.
The newest, who call themselves the Gathered, are a collection of deities rescued from the Unmaking by the draconic pantheon eons ago. Some were brought to this world specifically as patrons of particular humanoid species arriving in Truehome (such as Correllon and Gruumsh), while others staked their claims independent of specific peoples’ worship.
The Gathered Pantheon is the Dawn War pantheon described in the Dungeon Master’s Guide… with one exception: Lolth, the Spider Queen, did not survive the Unmaking. In her place has arisen a mysterious family of squabbling demigods who vie for control of her role as patron of spiders and lies. These demigods are usually worshiped collectively as the Whisperers. Like Lolth, their Domain is Trickery, though they each individually seek to expand their power to other Domains. The Gathered Pantheon is mostly worshiped by “furry-folk” humanoids (humans, dwarfs, elves, gnomes, halflings, orcs, etc.).
The Truehome Pantheon is composed mostly of draconic deities and a handful of other reptilian gods, who are the native pantheon of Truehome. They are worshipped mostly by “scaly-folk” humanoids (dragonborn, lizardfolk, saurianfolk, etc). Its members and their Domains are detailed below.
Note that two deities -- Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon; and Tiamat, the Chromatic Dragon -- are members of both pantheons. It was they who called for and led the Gathering that saved and brought so many new races and gods to Truehome. The Gathering is the only time the two rivals have been known to work together, and neither has ever explained why they did so. But, the effort earned them each a place of honor in both pantheons. They serve as “ambassadors” between the two families of gods.
Truehome Deities
DeityAlignmentSuggested DomainsSymbol
Aasterinian, goddess of inventionCNForge, KnowledgeGrinning dragon’s head
Astilabor, goddess of wealthNTrickeryDodecahedral gem
Bahamut, god of good dragonsLGLife, WarDragon’s head, profile
Chronepsis, god of fateNKnowledgeUnblinking draconic eye
Faluzure, god of death & decayNEDeathDraconic or theropod skull
Garyx, god of destructionCETempest, WarFlaming reptilian eye
Hlal, goddess of humor & songCGKnowledge, TrickeryAn open book
Kurtulmak, god of koboldsLEWarGnome skull
Laogzed, god of troglodytesCEDeathImage of the god
Lendys, god of justiceLNLight, WarSword balanced on needle
Merrshaulk, god of predationCENature, WarCobra’s head
Semuanya, god of lizardfolkNLifeEgg
Sseth, god of serpents & poisonCEDeath, TrickerySnake’s fangs
Tamara, goddess of lifeNGLife, Nature7-pointed star
Tiamat, goddess of evil dragonsLETrickery5 dragon heads in shape of a star
Every character race in the Player’s Handbook exists in Truehome, and follows the guidelines described there. In addition, each race except dragonborn has become culturally associated with a particular type of dinosaur, usually the species most widely domesticated by them. The dinosaur species associated with each race is listed below.
RaceAssociated Dinosaur Type
Dragonborn n/a
Dwarf Oryctodromeus (“digging runner”), a burrowing species
So, I'm starting over with the pantheon & cosmology.
As background, the religious lore for Truehome holds that in the distant past, there was some kind of cosmic apocalypse that was gobbling up worlds and planes across the multiverse. Killing off gods and mortals alike. An ancient pantheon of draconic deities went across the multiverse and gathered as many peoples and gods as they could, granting them safety in Truehome's reality. Most of this draconic pantheon died in the heroic effort, including the Ninefold Lord, who was its ruler. Bahamut and Tiamat were the only survivors of this quest, and they rarely speak of this time to others. The gods and peoples brought to Truehome were all "furry folk" -- the standard races of the PHB (except dragonborn, who were native to this realm). The original humans brought here came from modern-day Earth, but that knowledge is so long lost that it would mean nothing to current humans. The other humanoids came from unspecified worlds, implied to be places like Greyhawk or the Forgotten Realms.
The consequence here is that the new default pantheon for Truehome is a collection of deities from various sources. A majority are Earth deities taken from the fantasy-historical pantheons of the PHB, now existing as a new family of gods. Added to this are Bahamut & Tiamat, who serve as de facto rulers, along with some standard D&D gods like Corellon, Gruumsh, etc, and some reptilian gods upgraded to bigger portfolios. The total number is smaller than the post above, but still diverse and eclectic enough to scratch my Dawn War pantheon itch.
