Welcome to Crystalia: Running a D&D Campaign in the Shimmering Bastion
Crystalia, the heart of the "Under the Dome" campaign setting, is a gleaming, chaotic-fearing metropolis that has stood firm for over a millennium. Encased beneath a magical dome that filters out wild magic and the worst of the monster hordes, this city is a multifaceted...
Rebellions in Color and Chord: Art as Resistance in the Sky Cities
How Creative Expression Becomes a Weapon Against Oppression in Aether Skies In a world where floating cities rise on towers of Aether and the surface festers with corruption and memory, art isn’t just decoration—it’s warfare. Across the skybound spires of the Aether Skies, culture is tightly controlled....
Mind Over Madness:Introducing Psionics into Under the Dome
“The storms tear your flesh. The mages break your bones. But the mind? The mind survives. The mind bites back.”—Drassa Vo, Stormkin Dreamshaper With the release of the Psion class in Dungeons & Dragons playtest material, players and Dungeon Masters alike are looking for settings that...
Mind Over Magic: How Psionics Fit Into the World of Aether Skies
Integrating the New Psion Class into a World of Floating Cities, Eldritch Horrors, and Aether-Fueled Dreams The recent release of the Psion class playtest by Wizards of the Coast opens a door for players and storytellers alike to explore psychic power in a way that’s distinct...
⚔ Brutal Justice: Moral Grayness in Under the Dome
How Players and GMs Can Wield Ruthless Consequences in Their Games “It’s not about right or wrong—it’s about what survives.”—Breaker’s Bounty regular, after throwing a rival into the Black Sands In the world of Under the Dome, survival doesn’t leave much room for polished ideals. Laws are...
Sky Whales of Aether Skies: Leviathans, Lore, and Story Hooks
How Titanic Creatures Shape Your Campaign World and Adventure Opportunities In the soaring world of Aether Skies, not all that floats is crafted by hands. Far above the surface, among the drifting cities, storm channels, and eldritch storms, glide the sky whales—enormous, ancient leviathans that are...
The Storm Made Flesh: Introducing Chaos Dragons to Your Campaign
“We thought we were safe. It didn’t fly in on wings—it rode the storm like it was part of it. Like it was the storm’s will given form.”—Ladrex Brimcall, last words of the Iron Spine patrol In the howling madness of Under the Dome, there are...
Feeding on the Spark: Aether Parasites in TTRPG Storytelling
How to Use Magic-Hungry Creatures to Threaten Your World’s Most Vital Systems In the world of Aether Skies, Aether is more than just fuel—it’s the beating heart of civilization. It powers ships, cities, armor, minds. Without it, the floating world falls. So what happens when something feeds...
Lost to the Storm: Legends and Truths of Vergussian, the Fallen Dome
"No map shows it, but every survivor knows it. You don’t find Vergussian. It finds you."—Old scavenger saying, whispered over glowcider Once, Vergussian was a beacon of innovation—known across the domes for its arcane research, storm-reactive crystal spires, and allegedly, the world's most stable chaos storm...
In the Shadow of the Veil: Using the Aethernati in Your TTRPG Campaign
Working With, For, and Against Aether Skies’ Most Dangerous Organization The floating cities of Aether Skies may soar above the cursed world, but they're held aloft by more than just Aether coils and dreamtech—they’re kept safe by silence, secrets, and the unblinking eyes of the Aethernati. Part...
Smoke, Grind, and Grit: Designing Grind-Powered Vehicles for Under the Dome
“Tires are for cowards. Real engines scream when they drink grind.”—Rassa Coilbite, skiffwright of the Slag Market The wastelands outside the dome cities are hostile, irradiated with chaos storms, crawling with monsters, and pocked by sinkholes, living fungus, and bone-sanded dunes. On foot? You're prey.On a...
Making Your Ship a Character: Living Skyships in TTRPGs
Designing Vessels with Souls, Secrets, and Stories In Aether Skies, the ship isn’t just where your characters sleep. It’s a crew member, a home, a secret-keeper, and sometimes a goddamn mystery. Whether it’s cobbled together from driftwood and dream-forged hull plates or powered by an unstable...
Chronicles from Beneath: Natural Disasters & World-Altering Events Under the Dom
"You don't live under the Dome—you survive it."—Common saying in Crystalia’s Outer Warrens The lands under the Dome are not defined by calm days or gentle nights. They are shaped, scarred, and reborn through catastrophic upheaval. The truly terrifying truth? These disasters are not rare. They...
Making Madness Fun: Sanity, Corruption, and Consequence in TTRPGs
Embracing the Eldritch in Aether Skies Without Breaking the Game In Aether Skies, madness isn’t a punishment. It’s a storyline. A consequence. A transformation. The deeper your players explore cursed ruins, commune with unknown entities, or push Aether too far, the more their reality warps—and the...
Adventure Hook: The Night Hunt with Devkin in Under the Dome
"The storm does not choose the strong. The storm chooses the willing. Tonight, we hunt to see who is willing to become more."—Huntmaster Z’Kala before the Trial of Stormblood Last week I introduced you to my creations of the Devkin. With Displcaer Beasts being my favorite...
