Festivals, holidays, and celebrations are great ways to add verisimilitude to your game. Plus, everyone likes a party. With Halloween and its associated celebrations (All Saints Day, Samhain, Harvest tide, Día de los Muertos, etc) there is frequently a lean into those themes within our gaming. That can be as simple as skeletons, headless horse riders, ghosts, or more complexity. Or it can just mean the presence of cornucopias, jack-o’-lanterns, and candles as the party walks through a village.
Copying real world makes sense. Twisting and adapting it a bit makes even more sense. You can advance your game world even more by leaning into the Dungeons & Dragons of it all (or your game of preference) by leaning into what makes D&D unique and special — the presence of various kinds of magic.
Over the next month I’ll be following the prompts from Magic: The Gathering to share the lore and rules within my campaign world. Some will be short hits, others expansions on previous lore. These prompts may just inspire regular rather than irregular blogging.
This entry grew when thinking about pumpkins. And then the mind drifted. Pumpkin > Jack ‘o Lantern > Will o’ Wisp > Dancing Lights. These 8 utility cantrips in the Basic Rules can add a bit of flavor to your world’s Fall festivals.
Dancing Lights – A spell almost certainly inspired by the Will o’ Wisp, the four tiny lights can be any color, a pale silver would be best for this usage. Place them behind a cloth used for ghostly apparitions inside windows and trees making those fake ghosts look even more spectral.
Druidcraft – There are so many ways to use Druidcraft that it almost needs its own post, but what if your fake cemetery started to reek, or you cause a group of tree leaves to fall all at once?
Light – The image attached to the post almost perfectly demonstrates a use for this tiny spell. Lighting up a carving for the hour after sunset is magic I can get behind.
Mage Hand – What haunted house doesn’t have a torch floating by in a spectral hand?
Message – Within worlds of lighter magic Message can be used as a friendly spook as people walk about the town.
Minor Illusion – A couple of the descriptions of possible illusions read as if they were designed for Halloween… “its volume can range from a whisper to a scream” and “muddy footprints” are ideal haunts.
Prestidigitation – Create small marks on doorways that ‘ward’ off evil spirits or welcome visiting neighbors.
Thaumaturgy – The ability to dim all lights along a street creates an unwelcome space where spirits can hide and fear can thrive.
How do you incorporate the mystical, fantastic, and magical into your Fall festivals?
The World of the Everflow has four moons, and several calendars based on those moons and the sun. The calendar and moons arose not because of the name of the site, but because a player asked a question to which I didn’t have an answer. From that simple question the calendar was invented. Lore has developed since then. Most moons are connected to a third of the Six Kingdoms, as well as to the powerful storylines about Bonded Companions, Magic, or Teknology. Each of these moons is also a simple way to tell time. These imperfect solution is intended to help keep players focused on the story at the table, not mechanics. I use a similar technique when talking about distances.
Over the next month I’ll be following the prompts from Magic: The Gathering to share the lore and rules within my campaign world. Some will be short hits, others expansions on previous lore. These prompts may just inspire regular rather than irregular blogging.
Whipping through sky (compared to the real world) Feylf, the Moon of the Fey, is connected strongly to magic. Just 28 years ago this moon’s importance was about myth, legend, story. Now there is a connection to reality that frightens some. It is bright and silvery.
The Week
There are nearly zero in-game mentions of the days of the week. This gets too complex for most gaming sessions.
Elmsday starts the week and honors Selley (Goddess of Birth, Life and Death) and Belsem (Goddess of the Untamed). Things begin before they are fully developed.
Bell’an’Aur is the second day of the week. It starts with a rejection of that which can’t be tamed and ends with a dinner celebrating Aur. Aur is the name of the planet. It hadn’t had a name until the calendar issue came up. In Kirtin and Crinth this is Feylfday and is the day when Feylf is full, shortly after sunset.
Quarsday is the third day. It celebrates Quar (God of Rivers, Mountains)
Day of Glight honors the Lord of Knowledge. In developed lands the afternoons are given to learning.
Torday honors Torq (Goddess of Sea and Storm).
Az and Sel is day six. This honors not a god within the Wildes/Kirtin/Daoud, but the man and dog that legend says discovered the bonding. Nik is also frequently honored on this day. Azsel recognizes Az and Sel as man and dog that were raised to godhood.
