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Dungeons & Dragons

Nerdarchy > Dungeons & Dragons (Page 19)
rudy-siswanto-wandering-troubadour dnd mtg adventures in the forgotten realms

Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as a Scaled Skald

Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted had an enlightening visit from Kraul the Lizardfolk as a special guest who helped explain how unorthodox character builds for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons can become fun, effective characters to play. The Scaled Skald character emerged through a combination of unexpected class and background choices when we set out to illustrate how 5E D&D characters are much more than a collection of optimized numbers on a character sheet. Let’s get into it.

5E D&D goatfolk race

Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as a Library Agent

Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted fulfill a community request for a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons character who dutifully carries out their responsibilities as a librarian adventurer. The Library Agent is a 5E D&D character who procures lore and protects a sacred library and museum of arcane wonders. Late returns won’t be tolerated by this crusader of academia and easily accessible collections of materials, books or media. Let’s get into it.

Alignment in D&D is NOT Dead! But It’s Not What You Think

Alignment is not dead. There, I said it. Stone me if you will. However, alignment goes beyond fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons in my opinion, though not in the way you might think. I’m not talking about our conventional alignment system of law vs. chaos and good vs. evil. As the system stands it really only works in the contexts of certain moods and genres as I’ll explain in a bit. I do believe there is a sort of alignment to story genres that can help us compartmentalize and define our games, stories and even the media we consume.

D&D Ideas — Evolution of D&D

Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is the evolution of D&D, which we discussed in our weekly live chat. We hangout every Monday evening at 8 p.m. EST on Nerdarchy Live to talk about D&D, RPGs, gaming, life and whatever nerdy stuff comes up. Speaking of evolution our own creations are evolving in a new direction too! We’re taking our popular Character Build Guides and mashing them up with our wildly successful Out of the Box encounters. For this exciting evolution we’re taking CBGs to the next step by crafting dynamic encounters around the creatures and NPCs inspired by the player character guide. You can get the Nerdarchy 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.

Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as a Party Animal

Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted explore how one person’s poison is another’s passion for a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons character who focuses on creating and using alchemical enhancements. The Party Animal is a 5E D&D character who loves a good time. Establishing themselves as a purveyor of mood altering or enhancement substances is just as important as saving the multiverse or whatever. Let’s get into it.

Catch a Whiff of 5 New 5E D&D Aromatic Magic Items to Awaken Your Senses

Baron Smellybones has opened his vault of curated curiosities to bring you the world’s greatest set of Scented Adventure Dice. Add a new dimension of customization to your game with these exquisite aromas. To awaken your olfactory sense to the fantastic possibilities here’s a variety of new magic items inspired by these aromatic artifacts of tabletop roleplaying.

Discover Critical Role Campaign 3’s Wild New Party of D&D Adventurers

Critical Role just began Campaign 3 of its fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons game. The continent where the campaign takes place this time is Marquet and the southern accents, which we were previously introduced to via Fjord of Campaign 2, are in full swing . Before we delve into this post please know there might be some spoilers ahead for the first session of Critical Role Campaign 3 as well as spoilers for all episodes leading up to this point. If you’re not into those maybe come back and read this after catching up.

5E D&D demiplane

Pocket Full of NPCs for 5E D&D — The Lingering Spirit

Salutations, nerds! The last pocket NPC for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons I presented was the Identify Intern and today I’m introducing something a little bit spoopier. Some of my favorite D&D sessions have been ghost stories and that’s exactly where we’re going right now so I present to 5E D&D Dungeon Masters the Lingering Spirit character.

D&D Ideas — Beasts

Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is beasts, which we discussed in our weekly live chat. We hangout every Monday evening at 8 p.m. EST on Nerdarchy Live to talk about D&D, RPGs, gaming, life and whatever nerdy stuff comes up. The Beast of Bellard asks: What if a troll ate something and mutated in a positive way? What if the troll gained some measure of intelligence or understanding of what just happened… and wants more? You can get the Nerdarchy 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.

Terrorize 5E D&D Adventurers with the Hellmouth Hydra

I am a huge fan of hydras and dragons. They are very cool creatures that can be used in so many different ways and on so many different levels. With the release of Tiamat by WizKids I was thinking of how one might use this mini either as something other than the Queen of Evil Dragons or her direct agent. If I made a new (obviously less powerful) stat block it would give people a chance to use this gorgeous mini.

mtg forsworn paladin Adventures in the Forgotten Realms

Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as a Mind Breaker

Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted break foes’ minds, bodies and spirits with a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons character who dominates their enemies through fear, intimidation and psychic assaults. Nerdarchy received a request to create a multiclass College of Whispers bard/paladin build for 5E D&D. We discovered interesting synergies with the Oath of Conquest and came up with the Mind Breaker Paladin. Let’s get into it.

Dissecting the 5E D&D Aberration Creature Type

Salutations, nerds! I’m going to get a little bit eldritch and talk about the aberration creature type in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. What they do, what unifies this creature type, what they generally feel like. You know the drill. We’re also going to highlight five iconic aberrations, so make sure to stay tuned for the end of the article for that!

Level Up Your 5E D&D Game with Evocative Descriptions

I play Dungeons & Dragons three times a week. On Tuesdays I play with the gang on Nerdarchy Live. On Wednesdays I play in my home game with my chosen family and every other Thursday I play with my author friends on Quill & Sword. Having played so much 5E D&D I’ve learned that descriptions are utterly vital. Dungeons & Dragons is a type of theater of the mind. You and your friends share a story experience much like a play or a movie except the experience is different for each person because there are no screens or stages — only your imagination. As such, Dungeon Masters must take a role similar to an author. They craft stories with descriptions to help their audience (in this case the players at the table) to envision what’s happening.