Cantrips are the cornerstone of a caster’s basic abilities. A cantrip is a spell that can be cast at-will and does not use up a spell slot. There are a lot of fantastic cantrips and a large majority of them are basic combat staples which give your casters something to do when they’ve run out …
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 »
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 …
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 …
Designing is always more complicated than it first looks and designing homebrew for Dungeons and Dragons is no different. You want to make something unique and special to your game, but that great idea needs rules and boundaries. Let’s look at a sample creation and talk about how to create something that you can use …
Designing Homebrew that Stands up to Player Scrutiny Read More »
NPCs are the primary way in which the DM brings direct voice into the narrative. One of the most common NPC interactions that you will have to develop on the spot is a shopkeeper. You never know when your players are going to want to go shopping. Some groups do it every time they are …
