The gears are turning...

If a solution to a problem sounds dumb but it works, it’s not dumb.

If you have an idea, say it. The worst that can happen is the DM says no, and even then a well-placed natural 20 may overrule them.

Never let the bard go off on their own, it never goes well.

Don’t be afraid to do silly voices, talk in character, or just in general really throw yourself into the roleplaying. It’s what we’re all here for and it’s fun!

In-character knowledge is not the same as out-of-character knowledge, and sometimes that can be fun. There’s nothing like throwing your character into a situation that you know full well is going to blow up in their face.

Don’t be afraid to sacrifice some efficiency in the name of flavor. Pick skills and traits that suit your character (or ones that you just like!) rather than feeling obligated to pick the most pragmatic ones.

NEVER SPLIT THE PARTY.

Keep your head in the game. While some goofing off with your tablemates is acceptable and expected, no one wants to wait for you to look up from your phone/art/dice stacking/memeing and notice it’s your turn.

At some point in your D&D life, you will fight alongside Batman, Legolas, Pinkie Pie, and/or Shrek. Just go with it.

image credit: Noblecrumpet

The master of master posts for each D&D 5e Class Theme Week I’ve done over the past YEAR. It’s been a lot of work and very rewarding. Let me know if you come across any balancing issues while playing with the content.

Noblecrumpet’s Class Week Compilation

Barbarian Week

Bard Week

Cleric Week

Druid Week

Fighter Week

Monk Week

Paladin Week

Ranger Week

Rogue Week

Sorcerer Week

Warlock Week

Wizard Week

image credit: Noblecrumpet

Announcements

I promised something big with this post. So here it is:

1) Digital Adventures and Sourcebooks

I’m going to start working to get this into a huge digital PDF with formatting, original art, and bonus content, as well as creating MORE adventures and sourcebooks for D&D 5e. If you’d like to help me fund this and future projects, you can check out my brand new Patreon that I just launched as well! Patrons will have access to exclusive content and sneak peeks at upcoming books including original art! High-tier patrons will also receive PHYSICAL copies of the books as they are created.

2) New Social Media Pages

I wanted to start the new year off right and become more active on social media and communicate more with my followers, so catch me on Twitch every week to answer your D&D questions while I work on either art or just play some games!

I also created a new Facebook Page and updated my Twitter! So follow me on those for updates whenever I make a new blog post!

3) Brand New Look

I’ve made new artwork for my avatar and cover image for all my social media pages to give them that Noblecrumpet touch. I hope you enjoy it!

It’s time for another giveaway~

I’m immensely flattered by how popular my rainbow-inked dice have been! *_* You’re all far, far too kind. So in thanks, I’m going to give one lucky follower their own rainbow-inked d20! Color of your choice, depending on what I have available at the time or can get. You’ll be the most dazzling person at your game table! If you’d rather not wait, I also restock them regularly in my Etsy shop.

Rules:

Must be following me! New followers count too.

Likes and reblogs both count for an entry! You may reblog as many times as you like.

You can get a THIRD entry by submitting a picture of your own dice to my blog! (One entry per person this way.) Depending on how many submissions I get, not all may be posted, but every single one I receive will count for an entry.

Do not tag your reblog as “giveaway,” it can lead to the notes getting messed up and no one wants that.

Winner will be chosen by RNG on January 15th, 2018. (Giveaway ends at 11:59:59PM Eastern US time on January 14th)

You MUST have your askbox or messages open and MUST be comfortable giving me a shipping address.

- It’s still there. The only die you haven’t lost from your original set. It’s a d12. You’ve never rolled it once.

- The mini you’ve been using looks nothing like your character. You commission art of your character. The art looks exactly like you described. It looks almost exactly like the mini.

- The snack bowl arrives at your table. You reach over the DM screen to grab a chip. The bowl is empty. The session has yet to begin.

- A dice tower is constructed. The whole table goes silent. A d10 is balanced on a d4. You’re all silent. The tower sits, wobbling slightly. Silence. It crumbles for no apparent reason. You can finally breathe again.

- The DM draws a map. They’ve drawn a river on the side. It’s in red. A working blue pen is right beside them. No one mentions it again. No river is ever mentioned in game.

- A player’s character dies. Next session, they introduce their new character. Then themselves. You laugh. You know them already. Don’t you?

- You are telling someone about DnD. You want to tell them about funny stories with wacky hijinks. There are so many. You can’t remember a single one.

- This weeks session was cancelled. There is a disquiet at the time you should be there. Involuntarily, your hand shakes, then tosses a non existent object. Shake and toss. Shake. Toss. It is comforting.

- You roll for something important. The result is average. You look in the DM’s eyes pleadingly. They stare back for a moment, expressionless. They then say you pass. You feel relief, but a shiver runs down your spine.

- The DM hides behind their screen. They mutter softly. They look up, tell a player to roll for something, then look down, nodding. They don’t acknowledge the player’s result.

