A Butterfly Dreaming » Original Game Content

More Treasures of Galadria

Scott — Mon, 23 May 2011 14:00:22 +0000

I’ve just returned from an extended trip to London, which provided plenty of inspiration for posts. While I’m getting some of them in order, though, I figured I should post an update, since it’s been quite a while. Here, then, are some more magic items from my long-running Galadria campaigns. These span the various editions; [...]

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More Treasures of Galadria

Spectacles for Your Maps

Scott — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 14:00:19 +0000

In the spirit of this month’s blog carnival on maps, I thought I’d talk a little bit about map design. Not the act of creating the actual map, although there’s plenty to be said about that; rather, the art of populating it. Not with settlements, either. With spectacles. Spectacles are an element overlooked by many [...]

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Spectacles for Your Maps

How a Sorceress Becomes a Planet

Scott — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 22:44:07 +0000

Today my first article for Nevermet Press went live: the planet Nyraeve. This is my science-fiction adaptation of Wyatt Salazar’s villain, Neirave, the Sleepless Drift, who is currently “starring” in Nevermet’s cycle. To encapsulate the concept, Neirave is a fantasy-genre sorceress with an affinity for cold who managed to live on after her physical body’s [...]

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How a Sorceress Becomes a Planet

Mythic Japan: the Tengu

Scott — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:00:15 +0000

The tengu of Japanese legend is an odd creature. It seems to have started out as a type of evil spirit, specifically one opposed to Buddhism. Over the years, the priest-abducting, temple-burning bird-monster became both more humanlike and more benevolent. Tengu became mischievous, powerful creatures not unlike kitsune fox-spirits, and eventually became protectors of Buddhism, [...]

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Mythic Japan: the Tengu

Ritual of Rejuvenation

Scott — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:20:54 +0000

This is mostly a plot-device ritual, but I wrote it up since it came to feature pretty prominently in my game. Its purpose is to extend the life of its caster… perhaps by sinister means. This is the ritual used by evil magicians to bargain with the Raven Queen, trading others’ lives for their own [...]

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Ritual of Rejuvenation

4e Mystic project

Scott — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 20:09:32 +0000

Well, not really. I’ve decided to rename my take on the Monk class “Mystic Monk” in homage to the Cyclopedia’s Mystic class, in order to differentiate it from Wizards’ in-playtest monk class. I made a few more changes, including one to an epic destiny feature I hadn’t previously noticed was broken (even for a level [...]

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4e Mystic project

Fox Magic: Allies and Adversaries

Scott — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:30:11 +0000

I was going to move on from this series, but I realized I hadn’t provided any examples yet. Therefore, my final preview for now will be the following two statblocks: First, the Kitsune Celestial Shrine Maiden, a young priestess ready to defend her shrine and those who worship there. (Yes, I’m aware that miko aren’t [...]

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Fox Magic: Allies and Adversaries

Fox Magic: Arcane Feats

Scott — Sat, 30 May 2009 14:05:51 +0000

Continuing the series, some feats for kitsune who take up arcane professions. Arcane Power differed from Martial Power in that race-specific feats only showed up at the heroic tier. For the moment, I’m following that design. Heroic Baffling Curse Prerequisite: Kitsune, warlock, Warlock’s Curse class feature Benefit: When you hit an enemy cursed by you, [...]

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Fox Magic: Arcane Feats

Fox Magic: Martial Feats

Scott — Wed, 27 May 2009 14:15:18 +0000

Beginning with Martial Power, feats that offered a benefit to a particular race/class combination made their appearance. These feats often serve to shore up what might otherwise be subpar choices, and to offer a little extra flavor — a tiefling warlock can vengefully spread his Warlock’s Curse around to whoever hits him, while a deva [...]

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Fox Magic: Martial Feats

Fox Magic: Feats

Scott — Mon, 25 May 2009 14:10:46 +0000

Most of the fourth-edition races boast race-specific feats. Even the half-elf has one or two, in addition to being able to choose from among the elf- or human-specific feats. The only races presented as potential player-character options that don’t have feats associated with them are the ones from the back of the Monster Manuals — [...]

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Fox Magic: Feats