• Assigning Social and Exploration Experience in Uprising & Rebellion

    Assigning Social and Exploration Experience in Uprising & Rebellion

    In my campaigns we use experience points rather than milestone levelling. But, we also spend time in the social and exploration pillars, where the game as designed provides little guidance towards the experience that should be rewarded for success overcoming obstacles beyond traps.

    Rewarding the play I want to see, I have given out xp for solved plot points and discoveries. In the past these have been given out at the end of a session without the players knowing ahead of time what their character rewards would be.

    I’m going to attempt to pull back that veil, listing out major plots and side quests with xp values. My goal is so that the player characters will be rewarded for developing their stories and the overall campaign.

    Major plots

    Daoud’s 7th Fleet vs Twilight and Shadow the Black Dragons vs the Mayor with the Blue Dragons vs assembling Kirtinish forces on the east shore – 10,000 xp

    Kirtin-on-the-Lake is now torn between two of the Six Kingdoms and the separate appeals of two groups of Ken. Twilight and Shadow seem to thrive on misery, sucking up negative emotions from the war. The Mayor has gifted the Blue dragons significant territory and their co-operation requires unbonding from animal companions.

    The 7th Fleet wants to take the city back to Daoud. It is actually a massive cavalry army with horses, riding dogs and warbirds. Kirtin’s forces sit, waiting for the three sides to destroy each other and sweep back into the city as welcomed heroes.

    Our heroes haven’t picked a side, because they are all bad. In the past they’ve hoped for trade or normality looking to Sheljar for inspiration.

    via the Fantasy City Generator

    Lorebooks – 5,000 xp

    Our heroes have the Lorebook of Illusions and the Crate of Conjuration. They suspect there is another Lorebook locally and a fourth may be in The Ferments. They know not what power the Lorebooks provide, just that a group called the Scholars control them and the Proctors are a violent segment of Ken who are trying to acquire the various books. The world knows that the Folio of Necromancy and the Lorebook of Divination are in Sheljar.

    Defending their books from other Proctors or Scholars is as important as finding more, probably.

    Unseat the Mayor – 7,500 xp — COMPLETED

    The Mayor has turned his back on Daoud and joined with the Blue Dragons and their Ken allies. Even if the heroes cannot yet sway the four-sided war, the group wants the Mayor eliminated via election, appointment or violence — he just needs to be gone.

    Side quests

    Where is Wilkie? – 2,500 xp — COMPELETED

    One of their allies, Wilkie, former leader of the Dock District Guard fled. With their leader in hiding the Dock District has dissolved back to an ad hoc militia. The group of heroes had trusted Wilkie to defend their district.

    Missing Printers – 2,500 xp — COMPLETED

    The printing press and gobkon printers’ office burnt down in a dragon strike. No bodies were found. Once in hiding, then public, the Society of Veil and Shadow has again disappeared. Their pro-Sheljar message remains known, but there have been no broadsheets in three passings of Feylf.

    Is the new flag of quill and sword related to their absence?

    Bounties – 2,500 xp — COMPLETED

    Each of the known heroes has a bounty of 2,500 gold on them. This is mostly because the Mayor hates them for the murder of the gnome during his festival. But also because they keep trying to inspire the people toward concepts like freedom and respect.

    Character quests

    Keldrass wants to repair the bonds broken by the black dragons and help protect the city from the Ken.

    Gardar wants to increase the trade with Mehmd, earn respect outside of the caste system there and maybe have his own Goltoppa team.

    Seymore wants to teach commoners magic, because even though he doesn’t trust it the people need the power. He’s done a bit of this by spreading Minor Illusion.

    Req wants to maintain the independence of the Dock District.

  • Batons and short staves – two new finesse weapons

    Batons and short staves – two new finesse weapons

    In 5th edition D&D I create a lot of rogues. This is a change for me, for in my earlier forays into Dungeons & Dragons, I mostly played clerics, bards and paladins. Part of the appeal of the rogue in 5e, is that it has became the main skill-monkey class. Mostly mundane there are interesting stories to be told via the mastermind, the inquisitive, the scout and the propagandist.

