D&D Next - 5e Discussion
- [5E] Abomination Vaults first impressions
Hi folks, just acquired this module and had a flip through, reading the intros and some parts of the first two levels. Here's a quick overview in case you're interested. This is a Paizo-official 5E conversion of a Pathfinder 2E module -- I haven't played the Pathfinder version so cannot offer any comparisons.
TOC page:
The module goes from L1-L11. There's nice little starting town 20 minutes away from a megadungeon. The dungeon has 10 levels and you should level up after completing each level. The town exists as a home base you can return to as needed, and also to provide support NPCs and plot motivation. At first glance, it appears that there is at least one event triggering in town each time you complete the level, approximately.
BBEG is an undead sorcerer who was defeated 500 years ago and is slowly rebuilding their power. Very necromancer themed, but not a Lich per se.
I like the layout of the module. Each level spells out the expected loot on page one, gives you a decent synopsis, and gets underway with minimal hassle. I haven't read everything yet, but of the description blocks and such that I read, it is thoughtfully crafted but also leaves options for the DM. A good example is the "floor boss" on level 1 who you can convert into a useful NPC if you diplomacy them or let them live. Downside: it might lead to FOMO for the players as they provide a lot of written branches and consequences.
The Monsters are well constructed and have unique enough feel. What's interesting is that they borrowed a few monsters from other publications and copied them in whole-cloth (with credit given on the credit page). For example, the Froghemeth comes from Necromancer Games (via Frog God Games), so it seems like they're really leaning into reinforcing each other as publishers.
If you've run megadungeons before, this is probably nothing partcularly groundbreaking. But if you're looking for a well crafted 5E megadungeon, this looks like it has a lot of potential. My guess is you could easily spend a year on the module if you're meeting weekly :)
- I made a campaign setting inspired by Ancient India!
Devabhumi is a campaign setting for 5e and Pathfinder inspired by the myths and legends of Ancient India.
This campaign setting will take you to a distant place nestled in between the sea and sky-scraping mountains. It is a land where gods and mortals live together, boons and curses change the destiny of its inhabitants, and senses are easily overpowered by the diversity of the landscape.
This setting book features:
- Devabhumi Setting Guide & Player's Guide PDFs: This project features a full-length guide to the world of Devabhumi, stocked with real-life inspired lore, and a shortened Player's Guide to introduce your players to this world.
- 8 New Races: Playable races inspired by mythical creatures of Ancient India, including Nagas, Asuras, and more! New Karma Mechanic: In Devabhumi, your actions have lasting effects and potential consequences. What goes around will inevitably come around.
- A New Pantheon: Consisting of powerful Devas and Devis, this Pantheon includes 25 total gods with unique domains and boons.
- 30 Unique Weapons & Equipment: A vast collection of weapons, armor, magic items, and miscellaneous items from Indian history.
- 20 Monster Stat Blocks: A legion of monsters, creatures, and spirits inspired by old stories and ancient Epics of India.--
Check out Devabhumi here: https://devabhumi.itch.io/devabhumi
- Advent's Amazing Advice: White Plume Mountain Part 1, A Classic Adventure fully prepped and ready to go!
Welcome back to Advent's Amazing Advice! The series where I take popular One-Shots, Adventures, Campaigns, etc. and fully prep them for both New and Busy DMs. This prep includes music, ambiance, encounter sheets, handouts, battle maps, tweaks, and more so you can run the best sessions possible with the least stress possible!
White Plume Mountain is an absolute classic Adventure for level 8 players; one that has been talked about for years and has been redone time and again. Heck, it was even ranked the 9th greatest Dungeons & Dragons adventure of all time by Dungeon magazine in 2004. This is the perfect Adventure for those of you who are looking for a bit of combat and a whole lot of puzzle!
Three magical weapons have been stolen recently. Clues in the form of a poem lead those in power to believe the weapons have been brought to a volcano which was once the hideout of a powerful wizard named Keraptis. These are no mere magical weapons, but sentient artifacts. Can your players survive the perils of White Plume Mountain and retrieve them!?
Without further ado:
- Google Docs Notes for White Plume Mountain Part 1: DM Notes
- Link to: White Plume Mountain Playlist
- Link to: The AAA Collection
Included in The AAA Collection is:
- A Word document with all my notes including links to music tracks for ambiance and fights
- Special PDF for all encounters. This includes the enemy stat blocks organized neatly along with an initiative tracker and a spot to mark HP
- Spellsheets for all relevant encounters
- Note from Krepatis and Hiring Letter Handouts
- Custom Battle Maps
Over 5 dozen other Fully Prepped One-Shots, Adventures, and Campaigns: Click Here
As always, if you see something you think I can improve, add, change, etc. please let me know. I want this to be an amazing resource for all DMs and plan to keep it constantly updated! If you'd like to support me, shape future releases, and get content early feel free to check out my Patreon!
Cheers, Advent
- DnD5e homebrew community
I’m posting this because the DnD homebrew community is hosted on a different server than the rest of the RPG network, and some people might not know it exists.
Universal link: !dndhomebrew@lemmy.world Alternate links: https://lemmyverse.link/c/dndhomebrew@lemmy.world https://lemmy.world/c/dndhomebrew https://ttrpg.network/c/dndhomebrew@lemmy.world
DnDHomebrew is a community dedicated to sharing and giving feedback on homebrew material for DnD 5e. It doesn’t see regular activity, which is a nice change of pace from the UnearthedArcana subreddit (where low-quality AI-written homebrews are posted daily), but it can get a bit monotonous in the long run. I’ve tried keeping it active over the past few months, and there are other content creators sharing great pieces of homebrew, such as Consort’s playable dragons and magical items. However, I’d love to see more activity from other users as well.
Please join us if you feel like sharing your homebrew rules, classes or whatever, or if you'd like to spice your games with additional options!
