Copying Books In-Game

A Facebook discussion inspired this post.  As such, it is not play-tested, but looks to be entertaining.

Sometimes, a PC wants to make a copy of a discovered or purchased book, and instead of hiring an expert, they want to copy the book themselves.  Which is fine, albeit not what I consider adventurous.  

Those of us that have copied lots of pages by hand can tell you, it is a tedious task, at best - the anathema of adventure, really.  DnDish styled games set in a pseudo-Medieval European setting would only have a more difficult time, as this article about Medieval Manuscripts (complete with a video) shows.  Go watch that video!

Still, while copying a text could be folded under Downtime Activities, abstractly trading gold and time for a perfect copy, it may be more fun and gamelike to create a table to determine just how accurate the new copy is. I say may, but truly believe it is.

Note that according to Wikipedia (I know...)

Scribes were only able to work in daylight, due to the expense of candles and rather poor lighting they provided, monastic scribes were still able to produce three to four pages of work per day.  The average scribe could copy two books per year. They were expected to make at least one mistake per page.

Emphasis is mine.  Mistakes are expected and the whole process is slow in the best of conditions.  

(Story time - in the Army, I was on operations staff, and several of us were in tasked to make multiple copies - by hand - of map overlays.  Due to the amount needed, bad handwriting and tools, and time crunch, no two overlays were exactly the same and the latter ones included names not in the actual orders, as hurried T's became C's and worse.  Anecdotal, but it happens.)

Involving magic sounds like a plan, but my casual search reveals that the only spells involving copying are for copying spells into spellbooks, not pages of mundane information.  Interesting.  

Time for an enterprising wizard to develop a spell (leading to magic items) that can scribe quickly and efficiently.  Because burning a wish seems a bit ... much.  

That said, such items can probably be found in a GURPS or Ars Magica supplement.  Or perhaps in an indie game - GLOG, maybe.  Any readers wanna point me in the right direction?

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Anyhow, roll percentile dice and apply bonuses and maluses based on the below chart.  The final number is how accurate the new copy is.  If you have chart additions, let me know in the comments.

Mistakes can range from terrible grammar and vocabulary all the way to entirely different outcomes, depending on how bad the mistakes are.  Copying a book of True Names and getting some wrong will get someone killed, or worse.

So have fun with the results of the bad copy.

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In the name of research, I looked at how Ars Magica and Call of Cthulhu handles copying books.  I chose these games, because books are part of gameplay in both systems.

Ars Magica - For those familiar with its rules, AM has some in-depth rules on writing books.  In addition, its Covenants book provides even more rules for book-crafting, as well as implied magical items, called resonances, for use when scribing books: inkwells, quills, inks, and such.  These resonances might count as masterwork items in the above table, or as pertinent magic items - its a player-GM discussion.

As found on page 87 of Covenants

As an aside, if you're planning to run a game based around a mages' guild or college or the like, pick up a copy of Covenants, even if you have no intention of using Ars Magica as your ruleset.  It is that inspirational; the base Ars Magica 5e - and lots of the sourcebooks, regardless of edition - are as well.

Call of Cthulhu doesn't seem to have any hard and fast rules about writing books.  Reading them, yes - based on languages known and loss of sanity.  Nothing about writing or copying them, though.

Spending Gold the Fun Way

Most DnDish games end the same: PCs have more money than they know what to do with.  

Even in games that don't use 1gp = 1xp, the PCs don't know what to spend things on, and DMs don't know what to offer up as options.  

Yes, in some campaigns, magic items can be purchased, but not all DMs provide that option.  

I know this because I spend too much time on Facebook, and this 'what to buy' issue pops up every week or two, so now I will have a solid answer that only requires a link, instead of lots of typing.

Treasure Trove, by Brian Despain

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I don't much consider which rulesets these various posts are aimed at, because it all works out the same - fun ways for players to make their PCs go broke. Note that some of these demand DMs that are willing to let PC actions affect the gameworld that the DM has constructed. 

Medieval Melodies addresses The Gold Problem in 5e. Flute's Loot goes in-depth, citing rules in published 5e books (mostly PHB and DMG) to support his recommendations.

World Builders Blog provides lists of items with prices attached.

Everyone's favorite cartographer has a list on his blog of items that have been purchased in his games.

RPG Stack Exchange has a great discussion on options for your gold.

The granddaddy of all carousing tables at Jeff's Gameblog converts gp into xp, and sometimes trouble.

Goblin Punch provides Bardic Services, which include letting the players design the next dungeon they explore.

Coins and Scrolls talks about Building Castles through stripping cleared dungeons of dressed stone - both of which are expensive enterprises.

Papers and Pencils goes in depth on Investments, Citadels, and Domains, all of which provide more interesting options than just buying another +1 sword.

The Things We Do for XP has a four-part series of posts addressing spending: Existing Options, Positions in Society, Places to Live, and Places to Increase Spellcasting.  The beauty of these posts are that they include links to related topics on others' blogs, providing a DM with more ideas.

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This is a sampling of what is out there, and I haven't even dipped into the growing resources on YouTube.

If after all this, there is still too much gold in your games, I don't know what to tell you, besides Good Luck!

