Go into any homebrew community and post a non-item brew that gives a +1 bonus to something (like a subclass ability that gives a +1 to saving throws). You will get eaten alive. Why is this?
Category: Articles
Running the Sandbox: Reactive vs Proactive Questing
IntroI’ve been thinking about this for a while, and for a good span of time I felt there was a concept missing from the subject I was trying to tackle. Earlier today (at time of writing) MCDM discussed something fundamental about how rewards drive player motivation and suddenly the final piece of this write-up clicked. … Continue reading Running the Sandbox: Reactive vs Proactive Questing
The Three Layers of Storytelling
IntroToday I want to talk about what I would say is one of your most powerful tools as a DM. In order to do that, I need to lay out what I call the Three Layers of Storytelling. I’ll be discussing what these layers are, how they combine to make a cohesive narrative, and how … Continue reading The Three Layers of Storytelling
Memory and Longevity: The Failings of WotC
Intro I have, over the last few months, gone to great lengths discussing the ramifications of having long-lived races in our DnD settings. I’ve discussed how the length of their lifespans influences the cultures they develop. I’ve discussed how to reconcile those different lifespans and cultures into a single cohesive campaign world that doesn’t buckle … Continue reading Memory and Longevity: The Failings of WotC
Memory and Longevity: Half-Elves
Intro We have been discussing the long-lived races of the D&D multiverse. They bring with them a fundamental challenge of reconciling the length of their lives with the need for a timescale approachable to our mere human selves, both narratively and historically.We have used the anchoring concept of memory, its limitations, and how those limitations … Continue reading Memory and Longevity: Half-Elves
Memory and Longevity: Halflings
Intro The long-lived races of the D&D multiverse create a number of worldbuilding challenges and over the course of this series I’ve sought to address some of those challenges using the unifying concept of memory. We’ve discussed Dwarves, who pursue a multitude of masteries, Elves, who carefully manage their memory, and Gnomes, who seek a … Continue reading Memory and Longevity: Halflings
Memory and Longevity: Gnomes
Intro Today we continue the discussion on how to reconcile long-lived races with the desire to have realistic worldbuilding and roleplaying in our D&D games. There are many challenges presented to us as DMs wishing to create robust settings when one must include in them races that live for hundreds of years at a time, … Continue reading Memory and Longevity: Gnomes
Memory and Longevity: Elves
Intro We’re examining the longer-lived races of D&D and discussing exactly how to make sense of their lifespans in the context of a world that we as humans seek to navigate. Having fully sapient beings with lifespans of hundreds of years is challenging to handle from a worldbuilding and roleplaying perspective.I maintain that there is … Continue reading Memory and Longevity: Elves
Memory and Longevity: Dwarves
Intro The long-lived races of D&D have always raised questions in many as to why an 800-year-old Elf is somehow no more an expert than a 200-year-old Dwarf or 40-year-old Human. Why don’t Elves remember everything that’s ever happened? If they do, how do you account for that on a character sheet?There’s a simple unifying … Continue reading Memory and Longevity: Dwarves
Something Big Is Coming
I've got a ton of stuff in the works. The whole project is really kicking into gear, so I want to give a proper update on what I'm working on and what to expect in the coming weeks, months and (hopefully) years. The Patreon Is Live! That's right! It's been more than a year since … Continue reading Something Big Is Coming
An Ecology of Ambush Predators: Populating the Underdark to Set Up for Encounters
Intro This is an old post of mine from r/dndbehindthescreen. A few years ago they did an ‘Underdark Month’, and this was the contribution I made to it. This post was originally going to be followed up with another that went into further detail on how to design encounters using the possibilities this post created. … Continue reading An Ecology of Ambush Predators: Populating the Underdark to Set Up for Encounters
How To Design Puzzles Part 2: The Scrivener’s Tomb
Intro So the last part left you in the lurch a bit. I said I was going to teach you how to design puzzles, but I never actually showed you how, I just delivered to high-concept ideas and put in an example and a counter-example. As promised in the last part, this part is going … Continue reading How To Design Puzzles Part 2: The Scrivener’s Tomb
1-Year Retrospective
On March 2 2020 I made my first post on this blog. It was the first of what was at the time the ongoing 'Building Better Dungeons' series. A short while after I did a 2-month retrospective, and around that time I also reached the end of the retroactive posting of content (as in, uploading … Continue reading 1-Year Retrospective
How To Design Puzzles Part 1
Intro This one has been a long time coming. I’ve spoken at great length about taking lessons from puzzle games, and also about utilising puzzle mechanics to create incredible dungeons, but in all that something’s been missing. When I’ve brought up creating puzzles I’ve just sort of laid it out there as ‘when you make … Continue reading How To Design Puzzles Part 1
How to Keep Medicine Relevant in a World Where Magic Exists
IntroSo unless you’ve been living under a rock you’ve no doubt heard of the Combat Wheelchair homebrew that’s been knocking about. Look, I’m not here to get into a discussion about that, but there was one thing I noticed some detractors saying. Go into any thread about said Wheelchair and you’ll see someone say something … Continue reading How to Keep Medicine Relevant in a World Where Magic Exists
Puzzles, Time Loops and the Clockwork Setpiece
You pull yourselves up the rigging and over the ship’s handrail. The mist hangs low over the deck. You think you can see figures moving about, but nothing is distinct.“Ah,” you hear from behind you, “I thought this might happen...”Captain Broadheart is looking at his outstretched hands as his fingers trail off into the mist. … Continue reading Puzzles, Time Loops and the Clockwork Setpiece
The Arcane Wonders of the World
This is a follow on from my Mortal-Made Wonders of the World post from a while back. If you haven't read it yet then check it out! The Loqiron Ice Springs Though this scholar argues they are more an arcane phenomenon than a wonder, the Ice Springs that appear around the Loqiron Plateau are undeniably … Continue reading The Arcane Wonders of the World
Where The F*** Are The Dungeon Crawl Rules?
This is going to be a bit of a strange one. It’s a part-rant, part-ruleset about dungeon crawling, because a few months ago I noticed something was horribly wrong with 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons. Where The F*** Are The Dungeon Crawl Rules? Back in the day the D&D core books included very clear rules … Continue reading Where The F*** Are The Dungeon Crawl Rules?
The Realism Fallacy
Intro So here’s something I’m sick of hearing. “How do you justify the existence of [puzzle element] in your world?”. I get why it’s being asked, and I do think immersion is important, but I think there is often this perception that realism is synonymous with immersion. I frankly do not believe this is true, … Continue reading The Realism Fallacy
Building Better Campaigns Using Puzzle Game Design: Lesson 4
Intro Welcome back! I feel at this point there’s little value in preamble so I’ll just get on with the piece. To re-cap where we currently are, the last 3 parts have discussed world structures for our campaigns that are informed by puzzle game design.So if there’s one thing I wish I could go back … Continue reading Building Better Campaigns Using Puzzle Game Design: Lesson 4
Apothecary Press 