Category Archives: D&D

A Single Go To Map

D&D, RPG

Yesterday Sly Flourish put up a very interesting post called The Only Dungeon Map You’ll Ever Need.

Sly’s post itself was inspired by one by Dyson Logos (he of those awesome maps).

Having a default multi use dungeon is a great idea for a DM/GM to have in their toolbox.

As Sly says in his post “Which map is your go-to map when you don’t have anything prepared and need a map to run your game right now? What map can you print out, stick in your kit, and use for the next 40 years?”

Sly then goes on to present a list of criteria that should help you selecting your ideal map. Before then suggesting one or two maps that are worth considering.

And I will be choosing one or two to add to my DM’s folder.

However Sly does raise the question about why limit yourself to one map. And I do keep my copy of the Lazy DM Workbook with my DM folder. Plus the maps I have used previously during the campaign. This fits in with a bit of advice that Jim Murphy gave in one of his videos about being a minimalist DM and being a magpie for maps.

Also with either or both of the decks that allow me to generate random dungeons I have the ability to create a dungeon on the fly no matter what the party decide to do. Potentially this does away with the need to have one of these go to maps. However I don’t see them being an either or situation. Both could happily be in your DM toolbox.

What do you think? Is this something you’ll be adding to your DM toolbox?

Random Dungeon #7

#randomdungeon, D&D, RPG

Thought it was time to create another random dungeon. Once again using the latest addition I have for doing this The Deck of Many Dungeons.

Whilst I was creating this one it felt like I was doing a magic trick. The deck had been given a good shuffle before use.

I selected the starting/entrance card at random. Then before drawing a card cut the deck each time. And I be damned I drew nothing but spades.

Once again it came out as a small dungeon. Which I thought looked like it worked out nicely with out using any of the king cards to act as the stairs down to another level or completion of the quest. Although if I was going for a multi level dungeon the eight of spades is the card I’d replace with a random King.

I do like these little dungeons that are being created. They can be side quests, little distractions. Just something the party stumble upon.

Some inspiration for campaigns from MtG

D&D, RPG

It’s taken me two days. But I’ve freed up my dining room table from all the MtG cards on it. I had been using the table as a “staging” area for my deck building efforts.

But considering my lack of playing and deck building I finally gave in and tied up the space. I’ll stick with my Commander decks and just tweak them for the time being.

But whilst I was tidying up the table I came across the following two bits of cardboard from the Amonkhet and Hour of Devastation Pre-release kits.

I immediately after looking at them felt these are pretty good ideas to to use in a campaign.

Forget the MtG small text for each challenge. It’s the titles.

I love the idea of sending a party on five trials to earn favour from a God. Each trial faced being themed around it’s title. Each one testing the members of the party as a group and individually.

A harder one to work in is the other card with The Five Hours. At the moment this speaks to me as being event based around time. I need to think more about this one.

I might have to go back and look at the lore for this block to see what ideas get created.

D&D Free Stuff From WotC

D&D, news, RPG

After a couple of days break I’m back. I’ve got my mojo back.

WotC have joined the throng of designers and publishers giving away free stuff to help out during these unsure and worrying times.

D&D (and any RPG) is one of those games that plays really well remotely using the various tools out there. I’m not going to go into the options and how to here. There are some great videos and articles (D&D Beyond, Sly Flourish, and Matt Colville to name a handful) out there on the interweb that cover all that.

But once you have chosen your path to online play (or it could be round a table if playing in the home). You are going to need the rules and a scenario.

That’s where WotC come in.

WotC each week day are releasing an Adventure League scenario and other content for free. The other content is usually a colouring page for younger people (although it can be used by more mature folks if that’s your thing).

“Content will be added daily, Monday-Friday. Check back each day for the latest free, downloadable content. Please note that certain adventures are being made free on the DMs Guild for a limited time, so be sure to grab them now while you can!”

Also on the page are links to the basic rules and pre-generated character sheets.

By visiting the page and picking up the free goodies you basically have everything to play D&D (except dice, pencil and paper and friends).

I’ve also included a link below to the Unearthed Arcana rules for sidekicks for anyone that wants to play D&D at home with their partner/room mate. It would have been nice of WotC to have released the final version of this as it appeared in the Essentials Kit alongside some sidekicks. But we can’t have everything. Maybe that’s for another day.

Just remember to grab the stuff off the DMs Guild now, even if you don’t think you will need to right away. It’s not staying free for ever.

Here is the LINK you need to get the free goodies.

Unearthed Arcana Sidekick rules.

