Non-traditional Sources of New Spells

If one abides by the rules set forth in OD&D (and later, Moldvay/Cook), Magic-users and Elves only gain new spells for their spellbooks by advancing in level or creating new spells through research. The explanation of this acquisition of new spells upon level advancement is left vague, perhaps by accident or design, but the default assumption in many campaigns is that these spells are received from either the mages guild or the character’s teacher. That’s a perfectly rational way to explain these newly gained enchantments and it has the benefit of not requiring much on the part of the referee.

But what if the referee and players aren’t looking for rational explanations and intend to plumb the depths of the weird to account for these sudden gains of mystical knowledge? In that case, one might get something like the list below. Provided here are some ideas for sources other than the magic-users guild from which spell casters might learn their new spells upon level advancement. Some may be more appropriate than others for one’s homegrown campaign world, but it’s always an interesting exercise to think outside of one’s comfort zone. You never know what you might find there to tickle your fancy.

Aliens: Magic comes from space, don’t you know? The only way to gain new mystical knowledge is through the suppliers. Upon gaining a new level, the spell caster must make contact with one of the races from beyond the Cold Void and negotiate for arcane enlightenment. These aliens could be Lovecraftian horrors, enigmatic Greys, or even benevolent E.T.s. Even better, they’re never seen firsthand. Upon reaching a new level, the spell caster must wait in an open field where a “burning wheel” will appear in the night sky above him. A beam of light shines forth from the wheel and the caster vanishes. Several hours later, missing memories of where he’s been but with a new spell in his memory, the caster reappears.

Ancient Monuments: Inscribed on a leaning stele or carved into the face of a mountain are ancient formulae for magical spells. Once found, these inscriptions provide an instantaneous transference of mystical knowledge to the reader, allowing them to gain new insights into the arcane and providing them with a fresh spell to add to their spellbook. Finding these antique monuments can be as easy or as difficult as the referee desires. Particularly cruel referees might want to reread “The Other Gods” by H.P. Lovecraft before putting this method into play.

Animals: Taking a page from Leiber, let’s assume that each animal species is ruled by an intelligent paragon who guides and protects the lesser specimens of its ilk. The caster must seek out this paramount of animals in order to learn magics specific to these creatures. Web might be taught by the Baroness of Spiders, move earth is gained from the Duke of Badgers, and fly can only be learned from the King Bee.

Consumables: Certain meals prepared by chefs trained in esoteric techniques provide nourishment for not only the body but the psyche as well. While finding and negotiating the services of such culinary masters is not always easy or cheap, once enlisted, these chefs can provide the caster with feasts that result in new mystical knowledge. Other consumable possibilities include vessels that contain glowing, liquid mana, which beg to be drunk or even “magic pills” or injections waiting to be plundered from the ruins of the Ancient Ones.

Devils & Angels: Summoning extraplanar creatures to serve as instructors of the mystical is another fantasy cliché. For a low level spell, a minor imp or devilkin might serve as a tutor. Higher level magics will, of course, require the caster to deal with entities of much greater power and therefore a much greater price. For those who are concerned with the state of their immortal souls, a more benign source might be preferred, requiring the assistance of a local, “mage-friendly” church to contact them. A variation on this theme might be, to paraphrase Gaiman and Pratchett, an angel who “not so much as fell as sauntered vaguely downward.” This disgraced (literally) angel is seeking to get back into the good graces of the Divine and assists mortals in need at little or no cost, provided they work for the betterment of all.

The Faerie: When magic isn’t a product of space, it likely comes from the Summerlands, and the Good Folk are the one who can teach it. Such unearthly mentors could be drawn from the Seelie or Unseelie Courts, found beneath the mounds that dot the heath, or even reside in one’s own barn, where they perform minor services in return for a bowl of fresh milk. Would-be students are warned that the Faerie often abide by strict, but irrational laws, and to break these rules is to come to a very bad end.

