The Magic of Rituals

I've found that it's hard to hit a sweet spot when it comes to designing magic systems for games. In many cases, setting rules and mechanics to what sorts of spells and magical effects can be used and how they work makes sense for the purposes of gameplay, but on the flip side, making magic follow too many rules can make it feel less...well, magical.

To me, the defining feature of magic is that it can't be explained by science. It's wondrous and exotic and strange, and the more rules are attached to it, the less magical it becomes. I find that, per rules as written, magic in D&D runs the risk of falling into mundanity if players are too accustomed to thinking of their spells as reliable tools they can fall back on. This is especially bad if you treat things like spell slots and discrete and identifiable spells as diagetic representations of how magic actually works from an in-universe perspective. It worked for Jack Vance, sure, but to me, a wizard who talks about how many spell slots he has left per day is only one step away from a Jedi throwing around his midichlorian count, and nobody wants that.

I prefer to think of magic systems in games as a way of streamlining the abstract. Magic doesn't really work exactly the way it does in the game rules; that's just a way to represent the complicated business of manipulating the fabric of reality itself. Spells taken from a list are just the sort of tricks and enchantments a particular magician has mastered and knows how to reliably perform, and spell slots are just a representation of how much mental stamina one can call upon before needing time to rest. However, all that is is reflavoring things, and that doesn't really fix the problem of magic being too defined and mechanical. I do like the 5e Sorcerer's metamagic abilities, which make magic more fluid, multifaceted, and customizable, implying there isn't a finite list of magical effects that can be achieved. And there is a part of me that's contemplated rewriting the magic system entirely to something more like Ars Magica, as some bloggers have done - but I'm not quite that insane.

But what if magic was divorced from game mechanics entirely?

The Book of Ebon Bindings is a fascinating book. Published in 1978 as part of the Empire of the Petal Throne line, it's one of the first third-party supplements for D&D. It's also one of the first system-neutral RPG materials. The book is a collection of spells revolving around summoning and controlling demons. But none of it is in the form of game rules.

That's because The Book of Ebon Bindings is written entirely in the form of an in-universe grimoire, putting it somewhere between a rulebook and a literary hoax. In order to transport yourself to another location, you don't expend a 4th-level spell slot with material, somatic, and verbal components. You have to make a circle of white ashes, draw the Symbol of the Rising Planet and write the Name of Tsu'untla in red chalk, erect a pedestal on which is placed a box of black wood, a round censer, a dagger of iron that has never tasted blood, and a wax candle, and release a drop of blood from your finger at each step taken around the circle to summon Lord Ge'en, the Eater of All. In order to cast the spell, the PCs have to go out into the world and do that stuff.

The dedication on display in Ebon Bindings is truly impressive - there's absolutely nothing that indicates it's a work of fiction or intended for gameplay; even the introduction is written as though by a translator explaining the choices they made rather than by a game designer describing its utility at the table. You could put it next to the Key of Solomon and someone unfamiliar with Empire of the Petal Throne would think that the two works belong to the same genre.

It's a fascinating concept for a book, and one I'm surprised we don't see more of. I'm amazed that something like this somehow went completely unnoticed during the Satanic Panic, and I respect the sheer audacity it must've took to publish something of the sort. But it also highlights how rituals are ripe for possibilities with gameplay.

If the PCs have to perform a ritual, it comes with its own quest hooks, necessitating that they gather the components before they can even cast the spell at all, and some of those might require expeditions of their own. Alternatively, there can be a level of resource management in keeping the components for a ritual at hand, and what might be available to the PCs might limit what options are available for spellcasting. Even determining what needs to be done for the ritual itself could be a quest, entailing poring over tomes of lost arcane knowledge and having to decode their text. The consequences of failing a ritual, or making a mistake in one step or another, could create more problems for the players. If enemy casters must perform rituals as well, it gives the PCs the chance to interfere in their efforts and stop a powerful spell from being cast before it's too late. And, above all, it restores the mystic, unknowable qualities of magic and makes those front and center in gameplay.

There's plenty of spells in 5e that can be cast as rituals. Perhaps, if a DM wants to encourage players to use rituals, they could remove the option to cast these spells on the fly, forcing players to think in terms of having the time and materials to set up the spell they want to cast. It would likely impact the pace of a campaign; rituals take time, and setting them up would take even more time, so magic-users wouldn't be able to act as quickly. I personally feel like using a mix of immediately castable spells and rituals that require a longer period of preparation (particularly for more powerful spells) is the right middle ground to circumvent this, but I suppose a DM and a group that's prepared for the challenge could run a campaign where all magic is done through rituals.

But an added benefit of using the narrative to determine if, how, and when a spell can be cast means you're not bound by game mechanics. If there's no numbers, stats, or tags associated with casting a spell, you can get them from all kinds of sources, whether they were designed for the edition you're playing or not. You can use narrative rituals from any game in any system, or even from sources outside of roleplaying games. See a neat ritual in a movie? Your PCs can cast it - all they need are the right components and the right actions.

You can even go straight to the source and have players go through the steps of setting up rituals from actual historical grimoires. Because these sorts of things tend to have fallen into the public domain, you can find plenty of texts online that can be pilfered from, and in each you'll find plenty of spells that you can have your PCs do just by performing in-universe actions. If your players want to learn who has stolen a certain object, have them suspend a sieve from a rope that was used to hang a man, spin it around a brass basin filled with water while stirring it with a laurel twig in the opposite direction, and recite the right incantations until the culprit's face appears in the water. If it worked for 14th century Italians, it'll work for your party.

It seems like such a simple solution to the problem of magic you would expect it to be proposed more often. In fact, this sort of thing was being done for almost as long as RPGs as we know them were a thing. When it comes to devising a magic system that feels more magical without throwing too many new rules at the players for them to understand, you can't go wrong with rituals - especially when you can get plenty of adventure out of them in the process.

Friday Encounter: the Shrine of Meili

This encounter should take place while the PCs are traveling a road.

At the side of the road, the PCs discover a large stone that has been carved with a niche, in which stands the figure of a man wearing a cloak and a wide-brimmed hat and carrying a walking stick. If the road is a well-traveled one, the stone is surrounded with candles at varying heights, piled on the surrounding rocks; there also a few coins piled up at the base of the stone totaling 2d10 GP. If the road is less well-traveled, there are no candles or coins, and the stone is overgrown with moss, but the image is still clearly visible.

