Is D&D’s “XP Valley” Killing Campaigns?

A sneaky system design quirk may contribute to D&D campaigns fizzling out before they reach high level.

Is D&D Shadow Banning Counterspell?

No. Well, not really.

Sleep Spell Reawakening

If the sleep spell is keeping you up at night, because of confusing mechanics or soft scaling, come take a look under the hood and sample two sleep spell solutions.

Druid Wild Shape Options by CR

If you run Druids by-the-book, then they can only Wild Shape into a limited number of forms that the Druid has seen: DMs have a lot of control over Wild Shape. Since the Druid doesn't get Wild Shape until Level 2, you aren't committed to allowing the player a certain number of Wild Shape options … Continue reading Druid Wild Shape Options by CR →

Non-Metal Druid Armor

Since the Druid's non-metal armor restriction is purely thematic, we're taking a close look at the rules and reskinning the metal options to give Druids access to the full armory!

The “Bag of Rats” Problem

The "Bag of Rats" Problem is an issue that arises with RPG mechanics that trigger upon a kill. While kill trigger abilities are intended to reward the character for disposing of a foe, they incentivize players to metagame by carrying around a lot of easily-squishable pocket-sized creatures. Explore the solutions and find out which are best.

“Beast Builder” CR Calculator for Rangers and Druids

The Beastmaster Ranger has long been plagued by the squishy-ness of its animal companion. While the Revised Ranger tackled some of the action economy issues for the Beastmaster, it did not address the underlying issue: that the beast is supposed to be the highlight of the show. Shapeshifting Druids are also plagued by unimpressive beast … Continue reading “Beast Builder” CR Calculator for Rangers and Druids →