Day of Oun is the end of the week. Oun and Obscon are not honored. The Lords of the End are respected in that all things end. They are feared.
Many druids and monks practice their faiths at New and Full Feylf. As do the mages of Ken, the Scholars, and the Proctors of Grace.
On a cycle of 31 days, Glibbon is not connected to any mysticism around the Fey/Ken, nor the Kin, nor Dragons. For the people of the Everflow, Glibbon is a marker of time, nothing more. While they know that Glibbon is connected to the tides and the sea, as its mass and orbit combine with the others to give earth-like tidal patterns (yes, this is a cheat) there is no connection to any ancestor from Kin.
But, for the Queen and Kon, the primary influencer of the tides connects to various water-powered projects, and Glibbon s named after the first Goblin queen who discovered how to channel the tides to create an irrigation system that would prevent drought n the lands of the tar-trees. All Kon royalty wear purple for Glibbon, the Purple Moon.
Circling Aur every 71-ish days, Kin represents the season cycles of birth, growth, harvest, and passing. Almost perfectly consistent with the orbit around the Sun, Kin is named after the bond of love between peoples and their companions. Red, like the blood and heart of people, Kin’s full moon is a time to celebrate the cycle of life and the bonds that make the World of the Everflow a special place.
Matching the cycle of planting and harvesting, especially within the Western Wildes, Kirtin, and Daoud, the Blood Moon is vital for farmers and herders. Every Full Kin is celebration of the season. In Kirtin and northern Daoud (conquered Kirtin) Winter’s Kin and Summer’s Kin are also the times when the royal court moved between Kirtin-in-the-Sky and Kirtin-on-the-Lake. Less noble peoples may also move during these times, though the Long Wars often interfere with the migratory lifestyle of the Kirtish peoples.
Up in the Crinth Confederation the key moon is The Dragon. Completing an orbit every 20 years. They count a person’s life by the number of Full Dragons the individual has seen, with infrequent exceptions for those born a few short years prior a Full Dragon. Their companions are also knows by how many Full Dragons they typically live to see. The Crinth are longer thinkers than most of the realms of the Six Kingdoms.
The Dragon is full — golden and huge — to the human eye for over two years, as its cycle lasts just under 20 years. The massive moon is connected to the myths and legends of the Time Ancient, when magic and dragons were plentiful. Plenty of emerging faiths have sprung up around The Dragon now that both dragons and magic are again known.
Within Kirtin-on-the-Lake these faiths gather in the Ward of Mighty Trees/Dead Forrest around the Red Oak, hoping to see the birth of a new dragon in the World of the Everflow — will this happen when The Dragon is full or new? (I actually haven’t decided, as it will be determined by the needs of the story).
The Sun – years go by
Anything attached to a year, no matter the calendar in question, uses the orbit of Aur around the Sun. The idea is to keep things as simple as I can with this fictitious calendar. Players need to have a basic understanding of the way the world works within the rules.
The various calendars all have a Year Zero that starts at a different time. For most of the continent year zero has been re-established as the Year of Awakening. The Church of Quar, the nations of Sheljar and the Western Wildes, Azsel, Mehmd, the Crinth Confederation, and the Scholars all use this convention. The current campaign is set in 28 Post Awakening Quar Calendar.
For Kirtin and Daoud their Year Zero s when Daoud first took Kirtin-on-the-Lake, back on 4th day of Autumn 792 BA. Their wars define their reality.
How do the celestial bodies in your world connect to the stories you are telling? Because that’s all that matters with background details like the number of moons and a calendar — story.
This campaign is set six years after the Lorebook Hunters returned magic to the World of the Everflow. It is set in Kirtin-on-the-Lake, and is centered on political intrigue with social and exploration pillars being as important as combat. Every player is united in rebellion against the corrupt Mayor, but may have differing ideas about how the various factions can help Kirtin-on-the-Lake be free.
You are common people living in and around Kirtin-on-the-Lake who are inspired to free the city from under the rule of Daoud. You may want it to once again be part of Kirtin, or you may want to copy the Free City of Sheljar. The City Guard, a unit of Daoud’s military, and even Dragons, who see Kirtin-on-the-Lake as their ancestral home, stand in your way.
