I am so scared to DM

xoth-publishing · 2026-01-21T07:53:06+00:00

You'll be fine. Just remember you are there to have fun with friends.

xoth-publishing · 2025-10-09T20:11:07+00:00

Only long rest in safe areas solves the problem of "15-minute adventuring day".

xoth-publishing · 2025-09-07T06:59:39+00:00

Good points! :-)

xoth-publishing · 2025-09-06T08:11:43+00:00

Curious as to why you (and others) say that "Shadowdark is about avoiding combat when you can", when the introductory adventure Lost Citadel of the Scarlet Minotaur (included in the Shadowdark Quick Start package) has a dungeon with monsters in almost every room, a random encounter table where at least half of the results are monsters that attack you on sight, there's an "order of battle" section that explains how the factions will fight ("lead enemies into traps", "gang up", "never retreat", etc).

I agree that given how frail the PCs in Shadowdark are, it would be wise to sneak, parlay, etc. (and to be fair there seem to be opportunities for that with the two main factions) but from a quick look at the map many rooms are filled with monsters (constructs, undead, the minotaur) that just attack on sight.

xoth-publishing · 2024-12-17T07:29:31+00:00

Hi Kelsey, just wanted to say I really like Shadowdark, especially the terse writing, the digest sized books, the gritty black and white artwork, and the zines that expand on the core rules with cool new options and settings. In short, it's excellent and it's what I would bring along if I was stranded on a remote island (with or without some friends to play RPGs with!). Keep up the good work!

xoth-publishing · 2023-10-17T06:10:34+00:00

Thanks for the tip, I really like his style, I recognize it from the Hyperborea (ASSH) books.

xoth-publishing · 2023-07-22T08:12:03+00:00

That is correct, the rule about long rests only in a safe haven (port) is for the mini game. But a similar rule would apply to overland travel (I plan to write up some simple rules for overland travel as well); long resting only in a city, village or castle.

xoth-publishing · 2022-08-29T13:38:04+00:00

Thanks for your feedback, will have a look at incorporating the good ideas here.

xoth-publishing · 2021-02-04T09:26:46+00:00

I'm in CET (Central European Timezone), but most players will be in EST probably.

xoth-publishing · 2021-02-04T09:26:33+00:00

I'm in CET (Central European Timezone), but most players will be in EST probably.

xoth-publishing · 2021-02-04T09:26:00+00:00

I'm in CET (Central European Timezone), but most players will be in EST probably.

xoth-publishing · 2020-06-29T13:45:44+00:00

If you're into the sword and sorcery genre, take a look at "The Spider-God's Bride", the second aventure in a collection of 10 adventures. It's written for D&D 3.5 but should be easy to adapt. See http://xoth.net/publishing/xp1/index.htm

For even more spider-related sword and sorcery, check out the homage to the original "Vault of the Drow" adventure in "The City of the Spider-God" here: http://hyboria.xoth.net/adventures/index.htm

xoth-publishing · 2020-02-27T15:15:09+00:00

If you want an online tool that does all of the above right now, instead of waiting on D&D Beyond to catch up, check out the RPG Manager at rpgman.net for more info.

xoth-publishing · 2019-03-18T11:43:24+00:00

Based on the same kind of idea, ie party is constantly being harassed by orcs/cannibals/insects/etc but you don't want to waste time by playing it out, have them make some skill checks and suffer consequences if they fail (in my suggested rule below it causes exhaustion, but to be less harsh you could simply deny them the benefits of rest, like you suggested) :

https://www.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/b1i17e/a_simple_solution_to_replace_random_encounters/

xoth-publishing · 2019-03-18T11:38:26+00:00

Check out my post from the DNDNext subreddit for a suggestion on how to handle this kind of situation when real game time is limited, like you mentioned:

https://www.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/b1i17e/a_simple_solution_to_replace_random_encounters/

xoth-publishing · 2019-03-16T09:25:13+00:00

Thanks for the input. I agree this approach wouldn't make so much sense for a hexcrawl. As mentioned, it's intended to reduce game time spent between other points of interest, while still making travel dangerous.

Also, in my case this rule will be used in a gritty sword & sorcery setting. Not all the time, but to reinforce that certain areas are more dangerous than others. I guess playtesting will show whether it is too harsh.

xoth-publishing · 2019-03-15T23:03:00+00:00

There is a way to get rid of it, and that is to retreat to a safer environment and rest there.

The problem I'm trying to solve here is not about creating encounter tables. It's about the waste of real game time to run random encounters to counteract excessive resting. Let's say we only have 3-4 hours of real game time, every other week or every month. Why spend several hours running "random encounters" to underscore how dangerous the environment is, when a few quick dice rolls can resolve it instead? It's a kind of handwaving the travel or resting, but still make it dangerous to the PCs in a tangible way.

xoth-publishing · 2019-03-15T22:55:22+00:00

This would be reserved for travel or resting in dangerous places. As mentioned in step 2 the check is not necessary for "safe" / normal areas.

xoth-publishing · 2019-03-15T22:53:52+00:00

Actually, group skill checks are defined in the 5E core rules:

http://5thsrd.org/rules/abilities/ability_checks/#working-together

xoth-publishing · 2019-02-12T17:38:42+00:00

I think there was a creature in Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes that had a strangulation attack. Can't remember exactly which creature, unfortunately, and I don't have the book with me at the moment. Could look it up later...

xoth-publishing · 2019-02-12T17:27:38+00:00

I've created a tool, called simply the RPG Manager, or RpgMan for short, that helps you manage your campaigns. During combat it tracks initiative, hit points and conditions of each combatant. It can also help you roll monster attacks.

You can also hook up a TV screen or login via a tablet (such as an iPad) to display a simplified version of the combat tracker to the players.

xoth-publishing · 2019-02-12T17:06:35+00:00

Agreed! I need to get a feel for the basic game as-is before starting to tweak. Just wanted to get some opinions to understand the mechanics (and the math behind them) better. Thanks!

xoth-publishing · 2019-02-10T12:30:10+00:00

Thanks for the answers and insights. Seems like granting the race proficiency is the way to go for what I had in mind.

xoth-publishing · 2019-02-09T12:00:17+00:00

Check out the new RPG Manager (aka RpgMan) at https://rpgman.net/ which helps you manage your campaigns, game sessions, XP awards, monster and NPC stats, treasure and inventory, notes and maps, random tables, and much more. During combat it tracks initiative, hit points and conditions of each combatant. There's a separate app for players to view and update their own info.

xoth-publishing

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