Jamison Stone's Blog, page 4

Magic Items Shut Down with the Rod of Deactivation

Adventurers in our games of Dungeons and Dragons love treasure. There's nothing more satisfying than the pile of gold and gems left behind by the defeated mob of goblins; or the sigh of relief when the lonely treasure chest doesn't jump up as a mimic and want to eat us. Treasure is great.

MAgic. Silenced. - Null Rod by Anson Maddocks

The most wondrous kind of treasure is that of a Magic Item. Anything from the pointed hat of a wizard that you can cast spells through, the enchanted sword that surrounds you with a defensive bubble when you're hurt, or a legendary tome full of magic so potent, the pages themselves are alive.

Yes, Magic Items are wondrous, but only when they work.

Rod of Deactivation

As with many Magic Items, the naming convention of 'Thing of Nouns' is too good to pass up. This sheer metal rod is about six inches long and half an inch wide. It's rounded and sturdy, but is lighter to the touch than one would expect. It has a single switch on its side, flipping the switch will deactivate the effects of all Magic Items of a certain rarity within 40 feet.

Rod of Deactivation Stats Generated with Homebrewery

This rod was created, in the homebrew setting that I created. In it's history, there was a period where Magic was seen without favour and was heavily mistrusted. During this time, inquisitions sought out and incarcerated spellcasters of all kinds, with the simple message of denouncing magic.

The confiscation of many Magic Items also lead to this item's heavy use. It drew the power away from spellcasters, making them easier to manage and bring to justice.

In the present day in my setting, magic is no longer outlawed, making the use of an item like this deeply troubling, but those who have such a device can easily sap the magical power from those that can see it.

Now we want to hear from you. Where would the Rod of Deactivation be seen in worlds you GM?Would your Magic Item making Artificer love to hate a device like this? Let us know in our discord server or in the comments below.

Adam Ray contributes much for adventurers here on Apotheosis Studios. As co-founder of fantasticuniverses.com , they write about card gaming and PC gaming to a corner of the internet he carved out themselves. On Youtube, they can be found game mastering for No Ordinary Heroes , or editing the antics on The Hostile Atmosphere . Find where they dwell by climbing their Linktree .

League of Legends Enters Magic the Gathering in New Secret Lair!

We here at Apotheosis Studios deeply appreciate gaming, of all stripes, across every way to play. Our love of Dungeons and Dragons brings our awareness to the other titan of fantasy tabletop gaming that Wizards of the Coast produce: Magic the Gathering. We've looked at the delightful time Magic has brought D&D into its cards, and there has been talk of the worlds of Magic coming to D&D as well.

As seasoned gamers, we can't shake the knowledge of one such familiar title: League of Legends. Whether you're a ranked grinder or someone who just knows the MOBA through memes, it's a title most know. We have some regular appreciators of it themselves.

One of my favourite things, in the universe, is a crossover.

Arcane In MTG

The Netflix show, Arcane, inspired by the characters and lore from League has gone on to break online streaming records and reach critical acclaim. We here at Apotheosis love then show, and will bring that vision of gritty steampunk into your tabletop role playing game content coming very soon.

It seems the fine people at Wizards were also immensely big fans of the show too.

Secret Lairs are collections of reprinted Magic cards, in new art and border styles, to fit a theme. They've been around since December 2019. Secret Lairs have been had artistic, historic, or even silly themes over their few years. They’ve received a lot of mixed reviews from the player base, but there have usually been some that draw the interest and attention of a lot of players. For collectors, these cards make for very unique pieces that really can’t be ignored.

On November 29th, Wizards are releasing an Arcane themed Secret Lair. The cards we’ve seen so far all feature stills from the Arcane show, and key scenes. The cards chosen are all particularly powerful in the multiplayer, Commander, format. If that wasn't enough, cards depicting the twin cities of Piltover and Zaun are also coming in a separate Secret Lair. Double the Arcane power!

