Have you ever been listening to Rainymood and thought, “Yeah, this is good … but it would be nice if I could customize the sound more, or if there was a little more choice.
MyNoise is a customizable sounscape looper with so many options, even within each soundscape. So say, for instance, you really love rain sounds when you write or study or relax. Anything. I know I’m a big fan of rain sounds. They have a page for that.
But say you like really high, pattery rain, and LOTS of low thunder. Here’s where MyNoise really stands out: you can customize that. See those sliders with all the cute colors? That is your equalizer. You can adjust the levels based on what you want to hear more and less of. Here’s how it looks when you want high, pattery rain and low, rumbly thunder:
But say rain isn’t really your jam. Say you want something a little more ambient, a little more background noise-y. Something with people. Well, they have customizable coffee house chatter that even has the levels listed for things like “kitchen,” “babble,” and “table”:
Or say you miss the ocean.
Or say you miss your cat.
Or say you miss your spaceship.
Or say you miss the dungeon where you and your team of scalawag adventurers used to explore and face off against, say, dragons. In the dungeon.
This site is seriously so helpful, and those are just a fraction of every kind of sounscape the site has to offer. The best part is that if you want to layer it with music (for instance, I’ll layer a playlist + rain + coffee shop if the scene I’m writing takes place in a coffee shop), you can adjust the master volume, meaning all of your layers stay at their respective volumes, just louder or quieter.
Enjoy!
OH MY GOD
Y’ALL I JUST STARTED USING THIS TODAY BUT THIS HAS BROKEN THROUGH MY WRITER’S BLOCK LIKE NOTHING ELSE.
TRY IT. USE IT. LOVE IT.
Gonna try this later. Seems like an amazing great idea
Combat is easy to describe compared to narrating spell attacks. I ran into this problem last session when I was getting into detail telling the barbarian how they tore off an ogre’s head but then the druid just kept using Fire Bolt and I kept defaulting to “you shoot a bolt of fire at his face.” I’m going to try and vary things up with these lists and help everyone else in the process! I am organizing them by energy type.
Mode of Attack
Half of a spell’s attack is how the caster shapes their spell. The same spell can look very different with every casting if you have a creative DM. Feel free to switch it up each time it’s cast, or vary the same spell when cast by different characters of different classes.
Attack Words
Generic shapes and terms that will launch from the caster’s hand.
Energy manifests from thin air a foot in front of their instrument as they play
Energy is shaped like ribbons of written music that ripples towards enemies
Several tiny motes of energy appear with each note sung or played. Each point of damage comes from a mote hitting the opponent (rolls a 4 out of a d6, 4 of the 6 note-motes hit)
Cleric
Energy falls from the sky or emerges from the ground as the cleric prays
Beam of energy originates from holy symbol
Spell attack should highlight that the cleric is granted their powers from a greater power, don’t have the energy come from their hand/finger. Have the energy come TO them, and then be thrown at the enemy.
Druid
Energy is shaped like an animal.
Energy rushes forth from the surrounding wilderness and zooms past the druid and toward the foe.
Much like Cleric, energy shouldn’t come from the caster. It should come from elsewhere before being thrown at the enemy.
Fighter (Eldritch Knight)
Energy blasts from their bound weapon pointed at the enemy.
Energy fires from their mouth as they yell.
Energy surrounds their weapon and is used in tandem with it (if close enough)
Monk (Way of Four Elements)
Literally just watch Avatar: the Last Airbender and do that.
Paladin
Most Paladin spells are smite-based, so they usually happen when an attack hits. Otherwise, let the energy come from a higher power like the Cleric.
Energy bursts forth from within the creature hit
Energy surrounds weapon right as the strike lands
Energy falls from the sky or erupts from the ground
Ranger
Honestly, most Ranger spells often seem a lot like man-made traps like Cordon of Arrows (arrow traps), Fog Cloud (smoke grenade), or Grasping Vine (slipknot trap). But otherwise, Play it like the Cleric where the energy comes from a higher power.
