Sound the trumpets and gather the crowds as the Bard class is coming to MMORPG Neverwinter. It’s been quite a while since the game got a new class and it’s a fun one.
Neverwinter has added plenty of new content with the game’s latest being about the Feywild. The last class based update was a new Paladin class in 2016. The newest race to join the game was the Gith, introduced in 2019.
“For players that choose the Bard class, they will become a stylish fighter who uses the power of song to enhance their allies and defeat their enemies. Weaving their way through their enemies with a variety of flashy attacks, Bards can seamlessly burst into songs burning their enemies with a blazing performance. Also, when in a more supportive role, Bards can dance around the battlefield filling the ears of their allies with rejuvenating carols and defensive minuets while preparing for the final curtain call.
As one of the most versatile classes in Dungeons & Dragons, Bards are capable of pulling spells from other classes and are much more than lute players and word slingers. Let’s take a dive into what it is to be a Bard.
Songsmiths. Poets. Researchers.
Bards are predominantly known for using music to fight or bolster their allies. While this is true, it isn’t all they are good at. Bards are able to learn practically any spell, can fight with melee and ranged weapons, and are incredible at buffing party members and debuffing enemies. They are world travelers who love hearing stories and telling other people about great deeds or heroes they’ve encountered.
Bards level up by joining specific colleges and there are eight official Colleges available in the tabletop game. Each one allows the bard to use different skills and tactics to overcome challenges. The College of Lore is designed for players who wish to learn a lot of skills and protect their allies in a fight. Whereas the College of Valor makes allies harder to hit and lets the Bard focus on a weapon and spells simultaneously. They’re more battle ready as they are in the field quite often.
Bards in Neverwinter
While it isn’t clear just what the Bard will do in Neverwinter, we can make some assumptions. With them focused on protecting allies and distracting foes, they could get a lot of buffing spells and abilities in the game. They could range from healing multiple people to reducing the chance enemy attacks will hit.
Along with their introduction it would be cool to see dungeons related to the class as well. Perhaps even instruments, songs, or special items related to Bards could be coming down the line.
Neverwinter does already feature Harper Bard as a companion. They come equipped with abilities that increase health, reduce incoming damage, and boost specific stats.
๐ถThe Bard class will be available for testing and feedback on the Preview server tomorrow, June 3!๐ผ
There are plenty of official campaign guides and worlds but what if you want your own world? Well, homebrew is the way to go. For dungeon masters who want to create their own unique setting, there are a few main things to keep in mind. We’ve laid out the hard work of designing our own personal world and have some tips and tricks for dungeon masters on the fence.
Here’s how to create your own tabletop campaign world
It may sound like a daunting process but if taken slowly, it is a rewarding experience for both the dungeon master and the players. One important thing to keep in mind is when in doubt, keep things on the smaller scale.
Start Small
We started our homebrew tabletop campaign in 2015. As the dungeon master, I quite frankly didn’t have any idea what I was doing. I just knew I wanted to play in a fantasy world with friends. So, I got the all the core books and hit the ground running by creating a minor village with a few non-player characters.
By having a smaller starting area you don’t have to worry about players going off of the rails and wandering into the unknown. Although, that will come later, for now staying within the boundaries of a small town is enough. To help build the town – and subsequent larger ones later on – keep these tips in mind.
Have one or two quests for the characters to follow
Create a couple of named NPCs they can talk to
Jot down names of a few taverns, shops, and important landmarks like churches or shrines
Note where the town is located: the coast, mountains, forest, etc.
Pull from characters and their backstories
Knowing these things will help you craft a lively and engaging D&D homebrew world. But you don’t have to do it alone.
Create Together
Building the TTRPG campaign world with your players is fun and frees you up to focus on other areas of the world. If you’re just starting out have the player create their starting town or even entire region where their character is from. It can have their own currency, creatures, and government. Make sure you work with them to ensure they don’t derail the plot with wacky or outrageous ideas or create too much. You’re all in this together and it helps their character really understand the area they come from.
Key factors to consider:
Keep area notes to a few pages. Two at best.
Who rules the region, town, or area and who lives there?
What races or cultures call it home: Halfling, Giants, Dire Beasts, Humans, etc.
The Big Picture
After nailing down some smaller towns and regions of your world, it’s now time to focus on something larger. People, animals, and creatures need places to live so use them to base your cities, towns, regions, and structures off of.
Perhaps individual people and communities built their own capital city. There could be cities that are more elven in nature that are near nature or are constructed to look overly beautiful. Whereas dwarven cities may be halfway underground, be built into a mountainside, or be built out of sturdy stone and thick curved archways.
No matter what community it may be, you can also pull from each culture in your world. Try combining human architecture with gnomish looking designs. Something that is simple and big blended with whirring gadgets and gears. Or combine elves and dwarves and have the city be a blend of magnificent stone and spiraling vines.
What does the world look like?
