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Nerdarchy > Roleplaying (Page 2)
D&D villain hero

D&D Ideas — Abundance

Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is the abundance, 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 abundance we’ve got a plentitude of best selling titles over at the Dungeon Master’s Guild from our Character Build Guide series. Each one includes narrative and mechanical guidance for players from 1st to 20th level plus an NPC creature version inspired by them for Dungeon Masters. 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.

5E D&D lizardfolk

D&D Ideas — Scales

Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is the scales, 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 scales in Deep Breaths a procession of scaly lizardfolk considers the wisdom of their Voices of the Depths on whether an intruding party of adventurers present a worthy offering for the Drowned One or if they’ll be the offering themselves! 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.

Immerse Yourself in the Ashes or Ardor Campaign with New 5E D&D Subclasses

Over at Nerdarchy Live we’ve been playing various RPGs on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. eastern. The group of us rotate Game Master duties after each campaign ends, which typically run 12 sessions each. For our current campaign we’re playing Ashes of Ardor with fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons set in the amazing world of Aulmn, a homebrew creation of Steven Partridge. During our session zero we decided we’d all play 5E D&D subclasses of our own Nerdarchy creation. With this campaign winding down, while we prepare for our next one — a superhero campaign using Cypher System — we thought we’d share some insight from this experience. Let’s get into it.

D&D Ideas — Planning vs. Plotting

Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is the planning vs. plotting, 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 planning vs. plotting in the module series Dark Paths: Shimmer a villain’s plot is long since underway and the plan is for the adventuring party to embroil themselves in a grand mystery. 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.

Find Roleplaying Inspiration On Your RPG Character Sheet

It all started when our Tuesday night RPG group started a new campaign with me at the helm. For my turn in the Game Master seat I chose to run Quest, an all around favorite of mine. It’s a wonderfully streamlined and narratively focused roleplaying game. One particular standout from the rulebook describes the nature of each character’s abilities, which direct players to “Think of your abilities as ways to take control of a scene.” Acknowledging this concept in a deeply meaningful way changed how I look at RPGs for the better so let’s get into it.

5E D&D frost king arctic hobgoblin

D&D Ideas — Culture

Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is the culture, 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 culture in the frozen tundra of Kredgefur’s Belt myth and magic greatly inform the lives of clan culture including the power of fate to affect outcomes — like the rise of a new Frost King. 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.

5E D&D time Out of the Box

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.

Discover Critical Role Campaign 3’s Wild New Party of D&D Adventurers

Critical Role just began Campaign 3 of its fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons game. The continent where the campaign takes place this time is Marquet and the southern accents, which we were previously introduced to via Fjord of Campaign 2, are in full swing . Before we delve into this post please know there might be some spoilers ahead for the first session of Critical Role Campaign 3 as well as spoilers for all episodes leading up to this point. If you’re not into those maybe come back and read this after catching up.

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.

5E D&D travel out of the box kim van deun

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 DM pillars

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.

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.

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.