EP 61 YR 1- From the DMG We make a NPC and Look Magic- Items Podcast
Episode 61 of Nerdarchy the Podcast Year One Another dive into the DMG for 5E. This time we take a look at making a NPC from the random generation charts as well an overview of the 5th Edition D&D magic items. Yes it's another double sized...
5 Laughable RPG Campaign Destroyers
“Cambers Quarreling” by Jan Steen, circa 1665 [Image courtesy of Detroit Institute of Arts]
I do believe any campaign could survive things that would destroy others, and D&D is a game that can accommodate so many different styles to the point I do not feel safe guaranteeing anything will happen.
What I will say is I have seen things destroy campaigns that would make you roll save vs death from laughter. That being said, I will not name the people who destroyed these campaigns, but I will describe things as I remember them now.
Ahh yes, the mists of time cloud all. Here we go with my experiences, and I would love to hear your experiences.
Spider-Man: Homecoming Review (Spoiler Free)
[caption id="attachment_22415" align="aligncenter" width="2048"] Spider-Man climbs the Washington Monument in Columbia Pictures' "Spider-Man: Homecoming" [Image courtesy of Columbia Pictures][/caption] Class in session for a review of Spider-Man: Homecoming Hey, guys, Professor Bill of Comic Book University and I saw "Spider-Man: Homecoming" twice… because comic books! Spider-Man is one...
Basic advice on editing your novel
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First, you need to realize there are two basic different types of editing. There is line editing and plot editing (also called development editing).
Plot Editing
Plot editing is the guts of your novel. It’s not only the plot itself, but your characterizations and dialogue, structure and narrative. A lot of it is your style of telling your story. These things are important because you want your plot to make sense logically, your characters need to stand out from one another, and the characters’ dialogue needs to be appropriate and distinct; you don’t want all your characters to talk exactly the same because it’s boring to the reader. To add, your story structure needs to flow well to keep your plot moving. Narrative needs to remain consistent. All of this will help the reader enjoy their experience with your book all the more, and could have them wanting to see more work from you. Also, following these tips will make your writing appear strong to editors and publishers, and you want to look good to those people if you want to be a published novelist.
Out of the Box D&D Encounters, Series 2, #7 – Feeding Time
Many entries in both the Monster Manual and Volo’s Guide to Monsters indicate one or more monsters have some sort of relationship with each other. What I’d like to present here is one between a Monster Manual entry (Bullywug) and Volo’s (Froghemoth).
Speak With Dead #02: NecRomantic Questions
Dear Maxillae the Mad,
While trudging through an ancient tomb the other day, I became cursed. Now I only find myself attracted to zombies, ghosts, and, most strangely, skeletons. Should I tell my cleric about this or just wait for it to clear up?
Signed,
Lust-For-Unlife
A Little Rant About Stupid Armor
An example of not-so-stupid armor.
Stupid armor
Hey, nerds, today we’re going to talk about something stupid. Specifically, stupid armor.
There are a few quick ways to get my jimmies rustled, and putting a character in a skimpy outfit and trying to claim it’s somehow battle armor is one of the big ones. There is a time and a place for drawing something kind of outrageous and enticing, and what is supposed to be full plate is not that.
Tomb of Annihilation Dares D&D Adventurers to Defy Death
In case you missed it, the fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons Adventurers League shared a preview of its Season 7 adventures that tie in to the upcoming Tomb of Annihilation storyline from Wizards of the Coast. Set for early release through Wizards Play Network stores...
Improv is Critical in RPG Storytelling
Improvisational theatre in progress. [Image by Aude Vanlathem/www.audevan.com]
This process repeats for two to four hours, or until there’s a good stopping point. Even Game Masters who prefer a more structured style are going to improvise more dialogue than they’ll use their actual prepared material.
This does not even include all the improv for the inevitable unplanned encounters, or how the GM has to improvise describing the outcomes of rolls – especially in combat. Technically you can just say what you’re going to do and exchange numbers across the table to determine success, and not describe what’s being said or done, but what would be the fun in that?
E60 YR1- Diseases, Tricks, and Hazards from the 5th Edition Dungeon Masters Guide Podcast
Episode 60 of Nerdarchy the Podcast Year One Our first time combining three videos to create our podcast in our DMG deep dive. https://soundcloud.com/david-friant-458990853/e60-yr1-diseases-tricks-and-hazards-from-the-5th-edition-dungeon-masters-guide Disease in Dungeons and Dragons 5e from the 5th Edition Dungeon Masters Guide https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHS4mMciC6I 5E Dungeons and Dragons Disease in the 5th Edition Dungeon Masters Guide...
Open Legend RPG character build: Aetherficer Bunny
You might be familiar with our Open Legend game “Aether Skies – The Beginning of the End.” Doug, Professor Bill, Ty and Megan have already done character builds for the game, and those articles were fascinating reads, so now I’m finishing up the series by stepping back onto the website and showing what is behind the curtain with my character.
Open Legend RPG is an open source roleplaying game designed by Brian Feister, who sponsors our weekly live game that streams on Fridays at noon Eastern on the Nerdarchy YouTube channel. The core rules for the game are available for free online here.
It feels weird writing an article again when I have not done so in so long. I might dive into stuff currently going on in the game or even stuff that has not been revealed yet so you have been warned.
E59 YR1- NPC’s and Poison from the 5E DMG Podcast
Episode 59 of Nerdarchy the Podcast Year One We continue with our deep dive into the 5e DMG. This is another double sized episode. Many of the Dungeon Master's Guide videos we did were broken down into smaller vids. We would really drill down on the...
Hail Hydra! Marvel FASERIP’s Mr. Cyber Explained
Hey, guys, Professor Bill of Comic Book University and I’m going to explain Mr. Cyber, the main bad guy in the Marvel Super Heroes Roleplaying Game (FASERIP) I’m running every Monday for the Nerdarchists. Mr. Cyber is, well, me.Where he’s from
RPGS: To Roll Dice, Or Not To Roll Dice, That Is The Question
Several schools of thought exist when it comes to RPGs and the rolling of the funny-shaped dice we all love. Whether ’tis nobler at the gaming table to roll the d10s and d20s of outrageous fortune, or to roleplay against a sea of troubles, and by narrating end them.
In the ArmorClass10.com-sponsored video above, Nerdarchists Dave and Ted and Nate the Nerdarch reminisce on memorable dice rolls in their gaming experience, different ways to interpret roll outcomes and how a hot roll of the dice can have a big impact on the story.
Writing violence in fiction: How much?
How much violence are you writing in your fiction? Is it enough? Is it too much?
Fiction and violence
Nearly all fiction writers are going to have violence of one form or another sooner or later in one of their short stories or novels. Fiction is about conflict, and violence is one of the most common forms of conflict. Even romance writers will occasionally have a sword-slinging hero rushing in to save the day, or a pistol-packing thug as the villain. In horror, violence is almost a given. Violence is also common in much fantasy and science fiction. And what would a Western be without a revolver or two or a lever-action rifle?
