Here we are. 2026! Let's make some AD&D witches.

Today I am working from my original The Witch: A sourcebook for Basic Edition fantasy games using the "Advanced Option Appendix" and the Winter Witch for Swords & Wizardry using the same options. I also peeked at my Green Witch and Faerie Witch for OSE. There is not much difference between them save for rules presentation, traditions and spells. But the key for me is some of the material inside. In particular, how to make a Troll Witch.

I have always liked trolls, but ones that cleave closer to Norse myth than the Three Hearts and Three Lions versions that dominate D&D. And if I can do trolls, I can also do goblins.

Grýlka
1st level Troll Witch, Chaotic Neutral

Secondary Skill: Hunter/Fisher

S: 17
I: 13
W: 14
D: 13
C: 17
Ch: 17

Paralysis/Poison: 13
Petrify/Polymorph: 13
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 14
Breath Weapon: 16
Spells: 15

AC: 7 (leather armor)
HP: 4
THAC0: 20

Weapon
Staff 1d6

Familiar: Crow, Leitarmaðr ("Seeker")

Spells
First level: Darkness, Black Fire, Chill Touch

Theme Song: I Put a Spell On You

Grýlka is a troll witch from the Broken Mountains. She worships the "Trollfather" (who I see as a Troll version of Odin). He speaks to her from her crow familiar Leitarmaðr.

She has joined the West Haven coven to learn more about seiðr.

Doireann
1st level Goblin Druid/Witch, Neutral

Secondary Skill: Herbalist

S: 8
I: 11
W: 13
D: 14
C: 16
Ch: 16

Paralysis/Poison: 13
Petrify/Polymorph: 13
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 14
Breath Weapon: 16
Spells: 15

AC: 9 (no armor, small)
HP: 5
THAC0: 20

Weapon
Dagger 1d4/1d3

Familiar: Frog, "Toad O"

Spells (Witch)
First level: Darkness, Fey Sight, Mend Light Wounds

Spells (Druid)
First level: Animal Friendship, Purify Water

Theme Songs: Doreen / Goblin Girl

Doireann is a sweet little goblin witch. I wanted her to be Chaotic Good, but I also wanted her to be a druid since that fit with my idea of her. Plus, I want a druid/witch. A neutral goblin might be easier to sell than a Chaotic Good one. 

She follows the Swamp Mother, who speaks to her via frogs, water, and rain. She loves humans and thinks jellyfish are the strangest things ever.

I also like to think that Doireann and Grýlka are good friends, finding similarity in their witchcraft. I have used both characters as NPCs, and Doireann is one of my favorites. 

Goblins and Trolls make for great witches. I can't wait to see what else I can do with these two.

No. There is no rhyme or reason for the various colors of character sheets. If I had been smart I'd color code the covens. 

Today, we lost Tim Kask, and it feels like one of the load-bearing pillars of this hobby has been removed. He was 76, just two weeks shy of 77.

Before he was TSR’s first full-time employee, before he edited The Dragon and helped turn a homebrew wargame into a living culture, Tim Kask was a married student at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale (SIUC). A Saluki. That detail matters more than it might seem. Well. At least to me.

From SIUC, Kask did something that sounds almost mythic now. He found an address for Gary Gygax in the back of Chainmail, picked up the phone, and cold-called Lake Geneva. Late '73 or early '74, depending on whose memory you trust. He got invited up, and the rest is history. Not destiny. Not inevitability. Just a guy deciding to make the call.

Tim and I talked a lot about SIUC. Salukis never really ever forget Carbondale, becomes part of our DNA. He told me about visiting his brother in the Triads, playing D&D there, making space for imagination in cinderblock dorm rooms. He lived in Boomer Hall, I lived in Wright Hall two of the three Triads. About thirteen or fourteen years apart, but close enough that the echoes line up. Same bricks. Same paths. Same sense that something strange and creative could happen there. 

I'd love to know how many games were played in those ugly damn dorms. And we all have Tim Kask to thank for this.

Kask refereed what local coverage described as the first Dungeons & Dragons campaign played at SIU, and likely one of the first outside Lake Geneva. The Qualishar campaign, or Kwalishar, depending on which source you read. The spelling drift alone tells you how early this was. This was before canon. Before anyone knew they were making history.

That Carbondale period mattered. It shaped how D&D escaped the gravitational pull of those three little brown books and became something people shared, argued about, wrote letters about, and eventually built communities around. Tim was there when the game stopped being just rules and became culture.

There is also that wonderful bit of apocrypha Tim himself shared over the years. His first player character was named Kwalish. Fans have long connected that, informally, to the Apparatus of Kwalish. Is it provable? No. Is it plausible? Absolutely. And that feels right for Tim. Part fact, part legend, part inside joke, all wrapped up in the living memory of the game.

Tim Kask was never just an editor. He was a bridge. Between Lake Geneva and the rest of the world. Between amateurs and professionals. Between "this is a fun idea" and "this is something worth taking seriously."

Rest well, Tim. The dice are still rolling because you helped get them out of the box. I'll roll some dice in your honor or use a Quatro's cup with some chits, or my SIU cup.

The last few years I have taken on TardisCaptain's New Year, New Character challenge. But I also like to give it my own twist. This year I am going to be doing all AD&D 1st edition characters AND all witches! Wait you say, didn't I already do witches one year? Yes, I did, back in 2021. But that was for a variety of systems. This year I am focusing on the various ways to do an AD&D witch. I am going to use my notes, conversions of my other books, the various Dragon Magazine witches and other published witches. 

While I say "AD&D 1st ed" I might detour a bit into Basic and AD&D 2nd ed, but all the writeups will be for 1st edition. I am playing in a 1st edition AD&D game now so I want plenty of NPCs. Also for a lot last year I was doing something I was calling "Occult D&D." I am going to keep exploring that here as well as a bunch of notes I have had laying around that I have never fully implemented into any of my books. Or in some cases variations of rules I have used elsewhere but wanted to go back and revist. 

I also want to use this as a way to finally get some work done on my "Land of a 1000 Witches" idea that originated with the late Jason Zavoda and his "Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches." While his is obviously Blackmoor and Greyhawk focused, my current AD&D game is set in the Forgotten Realms. I'll figure that out later. 

My goal is to present a witch or two for each level of the day. So Jan 1 will have 1st level witches all the way to Jan 31st with a 31st level witch. They will be mostly original characters, some will be repeats that I want to revist and others will "special guest stars."

I have a ton of notes. Lots of ideas and about 40-50 character sheets ready to go.

Bring on 2026!

"Larina" by Jeff Dee Been meaning to do this one for a while.

Just got back from visiting my family. Anytime I meet up with them, especially my brothers and sisters, we get to talking about all the scary stories we know.  This time it was about a road where people, in particular single women, will often just vanish. Yes. We know the truth is a different sort of horror, but this is still where our thoughts took us. 

The "haunted road" tale is very old. This got me to think about who, or what, is haunting them and who, or what, should be guarding them.

While it is great for modern supernatural games, I was reading over Tim Knight's new blog, Cowboys, Capes, and Claws, and was reminded of how much fun I always had with Villains & Vigilantes.

And given that we both have Jeff Dee art of our characters, I can't help but think that they exist in the same universe. 

The Witch and The Road Warden

Larina Nichols did not become a hero because she wanted to save the world. She became one because the world kept losing people in the spaces no one watched. 

She had survived a house fire that should have killed her. Officially ruled an accident, it never sat right with her. From that moment on, Larina heard things others did not, felt the pull of grief and danger like a pulse beneath the skin of everyday life. Roads felt watched. Abandoned places whispered. Women went missing, and the silence around their absence was louder than any alarm. She learned early that evil did not always announce itself, and that survival carried an obligation.

The truth found her on a moonlit stretch of forgotten highway, following a pattern no one else believed in. What haunted those roads was not a man or a monster in the simple sense, but a thing older than asphalt, a guardian spirit twisted feral by neglect and blood. A Road Warden. When Hecate, guardian of the crossroads, answered Larina’s call, it was not with command but recognition. Strength came, clarity followed, but the magic was never a gift alone. Larina studied, bled, bargained, and learned the old ways. 

Her first act was not destruction but binding. She restored the Road Warden to its true purpose, and in doing so, saved some who were lost and mourned those who were found. The world called it a miracle. Larina called it insufficient and kept going. For this, she received the Blessing of Artemis and may call on her in her need. 

She wears no mask, only intention. Her power is divine and learned, occult and earned, sharpened by grief rather than dulled by it. In a world of capes and symbols, Larina walks the liminal spaces, guarding thresholds, sealing cracks, and watching the places heroes overlook. She does not promise salvation. She promises attention. Sometimes that is enough. 

Sometimes it has to be.

Larina "Nix" Nichols (formerly Larina Macalister), Villains and Vigilantes

SIDE: Good
SEX: F
AGE: 28
WEIGHT: 128 lbs

EXPERIENCE: 90,000
LEVEL: 13

TRAINING: Occult Studies, Folklore, Ritual Magic

POWERS
Magic Spells (requires speaking & gestures)
- Witch Bolt (Power Blast, 1d20, magical; +3 to hit)
- Witchfire Ward (Force Field +7 vs physical/energy)
- Glamour (Illusions, all senses)
- Mirror Walk (Teleport; medium = mirrors/reflective surfaces)
- Divination (Precognition/Postcognition; Detect Magic)
- Binding Curse (Paralysis/Affliction; Will/mental resistance applies)
- Flight (broom or spell)
Familiar: Cotton (small white flying cat; mental link; while nearby, Larina gains +2 Detect Hidden and +2 Detect Danger)
Weakness: Must be able to speak and gesture to cast.

ABILITIES

STRENGTH: 10
ENDURANCE: 14
AGILITY: 13
INTELLIGENCE: 21
CHARISMA: 22

DERIVED STATS
BASIC HITS: 3
HIT MOD: (STR 1.0)(END 1.4)(AGL 1.3)(INT 1.4) = 2.548
HIT POINTS: 8 (3 × 2.55 → 7.65, rounds to 8)
POWER: 58
CARRYING CAPACITY: 132 lbs
BASE HTH DAMAGE: 1d4 (STR 10)
HEALING RATE: 1.0/day (END 14)
ACCURACY MODIFIER: +1 (AGL 13)
DAMAGE MODIFIER: +3 (AGL/INT)
DETECT HIDDEN: 16% (INT 21)
DETECT DANGER: 20% (INT 21)
REACTION FROM GOOD: +4 REACTION FROM EVIL: –4 (CHA 22)

MOVEMENT
Ground: 37" (AGL 13)
Flight: 90 MPH (broom/spell)

INVENTING
INVENTING POINTS: 29.4 (INT-based)
INVENTING %: 63% (~INT × 3%)

LEGAL STATUS
Citizen of the US with no criminal record.

ORIGIN & BACKGROUND
Multiversal witch and occult scholar; protector of the gifted. Known in mystical circles as Nix the Witch Queen. Her familiar Cotton is psychically linked and often scouts or warns of danger.

VISUAL
Flowing dark purple costume with glowing runes, black boots, triple-moon goddess symbol, bracers engraved with warding symbols, and a faint aura of witchfire. Crescent moon burn scar near her left collar bone. Triple moon goddess tattoo on her back, between her shoulder blades.  

Red hair, blue eyes.

--

Ok, this is a good build and there are enough differences between this version of Larina and say my Mutants & Masterminds versions [2][3][4]. Larina was never one of my V&V characters back then. That honor goes to Johan as "The Paladin." But she certainly works here.

Given her Triple Goddess tattoo I am saying she is in contact with three goddesses, Artemis, Selene, and Hecate; representing the Maiden, Mother, and Crone. I went with Greek here because that is what I would have done back when I was playing V&V. If I had gone with my usual Celtic, then it would have been Brigid, Cerridwen, and the Morrigan. 

Links

• Taryn, Larina's (future) daughter (V&V)
• Johan, Taryn, and Larina for Mighty Protectors
• Justice and Iron Maiden for V&V
• Willow & Tara

I have enough here to work up my ARTEMIS group for V&V. Sounds like something to do next year!

A special combined Fantasy Friday with Boxing Day. Today I am diving into the Dragonbane boxed set. I picked this up my local RPG auction, still in the shrink wrap. This is less a traditional review and more an overview, a brief dive into the history of the game, and my thoughts after spending some time with it.

Dragonbane

Dragonbane is Free League’s modern reworking of the Swedish Drakar och Demoner. I picked it up last fall, primarily out of curiosity about Drakar och Demoner and out of a long-standing appreciation for Free League’s production values. After reading and reflecting on it, my conclusion is fairly measured: this is not a D&D replacement for me, but it is a very credible alternative to games in the RuneQuest family and adjacent BRP-style designs.

That distinction matters. Well, at least to me.

A Brief History of Drakar och Demoner

To really understand Dragonbane, it helps to step back and look at its predecessor, Drakar och Demoner (often abbreviated DoD), one of the most influential tabletop roleplaying games in Scandinavia.

Drakar och Demoner first appeared in 1982, published by Äventyrsspel (known internationally as Target Games). Mechanically, it was based on Basic Role-Playing, the same rules engine that powered RuneQuest and Call of Cthulhu. For many Swedish players, DoD was not just their first RPG, but the RPG, occupying the same cultural space that D&D held in the United States.

Over the 1980s and early 1990s, Drakar och Demoner went through multiple editions, gradually drifting away from strict BRP roots while retaining its skill-based core. These editions emphasized low fantasy, dangerous combat, and practical adventuring over heroic power escalation. Magic was present but restrained. Characters were competent but fragile. Survival mattered.

