Happy 9th Birthday, Malhavoc!
Thanks for celebrating Malhavoc's birthday with us! It's been nine years since the release of The Book of Eldritch Might and, to celebrate, all our eBooks were an extra 30% off for one week only, May 21 to 28. Check out a book you passed on earlier or grab the ones you've been meaning to get -- including big ticket titles, like Ptolus and Arcana Evolved! |
Design Diary: Conspiracy Research
When researching for a book like The Skeptic's Guide to Conspiracies, you learn some strange rules, and perhaps a few truths. Amid all the crazy clutter.... |
A Daily Dose of Adventure!
My latest game-related project
is the launch of Dungeonaday.com,
a subscription-based website that offers new game content every weekday. Basically,
what I'm doing is building an ongoing dungeon-based campaign of a decidedly
old-school tradition, but utilizing all the newest presentation options. So
expect an adventure like no other with hypertext references to all the important
game content (including various rules references), fluid encounters, and incredible
amounts of detail. |
Dark Tidings
Dark Tidings is a short dungeon adventure for characters of 6th or 7th level. It is set in Ptolus but utilizes the feat rules, magical disciplines, and spell progression system from The Books of Experimental Might. |
Paizo & Monte Cook Release New 3.5 Hardcover
In cooperation with Malhavoc Press, Paizo Publishing will release Monte Cook's Collected Book of Experimental Might, a compilation of alternative rules for the 3.5 edition of the world's most popular roleplaying game. The 143-page hardcover book releases January 28, 2009, and retails for $29.99. |
Earthblood
Far below the surface world
lie the veins through which the earth’s own blood flows. Earthblood
makes possible life in the Underdark. Its mystic energies sustain many of the
strange plants and fungi that grow there in the same way that the sun gives
life to all flora of the sunlit world. These energies also provide a new spectrum
of abilities for characters in campaigns that draw upon the rules of the Open
Game License. |
Monte and Malhavoc Win ENnie Awards!
We are so pleased to announce the award of the Gold Ennie this year for Best Electronic Product to Book of Experimental Might II: Bloody, Bold, and Resolute at Gen Con 2008. Writing the two Books of Experimental Might this year has been a refreshing dip back into the game design pool, and I enjoyed it even more knowing that the books have made a difference in your campaigns. In addition, I was surprised and happy to receive the Silver Award for Best d20/OGL product for Monte Cook's A World of Darkness, from White Wolf Publishing. |
Dangerous Designs
When Malhavoc Press released The Book of Experimental
Might, I was overwhelmed by how well it was received. Among those who
did find fault with it, however, the most common criticism was that the book
didn’t devote enough space to nonspellcasters. The comment got me thinking... |
The Book of Experimental Might II Overview
Book of Experimental Might II: Bloody, Bold, and Resolute is a collection of game rules modifications for fighter types to experiment with. Play with more than a dozen fighting domains, explore new types of feats, try out new feat abilities, and more! Here's a rundown of exactly what's in the book... |
Book of Experimental Might II: Bloody, Bold, and Resolute
It's back -- and more experimental
than ever! This book exists because readers loved The
Book of Experimental Might and demanded new options for nonspellcasting
classes. In response, Monte shares more creative rules from his own campaign. |
Gary Gygax (1938-2008)
If you're reading this on
this website, you don't need me to tell you who Gary Gygax is, or to list all
of his amazing accomplishments. In fact, it's not hyperbole to say that, if
it weren't for Gary, you wouldn't be reading this, and this website would not
exist.... |
One More Time
I simply cannot stop tinkering. I suppose it’s in my nature. Even when the rules work just fine, I like to experiment with them and see what other options are available. It’s fun. The Book of Experimental Might is the result of that tinkering. To tell you the truth, I never intended these rules to be published.... |
The Book of Experimental Might Overview
The Book of Experimental Might is a collection of game rules modifications straight out of Monte's home campaign. Play with 20 levels of spells, get a feat every level, gain extra hit points, and more! Is Monte crazy? Check out the book's table of contents, and decide for yourself.... |
The Book of Experimental Might
This collection of Monte's own house rules includes a spell progression system that ranks spells
from levels 1 to 20, new rules for healing and curative magic, magical disciplines,
and much more... |
Crafting Magic Items
Since I started playing 3rd Edition D&D ten years ago, I've been a little disappointed that characters with item creation feats never made interesting items. They made the simple, straightforward ones: +1 keen swords, potions of cure light wounds, wands of magic missile, etc. Now, I suppose it's fortunate that those are exactly the items the system handles best... |
Left But Not Gone
I was sitting in my office
at my dream job at Iron Crown Enterprises. Except my office was a small room
with two other editors, and my job was quickly becoming nothing more than trying to convince irate, unpaid authors that financially
things at the company would soon improve and they would get paid. It was less and less the dream I had been dreaming for so long..... |
Ptolus Map Products From SkeletonKey Games
We are pleased to announce the release of Ptolus Adventure Maps: Madame Kaethea's House in PDF format from SkeletonKey Games. Inside you will find 13 terrain tiles detailing the three levels of this unassuming dark elf hideout nestled among the slums of the Warrens. This and other official tie-in map e-products are created by cartographer Ed Bourelle. Take a look at the whole lineup here... |
Gen Con on the Other Side of the Booth
When I started working in the game industry, it was at Gen Con. My very first day working full-time for ICE was at Gen Con 1990. It was also my first Gen Con ever. I had never had the opportunity to go just as an attendee, for fun. For those first few Gen Cons, my job was to "work the booth" a few hours each day, which meant sell product and chat with gamers. It was fun, actually. Then I went to work for TSR, and Gen Con really changed.... |
Ptolus Wins Four 2007 Gold ENnie Awards!
This has been quite a year for Malhavoc Press, starting with the release of Ptolus: Monte Cook's City by the Spire at Gen Con 2006 and culminating with the book winning four industry gold awards at Gen Con 2007. The annual Gen Con/EN World RPG awards ceremony was held Friday, August 17th, at Gen Con Indy's Indiana Roof Ballroom. Sue and I were excited to be there with many of our Ptolus playtesters, contributors, and publishing partners. Over the course of the evening, the book was recognized with gold medals in four categories... |
Ptolus Earns Four ENnie Nominations!
It's time once again to vote in the Gen
Con & EN World RPG Awards, and Sue and I are proud to announce that
Ptolus: Monte Cook's City by the Spire has been nominated in four categories! They are... |
Brazil!
For quite a few years, I'd
been in contact with the people at Devir -- a Brazilian game distributor, translator,
and publisher -- about coming down for a convention, but it never seemed to
work out. Finally, almost a year and a half ago, they pinned me down and forced
me to agree to come to Brazil this July. Okay, maybe not forced... |
Ptolus Comic Book
Sheva Callister is a former adventurer and treasure hunter who is supposed to be retired after the death of her partner, Parnell. But when a noble from the city of Ptolus offers her a special, mysterious reward in exchange for her retrieval of a seemingly unimportant brooch, Sheva takes the job -- against her better judgment. She soon finds herself caught in a complex web of deception as some of the city's most infamous residents attempt to kill her and steal her powerful hungersword. Will this adventure finally be Sheva's last? Get the whole story in the new trade paperback from Marvel Comics, in stores now. |
Well, Here I Am. And I'm Not Leaving
It was the very last day
of my summer internship at ICE, and my boss, Coleman, called me into his office.
By that time, I was pretty sure I knew what this was going to be about. There
had been hints from a few people over the previous week or so... |
What About Feats?
The very heart of D&D
rules design is comparing incomparable things. Character A can, once per day,
inflict 4d8 points of damage. Character B can conjure a mule whenever he wants.
Which is more powerful? That sort of thing.... |
Errata and Clarifications for Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved
These changes are incorporated in the May 2007 update of the Arcana Evolved eBook, but we provide this list for the benefit of those with the hardcover edition.... |
What Am I Doing Here?
I'd followed the directions
carefully, but I still had gotten lost. Eventually, I just parked my little
white Hyundai -- a car I'd been talked into buying by my girlfriend, who liked
the sun roof -- and walked around the Charlottesville downtown walking mall
, a single long street of shops and offices closed to traffic, until I found
a sign.
That sign was small and
innocuous, but professional looking. It read "Iron Crown Enterprises." |
Lilith of the Fallen
In issue 6 of the Monte
Cook's Ptolus: City by the Spire comic, we witness the conclusion of the latest plot by the succubus Lilith to increase her fell power in the City of Ptolus. As a preview, check out her description and game stats. This article comes from the Forsaken section in Chapter 6: Organizations of Ptolus. |
Modifying Slaadi
Like many D&D players, I am a fan of the D&D miniatures produced by Wizards of the Coast. I don't play the minis game, but I use them in the roleplaying game right alongside my painted metal miniatures. However, sometimes the individual figures don't look quite right to me. Either the paint job or the sculpt isn't really what I want to put on the table. So I've begun to modify them slightly to make them work. |
Malhavoc Deals for April!!
White Wolf has just announced
several cool deals for the month of April for those of you interested in Ptolus
or Iron Heroes. Here are a few specials available from now through
the end of April, only at the White Wolf online store: the Ptolus bundle, Iron Heroes bundle, and Iron Heroes singles. |
Secrets of the Delver's Guild Overview
Many of you have been in on the Delver's Guild exclusive Ptolus bonus material for
more than a year, thanks to your early preorders of the Big Book. But to
those of you who have not yet discovered it, take a look at the table of
contents for the 76-page Ptolus sourcebook Secrets of the Delver's Guild. |
The Amalgam Armor of the Iron Mage
In issue 5 of the Monte
Cook's Ptolus: City by the Spire comic, Sheva crosses swords with her nemesis
Kevris Killraven, aided by the timely appearance of the cryptic Iron Mage. Find
out the outcome of this struggle in issue 5, published by DBPro/Marvel Comics
and in stores now. Meanwhile, here's a closer look at the game stats for the
unique armor of the most powerful wizard in Ptolus. It comes from the Iron Mage's
section in Chapter 14: Oldtown of Ptolus. |
A Grand Finale
Up in the Balacazar box,
Aliya attacks the mage Arkhall Vaugn another six times, dealing him a nasty
blow even as he was attempting to ensorcel her with a suggestion. Menon
looks over at this and tut-tuts, shaking his head. Zophas seizes the opportunity
to slice at the cord holding the pearl and little Destor around Balacazar's
neck.... |
A God, a Curse, and a Wish
The Sorn sorcerers complete
a spell and there's a great rumbling as -- Holy Mother Teun! -- two enormous
purple worms burst up through the floor of the theater. Where did they come
from? Each of them seems to have been fitted with an artificial tooth. One of
them is emanating a yellow glow. One hits Feruch, who just barely manages to
wriggle out of its grasp. |
Download This New Bookmark for Free!
While assembling the new all-in-one PDF edition of Ptolus:
Monte Cook's City by the Spire, Sue made up a new bookmark for you to print out
and use with either edition of the book. This bookmark features the spine
artwork of Todd Lockwood -- part of the book that, if you have the PDF edition, you never got to see until now! (The image here is just a snippet from it.) Printing on card stock and/or lamination is recommended. |
Ptolus Goes on Sale Thursday as a Single PDF!
Some seven months after the print release of the deluxe Ptolus: Monte
Cook's City by the Spire, the author has agreed to grant fans' repeated
requests to release his landmark setting book in PDF as a single giant eBook.
The book debuts on Thursday, February 22, at www.DriveThruRPG.com
and www.RPGNow.com. |
And Now Back to Our Story...
Although the Runewardens had been through a lot in their careers, the experiences in Jabel Shammar were among the most harrowing, the most trying, and -- as it turned out -- the most scarring. After exploring much of the fortress, the group confronted the Malignancy, a semi-sentient force of utter corruption growing out of the Book of Inverted Darkness, as well as some sliver of a shadow of the spirit of the Dread One himself.... |
To Meet With Evil
Up the stairs we march to
the next level, which holds many, many tall bookshelves filled with books. A
9-foot-tall winged humanoid figure approaches us, clanging as though made of
metal. Its fiery sword causes awful harm to Sercian before the elf's twin brother
manages to wall it off with a wall of force; then the monks take it down.
But it seems we are not out of the woods yet -- two metallic creatures who exude
lightning approach from the other direction.... |
Ptolus Sketchbooks From The Forge Studios
We are pleased to announce that The
Forge Studios is releasing beautiful Ptolus Sketchbooks to use at
the game table alongside the Ptolus book. These official tie-in accessories
are created by the artists who set the architectural tone for Ptolus. Every
sketchbook focuses on a different district and together they expand Ptolus with
illustrations of buildings not pictured in the core book. New: Nobles' Quarter! |
Sanctuary
The door seems to hold, so we begin exploring the rest of the chamber here in the Tower of Malice. We can find no mechanism to turn off the wheeled bladed trap, but Serai and Sercian evaluate it, proclaiming it a difficult trap to disable. We find a number of bedchambers here but not much else. While we discuss various options for disabling the wheeled and bladed trap, Sercian shoots the works with viscous globs from his brother's chaositech gun to jam it. We rush in. |
Gattara Vladaam
In issue 4 of the Monte Cook's
Ptolus: City by the Spire comic, Sheva Callister chances upon a clandestine meeting of the crime lord Kevris Killraven with the sinister Gattara Vladaam, sister to those responsible for the destruction of her adventuring partner Parnell. Is this the architect of the plot against her? Discover the truth in issue 4, published by DBPro/Marvel Comics and now in stores. Meanwhile, here's a closer look at the game stats for this conniving noblewoman, taken from Chapter 6: Organizations of Ptolus. |
Welcome to the Tower of Malice
We have rested a while in
a Mord's magnificent mansion at the lowest level of the Tower of the
Misbegotten -- Canabulum sets it up in the crevice we found earlier. We think
we hear occasional strange sounds scraping along the walls outside the mansion,
but our wizard friend tells us that shouldn't be possible. Still, we think something
is trying to get in. |
Temple of Mysteries Adventure Now Available for Fantasy Grounds!
Monte Cook's Temple of
Mysteries: In Media Res dungeon adventure is now available in a format compatible
with Fantasy Grounds software. All you need to run this exciting d20 adventure
online is the default ruleset software (version 1.05) from SmiteWorks. This
conversion includes 4th- and 5th-level pre-generated characters. Look for it
now for only $2.50 from Digital Adventures' Online
Store. |
Digital Adventures Presents: Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved Ruleset for Fantasy Grounds!
Now available with FREE new graphics! Digital Adventures is proud to bring Monte Cook's
Arcana Evolved variant player's handbook campaign to the Fantasy Grounds
Virtual Tabletop software. This electronic product, on sale now, gives you all of the rules
and ambiance you need to host or play an Arcana Evolved game online with
Fantasy Grounds. |
Malhavoc Press' First Adventure Now Compatible With Fantasy Grounds!
Monte Cook's exciting high-level adventure Demon God's Fane is now available in a format compatible with Fantasy Grounds software. All you need to run this popular d20 adventure online is the default ruleset software (version 1.05) from SmiteWorks. Look for the adventure now for only $3 from Digital Adventures at RPGNow. |
Misbegotten Exploration
It takes us a long time
and quite a few terrible injuries before all our undead foes have fallen at
our feet here in the Tower of Blasphemy. Coating the floor is a layer of mummy
dust -- all that is left of our recent enemies. It seems that these mummies
were the defenders of impiety as a concept. They are the very opposite of religious.
Investigating the blues shafts of light here, we learn that they are magical
rays of intense cold. We experiment in disrupting all the raylike columns, but
it has no effect that we can see. |
A Dire Call
In the three years since
we left the Runechildren, Aliya and Zophas spent some time clearing out the
Dark Reliquary. Gaerioth took off on a quest for the Word That Began Creation.
Serai led a team down to the Banewarrens to recover and raise the Company of
the Black Lantern. Later, he and the recovered Sercian went off on a voyage
in their new ship. The restored Tellian went off looking for the birthplace
of Navashtrom but recently returned to protect Urlenius. Canabulum remained
in the city researching more arcane secrets in his underground laboratory. Sister
Mara spent a good deal of time in Dreta Phantas helping repair the Dreaming
City and studying its magical nature. Now restored to its proper place in the
world, north of Ptolus, it has become home to elder elves and modern elves alike.
Shurrin is married to Tellith, hostess at the Ghostly Minstrel; today the happily
domesticated former adventurer lives a quiet family life in Ptolus. |
Bashing Heads
Next to the chill room where
we fought the obese ogre-mage and the ice demons lies a chamber with a big pentagram
inscribed on the floor. The pentagram and a full-length mirror seem to be magic;
Sir Feruch says the pentagram is evil, too. The mirror seems to have a mesmerizing
effect.... |
Daersidian Ringsire and Brusselt Airmol
In issue 3 of the Monte Cook's
Ptolus: City by the Spire comic, the stalwart team of Daersidian Ringsire
and Brusselt Airmol bring their friend Sheva Callister to the local Temple of
Asche for healing following a harrowing battle. Then, of course, the three of
them turn right around and charge into battle anew, this time in catacombs below
the city of Ptolus.... |
Slavers, Beware!
Sir Feruch drops a stone
down the passage beside the Pit of Insanity. It falls into magical blackness.
Then we hear a crunch emanating from the passage that sounds like something
just pulverized the stone. We wonder whether there's something incredibly heavy
down there that one could handle only with telekinesis and magic-impervious
materials. After another test, the knight declares that there seems to be a
great force at the bottom of the passage that pulls strenuously on anything
that enters the passage.... |
An Old Friend Found
It's been five days since
we teleported out of the Vault of the Elder Brain, which now serves as its sepulcher.
It took us three days to recover from the ordeal, and we spent the last two
seeking information and tidying up loose ends.... |
Going Hunting for Brain
Shilukar has a weapon that will kill an Elder Brain?!? "Would you mind giving
it to us?" asks Diethan of our dark elf guest, "since we're going
to try to kill it and all? Shilukar reminds us that
this Elder Brain has become so powerful from steeping in the godsblood of a
dead Galchutt deep underground. The Galchutt, though, were a paranoid lot and
wanted a means to neutralize a resulting Vested. So they created a device that
will divest someone of godlike aspects it has absorbed. "I happen to have
that chaositech item." |
The Enemy of My Enemy Is My . . . Shilukar
We collect the possessions
of the Cinderpriest and his warrior associate. Among them is a book praising
decay, entropy, and strength through disintegration. We decide to explore further.
