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When you're at a table with mixed experience levels, chances are that the difficulty isn't being ramped up in the first place. Why sweat it to this degree, you know?

There’s nothing worse than unsolicited personal advice. There you are minding your own business, just trying to be the best you that you can be, when some jackhole decides to chime in with their naughty word hot take. “Yeah dude, you really ought to go half-elf with that build.” “Who doesn’t take...

Well I mean, the other dudes in the thread are talking about mob damage calculators. Seems to me there might be some useful apps out there at the very least.

This one is for all the minionmancers out there. I’m talking to all the necromancers, druids, and wizardly types who like fighting with squads of dudes rather than your singular PC. How do you manage it? I always find that when you’ve got a boatload of minions following your orders, you wind up...

Classic. I think that a metric boatload of "psionics is busted and not allowed at my table" comes from exactly this misunderstanding.

Originally posted with an accompanying comic. Here be my tale. Ahem: Let's talk about OP builds and suspicious numbers. It’ll be a quick talk, because it’s a fairly straightforward point. All I really want to say is this: If something is too good to be true, it usually is. That old truism...

What is your favorite monster to play against type? Imagine an apparently dimwitted ogre who owns a detective agency. Imagine a dragon taking a stab at civilized life in the kingdom’s capital. Imagine a barbaric half-giant showing up for Wizarding 101 at the local mage academy. I don't know...

I don't know that Session Zero is the answer to this one. Permanent injury is a plot point that can come up, but it doesn't usually make the list: https://geekandsundry.com/roleplaying-basics-the-importance-of-session-zero/ That's why I'm looking for systems that do this. If giving the player...

When permanent injuries are on the table, there are two basic ways things can go. Good Ending: He cuts off my hand? Like Skywalker at the end of Empire? Badass! Bad Ending: Thanks for making my guy unplayable. Jerk. That leads me to two associated questions. As a matter of player psychology...

Just wrote a 1980s themed kids-become-their-PCs adventure. They have to kills rats in their comic shop. Always fun when you get to do this stuff as parody.

I'm talking stuff like "rangers suck" or "bards are always horny." I'm talking plots like rescuing the princess, meeting your evil twin, or finding out that it was all a dream. Sure these things can be done well, but they also tend to elicit an immediate eye-roll when they come up. So before you...

Do you have any pics? I'd actually like to see this one.

Not all of us own the complete collection of 3D-printed critters or expertly-sculpted pewter heroes. When it comes time to represent your dude on the tabletop, sometimes you've got to sub in pennies, spare dice, or Peanut M&Ms. Therefore, in the name of commiseration, what is the best best (or...

This mess is tough. I mean there you are, running your no-nonsense game of gritty fantasy. Your players are miserable peasants and it’s amazing. They’ve got to choose between a hot meal and sleeping in an inn. Their horse is busted. Their weapons are scavenged pitchforks. Everyone is diseased...

If there are any rogues in your life, you may be familiar with a certain strain of argument. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. “But I’m standing slightly to one side of the golem. It didn’t know I was there!” Or how about this one? “I thought we were playing with the flanking rules?”...

There's some interesting precedent in the "create pit" line of spells over in Pathfinder: Create Pit – d20PFSRD

How the crap do you explain the rogue's Evasion ability? The default explanation is right there in the ability text: “you nimbly dodge out of the way of certain area effects.” However, that never quite fit the picture in my head. Leaping away from explosions and action-rolling like Indy are...

I agree with many of the "not my job" GM posts. But this is an important caveat. About half of that party were first-timers, and the more experienced members of the party didn't think to bring up party balance. At that point, I think it's worth stepping in and suggesting that "someone might...

Not so long ago, I failed in my GMly duties. It was book 1 of Strange Aeons, and I made no mention of party composition during Session Zero. It was a classic case of "why didn't anybody play a healer?" as they began to make saving throws to stabilize vs. giant rats. Question for the board...

Now I'm curious. What module are you thinking of here?