- You have many character concepts on hand. You love them all. You get a chance to play. You no longer have any character concepts you really want to try. At least, not until it’s too late.

- A dues ex machina occurs. Was the encounter unbalanced, or was it part of the plot? You aren’t sure. You’re the DM.

- Every time you look away, a die dissappears, and this one player’s cheeks get poofier. Eventually, their mouth seems like it’s about to burst. They do. Their mouth is empty. No one knows where the dice went.

The fantasy metal you’re looking for is stainless steel. Doesn’t rust, has some corrosion resistance, there. Give it a fancy name and off you go.

Here’s an idea, what if the engineer made a universal tool, like this:

(this one’s from Nuremberg, c. 1560s)

The tools are useful for a thief, but also have legitimate uses, so the character could plausibly claim it’s an artisan’s tool. She can pose as an artisan herself, or maybe she can say it’s a memento that belonged to a loved one.

AND, there’s a secret switch, and if you press it, all the “legitimate” tools revolve inwards, and out come the lockpicks! Pretty cool, right?

(The trouble with fancy matching lockpicks in a fancy leather case is that if you get caught and searched, you’ve basically announced to the guards that you’re a burglar by trade.

Gimme clever tools, that I can disguise as hairpins or earrings, any time.)

The Initiative Tree

I just showed up to my buddy’s house for our weekly D&D Night, and he pulled out this awesome creation that he built.

[[ Source. Original creator: wats6831. Additional information and images linked under each one. Love this project? Support it here! ]]

Universal:

Homemade artisan herb bread, home grown and dried apples and prunes, uncured beef sausage, munster cheese. Made a small bag from cheesecloth and tied it closed.

Discussion thread here.

Human: 

Waterdhavian oat loaf (handmade irish soda bread, fresh smoked ham shank, “dessert” pear, Corm Orp “mountain” bleu cheese served on butternut squash, imported Saerloon broccoflower (Romanesco), mixed garden vegetables (carrots and radishes), Misty Forest chestnuts.

More images here. Discussion thread here. 

Dwarf:

Garlic chicken livers, smoked and peppered cheese, spiced pork sausages, hard tack, dried vegetables, dried wild mushrooms.

Discussion thread here.

Elf:

Top left to right: Evereskan Honey Comb, Elven Travel Bread (Amaretto Liquer Cake with custom swirls), Lurien Spring Cheese (goat cheese with garlic, salt, spices and shallots), Delimbyr Vale Smoked Silverfin (Salmon), Honey Spiced Lichen (Kale Chips), and Silverwood Pine Nuts.

Discussion thread here.

Halfling:

From upper left: “Honeytack” Hard tack honey cakes, beef sausage, pork sausage mini links, mini whole wheat toast, cranberry cheddar cheese mini wedge, mini pickles, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, lower right is my homemade “travel cake” muesli with raisins, golden prunes, honey, eggs and cream.

Discussion thread here.

Half-Orc:

Wrapped in cheesecloth and tied in burlap package. Forest strider drumsticks, molasses sweet wheat bread “black strap”, aged Munster, hard boiled eggs, mixed wild nuts.

Discussion thread here.

Orc:

Orcs aren’t known for their great cuisine. Orcs prefer foods that are readily available (whatever can be had by raiding), and portable with little preparation, though they have a few racial delicacies. Toughs strips of lean meat, bones scavenged from recent kills, and dark coarse bread make up the bulk of common orc rations.Fire roasted rothe femur (marrow is a rare treat) [beef femur], Strips of dried meat (of unknown origin) [homemade goose jerky], foraged nuts, only edible by orcs….nut cracker tusks [brazil nuts], coarse black bread, made with whatever grains can be pillaged [black sesame bread], Pungent peppers [Habanero peppers stuffed with smoked fish and olives].

More images here. Discussion thread here.

Gnome:

Pan fried Delimbyr smelt, spiced goat cheese (paprika crusted hand pressed Fontina), Gnome shortbread (savory pistachio), glass travel jar filled with Secomber Red (wine), hard boiled quail eggs packed in rolled oats (to keep safe), dried figs from Calimshan, and Southwood smoked goat sausage (blood sausage).

More images here. Discussion thread here.

Duergar (gray dwarves):

The Duergar (gray dwarves) are the hated subterranean cousins of the surface dwelling Shield dwarves. Vast Duergar kingdoms exist in the Underdark beneath Toril’s surface. Duergar are known for their foul tempers, penchant for cruelty, grim and bitter dispositions. Their food is as coarse and uncouth as they are. Clockwise from top left: Sour Deep rothé pepper cheese (Limburger), boiled Deep rothé kidney (whole beef kidney), foraged roots and tubers; skirret and Fellroot (ginger and turmeric roots), contorted strangler fungus (Enoki mushrooms), onion & mushroom gravy hand pies (Morel mushroom with shallot and dill in cream sauce).

