https://www.cbr.com Read up on the latest Dungeons & Dragons News, Reviews and Features from the team at CBR. Fri, 22 Sep 2023 20:12:36 GMT en-US hourly 60 The Thief Roguish Archetype is the closest to a default rogue subclass in Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition. It covers the archetypal rogue whose abilities lend themselves more to quick thinking and action than spellcasting or meticulous assassinations. The D&D 5e Thief rogue has versatile features that tend towards utility and a bit of combat strength.

]]> Fri, 22 Sep 2023 20:12:36 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-5e-thief-rogue-build-guide/ Larian Studios smashed all expectations with their August 2023 release of Baldur's Gate 3, with gamers coming in their droves to try out this D&D-inspired masterpiece. In fact, Baldur's Gate 3 is literally based on the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop role-playing system, integrating familiar classes, races, monsters, items, spells and much more into a huge gaming experience.

]]> Fri, 22 Sep 2023 17:00:20 GMT https://www.cbr.com/baldurs-gate-3-best-dungeons-and-dragons-monsters/ The dragon of the most iconic creatures in all of fantasy, and half of Dungeons & Dragons' namesake. As a result, it's no surprise that dragons remain some of D&D's deadliest creatures. Every dragon is an epic, powerful creature with immense physical strength, elemental breath, and often magical prowess to boot.

]]> Fri, 22 Sep 2023 16:00:23 GMT https://www.cbr.com/strongest-types-of-dragons-dungeons-dragons/ The fighter is one of Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition's most straightforward classes. It focuses on making simple weapon attacks with no additional complexity, such as spellcasting, in the base class. Some D&D 5e fighter subclasses add complex new mechanics to add versatility and power. The Samurai Martial Archetype instead enhances the fighter's toolkit with straightforward new features.

]]> Thu, 21 Sep 2023 20:15:41 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-5e-samurai-fighter-build-guide/ Baldur's Gate 3 adapts Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition's character creation and combat well to a video game RPG. Not every D&D 5e option is available in BG3, but the most crucial and core features are there. This extends to many of D&D 5e's feats, used to improve a character's capabilities every four class levels.

]]> Thu, 21 Sep 2023 12:30:16 GMT https://www.cbr.com/bg3-rpg-dnd-best-feats/ For many players new to Dungeons & Dragons, learning the mechanics of the game and endeavoring into that very first adventure can be daunting. Both players and Dungeon Masters who started adventuring in 2014 with the original D&D 5e Starter Set no doubt found themselves delving deep into The Lost Mine of Phandelver, the set's accompanying starter adventure. Designed to see Level 1 players through to Level 5, The Lost Mine of Phandelver was an adequate taste of the game, but there was always the potential for so much more adventure.

]]> Wed, 20 Sep 2023 12:30:20 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-phandelver-and-below-the-shattered-obelisk-review/ Actual-play shows and streams where the cast plays a tabletop roleplaying game have become increasingly popular over the last several years. There is a vast abundance of shows featuring different players, Game Masters, games, and themes, each with unique stories and lore. Getting into actual-plays as a new viewer can be difficult, and the first challenge is always deciding where to begin. Obstacles like time commitment, knowledge of existing lore, and differing play-style preferences can be daunting to overcome.

]]> Tue, 19 Sep 2023 18:50:37 GMT https://www.cbr.com/critical-role-exu-calamity-starting-point/ Sorcerers are one of Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition's hardest classes to build. Their limited spells known, class features, and Metamagic force a sorcerer player to choose one role they want to excel in. The class is one of D&D 5e's least versatile sorcerers, made up for with its ability to specialize.

]]> Tue, 19 Sep 2023 17:50:38 GMT https://www.cbr.com/best-dd-sorcerer-multiclass-combos/ When the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes began, audiences started questioning whether their favorite entertainment media would be impacted. The answers are complex and vary on a case-by-case basis due to the nuances of established contracts and potential interim agreements. Tabletop-roleplaying game fans were especially unsure if the strikes would significantly impact actual-play shows like Critical Role and Dimension 20, since their cast rosters and crews heavily feature members of both unions. At the moment, both shows are still in production and are visibly and vocally supportive of the strikes. While this support may seem contradictory with continued production to some fans, it comes down to a few distinctions between the regulations for different types of media and the companies that produce them.

]]> Tue, 19 Sep 2023 15:30:26 GMT https://www.cbr.com/writer-actor-strikes-critical-role-dimension-20/ Although Critical Role has far higher production values than most tables and an experienced cast of voice actors playing, it's a Dungeons & Dragons game at heart. Character-building is a vital part of the game that affects a player's experience for years to come. While every Critical Role character is memorable and likable, some stand out in terms of power.

]]> Tue, 19 Sep 2023 14:00:22 GMT https://www.cbr.com/critical-role-strongest-player-characters/ Like most Dungeons & Dragons games, Critical Role is about the player characters first and foremost. Vox Machina, The Mighty Nein, and Hell's Bells are all stuffed with epic heroes for the fan to root for. However, they need somebody else to stand against. This is where Critical Role's many villains come in, all originally played by DM Matthew Mercer.

