Beneath Foreign Planets
@foreignplanets.bsky.social
OSR blogger. A ponderous and stolid fellow.
foreignplanets.blogspot.com
foreignplanets.blogspot.com
A new character class - slay your enemies, turn them into fashion pieces, take their powers
foreignplanets.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-...
foreignplanets.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-...
The Talismanic Caveman, Fetishist or Mountain Man* - an OSR class
You are what you wear.
foreignplanets.blogspot.com
January 1, 2026 at 8:22 AM
A new character class - slay your enemies, turn them into fashion pieces, take their powers
foreignplanets.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-...
foreignplanets.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-...
Three bad guys, wicked #miniature villains. Although not quite finished, unwashed and unbased.
December 27, 2025 at 8:52 PM
Three bad guys, wicked #miniature villains. Although not quite finished, unwashed and unbased.
All-round good guy, James Holloway (aka the Monster Man) puts up with my comments on Appendix N fiction vs the Medieval inspiration behind DND (and its landscapes) in the murky and foetid reply section beneath this bleet.
Related to conversations about fantasy adventure and colonialism: one thing that is very interesting about D&D's medievalism is that its default geography -- frontiers, large areas of wilderness, etc. -- is not particularly what medieval W. Europe was like.
December 23, 2025 at 8:54 PM
All-round good guy, James Holloway (aka the Monster Man) puts up with my comments on Appendix N fiction vs the Medieval inspiration behind DND (and its landscapes) in the murky and foetid reply section beneath this bleet.
A tear-inducing review from Diogenes of Dio's Dungeon (diosdungeons.substack.com). To be considered skillful, wowie. No, I'm not crying 🥲.
Maybe it's worth it being an #osr #blogger.
Maybe it's worth it being an #osr #blogger.
December 23, 2025 at 4:43 PM
A tear-inducing review from Diogenes of Dio's Dungeon (diosdungeons.substack.com). To be considered skillful, wowie. No, I'm not crying 🥲.
Maybe it's worth it being an #osr #blogger.
Maybe it's worth it being an #osr #blogger.
Over the course of the last two weeks, I (a barely literate fool) made a #conlang that is grammatically, etymologically, linguistically evil. (Real conlangers please look away) foreignplanets.blogspot.com/2025/12/o-dr...
O Drc - Toki Pona's Evil Twin
The word for food is slugs. A cruel conlang.
foreignplanets.blogspot.com
December 23, 2025 at 5:58 AM
Over the course of the last two weeks, I (a barely literate fool) made a #conlang that is grammatically, etymologically, linguistically evil. (Real conlangers please look away) foreignplanets.blogspot.com/2025/12/o-dr...
For Christmas, @thiccmomswag.bsky.social (what a handle!) wrote this class for ME - a consolation class for characters with such poor stats that they can't keep the devil from coming inside of them (😏)
kattkirsch.bearblog.dev/the-guided-h...
kattkirsch.bearblog.dev/the-guided-h...
The Guided Hand: A B/X Class
. I drew inspiration from and for a slightly different take on a witchy hybrid class. I'd probably allow for some kind of natural kinship with wild animals...
kattkirsch.bearblog.dev
December 22, 2025 at 1:48 PM
For Christmas, @thiccmomswag.bsky.social (what a handle!) wrote this class for ME - a consolation class for characters with such poor stats that they can't keep the devil from coming inside of them (😏)
kattkirsch.bearblog.dev/the-guided-h...
kattkirsch.bearblog.dev/the-guided-h...
Reposted by Beneath Foreign Planets
𓂸
Heheheh Unicode penis
Heheheh Unicode penis
December 19, 2025 at 5:14 PM
𓂸
Heheheh Unicode penis
Heheheh Unicode penis
Yeah, I have your contact details saved under 🝕, the alchemical symbol for urine, what of it?
Is the alchemical symbol 🝎, the 'Caput Mortuum' (the dead head), the world's first emoji? 🝎
I'm calling on the bsky #alchemist community for comment.
I'm calling on the bsky #alchemist community for comment.
December 17, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Yeah, I have your contact details saved under 🝕, the alchemical symbol for urine, what of it?
Is the alchemical symbol 🝎, the 'Caput Mortuum' (the dead head), the world's first emoji? 🝎
I'm calling on the bsky #alchemist community for comment.
I'm calling on the bsky #alchemist community for comment.
December 17, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Is the alchemical symbol 🝎, the 'Caput Mortuum' (the dead head), the world's first emoji? 🝎
I'm calling on the bsky #alchemist community for comment.
