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I LOVE COLLABORATIVE SOTRYTELLING I LOVE CREATING THINGS TOGETHER I LOVE "YES AND"ING WITH OTHERS I LOVE "NO BUT WHAT ABOUT-"S I LOVE HEARIJG MY FRIENDS' IDEAS I LOVE BOUNDING OFF OF THEM I LOVE ART I LOVE STORIES I LOVE ALL THE DIFFERENT PASSIONS AND SKILLS REQUIRED I LOVE ALL THE DIFFERENT MEDIA IT TAKES I LOVE I LOVE I LOVE

pocketss

Ummm she's literally sensitive :/

anim-ttrpgs

“Generic” Monsters in Death Bed: An Impenetrably Medieval Dungeon Game

While not an OSR-type game itself, Death Bed is inextricably linked to the OSR and the OS that inspired the R by virtue of being a dungeon crawler. For Death Bed to survive, it has to be at least roughly compatible with classic and OSR fantasy dungeon modules, even if Death Bed doesn’t have elves or orcs or goblins or whatever.

This means that I do have to come up with something for PCs to do with coins in Death Bed even though the Death Bed setting “economy” uses coins even less than real medieval economies used coins. It also means I have to come up with Death Bed equivalents to a lot of the staple OSR monsters that are so commonplace in classic and OSR fantasy as to now be considered “generic” fantasy monsters like giant spiders, wolves, etc..

Also for Death Bed to survive, it has to stand out and represent the A.N.I.M. standard of quality and creativity. So, how can I do both?

The key to making “generic” monsters interesting is the same as making “non-generic” monsters interesting, you have to make their stats and abilities actually mean something, and result in different situations and tactical decision making than other monsters would in the same environment.

An example of not doing this I can think of is a particular D&D5e monster I don’t remember the name of, but one of its abilities is explicitly described as being able to take over the skeleton of a target and make the skeleton turn into an evil skeleton warrior inside their body and turn against them. That’s scary! What does this look like mechanically? It’s just XD6 HP damage…. And this describes a lot of D&D5e monsters actually. Extensively described abilities that only translate into doing more HP damage.

When monsters are just stat blocks that do X damage and have Y HP, there isn’t really must distinct about them in turn-based combat.

So, when tasked with including “generic” fantasy monsters in Death Bed, I have to make them distinct in some way. In a turn-based game, what makes fighting bandits different from fighting wolves? And what makes fighting wolves different from fighting giant spiders?

Well, bandits can talk. That alone means that a “fight” can go in all sorts of ways. Doing bandits that can talk, however, by A.N.I.M. standards, would mean writing at least one NPC in the group with a full set of “actionable information.” For this example let’s assume they are hollow bandits who can’t talk or reason and are just acting out the banditry they did in life. They’re still bandits, this is a large-scale mugging, not random murder for no reason.

So, they are liable to ambush the party and then wait for the party to hand over their stuff. If the party pays them, they’ll go away. If the party doesn’t pay them and it escalates to violence, they’re humans with swords and probably some armor. As hollows, their tactics won’t be extremely advanced, but they can still come in from different sides and use weapons that pose distinct threats by doing different types of damage. They are also likely to target the toughest-looking PCs first, because they know that with their fighters taken out, the non-combatants will be helpless. As hollows, they will also fight to the death. Living adversaries won’t typically do that. Also wearing armor means that PCs will have the most success using Piercing or Bludgeoning damage against them.

Now wolves. Unlike bandits, wolves want to eat the PCs’ bodies, there is no amount of coin that can satisfy them. Maybe they could be distracted by throwing them food, but there’s no way to know. They are also just as capable of executing a basic ambush and cutting off possible escape routes as the hollow bandits.

They don’t wield weapons, so their 1v1 tactics are very limited, but what they will do is gang up any vulnerable PC and try to drag them away from the rest of the group. They don’t need to engage with the most threatening PCs at all, as long as they can drag even one of them away, they win. Not having metal armor also means they are vulnerable to all form of damage, which is good for the PCs and increases their options. Another thing good for the PCs and the wolves is that the wolves have enough sense to retreat if they start taking too many casualties.

There’s a bunch of ways to do giant spiders. They might spin webs, attack out of holes, jump, just chase the target down, etc.. I don’t have time to go over every possibility in this post, but a monster that only attacks once the PCs are stuck in a web is definitely a different sort of fight to the kind that attacks before anyone is stuck in a web. Also, they have exoskeletons and a lot of relatively free-floating insides. This actually makes them very resistant to Bludgeoning damage relative to their size and strength. Being more resistant to Bludgeoning damage than Slashing or Piercing is a pretty significant reversal, and will make the PCs have to consider their individual attacks very differently than fighting the wolves or bandits.

