Optional Rules: Fighting Offensively or Defensively! (Revised/Updated)

 

Melee combat in modern d20 gaming often feels predictable—a repetitive exchange of attack rolls unless specific class features, feats, or spells come into play. But what if any martial character could inject more depth, risk, and strategy into their standard melee encounters?

By introducing Voluntary Combat Maneuvers, players gain tactical agency over their positioning and martial focus every single round.

How it Works At the start of your turn, before making any attacks, you can declare one combat maneuver modifier. This choice dictates your combat stance, modifying your accuracy and defenses until the start of your next turn.

Design Note: These maneuvers are intended for standard weapon attacks and cannot be combined with specialized precision features like a Rogue’s Sneak Attack or a Paladin's Divine Smite.

Example in Action: Toral the Rat-Catcher finds his escape route blocked by three guardsmen. He knows that if they dogpile him, he's done for. In desperation, he rushes forward declaring a Reckless Attack, hoping to bring down the guard on his right to open up a running lane. Because Toral managed to catch them by surprise, the DM awards him Advantage on the roll, which combines beautifully with his +2 modifier—giving him the ultimate mechanical edge to break the line before his -2 AC penalty catches up to him.

Revised: July 13th, 2026

Help Naming your NPCs and PCs (Updated)

In the realm of tabletop role-playing games, Game Masters often find themselves in a familiar predicament. They meticulously introduce player characters to a scene, deeply describing the main, plot-relevant NPC who awaits their interaction. Yet, much to the GM’s chagrin, the players frequently veer off course, completely drawn to some seemingly insignificant background character—the one hastily added as an afterthought.

And, as if scripted, they immediately insist on knowing the exact name, profession, and life story of this inconspicuous figure. Fear not, dear GMs, for we can easily solve the immediate hurdle: the art of naming on the fly.

Building a Persona Catalog In my day-to-day work, I regularly encounter individuals from diverse corners of the globe. Because of this, I maintain a running, real-world catalog of unique and unconventional names. Keeping a list like this within arm’s reach during game sessions is perfect for swift deployment whenever a player catches you off guard.

However, even with a trusty personal roster, sometimes a campaign demands specific regional flavor. Picture a quaint village nestled in the folds of your world map where names need to resonate with shared cultural or ethnic origins—perhaps an enclave where names carry distinct archaic, regional, or historical roots to make the settlement feel alive. For those scenarios, I turn to these invaluable naming resources:

Essential Naming Reference Books

The Everyone Everywhere List (TEEL)
Author: Erik James Olsrud
Details: Available on DriveThruRPG. An excellent tool for pulling authentic names from a massive variety of real-world cultures.

Treasury of Archaic Names (ToAN)
Author: Bill Owen
Details: Fantastic for finding old-world, historical naming conventions that give fantasy settings an ancient, grounded feel.

Extraordinary Book of Names (EBoN)
Author: Malcolm Bowers (Part of the Gary Gygax World Builder Series)
Details: Back in print via Troll Lord Games. A massive, comprehensive staple for deep-dive campaign building and world design.

Story Games Names Project (SGNP)
Author: Various community contributors
Details: Available for free online. A massive, collaborative compilation explicitly organized to help game masters assign quick, thematic names based on genre.

Due to the ever-changing nature of the Internet, and quickly changing link addresses, I'm just pointing out these resources instead of directly linking to anything.

Digital Tools & Generators

If you are running a session away from your physical books or need an instant result in a pinch, keeping a few reliable digital tools bookmarked on your phone or laptop is a lifesaver. These stable, classic platforms remain incredibly reliable resources for generating names instantly behind the screen:

Donjon - Donjon Fantasy Name Generator: Perfect for sorting by specific fantasy races, cultures, or classic d20 themes.

Fantasy Name Generators - Fantasy Name Generators: A massive index covering everything from realistic historical cultures to specific pop-culture and fantasy archetypes.

RPG Names dot com - RPG Names: A direct, no-nonsense generator built specifically to keep tabletop games moving forward without a hitch.

Updated: July 13th, 2026

Myths & Monsters: Shroudwalker

 Name: Shroudwalker

Image created by Gerald Williams, using Blue Willow AI

Appearance: The Shroudwalker is a tall, gaunt humanoid figure covered in a tattered shroud or cloak that obscures its features. Its eyes glow with a sinister light, and it emits a chilling aura that can freeze its victims in terror.

