One of the issues that I (and many others) had during the Pathfinder 2 playtest was that wizards had been reduced in power to the level of ineffectiveness. I’m interested in how things have changed since the playtest, and so I bring you a selection of first-level Wizard spells, with notes on how they were changed from the playtest. With these spells, I’m looking for … Continue reading Pathfinder 2: A Look at some First-level Wizard Spells
My campaign of Ghosts of Saltmarsh has been one of the most disrupted campaigns in my DDAL career. Between Magic prereleases, me getting ill, and player unavailability for various reasons, I’m rather glad that it’s only a shorter campaign of levels 1-7 (or thereabouts!) As a result, my planned session reports are going to more look at the general themes and approaches of the various … Continue reading Ghosts of Saltmarsh: The Smugglers and the Sea Ghost
One trick I use when playing Dungeons & Dragons is to eliminate as much arithmetic as I can when rolling to hit. It makes the game run faster. The simplest way I do this is by determining what my target number is on the d20. If I have a +5 to hit, and I’m attacking a monster of AC 15, then I need to roll … Continue reading A Method for Players to Speed Up Combat
Ill Met in Ylraphon uses a lot of skill challenges (or a similar mechanic) in its text. I didn’t discuss them in the review, but the skill challenge is a form of mechanic that I dislike intensely, mainly because most people use it so badly! For those unfamiliar with the mechanic, the basic way is to describe a challenge as a sequence of skill checks, … Continue reading Problems with Skill Challenges
It’s tremendously important when writing an adventure to have a sense of its audience. When writing a D&D Adventurers League adventure, doubly so. For a CCC adventure, it’s easy to think you know the answer: it’s the audience at the convention. Unfortunately, if you write it only for them, anyone buying it from the DMs Guild is likely to be confused; the intended audience isn’t … Continue reading 5E Adventure Review: Ill Met in Ylraphon
The warning bells went off when I read the hook for The Secrets of Imaginary Friends, a Tier 1 CCC adventure for the D&D Adventurers League. It stated that the adventurers are hired as labourers. This was the only hook presented. Oh boy. The stuff of exciting adventures this wasn’t. Look, there are plenty of perfectly fine hooks for adventures. They may not be inspired … Continue reading 5E Adventure Review: The Secrets of Imaginary Friends
Mike “Sly Flourish” Shea is in the final stages of a kickstarter for his latest 5E-compatible adventure book: Sly Flourish’s Fantastic Adventures: Ruins of the Grendleroot. I’ve read a lot of it. It’s awesome. Of course, Mike paid me to have a look at the book and help develop it, but part of the reason I said “yes” to him (and not the other offers … Continue reading Ruins of the Grendleroot – Thoughts on a Kickstarter
In the worlds of Dungeons & Dragons, there’s a place known as the Temple of Elemental Evil. Although it was originally situated on the World of Greyhawk, I’m sure it’s appeared on many self-created worlds over the years. In its most recent incarnation, a new Temple of Elemental Evil was built in the north-east of Faerun, in the Forgotten Realms. Here’s a very quick summary … Continue reading Thoughts on Elemental Evil
A few years ago, my party were trying to liberate a dwarven mine from the forces of the Scarlet Brotherhood. As they emerged from the mine, they found soldiers waiting for him. Ever quick-thinking, the wizard created the illusion of a great demon emerging from the mine behind them. Ever not quick-thinking, the paladin turned around and charged the demon, as he didn’t realise that … Continue reading The Dangers of Illusions and other Versatile Magics
There’s a tendency in a lot of Dungeons & Dragons settings to have a vast number of deities. The World of Greyhawk and the Forgotten Realms are typical examples of such, with over fifty deities (not including non-human deities) described for each. Back in the day, I thought the Dragonlance setting had a small list of deities with a “mere” twenty-one! As I get older, … Continue reading Limiting the Pantheon
