D&D 5E, Descent into Avernus, Play Advice

Running Descent into Avernus, part 6: Entering Elturel

By the time the characters enter Elturel, they should have two NPCs with them: Lulu, the winged hollyphant, and Reya, the Hellrider of Elturel who has been doomed (with the rest of Elturel’s defenders) to Hell. As noted in my last instalment, the reasons for them descending are muddy in the adventure-as-written, but I suggest that they have already learned of the need to gain … Continue reading Running Descent into Avernus, part 6: Entering Elturel

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D&D 5E, Greyhawk, Session Report

Adventures in Greyhawk: Wind Dukes and Djinn

The latest session of my Dungeons & Dragons Greyhawk campaign was the first one of the series that we played on Roll20. We spent the first hour mucking around with the interface, the next two hours negotiating with the djinn, and spent the final hour finally fighting the Wind Dukes of Aaqa! The set-up is as follows: In an expedition to a magical cave, Paul’s … Continue reading Adventures in Greyhawk: Wind Dukes and Djinn

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D&D, Design

Not a Wargame

Dungeons & Dragons came from players of miniature wargames. And, in the earliest days, there was an expectation that the characters would become powerful lords and archmages and command territories and armies. The funny thing is that this rarely happened. The origin of the game came from the players assuming the roles of the leaders of the territories and commanding armies, but it dropped down … Continue reading Not a Wargame

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D&D, D&D 5E, Review

5E Adventure Review: Annihilation Hold

Annihilation Hold is an adventure for characters levels 10–16 by Alan Patrick and Jeff C. Stevens. The setting of the adventure is the ruins of an orcish citadel. Within, the heroes can discover many undead orcs and a particularly dangerous artefact. Yes, it’s a dungeon crawl, where the primary motivation is a treasure. A magical treasure! However, calling it a dungeon crawl doesn’t quite do … Continue reading 5E Adventure Review: Annihilation Hold

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D&D, D&D 5E, Review

Accessory Review: Laeral Silverhand’s Explorer’s Kit

It feels like I’ve been waiting for this product for a while. Laeral’s Silverhand’s Explorer’s Kit is a new release from Wizards of the Coast that presents a selection of eleven dice, one double-sided map, and twenty cards with pictures and information about places, people and organisations in the Forgotten Realms. The set also provides two, felt-lined dice trays. The map – I guess you … Continue reading Accessory Review: Laeral Silverhand’s Explorer’s Kit

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D&D 5E, Descent into Avernus, Play Advice

Running Descent into Avernus, part 5: Candlekeep

I’m going to keep this relatively short. I’ve had problems running Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus that began when the characters reached Candlekeep. Some of these are easily overcome. But others require more reworking. Candlekeep’s chief function is to move the characters down into Avernus, the first layer of hell. They have in their possession the infernal puzzle box, and they have a contact: a … Continue reading Running Descent into Avernus, part 5: Candlekeep

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D&D, D&D 3E, Review

3E Supplement Review: Races of Stone

Going back through my past reviews, I discovered this one on a defunct website, so I’m reposting it on my main blog. Wizards released Races of Stone in August 2004 for Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition. This review originally appeared on 3rdedition.org, but sadly that site has been defunct for many years. Races of Stone represents a departure by Wizards of the Coast from the … Continue reading 3E Supplement Review: Races of Stone

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D&D, D&D 5E, Greyhawk

Adventures in Greyhawk: Shrine to the Wind Dukes

The Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Masters Guide has many fascinating sections in it. While it often fails to elucidate the rules in a clear manner, it’s nothing if not full of inspirational material for DMs. From glimpses of the sort of campaign that is proposed for Dungeons & Dragons, to manifold tables to help stock dungeons, towns and the wilderness with interesting monsters and … Continue reading Adventures in Greyhawk: Shrine to the Wind Dukes

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D&D, D&D Adventurers League, Eberron, Review

5E Adventure Review: The Night Land

The first adventure in the new Oracle of War campaign set in the Eberron campaign setting is The Night Land by Shawn Merwin. Designed for a party of level 1-4 characters, it introduces the party to the town of Salvation. There, they and others work as salvagers, taking trips into the shattered lands of the Mournland to recover valuable artefacts. A Town Named Salvation The … Continue reading 5E Adventure Review: The Night Land

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AD&D, D&D, Design

Dungeons & Dragons Lore: Ability Scores

In the earliest days of Dungeons & Dragons, players rolled to determine their ability scores. On 3d6. In order. Creating a character involved rolling your ability scores and then choosing the race and class you wanted to play based on those scores. There was one element that alleviated the “3d6 in order” rule: You could reduce your scores in other abilities to increase that of … Continue reading Dungeons & Dragons Lore: Ability Scores

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