Magic items can be a repetitious lot if you are not careful. If your party goes to a random item shop you had not planned for, inventing items on the fly can be very stressful. Even worse, if you are a player and every loot run gives you the same randomly rolled magic items again and again, you may feel slogged down by a lack of motivation.
Having a list of magic items that go outside the boundaries of the games handbook is very satisfying. Not only can you take pride in your work, but you can give these new items some influence or history in your campaign world. It keeps gamemasters and players on their toes, a new discovery behind every corner.
But coming up with inspiration on your own can be difficult. Without some creative ideas to get the ideas going, you may unintentionally just rehash the same items over and over again.
Down below are a few creators who offer a lot of magic items for you to either use entirely, or offer some very interesting artwork and mechanics to inspire your next creation.
*Note: All of these magic item creators build items for D&D 5e. However, no matter your RPG, you can take their items and tinker them for your own game system.
I have not heard enough people talk about the magic of Sinlaire. This Indonesian concept artist creates some of the most beautiful item art I have ever seen. They build mechanics that are simple to follow but still powerful. Whether it is a massive sword or a small trinket, you will not be disappointed to have a Sinlaire item in your inventory.
Take a look at their work on Instagram under the name @sinlaire_box!
Support Sinlaire here!
The Mithral Canvas is a classic magic item creator. This collective of artists have become very well known for their interesting and beautiful items. Their items follow monthly themes, offering you groups of items to use for specific settings. Previous themes have included pirates, swords (swordtember is the best), and even holiday specials!
The extra bonus of supporting their Patreon is that you gain access to their full compendium of magic items to look up on the fly. If you find yourself in need of a quick reference guide to some new magic creations, then look no further!
Check out this magic crew on Instagram at @the_mithral_canvas
Support The Mithral Canvas here!
Dungeon Strugglers is very reminiscent of Mithral Canvas in their structure, save for one difference: Dungeon Strugglers creates items you would never expect to see. Time and time again, I have been surprised by the designs this team has developed for the game.
It is totally expected to have weapons and armor, but have you considered a magic tsuba for your blade? Or perhaps darts that that disrupt and cripple a monk’s ability to use ki? These items are very careful in their mechanics, creating some of the most fascinating works I have encountered. Make sure to check this crew out on Instagram at @dungeon_strugglers.
Support Dungeon Strugglers here!
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Dive is a upcoming Mothership 1e hack set in deep, dark, terrifying waters. Inspired by works including Jaws, Deep Blue Sea, and The Abyss, you will need to use all your wits and grit to survive. Utilizing Mothership‘s Panic System, you and your party will have to work together just to survive moment to moment.
Dive will offer multiple new goodies to those who already have their hands on the Mothership game, including new classes, new skills, scuba-diving mechanics, new equipment, new trinkets, and new tattoos. For Wardens, you will get access to a brand new bestiary, and two full campaigns for you to dive into with your players.
The first campaign is called From The Deepest Trenches, following a deep oil drilling company as creatures begin to crawl from their drill sites. The second campaign, CHUM, includes intelligent sharks that are plaguing a small fishing town, and it’s the players job to deal with them. Will they simply be wild beasts, or will they have literal lasers attached to their heads? It’s all up to you!
Dive comes out in January 2023! Back your copy here!
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One of the joys for a world builder is being able to create a world that inspires awe and intrigue. From beautiful landscapes and interesting NPCs, the homebrew game master or game designer can create magic with a map and lore alone.
However, something that can be overlooked in the first draft of world building is what its denizens believe on a community level. Whether it is a whole country or a small town congregation, developing an ideological worldview can help you figure out how the community would respond to outside or internal threats. This also adds a rich canvas for your players to determine their place in the world.
Lets outline some key brainstorming ideas to help you develop different ideologies through your game world.
The term ‘ideology’ can refer to a lot of different belief systems in your game world. It can include religions, government systems, regional and national cultural practises, etc. All of theses will either work in tandem or in opposition to one another. Thus, it is here that you can get some major conflicts in your world.
The fundamental part of any ideology is finding the root of the belief system. The root will often be a response to this statement: the world works like this. These will often be simple, declarative statements that cannot be deemed untrue per say, but are more about perspective. This could include:
The next step is asking why the community believes this. Why do they believe the world is good/bad? What could have influenced this worldview? Brainstorm some options to get a wide variety of possible belief systems.
Something that can happen unintentionally while developing ideologies for our games are that:
Both of these situations can arise if you have not looked into how other real life ideologies work around our world. While there is nothing necessarily wrong about this, your world can fall into cliche and ignorance if you are not careful. That is how you fall into a lot of fantasy tropes. Take some time to learn the nuts and bolts of different groups around the world, both in the past and present.
And be especially careful when you are drawing lines of good and evil. Very rarely are things so cut and dry.
