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- I Cast...Brainstorm issue 41!
I Cast...Brainstorm issue 41!
A weekly newsletter of ideas and advice for D&D Dungeon Masters, players, and fans
Dave Palmer
January 16th, 2026
In partnership with
This week — Conveyances Magical and Mundane
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Let’s brainstorm some fun!
In this issue...
Happy Friday, Brainstormers! This week I’ve been thinking about ways for characters to move around the game world, I think because so much of Rime of the Frostmaiden is about slogging through a frozen tundra during the Endless Night. I’m not sure either of the ideas below would help around Ten-Towns, but you might find them fun and useful nonetheless.
Happy gaming this week and thanks for reading!
A Magical Conveyance
This more powerful and versatile version of the Floating Disk spell is an effective way for powerful mages to travel in dangerous areas, or a fun way for a Big Bad to make a big entrance.
Flying Throne
Ritual
Level — 5th
Casting Time — 1 Action, Ritual
Range/Area — 30 ft.
Components — V, S
Duration — 1 Hour
School — Conjuration
Attack/Save — None
Damage/Effect — Movement
This spell creates a circular, horizontal plane of force, 5 feet in diameter and 1 inch thick, on top of which is a high-backed armchair made of the same material. The chair can be sized for small, medium or large creatures to sit comfortably, and appears with any design or embellishments you imagine when casting the spell. The disk and throne have a flying speed of 30’, and appear floating a foot off the ground in an unoccupied space of your choice you can see within range.
The first creature with an intelligence score of 7 or higher to sit in the throne is magically linked to it, and can control the throne’s movement with a thought, effectively gaining a flying speed of 30’. If the linked creature moves farther than 10’ from the throne the link is broken, and the throne will cease to move, (wherever it is), until another creature links to it and wills it to move. The throne remains for the duration, or until the caster dismisses it, and can hold up to 1000 pounds. If more than 1000 points is placed on it, the spell ends, and everything on the throne and/or disk falls to the ground.
The creature linked to the throne can make it fly in any direction, and any height. If the user wills the throne to tilt farther than 45º in any direction, creatures on the disk or throne must succeed on a DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check to hold on to the throne, or fall and take the appropriate amount of falling damage upon landing. If the disk tilts 90º, any creatures on the disk or throne fall, (no save).
Creatures can sit on the edge of the disk, as well as the throne itself. If two or more creatures occupy the disk or throne at the same time, only the creature to linked to the throne can control it. If a creature’s link is broken, any other creature on the throne can forge a new link and control the throne’s movement. If more than one creature is on the throne at that moment, the creature with the highest Intelligence will forge the link, (breaking any ties with Wisdom and then Charisma scores).
Anyone occupying the throne has full cover from attacks from below or from directly behind the throne. Attacks from the sides of the throne have 1/2 or 3/4 cover depending on the angle, and attacks from above or the front of the throne have no cover.
At Higher Levels
When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, the duration of the throne extends another hour for each slot level above 5th.
A Leveled Up Mastiff Mount
This buffed mastiff is heartier and more versatile, with some additional details for small mounted combatants.
The goal is to make the mastiff at least a little more viable as a mount for higher level characters, and this version might work around level 5 or so, but the AC and hit points are still concerning to me. AC could be improved with barding, but weight becomes a factor, (for example, chainmail barding for a war mastiff would raise its AC to 16, and weigh 75 lbs or so). As for hp, I would allow the rider to use its Reaction to take any amount of damage instead of the mount — an effective tactic once per Round of combat, but not useful against multiple attacks.
The other possibility is to base the mount’s hit points, and maybe proficiency bonus, on it’s rider’s level, so they could scale up together. I would love to know what you think, Brainstormers!
War Mastiff
Medium Beast, Unaligned
Armor Class 12
Hit Points 16 (3d8 + 3)
Speed 40 ft.
STR 17 (+3)
DEX 14 (+2)
CON 12 (+1)
INT 3 (-4)
WIS 12 (+1)
CHA 7 (-2)
Skills Perception +3, Athletics +5
Senses Passive Perception 13
Languages Understands commands in the language(s) its trained in
Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +2
Traits
Keen Hearing and Smell
The war mastiff has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.
Warmount Strength
The war mastiff can move its full speed while mounted and wearing barding as long as the total weight doesn’t exceed 255 lbs. For every 15 lbs. of weight the war mastiff carries over 255 lbs., its move speed decreases 5’.
Mounted Combat
A small creatures can mount and control a war mastiff using a specialized saddle. While mounted, the war mastiff’s combat Initiative always matches the rider’s, and it will only act independently to protect itself or the rider. Otherwise, it does nothing unless commanded by the rider to Attack, Dash, Disengage, Dodge or Move. Only the rider can command the war mastiff, and commands are free actions that can be verbal or somatic.
Actions
Piercing Bite
Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) piercing damage. If the target is a Large or smaller creature, it must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Grappling Bite
Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. On a hit, a Large or smaller creature has the Grappled condition, (escape DC 13).
Brainstorming Links
You probably already know about the folks below, who are real inspirations to me, but if not, do yourself a favor and check them out.
The Arcane Library — masterpiece adventures, and Shadowdark, too!
https://www.thearcanelibrary.com
The Angry DM — so angry….so many great ideas….
https://theangrygm.com/
DMDave — on point analysis of D&D rules, and a ton of fun ideas
https://bsky.app/profile/dmdave.bsky.social
RPGBot — whip smart critique and explanations of 5e rules
https://rpgbot.net/
Sly Flourish — a DM’s best friend who is also a better DM
https://www.slyflourish.com/
Treantmonk — years of helpful advice and clever ideas
https://www.youtube.com/@TreantmonksTemple
If you like I Cast…Brainstorm!, you might also like these amazing newsletters with more great ideas, advice and news about RPGs.
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