That is all about gaining secret knowledge, a higher level of perception or inflicting misfortune or a boon on someone rather than causing a poisonous cloud of vapor to pour from your fingers (Cloudkill, deadly to creatures with less than 5 hit dice, for those who are interested). So D&D was never going to feed the fantasies of practising magic in the real world. Even the most pompous and ambitious historical magicians, from the Zaroastrian Magi through John Dee, Francis Barrett and Aleister Crowley, never claimed to be able to throw fireballs or lightning bolts like D&D wizards can. “Weirdly, D&D didn't encourage my leanings towards trying magic of my own at all. He placed it on his head at a jaunty angle, took a last satisfied look at himself in the mirror, turned on his heel and, very slowly, fell over.” Teppic picked up his hat and checked it's lining for the coil of cheesewire. As an afterthought he opened his sock drawer and took a pistol crossbow, a flask of oil, a roll of lockpicks and, after some consideration, a punch dagger, a bag of assorted caltrops and a set of brass knuckles. He winced, checked the blade of his rapier and slung the baldric over his right shoulder, to balance the bag of lead slingshot ammunition. A blowpipe was attached to its leather thong and dropped down the back of his cloak Teppic picked a slim tin container with an assortment of darts, their tips corked and their stems braille-coded for ease of selection in the dark. A thin silk line and folding grapnel were wound around his waist, over the chain-mail shirt. A couple of long-bladed throwing tlingas were slipped into their sheaths inside his boots.

Various cunning and intricate devices were taken from velvet bags and dropped into pockets. Another box held a set of knives and Klatchian steel, their blades darkened with lamp black.

“He sighed and opened the black box and took out his rings and slipped them on.

Inspirational darkest dungeon quotes