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Eagle eyed viewers will see that the first round of cards have very interesting collector numbers. 477, 478, 482, 483. That means in November 29th announcement, we’ll be told what the three missing cards will be. Likely, they’re cards that depict spoilers from Arcane Act 3, coming November 20th. Players might hope that they’re cards depicting some of our favourite Arcane Champions. Expect an update to this post the moment we hear what those three other cards will be.

This is a set that will enchant the big crossover of Magic players and Riot Games appreciators. This is a set that I will find very tough to resist.

Now we want to hear from you. Are you going to pick this set of unique cards up for yourself? Have you been enjoying Arcane? Does this make you want to dabble into the other game if you haven't partaken? Let us know in our discord server or in the comments below.

Adam Ray contributes much for adventurers here on Apotheosis Studios. As co-founder of fantasticuniverses.com , they write about card gaming and PC gaming to a corner of the internet he carved out themselves. On Youtube, they can be found game mastering for No Ordinary Heroes , or editing the antics on The Hostile Atmosphere . Find where they dwell by climbing their Linktree .

Freeze the Battlefield with the Breath of Winter

The climes and conditions experienced adventurers face only grow more and more serious the further they travel. Harsh winds, bitter cold, and sweltering suns are always perilous if you're out in the wilderness.

Sometimes a particularly crafty individual may want to literally turn the tide. The command of the elements and the ability to bring down the mountain with endless cold is a tempting power trip for many.

Breath of the Winter

Control over the weather is not an unheard of practice for Druids and Wizards. Bending the cold and the wind in the heat of battle for smaller effects is also something that many mages and spellcasters can do.

The ancient cold blows in - ‘Winter’s Breath‘ by SixMOreVodka

The Breath of the Winter is an ancient spell that maximises the potency of these effects. It's not enough sometimes to chill the air and bring down a rushing wind. Sometimes one must use the elements in the heat of battle to take all heat in the battlefield.

The ancient spell soaks up all warmth from the space, crystallising the water and raining down a torrent of bitter cold. Those who are used to the climes in the arctic or the lofty mountains will resist the brunt of the harshness, but for some this can chill to the bone.

Breath of Winter Spell Generated with Homebrewery

Breath of the Winter has been used by forces in cold climes to resist an oncoming orc horde, cursing the fates that the spell only slows but does no harm to white dragons or frost giants. In places of intense heat, the use of this spell can confuse a desert enemy, unprepared for the change in weather. Dwarf Kings can shout down the mountain home they live in and bring down the Breath of Winter to defend their stronghold.

As with all magic, it is neither good nor bad. How it is used may yet give a perspective on virtue and evil.

Now we want to hear from you. Would members of your party bring down a snowstorm on their enemies? How would you GMs punish players with the harsh winds? Let us know in our discord server or in the comments below.

Adam Ray contributes much for adventurers here on Apotheosis Studios. As co-founder of fantasticuniverses.com , they write about card gaming and PC gaming to a corner of the internet he carved out themselves. On Youtube, they can be found game mastering for No Ordinary Heroes , or editing the antics on The Hostile Atmosphere . Find where they dwell by climbing their Linktree .

The Sabbat Rise - A Review For 'Sword of Caine'

We here at Apotheosis Studios have a great many writers across the tabletop role playing game scene working on the most hard hitting content imaginable. While our focus is on Dungeons and Dragons, it's just good practice to look closely at the plethora of other TTRPGs in the big bad world.

One such title that I've dabbled with, aside from Eclipse Phase, Fate Core, Fantasy Age, and City of Mist, is that of Vampire the Masquerade. I've been an uninitiated Thinblood doing his best to understand the strange world he's suddenly in, as well as a Toreador who has immense love of artful mathematics. So when something new comes out, by one of our own, we're very excited!

Sword of Caine

Sword of Caine Cover - what profane secrets lie within?

Raymond Jenkins has helped us write and develop content for Sirens, as well as our next upcoming project. He's also has written around other games, including Vampire. This new sourcebook has been rated very highly on Drive Thru RPG, and it has very strong implications for all those who walk the night.

