Lore: In the liminal space between the vibrant, chaotic beauty of the Feywild and the somber, encroaching gloom of the Shadowfell, a peculiar vessel charts a course across both land and water. Aboard this ship are four travelers, their journey perhaps not of their own choosing, but rather a relentless odyssey born from a potent curse, echoing the timeless legend of the Flying Dutchman. This mystical affliction binds them to an endless traversal of these two opposing planes, forcing them to witness both the ethereal wonders and the chilling horrors that lie along their shared, shifting border. Their destination, if any, remains a mystery, known only to the arcane forces that propel their extraordinary plight.

Their mode of transport is as extraordinary as their predicament: an extremely large Folding Boat. This isn't merely a trick of engineering; it's a magical marvel. When compact, it's a sleek, manageable craft, yet with a command, it unfurls with a grand, theatrical flourish, expanding to an enormous size. This dramatic transformation is more than just an increase in scale; it acts as a magical beacon, a summons that calls forth an eccentric crew from places unknown. These summoned sailors, as unique and varied as the planes themselves, appear as if from thin air, ready to man the ship and aid in its impossible voyage, vanishing just as mysteriously when the vessel is commanded to fold once more.

Mechanics

The Raven “Old Mary” - Shadar-Kai Shadow Dancer, “spiked chain” has a 30 ft. range, Decay/Grapple/Topple are re-skinned to be manifestations of ravens and raven body parts

The Guitar “Hustle & Cuss” - Hobgoblin Warlord - fey gift. Devastating Bolt. Ranged Spell Attack: +5 to hit, range 60 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (4d8 + 3) force damage, and the target is knocked prone.

Cacophony (Recharge 4–6). 60ft range. Each creature in a 15-foot cube from a point the bard chooses must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 18 (4d8) psychic damage and has disadvantage on all attack rolls until the start of the bard’s next turn. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage and does not have disadvantage.

Barely Resistible Dance (Danse Macabre) - wisdom saving throw or be restrained to dance like no one’s watching.

The Antelope “Blue Blood Bruiser” -

Winter Eladrin - Cold immunity, resist regular dmg

Sorrowful Presence. Any non-eladrin creature that starts its turn within 60 feet of the eladrin must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature becomes charmed by the eladrin for 1 minute. While charmed in this way, the creature has disadvantage on ability checks and saving throws. The charmed creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to any eladrin’s Sorrowful Presence for the next 24 hours.

Whenever the eladrin deals damage to the charmed creature, the charmed creature can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Rapier. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d8) slashing damage, plus 13 (3d8) cold damage.

Bonus Actions

Fey Step (Recharge 4–6). The eladrin teleports, along with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.

Reactions

Frigid Rebuke. When the eladrin takes damage from a creature the eladrin can see within 60 feet of it, the eladrin can force that creature to succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or take 11 (2d10) cold damage.

The Mask “Jawbreaker” - Resist normal dmg. Str 22

Crushing Bite (Omnom). Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 36 (9d6 + 5) bludgeoning damage, and the target is restrained (escape DC 15 if it is a Large or smaller creature. Until the restrain condition ends, the target takes 36 (9d6 + 5) bludgeoning damage at the start of each of the hag’s turns. The hag can only make a single slam attack while grappling a creature in this way.

Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (3d6 + 5) slashing damage.

Mechanical Stuff:

https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/motm/bestiary#Bard

https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/5195078-hobgoblin-warlord

https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/2560738-bheur-hag

https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/2560961-winter-eladrin

https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/2560910-shadar-kai-shadow-dancer

Pertinent Links:

Lyrics: https://genius.com/albums/The-dead-weather/Sea-of-cowards

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_of_Cowards

Listen:

Shout Out: Simply put, if you love TTRPGs you need to watch Zardoz, and if you already have then you need to watch it again. To give you a taste of the sci fi glory that is Zardoz here is the original trailer.

Lore: The cover artwork was designed by artist Peter Saville, using a data plot of signals from a radio pulsar. Radio pulsars are highly magnetized, rotating neutron stars that emit beams of radiation from their magnetic poles.

The sea of stars shimmered, a vast, inky expanse dotted with the faint ethereal glows. Zephyrius, a wizard of considerable, if somewhat eccentric, renown, navigated its currents in his enchanted skiff, a vessel woven from solidified moonlight and whispers. He sought inspiration, a spark to ignite his stagnant magical research.

He drifted, his senses stretched wide, listening to the subtle hum of the cosmos. For days, he’d heard only the usual murmurs of the sea of stars, the faint, magical echoes of dreams and desires. Then, a rhythmic pulse, a sharp, staccato beat, cut through the waves of the sea of stars.

Intrigued, Zephyrius altered his skiff’s course, following the insistent rhythm. The pulses grew stronger, clearer, like a cosmic metronome. Ahead, a swirling nebula of amethyst and silver pulsed with the same rhythm, a beacon in the vast darkness.

