The Daycare Stuck in a Standstill War

The Radiant Citadel is an interesting concept for a settlement, but falls short with how strongly the writers tried to make it a place of convenient justice. It feels like everything is good and safe and nice while also not answering enough questions as to "why aren't the warmongers warmongering?"
So it's peppered with lore notes that give it an eerie, uncanny sort of smiling mask. If you trust something as safe as the Citadel, you'll die the moment you leave it. Also that ritual is insane.
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[@SomeGunNerd]

Ah, seemingly utopian societies that become incredibly uncomfortable if you think about how they actually work. One of my favorite tropes in fantasy tbh.

[@VeenanNorvius]

seems like for the individual its mostly fine, and most of the shady shit only really effects those who would want the power to do shady shit

[@chameleonx9253]

That's because no matter how perfect a society appears to be, one person's utopia is always going to be someone's hell.

[@thunderwe_ryesiam]

well this is way better than most other fantasy societies because there isn't a catch for the average citizens like being mind controlled or paying with your lifeforce or having people of other races working as slaves or being trapped and unable to leave etc. They're actually just resourceful and happy. And yeah you will be punished for committing crimes but if you have everything you need why'd you do that, that's more on you than the society.

[@DarkonFullPower]

The original definition of a dystopia.

[@SomeGunNerd]

@@VeenanNorviusThat argument is very similar to the “nothing to hide, nothing to fear” approach. Just because someone has nothing to hide doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have privacy. The same applies here. The fact that some people may use their freedoms to do harm does not justify restricting the freedoms of everyone else. I say it’s uncomfortable because it’s totalitarian. It may look utopian on the surface but any deviation from what whoever’s in charge deems to be “the right thing” is forbidden and potentially even impossible, and no amount of peace/security can justify totalitarianism imo. A benevolent tyrant is still a tyrant.

[@trademarkshelton]

So some villain kills someone close to your character, and then flees to the Citadel and goes “Nah nah, you can’t touch me here.” Your character follows them there and kills them anyway. So the city spooks do the crazy ritual on him, and now he can’t kill anyone anymore, ever. Seems like an interesting backstory for a monk or paladin of some kind. “Wow, you’re so noble to stick to your creed of non killing.” “Um, sure. Thanks.”

[@peterwhite6415]

Worse part is that the Villain may have planned a few steps ahead by preparing a way to come back (Clone being the big example). So not only would you find out the bastard is back and planning some horrible stuff, and the ritual somehow worsens, making it impossible or extremly hard to attack or stop the guy.

[@MrMaradok]

It would certainly explain how such a badass is only LVL 1 - the guy literally has to make a career change. He CAN’T, for example, be a high powered fighter with one-hit-kill moves, because he CAN’T kill anymore!

[@WhiteRoomMan]

my dnd squad had this chat while playing the game, basically theres a border patrol that reads your mind and its intent before you enter the citadel every time you enter one of the crystal cars. if it deems your entry will cause harm to the citadel they'll immediately kick you out back to whatever nation you came from, leaving you stuck at the gate with whoever has that grudge against you

[@remuslebeau6570]

​@@peterwhite6415You can make him regret ever doing his evil deeds, you literally cannot kill anyone, that means you can keep wailing on him and he won't die.

[@phalamy9180]

You know, i feel like the reason a wish spell hasn't completely fucked up the whole of the D&D world yet, is because theres a council of like 300 uber Archmages sitting somewhere, immediately counter-wishing any wish that gets cast thats a bit too stupid.

[@franklyanogre00000]

That would explain the 33% chance of losing the ability to cast it.

[@chronozon937]

@@franklyanogre00000 And the whole "The DM has great latitude in ruling what occurs in such an instance; the greater the wish, the greater the likelihood that something goes wrong." Maybe the wish doesn't do what you want because one of the archwizards thought your wish was mean spirited.

[@nonya1366]

Then I know who to hunt down before committing wishes, thanks! -Man obliterated by 300 arch mages.

[@ognyannedev5979]

I would never visit that place. Imagine getting caught committing tax evasion. Now imagine never being able to evade taxes again in your life. This is scarier than strahd

[@VimyGlide]

yoshi wrote this post

[@jtyranus]

I don't care what kind of occult rituals they perform on my brain, I'm still not paying my taxes.

[@Brainwav]

On the other hand, imagine going there and just ripping the most heinous fart ever. So bad it's criminal. Now you're incapable of farting ever again. That's gotta be a permanent +1 to stealth, right?

[@ognyannedev5979]

@@Brainwav and -1 con because you suffer from constipation

[@chameleonx9253]

I love the idea of a BBEG who's been cursed to never be able to use violence ever again, so he has to become the most devious, manipulative, scheming bastard ever, using every single trick he can possibly imagine to arrange for his enemies to die without actually causing any damage himself.

[@RyanEdwardsVA]

Die? Oh, there are worse fates than death.

