Sanctum Secorum Episode #31 Companion: Jack of Shadows

The Sanctum Secorum Episode #31 Companion: Jack of Shadows was written by Daniel J. Bishop and Clifford Morton. Art is by Pedro A. S. Fonsesca, Beatriz Galiano, and Elena Kheidze. The publisher is Sanctum Media. Cartography is by Daniel J. Bishop. This product is produced in association with the Sanctum Secorum podcast.

This Episode Companion is based on Sanctum Secorum Episode 31: Jack of Shadows, which discussed the novel by Roger Zelazny. The featured adventure was The Jeweler Who Dealt in Stardust by Harley Stroh.

Jack of Shadows was also discussed on the Appendix N Bookclub podcast here.

Disclosure: I did some writing for this Episode Companion. It also includes some cartography I did.

Within you will find:

Contest Information

Sanctum Secorum's Super Number 1 Contest!!

Featured Adventure

The Ruined Keep: Written by Daniel J. Bishop, this is one of two scenarios originally written for Raven Crowking’s Fantasy Game (RCFG), the “fantasy heartbreaker” I was writing before I switched to Dungeon Crawl Classics. I converted this adventure to the DCC rules, to be used as a funnel for 12-18 0-level characters or 1st level adventure for 4-6 PCs. RCFG was already moving away from D&D tropes; conversion to DCC increases the distance, but this was an early scenario, so it has big spiders, giant frogs, and goblins. All of the new creatures are direct conversions from the earlier version of the adventure. I have tried to make them interesting.

This scenario had originally appeared in Raven Crowking's Birthday Mathom 2014.

Fiction

The Blood-Drinking Box, Part 7: Clifford Morton continues the tale started in Sanctum Secorum Episode #25 Companion: The Fallible Fiend. This is based of off Terry Olson's Elzemon and the Blood Drinking Box.

As with previous Companions, this volume can help the discerning Dungeon Crawl Classics judge determine how to stat up creatures from whatever movie or literature he likes.

It's free!

Get It Here!

Sanctum Secorum Episode #30 Companion: Sign of the Labrys

The Sanctum Secorum Episode #30 Companion: Sign of the Labrys was written by Daniel J. Bishop, Bob Brinkman, Marc Bruner, Clifford Morton, and Ari-Matti Piippo. Art is by Brotherdesmond, Dafne-1337art, Irzun, LeoFlynn, Jean-Pierre Moynet, and Ari-Matti Piippo. The publisher is Sanctum Media. This product is produced in association with the Sanctum Secorum podcast.

This Episode Companion is based on Sanctum Secorum Episode 30: Sign of the Labrys, which discussed the novel by Margaret St. Clair. The featured adventure was Operation Unfathomable by Jason Sholtis (DCC conversion by Paul Wolfe).

Disclosure: I did some writing for this Episode Companion.

Within you will find:

Campaign Tools

Occult Actions: "There are times when those who wield arcane magic wish to draw directly upon their connection to the raw phlogiston of the universe for impromptu effects rather than for use in greater magic. Doing so requires advanced understanding of magical energies and this is not something practiced by mere apprentices."

Author Bob Brinkman offers a mechanic, similar to a Deed Die, to do one of the following:

• Amplification: "Used specifically as a part of ritualized magic, this working carries additional risk as failure disrupts and taints the entirety of the ritual magic being performed...".

• Dampening: "With their highly attuned understanding of magical energies and phlogistonic flows, wizards are sometimes capable of dampening the mystic energies around them."

• Fortification: "By infusing their bodies with mystical energies, wizards may (temporarily) stave off death."

Yeast Plagues: In Sign of the Labrys, the vast majority of humanity has been wiped out by plagues of (possibly intentionally) mutated yeast. Author Daniel J. Bishop provides mechanics for the pulmonary and neutolytic yeast plagues described in the novel.

Featured Adventure

Interlude: The Vault of Future Past: This adventure, by Ari-Matti Piippo, is for any level. It is intended to take place during wilderness travel. The author writes "It contains no combat or pronounced risk of death, although skilled players will certainly be able to kill off a few characters in the plasticrete bowels of the Vault."

