My Evil Is Law continues to get work. Making thematic lists of things is a very fun kind of creative work that usually comes easily to me, as long as the list doesn’t get too long. You can find past posts on this setting/system at the following links: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5). But to throw an idea at folks, its a ruined version of Earth where an Evil Overlord harnesses magic and technology to collapse other dimensions into this one. The dimensional collapses bring unusual elements from other realities into this one. The Evil Overlord is a being that simultaneously exists in all dimensions, but grows stronger when it can consolidate its existence into fewer and fewer dimensions.

It’s kind of like if you put Samurai Jack, Stephen King’s The Dark Tower, and Thundarr the Barbarian into a blender, with just a pinch of Half-Life 2 and Nausicaa sprinkled on top.

Sample Spells

Spells are primarily non-violent, or at least not directly violent. There are so many ways to kill things without magic that it seems foolish to expend the energy into such a frivolous goal. Just use a normal weapon to kill someone. Magic should be for more marvelous things. Anyway, roll d66 and see what you get!

11-16

1. Skinwalker: May change into an animal if you possess a fresh pelt.

2. Graven Wisdom: Pour wine into a skull’s mouth in order to briefly speak with the dead. The demeanor of the dead is influenced by their personality in life and the wine’s quality.

3. Tongue Thief: Bite your tongue so hard that you deal 1 damage to yourself, causing a single creature that you see to lose their ability to speak until you unclench your jaws.

4. Flame Eater: Inhale nearby fires, extinguishing them. Makes your throat sore.

5. Arcane Violence: Deal 1d3 damage per success on rolled Anima dice. But magic is not conducive to direct violence, causing the caster to suffer 1 damage per natural 1 rolled.

6. Living Breath: Grant a limited lifespan to a single object. It is capable to act in accordance to the caster’s orders and physical form. Caster is short of breath until the object returns to mundanity.

21-26

1. Shouting Subconscious: The target cannot help but speak all thoughts aloud for a short time.

2. Dream Warden: The spell triggers when the caster falls asleep. A creature from their dream acts as a “lookout” while they rest.

3. Sour: Cause food or drink to go foul.

4. Stonespeak: Grant a stone the ability to speak for the length of a single conversation. Stones have a poor sense of time.

5. Void Iron: An iron object briefly becomes invisible. The object prematurely rusts while invisible.

6. Beast tongue: Swallow a piece of animal flesh and gain the ability to speak with that type of animal until the meat is digested.

31-36

1. Reveal Secret: Cause a creature to speak a hidden truth. The caster must reveal a secret of their own in order to cast the spell.

2. Gild: Sacrifice a material object in order to cover something in that substance.

3. Elemental Motion: Cause an element (earth, fire, water, air) to supernaturally move in accordance with a motion that the caster makes with their own body.

4. Dowsing: Detect the direction in which something lies. A single success grants the ability to find environmental substances like water or gold, but more substances are needed to locate manufactured materials.

5. Halt Momentum: Cause something to stop. When the spell ends, the stored momentum recommences.

6. Doubting Thoughts: Cause a creature to choose inaction over action for a short time, causing them to reroll 6s. However, the caster must also reroll their next natural 6.

41-46

1. Create Passage: Trace a archway into a surface and creature an open portal (no further than 1 foot deep).

2. Chill Air: Drop the temperature, possibly causing frost or snowfall.

3. Cloudcover: Move clouds to block the sun or moon.

4. Hountscent: Gain the smelling ability of a bloodhound.

5. Stupefy: Momentarily confound a creature. If a single natural 1 is rolled while casting, the caster forgets the spell for the day.

6. Runic: Create a rune with the power of another known spell. Normally activated when touched. Fades after 24 hours. Additional successes allow the caster to alter the trigger or duration.

51-56

1. Woe Magnet: For the next 24 hours, the target only succeeds Luck checks on a natural 6. However, the caster automatically fails their next Luck check.

2. Arcane Sense: Detect sources of magical energy. Additional successes may grant specific knowledge about the magical source.

3. Swell: Cause a target to grow uncomfortable in size, possibly popping knots, buckles, latches, etc. The caster feels bloated for the spells duration.

4. Fool’s Sense: Disguise an object as a more valuable version of itself.

5. Liquify: Briefly turn a solid into a liquid. Living creatures require more than a single success and retain a locomotive ability.

