The Knowledge Check

Eric and Philip return to discuss how to bring your favorite D&D characters into other settings while still retaining what makes them special. This episode is brought to you by the generous donations of our amazing Show Sponsors: Laura Pickrahn, Darrin Katzska, Irene Viorritto, Ryan Royce, Darrell DeLaney, Jessica Smith, Charles Compton, Danielle Bramhall-Smith, Nastasia Raulerson, The Kamm Family, David Scrams, Elizabeth Clark, Andy Dossett, Rebekah Gowman, deviouspoptart, Eðvarð Arnór Sigurðsson, Michael Clark, Eric Witman, and Shelby Johnson.

One trap that fighters, rogues, barbarians, and many other martial characters fall into is the “I hit” description. Philip and Eric spend this episode of the Knowledge Check explaining how they keep martial and magical attacks interesting through their descriptions, and also tips for DMs on encouraging the behavior at your table. Then they answer YOUR questions varying from how to keep the party on track campaign-wise and keeping combat from bogging down too much. This episode is brought to you by the generous donations of our amazing Show Sponsors: Laura Pickrahn, Darrin Katzska, Irene Viorritto, Ryan Royce, Darrell DeLaney, Jessica Smith, Charles Compton, Richard Cree, Nastasia Raulerson, The Kamm Family, David Scrams, Elizabeth Clark, Andy Dossett, Rebekah Miller, deviouspoptart, Eðvarð Arnór Sigurðsson, Michael Clark, Eric Witman, and Dustin Troupe.

This week Eric and Philip continue where they left off in the Patron-exclusive review of Exploring Eberron with Chapter 5, “Planes of Existence”. However, they realized they could use some help wading through the dense knowledge of this book so they enlist the help of the creator of Eberron himself, Keith Baker! This episode is brought to you by the generous donations of our amazing Show Sponsors: Laura Pickrahn, Darrin Katzska, Irene Viorritto, Ryan Royce, Darrell DeLaney, Jessica Smith, Charles Compton, Richard Cree, Nastasia Raulerson, The Kamm Family, David Scrams, Elizabeth Clark, Andy Dossett, Rebekah Miller, deviouspoptart, Eðvarð Arnór Sigurðsson, Michael Clark, Eric Witman, and Dustin Troupe.

This time on The Knowledge Check Philip and Eric discuss the latest offering from Wizards of the Coast: Mythic Odysseys of Theros! Come listen in and find out if the guys think the book is worth the pick up. This episode is brought to you by the generous donations of our amazing Show Sponsors: Laura Pickrahn, Darrin Katzska, Irene Viorritto, Ryan Royce, Darrell DeLaney, Jessica Smith, Charles Compton, Richard Cree, Nastasia Raulerson, The Kamm Family, David Scrams, Elizabeth Clark, Andy Dossett, Rebekah Miller, deviouspoptart, Eðvarð Arnór Sigurðsson, Michael Clark, Eric Witman, and Dustin Troupe.

This time around Philip and Eric sit down to talk about all things failure. Whether it is failed checks, failed sessions, or failure of characters, Eric and Philip break it all down to see how we can deal with failure at the table. This episode is brought to you by the generous donations of our amazing Show Sponsors: Laura Pickrahn, Darrin Katzska, Irene Viorritto, Ryan Royce, Darrell DeLaney, Jessica Smith, Charles Compton, Richard Cree, Nastasia Raulerson, The Kamm Family, David Scrams, Elizabeth Clark, Rebekah Miller, deviouspoptart, Eðvarð Arnór Sigurðsson, Michael Clark, Eric Witman, and Dustin Troupe.

Eric and Philip get the band back together to take a look at the latest Eberron offering from WotC, Eberron: Rising from the Last War. Join them as they discuss the highlights and what they wish were included in the book. This episode is brought to you by the generous donations of our amazing Show Sponsors: Laura Pickrahn, Darrin Katzska, Irene Viorritto, Ryan Royce, Darrell DeLaney, Charles Compton, Douglas Popp, The Kamm Family, David Scrams, Elizabeth Clark, Rebekah Miller, and Michael Clark.