Draw a map
Generate on online
Roll all of your dice onto graph paper then draw around them
Are areas governed individually or is the entire region ruled by a monarch or emperor/empress
Does a city have a criminal organization in it?
What Trades can be found?
Are there any guilds?
Randomly Generate
Choosing to randomly create areas in your campaign homebrew world is one viable route as well. Though we will say it works better when putting together a smaller section, village, or encounter.
If you’re in a pinch and need to come up with something quick, here are some tips.
Use the roll tables provided in the Dungeon Master’s Guide
Know your world and the story you’re telling.
Understanding your world will help you get a better feel for randomly thinking on the fly
Stick to these guidelines:
Who is in charge and who will the characters speak with?
What can be found there?
Important items, landmarks, treasure, creatures, etc.
Why should the characters care about this place?
Is it to resupply, seek assistance, is their home here, do they have friends or allies here?
Build from Inspiration
There are plenty of fantasy stories to pull inspiration from. Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and D&D books such as the Dragonlance series and our own Thread of Souls series offer great examples. There is no shame in pulling ideas from popular media but just be sure to change the name of locations, characters, and creatures when necessary.
Another great resource is pulling from Wizard of the Coast campaign guides. During our first year, we did end up playing Curse of Strahd and pulled a lot of inspiration from its horror.
One other great sources of inspiration can be found in video games. If you know you want your world to have a certain feel or vibe to it, play games that are closely related to it.
Gods
Gods are often tied to certain cultures and classes such as clerics, paladins, and warlocks. You can pick from the many lists presented in core D&D books or pull from any fiction or real world religion. We were inspired by gods and then made them our own.
Some quick ways to make gods are to associate them with specific cultures or seasons.
Early civilizations could have thought the sun was a god so they worshipped it.
The actual god could have noticed this reaction and adopted a more light or sunny demeanor
Deity of Magic
Deity of Death
Deity of Life
Deity of Birth
So on and so forth
Lady Raven: Goddess of Death from Thread of Souls
Calendar
Don’t think too hard when it comes to tracking time or dates. You could just as easily adopt the real world calendar to fit your tabletop game. The world could have even existed well before the calendar was made. A certain event could be the reason people now keep track of time.
Important anniversaries
A comet marks the first day of the year
A gods death
Birthdays
Specific moments the DM can use to advance the story
Maybe the planes are weaker during a certain week
Magic doesn’t work
Annual holidays
A great way to make the world feel more lively
Thread of Souls Monthly Calendar
Quick Tips
To keep players from exploring too far before the world is complete, give them reasons to stay in a certain area.
Adding landmarks to the world makes it feel vibrant and alive.
Ask players what they want to explore then build off of that.
If you aren’t finished building an area, pull from fiction or fantasy
Pull from characters and their backstories
Characters and Players
When in doubt on what to do, try pulling from character backstories. Even the smallest detail of their history can help add more vividness and life to an area. For instance, if a character is a bard, where did they learn their craft? There may be an academy that teaches specific courses on oration, linguistics, musical theory, or vocals. Likewise, if a character has an animal companion, you can use that as inspiration to build as well. Mayhaps the specific animal only comes from a magical forest or only one location in the world.
There isn’t one right way to build a D&D world. Starting with a smaller section of the map is a great stepping stone. From there you can work on larger areas when the time is right. At the end of it all, the most important thing is to make sure you and your players are having fun. Work together to create an entertaining and heroic story and setting to explore.
Tabletop adventure books are generally written with large party dynamics in mind. If you’re like us, it may be you and another person or just you at the table. If that’s the case, we’ve made it easy for you to play your TTRPG without having to find several other players to join.
Getting four to six people to sit around a table (or online) for a few hours a week or month can be challenging. But it’s old fashioned terminology and we believe it should be gotten rid of. For there are ways to play any tabletop session without having multiple people.
We started playing our homebrew world of Thread of Souls in 2015. In the beginning, we had three players. Three is a good magic number but the GM wanted more. The group evolved into five and fluctuated from that to six or seven at times.
Having more players gives much more fluidity when it comes to leading conversations, character development, and plot. Game masters can focus on individual characters when the time comes but there are times when it can be too much. Combat, for instance, is definitely bogged down with a larger party size. Eventually our group fell apart as they often do and it was left with Talia and myself. Sometimes all it takes is two.
Just the Two of Us
Since 2018, we’ve been playing weekly two player sessions of our TTRPG. We play in our homebrew world of Corventos, from our Thread of Souls books, so we donโt have to worry about basing encounters off of a specific number of players. Instead we each play multiple characters each with their own unique skills and backstories.
Playing Multiple Player Characters
While the GM will play every NPC the party encounters, they can also play an adventurer that explores with the party. In our case I play two player characters along with my other tasks. Both have a backstory and take turns in conversations and performing skills like investigating.
Itโs all about knowing what your character would know and acting how they would act. If youโre the GM, just keep in mind that while you may know the story or campaign book, your character is just as oblivious as the other player.
