Ex Libris Mörk Borg: Items & Gear

Tenebrous Reliquary [MBC]†
Anders Arpi, Ben H, Dom Cohen, Donny C, Johan Nohr, Karl Druid, Leander E, Paul Wilde, Flora v/d B.; Johan Nohr

Concept: “D66 Items of Doom”
Content: Powerful magical items inspired by song titles
Writing: Frequently evocative and visceral
Art/design: A labyrinth of horrors …
Usability: … but in a good way

The Tablets of Ochre Obscurity [MBC: Feretory]†
Pelle Nilsson, Johan Nohr

Concept: “Relics of a forgotten mind-cult”
Content: More powerful than scrolls, and more fragile
Writing: Devoted entirely to advanced Powers and special mechanics
Art/design: Old Testament-style wrath with an esoteric touch
Usability: Supported by the graphic conceit

d30 Necromantic Trappings
Arnaud F. Lambert

Concept: “Summoning the dead and communicating with their spirits is not a vocation for either the foolhardy or ill-prepared.”
Content: For each 3+ items, holder gets a bonus for keeping undead followers
Writing: A suitably macabre roster of items and fetishes
Art/design: Hue and images reinforce the sepulchral tone
Usability: Easy to use and read, letting you devote your attention to wrangling skeletons

d30 Sorcerer’s Possessions
Arnaud F. Lambert

Concept: “The dark arts require more than just the use of unclean scrolls.”
Content: Collect 5 or more and get one auto crit per day when using unclean scrolls
Writing: Some practical items and others simply for flavor or creative use
Art/design: Designed for easy use but includes some esoteric trappings in the background
Usability: A neat tool for spicing up Powers

d40 Exotic Artifacts
Arnaud. F. Lambert

Concept: “Strange curios from long forgotten lands or items of power held by ancient sorcerers and magi?”
Content: A collection of items mostly for flavor but potentially useful for creative problem-solving
Writing: Provides some character and flavor outside the Mörk Borg norm
Art/design: Color and design support the concept and writing’s character
Usability: If you can’t find a d40, just divide a d80 in half

d40 Medical Implements
Arnaud F. Lambert

Concept: “The dying world is a dangerous place.  Healing wounds and treating infections is crucial to living just a little longer.”
Content: A collection of items useful for healing in lieu of other means
Writing: Describes a plethora of items and uses
Art/design: Medical flair of the symbolic type
Usability: d40: roll a d4 & a d10 in sequence like you would for a d100, then subtract 9

d50 Alchemy Supplies
Arnaud F. Lambert

Concept: “These alchemy supplies could mean the difference between living a little longer or dying an ignominious death.”
Content: Mechanically sparse, but plenty of objects that could be used in practical and creative ways
Writing: Includes some detailed entries with a variety of uses and purposes
Art/design: Laid out for easy use and reference
Usability: May require some googling of substances and materials

d66 Martial Items
Daniel Pietersen

Concept: “Pick it up. Hold it. Feels good, doesn’t it? Heavy in your hand. Strong. You could make them pay with this. You could make them all pay.”
Content: A roster of weapons and armor with some new combat mechanics
Writing: Mostly descriptive but with an entertaining introduction
Art/design: Text arranged in neat blocks for easy navigation and reference
Usability: Vertically oriented text could present some inconvenience on certain screens

d100 Mundane Items
Daniel Pietersen

Concept: “Here you will find only those broken, useless things that others have discarded. Which is perhaps why you have found them, broken and useless as you are.”
Content: A list of 100 minor baubles with optional descriptors
Writing: Provides plenty of interesting curios to populate rooms, trash heaps, bazars, corpses, etc.
Art/design: Nothing elaborate, but they are mundane items after all
Usability: Roll d100, consult table, repeat

d50 Shamanic Tools
Arnaud F. Lambert

Concept: “These sacred artifacts can enhance your magical formulae, help you call upon the spirits, aid in healing the sick, or permit you to curse your enemies.”
Content: Besides titular list of nature-themed items, includes options for increasing presence and Omens
Writing: Delivers information simply with no undue fuss
Art/design: A straightforward layout with a background that lends flavor and ambience
Usability: Individual items primarily contribute to the buffs mentioned above

36 Occult Curios
Gregorius 21778

Concept: “A rehash of my LotFP compatible release Examples of the Dark Arts Vol. 02”
Content: Three dozen items comparable in power to occult treasures and class-specific items
Writing: Each item features a short paragraph with qualitative and mechanical descriptions (and stat blocks as called for)
Art/design: Designed and laid out for easy reading with some esoteric atmosphere
Usability: Numbered 1 – 36, so rolling randomly will require some renumbering