- Advent's Amazing Advice: Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk Act 1, Fully Prepped and ready to go! (The Complete Act 1 Collection)
Welcome back to Advent's Amazing Advice! The series where I take popular One-Shots, Adventures, Campaigns, etc. and fully prep them for both New and Busy DMs. This prep includes fully fleshed-out notes, music, ambiance, encounter sheets, handouts, battle maps, tweaks, and more so you can run the best sessions possible with the least stress possible!
Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk stems from The Lost Mine of Phandelver a classic and beloved starter set that many new DMs run. Even with this being the most recent release it still has an issue, the same as with many others...it doesn't describe the best way to transform the book's contents into an actual session. The Book-to-session conversion can be difficult between figuring out when things should happen, understanding motivations, and even organizing encounters.
Well, fortunately for you, 99% of that work is done! Only a few things are really left:
- Read the book, I know surprising, but it can be extremely confusing when you don't know where everything leads to.
- Consider the needs of your group. As you've heard or are about to hear a million times, every table is different. If you plan on combining this with a campaign, you'll have to make tweaks here and there.
- These notes aren't meant to be the end-all-be-all. Tweak to your heart's content, and don't consider any of what's written to be set in stone. For me having notes like this helps give me the confidence to go off the rails and follow along with what my players want. It helps me understand where things were meant to go and why. Having that understanding allows me to guide the players and create other new and interesting stories. These are all things that will come with experience, though, so don't freak out and enjoy the journey!
Without further ado:
Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk Act 1
- Part 1 - Intro and Cragmaw Hideout
- Part 2a - Phandalin
- Part 2b - Redbrand Hideout
- Part 3a - Reign of Iron
- Part 3b - Thundertree
- Part 3c - Cragmaw Castle
- Part 4 - Wave Echo Cave
- Part 5 - Side Quests
Included in my posts are:
- A Word document for each part of Act 1 for Phandelver and Below with detailed notes for running a perfect session including links to music tracks for ambiance and fights
- Special PDFs for every encounter. This includes all the enemies' stat blocks organized neatly along with an initiative tracker and a spot to mark HP.
- Additional PDFs for allies and commoners
- A variety of maps for each part of the campaign
- Spell lists for all relevant fights
- Handouts for various spell scrolls throughout the campaign
- A playlist for each section!
Over 5 dozen other Fully Prepped One-Shots, Adventures, and Campaigns: Click Here
Campaign Info: As of today, I've officially completed Act One of Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk! I've also compiled all of my prep for it in a single easy-to-access post which is available to all my Heroes and Legends. You can find it HERE!
I've discussed this on Discord as well as answered a few questions and thought I would clarify some information here; campaigns are super time intensive, so I have to choose wisely which ones I prep. The first half PaB:TSO is an updated version of The Lost Mine of Phandelver which I had already fully prepped; so, I thought I would go through all my prep and update it to match and help all those who are starting to run the campaign! I may one day prep the second half; however, I'm trying to focus on the more popular Campaigns such as Curse of Strahd, before I work on others.
With what I've released, you'll have a great kickstart through most of the campaign and there are plenty of helpful members both on Reddit and on my Discord that can guide you along the rest of the way! I hope that with what I've prepped so far you can have a truly Amazing campaign!!!
As always, if you see something you think I can improve, add, change, etc. please let me know. I want this to be an amazing resource for all DMs and plan to keep it constantly updated! If you'd like to support me, shape future releases, and get content early feel free to check out my Patreon!
Cheers,
Advent
- Two Twisty 5e Murder Mysteries!
!-- Help the Duke's ghost find his head—and his killer—in Murders at Lorelahc Manor. Now LIVE on Kickstarter!
The two intricate murder mysteries in this adjustable D&D 5e campaign are designed for characters level 7 and below.
Treat your players to a lavish underground ball and a **chronomancer's party gone wrong **with this 100-page setting and campaign. Equipped with lore about Lorelahc Manor, the Rock Sea, and the Umbral Glade, you'll be able to expand this campaign well beyond the average runtime of 5–8 3–hour sessions (15–24 hours).
This 100-page book is available in PDF, print (softcover or hardcover), and as a Roll20 module. The book includes:
- 2 murder mysteries that can be run separately or together with an average runtime of 5-8 sessions (15-24 hours)
- 2 unique murder weapons sure to surprise your players!
- Mysteries able to withstand spellcasting for PCs up to 7th level, but simple enough to be solved!
- Over 40 custom human-made art pieces, including 20+ fully illustrated NPC suspects, villains, and monsters!
- 6 sprawling maps totaling 50+ keyed locations
Click to download a free sample encounter!
Find the full campaign HERE!
- We are creating Ailments & Remedies, a handbook of diseases, injuries, and medicines for your D&D campaigns!
This book includes:
- 25 new diseases
- 10 parasites
- A new surgery mechanic
- 25 medical-themed items
- New feats and backgrounds
This supplement is brought to you by a registered nurse who also happens to be an avid D&D player for 5 years. Add plagues, pathogens, and medicines to your campaigns with this book. Remember, the greatest enemy lies within!
We will be going live on Kickstarter this week! Sign up to be notified when we launch here.
- Sigil pronunciation
For many years I've been pronouncing Sigil as Sij-ill, like the word sigil. Recently I read something in a post from WotC saying that it is pronounced sig-ill (hard G). This just sounded weird to me, so I am continuing to say it with a J sound. You know, like in GIF 😏
Anyway, are there any other names of things in D&D that made you go "huh?" when you heard the official pronunciation?
- WotC 2024 PHB reveal videos for weeks 7/1/2024 - 7/12/2024
All premieres at 9am PDT:
- Monday, July 1st - Spells
- Tuesday July 2nd - Crafting Sneak Peek (this is a short video; no premiere)
- Monday, July 8th - Monk
- Tuesday, July 9th - Sorcerer
- Wednesday, July 10th - Cleric
- Thursday July 11th - Bard
- Friday July 12th - New Dragon Designs
- Advent's Amazing Advice: Dragon of Icespire Peak, A Mini-Campaign Fully Prepped and ready to go! (Part 1 Phandalin)
Welcome back to Advent's Amazing Advice! The series where I take popular One-Shots, Adventures, Campaigns, etc. and fully prep them for both New and Busy DMs. This prep includes fully fleshed-out notes, music, ambiance, encounter sheets, handouts, battle maps, tweaks, and more so you can run the best sessions possible with the least stress possible!
