D&D 5e – Nerds on Earth https://nerdsonearth.com The best place on earth for nerds. Fri, 26 Feb 2021 01:50:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://nerdsonearth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/cropped-nerds_head_thumb2-100x100.png D&D 5e – Nerds on Earth https://nerdsonearth.com 32 32 All the podcasts from NerdsonEarth.com, under one umbrella. We create short run podcasts for nerds, covering D&D, Marvel, Starfinder, and more! You vote for your favorite shows and they just might get a second season. D&D 5e – Nerds on Earth false episodic D&D 5e – Nerds on Earth jason.sansbury@nerdsonearth.com podcast All the podcasts from NerdsonEarth.com, the best place on Earth for nerds. D&D 5e – Nerds on Earth https://nerdsonearth.com/wp-content/uploads/powerpress/noe-podcast-logo.png https://nerdsonearth.com/blog/ Comparing the Pathfinder 2E Beginner Box to the D&D 5E Starter Set https://nerdsonearth.com/2021/02/comparing-the-pathfinder-2e-beginner-box-to-the-dd-5e-starter-set/ Tue, 23 Feb 2021 13:00:00 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=33872

When it comes to tabletop roleplaying games, which game offers the best beginner experience: the Pathfinder 2E Beginner Box or the D&D 5E Starter Set?

The post Comparing the Pathfinder 2E Beginner Box to the D&D 5E Starter Set appeared first on Nerds on Earth.

]]>

Anytime there’s a new tabletop game or an updated version of an existing game, its success is dictated by player retention and adding more people to the player base. With Pathfinder Second Edition (PF2), Paizo has made it easy with their recent release of the Pathfinder Second Edition Beginner Box.

Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition has a similar product, dubbed the D&D 5E Starter Set. Since D&D and Pathfinder are the two big behemoths of the tabletop roleplaying game arena, I’m going to set forth a comparison review between the two products.

I’m also including the caveat that you can’t go wrong with either product; both are fantastic for getting new players to the table. There are, however, certain advantages across the two products that may sway your decision if you’re trying to dip your toe into either system. In each section, we’ll discuss the pros and cons of each Box, and then declare the ‘winner’ of the category.

Player Content

Players take up the most spots at the table, so the number one goal for a Beginner Box is to get players in the game! The content should be easy enough to understand and presented in a logical way that players can begin playing quickly. Last thing you want to do is organize a game and then spend two hours rifling through rulebooks trying to teach core concepts. That’s not a great way to get anybody’s attention.

Both the D&D 5E Starter Set and the Pathfinder 2E Beginner Box deliver fantastic player content, albeit presented in different ways.

D&D 5E Player Content Pros

  • The Player’s Handbook clocks in at a slim 32-pages, leaving only the essential information and basics
  • Focuses on the gameplay, introducing the concept of tabletop roleplaying games and the flow of the table
  • Each of the 5 pre-generated characters comes with the class-specific information in an accompanying sheet, instead of nestling the information into the Handbook

D&D 5E Player Content Cons

  • The content is very bare-bones, and might be too much of a birds-eye view on the actual gameplay
  • There isn’t any content on character creation, which is where a lot of the fun comes in for players
  • Layout-wise, we’re talking about a lot of text walls, making it seem more dated than the revamped layouts present in Pathfinder 2E content

Pathfinder 2E Player Content Pros

  • Hero’s Handbook is a whopping 80 pages, and goes into a ton of detail on gameplay and the classes included with the 4 pre-generated characters, presented in a logical layout
  • Includes a solo adventure in the style of a ‘choose-your-own-adventure’ to help players acclimate to the rules on their own
  • Information on character creation, including blank character sheets to fill in with your imagination

Pathfinder 2E Player Content Cons

  • The content is almost TOO much, and I could see players being turned off by the length of the Handbook
  • Putting the solo adventure at the beginning is a sink-or-swim style to just dive into the game right away, even if the concepts therein are introduced logically
  • There’s a lot more information on the character sheet for Pathfinder 2E, which can also be overwhelming to learn the iconography and abbreviations
Entries like this offer nice, high-level tips for players, guiding them through the game

Verdict

Pathfinder 2E. With the solo adventure, spare character sheets, and expanded content, players have more avenues to learn the game in the way that makes most sense for their preferred learning style. The Hero’s Handbook also walks through everything, stripping away the guesswork and ambiguity of creating a new character.

Gamemaster Content/Adventure

D&D 5E Gamemaster Content Pros

  • The Adventure is a good mix of dungeon-delving and open-world information-gathering, showcasing combat and roleplay equally
  • Maps are absolutely gorgeous and clear with information, accompanied by notes for each area
  • You get to encounter some iconic creatures like Bugbears and dragons, plus who doesn’t like Goblins?!
Maps like this make my jaw drop.

D&D 5E Gamemaster Content Cons

  • Apart from the Adventure, there really isn’t a lot of information for the Gamemaster to glean from the book; only the basics on general adventure creation are provided
  • All statblocks are in the appendix of the book, which means running an encounter has the Gamemaster flipping back and forth more often than I’d prefer
  • Maybe this is also a pro, but this adventure is a long one for an introduction, and will definitely take more than a couple of hours for beginners to work through

Pathfinder 2E Gamemaster Content Pros

  • The Adventure portion of the book is about a quarter of the entire length, meaning that there is a ton of Gamemaster content on building your own adventures like a mini Bestiary and plot hooks
  • Running the adventure is easy with included cardboard pawns and a massive flip-map
  • Each area contains a little mini-map zoom on the area so that the Gamemaster can focus on each area instead of flipping back to the main map, and the statblocks are all at the ready in the same section

Pathfinder 2E Gamemaster Content Cons

  • You’re getting a much shorter adventure here, designed to whet the palette of bright-faced adventurers
  • The green and black color choices seem to blend together more easily than another combination of colors would when it’s presented as only text (boxing text with the green looks great)
  • It’s minor, but it would be nice if the appendix section on Otari was mentioned up front in the introduction to the Adventure, to help provide a bit more setting context
Mini-map views like this are super helpful

Verdict

Pathfinder 2E. A big benefit of the Pathfinder 2E content is that it includes more than just an adventure. Having that extra information sets the Gamemaster up for success when designing and building their own adventures for the players. The adventure’s focus is on getting the players rolling right away, and getting the Gamemaster comfortable with ways to help guide the players and describe the action.

