Mail Call Friday: Kibifig minis

 Rare Mail Call on a Friday since I normally do these on Tuesday. But Tuesday has become the day I report on my weekend game, so this works fine. Plus, what I have today is about my weekend games. 

I love new tech. If there is something I can do now that I couldn't do before, then I am interested. Current 3D printing is in that realm. We have a few 3D printers thanks to my youngest's major in engineering, and I take advantage of them every chance I get.  The new spate of image to 3D print has also caught my imagination. I have been playing around with many of them, they typically have similar offerings; upload a photo, pick a style, choose a size. There is typcially a preview, but I often don't trust those. But one, Kibifig, seemed a little better than the rest. Not so much with price, they are all very similar there, but in terms of features. Given I was working on my NIGHT SHIFT and Wasted Lands games while going through these, I uploaded some images of my witch, Larina. Well I got them in the mail late last night and frankly I am thrilled with the results.

Jackson, IL, Larina and Ash Witch Larina

That picture really doesn't do them justice. These are the 70-mm versions. I am certain that the 90- or 120-mm versions would be much better. In fact, they don't really recommend the 70mm, but I wanted to try it first.

It was pretty simple. Upload the photos and click through. It took about 3 weeks to get here from China, which, honestly, given everything, is pretty fast. 

The minis were packed amazingly well. 

The minis themselves are quite good and made of stronger material than I have seen in the past.

They also compare very nicely to their 2D images.

These are just 2D images. Thankfully, there was enough for the AI to work with, and it filled out the rest. 

The backpack looks good, and so does the Ash Witch's cape. 

They came with plastic disc stands, but they stand pretty well on their own. 

I did a preview of the 120 mm version of Jackson, IL, Larina, and it looks great, really. The AI even gave her Doc Marten's purple boot laces. I might have to get it just for that.

It missed some details, like the Ash Witch's streaks of gray hair and the dirt on her legs. But otherwise these are rather perfect in my mind and I am pleased with them. I mean, even "Spells" is clearly legible on Jackson Larina's schoolbooks, if the pentagram is a bit small. 

So yeah, I am happy with these. 

I threw the cover for my Advanced Witches & Warlocks and this is what it came up with. 

I might have to get that one.

The Witches of Appendix N: Margaret St. Clair

After the previous Witches of Appendix N did not yield any authentic witches, I decided to move ahead to two entries I already know offer substantial material. The first of these is Margaret St. Clair. I am going to go a bit deeper on this one than I have with other authors.

Margaret St. Clair (1911-1995) is one of only three women writers included in Appendix N, alongside Leigh Brackett and Andre Norton. Despite her relative obscurity, even among dedicated fans, her influence permeates the foundations of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, particularly in dungeon design and the portrayal of the underground as a mythic and ominous otherworld. Notably, she introduced the term "Underearth," which served as a precursor to what would later be known as the "Underdark" and, arguably, the "Shadow Dark."

Among the lesser-remembered names in Gary Gygax's Appendix N, Margaret St. Clair stands out as a particular interest of mine. Although she is not discussed with the same reverence as Howard, Tolkien, or Lovecraft, her works have made a significant and enduring impact on Dungeons & Dragons and, at least my, conceptualization on fantasy witches.

I will examine the two works by St. Clair referenced in Appendix N.

The Shadow People (1969)

The Shadow People is distinctly a product of 1969 Berkeley, California, authored by one of the prominent women in science fiction at the time. Today, it would be classified as an urban horror-fantasy novel, though it was then considered part of the "counter-culture."

Set in late-1960s Berkeley, the novel follows a young man whose girlfriend is abducted not by a human, but by the Earth itself. Beneath the surface exists the Underearth, a hidden realm isolated from the ordinary world, where ancient beings have survived on a hallucinogenic grain. These beings, reminiscent of ergot's historical associations, have now developed a preference for human flesh. The protagonist ventures into this subterranean world to rescue her, encountering phenomena that challenge his perception of reality. The narrative unfolds as a continuous psychedelic experience, with the protagonist's journey into and out of the Underearth persistently destabilizing any sense of reality.

Despite its horrors, the Underearth exerts a compelling attraction, drawing individuals in and seldom allowing them to escape. The forces of good achieve only a partial and ambiguous victory, as the surface world has itself devolved into a dystopian surveillance society.

Why It's on Appendix N

The influence on Dungeons & Dragons is both significant and highly specific. The Shadow People introduces the "Underearth," a clear precursor to the Underdark. Its subterranean inhabitants are referred to as "elves," and the narrative also features "orcs" and "ettins." The novel presents an addictive hallucinogenic food called "atter-corn," a corrupted fungal grain that maintains the Underearth's residents in a perpetual dream state, reflecting the folkloric caution against consuming food in the faerie realm. St. Clair even cites Robert Kirk's 17th-century work, The Secret Commonwealth, a treatise on faeries, within the novel.

Readers familiar with early Dungeons & Dragons modules will recognize these parallels. The inhabitants of the Underearth, who exist in a perpetual haze due to hallucinogenic cornmeal, anticipate the Cynideceans of module B4: The Lost City, who experience a similar dreamlike state induced by a comparable substance. The novel's depiction of a prolonged descent into the Underearth appears to have influenced adventures such as D1-2: Descent into the Depths of the Earth. Additionally, the inclusion of an intelligent blade, the "word of Merlin," serves as an early example of sentient swords in Dungeons & Dragons.

The Shadow People contributed to the conceptualization of both the drow and the duergar, as well as to Dungeons & Dragons' enduring fascination with expansive underground labyrinths. Gygax maintained a strong interest in eerie fairy realms, and The Shadow People provided a notably distinctive portrayal of dark elves.

