Hook and Chance

Some monsters are meant to merely distract a party of adventurers, and some are meant for the spotlight. This monster is the latter. It combines elements of some of the greatest horror classics like The Thing and Body Snatchers. Its abilities are well-considered for horrific tension building, and it can mess with people's minds to no end. That's why we are super excited for this episode, where we...

This episode gets real specific, then real broad. We started with the fact that meditation is unique to elves in the D&D world. and the most we've seen on the subject in our games has been "cool, I have four hours to kill every night while my party sleeps." Well, we wanted to get into what makes the minds of people in the real world that spend a lot of their time meditating unique, and apply that...

Too often is this spell discussed only in relation to its conditions and mechanics. Immerse yourself in the inky blackness that is darkness, and make sure the next time you use shadow magic, it feels fantastic.

So here we are. You want to throw a combat at your party that's dynamic, overwhelming, strategic, and involves multiple waves of enemies that get increasingly harder. When pulled off properly, these moments can be among the most celebrated in your whole campaign. Join us as we talk about how to pull it off while avoiding all the mistakes we've personally made before, and leaning into the strengths...

Fighters are unique in that they dont necissarily come from a particular legend or source, like Druids or Bards. A fighter is... a fighter, someone who fights. The whole of human history we could draw inspiration from has fought. Like a menu with far too many options, the choices of what to inspire you when creating a fighter can be so many, it's paralyzing. It's no wonder we end up making so many...

These creatures have so much potential as villainous foes. Almost too much! Evil entities from alien realms, hyper intelligent and terrifying in every way. All the detail and lore is great but it can be challenging to portray at the table, and the biggest crime would be to throw these brain suckers at the party like any other stat block. So we're looking at the things we like the most, and conside...

When creating your character, when was the last time you considered how they learned to fight with any real weight? If you've ever done it, congrats! You got us beat. That's why we've got an incredible guest on today to share how to add an onion's worth of layers to our characters fighting styles. James Mendez Hodes has written, designed, and culturally consulted for a ton of different games, and...

These creatures have so much potential as villainous foes. Almost too much! Evil entities from alien realms, hyper intelligent and terrifying in every way. All the detail and lore is great but it can be challenging to portray at the table, and the biggest crime would be to throw these brain suckers at the party like any other stat block. So we're looking at the things we like the most, and conside...

Want to capture that feeling when the game keeps picking up steam, the tension is rising, and everyone's in sync, almost instinctively knowing the flow of the game? Well, we wanna make it easier to get there, and we're going to do it by talking about the building blocks of the best action movies. Following this structure can keep the pace going and enrapture your players, making them feel like the...

Overlooked cantrips are some of our favorite places to look for creative gameplay opportunities. This one covers a lot of ground. Since it has so much potential, however, it's easy for it to become a game de-railer, whether you get an overcautious GM that doesn't want things to get out of hand, or an overzealous player that wants to break the game with a low powered spell. In this episode, we hope...

In our third and final look at character arcs (for now), we look at morality arcs. These ones are particularly useful to consider for tabletop games like D&D, because we all know or have been the person who's built an amazingly interesting morally grey character. They've got a tragic backstory, a twisted perspective on the world, and we're all curious to see where their story goes. Well, if it's e...

Here's our second installment in the Character Arc series. This topic is one that appeals to us, because it's one that we struggled with for a long time as new players. Once it clicked, however, it made planning out our parts of the game so much more engaging. We started to feel like we had some control over our characters. Join us as we look at another type of arc, one that deals in personal grow...

Character arcs can be a dangerous topic in tabletop gaming. There's always the concern that if you are following an arc you could be railroading the story too much, and it can seem difficult to pull off with so many other characters and plots around. Well, we see it a little differently. Having a path you are on doesn't mean you can't make a new one at any time, and it's way more fun than hacking...

Creating a great paladin character that gets everyone else at the table excited is kinda tough. A bad reputation has been made, of people playing them strict, unwavering, and all conquering. As people that do not get along. That stop the game on behalf of their god. Well, it doesn't have to be this way, and we think there's some incredible roleplay opportunity that comes from going down the path o...

Trolls have the potential to be some of the most disturbing monsters out there, yet are unfortunately the easiest monster to let sit as a never-ending bag of hit points. A monster whacking slog to end all monster whacking slogs. If we examine them a little closer, and look at how their unique abilities can be used to greater effect, then we can avoid that sloggy fate, and create monsters that horr...

Warforged have some serious potential for incredible storytelling. If we're worried about anything, it's that we won't do them justice. But there's a lot of angles you can take to play a compelling character with solid goals and a satisfying arc if you start with the Warforged, without reading a dozen novels and sourcebooks about Eberron. In this episode, we're going to dive into as many as we can...

As a knowledgeable spellcaster with a deep understanding of the arcane arts, you want to be able to pull out the right skills at the right time, like the rogue when they're picking locks, or the barbarian when they're cracking skulls. But magic is a little less straightforward, and there's a few abilities that get used and confused in these moments. They often either get mixed up, or used to very...

We always want our games to be more immersive, and jam packed with the drama and fun of our characters. Having goals and conquering foes is great, but in this episode we want to turn the focus to roleplaying out what it's like for your character to gain their new stats, abilities, and spells. The whole table can end up a lot more invested if every player is adding this to the pot.

The debate rages on in all corners of the TTRPG world. In one corner we have leveling with experience points, with all its precision and flexibility. In the other, milestone leveling, with its ease of use and story focused approach. Which is the correct system? Well, whatever you and your players like. It really is that simple. But in this episode we explore the potential and drawbacks of each, an...

The power a druid wields is great. They are an incredibly flexible class, and can go in a wonderful amount of character directions. But the classic druid embodies nature and wisdom. The wisdom of nature, if you will. We want to dive into the details that can make a druid great, and maybe even inspire ourselves from history while we're at it.

Creating a world as a group, or by yourself, is a powerfully satisfying creative experience. When a whole bunch of great ideas come together, and you start twisting and mixing them in a unique way, you're gonna come up with something you want to explore more, because it's yours, and it's new. That's what we're doing in this episode with the help of our fantastic guest, Matt Sernett, and the input...

Owlbears can be a fun threat, a D&D roadside encounter classic, but as new DM's we had no idea how to effectively use them. Our encounters were barely a step up from Winnie the Pooh stumbling onto the road with a beak taped to his face, yelling for the party to treat him like a pincushion. In this episode we want to explore all kinds of ways to use owlbears, from a tool to menace your party with,...

Playing in existing fiction is fantastic, but a lot of us, at one point or another, get that itch to create a world of our own. So what makes them great? Not a formula, but the collection of ideas that makes up your mind. That's why this is not a step by step guide to creating your own wonderful world, but rather a collection of ideas to visit along your way, and ways to explore combining things y...

There's a million ways to build worlds, and it's a powerfully fun thing to do. But the greatest worlds come not from a formula, but from a mindset of creating something all your own. Here to share his experience and wisdom on the subject is someone that's made a career of diving deep into fictional worlds, Matt Sernett. Join us as we learn new ways to think about this fundamental part of the gamin...

Give a little thought to where your Tabaxi character hails from, and avoid falling prey to playing a walking cat joke. We've wanted to explore this culture for a while, since it's one that hasn't been deeply explored in the lore. So in this episode, we take inspiration from what does exist, and dive into it a little more.