Writing Notes & References

shoutout to writers who:

have chronic fatigue or brain fog

have memory issues

experience chronic pain

have focus issues

experience frequent malaise

have anything else that may make it difficult to type, come up with ideas, and/or stay motivated & working

you can do this, you belong here, and you deserve to treat yourself with kindness and care

fantasy characters: “Geez”

me: who the fuck spread Christianity there

the dusky lory……sunset bird????? they literally look like a sunset. absolutely gorgeous

commission for @divinedinosaurs ~ instagram 

last of the animal terrarium series~ I had to take a long break due to being super sick for a while but I’m so glad have to finished the 6 part series~ Thank you all who suggested which animals I should draw :D

File this under “super obvious yet I always seem to forget it.”

Angels and pomegranates

tell me something nice

Lacencu

Something a little different, I tried to make a monster inspired by an art! Here it is!

The illustration below is by one of my favorite artists, Abigail Larson. Enjoy, please!

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Lacencu

Lacencu (la-SEN-koo) combine traits of centaurs, succubi, and lamia, but their origins are murky. Lacencu might be related to all three of these species, or none. To date, investigations have proved inconclusive; it doesn’t seem like the lacencu remember their ancestors well, nor do they care. Rumors abound, but their most popular origin story involves a tribe of centaurs trapped underground, never to see the sun again. Ill-suited to the endless caves, these centaurs made pacts with various eldritch powers for survival. Over time, fiendish influence and the Underdark’s unusual conditions molded the centaurs into lacencu, charming but paranoid masters of enchantment.

Observers are shocked at the lacencu’s agility; their ponderous centaur-like physiology doesn’t look suited to climbing or flying, yet the lacencu do both with elegance. The lacencu seem to dance about the rocks, switching between hopping like mountain goats, climbing with their arms, clawed wings, and prehensile tails, and flapping short distances with fluid ease.

The lacencu are typically friendly, and they love to hear stories of the surface world. But the lacencu know their numbers are small compared to other Underdark races; lending some credence to the “lost centaurs” theory, they fear extinction, and know danger lurks around every corner in the Underdark. So the moment a visitor displays any violent, duplicitous, or otherwise untoward behavior, the lacencu employ their innate magic to turn these visitors away, back into the darkness of the underground. If magic manipulation fails, or if the lacencu fear this enemy will come back with a vengeance, they’ll take up arms as a tribe and slay the interloper.

Despite their embedded fear of extinction, most sentient residents of the Underdark have no quarrel with the lacencu – except the drow. Lancencu raid drow outposts and city outskirts for supplies, artifacts, weapons, and fashions. The lacencu pick on the drow partly out of necessity; out of all their Underdark neighbors, drow are the closest in body type (from the waist up) compared to the stout duergar, the diminutive svirfneblin, or hulking quaggoths. Most items made with drow in mind, the lacencu can use too.

Lacencu

Large monstrosity (sapient), typically neutral good

Armor Class 13

Hit Points 78 (12d10 + 12)

Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft., fly 50 ft.

STR 14(+2) DEX 16(+3) CON 13(+1) INT 15(+2) WIS 16(+3) CHA 17(+3)

Saving Throws WIS +5, CHA +5

Skills Acrobatics +5, Athletics +4, Nature +4, Insight +5, Perception +5, Survival +5, Persuasion +5

Damage Resistances psychic

Senses Alignment Sense, Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 15

Languages Infernal, Sylvan, telepathy 100 ft. (only works with other lacencu), Undercommon

Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)

Proficiency Bonus +2

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Innate Spellcasting. The lacencu’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no components.

At will: detect magic, detect thoughts

3/day each: scrying, suggestion

1/day each: geas, sleep

Flyby. The lacencu doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks when it flies out of an enemy’s reach.

Actions

Multiattack. The lacencu can make multiple attacks: either 1 each with hooves and spear, or 1 hooves and 2 wings.

Clawed Wings. Melee Attack: +5 to hit, reach 10 ft., 1 target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage.

Hooves. Melee Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., 1 target. Hit: 11 (2d8 + 2) bludgeoning damage. Lacencu can also attack backwards with their hooves by bucking.

Poisoned Spear. Melee or Ranged Attack: +5 to hit, reach 10 ft., thrown 20/60 ft., 1 target. Hit: 8 (1d10 + 3) piercing damage plus 6 (2d6) poison damage.

Charm. One humanoid the lacencu can see within 30 feet of it must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be magically charmed for 1 day. The charmed target obeys the lacencu’s verbal or telepathic commands. If the target suffers any harm or receives a suicidal command, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on a success. If the target successfully saves against the effect, or if the effect on it ends, the target is immune to this particular lacencu’s Charm for the next 24 hours.