A DC 10 Religion check (DC 12 if the stone is overgrown) will determine this is a shrine of Meili, the god of roads and travelers. Clerics, paladins, and any character with the Acolyte background will recognize this automatically. Meili is known as a protector of all those who wander the roads, and his favor will protect and guide those who appease him - but he has been known to send travelers astray and lead them to their doom if he is offended.

Any PC that leaves an offering valued at 1 GP or more before the shrine will receive the blessings of Meili:

• The next time the party would roll for a random encounter, if they would receive any random encounters that would present an immediate or likely danger to the PCs (such as aggressive monsters or adverse weather conditions), reroll the results until an encounter that would likely be favorable for the PCs (such as treasure or clues, or simply an uneventful trip) is obtained instead.
• In addition, if the PCs make camp by the shrine, they will receive no random encounters during the night.
• If you are using Gritty Realism rules (that is, eight-hour short rests and one-week long rests), PCs (not parties) that made offerings will receive the benefits of a long rest from a short rest the next time they make camp by the shrine.

However, PCs who damage or abuse the shrine, or take any offerings that may be present, will instead attract Meili's wrath:

• The next time the party would roll for a random encounter, an encounter will always be obtained. If it is one that does not present an immediate or likely danger to the PCs, reroll the results.
• If the PCs make camp by the shrine, they will automatically obtain an encounter that will present an immediate or likely danger during the night. Determine which watch it occurs on randomly.

Each shrine can be used any number of times. You may wish to mark the hex or point this encounter was obtained on, if using such mapping schemes, in case the players want to return to the shrine.

Friday Encounter: The Sonderlunding Swordsman

So it turns out that talking about anime gets a lot of eyes on my blog. Whoever posted my last article to the OSR subreddit, I have no idea who you are, but thank you - I really am happy to have the readership I do, but I can never complain about anything that means my work reaches more DMs out there who might benefit from it. With more attention on the blog, I figure now is as good a time as any to kick off a feature I've been considering for a while.

I've always been a fan of quick, characterful encounters to liven up a session - incidents that might not necessarily be an epic battle or the spark of a quest, but that help make the game world a living, breathing place and provide the PCs with resources, information, and material to make interesting decisions about. If they can be approached in multiple different ways, so much more the better. These encounters might not necessarily be the crux of an entire session, but they can be memorable, and they can open the doors to new options for the players or even expand into adventures of their own.

I've seen a couple of blogs now that present encounters as a regular feature, and I figured I might as well shamelessly rip off the format. My aim is that every week, I'll present a short encounter on the blog, one that can be slotted into most campaigns. Feel free to use these as you wish. For the most part, I'll be writing under the assumptions of my setting - don't be afraid to change names, details, and descriptions to better suit your table.

The Sonderlunding Swordsman

Background

This encounter should take place when the PCs are on a modestly well-traveled road. As they come to a bridge high above a river, they find the path blocked by a sturdy, long-bearded man dressed in furs and tartans, leaning against a wicked-looking claymore.

The man introduces himself as Fergus MacConnell, a warrior of Sonderlund - or at least, he was. The Sonderlunding Highlanders are known for their fierce honor culture, and by the standards of his culture, Fergus has committed a grave crime - in a drunken brawl that got out of hand, he slew another man of a family his was honor-bound to protect ever since their ancestors made a pact on the battlefield generations ago. The Sonderlundings take ancestral pacts and oaths very seriously, and as an oathbreaker, Fergus was exiled from his homelands. Now, he seeks the only redemption that his lot deserves - a glorious death in battle against a well-matched foe.

The problem is, Fergus is very lucky by most standards, but very unlucky by his own. He's come a long way from home in search of greater challenges, and every enemy he's faced since has been no match for his blade. His journeys have brought him to this particular bridge, where, according to the customs of pas d'armes, he has the right to challenge any other travelers to a duel. Perhaps one he encounters along the road will grant him the warrior's end he seeks.

A note: To run home the point of Fergus's plight, it will be most effective if he is encountered where such sights are not commonplace - he's had to go a long way, after all, and his appearance should be unusual for the area. I would not run this encounter in Sonderlund, for instance. If you had a culture of honorable warriors in your setting, you can reflavor this encounter to fit them, but it's best to use it in an area far from the homelands of this culture.

The Encounter

If there is anyone in the party who looks to be a capable warrior and is not obviously hurt or harried, Fergus will challenge them to a duel to the death. He wants this to be a fair fight - if his would-be opponent is clad in anything heavier than chainmail or obviously displays magical powers, he will let them pass unharried (there would be no honor in losing to a foe one never stood a chance against in the first place!), and he insists on one-on-one combat; however, he could be talked into taking on the whole party if there is no one particular opponent who looks to be a clear threat. If the party obviously contains a necromancer (a practice highly taboo among the ancestor-worshiping Highlanders), Fergus will refuse to even entertain the offer of a duel, considering the entire party tainted by their presence.

If Fergus's chosen opponent refuses, he will taunt them about their honor, insisting that they are too cowardly to face such a foe as he, and boasting of his own accomplishments all the while (he struck down three brigands at once! He fell a mad lindwurm!). He will take great offense if his deeds are called into question, and may even start the fight himself if the PCs continue to antagonize him. But if his opponents truly refuse the duel after all his prompting, he will let them go on their way. He wants this to be an honorable fight, after all.

However, if Fergus learns of the location of an even worthier opponent than the PCs - for instance, if they know where he can find an NPC who might be agreeable to the challenge (at least in theory), or if they are seeking a fierce monster, Fergus will accompany the party as long as it takes them to reach such a foe. He will join them in any combats, but if the desired threat is encountered, he will insist on facing it one-on-one until one of them die.

