What mini’s to use?
If your group has chosen to play with battle-maps (with either square or hex grid) than there is one last choice to make before you can play. What type of mini’s do you use? The most commonly used option is the DnD branded mini’s of characters, NPC’s and monsters. You will still have to buy […]
Schools of magic in DnD
Magic is a powerful component in the world of Dungeons&Dragons. You can blow up your enemies, heal your friends and conjure allies to your aid. To have some semblance of sorting and balancing out these spells D&D divides them up into 8 “Schools” of magic. As a magic user you can choose amongst those (based […]
Wraith <em>Monster Manual Model of the Month</em>
If you party comes across a Wraith at a relativaly low level it better watch out and prepare. It could mean a total team kill unless you either know what to expect or have an optimised and balanced party. With a Challenge Rating of 5 (What is CR?) it sounds doable enough, but it has […]
D&D battle tactics
A lot of the fun and mechanics of Dungeons&Dragons revolves around combat and fighting. Magic users have damaging spells, most feats help you in attacking or defending and there is even a class called Fighter. Not every fight is the same however. Sometimes the DM thows something at you and the tactics you were using […]
5 more underused normal items
Near the end of your adventures you and your compatriots have aquired some epic power and loot that no creature besides a god can hope to stand against. But even then you can make a great use out of the basics. Flip to the ‘Adventuring Gear’ page of the PHB and you can find some […]
How I made Pokémon D&D <em>Making D&D Fanfiction part 2</em>
After discovering how to use D&D mechanics to make a Harry Potter one-shot I followed that up by building the mechanics for Pokémon D&D. Firstly because I spent a lot of time in that world dating all the way back to Pokémon Blue. I played that game over and over again on my GameBoy Advanced […]
How I made Harry Potter D&D <em>Making D&D Fanfiction part 1</em>
A few years ago I started my Dungeons and Dragons journey. Once I got the hang of stepping into the shoes of a hero in a pre-written world of magic and monsters I started wondering if I could also use it to finally go to other worlds like I had always dreamed of. I remember […]
Oozes <em>Monster Manual Model of the Month</em>
Oozes (a.k.a. Dungeon Roomba’s) come in a few different variations, each with it’s own strengths. Despite their large size and slow pace they are very stealthy. They manage that by blending in with their dark and damp environment and waiting for their prey to come to them. The Ooze variations differ a bit in their […]
Reactions <em>Get the most out of your actions</em>
Properly using of all your action types can be a great challenge and can really boost your party’s defence, damage output or battlefield control. Just as long as you know how to properly use them. During combat each creature on the battlefield gets one reaction per round and can use it when specific conditions are […]
The Mimic <em>Monster Manual Model of the Month</em>
Do you want to really surprise a new player with a classic D&D creature? Time to bring out a Mimic. These shapechanging monstrosities take on the form of whatever might lure a prey in close. They are most often portrayed as chest as those are always a relief for a player and their PC to […]
Interesting battles 2: Active environment
Dungeons&Dragons combat does not have to consist of rolling dice to hit until either the monsters or PC’s are dead. They can be so much more! In a previous blog I explained how to make it more interesting by playing the enemies smarter. But besides a balanced party and the enemies there is a third […]
The Owlbear <em>Monster Manual Model of the Month</em>
Among the earliest creations of Gary Gygax for D&D was the Owlbear. A monstrous combination of the body of a bear and head of an owl, filled to the brim with ferocity. It’s brute force and ill temper makes it a dangerous enemy for any opponent unlucky enough to cross it’s path. Strength and weaknesses […]
What is CR?
The CR in a D&D creatures stat block stands for Challenge Rating. Although it’s the perfect way to choose interesting enemies, the Challenge Rating is only a guideline. It’s an estimate of which level a balanced party of 4 players should be to be able to handle that single enemy. All based on it’s health, […]
Random Encounter Generator
All the players need to do is roll up a Character Sheet and they are ready to play some Dungeons and Dragons. But as the Dungeon Master you are tasked with building a whole world and inhabiting it with creative stuff for your players to encounter. One way to create combat encounters is rolling for […]
The Goblin <em>Monster Manual Model of the Month</em>
The most often used D&D creature from the Monster Manual is the Goblin. They are small, have a CR of only 1/4 (What is CR?) and live underground. But why are they so popular? An easy fit First off, they can fit nearly anywhere. They can be roadside bandits, hunting in the woods for meat […]
How to be a good Dungeon Master
Being a Dungeon Master is a highly respectable function. Where the players need only to roll up a character and work out the occasional level-up, the Dungeon Master has a full time job. They create and describe not only the world and everyone in it, but also how the PC’s fit into it all and […]
Interesting battles 1: Smarter enemies
A large part of D&D (and other TTRPG’s) is combat. Whether your group is tasked to kill monsters, they stumble into a den or a if they are set upon by bandits, the encounter will probably start with violence and end when the opponents are dead. Although this is massively entertaining, the repetitiveness might grow […]
Quick explanation: What is Dungeons & Dragons (5e)?
D&D is a role-playing game in which you and some friends each play a character. It is set in a fantasy world in which heroes, magic and dragons exist. All you need to play, is some imagination, a special set of dice and a filled in character sheet (I’ll come back to this later). How […]
5 underused normal items
An epic vorpal sword, +3 armor and a helmet that lets you read your opponents mind so you always have advantage. Late in a campaign the players are the ultimate power, equal to gods. But that’s not where most adventures start. Most of the time PC’s start at a low level with only the clothes […]