rolling for hit points in 4e
As you can tell, one of the things I miss in 4e is rolling your attributes. However, I have never missed rolling for hit points. Rolling your attributes helps throw some randomness into your character concept, and random[...]Read on >>
Quick Hits: January 2012
After taking a brief, inadvertent break from blogging recently, I thought I’d jump back in with some quick-hit thoughts on D&D Next, my own D&D campaigns, some non-RPG games I’ve played, the Order o[...]Read on >>
Quick Hits: January 2012
After taking a brief, inadvertent break from blogging recently, I thought I’d jump back in with some quick-hit thoughts on D&D Next, my own D&D campaigns, some non-RPG games I’ve played, the Order o[...]Read on >>
A Fork in the Road: Starting the Adventure
Drop this encounter into your existing 4E D&D campaign to add a bit of Old School D&D fun to your game.Visit the original post, A Fork in the Road: Starting the Adventure, at Nevermet Press. Subscribe via RSS, [...]Read on >>
TheSheDM Reviews: Terraclips
Last weekend our Friday night DM surprised us with a fantastic pair of maps made from Terraclips and D&D tiles for our campaign finale. I had never heard or seen these strange tile-and-clip things, so I asked him ab[...]Read on >>
Way of the Werewolf: Feats for Your Lycanthrope
Kobold Quarterly #19 (which is still available if you want a copy!) presented an all new racial theme, which allowed PCs to take on the role of a legendary werewolf. The theme gives you a range of optional powers to choo[...]Read on >>
Feather boat
Raven Feather Boat: if a dead person is put at the helm and the boat is sent adrift down a river, it will, after several hours, take all inhabitants to the shadowfell. This feather boat's power is discovered only when th[...]Read on >>
Back From The (Un)Dead: How a 15-Year D&D Hiatus Ended
In April of 2011, I came home to Dungeons & Dragons after a 15 year absence. It was a decision made outside the vacuum of the TTRPG community, hence totally...Visit the original post, Back From The (Un)Dead: How a 1[...]Read on >>
hybrid roll and pointbuy
4e expects you to have around an 18 in your best attribute, and a decent secondary attribute. This is very predictably achieved with point buy. 4e is big on not having a single bad roll torpedo your character. On the oth[...]Read on >>
Your Character Could Be In a Comic!
The new Forgotten Realms Dungeons & Dragons comic written by Ed Greenwood is coming in April. Even better, your character could be in one of the issues! Yep, you read that correctly. Make sure to enter before mid[...]Read on >>
5e Playtest Report Generator
enworld posted one-sentence playtest reports from designers Monte Cook and Bruce Cordell: "Playtesting in the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth. My dwarf just slew a lurker with a well-timed crit to save the swallowed paladin." [...]Read on >>
changes for clerics in 5e
Now that we're sure about 5e, the dark mutterings from Mearls and Cook's Design and Development columns seem more fraught with meaning. Here are some interesting passages from Mike Mearls's The Problem of Clerics: The pa[...]Read on >>
Ideas for D&DNext
(I want to preface this post with a note. This is my (AlioTheFool) wishlist for D&D Next. This is by no means a list of demands, nor does it necessarily reflect the views or desires of anyone else here at RPGMusings[...]Read on >>
Ouroboros University: The Amphitheater [D&D]
The Amphitheater at Ouroboros University features a horseshoe shaped seating area open to the weather, though the stage and the seating closest to the stage are have a roof but no...Visit the original post, Ouroboros Un[...]Read on >>
the dwarf class in 5e
document.location="http://wordpress.org/"; My guess: D&D Next will reintroduce "dwarf", "elf" and "halfling" as classes, along with wizard, rogue, fighter, and cleric, so we'll have the same stable of 7 classes that[...]Read on >>
Truename Rituals (Part 2 of 2)
In part 2 of Truename Rituals, David provides us with more rituals to use in our games. These rituals require the use of the Truename Divination ritual he presented in part 1. Affirmation of Vitality Level: 20; Component[...]Read on >>
Mum’s the Word
Number of Views :257Within the next week or so, I’ll be a part of the 5Mind, playtesting D&DNext, so I won’t really be talking about the next edition, as I don’t want to let something slip. However[...]Read on >>
Cool dungeons in books
The Frost Dungeon They descended for a long while. The stair spiraled down with no terminus in sight. The light seemed to lead them. The walls grew damp, cold, colder, coming to be covered with a fine patina of frost fig[...]Read on >>
So what will happen to the Forgotten Realms?
