RPG Bloggers » 4e D&D

Change of Opinion: Flexibility not Limitation from Role-Playing Discussions » table-top

Role-Playing Discussions — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:16:51 +0000

I have been complaining since Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition came out that many of the features that I relied on in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition had been removed. I have now not only come to accept that this information will never be added to D&D, but have actually come to see [...]

Arena 4e from Critical Hits » RPG

Critical Hits — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:00:18 +0000

Arena 4E is a fast-paced combat game for two or more players, and it can be played as a bloody free-for-all, a team vs. team cooperative effort, or any other combination.

How To Get The Best Of All Editions from Creatively Anomalous

Creatively Anomalous — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:38:41 +0000

This post came out of a journaling session on 750words.com. If you’ve never used it, I recommend it highly. Because of the uncensored nature of the journal, there may be some residual disorganization, but I’ve tried to tidy it up the best I could without killing the enthusiasm that drove my original scribblings. Edition wars are [...]

Hit Locker from Gamer Bling!

Gamer Bling — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:13:21 +0000

One of the big design changes between 3rd and 4e was the way they handled damage and hit points. First of all, 4e characters start with a lot more hit points: your average characters starts with roughly 24 HP. Compare that with, oh, 10 for an average character in 3rd. In contrast, 4e characters get additional [...]

‘Escapist’ interview behind ‘The Truth About 4th Ed’ from DireKraken.com » RPG

Dire Kraken — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:24:05 +0000

Here at DireKraken, we represent a selection of D&D players that have chosen not to play 4th Edition. We have a fairly good spectrum of opinions about it, ranging from ‘acceptable alternative system’ to ‘like the mechanics, hate the flavor’, or outright ‘dislike, destroy on sight’. So, to me, this interview (and part 2) from [...]

Character du Jour: Cudgel the Goblin from Greywulf's Lair » RPG

Greywulf's Lair — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:45:43 +0000

(No, this isn’t an instruction) Grey Goblins are known for three things: their granite toughness, their isolation, and their utterly ungoblinlike nature. For the one known as Cudgel, only two out of those three are true. Where Grey Goblins are as tough as their stone-coloured flesh suggests, Cudgel is tough. Where they are solid, dependable and [...]

Errata Isn’t in my Vocabulary from Dice Monkey

Dice Monkey — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:00:44 +0000

Every couple months, RPG companies come out with their latest batch of errata for their games. For those who don’t know what errata is, it’s all the changes they’ve made to the game, since they realized how screwed up some rule was that they didn’t fix in the initial playtesting. As the years go on, [...]

Player’s Handbook 3 (PHB3) Review (Part 3) from Dungeon's Master

Dungeon's Master — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:00:40 +0000

Psionics. I’ll admit that over the years I’ve never been a huge fan of psionics in D&D. I cringed when Wizards announced that PHB3 would introduce psionic powered character classes to 4e D&D. My initial (and completely uninformed) opinion on the matter was that psionics suck. However, over the past few months as preview material [...]

Initiative Tracking Tools from Stargazer's World

Stargazer's World — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:00:52 +0000

Initiative tracking is very important when it comes to running a Dungeons & Dragons game. Gamers all over the internet have come up with some unique and creative ways for tracking initiative. I thought I would take a moment to talk about a few of my favorite initiative tracking tools. DM’s Tracker by kbarapps DM’s Tracker is [...]

DM Tip Twitter Archive: February 2010 from Sly Flourish

Sly Flourish — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:06:47 +0000

DM Tip Twitter Archive: January 2010 Below is an archive of all of the Sly Flourish DM Tip Twitter posts for February 2010. Get daily DM tips at http://twitter.com/slyflourish! #dnd tip: Have a spymaster NPC on your PC’s side that delivers them dossiers on key villains. Helps your players keep track. #dnd tip: Be careful of monsters with [...]

It’s Called Tabletop Gaming Not “Rebooting My Laptop” Gaming from My Girlfriend is a DM

My Girlfriend Is A DM — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:42:34 +0000

Watching my fellow players and their fixation with technology in the past months has got me thinking quite a bit about the place of technology at the gaming table. They use their iPhones to store their character stats, run searches on their PDFs to locate situation-specific rules and rely on the character builder to track [...]

NewbieDM Review: Harrowing Halls 3d Dungeon Tiles from www. Newbie DM .com

Newbie DM — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:34:07 +0000

The Harrowing Halls set in the Dungeon Tiles line fill a different niche from that of previous sets. The included 3d tiles aside, the 2d stuff is unlike any seen in previous Dungeon Tiles sets. If you’ve ever wanted to design the inside of an inn, or perhaps a mansion, then this is the set [...]