Sword of Caine is a sourcebook that brings a (sort of) new bloodline to 5th Edition VtM. The Sabbat have featured in older editions of of Vampire but not in 5th edition so far. They're often used as an overarching antagonist in a lot of Vampire storylines as they make for great boogeymen, doing dark deeds and profane magic. This module gives us a fully playable bloodline for the sneaky Sabbat.

Further, we get even more lore about how they set up after the Anarch Revolt, and their place in the world now.

For those who love their characters as they are. Many changes to the other clans are felt and this book details the many interesting ways their characters and clan may interact with Sabbat running around.

An entire chapter is carved out to running this new material in your games of 5th Edition Vampire. New Backgrounds, Loresheets, Predator Types, and more here will level up your experience playing VtM.

Many of the players I know, would have quite a bit of trouble filling the shoes of the truly sadistic and demented individuals that make up the Sabbat bloodline, but that level of challenge may yet be a welcome one for other players. This module makes for a rich and interesting addition to level up your games of Vampire.

Sword of Caine is available now on Drive Thru RPG right here.

Now we want to hear from you. Will you be picking up this module for your VtM games? Has this fired up your blood to take your first steps playing Vampire? Let us know in our discord server or in the comments below.

Adam Ray contributes much for adventurers here on Apotheosis Studios. As co-founder of fantasticuniverses.com , they write about card gaming and PC gaming to a corner of the internet he carved out themselves. On Youtube, they can be found game mastering for No Ordinary Heroes , or editing the antics on The Hostile Atmosphere . Find where they dwell by climbing their Linktree .

Soar Into Strixhaven with the Owlin Race

The worlds of Dungeons and Dragons are a magical and mysterious places. Creatures great and small fill up the populated space, and the term 'Humanoid' is very broad. In this blog, we've talked about reptilian centaurs and pumpkin headed plant people. Those are just the one's I've made!

When the creators at Wizards decide to make something new, it always gets the player base talking. New world books have drummed up similar chatter. The upcoming releases will always keep us players excited, and when Wizards teases some of the new content coming, there's much to think about.

The Owlin

Combat Professor by Andrey Kuzinskiy

Strixhaven: Curriculum of Chaos is the next world sourcebook coming to Dungeons and Dragons. It's the latest Magic the Gathering tie in book, alongside Ravnica and Theros. This time, we're going to Magic's immense wizarding academy to brush up on our spellcraft and be sorted into one of five houses.

To those who have played with the set, they've seen many erudite looking owl people strutting about the classes. These Owlin appear in each of the five colours of Magic, and are seen in all five of the school's houses. They all have a wide array of skills in both combat and spells, making these Owlin a unique threat.

We have just learned that the Owlin are a new playable race coming to Dungeons and Dragons.

Mavinda, Student’s advocate by Wesley Burt

I am a seasoned Game Master, and I will accept any book published race if a player chooses one. I will also allow particularly strong home brewed content if I've had a good long look at it and decided it won't upset the power of the table and the story we all want to tell. I welcome the Owlin but it troubles me.

In games I have run, the Aarakocra have featured heavily as both player characters and key NPCs. For the players who want to get a real flavour in their bird person, I allow my Aarakocra to be an anthropomorphic take on any bird. Or at least any with natural talons to make up the talon power Aarakocra have. Crows, eagles, vultures, and even owls are welcome in my game under the term Aarakocra.

Hearing this news means I have a dedicated owl person race, and it'll be interesting to see if they are much better, to give my bird fancying players even more feathered options. We've been told that the Darkvision and Stealth will bring an edge to these birds that the current bird people race doesn't have, making it an interesting alternative.

Strixhaven: Curriculum of Chaos releases December 7th.

Now we want to hear from you. What abilities do you expect the owlin to have? What other new content do you hope to see in the Strixhaven book? Let us know in our discord server or in the comments below.

