Tome of Heroes from Kobold Press is My Kind of Campaign Resource
Later this very evening Nerdarchist Dave and I plan to focus on Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel for this week’s Monday Live Chat. For a very brief preview during our meeting this morning I expressed how campaign settings hold very little interest for me. In contrast I’ve been pouring over Tome of Heroes from Kobold Press the last couple of weeks and I’m pointing at books like this as exactly the kind of resource I cherish when it comes to my own fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Let’s get into it.
Excavating Unearthed Arcana that Didn’t Make the Cut, Part 2
Courtesy of the Dungeons & Dragons design team’s plethora of Unearthed Arcana playtest documents over the years we’ve seen a ton of new character options evolve from initial concepts into their final versions in official published products. Each Unearthed Arcana follows up with a survey for players to weigh in with their thoughts and impressions, which the team uses to guide further development. Some remain largely the same, some change drastically and many don’t pass this playtest stage. At this point quite a few subclasses, feats and other 5E D&D character options fall into the latter category. Curious what didn’t make the cut? Let’s get into it.
Excavating Unearthed Arcana that Didn’t Make the Cut, Part 1
Courtesy of the Dungeons & Dragons design team’s plethora of Unearthed Arcana playtest documents over the years we’ve seen a ton of new character options evolve from initial concepts into their final versions in official published products. Each Unearthed Arcana follows up with a survey for players to weigh in with their thoughts and impressions, which the team uses to guide further development. Some remain largely the same, some change drastically and many don’t pass this playtest stage. At this point quite a few subclasses, feats and other 5E D&D character options fall into the latter category. Curious what didn’t make the cut? Let’s get into it.
Summon One Bad A$$ Evil SOB to Your 5E D&D Games
The time of Vecna is nigh! One of the most iconic Dungeons & Dragons villains of all time is experiencing a renaissance of late thanks in no small part to the immense popularity of Netflix’s Stranger Things season four, which follows the series’ tradition of borrowing from D&D’s rich monster lore to name each season’s primary antagonist. Hot of the heels of the show’s mid-season break (the second half drops July 1 at midnight) Wizards of the Coast released the Vecna Dossier, a supplement detailing the legacy and statistics of the Undying King. Let’s get into it.
Let’s Make a Deal and Run 5E D&D as a Monty Haul Dungeon Master
I love magic items in my Dungeons & Dragons games. As a player there’s nothing quite like adding awesome new magic items to a character’s inventory. When I’m the Dungeon Master I aim to elicit this same excitement for players by providing a steady flow of nifty magic items for their characters too. I’m definitely dating myself by invoking the name of Monty Hall, host of the classic musical comedy variety-game show Let’s Make a Deal and later used to describe a playstyle wherein the DM’s unreasonable generosity translates into lots of treasure — including magic items. What can I say? I love dishing it out as much as I do raking it in. Let’s get into it.
Trust in the Rust of MTG Arena
My Nerdarchy colleague Robin Miller and I have been totally geeking out over Magic: The Gathering’s latest expansion. Streets of New Capenna not only brings a snazzy style to the planes of existence with it’s magical gangster theme and aesthetic but also there’s simply tons of awesome new cards. One of them in particular provides another piece of the puzzle to solving the Anti-Life Equation, which is my personal quest. I knew immediately I’d have to Call in a Professional to really put the kibosh on my most loathed deck archetype. But it turns out this led to an even more fun MTG Arena deck altogether and one in which two very weird but classic D&D monsters make a tremendous splash. Let’s get into it.
Find Your Inspiration for Amazing RPG Experiences within DungeonMorphs
The scope of tabletop roleplaying games has never been more broad than it is right now. The system options for players are staggering and even considering the dominance of Dungeons & Dragons within this particular RPG the range of playstyles and approaches to the game are are varied as the people playing them. One aspect shared by nearly all Game Masters is preparation and even the staunchest advocate for improvisation relies on some starting point. The folks at Inkwell Ideas consistently deliver solid resources for GMs and their latest project DungeonMorphs IV aims to continue this fine tradition.
Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as a Servant of the Lord of Dead Dreams
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel when Nerdarchists Dave and Ted develop a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons character idea straight from Patreon. We conducted a poll to ask which Nerdarchyverse villain to revisit. Our own Lord of Dead Dreams came out as No. 1 and while we shared the insidious entity’s dream goblins at Nerdarchy the Website we thought he could use a more substantial enforcer. This Servant of the Lord of Dead Dreams 5E D&D Character Build Guide represents a dark fey knight who embodies their lord’s sinister reputation. Let’s get into it.
Gorge Yourself on AYCE Adventure in Magic: The Gathering Arena
I love Magic: The Gathering Arena. Physical or digital MTG is the best game ever created and MTG Arena edges out the traditional version of the game with its flexibility, efficiency, speed and accessibility at the very least. Deckbuilding is a snap thanks to filters and search features, which I’ve developed a method for when it comes to optimizing a deck. My latest creation finds inspiration from my sweetie and her career as a journalist in the food industry. Her recent promotion to editor in chief got me thinking about one of my favorite MTG expansions — Throne of Eldraine — and the Food aspects of the set. Then I came across an incredible card from Modern Horizons 2 and now I’m indulging myself with a really fun Food themed deck. Let’s get into it.
Dragon Armies Wage War in D&D Direct Dragonlance Trailer for 5E D&D
https://youtu.be/DE69_iKAWIs The D&D Direct press kit material related to Dragonlance included only this teaser trailer. After the live streamed public event and private press events related to the astonishing deluge of announcements we'll have more details. The standout feature for me in this trailer is the...
D&D Direct Announces WizKids Spelljammer Figurines Including Gargantuan Astral Dreadnought
https://youtu.be/Isd_OhDF6_8 Coinciding with the announcement at D&D Direct about Spelljammer for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons there a whole bunch of incredible new miniatures and figurines from WizKids. This highlight video evokes strong Thor: Ragnarok vibes, which I'm totally on board with for a Spelljammer campaign. The...
D&D Direct Announces Spelljammer Confirmed with Astral Adventurers Guide, Boo’s Astral Menagerie and Light of Xaryxis
https://youtu.be/rPfsTlxJh9o When I saw the D&D Direct press kit for the first time the astounding variety of folders no doubt containing awesome 5E D&D content barely registered because not far from the top of the list Spelljammer snatched my attention right away. Now this is how...
5E D&D World of Monsters — Beasts
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted picked up a video series called Nerdarchy’s Guide to D&D Monsters. We launched this series a few years ago with aberrations but one thing led to another and yadda yadda yadda we’re revisiting the topic now. These video guides cover tips for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons players on what to expect and how to manage things when a particular creature type shows up in your campaign setting and adventures. I dig this series personally because a theme like this makes a great jumping off point. Here on the website I take the topic in a different direction and ask what if beasts are the only type of monsters in your 5E D&D world?
Mutating Into Mythic Ranks of MTG Arena
I’ve stated unequivocally many times how Magic: The Gathering is hands down the best game ever created. I love me some tabletop roleplaying games including a lifelong affection for Dungeons & Dragons but at the end of the day it’s all about that cardboard crack, or digital crack thanks to MTG Arena — the free-to-play digital version of the OG collectible card game. Every so often when I get into a groove (and winning streak) I’ll share the decklist and thoughts here. Rather than updating the first of these posts as I sometimes do when I tweak a deck instead I’m starting from scratch here because this one is significantly different than its original version. Let’s get into it.
Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as a Lizard Wizard
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel when Nerdarchists Dave and Ted started with the environment of a swamp to create a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons character who combines harnessing the darker elements and power of the swamp with a lizard wizard. Next step was to decide who would be in this swamp. This Lizard Wizard 5E D&D Character Build Guide leans into the idea of decay and the fetid nature of the swamp a bit more than our original lizard wizard concept. Let’s get into it.