Energy takes the form of the Ranger’s animal companion or an animal they associate with.
Spells seem to cast automatically whenever the Ranger is in a tight spot, almost as if nature itself is protecting them. The Ranger gives an approving nod whenever this happens in thanks.
Rogue (Arcane Trickster)
Energy is always accompanied by a shimmer of glitter
The Rogue plays with the energy over their fingertips as they whistle before casting the spell.
Energy enchants one of the Rogue’s daggers and casts the spell by tossing the dagger at the intended location or target.
Sorcerer (Draconic Bloodline)
Energy takes the shape of a dragon of your bloodline.
Energy surges forth from your breath
All energy takes the shape of your bloodline dragon’s energy type, regardless of the actual energy type. For instance, a sorcerer of a blue dragon’s bloodline that casts Burning Hands or Cone of Cold keeps the energy type but shapes the fire and cold damage into the form of a bolt of lightning.
Sorcerer (Wild Magic)
Energy takes on many random forms, never under the full command of the Sorcerer.
Energy erupts from random places in the environment when the Sorcerer calls upon them.
Energy bubbles and fizzes with all energy types (but mostly the one called upon), as if a piece of Limbo was thrown at the enemy.
Warlock (Archfey)
Your energy shimmers with iridescent colors and showers enemies with sparks of glitter.
Warlock (Great Old One)
Your magic corrupts and twists the flesh of the target of your spell, regardless of the energy type.
Warlock (Fiend)
Energy takes the shape of the unholy symbol of your patron.
Wizard (Abjuration)
Energy shoots forth from your magical wards, arcing towards your enemies.
Wizard (Conjuration)
You conjure a short-lived elemental of the energy type you need. It soars at the enemy.
Wizard (Divination)
You weave the glowing threads of fate in the palms of your hands, tweaking reality to cast your spell.
Wizard (Enchantment)
You enchant an object to exude the energy and toss it at the enemy.
Wizard (Evocation)
I mean, you just sorta blast them. That’s what this school’s about.
Wizard (Illusion)
Your spell usually spawns two or three illusory copies. When the attack misses, the enemy simply managed to dodge the right duplicate.
Wizard (Necromancy)
Your energy takes the shape of a skull screaming as it flies toward the enemy
Wizard (Transmutation)
You transmute the energy out of the surrounding environment and fire it at the enemy
On-Hit
So if half of a spell’s attack is the shape and travel of the spell, the other half is when the spell hits. I organized this list by energy type, as different energies will do different sorts of things when they hit a creature. This is mostly a collection of interesting effects, colorful language, and examples.
Fire
Your bolt of fire singes their armor (burning cloth, blackening leather, discoloring metal)
A tiny bead of fire explodes on contact
Showers them with red sparks
Your attack leaves behind a billowing trail of smoke
A fast-travelling meteor of flame soars from the sky towards the enemy.
Your flames leave blisters and cracked skin in its wake.
Your fire blackens the enemy’s flesh
Cold
You freeze the moisture in the air into icy daggers that fall onto your enemy
You freeze the water in their blood to damage them
Their skin turns blue and numb
You literally hurl a snowball at them.
Your spell leaves them covered in a layer of frost
A buildup of ice covers where your spell hit. (it’s easily shattered once they move, though)
A blast of icy wind and rain leaves them shivering.
Thunder
A crack of thunder pummels your foe
A high-pitched, deafening shriek focuses itself on the target
A thin trail of blood races from the foe’s ears from a sound no one else can hear
The enemy falls to their knees cupping their hands over their ears, gritting their teeth
You buffet the target with waves of thunderous sound
The ground shakes with the force of your spell. Brittle glass objects nearby shatter.