Voices are talking down one hallway, and we run smack into a group of foes including
the Balacazar mage Arkhall Vaugn and a beholder ally! |
Action Time
Most of the time, my philosophy
as a game designer was, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I think good game design
has been hurt over the years by changes that game designers implemented to fix
problems no one was complaining about. That said... |
To Aid and Avenge
Bright and early we go down
to the rubble where the Siege Tower once stood to help out following the devastating
explosion. No one has been able to locate Phadian's body, but the knights want
to try to get her raised once they find her. Sir Othun is missing, too, but
Sir Mirauch is alive and trying to organize the search and rescue mission. |
Get Your Copy of Ptolus Before They’re Gone!
As the year approaches its
end, so too does the supply of Monte
Cook's Ptolus: City by the Spire. With just over 500 copies remaining
in our warehouse, Ptolus may not make it to see 2007.
With no reprint in the cards, the holiday season is your best time to make sure
you snag your copy of the coolest roleplaying book of the year. |
And Things Were Going So Well...
Down in the Generator Room
of the Tower of Science, Barbatos, Feruch, and the Cobbledman ably disable the
generators, but the small blue dragon is still all trussed up. The wizard tries
to speak to him in Draconic, but all he can make out in response is a small
voice that whimpers, "Mother..." Barbatos tries to teleport out again
with the dragon and the others, but the spell fails. And then they hear banging
at the door.... |
Check Out Monte's Marvel Podcast!
This week, don't miss a
new podcast from Marvel Comics about the Ptolus: City by the Spire comic
book series. In this installment of the Marvel podcast series, host Jim McCann
talks with Monte about the series as a whole and the challenge of making the
transition from game sourcebook to comic book. Plus you'll get a few hints about
issue 3, due out December 27. |
Shuul Agent
In issue 2 of the Monte Cook's Ptolus: City by the Spire comic,
our heroine Sheva Callister and her friends Daersidian and Brusselt find themselves
up against some of the technology-loving Shuul agents. Issue 2, published by
DBPro/Marvel Comics, is now in stores. Meanwhile, here's a closer look at the
game stats for a Typical Shuul Agent (illustration by Eric Lofgren). |
Time for Some Tactics
Later in the day, we decide
to pursue various threads of our investigation into the Shuul and their secret
project beneath the Foundry. Diethan tries to get some info from a dwarf contact.
She recommended talking to Frima Copperlace in the Foundry to get the lowdown
on what's going on there. |
A Trio of Ambushes
Today the Killraven
troglodyte Durant sends us a message. He wants to come visit us at Pythoness
House tomorrow. I guess his boss really wants that information
we have from our visit to the future.... |
All This Because of a Cat
Just as we're about to venture
after the vampire(s) that Calista senses, Sir Feruch arrives at the house to
join us. Barbatos opens a magically sealed door to a large room where we see
two cages, one containing two writhing, tormented, emaciated vampires and the
other containing two underfed, poorly treated teens. While I release the children,
Feruch uses his undead bane sword, Final Peace, to put an end to the
vampiric creatures; his strikes reduce then to tormented mist. Prevented as
they are from reaching their sanctums, surely they will die soon. |
A Tale of Two Chellasters
Diethan goes out to search
for the location of the two Chellasters while we get to work on the house. He
learns that the homeless Chellaster always wears black-and-tan armor and a helm.
No one knows his face. However, after a day or so of Diethan's asking around,
this Chellaster finds our friend and approaches him in a seedy area of the Guildsman
District. Chellaster tells Diethan that the wealthy Chellaster is an imposter
-- he is, in fact, Chellaster, bane of vampires. Diethan thinks the rogue in
the Nobles' Quarter has taken this fellow's identity. |
Sheva's Sword
A frequent bar patron in
Delver's Square, Sheva Callister is one of the city's best-known delvers. What is not so well
known is that Sheva found a powerful but evil sword: a hungersword
with additional potent enhancements. Once she realized what it was, Sheva
paid the Dreaming Apothecary well to permanently hide the sword from divinations
seeking hungerswords. |
What Have We Done Now?
We ascend back up out
of the shaft and inspect our vampire-gotten goods. We have quite a pile
of goods -plus what's in the chests! (We find lots of gold, various scrolls
and vials, magical books -- and a few traps. We even locate Falstef's old
mace, a beautiful gold weapon with peal inlay. What a tragedy that he was
banished... Somehow, we'll find a way to get him back!) |
The Most Powerful Vampire in Ptolus
We recover from our ordeal
a bit while waiting for the backup knights to arrive. Diethan and Lunas take
our fallen cleric friend back up to the surface. Our next move is to make our
way through the secret door that Archinemus' find the path spell has
outlined for us. We still need to find Medre's resting place. |
No Place Like Home
We decide to pick up some
back issues of the Imperial Gazette and we capture some images of the
city (and the Killraven wanted poster) in our image crystals to show people
upon our return what a horror the city has become at the hands of the Shuul.
All this wonderful technology... it just goes to show, you can have too much
of a good thing. |
Strange New World
We decide that our best
course of action is to go through the Dresden Door and collect evidence
that Shilukar is in fact working with Nicodemus against Castle Shard. That way,
we can bring back the evidence and let Zavere and Rill take care of the traitorous
dark elf. We also buy image crystals to capture the scenes we encounter in this
place, as further proof of Shilukar's collusion. |
Real Caves and Caverns
Here's a look at a "classic" DM's Only article from a couple years ago at montecook.com. It discusses one of my favorite game settings: caves and caverns. Those of you who bought the recent Beneath the Streets eBook (or who are thinking about running Part IV of Ptolus might find some of these observations handy for your games. |
Moving In
Following the departure
of the Hussar, we seem to have Pythoness House mostly to ourselves. There are
still a few unwelcome spirits that we need to oust if anyone other than the
Cobbled Man is ever going to live here. |
Staff of Shadow, Goddess of Blades
We're battling frantically
at the top of the Shade Tower: Charnoth and I facing off against the shadow
dragon Nostromac (with Calista backing us up with her healing power) and Diethan
and Archinemus battling Lord Sadar and his shadowstaff and the shadow
demon he called with it. Meanwhile, Barbatos is whispering something foul into
the ear of the giant statue of Maleskari. I'm not sure, but the statue's head
appears to be turning toward Barbatos... |
Complete Soul Magic Download
Ptolus:
Monte Cook's City by the Spire includes a few interesting examples of
the use of soul magic, such as an orc's tooth inscribed with a rune to free
a demon god and a spell in Alchestrin's Tomb that can transport unsuspecting
PCs to Jabel Shammar. Soul magic is a concept detailed fully in The Complete Book of Eldritch Might. If you'd like the complete chapter on soul magic, however, you can download it here for free. |
The Temple of Maleskari
Bright and early, we arrive
at the old bell tower behind the temple to the Goddess of the Nine Holy Stars.
We're here to put an end to this foul cult of Maleskari and to get back our
kidnapped friend Tharn. We cast our preparatory spells and kick in the door
to face a spellcasting purple-robed figure in a horned helm and several undead
and Forsaken. They jeer that they knew we were coming -- ahh, the folly of the
overconfident! |
Dabel Brothers Join Marvel Family
Marvel Comics announced
Monday at the Diamond Retailers Summit in Baltimore that Dabel Brothers Productions
is becoming a part of Marvel. This is great news for the Ptolus:
City by the Spire comic book. Issue
1 was released early this summer, but the subsequent issues were put on hold
pending the conclusion of the partnership deal. The newly-named Marvel
DBPro has announced a reprint of Ptolus: City by the Spire Issue
1 in October, followed by monthly releases of the remaining five issues of the
series. |
Game Trade Magazine Freebies and Contest
Our friends over at Game Trade Magazine have made a couple of great Ptolus articles from their magazine available now for free download. Check them out at the "Complete Articles" section of their website or download them here. And while you're there, make sure you sign up for Game Trade's big Ptolus giveaway. The winner of the free drawing will receive a prize pack consisting of a signed copy of the Ptolus book, Player's Guide, and The Night of Dissolution! |
Angering the God of Shadows
Together with our dwarf friend Thogmun, the last of our Keepers of the Veil allies, we destroy Lilith's Womb and collect any magical treasure we find. When we leave this place, it is no longer habitable for any straggling Forsaken cult members that may still be at large. That evening, we spend some time reading The Book of Days Forsaken, a history book we found in the underground temple.... |
Ptolus Map Symbols Font
Some of the folks on the
message boards were asking about the Ptolus Icons font created by cartographer
Ed Bourelle. It seemed like a great idea to make it available to all who would
like to use the map symbols in their Ptolus campaign handouts. |
Night of Dissolution Overview
Here's a sneak peek
at the table of contents for the 96-page mid-level Ptolus adventure
The Night of Dissolution. This series of linked adventures
centers around the rirse of the Cults of Chaos in the city and is a great
foundation for an epic campaign against the malevolent Galchutt. |
Spellcasters in the Party
Sometimes, when you're working as a game designer, you have to divorce yourself from thinking like a gamer. At first that might seem like a bad idea, but hear me out.... |
Two Shigmaas
We take heavy losses from
the ghoul spellcasters and giant undead creature before the battle below Oldtown
ends. We're only just able to catch our breath when we come face to face with
a grave earth elemental -- or a spawn of hell, if you ask Sir Othun of the Keepers
of the Veil. Dispatching it, we race down a hall to a large chamber with a sizable
patch of freshly turned earth and a horrid-looking gaunt fellow with a scythe
tilling it. "I am Sepac, eldest of all ghouls," it says. "It
is time to harvest you." |
Arcana Evolved/Ptolus Conversion Document
Knowing there were a lot
of fans out there who’d like to incorporate Ptolus into their Arcana
Evolved games, I was thrilled when Council of Magisters member Søren
Thustrup volunteered to draft a conversion document to help players accomplish
that very thing. His end result gives DMs
exactly what they need, including both general advice and specific content.
I’ve been mixing elements of Arcana Evolved into my Ptolus Campaign
for years, so I know it can be a fun and rewarding experience. |
You Seriously Wanted Ptolus!
The release of Ptolus:
Monte Cook's City by the Spire was a hot topic at this year's Gen Con
Indy, as curious RPG fans streamed to the White Wolf/Sword & Sorcery booth
to see—and to buy—the deluxe new hardcover that everyone's been talking
about. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Now that we've released Ptolus: Monte Cook's City
by the Spire, here are some answers
to questions you may have about the book. |
Ptolus Fiction From Game Trade Magazine
Final chapter added! Saga of the Blade
is a serialized fiction series that I wrote each month for Game
Trade Magazine. Unlike most fantasy stories, however, it doesn't follow
the actions of a single character. It traces the history of a magical sword
as it passes from wielder to wielder and is used in all sorts of adventures
and battles. |
Against the Forsaken
Back at the house of the
Tolling Bell cult, Calista and I realize that the tentacles of the creature
in the well have done us some harm. Archinemus is unconscious and I have a nasty
burn. We need to find out what we can about the Temple of Maleskari from these
cultists, as we know they were invited to join. But we need to do it fast. |
Malhavoc Press Wins Three 2006 ENnies!
Sue and I are proud to announce that Malhavoc Press was recognized with three Gen Con & EN World RPG Awards this year! During a ceremony held at the Westin Hotel Grand Ballroom in Indianapolis on Friday August 11th, Malhavoc Press was presented with a gold award for Best Cover Art and a silver award for Best Supplement for the Arcana Evolved Spell Treasury hardcover book. Malhavoc’s Iron Heroes Bestiary also won a silver medal for Best Adversary/Monster Product. |
How Much Did They Want Ptolus?
Roleplaying game fans at
Gen Con Indy lined up in droves for a chance to win a copy of Ptolus:
Monte Cook's City by the Spire by hefting the six-pound tome longer than
anyone else. Here's a photo recap of the event, held Friday and Saturday afternoons
at the White Wolf/Sword & Sorcery booth. |
Gen Con 2006 Wrapup
Gen Con 2006 is over and
it was, as always, a lot of fun and a lot of hard work (that is actually a lot
of fun). Here's my recap of the convention... |
Ptolus Miniatures Gallery (July Paints)
The folks over at Paizo
Publishing have painted up a set of the first five Ptolus miniatures,
and we are blown away. See if you agree.... |
A Middle-Man, a Litorian, and the Shuul
As we explore the rest of
the levels beneath the orphanage, we toss the room Karee shared with Nostravant.
There we find a note that says, "Contact Ged Morrowlost regarding Lilith's
Womb." We previously found a letter referring to Lilith's Womb as a hangout
of Forsaken. Does this imply that the Covenant of Blood is in league with them?
They are undead... |
Ptolus Miniatures Gallery (August Greens)
The second batch of Ptolus
miniatures are hot off the presses—err, molds?—and on their way to
your local game store. Here's a look at how they're shaping up. The figures
here are in a stage called "greens" -- they're made of a special
type of green/brown putty. Molds will be made for the metal figures from these
greens. The miniatures here all come as blisters, due out this month from Paizo
Publishing. |
One Last Preview
In many ways, the City by the Spire is a piece of game history. Ptolus (pronounced "taw-luss") was the first Third Edition campaign played by anyone, anywhere. The campaign actually started in 1996, shifting from Second to Third Edition when the new rules were ready for playtest. That makes it the first-ever Third Edition playtest campaign, and thus the oldest and longest-running Third Edition game in the world. And it's still going strong.... |
MorePtolus Freebies!
With the release of Ptolus we want you to have all sorts of nifty props and handouts to help you start your campaign. So, in this web enhancement you'll find 12 pages of street signs, letterhead, menus, invitations, and much more to enhance your game sessions and impress your players. These graphics are found on the CD that comes along with the Ptolus book, but they are useful for other medieval urban fantasy campaigns as well. |
Bloodthirst
The devil that just appeared
as we invade the false orphanage is thin and gangly yet muscular. He's seven
feet tall and wields a large sword. He appears in a flash that stinks of brimstone
and immediately presents himself as a formidable foe. He wears a medallion that
glows red when it magically inflicts damage on us. After three such attacks,
he licks his amulet and says, "This will feed the dragon well." Then
he disappears before our eyes. The coward! |
How Much Do YOU Want Ptolus?
Gen Con 2006 is taking place August 10-13, 2006, in Indianapolis, Indiana, and on Friday at 1 PM, 15 lucky people chosen by lot will get to compete in a unique contest for the chance to walk away with the most talked-about new RPG release of the summer -- Ptolus:
Monte Cook's City by the Spire.... |
Ptolus Ptestamonials
The reviews are starting to roll in, and Ptolus is getting some raves! Take a look at what Dungeon, Scrye, and InQuest Gamer magazines have to say about the Big Book... |
Ptolus Products Available Digitally
Malhavoc Press and DriveThru are proud to announce that a whole host of Ptolus-related products are now available in digital format from DriveThruRPG.com and DriveThruComics.com. With Ptolus just a few days away from release at Gen Con on August 10th, be sure to stop by and browse these great support products. |
Gen Con 2006 Schedule of Events!
Sue and I have a lot of interesting things going on at Gen Con Indy again this year. Check out our schedule here and plan your Gen Con weekend! See you there! |
Ptolus Freebies!
There's only one week left until the release of Ptolus, and we couldn't be more excited. In fact, we decided to start releasing web enhancements before the book even hits shelves! This week we offer you an easy download of a sheet of bookmarks and two styles of Ptolus parchment pattern sheets. |
Ptolus Overview
Ptolus is releasing very soon, and I know you've all been wondering exactly what's
in this megabook. In what is certainly the longest Table of Contents overview
we have ever run on this site, here is a rundown of the seven parts and
thirty-six chapters of the Big Book. (You can read more about the design
decisions behind each part in Monte's Design
Diary.) This look at the Table of Contents may help you as you plan your
campaign. |
The Next Chapter
Ptolus
is very soon out, and I couldn't be more excited. It's the culmination of a
great many different goals, both for me personally and for Malhavoc as well.
Gen Con is going to be a blast. But afterward, for me, things
are going to change a bit. Truth to tell, they've actually been changed for
quite some time... |
Vampires in the Shadows
While I was off helping
my Aunt Silvia and Uncle Kren put up a new barn on their farm north of the city,
the rest of the group went on a mission on behalf of Celdore, in thanks for
the help he gave us in finding out more about the Hu-Charad. I feel bad that
I couldn't help, considering all I learned about my heritage thanks to Celdore,
but there's no arguing with dad when he puts his foot down about family matters. |
Ptolus: Delver's Guild Contest Winners
Malhavoc Press and White Wolf are eager to announce the winner
and finalists of a contest highlighting one of the greatest exploratory organizations
ever created: the Delver's Guild of Monte Cook's new and epic city setting,
Ptolus: The City by the Spire. |
Official Accessories and Adventures
The
talented folks over at Fiery Dragon Productions are the best at what they do:
top-notch adventures and accessories for your game table. So we're thrilled
that they are producing a number of cool tie-in products for Ptolus: City
by the Spire, including one of their oh-so-useful Counter Collections and
a super-cool giant vinyl map of the city. Read on... |
Two Malhavoc Press Titles Earn ENnie Nominations!
It's time once again to
vote in the Gen Con & EN World d20 System Awards, and Sue and I are proud
to announce that Malhavoc Press has been recognized in three categories! In addition, Malhavoc Press
made the list for the Fan's Choice: Best Publisher award. The great folks over
at Diamondthrone.com have been nominated for Best Fan Site, and our pals at
Fiery Dragon Productions are nominated for their Iron Heroes BattleBox
(Best Aid or Accessory category). |
My Hand Hurts
Last week, on our way home
from that Green and Pleasant Land, we stopped over at another green and pleasant
place: Georgia. Sure, in July it's hotter there than the Heat Miser in a wool
sweater on a city bus, but we'd just come from a record-breaking, street-melting (seriously) heat wave in London, and at least in Atlanta they have
air conditioning. |
Print Shops and Dragonscales
We have had a good month
at the shop, Archinemus tells us. That's good news -- maybe we can get started
on building on an addition. I'd love to have some space to use as a workshop.
The more I learn about the crafting of machines, the more I enjoy tinkering
on my own. |
Strange Allies
As we search the bodies
of the fallen, we are horrified at the demonic flesh etchings of the red-cloaked
wizard. He was a follower of Demogorgon, just as the letter we found mentioned.
