Explore the Darkest Shadows at your Peril – Part 2 Shadow Summoner
Previously on Nerdarchy I talked about how dangerous shadows and the shadowfell can be. I even gave a stat block for a dire shadow mastiff. You can find that here I toyed around with the idea of a shadar-kai shadow summoner and that I would grant...
How to make Gods & Religion Matter – 5 Tips for Divine Inspiration in D&D
When the existence of gods and angels is an indisputable fact, you’d think that faith, religion, and everything in between would play a huge factor in any D&D setting – but in 5E, the divine usually ends up being reduced to nothing more than an...
D&D Ideas Dawn
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week's topic is Dawn, which we discussed in our weekly live chat. We hangout every Monday evening at 8 p.m. EST at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel talk about D&D, RPGs, gaming, life and whatever nerdy stuff comes...
D&D Ideas Experts
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week's topic is experts, which we discussed in our weekly live chat. We hangout every Monday evening at 8 p.m. EST at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel talk about D&D, RPGs, gaming, life and whatever nerdy stuff comes...
Immerse Yourself in D&D Adventure with Dragons of Stormwreck Isle
Initially released as a Target exclusive the new D&D Starter Set: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle is now widely available. Designed to function as a fresh new gateway perfect for introducing players to the game, the set includes rules, an adventure, pregenerated characters and a set of polyhedral dice. Wizards of the Coast celebrated the release with a slew of additional resources too.
D&D Ideas — Class
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is class, which we discussed in our weekly live chat. We hangout every Monday evening at 8 p.m. EST at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel talk about D&D, RPGs, gaming, life and whatever nerdy stuff comes up. Speaking of classes our Character Build Guides have been described as essentially custom classes, which we think is a pretty awesome description. We’ve got 70+ modules over at the DM’s Guild, all for pay what you want and including both the player guide and a DM version inspired by the character. You can get Nerdarchy the Newsletter delivered to your inbox each week, along with updates and info on how to game with Nerdarchy plus snag a FREE GIFT by signing up here.
What’s Really Going on With One D&D?
The paradigm shifts once again! Set aside all the crunchy calculations and simultaneous calls of nerfing and power creep. Something else is taking place through Wizards of the Coast’s move towards the One D&D experience. During our recent live chat discussing Unearthed Arcana 2022: Expert Classes we touched on parts of the latest playtest reminiscent of earlier editions of the game. Several people watching along called out stuff bringing to mind third and fourth edition, which for at least one commenter felt exhausting and an oversimplification. In my estimation something deeper than mechanical callbacks seems to be happening and that’s what’s got me fascinated. Let’s get into it.
Tales from the Shadows Dares D&D Adventurers to Tread the Twisting Paths of Shadow
I’m just going to come right out and state Kobold Press is the best third party publisher of material for Dungeons & Dragons. Their brand of D&D fits right in with my own approach to the game and whenever I get my hands on a new title of theirs I always find lots of stuff for my games. Recently I shared my thoughts about their Book of Ebon Tides and in this post I’m looking at its companion title Tales from the Shadows. The former already had me feeling excited to explore the Shadow Realm (what I call the Dreaming World) in my own games and the latter makes it even easier with 14 adventures playable separately or in sequence. Let’s get into it.
D&D Ideas — Races
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is races, which we discussed in our weekly live chat. We hangout every Monday evening at 8 p.m. EST at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel talk about D&D, RPGs, gaming, life and whatever nerdy stuff comes up. Speaking of races we put together a collection of five racing teams, two backgrounds and semi-sentient vehicles with guidelines for incorporating arcanotechnological vehicles along with a high-octane race straight from Nerdarchist Dave’s Under the Dome campaign. You can get Nerdarchy the Newsletter delivered to your inbox each week, along with updates and info on how to game with Nerdarchy plus snag a FREE GIFT by signing up here.
Wizards of the Coast Launches Educational Initiative with Teaching Materials, Afterschool Club Kits
Dragons of Stormwreck Isle, a new D&D starter set releasing Oct. 4, provides a fresh pathway for players to begin their journey with the World’s Greatest Roleplaying Game. Wizards of the Coast marks the occasion with another enterprise aimed at bringing even more people into the community of more than 50 million fans. With this new initiative WotC will provide Dungeons & Dragons-themed classroom materials for teachers across the country to add to their curriculum. These educator resources provide a platform to use D&D for social activities and educational learning.
D&D Ideas — Keys
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is keys, which we discussed in our weekly live chat. We hangout every Monday evening at 8 p.m. EST at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel talk about D&D, RPGs, gaming, life and whatever nerdy stuff comes up. Speaking of keys our module Trip to the Planar Zoo includes a very special set of Keys of Danger, each one a magical wand and together capable of opening the gates to a blissful oasis — if the adventurers can survive the Humanoid Exhibit! You can get Nerdarchy the Newsletter delivered to your inbox each week, along with updates and info on how to game with Nerdarchy plus snag a FREE GIFT by signing up here.
Book of Ebon Tides Holds a Dark Mirror Up to Your D&D World
The concept of other dimensions overlapping the real world captured my imagination decades ago with an RPG called Wraith: The Oblivion and in my D&D setting this holds true. Like the Dungeon Master’s Guide describes the Feywild and Shadowfell exist in parallel to the Material Plane, occupying the same cosmological space but distorted and exaggerated (in my setting they’re combined into a singular Dreaming World to mirror the Waking World or Material Plane). Despite presenting a compelling dynamic with very little exception neither the DMG nor any other official material really explores any of this space. Book of Ebon Tides from Kobold Press, like so many other titles in their library, represents a terrific grab bag of ideas to help make your shadowy fey realm exciting, engaging and unforgettable. Let’s get into it.
D&D Ideas — Plants Revisited
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is plants, which we revisited for discussion in our weekly live chat. We hangout every Monday evening at 8 p.m. EST at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel talk about D&D, RPGs, gaming, life and whatever nerdy stuff comes up. Speaking of plants there’s no shortage of different ways your characters can interact with the plants in your games with the power contained inside magic items from the Mage Forge! We’ve got the digital versions done and production on the physical card decks begins very soon. There’s still time to preorder — but not too much! Learn more here. You can get Nerdarchy the Newsletter delivered to your inbox each week, along with updates and info on how to game with Nerdarchy plus snag a FREE GIFT by signing up here.
Make an Unexpected Alliance in the Battle Against Mind Flayers
In D&D the neothelid monster is a remnant of a destroyed mind flayer colony. Neothelids are vicious creatures lacking the intelligence of the society from which they spawn. Typically roaming the underground passages in the wake of the destroyed colony they seek only to sate their ever growing hunger.
Create an Immersive RPG Campaign Using These Two Principles Just Like Those Bastards!
For years now Nerdarchists Dave and Ted, Nerditor Doug, Robin Miller and I have been gaming on YouTube. It all started with a simple concept story: all of us were half-siblings with a human father. We needed to find him. Why? We didn’t know but we did have destiny on our side! This plot was a fantastic setup and just one of the many elements of what makes this game great.