Podcasts about Ravenloft

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 30, 2026 64:44

Wizards of the Coast has revealed its plans for the future of Dungeons & Dragons, and apparently the strategy is simple: fix D&D Beyond, return to Gen Con, outsource adventures to people who know what they are doing, cross over with World of Warcraft, and traumatize a convention hall full of children with a Dark Sun trailer featuring a freshly removed spine. Tyler attended the secret briefing and emerged with five pages of notes, several enormous announcements, and absolutely no idea what D&D Icons are. So prepare yourselves for new books, old settings, digital upgrades, live puppies, and enough upcoming content to make your wallet roll a death save. EnWorld: President of WotC Steps Down Forbidden Lands (affiliate link) Show Notes Wizards of the Coast has revealed its roadmap for Dungeons & Dragons through 2027, and Tyler is here to unload everything he learned during an embargoed presentation. We begin at Gen Con, which Wizards plans to turn into the recurring home for its annual D&D announcements. There will be a massive convention presence, live events, streams, adoptable puppies, and something called D&D Icons. Everyone involved seems extremely excited about Icons. Unfortunately, nobody appears capable of explaining what they actually are. D&D Beyond is also getting a substantial overhaul. Wizards plans to introduce tools for finding groups, allow local game stores to advertise events, and form an official partnership with StartPlaying. The mobile app is being redesigned, the character builder and rules engine are being rebuilt, and new DM tools, improved search, and campaign-creation features are somewhere on the horizon. Several details remain vague, partly because the presentation's prerecorded D&D Beyond video stopped working halfway through. Technology! On the video game side, Wizards appears to be pulling back from its plan to release a major game every year. Several projects have reportedly been canceled, but Warlock and Exodus remain in development. Warlock will feature a protagonist whose patron is Tasha, while Exodus is shaping up as a science-fiction RPG with strong Mass Effect energy and a tabletop tie-in that nobody on the podcast entirely understands. The tabletop schedule begins with Arcana Unleashed, a large rules expansion containing eight subclasses, ten backgrounds, twenty-nine feats, thirty-three spells, group patrons, magical factions, forty-seven magic items, and nineteen creature stat blocks. It will also introduce evolving magic items that can grow alongside the characters using them. Its companion campaign, Deadfall, is an espionage-focused adventure running from levels 11 through 20. The characters must save Thay by opposing Szass Tam, which means the situation has become so dire that saving Thay somehow qualifies as the good outcome. The Season of Champions brings a full Dungeons & Dragons crossover with World of Warcraft. The book is being led by longtime D&D designer and Warcraft fan James Wyatt and will include eleven species, six subclasses, iconic locations, recognizable characters, dungeons, monsters designed to provide a raid-like experience, a DM screen, and a map pack with a digital adventure. It will also come in three different editions, allowing Horde and Alliance fans to continue fighting the most important battle of all: which logo belongs on the front of the book. Then comes Dark Sun. Wizards is presenting Athas as the first mature D&D setting, complete with shrink-wrapped books, content warnings, extreme violence, and a trailer that apparently wastes no time separating people from their spinal columns. Dark Sun will receive separate setting and gameplay expansions, a limited-edition Player's Handbook, a new Scion class, a DM screen, maps, and some form of adventure support. The gameplay material alone is expected to approach five hundred pages, suggesting that Wizards is not returning to Athas quietly. Greyhawk will also return during the 2027 Season of Sword and Sorcery. Crown of the Witch Queen is a 160-page adventure featuring Tasha's daughter as its central antagonist, supported by a map pack and DM screen. The final 2027 season, the Season of Rebellion, was announced without details, leaving everyone to speculate angrily until Wizards decides to explain itself. Perhaps the largest long-term change is Wizards' plan for annual setting support produced in partnership with established third-party publishers. Ghostfire Gaming will work on Ravenloft, Visionary Products and Designs will handle Eberron, and Kobold Press will support the Forgotten Realms. Wizards is also developing something with the Hickmans, although details remain scarce. The approach could finally give neglected settings regular adventures and character options, but it also raises questions about outsourcing, quality control, digital-only releases, and whether D&D is about to recreate the overwhelming flood of material from the third-edition era. Despite those concerns, the group is cautiously optimistic. Wizards seems willing to experiment, work with proven creators, support more settings, focus on tabletop products, and admit that maybe trying to become a video game company was not the best use of everyone's time. It could produce an exciting new era for D&D, or it could become an exhausting avalanche of crossovers and subscription content. Either way, Ash will be waiting for the D&D and Family Guy campaign setting so they can finally say they warned us. Key Takeaways Gen Con is becoming D&D's annual announcement hub. Wizards intends to reveal future product roadmaps there instead of relying on scattered online presentations. D&D Beyond is being extensively rebuilt. Planned improvements include group-finding tools, local game-store listings, StartPlaying integration, a redesigned app, a new character builder, a new rules engine, better search, DM tools, and campaign creation. Arcana Unleashed is a major player-focused expansion. It includes subclasses, feats, spells, backgrounds, factions, patrons, dozens of magic items, and new rules for items that evolve with their owners. Deadfall finally supports high-level campaigning. The adventure runs from levels 11 through 20 and sends the party into an espionage conflict against Szass Tam in Thay. The World of Warcraft crossover is a full product line. It includes numerous playable species, subclasses, famous locations, raid-inspired encounters, accessories, digital content, and three different cover editions. Dark Sun is returning without being noticeably softened. Wizards is positioning it as a mature setting with separate lore and gameplay books, graphic content warnings, hundreds of pages of material, and promised adventure support. Greyhawk returns with Crown of the Witch Queen. The adventure will feature Tasha's daughter as the antagonist and lean into a colorful, operatic sword-and-sorcery style. Classic settings may receive annual support. Wizards is partnering with experienced publishers to produce new Ravenloft, Eberron, and Forgotten Realms material, with another Hickman-related project also in development. Third-party partnerships could solve D&D's setting problem. Instead of leaving worlds unsupported for years, specialized publishers can create material while Wizards focuses on core rules and major releases. The biggest risk is content overload. More books, digital releases, partnerships, settings, and crossovers could strengthen the game, but they could also recreate the crowded and difficult-to-navigate release schedule of earlier editions. The overall mood is cautiously optimistic. The announcements suggest that Wizards is taking creative risks, investing in tabletop content, and making decisions that could benefit both players and the wider TTRPG industry. Welcome to the RPGBOT Podcast. If you love Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, and tabletop RPGs, this is the podcast for you. Support the show for free: Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any podcast app. It helps new listeners find the best RPG podcast for D&D and Pathfinder players. Level up your experience: Join us on Patreon to unlock ad-free access to RPGBOT.net and the RPGBOT Podcast, chat with us and the community on the RPGBOT Discord, and jump into live-streamed RPG podcast recordings. Support while you shop: Use our Amazon affiliate link at https://amzn.to/3NwElxQ and help us keep building tools and guides for the RPG community. Meet the Hosts Tyler Kamstra – Master of mechanics, seeing the Pathfinder action economy like Neo in the Matrix. Randall James – Lore buff and technologist, always ready to debate which Lord of the Rings edition reigns supreme. Ash Ely – Resident cynic, chaos agent, and AI's worst nightmare, bringing pure table-flipping RPG podcast energy. Join the RPGBOT team where fantasy roleplaying meets real strategy, sarcasm, and community chaos. How to Find Us: In-depth articles, guides, handbooks, reviews, news on Tabletop Role Playing at RPGBOT.net Tyler Kamstra BlueSky: @rpgbot.net TikTok: @RPGBOTDOTNET Ash Ely Professional Game Master on StartPlaying.Games BlueSky: @GravenAshes YouTube: @ashravenmedia https://ashelydm.com/ https://ashelydm.com/ Randall James BlueSky: @GrimoireRPG Amateurjack.com Read Melancon: A Grimoire Tale (affiliate link) Producer Dan @Lzr_illuminati

