My Dungeon Master Tool Kit - My Dungeon Master Binder: Part 3 - NPCs

Alrighty, getting back to it - here is the next part in my Dungeon Master binder. NPCs!

Counter intuitively, the one key thing I do not have in my NPC section is a list of ready-to-go names. Why? Because:

1. I have names from the C&C Castle Keeper Screen in the Combat Section, and
2. I use Knave 2e for a ton of random tables (Knave 2e is an excellent toolbox for any D&D-ish game).

Another useful NPC source: Castles & Crusades NPC Almanac Sketches. While I didn't print it out for my binder (it's freaking large), this is a great resource worth having. Like most C&C material, it's easily usable with any D&D-related game (particularly those in the OSR).

Okay, so what do I actually have in the binder?  

Well, a touch of art of course. This one is by the ever-reliable Vigil Finlay.

First off, I have some homemade sheets detailing key players from Dirty Bowbe's Roadhouse in my Haunted Highlands campaign.

I have a few key pages from the The Miscellaneum of Cinder by Jeff Reints of Jeff's Gameblog fame. (I posted a link to the Scribd site version because the free copy at that Jeff posted on Lulu is now a dead link.)

• Namely, the Six Sages and...

• ... People to Meet.

Then I have two items by the ever-great DM Samuel (aka Iron Neuron Enterprises):

• Cults, Cultists, and Priests to Populate the Temples in Your C&C Game, and

• Thugs, Bandits, and Town Guards: Common Low-Level Human Opponents for Your C&C Game. 

These could just as easily be placed in the Encounters section of my binder, but I have them in the NPCs section for the time being.

While DM Samuel is typically a C&C gamemaster, these could easily be used in most D&D-style games.

And then last, but not least a few gems by Azukail Games. This fellow cranks out a ton of reasonably priced and useful random tables. These aren't bare bones tables. They give a bit of detail to get your Dungeon Master mind following. He makes things for just about every system you can think of and, if that isn't enough, many are system agnostic.

In my binder, I have:

• 100 NPCs To Meet On The Road Or In The Wilderness 

Here is an example:

• 100 Helpful Hirelings

Here is an example:

• 100 NPCs You Might Meet At The Tavern

Here is an example:

In the next post, I'll have more Azukail Games resources (and others).

Next up - Encounters!

My Dungeon Master Tool Kit - My Dungeon Master Binder: Part 2 - COMBAT

Continuing my posts about my Dungeon Master binder, I'll start with the first section: "Combat." The section could just as easily be labeled "Rules," but, for me, it's the combat stuff I need to have at the ready.

Let's take a tour of my Combat section...

Page 1: Badass Conan art by Travis Charest 

Page 2: One of my favorite D&D art pics - Thor by Jim Rosolof from the 1e AD&D Deities & Demigods.

Next, I have my critical hit and miss tables, namely “Great Hits & Terrible Misses” from Crusader Journal #7 by Jeffrey P. Talanian (who now has his own excellent RPG, Hyperborea). While made for C&C, they would work fine with any D&D-style system.

Then I have my cheat sheets. This includes homemade sheets that I made using Marq (Canva would also work well). Obviously, good ol' Word or Google Docs would probably be fine, but Marq made it easier to rearrange tables, etc. 

I also have the official Castles & Crusades table sheets that came with the Reforged Kickstarter.

Then, to cap it off, I have pages from the Castles & Crusades Castle Keeper Screen. Most systems have printable versions of their GM screens on DriveThruRPG, so those are a great source of pages like this. 

Next post, I'll go over my NPC section.  Stay tuned!

My Dungeon Master Tool Kit - My Dungeon Master Binder: Part 1

It's been a while. Time to come back out of the shadows for a it. 

Let's chat about a quintessential part of the DM's toolbox - the Dungeon Master binder. For other DM kit stuff, see my other posts about my Dungeon Tool Kit. I said that Part 6 was the final... but I lied.

If you don't get this reference, we can't be friends.

Now, if you're one of my eight fans out there, you might be saying, "Wait, Double D, didn't you already write about a DM notebook (Rocketbook)?"  And I would say, "Nay, my dear plebeian. That notebook serves a different function: namely prep notes and in-game notes." A DM binder is a storehouse of useful materials meant for use at the table.

I can't believe I found an image that explains that there are different types of tables.

After a lot of trial and error, I've whittled my binder's contents down to four key sections.

