On the Seventh Day of Christmas, the Dragon Gave to Me...

Seven Swans-a-Swimming
At first glance, the seventh of the dragon's 12 Days of Christmas gifts has no connection to the lyrics of the famous song. It appears to be seven large marbles that shimmer with constant blue-green swirls within them. They are given in a red felt pouch with a golden drawstring. Each marble radiates a mixture of summoning and transmutation magic if they are inspected with a detect magic spell. The pouch raidiates very faint summoning magic. On the outside bottom of the pouch, the following phrase in High Dragon, embroidered with fine golden thread, reads, "Best Used When Halfway to Christmas Time".

   When the marbles are examined closely, however, the "shimmering" is actually a tiny animated scene of a swan gliding across a body of water under a clear blue sky, with a forest on the far shore. Shaking or rolling a marble causes them to glow brighter while the scene of the swan dissolves into swirling blue and green colors. As the image reforms, the glow fades. Is this all there is to this gift? Of course not!

   Functions: When thrown into a stream, river, pond, lake, or ocean--or even an Olympic-size pool-- the marble turns into a large, inflatable rubber swan of the type that kids, or those young at heart, ride and play on while in the water. It rapidly inflates and then floats unerringly in the water; it only capsizes if those riding on it wishes and then rights itself immediately. It is always easy to mount by the person who summoned it, and it remains as stable as they want it to be.

   Each marble summons one swan. The swan lasts for 12 hours or until the person who summoned it is done playing in the water or on beach or is otherwise safely back on solid ground. (In extreme circumstances, a swan can thus be used as a life raft... for a time at least. When the swan's usefulness comes to an end, it dissolves into water.

   One very practical function of each of the Seven Swans-a-Swimming is that each one can detect a person in the water who is at risk of drowning within 100 yards of its present location. The swan makes it very easy for the at-risk person to climb onto it, or just cling to it, and then heads for the nearest solid ground and help. The swan might even emit loud screeches to attract attention of nearby people to provide assistance.

   The size and appearance of the Seven Swans-a-Swimming varies in a totally random fashion. 

   Trivia: Until 1935, Brigid made the Seven Swans-a-Swimming to be larger, more lethal versions of the Six Geese-a-Laying (but without the added benefit of free eggs). Once she got wind of the idea of Christmas in July, she reinvented the seventh gift to serve as a promotion of this second Christmas!

There's a New Year coming...

... and one of the benefits to being a dragon who has perfected shapeshifting into a human form is that you can use magic portals to follow the arrival of 2025 and attend dozens of parties along the way.

From the tiny island nation of Kiribati, the very first place humans flip the calendar to 2025, all the way to Baker Island, the very last place where the new year begins, and home to a very small, secret community of Witchkind, Brigid goes from celebration to celebration, joyously bringing in the new year along with her favorite lesser beings--humanity! (Although her mood to party is nowhere as intense as what will come for the Lunar New Year, which is what dragons observe.)

At each party she attends, Brigid picks one human to give a present to. It is the very last thing she does before she moves on to the next one, and the beneficiaries of her gift often chalk it up to a gag or a distortion of reality through a drunken haze.

The gift is a delicate chain necklace that sometimes has a piece of jewelry on it. Brigid gives it to the subject of her largess with the comment, "You deserve to have a great year. Wear this always and it will make a difference. And if you're ever in danger or otherwise in serious need of help, break the chain and I'll be there in a flash. But you can only do this once, so choose the moment carefully." 

THE DRAGON'S NEW YEAR BLESSING

This is a delicate chain necklace that appears to be made out of silver, gold, or platinum. Sometimes, a small amulet resembling a dragon's head hangs upon it. Both the chain and the amulet radiate a curious mixture of abjuration, divination, and summoning magic.

   Functions: When worn by the person Brigid the Dragon gave it to, the dragon's new year blessing provides a +1 enchantment bonus to all skill checks and saving throws from the first second of January 1st through the very last moment of December 31st during the year it is received. When the new year comes, all magic is drained from the necklace, leaving it just a simple piece of understated jewelry.

   For a person who finds him- or herself in a life-or-death situation or otherwise attempting to deal with a disastrous outcome, the dragon's new year blessing has a function that's even more powerful. 

   If the person it was gifted breaks the chain necklace while wearing it (DC3 Strength Check), it becomes red hot for a moment, then seems to dissolve into the thin air. At the end of the following round, Brigid appears in her human form. She quickly appraises the situation, asks the character what he or she needs (assuming it isn't immediately clear) and then takes action. If she can resolve the situation without abandoning her human form, she will... but if the danger is serious enough, she takes her true, massive form. What follows will be the nightmarish destruction that happens whenever an ancient red dragon reveals its true self to mortals who are endangering things it cares about.

