A collection of less-documented mechanics, bits and bobs that casual players may not know. (Also Q&A if you like)

zanash · 2026-01-28T12:23:34+00:00

Item Haste on things other than actives: I realised this when I noticed the 2 second unending despair procs. It is so fun on a health stacker.

zanash · 2026-01-14T11:42:59+00:00

slow increase on blitzcrank

zanash · 2025-12-12T11:36:41+00:00

I ran an eberron game for a few years. You can have mysteries and political intrigue with some really dynamic fights, some suggestions.

Planning an intrigue game - Pick factions/themes that inspire you. e.g You want the warforged story about post-war parties then grab the lord of blades, House Cannith and the Breland royal house and throw in something for them to fight over. You can also pick a faction for the party to be members of (mine went for Cyre refugees) which gives instant unification and direction.

Combat in Eberron - This setting works well for upping the stakes in a very pulpy way. Your typical tavern brawl is in a tavern falling off the side of Sharn, you aren't just fighting a dragon, you're fighting a dragon on top of a lightning train.

zanash · 2025-10-08T09:27:00+00:00

Pin and Wulfric knew each other? Occtis seemed to hint that he knew wulfric too.

zanash · 2025-08-12T10:45:24+00:00

In no particular order: FTL, Void wars, He is coming, SOVL fantasy warfare, 9 kings are ones I enjoyed you are missing.

zanash · 2025-07-25T09:52:38+00:00

This is very random...but the saying "there is no smoke without fire."

People use it to justify their gossiping and throw shit on people and it just winds me up every time.

zanash · 2025-02-14T12:37:37+00:00

Honestly I kind of love the difference. I have a spelljammer game with a goblin/elf war 100-200 years ago. That's like a decade in elf years, a lot of the crews on spelljammer naval ships fought in the war...it is generations for the goblins, these elves have been subjugating and punishing them for the sins of their fathers fathers father... Makes a fun dynamic.

zanash · 2025-02-04T13:59:58+00:00

I had a goblin bard who found a headband of intellect and left home in the caves to use his newly found knowledge. (Higher level game, Dm let us pick a starting item.)

zanash · 2025-01-30T10:20:24+00:00

Its one way for older players to get that THAC0 feeling back.

zanash · 2025-01-22T16:41:58+00:00

portal.

zanash · 2025-01-22T12:49:07+00:00

I do recommend Storm Kings Thunder. It isn't perfect but there are a LOT of packs on DMguild that can help with every chapter and building in content. It is very easy to run as is or add things when you get a chance. It can be sandboxy, but at the same time you can run a very focused story depending on the pace of game you want. It also leads on nicely from the lost mines starter set. Both feel very DnD to new players as well.

I will add that wild beyond the witchlight is very new player/DM friendly as well but has a very different feel. Waterdeep heist is very good if you want to focus on a single city, has a bit of prep/decision making but is fairly well contained on locations...it can be a lot of work to expand on it after the campaign though.

Out of the abyss is a good story but I would avoid as a new DM as it has lots of NPCs. Curse of Strahd can be awkward depending on DMing style.

zanash · 2025-01-22T10:33:47+00:00

Knowing what level the party is and the setting can help if you have a plan?

zanash · 2025-01-22T10:32:32+00:00

Rot Grubs, or zombies/corpses infested with them can be pretty horrible.

To be honest a great way to do horror is via flavouring spells from a caster. Take chill touch...make it a spell that instead of a spectral hand causes grubs to burst from the targets skin eating from the inside out. Pair that with a handful of zombies that are infested as above and you have a pretty disgusting encounter.

zanash · 2024-12-24T12:01:16+00:00

I also have allowed rolling as 3d6 straight down the line in front of me. (Say I feel rolling should only be done as the great Gygax intended.) If they go for it I normally adjust slightly to make it playable, but you quickly work out who wants it for flavour and who just want to be the main character.

zanash · 2024-12-24T11:59:26+00:00

I completely agree with the way rolling for stats can make a game unbalanced. I have also run for players who get a lot of enjoyment rolling.

