Tools of the Trade

Over on Reddit, this_might_hurt shared some of the props he created for a homebrew Call of Cthulhu scenario, including a 3D printed Webley revolver.  The documents include a guest appearance by my Hellraiser glyphs.  

 

Book of Anubis

The talented AlexLibris returns with this Egyptian-themed tome.  Featuring a leather cover hand-tooled with hieroglyphics, the god Anubis, and brass insets.  

 

 

Titanic Tome

Sweet fancy Moses.  I think this massive leather tome from Velimira Designs might be the biggest one we've ever featured, and that's saying a lot.  

 

 

Great Cthulhu

Parts N Crafts brings us their take on the traditional Cthulhu idol.  As with many recent projects it was sculpted digitally, 3D printed, and then painted for its final finish.  What a time to be alive.

 

 

Brownie

It isn't a secret that I'm a believer in the darker, more cautious view of fairies.  All that twee good cheer is just clever marketing to make it easier for the inhuman little monsters to ensorcell your soul.  That said, I can appreciate a particularly well done attempt at pushing their narrative.  Ksheyna Nightwood brings us this example, a brownie right out of the world of Brian Froud.  

 

 

That Voodoo That You Do

Oh, this is nice.  Monsterlabs Studios returns to our pages with the latest in their "Cursed Items" series.  This time it's a complete voodoo doll kit.  It features a ritual doll with a neat reverse-flow incense burner, a collection of potion bottles, and a set of nicely realized darts, all with wonderful weathering.  Just click through on the link to check out a full gallery.

 

Making a Prop Newspaper

As an aficionado of ASMR videos, I've been impressed by the incredible increase in production values over the last few years.  There are some creators with sets and props that are close to movie-quality, driven by the demand for believability in the era of 4K video monitors.  Jake Hellbach is one of those folks.  In addition to his imaginative videos, featuring everything from Victorian apothecaries to WW II spy hunters, he's produced a number of behind the scenes looks at what goes into his work.  This one covers how he produces a number of items, including prop cigarette packs, period posters, and multi-page newspapers.

 

Carved Cthulhu Idol

This primitive-style, carved wooden Cthulhu idol, complete with presentation box, comes to us from Italian artist Fabio Stazi. 

 

Elder Thing Fossil

This fantastic imagining of a fossilized Elder Thing "hand" comes to us from Gage Prentiss.  Click through to see a full gallery of the piece.

 

 

Cthulhu Fhtagn! Thomas Edition.

This nicely done Cthulhu idol comes to us from artist and prop-maker Joe Thomas.

 

 

Cthulhu in Red

This deep red carved wooden Cthulhu idol comes to us from the appropriately named "Wonderfulwhittlin".

 

 

Fae in a Jar

Umbratheca returns to our pages with this mummified fae specimen in a jar.

 

 

Mounted Dragon Skeleton

Sarina Brewer brings us this mounted dragon skeleton.  What makes it unusual is that it's constructed from real bones.  The basic skeleton is from a honey glider, the wings from a bat, the skull from a chameleon, and the horns repurposed animal claws. 

 

Prop Potion Tips

One of the things I hate about crafting videos on YouTube is the tendency for creators to just drone on and on without getting to the point.  Thankfully, this isn't one of those videos.  The "Cooking and Craft Chick" has a great series of tips for anyone crafting potion props.  That includes helpful pointers for what liquids to use, why real corks are a hassle, and how to maximize the color-shifting properties of mica powder.    

Gone, But Not Forgotten

Saying goodbye to your loved ones is always hard, so why not keep them around?  Tom Keubler returns to our pages with the mummified head of dear old aunt Alicia. 

 

Tome of the Great Old One

A tableau featuring another impressive piece of tomecraft from MilleCuirs.  This time it's a Cthulhu-themed tome, complete with hand tooled leather cover and inset glass eyes. 

 

Cthulhu Fhtagn! Tsougkouzidis Edition.

I'm proud to have several of Mythos pieces from George Tsougkouzidis in my personal collection.  He's an impressively flexible artist, creating sculptures with wildly varying artistic and cultural styles.  This is his primitive "Eidolon of the Dagon Realm".

 

 

Shoggoth Obelisk

Landron Artifacts has been creating great Mythos-inspired pieces for years.  Their latest is this cool Shoggoth Obelisk, fresh from the mold.

 

 

Blackwater Creek Super Deluxe

Over on Reddit, mrwhite_20 posted this gorgeous tableau shot of the upgraded prop set they created for the Call of Cthulhu scenario "Blackwater Creek", one of the two included with the Keeper's Screen.

Even better than the glorious prop pr0n, they've generously made the source files available over on their website.   Click through on the link and you'll also find upgraded props for a number of other scenarios. 

 

Skooma Pipe

"The finest skooma, the sweetest moon sugar. At a fair price, of course." 

Silverrend Props brings us one of the more obscure items from the Elder Scrolls series- the skooma pipe.  It only appears in Morrowind.  Since that game the lore has redefined skooma as a drink or, particularly for Khajit, a food additive. 

