I Cast...Brainstorm issue 42!

A weekly newsletter of ideas and advice for D&D Dungeon Masters, players, and fans

Author

Dave Palmer
January 23rd, 2026

In partnership with

This week — More Conveyances (A Creature and a Magic Item)

Thanks for reading I Cast…Brainstorm!, a weekly newsletter with ideas and advice to help make DM-ing and playing D&D (and other TTRPGs) easier and more fun.

You can say hello, share feedback, and let me know what you’d like to see in the newsletter at [email protected].

And please share our link with your friends and fellow gamers, so they can join us, too. https://icastbrainstorm.beehiiv.com/

Let’s brainstorm some fun!

In this issue...

Happy Friday! This week we have two additional modes of travel you can drop into your game — a magnificent horse with the stamina of the gods, and a ghostly carriage that can safely travel over any solid surface.

If you try them out, please let me know how they worked, and thanks for reading!

A Horse for Heroes

I’ve always loved the horse Shadowfax from the Lord of the Rings — the powerful, intelligent chief of the Maeras who allows Gandalf to ride him into battle. This is my version of such a creature — whether it is magical or mundane in origin is up to you.

The Lord of Horses

Large beast, Any
Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 80 (8d10 + 40)
Speed 120’

STR 20 (+5)
DEX 14 (+2)
CON 18 (+4)
INT 12 (+1)
WIS 14 (+2)
CHA 14 (+2)

Saving Throws STR +7, DEX +4
Skills Perception +4
Senses Darkvision 60’, Passive Perception 12
Languages Understands elvish and common, but can’t speak

Proficiency Bonus +2

Traits
Sure Footed
The Lord of Horses ignores all difficult terrain.

Impressive Stamina
The Lord of Horses can walk for 16 hours or gallop for 4 hours before needing 8 hours rest.

Trampling Charge
If the Lord of Horses moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hits it with a hooves attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the horse can make another attack with its hooves against it as a bonus action, with Advantage.

Actions
Hooves
Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 5) bludgeoning damage.

A Magical Coin

Using some of the same mechanics as a figurine of wondrous power, this coin allows adventurers to hail a cab no matter where they find themselves.

Coin of the Spectral Carriage

Wondrous Item, very rare

This silver coin has the image of a horse and carriage etched on one side, and a word etched on the other. If you use an action to speak the word on the coin and flip it through the air so it lands on a point on the ground within 20 feet of you, it transforms into a well-appointed and comfortable carriage drawn by two powerful spectral horses. The carriage and horses shimmer with magic, and are opaque.

The carriage will appear oriented in whatever direction you prefer, unless the space where the carriage or horses would appear is occupied by other creatures or objects, in which case the carriage will orient itself in a different direction. If the coin lands where there isn't enough space for the carriage or horses, the coin lands, but doesn’t transform.

The horses are friendly to you and your allies, understand your languages and respond to the reins and to your spoken instructions. The horses understand basic directions and speeds, (walk, trot, gallop), and their move rate is 60’.

The horses can walk on any solid surface regardless of temperature or other factors. Difficult terrain doesn’t affect the horses or carriage, and the spectral horses don’t need water, food, air or rest. If you issue no commands, the horses take no actions. They can’t be hit or damaged by weapons or magic, but can be dispelled, and are susceptible to anti-magic, (in both cases, they revert back to coin form).

The spectral carriage and horses appear for 6 hours then return to coin form. You can revert the carriage and horses to a coin before 6 hours has passed by touching either, and speaking the command word again. The coin can then be used to transform into the carriage again, but once the carriage and horses have existed for a total of 6 hours, they transform back into a coin and can’t transform again until dawn 3 days later

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.

TTRPG InsiderAn inside look at the scene shakers, content makers and upstarts in the tabletop gaming industry
Dungeon DropYour weekly guide to the hottest new D&D miniatures, Roleplaying products, and Kickstarters dropping before anyone else knows about them.
The Conqueror's ChronicleForged for those with hearts bold enough to embrace the extraordinary.

Thanks so much for reading! I have a lot of ideas about how to build the newsletter into something even bigger and better, and if you like I Cast…Brainstorm! so far, please click on the ad below to help us grow!

Choose Natural Relaxation Tonight, Thrive Tomorrow

CBDistillery’s expert botanist has formulated a potent blend of cannabinoids to deliver body-melting relaxation without the next-day hangover.

Enhanced Relief Gummies feature 5mg of naturally-occurring Delta-9 THC and 75mg of CBD to help your body and mind relax before bedtime so you’re ready to ease into a great night’s sleep and take on whatever tomorrow brings.

Try Enhanced Relief Gummies risk-free with our 60-day money-back guarantee and save 25% on your first order with code HNY25.

Gifts for Gamers and People Who Love RPGs

You can also check out great gifts for the gamers in your life at the I Cast…Brainstorm store, which features all-original designs by yours truly on shirts, hats, mugs and other gifts!

 www.icastbrainstorm.etsy.com

I Cast…Brainstorm! newsletter subscribers save 10% off everything in the store!

Your Ad Here!
If you have an online store that sells D&D or TTRPG themed things, let me know — I’d love to add it here.


Thank you for visiting our sponsors. Each click helps the Brainstorm so much!

The Headlines Traders Need Before the Bell

Tired of missing the trades that actually move?

In under five minutes, Elite Trade Club delivers the top stories, market-moving headlines, and stocks to watch — before the open.

Join 200K+ traders who start with a plan, not a scroll.

What Do You Think?

How do you like I Cast…Brainstorm! so far? What’s working for you? What would you like to see more of? Or less of, or done in a different way? How’s the layout? Please let us know at [email protected]

The original ideas in this issue of I Cast….Brainstorm! are covered under the Creative Commons BY-SA license — all content is free to use (including commercially) and change, with proper attribution.

You can read about the license here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en