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…
Heroes Rise, two hundred and thirteenth entry: Huge… Barbarians
Welcome, brave adventurers, to Heroes Rise. This is the 213th entry into our chronicle, recorded on Saturday, June 4th, and released Wednesday, June 8th over at heroesrisepodcast.com. Unfortunately Lennon was taking a trip this week and decided trying to ride the shambling mound would be faster than walking. That was a…slight…miscalculation. RaeRae’s stepping in to help while we figure out what piece of landscape Lennon’s a part of now. This week we’re going to wander into the Market of Minauros to see what mysterious and magical items have filtered up for sale. Arora: Age of Desolation Monsters, Maps & Magic Items: Royal Edition Undead Dice Next we check out some D&D News as we take a look at the latest Unearthed Arcana: Giant Options Speaking of giants, after that we take a Short Rest and dig up some Unearthed Mundana all about their history; before finally heading into the…
Heroes Rise, two hundred and twelfth entry: Blood War I
Welcome, brave adventurers, to Heroes Rise. This is the 212th entry into our chronicle, recorded on Saturday, May 21st, and released Wednesday, May 25th over at heroesrisepodcast.com. In this week’s Adventurer’s Pack, Ostron doesn’t appreciate how good he has it and decides infidelity is a better option. Next we check out some D&D News as we take a look at the latest release from Wizards of the Coast, Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse After that we take a Short Rest and head into the Gnomish Workshop so that we can take a dip in the Astral Sea; before finally heading into the Scrying Pool to see what you [all] have to say. Community Questions What do you think of the changes to the playable race mechanics? Have the races been rebalanced appropriately? Are they losing their individuality enough that it’s a problem? Do you like the new monster stat…
Heroes Rise, two hundred and eleventh entry: Volo’s Guide to Nothing
Welcome, brave adventurers, to Heroes Rise. This is the 211th entry into our chronicle, recorded on Saturday, May 14th, and released Wednesday, May 18th over at heroesrisepodcast.com. In this week’s Adventurer’s Pack, Lennon shows us… Ok, I think that’s actually the name of a Pokemon… Anyway Next we gather around the campfire and engage in some Dissonant Whispers on content ownership After that we take a Short Rest and head into the Archives of Candlekeep and learn all about the Tieflings; before finally heading into the Scrying Pool to see what you [all] have to say. Community Questions As we mentioned in the Dissonant Whispers, we want your thoughts on the subject of content ownership. Is removing digital content valid? Should digital resources always be available regardless? Is physical paper the king of media formats? Have you roleplayed a tiefling in a D&D game? Did you stick to the established…
Heroes Rise, two hundred and tenth entry: Only Thing to Sphere is Sphere Itself
Welcome, brave adventurers, to Heroes Rise. This is the 210th entry into our chronicle, recorded on Saturday, May 7th, and released Wednesday, May 11th over at heroesrisepodcast.com. In this week’s Adventurer’s Pack, Ryu shows she can also bring items for the 1% to the table Next we check out some D&D News as we bring you details of the new starter set, D&D’s after school club, and a couple more things about everyone’s favourite space setting (including the appearance of some creatures from a planet with a darker sun) Next we take a Short Rest and head into the Gnomish Workshop and learn all about the tinker, tailor, soldier and support class, the Artificer; before finally heading into the Scrying Pool to see what you [all] have to say. Community Questions So how do you think Dragons of Stormwreck Isle is going to handle the DM info? Are they going…
Gnomish Workshop: Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Support – The Artificer
This article was first broadcast in Episode Two Hundred and Ten on 11th 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. The Artificer is so far the only official new class that has been released for 5th edition, and that’s something that’s unique in a number of ways. 5th edition released with 12 classes, all of which were present in the initial player’s handbook, and those were the only options for years, despite multiple groups of fans clamoring for old favorites to make a return. And while every other past edition had seen at least one release with a new class or classes in it within a year or two of the initial offering, 5th Edition fans had to wait 5 years before the Artificer made its official…
Heroes Rise, two hundred and ninth entry: Full of Ship
Welcome, brave adventurers, to Heroes Rise.This is the 209th entry into our chronicle, recorded on Saturday, April 30th, and released Wednesday, May 4th over at heroesrisepodcast.com. This week we’re going to wander into the Market of Minauros to see what mysterious and magical items have filtered up for sale. Next we check out some D&D News as we bring you previews of the Spelljammer DM screen, all the details of all the minis WizKids have in store for us, and Wizard’s 2nd attempt at the Kender Next we take a Short Rest and head into the Archives of Candlekeep and meet our best friend, the flumphs; before finally heading into the Scrying Pool to see what you [all] have to say. Links Arcane Secrets of the Summoners The Undying War Dungeon Morphs 4 Community Questions So we’ve got our first semi-official peek at the spelljammer rules. Do you think the ship…
Archives of Candlekeep: Your Best Friend, the Flumph
This article was first broadcast in Episode Two Hundred and Nine on 4th 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. Flumphs being common knowledge around D&D tables is a relatively new phenomenon thanks mostly to 5th edition’s wild magic sorcerer. One of the entries on the wild magic eruption table, as Mikey and Branwen can tell you, is that a number of confused flumphs randomly appear for a minute or so. However, despite their popularity skyrocketing in 5th edition, flumphs have actually been around since 1st edition. They didn’t make it into the mainstream, early publications, but then TSR put out the “Fiend Folio” in 1980. The Folio was famous for having some more esoteric creatures in it where most other references had stuck to more stereotypical…