We are going to have to figure out how to divide up the loot between us and
our harr "allies." |
Urban Campaigns
I talk in the latest Design Diary about Part VII of Ptolus,
the final section of the book. It's one of my favorite sections, actually, because
it discusses in part the unique challenges of running urban campaigns—something
I've enjoyed doing for years. To go along with that article, we're offering
you a preview from Part VII—specifically, from Chapter 32: Urban Campaigns. This three-page preview
goes into some detail about urban adventures: creating story arcs for them and
lots more.... |
Design Diary: Part VII: Running a Ptolus Campaign
From Design Day One, I knew
that there would be a Part VII of the Ptolus
book. Well, I didn't know it would be "Part VII," but I knew there
would be a part of the book that dealt with new rules material. Remember, practically
everything I've written for Malhavoc Press (and a lot I've done for Fiery Dragon,
Atlas Games, and others) has come out of the Ptolus Campaign. It's always been
a testing ground for new 3rd Edition rules material -- in fact, it was one of
the first such testing grounds... |
The Legacy at Last!
Our foes all slain here
in the Halls of Cordaris, we emerge into a broad chamber lit from below with
bluish illumination. A wide ledge hugs the walls; the center of the room is
a vast pit. There is a light mist swirling around a gigantic statue of a blue
angel. The statue is so large, the walls of the room bump out to accommodate
her outstretched wings. Surrounding the edges of the room are more orcs, siege
engines, whitish humanoid forms, and the naga we were warned about. The whitish,
shimmering figures are absorbing energy from the statue, gaining solidity as
they do. The naga directs the other creatures against us.... |
New Ptolus Art Gallery
Get ready to be wowed! Our latest Ptolus online art gallery shows off some of the book's wonderful
color art by many of our featured artists. I think I'll let the images speak
for themselves.... |
The Orcs of Cordaris
We notice some strange things
on the bodies of the slain orcs down in the Halls of Cordaris. For instance,
one fallen orc carried a coil of rope fused together with a bag, all made of
glass. Another was wearing some sort of stiff blue sandpaper-pants, and a third
carried a pouch filled with mysterious and smelly grey goo. Could all this be
evidence of the Chaos Well at work? |
"The city is a giant melting pot of different looks and cultures..."
We knew going into the
project that we wanted Ptolus to be a striking book visually. A 672-page full-color
book is nothing without excellent artwork. Fortunately, Ptolus wasn't
our first book. Over the years, we'd developed a good relationship with a number
of fabulous illustrators. This month Sue speaks with four of our terrific featured artists. We are extremely privileged to work with these extraordinarily talented guys. |
Ptolus: City by the Spire Trailer!
Check out the new Ptolus Flash trailer created for us by Chris McDonough. This movie premieres here at
the Malhavoc Press website, but you can catch it on the "big screen"
at the White Wolf/Sword & Sorcery booth at Gen Con Indy in August. We're excited to bring you
this cool piece that illustrates the many deluxe components
and cool artwork of Ptolus: City by the Spire. (And no, that's not me
narrating the voiceover.) |
Full Circle
It's good to be home! While
Seanus walks Archinemus through the books for the shop (and from the expression
on the sibeccai's face, they're not in good shape), the rest of us head over
to Castle Shard to get down to the bottom of what we learned in Ar-Nampur: that
someone named Nicodemus was after the Nemesis Stone, the purple shard central
to Castle Shard's power. |
Ptolus Delver's Guild Seeks a Master of Logo Design
Malhavoc Press and White Wolf are seeking a logo design submitted from fans in a contest
to highlight the Delver's Guild, an exciting exploratory organization in Monte
Cook's new epic city setting, Ptolus. |
Character Spotlight: Aliya Al-Mari
Aliya Al-Mari hailed from
far distant Uraq. Born the youngest of three sisters, Aliya came from a family
of minor nobles living in an oasis camp named Tilemo, fifty miles south of Rashadar.
Since she was a little girl, Aliya occasionally experienced a strange sensation
whenever she looked in a mirror. In these strange instances, just for a moment,
she saw someone else in the mirror -- another girl, always about Aliya's own
age. Aliya never learned who this girl was, nor did her image ever last long
enough for her to do anything but be surprised. She never spoke of it to anyone,
but it continued to occur, even as she grew to adulthood. |
Ptolus Origins 2006 Schedule
For those of you planning
to attend the Origins International Games Expo in Columbus, Ohio, from June 29 to July 2, 2006,
I've got good news! At Origins we'll be debuting our "Welcome to Ptolus"
event, which takes characters from the streets of the city down to the underlevels
of Temple of the Ebon Hand cult. |
Cost of Living in the City
In the latest Design Diary I talk a little about Part VI of Ptolus, the section of the book that covers what it's actually like to live in the city. So it's the perfect time to offer a preview from Part VI -- specifically, from Chapter 26: On Being a Resident. This two-page preview is an information panel covering the cost of living in Ptolus. |
Arcana Evolved Spell Treasury Converted for Fantasy Grounds
Magic may be the most fascinating
of all the interesting things in Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved. This adaptation
of the Arcana Evolved Spell Treasury for Fantasy Grounds expands that
system with hundreds more spells--converted from the SRD, the Complete Book
of Eldritch Might, and other sources, as well as some brand-new spells.
All of them come complete and ready to use with the flexible Arcana Evolved
magic system -- and now they are all available for
your Fantasy Grounds online campaign! |
Design Diary: Part VI: Living in Ptolus
In some ways, Part VI of Ptolus is the most
important part of the book for me, despite the fact that it's smaller than all
the others. Why? Because it's the material that I always want to get out of
an RPG setting book, but very rarely do. This part talks about what
it's really like to be in Ptolus... |
Ptolus Photo Gallery: Page Proofs!
Our latest Ptolus
online art gallery documents a pretty exciting day for Sue and me: the day the
Ptolus page proofs came in from the printer! The proofs of the book itself
and all its other components landed with a thud on our front porch in a number
of overnight packages.... |
"An editor is a reader's advocate..."
There's a vital voice
involved in the Ptolus project that we haven't really heard from: Sue
Weinlein Cook, the editor. Sue is fully one-half of Malhavoc Press, but I don't
think people get to hear her point of view nearly enough. (She's not a big fan of the spotlight.) Sue actually taught me what
editing is. I remember her telling me that when she edits, she imagines
that the writer is standing behind her, looking over her shoulder, to remind
her that she has to be able to justify any change. |
Snakes on a Plane
Aeons ago, the goddess Jaque-Arah created a minor plane of transition, similar to the Ethereal Plane or the Astral, to connect her own two otherworldly realms to the Prime Material Plane. This plane provided a conduit, which forked as one traveled from the material world to go to either of her two planes.... |
Soul Magic
The Complete Book of Eldritch Might is now available in a single PDF. We thought we'd showcase a short chapter from the book as a free preview: Soul Magic. I had a good time creating this concept and have used it often myself in my home Ptolus Campaigns. Take a look at this four-page excerpt. Features the art of Brian LeBlanc and Talon Dunning. |
Character Spotlight: Serai Lorenci
Serai Lorenci was born in
594 IA, in the city of Dohrinthas, as was his twin brother Sercian. The two
are so identical in appearance and so adept at impersonating each other that
even as adults they can switch places among close friends without anyone knowing.
Serai, however, was the favored son. Serai's mother gave him a mysterious old
key as he left home to make his fortune, bidding him to keep it safe. Eventually,
Serai would learn that this was the key to the box of shadows, a lost
artifact of great power. |
Ptolus Character Sheet!
A Player's Guide to Ptolus is the first place you'll find the official Ptolus Character Sheet. As a free web enhancement, we offer you an easy download of not only the two-page Character Sheet, but also a blank Ptolus Notes sheet for campaign background. spell list. Print it out and get working on your first characters—the Ptolus Campaign awaits! (Sheets designed by Brian Rasmussen.) |
Ptolus Player's Guide Now Available
Players
and DMs who have been awaiting Ptolus:
Monte Cook's City by the Spire ever since the deluxe book was announced
last August got their first peek at it May 1 with the print release of A
Player's Guide to Ptolus. Starting today the 32-page player's guide
is available free in electronic (PDF) format from DriveThruRPG.com! |
Week 5 Winners!
For all of you waiting for new words of dungeoneering wisdom, we have announced the final (bonus) week's winners of our Ptolus Delver's Guild Contest. The Guild thanks everyone for their good advice! Winners receive a $20 gift certificate applied to their White Wolf Online Store account. Stay tuned to this website for more contest news next month. |
Ptolus Official Miniatures
Ptolus has seen constant
action as the site of Monte Cook's home campaigns since his days co-designing
the D&D Third Edition rules. The players in these campaigns have included
editors and publishers of Dragon and Dungeon magazines—the
very people who now bring you the official Ptolus miniatures line! |
Intro to Jabel Shammar
In the latest Design Diary I talk a little about Part V of Ptolus, the high-level section of the book that covers the evil fortresses on the Spire overloooking the city. So it's the perfect time to offer a preview from Part V -- specifically, from Chapter 25: Jabel Shammar. This three-page preview is the opening of the chapter. While it doesn't include any specific encounters, it does give a nice you a overview for the feel and the flavor of this "worst place in the world," and introduces you to the story behind Jabel Shammar. |
Design Diary: Part V: Above the City
"Above the City."
It sounds like a whole part of the book that details birds and hot air balloons.
In Ptolus, however, "above the city" refers to the most enigmatic
part of the setting: the Spire. Specifically, it means Goth Gulgamel and Jabel
Shammar, the two fortresses built upon the Spire. To a much lesser degree, it
also refers to the Seven Jewels of Parnaith, otherworldly half-worlds whose
doors float ethereally in orbit around the Spire. |
Week 4 Winners!
For all of you waiting for new words of dungeoneering wisdom, we have announced the fourth week's winners of our Ptolus Delver's Guild Contest. The Guild thanks for your good advice! Entries for Week 5 are due in to delvers@white-wolf.com by Wednesday, May 17, at noon EST. One entry per person per week, please. Winners receive a $20 gift certificate applied to their White Wolf Online Store account. |
More Free Arcana Evolved Adventures for Fantasy Grounds!
Digital Adventures, who
brought you the Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved Fantasy Grounds ruleset,
has been busily converting Malhavoc's free Arcana Evolved adventures
posted online to Fantasy Grounds. You can now download three new adventure conversions
for free and use them with the Arcana Evolved Ruleset for Fantasy Grounds
Virtual Tabletop software. Check out The Giant's Map, The Test of Time, and The Severed Oath adventures. |
Legacy of the Dragons Bestiary Converted for Fantasy Grounds
Good news for users of the
Fantasy Grounds Virtual Tabletop Software! Digital Adventures, who brought you
the Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved ruleset, now offers the Legacy of the
Dragons bestiary conversion for Fantasy Grounds. The
hideous ghoul worm . . . the deadly blade trolls . . . the prowling kahrn, which
literally feeds on combat and anger. . . . This monster supplement for Fantasy
Grounds provides dozens of new adversaries and allies like these, created as
a bestiary for the best-selling Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved setting and the
Arcana Evolved Ruleset for Fantasy Grounds. |
Compiled Ptolus Campaign Journal 2
Your narrator, Benris Hu-Charad,
is a young giant woman who was found as a baby by adventurers twenty years ago,
abandoned in a level of the Dungeon. Her rescuers left her with the Delver’s
Guild, whose chief librarian adopted her. Giants being nonexistent in Ptolus,
everyone—including Benris herself—has always considered her a human
girl, though rather large boned. The only personal item found with her was a
bronze brooch bearing the cryptic word “Hu-Charad.” These days she
works at the Delver’s Guild and has just embarked with new friends on her
own life of adventure.... |
Ptolus Art Gallery: Campaign Photo Album
Our latest Ptolus online art gallery is a little different than the others: It's a photo album of scenes from Monte's Ptolus Campaign. Many of these pictures were taken in extra-long Saturday sessions that combined his normal Monday and Thursday night groups for storyline-critical encounters and large-scale battles. |
"You're playing in a seven-hundred-page city..."
In our Production Closeup
series of monthly features, Malhavoc's editorial honcho Sue goes behind the
scenes with some of the creative folks who helped me express my vision for Ptolus.
This month she speaks with two longtime players of the Ptolus Campaign: game designer Sean K Reynolds and Paizo's magazine publisher Erik Mona. |
Week 3 Winners!
For all of you waiting for new words of dungeoneering wisdom, we have announced the third week's winners of our Ptolus Delver's Guild Contest. The Guild thanks for your good advice! Entries for Week 4 are due in to delvers@white-wolf.com by Wednesday, May 10, at noon EST. One entry per person per week, please. Winners receive a $20 gift certificate applied to their White Wolf Online Store account. |
Week 2 Winners!
For all of you waiting for new words of dungeoneering wisdom, we have announced the second week's winners of our Ptolus Delver's Guild Contest. The Guild thanks for your good advice! Entries for Week 3 are due in to delvers@white-wolf.com by Wednesday, May 3, at noon EST. One entry per person per week, please. Winners receive a $20 gift certificate applied to their White Wolf Online Store account. |
Character Spotlight: Canabulum
Born eighty years ago in
the mountainous lands to the east, Canabulum learned magic from another minotaur
named Raumon. Once he had learned all that Raumon could teach, he wandered human
lands looking for magical items and knowledge. Eventually, Canabulum came to
Ptolus and spent a year or two getting by and gaining knowledge here and there. |
The Districts of Ptolus
Ptolus lies between the
Spire and the sea. The highest portion of the city, the Nobles’ Quarter,
is built on the base of the Spire. From there, the level of the city drops down
a sharp cliff to Oldtown, and then down again into Midtown. The final cliffs
at the edge of Ptolus drop into the bay, with the only area of dry land at the
bottom of those cliffs occupied by the city’s docks. Click on each district of the map here for a brief description. |
Week 1 Winners!
For all of you waiting for more words of dungeoneering wisdom, we have announced the first week's winners of our Ptolus Delver's Guild Contest. The Guild thanks for your good advice! Entries for Week 2 are due in to delvers@white-wolf.com by Tuesday, April 25th, at noon. One entry per person per week, please. Winners receive a $20 gift certificate applied to their White Wolf Online Store account. |
An Intro to Dwarvenhearth
In this week's Design Diary I describe the genesis of Part IV of Ptolus,
the section that details the various realms below the surface of the city. It
seemed like a good time to offer a preview from Part IV -- specifically, from
Chapter 23: Dwarvenhearth. I wanted you to see this
particular set of four pages because it gives you some good background of one
of my favorite areas of the book... |
Design Diary: Part IV: Below the City
In many ways, the genesis
of the Ptolus Campaign came from a conversation I had with Bruce Cordell once.
I wondered aloud what it would be like if there were really a massive dungeon
full of monsters, traps, and treasure. Obviously, being a D&D fan, I like
the idea that there would indeed be a certain class of people -- adventurers
-- who would take it upon themselves to explore the dungeon, brave its dangers,
and bring back its treasures, but what would impact would such a class of people
have on a society? |
Ptolus Delver's Guild Contest Seeks Dungeoneering Tips
Malhavoc Press and White Wolf are seeking dungeon-delving advice from
fans in a contest highlighting the Delver's Guild, an exciting exploratory organization
in Monte Cook's new epic city setting, Ptolus. |
"We wanted to make Ptolus look like a real city...."
In our Production Closeup
series of monthly features, Malhavoc's editorial honcho Sue goes behind the
scenes with some of the creative folks who helped me express my vision for Ptolus.
This month she speaks with the artists of The Forge Studios, who designed the architectural look of the city of Ptolus. See the development of some Ptolus landmarks from sketch to final. |
Ptolus Art Gallery: The Forge Studios
In this Ptolus online gallery, we'd like to show you some work
from The Forge Studios,
the first interior artists we brought in on the Ptolus project back in
2004. As the illustrators of all the architectural pieces in Ptolus,
they are responsible for designing much of the city's visual look and feel. |
Ptolus Ptypos
Back when I worked at TSR,
my fellow editor Miranda Horner kept a list on her cubicle wall of the funniest
typos she'd run across in her various projects. Soon we were all contributing
to her "Typos of Doom" list. Miranda was one of the proofreaders
of Ptolus, and so she and I could not help exchanging notes on funny
"Ptolus Ptypos" we found in the manuscript.... |
Ptolus Miniatures Gallery (May Greens)
The first Ptolus
miniatures are rolling through production, so we thought you'd like to see how
they're shaping up. The figures below are in a stage called "greens"
-- they're made of a special type of green/brown putty. Molds will be made for
the metal figures from these greens. All miniatures here are by sculptor Neil
McKenzie. |
The Open Game License as I See It, Part II
I think the Open Game License
was brilliant. Last week I wrote about why it was good for Wizards of the Coast
and good for the game. This week, things get a bit more controversial. I suspect
I'm about to raise a few hackles. |
Character Spotlight: Zophas Adhar
Zophas grew up in the distant
land of Rhoth, amid small, isolated farming hamlets. He was raised a strict
Lothianite, and the folk of his community kept to the old ways -- they still
believed that all gods besides Lothian were nothing but demons in disguise,
and that all heretics, including those who dabbled in arcane magic, should be
burned at the stake. |
Ptolus by the Numbers
Ptolus: City by the Spire
is off to press, so now we can relax a little and focus on things like the Night
of Dissolution adventure. But as we surrender our biggest book ever to the
printing gods, we thought you'd enjoy reading a few of this deluxe hardcover's
vital statistics.... |
The Open Game License as I See It, Part I
The ongoing Internet debate as to whether the Open Game License can be considered a success -- even whether it should have happened at all -- has been on my mind a lot lately. I've written here before that, when D&D Brand Manager Ryan Dancey first told me about the idea of making the d20 rules open and allowing outside developers the ability to work on it, I thought it was a terrible idea.... |
Poster Preview!
This double-sided poster was one of our handouts to retailers at the 2006 GAMA Trade Show in Las Vegas. It features the Ptolus cover artwork on one side and a handy calendar on the other -- to help you count down the days till Ptolus appears in a store near you! The calendar side also provides a nice preview of some of the art from the book. |
GAMA Trade Show Top 10
I had a great time at the
GAMA Trade Show this week, although it was exhausting, too. As I said in my
blog, I'm getting a little tired of Vegas, where the show has been held for
quite a few years now. However, I never get tired of seeing old friends, meeting
new ones, and chatting with retailers and distributors about the game industry.... |
"The Lost" Free Adventure
The Arcana
Evolved Spell Treasury contains hundreds of spells just waiting to be
introduced into an existing campaign. Obviously, one can just add the spells
as “now available,” but that doesn’t seem very heroic somehow.
The purpose of this free adventure is to illustrate some possible ways to bring the
new spells into an existing campaign. It shows the spells, adventure ideas,
and research methods from the book—well, as many as we could cram in—being
used in a game setting.... |
Combined Spell List!
