d100 Magic Toys

65,936 hits on my blog otherday up from 6k daily recently
And still no comments, sigh. I guess its all bots
(two comments about dr mabutu helping me force ppl to love me with spells)

Free pdf of draft of my homebrew rules part A (stats  and zero lv) on patreon now as a public post. Two patron only drafts up today.

Inspired by Ford's Fairy Book as it has lots of child monsters
Yes I will accept a from the spaceknight doll if anyone sends me one
Please stop trying to send me glochs in my comments if you can resist the urge

also see
https://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com/2019/03/puppet-people-of-toy-town.html

Coming soon
More train lines for Chagrinspire

d12 How Fancy?
Roll a few times till satisfied and stop or reroll if incongruent
1 Rustic made from scraps 
2 Common materials like wood, leather or cloth

3 High quality with intricate designs, but common materials

4 Painted in bright colour

5 Painted many colours

6 Painted many colours with intricate designs

7 Name written on it (possibly famous)

8 Realistic-looking but smaller 

9 Glows in the dark or emits light when used

10 Colours change while in use 

11 Silver or chrome shiny
12 Golden 1in6 with encrusted gems

d10 Quick Toy Types
1 Sport
2 Skill
3 Dolls
4 Figures
5 Stuffed
6 Tools
7 Boxes
8 Musical
9 Games
10 Puzzles