Background
Kirtin-on-the-Lake was once the winter capital of Kirtin. Taken over by Daoud in the generational wars it is a city of borders even before the Awakening and the discoveries of the Lorebook of Divination and the Folio of Necromancy. Now, the Ken and their Dragons are trying to capture what they claim are their ancestral homeland. Daoud and Kirtin remain at war over the city.
There is also a general uprising of peoples inspired by the Free City of Sheljar. The Mayor has managed to consolidate power by playing the various factions off against each other; this hasn’t helped the common people beyond allowing them peace.
The Proctors of Grace and their other allies want to control access to magic. Certain Dragons also want to repopulate Kirtin-on-the-Lake as the Ward of Mighty Trees is the ancestral home of certain types of Dragons (at least a Red as that first DragonTree has regrown).
Daoud will not allow their winnings (Kirtin-on-the-Lake and the Slope) to leave their control after centuries. The rebellion has taken control of the Dock District. What will they free next? While the mayor may be willing to have the rebels help repel the Proctors, he serves at the whim of an empire that refuses to recognize Kirtin-on-the-Lake as anything but its own territory.
Factions
Mayor and City Guard, generally aligned with Daoud, he is willing to look the other way and cede districts to other invaders for a price.
Daoud, the conquering empire of the south. Normally a naval power in the World of the Everflow, their long conflict over Kirtin-on-the-Lake is their largest land holding.
Kirtin, the mountain kingdom has been at war with Daoud and Azsel for so long that all of its peoples serve in the military.
Proctors of Grace and the Ken, lead by Dragons the various fey peoples are experts at magic and claim that Kirtin-on-the-Lake’s Ward of Mighty trees is their homeland. They also want to put the power of magic under their control and only their control.
Society of Veil and Shadows, these rebels are inspired by the Free City of Sheljar and its empowerment of all thinking peoples. Whether Kin, Ken, or Kon the people deserve equality of treatment and opportunity.
Rumors
There are half-animal/half-people roaming the Western Wildes.
Out in the Ferments forms of life based on the elements are driving out the Kin there.
Headquartered Church of Quar has lost control of the Everflow (the source of all healing potions).
Peace has come between the Kingdoms of the North as the Crinth Confederation and Azsel are more concerned with the Kon and the Ken.
The Dragons seek the Robe of the Magi.
The Tome of Abjuration and its Proctor may be in the city or surrounding area.
Facets
Exploring the zero-to-hero tropes, rebellion, and who gets to control knowledge.
Sandbox play.
Player agency creates history.
Drop in/drop out, whatever.
Sessions are 2-3 hours. Adventures are 1-3 sessions.
Use point buy or standard array for starting attributes. If you want something random, the redrick roller gives random point buy valid stats.
Start at 3rd level, because power is cool.
Long rests require 24 hours within sanctuary. This creates a pace of play more similar to novels than video games.
Practicum
Sessions will be on Sunday afternoons and evenings, floating times based on the Puget Sound pro soccer schedule. Characters must be created prior to dropping in. The table will be on an outdoor patio at one of a few locations in South King County.
For some finding inspiration for their next Dungeons & Dragons character can be difficult. A way to solve that difficulty is to find some part of our actual reality as a starting point, and then give it a twist. Maybe add something magical, or heroic, or tragic — and then smash something else from reality into that idea as well.
Over on my Twitter account I ocaissionally present my every day life as inspiration for D&D characters. This series always starts with “My next D&D character is“.
I had recently been gifted a knife for which I had no sheath. When searching for a way to protect both it and the family I remembered my Field Notes notebook from the End Pages series. It was the perfect length. Then, springing from that secret spot in the mind where inspiration resides I thought of a character who stored their blades inside notebooks.
They certainly write in the book as well, because they must — tracking those who have wrong them or those they care about; jotting down a possible secret; picking up the stories during their travels. Basically they use the notebook the way normal real people do, except it also has a dagger in it.
Cleaning Houses
While helping my wife prep homes for sale my mind sits within itself and wonders what magic would be helpful to complete this act. My latest idea was for someone who isn’t smart, but they are either lazy or overworked. So they took the fast way out and made a Pact with the Great Old One. Their Tome is full of rituals to help make living life easier. This warlock isn’t evil. They just needed a way to make living life easier. Now they are on a quest for a mighty power.
Or, maybe your character studied to learn Prestidigitation because that’s what they needed to do in order to be better at helping the family business. They dreamed of being a warrior. Then one day those things combined.
