Fairytales and Hamsters

I've just added a new blog on the list to the right: A Hamsterish Hoard of Dungeons and Dragons. I'm not quite sure what the adjective "hamsterish" means in this case, but I do find the content very interesting. It's new goodies for BECMI/Rules Cyclopedia D&D, primarily monsters, but sometimes spells or other treats.

That would be neat enough on its own, but I'm also intrigued by a theme I'm noticing in the recent posts. I have no idea if this is temporary, or even a conscious decision on Taichara's part, but where most of us playing with older versions of D&D are embracing a more Swords & Sorcery motif, or wallowing in Dark Fantasy, Taichara's creations have a strong fairytale feel to them. Here's an example of a new magic-user spell that illustrates what I mean:

Vine Truth
Range: 0
Duration: 1 turn
Effect: One conjured flower for divining truth

This spell produces a small coiling vine that wraps around the wrist of the Magic-User, ending in a showy blossom held between the fingertips. Until the spell's duration runs out, if an individual within 30' of the Magic-User knowingly tells a lie, a petal will fall from the blossom to signal the untruth.

And check out this description of the thorn dragon:

Their name comes from their scales: mottled brown and rust-red, edged in green and rose -- and each one's tip drawn out into a long, curved thorn.

I can't quite see Frazetta illustrating this beastie, as most of his monsters tend towards the smoky and dreamy, and glisten wetly. But I could certainly imagine what one of the Pre-Raphaelites might make of it.