D&D 5E would get the crown if we’re just talking about the breadth of the adventure. But if I’m a new Gamemaster, the Pathfinder 2E content is a better introduction to the system and the role.

Extra Content

D&D 5E Extra Content

  • 6 Dice in a gorgeous blue color
  • Character information to go with each pre-generated character sheet

Pathfinder 2E Extra Content

  • 6 Dice in different colors, which are color-coded to the Character sheets and content to make it easier to follow-along
  • 100+ Monster and Character Pawns
  • Full-color Double-sided Adventure Map
  • Player Reference Cards

Verdict

Pathfinder 2E. You get so much more content that makes the Beginner Box a one-stop-shop for introducing Pathfinder 2E. By including the maps and the pawns, everybody is ready to play in person. I also appreciate the accessibility of the color coordination and plafyer reference cards.

Price

D&D 5E Price: MSRP $19.99, although I’ve seen it priced around $12.

Pathfinder 2E Price: MSRP $39.99, although I’ve seen it priced around $30.

Verdict

D&D 5E. At half the price, you would expect to get less content, but the content that’s included is still really good. It’s an absolute steal at that price point, cashing in at less than $5 per person for a Gamemaster and a table of four players to pitch in for the experience. You can’t go wrong with that; it’s one of the best deals in gaming. And if you get it on sale, we’re talking $2 PER PERSON.

Intuitive and accessible character sheet

Conclusion

The Pathfinder 2E Beginner Box comes out on top overall, but you don’t sleep on the D&D 5E Starter Set either. I’d recommend the Pathfinder 2E Beginner Box for the accessibility and breadth of coverage, whereas the D&D 5E Starter Set is a more streamlined value.

If you’re looking to get into Tabletop Roleplaying games, picking up either of these boxes is a step in the right direction! You can find them at your Friendly Local Game Store (FLGS), or pick up the Pathfinder Second Edition Beginner Box at Amazon here, or D&D 5E Starter Set at Amazon here.


Disclaimer: Nerds on Earth was provided a physical copy of the Pathfinder Second Edition Beginner Box by Paizo Publishing as well as the D&D Starter Set by WotC in exchange for an honest review.

The post Comparing the Pathfinder 2E Beginner Box to the D&D 5E Starter Set appeared first on Nerds on Earth.

]]>
A Beginner’s Guide to Every Dungeons and Dragons Book https://nerdsonearth.com/2020/08/beginners-guide-to-every-dungeons-and-dragons-book/ Tue, 11 Aug 2020 12:00:00 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=30673

Nerds on Earth gives you a short overview of each and every hardcover for D&D 5th Edition.

The post A Beginner’s Guide to Every Dungeons and Dragons Book appeared first on Nerds on Earth.

]]>

On August 19, 2014, Wizards of the Coast released the Player’s Handbook for the 5th Edition of the world’s oldest roleplaying game.

Nerds on Earth was among those earliest publications supplied with review copies of the books, so we’ve had the privilege of watching the game grow from its very first days.

And grown it has! D&D 5e is now undoubtedly the most popular edition of Dungeons and Dragons, regularly boosting record sales, often buoyed by celebrities playing the game online in live events.

But this article doesn’t exist to tell you how popular D&D is – you likely already know that. This article exists to help you sort of the years of D&D 5e hardcovers that have been released. In fact, we’ll go through each book, one by one.

D&D 5th Edition Hardcover Complete List

Player’s Handbook (August 2014)

I’d venture to say that this book has sold infinity copies.

It’s svelte and beautifully made, setting the tone for the art direction and design guidelines for the books to follow. It holds up as the book to get, and since it’s the book that introduces D&D 5e to players, that is perfect, because it’s the book to get.

Player Options: Indeed. This is the first book you’ll want to get.
Monsters: None.
Ready-to-go Adventures: None.
Setting Support: Very minimal; a few glancing references.

–– Get the 5th Edition Player’s Handbook

Hoard of the Dragon Queen (August 2014)

This thin 96 page hardcover was released simultaneously with the Player’s Handbook to provide adventure support for the new edition of the game.

As is understandable with a game launch of this magnitude, the Player’s Handbook was being codified simultaneous to the development of this first adventure. As a result, HotDQ was outsourced to a 3rd party developer who, all things considered, delivered a fine meat and potatoes adventure.

Player Options: Scant. Background and hooks only.
Monsters: A few appendix pages plus NPCs.
Ready-to-go Adventures: Of course, it’s the thrust of the book.
Setting Support: All good adventuring begins in a village, and this is true here, as Forgotten Realms is set up. Includes beautiful maps to further intro the setting.

–– Hold off on this purchase. See below.

Monster Manual (Sept 2014)

As a kid in the 80s, most of my love for D&D was developed through reading through monster write-ups. Releasing a few short months after the Player’s Handbook, the Monster Manual captured the imagination of a new generation of D&D fans. I mean, just look at the beholder on the cover.

Player Options: None.
Monsters: Of course! This is the first book to get for creatures.
Ready-to-go Adventures: None.
Setting Support: None, other than providing general suggestions around habitat, etc. of creatures.

–– Get the 5E Monster Manual

Rise of Tiamat (Nov 2014)

This was the followup book to Hoard of the Dragon Queen. And since the name of the game is Dungeons and Dragons, this is the adventure that put players in the path of the biggest, baddest dragon of the them all…Tiamat.

Again, it was being developed parallel to 5th edition rules being codified, so its a little wobbly in places, but it’s a fire-breathingly appropriate adventure to launch a new edition.

Player Options: None.
Monsters: None.
Ready-to-go Adventures: Of course. Higher level that picks up where Hoard of the Dragon Queen leaves off.
Setting Support: A deepening understanding of the Forgotten Realms as the narrative unfolds.

–– Hold off on this purchase. See below.

Dungeon Master’s Guide (Dec 2014)

Joining the Player’s Handbook and the Monster Manual, the Dungeon’s Master’s Guide completes the “Big 3” books necessary for the launch of an edition of D&D.

This book for DMs only further frames the rules, particularly those necessary to craft and create your own adventures. Included are such things as tables of magic items or guidance around using monsters well in encounters.

