DShomshak

Well, the HERO books generally classify power sets into Attack, Defense, Movement, Information, and Miscellaneous. That's not a bad place to start for designing spell sets for spellcasters who, presumably, are meant to include PC adventurers.
 
You can also consider the fundamental applications of magic in RL beliefs:
* Luck and prosperity;
* Healing and exorcism;
* Curses (any magic to inflict harm on others);
* Dominating the wills of others (could be considered a subclass of curses);
* Divination and detection;
* Transcendental experiences;
* Commanding the powers of nature.
 
For further explanation, see The Ultimate Mystic.
 
Though not every style of magic includes all these functions. For instance, the Evil Eye (probably the most widespread RL magical belief) only does curses, while divinations\ systems of course only do divination. At the other extreme, European Grimoire Magic can summon a demon for nearly any purpose -- but it's limited by the need for long and complex rituals.
 
So before you write spells, maybe work out what role you want magic to play in the setting, which in turn will influence the mechanisms of spellcasting and what characters can do.
 
Dean Shomshak

Well, the HERO books generally classify power sets into Attack, Defense, Movement, Information, and Miscellaneous. That's not a bad place to start for designing spell sets for spellcasters who, presumably, are meant to include PC adventurers.
 
You can also consider the fundamental applications of magic in RL beliefs:
* Luck and prosperity;
* Healing and exorcism;
* Curses (any magic to inflict harm on others);
* Dominating the wills of others (could be considered a subclass of curses);
* Divination and detection;
* Transcendental experiences;
* Commanding the powers of nature.
 
For further explanation, see The Ultimate Mystic.
 
Though not every style of magic includes all these functions. For instance, the Evil Eye (probably the most widespread RL magical belief) only does curses, while divinations\ systems of course only do divination. At the other extreme, European Grimoire Magic can summon a demon for nearly any purpose -- but it's limited by the need for long and complex rituals.
 
So before you write spells, maybe work out what role you want magic to play in the setting, which in turn will influence the mechanisms of spellcasting and what characters can do.
 
Dean Shomshak

speaking of Australia, cockatoos in Sydney show disturbing intelligence. No doubt their growing facility with trash bins is merely practice for some new way to kill people. (It is, after all, Australia.)
Oh Flock... Clever Cockatoos Are More Culturally ... - npr.org
www.npr.org/2021/07/22/1019413219 Cockatoos in Sydney have become expert trash bin burglars. Scientists say birds in different neighborhoods have taught each other different techniques to open the bins, a sign of cultural...
Dean Shomshak

speaking of Australia, cockatoos in Sydney show disturbing intelligence. No doubt their growing facility with trash bins is merely practice for some new way to kill people. (It is, after all, Australia.)
Oh Flock... Clever Cockatoos Are More Culturally ... - npr.org
www.npr.org/2021/07/22/1019413219 Cockatoos in Sydney have become expert trash bin burglars. Scientists say birds in different neighborhoods have taught each other different techniques to open the bins, a sign of cultural...
Dean Shomshak

I really like Matachin. I updated him to 5E as part of an ad hoc group of villainous supernatural "knights," the Obsidian Table, hired by Brangomar the Shadow Queen. Other members were the Black Paladin (leader), Hell Rider, Morningstar (Steve Long's character, not Dean's), Lightning Man, Harpy (Brangomar saw her bird-woman form as too ugly to be jealous of), and Shadowdragon (not the same cultural motif, but I figured Brangomar would find that name too appealing not to include).
 
I told y'all I like themed teams. 😜

Since this is just for your own use, Steriaca, you could use Matachin (from Ultimate Supermage) as your sword guy instead of Red Rapier. At some point I hope to publish my 6e revision of him as part of my Sylvestri family expansion product, but doing your own rewrite shouldn't be too hard.
 
I also offer Sun-Saber from Shared Origins: Sky-Q, if you want someone who's more Silver Age.
 
Like archers, fencers seem to be a pretty well-used (or well-worn) concept.
 
Dean Shomshak

speaking of Australia, cockatoos in Sydney show disturbing intelligence. No doubt their growing facility with trash bins is merely practice for some new way to kill people. (It is, after all, Australia.)
Oh Flock... Clever Cockatoos Are More Culturally ... - npr.org
www.npr.org/2021/07/22/1019413219 Cockatoos in Sydney have become expert trash bin burglars. Scientists say birds in different neighborhoods have taught each other different techniques to open the bins, a sign of cultural...
Dean Shomshak

speaking of Australia, cockatoos in Sydney show disturbing intelligence. No doubt their growing facility with trash bins is merely practice for some new way to kill people. (It is, after all, Australia.)
Oh Flock... Clever Cockatoos Are More Culturally ... - npr.org
www.npr.org/2021/07/22/1019413219 Cockatoos in Sydney have become expert trash bin burglars. Scientists say birds in different neighborhoods have taught each other different techniques to open the bins, a sign of cultural...
Dean Shomshak

A teacher asks:
<quote>"How could a teacher possibly discuss slavery, the Holocaust, or the mass shootings at the Walmart in El Paso or at the Sutherland Springs church in my district without giving deference to any one perspective?” she asked.</quote>
 
Sounds easy to me: After describing the event in all its horror, conclude with, "The Republicans of the state legislature forbid me, by law, from saying that these actions were immoral." Which is absolutely factual, and thus cannot be accused of "giving deference to any one perspective." But I suspect that high schoolers, at least, will get the message. Especially if delivered with an eyeroll and an ostentatiously pious tone of voice.
 