d100  MagicToy
01 Bouncing ball - will bounce in place forever unless stopped or touched 
02 Returning Ball - will return to who kicks or throws to catch or kick again
03 Amazing ball - on command, it floats and sparkles until hit or kicked
04 Obedient Ball - will move by the bonded owners will, great for cheating, can roll uphills, stairs or over obstacles by clinging to surface
05 Bladder of Beans - an unbreakable pigs bladder stuffed with beans popular in village games
06 Bat of Beyond - +1 club that knocks balls a long distance
07 Bag of Balls - colourful hand-sized balls in a silk bag return to held bag on command
07 Rasient Hoop - colourful hoop, sticks to the user so you cant drop it while performing tricks or spinning around your body. Some come instead with a stick
08 Goblin Ball - on a command ball vanishes and returns on command
09 Impossible Ball - can split into three normal balls or back, the balls improve juggling ability and some have more balls
10 Sinister Ball - if played with or stolen, the handler becomes trapped inside the ball. Often come with a child trapped inside for d4 centuries. The bonded owner is immune to this effect. Some might have something worse inside
11 Knucklebones Bags - Set of 5 colourful knucklebones inside that return to the bag at will so you cant lose them
12 Cheaters Dice - roll the result the roller wants, 1in6 come in sets of 2
13 Cup & Ball - If you can succeed ten times without missing a piece of candy appears to reward the user
14 YoYo of Doom - yoyo has a 3m string and good for amazing yoyo feats but also can entangle an enemy or strike someone for 1hp damage. 1in4 have pop out spikes or blades on command and do d4  
15 Spinning Top - can summon a 2HD air elemental or dust devil once a day to play for 10 minutes
16 Hypno Top - spinning top with spiral patterns, 4HD or less beings who see in 3m save or gaze at it in wonder for a d3 rounds
17 Kite of The Wind - can fly without wind, 100m line never tangles, can lift skilled user 1m off ground every second round
18 Toy Bow - in a quiver with 10 arrows that return to quiver on command and cause no harm but stick to the target till recalled
19 Skittles of Wonder - 9 wooden pins on command will all fall over, all stand up in a triangle formation or will not fall if knocked over. Great for cheating
20 Golden Jump Rope - stretch from 1-3m at will, can spin by self or with one person holding one end to facilitate skipping games 1in6 amplifies skipping songs as if more children playing
21 Polly Perkins - fine china doll on command can chit chat, drink tea or play simple games for one hour, unbreakable and carries no stains
22 Goblin Doll - ugly goblin doll at night becomes a gremlin who plays pranks like moves or hides items or poops in shioes
23 Princess Saphire - posh talking princess doll who teaches good manners, encourages eating and bathing properly
24 Baba Yaga's Dolly - an ugly witch doll with a happy smile, will cackle if thrown or attacked but is unbreakable. 1in6 will beat a child with a stick if a parent or guardian commands or the child is being naughty in a way the parent would not like
25 Wooden Nesting Doll - painted brightly on command opens in half and another half size doll jumps our d4+4 total dolls are possible and on command they return to normal
26 Tabitha Tantrum - a surly dolly that speaks and in a joking ironic tone, it will be mean to child enemies with soul-destroying personal insults and if the child is threatened, the doll pulls out a hatpin and stabs enemies for a d3 damage (AC5 HD2 Mv12). Some call her Stabitha and if she finds poison will use it on her pin
27 Molly Dolly - a cloth simple doll that can't speak but can mime, if child is owner is in trouble, she will run to get help. She also cleans the child's possessions while they sleep. Once every week 1in6 chance she brought home a new doll, figurine or plush non-magical toy from who knows where but she does like other talking dolls
28 Mad Mary - will talk and play games, but do to a defect, after a while will recommend dangerous tasks as double dares child. she is hard to get rid of once you have a relationship
29 Gossiping Ginny - a talking friend who plays games but also rats out child activities and behaviour to parents
30 Troll Doll - an ugly but lovable hairy naked rubbery green doll with a big nose, claws, grin and pointy ears. If the child is in peril, the doll turns into a real troll to aid the child. Only rarely defective child eating ones 1in6 
31 Johnny Soldier - wooden soldier with a sword, on command marches forward swinging sword or halts. 1in6 can fight and gives child fencing lessons and is a bodyguard (AC+3 HD1 Mov6)
32 Wooden menagerie - set of 3d4+4 wooden figures that, on command, move about and play with a child. They scream loudly if damaged
33 Dolly House - a furnished wooden house with a set of a d6 wooden figures who are a family who live in the house and act like a family. 1in6 become deeply resentful of being spied on and plot against the child
34 Nut Cracker - a wooden angry sergeant who crushed nuts not fingers on command. 1in6 will bark officious orders and wiggle a moustache to drill the child in military marching. Will protect choild from rats with its d3 sword (AC+3 HD1 Mov6)
35 Wooden Dragon - articulated dragon with wheels. On command, will move, snap teeth and carry small objects. Will let other toys ride it. If left alone puts any toys left out in a pile and guard them, snapping until ordered to stop
35 Wooden Dog - on command, becomes a real dog who will bravely defend a child. If killed reverts to wood and breaks
36 Equestrian Hero - wooden soldier on a horse on command will loudly gallop, do drills, jump small obstacles, swim or battle other toys
37 Silver Knight - a toy knight that will grow to a real knight to fight if the child is in danger of attack (AC+8 HD2 Mov18), then back again once the threat passes. 
38 Wooden Horse - a colourful dog-sized horse will give children rides and will throw them off if cruel or rude. will only work again for that user if they apologise. 1in6 can talk and be a jolly companion
39 Peg People - set of 4d4+4 tiny people in a box with tiny houses. Once set up, they go about their behaviour as if real village folk, and you can even eavesdrop on them. They don't notice the child until picked up, and they might be friendly but 1in6 the peg person screams and the village attacks the child
40 Wheeled Duck - wooden duck with a string and quacks 
41 Polly Pure - a plush maid who can talk and play with a child and teaches them literacy, manners, basic geography (possibly dated) and can prepare small meals if it can operate a stove or fire (she is fireproof). 1in6 is a polly Perril who will also teach the child combat, escapology and poison lore
42 Billy the Bear - a plush bear if a child is in danger, turns into a grizzly or polar bear to aid the child. It can also carry bears to safety
43 Stripey Cat - a colourful plush cat that can turn invisible and tell jokes if asked, 1in6 can walk on hind legs and talk at will and will advise the child of perils
44 Plush Dragon - bombastic and makes wild threats of claws and teeth, and fire, but it can only talk, and its invulnerable to non-magic damage. It will protest if hugged and promise terrible acts of revenge. It also tells stories of heroic deed of the past
45 Plush Lion - can roar and play with a child, and it is also quite warm
46 Plush Orc - will play with a child, harmlessly wrestling and punching them on command. If alone with child will threaten and tease child to provoke a fight in a light hearted way
47 Plush Owlbear - adorable cuddly beast that feels warm and makes hooting sounds when hugged, 1in6 have real owlbear fur and prone to possession by the owlbears spirit, making it aware and active all the time. Good children it protects, and naughty ones it mauls
46 Plush Devil - conversational and discusses metaphysics and sin with the child. Unconvincingly offers to buy child should to teach them resistance. Fire proof, tells stories of sinners' lives and how they burn in hell. Supposed to teach child to resist temptation. If hugged it complains. 1in6 dolls are corrupted and offer magic toys for their soul 
49 Wooly Bah - plush shhp that can carry a child and gently butt them and is warm and cuddly. The sheep will sing lulabies and will butt foes of the child
50 Plush Scarecrow - talks to birds and translates for the child, can abuse birds so they leave offended to protect a garden.  1in6 dolls are anointed to the turnip god Bogrump and he whispers to the child in their dreams secrets of turnip cultivation so the child grows up madly in love with turnip
51 Music Box - plays music when the lid open d4 1=one only 2=10 songs 3=100 songs 4=never the same song twice
52 Jack in the Box - a springing jester pops out and giggles. it will tell jokes or make puns or tell limericks. 1in6 knows adult jokes also when there are no children present 
53 Toy Box - box of various toys, when the child finishes all move back in the box to keep clean. New toys can be added 
54 Barrel of Mischief - small holds a colony of troublesome creatures who won't harm the box owner once a day, after 10 minutes, they return sometimes with plunder you will never see again. If any child-sized person squeezes in they are lost in fairyland. If killed they fade away and new ones come out later. There are 4 types d4 1=gremlins 4d+4 2=goblins d4+4 3=kobolds 2d4+4 4=monkeys 2d4+4 (adventurers with shrink potions might fit)
55 Flatulant Box - when open releases fart noises and keeps it up for hours. 1in6 includes terrible odours, wildly different every time
56 Sound Trap - creates a field 3m around the box when open that prevents sound from leaving but lets it in. Handy for annoying noisy children
57 Voice Box - repeats whatever is said to it in a strange voice. You can shut the box before it replies and it will say the phrase when opened 
58 Dream Box - with a quartz grey  screen and several glowing control gems, let you dial up pictorial stories to entertain the family, 1in6 are adult-only versions
59 Soldiers Box - contains two tiny lead armies that will when opened line up on sides then kill each other in a gory battle lasting 10 minutes, and die, then vanish. Works once a day. 1in6 are corrupted and attack as a swarm
60 Secret Toy Box - a transp-dimensional toy box with little mass, holds many (d4 1=10 2=20 3=50 4=100) toys you can randomly pull out one at a time. A child or pet could also fit inside, and time does not exist inside. Will not accept anything dangerous or made to be harmful or violent. You can shake the contents out one at a time
61 Ghost Trap - glass bottle traps a poltergeist, and the child can talk with it and release it if required. Once released, the spirit will flee the bottle on sight
62 Woodland Logs - a bag of small wooden logs for building houses and walls for play. Includes a magic squirrel who will play with child and clean up after completion or give the child a warm honey chestnut if they do the work

63 Clinging Blocks - a bag of 5d5 colourful blocks with runes on them. With a command a block pressed against another block or surface will cling for one hour. Adventurers will find other uses like making climbing holds or blocking doors. Force can separate them, but it might damage some surfaces

64 Tool Box - with hammer, saw, hand drill and chisel. Each tool has a command word and will go to work for ten minutes three times a day. They are 1/4 normal size and cannot harm a living being   

