Worldbuilding and Character Development for 5E D&D Inspired by Game of Thrones — Studded Leather Armor
I recently finished rewatching Game of Thrones all the way through for a second time and the series engaged me in different ways this time around. It’s fun knowing the fate of characters and seeing how each step of their journey influences their outcomes for one thing and I simply missed a lot of the nuance the first time around for another. Like 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.
D&D Ideas — Fire
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is fire, 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 fire in Fire for Effect two monsters, tactically minded and ruthless in combat, work together to create a dangerous fighting force made even more perilous in a confined setting where collateral damage is a very real concern. 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 Dwarven Tunnel Runner
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted explores the Underdark for a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons Dwarven Tunnel Runner character build. Life in the Underdark is challenging to say the least. Dangerous creatures lurk in lightless caverns while civilizations threaten each other for dominance. The most important rule to remember is never let the enemy get the drop on you! The tunnel runner serves an important function and fulfilling their duty makes them distant from their society as this 5E D&D character lives and operates alone in the wilds. Let’s delve into it.
Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as the Master of Undeath
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted delved into the necromantic arts for a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons Master of Undeath character build. It’s no buried secret — we maintain that necromancy as a school of magic is not inherently evil but raising the dead as skeletons, zombies and other undead certainly is. All philosophical discussion aside it’s still fun to create a 5E D&D necromancer character who in turn creates undead minions. We wanted to see how many shambling corpses we could get going. Let the reanimation begin!
Expanding 5E D&D Background Characteristics — Sage
Salutations, nerds! I’ve arrived at the Sage background for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons at last and let me tell you there is very little I enjoy more than super nerdy characters. Let’s crack in and dig up some scholarly traits that might suit your next 5E D&D character!
Show, Don’t Tell, Your Tabletop Roleplaying Game Character’s Anger
Salutations, nerds! The topic of this post is roleplaying emotion in tabletop roleplaying games. Like everything else the depth to which you go into your roleplaying depends a lot on your group and what your particular campaign is focuses on but I know a lot of players who have a rough time finding the middle ground between simply stating, “My character is angry” and decapitating someone. Mind you, decapitating someone is fine if the situation calls for it. But let’s get into a few of the ways you can show your character is starting to get a bit ticked off before we get there.
These Shoes Were Not Made for Adventuring
One component many adventures fail to take into consideration is the importance of proper footwear. It is generally assumed you have boots on, which sure, in a general adventuring setting could work. But where are the details, the creativity? Ah, yes, I see you are wearing boots to your adventure. Please excuse me while I cheer with joy at the creativity level. (Joking. I take fashion to an entirely different level in RPGs.)
Worldbuilding and Character Development for 5E D&D Inspired by Game of Thrones — Leather Armor
I’m rewatching Game of Thrones all the way through for a second time and the series engages me in different ways this time around. It’s fun knowing the fate of characters and seeing how each step of their journey influences their outcomes for one thing and I simply missed a lot of the nuance the first time around for another. Like 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.
D&D Ideas — Scrolls
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is scrolls, 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. One of the many places we create content for you to drop right into your games is Nerdarchy the Website where you’ll find stuff like the Tome of Holding, a very rare magic item any wizard would treasure. Check it out and stash it in your next treasure hoard 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.
Expanding 5E D&D Background Characteristics — Outlander
Salutations, nerds! The unassailable law of alphabetical order dictates looking at the Outlander background in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. These are characters who come from outside what most people in your setting would consider civilized society and scoff at your use of silverware! Maybe. I haven’t actually played a 5E D&D outlander myself and perhaps tinkering with it will give me a new appreciation for the background. Who knows? I’ll may have to add something else to my list of things to do. Let’s get started.
Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as the Ultimate Duelist
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted swash and buckle into a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons Ultimate Duelist character build. The duelist is all about fighting one on one. We envision them as being quick of wit and foot. Taking inspiration from of our favorite swashbucklers we modeled this 5E D&D character off of a highway halfling from a book series we enjoy. Let’s get into it.
Worldbuilding and Character Development for 5E D&D Inspired by Game of Thrones — Padded Armor
I recently started rewatching Game of Thrones all the way through for a second time. I’d bounced off the series twice and gotten hooked on my third attempt watching the series. Watching it again now engages me in different ways. For one thing it’s fun knowing the fate of the characters and seeing how each step of their journey influences their outcomes. For another I simply missed a lot of the nuance the first time around. Like countless fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons nerds the show appeals to me as a source of inspiration for gaming too. One thing about the show that stands out particularly to me is the armor worn by warriors across Westeros and Essos. There’s a wealth of worldbuilding and character development potential for 5E D&D through armor and I’m excited to explore them so let’s get into it.
D&D Ideas — Wondrous Items
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is wondrous items, 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 Clockwork Frog is one of our own most wondrous items, which functions as a vehicle for up to two creatures. Originally created for our Muckwuggle the Frog God book this wondrous item more recently became one of our monthly Magic Item Cards. 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.
Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as a Staff Master
Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted keep it simple with a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons staff master character build. The comment section is filled with various takes on the concept and most of these incorporate magic with a strong dose of maneuvers but the simplest (and pound for pound best?) weapon in 5E D&D inspired them to explore an equally simplistic approach. The Staff Master character build takes things slow and steady so let’s get into it.
Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as the Coolest Character Around
Summer is on over here in the US and it is hot outside. If you are like me and looking for a way to cool off why not think about and make some cold weather characters for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons? Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frost Maiden has been out for a while now but I still hear people talking about it and new 5E D&D games start all the time. Rime of the Frost Maiden hoists characters into an arctic environment and while it is easy to put on a cold weather outfit why not look for those 5E D&D races used to being in cold environments so there is no need for the extra gear?
