Line #57 TabletopGame/Mystara


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1eec948bc7882fd0c65dc671a1f1d541.png]]
2
3	''Mystara'', also known as the ''Known World'', is the default setting for the original "Basic" set of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', which evolved into its own adjacent game to "Advanced" ''D&D''. (The curious can learn more about "BECMI" ''D&D'' [[TabletopGame/BasicDungeonsAndDragons on its dedicated page]].) While the earliest parts of the setting existed in the 1977 "Holmes Basic" edition of the game and saw a little expansion with 1981's "Expert Set" under Tom Moldvay, it was starting in 1983 that Mystara became its own discrete campaign world, with the revisions to Basic and Expert under Frank Mentzer, along with the more advanced sets (Companion, Master, and Immortal) that followed.
4
5	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.
6
7	TheMultiverse of Mystara is notably different from that recognized in other ''D&D'' products, though this didn't stop direct Mystara references and namedrops creeping into ''TabletopGame/{{Spelljammer}}'' and ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}''.
8
9	Mystara was the setting that most people of the 1980s who got into ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' were familiar with (being the Basic Set's default, natch), 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.
10
11	The ''Red Steel'' sub-setting has personal magical powers and deforming curses. The [[http://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?mainiid=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.
12
13	Since the beginning of ''D&D''[='s=] third edition, Mystara has received relatively few references in published material, notably being listed as a possible setting in the Ghosts of Saltmarsh Adventure Book. FandomVIP [[Blog/ThingsMrWelchIsNoLongerAllowedToDoInAnRPG Mr Welch]] (Yes, ''that'' Mr. Welch.) has taken it upon himself to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvjD4Ci_bLs&list=PLI27Za9sqyRVnc9-naoDIWQ_6MM6ONwQy&index=1 create a video series detailing the Setting,]] and has created [[https://rpgmp3.com/mystara-players-guide/ a guide specifically for 5th Edition]], and is currently working on a Mystara Dungeon Master's Guide.
14
15	----
16	!!Works set in ''Mystara'' include:
17	[[index]]
18	[[AC:Modules]]
19	[[folder: Original BECMI series]]
20	[[AC: B - Basic series]]
21	* B1: ''In Search of the Unknown'' -- the very first module in the set. Originally written for the '77 edition of ''Basic''.
22	* B2: ''TabletopGame/KeepOnTheBorderlands'' -- one of the first ''D&D'' adventures, written by no less than Creator/GaryGygax. Originally written for the '81 edition of ''Basic''.
23	* B3: ''Palace of the Silver Princess''
24	* B4: ''The Lost City''
25	* B5: ''Horror on the Hill''
26	* B6: ''The Veiled Society''
27	* B7: ''Rahasia''
28	* B8: ''The Journey to the Rock''
29	* B9 ''Castle Caldwell and Beyond''
30	* B10: ''Night's Dark Terror''
31	* B11: ''King's Festival''
32	* B12: ''Queen's Harvest''
33	* BSOLO: ''Ghost of the Lion Castle''
34	[[AC: X - eXpert series]]
35	* X1: ''The Isle of Dread'' -- Originally written for the '81 edition of ''Expert''.
36	* X2: ''TabletopGame/CastleAmber''
37	* X3: Curse of Xanathon
38	* X4: ''Master of the Desert Nomads''
39	* X5: ''Temple of Death''
40	* X6: ''Quagmire!''
41	* X7: ''War Rafts of Kron''
42	* X8: ''Drums on Fire Mountain''
43	* X9: ''Savage Coast''
44	* X10: ''Red Arrow, Black Shield''
45	* X11: ''Skadra's Mirror''
46	* X12: ''Crown of Ancient Glory''
47	* X13: ''Quest of the Heartstone''
48	* XSOLO: ''Lethan's Gold''
49	* [=XS2=]: ''Thunderdelve Mountain''
50	[[AC: CM - [=CoMpanion=] series]]
51	* [=CM1=]: ''Test of the Warlords''
52	* [=CM2=]: ''Death's Ride''
53	* [=CM3=]: ''Sabre River''
54	* [=CM4=]: ''Earthshaker!''