Increase Intimacy
Speaking of the other player. Playing with anyone in a one-on-one setting is a great way to grow and build your relationship. You both get to know the other person through the eyes of multiple characters and personalities by having them control as many player characters as they feel comfortable. It also helps if each one acts, speaks, and behaves differently so the GM can tell the difference more easily.
The more comfortable you are with on another, the more fun and deeper role play can get. And if you’re just starting out in a one-on-one setting and don’t know the other person as well, it’s a great ice breaker and allows you both to build a friendship. Or if you just want to fight and gain loot, thatโs perfectly okay too.
Story Collaboration
As the GM you can also build encounters around the other players characters. Everyone is a part of the story and they all need time to shine. Make sure you take the time to talk with the player to see what they want to get out of the game. Maybe they like exploring and just want to search for treasure. While others are all about that role play and wish to delve deeper into emotions and plot.
Another great way to handle two player games is to have the player control certain aspects of the session. For instance, if itโs alright with the GM, they can take over for NPCs and speak with the game masters characters.
Tabletop games are all about collaboration. It isnโt GM versus players. Itโs a shared story where anyone should feel comfortable to speak up and take part in the epic tale.
Playing together is also great for introverts who aren’t comfortable being in large settings around people. As an introvert, I can say being able to just play with someone I know makes me open up more and come out of my shell.
Honestly, you can make just about any game into a two player game. If you have a single player video game you can hand the controller back and forth to complete different quests or control different characters.
TTRPGs aren’t strictly for groups of players. They are intimate, fun, freeing, and allow for character growth for both the players and their characters. It’s just like writing a book. There is an author and an editor. Imagine both players as the authors and editors of the game, world, and characters.
This Bardic Inspiration focuses on caves. They’re dark, ominous, and oftentimes full of monsters and treasure. They’ve been a staple of fantasy and tabletop role-playing games for decades. For one of the best inspirations of them all, look to The Hobbit. Afterall, it is where Bilbo found the One Ring to Rule them All and the company of Thorin Oakenshield discovered swords.
“These swords were not made by any troll. Nor were they made by any smith among men.”
When it comes to caves and caverns there are several types to explore. The most standard as defined by the Dictionary is: a hollow in the earth, especially one opening more or less horizontally into a hill, mountain, etc. While a cavern is defined as a hollow in the earth, especially one opening more or less horizontally into a hill, mountain, etc.
Beginning with the typical cave seems like a great starting point. If the party is low level, a cave is just the place to start any adventure. They may encounter a bear and its cubs and may have to sneak around them without a fight. Skyrim utilizes this concept within the first few minutes of starting the game.
For this type of cave, consider “What the Goddess of Death has Touched” from Pillars of Eternity II. Don’t worry about the name of the track as it isn’t as sinister as it sounds. Composer Justin E. Bell presents an ominous dark tone perfect for spelunking. Sentences like ‘droplets of water drip from the ceiling onto the ground around you. Stepping across the uneven stone floor your foot slips into a shallow puddle causing pebbles to shift and loosen beneath your boot’ can really enhance the atmosphere as well.
Caverns typically feature rocky, uneven walls made up of jagged shale or stone. They’re also rather mysterious and can hold many secrets and unknown creatures with the most secretive ones leading to cult lead rituals and demon summoning.
“The Enduring Pride” from The Order 1886 by Jason Graves is a gloomy set dressing for any cavern adventure. It’s a bit more haunting in nature and builds slowly with time until climaxing with dramatic chanting. Chilling moans and voices drive the piece along and spine tingling strings really make it feel all Temple of Doom like.
The MMO World of Warcraft certainly has plenty of caves to delve into but “Crystalsong” stands out from the norm here. It’s magical and mystical in nature; featuring chimes and bells that are meant to remind us of crystals or diamonds. This track is best built as a backdrop for when the party comes across a cavern full of gold, gems, or wealth. Perhaps they’ve just slayed a dragon and its hoard of treasure is in the next room.
The Elder Scrolls is another great source of inspiration when it comes to music. Skyrim is a game we’ve put many hours into and the soundtrack is a constant companion in and out of the game. “Silent Footsteps” by Jeremy Soule has a bit of everything from our other choices. It’s an all around great pick no matter if the party is going to rest, sneak, or hide in a cave.
Many of these tracks can actually be used in place of exploration or travel as well. These are just some of the best we’ve used when diving into caves, monster lairs, and the Underdark. Cavern music basically comes down to great big sound, ominous tones, some chanting for darker areas, and strings. Plenty of strings.
For more tracks built for caving, consider Pillars of Eternity’s “The Endless Paths”, “Eothas”, and “All Gods.”
There are a few fundamental Bardic Inspiration thoughts I use when figuring out how to pick music for a battle. The first is what or who is the villain or force. The second is focused on where the encounter takes place. These two methods will make choosing the best tracks all the more easier.
When it comes to fighting in a tavern or tussling with guards or ruffians in the street, I have one go to song. Assassin’s Creed III‘s Fight Club by Lorne Balfe is upbeat and full of energy. It’s fluid and fun and is for more of a bar brawl or wrestling match.