The narrative also evokes Richard Shaver's "I Remember Lemuria" and his depiction of the Deros. Given that St. Clair published in Amazing Stories, she was likely familiar with Shaver's work. There is a discernible lineage from Shaver to St. Clair to Gygax (well, and Shaver directly to Gygax, too).

St. Clair's Underearth closely resembles early European conceptions of fairy mounds as portals to the underworld, where faeries, ancient deities, and the spirits of the dead coexist. This represents a unique synthesis of European paganism as interpreted by later Christian communities, forming the same cultural foundation that inspired notions of Wicca, witches, and witchcraft.

Sign of the Labrys (1963)

This is a book I have sought after for a considerable time, and I was finally able to obtain a copy through inter-library loan.

Set in the aftermath of a global pandemic that has decimated the population, Sign of the Labrys centers on Sam Sewell, a survivor residing in an extensive subterranean shelter complex. Government agents suspect that Sam is living with Despoina, a woman believed to be involved in germ warfare, and they pressure him to locate her. Sam is compelled to descend through multiple levels of the shelter, uncovering a concealed world of witchcraft and secret rituals. This narrative structure evokes not only Campbell's Hero's Journey, but also the descents of Ishtar and Inanna into the underworld, as well as the Wiccan initiation rite.

As Sam progresses through the shelter, women enter and exit the narrative, consistently demonstrating greater awareness than he possesses. St. Clair intentionally subverts the conventional pulp narrative: Sam is not a proactive hero, but rather is portrayed as naive and reliant on others to discern his purpose. The women scientists he encounters, along with Despoina, are the true agents of understanding and resolution. Over time, Sam comes to recognize that his journey parallels a Wiccan initiation ritual.

Beneath the remnants of the old world exists evidence of an even more ancient one: a concealed realm that safeguards the pagan traditions of Wicca, purportedly tracing back to the Minoan mosaic chambers. As Sam searches for Despoina, the high priestess, he gradually rediscovers his own forgotten Wiccan identity, which ultimately becomes vital to humanity's renewal.

Thus, according to the novel, witches are essential for humanity's salvation. This theme is presented with considerable directness.

Why It's in Appendix N

Sign of the Labrys likely influenced Dungeons & Dragons through its depiction of underground, multi-level dungeon complexes. The shelter's successive levels, each increasingly strange and perilous, closely parallel the structure of the classic dungeon crawl. Role-playing game enthusiasts will recognize this as a precursor to Castle Greyhawk and its intricate, multi-level design interconnected by secret passages.

Witches and Witchcraft

This aspect is where Sign of the Labrys becomes particularly noteworthy. St. Clair stated that the novel was primarily inspired by Gerald Gardner's books on witchcraft, and her research led to a friendship with Raymond Buckland. St. Clair and her husband were initiated into Wicca three years after the novel's publication, at which point she adopted the Wiccan (craft) name Froniga.

Sign of the Labrys functions almost as an endorsement of Wicca. In the novel, Wicca is depicted not merely as a neopagan religion but as a source of genuine magical abilities. The narrative is replete with traditional pagan elements, such as athames and the use of "Blessed Be" as a greeting, and St. Clair incorporated ceremonial details from Gerald Gardner. Practitioners of Wicca in the novel possess various supernatural abilities, including clairvoyance and invisibility.

What distinguishes this novel for its time is the extent to which it portrays witchcraft as a means of survival. With civilization devastated by plague and the rational, bureaucratic order rendered obsolete, the Wiccans' underground community preserves knowledge, social cohesion, and a path forward. St. Clair's publication of Sign of the Labrys in 1963 predates the formal introduction of Gardnerian Wicca in North America, granting the novel considerable historical significance in the evolution of American Paganism.

Considered together, these two novels illustrate St. Clair's significance to Gygax. In both works, the underground serves as more than a backdrop; it possesses metaphysical significance, being perilous, alluring, transformative, and older than civilization itself. The subterranean realm is associated with secret knowledge, fairy traditions, and witchcraft. In both narratives, as in Campbell's Hero's Journey, the protagonist descends into these realms and emerges fundamentally changed.

Furthermore, the figure of the witch, whether explicitly named in Sign of the Labrys or implied in The Shadow People, occupies a central role in both narratives.

How does this relate to Dungeons & Dragons? The influence is evident in the concept of the dungeon as a series of increasingly strange levels, where deeper exploration leads to a breakdown of reality. Less apparent, but still significant, is the theme that magic—and witchcraft in particular—originates from an ancient, primal stratum of existence largely forgotten by the surface world. This provides a compelling lineage for the D&D witch.

This observation raises an important question: given the significance of Sign of the Labrys within Appendix N, as it is explicitly listed, why does Dungeons & Dragons lack a dedicated witch class?

--

One of the things that makes Margaret St. Clair so important here is not just that she writes about witchcraft, but that she grants it authority, and that authority is unmistakably female. In Sign of the Labrys, the women are not standing at the edges of the story waiting to be rescued, explained, or possessed. They are the ones who understand what is really happening. They preserve the rites, hold the knowledge, and carry forward the spiritual framework that survives when the modern world fails. Sam may move through the story as the reader's, but he is not its true center of wisdom. That belongs to the women, and especially to Despoina.

That is no small thing. In a great deal of fantasy and science fiction from the period, power still tends to flow through familiar channels: male adventurers, male scholars, male priests, male rulers. Women may be mysterious, alluring, or dangerous, but they are rarely allowed to be the custodians of the deeper truths of the world. St. Clair breaks from that pattern. Her women are not merely magical in a decorative sense. They are the ones who keep the old knowledge alive. They remember what the surface world has forgotten. They do not just practice ritual; they embody continuity.

