A short post this week, but two bits of news.
Christmas in July and a Patreon Exclusive
A New Project? The Quintessential Guide to Monsters
I've been thinking about another potential side project. Would you use it at your table?
How many liches does your world have?
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 To Homebrew Your Own Game Rules In D&D
Sooner or later, you are going to want to tinker with something in your game. The thing is, should you? What’s worth tinkering with, and what is better left ‘as is’?
Make Your Goblins Unique: Thinking in Depth about Monsters and Factions
I have recently enjoyed watching Baron de Ropp’s YouTube videos about fantasy geopolitics, and it got me thinking about how we can do so much more with the monsters and factions in our games. I wouldn’t necessarily say that this post is ‘geopolitics’ per se, but that's certainly part of it. I think this approach … Continue reading Make Your Goblins Unique: Thinking in Depth about Monsters and Factions
How to run Strahd von Zarovich as the ultimate Halloween villain
With just one week until Halloween, many of us will be getting ready to run Ravenloft again. Widely considered one of the greatest adventures ever written, the original I6: Ravenloft was updated to 5th edition in 2016’s Curse of Strahd. It’s a lot of fun, and many players and DMs have said that it’s their … Continue reading How to run Strahd von Zarovich as the ultimate Halloween villain
How To Run Vecna Like A Terrifying Undead King
Vecna is, quite simply, one of the most iconic D&D villains of all time. So how can you run him like a boss?
How to Balance Encounters in D&D
Encounter balance is a big worry for lots of new DMs out there. Here’s my take on the subject.
Awesome, free adventure hooks from the Monster Manual
Have you ever read the Monster Manual? From cover to cover? If not, you really should. It’s a gold mine of inspiration and ideas, easily my favourite of the core rulebooks. Here are 64 mini adventure hooks I found there.
The Best Non-Combat Monsters
Some monsters in the Monster Manual work better as social encounters or ongoing subplots. But which? If you ever feel like you want a break from all the combat, try one of these monsters in your next adventure.