In 5e terms, Fergus uses the stats of a Berserker. However, he has discovered two magical treasures on his journeys:

• His sword is enchanted. It functions as a +1 greatsword (so his attacks are made with a +6 to hit and do 1d12+4 slashing damage), and its blade is inlaid with a runic inscription. A DC 13 History or Arcana check, or a PC with knowledge of classical arcane languages, can determine that the inscription reads "I call on thee, Unquenchable Torch."
• Once per day, if recited aloud, this inscription causes the blade to glow for 1d4 hours, providing all the benefits of a Light spell. The glow will not end by any means other than the duration expiring. If it attracts undue attention, the PCs cannot do anything more than try to keep the light covered.
• Fergus obtained this sword from a giant who failed to match his challenge before, and is familiar with its properties.
• Fergus wears a golden brooch pinned to his cloak in the shape of a bird in flight, with emeralds set into its eyes. It is worth 300 GP, but unbeknownst to Fergus, it too is inlaid with a runic inscription. The inscription is engraved in miniscule text (a DC 20 Perception or Investigation check, or the use of a magnifying glass, is needed to discover its presence), and a DC 13 History or Arcana check, or a PC with knowledge of Elvish, can determine that the inscription reads "I need your eyes to see for me."
• The brooch requires attunement. Once every two days, if recited aloud, this inscription causes the brooch to turn into a living finch that obeys the attuned user's commands, can communicate with them telepathically, and can be used to see and hear through as a familiar summoned by the Find Familiar spell. At will, it can be returned to the form of the brooch. The finch otherwise has the stats of a Raven. If it is killed, it turns back into the brooch, but the emeralds in its eyes have turned black and it can no longer be summoned.
• Fergus was given the brooch as a gift from an elven maiden he saved from a wild beast. He does not know its properties and believes it to be no different than an ordinary brooch.

Fergus will insist on fighting the duel on the bridge. The bridge is ten feet across and sixty feet from end to end, and is 120 feet above the river below. The bridge has the Ledge tag (see here; creatures performing a Shove action that would knock a creature off a ledge gain +2 to their attack roll. Fergus won't use this tactic, as he considers it dishonorable).

At the far end of the bridge, Fergus has set a small campsite with a tent and a fire pit to allow protection from the elements. His tent contains a simple bedroll, his personal belongings, and 35 GP.

And Now For Something Completely Different: Why Madoka Magica is OSR

I swear I haven't lost my mind! Come back!

I don't just post about learned and erudite things like history and medieval folklore on this blog, you know. Yes, I watch anime. Call me cringe all you want, but let's not deny that at the end of the day, the world of RPGs owes just as much to pop culture as it does to "serious" literary tradition. Anything can be a font of inspiration to make our games, and our lives, a little richer. And today, I'd like to explore one such example.

Besides, if you were really paying attention, you'd know I already dropped a few in-jokes to the subject of today's post back in one of my first posts on this blog. Purely because it referenced the same Germanic traditions I did. That's just what I do. Like some sort of enigmatic trickster god, my players never know if I'm referencing some obscure 13th century epic poem or some internet meme. You might not know either.

Anyway, today I'm going to talk about the anime series Puella Magi Madoka Magica. What makes the series notable for me is that it was the first anime - really, one of the first TV series in general - that I actively followed as it was being released (as it was being released in Japan, no less). It debuted in early 2011, while I was in high school, and I happened to become aware of it when it was freshly three episodes in (if you were there, you know). I proceeded to follow new episodes as they released week to week, and that was a kind of experience I had never really had before. Or, really, since, given the changing landscape of streaming and whole series dropping at once.

Rewatching it a few years back, I don't think Madoka Magica is a perfect series. I wouldn't even call it a great series. It settles for being merely good, but not without its flaws, and they only grow more apparent with age. The pace vacillates between being agonizingly slow and breakneck fast, but rarely settles on a comfortable middle ground. So many characters are frustratingly underdeveloped, and I've come to see the effective protagonist - one of the few who isn't - as the kind of person I would probably punch in the face if we were locked in a room together for long enough. The Watsonian lore and the Doylist themes of the show both raise all kinds of fascinating ideas and implications that feel like something could be done with them, but they never are. The individualist philosophy the series takes on the question of self-sacrifice never sat well with my utilitarian socialist self, and in light of the sequel movie (which split the fanbase in two - I'm solidly on the "it sucked" side of that rift), there's an unpleasant undertone of Objectivism that I can't help but pick up on whether intentional or otherwise. But there's something that makes the series hold a place in my heart.

And I suspect that something may just be how the setting seems to resonate so well with the ideas of a tabletop RPG - particularly one of the Old School ethos.

In the rest of this post, I'm going to give a rundown of Madoka Magica lore with a focus as to what aspects of it are gameable, and summarize how they abide by OSR principles. If you're already familiar with the series, you can probably skip this next part (though I recommend you at least give it a look because there's some things that never actually happen in the series but are totally missed opportunities, and you may not even know about them). If you aren't, please be aware that this discussion will contain spoilers if that matters at all to you - but for what it's worth, I wouldn't have gotten into the series at all if I didn't have it spoiled for me back then.

More under the cut.

Random Encounters From Your Miniature Drawer

I've always had somewhat of an off-and-on passion when it comes to miniatures. I've never really used them for my games - collecting and painting miniatures is an awful lot of setup, especially when you factor terrain and scenery into the equation, and (to riff on my last post) I fear that visual representations on the gaming table can influence the imaginations of my players more than I would like. Couple that with the fact that my regular gaming group is spread over multiple states and I handle everything over Skype chats anyway, I find it easier and more streamlined to just go with the theater of the mind.

At the same time, I've always liked the little bastards. Just to have them, and paint them, and to look at them for their own sake. Maybe even play a skirmish wargame once in a while. They aren't (or at least shouldn't be) necessary, but minis are fun.

Since moving into my new house, I've been getting everything unpacked and reassessing what I have. That includes going through my old, mostly unpainted collection of minis I've had for years, always hoping to do something with but never really getting there. I've been looking more into games like Planet 28 lately, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to sort through my collection and see what I could make of them.

What immediately struck me was that, when I was at my peak of miniature collecting, I was very much the kind of person who collected things I thought were cool, rather than trying to build a certain army.

There's a lot of Reaper fantasy monsters, mixed in with some Warhammer Fantasy monstrous types, and even a few packs of the old Chainmail range from when Wizards of the Coast briefly wanted to get into the metal miniature business. An ogre, a dire boar, plenty of lizardmen (of various sizes), a bunch of orcs, quite a few skeletons and ghosts, a handful of Skaven, some barbarians...