I'll probably have the details worked out in a day or so. Watch this thread if you're interested.
For those wanting it, here is a list I compiled of every stat block for "dinosaur" in official Wizards products. It's pretty thin, but might be helpful. Could definitely be fleshed out, but I suspect I'll just be re-skinning mammalian beasts to represent dinosaurs of varying sizes.
Allosaurus (Large) MM page 79 Allosaurus, Young (Medium) ToA page 32 ("Racing Dinosaurs" table) Ankylosaurus (Huge) MM page 7 Brontosaurus (Gargantuan) VGtM Page 139 Deinonychus (Medium) VGtM Page 139 & ToA page 217 Dimetrodon* (Medium) VGtM Page 139 & ToA page 217 Hadrosaurus (Large) VGtM Page 139 and 140 & ToA page 224 Plesiosaurus* (Large) MM pages 79-80 Pteranodon* (Medium) MM pages 79-80 Quetzalcoatlus* (Huge) VGtM Page 139 and 140 Stegosaurus (Huge) VGtM Page 139 and 140 & ToA page 231 Triceratops (Huge) MM page 79-80 Triceratops, young (Medium) ToA page 32 ("Racing Dinosaurs" table) Tyrannosaurus Rex (Huge) MM page 79-80 Tyrannosaurus, Young (Size?) ToA page 32 ("Racing Dinosaurs" table) Velociraptor (Tiny) VGtM Page 139 and 140 & ToA page 235
*not actually dinosaurs, but we'll go with it.
For what it's worth, you missed one because it's not actually marked with the dinosaur tag in DDB. Clawfoot Raptor from Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron. It's essentially a Jurassic Park raptor (which is based on actual deinonychus) and halflings ride them in Eberron.
For those wanting it, here is a list I compiled of every stat block for "dinosaur" in official Wizards products. It's pretty thin, but might be helpful. Could definitely be fleshed out, but I suspect I'll just be re-skinning mammalian beasts to represent dinosaurs of varying sizes.
Allosaurus (Large) MM page 79 Allosaurus, Young (Medium) ToA page 32 ("Racing Dinosaurs" table) Ankylosaurus (Huge) MM page 7 Brontosaurus (Gargantuan) VGtM Page 139 Deinonychus (Medium) VGtM Page 139 & ToA page 217 Dimetrodon* (Medium) VGtM Page 139 & ToA page 217 Hadrosaurus (Large) VGtM Page 139 and 140 & ToA page 224 Plesiosaurus* (Large) MM pages 79-80 Pteranodon* (Medium) MM pages 79-80 Quetzalcoatlus* (Huge) VGtM Page 139 and 140 Stegosaurus (Huge) VGtM Page 139 and 140 & ToA page 231 Triceratops (Huge) MM page 79-80 Triceratops, young (Medium) ToA page 32 ("Racing Dinosaurs" table) Tyrannosaurus Rex (Huge) MM page 79-80 Tyrannosaurus, Young (Size?) ToA page 32 ("Racing Dinosaurs" table) Velociraptor (Tiny) VGtM Page 139 and 140 & ToA page 235
*not actually dinosaurs, but we'll go with it.
For what it's worth, you missed one because it's not actually marked with the dinosaur tag in DDB. Clawfoot Raptor from Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron. It's essentially a Jurassic Park raptor (which is based on actual deinonychus) and halflings ride them in Eberron.
Oh! I knew of it, but just figured it was the same as a deinonychus. Will do my homework better next time. Thanks for the catch!
I really liked the eclecticism of 4e's Dawn War pantheon, and wanted to maintain that feeling of diversity for my homebrew. But using mostly deities from D&D worlds didn't really fit with the deep lore and secret lore of my current world, so I tapped into the PHB's fantasy-historical pantheons, supplemented with deities from non-European cultures, and spiced with some D&D deities for that final touch. Plus, one entirely original entry. This is likely the final form of Truehome's pantheon. Were I ever to publish anything based on this, I would change the names of the D&D deities, but keep the rest as is.
Hope you like it!