   Once the danger has passed, Brigid returns to her human form, chats briefly with the character and his or allies, promises she'll show up for any Christmas and/or New Year parties they may host, then says goodbye and vanishes as suddenly as she appeared. (If she is asked about the status of the dragon's new year blessing, Brigid will say that the magic in it is spent.)

   Special: The dragon's new year blessing only provides benefit to the person Brigid gave it to; it is just a simple piece of jewelry on anyone else... except if it is stolen or looted. Then, whoever wears it is subject to a curse that inflicts -4 to all attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks for the remainder of the year unless subjected to remove curse with a 20th-level caster effectiveness..

Brigid the Dragon, celebrating the New Year's Eve with friends.

Brigid the Dragon in the process of abandoning her human form.
She warned them not to make her angry...

On the Sixth Day of Christmas, the Dragon Gave to Me...

Six Geese-a-Laying
One of the bulkier gifts the Dragon Who Loves Christmas might bestow upon someone is the Six Geese-a-Laying. It consists of six carefully crafted woodcarvings of geese. They are made from basswood, but then either glazed or painted through some unusual method that no mortal has been able to determine. (The coloring of the wood is part of the enchantment process.) If subjected to detect magic, all six statues radiate a moderate aura of divination magic with hints of summoning and transmutation magic mixed in. The magic is equally strong on each of the carving and it does not change in intensity if they are close together or many miles apart.

   Functions: When any one of the Six Geese-a-Laying carvings is placed within the boundaries of what the owner considers his or her domicile (including any yard, gardens, or outbuildings around it) it becomes a magical alarm and defense. If someone who has hostile intent toward the owner and his or her belongings comes within a 20-foot radius of one of the Geese, it starts honking loudly--so loudly anyone within 500 feet can hear it and individuals close to the carving must roll a successful Fortitude saving throw (DC18) or become confused for one round and be deafened for 1d6+6 hours.

   If the trespassing intruder doesn't retreat the following round, the carving animates and attacks. It is treated like a 5th level Warrior with no Strength or Size modifiers to attack and damage rolls; it attacks twice each round, inflicting 1d4+2 piercing damage with its beak and 2d4+2 bludgeoning damage with its wings; it can only be damaged by spells, spell-like attacks, or enchanted weapons with a +2 or better bonus; each construct has 35 hit points. If reduced to 0 or lower, the construct crumbles to moldy sawdust and wood splinters. Once destroyed, all magic is dispersed from the construct.

   One, all, or just some of the Six Geese-a-Laying can be deployed to provide security for the owners domicile and surrounding area. Each carving functions as described above, and no power or function is lost if one or more are destroyed. 

   One quirky aspect to the Six Geese-a-Laying (and Brigid's favorite) is that every day 1d6 of the Geese actually produce an egg. The eggs appear under the carvings that "lay" shortly before sunrise. The eggs appear to be normal goose eggs in every way, despite their obviously arcane origins. A person who eats a meal that incorporates one or more of these magical goose eggs gains a +1 bonus to melee attacks and Intimidation skill checks.

 

 

   Although the Six Geese-a-Laying are created as one unit, they can be split up and used by several people. The person originally gifted with them can give any number of the Six Geese-a-Laying away as a gift to others without any of them losing their enchantments. The gifted geese become attuned to the recipient's domicile, just as they were to the original owner. (The carvings must be given without expectation of any compensation. If the owner expects anything from the recipient other than he or she being a little safer as a result of the gift. If one of the Six Geese-a-Laying is regifted with any selfish agendas, all of the carvings immediately lose their enchantment and crumble into moldy debris.

   Trivia: Brigid made the Six Geese-a-Laying to mimic aspects of standard alarms and defenses that dragons place their "lairs" and treasures. As for the eggs... goose eggs are one of Brigid's favorite things to eat when in human form.

On the Fifth Day of Christmas, the Dragon Gave to Me...

Five Gold Rings
The Five Gold Rings is among the rarest of Christmas gifts: It is intended to be re-gifted. In fact, the person to whom Brigid the Christmas Dragon gives the Five Gold Rings will benefit if he or she chooses to give most the gold rings to others.

   The Five Gold Rings are each different in appearance, with four being slender and delicate and one being hefty. This larger ring is decorated with a representation of a red dragon's head and the phrase "Christmas Blessings" in a long-lost language that can only be deciphered through the use of a read magic spell. If the rings are subjected to a detect magic spell, they are found to radiate abjuration magic with a slight accent of divination magic. 

