Heroes Rise two hundred and forty-sixth entry: Totally Oculorbious
Welcome, brave adventurers, to Heroes Rise. This is the 246th entry into our chronicle, recorded on Saturday August 26th 2023, and released Wednesday August 30th 2023 over at heroesrisepodcast.com. In this week’s Adventurer’s Pack… OK, Lennon just wrote a bunch of 1980s slang in this, and I wasn’t comfortable saying it in the 80s, so there’s no way I’m saying it 40 years later. So ignoring all of that, we’re left with “Dungeons, Laser, Dragon, Terrain, Minis”. Next we check out some D&D News as we take a sneak peek at the Planescape box set (and a couple of monsters you’ll encounter), as well as getting our first look at Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk. After that we’ll take a Short Rest and head into the Archives of Candlekeep to learn all about the Rakshasa; before finally heading into the Scrying Pool to see what you [all] have to say. Community…
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…
Heroes Rise two hundred and forty-fifth entry: Bigby Presents Glory of the Giants
Welcome, brave adventurers, to Heroes Rise. This is the 245th entry into our chronicle, recorded on Saturday, August 12th, 2023, and released Wednesday, August 16th, 2023 over at heroesrisepodcast.com. In this week’s Adventurer’s Pack, Ryu tells us what’s on her xmind. Next we check out some D&D News as we check out the latest hardcover release Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants After that we’ll take a Short Rest and head into the Archives of Candlekeep and learn all about the Owlbear; before finally heading into the Scrying Pool to see what you [all] have to say. Community Questions
All campaigns must come to an end…
… and Heroes Rise is no different. We know that this announcement may come as a surprise to a lot of you. With OneD&D on the horizon, and more releases in the coming quarter than we’ve had all year, why would we end the adventure here? We wish we could give you a simple and satisfying answer to this, but like any good D&D campaign, it’s a culmination of many moving parts that have lead to this decision. This upcoming season aside, product releases have been fewer and farther between. The amount of communication from Wizards of the Coast has plummeted since the pandemic. Further, the OGL debacle at the beginning of the year saw huge numbers of players leaving D&D for other game systems, and several third-party publishers stop developing for 5th Edition all together. And that’s not to mention how after six years, we’ve covered virtually every tool…
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…
Heroes Rise two hundred and forty-fourth entry: Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag Jelly
Welcome, brave adventurers, to Heroes Rise. This is the 244th entry into our chronicle, recorded on Saturday, July 29th, 2023, and released Wednesday, August 2nd, 2023 over at heroesrisepodcast.com. In this week’s Adventurer’s Pack, Ostron firmly declares his side in the upcoming robot apocalypse, and tries to convince us to join him… Next we check out some D&D News as we take a look at everything that’s been teased so far from Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants, as well as Beadle & Grimm’s Legendary Edition of Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk. After that we’ll take a Short Rest and head into the Gnomish Workshop to find out why Lennon isn’t sick before finally heading into the Scrying Pool to see what you [all] have to say. Links Community Questions
Heroes Rise two hundred and forty-third entry: Supreme Snek
Welcome, brave adventurers, to Heroes Rise.This is the 243rd entry into our chronicle, recorded on Saturday, July 8th, 2023, and released Wednesday, July 12th, 2023 over at heroesrisepodcast.com. This week we’re forgoing the Adventurer’s Pack and Short Rest segments as, yes, the News really is that large. The Player’s Handbook Playtest 6 weighs in at 77 pages and covers 7 classes, subclasses for each, 16 spells, 7 feats, a new Weapons Mastery table and a rules glossary. I’m sure you can see why this might take us a while to get through. And, as always, after that we’ll head into the Scrying Pool to see what you have to say Community Questions
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.…
Heroes Rise two hundred and forty-second entry: A Bunch of Vagabond Murderhobos Roaming Around Everywhere
Welcome, brave adventurers, to Heroes Rise. This is the 242nd entry into our chronicle, recorded on Saturday, June 24th, 2023, and released Wednesday, June 28th, 2023 over at heroesrisepodcast.com. In this week’s Adventurer’s Pack, Ryu plays the bassoon. At least I think that’s what the note says, I can’t read her handwriting… Next we discuss some of our favourite and not-so-favourite D&D settings, and what makes them truly great (or terrible), as we gather around the campfire and engage in some Dissonant Whispers After that we’ll take a Short Rest and hear some Wisdom of the Masters on what to do with the third wheel; before finally heading into the Scrying Pool to see what you [all] have to say. Community Questions