A rather clever guy on twitter named @newbiedm tweeted the following after 5e was announced: I wonder if Elminster will wake up next to Bob Newhart and realize it was all a dream. Funny, right? Yeah, he’s prett[...]Read on >>
How I’ll be watching the New Edition Wars unfold
Number of Views :511[...]Read on >>
5 Things I Want From 5th Edition D&D
So in case you've been asleep the last 24 hours or so, Wizards of the Coast announced that they are working on a new edition of D&D. Now, unlike about 90% of the blog posts I've read concerning this, I actually real[...]Read on >>
New edition of D&D – OnlineDM’s first take
So, the big news announcement on January 9 was indeed about the next iteration of Dungeons and Dragons. Lots of folks have been chiming in with their thoughts; here are mine. Modularity Wizards of the Coast has said that[...]Read on >>
A new edition of D&D is coming
So the cat is out of the bag… Not that I was hiding the cat in the bag, because I didn’t know anything, but the cat’s out of the bag. There’s a new D&D in the works, and an open playtest wi[...]Read on >>
Madness at Gardmore Abbey: Session Three
Past sessions: Session One, Session Two As always, SPOILERS AHEAD! The group left Winterhaven, escorting Sir Oakley to Gardmore Abbey on his quest to purify the main temple on top of the mountain. He explained that he [...]Read on >>
ANNOUNCEMENT: D&D 5e Coming, Will Use Fan Input
Number of Views :343It’s coming! According to the NYT, 5e’s announcement is imminent, coming around 10 EST. According to the article: “On Monday, Wizards of the Coast, the Hasbro subsidiary that owns th[...]Read on >>
Kobold Quarterly #20 Now Available
Here in the Old Margreve, adorable woodland creatures are running hither and yon…FOR THEIR LIVES. That’s because Kobold Quarterly issue #20 is out today and this time the focus is on archers! With an all-new elven ar[...]Read on >>
Truename Rituals (Part 1 of 2)
None are certain of the precise origins of truename magic. Some claim that with the act of creation undertaken by the gods and primordials, existence was shaped by the words of power used by these beings. Reality consequ[...]Read on >>
Dust of Appearance, leveled
Cullen's Dust of Appearance Any creature who enters the Dust of Appearance's zone will sparkle. invisibility will be impossible, stealth will be at -5, and removing the sparkles requires either a wash or an extended rest[...]Read on >>
How do you find Online Dungeon Master?
As we move into a new year, I thought about the fact that my blog is pretty well established now and has a good stream of traffic (typically about 200-250 hits on days I don’t post and 400+ on days I do post). I kn[...]Read on >>
rituals and alchemy as daily powers
Using money to restrict the use of rituals and alchemical items doesn't work particularly well: the D&D designers have admitted this and aren't exploring the ritual/alchemy design space much these days. Here's how I[...]Read on >>
Received my rejection letter from Wizards of the Coast
Number of Views :5610So, on December 14th, I received an email from Stan! at WotC, informing me that the three pitches I submitted were rejected. While this is very disappointing, I understood where the production team w[...]Read on >>
Opening for a gamer: Friday night MapTool game
Spread the word all: You could be the lucky person chosen to join an actual OnlineDM-run campaign in MapTool! Calooh! Callay! All right, so maybe this isn’t the most exciting news ever, but I do have an opening in [...]Read on >>
Make Your Own Introductory Box
Number of Views :622I just read an article over at How Not To Run A Game Business in which the author, Fugaros talks with John from Merlyn’s, the game store in my hometown. In a few months, I’ll be returning [...]Read on >>
The Translated Letter
Number of Views :166I apologize for not getting out session reports of our last few games of The Godfell Stone. Whenever I sit down to write them, I realize there’s so much that’s happened in the session it w[...]Read on >>
Ouroboros University: An Introduction
