The Dangers of Illusions and other Versatile Magics

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

merricb@yahoo.co.ukJune 23, 2019June 24, 2019Leave a comment

D&D 5E, Design

Limiting the Pantheon

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

merricb@yahoo.co.ukJune 19, 20192 Comments

D&D, D&D 5E, Greyhawk

Greyhawk – the Wind Dukes of Aaqa?

Last Friday, I took my players on an excursion to a great peak in the Yatil Mountains – that’s just to the north of where they’re staying in Veluna. Why were they going there? Well, while they were staying in the Deepfathom Mine (found in Sly Flourish’s Fantastic Adventures), a stranger came to them with a tale of a friend who had disappeared on that … Continue reading Greyhawk – the Wind Dukes of Aaqa?

merricb@yahoo.co.ukJune 15, 2019Leave a comment

D&D 5E, Review

5E Adventure Review: Down Came a Blackbird

Down Came a Blackbird is an adventure for level 1-4 characters set in Saltmarsh. The children of the village have discovered a strange egg, and crazed birds are attacking villagers. The heroes need to find the source of the unrest before great misfortune comes to the village. Darker things are afoot than just the birds! It could go very poorly, however. The first encounter sees … Continue reading 5E Adventure Review: Down Came a Blackbird

merricb@yahoo.co.ukJune 4, 2019Leave a comment

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

Making Plans

It is rare in a game of Dungeons & Dragons that you’re not attempting to succeed at a goal. There may be odd encounters which are unexpected, but typically your party is working towards something, either self-generated or a task given by others. It helps to agree on what that goal is! Even an expedition into a megadungeon typically has a goal, such as these: … Continue reading Making Plans

merricb@yahoo.co.ukJune 3, 2019June 3, 2019Leave a comment

D&D 5E, Review, Waterdeep: Dragon Heist

5E Adventure Review – Waterdeep: Dragon Heist

Waterdeep: Dragon Heist is an adventure published by Wizards of the Coast set in the great city of Waterdeep in the Forgotten Realms. It presents an urban scenario where the characters get to own a tavern, become involved with the various factions in the city, and go on a hunt for dragons – the gold coins of Waterdeep – that are stashed in a hidden … Continue reading 5E Adventure Review – Waterdeep: Dragon Heist

merricb@yahoo.co.ukJune 1, 2019June 1, 20191 Comment

D&D 5E, D&D Adventurers League, Ghosts of Saltmarsh, Session Report

Ghosts of Saltmarsh – The Adventure Begins!

It’s the end of May, Ghosts of Saltmarsh was released this week, and we’ve started a new campaign that will play through the first five adventures (at least)! Hooray! This will be, as most of my book campaigns are, a D&D Adventurers League campaign. As you may expect, spoilers abound in this recap of the session. We began our adventures in Saltmarsh with the last … Continue reading Ghosts of Saltmarsh – The Adventure Begins!

merricb@yahoo.co.ukMay 28, 2019May 28, 20192 Comments

D&D 5E, D&D Adventurers League

5E Adventure Review: Legacy and Virtue

Legacy and Virtue is a D&D Adventurers League-legal adventure for level 1-4 characters by Alan Patrick that premiered at GameHoleCon 2018. This is an adventure that makes me very happy. It’s a dungeon crawl, but one with enough attention to detail to allow the players to find interesting features in each room, provide opportunities for combat and a little role-playing as well. The adventurers are … Continue reading 5E Adventure Review: Legacy and Virtue

merricb@yahoo.co.ukMay 23, 2019May 22, 2019Leave a comment

D&D 5E, Ghosts of Saltmarsh

Ghosts of Saltmarsh – Looking at the Town

I finally have a copy of Ghosts of Saltmarsh; strictly speaking, I have three – Special, Standard, and D&D Beyond versions. Hooray! (And yes, I paid for each of them). I’m starting a campaign of the book on Saturday, so I’m now perusing it, trying see how everything fits together. Although I’ve run The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh before, the original adventure didn’t describe the … Continue reading Ghosts of Saltmarsh – Looking at the Town

merricb@yahoo.co.ukMay 22, 2019Leave a comment

D&D, D&D 5E

Creating a Character – for a New Campaign

When a group starts a new campaign together, one of the players’ first tasks is to create characters. Dungeons & Dragons is a team game. It requires the players to work together to overcome the challenges posed by the Dungeon Master. If you have a group that is lacking core skills, or whose abilities don’t fit into the context of the campaign, your experiences may … Continue reading Creating a Character – for a New Campaign

merricb@yahoo.co.ukMay 19, 2019Leave a comment