I'm not an artist: Powerful forces and an irredeemable object

Five items from A Link to the Past.

Magic Hammer: The last hammer I drew was for blacksmithing. This hammer is a wooden mallet suitable for wood working or head bonking. I know that a knot in the center of a mallet head would probably lead to a broken mallet, but I love the way knots look. 

This could be the mallet used by the hermit monk who built the Temple of the Five Bells. The monk, with their trusted donkey, hiked into the trackless peaks of the Mountains of Heavenly Silence with a vision of founding an isolated temple. The monk and donkey were not seen for nearly a decade. The next time the monk was seen, they were erecting a sign post that directed travelers to the new temple. It is said, that when the first traveling monks arrived at the Temple of the Five Bells, the hermit carpenter welcomed them and then sat down with an elderly donkey and the pair died at the same moment, having seen their life’s' work completed. 

The heartwood of an ancient tree is a powerful material component. That is especially true when the tree is a treant elder that has been bonded with the hamadryad matron of the western wilderness millennia. During a brief moment of privacy, the elder treant pulled this mallet from their own heart and gave it to a group of outsiders while saying, "Swing this at the right moment so that the forests will be there for our children's children." This act of creation claimed the elder's life. The first forest spirits to discover the outsiders with the elder's lifeless body assumed the outsiders slew the treant. In their grief they were unwilling to hear the outsiders’ story. The outsiders managed to escape with the mallet and are now hunted by avenging forest spirits and colonial agents eager to see the untamed forest fall to axe and saw. 

A door for #DnDGate

There has been some pretty toxic stuff on twitter today. Here is my little contribution to try to resist hateful people in the hobby.

This door can only be opened when it is touched by four individuals who accept and respect each other as individuals.

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This is just a random aside post. See you all back here on Sunday. 

As always, be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

I'm not an artist: Swords and stuff from A Link to the Past

Three swords and some useful items from A Link to the Past. 

Magic Mirror: This magic mirror can show you your true self. Unfortunately, it does that by teleporting you to a dark reflection of reality where everyone is a caricature of their true self. The only way to avoid being transformed into an impotent reflection is to carry a powerful protective ward.

This mirror does not have to be a link to another dimension. This mirror could be the hand mirror of fey royalty. Allowing any who gaze at their reflection to change their appearance by shrouding their true self in a glamour. To ensure any would be thief is punished, the item carries a curse. Any user other than the true owner runs the risk of becoming so enamored with their own reflection that they are unable to look away. Adventurers finding a mirror locked in the decaying fist of a skeletal corpse should be wary of looking into the mirror lest they fall prey to the mirror's enchantments. 

This could also be a device that allows access to Spyke™, the fantasy video calling service that connects you to the entire world, and many others, for secure and reliable communication over the high speed ley line connections. Terms and conditions apply. Void where prohibited.

I'm not an artist: Shields from A Link to the Past

Three shields and two jewels from A Link to the Past.

Red Shield: This shield is an upgrade from Link's starting shield. I think the way Link obtains the shield is the most interesting part of the item. If Link throws his original shield into a lake, the fairy that lives in the lake will appear holding an upgraded version of the shield. She will ask Link if the shield she is holding is his and remind him that she likes honest people. If Link is honest and answers no, the fairy rewards his honesty by giving him the upgraded shield. If Link is dishonest, the fairy punishes Link by keeping the shield he threw into the lake. This is a direct reference to the tale of the Honest Woodcutter in Aesop's Fables. Aesop's fables are full of great stories to pull out and use almost entirely whole cloth in your games. Since they are almost as old as dirt, you can also read them for free because they are in the public domain. 

One could also have this shield be dropped by mask raiders that abandon all honor and attack a village in the dark of night. When it is discovered the shield bears the colors of an allied clan, the village elders send a small party to discover the reason for the attack. Hopefully they can discover the truth before the prospect of all-out war is inevitable.

I'm not an Artist: First five from A Link to the Past

Here are the first five items from A Link to the Past. 

Fighter's Sword: A sword given to the protagonist at the start of their journey. I found that blunt tipped swords are often executioner's swords since they would only need the slicing edge and never the stabbing tip. 

This sword could easily be used by a beefy shirtless brute hiding their face in a black sack, or a heavily armored tank with very few weak-spots. 

A less obvious bearer of this blade could be a revolutionary seeking to overthrow a despotic ruler. The despot employs execution too often and too freely upon their enemies. The revolutionary hopes to one day remove the tyrant from power by removing their head.