Random Dungeon #6

#randomdungeon, D&D, RPG

For this latest random dungeon instead of using the quick and easy dungeon map cards. Which do create pretty looking dungeons. I’ve decided to go “old school” and use the tables in Appendix A: Random Dungeons of the DMG along with the tables from Chapter 5: Adventure Environments pages 99 – 101 of the same publication.

So for this random dungeon I used graph paper, pencil, and dice along side the above mentioned sections of the DMG.

Starting Area (1d10): 7

Dungeon Location: 59

Exotic Location: 4

Dungeon Creator: 17

Dungeon Purpose: 20

Dungeon History: 12

The entrance to our dungeon is in a mountain pass buried under an avalanche. The dungeon had been created by a liche to hold its hoard of treasure and magical items. The liche was destroyed by internal conflict. That conflict could be underlings rising up hoping to take the treasure for themselves.

Taking into account the entrance is under the debris of an avalanche any party wishing to enter must either enter through the secondary entrance if they can find it. Or successfully complete a group challenge or skill challenge to clear away the rubble to get to the entrance.

Starting Area (Room 1: 20) – Trap or trick designed to kill or capture creatures that enter the dungeon.

This room has a well in the centre.

Current state: 10 – pool of water, chamber’s original contents are water damaged.

Room 2: 1 – Antechamber for visiting dignitaries.

Current state: 5 – Holes, floor partially collapsed.

Room 3: 6 – Guardroom to defend against intruders.

Current state: 9 – used as a campsite.

Room 4: 4 – Barracks for guards.

Current state: 16 – Furniture wrecked but still present.

Room 5: 14 – Strong room or vault, for guarding the treasure hidden in the dungeon, accessible only by locked or secret door.

Current state: 19 – stripped bare.

Room 6: 10 – Kennel for trained beasts used to guard the treasure vault.

Current state: 15 – Furniture wrecked but still present.

Room 7: 2 – Armoury containing mundane and magic gear used by the treasure vault’s guards.

Current state: 12 – Furniture wrecked but still present.

Room 8: 11 – Kitchen for feeding guards.

Current state: 16 – Furniture wrecked but still present.

Room 9: 15 – Strong room or vault, for guarding the treasure hidden in the dungeon, accessible only by locked or secret door.

Current state: 12 – Furniture wrecked but still present.

Obviously there are a load more tables to use in Appendix A to determine obstacles, traps, monsters, treasure and magic items, plus how the rooms are decorated.

Yes my map isn’t the prettiest to look at. But it’s functional and does the job. And boy is that cross hatching boring to do.

Hope you liked the change,

Random Dungeon #5

#randomdungeon, D&D, RPG

Back to the random dungeon posts.

For the second time since getting them I’ve used the Deck of Many Dungeons to create this random dungeon.

I didn’t think when I was drawing the cards and had what was a “completed” dungeon that with a side entrance a goal complete card wasn’t required.

This struck me as a simple tomb for a party to stumble upon and explore whilst looking for the main dungeon.

Update on planning session 8 #4

D&D, RPG, session planning

SPOILER ALERT TO MY ADVENTURERS! The following post contains spoilers for the up and coming campaign. You may want to avoid this post and join me in a future one.

Considering the current events in the world, it will come as no surprise that our session 8 has been postponed until at the moment an undetermined date in the future.

There was one suggestion about doing the next session online but I’ve not found anything yet that I’m happy with that works well on an iPad (my main device).

I’m a big fan of Twin Peaks the tv show. It was so inspiring and ahead of its time back in the late eighties, early nineties when it was first aired. Reading the book The Diary of Laura Palmer (basically this was meant to be a copy of her diary the characters were reading on screen) while the series was on really drew me into the Twin Peaks universe. I had never felt that sort of immersion before. It was incredible.

But why am I telling you all this? During this lockdown we are meant to be observing (although one or two seem to be ignoring it) I started watching rewatching the original series. It’s still great tv.

However there is the scene below between a shot Agent Cooper and a mysterious giant in his hotel room at the start of the second season. Luckily for you, you don’t have to read me explaining it, you can watch the YouTube clip below.

While watching that episode and scene it struck me this would be a fantastic way to deliver clues/hooks to the players.

I have previously mentioned using a particular players unconscious prone state during combat as they are making saving throws as an opportunity for a devil to tempt them with an infernal contract.

But I also love borrowing this idea of spirits inhabiting living vessels. With the spirits becoming “real” in our realm of existence under certain conditions. Like a player being near to death.

