Friday, October 23, 2026

This arrived in the mail

Maze of Zayene and Garden of the Plantmaster


From Noble Knight Games, it´s the complete "Maze of Zayene", originally written for Greyhawk, and the stand alone adventure "Garden of the Plantmaster".

Maze of Zayene Part 1 - Prisoners of the Maze 
Maze of Zayene Part 2 - Dimensions of Flight
Maze of Zayene Part 3 - Tower Chaos
Maze of Zayene Part 4 - The Eight Kings

This series was originally set in the Great Kingdom of Aerdy as the party prepares to assasinate King Ivid V the Mad (later known as Ivid the Undying), but soon discovers the archmage Xayene is at the root of the King's madness. Soon the characters find themselves desperately trapped in the labyrinthine wake of Xayene's web of deceit.

Garden of the Plantmaster is a 72-page long scenario set in a demonic garden on an alien world. The characters must stop the demon who has control of the garden from releasing its monsters into the world.

Finally a promotional flyer of the never-released "City of Brass" module

Monday, October 19, 2026

Gathering of Heroes

 

Heroes

These are the heroes of my AD&D 1e Greyhawk campaign that started back then in 2018, and is still going on almost weekly. 

From left to right they are: Kothar of Ulek, Wizard (11th level Magic-User) and Elder of the Land, Sir Stengar of Ulek, Cavalier (10th level Cavalier), Knight of Veluna and Furyondy and Knight of the Hart, Meriven Davers of Verbobonc, High Priestess of St. Cuthbert (9th level Cleric) and Elder of the Land, and Rivers of Dyvers, the elven Master Thief (11th level Thief).

Kothar has his wizard tower in Twilight Falls and has built a library in honor to Delleb. Stengar has been granted the town of Sobanwych and the surrounding lands. Meriven is building an abbey to St. Cuthbert also in Sobanwych. Rivers has a merchant ship sailing up and down the Selintan, the Nyr Dyv and the Velverdyva.

Tuesday, September 08, 2026

Virtual Greyhawk Con 7 - Schedule

Got my games for VGHC 7 (from Thu. Oct. 1st to Sun. Oct. 4th). 


THURSDAY 
Hawk Tales Shield Lands (Low level playtest) - Anna B. Meyer

A low level playtest session using the second update of my Hawk Tales playtest rules. Pregens, rules sample, spells and other material will be provided and presented in a session zero before the game. It will be set in the Shield Lands the winter of early 599 CY.

Monday, August 31, 2026

Magic-user Protection Scrolls

blank scroll
The AD&D 1e Dungeon Masters Guide on page 117, under the section Manufacture of Scrolls, provides "an example of a formula for the ink required to scribe a protection from petrification spell" and "other ink formulas will be devised similarly according to the dictates of the DM".

In my campaign, the magic-user character needed to scribe a protection from magic scroll so I scrambled to provide a formula for the ink. Since I was at it, I decided to devise a formula for the rest of the list: DEMONS, ELEMENTALS, LYCANTHROPES and MAGIC.


PROTECTION FROM DEMONS

This ink uses materials renowned for binding, warding off absolute evil, and resisting demonic possession.

Base: 1 oz. giant squid sepia.
Gems: 1 large Carnelian (reputed to protect from evil) and 1 Chrysoberyl (reputed to protect from possession), both finely powdered.
Monster Parts: 3 drops of blood from a captured lesser demon (such as a manes or dretches), and a pinch of pure brimstone or sulphur.
Other Ingredients: 2 drams of holy water.
Scribing Ritual: The ingredients must be blended in a lead vessel while burning rare incense. The magic-user must draw a physical magic circle around the workbench and remain completely undisturbed to prevent the demonic energies of the blood from corrupting the scribe's mind.

Cost: (~5000 gp) Requires capturing a lesser demon to extract fresh blood. The gem cost is modest (Carnelian and Chrysoberyl), but the logistical hazard for securing demon blood inflates the component cost significantly.


PROTECTION FROM ELEMENTALS

This formula utilizes essences of the four elemental planes combined with gems that hold power over fire, earth, water, and air.

Base: 1 oz. giant octopus ink.
Gems: 1 finely ground Jacinth (reputed to guard against fire), 1 piece of Obsidian (the color black is related to the Earth) and 1 ground branch of Coral (reputed to calm weather - air - and ensure safety across waters).
Monster Parts: A pinch of phlogiston from a fire elemental, or a single feather from an aerial servant, or a piece of debris from and earth elemental, or a dram of water from a water elemental.
Other Ingredients: 4 crushed fresh bay leaves and 4 sun-dried pumpkin seeds harvested under a full Celene  moon.
Scribing Ritual: The ink must be stirred widdershins using a silver rod. The scribe must burn an incense of meditation to focus their mind during the delicate blending of opposing planar forces.

Cost: (~5000+ gp) The gem components are moderately expensive (Jacinth is a high-grade gem), but the real cost here is procuring materials from any of the four different Elemental creatures. If bought on the planar black market (e.g. City of Brass), the monster components alone easily go up to 1500+ gp.


PROTECTION FROM LYCANTHROPES

To ward off the curse of the beast, this ink incorporates the traditional herbal curatives and the very items that trigger or cure the disease.

Base: 1 oz. giant squid sepia.
Gems: 1 Moonstone, powdered (highly sympathetic, as moonstone is reputed to cause lycanthropy).
Monster Parts: 3 silvered hairs plucked from a werewolf in beast form, and 1 dried wolf's fang.
Other Ingredients: 1 scruple of crushed belladonna (the herb used to stall the disease), 1 scruple of wolfsbane, and 2 drams of holy water.
Scribing Ritual: The belladonna and wolfsbane must be ground into a fine paste using a silver mortar and pestle. The ink must be mixed during the exact hours of the full moon, when the lycanthropic curse is at its zenith.

Cost: (~1650 gp) The most affordable of the bunch. Moonstone is a relatively common gemstone (50 gp to 500 gp base value), and harvesting werewolf hair/fangs and common herbal remedies (wolfsbane) is achievable at lower-to-mid levels.


PROTECTION FROM MAGIC

This highly volatile ink requires components that absorb, ground, or neutralize raw arcane energy.

Base: 1 oz. giant octopus sepia.
Gems: 1 large Chrysolite (reputed to ward off spells), and 1 Star Sapphire (fabled to protect against magic).
Monster Parts: 3 drops of ichor or blood from a highly magic-resistant creature, such as a displacer beast, or 1 pinch of ground gargoyle horn.
Other Ingredients: The powdered ashes of a completely blank, ruined scroll sheet.
Scribing Ritual: This ink must be compounded in absolute, dead silence. Any nearby magical items must be moved at least 20 feet away from the workbench, or the ink will act as a siphon and instantly de-magic them during the compounding process.

Cost: (~11500 gp) Appropriately the most expensive. Star Sapphire is a top-tier gem category (5000 gp base), and Displacer Beast blood or Gargoyle horns carry high market rates due to their high magic resistance.

Sunday, August 23, 2026

Gary Con XIX

 


Well, looks like I'm going back to Gary Con next year (March 18-21, 2027 Lake Geneva, WI). Already secured my Silver badge and also got the merch bundle (official t-shirt, stadium cup, event guide and set of 7 dices). Looking forward to see some friends again and meet new ones, play games and have fun.

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