The Eclectic Otter: Simple Spell Templates

This weekends project is another RPG item that we've been meaning to make for a long time. Instead of wasting time counting squares to make sure you don't hit your own team with that fireball we decided to make a quick template to check.

All you need is lightweight wire, some pliers to bend it, a way to measure, and information about spell effect areas for whatever system you play in. The wire I used was 14 gauge jewelry wire and it was very easy to bend. A different type might hold its shape better but could be more difficult to bend. Just keep that trade-off in mind when choosing supplies.

Most of the Game Masters in our group use tan colored gaming mats so we used a fuschia wire for contrast but any color will work. I did not follow the templates in the book exactly (made curved edges instead of stair steps on cone for example) mostly because my husband is attempting to move to a gridless system but also with the template you can see more easily which partial squares may be included. Just lay the wire out to the correct length and use pliers to bend it into shape.

Be sure to leave an extra length at the beginning and end so you have some to twist together to close the shape. I made templates for 15 and 30 foot cones and 10 and 20 foot radius spells. ( I ended up with extra wire for a 3 yard package so you could make other sizes if needed.)

I tried to leave a extra length of wire to use as a handle to lift to template in and out of the play space. The ends are fairly sharp where the wires been cut so it might be a good idea to cover the ends somehow. My plan is to use hot glue or some type of epoxy/ super glue over the ends. It should be enough to blunt the sharp ends as well as add a little sturdiness by keeping the ends from slipping.