Cosmology & Deities of Truehome
Legend holds that the gods Bahamut and Tiamat led all the other deities out of the Unmaking, and granted them safe haven in Truehome. From that same primordial chaos, they also called forth the various mythical beings and mammalian peoples who now call this world home. Sacred texts refer to this ancient “rescue mission” as The Gathering, but there are no otherwise reliable records of this distant time. No living being today, other than the gods themselves, has any memory of The Gathering.
Scholars contend that most of the current deities of Truehome come from other multiverses that either no longer exist, or are unreachable by any known magic or form of planar travel. This accounts for the eclectic nature of the pantheon, particularly that of the gods most commonly worshiped by humans.
The realms of the gods and other extra-planar beings exist in a spiritual reflection of Truehome called Okarthel’Lyrik, or Otherhome, that overlaps with the Material Plane in some isolated and dangerous locations. The points of physical contact between Truehome and Otherhome are rare, and usually difficult to reach, but those who find them need not rely on magic to move from one plane to another. They can simply walk (or ride, or fly, or sail) from Truehome to Otherhome, sometimes without even noticing the difference. (NOTE: This is basically the Otherworld cosmology from the DMG).
If you are playing a cleric or a character with the Acolyte background, decide which of the following deities your character serves or used to serve, and consider the deity’s suggested domains when selecting your character’s domain. Boldfaced entries indicate a deity mostly worshiped by “furry-folk.” Italicized entries indicate a deity mostly worshiped by “scaly-folk.”
Truehome Deities
DeityAlignmentSuggested DomainsSymbol
Bahamut, god of honor & protection,LGLife, WarDragon’s head in profile
king of the gods
Tiamat, goddess of greed & tyranny,LETrickery, WarFive dragon skulls forming a five-
queen of the gods pointed star
Anubis, god of judgment & the deadLNGrave, DeathBlack theropod skull
Artemis, goddess of autumn & the huntNGLife, NatureBow & arrow on lunar disc
Ayé Shaluga, goddess of commerceNGTrickeryStack of coins
& wealth
Belenus, god of the sunNGLightSolar disc & standing stones
Corellon, god/dess of elves, spring,CGLightEight-pointed star
beauty, and the arts
The Daghda, god of agricultureCGNatureBubbling cauldron or shield
Hades, king of the underworldLEDeath, WarBlack ceratopsian skull
Hephaestus, god of industryNGForgeHammer & anvil
Huitzilopochtli, god of warN Light, WarHummingbird
Imhotep, god of cities & medicineNGKnowledge, LifeStep pyramid
Kanaloa, god of the seaCGLife, TempestOctopus
Laogzed, god of hungerCEDeathToad
Loki, god/dess of deception & thievesCEArcana, TrickeryFlame
Merrshaulk, god of predationCENature, WarSnake’s fangs
Moradin, god of dwarfs & gnomesLGForge, WarHammer & wheel
The Morrigan, goddess of fury CNWarCrossed spears
Naranari, god/dess of loveLGLife, LightFemale & male faces merged
Obatala, god of humanityNGLife, TrickeryAle tankard
Oghma, god of knowledgeNKnowledgeUnfurled scroll
Quetzalcoatl, god of the windLGLife, NatureFeathered serpent
Semuanya, god/dess of survivalNLifeEgg
Sobek, god of riversLNNature, TempestCrocodile head w/horns
Silvanus, god of summer & forestsNNatureSummer oak tree
Shango, god of storms & weatherCGTempestDrums
Thoth, god of magicNArcana, KnowledgeIbis
Tsukuyumi, god of the moonLGLight, TrickeryMoon disk
Üller, god of winterCNNatureLongbow
Ukemochi, goddess of the feastCGLife, NatureCooking pot
The Whisperers, demigods of lies,CETrickeryRed hourglass
shadows, & spiders
Xochipilli, goddess of music & songNGKnowledge, TrickeryFive-petaled flower
Hey! Just came across this thread. Have you continued to work on this project? If you came out with a campaign setting for this, I'd definitely pay money for it. I'd love a chance to play or run a game in the world of Dinotopia. Cheers!
I'm gearing up to try my 1st 5e homebrew setting, and the design aesthetic is "The Lord of the Rings meets Dinotopia." Every PC option from the PHB and XGE would be available to players, along with my homebrewed dinosaur- and pterosaur-people races (which I sneak-peek on this thread; the final version won't be shared for a bit more yet as I work out the precise lore about them). NOTE: I changed the name of the race(s) to "Saurianfolk."