Whereas Steel for Humans from the Witcher 3: Wild Huntis a bit more lively and mysterious. Don’t let the name fool you into thinking it’s a song designed for specifically fighting humans, the song blends well with battles against monsters too. Marcin Przybyลowicz and Percival’s use of hymnic chanting combined with strings and drums evokes fast-paced action combat.
Dragon Ageis one of our favorite game series and it’s full of captivating music composed by Trevor Morris, especially Inquisition. Without spoiling the ending to the Trespasser DLC, the Trespasser – Qunari Battle theme is perhaps one of my all time favorite battles songs. It’s full of deep pounding drums and low bassy strings making it feel all the more powerful when facing a massive horde or singular powerful enemy – such as the Qunari.
If you’re looking for a lengthier song to leave on for eight minutes, The Blasted Heath by Stuart Chatwood is a great choice. It is from DLC The Color of Madness for Darkest Dungeon and is absolutely epic. It stands out as a solid pick for larger battles with several enemies or one where the villain can monologue for a few minutes before rolling initiative.
Descent into the Depths by Midnight Syndicate is one that can be used to setup a battle and be used during it as well. It’s ominous slow tones make it perfect for pairing with villains the characters know or ones dungeon masters use a few times before building an encounter focused specifically on them. Perhaps they are in the background while their minions fight the party and then flee during to pursue the characters another day.
Setting up battle music really sets the tone for any fight. Having upbeat and rhythmic tracks allows for a deeper and more thought provoking sequence of events. It makes any encounter feel more epic, like a fantasy movie. Next time for Bardic Inspiration we’re sticking with the battle theme but are focusing on boss fights or the BBEG.
Solasta is still in Early Access but it’s turning out to be one of the best RPGs of the year. The development team is constantly releasing new updates and dev diaries and their latest is about adding a dungeon builder to the full release. The concept will give players the freedom to design their own dungeons in the game and it’s quite a unique feature to the Fifth Edition based CRPG.
What to expert from the Dungeon Maker. Solasta’s builder will let designers create a 2D map first before seeing it as as fully developed 3D world. It will include everything from adding crypts, walls, lighting effects, monsters, and interactable items. The map can be named, given a description, and setup so text automatically appears when characters trigger it. And several maps can be combined together to create a massive dungeon.
In a short video posted by the dev team, the upcoming Dungeon Maker will launch when Solasta: Crown of the Magister releases fully sometime this year. While there is no official announcement date yet, simply knowing what is coming to the game is exciting not only for players but also dungeon masters for the tabletop game. Neverwinter Nights did something similar. We’ve listed five reasons why the Dungeon Maker matters more than you think.
Art of the Dungeon. One facet about being a dungeon master for the physical Dungeons & Dragons game is building a dungeon for the characters to explore. This can be daunting especially to newer DMs behind the screen or even storytellers who have been creating campaigns for years. Not everyone is going to be an expert artist. Outlining a dungeon sounds great in theory but putting the idea to paper can be another tale.
There are many map making programs available but they aren’t as detailed as the builder for Solasta looks like it is going to be. Inkarnate may be great for 2D mapmaking but you’re still going to have to rely on theater of the mind when it comes to the finer details. The Dungeon Maker for Solasta will transition from a 2D builder to a fully explorable 3D map to test before letting the players have a go at it.
Real-Time Exploration. With the tabletop game dungeon masters aren’t able to explore their creation in real-time. Through Solasta, builders will be able to design an area and then explore it as characters with weapons and items. This will allow the DM to get a better feel for how it flows before throwing the real characters into the fire at the table.
Collaborations. If you’re feeling stuck on how to design a specific build for you campaign, you will be able to work with friends. An idea as big as this will build a community of dungeon designers that can bounce ideas off of one another. Having access to other maps creates a sort of sandbox puzzle that creators can pull from and mix and match ideas.
No more Random Rolls. The Dungeon Master’s Guide has simple rules for building a dungeon on the fly but it can be awkward and time-consuming (believe me I have tried). While it isn’t all that difficult to do, it can leave tabletop dungeons looking odd or incomplete. Having the Dungeon Maker will definitely smooth out and speed up the design process for dungeon building. (This by no means makes random rolling tables a negative).
Multiplayer. Hear us out on this one. While multiplayer is not in Solasta at the moment – and may not be coming to it – the Dungeon Maker makes it somewhat possible. Solasta is a fully single player game but if you have a party of four at your table, it can be used to playout the dungeon digitally if everyone is up for it. By taking turns around the keyboard, each player can build their character – or get as close as possible – with Solasta’s character builder. From there, you start up the dungeon and get exploring.
While adventuring, players can say they move their specific character to a certain spot and investigate. Initiative works a bit easier by assigning characters their turn. When it’s their go, just move around the keyboard and away they go.
