Put some Oomph in Your Flumph for Your Next 5E D&D Game
We receive requests fairly regularly around the ol’ Nerdarchy offices and we’re happy to oblige whether they’re character builds for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons, Game Master advice or in this case an appeal for more flumph! Over on our Facebook page we were asked, “Could you do an article about the flumph? They are the red headed step child of the aberration family.” Flumphs have been a part of D&D since 1981’s Fiend Folio, a sourcebook of monsters for first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and appear in every edition since. In 5E D&D flumphs appear in the Monster Manual and several adventures. In my own homebrew setting they exist canonically on the shores of the Undersea of Fallen Stars where they were encountered by the cast and crew of Ingest Quest, the 5E D&D Spelljammer campaign over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel. Like so many D&D nerds out there I think flumphs are pretty cool but if I’m honest I don’t know a whole lot about these aberrations. So let’s get into it.
Unleash the Horde of Nord Games Ultimate Bestiary On Your RPG World
Ultimate Bestiary Miniatures unleashes a horde of of monstrous humanoids on your fantasy campaign setting and your tabletop through the latest Kickstarter from our friends at Nord Games. Revenge of the Horde introduced us to these awesome creators in the first place and over the years they consistently go all out on their products whether they’re books, card decks or in this case tabletop miniatures — a lot of them.
New 5E D&D Monsters from Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
A frozen land of isolation and terror awaits adventurers in the latest fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons campaign adventure. Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden challenges 1st level characters plunge into danger to save the frozen North from everlasting night as they advance to 12th level. There’s new magic items and spells included with the adventure for adventurers to discover out there in the lands north of the Spine of the World. But those rewards aren’t just sitting out in the open unprotected! New monsters inhabit the landscape to guard those treasures and pursue their own ambitions alongside many creatures from several other sources. Here’s the 5E D&D monsters included in Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden.
Creating 5E D&D Mechanus Orcs Through Worldbuilding
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted take a look at the savage raiders and pillagers with stooped postures, low foreheads, and piggish faces with prominent lower canines that resemble tusks in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. Orcs have been a staple of D&D and fantasy in general forever, typically as a threat looming in the wilderness on the edges of civilization. Volo’s Guide to monsters does a good job expanding on orcs for 5E D&D essentially as divinely driven destroyers, a pretty one note portrayal. Campaign settings offer a window into different kinds of orc societies like you’ll find in Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount and Eberron: Rising from the Last War and Dave and Ted climb in through that window to make themselves at home and offer up three new ways to reimagine orcs for players and Dungeons Masters alike by adding just a few simple details.
5 New 5E D&D Spells and Wizard Stuff from Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
The latest fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons campaign adventure plunges adventurers into a frozen land of isolation and terror. Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden continues the tradition of building onto game concepts through design as a complete campaign, this time around challenging 1st level characters to save the frozen North from everlasting night as they advance to 12th level. We already know there’s 10 new magic items included with the adventure, and wizards can rejoice to discover new spells and other accoutrements of the craft out there in the lands north of the Spine of the World. Here’s the five new 5E D&D spells and associated wizardly stuff waiting ambitious magic users in Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden.
Exploring Eberron through the Mind Domain Cleric for 5E D&D
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted look through their third eye and continue Exploring Eberron through the character options included in the Dungeon Master’s Guild book produced by Keith Baker, the megapopular Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting’s original creator. Eberron is an extremely rich and detailed setting beloved by D&D players from its very beginning. Exploring Eberron illustrates wonderfully how curating character options creates a tremendous opportunity to show, rather than tell, what is special about your world. Exploring Eberron includes several subclasses for 5E D&D characters to choose from specially tailored to the setting, and Nerdarchy plans to explore them all like we do. In the case of the Mind Domain cleric I’m going through the book to find the connection points between the Divine Domain and the larger world it comes from. So let’s get into it.
10 New 5E D&D Magic Items from Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
The latest fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons campaign adventure conceals horror beneath the icy tundra north of the Spine of the World. Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden pulls adventurers in a terrifying tale threatening to cover the frozen North of Faerun in everlasting night. Designed as a complete campaign, 1st level characters who brave the cold touch of death discover fantastic secrets and treasure entombed in the dark heart of a glacier as they advance up to 12th level. Frozen wilderness hazards and dangerous new creatures along with paranoia inducing isolation challenge characters but new rewards await those who overcome the dangers. Here’s the ten new 5E D&D magic items waiting for heroes to discover in Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden.
Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as a Fey Court Mage Slayer
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted dispense with mirth in favor of misery for a long awaited Character Build Guide for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. This CBG honestly felt like an oversight on our part. With over three dozen of these things we were frankly shocked when we noticed there weren’t any characters focused on combatting spellcasters (at least not without copious amounts of magic themselves). The 5E D&D Mage Slayer CBG rams through this deficit with grim efficiency to neutralize and take out filthy mages from character creation to 20th level. And as always we create a special NPC or creatures inspired by the character build for Dungeon Masters ready to drop right into your game. So let’s get into it.