Eric and Philip host another live stream as they take questions and discuss how to pick a game back up after a long hiatus in the campaign. This episode is brought to you by the generous donations of our amazing Show Sponsors: Laura Pickrahn, Jessica Smith, Irene Viorritto, Ryan Royce, Darrell DeLaney, Jon Cary, Charles Compton, The Kamm Family, and David Scrams.

Eric and Philip discuss some character focused topics that sprung up out of Philip's home game. This episode is brought to you by the generous donations of our amazing Show Sponsors: Laura Pickrahn, Jessica Smith, Irene Viorritto, Ryan Royce, Darrin Katzska, Darrell DeLaney, Jon Cary, Charles Compton, Nikko Batson, Matt Lewis, The Kamm Family, and David Scrams.

Eric and Philip decided to answer your questions on a livestream of The Knowledge Check! This episode is brought to you by the generous donations of our amazing Show Sponsors: Laura Pickrahn, Jessica Smith, Irene Viorritto, Ryan Royce, Darrin Katzska, Darrell DeLaney, Jon Cary, Charles Compton, Nikko Batson, Matt Lewis, The Kamm Family, and David Scrams.

This week Eric sits down with Fantasy Flight Games' Sam Stewart to discuss running a narrative at your table while balancing player's backstories at the same time. Come join us for a fun discussion, and addressing questions from our awesome Patrons! This episode is brought to you by the generous donations of our amazing Show Sponsors: Laura Pickrahn, Jessica Smith, Irene Viorritto, Ryan Royce, Darrin Katzska, Darrell DeLaney, Jon Cary, Charles Compton, Nikko Batson, Matt Lewis, The Kamm Family, and David Scrams.

Eric and Philip sit down to take a look at the first official Eberron resource for D&D 5e, and break down their highlights as well as what they hope to see in the future. This episode is brought to you by the generous donations of our amazing Show Sponsors: Laura Pickrahn, Jessica Smith, Irene Viorritto, Ryan Royce, Darrin Katzska, Darrell DeLaney, Jon Cary, Charles Compton, Nikko Batson, Matt Lewis, and The Kamm Family.

This week Eric and Philip are joined by you! The listeners joined us on Twitch to ask us questions ranging from party conflict to PC's that are too powerful! It was a great time and if you missed the stream, enjoy listening back to what crazy things went wrong!

This week on The Knowledge Check Philip and Eric dive into the latest book from Wizards of the Coast: Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes! They highlight their favorite parts of the book and highlight some things they wish were a bit better. This episode is brought to you by the generous donations of our amazing Show Sponsors: Laura Pickrahn, Jessica Smith, Irene Viorritto, Ryan Royce, Darrin Katzska, Darrell DeLaney, Jon Cary, Charles Compton, Nikko Batson, Matt Lewis, and The Kamm Family

This week on The Knowledge Check Philip goes solo as he takes a look at villainous scheming, and different motivations your villains can have to keep your campaign moving forward. He also tackles your listener questions, and gives you an inside look at his home campaign and what he does to makes the villain interesting. This episode is brought to you by the generous donations of our amazing Show Sponsors: Laura Pickrahn, Jessica Smith, Irene Viorritto, Ryan Royce, Darrin Katzska, Darrell DeLaney, Jon Cary, Charles Compton, Nikko Batson, Matt Lewis, and The Kamm Family.

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/TKCEpisode30_mixdown.mp3 Download Here Eric and Philip welcome special guest Keith Baker onto the show in a very special episode of The Knowledge Check. Keith joins the host to break down world building, using real life examples from Eberron and Phoenix: Dawn Command. Keith also tackles quite a few listener questions and address how Eberron runs in D&D 5e. This episode is brought to you by the generous donations of our amazing Show Sponsors: Laura Pickrahn, Jessica Smith, Irene Viorritto, Ryan Royce, Darrin Katzska, Darrell DeLaney, Jon Cary, Charles Compton, Nikko Batson, Matt Lewis, and The Kamm Family.