Solasta is shaping up to be a fantastic CRPG and we’re excited for the future of it. Between it and Baldur’s Gate 3, there is a lot to expect this year for tabletop games turned video game.
The Legend of Zelda is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. Since 1986, there have been more than two dozen games in the series. Nintendo even developed Zelda Clue, chess, and Monopoly, but have yet to make any official tabletop role-playing game of the franchise. Fear not heroes, for if you ever wanted to explore Hyrule in a nonlinear fashion, there is The Legend of Zelda: Reclaim the Wild.
The fan-made TTRPG Reclaim the Wild is made by Elemental Knight and is as detailed as Zelda lore. It’s a 279 page book chock-full of information on how to build a character, craft equipment, and build a world for players to explore. It’s based off of Breath of the Wild and features many aspects carried over directly from the Switch game. It’s a way for fans and newcomers to mold their own stories in a familiar setting.
Tabletop RPGS provide so much freedom for both dungeon masters and players. It also takes inspiration from Dungeons & Dragonsalthough instead of using the standard d20 system D&D players may be used to, Reclaim the Wild uses a unique 2d6 system to determine attacks and ability checks.
Players can choose to create a Gerudo, Goron, Hylian, Rito, Sheikah, and Zora and even some more obscure races such as a Deku, Demon, Fairy, Subrosian, Talking Animal, and Twili. Everything is presented in a nice and neat document making it easy to find. Even magic spells and effects are simple to understand. There isn’t as much confusion when determining the difference between D&Ds 15th level wizard having only eighth level spells. Characters use magic and, depending on the spell, can get the magic back during a fight or immediately after.
Reclaim the Wild has a rest system similar to D&D as well. Many effects, magical or otherwise, are restored after a short rest or extended rest. One such aspect is also songs, a mechanic featured heavily in the Legend of Zelda series. Characters can learn songs to help them solve puzzles or create a magical effect. For instance, Epona’s Song summons Epona in the games but it has been amplified to summon companions in the tabletop version. If a character has bonded with a companion they can play the song and call them to their location instantly.
Reclaim the Wild is a passionate project dedicated to the Zelda franchise. It’s a stunning example of the power of storytelling. The Zelda series has always inspired us to travel and adventure in our campervan. If you want to check out more of the free tabletop game and can be downloaded on the game’s website.
Neverwinter is one of Dungeons & Dragons multiplayer online role-playing game. Along with Dungeons & Dragons Online, it’s a great way to explore Faerun with friends if you can’t get together around a physical or digital table. The game launched in 2013 for PC and later in 2016 on consoles. We’ve devoted several hundred hours to the game and don’t plan on stopping anytime soon and neither does Perfect World or Cryptic Studios.
The latest release of Sharandar shows the game isn’t slowing down when it comes to content. The new module revitalizes an older area of Neverwinter adding enemies and an entirely new questline. That goes us thinking on what additional future content should developers adapt next. D&D has been around for decades and Neverwinter has always been good at creating modules of campaign guides and 5E books in the past. But there is so much more to see.
We’ve put together five future campaign settings we’d like to see next in Neverwinter.
Future Neverwinter Expansions
1. Critical Role: Wildemount
Critical Role has done so much for Dungeons & Dragons in the past five or six years. The lovable cast of nerdy ass voice actors are among the many reasons the tabletop game is growing in popularity. Since streaming their first game on Twitch in 2015, Critical Role has gone on to publish official content for Wizards of the Coast.
The recent release of Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount would be a great addition to Neverwinter. It focuses on the war between the Dwendalian Empire – a society of arcane scholars and nobles – and the Kryn Dynasty – drow who now live on the surface. The book changed how drow are depicted in D&D and shows them in a new light after leaving the cult of Lolth.
The module could introduce a new school of magic as well. Matt Mercer created a ninth school of magic called Dunamancy that deals in manipulating time. Or as the book states,
“primal magical energy of potentiality and actuality, an anticipatory arcane force that helps shape the multiverse and might very well be what holds its elements together, like an infinite web of unseen tethers.”
Campaign
The overarching campaign could revolve around locating arcane artifacts such as Luxon Beacons and more. The beacons are religious devices of the Kryn that harness and transfer souls from one being to another. Characters would work for the Dynasty or Empire searching tombs or dungeons while fighting creatures or enemies from the opposing side.
It’s difficult to give a more concrete description of the outcome as the second campaign of Critical Role is still ongoing. But taking cues from the guidebook, it would be insanely fun to travel throughout Wildemount.
2. Critical Role: Tal’dorei
Critical Role is the gift that keeps on giving. While the Mighty Nein run around Wildemount, Vox Machina bumbled their way across Tal’dorei. A campaign set during the time of any one of the arcs of the first series would be great but which one exactly?
The fight with Vecna was absolutely amazing but it is heavily driven by Percival Fredrickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III’s backstory. We believe focusing on The Chroma Conclave would make for one of the most impactful module’s in Neverwinter.
