Annabelle's Nerdy D&D Blog

  Flavoring is the act of adding a unique description or "spin" to a fundamental game mechanic, usually without changing aspects of how the mechanic works. It gives you the opportunity to create more vivid and memorable descriptions for the game you are running without having to worry about changing the balance. Flavoring might be as simple as saying that all magic this character casts are shades of green in colour or as involved as completely reskinning a magical item to make it fit better into your world. Injecting flavor into game mechanics will elevate your D&D sessions (or whatever TTRPG...

  Combat and time sensitive moments in D&D 5e are split into turns ordered in rounds for ease of running. A DnD round of combat take 6 seconds to complete. During one round of combat we assume each person is acting and moving concurrently. We split the round so each player and opponent gets a turn. Then, everyone rolls a dexterity based check called Initiative to see what order they take their turns in.   In this post I’ll be breaking 5e D&D turns down into their individual parts, and explaining what options and limits you have for each.     So how do DnD turns work?   Each turn lasts six...

  Session Zero is a dedicated session run before the campaign begins to go over ground rules and establish expectations. It's purpose is to create a space for open communication to understand each others boundaries, create characters, and build a solid foundation for your game. Running a Session Zero can be vital for the success of a campaign, especially when DMing for a group you haven’t played with before. I never used to run Session Zeros and now I wouldn’t start a campaign without one!   Let me guide you through the process…     How to run a successful Session...

Dungeon Masters (DMs) are the binding that bring every Dungeons and Dragons (DnD) game together. They bring the world to life, acting as narrator and referree whilst embodying every character the players meet. It is a DMs job to ensure that the adventure remains engaging and enjoyable for everyone involved. Being a great Dungeon Master requires a mix of creativity, communication, adaptability, and quick thinking. Above all though, it's about having fun and sharing that experience with your friends. Dungeon Mastering takes a lot of work, but it is so fun, so rewarding and so worth it! I’ve made a lot of...

DMPC’s or Dungeon Master Player Characters are levelled characters that are played by the DM of the group in addition to their normal DM’ing role. They often get a lot of bad rep online and to be honest I can see why. Playing a character is a lot of work. DM’ing a game is a lot of work. If you try and do both, chances are the quality of both will go down. That said, when created and played with thought, having a DMPC in the party can be great addition to your game. When DMPCs Work Well   DMPC’s...