This is where the witchcraft in St. Clair becomes more than color or atmosphere. It is not a handful of spooky props scattered across the page. It is a living structure of meaning, memory, and survival. In Sign of the Labrys, witchcraft is what endures when bureaucracy, technology, and the rational systems of the old order have all proven fragile. The world above may imagine itself modern, organized, and superior. However, the hidden, female-centered religious tradition below still knows how to make sense of catastrophe and guide renewal. That is a radical move, and a powerful one.

For a series like Witches of Appendix N, that matters enormously. St. Clair is not simply one of the few women on GygGygax's list; she is one of the few writers on the list who imagines feminine spiritual power as foundational rather than secondary. Her witches are not side characters in someone else's heroic narrative. They are the keepers of the flame while the rest of the world stumbles in the dark. If we want to talk seriously about witches in the imaginative roots of D&D, that is not a minor detail. It is one of the central things worth recovering.

While the multi-tiered "dungeons" and underground ecosystems certainly were vital to the early days of D&D, it feels odd that these were the only things kept from St. Clair's works. There was so much more here that could have also been used. Rather than speculate as to why, I'll just take the material that Gygax etal discarded for my own works.

Witchcraft Wednesdays: Spellbound (2025)

 Last month, I mentioned that I got my copy of Spellbound (2025) in the mail from author Thomas Negovan. It is a treasure trove of commentary and images of all sorts of fantastic vintage paperbacks about witches and witchcraft. From fictional accounts of witches and black magic, to how-to and self-help guides, to the growing fascination with witches and the occult throughout the 1960s and 1970s. 

The book is rather fantastic, to be honest, and filled with some great memories.

The book is 7.5" x 10", so a bit smaller than letter size, but it has the feel of a larger "coffee table" book. The photos are fantastic, and it was a joy to see so many I remembered.

The binding is good, and you all know I am a sucker for a book with a ribbon bookmark. The pages are edge-painted purple. This would seem to clash with the red cover, but honestly, it doesn't. It adds to the weird vibe the entire book is going for, and it works well for me. 

We begin with a brief prelude about the Bibliomancers concept. It explains that this special hardcover edition is an expansion on the original 2023 softcover edition by Astraleyes (more on who that is later). Thomas Negovan expanded on the original copy to give us the collection of 1960s and 1970s occult ephemera. 

The Foreword is by occult book collector Astraleyes, who came up with Bibliomancers and the first edition of this book. The picture of Astraleyes and his books is also a nice stroll down the book aisles of my memories. 

The Introduction by Thomas Negovan hits me where I live. "As far back as I can remember, used book stores were my chosen houses of worship." Feels like something I would have said myself. He name-drops Man, Myth & Magic series, and more. Sounds like he was visiting my home library/office/game room. 

Negovan goes on to discuss how the growing interest in witches, witchcraft, and the occult got started in the 1960s and 1970s. A time I have called the 70s Occult Revival here in these pages. He ties it a little closer to the 1960s sexual revolution than I have, and he is spot on, really.  The role of witchcraft and feminism was always linked, either by its proponents and detractors, in ways that can't really be ignored. See my own Aiséiligh Witchcraft Tradition for how I touched on the same topic. Negovan does an excellent job, in both words and stunning photos, of setting the stage for why witches and witchcraft found such an open welcome in the city and suburban lives of many modern women. Not just witches, but also Wicca and witchcraft as a practice. 

All the while mainstream society was pushing against all of this, the market for witches and witchcraft had never been stronger. This book is a testament to that explosive growth. 

Negovan goes deeper, naturally, than I have here but covers familiar ground. He is explicit about the four distinct categories emerging from this era. The Wiccan traditions of Gerald Gardner and his adherents, such as Raymond Buckland. The later Alexandrian Tradition (which I often lump together here despite their many and manifest differences), the Sybil Leek/Horoscope boom (which I often call "Left Over Hippie Shit"), and the most dominant, Witchcraft as Aesthetic. Not just wicca guides or other self-help books popular at the time, but being a witch because it was cool.  Those were the woman my young brain imprinted on as wonderful, powerful, and sexy. These were all aided by the boom in cheap paperbacks that became ubiquitous in bookstores, grocery stores, and just about everywhere. I am still astonished to this day by how much these treasures in my own collection originally cost compared to what I would later happily pay for them.  The spread on pages 24-25, 26-27 is like unlocking a core memory of the first time I ever walked into a college bookstore at age 10. I was overwhelmed. I was ecstatic. It was akin to walking into a holy sanctum. And one thing is very, very clear. Thomas Negovan feels exactly the same way.

Negovan begins to leave the discussion of the zeitgeist behind to focus on the books themselves, plotting a course from the rise of pamphlets at the start of the 20th century onto the rise of Wicca in the early 1950s and on. It was not something that happened overnight, even if the boom of the 1960s and 1970s felt that way. We are treated to several different covers of Gardner's "Witchcraft Today," which fairly depict how society viewed witches and witchcraft at the time of each publication. We move to what I have always considered the tipping point of this phenomenon, Stewart Farrar's 1971 "What Witches Do" and Raymond Buckland's 1970 "Ancient & Modern Witchcraft."

The book moves on to give some of the wonderful paperback covers, and, where possible, renditions of the original cover art sans titles. 

Many of these titles should be familiar to readers of this blog. More are familiar to me from my own collections. 

The number of titles published between 1968 and 1972 alone was staggering. All of this while the background noise was Vietnam and Richard Nixon.

And the art. To say I imprinted hard on many of these covers doesn't take a Ph.D. in psychology. I flip through these pages, and I see Marissia looking back at me. I see Rhiannon, Esmé, Aeronwy, and Eria. And in the covers of "What Witches Do" and "Anita," I saw the first glimpses of Larina. 

To many readers, this is a glimpse of witchcraft's past. For me? It is a yearbook filled with photos of old girlfriends and lost loves. 

