rootring
rooted in blogs, linked in a ringTraverse Fantasy
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On the ring since 2026-03-18
Latest activity 2y ago
462 posts
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Putting together everything I've written so far into something more cohesive and referential!Most immediate influences here:The Goblin Laws of Gaming, Into the Dungeon: Revived...
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I tried out Kelsey Dionne's Shadowdark this morning with Alex as the game master and joined by Moth as another player! We were going through Alex's megadungeon that he had made...Linked by the ring
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Sort of a two-parter, since they relate to each other.Combat EquipmentAssume characters can afford most things. What matters are what they can carry in their hands and on their...
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Let me share an example of four level-1 encounters, from easy (2 ♥) to deadly (8 ♥). Remember that characters deal a hit on a roll of 20 and up, choose to dodge or exchange...
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I suggested shifting goalposts more in favor of players, and a second idea: removing hearts altogether in favor of burdens, fictional effects which disadvantage the character...
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Did forbidden 5e math too. The whole game is fake! Shout-out to Paul Hughes' business card monster manual, and Reddit user Asinus for their calculations on average DPR per...
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Wasn't happy with my last conversion because CR is not a pure measure of longevity like HD. It accounts for AC as well. Since then, though, I've come up with an actual measure...Linked by the ring
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From last time: success on 20+; compromise on 10–19; failure on 1–9. I can't stop myself from thinking how, for lack of a better word, "cruel" that distribution is. You...
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Exaggerating a little. This article came to me twice—on Twitter where it was posted by @pourfairelevide, and again when my friend John B. of The Retired Adventurer shared it...
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Had a thought: speed rates in Fifth Edition pretend to be in five-feet increments, but they're really in increments of 1 sq. This means that a speed of 30 feet is really one of...Linked by the ring
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While simulating an idea I had for speed-based initiative, I realized that the results had implications for bonuses on d20 rolls in general. When two characters roll off, how...
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When playing Trophy Gold with my friend Alex of To Distant Lands as the referee, I was delighted at how he subverted a classic D&D trope. Instead of "starting at a tavern",...Linked by the ring
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Have been reading Levi Kornelson's series on modeling the play-style of D&D, which has been really fantastic and full of fun graphs! Each time ones comes out, though, my...
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Written in March 2022, written in light of the reception to "Steps to Demonetize the TTRPG Hobby". Was never happy with it, but rereading it now it isn't the total worst. Just...
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While inactive but lurking, I saw someone on a Discord have a question about handling groups of figures with two-sided melee rolls (where partial success may mean both hitting...
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I was hanging out with my friend Ènziramire who told me about a certain page from Kevin Crawford’s recent cyberpunk rulebook Cities Without Number, about corporate genders. He...Linked by the ring
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Continuing discussion on worker placement and dis/advantage math. Here's a thought, in the context of good old D&D Fifth Edition: for standard tasks, low DCs (~10) make more...
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Author’s Note: Feeling sort of better since I wrote this. It’s a process! But wanted to get it out there as a signal that I’m still alive and kicking. Been feeling mentally...
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Wanted to share two good posts on Illusory Sensorium: "There Is No Light" and "Doom Clock". Totally agree with the critical dimensions of those blogs, especially about the...Linked by the ring
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There's a specific concept that constantly shows up in my game-prep but, by virtue of being just slightly out of the way, has never actually come to fruition: a luper colony...
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I don’t like reading rules examples, but I wrote this to help communicate the potential for improvising combat and hit locations. It’s funny focusing so much on combat after...
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My homebrew heartbreaker Cinco is looking right at home with a non-granular "hits-to-kill" measure for opponents in violent encounters. Besides keeping things simple, it also...
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I had a suspicion the other day that HD 1 figures are more like HD 2 figures than HD ½ figures in terms of longevity since it will usually take at least 2 hits to defeat both...Linked by the ring
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my intent has been less to emulate or condense 5e as a formal ruleset than to facilitate the spirit and play style of 5e without the trappings of d&d, basically divorcing 5e...
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Had been following a conversation between a couple of my friends (Alex, Gumbo, Weird Writer) about the usefulness of empty rooms, especially to speed up session prep. Had two...
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This one has been a long time coming! I think I must have read this over a year ago, like two reading sprees ago (next one incoming). It's been on my brain ever since, but only...
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Even more old DM stuff; same campaign. Note that the luper colony with the dryads have been a recurring bit. Far away in some wizard’s tower, there was a paper clip factory run...
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The rat post was fun! For my next trick, I will reveal the secret "challenge rating" system inside OD&D.Virtual Hit PointsFirst, let me explain in greater detail some ground I...
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How many hit points does a giant rat have? My friend Gus L. posted this fun illustration the other day, proposing that the open-endedness of OD&D implies the possibility of...Linked by the ring
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There have been 194 copies of Fantastic Medieval Campaigns printed on Lulu at cost! First, I wanted to thank all y'all for being so supportive and encouraging on this project....