Player Options: No, but it does provide NPC creation rules and magic items.
Monsters: Provides guidance for adjusting and creating monsters.
Ready-to-go Adventures: No. This instead paves the way for “home-brewed” adventures.
Setting Support: Offers guidance for creating home settings.

–– Get the 5E Dungeon Masters’s Guide

Princes of the Apocalypse (April 2015)

This adventure book is actually the reimagining of an old school classic and we did a full review, so I’ll send you there if you are interested in more.

Player Options: Yes, sort of. Although the material does not appear in the hardcover, Wizard’s offered a downloadable Player’s Companion that was tied to the adventure.
Monsters: A few.
Ready-to-go Adventures: Of course. In fact, this is an adventure that appeals to a broad swath of the player base.
Setting Support: Solid. Takes place in the Sword Coast region. Plus, PotA detailed a few small towns in the Forgotten Realms that will tie-in tangentially in future adventures.

–– Get the 5E Princes of the Apocalypse

Out of the Abyss (Sept 2015)

The Underdark is studied by scientists and mistaken for the Upside Down, but it’s actually a classic part of the Forgotten Realms and features some of D&D most iconic characters and creatures. As such, it was a welcome book early in 5th Edition’s release cycle.

Player Options: No.
Monsters: A few.
Ready-to-go Adventures: Absolutely, but likely not for the brand new player. A little bit of experience with D&D might be required here.
Setting Support: Yes, as we detailed here, OotA doubles as a setting book, allowing DMs to run their own adventures set in the Underdark.

–– Get Out of the Abyss

Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide (Nov 2015)

Making a departure from adventure-first books, WotC produced their first book dedicated to the setting of Forgotten Realms. Alas, it was a thin volume and a book that was considered a half-hearted effort.

While it included a large variety of locales, information on each was slim. Still, I love setting books, so it remains a favorite of mine.

Player Options: Yes. New archetypes, lots of backgrounds, and more.
Monsters: No.
Ready-to-go Adventures: Nope.
Setting Support: Yes!

–– Get Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide

Curse of Strahd (Mar 2016)

Curse of Strahd is the imagining of the classic Ravenloft adventure and featured contributions from Tracy Hickman and Laura Hickman, the original creators.

It’s gothic horror and features the iconic vampire Strahd. [Our full review here.] Curiously, it’s being re-leased as a deluxe set later this year.

Player Options: A single Background. Monsters: A few adventure specific.
Ready-to-go Adventures: Yep, and based on a classic.
Setting Support: Raventloft operates as its own “pocket” dimension setting.

–– Get Curse of Strahd

Storm King’s Thunder (Sept 2016)

We’re now a couple years into the release of D&D 5e and players have fought dragons and vampires, plus have ventured into the Underdark. It was time for giants and what better way to do that than to reimagine and expand the classic Gary Gygax Against the Giants trilogy.

Our full review here.

Player Options: No.
Monsters: A few adventure specific.
Ready-to-go Adventures: Yes, featuring a more wide open format that offers hooks and links to other adventures, inviting players to zip around.
Setting Support: Yes. The book features locales from previous books and deepens support for the Sword Coast region of the Forgotten Realms.

–– Get Storm King’s Thunder

Volo’s Guide to Monsters (Nov 2016)

Not only did WotC begin to have a little fun here, but they broke with a 40 year pattern of the way monster books were organized.

Volo’s Guide schtick is that Volo–a famed character in the Forgotten Realms–is publishing his travel journals that have insights into monster lore.

Is Volo a reliable narrator? Well, it doesn’t matter: Volo’s Guide was a really fun book, and although it wasn’t “wide” in terms of the number of monsters included, it took them “deep” in an engaging way.

Player Options: No.
Monsters: Yes! Including lore.
Ready-to-go Adventures: No.
Setting Support: Yes. The book details monster culture, habits, locals, etc., which deepens the Forgotten Realms.

–– Get Volo’s Guide to Monsters

Tales From the Yawning Portal (April 2017)

Yawning Portal is a compilation book set in a tavern that can whisk adventurers to far-flung settings.

The seven includes adventures aren’t linked to form a narrative story, but they do often pay homage to some of the classic adventures of D&D’s past.

Player Options: No.
Monsters: No.
Ready-to-go Adventures: Yes, of the modular stand alone variety.
Setting Support: Sort of. The overall conceit of the book is a plausible option to explore various settings but none with real depth.

–– Get Tales from the Yawning Portal

Tomb of Annihilation (Sept 2017)

This is the first book that really explored the exciting places that the Forgotten Realms offers by taking place in Chult, a southern area filled with jungles.

Because it is a jungle-based adventure, interesting play types were introduced as well, such as battles against the elements and hex crawling.

Here is our full review.

Player Options: No.
Monsters: No.
Ready-to-go Adventures: Yes, and set in an interesting locale!
Setting Support: Excellent. The book allows adventurers to fully immerse in Chult, a jungle-covered region of the Forgotten Realms.

–– Get Tomb of Annihilation.

Xanathar’s Guide to Everything (Nov 2017)

Taking what they learned from Volo’s Guide, WotC utilized the same idea, only this time the central figure was the Beholder Xanathar and the focus was on player options, not monsters.

Every player at your table will want this, as it is necessary to flesh out the narrow options of the Player’s Handbook.

Player Options: Yes! In fact, this is the 2nd volume players will want to buy after the Player’s Handbook.
Ready-to-go Adventures: No.
Monsters: No.
Setting Support: No.

–– Get Xanathar’s Guide to Everything.

Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes (May 2018)

WotC again incorporated a famed D&D character for a monster book. This one is great as well. It dabbles in the deep lore like Volo’s Guide but ultimately lists a ton of monsters like the Monster Manual would.

As such, it sort of operates as the unofficial Monster Manual 2, yet with a little more flair and creativity.

Player Options: No.
Monsters: Yes!
Ready-to-go Adventures: No.
Setting Support: No. In fact, it muddies things because Mordenkainen is a Greyhawk character and the book dabbles in the lore of various settings without providing real direction.

–– Get Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes.

Waterdeep: Dragon Heist (Sept 2018)

Waterdeep is a famed city in the Forgotten Realms and this book gives players an urban adventure set there.

It also features a chapter that is among my favorite ever in any roleplaying product. Our full review here.

