Letters of Introduction

Before modern communications and speed of travel, letters of introduction (or recommendation) were a key piece of allowing utter strangers to meet and work together.

Basically, a go-between writes a letter affirming that the bearer of said letter is worthwhile and of the proper social standing to meet the recipient of the letter.  To a degree, such things go on today, although typically turned into PDFs and emailed to recipients.

Statistically, they sometimes even work (I guess it depends on just who is writing the letter).

In the realm of DnD, a letter of introduction is a fine means for a newly-minted Wizard sort to find potential masters, especially if the game relies on PCs being properly trained to level up, not just earn enough xp and a nap.  Presumably, said Wizard's teacher sends the neophyte off with a letter tucked into the starter spellbook, perhaps with a specific recipient in mind, perhaps not.  Then off they go.

Merchant Scroll, art by David Martin, WotC Magic the Gathering, 2003

Given DnD and the apprentice-master relationship of wizards, such letters are excellent recipients of Secret Page (Illusionary Script if playing 5e) spells, allowing master wizards to pass on useful information without being obvious about it.  

In addition to magic, more traditional ciphers and codes can be used on the letter.  If the letter writer and recipient regularly correspond, there might even be nonchalant phrases that have other meanings, much like thieves cant, but for wizards.

Best of all is that such letters of introduction make excellent props for in-person games.  Sealing wax and seals can be purchased (or done at home with a candle and something to press into the molten wax), and letters written on unlined paper, making for a tactile bit of gaming.  So when the junior wizard shows up and approaches the PC wizard and hands her the letter, you can pass the letter to the player and see what happens.

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Of course, in a society where such letters of introduction are common among the nobility and the magic-users, there are bound to be folks wanting to take advantage of this.  Such letters allow rogueish sorts to practice subterfuge, forgery, and the like, presuming they can lay hands on authentic signets.  

Spy Kit, art by Aaron Miller, WotC Magic the Gathering, 2016

Perhaps the best example of rewriting such a letter can be found in Shakespeare's Hamlet, when loyal-but-not-bright minions Rosencrantz and Guildenstern carry a letter that Hamlet rewrites to his advantage.  Hamlet escapes and R and G are executed by the letter's recipient - literacy and forgery FTW!

Such letters and signets can also lead to false orders, bills of sale, and blackmail for the workaday rogue, and if magic is involved, utter mayhem for the letter reader (perhaps this is what curse scrolls really are).  With the various word-based spelltraps available, it makes things quite... froggy.

Designated readers, perhaps.

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Letters of Introduction make for interesting and different treasures, maybe not so much discovered as awarded.  A letter that gains its bearer an audience with the King's Court Wizard or even the King's Major Domo can be quite useful, especially for those of a political bent.  For a society built around such methods, rubbing shoulders with movers and shakers is important, and letters allow just that option 

All that said, with commonplace letters of introduction comes a presumed level of literacy that doesn't jive with history, nor frankly, my homebrew game world.  Wizards and most Clerics are certainly literate and begin the game that way.  Other PC classes might be, depending on social class, so probably nobles, but not all of them.  Everyone can learn to read (Intelligence score depending, of course), but terribly few start out with it.

Except elves.  Elves can do everything, because they are immortal.    

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Some related magic items:

Sealing Wax of Imperviousness - letters sealed with this wax are impervious to weather, fire, water, bugs, and time - the sheet(s) of the letter and the ink upon and within the letter remains clear and legible until the seal is broken, and then it reverts to normal ink on vellum or papyrus or parchment.

Ink of Compulsion - letters written in this ink read like other letters, with the exception that the reader believes whatever is written in the ink, no matter how unlikely it is.  It requires substantial proof (or a dispel magic or curse) to make the reader believe otherwise.

Forger's Signet - This signet has a blank face, but when pressed against a complete seal, it shifts and adapts to match the signet; after one use (or an hour's time), the face goes blank again and the Signet needs to rest for a full day.  These masterwork pieces of the forger's craft tend to get owners killed in painful and permanent fashion.  