We're back at it again with another Fully Prepped Mini-Campaign; Dragon of Icespire Peak, A level 1-6 Adventure that's a bit frosty! This is part of the Essentials Kit; released between Dragon of Stormwreck Isle and The Lost Mine of Phandelver all created by WoTC.
Dragon of Icespire Peak is a bit different from the other two I've prepped; not only is it more of a sandbox, but it also has the ability to be run with just one player which is a huge plus for those of you who can't get larger groups together! I'll be incorporating the recommendations from both Bob the World Builder and Sly Flourish along with my own tweaks to make this one of the best experiences you can have running this Mini-Campaign!
If you've used my previous notes you'll know that I take adventures such as these and do all the difficult and time-consuming book-to-session conversions so you don't have to! I do my best to include ambiance for every scene, custom battle maps, handouts when needed, spell sheets, encounter sheets, and more!
This may all sound familiar, but seeing as this is a Starter/Essentials Kit, I think it's important to reiterate:
- Read the Adventure: I know surprising, but it can be extremely confusing when you don't know where everything leads to.
- Consider the needs of your group: As you've heard or are about to hear a million times, every table is different. If you plan on combining this with a campaign, you'll have to make tweaks here and there.
- These notes aren't meant to be the end-all-be-all: Tweak to your heart's content, and don't consider any of what's written to be set in stone. For me having notes like this helps give me the confidence to go off the rails and follow along with what my players want. It helps me understand where things are meant to go and why. Having that understanding allows me to guide the players and create other new and interesting stories. These are all things that will come with experience, though, so don't freak out and enjoy the journey!
Without further ado:
- Google Docs Notes for Part 1 Phandalin: DM Notes
- Link to: Phandalin Playlist
- Link to: The AAA Collection
Included in The AAA Collection is:
- A Word document with all my notes including links to music tracks for ambiance and fights
- Custom Map of Phandalin
Over 5 dozen other Fully Prepped One-Shots, Adventures, and Campaigns: Click Here
As always, if you see something you think I can improve, add, change, etc. please let me know. I want this to be an amazing resource for all DMs and plan to keep it constantly updated! If you'd like to support me, shape future releases, and get content early feel free to check out my Patreon!
Cheers, Advent
- Tactical Monk Drop
Monks at level 12 decrease the fall damage they take by 70, which means they're almost guaranteed to take max 20 points by falling from more than 200 feet (99,67% chance according to anydice).
That means level 12+ monks can jump from airships and other flying objects at basically no risk in order to infiltrate some place (especially way of shadow) or surprise their enemies.
Do what you want with this knowledge.
- Week 6/24/24 PHB class reveals schedule
cross-posted from: https://ttrpg.network/post/7479802
> 2024 Player's Handbook Reveals (all premieres at 9am PDT) > > Monday, June 24th - The Rogue > Tuesday, June 25th - The Warlock > Wednesday, June 26th - The Druid > Thursday, June 27th - The Wizard > Friday, June 28th - The Ranger
- 2024 Players Handbook | Everything You Need to Know | D&D - YouTube
YouTube Video
Click to view this content.
Wotc dropped a big video today all about the upcoming edition. There's a few articles breaking down some of the information out there already.
- 48 hours left to back Devabhumi, a 5e campaign setting inspired by Ancient India!
Hi, my name is Khan and I am the person behind Devabhumi. I am of Indian origin, and I have always been interested in non-European rpg settings. There is such a treasure trove of untapped stories, monsters, and legends in Indian Culture, which can provide fresh and unique content for your campaigns.
Devabhumi is a high fantasy TTRPG setting inspired by the history and epics of Ancient India. This setting features:
- 100+ pages of lore
- 8 new races
- 20+ historical weapons and armor
- 25 monsters inspired by Indian folklore
And much more!
You can check out the project here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/silvercompassmaps/devabhumi-a-dandd-5e-setting-inspired-by-ancient-india
- I’m looking for monster lists for Journeys through the Radiant Citadel.
I'm looking for monster lists for Journeys through the Radiant Citadel.
Like, for each of the planes in there, here's a list of appropriate monsters. It's OK if they're fan made. It's not always clear to me exactly which real-world–culture is the basis of which plane (maybe that's in the book or maybe it's supposed to be vague), but that's fine, I think these settings look awesome, but one of the main thing missing to easily expand them are encounter tables, which I could throw together if I knew like "OK, on such-and-such plane there are owlbears and stirges" or something like that.
@dndnext@ttrpg.network
- Advent's Amazing Advice: Don't Say Vecna, A Level 20 One-Shot fully prepped and ready to go!
Welcome back to Advent's Amazing Advice! The series where I take popular One-Shots, Adventures, Campaigns, etc. and fully prep them for both New and Busy DMs. This prep includes fully fleshed-out notes, music, ambiance, encounter sheets, handouts, battle maps, tweaks, and more so you can run the best sessions possible with the least stress possible!
Don't Say Vecna is a level 20 One-Shot by Michael Galvis and Mike Bernier that will have your players tasked with investigating a wizard tower that mysteriously disappeared from the Material Plane. Their exploration will reveal the forbidden secrets three scholars discovered and what fates befell them. Will your player be able to handle the might of Vecna!?
Fortunately, even if they can, there's a modified stat block to really throw the full power of the Arch-lich himself!