]]> Tue, 19 Sep 2023 12:31:18 GMT https://www.cbr.com/critical-role-dungeons-and-dragons-best-villains-ranked/ Tabletop games have directly or indirectly inspired nearly every video game ever made. Many video gaming conventions, designs, and even mechanics draw from the ways humans have been playing games for thousands of years. However, Dungeons & Dragons has had an outsized impact on the video games industry by kickstarting the roleplaying game genre.

]]> Mon, 18 Sep 2023 18:20:33 GMT https://www.cbr.com/best-dnd-inspired-video-games/ Unlike many other Dungeons & Dragons web shows, Dropout's Dimension 20 has a more anthology format to its storytelling. Each season tells its own narrative, largely disconnected from the others. There are some sequels with overarching storylines, but the show mostly follows self-contained campaigns, each in its own setting.

]]> Mon, 18 Sep 2023 17:01:23 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dimension-20-dungeons-and-dragons-campaign-locations-ranked/ Critical Role's core cast of Dungeons & Dragons characters, alongside the veteran voice actors portraying them, are well-loved by most show fans. Even the most contentious characters tend to have sizable fanbases. However, these aren't the only heroes in Critical Role's campaigns. The series has a proud history of guest stars, and many are friends or colleagues of the cast.

]]> Mon, 18 Sep 2023 14:00:22 GMT https://www.cbr.com/best-critical-role-cameos/ The online tabletop multitool Roll20, popular with Dungeons & Dragons players, has revealed plans to implement the map-making tool Dungeon Scrawl to its myriad features.

]]> Sun, 17 Sep 2023 20:11:20 GMT https://www.cbr.com/roll20-adds-dungeon-scrawl-function-for-real-time-dnd-mapmaking/ Dungeons and Dragons has existed for nearly 50 years. In that time, it has introduced a ton of inventive and incredible settings for players to explore. With so much content available for a Dungeons and Dragons campaign, it can be overwhelming to decide on a setting. Every game of D&D needs an exciting world to explore after all. Many DMs can create their own world from scratch, but D&D provides many unique settings to play in as well.

]]> Sun, 17 Sep 2023 14:50:19 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-game-settings-ranked/ The druid is one of the many iconic classes in Dungeons & Dragons. Capable of assuming the forms of various animals, druids draw their power from the environment to cast a myriad of spells. Their subclasses are the druid Circles, representing different aspects of the natural world and different ways of interfacing with them.

]]> Sat, 16 Sep 2023 19:31:19 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dungeons-dragons-best-druidic-circles-ranked/ Critical Role is a Dungeons & Dragons podcast best known for its epic combat setpieces and comedic atmosphere. Like most D&D tables, its cast prefer to keep things light-hearted and entertaining most of the time. However, Critical Role's stories and characters have plenty of opportunities for tragedy.

]]> Fri, 15 Sep 2023 20:15:21 GMT https://www.cbr.com/sad-critical-role-moments/ Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition's wizards are magical generalists, able to learn and prepare more arcane spells than any class in the game. However, the most basic wizard subclasses give specializations within that generalist framework. School of Divination wizards in D&D 5e are experts in information in all its forms.

]]> Fri, 15 Sep 2023 18:00:21 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-best-divination-wizard-build/ When starting out, the task of running a game of Dungeons & Dragons can be intimidating. This leads many novice Dungeon Masters to choose a pre-written adventure for their first campaign. A premade D&D 5e module can reduce prep time and the mental overhead involved in DMing and still be customized to suit the table's tastes. Lost Mine of Phandelver is no longer the go-to introduction, having been replaced with Dragon of Stormwreck Isle in the new starter set. Nonetheless, it's worthy of consideration for a group's first adventure.

]]> Fri, 15 Sep 2023 16:30:19 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-5e-lost-mine-phandelver-guide/ Dungeons & Dragons is filled with countless monsters that a Dungeon Master can include in a given campaign. More monsters are added in almost every new D&D setting, giving DMs even more options to throw at their players. The monsters included in a campaign help set the tone and can also work to establish a specific location with the world. Some monsters can be found just about anywhere, but others are extremely specialized for certain environments.

]]> Thu, 14 Sep 2023 19:30:21 GMT https://www.cbr.com/most-powerful-strongest-water-aquatic-monsters-dungeons-dragons/ Wizards are Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition's arcane magical generalists, capable of learning more spells than any other class. However, many D&D 5e wizard subclasses specialize in one area of magic, and the School of Transmutation Arcane Tradition, for example, focuses on the changeable properties of physical matter.

]]> Wed, 13 Sep 2023 21:16:16 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-rpg-transmutation-wizard-build-player-guide/ The Light Domain in Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition harnesses the power of sun gods and their like to strike down foes. They're one of D&D 5e's most offensively oriented subclasses, particularly for the cleric class. Most of a Light Domain cleric's features encourage the player to stay at arm's length and blast their enemies with fire and radiance.

]]> Wed, 13 Sep 2023 19:14:53 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-light-cleric-build-guide-5e/ Critical Role, the actual play Dungeons & Dragons streaming show, and media franchise, has been around since 2015, starting with the Vox Machina campaign. The brand rose to notoriety quickly after its launch, but its fame has only grown since. While Critical Role's Twitch show amassed roughly 60,000 to 75,000 viewers per episode in the first campaign, the series now averages 1.2 million to 1.5 million viewers between its Twitch and YouTube channels for each live episode.