Yes, Vox Machina may have defeated the dragons who destroyed Emon but the story can be embellished for the MMO.
Campaign
Characters could get a message from arcanist Allura Vysoren to visit her outside of Emon. She wishes to speak to them about Vox Machina and magical disturbances throughout Tal’dorei. With the adventuring group dealing with the aftermath of the Chroma Conclave, she requires assistance with closing rifts. The portals opened after the green dragon, Raishan, released Thordak from his prison in the plane of fire.
Players could interact with Vox Machina as well, all voiced by the cast. When it comes to magical items, there could be vestiges of divergence and even weapons owned by the famous party. Spoilers ahead for campaign one.
When Thordak was killed by Vox Machina, there were strange magical eggs left in his lair. It was hinted that there could be more in the world. A side quest in the Neverwinter version could be to find and destroy them so spawn of the Cinder King won’t spread.
3. Honorable Mention: Duergar
This one may not be based on any official lore but it’s something that is missing from Neverwinter. There has yet to be any update which focuses on the dark dwarves of the Underdark. They aren’t playable as a race and it’s about time that’s fixed. While the game is missing an alarming number of classes and races, duergar should be up there alongside drow.
Campaign
Yes, Neverwinter features a huge questline where characters fight duergar but not once is there ever a moment with a kind dark dwarf. The campaign could involve a clan of duergar wishing to return to the surface. They are unfairly mistreated and falsely represented in the lore of D&D and Neverwinter could remedy that.
The history of duergar labels them as heretics who abandoned their mountain homes. Once they reached the Underdark, they were captured by mind flayers and forced into slavery. After gaining their freedom, they returned home and were seen as outcasts by their original god Moradin and all surface dwarfs.
โWhen Laduguer and his people returned to the dwarves of the upper world, they were shocked by the hostility they faced. As Laduguer quickly learned, the priests of Moradin had long ago labeled the lost clan as heretics, spoken of now only as an object lesson concerning the fate of dwarves who stray from Moradinโs teachings.โ
โLaduguer, in response, tried to explain that his people had been lured into a trap by the mind flayers, but his assertions fell on deaf ears. Thus, with no other apparent choice, the lost clan fled back to the Underdark. Laduguer focused his fury on Moradin.โ
The campaign could focus on this aspect and have characters free the duergar and join in fighting against the illithids. It’s a great way to also introduce the race to Neverwinter.
4. Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden is one of the newest campaign books for Fifth Edition. It is set in a landscape of frost and ice. The main area for characters to explore is Ten-Towns and it and the surrounding area finds itself in a permanent winter. The cause of the torrential storm is a lesser god named Auril who seeks to cover everything in ice for her amusement.
Campaign
The campaign would be a three part plan that aligns with the book. The town and surrounding mines are being ransacked of a priceless material called chardalyn. A duergar named Xardorok Sunblight is using shards of the stone to craft a gargantuan dragon to destroy the town and rule over the region.
Meanwhile, four wizards are searching the frigid wasteland for a lost Netherese city. The wizards seek knowledge left behind after the city fell and will stop the characters if they get in their way.
While a third questline could focus on the lesser god herself. They will search for a magical item that opens the way to the Netherese city the wizards are looking for. The final confrontation would be with Auril.
The region is already familiar to Neverwinter players as it was heavily featured in a previous module. Quests could be a follow up to the skirmish Kessell’s Retreat which saw players fight Akar Kessell, a powerful wizard with the artifact Crenshinibon.
5. Mythic Odysseys of Theros
Mythic Odysseys of Theros is based on Greek mythology and isn expansion for Magic: the Gathering. So, technically this would be an expansion of an expansion. And seeing as both are published by Perfect World, it shouldn’t be an issue. Choosing an overarching campaign from this setting can be difficult. But by focusing on the gods, we can get a better idea of what a module might entail.
Campaign
Gods are the forefront of Theros and characters could be called upon one or multiple to stop an oncoming threat. Nylea, god of the hunt, could summon the characters to the Feywild and have them stop corruption of nature. Or the souls of the dead aren’t going to the afterlife so Erebos, god of death, seeks the aid of the characters. Better yet, Purphoros, god of the forge, is unable to create new life and believes Erebos is the reason.
Both call on the characters to discover the truth and along the way they uncover Ephara is behind it all. As the god of polis or civilization, she believes she should govern all matters including life and death. The characters could fight minions from all three sides and in the end fight an avatar of either one god.
Those are the top five module’s we’d like to see in the future of Neverwinter. Will they happen? There is no way to know but they would certainly be cool to run around in.
Part IV: We look into character race choices and see if there is a correlation with other character choices, as well as the types of players that play this race.
It was early in 2020 that we posed the question: does your personality type affect what kind of D&D character you play as? Well, after about a year of collecting hundreds of responses, we have analyzed them all and come to some interesting conclusions. Not only about personality, but about player gender, age, ethnicity, and how some character choices correlate to others. This is the fourth in a series of blog posts throughout this month to dive into what we learned, and what it means for the game of Dungeons & Dragons.
