This unique collection provides game masters with the tools and inspiration they need to create fully realised towns and cities at a moment's notice! The Game Master's Book of Instant Towns and Villages provides GMs with all of the inspiration they need to conjure up unique, vivid urban environments at a moment's notice, or when trying to come up with ideas for new places to be explored. This game-saving collection brings together nearly 170 fully-realized places organized by environment and divided up into villages, towns, cities and capitals, so that when players are trudging through a dangerous swamp, unrelenting desert or stormy coastline and need to find shelter, they can stumble upon a fully realised settlement, elven enclave or dwarven mining camp, without requiring any development in advance on the part of the game master. At its core, this book works a bit like the bestselling Game Master's Book of Non-Player Characters, but instead of providing information about the people one might meet, Instant Towns and Cities provides sketches of urban centers which can act as on-demand solutions to unexpected needs (ex. the characters need to find a physician right away and head for the nearest town, which until now, the GM had not developed) or as concepts that inspire entire adventure story arcs, depending on the party’s (or the GM's) wants or needs. Each location is packed with interesting people to meet, locations to explore and story hooks to investigate (or avoid!). It's a problem-solving tool unlike any other, certain to take the pressure off game masters who find themselves in need of a creative solution for urban areas at any time in any location.

This beautifully illustrated card deck provides Game Master’s with dozens of fun rewards and curses that can be imposed on their players with a single draw from the deck. The Game Master's Deck of Boons and Banes consists of 40 stunningly illustrated cards, 20 of which impose a bane of some sort on a character. A curse, for example, that constantly threatens to strangle a PC to death the more active they are. Or a blight that causes mold to grow over the PC’s skin in thick, stinking patches. The remaining 20 cards convey a boon of some sort - a blessing from a higher power or the magic that courses through the natural world. For example, the PC may be blessed with a pair of guardian wolves that travel with them wherever they go and fight on their behalf. Or they might even sprout giant dragonfly wings twice a day, enabling them to escape danger or travel long distances with ease. The exact composition of the deck players might choose to draw from is up to the GM, whether it be made up of all bane cards, all boon cards, an even mix of the two, or some randomly assigned ratio of good to bad. The boons are a great temptation - but drawing a bane could bring about a crippling result, so players will need to weigh the odds every time. The companion book includes a description of each card’s effect and how it impacts the PC who drew it. Within each entry, GMs will also find suggested side quests related to each care, as well as recommendations for scaling card effects up or down depending on the level of the characters drawing from the deck.

This newly expanded, illustrated edition of The Unofficial Harry Potter Bestiary includes more pages, a fresh layout and gorgeous illustrations by renowned fantasy artist John Stanko. From Acromantulas to Thestrals, this stunning book - a beautifully illustrated update of the bestselling The Unofficial Harry Potter Bestiary - details every monster, beast or creature that has ever appeared in any official Harry Potter book, film, or theatrical production. The Wizarding World’s Great Book of Beasts includes more than 200 fascinating, magical creatures in all, with each entry providing a number of important classifications, including first appearance in Harry Potter lore, location, disposition, physical appearance, attack abilities, defenses and intriguing story facts. The book also includes rich descriptions for each entry, detailing each creature's history (or biography, in the case of specific creature characters), habitat and impact on the various stories from throughout the Wizarding World, plus more than 40 gorgeous black and white illustrations that help convey the feel of an ancient mystical tome, straight from the library at Hogwarts. It’s the perfect book to feed a reader’s inner magizoologist’s hunger for knowledge, learn more about these incredible creatures (including stories about them passed down through generations by historians and mythologists) and discover how to spot them in the wild or even their own backyard.

A humorous, yet insightful guide to living a better life, with lessons inspired by characters and situations from the classic NBC series, The Office. Throughout nine incredible seasons, The Office gave viewers hundreds of episodes of hilarity, but also insight, warmth and friendship. Between (and sometimes during) the baffling speeches of Michael Scott or the rants of Dwight Schrute, and the other cast of incredible characters, observant viewers would have picked up surprisingly insightful thoughts on management, friendship, love, and more. Inspired by those clever asides, this book examines all of the wonderful life lessons we can learn from The Office and how to apply them to our own lives. Full colour photos from the show are featured throughout.