Starting PC Backgrounds

A key part of any gaming campaign is its opening session, when the PCs first come together.  Popular (and therefore undesirable) tropes are meeting in a tavern, in jail requiring a prison break, at a festival when something happens, or - my favorite - the ship/train/spaceship you're all on wrecks elsewhere and you must unite to survive!

An iconic party of adventurers from my childhood

My issue with this method is that roleplaying an awkward group blind date is somehow worse than an actual blind date - but not by much.  Plus, this puts way too much work on the DM's shoulders of this cooperative game we call our own.

If you as a DM enjoy extra effort on your part, by all means ignore this post and write out your opening scenario that somehow binds the disparate PCs together in a lasting campaign.  Just don't come fussing on the FB when it comes crashing down due to the PCs' backstories/players' expectations.

(As an aside, I firmly believe it is 100% the players' responsibility to ensure their PCs have a reason to travel and adventure with the group as a whole - DnDish games being cooperative games, after all).

Then again, if you are interested in pushing work off onto players while improving the game as a whole, then consider making the PCs a circle of friends.  Not the tv show, but kinda like the tv show.  After all, the six main characters of Friends were a mix of siblings, roommates, (former) co-workers, childhood friends, and eventually (ex-)lovers.  Everybody knew everyone else, but not in the same fashion, nor to the same degree.

And it worked.  

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Since it works for television, there is no reason the same idea shouldn't work at the gaming table.  So here is a random table of potential shared backgrounds for your party members.  

d30 Individual PC Relationships

1    in-laws

2    siblings (half or whole)

3    cousins

4    spouses

5    parent-child

6    other family

7    (ex-)lovers

8    betrothed (willingly or arranged)

9    rivals

10    childhood friends

11    parents are friends

12    current/former co-workers

13    same faith

14    same ship's crew

15    same punishment

16    same military unit

17    same acting troupe

18    same orphanage

19    same school or academy

20    same master (presuming both apprentices)

21    same pursuer (just or unjust)

22    same dream 

23    Master-Apprentice

24    Teacher-Student

25    Knight-Squire

26    Debt Holder-Debtor

27    current/former roommates

28    chasing same person

29    drinking buddies (like on Cheers!)

30    local celebrity-fan

Some of these are merely variations on a theme, but the very terms imply different relationships beyond Person in Authority-Person Subject to Authority or Same Organization.  Thanks, connotation!

Technically, if the party makeup consists of an Elf or other long-lived demihuman alongside short-lived races, like humans, then another possible relationship is that of a family sponsor or pet owner (the Elf) and the sponsored family or pets (one or more humans).  Depending on the players, this could make for some awesome moments or a spectacular train-wreck.  

Either way, being able to look at someone and tell them honestly, 'I helped raise your great-great-grandfather, your great-grandfather, your grandfather, and your father. Each and every one reacts in similar fashion to such stresses as these. Do not presume to tell me I don't know you.' 

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The lovely part about using this method for PC backgrounds is that the relationships alone provide ample fuel for the role-playing fire.  These predetermined backgrounds imply that the players themselves fill out the details about their family or shared past, providing names and places and events to the DM.

Incidental collaborative world building at its finest, and all it requires is the DM pointing at players and saying, 'your PC knows their two; your PC knows these two; etc.'  In my opinion, this works best when no one knows everyone from background, just two others.  

Using this feels like an odd mixture of the popular 'I know a guy' houserule and what Axian Spice did with his Who Are You tables from his Notable Novices and Notorious Newcomers in the Axian Library collection.  All with a sprinkle of d4 Caltrops' immediate backgrounds for new PCs.  

But it works.

Note that such a circle of friends isn't necessarily jazz band adventuring, but is related and with time becomes close enough for government work.  

The same adventurers from above, presuming they are stuck in DnDland through adulthood.  Poor Uni!

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EDIT: I found this at Coins and Scrolls, and it allows for a quick background, once you determine how to roll a 1d500.  - 4/9/23

EDIT: Another fine example of a circle of friends is the crew of Firefly. I'm not sure how I forgot them.  - 4/9/23

EDIT: As always, Phlox has an amazing take on starting characters.  - 4/20/23

EDIT: This time from Sly Flourish: relationships for PCs at the Keep on the Borderlands and here with Fiasco-style PC relationships. - 7/3/23

Books, Libraries, and Magical Schools

A regular request on Facebook is book titles to populate the shelves of bookstores, libraries, and wizard towers. So this post is for everyone wanting such a list; it is incomplete, but still wildly useful.

Enjoy or ignore, as you see fit.

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Libraries are built of books, and with a bit of diligence, a searcher can find several lists of book titles online.   Or you can jump to these links:

Call of Cthulhu is perhaps the game for arcane books; here are the 'official' ones from various fiction.  Then there are the homemade collections.

Ars Magica and DnD are wildly different rulesets, but both involve wizards with libraries.  Here is a discussion and listing for an Ars Magica library, and here is another - I like how both Ars Magica and CoC make knowing specific languages important. EDIT: get a copy of Covenants, if only for the 20ish pages on books and libraries.  

Continuing the Ars Magica love is this list of 'official' books found in the various books.

Coins and Scrolls wrote about Wizard Libraries, which ends with a listing of additional book title sources - almost a dozen of them; most not listed here.

d4 Caltrops has One Hundred Grimoires and One Hundred Alternate Spellbooks; this latter is good for societies that don't use traditional books as we know them.  The blog also has What Works Are On That Bookshelf.

