Hello friends, in today's newsletter I will go over what Play by Post is and how we will use it in our campaign, as well as try to clarify the different kinds of magic items that exist in the world

AoD 2025 Newsletter #4- Magic Items & Play by Post // 28/2/2025

Magic Items

All magic items in the world fall under one of the following categories: Arctech Items, True Magic Items and Faux Magic Items. Each item category varies greatly in both their origin and their proprieties.

Arctech Items

Arctech Items are those that make use of technology as an interface for the manipulation of Arcane Energy. The two are combined in order to achieve the desired result. This can be a simple effect, like light or heat, or something far more complex for instance the implements that allow Wielders to tap into that energy directly.

Such items will always require an energy source to function, and that energy source will almost always be Arcane Crystals. These can be fed directly into the item, or in some cases attached to a central power system (like an automaton's body, or special gear designed for this purpose). Drawing energy from the crystals is neither instantaneous nor strain-free.

They are usually built out of metal, typically brass, and can be bulky and unwieldy when compared to items belonging to the other two categories.

True Magic Items

True magic items are those that have power of their own, without the need for fueling or any technological interface. They are the rarest of the three, and generally the most powerful. Almost all legendary artifacts fall under this category, with some notable exceptions.

These items are not really fully understood, their origins are varied and there is rarely a consensus. Their creation is often attributed to gods or other figures from legend. There is no well defined limit to how much power these items can hold and many wars having been fought over them. True magic items have played a major role in shaping, not just myths and folklore, but history as well.

Faux Magic Items

Faux magic items are created using Arctech , but are not Arctech themselves. Using various processes and techniques artificers can infuse regular items with Arcane Energy causing them to exhibit certain magical proprieties without the need for an active source of power. Creating items in this way is expensive, and the magical proprieties are never permanent, instead they will either have a limited number uses or their effects wear out over time.

The main advantage of these items is that they do not need to be fueled and don't possess any of the intricate mechanics required for Arctech, which allows for much more compact designs. How much energy a faux magic item can handle is dependent on many factors, primarily: Material, the skill of the artificer and the processes/technology used. This leads to certain rare materials being increasingly valuable due to their naturally high energy capacity.

A common application would be something like a Ring of Warmth frequently used by Wardens to survive the harsh weather they are forced to work in.

It should be noted that it can sometimes be difficult to distinguish a Faux Magic Item from a True Magic Item in game. While the effects on the former might be time-bound it is possible their duration might far exceed any realistic time frame for a campaign. It is not uncommon for these items to last years, and the most powerful of them can last decades or even centuries. The longest lasting items tend to have the weakest effects, however.

Play by Post

Play by Post, or PbP is another way to play DnD (or any TTRPG). It is played asynchronously and entirely through text. The DM writes a prompt, the player reacts to it and then the DM describes the effects of the player's reactions, and so on. PbP has many advantages, but also many limitations. Some people play exclusively in PbP format, either because they have scheduling issues or just because they prefer that style of play. We will not be doing PbP very often, and it is not a replacement for normal sessions.

Why

We will use PbP to complement the roleplay we are doing during sessions. Sometimes you will want to do something, but wont find the opportunity to do it in game, during an actual session. If it's something small, that doesn't warrant a full on solo session, then PbP is the perfect fit. Because it is asynchronous it doesn't have to be scheduled, and because it doesn't need to be scheduled there isn't any pressure to make it last a whole evening worth of entertainment. Sometimes you just want to chat with someone, or visit a library and look for information pertaining to your personal goals, but don't want to sidetrack the session. These are things that would take 10-15 minutes in a session, but can be done effortlessly over text using the PbP format.

Sometimes we might want to do longer things through PbP, we will figure it out as we go.

How

I will create a private text channel on discord for you. Attached to the chat will be a thread. The channel will be used strictly for in-game messages. Anything meta-session or out of character goes on the thread. Each of us will take turns sending our messages, each person will write only one message and then wait for the response. Your message should be a reply to the previous message, for notification purposes.

• During your turn you can talk, perform actions or both:
• Dialogue should be written in italic and between ""
• Example: "Onions have layers, ogres have layers... You get it? We both have layers!"
• Actions should be written in bold and follow the structure action.
• Example: Shrek throws the onion at the floor with an exasperated sigh before turning his back and storming forward
• In messages that transition between dialogue and actions these should be separated by a -
• "Onions have layers, ogres have layers... You get it? We both have layers!" - Shrek throws the onion at the floor with an exasperated sigh before turning his back and storming forward
  
  

In my writing, I will not use the exact same conventions because I am not controlling a single character. My "submissions" will often be broader in scope, and so I reserve the right to use italics and bolds more stylistically. Remember you can use CTRL + I and CTRL + B for italicization and bolding respectively.

Don't be afraid to perform multiple actions in a row if they're simple things that don't evoke a reaction from those around you, or don't have a chance of failing. For example, in most situations you can walk towards the piano, sit down and light your pipe before playing a soulful tune. But if there's some ruffians standing in your way, don't assume they just let you walk past them. Over time pacing will become more natural, for now some retconning might be required.

Also, do not assume anything about the environment that was not explicitly said or described already, if you have any questions like "is there a chair nearby", then you can ask them in the OOC thread. These two chats are meant to be used in parallel, do not feel like you're using either one or the other.

Pacing

The pacing in PbP is different from a normal session, because it is done by text and over a longer period of time it needs to be faster or risk becoming a never-ending slog. The onus of managing pacing is mostly mine, and I will do my best to keep things moving, but you must also keep it in mind while deciding your actions. You might not want to check each door for sounds one by one, for example.

Nailing pacing and getting used to PbP will take some time, it will be a trial and error process. But overall I believe it will be an enriching addition to the roleplay/immersion, to your player agency and to the realism of the world.