The basic conceit of the adventure is that "most of the fantasy worlds we adventure in are
simply post-apocalyptic locales, where the inhabitants have forgotten their vaunted technological past, and consigned its wonders to the realm of magic and superstition. Why else would the wilderness be full of deep tunnel complexes and wandering hybrid monstrosities?"

This is certainly the case in Mutant Crawl Classics, Umerica, or adventure areas such as Silent Nightfall.

Fiction

The Blood-Drinking Box, Part 6: Clifford Morton continues the tale started in Sanctum Secorum Episode #25 Companion: The Fallible Fiend. This is based of off Terry Olson's Elzemon and the Blood Drinking Box.

Monsters

Cryo-Fungus: An extremely cold and prolific fungus, brought to you by Marc Bruner.

As with previous Companions, this volume can help the discerning Dungeon Crawl Classics judge determine how to stat up creatures from whatever movie or literature he likes.

It's free!

Get It Here!

Sanctum Secorum Episode #29 Companion: Creep, Shadow!

The Sanctum Secorum Episode #29 Companion: Creep, Shadow! was written by Bob Brinkman, Clifford Morton, and Ari-Matti Piippo. Art is by Bob Brinkman, Joseph Garcia, Kerd, Miroslav Petrov, and Ari-Matti Piippo. The publisher is Sanctum Media. This product is produced in association with the Sanctum Secorum podcast.

This Episode Companion is based on Sanctum Secorum Episode 29: Creep, Shadow!, which discussed the novel by Abraham Merritt. The featured adventure was Bride of the Black Manse
by Harley Stroh.

Creep, Shadow! was a sequel to Burn, Witch, Burn!, which was discussed on the Appendix N Bookclub podcast here.

Disclosure: Four adventures I wrote (The Arwich Grinder, Creeping Beauties of the Wood, The Imperishable Sorceress, and The Portsmouth Mermaid) were discussed in this episode.

Within you will find:

Campaign Tools

Shadows, Followers, and Whisperers: "Sometimes the darkness has a will and a voice. And sometimes the shadows want things beyond the simple suffering of mortal men." Author Ari-Matti Piippo goes to town on the shadows presented in this novel, supplying everything you need to include similar beings/events in your home campaign.

Really, I cannot say too much about the job done here. In addition to general shadow mechanics, the author delves into specific shadow interactions. To wit:

• A Shadow of the Past: "A shadow of the past generations has stepped into the character’s soul sphere, and is slowly making itself known. This is not necessarily a bad thing, for there is much to learn from the bygone years. But the touch of a shadow is often painful to those who bear it, and results may vary."

• A Follower from Darkness: "Sometimes, a young shadow chooses to follow someone, to move to a better hunting ground and to discover the dark places of the world. Too weak to attack or to subsume the target, it stalks their steps, causing unlikely and unpleasant events unwittingly."

• The Uninvited: "The Uninvited are shadows only in the widest sense of the word: they are creatures from beyond the veil of this reality, existing solely in the void between worlds. They are sometimes able to reach out to the creatures of this plane, in places where the raw, umbral darkness is the deepest."

• Whisperers: "Being alone in a dark place can make you hear things, as your ears become more sensitive to the micro-sounds around you. These sounds are often scary, but usually just tricks your mind plays on you. But sometimes, they are the actions of trickster spirits called the Whisperers, also known as the Knockers or sometimes Pixie-Ghosts."

• The Loving Nightmare: "The Loving Nightmares are the memories and ghosts of those who died with unrequited love in their hearts. These forlorn creatures stalk the umbral realms in search for sustenance, forever hungering for the warm touch of a lover’s embrace. The only thing they remember from their past lives is the yearning; all other traces of who they once were are gone."

Curses

Two curses inspired by Creep, Shadow! are given game mechanics by Bob Brinkman. While it is unlikely that the PCs themselves will fall victim to these curses, because of the specifics of how they are cast, these can be used exactly as were their literary counterparts - as motivation when used against other characters in the milieu, and/or as a threat of their use against the protagonists.

The curses are:

Curse of the Captive Reflection: Although it can only be used under very specific circumstances, those who fall prey to this curse become "subject to every capricious whim of the witch who has them enthralled, so long as the witch holds the mirror on their person."

