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Indian Folklore Set-Set Design
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A Mystic - by Metaltrox , this guys got some great stuff https://www.deviantart.com/metalratrox/gallery -- I'm probably gonna utilize some of his stuff, but there's definitely a bunch that would work great for your set!
I am a Christian, so I do not have much wisdom about Indian religion. I would definitely love to help, but I would like a brief overview of the religion.
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This is just me, but I think Ripple can be renamed to Mantra. It (kind of) fits, Mantra's definition being "(originally in Hinduism and Buddhism) a word or sound repeated to aid concentration in meditation." and ripple's affect being "(When you cast this spell, you may reveal the top X cards of your library. You may cast any revealed cards with the same name as this spell without paying their mana costs. Put the rest on the bottom of your library.)"
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Second up, Ixalan was more based off of the Mayans than the Aztecs, you'll notice the building styles of the pyramids, and the worship of predatory animals. The Aztecs worshipped more human-like gods, while the Mayans literally prayed to Jaguars.
Third, this is not only the religion, we will be making this original, but there are some characters I know that I need to represent, such as Shiva, Ganesh, Hanuman, Gandhi, and Ravanna.
On the religion, I advise that you ask @Rayne-Lord about this, as he seems to be the expert on the subject, but Hindu religion is know to have TONS of gods. One time in church I heard that no one Hindu knew every single one of their gods. Also, I believe that reincarnation plays a big part, as well as Karma.
I also happened to hear that the end goal was not to reincarnate, but to reach their version of heaven(I think).
That's all, but since Indian folktales are less well known than things like Mayan/Aztec/Incan and Egyptian tales, there are certainly some stories that I want to show off.
Yes, I knew it was one of those civilizations. Also, I was just clarifying if you will be basing the characters off the gods but not the gods themselves. Just making sure you were basing the set off of the religion and not the religion itself.
Also, apparently Hindu religion has 33 millions gods... (goodness...)
@The-DM @LordTachanka123
Very Brief Overview
In Hindusim the many gods are actually just aspects of one single supreme Reality, which is to say, One God, which is both completely imminent in the world, and transcendent simultaneously. The goal of its true aspirants is to free oneself from the cycle of Karma (binding impressions we receive through multiple lifetimes that bring about the illusion of duality) and subsequent rebirth. This end goal is the realization of this one all-encompassing Reality (God) which is to say, there is Nothing except God. After this you are done with the cycle, and your soul becomes one with the One Soul. The numerous gods and goddesses serve as avenues of connection, ways for Human beings of relating to a God beyond all attributes, beyond duality. Much in the same way that Jesus serves as a relatable avenue for Christians. Folk Hinduism may treat these gods as real, separate entities, but in The Vedas, Upanishads, and Bhagavad Gita (Hindu scriptures) they are shown to be simply different faces of One Truth.
Also regarding mantra, the repetition of a sound or phrase (a prayer), is found throughout all the worlds religions. Prayer beads likely found there way from India into Islam, and thence into the Christian west. Many monks, especially in the Eastern Orthodox church utilize repeated phrases (mantras) as a means of keeping the mind focused on Christ. It's really a pretty unifying thing to think about.
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With that aside, I also agree that it would be best to avoid a direct 1-to-1 recreation of Indian Faith and culture in the set. My own current set draws heavily from Central Asian culture, themes, and my study and admiration of Islam, but out of respect for adherents of that faith, and for my own personal urge for creativity, I've changed it to be my own world that is merely inspired by that culture and faith. Names changed, aspects of culture expanded upon or drawn from other sources. In short, it feels like Arabia, but it isn't, it's Al-Qara.
I think it would be strange to have a direct representation of Gandhi in a set featuring the deities of Hinduism, you're mixing timelines too much. What would be interesting would be to create a character that is unique to your world that represents the ideals of Gandhi in it. I would say the same about various gods and goddess and legendary heroes. For those that know, they will get the references and find that cool, and for those that don't, they may be intrigued to learn more, or not. But there's no pressure in terms of representing actual History, and real peoples beliefs. The game Smite ran into that when they depicted the Hindu pantheon, which unlike the greek and norse gods, has many, many current adherents. People can get offended by unintentionally insensitive portrayal, or cheapening of what to them is sacred.
Okay, so, mechanics at the current time:
Mantras
Ripple
Chant
Creatures:
Devas
Asuras
Rakshasas
Avatars
Humans
Loxodon
Nagas
(Recall that we are using the religion for inspiration, too.)
Is Chant a renaming of Ripple, or is it a an ability that would be seen on creatures that has interaction with Mantras-
Do mantras have ripple, or some other sort of effect
@The-DM:
Mantras(New enchantment)
Ripple(Now chant)
Chant(Now ripple)
Okay, so we need at least one old mechanic(I'm not counting ripple).
Also, note that we will probably have some mechanics for the "British."
Also also, I think we should stick with two mechanics for each, so we'll have to either kick one or kick two and use an old mechanic.
And chant works with Mantras, as they will be better for each mantra you cast.
@The-DM.