Heroes Rise, seventy-sixth entry: Mighty Ceremorphsing Power Illithids
Welcome, brave adventurers… to the seventy-sixth entry into our chronicle, recorded on Saturday June 8th, and released Wednesday June 12th over at heroesrisepodcast.com.
Wisdom from the Masters: The Blushing DM
This article was first broadcast in Episode Seventy Six on 12th June 2019. Ostron: Okay, that’s a researching case, that’s less urgent. Ryu: I think this one…yep, chronic dice fudging. “Dear sir, No, you can’t rub the numbers off, just put down the d20…” Lennon: Um, problem? Ostron: Yeah, we’ve got letters from a bunch of DMs with trauma after their first sessions. Okay, that’s a classic rules lawyer… anyone got a potion of Charm Person I can mail out? Lennon: So our last primer didn’t cut it then? Ryu: I think it was okay, there’s a few things we should add though. I’ve been keeping a list of common complaints. Last time we talked about some general tips for preparing for your first session as a DM, but we didn’t touch on a lot of things that might happen while actually playing the game. We’re going to cover some of the most common issues that cause…
Heroes Rise, seventy-fifth entry: Loquacious Flight Club
Welcome, brave adventurers… to the seventy-fifth entry into our chronicle, recorded on Saturday June 1st, and released Wednesday June 5th over at heroesrisepodcast.com.
Wisdom from the Masters: You Signed Up For This
This article was first broadcast in Episode Seventy Five on 5th June 2019. Ostron: I realize what I’m asking here but could the KDM help? Lennon: Does she ever? Ryu: Oh come on, you know she does! But I don’t think so in this case; I’m pretty sure KayDee doesn’t get nostalgic about stuff like that, and everyone she DMed for in her first game is probably gone. Ostron: Yeah, people move away, get older, you lose touch… Lennon: Oh yeah, I’m sure that’s why none of the KDM’s first player group is still around. All right, let’s see what we’ve pulled together so far. Other than a certain someone in a cursed santa hat, the most common reason D&D groups tend to fall apart or never form in the first place is actually scheduling issues. But following closely on the heels of time management is the ever important and divisive question: “who’s gonna sit…
Adventurer’s Journal: Preparing for your First Ever Game
This article was first broadcast in Episode Seventy Four on 29th May 2019. Ryu: Yeah, HR said they want to “have a word with” KayDee about how we can’t farm new employees for kidneys. Ostron: I’m sorry, what? Lennon: Doesn’t matter. Speaking of new employees, can you guys look over what I’ve got so far? Ryu: Sure Sitting down for your first ever session of D&D can be a daunting prospect for a lot of people. Assuming you looked through the basic rules or player’s handbook (which, hint, you should have done) you know there’s a lot of information and rules involved with this, and it’s very easy to get overwhelmed. First of all, breathe. It’s not that big of a deal. Even if there are other players who’ve got more experience than you, everyone will know you’re new at this and they’ll understand if you don’t have everything ready to go…
Heroes Rise, seventy-fourth entry: Salty Sea Dogs
Welcome, brave adventurers… to the seventy-fourth entry into our chronicle, recorded on Friday May 24th, and released Wednesday May 29th over at heroesrisepodcast.com.
Heroes Rise, seventy-third entry: Descent Into Madness
Welcome, brave adventurers… to the seventy-third entry into our chronicle, recorded on Saturday May 18th, and released Wednesday May 22nd over at heroesrisepodcast.com.
Gnomish Workshop: Critical Bonuses
This article was first broadcast in Episode Seventy Three on 22nd May 2019. Lennon: Right, so I thought we covered critical hits? ROSTRO: I would classify the information previously discussed as a primer on the general category. If you direct your attention to the display crystals, we can proceed. Lennon: What if I close my eyes and start running? KDM: Then you’ll hit the door, dear, I’ve just locked it. Now come along… As we’ve discussed previously, if they aren’t modified it is easier to score a critical hit in 5e than in any of the previous editions of the game. However, the average damage from the critical hits is also at its lowest point in history. We suggested a few ways that the damage output could be modified, but there are other things that can be done with critical hits to enhance them further. Cautionary notation: reviewing discussed information shows the highest statistical occurrence…
Heroes Rise, seventy-second entry: Ghosts of Sneezemarsh
Welcome, brave adventurers… to the seventy-second entry into our chronicle, recorded on Saturday May 11th, and released Wednesday May 15th over at heroesrisepodcast.com.
Gnomish Workshop: How Do You Crit?
This article was first broadcast in Episode Seventy Two on 15th May 2019. ROSTRO: Your information on critical hits is alarmingly deficient. Please consult the output crystals and confer with my colleague. Lennon: I think I’d rather go meet with HR. KDM: Lennon, don’t make me use hold person. Critical hits are a primary goal of many players in combat, with good reason; the ability to roll twice as many dice when doing damage usually means the character’s hitting harder than usual. If you have a character such as a rogue making a sneak attack or a paladin using smite, the number of extra dice rolled can cause scrambling even among those with extensive polyhedral collections. The impact of critical hits is such that the basic ruleset provides few methods to improve chances of one occurring. The Fighter’s Champion path is the only overt, class-based ability that modifies the likelihood of a critical hit…