Happy Birthday To EN5IDER Magazine! 65 5th Edition Articles & Going Strong!

Facebook's "memories" feature threw up a great status update today. The was my Facebook status exactly one year ago today: "Coming up to 2pm. Right. Lunch, gym, and launch of EN5IDER are on the menu for the afternoon. Man, I hope this thing funds up to the $250 per article level (which is almost exactly the budget for each article - writing, editing, layout, art). I'm nervously hoping we manage to hit that target in the first week, but I dont want to jinx it!" Yup, that's right - EN5ider is exactly one year old!

In that year, EN5ider, the 5E 'magazine', has gained a steady 1,000 patrons. We've published 65 articles, and we do out very best to curate and commission the best work we can. Our articles are professionally produced, illustrated, edited, and laid-out, and we're very proud of what we've achieved - and by "we", I mean the excellent EN5ider team of James Haeck (editor), Eric Life-Putnam (layout designer), and Michael McCarthy (art director). We feel that EN5ider is the closest thing available to the old D&D magazines, publications which we all miss.

To become an EN5ider patron, simply click here. You can become a patron for any amount per article you want (a dollar, two dollars, five dollars) and you can set a cap on your monthly spend; it's completely under your control. But no matter how much you pledge, you get access to the whole library of 65 articles.

Recently, we launched The Holdenshire Chronicles, which is an update of the classic To Slay A Dragon adventure. It starts with a sandbox village full of quests and detailed NPCs; it is then followed by a wilderness trek to Skull Mountain, whereupon the PCs infiltrate the dragon's lair and - hopefully - slay the beast. We're doing that in monthly instalments - first we released the prologue, which introduced the country of Holdenshire in detail. Then came Act 1, which contained twelve mini-quests in and around Holdenshire. This month will be Act 2, the wilderness trek.

Other items patrons got recently include cleric domains of misfortune, flame, stone, and more. Rules for grafting parts of demon to your PC. Subclasses to bring out the pugilist in the barbarian, fighter, and rogue. Six sinister spell books. And so much more!

Become a patron, and you get ALL of these. It really is the best deal in town (even better than that place full of Pay What You Want stuff!)

Cherished Trinkets. A rules-light article which discusses the use of trinkets as treasure in your game. By Ryan Chaddock.
Five Campaign Lessons from the Hobbit Films. This system neutral article discusses game mastering and what lessons you can learn from Peter Jackson's Hobbit movies. By Eric Pierce.
Archery Contests. Running and conducting large archery tournaments can be fun and easy! By Russ Morrissey, based on an original article by Ryan Nock.
Battlefield Events. Introducing random events to spice up combat encounters, from weather changes to pit traps. Does an innocent wander onto the battlefield, or do you stray into an ancient wild magic surge? by Russ Morrissey.
The Business of Emotion. This is an adventure for 3-5 characters of levels 2-3. The village of Lanidor is suffering from an enchanted "summer of love". Can the PCs figure out what's going on? By Paul Okesh.
Player Pets: Rearing Wild Animals and Training Domesticated Animals. Rules for adopting, purchasing, and training pets, from dogs to wolves to giant fire beatles and constrictor snakes. How to gain their loyalty and teach them tricks or tasks, while ensuring that the Ranger's animal companion or spellcaster's familiar remains the more potent option. By Jensen Toperzer.
Nature's Remedy. Nature's Remedy is a brand new article for EN World EN5ider patrons! An introduction to the craft of herbalism, a handful of example herbs including darkberries, firedrake petals, silver garlic, and more, plus rules for their preparation, and a the new Master Herbalist feat. By Russ Morrissey.
Give Chase. Adding to the chase rules found in the core rulebooks, this article presents an abstract way of mapping a chase, along with three new complication tables for underground, castle grounds, and mountain chases. By James Introcaso.
Circles of Power: Three New Druid Circles. There are many types of druid in fiction and film with widely differing specializations. This article explores three new Druid Circles to help bring variety to your game table. Explore the Circle of Birds and Beasts, the Circle of the Elements, and the Circle of Life. By Mark Kernow, and illustrated by Deanna Roberds.
