Why Spell Casters Are Sexy
When first being introduced to DnD you will find a variety of classes that are presented before you and at first what draws attention to you might be something that suits your sexual orientation, masculine or feminine if you will. Most women might be more drawn...
Blast from the Past: Atari 2600 video game system
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="598" class="zemanta-img"] Atari 2600 with joystick. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption] I realize much of the focus of the Nerdarchy website is tabletop role playing games, but it is not all the site is about, and with Christmas fast approaching my thoughts always turn to...
New DM Handbook: My Philosophy on Mechanics
Introduction
Integral to this series is my initial philosophy on how to run my D&D games. In all honesty, I have no 
idea how to run a game without breaking it. For a vast majority of it, I’m not going to stray very far from the books, but I also recognize that 5E isn’t perfect, and it doesn’t fulfill all of my needs. As an example, I intend on being somewhat flexible with the Backgrounds, as is necessary, but really only if none of the preexisting ones don’t fit the character concept. Beyond that, my DM cornerstone is going to be if it’s logical.
Does it make sense?
My foremost directive when applying any decision or rule is if, as I just said, it’s logical based on game mechanics, my lore, and whether it makes sense. As an example, according to the rules, the Ranger Beast Master must use an action to give their Beast Companion (different than a pet) a command whenever they want them to perform an action. That follows the rules of how a Beast Master works, but it doesn’t make any sense. If every round is six seconds long, that means that the Beast Master makes a command, the Beast Companion follows the order, then sits back down without any command to stay. 
When was the last time an attack dog stopped attacking before the target is dead or down without a command to do so? Common sense would dictate that the Beast Companion would continue their last order until their target is dead or a new order is given. Without any kind of real-world experience, the balance in my mind is that the PC has to manage the Ranger and the Companion. If they’re not careful, they could be put in a situation that one or both are at risk to die. A smart DM would maneuver them to force them to choose between their Ranger and their Companion. That makes the most sense to me.
Logical Settings
“Dinner Party” – Out of The Box D&D Encounters #31 (Truth Serum & Short Term Madness in a Tavern)
Introduction: The Dungeon Master’s Guide is full of tables, information, and colorful references. However, an encounter idea can come from a simple reference to an item, property, or game mechanic. In this case, I stumbled upon the Sample Poisons listing while looking up Short...
What DnD Isn’t
Let me just start out with saying that DnD is probably not what you think it is. When people find out I play DnD they usually almost always ask me the same questions. As an adult woman who doesn't seem like the typical "nerd" they become...
It’s time for a 5th Edition D&D Unearthed Arcana book
[caption id="attachment_14051" align="alignright" width="430"] The original Unearthed Arcana book by Gary Gygax for First Edition Dungeons & Dragons.[/caption] Fifth Edition Dungeons & Dragons has been around for more than a couple of years now. Since its inception, it has been obvious the game’s publisher Wizards of...
“Fire for Effect” – Out of the Box D&D Encounters #30
Introduction: One trope in D&D that needs work is the concept of the encounter as a “one thing shows up and does one other thing.” There should be no reason why, unless otherwise specified, that multiple monsters of similar alignments and motivations would not work together.
2016 Nerdy gift suggestions for the holidays
With Black Friday and Cyber Monday coming up in a matter of days, the holiday shopping season kicks off big time. But what to get for your nerdy, geeky, and gaming buddies this year? Last year you might have opted for the familiar, rules books...
“The Dogs of War” – Out of The Box D&D Encounters # 29
Introduction: This game is filled with assumptions. Perhaps that’s because our life is filled with the same. We assume when we see how a person is dressed that they have a level of intelligence or wealth. We assume that someone may have a specific level...
D&Dize – Dr. Strange Sorcerer Supreme
MONK: Way of the Four Elements
I chose monk because of the martial training that he’d need to use to understand how to unlock his chakra’s and the like. Also, some of the abilities that that he has are magic’s that come from within him, hence the use of “ki”. Remember in the Marvel Superheroes RPG where magic was divided into:
- (P) Personal = magic that is without incantation, somatic, or material components, but taxes that user. Ki works well for this.
