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The Dread Thingonomicon

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Are you a busy GM? Does session prep take too long? Do you never have time to design the cool little details that bring your game to life? Fear not! That’s where the Dread Thingonomicon comes in.

Crammed full of system-neutral themed lists, flavourful NPCs and more, the Dread Thingonomicon is designed to give you—the time-crunched GM—the tools to effortlessly add flavoursome verisimilitude to your game.

If your campaign features abnormal lesser undead, alchemist’s laboratories, ancient necropolises, archives & libraries, bandits & brigands, besieged castles, black dragon lairs, blue dragon lairs, bustling marketplaces, corpses, creepy graveyards, crypts & catacombs, cultists’ lairs, curio shops & pawnbrokers, dark caverns, fairs & festivals, fallen dwarven holds, fanes of evil, fanes of good, farming villages, fecund jungles, forts on the borderland, ghostly hauntings, goblin lairs, green dragon lairs, haunted houses, henchfolk & hirelings, hill giant steadings, items most wondrous, kobold warrens, lich’s lairs, local landmarks, lunatic asylums, merchant caravans, minions of evil, necromancer’s lairs, noble’s manor houses, noisome marshes, noisome sewers, ocean voyages, orc villages, red dragon lairs, roads, ruined castles, ruined cities, ruined monasteries, ruined wizard’s towers, seedy taverns, shadowed borderlands, slavers’ compounds, smugglers’ villages, smugglers’ lairs, snow and ice, subterranean mines, sun-scorched deserts, sunken ships, thievish doings, torture chambers, travellers’ inns, troublesome treasures, urban chases, urban events, urban landmarks, urban oddities, vampire’s castles, war-ravaged lands, white dragon lairs, wilderness camps, windswept moors, wizard’s towers and wrecked ships (and whose doesn’t?) the Dread Thingonomicon is for you!

Comprising the entire 20 Things line, the Dread Thingonomicon weighs in at 476 pages of content and is the culmination of seven years of design.

Use the system-neutral material herein either before or during play and bask in your players’ adulation.

This product is a Dual Format PDF and comprises two versions, one optimised for printing and use on a normal computer and one optimised for use on a mobile device such as an iPad.

This book is compatible with every edition of the world's most popular role-playing game!

A Note About Print Options

This is a black and white book, although the available print options only list colour editions. This is because the paper available for colour printing is thicker and of a higher quality than that used for black and white books. Better paper is more durable and takes scribbles and highlighting better than thin paper. Thus, to make the book more durable and useful, we went with the better paper.


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Reviews (27)
Discussions (12)
Customer avatar
Michael W July 20, 2023 1:42 pm UTC
PURCHASER
So, the version of The Dread Thingonomicon I downloaded some time ago, and what I have just downloaded again from my Library, has the entire 20 Things by Subject missing. You can go page by page and they aren't there. You can use the bookmarks in Acrobat and they take you to the Contents Page. The first link that works is to Abnormal Low-Level undead. Can you check and let me know when updated and I will re-download.
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Customer avatar
Creighton B July 20, 2023 2:14 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Hi Michael,

I'm sorry about this error.

Do you mean that there are no links under "20 Things by Subject" in your copy? I've checked my master editions in Adobe, PDF Expert and Preview and all the hyperlinks for the 20 Things By Subject are present and correct in Bookmarks.

I can't replicate this error so I'm at a bit of a loss.
Reply
Customer avatar
Michael W July 21, 2023 10:39 am UTC
PURCHASER
Maybe it's the version I received - there is no text for any of the 20 Things by Subject - none, nothing, no words. Perhaps try to download the version on DriveThru? If that doesn't have the missing text, I can email you my version/copy as proof?
Reply
Customer avatar
Michael W July 21, 2023 10:42 am UTC
PURCHASER
The version in my library is dated 30-August-2022
Reply
Customer avatar
Creighton B July 21, 2023 11:13 am UTC
PUBLISHER
I can't leave my email address here, but if you use the Contact form on our website, I can help sort this out for you. A screenshot of the problem would definitely help me understand it!
Reply
Customer avatar
Michael W July 21, 2023 12:25 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Okay - sent you a message via the Raging Contact Form. No place for a screenshot, but if you send me an e-mail address, even a temporary one, I will send you the Dread T PDF I have.

