Low fantasy is gritty, grounded, and high stakes. How can we make that work in 5th edition D&D?
How to run low fantasy D&D
Deeper character creation: the game of 20 questions
Some players strive to be more than just another elven wizard. The game of 20 questions is a neat concept for building richer, deeper characters.
How to introduce a new character
D&D is a very reactive game. As a DM, there’s only so much you can do to prepare ahead of time. You have to learn to improvise – unless you railroad, of course, and if you’re railroading, are you really playing an RPG? The one part of the game that you can prepare with some … Continue reading How to introduce a new character
How to run a session zero
Want to start a new campaign? Run a session zero first. Here's how!
Inspiration: new race-class combos to liven up your game
There are some D&D characters that are absolute classics. Elven rangers. Dwarven fighters. Halfling rogues. They’re classic for a reason. Iconic, even. And hey, as I’ve said on this blog before, there’s nothing wrong with a human fighter. But when you’ve been playing D&D for a few years, these character choices can start to feel … Continue reading Inspiration: new race-class combos to liven up your game
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!
How to find your DM style
What type of DM are you? Find out in this article!
Four Problems with Fantasy
Don’t get me wrong: I love fantasy roleplaying games. After all, I do write a blog about Dungeons & Dragons. But I also believe that fantasy, and D&D in particular, is not without its problems, some of which can be fixed, or at least mitigated. In this article, I plan to run through four issues … Continue reading Four Problems with Fantasy
How to fix 4d6 drop lowest
How do you determine your character’s ability scores? According to the Player’s Handbook (page 12), the default is to generate them randomly. You roll four six-sided dice and record the total of the highest three, six times (‘4d6 drop lowest’). Other options are point buy (technically a variant rule) and taking the array: 15, 14, … Continue reading How to fix 4d6 drop lowest