1990’s Proto-Folklore [FÖLK-LORE jam]
Ahimsa Kerp

Concept: “Items that are, if not yet proper folk lore, on the verge of reaching full folkloredom”
Content: 6 iconic objects adapted from ’90s films
Writing: Concisely captures the items’ ethos
Art/design: That rug really ties the page together
Usability: Simple and straightforward

Armaments of the Damned
Johnny Carhat, Grace Stuart

Concept: “Grossly unbalanced, a danger to your players health!”
Content: 6 items as lethal to the users as to their foes
Writing: Provides a balance of lore, description, and mechanics
Art/design: Well-organized and appropriately colored layouts with some lovely artwork
Usability: Some of these items have more complex effects that will need to be tracked

Auf der murderkulten
Walton Wood

Concept: “After completing the book … cultists erupt from hidden rifts in reality to relentlessly attack the reader.”
Content: Read a book, get some powers, get killed by otherworldly cultists
Writing: Incorporates mechanics into exposition
Art/design: Color differentiation makes mechanics easy find and reference
Usability: Fairly straightforward

The Bastard Sword
Good Rogue

Concept: “Whenever the party rests in a town, a village or other civilized area, the wielder unknowingly sires a heir.”
Content: A punny take on the iconic weapon
Writing: Delivers the concept and mechanics in simple, straightforward fashion
Art/design: Equally clean and straightforward presentation without sacrificing visual character
Usability: Versatile mechanics and opportunity to add some conflict and a personal subplot

Blackpowder Weapons for the Rich and Foolhardy (Blackpowder Basics)
I. McClung

Concept: “Bombs, arquebuses, pistolets, and even cannons wait to be turned against the hapless enemy of your choosing.”
Content: Includes rules for historic firearms and their mishaps
Writing: Clear delivery of more-complicated-than-average weapon mechanics
Art/design: On-brand use of color, type, and visual arrangements
Usability: Well laid out in discrete sections and easy to navigate

Bog Iron (Vales of Northern Bergen Chrypt) [FÖLK-LORE jam]
Anders Björkelid

Concept: “Harvested, roasted, smelted and smthed – the bog always demand blood in return for their gifts.”
Content: A table of weapons and gear with added benefits (and extra cost)
Writing: Entertaining second-person descriptions delivered by the local smith
Art/design: Stylized, characterful illustrations with additional graphic touches for easy reading and reference
Usability: Fun

Bolo Santizeli’s Prosthetics
Smallwolf Collective

Concept: “A strange merchant has come to sell prosthetic arms for those who are short-handed.”
Content: An inventory of replacement appendages with unique benefits and drawbacks
Writing: Concise descriptions peppered with witty comments
Art/design: Optimized for easy use without sacrificing character
Usability: Don’t forget to add to the Misery count to the roll result

The Bone of Batrasaxas [FÖLK-LORE jam]
1d10+15

Concept: “The Bone of Batrasaxas makes any animal it touches devoted to the wielder.”
Content: An overview, crafting and use instructions, critical failures, and a sample wielder
Writing: Mechanics are concise, and the descriptive text is full of detail and character
Art/design: Relatively conservative but efficient and effective for its purpose

Börk Morgue #666 †
Greyson Yandt

Concept: “An unofficial zine for a Dying World with words and design”
Content: Random tables, optional rules for dice & powers & armor/weapons/combat, pointy teeth, monsters & NPCs … and a Börk Morgue & a Maus Borg
Writing: Presented with a personable tone with plenty of wry wit
Art/design: Loaded with Mörk Borg aesthetic elements, color, and some creative layouts
Usability: Adds some deeper complexity in some areas (especially combat) and some irreverent variety all around

The Cailleach’s Call
Harkenstone

Concept: “The Cailleach’s Call scroll calls forth a creature that will help and serve the scroll’s caster.”
Content: A Power enabling casters find a familiar; includes rules for abilities and rosters of animals and traits
Writing: Primarily devoted to explaining the Power’s mechanics
Art/design: Appropriately mimics the appearance and texture of a scroll
Usability: Simple and straightforward

Deck of Evil Objects†
Philip Reed, Bartek Blaszczec

Concept: “Use this deck when you, the GM, wish to add a random object of evil to the campaign.”
Content: A 15-card deck with 3 additional cards (2 for the Deck of Treasures and 1 for the Deck of Secrets)
Writing: The descriptions will make you want to use these even though the mechanics will probably kill your character
Art/design: Sets the tone well without overcrowding a small space
Usability: Draw a card. Read the card. Repeat.