In keeping with the Dinotopia half of that pitch, the setting has no large-bodied natural mammals (in game terms, no mammalian beasts), such as horses, cattle, etc. The niches for draft animals, mounts, and pets are filled by domesticated dinosaurs (including birds) or other reptiles and amphibians. The standard riding mount, for instance, is a hadrosaur (stats in VGtM). War ceratopsians are also a thing.
To design the setting, I'm doing the opposite of my usual approach, and starting small, with a focus on the bits that would immediately be relevant to starting PCs. So, I've made notes on a starting homebase -- the village of Crichton's Mill -- and surrounding region -- the province of Verneshire, and am working on a Local Heroes tier campaign sketch to flesh out.
I'll be using this thread to post links to Homebrew monsters, items, spells, etc., as they become relevant. I don't plan to run this game on these forums or tell my players this thread is here, so spoilers should be easily avoided.
To that end, here is a monster I homebrewed, that will possibly be a central villain for the PCs. It's a dinosaurian "lycanthrope" that I basically reskinned from the werewolf, with a few tweaks.
Weretryannus
The only thing I want to make different is that "sauranthropes" like this have a weakness not for silver, but for weapons of meteoric iron. But I don't see any way in the Homebrew tools to do that.
Anyway, stay tuned for more Dungeons & Dinosaurs fun!
For those wanting it, here is a list I compiled of every stat block for "dinosaur" in official Wizards products. It's pretty thin, but might be helpful. Could definitely be fleshed out, but I suspect I'll just be re-skinning mammalian beasts to represent dinosaurs of varying sizes.
Allosaurus (Large) MM page 79
Allosaurus, Young (Medium) ToA page 32 ("Racing Dinosaurs" table)
Ankylosaurus (Huge) MM page 7
Brontosaurus (Gargantuan) VGtM Page 139
Deinonychus (Medium) VGtM Page 139 & ToA page 217
Dimetrodon* (Medium) VGtM Page 139 & ToA page 217
Hadrosaurus (Large) VGtM Page 139 and 140 & ToA page 224
Plesiosaurus* (Large) MM pages 79-80
Pteranodon* (Medium) MM pages 79-80
Quetzalcoatlus* (Huge) VGtM Page 139 and 140
Stegosaurus (Huge) VGtM Page 139 and 140 & ToA page 231
Triceratops (Huge) MM page 79-80
Triceratops, young (Medium) ToA page 32 ("Racing Dinosaurs" table)
Tyrannosaurus Rex (Huge) MM page 79-80
Tyrannosaurus, Young (Size?) ToA page 32 ("Racing Dinosaurs" table)
Velociraptor (Tiny) VGtM Page 139 and 140 & ToA page 235
*not actually dinosaurs, but we'll go with it.
Made this map on MS Paint, after spending (wasting?) several hours searching for and watching video tutorials on free mapping software I just didn't really want to learn right now. Sometimes, it's best to just stick with what you know.
Anyway, here are the notes I wrote up for this starting village homebase. I'm using the Dawn War pantheon as a placeholder, until I have a clearer idea what I want to do for a homebrew pantheon.
Enjoy!
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The village of Crichton’s Mill is a remarkably cosmopolitan community relative to others of its size. It is situated along one of the most important overland trade routes in the known world (the Scalytrade Road), and on the shores of an almost equally important water route, the Burroughs River. In short, on any given day, you can meet (or be!) almost any kind of person from almost anywhere in the world on the dusty streets of this deceptively sleepy-looking village. During the spring, summer, and moderate autumn weather, the town square bustles with visitors and merchants, all mingling with local farmers who’ve come to town to sell their wares. It’s the 3rd-largest permanent settlement in the Duchy of Verneshire, behind the capital of Vernesburg and the border town of Gurneyville. Crichton’s Mill is in a border region between the cooler lands of the south where most “furryfolk” (humans, dwarves, elves, etc.) live, and the warmer climes of the north, that most saurianfolk call home. Its autumns and winters are cold enough for most saurianfolk to find annoying, but not at all unbearable. Indeed, some saurianfolk have made permanent homes in the area, such as Rrossovvirr Alecrafter, the local clubtail inn-keep, and Ssovvothh Farseer, the mysterious spearcrown wizard.
