Suikoden-inspired Tabetop worldbuilding

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LaylaAlder
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Suikoden-inspired Tabetop worldbuilding

Post by LaylaAlder »

For a while now, I've been flirting with the idea of creating a suikoden-inspired world for tabletop games like D&D or Pathfinder. This doesn't attempt to create a 1:1 recreation, but instead focuses on the core concepts of Suikoden. This includes:
  • The world being created by enacting the Spear-Shield paradox, shattering the components into 27 fragments of reality.
  • These 27 fragments become the True Runes, from which both reality and sources of magic (lesser/child runes) derive.
  • Stories generally involve political intrigue, and the players gain a base of operations , which becomes their base for building an army.
  • There are three types of encounters players will go up against (standard encounters, skill challenges based on Lord Kensington's Rules, and War Battles based on MCDM's Strongholds and Followers series).
  • Stories/campaigns are conflicts based around the True Runes themselves, either two or more runes in conflict with one another, or a struggle between multiple political powers over a True Rune.
I'm starting this by creating the 27 true runes for this world. The runes, being effectively the fragments of creation, become the basis of the pantheon of the world. The "gods" of the world are actually just the True Rune Bearers, having faded into myth and legend. They may have different names in different parts of the world, each corresponding to different bearers. For example, divine characters who follow the deity corresponding to the Rune of Mortality might called be a Priest of Tir or Paladin of Ted. For those who care about alignment, there are three different runes associated with each classical alignment.

The way true runes manifest for their bearer would be based on the bearer themselves. For example, if the Rune of Stars is wielded by a Fighter (we'll call him Victor), it may take the form of a two handed sword. In the hands of a spellcaster, the Rune of the Sea will give them different spells they can use (At Will, Short Rest, Long Rest, Per Arc being the four levels of spells), in the hands of a Druid it takes the forms of incarnations (Rune of the Beast may allow a wolf-like creature).

So far, I've figured out what 15 of the true runes are, tough I've not yet figured out the specifics for how they manifest yet. Instead, I'm trying to establish what each of the 27 runes are first. I'm making them in sets of three, and specifying whether they are fragments of the spear, the shield, or fused fragments from the area of impact. Here's the ones I've got so far:


Existential Runes - Three runes created at the point of impact, fused of the spear and shield. Governs reality.
  • Rune of Beginnings
    Governs creation and reality. From this rune comes the fabric of space itself, enveloping the framework for all of creation.
  • Rune of the Circle
    Governs order and stability. Allows things to have form, creates a barrier between realities to keep nameless horrors outside.
  • Rune of the Gate
    Governs chaos and change. Allows for things to grow and evolve, acts as a window between realities, allowing creatures from other realities to persist.
Celestial Runes - Fragments of the Spear, governs heavenly domains and elements.
  • Rune of the Sun
    Governs the sun, daytime, heat, and elemental Fire.
  • Rune of the Stars
    Governs the stars, constellations, heavens, and elemental Light.
  • Rune of the Moon
    Governs the moon, nighttime, and elemental Dark.
Terrestrial Runes - Fragments of the Shield, governs earthly domains and elements.
  • Rune of the Land
    Governs the land, continents, and elemental Earth.
  • Rune of the Sea
    Governs the seas, oceans, currents, and elemental Water.
  • Rune of the Sky
    Governs the wind, atmosphere, weather, and elemental Air.
Temporal Runes - Fragments of the Spear, govern natural cycles and flow of time.
  • Rune of Mortality
    Governs the cycle of birth, life, and death.
  • Rune of Seasons
    Governs the cycle of the seasons in nature, both temperate and tropical.
  • Rune of the Wheel
    Governs the flow of time from Past, to Present, and into Future.
Behavioral Runes
  • Rune of the Beast - Fragments of the Shield, govern behavioral tendencies and patterns of life.
    Source of the survival instinct of life, grants the power to impose on the world.
  • Rune of Mankind*
    Source of life's drive to further knowledge and learning, grants the wisdom to guide the world.
  • Rune of the Dragon
    Source of the emotions expressed by life, grants the courage to explore the world.

