Welcome to Mystara: Principalities of Glantri | Dungeons and Dragons

At the same time one of the best and worst nations in all of Mystara, Glantri is a disjointed mess of a nation with ten rival princes all of which are barely able to stand each other. However the nation allows for magical study and research that would turn the Empress of Alphatia white. Glantri is a land of extreme cruelty and magical excesses, where clerics and dwarves are in danger for just stepping foot in the land and hidden magics power the nobles that control all aspects of the magiocracy.

[@camerongunn7906]

"...faster than Disney burns out child stars." Painful, but accurate.

[@pricerowland]

The elven liberation front's acronym spelling ELF is so cheesy and I love it

[@springheeledjackofthegurdi2117]

it's a shame Mystara didn't get that many video games Glantri would be an excellent setting for Thief or Elder scrolls style game

[@isaacstandley730]

Sounds like it would be fun to play a Galantri fighter. Specialized in being stealthy and low-key as hitting the mage before they realized is your best bet to be effective.

[@swj719]

"The Elven Liberation Front" SPLITTER!

[@SkullCowboy333]

Glantrii has always been a fav of mine. Love the secret crafts and this setting began my LOVE of Necromancy. To me Morphil has always been the basis for Strahd.

[@johnbalk6091]

Agreed. Prince Morphail was always cooler than Strahd. Plus, he was legit because players couldn’t really try and destroy him without SERIOUS repercussions.

[@SkullCowboy333]

@@johnbalk6091 Very true

[@jeffweskamp3685]

In my opinion, both Morphail and Strahd are based upon Dracula.

[@SkullCowboy333]

@@jeffweskamp3685 outside of the universe yes.

[@IdiotinGlans]

Mfw I'll likely have a kilt-wearing Scottish Necromancer in my first Mystara campaign

[@caffeinefueledraccoon5687]

"Love child of Hogwarts and Jugoslavija" Oh noooo... Oh no!! But YES!! Not gonna lie, they had us in the fir... At first description.

[@johnstorm9314]

Elves are resistant to charm and sleep, doesn't that make them questionable in the minds of a Glantrian wizard?

[@matthewtullius8191]

Not in BECMI. They are resistant to Ghouls though.

[@richardstephens3327]

Nice slipping in a picture of Dresden, that is one wizard that needs to show up in such a setting.

[@jeffweskamp3685]

Dresden would definitely be a member of the People's Spellcasters Company.

[@markfaulkner8191]

I love Glantri because it is so in-your-face different than any RPG setting. It is High Magic magitech done in a way that is both fantastic and dark, and so very playable!

[@MrNetWraith]

If there's any part of Mystara I really feel could benefit from being looked at and potentially remade by DMs in the face of how D&D has evolved since the days of BECMI, it's Glantri. No other nation on Mystara feels so easy to slot strange classes or races into, thanks to Glantri's obsession with exploring and refining magic. Even AD&D added the Progeny, the assorted fruits of Glantrian wizards crossbreeding with magical creatures, and it makes sense; in a magocracy, a wizard's heir would be far more interested in courting a gynosphinx or a naga than some fat merchant's daughter who has a lot of gold but no magic. And that's before you add in the Glantrian love of experimenting. Want to play a thoul (troll/hobgoblin cross with ghoulish paralytic touch), or a norker (stone-skinned cannibal goblin) or a diabolus or a genasi or a dhampir or a maphet (half-sphinx) or a yuan-ti pureblood (half-naga) or a dragonborn? You're from Glantria, either summoned or created there. Want to play a Draconic Sorcerer in Mystara? It's a new form of magic that's on the rise in Glantri as Dracology is being refined into a "stable" school like Abjuration or Evocation. If you're not anchored to canon, Glantria is arguably the most flexible and fluid place in Mystara, and that's one of the things that I love about it.

[@johnbalk6091]

I disagree. For me, especially with how 5th edition is going hard with the whole “all races are equal now” vibe, it’s The Orcs of Thar. The Gazetteer was mostly played for laughs and a serious take on it would help immensely. Bruce Heard did a great job with Glantri (IMO) and as cool as what Glenn has done, it seems mostly cosmetic. Either way, these videos are great, and I always look forward to a new one.

[@kylecoble9118]

@@johnbalk6091 Both excellent points! Keeping these in mind for my game.

[@lordcoreon]

Nice, digging the more animated slideshow format.

[@burningbronze7555]

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[@Scaramanga7]

I shudder to imagine the Glantri book at 66% size.

[@cjsutherland2448]

Well done. Love your stuff. Starting a game in the Valley of Hutaaka. Your stuff has been an amazing help. Looking forward to buying your book.

[@23bcx]

I didn't know there were aliens to be afraid of in Mystara.

