ragingswanpress

Ghostly Doings (and a Mini-Eventure!)

This month’s 20 Things is all about ghosts. Ghosts are difficult to quickly include in an adventure—mainly because they need to be so much more than just a bunch of statistics. They need a reason to exist (or partially exist), and their appearance can be ripe with roleplaying opportunity. This month’s 20 Things presents flavoursome ghosts to add to your campaign. All you need to do is add stats.

Where's My Stuff?

As always, by the time you get this you should have a messag...

Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands

It’s a big week at Raging Swan Press this week. Finally, the slightly delayed 5e edition of the Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands is ready for you! I’m delighted with how the adventure came out and I hope you similarly enjoy it. (Check out the new art [I almost did a “picture” cover] by Matt Morrow and the new maps by Tommi Salama).

As I write this, work continues apace on the 1...

In the Marsh and Bridge Towns

This week, we are back in the town with two new Urban Dressing releases for you. Both are available in 5e, OSR, P1 and P2 editions meaning you’ve got a fair bit of link clicking and downloading to get on with. This month’s featured towns are Marsh Towns and Bridge Towns. Urban adventures can be challenging, and I hope these books help you make yours memorable and flavoursome (and easier to prepare). 

Where's My Stuff?

As always, by the time you get this all patrons at t...

To the Shard Isles!

This week, we’ve got the last Dungeon Backdrop in the Secret Name storyline for your download pleasure. Good old Bart Wynants has crafted another cracking, flavoursome locale for your characters to explore. Adapt it, make it your own and nudge your characters toward the Shard Isles!

About The Shard Isles

The sea swells with fury. All around you, great walls of black water rise menacingly, only to break apart upon the jagged rocks surrounding the islet. Their t...

10 Seconds on the Road Exclusive Download

Last month’s 10-Second Read theme was “On the Road”.

As promised you’ll find your free, Patreon exclusive compilation files below. I have included both a PDF and a .txt file for maximum utility. Hopefully, these two options have got you covered. You should be able to add the .txt file into virtually anything.

In my idle moments, I’m wondering if it might be fun at some point to add all the landmarks and locations onto a local area map (obviously drawn by the talented Tom...

10 Seconds in May

It’s that time of the month again, when you decide next month’s 10-Second Read theme.

We’ve already had:

• January: In Low City
• February: On the Road
• March: On the Road
• April: On the Docks

This month, I’m suggesting we mix it up a bit and get more “adventurous”

• 10 Seconds in the Dungeon (Rooms, Corridors, Secrets)
• 10 Seconds in a Cave (Chambers, Passages, Secrets)
• 10 Seconds in a Ruined Castle (Ro...
  2021-04-05 08:37:20 +0000 UTC View Post

Behold the Minions of Evil

Every GM could do with more minions of evil for their campaign. What will the characters slay otherwise? What luck, then, that this month’s 20 Things releases presents just that—minor minions of evil you can use to round out the big baddie’s henchmen and hirelings. Don’t have faceless minions of evil in your campaign—have Raging Swan Press’s minions of evil!

Where's My Stuff?

This week’s release is free to you, heroic patron. Thank you for supporting...

Enter the Fishshambles

This week, it’s Patreon exclusive time. Today, we’ve got a free exclusive mini-eventure for everyone! Available in 5e, OSR, Pathfinder 1 and Pathfinder 2 editions Fishshambles by Day presents two pages of handy material to bring the Fishshambles to life. Of course, you can easily adapt the tables herein to the dock district of virtually any city or town.

This mini-venture represents an experiment of sorts, and I’d be keen to know what you think. Previous instalments have focused o...

Into the Dungeon (Entrance)

This week, we are back in the dungeon with a Dungeon Dressing: Dungeon Entrances available in 5e, OSR, Pathfinder 1 and Pathfinder 2 editions. 

About Dungeon Dressing

Tired of your dungeons lacking in verisimilitude? Want to add cool little features of interest to your creations but don’t have the time to come up with non-essential details? Want to make your dungeons feel more realistic? Then Dungeon Dressing is for you! Each instalment focuses on a common dungeo...

Going to Town with Raging Swan Press

This week, we are back in the urban jungle with two new releases for you—and both are available in 5e, OSR, Pathfinder 1 and Pathfinder 2 editions. That’s eight supplements for your GM toolkit! Blimey.

This week’s releases are:

• Urban Dressing: Lumber Town
• Urban Dressing: Trade Town

About Urban Dressing

Tired of your towns and cities lacking verisimilitude? Want to add cool details to your creations but don’t have the time...