Backer reward for A Trio of Twisted Decks

Deck of Treasures†
Philip Reed, kirian

Concept: “If you need a random treasure, draw one card and roll a single six-sided die.”
Content: 36 items with mechanics for incorporating the canonical Corpse Plundering Table
Writing: Nice descriptions of items and enumeration of their  mechanics
Art/design: Relatively conservative but effective
Usability: Straightforward in itself, but requires some reference to the core rules

Dental Manvscript [Occult Ossuary]
Greyson Yandt

Concept: “A supplement for MÖRK BORG that you can really sink your teeth into.”
Content: Options for the teeth in your head and in your pocket
Writing: Good technical expositions and well-placed humor
Art/design: Definitely lives up to the title
Usability: Self-contained mechanics are simple to navigate

4 Flayed Faces [Babalonian jam]
Stein Hansen

Concept: “They will grant the wearer unclean powers but at the most gruesome of cost.”
Content: Four masks with a diverse spread of granted abilities
Writing: Focused on clean delivery of the masks’ effects
Art/design: Noh masks, paper texture, and kanji establish a distinct cultural theme
Usability: Spiral text may be challenging to read but is an interesting design choice; the masks themselves may serve as a compelling adventure hook

Galdr (Decrepit Seer)
Graven Images

Concept: “Those secret songs of magic, preciously hoarded by Odin, trickle slowly to the common sorcerers.”
Content: 3 sets of 6 Powers; not physical items (vis-à-vis scrolls) that can be possessed, but still things PCs can acquire
Writing: Concise, clear descriptions of mechanics and effects
Art/design: Relatively conservative but visually and thematically appropriate
Usability: Straightforward; use of color is good for fast visual reference

Glimpses of a Dying World
Feral Wizard

Concept: “Savage creatures lurk in the depths of forgotten crypts, incomprehensible relics lie waiting in the shadows of crumbling tombs, mystics argue incessantly trying to find a escape to the impending doom, and the powerful occupy themselves with vengeance.”
Content: A sprawling offering of all things Mörk Borg
Writing: Captures the tone and atmosphere of the Dying World through the descriptive text as well as the character of the mechanics
Art/design: Adapts the aesthetics and tactics of the core book with extensive use of modified public domain art
Usability: There’s something here for everyone

Grave Matters †
Rinaldo Agostini

Concept: “New uses for dry corpses”
Content: Undeath-themed classes, gear/weapons/scrolls, optional rules, monsters/NPCs, encounters, and an adventure site
Writing: Loads of creative concepts presented through expressive, inspiring, and witty prose
Art/design: Modified public domain images and original art support the theme along with layouts, typography, and colors that make this undeniably Borgy
Usability: References amongst entries create a sense of cohesion and interconnection; an excellent resource for a game or arc themed around skeletons, zombies, and corpses

Licensed to Ill [Album Crawl Rocks the 80s]
Michael Mars

Concept: “Listed here are just some of the effects that listening to this LP inflicted upon the Dying World!”
Content: Rules primarily for using and abusing the fabled Brass Monkey, but also includes other Beastly Boys-aligned components
Writing: Takes itself completely seriously, which only makes it funnier
Art/design: A more traditional layout and muted background gradient lend an appropriately dignified air
Usability: Some specialized interactions with other 3^rd-party supplements

Lord Sombrio’s Horse Lottery
Small Wolf Collective

Concept: “A business-card sized table to enrich your horse acquisition experience”
Content: A table of four types of horses, each with its own practical features
Writing: Quick and descriptive
Art/design: Stylized enough to add character but without hindering use at intended size
Usability: It fits on a business card, but it’s still easier to read when printed full-size

The Lost Riddares of Daol Grenn [FÖLK-LORE jam]
Gabriel Matteson

Concept: “Here lies what remains of these once mighty warriors.”
Content: Profiles of four legendary heroes and the relics that can be found in their resting places
Writing: Appropriate grimness tempered by occasional bouts of humor
Art/design: Nonlinear layout leverages a variety of typefaces and abstract as well as representational designs
Usability: Spatial organization, graphic choices, and visual cues help readers navigate a fairly dense page

Mörky Mycology
I. McClung

Concept: “A world in decline is a veritable paradise for fungi of all kind.”
Content: Fungi, environs filled with fungi, fungus-based class and items, and some mushroom monsters
Writing: Efficient but with enough detail to spur interest and imagination
Art/design: Relatively sparse but still under development
Usability: Very efficient layout for a lot of content