This dual existence could be something a player or npc has without being aware of it.

I love the idea of using a players saving throw turn as an opportunity to give plot hooks or clues.

Another thing I’ve been looking at that also falls under planning for the future is a labyrinth design to use when the players encounter an island inspired by the Cretan Labyrinth of the minotaur legend. Naturally there aren’t any “maps” of that. It’s a myth, although the labyrinth may have existed.

However initial google searches show that the Egyptians were also labyrinth/maze builders. So I might with a bit more digging be able to “borrow” one of their ancient designs.

But I did come upon an ancient British labyrinth design that is from the Bronze Age and can be found in Cornwall.

This labyrinth carving can be seen at a place called the Rocky Valley near the alleged home of King Arthur Tintagel.

If I had to chose one today to be used straight away I’d go with the home grown Rocky Valley one. So that is telling me It e found my labyrinth to use when the island is found.

It’s weird where you find inspiration sometimes. It’s why I advise students to widen their horizons and have hobbies that are not just playing video games when it comes to game design. The same applies to being a DM. It’s why they include the inspiration appendix in the DMG and PG.

At least now I’ve captured my inspired ideas now.

Random Dungeon #4

#randomdungeon, D&D, RPG

Today’s random dungeon is different from the previous ones!

For today’s dungeon I am using a deck that arrived this morning from the US of A called the Deck of Many Dungeons.

Like the other deck Map and Dice Playing Cards it generates a random dungeon. Unlike the other it doesn’t simulate dice rolls. However it does have on the cards relevant tables to use to populate the dungeon with, along with a very handy joker card (see below). The Deck of Many Dungeons is more linked to D&D 5e than the other deck because of it’s tables. But you could always ignore them if using with another system or an earlier version.

Following the instructions on the second joker (above) for generating a dungeon you are creating a more complete dungeon.

Although I would be tempted to modify the instructions slightly for the no unconnected hall ways. I like having that dead end option. Something going nowhere. Also space allowing leaving one unconnected hall way would allow you to increase the size of the dungeon to a much larger size.

What I like about this deck are the tables. It removes that having to populate the dungeon on the fly (apart from the rolling against the cards table). However I find these cards less inspiring for telling a story around the dungeon. Something I found with the other deck flowed thanks to the names on the cards.

Two similar products filling the same role of generating a dungeon randomly. However taking slightly differing approaches.

With no further a do here is today’s random dungeon…

More very soon sadly!

Nine Worlds – a Kickstarter

D&D, news, RPG

Those that are following my D&D campaign ramblings will know that one of the cultures my players come across and interact with has a viking/Norse influence.

So when my friend Duncan the other day pointed me in the direction of a current Kickstarter called Nine Worlds. I was pretty excited.

Nine Worlds is “a collection of 3d Printable miniature and terrain STL files inspired by Norse mythology“.

The ‘core’ stuff you get (excluding any stretch goals) is “... a warband of 28 viking miniatures, an encampment scatter terrain set, and a snekkja longship which is 17″ long…”

I have to admit the miniatures although nice, are the least interest to me. It’s terrain stuff I’m more interested in.

In fact the free stuff they are giving to everyone irrespective of if you back the Kickstarter is great for my needs.

As this sort of thing goes the cost of backing at the tiers for what you get is pretty good value. Definitely worth a punt if you have a 3D printer or access to one.

Link to the Kickstarter.

Link to the free stuff.

Random Dungeon #3

#randomdungeon, D&D, RPG

So here we are with our third random dungeon using the Map and Dice Playing Cards.

These eight cards speak to me as being a deeper level of some much larger multi-level dungeon.

I’m going to call this level…

The Cult of the Undead

Our party descend into this level either by the stairs at the top of the Chamber of the Many Floors (2 of Diamonds, top right) or the stairs into the Riddler’s Island (Queen of Clubs, bottom right).

I have to admit that the Riddler’s Island got me excited. This could be used as an excuse to throw the Jim Murphy Undead Lair at the party. Or at least some hidden menace lurking in the water.

If I stick with the Undead Lair which inspired the name of the level. This is all about the liche and the cultists that worship it. The party stumble across it as they try and complete some bigger picture mission that had them enter the dungeon in the first place.

The undead that the liche commands were the stonemasons that carved out the dungeon. The stonemasons were slaughtered by the cultists when they thought the work had been finished. The location of this massacre was you guessed it top left, 3 of Diamonds the Stonemason’s Demise and the incomplete chamber.

It’s nice to have a reason to throw undead at players. This dungeon certainly does that.