Blog Posts
Jan 15, 2016 by [ "James R. Miller"
]
Categories:
rpgs
Tags:
dnd
5e
for-new-players
My PBP party recently leveled up to level 2 and many haven’t played RPGs before. They had a lot of questions about hit dice. (Not just from Frank). Read on for a brief overview of hit dice in DND 5E.
What’s the point of hit dice? Hit dice represent a PC’s resource regarding hit points. At each level, a PC receives one hit die per level. The size of the individual die corresponds to the PC’s class.
Jan 14, 2016 by [ "James R. Miller"
]
Categories:
rpgs
Tags:
dnd
for-new-players
ability-scores
There was a great post on Reddit the other day that explained a character’s ability scores in terms of tomatoes. Read on for it.
Here’s the link to the post quoted below.
I saw this explanation of ability scores a few years ago, and I find it very useful for explaining Ability Scores to new players.
Strength is the ability to crush a tomato.
Dexterity is the ability to dodge a tomato being thrown at you.
Jan 13, 2016 by [ "James R. Miller"
]
Categories:
rpgs
Tags:
dnd
5e
srd
ogl
Hurray! Wizards of the Coast has released a portion of 5E content into the Open Game License (“OGL”)! This is wonderful news for the 5E ecosystem. Read on for more.
Where is it? Here’s the link to Wizard’s website. Caution, Wizard’s has a habit of breaking links over time, so I apologize in advance if they break the link. Wizard’s even has a nice chart of what you can and can’t do with the OGL.
Jan 13, 2016 by [ "James R. Miller"
]
Categories:
rpgs
Tags:
dnd
5e
cantrips
spells
Eldritch Blast is one of the strongest cantrips in all of 5E. It is a must have for Warlocks. Read on for more information.
Source Material Page 237 Player’s Handbook Classes that can use it Warlock Thoughts This is the best Warlock cantrip with its 1d10 beam of damage, with more beams added at levels 5, 11, and 17. You can even target mutliple targets once you get more than one beam.
Jan 12, 2016 by [ "James R. Miller"
]
Categories:
rpgs
Tags:
dnd
5e
cantrips
spells
Druidcraft is a druid-only cantrip that has a lot of flavor in it. Read on for more information.
Source Material Page 236 Player’s Handbook Classes that can use it Druid Thoughts It’s a great cantrip for druids and I think any druid needs to take this cantrip early on in their levels if not right at the beginnig. Why? Because this lets your druid character take on so much druid essence.
Jan 11, 2016 by [ "James R. Miller"
]
Categories:
rpgs
Tags:
dnd
5e
cantrips
spells
Dancing Lights is a classic cantrip for DND. I’ll always remember Dancing Lights from R.A. Salvatore’s famous Drizzt Do’Urden character (and drow in general). Read on for more information.
Source Material Page 230 Player’s Handbook Page 86 Basic Rules Classes that can use it Bard Sorcerer Wizard Thoughts This cantrip has super utility. After casting, it lets you manipulate up to four lights or one vaguely humanoid light as a bonus action up to 120’ in range, provided they are at least 20’ from another light.
Jan 10, 2016 by [ "James R. Miller"
]
Categories:
rpgs
Tags:
dnd
5e
cantrips
spells
Control Flames is the next cantrip that we’re looking at. It comes from the Elemental Evil adventure path for 5E. Read on for more information.
Source Material Page 16 Elemental Evil Player’s Companion Page 234 Princes of the Apocalypse Classes that can use it Druid Sorcerer Wizard Thoughts This cantrip can have situational use, assuming you have the opportunity to use it. Up to three of its effects can stack, which is nice.
Jan 10, 2016 by [ "James R. Miller"
]
Categories:
rpgs
Tags:
dnd
5e
cantrips
spells
Create Bonfire is the next cantrip that we’re looking at. It comes from the Elemental Evil adventure path for 5E. Read on for more information.
Source Material Page 16 Elemental Evil Player’s Companion Page 234 Princes of the Apocalypse Classes that can use it Druid Sorcerer Warlock Wizard Thoughts This cantrip is an interesting little cantrip that lets a character concentrate to maintain a 5’ cube of a bonfire for up to a minute.
Jan 09, 2016 by [ "James R. Miller"
]
Categories:
rpgs
Tags:
dnd
5e
cantrips
spells
Booming Blade is the next in our look at the 5E cantrips. It was part of the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide. Read on for more information.
Source Material Page 142 Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide Classes that can use it Sorcerer Warlock Wizard Thoughts This cantrip can be good for the following casters:
ones that want to use weapon attacks; ones that only get a single attack per use of the Attack action; ones that have a bonus to their single attack, i.
Jan 08, 2016 by [ "James R. Miller"
]
Categories:
rpgs
Tags:
dnd
5e
cantrips
spells
Blade Ward is the next in our look at the 5E cantrips. To be perfectly honest, I’ve yet to see it used in a live game. There’s a good reason why I haven’t seen it in a game. Read on to find out why.
Source Material Pages 218–19 Player’s Handbook. It’s not present in the basic rules.
Classes Bard Sorcerer Warlock Wizard My Thoughts Take these comments with a grain of salt as I’ve never seen it used in game, whether as a player or as a GM.