This is not all to say that you need to figure everything out about the different factions of your world right at the beginning. Feel free to add certain groups into your world for flavour and then build their ideological framework after that. Do not be afraid to improvise something and then back it up later.
Now it’s time to hit the books, write some notes, and get to crafting!
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Hello one and all! It is time to check out the big upcoming releases to the gaming world in February! Next month is filled to the brim with TCG releases, so make sure to mark your calendar so you can pick up your cards ASAP.
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One More Quest is a fantasy-comedy RPG coming out next year from Horrible Guild! Take on shareholder sorcerers, monster rent fixing, and other strange and hilarious scenarios as you become heroes of the land.
Based in the world of the Dungeon Fighter board game, players should expect a high fantasy world with lots of magic and mayhem to explore. Take on the role of an adventurer looking to win fame and fortune one dungeon delve at a time. Players are able to roll for their abilities by tossing dice at a circular target to dictate their success. The closer to the center of the target their dice land, the more successful your ability check!
However, that is not to say that it is just going to be an easy toss to win. Every action you perform has a special throw condition, forcing you to toss your dice in new and complicated ways. These restrictions will reflect the skill you are trying to use and the situation you are in. This could include throwing dice from underneath the table, or even having to dance while you throw! Even if your party member loses the check, you can be sure to get a good laugh out of the situation.
One More Quest comes out in March of 2023! Back your copy here!
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Soulmist: A Journey from Darkness to Light is a upcoming dark fantasy 5e campaign setting created by Black Lantern Productions! Fight for your survival in the land of Fyera, constantly fighting against the endless evils that inhabit the land.
The land of Fyera is split between light and darkness. Caused by a slowing of the planet’s rotation, one half of the planet is near entirely illuminated by the sun, the other hidden away by night. In the land of eternal midnight, named the Darklands, evil creatures have begun to emerge. Ever hungry and all powerful, these villains wish to consume and conquer world of Fyera. Only those brave enough to enter the Darklands may be able to stop these evil plots of mayhem and madness…
Play as one of five new races, with more than twenty-five new classes and sub-classes at your disposal. Prepare your weapons, equipment, and dive deep into the Darklands… if you dare.
More than just a campaign setting, Soulmist introduces three brand new rule systems to help take your campaign to the next level.
Instead of a alignment system, there is the Erebos System. Erebos has characters roll for stress, resulting in more and more mental strain on your character as you face ever darker creatures. The more points of Erebos you have, the more hopeless your situation becomes.
The Fate Pool System grants both players and enemies special abilities that can be used to defeat each other. The lower your Erebos level, the more Fate dice you get. However, the further and further you move into the Darklands, the more Fate dice your enemies obtain. Be careful how far you tread…
While it has its handicaps, some people welcome Erebos. These people are known to practise Prohibited Magics. These dark magics have powerful effects and equally terrible consequences. Abuse these spells at your own risk – every time you cast one of these spells, your Erebos score increases.
Soulmist: A Journey of Darkness to Light comes out in December of 2022! Back your copy here!
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HELL NIGHT is a 80s themed horror RPG about defeating escaped demons from Hell that are wrecking havoc on Earth. In this over-the-top cult classic inspired game, there are three things you can count on: dark comedy, gratuitous violence, and some in-depth lore.
Your party’s job is simple – capture or destroy the Archons (AKA Demon Kings) that escaped from Hell. Deliver them back to the underworld, or destroy their soul forever – the choice is yours. Will you become a Buffy-style crew of friends trying to save your town? Or will you become holy inquisitors, ready to burn the sin from the world?
But don’t think that heaven and hell are the only places who have something to say about the situation. This setting is fully agnostic, allowing you to pull in creatures from multiple mythologies and stories. Whether it be angels, demons, or ancient Elder gods, add whatever your heart desires.
With all of this being said, there is one rule above all others in HELL NIGHT – whatever you do, make it rad as hell. Being cool is way more important than being good. So, if you are save the world, make sure you look good doing it.
HELL NIGHT comes out in February 2022! Pre-order your copy here!
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Salvage Union is a post-apocalyptic mech RPG all about fighting for survival in a brutal world. Build and battle massive mechs as you fight to build a world worth living in.
In a world crippled by deforestation, climate change, pollution, war, and nuclear fallout, only the clever or rich survive. You play as a group of Mech Pilots, living on the back of a massive mech robot known as a Union Crawler. Work together to explore the wasteland as you collect scrap, food, and anything else you need to survive. But make sure to watch out for bandits, enemy mechs, or Corpo mercs – they will take everything you have, including your life.
Explore this vast and beautiful world: from the quiet solitude of the wasteland, to the techno-megacities, there is plenty to see and do. Either lead the Salvage Union resistance against the Corpos, or become turncoats for the rich an powerful. Defend the small town Wasters or crush them to gain control over the land. Become heroes of legend or new tyrants.
One way or another, the wasteland will remember you.
Salvage Union comes out in December 2022! Pre-order your copy here!
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