Wizard Thief Fighter has Demiwarlocks d100 Magical Tomes 

The DnD Wiki has this nifty table for generating Arcane Book Titles

Adventure-A-Week has d100 Book Titles

Dungeoneering: RPG Tools has its own d100 Book Titles

DnDSpeak has 100 Library Books - each with a brief synopsis.

Wampus Country has a downloadable table for generating d100 Arcane Books.

DM Dev has a collection of tables for when I Search the Bookcase!

Elfmaids & Octopi has several posts about books, my favorite being: d100 Worst Books in the World.

While not exactly books, Necropraxis has this to say about Sigils, Sages, and Libraries.

The Book of Six Circles can be found at Mazirian's Garden.

MORE books at Throne of Salt.  

SCP-1230 exists.

EDIT: the GM Binder has the Lich's Library - many of these books have mechanical effects beyond the clever titles. - 7/16/24

EDIT: Coins and Scrolls has a list of books from the film Prospero's Library. - 7/30/24

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My favorite game-based library is the Stygian Library.  That said, WotC has its own in Candlekeep Mysteries.  There are others, as this search on Adventure Lookup shows. 

A procedural dungeon, so no two visits are ever the same.  Go buy it.

Dyson has made a few library maps available on his site for private use: Athenaeum of the Lost upper level, Athenaeum of the Lost lower level, The Grand Library of Coruvan, The Great Library, and Beneath the Great Library.  It's still on you to fill the rooms and shelves, but these maps are a great start.

In the middle of this free 'zine by YumDM is a quick way to generate libraries.  The undead stuff in the issue is a bonus.

Over at the Things We Do for XP, this post on Labs, Libraries, and Shrines includes several book title listings, as well.  

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Books and Libraries are commonly found at Wizard Schools, so here are some for you.  My home campaign of Ironguard has one such University, found in the Italy analogue.  It happens to be run by vampire mages, but the lesser mages don't know this and are still mostly human.

Mostly.

Anyhow, some links for those wanting them:

Strixhaven is a WotC setting set at a wizard's school

Brewkessel is a better variant on the magical school, slowly growing with each Kickstarter.

Against the Wicked City features this lovely post regarding magical grad students; prowling through the backlog of posts may find more. 

The Loxdon University stuff from Coins and Scrolls is just awesome (particularly this post - honestly, just pick up a copy of Magical Industrial Revolution and be done with it).

Just buy it.  You won't be sorry.

Goodberry Monthly has Wizard City, which is more than just a school, but overlaps in so many places, I am mentioning it here, particularly the University Cults.

The 2e Wizard's Handbook features a variety of things necessary for a Wizard School, but it simpler to afford as a PDF.  2e also brought us the College of Wizardry, and the awesome Necromancer School in the box set Return to the Tomb of Horrors.

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Something of my own, mentioned in one of the Ironguard Keep Session Logs - the session 4 and 5 post.

The Black Library is a dark chamber with cryptically labeled niches in the walls, with a humanoid skull in each niche. 

In the center of the chamber is a stone table, upon which lies a headless skeleton made of some dark metal - inspection reveals a variety of arcane runes inscribed on every inch of this skeleton.  Placing a skull on the skeleton calls up the spirit of whomever the skull belonged too, who is compelled to answer three questions truthfully (though some may demand a service or provide incomplete truths; what happens if someone agrees to a service and doesn't follow through is as yet unknown).

Some spirits within the skulls are still capable of magic and may use their arcane knowledge to do far more than just ask questions.  Are those ancient bloodstains on the fingers of the metal skeleton?

So beware what you call up.  Perhaps making use of the Library's Index - a tome listing each skull, what it (may) know about, and in which niche it lies - is the safest plan.

A jerk might mix up skulls or replace them utterly.

The inspiration for the Black Library comes from this post at Goblin Punch, so thank you, Arnold K.

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EDIT: 3/12/23

EDIT: 8/20/23

EDIT: 8/26/23

EDIT: 9/4/23

Writing a Rumor Table

I am an advocate of Rumor Tables in the various DnD-related FB groups I am a member of, often linking back to this post I wrote last year.   While I think it does a good job of explaining Rumor Tables and how to make them work, it doesn't really explain how to generate the rumors on them.

Hence this post.

Markets are a fine place to hear rumors - Watermarket, by Simon Dominic, Wizards of the Coast

First I start with lists.  A list of individuals locals would know about, a list of locations locals would know about, a list of monsters in the area that locals would know about, and a list (or pile, if printed) of published adventures I think would be fun for my players.  

Second, I keep the area map (starting town, hex, hexes, whatever) available to help with placement, mostly for those published adventures.

Before I put pen to paper, I recall this definition on the purpose of rumors from the blog Alone in the Labyrinth (emphasis mine):

In an OSR/OS-adjacent sandbox rumours provide PCs with leads or hooks which are then investigated at their discretion. The purpose of this is two-fold:

To drive investigation and/or exploration of the sandbox

To present a simulacrum of a living world

(Note that this is distinct from the purpose of rumours in a "trad" campaign, where rumours are used to steer the party onto the railway tracks set down by the module or the GM's story "arc")

That in mind, I turn the map and lists into 20 or 30 actionable rumors.  If I get stumped before reaching 20, I just write out whatever crosses my mind, knowing I can use it as a false rumor or let it inspire me if the players pursue it.  That is key - accepting that the players won't go after every rumor, or perhaps any of them.  