65 Toy Cart - small wooden cart that will follow its child around and can even carry a small child or dog

66 Toy Mallet - for a child looks like a realistic large mallet from a quarry but it is brightly coloured and when you tit someone it just tickles

67 Toy Stove - a small self-igniting stove and flames won't burn a living being or ignite flammables. Can bake tiny cakes or an egg. Comes with a frying pan, baking tray and a tiny cauldron but some have more. 1in6 has a timer and offers cooking tips and can turn itself off

68 Brick Mould - 1/3 normal size, turns mud or sand into a brick in one minute, can be used to build tiny structures

69 Toy Cauldron - self-heating cauldron but won't boil or scald anyone, on command heat turns on or off

70 Toy Tattoo Needle - can draw on people without pain, self-inking and art fades the next dawn

71 Toy Horn - plays military signals with minimal effort or skill 1/3 normal size 
72 Toy Drum - a small noisy drum, on command from the parent, only the person beating it can hear it
73 Magic Drum - plays by self, usually marches
74 Magic Flute - has a face and plays itself, has tiny legs and arms and will play games, tell stories and sing songs. Often gold or silver with gems or semiprecious stones
75 Tin Whistle - blows very loudly but also can mimic any bird
76 Wonder Cymbals - three times a day if you clash three times, a small honey cake morsel appears
77 Magic Lyre - self self-playing lyre that also sings and tells stories, 1in6 also knows adult songs, 1/3 normal size
78 Bagpipe of Flatulance - plays novelty fatrt sounds mixed in with horrible bagpipe squarks and easier to play than a normal one, only 1/3 size
79 Musical Marrionette - plays a small instrument like a lyre, flute, drum or lute, can follow a child and will play with others, often comes in a set, making a little band 
80 Brazen Bell - rings on command or can be given conditions like ring at a certain time or if someone performs a certain action. 1in6 have a face and can't talk with a personality suiting their sound 
81 Wonderous Chess Set - pieces come to life and battle entertainingly in play
82 Three in a row board - simple peg game you can play alone as pegs move on their own (like noughts & crosses/tic tac toe) 
83 Backgammon Board of Wonder - if you win three games, the game releases a copper coin, some do silver and gold but coin supply per day limited to a few coins a day
84 Manticores & Mazes - boardgame with dice where you race to the end, avoiding monsters. When your piece is killed it moves to the beginning and the animated art shows the player being eaten 
85 Ramps & Lizards - board game with dice where you move around the board but ramp squares advance you further and lizards take your piece back. The ramp and lizards move your piece automatically and a voice explains how sin advances or devolves your soul
86 Klobok - a goblin game with dice, when pieces die they scream and tiny ghosts hang around bodies until game ends, 4 players compete in races through a maze, the losers all become wildly flatulent for a d4 rounds
87 Wizards Game - by holding one of four gems set into the board, you can have a telekinetic hand wrestle another player's telekinetic hand. Superior mental attributes win so the game is really used to test wizardry students
88 Magic Maze Game - A maze image on the board changes each use, you trace the maze route with your finger, and if you go backwards, you get electrocuted for 1hp damage. Adult versions with lethal damage are found in mad wizard dungeons to open doors
89 Zebor - a kingdom building game with illusionary animations as players kingdoms grow and battle and manage resources. Solo, 2, 3 and 4 player versions
90 Klabergon - boardgame with various collectable pieces and cards. The pieces animate and battle and the cards have animations. A set has 2d4+4 pieces and 2d6+6cards but larger ones exist. Pieees and cards only work on the official table. Some people collect more pieces and play for keeps and run tournaments. Legendary pieces, rare cards or boards are sometimes found alone in treasure hoards or are the target of wizard fetch quests. Players find game addictive and board owners become fanatics and seek more cards and figures
91 Wonderous Puzzle Cube - glimmering rotating cube, when complete its colour changes and the puzzle randomises again while playing a tune
93 Amazing Puzzlebox - when opened rewards user with a nut or candied fruit then randomises again. Also popular with smart pets
94 Secure Puzzlebox - can be used to contain small treasures and a combination set. Only be harmed by magic
95 Puzzle Prism - held in front of light the crystal projects patterns and the correct angle that is tricky to achieve shows an image. Some have multiple images. Some have treasure maps
96 Beehive Puzzle - when activated has a ticking timer. If opened in time you get a blob of honey, if you fail a d6 bees come out and chase the user
97 Kelidoscope of Wonder - if you stare at the amazing patterns, save or spend a d6 hours thoroughly absorbed but others can snap you out of it. Used to keep children quiet but some adults are addicted or develop odd beliefs about the patterns, like they think they see extradimensional beings. Some say these ruined a civilisation of wizards
98 Klorgus - a slimy gelatinous blob that makes fart sounds and can be moulded into shapes or figures that slowly return to a blob
99 Orb of Wonder - a floating telikinetic sphere that can talk and gives mild electric shocks to inattentive students. Some teach dated lore or use an ancient language 
100 Spinning top of the Planes - a spinning top with rotating sections, you can dial up other planes. While spinning you can see crude images of everyday life forms of another dimension

Magic Murder Maze Mania

Some tables to make mazes actually interesting.
Obviously, most adults with brains can methodically solve a maze so they don't work as mazes in game but they are good locations.

These are stuff to populate your maze and make term more annoying.
Feel free to cap d12 to lower numbers for less dangerous monsters.