Abilities: The Shroudwalker possesses a range of supernatural abilities, including the power to manipulate shadows and darkness, move silently, and phase through solid objects. It can also summon spectral apparitions to attack its foes and drain the life force of those it touches.

Weaknesses: The Shroudwalker is vulnerable to bright light, which can disorient and weaken it. It also has a weakness to silver, which can harm and potentially kill it.

Motivations: The Shroudwalker is a malevolent creature that delights in causing fear and suffering. It preys on unsuspecting travelers, lurking in the shadows and striking when they least expect it. It has no qualms about killing its victims or enslaving them as spectral thralls.

Habitat: The Shroudwalker can be found in dark, abandoned places like graveyards, ruins, and haunted forests. It prefers places where it can move unnoticed and strike from the shadows.

Modus Operandi: The Shroudwalker is a stealthy hunter that relies on surprise and deception to catch its prey. It will often wait for its victims to enter its lair before attacking, using its powers to isolate and disorient them. Once it has incapacitated its prey, it will drain their life force or turn them into spectral thralls to serve its twisted desires.

Origins: The origins of the Shroudwalker are shrouded in mystery and may vary depending on the folklore or legend. However, one possible theory is that the Shroudwalker was once a human or a creature that was cursed or transformed by dark magic or demonic influence.

According to some legends, the Shroudwalker was once a mortal who made a pact with a demon or devil in exchange for power and immortality. The demon granted the mortal's wish but twisted their body and soul, transforming them into a monstrous being with a shroud-like cloak that conceals their true form.

Other legends suggest that the Shroudwalker is a restless spirit or a malevolent entity that was conjured or summoned by a powerful sorcerer or necromancer. The entity was bound to the sorcerer's will and tasked with carrying out their dark bidding.

In some folklore, the Shroudwalker is associated with death or the afterlife, and is said to be the manifestation of a vengeful ghost or a malevolent spirit that was once human. The spirit is said to have been transformed into a monstrous form by the rage and resentment that consumed it in life.

Overall, the precise origins of the Shroudwalker may vary, but the common thread is that it was created or transformed by dark forces and is now a malevolent and powerful entity that preys upon the living.

QUICK Adventure Plot Ideas! Haunted Mansion (Updated 7/13/2026)

The Adventure Synopsis:

The party must uncover the dark truth behind a sudden series of strange, unsettling occurrences deep within a notorious haunted mansion.

Need a quick direction, an unexpected twist, or a campaign framework for this classic setup? Roll a d10 or pick your favorite twist below to dress up your next dungeon crawl:

1. The Looming Doom: The entire mansion is actively cursed. The party must uncover and break the anchor of the curse before it claims more innocent victims from the local village.
2. Unfinished Business: The vengeful spirit of a former owner is violently haunting the halls. They seek bloody retribution against a specific line of living NPCs who deeply wronged them in life.
3. The Gauntlet: The mansion is a front. To uncover its truest secrets, the party must navigate a series of ancient, deadly mechanical traps and cryptic magical puzzles left behind by its architect.
4. The Vault: The structure hides a powerful, legendary magic artifact. The party has been hired to retrieve it, but they must bypass the mansion's territorial, ghostly inhabitants to make it out alive.
5. The Necromancer's Lair: The haunting isn't historical—it's active. A powerful undead sorcerer has claimed the mansion as a secure base of operations, raising the dead to guard their dark research.
6. Restless Earth: The mansion was mistakenly (or maliciously) built over an ancient burial ground. The restless, agitated spirits of the dead are breaking through the floorboards, causing severe reality-warping anomalies.
7. The Forbidden Archive: The answer lies in text. The party must infiltrate and search the mansion's extensive, extensive, crumbling library to piece together fragments of a dark historical past before the structure gives way."
8. The Crimson Legacy: The mansion's original owner was a notorious, historic serial killer. The spirits cannot rest until the party successfully uncovers the killer's hidden identity and exposes the truth to the world.
9. The Midnight Ritual: The estate is the focal site of a long-forgotten, dormant magical ritual. The party must uncover its original purpose and reverse the mechanism before a cosmic alignment completes it automatically.
10. The Real Estate Hoax: The "strange occurrences" are completely fake. The mansion's current living owner is intentionally engineering the haunts using illusions and hidden clockwork mechanisms to terrify potential buyers. (And they absolutely would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those pesky adventurers and their high-Perception Dire Wolf companion!)

