1001 Ancient Altars

No more "Um, it's just a block of stone, it doesn't do anything..."; with 1001 Ancient Altars to choose from, you'll be ready with an instant altar any time you need one. Whether the players come across in a dungeon, a temple, or just about anywhere else, these altars come in all shapes and sizes, with all sorts of different magical effects.

1001 Ancient Altars

The adventurers have entered a large chamber deep in the dungeon. It appears to be empty aside from a few vermin, but there is a large altar on a low dais at the far end. They gather around it..

GM: The altar is made of black marble. It's rectangular, and is carved with images of monsters devouring humans. There is something that looks like it might be dried blood on the top. Jarmak and Lyry feel extremely uncomfortable just being near it.

Party Leader: An altar … maybe there's a clue to Torkan's treasure here. Yash knows there hasn't been one anywhere else in this forsaken pit.

Jarmak: Being a priest, do I recognize anything about this?

GM: Yes, you spot some distinctive symbols among the carvings; this was used by worshipers of Gul-Zon, Lord of Scorpions.

Party Leader: That's not good. We'll spread out and check the area around for traps.

GM: You don't find anything out of the ordinary, just a lot of dust. It looks like this place hasn't been used much lately.

Jarmak: I'm going to check out that altar. Can I tell why it's making me uncomfortable? And is there any sign of a secret compartment?

GM: When you touch it … well, zzzzap.

Jarmak: Ribbit!

Mage: Not again....

Welcome to the "1001 Things" collections

This is a collection of 1001 magical altars that the players might come across in a dungeon, a temple, or just about anywhere else they're rampaging around looking for trouble. The altars come in all shapes and sizes, with all sorts of different magical effects. They're ready to be assigned to your deities and dropped right into your campaign.

Due to the amount of description of each altar, this is one of the largest of the 1001 Things lists – it runs to 114 pages. That's a lot of altars! Since the selection of deities varies widely among campagins, the specific deities have not been specified, merely good, neutral, or evil. If you're designing a temple, you might select the deity first and then choose an altar that suits them; conversely, if you're designing a dungeon or ruin, pick an altar and then assign it a deity.

The list is slanted in favor of evil altars, as players are more likely to find such altars in dungeons, lost cities, and other places where adventures tend to happen. But with 1001 of them, there are hundreds of good and neutral ones in there, too, so you're sure to find one that fits your needs!

These altars are suitable for not only fantasy campagins, but others as well. What would an adventuring archaeologist be without ancient artifacts to mess with? What does that altar dedicated to the Elder Gods actually do? Even in a science fiction campaign, they could be used for mysterious remnants from a prior civilization.

No more "Um, it's just a block of stone, it doesn't do anything..."; with 1001 Ancient Altars to choose from, you'll be ready with an instant altar any time you need one.

Look for more things in the 1001 Things series, with convenient, ready-to-use items for your roleplaying games.