When it comes to learning card magic, there are various paths one can take. Some may opt for the traditional route of learning through books, while others may prefer online tutorials or attending magic workshops. While each of these paths has its own advantages, there is one path that stands out as superior – the path of hands-on practice. The key to becoming a skilled card magician lies in practice. There is no substitute for dedicating the time and effort to master the sleights, techniques, and routines that make up the foundation of card magic. While books and online tutorials can provide valuable guidance and instruction, the real learning happens when you pick up a deck of cards and start practicing.
An extraplanar creature that can not normally be detected, the trilloch lived on the waning life-force of dying creatures. Detect magic can reveal the creature, and dispel magic, banish, exorcism, or a cleric’s ability to turn the unholy may drive it away. No other magic has any effect on a trilloch, so far as is known, and no weapon can harm it.
Normally, tiraphegs avoid other creatures, but their behavior can be unpredictable and it has been known for a tirapheg to attack a party of adventurers for no apparent reason. A faulty memory, a mispronounced word, a lacking material component, an imprecise motion were all things which could cause the spell to go awry in various ways leading to sometimes amusing sometimes calamitous effect.
While books and online tutorials can provide valuable guidance and instruction, the real learning happens when you pick up a deck of cards and start practicing. Hands-on practice allows you to develop muscle memory and fine-tune your motor skills, which are essential for executing card manipulations with precision and smoothness. Through repetition and practice, you will gradually acquire the dexterity and confidence needed to perform card magic flawlessly.
Raven Crowking's Nest
Every monster ever devised, in the Fiend Folio or not, is somebody’s favorite monster. This time out, we are doing two monsters which I don’t believe that I have ever used. Surely, though, they were someone’s favorites, and if you have ever put them to good use, please share in the comments!
The Tirapheg is difficult to describe, but as it is not automatically hostile, it could be a fairly interesting encounter. Slow-moving eaters of decomposing meat, they might be used as an encounter simply to heighten the weirdness of an area. At seven feet tall, their looming forms will certainly seem eerie. But what if they were taller? Hence, the Giant Tirapheg entry! Because, why not?
The Trilloch is just another way to make standard encounters more interesting, like a wandering living curse, and a creature you cannot affect with weapons or spells doesn’t need a statblock. I did include a Move speed because characters or monsters might find a way to outrun the thing. Save modifiers are included in case it needs to save to avoid being forced away. Dungeon Crawl Classics is a different beast than Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, and this is also reflected in the write-up.
There are only two more blog posts to get through the letter “T” – next up are the Trolls!
If you feel like tipping, here is a way to do so.
Tirapheg: Init +3; Atk Spike +3 melee (1d4 plus power of three) or claw +3 melee (1d4 plus strangle); AC 10; HD 2d8; MV 10’; Act 3d20; SP Infravision 30’, power of three, strangle, mirror image; SV Fort +3, Ref +0, Will +3; AL C.
Giant Tirapheg: Init +3; Atk Spike +3 melee (1d6 plus power of three) or claw +3 melee (1d6 plus strangle); AC 13; HD 6d8; MV 20’; Act 3d24; SP Infravision 60’, power of three, strangle, mirror image, crits using Crit Table G; SV Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +6; AL C.
The tirapheg is strange indeed – a naked and hairless tripedal hermaphrodite, of generally humanoid shape, and seven feet tall. The creature has three heads of which the outer two are featureless. The middle head has three large, deeply-inset eyes, two to the front and one to the rear. It has ear-like organs on each side of the central head, but its mouth is located on its torso.
Tiraphegs have three arms. Two are jointed at the shoulders so that they can attack to the rear as easily as to the front, terminating in six-inch long spikes. The third arm, emerging from the center of the chest, ends in a three-fingered hand. Of the creature's three legs, the outer two end in stumps while the central one has three unusually long and strong toes. The creature’s mouth is below its central arm.
Above the mouth are three tentacles, each three inches long, which writhe continuously but which have no obvious function.
Tiraphegs can only attack targets in front of them with their central arms. If the creature hits the same target with both spikes, and it can bring its central arm to bear, it gains the power of three – its central arm automatically hits. This arm grabs its victim around the neck and strangles for automatic damage each round, although a victim can free themselves with an opposed Strength check vs. +3.
When it wishes to retreat from a combat, a tirapheg can create a mirror image effect without spending an Action Die. There is a blinding flash (creatures within 30’ must succeed in a DC 13 Reflex save or be blinded and confused for 1 round), and two illusory projections are created (as result 16-19 on the mirror image spell, page 183 of the core rulebook).
Tiraphegs eat carrion, and seem to show a greater preference to meat the more decomposed it is. Normally, tiraphegs avoid other creatures, but their behavior can be unpredictable and it has been known for a tirapheg to attack a party of adventurers for no apparent reason. Usually, they are encountered singly, but trios are also possible, and it is thought that three must come together for the creatures to reproduce (although this is mere speculation, as the creatures seem to have no means of reproduction). They do not speak, and are seemingly no more intelligent than animals.
The giant tirapheg is very much like its smaller kin, but it is 14 feet tall, and uses Crit Table G. The opposed Strength check to break a giant tirapheg’s strangle is against +6.
An extraplanar creature that can not normally be detected, the trilloch lived on the waning life-force of dying creatures. Detect magic can reveal the creature, and dispel magic, banish, exorcism, or a cleric’s ability to turn the unholy may drive it away. No other magic has any effect on a trilloch, so far as is known, and no weapon can harm it.
All melee attacks within 100’ of a trilloch are at +1 to hit, do +1 damage, and have their critical range increased by +1 (so that most creatures crit on a 19-20). The creature can also influence the behavior of unintelligent monsters, making them twice as aggressive. Trillochs accompany large, powerful monsters, thriving on the huge amounts of life-force released by their victims. If a trilloch’s “host” is killed, the trilloch attaches itself to the victor until driven off or until another, even more powerful creature, kills its new host. At that point, it transfers to the new creature.
A trilloch can fly noncorporeally with a 40’ Move speed, and has a +6 bonus to saves.
There are only two more blog posts to get through the letter “T” – next up are the Trolls!
Additionally, hands-on practice offers the opportunity to experiment, improvise, and develop your unique style. By physically handling the cards, you can discover new subtleties, alternative grips, and variations that suit your natural abilities and preferences. This personal touch is what sets apart a good card magician from a great one. While it can be tempting to rely solely on theoretical knowledge, such as learning through books, or to be misled by the allure of quick and easy online tutorials, the superiority of hands-on practice cannot be overstated. The process of actually working with the cards, feeling their texture, and adapting your movements based on real-time feedback is invaluable. In conclusion, if you want to excel in card magic, the path of hands-on practice is the superior choice. By dedicating time to physically handle and manipulate the cards, you will develop the necessary skills, explore your own style, and ultimately become a master card magician. So, pick up your deck of cards, get practicing, and unlock the secrets of the art of card magic..
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