Wait a minute. I'm sensing a pattern here. Maybe I can't make a cohesive army, but I do have a pretty decent random encounter table. Let's throw some of those things together, and see if I can write a dungeon around it.

1d20:

1. Dire boar

2. 1d8 orcs 

3. 1d8 kobolds

4. Ogre

5. 1d2 myconids

6. 1d2 Rat Men 

7. 1d8 goblins

8. 1d6 mummies

9. 2d8 spiders

10. 1d4-1 (minimum 1) lizardmen

11. 1d8 skeletons

12. 1d4 specters

13. Vampire

14. 1d4 wolves

15. Werewolf

16. 1d4 berserkers

17. Dragon (I haven't painted it yet. Let's say a red one)

18. 1d2 trolls

19. Death knight

20. Earth elemental 

I also think the reason I like the myconids in Dark Souls so much
is because they remind me of these old Reaper ones.

Yeah, it probably looks pretty funhouse-ish right now, doesn't it? And quite unbalanced, but remember: not all random encounters need to lead to immediate combat. But that's where we start thinking about how we could make everything fit. And as we do, the seed of an entire dungeon starts to emerge.

Right now, there's two big themes I'm starting to realize with the monsters we're using. There's a lot of undead, and a lot of reptilian creatures (with the dragon, lizardmen, and kobolds). These could easily be grouped into their own factions. The vampire and the dragon sound like natural leaders for the two groups (the death knight could be a second in command to the vampire, or vice versa), and that raises the question of what they're doing in the same dungeon.

Maybe the vampire has set up a lair for his necromantic experiments, and it just so happened to be in a cavern already inhabited by the dragon. Perhaps he's trying to manipulate the dragon and his lizardman servants to his own ends, and to serve as extra muscle to keep out those pesky intruders who are getting suspicious as to who's taking all the dead bodies. Maybe he has some magic artifact or other precious treasure that he's bribing the dragon with, knowing the creature's greed. This way, smart players could exploit the factions by pitting them against each other - maybe they'll need to steal the treasure from the vampire to sway the dragon to their side! After all, those lizardmen could be useful allies, to say nothing of the dragon himself!

There's some other entries we could group into smaller factions too. The orcs, goblins, and maybe the ogre all seem like they could be allies. Maybe it's an independent tribe of Trollkin, or maybe it's more hired muscle being used by the vampire (which could make them jealous of the lizardmen if they feel they're being replaced - something that the players could win their allegiance over if they don't side with the dragon, since they probably will have a harder time doing that with skeletons). The dire boar could be a pet of the orcs, or just an independent monster. The myconids, spiders, Rat Men, trolls, and earth elemental would all most likely be random denizens of the dungeon. As for the berserkers, wolves, and werewolf, they could be independent too - but what sounds more fun to me is the thought that maybe this is a clan of wolf-worshiping barbarians, led by a werewolf! Maybe they're visiting a shrine somewhere in the dungeon, or raiding it for its riches or as a sort of initation ritual!

As you can see, there's a ton of ways that this seemingly random collection of creatures and characters can be made into something more cohesive. And like many instances of working within constraints, it can get the creative juices flowing to be given a set of incoherent, mismatched elements and to be forced to make them work. Already, I have the start of a dungeon that could last me plenty of sessions to come. And if I was the kind of person to use minis, I wouldn't even need to buy anything new for it!

I'd love to see other people try this exercise out. It's a great way to come up with dungeons and other scenarios that you might never have considered otherwise. Do you have a bunch of random miniatures laying around? Try making a random encounter table out of them, and let me know what you come up with!

Visions of Tolkien's World

If you're active in the geekosphere, you may know about the upcoming Magic: the Gathering set based on The Lord of the Rings. What I take away from this is that the way Wizards of the Coast handles the lore of its two flagship properties is almost diametrically opposed, with D&D so locked down with the lore of just one setting out of the infinite potential of the creativity of DMs the world over, while the folks over at MTG embrace the opportunity to cross over with everything they can get their hands on, no matter how fitting - but that's not the subject of this post.

It do be like this though.

You may have heard the controversy over the set depicting Aragorn (and a few other characters, but he's
the most visible) as a black man. You can weigh in on whether or not it's fitting of the lore, or whether or not it's representative of tokenism, all you want. Actually, don't, I don't want my comments section to turn into a minefield. But that isn't what I'm here to talk about either. I don't have any strong feelings one way or the other about Aragorn being black. But it does excite me. What I do care about is how this represents a rare exploration into the potential for more diverse depictions of Middle-Earth and of Tolkien's stories than what we're used to.

I, of course, refer to the fact that they're not making everything look like the movies.

...what? What did you think I was talking about?

All jokes aside, I welcome the fact that the artists over at Wizards are putting their own spin on Tolkien's world. If you take a look at Tolkien art, you'll notice a very noticeable shift around the early 2000s, right when the Peter Jackson movies hit theaters and became smash hits. After this, everyone uses the movies as their template of what Middle-Earth is "supposed" to look like. Color palettes are drab and mostly shades of brown. Elves wear gold armor with elaborate, leaf-like designs. The Uruk-Hai use equipment with an industrial, almost brutalist feel. Hobbits have curly hair and dreamy boy-band looks. There's lots of open plains. Aragorn looks like Viggo Mortensen.

Which of these is concept art from the movies?
Trick question: none of them are.

Before this, though? There was no established "look" for Middle-Earth. Every artist was free to intepret the world in their own way, and we saw some really creative interpretations. Take a look:

There's of course the famous art of the Hildebrandt Brothers, which defined Tolkien in the eyes of many before the movies thanks to their popular series of calendars.

The genesis of pig-faced orcs?

Give Gimli his hat back.

Or how about the work of Ted Nasmith, whose lush, detailed landscapes paint the sort of vistas I can only hope to portray as a DM?

Famed Conan illustrator Frank Frazetta did a lesser-known series of Tolkien artwork that brings a pulp feel to the story.

Not sure how effective Eowyn's disguise is, though

The Rankin-Bass adaptation of The Hobbit probably comes the closest to my childhood mental image of Gollum.

And their depiction of the elves of Mirkwood can't be farther from Jackson's.

Foreign editions bring their own interpretations to the table, like this Finnish version of Gollum.