Mother Jong’s Book of Shadows (Death Witch)
Bracken MacLeod

Concept: “Literary-themed spell scrolls”
Content: A roster of 10 new unclean and sacred scrolls
Writing: Clearly written and easy to understand; particularly fun use of d6s and modifiers in Draw Down the Doom
Art/design: Nicely emulates the feel of an old, well-used spellbook
Usability: One of the powers is specific to the Death Witch class

Necropants
Arnaud F. Lambert

Concept: “Once worn, the necropants can only be removed if the PC can convince someone else to wear the pants.”
Content: Also offers greater wealth at the risk of total bankruptcy
Writing: Simple and straightforward
Art/design: Equally straightforward layout
Usability: One size fits all

The Occult Ossuary
I. McClung (ed.), Pablo Dapena, et al

Concept: “27 pieces exhumed from the depths of lavish graves, themed around skeletons, bones and skulls.”
Content: “Classes, items, companions, monsters and encounters created by sacrilegious mind.”
Writing: A variety of styles, all appropriate to their content
Art/design: Worth downloading just to check out the range of art and layouts
Usability: Complexity varies by entry but consistently easy to use

Optinomicon [Babalonian jam]
Latt Vines

Concept: “23 new eyeballs. You know, in case you lose one and need a replacement.”
Content: Ocular alternatives with a wide array of special features
Writing: Short and concise descriptions with grim character
Art/design: Original illustrations of each eyeball in easy-to-use layouts and stylish designs
Usability: A clever, thematic alternative to generic rings, amulets, etc.

Ravaging Plague I: Rusted Iron, Words of Power †
R., M., N.B., G.H., Droll Meadow, N.B.

Concept: “Ravaging Plague aims to bring Mörk Borg and its extreme metal influences into further conversation.”
Content: Extreme metal-inspired offerings across the board
Writing: Laden with metal-inspired imagery and themes
Art/design: Brutalist text layouts balanced with organic, gritty graphics all presented in stark black & white
Usability: No table of contents or index, but layouts and different deployments of positive and negative space are good visual aids for navigation

The Sacred Map of Nahemoth [Bad-Basilisk Berg-Borg jam]
Andorraraveduo

Concept: “Spill some blood and turn it into the ink that draws the path for your wildest dreams. Just make sure the blood doesn’t end up being yours.”
Content: A highly useful but also highly lethal magical map
Writing: Folds the mechanics into the lore with a very menacing, esoteric tone
Art/design: Vibrant colors, first-person POV to support concept and immersion established in the writing
Usability: Requires a steady stream of sacrifice for in-game use, and may additionally result in character mortality

Scvmatorium content
Karl Druid

Concept: Supplemental character creation tables
Content: New equipment (including bags and weapons)
Writing: Variously entertaining and unnerving
Art/design: Clear, clean hierarchy
Usability: Intuitive

The Shadow of the Wu [FÖLK-LORE jam]
gaffy

Concept: “Inspired by the mysticism of Wushu Theatre and the music influenced by it”
Content: 20 Powers inspired by martial arts media
Writing: Fairly mechanics-oriented with descriptive titles
Art/design: Presented in a left- and right-aligned two-column layout against a vivid ground
Usability: Some entries visually intermingle or conflict; not unusable, but takes a moment to parse

Shroom Barge
Richard Kelly

Concept: “From north to south, barge pilots … carry mushrooms. Dense, heaping bargeloads of mushrooms.”
Content: An assortment of shrooms, variant Shroomic Powers (and consequences), rules for barge racing, rules of barge building, ready-made barges, and a barge-based class
Writing: Clear and easy to read prose with some obligatory conceptual weirdness
Art/design: Traditional layout and design with color, illustrations, and typographical variance lending visual variety
Usability: Simple in itself; an interesting way to lend some background color or focused variety to campaigns

Sleep Now in the Fire [THE END IS NEAR jam]
C.A. Berlitz

Concept: “Although they went down, the fire of their spirits still raged on. And they came to burn it all and make you sleep in a fire.”
Content: Contains stats and lore for fire-based undead and items
Writing: A balance of descriptive and technical text, with the two folded together for the items
Art/design: Relatively traditional layouts with illustrations that support the entries’ concepts
Usability: Straightforward on all counts

A (sometimes) Spiked Flail to the Face*†
Christian Sahlén

Concept: “Six magical/cursed flails to discover in the deepest bog or dungeon.”
Content: A set of unique and creative weapons, most of which are lethal to target and wielder alike
Writing: Descriptive, compelling, and occasionally humorous
Art/design: Flails are depicted in silhouette, giving the reader’s imagination opportunity to fill in the gaps
Usability: Avoid contact with eyes and face

