[Dicember 2021] Elemental Ice

Elemental Ice

This unmelting piece of ice fits comfortably in a human hand, but it radiates intense cold. An eternal blizzard over an icy landscape can be seen by looking deep within the crystal.

Elemental Ice is a physical piece of the plane of ice. It functions as the material component for the plane shift spell when traveling to the ice plane.

Chunks of Elemental Ice sometimes fall from ice paraelementals or mephits upon death. Those with the correct knowledge and materials can use Elemental Ice to summon (or recreate) an elemental of various size and strength. Sometimes elementals can spontaneously reform from Elemental Ice, especially if enclosed in a small space like a backpack, or if the environment is cold.

Direct contact with Elemental Ice causes 1 point of damage per turn to unprotected flesh, but resistance to cold negates this damage. If it's pressed against a metal weapon, it allows the weapon to deal an additional 1d6 cold damage on a successful hit, but causes a -2 to hit if the wielder needs to hold the ice against the weapon. Some tinkers have rigged cages to hold the ice against the weapon, which negates the penalty to hit.

Elemental Ice can freeze liquids on contact, and may ruin magic potions by freezing. It can also negate magical fire as a dispel magic spell cast at 5th level. If the dispel magic works against at least mid-power fire magic (a 3rd level effect or greater), the ice sublimates and disappears with the sound of cracking lake ice.

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Prompt: Ice, #2 in the 31-part Dicember 2021 challenge, as created by Brian Bird and promoted by Dyson Logos. Wombat's Dicember 2021 List of Posts.

#Dicember2021

Image credit: Thomas Bresson, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

[Dicember 2021] Moonstone of Returning

Moonstone of Returning

This tiny polished moonstone measures about 1 cm per side and a few mm thick. It radiates mild conjuration magic, and catches the eye with glints of light.

Dicember 2021: Let's do this.

So hey. Long time no see.

Suffice to day that my mental state hasn't been great over the past couple of years, and the pandemic took the wind out of my creative sails. But maybe it's time to change that and make something for the sake of making something. And when Dyson puts out a challenge, it's usually a good one.

So let's do this. #Dicember2021

Timing Isn't Everything...

Preliminary layout and art.

...but it is most things.

Bolthaven Folio Update

Suffice to say that the Bolthaven Folio Kickstarter will not happen in February. I had enough to go live with, but I'm waiting for Kickstarter to approve me before they can review the project. Part of me is bitterly disappointed. Part of me knows better.

With the delay I take get a better crack at a header. I can continue layout tweaking and figure out how to format the tables that I want to include in the interior pages. I have time to edit the text and get the second draft out to pre-readers for feedback. My daughter can finish the cat samurai artwork - she just has to tweak the katana and do some finish work on the piece.

I'm excited at the prospect of getting something out the door, and I'm thrilled at having another dozen issues worth of ideas. Let's get this one done and shipped, then I can poll the backers and figure out which few ideas to develop next.

Tempus Fugit

It's been a year to the day since my last post here. That's enough silence, and enough waiting for the rest of life to settle down. High time I started writing again, so buckle up.

I could make empty promises that I'll post something at least monthly, and then summer will happen and I'll drop off the face of the earth for a few months. So I won't. I'll just say I'll post when I feel moved to post and go from there.

For those of you still out there and reading along: Thanks for sticking with it. Or for the laziness in not cleaning up your dead blog links. Whichever, the end result is the same.

I've got a few irons in the fire currently...