Worldbuilding: Tyrannical D&D Goblinoids and Dragon God
Building the darkness in D&D
I’ve been doing some D&D worldbuilding recently and one of my favorite elements to work on is the raid/conquest-driven peoples. For my own part the mental blueprint I draw from is the more romantic version of Mongols, Vikings, or Visigoths. I say the romantic version because, despite what pop culture may want you to believe, these were well-organized peoples. Complex internal structures were used to support raids which were more often a means to extend influence and power rather than fill the bellies and purses of the raiding warriors.
Perusing D&D Player’s Companion for 5E D&D
Welcome to the trials and tribulations of a new series. In this one, I will be scouring the Dungeon Master’s Guild, StoryTeller’s Vault, and the net itself to review homebrew content of all levels of skill and professional build. I decided to open up this series with the current, as of the time my fingers hit the keyboard, No. 1 searched item on DM’s Guild.
Out of the Box D&D Encounters, Series 2, #28 – “Crackpot”
Out of the Box introduction
Worldbuilding: Customizing the D&D Dwarf and Dwarven Culture
While speaking with a friend about game world ideas for Dungeons & Dragons I mentioned I had done some preliminary work on defining the human cultures of my game world to which he immediately asked “what kind of dwarves will you use?” I honestly hadn’t even considered anyone’s perception of a dwarf would vary greatly from my own so I went with what felt like a natural and reflexive answer. “Oh you know, standard quasi-norse-scottish dwarves”.
Fantastical Mounts: Ride into Legend with New Creatures for 5E
No terrain too difficult A dragonborn warrior, you are proud of your heritage. When your family came to Ulthe-Gana from the Dragon Realm, you were eager to explore the new lands and represent your kind among the people native to the world. As an...
Out of the Box D&D Encounters, Series 2, #27 – “Water Slide”
Out of the Box introduction
Keep Your Campaign on Track: Dead End Plots in D&D
A campaign in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons, or any roleplaying game, turns on the words and deeds of the characters whose actions move the narrative forward – usually in ways the Game Master never expects. I’d say quite a few D&D adventures go in different directions almost immediately upon starting play. A GM can consider and plan for a million possibilities, and I’m never surprised when players do the million and first thing. Giving players agency in your game is vital, but what do you do when the adventurers venture far afield of the quests you prepared, or get stymied by obstacles, puzzles and other challenges impeding progress? Did the adventure hit a dead end?
Keep Your Campaign On Track: Missing Players
Hello nerds! Nerditor Doug here, welcoming back guest poster Elyunn who shared a great story along with tips and advice for getting started with Fantasy Grounds. She is back with us again, and this time around she adds to the Keep Your Campaign on Track series.
Elyunn spoke with some folks over at Fantasy Grounds College to glean their insights on a situation all roleplaying game groups experience at some point or another…
Worldbuilding: Fantasy Calendars for D&D
Salutations nerds! Today, we’re going to talk about another facet of worldbuilding often overlooked at the gaming table for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons or whatever roleplaying game you fancy. I present to you, the humble calendar. If you clicked on this article, I’m going to assume you’re at least interested in using one. I’m not going to try to convince you creating your own calendars is good idea. You’re either into it or you’re not. Instead we’re going to get into the fun brainstorming part of the article I love so much.
Creating Gully, Frost and Mul Dwarves for 5E D&D
After the rather amusing bit of timing where Wizards of the Coast and I had put out nearly identical content at the same time, I wanted to hold off on doing this article in particular. With the news that the gnomes are being granted the month off, I decided why not check in on the dwarves?
Out of the Box D&D Encounters, Series 2, #26 – “Resident Echo”
Out of the Box introduction
Tomb of Annihilation Companion a Guide for All Dungeon Masters
Guest poster Brian McGee started playing fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons with my home group earlier this year, quickly discovering enthusiastic enjoyment from the world’s greatest roleplaying game. After a few sessions playing in my Spelljammer campaign, a one-shot as a tribe of grung and a pickup session of Sunless Citadel he went all-in as a Dungeon Master. We all had a terrific time playing in his iteration of Matt Colville’s Delian Tomb, and when his turn behind the screen came back around Brian wanted to run Tomb of Annihilation. We decided to use the same party we started his game with and took them on the journey to Chult. When the Tomb of Annihilation Companion landed on my desk, we’d just played our first session. Since Brian expressed an interest in doing some writing for Nerdarchy I passed the guide along to him as both a resource for our game and his first writing assignment. – Nerditor Doug
Keep Your Campaign On Track: Side Stories
A Dungeons & Dragons campaign can hinge around the players (and their characters) all being present. That can’t always be the case. If you find yourself missing one or more players at an important time in the campaign – such as the session when the party plans to storm the nemesis’ fortress and take back the stolen artifact – consider a side story. A side story is an encapsulated session dealing with events at another time and place without having a direct effect on the current scene. This could be a backstory session revolving around a particular character or a scene from another part of the campaign world.
2017 Holiday Nerdy Gift Ideas for Roleplaying Gamers
The holiday season is upon us and it’s time for this year’s gift suggestions for the nerdy gamers in your life. Whether you’re a Game Master of player, dig your digital products or prefer physical swag in hand, there’s a little something for everyone here. This past year has been incredible for roleplaying gamers, with tons of new games and new stuff for games we’ve all been playing like good ol’ Dungeons & Dragons.
If you still have some shopping to do (or you want to treat yourself to some nifty stuff) here’s a selection of suggestions for 2017. This feature has become something of a tradition around here, and as Nerditor-in-chief I’m honored to carry on with what was passed to me by my predecessor Ty Johnston. Everyone at Nerdarchy wishes you the happiest of holidays and as the close of 2017 nears, until the 2018 gift guide stay nerdy!
Flavour Shots: +1 Weapons
A Flavour Shot is a short description of game artefacts and phenomena for use by Dungeon Masters, Game Masters and Storytellers in their games. Feel free to drag and drop these into your own games, and modify to suit. Let us know if you end up using them. Some will be portals to other realms, some will be magic items, others will be monster encounters. This time, it’s…