Lightning
Lightning comes from the sky to smite your foe
You all smell the faint odor of ozone before a bright bolt of lightning streaks toward the target of your spell
Before your enemy can blink they are showered in electrical sparks followed by crippling pain
The enemy’s back stiffens as the powerful current of lightning surges through them
Your attack leaves a permanent web of lightning shaped burns all over one side of their body
Your blast of lightning causes their skin to rupture as it travels through their body
Acid
Your acid sizzles as it burns a new, unnatural color into their skin
The attack melts their flesh, leaving them permanently disfigured at the site of the spell
Your spell’s acid causes blue fire to burn where it hit their skin, and bleaches their armor and belongings
A rancid smell fills the foe’s nostrils as the acid bubbles on their bare skin, burning through the simple cloth of their shirt.
Poison
You spew a poisonous cloud from your mouth at your opponent
A spectral viper or insect is flung at the opponent, biting them and filling them with magical venom
Your index and middle finger each grow a poisonous fang which you sink into your opponent’s arm (melee range spell attacks only)
The enemy’s mouth fills with a foul tasting liquid which forces its way down their throat
Necrotic
Your target’s flesh bubbles and boils as a black ichor sputters from the spell’s origin
The foe’s flesh festers with magical disease as boils and wounds quickly cover the affected area
A skeletal hand wriggles free from beneath the earth, flying towards the target
An incorporeal undead shrieks as it flies from your finger toward the enemy to deliver the spell’s effect
Black energy swirls around your arm before launching towards the enemy as if it had a life of its own
Your iridescent blue magic enters the target’s body and afflicts their soul, making them momentarily dazed as their eyes glaze over.
Radiant
A holy light shines from the skies to harm your target, regardless of time of day or obstructions
A halo of radiant energy surrounds your head and blinds the target as they gaze upon it
Enemies that aren’t of your alignment hear the whispers of your deity moments before being enveloped in a blinding white light
The foe’s eyes and mouth emit warm light and they howl in pain
A blade of radiant energy slashes through the victim, leaving a trail of blinking motes of light in its wake
The enemy’s skin blisters from the raw positive energy surging through them
So essentially this whole post was a creative writing assignment for myself, but I hope that it gives you guys new creative ideas for new spells or new ways to describe existing spells! They don’t much affect the mechanics of the spell at all, so most DMs I suspect will be fine with most of these descriptions if you want your character to cast spells a certain way.
this post is so great. i’ve been struggling with these things myself, knowing that my players would enjoy this level of creativity. now, i have a huge head start.
concept: drow cities are the most highly advanced civilizations in the known world with sprawling underground agriculture
caverns transformed by magic to be forests of trees that thrive beautifully in the darkness and substitute sunshine for magic
everything gives off a faint glow– even the buildings and clothes and pavement– because the cities are so infused w magic to their core
giant mushrooms that glow in different colors grow along the streets like lamps
the most valued of the drow mages are druids who specialize in magic pertaining to the underdark’s nature and keeping it thriving
rangers and druids will trek deep into the underdark to find rare mushrooms and underdark born plants to grow in the city and
they’ll also travel to the surface in search of plants that they can magically adapt like their trees so they can grow in the underdark
the drow are not isolationists, persay, they’re just a bit withdrawn. they have trade agreements with wood elves and forest gnomes who supply surfacer plants in exchange for studying underdark nature
high elven cities resent the drow for their advanced melding of nature, magic, and industrialization because as beautiful as
high elven cities are, the cities created by the drow are all impeccable and beautiful and self-sustaining for the most part
drow cities have an abnormally high population of tieflings because of how both races are resented by many surfacer races. in fact, the presence of tieflings is now so integrated in drow cities that its common to see them as high ranking community members and
even among the archdruids and senior rangers
while evil-aligned gods and goddesses still exist, they’re balanced by neutral and good-aligned deities that usually have some sort of focus on agriculture and nature; one good-aligned goddess finds a niche place in their society as a light domain deity, specifically one focused on low light and bioluminescence
because of this, there are a surprising amount of nature domain and light domain clerics
DM as NPC we’re trying to impress: “I’m thinking of taking my horse out for a ride, care for a race?”