As he drew closer, he saw it: a tiny, impossibly dense point of light at the nebula’s heart. It emitted beams of energy, sweeping across the sea of stars with astonishing regularity, each sweep accompanied by the sharp, rhythmic pulse he had heard. The pulses were not just sounds, but waves of pure, focused magical energy.

“By the Whispering Stars!” Zephyrius breathed, his eyes wide. “A celestial heart, beating with the rhythm of creation itself.”

He recognized the phenomenon, albeit in its rawest, most astral form: a radio pulsar, a spinning neutron star, its beams of energy carving through the fabric of reality. The sheer power, the unwavering regularity, captivated him, as it would the gods themselves.

He carefully approached, his skiff shimmering with protective enchantments, and began to study the pulsar. He observed the precise timing of the pulses, the intensity of the energy beams, the way the nebula around it shimmered and resonated with each pulse. He felt the raw, untamed power of the pulsar’s magnetic field, a force capable of bending the very essence of magic.

An idea began to form in Zephyrius’s mind, a new spell, born from the heart of the pulsar. He envisioned a spell that could replicate the pulsar’s rhythmic energy, a spell of focused, precise power, capable of delivering magical energy in sharp, controlled bursts.

He began to weave the spell, drawing on the pulsar’s rhythm, the intensity of its beams, and the resonance of the nebula. He chanted, his voice echoing through the sea of stars, his hands moving in intricate patterns, mimicking the pulsar’s spin.

“Bind!”

The skiff shimmered, and a beam of pure magical energy, pulsing with a rhythmic intensity, shot forth. The beam struck a nearby matter wave, a chaotic swirl of fear and doubt, and instantly dissipated it, leaving behind a clear, tranquil space.

Zephyrius grinned, a rare and brilliant sight. The spell worked, a testament to the pulsar’s power and his own ingenuity. He named it “Unknown Pleasures,” a spell of focused, rhythmic energy, capable of both destruction and creation.

He turned his skiff, the pulsar’s rhythmic pulse still echoing in his mind, and set his course for the material plane, eager to test his new spell and share his discovery with the world. The sea of stars shimmered behind him, the pulsar’s light a beacon in the vast darkness, a testament to the infinite wonders of the cosmos, and the magic they inspire.

Mechanical Stuff/Image of Mechanical Stuff:

Link to Mechanical Stuff pdf: https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/b1PT05-5AJy4

Pertinent Links:

Lyrics: https://genius.com/albums/Joy-division/Unknown-pleasures

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unknown_Pleasures

Listen:

Shout Out: Huge shout out to Whiskey, Blood, and Dust a fantastic account here on Substack that you should absolutely be following. Its an account that has inspired me to start posting me my own maps on Substack notes!

Lore: Lyari found a strange, dingy scarf on the ground near her head as she awoke one morning. The corners were just visible, poking out of the sand at different angles like newly sprouted leaves, reaching for sunlight.

She shook it in the morning breeze, and rinsed it with her waterskin to remove the dirt obscuring the embroidery. A stunning scene appeared before her; a sky filled with stars shedding faint light onto a vast desert, surprisingly similar to the desert in which she found herself.

Without a second thought, Lyari tied the scarf around her neck. She was sure that finding it here was no mistake, and it served the purpose of keeping the sun off her neck as she trudged through the dunes, searching.

That evening, as Lyari drifted to sleep, a vision burst into her mind of the same scene sewn onto the scarf. The twinkling stars above casting a cool, blue glow across the endless dunes. The sand was warm from the previous day’s sun, and a stiff, dry breeze swirled around, tousling her shoulder-length locks. Suddenly, a piercing but gentle whisper calls her name from above her head.

She looks up to see, held aloft by the breeze and a great pair of beating, feathered wings, was Aerdrie herself! Lyari falls to her knees atop the dune, sand spilling down either side.

“Lyari, my daughter”, the voice says, more clearly than before. “The time has come for the thirst of this desert to be quenched. I have waited centuries for someone of your faith and power to seek me out. This place will once more become a garden oasis. A beacon of hope in a land of desolation. However, my daughter, your journey is only beginning!”

Mechanical Stuff/Image of Mechanical Stuff:

Link to Mechanical Stuff pdf: https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/owShsrzuLqRj

Pertinent Links:

Lyrics: https://genius.com/albums/Lord-huron/Lonesome-dreams

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Huron

Listen:

Shout Out: Matt, aka Dungeon Glitch, has been a very positive and supportive influence on me and a ton of other people in the TTRPG community, and he deserves all the love and support you’ve got. He also makes cool music, sells TTRPG themed T Shirts, and much more!

Lore: Leonard has walked the land for countless years and has been at death’s door time and again. He has found a familiarity with it, and begun to harness that power. He has learned that to avoid taking that final step through Death’s Door one need only have someone else answer. With that knowledge came the power to rip open Death’s Door and force it onto whoever he saw fit. One day, of his own choosing, Leonard will step through, but until then beware.

