Crit Academy: A Dungeons and Dragons Podcast

Druids of the Circle of Spores find beauty in decay. They see within mold and other fungi the  ability to transform lifeless material into abundant, albeit somewhat strange, life.  These druids believe that life and death are portions of a grand cycle, with one leading to the  other and then back again. Death is not the end of life, but instead a change of state that sees life  shift into a new fo...

Today we discuss Metamorphica  a book with a collection of biological, psychic, and supernatural mutations, all grouped into tables so results can be randomly selected, using dice. These can be used for monsters, npc's or even player characters. Get your copies at the links below. Metamorphica - Classic: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/115703/The-Metamorphica-Classic-Edition&affiliate_id=15461...

Campaign Achievements What is a campaign achievement? It is a predefined goal that the players must achieve in game. In video games for instance, a player may earn them just playing thru the game, but some can only be earned with very specific circumstances, thus giving the player some sort of self satisfaction, or a way to impress other gamers with their "gamer score" Today we will discuss how ac...

Cliffhangers We discuss the different styles of cliffhangers and how best to incorporate them into your game. Make sure to subscribe at  www.critacademy.com  for a chance to win free prizes. Our show may not be suitable for children, but neither is our D&D game. Become a patreon doner!  www.patreon.com/critacademy  and help support the show. Get access to behind the scenes footage, enjoy the show...

Wizards of the Coast Easter Eggs We did a little more relaxing show for this week to talk about how cheeky the Wizards of the Coast writers and designers are. Make sure to subscribe at www.critacademy.com for a chance to win free prizes. Our show may not be suitable for children, but neither is our D&D game. Become a patreon doner! www.patreon.com/critacademy and help support the show. Get access...

D&D games are memorable because of the stories told during the game. In rare cases players experience an event that occurs that catches them off guard, something they didn't see coming...a plot twist. We discuss several different plot twist ideas from  https://www.roleplayingtips.com/campaigns/24-plot-twist-ideas/  adding our own thoughts and commentary. Make sure to subscribe at  www.critacademy....

Pacing is the rhythm of action and story progression that unfolds in encounters over the course of the session.  You can keep tension and focus by having great pacing in your encounters.  Generally speaking, there are three different pacing models: balanced, spike, escalation.  We will be discussing how you can use these models to plan encounters for your gaming sessions. Make sure to subscribe at...

This is a special episode. Our show doesn't generally release an episode for the holidays. But, we had this recording of us playing an adventure called "The Haunt". We had so much fun, we decided to release it as an extra episode for our listeners.  If you like the adventure, I highly recommend picking it up from DM's Guild here.  http://www.dmsguild.com/product/206076/The-Haunt?filters=45469_0_0_...

Summary: Cloak and Dagger While everyone loves a good smash and grab job, sometimes you need a bit more subtlety to accomplish your goal. We discuss handling a more cloak and dagger style adventure and how to get the most out of it. Make sure to subscribe at www.critacademy.com for a chance to win free prizes. Our show may not be suitable for children, but neither is our D&D game. Become a patreon...

Political Intrigue Sometimes dungeon crawls aren't your bag, or you need a change of pace. Cloak-and-dagger style play is a great way to change it up. This covers political intrigue, stealth missions, and lots of wheel n dealin to get even the slightest advantage over an opponent, aside from just tearing them from life or limb. Make sure to subscribe at www.critacademy.com for a chance to win free...

Summary: Campaign Themes Just as settings have personality that shape adventures that take place there, the theme of a campaign gives a distinct flavor to its stories. A collection of adventures where the adventurers go from dungeon to dungeon with no connection, feels very different from a year long struggle against Cult of the Dragon that culminates in a final showdown with the Tiamat herself. M...

Summary: On this episode we discuss drama cards. A collection of tools cards that can be used to enhance the dramatic moments of the game. Make sure to subscribe at www.critacademy.com for a chance to win free prizes. Our show may not be suitable for children, but neither is our D&D game. Become a patreon doner! www.patreon.com/critacademy and help support the show. Get access to behind the scenes...

Summary: We interview Florian Emmerich publisher of the dmsguild.com best selling adventure "Shore of Dreams" We poke and prod him on his adventure and his unique gaming style. Find "Shore of Dreams" here:  http://www.dmsguild.com/product/232354/Shore-of-Dreams&affiliate_id=1546158 Make sure to subscribe at www.critacademy.com for a chance to win free prizes. Our show may not be suitable for child...