]]> Wed, 13 Sep 2023 15:11:21 GMT https://www.cbr.com/mighty-nein-origins-comic-best-critical-role/ One of the key components in Dungeons & Dragons has always been magic. From wizards and bards to sorcerers and warlocks, there are plenty of opportunities to build a spell-wielding adventurer that not only keeps the party safe but wreaks havoc whenever they step into battle. Of all the magic users, warlocks are one of the least complicated classes to play, but they aren't any less powerful or terrifying to behold when facing off against them.

]]> Tue, 12 Sep 2023 21:15:14 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dungones-dragons-perfect-warlock-build/ The Mastermind Roguish Archetype in Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition specializes in intrigue and deception. The subclass takes the impressive skills of a D&D 5e rogue and encourages the player to bring them to bear in social situations to stay on top of any interaction the party has.

]]> Tue, 12 Sep 2023 15:56:22 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-mastermind-rogue-build-guide/ When it comes to Dungeons & Dragons, some of the most iconic spells that players can cast are those that reliably deal significant amounts of damage. Spells like Fireball and Magic Missile are iconic in D&D, as they allow spellcasters to easily contribute serious damage in combat.

]]> Mon, 11 Sep 2023 14:50:21 GMT https://www.cbr.com/best-highest-damaging-spells-dungeons-dragons/ There's plenty to recommend a bard in Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition. The bard class's ability to excel in all aspects of D&D is a perk few other classes can match. Their range of skills, abilities, and spells sets them apart from nearly every other D&D 5e character in terms of versatility.

]]> Sun, 10 Sep 2023 14:50:20 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-best-bard-multiclass-combos/ The 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons Player's Handbook gives a decent enough collection of races to choose from for character creation. But after a while, those races just become boring. A party can only have so many elves before they need to spice things up. Thankfully, Dungeons and Dragons has since included a wide variety of playable options once relegated to the Monster Manual.

]]> Sun, 10 Sep 2023 14:11:18 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dungeons-and-dragons-best-playable-monster-races/ The cleric is Dungeons & Dragons' most famous support class, present in every edition from the very first. However, D&D Fifth Edition has striven to diversify the cleric through its subclasses, known as cleric Domains. Clerics who follow various aspects of different gods are good at vastly different areas of D&D gameplay.

]]> Sat, 09 Sep 2023 14:50:20 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dungeons-dragons-best-clerics-ranked/ A Dungeons & Dragons party outsmarted their DM by turning throwaway junk into makeshift footwear.

]]> Sat, 09 Sep 2023 14:00:20 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-reddit-sand-shoes-story/ The blood hunter is an unofficial Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition class created by Critical Role's Matt Mercer. Despite its unofficial nature, it's far more widespread and included than most homebrew, not least due to being available on D&D Beyond. Blood hunters pair martial combat with unique abilities that tap into blood's occult potential.

]]> Sat, 09 Sep 2023 11:22:21 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-5e-most-powerful-blood-hunter-critical-role-build/ Dungeons & Dragons 5e's wizard class is the broad arcane magic generalist, able to learn a much wider range of spells than any other caster. However, its Player's Handbook subclasses supplement this by specializing in one of D&D's eight schools of magic. The School of Illusion wizard is a master of tricking the mind with sights, sounds, and even sensations that aren't there.

]]> Thu, 07 Sep 2023 17:29:14 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-5e-illusion-school-wizard-build/ The sorcerer class in Dungeons & Dragons represents an innately powerful magician. Sorcerers get their powers through raw talent and an inherently magical nature rather than through rigorous study or cunning deals. Given that, sorcerers have access to some of the most powerful spells D&D has to offer.

]]> Thu, 07 Sep 2023 14:50:18 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-sorcerer-best-worst-spells/ The Circle of the Land is Dungeons & Dragons 5e's most straightforward druid subclass. It lacks the iconic Combat Wild Shape of the Circle of the Moon, and is much less of a melee combatant. Instead, Circle of the Land druids lean into the class' spellcasting and use magic to solve their problems and support their party.

]]> Thu, 07 Sep 2023 13:56:23 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-5e-land-druid-build-guide/ Worlds Beyond Number, a TTRPG podcast from Dimension 20 & Critical Role alumni Brennan Lee Mulligan, Erika Ishii, Lou Wilson and Aabria Iyengar, celebrates the close of their Dungeons & Dragons campaign The Wizard, the Witch, and the Wild One's first chapter with a Hayao Miyazaki-inspired animated trailer.

]]> Wed, 06 Sep 2023 21:26:28 GMT https://www.cbr.com/worlds-beyond-number-wizard-witch-wild-one-video/ The Archfey is one of the most traditional warlock Patrons in Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition. Making a pact with a powerful fey creature turns a warlock into a master of deception, enchantment, and illusion. The Archfey Patron makes for less of a combat-oriented warlock in return for one who can shine in most other circumstances.

