Revising Lockpicking in D&D?

Revised lock-picking rules for D&D 5e. In an earlier post, I lamented how trivial picking a lock felt in a session. I've explored alternatives and rules; time to come up with a proposal. So here you are.

What’s the chance of success?

A large number of dice on an opened copy of the Players Handbook

Have you ever wondered just how quickly the chances of success add up if you can make a check repeatedly without consequence? This post looks at d20 checks, including with advantage or disadvantage, and how this changes if there is a chance of instant failure.

How long does it take to pick a lock?

How long does it take to pick a lock in #DnD? A review of the various editions, plus real life.

Tavern – RPGaDAY 2025 Day 3

#RPGaDAY2025 Day 3 - Tavern Starting an adventure in a tavern with a hooded stranger? How cliched! But that's not necessarily a bad thing. And don't forget how much your tavern can communicate.

How do you run Mass Combat in D&D?

D&D is designed for combats with a handful on each side. So how do you scale that up to larger numbers? Here are various suggestions, from the DMG, @slyflourish, @louanders, #TalesOfTheValiant, and the #BECMI Companion set

The Joy of Consequences

How often do you let unintended consequences of your players’ actions drive a storyline? Here I talk about an unplanned storyline which grew out of thinking about what the characters had done.

Running a City (in your TTRPG)

How do you run a city? I’m not talking about advice to mayors and city councillors. This is a role-playing game blog, after all. I’m talking about making a city the centre of your campaign and adventures. Regular readers of my blog will be aware that my current campaign is based in the city of … Continue reading Running a City (in your TTRPG) →

Weapon Mastery across the editions

I have fond memories of Weapon Mastery from the BECMI Master Player’s Guide. Now there are three pretenders to "next D&D 5e" and each introduce something similar.

One D&D Playtest 3 – The Cleric, and updated Ardling, Dragonborn and Goliath

This is one of my posts on the evolution of D&D. See here for other related posts. This is my next post in the series looking at the 10th Anniversary next edition of D&D, which Wizards are playtesting bit by bit. As before, you can sign up to the playtest via D&D Beyond and download … Continue reading One D&D Playtest 3 – The Cleric, and updated Ardling, Dragonborn and Goliath →

Are your players having fun?

Are all your players having fun? Roleplaying games can be challenging, frustrating (particularly when the dice go against you), thrilling, exasperating. But they are a social pastime, and everyone should leave most sessions thinking “well, I’m glad I took part.” I recently made a big mistake. I forgot to think about that extra word “all” … Continue reading Are your players having fun? →