Animated Signet - the name is misleading, as the signet itself isn't animate, only the image pressed into the wax.  As might be imagined, forging these signets is damn near impossible without powerful magic, the use of which gives itself away.

Parchment of Masking - this parchment is specially treated to allow for a secret message to be hidden, as per the secret page (or illusory script) spell.  

Ribbon of Concealment - a letter wrapped in this ribbon, and then sealed with wax, cannot be seen or found except by the sealer, the designated courier, and the designated recipient.  As might be imagined, this is incredibly useful for delivering secret messages between rulers or lovers.  Or both.

Speaking of wax and ribbon...

Monday MtG: Group Hug Decks

Group Hug is a deck strategy based on giving other players resources.  In many cases, the decks stop there, content in bringing goodwill to the table.  This very goodwill is what leads to some players immediately targeting Group Hug decks - because Group Hug enables other players to win faster, and some players just cannot stand that idea.

The more evolved Group Hug decks focus their hugs on individual players, taking a political route towards victory.  The best Group Hug decks contain their own win-cons.  This isn't exactly one of those decks.

Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis.  Decklist.

Luckily, K&T are in the best colors for protection; Teferi's Protection, Heroic Intervention, and your favorite countermagic all fit in the deck (so does Possibility Storm - but calling it defense is dubious).  

Which is good, because you'll need them all, once folks realize what you're up to.  

Of course, a 4-color deck's biggest problem is being 4 colors.  Ensuring the correct mana at the correct time requires a dedicated chunk of the deck beyond the 36ish lands.  Relying on artifacts is almost a must - Prismatic Geoscope, Chromatic Lantern, Lantern of Revealing, Skyclave Relic, Commander's Sphere, and Arcane Signet immediately spring to mind, but there are assuredly other options.  Green helps immensely, both through landfetching and cards like Birds of Paradise, Paradise Druid, Dryad of the Ilysian Grove, Prismatic Omen, and others.

On top of all these assists are the nonbasic lands: Command Tower, Reflecting Pool, the triomes, and anything else you have.  Normally I preach against relying on too many such lands, but at 4 colors it is almost mandatory.  So save your countermagic for the guy running nonbasic land destruction!  

The Large Print Giveth...

The most common form of group hug involves providing players extra mana, chiefly through additional lands.  Common examples are Tempt with Discovery, Oath of Lieges, Old-Growth Dryads, Veteran Explorer, Rootweaver Dryad, and Scholarship Sponsor.  Note that some folks will tell you to never take the Tempting Offer, but they are wrong - always take it and fetch up Strip Mine or its ilk with it.

Avatar of Growth.  From Game Night.

Note that mana-doubling is also doable, with Mana Flare, Heartbeat of Spring, Upwelling (so pretty), and Keeper of Progenitus. I prefer the last to the others, as sometimes, my opponents don't benefit. 

Drawing cards, or overdrawing cards, technically, is another simple and easy form of hug, and arguably the most dangerous.  Forced Fruition, Rites of Flourishing, Well of Ideas, Horn of Greed, Howling Mine and its variations, Heartwood Storyteller, and maybe Glademuse.

Other cards let opponents just straight up play spells or put permanents into play: Blue Braids, Tempting Wurm, Wild Evocation, Eye of the Storm (more chaos than hug, perhaps) all being common considerations.

... and the Small Print Taketh Away

The goal with Group Hug is to break the symmetry of your cards.  Here are a few methods.

Insurrection, Psychosis Crawler, Gilt-Leaf Archdruid (albeit tricky to pull off without changelings or Maskwood Nexus), Treacherous Terrain, Disrupt Decorum, Cataclysm, and Expropriate all provide a means to make folks regret letting you live.

Shenanigans

The beauty of the Commander format is that with 100 cards, you can jam all sorts of shenanigans in a deck; sometimes these shenanigans overlap.  Following are four sets of possible shenanigans in these colors.  

Enchanted Evening, Aura Barbs, Aura Thief, Primeval Light. 

