The Massive 95MM Sea Green Teal Liquid Core Chonk D20 by Runic Dice is the prestige D&D item I always needed.

Reviewing the perfect metal dice for your desert D&D sessions.

Dice subscriptions like Mystery Dice Goblin are fun, affordable gifts for D&D dice collectors. Consider a few details before buying.

Learn why and how Strahd resonates as a villain for players so you can use him as a model for other resonant NPCs in your D&D games.

Enhance player agency in your D&D campaigns with techniques for creating meaningful choices, flexible storytelling, and interactive gameplay.

The Berserker is a staple concept in RPG history, but D&D 5e’s Barbarian Berserker misses the mark. I’ve made my revisions and explained them so you can decide if my revision deserves to be played over the PHB version. Check out my revision to see if you can improve on my ideas.

This is your guide to multiclassing with Wizards in D&D 5e. The guide includes multiclass combinations and recommendations by Wizard subclass. Multiclassing combinations can be fun, powerful, interesting, or all of the above. Check out my master guide to Wizard multiclassing for D&D 5e!

Feats add a degree of customization to a tabletop RPG that I enthusiastically enjoy; however, not all feats are created equal. I’ve listed every official feat so that I can grade them and provide my thoughts.

Skill challenges are conflicts that go beyond combat or conversation. They demand creativity, teamwork, and resourcefulness as characters come together in a high-stakes, heart-pounding action sequence.

The Dungeons & Dragons horror campaign setting that has enraptured DMs and players since AD&D. While DMs may buy this book expecting an encyclopedia of Ravenloft lore, Van Richten’s Guide is best viewed as an expansive guide to tabletop horror, supplemented with Ravenloft elements and atmosphere.

This Thief Rogue deep dive will show players that this less-loved subclass is truly a gem that offers a unique playstyle that cannot be duplicated.

Everything you need in one place to make Strahd a formidable, unforgettable final boss of Curse of Strahd D&D 5e.

This 2024 gift guide has the perfect gifts for Dungeons and Dragons fans they will actually use! For DMs and players alike.

Learn to make a memorable villain from one of the best DMs for villains! DragnaCarta is one of the authorities on how to use villains in D&D.

In a perfect world, you have clear, concise information at your fingertips. But official campaign modules for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition are often written in a free-flowing, narrative style that’s difficult to quickly reference. Read tips from master DM DragnaCarta for preparing your sessions for adventure modules.

When it comes to the gameplay experience, the DM is merely a figurehead. Players hold true power to create a fun, engaging, and memorable story.

D&D 5e’s Tomb of Annihilation is popular, but its call to adventure is lacking. Here’s how to hook characters into meaningful jungle exploration.

DMs running social encounters must often rely on paragraphs of bullet-pointed notes, creating a loop of forgetfulness, cross-referencing, and clumsy adjudication that can leave any DM frustrated. By contrast, while combat encounters also include many moving parts, the combat statblock helps organize our ability to operate enemies in combat, streamlining our efforts and reducing the mental load. How might we do the same for social encounters in D&D 5e?

Character backstories are often too sparse or bloated. Learn to invent quality details for your backstory without writing a novel.

Between its fantastical flavor, cultural resonance, and DM-friendly structure, The Wild Beyond the Witchlight may be 5e’s best official campaign thus far.

Like many games, D&D 5e is a strategic and tactical experience—but character-building guides can only take you so far. With these basic tactical options in mind, however, even the most unoptimized PC (or the weakest NPC) can play a powerful role in combat. In isolation, a character sheet and a D&D party are just disparate, lonely pieces. Taken together, however, the integrated whole is far greater than the sum of its parts.

Learn to condense your many ideas and keep creative players on track so your one-shots don’t become two-shots! Use the three-act template for your one-shot preparations.

I review dice by MAGISEVEN’s dice, an online store that specializes in providing beautifully crafted dice of glass and gemstone for D&D.

Any player can and should try to resolve problems as they arise. Even so—whether for good or ill—DMs are widely expected to be their table’s mediator. But how?

Combat should should feel dramatic, engaging, and deeply personal—a heart-pounding experience (not a slog). Make your players feel like they’re watching a scene unfold on a movie screen. Let’s explore how DMs can develop this experience!

Dungeons & Dragons 5e teaches players a lot about the nuts-and-bolts of dungeon-, character-, and encounter-building. It offers oodles of options for spells, feats, and mechanics. However, it does little to teach DMs how to engage their players with dramatic quests and encounters. If you’re looking to keep your D&D players engaged—and if you’re looking to build a satisfying combat encounter or non-combat scene—we must first explore a fundamental concept of storytelling: the dramatic question.

Is this love-letter to D&D’s scaly overlords worth pulling out your wallet? Here’s what you need to know about Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons.

Every player brings their own set of expectations to the table. The more the game meets these expectations, the more fun each player will have.

Is Candela Obscura, Critical Role’s first published tabletop roleplaying game, any good? Here’s a game designer’s review and insights.

Are flanking rules fun? Are they well-designed? I’ve attempted to use them in several campaigns, but they never seem to stick. Players stop caring and the DM stops caring as flanking falls into a distant memory. I’ve dissected flanking rules to see what needs to change to make flanking fun. Review my ideas to see if you like them enough to try them in your own games.

This guide assists players with choosing feats for their Druid characters. D&D 5e’s Druid class possesses specialties that lend well to several feats, so let’s identify which ones are the most synergistic.

Dream is a fifth level illusion spell available to bards, warlocks, and wizards. Druids of Circle of the Land who choose grassland as their environmental specialty will also learn Dream…

Ross Leiser explains top-down, bottom-up, and other approaches to designing homebrew classes for D&D 5e and TTRPGs.

While the mechanics of grappling are fairly straightforward, a player or a dungeon master can gain many strategic ideas from exploring this action.

Learn about the appeal and flow of the Mörk Borg TTRPG to see if it’s right for you and your band of temporary player characters!

The survival rules in D&D kinda suck. But don’t worry, I’ve learned a lot from my survival campaign, and I’m here to distill those lessons into an article to fix survival in D&D.

The Thaumaturge is a fresh spellcasting class with new spells to support it that are exciting for veteran D&D 5e players. Here’s my review of Benjamin Huffman’s latest third-party class design.

Reviews, ratings, and rankings of each D&D 5e Druid subclass.

Learn to play a character that functions as a vampire of energy via words and drabness instead of messy bites. Play as Colin Robinson from What We Do in the Shadows!

I’ll admit, I’ve written somewhat about this topic before, but only because it weighs heavily on my mind when I run a game. As a player who doesn’t particularly enjoy combat, I’ve narrowed down what issues I have with combat and a simple formula to spice up fights in gameplay. These steps take little effort to incorporate and have been tested in my own games. 

Everything to know about making money homebrewing content for D&D!

