The Pantheon of Harthron
The gods of Harthron are arrayed into three divine houses, each descending from one of the three creator brothers. Beyond these houses dwell a number of independent deities — racial patrons and ancient powers who owe allegiance to no house.
House of Ghald
The house of order, light, and protection — descended from Ghald the Eldest, who set the stars in their courses and gave unto mortals the gift of law.
| Deity | Focus | Alignment | Domains | Holy Symbol |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celebron | God of Time & Stars | LN | Knowledge | Silver Star |
| Evaleigh | Goddess of Knowledge & the Elves | LN | Nature, Knowledge, Light | Rising Sun |
| Ghaldor | Son of Ghald—God of Protection & Law | LG | Life, Light, War | Shield with Horse & Sword |
| Ghondalist | Goddess of Nature | N | Nature, Knowledge | Oak Tree |
| Hulloon | The Sun God | LN | Life, Light | Sun |
| Ninadolis | Goddess of Peace & Serenity | LG | Life, Nature | White Cloud |
| Thoreathias | Son of Ghaldor—God of Truth & Justice | LG | Knowledge, Light | Two Crossed Swords |
House of Evetorak
The dark house of death, destruction, and treachery — descended from Evetorak the Jealous, who sowed chaos and ruin into the world.
| Deity | Focus | Alignment | Domains | Holy Symbol |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basdon | Lord of Death, the Banished One | LE | Death, Trickery | Red Skull |
| Colepram | God of Slaughter, War & Gladiators | CN | War | Crossed Axes with Blood |
| Destra | Goddess of Pain & Torture | CE | Death | Black Knives |
| Hekates | Goddess of Dark Arts, Night & Shadows | LE | Trickery | Black Mask |
| Koth | Lord of Destruction, Tyranny, Hate & Murder | CE | Death, War | Black Mace |
| Lorgetta | Goddess of Death, Revenge & Swamps | CE | Death, Trickery | Black Snake |
| Mittabea | Goddess of Misfortune | CE | Trickery | Five-Headed Hydra |
| Morgolog | The Unwanted—God of Death | LE | Death | Bones |
| Nardune | The Insane One | CE | Trickery | Broken Bones |
| The One With No Name | The Shadow Lord | CE | Death, Knowledge | Black Skull |
House of Neuthar
The house of balance, nature, craft, and trade — descended from Neuthar the Youngest, protector of the world and nurturer of all living things.
| Deity | Focus | Alignment | Domains | Holy Symbol |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apellonia | Goddess of Beauty, Art, Music & Magic | LN | Light, Knowledge | Golden Harp |
| Azcod | God of Fire | CN | Nature | Flames |
| Brendrall | God of Travel & Adventure | N | Knowledge | Road Through Woods |
| Cistix | God of Magic | N | Trickery, Knowledge | Circle with Triangle |
| Cordall | God of War | N | War | Any Weapon |
| Darthar | God of Shadows | CN | Death | Black Hooded Cloak |
| Eaquack | Provider of Earth & Farmers | NG | Nature | Oak Leaf |
| Enku | God of the River & Fishing | N | Nature | Silver Fish |
| Freeta | Goddess of Winter | LN | Nature, Tempest | Mountain Peak |
| Frudrac | God of Magic | N | Knowledge | White Stars in Circle |
| Garnu | God of Sands, Sun & Desert | N | Light | Sun Rising over Sands |
| Grantil | God of Thieves & Trickery | N | Trickery | Brass Boots |
| Kyla | Goddess of the Sea & Keeper of Winds | CN | Tempest | Trident |
| Manwoo | God of Trade & Merchants | N | Knowledge, Trickery | Wagon Wheel |
| Neuthar | Protector of Harthron | NG | Nature | None |
| Shangdale | Protector of History | LN | Knowledge | Scroll |
| Staleana | Goddess of the Hunt | CN | Life, Nature | Bow & Arrow as One |
| Tribella | God of Luck | N | Trickery | Two Coins Melted Together |
| Wadeale | God of Creation, Inventions & Gnomes | N | Knowledge | Looking Glass |
Independent Deities
Racial patron gods and powerful beings who stand apart from the three houses, answering to no brother’s lineage.