Mycosynth Lattice, Consulate Crackdown, Kill Switch, Hellkite Tyrant, Energy Flux, Hurkyl's Recall, and Kataki, War's Wage.  

Rampage of the Clans plays nice with Evening and Lattice; presuming you survive it yourself.

There are also surprise shenanigans with Radiate and Radiant Performer; yes, holding up 5cmc can be rough, but oh, my, can it be fun!  Especially when you are radiating your own spells, such as these.

Chaos Warp, Fractured Identity, Friendly Fire, 

 

Hive Mind is a card that folks should rightfully despise, as it plunges games into chaos.  It can also lead to sudden victories via Pact of the Titan, Pact of Negation, Intervention Pact, and Summoner's Pact.  The goal being to force your opponents into upkeeps they lack the mana to play.  I suppose a card like Warrior's Oath could function as a kingmaker alongside Hive Mind, but it's a bit much, even for me.

Hive Mind

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Riku of Two Reflections.

Story time!  I was in Ohio, running a variation of K&T, and the game was large with 7 players.  Being an Ohio game, I was able to cast Expropriate (go look it up) and copy it with Riku, resulting in my having 14 extra turns.  As the other players got up to get food, go pee, have a smoke, and leave in a huff, I played out my turns.  

Being a proper group hug deck, there were lots of permanents in play, and even more when my turns were through.  So with my final turn, I cast Enchanted Evening, followed by an Aura Barbs, deciding we should all go together when we go.  As I cackled with victory via draw, G held up his hand and pointed out the Elderscale Wurm that had been out for several turns. The game was still over, but I had inadvertently handed the game to G, but wow, what a play!

And that is how a person (this person) can lose despite taking many turns.

A Sword Called Mistcutter

Mistcutter is a fine bastard sword with a repeating helix pattern running along much of the blade.  It glows with a bluish light under normal circumstances but can flare into brightness as per Daylight when needed (it's call or it's wielders).  Mistcutter exists to cut through lies and deceit, leaving only Truth.

From the Magic card Valkyrie's Sword, art by Aaron Miller

As such, Mistcutter is considered True Neutral in alignment, for as long as the truth is made known, it cares not one jot nor tittle about the results of such revelations.  As such, it prefers Lawful and Good aligned wielders, as those beings tend to be more honest than those with a Chaotic and Evil bent.

The being that is the source of Mistcutter's sentience was a Human barrister and judge, renown for his impartiality and single-minded pursuit of the truth.  One tale is that he condemned himself and his family to death because of this sticking to the truth.  Grandfather Favarro was watching from afar, having orchestrated the entire series of lies that eventually led to the grand state execution of the judge and his bloodline.  

At the moment of death, Grandfather Favarro snatched the judge's soul through foul magics and channeled that single-minded pursuit of truth into the sword now called Mistcutter.

Whomever grasps Mistcutter by the hilt hears its voice* in his head (speaking with authority and often questioning everything - perhaps it mansplains), and if necessary, aloud with a voice loud enough to force a random encounter roll.  This is because Mistcutter has both Telepathy and Speech, with the gift of Tongues, to be certain there is no misunderstanding.

The voice demands, 'do you agree to seek the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?'  Answering 'no' results in Mistcutter writhing and twisting in the wielder's grasp, dealing 3d4** psychic damage each round until released.  Answering 'yes,' however, begins the attuning process. 

Attuning results in Mistcutter purging all existing illusions and shapechanges currently upon its wielder.  Furthermore, it then uses its telepathy and Detect Thoughts to interrogate the prospective wielder, asking questions about lies and truth and such.  (A wise DM would have such questions ready before the session where Mistcutter is likely to see play).  If the prospective wielder passes muster, then Mistcutter attunes completely.

As long as Mistcutter approves of its wielder, the wielder has Truesight.  

Truesight - 120'

A monster with truesight can, out to a specific range, see in normal and magical darkness, see invisibile creatures and objects, automatically detect visual illusions and succeed on saving throws against them, and perceive the original form of a shapechanger or a creature that is transformed by magic.  Furthermore, the monster can see into the Ethereal Plane within the same range. 

