The Wonder Glossary

[imaginarymods]

GLOSSARY

Imaginary Island employs a system based on the 5th edition of Dungeons & Dragons, or D&D 5e! In the info pages, particularly for Paths, you will see references to terms that mean specific things in D&D 5e's system. Some of them are not entirely clear based on context alone. So, we've written up a list of these terms to help you understand the mechanics and lore we'll be using, so that you can jump into your RNG threads with confidence and gusto! Read on, brave adventurer; we're starting with a collection of general D&D lingo!

D&D TERMS 101

◈ DIFFICULTY CLASS.
Usually shortened to DC. This is how difficult a given task is, usually on a scale from 1-20, with 1 being the easiest and 20 being the hardest. This corresponds to the d20 system that D&D 5e uses, and a d20 is rolled to determine whether you succeed or fail! To succeed at a task, you must roll equal to or higher than the given DC. So for a task that has a DC of 10, you must roll a 10 or higher to get a success. DCs exceeding 20 do exist, but are very unusual and should not come into play much in Imaginary Island.

◈ ABILITY CHECK.
This is a roll pertaining to a character's ability to overcome a challenge. The vast majority of the rolls in our RNG system will be Ability Checks. These usually have DCs to pass. For example, if a character is attempting to move a heavy object, that would be a Strength Ability Check, and a character of a STR archetype would get a bonus to doing it (see Modifier below.) These can also apply to more specialized skills; a Bard doing a performance will already get a bonus to a Charisma Ability Check, but they may get an additional bonus if the performance involves an instrument they specialize in.

◈ MODIFIER.
A modifier is a number that changes the final result of a roll, representative of factors that may affect the outcome of what you're trying to do. Many of the path actions provide +1 or +2 modifiers to certain kinds of rolls. This means that if you have a +2 modifier and you roll a 10, your final roll result is actually 12! You may also see negative modifiers if there are circumstances which would make your task more difficult. For example, if you fire an arrow at a bullseye, but wind and rain make it harder to aim and shoot accurately, that could result in a -2 modifier.

◈ ADVANTAGE.
Sometimes shortened to ADV. You will occasionally see that a path action allows a given action to be rolled "with Advantage." In D&D terms, having Advantage on a roll means that the die will be rolled twice, and the higher number will be taken as the result for the roll. So if a d20 is rolled twice to give a 9 and a 17, the 17 would be the result. Having Advantage on a roll ups your chances of success significantly!

◈ DISADVANTAGE.
Sometimes shortened to DIS. This is the inverse of the above. If a roll is done with Disadvantage, the die will be rolled twice, and the lower number will be taken as the result for the roll. So if a d20 is rolled twice to give a 9 and a 17, the 9 would be the result. Having Disadvantage on a roll makes things much more difficult!

◈ DIFFICULT TERRAIN.
This is, simply, terrain that is unusually difficult to travel through for whatever reason. Thick undergrowth, a rocky path, rubble, and sticky mud are all some examples of difficult terrain. Generally, difficult terrain takes twice the amount of time to travel through compared to normal terrain. There may also be additional dangers associated with difficult terrain — tripping and injuring yourself, for example! Some paths and abilities enable you to travel through difficult terrain as you would normal terrain.

◈ WEAK/VULNERABLE (to fire, cold, etc).
If a creature is described as weak or vulnerable to a certain type of damage, the wounds they suffer as a result of that damage are doubled in severity. So, if a creature is weak to slashing damage, a paper cut becomes a slice that needs to be bandaged.

◈ RESIST (to fire, cold, etc).
If a creature is described as resisting or having resistance to a certain type of damage, the wounds they suffer as a result of that damage are halved in severity. So, if a creature resists cold damage, they would only experience reddening and numbness where other creatures would already have frostbite.

◈ IMMUNE (to fire, cold, etc).
If a creature is described as immune to a certain type of damage, then that type of damage does not affect them at all. If a creature is immune to fire damage, all the Fireballs in the world won't do anything to harm them.

