Domains of Ravenloft Cover All the Horror for 5E D&D with Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Way back in 1983 I6: Ravenloft was but one of over 200 modules published by TSR for first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. The plot of the now legendary module introduced one of the most iconic villains in D&D history with the vampire Strahd von Zarovich. The module proved so popular it spawned a sequel and later an entire campaign setting for second edition AD&D encompassing an entire pocket dimension called the Demiplane of Dread and the collection of domains ruled by mystical Darklords bound together by the Dark Powers. Fast forward to today where Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft re-introduces the Domains of Dread for the fifth edition D&D community. Let’s get into it.
Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as an Adopted Trash Panda
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted put their own unique spin on a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons character build guide request. One of our most longtime Nerdarchy community members asked for our take on a forest gnome Circle of the Shepherd druid. With so many components already laid out the only wiggle room came from this character’s background, ability scores and certain choices made along the way. Once we decided this 5E D&D character was raised by raccoons in an urban environment everything else for the Adopted Trash Panda character fell into place. Let’s get into it.
Wrap Your 5E D&D Games in the Dark Embrace of Horror with Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons looks to be one of the best D&D books to date. With its horror elements steeped in a dark fantasy setting — the Domains of Dread — this book fills a whole new genre of fantasy for your 5E D&D group.
Observe, Report and Smite with Oath of the Watchers from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
A paladin who swears an Oath of the Watchers probably has a healthy dose of paranoia, right? In a fifth edition Dungeons & dragons world it’s not a delusion to suspect extraplanar threats to reality itself seeking chaos, destruction and power on the Material Plane and these paladins from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything shoulder a sacred duty to protect the mortal realm. Let’s get into it.
Create an RPG Character Backstory Your Game Master Will Actually Read
Salutations, nerds! I’m writing about backstory when it comes to tabletop roleplaying game characters. Generally you see a lot of backstory elements going one of two ways, or at least this is what memes would have you believe — 10 pages of detailed history your Game Master probably isn’t going to read. (If you have one who does never let them go.) On the flip side there’s players who show up to the table with absolutely no idea who their character was before the game begins.
Expanding 5E D&D Background Characteristics — Guild Artisan
Salutations, nerds! I’m rolling back in with another expanded set of suggested characteristics for fifth edition character background with a visit to the Guild Artisan. The background options in the 5E D&D Player’s Handbook offer suggested characteristics to help define a character and spark your imagination for roleplaying. Guild Artisans make wonderful characters because you can imagine them casually existing in the world. They have some big layfolk energy in many ways. As a writer this makes the Guild Artisan background feel a lot more relatable to me than most of the others and I know a lot of people who feel the same way. So let’s have some fun creating some additional personality traits, ideals, bonds and flaws for this one.
Preparing for 5E D&D Horror with Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft brings us a swarm of new ideas for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons and among those are tips for running horror games. As an avid fan of horror and incorporating horror elements into my RPG sessions I felt like I probably had a fairly good grasp on what this book had to say. However some of the things I found in this section of Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft took me completely by surprise. Not only does this book give you a guide for how to run horror in 5E D&D it also offers step-by-step instructions to ensure you and your group have the most fun possible with a horror game. Before you can run a horror game there are some important steps to set up your 5E D&D horror campaign so it can be the most enjoyable for you and your gaming group.
Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as Hell’s Enemy
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted plunge into the depths of the Lower Planes to combat evil where it lives with a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons character build. This was back when we created these 5E D&D guides using Adventurer’s League rules and for this Hell’s Enemy character we used Xanathar’s Guide to Everything as our plus one. Let’s get into it.
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.