The first question in our survey focused on Myers-Briggs personality types. The second and third on self-identified gender and ethnicity. The third and fourth were on age groups and occupation choices. The fifth question was about the race of the respondent’s favorite D&D character they have ever played. We’ve taken a look at each character race and analyzed for player data correlations, as well as other character choice correlations. Again, we had 546 respondents for this survey.
Half-Elf
This was our most popular race, with 85 total respondents. It is easy to tell why this would be an attractive race to play. Generally regarded as a mix between Huma and Elven blood, you get some of the best of both worlds.
25% are played by INFP Mediator types.
67% are played by female players, and 65% of these Half-Elf characters end up being female.
57% are played by players aged 25 – 34 years.
42% are on quests of Understanding.
32% have a Person vs Self conflict.
Tiefling
Tieflings were our second most popular race, with 74 respondents playing Tieflings. With ancestry from the Nine Hells that often gives them horns and a tail (among other features), Tieflings can definitely be a lot of fun to dive into.
64% of players are female, and 58% of these characters end up being female.
51% of player ages are 25 – 34 years.
44% are on quests of Understanding.
31% are in a Person vs Society conflict.
Human
Humans were tied for third most popular along with Elves, with 73 respondents. It can be fun to play an ordinary person in an extraordinary world!
66% are played by female players and 58% of the characters are female.
66% are played by players aged 25 – 34 years.
25% are Druids.
58% are on quests of Understanding.
41% are in a Person vs Self conflict.
Dwarf
There were 21 respondents who play Dwarves. This is one of the races that often get stereotyped into being a certain way.
28% are played by INFJ Counselors.
52% are played by male players and 52% of the characters end up being male.
45% of the players are aged 35 – 44 years.
38% are Clerics.
33% are in a Person vs Person conflict.
Dragonborn
With the ability to blow breath weapons and a scaly appearance, Dragonborn had 17 respondents.
64% have male players and 70% of the characters are male.
There was a tie for top age group, with 41% being 18 – 24 years and another 41% being 25 – 34 years.
41% are played by Students.
29% are Paladins.
47% are on quests of Understanding.
Half-Orc
Tied with Dragonborn, Half-Orcs had another 17 respondents for a D&D character.
25% are played by ENFP Champion types.
58% of their players are male but 70% of the characters end up being male.
52% of players are aged 25 – 34 years.
41% are Barbarians.
Goliath
Typically tall and strong, Goliaths had 12 respondents.
27% are played by INFJ Counselors.
50% are male players and 58% of the characters end up being male.
50% of players are aged 25 – 34 years.
33% of the players are Students.
41% are Barbarians.
58% are on quests of Understanding.
50% have a Person vs Society conflict.
Drow
With another 12 respondents, Drow or Dark Elves are next in line.
33% are played by INFP Mediators.
75% are played by female players, but the genders are evenly split between male and female for characters.
Player age groups are tied with 41% aged 25 – 34 and another 41% aged 35 – 44.
33% are Rogues.
41% are in a Person vs Self conflict.
Genasi
With ties to elemental planes, we had 10 Genasi in the survey.
60% are played by INFP Mediator types.
60% of the players are female and 60% of the characters are female.
50% of players are aged 18 – 24.
40% of the players are Students.
30% are Druids.
50% are on quests of Understanding.
30% have a Person vs Person conflict.
Firbolg
Relatively new to 5e, there were nine Firbolgs.
44% are played by INFP Mediator types.
66% are played by male players and 66% of the characters are male.
100% of the players are aged 25 – 34.
44% are Clerics.
Tabaxi
Cat-like and graceful, there were eight Tabaxi respondents.
37% are played by INFP Mediator types.
62% are played by male players and 62% of the characters are male.
50% of players are aged 25 – 34.
37% are Rogues.
75% are on quests of Understanding.
50% are in a Person vs Society conflict.
Lizardfolk
There were only six Lizardfolk in our survey.
50% are played by INFP Mediator types.
66% are played by female players and 60% of the characters end up being female.
83% of players are aged 25 – 34.
50% are Druids.
83% are on quests of Understanding.
Bugbear
We had only two D&D character Bugbears in the survey.
One was played by a male ENFP Champion type aged 25 – 34 years and working in the Education field. The character is a male Paladin on a quest of Understanding with a Person vs Self conflict.
The second was played by a male ENFP Champion type aged 35 – 44 years and working in the Financial Services field. The character is a male Sorcerer on a quest of Transformation in a Person vs Self conflict.
Triton
There was only one Triton respondent.
The Triton was played by a male ENTJ Commander type aged 25 – 34 years with an “Other” occupation. The Triton is a male Cleric on a quest of Understanding with a Person vs Society conflict.
Kobold
There was only one Kobold respondent.
The Kobold was played by a female INTJ Inspector type aged 25 – 34 years with an “Other” occupation. The Kobold is a gender nonconforming Warlock on a quest of Understanding with a Person vs Society conflict.
