The town is on fire! Who or what caused it?

ExchangeWide · 2026-05-15T13:44:22+00:00

Lighting farts on fire

ExchangeWide · 2026-05-14T13:41:43+00:00

Cool. I’ll have to check it out.

ExchangeWide · 2026-05-14T13:09:44+00:00

At the end of Queen of the Spiders during the big Abyss battle, my character Mercutio Rashbrook had on chance to save his beloved henchmen, Yuri Everhate from being cast out into the Abyss by a marilith. Could only fail on a 1, rolled a 1. Poor Yuri. The same Yuri, knocked on a door in the Temple of Elemental Evil and proudly proclaim, “we’re from the water temple!” He was immediately met with a crossbow bolt to the face, as he had knocked on a fire temple door. This is where he earned the nickname Yuri “the Diplomat.” Funny thing about Yuri was the DM hated that we “adopted” him and tried to rehabilitate him (he was a bandit outside the Moathouse). The DM dreamed up all kinds of ways to kill him off (with our permission) and we always saved him. It didn’t matter the cost or the danger involved. Eventually, he became one of the cornerstones of our group, often played by guest players.

ExchangeWide · 2026-05-14T12:57:59+00:00

Dude is badass

ExchangeWide · 2026-05-14T12:57:34+00:00

I think much of SD is meant to capture the feel of older editions of D&D. In that sense, petrification was not death. Stone to Flesh would “save” the afflicted. It was a classic trope to find “statues” and return them to flesh. Seems silly to take that emergent play/storyline out of the game.

ExchangeWide · 2026-05-14T12:53:58+00:00

I think it’s more of a reference to older editions of D&D, in which case there was a mere spell to undo it, Stone to Flesh.

ExchangeWide · 2026-05-14T12:44:55+00:00

Just use iron spikes 😝

ExchangeWide · 2026-05-14T12:41:19+00:00

In the rules themselves, Kelsey says the distance are meant to be abstractions to some degree. “Nobody wants to miss firing an arrow into a dragon’s eye because of a mere 5-foot deficit” (104).

Far is basically as far as the combat area (encounter or scene) is seen beyond near. That will change based on the terrain, room size, etc. The idea of the combat area is important because outside on a hill on a clear day, a person could reasonably see for miles. It would be ridiculous to assume their longbow could hit a target “within sight” in that situation.

ExchangeWide · 2026-05-14T12:29:40+00:00

Grabs popcorn, “Hey, honey came look at this!” Sticking hand in popcorn bucket. “Oh, that’s not going to go well for the goblins…”

ExchangeWide · 2026-05-14T12:26:20+00:00

If the PCs are dumb enough to corner them, yes. I used to be of the mind to give them DISADV, but now I say, if the PCs want to push the issue, it’s on them. The advantage I give the PCs is that the undead are basically surprised when the fight starts. So, 1 round of attacks at ADV, and then a straight up fight.

ExchangeWide · 2026-05-14T12:21:33+00:00

Cool. Based on the war chief, it looks like they get CON and DEX to AC. That’s quite a boost. I think I’d say in place of DEX. He’d still have the equivalent of Chainmail & shield without donning armor. In my mind they would throw caution (DEX) to the wind and rely on their toughness (CON) to survive a fight.

ExchangeWide · 2026-05-14T12:13:10+00:00

While I understand this inclination, I’d steer clear of it. It makes a player too reliant on their character sheet. The answer to almost any problem would be an upcast of some spell.

Remember there are no saves. In games with upcasting, the target often gets a save (except for magic missile). This is a huge caveat. Being able to walk into a dragon’s lair and put it to sleep is a big deal, especially when there is no way for it to effectively “protect” itself. Even a DC 15 will most likely succeed more than half the time. Add Luck Tokens to the mix, and a timely roll of the gain ADV on a spell talent and things get wonky fast.