The closest neighboring community, west of Crichton’s Mill along the Burroughs River, is Thaellorna, an elven forest-city that guards shoreline access to the deeper woodlands beyond. Elves from Thaellorna sometimes visit Crichton’s Mill to trade, and their warriors are known to use dryosaurs as mounts… a popular sight, since humans mostly rely on tamed hadrosaurs for getting around.
The elves aren’t the only denizens of Thaellorna, though. The forest is also known as an ancient home for a tribe of elderwings (small pterosaur-folk), who have a mutual defense pact with the elves. And it is a pilgrimage site for several flocks of wanderwings (nomadic, human-sized pterosaur-folk), who visit Thaellorna (and Crichton’s Mill) on their seasonal migrations.
Life is not all rosy in Crichton’s Mill, though. It’s a crossroads village in a frontier region with lots of open wilderness around. That wilderness houses many bandit troupes, deinonychus and velociraptor flocks, wandering monsters, and even a prominent tribe of kobolds who are a persistent nuisance to surrounding communities.
Locations
The Raptor’s Folly Inn
The most popular and well-known inn & tavern in all of Verneshire, The Raptor’s Folly often doubles as a community news hub and meeting place. Its proprietor, Clubtail Rrossovvirr “Ross” Alecrafter, is a retired adventurer (warrior sidekick class, 3rd level), and has made sure the building is well-fortified in case of attack. His menu is top-notch (including fresh daily samples of the Mill’s world-famous breads and pastries), his lodging prices surprisingly modest, and he is full of stories about his brief career as a trouble-seeker… but he has never told the story of how he lost his tail…
Crichton’s Mill
The oldest building in town, and the one that gives the village its name. The Mill has been in service for six human generations, producing flours of the highest quality. Some whisper that the Mill is both enchanted and haunted by benevolent spirits, who use their magic to ensure the flour’s quality. The current overseer is Hideo Ishima (middle-aged human cis male), who co-owns the Mill with his wife, Nora Ishima-Crichton (middle-aged human cis female). Nora is a descendant of the Crichton family who founded the Mill. Hideo and Nora’s son, Forrest Ishima-Crichton (pre-teen human cis male) helps out in the bakery and is working diligently to learn the family trade.
Ssovvothh’s Tower
The home of a reclusive spearcrown wizard, who somehow erected it overnight when he moved to the Mill five years ago. Spearcrown Ssovvothh Farseer (adult saurianfolk cis male Divination wizard, 10th level) rarely comes to the village in person, instead acting through his apprentice, Garrett Toadthrall (young adult halfling cis male rogue, 1st level), who dotes on him like a father. Garrett’s nickname “Toadthrall” comes from his pet toad, Thoop, whom he carries with him everywhere.
Keyed Locations (Scale 1 inch = 100 yards)
Hadrosaur Stables -- owner is Valerie (adult human cis femal). Operated with her son, Vincent (teenaged human cis male), and her boyfriend, Adrian (adult human cis male)
Hadrosaur Farrier -- owner is Adrian, above. He’s training Vincent.
Dentratha’s Trades & Wares -- owner is Dentratha (adult dragonborn cis female, no family in town). Keeps common spell components in stock for the Temple and Ssovvothh.
Temple of Belenus -- priest is Uzoma (adult human cis male sidekick spellcaster class, 3rd level), whose sister Ebele (adult human cis female) lives on the grounds with him.
Shrine to Ayé Shaluga-- attended by Trella Wonderseeker (adult gnome cis female expert sidekick class, 4th level), who is not a priest but takes the faith very seriously
Crichton’s Fine Breads & Pastries -- owners are Hideo & Nora Ishima, above, who also own the village’s namesake Mill. They and their son Forrest are continuing the Crichton family tradition of baking the finest breads and pastries in the kingdom.
Tanner -- owner is Patrick (middle-aged human cis male), a lifelong bachelor with no known living family. He is friendly and a good neighbor, but keeps to himself.
Leatherworker -- owner is Finn Bootstrapper (adult halfling cis male), one of the most renowned craftsmen in the kingdom. He recently married Fiona (adult halfling cis female), and they are enjoying their newly-wedded bliss to everyone’s great delight.