Importantly, DoD also helped shape a distinctly European approach to fantasy roleplaying. Its adventures often leaned toward folklore, exploration, and moral ambiguity rather than epic destiny. Humor existed, but it was dry and situational rather than cartoonish. The infamous duck-people, later echoed in Dragonbane’s mallards, originated here as a surprisingly durable example of the game’s tonal flexibility.

When Target Games ceased operations in the late 1990s, Drakar och Demoner passed through several publishers and revisions, including later editions that experimented with d20 mechanics and more modern design sensibilities. None of these fully displaced the affection players held for the earlier versions.

Dragonbane: Design Lineage and Intent

Dragonbane wears its DoD and BRP influences openly. It is a skill-based fantasy RPG with a roll-under d20 core mechanic, clear ancestry in early percentile systems, and a design philosophy that prioritizes table flow over mechanical density. Unlike modern D&D, it does not attempt to be a universal fantasy engine or a lifestyle game. Instead, it aims to be playable, approachable, and complete within a single boxed set.

From a game design perspective, this is one of Dragonbane’s strengths. It knows what it wants to be.

Rules Structure: Conservative but Clean

Mechanically, Dragonbane is restrained. Characters are defined by skills rather than classes and levels, advancement is incremental and use-based, and resolution is intentionally binary. Rolling under your skill succeeds; rolling a 1 or a 20 introduces structured extremes of success or failure. I am normally not a huge fan of d20 roll-under systems, but this one works surprisingly well.

This approach avoids both the escalating power curves of D&D and the granular complexity of RuneQuest. Combat is dangerous without being punishing, magic is flexible without being dominant, and the overall system encourages cautious decision-making. In play, the rules largely stay out of the way, which is not a small achievement.

If anything, the rules err on the side of being slightly under-explained in places. Veteran gamemasters will fill in the gaps easily, but newcomers may occasionally wish for more explicit guidance. This feels intentional. Dragonbane trusts the table.

Setting

The Misty Vale setting provides just enough context to anchor play without overwhelming it. It is functional rather than exhaustive, offering locations, factions, and adventure hooks rather than a dense metaplot. This makes Dragonbane especially suitable for referees who prefer to build outward from play rather than absorb a setting bible before starting.

Compared to D&D’s Forgotten Realms or RuneQuest’s Glorantha, this is a much lighter touch. That may disappoint lore-focused players, but from a usability standpoint it makes the game easier to adopt and adapt.

You could easily create your own setting for this game or drop it into an existing one. I think that flexibility is a key strength.

Tone and Aesthetics

Dragonbane’s art direction is worth noting, not because it is flashy, but because it is consistent. There is a slight fairy-tale quality to the visuals, softened by humor (yes, including the infamous mallards), but it never collapses into parody. The tone remains grounded enough to support serious play, even when the aesthetic leans whimsical.

From a design history perspective, this places Dragonbane closer to early European fantasy RPG traditions than to modern epic fantasy branding, which makes sense given its origins.

The result is a game that looks both new and old at the same time. It feels distinctly European in presentation and sensibility.

The result is a great-looking game that looks new and old at the same time. It looks European to me. 

Where It Fits for Me

Dragonbane does not threaten D&D’s place in my gaming life. D&D occupies a different conceptual space: broader genre reach, stronger character archetypes, and decades of accumulated expectations. Dragonbane is not trying to compete there.

Where it does shine is as a cleaner, faster alternative to RuneQuest and similar systems. It delivers many of the same benefits—skills over classes, grounded combat, emergent narrative—without the overhead that sometimes makes those games harder to get to the table.

In that sense, Dragonbane succeeds not by innovation, but by refinement.

RuneQuest is wonderful. I love it. But Dragonbane does what I often want RuneQuest to do, with fewer rules and a lower bar for entry.

Dragonbane vs RuneQuest vs BRP

At a mechanical and philosophical level, Dragonbane, RuneQuest, and Basic Role-Playing all share a common DNA in skill-based resolution and grounded, consequence-driven play. Where they diverge is in density and expectation. BRP functions best as a toolkit, offering maximum flexibility at the cost of referee labor and system mastery. RuneQuest, particularly in its Glorantha-centric forms, layers that toolkit with extensive cultural, religious, and mythic structures, resulting in a rich but demanding play experience. Dragonbane deliberately strips this complexity back, favoring speed, clarity, and approachability while preserving the core logic of skill-based play.

Nearly Final Assessment

Dragonbane is a well-considered fantasy RPG with a clear design goal and the discipline to stick to it. It is accessible without being shallow, traditional without being dated, and complete without being bloated.

It may not become the center of my gaming ecosystem, but it has earned a permanent place on my shelf, and more importantly, at my table when I want something thoughtful, grounded, and efficient.

That alone makes it worth serious consideration.

As I mentioned when I first picked this up, I need to create a Mallard wizard. I just need to figure out who he is and what he is about. I like the idea of a wandering wizard; I have not done that since I was playing Phygor. For this character, I would probably borrow ideas from RuneQuest and maybe even port him over into my D&D games. And yes, he is a wizard, not a witch.

So yeah, I certainly want to play this some more.

 It is 6:00 am here right now (give or take), and I am at work in a meeting.

Back in September, I got a new job. Similar to what I was doing before, but this time working directly with a University. In fact, I just got a new assignment today to graph various time series in Python. My language of choice for this was SAS or SPSS. Looks like I am getting more Python lessons for Christmas!

So...that means some of my plans for 2026 are getting moved. I wanted to dedicate the year to Sci-Fi games to correspond with the 60th Anniversary of Star Trek. But I didn't finish all the things I wanted to do with Fantasy this year. 

My plan now is to keep going with Fantasy. I like doing Sci-Fi in June, so I might still do some then, and I would love to do something in September for Trek. I have been playing more AD&D 1st edition again; my D&D 5 is on hold for now. 

I do have some plans for posts and potential publications. But right now I am not promising much. I mean I am at work on Christmas eve at 6am and I still have 2 more meetings after this! I am happy for the work (and the pay!), but free time is not something I will have a lot of in 2026.

Ah, well, I don't want to complain. 

Have a great Christmas, everyone!

It has been a little over 25 years since The Hex Girls first appeared in Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost, and I’m still comfortable saying this out loud: they are the coolest thing Scooby-Doo ever did, by accident or otherwise.

While I am sure I watched “Dark Shadows” before Scooby-Doo, there is no doubt that my desire to put horror into all my games, or at least the trappings of horror, comes from Scooby-Doo.

Scooby-Doo has always flirted with horror aesthetics, but the Hex Girls went further. They weren’t jokes, they weren’t villains in disguise, and they weren’t watered-down “spooky” window dressing. Thorn, Dusk, and Luna were confident, stylish, openly witchy, and most importantly, utterly uninterested in apologizing for any of it. In 1999, that was rare, especially in a cartoon aimed at kids.

What still impresses me is how unforced it all felt. The Hex Girls weren’t parody goths or moral lessons. They were just… cool. Musical witches who leaned into the aesthetic without winking at the audience. Scooby-Doo didn’t mock them, didn’t explain them away, and didn’t try to soften them. It simply let them exist, and that trust is probably why they stuck.

A lot of spooky or “dark” characters from that era feel dated now. The Hex Girls don’t. If anything, they feel more modern than many characters that came after them.

Fourteen Years of Writing About the Hex Girls (and Why I Keep Coming Back...and So Do You)

Today is also a quieter anniversary for me. It’s been 14 years to the day since the Hex Girls first appeared on The Other Side. I didn’t plan that kind of long-term relationship with a cartoon band, but here we are.

Looking back at those early posts from 2009 and 2010, what strikes me is how little my core reaction has changed. I liked them then for the same reason I like them now. They sit at a very particular crossroads of things I’ve always been interested in: witches, outsider magic, gothic aesthetics, and female characters who are defined by agency rather than trauma or redemption arcs.

Over the years, my writing has expanded outward. But the Hex Girls never stopped feeling relevant to that conversation. They weren’t just a phase or a nostalgic bookmark. They were an early example of something that would keep echoing through my work: witches as protagonists, not warnings.

That’s probably why I keep circling back to them. Not because they’re “retro,” but because they still work. They still feel honest. And in a media landscape that keeps rediscovering and rebranding “spooky girls,” the Hex Girls remain refreshingly uninterested in reinvention.

Some characters fade into nostalgia.

The Hex Girls moved in, lit some candles, and stayed.

And to be perfectly honest, you all keep coming back as well. My Hex Girl posts are some of the most frequented posts here. Hell, whole blocks of text I have written here have been used elsewhere and declared “canon” by others. 

The Hex Girls for AD&D 1st Edition

The Hex Girls are a great test case for me. That is, how can I do “bards” without resorting to the Bard class, and how can I do “witch” without creating a new witch class? Sure, I could port one of my Basic witches over, or even use one of the dozen or so witches I have laying around here. But let's go with Rule As Written for right now...well, I am going to add one thing.

The Hex Girls are a Coven in all but name. Though they do call each other “sister.”

Thorn

3rd-level human Cleric, Chaotic Good

Secondary Skill: Performer*

S: 10
I: 14
W: 16
D: 12
C: 12
Ch: 17

Paralysis/Poison: 10
Petrify/Polymorph: 13
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 14
Breath Weapon: 16
Spells: 15

AC: 8 (Ring of Protection +2)
HP: 11
THAC0: 20

Weapon
Dagger 1d4/1d3

Spells (Cleric)
First level: Bless, Faerie Fire, Light, Remove Fear
Second level: Hold Person, Speak with Animals, Resist Fire

Thorn is the leader of the group, the main singer and lute player, and the most spiritual of the group. The rings the girls wear are a gift from her grandmother.

I wanted her to be a druid (better fit) but I also wanted her Chaotic Good.

Luna
2nd-level human Magic-user, Chaotic Good

Secondary Skill: Performer

S: 11
I: 16
W: 15
D: 14
C: 12
Ch: 17

Paralysis/Poison: 14
Petrify/Polymorph: 13
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 11
Breath Weapon: 15
Spells: 12

AC: 9 (Ring of Protection +1)
HP: 5
THAC0: 20

Weapon
Dagger 1d4/1d3

Spells (Magic-user)
First level: Dancing Lights, Comprehend Languages

In the Scooby-doo universe Luna plays the keyboards; here she plays a harp. Though there are harpsichords and spinets. She can play those as well. 

She is a Magic-user since I always see her as the “smart one.” Her spells are mainly to help with performances.

Dusk
2nd-level human Illusionist, Chaotic Good

Secondary Skill: Performer

S: 13
I: 16
W: 12
D: 16
C: 14
Ch: 15

Paralysis/Poison: 14
Petrify/Polymorph: 13
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 11
Breath Weapon: 15
Spells: 12

AC: 7 (Dex, Ring of Protection +2)
HP: 7
THAC0: 20

Weapon
Dagger 1d4/1d3

Spells (Illusionist)
First level: Audible Glammer, Color Spray

Dusk is our drummer. She remains largely the same. I gave her the Illusionist class since I feel she would be good at it and like Luna, her spells aid in the performances.

My one cheat is the Secondary Skill: Performer entry. This assumes the girls had musical training before taking up their class. This fits with AD&D 1st ed, allows me to fill the role of “bard” without getting bogged down in AD&D's bard class. 

If I were to do them for D&D 5th Edition, each would have a level or so of Bard before branching off to other classes. 

Links

Mine

• Scooby Doo Day: Hex Girls and Earth-27
• Here’s to Us: Hex Girls and Special Guest…
• Dark Places and Demogorgons
• Those Meddling Kids
• Cortex: Hex Girls 
• New: Hex Girls! 
• Hex Girls Season 2 for Cartoon Action Hour 
• Hex Girls 

Other Links

• Wikipedia
• The Witch's Ghost
• Hex Girls, Scoobypedia
• Hex Girls (Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated), Scoobypedia
• Visual Evolution of the Hex Girls, Reddit

I love that Reddit link; the girls were initially named Serena, Sabrina, and Samantha. All witches. And Samantha/Dusk looked really cool. And the less we talk about the “Velma” versions the better.

Growing up, I wanted to be an astrophysicist. My "wall" came in the form of Calculus II. While I am good at math, this one broke me. Which is ok, because by the time I was failing that class, I had discovered that I was also really, really good with computers and psychology.  

I mention this because every so often in writing about witches, astrology comes up. I am not going to get into why astrology is completely bogus here. No point. I am at least going to recognize how it can or at least could be used in my Occult D&D idea. That's a future post to be sure.

Since today is December 22, the Winter Solstice, it also marks the day that the sun enters Capricorn, for both Astronomy and Astrology.

Image by Alexa from PixabayCAPRICORN (Sea-Goat)

FREQUENCY: Rare
NO. APPEARING: 1–4
ARMOR CLASS: 6
MOVE: 12" (land), 15" (swim)
HIT DICE: 3+2
% IN LAIR: 25%
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1–4 / 1–6 (horns, bite)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Butt
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Animal (1)
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: M (6' long)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
XP VALUE: 95 + 4/hp

The Capricorn is a curious hybrid creature with the forequarters of a mountain goat and the hindquarters of a powerful fish or dolphin-like tail. It is equally at home scrambling across seaside cliffs or diving into deep, cold waters. Most are wary but not aggressive unless threatened or defending young.

A Capricorn fights with horned head-butts and snapping bites. If charging downhill or from a rocky ledge, it may butt for double damage on its first successful attack.