Updated: July 13th, 2026

Myths & Monsters: Nyxian Shade

Introducing the "Nyxian Shade," a monstrous creature inspired by Greek mythology's primordial goddess of the night, Nyx.

The Nyxian Shade is a dark and shadowy creature that dwells in the darkest corners of the night. Its form is that of a large, serpentine beast with a body as black as the void and eyes that glow with an eerie, otherworldly light.

As a creature of the night, the Nyxian Shade is nearly invisible in darkness, and it preys upon unsuspecting victims who dare to wander too far from the safety of civilization. It is said to be able to move through shadows, slipping in and out of darkness with an almost supernatural grace.

Those who have encountered the Nyxian Shade describe it as a creature of immense power and malevolence, capable of draining the life force from its victims with a single touch. Its mere presence is said to bring a feeling of dread and unease to those nearby, and its hypnotic gaze can leave even the bravest of warriors trembling with fear.

Legends say that the only way to defeat the Nyxian Shade is to face it with an unbreakable will and a heart that burns with a fierce inner fire. But even then, it is said that the creature will never truly be defeated, for it is a being born from the very essence of the night itself.

Nyxian Shade

Large monstrosity, chaotic evil

Armor Class: 18 (natural armor)

Hit Points: 200 (16d10+112)

Speed: 50 ft., climb 40 ft.

Abilities:

STR: 20 (+5), DEX 22 (+6), CON 24 (+7), INT 18 (+4), WIS 20 (+5), CHA 16(+3) 

Skills: Stealth +13, Perception +10

Senses: darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 20

Languages: understands Abyssal and Common, but can't speak

Challenge Rating: 16 (15,000 XP)

Shadow Stealth. The Nyxian Shade can take the Hide action as a bonus action in dim light or darkness.

Incorporeal Movement. The Nyxian Shade can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.

Life Drain. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: 26 (4d10 + 6) necrotic damage, and the target's hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.

Hypnotic Gaze. The Nyxian Shade's gaze can hypnotize a creature within 60 feet of it. The creature must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed for 1 minute. While charmed, the creature is incapacitated and has a speed of 0. The effect ends if the Nyxian Shade damages the creature, or if the creature takes damage from any source other than the Nyxian Shade.

Legendary Actions. The Nyxian Shade can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The Nyxian Shade regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

1. Move. The Nyxian Shade moves up to its speed without provoking opportunity attacks.

2. Life Drain (Costs 2 Actions). The Nyxian Shade uses its Life Drain.

3. Summon Shadows (Costs 3 Actions). The Nyxian Shade summons 1d4 shadow creatures that appear in unoccupied spaces within 60 feet of it. These shadow creatures are under the Nyxian Shade's control and act on its turn. They disappear after 1 minute or when reduced to 0 hit points.

There you have it! The Nyxian Shade is a formidable creature that should challenge even the most experienced adventurers.

Adventure Seeds: The Missing Rider (Updated 8/14/2026)

The PCs come across a fully equipped, riderless horse on the side of the road. The animal attempts to get the players to follow it. If they do, they are led back to an old well with a collapsed side wall.

Inside the well is the rider. He stopped to get a drink, the retaining wall gave way, and he fell inside. That was a few days ago, and the nights have been bitterly cold. His hands and submerged feet are severely frostbitten. A character must climb down the well with a successful DC 13 Athletics check to avoid dislodging loose stones onto the trapped man, which could easily prove fatal in his condition. Sir Edmont is severely weakened and virtually helpless when found.

Sir Edmont will reward the players with his horse and armor for rescuing him. If they can treat his frostbite and save his fingers and toes (DC 13 Medicine check or appropriate healing magic), he will grant them an additional reward of several hundred gold pieces upon returning to safety.

If the PCs murder or accidentally kill Sir Edmont, they will be easily identified if they try to keep or sell his horse and heraldic gear. However, returning his body to his family for an honorable burial will still net them a reward of several hundred gold pieces.

Friday Freebie: Savage Dawn

This week's offering is Dutch RPG publisher, Lore Smyth, has released its system agnostic Savage Dawn Campaign Setting, as a FREE 48-page PDF download.