2026-2027 DND RELEASE SCHEDULE: A Roadmap Written in Blood and Marketing

Talking About Stuff / Survivor

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 30, 2026 64:44

Wizards of the Coast has revealed its plans for the future of Dungeons & Dragons, and apparently the strategy is simple: fix D&D Beyond, return to Gen Con, outsource adventures to people who know what they are doing, cross over with World of Warcraft, and traumatize a convention hall full of children with a Dark Sun trailer featuring a freshly removed spine. Tyler attended the secret briefing and emerged with five pages of notes, several enormous announcements, and absolutely no idea what D&D Icons are. So prepare yourselves for new books, old settings, digital upgrades, live puppies, and enough upcoming content to make your wallet roll a death save. EnWorld: President of WotC Steps Down Forbidden Lands (affiliate link) Show Notes Wizards of the Coast has revealed its roadmap for Dungeons & Dragons through 2027, and Tyler is here to unload everything he learned during an embargoed presentation. We begin at Gen Con, which Wizards plans to turn into the recurring home for its annual D&D announcements. There will be a massive convention presence, live events, streams, adoptable puppies, and something called D&D Icons. Everyone involved seems extremely excited about Icons. Unfortunately, nobody appears capable of explaining what they actually are. D&D Beyond is also getting a substantial overhaul. Wizards plans to introduce tools for finding groups, allow local game stores to advertise events, and form an official partnership with StartPlaying. The mobile app is being redesigned, the character builder and rules engine are being rebuilt, and new DM tools, improved search, and campaign-creation features are somewhere on the horizon. Several details remain vague, partly because the presentation's prerecorded D&D Beyond video stopped working halfway through. Technology! On the video game side, Wizards appears to be pulling back from its plan to release a major game every year. Several projects have reportedly been canceled, but Warlock and Exodus remain in development. Warlock will feature a protagonist whose patron is Tasha, while Exodus is shaping up as a science-fiction RPG with strong Mass Effect energy and a tabletop tie-in that nobody on the podcast entirely understands. The tabletop schedule begins with Arcana Unleashed, a large rules expansion containing eight subclasses, ten backgrounds, twenty-nine feats, thirty-three spells, group patrons, magical factions, forty-seven magic items, and nineteen creature stat blocks. It will also introduce evolving magic items that can grow alongside the characters using them. Its companion campaign, Deadfall, is an espionage-focused adventure running from levels 11 through 20. The characters must save Thay by opposing Szass Tam, which means the situation has become so dire that saving Thay somehow qualifies as the good outcome. The Season of Champions brings a full Dungeons & Dragons crossover with World of Warcraft. The book is being led by longtime D&D designer and Warcraft fan James Wyatt and will include eleven species, six subclasses, iconic locations, recognizable characters, dungeons, monsters designed to provide a raid-like experience, a DM screen, and a map pack with a digital adventure. It will also come in three different editions, allowing Horde and Alliance fans to continue fighting the most important battle of all: which logo belongs on the front of the book. Then comes Dark Sun. Wizards is presenting Athas as the first mature D&D setting, complete with shrink-wrapped books, content warnings, extreme violence, and a trailer that apparently wastes no time separating people from their spinal columns. Dark Sun will receive separate setting and gameplay expansions, a limited-edition Player's Handbook, a new Scion class, a DM screen, maps, and some form of adventure support. The gameplay material alone is expected to approach five hundred pages, suggesting that Wizards is not returning to Athas quietly. Greyhawk will also return during the 2027 Season of Sword and Sorcery. Crown of the Witch Queen is a 160-page adventure featuring Tasha's daughter as its central antagonist, supported by a map pack and DM screen. The final 2027 season, the Season of Rebellion, was announced without details, leaving everyone to speculate angrily until Wizards decides to explain itself. Perhaps the largest long-term change is Wizards' plan for annual setting support produced in partnership with established third-party publishers. Ghostfire Gaming will work on Ravenloft, Visionary Products and Designs will handle Eberron, and Kobold Press will support the Forgotten Realms. Wizards is also developing something with the Hickmans, although details remain scarce. The approach could finally give neglected settings regular adventures and character options, but it also raises questions about outsourcing, quality control, digital-only releases, and whether D&D is about to recreate the overwhelming flood of material from the third-edition era. Despite those concerns, the group is cautiously optimistic. Wizards seems willing to experiment, work with proven creators, support more settings, focus on tabletop products, and admit that maybe trying to become a video game company was not the best use of everyone's time. It could produce an exciting new era for D&D, or it could become an exhausting avalanche of crossovers and subscription content. Either way, Ash will be waiting for the D&D and Family Guy campaign setting so they can finally say they warned us. Key Takeaways Gen Con is becoming D&D's annual announcement hub. Wizards intends to reveal future product roadmaps there instead of relying on scattered online presentations. D&D Beyond is being extensively rebuilt. Planned improvements include group-finding tools, local game-store listings, StartPlaying integration, a redesigned app, a new character builder, a new rules engine, better search, DM tools, and campaign creation. Arcana Unleashed is a major player-focused expansion. It includes subclasses, feats, spells, backgrounds, factions, patrons, dozens of magic items, and new rules for items that evolve with their owners. Deadfall finally supports high-level campaigning. The adventure runs from levels 11 through 20 and sends the party into an espionage conflict against Szass Tam in Thay. The World of Warcraft crossover is a full product line. It includes numerous playable species, subclasses, famous locations, raid-inspired encounters, accessories, digital content, and three different cover editions. Dark Sun is returning without being noticeably softened. Wizards is positioning it as a mature setting with separate lore and gameplay books, graphic content warnings, hundreds of pages of material, and promised adventure support. Greyhawk returns with Crown of the Witch Queen. The adventure will feature Tasha's daughter as the antagonist and lean into a colorful, operatic sword-and-sorcery style. Classic settings may receive annual support. Wizards is partnering with experienced publishers to produce new Ravenloft, Eberron, and Forgotten Realms material, with another Hickman-related project also in development. Third-party partnerships could solve D&D's setting problem. Instead of leaving worlds unsupported for years, specialized publishers can create material while Wizards focuses on core rules and major releases. The biggest risk is content overload. More books, digital releases, partnerships, settings, and crossovers could strengthen the game, but they could also recreate the crowded and difficult-to-navigate release schedule of earlier editions. The overall mood is cautiously optimistic. The announcements suggest that Wizards is taking creative risks, investing in tabletop content, and making decisions that could benefit both players and the wider TTRPG industry. Welcome to the RPGBOT Podcast. If you love Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, and tabletop RPGs, this is the podcast for you. Support the show for free: Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any podcast app. It helps new listeners find the best RPG podcast for D&D and Pathfinder players. Level up your experience: Join us on Patreon to unlock ad-free access to RPGBOT.net and the RPGBOT Podcast, chat with us and the community on the RPGBOT Discord, and jump into live-streamed RPG podcast recordings. Support while you shop: Use our Amazon affiliate link at https://amzn.to/3NwElxQ and help us keep building tools and guides for the RPG community. Meet the Hosts Tyler Kamstra – Master of mechanics, seeing the Pathfinder action economy like Neo in the Matrix. Randall James – Lore buff and technologist, always ready to debate which Lord of the Rings edition reigns supreme. Ash Ely – Resident cynic, chaos agent, and AI's worst nightmare, bringing pure table-flipping RPG podcast energy. Join the RPGBOT team where fantasy roleplaying meets real strategy, sarcasm, and community chaos. How to Find Us: In-depth articles, guides, handbooks, reviews, news on Tabletop Role Playing at RPGBOT.net Tyler Kamstra BlueSky: @rpgbot.net TikTok: @RPGBOTDOTNET Ash Ely Professional Game Master on StartPlaying.Games BlueSky: @GravenAshes YouTube: @ashravenmedia https://ashelydm.com/ https://ashelydm.com/ Randall James BlueSky: @GrimoireRPG Amateurjack.com Read Melancon: A Grimoire Tale (affiliate link) Producer Dan @Lzr_illuminati

So Many Levels - Death House (Again!) Session 02

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2026 119:57

Our players are once again drawn into the mists of Ravenloft as we continue our Curse of Strahd Death House adventure!

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Level Up 202 Ravenloft The Horror Within II (1414)

Charlas desde Shadowlands

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2026 47:04

Ravenloft: The Horrors Within — Segunda parte Dominios, Señores Oscuros y herramientas para dirigir horror Dominios del Terror Concepto general: Cada dominio es un ecosistema narrativo con un tipo de horror específico. Elementos comunes de cada dominio: Tema de horror principal Ganchos de aventura Amenazas recurrentes Consejos de dirección Relación con la Niebla Dominios destacados: Innsmouth — Horror cósmico, influencia abisal, paranoia costera Barovia — Gótico clásico, presencia modulable de Strahd Kartakass — Identidad, fama, manipulación a través del arte Lamordia — Ciencia obsesiva, ética fracturada Dementlieu — Máscaras, decadencia social, engaño permanente Señores Oscuros Idea central: Antagonistas trágicos atrapados en su propio dominio. Cada Señor Oscuro incluye: Tragedia personal Motivación y obsesión Poderes y limitaciones Relación con la Niebla Ideas de campaña Ejemplos destacados: Reina de las Profundidades — Dolor abisal, dominio marino Barón de los Espejos — Identidad distorsionada, narcisismo letal Doctor Mordenheim — Ciencia sin límites, consecuencias monstruosas Duquesa de las Mil Máscaras — Intriga cortesana, nadie es quien parece Bestiario Enfoque: Criaturas diseñadas para reforzar atmósferas y temas de terror. Tipos de monstruos: Sombras vivientes Abisales menores Espectros narrativos Constructos imperfectos Bestias huecas Cada entrada aporta: Variantes temáticas Consejos de uso narrativo Ganchos de aventura Opciones para campañas largas Esperamos que os guste! Música de Uppbeat: License code: DSJHNLFTIRWBKXPO Música de Youtube

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Level Up 201 Ravenloft The Horror Within I (1409)

Charlas desde Shadowlands

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2026 37:14

Ravenloft The Horror Within, primera parte En este programa empezamos a analizar los contenidos del nuevo suplemento de Wizards of the Coast para D&D 2024, nada más y nada menos que Ravenloft: the Horrors Within. Como se trata de un buen librazo de casi 300 páginas, empezaremos hablando de las nuevas opciones de personaje: Nuevas especies, como el dhampiro atrapado entre la vida y la no muerte; el hexblood de linaje encantado; el lupino con sus dones de licántropo y el renacido, un ser resistente que ha regresado de la muerte. Nuevos trasfondos, como el hechizado, el investigador, el errante de las nieblas y el médium espiritual. Nuevas dotes iniciales y dotes de Don Oscuro: poderosas cualidades que encierran también una maldición. Nuevas subclases: El artífice reanimador, que alza y potencia un compañero reanimado; El bardo del colegio de los espíritus, capaz de convocar espíritus para ayudar a sus aliados o castigar a los enemigos; El clérigo del dominio de la tumba, que ralentiza la partida de los aliados y acelera la muerte de los oponentes; El explorador guardián hueco, que adopta la forma y poder de las grandes bestias de los dominios más terribles; El pícaro fantasma, que puede robar las almas de los finados y usarlas para ganar conocimiento o volverse etéreo; El hechicero de la magia sombría, capaz de manipular sombras, darles vida y fundirse con ellas; Y el brujo del patrón no muerto, que adopta el manto de su señor y gana la resistencia de la muerte y su poder necrótico. Esperamos que os guste! Música de Uppbeat: License code: DSJHNLFTIRWBKXPO Música de Youtube

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Ravenloft: The Horrors Within - Legend Lore (L069)

It's A Mimic!

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 10, 2026 70:20

This Legend Lore episode sees Adam and Megan explore the mysterious new horror release from Wizards of the Coast, Ravenloft: The Horrors Within Opening Theme and Intro 0:00 Expectations 0:50 Ravenloft: The Horrors Within 6:20 Inspirations 50:36 DM Screen & Tarokka Deck 1:02:14 Outro & Closing Theme 1:08:22 DON'T FORGET TO LIKE & SUBSCRIBE! Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/user?u=84724626 Website: https://www.itsamimic.com Email at info@itsamimic.com Social: Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/itsamimic/?hl=en Threads at https://www.threads.net/@itsamimicpodcast Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/itsamimic/ Reddit at https://www.reddit.com/r/ItsaMimic/ Find Us On: Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/show/3Y19VxSxLKyfg0gY0yUeU1 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/its-a-mimic/id1450770037 Podbean at https://itsamimic.podbean.com/ YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQmvEufzxPHWrFSZbB8uuw Dungeon Master 1: Adam Nason Dungeon Master 2: Megan Lengle Narrator: CB Dave Script By: Adam Nason, Megan Lengle Produced By: Megan Lengle Director: Adam Nason Editor: Adam Nason Executive Producer: Adam Nason Main Theme: Cory Wiebe Musical Scores: Tyler Gibson Logo by: Megan Lengle Other Artwork is owned by Wizards of the Coast. This episode is meant to be used as an inspirational supplement for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition and tabletop roleplaying games in general. It's A Mimic! does not own the rights to any Wizards of the Coasts products.