It’s my birthday and I’ll cry if I want to… from Dice Monkey

Dice Monkey — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:48:07 +0000

But I didn’t have to. I got some pretty great stuff. Two things topped the list: One: a new hard drive from Bridget, which will allow me to once again use my laptop as a laptop and stop using an external hard drive, forcing me to stay in one spot. I’ll be sure to load it up [...]

Monstrous Races in 4E D&D – Githyanki from Critical Hits » RPG

Critical Hits — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:11:07 +0000

In the Dragon article that previewed the githzerai race from the upcoming Player's Handbook 3, the designers stated that the githyanki were not being developed as a PC race due to their villainous nature and they feel the drow has taken up the available real estate for a villainous race in 4th Edition.

Saving the game in the middle of combat from Mike's D&D Blog

Mike's D&D Blog — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:27 +0000

Because my group has a limited time to game each week (about 3-3.5) hours, the amount of stuff we can do in an individual session is pretty limited. In particular, there’†s a big burden on the DM to craft encounters that she knows we can finish in that time. Sometimes the story leading up to [...]

Virtual Table Top and DDi from DM Samuel's RPG Musings

DM Samuels RPG Musings — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:08:08 +0000

No, this post is not going to give you an update on the status of WotC’s Virtual Table Top Program. Sorry to disappoint you. I know that some people are eagerly awaiting the announcement that it is complete and will be rolled out on a specific day. I, unfortunately, cannot give you that news. – This post [...]

D&D Dungeon Masters, the video from Gaming Brouhaha » RPG

Gaming Brouhaha — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:00:23 +0000

I realize this is old news but I have a few readers that don’t read a lot of other blogs so this is mainly for them. The last section bashes on 3.5 a bit, though I agree with most of the points they raise. Incidentally, having now been running...

Stock Characters In Your RPGs from The Spirits of Eden » RPG

The Spirits of Eden — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:16:16 +0000

My NPCs never die. This is not to say that they are invincible. They can surely be reduced to 0 HP and never seen again in that particular game. But that only gives them new life, a life beyond the confines of any single game, in the meta-universe of campaign design. I’ve made a lot [...]

Let’s Roll….(the dice that is!) from The Chaos Grenade » RPG

The Chaos Grenade — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:31:29 +0000

That song at the beginning of Borderlands, performed by Cage The Elephant, is definitely a fitting tune for this week. “Aint no rest for the wicked, money don’t grow on trees…I got bills to pay, I got mouths to feed, there aint nothing in this world fo’ free…..” The game shop, despite being in reality a small [...]

Is More Really Better: A Look At Character Classes from Dungeon's Master

Dungeon's Master — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:30:42 +0000

I’m all about options, I love to have a multitude of choices, doing the research and then selecting the best fit for the vision of my character. These choices don’t just include the feats and powers I select for my PC, in fact the decisions start the moment I open up the Character Builder. I’m [...]

Gearing up for PAX East from NEUROGLYPH Games

Neuroglyph Games — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:10:34 +0000

“I am prepared for the worst, but hope for the best.” ~ Benjamin Disraeli Dice… check. Paper and pencils… check. Laptop… check. So yes, PAX East is almost upon us, coming up on March 26-28, and I’ve been already working through lists of “to-do” items, trying to get geared up and ready for the big event in Boston. It [...]

Humpday Hazard: Ghoul Vomit from Kobold Quarterly Magazine: Monsters and Magic for D&D Gamers

Kobold Quarterly — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:12:42 +0000

“The door was thick—made of stone, I think—but I could still hear it. Damn my soul, I could still bloody hear it.” The priest sat in silence, casting a long frown over the ninth bowl of oatmeal the warrior had ignored this week. “When it first touched my ears, it sounded like a barrel of rancid [...]

Magical Minds Contest Entries from Buccaneers Guild

Buccaneer's Guild — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:11:01 +0000

Thanks to everyone who entered the PH3 competition. Entries are now closed. All entries have been packaged up and are ready to be sent to Greg Bilsland. Now you’ll just have to wait.

The NewbieDM.com Minicast from www. Newbie DM .com

Newbie DM — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:48:50 +0000

I’ve decided to toss my fear of public speaking aside and go ahead with the launch of the minicast. As of now, it is active, with an rss feed, and an upcoming link in the Itunes store. The first episode runs just under 6 minutes, and features Phil Menard, The Chatty DM as my guest. We [...]

Rituals and Incantations: Welcome Zombie Sky Press from Kobold Quarterly Magazine: Monsters and Magic for D&D Gamers

Kobold Quarterly — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:05:57 +0000

Though he’s too modest to brag about it himself, our Web Editor Scott Gable has launched a dual-edition set of Spirit Magic that I think is the most promising new company launch in ages. Now I might be slightly biased, but if you’ve seen Gable’s writeups in Kobold Quarterly, you might not be surprised. This is [...]

