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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We storm into February with a small flock of new resources for your gaming pleasure along with some new pages for our website.
y of Ashlar is small and constrained. Always, the forces of evil and shadow press inwards upon its borders. If it were not for a stout few, death and darkness would have long ago overwhelmed the land. Dunstone was once Ashlar's northern bulwark. Now…
Successful thieves need a fence—someone willing to buy and sell their ill-gotten gains. Like their customers, such folk must keep their true business secret, and thus, they often openly practise some other legitimate trade.
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.
Merchants, traders, artisans, and some ordinary folk, need somewhere to store their bulky goods. Some own their own warehouses, while others hire the requisite space on a temporary basis.
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.
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.
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.
Undead creatures raised to guard the ancient tombs of the honoured dead, mummies are ever-vigilant for interlopers into their domain of death and dust. Created through a lengthy embalming process mummies have all their vital organs removed and replaced with sacred herbs, flowers and the like. Thus, they resist time’s remorseless onslaught well.
Read MoreShunned by most, the witch is the taker of children, bringer of bad harvests and seducer of good men. Living apart from good honest folk the witch plays on superstitions to create a terrifying reputation. Beware the dark woods…
Read MoreThe passageways and chambers of a vampire’s castle are a terrifying place. Even if if they are not drenched in gore and littered with the corpses of the vampire’s many victims a sense of dread and doom hangs over the place. Such a place is as terrifying as any lich’s lair.
Read MoreAdventurers are intrepid types and often disappear into the wilderness in search of gold and glory. Many such adventures seem to happen in sun-scorched deserts.
Read MoreMuch of a moor’s landscape is unremarkable and mundane; however some features become local landmarks used as waymarkers on the barren moor or places for travellers to meet.
Read MoreA library is nothing without books. Some libraries hold but a few dozen tomes while others hold thousands. No matter the size of the library it no doubt has books on a variety of subjects.
Read MoreDue to the bizarre and wide range of chemicals alchemists use in their intricate experiments, alchemists and accidents often go hand in hand. Not only are the mixtures they make dangerous if handled incorrectly, the creatures and places they are gathered from present dangers to the untrained or careless. Not all accidents are immediately apparent and left to develop can cause more problems than a simple explosion or release of stinking gas.
Read MoreThe deck of a wrecked ship is likely in a serious state of disarray and chaos.
Read MoreJust yesterday, at time of writing, Raging Swan Press released Thingonomicon II into the world. (Or did it escape?) I’m intensely proud of the book and am already using it behind my screen.
Read MoreA lich’s lair is a terrible and dangerous place. Few adventurers are brave enough to explore a lich’s lair (and fewer still are powerful enough to survive the experience). Such a place should be memorable and flavoursome; this is not an average, run-of-the-mill dungeon. Strange—and perhaps deadly—sights and sounds should be the norm.
Read MoreFrom the common wand of magic missiles to the awesomely rare and much coveted staff of the archmagi, rods, staves and wands can channel awesome power. Such items rarely appear to be nothing more than a tapered stick or quarterstaff.
Read MoreThe world is dangerous out on the borderlands. Looming threats and mysteries lurk behind every cliff and tree.
Read MoreThis corrupt magicker has converted a ruined chapel into a shrine dedicated to his demonic patron and revived an ancient evil—the vampire Oleander—to aid him in his dark mistress’s service.
Read MoreA pirate enclave surrounded by dense woods on three sides and the ocean’s tumultuous waters to the east, Deksport is a perfect base from which to raid nearby shipping lanes. Built at the mouth of a valley opening into a sheltered bay the town possesses a deep, safe natural anchorage. Protected by a slippery, seaweed-fringed breakwater of decrepit, ancient construct at any time up to a dozen ocean-going ships and scores of smaller craft rest at anchor in the harbour.
Read MoreThe road calls to adventurers, but not all roads are created equal. Some are major routes, full of mercantile and other traffic, while others are barely trails meandering through remote wilderness. Below are descriptions of some paths that may lead to adventure.
Read MoreWhile many travellers merely use the open road to get from one place to another, some have ill intentions. Bandits, mischievous fey and other hazards await the unwary adventurer.
Read MoreAdventurers often seem to be found in seedy dives and other disreputable drinking establishments. Whether they are hunting a thief or looking for their next job, an adventurer’s visit to such an establishment is almost certain to be eventful. Use this list, to generate minor events of interest to flesh out such a visit.
Read MoreWhile vast swaths of a noisome marsh may seem boring and unremarkable, travellers will—no doubt—encounter some things of minor interest.
Read MoreDulwich stares out across the Salt Mire towards Hard Bay, the Forest of Gray Spires at its back. Just a few hundred years old, it rests on the remnants of numerous older structures, built on a strip of dry land between the swamp and forest. One of the largest settlements in the Duchy of Ashlar, Dulwich serves as a major hub for merchants and travellers. A stout, stone wall surrounds the main town, offering protection from the dangers living in the Salt Mire.
Read MoreThe Shadowed Keep stands at the end of an overgrown trail upon a wooded bluff overlooking a steep-sided valley. A small pack of wolves dwells in the wood as does a black bear. Characters wandering the woods may also encounter small hunting parties of bandits and goblins skulking in the gloom.
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Everyone—even the powerful—has enemies, and the Nameless Mage was no exception…
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.