3 drfts on patreon next few days
-anuranomicon
-ethyria with large amounts of a bronze age megadungeon
-2025 draft of my home rules part 1

d12 Maze Decor
1 Dead bodies of those who never got out

2 Graffiti on walls of warning, despair or just marking route

3 Fake graffiti with dangerous advice about trap or hazard 

4 length of string (might lead to trap or monster collecting string)

5 Diagram of a maze, on the wall, but most likely also or misleading

6 Shrine to a spirit of the maze or divinity

7 Monster droppings

8 Relief sculpture on the wall like an ornamental face

9 Trail of blood, possibly least to or from a trap or hazard

10 Phantom or poltergeist menaces people near a passage, trap, or hazard 

11 Kobolds are working on repairing a trap

12 Phantom or wizard and guards working on a magic trap or hazard

d12 Hazard
1 Chasm to cross (over water or just deep)

2 Chasm with rope swing or bridge

3 Chasm over lava or acid or monsters

4 Guard post with a monster

5 Patterned floor, wrong path activates attack spell

6 Slippery floor (possibly slope to a trap or hazard)

7 Timed dart launcher or spell effect fires in a rhythmic pattern

8 Swinging pendulums in the path

9 Bait for a trap or ambush

10 Illusion covering a trap or ambush

11 Statues with an attacking spell guard a passage

12 Floor on fire or covered in magical damaging

d12 Trick
1 Rotating room or corridor, or wall
2 Slide or pit to another level
3 Moving walls change the layout or crush
4 Secret or fake passage or door 
5 Portcullis gate or self-sealing passage
6 Magical disorientation or direction
7 One-way or self-sealing door or passage
8 Fog, darkness or blinding light

9 Illusion covering a threat or passage
10 Magic mirror or fountain
11 Flooded passage or doorway
12 Teleporter pad

d12 Trap
1 Pit with vermin or rancid water
2 Pit with self-sealing trapdoor
3 Pit with steaks or poison spikes
4 Pit with monster
5 Snare or foot clamp or concealed poison spikes
6 Murder holes 
7 Deadfall or rolling boulder
8 Crossbow or poison dart
9 Pop-out spikes or stakes
10 Pendulum or scythe
11 Gas, poison or sleep or hallucination
12 Damaging spell

d12 Ambush Monsters
1 Thieves
2 Sheet phantom and/or sheet ghoul
3 Doppelganger 
4 Mimic

5 Trapper or Lurker or stun jelly
6 Cloaker or Darkmantle
7 Living statue
8 Slithering tracker
9 Grell or gibbering mouther

10 Golem
11 Invisible stalker

12 Stone juggernaut

d12 Wandering Monsters
1 Vermin or swarm
2 Carrion Worm or giant beetles
3 Insane berserk warriors or cultists
4 Giant spiders or a scorpion
5 Giant lizards (gekko) or frogs (treefrogs)
6 Nilbog or quickling gang

7 Gelatinous cube

8 Minotaur hero or minotaur gang

9 Animated weapons or armour

10 Medusan or basilisk

11 Elemental

12 Willow the whisp

Ethyria Game Log June

So we had 2 players absent and other drop ins not dropping in and I had 2 ppl from another group with a DM looking to play and doing characters so we set them up and let them explore the setting a bit. Hopefully next game we have 3 and after that 4.

Im trying to only use Theros and PHB2024 but I'm allowing alternate priest domains if they work. We notices no Augary spell in the current version, and its the basis of a Theros supernatural feat Sigh. Two new players generated partly online but came out fun.

Omiros "Firehair" an adopted satyr who became an acolyte then priest of Heliod

Kiren an adopted centaur farmer turned monk

They could have been from the wild clans to eastern woods but both chose to be adopted by the same human clan of farmers around the main Polis. The family own a farm and are keen to climb socially in the polis. Kiren was adopted when father died defending city in battle as a mercenary. Omiros had a famous ancestor who died tragically and had a play written about them.

The clan had lost all grandparents and parents so the adoptees only had 4 siblings

Aella a 3rd lv Fighter who is family head and she serves in militia, she is patronising but treats the boys ok

Klieio a 2nd lv fighter and second in line, she dislikes the adoptees

Erebos a farmer loves the adoptees and he longs to get away from farm life

Magara who partly works on the farm but is indiferent and a bit mysterious

So the boys were with family who were scheming how to improve their status. Omiros and Kiren decided to go adventuring like other recent new heroes who had got glory and wealth.

They knew of a bridge dedicated to the gods that used to facilitate trade to the wild folk of the east through the mountains. Maybe they might learn more of their true people. There was also a ruined tower on the way one of only of kind in areas while their are hundreds in the wild north. Their brother wanted to come but sisters forbade it.

So off to the towers by the safe coast trail and met friendly soldiers who knew their sisters. Then into hills and saw towers based on ruins in Sicily. Met some satyrs and dryads who were friendly but complained humans kidnapping satyr kids. The humans said same about satyrs and the wild forest folk. 

Declined offer to join them and went on to the tower. While entering the gatehouse the centaur heard wings behind the wall so they tried to hide. The satyr failed and three harpies swooped him,. he blasted one with fire but his bronze chain vest kept him same. The centaur charged in fists and hooves blazing with lightning. Harpies fled to a mountain peak said to be a harpy colony. They moved inwards and the satyr lept over a 20 foot wall then on top of the central tower. Could see a single larger harpy coming back. So he peekind down the stairwell on the ruined tower and heard sniffing and dust moving. So he sprinted down and was breathed on by a hellhound with unholy flame. Fled through front door and the centaur charged in to help. While the hound chasing the satyr the faster monk pummeled the hound with his lightning fist.

Felt close but heroes won. The Satyr insisted on live capture so hogtied and muzzled the dog intending to carry it home. He wanted to tame it but his holy lore informed him it was not an animal. Found a strange amphora with snake designs and a trapdoor to the underworld with graffiti. The new harpy came to menace them and used her fear song. They were not affected but the centaur sprinted down the hill into the forest, pursued by the harpy. The satyr followed snakily. Both got to the forest and managed a safe trip home.

Sold the dog to the arena and saw the two-headed son of Cerbus hound brought in by other player's group. The amphora could daily release a swarm of snakes and they sold it to the sinister temple of the goddess of poison and disease who does have her ok moments. Fans followed them and bought them drinks and kebabs and took them to see a humorous play, followed by drinking. They also gained piety for monster hunting and now could give blessings of the light god.

When they got home sisters came out to nag them but when they saw wealth they were as impressed as they could be. The lads gave 800gp to family coffers worth several years farm income to be used for fences, a barn, labourers and new sheep.

