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Thieves used a d4 hit die in all versions of the Basic rules prior to 1983. I started with Moldvay Basic in the early 80s.

Chapter 43 Greghan shook his head, looking around at the chaotic aftermath of the temple battle. His eyes finally focused on Leana, who had grabbed Folgar’s healing kit and was using its to stabilize the stricken dwarf. “I… that woman, she… are you all right?” “I will be,” Leana said without...

I like the Exhaustion option for the life drain mechanic, but I don't see the existing effects as any less "scary" or meaningful than in previous editions. In a recent session I had a mid-level character take a critical hit from a chasme demon (as a note, they do 7d6 necrotic/life drain with no...

Well, self-published, anyway. My fiction is available at Smashwords and the Amazon Kindle store.

I like that player characters are more durable; I don't miss the one-hit-and-you're-dead style from the early editions, and the various save-or-die effects that were common in the early incarnations of the game. I like the shift toward inclusivity within the game and the hobby as a whole. I like...

Wow, eight players, that seems like a handful. I once showed up to a Meetup game at a local pub where there were nine players; I decided that was too much for me. My current groups all have five or six players, which can itself get a bit chaotic at times (and usually requires significant bumps...

I started playing 5e in 2019 with local meetups in my city (mostly single sessions). I started running campaigns online in 2020 during the pandemic. My Saturday group uses text chat instead of voice chat so it plays through the same content much slower. Campaign Name; Time PlayedDM/Player...

I did notice that PotC is the only pact that doesn't have a higher-level invocation dedicated to it, unlike Blade and Tome. But I still think the familiar can be useful at higher levels, especially using Gaze of Two Minds to cast spells remotely. I'm sure my player will come up with interesting...

I've noticed this as well; one of the players in my aforementioned group is a PotC warlock and at low levels the imp is insane; 21hp, invisible at will, and resummonable as an action (with the only limit a trivial 10gp cost)? That can turn a lot of low-level encounters absolutely trivial. As I...

Similar experiences with 2024 arcanists. Innate Sorcery and Chromatic Orb is an excellent combo, but Sorcerous Burst is plenty fine when you run out of spell slots. I got an 8+8+6 shot on a low-level boss that was fun; at higher levels the chances of rolling an 8 on at least one die become quite...

The list was put together by 16 designers, including people like Keith Baker, Ed Greenwood, Mike Mearls, and Chris Perkins. Totally agree about the pro-TSR/WotC bias (which the article acknowledges in the intro), and of course many great adventures have been published since then, but I was just...

WPM is highly regarded by a lot of people, including the panel of designers who rated the top-30 D&D adventures of all time in Dungeon magazine in 2004. They rated it #9; Mike Mearls called it, "crazy, over the top, pure fun," which was the core of its appeal. I was glad to see it included in...

Thanks! But the ogre zombie was just a warm up... * * * Chapter 41 “They certainly would have heard that,” Ravani said, edging forward again to scout. The hallway bent sharply to the right a short distance beyond where the ogre zombie had been waiting, and the elf warily approached that...

That last point is an important one; who is carrying a light source can become hugely important in certain circumstances. In a recent session the party was exploring a very large cavern complex; the fighter carries a flame tongue so visibility isn't usually an issue. But when they encountered a...

Chapter 40 This time there was no hesitation, no poking about for clues. Leana led them directly to one of the caves situated high along the rim of the ravine, one that they’d bypassed earlier. From a distance it didn’t look like much, certainly nothing that screamed, “secret hold of an...

I generally don't worry too much about consumables like torches and flasks of oil, but I do track illumination. I'll usually ask players what they are doing when they enter an area where it would matter, and like some of the other posters I remind them of the consequences of relying on...

Chapter 39 “Bloody… hells,” Greghan gasped, as Leana worked another of the goblin arrows free. “Gods above, Gregho, how many times did you get hit?” Ravani asked. “I thought the armor was supposed to protect against that?” “Little bastards were good with those bows,” Greghan admitted, as...

Chapter 38 Leana was at Ravani’s side in moments. “Take it easy,” she said, helping the injured elf to a heap of animal furs that apparently served as beds for the cave’s inhabitants. She examined the deep wound, careful not to touch the arrow sticking out of his belly. “I can get this out...

Chapter 37 Ravani cautioned them to quiet as he carefully pulled open the secret door. They were immediately greeted by the sounds of voices; Greghan couldn’t understand the language, but it sounded like an argument was taking place. “Goblin tongue,” Folgar whispered, just loud enough for him...

Thanks for the praise. After so many years of writing D&D stories, I think combat scenes have become a specialty of mine. I think it helps with my narration in the tabletop game as well. I have finished writing the story, though I still have a month's worth of posts. Once it's done I'll see...