]]> Wed, 06 Sep 2023 20:45:18 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-5e-archfey-warlock-build-guide/ The Underdark is home to some of the most influential creatures of Dungeons & Dragons lore. The brain-eating mind flayers and all-powerful beholders claim this area as their home along with the drow and the duergar. With so many powerful beings, the Underdark is a perfect location for high-level D&D adventures.

]]> Wed, 06 Sep 2023 16:30:19 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dungeons-dragons-5e-powerful-underdark-monsters-ranked/ The artificer is the first and only full class added to Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition. It fills a vital niche on both a mechanical and thematic front. Artificers are magical tinkerers as at home with the mechanical as they are with magic. They're also D&D 5e's only arcane half-caster, acting as a counterpart to the divine paladin and ranger.

]]> Tue, 05 Sep 2023 21:15:17 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-5e-most-powerful-artificer-build/ Every quest and grand adventure has to have a beginning, and most Dungeons & Dragons quests involve some form of combat. Choosing the appropriate type of foe for the players is vital for setting the campaign's tone. The early enemies of a campaign are essential in hooking the player's attention and getting their characters wrapped up in the stories to come.

]]> Tue, 05 Sep 2023 16:30:20 GMT https://www.cbr.com/monsters-low-level-adventurers/ In Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition, feats are one of the prime ways of customizing a character. They're optional abilities that players can take for their characters instead of gaining Ability Score Increases. They give powerful and wide-ranging features unlike anything seen in any of 5e's classes or subclasses.

]]> Tue, 05 Sep 2023 14:51:17 GMT https://www.cbr.com/best-dnd-5e-feats/ The Dungeons & Dragons sourcebook Mythic Odysseys of Theros presents a world inspired by Ancient Greece. In addition to new races, subclasses, beasts and backgrounds, the book also introduces an all-new pantheon of Theros gods. True to the sourcebook's inspiration, the Theros pantheon and its 15 gods are very involved in mortal lives -- which gives players and Dungeon Masters tons of new material and influences to explore.

]]> Mon, 04 Sep 2023 17:51:19 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dungeons-dragons-mythic-odysseys-theros-pantheon/ Critical Role is unlike a regular Dungeons & Dragons game in many ways. Most tables cannot hope to match the production values, scope, and sheer acting talent of Critical Role and its cast in their own home games. In other ways, however, Critical Role is like any other campaign. One of these ways is players' ability to alter the story with a single radical decision.

]]> Mon, 04 Sep 2023 17:10:18 GMT https://www.cbr.com/player-decisions-that-changed-critical-role/ The sorcerer is an inherently chaotic Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition class. In the lore, sorcerers develop magic by accident of birth or through some innate change to their being rather than through worship or study. The D&D 5e Wild Magic Sorcerous Origin doubles down on this chaos by infusing utter randomness into almost every ability.

]]> Mon, 04 Sep 2023 16:17:40 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-5e-wild-magic-sorcerer-guide/ Acclaimed Magic: The Gathering and tabletop game designer Teeuwynn Woodruff passed away on August 28th, 2023.

]]> Mon, 04 Sep 2023 15:41:01 GMT https://www.cbr.com/teeuwynn-woodruff-obituary/ For many Dungeons & Dragons players, it's hard to take the Bard class seriously. Because of their high charisma, their persuasion and performance skills allow them to convince just about anyone to do whatever they want while standing on their head and juggling fireballs. They've gained reputations for their promiscuity, and with good reason. Bards are so charismatic that everyone wants a chance to say they had a shot with a legend.

]]> Sun, 03 Sep 2023 16:30:20 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dungeons-dragons-bard-colleges-ranked/ Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves was a massively successful blockbuster that helped shake up the theaters with a fun and innovative movie without needing to break the mold. Amid a multitude of superhero movies, Honor Among Thieves strikes the same nerve, but with a methodology that feels fresh.

]]> Sun, 03 Sep 2023 14:30:18 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-honor-among-thieves-features-right-wrong/ The Draconic Bloodline is Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition's most straightforward Sorcerous Origin. Its features revolve around durability, elemental damage, flight, and other things that are always useful in almost every D&D campaign. Nonetheless, the Draconic Bloodline is still a D&D 5e sorcerer subclass and has to be built carefully.

]]> Sat, 02 Sep 2023 14:11:18 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-5e-draconic-bloodline-sorcerer-guide/ In Dungeons & Dragons, any player can roll up a functional character with a filled-out stat sheet and a handful of weapons and feats, but a character will only come to life as a compelling, unique person with the right roleplay in between fights. The tricky part is that some classes in D&D feel pigeonholed, like the cleric class, and players might assume their cleric is "supposed" to live up to familiar clichés and personal archetypes.

]]> Fri, 01 Sep 2023 16:01:19 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-5e-how-to-roleplay-cleric/ Critical Role, Dimension 20, and Dungeons & Dragons have teamed up in support of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. This resulted in the inaugural Dungeons & Dragons Strike. On the morning of August 30th outside Universal Studios in Burbank, crowds gathered in support of the long-running strike that's brought the film and television industries to a halt. Picketers, union members and supporters alike, marched in support of the unions. The WGA and SAG-AFTRA represent Hollywood's writers and actors unions, who are striking against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). Contract disputes have been stalled for months, and the unions show no sign of caving in.