*\Estimated Session Length: 4-6hrs
*\Important Note: If using the revised statblock it is recommended to allow your players to pick the following Magic items:
- Legendary/Artifact x1
- Very Rare x2
- Rare x3
- Uncommon x 4
Without further ado:
- Google Docs Notes for Don't Say Vecna: DM Notes
- Link to: Don't Say Vevcna Playlist
- Link to: Don't Say Vecna PDF (Original D&DBeyond Post)
- Link to: Revised Vecna Statblock
- Link to: Vecna Dossier
- Link to: The AAA Collection
Included in The AAA Collection is:
- A Word document with all my notes, including links to music tracks for ambiance and fights
- Special PDF for all encounters. This includes the enemy stat blocks organized neatly, along with an initiative tracker and a spot to mark HP
- Revised Vecna Statblock for those who want a greater challenge
- Custom Maps of Cientia Tower
Over 5 dozen other Fully Prepped One-Shots, Adventures, and Campaigns: Click Here
If you see something you think I can improve, add, change, etc. please let me know. I want this to be an amazing resource for all DMs and plan to keep it constantly updated! If you'd like to support me, shape future releases, and get content early feel free to check out my Patreon!
Cheers, Advent
- Livestream - Session 13 - Fifthdread's Homebrew Campaign #DND - Fifthdread.tvfifthdread.tv Fifthdread.tv
Fifthdread is a nerd who likes to livestream from his own server. Thanks for checking it out!
- Advent's Amazing Advice: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle Fully Prepped for New and Busy DM's (The Complete Collection)
Welcome back to Advent's Amazing Advice! The series where I take popular One-Shots, Adventures, Campaigns, etc. and fully prep them for both New and Busy DMs. This prep includes fully fleshed-out notes, music, ambiance, encounter sheets, handouts, battle maps, tweaks, and more so you can run the best sessions possible with the least stress possible!
Dragons of Stormwreck Isle, is a level 1-3 Adventure, the most recent Starter Set, and successor to The Lost Mine of Phandelver released by WoTC. In it, your players will sail to Stormwreck Isle, an island shaped by an age of conflict between Chromatic and Metallic Dragons. They'll be able to befriend kobolds, explore fungal grottos, fight those twisted by Orcus, and perhaps save the very island itself!
Have your players create their own characters or jump right in using the Pre-Gens that are built with backstories integrated into the plot!
If you've used my previous notes, you'll know that I take Adventures such as these and do all the difficult and time-consuming book-to-session conversions, so you don't have to! I do my best to include Ambiance for every scene, custom battle maps, handouts when needed, spell sheets, encounter sheets, and more!
This may all sound familiar, but seeing as this is a Starter Set, I think it's important to reiterate:
- Read the Adventure: I know surprising, but it can be extremely confusing when you don't know where everything leads to.
- Consider the needs of your group: As you've heard or are about to hear a million times, every table is different. If you plan on combining this with a campaign, you'll have to make tweaks here and there.
- These notes aren't meant to be the end-all-be-all: Tweak to your heart's content, and don't consider any of what's written to be set in stone. For me having notes like this helps give me the confidence to go off the rails and follow along with what my players want. It helps me understand where things are meant to go and why. Having that understanding allows me to guide the players and create other new and interesting stories. These are all things that will come with experience, though, so don't freak out and enjoy the journey!
Without further ado:
Dragons of Stormwreck Isle:
- Part 1 - Dragon's Rest
- Part 2 - Seagrow Cave
- Part 3 - Cursed Shipwreck
- Part 4 - Clifftop Observatory
Over 5 dozen other Fully Prepped One-Shots, Adventures, and Campaigns: Click Here
As always, if you see something you think I can improve, add, change, etc. please let me know. I want this to be an amazing resource for all DMs and plan to keep it constantly updated! If you'd like to support me, shape future releases, and get content early feel free to check out my Patreon!
Cheers,
Advent
- I’m making a 5e setting inspired by Ancient India!
Hi, my name is Khan and I am the person behind Devabhumi. I am of Indian origin, and I have always been interested in non-European rpg settings. There is such a treasure trove of untapped stories, monsters, and legends in Indian Culture, which can provide fresh and unique content for your campaigns. Devabhumi is a high fantasy TTRPG setting inspired by the history and epics of Ancient India. This setting features:
- 100+ pages of lore
- A karma mechanic
- 6 new races
- 20+ backgrounds and feats
- And much more!
You can sign up for the Kickstarter here.
We are going live in a week!
- An app that makes character sheets easy to understand
Sup, everyone? We are finally getting close to release and wanted to show off how you can convert your D&D Beyond character into Nurl with a single URL copy/paste. We deconstruct all the data and present it in a way that is much easier to understand for new players. For experienced players, it removes the cognitive complexity of the overwhelmingly large amount of data presented. This means your brain uses less energy reading the sheet so you can instead devote that to role playing!
This is the "out of battle" sheet preview which is just a teaser on other things the app does with the character sheet data for you.
Check out this 20 second video preview
If you like where we are going you can sign up for early access on our website
- Advent's Amazing Advice: The Lost Mine of Phandelver Fully Prepped for New and Busy DM's (The Complete Collection)
Welcome to Advent's Amazing Advice! The series where I take popular One-Shots, Adventures, Campaigns, etc. and fully prep them for both New and Busy DMs. This prep includes music, ambiance, encounter sheets, handouts, battle maps, tweaks, and more so you can run the best sessions possible with the least stress possible!
The Lost Mine of Phandelver is a classic, one of the very first Mini-Campaigns that new DM's run. Heck, it's part of the starter set after all! The issue though, as with many other modules, is that it doesn't describe the best way to transform the contents of the book into an actual session. The Book-to-session conversion can be difficult. Between figuring out when things should happen, understanding motivations and even balancing encounters.
Well fortunately for you 99% of that work is done! Only a few things are really left:
- Consider the needs of your group. As you've heard or are about to hear a million times, every table is different. If you plan on combining this with a campaign you'll have to make tweaks here and there. (Bonus points if you include your players' backstory)
- These notes aren't meant to be end-all-be-all. Tweak to your heart's content and don't consider any of what's written to be set in stone. For me, having notes like this helps give me the confidence to go off the rails and follow along with what my players want. It helps me understand where things were meant to go and why. Having that understanding allows me to guide the players and create other new and interesting stories. These are all things that will come with experience though, so don't freak out and enjoy the journey!
Included in my posts are:
- A Word document for each part of the LMoP with detailed notes for running a perfect session including links to music tracks for ambiance and fights
- Special PDFs for every encounter. This includes all the enemies' stat blocks organized neatly along with an initiative tracker and a spot to mark HP.