55	* [=CM5=]: ''Mystery of the Snow Pearls''
56	* [=CM6=]: ''Where Chaos Reigns''
57	* [=CM7=]: ''The Tree of Life''
58	* [=CM8=]: ''Endless Stair''
59	* [=CM9=]: ''Legacy of Blood''
60	[[AC: M - Master series]]
61	* M1: ''Into the Maelstrom''
62	* M2: ''Vengeance of Alphaks''
63	* M3: ''Twillight Calling''
64	* M4: ''Five Coins for a Kingdom''
65	* M5: ''Talons of Night''
66	[[AC: IM - Immortal series]]
67	* [=IM1=]: ''The Immortal Storm''
68	* [=IM2=]: ''The Wrath of Olympus''
69	* [=IM3=]: ''The Best of Intentions''
70	[[/folder]]
71
72	[[folder: GAZ - [=GAZetteer=] series]]
73	While sold as modules, these books were setting books that described nations first outlined in ''the Isle of Dread''[[/index]]
74	* [=GAZ1=]: ''[[MedievalEuropeanFantasy The Grand Duchy of Karameikos]]''
75	* [=GAZ2=]: ''[[ArabianNightsDays The Emirates of Ylaruam]]''
76	* [=GAZ3=]: ''[[TheMagocracy The Principalities of Glantri]]''
77	* [=GAZ4=]: ''The Kingdom of Ierendi''
78	* [=GAZ5=]: ''[[OurElvesAreDifferent The Elves of Alfheim]]''
79	* [=GAZ6=]: ''[[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame The Dwarves of Rockhome]]''
80	* [=GAZ7=]: ''[[HornyVikings The Northern Reaches]]''
81	* [=GAZ8=]: ''[[{{Hobbits}} The Five Shires]]''
82	* [=GAZ9=]: ''[[MerchantCity The Minrothad Guilds]]''
83	* [=GAZ10=]: ''[[TheHorde The Orcs of Thar]]''
84	* [=GAZ11=]: ''[[OneNationUnderCopyright The Republic of Darokin]]''
85	* [=GAZ=]: ''[[HordesFromTheEast The Golden Khan of Ethengar]]''
86	* [=GAZ13=]: ''[[UndergroundCity The Shadow Elves]]''
87	* [=GAZ14=]: ''[[NativeAmericansTropes The Atruaghin Clans]]''
88	* ''Dawn of the Emperors: [[SwordAndSandal Thyatis]] & [[TheMagocracy Alphatia]]''
89	[[/folder]]
90
91	[[folder: Other]]
92	* ''DA - Dave Arneson'' - series of adventures designed by co-creator of original D&D, focusing on TimeTravel, discovering his original ''TabletopGame/{{Blackmoor}}'' setting in the distant past.
93	** [=DA1=] - ''Adventures in Blackmoor''
94	** [=DA2=] - ''Temple of the Frog''
95	** [=DA3=] - ''City of the Gods''
96	** [=DA4=] - ''The Duchy of Ten''
97	* ''PC - Creature Crucible'' series, each book focusing on giving players new racial options, with focus on a specific theme, as well as a bunch of small adventures designed for them.
98	** [=PC1=] - ''[[TheFairFolk Tall Tales of the Wee Folk]]''
99	** [=PC2=] - ''[[AvianTropes Top Ballista]]''
100	** [=PC3=] - ''[[FishPeople The Sea People]]''
101	** [=PC4=] - ''[[OurWerebeastsAreDifferent Night Howlers]]''
102	[[/folder]]
103
104	[[AC:Video Games]][[index]]
105	* ''VideoGame/DungeonsAndDragonsChroniclesOfMystara'' -- the Creator/{{Capcom}} ''D&D'' arcade-games.
106	* ''VideoGame/DungeonsAndDragonsWarriorsOfTheEternalSun'' -- A {{CRPG}} for the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis set in The HollowWorld.
107	* ''Fantasy Empires'' -- A strategy game with RPG elements, featuring the Known World as its campaign map.
108	[[/index]]
109
110	----
111	!! This tabletop RPG setting provides examples of:
112
113	* AirborneAircraftCarrier: In an adventure ideas section of the ''Dawn of the Emperors'' boxed set, one suggestion is exploration adventures by combined forces of the two main Empires, with Thyatian flying cavalry operating from Alphatian skyships, and some page art depicting the concept. Serraine is a flying city hosting its own airfleet of WWI style wooden planes; both are powered by gnomish {{Magitek}}.
