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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]