Capricorns dwell along rugged coastlines, sea cliffs, and cold island chains. They are usually encountered alone or in small family pods. Sailors consider sightings of mundane Capricorns a sign of harsh weather ahead.

--

Good, but I can go more occult with this. Maybe something more akin to a Witch or Warlock patron.

CAPRICORN
The Sea-Goat, Warden of the Deep Winter, Keeper of the Long Path (Zodiac Patron)

FREQUENCY: Unique
NO. APPEARING: 1 (never encountered accidentally)
ARMOR CLASS: 2
MOVE: 15" (land), 18" (swim)
HIT DICE: 10+5
% IN LAIR: 75%
TREASURE TYPE: H, S, plus occult knowledge
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2–8 / 2–8 / 2–12 (horns, hooves, tidal bite)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Crushing Tide, Inevitable Charge, Binding Oath
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Cold immunity, fate ward, patron’s reserve
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 30%
INTELLIGENCE: Very High (16)
ALIGNMENT: Lawful Neutral
SIZE: L (12' long)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
XP VALUE: 6,500+

Capricorn is not merely a celestial beast, but a cosmic office. It is the embodiment of endurance, sacrifice, patience, and the cruel mercy of time. Where other patrons tempt, seduce, or inspire, Capricorn tests.

Witches who invoke Capricorn do not gain easy power. They gain lasting power, earned through restraint, discipline, and acceptance of loss.

Capricorn favors witches who:

• Endure long trials
• Keep oaths even when inconvenient
• Accept isolation, exile, or slow ascension
• Practice winter magic, sea magic, fate magic, or Saturnine rites

Special Abilities

Crushing Tide

Once every 3 rounds, Capricorn may unleash a roaring surge of astral seawater in a 30-foot cone. Damage is 3d6, save vs. breath weapon for half. Creatures failing their save must also save vs. paralysis or be knocked prone.

Symbolically, this represents the slow but unstoppable force of time and consequence.

Inevitable Charge

When Capricorn charges, the target must save vs. paralysis or suffer double horn damage and be driven back 10 feet. Magical movement, haste, or teleportation does not negate this unless it explicitly alters fate or time.

Binding Oath

Once per day, Capricorn may bind a creature or witch to an oath spoken aloud in its presence.

The target must save vs. spells or be bound.

Breaking the oath inflicts a cumulative curse.

• First violation: –1 to all rolls for 24 hours
• Second violation: –2 and loss of spellcasting for 1 day
• Third violation: permanent –1 Constitution until atonement

A witch bound by Capricorn’s oath always knows when they are about to break it.

Fate Ward

Once per day, Capricorn may negate a spell or magical effect directed at it, as if the event never occurred. This is not dispelling, but retroactive inevitability.

Patron’s Reserve

Capricorn never grants spells freely. Instead, it may store power for its witches.

During the month of Capricorn, a Zodiac-patron sworn witch (one of the following):

• Delay the effects of exhaustion, aging, or curse for 1d6 days
• Automatically succeed on one saving throw related to cold, water, fear, or time
• Treat a failed divination as a partial success

This reserve cannot be used impulsively. The witch must declare its use before rolling.

Witch Patron Benefits

Witches sworn to Capricorn often gain access to:

• Winter and water Occult spells
• Binding, curse, and endurance magic
• Resistance to cold and fatigue at higher levels
• Reduced penalties for aging or long-term magical strain

--

I will likely have more ideas. Kudos to my wife for helping come up with all of this while we were watching "The Secret of Oak Island."  This is their year to find the treasure!

I will try to do these for every sign. Yeah, you would need to revise them to fit your world, but that should be easy. Plus I am no expert on astrology, it was antithetical to my desire to be an astrophysicist, so if I get something wrong, well...it happens.

Here is the last batch! I'll update my Witch Links page with all of these.

  

Tales of the Grotesque and Dungeonesque

Magic Summary for Beyond the Wall
https://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2015/02/magic-summary-for-beyond-wall.html

The Other Boleyn Witch
https://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-other-boleyn-witch.html

Let's Loot the Witch's House!
https://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2016/01/lets-loot-witchs-house.html

Go See The Witch
https://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2016/02/go-see-witch.html

So, You Saw The Witch...
https://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2016/03/so-you-saw-witch.html

The Last Apprentice and 5e D&D
https://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-last-apprentice-and-5e-d.html

The Witch Queen of the Black Numenoreans
https://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-witch-queen-of-black-numenoreans.html

The Witch's Guest
https://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2017/07/the-witchs-guest.html

Total Skull, October 2017
https://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2017/11/total-skull-october-2017.html

Conjure Wife
https://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2019/10/conjure-wife.html

Origins of the Witch, The Gothic's Cruel Optimism, the Shadow Over Lovecraft
https://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2021/10/origins-of-witch-gothics-cruel-optimism.html

Sepulchre of the Swamp Witch
https://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2022/12/sepulchre-of-swamp-witch.html

Sigil Fires and Witch Wards
https://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2024/07/sigil-fired-and-witch-wards.html

Tenkar's Tavern

Some Thoughts on Mundane Magic
http://www.tenkarstavern.com/2018/11/some-thoughts-on-mundane-magic.html

These Old Games

52 Weeks of Magic - Item 29 - The Witch's Staff
http://www.theseoldgames.com/2019/10/52-weeks-of-magic-item-29-witchs-staff.html

Meet The New Antagonists - The Coven of Ash
https://www.theseoldgames.com/2019/12/meet-new-antagonists-coven-of-ash.html

The Skin Wolf Golem
https://www.theseoldgames.com/2020/03/the-skin-wolf-golem.html

OSR OCD. Witches Brew
https://www.theseoldgames.com/2020/09/osr-ocd-witches-brew.html

Throne of Salt

Class: Book Club Witches
http://throneofsalt.blogspot.com/2018/11/class-book-club-witches.html

Tower of the Archmage

New magic Item: Summoner's Candles
http://towerofthearchmage.blogspot.com/2014/03/new-magic-item-summoners-candles.html

New Monster: Fear Gorta
http://towerofthearchmage.blogspot.com/2014/03/new-monster-fear-gorta.html

New Magic Item: Mask of the Witchdoctor
http://towerofthearchmage.blogspot.com/2013/11/new-magic-item-mask-of-witchdoctor.html

The Witching Hour Approaches! Witch of the Deep
http://towerofthearchmage.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-witching-hour-approaches.html

5e New Spell: New Skin
http://towerofthearchmage.blogspot.com/2015/10/5e-new-spell-new-skin.html

Tribality

The Warlock Class
http://www.tribality.com/2016/10/20/the-warlock-class-part-zero/

Monster Lab: Frost Witch Queen for D&D 5e
http://www.tribality.com/2017/02/17/monster-lab-frost-witch-queen-for-dd-5e/

Trollish Delver

1d20 things in a witch's hovel
http://www.trollishdelver.com/2017/05/1d20-things-in-witchs-hovel.html

The Three Witches of the Dreadoak
http://www.trollishdelver.com/2018/07/the-three-witches-of-dreadoak.html

Witch bottle for Romance of the Perilous Land
http://www.trollishdelver.com/2021/09/witch-bottle-for-romance-of-perilous.html

Ultanya

Cauldron of the Witch
http://www.ultanya.com/2014/10/cauldron-of-witch.html

The Yule Cat
https://www.ultanya.com/2014/12/the-yule-cat.html

The Witch's Bookshelf
http://www.ultanya.com/2015/10/the-witchs-bookshelf.html

Wretched, Awful Things...

The Sixty Quirks of Witches and their Ilk
http://newfeierland.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-sixty-quirks-of-witches-and-their.html

What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse

Endless Quest Crimson Crystal Adventure #4: Stop That Witch!
https://lordgwydion.blogspot.com/2010/11/endless-quest-crimson-crystal-adventure.html

Beast of the Week: Witch
http://lordgwydion.blogspot.com/2012/11/beast-of-week-witch.html

Beast of the Week: Spearfinger
https://lordgwydion.blogspot.com/2012/02/beast-of-week-spearfinger.html

Wrath of Zombie's Blog

Hubris Player Classes- Witch
https://wrathofzombie.wordpress.com/2013/01/25/hubris-player-classes-witch/

The Blood Witch- A DCC class
https://wrathofzombie.wordpress.com/2014/07/18/the-blood-witch-a-dcc-class/

The Occult Slayer (Witch Hunter)- a 5e Fighter Martial Archetype
http://wrathofzombie.wordpress.com/2014/11/25/the-occult-slayer-witch-hunter-a-5e-fighter-martial-archetype/

The Bog Witch- A Terrible Creature Found in the Hubris Bogwood Swamp
http://wrathofzombie.wordpress.com/2015/01/03/the-bog-witch-a-terrible-creature-found-in-the-hubris-bogwood-swamp/

The Abhorrent Creature- The Witch/Warlock! An Enemy For Barbarians of the Ruined Earth
https://wrathofzombie.wordpress.com/2017/04/13/the-abhorrent-creature-the-witchwarlock-an-enemy-for-barbarians-of-the-ruined-earth/

Writeups.org
All of these are for DC Heroes Role-Playing Game

Tara Maclay (!) but sadly no Willow
https://www.writeups.org/tara-maclay-amber-benson-buffy-vampire-slayer/

Thelma Bates (HƎX)
https://www.writeups.org/thelma-bates-lesbian-ghost-hex-rooper/

Bavmorda
https://www.writeups.org/bavmorda-willow-witch-movie/

The Charmed Ones
Prue, https://www.writeups.org/shannen-doherty-charmed-prue-halliwell/
Piper, https://www.writeups.org/piper-halliwell-charmed-holly-marie-combs/
Phoebe, https://www.writeups.org/charmed-alyssa-milano-phoebe-halliwell/
Melinda Warren, https://www.writeups.org/melinda-warren-charmed-witch/

John Constantine
https://www.writeups.org/john-constantine-hellblazer-dc-vertigo-comics/

Elvira, mistress of the dark
https://www.writeups.org/elvira-mistress-of-the-dark/

Evil-Lyn (Masters of the Universe cartoons) 
https://www.writeups.org/evil-lyn-masters-universe-cartoon/

Hecate (Ms. Marvel character)
https://www.writeups.org/hecate-ms-marvel-comics/

Jadis the White Witch
https://www.writeups.org/narnia-tilda-swinton-jadis-white-witch/

Morgana the Witch
https://www.writeups.org/morgana-the-witch-wonder-woman-dc-comics/

Samantha Stephens
https://www.writeups.org/bewitched-samantha-stephens-elizabeth-montgomery/

Ursula the sea witch
https://www.writeups.org/ursula-witch-little-mermaid-disney/

Woman aka Witch (Hawk the Slayer)
https://www.writeups.org/woman-witch-hawk-the-slayer-movie-1980/

Wonder Woman
https://www.writeups.org/wonder-woman-diana-dc-comics-old/

Zenopus Archives
(*The* place for Holmes information)

35 years ago this month (Mar 77)
https://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2012/03/35-years-ago-this-month-mar-77.html

Part 4: "...And a Half-Human, Half-Serpent Naga"
https://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2013/11/part-4-and-half-human-half-serpent-naga.html

Part 55: Summary of Changes (Holmes Manuscript)
https://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2016/05/part-55-summary-of-changes.html

And that is all! For now anyway.

 A few more today. As always, let me know if I missed yours.

Of Dice and Dragons

Welcome to the Witch’s Brew
https://ofdiceanddragons.com/welcome-to-the-witchs-brew/

OSR Grimoire

Holmes Expanded: Character Classes
https://osrgrimoire.blogspot.com/2021/01/holmes-expanded-character-classes.html

Holmes Expanded: The Witch
https://osrgrimoire.blogspot.com/2021/01/holmes-expanded-witch.html

B5: Horror on the Hill
https://osrgrimoire.blogspot.com/2022/10/b5-horror-on-hill.html

The OSR Library

Folkloric and Infernal Magic Options (OSR)
http://theosrlibrary.blogspot.com/2014/10/folkloric-and-infernal-magic-options-osr.html

The Witch Class (S&W / OSR) The Traditional Evil Witch archetype.
http://theosrlibrary.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-witch-class-s-osr-traditional-evil.html

The Magician Class (OSR)
https://theosrlibrary.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-magician-class-osr.html

OSR Pirate/Renaissance and Colonial Classes. Magician, Sorcerer, Witch
https://theosrlibrary.blogspot.com/2018/07/osr-piraterenaissance-and-colonial_94.html

Owl’s Guide to Witches

Guide for Pathfinder Witches
https://feeneygames.github.io/PFGuideArchive/archive/Owl%E2%80%99s%20Witch%20Guide/OwlsWitchGuide.html

The Piazza

Witch Class
https://www.thepiazza.org.uk/bb/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=26878

The PorPor Books Blog: SF and Fantasy Books 1968 - 1988

Book Review: Hecate's Cauldron
https://theporporbooksblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/book-review-hecates-cauldron.html

The Witch Queen of Acheron
https://theporporbooksblog.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-witch-queen-of-acheron.html

Book Review: Silverglass
https://theporporbooksblog.blogspot.com/2019/06/book-review-silverglass.html

Magician by Robert Holdstock and Malcolm Edwards
https://theporporbooksblog.blogspot.com/2023/05/magician-by-robert-holdstock-and.html

Power Score RPG

Baba Yaga's Hut
http://thecampaign20xx.blogspot.com/search?q=baba+yaga

Dungeons & Dragons - The Baatorians, the Original Denizens of Hell
https://thecampaign20xx.blogspot.com/2017/01/dungeons-dragons-baatorians-original.html

