The Mimic Furniture Maker: What Does a Mimic Do When Adventurers Aren’t Around?
Adventurers have been opening suspicious treasure chests for as long as there have been adventurers. They see a chest sitting in a dungeon room and immediately start asking questions. Is it trapped? Is it locked? Is there treasure inside? Is this the room where the dungeon...
The Horn of Roland: D&D’s Legendary Call to Adventure
Last week in our Legendary Artifacts Reimagined series, we looked at the Apple of Discord, a deceptively simple golden apple capable of magnifying jealousy, ambition, and resentment until kingdoms turned against themselves. The Apple showed us that a legendary artifact doesn't need to destroy a...
Villain Playbook: The Crime Lord — Creating a Memorable D&D Villain
Last time in our Villain Playbook series, we explored The Immortal King, a ruler who has conquered the one enemy every mortal eventually faces: time. This week, we're trading ancient thrones and eternal reigns for something much more familiar. Money. Information. Favors. The Crime Lord doesn't need a crown...
City Campaign Ideas: D&D Adventures Under the Dome
Over the past several weeks, we have been exploring the cities of Under the Dome and discovering that civilization beneath the Chaos is every bit as dangerous and complicated as the wilderness beyond its walls. We have climbed into the noble districts, descended into underground...
Indiana Jones Understands Better Dungeons Than Most D&D Adventures
There is a reason people still talk about the opening sequence of Raiders of the Lost Ark more than forty years after the movie was released. Last time we spoke about Lord of the Rings and how travel is important. Indiana Jones enters an ancient temple...
The Reptile House Never Forgets: Ancient Grudges and Territorial Politics in Zoo Mafia
Last week in Crime Above the Canopy: The Aviary, we looked at the birds that rule the skies above the zoo. Their ability to smuggle goods, watch territory from above, and pass secret messages through coded calls makes the Aviary one of the most powerful...
Aether Skies: 10 Fantastic Creatures That Live Above the Clouds
Last week, we ventured into the shadows with Aether Skies: Secret Societies and Hidden Agendas Above the Clouds, exploring the organizations quietly manipulating events across the skyways. But civilization isn't the only thing that calls the skies home. Long before the first airship took flight,...
The Apple of Discord: D&D’s Most Dangerous Legendary Artifact Isn’t a Weapon
In our last installment of Legendary Artifacts Reimagined, we explored The Ring of Gyges, an artifact that challenged players with the ultimate temptation: what would you do if no one could see your actions? This time we're taking a very different approach with an artifact...
Villain Playbook: The Immortal King — Creating a Memorable D&D Villain
Last time in our Villain Playbook series, we stepped into the enchanted courts of The Fey Manipulator, a villain who wins through bargains, temptation and carefully chosen words. This week, we leave the fey realms behind and ascend the throne of a ruler who has...
Slums: Life at the Bottom of Under the Dome
Last week, we looked upward. The noble districts of Under the Dome represent wealth, influence, and the desire to live as far above ordinary life as possible. In Crystalia, the Grind Barons hang their estates from massive stalactites. In Balaria, the wealthy retreat into towering structures...