114	* AlternateUniverse: Mystara is an alternate version of Earth (see also EarthAllAlong and Creator/ClarkAshtonSmith below).
115	* AlternativeCalendar: The After Crowning calendar and the Alphatian Year, plus seperate calendars for the Dwarves, Halflings, Ylari, Minrothadi, ''et cetera''. Mystara's year has 12 months of 28 days each, no leap years, and solar and lunar calendars in perfect sync.
116	* 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 acknowledges 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).
117	* AwesomeButImpractical: The Creature Crucibles introduce several powerful creatures as player characters such as treants, nagpa and sphinxes, but because they are so powerful they start with negative XP that they have to pay off before they gain all the normal powers of their race. Some of the creatures start with millions of negative XP, making actually playing one practically impossible.
118	* BeastMan: There are a ''lot'' of these:
119	** Hutaakans, one of the oldest such races in-setting, are anthropomorphic jackals created by the Immortal Pflar.
120	** Gnolls are humanoid hyenas, and commonly suggested to have been an artificial attempt to duplicate the same process that make the Hutaakans.
121	** 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.
122	** Nagpas are hideous-looking flightless vulture-men, who appear rather a lot like [[Film/TheDarkCrystal the Skeksis]].
123	** The Lizardfolk, of course, fall into this category. Cayma and Gurrash specifically resemble kobold-like miniature caimans and hulking alligators, respectively.
124	* BewareTheSillyOnes: In ''The Principalities of Glantri'' Jaggar von Drachenfells is potrayed as a SmallNameBigEgo GloryHound, with text multiple times bringing up that a huge amount of orders he wears tends to fall off whenever he sneezes. This is the same guy that, in the final of the ''Dragonlord'' novels, challenged the InvincibleHero Diamond, who is both an ancient gold dragon and literally [[PhysicalGod Immortal patron of lawful dragons]], to a duel and not only won, but briefly stole his place in Dragon Pantheon.
125	* BigScrewedUpFamily: Several, most prominently the d'Ambervilles, the di Malapietras, the Torions of Thyatis and the Alphatian Imperial Family.
126	* BizarreAlienReproduction: The Wallaras use this to get around being a OneGenderRace, and would literally only work in a magical world. Once a year, a wallara sheds his skin, after which he carefully bundles it up and places it in his clan's ''tokoo'', a magical shrine. That skin bundle has a 5% chance of being magically transformed into a wallara egg, which hatches several months later.
127	* BodyHorror: One of the aspects of the Red Curse is that it horribly mutates the afflicted, unless they're wearing cinnabryl.
128	* TheCaligula: Baron Ludwig von Hendriks. Probably Innocenti di Malapietra too, unless there's a seperate trope for the Borgias.
129	* CanonImmigrant:
130	** 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.
131	** As noted in its 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.
132	* CanonWelding: The entire setting is the result of this. The original adventures that became ''Mystara'' were supposed to be in a generic setting that could be dropped in anywhere. Eventually this setting was fleshed out, with scattered references from the various adventure modules being used for worldbuilding.
133	* CatFolk: The Rakasta race, of which there are two nations; the British-flavored Bellayne, which happens to be right next to the faux-French Lupin kingdom of Renardie on the world itself, and Myoshima, a feudal Japan-flavored nation of rakasta on Mystara's moon where samurai catfolk ride winged sabertoothed tigers into battle. The species itself originally came in a vast array of sub-breeds mimicking different great cats (for example, the leonic Simbastas), prehistoric cats (such as Rakastadon Fatalis, the sabertoothed tigerfolk), wild cats and house cats.
134	* ChildMage: Glantri has a few, even rules for [=PCs=]
135	* CityOfCanals: Glantri City.
136	* Creator/ClarkAshtonSmith: His stories provided inspiration for the d'Ambreville family, and part of ''X2: TabletopGame/CastleAmber'', the adventure that introduced them, was based in his fantasy-setting of Averoigne in medieval France.
137	* ColdFlames: The halfling Masters' racial artifact is blackflame: a dark-colored, frigid "fire" that "unburns" ashes and radiates shadow rather than light.
138	* CoolAirship:
139	** Alphatian skyships in general and the ''Princess Ark'' in particular.