Blacksmith -- owners are Callum (adult dwarf cis male) and his wife Lagaertha (adult dwarf cis female), who are publicly supportive of their daughter Freya (young adult dwarf trans female), but privately struggle with her “elven” ways. Freya hopes to magically transition in a spring ceremony when the elves send their next delegation to the Mill.
Reeve’s Hold -- the chief law-enforcement officer is HQ’d here. Wolfgang (adult human cis male sidekick warrior, 4th level) lives on a farm outside of town with his wife, Bethrynna (adult elf cis female), but spends daylight hours manning the hold and supervising the village militia.
Carpenter -- owner is Escobar (elderly human cis male). His wife, Esmerelda (adult human cis female) is several decades younger than him, which is sometimes the cause of scandal and whisper campaigns.
Wheelwright -- owner is Gadreel (adult tiefling cis female) and her wife, Francesca (adult human cis female) is known as a fine engraver in her own right. Their wheels often carry engraved inscriptions that they claim “protect” buyers.
Mews (Falconer) -- The Mill’s falconer is a mysterious elf named both Kelladra and Kelladar (adult elf non-binary) who sometimes seems to relate to birds better than people. Freya hopes they will officiate at her transition ceremony.
Graveyard -- no trouble here currently. Everyone hopes it stays that way. Tended by an eccentric fellow named Dobbler (elderly human cis male) and his pet protoceratops, Digger (a small ceratopsian dinosaur).
Cobbler -- the owner, Lu Xin (adult human cis male), and his wife, Jennifer (teenage human cis female) are expecting a child in the winter
Weaver -- run by two sisters, Millicent (elderly human cis female) and Phillippa (elderly human cis female), who have no known family or heirs
Chandler -- owners are Wendel Waxmonger (adult halfling cis male) and Cora Waxmonger-Strongale (adult halfling cis female), who go in equal on every venture. They are considered the most happily married couple in the Mill.
Potter -- owner is Willem (adult human cis male). His husband, Eric, is a retired adventuring companion of “Ross” (middle-aged adult human cis male, 5th level Battle Master fighter). Eric never speaks of how “Ross” lost his tail, either. Sometimes, the two of them can be seen sitting quietly together by the fireplace at the Inn, sharing drinks but rarely speaking.
Fortune Teller -- Drenna (adult half-orc trans female, 3rd level Divination wizard) is a reclusive woman who makes money telling fortunes in the town square. She is rumored to be a former pupil of Ssovvothh who either quit or washed out of his training program.
For the Silvered / Meteorite Weapon problem, you can use the same rules as Silvered weapons, and make actual silvered weapons unavailable, and just tell your players it's meteorite iron, instead of silver.
"Now that you mention it..." - One of my DMs
Oh yeah, I know that I can do that at the table. I was just referring to the Beyond Homebrew formatting itself. Thanks!
Latest bit of homebrew for the PC's-eye view. Note that these stats are simply re-skinned from existing PHB options, and don't reflect game stats of dinosaurs from other sources. The baked-in assumption is that the "fantasy Mesozoic" ecology is more diverse than the fossil record shows, so there would be animals of each of these clades to fit the needed categories without too much tinkering. This is mostly just to give PCs the option of readily-available dinosaur mounts and draft animals.
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Mounts & Other Animals
The world of Truehome lacks large mammals like horses, cattle, elephants, even dogs and cats. Its natural land ecology is dominated by avian and non-avian dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and to a lesser extent, other reptiles, and amphibians. Thus, the humanoid species brought to this world during the Gathering have had to rely on domesticated varieties of these animals, introduced to them by the dragonborn and saurianfolk natives. The table below shows the most common types of mounts and other animals in this setting, along with their Speed and base Carry Capacity. For campaigns set in Truehome, this table replaces the one found on page 157 of the Player’s Handbook.
Truehome Mounts & Other Animals
NOTE: This post is no longer relevant, and has been superseded by the more recent one, below. Homebrew is always a work in progress!
Nothing too original here. Mostly just reshuffled and tweaked options about deities, with some bits of deeper lore mixed in. I'll likely develop a more unique pantheon & cosmology in the future, but this is enough to get players started and a campaign up and running.
Deities of Truehome
There are two families of gods overseeing the lives of mortals in Vis’Okarthel (Draconic for "true home"). The oldest, who call themselves the Urathear, are draconic deities who have enjoyed worship by Truehome natives (dragonborn, dragons, lizardfolk, and saurianfolk) since the world was born.