Curse of the Mason’s Knot: A killing curse that requires the victim's shadow to be measured.

Fiction

The Blood-Drinking Box, Part 5: Clifford Morton continues the tale started in Sanctum Secorum Episode #25 Companion: The Fallible Fiend. This is based of off Terry Olson's Elzemon and the Blood Drinking Box.

As with previous Companions, this volume can help the discerning Dungeon Crawl Classics judge determine how to stat up creatures from whatever movie or literature she likes.

It's free!

Get It Here!

Sanctum Secorum Episode #28 Companion: Roger Corman's The Raven (1963)

The Sanctum Secorum Episode #28 Companion: Roger Corman's The Raven (1963) was written by Bob Brinkman, Marc Bruner, Clifford Morton, and Ari-Matti Piippo. Art is by Shaun Beaudry, Reynold Brown, Chidog-01, DarkSaxeBleu, MidnightTea7, Ocult90, Dimitris Papastergiou, and Kate Sheridan. The publisher is Sanctum Media. This product is produced in association with the Sanctum Secorum podcast.

This Episode Companion is based on Sanctum Secorum Episode 28: The Raven (1963), which discussed the film by Roger Corman. The featured adventure was Enter the Dagon by Harley Stroh.

Disclosure: An adventure I wrote, Thirteen Brides of Blood, was discussed in this episode.

Within you will find:

Classes

Barbarian: This class, by Ari-Matti Piippo, is another example of the iconic barbarian. Other barbarian classes can be found in the Sanctum Secorum Episode #12 Companion: Kothar: Barbarian Swordsman (itself reprinted from The Gong Farmer's Almanac 2016 Vol 1), D.A.M.N. #1 - DCC RPG Adventure Magazine and News, and the Sanctum Secorum Episode #14 Companion: The Jewels of Gwahlur.

Fiction

The Blood-Drinking Box, Part 4: Clifford Morton continues the tale started in Sanctum Secorum Episode #25 Companion: The Fallible Fiend. This is based of off Terry Olson's Elzemon and the Blood Drinking Box.

Patrons

Way of the Raven: "Through careful study and ritual, casters – particularly those of a shamanistic or naturalistic nature – can attempt to bond with a specific species of animal, enabling them to draw upon that animal’s strengths." The Way of the Raven is a specific example, detailed by Marc Bruner, as a full patron write-up.

The author notes that "These rules are an adaptation of the rules for Ways found in Dinosaur Crawl Classics. For more information on Ways, including Ways of the Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, and Pteranodon, see the Goodman Games Gen Con 2017 Program Guide." The listing for this program guide can be found here.

Spells

Author Bob Brinkman offers seven spells.

Bedlo’s Promethean Sphere: "The caster draws upon the primal phlogiston to provide a spark capable of creating life or bringing death." This is a 4th level wizard spell.

Deceptive Dissolution: "A favorite among spell duelists, deceptive dissolution uses the strength of an attacker's spell – and their faith in its power – against them. The caster is, by all visible accounts, slain by the incoming spell, while he instead is teleported to safety and his body is replaced with a magical simulacrum." This is a 3rd level wizard spell.

Devouring Void: "The wizard rends open the ground beneath the feet of his foes, sending them tumbling into the yawning darkness beneath." This is a 5th level wizard spell.

Diabolic Dominion: "Harnessing the blackest of infernal powers, the wizard subjugates another to their will, forcing them do to their bidding and enslaving their very souls." This is a 2nd level wizard spell.

Phlogistonic Spray: "Grasping at the raw forces of magic that surrounds her, the caster lashes out with a wave of raw, unfocused magical energy that affects a single target." This is a 4th level wizard spell.

Technical Affinity: "Some wizards make up for a lack of proficiency in their abilities with magic by enhancing their craft through the use of various arcane aids and tools. They may be alchemists who mix strange ingredients with mystic reagents or thaumaturges with a wide array of sympathetic items. They may be astrologers who rely on the ebb and flow of cosmic tides or artificers who construct reality bending tools to elevate their craft. These wizards go beyond their personal limitations by relying as much on their tools as their own energies." This is a 2nd level wizard spell, akin to Arcane Affinity in the core rulebook.