[From their press release]

The mystical and primal world of Savage Dawn beckons. Break away from cliche medieval fantasy settings and explore a visceral, sprawling arctic world with majestic wilds, a mystical afterlife spirit realm, and deep secrets. Craft your own armor and weapons. Only cunning heroes will survive. Strap on your snow boots and come over...

The Savage Dawn campaign setting is system-neutral and can be played with any TTRPG of choice. Take your favorite game system such as 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, Savage Worlds and start exploring the mystical and barbaric world of Savage Dawn. Use it as an entirely new world, or adopt the exciting new materials, locations and characters into your existing world campaign.

• A Primitive Arctic World
• Majestic Wilderness Exploration
• Crafting and Survival
• Mysticism, Spirituality, Magic

UPDATE: The download is no longer hosted at the publisher's website, but IS still available for free download at DriveThruRPG.com

Myths & Monsters: The Cold Bride

The following is written for use in whatever game system, or edition there of, you prefer.

THE COLD BRIDE

Also Known As: Burial Maiden, Mound Maiden, Ice Wife

---------------

Arteman walked to the stone sarcophagus carefully, watching for the slightest signs of a trap or trigger spell. The Jarls of old were known to jealously protect their burial hoards with both physical and magical wards.

Jorda Singh chuckled. "You approach the dead as timidly as a virgin, their master." The dark skinned Turanian's bearded face split wide with a feral smile.

The younger elf just smiled and shook his head. "You wish I approached you as cautiously, my Lion." His face grew serious. "These northern chieftains were as jealous as dragons with their gold. Even hundreds of years after their deaths, they can be just as deadly too."

"Old wives'tales and superstitions," spat Voramir. The tiefling warlock sneered, "These filthy barbarians, and their weakling gods, pose no threat to a true son of the Nether Realms.

Both the human fighter and elf thief just glared at the arrogant half-blood and shook their heads. They knew better than to dismiss the northern born so out of hand. They might be savages, but there was nothing weak about these people.

The young elf inspected the stone encasement carefully, making note of the occasional hole drilled here and there, and of the futhark runes carved along the top. His understanding of the language was limited, but it seemed to pertain to both a burial and a marriage contract. He just shook his head, not making any sense of the context of what he was seeing. Careful investigation of the holes showed no signs of traps. After a nod of his head, Jorda slipped up beside him, and together they prepared to slide the heavy stone lid aside.

Almost instantly, a light bluish fog began to pour out of the holes, swirling and coalescing into the ghostly face and torso of a northern woman. He eyes blazed as she cupped Arteman's face and drew him irresistibly to her lips and kissed him. Jorda, watched in horror as his lover began to turn blue and frosted with ice.

"You witch! I shall send you to the Hell of Burning Sands!" The human drew his heavy tulwar from its scabbard as quick as thought, and slashed the blade harmlessly through the ghostly image.

The tiefling warlock stepped back in surprise, but rallied himself. "Spirit of death and ice, you shall not survive the setting of the sun this day!" His hands began an intricate arcane dance as ancient words of power spilled from his lips...

---------------

The ancient North Men were a people of traditions and magics long before the coming of the foreigners. Their's is the legacy of legendary heroic battles and great treasures won from the clutches of ferocious beasts and malignant spellcasters. 

The treasures of old were often jealously guarded by protective spells, curses, and terrifying monsters.This article is about one such guardian, the Cold Bride. Some men are consumed with greed and jealousy in life, and so some are in death as well. The Cold Bride is the result of a terrible curse, a ritual marriage performed upon the burial of a powerful chieftain. A young woman is taken, her throat slit, and her body buried with the corpse of her "husband". Her restless spirit is then condemned for eternity to guard his burial site and treasures.

Most games have mechanics for the undead, specifically vampires. The Cold Bride is a variation of vampire in my home campaign, with only a few differences.  She may change herself into the form of mist, a small woodland creature, or a bird no larger than a raven. She is not effected by a crucifix, or sunlight, but does stay back from open flames and can be destroyed by fire. Depending on the campaign and rules system used, there can be lesser and greater versions of the Cold Bride, with the greater versions being able to turn hapless victims into lesser undead guardians.

