Old School Initiative: House Rule

I’ve been reading some 2e D&D and older RPGs lately, and one idea that jumps out at me as something we might want to revisit is an older method for initiative. Generally, what I’ve seen is asking the players to declare their actions, and then playing things out in the order declared. Some things takeContinue reading “Old School Initiative: House Rule”

Lightning Spells: 5e

I’m always surprised by how few lightning themed spells there are in 5e, especially considering how prevalent it is in fiction. I wrote up a few, and buffed core lightning bolt in the hope to see these get some more play, specifically for arcane casters. There’s shocking grasp as a cantrip, witchbolt as a 1st,Continue reading “Lightning Spells: 5e”

Druid Circle of Land: Houserule

I’ve been mulling over a general dissatisfaction with Druids for some time now and I think it boils down not actually feeling like I’m in touch with nature. I landed at the idea of potentially writing a new subclass that’s really in touch with the terrain and the world around them, and got so farContinue reading “Druid Circle of Land: Houserule”

Dungeoncrasher: 5e Fighting Style

Way back in 3e, one of my favorite options is a variant fighter class found in one of the final releases, Dungeonscape. The 3e fighter was pretty garbage back in the day. Playing one was sure to get you all sorts of optimization help or suggestions to just play a cleric. While you might beContinue reading “Dungeoncrasher: 5e Fighting Style”

Hexblade: Revisited

The Hexblade is divisive. To me, it’s probably the single most exciting thing in 5e. To others, it’s the worst. I genuinely struggle to make characters that don’t have some hexblade dip, and I won’t even feel bad about it. I’ll even dip my hexblades longer than the guides say, because I want that 3rdContinue reading “Hexblade: Revisited”

A Different Genie Pact: 5e Subclass Rework

I was amped to hear about a genie pact. I love using genies in my games, and it’s probably getting a little old hat that there’s always an Efreeti or Djinni lord the PCs need to interact with. So, I’m pretty bummed out now that I’ve had time to see it in play a fewContinue reading “A Different Genie Pact: 5e Subclass Rework”

Duskblade: 5e Class

The Duskblade came about after a discussion of 5e’s limit on new classes to 13. My contention is that it’s a seemingly arbitrary limit. Why 13? Why not 15, or 5? How different really is a Paladin compared to a Cleric with the War Domain, from a lore perspective. And how about a War ClericContinue reading “Duskblade: 5e Class”

Scout: Ranger Subclass

The Scout came about because I wanted a ranger who uses their companion less as a meat shield, and more as a tool. The falconer ranger who can send his companion out to scout ahead and gets more out of it than simply “it’s a bird”. The Scout A scout is the master of infiltration.Continue reading “Scout: Ranger Subclass”