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Similar experiences with 2024 arcanists. Innate Sorcery and Chromatic Orb is an excellent combo, but Sorcerous Burst is plenty fine when you run out of spell slots. I got an 8+8+6 shot on a low-level boss that was fun; at higher levels the chances of rolling an 8 on at least one die become quite...

The list was put together by 16 designers, including people like Keith Baker, Ed Greenwood, Mike Mearls, and Chris Perkins. Totally agree about the pro-TSR/WotC bias (which the article acknowledges in the intro), and of course many great adventures have been published since then, but I was just...

WPM is highly regarded by a lot of people, including the panel of designers who rated the top-30 D&D adventures of all time in Dungeon magazine in 2004. They rated it #9; Mike Mearls called it, "crazy, over the top, pure fun," which was the core of its appeal. I was glad to see it included in...

Thanks! But the ogre zombie was just a warm up... * * * Chapter 41 “They certainly would have heard that,” Ravani said, edging forward again to scout. The hallway bent sharply to the right a short distance beyond where the ogre zombie had been waiting, and the elf warily approached that...

That last point is an important one; who is carrying a light source can become hugely important in certain circumstances. In a recent session the party was exploring a very large cavern complex; the fighter carries a flame tongue so visibility isn't usually an issue. But when they encountered a...

Chapter 40 This time there was no hesitation, no poking about for clues. Leana led them directly to one of the caves situated high along the rim of the ravine, one that they’d bypassed earlier. From a distance it didn’t look like much, certainly nothing that screamed, “secret hold of an...

I generally don't worry too much about consumables like torches and flasks of oil, but I do track illumination. I'll usually ask players what they are doing when they enter an area where it would matter, and like some of the other posters I remind them of the consequences of relying on...

Chapter 39 “Bloody… hells,” Greghan gasped, as Leana worked another of the goblin arrows free. “Gods above, Gregho, how many times did you get hit?” Ravani asked. “I thought the armor was supposed to protect against that?” “Little bastards were good with those bows,” Greghan admitted, as...

Chapter 38 Leana was at Ravani’s side in moments. “Take it easy,” she said, helping the injured elf to a heap of animal furs that apparently served as beds for the cave’s inhabitants. She examined the deep wound, careful not to touch the arrow sticking out of his belly. “I can get this out...

Chapter 37 Ravani cautioned them to quiet as he carefully pulled open the secret door. They were immediately greeted by the sounds of voices; Greghan couldn’t understand the language, but it sounded like an argument was taking place. “Goblin tongue,” Folgar whispered, just loud enough for him...

Thanks for the praise. After so many years of writing D&D stories, I think combat scenes have become a specialty of mine. I think it helps with my narration in the tabletop game as well. I have finished writing the story, though I still have a month's worth of posts. Once it's done I'll see...

Chapter 35 Leana didn’t hesitate; she sprinted to Greghan’s side, knelt beside him, and channeled a healing spell into his battered body. For a moment she thought she she’d been too late, that the minotaur had killed him, but then his chest arced as he drew in a deep breath, his eyes flicking...

Chapter 34 The three stirges, roused from their slumber by the shattering of a burning flask of oil, quickly darted to attack the prey that had been presented to them. Ravani, in the lead, drew the attention of two of them. He swatted the first one away with the stave of his bow, but the...

Back in the day I used to run a lot of campaigns in the CRPG Neverwinter Nights, which used the 3e ruleset and had a great toolset for developing user-created campaigns. In addition to a dozen or so generic D&D campaigns, I created an Ancient Greece/Bronze Age campaign, a Star Wars campaign, and...

Chapter 33 This time, the party was extra careful; they advanced along the road slowly, with Ravani frequently scouting ahead to check for ambushes. But there were no bandits or monsters waiting to attack them. “Maybe that jerk Pral finally learned his lesson,” Ravani said, after returning...

Ammann might not have said those exact words, but they seem to be implied in his original post with language like, "MOAR POWER," "ludicrous overuse," and "All three [books] are flawed." And plenty of people in this thread have been happy to chime in about 5e.2024's purported "design flaws,"...

I've had characters with low stats, and didn't mind it. Interesting role-playing opportunities and all that. Back in the Basic/1e days, having at least one really low stat was very common if you used the rolling techniques outlined in the rules. But as a DM now I never use dice rolls for stat...

The assumption that "other humans" (and using that term itself shows a bias) should fall in the 3 to 18 stat range per an average 3d6 distribution is where I break with Ammann's analysis. I think that PC-exceptionalism taken to this degree makes the world less realistic, not more (whatever that...

Chapter 32 The mood in the private back room at the Drunken Dragon was somber, as the companions gathered for a last meal and to discuss their plans for the final assault on the Caves. A few neatly-wrapped bundles sat on the edge of the table. In addition to fresh supplies and ammunition...

Chapter 31 “The cult has an agent here in the Keep,” Leana said. “It’s the only possible explanation for what we experienced on this last expedition.” The halfling’s announcement was greeted by a moment of silence. The conference room was full; in addition to the Castellan and his two...