The next day Magera the shifty sister told boys the agora plateau had catacombs with entries in a few temples and possibly other hidden ways. The satyr was sure she knew more than she revealed and both became more interested. Shw had heard gossib of their night out.

Instead they went to harbour to rent a ship to go and loot the cursed labyrinth that other adventures had returned from. Aparently they were not first. A ship of the other party family returned damaged with missing family members. They had heard their hated sibling Aias had got rich their and tried to give it a go. While adventurers ashore being kidnapped by an ogre the ship was driven home by harpies. The other party on the sea goddess ship had already departed to rescue the missing siblings.

So the lads went to look for a ship. There was a pirate ship and and merchant. They even got Aias's grandfather to subsidise the hiring of a ship because he doubted Aias could pull off the mission. They chose pirates who seemed tougher.

The shop set off and fog poured in. The pirate captains mate, a Triton said the fog was natural and the wind died. They rowed close to the phantom island and the pirate captain was keen to explore for treasure and the boys agreed but were wary. The ship got close and the triton mate and three sailors got in the ships boat and went ashore. They could see the hugeskull shaped hill on the icy island and giant doors in the nose and a warf. They got close and were intimidated by the 40 foot high bronze doors. the satyr did see a secret entrance and they got close to open it. Two sailors stayed in the boat while the rest went into a dark tunnel. Using light magic they pressed on and saw three giant doors. The opened one to see frost giant barracks with giant exotic furs and giant sacks on wall pegs.

Saw some large ticks while searching and they saw a dog size tick stalk the triton and defeated it. They fled to the boat covered in giant blood from the tick. The captain said he had planned to rob the party and throw corpses in the sea but he was impressed with the daring and loyalty to his first mate the triton. Even though dark the canny captain navigated them home. Each man in the giant complex had a huge white fur, a polar bear, a winter wolf and even a yeti. The giant bag had some money and trinkets. The pirate also decided to not even charge the adventurers and said he would sail with them again.

The adventurers Aias and Xi on the temple ship had returned with missing siblings including body of Aisas's mean brother. So the two groups should be able to meet up.

Went well and I look forward to more players for a viable campaign.

The skull island is based on a Clark Ashton Smith adventure and Advance Adventures compendium 2. Reading lots of ancient greek history I should have read when I did classics at uni 30 years ago.

I let them take 4th lv feat for frost giants from bigbys giant book - resist cold and retalitory ice blast vs enemies, slows mov to 0, as they were contaminated by giant blood in tick.

Im pretty happy players finding bad places, doing hit and runs and nabbing some loot.

Family stuff has been great. possibly might have some intermarriages later on.
 

June Spot Reviews

My Ethyria/theros game has 2 new players starting so thats been nice. One quibbling about character gen rules from online sources vs book and I'm having to re-state rules and that im only using 2024PHB and Theros book which something always put me off dnd5 but its part of running modern rules. In part I chose 5th ed to get another game running as this city not into many other games and ppl have wildly untrue ideas about old editions from heresay. I keep telling ppl its 10x faster to play and simpler but it is what it is.

Im happy with my 2 current games as a dm, and playing with new ppl has made my playing a character game improve lots. If I ran an out-of-the-box game setting Id use my homebrew with Gunderholfen or Midderlands. Ive had ppl ask me to run RQ but not enough to do it.

Two books I'm working on and a pro job tryout are dominating my time at the moment. Megadungeon I'm running for ethyria/theros, about half done, and I will work on it today for the game tomorrow.

Have a bunch of new purchases...

Cthulhu By Gaslight - Investigators' Guide 😀😀😀💥
Only a quick glance, but many online are wondering if it is full of redundant content and if you only need the Keepers version. I think the 7th ed core books, the investigator's book, is mostly useless. It has one rule for military background in the keepers' book (and overpriced automatic weapons). The situation in the gaslight edition has improved. It's mostly historic info, and I like the idea Investigators' book has real-world info, so the  Keepers' book has more mythos. The rules and character generation in Gaslight Investigators are less than other recent setting books. So on this basis, I like it more than the standard investigator's book. I'd think I'd rather more period photos than some art, but most of the interior art is ok. Pallette seems a bit subdued, and some scenes could have more grime. The more painterly art is very good. I got it on sale on Amazon, it's the main reason I got it. My interest in Chaosium and Cthulhu is diminishing overall, but about 4 or 5 books I'm interested in. The fandom of Cthulhu and RQ is the main reason. If ppl asked id explain more. 

The Bats of Saint Abbans 😀😀😀😀
This is an adventure and detailed location for Midderlands but easily adaptable to other medieval games, maybe even Pendragon. It would be a good one-off or campaign starter. It details a cathedral, monk life, npc's, a monastic time keeping system, new monsters and more. The box set would be best version but it could all be in a book. I got books and PDFs and 3 book bundle. There is also two bookmarks with info to help manage adventure, cyan maps (not in print bundle), an ecclesiastical time chart and fantastic encounter tables that add to the adventure. A PDF of maps, where it is in Midderlands and npc portraits. Now Ive seen it I wish I got the box set. The adventure is not about combat but dealing with npc, taking lots of athletic and spiritual risks and the supernatural weirdness of the cathedral. it would be a good centre for a campaign or starting point. Its a weird, magical place. Basically, you must deal with crazy bats in the cathedral and find what they like and clues to save them rather than kill them. If you like doing voices, it is a goldmine of characters and creatures. I did say you could run for Pendrago,n but Id shave off some of the weirder things. Id like to run it.

Possibly, I'd start players as locals needing work or in debt to the church for healing. Maybe fight some disease vomiting sewer goblins might disease the party, so they need healing. Its a fun read with lots of humour and weirdness and history inspiration behind it. 
 