Wand Magic: "Favored by artificers, but relied upon by many, with this spell, the wizard crafts a wand and imbues it with magical energies linked to his soul." This is a 2nd level wizard spell. For other variations on this theme, see Crawl! fanzine #3 and Liber Arcanum.

Wizards

Finally, Bob Brinkman uses the Jobe Bittman method from The 998th Conclave of Wizards to provide statistics for three wizards in Roger Corman's The Raven. They are:

Dr. Adolphus Bedlo: "Dr. Bedlo is both hampered and helped by his reliance on occult apparatus. While it allows him access to spells normally beyond his reach, it has not given him any greater abilities beyond his own, humble, natural talents. Looking out only for himself, Bedlo will seek to curry favor from whoever seems most powerful." Dr. Bedlo was played by Peter Lorre.

Dr. Erasmus Craven: "The son of the powerful magician Roderick Craven, former Grandmaster of the Brotherhood of Magicians and Sorcerers, Dr. Craven is a gentleman’s wizard. Kind of disposition, and loath to show off his talents, he merely wishes to practice his craft in private. Dr. Craven is a vegetarian." Dr. Craven was played by Vincent Price.

Dr. Scarabus: "Grandmaster of the Brotherhood of Magicians and Sorcerers, Dr. Scarabus is a longtime rival and enemy of the Craven family. While outwardly he seems almost grandfatherly, his unbridled lust for power leads him to weave Machiavellian machinations against those whose power he envies." Dr. Scarabus was played by Boris Karloff.

As with previous Companions, this volume can help the discerning Dungeon Crawl Classics judge determine how to stat up creatures from whatever movie or literature he likes.

It's free!

Get It Here!

Sanctum Secorum Episode #27 Companion: The King of Elfland's Daughter

The Sanctum Secorum Episode #27 Companion: The King of Elfland's Daughter was written by Bob Brinkman, Jen Brinkman, and Clifford Morton. Art is by Blacknemera, James Zapata, Joana Rita Gomes, Jonathan R. Neill, Kenneth Sofia, Miroslav Petrov, Nicolas Raymond, and Thibault Girard. The publisher is Sanctum Media. This product is produced in association with the Sanctum Secorum podcast.

This Episode Companion is based on Sanctum Secorum Episode 27: The King of Elfland's Daughter, which discussed the novel by Lord Dunsany. The featured adventure was Through the Dragonwall by Daniel J. Bishop.

The King of Elfland's Daughter was also discussed on the Appendix N Bookclub podcast here.

Disclosure: I wrote the featured adventure for this episode. In addition, four adventures I wrote were discussed in the episode (Creeping Beauties of the Wood; The Portsmith Mermaid; Prince Charming, Reanimator; and Three Nights in Portsmouth), as well as three Harley Stroh adventures I converted to Dungeon Crawl Classics rules (Curse of the Kingspire, Dragora’s Dungeon, and Well of the Worm)

Within you will find:

Curses

Appendix C in the core rulebook deals with curses in-game, as they appear in Appendix N fiction. There are some excellent uses of curses in Dungeon Crawl Classics adventures - The Sea Queen Escapes and The One Who Watches From Below spring immediately to mind - but you can never have too many examples to draw from.

Curse of Impotent Fuel: Supplied by Jen Brinkman, this curse keeps the home fires from burning. Or the travel fires, for that matter. While this might seem minor, when you consider how much we humans rely upon fire - and not only for warmth and light - you might treat this one with a bit more respect.

Curse of the Mislaid Broom: Witches use brooms to get around, and this minor curse by Jen Brinkman makes a witch's broom much harder to find.

Curse of the Faerie Ring: This major curse, by Bob Brinkman, traps its victim in Elfland.

Fiction

The Blood-Drinking Box, Part 2: Clifford Morton continues the tale started in Sanctum Secorum Episode #25 Companion: The Fallible Fiend. This is based of off Terry Olson's Elzemon and the Blood Drinking Box.

