D&D 5e Playtest: Psionics and the Mystic — Take Two

Back in July of last year, Unearthed Arcana unveiled the Mystic, a class for psions and psychic warriors. That document only charted the class as far as fifth level; this month’s post reworks the first five levels and expands the class to tenth level. I found last July’s version conceptually […]


D&D 5e: The Survivalist Ranger Archetype

My thoughts turned back to the Ranger class recently, as I’m working toward the release of a PDF of ranger archetypes through the OGL. I’ve written two so far, the Lantern-bearer and the Stormcloak, and coming up with a third seemed fitting. At first I was thinking of doing something […]


Review: Sorcerer King

I’ve just won my first map of Sorcerer King, a new-ish 4X from Stardock. It’s part of the same continuity as Fallen Enchantress, which has been a go-to fantasy 4X for me for a few years now (especially with the Legendary Heroes update). There’s a lot to love about FE, […]


LARP Design: Circle Tests

By request from a reader, I’m talking today about Circle Tests in LARPs. These are far from universal in live-action games or any other kind of game, and I am far from an authority on all of the best practices around them. To my knowledge, the term comes from Shattered […]


D&D 5e Playtest: Kits of Old

This month’s Unearthed Arcana is another brief one, but to be fair, Mearls has less time around the holidays just like the rest of us. “Kits of Old” looks back to 2e’s kit system to find the gold among the dross. The short version of the result is that I […]


D&D 5e: Apostate and Renegade Wizards 1

Today I have for you a subclass – well, two subclasses, but heavily overlapping – that rely on some setting assumptions about wizards that are definitely not true in all settings. If you’re not already allowing and banning subclasses based on how they fit your campaign’s theme, cosmology, and society, […]


D&D 5e: The Homunculus 1

In the LARP that I work on, one of the races available to players is the Homunculus. It’s less like D&D homunculi and more like Frankenstein’s Monster; as with Shelley’s original, they are fully sentient. Within the setting, they are widely abused and mistreated by their wizardly creators, though some […]


D&D 5e: The Stormcloak Ranger Archetype 2

I create a lot of subclasses in this blog, because subclasses are fun and interesting to design. In this case, as with the Lantern-bearer Ranger Archetype, I’m looking for thematically appealing ways to address some of the ranger’s shortcomings on the damage-output side. I’d also like for high-level rangers to […]


Design Comparison: Exploration and Journeys

Far over the Misty Mountains cold To dungeons deep and caverns old We must away ere break of day, To seek the pale enchanted gold. —The Hobbit On one hand, talking about the Ranger class in this blog has had me reading the Exploration rules. On the other, I’ve been […]


D&D 5e Playtest: That Old Black Magic

This month’s Unearthed Arcana is on the small side, but it punches well above its weight in the Rule of Cool. Technically, all that is here is a new subrace and five new spells. On the other hand, it’s breaking tieflings down into subraces – a welcome change – and […]