Even some of the Witches of Appendix N appear here. As with Fritz Leiber's "Conjure Wife." Indeed, with the aid of this book, I could expand my own "Appendix O."

And it fits so nicely with many of my other witch-related hardcovers.

It is hard for me to tell if this is a book for the casual reader. This book deeply resonates with so many of my own memories; it is difficult for me to detach myself from my "nostalgia gogles" (as my oldest says) or even bits of deeply ingrained memory. How can I objectively review something like this?

Obviously, I can't. Nor even do I want to try.

I am going to say that this book is extraordinary. Thomas Negovan certainly thinks so. The care, attention, and love he put into it are obvious from the first few pages.

Seeing a book like this get made is one of the best reasons for a Kickstarter. 

I see he has another Kickstarter for the third volume in this trilogy (this was the second!), Binding the Devil. 

While I am sure there might some duplication, I have books in my library that would fit that did not find their way into Spellbound.  So yes, this one should give me as much joy. Check out some of his previous 88 Kickstarters; the guy has good taste. You can pledge this new book and add on Spell Bound for another $79. 

You can also get your own copy directly from their store. While I think the limited-edition Art Nouveau version is fantastic (and, as an aside, Negovan really seems to know his Art Nouveau), the red cover I have with the model from "How to Become a Sensuous Witch" is the one that really called out to me. 

Negovan chose this cover well as one of the best examples of "Witchcraft as Aesthetic".  Why? "How to Become a Sensuous Witch" is not a guide on witchcraft, or a lurid witch tale, or even a primer on sex magic. It is a cookbook.

Monstrous Mondays: Blink Bunny (and Summon Blink Bunny)

 It is Easter Monday, or post Ostara if you prefer. So I figure I'll update one of my favorite silly monsters, the "Blink Bunny." I just love the idea of rabbits that pop in and out of reality and teleport everywhere.  

Blink Bunny

Frequency: Rare
No. Appearing: 1-4
Armor Class: 7
Move: 18"
Hit Dice: 1-1
% in Lair: 0%
Treasure Type: None
No. of Attacks: 1
Damage/Attack: 1-2
Special Attacks: Nil
Special Defenses: Blink
Magic Resistance: Standard
Intelligence: Low
Alignment: Neutral
Size: S
Psionic Ability: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
Level/X.P. Value: I / 14 + 1 per hit point

Blink bunnies are small faerie rabbits, most often white in color, though grey, brown, and black specimens are also known. They are favored by witches, warlocks, and magic-users as messengers, and are sometimes mistaken for unusual familiars. In truth, they are not familiars, but rather a peculiar sort of minor faerie creature possessed of an innate power of magical transit.

A blink bunny can remember and carry a spoken message of up to twelve words. When sent to a place it has previously visited, it may transport itself there instantly. If the destination is well known to the creature, this transit is exact. If the place is only imperfectly remembered, the Dungeon Master may use the same probabilities of error as given for the teleport spell. A blink bunny can never travel to a place it has not visited before.

These creatures are timid and avoid combat whenever possible. If attacked or threatened, a blink bunny will almost always flee by means of its blink ability. Though not brave, they are clever enough to recognize the intended recipient of a message and to wait until that person is present before delivering it.

Blink bunnies expect food upon arrival, usually greens, roots, berries, or similar fare. A blink bunny treated kindly will often bear a return message, but one that is ignored, mistreated, or left unfed will depart at once.

Blink: Once per round, in lieu of normal movement, a blink bunny may teleport up to 24". This movement is instantaneous and does not require a path free of obstruction, though the destination must be an open space large enough to contain the creature. Blink bunnies do not attack in the same round that they blink.

Summon Blink (Messenger) Bunny

(Conjuration/Summoning)

Level: Magic-user 2, Witch 1
Range: Special
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Special
Casting Time: 3 segments
Area of Effect: One creature
Saving Throw: None

This spell summons a Blink Bunny, a type of faerie creature that looks like a small white rabbit.  The rabbit can be given a small message, no more than 12 words, and then sent to someone the caster knows.  If the location is well known to the caster, then the teleportation is done without error.   If the location is unknown, then the caster uses the same table for the magic-user spell teleport.

If the caster has an object belonging to the place the bunny is to visit or something from the person the bunny needs to communicate the message to, then the teleport is improved by one step of familiarity.

The blink bunny faithfully delivers the message and, if properly received and fed, may carry a reply of up to twelve words back to the caster. It cannot be forced to fight, scout, carry burdens, or perform any tasks other than message delivery. A bunny that is not fed might refuse to the next time the caster uses the spell. 

Material Components: A bit of lettuce, a dandelion leaf, and a tuft of rabbit fur.

Tales of Jackson, IL: For Whom the Bell Tolls

 It's April and I want to kick off a semi-regular feature on my Jackson, IL game for the NIGHT SHIFT^® RPG.

I want to talk about the characters and the adventures from my "Tales of Jackson, IL" game.

The NIGHT SHIFT^® Character Keeper!
The MUST-HAVE school supply for the 1986-87 school year!

For Whom the Bell Tolls

This first adventure, For Whom the Bell Tolls (all adventures will be named for songs from the 1980s) begins over the Fall of 1985. The large school bell, which hasn't worked since 1935, begins to ring. The problem is that only people and creatures of supernatural backgrounds could hear it. So PCs and some NPCs do. So do all the monsters in the nearby area, and they are all coming to Jackson. If that sounds uncomfortably like a "diner bell," then you would be right.

The antagonist of this adventure is/was "The Bell Ringer." His job is to announce the arrival of an even bigger bad guy later on. I have not hinted this yet, but this Big Bad is known as The Hollow King. He was pretty easy to deal with once found, but he had already done his damage.