1. Combat:  Handy rule reference sheets, mainly for combat.
2. NPCs:  NPC resources, such as summaries of frequently encountered NPCs and tables for working up NPCs on the fly.
3. Encounters:  Random encounter tables, short encounter write-ups, and ready to go monster stats.
4. Treasure - Treasure tables for cool loot and such. These are things you don't find in your Game Master guide of choice.

I will detail what I have in each of these sections in upcoming posts. To start, I'm going to focus on the actual physical binder that I use.

So let's get into it.

My current binder of choice is this expandable binder. I'm assuming that a lot of my fellow gamers are office supply nerds like me (and if I'm wrong, don't shatter my dreams). As such, you'll appreciate this.

Here is the pre-nerdified Amazon photo.

Here is the post nerdified version in action.

Quick note: I found the cool "Hack n' Slash" graphic from Reddit and it was made by CastleGrief. This dude needs to start making shirts and stickers.

Okay. So why this binder? Well, because it's expandable. I apparently have a thing for things that grow in size. It isn't overly bulky like a traditional hardback binder, but isn't limp like a soft binder (insert joke about DD liking it hard here).

Other things that I find useful:

Clear sheet protectors.

• Print out all the good stuff you have from DriveThruRPG and put it in your binder.

Tabs/Page Markers

• Get to your good stuff fast.  Also handy for your hardcopy RPG books.

Binder Hole Reinforcers

• Sounds like something dirty.
• Not a big fan of plastic? Use these for your printouts.

Cheap 3-Hole Puncher

• Punch them holes, bitch.

More to come!

Resources for Converting D&D to Castles & Crusades (Repost)

 

Convert or else!

UPDATED on March 2, 2025 to fix the links! (Updated from the 4/12/2012 post)

I've noticed that people come across my blog a lot while searching for help for converting Dungeons & Dragons to Castles & Crusades. Here are a few great resources for converting D&D to C&C (whether it's Basic, 1e, 2e, 3e, 3.53, and not sure about 4e).

Troll Lord Games, the makers of C&C, have an official guide for converting from 5e: 

• Slaying the Dragon: A Conversion Guide

The Other Side blog has a few posts about it:

• Converting D&D 5 to Castles & Crusades: Character Conversion

Duke Omote's Advanced Castles & Crusades Page - This page has all kind of rules expansions that incorporate rules from various D&D editions into C&C.  For example, Omote has rules for Skills and Talents (a.k.a. Feats) that might make converting PCs easier. If you are looking to convert older D&D to C&C, he has rules for Racial Classes and more.

The Crusader's Companion -  Peter J. Schroeder compiled a ton of great gamer-created C&C rules into this impressive tome and it is just awesome. It includes a lot of d20 SRD monsters, items, spells, etc. that aren't in the C&C core rules. Also, the Castle Keepering chapter has a Conversion section that provides tables and charts to help you convert D&D materials from other editions into C&C (as well as Pathfinder).

The Castle Keepers Guide - While it doesn't deal with conversion specifically, it does include rules for Skills and Advantages (aka Feats) that might make converting 3.0 or 3.5 D&D to C&C easier.

Great Free D&D Resource - d12 Monthly Magazine

Just a quick and dirty post here. Here is a great free resource for D&Ders (particularly for OSR fans, but useful for all):  

d12 Monthly by YUMDM

Each issue focuses on a particular topic (e.g., dungeon exploration, city exploration, undead, hills & mountain encounters, etc.).

The older issues are 100% free. For the newer issues, if you pay or join his Patreon, you get more articles per issue. You can get the paid ones at DriveThruRPG, too, if that works better.  Even still, it is a LOT of free content.

Me? Sticking with the free ones 'cause I'm cheap.

The Redcaps Podcast has a good episode with the creator, Russ: YUMDM & d12 Monthly.

The Dungeon Bastard on my DMing Style

I wasn't able to attend GenCon this year, but two of my friends, Hans and John made it, and they met the one and only Bill Cavalier - Dungeon Bastard!

They told them how, after a year of play, they are only 3rd level in my campaign.  This was his reaction.

It reads, "DAN - QUIT BEING A DICK."

Close up.

REJECTED from The Badass Dungeon Crushers Association!

The Google+ Role-playing Blog Directory

Have a Blog?  On Google+?  Then check this out!

The Google Plus Role-playing Blog Directory

 

Resources for Converting D&D to Castles & Crusades

Convert or else!

[UPDATED on March 2, 2025 to fix links and new resources.]