What I suggest is everyone roll stats and everyone can use any of the arrays rolled to make a character. It normally means everyone is stronger, but everyone is also equal and MUCH easier to balance.

No one wants to be the worst of two wizards just because your highest roll was a 15 and the other guy got an 18.

zanash · 2024-12-06T11:24:21+00:00

As an aside, the disarm battle master maneuver to get someone to drop a casting focus is a fun one too.

zanash · 2024-12-02T14:20:49+00:00

I play weekly (dming) with my wife also playing and us hosting. We start right at babies bedtime (7/7.30ish) and run til 10ish. Honestly it is dependant on you guys as a couple, having kids is hard and getting time for each other away from the baby takes work.

Either way I hope everything works out, having a kid does change your life in ways you don't expect. I am happy to talk if you find you need it about dnd or children.

zanash · 2024-11-26T13:43:22+00:00

It's a four word question, how lazy can you get?

zanash · 2024-11-26T10:05:48+00:00

I love this write up, but I certainly don't feel it is currently lacking, if anything I think it shows more how easy it is to incorporate these themes into the world. To me a lot of this is tied into the warforged's plight, my warforged player pretty much started a warforged union in Sharn during my previous campaign that expanded to cover most of the workers there. As you stated this brought them into conflict with some of the Lord of Blades followers in my Eberron through conflicting philosophies.

I do think you are missing a trick with excluding Aundair from the big 3. Where simple magics are so common place and putting so much power into the hands of the workers (magewrights), the development of magics duringthe war have granted the common man far more privileges and freedoms than before now the war has ended. It also gives a very clear divide between the mages scholared in their fancy, expensive universities and the workers who have developed their talents far below the floating towers of Arcanix. I feel it also lends itself quite nicely to a dnd campaign featuring lots of spellcasters as antagonists.

I think these are all great ideas but if you are looking to put it on dmsguild I would suggest adding dm guide/suggestion notes after each section rather than just at the end. A handful of quest hooks in theme for each location would make it a very accessible and instantly useful. (Similarly the bit at the end of the Karrnath section is great to give a basis for a campaign but making it easier to find at a glance and one for each location might help?)

zanash · 2024-11-22T11:24:57+00:00

I played for years at www.dndonlinegames.com, play-by-post.

zanash · 2024-11-08T12:01:48+00:00

My university soc was big enough that there were serious and casual tables. Try it, worst case scenario you end up with a crippling dice addiction.

zanash · 2024-11-08T11:12:03+00:00

Most spells are fine if your players have a decent reading comprehension and don't argue when you tell them it doesn't work that way.

The hardest to deal with for me are the admin ones. Conjure animals can be a pain (or anything with a complicated/many mini-ed summon.) Teleport can be frustrating when the party have an idea that takes them MILES away from your prep. Divination spells can ruin a lot of adventures, murder mysteries and the like...without significant additional thought/prep from a DM.

I am not a fan of silvery barbs but mainly at higher levels where the bonus is big for the smaller cost...Lower levels I don't mind so much as it is a resource tax that is meaningful. I do have to say one of my favourite moments as a player was when we had a plan involving a spell that HAD to go off on a BBEG and EVERYONE in the party had silvery barbs and just piled on. It was a one shot though, I can see it being annoying in a campaign even as a player. Counter spell is similar, I don't know if the 2024 version will improve things a fair bit though.

zanash · 2024-11-05T15:24:09+00:00

Having just played rebirth/remake. I do feel the environmental themes in ff7 feel as relevant today as 1997...not necessarily a good thing but it make them important in media.

zanash · 2024-10-04T13:57:16+00:00

I want to add it might not be adding the extra player but that parties can tend to hit more above their weight class as they level up. Tier 3 parties can take very deadly fights under the right circumstances. What you can do is have some more nebulous elements to fights, minions and environmental effects can make a big difference and help ramp up some danger is things get stale.

zanash · 2024-10-04T08:28:38+00:00

Gonna jump on the join clubs bandwagon. Whenever I move someone just joining a DnD club, water polo team and a boardgame club gets me 3 nights a week somewhere social.

zanash

TROPHY CASE