The newest, who call themselves the Gathered, are a collection of deities rescued from the Unmaking by the draconic pantheon eons ago. Some were brought to this world specifically as patrons of particular humanoid species arriving in Truehome (such as Correllon and Gruumsh), while others staked their claims independent of specific peoples’ worship.
The Gathered Pantheon is the Dawn War pantheon described in the Dungeon Master’s Guide… with one exception: Lolth, the Spider Queen, did not survive the Unmaking. In her place has arisen a mysterious family of squabbling demigods who vie for control of her role as patron of spiders and lies. These demigods are usually worshiped collectively as the Whisperers. Like Lolth, their Domain is Trickery, though they each individually seek to expand their power to other Domains. The Gathered Pantheon is mostly worshiped by “furry-folk” humanoids (humans, dwarfs, elves, gnomes, halflings, orcs, etc.).
The Truehome Pantheon is composed mostly of draconic deities and a handful of other reptilian gods, who are the native pantheon of Truehome. They are worshipped mostly by “scaly-folk” humanoids (dragonborn, lizardfolk, saurianfolk, etc). Its members and their Domains are detailed below.
Note that two deities -- Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon; and Tiamat, the Chromatic Dragon -- are members of both pantheons. It was they who called for and led the Gathering that saved and brought so many new races and gods to Truehome. The Gathering is the only time the two rivals have been known to work together, and neither has ever explained why they did so. But, the effort earned them each a place of honor in both pantheons. They serve as “ambassadors” between the two families of gods.
Truehome Deities
Deity Alignment Suggested Domains Symbol
Dinosaurs & The Standard Races
Every character race in the Player’s Handbook exists in Truehome, and follows the guidelines described there. In addition, each race except dragonborn has become culturally associated with a particular type of dinosaur, usually the species most widely domesticated by them. The dinosaur species associated with each race is listed below.
Race Associated Dinosaur Type
So, I'm starting over with the pantheon & cosmology.
As background, the religious lore for Truehome holds that in the distant past, there was some kind of cosmic apocalypse that was gobbling up worlds and planes across the multiverse. Killing off gods and mortals alike. An ancient pantheon of draconic deities went across the multiverse and gathered as many peoples and gods as they could, granting them safety in Truehome's reality. Most of this draconic pantheon died in the heroic effort, including the Ninefold Lord, who was its ruler. Bahamut and Tiamat were the only survivors of this quest, and they rarely speak of this time to others. The gods and peoples brought to Truehome were all "furry folk" -- the standard races of the PHB (except dragonborn, who were native to this realm). The original humans brought here came from modern-day Earth, but that knowledge is so long lost that it would mean nothing to current humans. The other humanoids came from unspecified worlds, implied to be places like Greyhawk or the Forgotten Realms.
The consequence here is that the new default pantheon for Truehome is a collection of deities from various sources. A majority are Earth deities taken from the fantasy-historical pantheons of the PHB, now existing as a new family of gods. Added to this are Bahamut & Tiamat, who serve as de facto rulers, along with some standard D&D gods like Corellon, Gruumsh, etc, and some reptilian gods upgraded to bigger portfolios. The total number is smaller than the post above, but still diverse and eclectic enough to scratch my Dawn War pantheon itch.
I'll probably have the details worked out in a day or so. Watch this thread if you're interested.
For what it's worth, you missed one because it's not actually marked with the dinosaur tag in DDB. Clawfoot Raptor from Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron. It's essentially a Jurassic Park raptor (which is based on actual deinonychus) and halflings ride them in Eberron.
Oh! I knew of it, but just figured it was the same as a deinonychus. Will do my homework better next time. Thanks for the catch!
Take two on the Pantheon of Truehome.
I really liked the eclecticism of 4e's Dawn War pantheon, and wanted to maintain that feeling of diversity for my homebrew. But using mostly deities from D&D worlds didn't really fit with the deep lore and secret lore of my current world, so I tapped into the PHB's fantasy-historical pantheons, supplemented with deities from non-European cultures, and spiced with some D&D deities for that final touch. Plus, one entirely original entry. This is likely the final form of Truehome's pantheon. Were I ever to publish anything based on this, I would change the names of the D&D deities, but keep the rest as is.
