Of all the skills you need as a Dungeon Master learning to listen is one of the most critical ones. You might get by just fine as it is, but when you’re running the game you attention can actually be all over the place. It’s really easy for a player to catch you off guard …
Are You a Good Listener? Learn to Listen as a DM Read More »
If you ever find your players looking blankly at you after a long description, take it as a subtle note to try to improve your storytelling. While there’s a million skills you can hone for DnD, storytelling is one of the most important skills of the Dungeon Master. Like any skill, it’s hard to get …
Take 2 Steps to Instantly Improve Your Storytelling Read More »
We’ve already talked a lot about both the cursed items provided in the DMG as well as what makes a good cursed item, but today we want to tackle making cursed items for your game quickly. Throwing cursed items in with regular loot can be fun, but figuring out the curse can be a bit …
Magic weapons are always a fun thing to throw into a game. The problem is that there aren’t enough in the books! Like all good things in DnD, when it’s not in the book you can always make your own. This guide will take you step by step through how to make your own magic …
While Dungeons and Dragons already has an impressive set of weapons to choose from, sometimes you want something custom. You might need a cool set piece or a variant weapon for a player’s character. Beyond just laying out the concept, balancing the weapons cost, damage, and utility can also be a challenge. So we decided …
6 Simple Steps to Create Custom DnD Weapons Quickly Read More »
Our more recent articles have been about brevity and lean storytelling. These concepts help you improve pacing and increase player engagement. While these ideas are helpful, they come at the cost of describing your world to its fullest. Removing irrelevant story elements might improve game play, but it definitely blunts some of the worlds details. …
While not always employed effectively, riddles have a long history in role playing games. But how do you create DnD riddles? Fantasy classics have great examples to pull from, most notably The Hobbit with the riddles Bilbo gives to Gollum. “A box without hinges, key, or lid, Yet golden treasure inside is hid.” Spoilers: the …
Continuing on our journey of understanding the Warlock, we’ve created another patron example you can use in your game. This week we’re diving into the world of Archfey Patrons with a singular homebrew example. Archfey Patron: Som Liatria, the Eater of Dreams Of all the Patrons a warlock could draw power from, few are as …
Coming up with good character names can be difficult. The moment you go to actually name something you’re met with this weird blank paralysis. Every idea that pops into your head seems wrong, doesn’t fit, or is too silly. The solution to this problem is much like any other: you need a good framework for …
A Complete Guide to Traps for Dungeons and Dragons 5e Traps are a classic cornerstone of Dungeons and Dragons. We’re all familiar with spike pits, rolling boulders, or swinging blades. These examples help highlight one of the best things about DnD traps: they have a huge amount of variety! If you want to add some …