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/tkcepisode29_mixdown.mp3 Download Here This week Eric and Philip discuss their best practices for utilizing lore in a game, while keeping things interesting for even the most knowledgeable players at your table.  They also take some time to highlight their favorite bits of lore from D&D's history, and how they would tinker with it in a campaign. This episode is brought to you by the generous donations of our amazing Show Sponsors: Laura Pickrahn, Jessica Smith, Irene Viorritto, Ryan Royce, Darrin Katzska, Darrell DeLaney, Jon Cary, Charles Compton, Nikko Batson, Matt Lewis, and The Kamm Family.

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/tkcepisode28_mixdown.mp3 Download Here This week Eric and Philip discuss GamerNation Con 5, and dive into the lessons learned on how to run a fun and engaging one shot at a convention.  We go over what you can do at the table to make the experience as fun as possible for both yourself and everyone else at the table. This episode is brought to you by the generous donations of our amazing Show Sponsors: Laura Pickrahn, Jessica Smith, Irene Viorritto, Ryan Royce, Darrin Katzska, Darrell DeLaney, Jon Cary, Charles Compton, and Nikko Batson.

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/tkcepisode27_mixdown.mp3 Download Here This week Eric and Philip return to their series on D&D classes by diving into the Cleric class.  But given how long an episode would take to break down every option for a casting class, Eric and Philip tweak their normal formula to focus on narrative elements and character concepts.  They also take some time to debunk some common misconceptions about the Cleric class, and answer some listener questions. This episode is brought to you by the generous donations of our amazing Show Sponsors: Laura Pickrahn, Jessica Smith, Irene Viorritto, Ryan Royce, Darrin Katzska, Darrell DeLaney, Charles Compton, and Nikko Batson.  

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/tkcepisode26_mixdown.mp3 Download Here This week Eric and Philip tackle a listener requested topic:  Co-DMing.  We have mentioned it a lot in the past, and now we are going to break it down for you all:  the pros and cons, the missteps to watch out for, and what it means to truly partner with someone to run a campaign; and all of these insights were brought to you by the help of our wonderful Show Sponsors, whose questions we answered throughout the show! This episode is brought to you by the generous donations of our amazing Show Sponsors: Laura Pickrahn, Jessica Smith, Irene Viorritto, Ryan Royce, Darrin Katzska, Darrell DeLaney, Ccomp5950, and Nikko Batson.

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/tgppatreon_mixdown.mp3 Download Here Hello everyone!  Exciting news from The Geek Pantheon crew…we now have a Patreon.  Have a listen as Philip and Eric breakdown all of the ins and outs of why we are launching a Patreon, and what exciting things you can get! Check it out here: https://www.patreon.com/TheGeekPantheon

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/tkcepisode25_mixdown.mp3 Download Here This week Eric and Philip dive into the elegant art of homebrews and houserules, or as it's known to early D&D players: breaking the game!  All kidding aside, we take a look at the do's and don'ts of tweaking D&D to fit your table's needs, and share our success stories and our horrible, horrible failures.

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/tkcepisode24_mixdown.mp3 Download Here This week Eric flies solo with Philip feeling ill.  Eric breaks down some different ways to look at a campaign's structure to shake up your table's experience.  The long form, narrative driven campaign is the industry norm for a reason, but if you find that being Frodo, Luke Skywalker, or King Arthur just isn't for you; why not try shaking things up a bit?

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/tkcepisode23_mixdown.mp3 Download Here This week Eric and Philip break down the most terrifying aspect of D&D for some players… ROLEPLAYING.  We take away some of the stigma surrounding roleplaying and give some tips on how to start out if roleplaying “isn't your thing”.

