History TabletopGame / Mystara

* EvilSorcerer: Bargle the Infamous.

* ''Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun'' -- A {{CRPG}} for the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis set in The HollowWorld.

** Blackmoor, the setting of ''D&D'' co-creator Dave Arneson. In 1986 Blackmoor was officially made part of Mystara's history. Apparently, there was a legal obligation to publish Arneson's setting so it was added to the backstory of Mystara.
** As noted in it's own page, ''TabletopGame/KeepOnTheBorderlands'' was moved to TabletopGame/{{Greyhawk}}. ''The Isle of Dread'', the adventure that more or less began the setting, was also imported to Greyhawk in both ''Magazine/{{Dungeon}} Magazine'' and the ''TabletopGame/SavageTide'' adventure path.

Since the beginning of 3rd Edition Mystara has received relatively few references in published material, notably being listed as a possible setting in the Ghosts of Saltmarsh Adventure Book. BigNameFan [[Blog/ThingsMrWelchIsNoLongerAllowedToDoInAnRPG Mr Welch]] has taken it upon himself to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkXZBbn_cf0&list=PLI27Za9sqyRVnc9-naoDIWQ_6MM6ONwQy create a video series detailing the Setting,]] and is working on creating a guide specifically for 5th edition.

Since the beginning of 3rd Edition Mystara has received relatively few references in published material, notably being listed as a possible setting in the Ghosts of Saltmarsh Adventure Book. BigNameFan [[Blog/ThingsMrWelchIsNoLongerAllowedToDoInAnRPG Mr Welch]] has taken it upon himself to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkXZBbn_cf0&list=PLI27Za9sqyRVnc9-naoDIWQ_6MM6ONwQy create a video series detailing the Setting,]] and claims to be in negotiations to put a book updating the Setting to 5e on Dungeon Masters Guild.

Since the beginning of 3rd Edition Mystara has received relatively few references in published material, notably being listed as a possible setting in the Ghosts of Saltmarsh Adventure Book. BigNameFan [[ThingsMrWelchIsNoLongerAllowedToDoInAnRPG Mr Welch]] has taken it upon himself to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkXZBbn_cf0&list=PLI27Za9sqyRVnc9-naoDIWQ_6MM6ONwQy create a video series detailing the Setting,]] and claims to be in negotiations to put a book updating the Setting to 5e on Dungeon Masters Guild.

Since the beginning of 3rd Edition Mystara has received relatively few references in published material, notably being listed as a possible setting in the Ghosts of Saltmarsh Adventure Book. BigNameFan [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Blog/ThingsMrWelchIsNoLongerAllowedToDoInAnRPG Mr Welch]] has taken it upon himself to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkXZBbn_cf0&list=PLI27Za9sqyRVnc9-naoDIWQ_6MM6ONwQy create a video series detailing the Setting,]] and claims to be in negotiations to put a book updating the Setting to 5e on Dungeon Masters Guild.

Since the beginning of 3rd Edition Mystara has received relatively few references in published material, notably being listed as a possible setting in the Ghosts of Saltmarsh Adventure Book. BigNameFan [[ThingsMrWelchIsNoLongerAllowedToDoInAnRPG Mr Welch]] has taken it upon himself to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkXZBbn_cf0&list=PLI27Za9sqyRVnc9-naoDIWQ_6MM6ONwQy create a video series detailing the Setting,]] and claims to be in negotiations to put a book updating the Setting to 5e on Dungeon Masters Guild.

* ColdFlames: The halfling Masters' racial artifact is blackflame: a dark-colored, frigid "fire" that
"unburns" ashes and radiates shadow rather than light.

The ''Red Steel'' sub-setting has personal magical powers and deforming curses. The [[http://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?mainid=8311 campaign book]] has "[[PowerAtAPrice Power has a price!]]" printed [[Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned right on the cover]]. Additional rules include a {{swashbuckler}}-style game, extra IntelligentGerbil races, firearms, cowboys and goblins.

* ColdFlames: The halfling Masters' racial artifact is blackflame: a dark-colored, frigid "fire" that burns inflammable substances and radiates shadow rather than light.

* PettingZooPeople: There are a ''lot'' of these:
** Hutaakans, one of the oldest such races in-setting, are anthropomorphic jackals created by the Immortal Pflar.
** Gnolls are humanoid hyenas, and commonly suggested to have been an artificial attempt to duplicate the same process that make the Hutaakans.
** Lupins are a race of humanoid canids, originally appearing as all manner of dogs, wolves and foxes before ultimately being retconned into being just wolf-people. They're commonly reputed to have descended from interbreeding between Hutaakans and Gnolls.
** Nagpas are hideous-looking flightless vulture-men, who appear rather a lot like [[Film/TheDarkCrystal the Skeksis]].
** The Lizardfolk, of course, fall into this category. Cayma and Gurrash specifically resemble kobold-like miniature caimans and hulking alligators, respectively.