Tools in hand, I write up my rumors.  Then I go back through and change bits of some (or all) of them to make them false or partially false.  Just like real world rumors - there is often a grain of truth behind them.  

Once I have my 20 or 30 rumors, all I need is players and the game is on. I strongly recommend that at the end of each session, the DM survey the players to determine their plans for the next session.  Don't be afraid to remind them of (some of) the rumors they have heard if the players don't know what to do. 

Good rumor tables are dynamic so need regular updating.  To do so, I remove things the PCs have investigated and add new bits using the same methods I started with, but adding two lists: PC activities and NPC activities.  

EDIT: a solid source of rumors comes from Courtney Campbell's book Bestial Ecosystems Created by Monster Inhabitation.  While the chapter headings are familiar (basilisk, djinn, ixitxachitl, and many others - 49 total if my math is correct), each entry provides a few known facts about the critter in question, followed by rumors about them.  Sometimes pages of rumors.  

Now that I own it, I can start making use of what's within for my rumor tables.  Give it a look.

With a cover like this, why haven't you gotten it in print already?

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That's my method of writing up rumors.

Or so I've heard. ;)

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EDIT 10/17/22: here are a few other methods to keep the rumor-mongers busy in your gameworlds:

Eldritch Fields

Alea Iacta Est

Delta's D&D Hotspot

Are You Experienced?

Milestone leveling vs Experience Point (xp) leveling always makes for a long comment chain in the various FB DnD groups I participate in.  

Both sides have their stalwarts, with a few posters using both methods in well-explained ways.

As might be imagined, I am firmly in the xp camp, as I see xp as the carrot and stick of player behavior.  This is because I believe most players view leveling as 'winning' in an RPG, so having a stated list of ways to gain (and not gain) xp drives how players - through PCs and in a more meta sense - act during play.  

With that in mind, here is an excerpt from my House Rules document, regarding how I award xp.  

Enjoy.

Dave Trampier, AD&D Core Book (cannot recall which one of the three)

The chief means to gain experience points (xp) is through returning lost treasures to civilization, on a 1gp = 1xp ratio, and then spending it (Dragon Magazine #10).  “Only special expenditures reflecting the characteristics of a character class count toward experience.  Funds spent for general maintenance, upkeep, advertisement, equipment, and hireling salaries yield NO experience.”  That said, here are a few options for this spending:

Tithing/sacrificing to your church (sufficiently large donations may bring a boon if the sacrifice is impressive enough); philanthropy; research (spell, item, or history); clan hoards (PCs deposit into the clan hoard, but cannot withdraw from it); carousing (ala’ Jeff’s Gameblog).  

Carousing Rules: Spend d6 x 100gp to earn that many XP.  Then save versus Poison or roll on the Carousing Mishaps table below.  If you roll more money than you have on hand you now owe the difference to some sort of criminal unless another PC can cover your expenses.  The DM has the d20 Carousing Mishaps table.

You also earn 1 xp for every 1 gp you spend on a hireling's equipment.

End-of-session MVP (as determined by participating players) gets a bonus 250xp. 

Players can provide in-character notes (like a journal or diary) for at least 100xp per entry (one entry per PC per session).  Between sessions is a fine time to write them up.  

This handy XP chart from RIFTS applies to my game, as well:

Note that I cannot tell you which book, specifically, because I came across this chart as an independent entity in a FB discussion about xp.  Which is a shame, because I want to know the quotable quotations hinted at below it.

Exploring for its own sake, outdoors - 10 XP for each hex on the map visited, and 150 XP for uncovering adventure sites. In addition, exploration and discovery of certain physical locations (on this plane and others) provides participating members a one-time variable bonus the first time they arrive there and witness the location.  Depending on location, between 100xp and 10,000xp can be gained – the more distant and wondrous (or decadent), the more it is worth.

Exploring for its own sake, dungeon - ‘Experience points for a dungeon are granted based on how many rooms you had previously explored for the first time in this delve. The first new room might be worth 0xp, the second 10xp, the third an additional 30, the fourth an additional 60. This leads characters to constantly risk defeat by wanting one more room since leaving the dungeon to rest will reset the XP clock as it were. Trying to make it through that 13th room (which may be empty) is worth 780xp now or 0 if they return to the surface to rest.’ (from Neoclassical Geek Revival) 

In memoriam - This requires at least 24 hours and something cool like a big-ass funeral pyre, the raising of a burial mound, or a funeral ship floated down the river. The corpse must be armed and armored for combat, as appropriate to the class of the character. Each party member may donate up to 100gp times the level of the stiff as additional grave goods, the amount being spent is converted to bonus XP for the donor. Each party member may also donate one magic item to the grave. Scrolls, potions, and other one-shot items net a bonus of 250xp, while more permanent items get you 1,000xp. Magic items that would have been unusable by the deceased do not count (from Jeff’s Gameblog).  Returning later to loot the donated goods nets an XP penalty of equal value, and likely an undead former ally, divine curse, or the like.

Magic Item Use - using up the one-shot items and limited use items collected over adventures gains you 100 XP per item used up this way; note that said usage MUST be pertinent to the situation at hand. So chugging potions back-to-back-to-back not only nets a roll on the potion miscibility table (from the AD&D DMG), but also is worth 0 XP unless you make use of what magics the potions offer.