Creating Enjoyable Puzzles for Role Playing Games. Carl Heyl shows you how to create enjoyable puzzles for your game. It's all too easy to stop a game in its tracks, or throw off any sense of immersion. The advice in this article gives tips on creating organic, fun puzzles which don't interrupt your game. Illustrated by Sade.
Winterheart. Winterheart is an adventure for 4th level characters. Can the PCs rescue a young prisoner with latent icy magic before her despair plunges the region into a deep winter? By Esper, illustrated by Jen Tracy, cartography by Esper.
Fantastic Tomes & Librams. Fantastic Tomes & Librams presents you with 1d100 mundane but exotic books and tomes to furnish a wizard's study, a library, or a treasure hoard. Each entry contains the book’s name, its author, a short description, and an optional notation indicating its rarity, relative value, and number of pages. By Russ Morrissey.
Fire of the Mind. Tired of villains simply described as "mad" or "insane"? This article introduces four new illnesses - Multiple Personality Disorder, Aphasia, Schizophrenia, Paranoid Schizophrenia. Each includes rules for the player, and advice for the GM. By James Abendroth; illustrated by Sade.
Strands of Life. Giltônio Santos brings you 11 new healing spells for the cleric, bard, druid, paladin, or ranger in your life, and takes a brief look at direct healing, damage mitigation, and gradual healing. A vital article for anyone playing a healer! By Giltônio Santos; illustrated by Jen Tracy.
Party of One. It's not always possible to form a full five-person-plus gaming group, but that doesn't have to stop you enjoying your favorite tabletop RPG! Party of One takes a look at the one-on-one campaign, featuring one player and one GM, and discusses ways to make it a fun and rewarding experience for both. By Matt Click; illustrated by Ellis Goodson.
King & Country. Previous vocations aren't the only types of character backgrounds. This article discusses the creation of character backgrounds based on nationality, along with two fully developed backgrounds: Crusader Nation and Arcane Dominion. By Mark A. Hart; illustrated by Scott Harshbarger.
Don't Wake Dretchlor. A forgotten mansion. A sadistic demon. A deadly game of cat-and-mouse. Can the heroes outwit the demon and escape the mansion, or will they fall prey to Dretchlor's evil machinations? An adventure for characters of 5th-7th level by Kiel Chienier; illustrated by Rick Hershey and Sexualtyranosarus.
King & Country II. By popular demand - the sequel to King & Country, Mark Hart's introduction to nationalities as backgrounds! You asked us for it, so we obliged! Here are four new fantasy realms for use as backgrounds - the Confederacy of Feuding Houses, the Lost Civilization, the Regime of the Dark Overlord, and the Savage Land. By Mark Hart; illustrated by N.C. Wyeth.
Get Sick: Six New Diseases. Bottle fever, demonic plague, itching insides, ooze decay, aberrant touch, and walking rot. What do these all have in common? They're all new diseases for your game - some mundane, and some supernatural. Not only that, this article contains guidelines for creating your own diseases! By James Introcaso.
Those Who Crawl. Dungeon crawls are the oldest and one of the most common gameplay scenarios. Kiel Chenier brings you five tips and tricks to help make those dungeon crawls more exciting and run that bit more smoothly. From tone, to tracking time, these five tips will make your life that little bit easier! Illustrated by Ellis Goodson.
Volumes of Forgotten Lore: Arcane. From veteran author Ari Marmell (Drow of the Underdark, Tome of Magic, The Goblin Corps, Thief's Covenant) comes this look at new player options for the bard, sorcerer, and wizard. The Bardic College of Names, the Dread sorcerous origin, and the Shadowcaller tradition for the wizard make up this first chapter of forgotten lore.
The Art of Peace. In a world of violence and vicious magic, monks of the Shifting Flow and the Watchful Gate audaciously dream of peace. The Art of Peace introduces two new monastic traditions, the all-new Envoy background, and 8 maneuvers for monks who value their karma. By Josh Gentry.
Master & Apprentice: Gaining New Levels With Style. A new subsystem to bring realism into your game! Fletcher Haug introduces a mentor-based level training system, along perks and mojo - ways to give players control over the story of how they level up and to introduce training-based background details that can be called upon during play. Art from Savage Mojo.
