Loader image
Loader image
Back to Top

Game Master Tips

Nerdarchy > Game Master Tips (Page 6)

D&D Ideas — Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel

Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel, which we discussed in our weekly live chat. We hangout every Monday evening at 8 p.m. EST at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel talk about D&D, RPGs, gaming, life and whatever nerdy stuff comes up. Speaking of radiant we’re positively beaming after a huge surge forward on preproduction for Mage Forge. We’re incredibly excited to deliver these deluxe collections of 250 magic item Tarot cards. 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.

Take a Break from the Routine with a 5E D&D Vacation Adventure

Summer is upon us and this means beaches, cookouts and of course vacations! This got me thinking about vacations in our D&D parties. Downtime in any RPG often evokes things like the notorious beach episodes of anime to me. With the turbulence of the times it feels weirdly analogous to me with how our D&D characters perpetually fight for their own causes. Even fictional characters need a getaway now and again and hopefully this post offers a reprieve for you as well as some inspiration for your own relaxing hobbies. Let’s talk about vacation ideas for your D&D party.

D&D Ideas — Rescue

Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is rescue, which we discussed in our weekly live chat. We hangout every Monday evening at 8 p.m. EST at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel talk about D&D, RPGs, gaming, life and whatever nerdy stuff comes up. Speaking of rescue in Crones and Their Cravings heroes hope to rescue a group of baby dragons from a grisly feast in a cottage of hags and their mephit chef. 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.

Tome of Heroes from Kobold Press is My Kind of Campaign Resource

Later this very evening Nerdarchist Dave and I plan to focus on Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel for this week’s Monday Live Chat. For a very brief preview during our meeting this morning I expressed how campaign settings hold very little interest for me. In contrast I’ve been pouring over Tome of Heroes from Kobold Press the last couple of weeks and I’m pointing at books like this as exactly the kind of resource I cherish when it comes to my own fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Let’s get into it.

D&D Ideas — Vecna

Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is Vecna, which we discussed in our weekly live chat. We hangout every Monday evening at 8 p.m. EST at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel talk about D&D, RPGs, gaming, life and whatever nerdy stuff comes up. Speaking of Vecna the artifacts associated with this D&D villain are perhaps more iconic than the archlich himself. And speaking of artifacts we’ve got several of our own sequestered within the Mage Forge. Unlock the secrets of the Mage Forge! Elevate your games with intriguing and engaging magic items from the most common to the mightiest artifacts! Preorder your collection of 250 magic items before it’s too late here! You can find a ton of creatures for your game in Nerdarchy the Website’s Monster Category. 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.

Make Your 5E D&D Magic and Magic Items More Mysterious

It is not unheard of to hear me talking about fifth edition being my favorite of all the editions of Dungeons & Dragons but in some cases I think they got it wrong. One of these examples is the ability to know the properties of magic items simply by spending a short rest or one hour essentially communing with said object. This means the character who dumped Intelligence and Wisdom and has no proficiency in History, Arcana, Investigation or heck, maybe even Nature can tell you exactly what an incredibly powerful magic item is after spending only 60 minutes considering the object.

D&D Ideas — Classic D&D Monsters

Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is classic D&D monsters, which we discussed in our weekly live chat. We hangout every Monday evening at 8 p.m. EST at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel talk about D&D, RPGs, gaming, life and whatever nerdy stuff comes up. Speaking of monsters we’ve created quite a menagerie over the years ourselves like the Booze Ooze, Gantuan, Elemental Kin templates and so many more. You can find a ton of creatures for your game in Nerdarchy the Website’s Monster Category. 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 frost king arctic hobgoblin

D&D Ideas — Unearthed Arcana Giant Options

Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is Unearthed Arcana Giant Options which we discussed in our weekly live chat. We hangout every Monday evening at 8 p.m. EST at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel talk about D&D, RPGs, gaming, life and whatever nerdy stuff comes up. Speaking of giants we’re fast approaching the production stage of our own giant collection of magic items. There’s still time to preorder your Mage Forge deluxe set of 250 magic item cards. 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.

Summon One Bad A$$ Evil SOB to Your 5E D&D Games

The time of Vecna is nigh! One of the most iconic Dungeons & Dragons villains of all time is experiencing a renaissance of late thanks in no small part to the immense popularity of Netflix’s Stranger Things season four, which follows the series’ tradition of borrowing from D&D’s rich monster lore to name each season’s primary antagonist. Hot of the heels of the show’s mid-season break (the second half drops July 1 at midnight) Wizards of the Coast released the Vecna Dossier, a supplement detailing the legacy and statistics of the Undying King. Let’s get into it.

Let’s Make a Deal and Run 5E D&D as a Monty Haul Dungeon Master

I love magic items in my Dungeons & Dragons games. As a player there’s nothing quite like adding awesome new magic items to a character’s inventory. When I’m the Dungeon Master I aim to elicit this same excitement for players by providing a steady flow of nifty magic items for their characters too. I’m definitely dating myself by invoking the name of Monty Hall, host of the classic musical comedy variety-game show Let’s Make a Deal and later used to describe a playstyle wherein the DM’s unreasonable generosity translates into lots of treasure — including magic items. What can I say? I love dishing it out as much as I do raking it in. Let’s get into it.

D&D Ideas — Terrain

Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is terrain, which we discussed in our weekly live chat. We hangout every Monday evening at 8 p.m. EST at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel talk about D&D, RPGs, gaming, life and whatever nerdy stuff comes up. Speaking of terrain in Albatross heroes are caught between insect ravagers and forest elves in a tense pursuit through treacherous terrain with an infant chieftain at stake. 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.

Run Your D&D Encounters with a Battle Pack

There are all sorts of ways to run encounters in D&D. Whether you are using hazards, lair actions, legendary actions or just monsters there is a lot to keep track of during an encounter. Today I’m exploring going one for one with the party. Typically a good group of adventurers comprises a warrior, a sneaky character, a healer and some kind of damage dealing spellcaster. In the years I have been playing very rarely do I see combats being pitted against such an encounter unless we are in direct opposition of another adventuring party.

D&D alliances

D&D Ideas — Roleplaying

Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is roleplaying, which we discussed in our weekly live chat. We hangout every Monday evening at 8 p.m. EST at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel talk about D&D, RPGs, gaming, life and whatever nerdy stuff comes up. Speaking of roleplaying in Dinner Party after accidentally ingesting a Truth Serum Poison characters are embroiled in a long night of deception and revelation — a terrific scenario for exploring the roles each character plays in your game. 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.

Adding Magic Schools into Your Fantasy World

There has been a recent rush of ideas talking about schools teaching magic in relation to fantasy gaming. As a gamer who has been playing for decades this does seem like an alien concept to me. Before you get all up in arms about it I am not opposed to the concept. It just seems rather odd to collect a group, possibly a large number, of untrained magical practitioners and keep them all in a confined space.