(Amazing dragon art by Allie Briggs)

Together we march on, through fields of eternally burning fungi! To peaceful gardens planted amidst the star! To delve deep into caverns of gems as black as void and as vibrant as a rainbow! We walk side by side drawn together by curiosity, bonded by hope, and inspired by pure wanderlust. Together let’s walk forward towards new Horizons!

Today we discuss Horizons Magazine by Wildmage Press

Horizons Magazine is Wildmage Press’s incredible TTRPG magazine that brings together incredible designers, artists, and a delightful enthusiasm for the TTRPG community as a whole. They have already proven to know their audience well given the articles they keep posting. Hi, it’s me and people like me. Seriously it’s like they decided to say ‘Hey Cozy, what are your favorite things in TTRPGs so we can give you more content for your games?’. Amber Litke and Sadie Lowrie have opened ancient grimoires to conjure up new and exciting magics and recruited brought some experts in them to teach us their secrets. How can you say no to learning a few new spells? Though… maybe I’ll take a pass on some of these personally. Nethermancy in particular sounds kind of scary and I don’t think I’m prepared to receive forbidden knowledge. But that’s not all! Do you like stars? Do you like DRAGONS? Of course you like dragons, you’re here reading my blog aren’t you? Well what can be better than having stars and dragons at once? Yaknow, things like the ASTRAL DRAGONS that Imogen Gingell introduced us to. Fun fact, the Watchful Eye dragons are great baking assistants. They can tell you the bake time down to a hundredth of a second! And okay okay if that wasn’t enough for you Willy Abeel takes us on a trip to a city floating amidst the clouds?! Do I need to say more? I don’t think so.

Okay and I know what you are thinking right now. You are thinking how could I forget to mention Avenging Heart by Brandes Stoddard? You love cool swords and lore Cozy! Shh you are right I do and I’m getting there. But first I wanted to call out another thing I love about Horizons. While the majority of each issue is articles for 5^th Edition D&D, they always reserve a spot for an article for another TTRPG system. Why is that so cool? Because I want to hear about other TTRPGs! And see content for them as well. There are so many incredible creators out there and not all of them are working on Dungeons and Dragons content. I want to hear about what people are making for Fabula Ultima, or Kids on Bikes, or Blood on the Clocktower, and more. I want to fall in love with these other systems through the passion they put into their work. So I absolutely respect and admire Wildmage Press for making sure they get to be seen as well and I hope I can help bring some attention to them as well. After all, we are all in this community together, so let’s build each other up!

Okay now back to swords. Well I guess not just swords. Swords, lore, magic, drama, all of those cool things. Avenging Heart is an incredible article about restoring a powerful artifact complete with a quick history of the weapon, story beats to use in your game, and a whole bunch of variants of the weapon to use depending on choices your players make. I absolutely adore being able to watch an item you carry with you grow and evolve and change based on the story decisions your character has made. And reading this article reminded me of another idea I love. Instead of just finding ancient relics of power, what if your character was Othlorin. Your character being the one who started the legend of the item. So let’s do it! In honor of the time honored tradition of Magic Item Monday let’s create some magic items! Pick your favorite character you’ve played in any TTRPG and make a legendary artifact that could have accompanied them. Some things to consider:

• Why is this the item that has come to represent them? What significance does it have to your character or your character’s legend? For example, a character known for their destructive might whom no wall or armor could stand against may carry a cracked shield that carries a piece of every notable defense they shattered. It offers them no protection but instead weakens the defenses of those they fight.
• What caused the item to be empowered? Was it intentional? Or was it incidental? Such as the day a knight fell and felt all of their power drain into their weapon. Now that weapon is the last flicker of the holy power they once held and may be the key to returning them to the path of light.
• Does what the item can do match what the character can do? Such as necromancer and a life draining staff. Does it complement them? Such as a reckless warrior wearing a sentient helm that offers them tactical advice during a fight. Or does it oppose what they are known for? Such as a tyrant with a scepter that can free others from physical bonds or magical deals.

And if you like collaborative projects more, grab a friend and design an item for one of their characters and have them design one for yours! Sounds like a fun Friday night to me. I’m at the edge of my seat with excitement about what you all will come up with! Oh and share it with the fantastic folks at Wildmage as well, I’m sure they’d be positively delighted and inspired by your creations. Until next time.

Onwards to adventure!

• CozyPandaDragon