6. Mystic Mark: Create an invisible rune that the wizard can track. The rune fades after 24 hours.

61-66

1. Iron Gut: Briefly gain the ability to endure deadly poisons, though the target may still be wracked with pain.

2. Transfer Bane: Transfer a poison, disease, curse, or similar malady to another living creature via touch.

3. Spasm: Cause a creature’s body to convulse and seize while the caster remains motionless.

4. Age: Cause a living target to healthily age a single year. A single success to effect plants, but more are required to affect more sentient creatures or large plants/creatures.

5. Flatten: Cause a target to briefly become as flat as a leaf. Locomotion is difficult, but it is easy to hide or travel through small spaces.

6. Thwart: Create a magic shield that can block a single success from an attack.

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Sample Items

I’ve not established any kind of currency or prices for items. I kind of like Star Borg’s way of handling wealth, which is essentially you got money or you don’t. But coming up with weird items are making a rollable d66 table is more fun than pondering economics. I’ll also add that I’ve been reading through Mythic Bastionland recently and may try changing the currently described Armor/Stability system to something more akin to that game’s Guard mechanic.

Combat Items

11-16

1. Magic Bow: (KNACK) long-range, conjures arrows; 5: +1 damage, 6: +1 damage and enemy suffers -1d6 to their next action

2. Gatling Laser: (VIGOR) medium range; hits adjacent enemies; 5: +1 damage, 6: Shreds Environment, +2 damage

3. Holy Sword: (VIGOR) can only damage evil creatures, bypasses Armor; 5: +1 damage, 6: Light Beam (medium-range, +2 damage)

4. Mage Staff: (ANIMA) medium range, bolts of light; 5: +1 damage, 6: +2 damage and +1 damage to adjacent enemies

5. Sonic Beam: (KNACK) medium range, high-pitched noise cannon; 5: target is briefly deafened, 6: target is briefly deafened and blinded

6. Pistol: (KNACK) medium range, shoots bullets; 5-6: +1 damage

21-26

1. Caster Gun: (KNACK) variable range, may be loaded with spell-imbued bullets; deals 1 damage, plus spell effect; most bullets are expensive and rare.

2. Static Sword: (VIGOR) short range, may disable electronics; 5: +1 damage, 6: robotic enemies lose next action

3. Magic Boomerang: (KNACK) medium range, always returns to thrower: 5: +1 damage, 6: +1 damage and bypasses 1 Armor

4. Ballistic Gloves: (VIGOR) short range; 5: +1 damage, 6: +2 damage and push back nearby enemies.

5. Chainblade: (VIGOR) short range, can cut through nearly anything; 5: +1 armor, 6: +1 damage and ignores non-magical armor

6. Revered Talisman: (ANIMA) medium range, emits radiance; 5+: blinds one enemy for a round per success

Armor Items

31-36

1. Shield: Armor 1; Stability (2 hits)

2. Knightly Armor: Armor 1; Stability (2 simultaneous hits)

3. Mystic Monk Robes: Dodge first attack of an encounter

4. Anti-Magic Resonator: Armor 2 against magic; Stability (3 hits)

5. Organic Armor: Armor 1; Stability (1 hit), regrows after combat

6. Mystic Tattoos: Contains the power of a spell; Roll Vigor to activate; -1 to Vigor rolls until you rest

Utility Items

41-46

1. Smoke Bomb: Blind an enemy for their next initiative count.

2. Sacred Lantern: Lights the way; wards off ghosts.

3. Med-shot: Instantly restores a creature to full HP.

4. X-Visor: Can see through most non-metal objects.

5. Collapsible Ladder: Collapses to the size of a backpack; extends 20’ high

6. Knowledge Chip: Brain implant that provides specialized training

51-56

1. Hover Boots: Float 2” above surface level; work poorly over liquid

2. Sonic Vocalizer: Can mimic other voices

3. Cybernetic Eye: Basic model has a zoom function

4. ReBreath Gland: Organic rebreather for poisonous environments or underwater

5. Hardlight Skeleton key: Projects a holographic key that fits standard locks

6. Data Spike: Jam into a computer port to disable basic security programs.

61-66

1. Rust Jelly: Tarnishes most metals.

2. Leyline Displacer: Makes magic harder to cast in a local area.

3. Ghostly Bone: Translucent bones that may summon a helpful ghost dog.

4. Astral Dust: The last light of a long dead star. Throw into the sky to light your way on dark nights.

5. Frozen Tears: Left by the extinct jotuns. May be eaten when casting a spell to gain a success.

6. Saint Soap: Rub on on a creature to remove toxins/diseases. Impacts the ability to sin, as per the originating saint.

What’re your ideas for weird spells and items?

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