Adventure Anthology 1+2😀😀💥💥
These are short adventures for Basic fantasy RPG. Not as good as their Black Apple adventure, I reviewed April (one of the best adventures I've read). They are short small dungeons for a session and might actually be good for Solo play as most don't have any complex plots. Some could be inserted in other adventures. Also good for beginner players or DM. Im getting a few of the Basic fantasy RPG things here and there but quality varies. They are all affordable, so even if broke a new adventure is affordable. Vol2 has a nice pumpkin festival adventure I could use. A slaver base in Vol1 u used.

Fords Faeries 😀😀😀😀

I had pdf but the book is good to read on the bus and at the table. Super inspirational for weird faeries and monsters, many with emotional effects for roleplaying opportunities, good for my game and Pendragon. While reading this, it inspired lots of blog posts from me, so basically, why I buy books like this (also, I struggle to read fiction novels at all now). Great, weird faerie-inspired stuff to make your games stranger. I will use this lots when I run my Auldwood game.

Pestilence at Halith Vorn 😀😀😀😀

I love Gundolfen. But id say everything in the setting is amazing. I normally hate puzzles in dungeons but I like the ones in these books. The books have been getting better and better, layout and writing-wise. This details a pestilence threatening a town and a huge multi-level and multi-planar adventure. Lots of grotesque, weird stuff of the top tier. I like the factions you can use and while they might mean some areas are a cakewalk there is still plenty to explore and do. Wonderful dark and nasty stuff.

Letters From The Dark 😀😀😀💥
A series of small shadowdark booklets. Nice self-contained well laid out of books with various topics. I don't really want to collect or buy shadowdark, but I play it. These are above average quality and value for shadowdark. For other retro clones its a bit thinner without class info but certainly easy to adapt and interesting stuff.

There are some pdfs I'm still reading so will cover next month.

Alignment Keywords

Been reading Adam Eterno comic reprints from UK A 16th c alchemist aprentice who stole immortality and cursed. Only gold can hurt him (it turns up lots). In 70s he was hit by a gold-plated limo and now he floats the time streams turning up to beat up bad ppl. Early on he was trying to die but eventually he decides to go with it and just enjoy beating up bad ppl through time and space. Like a wizened old man brawler who talks in a ye olde manner. Like dr who crossed with iggy pop and highlander but surly, bitter and fatalistic. From brit boy comic weekly mags: Thunder, Lion, Valiant for 6 years now in 2 new books.

---------------

So D&D5 has keywords based on attributes to describe your character.

But alignment needs this even more especially for the DM.
You could use these to avoid mentioning alignment in games.
They also help define alignment but you could use instead of alignment if you don't like it.
You could use to imply alignment and not be obvious.

I make alignment a bigger feature than most D&D games and clones and you can make oaths of fanaticism that have resulted in player vs player TPK campaign ending moments.

d20	LAW	CHAOS	GOOD	EVIL
1	Adamant	Contrarian	Altruistic	Abusive
2	Consistant	Erratic	Benevolent	Bitter
3	Constant	Fickle	Benign	Brutal
4	Conventional	Flexible	Caring	Callous
5	Discaplined	Flippant	Charitable	Cruel
6	Dutiful	Impetuous	Compasionate	Fiendish
7	Fatalistic	Impulsive	Considerate	Greedy
8	Formal	Indecisive	Fair	Harsh
9	Honourable	Mercurial	Friendly	Hateful
10	Legalistic	Rebellious	Generous	Heartless
11	Methodical	Rowdy	Hospitable	Mean
12	Officious	Undiscaplined	Humanitarian	Nasty
13	Ordered	Unfixed	Kind	Perverse
14	Precise	Unpredictable	Loving	Ruthless
15	Predictable	Unruly	Magnanimous	Sadistic
16	Proper	Vacillating	Merciful	Selfish
17	Rigid	Variable	Nice	Spiteful
18	Serious	Volatile	Openhanded	Tyranical
19	Systemic	Wild	Philanthropic	Uncaring
20	Uncompramising	Willful	Protective	Viscious

Updates & Chagrinspire

Im expanding and detailing my several hundred room Labyrinth for Ethyria Currently for Patreon which is doing well. The deeper I go the more cross referencing the slower it gets but I'm about half way through the surface level. Im still weaving plot and subplots throughout. Ive been reading current essays criticising minoar reconstructions which have increased since I formally studied it.

Anuranomicon first draft happening and art being prepped. Both drafts on Patreon this month.

I did a trial job for a company and made a very nice doc. Its in some ways easier to work with other peoples projects. Some art catalogues too so lots of InDesign time. Still working on getting my new work station operational and someone offered to put win10 instead of 11 which killed lots of my software. 

Ill have a bunch of reviews shortly too.
Im probably most awaiting Gods of the forbidden north.
Im finding new book in gunderholfen setting is the best I've read. Im not a puzzle guy but this is weird dungeon problem solving at its best.

Running D&D5/2024 has sharpened my players skill. Im using more of my abilities and most of my spells and reminding group to use opportunity attacks. Playing with a few older more tactical gamers has been good. I think lots of ppl I played dnd5 with would prefer a simpler system. Building characters feels a bit like building card games.   

I had my worst expectation of dnd5 happen. Tried to limit to phb and theros books (will consider bigby and extra cleric domains). Lots of "can I have this fan mod unrelated to setting or species or god unrelated to setting". Checking abilities and spells seems to be biggest combat slowing thing in game. So far players quite disciplined in combat vs my games as a player. Ive learned lots from them.

Trying to play online to learn - I'm a bit of a luddite and avoided video chats online. I feel like I need to spend an hour grooming.

Chagrinspire
The Party spends winter in the gatehouse and not travelling much as the ice and yetis who live on the upper thin air heights of the mighty tower into the heavens. They visited gnome town and the underground gnome civilisation and returned to their home base via rail.

