Historica Arcanum: Echoes of Renaissance

Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition Setting Sourcebook by Metis Creative

Historica Arcanum™ is a grand setting for tabletop games, where arcane powers, occult horrors, and unlikely heroes clash in secrecy, as the history of our world marches on. 

In each sourcebook of the series, players and game masters can delve into exciting timelines and regions of the world in the ever-expanding universe brimming with lore and storylines to explore. 

Echoes of Renaissance

The Most Serene Republic of Venice, 1521 CE. With the deft strokes of painters’ brushes and soldiers’ blades, the Italian peninsula is vibrant and seething. While the arts are flourishing under the patronage of the wealthy elite of Florence, Milan, Venice, Naples, and the Papal States, the ground beneath everyone’s feet quakes with the thundering, incessant march of war. The Holy Roman Emperor and the King of France have both invaded and laid claim to huge swaths of Italian territory, and in these seemingly never-ending “Italian Wars,” the various Italian city-states and kingdoms take sides, protect their interests, and often change allies with the shift of the wind. They fight these battles with condottieri, professional soldiers for hire who have a vested interest in the battles being prolonged so that they get paid well. Sieges are common, stalemates and doublecrosses commonplace. In the most recent hue of these wars, the War of the League of Cambrai, practically all of Europe united against Venice, and though Venice suffered humiliating early losses, by the end of the war La Serenissima had regained its lost territory, and the map returned, for the most part, to its pre-war uneasy position. 

Amidst this bloody backdrop, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Da Vinci create masterpieces for wealthy patrons, Titian shines as the brightest artistic star of Venice, and Machiavelli observes and opines what is required to be a clever leader in these precarious times. Meanwhile, Venice’s monopoly on trade with Asia has not only been challenged by the Ottoman might, but also the Atlantic voyages of the Portuguese and Spanish. From the outside, Venice looks like the wealthiest and most stable of the Italian city-states, and the city has an incredible streak of  being able to weather the storms of its rivals–but this floating city is perched precariously on ground that is sinking around it. The world is changing, and Venice’s serene stability may not be enough to secure its existence.  

Echoes of Renaissance is the definitive setting guide for 5th edition adventures in 16th-century Venice. Within this setting guide you will find: 

• The Expansive City of Venice: Locations for each District, Quests, Characters, and Items!
• A Suite of New and Unique Subclasses inspired by the culture and folklore of the region and era. 
• The Art of War: A brand new Weapon Loadout and Combat Stance so that adventurers will be able to use weapon combinations in a host of different ways while fighting. 
• The Deck of Legendary Inspirations: An exciting new way to reward Inspiration! Each class has a 20-card deck of unique abilities and boons to reward players with!
• A Massive Bestiary filled to the brim with foes and allies from the history and legends of the Medieval and Early Modern Mediterranean.

Don your masks, and forge your destiny! 

Historica Arcanum: Echoes of Renaissance is available through DriveThruRPG in PDF.

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