Hope you like it!
Cosmology & Deities of Truehome
Legend holds that the gods Bahamut and Tiamat led all the other deities out of the Unmaking, and granted them safe haven in Truehome. From that same primordial chaos, they also called forth the various mythical beings and mammalian peoples who now call this world home. Sacred texts refer to this ancient “rescue mission” as The Gathering, but there are no otherwise reliable records of this distant time. No living being today, other than the gods themselves, has any memory of The Gathering.
Scholars contend that most of the current deities of Truehome come from other multiverses that either no longer exist, or are unreachable by any known magic or form of planar travel. This accounts for the eclectic nature of the pantheon, particularly that of the gods most commonly worshiped by humans.
The realms of the gods and other extra-planar beings exist in a spiritual reflection of Truehome called Okarthel’Lyrik, or Otherhome, that overlaps with the Material Plane in some isolated and dangerous locations. The points of physical contact between Truehome and Otherhome are rare, and usually difficult to reach, but those who find them need not rely on magic to move from one plane to another. They can simply walk (or ride, or fly, or sail) from Truehome to Otherhome, sometimes without even noticing the difference. (NOTE: This is basically the Otherworld cosmology from the DMG).
If you are playing a cleric or a character with the Acolyte background, decide which of the following deities your character serves or used to serve, and consider the deity’s suggested domains when selecting your character’s domain. Boldfaced entries indicate a deity mostly worshiped by “furry-folk.” Italicized entries indicate a deity mostly worshiped by “scaly-folk.”
Truehome Deities
Deity Alignment Suggested Domains Symbol
Bahamut, god of honor & protection, LG Life, War Dragon’s head in profile
king of the gods
Tiamat, goddess of greed & tyranny, LE Trickery, War Five dragon skulls forming a five-
queen of the gods pointed star
Anubis, god of judgment & the dead LN Grave, Death Black theropod skull
Artemis, goddess of autumn & the hunt NG Life, Nature Bow & arrow on lunar disc
Ayé Shaluga, goddess of commerce NG Trickery Stack of coins
& wealth
Belenus, god of the sun NG Light Solar disc & standing stones
Corellon, god/dess of elves, spring, CG Light Eight-pointed star
beauty, and the arts
The Daghda, god of agriculture CG Nature Bubbling cauldron or shield
Hades, king of the underworld LE Death, War Black ceratopsian skull
Hephaestus, god of industry NG Forge Hammer & anvil
Huitzilopochtli, god of war N Light, War Hummingbird
Imhotep, god of cities & medicine NG Knowledge, Life Step pyramid
Kanaloa, god of the sea CG Life, Tempest Octopus
Laogzed, god of hunger CE Death Toad
Loki, god/dess of deception & thieves CE Arcana, Trickery Flame
Merrshaulk, god of predation CE Nature, War Snake’s fangs
Moradin, god of dwarfs & gnomes LG Forge, War Hammer & wheel
The Morrigan, goddess of fury CN War Crossed spears
Naranari, god/dess of love LG Life, Light Female & male faces merged
Obatala, god of humanity NG Life, Trickery Ale tankard
Oghma, god of knowledge N Knowledge Unfurled scroll
Quetzalcoatl, god of the wind LG Life, Nature Feathered serpent
Semuanya, god/dess of survival N Life Egg
Sobek, god of rivers LN Nature, Tempest Crocodile head w/horns
Silvanus, god of summer & forests N Nature Summer oak tree
Shango, god of storms & weather CG Tempest Drums
Thoth, god of magic N Arcana, Knowledge Ibis
Tsukuyumi, god of the moon LG Light, Trickery Moon disk
Üller, god of winter CN Nature Longbow
Ukemochi, goddess of the feast CG Life, Nature Cooking pot
The Whisperers, demigods of lies, CE Trickery Red hourglass
shadows, & spiders
Xochipilli, goddess of music & song NG Knowledge, Trickery Five-petaled flower
Yondalla, goddess of halflings LG Life Shield
Just made the final form of my saurianfolk races public.
Hey! Just came across this thread. Have you continued to work on this project? If you came out with a campaign setting for this, I'd definitely pay money for it. I'd love a chance to play or run a game in the world of Dinotopia. Cheers!
same here. I would love to see a fully fleshed out version avaliable