- Additional PDFs for allies and commoners
- A variety of maps for each part of the campaign
- Spell lists for all relevant fights
- Handouts for various spell scrolls throughout the campaign
- A playlist for each part of the Mini-Campaign!
Without further ado:
The Lost Mine of Phandelver Index
- Part 1 - Intro and Cragmaw Hideout (DM Notes Only Link)
- Part 2a - Phandalin
- Part 2b - Redbrand Hideout
- Part 3a - Reign of Iron
- Part 3b - Thundertree
- Part 3c - Cragmaw Castle
- Part 4 - Wave Echo Cave
- Part 5 - Side Quests
Over 5 dozen other Fully Prepped One-Shots, Adventures, and Campaigns: Click Here
As always, if you see something you think I can improve, add, change, etc. please let me know. I want this to be an amazing resource for all DMs and plan to keep it constantly updated! If you'd like to support me, shape future releases, and get content early feel free to check out my Patreon!
Cheers,
Advent
- How to Crit-Hit your Epic game sessions! 🔥
I've noticed a big gap in the Epic game session realm when it comes to good tools for enhancing the gameplay. I've seen attempts, but nothing on the level of what it could be.
This past weekend, I was a part of an Epic session and validated a feature set on the app I'm building which resulted in a response of "This is perfect" from everyone that night (including the admins running the Epic).
When it comes to Epics, an easy way to ensure everyone is having fun is to keep the interactivity of all groups high. Secondly, make something positive out of the negative situations. For example, there was a feature we added this weekend to which if someone failed a task, they had to donate X dollars to a charity that was the focus for the event itself. I found this was a really fun way to enhance the game play to make something positive out of negative situations. Basically, people were still having fun rather than getting upset because it resulted in philanthropy. Obviously, anyone could also donate at anytime - but you get the gist. More smiles and laughter than disgruntled faces.
This is one of many examples I see that works really well. Additionally, I'm happy to announce that r/nurl will support Epic game sessions in our upcoming release which you can read about on our blog.
If you are interested in were we are going and the vision to make playing TTRPG easy for everyone (including people on the spectrum or ADHD), you can join the waitlist and get early access to the app before we publicly launch: https://nurl.website
I hope this brought some "inspiration" to all the DM of DM's that love hosting Epic game sessions and happy adventuring!
- Advent's Amazing Advice: The Egg of Estyr, An Easter-Themed Holiday Heist One-Shot fully prepped and ready to go!
Welcome back to Advent's Amazing Advice! The series where I take popular One-Shots, Adventures, Campaigns, etc. and fully prep them for both New and Busy DMs. This prep includes music, ambiance, encounter sheets, handouts, battle maps, tweaks, and more so you can run the best sessions possible with the least stress possible! With Easter fast approaching, I've prepped a Bunny Day Holiday Special:
From the creator of The Night Before Wintermas comes another level 5 Neutral/Evil One-Shot. Set in the same town as the original; your players will once again meet with Quentin Happyjoy who is getting into the confectionery business. Apparently, there's a lot of money in fat kids, especially when your toffee is 80% nicotine. He wants your players to cripple his competitors, House Estyr, makers of the world-famous "Chocolate Ovoids", by staging a heist on their heavily secured and fortified bank.
Will your players be able to come together to sneak or smash their way through the banks' defenses and come out with The Egg of Estyr?
This One-Shot has quite a lot to it. Your players will have multiple options when it comes to how they would like to tackle this heist which each leads to a very different experience. Theirs a full town to explore as well, with multiple unique vendors and magic items. I'm genuinely impressed with all there is to do!
I've also improved the design of the puzzle and included a section for handouts to make this session that much more immersive! I hope your players have as wild a time as mine did!
*\Approximate time to complete
- Speed Run - 2hrs
- Quiet Option 4-6hrs
- Loud Option/Full Completion 6-8hrs
Without further ado:
- Google Docs Notes for The Egg of Estyr: DM Notes
- Link to: The Egg of Estyr
- Link to: The AAA Collection
Included in The AAA Collection is:
- A Word document with all my notes including links to music tracks for ambiance and fights
- Special PDF for all encounters. This includes the enemy stat blocks organized neatly along with an initiative tracker and a spot to mark HP
- An updated and improved puzzle along with a guided solution
- Spell Cards for Guards
- Organized Tables
- Handouts for both Heist Pathways
Other One Shots, Adventures, and Campaigns:
- The Lost Mine of Phandelver - Click Here
- Dragons of Stormwreck Isle - Click Here
- The Wild Sheep Chase - Click Here
- The Delian Tomb - Click Here
- The Haunt - Click Here
- We Be Goblins - Click Here
- Scarab of Death - Click Here
- Don't Say Vecna - Click Here
- The Egg of Estyr - Click Here
- Into Ivy Mansion - Click Here
- Wolves of Welton - Click Here
- To the End of Time - Click Here
- A Most Potent Brew - Click Here
- Moon over Graymoor - Click Here
- The Drunken Treasure - Click Here
- Curse of Strahd - Click Here (W.I.P)
- A Wild West One-Shot - Click Here
- A Grimdark Adventure - Click Here
- D&D vs Rick and Morty - Click Here
- The Wizards Treehouse - Click Here
- A Prison Break One-Shot - Click Here
- A Holiday One-Shot (2023) - Click Here
- The Barber of Silverymoon - Click Here
- The Tavern at Death's Door - Click Here
- L'Arsène's Ludicrous Larceny - Click Here
- Shadow of the Broodmother - Click Here
- The Night Before Wintermas - Click Here
- Grammy's Country Apple Pie - Click Here
- Delivery Witches Apply Within - Click Here
- A Deep and Creeping Darkness - Click Here
- The Secret of Skyhorn Lighthouse - Click Here
If you see something you think I can improve, add, change, etc. please let me know. I want this to be an amazing resource for all DMs and plan to keep it constantly updated! If you'd like to support me, shape future releases, and get content early feel free to check out my Patreon!