Party collectively: “Hell yes, between us we’ve got a couple of great racing horses and skilled jockeys.”
DM as DM: “What the fuck, you do? Since when?”
Party collectively: “We’d like to walk behind the nearest street corner. There, our two druids transform into horses, our bard and rogue saddle up, and we come back in a while, with apologies for our two nature-lover friends who couldn’t bear to see animals used in such ways for fun.”
DM as DM, stifling laughter: “……. O-fucking-K. Moving on to the race, I’d like the, oh dear, the druids to roll Athletics to see how you do, and the riders… Umm…”
Rogue OOC: “I wanna check Acrobatics, I’ll be doing flips and handstands all the way, since I don’t really need to tell my steed what to do!”
Bard OOC: “I’m an excellent rider (smug wink) but I’ve never in my life been on a horse, so I would like to use a Performance check to fake looking like I know what the fuck I’m doing up there.”
DM as DM, breaking down in both tears and laughter: “Sure, what the hell, let’s do all those things.”
Modernized character types for which the classic druidic classes can fit.
The Botanist: You come to have a smattering of earth-based magic from time spent in the magic of the forest. By proving yourself as a steward of the earth, she granted you a bit of her magic in return. Your quest now is to spread your reverence for the nature in a world that is cold, material, and often indifferent to the needs of the land.
The Zoologist: Similar to the botanist, but rather than earning your magic from the forest it was given to you by the animals you study. Pick a specialization – mammals, reptiles, birds, etc-and then figure out how you channel the powers of those creatures through your magic.
The Grassroots Activist: (Use the Dream Circle archetype from Xanathar’s as a base) You are driven by a deep longing within yourself to see humanity and nature unified in peace. This drives you to not only work to heal the land, but to heal its inhabitants as well. Your work is to connect people and place to each other, spreading wonderment and joy with you where you go.
There’s certainly ways to do the “Orcs as gross bad guys” narrative you find in D&D that are satisfactory but the way it’s traditionally presented is that Orcs are a threat to civilization because:
They just fuck. A lot. They’re just the best at having children, period. They steal the “civilized” women and make half-breeds with them.
They’re culturally backwards and emotionally stupid; too stupid to understand things like a complex written language, or meaningful art or love.
They’re intellectually backwards, too. They don’t have maths or masonry or technology much more advanced than clubs and spears. They play the archetypal mud hut dwelling savages.
They are, consciously or unconsciously, paintings of post-colonial European fears and anxieties. They’re a racialized Other, an enemy of white human/elfish civilization that needs to be exterminated or, more rarely, assimilated at all costs, while not actually being a distinct stereotype or caricature of any ethnic group.
I’m not saying you can’t or shouldn’t have fun with your adventurers hacking some green guys to gibbets, but I am saying you should at least think for a second about how and why they’re being portrayed as evil – Are they murderers, or are they simply dungeon fodder standing in the way of mighty white civilization?
Concept: A Kobold sorcerer who’s convinced they’re a Draconic Bloodline sorcerer (because of Kobolds’ immense pride in their draconic heritage), but is actually a different kind of sorcerer and stubbornly refuses to believe they’re anything but Draconic Bloodline no matter what anyone says and uses their Kobold-ness to explain why none of the signs of draconic sorcery are appearing. (”Of course I’m not growing more scales, I already have scales.” “I’m not magically sprouting wings because I already have them and two pairs of wings would look stupid.” “My magic sometimes goes wild because the draconic magic is just enhanced by my natural draconic heritage and a full dragon’s worth of magic has trouble fitting itself in my smaller body, obviously.”)
A friend’s Ranger is a mountain man type, we found him by himself in the woods and sort of adopted him into our party. His name is Anri. We played for weeks before he revealed his full name.
Anri Dafid Thoroh. Who lived by himself at Wallden Pond. I’m impressed our friend played for so many sessions without giving away their pun of a character.
Verliese Und Drachen 