With those bits of lore out of the way it’s on to the album! Hunted is the second studio album by American doom metal band Khemmis, and I am looking at the alternate cover art. The Denver based band has some truly amazing covers that are rife for inspiration. The image of the pitch black door really spoke to me this time around, and I really wanted to make a spell, so here we are at Death’s Door!

Link to Mechanical Stuff pdf: https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/r1mpwwExU

Pertinent Links: 

Lyrics: http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/khemmis/hunted.html 

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunted_(album) 

Listen:

Shout Out: I want to shout Celeste Conowitch once again! She is the ever amazing DM for the Venture Maidens, and you need to go check out Venture Maidens right now! She remains a constant source of inspiration to me to keep moving forward in this amazing tabletop RPG community. 

Lore: The full moon casts an undisturbed reflection on the calm waters. You see lanterns illuminating the ship as you float silently towards it. The night watch flags in the enduring summer heat, their tricorn hats casting long shadows across their face. Your venerable dinghy should be decorated for carrying your band of buccaneers this far, but you’re afraid the extra weight of the medals might sink her. As the two vessels gently caress, you look to your Dread Crew with their instruments at the ready and start their song with a nod. A line is hooked to the taffrail while a haunting song of the sea ostensibly emanates from the ocean herself and stirs the soul of every sailor on board. Your boots plod against the deck after hoisting yourself over the railing with a flourish. The watchman stirs, embarrassed, with a start. His countenance slowly changes as he stares past your visage into the darkness. The fear pervades his very being as he stands frozen before you. This couldn’t have gone more perfectly.

With that lore out of the way it’s on the way to the album! Lawful Evil is the 4th studio album by The Dread Crew of Oddwood who affectionately refer to their sound as “Heavy Mahogany,” a mix of pirate themes and use of acoustic instruments. While The Dread Crew of Oddwood is definitely pirate metal, they lean towards the pirate side of the spectrum. They differentiate themselves from other acts in the genre by using an eclectic range of acoustic instruments. The band doesn’t take themselves too seriously; there is an element of humor in many of their songs. There are so many things that inspired Ed and I, so rather than one thing this time around we made two! A new bardic “college” and a new background!

Link to Mechanical Stuff pdf:

Pertinent Links:
http://thedreadcrewofoddwood.com/shop/lawful-evil-album/

https://mgartworks.myportfolio.com/work (Cover Artist)

Lyrics: http://www.songlyrics.com/the-dread-crew-of-oddwood/lawful-evil/

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dread_Crew_of_Oddwood

Listen:

Shout Out: This week’s shout out goes back out to the truly amazing person Ed Chuck. Check him out on Twitter @dreamingoflight or head over to MadBirdStreams every Friday at 10pm ET to check out the awesome Stormfall D&D stream there! Seriously, Ed is great to work with and this post is proof of that!

Real World Lore:The art depicts the end of Wagner's ring cycle where Siegfried is being burned in a funeral pyre and Brunhilde is riding on Grani with the titular ring to be cleansed in the fire.

RPG Lore: Tales have been told of Roulette and its curse for centuries. It is said that the horse has origins that trace back to the earliest days of the world when all manner of life walked together. The time that darker things tainted the land. Roulette has survived all of this time as they can never truly die. The consequences of riding this steed are known, but is it worth the power the rider can wield? Lesser known is that the steed has been tainted with demonic blood, and carry with it an infernal flame.

With those bits of lore out of the way it’s on to the album! Gotterdammerung Highlights - Leopold Stokowski and The London Symphony Orchestra was a bit more of a stretch than some of the other albums that have come before it! The cover image is one of the only notably inspirational pieces, but there is still a ton to work with. With that we give you the cursed mount named Roulette!

Link to Mechanical Stuff pdf: https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/rJvPdUg-4V
Pertinent Links:

https://www.discogs.com/Richard-Wagner-Johann-Sebastian-Bach-Leopold-StokowskiLondon-Symphony-Orchestra-Stokowski-Conducts-B/release/12781415
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_Stokowski
Listen:

Shout Out: This week’s shout out goes to the awesome person who took me up on my Twitter shout out, Ed Chuck. Check him out on Twitter @dreamingoflight or head over to MadBirdStreams every Friday at 10pm ET to check out the awesome Stormfall D&D stream there! Seriously, Ed was awesome to work with and I can’t wait to see all the awesome things they do!

Original Mechanical Stuff used as a baseline for Roulette (Created by Ed):

https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/236728-Roulette

It had been weeks, or maybe months, since anyone had a decent night’s rest. They all knew though that they were close to either completing their mission or dying. At this point either would be fine, but the stench of Marthgul the King of the Dead hung heavy in the air. They didn’t need to kill Marthgul, but they needed his helmet, and then his horde would fall, and the land would be free.

