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| Of course, the final course is set by you, the readers! |
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Recent Additions, And Future Possibilities
While it was the deal of the day, Towns of Sundara actually came out back in June. It was sandwiched between two other supplements, Sellswords of Sundara (available for DND 5E and Pathfinder) which came out in April, and the much more recent Cults of Sundara (available for DND 5E and Pathfinder) which just dropped last month in November! The former title has 10 unique class archetypes/subclasses to go along with each of the mercenary companies described, and the latter contains 10 unique magic items to go along with the cults laid out in the collection.
Each of these three supplements was meant to add more details to the setting, give glimpses of its history, and allow players and Game Masters alike to take a few more steps into Sundara, while still providing resources that could be easily set down in a homebrew game, or in a comparable setting if one so wishes. And while I wouldn't call them placeholders, they were definitely not part of a definitive series that followed a given theme and structure the way earlier releases were.
In short, I wanted to do something new, and sort of feel out what players and GMs wanted to see more of.
Like I said back in the Speaking of Sundara: AMA! that came out at the end of the summer, the setting is still pretty fluid, and open to the desires of those who are interested in it. Unlike some writers, who have a full and complete schedule that's set in stone for their worlds and releases, I want to try to keep this setting responsive to what the audience asks for.
With that said, there have been some suggestions put forth as to what might turn up going forward. These include:
- Merchants of Sundara: similar to Cults and Sellswords, it fills in the commerce of the setting and provides GMs with one more unique resource they could use in various games if they so choose.
- Stories of Sundara: While lots of small audio dramas from the setting are currently available on the Azukail Games YouTube channel, the idea of telling longer, more involved tales that come with NPC, magic item, or class archetype write-ups at the end has been proposed as well.
- Adventures in Sundara: Adventure modules are thought of as the bread-and-butter of RPG settings, but the irony is that they also tend to be one of the worst selling products on the whole. Still, this is on the table if there's demand for it.
- Sundara... in... SPACE!: While I view this as a far-off option, there is a definite movement in the market for sci-fi based RPGs. Suggestions have been made to release far-future products from the setting, asking what things would look like in the sci-fantasy future.
- Setting and City Expansion: With 5 locations in the Cities of Sundara series, and 10 towns in Towns of Sundara, that's enough to provide some starting places, but it's far from a complete look into the world. It's been suggested by some folks that I should go back to the well with this bucket, and release even MORE location books, complete with lore, maps, history, and unique items, creatures, spells, etc.
These are, of course, just a few of the stronger options that have been suggested by market trends, my publisher, and the few folks who have followed Sundara as a setting so far. None of these are set in stone, and which order they go in (or if we jump back and forth to keep things fresh on the release schedule) is currently up in the air!
If you have thoughts about what you'd like to see, and when you'd like to see it, this is your chance to make your voice heard! Leave your comments below, direct them to me on my social media channels (found at the end of this article), or toss them in the comments on Facebook or YouTube! My publisher and I read what folks have to say, and we do our best to tailor the setting toward what people tell us they want!
Need To Catch Up On Sundara?
Whether this is the first you're hearing about Sundara, or you're one of the folks who picked up the Deal of The Day and are curious about what else you can find in this setting, the older supplements are all listed below! Additionally, I've been putting together episodes of Speaking of Sundara on the Azukail Games YouTube channel (which you should definitely subscribe to) talking about some of the design strategies I've used, breaking down what's in particular supplements, and explaining some of the changes I've made to what folks might expect from a traditional fantasy RPG setting, from how I chopped out alignment, to the uncertain nature of gods, to how technology and magic both lead to unique inventions among the people of Sundara!
Check out the full 26-video Speaking of Sundara playlist, in addition to the following supplements!
Cities of Sundara
The setting first began with the Cities of Sundara splats. Self-contained guides to some of the larger and more powerful centers of trade, industry, arms, and magic, these unique locations provide plenty of fodder for character generation and plots. Not only that, but each one comes with unique, mechanical goodies for players and GMs alike to take out for a spin!
