Level Up: Gate Pass Gazette Issue #20 (A5E)

Perverse Contamination: Corruption Mechanics

Corruption is often an intangible thing, manifesting as the slow decay of one’s morals in the name of fame, fortune, and power. But in dismal, forgotten places, corruption manifests as something far more tangible—and awful. It is an evil so raw that it blights everything it touches, from single items to the very lands themselves, creating an environment that warps not only one’s mind but their body as well. By Jessy Mullins.

Monarch of Misery: The Gourd Empress

Waiting for the holiday of Rivengate, when the Bleak Gate and the Material Plane are closest, the Gourd Empress slowly rises in power throughout the harvest month as her squashlings prepare a royal welcome for her in Elissar. Those who do not sufficiently aid them see her in the most terrible glory, enraged as she fully emerges, eager to wreak havoc and mayhem upon those who failed to show her due reverence. By Mike Myler.

The Labyrinthine Library

Somewhere between the Astral Sea and the Ethereal, its boarders somehow touching countless planes around it, exists the Labyrinthe Library. A strange, twisting demi-plane, the Library is so ancient even many gods do not remember a time before it and so vast as to house its own population of native creatures, humanoids included. This article details but some of the aspects of the endless stacks, including the native Lexican culture and the mysterious organization known as The Silence, itself a common source of the Keeper background. By Clarke Peterson.

Harrowing Haunts

Spectral residue can manifest in numerous twisted distortions of reality, often twisting and distorting the people around it in the process. The following haunts are hazards and challenges that adventurers might face while delving into haunted lands tainted by death. By Andrew Engelbrite.

Extra Witchy: Pleasing Pacts and Intriguing Invocations for Witches and Magicians

Familiars are great, so are ensorcelled swords, and magic tomes can make any warlock grin with every rotten tooth, but some just want a cauldron to help them make a brew or to stare into the murky future. Others consider themselves more magicians than practitioners of darkness, relying on smoky obfuscation to delight or distract. This article details two new pacts that, with your Narrator’s approval, are new options for the warlock’s Pact Boon class feature, as well as several new Eldritch Invocations to help you get the most out of your pact. By Boo Ludlow.