Spes Magna Games

As I continue to chug along getting caught up with the OSR Christmas Calendar, here’re two days in one post. First for 5E, a new cleric spell drawing inspiration from the colors associated with different liturgies. After that, a new helpful monster for 1E.

Guardian Light
2nd-level evocation

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 120 feet
Components: V, S, M (a bit of blessed wax)
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

You create a torch-sized light within range, making it appear as a torch, lantern, or glowing orb that hovers in the air for the duration. Regardless of appearance, the light sheds bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet. As a bonus action, you can move the light up to 60 feet to a new spot within range. When you cast spell, choose what color the lights shed. Each color has a different protective effect.

* White: Creatures within the radius of bright light have resistance to poison damage and make saving throws against poison with advantage. Creatures within the radius of dim light make saving throws against poison with advantage.

* Red: Creatures within the radius of bright light have resistance to fire damage and make saving throws against fire-based effects with advantage. Creatures within the radius of dim light make saving throws against fire-based effects with advantage.

* Green: Creatures within the radius of bright light are immune to being frightened. Creatures within the radius of dim light make saving throws against being frightened with advantage.

* Violet: Creatures within the radius of bright light are immune to being charmed. Creatures within the radius of dim light make saving throws against being charmed with advantage.

* Black: Creatures within the radius of bright light have resistance to necrotic damage and make saving throws against necrotic damage with advantage. Creatures within the radius of dim light make saving throws against necrotic damage with advantage.

* Rose: Creatures within the radius of bright light are immune to being paralyzed. Creatures within the radius of dim light make saving throws against being paralyzed with advantage.

* Gold: Creatures within the radius of bright light are immune to being exhausted. Creatures within the radius of dim light make saving throws against being exhausted with advantage.

At Higher Levels: When this spell is cast using a spell slot of a higher level, you create one additional light for each slot level above 2nd. The lights can be of different colors. A light must be within 40 feet of another light created by this spell, and a light winks out if it exceeds the spell’s range.

Hearth Elemental

Hearth elementals are minor elementals from the Plane of Fire. Benevolent and territorial in nature, a single hearth elemental might be summoned by means of a special monster summoning I or similar form of magic. Regardless, a hearth elemental must be summoned and bound to a small fire, such as a campfire or a cooking fire in a home. The hearth elemental remains bound to the fire so long as the fire is maintained, for the hearth elemental consumes the fire’s fuel. In most cases, however, a hearth elemental returns to the Plane of Fire after several hours, although it is rumored that some temples of Yondalla are continually protected by hearth elementals.

Frequency: Rare
No. Appearing: 1
Armor Class: 5
Move: 9″
Hit Dice: 3+3
% in Lair: Nil
Treasure Type: Nil
No. of Attacks: 1
Damage/Attack: 1-8
Special Attacks: See below
Special Defenses: +1 or better weapon to hit
Magic Resistance: Standard
Intelligence: Low
Alignment: Neutral good
Size: S
Psionic Ability: Nil
Attack/Defens Modes: Nil
Level/XP Value: III/110 XP + 4 XP/hp

Hearth elementals appear as crackling fires that constantly shift in outline, appearing humanoid one moment, serpentine the next, or maybe resembling some sort of quadreped for a time. They are normally gentle creatures, eschewing violence, but when summoned and bound to a fire, they become protective of their summoner and his or her allies. Heart elementals set fire to any inflammable material they touch. Against fire-using opponents, they score -1 point of damage. Hearth elementals are checked by water, being unable to pass over non-inflammable liquids.

Tags: 1E AD&D, 5E D&D, Catholic, monsters, OSR Christmas Calendar, spells

While it’s never been a thing in my home, in other homes folks wake up Christmas Day to discover oranges in their stockings. There are competing ideas about how this custom arose. Probably most of those ideas are true. One idea about Christmas stocking oranges hinges on the fact that oranges can be segmented and shared. It’s like each orange peel holds several little juicy presents.

1E Stats

Some druids know a special ritual. By spending about an hour preparing the proper symbols and materials while chanting hymns to the sun and the trees, the druid infuses the energy of a cure light wounds into a fresh-picked orange. For one day, the orange retains healing power, which is activated when the orange is peeled and segmented (taking one round). The orange will have d4+8 segments. When consumed, a segment restores 2 hit points. Segments must be consumed within 1 turn of peeling. After that, the healing power fades. The ritual can be performed once per day.

5E Stats

Some druids above 2nd-level can cast cure wounds as a special ritual. By spending about an hour preparing the proper symbols and materials while chanting hymns to the sun and the trees, the druid casts the energy of a cure wounds spell into a fresh-picked orange. For one day, the orange retains healing power, which is activated when the orange is peeled (as an action) and segmented (another action). The orange will have d4+8 segments. When consumed, a segment restores hit points equal to the druid’s Wisdom modifier plus the spell slot level of the cure wounds used in the ritual. Segments must be consumed within 10 minutes of peeling. After that, the healing power fades. The ritual can be performed once per day.