Swords are intended for combat, and as such, Mistcutter provides a +3 to hit and +2 to damage. In addition, a successful hit from Mistcutter dispels any Illusions cloaking the target (as per Dispel Magic, but only against Illusions) as well as forcing shapeshifters and polymorphed/wild shaped beings into their natural forms (whatever that may be).  

But not everything is immediately beneficial to a wielder.  At all times, Mistcutter's wielder is under a Zone of Truth (DC 18).  Mistcutter (and sometimes its wielder) can extend the zone up to 120' feet.  Another potential drawback is that the attuned wielder cannot shapechange or have an illusion cast upon them.  Such things just fail outright, although Mistcutter is aware of the attempt, and woe to the wielder if they are the cause of it!

Like most sentient items, Mistcutter can activate, deactivate, or refuse to activate most of its powers as it sees fit. While not given to whimsy, Mistcutter will pout and go dormant if proven wrong. The only powers it cannot shut off are the +3/+3 to attacks and Dispelling Illusions on a successful hit.

If the wielder knowingly lies, Mistcutter deals 3d4** psychic damage to them.  Should lying be a regular occurrence, Mistcutter will attempt to dominate its wielder, forcing the wielder to pass the sword to a more worthy being.

Lastly, Mistcutter will first urge, then attempt to dominate, its wielder to reveal any illusions and lies they come across.  As might be imagined, Mistcutter and rogues tend to not get along.

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Mistcutter is a dangerous tool for those that practice deceit, but for the honest adventurers out there, it is a potent tool for combatting all sorts of typical villainy and thwarting DM plans.

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* the voice idea stems from Telecanter's Receding Rules DM Aids, specifically the Voices document.  So much goodness among those aids you should consider porting into your games.

**3d4 doesn't seem like much, until one takes into account cascading damage, which is one of my houserules.  There is a saying that the truth hurts, but it ain't got nothing when a lie ends up causing 40-50 damage.  Now that is a killer migraine!

Monday MtG: Elf Tribal

Tribal decks built around Elves are as old as Magic: the Gathering itself.  So much so that - according to Scryfall - there are 505 Elf Creatures in Magic, mostly Green.

The most recent Commander deck to feature Elf Tribal was Kaldheim's Elven Empire, fronted by this elf:

Lathril, Blade of the Elves.  MY Decklist.

Keen eyes and keen memories will point out that this card (and Commander deck) appeared back in January of 2021, so about 18 months ago.  Those observers are correct.  That said, I picked up my copy of the deck well after January '21, after having seen what it can do straight out of the box.  After the table suffered that stunning loss, I decided to pick one up and improve it.

My first step in upgrading a precon is to read through each card and set aside cards I know I won't be running.  Sometimes I immediately have an idea for a replacement, but not always - just a secure knowledge that I won't run a card.  For this deck, I found a dozen definites and a half dozen maybes.

Step two is to go through my cards and set aside things that might work.  In Lathril's case, I have a stack of mostly green cards (elves) far taller than eighteen cards.

The third step is seeing what others have done. Unlike many, I don't automatically turn to EDHRec.  Instead, my research starts with mtggoldfish's Unofficial Precon Upgrade articles by Tomer Abramovici.  This is Lathril's link.  In my case, many of his recommendations are already in my 'get rid of' and 'add this' piles.  

The fourth and final step is putting the deck together and sleeving it up.  Play and revision won't fall under this post.

Note that the last time I built a Commander deck themed on Elves was in 2014, after picking up the Green Commander deck headed up by this lady-elf.  As such, I already own lots of Green Elves.

Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury.   Decklist?

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What I lacked back then was a good reason to run Gilt-Leaf Archdruid and Greatbow Doyen.  Kaldheim provided us Maskwood Nexus, so now I have the best reason to run both of these 5cmc elves (I just need to get a Maskwood Nexus!).

Lorwyn Block contains all sorts of yet-to-be-reprinted gems.