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RAVENLOFT - THE HORRORS WITHIN: The Best Ravenloft Book Since Ravenloft

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 2, 2026 58:37

Welcome to Part 4 of our Ravenloft: The Horrors Within review, where the real horror isn't Strahd. It's Ash's campaign. In the span of ten minutes, his players accidentally created Baba Yaga, nearly invented a magical nuclear weapon, tried to break the multiverse "just to see what happens," and immediately asked if they could automate it with a Rube Goldberg machine. At this point, the Dark Powers aren't tormenting the players. They're trying to survive them. Show Notes We wrap up our four-part review of Ravenloft: The Horrors Within by touring the remaining Domains of Dread, digging into the new monsters and NPCs, exploring haunted Bastions, and deciding whether Wizards of the Coast finally delivered the definitive Ravenloft sourcebook. Before the review even begins, Ash recounts the latest catastrophes from his home Ravenloft campaign. His players accidentally elevate a coven of hags into a new Baba Yaga, nearly tear open reality with artifacts capable of destroying demiplanes, and somehow conclude that the obvious solution is building a magical doomsday device. As always, the greatest threat to Ravenloft isn't the Dark Lords. It's the player characters. The panel finishes its tour of the remaining Domains of Dread, highlighting favorites like the haunted countryside of Mordent, Arthurian-inspired Shadowlands, Lord Soth's Sythicus, the folk-horror nightmare of Tepest, and the deadly jungle hunts of Valachan. Each domain receives new maps, campaign outlines, adventure hooks, and fully realized Dark Lord stat blocks that make them dramatically easier to run than previous editions. Attention then shifts to the new DM tools. Haunted Bastions become an instant favorite, adding supernatural events, cursed facilities, and even Backrooms-inspired liminal spaces to the 2024 Bastion system. The group also praises the new patron mechanics, expanded horror guidance, and dozens of flavorful campaign-building resources for Dungeon Masters. The bestiary proves equally impressive. New horrors range from Lovecraftian monstrosities and terrifying Relentless Killers to updated versions of classic Ravenloft creatures like the Dullahan and Grimishkas. Several monsters introduce brutal mechanics involving exhaustion, possession, regeneration, and instant death, giving horror encounters a unique identity beyond simply dealing more damage. Finally, the hosts deliver their verdict on the book. While the player-facing subclasses receive mixed reviews throughout the series, everyone agrees that The Horrors Within is a massive upgrade for Dungeon Masters. Between expanded lore, stronger adventures, memorable monsters, and fully developed Domains of Dread, this may be the best Ravenloft campaign resource Wizards has published for Fifth Edition. Ravenloft: The Horrors Within (affiliate link) RPGBOT.store - Pish Pash, My Memory is Trash! Other Stuff Rikki Tikki Tavi Roxane but it gets faster Spirited Away Content from RPGBOT.net DnD 5e Dark Gifts Guide Key Takeaways Ash's home campaign continues to prove that players are more dangerous than any Dark Lord. The remaining Domains of Dread receive substantial expansions with maps, adventures, and campaign frameworks. Shadowlands, Tepest, Mordent, and Valachan each offer unique horror genres beyond gothic vampires. Haunted Bastions are one of the most creative additions to the 2024 Bastion system. The liminal-space Bastion facility is basically the Backrooms for D&D. The bestiary introduces memorable new horrors, especially the Relentless Killer variants. Updated classic monsters receive more interesting mechanics while remaining faithful to their original themes. Named NPCs like Van Richten, Ez, Madame Eva, and the Weathermay-Foxgrove twins finally receive dedicated stat blocks. The book is packed with campaign hooks, DM tools, and adventure ideas that make Ravenloft easier than ever to run. Final verdict: player options are somewhat uneven, but for Dungeon Masters this is an outstanding sourcebook and one of the strongest setting books Wizards has released for the 2024 rules. Welcome to the RPGBOT Podcast. If you love Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, and tabletop RPGs, this is the podcast for you. Support the show for free: Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any podcast app. It helps new listeners find the best RPG podcast for D&D and Pathfinder players. Level up your experience: Join us on Patreon to unlock ad-free access to RPGBOT.net and the RPGBOT Podcast, chat with us and the community on the RPGBOT Discord, and jump into live-streamed RPG podcast recordings. Support while you shop: Use our Amazon affiliate link at https://amzn.to/3NwElxQ and help us keep building tools and guides for the RPG community. Meet the Hosts Tyler Kamstra – Master of mechanics, seeing the Pathfinder action economy like Neo in the Matrix. Randall James – Lore buff and technologist, always ready to debate which Lord of the Rings edition reigns supreme. Ash Ely – Resident cynic, chaos agent, and AI's worst nightmare, bringing pure table-flipping RPG podcast energy. Join the RPGBOT team where fantasy roleplaying meets real strategy, sarcasm, and community chaos. How to Find Us: In-depth articles, guides, handbooks, reviews, news on Tabletop Role Playing at RPGBOT.net Tyler Kamstra BlueSky: @rpgbot.net TikTok: @RPGBOTDOTNET Ash Ely Professional Game Master on StartPlaying.Games BlueSky: @GravenAshes YouTube: @ashravenmedia Randall James BlueSky: @GrimoireRPG Amateurjack.com Read Melancon: A Grimoire Tale (affiliate link) Producer Dan @Lzr_illuminati

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RAVENLOFT - THE HORRORS WITHIN: The Best Ravenloft Book Since Ravenloft

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 2, 2026 58:37

Welcome to Part 4 of our Ravenloft: The Horrors Within review, where the real horror isn't Strahd. It's Ash's campaign. In the span of ten minutes, his players accidentally created Baba Yaga, nearly invented a magical nuclear weapon, tried to break the multiverse "just to see what happens," and immediately asked if they could automate it with a Rube Goldberg machine. At this point, the Dark Powers aren't tormenting the players. They're trying to survive them. Show Notes We wrap up our four-part review of Ravenloft: The Horrors Within by touring the remaining Domains of Dread, digging into the new monsters and NPCs, exploring haunted Bastions, and deciding whether Wizards of the Coast finally delivered the definitive Ravenloft sourcebook. Before the review even begins, Ash recounts the latest catastrophes from his home Ravenloft campaign. His players accidentally elevate a coven of hags into a new Baba Yaga, nearly tear open reality with artifacts capable of destroying demiplanes, and somehow conclude that the obvious solution is building a magical doomsday device. As always, the greatest threat to Ravenloft isn't the Dark Lords. It's the player characters. The panel finishes its tour of the remaining Domains of Dread, highlighting favorites like the haunted countryside of Mordent, Arthurian-inspired Shadowlands, Lord Soth's Sythicus, the folk-horror nightmare of Tepest, and the deadly jungle hunts of Valachan. Each domain receives new maps, campaign outlines, adventure hooks, and fully realized Dark Lord stat blocks that make them dramatically easier to run than previous editions. Attention then shifts to the new DM tools. Haunted Bastions become an instant favorite, adding supernatural events, cursed facilities, and even Backrooms-inspired liminal spaces to the 2024 Bastion system. The group also praises the new patron mechanics, expanded horror guidance, and dozens of flavorful campaign-building resources for Dungeon Masters. The bestiary proves equally impressive. New horrors range from Lovecraftian monstrosities and terrifying Relentless Killers to updated versions of classic Ravenloft creatures like the Dullahan and Grimishkas. Several monsters introduce brutal mechanics involving exhaustion, possession, regeneration, and instant death, giving horror encounters a unique identity beyond simply dealing more damage. Finally, the hosts deliver their verdict on the book. While the player-facing subclasses receive mixed reviews throughout the series, everyone agrees that The Horrors Within is a massive upgrade for Dungeon Masters. Between expanded lore, stronger adventures, memorable monsters, and fully developed Domains of Dread, this may be the best Ravenloft campaign resource Wizards has published for Fifth Edition. Ravenloft: The Horrors Within (affiliate link) RPGBOT.store - Pish Pash, My Memory is Trash! Other Stuff Rikki Tikki Tavi Roxane but it gets faster Spirited Away Content from RPGBOT.net DnD 5e Dark Gifts Guide Key Takeaways Ash's home campaign continues to prove that players are more dangerous than any Dark Lord. The remaining Domains of Dread receive substantial expansions with maps, adventures, and campaign frameworks. Shadowlands, Tepest, Mordent, and Valachan each offer unique horror genres beyond gothic vampires. Haunted Bastions are one of the most creative additions to the 2024 Bastion system. The liminal-space Bastion facility is basically the Backrooms for D&D. The bestiary introduces memorable new horrors, especially the Relentless Killer variants. Updated classic monsters receive more interesting mechanics while remaining faithful to their original themes. Named NPCs like Van Richten, Ez, Madame Eva, and the Weathermay-Foxgrove twins finally receive dedicated stat blocks. The book is packed with campaign hooks, DM tools, and adventure ideas that make Ravenloft easier than ever to run. Final verdict: player options are somewhat uneven, but for Dungeon Masters this is an outstanding sourcebook and one of the strongest setting books Wizards has released for the 2024 rules. Welcome to the RPGBOT Podcast. If you love Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, and tabletop RPGs, this is the podcast for you. Support the show for free: Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any podcast app. It helps new listeners find the best RPG podcast for D&D and Pathfinder players. Level up your experience: Join us on Patreon to unlock ad-free access to RPGBOT.net and the RPGBOT Podcast, chat with us and the community on the RPGBOT Discord, and jump into live-streamed RPG podcast recordings. Support while you shop: Use our Amazon affiliate link at https://amzn.to/3NwElxQ and help us keep building tools and guides for the RPG community. Meet the Hosts Tyler Kamstra – Master of mechanics, seeing the Pathfinder action economy like Neo in the Matrix. Randall James – Lore buff and technologist, always ready to debate which Lord of the Rings edition reigns supreme. Ash Ely – Resident cynic, chaos agent, and AI's worst nightmare, bringing pure table-flipping RPG podcast energy. Join the RPGBOT team where fantasy roleplaying meets real strategy, sarcasm, and community chaos. How to Find Us: In-depth articles, guides, handbooks, reviews, news on Tabletop Role Playing at RPGBOT.net Tyler Kamstra BlueSky: @rpgbot.net TikTok: @RPGBOTDOTNET Ash Ely Professional Game Master on StartPlaying.Games BlueSky: @GravenAshes YouTube: @ashravenmedia Randall James BlueSky: @GrimoireRPG Amateurjack.com Read Melancon: A Grimoire Tale (affiliate link) Producer Dan @Lzr_illuminati

spotify amazon ai dm attention matrix trash lord of the rings dungeons and dragons ash rpg wizards horrors d d neo dread rpgs pathfinder npcs ez wizards of the coast bastion lovecraftian domains baba yaga arthurian dark lord shadowlands rube goldberg strahd ravenloft dungeon masters fifth edition dark powers van richten bastions dark lords my memory startplaying lord soth madame eva

RAVENLOFT - THE HORRORS WITHIN: The Dark Powers Finally Updated Their Monster Manual

