Expanding 5E D&D Background Characteristics — Urchin
Salutations, nerds! I’m onto the Urchin background for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons in the unassailable order that is alphabetical. Time to explore expanded personal characteristics for street rats! I’ve had a lot of fun playing 5E D&D characters like this myself and I’ve seen a lot of good urchin characters played as well. Let’s dive in and expand the options for background characteristics, shall we?
D&D Ideas — Acid
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is acid, 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 acid in Balance an innocent sprite’s existence literally hangs in the balance from a sadistic trap. 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 Random Tables to Avoid Boring 5E D&D Characters
Too many times I’ve begun a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons campaign with the phrase, “You meet in a tavern…” and given zero thought to what the player characters might be doing in the tavern in the first place. I never gave thought to why the druid who doesn’t drink would be in the tavern at all. Last night after our game of Ingest Quest 2, Nerditor Doug, Nerdarchist Ted and I had a conversation about gaming groups and how to make D&D characters more interesting.
5 Underrated Pieces of Adventuring Gear from the 5E D&D Player’s Handbook
Salutations, nerds! Today I’m taking a look at basic adventuring gear for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. Specifically I’m looking at adventuring gear from the 5E D&D Player’s Handbook I haven’t seen in play nearly enough. These pieces of adventuring gear are things you can find in most shops, many of provide a measurable mechanical benefit to characters who use them.
Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as a Spell Savant
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted took on a request to create the ultimate cantrip master for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons as the Spell Savant character build. The concept behind this 5E D&D character build is getting as many cantrips as possible without just simply multiclassing into every spellcasting class — bard, cleric, druid, sorcerer, warlock and wizard — plus acquiring as much variety as possible in damage types and effects. Let’s get into it.
Worldbuilding and Character Development for 5E D&D Inspired by Game of Thrones — Hide Armor
I finished rewatching Game of Thrones all the way through for a second time recently and the series engaged me in different ways this time around. For one thing it’s fun knowing the fate of characters and seeing how each step on their journey influences their outcomes and for another and I simply missed a lot of the nuance the first time around. As for so many fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons nerds the show appeals to me as a source of gaming inspiration too. One particular standout from the show is the armor worn by warriors across Westeros and Essos. A wealth of worldbuilding and character development potential for 5E D&D awaits through armor and I’m excited to explore them. Let’s get into it.
Expanding 5E D&D Background Characteristics — Soldier
Salutations, nerds! I’ve reached the Soldier background for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons and as quickly as the Sailor went I am just as sure this one is going to give me trouble. Bear with me and cross your fingers as I hope to come out of these expanded personal characteristics with a newfound appreciation for an archetype of 5E D&D character I seldom ever play.
D&D Ideas — Thunder & Lightning
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is thunder & lightning, 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 thunder & lightning these foreboding phenomenon may signal a successfully solved puzzle or herald something ominous for adventurers. Why not both? 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 a Pack Master
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted sink their teeth into a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons Pack Master character build. The inspiration for this character comes by way of The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. More specifically a passage from the book that reads, “For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.” This 5E D&D character is all about establishing a powerful connection with wolves whether through communication, summoning or straight up becoming a wolf themselves! Let’s get into it.
D&D Ideas — Cold
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is cold, 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 cold in Gang of One a highly intelligent chimera uses the cold environment, deception and flight to assail heroes with all its cunning along with 54 other dynamic scenarios in Out of the Box. 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.
Enduring the Elements of Weather Adds to Immersion in Your RPG Experiences
Get your ponchos and snow boots ready because we are about to get wet as we brace for all sorts of inclement weather. The one aspect of roleplaying games that always keeps me coming back for more is the opportunity for creativity. The opportunity to create worlds, characters and entire universes is really awesome. With these opportunities the weather is a factor I personally do not see frequently in games. Attention Game Masters — this is the perfect way to lead to a TPK. Just kidding about that, but adding weather elements is a way to spice up your game. Match the weather to the environment and see what happens. Descriptive weather can add to the story and immersion of your game without any additional mechanics added.
Multiclassing Should Always be Allowed in a 5E D&D
Multiclassing in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons always seems to polarize a Dungeon Master when it comes up. I’ll admit I’m no exception to this rule. In fact I’m so much in favor of multiclassing in 5E D&D I sometimes ask my players why they aren’t multiclassing. They say the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence but for my part, my grass is looking pretty darn green. Regardless of what side of the multiclassing fence you find yourself on I’m going to try to convince you my grass is clearly the greenest.
Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as a Haunted Rogue
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted skulk through the shadows to create a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons Haunted Rogue character build. This character emerged through a request from one of our Patreon supporters. The request was simple: “How would you build a rogue with Shadow Magic Sorcerous Origin multiclass?” This leaves a lot of room for flexibility. Leaning hard into an
affinity for gloom this shadowy sneaker emerged with a compelling narrative and this 5E D&D character became a Silver Best Seller very quickly. Let’s get into it.
Show, Don’t Tell, Your Tabletop Roleplaying Game Character’s Fear
Salutations, nerds! I’ve got ideas about roleplaying to share once again and this time I’m touching base on fear rather than anger. These two in particular popped out at me because they’re the ones I’ve noticed people hesitate most to get in there and play out. Of course it’s easy to say “I’m afraid” but roleplaying fear without being a ham about it is a whole other matter. How subtly you can get away with roleplaying fear depends on the length of your campaign and a party’s awareness of one another. Without farther ado let’s get into some basic tips and tricks for roleplaying fear.
Expanding 5E D&D Background Characteristics — Sailor
Salutations, nerds! And hello, sailor. That’s right, I’m offering expanded personal characteristics for the Sailor background for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons as suggested by the unassailable pattern of alphabetical order. Let’s pull anchor and set sail for traits to suit your next 5E D&D character!