More images here. Discussion thread here.

Lizardfolk (This is a MEAL/feast and not a travel ration):

Lizardfolk are known to be omnivores, forage for a surprising variety of foods found within the confines of their marshy environs, in this case the Lizard Marsh near Daggerford. Fresh caught boiled Delimbyr Crayfish on wild chives, coastal carrageen moss entrapping estuary brine shrimp (irish moss, dried brine shrimp), Brackish-Berries (blackberries), Blackened Dart-Frog legs (frog legs) on spring sprouts (clover sprouts), roasted bog bugs on a stick!

More images here. Discussion thread here.

Drow (This is a MEAL/Party Fare and not a travel ration):

From top left: Menzoberranzan black truffle rothe cheese (Black Knight Tilsit), Donigarten Moss Snails (Escargot in shallot butter sauce), Blind cave fish caviar in mushroom caps (Lumpfish caviar), faerzress-infused duck egg imported from the surface Realms (Century egg), Black velvet ear fungus (Auricularia Black Fungus Mushroom).

More images here. Discussion thread here.

Mind Flayer/Illithid (This is a MEAL/Party Fare and not a travel ration):

A Mind Flayer dwelling in the Underdark of the Forgotten Realms might celebrate a special event with a smorgasbord of illithid delicacies. Center: An extra large brain (former minotaur servant who did not go quietly) plated on tinged cerebrospinal fluid. Right: peeled kuo-toa eyeballs in serous fluid (with mithral eating pick) TOP RIGHT: green mushroom wine TOP: drow slave heart (tastes better than human) with savory sanguine sauce. All served amongst various potion bottles, scroll and alchemical vessel.

Just wanted to make a quick introductory thing and say hey, been playing dnd with a few diffrent groups for a little over 2 years. Excited to join the rpg ideas community! (Hope its alright to tag people i saw others doing it)

@probablybardrpgideas

@probablyromanticrpgideas

@probablywriterrpgideas

@probablynecromancerrpgideas

@probablyacerpgideas

@probablynakrpgideas

@probablymetarpgideas

@probablymadrpgideas

@probablybackstoryrpgideas

@probablybadrpgideas

@probablytazrpgideas

@probablyenchantedrpgideas

@probablyengineerrpgideas

@probablyurbanfantasyrpgideas

@probablyunneccesaryrpgideas

@probablyuncomfortablerpgideas

@probablyunderdarkrpgideas

So, I thought I’d bring this to the attention of people, as I’m sure at least some of my followers might be interested in this sort of thing. From what I gather, there is a game developer/publisher by the name Infinite Black who are currently making a Lovecraftian story “about the pursuit of knowledge across the Earth and the Dreamlands.” To celebrate, they are running a giveaway valued at $800+. 

The prizes include:

Collectable Enamel Pins:

These individually numbered pins feature three important symbols in Journey to the Tree of Sorrows - the Elder Sign, the Astral Elder Sign, and the Brand of Cthulhu. Produced by Infinite Black. 

Cthulhu Idols:

No Lovecraft fan is complete without an idol of Great Cthulhu to stare down on their gaming table. It is the perfect prop for a Lovecraftian game. Cthulhu fhtagn!

Gaming Terrain

TerraTiles: Tundras and Wastelands features a wintry tundra, a winding cavern, and an alien moonscape perfect for the Dreamlands. Transform your gaming table into any of these three landscapes.

Grand Prize - $500 Set of Dwarvern Forge Caverns!

The Dwarven Forge grand prize includes: 1x Cavern Floor Pack , 1x Stalagmite Pack, 1x Water Cavern Pack, 1x Cavern Assortment, 2x Basic Cavern Set - Standard Walls and Floors, 1x Cavern Set - Varied Walls and Floors. All pieces come expertly hand painted. Also contains a Cthulhu Idol, TerraTiles: Tundras and Wastelands and 3 Collectable Enamel Pins!

To enter all you need to do is go sign up for their newsletter, found here:

https://www.treeofsorrows.com?kid=JSCEZ

(This is my referral link, so I’d greatly appreciate it if people used it)

This will enter you into the draw of one set of pins, and entries into the drawing of other prizes requires 5, 10, and 20 referrals respectively. If you wanna get involved, better do it soon, as the giveaway ends December 5th.

For more information: 

Journey to the Tree of Sorrows youtube channel

Infinite Black website

Infinite Black twitter

An estimate of sixty men were involved in Caesar’s actual murder. Not the wider conspiracy, but the stabbing.

Julius Caesar was a general, which is generally depicted as a 10th level fighter. Considering his above baseline constitution and dex, weakened by his probable history of malaria, epilepsy, and/or strokes (-1 dex modifier), and lack of armor at the time of the event, he would likely have something along the lines of AC 9 and 60 HP. The senators would likely hit him roughly 55% the time.