The lacencu can have only one target charmed at a time. If it charms another, the effect on the previous target ends.

Bonus Actions

Aura Reading. Detect magic and detect thoughts are bonus actions for lacencu.

~

DESIGN NOTES

Yes, I came up with the name by remixing the syllables of centaur, succubus, and lamia.

Took me way too long to realize I should give these folks darkvision and a climbing speed, since they live in the Underdark, and there’s stuff in the flavor text about how they climb good.

Classifications of Magic Users

I thought I’d share with you my own system of magic and how to classify how powerful a witch is. Fair warning there’s 12 I use so this will be long

For starters Witch is the umbrella term. If you use magic you’re a witch or thaumaturge if you prefer a term without a specific gender.

1) Magicians: Magic of the spells. The lowest rank of witch and most common. Magicians can only ever really master one spell. There exists one magician for every spell in existence. It may seem kinda sad but every magician can always perform their spell perfectly and successfully. Always. In a direct comparison no other witch will ever be able to cast the same spell as flawlessly as the magician who’s mastered it.

2) Mages: Magic of the elements. These witches can only ever master one type of magic. Be it fire magic, mental magic, cleaning magic, etc. like magicians they are also the most skilled at the magic they specialize in. Different from magicians in the sense that there are more than one mage who masters a type of magic.

3) Alchemists/Witch Doctors: Magic of objects. studious witches who specialize in potion making, magical item crafting and charm making. They create the magical artifacts that all kinds of witches can use...for a price. Any craft made by an alchemist, or potion brewed is guaranteed to work. They invented brooms, wands, charms, etc. Some prefer the term witch doctor.

4) Wizards: Magic of space. Wizards deal with magic from other worlds, be it the realms of the gods, the faerie realm, or something else entirely. They draw their power from the secret places of the secret worlds and pluck power from between the stars. Their secrets are guarded zealously and due to their unearthly magic it is quite difficult to overcome.

5) Warlocks: Magic of the dark. Warlocks know all the dark magics and are particularly gifted at curses, jinxes, hexes, and all manner or malevolent magic. Unsurprisingly they are often sought out for wars or as soldiers or for revenge. Their dark magic is the best. Their power level is equal to Wizard ranking witches

6) Sorcerers: Magic of the mind. this rank is often looked to for guidance and wisdom. Sorcerers and sorceresses posses great psychic power. Often having multiple extra sensory abilities. The most powerful among them can know the future, hear thoughts, sense emotions, know the past and astral project. It is extremely difficult to surprise a sorcerer/ess or keep news from them.

7) Shamans/druids: Magic of the people. one of the most respected and revered rank of witch. A shaman or druid is deeply connected to the magic of their culture and environment. Similar to sorcerers and wizards there is little these witches do not know about their people and the power that fuels them. It is whispered they can directly commune with the deities that watch over their people and that they can even make contact with the spirits of ancestors, former leaders, and the spirits of nature. They have particularly strong connections with local animals.

8) Soothsayers: Magic of the voice. All soothsayers cast spells or work magic vocally. They are particularly feared since they are not bound to strict incantation rules. Some say that whatever a soothsayer says is bound to happen. Be it a prediction, a command or even an alteration in reality. Incidently no two soothsayers cast spells the same, one might rhyme, anither sing, and a third uses another language. (Like backwards speech for example ;).

9) Sages: Magic through science. Sages are perhaps the most crucial rank to witchcraft. Sages and scientists and inventors. Because of their genius they are slways advancing magic and creating new spells, formulas, potion ingredients, blueprints, etc. They are also one of three ranks able to perform magic of every kind. Without them magic would stop progressing.

10) Shades: Magic through chaos. Shades have the ability to command dark magic energy itself. The very fabric of curses and hexes they weave and cut like greecian fates. Dark magic bows to their whim.

11) Enchanters/esses: Magic through craft. Enchanters And Enchantresses are considered to be the most versatile witches. They control pure magic energy. The very essense of witchcraft. They dont adhere to any of the laws of magic because magic adheres to them. They make their own laws.

12) Necromancers: Magic in life: Necromancers are the most powerful of all witches. The rarest rank of all. Elusive and mysterious these witches have mastered the powers over life and death. Toying with the balance as thet see fit. Strong potential for destruction or salvation. It is rumored they are immortal and that there is never more than 7 on earth at a time. Some say they’re gods, others claim they are cursed by the gods.

(Zee is a soothsayer, John is an alchemist or maybe wizard, swamp thing is a shaman, Boston and Black Orchid or Mages, Xanadu is a sorceress, Circe is an enchantress, June Moone and Klarion are Shades in my opinion lol but i consider this system separate from the dc canon)