We had a fun session last weekend (a brief sojourn to Tomb of Annihilation via a fairy ring), and one of my players made a comment that stuck with me: ‘Sometimes, you just want a dungeon and a dragon.’ It made me think about tropes: the conventions of a genre that you see over and … Continue reading Tired D&D clichés: which ones need to go?
Is encounter-building that a big deal? In short, yes. So how has it changed in 2024?
I thought it would be cool to have a kind of flowchart or checklist to help DMs design adventures around its principles. So: I made one!
I have now completed the second part of Tier 2, 8th to 10th level. I hope you like it! Constructive feedback is always welcome. You can download it over on my Patreon (link). I see Tier 2 as the 'fun and games' section of your campaign—'the promise of the premise' where all the 'trailer moments' … Continue reading Update: The Campaign Handbook
This is probably going to end up as an appendix of The Campaign Handbook, and if you think I've missed anything, I could do with your help!
A couple of weeks ago, Sly Flourish recently featured my pass without trace article on the Lazy RPG Talk Show (which you should definitely watch). As part of the discussion, he mentioned similarly problematic spells like charm person, and I thought: yes, that’s my next article!
Sometimes in 5e, you come across a spell that isn’t necessarily broken but runs the risk of causing a few problems. Pass without trace is a prime example of this, and for a long time I’ve agonized about how to handle it.
Magic items should feel special. Right? So… why don’t they?
Should the world level up with the players? The question gets me thinking about the ecology of my game world. How rare is an ancient red dragon? A storm giant? A bulette? That’s really what this article is about: trying to find a framework for monster rarity.
How much treasure should your players receive in D&D? Gems, coins, art objects, magic items? The answer might surprise you.