Gaming Tonic
First Post
[news]The virtual pages of Dragon and Dungeon Magazines really filled up the last week of June. Several adventures were published as well as an article featuring a few high level bad guys for your games. More about the direction of D&D Next was revealed by Mike Mearls and Rodney Thompson. The drow also show up in a couple of places, but that is okay because we knew they were coming. Now let's talk about this week in D&D.[/news]
- Magic Items in D&D Next by Mike Mearls for Legends & Lore this week has lots of gamers really excited. I enjoy a game design where magic items are optional and my players are not turning in wish lists like I am Santa Claus. This allows for the rules to accommodate a lot of different game styles and is a smart move. Read the reactions of other gamers and give your own opinion on magic in D&D Next here.
[*]Editorial: Into the Depths by Christopher Perkins quickly examines the history of the Underdark in Dungeons & Dragons, as well as what sort of underground adventure we can expect coming up. I remember the D series of adventures and they were deadly, but the Menzoberranzan boxed set is when the Underdark really started to shape up. Go find the boxed set if you want a cool resource for your game.
[*]Craig Campbell will grab hold of your adventurers with the Grasp of Thalarkis. This paragon level adventure is an underwater adventure so it is especially challenging for your players. The maps that are included with this adventure are top notch as well. The Grasp of Thalarkis also has some excellent backstory and a great magic item for your players to get their characters hands on.
[*]A Tangled Web: The Origin of the Drow by James Maliszewski is a pretty in-depth look at the dark elves and their history in D&D. I like drow but have never had the fascination that some gamers have had with them over the years. I remember a time when you couldn’t play a game without a katana wielding drow ninja. That aside, this is pretty interesting and I had to look up a couple of things in old books just to check out some of it first-hand.
[*]Hunt for the Heretic by Sterling Hershey is another paragon level adventure in Dungeon 203. This time the adventurers are sailing the Astral Sea. This adventure includes a write-up for a vehicle, an astral clipper. A couple of the encounters are different from what we have come to expect from many adventures and your players will probably get excited to figure out the best way to handle them.
[*]Whedonism is the subject in the Dungeon Master Experience by Chris Perkins. Several Whedonisms are discussed, and how you can take from some of the great Whedon’s work which is never a bad thing. If you keep in mind you and your players will never be as clever as an episode of Firefly and this article has some great examples for you to use in your game.
[*]We travel to the Forgotten Realms for Channel Divinity: Chauntea and Silvanus by Chad Brown. Followers of the nature diety have several new feat options presented here for their characters to choose from, as well as a new holy symbol, magic items, and even a boon. I always appreciate anything that helps to make divine characters feel more like a representation of their dieties and less like other divine characters.
[*]Rule of Three by Rodney Thompson this week covers three D&D Next questions, and we get some pretty solid answers this week. It seems to me that lots of players are concerned about combat maneuvers, since we seem to get at least one question a week about them. Rodney also answers a question about a different type of spellcasting.
[*]Michael E. Shea gives you epic level bad guys in Perils of the Astral Sea. The githyanki antipaladin is the perfect bad guy to drive one of the players in my group crazy. Slap a template on this and you have a high-level antagonist for your players to truly want to destroy. I think the artwork in this article is inspiring.
[*]Tracy Hurley points out excellent materials for Caves of Chaos in Joining the Party. Whether you plan on running several playtests, or just one excellent playtest this article is absolutely invaluable to save you time and provide many options for the venerable adventure.
[*]If you need a good laugh then check out D&D Outsider: More Inhuman Resources by Jared von Hindman. Although absolutely comical there are some pretty good points to consider when acquiring an elite henchman.
[*]I always learn something from Dragon’s Eye View by Jon Schindehette but never as much as in Judged by It’s Cover. The world of digital books does add an extra element of consideration when choosing the art for D&D Next. I don’t often buy digital books from just browsing covers but perhaps lots of other people do.
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