Into the Stars: Science Fiction for Fifth Edition. Spice up your game with a little sci-fi action! Meet the Engineer and the Spacer backgrounds, learn how to move in zero-g, and grab an energy shield, ablative armor, or an energy weapon. By Kiel Chenier; illustrated by Indi Martian. This is also the final article from layout designer Justin Buell; it will be sad to see him go, but exciting to bring on board Eric Life-Putnam to fill his shoes!
A Paladin's Dark Vows. Not all paladins are good; some may stray from the true path, while others are pure evil. Josh Gentry presents new flaws and class features for dark paladins. When a paladin turns from the light, flaws of aggression, blind loyalty, and naïveté provide corruptions of the virtues of bravery, loyalty, and wisdom. Additionally, paladins may take oaths of the Purge or Supremacy, or use the new Bloody Hands class feature. Illustrated by Scott Harshbringer.
It's Alive! Does your victim wish to inflict a plague via an obscure ritual at the start of a solar eclipse on the grounds of an accursed cemetary using the blood of an innocent demon? Build rituals to achieve your villain's dark goals. Animate a golem, summon a god, open the Gates of Hell, or banish the sun. Seven tables describe the ritual's purpose, time, location, components, side-effects, price of failure, and - of course - how to foil the dastardly deed! By Mark A. Hart; illustrated by Jacob Blackmon.
The Right Way to Fudge. When and how should the GM fudge an encounter? Jeremy Lewit discusses the reasons and the methods, and provides advice on the right way to fudge. Should you alter the enemies, change the goalposts, or add new challenges? Illustrated by Savage Mojo.
The Mystery of Mordecai's Monster. From Dan Head comes this adventure of mystery and horror! Who is Mordecai, and what has become of his latest creation? Can the PCs solve the mystery of Mordecai's monster before it's too late? An adventure for 3rd level characters. Illustrated by Nick Cramp and Rick Hershey.
As Good As His Blade. Expand the list of weapon properties to include barbed, double, awkward, tripping, and more! Along with nearly 20 new weapons designed to use these new properties, and changes to the entangling and reach properties, this article will unlock the potential of weapon design and introduce more variety into your fighting style! By Connors; illustrated by Jacob Blackmon.
Over the Next Hill: The Village of Drood. The Village of Drood is a small village bordering a dark wood, founded by a travelling wizard and ready to be plugged in to your campaign. The first in a series of three settlements, this article contains NPCs and plot hooks. By Mark Craddock; illustrated by Jacob Blackman.
Volumes of Forgotten Lore: Divine. In the second of his Forgotten Lore series, veteran author Ari Marmell brings you new divine player options. The Protection, Shadow, and Travel domains, the Urban druidic circle, and the Theologian, a new tradition for the wizard. Illustrated by Jeshields.
Friend of the Children. Why do the children of Medvedka Vas not age? Can the answer be found on Bear Plateau? Who is the mysterious "Friend of the Children? And what is the role of Eglantina, the last pixie of Bear Plateau? A dark fantasy adventure for 4th level characters. By Peter Zacchaeus; illustrated by Ellis Goodson.
Over the Next Hill: The Town of Rivereave. The second in our "Over the Next Hill" series of small plug-in settlements is a lakeside fishing town on the fringes of civilization - an ideal base camp from which to launch expeditions into the wilderness! With NPCs, locations, and plot hooks, these settlements can be used in any campaign. By Scott Marcley; illustrated by Indi Martin.
Chessmasters & Commanders: The Noble Class. We have a special treat to round out August - a new class! The full 20-level noble class is able to command and inspire through three paths - the Path of the Heart, the Path of the Brave, and the Path of the Tactician. By A. Nova; illustrated by Ellis Goodson and Shannon White.
Masters of the Wild. Two new ranger archetypes - the dual-wielding Tempest and the sinister Nightstalker - along with new feats, new fighting styles, and new spells. Your ranger will never be the same again! By Thiago Rosa; illustrated by Nick Cramp.
Hired Hands. Meet the apothecary, cook, interpreter, minstrel, porter, scholar, squire, teamster, and torchbearer! These hirelings provide your adventurer with additional benefits - as long as you pay them and keep them safe! Additional traits, quirks, and motives help bring your hirelings to life. By "Jester" David Gibson; illustrated by Jacob Blackmon.