Dungeons & Dragons - A Guide to the Demonomicon of Iggwilv
https://thecampaign20xx.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-demonomicon-of-iggwilv.html

Dungeons & Dragons - A Guide to Tasha
https://thecampaign20xx.blogspot.com/2016/06/dungeons-dragons-guide-to-iggwilv-witch.html

Prismatic Wasteland

Familiars: A Witch’s Best Friend
https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/familiars-a-witchs-best-friend

Quag Keep

The Quintessential Witch D20, Death Curse
https://quagkeep.blogspot.com/2011/07/quintessential-witch-d20-death-curse.html

B5 Horror on the Hill
https://quagkeep.blogspot.com/2012/04/b5-horror-on-hill.html

The Hamlet of Thumble
https://quagkeep.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-hamlet-of-thumble.html

Judges Guild: Witches Court Marshes
https://quagkeep.blogspot.com/2017/12/judges-guild-witches-court-marshes.html

Role Aids: Witches
https://quagkeep.blogspot.com/2019/02/role-aids-witches.html

Quest of the Ancients
https://quagkeep.blogspot.com/2019/01/quest-of-ancients.html

Saga of the Witch Queen
https://quagkeep.blogspot.com/2019/07/saga-of-witch-queen.html

Way of the Witch
https://quagkeep.blogspot.com/2022/08/way-of-witch.html

FOR6: The Seven Sisters (1995)
https://quagkeep.blogspot.com/2025/01/for6-seven-sisters-1995.html

Witch Hunt (1983)
https://quagkeep.blogspot.com/2025/02/witch-hunt-1983.html

Rachel Bonuses

Comparative OSR Witchcraft
https://rachelghoulgamestuff.blogspot.com/2013/05/comparative-osr-witchcraft.html

Fey-touched Background for 5e
http://rachelghoulgamestuff.blogspot.com/2014/08/in-which-5e-background-is-introduced.html

The sorcerer, draft 3
https://rachelghoulgamestuff.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-sorcerer-draft-3.html

Raven Crowking's Nest

Patrons & Projects II: A Sample (Hecate)
https://ravencrowking.blogspot.com/2012/07/patrons-projects-ii-sample.html

The Time of the Oath
http://ravencrowking.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-time-of-oath.html

Helloween: Better Than Raw - Charity Desire
http://ravencrowking.blogspot.com/2018/10/helloween-better-than-raw.html

Realms of Chirak

B/X D&D Month XIV: Terragia, the Witch of Galitath
http://realmsofchirak.blogspot.com/2014/04/bx-d-month-xiv-terragia-witch-of.html

The Witch of Galitath for Magic World
https://realmsofchirak.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-witch-of-galitath-for-magic-world.html

Sages of Greyhawk (Facebook)

Iggwilv, the Witch-Queen of Perrenland
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1471065309863986/permalink/1760909524212895

Save Versus All Wands

Witches in Early D&D
http://saveversusallwands.blogspot.com/2017/11/witches-in-early-d.html

What is Book of Spells? Part 1: Magic-Users
https://saveversusallwands.blogspot.com/2017/10/what-is-book-of-spells-part-1-magic.html

Book of Spells for Zylarthen Released!
https://saveversusallwands.blogspot.com/2017/10/book-of-spells-for-zylarthen-released.html

Save Vs. Dragons

A-to-Z Challenge, V: Vulbat (New Oe/BX/1E Monster)
https://savevsdragon.blogspot.com/2012/04/to-z-challenge-v-vulbat-new-oebx1e.html

A-to-Z Blogging Challenge Day 1: Atanuwe's Feast Day
https://savevsdragon.blogspot.com/2015/04/a-to-z-blogging-challenge-day-1.html

Sea of Stars RPG

Review – Once Upon A Time: A Guide to Fairy Tales (for Pathfinder)
https://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/2011/07/24/review-once-upon-a-time-a-guide-to-fairy-tales-for-pathfinder/

New Spells – Fever Chain of Spells
https://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/2011/09/27/new-spells-fever-chain-of-spells/

Review – #1 with a Bullet Point: 5 Magic Witch’s Daggers
https://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/2011/12/10/review-1-with-a-bullet-point-5-magic-witchs-daggers/

May RPG Blog Carnival Review – Occult Mysteries and Magic
https://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/2017/05/31/may-rpg-blog-carnival-review-occult-mysteries-and-magic/

Adventure Report – Storybooks and Witches
https://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/2020/03/17/adventure-report-storybooks-and-witches/

Tuesday Magic Item – Solstice Wand
https://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/2021/12/22/tuesday-magic-item-solstice-wand/

Gwestrya, Hedge Witch (Petrichor 365)
https://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/2023/05/18/gwestrya-hedge-witch-petrichor-365/

Tuesday Magic Item – Witch Wand
https://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/2025/04/22/tuesday-magic-item-witch-wand/

Steve's Gamer Blog

Witches & Warlocks (4e)
http://stevesgamerblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/witches-warlocks.html

Scarecrows Part 1 and Part 2
 - https://stevesgamerblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/building-scarecrows-part-1.html
 - https://stevesgamerblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/building-scarecrows-part-2.html

The Witch Preview (Heroes of the Feywild)
https://stevesgamerblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/witch-preview-heroes-of-feywild.html

Heroes of the Feywild Preview: Pixie and Witch
http://stevesgamerblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/heroes-of-feywild-preview-pixie-and.html

Strange Magic

Weekend Edition: Palace of the Vampire Queen
http://strangemagic.robertsongames.com/2010/10/weekend-edition-palace-of-vampire-queen.html

Witch for B/X D&D
http://strangemagic.robertsongames.com/2012/03/witch-for-bx-d.html

Split Classes in B/X D&D
http://strangemagic.robertsongames.com/2012/03/split-classes-in-bx-d.html

Bene Gesserit for B/X D&D
http://strangemagic.robertsongames.com/2012/09/bene-gesserit-for-bx-d.html

Sunken Castles, Evil Poodles Wiki

Witch and Witchcraft tales (from Germany)
https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/Category:Witch

Sword & Shield

Compleat Spell Caster
https://swordandshieldrpg.blogspot.com/2012/06/compleat-spell-caster.html

Last batch tomorrow!

 A lot more links today, and some more still to come.

At this point, I am sure I have some links, so let me know if yours should be in this collection.

Halls of the Nephilim

The Mask of Satan
https://punverse.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-mask-of-satan.html

M is for Mask
https://punverse.blogspot.com/2014/04/m-is-for-mask.html

The Cloak of Feathers (DCC)
https://punverse.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-cloak-of-feathers-dcc.html

Kole, Witch of the Wild
http://punverse.blogspot.com/2014/06/kole-witch-of-wild-basic.html

Succubus Sundays
http://punverse.blogspot.com/search/label/Succubus%20Sunday

Scarecrows for D&D 5
http://punverse.blogspot.com/2014/09/autumnal-equinox.html

I Cast Light!

EYE OF NEWT AND A DASH OF STARDUST: Ingredients for Fairy Tale Adventures
https://icastlight.blogspot.com/2025/01/eye-of-newt-and-dash-of-stardust.html

I Don't Remember That Move

The Batterwitch(es)
https://rememberdismove.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-batterwitches.html

Witch Generator
https://rememberdismove.blogspot.com/2015/05/witch-generator.html

a peeper deeper, Ready to Harvest the Witch's Garden
http://rememberdismove.blogspot.com/2019/10/a-peeper-deeper.html

In Place's Deep

Serve the Master!
http://inplacesdeep.blogspot.com/2014/11/serve-master.html

The Witch (Rough Draft)

http://inplacesdeep.blogspot.com/2010/10/witch-rough-draft.html

Internet Sacred Texts Archive

https://www.sacred-texts.com/

Jaron's RANTs and RAVEs

[DND] Character Concept - WAR D&D: Witch Elf
http://jaron95.blogspot.com/2010/03/dnd-character-concept-war-d-witch-elf.html
Based on the WoW Witch Elf, they a close to what I would call a War Witch.

Jeff's Gameblog

The Ink Witches
http://jrients.blogspot.com/2017/08/the-ink-witches.html

Land of Nod

The Old Mage's Almanac - Spells of Voice
http://matt-landofnod.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-old-mages-almanac-spells-of-voice.html

Le Chaudron Chromatique (The chromatic cauldron)

Goblin Enchantress (with shaman and retinue)
http://chaudronchromatique.blogspot.com/2014/10/goblin-enchantress-with-shaman-and.html

The Lizard Man Diaries

Star Witch Class for White Star
http://lizardmandiaries.blogspot.com/2016/02/star-witch-class-white-star.html

Mad Gaming Madness

Fantastic Friday: Witch Class in D&D

• Part 1, https://madgamingmadness.blogspot.com/2021/03/fantastic-friday-witch-class-in-d-part-1.html
• Part 2, https://madgamingmadness.blogspot.com/2021/03/fantastic-friday-witch-class-in-d-part-2.html
• Part 3, https://madgamingmadness.blogspot.com/2021/03/fantastic-friday-witch-class-in-d-part-3.html
• Part 4, https://madgamingmadness.blogspot.com/2021/04/fantastic-friday-witch-class-in-d-part-4.html
• Addendum, http://madgamingmadness.blogspot.com/2021/10/fantastic-friday-witch-class-in-d.html

Monster Brains

Art site with lots of great old art featuring witches, demons, ghosts, and other monsters.

Witches In Woodcuts
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2007/03/blog-post.html

Rosaleen Norton
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2007/08/rosaleen-norton-australian-occultist.html

Compendium Of Magic And Demonology, 1775
http://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2014/12/compendium-of-magic-and-demonology-1775.html

Cornelis Saftleven - Drawings of Demons, 17th Century
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2015/01/cornelis-saftleven-drawings-of-demons.html

Leonard Baskin - Imps, Demons, Hobgoblins, Witches, Fairies and Elves, 1984
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2015/01/leonard-baskin-imps-demons-hobgoblins.html

Cornelis van Jacob - Saul and the Witch of Endor, 1526
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2015/01/cornelis-van-jacob-saul-and-witch-of.html

Illustrations from Walt McDougall’s Good Stories for Children, 1902-05
Check out the "carrion crawler" from 1902!
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2015/11/illustrations-from-walt-mcdougalls-good.html

John D Batten
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2016/01/john-d-batten.html

Norman Lindsay (1879 – 1969)
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2016/08/norman-lindsay.html

Paul Ranson (1864-1909)
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2016/12/paul-ranson-1864-1909.html

Frans Francken the Younger (1581 - 1642)
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2017/08/frans-francken-younger-1581-1642.html

Reggie Oliver - The Hauntings at Tankerton Park
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2017/03/reggie-oliver-hauntings-at-tankerton.html

William Mortensen (1897-1965)
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2017/05/william-mortensen-1897-1965.html

Jaroslav Panuska (1872-1958)
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2017/04/jaroslav-panuska-1872-1958.html

Gabriel Ehinger - The Witch of Endor, 1675
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2017/07/gabriel-ehinger-witch-of-endor-1675.html

Heinrich Kley (1863 - 1945)
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2019/12/heinrich-kley-1863-1945.html

Richard Doyle (1824-1883)
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2020/02/richard-doyle-1824-1883.html

Stephen Romano Curator in Residence - Luciana Lupe Vasconcelos
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2020/05/monster-brains-stephen-romano-curator_12.html

Joannès Drevet - The Witch, 1904
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2021/01/joannes-drevet-witch-1904.html

Richard Doyle - Witches and Dragons, late 19th Century
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2021/03/richard-doyle-witches-and-dragons-late.html

Franz von Zülow - The Witch's Kitchen, Early-Mid 20th C
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2021/03/franz-von-zulow-witchs-kitchen-early.html

Valery Slauk (Belarusian, 1947 - )
https://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2021/11/valery-slauk-belarusian-1947.html

Monsters and Manuals

Witches and Warlocks
http://monstersandmanuals.blogspot.com/2016/03/witches-and-warlocks.html

Mutants & Magic

Web Witch
http://mutantsmagic.blogspot.com/2012/10/new-labyrinth-lord-monster-web-witch.html

Natures Sacred Journey

Bringing the Witch back to D&D
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/naturessacredjourney/2016/08/bringing-the-witch-back-to-dd/

Northport

Demons and Patrons in Basic Era Games
https://gwythaintny.wordpress.com/2020/01/31/demons-and-patrons-in-basic-era-games/

NUELOW Games

The Love Witch has been unleashed!
https://nuelow.blogspot.com/2016/06/the-love-witch-has-been-unleashed.html

Coming Soon: 'Secrets of the Witchkind'
https://nuelow.blogspot.com/2016/10/coming-soon-secrets-of-witchkind.html

Body Wraps of Dimension Travel
https://nuelow.blogspot.com/2017/07/heres-magic-item-for-any-game-system.html

Remains of Atlantis: The Codex of Doom (Part One)
https://nuelow.blogspot.com/2018/04/remains-of-atlantis-codex-of-doom-part.html

More of the links tomorrow.

 Here are some more links to other blogs, and the occasional message board, talking about things that interest me. Know more? Let us all know!

Dragonsfoot

Shamans / Witch Doctors and Unearthed Arcana
http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=65694

Dreams of the Lich House

Mythic Monday: The Witch
http://dreamsinthelichhouse.blogspot.com/2011/01/mythic-monday-witch.html

Any of the Gothic Greyhawk posts
http://dreamsinthelichhouse.blogspot.com/search/label/Gothic%20Greyhawk

Doomslakers!

