Spes Magna Games

Merry Eleventh Day of Christmas!

Ug. I’m tired. Today was my first day back on campus after Christmas vacation (which, the observant among you will have noticed, once again ended early as there are still Days of Christmas left). I like to make a big splash after an extended time away from school, so my students got class/homework, reading assignments, and a new poem to memorize. Huzzah.

So, if you’ve not seen The Last King, you owe it to yourself to watch it. It’s a hoot, and it has without a doubt the best scenes involving good guy medieval warriors on skis fighting to save the baby heir to the throne from bad guy medieval warriors on skis. Seriously. Check out the trailer at this link.

And now a new magic item.

Skis of Travail
Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)

These finely crafted wooden skis are each about five feet long. It requires an action to don or doff the skis, and the magic of them makes poles unnecessary. While wearing the skis, you not only treat ice and snow as normal terrain, but you gain a +10 foot bonus to your speed. You also enjoy these abilities:

• You can use your bonus action to Dash across ice and snow.
• When using the skis to move across ice and snow, foes make opportunity attacks against you with disadvantage.
• As part of your move when skiing across ice and snow, you can jump three times the normal distance, but no farther than your remaining movement would allow.

Tags: 5E D&D, Christmas, magic items, movies

Merry Ninth and Tenths Days of Christmas!

I got distracted by Things yesterday and didn’t get a post posted, which means today we get two new magic items rather than just one. How exciting.

Even though Epiphany’s official date is 6 January, Epiphany was celebrated yesterday at my parish. One of the themes of Epiphany is the invisible becoming manifest, a word the Latin roots of which lean heavily toward meaning “caught in the hand”. While you can’t catch them in the hand (because they’re PDFs), you can get four of my OGL OSR publications at a 57% discount by purchasing the Epiphany Bundle. This bundle includes these Swords & Wizardry-compatible treasures:

Demi-Human Adventurers: The Dwarf, the Elf, the Gnome, and the Halfling presented as old-school race-as-class options.

El Mariachi de Combate: The character class for those who want to combine musical prowess, dazzling showmanship, and martial skill.

The Bard: Knower of untold wonders and secrets who survives by cunning and charm. The Bard includes new spells and new magic items as well as a full character class.

The Magus: Adventure as a student of hidden star signs, dreams, and the movements of both smoke and fire. The Magus also offers several new spells.

World War Weird Classes: Add some weirdness to your WWII: Operation WhiteBox game with ten classes ranging from Demi-God to Gremlin to Zombie.

And now for two new magic mirrors!

The Manifest Mirror: This mirror is tall and wide enough to fully show two humans standing side by side in front of it. It is meant to be attached to a wall as it is far too heavy and unwieldy for easy transport. The mirror’s magic shows clearly the true reflections of invisible, ethereal, or polymorphed creatures and objects. Shape-changing creatures, such as doppelgangers and lycanthropes, have their true selves shown in the glass as well. Usable By: All Classes.

Altar Mirror of Steadfast Purpose: This sacred mirror, set into a decorative box meant to be displayed atop an altar, aids Clerics in their daily devotions. The mirror is aligned to either Law or Chaos, and only a Cleric of that alignment can benefit from the mirror. A Cleric who prays for spells before the mirror gains a +1 bonus to-hit modifier to melee attacks and a +2 bonus on saving throws against charm and fear. These bonuses last as long as the Cleric does not cast the last of his highest level spells prepared for the day, but the bonuses do not last for more than one day in any event. Usable By: Clerics.

Tags: Christmas, magic items, Swords & Wizardry

Merry Fifth Day of Christmas!

Presenting for B/X D&D: Five Golden Rings!

These rings, fashioned by a powerful wizard for her most loyal companions, bind the ring-wearers together by means of magical effects that each can use via a command word. Like all magical rings, one of the Five Golden Rings “must be worn on a hand to have the given effects, but may be carried and put on when desired” (Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Advenure Game Expert Rulebook, page X49).

Five Golden Rings: The wearer of one of these rings can use locate object once per hour, but only to locate any one of the other four rings. Once per day, the wearer can use clairvoyance to see through the eyes of anyone wearing one of the other rings. By spending one round concentrating, the wearer can “shift” the clairvoyance to a different ring-wearer, doing so any number of times until the effect ends (after 12 turns or until dispelled or negated). The wearer can transfer up to 8 of his own hit points to another ring-bearer by touching the recipient for one round. This power can be used once per day.

Tags: B/X D&D, Christmas, magic items

Merry First Day of Christmas!

Today’s long-awaited post wormed its way into my brain this morning while ushering in the narthex before Christmas morning Mass. Enjoy!

Hermey’s Ferocious Forceps
Weapon (great forceps), uncommon

These over-sized forceps are a magical simple melee weapon with the Two-Handed property. A successful attack roll inflicts 1d4 plus Strength bonus points of piercing damage, unless used against a creature with teeth, in which case the forceps inflict 1d6 plus Strength bonus damage. On a critical hit, the forceps inflict double damage as normal. A toothed creature who suffers a critical from the forceps has disadvantage on its bite attack until it takes a short or long rest or receives magical healing.

Tags: 5E D&D, Christmas, magic items

Merry Christmas!

Today for For Gold & Glory, I offer up three new magic weapon. I’m still using Aegis Studios for the stock art, but this time the artists are Heather Shinn and J. M. Woiak. The weapon illustrations come from the ItWoR Stock Art Pack. (Nota Bene: Those are affiliate links.)

Within the eerie Cliff of Crypts, the covetous dead jealously guard what should be their final resting places. Somewhere among the twisting tunnels and lightless chambers lurks the Ossuary Coven, three undead hags who possess terrible magic power and know the secrets of crafting magic weapons from bone and sinew.

+1 Bone Jambiya: This magic dagger is made from the humerus of a human, demi-human, or humanoid. Its hilt is wrapped with sinew. Although it is a slashing weapon, it inflicts normal damage against skeletons. (XP: 525)

+1 Dread Sickle: This magic sickle is made from a sharpened rib, part of a jaw bone, and the femur of a human, demi-human, or humanoid. The weapon is wrapped with thick sinew. It inflicts piercing or slashing damage, as the wielder chooses. Its normal enchantment bonus is quadrupled when used in combat against the same creature type from where the femur came. Thus, a dread sickle made with an dwarven femur is +4 to hit and damage against dwarves. (XP: 650)

+1 Ghoul-Fang Club: This magic club is made from a jagged length of wood rammed through the base of a ghoul’s skull. Thick sinew holds the skull in place. If the wielder scores a hit with an unmodified roll of 18-20 while using this club in combat, the target must successfully save versus paralyzation or be frozen in place for 1d6+2 rounds or until subject to a remove paralysis spell. Elves and creatures of huge-size or larger are immune to the ghoul-fang club’s paralysis. (XP: 3,500)

Tags: For Gold & Glory, magic items, place of power