Archives of Candlekeep: Revisiting Realism
This article was first broadcast in Episode Eighty One on 24th July 2019. Ryu: I want it noted for the record that I’m really trying to solve this without the hat. Gath: Solve what? Did we have a fight on-air I wasn’t aware of? Ryu: No, no, this is with my players. I’ve got a couple that are whining about wanting more realism and they really don’t know what they’re asking for. Ostron: The Killer DM already covered some of the variant rules the DMG says make things more realistic. Ryu: Yeah, these players are still whining. Ostron: Ugh, yeah, they don’t know what they’re asking for. Gath: What’s the problem? As we’ve discussed previously, and as many marketing materials and reviews have pointed out, a major goal of 5th edition D&D is to keep things simple. It’s still a tabletop RPG with a number of classes, races, and mechanics, so it can only get so simple before it…
Heroes Rise, eightieth entry: Professional Villainy
Welcome, brave adventurers… to the eightieth entry into our chronicle, recorded on Saturday July 13th, and released Wednesday July 17th over at heroesrisepodcast.com.
Wisdom from the Masters: Maintaining Villainy
This article was first broadcast in Episode Eighty on 17th July 2019. Mikey: Oh thank goodness. Given the topic I thought the Killer DM was going to be here again. She always seems to show up when I come out of the cave. Ostron: How bad was this fight? Does this mean you put the hat away for good? Ryu: What? No! We patched things up days ago. This time she’s just sitting out from contempt. How did she put it? Killer DM: If other DMs don’t know how to keep their best characters alive that’s not my problem. They should just call me in to help. Ostron: I’ve been halfway tempted. Mikey: You can’t be serious. Ostron: No, really. Half the time it seems like when I introduce a villain in a campaign, they end up dead before they’ve finished their name, never mind trying any sort of villain monologue. Mikey: Well, that comes down to how you…
Heroes Rise: Dissonant Whispers – What happens when a player leaves a campaign & Alignment
Welcome, brave adventurers to the first episode of Heroes Rise: Dissonant Whispers, a Patreon Exclusive show for all backers regardless of tier that will air every few weeks exclusively on our Patreon page, but we thought we’d let everyone get a taste of the first episode. If you like what you hear then head on over to our Patreon page to sign up. Tiers start from just $4 per month which will also get you access to the main Heroes Rise show unedited and early each week, and there’s even some Heroes Rise swag up for grabs.
Wisdom from the Masters: Realizing Villainy
This article was first broadcast in Episode Seventy Nine on 3rd July 2019. Lennon: Well the topic is “villainy”, but I don’t see the Killer DM hat. Ryu: Yeah, after I showed you how to break in to the vault last week, Ostron decided it wasn’t safe to keep the hat there. Lennon: Oh, so did he manage to hide it somewhere you couldn’t find it? Ryu: Not really. Ostron’s good, but… how do I put this… he always thinks in such 5 dimensional terms. Besides, I consulted with KayDee on this, and she’s… Protesting… Ostron: Somehow I doubt that involves signs and picket lines Ryu: No, I talked her down a bit. She just doesn’t see why people wouldn’t know everything they need to about villains by watching her. Lennon: Did you try to explain about the sliding scale? Ryu: She wasn’t talking to me by that point, but I wasn’t totally sure what you guys meant by…
Heroes Rise, seventy-ninth entry: Rhombic Enneacontahedron
Welcome, brave adventurers… to the seventy-ninth entry into our chronicle, recorded on Saturday June 29th, and released Wednesday July 3rd over at heroesrisepodcast.com.
Heroes Rise, seventy-eighth entry: Essentially Unlimited
Welcome, brave adventurers… to the seventy-eighth entry into our chronicle, recorded on Saturday June 22nd, and released Wednesday June 26th over at heroesrisepodcast.com.
Wisdom from the Masters: Non-combat Roles
This article was first broadcast in Episode Seventy Eight on 26th June 2019. Ostron: Ryu? Why are you teaching Lennon how to pick the lock on the vault? Ryu: Oh, well, I’m going to be DMing a bunch of new players so I wanted to brush up on how to teach people new skills. Ostron: I thought we have a policy against you DMing new people? Ryu: You have a policy against KayDee DMing new people. It’s just going to be me. Ostron: What’s that bunch of white and red fuzz I can see in your pocket? Ryu: What? Lint! I’m sure it’s just lint. I washed these pants with some fuzzy towels. That’s beside the point. Lennon: Regardless of… that… Ryu, gotta be honest, I don’t think this kind of thing is the best way to teach new players about non-combat activities. One of the hardest parts of playing DnD is learning what to do in various…
Unearthed Mundana: Naval Ghost Stories
This article was first broadcast in Episode Seventy Seven on 19th June 2019. Lennon: Oh, the year was 1778 — how I wish I was in Sherbrooke noooooow… Ryu: Lennon? Doing some remodeling on the guild house? Lennon: No, I’m going sailing! Building myself a boat, off to the high seas! Ostron: Sailing to where? Lennon: Oooh, avast, ye landlubber. You don’t need a destination; the joy is in the sailing! Ryu: You have no idea what you’re going to do out there, do you. Lennon: Look, Columbus didn’t need directions — Ryu: — and Columbus thought he landed in India! Lennon: Well… I’m sure inspiration will come to me! Ostron: Would you mind if we offered some suggestions? With the release of Ghosts of Saltmarsh, it’s possible for campaigns to spend more of their time on the water and have meaningful gameplay experiences while on the high seas. However, while the Saltmarsh book provides several sea-themed adventures, a lot…
Heroes Rise, seventy-seventh entry: Unfayre
Welcome, brave adventurers… to the seventy-seventh entry into our chronicle, recorded on Saturday June 15th, and released Wednesday June 19th over at heroesrisepodcast.com.