With themes of High Fantasy, Eldritch Horrors, and Cold War Politics, Tanares is an expansive setting designed for Dungeons and Dragons. Tanares is a vast continent of wondrous landscapes and awe-inspiring cities. It is a setting of epic proportions and dramatic flare. It currently exists in an age of prosperity, it has been decades since the last great war, but this a guise of peace hiding a grimmer reality.

The world was shaped and warped by the eternal struggle between the benevolent Gods, and their aberrant counterparts, the Ungods. These eldritch powers draw their power by feeding on the souls of corrupted mortals. When corrupt souls die in mass, the Ungods are capable of unleashing cataclysm that can level civilizations. To prevent this, the Gods of Tanares decreed that the nations of the world are forbidden to engage in war. This mandate has led to a political landscape where the five major factions are riddled with espionage, subterfuge, and political intrigue. Militaries are restricted in size, and cities settle disputes in grand coliseums, where adventurers fight on behalf of noble houses, guilds, or even represent an entire nation.

Credit: Dragori

Each faction seeks to defeat the Ungods by creating magical engines, called Vandanamalika, capable of altering the world in impossible ways. They oppose one another because of how entrenched they are in their ideologies, and the means by which they would defeat the Ungods. The Tanarean Empire would see the world subjugated and ruled over with an army of devils, unifying Tanares to combat the Ungods. While the fallen winter elves want to use the power to empower their goddess to blanket the world in eternal winter and convert all life into undead, which are immune to the corruption of the Ungods. 

The book contains detailed descriptions of the nations, factions, and cultures of this world. Each one with rich histories, places of interest, and disquieting secrets and adventure hooks. There is a bounty of detail and background information that any player or GM can comfortably and knowingly create characters and plots that feel real and lived-in for the setting. Yet there is still plenty of space for players to stretch their creativity. Which is perfect, because settings should never be 100% done. If they were, there wouldn’t be any room to play in, to create. Tanares lets you make informed decisions and feel like you’re a part of something that is alive. 

Tanares is ambitious in its character options. The core species of Dungeons & Dragons can be found across the continent as well as four additional species specific to setting. The Cirrus are celestial like beings who are two souls bound in one form. They are the embodiment of duality, a mingling of the arcane and divine. Gloomfolk are the survivors of slavery and aberration. They were once Winter Elves, but after centuries of being in the clutches of the malevolent spider god, they are now scorpid centaurs. The Gloomfolk eventually rebelled against their masters and carved out their own society in the underdark of Tanares. Soulborn are the byproduct of a magical cataclysm from a bygone era. The souls of those that perished in the disaster persisted; reborn into lineages of other species, but with an inherent connection to their previous lives. These memories first manifest as dreams until they can tap into them to remember skills and knowledge from their previous life. Taii’maku are a people of intellectuals that seek balance. They are exceptional engineers and polymaths that are known for their remarkable inventions. 

Credit: Dragori

There are four simplified classes that are perfect for players who are picking up character sheets and dice for the first time, fifteen new subclasses, and four brand new classes that were designed for the setting.

The simplified classes are designed for players that just want to have a very casual experience playing TTRPGs. They are Brawler, Mage, Priest, and Scoundrel. An homage to the classic fantasy games of the past. Tanares’ additional subclasses expand character options while also exploring the themes of the setting. Some of them are straight forward following in the footsteps of designs we’ve seen before, while others use complex mechanics never seen before. Some of these designs might even be too ambitious and go further than the design spaces of these classes initially intended, and are anything but boring. The Player’s Guide to Tanares has so much to offer that a deeper into the character options will be featured in a later article. 

Tanares is an expansive setting that has so much to offer. It has a full setting guide, a book of nothing but new character options, and a full adventure for characters level 3 to level 12. There are minis for characters, NPCs, and monsters. It is truly staggering to see so much available to people who want to jump into this setting; certainly too much for one article. There will definitely be more to come back to in the future.

Ready to jump in? Get your copy today from Gigabitesonline.com.