◈ ALIGNMENT.
This refers to a very broad description of a creature's morals and personal attitudes. Alignment is a combination of two factors: one identifies morality (good, evil, or neutral), and the other describes attitudes toward society and order (lawful, chaotic, or neutral). To be frank, a creature's alignment will rarely be mechanically relevant in Imaginary Island, and the entire concept is a bit subjective. But for the purposes of the path actions to which it is relevant, here is a general idea of how each alignment term applies:

Morality

• Good: Is strongly dedicated to doing the right thing. What they consider "the right thing" is determined by the other half of their alignment.
  
• Neutral: More dedicated to the self than anything else. If they do good or evil, it is only incidentally, not because of a moral devotion to doing good or evil.
  
• Evil: Disdain for doing the right thing, lack of compassion, and sometimes even enjoyment of hurting others.
  
  Society
  
• Lawful: Concern for a code of order as determined by society. Whether good or evil, they typically work within the law.
  
• Neutral: No strong feelings for societal codes. They are usually content to work within the law, but have no qualms breaking it, either.
  
• Chaotic: Disregard or disdain for societal codes. They are self-directed and usually anti-authority.

◈ THE WEAVE.
The form that the magic of the universe has taken, though it is colloquially used to refer to the magic of the universe itself. Prior to some events that aren't necessary to know for Island's plot, the universe's magic was like a wild pile of loose thread. Following those events, those threads were woven into a tapestry, to better regulate and protect the flow of magic in the universe. The Weave is what is accessed to perform magic, though it can be accessed in different ways (see Arcane and Divine below.)

◈ ARCANE.
As in "arcane magic" or "arcane spellcasters." Arcane magic is performed through direct contact with the Weave.

◈ DIVINE.
As in "divine magic" or "divine spellcasters." Divine magic is performed through contact with a middle man to the Weave, typically a deity. There is no mechanical difference between arcane and divine magic — they are simply different methods of accessing the Weave to utilize magic, and this information is provided for clarity and flavor.

DAMAGE TYPES

Some of the path actions for Imaginary Island's system reference different types of damage! These are largely taken from D&D 5e's damage system. Some of them are pretty classical elemental fare. Some of them, for those of us who are familiar, are reminiscent of Pokémon rules. There's sort of a mishmash of various RPG conventions present in 5e's damage system, but we've written up a quick rundown to hopefully make it easier for Island players to understand, whether or not you're already familiar with D&D!

The most important thing to note, though, is that we do not plan on making this knowledge vital to success in missions. We have included the information to provide clarity in navigating some Path-related abilities, as well as to give more flavor for RP purposes. If you find a creative way to incorporate it into your RNG submissions, we'd be delighted to take it into consideration when rolling for you! But it won't be necessary for victory, so please don't feel like you need to memorize a bunch of type match-ups before jumping in.

That said, here are the types of damage you can expect to encounter!

◈ SLASHING: Think a cut or a gash. The classic slashing weapon is a sword.

◈ PIERCING: Something has poked a hole in you. Arrows, spears, and bullets inflict piercing damage.

◈ BLUDGEONING: Physical blunt force. Clubs, staffs, and a well-aimed punch are all bludgeoning!

◈ POISON: A toxic substance causing harm or illness to the body, usually due to ingestion. A venomous animal bite and cyanide both cause poison damage. Certain races and paths such as Monk have inherent resistance or immunity to poison.

◈ ACID: Things like chemical burns and corrosion, which do not have to be ingested or absorbed to harm you. Acid damage is what you take if you don't wear safety equipment in your chemistry class!

◈ FIRE: The most self-explanatory! Flame is hot and it burns you. Especially effective against ice- and plant-based enemies.

◈ COLD: This isn't quite ice damage, though ice-based things do cause it; think more along the lines of frostbite. Slow down fire-based creatures and give reptilians a hard time!

◈ RADIANT: Usually "Light" damage in most RPGs, this is essentially holy energy. Divine smiting. This is the best way to take care of undead.