[@Neutral_Tired]

I was honestly expecting to find out that the city would basically mind control everyone in it into being model citizens as long as they're there. Like, you'd be completely incapable of even wanting to commit a crime or say mean things

[@chrishubbard64]

Camazotz

[@oriondye3212]

Sounds like your standard celestial plane of existence

[@clarkside4493]

​@@oriondye3212we wouldn't have Asmodeus if that was the case.

[@unironicallylikesranger7122]

Feels like The Spelljammer. Like the original living one, whose air envelope renders all life forms that breathe it and aren’t immune to being charmed docile and unwilling to leave. It just turns anyone who steps on into its crew.

[@Reubenaut]

I wish they brought that back. I definitely will.

[@agentchaos9332]

I like how all the big interplanar cities all have things way above & beyond a nomal city watch with humanoid guards, because in order to keep existing in d&d a city needs a defense mechanism capable of actually stopping level 20 murderhobos..whether its the Lady of Pain, 600 archmagi & a giant Forcecage shield around the city, a 50k strong City Guard made of CR 11 genies, or an Archfiend who's literally unkillable & immune to all damage within his lair. Just broken, op, ridiculous stuff that could feasibly arrest or kill min-maxed PC's.

[@Hawkens4k]

i feel like this is a anti-murder hobo area that's hellbent on forcing them to calm down.

[@gramfero]

not just murder hobo you WILL act how the guy at the top wante you to act... or you will be deemed an "undesirable". and "undesirables" dont stay long...

[@TheSuperRatt]

@@gramfero That's literally how every society works... Commit murder in any nation and you're in for much worse treatment.

[@ThefifthBishopofGord]

⁠@@gramferoit is not a guy at the top is a group of people unless you subscribe to the theory that was said in the video about the tornado and you have gendered the tornado.

[@gramfero]

@@ThefifthBishopofGord guy could be a council or a single person or a semi-sentient death tornado

[@marcogenovesi8570]

@@ThefifthBishopofGord how dare he misgender a tornado

[@DBArtsCreators]

The place probably has some massive, permanent Sanctuary spell cast on it (maybe a Zone of Truth too). Hard to have conflict when everyone is forced to be honest & their violence is suppressed.

[@frostmagemarii]

When you (the customer) have to make up reasons why the thing can even to be interesting, then it shouldn't been made in the first place.

[@marcogenovesi8570]

pfft, amateurs. You can screw over people by still being honest and non-violent

[@franklyanogre00000]

​@@marcogenovesi8570Aes Sedai seem to do it rather well in The Wheel of Time.

[@ThefifthBishopofGord]

⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠@@frostmagemariiThey are making theories because it already interests them. Well if they are like me as I have to base it off myself and assumptions on others. Anyways making theories on reasons why something happens isn’t one to one with just making up reasons. To me it just sounds like you have a negative attitude and came to a negative conclusion because of that attitude of yours. If making theories like this is bad than the entirety of science is bad because it is based on theorizing in the first place. Hell, theoretical physics is entirely theorizing on why stuff happens in our universe. Also having every explanation for every ever possible question that could come up in it would make it too long. Like if the answer to x question is y then someone is going to ask why is y the answer to x question.

[@DBArtsCreators]

@@frostmagemarii Have to? Customer? Eh? * Not a module I've bought; this was actually the first I've heard of it. * I've got no idea if the module book explains any of the how/why of it. I just said some ideas off the top of my head. Also, who said the thing wasn't interesting to begin with? Again, haven't read the module, but it sounds like some sort of Samurai Jack meets MLP:FiM setting, which already gives plenty of material to work with for stories & ideas on top of whatever the module already offers.

[@TheGenericavatar]

Mr Welch (he of the 2600+ things he can no longer due in an RPG fame) had Mystara's Alphatia (Egyptian wizard kingdom) and Thyatis (fantasy Romans) invade the Radiant Citadel by bribing one of the leaders to refuse to do his part to raise the impenetrable shield as part of one of his fixing Mystara's history/continuity videos. The traitor's faction was resettled in Thyatis and everybody else there was either killed or taken as slaves. The entire place was plundered so hard of anything valuable (goods, knowledge, magic, etc), including the crystals that made so much of the architecture, that the citadel later fell apart. :D

[@FirstLast-cg2nk]

So, it's genuinely like MLP: Friendship Is Magic, where everyone stays nice and friendly out of fear of an external force that will destroy the land if people aren't nice and friendly all the time.

[@durnsidh6483]

Wait, what episode talks about that? Which external force?

[@manateemanatee-eb6kn]

The wendigos I believe.@@durnsidh6483

[@necroarcanistxiii]

@@durnsidh6483 Idk much about the show, only seen creepypastas, not actual episodes, but one of my friends is a Brony and talked about it, I think it's that goat-dude Discord.

