Illusion Spell

Damn, it really looks like a white dress!

Free D&D Adventure!

Remember my "Blast From the Past" series? No? Well, it was a series of posts in which I reflected upon favorite adventures from past editions of D&D. My pick for Third Edition was The Shattered Gates of Slaughtergarde. I'm happy to report that this adventure is (temporarily) free! Click here to download the module, but act fast! It's only free until noon (Pacific time) tomorrow, February 21.

D'Oh!

Dang! I wasn't fast enough to get the $20 Falcon. Well, at least I can pick up another Starter Set for a great price.

X-Wing Re-Stock!

A new shipment of Star Wars: X-Wing products has reached online (and, I assume, brick-and-mortar) stores! I've never seen prices so low for some of these ships. Millennium Falcon for $20! Starter Set for $27! Click here to see the deals on Miniatures Market. I'm about to go on a binge...

Fun With Tocharian

While working on plans for the multiverse-spanning Quintessence War storyline, I found myself needing a set of names for a group of ascetic individuals who live in a remote, rugged environment. I usually use real-world languages -- everything from ancient Egyptian to medieval Welsh -- as the basis for campaign cultures, so I considered a number of possible linguistic candidates. I settled on Tocharian (a bastardized version of Proto-Tocharian, to be exact) as the source of names for this group, and even just a quick perusal of the Tocharian lexicon has given me lots of ideas for cool characters. Spoiler alert! Quintessence War players are going to meet a dude named Daksinake, and he's going to be pretty important...

"Not Feats Again!"

Matthew is playing through the classic Star Wars RPG Knights of the Old Republic on our iPad, and he really loves the ability to customize his character as he advances in level. (For those who are unfamiliar with the game, it's a d20-based system that closely resembles Third Edition D&D.) However, he often expresses exasperation when prompted to select a feat. He'll hand the iPad over to me, and I'll spend a few moments poring over the options to find the one best suited for his character. Matthew isn't terribly concerned about making a choice between something that would give him, say, a +1 to damage vs. a +1 to saving throws. Perhaps someday he'll turn into more of a power gamer like his old man, but for now he just wants to play the damn game and keep the story going. His experience with KotOR is further confirmation for me that Fifth Edition D&D strikes an elegant balance to accommodate both types of player. Players like me can scour the feat lists and look for ways to optimize, and players like Matthew can forego the feat to take the stat bonus instead. Everybody's happy!

More on Legends

Lots more info today about Sword Coast Legends...click here to get started!

Sword Coast Legends

How fortuitous that I just ordered the parts for a new computer...here comes a brand-new D&D video game! It's a multiplayer game based on the Fifth Edition rules, and it's going to provide an option for a real-time Dungeonmaster. Click here for more!

Mystara

World building...I love it. Click here for a fascinating read.

New DM Screen

After a hurricane ripped through our town on Friday -- the house next to ours had part of its roof torn off! -- we wanted to get out for a while, so we headed up to Reno, which is the closest thing to a big city in our little corner of Western Nevada. I finally picked up the new Fifth Edition DM Screen (along with an A-Wing and B-Wing for our Star Wars: X-Wing escapades) and, wow, it's easily the best GM/DM screen I've ever seen. It has the obligatory charts (conditions, cover, skill DCs, etc.), but what really sets it apart is the narrative stuff. This screen helps you create NPCs on the fly by providing tables for distinguishing characteristics, ideals, bonds, and flaws, and it even includes a fairly robust random name generator. In about thirty seconds, I created Kirondic, a fellow who's loyal to his family but also seeking redemption, perhaps because of the shameful secret from his past. Oh, and he's prone to squinting. The screen also features a couple of handy tables called "Something Happens!" and "Quick Finds," which help DMs move the story along if things begin to slow down or if the PCs need a bit of prodding. I just rolled a 19 on "Something Happens!", so now the PCs catch a whiff of a foul smell in the air. Actually, that sounds a lot like our Druid Cycle game sessions...

Eberron in Fifth Edition

I don't think we have a lot of Eberron fans in the Front Porch crew, but free D&D is still free D&D. Click here to access the first version of the Eberron rules for Fifth Edition. The materials are presented in draft form and are subject to change, but at least we get some cool new races like the warforged.

Pre-Super Bowl Battle

With a few hours to kill before the start of our Super Bowl party, the boys and I geared up a bunch of ships for a big Star Wars battle. The story so far...

The Imperials came through an asteroid field in a tight formation, while the Rebels advanced straight ahead. That little Z somehow survived a round of focused fire from the Decimator and its two TIE escorts. Luke's X-Wing, meanwhile, has swooped in to provide his buddy with some cover fire, while the Hawk is lurking on the outskirts and providing logistical support to the two fighters. To be continued!