Croaking Sirocco. Croaking Sirocco is an adventure for 5th-level characters that takes the party into the heart of a magically warped, blasted land. Deep in the heart of the expanding desert is a tribe of desert-dwelling bullywugs, whose petty power struggle unwittingly endangers the entire outside world. By Kyle Carty; illustrated by Rick Hershey and Indi Martin.
Drinking & Dragons. In a slight change of tone before we start EN5ider's horror themed month for October and Halloween, we have a fun "drinking game" diversion from the serious rules, designed to throw some chaos into a special one-shot session or adventure. Five drinking games, and four recipes for fantasy themed drinks, three of which can be made alcohol free if needed, make this article one you'll remember! By Kiel Chenier; illustrated by Indi Martin.
I Ain't Afraid Of No Ghost: Subclasses For Hunting Evil. We prepare for our upcoming horror-themed Halloween month with a range of options for player intent on fighting the ghosts and ghouls who will feature throughout October! Kiel Chenier brings us Spirit, a Clerical Domain; Courage, a Paladin's Oath; and the Witch Hunter, a Roguish Archetype. Arm yourselves, because October is gonna be spooky! Illustrated by Ellis Goodson.
Template of Horrors. Our Halloween month continues - and we also celebrate our 40th article! - with four horrific templates which can be applied to any creature! Use the zombie, wight, skeleton, and banshee templates to create horrors such as a Wailing Hermit (a banshee ettin), a Rust Monster Skeleton, a Crypt Stalker (a minotaur wight), or a Basilisk Zombie! By Cedar Collins; illustrated by Jacob Blackmon.
Over the Next Hill: Village of Dreams. Halloween month continues with Josh Gentry's Village of Dreams. Natulog is a sleepy hamlet, but the thick evening fogs deliver messages through the dreams of those who rest there. Part of the Over the Next Hill series, this plug-in settlement includes significant areas, notes on dream reading, and rumors and plot hooks suitable for all character levels. Illustrated/cartography by Michael Tumey.
Heroes of the Night. We continue our Halloween-inspired month with a selection of horrific new archetypes for barbarians, fighters, and warlocks! Barbarian lycanthropes can master the Wolfsblood path; The Haunted are fighters with spectral companions; and The Evil Eye is a pact for warlocks. By Brandes Stoddard; illustrated by Dan Nokes.
Día de los Dinosaurios Muertos. Halloween grows ever closer! Día de los Dinosaurios Muertos is a spooky 18-page adventure by Jensen Toperzer. You've heard of the Day of the Dead... but what happens when the dead are dinosaurs? When the raptors awaken to find their land overrun by hairless apes, they plot to reclaim their legacy. Can the PCs survive the machinations of Miquiztlicoatl, the velociraptor mummy lord, ancient reptilian priest-king of the feathered throne? This adventure for 14th-level PCs includes full-color maps, a pronunciation guide, the all-new Stone of the Inverted Sun, and - of course- intelligent undead velociraptors. Illustrated by Melissa Tillery; cartography by Justin Mason.
Treasures Dark & Terrible. Halloween is finally upon us! James Haeck, your trusty EN5ider editor, has penned a whole host of new magical items to help you combat or embrace the terrors of the night. Nine new items, from the Collar of Cerberus to the Crown of the Devourer; from the Ghost Ward Lantern to Skull Liqueur.
Epic Threats: High Level NPCs. Challenge your players with five high level NPCs! The Arcane Blademaster, Ascetic Grandmaster, High Priest, Knight Captain, and Master Assassin range from CRs 12-20. By James Introcaso; illustrated by Phil Stone.
Motivated Encounters. Add spice and variety to your random encounters! This article helps you to randomly determine the aims and actions of encountered creatures with a table which covers 40 encounter motivations including merrymaking, suffering, wounded, escaped, and many more. Running into orcs is one thing; running into orcs busy constructing a shrine is another! By Connors; illustrated by Cat Lu.