Adam Ray contributes much for adventurers here on Apotheosis Studios. As co-founder of fantasticuniverses.com , they write about card gaming and PC gaming to a corner of the internet he carved out themselves. On Youtube, they can be found game mastering for No Ordinary Heroes , or editing the antics on The Hostile Atmosphere . Find where they dwell by climbing their Linktree .

Beware The Fate If You Wear a Ravenous Robe

Magic is everywhere in the worlds of Dungeons and Dragons. Schools studying magic and beasts are just as common as learning sums and spelling. Not all magic is equal. Sometimes truly sinister things are made by the mages of the world, and disguised as the most innocuous and everyday things.

The clothes and garments people and characters wear truly defines them. It makes up a part of their personality and it’s taken entirely at face value. In D&D rugs can come to life and attack, but this isn’t sinister enough for me.

Seems like something anyone would want to wear - Image by AliExpress

Ravenous Robes

A particularly devilish individual can infuse any garment with dark magical energy, turning it into Ravenous Robes. As part of the creation of the item, the clothes need to have a detailed embroidery of a beast. Some manner of aggressive, usually carnivorous creature decorates the piece. The first, and most common items like this depict dragons, and most people who know of the existence of an item like it hold dragon decorated clothes with some unease.

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Ravenous Robes Stats Generated with Homebrewery

The clothes have a very steep curse on them, which aren’t apparent on first time donning them. For the first months or years that the wearer has a set of Ravenous Robes. The curse will take effect the more often a character wears other clothes. The curse makes the robes jealous. As the Ravenous Robes are put on again, the wearer will start take damage. Some may want to take the clothes off again, but the fear makes you want to put them back on. The damage dealt becomes greater and greater until eventually the creature within the garment fully consumes the wearer.

This curse is particularly ancient. It was reserved as a capital punishment for those in a magical society when it was first introduced, but as time wore on, the means to making this curse became more widespread and known and its strength lessened. Vindictive mages often sent garbs like this out of spite and revenge. They wouldn’t instantly kill as the first Ravenous Robes would, but would maim and injure more and more severely as time wore on.

Now we want to hear from you. Would your players and NPCs put something like this on unwittingly? What gruesome fate would befall the wearer if they couldn’t stay away? Let us know in our discord server or in the comments below.

Adam Ray contributes much for adventurers here on Apotheosis Studios. As co-founder of fantasticuniverses.com , they write about card gaming and PC gaming to a corner of the internet he carved out themselves. On Youtube, they can be found game mastering for No Ordinary Heroes , or editing the antics on The Hostile Atmosphere . Find where they dwell by climbing their Linktree .

Charge Into Battle With Your Allies On a Celestial Cavalry

In the worlds of Dungeons and Dragons, grand fantastical heroics are everywhere. We roll up the sheets for grand player characters with the intent of them going forth into the world our GM narrates to great and terrible things. Few are as archetypal as the Paladin, the one clad in heavy armour and raising a gleaming blade in the service of the gods.

One spell I noted in the toolbox of the Holy Knights of D&D, made clear to me while I was hosting my podcast, was Find Steed. No Holy Knight should be seen without their noble steed. The figure of the knight riding into battle is old and a beloved figure in fantasy fiction. As a Game Master who builds and brews a lot of material, it makes me wonder…

Find Cavalry

In the mid to late end of the campaign where the party are world renown heroes with phenomenal power, we can expect to see our Paladin riding into a final battle against a BBEG’s army riding on a gleaming warhorse made of sunlight, with the rest of the party running beside or on their own normal horses. That makes little sense to me.

There should always mounted assistance - Cathar's Crusade by Karl Kopinski

Find Cavalry Spell Generated With Homebrewery

The joy of the Paladin, with their staunch defence attitude and mechanical auras is that they bring the pain while lifting their team. Why can’t they literally lift their team up on conjured mounts into battle, much in the same way that they can for themselves.