The Gunslinger by heavyarms is the perfect third-party supplement for players to utilize firearms in D&D 5e.

The tarokka deck reading is an iconic aspect of Curse of Strahd that identifies the locations and identities of important treasures and people for your players to interact with. This article focuses on Strahd’s Enemy, or the Destined Ally as many call it. I’ve ranked each of the potential allies and summarized them in order to create an ultimate DM resource on the topic. Former players of the campaign will also enjoy the topic!

The best Wizard spells by level in D&D 5e. Wizards of D&D 5e have the most extensive spell list to choose from of all the classes. While this benefits them greatly in versatility, it’s cumbersome for new and experienced players alike to select the spells they’ll learn. Preparing spells makes the process all the more taxing. After years of playing D&D 5e, I understand which spells are the most impactful and ubiquitous across campaign settings and game styles. My list here summarizes the best Wizard spells that keep proving themselves useful time and time again.

This article will be focusing on the broad order and organization of the cosmos and some important fundamental forces that every D&D world needs.

Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything describes the Order of the Scribes Wizard subclass as the most bookish of all Wizards. Every Wizard keeps a library card, but the Scribes are in the library every day! Here’s how to roleplay your Scribe Wizard.

Paladins and Rangers don’t typically mix in min-max multiclass builds, but we’ll explore what does or does not work with this combination.

The Ranger has been revised more than any other class because of its disconnect with player expectations and play-feel. How can we fix the heart of the issue?

Your guide to Ranger multiclassing for unique character builds in Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition (D&D 5e). Multiclassing is daunting for new players to learn, but rewarding for experienced players. Aside from optimization, multiclassing allows you to bring unique characters to life with outside-the-box specialties. Multiclassing can be useful for roleplaying as well, so it’s not merely for min-max-style players. Review my recommendations to discover inspiration for your next character.

Traps, secret doors, and skulking assassins are aspects of D&D that test a character’s ability to keenly perceive their surroundings. D&D 5e’s core rules depend on the Perception skill, and more specifically the Passive Perception skill, and this resource possesses everything you need to understand it.

Learn everything you need to know about playing and enjoying a D&D 5e Barbarian character. We cover feats, subclasses, tactics, and more.

It’s entirely natural for players to start their Dungeons and Dragons campaign with one particular expectation: I am going to be a hero. Not in a conceited “let me be in the spotlight” way, but in the “we are a party of heroes going to solve the world’s problems” way. Of course there will be players with devious motives who turn out to be anti-heroes, but that’s just the other side of the same coin. In this mindset, players are still playing characters who will solve problems.

Inspiration to gain advantage feels… uninspired. Here are my suggestions for class-specific ways to use Inspiration to delight your players!

Do you struggle to spend your gold in D&D 5e? Does gold seem worthless? Here are my tips for spending your gold and having fun with wealth in your TTRPG experience.

With the myriad of character options available, considering which race to build from can be a daunting task. This guide will help provide you with a basic overview of each playable race, along with some inspiring ideas for background-building and optimization.

Sanity is an optional mechanic often dismissed as either extreme or useless in D&D 5e. However, using Sanity as an additional ability score has a wide array of uses and benefits.

I’ll direct you to feats that are worth your Wizardly time. Having feats spread out through several books can make it difficult to research and settle on which feats are best for a Wizard. I’ve summarized the best feats to enhance and expand your spell-slinging!

Why do people avoid homebrew? These common concerns with D&D 5e’s third-party homebrew content are addressed by a pro designer in the scene.

A closer look at the Rune Knight features and how these synergize with the Fighter’s main class features, then review suitable feat, race, and multiclass options and finally combine these into some build concepts.

Start with this list of D&D 5e third-party classes if you want to freshen up the game! Homebrew is alive and well from reputable designers.

A closer look at the Ascendant Dragon features and how these synergize with the Monk’s main class features, then review suitable feat, race, and multiclass options and finally combine these into some build concepts.

Feats are powerful customizations when coupled appropriately with class abilities. Clerics are unique because they already have a lot going for them. I’m here to direct you to the feats that are worth your time.

List and links for each D&D 5e book that has received content and rules errata and revision.

Third-party D&D content is thriving, but where do you begin? What are the greatest hits? Use this list to curate your collection!

Spell scrolls, in my experience, are not utilized often in D&D 5e, but they are incredibly useful magic items. They’re accessible through crafting and dungeon delving. The Order of Scribes Wizard specializes in scroll creation. Let us explore everything about spell scrolls so you can confidently use them in your game!

A closer look at the Echo Knight features and how these synergize with the Fighter’s main class features, then review suitable feat, race, and multiclass options and finally combine these into some build concepts.

A closer look at the Eldritch Knight features and how these synergize with the Fighter’s main class features, then review suitable feat, race, and multiclass options and finally combine these into some build concepts.

Reviews, ratings, and rankings of each Bard subclass.

Fill in details and discover intriguing new ideas to seamlessly involve Curse of Strahd’s Werewolf Den in your D&D 5e adventure. DMs only!

Learn clever, creative tricks for players or DMs to use and roleplay familiars in D&D 5e campaigns and have more fun.

Class capstones should be special and desirable. They’re the level-twenty culmination of many adventures and challenges. Capstones should feel legendary, but many don’t. I’ve reviewed each one to offer alternatives to meet expectations!

Reviews, ratings, and rankings of each Sorcerer subclass.

Learn the tips and tricks to running a successful D&D campaign for a large group of players.

Spice up your D&D 5e monsters with weaknesses that your players will be delighted to discover.

Everything to know about the Bountiful Luck feat for Halflings, including the types of characters who can best wield it.

D&D 5e’s Monk subclasses ratings and rankings to demonstrate which of them are the best at complementing the Monk’s narrow playstyle.

Many power builds in D&D 5e involve multiclassing, but is that why players multiclass their characters? Let’s find out what nearly 15,000 respondents consider when multiclassing.

The Purple Dragon Knight Fighter stinks! Let’s make it better.

West Marches D&D games are the best way to avoid schedule conflicts, try many options and genres, and hone your skills. Here’s why!

Kurt Wagner is my favorite superhero on my favorite superhero team. I had to do a D&D 5e character build for Nightcrawler!

From the description of the cosmos, it may sound like the planar structure is relatively set in stone in 5th edition. However, looking at previous editions, I would say this conception would be a mistake. The order and structure of the planes can be fluid and evolving, and high level characters can absolutely have an effect on it.

D&D 5e’s Samurai Fighter subclass is an average archetype for your Fighter. Let’s explore how to get the most value out of it.

D&D adventure design is not easy, but these time-tested methods will help you craft memorable adventures that resonate with players forever.

D&D 5e’s Purple Dragon Knight Fighter subclass, or Banneret, is notoriously underwhelming. Here’s a look at why it lets us down.

Dungeons and Dragons has a slight learning curve in mechanics, role playing, and how players approach the game. Here are some of the major mistakes new players make and our suggestions on how to fix them.