140	** ''"[[http://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?mainid=5029 Top Ballista]]"''. Want a NoCelebritiesWereHarmed version of the Red Baron on a biplane armed with two fireball guns and, well, a ballista on top?
141	** A floating city [[AirborneAircraftCarrier carrying a fleet]] of WWI style planes powered by gnomish {{Magitek}}
142	** Big wooden birds of prey kept in the air by sacred relics and armed with long-range {{Disintegrator Ray}}s.
143	** A flying icosahedron (i.e. d20) plated with one-side mirrors.
144	* {{Curse}}: The Red Curse afflicting the Savage Coast is a combination of three different curses put on the same area by the Immortals and some other magic GoneHorriblyWrong.
145	** First component is not a curse per se, but remnmants of Nithian inventions in the area - magic of Legacy allowing to grant users superpowers and Cinnabryl, a new substance meant to create magic weapons.
146	** Second is the worldwide Spell of Oblivion, that removed all traces of Nithian Civilization and erased all memories of it from the world. For some reason it didn't remove Cinnabryl, which now lies in deposits underground.
147	** Then is the curse Immortal [[GodOfLight Ixion]] put on the area after his worshippers were overthrown by Manscorpions, subjecting anyone who seeks power to BodyHorror.
148	** Finally there is Vermillion, blood of [[DragonsAreDivine the Great One]] which he spilled on the Area to render everything magical, effectively nullifying magic-detecting powers of the Arena as punishment for the curse of memory loss ''they'' put on his worshippers, effectively sending them back to stone age.
149	** Combined it means power of Legacy is now carried by vermillion, which affect every living creature in the area, giving them superpowers...which in turns triggers Ixion's curse, mutating them. Due to Cinnabryl's connection to legacies, it nullifies the latter effect, but you cannot get rid of the curse unless you move permamently from Savage Coast.
150	* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: The Radiance, which may inflict a rotting affliction on the caster. ''So'' forbidden, controversy over its use is what kicked off the Wrath of the Immortals.
151	* DarkIsNotEvil:
152	** 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 InUniverse.
153	** Hutaakans look sinister, being humanoid jackals, but are not bad people. Just stuffy, culturally naive and rather arrogant as a result of that.
154	%%* DecadentCourt: Alphatia, Thyatis, and Glantri
155	* DiggingToChina: Alphatia's solution to the dilemma of how to efficiently access the Hollow World
156	* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Most of the human nations in Mystara are based on real-world equivalents. It's not uncommon for a party to consist of a German wizard, Mongolian scout, Arab cleric, Slavic knight, Byzantine fighter and Scandinavian barbarian.
157	* EarthAllAlong: Or more accurately, Earth-to-be. The [[http://pandius.com/master-outer-world-colour.png global map of Mystara]] bears a suspicious resemblance to that of [[http://www.scotese.com/late1.htm Earth 152 million years ago]]. (It also features a solar system with an additional planet instead of an asteroid belt. A planet named ''[[MeaningfulName Damocles]]''... )
158	* TheEmpire: Thyatis and Alphatia can each fill this role depending on your campaign. The most straight-up evil example, though, are the Heldannic Knights.
159	* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: Wrath of the Immortals describes a world-changing adventure that results in a significant upheaval concerning how the Radiance of Glantri is used. It also contains a timeline of events, including regional and world-impacting effects (one of which is caused by a doomsday weapon).
160	%%* EvilSorcerer: Bargle the Infamous.
161	* FantasyAliens: In ''Principalities of Glantri'' and ''Wrath of the Immortals'', the engine of the starship from ''Temple of the Frog'' is converted into a magical artifact that will drain all of the magic out of the universe if it isn't stopped. One of the aliens from that adventure becomes an Immortal while trying to stop it.
162	* 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), Ierendi (Hawaii), 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 [[MysticalIndia Sind]]. ''Many'' more exist in the {{Hollow World}}, Red Steel, and lunar (yes) areas of the setting.
163	* FictionalDocument: Many, including ''Claransa's Travels to the Center of the World'', the ''Nahmeh'' (Koran-expy), and the ''Poor Wizard's Almanac''s.
164	* FictionalSport: Alphatians are big-time fans of a team sport called hardball, which is played on a court divided into squares and involves a lot of complicated passing between players.
165	* FloatingContinent: Features of the Hollow World whose shadows provide the only night under the eternal red central sun.