]]> Wed, 30 Aug 2023 23:30:22 GMT https://www.cbr.com/critical-role-dimension-20-wga-sag-aftra-strike/ The character sheet is one of the most recognizable elements of Dungeons and Dragons. Even those who are unfamiliar with the game and tabletop roleplaying games as a hobby overall can recognize the multi-page arrangement of boxes and spaces that comprise a player characters' paper and numerical representations. However, this hasn't always been the case.

]]> Wed, 30 Aug 2023 21:15:19 GMT https://www.cbr.com/history-dnd-rpg-character-sheets/ The Way of the Drunken Master is one of the most straightforward and martial monk subclasses in Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition. It doesn't unlock esoteric new Ki abilities or other supernatural gifts. Instead, the Way of the Drunken Master emphasizes physical control and misdirection, with its monks getting mundane and effective combat abilities.

]]> Wed, 30 Aug 2023 17:25:17 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-5e-drunken-master-monk-guide/ The Fiend patron is the archetypal warlock subclass in Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition. A Fiend warlock has made a pact with a being from the Lower Planes, some of the most evil creatures in the D&D multiverse, in exchange for magical power. The result is a surprisingly damaging and durable spellcaster who brings the power of the Nine Hells or the Abyss to a fight.

]]> Wed, 30 Aug 2023 16:45:13 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-fiend-warlock-best-build/ Not all magic items in Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition are equal. One of the clearest examples is that magic items are ranked on their rarity, from Common to Artifacts. The rarest items often have lengthy descriptions full of game-changing effects. However, nearly all item rewards are invaluable regardless of rarity.

]]> Wed, 30 Aug 2023 16:30:20 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-best-underrated-magic-items-ranked/ Rogues are some of Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition's most capable and versatile nonmagical characters. Rogues bring a vast range of utility to the party from their many skill proficiencies and Expertise. In addition, Sneak Attack ensures that canny rogues can hold their own in combat alongside characters like fighters.

]]> Tue, 29 Aug 2023 18:35:15 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-5e-swashbuckler-rogue-build-guide/ Dungeons & Dragons' newest sourcebook, Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants is packed with high-quality features for seasoned dungeon masters and players alike, mainly for giant-themed adventures in any homebrew campaign or module. A handful of new feats let players fight like true giants, while an assortment of brand-new magical items can be used by any class in any situation.

]]> Tue, 29 Aug 2023 00:15:15 GMT https://www.cbr.com/best-dnd-magic-items-glory-of-giants/ The newest sourcebook for Dungeons & Dragons is titled Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants, and sure enough, this new sourcebook is populated with an incredible variety of oversized monsters suitable for any D&D campaign. Most of the 80+ new monsters in this D&D sourcebook are either giants or related to them, such as critters that giants keep as pets or humanoids with giant ancestry, like goliath giant-kin.

]]> Mon, 28 Aug 2023 23:30:18 GMT https://www.cbr.com/best-dnd-glory-of-the-giants-monsters/ The Dungeons and Dragons community is filled to the brim with creative talent. Artists, writers, and strategists come together to tell incredible stories, using the systems and tools released by Wizards of the Coast. This creativity is championed within the community and is one of the many reasons that players love the game. That's why the most recent WotC controversy has players everywhere, especially artists, disappointed.

]]> Mon, 28 Aug 2023 19:00:18 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-ai-art-controversy/ The WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes remain unwavering in their resolve to seek fair wages in the streaming landscape and have continued to buoy spirits along the picket lines of their joint labor strike with special events, reunions, and themed days including an upcoming Dungeons & Dragons adventure.

]]> Mon, 28 Aug 2023 14:38:51 GMT https://www.cbr.com/critical-role-dimension-20-dungeons-and-daddies-dnd-strike/ Tabletop roleplaying games have always been an avenue for players to indulge in their most adventurous fantasies. The genre's premise allows gamers to put themselves in the heroes' shoes and become as immersed in their epic quests as possible, rather than viewing them from a distance through the lens of a book, movie, or other medium. Many TTRPG players push that further by actually playing games set in the universes of their favorite stories.

]]> Sun, 27 Aug 2023 17:50:17 GMT https://www.cbr.com/ttrpg-fanfic-licensed-games/ It's an understatement to say that Critical Role has started 2022 with a bang. In addition to its weekly live stream and a record-breaking animated show The Legend of Vox Machina, the Critical Role team just released its newest Dungeons & Dragons sourcebook, Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn.

]]> Sun, 27 Aug 2023 13:15:17 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-critical-role-taldorei-subclasses-ranked/ Dungeons and Dragons has had a long history, but it's longer than many veteran players might realize. It is true that D&D saw its first release in 1974, but D&D's roots stretch further back—not just to 1971's Chainmail, but all the way back to 1812. The path from then to the modern day has spanned over two centuries, but even now, traces of D&D's ancestry are still visible even in 5th Edition.

]]> Sun, 27 Aug 2023 00:30:16 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-historical-wargame-roots/ For players who seek glory in their Dungeons & Dragons campaigns, the Mythic Odysseys of Theros sourcebook introduces a paladin subclass specifically catered to their hopes and dreams. With the Oath of Glory, paladins choose to train diligently and encourage their companions to do the same so the party will be ready whenever destiny calls.

]]> Sat, 26 Aug 2023 14:10:15 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dungeons-dragons-paladin-build-oath-of-glory/ Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition offers players many ways to customize their character. One of the most distinctive is multiclassing. A character can forego advancing in one class to take levels in another, combining the abilities of both into one character. Multiclassing can make for powerful D&D characters, but only as long as it's done carefully.

]]> Fri, 25 Aug 2023 19:30:13 GMT https://www.cbr.com/best-dnd-ranger-multiclass-combos/ While some character classes in Dungeons & Dragons are clearly defined by familiar archetypes and personality traits, the fighter is a generalist that's often teased for being "basic." While a paladin has sworn a righteous oath and a wizard is a reclusive scholar of the arcane, a fighter is just a person with weapons and armor. It might sound like a boring class for roleplaying -- but clever players can turn that all around.

]]> Fri, 25 Aug 2023 17:51:16 GMT https://www.cbr.com/how-to-roleplay-fighter-dnd-5e/ Some Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition players like to engage with the rules on a deeper level than most. A lot of their fun comes from twisting the mechanics of D&D 5e to see what they can make. In particular, a lot of players like tinkering with higher-powered characters. Within the rules of 5e, plenty of builds are well-suited to this style.

]]> Fri, 25 Aug 2023 14:50:14 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-5e-broken-underwhelming-character-builds/ Baldur's Gate 3 has a lot of background information players can benefit from knowing right from the start. It's not just that the game is a sequel to two beloved 90s RPGs with their own lore and plot threats. It also takes place in Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms campaign setting, which itself has decades-worth of books and articles written about it.

]]> Thu, 24 Aug 2023 22:30:15 GMT https://www.cbr.com/bg3-dnd-lore/ Baldur's Gate 3 is one of the closest representations of Dungeons & Dragons put to video games. It accurately recreates most of the D&D 5e ruleset, from turn-based combat to the ability checks characters have to make. However, Baldur's Gate 3 is not a one-to-one replication of the game.

]]> Thu, 24 Aug 2023 18:20:12 GMT https://www.cbr.com/bg3-dnd-5e-rules-changes/ In recent years, the Critical Role brand has grown beyond the confines of Exandria, its core cast, and even Dungeons & Dragons. Although Campaign 3's Bells Hells still has plenty of story left to tell, the Calamity-level scale of their conflict lends itself to a stronger sense of finality than past campaigns. Bells Hells eventual endgame carries the potential to usher in an entirely new phase of Critical Role's storytelling.

]]> Wed, 23 Aug 2023 21:16:13 GMT https://www.cbr.com/critical-role-ttrpg-system-changes-daggerheart/ Dungeons & Dragons 5e will be returning to its roots in Phandalin in Phandelver & Below: The Shattered Obelisk.

]]> Wed, 23 Aug 2023 20:26:28 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-phandelver-shattered-obelisk/ Magic in Dungeons & Dragons is often thought of as something studied and learned, a craft that the player character chose to pursue out of interest or need for power. Wizards dedicate their lives to the pursuit of understanding magic, while Warlocks offer themselves to powerful entities in exchange for abilities beyond their wildest dreams. For Sorcerers, magic is in their very blood.

]]> Wed, 23 Aug 2023 19:32:13 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-5e-sorcerer-origins-ranked/ A Dungeons & Dragons player eternalized the memory of their campaign by naming a star after it.

]]> Wed, 23 Aug 2023 14:01:12 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-player-buys-star/ Some Dungeons & Dragons DMs like to run premade campaigns out of a book. They put their own spin on a setting and story created to be balanced and compelling. Other DMs prefer to run a homebrew campaign, where they devise the storylines, dungeons, obstacles, characters, and more for players to enjoy.

]]> Tue, 22 Aug 2023 20:16:15 GMT https://www.cbr.com/standalone-dnd-adventures-for-homebrew-campaigns/ Cantrips are essential for almost any spellcaster in Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition. They're spells that don't require a spell slot to use, giving a caster infinite access to them over an adventuring day. To compensate for this, they're often weaker than other spells. Nonetheless, cantrips will spend a long time as the go-to option for casters, especially in combat.

]]> Tue, 22 Aug 2023 19:30:16 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-best-sorcerer-cantrips-5e/ Travis Willingham's hands never seem to tire of carrying a cursed blade on Critical Role, as his Bells Hells werewolf Chetney Pock O'Pea now brandishes a legacy familiar to many of his player characters. Chetney's not the only Bells Hells character in which Exandrian history repeated itself recently, with Laura Bailey sealing a three-peat of her own with a kiss. The thread that now connects Willingham and Bailey's characters through all three campaigns transcends coincidence, it amplifies a beloved theme in Dungeons & Dragons stories and one that continues to inspire Critical Role's fervent fanbase.

]]> Tue, 22 Aug 2023 17:51:14 GMT https://www.cbr.com/critical-role-travis-willingham-laura-bailey-hat-trick/ Warlocks are an unusual class in Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition. They have several mechanically unique features. One of these is their short rest-focused Pact Magic spellcasting. However, another is that they get two major character-defining choices, rather than one. Warlocks get a subclass like any other class in their patron, which they take at first level. At third level, they also get a Pact Boon.