This sequel to The Game Master’s Book of Random Encounters, the most successful volume in the Game Master series, gives GMs more locations, more out-of-this-world options and more fun than ever before. As most TTRPG fans know, one of the most exciting elements of any roleplaying game is that the story can go anywhere at any time. Unfortunately, Game Masters can’t possibly prepare for every unpredictable request, unfortunate die roll or unbelievably bad player decision that might unfold at their table. That's where this book comes in: Featuring more than 500 more maps, roll tables and story hooks, The Game Master’s Book of More Random Encounters will save readers hours of planning by providing all new enchanting adventure maps, perilous plot twists and unexpected NPCs that they’ve come to expect from the Game Master series in an easy-to-follow format that's compatible with all their 5e adventures. Featuring plenty of practical places like taverns, inns and alchemist's labs as well as unexpected locations in far-off realms, farther-off planes and even the farthest reaches of the galaxy, it's everything readers loved about the first book - but EVEN MORE. This action-packed tome is the remedy for maladies Game Masters didn't even know they had. Includes: · Dozens of plug-and-play encounter locations suitable for most fantasy settings · Variant roll tables to mix up the action for every map · Three one-shot adventures to flow into your own campaigns · And much more!

This extraordinary tome documents the history of the wizarding world of Harry Potter, from the earliest recorded instance of magic to the years following the defeat of Voldemort. Harry Potter's adventures are built upon a rich tapestry of historical events dating back as far as the first century, during which an ancient Greek wizard known only as Herpo the Foul created the first usable Horcrux. It was this successful venture nearly two millennia ago that enabled the evil wizard Voldemort to create one Horcrux for each piece of his splintered soul. In The Ultimate Wizarding World History of Magic, the editors of MuggleNet document all of the significant historical events the shaped the wizarding world, from Herpo's first breakthrough through the final adventures of Harry Potter and his friends. Readers will learn about the founding of Hogwarts, the beginnings of Quidditch and its rules, the creation of the sword of Gryffindor and much more. It's the only book of its kind to delve so deep into the history and mysteries of the world of witches and wizards. Topics covered include: · The creation of the Chamber of Secrets · The beginnings of the Triwizard Tournament · Incidents related to Muggle 'magic,' such as the Salem witch trials, and their impact upon the wizarding world · The founding of Gringotts Bank · Important historical figures, including those shared with the Muggle world such as Merlin · The birth of Albus Dumbledore · World War I and its impact upon the wizarding world · The Battle of Hogwarts · The installment of Harry Potter as Head of the Auror Department · And much more Informed by dozens of different official sources, and supplemented with family trees and informative timelines, The Ultimate Wizarding World History of Magic provides all the information fans could want to fill in the holes of the Harry Potter narrative, while shining a light on everything that makes the wizarding world feel so complex, deep and infused with a sense of mythic grandeur.

This unique new RPG guidebook transforms gameplay in ways that empower players to make their own motivations and goals, then pursue them in order to create their own unique narrative. Traditional TTRPGs have almost always relied on player reactions in order to function. In other words, there is an evil wizard out to take over the world. The player characters are good, therefore it’s their duty to stop the wizard. Game play then follows a traditional storytelling narrative of protagonists working to return their world back to the status quo. Bad guy makes a move, good guys move to stop him. They react to the situation the Game Master (GM) presents. This limited style of gameplay can grow tiresome and redundant and places almost the entire burden of game creation on the GM. That's where proactive roleplaying comes in. With proactive roleplaying, GMs give over the narrative to the players. They imbue their characters with goals and desires, wants and needs, and then let them make the decisions about how to achieve those things. It’s no longer up to the GM to provide the entertainment. The characters choose what to do to achieve their goals, and the GM is the one reacting to their choices. Every conflict and “adventure” a character goes on is in service to their goal, rather than the typical “random bad guy of the week” adventure. The Game Master’s Handbook of Proactive Roleplaying gives GMs and players all of the information they need to play their favorite 5E TTRPG in their favourite settings, while transforming their games from reactive and restrictive to proactive, unbounded, player-driven narratives.

This follow up to the fan-favourite Cooking with Wizards, Warriors and Dragons features more than 80 tasty, inventive cocktail recipes, inspired by the greatest fantasy literature, film and TV. Created by Hugo Award-winning co-founder of The Book Smugglers, Thea James, and celebrated mixologist, Pamela Wiznitzer, Drinking with Wizards, Warriors and Dragons collects drink recipes inspired by fantasy classics and groundbreaking new voices, including: Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorn and Roses, N.K. Jemisin's Broken Earth Trilogy, Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time, Tomi Adeyemi's Legacy of Orïsha, Patrick Rothfuss's The Kingkiller Chronicle, Tamora Pierce's Song of the Lioness, and many more. Inside readers will find a delightful assortment of mixed drinks, from the delicious whisky-forward Essun’s Wrath to the subtle gin concoction Nynaeve’s Secret. Sidebars and mixology notes will help beginners master every last drink. Stunning illustrations by noted fantasy artist Tim Foley and an incredible design and layout make turning every page its own adventure. Each recipe is introduced with an overview of the source of its inspiration, providing readers with insights into the origins of each drink, along with insights into what makes each book an exceptionally worthy read.