Some of these, like the Rune of Mankind, I'm not quite happy with in terms of their name, given that in these games there's more than one sapient species, so suggestions for something more universal would be welcomed.

I am still trying to make these in sets, and trying to tie them thematically to the spear or shield if I can. Interpretations can change if needed. Once I have figured out all 27, I intend to commission these online. A full set of true runes would be pretty handy, if nothing else than to give the community new toys to play with.


For examples of scenarios I could see playing out:

Daybreak: The True Rune of the Sun has been contained by a kingdom under strong influence by the True Rune of the Land. After a plan gone wrong, a group stumbles upon the area where it is contained, and the Sun Rune uses the opportunity to break free. The new bearer flees the country, gathers allies and leads a revolt, intending to break free of the domain of the kingdom and establish a new kingdom free of the contained lands.

The Hunt: A group of sailors find a lifeboat adrift at sea. On it is a couple, close to death. They try to save them, only to discover that a massive beast - the Incarnation of the Beast Rune - has been hunting the two as its prey. In their final acts, they pass on two great powers - the True Runes of the Sea and Moon - and hold off the beast to allow the new runebearers a chance to escape. Time is now ticking, as the new bearers must find an army to confront the incarnation that is hunting them.


I would love to hear your comments and suggestions, and if you opt to adopt this for a story or campaign of your own, I'd love to hear how things went!
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wataru14
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Re: Suikoden-inspired Tabetop worldbuilding

Post by wataru14 »

I did a Suikoden D&D game years back that was pretty successful. But it was a ton of work converting the magic system.

Are you setting it in the actual Suikoverse or a custom world that resembles it thematically?

For your True Runes, are you making your own custom set of 27, using the established ones that are in the games and adding your own, or a combination of the two? Because the True Elemental Runes are missing, as is RoP, Hachifusa, and Sovereign. Some of your Runes resemble the established ones, but are a little different.

I like The Hunt scenario. It sounds pretty interesting.
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Pyriel
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Re: Suikoden-inspired Tabetop worldbuilding

Post by Pyriel »

It seems fairly likely that she's just using Konami's true runes as a jumping off point. The only elemental rune that seems unaccounted for is the Lighting Rune. The rest are bound up in the terrestrial and celestial runes, by the look of it.

Given your description of the Rune of Mankind, you could actually go with something like, "sapience," or, "sagacity," instead. Are you rejecting them because you're trying to more directly refer to the people of your world in the name, or what are you going for?
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LaylaAlder
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Re: Suikoden-inspired Tabetop worldbuilding

Post by LaylaAlder »

It's in a new world inspired by suikoden - thus why I'm using the Spear and Shield, rather than the Sword and Shield. For the True Runes, Konami's were... all over the place. Some seemed pretty broad, some really narrow. The runes of Change, Gate, and Dragon got merged into the single Gate Rune, representing both chaos and the ability for otherworldly creatures to exist in the world. The Sun rune and True Fire runes got merged, and I went with a simple 6 element system instead of the... how many did we have by Suikoden 5? So yeah, that got toned down. Lightning would fall under the Sky Rune's domain, same as wind. The Rune of Mortality is basically the Soul Eater.

I'm trying to both take from the canon rune when appropriate, as well as branch out as needed. I've yet to figure out a way to incorporate Punishment in a way I like, I don't think anyone knows what the Eightfold rune even does, and Sovereign... from what I can gather, it either just grants magical immunity, or I'm misunderstanding it. So those three runes don't yet have a counterpart as a result. Heck, for all I know, Sovereign may have gotten folded into the Circle rune's domain, given that it represents Order, and I figure if anything granted magic resist/immunity it might be that...

As for the Rune of Mankind, the idea was to make a set that worked with the beast rune thematically. The beast rune got Instinctual drives (Kairos), as well well as the Power aspect of the Faces of Adam. I repurposed the Dragon Rune to have a completely different role, representing emotional drives (Pathos), as well as the Courage aspect of the Faces of Adam. That left logical (Logos) and Wisdom. My instinct went with "man", but... if I'm going to be honest, I kind of think that some kind of animal or creature would be a better fit, but I'm not sure which one.
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