Out of the Box D&D Encounters, Series 2, #10 – “Fish Bowl”
Did someone say fish bowl? Better not mess with The Xanathar’s goldfish. Cover to Xanathar’s Guide to Everything from Wizards of the Coast. [Art by Jason Rainville]
Introduction
D&D Dungeon Masters Level Up Too
Hey nerds! This weekend I had the unique experience of getting to play in a party being helmed by a player I taught the game to in the first place. It’s his first big fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons campaign, and I am filled with...
Speak With Dead #05: In the Spirit of Good Counsel
Dear Maxillae the Mad,
Portrait of a Lady, by Gustave Jean Jacquet (1846-1909)
My dear uncle passed away a fortnight ago and left his estate split between myself and two other cousins as he had no children himself. I received among other things a framed portrait of a beautiful woman that had been hanging in his personal study. No idea who she is but it is a beautiful painting.
However, since receiving said painting, this woman has started appearing in my dreams and at night when I’m woken I can hear a woman screaming outside my house. Three days ago my chickens were dead. Two days ago, some wild dogs. This morning I found two men dressed in black dead on my front porch whom I took to be attempted burglars. Their faces were twisted in silent screams of horror.
Do I get rid of the painting? I feel there’s a spirit at unrest but at the same time she has shown me no harm or ill will aside from lack of sleep and walking my dreams.
Please help!
Yours,
Restless Dreaming
How a Poll Created a D&D Character – #NerdyProject
The cover of the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide illustrates a diverse group of D&D characters. [Art by Tyler Jacobson]
The #NerdyProject was a series of 11 polls. Each one narrowed down the field of possibilities for each of the three D&D character aspects. Creating and administering the polls was a lot of fun. Based on the video content and comments the fun continued for the Nerdarchists and community, too.
Now that the polls and D&D character build are complete, I thought it might be interesting to peel the curtain aside and give people a peek at how each poll was put together. The polls were blind – answer choices were purposely vague – and the reasoning behind answer options might be of interest to those who participated or anyone who watched the video.
Effects Of Age On A D&D Character Can Enhance the Experience
Effect of age in D&D
Opening phrase of Prince Hamlet’s soliloquy in William Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet,” Act III, Scene I.
Age is a usually inescapable villain that hunts down any and all who walk this mortal coil.
That being said, there are ways to escape it. What we will deal with here are reactions left to those who don’t have the ability to visit the fountain of youth, become a lich or vampire, and have no chance to ascend to godhood.
The touch of age is something a lot of gamers forget but could do well to keep in mind. After all, the effect of it could very well enhance your gaming experience.
In previous editions of Dungeons & Dragons the effect of age was pretty easy to document.
“To be or not to be? Not to be.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger as Jack Slater, playing Hamlet in the 1993 Columbia Pictures film “Last Action Hero”
In fact, your character could even use it as a form of min/maxing as your physical stats drop while your mental stats raise.
This could be a godsend to casters, especially the wizard and sorcerer who would want to push the DC of their spells as far as possible.
Conversely, a more physical type would run from the cold hand of time, as those physical abilities are their very bread and butter.
Using D&D 5E Unearthed Arcana Class Options for Worldbuilding
Limited Edition cover for Xanathar’s Guide to Everything from Wizards of the Coast.
Due to the recent announcement D&D Beyond will fully launch on August 15, my mind has turned back to Xanathar’s Guide to Everything (or perhaps forward, since as of the writing of this article it’s still four months away from its release).
I’m really excited to see the new character options that are going to be available. Obviously we have a strong idea of some of it thanks in so small part to Wizards of the Coast’s Unearthed Arcana. There are some good ones out there. And there are some failures, too.
But no matter how good or bad, I’m not a fan of letting my D&D players use the class archetypes. The reason is very simple. Unearthed Arcana is subject to change because it’s test material.
The designers knew going into it what they had needed work. Partially because a lot of them did some really cool things, and really cool can either be largely ineffective or overpowered.
The ‘Fabulous’ Heart of the Marvel Comics Bullpen
Hey, guys, Professor Bill of Comic Book University (where we are always tuition-free) and I want to talk about the mythical Marvel Bullpen!
Run Each D&D Encounter Like it is Combat
Why don’t you run each encounter like a combat encounter? Combat is a Dungeons & Dragons staple. Most of the rules are based around it. The formula for combat has evolved through five editions and countless erratum. Each change made it faster and more efficient. Why then, aren’t you applying this finely tuned formula to your explorations and roleplay encounters?
Blast from the Past: Shogun Warriors
Shogun Warriors history
Five of the original Shogun Warriors in all their plastic, two-foot-tall awesomeness.
Long before most in the United States had heard the words “manga” or “anime,” and a generation before the world would discover the Power Rangers, there were the Shogun Warriors.
Based upon Japanese television shows, the Shogun Warriors were a collection of toys, mainly robots though there were also a few vehicles.
E70 YR1- 5E D&D Bard our First look Podcast
Episode 70 of Nerdarchy the Podcast Year One Another look at one of our first look vids. This time we are going over the bard in 5e D&D. https://soundcloud.com/david-friant-458990853/e70-yr1-5e-dd-bard-our-first-look Bard Performing Their Way Through D&D 5E| Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition Classes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKVpux8Fvlk 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons Classes Bard...
Out of the Box D&D Encounters, Series 2, #9 – Bandersnatched
[caption id="attachment_14716" align="alignright" width="219"] Night hag as seen in the fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual. [Art courtesy of Wizards of the Coast][/caption] Introduction In a previous encounter within Series 1 (Auntie Knows Best) there was mention of a Hag Eye. This device was being employed...
Gaming Has Changed My Media Expectations
Jon Heder, as the titular Napoleon Dynamite, and Aaron Ruell as Kip engage in a nerd battle in the independent film “Napoleon Dynamite.”
Arguing about media is a staple of the nerd subculture. We spend an inordinate amount of time going over our favorite shows, movies and books with a fine-toothed comb picking out small details and jabbing at each other with them, because as nerds it’s just what we do. It shouldn’t be a huge surprise, then, that my friend group is no exception to this.
I’m not going to lie, much of the time it’s my fault. I am a total killjoy to watch a movie or anime with, because I absolutely hate it when the main character does everything.
E69 YR1- D&D 5E Ranger Our 1st LOOK Podcast
Episode 69 of Nerdarchy the Podcast Year One In this episode we go back to the first time we looked at the 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons ranger. We examine the two archetypes. They will be later remained conclaves and a revised ranger will appear featuring...
Speak With Dead #04: My Int Mod Brings All the Ghouls to the Yard
Dear Maxillae the Mad, [caption id="attachment_22881" align="alignright" width="446"] A ghast, as seen in the fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual. [Image courtesy Wizards of the Coast][/caption]The last adventurers that came through my family’s home took everything of value. Now no more adventurers will come, and...
E68 Yr1- Uncommon D&D Races- Half-Elf Podcast
Episode 68 of Nerdarchy the Podcast Year One The deep dive through the Players Handbook for 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons continues with the half-elf from the uncommon races section of the book. Half-elves have been one of the worst races throughout the editions of the...