[@LordOfSilense]

@@durnsidh6483 Windigos, season 2 episode 11. They come in and freeze everything to death while sucking everyone's magic and power away at the same time if the three pony races shut themselves off.

[@fanusobscurus4309]

@@durnsidh6483 So. Backstory time. We find this out in season 2 with the Not Christmas Episode. Turns out, a long, long, long time ago, each of the 3 pony sub species were hyper racist towards each other. Like full blown warfare. Then the Wendigos came. Imagine dementors from Harry Potter if they were also a living ice age. They feed of hatred and infighting. And when your nations are being lead by a fophish snob who thinks one of the other leaders is her servant, a literal spartan, and Pinkie but even less sane, thats gonna be pretty common... Whelp, this results in a self feeding loop where the strife the wendigos cause gets blamed on the others, and all the finger pointing an infighting just makes them stronger. Eventually, once the 3 idiots in cheif got consumed by the ice, thier 2nds in command we actually freindly enough with each other that they WEAPONIZED FRIENDSHIP INTO FIRE MAGIC to vaporize them and end the ice age. But they still had to undergo an exodus to new lands since it was still an icy hellscape. Now for the REALLY fun bit. They still exist. And as was proven by several of the villains, Equestria is close enough n average to the breaking point you would only need a day to summon them back. Good news at least. They don't seem drawn to the Ponies general distrust and spite of other races. MLP Friendship is Magic: Only a cheery happy fantasy world till ya blink. Hey fun fact, did you know the movie implied they were gonna skin one of the main cast alive?

[@zmishiymishi5349]

-So you are the 600 archmages. which one of you is the most... Drippin? Two rounds later it was every mage for themselves

[@kjj26k]

**Wind picks up**

[@pensmith]

"The ritual said that "I" could no longer take a life by my own hands. Alas, as a business man I don't have to." - The Banished

[@codyjordan8722]

i was kinda already alluding to darker things in my crystal citadel playthrough but the cold war stuff is neat.

[@Kardel_VA]

Crime: Jaywalking Punishment: ONNNNE MILLION YEARS, FEEBLEMIND!

[@natezabinski5615]

My ideal d&d campaign is spending 4 in-game weeks living like Animal Crossing villager, then using that prep time to spend 1 week in Elden Ring. This setting is great for the first half of that.

[@itsishbish2689]

I mean this just sounds like a good time in general lmao

[@ItsmeInternetStranger]

On one hand I don't mind a setting where things are just generally okay and it's not full groups of lunatics who want to kill and/or conquer everything. On the other hand, it kind of feels like a less interesting Sigil, which is also an inter-planar trade and transit hub where neutrality is enforced. But that's a semi-omnipotent inscrutable being who puts people in mazes.

[@georgeuferov1497]

>where neutrality is enforced Radiant Citadel is more or less good-aligned society that prevents big crime Sigil is a hellhole They aren't the same

[@MarkD5678]

Similar, but different. Sigil connects different Outer Planes like Celestia or Gehenna, whereas the Radiant Citadel, unless I'm mistaken, connects different Material Planes like Toril or Oerth. One is a hub for otherworldly beings, the other is primarily a hub for mortals.

[@kjj26k]

Sigil also is just about neutrality. Very bad things do happen in Sigil. Radiant Citadel is about Good. Nothing bad can happen there. Makes for too very different places really.

[@FattyMcFox]

It is a little sad, that it is so hard to imagine a safe happy place that isn't somehow secretly sinister. Instead of a hub for research and healing, it has to always be some Hot fuzz "Neighbourhood Watch Alliance" thing. The "Utopia only through Dictatorship" trope is also, getting rather old. Anyway, i am going to homebrew this place to an inch of its life and make it more interesting.

[@elishafollet5347]

I guess people have become a lil bit cynical and now expect only the worst of things

[@alaskarii007]

@@elishafollet5347 I suggest looking into ThirdCom Union in 'Lancer', genuine utopian society but due to circumstances horrible things still happen and terrible tyrants still hold a lot of power, but the players can actually make things better for the future.

[@kjj26k]

​@@elishafollet5347 No wonder the Real World is such a nightmare. We cannot--WILL NOT--evwn in our imaginations, honestly create a place of people that coexist in peace and happiness simply because they want to. Because we don't want to, I guess.

[@Hyaskus]

I hear that Omelas place is doing well for itself. It's tbe festival of summers! Take some drooz and have a good time. Don't mind the basement

[@skeepodoop5197]

Let's say hypothetically, if one were to revive a possibly evil Lamia at the House of Convalescence, and promptly leave just after the ritual finishes, would that be deemed punishment worthy?

[@bobwish8851]

should be fine as long as you leave before the Lamia tries anything but you got to be fast otherwise Lamia is going to do Lamia things

[@mrsatterday5287]

When you think about, a BBEG could destroy the Radiant Citadel by simply messing with the unified societies until they snap and go at each other, thus causing the giant death tornado. Voila, you now have a way to tie the adventures together.

