Sun Wukong Fighter — D&D 5e Fighter Subclass
The Sun Wukong Fighter charges across the battlefield on a glowing cloud, striking a distant foe with an impossibly extending staff. If you grew up watching Dragon Ball, you have already seen part of Sun Wukong’s legacy. The original Monkey King had a magical staff that could stretch incredible distances, rode through the sky on a cloud, created copies of himself, transformed into other creatures, stole treasures from the gods, and repeatedly found new ways to become immortal
Sep 157 min read
20 Chaotic D&D Encounter Cards That Completely Change Combat
A magical D&D Encounter Deck erupts over a chaotic battlefield, summoning creatures, flooding terrain, shifting positions, and completely changing the fight with every card drawn. The Deck of Many Things is fantastic because pulling a card can completely derail your expectations. One card might reward you. Another might ruin your life. Another might create a problem that follows your character for the rest of the campaign. But I wanted something different. I wanted a deck des
Aug 287 min read
Awesome D&D Encounters Built Around the Encounter Deck
A magical D&D arena erupts into chaos as adventurers, spectators, and a sinister arena master manipulate the battlefield with powerful Encounter Deck cards. A good D&D encounter does more than put monsters on a map. The best fights create decisions. Who do you protect? Where do you move? What happens if the battlefield suddenly changes? What happens when someone outside the fight can control what happens inside it? That is exactly why I created the Encounter Deck. The deck st
Aug 286 min read
The Seven Deadly Sins as D&D Magic Items
The Seven Deadly Sins reimagined as powerful D&D magic cloaks, each with unique abilities and unpredictable d100 effects. The Seven Deadly Sins show up everywhere in anime, games, and fantasy. Fullmetal Alchemist built entire characters around them, and there is literally an anime called The Seven Deadly Sins. They work so well because each sin is immediately recognizable: Wrath is rage, Greed is obsession with wealth, Gluttony is endless hunger, and so on. So, naturally, I w
Aug 273 min read
How Many Rounds Should a D&D Boss Fight Last?
How long should a D&D boss fight actually last? Here’s how I think about pacing, party size, phases, and keeping the final battle exciting. As a DM, you roll an attack. It hits. But then you start looking around the table. The round has been going for a while. Your players are getting tired. They already burned through their 5th-, 6th-, 7th-, 8th-, and 9th-level spells. Now you start hearing the same thing over and over again: “I hit with all four attacks.” “I attack.” “I cas
Aug 255 min read
Why Your D&D Boss Fights End in 2 Rounds
Your terrifying D&D boss had a monologue, multiple phases, and a plan… then the party deleted them in two rounds. As a DM: “Your party walks through the cave and reaches an opening. In the center stands an undead lich surrounded by a horde of undead.” Initiative is rolled. The Wizards go first. Lightning Bolt. Fireball. The Fighter runs in. The lich is dead. The undead horde gets mowed down shortly after. And there goes your boss fight. You had a whole monologue planned. A co
Aug 254 min read
Arsonist Rogue — D&D 5e Homebrew Subclass
The Arsonist Rogue turns alchemist’s fire into a weapon, setting enemies ablaze and leaving chaos in their wake. Most Rogues in Dungeons & Dragons hide the evidence. The Arsonist has a different solution: burn it. Inspired by dangerous criminals, fire investigators, and the chaotic environmental destruction you can create in games like Baldur’s Gate 3, the Arsonist turns fire into a weapon, distraction, escape plan, and calling card. What Is the Arsonist Rogue? The Arsonist i
Aug 116 min read