I'll detail some of the player characters in future posts. One of the characters that was here for this adventure did not make it to later ones. No character death, just new characters. But I wanted to make this so that characters can come and go as needed. 

For levers, this is a Cinematic game, with Cinematic violence and healing. 

Look, I am wearing my influences here on my sleeve. This is Stranger Things meets Charmed meets Buffy meets Supernatural meets The Craft. But also a little bit of Dark, since I do pick up these characters many years later. 

Welcome to Jackson, IL!

The Cheerleader, The Outsider, and The New Girl

Jackson, Illinois, seems like the kind of town that blends in with a hundred others in the mid-west, at least until night falls. On the surface, it is all Friday night football, crowded school hallways, two local colleges that give the town just enough polish to feel more important than it is, and grown-ups going through the motions as if nothing is wrong. 

It is the 1980s in full neon color, with mixtapes, faded denim, old trucks, pay phones, greasy diners open too late, and gossip that never stays quiet for long. But under the steady pulse of small-town life, something far older and far stranger is waking up. Forces beyond understanding are creeping into the edges of everyday life, and the kids of Jackson are about to learn that coming of age can be just as frightening as anything lurking in the dark.

At the center of the story is a close-knit group of friends and families: outsiders, golden boys, first loves, brainy overachievers, and kids who have already seen too much. Each of them carries private wounds and hidden truths into the shadows. Some have never left Jackson. Some have only just arrived. Some already know that the town is not what it pretends to be. Together, they become the emotional core of the campaign, a web of teenagers and adults bound together by fear, loyalty, and survival in one deeply haunted American town at the tail end of the Reagan years.

What I want to do with this series, at least, is present some of the games we have played and the NPCs. The NPCs were where I started here because I wanted these halls to feel like they were filled with people, not archetypes like "The Jock." "The Wierd Girl," "The Cheerleader." I wanted them to have names and motivations. So I started building them based on characters I have posted here before, which gave me instant personalities and buy-in. But not every character I have is a good fit. Grýlka and Doireann, for example, are a lot of fun, but to fit them into this game, I'd have to take so many liberties with the characters that I might as well have started from scratch. So I used mine, and since I had a pack of Pathfinder minis sitting on my desk here, I started adding them as well. 

I also very specifically did not want to do a modern version of West Haven. West Haven does appear in the NIGHT SHIFT^® rules, but that is the future (or rather the present day). I wanted something smaller. Plus, I already have a NIGHT SHIFT^® version of West Haven going with Elowen. But that is not an ongoing game at the moment.    

I have teased some characters, but again, I want this place to feel alive. I think I owe that to the players. 

The Witches

I knew from the start I wanted three witches who look like they come from three different walks of life. I knew Larina was going to be one of them; in fact, I wanted to use the date I first created her, July 1986, as the time when this game starts. But I needed at least one summer break, so I pushed it back to 1985. Why are you so specific about the dates? One big reason. Music. Music was a big deal in your 1980s high school. So I wanted to build authentic playlists.

• 1985
• 1986
• Tales from Jackson, IL (Campaign playlist)

Of course, with three witches, they all can't be "the weird one," so I split that up a bit. Since Pathfinder was at hand, I adopted Feiya and Seoni as Faye and Stephanie, respectively. 

Everyone starts out at 1st level, but the girls here are just a notch higher in case they need to rescue anyone.

Larina "Nix" Nichols

2nd-level Witch, Human

Strength: 9 (0)
Agility: 10 (0) 
Toughness: 11 (0)
*Intelligence: 18 (+3) P
Wits: 17 (+2) s
Persona: 17 (+2) s

Vit: 3 (1d6)
DV: 9
Fate Points: 1d6

Check Bonus (P/S/T): +2/+1/+0
Melee bonus: +0  Ranged bonus: +0
Saves: +3 to spells and magical effects

Special Abilities: Arcana, Casting 60%, Enhanced Senses, Arcane Bond (Steph and Faye)

Skills: Research (Int)

Languages: English, Latin, German, Greek

Spells
1: Magic Missile
2: Continual Flame

This is not witch queen Larina, or even really powerful Larina. This is "new girl in town" Larina. Normally, she is the "weird one," but here I am opting to make her "the smart one." She is the one with the research books and systematized knowledge. So if the PCs need help they can go to her.

Hair: Red
Eyes: Blue

Archetype: The New Girl
Quote: "I am sure I just read that somewhere..."
Quirks: Right-handed, wears her watch on her right hand.
Theme song: "Night Bird" - Stevie Nicks

Family: Her father, Lars Nichols, is a professor at MacAlister College. Mother died 18 months ago.

Faye Thorne

2nd-level Witch, Human

Strength: 10 (0)
Agility: 12 (0) 
Toughness: 14 (+1) s
Intelligence: 18 (+3) 
*Wits: 18 (+3) P
Persona: 17 (+2) s

Vit: 4 (1d6)
DV: 7 (leather jacket)
Fate Points: 1d6

Check Bonus (P/S/T): +2/+1/+0
Melee bonus: +0  Ranged bonus: +0
Saves: +3 to spells and magical effects

Special Abilities: Arcana, Casting 60%, Enhanced Senses, Arcane Bond (Steph and Larina)

Skills: Intimidate (Cha)

Languages: English, German

Spells
1: Chill Ray
2: Cause Fear

Fiona Voss, or as she is known now, Faye Thorne, is the creepy goth girl outsider. She lives with her two very strict and terrifying aunties (really hags in disguise), and hides under headphones, a leather jacket, and enough sarcasm to power a small city. She and Steph used to be best friends until their falling out a couple of years ago. Unlike Larina, Faye has learned all about witchcraft by doing it.