Player Options: No.
Monsters: No, just NPC support.
Ready-to-go Adventures: Yes! And it is structured in a way that offers incredible variety and variability.
Setting Support: Yes. Waterdeep is one of the fabled cities of the Forgotten Realms and this book provides a colorful look at it.

–– Get Waterdeep: Dragon Heist

Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage (Nov 2018)

Whereas Dragon Heist took players to mid levels, Dungeon of the Made Mage takes players deep below the city of Waterdeep.

It’s also an adventure that plays homage to the “super dungeons” of yesteryear, featuring oodles of dungeon levels.

Player Options: No.
Monsters: No.
Ready-to-go Adventures: Yes, although the through line story is thin. It’s 20+ levels instead offer a more module approach; pick and choose, zip in and out.
Setting Support: Little. Although set in Undermountain, deep below Waterdeep, the book is more of a broad toolbox than anything resembling detailed setting lore.

–– Get Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica (Nov 2018)

WotC dropped a setting book out of nowhere with Ravnica, a setting that is central in the lore of Magic: The Gathering.

Our full review here.

Player Options: Yes! 5 new races plus sub-classes specific to the setting.
Monsters: No.
Ready-to-go Adventures: A low-level introductory one.
Setting Support: Yes! Ravnica is a setting in the Magic: The Gathering card game and this book provides all you need to know to run a D&D campaign there.

–– Get the D&D 5e Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica here.

Ghosts of Saltmarsh (May 2019)

Similar to Yawning Portal, Ghosts of Saltmarsh is another compilation book that contains several stand alone adventures that have in common that they are loosely aquatic based.

Our full review here.

Player Options: No
Monsters: No.
Ready-to-go Adventures: Yes, and a fair variety of tones and styles as well.
Setting Support: Limited. Interestingly, Saltmarsh intros the classic Greyhawk setting yet doesn’t give much support outside of a single fishing village.

–– Get Ghosts of Saltmarsh here.

Acquisitions Incorporated (June 2019)

This is one of D&D 5e’s most interesting books, yet it certainly can be considered niche. Acquisitions Incorporated is the adventuring name of the popular live streaming shows with Penny Arcade.

The book pulls the biggest themes, NPCs, and more into a codified system that allows home groups to introduce and build their own adventuring organizations.

The book is also legitimately laugh-out-loud funny. Our full review.

Player Options: Yes! Players can get a job.
Monsters: No.
Ready-to-go Adventures: A low-level introductory one.
Setting Support: Yes. The book fleshes out a new way to play in the Forgotten Realms via commerce, professions, and organizations.

–– Get the Acquisitions Incorporated sourcebook.

Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus (Sept 2019)

This is a full adventure book that takes adventures straight to the gates of hell….well, a descent into Avernus or whatever the D&D terminology is for dastardly and devilish stuff.

Player Options: No.
Monsters: Yes, a few that are pertinent to the setting.
Ready-to-go Adventures: Nine Hells yes.
Setting Support: Some, specifically as it pertains to outlining the famed city Baldur’s Gate.

–– Get Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus.

Tyranny of Dragons (Oct 2019)

Horde of the Dragon Queen and Rise of Tiamat were written simultaneous to the game being finalized, so they are wobbly in places. So WotC gave them a quick refresh, collected them, and released them as a hardcover exclusive to game shops.

Player Options: No
Monsters: No.
Ready-to-go Adventures: Yes!
Setting Support: Yes, just as the originals did, this hardcover fleshes out the Forgotten Realms in the course of adventuring.

Eberron: Rising from the Last War (Nov 2019)

After dropping a teaser PDF on dmsguild.com, WotC released a proper hardback for the Eberron setting.

Old school Eberron was great and this updated version is fun as well. Here is our full review.

Player Options: Yes!
Monsters: No.
Ready-to-go Adventures: A brief intro adventure.
Setting Support: Yes, it fully introduces Eberron for 5e.

–– Get the Eberron setting book.

Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount (March 2020)

Coming after Eberron is another setting book. This one introduces the world Matt Mercer created for the popular streaming show Critical Role.

That means it marks the 2nd setting book (after Acquisitions Incorporated) to pull from a popular streaming show.

Player Options: Yes, including races, subclasses, and backgrounds.
Monsters: Yes, a few that are setting specific, including a variety of NPCs.
Ready-to-go Adventures: Yes, the book does a nice job of providing a little bit of everything to get you started in this new setting.
Setting Support: Yes.

–– Get the Wildemount setting book.

Mythic Odysseys of Theros (July 2020)

Less than two years after WotC released a setting book that brought Magic: The Gathering lore into D&D, they released a second.

This book takes the Magic spin on Ancient Greece and makes it playable for D&D.

Our full review.

Player Options: Yes, particular races that are specific to Theros.
Monsters: A few setting specific.
Ready-to-go Adventures: A single level adventure only.
Setting Support: Yes, the second Magic setting for D&D.

–– Get Mythic here.

The post A Beginner’s Guide to Every Dungeons and Dragons Book appeared first on Nerds on Earth.

]]>
How Your D&D 5e Background Can Help You With Roleplaying https://nerdsonearth.com/2019/12/dnd-5e-background-roleplaying-flaws-bonds/ Thu, 05 Dec 2019 13:00:00 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=27894

We talk about how the contents of the Personality Trait, Ideal, Bond, and Flaw of your D&D 5e background can help develop strong backstories and aid in roleplaying.

The post How Your D&D 5e Background Can Help You With Roleplaying appeared first on Nerds on Earth.

]]>

Maybe it’s just me, but I pay far too little attention to the Personality Trait, Ideal, Bond, and Flaw boxes on my Dungeons and Dragons 5e character sheet.

In my early days of creating characters, I used the D&D 5e Background charts provided in the Player’s Handbook to help build my backstory…and then never looked at those boxes for direction again. It was as if they shaped my PC’s past but had no bearing on his or her present or future.

Those boxes, I now believe, are as essential to your PC as their HP. Without HP, your character has no biological life. Without those boxes and attention paid to their contents, your character may have no narrative life.

Those boxes are there, I think, for people like me who could use some help with the RP (roleplaying) elements of a TTRPG (tabletop roleplaying game).

If you eschew the D&D 5e Background options presented in the PHB, whip up your own creative backstory, and can roleplay with the best of them, then this article isn’t for you.