With those bits of lore out of the way it’s on to the album! King of the Dead is the second album by the American heavy metal band Cirith Ungol. There are countless things that could be the inspiration for this, but the helm atop the King of the Dead was calling to me. It calls to more than just me though, and so I give to you The Helm of Marthgul!

Pertinent Links:

Link to Mechanical Stuff pdf: https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/BJXFY0SGE

Lyrics: https://genius.com/Cirith-ungol-king-of-the-dead-lyrics

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_of_the_Dead_(album)

Listen:

Shout Out: Celeste Conowitch is the amazing DM for the Venture Maidens. She is awesome, and you need to go check out Venture Maidens right now! She is a fantastic DM and an inspiration to me! She was even crazy enough to join me on DM-Nastics! Hopefully one day I can even convince her to help write one of these with me!!

Hundreds? Thousands? Hundreds of thousands? How many lives had this blade taken over the millennia? Only Drazrith, the blade’s true name, could even venture a guess at the answer. Oddly enough, that’s exactly what it was attempting to do. It has been laying dormant in a tomb for decades. Its previous wielded was slain and the blade was transported back to its original resting place. Drazrith was at the side of the embodiment of death for what had felt like an eternity, but that time and those memories were fading as it lay disconnected from another being.

Slowly its power would wane, and its form of a deadly scythe would start to give way to more of an amorphous blob. Then there was a sound. A dull thud, then another, and another. Then there was light! The blade wanted to recoil, but knew that its time to enter the world once again was at hand! The adventurers had no idea what had befallen them, and it wouldn’t be until far too late that they would know the true power and intelligence of the blade known as Drazrith. It would be soon though that the blade of ending would drink again of the life of other creatures.

With those bits of lore out of the way it’s on to the album! For this one I am taking a look at the first full-length album from the technical death metal band Vale of Pnath. This cover death puts death at the forefront of death metal. Rather than focus on the creature that looms before us, I thought that it could be the blade that shines this time around. So I give you Drazrith, the Blade of Ending, a powerful blade that will come with a price!

Link to Mechanical Stuff pdf: http://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/H1V3Z5GNX

Pertinent Links:

Lyrics: https://genius.com/Vale-of-pnath-the-prodigal-empire-lyrics

Wikipedia: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Vale_of_Pnath/3540304453

Listen:

Shout Out: Lysa Chen is an amazing human. Simple as that! She has held the titles of DMs Guild Adept, Community Manager for D&D Adventurer’s League, Producer/Host of the Behold Her Podcast, and Mercy on Hell's Belles you should check out anything and everything she does!

It is said that all manner of things live just beneath the surface of Waterdeep, and those that live even deeper are the things that make legends and nightmares real. It is these tales of demons and wizards that will be told time and again within the Yawning Portal as those that have seen the depths of Undermountain, and those that wish they had, share their stories. This is one such story where a group of adventurers strayed too far, and fell away from this realm for a time. The adventurers stepped forth into the next chamber and as the ceiling opened up it seemed to give way to the vast expanse of space. Gurgan the dwarven fighter shouted to the group “Aye, kinna have stars this deep in tha ground!” They were yelling because the rush of water echoed throughout the chamber. It was then that they all noticed the massive system of waterfalls across the chamber from them.

As the group started to move towards the waterfalls a figure began to rise from the pool below them. The adventurers set into motion like a well-oiled machine knowing the roles they would each play as they had done hundreds of times before. The figure seemed to be a mess of styles and clothing. Their cape seemed to be made from giant butterfly wings, and their headdress was that of a wolf. Before anyone could react to the scene before them the figure had drawn a wand and cast their hand towards the group. It seemed like the stars in the sky came to their beck and call. The party tried to move and fend of the falling stars, but nothing would deter their descent. As it touched each of the adventurers they disappeared, and felt as if they were falling upwards and into blackness before landing in a place completely unknown and wholly foreign to them. It would be decades before they were seen in this world again.

With those bits of lore out of the way, it’s on to the album! For this one I am taking a look at the fourth studio album by British rock band Uriah Heep. Inspired by the news of Undermountain making its way to 5th edition I set the lore beneath the city of Waterdeep, and thought of the mad wizard Halaster being the person in the album cover. If that is Halaster then we need a big spell to fly from his hands! With that in mind I give you Astral Dismissal!

Link to Mechanical Stuff pdf: http://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/rye4cHvlX

Pertinent Links:

Lyrics: https://genius.com/albums/Uriah-heep/Demons-and-wizards

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demons_and_Wizards_(Uriah_Heep_album)

Listen: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xtdlb3

Shout Out: This time my shout out goes to Dan Dillon an awesome designer and inspiration! Check out literally anything he has done and you will be better for it. I have the privilege of having him in a live stream set in Undermountain, and you can listen to those games HERE. Not to mention, he is one of the designers on Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage!