Cold Brides do not roam the countryside and feed like regular vampires, they do not need to feed at all to remain strong. They will remain close to the burial site, only venturing out, even in full daylight, to scout for approaching intruders. As Game Master, you can have them do as you like, but in my campaign they usually don't do anything outside of the burial site to draw attention, giving no warning or sign that anything is amiss. 

Joined By Gaming

Joined By Gaming, is a pretty cool charity effort from the soon-to-be husband and wife team of Tori Trombley and Aaron Cordiale. These two use the power of games to help promote charities and causes that are important to them, and to help bring people together in the spirit of cooperation and entertainment.. thus "joined by gaming".

Recently, in November, Tori and Aaron, locally coordinated and participated in a 24 hour gaming marathon, Extra Life, to raise monies and donations for the Children's Miracle Network. Their efforts were rewarded beyond their expectations as they more than doubled their stated goal.

We here at Portcullis first became aware of these kindhearted people when I started becoming a regular at the Freakopolis Geekery, in Whitehall, NY. Both of them are players in the, Lands of Alaire Campaign, actual play series on Twitch and YouTube.

You can learn more about their efforts on Facebook at, Joined By Gaming, and on Instagram at, Joined By Gaming - Instagram.

The Lands of Alaire

I've taken the last few months off from writing, spending less time running games, and more time actually playing. This doesn't happen that often, so I've taken advantage of the opportunity while it presents itself. I joined an in-shop, 5th Edition game, The Lands of Alaire, being run at Freakopolis Geekery, in Whitehall, NY. The DM, Ian Rollins, is one of the owner's sons and works at the shop.

Ian originally created his campaign for use on D20, but soon decided to use the material in-shop when interest for a regular gaming group arose. I had literally wandered into the shop one day, and after talking to Ian, decided to check out a couple of YouTube videos he had posted. Liking what I saw, I returned to see about participating in the campaign.

The Lands of Alaire are Copyright, Ian Rollins of Freakopolis Geekery

The Lands of Alaire are Copyright, Ian Rollins of Freakopolis Geekery

Here is a list of all current episodes of the Live Play stream of The Lands of Alaire on YouTube, up to episode 14.

The Lands of Alaire - A D&D Actual Play Series @ Freakopolis Network

The first episodes 1-4 are the Introduction to the Lore of Alaire, giving background information on the lands and people's of the campaign.

Episodes 5-8 each focus on the creation of each player character being created for the campaign. Gilroy, human wizard (TJ Rollins), Leander, half-orc paladin (Tyler Rollins), Urlan, half-orc barbarian (Aaron Cordiale from Joined By Gaming), and Maylee, human ranger/archer (Tori Trombley from Joined By Gaming).

Season One consists of 14 episodes, some of which are broken into two-parts due to length and uploading issues between Twitch and YouTube
.
Season Two is scheduled to return in February of 2019.

Playlist: Freakopolis Geekery - The Lands of Alaire

Where Have We Been For The Last 4 Months?

The month of May was the start of several contiguous work weeks of 12 hour days, seven days a week It was exhausting. We then went into summer time shorthanded at work, so we were loaded with overtime. Needless to say, all work and no play makes a blogger want to jump off a bridge, let alone sit down and try to write something when free time is at a premium.

Nevertheless, we're back and working on new material.

Stay tuned.

- Redcap

Optional Rules: Alcohol and Intoxicants I (Updated)

Many game systems studiously avoid the subjects of alcohol and other intoxicants in their rulebooks. It's easy to understand why, as publishers rarely wish to be seen as condoning the use of such substances. However, as adults, we realize that there will inevitably come a time at the table when a DM needs to adjudicate the mechanical effects of a wild night of tavern carousing. In fact, it's rare to meet a Game Master who hasn't had to hastily rule on an impromptu drinking match between a player character and a stubborn NPC dwarf at least once.

The following rules are not meant to reflect real life, nor are they scientifically measured to portray actual biology. They are a simple, streamlined metric for tabletop gaming purposes only.

How it Works: Choosing a Stance

To completely avoid mid-session math, drink-counting, or track-and-field record-keeping, Intoxication Table I relies on standard, voluntary conditions. At the tavern, a player simply states the level of inebriation they wish their character to reach and maintain. This eliminates tedious number-crunching during roleplay.

Note: The Dungeon Master remains the final arbiter. The DM may freely apply a higher level of intoxication if the character's roleplaying, a sudden drinking contest, or unseen plot circumstances demand it.