The release of the Arcana Evolved Spell Treasury more than triples the spell
power available to casters in the game. As a free web enhancement, we offer
you a consolidated spell list. This 21-page spell list combines all the spells
from Monte Cook’s Arcana Evolved with those presented in the Spell Treasury. Print it out and use it as
a complete resource for your magisters, greenbonds, witches, runethanes, and
mage blades. JUST ADDED: List of all spells sortable by level, category, and descriptor! |
People, Rumors, and the Street of a Million Gods
This month's preview is from Part III -- specifically, from Chapter 17: Temple District. I chose this particular double-page spread for several reasons. Instead of focusing on locales within the district, it covers some of the other sections of a typical district chapter: those about people and rumors, plus it provides an interesting example of a sidebar. And finally, it contains an illustrated map by the Forge Studios of the Street of a Million Gods. We saw these sorts of "neighborhood maps" in various travel books and thought they would be a lot of fun to include in Ptolus. |
Design Diary: Part III: City Guide
The third part of the Ptolus book
covers the actual district-by-district description of the city itself. This part of the book is
the largest section, and arguably the most important. In its twelve chapters,
each district of the city is described in incredible detail, with an additional
overview chapter at the beginning. |
Ptolus Cartography Gallery
This month marks the first
of our new Ptolus preview galleries showcasing the varied forms of illustration
appearing in the book. We thought it would be fun to begin with the work of
cartographer Ed Bourelle. This gallery lays out the steps Ed used in creating
the Temple Observatory of the Watcher of the Skies. You
can see how the process of creating the observatory on the city map interlinks
with the rendering of the location's floor plans for the book's interior. |
"Every city map I do from now on will have a little bit of Ptolus in it...."
In our Production Closeup
series of monthly features, Malhavoc's editorial honcho Sue goes behind the
scenes with some of the creative folks who helped me express my vision for Ptolus.
This month she speaks with cartographic powerhouse Ed Bourelle about the development
of the Ptolus maps. The in-progress images give you a great idea of the project's immense scope. |
Spell Treasury Sneak Peek!
Monte and Jeffery pulled
some of their favorite spells from the new book to share with you as a preview
of the Arcana Evolved Spell
Treasury. A brief bit of commentary from the designer accompanies each
one. |
Character Spotlight: Shurrin Delano
Shurrin Delano is a confident
young man with his mind set on great heroism and fame as an adventurer. Born
in the fishing town of Carper's Bay, he disliked the idea of spending his life
around the smell and mess of fish. At age 18 he found a chest hidden in the
family attic, stashed there by his late grandfather, Chaldesh; the chest held
a masterwork rapier and a few other odd items, a legacy of Chaldesh's secret
life as a masked adventurer. Inspired by his grandfather's example, Shurrin
took his heirlooms and traveled to Ptolus in search of a grander life... |
Give the Gift of Ptolus
It doesn't have to be the holiday season
for you to do something nice for your DM. Our partners over at the
White Wolf online store have made easy for you to do just that with the
introduction of gift vouchers. Now you and the other members of your game group
can log on and chip in to buy your DM a preordered copy of Ptolus:
Monte Cook's City by the Spire.... |
Ptolus: Monte Cook's City by the Spire Retail Pre-Order Program
Malhavoc Press and White Wolf are proud to
announce pre-order availability for Monte Cook’s newest campaign setting,
Ptolus. This epic
release is a monstrous 672-page color book. It promises to change the gaming
world by bursting at every seam with vibrant support material for players to
explore in a new, reader-friendly format. |
Paizo Publishing to Produce Ptolus Miniatures
Paizo Publishing, LLC® is proud to announce an extensive line
of officially licensed premium metal miniatures inspired by the Ptolus:
Monte Cook's City by the Spire campaign setting. The line debuts in
May with the City by the Spire boxed set, featuring five of the city's
most fascinating inhabitants, and three individually packaged miniatures ideal
for use as player characters. Additional monthly releases will ensure a line
of dozens of miniatures by the time the Ptolus hardcover comes out in
August, with more in the months to follow. |
House Abanar and More...
Since I spent some time in my latest Design Diary
talking about a few of my favorite aspects of the Organizations chapter of Ptolus,
I thought it might be a good idea in this preview to show you the first three
pages from that same chapter... |
Design Diary: Part II: Ptolus Background
The second of Ptolus'
seven parts contains an array of varied content. It includes material on
the world, the races, the gods and cosmology, the history, and the organizations.
This is, in a way, the part of the book that provides the context for the rest.
It's everything but the city of Ptolus. |
Dabel Brothers Venture Into Ptolus
Writer Monte Cook is no stranger to fantasy... but the upcoming PTOLUS:
CITY BY THE SPIRE comic book, which is being published by Dabel Brothers Production
(a.k.a. "DB Pro") this spring, is his first stab at graphic storytelling. |
"A Cover Painting Is the Depiction of a Moment"
In our Production Closeup
series of monthly features, Malhavoc's editorial honcho Sue goes behind the
scenes with some of the creative folks who helped me express my vision for Ptolus.
In our first article she speaks with artist Todd Lockwood about the development
of the Ptolus cover, which we first unveiled back in July of last year. The in-progress images give you a great idea of how the whole thing came together. |
Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved Official Tie-Ins
Creating a normal murder-mystery adventure is hard. Creating a murder-mystery
for Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved—a game full of powerful magic
and memory-traveling heroes—is even harder. Arcana
Evolved expert Soren Keis Thustrup helps you out in Circle of Rites, a new adventure for 8th-level characters from Fiery Dragon Productions. |
Character Spotlight: Sister Mara Von Witten
At 46 years old, Mara Von
Witten has been a devoted member of the Lothian clergy for more than 25 years,
and spent most of her life in Tarsis, capital of the Empire. In her younger
days she was a zealous warrior fighting against the forces of evil, but she
always followed her own path. Mara also had occasional dreams that seemed to
be sendings or messages of some kind. Unfortunately, the Church looked down
upon such activities . . . |
Desk Cleaning Time
I suspect that it's common
practice for writers who finish a big deadline to take some time and clean up
their desk. I've made it my little ritual for the last 15 years or so. When
you work on deadline, you have the tendency -- well, at least I have
the tendency -- to just let miscellaneous stuff stack up on your desk.... |
Design Diary: Part I: A Player's Guide to Ptolus
The Ptolus book
has seven parts, covering everything from the world to the districts of the
city, the areas above and below the city, and advice on running and playing
in the Ptolus Campaign. In my next set of Design Diaries, I'm going to discuss
each part and give you a little background on its contents and my design goals
for it. |
Free Winter 2006 Catalog!
The Sword & Sorcery Insider for Winter 2006 is now available, and
it's got some cool news from Malhavoc Press. Consumers and retailers alike can
download it here for free. |
Character Spotlight: Gaerioth Shadowhand
Gaeriothalaenen Shadowhand
(Gaerioth for short), a conflicted young Harrow elf, entered an order of monks
called the Esvallen Brotherhood, also known as the Followers of the White Path.
They were a small order of monks devoted to cultivating harmony and balance
through the ordered study of both the martial and fine arts. The group itself was very hierarchical; monks who passed the
Seven Ordeals of Chaos were welcomed into the order as full members, led by
a mysterious Inner Circle of adepts known as the White Hand Masters.... |
Arcana Evolved Spell Treasury Now On Sale!
Players of Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved and Arcana
Unearthed have reason to rejoice this holiday season. Malhavoc Press'
release today of the Arcana Evolved Spell Treasury in electronic (PDF) format adds more than 500
spells to the repertoire of the game's spellcasting characters. |
The Art of Converting Spells
With the release of the Arcana Evolved Spell Treasury
in PDF edition this week, I wanted to tell you a little bit about the process
my coauthor Jeffery and I used as we adapted spells from the SRD and other sources
to make them suitable for Arcana Evolved campaigns. Of course, the book
contains plenty of new spells as well, but I thought this discussion of our
adaptation process might help those of you who want to convert spells from sources
of your own for use in the Lands of the Diamond Throne. |
Spell Treasury Overview
The Spell Treasury, a new spellbook for Monte
Cook's Arcana Evolved, features more than 570 spells suitable for
all Arcana Evolved spellcasters, from witches and runethanes to magisters, mage
blades, and greenbonds. The book's table of contents hints at some of the new
and updated spells featured in this new release, which goes on sale in electronic
(PDF) edition on Thursday, December 15. |
Design Diary: The Evolution of a Book
Obviously, Ptolus
is a huge book. It was written over the course of two years, with serious breaks
(breaks called Beyond Countless Doorways, Arcana Evolved, Iron Heroes, and so forth).
Over that time, the book changed considerably in its conception. Originally, in fact, it
was simply going to be a big adventure that would take you from level 1 to level
20.... |
Spell Treasury Art Preview
The Arcana Evolved Spell Treasury by Monte Cook and Jeffery A. Dobberpuhl is the latest support volume for Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved. It offers 240 pages of spells to add to your caster's repertoire, plus lots of lovely new art! Check out some of it right now. |
Character Spotlight: Tellian Riverborn
Born in 568 in the land
of Ren Tehoth, Tellian grew up in a small village on the banks of the Maquent
River. His was a prominent family of clerics dedicated to the god of Strength
and Harmony, Navashtrom. Tellian displayed natural talent with a bow and won
many archery contests as a young elf. But when the age of decision came upon
him, his family pressured him into entering into the priesthood. Tellian did as he was told. |
Chat Transcript: Ptolus 1
Last week, EN World welcomed Monte Cook into their chat room to talk with about the forthcoming Ptolus book and to celebrate his completion of the manuscript. Thanks to the more than 40 people who attended and asked questions! And thanks as well to the moderators for sending us this transcript. |
Back to the Source
Last year, I was invited
to help celebrate the 30th Anniversary of D&D at the Source Comics and Games
in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. Wizards of the Coast has since decided to make
"D&D Day" an annual event, and I was fortunate enough to be
invited back to the Source again this year as their guest on November 5th. |
Design Diary: Setting Choices
A lot of people ask me,
"So I've read about the big
Ptolus book, but what's Ptolus like as a setting?" That's a
harder question to answer than you might think, simply because there's so much
information, it's difficult to know where to begin. |
Runes of Revival
The cursed lands of Verdune threaten all life with a plague of undeath. Mage-priests say the ancient runes
in the Pool of Revival may loosen the grim grip of death. Can you overcome the
nightmares that stalk the land and complete the Rite of Revival to end the blight? Download all three parts! |
Character Spotlight: Vexander Sangreal
Born in 601 in the Moonsilver
Forest, Vexander (Vex to his friends) grew up in a small fishing community.
Early in his life he spent time as a sailor on an elven ship that plied the
Whitewind Sea. Years later, however, he and his friend Chanticleer Umanyar traveled
to the city of Ptolus to seek their fortune.... |
Ptolus: The Comic Book
Ptolus: City by the Spire
is a new six-issue comic book series coming out from DB Pro starting in May.
I've really been enjoying writing the first couple issues — I'm slated to write
the entire series, which chronicles some of the exploits of Sheva Callister.... |
Quick Review: NPC Designer
Even before 3rd Edition
D&D came out, while I was working on Return to the Temple of Elemental
Evil, I asked for a computer program that would generate random NPCs that
fit the rules.... |
Design Diary: DM Friendly
If you've read much on this
site, you know that I'm a frequent DM and that I like material made specifically
for DMs. It's not easy being the one to run the game, and it's good when a product
comes along that makes a DM's life a bit easier. |
Losing and Gaining Players
I currently have two game
groups. One meets weekly, and the other meets every other week. In one, I just
had a player drop out. In the other, I lost two, because they are moving away.... |
Ptolus: The White Book
This week, Ptolus became even more real to us. That's because our printer
sent us a "white book"—a printed and bound blank copy of the
672-page volume with all the components: bookmarks, mapsheet, handouts, the
works. "Ptolus without the ink," if you will.... |
Character Spotlight: Sercian Lorenci
Sercian Lorenci was born
in 594 IA in the city of Dohrinthas, as was his twin brother Serai. The two
are so identical in appearance and so adept at impersonating each other that
even as adults they can switch places among close friends without anyone knowing,.
Serai, however, was the favored son, placed above his brother Sercian in his
father's esteem. Yet Sercian was mother's favorite, and so when the brothers
left for Ptolus, their mother slipped Sercian ten gold coins. "To keep
you well," she whispered. |
Free Fall 2005 Catalog!
The Sword & Sorcery Insider for Fall 2005 is now available, and
it's got some cool news from Malhavoc Press. Consumers and retailers alike can
download it here for free. |
Cast of Characters
Get to know the player characters in my new Ptolus campaign! |
Design Diary: Why Ptolus?
Leaving aside all the physical components
of the package -- the handouts, the page design, the preorder offers, and whatnot
-- what is Ptolus? Once you've got it in your hands next year, what are
you really going to have? |
Malhavoc Press Wins Four 2005 ENnies!
Sue and I are thrilled to announce that Malhavoc Press was recognized with four Gen
Con & EN World RPG Awards this year, out of four total nominations! |
That Gen Fair
The highs and lows of Monte's trip to Gen Con 2005. |
Compiled Ptolus Campaign Journal 1
Ptolus is the name of a
city with ancient origins and a convoluted past. It's also the name of the campaign
that I have set there. |
A Look at the "Look" of Ptolus
While the Ptolus book has not actually entered production yet, we wanted to give you a taste
right now of what it's going to look like. |
Ptolus Partners
It seems that we at Malhavoc Press aren't the only ones excited about Ptolus. We're very pleased to be working on a number of support titles with other publishers. |
Ptolus Art Sneak Peek I
Okay, we know that we normally don't do art previews until a book is almost ready to go on sale, and Ptolus doesn't hit store shelves for a long time. Still, when you take a look at the
work of the six artists represented in this deluxe project, we think you'll
be glad we didn't wait. |
Monte Cook to Publish 'Most Deluxe' RPG Product
Game designer Monte Cook announced in this month's issue of Dragon® magazine his intention to create the most deluxe roleplaying game product ever to hit store shelves. |
What's The Year's Best All About?
This excerpt from Monte's introduction, has the added benefit of explaining a little about the submission and selection
process... |
The Year's Best d20 Overview
Choosing the material to
make it into The Year's Best d20 was no easy task. Here's a look at the selected
material, along with the authors and the represented products and companies. |
Year's Best Collection Now on Sale!
Game designer Monte Cook invites you to bring the best to your
game table with the new collection The Year's Best d20. |
Gen Con 2005 Schedule of Events!
Sue and I have a lot of interesting things going on at Gen
Con again this year. Check out our schedule, updated with locations, and register now at the Gen Con website! |
Everyday Magic
It stands to reason that, in a world where magic works, not every spell is going to be designed to blast foes, heal
wounds, or make someone harder to harm. Many would have no battle applications at all. |
Malhavoc Press Earns 4 ENnie Nominations!
Sue
and I are proud to announce that the nominations are in for this year's Gen
Con & EN World d20 System Awards, and Malhavoc Press has been recognized
in four categories! |
Check It Out!
Our pals over at Fiery Dragon Productions have completed
the Arcana Evolved Counter Collection. It contains hundreds of
counters for your adventures in the Diamond Throne! Artist Claudio Pozas has
created 100 new images of Arcana Evolved player character races and monsters
to enhance your game sessions.... |
Arcana Evolved Miniatures Gallery (July Greens)
Iron Wind Metals has a new batch of Arcana Evolved blisters set to hit stores this month. Here is a sneak peek at the finished sculpts. |
My Trip to Origins
It's been a long time since I've attended
Origins, but this year, they invited me to be a special guest... |
Monte's Origins 2005 Schedule!
This weekend I'm pleased
to be a Guest of Honor at the Origins International Games Expo from June 29 to July 3.
If you're planning to attend, I hope you come to some of my seminars and events.... |
The Book of Roguish Luck Errata and Clarifications
Sharp-eyed readers have raised a few questions about some classes and items in The Book of Roguish Luck. The author steps in to offer clarifications and the book's official errata here. |
Troubles With Magic Traps
Traps are a standard of D&D, particularly in dungeon adventures. Many spells that have survived
all the editions of the game are simply traps in spell form. This article addresses the issue of when traps based on a magical effect may be disarmed or disabled. It's helpful for players of rogues and can be used alongside The Book of Roguish Luck. |
New Evolved Classes
Transcendence:
The Arcana Evolved Player's Companion by Mike Mearls presents a wealth
of new ways for your characters to evolve in interesting directions. And now
Mike offers two all-new evolved classes to augment the book: the feral character
and the mageborn. |
Free Summer 2005 Catalog!
The Sword & Sorcery Summer 2005 catalog is now available, and it's full of cool news from Malhavoc Press. Consumers and retailers alike can download it here for free. |
Chat Transcript: The Book of Roguish Luck
Welcome everyone, and thanks for coming to our Book of Roguish Luck release
chat featuring the book's designer Wolfgang Baur and Malhavoc's own Monte Cook. |
Skreyn's Register: The Bonds of Magic (Italian)
Malhavoc Press is pleased to announce that Skreyn's Register: The Bonds of Magic, a character book by Sean K Reynolds, is now available in translation for Italian readers! |
Chat Transcript: Ruins of Intrigue and Transcendence
Last week in our chat room we welcomed designers Mike Mearls and Monte Cook to talk with us about Mike's newest Arcana Evolved books. (And -- surprise, surprise -- somehow, we managed to field quite a few questions about Iron Heroes as well. |
The Green Griffon Tavern
Put the new rules from The Book of Roguish Luck to work
for you in The Green Griffon Inn, the latest free web enhancement by Wolfgang
Baur for his new character sourcebook. |
Free Adventure: Looking Glass Deep
Looking Glass Deep
is a flexible, site-based scenario that presents you with the details of the
ruined abode of the wizard Urlen Sparlek -- and the gang of outlaws that now
occupies the place. This 10-page adventure by Mike Mearls is designed for 4th-level
characters. |
Star Wars and Me
Sometimes I think about
what it would have been like to have been a science fiction fan back in the
1950s and '60s. I like the idea of the genre being so small that you can take
for granted that you and all your geek friends have read the same books, and
can thus talk about them as a shared experience. |
The Evolved Mage Blade
Transcendence by Mike Mearls provides lots and
lots of new choices for characters—both PCs and NPCs. Two new types of
choice are replacement levels and class-specific feats. To give you a taste
of what the book has in store, here are some excerpts from the "Mage Blade"
section of Chapter Two: New Character Options. |
First Arcana Evolved Rules Expansion Now On Sale!
