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…
Archives of Candlekeep: Owlbear With You
This article was first broadcast in Episode Two Hundred and Forty Five on 16th 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. Owlbears are what could be called a B-level celebrity in D&D. They don’t get much recognition outside of players and fans of the game, but to anyone familiar with D&D, the owlbear is an instantly recognizable name and creature. The Owlbear also has the distinction of being one of the oldest monsters in D&D. It didn’t quite get in on the ground floor with the original edition, but it was in place for the Greyhawk supplement for original D&D in 1975. Since then, it’s become a staple monster of the brand. The first book published for an edition that focused on monsters, whether it’s called the…
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.…
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.”…
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…
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…
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…