Wisdom of the Masters: How Not To Say Something
This article was first broadcast in Episode Two Hundred and Forty on 23rd May, 2023. Note: This article was adapted from an episode script, and so there may be parts that don’t flow well when read, because they were initially designed for broadcast. Presentation always matters. Sometimes with Dungeons and Dragons, you need to be direct. In combat, for example, being vague and misleading about enemies actions doesn’t do anything but confuse and frustrate people. But simple, obvious descriptions don’t always work for storytelling. In fact, there are many so-called purists who want to avoid as much out-of-game information as possible. Those are the kind of people who don’t want to hear “the giants are CR 9”. They want you to be creative and say something like “the giants are much larger than you, they have finely crafted armor, and they move like trained fighters who’ve seen a few battles.”…
Heroes Rise two hundred and fortieth entry: Anyway, Here’s Wonder-why-I-can’t-climb-the-wall
Welcome, brave adventurers, to Heroes Rise. This is the 240th entry into our chronicle, recorded on Saturday, May 20th, and released Wednesday, May 24th, 2023 over at heroesrisepodcast.com. In this week’s Adventurer’s Pack, we finally let Lennon eat his dice. Next we check out some D&D News as we take a look at the latest boardgame coming from WizKids, the D&D Streaming Channel, the results of the Paladin and Druid Playtest survey, and some Misplaced Monsters. After that we’ll take a Short Rest and hear some Wisdom of the Masters on how not to say something, before finally heading into the Scrying Pool to see what you have to say. Community Questions
Archives of Candlekeep: Totally Tortley
This article was first broadcast in Episode Two Hundred and Thirty Nine on 10th May, 2023. Note: This article was adapted from an episode script, and so there may be parts that don’t flow well when read, because they were initially designed for broadcast. Tortles have a surprisingly long history with D&D. But like Shifters and Warforged, their origins are linked to alternate settings and they’re usually brought into mainstream D&D during a second or third “wave” of content additions. Quick refresher for those who forgot their D&D real-world history. During the first and second edition of D&D, there was the main publication out of TSR, officially called “Advanced Dungeons and Dragons.” The reason that was emphasized was to separate it from “Basic Dungeons and Dragons.” Basic was a parallel publication that used most of the same bones of D&D, but the details differed. The two most obvious differences were…
Heroes Rise two hundred and thirty-ninth entry: Twue Pwewequisits
Welcome, brave adventurers, to Heroes Rise. This is the 239th entry into our chronicle, recorded on Saturday May 6th, and released Wednesday, May 10th, 2023 over at heroesrisepodcast.com. In this week’s Adventurer’s Pack, Ryu takes us down to the forge! Next we check out some D&D News, as we take a look at what we can expect from the new Player’s Handbook with the latest OneD&D playtest covering weapons and adventuring gear; as well as the barbarian, fighter, sorcerer, warlock and wizard classes. After that we’ll take a Short Rest and head into the Archives of Candlekeep to get totally tortley; before finally heading into the Scrying Pool to see what you have to say. Community Questions
Heroes Rise two hundred and thirty-eighth entry: Summinty Fresh
Welcome, brave adventurers, to Heroes Rise. This is the 238th entry into our chronicle, recorded on Saturday April 22nd, and released Wednesday, April 26th, 2023 over at heroesrisepodcast.com. In this week’s Adventurer’s Pack, Ostron tells us to “choose our own adventure”. Charming. Next we check out some D&D News, as we take a look at everything that came out of D&D Creator’s Summit 2023, as well as a little information on the updated Dungeon Master’s Guide coming in 2024. After that we’ll take a Short Rest and head into the Archives of Candlekeep, ‘cause oh Bahamut, he comin’; before finally heading into the Scrying Pool to see what you [all] have to say. Community Questions
Archives of Candlekeep: Oh Bahamut, He Comin’!
This article was first broadcast in Episode Two Hundred and Thirty Eight on 26th April, 2023. Note: This article was adapted from an episode script, and so there may be parts that don’t flow well when read, because they were initially designed for broadcast. As we’ve mentioned before, unlike with a lot of modern fantasy media like Harry Potter and Game of Thrones, Dragons in D&D are fully sapient, thinking beings. That has given rise to several dragons who made names for themselves for various reasons. Icingdeath, which is the name I’m using because his real name sounds like someone sneezing into a kazoo, is a dragon made famous from the Drizz’t novels. Ashardalon [ash-AR-dah-lawn] is a red dragon with a terrifying multiversal reputation. Silvara is a Silver dragon whose life and fate were tied in directly to the War of the Lance and the heroes from Dragonlance. Themberchaud is…
Archives of Candlekeep: Don’t Feed the Trolls
This article was first broadcast in Episode Two Hundred and Thirty Seven on 22nd March, 2023. Note: This article was adapted from an episode script, and so there may be parts that don’t flow well when read, because they were initially designed for broadcast. In D&D, trolls are something of an unsung victory of the brand. In almost all modern fantasy series, trolls have mostly the same appearance and behavior; they’re larger than humans, usually by several feet; they have wiry bodies covered in skin that looks diseased, loose, oddly colored, or all of the above; they aren’t that intelligent; and they try to eat anything and anyone they come across. Almost no one thinks D&D invented trolls, and technically they are correct. Trolls exist in multiple mythologies and myths throughout history. However, D&D’s particular brand of troll didn’t come directly from any myth. Most people’s next thought would be…
Heroes Rise two hundred and thirty-seventh entry: Journey of the Radiant Cynical
Welcome, brave adventurers, to Heroes Rise. This is the 237th entry into our chronicle, recorded on Saturday, April 1st, 2023 (that’s not a joke), and released Wednesday, April 5th, 2023 over at heroesrisepodcast.com. This week we’re going to wander into the Market of Minauros to see what mysterious and magical items have filtered up for sale. Next we check out some D&D News as we take a look at everything that came out of D&D Direct 2023. After that we’ll take a Short Rest and head into the Archives of Candlekeep and learn how to troll, before finally heading into the Scrying Pool to see what you [all] have to say. Links Community Questions
Wisdom of the Masters: Your Sword Says “Hi”
This article was first broadcast in Episode Two Hundred and Thirty Six on 22nd March, 2023. Note: This article was adapted from an episode script, and so there may be parts that don’t flow well when read, because they were initially designed for broadcast. Sentient magic items are another common trope in many fantasy or fantasy-adjacent stories. The One Ring from the Lord of the Rings is an obvious example. All the characters who knew about it talked as if it had a will of it’s own, such as when it supposedly abandoned Isildur and then Gollum in its quest to get back to Sauron. More recently, in the Marvel movies, Dr. Strange’s cloak of levitation is another item that has it’s own will and makes decisions and takes actions due to an intelligence of its own. And in Disney’s adaptations of the Aladdin story, the magic carpet found by…
Heroes Rise two hundred and thirty sixth entry: Holy Nimbus, Batman!
Welcome, brave adventurers, to Heroes Rise. This is the 236th entry into our chronicle, recorded on Saturday March 18th 2023, and released Wednesday March 22nd 2023 over at heroesrisepodcast.com. In this week’s Adventurer’s Pack, the last of our PAX interviews as Ostron and Ryu talk to the fine folks of Turbo Dork, Lethal Shadows, and Baron Smellybones Scented Dice. Next we check out some D&D News, as we take a look at the latest Playtest options for the Druid and Paladin, as well as a few other things from around the D&D multiverse After that we’ll take a Short Rest and hear some Wisdom of the Masters (and also from our swords, apparently); before finally heading into the Scrying Pool to see what you [all] have to say. Community Questions