Kenku
We had only one Kenku respondent.
The Kenku was played by a INFP Mediator respondent who marked their gender as “Other”. They are aged 25 – 34 years and have an “Other” occupation. The Kenku is a female Rogue on a quest of Understanding with a Person vs Person conflict.
Goblin
We had only one Goblin respondent.
The Goblin was played by a female ISFJ Defender type aged 25 – 34 years with an “Other” occupation. The Goblin is a female Monk on a quest of Transformation in a Person vs Society conflict.
Aarakocra
There was one Aarakocra respondent.
The Aarakocra was played by a male INTP Thinker type aged 35 – 44 years in the Financial Services field. The character is a male Monk on an quest of Understanding in a Person vs Society conflict.
Orc
There was one Orc respondent.
The Orc was played by a male ISTJ Inspector type aged 35 – 44 years in the Science field. The Orc is a male Monk on a quest of Redemption with a Person vs Self conflict.
Duergar
There was one Duergar respondent.
The Duergar was played by a male ISFP Composer type aged 25 – 34 years in the Writing/Editing field. The Duergar is a female Ranger on a quest of Understanding with a Person vs the Gods conflict.
Deep Gnome
There were no Deep Gnome respondents.
Other
There were 35 respondents that marked their D&D character race as “Other”.
You can read Part I about personality types here. Part II about gender/ethnicity here. And Part III about age and occupation here.
Part V will be posted February 19th and will be focused on D&D character classes and the choices that went along with that class. Sneak peek: one musical class is 29% Tiefling!
So, you’ve got an idea for a dungeon to send the Dungeons & Dragons party to but aren’t sure where to start in the design process. Whether you draw up plans the old fashioned way with pen and paper or use a computer program, it can be difficult to get the layout you want for a dungeon.
Or your artistic skills are lacking and drawing anything is void of any detail. We’ve got a simple fix to make developing the look of your next dungeon a breeze.
Here’s a quick guide to dungeon design
Imitation is the Best Form of Flattery
Taking inspiration from real world places or fictional media is a great starting point. This also works with quest ideas. One of the main sources of influence I look to is video games. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is probably my main focus when it comes to creating a dungeon for my Dungeons & Dragons party.
“Copying and pasting the map from a dungeon is a viable option.”
Pulling from your favorite video game is one of the best and easiest ways to get ideas flowing. Some of my inspiration is take from Dragon Age: Inquisition, Fallout, and Zeldaas well.
Let’s take Skyrim for example. The world is full of tombs and dusty web filled catacombs. You can use any of its barrows as a stepping stone to create your own in D&D. You can either look up the map for the specific area you want to build off of or play through it yourself first so you get a better feel for it.
After fully exploring the dungeon, you can view the map in its entirety. From there you can draw it in a notebook or take a picture of it and use it when the group begins their exploration. This will help give you the overall look of the dungeon but fleshing it out with monsters and items is a whole other story.
Copying and pasting the map from a dungeon is a viable option. But sometimes certain features don’t translate well to the tabletop. For instance, one of the most recent maps I pulled from was Skyrim’sKilkreath Ruins.
“It’s all about improvising and adapting.”
The party was heading into a temple of shadow and I wanted to use light as the main feature of the dungeon. This worked great as the ruins already used light to direct a path but it still wasn’t quite what I needed. So, I had to improvise to make it fit with the story I wanted to tell. This can be one of the biggest issues dungeon master’s can find with building a dungeon.
Change and Adapt
Knowing the tale you want to tell is important. Of course, you could always just put every monster, trap, and item from a Skyrim cave. But if you want a dungeon that reflects a certain enemy or design, try to search for dungeons with that in mind.
The majority of Skyrim’s catacombs can be boiled down to draugr and dragon priests. In Dungeons & Dragons terms, this roughly translates to zombies, skeletons, and a higher powered wight or ghoul. By knowing what the head monster is in your dungeon, you can build around it. Once the design is complete, use the prebuilt model to better suit your lead monster or creature.
“Imagine yourself as the minotaur and the dungeon you’re building is your maze.”
Items like books and tomes can also help you in the build process. If the original cavern has a book about torture, maybe the main villain is practiced in maiming and capturing adventurers instead of outright killing them. This could also change certain rooms in the dungeon. Instead of a door hiding a small bedroom it could lead to a torture chamber instead. It’s all about improvising and adapting.
Also, if there’s a door somewhere on the original map and you don’t want it there, move it or take it away. That room can be used for another dungeon if you need it later. Imagine yourself as the minotaur and the dungeon you’re building is your maze. The map can shift and change. If you think a room is better flipped on its side, then give it a go.
Whether it’s your first dungeon or your 100th, the design process can be difficult to manage. Pulling from video games or fiction and even real world locations is quick and simple. The next time you need to put together a cavern, tomb, or dungeon, don’t think too hard about it. And once you’re finished with the setup, having the right music as the party explore is always a bonus.
