A brief plug: for the foreseeable future, I plan on writing about one of these a month. If you think you can do a better job than I do at making maps (and who can’t?) and want to sell me one and have your work featured here, send an email with the subject line “details” to...
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Here’s an example area to steal for your game generated using my 100 Overland Descriptors Table article. Like the example in that article, I’ve rolled 5 results, and used the first two as general descriptors for the whole area, and the remaining three to apply to sub regions. My rolls...
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A variety of new livestock to be stolen for a variety of genres…
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Many are the epic arms forged in your fantasy game. But sometimes the most powerful armaments require tools as powerful as they are. Enter these forges of power, able to bring forth the most fantastic of creations. Cold Iron Forge: Created by a race of arctic dwarves, for whom fire was a luxury,...
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One of the most time honored adventure hooks is the treasure map. Essentially they exist to get characters from point A to point B, maybe with a little adventure in the middle. Here are some alternatives to the basic treasure map that serve the same purpose. The Compass: An enchanted compass that...
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Bees. Bees have an interesting place in our world today. Not exactly domesticated, they are still an incredibly important resource for agriculture, pollinating billions of dollars of crops annually, and the source of an amazing food product. Let me tell you a story about one of my characters from...
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One of my long RPG love affairs is the well. I don’t know what exactly sparked it—a video game, a novel, an RPG adventure—but wells fascinate me. No RPG village is complete without one and every one holds a secret (well, that would get old and boring after a time, so most hold only water and...
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In fantasy settings with sufficient magic, there is likely to be a low level spell to send a simple message from person to person. Consider that a permanent magic item with this power is essentially a one way cell phone. This is such an indispensable item that no one who could afford it would be...
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Most fantasy RPGs have a type of fishfolk. Due to logistical concerns they don’t often see a lot of play time, so there are usually just a few varieties in any given system. While from a limited resources perspective, this is understandable, it does a great disservice to the diversity of marine...
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I was recently kicking around a game set in a deep forest. While it didn’t pan out, I did manage to salvage a few set pieces that can be dropped into your game as landmarks or adventure sites. The Spire: A massive petrified tree standing over the rest of the treetops. Hollow on the inside, it has...
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