Magic Items

Black Stick of Ziroonderel: This black stick, owned by the witch Ziroonderel, has a number of powers which are more useful around the house than in an adventure. Nonetheless, items like this are great for giving a campaign milieu verisimilitude, and these minor powers can also be used to impress PCs. Write-up by Bob Brinkman.

Broom of Flight: Next to her familiar, this is a witch's best friend. Write-up by Jen Brinkman.

Sword of Alveric: "Using runes forged of fallen thunderbolts, the witch Ziroonderel crafted this magical blade, capable of standing against all but the mightiest runic magics of Elfland." Seriously, Lord Dunsany is worth reading for his creation and use of magic items alone. For another example of the creation of a magic sword which would be cool to emulate in a Dungeon Crawl Classics adventure, see The Fortress Unvanquishable, Save for Sacnoth. Write-up by Bob Brinkman.

Monsters

Author Bob Brinkman presents five creatures from Elfland:

Hounds of Erl: Elf-hounds bred to hunt unicorns.

Knight of Elfland: The hollow knights of Elfland. For similar creatures see the Sanctum Secorum Episode #24 Companion: Three Hearts and Three Lions and The Revelation of Mulmo.

Troll, Dunsanian: These are nothing like the classic Dungeons & Dragons troll, which is modeled off the work of Poul Anderson and the Harold Shea stories of by L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt. Instead, these are fun-loving creatures which serve the King of Elfland.

Unicorn: Exactly what it sounds like.

Will-o’-the-Wisp: Not the Dungeons & Dragons creature of the same name, but diminutive beings of Elfland.

As with previous Companions, this volume can help the discerning Dungeon Crawl Classics judge determine how to stat up creatures from whatever movie or literature she likes.

It's free!

Get It Here!

Sanctum Secorum Episode #26 Companion: Changeling Earth

The Sanctum Secorum Episode #26 Companion: Changeling Earth was written by Bob Brinkman, Jen Brinkman, Marc Bruner, and Clifford Morton. Art is by Artsed, Henry Pether, Holy Lof, and NASA/JPL-Caltech. The publisher is Sanctum Media. This product is produced in association with the Sanctum Secorum podcast.

This Episode Companion is based on Sanctum Secorum Episode 26: Changeling Earth, which discussed the novel by Fred Saberhagen. The featured adventure was Silent Nightfall by Daniel J. Bishop.

The Changeling Earth (aka Ardneh's World) is the third volume of the Empire of the East series.

Disclosure: I wrote the featured adventure for this episode.

Within you will find:

Campaign Tools

Elemental Turning: "A wizard can attempt to wrest control of an elemental from another wizard, seeking to turn it against its master, diminish its strength, or even banish it from this plane of existence." Marc Bruner supplies the rules you will need to include this element in your game.

Fiction

The Blood-Drinking Box. Part 2: Clifford Morton continues the tale from Sanctum Secorum Episode #25 Companion: The Fallible Fiend. This is based of off Terry Olson's Elzemon and the Blood Drinking Box.

Gods of the Eternal Struggle

Orcus: This is a deity write-up by Bob Brinkman, and it is not the Orcus known to Dungeons & Dragons players for decades. "Of all of the demons of the Empire of the East, it is Orcus who reigns supreme. All other demons and living beings are but ash blown before his radioactive might. Chained and sleeping within the abyss, Orcus awaits the day he should be awakened by the foolhardy. Disdainful of both the living, as well as his own kind, should Orcus be unbound it will attempt to lay waste to the world before it."

Essentially, this version of Orcus is a demon created by the influx of magic at the time a nuclear missile detonated. The origin of the demon in Silent Nightfall is an homage to the concept from this novel.

See also Divinities & Cults Volume II for a more standard take on Orcus.

Monsters

Demon Mount (Type II demon): "The demon mount is a chimera-like demonic steed summoned by powerful wizards to traverse great distances at an extremely high rate of speed." These mounts are not all the same, and author Marc Bruner provides a d10 table to determine each mount's head, torso, and form of locomotion.

Elemental, Desert: "Desert elementals are close kin to air elementals and share many of the same traits. However, desert elementals are not merely warm, living zephyrs, they are the howling manifestations of the deserts heat coupled with unrestrained winds." This entry, by Bob Brinkman, follows the standard DCC method of elementals having 8, 12, or 16 Hit Dice.