On Page 15 is the end of the Contents page "Wizards, Mages & Sorcerers.
Page 16 is a graphic of a charging warrior type dispatching several skeletons.
Page 17 is the Title Page: Abnormal Low-Level Undead.
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Customer avatar
Michael W July 22, 2023 12:43 am UTC
PURCHASER
Well... I confess that I have had a brain-fart. Somehow I got it into my head that clicking on the index would take me to the article describing the 20 Things, whereas the index is simply a summary of all the various 20Things Articles which relate to that theme. Sincere apologies for wasting your time.
Customer avatar
Keith D July 05, 2023 1:41 pm UTC
PURCHASER
on page 20 - Things By Subject; line 5 - 11 Dark Caverns: what does the 11 mean? it's not a page number.
Reply
Customer avatar
Creighton B July 06, 2023 6:48 am UTC
PUBLISHER
11 is the number of the 20 Things instalment that the material originally appeared in.
Reply
Customer avatar
Keith D July 12, 2023 12:49 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Is there a way I can use the Things by Subject section solely using the Dread Thingonomicon. It would be handy to be able to search by subject.
Reply
Customer avatar
Creighton B July 12, 2023 4:28 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
I'm not sure what you mean, Keith. Could you elucidate?
Reply
Customer avatar
Keith D July 12, 2023 9:43 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Let's say I turn to page 15 and look at the Urban section, I decide I want to use the Townsfolk & Villagers table - how do I find it? the 26 refers to the 20 things installment and the Contents from page 6 use a different grouping system.
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Customer avatar
Creighton B July 14, 2023 2:22 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Ah. I'm with you. Let me have a think. Perhaps I'll design an additional free download with cross-referenced paged numbers and so on for all the various lists. Thanks for the suggestion!
Customer avatar
Julius F June 20, 2023 5:51 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I've seen GM's miscellany Wilderness and Dungeon in a bundle (GM's Essentials) but it says its for Pathfinder? Is there a 5e version and do they have the same content as this one (Dread Thingonomicon?) Im not sure which to go for this or the GMs essentials but I play 5e not Pathfinder.
Reply
Customer avatar
Creighton B June 20, 2023 6:50 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
We have Dungeon Dressing and Wilderness Dressing books for both Pathfinder and 5e. We don't have a 5e GM's Essential bundle available yet as we are still in the process of completing the Wilderness Dressing 5e book. The Dread Thingonomicon is a System Neutral book, so it should work with essentially any fantasy game system.

I hope that helps!
Reply
Customer avatar
Julius F June 20, 2023 10:47 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Ok great thanks for the swift reply. Is there a way to get notified when a GM's Essential bundle is available for 5e? or will there only be the two Dressing books without the others in the current bundle?
Reply
Customer avatar
Creighton B June 21, 2023 11:43 am UTC
PUBLISHER
I'll put out an email when the bundle is available so if you sign up for our emails here on DriveThru it will be very hard to avoid the news of the bundle being available!
Customer avatar
Patrick L April 28, 2023 8:59 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Is this worth having if I already have Dungeon/Wilderness and Urban Dressings I and II?
Reply
Customer avatar
Creighton B April 29, 2023 6:19 am UTC
PUBLISHER
Yes, Patrick, it is! There is no duplicated content between the books you mention and the Dread Thingonomicon. I think you'll find it an excellent addition to your library!
Customer avatar
Richard D March 05, 2023 8:55 pm UTC
Is there enough space on the inside edge of each page to take a 3-hole punch? Thinking of ordering the paperback and drilling the holes myself then putting it in an expandable binder.
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Customer avatar
Creighton B March 06, 2023 4:34 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Good question! I'm in the UK so don't have a three-hole punch. I can tell you, though, that the inner page margin is 2 cm. I hope helps. (Also, note, you'd need a beast of a hole puncher unless you take the book apart first!)
Customer avatar
Iain H February 23, 2023 8:09 pm UTC
Hm...this is currently on sale. Typically I'd go with the hardcover, but considering the size, I'm skeptical. Any votes here for the softcover over the hardcover for durability?
Customer avatar
Nigel R December 20, 2022 1:20 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Is this print on demand for the UK?
Reply
Customer avatar
Creighton B December 20, 2022 4:54 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
It's print on demand in both the UK and US, Nigel. I hope that's the answer you were hoping for!
Customer avatar
Terrence B November 02, 2022 1:35 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Does this book contain Monstrous Lairs 1 & 2?
Reply
Customer avatar
Creighton B November 02, 2022 1:57 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
No. I does not contain any Monstrous Lair material.
Reply
Customer avatar
Terrence B November 02, 2022 2:34 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Thank you. Planned on getting all 3 books, just didn't want to buy duplicate material.
Reply
Customer avatar
Creighton B November 02, 2022 4:30 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Thank you! I hope you enjoy them all!
Customer avatar
Matthew R October 17, 2022 10:27 pm UTC
PURCHASER
The hardcover of this book has a big problem which is its fragile/flimsy binding. It's a serious issue for a book of this size (400+ pages).

I got my copy today, and have only begun to flip through it, and already there are pages here and there that look ready to fall out, and creases/early cracks in the binding where the book naturally falls open. A book of this size needs a much sturdier (probably threaded) binding.

