Adventurers Wanted
Back in August, I wrote a post about incorporating Animal Companions (AnC) into your D&D party. I enjoyed the topic so much, I wanted to explore it further! In our Heroes of Iyastera campaigns, each party has its own AnCs, whether through class-granted bonds (Ranger and Wizard), or through backstory. In an effort to elevate… Continue reading Animal Companions: Training Mechanics
Pick-Up or Drop-In games are a common occurrence at game nights and conventions, and are a great way to build the gaming community. In fact, most of the D&D players I know were introduced to the hobby in this way, and left that first game completely hooked! Having been both a player and a GM… Continue reading The Pick-Up Game
Long overdue, here is the finished character sheet for Jawri the Tabaxi Ranger, from the upcoming Heroes of Iyastera mini-campaign, Welcome to the Guild! This sailor-turned mercenary is one of the possible companions your party may meet as they work for the Indomitable Bastions, the newest Adventuring Guild in Iacosta. We created her story on-stream… Continue reading Community Creation: Jawri the Ranger
Time for another little lore drop from the Heroes of Iyastera campaigns! For those of you who don't know, Iyastera is the homebrewed setting I created for on-going family-friendly campaigns I run as well as the written adventures you can find in the Library. If you've read the Welcome to Iyastera article, you may remember… Continue reading Welcome to Iyastera: The Rebels
"Hey, let's play D&D this weekend!" Imagine getting that text on a Thursday night. If you're a player, this could be really exciting! But what if you're the "Designated DM" of your group? Are you ready to run a last-minute session? If not, that text can quickly change from exciting to anxiety-inducing in no time… Continue reading Homebrewed: One Shot Quick-Build
Remember the last D&D combat post? This week, we're expanding on those themes some more to talk about BOSS BATTLES! Here are a few things I use to augment the Heroes of Iyastera baddies and help my players feel like the epic heroes they are! Scene Setting Remember the final showdown in The Labyrinth? When… Continue reading Boss Fight
Time for another Worldbuiling post!! This time, we'll explore the theme of culture a bit more. We've already explored the things that will impact the evolution of different cultures and the way culture and language are interconnected...now we'll look at different ways you can show customs and practices through the behaviour of your characters! The… Continue reading Worldbuilding: Local Customs
Being a GM is a big job: you need to be familiar with the rules (or at least know where to find them in the reference books), create engaging challenges for your players to solve, and weave it all together in an interesting story that will capture the imagination. If you're lucky enough to be… Continue reading Homebrewed: Campaign Prep Guidelines
Animals are a common theme across the spectrum of folklore and fables, with many animals presented as embodiments of certain virtues: Foxes are clever Owls are wise Lions are proud There are positive and negative characteristics for most of the creatures...except for the Snake. In most western storytelling, our friend Snake is associated with qualities… Continue reading Serpent’s Redemption
As you may have seen, I just recently started streaming RPG content on a shiny new Scriv the Bard Twitch channel! It's been an exciting new adventure that I look forward to continuing each week, though it certainly isn't without it's growing pains. A few people have asked me for advice/general tips for new streamers,… Continue reading Feeling Twitchy: Thoughts on Streaming