    One thing I find lacking for three of those options is the narrative around using a weapon that knocks opponents unconscious. While the rule set allows any weapon that does enough damage to kill to be declared a non-fatal blow, there’s something about an mastermind smacking a thief upside the head with a baton and knocking them out.

    Three batons
    By Bill Smith from the Metropolitan Police Heritage Centre

    Common within the literatures that inspire our game are also tales about short staves that flip about stabbing with the point and smacking with the side — see various interpretations of Sherlock Holmes. My campaign needed one of these because a player in Uprising and Rebellion Campaign Two is a streetsweeper. Their broom handle makes sense as a weapon for them.

    And so, the baton and the short stave were born.

    Baton

    Type: Simple | Cost: 5 gp | Weight: .5 lbs | Damage: 1d4 | Type: Bludgeoning | Properties: Light, Finesse | Mastery: Nick

    Short stave (broom handle)

    Type: Martial | Cost: 5 cp | Weight: 2 lbs | Damage: 1d8 | Type: Bludgeoning | Properties: Finesse | Mastery: Sap

    The baton is just a refined club so that you can play as Sticks from the Vlad Taltos Saga. The short stave (broom handle) is based on the rapier, the current best weapon for a rogue, but merely bludgeoning and cheap.

    There’s nothing game breaking from these additions. There’s no power creep.

    There is a whole lot more story. And that’s the whole point to Full Moon Storytelling — story creep.

    Masteries were added on Oct. 15, 2025

    Fediverse reactions
  • Twilight Fables – a sourcebook designed for 5e D&D focusing on European folklore

    Twilight Fables – a sourcebook designed for 5e D&D focusing on European folklore

    As an active participant on ENWorld, I watched the Twilight Fables project grow from idea to concept through approach and playtest. As an already funded project, supporting it on Kickstarter means my readers will not be backing a failed project — it’s done. The books have had proofs printed. Rod Waibel has a different approach than typical for this Kickstarter.

    So I invited him to share it with the readers of Full Moon Storytelling, because you might enjoy a few more monsters for your D&D game.

    Twilight Fables is now being shipped to backers.

    If you didn’t get it then, but want it now, head to Izegrim Creations store to purchase a limited run of the same hardcovers backers get. The pdf is also available for 5e D&D and OSR. The DriveThruRPG versions can be purchased here (5e, OSR).

    A montage of art in Twilight Fables

    Note: The original folklore was dark with mature themes and may include triggering subjects.  Think more Brothers Grimm and less modern fairy tales.  Reader discretion is advised.

    From the Twilight Fables Kickstarter.

    What is Twilight Fables

    Twilight Fables is a sourcebook designed for 5e focusing on the original European folklore as it was told generations ago. More Brothers Grimm and much less Disney, if you will. When Dungeons & Dragons was created, most of the monsters were based, albeit loosely, on folklore. However, it was in the vision of those who were creating it, so creatures like drow, kobolds, goblins, etc. don’t resemble anything like the folklore that created them. 5e D&D has been out a while, and there has been a ton of content created for it, but I found this area lacking.

    Wizards of the Coast recently came out with a fey-themed book, and while a great product in its own right, it was nothing like original folklore. I felt that those old stories, approached with the appropriate caution, could lend to exciting and interesting adventures of their own. I say “approach with caution” as no accident. For those unfamiliar, many of those stories were allegories of caution directed toward children. “Stay away from that creek, because there’s a terrible monster there that will eat you!” “Remain pure and chaste or you’ll turn into a terrible creature!” That sort of thing.

    Since much of folklore was created during dark times (literally the Dark Ages), there are several instances of abuse and suffering. For example, the original story of Hansel and Gretel is even darker than most realize when you learn why they kept getting lost in the woods. Ableism, sexism, child abuse, and consent issues show up often in those stories. Therefore, I made it a point to address this right up front in the book, and put a disclaimer on the cover. People can skip right past those sections that deal with these issues easily by a displayed marker if they want to avoid any triggering event.