How to be a better GM. from Geek Ken

Geek Ken — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:00:00 +0000

To jump on the bandwagon from a Questing GM, he is graciously hosting this month's RPG Blog Carnival Question, 'How to be a better GM.' There is a lot of thoughts I could add to this. I'll bring up 2 things I think are the key though. Communicate and ...

Don’t Neglect Story Telling from Role-Playing Discussions » table-top

Role-Playing Discussions — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:24:37 +0000

Recently, I read newbiedm’s post about building an adventure which has advice on what to do and not do with regards to writing your own scenarios. I won’t recap over all of these suggestions here, as you should really read the original post. However, this got me thinking, writing smooth, streamlined adventures is [...]

Reader Voicemail: Building an Adventure from www. Newbie DM .com

Newbie DM — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:46:41 +0000

The response to the voicemail has been pretty fantastic so far, and there’s probably no way that I’ll be able to take advantage of all the voicemails that have come in through a podcast alone, so I thought I’d create a new section for the site called “Reader Voicemail”, where I’ll write an answer, rather [...]

Classless 4e from Critical Hits » RPG

Critical Hits — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:52:41 +0000

Though the game is made up of classes- which are intrinsic to the design of the system- you can try something new with your next campaign by getting rid of them altogether. Some sub-systems in 4th Edition will have to stay, such as those for purposes of multi-classing and the feats and powers associated with them. But for the most part, you can choose to just simply get rid of all classes.

Player’s Handbook 3 (PHB3) Review (Part 2) from Dungeon's Master

Dungeon's Master — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:15:36 +0000

In our Player’s Handbook 3 Review (Part 1) we looked at the new Shardmind race and one of the new classes, the Runepriest. Today in our PHB3 Review (Part 2) we’re looking at skill powers, feats, superior implements and new magic items. In our PHB3 Review (Part 3) we’ll delve into a detailed look at the psionic classes. Here’s [...]

Last day to win a Players Handbook 3! from Buccaneers Guild

Buccaneer's Guild — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:30:19 +0000

You’ve got until 23.59 GMT today to enter the PH3 competition. http://buccaneersguild.com/players-handbook-3-giveaway-2/ Judged by our guest judge, WotC’s Greg Bilsland.

Hezruul’s Winged Goblins from Greywulf's Lair » RPG

Greywulf's Lair — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:02:36 +0000

As far as Wizards go, Hezruul the Magnificent was nothing but a fraud. In his lifetime he claimed credit for many fantastic creatures including the Owlbear, Chimera and Manticore, all of which pre-dated him by untold centuries. There is no doubt however that he is to blame for one of the more recent critters to [...]

i4e review from Mike's D&D Blog

Mike's D&D Blog — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:41 +0000

I’ve been meaning to post this review for awhile. At the end of last year I blogged about playing without my character sheet. In the comments, DM Ron suggested I check out a iPhone/iPod Touch program called i4e. It can be replacement for a paper character sheet, but I find it I an accompaniment. The first [...]

Gaming With Significant Others: An Addendum or My Response to Having the Lightning Train Swallowed By An Elemental from Dice Monkey

Dice Monkey — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:16:36 +0000

So far, so good has been my motto. My husband and I have been gaming partners for going on 3 years with no incidents. He’s often the DM or GM and I never feel singled out, either for positive rewards or harsh punishments. I have always felt like one of the group and our groups [...]

Review of Blackdirge’s Bargain Templates: Brutish from NEUROGLYPH Games

Neuroglyph Games — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:11:38 +0000

Miracle Max: Go away or I’ll call the Brute Squad.| Fezzik: I’m on the Brute Squad. | Miracle Max: You *are* the Brute Squad! ~ The Princess Bride If you think about it, a fairy tale wouldn’t be complete without some form of giant, ogre, or just some really big guy being involved. Hulking brutes capable [...]

Win a copy of Martial Power 2 from Campaign Mastery

Campaign Mastery — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:51:40 +0000

You can win a copy of the new hardcover Martial Power 2 for D&D 4E thanks to Gator Games. How to enter Entering is easy and you have two options: Option 1. Leave a comment below telling us you’d like to enter the contest. Option 2. Follow @gatorgames and @johnnfour on Twitter and send us both a tweet telling [...]

Player’s Handbook 3 (PHB3) Review (Part 1) from Dungeon's Master

Dungeon's Master — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:00:08 +0000

You may think that you know what the Player’s Handbook 3 is all about if you’ve got a DDI subscription, but the preview content was just the tip of the iceberg. If you’re a DDI subscribers who’s considering passing on the PHB3, think again. This is one of the coolest 4e D&D books that’s come [...]

The Importance of Dice from Stargazer's World

Stargazer's World — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:00:45 +0000

Dice are a very important part of most role playing games. Without out a good set of dice you would not be able to roll up your character, let alone slay a dragon. They are just as important to people who play roll playing games as the story they are playing through. Some people take [...]