Should a D&D 5e DM lie about dice rolls? Here’s why I never fudge dice rolls and the benefits I’ve experienced with this gaming philosophy.

D&D 5e’s Battle Master Fighter subclass is a classic, but is it really that exciting? Let’s find out how it holds up today in this review.

One D&D is the next evolution of Dungeons and Dragons. Let’s look at the playtest material that has been released to glimpse what’s to come.

For the Dungeon Master with players well-versed in Dungeons and Dragons, planning unexpected and intriguing combat with frequently-used monsters can be a challenge. I propose, in addition to using interactive battle elements and hazards, a dungeon master should consider giving nearly all battles lair effects, lair actions, and possibly legendary actions.

Reviews, ratings, and rankings of each Warlock subclass in D&D 5e.

Read Flutes’ top picks for Rogue feats. The best feats might surprise you!

Villainy is underestimated as a tool for benevolence in Dungeons and Dragons. Sly underworld skills can change the tide of a campaign in favor of the good guys.

This 3rd-party supplement for D&D 5e alchemy, the Alchemy Almanac, is rich and enjoyable for players while demanding almost nothing from GMs.

Awarding D&D 5e Inspiration rewards players. However, Inspiration comes with potential drawbacks that you might not foresee.

In this article, you’ll find an extrapolation of the Wildmother’s tenets of belief and commandments. I’ll also provide ideas for implementing these tenets and lore into your campaign, as well as a narrative sermon from a priestess of the Wildmother that explores the credo of this deity.

Using miniatures in D&D isn’t required, but minis can add much joy to your game. This sponsored article describes the ins and outs of using miniatures and promotes an impressive Kickstarter project.

Identifying a TTRPG player’s playstyle leads to greater enjoyment of the game. Here are top archetypes to accompany common playstyles according to Indestructoboy.

D&D 5e Alchemists fail to deliver on the desired player fantasy. Taron Pounds, a pro designer, has finally given us a simple Alchemist class. Here’s my review!

I explore what hitpoints are in D&D 5e and how to roleplay and narrate types of damage. Hitpoints are much more than physical health. Damage types are opportunities to roleplay and tell a story.

Reviews, ratings, and rankings of each Ranger subclass in D&D 5e.

D&D 5e Paladin Oath subclasses ranked and rated! Paladins get unique spells, auras, and other features, but which ones are best?

Welcome to Flutes’ sly guide for Rogue multiclassing character builds. Multiclassing allows you to build interesting concepts for unique characters with outside-the-box specialties. Multiclassing can be useful for roleplaying as well, so do not make the mistake of thinking this guide is only for min-max-style playstyles. I’m analyzing the Rogue class as both core and secondary within a multiclass build.

D&D 5e armor and stats make Dexterity king. Let’s make armor and Strength interesting at all levels, not just at character creation!

A notorious nightmare for children across the world, the tales of Baba Yaga vary from culture to culture, yet all leave a feeling of dread of the old forest witch. Unsurprisingly, Dungeons & Dragons has also incorporated their own version of the story into their canon, maintaining the themes of wickedness and whimsy.

I need to rant about the state of third-party content for D&D 5e and the disrespect that is being shown to players who purchase it.

Reviews, ratings, and rankings of each Artificer subclass.

In this article, I’m going to provide advice on electing intentional character traits so that a player may make sincere character choices in-game that are true to their character’s personality.

Reviews, ratings, and rankings of each Fighter subclass.

Reviewing the D&D 5e Cavalier Fighter to identify its strengths and weaknesses, empowering players to choose their character options wisely.

Reviewing the D&D 5e Arcane Archer Fighter to identify its strengths and weaknesses, empowering players to choose their character options wisely.

Reviewing the D&D 5e Psi Warrior Fighter to identify its strengths and weaknesses, empowering players to choose their character options wisely.

Breaking with previous editions, 5e chooses to keep the Outer Planes incredibly vague. However, the shape and experience of each Outer Plane is highly dependent on the deities or powers that control them. This article explores these differences.

This article will provide several playable rules-as-written class options that may allow a character to be burdened by ghosts, for better or for worse.

Let’s explore the vast, open area of Yester Hill in D&D 5e’s famous adventure, Curse of Strahd!

Explore the application, history, and alternatives of D&D 5e’s experience points and progression system for your TTRPG group.

One of Curse of Strahd’s oddities to unravel is the absence and trapped nature of Ravenloft souls. Here’s what you need to know in D&D 5e!

Often flavored as steampunk inventors with a knack for all tools, Artificers are robust in skill and surprisingly not pigeonholed into a specific playtype. Where the description typically makes a reader think of someone who works with their hands, how would the class look if we were to reflavor the archetype into a more mystical magic user who employs the skills-as-written in a witchy way?

Your guide to Monk multiclassing for unique character builds in Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition (D&D 5e). Multiclassing is daunting for new players to learn, but rewarding for experienced players. Aside from optimization, multiclassing allows you to bring unique characters to life with outside-the-box specialties. Multiclassing can be useful for roleplaying as well, so it’s not merely for min-max-style players. Review my recommendations to discover inspiration for your next character.

The simple, vanilla Fighter archetype with straightforward features that require little to no resource management. Is it worth playing?

Your guide to Bard multiclassing for unique character builds in Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition (D&D 5e). Multiclassing is daunting for new players to learn, but rewarding for experienced players. Aside from optimization, multiclassing allows you to bring unique characters to life with outside-the-box specialties. Multiclassing can be useful for roleplaying as well, so it’s not merely for min-max-style players. Review my recommendations to discover inspiration for your next character.

Your guide to Paladin multiclassing for unique character builds in Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition (D&D 5e). Multiclassing is daunting for new players to learn, but rewarding for experienced players. Aside from optimization, multiclassing allows you to bring unique characters to life with outside-the-box specialties. Multiclassing can be useful for roleplaying as well, so it’s not merely for min-max-style players. Review my recommendations to discover inspiration for your next character.

The Totem Barbarian has aged well with outstandingly flexible, impactful features. Let’s explore which options to select, including lineages and feats, for a Totem Barbarian character.

Your guide to Warlock multiclassing for unique character builds in Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition (D&D 5e). Review my recommendations to discover inspiration for your next character.

Read about D&D 5e’s Zealot Barbarian to learn the basics of its features so you can make a build that makes sense for your character.

In this article, I hope to provide Dungeon Masters with several tools that will enable them to actualize unprecedented cultures and characteristics, which they can then incorporate into their worldbuilding and gameplay.

I had to rework this D&D 5e mechanic! Why does the 5e system reference the confusion spell with half a sentence every time the mechanic pops up? We need a “confused” condition.

D&D 5e’s Storm Herald Barbarian is a mixed bag of interesting options that might be worse than what you can already accomplish. Let’s review!

