The Evil Warlock Die (A Cursed Relic From The Depths of My Dice Bag)

We all have dice that betray us at the worst moment. Sometimes they make us look foolish, or cause us to botch what should be our best skill. Sometimes they get our characters killed. For most of us those particular dice are regarded with suspicion, given to new owners, or in some cases locked away in shame jails or knotted dice bags, never to see the light of day again.

There are some dice, though, that do not learn their lesson. They do not repent. They steep in their own malice and spite, eventually becoming forces of chaos at the table. This is a story of one such die.

So much fear... over such a little thing...

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How The Evil Warlock Die Came To Me

I acquired this die very early on in my tabletop career. At the time I only owned two sets of dice, and had never gone past level 3 in a game. I was at the hosting player's house, and I noticed she'd been cleaning out her fish tank. While I'd noticed there were dice in the tank before, I'd always thought it was just decoration. When I asked, though, I found out that the tank was where the traitors went.

"Sleeping with the fishes," she'd said solemnly. "Nobody double-crosses me."

I noticed that all of the condemned were d20s. They'd been laid out and scrubbed along with the gravel, but one of them sat alone. It was a black die with red numbers, part of a standard Chessex opaque set the company still sells... but it seemed wrong, somehow. Sinister in a way the others weren't. I touched it, and turned it over onto another face, revealing the jagged scar that ran along the die. Its previous owner looked at me, and told me I could have it if I wanted it.

I wasn't sure I did, but I took it anyway.

Discovering Its Trigger Word

All magic items, even cursed ones, have activation terms. So it was with the Evil Warlock Die, as it came to be called (since DND 3.5 was the current edition we were playing at the time, and because the warlock happened to be the class I was playing). I'd been using the die for several sessions, getting mainly mediocre, lackluster rolls. The standard for any game I'm in, which is why I have to min-max everything so stringently; if I can't succeed on a 5, then I could go entire sessions before my character actually did anything useful.

It was while we were fighting an orc chieftain that none of us could touch that I discovered the activation terms for the die. I had to be swirling it around, either in my hand or a dice cup, and speak the phrase, "I have a stupid idea," before laying out my plan. In this case I wanted to instigate a grapple check (something my character was not trained to do), before laying my palm in a sensitive place (the chieftain had a rather elaborately described codpiece with a skull on the belt buckle), and letting off my eldritch blast.

Ain't no safety on this big gun.

The GM fully expected my crunchy caster to get his head stoved in by the orc's great club. I also fully expected this result. What happened instead was one of the most epic critical hits our table had seen in some time, confirmed with a second natural 20, and a pool of 6d6 to a rather sensitive place that almost rolled maximum damage. To paraphrase the GM:

"The orc takes a 5-foot step to the left, loses the will to live, and falls down dead."

This was the first recorded incident of this cursed item coming through in a pinch, but far from the last. The Evil Warlock die has been responsible for blindly activating epic-level magic items several levels early, giving the party access to wish in a very unintended way. It was the die that allowed a gunslinger to blow out a dragon's remaining eye, setting the GM scrambling because he'd expected us to run screaming from the wounded, but still high CR, monster. It seemed to take particular delight in ruining the plans of a punitive GM, allowing strategies that had no business succeeding skate by on the skin of their teeth due to obscenely lucky numbers.

However, the Evil Warlock Die is still a cursed item... which means there's a price to pay for its devil's luck.

I've lost count of the number of natural 1s this die has rolled on saving throws, confirmation rolls, and skill checks. It has taken its toll from my characters in blood, but yet I always have it set off to the side for when things get dire. Because there is another part of the formula that always plays into the power of this die... it only seems to grant its luck to my worst plans when they would have the largest dramatic impact.

If I want to do something silly in a situation with no stakes, I get a 1 or a 2 for my trouble. If I want to spit blood in the wizard's eyes to blind him so my allies can reposition themselves on the battlefield, or if I want to leap down from sprinting across a roof beam and spear the monster in the throat, tearing my way down its gullet sword first, this is the die I reach for.

Particularly if it's established that it doesn't care for the GM. Because, at least in this case, the enemy of GM is my friend.

What's Next on Table Talk?

That's it for this installment of Table Talk!