Dean Shomshak

A teacher asks:
<quote>"How could a teacher possibly discuss slavery, the Holocaust, or the mass shootings at the Walmart in El Paso or at the Sutherland Springs church in my district without giving deference to any one perspective?” she asked.</quote>
 
Sounds easy to me: After describing the event in all its horror, conclude with, "The Republicans of the state legislature forbid me, by law, from saying that these actions were immoral." Which is absolutely factual, and thus cannot be accused of "giving deference to any one perspective." But I suspect that high schoolers, at least, will get the message. Especially if delivered with an eyeroll and an ostentatiously pious tone of voice.
 
Dean Shomshak

A teacher asks:
<quote>"How could a teacher possibly discuss slavery, the Holocaust, or the mass shootings at the Walmart in El Paso or at the Sutherland Springs church in my district without giving deference to any one perspective?” she asked.</quote>
 
Sounds easy to me: After describing the event in all its horror, conclude with, "The Republicans of the state legislature forbid me, by law, from saying that these actions were immoral." Which is absolutely factual, and thus cannot be accused of "giving deference to any one perspective." But I suspect that high schoolers, at least, will get the message. Especially if delivered with an eyeroll and an ostentatiously pious tone of voice.
 
Dean Shomshak

A teacher asks:
<quote>"How could a teacher possibly discuss slavery, the Holocaust, or the mass shootings at the Walmart in El Paso or at the Sutherland Springs church in my district without giving deference to any one perspective?” she asked.</quote>
 
Sounds easy to me: After describing the event in all its horror, conclude with, "The Republicans of the state legislature forbid me, by law, from saying that these actions were immoral." Which is absolutely factual, and thus cannot be accused of "giving deference to any one perspective." But I suspect that high schoolers, at least, will get the message. Especially if delivered with an eyeroll and an ostentatiously pious tone of voice.
 
Dean Shomshak

A teacher asks:
<quote>"How could a teacher possibly discuss slavery, the Holocaust, or the mass shootings at the Walmart in El Paso or at the Sutherland Springs church in my district without giving deference to any one perspective?” she asked.</quote>
 
Sounds easy to me: After describing the event in all its horror, conclude with, "The Republicans of the state legislature forbid me, by law, from saying that these actions were immoral." Which is absolutely factual, and thus cannot be accused of "giving deference to any one perspective." But I suspect that high schoolers, at least, will get the message. Especially if delivered with an eyeroll and an ostentatiously pious tone of voice.
 
Dean Shomshak

A teacher asks:
<quote>"How could a teacher possibly discuss slavery, the Holocaust, or the mass shootings at the Walmart in El Paso or at the Sutherland Springs church in my district without giving deference to any one perspective?” she asked.</quote>
 
Sounds easy to me: After describing the event in all its horror, conclude with, "The Republicans of the state legislature forbid me, by law, from saying that these actions were immoral." Which is absolutely factual, and thus cannot be accused of "giving deference to any one perspective." But I suspect that high schoolers, at least, will get the message. Especially if delivered with an eyeroll and an ostentatiously pious tone of voice.
 
Dean Shomshak

A teacher asks:
<quote>"How could a teacher possibly discuss slavery, the Holocaust, or the mass shootings at the Walmart in El Paso or at the Sutherland Springs church in my district without giving deference to any one perspective?” she asked.</quote>
 
Sounds easy to me: After describing the event in all its horror, conclude with, "The Republicans of the state legislature forbid me, by law, from saying that these actions were immoral." Which is absolutely factual, and thus cannot be accused of "giving deference to any one perspective." But I suspect that high schoolers, at least, will get the message. Especially if delivered with an eyeroll and an ostentatiously pious tone of voice.
 
Dean Shomshak

In M&M's Atlas of the World, he was actually a Rakshasa from India working to foil his people's plans for moving outside of India!

At risk of tooting my own horn, I recommend my "Worldbuilding: Social Design and Social Forces" thread, which I just bumped back up to the top of the page. You might find it useful for fleshing out the "deep structure" of how your setting functions.
 
If you want every city to have something colorful and distinctive (and I wouldn't say that's necessary for *every* city; concentrate your efforts on the places you intend the adventures to happen in), I'll repeat my usual recommendation of Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities. It's quite a short...  prose poem? At any rate, Fantasy from an author who won the Nobel Prize for literature.
 
Dean Shomshak

Hubble Space Telescope is operational again  ... fifteen years after its design lifetime.
 
I have said before ... that when our descendants look back on this era, they may judge that our truly superheroic creations have been things we sent to space.

Inspired by The Big Lie, Two Men Built Arsenal to Firebomb California’s Democratic Headquarters

Given the potential benefits of space industrialization, such as nigh-limitless solar energy, minerals from the asteroids, and microgravity industrial processes... No, it's not clear to me that Branson could spend his money on any worthier cause. Sure, space tourism is a junket for the ultra-rich. But it's an indulgence that builds capacity for other things.
 
Dean Shomshak