I've noticed that people come across my blog a lot while searching for help for converting Dungeons & Dragons to Castles & Crusades. Here are a few great resources for converting D&D to C&C (whether it's Basic, 1e, 2e, 3e, 3.53, and not sure about 4e).

Troll Lord Games, the makers of C&C, have an official guide for converting from 5e: 

• Slaying the Dragon: A Conversion Guide

The Other Side blog has a few posts about it:

• Converting D&D 5 to Castles & Crusades: Character Conversion

Duke Omote's Advanced Castles & Crusades Page - This page has all kind of rules expansions that incorporate rules from various D&D editions into C&C.  For example, Omote has rules for Skills and Talents (a.k.a. Feats) that might make converting PCs easier. If you are looking to convert older D&D to C&C, he has rules for Racial Classes and more.

The Crusader's Companion -  Peter J. Schroeder compiled a ton of great gamer-created C&C rules into this impressive tome and it is just awesome. It includes a lot of d20 SRD monsters, items, spells, etc. that aren't in the C&C core rules. Also, the Castle Keepering chapter has a Conversion section that provides tables and charts to help you convert D&D materials from other editions into C&C (as well as Pathfinder).

The Castle Keepers Guide - While it doesn't deal with conversion specifically, it does include rules for Skills and Advantages (aka Feats) that might make converting 3.0 or 3.5 D&D to C&C easier.

Dungeons and Dragons Dice Gauntlet

Behold and despair!

The Dungeons and Dragons Dice Gauntlet: DIY Tutorial

Spider-Man Plays D&D

I watched this on Netflix with my daughter the other morning.  It's one of the better episodes of the old "Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends" series from the 80s.  It's always cool to see how D&D spilled over into other things back in the day.

Check out the 10:25 and 22:53 marks for the explicit Dungeons & Dragons .... err... I mean "Serpents & Sorcery" .... references.

Wow. It sure is dusty in here.  I'm still around.  Still alive.  Just been busier than a one-legged man in an arse-kicking contest.

So, quick update: After a summer sabbatical, I'm returning to the DM Screen... only this time I'm running Castles & Crusades.  Running a group of 8 or so players under D&D 3.5 is just too damn slow.

My group might convert their PCs and continue with Rappan Athuk or we might just start completely anew.  I'm letting my players vote on that. Right now, it's looking like a complete reboot.

More when time allows.

Pictures from Behind My DM Screen

My dice, ready to roll and take PC life.

Mid-session madness.

Nice Finds at Michael's

I stopped by Michael's the other day and saw these sitting on a shelf.  They might make great terrain for D&D, miniatures war gaming (the palace in particular looks great for Ambush Alley), and so on.  They were about $7 to $9 a piece.

UPDATE: These things are actually birdhouses. You can also find them on eBay if you search for "unpainted wooden castle."  I can't find them on the Michael's web site.

One Dungeon Generator to Rule Them All

Yesterday Dyson Logos and Mike from Gutter Cult pointed out what is perhaps the end-all-be-all of the online dungeon generators: Dave's Mapper.

It uses geomorphs from a ton of sites (see here) and let's you pick and choose those you want to include in the generation.  It also includes options for city or village generation.  Very cool. 

They *only* thing I see some of the other ones I posted having over this one is that they provide monsters, traps, etc. However, if you just want a spiffy looking map to populate, Dave's is the place.

On a side note, thanks to Kevin for sharing his Random City Intersection generator.  That could be handy for modern/super campaigns.

A Handful of Sweet Arse Dungeon Generators

[Updated 3/3/2025]

I've been collecting random dungeon generators for a while now.  The funny thing is that although I love
them, I never use 'em.  Guess that is because I've been running a published module for so long.  Anyhow, although some of these have stats for particular versions of D&D, they really are suitable for whatever version you play.  Enjoy.

[Added 11/9/2024]

Dave's Mapper -  Borrows geomorphs from other creators (including Dyson) and combines them to generate maps. Pretty awesome.

[Original Post]
Donjon's Random Dungeon Generator - Pretty neat in that it provides monster stat blocks, a dungeon map, etc. Tons of options, such as map style, layout, etc.  It even generates a wandering monster table. The link there is for the d20 version, but there is a 4e one at that page too.

Myth Weaver's Dungeon Generator - Lots of options here and it populates the dungeon with monsters and treasure as well. Some times it dishes out d20 stats for specific creatures. It provides stats for the traps, too.

Gozzy's Dungeon Map Creator - This one only makes a map (which might be a plus for some). Plus it includes a random room map creator as well.