Hair: White
Eyes: Gray

Archetype: The Outsider
Quote: "Wow. You really think your opinion matters to me."
Quirks: Always wears headphones and a pentagram necklace. Loves super spicy food, scary spicy.
Theme song: "A Forest" - The Cure

Family: Her parents, the Vosses, died in a car crash when she was a toddler. She was raised by her aunties, who changed her name. Her aunties are really disguised hags hoping to use her natural magic.

Stephanie "Steph" Vale

2nd-level Witch, Human

Strength: 12 (0)
Agility: 14 (+1) s
Toughness: 13 (+1)
Intelligence: 13 (+1) s
Wits: 10 (0) 
*Persona: 18 (+3) P

Vit: 4 (1d6)
DV: 9
Fate Points: 1d6

Check Bonus (P/S/T): +2/+1/+0
Melee bonus: +0  Ranged bonus: +0
Saves: +3 to spells and magical effects

Special Abilities: Arcana, Casting 60%, Enhanced Senses, Arcane Bond (Larina and Faye)

Skills: Drive (Agl), Gymnastics (Agl)

Languages: English, French

Spells
1: Charm Person
2: ESP

To the outside world, Stephanie Vale is a ray of sunshine, but on the inside...yeah, she is pretty much the same. Stephanie is a nice girl who moves in and out of social situations with the skill of an adult twice her age. She just broke up with her long-time boyfriend, Val, and her mother and father wish she would start dating Andy Thompson. But Andy is so deeply in love with Rowan that Hallmark follows them around for ideas. She is captain of the Cheer team, but now she is involved with new girl Larina and Faye Thorne, of all people. 

Like many things, witchcraft comes naturally to Steph.

Hair: Blonde
Eyes: Blue

Archetype: The Cheerleader
Quote: "Alright, everyone! Teamwork makes the dream work!"
Quirks: Positive attitude hides a crippling desire to please everyone.
Theme song: "We Got the Beat" - The Go Go's

Family: Second-richest family in town (behind the town founders, the Thompsons). Father Arthur is a lawyer, and Mother Beatrice is a stay-at-home mom. She has an older brother in college, whom she thinks is the best ever, and a younger sister who spends a lot of time on a computer.

--

My NPCs are coming along. I will likely talk about the "nice" ones, since they are most likely to help the PCs. By halfway through the first quarter, watching Stephanie, Faye, and Larina always hang out together will be the stuff of talk and darker gossip. 

I will say this. These characters have been a blast to use, and I am so pleased with them.

Because I like to think of these things, I also have plans for everyone some years later. Just have not nailed all that down at all yet.

Steph, Faye, and Larina at breakfast. Why is Larina wearing sunglasses? Photogray lenses? Maybe she is hungover.

--

Night Shift^® is a registered trademark of Elf Lair, LLC.

The Witches of Appendix N: Philip José Farmer

Philip José Farmer had one of the most enduring legacies on the earliest days of Dungeons & Dragons; the endless underground dungeons. His "World of Tiers" series detailed a world (multiple worlds) stacked on top of each other, providing the archetype of the dungeon and even the planes of existence. It is no suprise then really that Gygax was a huge fan of his work.

*I* became a fan of Philip José Farmer due to his Wold Newton family concept (along with Win Scott Eckert), something I spent a lot of time on working through back in the 1990s. I discovered it for myself in the earliest days of the Internet, and I was absolutely fascinated. I was already a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes, and this concept was OCD gold for me. One day, I need to dedicate some time to do this properly. But he even manages to connect it to Angelique of Dark Shadows. So you know, I have to dig into it more for that reasn alone.

But today I want to discuss his Appendix N books and his potential witches.

World of Tiers

The World of Tiers gave us an archetypal dungeon environment, a place where monsters of all sorts from myth and legend lived. This includes some witch-like characters, but not a lot. The secret here, of course, is that these are not monsters of myth but a science fiction setting in which the magic of the Lords of the tale is really high technology.  

There are a few characters that might qualify, but none of which are a great fit. At least none that are close to what I am defining as a witch.

Riverworld

I want to make a quick mention of this series. I remember flipping through it in the 80s, but it never really grabbed me. I revisited it again in college and had pretty much the same opinion. I recall the GURPS book for it, but I don't believe there were any witches in this at all, unless it was a historical figure that was accused of witchcraft. 

Image of the Beast

This is an odd one. First, it is a modern tale, though one set in a supernatural, horror world. Secondly, it is often referred to as "porn," which is not... unmerited. There is witchcraft, of sorts, but no named witch. There are ghosts, vampires, and even snake women. 

Flesh

I mention this one only because it deals with a future where Earth has reverted to Paganism and Goddess worship. It has some witch-like trappings, but it is a sci-fi tale. While often derided, it is not as salacious or lurid as Image of the Beast.

So easy to see why Gary Gygax went with World of Tiers, but not a lot of witches here.

Elowen Hale: Night Shift/O.G.R.E.S.

“She gets it. I do not have to explain the quiet parts to her. When I am scared and shaking, she just sits beside me and waits until I am done. She does not treat me like I am fragile. She does not treat me like I am broken. She just treats me like I am still here. That is why she is my best friend.” - Aisling, the Dream Dancer

 Elowen belongs in West Haven, and that means all West Havens, including the one found in NIGHT SHIFT. 

In the NIGHT SHIFT version, West Haven is modern. Cell phones work. Coffee shops exist. The supernatural hides in plain sight.

Elowen Hale was a nice, if shy, girl. Trouble is, she died. She was at home, sitting at the dinner table, passing around the salad to her father, when she stopped, said "Ow," and fell over. 

She was clinically dead. Paramedics revived her. 

But she did not come back the same girl who sat at that diner table.

Since then, electronics glitch around her when spirits are near. She sees things in security footage that others miss. She occasionally zones out and mutters dates no one recognizes.

Therapists call it trauma. Occult investigators call it crossing contamination and talk about "hitchhikers" or other entities.

