Creating minor arcana

Write up an artifact as a minor arcanum when…

• … you can envision a meaningful set of steps for unlocking its mysteries
• … once unlocked, it provides a lasting, repeatable, and/or renewable benefit, and…
• … you think you can describe it and its benefits concisely, in 300 words or less (150 words per side).

Good candidates include artifacts that house a spirit or sentience, or that convey the workings of a spell/ritual/technique, or that produce a recurring magical effect.

Alternatively, you might have an idea for some other discovery—a clue, a site, an encounter—that meets the criteria above. You might still walk through the artifact creation process to conceptualize the idea, but either skip the Form step or interpret it very loosely.

With the arcanum's concept in mind, write the following, in whatever order works for you:

• Its initial title
• Its tags and other elements
• A brief description
• The requirements for unlocking it
• Its unlocked title
• Its mysteries

Expect the process to be iterative. You'll often go back and revise earlier parts as you work, maybe even rethinking its core concept. That's fine and normal.