While home, a purple star fell and the party rushed off to visit. A crystal structure of the star people had fallen and the party saw it was made of the crystal that fuelled their time machine. One note Ive been awaiting to use Gus L crystal adventures in my setting as most of what he does is pretty compatible with my settings. They very quickly became fearful of the crystal dust they had seen turn orcs into crystal zombies. They met infested scavengers and a horrible thing. They are wearing alchemist-made masks of cloth, charcoal and urine but have been slightly contaminated. They got about halfway and have picked up lots of clues about the star people and their conflicts. As its a published adventure, I won't go into it too much. Besides tomb robbers of the crystal frontier, check out these freebies from Gus. So a brief game log.

https://alldeadgenerations.blogspot.com/2022/09/gus-l-free-adventure-archive.html

Not much on this blog at the moment as I'm working on 2 books and stuff for clients.

Some new chagrinspire stuff coming too.

Minotaurs, the horned headed herd humanoids

 

Minotaurs
Abhuman beast folk 

Young Minotaur
AC+4 HD 4d12 (26hp) Att Axe d8+2 or Javelin d6+2 or unarmed d4+2 Mov 12 Morale 9
Veteran Minotaur

AC+5 HD 8d12 (52hp) Att x2 Axe d10+3 or Javelin d8+3 or unarmed d6+3 Mov 15 Morale 10

Avatar Champion Minotaur
AC+8 HD 16d12 (104hp) Att x3 Axe d12+4 or Javelin d10+4 or unarmed 84+4 Mov 24 Morale 11

❤The unarmed attack can be used to punch, gore with horns, grapple or hoof kick and get a bonus attack every battle (2 for veteran and 3 for an avatar)
❤ Can move at full movement rate and attack in a round
❤ Can leap +3m easily, climb and swim 
❤ Uncanny navigation making mazes even the maze spell easier to solve
❤ Alignments can vary, but many have waged war with humans since early times and have grudges
❤ Can eat plant or animal matter, including food humans find inedible, some are carnivores by choice, and a few are human eaters specifically. Vegetarian ones are still dangerous and aggressive near their families

1in4 Gain +2 hit and double damage with one charge attack per round (move 6m+)
1in4 Doubles damage dice on a hit with natural 19 or 20 roll
1in4 Track as a bloodhound, smell of blood stands out 
1in6 Bronze plate armour +2 AC

1in6 Cleave skill, any remaining damage after downing a foe can attack another enemy in 3m with a hit roll (maximum one attack 2HD)

1in6 Large round shield +2 AC +4 vs missiles if doesn't move
1in8 Berserker +2 hit and damage once lost half HP, fight until -10hp, fight to the death
1in8 Hellfire Breath as burning hands 3x per day d3+HD damage in 90-degree 3m cone
1in8 Immune to petrification magic
1in10 Eating human flesh and an hour's rest healed 2d6 damage
1in10 Thrown missile weapon returns to hand at end of the round
1in10 Random mutations minor per 2HD and major per 4HD
1in12 Stinking cloud effect from rotting flesh to all in 3m radius
1in12 Swarm of vermin living in flesh
1in20 Cast a maze spell once per battle
1in20 Regenerate a d6hp per round except acid or fire damage
1in20 Command cattle once per round

d12 Minotaur Adventures
1 An underground catacomb complex where locals bury the dead has a minotaur moved in. The sanctity protects graves from the undead, but the minotaur is searching for the sacred sigils at each corner of the graveyard 
2 A mountain cave is known to be the home of a minotaur that steals goats from locals every few years. Shepherds say it must guard a fabulous treasure in hopes that adventurers hunt it

3 A weirdo wants to open a minotaur dairy and has offended a minotaur tribe, go make peace. The weirdo offers a reward if he faces no consequences

4 Children tell tales of underground tunnels that are home to a devil and sing creepy rhymes. They hear its hooves and bellowing on cobblestones. An ancient minotaur maze is under the people's homes

5 Minotaurs claim all local cattle are their kin and tribe members. They want easy, free cows or a fight and free cows

6 An Amazonian lady minotaur has been preaching for human women to throw off the yoke of patriarchy. She is also teaching them knife and staff combat with a warrior ethos. A vocal minority want her gone and will spend money or lie to get rid of her and need some violent thugs

7 A minotaur cult seeks to make one of their herd an avatar champion to embody the spirit and powers of the tribal spirit. Many are ancestors but others are elemental or demonic

8 Lawful minotaurs require food and rest after a bloody battle against a chaos cult. They will be shocked by humanity's corruption and lack of devotion to killing chaos. Some feel the wrath of law is required to purge the wicked

9 A young minotaur is being chased by angry locals who think it is a monster

10 A slavemaster has minotaur gladiators for sale, great for dungeons, funerary blood fight rites or anything really. The minotaurs fear they will be made eunuchs soon  

11 A noble built a nice hedgemaze for his estate taking years but a bloody great minotaur moved in and has been shitting everywhere

12 A demon avatar minotaur leads a band of putrid mutated minotaurs on a rampage in the name of chaos and may come this way

d12 Minotaur Tribes (battle cattle folk)
1 Blood Suns, dark russet bulls with caked bloody handprints and white ochre designs, famous for berserkers who eat raw human flesh

2 Medow Lords are B&W and more peaceful, more interested in grazing in fields and growing crops than hunting and killing. They trade produce to other minotaurs and giants

3 Night Herd Lords who are black and hunt in the dark with red eyes, they worship the gods and spirits of darkness

4 Highlanders have red shaggy hair and are more willing to graze on grass and trade. They like to live in turf cottages in villages or occupy old ruins on the moors

5 Putrid Plague Kings who worship gods of slime, decay and undeath and use rotting minotaur corpses for undead. Many have parasites and bloated guts, some even leaking intestines, their hair falls off, and their skin is stinking and green

6 Duncow Herd Lords are brown minotaurs who have clans in wild wastes and woodlands, and they have a druidic priesthood. Some tribes sacrifice humans tp appease ancestors but others cohabit with wild forest folk and tribes of humans  

7 The Grey Ones, minotaurs with ash grey-blue fur, servants of the underworld who guard caves and wells to the deeps. Many paint soot around their eyes and bodies to look more skeletal. The priests made undead minotaur guardians

