Review and Commentary For The Free OSR Resource Phonomicon Ex Cultis From Wedge the Halfling Under the Door! For Your Old School Horror Campaigns

 Get It right Over HERE

 Every DM needs a handy god now and then. This book has a pretty innovative and quite awesome way of doing it. This is a pretty sweet little free book.
According to the Drivethrurpg report: 

Phonomicon ex Cultis is an aid for any, primarily fantasy, roleplaying game; a glorified random table of 100 gods and cults for your PCs or NPCs to follow.

The premise behind Phonomicon ex Cultis is simple. At its heart, it’s a table of 100 gods, goddesses and powers to provide a pan-system source of small religions as a springboard for use in your roleplaying game. The concept underpinning this was to take the most common phonemes (or word sounds) in the English language and use them as a basis for generating powers that NPCs worship. If words have power, then do sounds have power too? And if similar sounding words can be grouped by similar meaning, do they take on further strength?

Take AIN as an example – you’ll find it in slain, sprain, strain, pain… all words concerning damage and discomfort – and all of a sudden you have AIN, Patron Deity of Injuries. Perhaps the civilised folk known him as Bain, and appeal to him for a quick recovery from wounds; perhaps the barbaric humanoid tribes know him as Tarrainain, and revel in his name as they butcher villages in their path; further still, perhaps the snake-headed Inquisitors of Koth whisper their prayers to Ain’ts’sain as they prepare the torture implements for the next victim.

Phonomicon ex Cultis is a springboard for any DM – use as much or as little as you need, and get creating!

 Using The 

Phonomicon Ex Cultis
 For Your Old School Campaigns
Including horror 

Phonomicon Ex Cultis actually does work and works quite well for many old school games the system is simple, the idea quite easy, and the writing on this one is tight. These are doable on the fly but using this sort of divine related system might be better before a game. Most of this system could be used with any role playing game. But the book is really geared for old school play. Using root words as the power base for a god has both awesome connotations and some limiting factors. For horror based campaigns this system works well for demons and Lovecraftian gods.  

The system is pretty nicely laid out and has suggestions for all kinds of gods and such. The ideas though could easily translate into a more modern gaming style if the DM wanted it. I can see the system for everything from a modern 'Silent Hill' style game, Call of Cthulhu  or any modern horror game.
The simplicity of the system is its strength. There are lots of examples throughout and the approach is simple, easy, and concise within its forty seven pages. Did I mention its free?