Summary: On today's episode special guest Ryan Torres joins us. Ryan is a teacher of special needs students. He shares with us his story on using dungeons and dragons as a learning tool for his students. If you would like to help us raise money to help his students get the best D&D learning tools, you can head over www.gofundme.com/critacademyhelps We hope to provide players handbooks, miniatures,...

Summary: On today's show we have four special guests! The lead creators on the newest and largest community driven supplement "Monsters of the Guild".  Glen Cooper, Joshua Parry, Phil Beckwith,  and Rob Twohy Monsters of the Guild is a  DMs Guild community driven project which includes 100+ incredible monsters for your Dungeons & Dragons 5e game, from 40+ of the Guild's most talented and exciting...

Summary: On today's episode special guest Arjade from Game Masters Stash and we discuss 3D printing your own minis and terrain. Make sure to subscribe at www.critacademy.com for a chance to win free prizes. Our show may not be suitable for children, but neither is our D&D game. Become a patreon doner! www.patreon.com/critacademy and help support the show. Get access to behind the scenes footage, e...

Summary: In today's show, guest Johm Gemstone host of the podcast Teachings of an Archmage joins us to teach us the lore of liches! Check out Teachings of an Archmage here  https://www.spreaker.com/show/teachings-of-an-archmage Follow him on social media: https://www.facebook.com/ArchmageJohm/ You can find our show notes at www.critacademy.com  as well as subscribe for a chance to win free prizes....

Summary: We have special guest BC Beats adventure developer. We discuss his solo adventure "The Death Knight Squire". Make sure to subscribe at www.critacademy.com for a chance to win free prizes. Our show may not be suitable for children, but neither is our D&D game. Become a patreon doner! www.patreon.com/critacademy and help support the show. Get access to behind the scenes footage, enjoy the s...

Make sure to subscribe at www.critacademy.com for a chance to win free prizes. Our show may not be suitable for children, but neither is our D&D game. On today's episode we discuss Underwater Combat and Flying Combat and how to get the most out of both. Special guest Gabe Kleinert of the Inter-Party Conflict Podcast joins us in studio. Visit Gabe at www.interpartyconflict.com Become a patreon done...

Make sure to subscribe at www.critacademy.com for a chance to win free prizes. Our show may not be suitable for children, but neither is our D&D game. This episode we  have guest Michael host of The RPG Academy Podcast. Visit The RPG Academy at: http://therpgacademy.com/ Become a patreon doner! www.patreon.com/critacademy and help support the show. Get access to behind the scenes footage, enjoy th...

Make sure to subscribe at www.critacademy.com for a chance to win free prizes. Our show may not be suitable for children, but neither is our D&D game. This episode we interview Lex Starwalker host of Game Masters Journey. We discuss his process in building his homebrew world of Primordia. Visit Lex at:  http://www.starwalkerstudios.com/gamemastersjourney Become a patreon doner! www.patreon.com/cri...

Make sure to subscribe at www.critacademy.com for a chance to win free prizes. Our show may not be suitable for children, but neither is our D&D game. This episode we interview Chris van der Linden owner and publisher of Loresmyth. We discuss his latest project "Remarkable Inns and Their Drinks". Make sure to visit him at www.loresmyth.com  and check out all his amazing products! Become a patreon...

Make sure to subscribe at www.critacademy.com for a chance to win free prizes. Our show may not be suitable for children, but neither is our D&D game. This week we talk with publisher Jeff Stevens about his savage encounter projects and drill him on the process of getting published on the DMs guild. Become a patreon doner! www.patreon.com/critacademy and help support the show. Get access to behind...

We break down the new Wizard arcane tradition in the new WotC supplement "Xanathar's Guide to Everything" Make sure to subscribe at www.critacademy.com for a chance to win free prizes. Our show may not be suitable for children, but neither is our D&D game. Become a patreon doner! www.patreon.com/critacademy and help support the show. Get access to behind the scenes footage, enjoy the show live and...

We breakdown the new warlock pacts from the WotC new "Xanathar's Guide to Everything" Make sure to subscribe at www.critacademy.com for a chance to win free prizes. Our show may not be suitable for children, but neither is our D&D game. Become a patreon doner! www.patreon.com/critacademy and help support the show. Get access to behind the scenes footage, enjoy the show live and even chat with us d...