Is Elven Accuracy a worthy feat to select, or are you better off with regular advantage and other options? Flutes analyzes this D&D 5e feat for Elves.

The Ancestral Guardian is fantastic for players who want to be functional tanks for their parties. You can prevent damage and attract aggression to you instead of your friends.

Your guide to Sorcerer multiclassing for unique character builds in Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition (D&D 5e). Multiclassing is daunting for new players to learn, but rewarding for experienced players. Aside from optimization, multiclassing allows you to bring unique characters to life with outside-the-box specialties. Multiclassing can be useful for roleplaying as well, so it’s not merely for min-max-style players. Review my recommendations to discover inspiration for your next character.

My favorite Barbarian subclass is Path of the Beast. I’ve seen many reviews of the subclass, not deep-dive guides that do it justice. I believe this is the most useful guide to the Beast Barbarian on the internet to help players play

The Wild Magic Barbarian is interesting. Some players jump at the idea of a random-packed subclass, but does it deliver on that premise?

Vox Machina’s adventuring days may be over, but their lives press on. I’ll explain what they’ve been up to according to Critical Role’s new book, Tal’Dorei Reborn.

D&D 5e’s Enchantment Wizard is one of the most high-skill subclasses to play in the game. I gave it a shot, and here is what I learned.

Welcome to the second half of our exploration of the Inner Planes, where we will be covering the other half of the planes, as well as the para-elemental planes and other representations of the elemental planes.

Faerie Dragon featured image is a combination of images credited to Wizards of the Coast’s D&D 5e book Monster Manual and art by Michael Krahn on Unsplash. Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links that add gold to our coffers. Hello and welcome to this edition of Expanding Monsters, where we take a look at monsters in …

Faerie Dragons: Expanding Monsters in D&D 5e Read More »

This article will focus on half of the planes, Fire and Earth. The other two will be covered in a separate article, because there is a lot of lore to go through.

In this article, I hope to provide inspiration and actionable advice for playing a Druid while leveraging lore and tradition from Celtic Druidism.

Tal’Dorei Reborn is a Critical Role book that includes unofficial subclasses for D&D 5e. Let’s analyze the new subclasses to see if they’re fun!

We fixed one of D&D 5e’s most unpopular character options: the Champion Fighter Archetype. Here’s our revised version for your review.

Learn about the ecology of Umber Hulks in D&D 5e and how to beef them up with a bit of homebrew in this edition of evolving monsters.

When players hear of geopolitical challenges, problematic societal beliefs, inter-species conflicts, and general movements throughout the land, they may not feel compelled to tackle such vast and vague problems, but they will discover how these dilemmas shape the campaign around them.

Portent is a powerful Divination Wizard feature, but the community has placed it too high on its pedestal. I explain why Portent is overrated by expounding on its limitations and its reliance on metagaming for maximum efficacy.

Realms steeped in life and death, shrouded in myth and mysticism, the Mirror Planes are a strange reflection of the mortal world. This article aims to fill lore gaps by pulling inspiration from previous editions, from real-life mythology, and from outside media.

DMs can ruin the mystique of what they do by sharing their methodologies, but DMs can learn from one another without fear of ruining the experience for their players. Here you’ll find StoryCrafting skills and methods to help you with your game.

D&D Cosmology can be daunting to unravel. Let’s explore several core models to help DMs and players navigate cosmology in their D&D games.

Shard reviews D&D 5e’s Way of the Drunken Master Monk features, offering ideas for feats, races, & builds to make the most of this subclass!

Teamwork is a critical part of D&D. Druids have a unique opportunity to function as riding mounts for their allies. Explore Wild Shape as a way to help your friends.

Your guide to Druid multiclassing for unique character builds in Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition (D&D 5e). Multiclassing is daunting for new players to learn, but rewarding for experienced players. Aside from optimization, multiclassing allows you to bring unique characters to life with outside-the-box specialties. Multiclassing can be useful for roleplaying as well, so it’s not merely for min-max-style players. Review my recommendations to discover inspiration for your next character.

I’ve created expanded spell lists for the Sorcerer subclasses that predate Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. These expanded spell lists should even the playing field for older Sorcerous Origins.

Your guide to Fighter multiclassing for unique character builds in Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition (D&D 5e). Multiclassing is daunting for new players to learn, but rewarding for experienced players. Aside from optimization, multiclassing allows you to bring unique characters to life with outside-the-box specialties. Multiclassing can be useful for roleplaying as well, so it’s not merely for min-max-style players. Review my recommendations to discover inspiration for your next character.

The Remorhaz is a unique, interesting monster that can be used in a variety of ways. Learn about their ecology and combat tactics with this edition of Evolving Monsters.

Music and ambience, when used appropriately, can enhance your sessions. If you’ve never used music before or have had trouble implementing it into your sessions, this guide will answer your questions and help you bring immersion and drama to your table.

Shard reviews D&D 5e’s Path of the Berserker Barbarian features, offering ideas for feats, races, & builds to make the most of this subclass!

Explore how the magically enhanced Displacer Beast from the Feywild behaves tactically. Learn how to homebrew variants of the monster for higher-level play tiers.

The Battlerager Barbarian is a subclass that has been underwhelming since it was published. I’ve explored the reasons for its lack of popularity and made my own version. Enjoy!

In my experience, the afterlife rarely comes up during play, but there’s a lot of fascinating lore that could affect how players interact with the world. This article will cover your bases and give you a run-down on what 5th edition has to say on the afterlife.

The Way of Shadow Monk feels like the ninja archetype. Does it live up to its reputation? Let’s find out as Shard reviews the subclass.

Multiclassing can be useful for roleplaying as well, so do not make the mistake of thinking this guide is only for min-max-style playstyles. I’m analyzing the Barbarian class as both core and secondary within a multiclass build.

Let me tell you the tale of the toughest DM decision I ever made, and why I’m glad I didn’t take the easy way out.

Shard reviews D&D 5e’s Way of the Kensei Monk features, offering ideas for feats, races, & builds to make the most of this subclass!

Learn how relative technology and magic levels will apply and interact with one another in your setting. Worldbuilding principles for GMs (system agnostic).

Moonbeam has become a D&D 5e pet peeve of mine. I’ll describe why and help readers to use Moonbeam in effective ways.

Your guide to Artificer multiclassing for unique character builds in Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition (D&D 5e). Multiclassing brings unique characters to life with outside-the-box specialties.

Underwater rules of D&D 5e don’t come up often, but each time they do, I wish I knew them better. I’ve reviewed them and summarized them in this one spot to help other DMs and players. Prepare for underwater combat!

Shard reviews D&D 5e’s Way of the Four Elements Monk features, offering ideas for feats, races, & builds to make the most of this subclass!

Shard analyzes and reviews the Open Hand Monk to give quick tips for anyone thinking of playing one! Let’s review this classic Monk archetype.

