Passive-Only Skills

Are there skills which should only function as passive skills? How passive-only skills can align player:character knowledge and assist DMs to plan ahead.

Listen/Spot Checks

A new 5th Edition system for adding the dynamic of listen/spot rolls to perception vs. stealth checks, without all the punishing baggage of editions past.

5 Skill D&D

Why have 18 skills when you can have FIVE?

We’re giving D&D players more agency over the narrative implementation of their skillsets by streamlining a bloated system and highlighting a popular variant rule.

Speak Your Secrets

Metagaming is one issue we encounter in tabletop RPGs. Players have their characters act on player knowledge that their character does not possess. A DM's defense against this is to gently remind the player to act within the confines of character knowledge.

This can lead to an overcorrection where every time a single PC finds out information, the other players ask "do you tell us that?" Any time a strange routine like this becomes habitual, we should streamline the process.

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 →

Passive Skills vs. Reliable Talent

Reliable Talent makes all your skills passive. In order to see what you're really getting from this class feature, you need to find out what skills already function passively, and what skills only function actively. We'll examine passive skill treatment in the rules and analyze where each skill should fall.

Running for High Perception Characters

Player Characters with high perception bonuses can be a bane to DMs who are unequipped to deal with them. Let's explore the odds and different ways to manage high perception. High Perception Characters As arguably the most useful skill, Wisdom (Perception) is a natural proficiency investment for any character. This is especially true for skill-monkey … Continue reading Running for High Perception Characters →

Travel and Exploration Rules

While exploration is one of the Three Pillars of Adventure in 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons, the rules provided in the core rulebooks are more abstract than mechanical. Those rules are now on the horizon. Here's news, analysis, and development of 5th Edition Travel rules.