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/tkcepisode22_mixdown.mp3 Download Here This week Eric takes an episode off while Philip outlines some recommendations of Non-D&D games to play if you are looking for a little variety at your table.  Philip breaks down the highlights of each system, and why they are worth you time.  Come join us for the first episode of the New Year on The Knowledge Check!

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/tkcepisode21_mixdown.mp3 Download Here In the spirit of the season Philip and Eric are taking a look at the greatest gift of all:  LOOT!  We dive into the different types of items that you can give and receive as loot, some of favorites, making your own, and a general guide to what has worked for us in the past.  So grab some hot cocoa, curl up next to the fire, and settle in for another episode of The Knowledge Check!

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/tkcepisode20_mixdown1.mp3 Download Here This week on The Knowledge Check we answer YOUR questions!  So come join us for an episode filled with a grab bag of knowledge from all over the place.

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/tkcepisode19_mixdown.mp3 Download Here This week on The Knowledge Check Philip and Eric take a look at Dragons: how to use them is your campaign, how your characters may interact with them, and some iconic examples that you can steal from.

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/tkcepisode18_mixdown.mp3 Download Here On this episode of The Knowledge Check Eric and Philip dive into what it takes to play an evil character effectively and without alienating your fellow party members, as well as how to make a compelling villain and manage their evil machinations without upsetting your players.

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/tkcepisode17_mixdown.mp3 Download Here Eric and Philip discuss one of the most dreaded and feared events that can occur at a table: Character Death.  They break down how it can happen, what to do afterwards, and how to bring them back (if that's what you want to do).

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/tkcepisode16_mixdown.mp3 Download Here This week Philip responds to Eric's episode last week by revealing his points of inspiration when it comes to D&D.  Join us for another episode of The Knowledge Check.

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/tkcepisode15_mixdown.mp3 Download Here This week on the Knowledge Check, Eric sits down to give you some insight into where he goes in pop culture for inspiration as a DM and as a player.  For example…Pro Wrestling in the first one he mentions, so that gives you as idea for how outside the bounds of Tolkien and Lewis we are headed.  Join us for another episode of The Knowledge Check.

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/tkctoareview_mixdown.mp3 Download Here This week on The Knowledge Check we have an exciting review of the latest book for 5th Edition D&D:  Tomb of Annihilation.  Eric breaks down the book and points out the ups and downs of the latest offering from Wizards of the Coast, and touches on how he would fix some of the more glaring issues.

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/tkcepisode14final_mixdown.mp3 Download Here Eric and Philip take a look at Philip's current campaign, that is beginning to come to an end, and craft an epic ending to it worthy of his party.  They take a look back at the advice they've given in the past two episodes and use it to make something the party will remember.

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/tkcepisode13final_mixdown.mp3 Download Here Coming off of the last episode's multi-year, highly successful campaign Eric and Philip discuss the sequel campaign: The Mark of Vengeance.  They discuss their lofty expectations for their follow-up story, and how it all fell apart before their eyes.  Come join in as Eric and Philip highlight what they did wrong and how to avoid making the same mistakes they did.

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/tkcep12final_mixdown.mp3 Download Here This week Eric and Philip revisit their masterpiece campaign: Unfinished Wars, and try to breakdown what went right, what could have gone better, and how you can use what they learned to craft a multi-year campaign for you group (hopefully).

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/tkcepisode11_mixdown.mp3 Download Here This week Eric and Philip discuss what it's like to step out from behind the DM screen and play at the table.  We discuss some of the pitfalls that we've seen at a table, and also how you can energize and help a game even when you aren't behind the screen.

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/tkcepisode10_mixdown.mp3 Download Here How does magic work?  What makes a wizard different from a sorcerer?  Eric and Philip try to answer these questions and more as they dive into the arcane classes and try to differentiate how the magic works.

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/tkcepisode9final_mixdown.mp3 Download Here This week Eric and Philip dive into gods, religion, and all things divine as they discuss classic archetypes in fantasy pantheons, interesting ways for players to interact with the divine, and some campaign ideas centered around the gods.  They also react to all of the info dropped during the Stream of Annihilation and take a look at the latest Unearthed Arcana.  Come join us for another exciting episode of The Knowledge Check.