During the winter you see an ice sculpture — your next PC is a Water Genasi that carves Ice Sculptures. When the weather is too warm they create the ice that’s needed for sculpting.
I’ve been a sports writer spanning from amateur to semipro to pro (you can hire me), so many of my ideas revolve around sports. Each with nuance and difference, and yet all come about through following sports.
During this whole pandemic period I came up with the idea that the party healer also heals the mind. This was entirely a creation due to my own personal mindspace during the pandemic. I needed a party healer that heals body and mind. The mind of adventurers is inherently broken. Like Special Forces soldiers they see some shit and though they work for noble cause (often) there are still mental scars.
What would the heroic version of my time as a linguist look like? A Mastermind or Inquisitive Rogue, halfling (duh) who studies the cultures and communities of the world, granting them a bit of insight when they fight, but also able to operate as the party face.
Inspiration is everywhere. It’s in beer, in mushrooms, in trees, in walks down by the river, in your trips to the thrift shop, in the social media you consume. Our life is filled with interesting characters and characteristics. These can be your next PC or NPCs.
A few of them I’ve statted up over at DnDBeyond. Feel free to use them. If you do just kindly share that you got the idea from Full Moon Storytelling.
Within our fantasy worlds are massive cites. There are lots of problems with the scale of some of these cities — they need farms, roads, and light because residents are up at all hours. Settings like Ravnica and Eberron deal with the largest cites via magic. Those worlds with less magic manage metropolises with some magic, some magically imbued races and hand-waving. One of those hands we can wave relates to light.
Magic is the simple way to add light to cities. Another way to have them with some level of light for safety and to encourage all races to reside within is via a public lantern system. For about 150 years this was the process in Western Europe and Northeast America. People would go through and light lanterns along the street. Those shops and establishments that wanted business in the evening or early morning would do the same.
These workers would live split lives as early risers and night owls.
Let’s crank all of this up to d20 and make them potential heroes. Meet the Lamplighter, for “in darkness there is light.”
You know your neighborhood. You don’t have a favorite bar, or food stand, or favorite bakery — they all are you favorite. They know your route, you know when every one gets up or goes to sleep. You know the street urchin, the acolyte, the haberdasher, the goblin family that makes the best trinkets (maybe you have one favorite). They all know you too.
Getting around the city you use a run-jump parkour along the crates and awnings, somehow never letting your lighting candle go out. You flow through the streets and alleys. You’re a great observer and with the other Lamplighters the group always knows the secrets and rumors of a land — a nobleman leaving the tavern too late, a merchant up too early with visitors on the stoop, a door left opened. And you know the guilds and gangs of the underground, because when your lights go out they are there, ready to do their work. They know you, and never act against you (unless you count putting out a light early), because you are a beloved symbol of the city. You are a Lamplighter.
Skill Proficiencies: Acrobatics, Insight Tool Proficiencies: None Languages: Thieves Cant, one other language (as always, use Cultures instead of Languages) Equipment: Common Clothes, Ladder, 5 Flasks Oil, Flint & Steal, 5 Candles, Hourglass, Signal Whistle, Pouch with 2 GP and 7 SP
Feature: Songs of the Street
When visiting a new town or city you quickly pick up the rhythm of the streets. The Lamplighter is able to figure out what neighborhoods and buildings are most active at what times, when the urchins and gangs are out, when the guards are on patrol. The pace of a city and its people is second nature to the Lamplighter.
In your hometown your knowledge is more accurate and more complete, and you will always know someone who will help you in a time of need.
Lamplighter Design Goals
Frankly, this background started with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Jack in Mary Poppins Returns. The lamplighters featured throughout the movie, riding bikes, lighting the neighborhoods of London, and inspiring people to be their best through song, dance, and conversation. There are some bard themes, but nothing is magical besides a few people loving their town and making it better.
Beyond what Jack does in the movie, there’s also an opportunity for a Lamplighter in the massive cities of not-quite Eberron levels of magic. These workers are active at dawn and dusk. As Waterdeep, Skuld, Calimport and other transition between night and day the neighborhoods transition too. Lamplighters are not guards or police. They fill of space of advisor, guide, and concerned citizen.
They know that the world’s largest cities need the hope and safety that lanterns provide. Without that comforting light what is a city anyway?
Custom Backgrounds for 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons
