Taking 20 Podcast

Ep 223 - Monster Series - Aboleths and Algholthu

Aboleths and Algholthu are amphibious creatures who feel they are gods whose domains have been wrongfully stolen from them by those who they feel should be their slaves.  They are extremely savvy fighters who remember eons of combats and use those lessons when the PCs show up to try to kill them.  In this episode we talk about these huge aberrations and how to use them in your game.

 

#dnd #5e #pf2e #aboleths #algholthu #aberrations

Resources:

D&D 2025 - Creative Commons - https://www.wargamer.com/dnd/edition-2024-sourcebooks-srd-creative-commons

Riches and Liches - D&D Lore: Monster Lab - Aboleth https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwHRDlgi5QI&t=298s

The Monsters Know What They’re Doing - Aboleths by Keith Amman - https://www.themonstersknow.com/aboleth-tactics/

The Lords of Madness - The Book of Aberrations

Ep 222 - Epilogues

One sure way to put a period (or even a question mark) on the end of your campaign or adventure is by using one or more epilogue scenes.  In this episode we talk about tips and tricks for creating those wrap-up scenes at the very end.

 

#dnd #5e #pf2e #dmtips #gmtips #Epilogues

Resources:

Ginny Di - Give your D&D Campaign the epilogue it deserves - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jamWxX3kC4

 

Ep 221 - Rules Light RPGs

Sometimes we want a break from the rules heavy games and want to play something light and easy.  Sometimes people we know are interested in playing RPGs but we don’t want to throw them into the deep end of a complicated RPG with 1,000 pages of rules.  Rules Light RPGs can be a nice break from the usual routine and can introduce some people we know to the hobby that we love.

#dnd #5e #pf2e #RulesLight #dmtips

Resources:

Clay-O-Rama:  https://media.wizards.com/2017/dnd/dragon/D15_Clay-O-Rama.pdf

Mork Borg - https://www.morkborg.com/ 

Fiasco - https://bullypulpitgames.com/products/fiasco 

Lasers and Feelings - http://www.onesevendesign.com/laserfeelings/ 

The Witch Is Dead - https://gshowitt.itch.io/the-witch-is-dead 

Bark Against Evil - https://thebigtabletop.itch.io/bark-against-evil 

Routers - https://clutterarranger.itch.io/routers

Ep 220 - Preparing to Take a Break

Sometimes a break is inevitable.  Your campaign needs to go on hiatus for one reason or another.  If you know it’s coming, what can you do to prepare your game for a leave of absence?  Tune in this week and find out. 

 

#dnd5e #pf2e #dnd #dmtips #gmtips #TakeABreak

Ep 219 - Let Players Use New Abilities

Some DMs treat new character abilities as puzzles to solve or speedbumps on the path to kill the PCs.  As characters level up, they will get all kinds of abilities, some of which are carefully selected and crafted by the players.  In this episode, I give DMs some practical advice for embracing these new character abilities.

 

Resources:

None

Ep 218 - The Power of DM Words

within the game.  The way we describe encounters, how we interact with our players, and whether or not to offer advice can make a game session fun and engaging, combative, miserable, or boring.  In this episode I offer some tips for choosing your words carefully while running a game and helping to ensure players get the information they need without losing agency over their characters.

 

Resources:

20 Tips for Becoming a Better DM:  https://www.trichotome-design.com/blog/2017/4/29/20-tips-for-becoming-a-better-dm-lessons-learned-at-the-table

Ep 217 - Monster Series - Dragons 2 and the PF2e Monster Core Review

A listener wrote in asking for more details about dragons and I’m happy to oblige.  They are complex creatures that have a lot of abilities and long lifespans for good reason.  In this episode I talk about more draconic features and briefly review the Pathfinder 2e Monster Core Rulebook recently released by Paizo

 

Resources:

Archives of Nethys - https://2e.aonprd.com/ 

Pathfinder 2e Monster Core Rulebook - https://paizo.com/products/btq02ej4 

Remaster Previews - Diabolic Dragon - https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6sial 

Remaster Previews - Mirage Dragon - https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6siax 

Remaster Previews - Fortune Dragon - https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6sii7 

Remaster Previews - Conspirator Dragon - https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6sihv 

Remaster Previews - Adamantine Dragon - https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6sihh 

Remaster Previews - Horned Dragon - https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6siio 

Remaster Previews - Empyreal Dragon - https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6sij4 

 

Cowbell and cow sound effects courtesy of Pixabay

Ep 216 - Should Players Plan During Combat?

Some groups keep combat conversations barebones, only allowing brief phrases to be exchanged during combat.  In this episode, I’ll give some pros and cons about allowing players to talk during combat and provide some tips for DMs who are unsure whether they’d allow this.

#dmtips #gmtips #dnd #pf2e

Resources:

https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/13f4yva/dms_do_you_allow_your_players_to_talk_to_each/

 

https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/dungeons-dragons-discussion/dungeon-masters-only/90847-combat-in-game-talking

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/DMAcademy/comments/112v0nf/do_you_let_your_players_discuss_tactics_in_combat/

Ep 215 - House Rules to Make Your Game Harder

Some players want a hard game.  They’ve been there, done that and got the scars to prove it.  They want something more difficult and more punishing.  In this episode I float some ideas on how you can give your game some teeth and make it a little or a lot more difficult for your PCs.

 

#dmtips #gmtips #dnd #5e #pf2e #GameDifficulty

Ep 214 - House Rules to Make Your Game Easier

Sometimes you as the DM want to make the game a little easier for the players.  Maybe the players are new or just want a game where they feel like gods among men.  There are a myriad of ways to make a game easier.  In this episode, I discuss a few of them.

 

#dmtips #gmtips #houserules #dnd5e #pf2e