   Function: When the Five Gold Rings are first given to a character, each functions as a +1 ring of protection. Each time the recipient gives one of the slender rings away to another person as a gift, the hefty ring with the dragon's head gains an additional +1 bonus to its enchantment. Once all four of the other rings have been regifted, the fifth ring is a +5 ring of protection. The other rings remain +1 rings of protection.

    If the character to whom the Five Gold Rings is gifted give away rings with conditions attached or expectations, or tries to sell any of them, all rings immediately lose their enchantments. The slender rings can be sold to jewelers for base values of $25+2d10, while the heavier, ornate ring can be sold for $50+2d10. The ornate ring can be sold to a character who has knowledge of dragon magic and dragon society for a base value of $200.

On the Fourth Day of Christmas, the Dragon Gave to Me...

Four Calling Birds
This piece of artwork is perfect for mantlepieces, coffee tables, or shelving units that aren't completely filled with books. It consists of four blackbird statuettes made from carefully shaped obsidian that are mounted on a slab of polished marble. If subjected to detect magic, the item radiates moderate illusion magic.

   Function: When placed inside the home or place of work of the owner of the Four Calling Birds, if he or she, or any person there with permission, says the word "Sing", the sculpture starts playing the speaker's favorite genre of music at a soft volume. By saying "Louder" or "Quieter", the character can adjust the volume up or down. The music continues until the character leaves the location or he or she says "Silence".

   The user of the Four Calling Birds can direct it to play music by a specific composer, band, rock group, singer--any music performed by any human, anywhere on Earth, at any time. The user must say "Sing and Play Falco".  The music doesn't even have to exist as a recording anywhere, nor does the performers of it need to be well-known. Any music that has been performed anywhere by anyone can be channeled through the magic of the Four Calling Birds.

   If the music exists (or existed at one time) as recordings, the user can specify collections by title, or series of albums and performances by mentioned specific years, such as "Sing and play music composed by Mike Oldfield from 1985 through 2015." In this example, the selection will be random, but it will all be performed by Mike Oldfield together with supporting vocalists and musicians. Also, when genres or a broad selection of a particular band or artist is played, any Christmas music that falls under those parameters is mixed in among the rest, no matter what time of year it is.

   If a user asks the Four Calling Birds to play Christmas music, the recording you can hear by clicking below is always in the mix somewhere. It also happens to be "Brigid's Happy Christmas Theme" if the film version of The Dragon Who Loves Christmas ever gets made!

On the Third Day of Christmas, the Dragon Gave to Me...

Three French Hens
This is one of twelve magic items that Brigid, the Dragon Who Loves Christmas, has invented after being inspired by "The Twelve Days of Christmas song. It is one of the more powerful ones, but it also leaves those upon whom it is gifted a little confused when they initially are gifted with it.

Brigid, the Dragon Who Loves Christmas, also loves kindhearted humans.
She gets enjoyment out of creating magic items and giving them as gifts.

   The Three French Hens is a finely crafted feather duster with an ornate dowel handle made from stained hard wood and a brush consisting of cockatrice feathers. When first acquired, it radiates a strong auras of summoning and transmutation magic with a hint of divination magic present also.

   Functions: To activate the Three French Hens, the character must be inside a place of residence or business. He or she then swipes its feathers once over a flat surface that might accumulate dust. The feather duster then disappears and three young women in French maid outfits, carrying a variety of housekeeping and cleaning items, appear in the room. They greet the character in French and then go about cleaning the home, office, or business.

   It takes the maids ten minutes to clean each room in the residence or commercial space, no matter how messy, filthy, or large it is. Each hallway and stairway takes five minutes. The maids leave each area they access exceptionally clean with everything organized and in its proper places. Whatever dust, dirt, debris (or worse) that the maids clean and sweep away is transmuted into magical energy and used to power the enchantments on the Three French Hens.

   The maids clean the entire residence or business area, but not the entire building if it contains multiple homes or business spaces operated by others. Once their work is done, the three maids vanish as suddenly as they appeared, and the Three French Hens reappears on the surface it was being used upon to trigger the summoning.

  The physical appearance of the French maids vary from summoning to summoning. Here are some examples:

 
 

 

   While the three maids are cleaning, they are constantly talking to each other in French. Some of the conversation is about their latest dates, but some of it is about celebrity scandals that are unfolding or some politician's transgression against his or her self-declared morals. (This constant chatter is where the name of the item is drawn from; Brigid thought it was an amusing idiomatic pun. Another joke that Brigid has built into the item is that there's a small chance that one of the magical maids bears a strong resemblance to her human form. Whenever the item is used, one of the Three French Hens looks like Brigid if 30 is rolled on 3d10.)