For the rest of us, I want to highlight how those boxes can serve as a worldview for your PC; as lenses through which they view the world and by which the world is colored, understood, and experienced. In any given situation or interaction, they can help guide your character’s responses or motivations.

You can think of those boxes as D&D’s Clippy: There to help give you some role-playing direction for your PC in any situation in or outside of combat.

Let’s look at a few examples.

D&D 5e Personality Traits

Personality Traits define how you present to others; what you’re “like.” Instead of presenting a bunch of contextless adjectives like “outgoing,” “blunt,” or “aggressive,” D&D 5e Background options opted to give you more to work with.

Take the Charlatan, for example. Instead of saying something like “polytheistic” or “agnostic,” you get:

I keep multiple holy symbols on me and invoke whatever deity might come in useful at any given moment.

This fun trait makes me think of this scene from The Mummy:

You don’t have to be familiar with all of the gods of the pantheon, but take a few minutes one day and whip up a short cheat sheet that features the names of four to six gods, what they’re the god of, their holy symbols, and a thing or two about rituals that might be associated with them. Then just keep an eye or ear out for moments during your campaign during which you can call upon one or more for help or curse their very names.

Maybe you, like Beni, carry all of their symbols on your person. That will make for a fun conversation piece over and over again.

Who knows? Maybe over time one of the gods responds to your pleas more often than the others and you become a genuine convert!

D&D 5e Ideals

Ideals can be thought of as dreams, goals, or creeds. These typically serve as strong motivators.

This is why you adventure in many cases. You’re trying to achieve this end. Some PCs may make their Ideals known; the goal popping up in conversations, for example. Others might keep it to themselves. Regardless, your Ideal is a finish line and that should significantly affect what you do every step of the way. It might even be the reason why you stop adventuring at some point.

From the Sailor’s Ideal chart:

Someday I’ll own my own ship and chart my own destiny.

What activities can contribute to that end for the Sailor? Is he setting aside a portion of all GP he receives to save up for a boat? Maybe you could interpret the “chart my own destiny” phrase as implying he’s lacked freedom at some point of his life. Perhaps he was a slave whose escapism took the form of watching boats come and go from a local port while he worked under his former master.

Every action he takes should move him towards this goal in some small way, so approach them all accordingly. This gives you a ton of direction!

D&D 5e Bonds

Bonds are what tether you to an individual or group outside of yourself or to a promise or resolution. They’re some of the strongest glue of your story. Imagine the movie Taken without Liam Neeson’s Bond to his daughter, for instance! “Meh, you can have her.”

His Bond is clear and informs his actions.

Take one of the Criminal’s Bonds, for example:

My ill-gotten gains go to support my family.

So the criminal isn’t all bad, is he? Turns out he’s a family man. How does he get his gains to his family? Do they know it’s him who is sending them gold every month, or is he estranged? To what lengths will he go to ensure they’re cared for: Will he deprive himself of certain luxuries or items? Will he risk rigging games of chance or pickpocketing? Does he lie to the party about what he finds while looting the fallen? Do they even know he’s a criminal?

The Bond can easily help guide decisions and actions. Who are you doing all of this for, why, and how?

D&D 5e Flaws

It’s on the tin. Flaws describe shortcomings, insecurities, and weaknesses; all of which can be exploited by others and all of which can be mined for good roleplaying content by you. One of the Noble’s Flaws reads,

I too often hear veiled insults and threats in every word addressed to me, and I’m quick to anger.

So instead of looking for chances to snicker and say, “That’s what she said,” you’re keeping an ear out for anything your PC might misconstrue as personally insulting, offensive, or threatening. The “quick to anger” inclusion makes me think that when you hear such things, you speak up.

Imagine a shopkeeper counting the gold a Dwarf just handed him for a potion saying, “It looks like you’re a bit short.” Assuming your Dwarf has this flaw, how does he respond? Does he take his business elsewhere? Does he insult the shopkeeper’s mother or say something like, “That’s not what your mom said last night”?

Flaws help prevent perfect play, and I love that about them! They’re the wrench in the cogs. Don’t fear them–embrace them! Allow them to breathe and see how they affect the narrative of the story.


Remember that as you play your character out, the contents of these boxes can prove flexible. Your real life worldview is likely radically different today than it was twenty years ago. Experiences change us. How are they changing your PC?

And feel free to get creative and establish Personality Traits, Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws of your own! The beauty of the D&D 5e Background is that their contents do not rely on any game mechanics, so you should feel free to take any liberties you’d like with them. They won’t break the game itself–they’ll just affect how you interact within the fantasy setting in which it takes place.

Leveraging these boxes well will go a long way towards making D&D characters that are truly memorable and internally consistent.

The post How Your D&D 5e Background Can Help You With Roleplaying appeared first on Nerds on Earth.

]]>
Exploring the 5e Rogue Mastermind Archetype https://nerdsonearth.com/2019/06/exploring-the-5e-rogue-mastermind-archetype/ Wed, 19 Jun 2019 12:00:18 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=24638

Earth Nerd Adkins gives the Rogue Mastermind Archetype a spin by rolling up a character based on Locke Lamora of Gentleman Bastards fame.

The post Exploring the 5e Rogue Mastermind Archetype appeared first on Nerds on Earth.

]]>

My very first Dungeons and Dragons character ever was a little Halfling Rogue by the name of Viag – who had the triple misfortunes of being named after an erectile dysfunction drug, relying on the Woman in Fridge trope, and dying after only a couple of sessions.

I still very much like the Rogue class, but have since taken most of the others for a spin for variety’s sake. The more I played Dungeons and Dragons, the more I found myself building PCs around existing concepts or characters (like my Way of the Sun Soul monk fashioned after Krillin from Dragon Ball Z). I don’t consider myself the creative type, so I love keeping a sharp eye out for interesting characters in pop culture and seeing how I might build them in 5e.

That desire came upon me in earnest as I read my way through Scott Lynch’s The Lies of Locke Lamora. The titular character is so darned interesting as a thief and con man that I couldn’t resist whipping him up in Hero Lab!

Roguish Archetypes

Locke Lamora struck me as a Rogue, for sure. He began as a pickpocket and after years of training from a vast array of fields like makeup, language and accents, religion, culture, history, various trades and more, he worked his way up to major cons on the ruling class.