Witch!
http://doomslakers.blogspot.com/2014/05/witch.html

Witch! (revised)
http://doomslakers.blogspot.com/2014/05/witch-revised.html

Witch (another revision)
http://doomslakers.blogspot.com/2014/06/witch-another-revision.html

Dump Stat
Deep Dive - Warlock Class
https://dumpstatadventures.com/blog/deep-dive-warlock-class

Dungeons Deep & Caverns Old
Fantasy Age Specializations - The Witch
http://dungeonsandcaverns.blogspot.com/2015/10/fantasy-age-specializations-witch.html

Elfmaids & Octopi

d100 Witches
http://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com/2014/01/d100-witches.html

The Blood Wizard Harvest  - Not really witches, but can be used as such.
http://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-blood-wizard-harvest.html

Your familiar is boring
http://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com/2015/10/your-familiar-is-boring.html

Wondering about Witchcraft
http://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com/2016/03/wondering-about-witchcraft.html

EN World

D&D 5th Edition Witch Class
http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?401243-Witch-Class

Let's talk about Witches
https://www.enworld.org/threads/lets-talk-about-witches.469321/

The Eye of Joyful Sitting Amongst Friends
I'm a DT-RPG publisher now! The Enchanter
http://joyfulsitting.blogspot.com/2015/09/im-dt-rpg-publisher-now.html

False Machine
GOBLINS GOBLINS GOBLINS
http://falsemachine.blogspot.com/2022/08/goblins-goblins-goblins.html

Flutes Loot

5e Guide to Playing a Witch
https://www.flutesloot.com/5e-guide-to-playing-a-witch/

Alchemist Artificer as a White Witch: D&D 5e Character Idea
https://www.flutesloot.com/reflavoring-the-alchemist-artificer-as-a-white-witch/

From the Sorcerer's Skull

Witches of Ix
http://sorcerersskull.blogspot.com/2014/08/witches-of-ix.html

Dark Days in Noxia
http://sorcerersskull.blogspot.com/2014/08/dark-days-in-noxia.html

The Witch Queen of Noxia
http://sorcerersskull.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-witch-queen-of-noxia.html

The Witch of the Woods
https://sorcerersskull.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-witch-of-woods.html

Giant in the Playground

Witches in D&D
https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?44145-Witches-in-D-amp-D

The Graverobber's Guide

The Witch's List (an adventure)
https://graverobbersguide.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-witchs-list-adventure.html

Design Document: Three Basic Classes
https://graverobbersguide.blogspot.com/2018/04/design-document-three-basic-classes.html

Magic as Language
https://graverobbersguide.blogspot.com/2018/07/magic-as-language.html

Wenches & Witches (d100 Carousing Table)
https://graverobbersguide.blogspot.com/2018/10/wenches-witches-d100-carousing-table.html

Greyhawk Grognard

Witch class preview: Ylfe-shot
https://www.greyhawkgrognard.com/2008/05/29/witch-class-preview-ylfe-sho/

Witch Class Preview: Evil Eye
https://www.greyhawkgrognard.com/2008/07/18/witch-class-preview-evil-eye/

Witch Preview #3: Familiar Names
https://www.greyhawkgrognard.com/2008/07/28/witch-preview-3-familiar-names/

The Witch
https://www.greyhawkgrognard.com/2011/10/17/witc/

Now Available: The Witch
https://www.greyhawkgrognard.com/2011/10/29/now-available-witc/

31 Days of Halloween: Grimoires
https://www.greyhawkgrognard.com/2015/10/08/31-days-of-halloween-grimoires/

Greyhawk Stories

Iggwilv: Mother of Witches
https://greyhawkstories.com/tales-from-the-flanaess/iggwilv-mother-of-witches/

Greyhawkery

Baba Yaga Mini (with discussion on the Baba Yaga-Iggwilv relationship)
https://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2011/08/baba-yaga-mini.html

Greyhawk Related Stuff
https://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2016/07/greyhawk-related-stuff.html

Witch Queen Iggwilv Discussion Tonight
http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2019/09/witch-queen-iggwilv-discussion-tonight.html

Tasha's Cauldron of Everything
https://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2020/11/tashas-cauldron-of-everything.html

Gothridge Manor

Game Props Part 1: Tarot Cards
http://gothridgemanor.blogspot.com/2014/09/game-props-part-1-tarot-cards.html

Developing a Twisted Plot Within an Adventure: The Weeping Witch
https://gothridgemanor.blogspot.com/2016/12/developing-twisted-plot-within-adventure.html

Hall of the Mountain King

Witches, a series of images
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/search/label/witches
http://vaultofthemountainking.blogspot.com/search/label/Witch

Inspiring Illustrations - The Witch-Queen of Yithorium
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2013/06/inspiring-illustrations-witch-queen-of.html

NPC - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - Czylle
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2018/04/npc-blackmoor-land-of-thousand-witches.html

Project - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - The Red Witch
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/04/project-blackmoor-land-of-thousand.html

Project - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - Inkeri
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/05/project-blackmoor-land-of-thousand.html

Project - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - the Sisterhood
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/05/project-blackmoor-land-of-thousand_16.html

Project - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - NPC Tuure
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/05/project-blackmoor-land-of-thousand_17.html

Project - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - NPC Eira
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/05/project-blackmoor-land-of-thousand_18.html

Project - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - The Moon Hall
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/05/project-blackmoor-land-of-thousand_22.html

Project - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - NPC Taraso Centaur-Lord
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/06/project-blackmoor-land-of-thousand.html

Project - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - Kampala Shrine of Obad-Hai
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/06/project-blackmoor-land-of-thousand_6.html

Project - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - NPC Hilja
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/10/project-blackmoor-land-of-thousand.html

Project - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - NPC Brenna
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/10/project-blackmoor-land-of-thousand_19.html

Project - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - NPC Maarika the Fallen Sister
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/10/project-blackmoor-land-of-thousand_21.html

Land of Black Ice - The Frozen Monolith - Gateway to the Plane of the Gray
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/10/land-of-black-ice-frozen-monolith.html

Project - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - Siivnna of the Reindeer People
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/12/project-blackmoor-land-of-thousand.html

NPC - Linnea Schnai Witch
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2019/12/npc-linnea-schnai-witch.html

Nation - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - Part 1
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2020/04/nation-blackmoor-land-of-thousand.html

Nation - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - Part 2
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2020/04/nation-blackmoor-land-of-thousand_8.html

Nation - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - Part 3
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2020/04/nation-blackmoor-land-of-thousand_12.html

Nation - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - Part 4
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2020/04/nation-blackmoor-land-of-thousand_19.html

Nation - Blackmoor Land of a Thousand Witches - Part 5
http://jasonzavoda-hallofthemountainking.blogspot.com/2020/05/nation-blackmoor-land-of-thousand.html

That's enough for today. More later!

 I don't just like writing about witches; I enjoy other people's effort as well. In fact, I enjoy reading something I never would have considered. I also enjoy reading material that is obviously based on the same books and sources I have read, and comes to a different result. 

As part of my desire to do more linking and interacting with other blogs, here is a list of material, posts, ideas, or random thoughts from other blogs about my favorite topics.

This list is not exhaustive and will likely take a couple or more posts.

42 Rolls of Duck Tape

Covers the Dragon Magazine adventure "The Sword of Justice" and other adventures with the involvement of the Witch Queen Kyleth.

• One Shot Session Notes, https://42ducktape.blogspot.com/2017/04/one-shot-session-notes.html
• How are we not dead yet, part 2, https://42ducktape.blogspot.com/2017/03/session-notes-2.html

A Blasted, Cratered Land

Wizards Die Messily
https://crateredland.blogspot.com/2019/12/wizards-die-messily.html

A bunch of material for GLOG, including Witches.

• The Witch (GLOG Class), https://crateredland.blogspot.com/2024/10/the-witch-glog-class.html
• Glitch Witch, https://crateredland.blogspot.com/2019/04/glitch-witch.html
• Mad Scientist (Witch Tradition), https://crateredland.blogspot.com/2019/01/mad-scientist-witch-tradition.html
• Stress, Trauma, Summoning, and the Occultist, https://crateredland.blogspot.com/2019/02/stress-trauma-summoning-and-occultist.html
• Cancer Warlock, https://crateredland.blogspot.com/2019/10/cancer-warlock.html
• Warlock Patron: the Baleful Star, https://crateredland.blogspot.com/2019/03/warlock-patron-baleful-star.html
• The Necromancer and the Cavalier, https://crateredland.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-necromancer-and-cavalier.html
• Wizard Colleges Imply Wizard Undergraduates, https://crateredland.blogspot.com/2021/06/wizard-colleges-imply-wizard.html
• GLΔG: Extra Wizard Templates, https://crateredland.blogspot.com/2021/04/glg-extra-wizard-templates.html
• The Sorcerer and Spell Mutations, https://crateredland.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-sorcerer-and-spell-mutations.html
• Mimics & Miscreants Spell List, https://crateredland.blogspot.com/2019/04/mimics-miscreants-spell-list.html
• GLOG Item Enchantment, https://crateredland.blogspot.com/2021/12/glog-item-enchantment.html

A Hamsterish Hoard of Dungeons and Dragons
Monster: Changer, Wych
http://hamsterhoard.blogspot.com/2016/01/monster-changer-wych.html

A Knight at the Opera

H Monsters at the Opera (Hags)
https://knightattheopera.blogspot.com/2024/09/h-monsters-at-opera.html

L Monsters at the Opera (Lycanthropes)
https://knightattheopera.blogspot.com/2025/08/l-monsters-at-opera.html

A Paladin in Citadel

Um, I was promised Witches?
http://apaladinincitadel.blogspot.com/2011/04/um-i-was-promised-witches.html

Adventures in Gaming v2

Magical Cat Companions
http://adventuresingaming2.blogspot.com/2015/09/magical-cat-companions.html

Alien Shores

Mirror Demon
http://knightsky-alienshores.blogspot.com/2013/10/monster-monday-mirror-demon.html

Alone in the Labyrinth

WOUNDED BIRD - Build a witch challenge
https://aloneinthelabyrinth.blogspot.com/2020/05/wounded-bird-build-witch-challenge.html#more

Ancient Vaults & Eldritch Secrets-An oldschool gaming blog….

[New Magic Item] Witch's Coin
https://ancientvaults.wordpress.com/2020/02/12/new-magic-item-witchs-coin/

Asshat Paladins

Edith the Harpy Witch
http://asshatpaladins.blogspot.com/2010/01/labyrinth-lord-npc-edith-witch.html

AV&ES - Roll those Dice!

[New Magic Item] Stone of the Crone
https://ancientvaults.wordpress.com/2017/12/12/new-magic-item-stone-of-the-crone/

[New Spell] Animal Aversion
https://ancientvaults.wordpress.com/2018/08/03/new-spell-animal-aversion/

[New Magic Item] Witch’s Coin
https://ancientvaults.wordpress.com/2020/02/12/new-magic-item-witchs-coin/

[New Spell] Let Us See The Tools Of Your Trade
https://ancientvaults.wordpress.com/2021/01/01/new-spell-let-us-see-the-tools-of-your-trade/

[New Magic Item] Spellseeking Sword
https://ancientvaults.wordpress.com/2021/08/31/new-magic-item-spellseeking-sword/

[New Magic Item] Witch’s Ring
https://ancientvaults.wordpress.com/2023/03/06/new-magic-item-witchs-ring/

[New Monster] Great Winged Wizard
https://ancientvaults.wordpress.com/2023/08/27/new-monster-great-winged-wizard/

[New Magic Item] Mask of the Witch Queen
https://ancientvaults.wordpress.com/2023/11/17/new-magic-item-mask-of-the-witch-queen/

[New Magic Item] Blood of the Witch Fish
https://ancientvaults.wordpress.com/2023/08/31/new-magic-item-blood-of-the-witch-fish/

[New Spell] Cannot Be Silent
https://ancientvaults.wordpress.com/2024/04/17/new-spell-cannot-be-silent/

[New Magic Item] Box of Gossip
https://ancientvaults.wordpress.com/2024/12/03/new-magic-item-box-of-gossip/

[New Magic Item] Ribbon of Witches
https://ancientvaults.wordpress.com/2025/10/21/new-magic-item-ribbon-of-witches/

Autocratik

Adventures in a World of Magic
http://autocratik.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/adventures-in-world-of-magic.html

Beyond the Black Gate

Baba Yaga's Hut
http://beyondtheblackgate.blogspot.com/2010/08/baba-yagas-hut.html

Hathras, City of Dreams
http://beyondtheblackgate.blogspot.com/2010/09/omegea-atlas-hathras-city-of-dreams.html

Black Gate

The Witch Bottle, or How to Catch a Witch With a Bit of Pee and Some Pins
http://www.blackgate.com/2015/04/15/the-witch-bottle-or-how-to-catch-a-witch-with-a-bit-of-pee-and-some-pins/

Built by Gods Long Forgotten

What's in the spell book of the evil wizard or sorceress?
http://builtbygodslongforgotten.blogspot.com/2015/01/what-in-spell-book-of-evil-wizard-or.html

B/X Blackrazor

The B/X Witch Class
http://bxblackrazor.blogspot.com/2011/05/bx-witch.html

Considering Witches
http://bxblackrazor.blogspot.com/2014/10/considering-witches.html

Holmes Rules: The Witch
http://bxblackrazor.blogspot.com/2015/11/holmes-rules-witch.html

Boccob's Blessed Blog

20 Pathfinder Witch Quest Ideas
https://boccobsblog.com/2019/05/17/20-pathfinder-witch-quest-ideas/

Bottomless Sarcophagus

Witches like Wizards: A customisable Witch class
https://bottomlesssarcophagus.blogspot.com/2018/10/witches-like-wizards-customisable-witch.html

Canonfire!

