Category: D&D 5E

D&D, D&D 5E, Review

5E Supplement Review: Books of Knowledge

J. Benjamin’s Books of Knowledge is an intriguing supplement: a collection of magical books that adventurers can study and thereby gain various magical benefits. The author suggests using this supplement in a campaign where permanent magic items are rare; the books described tend to have lesser magical effects, and thus allow a hint of magical ability without overwhelming the campaign. For instance, the book Art … Continue reading 5E Supplement Review: Books of Knowledge

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D&D 5E, D&D Adventurers League, Review

5E Adventure Review: No Foolish Matter

No Foolish Matter is the sixth adventure of the third season of D&D Adventurers League adventures. It’s designed for level 1-4 characters, and sits as a rare stand-alone in a series of adventures detailing the effects of Hillsfar’s “Great Law of Humanity” on the land. Instead of dealing with the injustice of the Red Plumes and the quest to replace the First Lord of Hillsfar, … Continue reading 5E Adventure Review: No Foolish Matter

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D&D, D&D 5E, Play Advice, Tales of the Yawning Portal

Running the Sunless Citadel: Kobolds!

Areas 13-24 of The Sunless Citadel contain the first organised group of monsters the adventurers meet: Kobolds! The kobolds of the edition of D&D when The Sunless Citadel was first published in 2000 were not quite the same as the kobolds of 2017. Both are relatively weak, cowardly creatures, mainly known for their attachment to dragons and their skill at trap-building. However, the current version … Continue reading Running the Sunless Citadel: Kobolds!

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D&D, D&D 5E, D&D Adventurers League, Review

5E Adventure Review: A Dish Best Served Cold

A Dish Best Served Cold is the fifth adventure in the D&D Adventurers League fifth season. It’s written by James Introcaso (who is known for babbling about tabletops and doing great interviews), and is written for the second tier of levels, optimised for 8th-level characters. It’s also the second in the Stagwick-arc, a tale about the relationships between the frost giants and settlers in Hartsvale. … Continue reading 5E Adventure Review: A Dish Best Served Cold

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D&D, D&D 5E, Play Advice, Tales of the Yawning Portal

Running the Sunless Citadel: First Steps

The Sunless Citadel is the first adventure in the new Dungeons & Dragons book, Tales from the Yawning Portal. This adventure is designed for beginning characters, and is also a very good choice for Dungeon Masters as their first adventure. Here are a few tips for running your first session of the adventure! Character Selection The Sunless Citadel is a dungeon adventure, where much of … Continue reading Running the Sunless Citadel: First Steps

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D&D 5E, Out of the Abyss, Play Advice

Out of the Abyss… Making Random Encounters Fun!

The second half of Out of the Abyss is taking my group a little longer to complete than I first thought. There are some tremendously difficult encounters in the adventure, especially if the group hasn’t worked out how to tackle them. An encounter with a beholder left two of the group petrified, one dead, one fell into a chasm, another was charmed, and the last … Continue reading Out of the Abyss… Making Random Encounters Fun!

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D&D, D&D 5E, Design, Play Advice

Monsters can be Friends, Too! Monster Reactions

One of the rules I never quite understood in the Basic Dungeons & Dragons set of 1981 was the Monster Reaction table. The basic idea was when you encountered a group of monsters, you’d follow the following sequence: Roll 2d6 to determine distance between monsters and party (in tens of feet) Roll to determine surprise (in Basic D&D, there was a 33% chance for each … Continue reading Monsters can be Friends, Too! Monster Reactions

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D&D 5E, Design, Play Advice

Morale: When Monsters Run

Monsters are people too! They want to go home at the end of the day, settle down with their loved ones, and count their treasure. They certainly don’t want to be killed by adventurers who just happen across them when they’re on their afternoon stroll! However, there are times when a monster’s got to do what a monster’s got to do: defend their home against … Continue reading Morale: When Monsters Run

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D&D 5E, Play Advice

The Very Basics of Running Dungeons & Dragons Combat

You’re DMing your very first game of Dungeons & Dragons. Your players enter a cave and see four kobolds. The kobolds rush forward and attack… …and the players look at you expectantly. What do you do? Here’s a few notes to help you run that first combat. Combat Sequence Roll Initiative (d20 + Dexterity modifier). Rolling once for each group of monsters makes the combat … Continue reading The Very Basics of Running Dungeons & Dragons Combat

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D&D 5E, Review

5E Adventure Review: Doorway to Darkness

Doorway to Darkness, an adventure for four 2nd-level characters by James Desborough and M.T. Black, takes a solid idea – a mine being overrun by zombies – and adds enough unusual features to it to provide interest and entertainment. It’s very easy to just have a parade of combat encounters. Having features to mix them up, to engage the players and tell a story, is … Continue reading 5E Adventure Review: Doorway to Darkness

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