Eventually he’d rise in the ranks of his little gang, The Gentleman Bastards, such that he’d be the de facto leader, and it was his brains that largely launched him to this position. He wasn’t much when it came to blows (though he wasn’t nothing, either), but, man, he sure could take a beating like a champ!

And, man, could this dude run a con! A master of disguise and disinformation; able to improvise in a moment and always seemingly one step ahead of those who’d benefit from his exposure. He is a master at work when you read of his exploits. Locke’s role playing abilities are like Drizzt’s combat prowess: The stuff of D&D players’ dreams.

With all of this (and more that I won’t get into here to avoid spoiler territory for the series of novels featuring the man), I sat down to choose his archetype.

It has been a hot minute since I rolled up a Rogue, so I was pleased to find the new-to-me Rogue Mastermind Archetype:

Your focus is on people and on the influence and secrets they have. Many spies, courtiers, and schemers follow this archetype, leading lives of intrigue. Words are your weapons as often as knives or poison, and secrets and favors are some of your favorite treasures.

Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, pg 46

This is perfect for Locke Lamora! With it comes a host of features that further nail his character:

  • Proficiency with disguise and forgery kits
  • Additional learned languages
  • Speech mimicry
  • And eventually the ability to have your words perceived as truth when probed magically (even when you’re lying) and the inability to be compelled to tell the truth.

All of that feels true to Locke as he’s presented in the pages of The Lies of Locke Lamora (with the last of those falling more into the realm of dreams for our tricky friend).

Many on the internet give the Rogue Mastermind archetype bad lip because it diverges from a combat-oriented build. But this is okay! Not everyone in the party needs to be great at the stabby-stabby stuff. Locke had Jean Tannen for that piece of their gang’s puzzle.

It does, however, mean that you really have to play the Rogue Mastermind Archetype much differently than you do literally any of the other Rogue Archetypes.

Locke’s Rogue Mastermind Statblock

As he is presented in the book, Locke is all about Charisma, Intelligence, and Wisdom. Dexterity and Constitution would be the next stats deserving of some above average numbers by my read.

High Charisma gives him bonuses to Persuasion and Deception (both must-haves for the legendary con man that he is). You could even argue that Performance serves this well, too.

High Intelligence keeps him outsmarting his targets and pursuers. Locke also trained as an acolyte of many different religions and gods during his apprenticeship, which falls under the INT score. So, too, might disguises according to RAW (though I’d let Performance or Deception serve here, as well):

The DM might call for an Intelligence check when you try to accomplish tasks like the following:


Communicate with a creature without using words
Estimate the value of a precious item
Pull together a disguise to pass as a city guard
Forge a document
Recall lore about a craft or trade
Win a game of skill

PHB, pg. 178 (emphasis mine)

High Wisdom grants him Insight and Perception; both valuable tools for con men.

Dexterity would be my vote for his next highest stat based on his abilities within the book, and then Constitution as he’s noted as one who can hold his breath for an incredible amount of time and he’s not easily squished or made squeamish.

As for alignment, I think he falls under Lawful Neutral with just a tinge of Lawful Evil?

I pegged him with the Charlatan background and had fun selecting the appropriate accouterment:

Personality Trait: I’m a pathological liar. Or am I?

Ideal: I never run the same con twice.

Custom Bond: The members of The Gentleman Bastards are the family I never had and I would do anything for them.

Flaw: I have a habit of swindling people who are more powerful than me.

Favorite Scheme: I put on new identities like clothes.

Rogue Mastermind build
Done with Point Buy.

Playing Lamora

Playing Locke Lamora as outlined above would be a challenge for me, for sure. Most Rogue players spend 99% of combat trying to get that sweet, sweet Sneak Attack damage. Not Locke! He is a much greater asset outside of combat than in it; I’ll grant the internet that much.

But that doesn’t mean that these kinds of builds and characters have no place at any table or no significance in any adventure. I think Locke would be aces in something like Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, for instance!

Plus with two more books in this particular series unread and several more promised, who knows? Maybe Locke dips into another class and comes into his own in battle.

Regardless, if I (or you!) want to play a PC in the style of Locke Lamora or some other PC styled after a character that will steal the show when interacting with anything not pointing a sword or bow at you – do it! Rule #1 is have fun, after all.

The post Exploring the 5e Rogue Mastermind Archetype appeared first on Nerds on Earth.

]]>
D&D 5e Ranger : A Look at the Class https://nerdsonearth.com/2015/04/dd-5e-ranger-a-look-at-the-class/ https://nerdsonearth.com/2015/04/dd-5e-ranger-a-look-at-the-class/#comments Fri, 17 Apr 2015 18:52:08 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=1774

The 5th Edition of Dungeons and Dragons is out. Nerds on Earth looks at the D&D 5e Ranger class.

The post D&D 5e Ranger : A Look at the Class appeared first on Nerds on Earth.

]]>

This is the story of Rema Twa.

Remy’s life has been filled with more than her share of heart break, which drove her to be reticent and withdrawn. Remy always had both a wisdom that belied her young age and a competency in the wilds of nature, which made her living a withdrawn life on the lands outside of town come naturally. Extremely introverted and uncomfortable socially, Remy has difficulty forming bonds, but she had begun to let her guard down and slowly developed a circle of friends. Perhaps this made the lost that much more crushing.

First, there was a guy (Doesn’t every heartbreaking backstory involve a love lost?). But Yoruba wasn’t any ordinary guy. He was as socially awkward and withdrawn as Remy.

But perhaps precisely because it didn’t make a lick of sense, Remy and Yoruba felt a romantic bond. Both socially uncomfortable, their romance played out like a scene from Freaks and Geeks, but those few who were close to them smiled inwardly, thrilled Yoruba and Remy had found each other.

tumblr_mnajmfr62w1rdc32mo1_1280
Credit: Wang Ling

No one was more supportive than Yoruba’s caretaker, the devout and compassionate priest who took in Yoruba when his parents had died, and whose kindness had begun to help Remy open up to a community of friends. This priest was the kind of person that oozed goodness and integrity, the kind of person that you wish the world had a million more of. That’s why his needless murder was so heartbreaking.