Elowen calls it "unfinished business."

She now records TikToks about West Haven’s hidden history. She acts as a tour guide to the town's strange corners. Most viewers assume she is leaning into aesthetic goth charm.

They have no idea she is cataloging liminal sites and haunted areas.

In this world, she is young, soft-spoken, dresses in black out of comfort rather than rebellion, and has chosen not to be bitter. She has friends who know what happened. They treat her like she is normal. She really shows off her personality when she is recording her videos.

Elowen Hale

1st level Witch

Strength: 10 (0)
Agility: 12 (0)
Toughness: 14 (+1) S
Intelligence: 16 (+2)
Wits: 15 (+1) S
Persona: 17 (+2) P

Vit: 15
Alignment: Light
DV: 9
Attack: +0

Fate Points: 1d6
Check Bonus (P/S/T): +3/+2/0
Melee bonus: 0 Ranged bonus: +0
Saves: +3 against spells and magical effects

Witch Abilities

Arcana, Supernatural Senses, Spells, Arcane Powers

Arcane (Occult) Powers: See Dead People

Familiar: Cat, "Mirepoix"

Skills
Research, Insight, 

Spells
First Level: Summon Familiar

This Elowen doesn't keep a journal; she records TikToks. She walks around West Haven and talks about the scary places, the haunted houses, and the best places to get Chai Lattes and Bubble Tea. Her core is still a good girl who had a bad thing happen to her, but she is getting better. She still has her calico cat "Mirepoix," and she still favors black. 

--

The Shadow Girl

The Shadow Girl was an idea I had for a NIGHT SHIFT game set in the 1980s featuring a young Larina. I developed it a bit with Little Fears and Chill, but now I think I should bring her over to interact with Elowen. Besides, Larina has enough to do. Instead of bothering Larina, the Shadow Girl has turned her attentions to modern Elowen. Is it the same creature or just the same sort of "Returned from Beyond" creature? I don't know yet, but I like the idea that if Elowen came back from the dead, and then something followed her back. 

The Shadow Girl looks like Elowen, just as it looked like Larina. Though in both cases, it looks like a version of them that has been dead for a long time. See why this works better for Elowen. Elowen sometimes worries that "she" is not really herself, and she is a spirit haunting Elowen Hale's body, and the Shadow Girl is really the original Elowen Hale. She is worried it might even be a Fetch, or a "Hitch-hiker" of the original, and "real" Elowen Hale's spirit.

Whatever the Shadow Girl is, we know it is not done with Elowen yet. In fact, she has not even really started. 

Elowen would say, "I don't know if I am real, or she is."

--

Is this the end of my exploration into Elowen? No, but it does mark a shift to talking about my new weekly NIGHT SHIFT game. "Tales of Jackson After Dark" is not a new game, but it has recently gained some traction with the players of my son's group (my youngest is too busy with school to play much anymore).  The setting is Jackson, IL, and it is the Summer of 1985. There is a new girl in town that everyone thinks is a witch (they are right), and last night a bell rang, but only people with a connection to the supernatural heard it. Even if you didn't hear it, you will soon feel its effects. 

This game has been set up to allow people to come and go as they need, so a wide variety of characters around a central core and a high school filled with NPCs.

Looking forward to sharing more with you all on this one. 

I only just worked out the connection between 1985's Jackson and 2026's West Haven last night.

Night Shift® RPG is a registered trademark of Elf Lair, LLC. 2026, Authors Jason Vey and Timothy S. Brannan. 

Elowen Hale: Daggerheart

“I do not understand her. That is not an insult. It is an observation. Most people who brush death carry it like a blade. She carries it like a lesson. I have seen creatures tremble in her presence, and she offers them tea. If I had died and come back, I would have demanded answers. She thanks it instead. 

It is… disarming, and special.” - Amaranth

 Daggerheart’s tone leans emotional and interpersonal, and Elowen thrives there.

Elowen died. She wasn't dead for very long, but long enough that the priests were called. They called it a rare miracle; wizards called it "odd." Elowen doesn't remember it all, but she knows she's now different.  

Her Hope and Fear are both sharpened by that memory. She fears being powerless. She hopes no one else will have to endure what she did.

Her magic manifests in soft glimmers. Flickers of moonlight. Breath is visible when it should not be. When she uses her abilities, the world briefly feels quieter, like it is listening.

Ghosts do not frighten her. Loneliness and disconection does.

Her greatest strength is connection. She sees broken people and recognizes herself in them. In a Daggerheart campaign, she becomes the emotional anchor of the party. The one who says, gently but firmly, “We are not done yet.”

She is not dramatic about her death. She rarely speaks of it. But when she does, the table goes silent.

There is a West Haven in the many worlds of Daggerheart. I haven't defined it yet. 

Elowen Hale

Level 1
Class & Subclass: Witch (Hedge)
Ancestry & Heritage: Loreborn human
Pronouns: She/Her

Agility: 0
Strength: -1
Finesse: 0
Instinct*: +2
Presence: +1
Knowledge: +1

Evasion: 10
Armor: 3

Minor Damage: 7 Major Damage: 14

Weapons: Wand. Range: Knowledge Far. 1d6+1 (Magical)

Armor: Leather 6/13 +3

Experience
I See Dead People +2
Fate Always Has a Price +2

Class Features
Hex
Commune (with ghosts)

Talisman
Dagger (she rarely uses it)

Spells
Blightning Strike, Level 1 Dread
Umbral Veil,  Level 1 Dread

Daggerheart was really another key element in my conceptualization of Elowen. The official witch class is on the way, but I wanted to try her out in this. Especially since one of the domains of the Witch is "Dread." Elowen just approaches dread differently than some other characters might. 