Paratime Design's Maps - This page doesn't have a generator, but does have tons of free maps for castles, dungeons, buildings, cities, etc.  Pretty sweet.

Dyson's Random Morph Map - One of my favorites as the maps created look sort of hand-drawn. It puts together the map based on geomorphs from the A Character for Every Game blog.   

--- 3/3/2025  Update: Doesn't look like this site is live anymore, but he links to other options here: Geomorphs. This guy made a cube out of it.  

Risus Monkey's Random Map - This one is very similar to Dyson's (and the site notes it was inspired by it). Again, I like the feel of these maps because they are based on geomorphs and the result looks hand-drawn.  

--- 3/3/2025  Update: Doesn't look like this site is live anymore.  Troll and Flame created an interesting Dungeon Geomorph Cube Project based on this site.

Note: I suspect the last two ones served as inspiration for the awesome DungeonMorph Dice Kickstarter project. EDIT: The man behind Inkwell Ideas (see below) is also the creator of the DungeonMorph Dice. He does indeed cite the two sites, and many more, as inspiration.

Dizzy Dragon Games Adventure Generator - This one generates a populated dungeon level and encounters based on d20 Pathfinder, Moldvay/Cook/BX, or Moldvay Basic (although it doesn't create stat blocks). The dressings can come from the 1st edition DMG.

The Wizards of the Coast Random Dungeon Generator - [3/3/25: Updated to point to the WayBack Machine link since WoTC took this down.] This one is pretty great for d20 (I'm not sure if there is a free 4e one out there from WotC). You can select which monster sources (e.g., just the core books, or add in the other Monster Manuals, Fiend Folio, etc.).  It even provides boxed text, if you are into that kind of thing.

Inkwell Ideas - This guy has a ton of generators of various kinds (not to mention excellent mapping software).
- Dungeon Generator
- City Generator
- Inn Generator

If anyone knows of more map or dungeon generators, please share!

Prepping for game night

HOT ELF CHICK WITH UNREALISTICALLY LARGE BREASTS

Okay, so my Old School cred is suspect since I DM D&D 3.5.  I do think I DM in old school fashion and I tried to explain what old school D&D was all about at the GASP forum.

So, you might ask, why am I explaining myself?  So I can get in on James's sweet bandwagon over at the Underdark Gazette!   Sorry, it was just too fun to pass up.

As my contribution to the old school D&D movement, I'll share what I posted at GASP:

"In my opinion, if there is any unifying element to "old school", I think it's the acceptance of the DM as a referee and adversary rather than the GM as a story teller."


So you if you hit this post, uhm, unintentionally, but are actually interested in old school D&D, check out  the OSR (Old School Renaissance/Revival/Rules/Rectum).  You can find a much better write up of it over here: the ChicagoWiz's RPG Blog.

Oh, and here is what you are actually looking for (be sure to stick around for the NSFW link below, you perv).


magic gloves on an elf chick by *cyborg76 on deviantART

And if those aren't large enough for you, check out this NSFW pic: link 

I kid you not, I found that with a Google Image search for "elvish chick" on the moderate safety level.

Plum Blossom - Rogue/Monk

artwork by the player, Dave "the Knave" White

Plum Blossum was Dave the Knave's second character (his first being a warlock that died fairly early on).  Plum started off as a cat burglar with questionable fighting prowess, but by the end she was kicking ass with the best of them. 

Plum, however, was known more for her seemingly endless supply of DM annoyances. And thus, let's begin her career highlights:

• Repeatedly used mundane magic items to thwart supposedly uber tough villains.  Cashe in point: she all but nullified a high priest of Orcus during a temple battle with a freakin' tanglefoot bag.
• Used a Quaal's feather token to drop an anchor on an evil centaur's back (while riding said centaur).
• Freakin' tumbled unscathed through a blade barrier cast by a rather high level goblin wizard.
• Impersonated the Great El Goblino.
• Became an alcoholism enabler to the party's resident faerie dragon.
• Was at ground zero for a Necklace of Fireballs malfunction (she was resurrected, but lost just about all her gear in the fire. It was glorious.)
• Pinned a black skeleton to the ground with an immovable rod.
• After years of heckling by the DM and fellow party members for use of shurikens (keep in mind his PC had a strength penalty), scored a triple critical with a shruriken, burying it in a bugbear barbarian's kidney (we use the Critical Hit Deck).

