Curse of Strahd: Reloaded
Curse of Strahd: Reloaded is a free guide to running Curse of Strahd that aims to:
- simplify 5th Edition's most intricate adventure,
- guide DMs with tips and advice, ... 2023-06-12 00:20:45 +0000 UTC View Post
DragnaCarta posts
Patreon DevBlog #15: A Return to Form
It’s been a while since my last developer blog, an issue for which I sincerely apologize. It’s been a busy few weeks, but I should’ve taken the time to write these anyway. As a make-up gift, please enjoy this four-point devblog—one for each post I owe ya :)
Problem #1: How do I improvise a session enti... 2023-05-28 23:54:50 +0000 UTC View Post
Patreon Discord Workshop #20: Common DMing Mistakes / Dragna's Productivity Tips
This month's Patreon Discord Workshop, Common DMing Mistakes / Dragna's Productivity Tips, is now posted on YouTube! In this workshop, we review common mistakes that DMs make in narrative design, game rulings, table management, and more; plus some of my personal productivity tips (in case you're interested in that so...
2023-05-11 12:16:20 +0000 UTC View PostPatreon DevBlog #14 | A Dash of Drama
Hey folks! Once again this week, I didn’t have much substantive D&D stuff to work on (I’ve mostly been focusing my time and efforts on recording Dungeon Mentor videos and writing out the history and lore for Re-Reloaded). However, I did watch a new show that left me with some interesting stuff to think about....
2023-05-07 00:25:28 +0000 UTC View PostPatreon DevBlog #13: Why D&D is Like Mario Party
I didn’t really work on much substantive D&D work this week (though I did publish the first video in the Dungeon Mentor how-to-DM series; check it out here!), so I don’t have any “problems” to talk about this week, per se.
Ho...
2023-04-28 19:56:03 +0000 UTC View PostDon't Forget—DMing & Productivity Tips Workshop Tomorrow!
This month's Patreon Discord Workshop, You're Probably Doing Ability Checks Wrong (& Other Common Mistakes) / Dragna's Productivity Tips & Tricks, will be held in the #Workshops voice channel of the Patreon Discord server tomorrow, on Saturday, April 29th at 4 PM Eastern 2023-04-28 13:26:53 +0000 UTC View Post
Patreon DevBlog #12: Doing the Monster Math
We’re back on the combat encounter development grind! More stuff about Re-Reloaded coming next week, but for now, let’s take a look at some monster design theory.
Problem: How do I fix my three-phase statblocks?
Last Saturday, I got a chance to give my 2023-04-22 02:22:46 +0000 UTC View Post
Patreon DevBlog #11: Question Your Assumptions
This is the longest devblog I’ve written yet, and it deals with exactly one (1) arc in Curse of Strahd: Reloaded.
Why is it so big? Because 2023-04-13 18:12:56 +0000 UTC View Post
April Patreon Discord Workshop: Common DMing Mistakes & Productivity Tips & Tricks!
This month's Patreon Discord Workshop, You're Probably Doing Ability Checks Wrong (& Other Common Mistakes) / Dragna's Productivity Tips & Tricks, will be held in the #Workshops voice channel of the Patreon Discord server on Saturday, April 29th at 4 PM Eastern!
If you're not al...
2023-04-12 13:15:22 +0000 UTC View PostPatreon DevBlog #10: Revise, Revise, Revise
We’re slowly catching up on my backlog of DevBlog Topics™! This week, I’d like to talk about some revisions I wound up making to my homebrew campaign. Plus: the problems with Strahd’s charm and how to fix them!
Problem #1: How do I make a linear nonlinear dungeon?
In my homebrew campaign, my players have...
2023-04-06 18:12:25 +0000 UTC View PostPatreon DevBlog #9: Back in Business
Thank you to all of you for your patience over these past few weeks—I know it’s been a bit of a dry spell as far as these articles are concerned, but hopefully the stuff I’ve got planned will more than make up for it!
This week, we’ve got some deliberations over Curse of Strahd Re-Reloaded, plus my process for t...
2023-04-01 02:36:58 +0000 UTC View PostPatreon Discord Workshop #19 | Using ChatGPT & Bing Chat for DMing
This month's Patreon Discord Workshop, Using ChatGPT & Bing Chat for DMing, is now posted on YouTube! In this workshop, we review advanced strategies for using ChatGPT & Bing Chat, as well as specific applications for DMing.
As always, you can find it and all other workshops linked in the 2023-03-28 13:43:44 +0000 UTC View Post
Apologies for the Delayed Devblogs
I'm sure some of you have noticed that I've failed to publish any devblogs over the past two weeks. I don't really have a good excuse for this, except that I've been dealing with a lot of IRL issues and stressors over those two weeks, and unfortunately haven't been able to just sit down and make the time to bang out a devblog...
2023-03-22 00:02:22 +0000 UTC View PostWorkshop | Using ChatGPT & Bing AI for DMing
This month's live Discord workshop, How to Use ChatGPT and Bing AI for DMing, will take place in the #Workshops voice channel on the Patreon Discord server tomorrow, this Saturday, March 18 at 1 PM Eastern/5 PM GMT!
We'll:
- br... 2023-03-17 23:46:27 +0000 UTC View Post
Patreon Devblog #8: Keeping Things Moving
This week was pretty light, design-wise—the first course of the Dungeon Master series is reaching completion, and so I spent more time editing videos than creating new content. Still, a few interesting topics came up in conversation and/or in-game, so let’s take a look at how I approached them!