** The Empire of Alphatia is actually TheRemnant of a magocracy from another planet, which conquered its world and began spreading onto other planes, before a slave uprising on the original world resulted in a civil war that annihilated the old world; the survivors promptly migrated to Mystara.

* OneGenderRace: The wallara, or "chameleon-men", are an AlwaysMale species of LizardFolk

* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: Wrath of the Immortals describes a world-changing adventure there's significant upheval concerning how Radiance is used. It also contains a timeline of events, including regional and world-impacting effects (one of which is caused by a doomsday weapon).
* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: Flying monkeys called Tabi are a playable race introduced in ''Creature Catalog PC2: Top Ballista''.

* HollowWorld: Literally the name of a boxed set campaign.

* {{Magitek}}: Including lots of [[CoolAirship flying vehicles]].

** The Radiance is used to amplify spell power, at the cost of permanently reducing the global potency of magic (to punish the Immortal Sphere of Energy). As described in ''The Principalities of Glantri'', twenty-five years after the start of the campaign the world will have enough magical drain to prevent spell casting for one day in the year with the drain increasing at certain milestones. If the players succeed in their quest in ''Wrath of the Immortals'', the drain is redirected to the Immortal Sphere of Entropy. If they don't, it's Blackmoor all over again...

* TheOwlKnowingOne: The Hisao, a fey race (and potential player character race) introduced in ''Creature Catalog PC1: Tall Tales of the Wee Folk'', are a race of philosopher-priests who happen to be talking, spellcasting owls the size of {{hobbits}}.

** As noted in it's own page, ''TabletopGame/KeepOnTheBorderlands'' was moved to TabletopGame/{{Greyhawk}}. ''The Isle of Dread'', the adventure that more or less began the setting, was also imported to Greyhawk in both ''Magazine/{{Dungeon}} Magazine'' and the ''TabletopGame/Savage Tide'' adventure path.

** Blackmoor, the setting of D&D co-creator Dave Arneson. In 1986 Blackmoor was officially made part of Mystara's history. Apparently, there was a legal obligation to publish Arneson's setting so it was added to the backstory of Mystara.

* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: Wrath of the Immortals describes a world-changing adventure there's significant upheval concerning how Radiance is used. It also contains a timeline of events, including regional and world-impacting effects (one of which is caused by a doomsday weapon.)

* FantasyCounterpartCulture Mystara is made of this trope. A ''partial'' list includes: Karameikos (Balkan Slavic, with Byzantine influence from their Thyatian neighbors/conquerors), [[ArabianNightsDays Ylaruam]], Nouvelle Averoigne (Renaissance France by way of Creator/ClarkAshtonSmith), [[UsefulNotes/{{Scotland}} Klantyre]], [[TorosYFlamenco Belcadiz]], Caurenze (Renaissance Italy, Court of the Borgias-style), Bergdhoven (Flanders), Boldavia (Transylvania), [[AlohaHawaii Ierendi]], The Northern Reaches (Scandinavia), Heldann (UsefulNotes/TheTeutonicKnights), Ethengar (Mongol hordes), The Atruaghin Clans (various American Indian cultures), Thyatis (with the Thyatians proper as the classic [[UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire Roman Empire]], the Kerendans as the Greek-influenced Eastern Empire, and the Hattians as the [[ThoseWackyNazis Germanic]] Holy Roman Empire), [[AncientEgypt Thothia]], and [[SimSimSalabim Sind]]. ''Many'' more exist in the {{Hollow World}}, Red Steel, and lunar (yes) areas of the setting.

* GeniusLoci: The Immortal's DM rulebook states that the home planet is a Megalith, a sentient planet. It is known as Urt, and is about half-way through its active phase. At the end of that phase, it will shed its outer baggage (water, life forms, etc) and enter a dormant phase.
** Possibly Retconned by the Hollow World boxed set, as megaliths are implied to be solid inside, not hollow.