I came up with a few more surprises for encounters like these, but I’m going to leave them surprises by not mentioning them in this post. I'm just laying out thoughts on how I can make even “generic” fights in Death Bed stand-out.

probablybadrpgideas

All swords are lesbians. Yes, even the non-enchanted, unintelligent ones

thirsty sword lesbians 2: thirsty lesbian swords

lokaror

ORC FACT

got your stupid ass. this is a gnome post. give me all the fucking berries right now

transfagrified-in-the-void

Here is a free pdf of the players handbook

Here is a free pdf of xanathars guide to everything

Here is a free pdf to monsters manual

Here is a free pdf to tashas cauldron of everything

Here is a free pdf to dungeon master’s guide

Here is a free pdf to volo’s guide to monsters

Here is a free pdf of mordenkainen’s tomb of foes

For all your dnd purposes

zxiqky-wicky

Reblogging for other dnd nerds

demon-rum

>^>

jacobtheloofah

also here is a whole website that not only has a shit ton of adventures and such but lets you search for any item or npc or whatever and see their stats and info at your fingertips

batmanisagatewaydrug

and here is the same version of the above website except it uses the 5e rules as they existed prior to the 2024 relaunch, which is what you’d prefer

brewerssupplies

I'd like to see someone make a one page rpg but really push the limits on the definition of one page. Like, yeah sure it's technically one page but that one page is a 6 foot long sheet of paper that if formatted normally would've been like 20 pages.

#one page but in red and blue inks so you can get 4 pages minimum out of it with the right glasses

brewerssupplies

I want to believe my ttrpg group will get together someday.

orcboxer

wizard college is going to kill me I swear to god. I just saw someone without a component satchel reach into their pocket and pull out a handful of LOOSE tapioca to use as a substitute for blood in their fell ritual. and it worked. I've never been so fucking mad.

orcboxer

experiencing microaggressions apparently

brewerssupplies

I think a funny thing to do would be to just have baseball in your fantasy setting. Completely unchanged if you'd like.

brewerssupplies

pitcher Glove perfec t size for put Christian baby in to throw! inside very Soft and Comfort baby very aerodynamic put baby in Pitcher Glove. Put Baby In Pitcher Glover. no problems ever in pitccher glove because good Shape to Throw Baby like baseBall. ABat yes a thing tos wing at christianbaby throw baby at batter Swing at Baby. Knock Baby outof thePark. win aMillion dollaars.

theresattrpgforthat

I'd love to know if there's any solo map making RPGS, specifically focused on fantasy!

THEME: Solo Maps, Fantasy-Heavy

Hello there! I've cultivated a bit of a list for you: not all of the games in this list are fantasy, but I'm hoping they still have bits and pieces that give you what you are looking for! There are also, as always, links to past games I've curated at the end of this post.

Welcome to: The Wolf Woods, by TTRPGkids.

The Wolf Woods refer to the old woods in what is now the Kilkenny region of Ireland. These woods were once home to packs of wolves along with legends of Faoladh, werewolves.

Faoladh were once considered protectors of children, the injured, and the lost. Overtime, these stories shifted towards those of curses and religious influence. Eventually, Irish wolves (real wolves) were also hunted to extinction as cities expanded.

This brochure is a game where you’ll explore shifting myths and the decline of Ireland’s wolf population in three different phases.

This is a small brochure that comes with a hexcrawl inside. You'll alter this hexcrawl throughout three phases of the game: Faodlah making the woods safer for the vulnerable, religious influences affecting myths about the woods, and wolf hunters hunting the wolf population to extinction.

I believe this is also meant to be somewhat of an educational game, as Kilkenny castle is a real place, and the game designer mentions that they pulled from Irish Mythology when designing the game. It looks fairly simple and quick to play, and it's got that touch of fantasy that might just tickle your interest!

Dodger, by Gasini.

Dodger is a solo hex-crawling escape game set in a western fantasy world. You play as the most notorious bandit in the lawless South-lands during their escape from the renowned lawman, The Silver Ranger. If you can lose the ranger in the Brushlands and make it across the border you'll be free!

This is a more pulp-fantasy game, but it's fairly straightforward. You are running across the hex map provided by the game book, towards a safe haven away from the Silver Ranger. You need dice, a deck of playing cards, and two tokens to represent the two characters. I'm assuming that dice rolls and card pulls will generate details about the hexes and the encounters found therein, and I'm also assuming that the game is fairly self-contained, throwing scenarios at you and then giving you a chance to react.

If you want something with a lot of guidance, and you also want the satisfaction of seeing your own unique version of the Southlands at the end of your run, you might want to check this game out!