I collected my greatest regrets from the three Curse of Strahd campaigns I ran, and discovered my best Curse of Strahd DM tips to help you with your game!

Shard reviews D&D 5e’s Way of Mercy Monk features, offering ideas for feats, races, & builds to make the most of this subclass!

We look at monsters in the 5e Monster Manual and tweak them to be more interesting. We’re looking at Blink Dogs and how they interact with others in the planes and add to your world’s lore.

Shard reviews D&D 5e’s Way of the Long Death Monk features and offers his ideas for feats, races, & builds to make the most of this subclass!

One of the deadliest undead effects of past D&D editions was level draining. I’ve explored what level draining was and what it could be in D&D 5e. This mechanic will enable you to up the stakes in your game with several tools to achieve your goals!

Reviews for each of the seventeen self-contained adventures within the Candlekeep Mysteries adventure book. This review comes to you from Tabletop Bob who live-streamed each of the adventures, making him an authority on the book.

This guide assists players with choosing feats for their Artificer characters. D&D 5e’s Artificer class possesses specialties that lend well to several feats, so let’s identify which ones are the most synergistic.

New players are often confused, frustrated, or disappointed when they try navigating D&D rules for making multiple attacks. Dual-wielding is especially difficult to work with since it sounds cooler than it mechanically is. Guest writer Erevan collaborated with Flutes for this helpful overview for new players.

This guide assists players with choosing feats for their Ranger characters. D&D 5e’s Ranger class possesses specialties that lend well to several feats, so let’s identify which ones are the most synergistic.

The satirical salesmanship of Planeswalker Seth continues. He was emboldened by the bargains he procured in part one, so he’s ready to put his snake-oil salesmanship to work in part two. Enjoy perusing his dimensionally dysfunctional MTG D&D cards.

Magic wands are interesting magic items in 5e that allow DMs to reward spellcasters without fretting over which magic items would make fine loot. Due to my increasing love of magic wands, I’ve summarized everything I know of them. My intent is to enable and inspire DMs to put wands in their games and hype players to want wands for their characters.

Iron, a vital component in both life-giving blood and life-ending swords, has played an intriguing role in folklore, which has carried over to tabletop roleplaying games. From ferrous daggers to monsters like the Iron Golem, this material has at least one fascinating mechanic in Dungeons and Dragons.

The satirical ramblings of Planeswalker Seth as he attempts to sell his jumbled, mistranslated MTG D&D cards to adventuring folks. These cards have been through Google Translate too many times…

Krezk is a village with few details compared to the metropolis of Vallaki, but it need not be so hollow. This guide will help DMs flesh out Krezk to make it an engaging setting for any player group. I’ll review the module as written and point out ideas for expounding and homebrewing details. Let’s talk about Krezk!

The Way of the Sun Soul offers a unique playstyle for a Monk, but it takes a while to get going. Let’s see if we can make a proper character with this subclass.

Shard takes a closer look at the Way of the Astral Self Monk. This guide helps players to effectively use the subclass at the height of its potential. Is your Astral Self Monk a tripping junky or a transcendent mystic?

This guide assists players with choosing feats for their Warlock characters. D&D 5e’s Warlock class possesses specialties that lend well to several feats, so let’s identify which ones are the most synergistic.

Welcome to the entertainer’s guide to the best feats for Bards in D&D 5e. These are the most fashionable feats combinations for ten different types of Bards.

Take a deep dive into the Battlerager Barbarian subclass of D&D 5e’s Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide. Let’s analyze this Barbarian Path to see if it’s rightfully ignored or tragically forgotten!

Whether you’re a player exploring new depths of character development or a Dungeon Master on a quest for inspiration, integrating tarot card reading into your adventure is a reliable way to spice up your game.

This guide assists players with choosing feats for their Fighter characters. D&D 5e’s Fighter class possesses specialties that lend well to several feats. Fighters get two additional ASI opportunities, so they can be customized with feats more than the average character. Let’s identify the top feats for Fighters!

A repugnant dark fey creature with enigmatic origins, the Hag is one of the most notorious wicked creatures in the Dungeons and Dragons anthology. I hope to highlight tactics, lore, descriptions, and ideas that go beyond the scope of the conventional 5e Hag encounter to provide Dungeon Masters with tools to incorporate Hags into their campaigns in unexpected and exciting ways.

Which feats are worth a Sorcerer’s notice? The Sorcerer is a bewitching Charisma-based spellcaster. Common character builds combine Sorcerers with Paladins and Warlocks. The Sorcerer is blessed with versatility, but it needs to augment its spellcasting list to avoid a stagnant repertoire. I’ve explored the best feats for Sorcerers to help you narrow down the best options for your sorcerous character!

Reviewing the features of the Beast and how they synergize with the Barbarian class features. Suitable feats, races, and multiclass options are included with several character concepts/builds.

To mitigate time consumption and a poor group experience, I believe shopping should be strategic, world-building, and should progress the campaign while rewarding players for their deeds. In this article, I’ll explain what I mean, as well as provide example shops that can be implemented in towns and villages based on the criteria outlined in the article.

A common practice of Dungeon Masters is to pass the talking stick to a player who lands a killing blow against a monster. This is especially common when the monster is a boss monster or otherwise important enemy. This practice was assumed by me to be appreciated by all players, but it turns out I was wrong. While I gather many players to enjoy their own narration of their killing blows, some players would gladly play without it.

My revision of the Transmutation Wizard in D&D 5e’s PHB. Let’s cast Alter Subclass’ on this bad boy. Adding fun options to the Transmuter’s Stone, an alchemist feel, and getting rid of the horrible level-ten feature. This is the revised Transmuter you’ve wanted to play for years!

Flutes’ divine order of top ten Paladin feats; I reveal the best feats to develop the divine warrior you’re destined to become. Lead the party with confidence and conviction by choosing feats that suit your benevolent goals.

Concentration is important for any spellcaster to understand. I’ve compiled common questions and answers to help DMs and players understand how concentration is designed to function in D&D 5e. The concentration mechanic prevents obscene spell combos from single spellcasters. Concentration also creates a sense of risk for spellcasters using concentration spells. Here are the most common concentration questions explained!

I’ve been meditating on the 2020 book, Tasha’s Cauldron of everything, considering which subclasses I’d be most excited to play from the book. Though there are many cool concepts in its pages, I’ve identified seven subclasses that I’m most excited to play. They’re not necessarily the strongest subclasses from TCoE, but they’re not the weakest either. I present my favorite subclasses from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything!

Welcome to my monastery of Monk feats; I’ll reveal the best feats to develop the martial artist you’ve trained to become. Choose wisely the feats that your Monk will employ.

Curse of Strahd is highly customizable, and it all starts with Death House. Here are all the ways I’ve noticed that a DM can foreshadow the campaign’s events with the Durst Manor.