Understanding the Metrics

• Hit Points: The numbing effects of alcohol provide temporary hit points due to a heightened pain threshold. These hit points are lost first when damage is taken and cannot be healed back through any means, as they represent dulled nerves rather than actual biological recovery.
• Saves: A temporary bonus applied to saving throws. This models the classic cinematic trope of the happy drunkard who stumbles, slips, and somehow completely survives hazards that would normally severely injure anyone else.
• Mental: A progressive penalty applied to Intelligence and Wisdom scores due to impaired judgment and dulled mental faculties. Flavor Variant: Conversely, you can reverse this adjustment and add it as a temporary bonus to the perceived Charisma of the opposite or preferred sex, making tavern NPCs seem significantly more attractive than they actually are.
• Dexterity: A temporary decrease in Dexterity as physical coordination slips. This penalty directly impacts the character's Armor Class (AC), Initiative rolls, and ranged combat attack rolls.
• Memory: Your character's actual recollection of the night's events once the sun comes up. As intoxication deepens, memory fragments drop from a hazy haze to an absolute blackout.
• Liquid Courage: Self-explanatory. A metric for characters who need a bit of liquid bravery to attempt reckless, foolhardy, or dangerous stunts they would normally overthink while sober.

Updated: July 13th, 2026

Specialty Drinks For Your Fantasy Games

During a recent game session, I had an NPC introduce one of the players (my wife) to an alcoholic beverage, Sangwyvernis, Blood of the Wyvern. A specialty whiskey, aged with the venomous stinger of a wyvern's tail inside the bottle. It was meant to be a small, yet interesting detail dropped into the adventure, with no idea that it would spark my wife into asking me what other "interesting" concoctions where available in the campaign. Honestly, except for a few dwarven ales, I had never really given the subject matter much thought.

After the session, my wife immediately grabbed the AD&D Monster Manual (1st edition) and fired up Google. Armed with a few quick answers about exotic real-world drinks, she decided that she'd use tidbits from various spell components, and details from some likely monster descriptions, to create a list of original specialty drinks to be used in our campaign. The following drinks are just the tip of the iceberg to come.

Effects of Alcohol and Drugs can be found on pages 82-83 of the AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide. Feel free to use whatever other rules you prefer.

Specialty Drinks:

Essence of Will-O-(The)-Wisp: When imbibed, the drinker will be surrounded by a shimmering luminescent glow, similar to that of a Will-O-Wisp, for 70 - 120 minutes (60 minutes + 1d6 x 10). The user will also have a faint static electrical aura that will cause small, but not unpleasant, shocks to those who come into close physical contact. During this time, the drinker will naturally draw the attention of those around them.

Cost: 100 gold pieces per bottle

Contents: 6 glasses

Brightwine: A sweet tasting wine, made with enchanted powdered agate. Induces a light euphoric hallucinogenic state, that makes colors appear much more vibrant than they actually are.

Cost: 50 gold pieces per bottle

Contents: 6 glasses

Eel Wine: A strong rice wine, fermented with the body of a poisonous eel inside the bottle. The drinker suffers the debilitating effects of alcohol as if they have consumed twice as many drinks than normal. If the drinker passes out from drinking too much, a Save (+2 to the roll) vs Poison must be made or death occurs.

Cost: 30 gold pieces per bottle

Contents: 6 glasses

Sangwyvernis, (Blood of the Wyvern): A specialty whiskey, aged with the venomous tail stinger of a wyvern in the bottle. This drink is very smooth with a hell of a kick, and quickly numbs away any aches and pains.

Cost: 60 gold pieces per bottle

Contents: 25 normal shots, or 16 large shot glasses

Mo'shyugh:  A powerful drink made by orcs, not  meant for human consumption! This strong liquor is fermented from the dried dung of an Otyugh. Non-orcs can drink it, but it tastes vile, and requires a Save vs Poison (per drink) to not vomit. Each drink counts as three drinks for the purposes of inebriation effects. Often pickled Rot Grubs are added to the bottle during aging. Eating a grub will induce feelings of invulnerability and deaden pain for an hour (add +1d4 temporary hit points to the drinker, non-cumulative, for the next hour).

