Taking 20 Podcast

At last we wrap up the class series with the Sorcerer and the Wizard.  We're finally talking about some of those arcane spellcasters who can wield SUPREME COSMIC POWER with a tiny amount of hit points.  How should you arrange their ability scores?  What feats should you take?  Come on in and find out.   Note:  There is an error in this episode in the Pathfinder 1e section.  Strength should be your...

Today's episode comes to us from listener Brett.  Thank you for the topic suggestion! If there is Good and Evil in your world, why does Good allow Evil to remain?  Why wouldn't the forces of Good do whatever they had to in order to crush the forces of Evil?  Also, if Evil exists in the world, where would it be? If you have an idea for a topic, send it to me at feedback@taking20podcast.com.

They say a lie makes it around the world before the truth has time to get its shoes on.  Whether true or false, rumors make your game worlds feel real, lived in, alive. In this episode, we discuss the types of rumors you can include in your Dungeons and Dragons or other RPG game, tips and tricks for their use, and one situation to avoid when giving your PCs rumors. By the way, Lori works in the ca...

Another episode continuing the lore series, this time focusing on one of my favorite Big Bads:  Strahd von Zarovich.  Treating him as just another vampire does this amazing villain a disservice.  He is complex, has a rich backstory, amazing powers, and can serve as a great antagonist to the PCs, whether in Barovia or your custom home game. If you're interested in supporting the podcast, please con...

In this burboun-soaked episode, Jeremy discusses the different types of quests available, some of the variations on the themes, how to modify them by adding complications, and finally provides some tips and tricks for good quest design.

In this episode Jeremy talks about the different rules for Critical Hits and Misses in Pathfinder, Starfinder, and 5e; discusses some alternate rules and gives advice for how he handles these situations in his games. Finally, he gives some advice about what food you should NEVER bring into the bedroom.

Elementals are a foreign concept in a lot of ways.  Creatures made up of water or air that are relatively intelligent, can be summoned or spontaneously created, and aren't just a humanoid in an element suit just seem weird.  If you ever wandered where they come from, what they can do and how the fight, give this episode a listen.   I want to specifically thank Keith Ammann and his great book The M...

Happy Holidays one and all!  Didn't get enough of the Blood War last time?  Good.  Let's talk some more about Demons and Devils slaying each other by the billions in a fight that's lasted damn near forever.  But what about the Celestials?  Who is the Lady of Pain?  Where do these fights happen?  Tune in and find out!

It's easy to come up with NPCs.  What's hard is coming up with NPCs that feel like more than a one dimensional cariacature of someone real.  In a topic suggested by Michael K. in Illinois, we discuss a simple 3-bullet technique for GMs to make realisitic NPCs and a similar technique for players to make compelling backstories.   Also, Jeremy gets sent to horny jail.

This week we talk about two specialized martial characters:  the Paladin and Ranger.  These are not dumb fighters or mindless barbarians.  These characters have options when it comes to fighting and can really give you lots of options when it comes to running a character...with some caveats of course.

Continuing last week's discussion on encounter design, this week we tackle the environment, tactics, stakes and motivations of the combat.  We discuss variety of the above and how to make combats feel different and better for our 5e and Pathfinder players.

This episode is a deeper dive into what makes for a good encounter and how we GMs can make them more memorable by adding variety to the monsters, the location, the motivations and the stakes of the encounter.

Taverns are the most overdone trope of starting campaigns.  Taverns are familiar and easy but also bland and boring.  While you can start your campaign with a clandestine meeting or good old fistfight in the local tavern, there are so many better options available to you.  In this episode, I make a case for making a better choice.

Kobolds are just moronic annoying little tunneling monsters who are just goblins in a different body, right?  WRONG!  Kobolds aren't like other monstrous humanoids.  They build complicated lairs, work with other races, and are masterful hit-and-run combatants.

Wizards of the Coast released some radical character creation ideas in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything and Pathfinder 2e drastically changed the way ancestries were treated in the newest edition of its game.  What are those changes?  Are they good for the game?  Tune in and find out.

Curses have played major roles in numerous movies and media:  the ring in Lord of the Rings, the Aztec gold in Pirates of the Caribbean, Ladyhawke, Shrek, Ella Enchanged, the list goes on.  How can you use these curses in your game and not have your player try to kill you with a d4?  Tune in to find out.

GMs, do your players like treasure?  Sure they do.  Everyone does; and that's why mimics are always medium-sized treasure chests in the corner, right?  Not so fast, my friend.  Mimics are more than mindless, opportunistic hunters.  Tune in for some tips and tricks for using these creatures in your game.

PCs have a number of options when it comes to bringing more allies to the battlefield and to the campaign.  What are some best practices for PCs who want to have a super-intelligent celestial dinosaur best friend that they can bring into this plane anytime they want?  Tune in and find out.

This week we return to the class series, focusing on those classes that focus a lot on baddie hit points:  fighters and monks.  Do you want some ideas on how to build a Pathfinder or D&D 5e Fighter or Monk?  Then this episode is for you.

Is your game moving online or staying online longer than you expected?  Mine are staying online for a while so I compiled a list of tips that can help you and your game while using Virtual Tabletops (VTTs).   Music is: Smooth Lovin by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4379-smooth-lovin License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Travel between adventures doesn't have to be a boring slog of survival checks or reinforcement of how empty your world is.  Travel and exploration activities can spark the imagination, jump start role play and help set the tone for your entire campaign.  Tune in for some ideas on how to execute your players...er...a good travel section of your adventure.

Fair warning:  I'm doing weird episodes again.  This week, I advocate taking lessons from video games and movies and introducing new class abilities and gameplay mechanics in a safe, non-lethal environment...except for the one case where it doesn't make sense.

Building worlds, countries, and even towns can be tough.  There are a lot of moving parts to try to tame and it's easy to miss preparing some important information.  Luckily, the GRAPES worldbuilding system is here to help provide a framework on which you can build your world.  In this episode we talk about how we can use this great tool.

Goblins are classic low level one-note baddies that eat anything they can, kill everything else, except for the few things that they try to mate with.  There's no nuance there, right?  Not so fast my friends.  Goblins can be just as nuanced as the other ancestries and make for great player characters and big bads for your campaigns.

Clerics and Druids are more diverse than most people realize.  Playing them as Healy McHealface and Joe Ent-Lover may come second nature (ba-dum-tss) but they can be played a lot of different ways to satisfy a lot of different players.  In this week's episode we look at the fun and choices of playing these two classes.