Dungeons & Dragons News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

The revised rules for will begin its release this year, but the staggered schedule will prevent players from judging the edition’s balance until 2025. One D&D, or edition 5.5, is launching in a different order from the original 5e books. The fifth edition was released in August 2014, the in September, and the in December of that year. This year will see the revised and, but the new does not drop until 2025, making it impossible to properly evaluate its game design until the new year.

It is no secret that 's immense success has led to another boom in ' popularity. It uses the same basic rules, after all, being based on the tabletop RPG's fifth edition, known for being the simplest edition to date. Despite this, 5e was built for the tabletop, so Larian Studios chose to make changes to the rules in order for it to properly function as a CRPG title.

The various worlds making up have both inspired and been inspired by a massive library of excellent book series, with the best of them leaving an inarguable legacy on the franchise. Part of the joy of the world's most popular tabletop roleplaying game is the ability to forge uniqueunofficial settings in , creating a new story from scratch. But for many, staying within the familiar territory of pre-established lore is a much more comfortable prospect, and plenty of book series delve into these fantasy worlds.

has aided in the recent resurgence of being its biggest live game stream. For some, the show is the reason they got into 's fifth edition, and it is the gold standard as to what 5e can be, yet Matt Mercer and the cast seem intent on distancing themselves from Wizards of the Coast. As of March 2024, 's very own fantasy tabletop RPG, has entered beta testing.

is known for its many classes and spell casters. The warlock is unique in that its spell slots can regenerate with a short rest, but it comes with having far fewer spell slots compared to most other classes. All warlock spells are cast at their highest available spell slot as well, an additional difference to other classes, which plays on the idea of borrowed power via a pact.

Neil Newbon, the beloved actor being Astarion in makes his return to the world of albeit in a very different role. While Newbon has had a prolific career behind the microphone, his most popular character is undoubtedly the vampire rogue in Larian Studios' RPG for which he even earned the coveted Best Performance award at The Game Awards 2023. While he may not be returning to play Astarion in the near future, he's still doing some rather exciting with Wizards of the Coast on its ever-popular fantasy game series.

The upcoming adventure focuses on one of the most iconic villains in the tabletop game's history, but the return of another classic foe could have the potential to steal the show. As a multiversal romp through various settings, has its fair share of familiar faces from past adventures. All of these disparate pieces are linked by the Rod of Seven Parts, a separated and scattered artifact that needs to be reassembled if the party has any hope of defeating Vecna.

A new collection of apparel is coming courtesy of fashion company BlackMilk, and it's sure to attract attention from fans of the tabletop game and alike. 2024 is a big year for, with a robust lineup of product releases planned to commemorate its official 50th anniversary. Some of these come in the form of new books for tabletop play, but a number of major brand collaborations branch out into different markets.

Converse is celebrating 50 years of with a limited edition collection of sneakers and clothes that bring forth elements of the classic TTRPG (tabletop role-playing game). The celebration of ’s 50th anniversary in 2024 is a massive event that extends beyond the reach of the game itself. Aside from the new adventure book, Wizards of the Coast is also collaborating with LEGO to release thematic LEGO sets inspired by the universe of fantasy and its many worlds.

The heroic fantasy adventures of rely on many rules and subsystems, but the game is also full of magical items, spells, and class features that let players ignore some of those rules entirely. Some rules that are a major concern in low-level games are easily trivialized at higher levels, effectively removing them from play. Ranged attacks normally have a Disadvantage if the attacker is engaged in melee, but the Crossbow Expert feat removes this penalty entirely. In the same way, this combat rule has an exception: magic can remove worries about encumbrance, tracking rations, and much more.

The world of and are colliding in a brand new crossover for the platform battle royale game.

is an ever-changing, ever-growing game, and this ability to reinvent itself is part of why it's able to celebrate a 50th anniversary this year with an audience that's bigger than ever. It's also taking the opportunity to shake things up once more with a cavalcade of new books, including several core rulebooks that freshen up the ideas governing 's fifth edition for the past decade. Publisher Wizards of the Coast dropped the One D&D branding originally intended for the new products about a year ago, but it doesn't seem like it's reneged on any of its ambition.

LEGO has officially revealed an upcoming set for the 50th anniversary of the tabletop RPG, and it packs a lot of iconic elements into one design. The origins of the model come from a LEGO Ideas contest held in 2022, which picked one fan design as the winner to be produced as an actual set. Although the concept has undergone some revisions by official LEGO designers, the overall size, structure, and ideas of the contest winner all make it into the final product.

has been no stranger to recent controversy, and some new buzz around the involvement of AI has reignited tensions regarding the future of the game. Artificial intelligence has been a big talking point in the past couple of years, with developments in text, image, and video generation leaving many concerned about the future of artistic industries. As people look to companies for reassurance about creator rights and a focus on human work, they're often receiving the opposite in return.