   If the owner and user of the Three French Hens knows French, he or she will be able to ask the maids one question per Charisma bonus point. They will chatter and gossip about the topic for 1d6+2 minutes before providing an answer. The quality of the answer varies randomly according to a random d6 roll.

Roll    Three French Hens Answer

1          Completely accurate.

2          Somewhat accurate but with random rumor added.

3          Somewhat accurate but with false sexual aspect added.

4          Completely inaccurate and very salacious.

5          Completely inaccurate and so ridiculous it is obviously not true.

6          Completely accurate.

   The summoned maids clean the domicile or commercial space they've been summoned into without question or hesitation, be it picking up the aftermath of a rave or cleaning up the site of a gory mass murder. Their cleaning and straightening methods are marked with the sort of precision that a dragon inventories his or her hoard.

   The maids will never initiate combat. If even one of them is attacked, all three vanish. The attacker is subjected to a curse that inflicts a -3 to all skill checks and attack rolls until the attacker finds a dragon to cast remove curse on him or her.

   During a 12-month period that goes from February 1 through January 31 (roughly, with about a two-week window of variance from the third week of January through the first week of February), the Three French Hens can typically be used a total of 12 times. Whether the owner uses the item once a day or once a month, it stops working after its 12th use. However, on December 25, it becomes active again and is recharged with 12 more uses/charges. (The item never has more than 12 charges. Even if charges remain on December 24, the number resets to 12.)

   

Brigid always needs to call upon the Three French Hens on Christmas Day.

 

On the Second Day of Christmas, the Dragon Gave to Me...

Two Turtle Doves

This pair of small silver lapel pins are identical representation of a dove in flight. If detect magic is used on them, they radiate abjuration and summoning magic. The two turtle doves is treated as one item, but the two pins that it consists of it is intended to be used by two different individuals.

   Function: When worn on a character's collar or lapel, it grants a +1 bonus to all Bargain, Bluff, and Diplomacy skill checks, as the item's enchantment makes the wearer seem inherently more likable.
   Perhaps an even more important function of two turtle doves is that it provides a magical link between the person to whom two turtle doves was gifted by Brigid and a person that is given one of the two pins to wear. The two characters can, by taking a full round action and picturing the other person in his or her mind, get a sense of how that person is physically and mentally--whether they are injured, scared, sleeping, unconscious, and so on. On the round immediately following, the character may take a second full round action to cause him- or herself to be magically transported to a safe location within line-of-sight of the other wearer of a turtle dove pin. If it is not possible to appear in a safe location within line-of-sight, the character appears as closely as possible. A successful Listen or Search skill check (DC dependent on location) will give him or her enough clues to discern where the one they've come to help is.

   Trivia: Brigid created this item to partially mimic a dragon's ability to locate things they are very familiar with and very fond of (a particular coin, a favorite magic sword, a loyal friend, and so on).

"Friends look out for each other. Friends are the greatest treasure!"

On the First Day of Christmas, the Dragon Gave to Me...

A Partridge in a Pear Tree

This item is five inches tall and two inches wide at the top. It is a glass figurine of a tree attached to a shallow silver dish that's just slightly over two inches in diameter. 

   The glass tree a lightly leafed tree with tiny yellow drop-shaped objects hanging from its branches. A representation of a partridge sits in the crown of the tree.

   If detect magic is used on the item, it radiates summoning and protection magic.

   Functions: Once per day, at Sunrise, a perfectly ripe pear appears on the silver plate. It can be cut into up to four sections, and each person who eats their part of the pear gains 1d4 bonus hit points above and beyond the character's normal maximum (or heals that number of points if already injured). The bonus points go away at Sundown.

   When the item is placed where the person to whom the partridge in a pear tree was gifted is residing (either temporarily or permanently), it starts making loud squawking noises whenever someone that has harmful intents toward the character and his or her property (including theft). The noise is loud enough that any sleeping characters are awakened and anyone just outside the dwelling or anywhere within it will hear.

Brigid, the Dragon Who Loves Christmas posing as human.
Click here for a little information about her.

This post is part of a series describing twelve magic items created by an ancient red dragon who loves Christmas. Click here for background and context.

The Twelve Days of the Christmas Dragon

Brigit is what an ancient red dragon calls herself when she assumes human form to interact with mortals. Although she spends most of her time in her isolated dwelling in the mountains of northern Arizona, every December and January, she travels the Earth non-stop to visit as many places and share her love of Christmas with as many people as possible. 

The Dragon Who Loves Christmas with her treasure hoard.