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archives, as well as the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio where I help out from time to time. Or, to check out books like my hard-boiled cat noir novel Marked Territory, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my recent short story collection The Rejects, head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, as well as on Pinterest where I'm building all sorts of boards dedicated to my books, RPG supplements, and greatest hits. Lastly, to help support me and my work, consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron! Even a little donation can have a big impact.

The Returned

"Well I'll be damned," Retch Watkins said, putting down his bottle and leaning back from the bar. "Rena Gulch, as I live and breathe."

Every head in the room turned toward the door. The woman standing there was tall and angular, with narrow shoulders and high cheekbones. Her eyes burned green, and a white lock of hair laid against her cheek. She seemed different now, though. A stranger in a familiar place, and as she stepped forward there was an unusual smell that came with her. The scent of something burnt, wafting off her dress. On her chest, just above her neckline, was a puckered scar that looked shiny; a wound cauterized by fire.

"Surprised to see me, Retch?" she asked in that sweet voice she'd always used when she was angry. "I'd be surprised, someone I left bleeding in a ditch came back to wish me well, of an evening."

Watkins had his hand near the butt of his ugly, hatchet-bladed dagger when Rena barked a single, harsh word. She flicked back her rain-spotted cape, and black fire burst forth from her palm. It snatched hold of Watkins, wrapping around him like an ardent lover. He tried to scream, but the black flames poured into his mouth, forcing their way down his throat. His eyes bulged from their sockets, then burst as his skin cracked, and fat ran down his shriveling cheeks.

"You'll be damned, indeed," Rena said as the corpse flopped onto its belly, twitching as the last vestige of life bled out of it. "Don't worry. I kept a spot warm for you."

You're curious about what hell's like, aren't you? Go on, then, ask me.

The Returned

Resurrection is a regular part of many games, but too often we just treat it as a fact of life. Someone dies, you pay a certain amount of gold and diamond dust to a priest, and then wait while they conduct the ritual to bring your companion back from beyond. You heal them, tip your hat to the cleric, and then you're on your merry way.

However, death is one of those things that should have an impact on your character. And for the Returned, that death is a large portion of who they are now, and it's often where they draw their power and their purpose from.

Each of us owes a death... mine's currently in collections.

 

For example, your Returned might have died near an ancient ritual site, and the latent magic of that place soaked into their empty vessel, resurrecting them unexpectedly. Or perhaps they were about to breathe their last, when the potent necromancies of an unquiet boneyard filled their lungs. Both of these would be ideal ways to explain a sorcerer's bloodline or an oracle's curse, and I touched on options similar to this in 5 Tips For Playing Better Sorcerers and 5 Tips For Playing Better Oracles respectively.

Sometimes, though, the Returned doesn't come back by sheer happenstance. They might make a bargain with some outer power, or be saved by a guardian spirit. This is a common explanation for were warlocks and witches might get their powers, and form their pacts (mentioned in 5 Tips for Playing Better Warlocks and 5 Tips For Playing Better Witches in case you're curious), but it is by no means limited to characters of a magical bent. Barbarians with fiendish totems may have acquired those powers by dying and accepting some kind of bargain with an evil outsider to act as their vessel, and common folk living good lives may find themselves touched by the celestial, arising as paladins when they open their eyes once more.

While not all Returned come back from the other side with strange powers, all of them come back with a purpose, and a Tell.

Why Don't The Dead Lie Still?

Death isn't something you can just shake off like the damp after the rain. It leaves its mark on you, and clings to you. Sometimes it holds in subtle ways, and sometimes in more vulgar ones, but those who've seen the other side carry signs, if you know what to look for. That's the Tell.

I keep telling you, boys, you can't keep a bad man down.

 

Sometimes the Tell for a Returned is subtle. A puckered scar over the wound that killed them that can easily be hidden by a jerkin or armor. Even a rope scar from where they were hung could be covered with a neckerchief. Other Returned have harder Tells to hide, though. Hair that's gone bone white, eyes that seem sightless, skin that looks drawn, or which is too cool to the touch. The lingering smell of ashes or grave dirt, or just an unnatural aura that lets people know they've been touched by the back side of hell's left hand.

The other thing that a Returned comes back with is a purpose.