Immersion: The concept of immersion in a body of water has traditional ties with both new life and sorcery (see accounts of baptism rites and witchcraft trials). High in the mountains lays a pool that is fed by a dancing cascade of waters. On nights of the full moon, bathing is this pool provides spell casters with an influx of mystical teachings that impart a new spell into their realm of understanding. While water is traditional, liquid reservoirs composed of blood, oil, or ever proto-matter are just as likely candidates for imbuing one with mystical lore.

Psychotropic Drugs: Certain obscure substances break down the barriers between the mundane world and the unseen fabric of the multiverse. Imbibing in such substance grants the spell caster insights into a much larger world and allows them to make great leaps of cognitive thinking. The results of such mystical journeys are new spells to bolster the caster’s repertoire. These psychotropic substances might be Melnibonéan sorcerer-drugs, exotic plants from East, or even the correct species of amphibians that live in the Great Miasmic Swamp.

Physical Trial: Drugs are not the only way by which the barriers between worlds can be breached. A less pharmaceutical, but more painful method is through physical denial or self-induced suffering. Fasting in the wilderness to the point of hallucination, self-flagellation, enforced sensory deprivation, or the traditional “bed of nails” may each provide the caster with fresh mystical understanding, provided he survives the process. Referees looking to equate great mystical power at the expense of the physical form are encouraged to give this method some consideration.

Tattooing: A subset of the Physical Trial, the cliché of magical tattoos has been around for as long as the art itself. Upon gaining a new level, the caster seeks out an enigmatic foreigner who practices his art down on the seedy waterfront. Catering to spell casters alone, this tattoo artist draws his designs from a collected catalogue of formulae and symbols dating back to the dawn of time. Each grants access to previously unknown magics. For referees who require that new spells are determined randomly, rather than chosen by the player, the oft-repeated story of drinking heavily and then getting a regrettable tattoo might explain why the caster decided that water breathing, instead of fireball, was going to be his first 3rd level spell.

Stonehell Report

Another two weeks have gone by so it's time for another update.

As expected, the One Page Dungeon Contest put a crimp in my design time but not as much as I originally feared. The surface level is more finished than not (85% done) and does indeed span the predicted three sections. There's a few places (and things) to poke your swords into before venturing down into the depths, and there is even a nice little "starter dungeon" which could be used to teach newcomers to the world of role-playing what to expect. Or you could just throw them into the deep end and hope for the best.

While I'm still avoiding writing any delivery date in stone, I'm confident that the next report will have Level One completly updated and edited, which will mean that only Levels Two and Three still require attention. Updating and cleaning up the quadrant maps look to be the biggest workload but it needs to be done. General notes, appendices, and overall fluff will follow, leading towards the end of the compilation.

Thanks again for your patience but I truly believe the end result is going to be worth the wait.

Teaching the Alphabet

If anyone feels up to doing me a solid, I'd like to get the word out about The Dungeon Alphabet to try and stir up some interest in the book. I've already made mention of it on the Original D&D Discussion board and on the Swords & Wizardy forum (there's a thread on the Necromancer Games site too), but I'm not a regular at any of the other old school boards (or new school for that matter).

If you happen to be a habitual visitor to some of the other boards out there and feel that it might be a book that those readers would be interested in, please feel free to mention the Alphabet and point them over to the Goodman Games site (http://goodmangames.com/4385preview.html) and/or to my post (http://poleandrope.blogspot.com/2009/06/goodman-games-to-publish-dungeon.html) regarding it. Please don't put any noses out of joint doing so though.

Since it's my first professional book and I'm a relative unknown, I could use a little help getting the ball rolling. If you slip a mention in about it somewhere, please leave a comment to this post letting me know where so as to not inadvertantly spam the community. Also, if you run across a thread about The Dungeon Alphabet in your internet travels, I'd like to know where, and you can leave a comment to give me the heads up here as well.

Any help would be appreciated and you'd have my sincere thanks. New (non-Alphabet) stuff coming tomorrow morning so be sure to drop on by.