And this Russian Gandalf has a folksy, almost medieval-tapestry feel.

Would anyone today portray Boromir as a Viking, as seen in the Ralph Bakshi film?

What about a flippin' samurai? Because that's what the Finnish television series Hobbits did.

Hell, even the art straight from Tolkien himself seems refreshingly different to modern eyes.

I'm glad that Wizards is willing to experiment and go against the grain, not because I'm any fan of identity politics, but because a world where we only have one flavor of Middle-Earth is boring. Or one flavor of anything, really. As popular as the Jackson movies are, they're just one of a handful of adaptations, and one of even more personal interpretations of what was described in the text. And artists shouldn't be afraid, consciously or unconsciously, to share their visions because they're not the definitive look - they shouldn't even believe there is a definitive look to begin with. There should always be room for creativity, and the popularity of adaptations that came before shouldn't stifle that.

It's the same reason why, when running published modules, I never show my players any illustrations. The world and the characters is theirs and theirs alone to imagine, and I don't want to color that with any other interpretation. The players' mental image probably doesn't look anything like what's in my head. And that's a good thing.

Interesting Terrain for Better Combat

They're using terrain - so can your players.

In my previous series of posts about making combat more interesting, I discussed the use of terrain features with mechanical effects. The Adventures in Middle Earth RPG from Cubicle 7 has some really good rules in there that I think deserve more use. Using those as a basis, here's some examples of how you can use terrain to shake up combat encounters. I've streamlined the rules and come up with a table to generate some interesting battlegrounds.

Terrain Tags

Before we begin, I'd like to lay out a few tags for terrain features in order to give them some mechanical support. This will help organize the different options and give some insight into how they can be used interestingly in play.

It should go without saying that, while these mechanics give a framework to make terrain interesting in play, they are not meant to limit how players can interact with their environment. Players may come up with other ways to exploit terrain features, and if it makes logical sense, they should be allowed to do so. DMs are free to use the rules as much or as little as they like - even if they don’t want so much crunch when it comes to combat, looking over the lists of options and thinking about how they could be used in a battle is a good way to add atmosphere to locations and descriptions.

Climbable - Features with this tag may count as high ground (see below) if a creature uses a full movement action to climb on top of them. Jumping down from the feature counts as normal movement.

Concealing - Creatures hiding behind or amidst this feature have Advantage on all ability checks relating to evading their opponents (eg. Stealth).

Covering - Creatures hiding behind this feature are considered to have half (+2 to AC and DEX saves), three-quarter (+5 to AC and DEX saves), or full (can't be targeted) cover for attacks made by opponents on the other side of the feature.

Dense - The presence of dense foliage makes it difficult to aim ranged attacks. Ranged attacks from short range are made with Disadvantage, and those from long range cannot be made at all.

Difficult - The feature counts as difficult terrain (ie. it costs twice as much movement to move through it).

Distracting - In the presence of this feature, creatures have Disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.

Exhausting - For every three rounds of combat a creature spends within the bounds of this feature, they gain one level of Exhaustion.

High Ground - A creature standing on higher ground has advantage on attack rolls when attempting to hit creatures on the ground below it.

Impassible - The feature cannot be crossed during combat.

Ledge - Creatures performing a Shove action that would knock a creature off a ledge gain +2 to their attack roll.

Narrow - Attacks using two-handed weapons are made with disadvantage when in this feature. Additionally, creatures must move in single file through this feature. 

Particulate - Creatures crossing this feature must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or stir up dust, sand, or other particulate matter. Creatures standing next to this feature can use an action to kick the matter into the face of an opponent in melee range, forcing them to make the save. See the feature for details on what happens if this save is failed.

Path - This feature must be placed in the same area as at least one obstacle, and represents a safe route through that feature. Moving through this path does not incur the same penalties as the rest of the feature. If you roll a feature with the Path tags when no such obstacles exist, roll again.

Pit - Creatures falling into a pit take 2d10 damage. Climbing out of the pit requires a DC 10 Athletics or Acrobatics check.

Sheer - This terrain must be climbed. For every 10 feet of height a Sheer feature has (roll 1d6 and multiply the result by 10 if you wish to generate this randomly), a creature must use their entire move action to climb it. Ranged attacks made against creatures climbing a Sheer feature are made with Advantage.

Slippery - Creatures crossing this feature must make a DC 9 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone.

Steep - Creatures moving up along this feature move as though through difficult terrain. Creatures moving down along this feature move normally. Additionally, the terrain counts as high ground (see above) and creatures on the low ground also have Disadvantage when trying to hit creatures on the high ground.

Unsteady - Creatures fighting on, in, or amidst unsteady ground take -1 to their attack rolls.

Wildlife - Creatures moving through an area occupied by wildlife will alert any opponents to their presence. Opponents cannot be surprised by creatures that move directly through a wildlife-occupied area, and any checks to sneak up on an opponent adjacent to a wildlife-occupied area are made with Disadvantage.

Creating a Battlefield

For each combat encounter you have planned, roll 1d4-1 (minimum 1) times on the Terrain Features table for the relevant environment (or just choose what you would like to use). This will give you a number of features to place around the battlefield. I recommend you do this before a session - this way, you have time to plan out how the different features fit together, and can map out the area if you use battle maps. It may be a good idea to roll random encounters for a session in advance if you are doing this as well, so you know how many battlefields will be needed and can think about how enemies may make use of the environment.

