Posts in GM's Resource

Delthur's Folly at a Glance

Hidden in the wild uplands beyond the Selka River, the sinkhole-mine of Delthur’s Folly is a byword among the locals for a fool’s errand doomed to fail. The only survivor of the fated expedition—driven mad by his ordeal and raving of “the water’s sibilant whispers”—died shortly after staggering into Dunstone a year or more after Delthur and his miners disappeared into the wilderness. And yet, every year adventurers cross the Selka in search of the mine—gold and silver are said to lie within. Some return empty-handed and some do not return at all. Local legend has it that something terrible dwells in the mine.

GM's ResourceCreighton BroadhurstMarch 9, 2021At a Glance, Ashlar, Dungeon BackdropComment

20 Things: Mining Town

Urban adventures are often set in slums. In slums, the long arm of the law is often absent, thieves and cultists are rife; opportunities for adventure abound.

GM's ResourceCreighton BroadhurstMarch 8, 202120 Things, Urban DressingComment

20 Things: Borderland Landmarks

Much of the borderland is still unmapped. Some notable features have become local landmarks and serve as waymarkers or meeting places.

GM's ResourceCreighton BroadhurstMarch 4, 202120 Things, Wilderness Dressing Comment

20 Things: Strange Magic Effects

As well as the mundane and the expected, dungeons can feature many strange or bizarre things. Adventurers delving into almost any dungeon are virtually certain to encounter and battle outlandish, alien creatures in the course of their explorations. They may also encounter any number of strange magic effects.

GM's ResourceCreighton BroadhurstFebruary 25, 202120 Things, Dungeon Dressing Comment

20 Things: Strange Dungeon Growths

GM's ResourceCreighton BroadhurstFebruary 22, 202120 Things, Dungeon Dressing Comment

Wrecked Ship: Below Deck

Most cabins within an abandoned vessel offer little of interest, but occasionally something unusual can be found within.

GM's ResourceCreighton BroadhurstFebruary 4, 202120 Things, Wilderness DressingComment

Gates & Portals: 10 Minor Features

Magical gates and portals are a staple feature of many dungeons. characters stepping through them are often whisked off to a new exciting (and dangerous) adventure locale.

GM's ResourceCreighton BroadhurstJanuary 28, 2021Dungeon Dressing, 20 ThingsComment

Gates & Portals: 10 Major Features

Magical gates and portals are a staple feature of many dungeons. characters stepping through them are often whisked off to a new exciting (and dangerous) adventure locale.

GM's ResourceCreighton BroadhurstJanuary 25, 2021Dungeon Dressing, 20 Things Comments

20 Pieces of Pit Dressing

Pits are a lurking danger that have spelled the doom of countless adventurers. Pits can be used to kill, injure or trap intruders, to block progress or to prevent escape. An explorer trapped in a pit with no way of getting out is at the mercy of the first creature or character to discover their predicament.

GM's ResourceCreighton BroadhurstJanuary 21, 2021Dungeon Dressing, 20 ThingsComment

10 Things to Find in a Gelatinous Cube

Quintessential dungeon scavengers, gelatinous cubes engulf all in their path. Untold numbers of neophyte adventurers have met their doom in the depths of a gelatinous cube. Sometimes their death leaves behind treasure for luckier, or more skilled, adventurers to retrieve.

GM's ResourceCreighton BroadhurstJanuary 18, 202120 Things, Dungeon Dressing, Creature DressingComment

To Cut a Long Story Short... Announcing Storylines!

GM's ResourceCreighton BroadhurstJanuary 11, 2021The Lonely Coast, Dungeon Backdrop, StorylineComment

4d4 Besieged Castle

The besiegers and the defenders must contend with the vagaries of nature, logistics, morale and their enemies. The minor events below will not turn the siege’s tide in anyone’s favour, but canny commanders can use them to their advantage.

GM's ResourceCreighton BroadhurstJanuary 7, 202120 ThingsComment

20 Minor Events in a Siege

GM's ResourceCreighton BroadhurstJanuary 5, 202120 ThingsComment

4d4 Farming Village

Farming villages are often the site of neophyte adventurers first adventures, quests and tests (or at least the party's base from which they sally forth into the wildernes. Such locales often stand on or near danger-filled borderlands rife with opportunities for adventure. Use these lists, to breath life and detail into the farming villages in your campaign.

GM's ResourceCreighton BroadhurstNovember 25, 20204d4, Wilderness Dressing, Urban DressingComment

12 Jungle Dressings

While vast swaths of a fecund jungle may seem boring and unremarkable, travellers will—no doubt—encounter some things of minor interest.