Jim Holloway art, date and title unknown, but I recognize his style.  No doubt these intrepid adventurers are seeking to cash in on the Exploring Places xp.

That's it, so far. The formatting needs cleaned up, but reading between the lines, you have a game focused on exploration, treasure recovery and spending, problem solving, and a high casualty rate.

The only xp awarded for combat are small amounts for 'killing or subduing' actual threats (the bottom of the RIFTS chart), which implies things that pose a threat to the PCs beyond self-defense. From experience, this keeps PCs from fighting everything they come across (as does my refusal to try and balance combats - you want to beard a dragon in its den, I will facilitate your desire, then I will facilitate your rolling up new PCs).

Comments are most welcome.

EDIT: others' posts that influence my thinking on experience points:

Blog of Holding

Angry GM

Dungeon of Signs

Hexcrawling the Blogosphere

Hexcrawling can be loads of fun, but the initial setting up of a hexcrawl, well... not so much.  I mean, it IS fun, but is time-consuming and can become a chore.  Still, once complete, discovering the connections between hexes makes for pleasant surprises, both for players and GMs.  

All told, I have little new to add, so instead offer a compilation of what is out there regarding hexcrawling.  Others have provided similar compilations in the past, such as this one at Ars Phantasia, but it is dated (still good though - you'll recognize several of the links in that post, and they are all worth clicking).  If nothing else, this lets be more efficient in my Facebook responses - I merely link this post rather than a half-dozen or more sites. Other search terms useful for those seeking additional resources on hexcrawls are: sandbox, West Marches, and pointcrawl.

There are a few solid introductions to Hexcrawls, both at the Alexandrian (also a separate 5e version) and a large series (at least 20 installments) on Hexcrawls at Trollsmyth.  Melan at Beyond Fomalhaut also addresses hexcrawling, providing a simple method for doing so. There is also this discussion on three types of hexcrawl at Augury Ignored.

Once you have the rough idea of hexcrawls and the process of building one, you need the resources to build your own.  First among them is the blog d4 Caltrops and this lovely document.  Note that the blog contains several more Forest and Mountain hexes not yet in the document, so do a thorough search.  These are wonderful because each entry can result in several different options.  There is even some minor linking between the entries.

Edward P Beard, Mt. Fuji, not the most expensive basic mountain in MtG, but in the top five.

One tool for world-building and hexcrawling is the Random Encounter chart.  This article from Papers and Pencils on Structuring Encounter Tables is worth the read and application.  Even if you aren't jamming Wizards and Dragons on your tables, you should have a procedures for random encounters.  Retired Adventurer provides a different take here.  Whose Measure God Could Not Take addresses biome-related encounter tables in an excellent fashion.  

 (But you should be jamming Wizards and Dragons on at least some of those encounter tables).

Papers and Pencils also provides a nice how-to with How Do You Hexcrawl. Whose Measure writes about their process, as well.

Encounters in a hexcrawl are an odd creature.  Welshpiper addresses them here - note the additional hexcrawling articles on the side.  Welshpiper also has a solid downloadable hexcrawl template for drawing up a detailed hex.  Another template can be found here.

Related to encounters is the loot left behind.  Adding history to said loot lets you build your world and the connections between hexes, as Ars Ludi addresses here.  

Mike Ploog, Nottingham Forest

Hexcrawling suggests the PCs will spend many nights around a campfire.  Those tables wanting something more for those evenings should consider what is being burnt.  The post from The Goatman's Goblet explores indepth the matter of firewood.  It is worth reading.  Truth be told, all the entries there under the heading Hexploration are worth reading.

There is much overlap between hexcrawling and the West Marches campaign.  KentheDM hosts a repository of useful West Marches information that leads indirectly to Izirion's Enchiridion of the West Marches, which can be mined for hexcrawls.  

My Terrible Sorcery is Without Equal in the West is a mouthful, but worth the click.  The post is ostensibly about keying a specific hexcrawl, but the links therein are a goldmine.

If you're in a hurry for a hexcrawl or simply seeking examples of some, look no further than Save vs. Total Party Kill's Grab Bag, where you'll find almost a dozen such hexcrawls calling out for adventure. If an urban hexcrawl is what you're seeking, then Wizard City from Goodberry Monthly is regularly updated with additional content; it might be fun to mix and match with the Strixhaven book WotC is releasing.

Another source for a readymade hexcrawl is found at Coins and Scrolls, with the Community Hexcrawl.  Coins and Scrolls has also been running a short series on how to build the hexes of a wavecrawl or islandcrawl by going through established sources.  Its a fun how-to read.

Against the Wicked City has been steadily turning the Pathfinder Adventure Paths into hexcrawls, jamming the current ones together here.  If you like the idea of Adventure Paths, but hate the bloat that is Pathfinder, here is the current master list of current AP-turned-hexcrawls, referred to as Condensation-in-Action.  While at this blog, look at The White Tower and drop it into your next hexcrawl - you won't be sorry.  Also read through this post, and see how others' items can be ported into your homebrew world.

The Land of NOD produces an irregular hexcrawl zine, among other game-related materials.  There are two free issues available for download, and the others can be found on Lulu and Drivethrurpg.  At least try out the freebies.