Death is a great weight to shift, and those who have nothing tying them to the material plane often find it's easier not to struggle back to the world. While some Returned may be made by accident due to dying in strange locations, or subject to certain rituals, those are the exceptions that prove the rule. Which is why you need to know what motivated your Returned to climb up out of their grave.

For some, the answer is simple. They lived a life that led them to hell's doorstep, and they are trying to do anything they can to avoid that fate. A Returned might take a devil's bargain to return to life, deciding it's better to be the right hand of a devil than to stand beneath its whip. Others might swear oaths with their dying breaths, calling out to celestial spirits to save them, pledging themselves to the cause of good to try and wipe out the harm they'd done.

Other Returned may have more worldly motivations for refusing to embrace death when it comes for them. Some might be driven by a thirst for vengeance, willing to make any bargain, or grasp any hand if it means they don't go down into the final dark alone. A Returned might fear for the safety of their friends or loved ones, or have oaths that have gone unfulfilled that drag them back from death. Particularly oaths sworn in the service of powerful gods, or inscrutable fey lords, for there are some duties that are stronger than death.

Incidentally, if you're looking for potent foes to swear vengeance on, or just scoundrels to trade places with on death's list, then you might want to check out 100 Random Bandits to Meet, as well as 100 Pirates to Encounter, and 100 Prisoners For A Fantasy Jail.

And, of course, my character conversion for Ghost Rider might peak your interest, if you're looking for one of the most infamous characters who could fit into the mold of The Returned.

What Did You See?

I mentioned this in Fun With Raise Dead, Resurrection, and Reincarnation (in Pathfinder) a while back, it bears repeating for this concept. If your character died, what did they experience on the other side? How much, if any, do they remember? And did that experience alter them in a fundamental way?

As a for-instance, was a few moments in hell enough to cause a lifetime buccaneer to change their ways, and to turn them into a force for good? Was a single glimpse of paradise enough to make someone fight all the harder to prove they deserved to enter that realm? Do they remember empty darkness, burning, or just a cold nothingness that makes them shiver every time they think about it?

Being dead is a big deal. No one knows that better than the Returned.

Like, Follow, and Stay Tuned For More!

That's all for this installment of Unusual Character Concepts. Hopefully this one gave you something to chew over, whether you're a player, or a game master.

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my alley cat noir novel Marked Territory, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my most recent collection of short stories The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Have You Tried Using "Spiritual Bleed" In Your RPG?

"Are you sure you want to hold to this road?" Finar asked his companion. "It's just, well..."

Kegare smiled a little at Finar, though the expression looked out-of-place on the knight's face. Something hotter than fever burned in his eyes, and his lips were a little cracked. When he straightened, the tendons in his neck stood out in stark relief, and his pulse beat hard in his throat.

"Waiting will do us no good," Kegare said, with something like his usual, calm tone. Beneath it, though, simmered the rage. The fury that was burning through the good man's resolve as steadily as acid. "The bargain hangs round my neck. There's nothing to be done for it."

Finar was about to speak again, when riders appeared over the top of the hill. They bore down, weapons in hand and black masks across their faces. Kegare's smile grew wider, and a sickening pleasure flashed across his face. Finar had squired for the knight for years, and had always known him to be a kind, just man who placed words above steel. But as darkling fire raced across Kegare's fingers, engulfing his hands, he knew that his master was one step further away than he'd been even a moment ago.

Embrace the flames long enough, and you, too, will burn.

Spiritual Bleed: When Outside Forces Change You

If you've ever played an RPG before, then you're familiar with characters who draw their power from an outside source. The traditional cleric receives their magic from obedience to a divinity or a force, for example. A witch or a warlock has a patron they've been chosen by, or made a bargain with. Mediums allow the spirits of the dead to work through them, acting as gateways. Even a barbarian's Rage might be seen as tapping into some force beyond their own muscle and sinew, dipping into a well of power that turns them into a force of nature for a brief period of time.

Power often comes with a price, though. Because the more you tap into these powers, and the more of it that flows through you, the more it can erode who you were. A concept I call spiritual bleed.

It all began with a shark...

One of the clearest examples of this idea is something I set out for a Werewolf: The Apocalypse character of mine. For those not familiar with this particular White Wolf game, it's a modern fantasy setup where players take on the role of modern-day werewolves. These warriors exist to protect Gaia from the forces of destruction, and they've been engaged in a shadow war with the forces of the Wyrm for centuries. If they lose, then we all lose, and the world ends.