The studio behind unexpectedly decent Mickey Mouse life sim Disney Dreamlight Valley are venturing into another fantasy land where anthropomorphic animals adventure with human chums, the Forgotten Realms setting of Dungeons & Dungeons. Today Gameloft announced they're making a D&D game offering a "hybrid of survival, life simulation and action RPG". They don't have much more to share about the game, not even a name, so presumably it won't be out for some time. Whatever it might be, it's headed to PC and consoles.

video game adaptations often focus on the high adventure that can be found within the tabletop experience, but a new life sim could shake things up from the standard. Life simulation games have become increasingly popular in recent years, from the spike in 's popularity to the ever-expanding realm of cozy indie games. It's a template that can be applied to just about anything if the execution is well-considered, and is certainly no exception.

There are many rules that tabletop RPG fans might consider iconic to , ranging from the natural 20 critical hit, to a cleric’s Turn Undead ability, but the addition of Opportunity Attacks redefined the flow of combat more than anything else in modern. Prior to the rule’s inclusion, the tactical complexity of battle was severely reduced, largely a function of opposing static numbers on a character sheet and a monster’s stat block. Opportunity Attacks made grid-based combat more rewarding, while significantly adding to the relevance of a melee-focused frontline.

One of the best parts of is the creativity and versatility that the game provides within the parameters of its rulesets and what the game master decides. While this can apply to any part of the game, one of the first and most important decisions for any campaign is what setting the adventure will take place in. There are many official settings, but a nearly endless supply of unofficial settings have also been shared with the community by talented creators.

Because of its wargaming roots, has always involved miniatures in some way. While some people prefer so-called theater of the mind exploration and combat, others prefer to use miniatures so that they have a tactile way to interact with the game world. There are a lot of officially licensed miniatures out there, from pre-painted sets representing the newest adventure books to unpainted kits players have to assemble themselves.

First appearing in the Unearthed Arcana playtests, magic tattoos became an official part of the world with the release of the sourcebook in 2020. Like just about everything else in, magic tattoos are unique character features with an emphasis on the supernatural. They can be used to both customize a character's appearance, and to give them a new set of powers at once. They're ideal for a wide variety of character types, since they don't require spell slots to use. With the right preparation, anyone can have a magic tattoo.

Since Wizards of the Coast has confirmed a rule revision is on the way for , many players have shifted their focus to the future of, but before the launch of the system, now is the perfect time to finally start a high level 5e campaign. The exact nature of the replacement rulebooks is still unclear to some since the developers promise full compatibility with existing 5e adventures, but the rules previewed thus far include fundamental changes for player characters. A final epic adventure with 5e rules has several merits.

Though is a fantastic video game that uses the 5e tabletop RPG system, it does not actually teach how to play may actually make it harder to adapt to the pen-and-paper game. The original and used the 2e rules, which were arguably the most needlessly complex of any system ever produced. These games aided some players in understanding 2e mechanics, along with general concepts for character backgrounds and roleplaying, but does not fare as well as a springboard towards tabletop gaming.

players will have five new books to look forward to in 2024 with a great mix of adventures and resources to dive into. 2024 is set to be a very big year for as the game celebrates its 50th anniversary and concludes its playtesting for the latest edition. So what exciting new goodies can be expected in 2023?

Starbreeze has struck a  deal with Wizards of the Coast to license Dungeons & Dragons for a new game, codenamed Project Baxter.

Starbreeze Studios is trading in its crime masks for dice. The Payday developer will be developing and self-publishing a game based on Wizards of the Coast's Dungeons & Dragons, with a planned release window of 2026. 

Payday devs Starbreeze are working on a co-op multiplayer game based on storied tabletop RPG Dungeons & Dragons. It’ll be out in 2026, and Starbreeze are being upfront with the fact it’ll be a games-as-a-service-type game.

Starbreeze, the studio behind games such as Payday 3, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, and The Darkness, has announced a partnership with Wizards of the Coast to develop and publish a new cooperative multiplayer game set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons.

Starbreeze Entertainment has announced Project Baxter, a new game based on the Dungeons & Dragons intellectual property from Wizards of the Coast. It will launch in 2026 with cross-play for “all major platforms,” and is both published and developed by Starbreeze Entertainment.

Starbreeze, the developer of the Payday series of games, has announced an officially licensed Dungeons & Dragons game due out at some point in 2026.

Dungeons & Dragons can be quite an expensive hobby. If you're meeting up at a friend's house and the Dungeon Master has created elaborate set pieces and maps, they've probably spent a pretty penny. If they provide the Player's Handbook and any other literature you might need and design the perfect encounters with mini figures and more, chances are none of that was cheap.

Dungeons & Dragons players are always looking for ways to add immersion – and style – to their campaign sessions. While DM screens and cute dice are always good steps, the upcoming release of the Deck of Many Things takes the cake.

Roll for initiative! Chris Pine is feeling good about the chances of Dungeons & Dragons 2. 