[@gramfero]

"well you can't because they're actually happy and friends with each other :)"

[@user-jl7uq6iv2m]

Or better yet find a way to control the giant death tornado

[@Dirgable]

This is exactly how my run through with this is going! 🔷✨

[@dew-it8744]

I feel like you can do a whole “ba sing se” arc in this city.

[@Nyghtking]

"There is no chaos outside the citadel."

[@gwentigone]

Very much what's happening in the campaign im running!

[@estebanrodriguez5409]

It's more like the city is a neutral ground for the different civilizations that profit from the transport network the crystals provide. The "controvertial punishment" is probably a permanent version of the geas spell. You could say that the city acts as a safety net for the other's civilizations problems. There is another interesting implication, the city needs the Speakers, literally it describes how things like water, light and even the plants start falling apart if one Speaker is missing. But Speakers are the voice of incarnates... so an incarnate without any member of it's civilization can make the city fall apart.

[@travislyonsgary]

Yeah I was mentally wondering how hard it would be to find and resurrect either the souls of the civilizations, find knowledge and recultivate descendants or even to partially transfer the crystals souls into new bodies.

[@estebanrodriguez5409]

@@travislyonsgary In the last Planescape book we have a new entry on the "planar incarnate", this type of creature is very similar to the incarnates from RC. It has this description: "Planar incarnates are akin to natural disasters that work to protect and further the virtues and vices of the planes they originate upon."

[@alackofgames913]

*whistful sigh* he has such a way with words

[@zavos5659]

Sounds like a fun place to host an evil campaign. Plus, when things go tits up, the party can just be dropped into another setting to try again.

[@itsallwayspouringo]

Wait that's actually a fantastic idea. You could get multiple mini goals and side quests from that alone. Finding allies in and outside, building your strength, sabotage, sowing seeds if chaos and distrust, and even just finding the damn thing could be adventures all on their own.

[@puddlel1ama327]

I'd love to see a video on Sigil if you'd be interested in making it

[@chattychatotchannel]

Omg yes! I was just thinking that haha

[@luvhair255]

Husband just mentioned this and it sounds so much cooler than this. People have to homebrew this thing to oblivion and go against what the original 'intent' was. Blade Mom sounds so much cooler.

[@georgeuferov1497]

​@@luvhair255 calling the Lady of Pain "Blade Mom" is hilarious, but will also probably get you flayed

[@jonathantrester1912]

There's also a room on the Radiant Citadel where you can cast any resurrecting/bring-back-the-dead spells, without needing to pay ANY material components. So even if your character did somehow die here, it'd just be a minor inconvenience!

[@kjj26k]

Sounds like if a party refuses to accept the demise of one of their own, they could go on an adventure to reach this place and ressurect their dead friend.

[@Reubenaut]

Fun fact the deep ethereal is also the place where dreams at Canonically happing and when you cast dream your projecting into the deep ethereal to find a particular persons dreamscape.

[@foisopracurtir6389]

Thought the dreams happened at the stratosphere/ limit of the near etherial, but what would hold it?

[@owendowling1439]

Thank you for explaining the Citadel it’s such a cool explanation. The only time I heard of the Cadel was some old Graugnard talking smack about it because it was too “happy go luck baby mode” but you going in depth really gets me interested and could be a fun place for an adventure. (could even make we happy few campaign)

[@Nyghtking]

Yup, you could do a few things with the "This place is way to happy and it feels off" idea.

[@lukerabon7925]

The problem with the Radiant Citadel is that they specifically wrote in ways the utopia can't be threatened, but those exact characteristics make it far less of a utopia. As you point out, it seems far more like people live in fear of magic lobotomy and a magic tornado powered by conflict than that they just chose to live together in peace. But a good and just society has to be maintained, it doesn't just happen and if you have to force it under penalty of mind control and banishment maybe it isn't as good and just as it claims

[@elishafollet5347]

Banishment and lobotomy only happens to the worst of the worst criminals like murders and rapists and stuff while lighter crimes as mentioned in this video are treated with jail and therapy so no I doubt people are in constant fear of getting banished/lobotomy since most of the people living there would be decent good hearted folks not looking for trouble and the idea of the tornado attacking them if there was conflict is just a theory of his there's nothing in the video that states it as a fact so theres reason to doubt that its the tornado that makes them act friendly to each other as well, I think yall and runesmith here are just being overly cynical. (There was also nothing to suggest that they are being mind controlled ether)

[@elishafollet5347]

Also the fact that it can't be attacked makes it even better since you won't have to worry about your village getting raided by generic warlord number 65 the fifth time that weak

[@nojusticenetwork9309]

Ehhh. I prefer the idea that the Radiant Citadel is a place that actually tried to learn from the mistakes of the past and created a society that actually WANTS to be a place of peace and prosperity for all. It's not a perfect place and the book calls that out, but it's depressing and not all that interesting to me for there to be some nefarious reason as to why the citadel works the way that it does. What's wrong with having a fantasy locale that's just hopeful?