Elemental, Forest: "The gentle force of life given form, the forest elemental is normally the most gentle and peaceful of all their summoned kin. Unwilling to enter combat unless strongly provoked by actions of a greatly destructive nature or forced self preservation, the forest elemental is greatly sought after for its skill in aiding passage through woodlands." This elemental write-up is also by Bob Brinkman, using the standard DCC method for elemental Hit Dice.

Spells

Door of Orcus: This is a 5th level wizard spell by Jen Brinkman. "This high-powered spell creates a doorway through which the powerful Demon-Emperor Orcus may return to the mortal plane."

Summon Elemental: This is a 3rd level wizard spell by Marc Bruner. "This spell allows powerful wizards to summon the primal elements from the roiling elemental planes of fire, earth, water, and air, reconstituting the same elements to do the caster’s bidding in the form of elementals."

As with previous Companions, this volume can help the discerning Dungeon Crawl Classics judge determine how to stat up creatures from whatever movie or literature she likes.

It's free!

Get It Here!

Sanctum Secorum Episode #25b Companion: Free RPG Day Bonus Companion

The Sanctum Secorum Episode #25b Companion: Free RPG Day Bonus Companion was written by David Baity, Jen Brinkman, Bob Brinkman, and Marc Bruner. Art is by Ferit Quler, GorillaEye, Harry Clarke, hassified, Shadow696, and Toadstone. The publisher is Sanctum Media. This product is produced in association with the Sanctum Secorum podcast.

This Episode Companion consists largely of reprinted materials from previous Episode Companions.

Within you will find:

Character Classes

Half Giant: From the Sanctum Secorum Episode #07 Companion: Who Fears the Devil?, written by David Baity.

Gods of the Eternal Struggle

From the Sanctum Secorum Episode #12 Companion: Kothar: Barbarian Swordsman, and written by Bob Brinkman. This includes:

• Astrol
• Eldrak of the Seven Hells
• Omorphon

Locations

Elf Hill: From the Sanctum Secorum Episode #24 Companion: Three Hearts and Three Lions. Written by Marc Bruner.

Monstresor Crypt: From the Sanctum Secorum Episode #03 Companion: The Halloween Special, as written by Jen Brinkman. 

Magic Items

Crystal of Clarity: From the Sanctum Secorum Episode #11 Companion: Another Fine Myth. Item write-up by Jen Brinkman.

Mask of the Mad Moon Gods: From the Sanctum Secorum Episode #16 Companion: Purple Priestess of the Mad Moon, as written by David Baity.

Prince Prospero’s Candles: From the Sanctum Secorum Episode #03 Companion: The Halloween Special, as written by Jen Brinkman. 

Monsters

Argonian Mermaid: From the Sanctum Secorum Episode #05 Companion: Song of Sorcery. Statistics by Jen Brinkman.

Dweller in the Mists: From the Sanctum Secorum Episode #22 Companion: Hiero's Journey. Statistics by Marc Bruner.

Patrons

Merlin (revised): A revision of Bob Brinkman's partial write-up of Merlin from the Sanctum Secorum Episode #01 Companion: The Shadow People. There may be additional revisions, but I noted that a table for spellburn was added, as well as notes on patron spells, bringing this to a full patron write-up.

"Merlin cannot be bothered to teach spells to all who beseech him for aid. There are no spells unique to Merlin. Instead he grants his followers access to advanced powers. Agents of Merlin are able to learn a single second level spell at first level, third level spell at second level, and one fourth level spell at third level."

Spells

Faerie Mist: Marc Bruner's 1st level fey patron spell, from the Sanctum Secorum Episode #24 Companion: Three Hearts and Three Lions.

Stone Form: David Baity's 1st level wizard spell from the Sanctum Secorum Episode #06 Companion: Eye of Cat.

This one is a compilation from previous Companions. While it can still be used to help the discerning Dungeon Crawl Classics judge determine how to stat up creatures from whatever movie or literature she likes, it will help said judge to do so if she knows the source material as well as the write-ups herein.

It's free!

Get It Here!