Another recent addition to the Elf-Mage's spellbook is Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth.  This isn't so much to help fix mana, though it does this.  Yavimaya is grand because now that all players have Forests, my Forest-walking token horde of Elf-Archer-Druids can slip past defenders to win.  Elvish Champion is my go-to for this trick, as the +1/+1 bump helps, but I can improve chances with Hidden Path and Nature's Cloak.  In all three cases, I need to alpha strike immediately so that others' creatures aren't used against me - because they would and should be!

I briefly mentioned a +1/+1 bump.  Elves have several such mass-pumping lords.  Imperious Perfect, Elvish Archdruid, and Dwynen, Gilt-Leaf Daen come with the Lathril deck, while my collection provides Elvish Champion, Joraga Warcaller, Elvish Warmaster, Pendelhaven Elder, and Ezuri, Renegade Leader.  All of these tempt me to just stick with mono-green Elves, but I want the black magic access.

There are many tribal-focused cards for people like me.  Many of these are solid artifacts, like Belbe's Portal, Door of Destinies, Herald's Horn, Icon of Ancestry, Urza's Incubator, and Vanquisher's Banner (among others).  There are also color-specific tribal cards, with either Elf or 'choose a creature type' on them.  Or just color-pumping cards, like Kaysa (errata'd into an Elf Druid - who knew?).

Some fun cards for me are Elvish Guidance, Kindred Summons, and Patriarch's Bidding.  Each of these cares about a specific creature type, but lets me choose which one.  If you like tribal decks, add the last two to your kit-box.  So good.

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Ritual of Subdual.  

Throughout legend and myth, Elves have the reputation as being tricky, so I am doing the same with this deck.  One mean trick I am keeping from my earlier Elf deck is Ritual of Subdual.  Sure, Eon Hub gets around Cumulative Upkeep costs, but so does my army of mana-elves.  The only difficulty will be accessing Black mana, forcing me to rely on Elves of Deep Shadow (the good art) and Wirewood Channeler and maybe some rocks or treasures. The occasional artifact or Eldrazi deck isn't much phased by this enchantment, but all the other decks are.  I highly recommend this card to create the soft lock you need to win a game.  The other mean tricks in the deck are Triumph of the Hordes and Exsanguinate, but these two cards don't really need much explanation. 

Earlier I mentioned Freyalise.  She is in the deck, as is fellow planeswalker Tyvar Kell.  A notable absence is Nissa Revane - a great card for Elf decks, but that is it, so I am unlikely to pursue a copy.  Between the planeswalkers and tokens, there is no excuse to not run Doubling Season, though, especially as I already own a copy.  Its planeswalkers that keep Doubling Season's price so high - coming into play and immediately being able to trigger a planeswalker's ultimate is strong.  Whether or not it is good planeswalker design to be able to immediately ult with DS in play is its own discussion.

Another card I am not running is Heroic Intervention.  It is a sweet card, but in keeping with my EDH box, my lone copy is already in use (in my Jenara deck).  So as a replacement, I am running Wrap in Vigor.  Both save my Elven horde at instant speed, and that is all I really want.

So there you have it - BG Elves.  If it works as I suspect it may, I can easily see myself losing to overdrawing my deck, and I would be good with that.  I need to keep it built long enough to make a trip to Ohio, where J and B and I (and maybe others) can all run our Elves decks in a glorious game of pointy-eared madness!

Not as good as an all-Slivers-decks game, but definitely a hoot.

d12 Means of Dungeon Discovery

Sometimes, a plausible reason is needed to justify why a virgin dungeon lies so close to civilization, yet has never been plundered.  Below are ten reasons why - of course, once word gets out, all sorts of adventurers, brigands, and scalawags will end up there and on the Random Encounter table.

Kinda like the gold boomtowns of the American Expansion in the 1800's. 

