When a bard takes their own life or is killed in a particularly cruel manner, their soul can become trapped within their instrument and form a sorrow strummer. These possessed instruments litter the floors of haunted forests, abandoned amphitheaters, and slummy city alleyways all across the realm, filling them with sorrowful tunes that inspire countless ghost stories. For this reason, those who come upon the remains of a dead bard should always think twice before claiming their instrument as their own for they may invoke the wrath of the unfulfilled musician’s soul trapped within. Sorrow Strum ..read more

A bridge of concentrated crossings resembles a small figurine of a simple bridge carved from crystal, wood, or stone. They are typically found in the possession of daring adventurers seeking riches in treacherous mountain peaks, arctic tundras, and abandoned dungeons where dizzying heights and bottomless chasms are common obstacles. With this item, an adventurer can, through sheer concentration, cross these spans of open-air with ease. However, those whose minds wander may find themselves plummeting to their death, leaving behind a splintered skeleton and a bridge of concentrated crossings for ..read more

Swung with the same gusto and fury as an empty ale stein is slammed down upon a bar after a successful bout of drinking, a stein slammer is a mighty weapon wielded by those in service to the gods and goddesses of alcohol. With one in hand, a warrior or priest can safely embark on holy pilgrimages from bar to bar without fear or worry of being overtaken by sober deviants or violent drunks who disgrace themselves by failing to handle their liquor. Stein Slammer Weapon, rare (requires attunement) You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. While you are drunk, the ..read more

In her attempt to escape the Bloody Stein Mafia and avoid being sold into slavery, Khoda, a young raven-like feyfolk girl, leapt from the top of Aleslott's bell tower and fell to her death. Now her tormented spirit lives on in the form of a banshee whose tormented screeches can be heard at all hours of the day. I hope you all enjoy this free 5e adventure I recently ran for my players in my homebrew campaign! Here are a few additional notes I made while I was running it: Banshees can speak common. If the players are struggling to discover clues, Khoda can cryptically reveal some of her tragic ..read more

They scurry within cellars, dungeons, and sewers, gnawing on the bones of whatever they can catch and spreading diseases to anything they can't. We're talking about giant rats, of course! To keep these disgusting vermin fresh no matter how many times you use them, the following 3 stat blocks offer new, unique, and exciting types of giant rats to throw at your players! Giant Fey Rats When a forest’s veils between it and the Feywild are stretched thin, wild magic can seep through and change the natural beasts of the Material Plane as is the case with the giant fey rat. With an elongated neck an ..read more

They're the undisputed rulers of desert wastelands who lie in wait for their next meal beneath the hot sands. They tolerate no slights on their reputation and take great pleasure in lording over their hoard of precious gems and enslaved servants. We're talking about blue dragons, of course! To keep these desert alpha predators fresh no matter how many times you use them, the following 3 stat blocks offer new, unique, and exciting types of blue dragons to throw at your players! Storm-bound Blue Dragon When blade and fire fail to slay a blue dragon, powerful mages are forced to trap its essence ..read more

In the “Lightning Round” blog series, I offer up quick, easily-digestible answers to many of the questions I couldn’t get to in the weekly Can evil characters really work along side good characters? In my experience, the honest answer is no. Evil characters (or character’s whose agendas and values are in direct opposition with those of the party) are going to make your campaign extremely difficult to maintain. That’s because one of two things is (most likely) going to happen. Either the evil character is going to kill/betray to good characters and that will piss those players off, or the good ..read more

Q&A The following questions have been picked from those submitted by our Instagram followers. Have something you're looking to get answered? Head over to our Instagram every Monday to submit your questions! What’s the first thing you do when you’re creating an adventure? The very first thing I do when designing an adventure is ask myself, “What is the purpose or intent of this adventure?” Am I attempting to move the main narrative forward for my players? Am I wanting to use this adventure to help develop or flesh out a character and their personal arc? Or am I simply wanting this to be som ..read more

They trudge through the putrid swamps, eating everything that crosses their paths and regenerating anything that gets cut off along the way. We're talking about trolls, of course! To keep these dimwitted brutes fresh no matter how many times you use them, the following 3 stat blocks offer new, unique, and exciting types of trolls to throw at your players! Great White Troll It is not uncommon for coastal-dwelling trolls to develop the ability to breathe underwater. With a diet made up almost entirely of aquatic creatures, mutations such as gills, fins, or tentacles are quite frequent. As these ..read more

In the “Lightning Round” blog series, I offer up quick, easily-digestible answers to many of the questions I couldn’t get to in the weekly How do you keep your players’ interest over time? If you’re looking to run a campaign that doesn’t die out after three months, the best thing you can do is talk to your players. Ask them what they want out of the campaign, what types of themes or setting they’d like to explore, and where they’d like their characters to be by the end of it. Once you’ve done that, you can begin designing villains, NPCs, and storylines that actually appeal to your players’ int ..read more