[@TheSuperRatt]

Far too many people have become ardent misanthropes who actually want their hope to be crushed. They want their belief that we're damned, doomed, evil creatures at heart, to hold true. "The world sucks, it's gonna end, and there's nothing we could have done." Prove/depict that there is something that can be done, that we can save ourselves and achieve lasting justice, and the "realists" come to froth at the mouth. It'd be too psychologically damaging for them to accept that they and their beliefs were part of the problem. In other words, a bunch of children who never grew up can't face themselves.

[@lukerabon7925]

I think the problem is that you can't be heroes in a perfect society. So the Radiant Citadel, while potentially a nice place to live, kinda lacks an edge to create those adventures. Also that the book itself kinda betrays the fact that it isn't a perfect society. The two punishments are some kind of magical mind control and banishment. That's not exactly idealistic

[@Bread_n_Cheese]

Those punishments are only for the most extreme of crimes. You're not getting lobotomized for jaywalking or tax evasion.

[@kjj26k]

​@@lukerabon7925 Well DnD is a fiction full of absolute evil beings, therapy just does not go nearly as far as it could in our world. Perma blocking someone from commiting a heinous act without killing them sounds so much like a totally fine thing...but it does deny a sentient creature choice, which is in of itself, very heinous. Banishment is fine for a capital punishment. Clearly those that warrent that sentence have no interest in ever being a member of this society so let them not. Send them off to any location in the cosmos, they have so many other options. Don't just yeet baddies into the Deep Ethereal tho, that's just making the problem worse, or someone else's.

[@gaidencastro9706]

Can you look over the Inevitables? I think you would find them really cool.

[@necroarcanistxiii]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mnbKgYR_jsqBrbM An older vid of Runesmith's where he briefly covers the Marut.

[@neonavaro25]

Honestly, this design is kinda genious. If you want to play Care bears: the setting, you can. But if you want to actually have conflict, the whole thing soundslike a challenge for the GM to crack this thing like an egg. That sounds like a Win-win.

[@jtyranus]

Pretty sure that wasn't the intent though. It seems the intent was to make it a utopian hub world to go out and explore different worlds, always having a safe place to return to where big bads can't get you. This would be the equivalent of the players who want to derail what the GM planned, but instead its the GM wanting to derail the setting the publisher made.

[@lukerabon7925]

​@@jtyranusAs long as you are up front with players about any changes to a setting that might be relevant, then you can and should do whatever you want with a published setting

[@glich6035]

​​​​@@jtyranusso doing that thing that's readily encouraged and one of the core pillars of tabletop? This feels very your having fun wrong, blind as always to the problems with that statement. The only time "your fun bad" has any value other than negative is when said fun hurts someone. Cause you just basically said a gm should never add to, interpret/rework, or find any inspiration in a published setting. The intent your mentioning comes in two forms and the big way more important one is for this to be another of a long list of things in the gms toolbox for all the former. They dont expect it to be run 100% as presented 100% of the time cause that would be dumb.

[@mafeel105]

"there is no war in ba sing se"

[@misskrisfromtheabyss3765]

I've been running the Radiant Citadel module for a couple months now. It's been an absolute blast and my players like to joke, "No! Don't do that or the Diamond will throw a temper tantrum and kill everyone!"

[@dfailsthemost]

Wait, drawn to discourse? That's like new-genre-of-horror level terrifying.

[@RomLoneWolf23]

Sounds like a real interesting take. I would add my own idea that the civilizations exist in pocket dimensions, that are the last vestiges of their original Material Planes, and they need the Radiant Citadel's market for the resources they need to survive, making them interdependent on each other.

[@garrettgarner438]

2:38-2:45 it’s funny because both the world of we happy few and Whole Cake island are very hellish interpretations of a perfect world where everyone is safe and happy.

[@BansheesEcho13]

The people in We Happy Few are very much not safe and not happy.

[@deepseastonecore3017]

Ogre 1: Which do you like better, my good looks or my good smile? Ogre 2: Your good sense of humor

[@FelineFelon42]

Ok, the whole everything-including-wish-proof crystal bubble thing is just BEGGING to be defeated. Like, it's little kid going "nuh-uh" energy, can you blame me for wanting to break it? So, despite me not *usually* being a murderhobo, here's my villainous scheme to take down the place: 1. Get a massive army of immortal, very patient monsters (devils, undead, etc.). 2. Park them all around the city, and lay siege so they're forced to halt trade and put up the shields. 3. Wait patiently for their trade-based economy to collapse, because nothing gets in or out, so there's no-one to pay the tariffs and fees, so the economy collapses and they all devolve into infighting and civil unrest, possibly to be finished off by that giant magical tornado. If all goes to plan, then congratulations! You have successfully brought the most prosperous society in all of D&D to its knees without having to lift a finger... Ok, now I need to make an adventure where the BBEG tries to do this. (Also, feel free to use this idea in your own campaigns.)