Peak Calm, by ka1ikasan.

Peak Calm is a cozy solo hexcrawl TTRPG where you embody a forester in a recently reopened wildlife park. Closed and abandoned for many years, this park is today largely unknown and everything remains to be done: you will be required to map the area, discover its secrets and make it a better place. Are you ready?

This game is set in a national wildlife park, but I think it might be a style of game that you could use to inspire your own version that is fantasy-related! You use an empty hexmap and a notebook, using 2d6 to generate random elements that allow the map to form organically.

The goal of your character is kind of open: you could choose to restore the reputation of the park, discover all of the animals or plants within its borders, or even just strive to climb the highest peak. The game involves learning how to notate a map as you build it, picking up and managing gear, resting and shelters, encountering wildlife, and possibly even rescuing tourists!

If you want a game that gives you the chance to really dig into a location and make it feel lived in, you might like Peak Calm.

In Flanders Fields, by Nobile Press.

In Flanders Fields is a WW1 solo roleplaying experience where you explore the trenches of Flanders, map them out, and write about the events you witness or hear about.

In Flanders Fields is meant to be a reflective experience of a time now over 100 years ago. The First World War changed much of our world, and its horrors are still remembered to this day. This game explores those horrors.

In Flanders Fields is a heavier game when it comes to subject matter, as it is set in the terror and trauma of a WWII battlefield. You roll dice to generate the setting and the encounter, then draw, map, and label the trench line, including marking the names of the fallen. After each skirmish, you'll also roll to determine what kinds of correspondences you'll write: letters to the family of the fallen,, reports & complaints to higher-ups, requisitions for supplies, or even a poem.

This is a great option for folks who love a mix-media approach to play, as it partially uses mapping, but also partially uses a journal approach.

MIRU III, by HINOKODO.

MIRU III is a great game for folks who want to play alone (or with friends!), explore a randomly generated map (and draw it!), while managing survival resources & building up a character to take on a colossal enemy (or 3!). This game takes approximately 2-3hrs to complete in one shot & features violence and adult themes, for ages at least 13+ .

This is part of the highly popular MIRU series. All of these series games have hexcrawling as part of them, which involves filling out a series of interlocking hexes to create a segmented map that are randomly generated throughout play. The themes of each game are different: this one in particular is about defense, which means that you'll have a home base that you'll be venturing out from and retreating to, slowly unveiling the space around you while also trying to protect your home.

If you want to balance survival and resource management on top of map-making, or if you like the idea of playing a series of interconnected games, check this one out!

Escape the Citadel, by GraveRoot Press.

A solo labyrinth game about distance, pressure, and bad decisions.

Escape the Citadel is a minimalist solo exploration game about getting lost, doubling back, and pushing your luck. You start at the Citadel’s heart and carve your own maze outward, revealing spaces, surviving patrols, and trying to stay ahead of discovery for as long as you can.

This is a solo dice game with all of the rules on one page. It uses icons to teach you how to play in a succinct way. Your map will grow from the single space you start from, connecting in either a spidery web if you're playing on paper, or burgeoning bullet points if you're using a digital space.

On top of slowly creating a map, you'll also be dodging patrols, running into dead-ends, picking up items, and fighting when you have to. The map itself is kind of abstract- a kind of point-crawl, with only relevent information to what you're currently dealing with written onto the paper. At the end of the game, however, you'll have an idea of what kind of citadel you are escaping, and it might be enough to make you want to map it out in more detail!

Mail in the Megadungeon, by Z.R.Capell.

Mail in the Megadungeon in a single player half-map exploration, half-writing prompt solo game. You'll take the role of a corpse retriever who works in the Megadungeon, venturing down into its labyrinth to rescue those perished within, and then returning topside to learn what they've been up to.

The game includes rules for building an ever-changing dungeon map, a social web to keep track of NPCs, and NPC building and letter-writing prompts.

Mail in the Megadungeon has a pretty big list of things you need in order to play: a deck of playing cards, a deck of tarot cards, a deck of oracle cards, and a set of polyhedral dice. The playing cards represent the rooms of the dungeon, their suits determining specific details, with Aces representing stairs and Face cards including corpses.

Tarot cards, on the other hand, help you navigate what this game calls a Social Web: a series of relationships you build with the people you rescue as you move through the dungeon. You will draw from the tarot deck to represent the letters you get from people - and depending on you you save, those letters will change your story in their own way!

There's also elements that feel fairly standard to ttrpgs: you'll have hit points and magic points, resources you'll need to jealously guard as you dive into encounters. If you are a fan of Dungeon Meshi, you'll probably like this game.

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