A WotC image, I believe

Ten Twelve Means of Dungeon Discovery

1. A farmer clearing land or plowing a field breaks through the ceiling.

2. A builder renovating or expanding an older home discovers a passage or stairs.

3. A recent drought has lowered water levels, revealing the entrance.

4. An earthquake or landslide has uncovered the entrance.

5. Someone followed an ancient map to the X and now the dungeon lies open.

6. Water erosion (perhaps from heavy rains) opens a sinkhole leading into the complex.

7.  Magic has brought the tower to the city or opened the stairwell into darkness in the marketplace.

8.  It's always been here, but no one had the key ... until now.

9.  Alternatively, the entrance has always been there, but the stars haven't been aligned until now.

10.  A hunter chasing game, a child chasing a dog, or a shepherd chasing a stray sheep find a heretofore unknown cave.

11.  Loggers or a storm have felled an ancient giant tree, revealing a complex below its root system.

12.  Successive cities built on the same site merely cover over previous buildings, burying them, but never really closing them.  

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Are the above cliche'?  Many of them are, but that doesn't stop them from working at your table.

What's In That Sarcophagus?

Sarcophagi are common encounters in DnDish adventures.  Especially, but not exclusive to, those adventures involving tombs, crypts, catacombs and the like.

While they can just be plain stone boxes, that isn't much fun.  Cover it with carvings or faded painted murals to incorporate a warning, a clue, or just to further build your world.

Sometimes, a sarcophagus is not only a closed stone box, but also chained shut, perhaps even sealed with a magical sealant or caged over to keep something inside.  Typically, the fancier the attempt to keep something in, the more likely the PCs are to open it, breaking the seal and releasing something terrible.  

Keeping graverobbers out, or keeping undead in?

The better players don't even complain when whatever was sealed away with clear warnings butchers one or more (or all) PCs.

Chains and seals and cages aside, opening such heavy stone boxes typically requires levers, great strength, and/or a combination of both.  Personally, when I am keying an area with sarcophagi, I make a note about total strength needed to move the lid and how many human-sized people can fit around it.

So, one sarcophagus might read (str 60, room for 4) meaning that up to 4 PCs can contribute to opening it, meaning they each need a 15+ strength to be of use.  If the group isn't strong enough, the sarcophagus remains sealed.

But once that heavy stone lid goes crashing down (wandering monster check because its so loud), what lies inside?

1. Corporeal Undead (zombie, skeleton, wight, vampire, mummy, ghoul) with or without yellow mold infestation.

2. Mouldering corpse (or not undead mummy) infested with yellow mold.

3. Just a long dead body.

4. A foul black ichor (maybe black pudding, maybe just really gross disease-ridden filth).

5. A set of stairs descending into darkness.

6. A naked body that looks exactly like one of the PCs.

7. A mechanical or magical trap.

8.  Treasure, free and clear and obvious.

9.  A corpse that is the mortal shell of an incorporeal undead (ghost, wraith, specter).

10.  Empty (or maybe just the contents are invisible).

From B4 The Lost City, artist Jim Holloway

Of course, the kind DM puts some form of treasure in most sarcophagi - grave goods, if nothing else.  

Bodies wearing armor and jewelry, items in wrappings or a shroud, a plank under the body hiding a cavity in the sarcophagus, a secret compartment in the base of the sarcophagus.  Even the underside of the lid can be a place to hide something - a map or just the scratchings of the person inside trying desperately to escape. 

If grave-robbing bothers you, just pretend you're all archaeologists, and that it's in the name of science and history that you are desecrating tombs.  Besides, the museum is paying you well enough to acquire such artifacts...

Monday MtG: Linden, the Steadfast Queen

 

Linden, the Steadfast Queen.  Decklist.

I read Linden and see an aggressive deck that tries to win through going wide, but might just win via life gain, be it Felidar Sovereign, Test of Endurance, or blasting people with Aetherflux Reservoir.  Even without those life-based wincons, a high life total can be enough to outlast other players until I cast Approach of the Second Sun twice.  As a bonus, building my deck along these lines means I don't have to rely on Linden to be on the battlefield to win.