Tags: 1E AD&D, 5E D&D, OSR Christmas Calendar, spells

The Oneiric Order serves the deity of dreams in both the waking world as well as in the shadowy realm of Morpheus. The order’s clerics and paladins make use of dream candles to communicate with each other over vast distances. Some say that more powerful dream candles can alter reality and reveal secrets.

1E Stats

When lit, a dream candle sheds light as normal for a candle and burns for up to 8 hours. The one who lights the candle must sleep in the candle’s light for not less than 8 hours. While sleeping, the one who lit the candle may dream in such as way to shape reality, causing one of the following effects 1-4 hours after the dreamer awakens:

* Full recovery an individual’s lost hit points.
* Restoration of a lost body part. Restoring a lost head does not restore life as well.
* Learn the location of some object or creature not heavily guarded by magical wards and protections.
* Discovery of a means of ingress or egress.
* Location of a safe path through a wilderness.
* Approximate strength of enemy forces. Note that creatures with 7+ or more Hit Dice may make a saving throw versus spell to avoid detection.

No single creature can use a dream candle more than once per week. Attempting to do so not only fails automatically, but ages the user 1-10 years.

5E Stats

Dream Candle
Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)

This magic of this candle, dedicated to the deity of dreams, activates when the candle is lit, which requires an action. After burning for 8 hours, the candle is destroyed. You can snuff it out early for use at a later time. Deduct the the time it burned in increments of 10 minutes from the candle’s total burning time.

When lit, the candle sheds dim light in a 10-foot radius. The attuned creature rests (short or long) within the light of candle. Its magic shapes a creature’s dreams. Choose a creature known to you. The target must be on the same plane of existence as you. Creatures that don’t sleep, such as elves, can’t be contacted by means of a dream candle. You enter a trance state, acting as a messenger. While in the trance, you are dimly aware of your surroundings; you make Wisdom (Perception) checks with disadvantage. Also, you cannot take actions or move.

If your target is asleep, you appear in the target’s dreams and can converse with the target as long as it remains asleep, but for no longer than the candle burns. You can also shape the environment of the dream, creating landscapes, objects, and other images. You can emerge from the trance at any time, ending the effect early. The target recalls the dream perfectly upon waking. If the target is awake when you activate the candle, you know it, and can either end the trance or wait for the target to fall asleep, at which point you appear in the target’s dreams.

Tags: 1E AD&D, 5E D&D, magic items, OSR Christmas Calendar

Illness over the weekend that lingered into the work week derailed my train heading toward Caught Up Station. Fortunately, I’m now on Christmas vacation. As I quip to my French-major wife, say, “La vee.”

“La vee,” she’ll dutifully reply.

Here’s day ten on day sixteen.

Guiding Light
1st-level divination (ritual)

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 120 feet
Components: V, S, M
Duration: 10 minutes

You touch one object small enough to be carried in one hand. Until the spell ends, the object sheds dim light in a 20-foot-radius. The light can be colored as you like. Completely covering the object with something opaque blocks the light and prevents the light’s divinatory powers from functioning. The creature carrying the light makes Intelligence (Investigation), Wisdom (Insight), Wisdom (Perception), and Wisdom (Survival) checks with advantage. The spell ends if you cast it again or dismiss it as an action.

Tags: 5E D&D, OSR Christmas Calendar, spells

For a great recipe for mulled wine, check this out. To add this magical elixir to your game, read on.

“Come boy, and pour for me a cup
Of old Falernian. Fill it up
With wine, strong, sparkling, bright, and clear;
Our host decrees no water here.
Let dullards drink the Nymph’s pale brew,
The sluggish thin their blood with dew.
For such pale stuff we have no use;
For us the purple grape’s rich juice.
Begone, ye chilling water sprite;
Here burning Bacchus rules tonight!”
— Catullus

While encamped, the party’s cook brews up some mulled wine using a recipe found in an ancient tome. He needs red wine, sugar, an orange, a lemon, one star annise, one cinnamon stick, about a half dozen cloves, and small amount of nutmeg and ginger. The sugar and spices and a small amount of wine are cooked first, enough to melt the sugar and infuse the spices. Then the rest of the wine is heated for just a few minutes. While the mulled wine is poured into mugs, the cook recites a simple blessing in a forgotten tongue.

Those who imbibe the mulled wine are filled with good cheer and a measure of peace of mind.

1E Info

Those who share the mulled wine gain a blessing. Roll 1d6.

5E Info

Those who share the mulled wine gain a blessing. Roll 1d6.

Tags: 1E AD&D, 5E D&D, OSR Christmas Calendar