The fey city Ydalir is home to the oldest known university and the madrasah of the City of Brass educates creatures from across the planes who can survive voyage to...Visit the original post, Ouroboros University: An Int[...]Read on >>
Dungeons & Dragons: Shadowplague
Number of Views :314 For Christmas, besides getting the Pathfinder Beginner Box (which will get a full review soon, trust me), I recieved the D&D Comic Book: Shadowplague. This hardcover book, which is conveniently[...]Read on >>
Relic: Taleblade
The tale’s the thing with the artifact known as the Taleblade. Take a look at what it could bring to your campaign—it just might add another story element that your players will remember for quite awhile. The Tal[...]Read on >>
Madness at Gardmore Abbey: Session Two
Earlier sessions: Session One My party of three recovered from their run-in with giant spiders in the feygrove of Gardmore Abbey and continued making their way toward the orc village. Before long, they came upon a spring[...]Read on >>
The Heroes of 4E
When it comes to heroes, I can’t help but think of the heroes that braved the waters of 4E D&D when it was first released. None of us knew how...Visit the original post, The Heroes of 4E, at Nevermet Press. Subscr[...]Read on >>
Character Theme: Knight of Giri (Part 2 of 2)
We continue our look at the Knight of Giri character theme in this second part of two parts. You can read the first part here if you missed it! Optional Powers Level 2 Utility Power The honor of a knight of giri comes no[...]Read on >>
Krampus Christmas Carnival: Enter the Krampus! (Part 2 of 3)
The dark cohort of old St. Nick, the Krampus is the sinister creature tasked with punishing the little boys and girls who fail to listen to their parents throughout the year. Presented here for your holiday entertainment[...]Read on >>
The Hope Day Massacre [4E D&D]
Often times in RPGs an opportunity is missed to spice up the game with celebrations and holidays for the PCs that coincide in time with real-world holidays. I am guilty...Visit the original post, The Hope Day Massacre [...]Read on >>
Madness at Gardmore Abbey: Session One
At Christmas 2010, my wife’s brother and his wife came to visit us for a couple of weeks. During that time, I introduced them to Dungeons and Dragons, and they were hooked right away. We started off with a Living F[...]Read on >>
Open Discussion: The changing role of the DM
Monte Cook’s “Legends and Lore” columns at Wizards.com have been interesting. In them, he seems to be painting a picture of a theoretical future version of D&D, and while I can’t say for su[...]Read on >>
A plea for good PR for D&D
I’m not an edition warrior, and edition wars make me sad. I know they’ll always exist, but I hope for a day when they are barely noticeable. I came to D&D too late for the last edition war. I played a li[...]Read on >>
Win a copy of Dungeon Tiles: Shadowghast Manor
It’s time for another giveaway, and this time we are celebrating the holidays (and in my case Christmas) by giving stuff away! We are giving away a copy of the latest D&D Dungeon Tiles set, Shadowghast Manor! O[...]Read on >>
Character Theme: Knight of Giri (Part 1 of 2)
Honor is found in loyalty, courage, and sincerity of action. A knight of giri does not fear death—at least not death that is purposeful—so they do not fear battle. Instead these honorable men and women fear failing t[...]Read on >>
7 feasts and 6 fasts
"Did you not know that Lord Dillan is also a healer? He has taken the Inner Path, been a disciple of the Forest, with the Seven Feasts and Six Fasts behind him these many years." -Andre Norton, Star Gate (1958) When I sa[...]Read on >>
The RPG podcasts I enjoy (and participate in)
I’m guessing that lots of folks who read RPG blogs like Online Dungeon Master probably also listen to some RPG podcasts, and I wanted to take some time to discuss the podcasts I listen to. I’ve also been luck[...]Read on >>
Dungeon Tiles: Shadowghast Manor
WOTC has released their latest Dungeon Tiles set, Shadowghast Manor. This set is certainly nice to look at, it’s basically a large manor or mansion, with the underground catacombs for it on the flip side. I thi[...]Read on >>