Not even the two wizards, Daidar and Duaran, really know why they started having meetings with these goblins, but that does not change the fact that they kept having them. After years of work, they began to establish a tenuous relationship with the goblins, and eventually the goblins began to learn the art of Booyahg magic. They felt the power that magic gave them, and knew that others from their tribe would want this power too. The goblins selected their successors for generations, and eventually formed a tribe structure completely outside anything that had happened before.

They built their system and began to roam the world over teaching other goblins the way of the Booyahg magic to help better their race. This was not the only thing they needed though, as they needed protection as they traveled the countryside. They also began to train goblins of their own and created a Bruiser caste to protect them on their travels with reckless abandon.

Diadar and Duaran realized the error in their ways and have started a campaign to take back the magic that is so deeply embedded into the goblin race because of their ambitions. They cannot seem to get ahead of the spread though, and have begun to seek help from any who will take up the call.

With those bits of lore out of the way, it’s on to the album! For this one I am taking a look at the fifth studio album by the English rock band Magnum. I knew I had wanted to make a subrace, so I went on the hunt through the album covers I had been saving to use and this one jumped out at me. It was even better that it was golbins! Took a little thinking, but here are a Booyahg and Bruiser subrace for you to use!

Link to Mechanical Stuff pdf: https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/ByLhuXzCz

Pertinent Links:

Lyrics: https://genius.com/Magnum-on-a-storytellers-night-lyrics

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_a_Storyteller%27s_Night

Listen:

Shout out: Huge shout out to Into the Odd a truly inspiring system that you should take a look at and steal from the second you get a chance! “A rules-light, flavour-heavy roleplaying game of industrial horror and cosmic strangeness” it has been the inspiration for different versions that vary wildly which is always a great sign that the original holds something special.

Sermtan had always worked with animals. Their family had always had animals that helped around their farm, with hunting, and with virtually every task in their daily lives. When you lived in the shadow of the volcano you did well to find friends wherever they could be found. As soon as they were old enough their parents began to teach them how to train animals. They took to it like second nature, but were only entertained by it for a short time before seeking out making themselves as strong as possible.

After years of training in the academy of fighters they went back home after hearing that the land had been ravaged by the volcano erupting. They almost fell over in surprise to find that their childhood home and family were intact, and thriving. Sermtan’s parents had taken the knowledge they had learned over the years and were using the trained animals they had to help others. Upon their return Sermtan found a new place in the family business and began training animals to their peak working as closely with them as they had anyone in the academy. It wasn’t too long before the legend of Sermtan reached far and wide, and others studied their teachings.

With those bits of lore out of the way it’s on to the album! For this one I am taking a look at the third full-length album from the doom metal band Conan. Their lyrics have a tendency to lean towards Norse and Viking themes which is ripe for inspiration. This one however is pretty much purely based off of the album cover. In my continuing attempt to tackle all available design spaces in 5e I made a fighter archetype focused on trained animals. Without any more typing here is the Animal Handler archetype!

As an aside: This is very likely the most broken thing I have made, and would need a lot of play testing before I would give it a stamp of approval. However, maybe it is balanced and I just don’t know it yet!

This is a big one! It ended up being two pages long. Below is a link to the homebrewery version that I made, as it was the only way that made sense to share the information. Check it out and let me know!

Link to Mechanical Stuff pdf: http://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/HJ7nRu2XaG

Pertinent Links:

Lyrics: http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/conan/revengeance.html

Wikipedia: https://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Conan/Revengeance/539132

Listen:

Shout out: This week's shout out goes to the homebrewery user draco who you can find here. Draco has a ton of awesome work to help you learn homebrewery. The most epic of which is this amazing Formatting Guide they made. Check it out for sure!

Teota had been fighting for so long. They knew nothing but pain and suffering at the hands of whatever foul disease currently resided in their body. They knew that they should have listened and never entered the cursed swamp of Uirji. The call was too strong, and could not be resisted. Teota told no one that they had went into the swamp because it felt like the right thing to do. They awoke the next day to the terrifying realization that they should have never left the swamp.

Teota stepped from their home and found that many days had passed since they had laid down in their bed. While many days had passed this paled in comparison to the number of people that had passed in that time.  There were none left alive, and the sickly sweet of death and disease hung thick in the air. Teota heard a moan off to their right and they labored their way to where the noise had come from to find their aunt Nolinal drawing in shallow, labored breathes. Nolinal begins to mutter something too quietly for Teota to hear.

She moves closer and can make “Oh child, how could you, but how could you know? Oh child.” The delirium falls away for a moment, and Nolinal shouts into Teota’s face “Go back! Go back to the swamp and pray Uirji takes this sickness from our land!” She slumps back and continues to mutter “Oh child, oh child.”