]]> Tue, 22 Aug 2023 16:31:15 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-warlock-pacts/ Dungeons & Dragons provides infinite opportunities for clever and innovative character builds, including intriguing multiclass builds that feed incredibly well off one another. Druids often evoke almost primeval imagery, not unlike the Barbarian class. At first glance, the two seem as different as night and day, with one relying on the magic of the natural world and the other on wreaking havoc with brute force.

]]> Mon, 21 Aug 2023 17:47:18 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-5e-barbarian-druid-build-guide/ Baldur's Gate 3 goes to great lengths to replicate the Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition play experience. Despite the constraints of game design and technology, it captures the feeling of sitting around a table and enjoying a game of D&D. However, it hasn't been able to bring everything across, with notable exceptions in the spell list.

]]> Mon, 21 Aug 2023 15:21:15 GMT https://www.cbr.com/baldurs-gate-3-best-absent-dungeons-and-dragons-5e-spells/ Rangers split the difference between fighters and druids in Dungeons & Dragons. They wield weapons and nature-themed magic in concert and make natural survivalists. They can fulfill a great many roles in a party. Rangers are well-suited as melee warriors, ranged combatants, secondary healers, scouts, and more, but they need good feats to realize their true potential in these roles.

]]> Mon, 21 Aug 2023 14:50:17 GMT https://www.cbr.com/best-ranger-feats-dnd-5e/ Unlike traditional board games like Risk or trading card games like Magic: The Gathering, the premier TTRPG Dungeons & Dragons is a group effort, and the players all win together. Dungeons & Dragons is a coordinated effort to explore a fully fleshed-out campaign world and defeat the ultimate villain, or BBEG, but even with all that action, it's not about players versus players. Problems may occur on either side of the DM screen if either or both parties don't understand or agree on how the game should be played.

]]> Sun, 20 Aug 2023 23:16:14 GMT https://www.cbr.com/players-can-solve-dnd-problems-by-talking-with-friends/ When planning a game of Dungeons & Dragons, it is vital to plan out the treasure adventurers will find along the way, not just the enemies they'll encounter, or the story threads they will uncover. Gold, gems, and other valuables are exciting to find. However, magic items are the biggest draw for any adventurer.

]]> Sun, 20 Aug 2023 15:22:13 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-low-level-magic-items-5e/ Paladins are one of the best classes in Dungeons & Dragons thanks to their spellcasting, tanking ability and built-in healing. Outside of the inherent flexibility, paladins have a variety of subclasses known as Oaths to choose from, which represent the character's ideals and what they dedicate their life to. One powerful option is the Oath of Vengeance, which dictates that the paladin doles out punishment to the evil -- particularly to a sworn enemy.

]]> Sun, 20 Aug 2023 14:54:14 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-5e-redemption-paladin-build-guide/ Multiclassing is one of the best ways to customize a character in Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition. It combines the abilities of two classes to make a character with a unique skillset. Clerics are already one of D&D 5e's most versatile classes. However, it can be challenging to blend another class with them.

]]> Sun, 20 Aug 2023 13:01:14 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-best-cleric-multiclass-combos/ Feats are impressive additional abilities players can add to their Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition characters. Some are limited to specific races or skill sets, but all offer some improvement or added features for the character. Feats can increase a character's ability scores, compensate for their weaknesses, or enhance their capabilities, which also applies to the cleric class.

]]> Sat, 19 Aug 2023 22:16:13 GMT https://www.cbr.com/best-cleric-feats-dnd-5e/ Dungeons & Dragons gives clerics of the Tempest Domain unique abilities from their deities reminiscent of classical biblical wrath. Delivering furious storms and horrifying plagues, these clerics have the power to put the fear of their god into all who dare to cross their righteous paths.

]]> Sat, 19 Aug 2023 19:42:14 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-5e-tempest-cleric-build-guide/ When the cast of Critical Role gathered to play Dungeons & Dragons for the first time back in 2012, none of them imagined their shared game would take them to the heights they've reached today. As the owners of their own brand, they've expanded beyond the D&D table over the years, creating and publishing their own games through Darrington Press, releasing music on their Scanlan Shorthalt music label, creating campaign-related comic books with Dark Horse, and starring in their own animated series based on the escapades of their first campaign. They pair with artists to create tons of unique merchandise that sells out in their shop faster than fans can add it to their carts, and have even endeavored into fictional novels exploring campaign character origins and backstories more deeply than they were able to in-game.

]]> Sat, 19 Aug 2023 17:35:12 GMT https://www.cbr.com/critical-role-exquisite-exandria-cookbook-review/ When it comes to a movie that has been beloved by the majority of moviegoers and labeled popular as a result, it can be difficult to think of ways the movie could be changed for the better. No matter the genre of the movie or the story the movie is telling, changing the film format from live-action to animation provides a unique opportunity to explore the premise through a new lens while still retaining the film's originality.

]]> Fri, 18 Aug 2023 22:30:03 GMT https://www.cbr.com/popular-movies-that-should-have-been-animated/ Every character class in Dungeons & Dragons offers incredible and fun roleplaying opportunities, though some classes are easily typecasted and fall back on predictable clichés. Rogues are often devious and have edgelord backstories, for example, and righteous paladins easily fall into familiar stereotypes, too. A badly roleplayed paladin will be yet another self-righteous warrior with a patronizing attitude, but creative D&D players can avoid that with their next paladin character.

