Into December and Winter

December was the tenth month of the Roman calendar, and it shows how messed up their calander had become that it ends up as our twelfth, but had no particular association for them.   However, December for us is filled with holidays.  So, the themes for this month on the Sea of Stars design journal will be Winter, festivals and gift: cursed gifts, divine gifts, magical gifts or gift of all flavors.  If there is a particular idea inspired by the themes that you would like to see, let me know and I will try to make a gift of it to you.

November 2016 saw the following posts here:

Tuesday Magic Item – Spectacles of Fine Work

“Nice to watch a professional at work,” whispered Gollaon as the locksmith quickly and carefully opened the third lock on the door.

“All yours, gentlemen and ladies,” she said with a sight bow as she stepped aside, pushing up her spectacles.

Voddick adjusted the grip on his shield.  “I will take the lead, Gollaon, Inge, follow right behind, then the rest of you.”

Spectacles of Fine Work

These spectacles have a variety of adjustable lens to magnify and bring into focus nearby items.

PinkCat: Running in the Shade “Field Trip” (A different sort of SR campaign report)

To understand what is going on here, you had best read the first PinkCat: Running in the Shade post, but short summary, this is a campaign report for our Shadowrun campaign set in NorCal through the filter of a cartoon made by one of the team members.

Episode Twenty Four: Field Trip

Guest Starring: Clawz, DD and Tora

The whole school is going on a field trip to the coast, naturalism, survival skills and team building is on the schedule.  Naturally, this leads to lots of inter-clique feuding with comic results.  Clawz gets lost in the wood and briefly adopted by a wild bear.  Glitter builds a drone to rescue fish and other sea creatures trapped in tide pools.  DD get everyone to participate in a campfire sing along.  Tora starts a prank war with the popular kids.  While Pink just tries to keep the peace.  On the last nigh, a big storm blows in and everyone has to work together to secure the huts they are staying in and they all end up as friends, singing songs by the glow lights as the storm howls outside.

What really happened:

Tuesday Magic Item – Excubitor’s Bow

“It is good to work with professionals again,” said Gollaon.

“Agreed,” replied Voddick, before adding in a low voice, “though they are a bit hard for my tastes.”

Gollaon nodded and said quietly  “Still, I would rather be fighting beside them than against them.”

“Truth.”

Excubitor’s Bow

These well made bows, usually composite bows but sometimes self bows, are marked with scrying runes or religious oracular imagery, and have usually seen hard use.

An excubitor’s bow is a +1 distance bow that, if the archer takes a full round action to aim gains a +3 circumstance bonus to their first attack taken on the following round.

But the most useful ability is for the archer to see through the arrow for the duration of its fight, five times a day.  This is disorienting (to say the least) the first few times the ability is used, leading to the sickened or even nauseated condition.

Aura moderate divination; CL 7th
Slot none; Price 23,000 + bow; Weight by bow
Construction Requirements
Craft Magic Arms and Armor, cat’s grace, clairvoyance, flight; Cost 11,500 + bow

For D&D 5e:

Weapon (bow), rare (requires attunement)

First paragraph as above.

The archer gains a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon that has twice the normal range for its type, if the archer takes a full round to aim they gain +1d6 to their first attack roll taken on the following round.

But the most useful ability is for the archer to see through the arrow for the duration of its fight, five times a day.  This is disorienting (to say the least) the first few times the ability is used, leading to them to act as if they had the poisoned or even stunned condition.

Notes: Indirectly inspired by the Byzantine Excubitors literally “those out of bed”.

Photo by Jakub T. Jankiewicz and used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

 

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Tuesday Magic Item – Dragon’s Tongue Disc

“I know dragons have their own language, and that is all well and good,” said Voddick quietly over his ale, “but people speaking it always makes me uncomfortable.”

“Agreed,” said Gollaon, “it is not meant for human tongue and throat.  It has a certain majesty when spoken by the dragons themselves.  Though the one in livery speaks it extremely well.”

“She does not pause much and speaks well, from what I can tell,” noted Voddick after listening for a moment.

“You have a good ear,” nodded Gollaon.  “She must have been raised in Draconic house.”

Dragon’s Tongue Disc

These small discs are made from precious metals and usually marked with the crest of one of the draconic houses.  Designed to quickly provide newly inducted members of the House with the ability to speak “a proper language”.  Placed on one’s tongue, it bonds to the flesh in a particularly painful fashion.

Tuesday Magic Item – Sistrum of Dramatic Action

“Now that is the sort of music to get the feet tapping,” said Voddick with a smile.

“And the heart beating,” agreed Gollaon.

They leaned back and sipped their drinks as the dancers’ routine became increasingly acrobatics.

“Now this is my kind of entertainment.”

Sistrum of Dramatic Action

These metal and wood instruments are when shaken in short, sharp, rhythmic pulses is often used to arouse movement and activity.

Review – Kemononmimi: Moe Races for Dungeons & Dragons 5e

Kemononmimi: Moe Races for Dungeons & Dragons 5e opens some interesting options for character race by opening seven races of animal spirit touched beings for use as characters.  While they certainly will not be to the taste of every player, or fit in every campaign, there are some good and useful ideas here that are worth taking a look at if animal-themed races have a place in your game world.

Kemononmimi: Moe Races for Dungeons & Dragons 5e by Wojciech Gruchala and Greg LaRose and published by Amora Game presents the seven new subraces of the Kemononmimi, animal spirits given human form to aid humanity.  The layout is clear with color artwork illustration for each of the different type of Kemononmimi.

Tuesday Magic Item – Black Sow’s Tail

Voddick made a sign against evil and turned away from the passing mercenary.

“What was that about?” asked Gollaon.

“He was wearing a black sow’s tail, a piece of dark magic,” replied Voddick.  “It feeds on death and keeps you alive so that you can kill more.  Thoroughly unpleasant.”

“Ah, I have heard of similar items,” nodded Gollaon, “their wearers usually come to a bad end.”

“But they cause much evil before then.”

Black Sow’s Tail

These items are often made by hedge wizards and village witches, requiring only the tail of a black sow and a variety of herbs to create.  They are usually as simple as the cured tail on a string, but some fancy them up with copper or silver wire and a chain.  As the tail become charged with power, it curls upon itself.