    [Dave here: Rod and his team put a disclaimer on the individual creatures that are most likely to bring up the worst memories people have.]

    You may be asking yourself, “Why bother creating something that has so many problematic themes?” Fair question. Quite frankly, it’s because outside of those few monsters, the lore is rich with great stories and potential. As long as we approach it with an informed perspective and have the agency to control which portions we use, there’s a ton of value in this book. And it’s good to have the option. I did my very best to minimize those problem areas and advise that such issues should not be included in the typical game. I stress how consent among all the players at your table is recommended before incorporating any potential problem areas.

    Now that that’s out of the way, what exactly does Twilight Fables include?

    An example of the layout in Twilight Fables.
    • There are more than 200 creatures, all with detailed page entries. Reference the included screenshots to see some of the changes that the core books did not have. These include but are not limited to quirks, lore, suggestions on incorporating them into your game, spell lists within the stat block have been removed and replaced with detailed spellcasting abilities, etc. 
    • [Dave here: the expanded lore and quirks are a great addition to the game]
    • Dozen of magical artifacts pulled from mythology and lore
    • Crafting rules
    • Tons of player options, including warlock patrons, cleric and ranger subclasses, races, feats, and spells.
    • Lore of the Otherworld (Fey Realm) as it was explained in folklore, including living in the Fey Realm, the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, and becoming an Archfey yourself!
    • A plug-in-play campaign that can be used in your existing campaign to shake things up a bit.

    Where can I learn more?

    On Kickstarter

    Website: Twilight Fables | Facebook: Izegrim Creations | Twitter: @IzegrimC

    Let’s say I want to get this, what do I get if I back the Kickstarter?

    I’m taking a slightly different approach to running this Kickstarter from other companies. Most companies offer a PDF and a hard or soft copy. That’s great, because that’s what the majority will use. However, when I did Chromatic Dungeons last summer, I learned it’s just as important to listen to the minority, because they deserve to get what they want as well. So for Twilight Fables, the digital package includes a PDF like usual of the main book. But then it also includes a PDF with no background, for ease of reading and printing. And it includes an RTF version for those with visual impairments and for those who want to cut and paste information easily. Also included are tokens and markdown files for those who use VTT gaming. That’s all for LESS than most companies are asking for just a core PDF.

    Beyond that is the actual hard copy option of the book. I’ve had the advance copies in my hand already, and I was pleased with the quality. I’d love to get the $50,000 stretch goal because that allows me to get offset printing with glossy pages, gilded pages, and ribbon bookmark. But if that doesn’t happen, it’s OK because the Print on Demand book is still of very good quality.

    And that’s pretty much it! No crazy stretch goals that put the project at risk for delivery. 

    Let me close in saying how much I appreciate the support from everyone. From the great artists I got to work with, including the legendary Gerald Brom and Darlene the Artist, to all of the backers who support me!

  • Now is the time to reduce the house rules in your D&D game

    Now is the time to reduce the house rules in your D&D game

    Dungeons and Dragons is more popular than ever. That is undeniable. The game has grown and become a side channel to the mainstream, with its influence everywhere. But it is about to get a lot more popular. Tens of millions are going to watch Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.

    That’s going to attract a lot more neophytes to the game.

    Honor Among Thieves, the next D&D movie looks fun
    The Honor Among Thieves trailer has vibes of Thor: Ragnarok, Guardian of the Galaxy, and Princess Bride.

    But the D&D movie is not the only thing that will grow fantasy gaming.

    Johnny Stanton, the Cleveland Browns fullback, and his group have been featured in Sports Illustrated. Stanton is also part of San Diego ComicCon’s Everybody is Playing Dungeons & Dragons! seminar — expect even more coverage of his game in mainstream media.

    From Chris Pine saying every high school should have a D&D club to mainstream local soccer fundraisers like YachtCon playing the game (we’ll do something this year too) the game is spreading faster than ever before. After a season of not-really-D&D Stranger Things dipped back in with the Hellfire Club. Season five, the final will also be D&D themed.

