- Spell area markers
It would be great to have VFX materials for common spell areas, in different shapes:
- Circle
- Square
- Rectangle
- Cone
- Line
- Cylinder
- Sphere
- Irregular cloud/blob shapes
These could be used for spells like Fireball, Lightning Bolt, Burning Hands, Cone of Cold, Silence, Darkness, Moonbeam, Spirit Guardians, Cloudkill, Web, Entangle, Grease, and many others.
- Specific spell-inspired effects
Some very useful effects would be:
- Entangle: twisting vines, roots, thorny plants
- Grease: oily/slippery ground
- Web: thick magical webs
- Spike Growth: sharp thorns and roots
- Darkness: dense magical shadow
- Silence: transparent soundless bubble
- Moonbeam: vertical silver moonlight
- Spirit Guardians: rotating spiritual figures or holy energy
- Wall of Fire
- Wall of Force
- Cloudkill: poisonous green cloud
- Faerie Fire: glowing magical outline/particles
- Sickening Radiance: toxic radiant glow
- Hunger of Hadar: cosmic darkness with strange tentacles or stars
- Condition markers
Another very useful idea would be small visual indicators for common RPG conditions, such as:
- Poisoned
- Prone
- Paralyzed
- Stunned
- Charmed
- Frightened
- Restrained
- Blinded
- Deafened
- Invisible
- Exhausted
- Concentration
- Cursed
- Hexed
- Marked target
These could be simple circular VFX markers placed under or around a token.
- Magic circles and ritual effects
I think this would be one of the most useful categories:
- Transmutation circles
- Summoning circles
- Teleportation circles
- Necromantic circles
- Celestial/holy circles
- Infernal/demonic circles
- Druidic/nature circles
- Alchemical circles
- Arcane seals
- Protection wards
- Binding circles
- Floating runes
- Rotating layered magic symbols
- Portals and planar rifts
Portals are extremely useful for fantasy maps and scenes. Some variations could include:
- Arcane blue portal
- Infernal portal
- Celestial golden portal
- Shadow/necrotic portal
- Feywild-style portal
- Abyssal portal
- Elemental portal
- Water portal
- Ice portal
- Mirror portal
- Space-time rift
- Unstable planar tear
- Power auras
These could be used for bosses, NPCs, monsters, magical items, or player buffs:
- Holy/radiant aura
- Necrotic aura
- Fear aura
- Barbarian rage aura
- Dragon aura
- Fey aura
- Psychic aura
- Fire aura
- Ice aura
- Lightning aura
- Poison aura
- Protection aura
- Corruption aura
- Legendary boss aura
- Environmental effects
These would help make maps feel more alive:
- Light rain
- Heavy rain
- Snowfall
- Falling leaves
- Ashes in the air
- Dust in ruins
- Sandstorm particles
- Low fog
- Dense fog
- Fireflies
- Floating spores
- Smoke from fire
- Swamp vapor
- Heat distortion
- Dripping water
- Magical mist
- Hazardous terrain
Very useful for combat encounters:
- Lava
- Acid pool
- Poison pool
- Slippery ice
- Cracked ground
- Quicksand
- Deep mud
- Thorny ground
- Corrupted ground
- Consecrated ground
- Desecrated ground
- Growing crystals
- Living roots
- Blood magic ground effect
- Active magical trap
- Explosive runes
- Sacred and profane effects
These would be great for clerics, paladins, temples, cultists, undead, and boss encounters:
- Divine light from above
- Holy ground
- Blessing circle
- Golden radiant aura
- Profane ground
- Dark ritual smoke
- Souls rising from the ground
- Shadowy hands
- Cursed seal
- Necrotic mist
- Utility markers for gameplay
These would be less cinematic but extremely useful during actual play:
- Selected area
- Marked target
- Protected ally
- Weakened enemy
- Elite enemy
- Quest objective
- Point of interest
- Detected trap
- Active trap
- Safe zone
- Dangerous zone
- Magical path
- Tracking footprints
- Detected magic item aura