Goodman Games to Publish “The Dungeon Alphabet”

Finally, the big news:

The Dungeon Alphabet
An A-to-Z Reference for Classic Dungeon Design

Designing dungeons is as easy as A, B, C! The Dungeon Alphabet compiles twenty-six classic dungeon design elements in one place to assist the game master in creating subterranean challenges. A is for Altar, B is for Books, and C is for Caves: the Dungeon Alphabet has advice, hints, and randomized tables that bring new life to your adventures. Suitable for any rules system, the entries are accompanied by outstanding art from classic fantasy illustrators, with a foreword by noted game designer Zeb Cook.

Rules Set: Systems-neutral, designed to be used with any RPG

Writer: Michael Curtis
Foreword: David “Zeb” Cook
Cover Artist: Erol Otus
Interior Artists: Brad McDevitt, Jeff Easley, Jim Holloway, Doug Kovacs, William McAusland, Jesse Mohn, Peter Mullen, Erol Otus, Stefan Poag, Jim Roslof, Chad Sergesketter, Chuck Whelon, Mike Wilson
GMG4385, 48 pages, hardcover, $19.99

The official announcement went live on the Goodman Games website today, freeing me up to make public something that I’ve been sitting on for months now.

Not too long after “The Dungeon Alphabet” appeared here, Goodman Games approached me about expanding the Alphabet into a gaming supplement. The goal of the book was to give game masters, bright-eyed newcomers and grizzled old veterans alike, a handy reference guide for use in creating and stocking their dungeons. Each alphabetical entry would be expanded to include advice, hints, and random tables that would help fire the imagination and provide a new way of looking at some of the classic elements of the dungeon. Certainly not the easiest challenge! But I very pleased to say that I took up that challenge and my more than twenty-five years of gaming experience on both sides of the screen came in quite handy. I truly feel that I rose to the task and I’m very proud of the newly-expanded Alphabet.

As the project continued to grow, I kept getting updates as to who had signed on to lend their talents to Alphabet. Just by looking at the names above, you can imagine how excited I was to have so many legends in the hobby agreeing to participate. Well, maybe not, because I don’t think there’s a word that accurately describes the emotional state of proud/shocked/ecstatic/scared/mind-blown/giddy. But if there were, that’s what I was feeling.

But enough about me. After all, compared to some of the names above, I’m a flyspeck on the face of role-playing. Let’s talk about the art, my friends. Having seen the completed pieces that will be sharing page space with my words, I can honestly say that there’s not a single piece of art that I don’t love. I wouldn’t mind owning several of the pieces to adorn my home and gaming area. Even if you don’t find my talents to your liking, I encourage you to take a look at the book if only for the artwork.

Hopefully I’ve sold you on the idea enough that you’ll be interested in getting your hands on a copy of The Dungeon Alphabet (Hey! I can put that in italics now because it’s officially a book title!!) when it hits your local game store. I’ll have details on the release date when I get them but I believe the plan at the moment is to have it available at Gen-Con.

As could be expected, I’ve pulled the Dungeon Alphabet posts from the blog. I hope you’ll forgive me for turning off the freebie tap but I obviously want to encourage people to buy the book. It’s bigger and better anyway, and chock full of great art, plus neat tables, cool adventure seeds, and other weirdness from the mind of yours truly.

I want to thank Joseph Goodman for having the faith that I, an unknown writer, could pull this off and for getting so many luminaries in the gaming world to contribute their talents to The Dungeon Alphabet. I've very grateful to everyone for their amazing work.

Dereliction of Duty

My plan was to get back to the M-W-F schedule of posting here at the Society once June hit. Last night, however, I went to see ‐X‐ play their final night at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC. Between the midnight wrap-up and the train ride home, I didn’t get in until 3 AM. I’m dragging ass today and feeling a bit creatively bankrupt as a result. But it’s alright. John Doe, punk rock statesman, gave the audience permission to be unproductive today on the grounds of “Hey man, I was at a punk rock show last night!” I’ll be back up and running on Wednesday.