[@Robstopper78]

Genuine question cause I can’t tell: did the writers think this was more utopia than a hellscape? I legitimately can’t tell at this point.

[@perkeyone]

Look into the people who wrote it. I think you'll get your answer.

[@luvhair255]

There are signs that point to the writers legitimately thinking this is utopia. They need to diversify what they ingest, maybe watch some Star Trek. Waiting for the inevitable " Wait. Are we the baddies?" that most players or DMs are pondering after learning of this lore.

[@ItamarO93]

A place where the leaders are all powerful, everyone is almost too happy, no way to change it and the economy shouldn't work but is enforced? That's the writer's idea of an utopia. I'd call it fascism with a smile...

[@Sauronisbest]

From how I've read it, the writers present it as a deliberately flawed utopia. Like, it is veeery close to being a perfect society but they have enough grace to leave some grooves and cracks in the facade.

[@Granad784]

You would be wrong ​@@ItamarO93

[@Fallenmonkd20]

The worst fate of all. Getting sent to the tornado that takes you to Kansas

[@OriginalKasym]

There is no crime in Crystal Ba Sing Sae

[@lostdmg7511]

The Radiant Citadel is an important location in my campaign, I think it’s one of the cooler additions to canon in recent years, it’s a cool place

[@snowboundwhale6860]

The city seems like it'd fit well as a "hub" for a long multiplanar campaign where the party are effectively mercenaries, similar to having a guild hall or something where the party regularly returns to pick up missions. Go to the city, ask around and take requests, then ship out in the crystal car to the appropriate plane to do what you need to. Doesn't seem like somewhere you'd want to be for an extended period of time, but would be stable enough to not radically change or get wrecked while you were away assuming they don't invoke the cosmic tornado again.

[@lukerabon7925]

Which makes it feel pretty similar to Sigil, except you can do adventures *in* Sigil

[@Godzillawolf1]

You did leave out one other reason you don't screw around in the Citadel: the one who lead the resettlement effort and is most devoted to it working out is Sholeh, a freaking ANCIENT BRASS DRAGON. Fun fact, when running this, my players had a huge Oh, Crap' reaction to learning that, especially because I made the entire Citadel count as her Lair. Needless to say, no one wants to mess with her.

[@realhuman4879]

You know, I now want to play some sort of evil character that wishes to lead a army of darkness and take over the radiant citadel, just for the challenge

[@Nyghtking]

Probably a lot of politics, manipulation, mind control, and back room deals to make it happen, because you would either need to be manipulating the people, or in control of the people, that could stop you.

[@peterwhite6415]

Honeslty, some good steps might be by: - Turning the cultures agaisnt eachother. - Brainwash some of the council and other important characters. - Have a way to prevent the bubble from being activated. - Have a way to protect yourself and the army from the fog-nado This is going to be a long con thou cause one slip will doom ya.

[@VimyGlide]

@@peterwhite6415 i mean, if you've brainwashed any of the speakers, you've prevented the bubble. it requires the unanimous consent of all the speakers.

[@marcogenovesi8570]

that's a nice impossibly defended place you have over there, it would be so bad if somebody found a way to loot it anyway

[@gramfero]

it works on Bethesda logic a chicken saw you while you were stealing so now EVERYONE knows

[@DizzyDisco93]

​@@gramfero were gunna need some buckets

[@maromania7]

Deep dreaming? Then that makes sense. IIRC That was once the realm where illusions could become real, belief manifested, etc. So if you were all being assholes, the strife and bloodlust physically manifesting as a storm of death would actually be fairly par for the course by what i remember.

[@smkfet]

Thank you so much for the video. I love the ideas here, but it still seems like more of a location than a setting

[@user-hs1xb9tv6e]

One of my favorite tropes, a seemingly overly happy and utopian place that is actually terrifying once you dig deep enough. A classic.

[@roberthill5805]

My D&D group came up with a place like this, except it was ran by a bunch of horrifically evil ancient being that got bored of the being evil part. Behold, Sanctuary of the Astral Plane, a place where no one steps out of line or else you might convince that one elder evil who succeeded eons ago to once again take up its mantle specially for you. Everyone is paid in a decent set of meals, wages, and a place to lay your head because they were sick of people trying to use those as excuses for their crimes. Free travels to many planes and realms that even some haven't heard of, so people would go crazy with cabin fever in their domain. It is the one place where people go to gain intel, sell/buy in bulk, travel through safely, and more. But every god is worried about it since if for whatever reason they realize that they might want to go on a rampage more than a few things are going to die.

[@kylehayden3113]

"There's free healthcare, a living wage for everyone, plenty of good food, and no crime." *Ominous music playing in the background*

[@DrizztCoage]

And this is why I prefer Sigil.