    There’s also D&D adjacent properties like Wheel of Time (season 2 of Origins is out in August and season 3 is already happening) and Rings of Power (season 1 in Fall). Witcher keeps going strong. Vox Machina got a season 2 and probably will get a third. List goes on, and on.

    There’s no better time for fantasy TV and movies — none.

    As experienced players and DM’s it is our responsibility and duty to welcome these new players to the game. One way to do that is through the classic Starter Set, the Stranger Things boxed set, the Essentials Kit, the new Dragons of Stormwreck Isle, Spelljammer Academy, etc, etc.

    But you also have your home games with elaborate and thought-out original plots. These games are the most common way to play D&D, a majority do not play in the official worlds. There’s a danger in welcoming people to the game the first time in an original world. Those campaigns can have a lot of custom rules.

    When the Lorebook Hunters first started in the World of the Everflow there were more than four pages of custom rules, heavily tweaking the game. Now there are just four sentences of rules not taken from the books – all able to integrate with DnDBeyond, excepting the custom subclasses. Players new to the game can create a character in 30-60 minutes rather than hours.

    That helps first-time players pick up the game. There’s plenty of support online for the official rules — blogs, video, podcasts, social media. There’s only your table as a place to learn about custom rules. That can be intimidating. Plus they need to pick up custom lore. Another barrier to play.

    Reducing both of those weights helps a first-time player become a perpetual player and eventual Dungeon Master.

    Tips for types of rules to add

    • Optional rules from the Dungeon Master’s Guide — they’re already official, in a book for others to read.
    • Rules that enable your story — the World of the Everflow has a key question as to why we love pets. It wouldn’t be the same without the bonus feat of Bonded Companion.
    • Changes that empower cinematic flavor — since many people new to the game will come from watching film give them that vibe.
    • Tweaks that don’t require technical knowledge — asking a first time player to learn a VTT rather than just video or theater of the mind can reduce their interest.

    At the same point, if you have a massive world already, don’t retro those rules. Find ways for your table to welcome new people into your complex lore and ruleset. Use session zeroes frequently, both one-on-one and with the group. Tell a new player why you have those rules. House rules that help tell the communal storytelling are always better than house rules that add complexity, at least for the modern gamer coming at D&D as a storytelling game that empowers group tales of action and adventure.

    Most of all, enjoy the new players and their new stories. They’re going to add to your table coming up with ideas and concepts you’ve never seen before. If you are doing it right you’ll have a more diverse group, telling more diverse tales — and you’ll be stronger both in real life and in the game.

  • Honor Among Thieves, the next D&D movie looks fun

    Honor Among Thieves, the next D&D movie looks fun

    There’s a lot of reasons to be worried that the next D&D movie wouldn’t be good. The last few were not. Fantasy as a genre struggles to have blockbusters. There were also reasons to think it would be good. John Francis Daley and Jonathon Goldstein (co-directors, co-writers) have great experiences making good movies. They are both Dungeons & Dragons nerds. Daley is a credited writer on Rime of the Frostmaiden. The actors are what a big budget film needs. ILM did the effects. The location shots were where you want medieval fantasy to be shot (England and Czechia are the current leaders).

    But lots of people were cautious.

    Today’s trailer was as good as you can expect from any massive movie.

    The party, or cohort of actors, have a vibe. It’s strong. They enjoy each other. All of them but Hugh Grant speak about their new (Pine, Jean-Page) or old (Lillis, Rodriguez, Daley, Goldstein) love of the game. Chris Pine said that every group of actors should always play the game.

    Rege Jean-Page said that every high school should have a D&D club. That’s when Sophia Lillis and Michelle Rodriguez both played.

    That’s when I started.

    I’m not worried about this movie. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves looks to be a fun romp by a diverse group that conquer evil together while getting into more trouble with each bit of success.

    And there’s an owlbear and a gelatinous cube and two dragons, and bad planning — that’s D&D.

    You know what else is D&D? A group with different skills, different pasts, different presents, different races, genders, everything — then they bond together towards a common goal and the sum of their parts is stronger. Because as Jeremy Crawford once said “a diverse group is a strong group.”

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