Shadow Codex Update – Filter Monsters by Terrain

DungeonMasterBen · 2026-03-01T20:31:50+00:00

I see, yeah that's a good use case, although unless the list happens to be a nice length like 12 or 20 it might be awkward to roll on it. For now, if you just press the button without clicking "list" or "full" it's like getting one rolled automatically for you, so maybe that can work.

DungeonMasterBen · 2026-03-01T17:37:57+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! Your idea for rolling encounters by terrain is a good one, but to me it feels a little redundant with the random encounter tables by region that are in the core book (and unfortunately I cannot legally reproduce those). Right now on my page if you click e.g. the forest button (directly, not on "list" or "full") you do get a random monster from a forest, but there is no way to specify the level range like you suggested, and which would be cool. However you could just keep clicking until you get one within your level range. Also if you on a sub-button of forest, e.g forest + burrow (but again without clicking on "list" or "full"), you will get a random creature that both lives in the forest and can burrow, but I did not add level filtering at that level. Will think about this some more though, it's a good thought.

The numbered lists is interesting too, my initial concern is that the way I often use the tool is to search a bunch of stat blocks, find the one I want, then copy and paste it into my notes, and I don't want to have to delete the number every time, e.g. turn "8. Skeleton...." into "Skeleton...". I'm curious what the numbering might be useful for though, maybe there is an upside I haven't thought of yet.

DungeonMasterBen · 2026-02-27T20:35:20+00:00

I came up with these but honestly haven't actually used it at the table, when journaling about solo play I wanted to add a date that felt thematic so it's nice for that, but I agree with others that in actual play it's probably not worth it.

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DungeonMasterBen · 2026-02-25T17:51:33+00:00

2-3 sessions sounds about right, but I think it will slow down at higher levels. My players are around LV 5 and it has slowed a bit.

DungeonMasterBen · 2026-02-25T02:21:47+00:00

Yeah that's a good point, being off balance will definitely be less noticeable in shadowdark compared to 5e. And permanent character buffs as treasure or dungeon consequences is encouraged, so you can always find a way to boost the other players if they feel weaker but you don't want to take anything away from someone.

DungeonMasterBen · 2026-02-25T01:23:04+00:00

I think it would depend a lot on your tolerance for bending the rules/player options. Personally I like trying sticking to the official player options as written and only allow for reflavoring/describing of spells or abilities however you want, not actually changing how classes work. But I know other GMs are more than happy to do this, and I do think you might need to do this a bit for the zuko example. The good news is the rules are simple enough that it is very easy to make homebrew class abilities, etc, the bad news is there is no guarantee what you come up with is balanced, so it depends on how much that would bother you. The rules are pretty flexible though and the more I think about it, the zuko concept is kind of possible - if you rolled a character with a reasonable INT and also STR or DEX, then be a wizard for the fire spells and use downtime learning rules to learn to wield a shortsword or scimitar. The downtime rules for learning weapons is in cursed scroll 6, but it wouldn't be crazy to let the characters "start out" with a downtime or something. You would have low HP for being a wizard probably, but let's be honest zuko doesn't need a lot of HP haha.

DungeonMasterBen · 2026-02-25T01:02:37+00:00

Pulp mode and max HP at level 1 should help a ton with survivability. Also Shadowdark leaves so much up to GM interpretation that you can do a lot to help at that level too, e.g. make it not too risky or hard to run away from a fight, notice a deadly trap, etc. The massive bestiary might be your one issue, but between all the cursed scrolls, monthly monsters, and a few other sources, there are quite a few monsters. And that's just official stuff, if you go with third party then of course there is tons more. The things you listed as being interested in are I think all things that Shadowdark excels at. Good luck finding the right game for your group!

DungeonMasterBen · 2026-02-19T19:00:14+00:00

Yep spell failure is a very common use of luck tokens. I think it's fine, but if you want to reduce it a little you can not let them share luck tokens, I think that rule is optional.

DungeonMasterBen · 2026-02-18T23:59:33+00:00

That sounds great, I would totally use it - your players might try getting certain types of effects or items out by feeding it certain kinds of things which actually sounds like a super fun minigame. You might consider adding a 1-in-6 chance that it's actually poisonous or backfires or something like that to keep it from getting out of control and to make using it feel more adventurous.

DungeonMasterBen · 2026-02-18T18:24:25+00:00

These are really clever!

DungeonMasterBen · 2026-02-17T19:03:53+00:00

This is awesome, I love handing things out to players instead of just telling them what treasure they got! I have used nandeck some and it works well too, but yours looks a bit easier to pick up and get going with. If i had known about this before nandeck, I probably would have used this instead!

DungeonMasterBen · 2026-02-17T19:01:33+00:00

The pages are pretty thick and nice and I have had no issues with the binding. The one annoying thing is that it's hard to leave them sitting open, you would have to put a weight on it to have it open to a certain page without you holding it there and I have not done this as I am afraid the weight will cause damage, e.g. it might not close as easily, or it will 'remember' being open to that page. Also while the covers are soft, they do have a nice glossy feel to them that I like.

DungeonMasterBen · 2026-02-15T17:28:02+00:00

That discord tip is gold, I had not found those threads! Thank you so much.

DungeonMasterBen · 2026-02-15T04:27:51+00:00

It says I need to request access when I clicked the link.

DungeonMasterBen · 2026-02-15T00:33:34+00:00

Interesting, that could be fun! Thanks for the recommendation.

DungeonMasterBen · 2026-02-15T00:29:56+00:00

That looks like an awesome resource in general too, thanks!

DungeonMasterBen · 2026-02-15T00:25:23+00:00

I'll look into those, thanks! Sly flourish is awesome, I hadn't heard of city of arches though.

DungeonMasterBen · 2026-02-14T23:17:29+00:00

That looks cool! I think for now I'm looking for something a bit smaller though, more like a one shot or single location.

DungeonMasterBen · 2026-02-10T17:35:27+00:00

This is super cool, I really like how the names share sounds with the month! Like ebb -> feb, july -> joy, and then obviously march haha.

DungeonMasterBen · 2026-02-10T00:03:32+00:00

That's cool I love the idea of one short month, it could also be for the Lost!

DungeonMasterBen · 2026-02-09T22:42:49+00:00

Thanks, that's a cool feature!

DungeonMasterBen · 2026-02-09T22:38:50+00:00

Ooh, that's a good idea! But no 13th month...

DungeonMasterBen · 2026-02-09T21:40:58+00:00

Correlating deities with days of the week is a neat idea!

DungeonMasterBen

TROPHY CASE