Since I want to go wide, I want tokens, and EDHRec agrees with me.  Researching the various white creatures that bring two or more tokens into play with them or during combat, I own several: Captain of the Watch, Evangel of Heliod, Hero of Bladehold, Leonin Warleader, Knight-Captain of Eos, and Darien, King of Kjeldor (better in the 99 than as a commander).  

There are other options, though, if I want to go all-in: Cloudgoat Ranger, Crested Sunmare, Reverant Hoplite, and Regal Caracal, which is a card that plays nice with White Sun's Zenith and Leonin Warleader.  The 5-cmc slot is going to be clogged right quick.

In addition to creatures making tokens, there are several spells that make tokens.  WSZ was mentioned above, but Finale of Glory, Ysgard's Call//Horn of Valhalla, Storm Herd, and Deploy to the Front are the ones I like the most. Martial Coup doubles as a sweeper of sorts, so that is in, too.

All these tokens in white means Soul Sisters.  I own the basic four, but it appears that several more have been printed since last I checked, with the best (in my eyes) being Daxos, Blessed by the Sun because he gains life for creatures coming and going, while feeding white devotion.   

Tokens also mean Throne of the God-Pharoah.   Another fine artifact for tokens is Halo Fountain.  It's heavy white investment in mana makes a card like this only worthwhile in white decks, but Resplendent Mentor pairs well with it, and she certainly only wants monowhite decks.  

The fountain water consists of the tears of Magic players defeated by dumb 'I win' cards.

Commander being a game of ridiculous interactions, and white being white, I am wondering if Blinking is a worthwhile plan.  The biggest drawback is that mass blink permanently banishes my tokens, and I don't want that.  Ephemerate or Cloudshift are a compromise that double as protection of a sort. 

Myriad is an alternative to blinking but weaker with the creatures that only make tokens upon attacking, like Hero of Bladehold or Leonin Warleader.  Blade of Selves is wonderfully affordable, and I need one for my EDH collection, so this deck is a grand reason to pick one up.  In addition, a friend has a Legion Loyalty set aside for me for additional myriad triggers.  Helm of the Host doesn't provide myriad, but it does provide its own form of excess for the deck.

All this talk of tokens in White means Anointed Procession.  Luckily, I grabbed one when it was new and affordable.  Another card picked up new and cheap was Smothering Tithe - it even came in the Alena Brawl precon from Throne of Eldaine!  Individually, both cards are strong, but together make an interesting team.  While it can be easily argued that Smothering Tithe slips into any deck with white, making an argument for Anointed Procession (and its 4 or so Green cousins) requires a specific deck strategy, one that Linden makes and makes well.

I wonder if adding Academy Manufacturer is too much...  

I keep showcasing the enchantments and artifacts that can take this deck to the next level.  That means tutors might be called for, and that means Enlightened Tutor and Idyllic Tutor.  Given the dearth of draw in monowhite (even with Mentor of the Meek, Well of Lost Dreams, and Endless Atlas), tutors seem a necessity in this deck.  If white could muster Blue or Green (or even Black) mass draw-type spells, I could rely on drawing into what I needed; for now at least, I must tutor.  That said, I can always tutor up this pair of cards for some wicked card advantage.

Land Tax and Scroll Rack, a tasty pairing since Tempest Block.

One card I am on the fence about is Cleansing. This trick helped out my Oloro deck immensely, back in the day, and with all the lifegain (and Flagstones of Trokair), Linden should be fine, but MLD leaves a bad taste in many players' mouths.  At least Cleansing provides the option to not totally blow out land.  Maybe I can compromise by warning folks that MLD is a possibility with this deck.  Then it's on them to keep land in hand, rather than play it all automatically.  

If this deck does what it should, then there will be lots of permanents in play at any one time, which makes Myojin of Blooming Dawn an incredibly awesome play.  It's artwork almost makes it mandatory.

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As this is a monowhite deck, I want to take a moment to talk about my EDH box and white staples.  My goal with the box is to have enough cards to build one type of deck at time.  This is especially pertinent with the monetarily expensive cards that go in almost any deck, like the Tax-Rack pictured earlier.  

