Author Archives: Brent
Faction Friday: Naomi’s Gnolls
Naomi’s Gnolls can be used either as a friendly faction that sends the PCs out on a mission, or as a foe that the PCs must overcome. This pack of gnolls is led by a charismatic human woman, Naomi Darvenel, who either restrains the gnolls into a force for good, or leads them on directed raids. As a friendly … Continue reading
First-Class Role-Playing…for Players! Part 3: Troubleshooting and Summary
Welcome to the third part in a series about playing tabletop RPGs. The first post gave you some basic advice, while the second covered more advanced topics like improv. This post offers guidance on problems you may run into. The Inflexible DM Some DMs aren’t really running a role-playing game; they’re narrating their novel, within which the PCs … Continue reading
First-Class Role-Playing…for Players! Part 2: How To Be Awesome
This post is for players who have played enough sessions to have the game’s basic rules under their belts. If you’re completely new to role-playing, read this first post in the series. Work With Your DM Accept your DM’s house rules Your DM has certain guidelines and parameters for the world, and house rules to play … Continue reading
First-Class Role-Playing…for Players! Part 1: Help! I’ve Never Played Before!
Welcome to tabletop role-playing! We’re glad you’re here. You’re going to play an important character in a story, and you want to do the best you can. Good on you. This blog post (and a few more coming later) provides advice to players of tabletop role-playing games, helping them to be better players. Each section will … Continue reading
Monster Monday: Lizardling Archer of Tarakona
The savage continent of Tarakona, where draconic races battle for supremacy! What the lizardling empire lacks in creativity it makes up for in training. Its archers can do terrible damage with their short bows. This is important, as they’re trained to maneuver around the rear of the battlefield and do damage from afar. A single good hit … Continue reading
Faction Friday: The Dragon Slavers
A wealthy halfling, Harran Mialorn, has been cowed by a young dragon named Mezvorax into kidnapping people to be the dragon’s slaves. He and his followers (also slaves of the dragon) live in a bat-filled mansion. Each follower wears an amulet that keeps them dominated by Mezvorax. About a quarter of those kidnapped become working members of the … Continue reading
Semi-Monthly Map: The Abandoned Temple of Arazhuul
The Abandoned Temple of Arazhuul is a large dungeon complex that was taken over by several forces. As the PCs delve deeper, they will find themselves in several very different environments. Arazhuul is a goddess of order and civilized pleasure, and the symmetrical design of underground complex exemplified this aspect of the goddess. A few years ago, a … Continue reading
Rules for Establishing Dangers Near a Town
Let’s say the PCs are headed towards a small town, out in the middle of nowhere, that’s surrounded by dangerous monsters and ruins. Let’s further say you haven’t fleshed anything out beyond that basic concept. (Astute players will recognize this as the setup for a West Marches campaign.) What if you could build these dangers … Continue reading
Monster Monday: Lizardling Trooper of Tarakona
The savage continent of Tarakona, where draconic races battle for supremacy! What the lizardling empire lacks in creativity it makes up for in training. Its troopers train with long glaives for month after month until they can handle them as though born to them, despite the weapon’s large size. This gives the troopers up to a 10-foot reach … Continue reading