The Haunting of Calrow Ruins. Halloween might be over, but that doesn't mean we can't have one last horror-themed adventure! "You can hear them at night when the mist creeps in off the lakeshore, jibber-jabbering like madmen trying to form words. For years they’ve haunted me, but still I can’t fathom what it means, as if some half-formed mind yearns for the power to speak for itself…" Complete with character hooks, this 14 page adventure by Aaron Infante-Levy is suitable for 2nd-4th level characters. Illustrated by Sade.
Heroes of the Blade. An assortment of character options for those who wield the blade! Three alternate class kits, a new Druidic Circle, two new fighting styles, two new maneuvers, and a brand new feat! Discover the battlemage, commander, and scout, and learn how to perform a hamstringing cut or form a phalanx! By John Lynch; illustrated by Egil Thompson and Phil Stone.
Reskinning for Genre. Take your 5E game beyond medieval fantasy with this look at post-apocalyptic, western, cyberpunk, far future, modern, and even superheroic games. This article includes short, simple new rules for genre and technology, new genre-specific feats like Gunfighter, Scientific Wizardry, and Super Powered, along with the Robotic template which allows you to include androids and more in your game. By Mike Myler; illustrated by Jacob Blackmon.
Friends Close, Enemies Closer. In our 50th article, Josh Gentry asks you to sell your soul! Three new warlock patrons include The Sea Lord, The Seducer, and The Trickster, along with six new Invocations. These three patrons represent such legendary beings as Davy Jones, the Leviathan, Dracula, Pan, Loki, or even Rumpelstiltskin. Illustrated by Egil Thompson.
Explorers of the Multiverse. Meet the Planar Explorer and the Way of Infinite Worlds, two brand new archetypes for adventurers who seek to cross the boundaries between worlds. Whether your preferred destination is the Inner or Outer Planes, a lesser-known demiplane, or somewhere even more unusual, these character options are perfect for those who want just little more than the Prime Material can offer. By Anthony Jennings; illustrated by Ellis Goodson.
Over the Next Hill: Springs of Hverfell. The latest in our Over The Next Hill series of settlements which can be dropped into any campaign brings you Hverfell, located in a hidden verdant valley in the midst of unforgiving tundra. Investigate the Spitz Bathhouse, the Elemental observatory, or the Aviary. Meet the conjurer Leogard Brix or Mistress Ashley Leon of the Ochre Springs Bathworks. As always, the article presents significant NPCs, locations, plus plot hooks and rumors. By June Bordas; art by Phil Stone; cartography by June Bordas.
Allies & Adversaries: Winter's Urchins. Happy Holidays! With a Dickensian flourish, we present you with three urchins designed for insertion into your campaign. Hope (and her baby dragonborn, Scales) is a young tiefling orphan; Ketch the Clever is a 10-year old pickpocket and hustler; while Bill Thorpe is a grimy bully of the streets. By Kiel Chewier; colour art by Ellis Goodson.
4 Random Roleplaying Encounters. In one of our occasional system-neutral crossover articles with our sister publication, TRAILseeker, these four random encounters focus on roleplaying and problem solving over combat. Baby Monsters, The Tag Along, The One That Got Away, and Snake Oil Salesman present the adventurers with moral and practical dilemmas. And with that, we close out 2015! Happy New Year, folks, and we can't wait to launch the first part of The Holdenshire Chronicles next month!
Epic Threats: Goblinoids and Orcs. In the second in our Epic Threats series, James Introcaso brings us a range of goblinoids and orcs designed to challenge high level adventurers. Meet the brutish Bugbear Savage (CR 18), the depraved Goblin Creeper (CR 16), the battle-hardened Hobgoblin Monarch (CR 14), the devoted Orc Godspeaker (CR 14), and the mighty Orog Devastator (CR 20). Illustrated by Jen Tracy.
The Holdenshire Chronicles (Prologue): Holdenshire Primer. It's a big day for EN5ider fans! Today marks the start of a new series called 'The Holdenshire Chronicles'. An adaption of Russ Morrissey's TO SLAY A DRAGON, the PCs will start their adventuring careers in the sandbox village of Hengistbury, in the county of Holdenshire, before embarking on a quest to travel across the land and slay a dragon. But first, before the adventuring can begin, we launch with this 23-page Holdenshire Primer which introduces you to the county, its peoples, and locations of note. By Russ Morrissey, Jacob Driscoll, Christopher J. Herbert, and Brian Casey. Illustrated by Claudio Pozas. Cartography by Sean MacDonald.