Unlike most of her kind, Brigit is fond of humanity and their ever-changing ways and seemingly boundless creativity. She has always enjoyed taking part in their Winter Festivals, and has loved Christmas since villagers invited her share their celebration early in the 9th century A.D. If she visits a town or attends a dinner or party where the Christmas spirit is in the air, things become so magical and festive that those who were present will tell stories about it for years. There will likewise be talk if she comes to a town or enters a home where the spirit of Christmas is being violated with cruelty and selfishness. When encountering such, Brigit first tries to convince the wrong-doers to mend their behavior and outlooks. When that fails, which it almost always does, because Brigit's human form is that of a cute and unimposing young woman with messy red hair and lots of freckles, she reveals her true self and brings a level of terror and destruction to that time and place such as only a red dragon is capable of.

"You better watch out. You better be nice. You won't like me when I'm angry."

Centuries ago, a rhyming game played by human children at Christmas time inspired Brigid to create a set of 12 magic items that reflect the game. As with almost everything Christmas related, her source of inspiration has morphed and changed over time and it is now the Christmas carol known as "The Twelve Days of Christmas".

Brigit makes one or more of the items every month during the year, and, at Christmas time, she gives them out as presents to mortals that were either particularly generous to her of selflessly sacrificing to promote the well-being and safety of others, or to humans she feels could benefit and deserve the help the magic item can provide.

Check back every night on each of the Twelve Days of Christmas around 9pm (2100) Pacific Time for a description of Brigit's signature magical creations as viewed through the lense of the d20 System.

NUELOW at Christmas: Merry Christmas!

Santa Claus has finished his annual rounds and all the stockings of the good kids have been stuffed! Now, he is spending some time relaxing with Snoop Dogg before heading over to their mutual friend Brigit's place to meet up with Mrs. Claus to begin their annual vacation.

 

NUELOW at Christmas: Merry Christmas!

Every year, Brigid the Christmas Dragon makes a point of singing Christmas carols with her long-time friend Snoop Dogg and immortalizing the moment with a photo. Here they are on Christmas Eve, 2020!

The songs? They vary from year to year, but there are always at least three and one of them is always Brigid's favorite Christmas carol. Click here to hear it as she performs it.

(All images featured in the 2024 Christmas posts were generated using computer programs. Snoop Dogg isn't actually friends with Brigid the Christmas Dragon, nor has he ever had his picture taken with her.)

NUELOW at Christmas: Merry Christmas

Brigid the Christmas Dragon has been visiting rapper Snoop Dogg on Christmas since he was a child. When Snoop converted to Rastafarianism, he took to celebrating Christmas in January, which thrilled Brigid because it gave her more time to spend with him and his family.

Here are Brigid and Snoop in 2015, keeping alive their tradition of singing a few Christmas carols and having their time together memorialized in a photo.

(All images featured in the 2024 Christmas posts were generated using computer programs. Snoop Dogg isn't actually friends with Brigid the Christmas Dragon, nor has he ever had his picture taken with her.)

(All images featured in the 2024 Christmas posts were generated using computer programs. Snoop Dogg isn't actually friends with Brigid the Christmas Dragon, nor has he ever had his picture taken with her.)

NUELOW at Christmas: Happy Christmas!

 Since he was a child, rapper and songwriter Snoop Dogg has spent a few hours each Christmas with Brigid the Christmas Dragon. Here's a photo of their get-together on Christmas Eve 2009!

(All images featured in the 2024 Christmas posts were generated using computer programs. Snoop Dogg isn't actually friends with Brigid the Christmas Dragon, nor has he ever had his picture taken with her.)

NUELOW at Christmas: Merry Christmas!

Brigid the Christmas Dragon has been friends with rapper and song writer Snoop Dogg since he was 11 years old. She has always stopped in to visit him around Christmas time, and now she is close with his children and their families as well.

Although the pair had always enjoyed singing Christmas carols together and to each other, it wasn't until 1999 that Snoop hit upon the idea of immortalizing their once-a-year joyful reunions with a photo. On this Christmas Eve, we are going to share those with the world for the very first time!

Here's Brigid and Snoop on Christmas Eve 1999.

(All images featured in the 2024 Christmas posts were generated using computer programs. Snoop Dogg isn't actually friends with Brigid the Christmas Dragon, nor has he ever had his picture taken with her.)

NUELOW at Christmas: Day Twenty-Four

Merry Christmas everyone! Whether you celebrate it or not, we here at NUELOW Games hope that the next couple of days are as happy and bright for you as if Brigid the Christmas Dragon had shown up on your doorstep wanting to spend it with you!

And speaking of Brigid and Christmas, here's a little bit about...