Cost: 50 gold pieces per gallon jug (usually unavailable to non-orcs)

Contents: 8 pint mugs

Fire Lizard Brandy: A strong brandy, mixed with the powdered fire-producing glands of a Fire Lizard, and aged for at least three years. It has a fierce burning flavor, with a smoky aftertaste. It must be sipped slowly and savored, or the drinker may end up with smoke coming from their mouth and nostrils.

Cost: 70 gold pieces per bottle
Contents: 6 glasses

Optional Rules: Jousting

This article only covers tournament jousting, not combat jousting. General tournament rules will follow in a later article. These optional rules were written for Swords & Wizardry, using the single saving throw rules.

In a tournament joust, the normal rules for initiative are not used. Instead, both parties are considered attacking at the same time. One normal attack roll is made by each rider during a pass. These attack rolls may be modified by any Strength modifier "to-hit" bonuses. Armor class is NOT modified by Dexterity.

Any modified roll of 11 or better counts as a touch, for 1 Point. The lance does not shatter.

Any modified roll that hits the opponent proper (die roll hits AC 2 [17]), the lance does 2d6 (plus Strength modifier) non-lethal damage, and shatters, counting as 2 Points. Any attack roll that unhorses an opponent shatters the lance, but only counts as 4 Points, not 6.

Any roll of natural 1 unintentionally hits the opponent's horse, usually resulting in paying a monetary penalty to the opponent, and possible disqualification if deemed intentional.

Any roll of natural 20 automatically unhorses the target, no Saving Throw is used.

Riders that are properly hit must roll a Saving Throw, with failure resulting in being unhorsed. Falling from a mount does 1d6 non-lethal damage.

This Saving Throw is modified (up or down) by any difference between the rider's and the opponent's Strength "damage" modifiers, plus any difference between their mounts.

Mount Modifier:
+2   Heavy Warhorse - Destrier
+1   Medium Warhorse - Courser
+0   Light Warhorse - Hobby
-1    Poor Warhorse - Rouncey

Four passes (tilts) will be made, or until one or both riders are unhorsed, whichever is first. It is possible to tie during advancement, but the final challenge to determine champion must be settled.

1 Point - A hit upon the opponent's shield (touch)
2 Point - A proper hit upon an opponent, lance shatters
4 Point - Unhorsing  an opponent, lance shatters but still only counts as 4 Points

Disqualifications occur for the following:

• Intentionally striking an opponent's mount
• Intentionally using a non-blunted lance
• Not bringing one's mount up to speed (moving too slow) during the pass
• Not presenting a proper target (funny business in the saddle like "trick riding")
• Striking an opponent that has dropped their lance
• Intentionally striking an opponent to kill/harm
• The use of magic at any time
• Healing while on the field

Tournament rules are in place for the safety of participants. The games are a matter of honor and skill, with the risk of severe injury and death reduced when possible. Participants that intentionally cheat, reduce the status of the tournament and cheapen the affair.

The use of magic is prohibited. The use of unusual or enhanced mounts is prohibited, including a paladin's special warhorse. Magical healing during the tournament is prohibited.

Participants must wear plate mail, helmet, and shield. They must also use a warhorse. These rules ensure that only properly trained mounts are used, and the participants are protected.. with the unspoken understanding that the cost of such equipment also keeps "the rabble" out of competing.

The DM may create additional rules or change rules as they wish, but MUST announce the rules at the start of the tournament.

Game Aids: D30 Alphabet Dice

Sometimes, even the best of us, has a brain fart. We're going along without interruption and suddenly.. WHAM.. mental block. It doesn't even have to be a big blockage, just something simple, like needing to figure out the name of an NPC or a town. There are extensive lists and tables filled with names of such persons, places, and things, but sometimes all you really need is a first letter, or first few letters, to help jump start you along. That's where the, D30 Letter DieTable, comes in handy.

The above table is based on the two specialty alphabet d30's, from Koplow Dice. These are the two we have on our personal game table. We are making this table available here in case you don't have access to one of these specialty dice. Feel free to personalize and substitute your own preferred letter combinations for any Wild results rolled.

Use any method you want to roll names. You can roll the first letter, first and last letter, or any other combination. The reason I like to use the letter dice is because it forces me to break out of my normal mindset. I tend to favor some letters over others, when picking "random" names, which causes a lot of headaches when most names in my campaign begin to look and sound similar.