Race: Human
Gender: Female
Class/Level: Rogue/Monk/6/5

Initiative: +3
Speed: 40 ft.
HD: 11, hp: 55
BAB: +7/2
AC: 21, touch 18, 22/19 vs. dodge target, 23/20 vs. traps, 25/22 vs. AOOs provoked by movement, 26/23 vs. dodge target AOOs provoked by movement

Attack: unarmed strike +10/5 1d10-1 (20/x2), or flurry of blows +9/9/4 1d10-1 (20/x2) or masterwork shortsword +11/6 1d6-1 (19/x2)

Attributes:
Strength: 8
Dexterity: 17
Constitution: 12
Intelligence: 16
Wisdom: 16
Charisma: 8

Saving Throws: Fort +7, Ref +12/14 vs. traps, Will +10/12 vs. enchantments

Alignment: Lawful Neutral (Evil)

Skills: Balance +18, Climb +10 (+12 with climbing kit), Disable Device +16 (+18 with masterwork tools); Disguse -1 (+9 with cloak of chameleon power), Escape Artist +16, Hide +14 (+24 with cloak of chameleon power), Jump +18, Listen +15, Move Silently +16, Open Lock +16 (+18 with masterwork tools), Search +16, Sleight-of-Hand +4, Spot +10, Survival +3 (+5 to follow tracks), Tumble +18, Use Magic Device +1, Use Rope +3 (+5 to bind person)

Class Abilities: Evasion, Flurry of Blows, Ki Strike (magic), Purity of Body, Slow Fall (20 ft.), Sneak Attack (+3d6), Still Mind, Trapfinding, Trapsense (+2), Unarmored Speed Bonus (+10 ft.), Uncanny Dodge (never flat-footed)

Feats: Ascetic Rogue, Combat Reflexes*, Dodge, Improved Unarmed Strike*, Mobility, Spring Attack, Stunning Fist*, Weapon Finesse

Equipment:
bracers of armor +3, brawler gauntlets, cloak of chameleon power, Heward's handy haversack, immovable rod, masterwork short sword (cold iron), masterwork short sword (silver), periapt of wisdom +2, ring of protection +1, robe of eyes, rust monster gauntlet

In Haversack: flask of acid (x2), flask of alchemist's fire, flask of ghostoil, flask of gravebane, flask of holy water (x4), flask of oil (x3), potion of cure moderate wounds, potion of flying, smokestick (x3), sunrod (x3), tanglefoot bag (x3), thunderstone (x2), climbing kit, pitons (x9), chalk (x10), fish hooks (x3), fishing net, flare stones (x3), sling, magnet, money pouch (350 gp), masterwork thieves' tools, signal whistle, small steel mirror, snorkel, soap (x2), torches (x10), flint and steel, block and tackle, iron pot, portable winch, silk rope (100'), trail rations (x10), waterskin, wine and cheese (x3), winter blanket

On Heavy Horse: bit and bridle, courtier's outfit, entertainer's outfit, feed (x10), riding saddle, saddlebags

Honoring Some Dead PCs

Let's face it – no matter how tough of a player you claim to be, it blows when your character bites the dust. The pain increases exponentially based on the character's longevity. My next few posts will detail a few of the veteran characters from my Rappan Athuk campaign that recently went to their final rest. These adventurers lasted for years, and that is saying something (just ask my players ).

I know not everyone will find the stats interesting or useful (though these would make some sweet NPCs if you do play D&D 3.5), so I’ll be including a list of some of their career highlights as well.

A Rough Night in Rappan Athuk

Rappan Athuk brought down three more PCs tonight.  We just finished playing a half-hour or so ago.  It was a rough one.  The PCs went down the well, which was warned against from the start.  That being said, come on, when you tell anyone "don't do that" it only entices them more. I'm amazed they held out this long.

What is particularly rough about tonight's game is that two of the three PCs to drop had been around for a while.  Plum Blossom (Dave the Knave's monk/rogue) and Jocelyn (Jim's ranger) had been kicking around in the game for three years or more.  The third, Bonnie's cleric/fighter/hunter of the dead, had been around for quite some time as well.

Despite this, it was a hell of a night of play.  The party put up a valiant fight and did what they could.  They cut their losses and bailed, but only at the last moment. More than that, it was a fun night. As bloody as it was, the players were laughing and carrying on just like any other session. The usual dick and fart jokes abounded.

I commend my players. I know this loss stung.  Jim, Dave, and Bonnie put in a lot of hours in getting those PCs to their current levels.  But did they gripe and moan?  Nope. My group is awesome. They really are.