Bodies of Water (d8)

1. Bridge; roll 1d4: 1-2, sturdy (Path, Ledge); 3-4, rickety (Path, Ledge, Unsteady)

2. Current (Creatures in the area of the current must make a DC 12 Acrobatics or Athletics check or be swept up, moving 15 feet in the direction of the current)

3. Deep water (Difficult, Exhausting)

4. Mud or gravel (Unsteady)

5. River, shore, or lake (Impassible)

6. Roaring rapids (Creatures adjacent to this feature have the Deafened condition)

7. Slick rocks (Difficult, Slippery)

8. Standing water (Any creature falling, or being shoved into, the water must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or suffer one level of Exhaustion)

Deserts (d12)

1. Chasm (Impassible, Ledge, Sheer). Roll 1d6: 1-2, no bridge; 3-4, rickety bridge (Path, Ledge, Unsteady), 5-6: sturdy bridge (Path, Ledge)

2. Deep sand (Difficult, Exhausting)

3. Hole or ditch (Concealing, Total Cover, Ledge, Pit)

4. Large rubble (Concealing, Difficult)

5. Loose sand (Particulate; if save is failed creatures gain the Blinded condition until the end of their next turn)

6. Pit (Concealing, Total Cover, Ledge, Pit. Roll 1d4: on a 3-4, it is concealed and is not visible until a creature falls in it)

7. Rock, roll 1d4: 1-2, medium (Climbable, Concealing, Three-Quarters Cover, High Ground, Ledge); 3-4, large (Climbable, Concealing, Total Cover, High Ground, Ledge)

8. Sandstorm (Creatures caught in the sandstorm must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or gain the Blinded condition for one round. Creatures failing by 5 or more also take 1d4 slashing damage)

9. Shifting sand (Unsteady)

10. Slope, roll 1d4: 1-2, average (High Ground); 3-4, steep (High Ground, Steep)

11. Uneven ground (Difficult)

12. Roll on the Ruins table

Forests (d20)

1. Bramble patch (Any creature passing must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or take 1d10 slashing damage. Roll 1d4 when generating this feature: on a 4, creatures that fail their save also receive the Poisoned condition).

2. Deer track (Path)

3. Hedge (Concealing, Half Cover, Difficult)

4. Low boughs (Difficult, Dense)

5. Mossy rocks or tree roots (Difficult, Slippery)

6. Mud (Unsteady)

7. Mushrooms (Particulate. Roll 1d4: 1-2, if save is failed they release spores that induce the Poisoned condition; 3-4, if save is failed they release spores that induce the Blinded condition for ten minutes)

8. Nettle patch (Difficult)

9. Pit (Concealing, Total Cover, Ledge, Pit. Roll 1d4: on a 3-4, it is concealed and is not visible until a creature falls in it)

10. Rock, stump, or fallen tree; roll 1d4: 1-2, medium (Climbable, Concealing, Three-Quarters Cover, High Ground, Ledge); 3-4, large (Climbable, Concealing, Total Cover, High Ground, Ledge)

11. Rotten tree (If combat comes within 10 feet of the tree, there is a 1 in 6 chance each round that it will fall, dealing 1d10 bludgeoning damage to all creatures in a 10-foot radius)

12. Slope, roll 1d4: 1-2; average (High Ground); 3-4, steep (High Ground, Steep)

13. Spiderwebs (Creatures crossing (or shoved into) the web must make a DC 12 Athletics or Acrobatics check and are considered restrained if they fail. They must make a successful check to escape, after which they may exit the web on any side)

14. Thick tree (Concealing, roll 1d4: 1-2, Three-Quarters Cover; 3-4, Total Cover)

15. Tightly-packed trees (Narrow)

16. Uneven ground (Difficult)

17. Birds, deer, rabbits, etc. (Wildlife)

18. Roll on the Ruins table

19. Roll on the Bodies of Water table

20. Roll on the Weather table

Grasslands (d12)

1. Hedge (Concealing, Half Cover, Difficult)

2. Pit (Concealing, Total Cover, Ledge, Pit. Roll 1d4: on a 3-4, it is concealed and is not visible until a creature falls in it)

3. Rock, stump, or fallen tree; roll 1d4: 1-2, medium (Climbable, Concealing, Three-Quarters Cover, High Ground, Ledge); 3-4, large (Climbable, Concealing, Total Cover, High Ground, Ledge)

4. Rotten tree (If combat comes within 10 feet of the tree, there is a 1 in 6 chance each round that it will fall, dealing 1d10 bludgeoning damage to all creatures in a 10-foot radius)

5. Slope, roll 1d4: 1-2; average (High Ground); 3-4, steep (High Ground, Steep)

6. Tall grass (Concealing)

7. Thick tree (Concealing, roll 1d4: 1-2, Three-Quarters Cover; 3-4, Total Cover)

8. Uneven ground (Difficult)

9. Birds, deer, etc. (Wildlife)

10. Roll on the Ruins table

11. Roll on the Bodies of Water table

12. Roll on the Weather table

Mountains (d20)

1. Chasm (Impassible, Ledge, Sheer). Roll 1d6: 1-2, no bridge; 3-4, rickety bridge (Path, Ledge, Unsteady), 5-6: sturdy bridge (Path, Ledge)

2. Cliff (Ledge, Sheer)

3. Deer track (Path)

4. Hedge (Concealing, Half Cover, Difficult)

5. Hole or ditch (Concealing, Total Cover, Ledge, Pit)

6. Narrow pass (Narrow)

7. Nettle patch (Difficult)

8. Precariously-perched boulder (If combat comes within 10 feet of the tree, there is a 1 in 6 chance each round that it will fall, dealing 1d10 bludgeoning damage to all creatures in a 10-foot radius)

9. Rock, stump, or fallen tree; roll 1d4: 1-2, medium (Climbable, Concealing, Three-Quarters Cover, High Ground, Ledge); 3-4, large (Climbable, Concealing, Total Cover, High Ground, Ledge)

10. Rocky ledges (Steep, High Ground)

11. Rubble (Difficult)

12. Large rubble (Concealing, Difficult)

13. Slick rocks (Difficult, Slippery)

14. Slope, roll 1d4: 1-2; average (High Ground); 3-4, steep (High Ground, Steep)

15. Thick tree (Concealing, roll 1d4: 1-2, Three-Quarters Cover; 3-4, Total Cover)

16. Birds, goats, etc. (Wildlife)

17. Roll on the Ruins table

18. Roll on the Tundra table

19. Roll on the Bodies of Water table

20. Roll on the Weather table

Ruins (d20)

1. Gravel (Unsteady)

2. Narrow walls (Narrow)

3. Rock, stump, crate, barrel, or fallen tree, pillar, or statue; roll 1d4: 1-2, medium (Climbable, Concealing, Three-Quarters Cover, High Ground, Ledge); 3-4, large (Climbable, Concealing, Total Cover, High Ground, Ledge)