BRIGID'S FIRST CHRISTMAS

Some music to set the mood...

 

 

It was the year 803AD. Brigid had been walking among humans, cloaking her true nature in a form that appeared harmless to them, as they evolved from cave dwellers to builders of mighty towers and beyond. Of all humanity's creations and quirky habits, it was their Winter Festivals that she loved the most. Over the past many decades, these Winter Festivals were increasingly transforming into Christmas, and Brigid was growing a bit anxious that humanity might abandon something she loved about them.

 

But, on Christmas Eve of 803AD, Brigid came to the defense of a small Christian village in southern Jylland that a Viking chieftain had marked to be a blood sacrifice (and grand gift) to Odin for Yule.
After defeating the Viking attackers--briefly abandoning her human form to do so, she was invited to join the Christmas celebration. They asked her to join them in thanks, despite having witnessed her true form and her terrifying destructive powers. From that day forward, Brigid was in love with Christmas.

Here's a table to randomly generate the threat that ruins the heroes' Christmas. You may not have time to run it this year (unless you actually know what the Twelve Days of Christmas are), but maybe next year. Or maybe for "Christmas in July"!


WHAT RUINS THE HEROES' CHRISTMAS? (Roll 1d12)
  1. An old foe they thought long gone returns for revenge.
  2. An old foe they thought long dead returns at the head of an army of zombies.
  3. An old foe begs for their help to stop an even worse evil.
  4. While dinner is cooking, the oven mysteriously malfunctions, and fire elementals escape onto the Prime Material Plane.
  5. While dinner is cooking, the oven mysteriously malfunctions and reanimates the Christmas meal as a fiery, murderous beast-zombie.
  6. While dinner is cooking, the oven mysteriously malfunctions and causes everyone gathering for the Christmas dinner (and the entire house they're in) to be transported to Hell.
  7. Santa has been kidnapped by vengeful Martians, and it's up to the heroes to save him and Christmas!
  8. Santa's Daughter, Sugarplum, has been kidnapped by her crazed ex-boyfriend and Santa has come to the heroes for help.
  9. Cultists have summoned Narlahohohotep--the Caroler Out of Space--at Nakatomi Plaza. Brigid the Christmas Dragon comes to the heroes for help in stopping the end of the world.
 10. Santa's Reindeer have been stolen.
 11. A serial killer is on the loose!
 12. Roll two more times on the table, ignoring and rerolling duplicate results and additional results of 12. Both things converge to ruin the heroes' Christmas!


And while the heroes may feel like they're Two Steps from Hell, it's Christmas! So everything will hopefully turn out right in the end!

NUELOW at Christmas: Day Twenty-Three

When Jesus got together with Santa for their annual pre-Christmas lunch meeting, Jesus not only brought a gift for Santa--surprising old Saint Nick who is always giving but never getting the gifts--but he revealed his plans for this year's Night of Good Cheer: "I am going to bring gifts to those who are perpetually on your naughty list. I will also bring them forgiveness!"

This year, the Son of God is...

PUTTING THE CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS

Jesus decided to begin his trek at the furthest point from Heaven--Hell. Here, he gave gifts to demons of various kinds, including the succubae.

He ventured into the Dreamrealm, a dimension that overlaps with ours, and brought gifts to some of the darkest beings that exist there and haunt the nightmares and infest the more twisted side of mortals' imaginations.

 
  

 

He then moved onto slightly less evil beings--politicians!

  

From the politicians, he sought out a Mad Scientist and the blood-thirsty, time-traveling android she created (and that than immediately ran wild).

 

 
He then sought out the strange and legendary creatures that live on the fringes of human society... and which often prey upon the unwary.

He met Bigfoot...
 

 

... he faced (sort of) the Slender Man...

... he got his feet wet with the Maiden of the Moon Pool...

... he brought a smile to the face of the Swamp Beast...

... and he calmed the fury of the Wolfman. All through the joy of Christmas

 
 

 

Finally, he has the gift of comfort and joy to YOU, the readers and gamers who enjoys what NUELOW Games has to offer.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

NUELOW at Christmas: Day Twenty-Two

It was rare that someone surprised him, but she did. Twice.

First, she was so quiet and still that he didn't notice her standing in the corner as he emerged from the fireplace to put gifts in the stockings that had been hung with care. She was also so stunningly beautiful as she emerged from the shadow while saying softly that she has hoped this night would come for many, many years. So beautiful, in fact, that she almost made him wish he wasn't a happily married man.

Second, she was so inviting in her demeanor that she convinced him to take a break before the presents were doled out and share some eggnog and cookies with her. He had never deviated from his routine for as long as he could remember, but she made him feel like he was about to receive gifts. Oh, how he wished he wasn't happily married.