For every person that shines light into the world, there are a hundred who bring nothing but darkness. Remy, Yoruba, and 3 more of this small circle of friends, watched in horror as the priest was knifed down in front of them. Powerless to stop it, their only recourse was to flee in exile, barely escaping with their own lives.

In the confusion the 5 of them were separated from each other. Not only do they deeply grieve the loss of the man who was like a father to them, they also grieve the loss of companionship with each other, longing to somehow be reunited.

My 1st Level D&D 5e Ranger

By now you may have figured out that Remy is entirely fictional. Remy is one of my characters in my D&D 5e games, a Ranger that still languishes at level 1. Much like my D&D 5e cleric and my 5e wizard, I gave Remy a name based upon my real life travels and from nerdy little influences that I felt served her backstory and personality.

The name Remy Twa is a cheat. The Twa are a people group that inhabit Tanzania and portions of Burundi, Africa. Most of us have heard the Twa referred to as Pygmies. The first time I shook the hand of a Twa gentlemen, I was at 5’10” standing next to a man who stood no taller than 4’6″, but was immediately struck at how resourceful and capable he is. I imagine Remy, my D&D 5e Ranger, to be as resourceful and capable as Remy, the Burundian man of Twa heritage I had met.

I can’t say it enough, I really like how this new version of D&D plays up the creation of interesting backstories for characters. While many of us might know to put more skill points into a Ranger’s dexterity score, I wanted to also put intention toward the character’s backstory, with the hope that it would make for fun role playing situations later.

Now that you know Remy’s backstory (an important part of D&D 5e), we’ll talk more about the mechanics of a D&D 5e Ranger.

Wearing leather armor and using a d10 for hit points, Remy is formidable. Armed with a longbow, Remy wouldn’t be the first person to stick her head into an owlbear den…er, actually she would poke her head into an owlbear den. You see, the Ranger class from D&D 5e has a feature called ‘favored enemy.’ I chose owlbears and orcs for Remy’s favored enemies so she get special bonuses against those creatures.

Rangers are also excellent trackers, having the ‘Natural Explorer’ and ‘Wanderer’ abilities, meaning they have an excellent memory for geography and maps. They are elusive as well. Their ‘Mask of the Wild’ ability allows them greater success at hiding in foliage.

I imagine Remy would her her ‘Mask of the Wild’ frequently, preferring to stay out of sight, only to suddenly rise with her long bow to take out an enemy. Using dexterity plus proficiency bonus, Rangers get an excellent bonus to hit and a longbow’s damage is 1d8+dex bonus, meaning they can deal out some pretty good damage, all while taking enemies out from afar.

Monster_Manual_5e_-_Owlbear_-_p249Yet now is where the ‘but’ comes in. At 1st level a D&D 5e Ranger feels under-powered and a little bland and boring, to be honest. But 2nd level is only 300 experience points away, and the Ranger adds two things that are critical to the class:

  1. At 2nd level a D&D 5e Ranger adopts a particular fighting style from Archery, Defense, Dueling, or Two-Weapon Fighting. I chose archery for Remy, so she gets a +2 attack bonus with ranged weapons. Take that, Oliver Queen.
  2. At 2nd level a Ranger also gains the ability to cast spells.

The spell list for a Ranger isn’t going to come close to matching that of a Wizard, of course, yet it’s still hard not to feel a touch disappointed at the initial offerings for the Ranger class. Hunter’s Mark grants an extra d6 against opponents, Animal Friendship is thematic, Ensnaring Strike is situational, and Cure Wounds is always welcome, but the spell list isn’t going to fill you with the pure joy of a white unicorn.

The free Elemental Evil Players Companion adds Flame Arrows, a 3rd level Range spell that allows you to imbue your quiver for an extra 1d6 damage, which is nice. Speaking of 3rd level, at the 3rd character level a Ranger selects an archetype: Hunter or Beast Master. I haven’t played around with those much, but my initial impression is a touch ‘meh.’

Creating a Ranger Using the 5e rules of D&D

Should you create a Ranger using the 5e rules of D&D? It’s simpler to affirm that I’m wholeheartedly enjoying my time playing D&D 5e, regardless of the class I’ve played. While I’ve enjoyed leveling my cleric to level 2 and my wizard to level 5, I will say that I can’t wait to get Remy (my D&D 5e Ranger) to the table more often.

The 5th Edition rule set has done an excellent job providing guardrails so you can create engaging backstories for character, plus the factions of organized play (Remy is a member of the Emerald Enclave) are fun and have added even further to the role play.

5th Edition combat and spell rules are excellent as well. A Ranger feels like a Ranger from way back when, which seems obvious, but is vitally important to get right. D&D 5e got it right.

But while the final verdict is a thumbs-up, I can’t whole-heartedly recommend a Ranger. As I mentioned before, they can feel a little under-powered and uninteresting until they get their spells.

Still, find a gaming group and give a Ranger a shot. In the meantime, Remy will be adventuring, hoping to live up to the lawful good example of his caretaker, and hoping that one day he can be reunited, at last, with Yoruba.

The post D&D 5e Ranger : A Look at the Class appeared first on Nerds on Earth.

]]>
https://nerdsonearth.com/2015/04/dd-5e-ranger-a-look-at-the-class/feed/ 2
D&D 5e Wizard : A Look at the Class https://nerdsonearth.com/2014/11/dnd-wizard-class-5e-spells-fire-bolt-organized-play/ Sun, 09 Nov 2014 17:52:06 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=738

Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition is out. Nerds on Earth looks at the wizard class.

The post D&D 5e Wizard : A Look at the Class appeared first on Nerds on Earth.

]]>

I want to introduce you to Yoruba Oya.

Yoruba’s life has been filled with more than his share of heart break, although for brief period things were wonderful, idyllic even. Perhaps this made the lost that much more crushing.

Yoruba is exceptionally intelligent, and has always been happiest among his books, researching and learning, yet always keenly observant to the things around him. Extremely introverted and uncomfortable socially, Yoruba has had difficulty forming bonds, but with those he does connect with, he is extremely close. Two such bonds necessitate mentioning.

First, there was a girl (Doesn’t every heartbreaking backstory involve a girl?). But Remy wasn’t any ordinary girl. As socially awkward as Yoruba, Remy kept far to the outskirts of the community, and by no logical explanation should have been attracted to Yoruba.