This exciting book provides GMs with more than two dozen major villains and their followers for use across all levels of 5E RPG play. A game master’s biggest challenge can be prep time. With busy lives in mind, this book provides new and exciting content to help GMs save hours of time preparing for a game. Inside, readers will find twenty-five “Big Bosses,” along with insights into how they use their minions strategically in order to decimate any heroic threat that might cross their paths. The Game Master’s Book of Villains, Minions and Their Tactics provides tips and strategies that readers can use to “drag and drop” a BBEG into a new or existing game, with full colour illustrations, lore, stats, combat tactics, and special abilities for each exciting entry. You’ll also find detailed tactics and combat strategies dozens of other minions found throughout the 5E game. In addition to providing three exciting one-shot adventures, the book also shows you how to create your own original villains, minions and monsters – the best of the worst your game has to offer.

A family-friendly book that’s jam-packed with hundreds of side-splitting jokes, riddles and puns inspired by the world of Harry Potter. The worlds of Harry Potter have always been imbued with wry humour and occasional moments of slapstick comedy, in both the books as well as the films. Harry Potter paired with humour is nothing new. But in this big new book of jokes, riddles and puns, Harry Potter hilarity is taken to new heights of broom-powered fun. Inside readers will find more than 500 laugh-inducing entries, perfect for Harry Potter fans happy to have a little fun with their literary favourites. Written by Jeremy Brown, author of the bestselling humour book The Official John Wayne Big Book of Dad Jokes and regular Fatherly columnist, this book also includes recurring special features such as 'Who's the funniest character in the Harry Potter universe?'

This eye-popping, unofficial book brings sharp-eyed readers and hidden object hunters into nearly two dozen settings inspired by the adventures of Harry Potter. This beautiful book presents readers with 22 'widescreen' photographic spreads that capture the magic and mystery of the Harry Potter book and film series. Each spread features dozens of elements with at least 10 items hidden throughout each spread. Readers will be challenged to scour the jam-packed pages in search of these elusive treasures. Each image is inspired by an iconic setting from Harry Potter’s story, from a great dining hall to a classroom devoted to potions and other compelling magic. You'll spend hours poring over these extraordinary images, looking for those special hidden objects, but also just marveling at the beauty of what this world of magic has to offer.

Throughout J.K. Rowling's incredible seven book series (and subsequent films), Harry Potter stood as a beacon of bravery, daring and unexpected wisdom. For 25 years, since first being published in 1998, Harry Potter and the rest of his Wizarding World companions have presented us with high drama, action, life, death and even a little romance. The things that Harry and his friends experienced, as well as the lessons taught to them by allies, mentors and even opponents, can give us all a little guidance when it comes to addressing life's everyday challenges, both big and small. Presenting more than 40 life lessons inspired by the Wizarding World series, this book addresses matters such reinventing oneself, believing that you can achieve victory over unimaginable odds, having faith in the face of crisis, learning to let your friends help, venturing into parts unknown without fear and much more. Readers will also find quotes and images that inspire them to take heart and comfort no matter what they may face. With references to the books, films, stage play and more, What Would Harry Do? provides answers to the questions we all face with magical insight and wizardly wisdom.

This deep dive into the classes, coursework, texts, history and professors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry provides amazing new insights into Harry Potter's famous school. This comprehensive tome examines every aspect of the Hogwarts curriculum, from class descriptions and exam questions to potion ingredients and the magical world's perspective on Muggle history. Certain to make reading (or re-reading) the Harry Potter series that much more intriguing, this book explores the full breadth of instruction at Hogwarts, as well as the fine details of each class, from each class syllabus to final exams. Inside, readers will find insights into: - Classes by year, - Textbooks and where to buy them, - Exams and school work, - Professors and students of note, - History of studies, - Classroom layouts, - Potion ingredients, - Plant field guide, - History of Magic, - Legilimency, - Muggle Studies, - Defence against the dark arts - And much, much more!