“Rabbits aren't your bag, Roy.”

It has been awhile since I looked through the pages of the Obscure Octavo and that’s been something I’ve been meaning to correct. A recent movie rental reminded me that it was time to see what other fiendish beasts lurk within those pages. Since it’s Friday and most of my responsibilities are done for the week, let us turn to a random page…

“Attention! Attention! Ladies and gentlemen, attention! There is a herd of killer rabbits headed this way and we desperately need your help!”

Terror Lepus (Leporidae giganti)

No. Enc.: 1d6 (2d6)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 90’ (30’) Burrow: 30’ (10’)
Armor Class: 6
Hit Dice: 3+3
Attacks: 1 (bite)
Damage: 1d8
Save: F2
Morale: 8
Hoard Class: None (but see below)

Terror Lepuses appear to be gigantic specimens of the common rabbit, often growing to the size of bears (or wolves, depending on how big the scale models in the background are.) Once long ago, the terror lepuses were the experimental test subjects of an alchemist who sought to create a potion of growth that also imbued the drinker with berserker rage. Some of these test rabbits escaped into the wild, creating a breeding population that still plagues the world to this day.

Terror Lepuses attack with their razor-sharp teeth, which inflict 1d8 points of damage. They may also attack by leaping upon a target and pinning them to the ground with their great bulk. A terror lepus can jump up to 30’ away in order to overbear a victim. If this attack is successful, the victim must make a save vs. petrify or be pinned beneath the rabbit. Having successfully pinned a subject, a terror lepus automatically hits its opponent on the following and all subsequent rounds. A character pinned by a terror lepus may make a STR check each round to escape from underneath this furry mass of death.

Due to the changes wrought by the potion, terror lepuses are both carnivorous and nocturnal, seeking shelter during the daylight hours in caves, abandoned mines, labyrinths, or in warrens they dug themselves. When food supplies run low in an area, terror lepuses migrate to new territory where prey is more plentiful, often forming migratory bands numbering up to 100 individuals. They devour everything unlucky enough to cross their paths, rivaling only the mythical tarrasque in fear and destruction.

The foot of a terror lepus is rumored to have protective properties. Any single terror lepus has a 5% chance of possessing one (and one only) such digit. If severed and carried, the foot of a terror lepus acts as a ring of protection +1. However, should the bearer of this lucky charm ever encounter terror lepuses again, he will be singled out by the beasts as a target and bear the brunt of their vengeance. In such cases, terror lepuses never need to check morale and will fight until either they or the bearer of the “lucky” foot is dead.

Keeping Up the Fight!

Allow me to join the cavalcade in case you've somehow missed it elsewhere: Fight On! #5 is now available for purchase.

The premiere fanzine of the old-school renaissance rolls into its second year of publication, battling harder than ever! Joining original Dragon Magazine editor Tim Kask in this issue are Jeff Rients, Lee Barber, Judd Karlman, Gabor Lux, Kelvin Green, Vincent Baker, David Bowman, Michael Curtis, Frank Farris, Baz Blatt, Kevin Mayle, Del Beaudry, Steve Zieser, Alex Schroeder, Akrasia, Settembrini, Chgowiz, Calithena, and dozens of others ready to give your game the potion of super-heroism it needs to take it to the next level! With adventures, maps, rules options, campaign settings, fiction, magic, monsters, and treasure, this issue has everything you need to unlock your imagination and keep fighting on!

Until the end of May only you can get 10% off Fight On! #5 and all your lulu.com purchases by entering MAYCONTEST10 in the code line at checkout. Stock up on back issues of Fight On! or pick up whatever other lulu products appeal to you!

