Posts on By Lantern Light

Weird Science Powers

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 18:11:00 +0000

This is a Powers hack for Savage Worlds Adventure Edition. Rather than selecting from a fixed list of known powers, Weird Scientists construct effects on the fly by combining an Element (what they work with) and a Manipulation (what they do with it), then declaring the mechanical parameters of the effect. The roll penalty is calculated from those parameters.

Deities in the Twelve Duchies

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 18:20:00 +0000

Inspired by Sly Flourish’s article about lazy world building and compiling lists of deities (among other things), this page is going to be a growing list of the deities in the Twelve Duchies

S01E03 - The Hunting Heron

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 12:19:00 +0000

The Hunting Heron is warm and close after the salt air of the docks. Lantern light catches in the rafters and throws a steady glow over well used tables and worn floorboards. The noise here is more muted than on the quay - oddly domestic, the murmur of idle chat and quiet drinking rather than the clamour of the docks.

The Library Between Worlds

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 08:32:00 +0000

Imagine a place between worlds, between all the plethora of realities and times that might exist in all the known universes. Somewhere (or is it somewhen?), nestled into the cracks between, built by long forgotten architects is the Great Library.

Streetwise Web Apps

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 22:58:00 +0000

The Year Zero Engine is very flexible and I like the fact that it uses six sided dice, the most common size. However, once you get an attribute and a skill going with possibly a modifier or two you can rapidly end up rolling a lot of them!

S01E02 - The Wharf Road

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 22:05:00 +0000

Berrin leads them away from the waterside at a careful pace, favouring his good leg as he threads them through the press of the docks. They pass between stacked crates and drying racks, past market stalls, haggling merchants and crews unloading cargos. No one pays them any heed now; the moment has passed, absorbed by the harbour’s constant motion.

Factions in the Twelve Duchies

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 20:14:00 +0000

Lore is important in a D&D setting. It helps set the scene, gives context and helps the GM develop the story. [Sly Flourish] wrote an article a while ago about [factions in your campaign].

Encounter Tables

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 17:34:01 +0000

Some encounter tables that I use in my solo sessions.

S01E01 - Arrival In Kethryn

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000

The Running Hind heels gently in the westerly breeze, canvas full and humming as she glides toward the wooden sea wall surrounding the Kethryn docks. Sunlight flashes off the brackish water of the lake and glimmers of the drenched wooden pylons of the great sea gate, its massive door standing open allowing passage for the fishing boats and merchant ships that frequent these waters.

S01E00 - Introduction

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000

So - we are about to set foot in the Twelve Duchies for the first time. I have three characters already, taken from the fiction that I wrote years ago. I’m going to start with a sort of solo session zero and outline a bit about them. I’m being intentionally brief - I don’t want to spend too much time on it as I’d rather details emerge through the story.

Victorian Street Urchins

Fri, 14 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000

A Year Zero Engine hack for street urchin adventures in victorian London.

Monster Random Tactics

Thu, 13 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000

The amazing and fabulous Ironsworn and it’s sci-fi siblings Starforged and Sundered Isles have fantastic sets of random tables with which to seed chaos into your adventures.

House Rules

Wed, 12 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000

I’m using a few house rules and mechanics while playing, inspired by (or pinched from) sources such as Tale of the Manticore.

Odinson Games Chaotic Combat

Wed, 12 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Injecting more crazy into combat

The Discovery

Tue, 11 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000

An actual play experiment with D&D OSE

Journal Entry Five

Mon, 23 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000

I’m really hungry. Just been rooting about in the cupboards and found a few things. A packet of stale biscuits (ate them - they were ok, better than nothing) and a deck of cards.

Journal Entry Four

Mon, 23 Jun 2025 11:00:00 +0000

It’s 6:23am and I’m freezing. I managed to keep the fire going but the wind from the bust roof was howling through the cabin all night and I just couldn’t get warm.

Journal Entry Three

Sun, 22 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Dammit! The day started so well! Managed to get the fire going and it lasted until first light, around 8am. The dawn was spectacular - the cabin must be facing southeast because the sun rose over the mountains away to the left.

Journal Entry Two

Sat, 21 Jun 2025 00:02:00 +0000

Man it’s cold!!! I must have fallen asleep last night. The fire’s almost out and it looks like the snow really came down during the night as there are 6 foot drifts outside.

Journal Entry One

Sat, 21 Jun 2025 00:01:00 +0000

Wow! This place is amazing! It took a while to get here - snow on the roads and it’s pretty remote. Google maps took me the wrong way and I ended up at a gate on a cliff - had to find my own way for the last hour or so.

Mountaintop Isolation - First Look

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000

One of my favourite radio shows from the dim and distant past was Nightfall, creepy and disturbing stories of all sorts that used the power of radio and imagination to tell terrifying tales.

Sinister Forest Discoveries

Thu, 22 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000

A d20 random table of discoveries characters might make in a sinister forest