This invaluable tome provides Game Masters with hundreds of clever, intriguing roll tables that are packed with information designed to make running table top RPGs easier, more creative and more fun. The Game Master’s Book of Astonishing Random Tables provides hundreds of tables for nearly every worldbuilding and gameplay situation GMs may come across. Need to know what the local food is like? Roll for it. Need to know how the city’s plumbing is organized or if they have a sewer system? Need to know what specific pathology drives the mad draconian warlord just beyond the city’s gates? Want to determine what a sorcerer’s spell effects look like or what unique way they cast their spells? You know the answer! When warranted, many of the table results are “enhanced” with supplemental information to help clarify roll results, like how a particular type of government is run, or what a particular style of architecture looks like . Other tables will have a branching element, providing a path to fleshing out larger scale subjects that require more detail than can be provided with a single table. The book also includes three one-shot adventures that help GMs put the book’s tables into play right away, so that they can see exactly how helpful and enhancing they can be. The Game Master’s Book of Astonishing Random Tables fills in the holes of gameplay, enriching every scene, setting, character and event, while also adding new, unexpected elements to shake things up and keep players on their toes.

Everything you need to make dragons the centerpiece of your campaign, full of mystery, terror and legendary excitement. Game Masters and players alike are familiar with dragons and the threat they present in the world’s most popular tabletop roleplaying game. They’ve become so well-known, however, that some might say the magic has worn off them a bit. Even the latest dragon-centric gaming supplements have simply diluted their awesome, alien presence by revealing (almost) everything there is to know about the creatures. In The Game Master’s Book of Legendary Dragons, readers will find more than two dozen truly unique, epic beasts, each of which comes with a complete backstory, a history, motivations, lair actions, legendary combat actions and more. These creatures are designed to be a worthy focus to any campaign, whether as a mind-blowing BBEG for a unforgettable, high-level climax, or as a motivating force that runs in the background of a lower level adventure. Game Masters will also find new dragon-kin, wyverns, drakes, kobolds and dragon races, plus new dragon-related organizations, skills, classes and magic, including dragon riders, dragon hunters, enhanced spells, aerial combat and airship options, dragon cults and magic items, plus three incredible one-shot adventures and a foreword by Luke Gygax, son of D&D co-creator and RPG legend Gary Gygax. The Game Master's Book of Legendary Dragons will provide endless ideas for Game Masters and countless hours of epic-level fun for adventurers willing to test their mettle against the baddest beasts the game has to offer.

A wry, wise and sometimes touching tribute to the many ways in which pop culture can help you life a good, meaningful life. Jeff Ashworth, author of the bestselling Game Master series of resource books for the world's most popular roleplaying game, combines his depth of knowledge about the mechanics of dice-based RPGs and the universal experiences gathered while playing a campaign to create a ruleset for leveling up your own life. Featuring invaluable lessons drawn directly from TTRPGs such as Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, Starfinder, Blades in the Dark, Fiasco and other TTRPGs (“Always check for traps;” “Never underestimate the power of a short rest;” “Don’t feed the trolls”) as well as in-depth analyses of the ways in which these games’ character archetypes can be successful models for varying approaches to life (“Rage is My Armor: How to Live Like a Barbarian and Keep Your Job”), this player’s handbook for the game of life also features high concept illustrations of (and strategies for defeating) horrifying real-world monsters like that pile of junk in the garage, the soul-sucking ghost of nostalgia and the many-headed hydra that is the work/life balance. With more hilarious, practical lessons than you can fit in a bag of holding, and referencing more than a dozen popular tabletop roleplaying games, it’s a self-improvement book for anyone seeking guidance (both the spell and the advice) in their daily lives.

The Game Master's Book of Traps, Puzzles and Dungeons provides GMs with endless options for populating their adventures with challenging riddles, puzzles, spiked pits, Rube Goldberg-style deathtraps and much more - eveything they need to push player character to their limit and bring new levels of excitement (and anxiety) to their game play. Whether part of a pre-planned adventure or a random encounter, these brain teasers, puzzles and traps will make every dungeon crawl, fortress break-in, or temple sacking that much more fun. GMs will find more than 60 challenging puzzles, 60 unique traps and 50 modular dungeon chambers, each with its own set of possible encoounters, meaning GMs can generate a fully-functional (or completely dilapidated) dungeon in a few rolls of a dice. With intricate technical illustrations, beautifully rendered top-down location maps and three one-shot adventures, written by RPG inflencers including Jasmine Bhullar and the creators of the Three Black Halflings podcast, The Game Master's Book of Traps, Puzzles and Dungeons is the ideal tool for any GM hoping to put the fun back in fun-geon*. *not a word.