Cheers,
Advent
- Book I Kickstarted 2 years ago finally arrived!
Mostly not MCDM's fault. Issues with shipping are out of their hands.
But unfortunate that this arrived after I no longer play the game it's designed to be compatible with.
- The Fall of Hightower (Beta) - Subclasses by Ben Brainard (TikTok Comedian)store.benbrainard.com The Fall of Hightower (Beta)
As some of you may know, I have been working on a new sourcebook for D&D 5e that introduces a new subclass for every single class in the game, focusing on using hit dice to power abilities. ...
Sourcebook for D&D 5e that introduces a new subclass for every single class in the game, focusing on using hit dice to power abilities.
- Hasbro Earnings News (D&D profits)
Hasbro lost a billion dollars this year, but D&D made a tonne of profit. And they laid off 1100 people. What I can't understand is how they're business model works. And how laying off 1100 people will allegedly save $400 million dollar (someone check my math, but does each employee cost 350k+ each?)
Anyway
- Advent's Amazing Advice: Delivery Witches Apply Within a fully prepped One-on-One Studio Ghibli Themed One-Shot perfect for Valentine's Day
Welcome back to Advent's Amazing Advice! The series where I take popular One-Shots, Adventures, Campaigns, etc. and fully prep them for both New and Busy DMs. This prep includes music, ambiance, encounter sheets, handouts, battle maps, tweaks, and more so you can run the best sessions possible with the least stress possible!
Delivery Witches Apply Within is a level 3 One-Shot for 1-2 players. Inspired by Studio Ghibli/Hayao Miyazaki and Kiki's Delivery Service your player will meet a strange black cat who leads them to the Kat and Cake Bakery where they'll try to prove themselves worthy of the title Delivery Witch by delivering a set of packages. These aren't just any ordinary deliveries, throughout you'll run into a slew of interesting characters and events including a druid posing as a cat, a silver dragon, mists that try to teleport you elsewhere, and ghostly apparitions!
Brittney Hay has done an absolutely fantastic job creating this One-Shot. You really feel like you're in a magical lighthearted world. This One-Shot is a far cry from my usual preps, being for only 1-2 players you'll have the opportunity to really engage your players. The music is right from Kiki's Delivery Service and blends perfectly with your adventure! I couldn't be happier with how this one turned out!
This One-Shot is from an anthology of One-Shots inspired by Studio Ghibli; Eyes Unclouded, If you like this one I'm sure you'll find plenty more to fall in love with! Perhaps if this is popular enough I'll consider prepping even more of them!
*\Average Sessions Length: 2-3hrs
Without further ado:
- Google Docs Notes for Delivery Witches Apply Within: DM Notes (Preview)
- Link to: Eyes Unclouded PDF (One-Shot Within)
- Link to: Delivery Witches Apply Within Playlist
- Link to: The AAA Collection
Included in The AAA Collection is:
- A downloadable copy of all my notes, which includes links to music tracks for ambiance and fights
- Special PDF for all encounters. This includes the enemy stat block organized neatly, along with an initiative tracker and a spot to mark HP
- A Battle Map for the City
Other One Shots, Adventures, and Campaigns:
- The Lost Mine of Phandelver - Click Here
- Dragons of Stormwreck Isle - Click Here
- The Wild Sheep Chase - Click Here
- The Delian Tomb - Click Here
- The Haunt - Click Here
- We Be Goblins - Click Here
- Scarab of Death - Click Here
- Don't Say Vecna - Click Here
- The Egg of Estyr - Click Here
- Into Ivy Mansion - Click Here
- Wolves of Welton - Click Here
- To the End of Time - Click Here
- A Most Potent Brew - Click Here
- Moon over Graymoor - Click Here
- The Drunken Treasure - Click Here
- Curse of Strahd - Click Here (W.I.P)
- A Wild West One-Shot - Click Here
- A Grimdark Adventure - Click Here
- D&D vs Rick and Morty - Click Here
- The Wizards Treehouse - Click Here
- A Prison Break One-Shot - Click Here
- A Holiday One-Shot (2023) - Click Here
- The Barber of Silverymoon - Click Here
- The Tavern at Death's Door - Click Here
- L'Arsène's Ludicrous Larceny - Click Here
- Shadow of the Broodmother - Click Here
- The Night Before Wintermas - Click Here
- Grammy's Country Apple Pie - Click Here
- Delivery Witches Apply Within - Click Here
- A Deep and Creeping Darkness - Click Here
- The Secret of Skyhorn Lighthouse - Click Here
If you see something you think I can improve, add, change, etc. please let me know. I want this to be an amazing resource for all DMs and plan to keep it constantly updated! If you'd like to support me, shape future releases, and get content early feel free to check out my Patreon!
Cheers,Advent
YouTube Video
Click to view this content.
WoTC is partnering with FoundryVTT to enhance it's 5e game system. They will also be selling the revamped books later this year.
There is no overlap with DND beyond, unfortunately. More info at FAQ below:
https://foundryvtt.com/article/dungeons-dragons-arrives/#faq
- Fun alternative character sheets or folios?
First off, I really don’t care for the default 5E character sheets. I feel like there is never enough space to convey what you want and things aren’t where I would personally prefer them.
I generally enjoy making my own custom character sheets, but I am about to join an in-person game as a player and I was thinking of being a bit extra about my sheet. I’ve seen some advertisements for notebooks or folios that are relatively small/lightweight but have multiple pages so there’s room for all your features and gear. When I saw these ads I didn’t pay them too much attention because I almost never play as a character and when I do, it’s never usually in person. Because of that, I do t recall what they were called or where to get them.
Anyone got any suggestions for cool stuff you being to in-person games to keep track of your character? I’m not really just looking for a simple pdf of an alternative sheet, but more like physical books, notepads, dice towers/holders, or clipboards that I can bring to game night.
Thanks in advance
- Advent's Amazing Advice: The Delian Tomb, A Beginner One-Shot fully prepped and ready to go!