4. Stairs (Climbable, High Ground, Steep)

5. Slick rocks (Difficult, Slippery)

6. Slope, roll 1d4: 1-2; average (High Ground); 3-4, steep (High Ground, Steep)

7. Track (Path)

8. Steady wall or barricade (Climbable, Concealing, Three-Quarters Cover, Impassible)

9. Unsteady wall or barricade (Half Cover, Impassible)

10. Well, hole, or ditch (Concealing, Total Cover, Ledge, Pit)

11. Chasm (Impassible, Ledge, Sheer). Roll 1d6: 1-2, no bridge; 3-4, rickety bridge (Path, Ledge, Unsteady), 5-6: sturdy bridge (Path, Ledge) 

12. Covered pit (Concealing, Total Cover, Ledge, Pit. Not visible until a creature falls in it)

13. Dust (Particulate; if save is failed creatures gain the Blinded condition until the end of their next turn)

14. Rubble (Difficult)

15. Large rubble (Concealing, Difficult) 

16. Spiderwebs (Creatures crossing (or shoved into) the web must make a DC 12 Athletics or Acrobatics check and are considered restrained if they fail. They must make a successful check to escape, after which they may exit the web on any side) 

17. Unstable Wall (Half Cover, Impassible. Creatures can use a shove action to push the wall onto creatures on the other side, which must make a Dexterity saving throw or take 4d10 bludgeoning damage) 

18. Birds, deer, rabbits, etc. (Wildlife)

19. Roll on the Bodies of Water table

20. Roll on the Weather table (if above ground) 

Settled Lands (d20)

1. Chasm (Impassible, Ledge, Sheer). Roll 1d6: 1-2, no bridge; 3-4, rickety bridge (Path, Ledge, Unsteady), 5-6: sturdy bridge (Path, Ledge)

2. Crop fields (Dense, Concealing)

3. Deer track (Path)

4. Hedge (Concealing, Half Cover, Difficult)

5. Hole or ditch (Concealing, Total Cover, Ledge, Pit)

6. Rock, stump, or fallen tree; roll 1d4: 1-2, medium (Climbable, Concealing, Three-Quarters Cover, High Ground, Ledge); 3-4, large (Climbable, Concealing, Total Cover, High Ground, Ledge)

7. Rotten tree (If combat comes within 10 feet of the tree, there is a 1 in 6 chance each round that it will fall, dealing 1d10 bludgeoning damage to all creatures in a 10-foot radius)

8. Slick rocks (Difficult, Slippery)

9. Slope, roll 1d4: 1-2; average (High Ground); 3-4, steep (High Ground, Steep)

10. Thick tree (Concealing, roll 1d4: 1-2, Three-Quarters Cover; 3-4, Total Cover)

11. Uneven ground (Difficult)

12. Well (Concealing, Total Cover, Ledge, Pit)

13. Birds, rabbits, stray livestock, etc. (Wildlife)

14-18. Roll 1d10 on the Ruins table

19. Roll on the Bodies of Water table

20. Roll on the Weather table

Swamps (d20)

1. Bog (Difficult, Exhausting)

2. Buzzing insects (Distracting)

3. Deer track (Path)

4. Mossy rocks (Difficult, Slippery)

5. Mud (Unsteady)

6. Mushrooms (Particulate. Roll 1d4: 1-2, if save is failed they release spores that induce the Poisoned condition; 3-4, if save is failed they release spores that induce the Blinded condition for ten minutes)

7. Pit (Concealing, Total Cover, Ledge, Pit. Roll 1d4: on a 3-4, it is concealed and is not visible until a creature falls in it)

8. Poisonous fumes (Creatures passing receive the Poisoned condition while in this feature and for 1d6 rounds after leaving it)

9. Quicksand (Creatures crossing (or shoved into) the quicksand must make a DC 12 Athletics or Acrobatics check. If they fail, they sink 1d4+1 feet into the quicksand. Escaping quicksand once one is stuck in it requires a DC 10 Strength check, with 1 added to the DC for each foot the creature has sunk. After escaping, creatures may exit the quicksand on any side)

10.  Rock, stump, or fallen tree; roll 1d4: 1-2, medium (Climbable, Concealing, Three-Quarters Cover, High Ground, Ledge); 3-4, large (Climbable, Concealing, Total Cover, High Ground, Ledge)

11. Rotten tree (If combat comes within 10 feet of the tree, there is a 1 in 6 chance each round that it will fall, dealing 1d10 bludgeoning damage to all creatures in a 10-foot radius)

12. Slope, roll 1d4: 1-2; average (High Ground); 3-4, steep (High Ground, Steep)

13. Sucking bog (Creatures crossing (or shoved into) the bog must make a DC 12 Athletics or Acrobatics check and are considered grappled if they fail. They must make a successful check to escape, after which they may exit the bog on any side)

14. Tall grass (Concealing)

15. Thick tree (Concealing, roll 1d4: 1-2, Three-Quarters Cover; 3-4, Total Cover)

16. Uneven ground (Difficult)

17. Birds, frogs, snakes, etc. (Wildlife)

18. Roll on the Ruins table

19. Roll on the Bodies of Water table

20. Roll on the Weather table

Tundra (d20)

1. Blizzard (Creatures caught in the blizzard must make a DC 15 CON save or be blinded for one round. Creatures failing by 5 or more also take 1d4 cold damage)

2. Chasm (Impassible, Ledge, Sheer). Roll 1d6: 1-2, no bridge; 3-4, rickety bridge (Path, Ledge, Unsteady), 5-6: sturdy bridge (Path, Ledge)

3. Deep Snow (Difficult, Exhausting)

4. Deer track (Path)

5. Fragile ice over standing water (Any creature falling, or being shoved into, the water must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or suffer one level of Exhaustion and take 1d10 cold damage. Not visible until a creature falls in it)

6. Loose snow (Particulate; if save is failed creatures gain the Blinded condition until the end of their next turn)

7. Pit (Concealing, Total Cover, Ledge, Pit. Roll 1d4: on a 3-4, it is concealed and is not visible until a creature falls in it)

8. Rock, stump, or fallen tree; roll 1d4: 1-2, medium (Climbable, Concealing, Three-Quarters Cover, High Ground, Ledge); 3-4, large (Climbable, Concealing, Total Cover, High Ground, Ledge)