Into this setup came a cub named Tucker. An albino metis (a monstrous offspring of two werewolves mating, something strictly forbidden by their own laws), Tucker spent most of his life in a junkyard being raised by his grandmother's human kin (mortals who are in on the secret war, and who provide the backbone of support in fighting the Wyrm), and a familiar spirit named Gregor... a huge cockroach. When Tucker had his first change, he sought out other werewolves to help him reach his full potential.

Tucker was unusual among the garou, in that he was not a natural fighter. A mechanical-minded young man, he had a natural inquisitiveness that led his sharp mind down interesting and unexpected paths. But Tucker was also soft-spoken, retiring, and tended to fold in on himself when others were around. Scribbling notes in his book of blueprints and murmuring to himself while drawing back from the world around him.

Until his Rite of Passage, that was...

Let me hear you howl.

When a cub undergoes this rite, they are approached by powerful spirits which each stand as the heads of the tribes of the werewolf nation. Choosing which spirit to ally yourself with binds you to that tribe, and makes you an adult in the eyes of your fellow garou.

When the dust cleared, Tucker was chosen by Fenrir. For those of you familiar with Norse mythology, the giant-born colossus of power and ferocity you're picturing is exactly the spirit that Tucker is now bound to through membership in this tribe. This changed the character in some mechanical ways (access to certain powers, able to take an extra level of damage, etc.), but it also changed him in other ways. He stood straighter, spoke louder, and took up space in a way he hadn't before. He developed a presence that was bigger than when he had been a cub.

Then, when he was offered a place in a pack dedicated to Shark, another spiritual pigment was mixed into his makeup. Shark is a spirit who is swift, sure, and who shows neither pleasure nor remorse in the act of killing. When combined with the influence of the great Fenris wolf, the quiet tinkerer took on an almost uncanny focus, able to see, pursue, and complete his goals without hesitation.

Being tied to spirits, and accepting the boons they provide, rubbed off on him. Altered him. If those connections were severed, or their boons withdrawn, it would also alter who he is. Because when you accept an outside power, tying it into your being, then it colors you. And when it's removed, then that influence fades away as well.

It's an aspect of these bargains that sometimes gets lost when you're too focused on what bonuses they grant, or what rules you have to avoid breaking in order to keep your patron happy.

The Side Effects of Power

Spiritual bleed can be slow and subtle, or hard and fast. It can be disturbing, or it can be uplifting. The idea behind it, though, is that being in contact with forces beyond your ken leaves its mark on you. Especially if something from them is flowing into you!

It might mean that the warlock who wields a fiendish power too freely finds themselves becoming jaded, cruel, or even bloodthirsty. It might mean that the paladin who channels divine forces begins to lose touch with mortality, too caught up in the celestial movings of the world they glimpse through their connections to the beyond. It might mean that when a theurge makes a bargain with a spirit of the wyld that they find themselves wearing their wolf skin more and more, unwilling to put on the form of man unless they truly must.

But they reached that point (at least partially) because of a force that came from outside of themselves. Perhaps they bargained with it willingly, or perhaps they only reach for it out of desperation, but it's had an effect on them. It's changed them.

The question you have to answer is how has it changed them? And has it been for the better, for the worse, or simply in a direction you didn't expect?

Also, for more tips on how to get the most out of your warlock characters, check out my guide 5 Tips For Playing Better Warlocks. Or if you're a fan of Werewolf, and particularly the Get of Fenris, take a look at my latest supplement, 100 Get of Fenris Kinfolk!

Now get back to gaming!

That's all for this month's Fluff installment! For more of my work don't forget to stop by my Vocal and Gamers archives, as well as the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio where I help out. If you'd like to check out some of the books I've written, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, then had over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases you can follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and even Pinterest, now! And if you'd like to help support me and my work then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi or going to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a patron today! Every little bit helps, and if you become a patron then you'll get access to my exclusive giveaways.

The Failed Wizard's Apprentice

Vizjerai's arm shot out in from of Carriel, stopping him from entering the chamber. The spearman glowered down at the slender halfbreed.

"What is it?" the warrior asked.

"Something's wrong," Vizjerai said.

"I don't see anything," Carriel said.

