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.
Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as a Night Parade Performer
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted shake their thangs and create a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons character who’s a mystical performer, using precise control of their body, mind and spirit to accomplish incredible feats. Nerdarchy had a request to do a character build for a 5E D&D Belly Dancer so we took the idea to the lab and came up with the Night Parade Performer we think fits the bill. Let’s get into it.
D&D Ideas — Arachnids
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is arachnids, 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 arachnids in Down on the Farm an enterprising ettercap runs a tidy business breeding and selling exotic spiders and a carefully hidden ledger points to a web of intrigue. 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.
Baron Smellybones Rolls Some Magic Dice into Your Next 5E D&D Game
I’ve been inspired to create some new D&D magic items by the Scented Dice by Baron Smellybones on Kickstarter. They are also a Nerdarchy sponsor for the sake of transparency and for the folks who care about such things. These Scented Dice by Baron Smellybones are a carefully curated collection of exquisitely scented dice offering a fragrance for any tabletop adventure. I’m intrigued by the idea of the Baron Smellybones character, which got me thinking about his dice. The Kickstarter is currently offering up five different scents — Arcane Vapors, Fireball Char, Nature’s Embrace, Ancient Armory and Healer’s Balm. Now let’s create some D&D magic items!
Enhance Your Witchlight Carnival with Fey Magic Items for 5E D&D
Wild Beyond the Witchlight is out in the world now and people are playing the wonderful fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons adventure. I thought it might be time to make some magic items that mesh well with the Feywild and the fey themed 5E D&D games people are playing. This coincides with the new releases over on Hero Forge — an amazing site where you can design your own customized tabletop 3D printed miniatures.
Halloween RPG Adventure Hooks Sure to Get Your Gaming Group Screaming
Nerdarchy is doing a Halloween one shot special with our monstrous friends from the McDonner Manor! Whether you’re running Quest, fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons or another tabletop roleplaying game we’ve got you covered with some ideas for you guys and ghouls! With the most spooktacular time of year in full swing it should come as no surprise many Game Masters are looking for ideas to run a quick and easy one shot for Halloween, Day of the Dead or a number of other holidays to incorporate into their campaign settings. To assist, I thought it would be fun to come up with a few prompts to help springboard your twisted imagination!
Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep Revealed for 5E D&D
That mystery book for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons showing up on Amazon recently now has a name — Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep. According to the official D&D website this epic Critical Role campaign asks adventurers — can you change fate?
D&D Ideas — Monsters are Cool
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is monsters are cool, 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 how monsters are cool there are many mysterious rumors about the dangers of the Wyrd Wood from the Moaning Bat to One Eyed Hagatha to The Hunchback on the Hill perfect to set the mood for a Halloween encounter with the Hag’s Apprentice. 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.
Newest 5E D&D Unearthed Arcana Reaches for the Stars with Travelers of the Multiverse
A fresh batch of Unearthed Arcana playtest material for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons whisks nerds through the multiverse with a collection of fantastic races. I’m not the only one positively ecstatic to see these Travelers of the Multiverse as playable race options for 5E D&D since they’re drawn from a variety of beloved classic D&D settings of Spelljammer, Planescape and Dark Sun. Let’s get into it.
Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as The Dark Knight
Holy Character Build Guides! Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted do what defines them and create a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons character who is vengeance and the night. The Dark Knight strikes fear into the hearts of the superstitious and cowardly lot of 5E D&D villains and monsters. We’ve D&D-ized quite a lot of fictional characters and items including a certain beloved mutant. Newer character options since then created an opportunity to revisit this concept. Let’s get into it.
Wild Beyond the Witchlight Begins with a Perfect 5E D&D Halloween Opening
Wild Beyond the Witchlight is the newest book for fifth Edition Dungeons & Dragons and it has the most Studio Ghibli vibes I’ve seen in any book from Wizards of the Coast. Think Spirited Away for this one. Wild Beyond the Witchlight comes at the perfect time as it offers some major creepy carnival vibes. This 5E D&D adventure absolutely embraces everything witchy and spooky about the Feywild. When I tell you one of the best parts of the book is in the beginning, it’s no trick — this section is a treat.
Take Hold of Whimsical 5E D&D Magic Items from Wild Beyond the Witchlight
Whether a new fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons book comprises a campaign adventure, a sourcebook full of new character options or an entire campaign setting one of the first things players look for are new magic items. We can’t help it! The siren’s call of exciting new 5E D&D magic items pulls us in and we imagine what our favorite characters would do with such treasures. Wild Beyond the Witchlight is no exception and while the whimsical and nostalgic adventure captivates 5E D&D players it’s those juicy magic items I’m taking a closer look at in this post. Let’s get into it.
Study Up on 5E D&D Magic — Necromancy Spells
Salutations nerds! Manipulating the energies of life and death falls under the purview of necromancy magic in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. Necromancy is also the school you use to resurrect people. Today I’m going to dig into necromancy, which in most 5E D&D worlds represents the most outlawed school of spellcasting. Not surprisingly necromancy magic is also the favored area of study for our own Maxillae the Mad.
D&D Ideas — Vacations
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is vacations, 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 vacations when’s the last time the adventurers in your life got away from it all? Wizard’s Wake includes a map and details about the Gylathacean Isles along with the colorful folk who make their home on the sea, plus a one shot adventure to discover the mysteries within the wreckage of an ancient ship. 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.
Roleplaying Games Truly Rock
The life of an adventurer can feel like hitting a stone wall. Some monsters, townsfolk and maybe even fellow adventurers can come across like they have rocks for brains. I am sure I could assault you with some more rock related jokes but I will spare you for now. Instead I wanted to take a moment and share some great overlap.