9. Rubble (Difficult)

10. Large rubble (Concealing, Difficult)

11. Shrubbery (Concealing)

12. Slope, roll 1d4: 1-2; average (High Ground); 3-4, steep (High Ground, Steep)

13. Sturdy ice (Difficult, Slippery, Unsteady)

14. Thick tree (Concealing, roll 1d4: 1-2, Three-Quarters Cover; 3-4, Total Cover)

15. Uneven ground (Difficult)

16. Birds, reindeer, etc. (Wildlife)

17. Roll on the Forests table

18. Roll on the Mountains table

19. Roll on the Ruins table

20. Roll on the Weather table

Underground

1. Chasm (Impassible, Ledge, Sheer). Roll 1d6: 1-2, no bridge; 3-4, rickety bridge (Path, Ledge, Unsteady), 5-6: sturdy bridge (Path, Ledge)

2. Dust (Particulate; if save is failed creatures gain the Blinded condition until the end of their next turn)

3. Foul stench (Distracting)

4. Low ceiling (Medium-sized or larger creatures must crouch when moving through this area and make all attacks and ability checks at Disadvantage)

5. Mushrooms (Particulate. Roll 1d4: 1-2, if save is failed they release spores that induce the Poisoned condition; 3-4, if save is failed they release spores that induce the Blinded condition for ten minutes)

6. Narrow walls (Narrow)

7. Pit (Concealing, Total Cover, Ledge, Pit. Roll 1d4: on a 3-4, it is concealed and is not visible until a creature falls in it)

8. Poisonous fumes (Creatures passing receive the Poisoned condition while in this feature and for 1d6 rounds after leaving it)

9. Rock; roll 1d4: 1-2, medium (Climbable, Concealing, Three-Quarters Cover, High Ground, Ledge); 3-4, large (Climbable, Concealing, Total Cover, High Ground, Ledge)

10. Rocky ledges (Climbable, High Ground, Steep)

11. Large rubble (Concealing, Difficult)

12. Slick rocks (Difficult, Slippery)

13. Slope, roll 1d4: 1-2; average (High Ground); 3-4, steep (High Ground, Steep)

14. Spiderwebs (Creatures crossing (or shoved into) the web must make a DC 12 Athletics or Acrobatics check and are considered restrained if they fail. They must make a successful check to escape, after which they may exit the web on any side)

15. Thick pillar (Concealing, roll 1d4: 1-2, Three-Quarters Cover; 3-4, Total Cover)

16. Uneven ground (Difficult)

17. Unstable stalagmite (If combat comes within 10 feet of the stalagmite, there is a 1 in 6 chance each round that it will fall, dealing 1d10 bludgeoning damage to all creatures in a 10-foot radius)

18. Bats, rats, etc. (Wildlife)

19. Roll on the Bodies of Water table

20. Roll on the Ruins table

Weather (d8)

1. Birds are flying overhead (Add a Wildlife feature to the battlefield)

2. Cloud cover blocking sunlight (Treat as dim light. Reroll if the encounter takes place at night)

3. Fog (Creatures gain the Blinded condition)

4. Foreboding atmosphere (Creatures must make a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw at the beginning of combat or have Disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls for the remainder of the encounter)

5. Lightning (Every 10 rounds, there is a 1 in 100 chance of a bolt striking a random creature if it is out in the open, dealing 10d6 lightning damage and inducing the Deafened condition for 1 minute. If creatures are less than 10 feet apart, treat each group as a single creature and roll randomly to determine which is hit. A creature can make itself the target of the lightning bolt in place of another if it succeeds on a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw).

6. Rain or snow (Distracting, Exhausting, unless in shelter)

7. The sun breaks through the clouds as the battle begins (Creatures without Sunlight Sensitivity gain Inspiration. Reroll if the encounter takes place at night)

8. Wind (Ranged attacks are made with Disadvantage)

Examples

Let's say that for my next session, I expect there to be a combat encounter with the PCs taking on a raiding party of six orcs in a forest. I roll my d4 and come up with a 3, so subtracting one, I have two features to roll from the Forests table. Rolling a d20 twice, I get a 7 and a 12. This means the battlefield will include Mushrooms and a Slope. In both cases, I'll need to do some further rolling. For the mushrooms, I roll a 4 on the d4, so these are the kind of mushrooms that will release blinding spores if disturbed. For the slope, I roll a 2 on the d4, so this is an average-sized slope.

Now it's time for me to think about how I can use these features in the battle. I'm going to say that three of the orcs will position themselves on the slope to fire arrows down at the PCs from the high ground, while the remaining three will charge into melee. So I'll place the slope on the side of the battlefield the orcs will enter from (remember, having enemies exploit terrain features against the PCs is a good way to let them know that's an option).

The mushrooms are an interesting tactical element that can help or hinder the PCs depending on what happens. I'll place in the middle of the battlefield, between the party and the orcs, so that either stands a risk of triggering them. With this in mind, a rough map of the battlefield for this encounter might look like this:

Listen, it'll do the job.

Now, let's say I want to draw up a map for a combat encounter with four Rat Men taking place underground. Here, my d4 turns up another 3, so once again, I have two features. Rolling the d20 twice, I get a 9 and a 14. My battlefield will contain a Rock, and another d4 roll turns up a 2, so it's a medium-sized rock. It will also contain a Spiderweb.

Rat Men are sneaky creatures, so I'll take advantage of the Concealing feature here. When the PCs encounter the Rat Men, they'll only see three of them out in the open. The last will be hidden behind the rock, and will make a Stealth check with Advantage against the PC's Perception to see if he can avoid detection. If he stays hidden, he might try to sneak around and attack from behind if the PCs approach the rock. Otherwise, he might climb up on it to attack from high ground, or take advantage of its three-quarter cover!

As for the spiderweb, since this battle is underground, I'll set it in a cavern with a few discrete exits. Let's have the web blocking one of those exits - for fun, let's make it the exit closest to where the Rat Men are camped. That way, anyone who tries to break away from the battle (PCs or Rat Men - don't forget about morale!) risks being tangled up in the web! Thus, a map might look like this:

Don't these already sound like much more interesting combat encounters than your typical 5e slugfest? Throwing in a few terrain features helps get players and DMs alike thinking tactically, and creates interesting options that can shake things up. I'd love to see them be used more. And if you have any other ideas for terrain features, feel free to drop them down below!