There are powers even greater than magic . . . In the misty recesses of time, before the kingdoms and lands you know—before the elder elves, the dwarven ancestral lords, and even the dragons—civilizations undreamt of rose and fell. They built citadels of metal, glass, and light. They crafted wonders and harnessed energies we can only guess at. The remnants of their incredible creations now lay hidden away in the deepest recesses of the world. Those few learned folk who even know about them have a name for these places, objects, and even creatures. They call them the . . . ARCANA OF THE ANCIENTS Since the very early days of tabletop RPGs, gamers have experimented with mixing a bit of science fiction into their fantasy. From Empire of the Petal Throne to Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, early adventurers into the realm of RPGs saw the amazing promise that mysterious and weird science-fantasy elements could add to their fantasy campaigns. Nowadays, who knows science-fantasy better than Monte Cook Games? Arcana of the Ancients brings the wonders of mysterious technology and weird science-fantasy elements to your fantasy campaigns. Designed by fantasy masters Monte Cook, Bruce R. Cordell, and Sean K. Reynolds, this gorgeously illustrated sourcebook gives you everything you need to add a whole new element to your Fifth Edition game. Arcana of the Ancients includes: Hundreds of cyphers, artifacts, and other items that incorporate science-fantasy technology. Over 50 science-fantasy creatures, each with awe-inspiring artwork and complete 5e stat blocks. Pages of GM advice and guidelines for adding science fantasy concepts to any existing fantasy campaign—or building a brand new science fantasy campaign from the ground up. The Hills of Crooked Sleep, a hefty adventure you can insert into your campaign right now to introduce ancient civilizations, weird technology, and new strange creatures. Plus additional full-length adventures! An introduction by Jim Davis and Jonathan Pruitt of Web DM.
Author
The game designer Monte Cook started working professionally in the game industry in 1988. In the employ of Iron Crown Enterprises, he worked with the Rolemaster and Champions games as an editor, developer, and designer. In 1994, Monte came to TSR, Inc., as a game designer and wrote for the Planescape and core D&D lines. When that company was purchased by Wizards of the Coast, he moved to the Seattle area and eventually became a senior game designer. At Wizards, he wrote the 3rd Edition Dungeon Master's Guide and served as codesigner of the new edition of the Dungeons & Dragons game. In 2001, he left Wizards to start his own design studio, Malhavoc Press, with his wife Sue. Although in his career he has worked on over 100 game titles, some of his other credits include Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, The Book of Eldritch Might series, the d20 Call of Cthulhu Roleplaying Game, The Book of Vile Darkness, Monte Cook’s Arcana Evolved, Ptolus, Monte Cook's World of Darkness, and Dungeonaday.com. He was a longtime author of the Dungeoncraft column in Dungeon Magazine. In recent years, Monte has been recognized many times by game fans in the ENnies Awards, the Pen & Paper fan awards, the Nigel D. Findley Memorial Award, the Origins Awards, and more. The author A graduate of the 1999 Clarion West writer's workshop, Monte has published two novels, The Glass Prison and Of Aged Angels. Also, he has published the short stories "Born in Secrets" (in the magazine Amazing Stories), "The Rose Window" (in the anthology Realms of Mystery), and "A Narrowed Gaze" (in the anthology Realms of the Arcane). His stories have appeared in the Malhavoc Press anthologies Children of the Rune and The Dragons' Return, and his comic book writing can be found in the Ptolus: City by the Spire series from DBPro/Marvel. His fantasy fiction series, "Saga of the Blade," appeared in Game Trade Magazine from 2005–2006. The geek In his spare time, Monte runs games, plays with his dog, watches DVDs, builds vast dioramas out of LEGO building bricks, paints miniatures, and reads a lot of comics.
