5th edition


It feels good having finished the first big step of Project Arcana’s Phase I, which was a series of articles breaking down the schools of magic. We’re hard at work on the second half of Phase I, which will, hopefully, only take a couple weeks. In the meantime, we’re pleased […]

Project 2050


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Divination is all about knowing things that aren’t normally knowable. Most Divination spells reveal knowledge by extending the senses through the use of magic. In theory, this mechanic should allow all senses to be extended (Gene’s Enormous Tongue, anyone?), but in practice it’s generally specifically limited to sight and hearing, although […]

Project Arcana: Divination – in Sensurround!


If you’ve been following along with our Project Arcana work so far, you know that I’m not super happy with the way the powers-that-be have decided to sort the spells. That’s okay, we’re fixing that. However, while some of the organizational decisions are somewhat baffling, none are more so than […]

Weekly Dump, Vol 3: 5e Healing Is Borked…



Well, I’ve done it. This is my final article of the school breakdowns for Project Arcana (next week’s Divination piece is all Dad). I’ve got to say that it’s been a roller coaster of hatred, frustration, and sheer bafflement. Ultimately, I keep asking the same question: “Oh FFS, why!?” Transmutation, […]

Project Arcana: Transmutation


Ah yes, the “dark art” of Necromancy. Why the quotes? Because once upon a time, the Necromancy was also a school that dealt with life, not just rotting undead things. However, let’s not put the cart before the horse. Here’s 5e’s description of the school: Necromancy spells manipulate the energies of […]

Project Arcana: Necromancy


Evocation… I’m evoking something. Like memories of a summer day, or laughter from children, or a bright streak that flashes from your pointing finger to a point you choose within range and then blossoms with a low roar into an explosion of flame! So, not pleasant memories of a happier time […]

Project Arcana: I’m Gonna Rock Down To Evocation Avenue.



So, I mentioned in the Project Arcana discussion of the School of Illusion that, as a magic that works on the mind, Illusion is a close cousin to Enchantment. With that in mind, and feeling froggy, I decided to take a look at the School of Enchantment next. As we […]

Project Arcana: Oh, Enchantment!


We expect that Project Arcana will take several weeks, with two posts per week; Wednesday and Saturday. On Mondays, we’re going to dump out the more interesting and relevant pieces of our chat log from the previous week. Clearly this is a work in progress and under due consideration. What are, […]

Project Arcana: Weekly Chat Dump, Vol. 1


So, Conjuration, one of the most basic concepts in all of magicalness. Conjuration, as a literal term, seems to exist in nearly every fantasy magic system. It’s been in D&D forever, Magic The Gathering has a card for it, The Elder Scrolls has a Conjuration school, and even World of […]

Project Arcana: Conjuration, Take Me Away!



So, let’s make this official. Good morrow friends! Legendary Pants is proud to announce Project Arcana, our efforts to improve the magic of 5th Edition D&D. Really, this project is the brain child of myself (Matthew) and my father, Shawn. We have long complained about the ad hoc and seemingly […]

Project Arcana