| Deity | Focus | Alignment | Domains | Holy Symbol |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bahamut | God of Good Dragons, Wisdom & Justice | LG | Life, War | Head of Bahamut |
| Barvindor | God of the Dwarves, War & Mining | LG | Nature, War | Crossed War Hammers |
| Darbison | God of Snakes | CE | Nature | Two Snakes Wrapped as One |
| God of Orcs | Conquest, Survival & Strength | CE | Tempest, War | Unblinking Eye |
| Hargnack | God of Bugbears, Violence & Combat | CE | War | Morningstar |
| God of Troglodytes | Hunger & Destruction | CE | Death | Image of Lizard |
| Kenilora | Queen of the Drow | CE | Trickery | Spider |
| Tiamat | Goddess of Evil Dragons & Greed | CE | Trickery | Dragon Head with Five Claws |
| Togul Mier | God of Trickery & Adventure | LG | Trickery | Small Sword |
| The One-Handed God | God of Destructive & Evil Secrets | NE | Knowledge | Hand with Eye in Palm |
The Calendar of Harthron
The year in Harthron comprises fourteen months of twenty-eight days each, numbering 392 days in all. The year commences upon the first day of Melt.
The Three Moons
Three moons trace their ancient courses through the heavens of Harthron. The Red Moon Endri completes a swift 14-day cycle, burning full upon the 7th and the 21st of each month — yet Endri is no steady lantern. In every third month (Planting, Celebration, Hunt, and Chill) the Red Moon flares with Endri’s Echo — a second, ghostly brightening three days after each true full, as though the moon refuses to release its grip upon the night. Sages dispute the cause: some say Endri remembers its shattered twin; others whisper that the god Ghaldor holds the moon aloft by force of will. The Echo creates conjunctions that would otherwise be impossible, and the nights it touches are considered unpredictable and charged with wild magic.
Galdi, the Grey Moon, follows a stately 28-day course and rises full upon the 7th of each month. And Neutha, the Blue Moon, moves to its own 21-day rhythm, its fullness drifting through the months in an eternal, unhurried dance.
The Seven Days
| Day | Abbr. | Patron Deity | Domain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ghaldorday | Gha | Ghaldor | Law & Protection |
| Hullday | Hul | Hulloon | The Sun |
| Celebday | Cel | Celebron | Time & Stars |
| Neutharday | Neu | Neuthar | Nature & Balance |
| Stalday | Sta | Staleana | The Hunt |
| Brendday | Bre | Brendrall | Travel & Adventure |
| Apellday | Ape | Apellonia | Art, Music & Beauty |
The Fourteen Months
House Rules
Modifications and additions to the standard rules of the Fifth Edition, as practised at our table.
Highlocke — D&D 5.5 rules
These rules apply to the Highlocke campaign.
Descriptions
Character age categories
Character ages use seven adjectives: juvenile, young, adult, middle-aged, aging, elderly, venerable. The categories describe life stages relative to species, rather than applying human ages to everyone. Sága, at 58, is aging.
The human bands below provide the reference scale. Shares of adult life are approximate; the species thresholds determine the category.
| Adjective | Share of adult life | Human ages |
|---|---|---|
| juvenile | Before adolescence | 0–12 |
| young | Before 15% | 13–29 |
| adult | 15–33% | 30–44 |
| middle-aged | 33–45% | 45–54 |
| aging | 45–63% | 55–69 |
| elderly | 63–82% | 70–84 |
| venerable | 82% and beyond | 85+ |
Where each category begins
A character enters each category at the age shown and remains there until the next threshold. Juvenile covers the years before young; venerable has no upper limit. Unknown ages remain unspecified rather than being inferred from appearance.
| Species | Young | Adult | Middle-aged | Aging | Elderly | Venerable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human | 13 | 30 | 45 | 55 | 70 | 85 |
| Goliath, Tiefling | 12 | 30 | 45 | 55 | 70 | 85 |
| Dragonborn, Orc | 10 | 25 | 36 | 44 | 56 | 68 |
| Halfling | 13 | 40 | 60 | 80 | 100 | 125 |
| Dwarf | 35 | 95 | 150 | 185 | 240 | 295 |
| Gnome | 25 | 100 | 165 | 215 | 285 | 355 |
| Elf | 70 | 200 | 315 | 390 | 510 | 635 |
Height and build
Height and build describe a character relative to the average for their species and sex. A tall female gnome is tall for a gnome woman. Species and the game’s Small, Medium or Large size describe absolute scale. Ordinary height and build need no adjective.