◈ NECROTIC: The "Dark" counterpart to Radiant. Evocative of death, decay, and corruption. Necromantic Touch causes necrotic damage when used to drain life from a creature.

◈ LIGHTNING: It's electricity! Quite shocking! Be careful with it around water and other very conductive materials.

◈ THUNDER: Not to be confused with lightning, this is probably better described as sonic damage. It's a very loud sound with powerful soundwaves! It can be like standing too close to the speakers at a concert. Sufficiently powerful thunder damage can knock creatures off their feet or push them away from you.

◈ FORCE: This is pure non-elemental concentrated energy. Sort of the magical cousin of bludgeoning.

◈ PSYCHIC: Damage to the mind. Have you ever been so confused or stressed by something that it gave you a headache? That's the essence of psychic damage. It can manifest in a variety of ways; migraines, fatigue, panic, emotional exhaustion and degradation of mental faculties are some examples.

WARLOCK PATRONS

The Warlock occupies a unique place in the Path system. While other spellcasters gain magical power through study, biological ability, or devotion to a god, Warlocks circumvent all that hard work by making pacts with patrons — beings which are typically not gods, though they may be worshiped as such. Not all pacts are made voluntarily or under the best circumstances. They are, classically, a deal with the devil.

There are a variety of creatures that are willing to offer a Warlock their power in exchange for the Warlock's service. They can be roughly grouped into the following six categories.

◈ FAERIE/ARCHFEY.
Faeries are creatures that come from the Feywild, a separate realm typically hidden in pocket dimensions. They can take many forms and are typically connected to nature. Archfey are extremely powerful fae beings which have ascended to godlike strength through various means, and these are the type of fae that can grant a Warlock their powers! They tend to be chaotic-aligned. Titania, Oberon, and Lurue are some examples of Archfey patrons.

◈ CELESTIAL.
Holy/godly divine, but not gods in their own right. Angels are the classic example of a Celestial patron. They usually find their homes in the heavens. Generally, Celestials are the servants of actual gods, and they are most often good-aligned. But they are not infalliable; fallen angels may also share their power with a Warlock. Oshiga, the Shards, and guardinals are some examples of Celestial patrons.

◈ DEVIL/FIEND.
Evil, unholy beings, the hellish counterpart to the Celestial. Encompasses demon lords, archdevils, and other powerful fiends. They desire the corruption and destruction of all things — including you, ultimately. They come from a realm that is this world's equivalent of Hell. They are almost always evil-aligned. Some examples of Fiend patrons are Baphomet, Mephistopheles, and pit fiends.

◈ ELDRITCH MONSTER/GREAT OLD ONE.
The Great Old Ones are incomprehensible beings from far beyond the known span of the universe, holders of vast knowledge that would drive mere mortals mad to know. They tend to be very hands-off patrons, indifferent and sometimes even unaware of the Warlocks who use their power. Mortals are none of their concern. They are often chaotic-aligned. Ghaunadaur, Tharizdun, and Zargon are some examples of eldritch monsters.

◈ STAR/SEEKER.
Powerful beings which wander the cosmos in pursuit of knowledge and secrets — sometimes ultimately finding their home amongst those stars, though not always. Seeker patrons can be found in every corner of the multiverse, but they are all united by their consuming thirst for knowledge. They are often neutral-aligned. Some examples of Seekers are Celestian, Azuth, and Oghma.

◈ UNDYING/UNDEAD HORROR. Undying patrons are those who have forsaken death and achieved everlasting life, though it comes at a heavy price. Though they were once mortal, they have been distanced from that perspective by immortality and the weight of all their knowledge. They have usually become immortal because of a desire for power. Undying patrons are usually evil-aligned. Vecna, Vlaakith, and Larloch are some examples of Undying patrons.

