Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as a Dwarven Tunnel Runner
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted explores the Underdark for a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons Dwarven Tunnel Runner character build. Life in the Underdark is challenging to say the least. Dangerous creatures lurk in lightless caverns while civilizations threaten each other for dominance. The most important rule to remember is never let the enemy get the drop on you! The tunnel runner serves an important function and fulfilling their duty makes them distant from their society as this 5E D&D character lives and operates alone in the wilds. Let’s delve into it.
Expanding 5E D&D Background Characteristics — Sage
Salutations, nerds! I’ve arrived at the Sage background for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons at last and let me tell you there is very little I enjoy more than super nerdy characters. Let’s crack in and dig up some scholarly traits that might suit your next 5E D&D character!
Show, Don’t Tell, Your Tabletop Roleplaying Game Character’s Anger
Salutations, nerds! The topic of this post is roleplaying emotion in tabletop roleplaying games. Like everything else the depth to which you go into your roleplaying depends a lot on your group and what your particular campaign is focuses on but I know a lot of players who have a rough time finding the middle ground between simply stating, “My character is angry” and decapitating someone. Mind you, decapitating someone is fine if the situation calls for it. But let’s get into a few of the ways you can show your character is starting to get a bit ticked off before we get there.
These Shoes Were Not Made for Adventuring
One component many adventures fail to take into consideration is the importance of proper footwear. It is generally assumed you have boots on, which sure, in a general adventuring setting could work. But where are the details, the creativity? Ah, yes, I see you are wearing boots to your adventure. Please excuse me while I cheer with joy at the creativity level. (Joking. I take fashion to an entirely different level in RPGs.)
Worldbuilding and Character Development for 5E D&D Inspired by Game of Thrones — Leather Armor
I’m rewatching Game of Thrones all the way through for a second time and the series engages me in different ways this time around. It’s fun knowing the fate of characters and seeing how each step of their journey influences their outcomes for one thing and I simply missed a lot of the nuance the first time around for another. Like for so many fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons nerds the show appeals to me as a source of gaming inspiration too. One particular standout from the show is the armor worn by warriors across Westeros and Essos. A wealth of worldbuilding and character development potential for 5E D&D awaits through armor and I’m excited to explore them. Let’s get into it.
Expanding 5E D&D Background Characteristics — Outlander
Salutations, nerds! The unassailable law of alphabetical order dictates looking at the Outlander background in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. These are characters who come from outside what most people in your setting would consider civilized society and scoff at your use of silverware! Maybe. I haven’t actually played a 5E D&D outlander myself and perhaps tinkering with it will give me a new appreciation for the background. Who knows? I’ll may have to add something else to my list of things to do. Let’s get started.
Worldbuilding and Character Development for 5E D&D Inspired by Game of Thrones — Padded Armor
I recently started rewatching Game of Thrones all the way through for a second time. I’d bounced off the series twice and gotten hooked on my third attempt watching the series. Watching it again now engages me in different ways. For one thing it’s fun knowing the fate of the characters and seeing how each step of their journey influences their outcomes. For another I simply missed a lot of the nuance the first time around. Like countless fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons nerds the show appeals to me as a source of inspiration for gaming too. One thing about the show that stands out particularly to me is the armor worn by warriors across Westeros and Essos. There’s a wealth of worldbuilding and character development potential for 5E D&D through armor and I’m excited to explore them so let’s get into it.
Expanding 5E D&D Background Characteristics — Noble
Salutations, nerds! This time around I’m looking at the Noble background in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. For all of you who like to play characters from rich families with expectations, buckle up. I definitely am and this is probably the background I’ve used the most out of all of them. The background options in the 5E D&D Player’s Handbook offer suggested characteristics to help define a character and spark your imagination for roleplaying. Let’s get started.
Top 10 5E D&D Homebrew Arcane Traditions by a Factor of Three
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted explore homebrew feats for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons from D&D Beyond. We have a lot of fun checking out the 5E D&D content folks come up with and sharing their homebrew creations. (There’s lots of these posts whether for homebrew subclasses, magic items, spells, feats and more floating around for the curious.) This time around I’m peering into the subtle weave of magic that permeates the cosmos to check out the most scholarly class in 5E D&D — the wizard — and checking out the Top 10 homebrew Arcane Traditions. There’s currently over 1,500 homebrew of them so let’s get into it.
Expanding 5E D&D Background Characteristics — Hermit
Salutations, nerds! I’m rolling on over to yet another background and focusing on the Hermit background in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. The background options in the 5E D&D Player’s Handbook offer suggested characteristics to help define a character and spark your imagination for roleplaying. Seclusion, contemplation and keeping away from the rest of the world in what is at the very least isolation represents the formative part of life for these 5E D&D characters. As with every background there’s a lot to chew on here so let’s get started.
Top 10 5E D&D Homebrew Sorcerous Origins by a Factor of Three
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted take a look at the top rated fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons homebrew Bard Colleges from D&D Beyond. We have a lot of fun checking out the 5E D&D content folks come up with and sharing their homebrew creations. (There’s lots of these posts whether for homebrew subclasses, magic items, spells, feats and more floating around for the curious.) I’m not choosing sorcery for a closer look this week — the power chose me to check out the most magical class in 5E D&D — the sorcerer — and checking out the Top 10 homebrew Sorcerous Origins. There’s currently over 1,720 homebrew of them so let’s get into it.
Create an RPG Character Backstory Your Game Master Will Actually Read
Salutations, nerds! I’m writing about backstory when it comes to tabletop roleplaying game characters. Generally you see a lot of backstory elements going one of two ways, or at least this is what memes would have you believe — 10 pages of detailed history your Game Master probably isn’t going to read. (If you have one who does never let them go.) On the flip side there’s players who show up to the table with absolutely no idea who their character was before the game begins.
Expanding 5E D&D Background Characteristics — Guild Artisan
Salutations, nerds! I’m rolling back in with another expanded set of suggested characteristics for fifth edition character background with a visit to the Guild Artisan. The background options in the 5E D&D Player’s Handbook offer suggested characteristics to help define a character and spark your imagination for roleplaying. Guild Artisans make wonderful characters because you can imagine them casually existing in the world. They have some big layfolk energy in many ways. As a writer this makes the Guild Artisan background feel a lot more relatable to me than most of the others and I know a lot of people who feel the same way. So let’s have some fun creating some additional personality traits, ideals, bonds and flaws for this one.
Top 10 5E D&D Homebrew Roguish Archetypes by a Factor of Three
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted takes a look at the top rated fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons homebrew warlock patrons from D&D Beyond. We get a kick out of seeing what folks come up with and sharing their homebrew creations. (There’s lots of these posts whether for homebrew subclasses, magic items, spells, feats and more floating around for the curious.) I’m peering into the shadows to see what creations demonstrate skill and precision for the shadiest class in 5E D&D — the rogue — and checking out the Top 10 homebrew Roguish Archetypes. There’s currently over 1,850 homebrew of them so let’s get into it.
Expanding 5E D&D Background Characteristics — Folk Hero
Salutations, nerds! Today I’m revisiting the Folk Hero background for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons to expand on the list of suggested characteristics. When you look at the background options in the 5E D&D Player’s Handbook there are a number of background characteristics suggested for you to help define a character and spark your imagination for roleplaying and in this series I’m creating some additional personality traits, ideals, bonds and flaws for you to play with on the off chance you’ve burned through all of those and are interested in some new ones. Let’s dive right in!
