This is how I D&D
Back in 2021 I released Issue 1 of my d12 Monthly zine (you can also grab a printed copy) which had a table that let you roll what a monster was doing when the PCs showed up.
This was mainly for random encounters, but could be used for any encounter really.
Later that year I wrote an article about it to showcase how it could be used and the importance of it when trying to simulate a fantasy world and to keep verisimilitude.
Continue reading “Revisiting What The Monsters Are Doing Chart”
Issue 55 of d12 Monthly has landed – and it’s an icky one.
This issue is all about oozes and shapechangers: creatures too frightening and insidious to think about, let alone face. And how you can fit them into your campaign world.
Unlike most bestiaries, this one focuses on the world-building aspects of monsters.
Oozes and Shapechangers are both terrible creatures – both hidden where you least expect – and can easily kill adventurers if the players are not careful.
Bestiary: Oozes & Shapechangers focuses on making these creatures dangerous, memorable, and campaign-shaping. See below for the creatures I have included in this issue.
Continue reading “d12 Monthly – Issue 55 – Bestiary (Oozes & Shapechangers)”
Get more mileage out of every issue with bonus material crafted specifically for d12 Monthly. Enhance your game sessions with bonus material for the most gameable content for your favourite old school fantasy TTRPG.
Issue 54’s issued – a bestiary all about giants and monstrous humanoids – featured additional traits you could add to monsters to make them a little more interesting and to surprise veteran players.
Continue reading “d12 Monthly Web Enhancement For Issue 54 – Bestiary (Giants)”
Because I cannot fit all my ideas into one 28-page zine, this web enhancement lists some variants of those monsters that appear in Issue 54 of the d12 Monthly zine.
Continue reading “Web Enhancement – Giant And Monstrous Humanoids Variants”
Here’s the hard truth: if your wolves, orcs, and liches all fight like fearless sacks of hit points until they fall over, you’re not running monsters, you’re running target dummies.
Intelligence is the deciding factor in how a monster acts, reacts, and tries not to die.
Ignore it, and every encounter feels the same. Use it, and suddenly the dungeon feels alive and hostile – in the best possible way.
This is a guide to running monsters by Intelligence.
No theory. No fluff. Just behaviour you can apply at the table.
Continue reading “D&D Monster Intelligence: Stop Playing Them Like Idiots (Unless They Are)”
Issue 44 of my Dungeons and Dragons zine, d12 Monthly, is out!
Issue 44 is the Weird Monster issue. It will feature articles on corrupted flora & fauna and undead, a guest post on making better monsters, combining monsters, and much more! (See below for details).