166	* FrazettaMan: The Beastmen from the Hollow World, a primitive ancestor-species of common monstrous demihumans like orcs, goblins, ogres, etc, generally fall into this kind of appearance, but sometimes are even more mutable.
167	* GeniusBruiser: The wurmlings from the Savage Coast Monster Compendium are 45' long Jabba the Hutt impersonators with a Strength of 20 and can literally steamroll multiple opponents. But their most dangerous traits are their Intelligence of 16, perfect memory, and ability to learn new languages in just a few days. These traits allow them to dominate the local underworld because they are fantastic at running businesses.
168	* 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.
169	* GodOfDarkness: The Immortal (deity, functionally speaking) Nyx is the Entropic Immortal of darkness, night, and the undead. She is also notably the only Immortal of Entropy who is ''not'' evil, although her goals [[BlueAndOrangeMorality would be horrifying]] to most people.
170	* GreaterScopeVillain: [[TheGrimReaper Thanatos]], Immortal of Death. One of the oldest, possibly first Immortals and still very active. He is responsible for creation of the Burrowers, Night Dragons (their queen, Synn, answers personally to him), corruption of both the Taymoran and Nithian Empires, corruption of Hattians and Heldannic Knights through creation of [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Storm Soldiers]] and personally sponsored to Immortality pretty much all big name baddies, including [[BigRedDevil Alphaks]], [[TheCorrupter Antzanteotl]], [[DestroyerDeity Demogorgon]], [[ForTheEvulz Loki]] and [[MisanthropeSupreme Orcus]].
171	* GreenRocks: Cinnabryl from the Red Steel region, mostly used to create titular Red Steel and keeping at bay effects of the Red Curse.
172	* GrimUpNorth: Apptly named Northern Reaches, land of HornyVikings. North to it is a similiar land, Heldannic Territorries, conquered by [[KnightTemplar Heldannic Knights]] and even further north is untamed, unforgiving land of Norworld. Denegoth is a cross between this and {{Mordor}}.
173	* HollowWorld: Literally the name of a boxed set campaign. The planet's hollow interior is a mystery even to the oldest of Immortals; Ka the Preserver, a ''sapient dinosaur'', has no idea who made it. Ka and a group of allied Immortals turned it into a glorified nature preserve.
174	* ItRunsInTheFamily: The d'Ambervilles of Glantri, whose first appearance in ''X2: TabletopGame/CastleAmber'' contributed a ''lot'' to the setting's zany streak.
175	* KillTheCutie: You can't save Aleena.
176	* LizardFolk: Multiple species of these exist in Mystara. The "common" Mystaran lizardfolk species calls itself the Shazak. Wallaras are an ancient, AlwaysMale relative sometimes known as "Chameleon Men". Gurrash, also known as Gator-Men, were created by the Herathian Magocracy blending Shazaks with alligators in an attempt to create a more useful servant. Results were... mixed, at best. Caymars, or Cay-Men, were a caiman-based repeat of the experiment, who were no more of a success. Krolli are winged Shazaks who favor a mercenary lifestyle. Sis'thiks are desert-dwelling amazonian lizardfolk species, noted for a particular taste for copper dragon flesh.
177	* LostWorld: The Hollow World is also the preservation area for the Immortals of the setting. And yes, there are dinosaurs.
178	* TheMagicGoesAway:
179	** 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, until ultimately it will extinguish magic forever. 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...
180	** Civilizations that are relocated 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.
181	** Special abilities acquired through the use of cinnabryl must generally be forfeited if their users leave the Red Steel region.
182	* {{Magitek}}: The presence of multiple ancient, high-powered magocracies results in lots of industrialized magic. Including lots of [[CoolAirship flying vehicles]].
183	* TheMagocracy: The Principalities of Glantri and the Empire of Alphatia. Also the Magocracy of Herath in the far west. Wendar and other elven realms kinda-sorta count here also, given that all the setting's elves use arcane magic.
184	** 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.
185	* MegaCorp: The Minrothad Guilds are organized like a massive medieval-era version.
186	* MassiveRaceSelection: While most D&D settings have this trope, Mystara has more ''player character'' races than just about any other published setting.
187	* {{Matriarchy}}: 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.