With slow, but determined steps Teota makes their way back to the swamp of Uirji. They continue directly to the heart of the area, and are not impeded by any of the flora or fauna. “Uirji! Why have you done this!?” A voice enters their mind, “So you would know the power I can give, and the futility of resisting it.” In wave of grief and true acceptance Teota falls into the swamp knowing that the disease they carry will never kill them, or leave them.

With those bits of more out of the way it’s on to the album! For this one I am taking a look at Deliver Us the fifth studio album from the melodic death metal band Darkest Hour. I listen to all of the albums that are used as inspiration here, and this is certainly the one I have enjoyed the most while listening. I knew I wanted to make a feat, and the cover itself drew me into the idea of someone fully accepting a sickness that they stumbled into. Without any more typing I give you the Pestilent Body feat!

Pertinent Links:

Homebrewery: http://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/r1bulNBjiz

Lyrics: http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/darkesthour/deliverus.html

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deliver_Us_(Darkest_Hour_album)

Listen: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkyvAQNwJunLZa5PwmL7OneXDtfeeKzNO

Shout Out: This time around it is more of a program, and in turn the person behind that program. The Everchanging Book of Names is an invaluable tool that I use very frequently whenever I need a name in a hurry. It is an amazing tool that breaks down the pieces and parts of names in a way that I don’t fully understand, but thankfully don’t need to! Not sure where it exists anymore on the internet, but feel free to search far and wide for it. The prize will be worth the effort!

The demons of the abyss were tired of being sent back from the material plane. They let desperation be the mother of their invention. Rather than openly torment people they found a way to give people what they wanted while getting so much pain in return. Rephisul was the demon lord who found the ability to become a sentient weapon. This knowledge was leveraged into amazing gains for the demon. Eventually though they knew they wanted more than money and power in the abyss.

As a demon lord Rephisul was able to retain much more of their power and self when transferring into a sword on the material plane. There was only one other who learned of the true ritual that Rephisul used. The true Solar known as Leahkim also came to the material plane to be in direct opposition of the demon lord. Both swords are sentient and are among the most powerful known weapons.

Rephisul draws forth the chaos in any who would wield their sword, and seeks to gain as much power as they can before their host falls. There is little than can stop the lust for power with the exception of drawing into itself enough law that it changes the composition of the sword entirely.

With those bits of more out of the way it’s on to the album! For this one I am taking a look at Warrior on the Edge of Time, the fifth album from the band Hawkwind. I was not prepared for how connected this album would be to other awesome fantasy content. I quickly found out that the album tied back to the fantasy writings of Michael Moorcock more specifically his series about Elric the Eternal Champion. Come to find out that most of the lyrics were actually written by Moorcock and he does some vocals for a few tracks as well. 

That said I almost immediately abandoned the album and went straight for more from Moorcock. Apparently the main character had a very interesting sword and rather than say much more I give you the Sword of the Eternal Champion!

Sword of the Eternal Champion
Weapon (greatsword), legendary (requires attunement)

You gain a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. In addition, you gain the ability to steal away your enemy’s strength to use yourself. On each successful hit you deal 1 point of Strength damage. That point of Strength is gained as a bonus to your Strength score. Strength stolen from different enemies is tracked individually. The total stolen from each individual foe is considered a separate bonus to your Strength and you gain only the highest total up to a Strength score of 24.

Strength is not the only thing the weapon draws in. On a successful hit with the weapon the damage caused is transferred into temporary hit points.

Curse. The greatsword is cursed and becoming attuned to it extends the curse to you. As long as you remain cursed you are unwilling to part with the greatsword, keeping it within reach at all times. You also have disadvantage on attack rolls with weapons other than this one, unless no foe is within 60 feet of you that you can see or hear. In addition, your alignment is changed to Chaotic as long as you are attuned to the weapon.

Whenever the sword has not damaged a hostile creature for 24 hours you must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or succumb to the will of the sword. Under the will of the sword you attack the nearest creature until you cause damage. If you succeed the Wisdom saving throw you do not need to make another check for 24 hours.

I hope you enjoy this weapon, and all of the crazy RP it would allow for in a game!

Pertinent Links:

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warrior_on_the_Edge_of_Time

Lyrics: https://genius.com/albums/Hawkwind/Warrior-on-the-edge-of-time

Listen:

Album Image based on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_Champion 

Stormbringer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stormbringer

Vanolrim look upon their home for the what they knew to be the last time. It was with a heavy heart, but also with excitement for something new and greater than themselves. They had spent countless years toiling in the fields during the day and training through the night. They had given much to be fit to be considered as a potential Argus. To truly put their life behind them, and to always hold it close, they took the scythe their family had used for generations and reworked it into a spear. The plow that had seen more seasons than Vanolrim became their helm and armor.

Vanolrim had committed every Oath in the book of Argus to memory, and was prepared to start adding their own and completing them. They did set out and many Oaths were added. They saw people die, but saved a so many others. along the way. No matter the cost though they would carry on the name and legacy of Argus.

