Evard’s Black Tentacles. Melf’s Acid Arrow. Leomund’s Tiny Hut. Have you ever looked at these spells and thought, man, who are these people? If so, this post is for you!
Mordenkainen, Tasha, and Fizban: the great wizards of D&D history
Site-based adventures, or how I learned to stop worrying and love the dungeon
Are site-based adventures going out of style? If you think dungeons are unimaginative, repetitive slogs that only reward combat – read on!
Everyday Heroes: a new d20 Modern game for 5e
If you’re anything like me, the post title alone should be enough to get you excited! I was a huge fan of d20 Modern back in the day, so I was delighted to hear that it was returning for a 5th edition revamp. Dave and Jeff at Evil Genius Games reached out to me a … Continue reading Everyday Heroes: a new d20 Modern game for 5e
Building a New World: Part 1
This week, I downloaded the World Builder’s Guidebook from DriveThruRPG, and my goodness, what a find. Many thanks to Twitter user @Archarzel for putting me onto this. The World Builder’s Guidebook is a 96-page supplement by Richard Baker, published in 1996 for the 2nd edition of AD&D. This was about a year before TSR was … Continue reading Building a New World: Part 1
How to build a warlord in 5th edition
4th edition was much maligned, and not always unfairly. But it introduced several cool things to the game, one of which was the popular concept of the warlord a core class. How can we recreate the warlord in 5th edition? Defining the warlord The 4th edition Player’s Handbook defined the warlord as ‘a commander who … Continue reading How to build a warlord in 5th edition
Last chance to see: extinct (?) D&D monsters
5th edition has been out for nearly seven years now, which is nearly as long as the edition I ‘grew up’ with, 3rd. Going back through the 3rd edition Monster Manual, it’s interesting to see how many creatures have made it into 5th edition – and which ones haven’t. This article is a review of … Continue reading Last chance to see: extinct (?) D&D monsters
Happy birthday, Scroll for Initiative!
7 June marks one year since my first post on the site. And what a year it’s been! I want to say thank you to everyone who has commented on, shared, or subscribed to the site. What started as a vague idea last summer has since grown into something that brings me much joy. I … Continue reading Happy birthday, Scroll for Initiative!
Forgotten dragons, part two: metallics
This post is the second in a series in which I go back through D&D lore and show you how you could adapt some of the ‘forgotten dragons’ for 5th edition. Last month I focused on the lost chromatics: brown, purple, grey, orange, pink, and yellow dragons. Today I am going to look at the … Continue reading Forgotten dragons, part two: metallics
Forgotten dragons, part one: chromatics
The 5th edition Monster Manual has ten true dragons: five chromatics and five metallic. True dragons become more powerful as they get older. There are also ‘lesser dragons’, like faerie dragons, pseudodragons, and wyverns, but that’s a whole other topic. How much do you know about the other true dragons? In this series, I’m going … Continue reading Forgotten dragons, part one: chromatics
Gods in D&D
Do you have deities in your campaign? How many? What are they called? What are their portfolios? Are they active in the world or mysterious and withdrawn? For some DMs, deities are one of the most enjoyable aspects of world-building: a fun way to define their setting. For others, gods and demigods are just a … Continue reading Gods in D&D