Find Cavalry is a widened version of Find Steed. The party are each given their own grand steed to charge into battle. Anything that the steed can do for the Paladin, it can do for that party member through the magical bond of the spell. A Wizard on their strange, large lizard with gleaming opalescent scales can extrude the Mage Armor over themselves and the mount. The slender elk with red autumn leaves for fur will stand perfectly rooted to the ground for the Ranger to be the turret, firing arrows off into the fray.

A Paladin should look to bolster their allies, so that they may help on the great holy mission they are on. Bringing thundering, magical hooves alongside them.

Now we want to hear from you. Will your Paladins bring aid for the party to ride into battle? What creatures would your characters hope this spell could conjure? Let us know in our discord server or in the comments below.

Adam Ray contributes much for adventurers here on Apotheosis Studios. As co-founder of fantasticuniverses.com , they write about card gaming and PC gaming to a corner of the internet he carved out themselves. On Youtube, they can be found game mastering for No Ordinary Heroes , or editing the antics on The Hostile Atmosphere . Find where they dwell by climbing their Linktree .

Entering The Moonwatch Temple - Travel There if you Dare

The game of Dungeons and Dragons inspires all of us to be storytellers and weavers of myth around the table with our dearest friends. I’d argue that tabletop roleplaying games are the last pure way of telling stories. The essence of an evolving narrative shared by all is as close to as our ancestors around a campfire as possible.

When brewing monsters and items for my written projects, it’s easy to just put the new material together for some to see. It’s easy to present it in a factual lore way, but I like to explore it. Just like this post earlier in the blog, I wanted to present a monster in a more fun way. More true to how things are in a game of Dungeons and Dragons.

Taking the Treasures of the Moon

The lonely temple at the top of a forgotten mountain pass has been a draw for adventurers of all kinds for generations. The path up is not easy. The slopes are sheer, with no path to climb or follow. The wind howls at its fiercest that high up. Snow falls at its thickest up here, with the flakes shredding and feeling sharp.

Stone Shapes reside in Ancient places - ‘Crescent Guardian’ by Aron Elekes

Moonsilver Guardian Stats Generated with Homebrewery

Fortunate few make the vertical climb to the ancient black stone carved into the uneven grey of the mountain side. The doorway stands high, ten feet tall, over the strangers making their way deep within. Despite the alpine weather, the temple inside is warm, and the light of the silvery moon trickles through from an oculus on the top of the structure. The light shines on a pedestal, showing off the immense gem on the plinth.

Immense figures, made of uneven shapes of stone line the walls left and right, making arms and legs beneath them, with the great crescent over the top. As an adventure makes the unfortunate mistake of reaching their hand into the moonlight, the grinding of stone on stone is heard all around. An ominous blue glow shines from the crescent. These stone beings will stop at nothing to keep the moon stone here in the temple.

Now we want to hear from you. Will a moonlit temple like this appear in your world? What does the strange artefact do that requires such close guard? Let us know in our discord server or in the comments below.

Adam Ray contributes much for adventurers here on Apotheosis Studios. As co-founder of fantasticuniverses.com , they write about card gaming and PC gaming to a corner of the internet he carved out themselves. On Youtube, they can be found game mastering for No Ordinary Heroes , or editing the antics on The Hostile Atmosphere . Find where they dwell by climbing their Linktree .

The Terrifying Bearowl - A Review for Carnage at the Carnival

The worlds of Dungeons and Dragons are vast. Story tellers and Game Masters of all kinds can be inspired to tell a plethora of different stories, some of them even away from the gaming table. We here at Apotheosis Studios have been making TTRPG content to level up your play experience, but it's only right that we shine our loving light on other creators that do all sorts of work.

We've talked at length about the fine acting work from independent Australian Bards over at Deerstalker Productions. They've taken the finest memes about the world's greatest role playing game and made truly hilarious and heart warming tales. Out of the blue, their latest offering has dropped on our doorsteps.

