• 00:00: The typical design of random encounter tables in Dungeons and Dragons has several inherent problems, including lack of diversity, time-consuming creation, lack of inspiration, and not being truly random.
• 01:11: Traditional 2d6 random encounter tables have a bell curve distribution, resulting in the most common encounters happening almost half of the time, while the rare encounters are seldom experienced.
• 02:07: The solution to this problem is to get rid of the bell curve and make every possible encounter on the table equally likely to happen. This can be achieved by using a single appropriately sized die, like a d6, for rolling on the table.
• 03:01: A single die value table allows for scalability based on character levels or locations. More challenging encounters can be added to the table as the party levels up, ensuring encounters remain interesting and varied.
• 06:06: Encounters can be tailored to specific locations or themes, adding more difficulty as the party leaves certain areas or approaches new ones, leading to maximum efficiency and variety.
• 07:06: To add narrative depth to encounters, expand the table to a d666 (devil table), with three columns for NPC/Monster, behavior, and complication. This allows for unique and inspiring prompts for each encounter.
• 08:41: Having bizarre situations in encounters creates interesting puzzles, resource-burning opportunities, and opportunities for the players to gain information about the game world without solely relying on combat.
• 09:12: Include an entry on the table for the "nearest major entity," an important and dangerous NPC or monster with a clearly defined home location. This adds continuity and depth to encounters and allows the table to adapt to the party's movements.
• 10:09: The party doesn't have to encounter the major entity directly; they can see evidence of its existence, which provides opportunities for players to learn about nearby threats through nature and survival checks.
• 10:39: By following these steps, random encounter tables can be improved to create more engaging, meaningful, and potent threats that fit well with the narrative and scale appropriately with the party's progress.

• 😮 Traps in Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) are discussed in this video by Professor Dungeonmaster.
• 😅 Traps in 5th edition D&D are done on an ad hoc basis with no firm rules.
• 🔒 Three types of traps: grinder, puzzle, and situation.
• 💀 The grinder trap is common but can slow down gameplay and make players paranoid.
• 🔄 Combining the grinder trap with other elements, like an ambush, can add urgency and peril.
• 🧩 Puzzle traps rely on player intelligence, but some players may find them frustrating.
• 🤔 Tailor puzzle traps to suit your group's preferences or skip them altogether.
• 🧭 Puzzle traps can be made engaging by adding time limits or integrating them into the environment.
• 📚 Author Matt Mayfield's work on designing puzzles and riddles can be helpful.
• 💥 Situation traps involve complex scenarios and moral dilemmas for players to navigate.
• ⏳ The situation trap can involve multiple layers of challenges and consequences.
• ⚙️ Trap design elements: bait, trigger, confine, and time.
• 🕰️ Adding timers to traps increases tension and engagement.
• 🗝️ Examples of trap design elements and scenarios are provided in the video.
• 🎲 Designing traps with bait, trigger, confine, and time leads to more engaging gameplay.
• 👍 Likes, comments, and sharing the video are encouraged, and there are links to the Facebook group and Patreon for further support.

Recommend looking at the preview for the second edition of Knave. It does hit points like basic editions, but each character also has wound slots equal to their slots of for carrying items. When you go below zero HP, you start losing wound slots and you have to drop equipment. Hit points can be recovered with a good night's rest, whereas the wound slots need a safe environment, recovering one slot per safe night's rest. Also everyone is just rolling 1D6 / level, rerolling all d6s each level to help average out HPs.

It's a nice balance of OSR and nu school.

• 💡 Your Character Ability scores are secondary to your choices.
• 💡 A good player with an awful character can succeed more often than a poor player with a great character.
• 💡 Ask specific questions while exploring to gather useful information and find Treasure.
• 💡 Talking your way through an obstacle is usually the safest option, use it to gather information and identify weaknesses.
• 💡 Sneaking or bypassing obstacles is a good alternative if talking doesn't work.
• 💡 Combat should be a last resort, consider the risk vs reward before engaging in a fight.
• 💡 Understand the different weapons and their advantages.
• 💡 Wearing armor reduces damage from attackers.
• 💡 Consider alternative approaches and objectives in combat.
• 💡 The core of the game is: Gather information, make choices, and deal with the consequences.

"You're attacked by a group of goblins, they are gouging your eyes, biting your ears and dropping scorpions down your plate mail"

SAVES
Roll d20 equal or below the relevant Virtue.
Failure means negative consequences, not
necessarily a failure of the action itself.

Rolling to return from 5 torches deep

Connections and relationships

• 🍕 The speaker loves pizza and thinks it's important to try new things besides just their favorite food, including tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs).
• 🎲 There are many TTRPGs besides Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), and some of them are just as easy if not easier to learn and play.
• 💭 There are misconceptions about learning and playing TTRPGs other than D&D, and the speaker wants to address them.
• 🤔 One common misconception is that trying a new TTRPG requires stopping a current campaign or switching systems, but this isn't true. Playing a one-shot using a new game can be a great way to try it out without making a long-term commitment.
• ⏰ Finding time to play any TTRPG can be difficult, but trying a new one doesn't necessarily require more time than playing an existing campaign.
• ⚙️ Another misconception is that picking up the rules for a new TTRPG takes too much time, even for experienced game designers. However, many TTRPGs have quick start rules and one-shot adventures available for free or cheap, making it easier to try them out.
  💥 Don't let misconceptions stop you from trying out different TTRPGs and finding what you enjoy.

0:00 Intro
1:35 You're rolling too much!
1:57 What do the books say?
2:59 My handy-dandy flowchart
5:00 Is it even possible?
6:10 Is failure plausible?
9:22 What are the consequences?
10:32 Are you ready to do that, though?
12:03 ...but make sure it's fun.
13:11 The Flowchart

It may seem counterintuitive, considering that Dungeons & Dragons is a dice game, but... you're rolling too much! Today we talk about how Dungeon Masters calling for fewer dice rolls can result in a better D&D game. DMs, what do you think? Are you calling for too many ability checks in your tabletop roleplaying games?

3 types of damage:
Slashing/cutting
piercing
bludgeoning

Weapons that pierce (dagger to long sword) do same damage.
Damage should depend more on attack roll. Makes no sense to have a big attack roll that does 1 damage.
So maybe base damage plus amount of attack roll above AC.