Welcome back to Advent's Amazing Advice! The series where I take popular One-Shots, Adventures, Campaigns, etc. and fully prep them for both New and Busy DMs. This prep includes music, ambiance, encounter sheets, handouts, battle maps, tweaks, and more so you can run the best sessions possible with the least stress possible!
The results are in and I'm excited to announce that Nyx and Alanna (AJ) are the 1st and 2nd place winners of Advent's One-Shot Challenge! The goal was simple, to find people who could prep in a style similar to mine so that I could work with them and expand Advent's Amazing Advice! I was blown away with the results and I'm proud to show you what they've come up with!
The Delian Tomb is a Level 1 Introductory One-Shot based on Matt Colville's first episode of his Running the Game series on YouTube.
This adventure begins in the backwaters of a small kingdom, it's a quiet place...most of the time. Recently, there has been an influx of goblins in the region and some of the foul creatures have even begun attacking the farms in the outskirts of the village. Your players are all friends, just traveling through, in search of adventure. It isn't long before they find themselves mixed up in the business of Goblins and pursuing a kidnapped child into the depths of a long-forgotten tomb. This is their opportunity to prove themselves, and to rescue someone in need...if they can survive the perils of The Delian Tomb!
Below you'll find the winner's notes updated by me with all the tweaks and formatting you've come to know and love.
Without further ado:
- Google Docs Notes for The Delian Tomb (Nyx): DM Notes
- Link to: The Delian Tomb Playlist (Nyx)
- Link to The Delian Tomb PDF: Version 1
- Link to: The AAA Collection + Original and Second place versions
Included in The AAA Collection is:
- A Word document with all my notes, including links to music tracks for ambiance and fights
- Special PDF for all encounters. This includes the enemy stat blocks organized neatly, along with an initiative tracker and a spot to mark HP
- Spellsheet Handout for the Goblin Shaman
- Custom Maps (Credits: u/sladank, uchideshi34 (Jon), grant1derlin, CragtheLAD)
Other One Shots, Adventures, and Campaigns:
- The Lost Mine of Phandelver - Click Here
- Dragons of Stormwreck Isle - Click Here
- The Wild Sheep Chase - Click Here
- The Haunt - Click Here
- We Be Goblins - Click Here
- Scarab of Death - Click Here
- Don't Say Vecna - Click Here
- The Egg of Estyr - Click Here
- Into Ivy Mansion - Click Here
- Wolves of Welton - Click Here
- To the End of Time - Click Here
- A Most Potent Brew - Click Here
- Moon over Graymoor - Click Here
- The Drunken Treasure - Click Here
- Curse of Strahd - Click Here (W.I.P)
- A Grimdark Adventure - Click Here
- A Wild West One-Shot - Click Here
- The Wizards Treehouse - Click Here
- D&D vs Rick and Morty - Click Here
- A Prison Break One-Shot - Click Here
- A Holiday One-Shot (2023) - Click Here
- The Barber of Silverymoon - Click Here
- The Tavern at Death's Door - Click Here
- The Night Before Wintermas - Click Here
- L'Arsène's Ludicrous Larceny - Click Here
- Shadow of the Broodmother - Click Here
- Grammy's Country Apple Pie - Click Here
- A Deep and Creeping Darkness - Click Here
- The Secret of Skyhorn Lighthouse - Click Here
It was such a fantastic experience working with others on this! You'll see plenty more of Nyx and Alanna in the future!
As always, if you see something you think I can improve, add, change, etc. please let me know. I want this to be an amazing resource for all DMs and plan to keep it constantly updated! If you'd like to support me, shape future releases, and get content early feel free to check out my Patreon!
Cheers, Advent
- D&D Playtest Survey Results | Player's Handbook | Unearthed Arcana
YouTube Video
Click to view this content.
Discussion with crawford concerning the playtest feedback from the most recent playtest
-
Everything scored really well (in the 80s for most things, monk was the highest rated, most features in the 90s, might be considered "most improved class")
-
revised version of the healing spells scored high
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Tasha's summoning spells will be imported into the PHB
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2014 conjuration/summoning spells rework scored really well and will be kept
-
They are deep in internal development for the upcoming PHB
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May is not the release date as was purported before
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"We will still be working on the PHB in may"
-
Dwarf art from pax is not the cover for the PHB. That's from the fighter section
-
This was the last unearthed arcana for the upcoming revisions
-
New encounter building rules are going through a lot of rework and playtesting
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Revised DMG will have a significantly streamlined encounter building system
-
- Fixing Challenge Rating | Mike Mearlswww.enworld.org D&D 5E - Fixing Challenge Rating
Hey everyone! Like a lot of DMs, I've struggled to get CR to work reliably in my games. Unlike a lot of DMs, I can honestly claim that it's my fault. 5e drafts heavily off of 3e's core mechanics, so it made sense to recruit its encounter building tool. Rodney Thompson and Peter Lee both pushed...
- I made 50 free battlemaps to start out the New Year with!www.patreon.com Free Holiday Map Bundle! | Silver Compass Maps
Get more from Silver Compass Maps on Patreon
Here is a collection of 50 free battlemaps for the holidays.
These maps represent hundreds of hours of work which I am able to do thanks to every single one of my supporters. I never thought that I would be able to support myself by making maps and I am extremely grateful for all of this!!
If you enjoy my work then please consider supporting me on Patreon. Supporters will get access to all of my watermark-free maps, gridded variants, and other map variations in a VTT-friendly file format.
If you want to see the entirety of maps I've ever made, check out my map archive.
Enjoy your holidays and I hope these maps serve useful in your games!
- Advent's One-Shot Challenge: Showcase Your D&D Prep Skills for a Chance to Win $100 and Join Our Creative Team!
Hey, everyone my name is Advent, and I run a Patreon called Advent's Amazing Advice! I take popular One-Shots, Adventures, Campaigns, etc., and fully prep them for New and Busy DMs. My prep includes detailed notes, music, ambiance, maps, encounter sheets, handouts, and tweaks so you can run the best sessions with the least stress possible!