DM Tips Video: Building a Portal Prop from Sly Flourish

Sly Flourish — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:31:43 +0000

Here’s a short three minute video on how to build cool props for your D&D game. In it, I discuss building a light-up portal for some nasty beast to enter from a foul world. Here’s a pic of the portal in use: Like this video? Consider using this link to purchase a Dungeon Master’s Guide 2 or [...]

Happy Jacks RPG Podcast Season 02 Episode 09 from Happy Jacks RPG Podcast

Happy Jacks RPG Podcast — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 07:35:36 +0000

Stu, Stork and Tappy discuss listener email, a few qualities of great players, DnD4e Martial Power 2 and Player’s Handbook 3. Featured song: The Man Who Doesn’t Like Beer, by the Poxy Boggards, featured on Liver Let Die. We briefly mentioned some fliers to promote the show. Here’s the safe flyer. Here’s the not safe flyer. If you [...]

News in Review for March 1 to March 7 2010 from NEUROGLYPH Games

Neuroglyph Games — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 15:10:40 +0000

It’s been a week of podcasts and updates, with not one but two new Chris Perkins vs. Robot Chicken D&D Sessions and the whopping eighty-eight page March Update from WotC! That update was huge and had tons of rules clarifications, and generated quite a few discussion threads on the message boards. Hailed by some, including [...]

4E Vault of the Clay Medusa from Save Versus Death

Save Versus Death — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 05:52:11 +0000

This past week, the winners of the Design a Dungeon Room contest were announced, and my entry – Vault of the Clay Medusa – earned a runner-up spot. You can download the entire collection of rooms here. You’ll find below an (admittedly hasty) conversion of my entry to 4E. Vault of the Clay Medusa Encounter Level 7 (1,500 XP) Setup 2 [...]

WotC come out of the bunker from Treehouse: » RPG

RPG Treehouse — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 21:31:09 +0000

Rodney Thompson from WotC has put a request online at a few sites. I’ll quote it in full: Help me make WotC adventures better. Hello there everybody, In case you don’t know me, I’m Rodney Thompson, a D&D developer at Wizards of the Coast. Over the years I’ve seen WotC adventures take some knocks, to put it mildly. [...]

The Fearsome Beast from Below the Earth from Dice Monkey

Dice Monkey — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 20:57:01 +0000

Tonight, this is what the heroes will face. It’s the first paper model I’ve built successfully that actually turned out looking good. That’s entirely made of paper, and normally you could find it on One Monk Miniatures to download, but they’ve been redesigning their site, and I can’t find it at the moment. When last we [...]

Shorter Games are Cinematic Games from Dice Monkey

Dice Monkey — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 14:00:35 +0000

The Game Knights get together once a week (Friday or Saturday) for gaming from 8 pm to about 10-10:30 pm. Of course, it usually takes a little time for everyone to look over character sheets, grab some snacks and drinks, and finally settle down around the middle of the living room floor to play. So, [...]

Tim’s Campaign – Session 4 Podcast from WeeBeeGamers.com

Wee Bee Gamers — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 06:28:22 +0000

The druid Blindheart has been tainted by a black crystal and after the group destroys it he is released from its power.

DM TIp: Insight is not a lie detector. from Geek Ken

Geek Ken — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 02:35:00 +0000

Sometimes you might have this happen. Some NPC spills his guts dropping off some key information to the party. You get one guy that grabs a D20 and says, 'I'm gonna see if he's lying with Insight.' Nope. Hold on. Back up there, buddy. See I don't buy ...

The first duty of a prisoner is to escape from Mike's D&D Blog

Mike's D&D Blog — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:00:11 +0000

There may come a time in adventurer’s life when he is imprisoned against his will. Good characters can get imprisoned under false pretense or righteous action, or captured by enemies. When the party is trapped under guard, it’s their duty to escape so they can go on saving the world. This is scenario is the [...]

4e Sample Combat from Greywulf's Lair » RPG

Greywulf's Lair — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:51:29 +0000

You know what’s missing from Fourth Edition D&D? A really good blow-by-blow combat example. Let’s fix that, shall we? First, let’s meet the team. Here’s four fresh 1st level adventurers, all generated as per the PHB – no Background options, and only PHB Feats and Powers (I think). Click their names to download their sheets so [...]

The Evolution of the Dungeon Encounter from Dungeon's Master

Dungeon's Master — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:30:31 +0000

“Hey what dat noise?” “What noise dat you talk’n bout Oloorin?” “Sounds like fight’n, maybe we go see?” “Wha you talk’n bout? We have important job, we guard chest in 10 x 10 room. We stay put.” “Uh… ok, if you say. What we do if someone come through dat door?” “Probably we die. Dat da life of two orcs [...]