Archive for March, 2011
Feats: Do We Need Them?
Considering all the improvements 3rd edition brought to Dungeons & Dragons, I still feel feats were the most powerful and exciting innovation. However, I wonder if they’ve outlived their usefulness, if now, feats have become an unnecessary vestige causing more problems than they solve. Gamma World proved we don’t need them to have an entertaining [...]
Read moreThe Marshal
Subscribers can snag the revised warlord here. I wrote the story text that frames the mechanics.
Read moreDesign & Development: Blackguard
Today, I talk about the design behind the new blackguard class presented in Heroes of Shadow. Check it out here.
Read moreD&DI: Henchmen & Hirelings
DDI Subscribers can grab today’s Schwalbian hotness right here.
Read moreLost Monsters: Brain Collector
And here we are again with another monster you can use against your epic level adventurers. The brain collector is another old favorite of mine. As you will see, I backed away from the “steal brains to gain spells” angle and instead let the neh-thalggu boost its stats with each brain it extracts. You can [...]
Read moreKnowing When to Walk Away
You know how they say, “Never trust a skinny cook?” I feel the same way about game designers. I just don’t trust stuff that comes from people who don’t play or run games. Is this unfair? Maybe. But I use it to justify why I’m such an avid gamer. However, just like a cook who [...]
Read moreNecromancy & Nethermancy
Rather than post something here, I think, for today, I’ll just point you toward the new Design & Development article. In it, I talk about nethermancy and necromancy. Mmmm. Shadow goodness.
Read moreLost Monsters: Puppies!
What is it about D&D that breeds weird and unlikely monsters? For all the cool and interesting things living in 3rd edition monster books, there are a slew of bizarre creatures either born from some unhinged idea or swum up in a cloud of of psychedelic smoke. Today, I’m taking a slight break from the [...]
Read moreAttitude is Everything
Who’d a thunk it? This damn cliché is right. Consider me surprised. Last night, in a combat-intensive session featuring eight players, didn’t just go well, it went fantastic. It had every reason to suck and yet it didn’t. Here’s why.
Read moreD&D Insider: Juiblex
Juiblex was my favorite demon lord from the old days. Getting to work on him for 4e was the equivalent of seeing Pink Floyd in concert. Grab the article here.
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