Problem #1: How do I... 2023-03-06 21:31:37 +0000 UTC View Post
DM's Toolkit Update | Using Multi-Phase Bosses (Reference Sheet)
Climactic combats with solo, powerful enemies are a staple of fantasy media, inspiring countless Dungeon Masters to emulate them in their own games. However, when it comes to using "legendary monsters" in D&D 5e, those Dungeon Masters are almost invariably disappointed, finding themselves stuck with fragile "glass cannons...
2023-03-01 19:57:51 +0000 UTC View PostPatreon DevBlog #7: Pushing the Envelope
This week, I kept up my efforts to create backstory hooks for players in Curse of Strahd: Reloaded, plus finalized my plans for the upcoming necromancer’s dungeon adventure in my homebrew campaign. Let’s take a look!
Problem #1: How do I create thematic backstory hooks for Curse of Strahd PCs?
Patreon DevBlog #6: Musings of Madness
This week, I did a bit of work on my homebrew campaign, made some tweaks to Re-Reloaded, and had a minor mental breakdown over Curse of Strahd adventure hooks. Let’s take a look!
Problem #1: How do I make a good entrance puzzle for my dungeon?
Last week, I mentioned that I was working on a
Patreon DevBlog #5: Grappling with the Impossible
We’re back on the DevBlog, albeit a bit belatedly—apologies for the delay! I’ve been both a bit busy and a bit sick, but thankfully, it looks like most of the clouds have now cleared from the horizon. In the past week, I’ve worked a bit on Re-Reloaded but I’ve also spent a bunch of time on my own IRL homebrew campai...
2023-02-15 15:14:21 +0000 UTC View PostPatreon DevBlog #4: Design Intent Matters
The infamous DevBlog returns! This week’s projects included Curse of Strahd: Re-Reloaded, Dungeon Mentor, and the final Patreon homebrew content pack—plus some minor commentaries. Let’s dive in!
Problem 1: How can I ensure the PCs experience the Strahd encounter at the River Ivlis crossroads? 2023-02-05 18:24:58 +0000 UTC View Post
Boo! | A Ghost-Themed Content Pack
Boo!, a ghost-themed content pack featuring a haunted house location stat block, a bookish ghost hunter, two spooky random encounters, and a ghost-hunting mystery with a gruesome twist, is now available on the Silver masterpost!
This...
2023-02-04 20:58:34 +0000 UTC View PostDM's Toolkit Update | Session & Adventure Plan Templates & Reference Sheets
As per evident popular interest, I've updated the existing session plan template and reference sheet in the DM's Toolkit, and also added a new adventure plan template and reference sheet to help you build your campaign arcs and chapters.
You can find the new materials in the 2023-02-02 02:03:10 +0000 UTC View Post
Patreon DevBlog | These Boots Were Made For Walkin'
Welcome back to the DevBlog! This week, I kept working on Curse of Strahd: Reloaded, Dungeon Mentor, and this month’s DM’s Toolkit/homebrew content pack updates. Let’s talk shop.
Problem 1: How do I fix Strahd’s introductory encounter (again)?
You might remember that 2023-01-30 02:02:42 +0000 UTC View Post
Patreon Discord Technical Fix
Hey folks! Due to an apparent bug with the Patreon Discord bot, I had to delete and recreate all of the patron-exclusive server roles to make sure that everything got assigned correctly and everyone could see the right channels.
Everything should be working properly now, but there are always bugs with any...
2023-01-27 20:32:15 +0000 UTC View PostAnnouncement | Changing Silver Patron Perks
Hey folks, and hope your week is going well!
You may have heard by this point that I've been experimenting with a series of weekly developer blogs sharing and analyzing my TTRPG creative and design process.
Through...
2023-01-25 15:26:58 +0000 UTC View PostDragna's Patreon DevBlog | Putting the Pieces Together
This is an experimental Patreon-exclusive developer blog, intended to potentially replace the Silver-tier homebrew content packs as a perk.
If you would prefer to keep the monthly homebrew content packs as a perk, or if you would prefer to see a weekly 2023-01-21 19:29:03 +0000 UTC View Post
Dragna's Patreon DevBlog | The Road to Vallaki
This is an experimental Patreon-exclusive developer blog, intended to potentially replace the Silver-tier homebrew content packs as a perk.
If you would prefer to keep the monthly homebrew content packs as a perk, or if you would prefer to see a weekly 2023-01-15 02:50:44 +0000 UTC View Post
Adventuring Day Encounter Builder & New DM's Toolkit Reference Sheet
I'm excited to share that I've just made two new additions to the DM's Toolkit!
The first is a Building an Adventure Chapter reference sheet, which should help you design dungeons and location-based adventures, as well as one-shots!
The second is the Challenge Ratings 2.0 Adventuring Day &...
2023-01-08 19:11:22 +0000 UTC View PostThe Frozen Wastes | An Arctic Fantasy-Themed Content Pack
The Frozen Wastes, an arctic fantasy-themed content pack featuring a frozen cave location stat block, a gruff arctic ranger, two chilly random encounters, and a mountain-escape adventure, is now available on the Silver masterpost!
Le...
2023-01-07 18:30:34 +0000 UTC View PostFrom the Deep | A Coastal Horror-Themed Content Pack
From the Deep, a coastal horror-themed content pack featuring a ship graveyard stat block, an inquisitive monk, two briny random encounters, and an aboleth-themed adventure, is now available on the Silver masterpost!
Let me know what...
2022-12-04 20:28:57 +0000 UTC View Post