I'm calling on the bsky #alchemist community for comment.
And do follow this fine fellow and pillar of the #osr community at @xaosseed.bsky.social.
Lastly, the inimitable Xaosseed ruminates on how the presence of extraordinarily long-lived beings might effect the evolution of language,
seedofworlds.blogspot.com/2024/07/your...
🧵14/14 (for now, if anything pops up over the next few days I'll share it)
seedofworlds.blogspot.com/2024/07/your...
🧵14/14 (for now, if anything pops up over the next few days I'll share it)
Your great-grand-elf's elvish: long lives slowing language change (RPG Blog Carnival)
/The RPG Blog Carnival prompt from Beneath Foreign Planets of WORDS! Etymology, Onomatology and Linguistics sparked some other thoughts fo...
seedofworlds.blogspot.com
December 12, 2025 at 6:51 PM
And do follow this fine fellow and pillar of the #osr community at @xaosseed.bsky.social.
Reposted by Beneath Foreign Planets
Lastly, the inimitable Xaosseed ruminates on how the presence of extraordinarily long-lived beings might effect the evolution of language,
seedofworlds.blogspot.com/2024/07/your...
🧵14/14 (for now, if anything pops up over the next few days I'll share it)
seedofworlds.blogspot.com/2024/07/your...
🧵14/14 (for now, if anything pops up over the next few days I'll share it)
Your great-grand-elf's elvish: long lives slowing language change (RPG Blog Carnival)
/The RPG Blog Carnival prompt from Beneath Foreign Planets of WORDS! Etymology, Onomatology and Linguistics sparked some other thoughts fo...
seedofworlds.blogspot.com
December 12, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Lastly, the inimitable Xaosseed ruminates on how the presence of extraordinarily long-lived beings might effect the evolution of language,
seedofworlds.blogspot.com/2024/07/your...
🧵14/14 (for now, if anything pops up over the next few days I'll share it)
seedofworlds.blogspot.com/2024/07/your...
🧵14/14 (for now, if anything pops up over the next few days I'll share it)
Reposted by Beneath Foreign Planets
Real value for money with this 2-in-1 post with an overview of excellent scripts for use as ciphers as well as a brilliant and detailed array of 'The Languages of Generic Vernacular Fantasyland'. A real cracker of a post from Dan.
throneofsalt.blogspot.com/2023/03/some...
🧵 13/14
throneofsalt.blogspot.com/2023/03/some...
🧵 13/14
Some Thoughts About Language in RPGs
In my conlang dabbling, I have thought to myself "self, what about just a very simple naming language for use in RPGs for a bit of inspirati...
throneofsalt.blogspot.com
December 12, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Real value for money with this 2-in-1 post with an overview of excellent scripts for use as ciphers as well as a brilliant and detailed array of 'The Languages of Generic Vernacular Fantasyland'. A real cracker of a post from Dan.
throneofsalt.blogspot.com/2023/03/some...
🧵 13/14
throneofsalt.blogspot.com/2023/03/some...
🧵 13/14
Reposted by Beneath Foreign Planets
The Benevolent Bronze Brute can't be stopped, in this post they share their thoughts on gearing in-game languages entirely to broadstroke narrative fields
beast.blot.im/recovered-rp...
🧵12/14
beast.blot.im/recovered-rp...
🧵12/14
Recovered: RPG Linguistics - Benign Brown Beast
In many editions of D&D, everyone learns a handful of languages at character creation, and then either never thinks about them again or never has
beast.blot.im
December 12, 2025 at 4:53 PM
The Benevolent Bronze Brute can't be stopped, in this post they share their thoughts on gearing in-game languages entirely to broadstroke narrative fields
beast.blot.im/recovered-rp...
🧵12/14
beast.blot.im/recovered-rp...
🧵12/14
Reposted by Beneath Foreign Planets
The Benign Brown Beast follows a similar path linking languages to spells. How intriguing, how WHIMSICAL.
beast.blot.im/saying-magic...
🧵 11/14
beast.blot.im/saying-magic...
🧵 11/14
Saying Magic Words - Benign Brown Beast
As an area for role-playing, “language” is both rich in potential and generally underutilized in D&D-like games. I’m not the first to observe this,
beast.blot.im
December 12, 2025 at 4:43 PM
The Benign Brown Beast follows a similar path linking languages to spells. How intriguing, how WHIMSICAL.
beast.blot.im/saying-magic...
🧵 11/14
beast.blot.im/saying-magic...