Witches of Greyhawk - The Coven
http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=641

The Witch
http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=709

The Witch Addendum
http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=736

Witch of the High Secret Order Prestige Class
http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=739

What use for the Witch, why not a Wizard?
http://canonfire.com/cf//modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=5137

Cirsova

Alternatives to Spell Books
https://cirsova.wordpress.com/2015/01/13/alternatives-to-spell-books/

Coins and Scrolls

OSR: Class: Witch Coven
https://coinsandscrolls.blogspot.com/2018/08/osr-class-witch-coven.html

OSR: Class: Weather Witch
https://coinsandscrolls.blogspot.com/2018/08/osr-class-weather-witch.html

Cross Planes

Witch Doves
http://crossplanes.blogspot.com/2014/04/a-to-z-challenge-w-is-for-witch-dove.html

D&D Next Witches

• Maiden, https://www.crossplanes.com/2013/02/witch-maiden-d-next.html
• Mother, https://www.crossplanes.com/2013/02/witch-mother.html
• Crone, https://www.crossplanes.com/2013/03/witch-crone-d-next.html

D&D 5th Edition: Mantle of the Kodiak
http://crossplanes.blogspot.com/2014/11/d-5th-edition-mantle-of-kodiak.html

Daddy Rolled a 1

Open Game Content: REVISED Sorcerer for B/X - Old School Essentials
https://daddyrolleda1.blogspot.com/2020/03/open-game-content-revised-sorcerer-for.html

• 1st Level Spells: https://daddyrolleda1.blogspot.com/2021/01/open-game-content-new-1st-level-bx-ose.html
• 2nd Level Spells: https://daddyrolleda1.blogspot.com/2021/01/open-game-content-new-2nd-level-bx-ose.html
• 3rd Level Spells: https://daddyrolleda1.blogspot.com/2021/02/open-game-content-new-3rd-level-bx-ose.html
• 4th Level Spells: https://daddyrolleda1.blogspot.com/2021/02/open-game-content-new-4th-level-arcane.html

Open Game Content: D12 Fairy Tale Subclasses for B/X or Old School Essentials Games
https://daddyrolleda1.blogspot.com/2020/05/open-game-content-d12-fairy-tale.html

Dangerous Brian

Zama: The Drune
http://dangerousbrian.blogspot.com/2011/04/z-of-zama-drune.html

The Houri, Part 1 and Part 2
http://dangerousbrian.blogspot.com/2010/11/new-osric-class-houri-part-i.html
http://dangerousbrian.blogspot.com/2010/11/new-character-class-houri-part-ii.html

DCC Trove of Treasures
DCC focused, but still good stuff for my games.

Angels, Daemons, and Beings Between
https://dcctreasures.blogspot.com/2016/06/angels-daemons-and-beings-between.html

Hubris: A World of Visceral Adventure
https://dcctreasures.blogspot.com/2017/05/hubris-world-of-visceral-adventure.html

Sanctum Secorum Episode #27 Companion: The King of Elfland's Daughter
https://dcctreasures.blogspot.com/2018/05/sanctum-secorum-episode-27-companion.html

The Witch of Wydfield
https://dcctreasures.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-witch-of-wydfield.html

The Disoriented RangerAnother rejected Magic Item (The Cauldron of Decadence)http://the-disoriented-ranger.blogspot.com/2015/03/another-rejected-magic-item-cauldron-of.html
I'll do some more later on!

Let me know if you have content you want to see added to my list here.

I have been very remiss at keeping up with my Fantasy Fridays. My plan was to get through a lot more games than I did. But in my defense, I have a new job.

In terms of fantasy gaming, my AD&D game with my oldest is going quite well really. In fact, one of my witch characters is taking her Secret Journey, and it has been a fantastic experience. I am not 100% sure how I can convert this into something others can use, but the first step would be to make more "generic" so any character could do it. So far I have only tried it with clerics (the original version), wizards (later on), and now witches. 

My other obsession of late has been playing D&D, BECMI and BX flavors, in Spanish.

"Playing" is too strong of a word. I have been doing a lot of (really slow) reading of materials translated by the Spanish-language D&D players online. And there is a lot. 

I had put a request out a while back for materials I can buy, which was great, but I also got a lot of links for La Marca del Este. Who have a ton of free PDFs they release of new adventures. On the bad side, many of the Spanish-language, mostly Spain-based, webstores won't ship to the United States anymore due to our tariff policies. Which, honestly, I can't argue with them about. 

My desire is to find a way to play some BECMI in Spanish. I live in the Chicago-burbs, it can't be that difficult really. Great way to learn and practice I think!

"He sees the good in everyone. I see the truth."

  I admit it, I love Superman. But if you were around here over the summer you know that. And I LOVE Supergirl. I enjoyed the 1984 movie, I loved Melissa Benoist as the CW/DCTV Supergirl. I even liked Sasha Calle as Supergirl in the Flash and Laura Vandervoort in Smallville.

But Milly Alcock? This looks like the Kara Zor-El that would have attracted a Red Lantern ring.

Based on the comic "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow" this is going to be a Supergirl dealing with the grief of loosing everyone and everything she loved.

She looks fantastic in this. Plus, Jason Momoa was born to play Lobo. There is a scene from the comic that I hope will make it into the movie. But I'll have to wait and see.

I am really looking forward to this. June feels so far away.

Aaron J Riley - WarduchessShe called herself Warduchess, and she claimed the legacy of her father without apology.

This is a bit of a different "In Search Of" since the topic, while related to the past of the D&D game, it is not actually part of it. Indeed, the furthest back this topic goes in terms of researchable material is only a scant seven years. But that doesn't mean it isn't worth some digging...and a little fun.

Today I go In Search Of...the Warduchess!

In Search Of...the Warduchess

Who is "Warduchess?" Well, the most straightforward answer to that question is she is a genderbent version of Warduke from the classic LJN toyline, and appears in the D&D BECMI product AC1 The Shady Dragon Inn.

Before we can answer who is Warduchess, maybe we should start with who is Warduke?

Who is Warduke?

As I mentioned already Warduke was/is a very popular character from the old D&D LJN toy line. He would also later have his stats printed out in The Shady Dragon Inn and more recently as a member of The League of Malevolence in "The Wild Beyond The Witchlight" for D&D 5e. Just as I am obsessed with Skylla, there are those out there just as obsessed with Warduke. The two NPCs also share a history. This will be important later. 

I described Warduke as a minor D&D celebrity. He has stats for Basic (BECMI), 3rd Edition, and 5th Edition. I bet if I dug deeper, I could find 2nd and 4th Edition stats as well. He is chaotic (BECMI) evil (3,5) and always described as a powerful fighter. The D&D Companion "Avenger" class was either made for him in mind or he was made for it. In 1984's XL-1 Quest for the Heartstone he appears again with some more backstory. He even appears on the cover with the D&D "Paladin" Strongheart. The biggest revelation is that Warduke used to be good (or at least less evil) and was friends with Strongheart!

I was introduced to the Anti-Paladin in Best of Dragon Vol. II, and I briefly considered Warduke to be an anti-paladin, but he seemed more of a brutish thug to me. I never got the appeal of the guy back then, but like I have said before, his fans look at my 40+ Skylla posts and scratch their heads.

Warduke has had, beyond a doubt, a successful D&D career over the last 42 years. Or more.

More? Yes. While the image of Warduke with his half-chain armor is cemented in everyone's mind, it wasn't his first appearance. That honor actually belongs to The Dragon Magazine #17.

That is our old pal Warduke with whom I assume to be Elvira. It looks like he has all his armor, and maybe some of hers as well. Eh, it was 1978. The Forgotten Realms wiki claims the cover artist is David Sutherland. I have no reason to doubt this.  Who ever the woman is we can gather she is some sort of spell caster. I am also putting her into the running of "the mother of Warduchess."

Naturally the question now is. Who is her mother?

Who is the Mother of Warduchess?

Much like my investigation on who the father of Drelnza was, there are some interesting choices. Lets see what we can figure out based on Warduke's published histories. 

For this thought experiment, I am only considering consensual pairings. Why? I want a Warduchess, who while very evil, looks up to her father as someone to emulate. I want a Warduke who looks at his daughter as someone worthy to control of what every domain he set up for himself, that is as long as she proves herself worthy. 

Skylla

She is my favorite choice mostly because I love the character and I can totally see her giving up a child for magical power/advantage. Plus, the Dragon #17 cover reminds me a bit of her, at least in the face. And once she got over her "Ziggy Stardust" phase.

Warduke and Skylla both have similar demon motifs on their outfits. Skyll's demon headdress is very similar to one Warduke has on his shield. So there is a connection here. Would Skylla give up her child? Sure, she is evil and if there was magical gain in it then sure. 

Raven

If I had a dime for every "Raven" I have run into...anyway. Why Raven? She is an evil cleric and she has the distinction of being in love with Warduke. Though it is often said he really doesn't want anything to do with her. Is she Warduchess' mother? Maybe. Maybe Warduke took her to wife, or consort, and she stayed at his keep and raised little Warduchess. It would explain why we never saw her again in any other product or toyline. Or she was killed. In truth, I don't see Warduchess having a maternal figure in her life. She would be (again in my mind) too dedicated to her father. I also like the idea that he raised her.

Helayne

Another woman from Warduke's past. Helayne is an evil illusionist. so she would also work fine with the Dragon #17 art. She has all the pros and cons of Raven to be honest. Other than class, there is not a lot to differentiate them, save that Raven is explicitly said to be in love with him.

Aleena

Ah, my long shot. Does every woman go through a "bad boy" phase? No. But Aleena did, and that bad boy was Warduke. One night of forbidden passion, fast forward to a couple of years and then Bargle. Warduke, learning Aleena had died, kidnaps (he says reclaims) his daughter from the temple Aleena belonged to and raised her.

Morgan Ironwolf

While not a part of Warduke's past, I don't put it past her. She is not really "good" so his evil would not be an issue. I can see her getting pregnant and leaving the child in the care of a relative, but that seems less likely. 

The only thing in her favor is that there is a mini of her with red hair, Morgan's color.

I admit, I kinda want a Warduchess who doesn't know who her mother is and is ok with that. Part of her anger stems from her sense of abandonment by her mother and her "rescue" by her father. This is one of the reasons she chooses to emulate him.

Who do you think it is? Vote below.

In Search Of...Warduchess!Warduke is her father. Who is her mother?

— Timothy S. Brannan (@timsbrannan) December 10, 2025

Who is Warduchess?

Art, custom minis, produced minis, and kitbash figures of Warduchess have been around the Internet for a while. The first ones I can find date back to at least 2018 and I am certain there are other, earlier ones. The most famous, or at least the most widely reposted, art belongs to the talented Aaron J. Riley who has done work of D&D and Magic. So that puts a veneer of authenticity to her existence in a D&D universe.  

What is my personal involvement with this character? While a few years ago (2020) I had accidentally ordered an extra set of Willow & Tara minis from HeroForge. I thought it might be a good idea to send them to a friend. In the package I mentioned, I was also putting in an extra Warduke mini I had "to protect them." My friend was a big Warduke fan. Though in my typing, I instead typed "Wardyke." To which my friend responded, "Warduke, protector of lesbians." And I responded back, "Warduchess." It kinda stuck. I am NOT claiming to made up Warduchess here, I already knew of the kitbash figure from a couple of years prior while trying to kitbash my own Skylla (didn't manage to make my own, so I just bought one).  In any case, Warduchess stuck with me.

As far as the character goes. I always assumed she was raised by her father who still had some "good" left in him to raise a daughter that idolized him. Not saying he was up for Father of the Year, mind you. He taught her to be a killer. 

Warduchess

For nearly a generation after the fall of Lord Warduke, the borderlands began to breathe again.

His fortress still brooded over the black crags like a broken tooth, but no banners flew from its towers. The warbands that once hunted beneath his sigil scattered into brigands and ghosts. Merchants dared the old roads again, first with armed caravans, then with laughter, then with children born who learned his name only as a curse muttered by grandparents.

Some whispered that Warduke had grown old.

Others claimed he had turned inward, brooding in iron solitude.

A few even dared to say he had found regret.

For a time, it seemed the age of terror had passed.

Then the Warduchess came.

They say the first village to fall thought her a masquerader. A young woman in battle-scarred armor, half-chain and demon helm, bearing the same skull sigil the old tyrant once bore. They laughed at her from the palisade. They died screaming beneath it.

Warduchess
13th level Fighter (Avenger) Female

Alignment: Chaotic

Strength: 18 (+3)
Intelligence: 11 (-)
Wisdom: 13 (+1)
Dexterity: 13 (+1)
Constitution: 16 (+2)
Charisma: 11 (-)

Poison or Death Ray: 4
Magic Wand: 5
Turn to Stone or Paralysis: 6
Dragon Breath: 7
Spells or Magic Staff: 8

AC: 1 (Chainmail +2, Demonshield +1)
HP: 77
To Hit AC 0: 11 (+3 melee, +1 ranged)

+10% xp
Detect Evil 1/round
Turn as Cleric 4
Spells as Cleric 4
  First level: Cure Light Wounds, Resist Cold
  Second level: Hold Person

Gear
Sword +2 flaming
Chainmail +2
Demonshield +1 to AC (+2 total), +1 to fire-based saves
Battle Axe +2

She wears her father's armor, and bears his shield and sword. But her new preferred weapon is a large double-bladed axe she wields in both hands. 