With that bit of lore out of the way its time to address the picture. For this I am taking a look at the third album by the rock band Wishbone Ash entitled Argus. Word on the streets of the interwebs is that it is the greatest album from the band. Having no context for that statement I did enjoy the album quite a bit.

My first thought were of the Spartans as I love that piece of history more than any other. After that the album cover didn't seem to hold quite as much as it has for the other sessions. Instead the lyrics really shaped this one.

I'm leaving to search for something new

Leaving everything I ever knew

A hundred years in the sunshine

Hasn't taught me all there is to know

The valley, we will gather there

Helpless in our surrender

Tomorrow the plow becomes the sword

Make us stronger in our danger

In my continued effort to keep making new and different things I went with a background of someone entering into something more than themselves and seeking to continue the legacy while stepping away from everything they have known. So without any more typing I give to you the Argus background.

Certainly not the most intuitive way to post it, but there it is nonetheless. I am attempting to make it public on DnDBeyond and if that happens I will post a link below!

Pertinent Links

Lyrics: https://genius.com/albums/Wishbone-ash/Argus

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argus_(album)

Listen:

Shout Out: This week's shout out goes to Mitch Connelly. You can find on Twitter as DM Mitch and over at the Block Party Podcast Network. He has been the partner in crime for me in so many of the podcasting things I have started, and the person crazy enough to give me a chance those years ago with an upstart segment called DM-Nastics. So thank you Mitch for helping me start down this road, and also screw you a little bit for it too, haha.

Kedrick had studied magic for a thousand years, but always felt inadequate in so many ways. They weren't one of the names on the lips of young mages. They weren't Mordenkainen, or Tenser, or Evard. There was one name though that they fully intended to try and surpass. Bigby was the bar to unset! Kedrick had learned many things in their years of study, and had sought every school of Magic to better understand themselves and magic in general to one day surpass Bigby’s Hand with something much more.

One day Kedrick found themselves traveling along the road when a seemingly abandoned castle loomed before them. They thought it would be the perfect setting to cast their spell and see how far they could stretch themselves. They were didn't realize though, that the castle was not abandoned. Instead it was full of assassins and cutthroats. They began to fight the battle of their lives using everything at their arcane disposal. With almost nothing left they knew that they would have to attempt to cast their new version of Bigby's Hand. They let their defense drop, and so too did their hand holding the material components needed. In rage, fear, and desperation Kedrick finished casting, and before them rose the severed hand that then twisted and expanded out into an enormous version at the beck and call of Kedrick. 

The destruction wrought was the thing of legend, and the few that survived didn't know of Kedrick and simply said that they lost to the hand of god. Eventually Kedrick was able to tie himself to the deed, and finally he found the fame he had so deeply desired. 

After those bits of lore, its time to address the picture at hand. For today I am taking a look at the cover of the second studio album by the British hard rock band Rainbow entitled Rainbow Rising. You can find all pertinent links for the album at the bottom of this post.

The album cover practically screamed at me to make a new take on Bigby's Hand. Figuring out what that would mean was the difficult part. One hand clapping as a feature was to further the Rainbow band name and cover image. From there everything else was to figure out a way to make a 9th level version of Bigbys Hand, and for the life of my I couldn't avoid making puns. With the greater spell power, the great the material component price. I played with the idea of it being even more powerful if the wizard were to give up their own hand in the process. I also toyed with the insanity that would be using something like Vecna's Hand as the material component, but isntead I give you Kedrick's Hand of God.

Link to spell pdf: http://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/rkmUQEfbuG

Pertinent links for the album:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rising_(Rainbow_album)

http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.104630.1313923095!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/gallery_1200/gal-metalalbum13-jpg.jpg

Shout out for the post: James Introcaso of MCDM and all of the amazing things you can find there. He is an awesome person, making great content for your ears and eyes over the years. He has helped me in so many ways, and I don't think this series would exist without that support! Seriously, check out what he does, and you won't be sorry.

"That dumb ol' ugly grabber kept taking our men from our boats, and taking our boats from our fleets." Legend of the great kraken began to spread far and wide, as tales of sea faring men were told in every port in Dayeimbe. Eventually the legend grew to be nothing more than a fairy tale, but that dumb ol' ugly grabber still lives. It lives deep within the ocean, and rarely surfaces, but when it does the havoc it wreaks is the stuff of legends! The tale has passed between so many mouths that eventually people started referring to the kraken that 'dumb ol' ugly grabber' simply as DOUG!" #dougspiracy

The dwarves of Cradbrell call the petrified roots of a giant tree their home. A cataclysmic event had torn away the land surrounding the tree to expose it to the world. However, no one remembers what had actually caused it. The story that has been passed down through the ages is one of a great kraken. The kraken sought to claim a magical item hidden within Belarith’s tower home to a powerful wizard. It was in this battle between D.O.U.G. the kraken and the wizard Belarith that the cliff side was torn asunder. They left behind only the sturdiest of structures, and those were the roots of the great tree now known as Cradbrell Citadel.