- Ironfire: The City of Steel (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Built around the Dragon Forge, Ironfire is where the secret to dragon steel was first cracked. The center of the mercenary trade in the region, as well as boasting some of the finest schools for teaching practical sciences, Ironfire is a place where discovery and danger walk hand in hand!
- Moüd: The City of Bones (Pathfinder and DND 5E): An ancient center of trade and magic, Moüd was lost to a cataclysm, and then buried in myth. Reclaimed by the necromantic arts of the Silver Wraiths guild, this city has once again become a place teeming with life. Despite the burgeoning population, though, it is the continued presence of the undead that helps keep the city running, ensuring that Moüd is not swallowed up once more.
- Silkgift: The City of Sails (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Built on the cottage industry of Archer cloth (an extremely durable material used for sails, windmills, etc.), Silkgift is a place that prizes invention and discovery. From gravity batteries that store the potential of the wind, to unique irrigation systems, to aether weapons, the city positively churns out discoveries... and then there's the canal they cut through the mountains that makes them a major center of trade across the region.
- Hoardreach: The City of Wyrms (Pathfinder and DND 5E): A center of power across an entire region, Hoardreach is ruled over by a Cooperation of five different dragons. A place for refugees and outcasts of all sorts, Hoardreach boasts some of the most unusual citizens and creations from across Sundara. Infamous for their sky ships, which require the cast-off scales and unique arcane sciences of the Dragon Works to take to the air, one never knows just what they'll find in this city built atop a mountain.
- Archbliss: The City of The Sorcerers (Pathfinder and DND 5E): A floating city in the sky, Archbliss has been a refuge for sorcerers for thousands of years. It's only in relatively recent years that the city has allowed those from the ground below who lack the power of a bloodline to join them in the clouds. However, while there are certainly amazing wonders to behold, there is a darkness in Archbliss. Something rotting away at its heart that could, if not healed, bring the city crashing to the ground once more.
Gods of Sundara
- Gods of Sundara (available for Pathfinder and DND 5E): In a world with no alignment, and where the gods are often genuinely mysterious forces that are far too large for mortals to truly comprehend, the divine feels genuinely strange and unknown... something that really does have to be taken on faith. This supplement provides a sample pantheon for Sundara, but also provides instructions on how to easily make your own gods in a world where you can't cast a spell and tell whether someone is good or evil.
Species of Sundara
Sundara is filled with creatures that many of us recognize, but I wanted to give greater depth to their cultures, and a wider variety of options. After all, humans always get 15+ ethnicities, languages, and unique histories, while elves, dwarves, orcs, halflings, etc. are almost always left with footnotes, or maybe with a handful of offshoots. So, in short, I wanted to give all the fantastical creatures the treatment that humans usually get in our games.
And there is no human book yet. If readers demand to know more, then I may sit down to pen one... but I figured that humans didn't need to be front-and-center in this setting just yet.
- Elves of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Elves are one of the most quintessential fantasy creatures... but if you want to see more than just high elves, wood elves, and elves of the sun and moon, then this supplement has you covered!
- Dwarves of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): The children of the primordial giants who were meant to fill in the details of the world they'd made (or so the myths say) there are as many kinds of dwarves as their are kinds of giants... and possibly more, depending on who is keeping count.
- Orcs of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Supposedly a creation of the elves, none can say for certain exactly how or why orcs have been made. What most agree on is that these creatures are far more than most may think at first glance.
- Halflings of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Little cousins to the dwarves, halflings are tough, clever, and not to be underestimated. From living beneath the hills, to taking up residence in the deep forests, halflings in Sundara come in quite a variety!
- The Blooded (Half-Elves and Half-Orcs) [Pathfinder and DND 5E]: When orcs and elves mix their bloodlines with other creatures, the result is one of the Blooded. This inheritance takes many forms, and it can even wait generations before manifesting when the right combination of individuals come together to have a child.
- Gnomes of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Gnomes are strange creatures, found in places where the spirit of the land has coalesced and made children of its own. The sons and daughters of the ancient nymphs, they are the stewards of these places, and they change as often as the weather and the land.
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