Dungeon Master Game Notes: Outcasts of Byr, Session 1

I thought it would be interesting to see what everyone's DM notes looked like. Maybe we can learn from each other? Perhaps we can "ooo" and "ah" at each other's genius. Perhaps we can look at wonder at how someone's notes could ever translate into a playable game session. I'm curious!

Below are the beginning game notes for the current session we are playing. I will have to censor some of these because I never know who will see some of the spoilers sooner than intended. The top half is the world notes. Some of it is still intact and it sets the background for the current campaign. This all used an early playtest packet of the D&D Next Open Playtest.

Everything below was ALL I had written down to begin Game Session 1. I had two players at the time. One was playing a changeling rogue and a warforged fighter (both races homebrewed), and the other was playing a dwarf cleric and a human rogue.

Dungeons and Dragons Next: Warforge Errata

After giving it some thought, I decided it was time to reevaluate my Warforged design for D&D Next. I have to admit, though, that I am excited for the day Wizards of the Coast publishes their own design and I can drop this like a ton of bricks.

4th Edition Homebrew: Monster HP

What? Me doing another article on 4th Edition!? The Mayans were right; it's the end of the world!

"We predict that a blogger will write a stupid Mayan joke.
Thousands will die."

Why I LOVE Dungeons and Dragons Next!

...as of the 11/13/2012 playtest release. That's a reference point for you who are reading this in THE FUTURE.

Good news, everyone! WotC released ANOTHER playtest packet!
Time to remake all your characters!

An End of an Era

Every week for over a year, with a few exceptions, I wrote Weekly 4th Edition articles to entertain and provide the masses with fun options, equipment, and monsters for their 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons home games.

But, I fear, that time has come to something of an end. It has become increasingly difficult to find something to write about. I don't know if it's life happening or if I just lost my muse or if I'm falling into some kind of emotional trench, but I'm going to have to leave Weekly 4e where it is for now.

This doesn't mean I'm completely hanging up the homebrewing. Whenever inspiration hits enough to write an article, it will happen. The system doesn't matter. If you've been hanging around, you'll know that I've worked in 4th Edition, Dragon Age, Marvel Heroic Roleplaying, and most recently the latest Dungeons and Dragons Next playtest. I'll even take requests. You can shoot me an e-mail at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com and you can also find me on Twitter as @brannonhutchins. I check my Twitter more often than my e-mail, just so you know.

Perhaps the updates will occur weekly again some time in the future. Who knows, maybe once the next edition of Dungeons and Dragons finally hits the shelves, the articles could come back in full swing. Until then, I'll see you around this crazy series of tubes.

Weekly 4e Homebrew: Harvester of Souls

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

"The world is in chaos."
"Yes, we see that. Evil has grown strong."
"We have chosen a Champion to guide the people."
"Send him...the sword."

DnD Next Playtest: Warforging Ahead

Today's Weekly 4e Homebrew article has been interrupted due to large amounts of DnD Next radiation.

Yo dawg. I heard you like playtests.

Lord in Heaven, help me. One of my closest friends is also my right hand man when it comes to roleplaying. I bounce ideas off of him and he comes up with interesting character concepts. There is only one problem...he HATES classic fantasy races. He finds the combination of dwarves, elves, halflings, and humans to be a bore. He finds it less classical and more generic. He tends to play the weird races like Warforged or Changelings, and less used classes like ninjas.

Consider this article (and any that follow it until the game's official release) an attempt to appease his lame arguments about a game still in the playtest phase. I'm not planning on releasing any more at this time.

Weekly 4e Homebrew: Monolith Drone

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

THEY'VE BREACHED THE OUTER DEFENSES! THE ANIMATED HORDES ARE FLOODING IN!  My gods...THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF THEM! FLEE! ABANDON ALL HOPE! ABANDON ALL HO-URK!

Weekly 4e Homebrew: Earth Monolith

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

GET MORE MEN TO THOSE GATES! WE CAN DO THIS! WE CAN HOLD THE ANIMATE ARMY AT BAY! WE GROUNDED THE LIGHTNING! WE SNUFFED OUT THE FLAMES! WE'RE ALMOST THROUGH THIS, MEN! PEACE MAKER KEEP HAS HELD ONCE MO-

*THUM*....*THUM*

Oh...gods...

