EN5ider & The OGL & You

As you may know, the EN5ider publication for 5th Edition has been running for nearly a year now. It has been a great success, and has nearly 1,000 happy patrons. Patrons (who can back it for as little as a dollar a month) get complete access to the complete archive of nearly 60 articles and adventures. With the recent launch of the DM's Guild and the new SRD for D&D 5th Edition, I felt it was worth taking a moment to explain what all this means for the publication, and to make a push to actually hit that 1,000 patron target!

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[h=4]The 5E SRD[/h]
The new SRD means that EN5ider benefits from access to a few terms that weren't available in previous SRDs. In practical terms, you won't see a great deal difference, but it does mean that we will now be using the official 5E stat block instead of the custom one that we'd been using up until now. It's something folks have asked us for for a long time, but we've always been very cautious about staying on the firmly non-infringing side of IP law. Now that burden has been lifted a little, and we're a little more free to use certain elements. That stat block layout is in effect as of now.

[h=4]Submissions[/h]
EN5ider is a great way to get your name out there. With a guaranteed immediate audience of 1,000 fans and counting, the art and professional layout and editing all done for you, payment starting at 3-cents per word and increasing with repeat work, and - here's the kicker - you retaining ownership of your own work, it's a wonderful format for getting professional, illustrated products out there.

Now, if you submit something to EN5ider, even though you retain ownership of it, you won't be able to put it on DM's Guild - DM's Guild has an exclusivity clause which prevents you doing that. But there's nothing to stop you writing material for both! And you can always re-use it in non-DM's Guild ways.

If you'd like to write for EN5ider, check out our submissions guidelines here. It's a great outlet, with a very generous contract. Lots of EN World members have written for EN5ider now, and I'm sure they'll tell you we are great to work with!

[h=4]How Does EN5ider Work?[/h]
EN5ider is a Patreon campaign. Basically, it crowdfunds regular, professionally produced articles and adventures. You can become a patron for any amount you wish (it's basically "pay what you want") and while you're a patron you have access to the full library and to new articles as they are published. Because you choose how much to pay per article, and also because you can put a monthly cap on your payments so that it doesn't exceed whatever amount you choose (and, honestly, whatever amount you choose!), it can be a very safe and inexpensive way to get new, high quality 5E material. Plus, of course, you can cancel very quickly and easily any time you want. You could literally pledge a single dollar and get everything below (we very much hope you'll consider our offerings to be worth a bit more than that, but we know everybody's budget is different!)

To sign up for EN5ider, just click here and become a patron. Then immediately download all the articles below! It would be wonderful to get to 1,000 patrons!

[h=4]What's On EN5ider?[/h]
Over the last year, we've published adventures, rules, and articles. New archetypes and backgrounds and monsters and NPCs, and plug-in villages and other settings. All sorts of things! Below there's a list of the articles we've published so far.

1. Cherished Trinkets. A rules-light article which discusses the use of trinkets as treasure in your game. By Ryan Chaddock.
2. 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.
3. Archery Contests. Running and conducting large archery tournaments can be fun and easy! By Russ Morrissey, based on an original article by Ryan Nock.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. 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.
19. 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.
20. 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.
21. 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.
22. 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.
23. 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.
24. 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!
25. 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.
26. 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.
27. 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.
28. 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.
29. 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.
30. 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.
31. 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.
32. 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.
33. 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.
34. 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.
35. 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.
36. 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.
37. 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.
38. 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.
39. 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.
40. 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.
41. 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.
42. 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.
43. 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.
44. 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.
45. 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.
46. 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.
47. 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.
48. 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.
49. 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.
50. 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.
51. 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.
52. 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.
53. 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.
54. 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!
55. 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.
56. The Holdenshire Chronicles (Part 1): 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.

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[jamesjhaeck]

[Great stuff]

I couldn't have said it better myself. Thanks for your kind words.