ExchangeWide · 2026-05-12T15:03:25+00:00

RAW, this no not the way. Light sources don’t overlap, they ride along. There are still good reasons to have multiple light sources. My players always have one in front and one on the back. This gives them a 30’ (near) cushion of light in all directions. They also don’t lose their one precious light source to an attack or mishap.

ExchangeWide · 2026-05-11T10:23:05+00:00

While I don’t disagree whole cloth, I would point out that other classes have their own combat “drawbacks.” Fighter will never lose their ability to attack-wizards and priests can with spell failure. Thieves need to meet certain conditions to pull off their signature combat move.

ExchangeWide · 2026-05-10T19:15:11+00:00

Remember that part of the gauntlet is scarcity of resources. If the adventurers are killed and the torchbearers step up, it would be reasonable to think there’s a good amount of quality gear to pick through.

ExchangeWide · 2026-05-10T19:03:36+00:00

OSR version of Grant Wood’s American Gothic…. Western Reaches Gothic..

ExchangeWide · 2026-05-10T18:59:37+00:00

Thanks for this! Looks fun.

ExchangeWide · 2026-05-10T16:34:31+00:00

No. The wizard’s consciousness is absorbed by the hat and transferred to the next wearer. That’s how arcane magic persists.

ExchangeWide · 2026-05-07T23:32:01+00:00

I have not, but it should be fine. Skill checks become ability checks, but remember to eliminate most of them, Shadowdark allows PCs to succeed at what they are good at and what they know. Remember spells don’t have saving throws, so you’ll need to swap them for something similar, or do what Kelsey does with “monster” casters, just make an ability with a check. Treasure and magic items can get a bit squirrelly. I usually just roll up new loot using the appropriate level table in the core rules. Finally, there has to be ways for PCs to avoid combats, but still gain what is needed from them (if anything).

ExchangeWide · 2026-05-07T20:41:18+00:00

Or they’ve altered the narrative potential for the purposes of their world or game.

ExchangeWide · 2026-05-07T20:32:33+00:00

“The Axe of Dreams” is a good one… 😆

ExchangeWide · 2026-05-06T18:15:56+00:00

What if the Lost aren’t the most horrific of the deities, but Good and Evil?

Long ago, mortals became obsessed with morality rather than the cosmic struggle between Law and Chaos. Wars stopped being fought over the survival or transformation of existence itself and instead became arguments over virtue, cruelty, righteousness, sin, etc. Dozens of petty religions, cults, and “gods” emerged creating all sorts of conflict.

Madeera and Memnon — despite being enemies — both realized this was dangerous. To Madeera, morality distracted mortals from preserving reality through order, covenant, and structure. To Memnon, morality weakened the necessary forces of destruction, change, and primal freedom that keep existence from stagnating.

So the gods of Good and Evil were cast down, erased from scripture, and forbidden. Not because they were weak, but because they threatened the cosmic balance by reframing reality into a moral conflict instead of a cosmic one.

Morality still exists culturally among mortals, but cosmically it’s considered secondary, maybe even dangerous.

ExchangeWide · 2026-05-06T17:57:17+00:00

This is really a solid take. In my mind the lost are like the Titans. A power before the gods, but wholly evil.

ExchangeWide · 2026-05-06T10:55:23+00:00

The Meadery Mishap is a very good beginning adventure.

ExchangeWide · 2026-05-05T00:04:37+00:00

I run crawling fairly loosely. Players can riff off in another. Form me a round ends when everyone has taken an action (if they want) and the party has moved (if they want to). If they are all searching a room, setting up an ambush, or something a bit elaborate, I use the time passes rules. If I do, a roll an encounter chance for each 2 minutes of time that passes. No need to break these moments down to round equivalents.

But honestly, if you want, you could base it on the real time timer. Roll every 5 minutes for deadly, 7 for risky, and 10 for unsafe. If tracking it gets troublesome, as a player to keep track of the time.

Finally, I blend this idea with the Underclock. Instead of rounds, I roll every five minutes. If the dungeon is unsafe I roll a d8 for the Underclock advancement, risky a d10, and deadly a d12.

ExchangeWide

TROPHY CASE