Here is a short encounter from the Dungeons & Dragons game I ran tonight. (For 3rd-5th level characters) A short greenish statue, about four-feet tall, of a humanoid figure with a fish-like head, squats on the far side of the room opposite the door. Two green gems glitter in its eye sockets. The statue is made of green-glazed clay and is hollow. It represents a … Continue reading Idol of the Fish People
Exploring Eberron is the new 240+ page sourcebook from Keith Baker (and company) that expands on Eberron lore, now available on the DMs Guild as a PDF or Print-on-Demand hardcover. This article is one of a series looking at the contents of the book. It is too soon to call it a proper review; instead, it is my first impressions of the product. So far, … Continue reading A Look at Exploring Eberron, part 3: Faiths
Exploring Eberron, the new book by Keith Baker (and others) is now out. I am looking at a review copy of the book and writing a not-a-review of the book. Why not a review? Well, because I have not had a chance to use it in play. I might feel sort-of-confident to assess adventures before I run them, but I am a little more cautious … Continue reading A look at Exploring Eberron, part 2: Races
Wizards of the Coast first released the world of Eberron in June 2004, with the Eberron Campaign Setting. Sixteen years later, its creator, Keith Baker, is still creating material for the world, with the latest product due on the DMs Guild shortly. That book is Exploring Eberron, over 240 pages further detailing the world. And there is a lot of material to explore. Even though … Continue reading A Look at Exploring Eberron, part 1
I recently contended something about Dungeons & Dragons adventure design on Twitter. What did I argue? A mundane Dungeons & Dragons adventure that covers the basics well will likely prove more enjoyable than an inventive one that does not unless you have a great Dungeon Master. M.T. Black asked me what I considered the basics. Here they are: Set out the goals for the characters. … Continue reading Fundamentals of Adventure Design
I love dungeon delving. I also enjoy other types of campaigns, but dungeons were my first love in Dungeons & Dragons, and it is fascinating to see how players approach them. And designing dungeons is one of the parts of D&D I enjoy most. At present, I am often using a Dyson Logos map found in one of his packs on DriveThruRPG as the basis … Continue reading Dangers in the Dungeons
The Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master’s Guide introduced me to the concept of henchmen. They were a follower loyal to your main character and provided another character that you could control. (Good when there were fewer players!) Henchmen advanced at half rate and took a share of the treasure. But these seemed quite reasonable compared to the benefits. However, I never played in an … Continue reading Using Henchmen in Dungeons & Dragons
I often begin my campaigns with megadungeons. I sketch out a couple of maps of the first two levels, stock them with monsters, traps, tricks, and treasures – usually using a combination of choice and random selection – and let the players go explore. I have never, however, spent the entire length of a campaign exploring one. Stories suggest themselves to me as we play. … Continue reading Enter the Megadungeon
I am a fan of wandering monsters and random encounters. The concept, in case you were not aware, is that every so often while the party are exploring a dungeon or travelling through the wilderness you make a check to determine whether they have an encounter. The encounter is not necessarily combat, although it often in the sort of combat-heavy games I tend to run. … Continue reading Worldbuilding through Wandering Monsters
Recently crossing my desk was a copy of Gorgons & Oracles, a Pay-What-You-Want supplement posted on the DMs Guild by Jeff Linehan. As you may have noticed, I do not comment on rules material that much. It is tremendously difficult to judge without playtesting. However, I am very familiar with the proper verbiage, and I do appreciate inspiring material. And, as I have not posted … Continue reading A look at Gorgons & Oracles
