What are good exotic fantasy cultures based on real worlds for

>>54433514
China definitely, considering the most popular anime of all time is basically an edit off of old chinese story proves that.

>>54433514
The various cousin cultures of the Polynesian Triangle are all rich with history and hardcore fantasy aesthetic.

>>54433514
Depends on era

But eastern euro and central Asian are generally good

>>54433514
Depends really. India and middle east are a really good contenders, ottomans could be really good one if you know a lot about their culture n shit. Steppes are also pretty good too.

I've always been partial to North African/Mediterranean cultures for fantasy. Their aesthetic is great for an exotic culture in a standard fantasy setting.

>>54433597
What anime are we talking here i cant seem to pinpoint which one you refer to

>>54433673
Seconding steppes

>>54433689
Dragon Ball.

>>54433697
But I have to say steppes are pretty hard to pull off if you want it to be authentic. You need to do some reading before diving in head first.

>>54433723
Oh yeah, it's not just brown/yellow cowboys, agreed.

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>>54433609
This.

>>54433514
Egyptian, it goes way deeper than just mummies and pyramids
Polynesian is also really interesting
Bronze to Iron age mediterrean, really anything Mediterrean is fine, even Roman, but if there is a focus on the seafaring aspects it's gold

>>54433514
Knock your setting back from the medieval ages and back to your stone-bronze age cultures.

Egypt, Greece, Aztec, Outback/Tribal

>>54433788
Yeah it's a lot more than just cowboys for starters you wouldn't have any villages if the setting is for example set in the middle of the steppes with not other settled civilization nearby and your pcs would pretty much have to travel with a clan 7/24 to survive if they are strangers.

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Southeast Asia

The Segu (or Bamana) Empire of Mali.
After the Mali Empire fell and splintered, some Bambara people formed a society that glorified warriors.
There is one myth about a gifted child who becomes a skilled warrior, but suffers ruins his reputation when his Muslim fortune teller tells him he cannot defeat a skilled hunter whose rifle can kill three people with one shot. He then attempts to clear his name through a number of quests/challenges that culminate in killing a djinni, who is immune to metal weapons but secretly vulnerable to wood.
I learned about this myth is a book (a collection of myths from across the world), and have had a hard time finding the info online. In the story, the King of Segu is a prominent character who eventually adopts the protagonist, but fears that this wonder child will try to depose him. This King was a real person that there are historical records of, but this society purposfully distorted reality t
So they have a caste system ruled by Warrior Nobles and gain prestige by raiding other groups for livestock and slaves, though slaves are more like peasants whose true ownership often shifts hands through war.
Below the Warrior Nobles are the Poet Historians, whose job is to memorize and elaborate the deeds of the Warrior Nobles. Segu history is distorted by this class to teach lessons and inspire the populace.
Below them are the fortune tellers, who use the Koran and cast Kola nuts to determine the future.
And then there are slaves at the bottom. In the tale of Bakaridjan Kone, he is often praised for treating his slaves very well and giving them their own homes and some spoils of war. They might be the lowest caste, but they're livelihood does not seem to be heavily influenced by the other castes, except when they are captured by enemies and forced to move away. Farmers, artisans and craftspeople fall under the slave umbrella.

>>54434197
neat