[@Beepers559]

I thought up of an incarnate while listening to the section on them, said incarnate is basically a large butterfly/dragonfly crossbreed, its size is kinda like a pitbull but with wings big enough to knock someone off their feet with a single flap of their wings, keyword is someone and not people, it’s not that strong fortunately… physically at least

[@AndrewJohnson-oy8oj]

"Discourse" is peaceful, good faith discussion. I think you meant is that the tornado is "attracted to discord".

[@yavorvlaskov5404]

While you are providing a fresh perspective, to me the book reeked of trying to apply real world sensitivity to a fantasy, which is why it went overboard with the whole "there is no war for Ba-Sing-Radiant Citadel" just to be safe that no one would draw any olympic level straws to associate cultures inside with the real world ones. Which wouldn't have been a risk if they hadn't tried to also push the whole "we got a bunch of diverse creators adapting their culture into a fantasy version" thing. I honestly liked the adventures and they fit nicely in existing worlds (while providing the wanted diversity from the tired trops), but the whole hub area and also the mini-sections with individual worlds reeked of "do this safe and bland" and having gone through like a 100 PR committees, and it ended up lacking verisimilitude for me.

[@alpacaofthemountain8760]

Imagine if peace was enforced by tornados here. That would be nice

[@kjj26k]

Oh, its Mutually Assured Destruction as a microcosm.

[@theprinceofawesomeness]

I don't know exatly how tight the security is but it doesn't sound like they are protected from Plane Shift, you don't need to sneak in an army, you only need to time a simutanius Plane Shift in of an army or even Gate them in

[@JamesLockerby]

Imagine running the Radiant Citadel as insanely corrupt and totalitarian, but thinly veiled as this perfect utopia. Trying to overthrow the speakers would an awesome puzzle for some of my players.

[@frostmagemarii]

Yup, imagine running it as an interesting setting and not the bland garbage that it is.

[@ItamarO93]

So... not at all the thing you paid for, but a superior adventure of your own making?

[@RelativelyBest]

Alternate take: The ones in charge really are genuinely good people who try their hardest to run an actual utopia, but are forced to use extreme, totalitarian measures just to keep everyone else from being assholes to each other and it's all just barely holding together.

[@scionicog]

This all very much sounds like the MoP WoW Expansion "Negative emotions become tangible and suuuuuuuper fucked up, just don't please"

[@bossbullyboy195]

So bring in a 20million man opposing army under the guide of "asylum" before wrecking the place haha

[@HappyBuffalo347]

It's not called a gaggle of cows. It's called a murder of cows.

[@isacsln]

Honestly I think I just like this place. Like, my cynicism can take a break, I’d live there. Reformation based justice system, living stipends, an absence of cruelty. Sure.

[@andrecarpenter2432]

Honestly still sounds like a great place

[@edheldude]

I think many would give up their autonomy to live an infantilized life in an adult kindergarten with magical tyranny.

[@parkerdixon-word6295]

I dunno if I have any interest in sending my party here, but I've been trying to throw together a coalition of mostly-good-ish planar groups as the players' patrons for a bonkers plane-hopping adventure. These guys, the Githzerai, a buncha random archwizards, and an order of Oath of Watchers Paladins make for an interesting balance, I think. I love the idea of characterizing them from a distance, with only their spymaster from the Court of Whispers and a bunch of their wizards really taking part in the coalition, and describing them as, paradoxically, surprisingly insular of a culture- that the peoples of the Citadel are very open with eachother... but draw distinctions between cultures and people *of the Citadel* and *Outsiders* that, even if it doesn't quite reach a level of xenophobia, still displays great apathy towards the people of the universe who they don't see as "theirs". They're really only in the coalition to protect themselves and their member states/cultures, even if some of their representatives do want to actually save the rest of the world for altruistic reasons.

[@323starlight]

The Radiant Citidel feels like some sort of writer's wishfulfillment. "Like this place is totally perfect and peaceful and any bad you try to do just doesn't work, myeh."

[@Dracoaurion]

It's called bad writing. By bad writers.

[@nattly6340]

yea im getting those vibes aswell, really dosnt sound like a fun story to be part off

[@clarkside4493]

​@@nattly6340it might be useful for the Dreaming Dark in Eberron, with ties to Sarlona and the Kalashtar and whatnot.

[@Bread_n_Cheese]

Or you guys are just cynical? It's really just a hub, with like barely any adventures taking place on the actual citadel, most of the time it's used as a jumping off point to go to other places. It definitely isn't perfect anyway, literally proven by everyone suddenly arguing freshman philosophy in response to the concept. If you can't think of hooks that can happen in a land that's supposedly free of conflict, maybe that's on you. I mean this is practically built to be a grand home for the players that could be put in danger by some larger than life BBEG. Or...just a happy little city. I mean come on there's gotta be some happiness out there.