 

Triquetra Tome

Velimiria Designs returns to our pages with this hand-bound leather journal bearing the triquetra, or trinity knot.  I really like the chain.  Gives it that authentic "forbidden knowledge" feel.

 

 

Cthulhu Fhtagn! Bonazzi Edition.

Andrea Bonazzi returns to our pages with this primitive-style Cthulhu idol.   

 

The Tools of Kagrenac

This is one of those wonderfully niche, over the top projects I absolutely adore.  Ethereum Props brings us their complete collection of the Tools of Kagrenac from the Elder Scrolls games.  If you're not familiar with the lore, The Unofficial Elder Scrolls wiki has a great rundown of each artifact in the set.  It's absolutely wild stuff. 

Kagrenac's Tools are the legendary artifacts crafted by the Dwemer Tonal Architect Lord Kagrenac. Each tool served a specific purpose to siphon the power of the Heart of Lorkhan, via tonal manipulation of the laws of nature.

Wraithguard: The gauntlet Wraithguard was created to safely wield the weapon tools, Sunder and Keening. Wielding the weapons without the gauntlet will often lead to the instant death of the wielder. Wraithguard also functions to empower the abilities of Keening and Sunder. Accounts of its appearance vary, but it typically looks like a gauntlet made of a material comparable to brass.

Keening: The short blade Keening (also referred to as the Ethos Knife) was created to flay and focus the power that the hammer Sunder produced. In song, it is described as a dagger made of the sound of the shadow of the moons.

Sunder: Sunder was created to produce a specific amount of power from the Heart. When struck by Sunder, the Heart would release godlike power. It is described as a hammer of divine mass.

 

 

 

Fury of Cthulhu

 This gorgeous, be-tentacled ring is the Fury of Cthulhu, cast in sterling silver by Faceless Jewelry.

 

 

Cthulhu Fhtagn! Lurci Edition.

Another beautiful Cthulhu idol from Turkish artist Ebrahel Lurci.  If you haven't seen his work before you need to click through the link and check out his Instagram feed.  He has a wonderfully distinct style that fits perfectly with his occult and Mythos work.

 

 

Oblivion Pendant

Valara Atran returns to our pages with another Elder Scrolls inspired prop.  This time it's an Oblivion Gate Pendant, complete with a spinning sigil stone mounted in the center.

 

 

Crimson Letters Prop Set

Schroetelein brings us another impressive set of props.  This time it's for a running of "Crimson Letters".

 

 

You Too Must Die

Spooky Jack returns to our pages with one of their excellent Momento Mori skulls.  Just the thing for reminding yourself of your mortality. 

 

Low's Pocket Cable Code

I am a huge fan of the telegram.  They're one of the easiest game handouts to create (try this, this, or this), with a potential player impact all out of proportion to their ease of manufacture.   More importantly, they're the perfect vehicle for providing clues.

"Low's Pocket Cable Code" was one of the innumerable booklets used to encode messages during the classic era of the Mythos.  It was intended to help American tourists traveling abroad stay in touch with home by condensing common phrases into shorter code words.  The primary purpose was helping them save money.  Telegrams were expensive, and condensing a message could significantly reduce the cost.  It also happened to provide a bit of security from prying eyes.  Just click through on the link above to download a copy from Google.

 

Dem Bones

Ugo Serrano returns to our pages with this selection of faux reliquary pieces.  Although "faux" isn't totally accurate.  They're made from real human finger bones, but aren't actually the phalanges of a recognized saint. Which, come to think of it, makes them an accurate recreation of a whole lot of "genuine" reliquaries.

 

 

Edge of Darkness, Super Deluxe

Over on Reddit, Mazayiz has posted some shots of the props they put together to run "Edge of Darkness" from the Call of Cthulhu Starter Set.  It's a great scenario that already comes with a selection of handouts, but they took it to the next level with custom documents, ephemera, and curios. 

"Going to run edge of darkness for some new players this upcoming weekend. This being a text heavy scenario, I cut down some of writing in the handouts and wanted to add a few physical props like the sarcophagus, key, boxes, “powders”, lighter and candle.

There are also a few extra handouts, mainly the “sheaf of yellowed papers” from the farmhouse which instead of being read out by the keeper can now be read by the PCs. Also on the backside of Sigil is a 16th century German version text of the De Vermiis Mysteris. Although it was supposed to be in Latin, the paper is torn to show as if Marion Allen torn out the original manuscript page and added some handwritten notes. Also I took the Latin chant handouts for the ritual and added Marion Allen’s handwriting to show the changes he made from a summoning ritual to a banishment ritual. I also wanted to spruce up the translation of the sarcophagus and have made it so that if professor Rice helps to decipher the Egyptian writing, it appears as if he made a charcoal rubbing on one side of the paper of the hieroglyphics and wrote the translation on the other side.

Overall a fun experience to make."

Even better, all of the bespoke paper props are available for download over on Google Drive.  Kudos to Mazayiz for their generosity.  If you've been thinking about introducing a group to Call of Cthulhu, or tabletop games in general, these props will guarantee it's a memorable experience. 

 

The Necronomicon

 Velimira Designs brings us the Necronomicon, or at least a blank journal version of the infamous tome.