* TheMagicGoesAway: The Radiance is used to amplify spell power, at the cost of permanently reducing the global potency of magic (to punish the Immortal Sphere of Energy). As described in ''The Principalities of Glantri'', 25 years after the start of the campaign will have enough magical drain to prevent spell casting for one day in the year with the drain increasing at certain milestones. If the players succeed in their quest in ''Wrath of the Immortals'', the drain is redirected to the Immortal Sphere of Entropy. If they don't, it's Blackmoor all over again...
** Civilizations that are re-located to the Hollow World generally lose much of their magic, both immediately and over generations, as some types of spell are impossible in the planet's interior and becoming a spell-caster there requires much greater minimum ability scores.

* TheMatriarchy: The Kubbits of the Hollow World, perhaps due to worshipping the female Immortal Vanya, are led by their women. Men can hold respected positions and are warriors as well, but the highest leadership ranks in both the military and the culture as a whole are reserved for women.

* MonsterAdventurer: Leaving out the various exotic demihuman races, Mystaran sourcebooks presented all of the following monsters as playable character options: Brownies, Redcaps, Centaur, Dryads, Fauns, Leprechauns, Pixies, Pookas, Sidhes, Sprites, Treants, Gremlins, Harpies, Sphinxes, Merfolk, Kopru, Sea Giants, Goblins, Kobolds, Hobgoblins, Orcs, Gnolls, Trolls and Ogres.

* OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame: They really are. ''The Dwarves of Rockhome'' reveals that their patron Immortal made them this way on purpose so [[spoiler:they'd always be resistant to poison and radiation and have ready-made fallout shelters in case of another disaster like the destruction of Blackmoor.]]
** Unless they're from the Hollow World, in which case they're more likely to be mountain shepherds than miners.

* RacialRemnant: The Hollow World section was intended as a way to preserve ancient cultures - a combination of caverns (allowing for escape), immortal magic (meant to inhibit undead) and subtle manipulation to make residents stubborn concerning their cultural beliefs. If a group is about to die out, the corresponding immortal simply needs to transport a small group inside the shell.

* ShoutOut: One of the common races of Mystara are doglike humanoids called lupins. An article on lupins in ''Magazine/{{Dragon}}'' #237 mentions a [[ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}} beagle lupin who flies an airplane]] and [[Literature/ArseneLupin a lupin thief named Arsäne Lupin]].

''Mystara'', also known as the ''Known World'', is the default setting for the Frank Mentzer version of Classic TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons (the Basic, Expert, Companion, Master and Immortal sets, and the Rules Cyclopedia by Creator/AaronAllston, which compiled the rules from the first four sets into one volume). It was also the setting of the Capcom D&D games and the ''Red Steel'' sub-setting.

This setting comprises both the "Known World," the regular world that adventurers start out in, and the "Hollow World," a mysterious, gigantic subterranean world that the characters can explore later on in their careers. Probably the biggest difference between this setting and other D&D settings (apart from its cosmology) is where the clerics of the setting get their spells. Clerics serve one of the Immortals, mysterious and powerful beings that serve the five Spheres of Power, hoping to either expand the influence of one of the spheres or maintain the balance between them. When Immortals meddle in mortal affairs, it is indirectly, and often through some kind of avatar. As characters in the setting reach the pinnacle of power, they have the chance to become Immortals themselves.

Mystara was the setting that most people of the 80s who got into ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' were familiar with, with such familiar faces as Morgan Ironwolf the fighter, Sister Rebecca the cleric, Silverleaf the elf, Frederik the dwarf, Black Dougal the thief, Larry Elmore's beautiful cleric Aleena, and Bargle the Infamous, the bastard of a magic user who murdered her and who every player of that day wanted to take down.

The ''Red Steel'' sub-setting has personal magical powers and deforming curses. The [[http://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?mainid=8311 campaign book]] has "[[PowerAtAPrice Power has a price!]]" printed [[Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned right on the cover]]. Additional rules for {{swashbuckler}}-style game, extra IntelligentGerbil races. Firearms. Cowboys and goblins.

!!Works that are set in ''Mystara'' include:

[[folder: Modules]]
* ''TabletopGame/KeepOnTheBorderlands''
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/DungeonsAndDragonsChroniclesOfMystara''
[[/folder]]

!! The setting features:

* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: The path to Immortality can be chosen by high level Player Characters. Actually, almost every Immortal (see OurGodsAreDifferent) once was a mortal creature. WordOfGod aknowledges that there ''are'' are few well hidden Immortals that never were (it is hinted that they could be resident Old Ones or some other truly Higher power in disguise, Old Ones being to Immortals what Immortals are to mortals).

* DarkIsNotEvil: Diaboli, who look like {{Big Red Devil}}s (only purple), but who are actually a friendly, gentle, peaceful race with a racial alignment of ChaoticGood.