Categories
DM Resources Eberron

Secrets of Eberron Revealed (Part 3)

The Treaty of Thronehold was signed three years ago. Since then old grievances have festered and grown into a cancerous hatred. Those with a grudge look for ways to eliminate their enemies. Prosperity, of a sorts, has also returned and individuals with extra gold look to acquire unique pets for their own purposes.

In our third installment of Secrets of Eberron Revealed, we look at a rogue faction of House Deneith that is abusing the power of the Sentinel Marshalls. Next, we look at a Nature Reserve on the Talenta plains and the secret the Halflings are hiding.

Discover more Secrets of Eberron Revealed in our latest installments of this ongoing series.

Categories
Editorial

Styles Of Play

The traditional style of play for most RPGs focuses on the long-term campaign. A compelling storyline that both players and DMs invest in. It’s a shared experience that develops over the course of months and in some cases years. Typical campaigns require a level of commitment from all involved to attend regular gaming sessions.

Categories
Player Resources Skill Challenges

First Look PHB3: Skill Powers

Player's Handbook 3It’s been a few weeks since Wizards of the Coast released the latest preview content for the Player’s Handbook 3: Skill Powers. During that time I’ve read over and digested the new information. Overall, I like what I see.

There was a time when I was worried about the direction 4e was going in, but with the recent release of the Dungeon Master’s Guide 2 and the preview content made available to DDI subscribers those fears have been abated. So just what is WotC provided in this latest offering?

“Skill powers are utility powers that you qualify for not based on your class, but by virtue of your training in a particular skill.” In other words more options for you.

Categories
Book Reviews

Dungeon Master’s Guide 2: Skill Challenges

dmg2The Dungeon Master’s Guide 2 comes out today and I’m very excited to have my copy! As there have already been several sneak peaks and advanced reviews, I’m not going to spend time rewriting what’s already out there. Instead I want to talk about something that is important to the team here at Dungeon’s Master, skill challenges.

That there is an expanded section on skill challenges in the DMG 2 is no surprise. Wizards of the Coast knew that there was more work to be done on the subject.

Categories
DM Resources Editorial

What Does World of Warcraft Have To Do With Your D&D Campaign?

Change is coming to World of Warcraft with the announcement of the new expansion: Cataclysm. Whether you’re familiar with WoW or not change in fantasy games can be a good thing.

With the launch of 4e D&D, Wizards of the Coast brought change to the Forgotten Realms by advancing the timeline almost 100 years. This kind of change is pretty major and significant, but what about the smaller changes. I’m not talking about world breaking change. You don’t need to redefine the geography or have the PCs survive an apocalypse. I’m talking about smaller, subtler change to keep things interesting for the PCs.

When was the last time you brought change to your game?

Categories
DM Resources Eberron

Secrets of Eberron Revealed (Part 2)

War and political intrigue aren’t the only things brewing in Eberron. With the war over, various different groups are looking to profit during the new found peace. Of course developments over the course of the war have led to new barriers and opportunities in the pursuit of wealth.

In our second segment of Secrets of Eberron Revealed we take a look at a plot hatched by House Orien and a gambling scheme developed by the Wayfinders Foundation. In Secrets of Eberron Revealed (part 1) we featured the House Sivis Repository and the House Tharashk Fields of Blood.

Discover more Secrets of Eberron Revealed in our latest installments of this ongoing series.

Categories
DM Resources Eberron

Secrets of Eberron Revealed (Part 1)

Eberron is a world awash in intrigue and danger. The Last War is over but many of its secrets linger on. Armies continue to skirmish and raid across the borders. Royal Courts are awash with deception. Dragonmarked Houses vie for continued economic and political power.

The Day of Mourning may have brought the open conflict to an end, but the silent cold war continues. As the war waged on discoveries were made and secrets were kept. The House Sivis Repository and the Blood Fields of House Tharashk are two closely guarded secrets that came out of the war.

Discover more Secrets of Eberron Revealed in our latest installments of this ongoing series.

Categories
DM Resources

Your AC Is What?!?

The evenings gaming session is going great. So far you’ve had some great role playing, a unique skill challenge and now you’re entering the first encounter of the evening. The defender charges into combat. The NPC’s turn comes up and you decide to attack the defender by using one of the NPC’s encounter powers. You roll the dice and call out the attack score. This is going to hit you think, only to have the defender calmly announce that you’ve missed his AC by a long shot.

What do you do when session after session you can never hit the defender or when one player min/maxs their character to the point of absurdity?

Categories
DM Resources

Snakes On An Airship

Snakes on an AirshipThe Lyrander airship cleared the Endworld Mountains and cruised above the Blade Desert. The journey from Q’barra was pleasant and the captain expects to arrive at the Boneyard ahead of schedule. A cry from the crow’s nest signals trouble. Riders are seen in the distance. The number of hippogryph’s is astounding. Ridden by Halfling warriors they quickly form up and attack. Three of the hippogryph’s break off from the main force and pass over the deck of the ship. The riders release a crate that smashes on to the deck below, covering it in very angry snakes.

Categories
DM Resources

Has Your Campaign Stalled? (Part 2)

Another week has passed and your players have packed up and left. You sit at the table and realize this session didn’t go any better than last week’s. You tried to change things up, but your players still left looking bored and you’re stressed.

You already tried the tips and suggestions we gave you the last time your campaign stalled and they just didn’t do the trick. You made sure you had tougher challenges and you changed the plot on your players. You even made your super-villain run away so he could live to fight another day. Still you can’t help but think that there was something more that you could have done.