But then, it happened...

 WHAT INTERRUPTS THE MOMENT 

BETWEEN SANTA AND THE VIXEN?

Roll 1d8 to determine what happens between Santa and the mystery woman.

    1. Nothing. They have a nice time together, during which she tells him how much she loves Christmas.

    2. Her jealous, mixed martial arts champion boyfriend bursts in, raging with jealousy and ready to beat Santa to death! The Vixen flees.

    3. Her jealous boyfriend bursts in and starts taking pictures of Santa and the Vixen. He angrily declares that he is going to ruin both their reputations by posting the pictures 

on various sites and platforms around the internet. Santa seeks out the PCs and begs them to prevent the boyfriend from ruining an innocent lady's reputation.

   4. Santa finishes the eggnog and cookies and reluctantly leaves the Vixen and her cozy home. But, once outside, he discovers that his sleigh and all the reindeer have been stolen. When he rushes back inside, he finds the Vixen has vanished as well! Santas seeks out the PCs to help retrieve his sleigh before Christmas is ruined!

   5. After a couple sips of the eggnog, Santa begins to feel dizzy... and then passes out. When he awakens, he is on a spaceship headed for Mars! Meanwhile, the Vixen, now free of Martian mind control, seeks out the PCs to help get Santa back before Christmas is ruined!

    6. Santa drinks the eggnog. The Vixen then tells him has been poisoned and that he has 24 hours to live. He will get the antidote to the poison if he signs his workshop and the elves who work there over to MegaToy Inc. Santa goes to teh PCs for help.

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NUELOW at Christmas: Day Twenty-One

Here's a Christmas-flavored adventure idea for a modern setting that contains magic.

THE ELF ON THE SHELF MASSACRES
Someone is murdering the families of witnesses against Papa Jambo, the reputedly magic-using crimelord who is currently on trial for multiple murders. Despite heavy police protection, the assassins are still managing to infiltrate the homes and murder the families in their sleep; in one case, they even killed one of the officers on the protective detail.

After these shadowy assassins kill a pair of evidence technicians at a crime scene, the player characters are called in to help the investigation. Upon inspecting the crime scenes, they find one thing in common: Each home has an Elf on the Shelf doll in it... and at one point, one of the characters is attacked by one of the toys after it animates. (Use Kobold stats, 1d4 points of damage with a knife or some other sharp household object).



With some investigation, the characters discover that the Elf on the Shelf dolls were all sent to the family from the same downtown address, even if the packages all appeared to come from a variety of hard-to-contact relatives.

Upon visiting the warehouse, the party is attacked by 24 murderous Elf on the Shelf dolls. They attack in groups of 1d6+1 until all are destroyed. Further investigation of the warehouse reveals other addresses to which killer dolls were sent that morning, as well as the following (roll 1d4):

   1. That Papa Jambo's apprentice is animating the dolls and that he has moved to a different location with 48 more... which will be sent to judges and other law enforcement officials if he has the chance.
   2. That one of Papa Jambo's rivals are trying to frame him for the murders--and that rival is an even stronger and more evil sorcerer than Jambo.
   3. Family members or loved ones of the player characters have been targeted to recieve killer Elf on the Shelf dolls... and that they may already be in their homes!
   4. The Papa Jambo on trial is a look-a-like impostor and that the real crimelord is at a secret location, plotting a monstrous revenge that will turn Christmas Eve into a bloodbath!

NUELOW at Christmas: Day Twenty

THE SIX ARTIFACTS OF SANTA CLAUS

For a number of centuries, a set of related magical items believed to be the property of Santa Claus has been changing hands and drifting through the underground market for supernatural items. Only rarely have they been collected in one place, and it is the goal of many collectors to own all six items in the set. Some, like Brigid the Christmas Dragon, want to acquire them so they can return them to Santa as a present, but most want the bragging rights.

   Below, we present the Six Artifacts of Santa Claus as viewed through the lense of the d20 Game System. (The descriptions of the six items are released under the Open Game License and may be reproduced in accordance with its term.)

Giant Candy Cane of Peacemaking: This giant candy cane functions like a great hammer and deals 1d12 non-lethal bludgeoning damage. There are no bonuses to hit or damage rolls, but a target that is struck must make a successful Wisdom saving throw (DC22) or be frozen in place. The target is aware of everything happening around them, but unable to move in any way other than to breathe. The target is held in place until the wielder of the candy cane releases him or her from the enchantment (with a standard action), until dispel magic with a 20th level effectiveness is cast on the target, or until 12 hours have passed from the moment the target failed the Wisdom saving throw.