Mike Ploog, Scottish Highlands

Third Kingdom Games keeps producing quality hexcrawl materials.  Technically, it is for the OSE ruleset, but the meat is what is important.  Being able to buy them as print-on-demand allows for me to swell my bookshelf admirably.  Their titles Filling in the Blanks and Into the Wild are ideal for crafting your own hexcrawl

The Alexandrian never fails to provide well-written advice on various gaming topics.  Here we have some cheatsheets useful to hexcrawling. If you note the links therein, you get lots of meat from this link alone.

Over at Alone in the Labyrinth, you can find some randomly generated hexes: Swamp, Volcano, Tundra, Wetland, Taiga.  More are promised. There is also a fine article on genius loci, or spirits of place, worth reading and incorporating, at least into some hexes. Some more recent ones include: Sparse Taiga, Hills, Mountains, Upland Taiga, and Tropical Plains.

Now that you have all sorts of ideas to populate your hexes, and have maybe drawn up some hexes, you want to automate.  Hexmapper is a free bit of software that does this. I've recently had Worldographer pointed out to me by Giuseppe of Axian Spice.

He is also the creator of Lands of Legends, five useful hexcrawling resources flavored by type of game they work best with: Mundane, Grim, Holy, Primeval, and Fairy (link runs to DTRPG pdfs).  

A new addition is the Patreon Instant Encounters.  Terrain-themed short encounters to expand your hexes with or seed a new adventures.  Another solid Patreon choice is Dyson Logos maps (although his free maps and adventures are enough for many).

Sometimes, interesting and more importantly, different, encounters are wanted.  This list of 10 related encounters from I Don't Remember That Move certainly fit the bill.  In turn, they call to mind this list of 6 Dungeon Merchants (most are easily portable to the great outdoors) from Goblin Punch.  

New Big Dragon Games provides several wonderful supplements, but the one best for this post is the d30 Sandbox Companion (in the middle of the linked company page).

Beyond the Wall by Flatland Games is technically its own system, but in the end, it is a fantasy game that lends itself well to hexcrawl set up.  Retired Adventurer reviews the main books here.

Zzarchov Kowolski published Lost in the Wilderness, a 'collection of seed table encounter generators' invaluable in crafting your own hexes. Review here.  

Three more resources I've been introduced to are 92 Tables, intended for the Black Hack 2e but system neutral, and FlexTale Environmental Encounters and Into the Wyrd and Wild, which are both system agnostic. 

Initially mentioned in the comments below, Salty Goo is an awesome hexcrawl generating aid.  It makes me want to bust out some hexpaper and start mapping immediately!  Speaking of hexpaper, I finally found some numbered hexes here at Quickly, Quietly, Carefully (which is now Devilghost).

I found another excellent resource over at Rand Roll, this time aimed at 5e, but easily portable to other rulesets.  This link goes to the Deserts, but it in turn quickly links to other terrains.  Speaking of specific terrain types, Elfmaids & Octopi has a collection of mountain-related lists and ideas.

Jed McClure has a free PDF for those wanting to work on their hexcrawls offline.  If you prefer a more random, online approach, there is Hexer from Blog of Holding.

YouTube videos on hexcrawling got a post of their own; it too is incomplete.

If you prefer to listen over watch, then HexTalk is for you.  This podcast is all about hexcrawling.

Reddit has its own thread dedicated to hexcrawl resources.  There is substantial overlap between there and here, but if Reddit is your thing, you should know.

There you have it: a large, slowly growing, but still incomplete, collection of resources intended for hexcrawling, but easily used for any adventure that takes place in the wilderness. 

Ben Thompson, the White Cliffs of Dover

A note on the art selections: Magic the Gathering basic lands make me realize how much I enjoy a well-painted landscape.  The selections above come from various Euro and APAC land cards - I own some, but kick myself for not snapping up many APACs at $5 apiece when I was stationed in Korea and had that young single junior officer money burning a hole in my pocket.  It went to beer instead....

Still, if you enjoy showing players the landscape over telling them, Magic land cards can be a huge boon, either to pass around the table or to share the image in your Discord channel.

Most Recent Edit: 2/10/22 

Every Day I'm Shuffling

The Deck of Many Things.

Deck of Many Things, Volkan Baga, Magic the Gathering, 2021

Facebook generates lots of dislike for this not-so-humble artifact.   Typically in the form of a DM debating whether or not to include it in their home game, and the respondents commenting along the lines of 'only if you want to destroy the game or the ongoing story.'

Here's the thing with the DoMT.  The only time it ruins stories is if the campaign has a predetermined ending already set in stone (if that is the case, then player choices don't really matter).  To be honest, if the group is running through a published adventure path (because drop-in adventures are so unprofitable passe'), there is an implied agreement to play out that path to its stated end.  

Otherwise, the DoMT creates stories.  Seriously.  Granted, some of the stories are going to be more player-oriented than PC-oriented.  This is something I am fine with, but humans being humans, some folks may not care for this meta approach to items.  

Still, I maintain that every single card is the beginning of a new story.  Draw some and find out for yourself... or just read along.  

Balance. Your mind suffers a wrenching alteration, causing your alignment to change. Lawful becomes chaotic, good becomes evil, and vice versa. If you are true neutral or unaligned, this card has no effect on you.