8 Great Buffalo are huge woolly brown and black buffalo minotaurs who enjoy wastelands. They often use ancient ruins and are peaceful unless their families are threatened by strangers. They rapidly unite under a war chief to destroy threats on their wasteland

9 Marsh Buffalo Tribe dwell in marshes and wetlands and are used for farm labour in some lands by the marsh folk. They prefer to be left alone but are aggressive to strangers near family or community

10 Sea bulls, white bulls, experts at sailing and piracy. Very calm about it all and bear enemies no malice. They sing-along drinking songs when celebrating a victorious sea voyage

11 Auroch tribe, gigantic black furred and long-horned, who hate hated humans since ancient times and the whole tribe will hunt and kill humans on their lands or path

12 Long Horn Hell Raisers with light brown spots, prefer wasteland life and meat and strong drink if they can get it. They notoriously kill centaurs and satyrs

d12 Magic Library Pests

My Patreon will be showing updates for the Labyrinth bit by bit. It will end up as a megadungeon. I still need to do a sub-level with a maze. All will be added to the Ethyria book eventually.

Magic libraries are a hazard and even have a secret portal to hell's libraries. Magic books attract trouble like strange life. Some students work in the library as vermin hunters, and a few go on to be adventurers. Desperate adventurers might get some coins or research for some pests destroyed.

d12 Basic Library Pests
1 Book Mites - eat the glue in books, damaging them and bite readers
2 Book Worms - eat paper and vellum and make silk nests, become book moths when adult
3 Skull spiders - eat bookworms and book beetles and leave webs everywhere, can live a long time. Librarians use their venom in traps and poison books
4 Shelf Rats - rodents that nest in shelves and eat books and other book vermin. They like to steal shiny things, lamps, candles, spectacles and other interesting things and hide them in their nest. Some say rat colonies actually write new works 
5 Book Borer Beetles - eat books and are attracted to other book pests, which they also eat
6 Wise Worm - larger sapient worms live for centuries on books, and they read as they eat. Thankfully, they may help librarians and shoot sleep gas in defence. They are sleepy but wise and learned. Some are wizards
7 Baby Mimic in the form of a popular book, will snatch a hand and flee
8 Stirge Owl - often sneaky loners attack weak book nerds and just leave victims unconscious
9 Paper Grubs - chew on books, and if you eat them alive, you may glean some weird random facts from books they eat. Some wizards consider them delicacies
10 Shelf Toads - eat bugs and worms and can spit d3 acid if surprised. They squeeze into shelves to hide between hunts and are poisonous if eaten 
11 Book Centipedes - are giant centipedes that hide in books, they hollow out and attack if surprised
12 Eyeballs - floating eyeball spies operated by wizards checking if books are in

d12 Advanced Library Pests
1 Gremlins - are mischievous and also favour rats over cats so unwelcome in libraries. A colony can ruin an operating library
2 Book Troll - 1-3 foot tall, small, hairy trolls like to help librarians and keep away pests like rats or cats or musicians. Some come to conflict over catalogue systems with librarians and can bee labelled pests
3 Book Brownie - a small benevolent protector of books who chases away imps
4 Walking Worms - steal books by eating them. A colony can form a humanoid mass that will fool people until close or in good lighting. They often serve evil cults
5 Vapour Rats - like magic books and can bypass barriers and traps. Nests of them spread damp and mould but they fear fire
6 Crawling Hand - scuttling around causing trouble with a malicious spirit, 1in6 have an eyeball which is used by more powerful library beings
7 Poltergeists - move books and might even throw them or knock over shelves, often spirits of former teenage students and troubled youths
8 Whispering Spirits - spirits that whisper strange things into the ears of people looking for books or reading. Some say vile things or forgotten secrets
9 Spectral Lenders - lost or never returned a book or stole from the library now a spirit trapped here. Most are harmless but might scare people. 1in6 dorm a ectoplasmic material like form and will fight if provoked and carry a weapon if they did when alive. They vary in strength depending on their level in life
10 Book Imps - plant forbidden lore in libraries and offer terrible advice while invisible to prey on students. They also offer free wizard school with unbeatable deals with no tuition fees. If a student is willing to sign a soul contract, the imp will open a secret portal to the library of hell
11 Hellcat - a large black cat that offers the same services as an imp but will offer to serve a powerful master for a year in hope of turning them to becoming a great evil.The cats may even walk like a person and wear clothes and use weapons after a time in service. They can become invisible in the darkness and have strange powers. Other supernatural cats might be found depending on the library, some hunt ghosts or are spies for good  
12 Librarian Spirits - protect books and shush noise makers, become hideous banshees when angered

d12 Library Patrons
1 Student looking for a book

2 Cleaner dusting, sweeping and mopping

3 Students doing vice d4 1=flirting 2=drugs 3=buying essays 4=talking to imp

4 Guards looking for thieves or troublemakers

5 Apprentices d4 doing research for master's

6 Cultists seeking forbidden lore

7 Librarian with a trolley reshelving books

8 Librarians on patrol looking for troublemakers

9 Scholars arguing or playing chess

10 Old scholar and assistant

11 Young wizard

12 Old wizard and d4 apprentices

d12 Library Most Wanted
1 Serial book thief or possibly a small gang

2 Religious arsonists caught trying to start a fire

3 Two cults are seeking something and fighting for it

4 A cult has infiltrated the library and has a secret room

5 Crime guild using the library for meetings 

6 An old scholar is stealing from speciality stacks and needs to be found

7 A thing from the sewer came in and has eaten people, and something from the special collection

8 Librarians in the library have gone missing in the catacombs

9 Someone is bringing in library vermin deliberately

10 A pervert in the library is exposing themselves and claims they are having sex with ghosts. Please stop them

11 A mummy wizard has been coming from the sewers by night to read, and is a bit scary

12 A portal to the library of hell is hidden, awaiting new students. An Imp will be its guardian and must be found