GM's ResourceCreighton BroadhurstNovember 6, 202020 Things, Wilderness DressingComment

20 Torture Chamber Dressings

Torture chambers are replete with horrors beyond the imaginations of most sane folk. Not all such features, though, are as large and domineering as an iron maiden or rack. Use this list, to generate minor points of note in a torture chamber:

GM's ResourceCreighton BroadhurstOctober 22, 202020 Things, Dungeon DressingComment

20 Captive Adventurers

Captives are a staple feature of almost every dungeon. No doubt, the dungeon’s denizens have dealt with intruders before—or emerged from their lair in search of slaves, sacrifices or food; captives (of all sorts) are the result.

GM's ResourceCreighton BroadhurstOctober 19, 202020 Things, Dungeon Dressing, NPCsComment

Wolfsbane Hollow at a Glance

Shielded to the north by the Vurdfell Spine’s lofty peaks and protected from the Hordelands of the east by the Greatshadow Gorge, the town of Wolfsbane Hollow has persisted in relative isolation for hundreds of years. Seemingly a simple border town, a dark shadow hangs over this hard, rough settlement. For here, the rule of law is tenuous at best, and the mayor is but a figurehead. The true power of Wolfsbane Hollow is the shadowy thieves’ guild and their monstrous, bestial guildmaster who lurks in his lair carved from the fallen, mouldering bones of an ancient empire.

GM's ResourceCreighton BroadhurstOctober 12, 2020At a Glance, Campaign BackdropComment

Aldwater at a Glance

For centuries, the people of Aldwater have guarded and revered the wooden labyrinth holding the their ancestors' remains. Only the Spiritspeaker ever ventures inside, using an ancient relic to hold council with the dead. The wisdom of the council is vast, but not without fault, and for several years the advice of the ancestral spirits has done nothing to halt Aldwater's increasing plight. Each season, the fishermen and trappers bring back a little less, and the children grow up a little hungrier.

GM's ResourceCreighton BroadhurstOctober 9, 2020Village Backdrop, At a GlanceComment

12 Noisome Marsh Landmarks

Much of a marsh’s landscape is unremarkable and mundane; however some features become local landmarks and are used as waymarkers or meeting places.

GM's ResourceCreighton BroadhurstSeptember 21, 202020 Things, Wilderness DressingComment

Nov 20, 2024

One-Pager, Urban Locale, Urban Dressing

Urban Locale: Monastery

Houses of worship and quiet contemplation stand in or near many settlements. Within, the occupants seek spiritual enlightenment in the service of their patron.

A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.

Nov 19, 2024

Urban Locale: Boarding House

Normally places for the poor or the penny-wise, boarding houses offer lodgings and food; most such places offer only the barest of essentials to their guests.

Nov 12, 2024

One-Pager, Dungeon Backdrop, Dungeon Dressing, Ashlar

Deeper Delvings of the Nameless Mage

Far below the sunlit surface lie places and things undreamt of by decent commonfolk. Some such things have never seen the light of day, while others have escaped into the Underlands to escape the hated sun.

Dressed vs. Undressed: An Example of Play

Nov 5, 2024

Dungeon Dressing

Dressed vs. Undressed: An Example of Play

It’s no secret that at Raging Swan Press, we are big fans of dressed dungeons. A dressed dungeon feels more real than an undressed dungeon. A dressed dungeon engages your players’ imaginations, promotes creative play and helps them immerse themselves in the adventure.

Nov 1, 2024

News

November 2024 at Raging Swan Press

It’s always the perfect time to game, and we hope you can find something below that will help you have more fun with your friends!

Oct 29, 2024

One-Pager, Hamlet, Ashlar

The Hamlet of Slaughterford

Slaughterford has a foul reputation.

Oct 22, 2024

Urban Locale: Roadside Shrine

Small roadside shrines appear in many towns and cities. They venerate important saints, local deities, or gods without a formal church in the area and are often tended by a small group of dedicated lay worshippers.

Oct 15, 2024

Urban Locale: Stables

One or more stables can be found in any settlement of note—and many of those without note.

Oct 8, 2024

Dungeon Dressing Explained

At Raging Swan Press, we believe that games set in a richly detailed, immersive world are better than games that are not. It should come as no surprise that we are huge fans of dungeon dressing, but what exactly is dungeon dressing, and why do we keep going on about it?

Oct 1, 2024

October 2024 at Raging Swan Press

With Citadel on the Wilderlands now out in the world, our attention turns to the Late 2024 edition of Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands and the Player's Guide to Citadel on the Wilderlands!

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