*Published prior to release of the formal third-party license

Suffering Extended
Michał Gotkowski

Concept: “Alternative rules and extended content”
Content: Includes new options for starting equipment, companions, class-specific unarmed attacks, weapons, artifacts, armor, critical hit locations, bad habits, familiars, names, pack animals, minor items, and musical instruments
Writing: Captures the core book’s grim humor and tone
Art/design: Strong Mörk Borg aesthetic; sets itself apart with blue that harkens back to the core rulebook
Usability: Well laid out; available in single page and spread versions for convenience

Tenacious Helmets [FÖLK-LORE jam]
Jean Verne

Concept: “A monster based on unfinished business, misplaced trust and faulty armour”
Content: A trap/monster/item targeting unwary and acquisitive adventurers
Writing: Includes background, behavior, effects, and a stat block (of course)
Art/design: The illustrations will make you want one despite the adverse effects
Usability: Multivalent but ergonomic in any capacity

Ucalegon [THE END IS NEAR jam]
Alex K. Barton

Concept: “A reckless unguided horde of desperate terrified people seek refuge. The endless flames of their homeland push them to the only place that remains untouched by flame.”
Content: Some lore (tying into the Box of Shadows title), 4 classes, 3 items, and a merchant who sells them
Writing: Provides copious historical background for the game components; classes in particular have some grim humor but are on the lighter side regarding features and personal background
Art/design: Efficiently ordered and laid out with economical color and typographical choices alongside interesting and atmospheric images
Usability: Feels like a strong tool kit for building an adventure around a band of outsiders

The Üniførm
Eryk Sawicki

Concept: “When worn, the Üniførm allows the wearer to find shortcuts and tunnels in unexpected places.”
Content: Medium “armor” that transports scvm to random rooms and minions-only locations within dungeons
Writing: Easy to read with a streak of sardonic humor
Art/design: Color coordinated for quick navigation and easy use
Usability: Starch & press before wearing

Time for Tea [Album Crawl Rocks the 80s]
Ian Long

Concept: “This teapot will drive your scvm crazy, but the rewards are potentially limitless…at least for the survivors.”
Content: A surreal string of events revolving around a teapot and some invisible visitors
Writing: Clearly traces the album’s thread through descriptions and unified, interlinking rules and mechanics
Art/design: The text’s hues and temperature contrast well against the ground, and its layout amongst the images creates shapes reminiscent of pouring tea or rising steam
Usability: “Do not include this teapot in your game unless your scvm are ready for: intraparty conflict, spilled blood, hypnotism, memory loss, and light cannibalism.”

Trapping Horrible Bugs for Profit (Mörk Bug)
Richard Kelly

Concept: “Hunting gigantic bugs is a difficult job, but the potential rewards are considerable.”
Content: Contains various bug-based tools and guidelines for selling captured critters
Writing: Balances descriptive text with formal mechanics of varying complexity
Art/design: Designed and laid out for readability with some buggy, Borgy flair
Usability: May also be useful for players seeking to trap and trade other creatures

We Can’t Stop Here …
Petri Leinonen

Concept: “A wagon filled with magical herbs that would make any occult herbmaster wet their pants from excitement”
Content: A drug-filled wagon inspired by a masterpiece of American literature
Writing: Includes lore, characters, and tables for the wagon’s contents and effects, hangovers, psychoactive visions, and trips (double entendre!)
Art/design: Includes some Borgy layouts and colors with graphics that reinforce the key motifs
Usability: Includes alternate rules for travel different (but not incompatible with) Overland Travel/Roads to Damnation

What Can Be Recovered From the Dead Horse?
Arnaud F. Lambert

Concept: “What secrets does the fetid corpse of this horse hold?”
Content: 36 items recoverable from a dead horse, some more useful than others
Writing: Occasionally witty and/or graphic
Art/design: Laid out for usability with table titles in orange to cue the GM
Usability: What—you don’t have a d30?

The Wound Wizards
Jegs

Concept: “Religious greedy flagellants”
Content: Heretical disciples of Tergol with wound-based abilities; includes 8 items that grant flesh-based Powers
Writing: Provides history and overview of the cult; bursting with body -horror imagery but balanced with grim humor
Art/design: Easy-to-use layouts; illustrations are full of weird mouths and ragged flesh
Usability: Not especially hefty, but not super-lean either; GMs who want to get the most out of this may want to review the details a time or two before bringing it to the table