🧵 11/14
Reposted by Beneath Foreign Planets
@riseupcomus.bsky.social continues the trend of saying a big 'fuck you 🫵' to preselected languages and serves up some sizzlingly gameable subversions on classic dnd languages
riseupcomus.blogspot.com/2023/02/ling...
🧵10/14
riseupcomus.blogspot.com/2023/02/ling...
🧵10/14
Lingua Franca
Choosing bonus languages in standard D&D games is the worst. Either your choice matters a lot ("Oh, we're playing Keep on the Borderlands? G...
riseupcomus.blogspot.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:40 PM
@riseupcomus.bsky.social continues the trend of saying a big 'fuck you 🫵' to preselected languages and serves up some sizzlingly gameable subversions on classic dnd languages
riseupcomus.blogspot.com/2023/02/ling...
🧵10/14
riseupcomus.blogspot.com/2023/02/ling...
🧵10/14
Reposted by Beneath Foreign Planets
(I must shill a little) and is not onomastics (the study of names) not a kind of language we interact with daily? This handsome author (of a blog too cool for Google to index) suggests the obvious, names are good for implied world building!
foreignplanets.blogspot.com/2024/07/onom...
🧵 9/14 (huh?)
foreignplanets.blogspot.com/2024/07/onom...
🧵 9/14 (huh?)
The Onomasticon Quernorum
Or; On the Names of the Quernfolk A Wennish penny pamphlet pithily titled 'an unbelievable account of the atrocious apparitional attack on a...
foreignplanets.blogspot.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:35 PM
(I must shill a little) and is not onomastics (the study of names) not a kind of language we interact with daily? This handsome author (of a blog too cool for Google to index) suggests the obvious, names are good for implied world building!
foreignplanets.blogspot.com/2024/07/onom...
🧵 9/14 (huh?)
foreignplanets.blogspot.com/2024/07/onom...
🧵 9/14 (huh?)
Reposted by Beneath Foreign Planets
what's up gamers, I'm back with ten more tangible tips for editing your tabletop RPG manuscript: samsorensen.blot.im/ten-more-tan...
![screenshot of a blogpost that reads:
"Ten More Tangible Tips for Editing Your RPG Manuscript
"1. Remove instances of here from location descriptions—it’s obvious you’re describing the location already. Instead of 'A hobgoblin hammers iron here,' write 'A hobgoblin hammers iron on an anvil.'
"2. For the same reason, remove instances of this in description entries. If you must reference the entry’s subject, use 'the.' Instead of 'Smoke fills this room,' write 'Smoke fills the room,' or better yet 'Smoke fills the air.'
"3. When writing entries for monsters, magic items, and so on, skip repeating the name of the subject with [X] is or [X] are in the first sentence. Instead of 'VODYANOY: Vodyanoy are froggy, pot-bellied water spirits,' write 'VODYANOY: Froggy, pot-bellied water spirits.'"](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ku77xydmphm4eg5jvbgnqo7o/bafkreia6hlg2lyvb25iupssafeg44fqc43sb3a24zjabs7spzz3dt3ojgi@jpeg)
December 12, 2025 at 12:56 AM
what's up gamers, I'm back with ten more tangible tips for editing your tabletop RPG manuscript: samsorensen.blot.im/ten-more-tan...
Pausing for now, but many thanks to @lysus.bsky.social for providing the majority of the these posts. Follow them!
Bluesky has fallen. Lysus of table46.bearblog.dev, a linguistics obsessed nerd, has provided a bevvy of blogposts on language that I'll share in a thread as I read through them. Check out his blog.
1/8? 🧵
1/8? 🧵
Does anyone know of any good posts relating to languages (and/or conlangs) in games? This cry for help goes out to any and all #osr #blog #sages and RPG #cunningfolk who may hear it.
December 12, 2025 at 7:21 AM
Pausing for now, but many thanks to @lysus.bsky.social for providing the majority of the these posts. Follow them!
Reposted by Beneath Foreign Planets
Back at it with @prismaticwasteland.com's look at the implied setting of D&D through the lens of language. What does the existence of 'Common' actually imply?
www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/the-lan...
🧵8/9
www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/the-lan...
🧵8/9
The Languages of D&D Imply a Specific Setting — Prismatic Wasteland
If you start from the premise that languages in D&D make sense you can extrapolate a bit about its implied setting.
www.prismaticwasteland.com
December 12, 2025 at 7:06 AM
Back at it with @prismaticwasteland.com's look at the implied setting of D&D through the lens of language. What does the existence of 'Common' actually imply?
www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/the-lan...
🧵8/9
www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/the-lan...
