Welcome to Crystalia: Running a D&D Campaign in the Shimmering Bastion
Crystalia, the heart of the "Under the Dome" campaign setting, is a gleaming, chaotic-fearing metropolis that has stood firm for over a millennium. Encased beneath a magical dome that filters out wild magic and the worst of the monster hordes, this city is a multifaceted...
Planning the Perfect Score: GM Tips for High-Stakes Caper Sessions
Zoo Mafia Blog Series – Game Mastering the Underworld In the high-drama world of Zoo Mafia, few things are more thrilling—or more chaotic—than running a high-stakes heist. Whether your crew of criminal critters is knocking over a bank, hijacking a smuggler’s convoy, or infiltrating Owl Capone’s...
Rebellions in Color and Chord: Art as Resistance in the Sky Cities
How Creative Expression Becomes a Weapon Against Oppression in Aether Skies In a world where floating cities rise on towers of Aether and the surface festers with corruption and memory, art isn’t just decoration—it’s warfare. Across the skybound spires of the Aether Skies, culture is tightly controlled....
Mind Over Madness:Introducing Psionics into Under the Dome
“The storms tear your flesh. The mages break your bones. But the mind? The mind survives. The mind bites back.”—Drassa Vo, Stormkin Dreamshaper With the release of the Psion class in Dungeons & Dragons playtest material, players and Dungeon Masters alike are looking for settings that...
Escalation, Escape, and Explosion: Managing the Chaos of a Job Gone Wrong
In Zoo Mafia, pulling off the perfect job is the dream — but let’s be real: most capers spiral into beautiful, roaring chaos. Whether it’s a busted distraction, a botched safecrack, or a rival gang showing up uninvited, jobs in this world rarely go smooth....
Mind Over Magic: How Psionics Fit Into the World of Aether Skies
Integrating the New Psion Class into a World of Floating Cities, Eldritch Horrors, and Aether-Fueled Dreams The recent release of the Psion class playtest by Wizards of the Coast opens a door for players and storytellers alike to explore psychic power in a way that’s distinct...
⚔ Brutal Justice: Moral Grayness in Under the Dome
How Players and GMs Can Wield Ruthless Consequences in Their Games “It’s not about right or wrong—it’s about what survives.”—Breaker’s Bounty regular, after throwing a rival into the Black Sands In the world of Under the Dome, survival doesn’t leave much room for polished ideals. Laws are...
Voyage of the Tideborn: A Moana-Inspired D&D Adventure
The tide continues of D&D content inspired by those kids movies the mouse makes. Maybe you watch them with your kids, or nieces and nephews. Maybe you are like me and you embrace your kid at heart and truly enjoy them. Or maybe you don't care...
🐾 What Lies Beyond the Enclosure? Building Outside-The-Zoo Adventures
For most Zoo Mafia campaigns, the action is contained within the electrified fences, steel bars, shadowy tunnels, and dark alleys of the zoo. But what happens when the crew looks beyond the gates? What if the outside world starts creeping in — or the players themselves...
Sky Whales of Aether Skies: Leviathans, Lore, and Story Hooks
How Titanic Creatures Shape Your Campaign World and Adventure Opportunities In the soaring world of Aether Skies, not all that floats is crafted by hands. Far above the surface, among the drifting cities, storm channels, and eldritch storms, glide the sky whales—enormous, ancient leviathans that are...
The Storm Made Flesh: Introducing Chaos Dragons to Your Campaign
“We thought we were safe. It didn’t fly in on wings—it rode the storm like it was part of it. Like it was the storm’s will given form.”—Ladrex Brimcall, last words of the Iron Spine patrol In the howling madness of Under the Dome, there are...
The Crimson Wall: Rewriting Mulan as a D&D Adventure
Yup, It is time for another jaunt into animated mayhem with some mouse movies, kids shows or whatever and see how I can get some D&D content out of it. Last week we dived into the Lion King [caption id="attachment_41067" align="alignright" width="210"] Careful consideration is the...
Contraband & Curiosities: Strange Items in the Zoo Underworld
Not everything that moves through Furton City’s back alleys and smoke-filled speakeasies is made of peanuts or bullets. Beneath the surface trade routes and boss-sanctioned shipments lies a secondary economy built on rare items, forbidden finds, and the downright bizarre. These contraband goods and strange...
Feeding on the Spark: Aether Parasites in TTRPG Storytelling
How to Use Magic-Hungry Creatures to Threaten Your World’s Most Vital Systems In the world of Aether Skies, Aether is more than just fuel—it’s the beating heart of civilization. It powers ships, cities, armor, minds. Without it, the floating world falls. So what happens when something feeds...
No Casters Allowed: Running a D&D Game With Zero Spellcasting PCs
Steel, grit, guile—and not a spell slot in sight Let’s be honest: Dungeons & Dragons is a spell-slinger’s paradise. Every other class hurls fire, heals wounds, or manipulates time. But what happens when you take that power away completely—not just from full casters, but from everyone? That’s...