I've been working on Advent's Amazing Advice for well over a year now! Thanks to all the support of my Patrons, I'm finally in the position where I can add someone to the team to lighten the load of prepping! With their assistance, I'll be able to expand the ways I can help everyone!
In order to find the perfect person, I'm creating a contest. The rules are simple. The person who can prep a One-Shot in a style most similar to mine will be the winner. I'll be judging this based on the following:
Main Criteria
- Formatting
(ie. How close you can match my style)
- Improvements
(includes additions; as well as flow, ease of use, etc.)
- Music Selection
(Picking the perfect tracks to match each scene) (\*Create a YouTube playlist)
- Including additional resources
(ie. maps, handouts, encounters sheets, etc.)(Be sure to properly credit)
- Packaging
(Delivering the Prep the same way I would (ie. Folder Organization))
The One-Shot that contestants will be working on will be The Delian Tomb. I've chosen this one because it's short, has multiple versions, and is made for beginners to D&D. How you choose to prep will allow me to see how well you can get into the mind of a new DM; ensuring they have all the tools at their disposal to run an Amazing session!!!
Not only will the winner be joining the team\*, but there will be prizes! Additionally, if 2nd and 3rd place impress me enough with their quality, they might just find themselves being called up to collaborate in the future!
Prizes
- 1st - $100 and have your prep featured on Advent's Amazing Advice
- 2nd - $50
- 3rd - $25
Deadline \- 1/15/24
If this sounds like something you're interested in, you can get started by downloading the Contest Resources by Clicking Here or Here. Once you've finished, you can upload your files to Google Docs and send an email with the link, as well as to the YouTube playlist that you created!
Email \- AdventsAmazingAdvice@gmail.com
For those of you who haven't seen my work before, you'll find an example of my Into Ivy Mansion prep in the Contest Resources Pack. I've also included additional examples of my prep below.
- Dragons of Stormwreck Isle - Click Here
- A Most Potent Brew - Click Here
- Index of over 4 dozen sessions with previews - Click Here
Position Info
- Pay: I’m offering the same amount that I charge for commissions, so $100 for each One-Shot Prepped; with up to a bonus $100 for each completed project based on how closely the person can match my style. If the person is good enough, then they’ll eventually be able to switch over to receiving a percentage of all profits from Advent’s Amazing Advice instead! Payment is via Venmo, but other ways can be worked out if needed!
- Content Production/Hours: \- I’m looking for someone who can fully prep between 1-2 One-Shots a month, you can choose when, where, and how to complete the work! I’ll be guiding the person to match my style and be there to help with anything that pops up along the way.
I can't wait to see how this turns out and I'm so excited to have the chance to be able to do something like this. Thank you all so much, without you, I could never have imagined coming this far! If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to ask!
Cheers,
Advent
\* Joining the team is contingent on producing high-quality content and being a person others would want to work with!
- Advent's Amazing Advice: The Night Before Wintermas, A Holiday One-Shot fully prepped and ready to go!
I hope everyone is having a Fantastic December! With the Holidays in full swing, I wanted to give everyone here a present, by doing all the prep work for a fantastic Holiday One-Shot for you! Then, in turn, you can gift that experience to your players! And what better gift is there for players who have been so good, than an opportunity to let loose and be evil for a change! Yes, that's right, The Night before Wintermas is specifically designed for Level 5 Evil/Neutral aligned players.
Thanks to the creative mind of jmanc, you'll bring your players to The Town of Frosthold and join a morally bankrupt Toy and Tabacco company to put an end to Santa's charitable operations by Infiltrating his workshop and dealing with the problem for good!
Experience holiday music to fit every scene, face your favorite Christmas Characters...in a battle to the death, earn unique magic items to help you take on the fat man, and live vicariously through your newly evil characters! This is a One-Shot you won't want to miss!
Without further ado:
- Google Docs Notes for The Night Before Wintermas: DM Notes (Preview)
- Google Docs Notes for The Town of Frosthold: DM Notes
- Link to: The Night Before Wintermas PDF
- Link to: The Night Before Wintermas Playlist
- Link to: The AAA Collection
Included in The AAA Collection is:
- A Word document with all my notes including links to music tracks for ambiance and fights
- Special PDF for the encounter. This includes the enemy stat block organized neatly along with an initiative tracker and a spot to mark HP
- An Alternate encounter PDF for Frosty and The Snowmen \*(Updated 2023)
- Custom Maps for Santa's Grotto
- Custom Boss Fight Music
- Handouts for the Scrolls of Haste and Invisibility
- A Preview PDF of Flee Mortals
Other One Shots, Adventures, and Campaigns:
- Dragons of Stormwreck Isle - Click Here
- The Wild Sheep Chase - Click Here
- The Haunt - Click Here
- We Be Goblins - Click Here
- Scarab of Death - Click Here
- Don't Say Vecna - Click Here
- The Egg of Estyr - Click Here
- Into Ivy Mansion - Click Here
- Wolves of Welton - Click Here
- To the End of Time - Click Here
- A Most Potent Brew - Click Here
- Moon over Graymoor - Click Here
- The Drunken Treasure - Click Here
- Curse of Strahd - Click Here (W.I.P)
- A Grimdark Adventure - Click Here
- A Wild West One-Shot - Click Here
- The Wizards Treehouse - Click Here
- D&D vs Rick and Morty - Click Here
- A Prison Break One-Shot - Click Here
- A Holiday One-Shot (2023) - Click Here
- The Barber of Silverymoon - Click Here
- The Tavern at Death's Door - Click Here
- The Night Before Wintermas - Click Here
- L'Arsène's Ludicrous Larceny - Click Here
- Shadow of the Broodmother - Click Here
- Grammy's Country Apple Pie - Click Here
- The Secret of Skyhorn Lighthouse - Click Here
I hope you enjoy this as much as I did! If you have any advice on how I can improve my notes further, please let me know either here or leave a comment on the Google doc itself! If you'd like to support me, shape future releases, and get content early, feel free to check out my Patreon!
Cheers,
Advent