🧵8/9
Reposted by Beneath Foreign Planets
If you liked that last post, then Nate Whittington of the Grinning Rat blog builds upon it - language as a wrinkle in play, a problem, a complication. There's also some very interesting thoughts on tying language to faction play 🤯
grinningrat.substack.com/p/languages
🧵7/9
grinningrat.substack.com/p/languages
🧵7/9
Languages and Frictionless Design
This is partially inspired by Murkdice’s excellent article on using language as a problem to be solved, the dauntless Prismatic Wasteland’s article on how languages imply setting, and Nova's (of The I...
grinningrat.substack.com
December 12, 2025 at 6:46 AM
If you liked that last post, then Nate Whittington of the Grinning Rat blog builds upon it - language as a wrinkle in play, a problem, a complication. There's also some very interesting thoughts on tying language to faction play 🤯
grinningrat.substack.com/p/languages
🧵7/9
grinningrat.substack.com/p/languages
🧵7/9
Reposted by Beneath Foreign Planets
Dr. @murkdice.bsky.social says one should treat language as an ingredient for gameable scenarios, interesting social/textual obstacles to encounter during adventures as well as suggesting ways to handle this kind of play.
murkdice.substack.com/p/what-did-y...
🧵 6/9 (9! 😱)
murkdice.substack.com/p/what-did-y...
🧵 6/9 (9! 😱)
What did you say?
Using language as a ttrpg problem.
murkdice.substack.com
December 12, 2025 at 6:34 AM
Dr. @murkdice.bsky.social says one should treat language as an ingredient for gameable scenarios, interesting social/textual obstacles to encounter during adventures as well as suggesting ways to handle this kind of play.
murkdice.substack.com/p/what-did-y...
🧵 6/9 (9! 😱)
murkdice.substack.com/p/what-did-y...
🧵 6/9 (9! 😱)
Reposted by Beneath Foreign Planets
Troy Press at troypress.com/real-world-l... introduces us to F.A.C.T, an actual method for appraising the level of a speaker's language proficiency and how this can be applied to games (in a variety of ways)
🧵 5/8
🧵 5/8
Real-world Language Proficiency for Fantasy Games
I’m happy to present this guest post from @skander, a former languages professor who left for the strangely greener pastures of being a corporate drone (and it gives him more time for elf games). &…
troypress.com
December 12, 2025 at 6:19 AM
Troy Press at troypress.com/real-world-l... introduces us to F.A.C.T, an actual method for appraising the level of a speaker's language proficiency and how this can be applied to games (in a variety of ways)
🧵 5/8
🧵 5/8
Reposted by Beneath Foreign Planets
Finally, a language I have a link for! Carsek is a virus. It grows like a weed, eroding other languages in memory and on physical structures. Seems like a more fun “common” tongue than just a trading pig-din.
roseandkingfisher.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-...
roseandkingfisher.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-...
The Red Curse of Language
Everyone wants cool, mysterious languages for their games. But no one wants to deal with the annoying fiddly bits that come from it. Soluti...
roseandkingfisher.blogspot.com
December 12, 2025 at 1:02 AM
Finally, a language I have a link for! Carsek is a virus. It grows like a weed, eroding other languages in memory and on physical structures. Seems like a more fun “common” tongue than just a trading pig-din.
roseandkingfisher.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-...
roseandkingfisher.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-...
Reposted by Beneath Foreign Planets
I’m just going ahead with them.
Here’s part two to that Blog of Forlorn Encystment post, a deep dive into alignment languages! Reading them more like dense political theory than a real language. Only time I’ve been excited by alignment languages.
forlornencystment.blogspot.com/2025/10/alig...
Here’s part two to that Blog of Forlorn Encystment post, a deep dive into alignment languages! Reading them more like dense political theory than a real language. Only time I’ve been excited by alignment languages.
forlornencystment.blogspot.com/2025/10/alig...
Alignment Languages are Socially Repulsive
In my last post on languages in AD&D , I teased that alignment languages were a topic worthy of their own post. Was I right? Let's find out....
forlornencystment.blogspot.com
December 12, 2025 at 12:43 AM
I’m just going ahead with them.
Here’s part two to that Blog of Forlorn Encystment post, a deep dive into alignment languages! Reading them more like dense political theory than a real language. Only time I’ve been excited by alignment languages.
forlornencystment.blogspot.com/2025/10/alig...
Here’s part two to that Blog of Forlorn Encystment post, a deep dive into alignment languages! Reading them more like dense political theory than a real language. Only time I’ve been excited by alignment languages.
forlornencystment.blogspot.com/2025/10/alig...