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?
RPG Ideas — Fame
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is fame, 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 fame fantasy adventurers who take to the streets (or apocalyptic wastelands YMMV) can win fame and fortune in the magical motorcycle racing circuit! 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.
RPG Ideas — Origins
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is origins, 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 origins the very first module we put together through collaboration with another creator is Lord of Dead Dreams. When we asked our Patreon supporters what module they’d most like us to revisit and expand on this one came about in first place by a wide margin. We’re dreaming up a new nightmare for the near future so keep an eye out and don’t sleep on this one! 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.
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?”
RPG Ideas — Shields
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is shields, 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. 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.
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.
RPG Ideas — Swords
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is swords, 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 swords there’s nine of them in our Mage Forge collection of 250 magic items for Fifth Edition along with dozens of other magic weapons of various kinds and hundreds more designed to make your games more amazing and immersive. 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. 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.
Survive the Underdark against Mushrooms and Dangerous Water
Adventures in the Underdark are usually considered more dangerous than adventures above the surface. The typical denizens are bad enough without all the random dangerous creatures. If this was not enough the natural hazards can be even more deadly. Pits, drops and hazardous terrain can be a horrible way to go. When you explore the Underdark you might want some awesome terrain to put on your tabletop.
RPG Ideas — Relationships
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is relationships, 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 relationships another creator we’ve developed a great relationship with is Penny Dragon Games, who’s giving a free hard cover copy of Firestar Falling to everyone who backs a physical tier of the Bergin’s Book of Beasts Kickstarter in the first 48 hours. The cosmic horror adventure takes characters through an investigation of an abandoned village and battle against creatures twisted by a mysterious entity from another plane. 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. 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.
5 Persuasion Skill Challenges for 5E D&D
Salutations, nerds! This series touches on each of the skills on the fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons character sheet and lists off five flash encounters for each of them. The idea is you can drop these into your game at any point without them taking up too much time or serving as longer plot hooks. These are single scene skill challenges, beginning to middle to end, right there. They exist if you need to stretch the action for a moment or give spotlight to a 5E D&D skill heavy character. Right now we’re talking about getting people to do what you want them to through Persuasion.
RPG Ideas — Technology
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is technology, 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 technology Vargarian Collective blends sci-fi technology with fantasy for Fifth Edition in an adventure for 4-6 characters of 5th-10th level along with a new playable race, four new magic items and 10 new creatures. 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. 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.