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Since its debut in 2020, Heroes’ Feast: The Official Dungeons & Dragons Cookbook has earned quite a reputation — both at the New York Times, where it ranks among the bestselling cookbooks of the decade, and with my 10-year-old daughter, who swears by the simplicity of its one-pan buttermilk biscuit recipe. Now its authors are back with a sequel titled Heroes’ Feast: Flavors of the Multiverse, a joyous romp through the dishes of the D&D multiverse. I’m happy to report that not only is it a great read, but it has the potential to level up the whole family when it comes to kitchen prowess.

A new Dungeons & Dragons actual play is in the works, featuring even more familiar faces from the voices and creatives of the gaming industry. Titled «Natural Six», the campaign posted the Kickstarter trailer—shown above—to their YouTube channel earlier this week (thanks, Dicebreaker). Leading the group as its DM is Harry McEntire, who is the voice of Noah from Xenoblade Chronicles 3. 

Doug Cockle, voice of Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher video games, is headlining a new Dungeons & Dragons actual play series called Natural Six. Announced on Monday, the 10-episode run will feature several other well known voice video game voice actors. The project is expected to go live on Kickstarter soon.

Dungeons & Dragons brings players together with its rich fantasy settings and collaborative, team exploration. The game, which spans decades, is a gateway into TTRPG for many and has become a beloved pastime for its attention to detail, unique plots, and ever-changing content. In particular, 5th Edition has been an important influence on the D&D timeline, bringing in new players from all over the world with exciting, reimagined content.

Suppose you want to get involved in the beautiful art of Dungeons & Dragons and adventure but need help knowing where to start. In that case, the official D&D Essentials Kit from DnD Beyond is the perfect place to start. With everything from a set of dice, an essential rule book, an adventure to get you started, maps so you know where you are going, and even item cards, the Essentials Kit has everything you need to start your first adventure, either as a Dungeon Master or as one of up to six players.

is a new collaborative DLC between Everbloom Games and Wizards of the Coast. With its dungeon-crawling gameplay and iconic locations from the Forgotten Realms, it's a surprisingly immersive experience that actually feels like. It also works as a nice family-friendly alternative to

is the latest in a list of major crossovers, and the new DLC brings a variety of iconic elements from the tabletop roleplaying game with it. Improving equipment, fighting monsters, and journeying through dangerous caves have long been a major part of, making some core gameplay tenets of feel like natural additions. The DLC doubles down on elements of roleplaying progression and channels them into classic tabletop avenues, with the inclusion of four classes particularly serving to set it apart from the typical experience.

Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons feels like a match made in heaven, what with them both being two of the most popular tabletop games you can find these days and the fact that both are owned by Wizards of the Coast. We've seen a bunch of crossovers between the two in the past, and the latest is one that even all of you D&D fans that aren't interested in MTG can get behind.

A special new batch of Minecraft DLC will arrive at the perfect time for those suddenly eager for more experiences like Baldur’s Gate 3. In partnership with Everbloom Games and Dungeons & Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast, Minecraft’s Dungeons & Dragons DLC is a story-driven action-adventure that merges the world of D&D with the iconic blocks of Minecraft. Not only does the DLC include locations and monsters from the game’s primary 5th edition setting, the Forgotten Realms, but it also introduces a whole range of role-playing mechanics – a class system, stats, and dice-based combat – in order to truly capture the D&D feeling for Minecraft.

Wizards of the Coast is closing out the 10-year run of the original 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons ruleset with a bang, sending several highly anticipated new books into the world ahead of its planned 2024 revision. While Phandelver & Below: The Shattered Obeliskand Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverserepresent traditional world-expanding splatbooks, the company’s October release is something new for Wizards — a singular product based on a storied magical item called the Deck of Many Things.

Movie fans are sharing the funniest cinematic moments from 2023 thus far – and we're not surprised to see Ryan Gosling's Ken top the list. We rounded up some of the top choices, which include everything from Dungeons & Dragons to Oppenheimer.

A Baldur's Gate 3 modder read the item description on Gale's underwear that suggests the wizard enchanted his own drawers and made it real.

It’s time to investigate the mysterious happenings at Morgrave University, explore the halls and academic offices. Oh, and to stop the cult of Vecna’s followers and foil his plans to claim more power–and the universe–in Dungeons & Dragons Online ’s new mini expansion, Vecna Unleashed , out today.

Daybreak Games and MMORPG.com have teamed up to give away 15 copies of Dungeons & Dragons Online: Vecna Unleashed Ultimate Edition.

Several of the core handbooks are on sale at Amazon, as are a bunch of expansions and campaigns.

The Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game franchise says it won't allow artists to use artificial intelligence technology to draw its cast of sorcerers, druids and other characters and scenery.

Dungeons & Dragons Online ’s brand new mini expansion, Vecna Unleashed, is on the way, and available for preorder today.