"Of course you don't," Vizjerai replied, crouching near the door and turning her head to listen. "That's why you brought me along. Now hush, and let me do my job."

Vizjerai carefully ran her hands over the door frame, frowning as she felt for something no one else could see. She nodded, and reached into a small pouch on her belt. She tossed a handful of white sand across the threshold, and frowned at the way it fell. She took out a long, silver piton, and jammed it into the upper left-hand corner of the frame. Then she did the same with the upper-right hand corner. There was an audible impact on the air, and the pitons vibrated like they'd been struck with a hammer. They stilled after a moment, and Vizjerai nodded.

"There," she said. "It should be safe now."

"I thought you said you were a failed apprentice?" Carriel said.

"I am," Vizjerai answered, giving him one of her enigmatic smiles. "But you don't study under Agorn Redwing for as long as I did and not pick up a trick or two."

Always keep a trick up your sleeve. Just in case.

A Failed Apprentice Can Be A Successful Adventurer

Lots of people try to be wizards, but not everyone has the raw brain power to hack it. Or, in some cases, they just don't learn well from books and scrolls, but find that magic comes to them more through intuition and instinct. In some cases the apprentice may leave with no spells at all... but they know more about magic than most people could learn in several lifetimes, and that knowledge has all kinds of applications in the wider world.

Take Vizjerai, for example. While clever, she never applied herself fully to the study of magic. However, what she learned at her teacher's knee made her an expert at sneaking past the magical defenses of others... even great sages who had been dead in their tombs for hundreds of years. As a Pathfinder character, she'd be an ideal rogue, able to bypass warding circles, sigil traps, and other hazards meant to catch thieves and intruders unawares.

Of course, there are other avenues a failed apprentice could take. If you're still talking Pathfinder, a mongrel mage might have sought out a wizard for help controlling their shifting bloodline. While the discipline and education about magic likely helped, the character is still a sorcerer, and thus may have needed to find another way to refine their personal technique (this one has overlap with The Academic Sorcerer). That same apprentice could have simply been considered a "failure" by their teacher, moving on to become a magus, or an arcanist, by embracing non-classical techniques and schools of thought. You could even become an alchemist, if potions, mutagens, and mind-altering substances were more your bag than summoning circles and fireballs.

Time is an illusion, and rounds a mere inconvenience to my mind.

 

This concept isn't edition-specific, though. If you prefer 5th edition over Pathfinder, you could easily fit the failed apprentice background to a warlock. Someone who wasn't good enough to master the intricate formulas of their master might have been just clever enough to contact a patron through use of a banned ritual (a concept I first mentioned in No One Wins When You Build A Stupid Wizard, and which inspired the rest of this entry). The eldritch knight and arcane trickster are tailor made for this concept, showing people who just couldn't get the concepts their master tried to teach them in the classroom... but then after some real-world experience found ways to blend that arcane tutelage into their repertoires.

There are dozens of paths you could take with this concept. Just start with the character's days an an apprentice, ask why they didn't become the traditional wizard their teacher was trying to make them into, and then ask how that solid base of education gave them the know-how and skills to become what they eventually turned into.

For more advice on breaking out of the stereotypes wizards tend to be pushed into, you may enjoy my 5 Tips For Playing Better Wizards.

Like, Follow, and Stay Tuned For More!

That's all for this installment of Unusual Character Concepts. Hopefully this one gave you something to chew over, whether you're a player, or a game master.

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my alley cat noir novel Marked Territory, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my most recent collection of short stories The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

What Do Your Verbal and Somatic Components Look Like?

In most D20 fantasy roleplaying games, spells have three components; a verbal component, a somatic component, and a material/focus component. These are the things every spellcaster needs in order to turn their willpower into reality, whether they're charming the town guard to let them pass, or summoning aid from the far reaches of the ethereal planes. Clerics and wizards, druids, sorcerers, and others all have these three requirements in common.

However, if you want to make your magic user truly unique, try describing what these components look like to your fellow party members.

"What did you cast?" What does it LOOK like I cast?

In posts like How To Roleplay During Combat and Dungeon Master Alchemy: Turning Stats Into Story, I recommended that players with spellcasting PCs describe the effects of their spells instead of just saying the name of the spell. However, the effect is just one half of a magic user's action. In fact, focusing on the effects instead of the components is sort of putting the horse before the carriage.