CREATURE TYPES

The world of Faerun is inhabited by a variety of creatures of all shapes, sizes, types, and creeds. You're likely to run into many in your adventures, particularly on the Island. To help keep track of them as best we can, they are sorted into the following categories. Some creatures can, on rare occasion, fit into more than one category, but those are few and far between. These classifications are taken from D&D's 5e monster system, and they are mostly straightforward. There are some mechanical advantages to what creatures are strong or weak against what, but this is largely for flavor and context. Basically, don't worry about memorizing all the creature categories!

This also covers creatures that can be summoned by Summoners, particularly elementals. As you, the player, are going to be working more closely with them, their mechanical stats are more clearly defined.

◈ ABERRATIONS.
Sometimes you'll come across a creature that is just unnatural. In anatomy, mindset, ability—there is something about aberrations that is not naturally occurring. Sometimes they've been created and altered by gods. Sometimes they've altered themselves. The simplest way to describe them is to say that they defy reality. Most have darkvision for up to 60 feet, but they have little to unify them other than that. Many possess magical abilities drawn from the creature's alien mind, rather than the magic of the world. For examples, see the beholder, the ixitxachitl, or the mind flayer.

◈ BEASTS.
This is a wide heading for any nonhumanoid creature that's a natural part of Faerun's ecology. They often physically resemble animals, and animals are always classified as beasts, but not all beasts are classified as animals. Most of these creatures are unintelligent and lack society and the ability to speak languages. For examples of beasts, see the almiraj, the deinonychus and other dinosaurs, or the toad.

◈ CELESTIALS.
The angelic outsiders hailing from the heavens, celestials are what you think of when you describe an angel. While they are not native to it, some make their home right here in the prime material plane. They are good by nature, so one that has fallen or taken an evil or diabolical action is a startling rarity. They speak their own language (celestial) and are intelligent. They are generally powerful, but they are vulnerable to necrotic damage. For examples of celestials, see the angel, the hollyphant, or the unicorn.

◈ CONSTRUCTS.
Constructs are made, not born. They are either animated objects or any sort of artificially constructed creatures. Some are programmed to follow a specific set of instructions, while others are imbued with a level of sentience and able to form coherent thought. Some are said to hail from another land, one of law and clockwork. Most are immune to things that target the living such as poison, paralysis, mind-altering spells, and disease-related afflictions, and they do not need to sleep, eat, or breathe. For examples of constructs, see the humonculus, the monodrone, or the shield guardian.

◈ DRAGONS.
Large, reptilian, and ancient, dragons possess tremendous power. This category is split into true dragons and those that are distantly related to dragons. True dragons possess high intelligence and innate magical power. They are divided into metallic dragons, which are traditionally altruistic and good, and chromatic dragons, which are predatory and evil. These are incredibly rare creatures, and most of them still alive walk through life polymorphed to disguise their true nature. The relatives of dragons are less intelligent and less magical, but they are still ferocious and fierce. For examples of these, see the drake, the psuedodragon, or the wyvern.

◈ ELEMENTALS.
These creatures are the purest living forms of the four basic elements — air, earth, fire, and water. Other, much rarer types of elementals exist, but for our purposes, we're only going to be dealing with these common ones, as they are the ones able to be conjured and commanded. They inhabit the world as intelligent, amorphous entities, and they are typically seen as servants or guardians. While there is talk of them also existing on their own separate planes, they seem content enough to live in the main mortal one as well. Each type of elemental has a variety of strengths, weaknesses, and properties. All of them resist bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from non-magical weapons, and all are immune to poison. They don't feel exhaustion, and they can't be paralyzed, petrified, or rendered unconscious. Aside from Earth Elementals, they also can't be physically restrained.

