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My dream 4.5 would include the following (some of which have been mentioned already): Don't add half level to skill checks, making DCs more consistent. Triggered actions can't be used in response to triggered actions. Clarify the order for start-of-turn effects. Positive conditions as well as...

I do this all the time. I say go for it.

Some obvious things: start thinking in terms of attribute checks and attribute saves, and be mindful of ways to grant advantage and disadvantage. When I first DMed 5e I kept forgetting those, and used bonuses or penalties instead.

DM prep for 4E is really easy. As has already been said above, I'd recommend taking a published scenario and reworking it as you go to tailor it for your own PCs. I'm not sure if you subscribe to DDI, but there have been some great DM-focused articles in Dragon recently. The 5x5 method by Dave...

Historically my favourite class is the Fighter, no question. I love the simplicity, and there's something about the concept that's just pure fantasy for me: the doughty warrior, sword in hand, marching boldly into the tomb. Love it. Overall I like what 4e did with making it a defender, but I...

You did? I see you bringing up extra damage for cinematic effect, and usage advantages like spread of fire and range. I'm talking about pure damage versus armour here - i.e. a high-calibre rifle round is going to deal a heck of a lot more damage than a poke from a sword.

I guess it depends on how armour factors into your game. We all know that a rifle round hits with far greater force than a sword thrust. Against flesh that may well be much of a muchness, but if I'm wearing a Kevlar helmet, there should be a greater chance of that rifle round penetrating my...

My dream 4E send-off product would be a definitive campaign path box-set from heroic through epic, built with the system understanding of the later modules, and featuring a story that really shines a light on all the tropes of the 4E universe. For example: 1) Heroic tier campaign in the...

I'm slowly putting together notes for a new 5E campaign world (some of which I've been posting about here on my blog). It's set in the dying days of an empire ruled by giants, after the world has endured a terrible deluge. I've set a few playtest adventures there - one of which I'm hoping to...

A few months back, one of my players crafted some daggers (and a handaxe) in real-life and handed them out as presents to the other players in our gaming group. Each was tailored to the PCs in some way, so as they were handed over in real life, I had an NPC hand over similar weapons in-game. :)...

This looks like lots of fun! Getting a WFRP vibe from the careers, and I'm intrigued by the party dice pool. Looking forward to seeing more as it comes!

A military research colony on a moon locked in the gravity well of a gas giant, making it easy to get to but difficult to leave. The moon is wracked by storms of nitrogen ice capable of puncturing space-suits. A derelict freighter encased in a mysterious sentient space fungus, its crew now...

The best doppelganger scene I've run came a surprise even to the player running the doppelganger. The wizard in our party was captured by the evil mastermind and his disguised doppelganger minion, beaten unconscious, and then released with orders to steal some information for the mastermind...

A refugee civilization that has grown from the wreckage of huge space battle, with each mangled ship having its own community and laws. A fleet of city-sized fishing trawlers dredge-netting the oceans of an alien waterworld. An arena ship that flies from planet-to-planet, offering huge prizes...

Note: contains SPOILERS for I6: Ravenloft! I'm thinking high concept and motivation/goal are the most important NPC descriptors, even for those bit-part shopkeepers. Morrus's single-line examples essentially break down into "[name] is a [personality/role] who [motivation]", and I think that's...

I've found myself doing this a lot recently, usually taking characters from TV dramas. Just asking myself "what would X do in this situation" is often easier than wondering what a completely made-up character would do. This said, one thing I've learned *not* to do is tell my players which...

A couple of great formulas there! I really like LostSoul's suggestion. For me, that would work well for "bit-part" named NPCs in an adventure. For more important characters (a recurring patron or villain for example), I'd want something a bit more detailed - closer to what JamesonCourage is...

I'm looking for a number of things from a published adventure, in roughly this order: 1) Good encounters. Interesting puzzles, monster combinations, situations and locations that can be cribbed from the adventure and inserted into any campaign. I'll bet that most DMs steal individual encounters...

The Fantasy Flight Warhammer 40k games appear to have a stack of adventure support. Only played Rogue Trader myself, but it's worlds away from D&D. Actually, I wouldn't discount Call of Cthulhu for a kids game, if you ratchet up the pulp factor. I played through the Shadows of Yog-Sothoth...