This artifact inspired by the description of the Gates of Hell in the "Inferno" of Medieval Italian poet Dante Alighieri is based on the similarly-inspired bronze sculpture by French artist Auguste Rodin.
All tagged D&D
Getting Older: Aging in D&D 5E
New rules for age progression, be it the normal progression of time, the abnormal progression of time in another plane, or accelerated aging caused by a curse of other supernatural effect.
Charon (D&D 5E Epic Fantasy Monster)
Charon is a Lich-like undead monster who dwells on the banks of the Styx in the underworld and is tasked with ferrying the souls of the dead from one side of the gloomy river to the other. His vessel is an ancient Egyptian-style funerary barge that is propelled by a half-dozen animated oars on each side.
![Cetus [5E Monster]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f38928c6a88e13e25e3fd64/1598217459168-EFE5Y0AOWU1AICZQUCFC/image-asset.jpeg)
Cetus [5E Monster]
Cetuses are massive, whale-like, marine creatures that typically live far beneath the surface of the sea or far out beyond the sight of land and are therefore only very rarely seen by people.
Old Game Notebook: Mansabdar
This post has a writeup on the Mansabdar, a 2nd Edition Dungeons & Dragons "Kit" that the author created for use with the "Indian Adventures" rules that he was developing in the early 90s!
Giant Hippopotamus (D&D 5E Monster)
Following is an entry for the Giant Hippopotamus, one of the creatures that appears in Skirmisher Publishing's bestselling "Men & Monsters of Ethiopia"!
Old Game Notebook: Lair of the Dristivasa
Described here is an encounter area devoted to a relatively obscure monster from Indian folklore called a Dristivasa, which, by all accounts, would seem to be a primordial cousin of the more familiar Carrion Crawler!
Old Game Notebook: Swamp Castle
This map from the late ‘80s depicts a keep and surrounding terrain that includes a road, river, bridge, stand of forest, and a swamp!
A Methodology for Species Design
For a variety of reasons, I enjoy tapping into real-world mythology and folklore when creating new races for my games.
Old Game Notebook: Projects Lost and Projects Found
Recently, I came across a number of not just interesting but actually significant things, one being an old game notebook containing about 200 pages of printed material I developed for D&D during the period 1989-91, including hundreds of monsters, spells, and magic items.
Men & Monsters of the Aegean: Myrmidon (5th Edition D&D Race)
Myrmidons were created by the gods to repopulate a land where nearly everyone was killed by a terrible plague after its ruler prayed that his country be made as populous as a nearby ant colony. Its inhabitants were, accordingly, transferred into people that were manlike in form but which remained antlike in many ways.
Bestial Bailiff (D&D 5th Edition Epic Fantasy Monster)
These physically powerful, armored, beast-headed Devils keep things moving at the Temple of the Judges of the Dead in Hell and provide security for it. There are three general sorts of such monsters, distinguished by being Hyena-headed, Lion-headed, and Wolf-headed.
'Colossus of Ylourgne' Chapter 1: Flight of the Necromancer
Following is the first chapter of "Colossus of Ylourgne," a 1934 novella by Clark Ashton Smith that is set in his dark fantasy land of Averoigne. Suffice it to say that this story has influenced role-playing game development more than many people might expect.
Kerber (D&D 5E Monster)
Kerberoi are massive, three-headed, humped monsters covered with irregular, dark gray spots, and are native to various abyssal, infernal, and evil-aligned planes.
Moira (5th Edition D&D NPC/'Into the Mines of Moira' Bonus Content)
Moira is one of the most prominent leaders of the Dwarven community on Kos Island and tireless in protecting its interests — both by trying to influence the way others see and treat her folk and by guiding the members of her community to be the best they can and adhere to traditional Dwarven values.
Veggizombie Pod (Pathfinder RPG)
This loathsome mobile plant hunts down living humanoids in order to use them in its reproductive cycle!