Develop Your Spellcasting Style

If you were playing a martial character, you'd ask yourself certain questions. Questions like:

- What is my weapon of choice?

- Who taught me to fight?

- How long have I been doing this?

- Do I use a particular fighting style, or did I make up my own?

Just because your weapon of choice happens to be the primal forces of the elements, or psychic attacks on the free will of your enemies, that's no reason you can't go through the same steps.

That isn't how wizard's duels work!

 

For example, say you're playing a wizard in Pathfinder. You've examined the prominent wizard colleges in Golarion, and you decide your character graduated from the abjuration program in Nex. So, you have an established school, with a long history of both powerful tradition and innovation in the magical arts. Your instructor was a pragmatist, who often tested your reaction times by flinging objects at you, and then when you were more established, throwing magic at you without warning. You were average in power, but developed a unique flair for deflecting elemental spells. Because you were used to reacting quickly, your somatic components are short, sharp gestures instead of wide, sweeping ones.

Alternatively, say you were a conjurer who graduated from the arcane college in Korvosa. An arrogant caster, your imp familiar is imperious and impatient, a tiny reflection on your soul. A master linguist, you make sure to always use the correct language of the plane you're summoning your creatures from. Infernal for devils, celestial for heavenly beings, and abyssal for when you need a slavering demon horde to come to your aid. Perhaps your imp intones the spells simultaneously, adding an echoing resonance to the magic as you connect a space on the material plane to the far reaches of the ether where you are calling forth minions from.

Stand Out From The Other Casters

There are so many different flavors you can add to your magic. If you want to make your next experience unique, or just jazz up your current one, you might consider using some of these spices.

- Language: The language you use for different spells can make a big difference. You could also use language as a way to reflect certain metamagic feats. For example, you might speak your incantations in Ignan in order to let loose with a maximized burning hands.

- Directing The Magic: When you move your hands, what are you doing? Do you mimic the motions of the spell, or do you simply direct it as if you were practicing a more martial art form? When you cast Black Tentacles, do you jam your fingers upward, mimicking the motion of the conjured tendrils? When the cinder flies from your finger when you cast Fireball, do you open your hand violently to trigger the detonation? Or are your motions more like a kata, using your entire body to summon, control, and direct your spells?

- Special Effects: A spellcaster's power comes in a variety of different flavors, and that can add some tell-tale signs that power is about to be unleashed. For example, if your magic user has arcane tattoos, or a divine birthmark, do they glow when she casts spells? Does the air stir around the sorcerer as he unleashes bolts of raw power? Do a warlock's features distort, taking on a cast similar to her heritage when she calls upon the dark power of her pact?

Presentation matters.

 

These are just a few ways you can stand apart from other spellcasters when it comes time to showcase a unique art. Everything from casters who speak their spells in rhyme, to those who incorporate their motions into an interpretive dance, are an option. So, if you want your casters to stand out, give us more than a twist-and-flick when it comes time to make your magic.

As always, thanks for popping in this week! If you'd like to help support me and my blog, then why not stop by my Patreon page to become a patron today? Seriously, as little as $1 a month can make a big difference, and help me produce more content just like this. Also, if you want to make sure you don't miss any of my updates, then follow me at Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter!

"Slaughter Your World," A Hilarious Video From "Looking For Group"

"Looking For Group," is both a phrase for gamers looking for a table to join, and the title of an extremely popular comic. If any of that was new information to you then please take a minute and make sure that you're in the right place, and that you weren't looking for another blog.

Still with me? Lovely.

For those of you who haven't read the comic check out the Looking For Group homepage right here. If you have been there before, and if you're a fan, then chances are good you saw the 2007 video "Slaughter Your World" parodying the Little Mermaid. In case you didn't see it (or in case you'd forgotten about it till this very moment and now really want to see it) check out the official Blind Ferret clip here.

As always thanks for stopping in. As you know Improved Initiative is always in need of help, so if you'd like to become one of our valued patrons then stop by my Patreon page today! If you'd prefer to just leave a tip, then click the "Bribe the DM" button on the top right. As always if you want to keep up on Improved Initiative's updates just enter your email address into the box on the top right, or follow me on Tumblr and/or Facebook, whichever you prefer.