D&D Petrification Tip No. 1: An Adventure with Lifelike Humanoid Statues Definitely Puts You in Peril

Salutations, nerds! It’s time again to share the inside track on upcoming content for Nerdarchy the Patreon. Allow me to present to you the Garden of Statuary. Every month supporters at the $2 level and above receive early access to digital products bound for Nerdarchy the Store. The themes for June are stone and petrification so bring along your basilisks for new stone themed magic items, an NPC with a stone fist and a chip on his shoulder, a handful of new monsters and an adventure featuring them all.

The litholesca (found in Garden of Statuary) shares some similarities with the medusa but typically lacks the snakelike hair iconic to one of those creatures. although it maintains the ability to petrify. When a litholesca is old enough to walk on two legs, it will molt its reptilian skin and emerge with a much softer hide, though it is no less difficult to harm in this shape than it was previously.

Every D&D character must get stoned

Inside Garden of Statuary you’ll find new subclasses for clerics and druids, a new plant creature and the litholesca, a mysterious evolving creature represented by four different stages of development. There’s also seven new items to reward as treasure, each with its own unique interpretation of the stone and petrification themes.

New subclasses

Stone Domain. As a cleric of stone you understand what it is to be unmovable, and how to be patient. More than this you understand how important it is to stand firm in the face of adversity and offer the stone’s defense to your allies.

Circle of the Stone Gaze. The basilisk, the cockatrice and the gorgon are only three examples of the many natural creatures who use petrification as a natural hunting technique or a defense mechanism. It should be no surprise there are druids in this world who find an affinity and fondness for these creatures, and seek to emulate them with their magic, as well as find a way to heal those who have been afflicted with such conditions.

New magic items

Balm of Flesh. A topical balm with a slightly nutty scent capable of reversing petrification.

Cloak of the Gargoyle. A stony grey cloak’s on the outside, a soft and comfortable luxury on the inside granting the ability to disguise yourself as statuary.

Lantern of Stoneseeing. A lantern whose magical light allows you to see through solid stone.

Lens of Statuary. A clear amethyst lens with the power to turn creatures to stone.

Ring of Stoneshielding. A silver ring depicting a basilisk that protects you from petrification.

Stone of Soup. A yellow, green and orange conglomerate rock that transforms into a magically nourishing, delicious soup.

Stonetail Sword. A highly reflective longsword that disorients foes with scintillating light.

New monsters

Stonesnapper. A semi-sapient plant cohabitating with creatures prone to petrifying prey, they create an internal kind of acid that melds petrified flesh to get sustenance. meals and an intelligent monstrosity that tends to cultivate these plants specifically in the interest of tending its own garden of statuary.

Litholesca. A mysterious creature that shifts through various forms in its long life, though only the very oldest of them cling to any sort of humanlike intelligence. The lovely and lethal litholesca and her monstrous progeny seek decoration for their gallery of frozen things.

NPC friend or foe

Micah Carpenter. A human craftsman with a petrified curled into an unmovable fist, keen for a little payback as well as hoping to find a cure for his petrification.

Garden of Statuary

Inside the garden it’s eternally summer down to the constant buzzing of insects. When the sun begins to go down in this place, large fireflies emerge. The glade is crowded by various plants and humanoid statues. Each statue is incredibly lifelike, as if it had been crafted in the precise likeness of another being down to the details. [NERDITOR’S NOTE: Take note, D&D players! This is a classic indicator from the Dungeon Master that the threat of petrification is nigh!]

As always, I hope you have as much fun playing with this one as I did writing it! We create new stuff for players and GMs to drop right into your games every month, plus ways to game with us and connect including live chats and our Discord, monthly giveaways and more. If you’re not already a Patreon supporter you can still get this or previous rewards instantly. We post them right on the Patreon page so if you have the Constitution to scroll that far back, you earn yourself some inspiration, friend. Check it out here.