This is how I D&D
This is a guest post by Travis Miller.
There are some approaches to gaming that are common or assumed by players and Dungeon Masters of earlier editions of Dungeons and Dragons.
The versions of the game published by Wizards of the Coast were built on different assumptions. New fashions of play style came about partly because of the rule sets and partly because of generational differences between player groups.
In April 2021, I am launching Issue 0 of a new Dungeons and Dragons zine, called d8 Monthly.
This is mostly a passion project, but it is also provides me with another channel to write about D&D and to give back to the community.
Continue reading “New D&D Zine Launching In April – Issue 0”
Dungeons and Dragons random encounter tables are great, but they only tell you one part of the encounter – what the encounter is.
It doesn’t tell you what that encounter – or monster – is doing.
That’s why I created the table below.
Continue reading “Random Encounter Tables In D&D – What Are The Monsters Doing?”
This will show you how I solo roleplay (or SoloRPG) my D&D campaign.
Note, this is not an article on how you should solo roleplay, but simply how I do it.
A lot of people solo roleplay, but they all have one thing in common: they play a different way.
If you like the way I play and would like to do it the same way then great! Otherwise, you may find some useful tips to help you do it your way.
Before I start this review I want you to know I am a big fan of Five Torches Deep and all past supplements (I even run a FTD Fan Page on Facebook and have created a complete proficiency list). The base game was a breath of fresh air when I needed one (being over 5e) and the past supplements have been really good additions to the base game.
Five Torches Deep: Origins is a mixed bag.
I have been playing Five Torches Deep for a while now and thought a complete list of proficiencies would be useful.
You can download the one-page PDF using the link below and use it as you need.
FTD Complete List of Proficiencies
Enjoy!
When D&D moved to the newer, simpler 5th edition they disregarded a lot of the nuance that made the earlier editions of D&D more detailed.
This made the game simpler, but it lost a lot in the process.
An example of this is darkvision and the lack of, what was in 3rd edition, low-light vision.
Surprise in Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition, as a rule, is okay.
Probably not as good as it was in 3rd edition, but it’s workable (I kind of dig the ‘surprise round’ concept or 3rd edition).
However, I think it would work easier if you simply made it a condition.
So, here it is:
Continue reading “Surprise As A Condition In D&D 5th Edition”
This is a bit of an on-going experiment, but I decided to strip Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition down to its core to see how close I could replicate the earlier editions of the game.
Or, in other words, make it more like an old school D&D or OSR (Old School Renaissance) game.
And surprisingly, it works pretty well.
Continue reading “How To Surprisingly Turn D&D 5e Into An Old School OSR Game”
One of the big issues I have with spellcasting in D&D 5th edition is the restriction on casting spells that require concentration.
The rule as written in the Player’s Handbook is as follows:
Some spells require you to maintain concentration in order to keep their magic active. If you lose concentration, such a spell ends.
If a spell must be maintained with concentration, that fact appears in its Duration entry, and the spell specifics how long you can concentrate on it. You can end concentration at any time (no action required).
Normal activity, such as moving and attacking, doesn’t interfere with concentration. The following factors can break concentration:
Casting another spell that requires concentration. You lose concentration on a spell if you cast another spell that requires concentration. You can’t concentrate on two spells at once.
I understand the reason the designers did this – to limit the number of spells a caster could have “up” at any one time, but I feel like the pendulum swung too far.
Continue reading “Spellcasters Have A Concentration Problem”