This is what players of Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved and Arcana Unearthed
have been waiting for! Transcendence, the new player's companion, is chock full of character options for every player! |
Transcendence Overview
Transcendence, the official player's companion volume for
Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved, offers a lot of creative new character-building
options, including evolved classes and replacement levels and abilities. Want
to know more? Check out the book's table of contents.... |
Mr. Showbiz
As most of you know, I'm a big fan of The Gamers, a short low-budget comedy movie about roleplaying gamers. Last weekend, I spent two days with the Dead Gentlemen, producers of the film, on location for the shooting of a few scenes of The Gamers: Dorkness Rising. |
Transcendence Art Preview
Transcendence by Mike Mearls is the official player's companion volume for Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved. It offers a lot of creative new character-building
options, including evolved classes and replacement levels and abilities. |
Roguish Extras
There's a lot to say about rogues, thieves, bards, and other d20 troublemakers -- more to say, it seems,
than would fit in the 96-page Book of Roguish Luck. |
Champion of Luck
This new champion type is designed to be used with Monte Cook's Arcana
Evolved, but it incorporates feats, spells, skills, and abilities from
The Book of Roguish Luck. |
Sample Roguish Spells
This selection of spells
by Wolfgang Baur comes from Chapter Seven: Roguish Spells in
The Book of Roguish Luck. This sneak peek includes a mix of arcane
and divine spells... |
The Book of Roguish Luck Now on Sale!
Play smarter, stealthier, and tricksier rogues with The
Book of Roguish Luck, the new character sourcebook by Wolfgang Baur.
It is on sale today in electronic (PDF) edition from Malhavoc Press. |
If I Had Another Shot At It
A recent blog
entry of mine about high-level play and the problem with save-or-die spells
spawned a thread on our boards where
we've been talking about it.... |
Two New Ways to Handle Diplomacy Checks
Diplomacy checks are difficult
to work with as presented in the core rules. Here are two new variant rules subsets for making Diplomacy
checks. |
The Giant's Map
"The Giant’s Map"
by Mike Mearls is a short adventure for a party of four 2nd-level PCs, designed for use with Ruins
of Intrigue. While it is set within the ruined city of Serathis, you can adapt
it to any urban area of the Diamond Throne setting or any other Arcana
Evolved or d20 System fantasy campaign. |
The Book of Roguish Luck Art Preview
The
Book of Roguish Luck by Wolfgang Baur has it all for the more... mischievous
characters in the party. The book is illustrated by the equally mischievous
Tyler Walpole.... |
The Book of Roguish Luck Overview
The Book of Roguish Luck by Wolfgang Baur offers a new Luck subsystem and
rules for gangs, guilds, housecracking, gambling, and much more—you won't believe all we've managed to cram into only 96 pages! |
More Marley!
I've gotten a lot of requests
for more pictures of Marley, our year-old Welsh Corgi, so here she is!
Marley is alternately a
tiny little locomotive, running wildly around the house, and a lump of lazy
fur sprawled on the couch. |
Zero-Level Spells Worth Casting
One of the hardest design
issues with spells is creating 0-level spells that are balanced but worth casting.
Arguably, core rules spells like virtue don't see much use at the game
table because they're just too weak to make them worth the time.... |
Arcana
Evolved Miniatures Gallery (March Greens)
Iron
Wind Metals is getting ready to debut their Arcana
Evolved
blisters in a couple weeks. Here is a sneak peek at the finished sculpts. |
Free Second-Quarter 2005 Catalog!
The Sword & Sorcery second quarter 2005 catalog featuring free previews of Ruins of Intrigue and The Book of Roguish Luck, plus an interview with Iron Lore designer Mike Mearls, is now available for consumers and retailers. |
NPC Character Design Kit
Ruins of Intrigue provides a sprawling venue for adventure. From the deadly environs of the Forest of Towers to the political maneuvering of the Safe Quarter, the characters face a wide array of threats. When running an adventure in the ruins of Serathis, you can never exactly predict where the characters might end up next. This NPC creation kit, a six-page free web enhancement, is designed to make it faster and easier to create the various folk the PCs meet. |
Ivory Tower Game Design
When we designed 3rd Edition
D&D, people around Wizards of the Coast joked about the "lessons"
we could learn from Magic: The Gathering, like making the rulebooks --
or the rules themselves -- collectible. ("Darn, I got another Cleave, I'm
still looking for the ultra-rare Great Cleave.") |
Crunch and Fluff in the Diamond Throne
This installment of the Ruins of Intrigue design diary covers the basic process
of building Serathis. |
The Powers That Be in Serathis
Ruins
of Intrigue introduces readers to an ancient dramojh city called Serathis,
newly rediscovered in the modern day. Both the dragons and the giants lay claim
to its riches, so we thought that as a sneak peek of Arcana
Evolved's first supplement we would bring you the character descriptions
and statistics for the leader of each faction in the city. |
First Arcana Evolved Sourcebook Now On Sale!
When an ancient dramojh city reappears without warning in the mountains of
the Diamond Throne, who will be the first to discover its ancient secrets: the
giants, the dragons—or you? To find out, all you need is the innovative Ruins
of Intrigue . . . |
Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved Downloadable Maps!
In order to keep the file size of the eBook version of Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved down to a manageable (?) 20 mb, we had to compress the maps quite a bit. For those of you who would like the sharpest possible versions of Ed Bourelle's great-looking color Diamond Throne maps in PDF form, we've got them here for you as free downloads at high resolution. |
The Test of Time
The Test of Time
is a very short scenario designed to start off an Arcana
Evolved campaign and bring all the player characters together.
It is designed for 1st-level characters who do not know each other and just
happen to be in the right place at the right time—or, perhaps, the wrong
place at the wrong time. |
Sue's TSR Scrapbook
During my
years at TSR/Wizards, I took a lot of pictures. If there was an event, I was
there with my camera. And as much as I loved the books and games that we produced,
I loved the people even more. So, as my contribution to Monte's D&D anniversary
series, I thought it would be fun to wrap things up with a photographic
look at the many faces of D&D during my Wisconsin years with TSR. |
A New Approach to Adventures
I love designing adventures.
While putting together new mechanics, creating new monsters, and tinkering with
the rules are all a lot of fun, adventures are the heart and soul of roleplaying
games. |
Ruins of Intrigue Art Preview
Here's a look at a sampling of cool artwork from Ruins
of Intrigue, the first campaign sourcebook in support
of Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved. All pieces are by British illustrator Scott Purdy. |
Ruins of Intrigue Overview
Ruins
of Intrigue by Mike Mearls offers readers a new take on campaign sourcebooks.
It provides a detailed, modular overview of a ruined city called Serathis. Major
NPCs and locations have sets of optional secrets and variants, making every
campaign different. A rich array of ideas, plots, and vying factions gives you
varied ideas for creating adventures. For details, check out the table of contents.... |
Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed Updates, Errata, and Clarifications
When it came to set down
the text for Monte Cook’s Arcana Evolved,
I wanted to make sure I updated the rules that had been confusing to players
in the past (or that were flat-out wrong). I also wanted to make sure that owners
of Monte Cook’s Arcana Unearthed
could get all this basic information for free, without having to buy the new
book. You can download this information now. |
Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved Character Sheet!
What better way to start off your new Arcana Evolved campaign than with an all-new character? To get you going, we're offering a free download of the official Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved character sheet. This is the same sheet you see on pages 424-425 of your book. |
Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved Now Available
Malhavoc Press is pleased to announce the release today of Monte
Cook's Arcana Evolved, the "director's cut" version of 2003's
popular Arcana Unearthed variant player's
handbook. |
Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved FAQ
Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved FAQ now includes a comprehensive list of all the new material in the "director's cut" of the book. |
Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved Overview
Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved is one weighty tome, as you can perhaps tell from the table of contents below. The new 432-page "director's cut" version of the popular variant player's handbook weighs in at 4 lbs., and it's packed full of updates and bonus material. And, of course, it also contains all the rules and information you need from the book's original edition, The Diamond Throne campaign sourcebook, and the Player's Guide (from our DM's Screen and Player's Guide). |
A Talk With John D. Rateliff
I don't actually remember
first meeting John
D. Rateliff. He'd already been at TSR for quite a while before I got there,
and I remember hearing people refer to "Dr. John," and not knowing
what they were talking about (John will explain). In early conversations with
him, I remember feeling a bit intimidated by his knowledge of, well, a good
many things. John's very well read, very literate, and a very knowledgeable
guy. He's got a good eye for detail and minutiae -- all of which makes him a
great editor. |
A Talk With Jesse Decker
I met Jesse Decker when he was the editorial assistant for the Dragon
and Dungeon magazines.
I'd been in a few meetings with him and discussed articles or whatnot and found
him to be not only a real devotee of the game but a really nice guy. So, when
a vacancy opened up in my Ptolus campaign, I suggested
to the (Black Lantern) group that he might be a good addition and other members
agreed. |
Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved Art Preview
We just got our copies of
Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved in from the warehouse today, and it looks so great, we just wanted to share a sneak peek with you. This is Malhavoc's first full-color book, so we're especially
proud, as you might imagine. |
Evolved Levels
So, it's Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved,
right? What's the "evolved" part -- just a cool name? Just to convey
the idea that this is the next step in the game's evolution?
Well, yes. But there's more
to it than that. . . . |
A Talk With Steven Schend
Steven Schend was one of the very first people at TSR that I interacted with. My first freelance job from TSR was working on the Marvel
Super Heroes line, and Steven was more or less the in-house shepherd of the
whole line, being the comics expert of the comics experts in the office. We talked on the phone a lot, and when -- about two years later
-- I was hired as a full-time designer, he even offered to let me stay in the
guest room of his house. |
A Talk With Douglas Niles
I never had the pleasure of working directly with Douglas
Niles. He left TSR before I came to work there. Still, his legacy was clear.
Though he was no longer in the office, his presence was still felt -- everyone
still talked about Doug, and he had parties at his home and invited the whole
TSR crew, even the newbies. |
Chat Transcript: Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved
Last week in our chat room we welcomed designers Monte Cook and Mike Mearls to talk with us about their forthcoming Arcana Evolved books. Thanks to everyone who attended and asked questions! And thanks as well to Conrad Hubbard for sending us this transcript. |
10th-Level Spells
One of the cool new things in Arcana Evolved
is that there are spells for characters above 20th level -- 10th-level spells! This is truly
powerful magic, but still appropriate for a balanced campaign at extremely high
levels. Included here is a small sampling of the new 10th-level spells you'll
find in the book . . . |
The Magister
This free five-page download by Monte Cook offers a sneak peek at the updated magister character class, including new abilities for levels 20 to 25! Look for Monte Cook’s Arcana Evolved coming in print and PDF on Feb. 28! |
A Talk With Cindi Rice
I can remember Cindi Rice's
first days at TSR very well. It was a period when the company was hiring a lot
of new creative staff, and it was sometimes hard to keep them all straight.
I remember Cindi seemed to fit in really well, and really fast -- which
is to say that she figured out quickly how to have a lot of fun. |
Introduction
Six thousand years ago, the dragons dwelled in peace. But in the absence of their mighty liege, Erixalimar, they dabbled in dark experiments that led to the birth of the dramojh: foul demon-dragons whose unchecked battle-lust and powerful magic threatened to wipe out their creators. . . . |
A Talk With William W. Connors
Bill
Connors was one of the few people I already knew when I got to TSR in 1994.
We had a mutual friend, and I'd met Bill at a previous Gen Con. (I remember that he was
wearing a really cool suit and I was in a T-shirt and shorts. In one brief evening
he changed my opinion about the mystique of being a game designer -- that they
didn't have to be dorks, they could be really cool -- and I immediately wanted
to be him.) |
A Talk With Skip Williams
Skip
Williams hardly needs any introduction from me. When I started at TSR, I
looked on him as the voice of experience. If I had a rules question, I went
to Skip. The cool thing about Skip was, when you went to him with a question,
he didn't speak from on high. Most of the time, he'd tell you what a good question
it was, and that there wasn't an easy answer. Often, we'd end up having a good
discussion about the rules.... |
The Temple of Mysteries Sneak Peek
The Temple of Mysteries:
In Media Res is a tough, thinking-player’s dungeon adventure with some
strange twists. It’s designed to be run in one sitting (probably four to
six hours). Further, unlike most adventures, The Temple of Mysteries is designed
to be most effective when not incorporated into an ongoing campaign. |
Giant vs. Dragon
The dozen stories in
The Dragons' Return span the time from the very first whispers of the
wyrms' reappearance in the Lands of the Diamond Throne to a much later period,
when their return is an acknowledged reality. Here is a short preview from one
of the later pieces in the book. . . . |
New Malhavoc Adventure, Anthology On Sale!
When you venture into Monte Cook's latest challenging dungeon, you're
not just having fun gaming -- you're also helping tsunami relief efforts in
Southern Asia. |
Connectivity
Sue finished packing up
the boxes we were sending to troops in Iraq. She filled them with Malhavoc products,
dice, books, DVDs, and other stuff we hope will make life for them a bit more
fun. She had even collected donated magazines and books and things from our
friends. |
A Talk With Stan!
Steven
Brown, a.k.a. "Stan!",
is a good friend of mine. Although we both were at TSR and Wizards of the Coast
at the same time, we never actually worked together on any projects, although
he has since written a couple of short stories for Malhavoc fiction collections. Stan! always seemed to be working on other things. And
in truth, I never really got to know him until after the move to Washington
and Wizards of the Coast. |
The Dragons' Return Contributing Authors
Dragons are some of the most fascinating figures in fantasy fiction. They are complex, powerful, and intelligent creatures -- and you can never be sure exactly what they're going to do. The authors featured in The Dragons' Return anthology have given life to some excellent new specimens that are a credit to the race. But before we tell you more about their creations, here's a bit about these talented authors... |
The Dragons' Return Story Teasers
Are they friendly? Do they seek to conquer? The answers are not so black and white when the dragons arrive in the Lands of the Diamond Throne to reclaim their ancestral homeland. The twelve original tales in this book show us exactly why there is no easy answer.... |
Malhavoc Press and You Can Help Relief Efforts
To aid the victims of the recent tragic tsunami damage in Southeast
Asia, Malhavoc Press announced today that it will donate all proceeds from sales
of its new PDF adventure, The Temple of Mysteries, to relief efforts. Malhavoc's founder, game
designer Monte Cook, has pledged to donate 100 percent of this title's earnings
from its first four months of sales. |
The Ritual Warrior and Combat Rites
Everything in Arcana
Unearthed began to come together around the time I realized that a lot
of the concepts I was working on dealt with some of the deep, "inner" aspects of
people: things like honor, oaths, and a connection to the land. |
Combat Rites
This is a small sample of
2nd-rank combat rites, usable by Arcana Evolved's
new class, the ritual warrior, as well as by mid-level oathsworn and high-level
warmains. |
A Talk With Sean K Reynolds
Sean
Reynolds came to TSR right as the company was preparing to have a big 25th
anniversary celebration. It was a pretty lavish affair with a big tent outside, lots
of food, and a big display of TSR products. My first memory of Sean
was when Sue and I met him and kind of dragged him to the celebration... |
A Talk With Jeff Quick
"Hire Jeff Quick! A
Million Gamers Can't Be Wrong," one button read. "Hire Jeff Quick!
Editor Extraordinaire!" read another. And there were many, many more. |
A Talk With Ray Vallese
Ray
Vallese started working at TSR just a few months after I did. His cubicle was right next
to mine, and one of my earliest memories of him is of the two of us discovering
that if we fashioned a bunch of rubber bands together and hooked them into the
ceiling via a paper clip, we could fling action figures up over the cube wall
between us... |
A Talk With Miranda Horner
Miranda
Horner was always a pleasure to work with. It seemed that, with few exceptions,
she was always upbeat no matter what the situation. |
Some "New" Spells
This free six-page download
by Jeffery A. Dobberpuhl presents 10 spells from the core rules System Reference
Document (SRD) converted for use with Monte
Cook’s Arcana Unearthed or the forthcoming Monte
Cook’s Arcana Evolved. |
A Talk With Keith Strohm
I can vividly remember Keith
Strohm coming to work at TSR. Hired right around the same time as Bruce
Cordell (1995), Keith didn't have a cubicle at first and had to set himself
up in a room we called the Games Library, which also doubled as a sort of employee
lounge for the creative department. Keith took this all with amazing stride. |
A Talk With Colin McComb
When I arrived at TSR in
1994, Colin McComb was about as close as you could come to being the Welcome
Wagon. Of course, he was the force behind the infamous Mask of Valor, so it was a sort of intimidating welcome.... |
Ranger Tidbits
This website was virtually launched with a revision to the ranger
class, so it makes me feel nostalgic to write about the class again. |
A Talk With Wolfgang Baur
Wolfgang Baur started writing
as a freelancer in the 1980s, and worked full time at TSR in the early 1990s.
He wrote for a lot of different game lines, but personally I remember him mostly
for his work on Al-Qadim and Planescape. |
A Talk With Andy Collins
I remember when Andy
Collins joined the Roleplaying R&D staff at Wizards of the Coast (although
he was no newbie -- he started working at Wizards of the Coast before the buyout
of TSR). It didn't take long at all to see that he was a good addition to the
team. |
The Akashic
Here is a preview of the akashic class from Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved. In this updated version of the popular character class, note the new class abilities for 20th to 25th level, as well as the "Archetypes" section. |
25th Level?
One new thing about Arcana Evolved is that all the classes
go to 25th level rather than 20th level. A lot of people had been asking about
"epic" level Arcana Unearthed, and the core "epic" rules didn't fit my conception of high-level Arcana Unearthed very well. |
A Talk With David Wise
David Wise started working at TSR in 1990. He designed and edited all sorts of great products, particularly a number of Ravenloft titles and some of the early Planescape stuff. |
A Talk With Bruce R. Cordell
Bruce
Cordell started at TSR in 1995. He and I became friends in the eighth grade
(circa 1981), both of us born in a small South Dakota town where there wasn't
much for a kid to do besides play football or D&D. |
Chat Transcript: The Book of Iron Might
Last week in our chat room we welcomed designer Mike Mearls to talk with us about his new book, The Book of Iron Might. |
30th Anniversary Interview Series
2004 is the 30th anniversary
of the Dungeons & Dragons game. To help commemorate that fact, I
thought it might be interesting to hear from some of the people who have worked
on the game over the years, both at TSR and Wizards of the Coast. |
Setting the Stage IV: Commotion in Motion
This installment of Setting the Stage talks
about terrain that moves around or that can cause a combatant to move. |
Official Submissions Rules
The contents of roleplaying
game products compatible with the d20 System/Open Game License and published
in 2004 are eligible for consideration for Volume 1 of Monte
Cook Presents: The Year's Best d20. |
Free First-Quarter 2005 Catalog!
