D&D Ideas — Secret Bases
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is secret bases, 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 secret bases your own friendly local game stores are kinda like a secret base for nerds, right? And you can find Out of the Box in some of them too! 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.
Go Bigger and Badder with More Archdevils and Demon Lords for 5E D&D
I explored some of the baddest baddies from the Nine Hells of Dungeons & Dragons in the past. If you want to check it out you can do so here. Now it’s time to check into a few more of these amazing lords of hell and how you might use these wonderful meanies in your next campaign or session.
Fixing D&D’s Most Boring Spell
When the going gets tough, the tough get FIREBALL! No, seriously. Fireball is one of the most popular and referenced spells in all of Dungeons & Dragons but especially in fifth edition D&D.
Who — or What — is the Mysterious Accomplice of Dal-dian Abbar?
Our friends from Penny Dragon Games put together a fantastic collection of all things beast inside Bergin’s Book of Beasts. The awesome project brings more than 200 new beasts and beast-flavored subclasses to fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. The folks from Penny Dragon sent us a little tease from Bergin’s Book of Beasts to share with the Nerdarchy community. We’ve got a cool NPC who’s unique familiar whose signature feature hits with real world relatability.
Sitting on the Dock of the Bay Watching the Monsters Roll Your Way
When I am preparing my session material I like to see what new things I can add to the game. Is there a fun mechanic I would like to explore, an amusing hazard I can add or a location I have not used at all or in a long time that will be engaging for the players?
D&D Ideas — Phobias
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is phobias, 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 phobias more than a few magic items contained within the Mage Forge evoke terror like the Fright Armor and the Book of Dying Light. 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.
D&D Ideas — Tropes Revisited
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is tropes revisited, 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 tropes we’re leaning into them hard while developing our very first original roleplaying game — Zoo Mafia! In this game you’ll Go Wild and Do Crime as a resident of a city zoo by day and organized crime syndicate by night. 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.
5E D&D World of Monsters — Beasts
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted picked up a video series called Nerdarchy’s Guide to D&D Monsters. We launched this series a few years ago with aberrations but one thing led to another and yadda yadda yadda we’re revisiting the topic now. These video guides cover tips for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons players on what to expect and how to manage things when a particular creature type shows up in your campaign setting and adventures. I dig this series personally because a theme like this makes a great jumping off point. Here on the website I take the topic in a different direction and ask what if beasts are the only type of monsters in your 5E D&D world?
Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as a Lizard Wizard
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel when Nerdarchists Dave and Ted started with the environment of a swamp to create a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons character who combines harnessing the darker elements and power of the swamp with a lizard wizard. Next step was to decide who would be in this swamp. This Lizard Wizard 5E D&D Character Build Guide leans into the idea of decay and the fetid nature of the swamp a bit more than our original lizard wizard concept. Let’s get into it.
Activate Beast Mode for Your 5E D&D Games
Penny Dragon Games invites fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons players to live on the wild side with Bergin’s Book of Beasts, a 5E D&D supplement featuring over 200 new beasts plus beast themed subclasses for all your adventurers. This fully funded project already unlocked a bunch of beastly stretch goals and shows no signs of slowing down. An awesome resource for players and Dungeon Masters alike Bergin’s Book of Beasts is packed with tons of great material to unleash your inner beast. Let’s get into it.
Scaling Up Your D&D Game to Giant Proportions
Giants have been a part of Dungeons & Dragons since the beginning of the game. I have always struggled with giants. They did not come up a lot early in my game play and when I watched the old ’80s D&D cartoon giants were much more massive than they are listed as now. But whether giants are just over 10 feet tall or over 100 feet tall they are still ginormous and difficult to interact with in D&D.
How Often Should Dragons Show Up in Dungeons & Dragons?
I have been playing tabletop roleplaying games for over 30 years at this point. I can honestly say there have been long stretches of time and numerous games played with no dragon encounters. Today I ask the dreaded question, “How often should you face a dragon?”
Plunge Into the Wilds and Discover Warlock Lairs from Kobold Press
Our awesome friends from Kobold Press surprised me with an advance copy of their new Warlock Lairs: Into the Wilds book releasing March 20, 2022. This will absolutely find a place on my shelf within easy reach because it’s my favorite kind of material and Kobold Press crushes it every time. Warlock Lairs: Into the Wilds contains 19 (wow!) short quests featuring discrete locations with strong themes, unique challenges and engaging story elements you can drop right into your Fifth Edition campaigns. Let’s get into it.
Pocket Full of NPCs for 5E D&D — The Way Guardian
Salutations, nerds! Do you ever need to make a quick jaunt through the deep dark woods more interesting and yet still go smoothly enough to get to your destination in the same session? The last pocket NPC for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons I presented was the Lingering Spirit and today I’ve got a new one for you.
Ember Roc and Other Monsters of Tal’Dorei Inspire New Characters and Adventures
Tal’Dorei Reborn recently released and if you managed to get your hands on a copy from the wonderful people over at Critical Role’s Darrington Press you’ve seen a bunch of new monsters and their respective stat blocks for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. But enough of the book for now — you can hear more on this from us over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel.
