Items · Materials · Non-Magical
Fantasy fabrics
Different types of fabrics in a fantasy setting
Codex introduction
Some thoughts on fabrics and *roleplaying games in general
*I have to first announce that strictly speaking I'm not a gamer so if what I wrote below is off, the reason is obvious.
Are fabrics important in games?
I personally think they are as important as any other materials like ores, metals or substances. Most of these will probably end up as background items that help to enhance the atmosphere but occasional ones might provide nice plot hooks.
How can fabrics be incorporated into games?
1. The conventional way (random pick up)- through garments made of special fabrics that PCs might pick up during adventures
2. Shopping- PCs might encounter vendors of exotic fabrics in some faraway place. This might lead to future plot hooks eg. Might be a lead for PCs to start a campaign in a new location recently added/created by the GM (the PCs might hear a story told by the vendor about the origin of the fabric and the locale associated with it) or the fabric name might be the answer to some future riddle that the PCs will encounter or maybe the vendor can be a contact that the PCs can unlock with the right actions
3. Rewards- PCs might earn an exotic bolt of fabric as reward for side quests or general levelling up. The PCs might be able to resell this exotic fabric for money or use it to curry favour with a contact to gain information or even use it as a gift to earn new contacts.
In terms of the 3 fantasy fabrics linked here, the original inspiration for them is real silk. So that's why I've emphasised the fact that they are all very similar in texture to normal silk. Also, I had in mind that they would be tradeable mundane commodities and so I've steered away from highly magical fabrics. What I mean by this is that none of the fabrics currently included confers any magical powers on the wearer besides the natural characteristics of the fabric itself.
Now, without further ado, I present to you the Codex of fantasy non-magical fabrics.
Codex
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6 pieces
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Dead Silk
An innocent square of delicate material - barely larger than a handkerchief in size. However, those who's skin come into contact with this cloth, may find themselves wishing they never handled it. -
Kristoff's Kerchiefs
Squares of colorful cloth, often enchanted with minor magics to better serve the owner - but, first and foremost, it is merely a kerchief. -
Icesilk
A material similar in texture to normal silk, but woven from strands of ice -
Moonsilk
A type of silk given by a special type of larvae, much finer than conventional silk. Gowns woven from Moonsilk are not more alluring but can also give off musical sounds as breezes rustle over them. -
Flamesilk
A type of silk woven from tree saps -
The Leech Cloth, or The Cloth of Souls
An item revered by the Serenia and reviled by the Fasceti.
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Links to this article 1
- Kristoff's Kerchiefs Kassil linked by Moonlake
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Wouldn't a more accurate title be fantasy fabrics? Silk is a pretty specific term - the product of a silkworm or other insect. Treesap and ice might be good materials for a fantasy fabric, but only moonsilk here is a real silk.
I really like the moonsilk!
Actually, it did come across my mind that the title could be fantasy fabrics instead of fantasy silks but I stick with the original title simply because silk is my original inspiration for all these materials and also because I've named all the materials as xxxsilk. I guess I might as well change the title given that now I want to change the freetext associated with the Codex and as you said, it's a more accurate reflection of the contents.
The Codex intro can maybe use a few more lines. I understand that its a "holder" for like-minded subs, but still, a few lines about the silks, or fabrics in games, or something. Probably doesn't need the "P.S." stuff.
Having said that, the silks themselves are awesome(!), and as i mentioned on one of them, i'll be using this stuff in my campaigns going forward. I love the different silks!
I actually think "Fantasy Silks" is a better name for this grouping. After all, they are silks, and they are from the worlds of fantasy. However, "Fantasy Fabrics" can open this codex up to more and more fabrics!
Anyway, the silks are great! And, uhh-- I'll stop rambling now.
Oh no they are not silks! Silk is an insect product!!!! Rude noise here.... :P
well yes, you're right of course. I actually have a sub on sericulture here somewhere, but from a fantasy perspective I see no reason a culture could not use the name, "silk" for other fabrics, especially magic ones, such as ones derived from tree sap or ice. It would be more of a societal name for the stuff, no? I mean it could be as simple as,
"look what I made!"
"what is it, it feels like silk?"
"Uhh--yes, well, I call it flame-silk. Nice, eh?"
You know, that kinda thing. Besides, it would be easier to market the stuff with the "fancy" silk sobriquet
Hmm, I'm suddenly getting the urge to make a new type of "velvet"
Well, if you do make a new type of velvet, you can link it here now since the changed name of the Codex makes it open to additions :)
Don't those space elves -I can't even recall their name well enough to even look it up*, but their accessories include battle bears, the embassy on Venus with the hyper-sexual ambassador/huntress, a giant organic space ship-have a type of living fabric?
*say what you want about the Drow but at least their creator had the foresight to name them something everybody could remember, spell and pronounce.
You could expand some more, I mirror Muro here. Otherwise I think this is a pretty neat idea and I salute you for it.
Updated: Asked to expand the intro and here it is
Nobody gives general codices the love they deserve. Instead of seeing them as organizationals, they measure them against submissions, thinking they need all the description, detail, and meat of a submission. When really, they just need a strong summary and an explanation as to why these pieces are grouped together. Remember, short is not a crime, incomplete is the crime.
To be honest, you don't need the freetext. If you put everything in the codex, the freetext is redundent. If you use the freetext, the codex is redundent. In this case, keep the codex and lose the freetext, as it is more useful and you don't have to have people edit their submissions to join the connection.
Now I do believe we have one or two more fabric related submissions around here somewhere. We need to find them and link them to this.
I am glad this one was put together, it is a useful resource.
great, I can't wait to use these. Maybe some fabric could be the reward after completing a long quest and the adventurers become disappointed until they figure out how much they can sell it for.