Scientific Sorcery. It's time to delve into alchemy in your 5th Edition games! This article by Matt Roth presents a new Alchemist's Apprentice background (and it variant, the unorthodox Self-Made Master), a bunch of new alchemical items, and three new feats designed especially for alchemists - Alchemical Artillerist, Expeditious Alchemy, and Pernicious Poisoner. Illustrated by Nick Cramp and Jen Tracy.
It's Never Over: Plot Seeds for the End of the World. Dion Fernandez discusses campaigns which continue... after the end of the world! Using the Survivor background, along with discussion of omnipotent tyrants, world destabilization, and unknown powers, this article contains suggestions and plot seeds for a different kind of campaign.
Epic Threats: Elementals. As we round off the first month of 2016, we'd like to thank you all for helping us reach that 1,000 patron target! And we hope that every one of you enjoys this instalment of our Epic Threats series from EN5ider veteran James Introcaso in which we bring you - in standard 5E stat-clock format! - the Magma Elemental (CR 16), Mud Elemental (CR 14), Sand Elemental (CR 13), Smoke Elemental (CR 12), Steam Elemental (CR 11), and the mighty Storm Elemental (CR 15). Illustrated by Vanessa Bailey.
Sinister Spellbooks. Brandes Stoddard describes six sinister spellbooks, along with each's properties and associated plot hooks. Be careful how you handle the Codex of Khiruzam or the Libram of the Crimson Wasting; benefit from the illusion properties of the Green Book of Ka-Jorra or the stormy properties of Herim's Final Manuscript; read from the Prophecies of Ni-Shaan or the Fragments of the Luminous World. Each of these six spellbooks can be used to inscribe or alter your spells. Illustrated by Jacob Blackmon.
Speaking With Fists. It's not only monks who fight with their fists - these subclasses for the barbarian, fighter, rogue (and, yes, one for the monk) bring out the pugilist in a variety of classes! The barbarian's fists are as strong as tempered steel with the Path of the Lodestar; the fighter masters the art of the heavyweight boxer as the Pugilist; the monk combines arcane magic and unarmed combat in the Way of the Arcane Fist; and the rogue moves at blinding speed as the Speedster. With new weapon properties, the new Fisticuffs fighting style, and two new spells, designer Josh Gentry will have your characters brawling in the taverns! Illustrated by Jacob Blackmon.
The Holdenshire Chronicles (Act 1): The Ills of Hengistbury. The eagerly awaited adventure has arrived - the first Act of the Holdenshire Chronicles! 41 pages of sandboxy goodness! This first act begins with the characters in the town of Hengistbury, detailed previously in the Primer (EN5ider #56). There, they begin their progression as heroes, and learn all about the dragon Cirothe’s predations on the local area. As they advance in expertise and experience, the idea of tracking the dragon to her lair and ending her threat forever may become a more realistic prospect. Twelve mini-adventures make up this 41-page sandbox Act; these can be undertaken in any order, although some may be more difficult than others.
Fell Grafts: Demons & Devils. Have you ever wanted an abyssal hide, balor wings, a devil's arm, a wretch's belch, an imp's eye, infernal horns, or vrock feathers? of course you have! Or at least, your 5E character has. Right? Designer Mike Myler brings you rules for infernal bodily alterations for those willing to make a deal with a devil! Illustrated by Cat Lu.
Priests of Misfortune. Fate and luck are double-edged swords. Deities from ancient cultures - the Aztecs, Egyptians, Greeks, and Welsh - were rightfully wary of the gods of misfortune. This article from Dan Head introduces the god of ill-fortune, Jinx, one of the triumvirate which also includes Fate and Fortuna. Also described is the misfortunate domain, information on clerics of Jinx, and new magic items such as the No-Headed Coin. Illustrated by Sade.
Priests of Elemental Power. Let your clerics embrace the elements and add some new domains to your 5E game - the flame domain, stone domain, water domain, and winter domain. Experience the Flame Cleric's Avatar of Flames, see how Reverent Stones part before your Stone Cleric, and be awestruck by the Water Cleric's Roar of the Waves! By C. Richard Davies; illustrated by Sade.