Here she is, a Hedge Witch. She is not going to be raining lightning down on enemies, cursing family lines, or brewing up storms. In fact, the only thing she has brewed up lately is a Tres Leches Tea Latte, and the only thing she has destroyed was the kitchen in her attempt to make a lemon tart (which was fine, Dori ate it anyway). 

Her greatest interactions will be with her new coven. When the new Dread add-on for Daggerheart is out, I'll come back to this and detail a bunch of witches. 

The Witches of Appendix N: Michael Moorcock

Michael Moorcock is easily one of the biggest influences on Dungeons & Dragons. Certainly, his contributions rival those of Howard or Tolkien in shaping the structure of the D&D multiverse. Indeed, one can barely talk about the Multiverse of D&D without invoking Moorcock.

When people talk about Michael Moorcock in Appendix N, they usually go straight to Elric of Melniboné, Corum Jhaelen Irsei, Dorian Hawkmoon, and the eternal war between Law and Chaos. 

When I talk about Michael Moorcock and witches, I am not really talking about witches in the broom-riding, cottage-dwelling sense. I am talking about the pact-making sorts of witches. The ones who contact the beings from other planes (something that happens a lot in Moorcock's tales) and the ancient pacts that bind them.

Moorcock does not give us a village wise women. He gives us bloodlines that traffic with elementals, tribes that call heroes out of myth, and archetypes that echo across realities. His magic is not tidy. It is not academic. It is relational, dangerous, and deeply personal.

Which is why it works so well for me.

Elric the Prototype Warlock

Let’s be clear about something. Elric is not a wizard.

He does not memorize formulae in a tower and sling fire from careful study. His power comes from calling upon Arioch and other Lords of Chaos. He names them. He binds them. He bargains.

That is not arcane spellcasting in the later D&D sense.

That is a pact.

In the One Man's God post I wrote before on the Melnibonéan mythos, I pointed out that their religion and their magic are inseparable. The Lords of Chaos are not distant gods in shining heavens. They are immediate, responsive, volatile. They answer when called, but they always take something in return.

Elric’s magic is closer to a warlock than a magic-user.

Stormbringer itself is a kind of patron made steel. It feeds him power and keeps him alive, but it also owns him. That dynamic, that exchange of strength for service, is pure warlock logic.

And this is important when we talk about witches in Appendix N.

Because if Moorcock gives us a prototype warlock in Elric, he also gives us the larger framework that witches later inhabit in D&D. Magic is not a neutral force you manipulate. It is something you negotiate with.

That idea runs straight into warlocks, and through them, into witches who deal with dragons, animal lords, witch queens, and stranger patrons still.

Corum and the Old Religion

If Elric shows us the aristocratic pact, Corum shows us something closer to folk magic.

In the Corum stories, the human tribes are not sophisticated sorcerers. They do not maintain demon treaties stretching back millennia. They have rites. They have memory. They have belief.

And when the world is in peril, they summon Corum.

Not as a cleric would call upon a god for a spell. They call him as part of an older set of magical rules. A returning champion tied to the fate of their land, one who was prophesied.  This feels less like wizardry and more like the Old Religion made manifest. 

It is communal magic. It survives conquest and catastrophe because it is embedded in culture rather than codified in books. 

If I were looking for Appendix N roots of the Wicce or of the Craft of theWise, I would not find them in shining cathedrals. I would find them here, in tribal rites that blur the line between prayer and spell.

The magic works because the people believe in the pattern. That is witchcraft.

It doesn't hurt that Corum and his people are often thought of as "elves" and that much of his tales are based on a psuedo-Celtic past. 

Named Witches 

There are very few named witches, and fewer still that are called "witch." 

Myshella, the Sleeping Sorceress, is one. Though she is not called a witch, she certainly fills that role. 

Jerry Cornelius is not a witch. Not by any stretch, really, but he is fragmented. Self-aware. Reality bending around him. He shapes his reality as much as reality shapes him.  

Moorcock’s Eternal Champion is not a simple reincarnation. He is an archetype that keeps reasserting itself in different circumstances. And this is where I see the parallel to how I have played Larina over the years.  Different systems. Different worlds. Different rules. Same witch.  He is not a witch, but he and the other Eternal Champions have shaped my notions of my archetypal witches.

Moorcock’s Legacy for Witches and Warlocks

Moorcock’s influence on D&D is usually discussed in terms of Law and Chaos. Planes of exsistences and an eternal, if not Eternal (capital "E"), struggle.

But for witches, the more interesting legacy is this:  Magic is relational. Magic is cyclical. Elric shows us the warlock bound to his patron. Corum’s summoners show us the persistence of pagan rites.

That is fertile ground for witches.

Not because Moorcock hands us a cottage and a cauldron.

But because he gives us a universe where magic is negotiated, myth returns, and some souls are simply meant to walk the long road again and again.

Mail Call Tuesday: Witch Edition

 Ok. So calling any of my mail calls "witch edition" narrows it down as much as calling it "Tuesday." But I did get some things I have been waiting on for a while.

First up is the framed painting "Advanced Witch" by Eugene Jaworski.  I need to find a good place on my walls for this one. 

Again, you can find his art here and on his Instagram account. 

In the mini department, I got a nice bonus from work, so I ordered a new mini from Hero Forge. 

Yes, that is my newest witch, Elowen. I am nothing if not obsessed. 

And finally, one I have been waiting for a while, Spell Bound. 

This book features the covers of many vintage paperbacks of the witchcraft popularity craze. And yeah, I own a few, and I remember most of them.  But the book is fantastic.

There is a lot of really great stuff here, and I'll really enjoy going through it all. I loved going through the book, comparing covers to the books I still I have on my shelves. Some of these covers are what got me interested in witches to begin with. 

 So yeah, a lot this week. But some of these have been a long time coming.