Doorman Hex

2nd level, Range: 10', Duration: Special

Uttered beside a doorway, this hex has two possible uses:

1. It may cause a single doorman or guard to grant the wizard passage through the portal. A wizard of higher level may beguile multiple wardens: one additional guard per level beyond 5th. Magical or enchanted guardians may also be beguiled, but may save versus spells to resist. Afterwards, the guards have no memory of the wizard's passage.

2. It may summon into being one or more doormen to protect an unguarded portal. At low level, a single servant is summoned, but their number increases as follows: 5th level: 1d4, 8th level: 1d6, 11th level: 2d4, 13th level: 2d6. The doormen are normal men, dressed in smart livery (with advance planning, the wizard may choose the exact design), and armed with ornamental spears (usable in combat, but -1 to hit). The wardens will guard the door to the best of their ability, allowing or denying access according to the wizard's instructions. They are wholly loyal in this task but will, if asked, freely tell their master's name to any who enquire. It is impossible to command the doormen to perform any other task, and they cannot move more than 10' distant from the portal they protect. When the duration (1 hour) expires, the doormen vanish.

Candy Crush

4th level, Range: Touch, Duration: 1 day

This spell enchants a handful of candy (of any kind) with one of two possible magical effects, chosen as it is cast.

1. Any being which eats one of the sweets must save versus spells or become hopelessly infatuated with the wizard. This infatuation lasts for 24 hours, after which affected beings regard the former object of their admiration with a grudging suspicion.

2. The sweets leap from the wizard's palm into the air, expanding to terrifying proportions as they cascade back to earth. Anyone caught within the 30' area in front of the wizard must save versus paralysis or suffer crushing damage from the falling sweets. The amount of damage depends on the type of candy used -- from 2d6 for soft marshmallows to 6d6 for rock hard boiled sweets. The sweets remain in gargantuan dimension for the remainder of the spell's duration and may, during this time, attract children, insects, dogs, and other sweet-loving beasts.

When the duration expires, the sweets spontaneously evaporate in a puff of pink dust.

Bonnet Glamour

3rd level, Range: Touch, Duration: Special

A single fine bonnet, cap, or hood of elaborate craft (laced, embroidered, sequinned, bejewelled, etc.) becomes enchanted such that the one who wears it takes on the uncanny likeness of a specific noble or person of pious import (as selected by the wizard). The bonnet itself is not in any way disguised, but the glamour is otherwise efficacious in the realm of all applicable senses. It is not, however, a true transmutation -- certain physical tests may reveal the deception.

The garment must be donned as the spell is intoned, remaining enchanted for as long as it remains firmly in place.

A Merry Band

4th level, Range: 15', Duration: 1 round or longer

Up to one person within range is affected per level of the wizard. Two things happen. Firstly, any items held in their hands are instantaneously transmuted into musical instruments (1. drum, 2. pipes, 3. bell, 4. lute, 5. fiddle, 6. trumpet). Secondly, they are enchanted with a wondrous musical virtuosity with the instrument which has manifested in their grasp and a compulsion to play a merry jig with great glee and vigour. Those without instruments will clap and sing. Thus may any situation be transformed into a merry ball. There is no saving throw.

The enchantment lasts for at least one round. At the start of each subsequent round, enchanted subjects may make a saving throw versus spells to break it. At this point, transformed items are returned to their normal state. Those of a musical predilection suffer a -3 penalty to the saving throw, as they are inclined to enjoy the effects.

Physical damage to an enchanted subject also ends the effect.

From the Vats: Last Few Illustrations Needed!

I'm just assessing the list of outstanding illustrations for From the Vats and am delighted to report that nearly all spaces have now been filled!

Just two remain. We be needing images depicting:

1. A 6" long, leech-like monstrosity being inserted into the throat of a horrified but willing human subject. TAKEN
   
2. A crown of fused heads and neural fibres.

Anyone up for it? Let me know and I'll send you a PDF of the page, showing the available space and the textual context.

Let's rock!

Oceanic Magic: Anchor of Ethereality

Just found this magic item, an out-take from Wizardzine #1. I had planned to include details of several more aquatic wizards and their magical creations, but at 40+ pages, I already had more than enough content for an issue of a zine. This item is the creation of one Master Harlwn of the Luminous Docks, a renowned artificer specialising in the construction of enchanted ships.

Anchor of Ethereality
A huge anchor, 8’ in girth, of rune-engraved, oxidised bronze with a mother-of-pearl sheen. When cast from a ship to the sea bed, the anchor’s magic is activated. The anchor, attaching chain, and vessel (including everyone and everything aboard it) are transported to the ethereal plane for 3d6 hours. The ship will drift thence upon the waves of ether which permeate that plane. A correctly trained crew may navigate the ether, sailing the ship to strange shores. It is said that it is thus possible to reach distant locations in the material plane or even, via ether vortices, to travel deeper into the astral plane and the far realms beyond.

If the ship is still in the ethereal plane when the randomly determined duration of the ethereal jaunt expires, it is returned instantly to the location at which it was anchored in the real world.

Moss Dwarf Stat Cards by Nick Kuntz

A while back, I posted the moss dwarf generator -- a bunch of random tables to generate characteristics of these fun-loving, fungally-inclined demi-humans.

In my inbox this morning, I was delighted to discover these wonderful images, products of the generator, drawn by Nick Kuntz:

Thanks Nick! It's always a joy to see something I've imagined being taken by someone else and spiced with their imagination to produce something new!