AGE system
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Writing a Better D&D Backstory
Just like anything written for the purposes of playing a great game of D&D, the backstory is a tool. Players use their backstory to inform their character’s decisions moving forward. DMs use that same backstory to craft encounters that draw the attention of the character. Backstories help both parties learn what kinds of stories the
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Combat Design: Beyond the Gate of Win or Die
For a while now I’ve felt like my combat encounter design has grown stagnant. I’ve been running my very first long-term entirely homebrew campaign for about a year. Now that my players are entering the higher tiers, it’s a struggle to create something that poses a serious threat. If my players don’t immediately crush something
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In New Jersey, a Happy Ending
When writing Reap and Sow, my adventure for the Book of Seasons: Equinoxes, I wanted to capture a lot of complex feelings at once. I wanted to capture the wonder of living in such a unique and unforgiving environment. The simple pleasure of sharing a meal with friends. The loyalty of those friends. The frustration
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Homestuck on Player Death — Heroic or Just?
CW: death mention In D&D, death is more than a possibility. It’s safe to say that in a game with hit points and deadly weapons and spells like power word kill, someone is probably going to die. It might be an arch-villain. It might be a couple of slimes lurking in a dungeon. Sometimes, it
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The Party on Trial
One of my favorite parts about Waterdeep is the Code Legal. In some D&D campaigns, it can be easy for parties to get away with a lot of stuff, mostly because they feel untouchable, especially NPCs with stat blocks like commoner and guard. Small-town law enforcement can’t exactly stand up to a Wizard who can
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#FlashFicFeb 05 – Challenge
On good nights, Faz’zul relaxed in a wooden high-back chair with a hefty tome in his lap. He could lose himself in whatever world the book’s contents carried, forgetting for a moment the responsibilities of the next light or the dread that hung over him and the rest of his family. He was thinking, or