Spes Magna Games

The first Tuesday of June 2025 is here, and I’m on summer vacation for reals. No summer teaching for me. Huzzah.

So, my challenge becomes how to stay busy. One part the answer? Well, I found out I have a Substack. I’m also going to Learn Latin better since I’m teaching Latin to 5th and 6th graders starting in August. On the gaming front, I’m heading off to North Texas RPG again this year, and I’ve got good intentions to run several games on-line. Click to see my summer gaming calendar.

Also, I’m making a hexcrawl, starting with this, made via Deck of Worlds from The Story Engine (which I talked about here).

Nature’s beauty and danger both adorn the Bayou of Feathers, home to a myriad species of colorful birds. Legend says that Droainon, Goddess of Water and Sorrow, created the Bayou of Feathers as a gift for Tronsos, God of Thieves and Beauty, who failed to be moved by Droainon’s display of unrequited love. The region had been rolling plains and forests divided by a mighty river. Droainon dammed the river with great granite blocks decorated with an enormous bas-relief of thousands of birds in flight. Hurt by Tronsos’s derision at her gift, Droainon wept bitter tears into the bayou’s waters, and these tears turned the water brackish and pestilential.

Refugees fleeing a nearby region have moved into the Bayou of Feathers, encamping a few clustered islands. The establishment of their new community has not been easy. The bayou’s waters are not safe to drink unless properly treated; what’s more, the brackishness makes agriculture difficult.

Next up? A hexmap of the region!

Tags: Deck of Worlds, places of power, Sandbox Campaigns

The hodag is a creature of folklore and the subject of a famous hoax perpetrated by Wisconsinite Eugene Shepard in 1893. Here’s the hodag for Shadowdark. Enjoy!

Hodag

More than 10 feet long and at least four feet high at the shoulder. A visage that combines the features of a grinning man and a horned beast. Bony spikes down its spine. A hairless, rat-like tail. Sparse, brown hair covering its body. Powerful legs ending with clawed paws.

AC 14, HP 31, ATK 2 claws +3 (1d6) or gore +3 (1d8), MV double near, S +4, D +0, C +4, I -2, W +2, Ch -2, AL N, LV 6

Poor Climber. The hodag has disadvantage on climbing checks.

Charge. In place of attacks, move up to double near in a straight line and made one horn attack that inflicts 2d8 damage on up to two adjacent targets.

Tough Hide. Damage against a hodag from nonmagical slashing or piercing attacks is rolled with disadvantage.

Nota Bene: The first hodags — one male, the other female– were woodland carnivores incarnated from the pain and terror of abused animals. Their offspring, hatched from eggs, stalk forests to this day. It is wise to know that hodags are poor climbers.

Tags: folklore, monsters, Shadowdark

So, I purchased Deck of Worlds from The Story Engine. It arrived in a sturdy box.

Inside the box, six unequally sized decks of cards rest in separate niches. Each deck came shrink-wrapped, which I understand why, but, man, do my old fingers have a hard time with shrink-wrapping. Each deck is one of six different types of cards: Regions, Landmarks, Namesakes, Origins, Attributes, and Advents.

The basic use of Deck of Worlds is to create microsettings. This is done by dealing out one card from each deck in the order listed above. Below are the six cards I ended up with.

Once the cards are dealt, cards two through five are “built” up around the Region card, making choices for each card as seems best. Landmarks and Advents come with two options. The other cards present four options. Once the choices were made, I ended up with this configuration of cards for my first Deck of Worlds microsetting.

Thus, I have the Hissing Grassland with its Village Built with Blood Money. The Region is subject to Seasonal Flooding. The Contents of an Important Archive Are Being Held Hostage in the Village.

I like it.

If you’re interested in more information, check out this ten-minute tutorial as well as the links in the first paragraph above.

Tags: Deck of Worlds, Sandbox Campaigns, The Story Engine

How about two magic items for Shadowdark inspired by St. Patrick, Catholic bishop and missionary?

Bodhrán of St. Patrick

An aged goatskin stretched tight across a circular wooden frame about 15 inches in diameter and about 4 inches deep. The player beats the drum its wooden cipín, one end of which doubles as a hex key to tighten or loosen the skin.

Benefit. When played while casting turn undead, the bodhrán changes the target of the spell from undead creatures to reptilian creatures.

Curse. Only a Lawful priest may safely use the Bodhrán of St. Patrick. Others who attempt to use this relic suffer disadvantage on WIS checks for 24 hours.

Iron Bell of St. Patrick

A simple handbell about 8 inches high made of iron and bronze, carried within a decorative shrine composed of bronze, silver, gold, glass, and rock crystal.

Benefit. When rang while casting turn undead, the bell changes the target of the spell from undead creatures to infernal creatures.

Curse. Only a Lawful priest may safely use the Iron Bell of St. Patrick. Others who attempt to use this relic are struck deaf for 24 hours.

Tags: Catholic, magic items, Shadowdark

Another old monster made a new monster for Shadowdark. The art below is copyright 2015 by Dean Spencer and is used with permission (all rights reserved).

Mephit, Ice

A mephit, a wicked creature from some strange borderland between planes elemental and infernal, loves to torment the weak.

AC 14, HP 14, ATK 2 claws +2 (1d3 plus 1 point of cold damage) or spew ice +2 (see below), MV double near (fly), S +0, D +1, C +1, I +0, W +1, Ch -1, AL C, LV 3

Extremely Cold. Touching with bare skin causes 1 point of cold damage.

Gate Other Mephits. Once per day, 1-in-4 chance to summon another ice mephit. A summoned ice mephit cannot use this ability for a day.

Spew Ice. Single target within double near. Inflicts 1d8+1 points of cold damage, or 50% chance of extinguishing a torch or 25% chance of extinguishing a lantern if carried by the target.

Tags: monsters, Shadowdark