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2026 61:47

Ravenloft is a setting built on fear, tragedy, and impossible choices. Naturally, we spent the first ten minutes arguing about whether Florida is its own Domain of Dread, listening to Ash tell a story about getting magically demoted from noble to peasant, and debating whether "lofting ravens" is a real phrase. Honestly, the Dark Powers couldn't have written a better introduction. Show Notes In Part 3 of our review of Ravenloft: The Horrors Within, we finally leave the player options behind and dive into the heart of the setting itself. Wizards of the Coast dramatically expands the Domains of Dread, providing campaign frameworks, detailed gazetteers, new maps, Dark Lord stat blocks, horror advice, Tarokka options, and enough adventure hooks to keep a party terrified for months. We begin by exploring the overall structure of the book and immediately appreciate how much more usable it is than Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft. Every major domain now includes lore, locations, horror themes, campaign outlines, one-shot adventures, and, perhaps most importantly, fully realized stat blocks for the Dark Lords themselves. No more "just use the Spy stat block." From Barovia to Lamordia, we tour some of Ravenloft's most iconic locations. We revisit Strahd's eternal torment, explore the political nightmare of Borca, marvel at Darkon's crumbling reality, survive Falkovnia's endless zombie siege, admire Har'Akir's gorgeous redesign, and gush over Lamordia's expanded support. Along the way we discover that some Domains received spectacular glow-ups while others inspired... spirited debate. Not every addition lands equally. The panel spends considerable time discussing Innsmouth and Cthulhu's inclusion, questioning whether cosmic horror fits Ravenloft's core theme of ironic punishment and personal damnation. The conversation turns into an entertaining deep dive on what actually makes a Dark Lord compelling and why some monsters work better as unknowable forces than boss encounters. By the end of the episode, one thing is clear: even with a few controversial choices, The Horrors Within dramatically improves Ravenloft as a campaign setting. Better maps, better adventures, better stat blocks, and substantially more support make this feel like the definitive version of the Domains of Dread. Key Takeaways The setting chapters are the standout portion of the book. Every major Domain of Dread receives significantly expanded support compared to Van Richten's Guide. Every major Dark Lord finally has a unique stat block worthy of an epic confrontation. New maps, campaign outlines, and one-shot adventures make the book far easier to run. Tarokka cards now tie directly into individual Domains and Dark Lords, adding flavorful campaign tools. Horror guidance remains solid, especially for GMs running gothic horror for the first time. Several redesigned Domains, especially Har'Akir and Lamordia, receive high praise for their presentation and atmosphere. Innsmouth and Cthulhu spark the episode's biggest debate, with questions about whether cosmic horror belongs in Ravenloft's established mythology. Lamordia emerges as one of the panel's favorite sections thanks to its expanded lore, updated locations, and memorable adventure hooks. Despite a handful of criticisms, the group considers the setting material a substantial improvement over previous Ravenloft sourcebooks. Welcome to the RPGBOT Podcast. If you love Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, and tabletop RPGs, this is the podcast for you. Support the show for free: Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any podcast app. It helps new listeners find the best RPG podcast for D&D and Pathfinder players. Level up your experience: Join us on Patreon to unlock ad-free access to RPGBOT.net and the RPGBOT Podcast, chat with us and the community on the RPGBOT Discord, and jump into live-streamed RPG podcast recordings. Support while you shop: Use our Amazon affiliate link at https://amzn.to/3NwElxQ and help us keep building tools and guides for the RPG community. Meet the Hosts Tyler Kamstra – Master of mechanics, seeing the Pathfinder action economy like Neo in the Matrix. Randall James – Lore buff and technologist, always ready to debate which Lord of the Rings edition reigns supreme. Ash Ely – Resident cynic, chaos agent, and AI's worst nightmare, bringing pure table-flipping RPG podcast energy. Join the RPGBOT team where fantasy roleplaying meets real strategy, sarcasm, and community chaos. How to Find Us: In-depth articles, guides, handbooks, reviews, news on Tabletop Role Playing at RPGBOT.net Tyler Kamstra BlueSky: @rpgbot.net TikTok: @RPGBOTDOTNET Ash Ely Professional Game Master on StartPlaying.Games BlueSky: @GravenAshes YouTube: @ashravenmedia Randall James BlueSky: @GrimoireRPG Amateurjack.com Read Melancon: A Grimoire Tale (affiliate link) Producer Dan @Lzr_illuminati

spotify amazon ai guide horror matrix honestly spies lord of the rings naturally dungeons and dragons ash rpg horrors d d neo dread domain rpgs cthulhu gms pathfinder wizards of the coast domains dark lord strahd ravenloft innsmouth monster manual dark powers van richten dark lords startplaying darkon

RAVENLOFT - THE HORRORS WITHIN: The Dark Powers Finally Updated Their Monster Manual

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2026 61:47

Ravenloft is a setting built on fear, tragedy, and impossible choices. Naturally, we spent the first ten minutes arguing about whether Florida is its own Domain of Dread, listening to Ash tell a story about getting magically demoted from noble to peasant, and debating whether "lofting ravens" is a real phrase. Honestly, the Dark Powers couldn't have written a better introduction. Show Notes In Part 3 of our review of Ravenloft: The Horrors Within, we finally leave the player options behind and dive into the heart of the setting itself. Wizards of the Coast dramatically expands the Domains of Dread, providing campaign frameworks, detailed gazetteers, new maps, Dark Lord stat blocks, horror advice, Tarokka options, and enough adventure hooks to keep a party terrified for months. We begin by exploring the overall structure of the book and immediately appreciate how much more usable it is than Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft. Every major domain now includes lore, locations, horror themes, campaign outlines, one-shot adventures, and, perhaps most importantly, fully realized stat blocks for the Dark Lords themselves. No more "just use the Spy stat block." From Barovia to Lamordia, we tour some of Ravenloft's most iconic locations. We revisit Strahd's eternal torment, explore the political nightmare of Borca, marvel at Darkon's crumbling reality, survive Falkovnia's endless zombie siege, admire Har'Akir's gorgeous redesign, and gush over Lamordia's expanded support. Along the way we discover that some Domains received spectacular glow-ups while others inspired... spirited debate. Not every addition lands equally. The panel spends considerable time discussing Innsmouth and Cthulhu's inclusion, questioning whether cosmic horror fits Ravenloft's core theme of ironic punishment and personal damnation. The conversation turns into an entertaining deep dive on what actually makes a Dark Lord compelling and why some monsters work better as unknowable forces than boss encounters. By the end of the episode, one thing is clear: even with a few controversial choices, The Horrors Within dramatically improves Ravenloft as a campaign setting. Better maps, better adventures, better stat blocks, and substantially more support make this feel like the definitive version of the Domains of Dread. Key Takeaways The setting chapters are the standout portion of the book. Every major Domain of Dread receives significantly expanded support compared to Van Richten's Guide. Every major Dark Lord finally has a unique stat block worthy of an epic confrontation. New maps, campaign outlines, and one-shot adventures make the book far easier to run. Tarokka cards now tie directly into individual Domains and Dark Lords, adding flavorful campaign tools. Horror guidance remains solid, especially for GMs running gothic horror for the first time. Several redesigned Domains, especially Har'Akir and Lamordia, receive high praise for their presentation and atmosphere. Innsmouth and Cthulhu spark the episode's biggest debate, with questions about whether cosmic horror belongs in Ravenloft's established mythology. Lamordia emerges as one of the panel's favorite sections thanks to its expanded lore, updated locations, and memorable adventure hooks. Despite a handful of criticisms, the group considers the setting material a substantial improvement over previous Ravenloft sourcebooks. Welcome to the RPGBOT Podcast. If you love Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, and tabletop RPGs, this is the podcast for you. Support the show for free: Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any podcast app. It helps new listeners find the best RPG podcast for D&D and Pathfinder players. Level up your experience: Join us on Patreon to unlock ad-free access to RPGBOT.net and the RPGBOT Podcast, chat with us and the community on the RPGBOT Discord, and jump into live-streamed RPG podcast recordings. Support while you shop: Use our Amazon affiliate link at https://amzn.to/3NwElxQ and help us keep building tools and guides for the RPG community. Meet the Hosts Tyler Kamstra – Master of mechanics, seeing the Pathfinder action economy like Neo in the Matrix. Randall James – Lore buff and technologist, always ready to debate which Lord of the Rings edition reigns supreme. Ash Ely – Resident cynic, chaos agent, and AI's worst nightmare, bringing pure table-flipping RPG podcast energy. Join the RPGBOT team where fantasy roleplaying meets real strategy, sarcasm, and community chaos. How to Find Us: In-depth articles, guides, handbooks, reviews, news on Tabletop Role Playing at RPGBOT.net Tyler Kamstra BlueSky: @rpgbot.net TikTok: @RPGBOTDOTNET Ash Ely Professional Game Master on StartPlaying.Games BlueSky: @GravenAshes YouTube: @ashravenmedia Randall James BlueSky: @GrimoireRPG Amateurjack.com Read Melancon: A Grimoire Tale (affiliate link) Producer Dan @Lzr_illuminati

spotify amazon ai guide horror matrix honestly spies lord of the rings naturally dungeons and dragons ash rpg horrors d d neo dread domain rpgs cthulhu gms pathfinder wizards of the coast domains dark lord strahd ravenloft innsmouth monster manual dark powers van richten dark lords startplaying darkon

RAVENLOFT - THE HORRORS WITHIN: Your Honor, It Was Only a Small Piece of Their Soul

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 25, 2026 66:44

The real horror in Ravenloft wasn't ghosts, vampires, or eldritch patrons. It was Riverside updating its interface five minutes before recording. Suddenly the buttons moved, the fonts shrank every time someone mentioned the layout, and Tyler entered a state of existential panic usually reserved for failed concentration checks. By the end of the night, we had learned two important lessons. First, change is terrifying. Second, apparently none of us can remember how to spell Ricky-Ticky-Tavi. Show Notes In Part 2 of our review of Ravenloft: The Horrors Within, we tackled the remaining subclasses and discovered that the second half of the book delivered some of the strongest player options in the entire release. Between ghost-powered rogues, shadow puppies, and undead warlocks, there was plenty to like. We started with the Phantom Rogue and found ourselves impressed by how well the subclass grows over time. While the early levels still feel sparse, Tokens of the Departed remains one of the coolest thematic mechanics in the game. Collecting fragments of souls and consulting them for answers creates exactly the kind of spooky roleplaying we want from Ravenloft. Next came Shadow Sorcery, and to everyone's relief, the beloved Hound of Ill Omen survived the transition to 5.5. The shadow puppy is back, the subclass still delivers incredible battlefield control, and several improvements make it one of the standout options in the book. This may finally be proof that Wizards remembers sorcerers are allowed to have nice things. We wrapped up with the Undead Patron Warlock, which continues to deliver strong flavor and solid mechanics. Form of Dread remains fantastic, and the subclass still excels at making enemies regret standing anywhere near the warlock. Meanwhile, we somehow spent far too much time debating damage dice, exhaustion mechanics, and whether exploding yourself counts as a valid combat strategy. By the end of the review, we came away feeling far more positive about the second half of the book than the first. Not every option is perfect, but there are several subclasses here we'd happily bring to a full campaign. Assuming, of course, that the recording software doesn't change its layout again first. Links Ravenloft: The Horrors Within (affiliate link) RPGBOT.store - Pish Pash, My Memory is Trash! Other Stuff Rikki Tikki Tavi Roxane but it gets faster Spirited Away Content from RPGBOT.net DnD 5e Dark Gifts Guide Key Takeaways Phantom Rogue starts slowly but becomes increasingly interesting at higher levels. Tokens of the Departed remains one of the most flavorful mechanics in the game. Shadow Sorcery successfully preserved the fan-favorite Hound of Ill Omen. The shadow puppy is still the best boy. Shadow Sorcerer is one of the biggest winners in the book. Undead Patron Warlock retains its strong theme and useful combat tools. Form of Dread continues to be one of the coolest transformation abilities available to warlocks. Several subclasses benefited from updates that fixed earlier Unearthed Arcana concerns. The second half of the book contains more hits than misses. Software updates remain more frightening than anything found in Ravenloft. Welcome to the RPGBOT Podcast. If you love Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, and tabletop RPGs, this is the podcast for you. Support the show for free: Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any podcast app. It helps new listeners find the best RPG podcast for D&D and Pathfinder players. Level up your experience: Join us on Patreon to unlock ad-free access to RPGBOT.net and the RPGBOT Podcast, chat with us and the community on the RPGBOT Discord, and jump into live-streamed RPG podcast recordings. Support while you shop: Use our Amazon affiliate link at https://amzn.to/3NwElxQ and help us keep building tools and guides for the RPG community. Meet the Hosts Tyler Kamstra – Master of mechanics, seeing the Pathfinder action economy like Neo in the Matrix. Randall James – Lore buff and technologist, always ready to debate which Lord of the Rings edition reigns supreme. Ash Ely – Resident cynic, chaos agent, and AI's worst nightmare, bringing pure table-flipping RPG podcast energy. Join the RPGBOT team where fantasy roleplaying meets real strategy, sarcasm, and community chaos. How to Find Us: In-depth articles, guides, handbooks, reviews, news on Tabletop Role Playing at RPGBOT.net Tyler Kamstra BlueSky: @rpgbot.net TikTok: @RPGBOTDOTNET Ash Ely Professional Game Master on StartPlaying.Games BlueSky: @GravenAshes YouTube: @ashravenmedia Randall James BlueSky: @GrimoireRPG Amateurjack.com Read Melancon: A Grimoire Tale (affiliate link) Producer Dan @Lzr_illuminati