]]> Fri, 18 Aug 2023 17:31:16 GMT https://www.cbr.com/how-to-roleplay-dnd-5e-paladin/ Bigby is one of Dungeons & Dragons' most storied NPC characters whose origins go back to Gary Gygax's own personal playgroup. He's a formerly-human wizard whose name ranks among those like Mordenkainen and Tenser for his impact on D&D as a game. Most recently, he has appeared as the in-universe author of Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants.

]]> Fri, 18 Aug 2023 16:30:20 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-bigby-character-history-triva/ Dungeons & Dragons giants are extremely plentiful and diverse, even making up an entire category of creature unto themselves. They can be found in every monster book in D&D 5e, from the Monster Manual to Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse. Ogres, trolls, and even the fiendish oni are considered types of giants in D&D. However, the most archetypal are the giants who make up the upper rungs of the Ordning.

]]> Fri, 18 Aug 2023 14:51:20 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-giants-lore-stats-history/ Multiclassing is a valuable tool in Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition. It allows a character to halt their progression in one class and pick up the abilities of another. However, it has to be managed carefully. Multiclassing recklessly can see a character miss out on vital features and fall behind the curve.

]]> Fri, 18 Aug 2023 13:01:18 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-best-fighter-multiclass-combos/ Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition has come out with many subclass options over the last several years. Within that framework, nearly every class has a multitude of options to customize their character to their desired play style. In particular, the wizard's versatile spellcasting makes them one of the game's most versatile classes.

]]> Wed, 16 Aug 2023 20:18:18 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-best-wizard-multiclass-combos/ A Dungeons & Dragons DM (Dungeon Master) used a player's bad luck as a mechanic for their campaign.

]]> Tue, 15 Aug 2023 19:56:31 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-dm-bad-luck-gameplay-mechanic/ There seems something uniquely suitable about the combination of Dungeons & Dragons and The Lord of the Rings. Whether it's the well-documented inspiration Gygax et al took from Tolkien's works or merely their shared fantasy genre, this is a match made in heaven. One of the most obvious ways to do this as a Dungeon Master is to incorporate elements of the storytelling, lore, imagery, or even setting into a D&D campaign. But for players, the most obvious place to use LotR inspiration is character creation.

]]> Tue, 15 Aug 2023 15:24:13 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-lotr-character-builds/ Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition has a different release schedule from previous D&D versions. New D&D 5e products come out less frequently in an attempt to keep options as well-made and balanced as possible. There is often one premade campaign a year and infrequent setting guides, and the game can go years between big player options books.

]]> Tue, 15 Aug 2023 00:15:16 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-5e-best-official-books/ As Baldur's Gate 3 illustrates, Dungeons & Dragons has a long history of informing video game RPGs. At this point, dice rolls, initiative, and questing are all intrinsically tied into the genre's structure. Tabletop RPGs have also lent video games ideas like freedom of player expression through role-playing and problem-solving, found in Immersive Sims like Prey (2017) or Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. It's rare that a property or video game is capable of feeding back into D&D. However, Dungeon Masters could learn a few things from the video game series, The Witcher.

]]> Mon, 14 Aug 2023 23:15:13 GMT https://www.cbr.com/witcher-games-improve-dungeons-dragons-dnd/ Baldur's Gate 3's release has defied very high expectations. The game's humor, heart, boundless possibilities, and faithful recreation of Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition have won over even the most dubious fans. As beloved as it is, the experience offers isn't restricted solely to D&D video games.

]]> Mon, 14 Aug 2023 15:20:12 GMT https://www.cbr.com/baldurs-gate-3-published-dnd-5e-campaigns/ The hit TTRPG Dungeons & Dragons isn't just a form of fantasy escapism for a group of friends. Dungeons & Dragons is many things at once: an exercise in teamwork, a shared narrative, a math game, and an opportunity to show off cool, immersive props such as costumes, strong roleplaying, and most of all, the use of miniatures. High-quality figurines can really bring a game of D&D to life, but newer and more casual players might also wonder if they can save some cash and skip figurines entirely.

]]> Mon, 14 Aug 2023 14:50:13 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dnd-miniature-pros-cons/ Dungeons & Dragons has hundreds of unique and powerful monsters for Dungeon Masters to challenge their players with throughout their adventures. Though D&D has plenty of monstrosities, undead, and beasts, its devils are some of its most exciting foes. These fiends are generally lawful evil, hellbent on conquering and dominating other creatures and even their own kind.

]]> Mon, 14 Aug 2023 00:15:13 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dungeons-dragons-types-of-devils-how-to-use-them-properly/ The Monastic Traditions in Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition offer plenty of variety for players looking to don the robes of monks. Regardless of the discipline a monk follows, each of them is masterfully trained in the art of controlling the flow of Ki energy in their bodies, directing that energy into their carefully honed physical and magical attacks.

]]> Sun, 13 Aug 2023 17:00:14 GMT https://www.cbr.com/dungeons-dragons-the-monastic-traditions-ranked/