Welcome to the Raging Swan Press blog. Herein you’ll find resource and advice articles to make your game better. From time to time, we’ll also post exciting Raging Swan Press news!
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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.
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.
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.
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.
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.
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!
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.
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.
One or more stables can be found in any settlement of note—and many of those without note.
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.
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?
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!
Portcullises are imposing obstacles for adventurers. Their grid-like construction offers a glimpse of what lies beyond while providing defenders a powerful position from which to strike at interlopers.
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.
Read MoreConcealed and hidden doors are a requirement for any suitably interesting dungeon, building or ruin. A secret door is generally a deliberate part of the dungeon crafted when the place is constructed. Concealed doors are somewhat more mundane, and can easily be added later.
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.
Read MoreSecret doors are prolific in literature and even more ubiquitous in fantasy gaming. Rare is the dungeon crawl that doesn’t feature a handful of cunningly hidden secret doors. The challenge is in making each door a unique experience worth a few moments of wonder instead of just another excuse for a search check.
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.
Read MoreChests, or more accurately their contents, are most adventurers’ favourite dungeon feature. Chests represent their hard-earned reward after days in the dark, exploring new terrain and overcoming challenging foes. Therein new and shiny discoveries await, equipping the heroes for even greater challenges.
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.
Read MoreWells are important places in dungeons—a well might be the only readily accessible source of drinking water in the entire place. Given most dungeon denizens require water those controlling a well can become wealthy and powerful charging others for the water they draw. Thus, a well can also be a source of much conflict between the dungeon’s denizens as they all seek to gain control of such an important resource.
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.
Read MoreAltars dedicated to dark, forbidden powers are a staple of many fantasy dungeons. Here, evil high priests officiate over bloody, blasphemous services or cultists gather to worship their terrible patron. Such locales are thus often an excellent place to find and slay said evil-doers or to recover their hidden treasures. A few such locales have even established a tenuous link with the deity itself, and strange, odd effects occur in their immediate vicinity.
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.
Read MorePits are a lurking danger that have spelt the doom of countless adventurers. Pits can be used to kill, injure or trap intruders, block progress or 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.
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.
Read MoreDrow, terrors of the Ebon Realm, normally stay away from the sunlit surface lands yet sometimes they wander too close. Setting up outposts near the surface they sneak forth to capture slaves to carry back to their subterranean home.
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.
Read MoreCunning ambush predators, ropers lie in wait pretending to be stalagmites so their prey blunder too close to escape.
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.
Read MoreBuried deep in the snow and ice a white dragon’s frigid lair is a terrifying locale.
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.
Read MoreDwelling in the seemingly eternal glaciers of the far north and south and in snowy mountain ranges, frost giants work the ice itself into magnificent castles and fortifications to better suit their frozen hearts.
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.
Read MoreImmensely strong burrowing predators, bulettes—or land sharks as they are sometimes called—live only to feed. They fear nothing and treat everything moving as food. Bulettes range over a wide area and are always on the move.
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.
Read MoreStirges hunt warm-blooded creatures, swooping down to use their long proboscis to drain their prey’s blood. Once sated and bloated with their prey’s blood, they fly away to digest their meal.
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.
Read MoreVicious, warlike and mercenary hobgoblins set up their military-style camps almost anywhere. The camps are not just their home but also the springboard for their campaigns.
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.
Read MoreWild and feral orcs take over caves with little care for secrecy or subtlety. Proudly displaying their battle trophies, they taint the area with their awful, savage presence.
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.
Read MoreThe haunted manor house is a classic adventure locale. Every town and city—and many villages—has such a locale: an old, ill-favoured house lurking amid the myths, rumours and legends of the locality.
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.
Read MoreSavage, bestial creatures of rage and violence—minotaurs are terrifying enemies. Often solitary beasts haunting labyrinthine dungeons, or similar locales, they delight in hunting and terrorising their prey.
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.
Read MoreWhether lurking unseen in the urban jungle, stalking the wilderness or lurking in ancient ruins, medusa are a terror to any that behold their stony gaze. Worshipped with adoration by some, their cunning makes them terrifying enemies.
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.
Read MoreMummies, from loyal guardians entombed with their masters to power-hungry priest-kings vying for the return of their earthly powers, strike fear into their enemies’ hearts. Many ancient societies inter their dead in this respectful way in the belief that someday they’ll rise again.
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.
Read MoreCurio shops. Flea markets. Pawnbrokers. Adventurers normally find treasure deep in a dungeon guarded by terrible monsters. Sometimes, though, the characters find treasure where they least expect it—and sometimes, it hardly costs them anything at all!
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.
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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.