spotify amazon ai soul matrix software trash lord of the rings piece dungeons and dragons rpg wizards horrors collecting riverside d d neo dread assuming rpgs hound tokens departed pathfinder ravenloft unearthed arcana my memory startplaying ill omen

RAVENLOFT - THE HORRORS WITHIN: Your Honor, It Was Only a Small Piece of Their Soul

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 25, 2026 66:44

The real horror in Ravenloft wasn't ghosts, vampires, or eldritch patrons. It was Riverside updating its interface five minutes before recording. Suddenly the buttons moved, the fonts shrank every time someone mentioned the layout, and Tyler entered a state of existential panic usually reserved for failed concentration checks. By the end of the night, we had learned two important lessons. First, change is terrifying. Second, apparently none of us can remember how to spell Ricky-Ticky-Tavi. Show Notes In Part 2 of our review of Ravenloft: The Horrors Within, we tackled the remaining subclasses and discovered that the second half of the book delivered some of the strongest player options in the entire release. Between ghost-powered rogues, shadow puppies, and undead warlocks, there was plenty to like. We started with the Phantom Rogue and found ourselves impressed by how well the subclass grows over time. While the early levels still feel sparse, Tokens of the Departed remains one of the coolest thematic mechanics in the game. Collecting fragments of souls and consulting them for answers creates exactly the kind of spooky roleplaying we want from Ravenloft. Next came Shadow Sorcery, and to everyone's relief, the beloved Hound of Ill Omen survived the transition to 5.5. The shadow puppy is back, the subclass still delivers incredible battlefield control, and several improvements make it one of the standout options in the book. This may finally be proof that Wizards remembers sorcerers are allowed to have nice things. We wrapped up with the Undead Patron Warlock, which continues to deliver strong flavor and solid mechanics. Form of Dread remains fantastic, and the subclass still excels at making enemies regret standing anywhere near the warlock. Meanwhile, we somehow spent far too much time debating damage dice, exhaustion mechanics, and whether exploding yourself counts as a valid combat strategy. By the end of the review, we came away feeling far more positive about the second half of the book than the first. Not every option is perfect, but there are several subclasses here we'd happily bring to a full campaign. Assuming, of course, that the recording software doesn't change its layout again first. Links Ravenloft: The Horrors Within (affiliate link) RPGBOT.store - Pish Pash, My Memory is Trash! Other Stuff Rikki Tikki Tavi Roxane but it gets faster Spirited Away Content from RPGBOT.net DnD 5e Dark Gifts Guide Key Takeaways Phantom Rogue starts slowly but becomes increasingly interesting at higher levels. Tokens of the Departed remains one of the most flavorful mechanics in the game. Shadow Sorcery successfully preserved the fan-favorite Hound of Ill Omen. The shadow puppy is still the best boy. Shadow Sorcerer is one of the biggest winners in the book. Undead Patron Warlock retains its strong theme and useful combat tools. Form of Dread continues to be one of the coolest transformation abilities available to warlocks. Several subclasses benefited from updates that fixed earlier Unearthed Arcana concerns. The second half of the book contains more hits than misses. Software updates remain more frightening than anything found in Ravenloft. Welcome to the RPGBOT Podcast. If you love Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, and tabletop RPGs, this is the podcast for you. Support the show for free: Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any podcast app. It helps new listeners find the best RPG podcast for D&D and Pathfinder players. Level up your experience: Join us on Patreon to unlock ad-free access to RPGBOT.net and the RPGBOT Podcast, chat with us and the community on the RPGBOT Discord, and jump into live-streamed RPG podcast recordings. Support while you shop: Use our Amazon affiliate link at https://amzn.to/3NwElxQ and help us keep building tools and guides for the RPG community. Meet the Hosts Tyler Kamstra – Master of mechanics, seeing the Pathfinder action economy like Neo in the Matrix. Randall James – Lore buff and technologist, always ready to debate which Lord of the Rings edition reigns supreme. Ash Ely – Resident cynic, chaos agent, and AI's worst nightmare, bringing pure table-flipping RPG podcast energy. Join the RPGBOT team where fantasy roleplaying meets real strategy, sarcasm, and community chaos. How to Find Us: In-depth articles, guides, handbooks, reviews, news on Tabletop Role Playing at RPGBOT.net Tyler Kamstra BlueSky: @rpgbot.net TikTok: @RPGBOTDOTNET Ash Ely Professional Game Master on StartPlaying.Games BlueSky: @GravenAshes YouTube: @ashravenmedia Randall James BlueSky: @GrimoireRPG Amateurjack.com Read Melancon: A Grimoire Tale (affiliate link) Producer Dan @Lzr_illuminati

spotify amazon ai soul matrix software trash lord of the rings piece dungeons and dragons rpg wizards horrors collecting riverside d d neo dread assuming rpgs hound tokens departed pathfinder ravenloft unearthed arcana my memory startplaying ill omen

RAVENLOFT - THE HORRORS WITHIN: Frankensteins Monster Deserved Better Numbers

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2026 63:57

Ravenloft is supposed to be full of gothic horror, tragic villains, and creeping dread. Instead, we somehow spent twenty minutes imagining a Midwestern Strahd saying You betcha before drinking your blood, arguing about wet burritos, and debating whether North Dakota counts as a real place. By the time we actually opened the book, the greatest horror wasn't the Dark Powers. It was realizing that someone somewhere willingly ordered a hot wet beef sandwich. Sponsor Spotlight: Mithos This episode is sponsored by Mithos, a modular, system-agnostic digital toolkit designed to make life easier for Game Masters. With customizable layouts, built-in player views, fog of war support, encounter tools, and an active community sharing content, Mithos helps keep your game running smoothly without juggling a dozen browser tabs. Whether you're running Dungeons & Dragons at a convention, Call of Cthulhu in a cabin, or your favorite indie RPG at home, Mithos puts everything you need in one place. Best of all, there are no subscriptions and no internet connection required. Learn more at rpgbot.net/mithos. Show Notes We finally returned to Ravenloft with The Horrors Within and dug into the new player options from Wizards of the Coast. Along the way we examined the subclasses, talked about what survived from the Unearthed Arcana playtest, and debated whether some of the changes actually improved the designs or simply made them safer. The Reanimator Artificer immediately caught our attention with its wonderfully creepy flavor. We loved the concept of Frankensteining together an undead companion and modifying it over time, even if the final numbers often felt disappointingly conservative. The subclass oozes atmosphere, but several features left us wishing Wizards had trusted the design enough to let it hit a little harder. The College of Spirits Bard received some welcome improvements from the playtest version. Moving the random spirit effects away from mandatory immediate use made the subclass far more practical, and controlled channeling solved many of the frustrations we had previously identified. This version finally delivers on the fantasy of consulting strange entities from beyond without constantly fighting against the mechanics. We also revisited the Grave Domain Cleric and looked at the redesigned Path to the Grave. While the old version was undeniably flashier, the new implementation is much easier to use in any party composition. It may not create those huge cinematic damage spikes anymore, but it provides reliable support every time it comes online. As always, our review quickly spiraled into side discussions involving Call of Cthulhu, sturgeon festivals, Midwestern rivalries, taxes, and the eternal mystery of why so many fantasy character illustrations are suspiciously attractive. That's just another day at the RPGBOT.Podcast. Key Takeaways Ravenloft: The Horrors Within delivers strong gothic flavor and some excellent artwork. The Reanimator Artificer has fantastic thematic design but several mechanics feel overly cautious. Lightning interactions with the undead companion create some amusing and creative tactics. College of Spirits Bard benefited significantly from feedback and is much easier to play effectively. Controlled Channeling fixes many of the frustrations from the Unearthed Arcana version. Grave Domain Cleric lost some of its explosive potential but gained consistency. The revised Path to the Grave works better across a wider variety of party compositions. Several subclasses showcase great ideas that feel slightly undertuned. Flavor and atmosphere are consistently strong throughout the book. No matter how serious the subject matter becomes, the conversation will eventually derail into food arguments, regional insults, or bizarre fantasy accents. Welcome to the RPGBOT Podcast. If you love Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, and tabletop RPGs, this is the podcast for you. Support the show for free: Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any podcast app. It helps new listeners find the best RPG podcast for D&D and Pathfinder players. Level up your experience: Join us on Patreon to unlock ad-free access to RPGBOT.net and the RPGBOT Podcast, chat with us and the community on the RPGBOT Discord, and jump into live-streamed RPG podcast recordings. Support while you shop: Use our Amazon affiliate link at https://amzn.to/3NwElxQ and help us keep building tools and guides for the RPG community. Meet the Hosts Tyler Kamstra – Master of mechanics, seeing the Pathfinder action economy like Neo in the Matrix. Randall James – Lore buff and technologist, always ready to debate which Lord of the Rings edition reigns supreme. Ash Ely – Resident cynic, chaos agent, and AI's worst nightmare, bringing pure table-flipping RPG podcast energy. Join the RPGBOT team where fantasy roleplaying meets real strategy, sarcasm, and community chaos. How to Find Us: In-depth articles, guides, handbooks, reviews, news on Tabletop Role Playing at RPGBOT.net Tyler Kamstra BlueSky: @rpgbot.net TikTok: @RPGBOTDOTNET Ash Ely Professional Game Master on StartPlaying.Games BlueSky: @GravenAshes YouTube: @ashravenmedia Randall James BlueSky: @GrimoireRPG Amateurjack.com Read Melancon: A Grimoire Tale (affiliate link) Producer Dan @Lzr_illuminati