After those few bits of inspired lore, its time to address the picture at hand. For this session I am looking at the Italian technical death metal band Fleshgod Apacolypse and their first EP entitled Mafia. You can find all pertinent links for the album at the bottom of this post.

The image is very evocative of some sort of Cthulu style mythos. Given that the band name is Fleshgod Apocalypse it felt almost imperative to have the creature be one of epic proportions of destruction. I envision it being the Tarrasque of the sea, and only once every hundred years will it rise from the depths and lay waste to the earth. The lighthouse also made me think that about the intelligence of the creature and knowing the lighthouse's destruction could lead to more sunken ships and more food for the sea as a whole and it in turn, but building a creature at that CR isn't as much fun or as useful.

Onto Mafia, the name of the album and my inspiration for the usable piece in this article! Doug can not act alone! Instead it has created spawn that are the precursor to its wrath, and seen much more frequently through time and place. They come swiftly as a dark cloud in the water with faint hints of their presence within it. They rip and tear apart anything in their way as the physical manifestation of Doug's desire for destruction. I give you the Spawn of Doug.

Link to Monster: https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/S1WZ3MDqLM

Said pertinent links for the album:

http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/fleshgodapocalypse/mafia.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafia_(Fleshgod_Apocalypse_album)

https://www.metal-archives.com/reviews/Fleshgod_Apocalypse/Mafia/263811/

Shout out for the post: Rich Howard @umbralwalker on Twitter is a fantastic human being. He is supportive beyond belief and an inspiration to be better to everyone that has the good fortune to cross his path. He has helped me immensely believe in myself as a creator, and become a person that I now have the joy of considering a dear friend. This crazy chaos of creature is for you Rich!

With no idea what to write, but a desire to do so, I have been wracking my brain as to what would combine some of the things I love to form something new and exciting. That is what ended up culminating into this series of blog posts that I hope will be entertaining for anyone who reads it.

The idea stems from an exercise I posted to the forums I'm a moderator for. There is a series on those forums called DM-Nastics, the gym for Dungeon Masters to work out their minds. You can check out the original inspiring post for this blog series here DM-Nastics #31: Cover It All! You can also check out the subsequent podcast that talked about that forum exercise here Cover It All Podcast!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and I know this to be true from the posts on the forums, and from my own experience attempting to write based solely off of an image. This series will attempt to continuously prove that statement right. Not only will the album cover be used as inspiration, but the band name, the album name, the lyrics, and anything else I can find about the album will be up for grabs as well.

This creative exercise will be to help keep my mind sharp, and to hopefully engage whoever sees this to do the same. Additionally, one goal will be to have a usable piece of Dungeons & Dragons content at the end of each exercise. This could take literally any form, be it a monster, a magic weapon, a lair, a class (or more likely an archetype). Once again, everything is up for grabs. 

I also hope to set the personal goal of one article every other week! Whether or not I stick to that will be the true test! Hopefully you come with me on this journey to create, and it inspires you to lift the mental weights and exercise your mind!

Shout Out for this post: A huge shout out to Morgan Jenkins from the Going In Blind podcast, a D&D 5th edition actual play with visually impaired players. He went with me deep into the original journey of recording the podcast for DM-Nastics #31.

I sit here writing this first post for my first blog with literally no clue what my goal is with it, but who cares it's blog time! Establishing facts and contextual stuff: I often leverage the internet handle of Joatmoniac to best describe myself. As some may know JoATMoN is actually the acronym for Jack of All Trades, Master of None. Using that as a base I decided to add on the -iac to better illustrate my tendency to learn and know all there is about whatever subject is before me. If it’s within the realm of the nerdosphere within the past 30 years I will likely have some cursory knowledge of it. The other, more likely option, is that I have more knowledge than is, or ever will be, necessary.

That isn't really much context, but more than enough to go off of. Or at least all you're going to get for now. Have to create some suspense and mystery with this thing, or how will I get people to keep coming back here?

The blurb for the blog says it like it is. I have to be an adult day in and day out, but have the heart of a child and want nothing more than to do epic things with amazing people. Maybe I want to do amazing things with epic people too? The questions are never ending! I have done a decent job at getting decent jobs, but still ask myself "what do I want to be when I grow up?" It is with that question that I realize a flaw in the asking.

I don't want to grow up, but no matter what I will grow old. So, what that really means is that I have to ask myself "What's next?"

Shout-out for this post: I figure this is where I will talk about some of those amazing people and the amazing things they are doing. This one goes to my friend Tim O'Connell who I feel was the real motivator for me to actually make this blog, and I am eternally grateful for that inspiration. I will miss him deeply, but hope to honor his belief in me through this blog.