D&D Essentials Unboxing with the TRS
I have been a fan of the Totally Rad Show since it began and their latest episode had an boxing video of the new D&D Essentials "Red Box" So if you are interested in what is inside, then take a look at their show.
Dark Sun Encounters: Fine Strands of Death
Story recap of our D&D Encounters session at Dragon's Refuge in Peotone, IL:
Phye finds herself walking alone down a dark corridor as the earth begins to violently shake and rumble. Chunks of earth and rock thrust up to grab her body, encasing her in an earthen tomb of darkness. She suddenly snaps awake not realizing she had nodded off during their short rest after the battle with the undead. It seems her mind has been filled with some sort of psychic echoes of an unknown source, just like Shikkir mentioned he experienced during their rest in the cave. What forces are at work in this place?
D&D Essentials? What’s New? Formatting and Marketing
Bill Slavicsek posted today a new glimpse of the D&D Essentials product line and clarified to everyone confused about the what
" essentials" is. Basically D&D Essentials is the same as any other D&D 4E books, just a new format and marketed to new players. The Rules Compendium compiles all the rules in one place with all the updates already in place and the new "classes" are just new builds that open up new play mechanics.
I think this is a great idea, especially with the ongoing D&D Encounters bringing in more and more new players. This is a product line that will allow newbies a fresh starting point to jump in, instead of having to sort through the back library of books released. And for all of us existing players, new builds for our favorite classes, similar to the source books.
My only advice to Wizards is to get this product line into more general stores, such as Wal-Mart and Target, etc. in addition to the bookstores and LGS.
The second part of the article introduced the Mage build for wizards. Mages are the traditional scholarly wizards who can learn from different schools of magic, such as Enchantment School, Evocation School, and Illusion School.
One thing that I noticed that was a little more clear was that is sounds like your class feature levels up with you. So for example a mage graduates from Apprentice Mage to Expert Mage at level 5, gaining new benefit. This is a great idea and I am excited to see more about it.
Looking Forward to New Core D&D Novels
I just finished pre-ordering the new novels from Wizards of the Coast set in the core 4E D&D world presented in the Player's Handbook and Dungeon Masters Guide over at Amazon. I just happened to stumble upon them while browsing around the D&D website. I have only read a handful of D&D novels, but I am looking forward to jumping into a new series and seeing how they visualize this setting.
The first book, The Mark of Nerath, written by Bill Slavicsek, one of the creators of the fourth edition of D&D, and it takes place in the Nentir Vale. It follows a group of adventurers as they try to stop an evil emperor from the time of the Nerath Empire escape his prison in the Shadowfell. It sounds like it will play out just like a home campaign featuring all the cool 4E D&D races we all love. I can't remember where I read it, but I think it even has a revenant brought back by the Raven Queen, which should be pretty cool because it is just like one of my characters. You can read a sample chapter here.
The second book, The Seal of Karga Kul, written by Alex Irvine, seems to follow a different storyline, so I don't know if they will be connected or not.
I am excited about reading these books and will post a review once they come out. First one is due next month.
My favorite power – Teleportation
Teleportation has long been my favorite superpower and always my favorite thing to do in D&D. As a player, I loved my Assassin's at-will teleportation, stepping into one person's shadow only to appear within my enemies'. My teleporting Swordmage, instantly appearing to smite my marked foe, if he dares to ignore me. And as a DM, nothing messes with your player's well laid plans as a teleporting and phasing Gish Assassin.
Wizards of the Coast has started up a new article series talking about various rules of the game and their first discussion is about Teleportation. It discusses the original rules and the recent rules updates.
If you want to get up to date about the various rules and updates to the teleporting power in D&D check out their new article.
Are D&D Essential Classes Really Simpler?
Today we got our first look at the Cleric from the upcoming D&D Essentials product line. The build presented is a Warpriest, a divine leader that gets up close and personal with the enemies.
The impression I got from the new D&D Essentials line of products is that they will be simple and back to the basics. I read through the article, but it doesn't really look simpler to me, in fact maybe even more complicated as they are adding a "domain" system. Clerics choose from the "storm domain" or the "sun domain" and depending on their choice, get different class features and powers. It is very interesting and I would still like to see more of the powers associated with the domains, otherwise is seems just like a new class "build"
Check out the article over here and let me know what you think. Are they simpler, more complicated, or pretty much the same?
D&D meets Choose Your Own Adventure
Wizards of the Coast is releasing a new product line called Dungeons & Dragons Essentials. These products go back to the basics and are a a great way to introduce new or younger players to the game we all love.
It has a unique method of putting you into the action and is even designed for solo play. Below is an except:
It plays out like a Choose Your Own Adventure type book, which I think is a great way for younger kids to get into fantasy roleplaying games.
I hope that they are able to get these products out to the general public in better places than game shops. Hopefully they can get them into bookstores and maybe even Wal-Mart would be great exposure.
What do you think:
Will this product be good for D&D?
Will it help bring new players?
Are you interested in it as an existing player?
It's time to leap into action, but that can mean different things for different kinds of fantasy heroes. How do you imagine the hero in your mind reacting to this situation?
- Do you imagine pulling a weapon from the back of the wagon and leaping down to fight the goblins? Go to 2.
- Do you imagine casting a magic spell to blast the goblins? Go to 3.
- Do you imagine drawing a dagger, using the wagon for cover, and sneaking around to pick off the goblins without putting yourself in too much danger? Go to 4.
- Do you imagine tending to the merchant's wound, perhaps uttering a divine prayer to restore his health? Go to 5.
- Or do you prefer hiding in the back of the wagon until the fight is over? Go to 6.
- Do you have a different idea about what to do? Go to 42.
Chaos Scar Campaign: Session 1 Audio Podcast
Four adventurers enter the land of the Chaos Scar seeking fame and fortune. Join first time DM, Jeff, and the PCS, Jetly, Chatty Chan, Broo Slee and Lou Gordons as they take of a bunch of frog people in their first adventure.
Focus Fire! D&D Player Advice
I love this new D&D article on using focus fire to take down encounters in D&D. In the back of my mind I know this, but during play it doesn't always work out like that. This graphic helped me realize how much it actually helps in terms of the numbers of monster attacks.
D&D May 2010 Rules Updates.. It’s a big one!
Make sure you check out the new May 2010 D&D rules update here.
There are a lot of minor rule updates and clarifications. I did notice several things our groups use such as, lightning arrows and healer's lore. Plus other updates to things like Aid Another during skill challenges and flying rules.
Overall lots of stuff, so I highly recommend giving it a read to see if there is anything that effects your characters and also so everyone is on the same page as far as the general rules.
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