Weekly 4e Homebrew: Flame Monolith

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

The Animate Army continues its invasion of my blog. Last week, the Lightning Monoliths began their barrage from the rear flanks. This week, front lines collide as the Animates send out a devastating wave of chaos, the Flame Monoliths.

Weekly 4e Homebrew: Lightning Monolith

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

INSPIRATION! It comes at the strangest of times. For me, it usually happens on the toilet. Hey, don't judge. The bathroom provides little distractions and allows my mind to wander.

As I was saying, I was inspired to create something akin to a mech. This later evolved to the single-minded animate that you will see today. I give you, the LIGHTNING MONOLITH.

Weekly 4e Homebrew: Melora Warpriest Domain

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

I have no idea why I thought this would be a walk in the park. BUT! I present to you the heroic tier for the Warpriest's Nature Domain!

For the record: I'm not privy to the goings on in the Dungeon and Dragon Magazines anymore, so I hope I'm not treading on too many heels with this new article. I was also originally going to use the official name of the goddess of nature, but I decided to err on the side of caution. I figure I'm already dancing the line of the OGL, so why push it?

Weekly 4e Homebrew: Chain of Shielding

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

I've been playing a lot of Mass Effect 3 in order to complete the epic of Quincy Shepard, a name that is now both respected and feared among the various races of the galaxy. One of the features prevalent in all three games in the regenerating shield that decreases with each attack that strikes it and eventually regenerates.

Consider this my attempt at creating a regenerating shield within 4th Edition's rule set. I present to you, the Chain of Shielding.

Weekly 4e Homebrew: Web Shooters

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

I bet you will never be able to guess which movie I saw this w-AMAZING SPIDER-MAN!

Yes, I braved the outside world to see a movie that would undoubtedly be far superior to the last Spider-Man film (an easy task to accomplish). And with that, I bring a piece of the wall-crawler's universe to your table. I present to you, a staple of the Spider-Man universe and in no way organic: the Web Shooters.

Weekly 4e Homebrew: Cave Swarm

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

Sorry about the late article, but I severely blanked when it came time to write. I guess that's a symptom of having moved on from 4th edition to D&D Next play-testing. BUT! The show must go on until D&D Next is officially published.

There was a time when I was planning my Magnum Opus; a campaign to bridge the gap between 4th Edition and the Next Edition. The following was to be in the very first series of encounters: The Cave Swarm Hazard!

Weekly 4e Homebrew: Sleepless Dagger

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

I've never really given much thought to cursed items in the past. I've never felt the need to add them to our games, as of yet. So this will be my first attempt at creating one. I present to you, the Sleepless Dagger.

Weekly 4e Homebrew: Fatherhood

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

On April 1st, 2010, I became a father. And while life has thrown many curve balls in my direction since then and also because of it, it was one of the best things to ever happen to me.

So below, I present to you Fatherhood, a divine boon that gives you an extra sense of purpose with each roll of the dice.

And no, there was no April Fool's jokes to be had that day. My kid was scheduled to be surgically removed so we were able to tell people about it the day before (but she will hate me when she's about 16..."I got you a car. April Fools!").

Weekly 4e Homebrew: War!

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

If there is one thing that is seriously lacking in the 4th Edition, it's large scale combat. I have some ideas on the subject, so here is a little peek into those thoughts.

I present to you: WAR!

Weekly 4e Homebrew: Hoard Control Rod

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

May of the Dead continues and I am grasping for straws. I mean, there is so much undead awesomeness happening in this blog carnival how can one keep the mindless hoards at bay!?

.......wait a minute. Give me a few minutes and a level 14 wizard and I will be right back.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Voilà! A Hoard Control Rod! All of the May of the Dead creations are now under MY control! BUWAHAHAHA!

Weekly 4e Homebrew: Undead Templates

Every Sunday, I'll have a completely homebrewed Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition element that you can use in your games. I do take requests so you can either post a comment here, email me at thatrobedguy@hotmail.com with the subject "Homebrew Request", or send me a tweet on Twitter (@brannonhutchins) with the hashtag #weekly4e.

May of the Dead continues, and with it, the danger to the PCs at the table.

Things can go terribly wrong when fighting necromancers and their armies of the undead. One such problem, you become one of them. The following Undead Templates can be applied to your characters should the unfortunate happen.