I wanted her to be an Avenger, to make good on the idea that Warduke had been an anti-paladin and this is the BECMI version of that. It also lends some evidence (maybe??) that her mother was Raven and she had gotten at least some clerical instruction from her at some point.

Looking forward to seeing what else I can do with her!

Links

Warduchess

• Aaron J Riley's Art
• Artstation
• Instagram
• Minis
• Effincool
• Painted
• Kitbashed Action figure

Warduke

• XL1 Quest for the Heartstone
• AC1 The Shady Dragon Inn
• Toyarchive: LJN Figure
• Wizards of the Coast: A Brief History of Warduke (Archived)
• The Other Side: Warduke

Dungeons & Dragons Fandom Wiki

• Warduke
• Raven
• Helayne
• Skylla

I have been working on monsters since the earliest days of this blog. I still intend to complete my Basic Bestiary someday. Art is the biggest issue. Editing is the other big hurdle. 

But in the meantime, here are all, as far as I can tell, the monsters I have created here, and the system I created them for.

.tg {border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:0;} .tg td{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg th{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; font-weight:normal;overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg .tg-73oq{border-color:#000000;text-align:left;vertical-align:top} Monster Basic AD&D D&D3/d20 D&D5 NightShift Unisystem Other Aglæc-wif 1 Aglæca 1 Ahrimanes, Demon Lord 1 Álfar, Dökkálfar 1 Álfar, Ljósálfar 1 Álfar, Skald 1 Allip 1 Almas 1 Alp 1 Alraune 1 Amphicyon 1 Angel, Dirae 1 Angel, Lunar 1 Ankou 1 Ape, Gargantuan 1 Apple Sprite 1 Apple Tree Man 1 Archangel, Michael 1 Astaroth 1 Astral Spider, Greater 1 Astral Spiders 1 Aswang 1 Bagman 1 Bánánach 1 Barghest 1 Basajaun 1 Bat, Olitiau 1 Berbalang 1 Bionic Bigfoot 1 Blink Bunnies 1 Blood Goblin (Hæmogoblin) 1 1 Blood Trees of Yule 1 Bluff Creek Woodwose (Bigfoot) 1 Bonnacon 1 Boo Hag 1 Brindlekin 1 1 1 Brownie, Boggart 1 Caliban 1 Camazotz 1 Cat-sìth 1 Chenoo 1 Chupacabra 1 Cimeris 1 Confessor 1 Corn Goblins 1 Cù Sìth 1 Dearg-Due 1 Death Dog 1 Demogorgon (The Creature) 1 Demon Lord Camazotz 1 Demon, Fohat 1 Demon, Gargantua 1 Demon, Leviathan 1 Demon, Prince Akelarre 1 Derro 1 Devil, Aamon 1 Devil, Buer 1 Devil, Malarea 1 Devil, Valac 1 Dird 1 Doppelgänger, Pod 1 Doppelsauger 1 Dragon, Anantanatha 1 Dragon, Bahamūt 1 Dragon, Faerie Dragon 1 Dragon, Hell Drake 1 Dragon, Lóngzihua 1 Dragon, Pseudo Dragon 1 Dragon, Purple 1 Dragon, Purple 1 Dragon, Sea 1 Dragon, Tiâmat 1 Dragon, Vritraxion 1 Dragon, Wood 1 Dragon, Zinc 1 Draugr 1 Drude 1 Duke Bartzabel 1 Dúlachán 1 Dybbuk 1 Elf, Shadow 1 Elves, Shadow 1 Estrie 1 Farkaskoldus 1 Faun 1 Fenodyree 1 Fire Nymph 1 Five Spirits of the Grimorium Verum 1 Frost Maiden 1 Galley Beggar 1 Gargantua Demons 1 Geryon 1 Ghost Lights 1 Ghost Spiders 1 Ghoul, Sand 1 Giant, Frost Undead 1 Giant, Mist 1 1 Gierach 1 Gladyolus 1 Glaistig 1 Glory Hound 1 Gnomi 1 Golem, Awakened 1 Golem, Brass 1 Golem, Snow 1 Green Martians 1 Greys (Zeta Reticulians) 1 1 1 Grimlock 1 Groundling 1 Grýla the Christmas Witch 1 Guardians of the Library 1 Gwragedd Annwn (Swan Maidens) 1 Gwragedd Annwn (swan-maidens) 1 Hag, Chaos 1 Hag, Hyrrokkin 1 Hag, Urban 1 Halfling, Trow 1 Hamingja 1 Haunted Dolls 1 Hautveränderer 1 Hell Hound 1 1 1 Heuler 1 Hippalektryon 1 Hodag 1 1 1 Horned Women 1 Hsi-Hsue-Kue 1 Iblis 1 Illinois Hominds (Bigfoot) 1 Imp of the Perverse 1 Impundulu 1 Incubus 1 Inguma 1 Initiate 1 Jack O'Lantern 1 Jackalope 1 1 Jann 1 Jigarkhwar 1 Jötunn, Inferno 1 Jötunn, Rime 1 Kelpie 1 Killer Rabbits 1 Kobold, Knockers 1 Kôkabîêl 1 Lamassu 1 Leviathan 1 Lilith 1 Lilith 1 Lilith 1 Lithobolia 1 LordʾIblīs 1 Lycanthrope, Were-Amphicyonidae 1 Mammon 1 Mastodon, Undead 1 Melinoë (Moon Nymph) 1 Melonheads 1 Memento Mori 1 Meowl 1 Merrow 1 Monster of Lake Fagua 1 Nauga Beast 1 Neh-thalggu (Brain Collector) 1 Nekojin (Catgirl) 1 Nergal 1 Nicnevin, Faerie Queen of Witches 1 Noidan Tytär (Daughters of the Crone) 1 Nøkk 1 Nosferatu 1 Nuckelavee 1 Nymph, Fire 1 Nymph, Keres 1 Ophidian 1 Ophidian, Abomination 1 Ophidian, Emissary 1 Ophidian, Lesser 1 Ophidian, Noble 1 Ophidian, Progenitor 1 Opinicus 1 Orc, Desert 1 Ördög 1 Ovegua 1 Paimon 1 Pĕnanggalan 1 Philosopher Lich 1 Philosopher Lich, Notion 1 Piasa Bird 1 Piasa Bird 1 Piasa Bird 1 Piasa Bird 1 Piasa Bird 1 Poludnitsa, Lady Midday 1 Púca 1 Pumpkin Golem 1 Pumpkin Headed Demon 1 1 Pyewacket 1 Qliphoth, Gamaliel 1 Rakshasa 1 Red Lizards 1 1 Rolang 1 Rübezahl 1 Rusalka 1 Rust Monster, Magiphagous 1 1 1 Sasquatch 1 Satan 1 Saurian (Worker, Scientist, Noble) 1 Saurian, Psionist 1 Saurian, Warrior 1 Scarecrow 1 Scarecrows 1 Schreckengeist 1 Scorpion Men 1 1 Sennentuntschi 1 Serpent Men of Lemuria 1 Shadowcat 1 Shattered Knights 1 Shattered Knights, Commander 1 Shedu 1 Skeleton, Electric 1 Soucouyant 1 Spider, Unlight 1 Star Jelly 1 Starchild 1 Street Faerie 1 Street Faeries 1 Strix 1 Tabonga 1 1 Tartalo 1 Tenatz 1 The Cailleach Bheur 1 The Monster 1 The Yule Cat 1 Thunderbird 1 Titania, Queen of Faerie 1 Troll, Cave 1 Troll, Demonic 1 1 Troll, Jötunn 1 Troll, Swamp 1 Troll, Wood 1 Trolla 1 Trollkönig (Troll King) 1 Typhon, the Thanatonic Titan 1 Ulmenfrau 1 Umbral 1 Umu 1 1 Undine 1 Upierczi 1 Utukku 1 Vampire, Children of Darkness 1 Vampire, Children of Twilight 1 1 Vampire, Eretica 1 Vrykolakas 1 Wendigo 1 1 Wendigo 1 Wendigo Matron 1 Wight, Barrow 1 Wind Wraith 1 Wine Nymphs 1 Wolf-Witch 1 Woodwose 1 Wurdalak 1 Wyrdcat 1 1 1 Xana 1 Xiāng-shī (殭屍) 1 Xing-tian 1 Yaksha 1 Yaoguai, Hóu Yaoguai 1 Yaoguai, Hǔ Yaoguai 1 Yaoguai, Niú Yaoguai 1 Yaoguai, Shé Yaoguai 1 Yaoguai, Shǔ Yaoguai 1 Yara-ma-yha-who 1 Yeti, Almas 1 Yog, The Monster from Space 1 Zburător 1 Zombie Witch 1 1 Zombie, Alchemical 1 Zombie, Drowned 1 Zsusr 1 Zugarramurdi Brujas 1 1 Zugarramurdi Brujas 1 1

I'll have to make sure I keep this updated. Maybe add it as a page.

 My wife and I re-watched all of Stranger Things last month. I had forgotten how much I really enjoyed it. It also got me thinking about my setting for NIGHT SHIFT (or any other modern horror RPG) Jackson, IL. 

One of the great things about my Jackson, IL project is I get to involve some of the best occult and weird-things investigators I know; my brothers and sisters. 

Seriously. I talk about all the monsters my mom gives me all the time and all the bad horror movies I watched with my dad. Well, think of the stuff I write and now times that by five. We have this huge discussion thread that has been going for a while now where we talk about all the weird shit that went on in the town we grew up in. Even right now they are still at it while I am typing this and trying to stay caught up. 

I'd better get some of this all down here before they provide me with another year's worth of posts.

Up first is an Urban Legend I remember as a kid. This rumor involved a small Midwest town with two smaller colleges and how an axe murderer, or serial killer, or deranged student, was going to kill some students in the girls dorm.

Here is one article I was able to find that covers it. It never mentions any town by name, but my old home town fit all the criteria, as did a few others. 

Here is my revised version for Jackson, IL for use with NIGHT SHIFT and using my Weirdly World News introduced in the Night Companion. 

--

MIDWEST MURDER MYSTERY!

The Jackson College Prediction

As Told Since the Late 1970s

The story has been circulating around Jackson College for as long as anyone can remember, though every retelling changes a detail or two. It all begins with an article, if it ever truly existed, in a fringe tabloid called Weirdly World News.

No one has ever found a copy.

No librarians have ever seen it.

No archive lists it.

And yet, somehow, everyone has heard about it.

The Alleged Article

According to the rumor, Weirdly World News once ran a short, breathless piece claiming that a well-known psychic, sometimes named, sometimes not, foretold a tragedy in:

“a small Midwestern town with two colleges or twin campuses, where one women’s dormitory faces to the south and another to the west.”

That was the entire identifying description.

No town was named.

No state was noted.

No dates were provided beyond a cryptic warning:

“The danger comes due in a spring month with five Thursdays.”

Everyone remembers that part clearly, even if they disagree on everything else.

Why the Legend Stuck

Naturally, the description was generic enough to apply to more than one place in the Midwest… but it also matched Jackson, Ill, a little too closely for comfort.

The both campuses in town had women’s dorms. And in the murky, grainy way old buildings are remembered, it is easy to see one dorm as “facing south” and the other “facing west,” depending on which entrance a person uses or which direction the old architecture leans.

This vagueness kept the rumor alive.

The resemblance to Jackson kept it fed.

Spring Months With Five Thursdays

The legend only resurfaces during years when a spring month, March, April, or May, contains five Thursdays. Students whisper about it in the cafeteria. Professors jokingly warn their classes to “stay safe.” Campus security quietly increases patrols, though nobody ever admits it.

Some upperclassmen swear their older siblings heard the same warnings a decade earlier.

Some claim the psychic predicted:

a stabbing

an axe

a faceless figure

a student “losing control”

Others insist the warning was far more symbolic, mentioning only “moon-dark corridors” or “the hour of the fifth.”

All of this contradicts.

All of it circulates.

The Vanishing Article

Every few years, someone tries to track down the original Weirdly World News issue. Every few years, they fail.

Some say the tabloid never printed the article.

Some claim the article was retracted.

Some insist it existed only as a single teaser in the back pages of a spring edition.

A few swear their aunt or an older neighbor once had a copy taped to a fridge.

But when pressed, no one has ever been able to produce one.

What Actually Happened

Of course nothing.

No attacks, no tragedies, no unexplained disappearances.

And yet, each new generation of students tells the story again whenever a spring month carries a fifth Thursday… as if the warning might finally stick, or the shadowed threat might finally step out from where it has been waiting, just off the page, just past the edge of memory.

Jackson remains quiet each year.

But the legend, and the fear, continues.

--

Game Masters Note

Of course, the article is real in the Jackson, Ill, universe. And it will turn up, when the prediction starts to come true.

 If you have not seen it, there is a great mapping of many of the popular OSR blogs put together by Elmcat. I found it via JB at B/X Blackrazor, who in turn found it from James at Grognardia.

The map is based on linking, so if a blog doesn't link out to others or is not linked to, then its presence on this map is less. There are various clusters of blogs that are closer together than others. I am out in a region known as "Community 4."

There is a lot of value in this map, and I am quite impressed at the Herculean effort put forth here. 

