The Catholics had some pretty cool +1 swords...

Here's a list of historical weapons wielded by warriors and nobles in the name of one sect of followers of one of our favorite Invisible Sky Gods.  (Yes, I'm being a bit flippant and sacrilegious).  That said, look at the stories/myths behind these weapons, and how they stack up against (or perhaps influenced) the weapons of fantasy: Glamdring, Stormbringer, Grayswandir...

(and yes, there are plenty of other legendary swords and weapons of both Western and Eastern culture that likely informed classic and modern fantasy writing and gaming).

We've got swords made with relics from dead saints, a sword broken/blessed by an angel, a lance that killed a dragon (or Wyrm), and a spear used to kill a god (or son of a god, depending on how one interprets their Trinity).  If those qualities don't score you at least a +1 for your weapon, I don't know what will...

Wood Water Filter

So I'm a geologist as a career/vocation/hobby/toomanyrocksinthehouse...

More specifically, a hydrogeologist - concerned with the study of ground water - its occurrence, use, movement, purity or contamination.  Water is one of those irreplaceable resources - I know this from growing up farming, I see it in the current state of affairs of the allocation of and competition for the resource, and it will become more and more the center of competition and conflict has time goes on.

That said, the primary health concern in the developing world is potable water (followed by sanitation - getting rid of what our bodies have processed).  So I follow publications or news items regarding low-tech and/or innovative water resource methods.

Dungeon of Lost Coppers follow-up

Update:

Dyson posted up all 64 entries in a gallery here:  The number of interpretations are quite cool, especially the number that integrate water - either within the dungeon, or incorporating the original dungeon space as an island.  Mine's buried in there somewhere.

Also - I doubt that I'll make it past the initial screening round on Erik's OSR Superstar shakedown, but all entrants did get a copy of the Dagger for Kids youth RPG.  I haven't had time to take a close look at it, and my kid is older than the suggested age range - but I am a bit of a rules-hoarder, and will likely pull elements from it - especially for rules-lite options.

Back to the caves

Wife (upon sorting and clearing various hair-care products from the bathroom):  "I wish we could just go back to the caves when we only had some sticks and berries for decoration."

Me:  "Ugg! Teela come out from behind tree!  Sticks in hair look fine!  Ceremony of Drums not wait - daystar almost to high point in sky!"

+1 swords with a bit more

So a few of the blogosphere are rehashing the old trope of  "You've found a +1 sword." Make them a bit more, a bit special...

http://hackslashmaster.blogspot.com/2014/02/on-magical-1-swords.html
http://aeonsnaugauries.blogspot.com/2014/02/different-magic-swords-proposal.html
http://dungeonofsigns.blogspot.com/2014/01/1-sword-equivilents.html
http://goblinpunch.blogspot.com/2014/02/weird-swords-and-not-swords.html

Where did I park my bandwagon?

Tonight's selection of +1 swords with a bit more...

Trollhunter...

This rusty-appearing long sword was enchanted by a dwarven sorcerer with a vendetta against the troll tribe that decimated his village.  Close inspection of the pommel will find that the black 'gem' mounted there is actually a petrified troll's eye...  The Trollhunter pulses when a troll is nearby and inflicts an extra 1d8 damage against trolls.  Damage inflicted by the sword upon trolls does not regenerate (although other damage will - the troll will have a permanent HP deficit from the sword damage).  The sheath is of a mottled gray skin that seems to pulse and crawl a bit on the scabbard.

One of the suggestions to add a bit more character to a magic weapon is to incorporate a liability or use cost to the weapon.