Archives of Candlekeep: Bad Kitty
This article was first broadcast in Episode Two Hundred and Forty Six on 30th August, 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. Rakshasas are often a “pass-over” creature in D&D. They aren’t hidden away in separate resources and they’ve been around for a long time, but they don’t see a lot of use in most D&D resources, and it’s hard at first glance to see what makes them stand out. However, if used properly and the full range of their abilities is taken advantage of, they can be nearly as formidable as dragons. As far as the Research Beholders have figured out, Rakshasas first showed up in the first edition monster manual. It makes sense because “Rakshasas” are actually evil spirits from Hindu mythology, and as we’ve discussed…
Gnomish Workshop: You’re Not Sick
A few different classes in D&D eventually progress to the point where they become totally immune to diseases, and it’s often part of a level bonus, where that’s the primary thing they receive for reaching that milestone. However, many people see that and wonder if it’s actually a bonus at all. For most people playing, diseases are not a factor in most of their adventures. They might come across a sick child in need of help or a plague-ridden town, but rarely does the adventure or the DM running it do things like have characters save vs catching whatever ailment the NPCs have. So what’s the point of the immunity then? Despite the scarcity, there are a few places disease actually shows up in 5th edition. The two primary sources are monsters and spells. We’ll get the spells out of the way first because the list is shorter. Of the…
Archives of Candlekeep: It’s Not Mice
This article was first broadcast in Episode Two Hundred and Forty One on 14th June, 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. Kruthiks are an odd bunch. D&D is always generally set in a late medieval or early renaissance feeling setting, occasionally verging into the age of steam for technology when you’re talking about Eberron, but it usually stays firmly in the realm of fantasy. Which makes Kruthiks a little odd in a meta sense. Species of burrowing, oversized, insect-like creatures with swarming behavior and a loose hive mind are not a new trope by any means, but they’re usually placed in science fiction tales, often when the story needs an enemy numerous, alien, and unintelligent enough that the good guys can indiscriminately destroy them without guilt. Another…
Wisdom of the Masters: The Third Wheel
This article was first broadcast in Episode Two Hundred and Forty Two on 28th June, 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. There are several challenges around tying combat into an overall story in D&D. Almost all DMs have a story about setting up an epic battle with a foe that the players steamroll over after one round of combat, fouling your epic final battle narrative. Or the combat the characters are supposed to run from but the try-hard members just keep fighting until half the party is bleeding out on the floor and the players are yelling at the rogue and the wizard to run back out into the room with the three demons to retrieve their bodies. We’ve addressed several of these scenarios in the past.…
Archives of Candlekeep: Fire, Water, Earth and Air – Genasi
This article was first broadcast in Episode Two Hundred and Twenty Three on 31st August 2022. 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. Genasi are one of the more esoteric playable races in D&D, which is saying something given that giant frog and tortoise people are options. Like a number of the more unusual racial options in D&D, the genasi came about once planar travel, and Planescape in particular, became a major fixture of D&D. Possibly due to the gender makeup of TSR in the late 80s and early 90s, it was apparently assumed that if people were able to find exotic beings from other planes, one of the first orders of business would be to…how shall I put this…test biological compatibility. In 2nd edition, if a human got…
Unearthed Mundana: Giant Lore (Part 1)
This article was first broadcast in Episode Two Hundred Thirteen on 8th June 2022. 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. Giants have been around in D&D since the very beginning. A major reason for that has to do with the origins of the game. It’s oversimplifying a bit, but Gary Gygax’s original intent wasn’t to create a whole new system with sweeping lore and intricate settings; he just wanted to be able to have his tabletop armies fight Orcs and trolls instead of just other human armies, and he didn’t want to wait five years for Warhammer to come out. Starting with that premise, Gygax didn’t start inventing a whole bunch of unique fantasy creatures to throw up against his and his friend’s armies. They just took the…
Archives of Candlekeep: A Dip in the Astral Sea
This article was first broadcast in Episode Two Hundred and Twelfth on 25th May 2022. 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. Recent revelations about Spelljammer have said that the phlogiston is no more. Where the highly volatile mystery substance used to fill the space between local star systems, apparently that void is now going to be filled by the Astral Sea, or at least something called the Astral Sea. A lot of Planescape fans probably raised their eyebrows and worried a bit when they heard that. Because until we get some more details, it’s possible the 5th edition Astral Sea is going to be very different from before. Like most things about the D&D cosmology, the astral sea was something that sort of “appeared” over time. Several resources and…
Archives of Candlekeep: Tieflings
This article was first broadcast in Episode Two Hundred and Eleven on 18th May 2022. 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. Like flumphs, dragonborn, and a completely useless system for ranking monsters, tieflings are another thing that’s only become a staple of D&D in recent incarnations, despite being present in D&D as a whole for a long time prior. The tieflings ironically got their name and their start because of the fallout over the “Satanic Panic” of the 1980s. For those who aren’t aware or need a refresher, there were several incidents, most notably the suicide of an adolescent, that had negatively linked Dungeons and Dragons first edition with satanism and demon or devil worship in the United States during the 1980s. As a result, when TSR began…