Carnival Carnage

As we have reported before, right here on the Apotheosis Studios Blog, the next book from Dungeons and Dragons. The Wild Beyond the Witchlight is an ambitious campaign for those who want to explore an enchanted carnival in the land of the faerie.

The Strangest Sideshow - Image By Deerstalker Productions

It seems as though two of our three heroes have taken to the stage for this enchanted caper. We can see the ladies, Evandra and Nixie handling a particularly difficult Druid. The show has had “cameo” appearances from many of the other classes thus far, and this one is no different. We see the nature loving, well meaning Druid choosing the love of animals and the realism of committing to a wild shape that may not be right, but is fair in his Elvish heart.

For a sponsored episode, similar to their Magic the Gathering episode, they've shown the growth the studio has gone through. The number of extras is immense for a show that once used to have the Dungeon Master play the majority of speaking NPCs. In this episode we see a full, forest carnival with performers in full costume. This kind of immersion for a 5 minute skit is what makes this feel so decidedly D&D for me, and the level of care I can expect from a loving crew such as this.

The care and love on a show like this makes me love this crew and their efforts even more. You can see their antics for yourself right here!

The Oddest Party - Image By Deerstalker Productions

Now we want to hear from you. Will you be grabbing The Wild Beyond the Witchlight? What other live action D&D antics should we know about? Let us know in our discord server or in the comments below.

Adam Ray contributes much for adventurers here on Apotheosis Studios. As co-founder of Fantastic Universes , they write about card gaming and PC gaming to a corner of the internet he carved out themselves. On Youtube, they can be found game mastering for No Ordinary Heroes , or editing the antics on The Hostile Atmosphere . Find where they dwell by climbing their Linktree .

Sneaky Sneaky - A Review for Stealthy Approach

Dungeons and Dragons is a source of endless inspiration for many creators out there. We here at Apotheosis Studios have made big world books to bring new realms of adventure. Other creators have made other kinds of media that we fans is a really welcome slice of fun for us fans.

We've looked very closely at the fine work of Deerstalker Productions for a while. They've brought D&D memes to our shores in the guise of well made shorts in character and at the table. While we wait for season four, let's continue our look back on their original content.

Everybody Roll Stealth

The old adage that “stealth is optional on this mission” usually means the party goes in with a great deal of noise, destruction, and the death of the mobs occupying wherever they were trying to go.

The Party is Being Quiet - Image by Deerstalker Production

It's a lot of fun, as a Game Master, to see how your table handles the challenge of getting past a gate to go somewhere restricted. The three characters in All For One find themselves at the gate, and make increasingly poor attempts to getting through the doorway. There's a very unifying idea that when a Bard fails a Stealth check, they have to badly play the Mission Impossible music and maybe do some bad acrobatics. The recognition and love of these collective unconscious memes are shown off so well by the guys at Deerstalker.

I feel that the most relatable part of the episode, for me as a Game Master, is the ending. It's easy to succeed or fail a round of checks, or attacks. In the instance of a single player going off doing something reckless without checking in with the party, the rambling arguments while I, the GM, ask for rolls is so satisfying. It's great to see the players get so involved, but not about arguing, that helps no one.

Compared to the initiation episode, we get the improved scope in effects to clone the actor playing the GM as he's there twice as two different guards, as well as the pyroclastic cloud from Nixie's fireball. The ambition and pizazz from an emerging web series was here from the beginning and amazing to see.

Now we want to hear from you. Has your party made similarly disastrous stealth missions? What other D&D media should we be looking out for? Let us know in our discord server or in the comments below.

That Wasn't the Plan - Image by Deerstalker Productions

Adam Ray contributes much for adventurers here on Apotheosis Studios. As co-founder of Fantastic Universes , they write about card gaming and PC gaming to a corner of the internet he carved out themselves. On Youtube, they can be found game mastering for No Ordinary Heroes , or editing the antics on The Hostile Atmosphere . Find where they dwell by climbing their Linktree .