The ability to see growth and decline over the years is rather amazing. I guess 2016 was a banner year here at The Other Side. Maybe I should go back and reread some of those posts!

The ability to see who links to you is great. Maybe they are praising your blog? Maybe they hate it!  It appears I link to a lot of "bigger blogs" (naturally, that is why they are bigger), but there are also a lot of lesser-known (to me) blogs linking to me. I am going to make an effort to link back to those blogs more. This includes blogs like Seed of Worlds, who is my top linker. As one commenter (@farmergadda.bsky.social) said, "We (bloggers) have GOT to get sluttier (link more)." 

While I feel we, OSR Bloggers, are a community as a whole, there are obvious sub-communities. In statistics and research design, we have a tool called Cluster Analysis. This is not that, not exactly, but we can draw some similar ideas from it. Namely, that various clusters have more similarity within than between. And these clusters can have themes or names. I don't think I'll offer up any names for these clusters, some are obvious. For example, the blogs in Grognardia's orbit tend to be more classical old-school, playing by the book or how Gary intended it, sort of blogs. The mini-cluster I am in tends to be old-school, but with a twist. There are a few blogs nearby that also add more elements, like horror, to their games. But that is a massive over-generalization.

It is all rather fascinating and a reminder that even while I am sitting on my own typing away at whatever nonsense comes up in my mind, I am not really out there alone am I? It's like the Police song "Message in a Bottle,"  "it seems I am not alone at being alone." Well, I never felt alone, but it is nice to be part of something larger.

Hopefully, we can use this data and excellent work by Elmcat to improve our community. 

To that end. Here are the top 10 blogs linking to me:

1. Seed of Worlds
2. THOUGHT EATER
3. Wasted Lands: The Official Blog of Elf Lair Games
4. B／X BLACKRAZOR
5. Dreams of Mythic Fantasy
6. Dungeon Fantastic
7. Tenkar's Tavern
8. CROSS PLANES
9. OLD Elf Lair Games Blog
10. Sea of Stars RPG Design Journal

The top 10 Blogs I Can't Believe I Have Never Linked To:

1. Age of Dusk
2. Numbers Aren't Real
3. Rise Up Comus
4. A Knight at the Opera
5. Ars Ludi
6. Whose Measure God Could Not Take
7. Throne of Salt
8. Coins and Scrolls
9. Goblin Punch
10. BASTIONLAND

I could probably keep doing this all day. But that is good for now. Will check more later on.

Photo by Dima ValkovOr,  Biting off more than you can chew, magically speaking.

In the AD&D rules (and really most D&D variants), a spellcaster can't cast a spell above their prescribed levels. As a rule of thumb, this is often a spell level of half their caster level. There are variations across classes and editions, but this is sufficient for today's discussion.

But what happens when a spellcaster tries to cast a spell of a higher level?

The 1st Edition DMG has some rules on pages 127-128 on scroll reading and failure, but nothing as far as I have found on similar rules for spellbooks. I am sure someone, somewhere, has said with all the authority a Rule Lawyer can muster that "I Shall Not Be Done!" and then quote something that someone else said somewhere else. Frankly, that is myopic and doesn't serve the players well. 

So let me see if I understand the logic here...a group of adventurers are going to risk life, limb, possiblly even their immortal souls and sanity, for a chance of gold and glory. But reading a spell of slightly too high a level is verboten? No. I don't think so. Granted, it should come with consequences.

Here some rules I have been picking at. They supersede the ones found in the DMG.

Casting Higher Level Spells

A spellcaster is typically prohibited from casting spells to which they have no mastery of. Higher level spellcasting is the domain of higher level spellcasters and the untrained mind can not recall the information adequately to even attempt a spellcasting, that is even when they can understand the arcane or occult formulae at all.

But there are times, dire times, in which a spellcaster might want to attempt the dangerous casting of a spell to which they have no knowledge or skill of. This maybe attempted by reading a scroll or directly from a spellbook. There is a high chance of spell failure, and a chance of unintended and catastrophic results. There is also a chance that the spell works as intended and desired. This could be the difference between life and death, or a fate even worse.

To determine the chance of success, start with the Caster level.

Roll under chance of Success on d%.

Base Chance of Success = 5% per level

Table: Spell Casting Modifiers

.tg {border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:0;} .tg td{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg th{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; font-weight:normal;overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg .tg-avos{background-color:#c0c0c0;border-color:#c0c0c0;text-align:right;vertical-align:top} .tg .tg-oe15{background-color:#ffffff;border-color:#ffffff;text-align:left;vertical-align:top} .tg .tg-52k4{background-color:#c0c0c0;border-color:#c0c0c0;text-align:right;vertical-align:middle} .tg .tg-pnhl{background-color:#c0c0c0;border-color:#c0c0c0;text-align:left;vertical-align:top} .tg .tg-kpp0{background-color:#ffffff;border-color:#ffffff;text-align:right;vertical-align:middle} .tg .tg-3m6e{background-color:#ffffff;border-color:#ffffff;font-weight:bold;text-align:left;vertical-align:top} .tg .tg-ap7t{background-color:#c0c0c0;border-color:#c0c0c0;text-align:left;vertical-align:middle} .tg .tg-8n49{background-color:#ffffff;border-color:#ffffff;text-align:left;vertical-align:middle} .tg .tg-c1kk{background-color:#ffffff;border-color:#ffffff;text-align:right;vertical-align:top} Situation Modifier Spell is of caster's own class list +10% Spell is of allied Witch tradition (Classical, Craft of the Wise, etc.) +5% Spell belongs to a related arcane class (Magic-User ↔ Illusionist) -5% Spell belongs to a related occult class (Witch ↔ Warlock) -10% Spell belongs to an entirely different class (Divine/Cleric/Druid/etc.) -15% Spell is 1 level above caster's maximum +5% Spell is 2 or more levels above caster’s maximum +10% per spell level Spell of opposing alignment/Patron -25% Spell of opposing school (arcane only) -10%

01 always succeeds.

00 (100) always triggers a Major Backlash (roll twice on the d100 table).

Failure results are detailed in the tables below. Scrolls and Spellbooks use different tables. Any casting, success, failure, or otherwise, results in the destruction of the spell being used.

Table: Scroll Spell Failure / Minor Backlash

.tg {border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:0;} .tg td{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg th{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; font-weight:normal;overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg .tg-oe15{background-color:#ffffff;border-color:#ffffff;text-align:left;vertical-align:top} .tg .tg-pnhl{background-color:#c0c0c0;border-color:#c0c0c0;text-align:left;vertical-align:top} .tg .tg-3m6e{background-color:#ffffff;border-color:#ffffff;font-weight:bold;text-align:left;vertical-align:top} d100 Result 01–20 Fizzle: Spell fails harmlessly; scroll turns to ash. 21–25 Harmless Surge: Hair stands on end; tiny sparks fly. No damage. 26–30 Minor Burn: Caster takes 1d4 damage. 31–33 Flashblind: Caster blinded for 1d4 rounds. 34–36 Reversed Spell: Effect targets caster. 37–40 Wild Targeting: The spell affects a random creature within 30 ft. 41–43 Spell Fragment: Only the first or last portion of the spell manifests (DM choice). 44–46 Partial Success: Spell works at half-strength, half duration, or half area. 47–49 Echo: The spell takes effect 1d4 rounds later. 50–52 Arcane Whiplash: Caster cannot cast spells for 1d3 rounds. 53–55 Magic Drain: Lose one randomly chosen prepared spell (or witch spell-slot) for the day. 56–58 Item Flare: A magic item worn must save vs. Spells or malfunction once. 59–60 Sour Ink: A random scroll in caster’s possession corrodes (save or be ruined). 61–63 Spirit Attention: A minor invisible spirit observes for 1 turn; 10% chance it interferes. 64–66 Vermin Sign: Normal vermin swarm briefly; 10% chance of ruining random gear or potions. 67–69 Etheric Disruption: All spellcasting within 10 ft suffers –2 to initiative for 1 turn. 70–72 Foul Omen: Caster takes –1 on all rolls for 1 hour. 73–75 Spell Echoes Elsewhere: The spell manifests 100–1000 ft away at random. 76–78 Vitality Leak: Caster loses 1d3 points of Constitution for 1 turn (fatigue aura). 79–81 Arcane Whip: Caster is knocked prone. 82–84 Shadow Flicker: Something mimics the caster’s shadow for 1 turn. Harmless but unsettling. 85–87 Planar Draft: A chill wind blows from nowhere; undead within 1 mile sense the caster. 88–90 Fail + Attract Minor Monster: Equivalent to a random monster roll. 91–95 Arcane Pulse: 1d6 damage to all creatures within 10 ft (save half). 96–99 Severe Shock: Caster stunned 1d4 rounds; lose 1d3 prepared spells. 100 Catastrophic: Roll once on the Major Backlash Table below.

Table: Spellbook Spell Failure / Major Backlash

.tg {border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:0;} .tg td{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg th{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; font-weight:normal;overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg .tg-oe15{background-color:#ffffff;border-color:#ffffff;text-align:left;vertical-align:top} .tg .tg-pnhl{background-color:#c0c0c0;border-color:#c0c0c0;text-align:left;vertical-align:top} .tg .tg-3m6e{background-color:#ffffff;border-color:#ffffff;font-weight:bold;text-align:left;vertical-align:top} d100 Result 01–05 Psychic Burn: 1d6 damage per spell level attempted; stunned 1 round. 06–08 Arcane Fever: –2 to all rolls, no spellcasting for 24 hours. 09–10 Witch-Marking: A permanent visible magical mark appears; –1 Charisma. 11–13 Memory Leak: Lose 1 prepared spell of each level. Highest levels first. 14–15 Reversal Cascade: Every beneficial effect on the caster reverses for 1 turn. 16–18 Wild Elemental Surge: Take 1d8 acid, cold, fire, or lightning damage (random). 19–21 Voice of the Spirits: Caster hears whispers for 1d6 hours. -2 on all rolls 22–24 Spirit Intrusion: Attempted possession (save vs. Spells or controlled 1d6 rounds). 25–27 Fates Displeasure: –1 to saving throws for 24 hours; omen appears. 28–30 Arcane Wound: Permanent –1 Constitution unless cured by heal, wish, or witch ritual. 31–33 Temporal Skip: Caster vanishes for 1d4 rounds and reappears confused for 1 round. 34–35 Spell Implosion: Lose all prepared spells of the highest level available. 36–37 Mana Scour: Drop to 0 spells; cannot cast for 12 hours. Spells return. 38–39 Grimoire Corruption: A spell in the caster’s book becomes unusable for 1 day. (Divine reroll) 40–41 Pain Curse: For 24 hours, all damage dealt to the caster is increased by +1 per die. 42–44 Aura Taint: Detect Magic/Good/Evil shows the caster as a random alignment for 1 day. 45–47 Attract Lesser Demon/Spirit (DM chooses): Negotiation may be required. 48–49 Blood Price: Lose 1d4 Strength for 24 hours. 50–52 Summoning Echo: A random outsider peers through briefly; 5% chance it steps through. 53–55 Arcane Feedback: Caster and all within 10 ft take 2d6 damage (save half). 56–57 Magic Reversal: The spell goes off but affects the absolute worst possible target. 58–59 Astral Flicker: Caster is partially astral for 1 turn; incorporeal but cannot act. 60–61 Possessed Insight: Gain a vision of the future, but also take 2d6 psychic damage. 62–63 Hexblight: Caster cannot benefit from magical healing for 24 hours. 64–65 Nightmare Veil: The next time the caster sleeps, they suffer a draining dream (lose 1d6 hp). 66–67 Witchfire Backlash: Caster burns with blue flame; take 1d6 damage and frighten nearby animals. 68–69 Feral Mind: –4 Intelligence and –4 Wisdom for 1 hour. 70–72 Undead Attraction: The nearest undead (within 1 mile) senses and seeks the caster. 73–74 Patron Claim (Occult only): The Patron asks a service (within 1 week).
Refusal imposes -2 to all rolls. (Arcane/Divine reroll) 75–76 Contagion of Chaos: 10% chance for each magic effect within 30 ft to misfire. 77–78 Spell-Eater Aura: For 1 hour, any spell cast within 10 ft automatically fails. 79–80 Dimensional Shudder: Teleportation near caster is impossible for 1 day. 81–82 Grave Chill: Caster’s touch deals 1 cold damage per hit die for 10 minutes. 83–84 Shadow Doppelganger: A hostile shadow-copy of the caster manifests (HD = caster level –2). 85–87 Blood-Ink Words: Any further spellcasting today causes 1 hp damage per spell level. 88–89 Wards Collapse: Any magical protections on caster immediately expire. 90–91 Forbidden Knowledge: Gain a secret insight (DM chooses) but take 2 permanent hp loss. 92–93 Cataclysmic Surge: 3d6 force damage in 20 ft radius; save half. 94–95 Deathly Pallor: Caster appears undead to detection spells for 1 week. 96–97 Spellstorm: Roll a random spell of each level the caster can cast; all activate at once. 98–99 Arcane Rupture: Caster must save vs. Death Magic or die (success = 3d10 damage). 100 Grand Catastrophe: Roll twice more; both effects apply; the attempted spell explodes violently. Spellbook destroyed.

Any roll that results in an ability being reduced to 0 or below results in the death of the caster. Saving throw vs Death will instead place the caster in a coma until they are restored.

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With the chances of death, destruction, and the potential loss of an entire spellbook, it is easy to see why many spellcasters treat casting higher level spells as something "they just can't do."