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/tkcepisode8final_mixdown.mp3 Download Here This week Eric and Philip dive into everyone's favorite stickler of what's right and wrong… The Paladin.  But 5e has changed a lot of things about the Paladin class, and if you wrote if off a long time ago as a boring boy scout class… It may be time to take a second look.  All that and more on this week's The Knowledge Check!

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/tkcep7final_mixdown.mp3 Download Here This week Eric and Philip dive into a concept that Eric has been using for quite some time now as a way to cut his prep time for sessions way down, and make it easier to adapt to player action during gameplay.  Come join us to find out more!

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/tkcepisode6final_mixdown.mp3 Download Here This week Philip and Eric look back on their history as players and try to impart some hard-earned lessons.  They cover how to treat other players, interacting with the world, and most importantly how to have fun!  Also Eric uses a lot of movie analogies, including possibly the last film franchise you would ever expect to hear used in a D&D discussion.  Come join us for a fun filled discussion about playing D&D!

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/tkcepisode5final_mixdown.mp3 Download Here This week Eric and Philip break down the ten things they wish they knew we they first sat down behind the DM's screen.  We go through all of the pitfalls that lead us to learn these lessons:  share stories of sessions gone wrong, campaigns that have fizzled out after a handful of sessions, and moments of triumph where a breakthrough occurred.  We also take a look at some listener questions and comments, and breakdown the latest Unearthed Arcana articles that have been coming out!  Join us for another episode of The Knowledge Check!

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/tkcepisode4final_mixdown.mp3 Download Here This week on The Knowledge Check Eric and Philip break down the Warlock class, figuring out where this class shines, what to discuss with your DM, and how to get the most mileage out of your Patron's story.  We also look at D&D Beyond, the Mystic class, and do another build off to see how truly different the Warlock can be.  Come check it out on The Knowledge Check Podcast!

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/tkcyawningportalreview_mixdown.mp3 Download Here This week we have a special episode to go along with our normally scheduled episode tomorrow.  Eric has been busy all weekend diving into Tales from the Yawning Portal and now he wants to share his thoughts with all of you: what he liked, what he thought could have been better, and most importantly what this book can bring to your campaign to make it that much better.  So enjoy some extra goodness from the Knowledge Check as we look at the latest book from Dungeons & Dragons!

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/tkcepisode3_011.mp3 Download Here The adventure is coming to a close, everything the heroes have done is coming to a head, and there is one last thing to do….Take down the big bad evil guy.  But how do we as Dungeon Masters craft a unique, compelling, and dynamic ending to the campaign?  Listen in as Eric and Philip break everything down through the lens of a BBEG fight they created for a campaign of their own, and what they think worked along with what they wish they could do differently now.  Come join us for a new edition of The Knowledge Check!

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/tkcepisode2.mp3 Download Here This week on The Knowledge Check Podcast, Eric and Philip dive into the Fighter Class. The often overlooked class is featured and its strengths are highlighted, and we discuss why it may actually be the one of the most versatile classes in the game.  The new Unearthed Arcanas, featuring Warlocks, Wizards, and Mass Combat, are broken down into the most interesting bits, and we have ourselves a build off!  Eric and Philip do their best to wow you with some very interesting fighter builds that show off how vastly far you can go beyond “I swing my sword and hit him”.  All this and more on this week's The Knowledge Check!

https://thegeekpantheon.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/tkcep1_mixdown.mp3 Download Here Welcome to The Knowledge Check, a D&D 5e Discussion podcast where we dive deep into the system to see what wonderful things we can discover and share with you.  In the first episode, Eric and Philip introduce themselves and give you their backgrounds in tabletop gaming, along with an idea of how 5th edition stacks up against the other games they have played.  We also discuss the new Sorcerer Origins WotC released and give our opinions on it.  So saddle up, grab your Bag of Holding, and get ready for The Knowledge Check!