RAVENLOFT - THE HORRORS WITHIN: Frankensteins Monster Deserved Better Numbers

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2026 63:57

Ravenloft is supposed to be full of gothic horror, tragic villains, and creeping dread. Instead, we somehow spent twenty minutes imagining a Midwestern Strahd saying You betcha before drinking your blood, arguing about wet burritos, and debating whether North Dakota counts as a real place. By the time we actually opened the book, the greatest horror wasn't the Dark Powers. It was realizing that someone somewhere willingly ordered a hot wet beef sandwich. Sponsor Spotlight: Mithos This episode is sponsored by Mithos, a modular, system-agnostic digital toolkit designed to make life easier for Game Masters. With customizable layouts, built-in player views, fog of war support, encounter tools, and an active community sharing content, Mithos helps keep your game running smoothly without juggling a dozen browser tabs. Whether you're running Dungeons & Dragons at a convention, Call of Cthulhu in a cabin, or your favorite indie RPG at home, Mithos puts everything you need in one place. Best of all, there are no subscriptions and no internet connection required. Learn more at rpgbot.net/mithos. Show Notes We finally returned to Ravenloft with The Horrors Within and dug into the new player options from Wizards of the Coast. Along the way we examined the subclasses, talked about what survived from the Unearthed Arcana playtest, and debated whether some of the changes actually improved the designs or simply made them safer. The Reanimator Artificer immediately caught our attention with its wonderfully creepy flavor. We loved the concept of Frankensteining together an undead companion and modifying it over time, even if the final numbers often felt disappointingly conservative. The subclass oozes atmosphere, but several features left us wishing Wizards had trusted the design enough to let it hit a little harder. The College of Spirits Bard received some welcome improvements from the playtest version. Moving the random spirit effects away from mandatory immediate use made the subclass far more practical, and controlled channeling solved many of the frustrations we had previously identified. This version finally delivers on the fantasy of consulting strange entities from beyond without constantly fighting against the mechanics. We also revisited the Grave Domain Cleric and looked at the redesigned Path to the Grave. While the old version was undeniably flashier, the new implementation is much easier to use in any party composition. It may not create those huge cinematic damage spikes anymore, but it provides reliable support every time it comes online. As always, our review quickly spiraled into side discussions involving Call of Cthulhu, sturgeon festivals, Midwestern rivalries, taxes, and the eternal mystery of why so many fantasy character illustrations are suspiciously attractive. That's just another day at the RPGBOT.Podcast. Key Takeaways Ravenloft: The Horrors Within delivers strong gothic flavor and some excellent artwork. The Reanimator Artificer has fantastic thematic design but several mechanics feel overly cautious. Lightning interactions with the undead companion create some amusing and creative tactics. College of Spirits Bard benefited significantly from feedback and is much easier to play effectively. Controlled Channeling fixes many of the frustrations from the Unearthed Arcana version. Grave Domain Cleric lost some of its explosive potential but gained consistency. The revised Path to the Grave works better across a wider variety of party compositions. Several subclasses showcase great ideas that feel slightly undertuned. Flavor and atmosphere are consistently strong throughout the book. No matter how serious the subject matter becomes, the conversation will eventually derail into food arguments, regional insults, or bizarre fantasy accents. Welcome to the RPGBOT Podcast. If you love Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, and tabletop RPGs, this is the podcast for you. Support the show for free: Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any podcast app. It helps new listeners find the best RPG podcast for D&D and Pathfinder players. Level up your experience: Join us on Patreon to unlock ad-free access to RPGBOT.net and the RPGBOT Podcast, chat with us and the community on the RPGBOT Discord, and jump into live-streamed RPG podcast recordings. Support while you shop: Use our Amazon affiliate link at https://amzn.to/3NwElxQ and help us keep building tools and guides for the RPG community. Meet the Hosts Tyler Kamstra – Master of mechanics, seeing the Pathfinder action economy like Neo in the Matrix. Randall James – Lore buff and technologist, always ready to debate which Lord of the Rings edition reigns supreme. Ash Ely – Resident cynic, chaos agent, and AI's worst nightmare, bringing pure table-flipping RPG podcast energy. Join the RPGBOT team where fantasy roleplaying meets real strategy, sarcasm, and community chaos. How to Find Us: In-depth articles, guides, handbooks, reviews, news on Tabletop Role Playing at RPGBOT.net Tyler Kamstra BlueSky: @rpgbot.net TikTok: @RPGBOTDOTNET Ash Ely Professional Game Master on StartPlaying.Games BlueSky: @GravenAshes YouTube: @ashravenmedia Randall James BlueSky: @GrimoireRPG Amateurjack.com Read Melancon: A Grimoire Tale (affiliate link) Producer Dan @Lzr_illuminati

Book Club: Ravenloft - The Horrors Within First Impressions

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2026 95:31

The newest official D&D sourcebook is out and it's a trip back to everyone's favorite spooky setting... RAVENLOFT! We discuss the newest additions, what we like, what we don't like and ultimately decide if RAVENLOFT: THE HORRORS WITHIN is worth a purchase or not! DnD Lorecast Discord | DnD Lorecast t-shirts, stickers and more! Order Lore TA Shaun's Alien novel, PERFECT ORGANISMS, out now! Order Lore TA Shaun's Solomon Kane novel, SUFFER THE WITCH, out now! Links: Lore TA Shaun's second novel, The Dissonance, is out NOW Pantheon/PRH! Buy it ANYWHERE books are sold! And pick up Shaun's Conan the Barbarian ebook short story, also available now! The 616 Files - Shaun and Sergio's OTHER nerdy podcast! A deep dive into the 616 Marvel Universe, comic by comic, year by year Fandom University - And yet ANOTHER nerdy podcast! Multi-episodes arcs deep-diving into various nerdy topics *SEASON 1 NOW COMPLETE* Check out all the socials at dndlorecast.com And send us a note! Email us at dndlorecast@gmail.com ROBOTSRADIO.net - Smart Shows for Interesting People. Explore all the awesome shows on the network. Robots Radio Network Discord: discord.gg/JXKfVhM Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Book Club: Ravenloft - The Horrors Within First Impressions

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Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2026 95:31

The newest official D&D sourcebook is out and it's a trip back to everyone's favorite spooky setting... RAVENLOFT! We discuss the newest additions, what we like, what we don't like and ultimately decide if RAVENLOFT: THE HORRORS WITHIN is worth a purchase or not! DnD Lorecast Discord | DnD Lorecast t-shirts, stickers and more! Order Lore TA Shaun's Alien novel, PERFECT ORGANISMS, out now! Order Lore TA Shaun's Solomon Kane novel, SUFFER THE WITCH, out now! Links: Lore TA Shaun's second novel, The Dissonance, is out NOW Pantheon/PRH! Buy it ANYWHERE books are sold! And pick up Shaun's Conan the Barbarian ebook short story, also available now! The 616 Files - Shaun and Sergio's OTHER nerdy podcast! A deep dive into the 616 Marvel Universe, comic by comic, year by year Fandom University - And yet ANOTHER nerdy podcast! Multi-episodes arcs deep-diving into various nerdy topics *SEASON 1 NOW COMPLETE* Check out all the socials at dndlorecast.com And send us a note! Email us at dndlorecast@gmail.com ROBOTSRADIO.net - Smart Shows for Interesting People. Explore all the awesome shows on the network. Robots Radio Network Discord: discord.gg/JXKfVhM Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Episode 283 – Can AI And Dungeon Master Merge To Make Better Roleplaying Games

Grumpy Dungeon Masters

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2026 63:26

A deep talk on AI being used by ADHD people for their home games, a new Ravenloft book for Dungeons & Dragons, and the guys meeting up at a swap meet to trade games.

Episode 158 – Journals, an Advisory Group, Drops, and Ravenloft

DnDiscussions

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2026 70:03

Ryan and Ben talk about the newest Maps feature, the forming of the Community Advisory Group, an update to Drops, and then dive into the Dread Domains of Ravonloft. Community Pages: Journals announcement: The D&D Community Advisory Group; June Drops; Drops Program Updates; Drops Master Tier Sharing; Everything You Need to Know about Ravenloft: The Horrors Within; Celebrate International Day of Play; Claim Borderlands Quest: Dagger Danger!; Preorder Neon Odyssey. Socials: Discord; Bluesky; Ryan's Bluesky; Ben's Bluesky

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History of Ravenloft

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 13, 2026 58:02

This week we dive into the history and lore of Ravenloft... the beginning with Barovia onto its expansion and up through the Great Conjuction! For a longer version of this episode with more lore, check out our PATREON DnD Lorecast Discord | DnD Lorecast t-shirts, stickers and more! Order Lore TA Shaun's Alien novel, PERFECT ORGANISMS, out now! Order Lore TA Shaun's Solomon Kane novel, SUFFER THE WITCH, out now! Links: Lore TA Shaun's second novel, The Dissonance, is out NOW Pantheon/PRH! Buy it ANYWHERE books are sold! And pick up Shaun's Conan the Barbarian ebook short story, also available now! The 616 Files - Shaun and Sergio's OTHER nerdy podcast! A deep dive into the 616 Marvel Universe, comic by comic, year by year Fandom University - And yet ANOTHER nerdy podcast! Multi-episodes arcs deep-diving into various nerdy topics *SEASON 1 NOW COMPLETE* Check out all the socials at dndlorecast.com And send us a note! Email us at dndlorecast@gmail.com ROBOTSRADIO.net - Smart Shows for Interesting People. Explore all the awesome shows on the network. Robots Radio Network Discord: discord.gg/JXKfVhM "Crusade - Heavy Industry" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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History of Ravenloft

Critical Fayle DM & The Goons: Strahdcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 13, 2026 58:02

This week we dive into the history and lore of Ravenloft... the beginning with Barovia onto its expansion and up through the Great Conjuction! For a longer version of this episode with more lore, check out our PATREON DnD Lorecast Discord | DnD Lorecast t-shirts, stickers and more! Order Lore TA Shaun's Alien novel, PERFECT ORGANISMS, out now! Order Lore TA Shaun's Solomon Kane novel, SUFFER THE WITCH, out now! Links: Lore TA Shaun's second novel, The Dissonance, is out NOW Pantheon/PRH! Buy it ANYWHERE books are sold! And pick up Shaun's Conan the Barbarian ebook short story, also available now! The 616 Files - Shaun and Sergio's OTHER nerdy podcast! A deep dive into the 616 Marvel Universe, comic by comic, year by year Fandom University - And yet ANOTHER nerdy podcast! Multi-episodes arcs deep-diving into various nerdy topics *SEASON 1 NOW COMPLETE* Check out all the socials at dndlorecast.com And send us a note! Email us at dndlorecast@gmail.com ROBOTSRADIO.net - Smart Shows for Interesting People. Explore all the awesome shows on the network. Robots Radio Network Discord: discord.gg/JXKfVhM "Crusade - Heavy Industry" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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The Strahdcast Ep. 130: Semi-Charmed Party Fight