The Sword & Sorcery first quarter 2005 catalog featuring a free preview of the dracha from Arcana Evolved is now available for consumers and retailers. |
The Year's Best
I get asked for my opinion
on various d20 books a lot. It's understandable, because there's a lot of stuff
out there and it's nigh impossible for a lone DM to know what to use in his
campaign or for a player to know how to find the good options for his character. |
Bonus Maneuvers!
This web enhancement features 18 new maneuvers by Mike Mearls that you
can use with The Book of Iron
Might. |
First Arcana
Evolved Official Miniatures
We're pleased to announce
the first batch of official Arcana Evolved
miniatures coming from Iron Wind Metals in February and March 2005! |
Be an Elf—No, Not the +2 Dex Kind
I'm starting my Christmas
shopping, and... well, okay . I'm starting to think about Christmas shopping,
or at least think about thinking about Christmas shopping, and so maybe
some of you are too. |
Stunts and Skills
This article discusses Skills
and Stunts, the fourth and final chapter of The Book of Iron Might. |
The Depths of Hunger
Set
sail aboard the Briny Jack for a memorable
adventure in the Great Eastern Sea. Your job: to deliver
a metamorphosing iron witch to mojh transformation
experts in Fallanor. But the way is not smooth, and
the greatest challenge of all could lead you straight
into the clutches of the foul master of hungerfire! |
Some Arcana Unearthed Dire Feats
These are some feat ideas
I had for use specifically with Monte Cook's
Arcana Unearthed. This isn't a preview for Arcana
Evolved, it's just some fun stuff I came up with... |
Dracha: The New Arcana Evolved Race
The
first thing to understand about the difference between Arcana
Unearthed and Arcana Evolved is that Arcana Evolved is all about the dragons. |
Feats of Iron Might
This week, it's time to
talk about perhaps my favorite part of the d20 system: feats! |
MonteCook.com Gets a New Look!
Monte Cook’s award-winning website has a fresh look and a whole new structure to make it easier to find articles about the d20 System, your favorite Malhavoc products, and Monte’s ramblings. |
Change . . . Change Is Good
Some people fear change, and I suppose there are changes that I fear as well, but in general, I like change. I guess I'm chaotic that way. |
The Ironborn
Discover the design decisions behind the crafting of the ironborn, a
player character race of constructs. |
Setting the Stage III: Damaging Terrain
This article looks at terrain that inflicts damage on anyone who crosses it, such as a rivulet of lava or a jagged, spiked rock. |
Maledictions in the Diamond Throne
Not all rituals are benevolent. A small group of rituals known as maledictions can visit misfortune and woe upon the target of one's ire. |
Ah, Autumn
The fall feels like a time of beginning to me, not -- as would be expected -- a time of endings. |
Gambling on Maneuvers
The Book of Iron Might was an exercise in gambling. |
Setting the Stage II: Concealment
This week, let's turn our attention to concealment, perhaps the most vexing environmental effect that you can throw at your players. |
An Occasion for Every Rule, and a Rule for Every Occasion
At
both Viking-Con
and Worldwide
D&D Game Day, as one of the designers
of 3rd Edition D&D, I was asked something
along the lines of, "Don't you think the
increased number of rules in 3rd Edition is
detrimental to roleplaying?" |
Setting the Stage I: Stunts, Maneuvers, and Terrain
A look
at the most basic types of encounter dressing you can use—cover
and blocking terrain. |
101 Planar Adventure Ideas
Here are 101 adventure hooks to jump-start your planar campaign. |
Sample Maneuvers
This
section from Chapter One gives you a number of sample
maneuvers, for both characters and monsters, to show you
how to use this system to add more variety to your game. |
The Book of Iron Might Maneuver Cheat Sheets
One of the most exciting aspects of Malhavoc Press' latest sourcebook is the inventive combat maneuvers system. |
Not So Lost in Translation
"I was fortunate enough to be invited as Guest of Honor to Viking-Con, a game convention in Denmark Oct. 8 to 10. I wanted to share with all of you some of my impressions of the trip...." |
The Book of Iron Might Art Preview
Two imaginative UK-based artists have lent their pen-and-ink talents to The Book of Iron Might. Here is a small sampling of their work from the book. |
The Book of Iron Might Overview
As a sneak peek at the Book of Iron Might, here's the book's table of contents. |
Free Fourth-Quarter 2004 Catalog!
The Sword & Sorcery fourth quarter 2004 catalog is now available for consumers and retailers. |
Free Third Quarter 2004 Catalog!
The Sword & Sorcery third quarter 2004 catalog is now available for consumers and retailers. |
The Severed Oath
This
adventure, which debuted as a tournament at Gen Con
Indy 2004, is designed for 5th-level characters using Monte Cook’s
Arcana Unearthed. |
Getting Ready for Denmark
"'Why aren't we playing next week?' members of my game group asked." |
The Arcana Unearthed Magic System Just Got Even Cooler
Mystic Secrets Sourcebook Reveals the Lore of Word and Rune |
Look What I Found
"Every once in a while I take the time out to recommend something here that some of you might never have heard of." |
Mystic Secrets Revealed: Magic
I
have a bit of a confession to make: I don't like designing
spells.... |
Mystic Secrets Revealed: Runes
A look at runes, the
magical symbols that form the basis of much of the lore
and power in Monte Cook's
Arcana Unearthed. |
Arcana
Unearthed Miniatures Gallery (September Greens)
Here is a gallery of the finished sculpts for September 2004 figures in the Arcana
Unearthed miniatures line from Iron Wind Metals. |
Grimoire II Doubles Spell Options for Players of Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed
The readers demanded it, so we've produced it. The Grimoire II collects more than 250 spells from popular Malhavoc products and adapts them for the Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed rules set. |
You Asked for It . . .
Grimoire II effectively doubles the number of spells at the command of your favorite magister, mage blade, greenbond, runethane, or witch. |
Mystic Secrets Revealed: Ceremonies
This installment tackles rituals and ceremonies, the first and perhaps most important chapter in the book. |
Hyperconscious Sneak Peek: The Plangent Prestige Class
During
the course of the Hyperconscious
adventure, the characters have an opportunity to meet
a plangent. Here is that new prestige class reprinted
from the book as a sneak peek. |
Cover Gallery for 2005 Arcana Evolved Books
We
previewed some of our newest cover art for next year's
lineup at our "Arcana Unearthed Update"
seminar at Gen Con a couple weeks ago... |
Crater Lake
"Crater Lake is just a long weekend for us -- a nice getaway after Gen Con and a lot of work hubbub." |
The Power of Magic
If there's magic, it's fantasy. That's one of the simplest ways to describe fantasy in terms of games and fiction. |
Mystic Secrets Overview
Mystic Secrets: The Lore of Word and Rune brings to life the unique magic of the Lands of the Diamond Throne. |
Children of the Rune Unfettered: Ranald the Sly
Ranald
the Sly is a mid-level assassin with high aspirations. (From "Child of the Street" by Will McDermott.) |
My Picks of Gen Con 2004
"For those people who don't go to Gen Con, the important things are the cool new products that show up there." |
REVIEW: Dragon #323
To follow up my review of Dungeon magazine's relaunch, I thought I would take a look at its older sister, Dragon magazine, which also has been relaunched with a new look and a new focus starting with issue 323. |
Gen Con 2004 Schedule of Events!
Sue and I have a lot of interesting things going on at Gen Con this year. |
True Conjunction With Karlectash
A Beyond Countless Dooways Web Enhancement |
Chat Transcript: Beyond Countless Doorways
Last week in our chat room we were pleased to see a veritable "Who's Who" of Planescape designers all gathered to discuss our new book of planes, Beyond Countless Doorways. |
Comics Today
"I just put down the latest issue of Warren Ellis' Planetary comic, a series that both dissects comics and yet tells a really interesting story...." |
Beyond Countless Doorways Overview
Beyond Countless Doorways is coming! |
Beyond Countless Doorways Sneak Peek: Titanic Cromungi
An excerpt from "Palpatur" by Ray Vallese |
Veteran Planescape Designers Reunite in Beyond Countless Doorways
To celebrate the anniversary of the much-loved AD&D Planescape® campaign setting's release a decade ago, four of the line's popular designers have reunited to collaborate on a new book of planes. |
The Violet: Designing an Alien Realm
Monte on designing bizarre settings. |
The Titanic Cromungi
The most prominent natural features of Palpatur are the enormous humanoid faces that burst forth from the ground during the demon-devil war. The tieflings call these faces titanic cromungi. |
Children of the Rune Matching Quiz
Get to know the stories of Children of the Rune by doing your best to match the story names in the second column with some interesting facts about them in the first column. |
Children of the Rune Contributing Authors
Some people think the runechildren are only a myth. Others know they’re real... |
Children of the Rune Story Teasers
Some people think the runechildren are only a myth. Others know they’re real. But everyone has a different opinion of what it means to be a runechild. |
Children of the Rune Serialized Sneak Peek!
We're looking ahead to the print release of Children of the Rune by offering you a sneak peek at one entire story from the book! |
Check out the Beyond Countless Doorways Trailer!
Malhavoc Press is proud to present the new Beyond Countless Doorways Flash trailer created for us by Mark Byer with music by Jammin' Grooves. |
Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed Available for the First Time as a Single PDF!
Up to now, we offered the electronic editions of Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed only as a set of three different PDFs... |
Arcana Unearthed Miniatures Gallery (July Greens)
This week, a new batch of Arcana Unearthed miniatures have become available - see the new sculpts! |
REVIEW: Dungeon #114
I haven't done a review in quite a few months. So, after all this time, why on earth am I reviewing a couple of magazine issues? Well, both Dungeon and Dragon have revamped their formats, their content, and their approach. |
REVIEW: City Works
It's nice to be able to speak from a position of authority now and again. Since before 3rd Edition came out, I've been running an all-urban campaign, set in the city of Ptolus. |
Beyond Countless Doorways Preview: A Look at Kin-Li'in
An excerpt from "The Burning Shadows of Kin-Li'in" by Monte Cook |
A Game of Cards
This
week I did something in my current campaign
that I've been meaning to try for years . . . |
Damage Reduction Redux
D&D
v.3.5 changed the way damage reduction works. Although
I admired the intent, the system
has some shortcomings. |
Chat Transcript: Hyperconscious
Last week in our chat room we discussed psionics and Hyperconscious with designer Bruce R. Cordell. |
Planescapin' II
"I have a lot of great memories about working at TSR back in Wisconsin, and so many of them revolve around the Planescape team...." |
Shhhhh!
"Among a small group of my friends, I have a notorious reputation. If I go to a movie, I will invariably sit next to the worst people in the theater...." |
Introducing...
The Arcana Unearthed Trailer! (Mac)
Check out the new Arcana Unearthed Flash trailer created for us by Mark Byer with music by Jammin' Grooves. For Mac Users. |
New Psionic Feats
With feats both ostentatious and subtle, psionic characters can enhance their prestige and power in the world, making his will manifest by their extraordinary actions. |
You Can't Take the Sky From Me...
I loved the show Firefly. Watching all of the episodes (three of which never aired, one I'd missed) made me realize how great a show it was. |
Arcana
Unearthed Miniatures Gallery (July Greens)
Here is a look at finished sculpts for the July 2004 figures in the Arcana
Unearthed miniatures line from Iron Wind Metals. |
The Quietus Prestige Class
During the course of the Hyperconscious adventure, the characters have a memorable encounter with a quietus. Here is that new prestige class reprinted from the book as a sneak peek. |
Anniversary Contest at diamondthrone.com!
Diamondthrone.com celebrates their first anniversary - win $250 worth of prizes! |
New Psionics Book Hyperconscious Now on Sale!
D&D psionics guru Bruce R. Cordell offers up more mind-warping creativity in Hyperconscious, a new d20 System adventure-sourcebook. In addition, Bruce has updated his previous award-winning books, If Thoughts Could Kill and Mindscapes, to be fully compatible with v. 3.5 and the Expanded Psionics Handbook. |
The Ithorid: Bane of the Faithful
If you own a copy of Book of Hallowed Might II: Portents and Visions, you might wonder just what exactly that horrid beast on the cover could be. Wonder no more! |
Hyperconscious Overview
Hyperconscious is the new psionics adventure-sourcebook by D&D psionics guru Bruce R. Cordell, author of the Psionics Handbook and Expanded Psionics Handbook. |
Malhavoc Now Offers eBooks in Two Formats
Fans of our electronic products will be interested and hopefully happy to note that Malhavoc Press electronic products are once again available through the White Wolf/Sword & Sorcery catalog in their original PDF form, in addition to our ebooks sold at DriveThruRPG.com. |
And Now, a Rant
"I know, I know. I said that I wasn't going to do rants anymore..." |
Malhavoc Press Birthday Sale
It's time, once again, to celebrate Malhavoc's birthday and save! |
Dad's Lawn
"I have a tiny little lawn at my house. Really, I have two lawns. A patch in the front and a patch in the back. Sue does a nice job with the plants in the yard..." |
Arcana
Unearthed Miniatures Gallery (June Greens)
We now have the finished sculpts for the June figures in the Arcana
Unearthed miniatures line from Iron Wind Metals. |
An Interesting Bit of Complication
The
opposite of "simplistic" is not always
"complicated." |
Fiction Anthology for Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed Debuts Today!
Thirteen new stories bring the lands of the Diamond Throne to life in Children of the Rune, the first fiction release from Monte Cook's Malhavoc Press. The e-Book edition of this anthology is on sale today. |
Marley
"Marley is a Welsh Corgi, and to say that she's a handful would be to make a grievous understatement...." |
Do You Want Fries With That?
Today we're announcing a new business deal regarding the sale of our electronic products. Starting today, our PDFs will be distributed exclusively through a site called DriveThruRPG.com.... |
Children of the Rune Greenbond: Galen Bock
Character stats for Galen Bock from "The Silent Man" by Richard Lee Byers |
Malhavoc Press Signs on With New E-Book Site
Malhavoc Press, one of the first publishers of PDF roleplaying products, has entered into an exclusive agreement with DriveThruRPG.com to offer Malhavoc electronic products as secure e-Books on this new site. |
Three Years in the Middle of All This
"Malhavoc Press celebrated its three-year anniversary on Tuesday. It reminds me that, from time to time, I like to look back and see how things have been...." |
The Movements of the Planes
Monte discusses the Countless Worlds cosmology and its moving planes. |
No Good Deed
"If trouble comes in threes, I guess I'm done. But if water-related trouble has a different set of rules, I'd better look out. If that's the case, maybe I'll keep out of the deep end of the pool for a while...." |
Vallorian Society and Culture
This article, the third in a series of three, introduces
you to the society and traditions of the growing Vallorian
threat. Whether you use the Vallorians in Arcana
Unearthed or your d20 campaign, this article serves
as a starting point for learning how these vicious
enemies of good organize themselves. |
Designing a Cosmology
An introduction to the Countless Worlds cosmology. |
Modifying Magic to Suit Your Needs
It will come as no surprise that I like
magic in my game, but it's always so hard
to equip NPCs with interesting magic. |
Vallorian Living Weapons and Armor
The
strange weapons of the Vallorians represent a fusion
between living creatures and carefully designed tools.
Living swords and sentient armor form a symbiotic
bond with their users, combining abilities to create
a potent duo. In the hands of creatures other than
Vallorians, these items react violently, lashing out
at their would-be users and refusing to obey them. |
Chat Transcript: Book of Hallowed Might II: Portents and Visions
I was pleased to welcome about two dozen of you to our chat room last week to talk with me and my codesigner Mike Mearls about our new release, Book of Hallowed Might II: Portents and Visions. |
Book of Hallowed Might II: Portents and Visions Overview
When we set out to produce a sequel to the popular Book of Hallowed Might, we wanted to offer something more... |
Playing Vallorians
The
foul Vallorians plot the doom of their hated foes
from deep within the heart of the world. Using their
sickening array of living weapons and armor, combined
with their unparalleled aptitude for magic, they pose
a daunting menace to anyone who descends into the
caverns and passages of the earth. |
Cool Words
"As a writer, words are my tools. I really enjoy words and actively seek out additions to my vocabulary..." |
Sneak Peek: The Akashic Seeker
The
akashic memory pervades the world and its people.
Sometimes it seeps into certain areas in greater amounts,
congealing into akashic nodes. Born of these nodes,
the akashic seeker is a terrible catlike beast that
feeds on memory and guards akashic nodes like another
creature might watch over a favored watering hole. |
Geek Week
"Last week I had a particularly interesting few days that catered to my utter geekitude...." |
Eldritch Might Spell List
By popular demand, we’ve taken spells from The Complete Book of Eldritch Might to offer here in spell list form fully compatible with Monte Cook’s Arcana Unearthed. |
The Unnamable
What
do you do when an 8-foot, massive monstrosity that
resembles a blood-red crustacean appears before you,
offering to slay your enemies? Do you trust it? Do
you worry about what it will ask in return? |
Bud Finkle, 1918-2004
"Many of you may not realize that we recently lost a great creative mind recently. His name was Robert "Bud" Finkle, and he was a marketing genius..." |
Book of Hallowed Might II Now on Sale!
Discover the majesty of divine magic in Book of Hallowed Might II: Portents and Visions. |
Keyed Spell Items in Book of Hallowed Might II
Mike and I did some work recently on Book of Hallowed Might II: Portents and Visions. |
Sneak Peek: Keyed Spell Items
This excerpt is taken from Chapter Five: Mountain of the Voice. At the priory there, followers of the Divine Voice have learned to make a new classification of maigic item.... |
The Soundtrack of My Life
"For much of my life, when someone would ask what kind of music I liked, I'd be more likely to tell them what I figured they wanted to hear (usually what they would think was "cool") than the truth...." |
Free Second Quarter 2004 Catalog!
The Sword & Sorcery second quarter 2004 catalog is now available for consumers and retailers. |
Social Inertia and the Game of Conversation
So there you are, standing next to the car in which you've managed to lock the keys.... |
Arcana
Unearthed Miniatures Gallery (March Greens)
Take a peek at the finished sculpts for March 2003's miniatures releases in the Arcana
Unearthed miniatures line from Iron Wind Metals. |
Dealing With Large Parties Part 3: An Afterword
There
are a couple other weird issues to consider
when you've got a large group of players in
your game. |
Chat Transcript: Legacy of the Dragons
I was pleased to welcome about three dozen of you to our chat room last week to talk with me and my codesigner Mike Mearls about our new release, Legacy of the Dragons. |
Covering Ourselves
"There's a disturbing trend in roleplaying game books of the last few years that shows little sign of abating. And I'm sure that, at least in a small way, I'm partially to blame..." |
The Night Beast
Beings
of pure, liquid shadow, night beasts are said to be
intelligent shards of the raw stuff of the Dark. |
Harnessing the Natural Laws: Technology in Your Game
This article discusses the very opposite of chaositech: order-based technology. |
Legacy of the Dragons Art Preview
Wow, are we proud of the art in this book. Our first bestiary features the work of illustrators Kev Crossley, Sam Wood, Tyler Walpole, and Jennifer Meyer, and we know you're going to like it. |
Dealing With Large Parties Part 2: Handling All Those Players
Dealing with the players can be a challenge when running a game for a large group. |
First Bestiary for Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed Debuts Today!