[@Mr_Welch]

Actually did an entire video on them

[@mediaguyking7045]

@@Mr_Welch if the immortals don’t like outsiders, and restrict passage to them, why where French and Scottish allowed in thru portals?

[@Mr_Welch]

@@mediaguyking7045 they allow mortals from other prime planes, it's the gods and abominations they are opposed to

[@mediaguyking7045]

@@Mr_Welch oh intresty

[@johnbalk6091]

Are sorcerer’s and warlocks and whatever a part of 5th edition? Is that why you mention the difference’s specifically? I think I’ll have to re-read the Ierendi Gaz because even though the corny TV references are outdated, I still don’t understand what needs to change/updated. That was always one of my favorite settings, particularly because a friend of mine and I lived in Hawaii for a couple of years, and we loved the fact that we could incorporate our experiences into our gameplay/gameworld. Either way, great video, the quality keeps improving and I always learn something that I forgot. Stay safe!

[@Mr_Welch]

Not so much updated but more expanded upon. It gives a fair amount a background but doesn't expand on it. This is mostly due to a restriction on word count because they're dealing with fewer pages than other books. The restriction on warlocks and Sorcerers that would be in 5th edition translates into any race that can cast Arcane Magic themselves. Nagpas are easily capable of casting wizard spells but they're not going to get any title of nobility if they ask because they're not the right type of Arcane caster for the nobility

[@misomiso8228]

Love your videoa dude. A lot of memories from back in the day.

[@madmachanicest9955]

I would love to see you do some world-building of your own and make a campaign setting of your own here on youtube. As an old-school play with a different outlook and so one with extra attention to detail, I think your world would be rather interesting.

[@goblinoidfilms7119]

Great stuff, love your work, and it never fails to inspire.

[@JoshuaVonNoctis]

This sounds interesting as hell.

[@jeffweskamp3685]

It's one of the best setting books ever published for any edition of D&D.

[@MahamDjinn666]

Wizarding communities and schools done right!

[@sharkdentures3247]

I'm loving these Gazateer videos! Definitely fleshes out a childhood map that was once just; geographical features, borders & hexagons for us to adventure in.

[@axelwulf6220]

Mystara itself has more problems than any normal Ð&Ð game And I played in one based around Rune Scape

[@MahamDjinn666]

Does House Belcadiz count elven blooded humans among its ranks, like Dona Marianita , the Glantrian Ambassador to the Grand Duchy of Karameikos?

[@Mr_Welch]

Would probably depend solely if they were useful to them

[@Giles29]

Ah, Glantri. Game of Magic Thrones.

[@bravojr]

Why the big bunny? I am still confused. You were talking about Flame wizards "the Flamish" and you just hold up a bunny!

[@Mr_Welch]

The breed of the rabbit is the giant flemish

[@danmorgan3685]

7:10 Real life Chungus.

[@robertrneaves]

In my campaign the redhead is an adult Fredrikka Koorteweg.

[@erikturner8005]

So what percentage of the population in Glantri is actually wizards, and what is the relative distribution by level? Not finding this demographic in the Glantri books... You do need to be a 9th level wizard to become a noble, but I would imagine there is a very high population of low to mid level wizards to crank out all those industrialized magic items. I haven't quite figured out the population demographics... I mean, it's fine to use DM handwavium to have as many wizards as you need for the adventure or location you are playing in, but it would be nice to nail down the right mix....Glantri does need to have teeming masses of yokels to farm, do the labor, act as the cannon fodder soldiers, be downtrodden by haughty wizards, and whatever. Perhaps twenty percent of the population has at least one wizard level? Maybe ten percent, or is it less, or more? Probably not 50% wizards. I do think the vast majority of those would be only 1st level though. Certainly, out of the roughly 800k inhabitants of Glantri, I would expect around a couple hundred thousand of them to have some magic? Bearing in mind ALL elves have magic...and while the gazetteer specifies half the population is farmers, that doesn't mean that some of those aren't country wizards. The really ostentatious stuff would center around the higher level wizards in Glantri City or the provincial capitals. I imagine Glantri has some serious wealth inequality going on with the wizards having almost all of the wealth, and that being concentrated at the top amongst the princes and most powerful nobles. Also, in Glantri city, the demographics are probably skewed towards a lot more wizards being around than out in the farmlands and countryside. In my (modified) BECMI Mystara game the Glantrians have all sorts of "useless" but interesting magic spells such as spells to prepare and cook specific amazing food dishes, or perform complex manual labor tasks such as turning a large tree into milled boards or deboning a chicken or fish with a wave of the hand. Or less than ideal spells such as cure blindness that requires you to replace the eyes surgically with ones recently taken from another living creature. Magic can be really interesting when you give the NPCs spells that the players would generally pass on learning or using. One of the secrets of the spell lists in early D&D that's not immediately obvious is that some of the spells are terribly inefficient or outright bad, and are actually designed for the bad guys to use on the players. e.g. the Death Spell is objectively worse than fireball, unless you WANT to decimate a crowd for show rather than outright murder them all....PCs are probably going to make that save.