Height
| Adjective | Relative height |
|---|---|
| diminutive | More than 10% below average |
| short | 5% to 10% below average |
| omit | Within 5% of average |
| tall | 5% to 10% above average |
| towering | More than 10% above average |
At the 5% boundary, use short or tall; at exactly 10%, keep short or tall. Human reference heights are about 5 feet 9 inches for men and 5 feet 4 inches for women. Rounded examples put tall men around 6 feet to 6 feet 3 inches and towering men around 6 feet 4 inches or more; tall women around 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 10 inches and towering women around 5 feet 11 inches or more. These are approximate guides.
Build
Judge build relative to height, species and sex, rather than by weight alone.
| Adjective | Build |
|---|---|
| slight | Noticeably light-framed |
| lean | Trim, with little excess |
| omit | Average |
| sturdy | Solid and broad |
| heavy | Noticeable bulk |
| massive | Exceptional bulk |
Add one qualifier, wiry, muscular or soft, when it helps describe how the weight sits. Heavy and muscular describes a different build from heavy and soft. Do not infer build from a weight alone, or apply a human height threshold to another species.
Keep identity lines in this order: age, gender, subspecies and species, subclass and class, then physique after a dash, with the player’s name last in parentheses. Omit unknown traits. Use the same terms naturally in the description, without numeric heights or weights.
aging female Northlander human starry druid — towering, sturdy, muscular (Seth)
In prose, Sága is a towering, powerfully built older woman. Her age category remains aging even when she looks younger.
Negative hit points and stabilization
A character can survive at −10 HP at level 1. The limit extends by 2 HP each level: −12 at level 2, −14 at level 3, and so on. Reaching the limit does not itself cause death.
While below 0 HP and not stabilized, roll a DC 15 death save each round, including at the negative-HP limit. A successful save made live on camera stabilizes the character; a failed save loses 1 HP. At −10 HP at level 1, the character can still make the save: failure takes them below the limit and they die. The same rule applies at the higher-level limits. Any healing stabilizes the character.
Inspiration dice
The DM awards d10 inspiration dice. A player may use a die or give it to another PC. It must be used before the roll is made.
Experience and absent players
There will be group XP, extra combat XP, and roleplaying XP. An absent player may have another player run their PC for the session; that PC can then earn all types of XP.
The next session is planned for October 10, 2026.
Earlier table rules
The earlier rules below are retained for reference. Where they overlap, use the Highlocke updates above for this campaign; whether older inspiration storage and gifting limits still apply is unconfirmed.
Aimed Shot
A player may target a specific part of the body with a −5 penalty and disadvantage upon the attack roll. Should the blow find its mark, the DM determines the effect according to the area struck.
Fumble
A natural 1 upon an attack roll signifies that the attack misses, all remaining attacks that turn are forfeit, and the character is limited to bonus actions alone for the remainder of the round.
Attunement
Characters may attune to a number of magic items equal to their proficiency bonus (rather than the customary three). The methods of attunement vary by item and demand more than a mere short rest to complete.
Companions
Rangers may direct their beast companions as a free action. All others must expend their movement or an action to command a companion.
Equipment & Natural Armor
When a creature possessed of natural armour dons additional armour, its AC is reckoned thus: worn armour AC + half the natural armour bonus (rounded up).
Experience
Players earn experience through several avenues:
- The penning of character backstories
- Combat encounters
- Aiding fellow party members with spellcasting
- The completion of adventure milestones
- Roleplay of exceptional quality
Metagaming results in XP penalties.
Inspiration Points
Bestowed by the DM for exceptional roleplay or at moments of great import. When invoked, the player adds a d10 modifier to any roll. A player may hold up to 4 points in reserve and may gift one point per session to a fellow character.
Skills & Saves
A natural 20 always succeeds. A natural 1 always fails (or is counted as two failures should the character possess advantage).
Character Creation
Two options are available:
- Rolling: Roll 4d6, reroll 1s once, and keep the highest three dice. Repeat for each ability score.
- Standard Array: Start with 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8 and adjust using point redistribution.