• Air: A free-spirited, primitive elemental. They prefer roaming the skies and not involving themselves in the affairs of humanoids. These are the fastest elementals you can summon, though their strength and fortitude are more middle-of-the-road. In addition to usual resistances, they resist lightning and thunder damage.
• Earth: A stubborn and sturdy elemental. They pay little heed to that which goes on around them, preferring to soak in nutrients. These elementals can move through non-magical, unworked earth and stone without disturbing the materials. Though easily the most fortified and physically strongest of the elementals you can summon, they are much slower than the others. Unlike the less corporeal elementals, they can be physically restrained, and they are highly vulnerable to thunder damage.
• Fire: A capriciously violent elemental. They excite on consuming, but are rather — well, hot-headed. They illuminate the area they are in up to 30 feet in any direction. They have a nice balance of speed and fortitude, but they are physically the weakest elemental you can summon. In addition to their poison immunity, they can't be damaged by fire, and it in fact makes them stronger. They are highly vulnerable to water, taking cold damage the longer they are submerged in it.
• Water: A patient yet relentless elemental. They prefer to go with the flow, dragging their victims under and letting them drown. They wait and watch for the perfect opportunities. They don't particularly excel at anything, instead being well-rounded and well-balanced. In addition to usual resistances, they resist acid damage. Be careful not to let them take cold damage, as it will partially freeze them and slow their movement.

◈ FEY.
Fey have a deep, magical connection to nature. They are native to the Feywild, a land tucked away in pocket dimensions. In the prime material plane, they are drawn to misty woods and twilight groves, places where the world takes on a mystical, magical quality. It's difficult to unify them all, as some are born from nature itself, some are born from emotion, and some simply have nothing in common with others, other than being from the Feywild. For examples of fey, see the dryad, the meenlock, or the sea hag.

◈ FIENDS.
Wicked creatures from hellish regions, these are the polar opposite of celestials. An evil celestial is a rarity, but a good fiend is nigh impossible. They are molded from malevolence, entities that rose from evil itself. While you have archdevils and demon lords, the majority of fiends are servants. If it's lucky, a fiend will be able to serve an evil deity, a great honor for any of them. Wicked priests and mages often summon fiends to do their dirty work. They are vulnerable to radiant damage. For examples of fiends, see the abyssal chicken, the hamatula, or the vrock.

◈ GIANTS.
Giants are humongous creatures that tower over all. They are all human-like in shape, but some possess extra heads or deformities. In this category are true giants and things that are related to giants. There are six types of true giant: hill giants, stone giants, frost giants, fire giants, cloud giants, and storm giants. They have common elements of religion, history, and culture, and they try to keep animosity over territory to a minimum. Others categorized as giant tend to keep to themselves, or at least don't get involved in giant society. For examples of giants, see the ettin, the fomorian, or the scrag.

◈ MONSTROSITIES.
The quintessential monster type. This is what you think of when you imagine that which is terrifying, unnatural, and rarely benign. Some of these (such as owlbears) are the result of magical experimentation gone wrong, while others (such as the minotaur) are because of curses. They are categorized only because they defy categorization, so this serves as a catch-all for creatures that fit nowhere else. For examples of monstrosities, see the basilisk, the mimic, or the tlincalli.

◈ OOZES.
These creatures are defined by their gelatinous forms and lack of fixed shape. Mostly they live under the ground, preferring subterranean environments like caves or dungeons, feeding on refuse, carrion, and the occasional unlucky creature. For examples of oozes, see the black pudding, the gelatinous cube, or the oblex.

◈ PLANTS.
When referring to plant creatures in Faerun, it's understood that you're talking about beings made from vegetation, not ordinary flora. They breathe and eat (most being carnivorous), but they don't require sleep. Most of them can understand basic language but cannot reproduce it. Fungal creatures also fall into this category. Plant creatures are vulernable to cold and fire damage. For examples of plants, see the assassin vine, the myconid, or the treant.

◈ UNDEAD. These are once-living creatures that have been brought to a state of undeath by spiritual or supernatural practices, like necromancy. Some deities employ them as divine servants. Undead are quire resilient to substances and effects that are harmful to the living. They are immune to mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep effects, paralysis, and disease, and their life force cannot be drained. This category encompasses both walking corpses like vampires and bodiless spirits like ghosts. For examples of the undead, see the ghoul, the nightwalker, or the topi.

NAVIGATION ⯈



code bases by tricklet