10-Seconds for April

The poll has finished, and the result is in. The subject for April's 10-Second Reads will be "On the Docks". 

"On the Docks" edged out "Adventurer's Fragmentary Diary" by a single vote, which made the whole thing excitingly close. I look forward to explore the docks next month (particularly as my characters seem to spend a lot of time on boats at the moment). 

Thank you for voti...

Into Craghollow Mine

Good old Bart Wynants. This week, he continues the Secret Name storyline with Dungeon Backdrop: Craghollow Mine. Available in 5e, OSR, Pathfinder 1 and Pathfinder 2 (and as normal patrons at the $2 and up levels get all four editions) Craghollow Mine is set on the Lonely Coast, but could be easily adapted to virtually any campaign. 

About Craghollow Mine

Dawn’s dim light conjures up a chill mist whose phantom tendrils coil amid the trees, to linger upon the thorn...

Get on the Road

Last month's theme for our 10-Second Reads was "On the Road". The theme proved so popular we are continuing the theme this month!

Find attached to this post, the PDF and text file for February's articles. 

Why include a text file? Simple, so you can quickly and easily import the NPCs directly into your home campaign notes. If you find this format useful, please let me know as I'm falling in love with text files. I love their simplicity and portability. (I may need to get out ...

What 10-Second Read for April?

March is upon us, and it's time to decide on the subject of April's 10-Second Reads. I've got three options for you:

• 10 Seconds on the Docks (NPCs, Locales, Ships)
• 10 Seconds Looting the Body (Trash, Trinkets and Treasure)
• 10 Seconds Reading an Adventurer's Fragmentary Diary (diary entries that can be used separately or together)

Let me know which you prefer, by voting in the poll below.

Into the Shadowed Borderland

So many adventures take place on the borderlands wherein civilisation collides with the barbaric wilderlands. Such places are ripe for adventurers seeking fame, glory and gold. Therein lurks the insidious agents of evil—and they must be rooted out.

This week, Jeff Gomez gives us 20 Things #59: Shadowed Borderland chock full of resources to turn your borderlands into shadowed, menaced places. It's all preparation for a project near and dear to my heart:

The Shadowed Kee...

2021-02-26 07:46:06 +0000 UTC View Post

Strange (Dungeon) Things for Your Campaign

Dungeons are full of peril and (sometimes) treasure. Dungeons also host all manner of strange or odd things and phenomena. This week, Raging Swan Press gives you Dungeon Dressing: Strange Things (in 5e, OSR, Pathfinder 1 and Pathfinder 2 editions). Add some strangeity to your game today!

You've also got a Patreon exclusive mini-eventure this week. If your characters want to visit a sage, Visiting Urmas should prove a handy resource.

Visiting Urmas

Languar...

Sinister Doings at the Scythe

It will come as no surprise to you (hopefully) that I use many of Raging Swan’s products in my own campaigns.

I thought you might like a look at how I recently linked several of our supplements to create a short adventure for my Dark Adventures campaign (set primarily in Languard and Gloamhold). The attached PDF is quite “rough and ready”. I initially wrote it just for myself and so it is not as polished as a proper release. Nevertheless, I thought you might enjoy it. Hopefully, y...

Into the Urban Jungle

Mining towns and slums are pretty common adventure locales. A profession of thieves, villains and evil cults always seem to lurk in slums. Mining towns often suffer with hauntings, monstrous incursions or black-hearted owners. What's a GM to do? Who has time to design a whole town?

Urban Dressing: Mining Town and Urban Dressing: Slum Town  to the rescue! These books provide you, the busy GM, with the resources to quickly and easily add depth and flavour to your ca...

A Brawl of Opportunity

I recently featured the Sea Sprite (of Wreck of the Sea Sprite "fame") in my Dark Adventures campaign. (If you'd like to see how it went, you can read the session summaries--001 to 005--here). I used a slightly different hook and introduction to that in the adventure, and I thought you might like to see it. 

The below are my personal notes. They aren't as polished as a proper release, but the...

10 Seconds in March

Voting in closed for the theme of 10-Second Reads in March. Around 100 of you voted, and here are the results:

So, in March we are going back on the road! If time permits, though, I'll also start delving into the other two subjects as both seem like fun challenges.

