Results for: party composition
D&D Ideas — Bennies
Welcome once again to the weekly Nerdarchy Newsletter. This week we discuss using benefit systems in roleplaying games. But first a reminder that our Out of the Box: Encounters for 5th Edition Kickstarter Pledge Manager is open. You can claim your Kickstarter rewards, pledge late...
Locathah and Tortle Explore Fish Out of Water Adventure for 5E D&D
Over on Nerdarchy the YouTube channel, Nerdarchists Dave and Ted discussed the best classes to play for locathah and tortle characters in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. Both of these aquatic adjacent races were introduced to 5E D&D through DMs Guild products where all the...
D&D Ideas — Kingdoms and Warfare
Welcome once again to the weekly Nerdarchy Newsletter. This week we’ve got a Matt Colville inspired newsletter. We are talking about kingdoms and warfare in your 5E D&D game. We also have an announcement — the latest update to the Out of the Box: Encounters...
D&D Ideas — Aliens
Welcome once again to the weekly Nerdarchy Newsletter. Before we jump into this week’s newsletter a quick reminder. You can still back Out of the Box: Encounters for 5th Edition. Or if you already did you can fill out your survey and make sure you...
Dungeons & Dragonborn: Three Horror Trope-Inspired 5D D&D Bards for Halloween
When it comes to bards in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons, they tend to get a rap for being the face of the party or the characters trying to get into everyone’s pants, but Charisma isn’t just about Persuasion, Deception and Performance. It’s about Intimidation,...
D&D Ideas — Castles and Strongholds
Welcome once again to the weekly Nerdarchy newsletter. This one has been written in two different castles over in England. Nerdarchy was given their own castle to run games from and Nerdarchist Dave was invited to a second castle to be a one-shot Dungeon Master.
The Art and Science of D&D Encounter Building
The question recently came up at Nerdarchy whether the fifth edition D&D encounter building system is art or science with regard to the experience point guidelines set out in the Creating Encounters section of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. I am in the camp that says...
Warlocks in D&D miscast my cantrips
I heard some rumblings here and there for awhile, but a recent video by Dawnforgedcast has forced me to sit down and contemplate on the weird class that is the fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons warlock. In the video he presents the issue that the...
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....
Nerds, Give Sports a Chance
I’m going to preface this by saying I know not all nerds hate sports. Hell, I’m one of them. What I’ve noticed is that a lot of nerds either borderline or outright relish in the fact they don’t know anything about sports. Some go as...
New DM Handbook: Old New Players
Last week I DMed my first game. I originally didn’t have any intention of addressing it right away, and I won’t get right back to it. I still have a number of things I wanted to talk about how I see things before getting to...
Game Master Tips- The Power of Long Rest, Short Rest, and Random Encounters in 5E D&D
Dungeon Master: “You’ve been fighting and slaying monsters all day. Your caster’s spells are nearly depleted, all of you bare wounds, and you’ve just stabilized the halfling rogue who is unconscious. What do wish to do?” The players of the adventuring party nearly in unison:...
Shark Steel: The Electrifying Legacy of Stone Holme’s Dwarves
Deep within the rugged, mountainous heartlands of Stone Holme, the dwarves live among one of the most dangerous and unique challenges the natural world has to offer: bulettes, the infamous land sharks. These creatures, renowned for their ferocity and unmatched burrowing prowess, have become more...
Excavating Unearthed Arcana that Didn’t Make the Cut, Part 5
Courtesy of the Dungeons & Dragons design team’s plethora of Unearthed Arcana playtest documents over the years we’ve seen a ton of new character options evolve from initial concepts into their final versions in official published products. Each Unearthed Arcana follows up with a survey...
D&D Ideas — Temples
Welcome once again to the weekly newsletter. This week’s topic is temples, 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...
