D&D Ideas — Hell
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is hell, 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. We’ve got one hell of an announcement to make this week. We dealt 10d4 slashing damage to the price of our Nerdarchy Metal DND Dice Set! As part of the wildly successful Out of the Box Kickstarter we goofed and ordered a lot of extra sets. And they’ve got to go! There’s a limited supply left so if you want to add an awesome set of exclusive dice to your collection now is the time. The awesome Patreon community can take advantage of even more savings! We created a special discount code for our fantastic supporters to receive an additional $25 off. That’s a total savings of $50! Find out more about it here. 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.
Top 10 5E D&D Homebrew Roguish Archetypes by a Factor of Three
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted takes a look at the top rated fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons homebrew warlock patrons from D&D Beyond. We get a kick out of seeing what folks come up with and sharing their homebrew creations. (There’s lots of these posts whether for homebrew subclasses, magic items, spells, feats and more floating around for the curious.) I’m peering into the shadows to see what creations demonstrate skill and precision for the shadiest class in 5E D&D — the rogue — and checking out the Top 10 homebrew Roguish Archetypes. There’s currently over 1,850 homebrew of them so let’s get into it.
Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as a Sling Master
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted take a whirl at creating a master of the sling for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons character. The Sling Master character for 5E D&D makes their mark on the world with a humble sling, which sets in motion an adventuresome journey of magical research, eldritch deals and keen mental discipline. Let’s get into it.
Control the Flow of Life and Death as a Way of Mercy Monk from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
Salutations, nerds! Today I’m taking a closer look at manipulating the life force of others to bring aid to those in need through the Way of Mercy for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. Monks who follow this 5E D&D Monastic Tradition from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything are skilled in the art of healing and often go around with their faces concealed by masks. I’ve got a huge soft spot for characters in masks.
Enhance Your 5E D&D Game with Magic Drums
Magical instruments have been on my mind for a while now. Our friends over at Hero Forge recently released a set of new drums to add their their ever expanding collection of of items that you can add to your character. I took inspiration from those designs to make three new magic items to add to your fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons game.
Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as an Illusion Warrior
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted mix illusion magic and combat prowess for a beguiling fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons character. The Illusion Warrior character for 5E D&D brings magical mischief to any adventure. Let’s get into it.
Monsters of Ravenloft Inspires Compelling Antagonists and Adversaries from Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
When it comes to the monsters lurking throughout the Domains of Dread the latest fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons book Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft offers not only 32 new creature stat blocks but also takes a good deal of space to provide guidance on how to make monsters more frightening and instill horror into adventures in the Mists. Let’s get into it.
Expanding 5E D&D Background Characteristics — Folk Hero
Salutations, nerds! Today I’m revisiting the Folk Hero background for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons to expand on the list of suggested characteristics. When you look at the background options in the 5E D&D Player’s Handbook there are a number of background characteristics suggested for you to help define a character and spark your imagination for roleplaying and in this series I’m creating some additional personality traits, ideals, bonds and flaws for you to play with on the off chance you’ve burned through all of those and are interested in some new ones. Let’s dive right in!
Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as a Purveyor of Peace
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted touched on playing a pacifist spellcaster in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons during a video and received a lot of feedback asking for a character build inspired by the concept of a character who has no interest in violence. This Purveyor of Peace character for 5E D&D keeps allies safe from harm and diffuses hostile situations with potential enemies. They have a keen awareness of creatures’ intentions and a powerful focus on preventing violence with abilities and features to back it up. Let’s get into it.
Master the Magical Dance of Bladesinging from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
Salutations, nerds! Today I’m going to honor and expand on the elven ways with a closer look at the Arcane Tradition of Bladesinging for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. You might be aware that I’m playing one of these wizards, Chessalyne, in our latest Chaos Crew game Untraditionally Arcane where normal magic is on the fritz and those of us who study more obscure magic have been called in to go try to fix it. The campaign is a lot of fun and you should totally check it out.
D&D Ideas — Heaven
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is heaven, 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 heaven for the Perfection Seekers in Bestiary of Benevolent Monsters all paths to perfection lead to Protarch, a cosmic heaven of existence representing the ultimate law and the goodness derived of achieving supreme excellence. You can never have too many monsters for you Fifth Edition game! Bestiary of Benevolent Monsters fills an underserved niche within the game. We set out to construct new and interesting monsters of a good persuasion. Maybe you need to adjust the attitude of some overly aggressive adventurers. You could be running a campaign with evil characters. Or you’d like to set up an epic misunderstanding between the heroes and entities that are champions of good. Find out more about it here. 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.
Top 10 5E D&D Homebrew Monastic Traditions by a Factor of Three
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted take a play from the book here at the website and check out the most popular homebrew content for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragon at D&D Beyond. We get a kick out of seeing what folks come up with and sharing their creations. (There’s lots of these posts whether for homebrew subclasses, magic items, spells, feats and more floating around for the curious.) I’m harnessing the mystic energy of ki this time around to see what creations embodying training and asceticism there are for the most disciplined class in 5E D&D — the monk — and checking out the Top 10 homebrew Monastic Traditions. There’s currently over 3,250 homebrew of them so let’s get into it.
Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as a Real Healbot
When Eberron: Rising from the Last War dropped for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons we wondered if there could be two more perfect elements to create an honest to goodness healbot character within its pages. We’d be proud to join your adventuring party and follow them around making sure their hit points are the top priority with the character build guide for 5E D&D laid out by Nerdarchists Dave and Ted over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel. Let’s get into it.
Embody the Horror of Ravenloft Through the Way of the Astral Self from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
The Way of the Astral Self for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons monks allows your character to manifest ghostly appendages, gain newfound sight and so much more. With all of its heavy spirit themes this Monastic Tradition is the perfect fit for the Domains of Dread and Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft. The latest 5E D&D book embraces the trappings and genres of horror in truly terrifying ways. While it comes as a surprise to many who know me I am an avid fan of horror spliced into other genres and while reading through this monk subclass I was so impressed by how easily this type of character would slot into a horror game. The subclass hails from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything and Tasha embodies so much of an archetypal witch that this only further leaned into the Ravenloft flavor. Let’s break down some ideas for the Way of the Astral Self and talk about its features.
Genres of Horror Inspires Uniquely Terrifying Adventures from Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
The mists of Ravenloft have arisen to envelop fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons and adventurers must overcome their dread or forever be its prisoner! Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft makes a dark promise to provide everything 5E D&D players need to craft horror themed campaigns with new story hooks, character options and campaign customization to bring one of the most exciting and beloved D&D settings to life — including a comprehensive look at all the Genres of Horror with tips, tricks and guidance for evoking them at the gaming table. Let’s get into it.
