Classes
Class refers to your character’s choice of adventuring profession.
RPG Series
Illustrations by the inimitable Julie Dillon.
PERFUME OIL BLENDS
Presented in an amber apothecary vial
“You all meet at an inn.…”
Pen and paper role-playing games have been a tremendous influence in my life since my formative years. My parents bought me the magenta D&D boxed set back in 1982, along with the Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual. My lifelong passion for fantasy, science fiction, war games, and mythology was well-channeled through RPGs, and I credit playing D&D with helping me sustain my imagination and sense of wonder through adulthood.
I played with one particular group through the bulk of my late teens and early 20s, and this series — along with the atmosphere tools that Black Phoenix Trading Post has introduced — was inspired, specifically, by the time that we spent campaigning together. Our group was somewhat prop-driven in our gaming: we felt that setting a mood was conducive to our style of gameplay. Little things like changes in lighting, minor sound effects, and music made a world of difference, and we found that utilizing miniatures, model railroad scenery, and other tools in order to physically illustrate strategies and provide visual cues was tremendously useful. How much more immersive would it have been if we’d been able to smell the crypt we were crawling through? Or the stench of steel and blood that permeates a warrior’s cloak? What do the wizard’s spell components smell like? What does winter in the desert smell like? Or spring in a druid’s sanctuary?
Pen and paper role playing games are, to me, dynamic stories that are propelled by the active participation of many individuals. You can’t have a strong storyline without creating characters of some depth. When you create a character, you generally have their personalities, priorities, and history in mind, along with a clear vision of what your character looks and sounds like. But how does she smell? What does the world around her smell like?
In most pen and paper fantasy RPGs, three of the primary attributes that you must choose for your character are race, class, and alignment. Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab’s RPG scent series was designed to emulate the character creation process, and are meant to be layered in order to create a character concept. In short: you layer your class, race, and the two fragrances that compose your alignment to construct your character scent. RPGs in all their myriad forms — CRPGs, MMOs, and old school pen and paper — have brought me immeasurable joy. This is my homage. This series is dedicated to my first DMs — my parents — for laughing off the nutter-perpetuated AD&D Satan Scare of the 80’s. Thanks for taking the time to play with your little girl. I miss you, and I love you.
Maile Roberts –
Smells like dirt!! In a good way! Like a forest floor, it’s very familiar.
Andrea Beres –
Initially smells like wet soil and grass! Very natural. Fades into soft incense. Reminds me of springtime. Earthy and lovely.
Sophie Kornmehl –
I love this one. I’m definitely going to buy a full size.
Initially it smells like fresh strong green juniper but it mellows out to a soft vanilla and moss with fresh loamy soil in the distance. A beautiful smell that I mixed with body lotion and it had me smelling myself all day. Very relaxing and intriguing.
c.morelock35 –
smells very much like dirt and pine but in a incense kind of way? i bought it along with 8 other scents and its one of my favorites. has the earthy feel i was hoping for. smells very much like the description, both in the bottle and on my skin.
gaia.earth24 –
Very fresh pitch smell right from the bottle. It’s not too sharp at all, quite nice and soft. Smelling it makes me feel like I am in a young growth forest in spring surrounded by pine and spruce and fiddleheads. Smells like good clean dirt. It definitely softens on my skin and gets more sweet and gentle. Will definitely buy again.
rosieeb123 –
Got this as a frimp, and wow I am impressed! Took me a while to get around to even sampling, as I didn’t care for some of the other D&D classes I tried before. In the vial, it smelled to me like juniper and spicy incense, VERY strong. I really thought I was going to hate it. Then wet on my skin… nothing. I thought my skin ate the smell right up. How could something so potent just not have a smell???
A few minutes later, it developed a smell. And it was divine. Spicy incense, but not smoky or too deeply resinous. A lot of incense smells give me a headache, but this one is well balanced and lovely, it reminds me of both dragon’s blood and patchouli. After a while more, I was getting spicy incense and fresh grass, a very springy smell. It wears close to the skin and lasts for a long time!
This is the first review I’ve done even though I’ve tried tons of perfumes. I was just so impressed.
Faith –
The same rich loam note from Death Cap without the coconut. It lacks originality on my skin.
Mairi –
I was prepared to be disappointed, because I didn’t think there was any way this perfume could smell as amazing as it was described. But it absolutely does. It smells like a handful of moss and earth from the hiking trails in my hometown’s mountains, maybe the day after a rain. I have always wanted a perfume like this, and I am so, SO overjoyed!! On top of that, I’m a big DnD player, and I just adore the idea of scents based off of your characters.
persephonelily –
I love how this smells, but it fades almost immediately. It’s such a natural, earthy scent; I just wish it lasted longer on skin!
lumimoonwhisper –
I can not give this one a high enough rating. I ordered it once a few years ago with some of the other RPG scents, and have been in love ever since. It smells of cedar, moss, and soil after the rain, and takes me back to my younger days, when I spent hours in the forest.
Emalee –
My absolute favorite BPAL scent! On me, it starts off with a blast of cut grass and leaves, very forest-y and green. As it dries down, the soil note becomes more prominent, settling down to a rich earthen incense. Druids are my favorite class in D&D and to me this scent perfectly encapsulates them, I love it.
phoenixevanidus –
A frimp.
Straight out of the vial, I was punched in the face by grass *and something else*… a little bit medicinal. Not strong like menthol or vick’s vapor rub or anything like that. Eucalyptus?
Drying on my skin, I get the trees and the leaves and something that so familiar, like a cologne, but it’s so distant. And I guess something in my pH makes it come off a bit powdery, going from medicinal and cologne-like to something much softer.
Really have to get right up in there to pick it up, though.
It reminds me of summertime, though, more than spring. A cooler, more forgiving summer day, though, and I have the good fortune of being in the woods. It reminds me of LARPing.
It’s a pleasant scent. Fabulous if you love the smell of verdant nature under the shade of a leafy canopy with dapples of sunlight warming your skin. It’s just not for me.
Catherine –
this smells exactly, EXACTLY like stepping into a greenhouse in spring when the very first greens are emerging. it is The Best.
Annikayna –
I got this as a free sample with my order. I love it! But on me, it smells nothing like the description- it’s sweet, fruity and flowery; definitely nothing of the soil and “foresty” smell that other describe. Still, it is quite lovely
Gloame –
I used to play a Druid in World of Warcraft years ago, so I felt an instant connection to this blend. It’s very green and light. I do smell the soil, but the incense is lighter than I expected (not a bad thing). Smells less like Druid and more like Herbology/Alchemy professions. 😉
satyrcynic –
Out of the vial, mint and pine. After an hours wear, subtle incense notes make themselves known. If anything, it’s a subtle scent, best for being noticed at a very close range, but when it is noticed, it makes quite an impression. Friends and co workers complimented the “foresty” aroma.