Santa’s Bag of Christmas Gifts: This is a bag of holding with 600 lbs. of weight available. Gifts can be taking out of the bag as a free action. The gift is always something the person it is intended for wants or needs.

Santa’s Boots: These heavy black boots paradoxically provide the wearer a +4 bonus to Stealth skill checks, at will the wearer can choose to leave no tracks in snow. The boots resize to fit whoever puts them on.

Santa's Hat: This red, fur-lined bobble hat appears like one of the most iconic symbols of Christmas. It grants the wearer the ability to unerringly identify the current location of a being whose true name is known to him or her, as well as the place that being considers its home.

Santa's Overcoat: This red long coat provides the wearer immunity to natural cold temperatures or from getting cold from being wet. When fully buttoned, Santa's Overcoat also grants a +2 bonus to AC/DR, +1 bonus to most saving throws, and a +4 bonus to saving throws made to resist air- water- and cold-based spell-effects and spell-like abilities.

   Santa's Overcoat is made for a tall, broad-shouldered, corpulent man, but it adjusted slightly if a smaller person wears it... but it still appears to be ill-fitting on anyone but Santa himself.

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE ITEMS

In reality, the six items described in this article were actually made by Brigid the Christmas Dragon because she wanted to fill in for Santa Claus if he ever needed help. The items were stolen from her original lair in France, on Christmas Eve of 1792 when it was penetrated by revolutionaries as the Reign of Terror was taking shape. She has been trying to recover them ever since, not because she necessarily wants to give them to Santa, but because she thinks he will laugh at them if her creations were ever put side by side with the spectacularly wondrous magical items he uses to deliver gifts and happiness all around the world.

NUELOW at Christmas: Day Nineteen

HE KNOWS WHO'S BAD OR GOOD... 

BECAUSE SOME OF THEM ARE TRYING TO KILL HIM! 

The world's leading assassin, Madam Satan, is hired to kill Santa Claus. Confronting St. Nick awakens memories of Christmases long gone, and, in turn, brings a long-dormant part of her soul back to life. She turns from predator to protector... but will she be able to save Santa and the very heart of Christmas itself from the 12 killers that were brought in by the client to replace her?

NOT SINCE DIE HARD HAVE YOU SEEN 

A MORE ACTION-PACKED CHRISTMAS MOVIE!

COMING ONLY TO THEATERS DECEMBER 25, 2024...

NUELOW at Christmas: Day Eighteen

Dozens of centuries ago, a red dragon who is known as Brigid fell in love with the human winter festivals that eventually became Christmas. She continues her love affair with Christmas, and she has taken to spending some of her time creating magic candles that she secretly places in places where people of good cheer and kindness gather. Humans, when they notice them, have taken to referring to these mysterious magic items as candles of peace.

 

Brigid also uses the candles herself, placing them all over the part of her lair that is visible to humans. She sometimes invites heroes (such as the player characters) and disadvantaged children to spend all of Christmas Eve waiting up for Santa with her... and there's a 1d6 chance that he shows up slightly before dawn to visit with his biggest and oldest fan and those she think are worthy of getting gifts from him.

The rest of this post is presented under the Open Game License, and it presents rules for candles of peace for use in the d20 System and D&D compatible games.

Candle of Peace
Candles of Peace are found in churches and shrines to good-aligned deities. No one knows how they are created or by whom. They just seem to appear in dark corners  bundles of 2d4+4, on random festival days for the deity a given shrine, church, or temple is devoted to. If subjected to detect magic, candles of peace radiate faint auras of divine magic, but nothing more specific can be determined. Roll 1d6 to determine what color the candles are: 1-2 red; 3-4 white; 5-6 green.
   When lit, a candle of peace provides a +2 bonus to Will saves to resist fear effects, and a +2 bonus to Fortitude saves to resist disease, venoms, and poisons (magical and non-magical) within a 10-foot radius and sight of the candle's flame. Each candle can burn a total of 48 hours before completely expended. It can be lit and extinguished any number of times during that period. (Each time it is lit, the GM can assume that a minimum of 1/4 of an hour  of burn time is spent.)
   A candle of peace cannot be wet or submerged in water to work. It can be used to ignite flammable materials and substances. It can be extinguished by any means that would extinguish a normal candle.
   Up to four candles of peace can be lit at the same time and their benefits will stack, for a maximum bonus of +8. They cannot be more than 4 inches apart for the bonuses to stack. The radius of the effect never expands beyond the 10-foot radius.



Best Holiday wishes from your friends at NUELOW Games! Here's Mike Oldfield's fabulous version of "Silent Night" to help set the mood!