But perhaps precisely because it didn’t make a lick of sense, Yoruba and Remy felt a romantic bond. Both socially uncomfortable, their romance played out like an awkward scene from Freaks and Geeks, but those few who were close to them smiled inwardly, thrilled Yoruba and Remy had found each other.

No one was more supportive than Yoruba’s caretaker, the devout and compassionate priest who took in Yoruba when his parents had died. This priest was the kind of person that oozed goodness and integrity, the kind of person that you wish the world had a million more of. That’s why his needless murder was so heartbreaking.

For every one person that sows light into the world, there are a hundred who sow nothing but darkness. Yoruba, Remy, and 3 more of their closest friends, watched in horror as the priest was knifed down in front of them. Powerless to stop it, their only recourse was to flee in exile, barely escaping with their own lives.

In the confusion the 5 of them were separated from each other. Not only do they deeply grieve the loss of the man who was like a father to them, they also grieve the loss of companionship with each other, longing to somehow be reunited.

 

My 3rd Level D&D 5e Wizard

d&d 5e wizardBy now you may have figured out that Yoruba is entirely fictional. Yoruba is one of my characters in my D&D 5e games, a wizard that just hit level 3. Now that you know Yoruba’s backstory (an important part of D&D 5e), we’ll talk more about the mechanics of a D&D 5e Wizard.

BY the way, this is all a part of my level 20 villainous plot to have the entire world experiencing the joys of playing D&D 5e. Soon, Nerds of Earth’s jack-booted bugbear thugs will be arriving at your door to push a 20-sided die into your palm. Resistance is futile.

Wizards are often referred to as “glass cannons”, meaning they can pack a powerful punch, but often can’t take a hit themselves. This still feels true for wizards in D&D 5th Edition (5e).

Unable to wear armor and using only a 6-sided die for hit points, wizards should never be the first character to poke their head into a owlbear lair. But even at level one they can cast 3 cantrips (the term for a spell that can be cast every round without penalty). Yoruba makes frequent use of Ray of Frost (1d8 damage, plus a slowing effect) and Fire Bolt (1d10 damage).

I like to imagine Yoruba with a bit of a fire and ice thing going on, perhaps with a wizard’s staff covered in frost, yet with a burning ember at the end. In fact, that’s in part how he received his name.

 

Origin of a Strange Name

Much like my D&D 5e cleric, I gave Yoruba a name based upon my real life travels and from nerdy little influences that I felt served his backstory and personality.

Oya is a character in Marvel’s Wolverine and the X-Men comic, who got her name from a Santeria warrior. Oya is a young African female mutant who has the power of fire and ice. I love the X-Men and I love the elemental nature of my wizard character, so the surname was set. I created Yoruba Oya as a Turami human, which are the people of D&D Forgotten Realms that we’d in real life most likely associate as having African heritage. The Yoruba are an African ethnic group that has a deep history in religion and mysticism, so I liked that real world head nod for my D&D character. Plus, Yoruba Oya just sounded like a cool wizard name to me.

I can’t say it enough, I really like how this new version of D&D plays up the creation of interesting backstories for characters. While many of us might know to put more skill points into a Wizard’s intelligence score, I wanted to also put intention toward the character’s backstory, with the hope that it would make for fun role playing situations later.

 

Fire and Ice

I don’t mean to say that Yoruba is nothing more than a bookworm, although this has made for some interesting times at the play table. I’ve tried to play up Yoruba’s introverted nature, taking the lead whenever the adventure calls for a character to actually…um, not take the lead. I have Yoruba speaking up infrequently, but he’s often the party member who does the research, solves the riddle, or deciphers the code.

IMG_1277I also play up his observant nature (he has the D&D 5e Feat that allows him to read lips), a skill that often lets our adventuring party collect news and intel. In fact, during our last adventure, my DM remarked, “Man, I forgot your wizard could read lips! Well, he can tell the two mercenaries in the corner are talking about…”

But I also play up the fact that Yoruba is a CANNON. Sure, he’s a nerdy little bookworm, but my, oh my, the spells he’s learned in those books! Besides the aforementioned Ray of Frost and Fire Bolt, Yoruba has 4 1st Level spell slots and 2 2nd Level spells slots, being that he just dinged level 3.

For other spells, I selected Magic Missile since it’s a classic, and Burning Hands, since it’s an OMG SOMETIMES YOU JUST NEED TO GO THERMONUCLEAR.  To support this, I’ve decided to choose the School of Evocation, one of the many Arcane Traditions that D&D 5e wizards can focus on once they hit level 2. Evocation allows me to sculpt my spells so I can prevent unintentionally going thermonuclear on my teammates, but I won’t receive full benefits of the School of Evocation until higher levels.

The decision to go evocation was either utterly worthless or the most valuable thing I’ve ever done for my character. I’m not yet sure which is the right conclusion. In either case, I intend to press on, because darned if I’m not having a good time.

To round out my other spells I intend to choose a very diverse set. So while I’ll still have my fire/ice thing going on, I’ll be able to cast more obscure and situationally dependent spells that will allow me to differentiate from a D&D 5e Sorcerer class, while also being of helpful utility to my adventuring party.

 

Should I Roll a Wizard?

You could say I’ve drank the D&D 5e Kool-Aid, but I have a pro-tip for you. Those of you who are perpetuating analogies involving cults from the 1970’s: CombatPeople who ‘drink the Kool-Aid’ are dead and therefore can not play a D&D 5e wizard.

It’s simpler to affirm that I’m wholeheartedly enjoying my time playing D&D 5e. While I’ve enjoyed leveling my cleric to level 2, and I can’t wait to get Remy (my D&D 5e Ranger) to the table, I’ve had a fireblast playing my wizard.

The 5th Edition rule set has done an excellent job providing guardrails so you can create engaging backstories for character, plus the factions of organized play (Yoruba is a Harper)are fun and have added even further to the role play.

5th Edition combat and spell rules are excellent as well. A wizard really feels like a wizard, which seems obvious, but is vitally important to get right. D&D 5e got it right.

I invite you to find a gaming group and give a wizard a shot. In the meantime, Yoruba will be adventuring, hoping to live up to the lawful good example of his caretaker, and hoping that one day he can be reunited, at last, with Remy.

The post D&D 5e Wizard : A Look at the Class appeared first on Nerds on Earth.

]]>