I own the cards to make some strong decks (which I typically misplay, but that is another post), but only enough copies to run in one deck at a time.  Since I do own these cards, it is foolish to not add them to the 99.  Otherwise, what is the point in having them?

This goes for the niche cards that only fit in one or two decks, stuff like Mass Calcify, Blinding Light, and Crackdown.  They're awesome cards that demand to be played, but need a special deck to justify running them.  Frankly, I enjoy monocolored decks, at least partially due to the power of such otherwise limited cards.

Now I just need a playdate to see if this deck actually works.

Cheap DM Tricks

Some time ago, Phlox of the blog Whose Measure God Could Not Take posted More Cheap Tricks and put out a call for others to do the same.

After nearly a year, I am writing some of my own to contribute.  

1.  Use rumor tables.  It lets the players roll dice and learn about the game world without needing to sit through boxed text readings or have homework reading assignments.  Incorporate PC activities in the rumor tables.

2.  Use random encounters, being sure to include non-hostile creatures and events. Good tables also help build the world in a fun way. Incorporate PC-made significant beings on it, be it the freed slaves, the recurring wandering monk, or the revenant of someone the PCs killed.  Frankly, I am a fan of Twk-Men (from Dying Earth), as they are another means to make item #1 happen.  Here is a method that informs my random encounter tables.

3.  Let the players roll more dice.  A random encounter comes up, let them roll what it is.  They've hired some Meatshields, so they can roll attacks and damage for them.

4.  Make concrete comparisons using things your players know.  I'm fortunate in that I taught at the school many of my players attended, so I can say 'as big as the gym,' or 'taller than the 3-story' and they can see it in their minds.

5.  Use internet-based images, gifs, and video clips to enhance a game - especially if you're playing online (we use Discord).  Just be smarter than me, and have such things already pulled up, so you don't lose the flow of the game Googling them.  Showing that bit from Highlander when the final quickening happens can be simpler than explaining it - especially to those unfamiliar with the movie.  

6.  Get players to commit to a course of action for the next session - ideally at the end of the current one.  Don't hesitate to remind them of (some of) the many options that they have (probably due to Item #1).  Doing so lets you focus your planning.

7.  Include nonbook magic items, be they from other blogs or your own mind.  Items with quirks are by far more entertaining.

8.  Encourage players to describe items they discover, especially nonconsequential things (books and art objects are fine examples).  Not only does this provide shared world-building, it frees the DM to concentrate on stuff of consequence.  Sometimes, what the players come up with is far and away better than the DM's plan, so then the player's item(s) become stuff of consequence.

9.  Embrace weird in the game, be it due to background music, random die roll, or too much wine.  Things are said, actions happen, laughter reigns, fun is had.

10.  Use treasure maps.  In my case, they tend to lead to the start points of published adventures, like Hole in the Oak, the White Tower, or the Pod-Caverns of the Sinister Shroom.  Regardless of where they lead, maps provide additional hooks, just like Item #1.

Dave Trampier from the AD&D Players Handbook, 1978

Free DnD 'Zines

The neat thing with DnD and the internet is that some kind souls compile really nifty items into 'zines, then offer the pdfs for FREE on their various websites.

I've already downloaded all of these (and at least skim-read them), but maybe it's time for you to do the same.

Footprints - "Footprints, Dragonsfoot very own e-zine, is a wealth of material for any Original AD&D campaign, with variant rules, monsters, articles, cartoons, and a mini-module in every issue.  All original, never before published material, submitted by Dragonsfoot forum members, many of whm have been old-school AD&D fans since well before it was old-school!" 

Threshold - from the Vaults of Pandius to you.  Focused on the Campaign world of Mystara and the B/X ruleset.

& - "a fanzine for players of old school D&D, focused mostly on the AD&D Game"

d12 Monthly - themed issues for all sorts of D&D rulesets.

OD&Dities - for Original D&D, but full of great ideas.

I know, you're thinking, "I don't use those rulesets or campaign worlds, I don't need these."  I'd argue that you do, because good DMs pull ideas from everywhere.

Including from earlier rulesets.