Arcane Lore: The Fire-Eye Scrolls (D&D5E)
I've been rereading old Dragon and Dungeon magazine for ideas I can rip off for 5th edition. One of the features I always loved were the tomes of forbidden and magical lore. These were usually just literary framing devices for the introduction of new spells, but some authors actually described interesting books that dripped with plot hooks and other elements a DM could use in her game.
While the first to do this in the pages of Dragon was probably Ed Greenwood, with his popular "Pages from the Mages" features, the column I remember most vividly is "The Fire-Eye Scrolls" by Harold Dolan, from issue #129 (July 1987). It described eight new spells and a magic item, all that remained of the "Academy of Fire Magic" from the "Valley of Lanshaw." These scrolls were the only ones recovered from the Academy's destruction, and reside in the "Mages’ Guild of the city of Val Dalya."
For the most part, people used these articles for new spells they could drop into their campaigns, and that's fine; there was another column "Bazaar of the Bizarre" that provided new magic items for the same purpose. But I liked "Arcane Lore" because it had more elements that could be lifted.
For example, from this entry you have the destroyed Academy of Fire Magic. Assume one of the PCs is a member of the Mage's Guild. They go to the Guild for training when they gain a new level and the DM says, "The Guild has some additional spells you could learn," and hands them a list. Roleplaying as one of the proctors of the Guild, he drops the information about where the spells came from. The player now has info that there's a ruin in the "Valley of Lanshaw" that might bear investigating.
This article in particular mentions the magical item, the Fire-Eye, as being missing, which is another great hook. What if the current owner seeks more information about the artifact and its use? They might try to steal the scroll containing that information from the Mage's Guild. If the players decide to investigate the ruined Academy, their expedition could be shadowed and interrupted by the individual holding the Fire-Eye for the same reason. There's also mention of the previous adventuring career of the founder, Avissar Fire-Eye -- the DM could leave hints that he found some other MacGuffin needed to advance the plot. There are just a ton of uses for these kinds of articles that a DM can steal, not just spells but hooks, and plot and setting elements.
I've done the conversion of this article, which you can find on GM Binder.
While the first to do this in the pages of Dragon was probably Ed Greenwood, with his popular "Pages from the Mages" features, the column I remember most vividly is "The Fire-Eye Scrolls" by Harold Dolan, from issue #129 (July 1987). It described eight new spells and a magic item, all that remained of the "Academy of Fire Magic" from the "Valley of Lanshaw." These scrolls were the only ones recovered from the Academy's destruction, and reside in the "Mages’ Guild of the city of Val Dalya."
For the most part, people used these articles for new spells they could drop into their campaigns, and that's fine; there was another column "Bazaar of the Bizarre" that provided new magic items for the same purpose. But I liked "Arcane Lore" because it had more elements that could be lifted.
For example, from this entry you have the destroyed Academy of Fire Magic. Assume one of the PCs is a member of the Mage's Guild. They go to the Guild for training when they gain a new level and the DM says, "The Guild has some additional spells you could learn," and hands them a list. Roleplaying as one of the proctors of the Guild, he drops the information about where the spells came from. The player now has info that there's a ruin in the "Valley of Lanshaw" that might bear investigating.
This article in particular mentions the magical item, the Fire-Eye, as being missing, which is another great hook. What if the current owner seeks more information about the artifact and its use? They might try to steal the scroll containing that information from the Mage's Guild. If the players decide to investigate the ruined Academy, their expedition could be shadowed and interrupted by the individual holding the Fire-Eye for the same reason. There's also mention of the previous adventuring career of the founder, Avissar Fire-Eye -- the DM could leave hints that he found some other MacGuffin needed to advance the plot. There are just a ton of uses for these kinds of articles that a DM can steal, not just spells but hooks, and plot and setting elements.
I've done the conversion of this article, which you can find on GM Binder.
Comments
Post a Comment