Rock Your 5E D&D Game with a Heavy Metal Warlock Campaign
Red Opera beckons fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons players to strike a bargain with Apotheosis Studios for an extensive, innovative and thrilling campaign setting ready to drop right into your games. The Last Days of the Warlock encompasses a deeply developed setting, story beats, new character options and so much more all inspired and thematically designed alongside the heavy metal album by DiAmorte. The Red Opera album tells the tale of two fallen kingdoms in a dying land locked in an eternal conflict known as The Great Divide. On the horizon looms a dark, insidious force that influences and corrupts the powerful, accursed lord and through him seeks to destroy all humanity and life including his beloved human shield maiden, that new life may begin again. The Red Opera Kickstarter thrusts 5E D&D adventurers into the thrilling drama of the Shadelands, a new realm you can add to any campaign setting where your stories will unfold.
Creating 5E D&D Beastlands Goblins Through Worldbuilding
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted take a look at the small, black-hearted, selfish humanoids that lair in caves, abandoned mines, despoiled dungeons, and other dismal settings in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. Goblins have been a staple of D&D and fantasy in general forever, usually as a threat to heroes because of their vast numbers and malice. Interestingly enough 5E D&D hasn’t expanded a whole lot on goblins beyond the regular old goblin in the Basic Rules and goblin boss in the Monster Manual, mechanically anyway. Instead goblins are explored more culturally like the Batiri goblins from Tomb of Annihilation and this is exactly the kind of path Dave and Ted take even further in the video to illustrate how any creatures — even ubiquitous ones like goblins — can be reimagined in exciting new ways for players and Dungeons Masters alike by adding just a few simple details.
Exploring Eberron through the Circle of the Forged Druid for 5E D&D
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted ride the lightning rail and continue Exploring Eberron through the character options included in the Dungeon Master’s Guild book produced by Keith Baker, the megapopular Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting’s original creator. Eberron is an extremely rich and detailed setting beloved by D&D players from its very beginning. Exploring Eberron illustrates wonderfully how curating character options creates a tremendous opportunity to show, rather than tell, what is special about your world. Exploring Eberron includes several subclasses for 5E D&D characters to choose from specially tailored to the setting, and Nerdarchy plans to explore them all like we do. In the case of the Circle of the Forged druid I’m going through the book to find the connection points between the Druid Circle and the larger world it comes from. So let’s get into it.
Fall in Love with Quest by The Adventure Guild for Your Next RPG Campaign
The quest to discover new and exciting approaches to tabletop roleplaying games never ends and to this point a few months ago I came across Quest from The Adventure Guild. Presented as the roleplaying adventure game for everyone Quest enjoyed a successful Kickstarter in 2018 and is now available for digital and (while supplies last) physical purchase. Quest sold me on the simplicity — the RPG system uses only a single d20 — and if I’m honest the art that evokes fun adventure. The team behind Quest, including creator and designer T.C Sottek who is also managing editor at The Verge, freelance comic artist and illustrator Celia Lowenthal and editor Chris Plante who is also a writer, reporter, critic and the executive editor and co-founder of Polygon put together a wonderful RPG. Reading the book was a joy and understanding Quest’s game system couldn’t be easier.
Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as a Mysterious Hypnotist
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted mysteriously mystify minds while coming up with a Character Build Guide for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. During one of our weekly live chats one of the viewers made the suggestion for a snake charmer CBG we felt inspired to oblige. Certainly there’s enough spells in 5E D&D for any sort of spellcasting character to beguile others with magic but what really intrigued us are the numerous class features capable of clouding minds. This Hypnotist CBG aims to incorporate our favorites into a single character focused exclusively on mucking with minds. Along with the player guide detailing the journey from character creation to 20th level we create special NPCs and creatures inspired by the character build for Dungeon Masters ready to drop right into your game. So let’s get into it.
Deal Magical and Martial Might With This 5E D&D Magic Item Card
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted fired up the ol’ mage forge to brainstorm ideas for a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons magic item. One of Ted’s very favorite things about D&D are magic items. Rewarding adventurers with cool magic items and discovering them when he’s not behind the Dungeon Master screen brings him a lot of joy. But Ted’s never been content with the plethora of 5E D&D magic items in the Dungeon Master’s Guide, other official sources or even the endless vault of creations others share in books, blogs or elsehwere. Creating his own magic items is the juice for Ted so we set him loose at the magic item creation forge and along with Dave came up with a legendary weapon for spellcasters looking to mix it up in the thick of melee.
Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as an Indomitable Defender
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted don the heaviest armor they can find for a new Character Build Guide for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. People seem to really love any topic touching on Armor Class for 5E D&D and a whole bunch of comments on an older video discussing AC asked for a bonafide CBG. New character options and changes to some things since the original video came together for the Indomitable Defender combining fighter and wizard for a character with supreme focus on protecting themselves and their allies behind an unstoppable AC. Along with the player guide detailing the journey from character creation to 20th level we create special NPCs and creatures inspired by the character build for Dungeon Masters ready to drop right into your game. So let’s get into it.