188	* MixAndMatchCritters: The Phanatons are a primitive jungle-dwelling race who look like a cross between a raccoon (head, tail coloration) and monkey (body), with the patagia of a flying squirrel added for good measure. They're actually a playable race.
189	* MonsterAdventurers: 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.
190	* NeglectfulPrecursors: Arguably, the ancient Blackmoor civilization, given their end and the number of their artifacts floating around.
191	* NinjaPirateRobotZombie: The Kubbits from the Hollow World; dinosaur-hunting miniature human Amazon warriors created by an Alphatian wizard as a race of assassin-slaves.
192	* NonHumanHumanoidHybrid: The N'djatwa are a race born of systemic interbreeding between elves and ''ogres''. They have the general attractive appearance, mental acuity and magical talents of their elven ancestors, but also the size, strength and stamina of their ogre progenitors. Unfortunately, as both races were darkly pragmatic at best, they're a rather malevolent species, whose culture is founded on slavery and anthropophagy.
193	* OmniscientMoralityLicense: In the Glantri sourcebook, the Immortal Khoronus proclaims the tampering with the Radiance that turned it into a permanent drain on Mystara's magical energies to be justified, because the end of magic on Mystara will see humanity turn to mundane technology, eventually becoming as advanced as Blackmoor once again. Completely ignoring that, for that to happen, not only will Glantri itself collapse because its {{magitek}} no longer functions (and it will be destroyed in a nuclear explosion if the Radiance is completely exhausted, as that will destabilize the reactor), but Mystara will undergo a ''mass extinction event'', as the depletion of magic will wipe out every monster and humanoid race with a strong connection to magic, including dragons, elves, wallara and aranea.
194	* OneGenderRace: The wallara, or "chameleon-men", are an AlwaysMale species of LizardFolk who rely on a magic-based form of BizarreAlienReproduction, where a wallara's cast-off skin has a 5% chance of being magically transformed into a baby wallara if it is placed inside one of their race's sacred shrines.
195	* OneWordTitle: Also ThePlace, as Mystara is the name of the world.
196	* OurDemonsAreDifferent: While demonic beings were largely kept out of BD&D because of the SatanicPanic and BD&D primarily being targeted toward the younger set, the Immortals set and the Wrath of the Immortals supplement of the Rules Cyclopedia reintroduce them as Fiends, Exalted and Immortal beings of the Entropy Sphere. Greater Fiends, such as Alphaks and Orcus, are out and out Immortals themselves, but other Fiends, called Lesser Fiends, are Exalted-level beings created from mortals by Entropic Immortals and used as their minions, and not only are they able to call upon four Immortal-level powers, but they're also capable of using their Power Points to access any spell at 36th level.
197	* OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame:
198	** 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]].
199	** In the Hollow World, they're more likely to be mountain shepherds than miners. This is because, like all other Hollow World inhabitants, [[spoiler:they're an ancient culture placed there to preserve it from extinction. In their case, they're the Kogolor dwarves who lived before the Blackmoor disaster and the remaking of the dwarven race into its present form]].
200	* OurElvesAreDifferent: The standard "high elf" archetype is filled by the forest elves. However, the dark elf analogues, the shadow elves, have chalk-white skin and are ''not'' innately evil (mostly just suckered by a ManipulativeBastard Immortal). Finally, there are the water elves, who are seafaring merchants.
201	* OurGodsAreDifferent: The Immortals are incredibly powerful beings akin to gods that are ascended from mortal beings. They cannot be hurt by any but the strongest of mortal weapons, they are completely immune to mortal magic, and they can create races and even entire worlds if they want to. The only way an Immortal can be killed permanently is in their home plane -- and you have to have the Immortal's express permission to enter.
202	* OurWerewolvesAreDifferent: Well, Malachie du Marais is, anyway. And there were some non-standard therianthropes in the Basic rules, especially in the fourth ''Creature Crucible'' supplement.
203	* TheOwlKnowingOne: The Hisao, a fey race (and potential player character race) introduced in ''Creature Crucible PC 1: Tall Tales of the Wee Folk'', are a race of philosopher-priests who happen to be talking, spellcasting owls the size of {{hobbits}}.
204	* ParasolParachute: Thyatis created the Bumber-Chute, an enchanted umbrella that acts as a parachute, as a safety device for its air force. It has also been adopted by the Knights of the Air, a social club for adventurers and nobles interested in flying.