- (U) Universal = Power that comes from using the residual magic’s around the area. They require free use of hands and speech and possibly a component. I like Wizard for this.
- (D) Dimensional = These abilities require the entreating of a cosmic entity who is “composed” of magic, who can use “all” magic as personal magic because, unlike us, they are inherently composed of magic. Anytime Dr. Strange would call on the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth or the Flames of the Faltine, or the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, and so on, these would be Dimensional spells and they take just a little longer to cast but they are tremendously powerful and they require a full incantation AND the use of somatic gesture AND good-standing with the entity being called upon. I like Warlock for this.
Level 18 as a monk is insane, I know, especially for a guy who doesn’t often engage in hand-to-hand. I rectified this by making his strength and dex low so that, no matter how much damage he can do with his hands, he has a low chance of hitting. Even if he does hit and do all that damage, fine, it’s magical damage anyway at that level of monk, so it can be passed off as a “contact spell”.
I like 18 for his Monk level because all the benefits that you get from Monk at 18th level, he actually has. In the comics, he battled Mistress Death and is immune to all earthly disease and poisons and he is now extremely long-lived. Just as his mentor, the Ancient One (who lived for 500 years), Strange can be killed, but he will age at a very retarded rate and cannot be affected by aging spells. He can dispel magic’s, magically speak any known language, and the Deflect Missiles ability can be explained by one of his eldritch shields. Lastly, for Monk, is the level 18 ability to attain the astral form without spell components. Yeah, that’s him.
WIZARD: Abjuration
I really like Wizard for his Universal spells because they fit perfectly. It’s based on his intelligence and if it’s a high or low magical realm then his spells will be affected accordingly. More than this, Dr. Strange is quite powerful, but whether he outclasses his opponent or is outclassed, like his earlier battles with Baron Mordo or with entities like Dormammu, he usually wins by out-thinking his opponent. He is always able to give himself the time to defeat an opponent by holding them of with his defensive spells until he finds the perfect spell to take out his opponent non-lethally. This is why I chose Abjuration for
Relationships and Dungeons & Dragons using your Imagination
Relationships and Dungeons & Dragons by Samantha Jo Karr As a child with a little brother the hours passed like minutes. Our time consisted in dreaming and escaping to other worlds of imagination and design. We would grab ideas from life or experiences and create a...
“Council of Three”- Out of The Box D&D Encounters # 28
Introduction:
SONY DSC
Studs: Fashionably Useless Studded Leather Armor VS Brigadine
We, as a race, tend to have a bad habit of believing what we are told. In the days before the internet this 
was especially true since fact checking often involved going down to the local library and pouring over texts. It is no surprise then that Gygax and company made a few errors in their initial attempts at something as extensive as what Dungeons and Dragons would become.
This doubly true when at the time sometimes the scholarly text they were basing their information on was what was incorrect! Which brings us to the biker punk fantasy that is studded leather armor.
Studded leather armor, as you might realize at this point, did not exist. The most commonly accepted reason this misconception came to be is probably misidentified brigandine. Many pieces of brigandine look a ton like studded leather armor from the outside. The armor is essentially a leather outer layer with studs holding oblong metal plates under the armor. This is all well and good but one thing to bear in mind is that armor, especially organic armor, is almost never found in a state that looks as it did when a medieval person was using it.
In defense of Fifth Edition Dungeons & Dragons and its streamlined approach
Several Dungeons & Dragons miniature figures. The grid mat underneath uses one-inch squares. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Considering for decades Dungeons & Dragons has been the most recognizable name of all tabletop role-playing games, and considering the popularity of Fifth Edition D&D, it might seem the game itself needs no defending. However, from time to time I have noticed online forums with various concerns or complaints raised against the game.
The most common complaint I’ve read is that in Fifth Edition a player cannot make the type of character he or she wants, that more rules are needed in order for there to be more character diversity, that currently only similar, cookie-cutter characters can be created because of the limited number of classes and rules.
I understand. I disagree, but I understand.
“Jailbreak” – Out of the Box #27 D&D Encounters