Dozens of new creatures from the minds of Monte Cook and Mike Mearls await your discovery in Legacy of the Dragons, a new d20 System bestiary for Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed. |
A Monstrous Challenge
Legacy
of the Dragons is both a support product for Monte
Cook's Arcana Unearthed and also a
book of cool monsters for regular d20 games. |
Bestiaries I Have Known
My
first professional game design ever was a book of monsters.
Creatures and Treasures II came out in 1989 from
Iron Crown Enterprises for Rolemaster. |
Taking Time and Effort out of the Equation
"Things have been a little crazy around here the last few weeks...." |
The Surgeon in the Shadows
DMs looking for a way to incorporate Chaositech into their existing, standard fantasy games need look no further than Kinion Luth, the Surgeon in the Shadows. |
Return of the King
Thanks, Peter Jackson, for this incredible Christmas gift. This movie is so good that I don't have words to describe it. So I'll make one up. |
Arcana Unearthed/Diamond Throne Contest Winners
The results are in, the judges are finished, and it's all over but the celebrating. |
Eldritch Origins
I love magic. I love wizards and spells and magic items.... |
Less of Me
"One thing I didn't mention in my review of 2003 was that I drastically changed a significant part of my lifestyle...." |
Legacy of the Dragons: Context
Legacy
of the Dragons is the product I'm working on now.
It's a bestiary to go
along with Monte Cook's
Arcana Unearthed. |
Dealing With Large Parties Part 1: Challenging Encounters
As I find
myself running a weekly game with seven players,
I have learned that there are more "tricks"
to handling large groups than I thought. |
Chat Transcript: Chaositech and Other Topics
I was pleased to welcome almost 40 of you to our very own chat room last week to chat with me and with Sue about not only our new release, Chaositech. |
The Ups and Downs of 2003
Everyone else does it, why not me? 2003 was an interesting year with some of my greatest and worst moments to date. Here's 2003 from my perspective -- professionally and personally.... |
Urihiel, Patron of the Order of the Golden Chalice
Here you will find the angel Urihiel in both angelic and fallen form. |
The Complete Book of Eldritch Might Art Preview
When we decided to collect all three Books of Eldritch Might into one hardcover volume for v. 3.5, we thought we'd offer readers some new artwork as well. |
The Complete Book of Eldritch Might Overview
Have a look at what we've done to combine the three Eldritch Might books into one volume. |
Free First Quarter 2004 Catalog!
The Sword & Sorcery first quarter 2004 catalog is now available for consumers and retailers. |
Arcana Unearthed Miniatures Gallery (January Greens)
Take a look at the finished sculpts for the January figures in the Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed miniatures line from Iron Wind Metals. |
Malhavoc Press Wins 3 ENnies!
Malhavoc Press won three 2004
Gen Con & EN World d20 System Awards last week at the Gen Con Game
Fair! |
The Thrice-Cursed Crown
The Thrice-Cursed Crown by Mike Mearls is an introductory
adventure for Monte
Cook’s Arcana Unearthed. If you’ve
been looking for a good way to introduce your friends
to Arcana Unearthed, running this 14-page free
adventure is a great way to do it. |
Legacy of the Dragons Overview
We're very excited about our first bestiary, a 160-page sourcebook packed with new monsters and nonplayer characters. |
Planescape Memories
I've written before about the joys of working on the Planescape D&D line. It amazes me that it's already been five or so years since this product line ended. |
New Malhavoc Book to Be a 'Planescape Reunion'
Four writers and an artist from the much-loved Planescape® setting have come together to create a new planar book for Malhavoc Press. |
A Look at Body Implants
Here's a preview of nine types of implants. Each one makes use of Chaos Surgery, a new skill from the book. |
Designer Mike Mearls Joins Malhavoc
Monte Cook proudly announces today that respected d20 System author Mike Mearls will join him on the staff of Malhavoc Press as a game designer in 2004. |
Chaos Rules!
Chaos rules! Law and order have more to fear than ever today, as Malhavoc Press releases Chaositech... |
Chaositech Playtesting
Chaositech is one of those products that came directly out of my campaign. |
Fiendish Monster and Spells
Here's a free preview of a new monster and several new spells from the book. |
Chaositech Art Gallery
This is some of the weirdest artwork we've shown you in a long time. Our artists had to take a walk on the macabre side... |
Chaositech Overview
We've been talking about this new sourcebook of chaos-fueled items and creatures for months. |
Journey of Sorrows
An Anger of Angels Story in Three Parts, by Sean K Reynolds |
Arcana
Unearthed Miniatures Gallery (December Greens)
The finished sculpts are in for the December figures in the Arcana
Unearthed miniatures line from Iron Wind Metals. |
Cry Havoc Design-a-Unit Contest!
The print edition of Cry Havoc is now on sale, and we're recognizing the occasion with a new contest. |
Angels in Other Genres
This free 5-page web enhancement by Sean K Reynolds offers suggestions and new feats for using angels in modern settings, including post-apocalyptic, vampire-hunting, and more. |
The Book of Eldritch Might III: The Nexus Overview
For a sneak peek at the Book of Eldritch Might III: The Nexus, we decided to post the the table of contents. |
Malhavoc Press Events at Gen Con SoCal 2003
Game Designer Sean K Reynolds was nice enough to offer to run a couple of Malhavoc Press events at Gen Con So Cal this year -- unfortunately, Sue and I will be unable to get there. |
Campaign Paradigms
An important thing for all DMs to keep in mind is that once a campaign is up and running, the basic flavor -- the underpinnings of the whole campaign structure -- usually should not change. |
Arcana
Unearthed Miniatures Gallery (October Greens)
Check out the newest sculpts for the October 2003 figures in the Arcana
Unearthed miniatures line from Iron Wind Metals. |
Anger of Angels Chat Transcript
I was pleased to welcome more than 30 of you to our very own chat room last week to chat with designer Sean K Reynolds about his new sourcebook, Anger of Angels. |
Developing a New Subsystem
Probably one of the biggest challenges that faces a designer when working on a book like Chaositech is the delicate way that you have to institute a whole new subsystem. |
Cherubim and Dominion Feats
These sections offer two previews from the new Anger of Angels sourcebook by Sean K Reynolds. |
Free Fourth Quarter 2003 Catalog!
The Sword & Sorcery fourth quarter 2003 catalog is now available for consumers and retailers. |
The Bonds of Magic: The Faithful Preview
As a preview of the second volume of Skreyn's Register, here is a druid and a cleric from the book. |
The Bonds of Magic: The Faithful Art Preview
The Faithful showcases 25 new and highly original divine-magic spellcasters, from clerics and druids to rangers and paladins. |
Arcana Unearthed/Diamond Throne Official Contest Rules
Arcana Unearthed / Diamond Throne Official Contest Rules |
New Malhavoc Book Takes You to Heaven and Hell
Game designer Sean K Reynolds introduces us to the holy, the fallen, and the damned in his new d20 sourcebook Anger of Angels. |
On the Horizon: Chaositech
Chaositech is a really fun project for me to be working on. |
Malhavoc the Magister: The Making of a Miniature
We
are very excited to see the development of the first figures
in the Monte Cook's
Arcana Unearthed miniatures line from Iron
Wind Metals. |
New Monster: The Dark Warden
Here's
a sneak peek at one of the 12 new monsters you'll
find in The Diamond Throne: the Dark Warden. |
Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed Character Sheet!
As you start new campaigns with Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed, we have a free character sheet for download. This is the same sheet you see on page 250 of your book. |
The Ultimate Archangel Competition
To celebrate the release later this month of Sean Reynolds' sourcebook Anger of Angels, Sean brings us a three-round competition in which you decide who wins the title of Ultimate Archangel! |
| Anger of Angels Overview |
DM's Screen and Player's Guide Flash Demo
We're pretty psyched with how our three-paneled DM's screen for Arcana Unearthed turned out. |
DM's Screen and Player's Guide Overview
This perfect companion to Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed rulebook for players and DMs is more than just a game aid featuring cool artwork and lots of charts. . . |
Arcana Unearthed Tie-In Products From Our Partners
Here is the full list of official Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed tie-in products available from our publishing partners. |
Arcana Evolved and Arcana Unearthed Official Miniatures
Here is the full list of official Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved miniatures available from Iron Wind Metals. |
Monte
Cook's Arcana Unearthed Rules FAQ
Since the release of Monte
Cook's Arcana Unearthed, a few questions have come up more than once, suggesting that additional clarifications might be helpful. |
Arcana
Unearthed Painted Miniatures Gallery
And we thought the official Arcana Unearthed miniatures from Iron Wind Metals looked good unpainted! |
The Diamond Throne Art Preview
The setting for Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed comes to vivid life in the new sourcebook The Diamond Throne. |
Official Setting for Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed Debuts Today!
The Diamond Throne is now available in electronic release |
Magic Items in The Diamond Throne
Magic items in Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed and in The Diamond Throne sometimes require a little bit of thought on the DM's part. |
Generate Names for Arcana Unearthed Characters
I'm excited today to share a cool new online tool with all of you: a name generator for Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed. |
DM's Screen and Player's Guide Free Preview!
This
accessory contains a three-paneled horizontal screen
with stunning artwork plus all the charts a DM needs
to run the game.... |
Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed PDF Previews
For each of the three Arcana Unearthed PDF volumes, Monte wrote a special introduction, which is the only part of the books that does not also appear in the hardcover. Here are the introductions for those PDFs. |
A Look at the Land
This week I've prepared an excerpt from The Diamond Throne. |
Ptolus Comes Alive!
The Ptolus game has technically ended. However, I'm going to be starting up the game again, smaller this time (running only one group a week rather than two). When I do, this is the sight that will greet the players. |
Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed Chat Transcript
I was pleased to welcome almost 40 of you to our very own chat room last week to answer your questions about Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthedand more. |
Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed Electronic Titles Debut!
Today Monte Cook makes selections from his hot new rulebook Arcana Unearthed available to the PDF roleplaying audience, along with the electronic version of his new DM's Screen and Player's Guide. |
Cry Havoc Chat Transcript Featuring Skip Williams
Skip Williams entertained fans in our very own chat room last week, answering your questions about the new PDF edition of Cry Havoc and more. Thanks to everyone who attended this chat, as well as room moderator Matt Locke for making it happen, as always, and for sharing this transcript with us. |
Designing a World
I have mixed feelings about campaign settings. |
Cry Havoc Unit Combat System Free Preview!
This excerpt is taken from Chapter Three: Unit Combat of Cry Havoc by Skip Williams. |
Arcana Unearthed Miniatures Gallery (August Greens)
Here is a look at the finished sculpts for the first figures in the Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed miniatures line from Iron Wind Metals. |
Where's the D&D Mass Combat System?
I get asked a lot, "Why doesn't the DMG have a mass combat system?" Good question. Unfortunately, the answer is, "We weren't allowed to put one in." |
Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed Art Gallery II
More excellent images from the Arcana Unearthed variant player's handbook. |
Arcana Unearthed Breaks Records
A powerful debut at the Gen Con Game Fair this past weekend and strong initial retail sales make Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed from Malhavoc Press the roleplaying game title to watch this season. |
Cry Havoc Art Preview
The new mass combat rules in Skip Williams' Cry Havoc bring the adventure of warfare to life for your game. |
Cry Havoc Overview
Are you ready for a sneak peek at Skip Williams' new event book? |
Cry Havoc: The Essential d20 Guide to War
3rd Edition codesigner Skip Williams brings us what we've all been waiting for—the definitive d20 mass combat system—in his new event book Cry Havoc. |
Gen Con 2003 Schedule of Events!
Sue and I have a lot of interesting things going on at Gen Con this year. |
Introducing...
The Arcana Unearthed Trailer!
Check out the new Arcana Unearthed Flash trailer created for us by Mark Byer with music by Jammin' Grooves. This is a Flash version 5 movie made just for Malhavoc Press. |
Gary
Gygax Calls Arcana Unearthed "A Knockout"!
Dungeons & Dragons creator Gary Gygax has already named Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed a winner! |
Weapons and Armor
I absolutely love the introduction of exotic weapons into D&D. |
The Giants
Giants
call themselves Hu-Charad, which means “the stewards,”
but everyone else calls them giants—and for good
reason.... |
The Greenbond
The
greenbond is a mage who deals with nature. He speaks
the language of the leaves, of a babbling brook, or
the stony heartrock of a mountain. |
Wilbur, 1990 to 2003
I
didn't even want a pet. At the time, I was living in
a small apartment... |
Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed Art Gallery I
We are really lucky to have had so many terrific artists to illustrate Arcana Unearthed, and we're pleased to unveil some of the first pieces in this sneak peek. |
Greenbond Notes
Last week's preview of the greenbond class gives a nice glimpse of a lot of Arcana Unearthed issues. |
Monte Cook's Arcana
Unearthed Official Adventure Previews!
Not only has Monte Cook's Arcana
Unearthed made its way to the printer, the first official tie-in adventures are now being printed as well. |
Spell Templates
This week I thought I'd discuss an idea that I'm really very happy with. |
Playtesting
Playtesting is extremely important to me. When we developed 3rd Edition, we did more playtesting than perhaps any other RPG product, ever. |
The Real Dragon Magic Names
I wrote an article for Dragon magazine, published in issue #208, all about Dragon Magic. It expounds on the topic of Dragon Magic presented in Book of Eldritch Might III: The Nexus. |
| Distributors Lists |
Code Monkey and Necromancer Announce New Arcana Unearthed Tie-Ins
Code Monkey Publishing and Necromancer Games have become Malhavoc Press' newest partners in releasing support products for Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed: A Variant Player's Handbook |
More Diamond Throne
Last week I started talking about The Diamond Throne. I thought I'd go on about that for a bit more, to give you a feel for the setting behind Arcana Unearthed. |
The Diamond Throne
So it's about time I start talking about the Diamond Throne. |
Mindscapes Chat Transcript
Bruce Cordell entertained fans in our very own chat room earlier this month, answering your questions about the new print edition of Mindscapes, the world of psionics, and more. |
Death's Door
I like the D&D death's door rules. |
Hero Points
Ever put up wallpaper? |
The Memekeeper
One of the most exciting aspects of Bruce Cordell's new When the Sky Falls involves meteorites from other worlds called engram arks. |
Iron Wind Metals to Produce Arcana Unearthed Miniatures
Game designer Monte Cook is pleased to announce that official miniatures for his Arcana Unearthed variant player's handbook will be available this summer. |
Truenames
As promised, I'll throw out a few words about truenames. |
When the Sky Falls Chat With Bruce Cordell
We were pleased to welcome game designer Bruce R. Cordell into our chat room to answer your questions about When the Sky Falls and more. |
Shake Up Your Campaign With When the Sky Falls!
Today Malhavoc Press releases its second event book: When the Sky Falls, by award-winning game designer Bruce R. Cordell. |
The Preying Burrower
The preying burrower is an all-new bonus beast of the id created especially for this web enhancement. |
Discover the Beasts of the Id!
New bestiary by Bruce Cordell introduces 18 psionic creatures |
Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed Chat Transcript II
Monte hosted another chat in our very own chat room to answer your questions about Arcana Unearthed and more. |
Go, Go, Go!
Short entry this time. I hate spells with 1 minute/level durations. |
Ceremony
I think I've already mentioned that one of the goals I set for myself with Arcana Unearthed was to make things a little less generic. |
Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed Chat Transcript I
Monte hosted a two-hour chat in our very own chat room to answer your questions about Arcana Unearthed and more. |
When the Sky Falls Art Preview
When we asked Bruce, "Why would anyone want to send a meteorite strike crashing down on their campaign word?" his response was: "Because it's COOL!" |
When the Sky Falls Overview
It's time for a sneak peek at the second Malhavoc Press event book: When the Sky Falls, by Bruce Cordell. With guidelines and rules for introducing a meteorite strike into your fantasy setting, When the Sky Falls is sure to shake up your campaign and offer new frontiers of adventure. Take a look at the book's table of contents and see for yourself! |
Free Second Quarter 2003 Catalog!
The Sword & Sorcery second quarter 2003 catalog is now available for consumers and retailers. |
Things That Rules Take Away
There are aspects of fantasy roleplaying that rules, inadvertently, can actually take away. |
How Well Do You Know Your Beasts?
Because you all seemed to like our little psionics vocabulary quiz last month, we thought we'd offer you a new one in honor of the debut of Mindscapes: Beasts of the Id |
Still Talking Classes
So what's left? In previous Design Diary installments, I've discussed the main spellcasters and the tough guys of the game. |
The Malafide
Here is a sample creature from Mindscapes: Beasts of the Id by Bruce R. Cordell, along with the related rules for operant creatures and an associated new item: malafide chalkstone |
Bonus Powers!
A Web Enhancement for Mindscapes: A Psion's Guide |
Mindscapes: Beasts of the Id Overview
As a sneak peek at the second volume of Mindscapes, take a look at the book's table of contents. |
Mindscapes: Beasts of the Id Art Preview
Monsters are cool. And when they're psionic, they're cooler still. We know you'll agree when you take a look at some of the illustrations from Bruce R. Cordell's Beasts of the Id. |
More Classes
Last time, I went over some of the non-spell-using combat classes. This time, I want to tell you about some of the other classes. |
Test Your Psionics Vocabulary!
In honor of the debut of Mindscapes: A Psion's Guide, we invite you to test your knowledge of psionic lore. |
The Cerebral Rager
The qualifying requirements for this prestige class virtually assure that multiclassed barbarian/psions or barbarian/psychic warriors take up the cerebral rager class. |
Bruce Cordell Returns to Psionics!