Thank you for voting and for supporting Raging Swan Press

Aboard the Sea Sprite

Last week, we sallied forth onto a wrecked ship with Rikh Hart and Steve Hood to see what we could see. This week, I lure you aboard Dungeon Backdrop: Wreck of the Sea Sprite (available in 5e, OSR, Pathfinder 1 and Pathfinder 2 editions). Combine both for a memorable adventure aboard a wrecked ship! 

As I said last week, I’ve used both books in my Dark Adventures campaign, and we had a blast. (Well everyone who didn’t catch lycanthropy had a blast).

About Wreck ...

2021-02-05 07:51:21 +0000 UTC View Post

10 Seconds in March

The theme for February’s 10-Second Read is “On the Road” and features material on travellers, landmarks and locales your characters could encounter on the road. 

I’m now plotting March’s theme. Please vote in the poll below, to let me know what theme you’d most like to see:

• 10-Seconds in an Adventurer’s Diary (fragments of a diary detailing an adventurer’s exploration of the Twilight City)
• 10 Seconds on the Road (NPCs, roadside landmarks, roadsi...
  2021-01-31 09:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post

Onto a Wrecked Ship

This week, we sally forth onto a wrecked ship with Rikh Hart and Steve Hood to see what we can see in 20 Things #58: Wrecked Ship. This is the first of two linked books: next week, we release the Dungeon Backdrop Wreck of the Sea Sprite. 

I’ve recently used both books in my Dark Adventures campaign, and we had a blast. (Well everyone who didn’t catch lycanthropy had...

Gates, Portals and an Exclusive Mini-Eventure

This week, we are going slightly otherworldly with Dungeon Dressing: Gates & Portals. The supplement comes in 5e, OSR, Pathfinder 1 and Pathfinder 2 flavours. (This is a coincidental time to release this book as I’m plotting adding a dingy Sargasso Sea-type demiplane to Gloamhold.*)

(*Must…resist…urge to immediately start designing the “dungeon”.)

About Gates & Portals

This instalment of Dungeon Dressing presents loads of great f...

A Herd of Urban Dressing for You

This week, we’ve got not one, but two Urban Dressing releases for you. If you have a war-torn or borderland town (or, I suppose a war-torn borderland town) in your campaign you’ll find these two releases jolly useful! I hope you can find a place for them in your GM’s folder. 

As normal, both Urban Dressing: Borderland Town and Urban Dressing: War-Torn Town come in 5e, OSR, Pathfinder 1 and Pathfinder 2 editions. So, you have a veritable herd of files to down...

10 Seconds in February Results

Last week, I posted up a poll to decide on the 10-Second theme for February. Over 100 of you voted, and the results are in:

Winner by a decent margin is 10-Seconds on the Road. I’d best get cracking!

Thank you to everyone who voted. I hope you enjoy the 10-Second material. (And, here’s a link to th...

Scarlock Hill

This week, Bart Wynants has got something special for you, In the shape of Dungeon Backdrop: Scarlock Hill (for 5e, OSR, Pathfinder 1 and Pathfinder 2).

Scarlock Hill is not only the first Dungeon Backdrop of 2021, it’s part of a trilogy of interlinked Dungeon Backdrops that you can run separately or  together (in any order). Bart’s been heroically slaving away on the trilogy’s overarching Storyline for your gaming pleasure. Find the Storyline file attached to this p...

What Next for 10-Second Reads?

As I mentioned in my last post, January’s 10-Seconds theme is the Low City and features material on folk, alleyways and businesses your characters could encounter in a common or slum quarter.

(And, if you want weekday emails direct to your inbox with the 10-Second Read of the day sign up here.)

I’m now plotting ...

Trap Your Characters in a Besieged Castle

Happy new year!

I thought what better way to start the new year* than with a free book from Raging Swan Press! (And, fear not, I’ll keep this post brief). This week, we have your free 20 Things instalment—20 Things #57: Besieged Castle. I’ve always thought a besieged castle would make a great place for an adventure—an adventure in which the shoe is on the other foot and the characters have to stop invaders getting into their home. 

2021-01-01 07:58:50 +0000 UTC View Post

A Surfeit of Mini-Eventures for You!

We end the year on a high with three new supplements for your campaign! 

• Dining at the Emerald Medusa
• Visiting the Durakis
• GM’s Miscellany: Mini-Eventures I

All three supplements are (of course) available in 5e, OSR, Pathfinder 1 and Pathfinder 2 editions, for your gaming pleasure. 

I’m using the mini-eventures in my own campaign, and I hope you and your players get as much use and fun out of the events therein as we have. (They’...