[@Mr_Welch]

Depending on the source you're looking at 5-10% of the population is wizards. Wizards are all nobility, but can't become landed nobility until they hit 9th level.

[@manarayofhope2374]

That was a big one mana like

[@HighmageDerin]

Ahh Glantri, the America of the Mystra setting ;)

[@jasonitaliano8631]

Honestly, no. While Glantri could have been a melting pot of cultures, the divisions are strong. Like stronger than the recent tribalism seen in current US politics. Throw in the fact that none of the various "subcultures" share too many values with the US... Honestly, Minothrad is closer to the US culturally.

[@danagroupsrl6613]

Thanks.

[@docnecrotic]

What about the Werewolf prince?

[@Mr_Welch]

He's not introduced until the second edition box. I covered that in another video

[@docnecrotic]

I thought he was introduced in creature crucible

[@Mr_Welch]

@@docnecrotic Nighthowler, which is post Wrath. The only CC post wrath. His big bio doesn't hit until Kingdom of Magic

[@kalajel]

"d'Amberville" would be pronounced like "Damberville".

[@TheGenericavatar]

@Mr.Welch Q: How does Glantri's magic omnipresence compare to Ebaron's magic omnipresence?

[@Mr_Welch]

Not an expert on Eberron, consulted some DM's that ran it. Glantri's magic production is almost a cottage industry. Every wizard that graduated from the school of magic has created magic items for sale. For low level magical appliances Glantri produces far more than anybody else. Eberron is superior in high level magical construction, owed in large part to Glantri's dysfunction. A train linking all the different princes would be amazing, but the politics of Glantri means its never going to happen. Glantri wizards after they gain some degree of power stop crafting items and start crafting spells. So long story short, Glantri creates comfort magic items more than anybody. But when it comes to large projects like Eberron is famous for, Glantri's politics get in the way.

[@havock89]

What is the official language of Glantri? Flaemish or Thyatian?

[@Mr_Welch]

Thyatian is the lingua Franca. Considering its one of the only two languages spoken by more one than principality. And nobody wants to learn Elvish

[@havock89]

@@Mr_Welch Well i am going to have to rewrite all my NPCs charcter sheets now... freakin' dozens of them... *sigh* the life of a DM...

[@lupnasty]

How do Glantri ascend to immortal status while prohibiting worship of the immortals? Why do the immortals put up with their atheism?

[@Mr_Welch]

Because despite their claims of atheism, they follow the philosophy of Rad, which is actually an Immortal cutting everybody else out of the worship. He found a way to use a Blackmoor artifact to ascend to Immortality, and if and when the other Immortals find out, bad things occur.

[@Yarkoonian]

How do you spell the Shi

[@Mr_Welch]

Sidhe. It's Irish.

[@maggoli67]

Naw, mate, the French and Scots hae the Auld Alliance!

[@stephenaulds2925]

The love child of Hogwarts and Yugoslavia. 😆😆

[@pelmen1294]

Great great videos. not to ask a sore spot, how is the book coming and can we get an up to date one. I want to buy the hardcover but not have it affected by the present caving wizards of the coast sjw crap.

[@markfaulkner8191]

First of all, it is Hasbro and conservative corporate culture. Marketing and monetizing this strange IP they did not create. And second, what is wrong with Social Justice? I am an SJW, and I love all this old stuff. Why do you feel the need to blow a dog whistle and insult other fans that support the setting? Why are you concerned about an imaginary boogeyman? Hasbro just wants to sell hippo games, and want to present themselves as open and friendly as possible. All the old stuff is still available for sale, and Hasbro is opening up more and more for PoD all the time.

[@camerongunn7906]

Careful Pel, they trigger easily.

[@Mr_Welch]

The book is done. It's on version 109. The last change I made was to add the siswa to the list of factions available. I'm not changing the book to fit Wizards new Concepts from Tasha. I have numerous problems with the design methods they are trying to implement. I want racial modifiers and alignment. I want restrictions on who can play what based on nationality. I want an actual setting I don't want pablum. As soon as they open up mystara the book goes live. But I can't do that a second sooner without risking legal action

[@edcrichton9457]

@@camerongunn7906 Not so bad as privileged whiny geeks who have always been as bad as the bullies from high school.

[@camerongunn7906]

@@edcrichton9457 Thanks for making my point.

[@llewballantine6678]

Nah, sorry man. Maybe you could do it once but that accent is still painful to listen to

[@johnbalk6091]

It was a little silly. Sorry Glenn.