As a follow-up to his award-winning psionics supplement If Thoughts Could Kill, Bruce R. Cordell brings us Mindscapes: A Psion's Guide. |
Build a Better Fighter
The title this week is facetious. It really should be "build a different fighter." |
Nactrina Onarsh, Blessed of Thalander
An illustration by Arne Swekel appears in The Book of Hallowed Might to exemplify a hallowed mage, one of the book's new prestige classes. |
A Place for Eldritch Might to Live
After Book of Eldritch Might II: Songs and Souls of Power came out and was so well received, I wondered whether I should do another one. |
Old Made New
Our recent patch for The Book of Eldritch Might was very well received. |
Mindscapes: A Psion's Guide Art Preview
"It's time for a psionics classbook," author Bruce R. Cordell says in his introduction to Mindscapes: A Psion's Guide, and we couldn't agree more. |
Mindscapes: A Psion's Guide Overview
As a sneak peek at the first volume of Mindscapes, here's the book's table of contents. In addition to a dozen all-new prestige classes, more than 50 new and adapted powers, plus new feats and items, the book also includes Bruce's long-awaited variant psionic combat system. |
The Magic Balancing Act
In Arcana Unearthed I'm introducing a new method of magic item pricing. |
Eldritch Musings
It started with soul magic. I knew that I wanted to take this concept that I'd been using in my game and put it into a product. |
More Magic
This week, I thought I'd talk more about the new magic system in Arcana Unearthed. |
Magic
As a designer, magic in Arcana Unearthed posed a huge challenge. |
Malhavoc Partners Add Adventure to Arcana Unearthed
Monte Cook teams up with Mystic Eye Games and Fiery Dragon Productions for official Arcana Unearthed tie-ins. |
Free First Quarter 2003 Catalog!
The Sword & Sorcery first quarter 2003 catalog is now available for consumers and retailers. |
Between Life and Death
To
support The Diamond
Throne, we’ve got a free adventure for
you called Between Life and Death set in the
Floating Forest. |
The Diamond Throne Overview
This 96-page campaign setting—the first one that I have written and published on my own—is uniquely tailored to Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed. |
Malhavoc Press Wins 4 ENnies!
We're
proud to announce that Malhavoc Press won four 2003 Gen Con & EN World
d20 System Awards this weekend at the Gen Con Game Fair. |
Those Who Prey Upon the Weak
The sky has fallen. The fist of the gods has struck the
earth and now all is in chaos. The skies grow dark
and the displaced survivors seek shelter. But who
will save the living when they are preyed upon by
the dead? |
The Light That Rent the Night
The
When the Sky Falls
event book offers numerous ideas to introduce a meteorite
strike into your campaign. This web enhancement is
an extended adventure seed involving a temple besieged
by nightmares, an ex-cleric, and a misguided wish
upon a falling star. |
Design Decisions, Part Two
Here's a bit more discussion of some of the general issues I faced as I began designing Arcana Unearthed. |
New Spells and Feats for Divine Casters
Being good isn't just about fighting evil. It's also about making promises and keeping them. It's about enduring hardships for a noble cause. And it's about both giving and gaining trust. |
| Try Anything You've Ever Wanted in a Fight |
The Book of Hallowed Might Supercharges Clerics!
Monte Cook finally gives divine-magic users equal time. The new Book of Hallowed Might, a clerical counterpart to his popular Book of Eldritch Might series, is on sale today. |
Design Decisions, Part One
Before jumping into another big area of Arcana Unearthed's design, I thought I'd discuss some of the general issues I faced as a designer starting the book. |
More Music for Your Game
Last
year, I posted a
list of CDs I thought you might want to
consider using as background music for your
game. It's been a full year, and I've found
a lot more music you might like. Here are more
of my recommended favorites. |
The Book of Hallowed Might Art Preview
We're very excited about the forthcoming Book of Hallowed Might, a divine-magic sourcebook. And we're excited about the terrific art from Arne Swekel as well. You can see some of our favorite pieces in this art preview. |
The Book of Hallowed Might Overview
As a sneak peek at the Book of Hallowed Might, here's the book's table of contents. |
Arcana Unearthed Races
I started with the races. While I knew that the game needed humans as a basis, I wanted all the other races to be new. |
The Bonds of Magic Character Lists
Thanks to your suggestions, Sean Reynolds was nice enough to compile these tables that organize all the spellcasters of The Bonds of Magic by level, Challenge Rating, and equivalent level. |
The Book of Eldritch Might New Spell List
A handy list of The Book of Eldritch Might spells sorted by class and level. |
Order of the Golden Chalice
The Bonds of Magic: The Faithful introduces a knightly group called the Order of the Golden Chalice. |
Pulling it All Together
With the release of Book of Eldritch Might III: The Nexus, Malhavoc Press now has nine products out. |
Presenting Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed
In August of 2003, Malhavoc Press will release Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed. This 256-page hardcover product is a "variant player's handbook," meaning that it contains all the material needed to game in complete compatibility with the Open Game Content material presented in the 3rd edition of the world's most popular fantasy roleplaying game. |
Getting Started
Virtually
every day I get email from people who want to get published
in the game industry.... |
Malhavoc Press Gives Fans Free Update to The Book of Eldritch Might
On the heels of last week's successful electronic release of Book of Eldritch Might III: The Nexus, Monte Cook's d20 imprint has issued a free patch that upgrades the first book in the popular series. |
Deities of The Faithful
Feel free to use these 15 all-Open Content deities with the characters from The Bonds of Magic and in your own campaigns. |
Spells of Frozen Dreams
Book of Eldritch Might III: The Nexus describes seven unique and magical locales for you to add to your campaign -- along with all their associated characters, spells, feats, powers, and magic items. |
Monte Cook Publishes New Eldritch Might Book!
Monte Cook continues his popular Book of Eldritch Might series with Volume III, The Nexus, on sale today. |
Book of Eldritch Might III: The Nexus Art Preview
Sink your teeth into the juicy Book of Eldritch Might III: The Nexus -- at 96 pages it has more Might than either of the previous volumes. You're going to love its new arcane goodness. |
Immortal -- at Least for a While...
This week, Requiem for a God hits store shelves. |
If Thoughts Could Kill Art Preview!
As we get closer to the December release of Bruce Cordell's new psionics adventure/accessory If Thoughts Could Kill, we thought we'd give you a sneak peek at some of the book's art, coming in each day from illustrator Toren "MacBin" Atkinson. |
Requiem for a God Art Preview!
We're pushing into production on our very first event book, Requiem for a God. By way of a preview, we'd like to show you some of the fabulous art in the book from illustrator Sam Wood. |
Godsblood
An unusual consequence of a god's death is the appearance of certain divine remnants left behind in the universe. Characters can make use of these vestiges to power their spells and magic items, among other things. |
Malhavoc Publishes Next Sean K Reynolds Book
On sale today, Malhavoc's new d20 character book, from game designer Sean K Reynolds, features 25 ready-to-run divine-magic spellcasters. |
The Great Con Game
I've been to a lot of cons. |
Father of Fanatrax
A web enhancement for The Bonds of Magic: Cabal by Sean K Reynolds |
Skip Williams to Design Malhavoc Book
Dungeons & Dragons® 3rd Edition codesigner and Monster Manual® author Skip Williams has agreed to pen a sourcebook on war for Malhavoc Press. |
Handrath's Brothers
A web enhancement for The Bonds of Magic: Cabal by Sean K Reynolds |
Arcane Monster Templates
Skreyn's Register: The Bonds of Magic, Vol. 1: Cabal puts to work a couple new monster templates that I created a while ago for use on my website. |
Where Do These People Come From?
Skreyn's Register: The Bonds of Magic is a book of characters. |
Malhavoc Publishes New Sean K Reynolds Book
On sale today is Malhavoc's first d20 character book, from game designer Sean K Reynolds, coauthor of the Forgotten Realms® Campaign Setting. |
Thomad, the Preserver
The melancholy image created by Ilya Astrakhan inspired this portrait of a loyal priest whose god has passed on. |
Game Industry Etiquette
As
someone who's looked like a pathetic jerk plenty of times
in his life, I thought I'd pass along a few things I've
learned in the last 14 years to other game industry professionals. |
The Bonds of Magic: Cabal Sneak Peek
As a preview of the first volume of Skreyn's Register, here are two arcane spellcasters from the book. |
The Bonds of Magic: Cabal Art Preview!
Take a sneak peek at some of our favorite illustrations from the new book below. All the artwork inside The Bonds of Magic comes to you from talented Vancouver artist Toren "MacBin" Atkinson. |
Requiem for a God New Spell Lists
Here's a handy reference for all of you who just purchased Requiem for a God. |
Requiem for a Game Designer
Okay, not really. I don't quite need a Requiem. |
Requiem for a God Now on Sale!
With Requiem for a God, designer Monte Cook has created a new type of roleplaying game product: the event book. |
New Spellsongs
The variant bard in the Book of Eldritch Might II: Songs and Souls of Power uses spellsongs rather than spells. |
The Banewarrens Art Preview!
As we complete our production of the new mega-adventure The Banewarrens, we thought you might like a taste of some of the new art in the book. |
Pactlord Enforcers
Some of you have asked about Arne Swekel's cool beholder and mind flayer picture that appears in The Banewarrens. |
DMs Rejoice!
A new toolbox is on the way. |
What's a Bane?
Banes are evil given form. They represent a blight on the world -- darknesses that must be destroyed, or at least placed where they can do no harm. |
Interview With Monte Cook at Wizards Live!
Monte joined folks in the Wizards Presents chat room at Wizards Live! to discuss his new adventure The Banewarrens, his recent Call of Cthulhu d20 Roleplaying Game release, the forthcoming Book of Vile Darkness, and more. |
The Banewarrens Now on Sale!
New Monte Cook mega-adventure is available as a PDF. Fans of Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil won't want to miss a trip into The Banewarrens. |
Design Secrets: High-Level Adventures
Design Secrets: High-Level Adventures |
Eldritch Extras
This article can be used to supplement our products The Book of Eldritch Might and Book of Eldritch Might II: Songs and Souls of Power. |
Book of Vile Darkness and The Banewarrens Chat Transcript
Monte joined folks in the chat room at EN World to discuss his newly announced "Big Book o' Evil," the Book of Vile Darkness from Wizards of the Coast, as well as his upcoming release The Banewarrens and other topics. |
Dungeon Master's Guide Author Launches New d20 Imprint
Game designer Monte Cook publishes first Malhavoc Press electronic title |
Book of Eldritch Might II: Songs and Souls of Power Preview
The unholy riven is a particularly deadly foe for arcanists, although an interesting challenge for the whole party. |
Book of Eldritch Might II: Songs and Souls of Power Art Preview!
As we complete our layout of the new arcane sourcebook Book of Eldritch Might II, we thought we'd give you a taste of some of the new art. |
Our Big Announcement(s)
I said in my last Line of Sight that this week we'd have two big announcements for you. |
GAMA Trade Show and The BanewarrensChat Transcript
Monte joined folks in the chat room at EN World to discuss his recent trip to the GAMA Trade Show, as well as his upcoming release The Banewarrens and many other topics. |
Planescapin'
Last week I posted a column about Dave Hargrave's Arduin books. I got a lot of responses from people saying, "I'm so glad you still revere the 'old school' of gaming, Monte." And it's true. |
Alternate Bards and Sorcerers
Book of Eldritch Might II: Songs and Souls of Power offers a variant bard and sorcerer class. |
The Book of Eldritch Might II Chat Transcript
Monte joined folks in the chat room at GamingReport.com to discuss his new release, Book of Eldritch Might II: Songs and Souls of Power... |
Playtest for Malhavoc!
The following spells are slated to appear in Book of Eldritch Might II: Songs and Souls of Power. While they serve as an early preview for the sort of material you will find in the book, we'd really like you to put them into play. |
Book of Eldritch Might II Now Available
If you liked the first Book of Eldritch Might, you won't believe what the sequel has in store! |
Psionic Prestige Class Alternatives
Bruce Cordell has been promising psionics fans here at montecook.com that he would present a new take on the prestige classes from his Psionics Handbook. |
If Thoughts Could Kill Errata and Clarifications
Thanks to everyone who's written in with comments on If Thoughts Could Kill, especially Prince "PsiSeveredHead" Elcock. |
Malhavoc and Monte Win at the ENnies!
If Thoughts Could Kill won the Best Adventure award at the 2002 Gen
Con & EN World d20 System awards, and Call
of Cthulhu d20 Roleplaying Game netted the Best d20 RPG award. |
Malhavoc Publishes First d20 Psionics Title
The first d20 psionics support product, If Thoughts Could Kill, is released today in electronic format, Malhavoc Press founder Monte Cook is pleased to announce. |
Monte and Bruce: Psionics and 'Formative Gaming'
When Monte got together with his longtime friend and Psionics Handbook designer Bruce Cordell to talk about Bruce's new Malhavoc Press adventure If Thoughts Could Kill, a lot of stuff crept into the conversation that had nothing to do with psionics. |
REVIEW: Jade Dragons & Hungry Ghosts
If you've been following my reviews or skimming through them in the archives of this site, you'll see that overall, I've really liked Green Ronin stuff. Good solid adventures, good handling of game mechanics -- I've had only good things to say about them. |
Bruce R. Cordell Designs Malhavoc Psionics Book
If Thoughts Could Kill Gives d20 Players New Options |
Vorm the Unspeakable!
This week, another unique demon -- Vorm, the Unspeakable. Vorm was completely inspired by the illustration by JD Sparks, who came up with the name as well. |
Service, Please!
Let
me start out by saying that most of the time, I think
people who work in service oriented positions do a
great job. |
Ochremeshk the Demon Prince
When I first started writing Demon God's Fane, I knew that Ochremeshk, the demon prince, wasn't necessary for the adventure -- you battle his cult, but you don't actually fight him. |
Heart of Nightfang Spire
As many of you know, Bruce Cordell is a good friend of mine. He's been my best friend (well, except for Sue, of course) for almost 20 years, in fact. I make no apologies for that. |
Malhavoc Press and You Can Help Relief Efforts
To help in relief efforts following the recent tragic terrorist attacks, Malhavoc Press will donate all the rest of the month's proceeds from sales of The Book of Eldritch Might to the American Red Cross. |
Demon God's Fane Free Preview!
If you might potentially be a player in this adventure, do not read this preview. |
Malhavoc Press Releases First Adventure
After making a Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, Monte Cook, codesigner of the new edition of the Dungeons & Dragons game, creates a vile new cult in Demon God's Fane, the first adventure from his Malhavoc Press. |
The World's Shortest (Yet Technically Complete) Adventure
"The Orc and the Pie: A Parody" |
The 2001 EN World Awards
Monte Cook and The Book of Eldritch Might were honored yesterday as nominees for four EN World d20 System Awards, a new competition designed to recognize quality and excellence among today's licensed d20 products and publishers. |
Monte Cook's Malhavoc Press Joins Sword & Sorcery
Sword & Sorcery, the largest independent publisher of d20 material, is proud to announce the addition of Monte Cook's Malhavoc Press to its stable of fantasy roleplaying studios. |
The Book of Eldritch Might Errata and Clarifications
Thanks to everyone who's written me with questions about The Book of Eldritch Might. |
New Monster Template: Magical Constructs
This is an excerpt from The Book of Eldritch Might: Spellcasters carefully craft golems and other constructs to serve as guardians, servants, and attack "beasts." |
A New Ranger Class
I
was always worried about the ranger.... |
Eight New Feats
Here are a few new feats. |
The Book of Eldritch Might Wins 3 EN World Awards!
Malhavoc
Press is thrilled, proud (and surprised) to announce that our premiere release,
The Book of Eldritch Might, has won three EN World d20 System Awards! |
A Soundtrack for Your Game
For
me, music is extremely important during a game.
I almost hate to game without it. It's like
watching a movie without the soundtrack -- because
that's really what music is, a soundtrack for
your game. |
New Template: The Damned
“The damned” is a template, written by Mike Mearls, which you can apply to any victim of Mallock’s personal intervention in the corrupting process initiated by his followers. |
Red Cross Efforts Raise $880!
I am very happy to announce that all of us together raised $880 for the Red Cross through sales of The Book of Eldritch Might during the last few weeks. |
Book of Eldritch Might II Errata and Clarifications
Thanks to everyone who's written in with comments on The Book of Eldritch Might II: Songs and Souls of Power. |
Malhavoc Press Joins Sword & Sorcery
Yes, that's right, Malhavoc is joining forces with Sword & Sorcery. No, that wasn't the plan from the beginning, but trust me when I say this is a really exciting thing to happen. |
Psionic Lich Template
Psionic liches are undead psionics users -- usually psions, but sometimes psionic monsters -- who have interred their mentality into the necrotic tissue of their once-living bodies, thus preserving their existence indefinitely. |
Requiem for a God Event Book Overview
Many of you have asked us to post the table of contents for our upcoming products as a sneak peek... so here goes! |
Beyond Countless Doorways Art Preview
Bringing to life 18 all-new planes is no easy task, but our team of artists rose to the challenge. |
Book of Hallowed Might II Art Preview
Illustrators Eric Lofgren and Jennifer Meyer had the responsibility of bringing to life a new pantheon of gods and its associated deities for Book of Hallowed Might II: Portents and Visions. |
Anger of Angels Art Preview
The atmospheric work of David Hendee, Sam Wood, and Kieran Yanner helps bring the celestial races of Anger of Angels to life. |
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Dark Tidings
Book of Experimental Might II: Bloody, Bold, and Resolute
The Book of Experimental Might
Secrets of the Delver's Guild
The Night of Dissolution
Ptolus: Monte Cook's City by the Spire
Player's Guide to Ptolus
Arcana Evolved Spell Treasury
Transcendence
The Book of Roguish Luck
Ruins of Intrigue
The Dragons' Return
Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved
Monte Cook Presents: The Year's Best d20
Skreyn's Register: The Bonds of Magic (Italian)
The Temple of Mysteries
The Book of Iron Might
Mystic Secrets
Beyond Countless Doorways
The Banewarrens (Italian)
Grimoire II
Children of the Rune
Hyperconscious
Book of Hallowed Might II
Legacy of the Dragons
3.5 Upgrade for Skreyn's Register: The Bonds of Magic
Chaositech
Requiem for a God (Italian)
The Complete Book of Eldritch Might
Anger of Angels
The Diamond Throne
Cry Havoc
Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed DM's Screen and Player's Guide
Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed
Book of Eldritch Might II (Italian)
When the Sky Falls
Mindscapes
The Book of Hallowed Might
Book of Eldritch Might III
If Thoughts Could Kill (Italian)
The Bonds of Magic
If Thoughts Could Kill
Requiem for a God
The Banewarrens
The Book of Eldritch Might II: Songs and Souls of Power
Demon God's Fane
The Book of Eldritch Might (Italian)
Demon God's Fane (Italian)
The Book of Eldritch Might