[@fern1009]

Oh thank goodness, I'm not the only one who didn't forget this place existed. Yay!

[@idle_speculation]

I must once again beseech you to do something on Inevitables. They deserve a spotlight since they’re really cool but nobody knows about them. They absolutely deserve to be in 5e and it sucks that they aren’t

[@preyasmanthedemopan2854]

TBF, we do have the the Marut, Kolyarut, IK there's at least 3-4 more inevitables, but you can't say they're not in 5E.

[@idle_speculation]

@@preyasmanthedemopan2854 I wasn't aware they had been ported over; most of the stuff I'm finding for them in 5e is 3rd-party. Thanks for telling me!

[@preyasmanthedemopan2854]

@@idle_speculation NP! the Marut came in Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, and the Kolyrut came in Boo's Astral Menagerie (the new planescape book). still only 2 of them, but at least we got them!

[@no.notfromRDR]

This reminds me of fogoten city. A skyrim mod so famous that became it's own game.

[@jonathanredacted3245]

I dunno man, looking at how people are handling global warming makes you think that even imminent natural disaster isn't enough to make politics work

[@Nyghtking]

Someone made a skyrim mod like that, basically if you broke any of the rules in the mod city everyone would die. What ends up happening is a group of people use that as leverage to get what they want because otherwise they'll break a rule and then everyone dies, so essentially they use it to hold everyone hostage. I can imagine something like that happening.

[@dylanramsey5817]

@@Nyghtking Oh shit, you talking about the Golden Rule from The Forgotten City? The mod creator actually spearheaded a team to turn into its own proper game a few years ago.

[@DEMONOFLOVEANDDEATH]

Great work

[@seasonalgoblin1708]

I sort of ran a citadel campaign. It's hard but it's also so freeing

[@rhhzdhbs2576]

Bro literally like a week ago I was thinking “wouldn’t it be nice if rune smith would cover the radiant citadel”

[@CooperAATE]

This was very entertaining, giant man

[@nickh3205]

Don’t forget about the adult/ancient dragon that is(I think) the leader of the speakers, the dragon gets a cut of all sales within the city

[@thedenseone6443]

I find the idea of the most terrifying and controversial ritual in DnD lore being an actual lobotomization profoundly funny

[@dansantospirito5310]

Hmmm ... I'd use the map. That's about it. The rest is way too saccharine for me. This is a good take on it though, and the thinly veiled repression side of it could provide some good hooks.

[@SwitchFeathers]

I can't believe Fantasy CostCo is 5e canon.

[@Ghostrebel017]

So the nice version of Commoragh. I like it.

[@timparks9833]

Referencing Insane-o style from Joel Haver made this video go insane-o style

[@skybladebloodheart4247]

godamnit runesmith 'chaos' i see you, i see what you did.

[@doctordisco5814]

Ohh tornado of hatred, I was thinking of a mass calm emotions spell

[@brianlarson8878]

this may be cool to use

[@DoWhatNowQuestionmark]

Love the vids! 🫠

[@cameronpearce5943]

Man I want more Radiant Citadel stuff, such a good setting

[@ryansauer5964]

At first I assumed this entire crystal city thing seems to been made by people that hate players that like to deviate from their narrative, derail or just hate evil pcs. Good to learn a bit more about it.

[@lukerabon7925]

Another idea: if the Radiant Citadel is full of powerful mages, why aren't they doing anything to help their homeland. The potential answers (anything from every single wizard being necessary to the city actually functioning to forced conscription and being bound to the city) could spin off into their own campaign

[@NertNeverlander]

So, these incarnates are crystal clusters, ruled by clusters of souls lol

[@chattychatotchannel]

Would you be so kind as to do a thingy about the Outlands and Sigil?

[@Dubs22005]

3:29 wait that is a core memory but i dont remember it

[@fullmetal1408]

Yeah, this city really goes insano style!

[@lamfan7045]

YOUR THE BEST!

[@Jane_8319]

Some fun facts! The dead incarnate is a sapphire wyvern, which is probably a reference to a domain of dread. Also, keys from the golden vault has an adventure set in one of the homelands of some of the cultures from the radiant citadel, and said cultures appear to be spread across a few different new material planes. Some are neighbors!

[@shagohad3]

How is it a reference to a domain of dread?

[@Anxxero]

this was both really funny and really informative, thank you. i love your videos 🖤🤍

[@IneXtrikabul]

That's crazy.

[@Fwoppy808]

I wonder what this "utopia" does to the kulaks

[@informedconsumer5293]

The keening gloom sounds like the result of collective emotional energy causing a manifestation that the Crystal actually amplifies

[@catbear6183]

I have little faith in wotc writers to cleverly imply something. This is a really interesting interpretation of a setting, but likely the writers just kept pulling stuff out of there ass and lobotomy ritual was the best they could do without really considering how crazy that is lol