Often portrayed as fearsome yet likable antiheroes, pirates are typically seen as ruthless scoundrels motivated by more than just money who challenge the social system that beat down the lower class. The history of pirates, their tactics, and the legends surrounding them, all make for compelling and engaging roleplay and character builds in tabletop roleplaying games.

I spent my early days in D&D 5e imagining how I could play a character who resembles Gaara from Naruto. He’s such a cool character with unique powers. Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything has gifted me with a subclass that is an add-water Gaara concept. The Swarmkeeper Ranger is meant to overwhelm enemies with sand! Learn how to play Gaara in D&D 5e today.

I condensed the rules for ‘surprise’ in D&D 5e into one article. You can reference the rules in one place! I also explain how ‘surprise’ works, so new and old players can understand how to properly ambush monsters.

Internet chatter is taking a weird direction regarding D&D character creation. Some are interpreting powerful characters to be an inherently bad part of the game. I am expounding upon this concept to find what is true or false about it.

Read my fixed version of the Assassin Rogue. I added more to the class to allow for high initiative rolls and mechanical advantages when using poisons and other tools. I reworked several abilities from higher levels. Check it out and tell me what you think of the Assassin 2.0!

Movement speed is a valuable resource in many ways. D&D 5e players often squander their movement as they focus on their attacks and spells, forgetting about positioning or not understanding it. I’ve exhausted all of my general ideas about how movement affects combat. Controlling it and using it wisely will win you the day! Read my tactical guide for battlefield movement.

Wizards are versatile and powerful, but how do their specialties measure up? I’ve rated each Wizard subclass, so we can discover the best and worst Arcane Traditions to inform our next character concept.

We just wrote about D&D Hard Mode, and now, in this article, I’m going to propose ideas for playing Dungeons and Dragons on Safe Mode, which suggests a lot less killing, significantly safer encounters, and yet still packed with intrigue and escapism.

There are several ideas in D&D 5e books to help steer in this gritty direction; I’ll summarize the ones that I know of. I’ll also provide homebrew ideas for how to play D&D 5e on epic difficulty.

Enrich your Dungeons and Dragons game by developing a comprehensive character background.

Instead of settling for the boring options of dead or not dead, use grievous injuries to up the stakes. You can create value for high-level healing and resurrection spells while keeping players worried about losing their heads when lingering injuries are possible!

Eloquence is a gift to some but a process for many. In this article, I share my methods and resources for developing words, dialogue, and more for D&D games. You can learn to employ language like Matt Mercer if you learn how to develop the skill.

Rewarding players with spell components of a higher caliber. There are many ways to motivate players and freshen up the game that don’t involve magic items!

Choosing spells for a part-caster class can be daunting. Spells can cost valuable battle actions and may not always be worthwhile. In this article, we’ll go through our top Ranger spells for each level, keeping in mind a Ranger’s skillset.

Charisma is being in-tuned with the magic within, your galactic repertoire, the strength and ability of your character, and your innate potential to achieve your goals. Learn the various ways we suggest a player employ Charisma in-game.

Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition has a wide variety of dangerous monsters for a party of adventurers to encounter anywhere their journey takes them. Most DMs rely on the Challenge Rating system of comparing one monster against a party of four adventurers. I’m going to discuss the Challenge Rating system, where it falls short, and how it can be useful for DMs.

I realized a bizarre combo can be achieved by immolating oneself with Alchemist’s Fire then using Absorb Elements to resist the damage and empower melee attacks with fire. I’ve identified several class concepts that could feasibly pull off this strange self-immolation tactic, so check out my findings!

This is your ultimate guide to Spell Mastery. One of the coolest, unappreciated class features of any class in D&D 5e is the Wizard’s Spell Mastery at level eighteen. Spell Mastery essentially transforms one first-level spell and one second-level spell into bonafide cantrips because they can be cast without expending spell slots.

Rating each subclass to identify which Barbarian paths are premium, and which ones are hot garbage.

The purpose of this article is to help players find a Warlock patron with the lore, goals, and abilities that fit into their character build and background, as well as to help players flesh out roleplaying and world-building aspects of their adventurer to share with their Dungeon Master.

Gathering expensive material components for spells can be dull and bothersome. I’ve homebrewed suggestions for interesting alternative material components for your spellcasting needs.

Barbarians can wield a rapier or other finesse weapon to gain defensive options and combative variety while maintaining impressive damage.

“Life and death are the twin faces of eternal existence. To surrender to either one is to resign oneself to obscurity. True power lies in the twilight zone between life and death”

A feast is thrown in the adventurers’ honor. Merriment and music fill the tavern as various townsfolk join the festivities. A few Nomads share in the revelry with their own instruments and dancing. As the drinks empty and the conviviality fades, the door of the inn flies open. Blustering whirls of snow immediately chill the room. The storm has begun.

Ending a tour of exhaustive travel, your adventuring party crests a frosty hill with the rising sun, an icy gust brushing their cheeks as the fog from the hollow below creeps atop the slope. Down the hill, eastward bound, lighted hearths twinkle through the morning fog. Through a soft flurry in the air, your party spots a dilapidated wooden sign beside the dirt path that names this traveler’s town Bonescrag.

Whether you’re swinging a great axe or thrusting a rapier, I have recommendations for the feats that a Barbarian should be considering. Enhance your combat prowess with the feats of power available to you!

My first character was an Arcane Trickster, and he’s still one of my favorite characters I’ve ever played. I started out with the D&D Next play-test material, which did not have an Arcane Trickster option. I planned to multiclass as a Wizard because I always thought that was a cool option in Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn. But when D&D 5e officially released, I was ecstatic to see the Arcane Trickster option added, so I worked with my DM to rework my character to use the subclass (and also use the sweet Variant Human race option).

I’ve learned and discovered a variety of methods that help me develop voices. I’ll share what I’ve learned so you can hone your own voice acting skills for your D&D games.

Rogues are the essential rapscallions of D&D, inspiring keen players to wreak mischief and trickery on short-sighted plans. Though I love Rogues unconditionally, I must evaluate each of Rogue subclass to rate them.

The concept of a Rogue that specializes in mounted combat seems compelling and fun to play. There is a bit of synergy between Rogues and mounted combat rules as well. Mounts deserve more attention in D&D because they’re so useful.

One of my favorite classes is the Rogue, but I’ve heard internet chatter about the Rogue being one of the weakest classes because a Rogue can’t reliably deal Sneak Attack damage in combat. So let’s talk about Sneak Attack tactics!

The Cleric spell list is fully available to any Cleric, and different Domains can receive additional spells from other classes as their Domain Spells. Since you don’t have to worry about which spells to learn, you have time to experiment with different spells to which ones work for you and your campaign. Though you can play a Cleric that suits your game, I’m here to give you 1d4 of Guidance regarding which spells will never let you down on your path of pious purpose.

