D&D 5E Recommend a D&D resource not everybody knows about

[Morrus]

In the interests of sharing the love -- recommend a D&D resource you think is awesome, but which maybe not everybody has heard of. Maybe it's a book, a blog, a web page, an accessory, an electronic tool, a prop - if you use it in/for your D&D game, let us know what's awesome about it. Try to keep to things you have no involvement with though!

So, what awesome D&D resource do you think more folks should use?

 

[Satyrn]

I regularly delve into Dyson's Dodecahedron when I need a map. There's a lot to choose from.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Big fan of the YAFNAG fantasy name generator, because it allows you to choose initial and ending letters, plus select different lengths of names. So if you know for example you want the name to start with P, be 5 to 8 letters so it ends up probably as two-syllables, and it's meant to be for a dwarf... you can select the length of 5-8, the 'P' prefix, and then various three-letter suffixes you think are dwarf-like. It will then spit out up to 100 different names at a time that fulfill those choices. And if none of them do anything for you, you can just add or subtract to the numbers of letters, or the suffixes you want to use. It's very useful to help creating more specific names that you want, rather than just a standard generator that gives out names purely by race.

 

[LordEntrails]

Well, hmmm....

When it comes to maps, I like the Cartographer's Guild and Elven Tower Cartography.

For those who create their own material; A series of posts that should be near mandatory reading, Node Based Scenario Design, and the Alexandrian for general excellence in DM issues.

 

[Quickleaf]

Here's a Google Docs Monster Challenge Rating Sheet which exports HTML that you can then convert into a monster statblock using Valloric's 5e stat block Web Component.

 

[MonkeyWrench]

Not strictly D&D, but I get a lot of mileage out Atlas Obscura. Most weeks there's an article that will spark an adventure idea, dungeon theme, or fantastic location.

Consider the D&D possibilities in these articles:
http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/zodiac-man-astrology-ketham
http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/valle-dei-mulini-valley-of-the-mills
http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-sunken-city-of-baia
http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/santa-maria-della-concezione
http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-monsters-of-bomarzo

 

[Ath-kethin]

I used to play a game on my phone called Doom & Destiny, which had some oddities like orcs always accompanied by pigs. So in my campaigns, orcs have a special fondness for pigs and keep them as pets as well as for livestock.

I also draw a number of NPC and city adventure background ideas from Glen Cook's Garret Files series.

 

[robus]

Not strictly D&D, but I get a lot of mileage out Atlas Obscura. Most weeks there's an article that will spark an adventure idea, dungeon theme, or fantastic location.

Consider the D&D possibilities in these articles:
http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/zodiac-man-astrology-ketham
http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/valle-dei-mulini-valley-of-the-mills
http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-sunken-city-of-baia
http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/santa-maria-della-concezione
http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-monsters-of-bomarzo

That looks like a wonderful resource!

 

[Ancalagon]

I regularly delve into Dyson's Dodecahedron when I need a map. There's a lot to choose from.

I second this recommendation. All the maps have a "story" that come with them, which are also fodder for adventure material... or you can ignore it entirely and just use the map. For example the tower of a small mercenary company became the observatory of Pomelu.

And he's a great guy to boot

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using EN World mobile app

 

[mrpopstar]

I would recommend reading Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 1 issues 1-133, written by Brian Michael Bendis. This particular comic series taught me everything I needed to know about campaign pacing, session planning, and how to succeed with milestones.



EDIT: Not a formal "D&D" resource, per se, but I have offered up the same advice to many an aspiring Dungeon Master and feedback is always positive. -- Each issue is a session, each arch is a milestone, something begins and ends every session, a broader story is told over the course of an arch, etc. It's good stuff.