Top 10 5E D&D Homebrew Bard Colleges by a Factor of Three
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted explore the most popular homebrew spells for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragon from D&D Beyond. Here on the website I zero in even more when it comes to spells like these Top 10 force spells for 5E D&D. It’s a lot of fun to see what folks come up with and share their creations in posts like this. (There’s lots of these posts whether for homebrew subclasses, magic items, spells, feats and more floating around for the curious.) This time around I’m looking at perhaps the most versatile class in 5E D&D — the bard — and checking out the Top 10 homebrew Bard Colleges. There’s currently over 1,525 homebrew of them so let’s get into it.
Go Wild with Beasts in Your 5E D&D Games
Animals, or beasts as they are referred to in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons, play an important role in the game and to be fair in the story too. As early as 1st level wizards, variant humans or characters created using the Custom Lineage guidelines who take the right feat can get a familiar. Familiars can be very useful at scouting without being noticed as out of place, but more on that later. Druids gain the Wild Shape feature at 2nd level and at 3rd level Beast Master rangers gain a beast companion. By 5th level druids (and rangers at 9th level) get access to the conjure animals spell. Lastly many spellcasters gain access to the polymorph spell at 7th level. Why am I wild about animals in 5E D&D? It could be because in the game I run for my kids for a while it was more like them collecting interesting creatures, like a Pokemon game or it could be how useful they are in the game — if used correctly.
Plane Shift Your 5E D&D Game Into Magic: The Gathering — Ixalan
Are you looking for more fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons content to add to your game? Do you like free stuff? Are you a fan of Magic: The Gathering? Chances are you answered yes to at least one of these questions. Nerdarchy the Website readers know on July 16, 2021 Wizards of the Coast releases Adventures in the Forgotten Realms — the first D&D themed expansion for MTG. This expansion represents a true collaboration between these two Hasbro teams. But MTG crossed over into 5E D&D six times even before Guildmasters Guide to Ravnica and Mythic Odysseys of Theros. Amonkhet, Dominaria, Innistrad, Kaladesh, Zendikar and Ixalan all Plane Shift-ed over to 5E D&D through titles available free from Dungeon Master’s Guild. I am here to share with you Plane Shift: Ixalan.
Take Cover! Taking a closer look behind defensive obstacles in 5E D&D
Recently I heard someone mention cover in the context of fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons and it got me thinking how this mechanic harbors some pretty potent defenses. There’s not a lot of material regarding cover in 5E D&D and yet what is there presents a wealth of opportunities for Dungeon Masters and the rest of the players in the game. Let’s get into it.
D&D Ideas — Initiative
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is initiative, 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 initiative in Backstabber an unusual trap buzzes around a chamber and it can really sting when it lands on an adventurer’s turn. A cloud of flying knives combine with a magical moving pit trap to assail unwary delvers along with 54 other dynamic scenarios in Out of the Box. 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 Primal Paths by a Factor of Three
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted take a page from my playbook here on the website to look at fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons homebrew content contributed to D&D Beyond. In the video below they explore homebrew Sacred Oaths for paladins on the DDB website while here I’m taking a look at another 5E D&D class and the homebrew subclasses folks created there. (There’s lots of these posts whether for homebrew subclasses, magic items, spells, feats and more floating around for the curious.) This time around I’m looking at one of my favorite classes both to play and design subclasses for — the barbarian — and checking out the Top 10 homebrew Primal Paths. There’s currently over 2,300 homebrew of them! Let’s get into it.
Plane Shift Your 5E D&D Game Into Magic: The Gathering — Innistrad
Salutations, nerds! You’re probably already aware Wizards of the Coast is releasing Adventures in the Forgotten Realms — the first Dungeons & Dragons themed expansion for Magic: The Gathering — but they’ve already done something similar previously with the Plane Shift supplements for fifth edition D&D even before even before Guildmasters Guide to Ravnica and Mythic Odysseys of Theros. We’ve been revisiting Amonkhet, Dominaria, Innistrad, Kaladesh, Zendikar and Ixalan, which all all Plane Shift-ed over to 5E D&D. So without farther ado let’s get into Innistrad!