My review of each to Cleric domain (subclass) in Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition (D&D 5e). Review my recommendations to discover inspiration for your next character.

Your guide to Cleric multiclassing for unique character builds in Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition (D&D 5e). Multiclassing is daunting for new players to learn, but rewarding for experienced players. Aside from optimization, multiclassing allows you to bring unique characters to life with outside-the-box specialties. Multiclassing can be useful for roleplaying as well, so it’s not merely for min-max-style players. Review my recommendations to discover inspiration for your next character.

Ideally, battles should be just as immersive and intriguing as the rest of the campaign. Between interactive map environments and hazards, unexpected legendary actions, and villainous boss lairs, a Dungeon Master can create unique and exciting monster fights for every session.

Improvisation’s benefits go beyond mere humor, allowing pure collaboration between players, DMs, and dice. There are countless stories and memes about DMs drastically adapting their plans after players deviate from expectations. Collaboration means the game is unpredictable even before dice roll.

It’s your first session of a grand campaign. You’re the DM, and you want to start the campaign with a bang to keep players interested in the story for months to come. To enable your first session to become a smashing success, I’ve compiled a list of my best ideas for breaking the mold on campaign starters.

I want to share some of my better ideas for implementing Mind Flayers in a game so I can spread the Illithid gospel and see them used often. Here are my ten titular tips and tutorials for trying tentacled Mind Flayers in your tale!

How can a Dungeon Master ensure they are shaping a cohesive story instead of simply facilitating a game? In this article, I’ve collected advice from famous authors and storytelling experts to guide narrative creation and facilitate player interaction. Let us attain useful game-development tips from these Masters of Fantasy.

As implausible as fantasy may seem, reality has thrown us some major curveballs. Let’s explore a few interesting ideas and how a Dungeon Master could use them to inspire their adventures.

Have you ever wondered what every D&D 5e spell would do if cast at 9th level? I sure did, so I went full mad lad and summarized every upcast-able spell for what it could do at the pinnacle of upcasting. You can find the list down a few paragraphs if you want to skip my general commentary.

One of the least-understood game mechanics, in my opinion, is the Frightened condition. Since fright can be expressed and mechanized with greater potency in 95% (ish) of D&D games, I’ve decided to write about it.

When Xanathar’s Guide to Everything unveiled the new Paladin Oath of Conquest, I immediately noticed the concept was unique to D&D. No other class utilizes the Frightened condition like this subclass. For this reason, I reckon it’s worth writing about.

Archmages are common “boss monsters” in D&D. Dungeon Masters enjoy deploying powerful spellcasters to challenge their adventurers. Adventurers would do well to go into these types of fights prepared rather than without intel (winging it). Here are my tips for overcoming dangerous spellcasters, particularly archmages.

While Dispel Magic is one of the most commonly used spells due to its ubiquitous benefits, I realized this week that I had been misinterpreting what the spell does. Let’s clear up those misconceptions.

Taking cover is an effective way to fortify your characters from enemy endeavors. Experienced players should recognize opportunities to seize advantageous battlefield positions that provide cover from ranged attacks.

A proper aquatic theme establishes a defining tone, which affects player choices, especially character builds. Though there are a myriad of magnificent maritime archetypes already available canonically, I’ve compiled a few multiclass builds that I believe would abet excitement in this theme.


Through adventuring and gameplay, players acquired unique talismans with exclusive powers.

The boss fight is a quintessential RPG experience. Adventurers’ adrenaline pumps are in hyperdrive as they approach an expected boss fight. Let’s talk about boss fights to make sure your players are hooked every time.

Explore the advantages of in-game mounts, utilizing them as players and Dungeon Masters, and overcoming mount-related challenges.

Dungeon Masters have many tools at their disposal to engage their players in rich storytelling. In this article, we will explore the underutilized device of dream sequences and how to effectively use them in-game.


Have you been disappointed by a one-shot tabletop RPG (D&D) adventure? You’re not alone… But chances are you’ve also experienced supremely satisfying shorterm adventures. Let’s explore what skills and principles can make or break your one-shot episodes!

Helping your players develop magic items can either take front stage or be an on-going pastime activity, for an individual or the entire party. We will explore methods for each of these options and give tips on how to incorporate magic item creation into your Dungeons and Dragons campaign.

How does this class fare in combat? The Artificer is quite robust with proficiencies in armor and shields, armor- and weapon-boosting infusions, an arsenal of magic items, and, bonuses to saving throws. We’ll show how each specialty compares in battle.

How much improvisation from a game master is too much for a tabletop RPG like D&D? Here is Flute’s perspective on improvising your sessions.

In this article, we will provide formulas for popular magic items and our methods of formula development for Dungeon Masters to mirror and utilize in their story building.

If you haven’t heard, Polymorph is commonly cited as one of the best spells in fifth edition D&D. Let’s explore why Polymorph receives such hype and is the topic of much discussion!

In this article, we’ll explore several classifications of witches, including druidic Wiccans, prophesying Seers, traditional Hags, sea-faring Sirens, and astrological Cosmic Witches. We will also provide several canonical class builds, following the rules-as-written Dungeons and Dragons manuals.

With their intelligent hunting prowess, wild bloodthirst, and eerie ability to blend in with common villagers, Lycanthropes (werebeasts) effortlessly add a touch of terror to low-level campaigns.

Time Stop has a reputation in fifth edition D&D as a useful spell, but I want to really analyze the spell to discover how it can be used effectively. This article is a deep dive into the spell, its mechanics, and what kinds of characters and spells are complementary to it.

To add realistic depth to a world and to expand players’ interest in non-player characters, Dungeon Masters should consider involving rivals.

Your Ultimate Guide for Running a Deep Sea Exploration Adventure.

Spells that are surprisingly creepy, ranked by their impact and my personal imagination/taste.

Herbalism in your Dungeons and Dragons campaign has more uses than ever before. Not only can you create poultices, teas, ointments, elixirs, and balms, but a special organic material may be necessary for imbuing an item with magical properties.

So you want to be a Necromancer. What does this mean for you? In this article, we’ll discuss a few archetypes of Necromancy, compatible classes and spells to achieve your archetype’s goals, and logistical tactics for your Necromancer to employ.

Metamagic is a thematic, useful class feature for Sorcerers, but using Metamagic efficiently can be daunting for players. This article will help a Sorcerer to understand how each Metamagic can be used to optimally enhance their spells.

In this article, I’ve manually identified each spell that has a continuous effect that requires actions during their duration.

Finally, a magic-based Barbarian has come to light in the new Unearthed Arcana playtest material. The Path of the Wild Soul is whimsical, unpredictable, and imaginative. But is it worth playing? We think so, and we’ll explain what we like and dislike about this Barbarian archetype.

Casting Counterspell feels like snapping your fingers to ruin someone’s fun, which is accurate since the spell’s only component is somatic. It is a controversial spell that robs a character of an action with little downside. But this spell inspires many inquiries on the internet from players who are figuring out finer points about how it works. I’ve compiled the best of those questions and their answers.

