Mixed Signals

Straight-forward gaming

This short sword is engraved with runes disguised as natural cracks and creases in the metal and leather components.

When a successful attack is made with this sword, the player takes 1d4 of the damage that would have otherwise been dealt to their opponent.

Detecting the runes for what the...

This appears as a gold or silver ring, sometimes with expensive gemstones. It will radiate magic. This ring will seem to be a Ring of Invisibility, and all initial tests will seem to confirm that.

Upon first being used when it really matters, the wearer will not go invisible, but every other...

Upon activation, the flagstones in a particular area reveal themselves to be the tops of huge stone pistons that begin pumping up and down randomly, slamming into the ceiling. There is a one-second delay between piston strikes, allowing characters to navigate between the madly firing stone pillars,...

A crown of bark and leaves, created for the warrior Princess Lolonyo of the Southern Reaches by the traitorous Prince Idem, her spurned would-be lover. The crown is elegant and masterfully made, easily worth 2000 gp.

It also attracts any hungry animal, size medium or larger, within a 5 mile rad...

Do you or your players get overwhelmed by the Pathfinder character sheet? For some people, the Pathfinder character sheet holds nostalgia for the D&D 3rd Edition days gone by. For others, it's a logical and structured view of a character build. But for some, it's a spreadsheet, and nobody ever accu...

This appears as an ornate square pillow, small enough to be carried in a backpack along with other equipment. It does not seem to radiate magic unless studied extensively, at which time, it's cursed nature may or may not be revealed (GM's option). It is made with silk, and fine threads, and remains...

Three potions on a shelf, each with effects that last until you physically exit the current dungeon.

From left to right:

  1. Shrinks you by one category

  2. Changes your alignment to Chaotic evil

  3. Reduces CON -4

Fortunately, they are clearly labeled.

Unfortunately,...

Upon activation, the floor, walls, and ceiling of a particular stretch of dungeon, or a particular room, begin seeping an impossibly sticky glue. The characters are trapped, unless hovering or flying.

Characters must make Strength or Saving Throws to move, and will require 1d4 of them to clear...

In 2014, probably not on April Fool's day, Frog God Games released the Book of Dirty Tricks, a sort of DMG (Dungeon Master's Guide) addendum containing advice for dungeon masters on how to make a game more challenging.

It's a fairly small book, being only about 78 pages, but it's packed...

Many people think D&D just cannot be played in under 8 or even 4 hours. Yet I've been running one-shot campaigns with friends and at local conventions for the past two years, in about 4 to 2 hours per game. Look, D&D can be laborious if it's always only an epic. Sometimes D&D needs to be episodic,...

The party comes upon a yawning chasm. On either side are rows of very wide and tall pillars reaching up to the shadows of the cavern roof. One of the pillars appears to have fallen over from one side of the cataract to the other, and can now act as a bridge. The pillar is wide enough that crossing...

Less a cursed magic item than an poorly-made one, this appears as a high-backed wooden chair of ornate design. Upon sitting in the chair and speaking a command word (subtly carved into one of the chair's arms; careful investigation will reveal it), this item rises from the floor.

A seated indi...

Icicles hang tenuously from the ceiling. A failed Dexterity save knocks 1d20 icicles loose. They fall to the ground and shatter, creating a frosty mist that refreezes in the nasal passages and lungs, causing 1d6 damage for 1d4 rounds until melted.

The ice particles melt in 3 minutes.

A su...

Often used to protect something, this trap appears as the bust of a large person or god, made entirely of stone. It will radiate magic, if looked for. The bust only shows this figure from the waist up, but it is nonetheless gigantic. Its head is raised to the ceiling or sky, while its hands clenche...

This is either a tool of assassination, or a horrid curse, depending upon how it is used. This item appears as a somewhat battered copper drinking cup. It will radiate magic if tested for. This cup looks somewhat old, but in reality, it is quite ancient, hailing from a time when political intrigu...

A lavish cloak, embroidered with runes and patterns of great, old, and forgotten households of the frozen North.

It is unnaturally comfortable and protective, providing +1 to saves against environmental effects.

However, while in possession of this cloak, a player cannot recall their own na...