Book of the Black Wizards OSR Spellbook Review (w/ bonus playlist!)
A while back, LotFP decided to explode the idea of balance in OSR magic. Vaginas Are Magic, their 2017 Free RPG Day release, as well as its follow-up James Raggi’s Eldritch Cock, are my favorite OSR resources. I feel like these changed design, mindset, and actual play of the games more than any other innovation in the old school scene. They also inspired me to create my Spells That Are Fucking Metal, which make up a plurality of the content on this blog. They’re based on evocative metal song titles. They may take inspiration from “classic” spells, but aim for way more maximalist and catastrophic or bizarre presentations. The principles of the “Weird Magic System” are that 1. Balance is unimportant, 2. Magic is dangerous, and 3. Creativity and challenge are more important than utility. Content: Book of the Black Wizards by Tenebrae de Profundis is the bridge between the classic and the Weird. The spells are reduxes of classic spells with power boosts and metal flavor added in. It cont...