Warlocks are a bit of an anomaly in the spellcasting world. Not only is their table of spellcasting completely different from any other 5e spellcaster, they also have non-spell magic called Invocations. In this article, we’ll explain and then explore the spellcasting wonders of Warlocks.

Otiluke’s Freezing Sphere is only available on the wizard spell list. As an evocation, it’s predictably a blast spell, but there’s much more to it to keep me interested.

Due to the sheer girth of the spell section of the PHB (and later XgtE/TCoE), some spells that are duds. A spell may be a dud if it’s too circumstantial or just bad compared to other options. I think it’s a healthy exercise to think about these spells and how I would improve them without making them too powerful.

Historian and treasure hunter Karl Lonbar spent his life searching for the most powerful ancient artifacts. He accumulated 20 of these in his career and hid them in pocket planes, accessible by simple playing cards. Now, his great grandson is selling off these legendary items.

In this article, we will provide a few scenarios, formulas, and components required. Plus, we’ll include potential role-playable challenges that may arise while a player crafts this magic item.

Obscured in the shadows, thick foliage covers your perch. A bandit camp breaks for the night below, unaware of your dooming presence. As you nock your arrow on your trusty bow, you weave an incantation of ancient magic into the tip and choose your target. Ready, aim, release.

We all have our favorite classes. Mine is Rogue. I love the graceful yet powerful strikes in combat combined with the masterful cunning displayed out of battle. I also love Fighters: simple, strong, and versatile. Combining these two classes produces a highly synergetic multiclass.

We’re obsessing over the updated 2019 Unearthed Arcana: Artificer class. Combining alchemy, tinkering, magic item crafting, and spellcasting, this class is full of imaginative possibilities.

From crafting fearsome weapons to brewing life-saving potions, creating magic items in your Dungeons and Dragons campaign is a gratifying pastime and exciting yet rarely-used aspect of the game.

The real-world has plentiful sources of inspiration for how cultures and religions may treat death in a D&D game. DM’s can learn from these summaries and gain inspiration for world building.

Nystul’s Magic Aura (hereafter referred to as “NMA”) is a unique, underused spell. I rarely see it in games. For me, NMA has been especially useful for protecting my PC from detection while magically disguised…

Introducing the HexArcher: a master of menacing archery with an arcane twist. By combining 10 levels of Hexblade Warlock, 7 of Arcane Archer Fighter, and 3 of Gloom Stalker Ranger, you’ll create a versatile bowman who cripples his foes in unexpected ways, day or night…

Combining Oathbreaker, Hexblade and Swashbuckler as a Scourge Aasimar, you can discover a fruitful opportunity for intense backstory and character-developing role play in a power-build with breathtakingly stackable damage output…

How often has your character been nearly useless in combat? We build our characters to deal the maximum amount of damage, only to face impossible situations where all we can do is minimum damage…

[Update for beasts published as of March 18, 2019] One of the most common monster types is the beast: lions, tigers, and bears, oh my! Some powerful spells and abilities summon beasts, speak with beasts, and transform characters into beasts. Unfortunately, there isn’t a centralized reference for all beasts in any D&D manuals, so it …

5e Beast Stats Spreadsheet – Polymorph, Wild Shape, Beast Companions Read More »

From increasing utility to developing a beautiful character arch, multiclassing can have multiple benefits—if you choose the right combination.

For new players, choosing a single class for a character is a great introduction to the game. However, once you’ve found your favorite class, repeated playing that can get stale. Not only does multiclassing provide variety, but adding a few levels…

In our experiences as DM’s, Flutes and I have developed a list of tips to help you encourage your players to start role playing, or to role play on a more fulfilling level…

Do you find yourself flustered while throwing a creature at a party because they are ALL DUNGEON MASTERS who know the Monster Manual inside and out?…

In Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition, using weapons can be as simple as you wish. A table on pg. 146 of the Player’s Handbook will show you all of the necessary information: damage, weight, cost, et cetera. But what if you had some extra knowledge about your weapon that could add flair and utility? Travelling …

D&D Sword Guide: Tactics, Histories, and Properties of Common Swords Read More »

After reading this post, you’ll be inspired to transform the bandit cliche into a rich, fun part of your game.

In the previous two parts, we’ve looked at Druid spells that give advantage to your team’s attack, protect your team from assailants, and even a spell that brings a character back from the dead. In this final section, we’ll look at…

In Underutilized Druid Spells Part 1, we highlighted low-level druid utility spells that kick butt. Now we’ll look at spell levels 4-6. This series will finish up with levels 7-9 in part 3…

Not all dungeon crawls are created equally. There are three things that make a good dungeon run: storyline advancement, worthy reward for risk, and fairness of traps and encounters.

It’s always valuable to discover my players’ perceptions of an adventure; perhaps you and I can learn something together. This Lich Queen mini campaign lasted five sessions and started the players at level 18. Some of the players had used their characters before (Joe, Charles, Andrew), while the others created them new (Luke, Opal, Abby). …

Dethroning the Lich Queen: D&D 5e Mini-campaign Diary Read More »

Learn to play a Druid Monk Monkey Ninja in D&D 5e. Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links that add gold to our coffers. When a druidic protector of the jungle utilizes the self-perfecting tenets of a monk, a martial artist that can transform into wild beasts is born. Adopting a crime-fighting name is encouraged for …

How to Play a Ninja Monkey: Druid/Monk Multiclass Concept for D&D 5e Read More »

Homebrew Items: Deck of Many Blings Yep, you read that correctly. You might have expected the usual Deck of Many Things topic, but you can call me D.J. Flutes because this is a remix. I present the Deck of Many Blings! Deck of Many Blings Wondrous item, legendary Usually found in a box or pouch, …

The Deck of Many BLINGS! D&D 5e Homebrew Item Read More »

As a player, throwing that death-dealing Flame Arrow that pierces the Lich King’s soul is all that we aspire to do in Dungeons and Dragons, right? There’s no better feeling than being the hero of heroes…

“Adventuring fantasy dweebs” by dianthus-alpinus, CC Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 License Have you ever played a Dungeons and Dragons campaign where each character was the same blah carbon copy of each other—everyone tried to be the serious protagonist with the perfect one-line zinger before chopping off the big bad boss’ head? From a storytelling standpoint, …

How Roleplaying an Anime-Style D&D Character Taught Me to Make Big Character Choices Read More »

I have discovered a multiclass combination most frightening to behold… the Assassin of the Grave. This combination is based on dealing over 500 damage in one satisfying strike…

Cunning and sly, powerfully lethal, and full of role-playable intrigue, Rogues are by far my favorite class. Out of combat, Rogues can easily be deceitful or manipulative, allowing for some sweet player-to-NPC one-liners and scenes…