Generally speaking, I don’t believe in telling people how D&D ‘should’ be played. There are different DM styles and different game styles, and that’s OK. Even now, I’m really offering a tip, not an instruction. But if there’s one easy way to improve combat, it’s this: Stop describing every hit and miss. Sacrilige! I hear … Continue reading My Golden Rule For Making Combat More Interesting
Want to start a new campaign? Run a session zero first. Here's how!
Some fantasy names are awesome. Some – a few – are awful.
Part One Part Two Part Three Over the last month, I have written three posts examining some of the most easily overlooked rules of the Player’s Handbook. Today I am looking at Chapter 10: Spellcasting. I am not doing Chapter 11: Spells because there are more than 300 spells in the PH alone! However, I might … Continue reading Spellcasting rules you never knew
Click here for Part One. Last week, I wrote a post examining some of the most easily overlooked rules of the Player’s Handbook. That was Chapters 1 to 3. Today I’m looking at Chapters 1 to 8. I suspect combat will need an article on its own. Spellcasting, too. Again, if I’ve made any howlers, … Continue reading MORE Rules You Never Knew
5th edition is simpler than previous editions of D&D, but it still has considerable depth built into its ruleset. Even after playing for half a decade, there are niche rules that still catch me out from time to time. That’s what this post is all about. This week, I’m mainly looking at Chapters 1 to … Continue reading Core Rules You Never Knew
Much has been written online about ‘the Matt Mercer’ effect and the pressure on DMs to perform to a high standard. What is often missed in these conversations is the importance of having good players. Matt Mercer isn’t just a fantastic DM: he also has a fantastic group of friends at his table who make … Continue reading Toxic or fantastic: what tier of D&D player are you?
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
A couple of months ago, I ran a Twitter poll asking ‘Which of these is the most annoying spell in 5e D&D?’ The options I gave were banishment, counterspell, and forcecage, with a fourth option for ‘something else’. It is striking that out of 66 votes, more than half were for counterspell. I can’t say … Continue reading Nine reasons why counterspell is not as annoying as you think
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!