205	* PintSizedPowerhouse: The Kubbits only stand 18 inches tall, but can reach strength analogous to a better-than-average full-sized man (Strenth 2d6 rather than 3d6) and run so fast that they are no slower than ordinary humans.
206	* ThePlace: Also a OneWordTitle with Mystara, as it is the name of the world, but the other title, ''Known World'', as well.
207	* 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.
208	* SchizoTech: Immortal magic causes this in the Hollow World, but not uncommon elsewhere.
209	* ScorpionPeople: The manscorpions, also called the Nimmurians or sohktars, were originally desert-dwelling barbarians who eventually settled in the vaguely Sumerian civilization of Nimmur, originally founded by a race of [[OurMinotaursAreDifferent winged minotaurs]] called the enduks. This lasted until the sohktars betrayed the enduks, ran them out of their homes and claimed Nimmur for themselves, an act for which they were cursed with extreme albinism and intolerence of the sun, forcing them underground.
210	* ShoutOut:
211	** 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]].
212	** Dragon Magazine's ''Voyages of the Princess Ark'' series by Bruce Heard, in which Mystara's outlying regions were vastly expanded upon, contained non-stop Shout Outs to everything from ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' to ''Franchise/StarTrek'' movies to Creator/JohnWayne.
213	** The Gazeteer ''Elfes of Alfheim'' has three NPC who are easily recognisable [[{{Expy}} expies]] of ComicBook/ElfQuest main protagonists.
214	** Nearly everything about the d'Ambrevilles, including their home of Averoigne, is a ShoutOut to Creator/ClarkAshtonSmith -- and everything that isn't is a ShoutOut to Creator/EdgarAllanPoe.
215	* SingleSpeciesNations: The setting has four nations that are dominated by a single species: Alfheim, Rockhome, The Five Shires, and the Shadow Elves territory. A fifth one, Broken Lands, consists of multiple humanoid species, but the map is drawn in a way that implies Thar's empire is divided into provinces that consist of one species.
216	* SmallNameBigEgo: The racial flaw of the Caymar; whilst definitely smarter than their Gurrash prototypes, they're nowhere near as smart as they think they are, and are incredibly arrogant, which contributed to their being abandoned as failures by the Herathians.
217	* SolarCPR: The weakening of magic disrupts the Hollow World's light system.
218	* SpaceFillingEmpire: Done with the first map ever printed of the planet Mystara, which depicted a major hunk of continent as "the Empire of Dorfin IV", and showed the Empire of Thyatis (whose actual boundaries were much less) encompassing the entire "Known World" region. Averted and Lampshaded by Bruce Heard's Voyages of the Princess Ark article series, which revealed this map to be a complete fraud, perpetuated by a DeadpanSnarker who'd named its various Space Filling Empires after his wife, his mistress, and his dog.
219	* SpiderPeople: The Aranea are a race of 4ft long, 2ft wide spiders with greater-than-human intelligence (minimum Intelligence of 12 in 2e; human average Intelligence in 2e is 8-10) and a powerful affinity for magic and psionics. They're capable of VoluntaryShapeshifting between a singular "humanoid form" that can appear as anything from the size of a goblin to the size of a gnoll, as well as taking a hybrid humanoid/spider form. Though feared as AlwaysChaoticEvil InUniverse, they're actually arrogant, manipulative {{Jerkass}}es at worst, with a typical racial alignment of Neutral. They secretly run the Magocracy of Herath from behind the scenes.
220	* {{Steampunk}}: Skygnome tech has strong overtones of this.
221	* SuperweaponSurprise: The tiny hamlet of Moon Hill, set in the idyllic halfling province of Seashire, has a vast number of high-level adventurers living in it. It's noted that it would be harder to invade than the great fortified cities neighboring it.
222	* TheWallAroundTheWorld: Skyshield keeps the atmosphere in. It has openings on poles and is occasionally breached, which spawns an enormous tornado until the hole regenerates.
223	* WizardsWar: One such conflict occurs in ''Wrath of the Immortals'' campaign for Second Edition between the Principalities of Glantri and TheEmpire of Alphatia. It involves both [[spoiler:a thousand Alphatian archmages storming Glantri City and Glantri firing a weapon that accidentially sinks the entire Alphatian continent]].

Context TabletopGame / Mystara