Author: Wimwick (Neil Ellis)

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Eberron

Being Lycanthrope In Eberron

The moon is a harsh mistress. None know this more intimately than the lycanthropes of Eberron. With twelve moons, there is seldom a night when lycanthropes don’t feel the tug of their inner beast.

While 4e has changed the way lycanthropy is handled, we realized that not everyone is happy with these changes. What we wanted to consider was how would the lycanthropic transformation differ depending on which moon was full? For DMs who like handling lycanthropy as a disease that can afflict PCs and using the moon to determine the mood, we have created this resource to spice things up.

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Player Resources

Dwarves Are The Best Race

Surly, gruff, uncouth and belligerent. Nothing could be further from the truth when speaking about Dwarves. Insightful, tough, resilient and reliable are better words to describe Dwarven kin. In looking at the characteristics of this noble folk you realize that not only would you enjoy an evening of pints with a Dwarf, but you also want them watching your back. Of course we shouldn’t neglect to mention those beards. Phenomenal stuff! Let’s take a deeper look at the toughest of races.

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Categories
Technology

Will The Desktop Kill The Tabletop, SurfaceScapes Thinks So

About a year ago there was a Blogger Carnival about technology in RPGs. In our submission I raised the question of whether the desktop would kill the tabletop. In recent days that prediction may have come closer to reality with arrival of SurfaceScapes. If you’ve been following some threads in the RPG Blogger Network, read the latest Kobold Quarterly or even articles in main stream media (here or here) then you’ve likely already seen this technology reviewed. Some of the reviewers have actually had the opportunity to see things in action. Of that fact, I am very jealous.

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DM Resources Skill Challenges

Skill Challenges On The Fly

What happens when your PCs make a choice that takes your adventure 180 degrees away from where you intended? Or when those same PCs kill the NPC who will provide the information they require to move onto the next step? Or when the PCs just aren’t picking up on the very obvious, to your mind, clues that you are leaving them? What do you do?

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DM Resources Skill Challenges

Skill Challenge: Tavern Treachery

It’s well known that the PCs bring vast amounts of wealth back to town after a weekend plundering the local ruins. However, the citizens of a local town are tired of catering to the needs of spoiled, holier-than-thou adventurers. The town isn’t getting rich from the adventurers and no monsters ever attack. Add on the property damage that drunken adventurers cause and something needed to be done. A plan is hatched, when the PCs return to town the locals will take advantage of their need for rest. As the PCs enjoy a meal the locals will poison their food and drink.

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Editorial

Ritual Casting – Opening Up The System

Rituals are “complex ceremonies that create magic effects” according to the description in the Player’s Handbook. It makes sense then that only classes who receive in-depth training should have access to rituals. The concept behind rituals is that they are used outside of combat, perhaps during skill challenges, and represent powerful magic that requires concentration and time. Effects such as raise dead and magic item creation are not events to be taken lightly, they are game altering. A Rogue from the streets of Waterdeep or a Fighter who is a refugee from Cyre should not have automatic access to these rituals. Or should they?

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Editorial

State Of The Dungeon – 1 Year Later

What a year it’s been. When Ameron and I launched Dungeon’s Master a year ago, we did so with humble expectations. While we anticipated that others would find our corner of the Internet, we weren’t sure how far our reach would extend. Our goal was to post articles about 4e D&D 5 days a week . We’d cover a wide range of topics that we found interesting, specifically articles about skill challenges and DDI’s impact on the game. As I look back at the posts from the past year I can see that we’ve done that and much more.

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Editorial

PHB3 First Look: Hybrid Characters

Hybrid characters, the newest Player’s Handbook 3 debut content, were released as part of Dragon Magazine #383 (DDI subscription required). The concept of a dual classes and how the game designers were going to differentiate multi-classing from hybrids is something I’ve wanted to see for some time. I was very excited to see this update and to get my hands on the debut rules. Based on my first impression with the hybrid system I’m very impressed.

In short, the hybrid system opens up a wealth of new character options for players. While not every option will make sense or be optimized, the hybrid system allows players to tinker with various character concepts and build something unique.

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DM Resources

Eight Rules That Will Make You A Better DM

Admit it. As a DM there have been times when you’ve been stumped, regretted decisions, made a mistake or just wanted to quit. We’ve all been there and we’ve all looked for a way out of the situation. The following eight guidelines follow the KISS formula. Keep It Simple, Stupid. While they don’t cover every situation, they should provide a reliable fallback for DMs.

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Player Resources

A Beginner’s Guide To Dungeons & Dragons (Part 3)

Welcome to the third installment of our Beginner’s Guide to Dungeons & Dragons. D&D is primarily a social game, requiring five or six players for a normal session, though the exact amount will vary from group to group. Depending on your introduction to the game, you may already have a regular group that you play with. However, if your introduction to the game came through natural curiosity you may not have discovered a group.

Today we’ll provide new players with some assistance on how to find a regular gaming group. Additionally, we’ll point players in the direction of finding additional resources.

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