It is fair to say that Darkest Dungeon has captured my attention and imagination in recent weeks. The game’s aesthetic vividly portrays how exploring dungeons and fighting foul monsters is a danger…

The cover for the new Dungeon Master’s Guide features a powerful lich who bears a striking resemblance to Iddy the Lich, the mascot for this blog. I have joked about Iddy being on the cover o…

Fate Core rules explained by uptofourplayers.com You can also download it in pdf

Hide-and-seek, old and popular children’s game in which one player closes his or her eyes for a brief period (often counting to 100) while the other players hide. The seeker then opens his eyes and tries to find the other hiders; the first one found is the next seeker, and the last is the winner of the round.

Fuck my players I need this

Monsters (including NPCs) without a scenario-specified reaction, and with at least animal intelligence, may react at random, according to their Hostility Rating (from 2-12, average 7) and Morale Rating (also 2-12, average 7). Hostility is their likelihood of a hostile reaction to a group of humans and demi-humans. Morale is their will to assert themselves when confronted with a group of roughly equal strength. Examples: Kobolds have Hostility 8 and Morale 6. Hobgoblins have Hostility 9 and Morale 8. Dwarves found in the dungeon may have Hostility 5 and Morale 8. A hungry wolf may have Hostility 7 and Morale 9. A hill giant will likely have Hostility 8 and Morale 6 (he is big, yes, but he is a coward when dealing with things his own size). The DM can simply roll 2d6 twice on an initial encounter, where a result equal to or lower than Hostility indicates a hostile reaction, and a result equal to or lower than Morale indicates self-assertion (attack or bargaining) rather than retreat. Or the more complicated table and procedure below can be used. Click to enlarge Results Attack: Monsters advance and attack the party Stand: Monsters hold ground, fight if attacked Retreat: Monsters make orderly withdrawal Flee: Monsters run away headlong In quotes: “Result only if party and monsters can communicate” “Offer Service”: Monsters offer to help the party or fight with them a short while “Offer Peace”: Monsters offer a longer-term truce “Offer Alliance”: Monsters propose an alliance to achieve a mutual goal “Ask for Service”: Monsters demand the party assist them, will turn neutral if refused “Ask for Peace”: Monsters demand a truce and will impose other conditions “Beg”: Monsters grovel and will offer all they have to escape attack “Bargain”: Monsters parley, but will pay a high price to escape attack “Parley”: Monsters negotiate a mutually acceptable truce “Intimidate”: Monsters negotiate but will expect payment or other advantage “Command”: Monsters demand a payment, bribe, or other service in exchange for truce In square brackets: [Result only if monsters are cornered or outrun] Surrender: Monsters throw down arms and beg for mercy Berserk: Monsters fight without mercy in a last-ditch stand Fight: Monsters fight, subject to morale checks In angle brackets: Result only if party flees or retreats Stay: Monsters do not chase Pursue: Monsters give chase No Quarter: Monsters will not accept party surrender, fighting to the death Monster Hostility Roll (2d6): -3 to roll if poorly disposed (evil monsters on raid, party invades monsters’ home or attacks them by surprise); +0 normally (monsters on patrol); +3 to roll if well disposed (allies meeting in a war) Once established, a hostility result usually stands, unless the party does something to test or radically improve relations (offering a large bribe, demanding a large favour) which may force a re-roll. Situational bonuses can range up to +/-2: for example, offering food to a hungry animal might give a +2, while an encounter between uneasy allies such as dwarves and elves might give -1. Charisma bonuses to hostility rating only apply to beings of similar species (humans, demi-humans, and creatures with human-like motives) and compatible alignment. Deception: Creatures of low intelligence or higher who can parley or otherwise represent themselves as friendly will attempt to deceive the party upon a Hostile or Mortal Foe result of 1 in 6 times; average intelligence, 2 in 6; higher intelligence, 3 in 6. Roll a separate d6 for this. Monster Morale Roll (2d6): -3 if monsters think they are outclassed by 2:1 (effective hit dice vs. levels) or more; +3 if monsters think they outclass party by 2:1 or more Once morale is established, a group rerolls morale when 1/3 or more of its members are incapacitated; again at 2/3; when a leader falls; and when the situation changes dramatically (such as reinforcements arriving). An individual who has lost 50% or more hit points must also check morale. The subjective odds might change as well, and this is reflected in the number of dice rolled at any point. Situational bonuses can range up to +/-2: for example, a menacing attitude might give -1 to enemy morale (but -2 to reactions), while being outflanked from opposite sides might give -2. Charisma bonuses to morale only apply to beings of similar species (humans, demi-humans, and creatures with human-like motives) where the high Charisma figure is a leader of the others. Monsters may also have leaders who give morale bonuses but risk morale checks if they themselves fall. Monsters of low intelligence figure subjective odds on pure numbers, also figuring in size and perhaps counting particularly well-armed individuals as double. Monsters of average intelligence have a more sophisticated idea of approximate levels and fighting capacity, while monsters of high intelligence are able to spot subtleties such as the existence of a magic-user.

Alignment is not as easy as it sounds, since the old days of D&D, it was a very important trait a character had. In some editions (like 3e) there were plenty of rules about what spells subjects…

Yes, 100 random books, notes and diaries for your fantasy library, office or otherwise. Maybe your players find them in the burned out husk of a home, or maybe they’re hidden away in a dark tomb some…

Undermountain was a multi-tiered dungeon, consisting of several inter-connected chambers and lairs located deep beneath the city of Waterdeep and its namesake mountain. Originally home to the dwarves of Clan Melairkyn, the Underhalls were home to a grand dwarfhold before they were taken over by the "Mad Mage" Halaster Blackcloak and his seven apprentices. As a general rule, Undermountain was a structure with high ceilings of at least 16 ft (4.9 m) and smooth floors made of gray granite. Areas th

Dungeons & Dragons is a decades-old beloved hobby with so many quirks and nonsensical rules. These memes show why we love it for all its weirdness.