I doubt this is the fault of the author or Raging Swan Press, but rather a choice made by whatever printing company DriveThruRPG uses.

It's a tragedy, because the content itself looks fantastic and I was really excited to use this in a multitude of campaigns, but I have no idea how long this book will actually hold up.
Reply
Customer avatar
Creighton B October 18, 2022 6:44 am UTC
PUBLISHER
Hi Matthew,

I'm really sorry about this. DriveThru is great at replacing damaged books and the like. All they tend to need is a photo of the damage and an order number. If you need a replacement, I'm happy to help put you in touch with the right person. I can be contacted via the Contact page on the Raging Swan Press website.
Reply
Customer avatar
Gabriel C January 05, 2023 10:24 am UTC
This is why I have preferred to purchase Thingonomicons I and II separately, and Miscellany Vol VII. I don't think the DTRPG PoD books work above 300 pp.
Reply
Customer avatar
Tidal W January 05, 2023 3:45 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Gabriel, you are exactly right. I wouldn't dare purchase this as PoD.
Customer avatar
Tim P October 16, 2022 3:49 am UTC
PURCHASER
The Dread Thingnomicon is something wonderful. First off it's huge and formatted in a way that you can easily dive into any area and quickly come up with the scenery and details of any adventure you're having your players run through. This book has actually made me rethink some upcoming adventures and will be using it to enhance that world that I've been building for my players. Awesome stuff in here and highly recommended!
Customer avatar
Frederick S September 30, 2022 7:26 pm UTC
PURCHASER
As a DM I am always looking for tools to reduce my preparation. I have never had a problem with the creative side of things but always dread filling out the minute details to polish off my creativity. The Dread Thingonomicon is an amazing tool for both helping me with inspiration to fill in these small details and providing good background materials. If you haven't used any of Raging Swan's booklets before I would recommend looking at a few of them to get an idea of how they are laid out. However, if you are a DM looking for ways to reduce your prep time to fill out your creations then I could not recommend these enough.
Reply
Customer avatar
Creighton B October 13, 2022 7:40 am UTC
PUBLISHER
Thank you for your kind words, Frederick! Could I talk you into turning them into a review?
Customer avatar
William L September 26, 2022 7:19 pm UTC
Different from Thingonomican 1 and 2?
Reply
Customer avatar
Creighton B September 27, 2022 6:58 am UTC
PUBLISHER
Yes and no!

The Dread Thingonomicon includes all the material in Thingnomicon I and II as well as GM's Miscellany: 20 Things VII. It's a massive compilation of the entire line. In preparation for the book, all 73 20 Things instalments got another couple of editing passes, and we redid the layout and all the artwork.

I hope that helps!
Reply
Customer avatar
chad H September 29, 2022 1:10 pm UTC
I am impressed. I must get it.
Sometimes, I need inspiration and reminders.
Sometimes, a player asks...
What lullaby was the young mother singing?
What is the name of the card game they are playing?
Who is the artist that made this sculpture?
What game are those street urchins playing?
Why does everyone here seem to carry a bit of Amythyst?
What herb do the locals grow on their window trellises?
Has anyone invented fingernail clippers yet?
How clever is the metal work around here?
Are locks advanced enough to give me any real challenge?
What is the local religion, what is the church called, and when is the next holy day?
...and me, I honestly get stuck trying to devise a good answer.
I think I need this as badly as I need a time machine.
Reply
Customer avatar
Ryan S October 13, 2022 3:08 pm UTC
So if I have the Thingonomicon 1-2 and Dungeon Dressing, Urban and Wilderness Dressing, how much of this book will be new material?
Reply
Customer avatar
Creighton B October 13, 2022 5:09 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
About 20% of the material will be new to you--the 13 20 Things instalments (about 65 pages of material) that didn't make it into either of the previous Thingonomicon. (The book doesn't contain anything from the Dungeon, Urban or Wilderness dressing books.)

I hope that helps!
Reply
Customer avatar
Erik J December 03, 2022 7:47 pm UTC
If, like me, you already have Thing 1 & 2, and you're planning to pick-up 20 Things Volume VII instead of the Dread Thing (perhaps less convenient since it will be material split across three different books instead of a single large one, but saves $ and prevents waste from reprinting material that you already own), I have made a combined Table of Contents that takes its cue from Dread, but refers to the three books & their page numbers instead. Note that I changed the order of a few things so that it works a bit better for my personal preferences, and since I'm American it uses improper Yank' spellings like "Rumor" instead of "Rumour" or "Traveler" instead of "Traveller" (sorry Creighton!). If you would like a copy for your own use, shoot me an email. johnsoedevms at gmail
Reply
Customer avatar
Creighton B December 07, 2022 7:45 am UTC
PUBLISHER
Seeing as you have produced such a useful and handy resource, Erik, I shall forgive you for the "alternate" spellings...

;-)
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