Plane Shift Your 5E D&D Game Into Magic: The Gathering — Dominaria
Wizards of the Coast is doing it. They’re finally doing it! After crossing over Innistrad, Amonkhet, Ixalan, Zendikar, Kaladesh and Dominaria, Wizards of the Coast is finally crossing Dungeons & Dragons into Magic: the Gathering with Adventures in the Forgotten Realms. It’s a bit like when Eggo made syrup… though this already sounds worlds more epic! To celebrate this momentous occasion I would like to explore one of the aforementioned crossovers today. Get ready to deep dive into some history and lore because we’re going to Dominaria with Plane Shift: Dominaria for 5E D&D from the Dungeon Masters Guild!
Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as a Mischief Maker
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted don a Mantle of Majesty to enchant a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons Mischief Maker character. This 5E D&D character build takes advantage of every opportunity to embrace their fey nature. Let’s travel through the Fey Crossing and get into this most fey character for 5E D&D.
Plane Shift Your 5E D&D Game Into Magic: The Gathering — Zendikar
On July 16, 2021 Wizards of the Coast releases Adventures in the Forgotten Realms — the first Dungeons & Dragons themed expansion for Magic: The Gathering, which lands in place of what would typically be a Core Set. The D&D expansion for MTG represents a true collaboration between these two Hasbro teams. But did you know there’s six times MTG crossed over into fifth edition D&D even before Guildmasters Guide to Ravnica and Mythic Odysseys of Theros? Amonkhet, Dominaria, Innistrad, Kaladesh, Zendikar and Ixalan all Plane Shift-ed over to 5E D&D through terrific titles available free from Dungeon Master’s Guild. Let’s get into it.
Plane Shift Your 5E D&D Game Into Magic: The Gathering — Amonkhet
On July 16, 2021 Wizards of the Coast releases Adventures in the Forgotten Realms — the first Dungeons & Dragons themed expansion for Magic: The Gathering. In place of what would be a Core Set Adventures in the Forgotten Realms is a true collaboration between the two Hasbro teams. But did you know there’s six times MTG crossed over into fifth edition D&D? Amonkhet, Dominaria, Innistrad, Kaladesh, Zendikar and Ixalan all walked the planes over to 5E D&D through highly produced Plane Shift documents available from Dungeon Master’s Guild for free. Let’s get into it.
D&D Ideas — Poison
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is poison, 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 poison if negotiations between a rescue party and the adventuring party turn hostile the woodland forces deploy special poison to diffuse the situation in Albatross. The imperiled infant heir to an elven nation lands in the adventurers’ hands and the chase is on from insectoid pursuers along with 54 other dynamic scenarios in Out of the Box. 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 Artificer Specialists by a Factor of Three
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted enjoy looking at fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons homebrew content contributed to D&D Beyond. While they explore homebrew magic items on the DDB website — including one from Matt Mercer — I’m taking a look at another 5E D&D class and the homebrew subclasses folks created there. (There’s lots of these posts whether for homebrew subclasses, magic items, spells, feats and more floating around for the curious.) This time I’m looking at a D&D class beyond the core classes found in the Player’s Handbook. Artificer made its official 5E D&D debut in Eberron: Rising from the Last War. An artificer creates inventions and magic items of peace and war and the gears are turning as to what I might expect to see from the Top 10 homebrew Artificer Specialists. There’s currently over 350 homebrew of them so let’s get into it.
Deepen Your Experiences By Using Languages Effectively in 5E D&D
Languages are staples of human experience. Dungeons & Dragons captures this through the mechanic of languages yet for all of the significance language plays in real life I don’t see languages come up very often in 5E D&D. Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted talk about special languages in 5E D&D as well from editions past. Secret languages are really languages relegated to specific classes or custom lineages and while the latter can have some elements that entwine in recent hot button debates the former adds some fantastic flavor to your world.
Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as an Elephant in the Room
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted lean into an appreciation for puns to sneak in a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons Elephant in the Room character. This 5E D&D character build focuses on stealth both magical and mundane to demonstrate how with the right training and experience an unusual lumbering giant of a race can vanish before your very eyes. Let’s get into the loxodon master of stealth.