“All That Glitters” – Out of the Box D&D Encounters #50
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I’ve already explored the concept of monsters or treasure as encounters, but not usually as monsters covered in treasure. It’s one thing to face a foe and rifle their pockets and pouches after defeating them … it’s another thing entirely when the monster you face is plated in treasure that you risk damaging should you defeat this monster through conventional means.
For this encounter we will use the infamous Stone Golem, but not in the usual format. Stone Golems are essentially magically animated stone statues, which means that any statue should suffice. Additionally, by plating this Stone Golem in gold, we both disguise its true nature and turn a monster into a lure to guarantee the encounter. By changing the form of the statue from a humanoid shape into something less obvious (yet totally believable as a statue) like a horse, we have complimentary elements to disguise the encounter. This enhances the lure.
E24 YR1- Nerdarchy Gets Nerco-Mantic With D&D Undead| Dungeons and Dragons Monsters Podcast
WOW episode 24 of Nerdarchy the podcast already. Time flies when you are having fun. This time we are delving into Undead in D&D. Undead are probably one of the most beloved of all D&D monsters right behind dragons. Dungeon Masters ave been terrorizing players...
Five Life Lessons Learned From Gaming
A group of role playing gamers enjoying a night session. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
There’s no lie that we nerds have our own little niche subculture. Get a couple of us together and we will just start geeking out and enthusing about things we love, and for those not in the know, it can sound as though we’re speaking an entirely different language. Sometimes, we have whole conversations in letters.
“Let me tell you about this amazing RPG experience I had where we almost TPK’d and I was hanging on by like 1 HP and we won anyway. The loot drop was amazing ftw.”
EP23 YR1- Allowing The Players To Guide Your Game (Examples from 5E and a Pathfinder Game)| Game Master Tips Podcast
Episode 23 of Nerdarchy Year One Podcast is from one of our extremely long videos. I'm not surprised because during this game master tips vid we delve into games being played by us. It isn't hard to get nerds to talk about the games they...
D&D Design diary: Blue Magic primal path
[The ongoing live stream RPG review series is on hiatus this week because reasons. In their place enjoy a peek behind how I sussed out my idea for a new primal path for 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons barbarians.]
With my first foray into creating content for Wizards of the Coast’s Dungeon Masters Guild, I offered my own take on a popular concept: the blue mage from Final Fantasy lore.
Write, but don’t expect to learn it from others
Other people can't teach you to write. Even the greatest writers of all time can't teach you to write. Shakespeare? No. Stephen King? No. Hemingway? Not a chance. They can offer advice. They can let you know what works for them. But the truth is, what works...
E22 YR 1- Nerdarchy’s Recommended Reading Sci-Fi/Fantasy For Better Role-Playing Games Podcast
Episode 22 of the Nerdarchy Year One podcast. This is one that I believe was requested. The Nerdarchy recommended reading list. So we go over some our favorite sci/fantasy books that have inspired us during our gaming over the years. https://soundcloud.com/david-friant-458990853/e22-yr-1-nerdarchys-recommended-reading-sci-fifantasy-for-better-role-playing-games Nerdarchy's Recommended Reading Sci-Fi/Fantasy For Better...
E21 Yr1- Magic Nerdarchy Talks Spell Slinging In D&D 5E| Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition Podcast
Episode 21 Nerdarchy Year One Podcast is here. This one of our earliest discussions on D&D 5E magic and spell casting. Though some of our opinions and understanding of magic in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition may have changed since this went up two years...
Top 10 Things I Want to See In 5E D&D
Well, it has been awhile since I did a top ten, and I always loved doing them, so let’s have some fun! I recently started playing in a Fifth Edition D&D game and that has inspired me to think on all the things I want to see in this amazing edition. Maybe we can get a vote on what people like and I will try to bring it to reality. Who knows, the sky is the limit with writers on the loose. These will be pulled from pop culture or roleplaying games, especially earlier editions of Dungeons & Dragons. Without further delay, here is my list in no particular order.
World Building in Dune
Hey guys, Professor Bill of Comic Book University here, and I really want to thank everyone who commented and contributed to my last two articles. That says a lot about your love for the Open Legend content and the campaign.
This week I just want to chillax a little and talk about Dune, my hands down favorite sci-fi story ever.
Covering Each Other with Teamwork in RPGs
So, I happen to be blessed and burdened with glorious purpose, and a great team of writers that work alongside me here at Nerdarchy. The fun part is, sometimes we need to live our lives. That is what inspires this article here. See, I am filling in for the intractable Joshua Brickley, and this fits the theme of how teams need to be able to cover each other in times of need. Like the USMC and SEAL teams who train each other in the basics of other necessary jobs, a gaming group needs to be able to do more then fill a single role. Let me go over a few things that may help in such an endeavors.
E20 YR 1- You Gotta Have Faith With The D&D Cleric| Dungeons and Dragons Classes Podcast
Episode 20 of the Nerdarchy Year One Podcast. This time we've got a special guest to help us talk about Dungeons and Dragons character classes. This time we are focusing on the cleric. A divine spell cast that can channel the power their deity. Kerry experience...
A sampling of cities from Nerdarchy’s Open Legend live game
Beginning today, April 28, Nerdarchy will host a weekly live stream Open Legend game starting at noon EST on Fridays. Nerdarchist Dave will be at the GM helm, and players Nerdarchist Ted, Nerdarchy.com web editor-in-chief Ty Johnston, staff writer William C (aka Professor Bill of Comic Book University), and staff writers Megan Miller and Doug Vehovec will form a party of adventurers to take on this exciting game system.
A Patreon-exclusive poll helped shape the game world by choosing the theme and genre for the setting, and there will be additional ways for Patreons and viewers to interact and engage with the game as it continues each week. Be sure to check out Nerdarchy’s Patreon to discover all the ways you can support Nerdarchy and get cool gaming tips and learn how to game with Nerdarchy, get exclusive offers, ask priority questions to guests during the daily live chats and more.
“One Crow, Two Crow, Three Crow, Scarecrow” – Out of the Box D&D Encounters #49
A continuing challenge, especially for starting DMs, is how to take the mundane and make it special. Fortunately, there are a wide array of D&D monsters that fit the bill. Each has their specialty. Mimics can stand in as mundane items. Piercers look like stalagtites, as do Darkmantles. Grey Oozes can resemble wet stone or pools of water. After a time, though, players will come to expect this. Then it’s time to bring out classic themes from horror and surprise player characters when they least expect it. In a dungeon setting, they might well be ready for something. When travelling from “this town or village” to “that town or village” in patrolled or protected lands, the player characters will let their guard down. Farmlands are perfect for this setting, as they are cultivated lands typically already under the auspice of a local sheriff, regent, baron or other leader. They should be safe.
That’s when you can spring the surprise.
E19 YR1- What Happens After The GamePlay| Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition Wrap Video Podcast
Episode 19 of Nerdarchy the podcast Year One. Here we actually do a wrap video after our 1st 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons Game. It's the normal crew plus our buddy Mark who is playing in the game with us. https://soundcloud.com/david-friant-458990853/e19-yr1-what-happens-after-the-gameplay-dungeons-and-dragons-5th-edition-wrap-video What Happens After The GamePlay| Dungeons...
