Expand Your Roleplaying Through Heritage and Culture in 5E D&D
If you want to stir the pot with the fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons fandom then bring up the topic of race and watch the opinions flow. Race is a core mechanic of 5E D&D and while some prefer the term lineage (see Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything) the two terms are used interchangeably within the community. The way I like to run D&D games, I view any mechanic as having a direct influence on the story and likewise I believe every mechanic’s existence ought to be justified by a story element. Race is just one of these areas so let’s break down character race, what it means, and how to use it more effectively in your 5E D&D games.
D&D Ideas — Creepy
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is the creepy, 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 creepy the beetles, centipedes and other deep living creepy crawlies creep adventurers out during an encounter with an insectoid knight and the horrendous creature tormenting it. 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.
D&D Ideas — Evolution of D&D
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is the evolution of D&D, 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 evolution our own creations are evolving in a new direction too! We’re taking our popular Character Build Guides and mashing them up with our wildly successful Out of the Box encounters. For this exciting evolution we’re taking CBGs to the next step by crafting dynamic encounters around the creatures and NPCs inspired by the player character guide. 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.
D&D Ideas — Beasts
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is beasts, 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. The Beast of Bellard asks: What if a troll ate something and mutated in a positive way? What if the troll gained some measure of intelligence or understanding of what just happened… and wants more? 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.
D&D Ideas — Arachnids
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is arachnids, 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 arachnids in Down on the Farm an enterprising ettercap runs a tidy business breeding and selling exotic spiders and a carefully hidden ledger points to a web of intrigue. 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.
D&D Ideas — Monsters are Cool
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is monsters are cool, 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 how monsters are cool there are many mysterious rumors about the dangers of the Wyrd Wood from the Moaning Bat to One Eyed Hagatha to The Hunchback on the Hill perfect to set the mood for a Halloween encounter with the Hag’s Apprentice. 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.
Study Up on 5E D&D Magic — Necromancy Spells
Salutations nerds! Manipulating the energies of life and death falls under the purview of necromancy magic in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. Necromancy is also the school you use to resurrect people. Today I’m going to dig into necromancy, which in most 5E D&D worlds represents the most outlawed school of spellcasting. Not surprisingly necromancy magic is also the favored area of study for our own Maxillae the Mad.
D&D Ideas — Vacations
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is vacations, 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 vacations when’s the last time the adventurers in your life got away from it all? Wizard’s Wake includes a map and details about the Gylathacean Isles along with the colorful folk who make their home on the sea, plus a one shot adventure to discover the mysteries within the wreckage of an ancient ship. 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.
Study Up on 5E D&D Magic — Illusion Spells
Salutations, nerds! Next up on the docket is illusion magic for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. Illusion is the school of magic spun to ensnare the senses of others, to hide things or plant ideas. I’m going to be honest that I don’t really understand why illusion and enchantment are different schools of magic in 5E D&D except illusion creates sensation and enchantment can take full control of a creature. Illusion sits in a weird place because if you’re really good at illusion magic then they kind of become conjurations. Maybe this is part of my bias against enchantment magic because I feel like if you’re good enough at picking your illusions you can get the same effect without hitting an automatic “you believe me” button. Illusions in 5E D&D can be really fun. Just be careful not to be too heavy handed about it or you could leave your enemies asking what you’re hiding.
Wild Beyond the Witchlight Brings D&D Backgrounds to Vibrant Life
Despite a lack of snazzy features and potent powers a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons character’s background represents perhaps the most impactful part of their creation. Whenever I create a character their background is something I put a lot of thought into because it’s such an important part of their identity. Background illustrates who the character was prior to taking steps on the road to adventure. Wild Beyond the Witchlight introduces two new backgrounds for 5E D&D characters perfect for the newest campaign adventure. Let’s get into it.
D&D Ideas — Vision & Light
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is vision and light, 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 visions when a ghostly isle draws adventurers into Eternal Night they may persuade the spirits to let them leave but a haunting tale leaves them with visions of a parent in despair. See how flexible these topical terms can be? 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.
Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as The Wolverine
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted pop their claws to carve out a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons character who’s the best there is at what they do — and what they do ain’t pretty! The Wolverine gets their berserker rage on courtesy of a Primal Path from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. We’ve D&D-ized quite a lot of fictional characters and items including a certain beloved mutant. Newer character options since then created an opportunity to revisit this concept. Let’s get into it.
Study Up on 5E D&D Magic — Evocation Spells
Salutations, nerds! Let’s explore evocation magic for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. These spellcasters represent elementalists and those who make things go boom! Evocation magic is arguably the most useful 5E D&D school of magic in combat and most healing spells are also classified as evocation too. Evocation is also the school I don’t feel as inclined to glorify for you because so many 5E D&D players already at least strongly consider playing an evoker or at least rely heavily on spells from this school of magic. Let’s blast off!
D&D Ideas — Clockwork
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is clockwork, 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 clockwork in Pay to Play adventures discover an unusual clockwork device and must decide if activating the device is worth the risk! 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.
Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as an Extreme Adventurer
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted get totally stoked about a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons character all about exploring bigger and better dungeons that others haven’t conquered yet. The Extreme Adventurer might be one of our more tongue-in-cheek 5E D&D character builds. Think Indiana Jones meets American Ninja Warrior contestant. Let’s get into it.