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2026 67:52

As foreboding organ music drifts through Ravenloft, the party has a wedding to attend... Did they remember to bring a gift?Trevor William Fayle as The DMTyler Kanter as Skogr OlafKay Devine-Jones as Kasle OthroNed Pryce as Drogar StonebreathCampbell O'Hare as Winnie WinchesterFor hours of bonus content, fan art, secret backstories and behind-the-scenes clips, subscribe to our Patreon or check out our merch at our Etsy store! Website: https://www.criticalfayledm.com/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@criticalfayledmInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/criticalfayledm/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/criticalfayledmSupport the show

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Ravenloft: Sithicus (Domain of Dread)

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2026 62:37

What do you get when you combine Dragonlance and Ravenloft (aside from a giddy Loremaster James)? Homebrew Corner: Ravenloft Gazetteer - Sithicus DnD Lorecast Discord | DnD Lorecast t-shirts, stickers and more! Order Lore TA Shaun's Alien novel, PERFECT ORGANISMS, out now! Order Lore TA Shaun's Solomon Kane novel, SUFFER THE WITCH, out now! Links: Lore TA Shaun's second novel, The Dissonance, is out NOW Pantheon/PRH! Buy it ANYWHERE books are sold! And pick up Shaun's Conan the Barbarian ebook short story, also available now! The 616 Files - Shaun and Sergio's OTHER nerdy podcast! A deep dive into the 616 Marvel Universe, comic by comic, year by year Fandom University - And yet ANOTHER nerdy podcast! Multi-episodes arcs deep-diving into various nerdy topics *SEASON 1 NOW COMPLETE* Check out all the socials at dndlorecast.com And send us a note! Email us at dndlorecast@gmail.com ROBOTSRADIO.net - Smart Shows for Interesting People. Explore all the awesome shows on the network. Robots Radio Network Discord: discord.gg/JXKfVhM "Crusade - Heavy Industry" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Ravenloft: Sithicus (Domain of Dread)

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2026 62:37

What do you get when you combine Dragonlance and Ravenloft (aside from a giddy Loremaster James)? Homebrew Corner: Ravenloft Gazetteer - Sithicus DnD Lorecast Discord | DnD Lorecast t-shirts, stickers and more! Order Lore TA Shaun's Alien novel, PERFECT ORGANISMS, out now! Order Lore TA Shaun's Solomon Kane novel, SUFFER THE WITCH, out now! Links: Lore TA Shaun's second novel, The Dissonance, is out NOW Pantheon/PRH! Buy it ANYWHERE books are sold! And pick up Shaun's Conan the Barbarian ebook short story, also available now! The 616 Files - Shaun and Sergio's OTHER nerdy podcast! A deep dive into the 616 Marvel Universe, comic by comic, year by year Fandom University - And yet ANOTHER nerdy podcast! Multi-episodes arcs deep-diving into various nerdy topics *SEASON 1 NOW COMPLETE* Check out all the socials at dndlorecast.com And send us a note! Email us at dndlorecast@gmail.com ROBOTSRADIO.net - Smart Shows for Interesting People. Explore all the awesome shows on the network. Robots Radio Network Discord: discord.gg/JXKfVhM "Crusade - Heavy Industry" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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The Ravenloft Reaper

d4: D&D Deep Dive

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2026 55:16

Check out Archvillain Encounters: Death and Beyond here! https://gamefound.com/projects/archvillain-games/archvillain-encounters-death--beyond?refcode=U6ArzEIObUqyKTvekwHTtwI'd appreciate it if you'd consider supporting the channel by becoming a member or patron!https://www.patreon.com/c/dnddd ORhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9jQ2IsZj_CAS0bZgA6O2pA/joinMerch Stores! (Let me know what I should add!) https://www.crwnstudios.com/collections/d4deepdivehttps://fantasy-scents.com/pages/d4-d-d-deep-diveTable of Contents of all D&D Builds to date: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18lsjEdNIXayLCUsv9v-Afx-y3MEone2c2EGszBtGw8U/edit?usp=sharingFollow me here:Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/colbypoulson.bsky.socialTwitter (X): https://twitter.com/ColbyPoulsonTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dnddeepdiveCheck out Randall Hampton here:Twitter: https://twitter.com/Randall_HamptonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/randallhampton/Website: https://www.randallhamptonart.com/Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/randall_hamptonIntro 0:00Level 1 9:44Level 2-6 15:11Level 7-9 30:56Level 10-13 35:24Level 14-17 41:31Final Thoughts 49:03 Outtakes 54:05Math/Graph for this episode: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dF51wjmjYs83jMLP13VVlrNxGrAERDqdoOTKft8cpAM/edit?usp=sharingMaster Sustained Damage Comparison:https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HPMg7cDqOC-0-vNFgEV9E5WQLDdCOdI64Vbnu60pC78/edit?usp=sharingThanks to LudicSavant for the amazing DPR calculator! https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?582779-Comprehensive-DPR-Calculator-(v2-0))Music Credits:Achaidh Cheide - Celtic by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100340Artist: http://incompetech.com/Angevin 120 loop by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1200111Artist: http://incompetech.com/Celtic Impulse - Celtic by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100297Artist: http://incompetech.com/Fiddles McGinty by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1400051Artist: http://incompetech.com/Lord of the Land by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1400022Artist: http://incompetech.com/Master of the Feast by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1400019Artist: http://incompetech.com

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399 | D&D's Ravenloft darklord stats, UKGE's record attendance, will Neon Odyssey beat Cosmere?

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2026 51:49 Transcription Available

Livestreaming as always Monday at 8pm UK time (3pm Eastern)! Join us live as we talk about the stats for Ravenloft's darklords, talk about this year's UK Games Expo, and more! Mysterious D&D book called 'GOLLY' appears on Barnes & Noble D&D's State Of The Game Shows Off ‘Darklords Of Ravenloft' Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 remakes reportedly in development 2026 was UK Games Expo's biggest year ever GURPS Ring of Fire Backerkit Handiwork Games The Tyrant Philosophers Neon Odyssey closing in on Cosmere's record EN5ider Magazine 2025 Annual

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Ravenloft: Zherisia Cluster (Domains of Dread)

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Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2026 55:31

Stacks on stacks of Domains of Dread! Homebrew Corner: Van Richten's Dungeons, Issue 2 - Zherisia DnD Lorecast Discord | DnD Lorecast t-shirts, stickers and more! Order Lore TA Shaun's Alien novel, PERFECT ORGANISMS, out now! Order Lore TA Shaun's Solomon Kane novel, SUFFER THE WITCH, out now! Links: Lore TA Shaun's second novel, The Dissonance, is out NOW Pantheon/PRH! Buy it ANYWHERE books are sold! And pick up Shaun's Conan the Barbarian ebook short story, also available now! The 616 Files - Shaun and Sergio's OTHER nerdy podcast! A deep dive into the 616 Marvel Universe, comic by comic, year by year Fandom University - And yet ANOTHER nerdy podcast! Multi-episodes arcs deep-diving into various nerdy topics *SEASON 1 NOW COMPLETE* Check out all the socials at dndlorecast.com And send us a note! Email us at dndlorecast@gmail.com ROBOTSRADIO.net - Smart Shows for Interesting People. Explore all the awesome shows on the network. Robots Radio Network Discord: discord.gg/JXKfVhM "Crusade - Heavy Industry" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Audio EXP podcast: May 16th - The D&D Lease, Spicy RPG Bans, and Cyber-Shells

Geek Native's Audio EXP

Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2026 5:49

In Audio EXP episode 333, Girdy tackles a week of massive structural shifts. From Kickstarter tightening boundaries on adult content to the reality of renting your favourite dungeons rather than owning them, the tabletop landscape is changing. We also talk about an exclusive Ghost in the Shell interview, gorgeous new Ravenloft dice components, and the latest solo investigative bundles. About Audio EXP Audio EXP is Geek Native's podcast. Each week, there's some favourite or exciting geeky news, conventions, interviews, and thought pieces. The average length of the podcast is around 10 minutes. You will find a transcript of this week's podcast and links to the stories mentioned here: https://www.geeknative.com/235192/audio-exp-333-the-dd-lease-spicy-rpg-bans-and-cyber-shells/

Ravenloft: Zherisia Cluster (Domains of Dread)

Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2026 55:31

Stacks on stacks of Domains of Dread! Homebrew Corner: Van Richten's Dungeons, Issue 2 - Zherisia DnD Lorecast Discord | DnD Lorecast t-shirts, stickers and more! Order Lore TA Shaun's Alien novel, PERFECT ORGANISMS, out now! Order Lore TA Shaun's Solomon Kane novel, SUFFER THE WITCH, out now! Links: Lore TA Shaun's second novel, The Dissonance, is out NOW Pantheon/PRH! Buy it ANYWHERE books are sold! And pick up Shaun's Conan the Barbarian ebook short story, also available now! The 616 Files - Shaun and Sergio's OTHER nerdy podcast! A deep dive into the 616 Marvel Universe, comic by comic, year by year Fandom University - And yet ANOTHER nerdy podcast! Multi-episodes arcs deep-diving into various nerdy topics *SEASON 1 NOW COMPLETE* Check out all the socials at dndlorecast.com And send us a note! Email us at dndlorecast@gmail.com ROBOTSRADIO.net - Smart Shows for Interesting People. Explore all the awesome shows on the network. Robots Radio Network Discord: discord.gg/JXKfVhM "Crusade - Heavy Industry" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Ravenloft: Darkon (Domain of Dread)

Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2026 69:23

It's the Season of Horror and we're talking about the Domain of Dread known as Darkon! Homebrew Corner: The Decayed King DnD Lorecast Discord | DnD Lorecast t-shirts, stickers and more! Order Lore TA Shaun's Alien novel, PERFECT ORGANISMS, out now! Order Lore TA Shaun's Solomon Kane novel, SUFFER THE WITCH, out now! Links: Lore TA Shaun's second novel, The Dissonance, is out NOW Pantheon/PRH! Buy it ANYWHERE books are sold! And pick up Shaun's Conan the Barbarian ebook short story, also available now! The 616 Files - Shaun and Sergio's OTHER nerdy podcast! A deep dive into the 616 Marvel Universe, comic by comic, year by year Fandom University - And yet ANOTHER nerdy podcast! Multi-episodes arcs deep-diving into various nerdy topics *SEASON 1 NOW COMPLETE* Check out all the socials at dndlorecast.com And send us a note! Email us at dndlorecast@gmail.com ROBOTSRADIO.net - Smart Shows for Interesting People. Explore all the awesome shows on the network. Robots Radio Network Discord: discord.gg/JXKfVhM "Crusade - Heavy Industry" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Ravenloft: Darkon (Domain of Dread)

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Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2026 69:23

It's the Season of Horror and we're talking about the Domain of Dread known as Darkon! Homebrew Corner: The Decayed King DnD Lorecast Discord | DnD Lorecast t-shirts, stickers and more! Order Lore TA Shaun's Alien novel, PERFECT ORGANISMS, out now! Order Lore TA Shaun's Solomon Kane novel, SUFFER THE WITCH, out now! Links: Lore TA Shaun's second novel, The Dissonance, is out NOW Pantheon/PRH! Buy it ANYWHERE books are sold! And pick up Shaun's Conan the Barbarian ebook short story, also available now! The 616 Files - Shaun and Sergio's OTHER nerdy podcast! A deep dive into the 616 Marvel Universe, comic by comic, year by year Fandom University - And yet ANOTHER nerdy podcast! Multi-episodes arcs deep-diving into various nerdy topics *SEASON 1 NOW COMPLETE* Check out all the socials at dndlorecast.com And send us a note! Email us at dndlorecast@gmail.com ROBOTSRADIO.net - Smart Shows for Interesting People. Explore all the awesome shows on the network. Robots Radio Network Discord: discord.gg/JXKfVhM "Crusade - Heavy Industry" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd (Tome Book Club)

The Tome Show

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2026 61:13

In this episode Tracy, Jeff, and Eric discuss D&D Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd by Delilah S. Dawson. Links: Tracy on Twitter Tracy on the Web Eric on Twitter Jeff on Twitter Thetomeshow.com Patreon.com/thetomeshow

Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd (Tome Book Club)

The Tome Show

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2026 61:13

In this episode Tracy, Jeff, and Eric discuss D&D Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd by Delilah S. Dawson. Links: Tracy on Twitter Tracy on the Web Eric on Twitter Jeff on Twitter Thetomeshow.com Patreon.com/thetomeshow

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#238. Is the OFFICIAL D&D Liveplay About to End Critical Role?