Granted, in many games, alignment 'doesn't matter,' but in the better games that do, it makes a huge difference.  Aside from affecting some class-related abilities (particularly clerics - some deities only take specific alignments as worshippers), it also means access/use of certain items or places or people become blocked.  That said, it is likely that similar items and places exist for each alignment, so eventually, you might recover. 

Comet. If you single handedly defeat the next hostile monster or group of monsters you encounter, you gain experience points enough to gain one level. Otherwise, this card has no effect.

One vs. many or one vs. mighty are great tales, even to this day.  As DM, you can rely on random rolls, indirect player choice (we open THIS door), or DM fiat to find this creature or band of creatures.  St George, Beowulf, and Gilgamesh need some company in the bard songs!  To make it worthwhile, the DM needs to metagame and tell the player what is up, just as the ravening ghoul pack rounds the corner.  This is similar to the Skull card, but with Comet, there is no stipulation preventing resurrection.

Donjon. You disappear and become entombed in a state of suspended animation in an extradimensional sphere. Everything you were wearing and carrying stays behind in the space you occupied when you disappeared. You remain imprisoned until you are found and removed from the sphere. You can't be located by any divination magic, but a wish spell can reveal the location of your prison. You draw no more cards.

The Donjon cries out extraplanar rescue mission.  It also implies that Wish spells are available to the PCs, and for a price, even first level PCs can find a wish.  Or they can draw The Fates card, that works too.  As for the player of the trapped PC, well, this is what retainers/henchmen/sidekicks are for.  DnD is a party game for the players, not the PCs.  

Euryale. The card's medusa like visage curses you. You take a −2 penalty on saving throws while cursed in this way. Only a god or the magic of The Fates card can end this curse.

'Only a god' suggests a story there, especially if someone chooses to draw no more cards.  Gaining audience with a god is an adventure, and getting said god to end a curse is another. 

The Fates. Reality's fabric unravels and spins anew, allowing you to avoid or erase one event as if it never happened. You can use the card's magic as soon as you draw the card or at any other time before you die.

DnD's very own 'Get out of jail free' card.  Canny players save this for the right situation; many times the right situation involves canceling other draws from the Deck of Many Things.  Either way, the epic save fostered by dumb luck is a great story.

Flames. A powerful devil becomes your enemy. The devil seeks your ruin and plagues your life, savoring your suffering before attempting to slay you. This enmity lasts until either you or the devil dies.

If the Flames card is drawn and a devil just shows up immediately, the DM is wasting an opportunity.  A long-term, genius-level enemy provides multiple sessions of player paranoia and in-game action.  I don't know if this is most story-rich card in the Deck, but it is up there.

Lord of the Pit, Chippy, Magic the Gathering, 2017

Fool. You lose 10,000 XP, discard this card, and draw from the deck again, counting both draws as one of your declared draws. If losing that much XP would cause you to lose a level, you instead lose an amount that leaves you with just enough XP to keep your level.

How kind, you get to keep your level.  The AD&D DMG version merely reads "The payment and draw are mandatory!"  That exclamation point sets it off.  Story-wise, this is more of a player story, although in-game, it might be a question of how the 'greatest and best' suddenly wasn't anymore.  

Gem. Twenty five pieces of jewelry worth 2,000 gp each or fifty gems worth 1,000 gp each appear at your feet.

Magic is lazy.  Why create something anew to give someone, when it is far simpler to teleport such things from the nearest source.  In the case of Gems and Jewelry, probably a dragon's hoard or a king's treasure vault.  Both are likely to be upset at the presumed thieves.

Idiot. Permanently reduce your Intelligence by 1d4 + 1 (to a minimum score of 1). You can draw one additional card beyond your declared draws. 

As written, that additional draw is optional.  Granted, with a reduction in Intelligence it may not be seen as such.  The story lies in how the Idiot recovers their Intelligence (and perhaps abilities/skills) or an actual in-game reason to justify multiclassing.

Jester. You gain 10,000 XP, or you can draw two additional cards beyond your declared draws.

This binary choice tests your players, resulting in a story about the players themselves and their actions, stories that are just as entertaining (in my experience) as any in-game fictions.

Key. A rare or rarer magic weapon with which you are proficient appears in your hands. The GM chooses the weapon.

Similar to the Gem card, if this weapon did not disappear from its last owner's hands, scabbard, or vault, the DM is missing a chance at long-term story.

Knight. You gain the service of a 4th level fighter who appears in a space you choose within 30 feet of you. The fighter is of the same race as you and serves you loyally until death, believing the fates have drawn him or her to you. You control this character.

Like the weapon and wealth above, the Knight is not created wholesale from magic, but comes from somewhere else.  Perhaps that Knight arrives from the next visited settlement, his/her disappearance and sudden reappearance in the company of adventurers provides lots of role-playing opportunity.  Especially if the Knight doesn't remember his previous life.  

Moon. You are granted the ability to cast the wish spell 1d3 times.

Even if the DM isn't monkey-pawing the wishes, odds are good that whatever is wished for can bring its own story with it.  If it doesn't, why wish for it?

Rogue. A nonplayer character of the GM's choice becomes hostile toward you. The identity of your new enemy isn't known until the NPC or someone else reveals it. Nothing less than a wish spell or divine intervention can end the NPC's hostility toward you.

