Probability
This article was first broadcast in Episode Twenty-One on 25th April 2018. Ryu: Are you sure about this? Lennon: I think we have to Ryu: I’m getting the hat Lennon: No, no… Let’s just let him have this one. Ryu: You’re REALLY sure? I mean, last time some people didn’t wake up for days. Lennon: Well, we can dress it up as a public service. Insomnia is a real issue for a lot of people. Now, breathe in… and out… ok, go get em! Ryu: Okay… Hey Ostron? What’cha been working on in the Gnomish Workshop? With all of this talk of Mordenkainen’s Mayhem, and the Mike Mearls Happy Fun Hour, it got us thinking about designing creatures, and then how much chance the players had to defeat them. You see, there’s a quote about Las Vegas that comes from comedian Penn Jillette: Las Vegas is a city…
Are We Going To Die?
This article was first broadcast in Episode Eighteen on 4th April 2018. Ryu: So, we’re in the Gnomish Workshop… Why are we going to die? Ostron: Well, I’ve got this piece about dice math I’ve written.. Ryu: Okay, nevermind, I get it now. Ostron: Oh come on, dice math is fun! Besides, it might not be that easy. Lennon: We can’t use the sweet embrace of death to escape your dice math? Ostron: Not always… … you see, D&D is not considered a game where death of a character is likely. Assuming the DM isn’t actively trying to make it happen, permanent death of a character requires some extra effort. But Dungeon Masters and players alike may wonder “exactly how hard is it to die?” Fortunately, as with most things in the workshop, math has an answer for us. Getting Killed Anyone who’s read the appropriate section of…
Switching Characters
This article was first broadcast in Episode Seventeen on 28th March 2018. Ostron: One of my players used the sending stone, they want to change characters AGAIN. It’s something like the fourth time and I have no idea what to do here. Lennon: What are they now? Ostron: Gnome Cleric Lennon: And they’re switching to… Ostron: Goliath Barbarian Ryu: That’s…um…that’s quite a jump. Lennon: Might not be insurmountable though. He’re some pointers. Even the most carefully crafted character can eventually become more of a burden than a companion. Most players have experienced the conflict of approaching a D&D session and realizing that they’d rather not play the character whose sheet they’re looking at. Unless you have some assurance that the current campaign is wrapping up in another few sessions, this situation can be a recipe for conflict and confusion. Fortunately, we’re here to help. First of all, before…
To Add A Dragon
This article was first broadcast in Episode Sixteen on 21st March 2018. Raerae: So were you guys debating dragons this week? Ryu: No Raerae: Why not? Ryu: Because there isn’t a debate. Ostron: No, the point is that we’re asking if you should add dragons to a campaign or not. Ryu: I don’t understand the question. Ostron: I’m not sure how to rewrite that Ryu: Look, here, guys, why don’t we just read over this paper I wrote up on dragons instead, huh? Dragons are probably the most iconic creatures in the entire D&D mythos. I mean, they’re the second “D” in the name; it’s hard to argue they aren’t significant. That said, there’s sometimes confusion about how exactly they fit into the stories. Part of this confusion stems from dragons being part of so many different mythologies through millennia. We aren’t going to go into all the details of…
Are You Evil?
This article was first broadcast in Episode Fifteen on 14th March 2018. Lennon: Really? You just GAVE her the hat? Ostron: Look, it’s not like The Killer DM causes chaos or anything. She’s Lawful Evil, that’s manageable. Killer DM: Do I hear the sounds of overconfidence? Lennon: Not from me Ostron: We were just saying you’re a good source of information for players that want to play evil characters Killer DM: Oh my goodness yes. There are soooo many posers out there that think they’re SO evil and still go to puddles when there are a bunch of kittens around. Pull up a chair, people. At some point in many a D&D player’s mind, they say “I think I want to be evil.” The thought could have come from a number of places; maybe there was a really charismatic villain in a book or show you want…
Healing Without Healing
This article was first broadcast in Episode Fourteen on 7th March 2018. Lennon: Ok, so I’ve been thinking about our Ixalan adventure… well, mis-adventure… and I think I’ve gotten to the bottom of it. We need a cleric. Ryu: No we don’t Ostron: Right — a paladin would probably be better. They can absorb more damage. Ryu: Wrong again Lennon: Ok, well what do you suggest? Ryu: Well, I find that depends on how you look at it. The easiest way to guarantee blind panic in most players is to drain the group’s healer of spell slots or hit points. Some players refuse to engage in a fight or even a campaign unless there is a dedicated healer ready to go when things get violent. However, having someone ready with Healing Word isn’t the only way to mitigate damage in combat. Now, you might be asking why we’re talking…
Party Composition
This article was first broadcast in Episode Twelve on 21st February 2018. Lennon: That was close! Ryu: Next time we go to Ixalan, we should probably balance our party better. Ostron: Now we’re safe backstage, let’s take a Short Rest… But I do think it’s worth talking about party balance! Conventional wisdom says that the most effective parties have the holy trinity: damage dealer (frequently called the DPS by video-game aficionados), Tank, and Healer/support. The fourth person is ideally a character who can soak up some damage while dealing a modest amount themselves, usually called the Off-tank. If you’ve got 5 people, that fifth person should be acting as some sort of controller to either buff their allies, apply penalties to the enemies, or both. It’s only when you acquire a sixth party member that the purists are comfortable saying there are no restrictions or requirements on what…
Royal Titles
This article was first broadcast in Episode Six on 3rd January 2018. Lennon: Why does the break room wall have dry erase lines everywhere with some pictures of Duke Ellington, Elvis, and Christopher Lee from Star Wars? Ostron: Oh, yeah, we wanted to add some stuff to our campaigns and have it be authentic. Royalty! Kings, Princes, Dukes. I mean an evil baron- Ryu: Or Baroness! Ostron: -right trying to take over the kingdom is classic! But we wanted it to be authentic and we’re not used to the whole royalty, lines of succession thing. Lennon: Ryu, Ostron, I’m British. We’ve got this. Here’s your note sheet, here’s your note sheet…now, everyone follow along. We’ll have your Kings and Princes sorted out in no time. What’s in a Name? When adding nobility and royal titles to D&D, the most common pattern is to have nobility named based on the…
Dying Players Everywhere
This article was first broadcast in Episode Three on 15th December, 2017. Lennon: Just to check, Ostron, you mean “Dying Characters”, right? Ostron: … suuuuuuuuuure. Most DMs know that only 10% of the reason you have a screen is to hide the notes of your nefarious plans from prying eyes of the players. Most of the time the screen allows you to avoid having a roadside bandit that wasn’t even supposed to make it to melee completely mutilate the level 1 bard because you rolled a critical hit followed by maximum damage. There are very different attitudes among groups and individual players about dying. There are also differences in opinion among Dungeon Master’s in how to respond. We’re going to quickly cover three general player attitudes toward character death, and three Dungeon Master approaches to killing playe–er, characters. Knights, Big Damn Heroes, and Roguelikes We’re going to group player’s attitudes…