The Eldritch Lorecast

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2026 60:58

WotC is launching an 'official' D&D liveplay campaign, with talent from Dimension 20 and Baldur's Gate 3. But can it hope to topple Critical Role? Meanwhile, have TTRPG's become a luxury purchase?Email your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.comBen: @TheBenByrneDael: @dailydael Todd: @ToddKenreck Shawn: @shawnmerwinEditor: @jberrt Topics:00:00 - Intro06:00 - Ravenloft book reveals21:50 - Daggerheart & luxury TTRPG goods25:35 - Dungeon Crawler Carl sets records!29:10 - The "Official" D&D live play38:42 - Players missing sessions46:41 - Complex villains & worlds

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393 | Ravenloft contents, Paizo's new horror RPG, Dungeon Crawler Carl breaks records

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Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2026 69:54 Transcription Available

Livestreaming as always Friday at 2pm UK time (9am Eastern)! In this week's show we look at the contents of Ravenloft: The Horrors Within, new third-party publishing coordinator at WotC, Paizo's new rules-lite horror RPG, Daggerheart Hope & Fear cover art and release date, and DCC (not that DCC, the other DCC) breaking crowdfunder records. Note that from May we will be moving the livestream to Mondays at 8pm UK time (3pm Eastern), starting on May 4th! Ravenloft: The Horrors Within preorder page lists the book's contents Innsmouth added as new Ravenloft Domain of Dread, bringing Lovecraft to D&D Wizards of the Coast hiring TRPG Publishing Lead to coordinate third-party publishing If you needed random collectible Dragonlance-themed dice, today's your lucky day! Wizards of the Coast launches official Dungeons & Dragons Actual Play show Paizo announces 13 Omens, a new horror RPG Dead Malls by Darby Harn Daggerheart reveals Hope & Fear cover artwork & release date Dungeon Crawler Carl is breaking crowdfunder records

Episode 154 – Maps Update, Previews of Ravenloft, and a Villainous UA

DnDiscussions

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2026 98:35

Ryan and Ben talk about the newest update for Maps, get excited about Ravenloft: The Horrors Within, hope about potential 3rd party outsourcing, and gush over all of the Villainous content coming. Community Pages: Character Sheet in Maps; Ravenloft Ultimate Bundle; Ravenloft Digital and Physical; D&D scaling up as a franchise; Bringing back the Book of Vile Darkness; D&D Beyond Book of Vile Darkness; Designer Insights from Unearthed Arcana: Villainous Options; Villainous Options Unearthed Arcana; Villainous Options survey; Neon Odyssey cinematic trailer. Socials: Discord; Bluesky; Ryan's Bluesky; Ben's Bluesky

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Episode 277 – Ravenloft: The Horrors Within Castle Whiterock

Grumpy Dungeon Masters

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2026 78:09

The guys talk about mega-dungeons this week. Both Castle Whiterock by Goodman Games and Castle Zagyg by Troll Lord Games opened up on backerkit recently. Also more info about Ravenloft: The Horrors Within and Dan got to play Greyhawk Wars.

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392 | Schrodinger's Greyhawk Book Name, Lost Gygax Dungeons

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Play Episode Listen Later Apr 10, 2026 47:30 Transcription Available

Livestreaming as always Friday at 2pm UK time (9am Eastern)! In this week's show we discuss the latest D&D Greyhawk book revelations, and look at a couple of 'lost' Gygax dungeons which are currently crowdfunding. Note that from May we will be moving the livestream to Mondays at 8pm UK time (3pm Eastern), starting on May 4th! Melf's Guide to Greyhawk is called ‘The Shield Lands' as actor Vince Vaughn gifts cover art to Luke Gygax Greyhawk book is NOT 'Shield Lands' but 'Borderlands of Iuz' according to team member There are TWO 'lost' Gygax castles crowdfunding right now There's a 4-part Ravenloft comic book series coming 1979 AD&D coloring album art sells for $57,500 VHS: Very Horror Stories - Rule of Three Mega Dungeon Month

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Episode 153 – Modules, Quick Builder, and Meta Gaming

DnDiscussions

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2026 57:35

Ryan and Ben look forward to the recent module announcement, play with the new character quick builder, and discuss various levels of meta gaming. Community Pages: D&D Modules announcement; The announcement of an upcoming announcement at Gen Con; Wes Schneider is the Product Lead for Ravenloft; Character Quickbuilder deep dive; Behind the Screen Quickbuilder post; Dungeon Dudes Youtube channel. Socials: Discord; Bluesky; Ryan's Bluesky; Ben's Bluesky

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Cauldrons and Cults, Part 3: Vampire With a Sweet Tooth

Shattered Worlds RPG

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 24, 2026 81:54

In this thrilling part 3 of our Sako-run Ravenloft spooktacular, the unlikely heroes have a very busy night. Kel sleeps through most of it. Waddles gets the job done. Dudley scares the enemy. Una is the voice of reason. Fluffycakes is just soooo sweet. To hear all of our sidequest series in their full audiophonic glory, sign up for our Patreon at: Patreon.com/ShatteredWorldsRPG Join our Discord community! Follow this link and get in on the fun: https://discord.gg/tq88ZNcm3E Meet the Cast: Sako as the Dungeonmaster @psychosako on socials Sako and the Moon Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@SakoandtheMoonPodcast Ash Blair-Borders as Kel @doktormod on Bluesky Jeff Richardson as Dudley Star-Wizard @eljefetacoma on Bluesky Kristy Ellen as Una Puddlefoot @kmitko3 on Bluesky Read her stories at: https://vocal.media/authors/kristy-ockunzzi-kmit Katarina as Fluffycakes @latteproblems on TikTok Theme Song: Opening, Closing, and Incidental Music: "The Archaeologist" by Mark Kmit "Full Metal Zero" by Mark Kmit "Music Lessons in Cleveland with Mark Kmit" on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/markkmitmusiclessons Get involved! Contact us: By email: shatteredworldspod@gmail.com or Twitter: @swrpgpod Get your name on the show! Use the hashtag #swearpig when you tweet about us and we'll name a character after you! Like our Facebook page - Shattered Worlds RPG

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#232. A D&D Roadmap FINALLY Arrives and It Looks... Sick?

The Eldritch Lorecast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2026 54:28

WotC reveal D&D Seasons as the roadmap forward in 2026, including new Ravenloft content in the Season of Horror and Arcana Unleashed to empower spellcasters!Email your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.comBen: @TheBenByrneDael: @dailydael Todd: @ToddKenreck Shawn: @shawnmerwinEditor: @jberrt Topics:00:00 - Intro04:05 - D&D Beyond interview recap08:15 - Chris Cocks on AI (briefly)09:22 - D&D roadmap28:48 - Vox Machina S433:19 - Kickstarter United35:15 - 1 setting, multiple tables?46:13 - Big monsters at low levels

387 | D&D Megopalooza! 5.5 Is Official, Ravenloft, Arcana Unleashed, D&D Roadmap for 2026

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Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2026 74:57 Transcription Available

Livestreaming as always Friday at 2pm UK time (9am Eastern)! In this week's show, it's a D&D news megathon! Ravenloft and Arcana Unleashed in the 2026 D&D roadmap, a mysterious 'Season of Champions' coming in the winter, D&D 2024 is now D&D 5.5e but totally not a new edition, and maybe, just maybe, some other TTRPG news if we still have time! Like Renegade publishing WotC's Exodus RPG, Modiphius making a Wolfenstein RPG, a cozy new member of the million dollar crowdfunder club, and more! Phew! It's gonna be a BIG one! D&D 2024 Is Now OFFICIALLY Called "5.5e" Dungeons & Dragons Has a New Home Webpage D&D's 2026 Announcements A Mix of New and Familiar 2026 D&D Seasons & Revised D&D Organized Play Ravenloft: The Horrors Within Announced, Release Date Scheduled for June 2026 Check Out This Early Ravenloft: The Horrors Within Artwork D&D Announces Full Slate of Peripheral Products, Including Tarokka Decks, Map Packs, and Reference Cards Dungeons & Dragons Announces Arcana Unleashed, New Magic-Themed Sourcebook at $49.99 Price Point Check Out This Early Arcana Unleashed Artwork Dungeons & Dragons Announces Arcana Unleashed: Deadfall, New Adventure Book Featuring Red Wizards of Thay Savage SLA Industries Worlds Coming Soon! Renegade Announces It Will Publish Exodus Roleplaying Game in 2026 Critical Role's The Legend of Vox Machina Season 4 Comes Out in June Wolfenstein TTRPG Coming From Modiphius Pumpkin Spice Joins the Million Dollar Crowdfunder Club ShortQuests Are Digest-Sized D&D Adventures Pets & Sidekicks Is Now Available In Hardcover!

Trinyvale X Strahd - Ep. 21: Welcome to Ravenloft

Not Another D&D Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2026 93:01

The Triplets get swept up in a series of misadventures as they explore Strahd's Castle! Jens has a drink, Onyx meets a mother, and Nyack goes to jail as the Trinyvale X Strahd crossover continues! Get tickets to our SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE LIVE SHOW Here! CREDITSEditing by Brian MurphyProduction and Sound Design by Daniel Ramos (@Schubirds on IG)Logo Design by Chelsea LeCompteMUSIC INCLUDES:"Trinyvale Opening Theme" by Emily Axford"The Gate" by Emily Axford"Where is the Manager??" by Emily Axford“Barovian Tango by Emily Axford"The Shard" by Emily Axford“A Hunkle's Plea” by Emily Axford"LIghts Out" by Emily Axford"The Night Lotus" by Emily Axford"The Tarroka Suite" by Emily Axford“Moonsick” by Emily Axford“Oh Melora” by Emily Axford“Strahd” by Emily Axford"Trinyvale Closing Theme" by Emily AxfordSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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D&D CAMPAIGN SETTINGS - The Multiverse is a Soda Fountain and We're Bad at Choosing