You can buy it here: http://www.lulu.com/content/7204229

Table of Contents for Issue 5:
Background Professions (Akrasia)………………………3
The Scholar (Zachary Houghton)……………………….4
The Wuuky! (Moritz Mehlem and Frank Ditsche)………5
Distinctive Magic (Houghton, Dörfliger, & Calithena)…..7
The Deck O’ Stuff (Jeff Rients)…………………………9
The Tomb of Ixtandraz (Lee Barber)…………………..11
Delvers Delve: Extended Crawling (David Bowman)…..17
Tables for Fables (Age of Fable)………………………..20
Dungeon Motivations (Paul Vermeren)………………...21
Knights & Knaves (Del L. Beaudry)……………………23
Black Blood (Gabor Lux)………………………………25
Pentastadion (Gabor Lux)…………………………...…36
Creepies & Crawlies (Alex Schröder, Wayne Rossi, Jeff
Rients, Terje Nordin, and Geoffrey McKinney)………39
Tucker & Co. (M. “Chgowiz” Shorten)..………………44
Bad Hair Day (Peter Schmidt Jensen)……...…………...44
Fight On! (Jason Vasché)…...…………………………..45
Education of a Magic User (Douglas Cox)…………….45
A Few for the Road (Michael Curtis)…………………..47
A Giant Dilemma (Frank Farris)………………………50
Clarisseth (Tony Dowler)………………………………53
It Used to be a Hobbit Hole (Baz Blatt)…………….…54
The Barrow of Therex (Erin “Taichara” Bisson)………55
The Devil’s in the Details: Pygmy Folk (Baz Blatt)……..56
Seven Kings Mountains (Judd Karlman)……………….62
The Darkness Beneath, Level 2 (Calithena)…………….67
The Tower of Thalen Garh (John Hitchens)………...…78
Oceanian Legends (Del L. Beaudry)…………………....79
Guest Editorial (Timothy J. Kask)……………………..81
Merlin’s Mystical Mirror (Jeff Rients)………………….83
Artifacts, Adjuncts, & Oddments (Greg Backus,
Terje Nordin, Jeff Rients, and Calithena)……………87

Front Cover by Kevin Mayle (kevinmayle.netaidz.com/main.php). Back Cover by Settembrini. Fight On! and Erol Otus logos by Jeff Rients. Tim Kask photo by Rich Franks. Knights & Knaves and Creepies & Crawlies logos by Lee Barber. Interior artwork and cartography by Andrew Reyes (4,19), Richard Scott/Otherworld Miniatures (5), Andy “Atom” Taylor (7), Jeff Rients (9), Lee Barber (ghosttower. crithitcomics.com, 11,13,14,15,16,17,23,73), Age of Fable (20), Gabor Lux (25,27,30,32,33,36,37), Kelvin Green (26,43,45,52,87), Georges Roux (34), Alex Schröder (39,40,62), Peter Seckler (40), Jason Pierce (jasonpierce.animaldillo.com, 42), M. “Chgowiz” Shorten (44), Peter Schmidt Jensen (44,50), Douglas Cox (45), Frank Farris (51), Tony Dowler (53), Baz Blatt (54), Erin “Taichara” Bisson (55), Kesher (59,61), Carl Brodt/Tita’s House of Games (60), Vincent Baker (63,64,65,66), Robert S. Conley (67), Paul “Bliss Infinite” Fini (www.indieonlycomics.com, 68 ), David Bowman (70), Anthony Stiller (72), Steve Zieser (74,81), Calithena (75,77), Patrick Farley (76), Kevin Vito (77), Pete Mullen (83), James G. Browning (84), and Dan Proctor (85).

As is standard Fight On! policy, the magazine is currently only available in print form but a .pdf version will be released within a few weeks.

Speaking of standard policy, here comes the part where I plug my own contribution. "A Few for the Road" will hopefully put an end to any rumors that all I can write about is the dungeon. "A Few for the Road" is a collection of off-beat road and road-side encounters for the referee to spring on the characters as they make the way overland. Originally intended as a single piece, space issues resulted in it becoming a two-parter, although that doesn't hinder the usefulness of the article by any means. The three encounters in Issue #5 are of the more mundane variety, while the second part features three run-ins with the mystical and monstrous. I'll be sure to plug that one when the time comes.