The story here writes itself.  How the DM determines which NPC is on them, but - while not the genius-level devil - this NPC is inevitably smart enough to not blindly attack the PC on sight.  The build up, discovery, and confrontation with the new enemy can span multiple sessions.

Ruin. All forms of wealth that you carry or own, other than magic items, are lost to you. Portable property vanishes. Businesses, buildings, and land you own are lost in a way that alters reality the least. Any documentation that proves you should own something lost to this card also disappears.

Lost is such a strong term.  This wealth merely goes somewhere else, especially if the treasures 'created' by the deck are coming from other places, in turn.  Perhaps this card is where lost treasure troves come from.  For PCs that are merely mechanics carrying magic items, well, now you know.  For other PCs, recovering and rebuilding will take many sessions.

Skull. You summon an avatar of death—a ghostly humanoid skeleton clad in a tattered black robe and carrying a spectral scythe. It appears in a space of the GM's choice within 10 feet of you and attacks you, warning all others that you must win the battle alone. The avatar fights until you die or it drops to 0 hitpoints, whereupon it disappears. If anyone tries to help you, the helper summons its own avatar of death. A creature slain by an avatar of death can't be restored to life.

Fighting Death makes for a short, yet epic story, especially when the PC wins.  Looking at the default stats for 5e Avatar of Death and its 'half the HP of its summoner's maximum' and AC 20 means that while things are slanted in its favor, some (lucky) PCs have a shot.  A funny story might be a TPK from PCs helping one another into death.  

Touch of Death, Melissa Benson, Magic the Gathering, 1995

Star. Increase one of your ability scores by 2. The score can exceed 20 but can't exceed 24.

The text doesn't specify if the ability score is chosen by the player or at random.  I'm a fan of random, myself.  In rulesets (like RAW 5e) where PCs gain ability scores through leveling, this card doesn't hold as much appeal for a veteran PC.  But if your chosen ruleset doesn't provide automatic stat boosts, then this +2 (random or not), is a huge boost and is more of a player story than PC... unless the PC is suddenly THE smartest/strongest/wisest/etc mortal in the world.

Sun. You gain 50,000 XP, and a wondrous item (which the GM determines randomly) appears in your hands.

Another free item, with the same potential baggage.  The 50K XP could be in the form of memories rushing in from somewhere, all Highlander like, or maybe in the form of bottled memories weighing down and clinking in your backpack.  Either way, it should be more than the player changing the XP value on their character sheet.  

Talons. Every magic item you wear or carry disintegrates. Artifacts in your possession aren't destroyed but do vanish.

Magic items turning to dust IS harsh - even I agree with that.  Still, it certainly tells the players which artifacts they are unwittingly toting about. Watching your treasured gear turn to dust all Avengers-style is a strong image. Finding replacements or somehow recreating the original items are a story.  If your PC is based on using item X in conjunction with item Y and skill Z, then you are likely to have a terrible time with this card.  

Shivan Dragon, Melissa Benson, Magic the Gathering, 1994

Throne. You gain proficiency in the persuasion skill, and you double your proficiency bonus on checks made with that skill. In addition, you gain rightful ownership of a small keep somewhere in the world. However, the keep is currently in the hands of monsters, which you must clear out before you can claim the keep as yours.

Like the 'free' treasures, a keep needs to come from somewhere. Perhaps this keep is historically noted for its changing hands due to the DoMT.  The local kingdom it belongs too has its own view on that. Note that the 3.x book Stronghold Builder's Guide contains the Cheap Keep, a basic format recommended for the DoMT.  

Vizier. At any time you choose within one year of drawing this card, you can ask a question in meditation and mentally receive a truthful answer to that question. Besides information, the answer helps you solve a puzzling problem or other dilemma. In other words, the knowledge comes with wisdom on how to apply it.

The story with this card is that it provides an in-game way for the players to get around whatever convoluted story-based bullshit the DM has cooked up.  One time, at least, and the players will long remember getting one over on the DM.

The Void. This black card spells disaster. Your soul is drawn from your body and contained in an object in a place of the GM's choice. One or more powerful beings guard the place. While your soul is trapped in this way, your body is incapacitated. A wish spell can't restore your soul, but the spell reveals the location of the object that holds it. You draw no more cards.

Another extraplanar rescue mission! If the soul-containment-device (SCD) isn't in the lair of a lich, archdevil, or ancient wyrm, I would be most surprised.  Finding and retrieving the soul is several sessions, and arrangements to care for the body is at least part of another.

The Abyss, Pete Venters, Magic the Gathering, 1994

So many options for game development scattered among 22 cards.  So many stories.  

In short, don't be afraid to use the DoMT in your campaign, especially if your game has no predetermined ending, regardless if you call it a hexcrawl, a sandbox, or just plain ol' DnD. 

Those interested should know that Dungeon #19 has an adventure (and BW cutouts) featuring the DoMT, and Dragon #148 has a short story involving the DoMT, alongside some sturdy cardboard color versions of the DoMT cards.

My image choices all come from Magic the Gathering cards, which make ideal items to use in your D&D games with a custom-ish Deck of Many Things.  Luckily, most of the cards I would use for this are terrible in play, so are monetarily cheap.

Except for the last one, The Abyss.  Usefulness, age, and limited print run conspire to make it far to expensive for me to own, especially for non-MtG purposes.