DragnaCarta posts
Posts: 243
Files: 80
Workshop VOD | Trajectories of Fear: How to Build a Horror Adventure
The recording of the May 2022 Patreon Discord Workshop, Trajectories of Fear: How to Build a Horror Adventure, is now live on YouTube! As always, you can find it linked in the Copper or Bronze masterposts.I'll also be endeavoring to post a final version of the horror one-shot we built together in this workshop, though it might take a week or two.Thanks to all who came out for this workshop, and hope to see folks in the next one!Cheers,Dragna
Skill Challenge Template | DM's Toolkit
I've previously written about my reinterpretation of 4th Edition's skill challenges for 5th Edition, which you can read about here. I've found that these noncombat encounters can add a great sense of tension and challenge to exploration sequences—our first Discord workshop was all about building them!I'm excited to share the next in a series of session-building templates: a skill challenge template! My goal for this template is to help you build a skill challenge from start to ...
Changes to Bronze+ Tiers - Starting June 1, 2022
Hi all, and I hope your weekend is off to a good start!I have recently decided to publish the color PDF versions of my guides publicly, and you can now find them on the Reloaded compilation post here.In their place, I've added a new perk to the Bronze tier: Each Sunday at 1 PM ET, I'll run a ~1-hour roleplay sequence/exploration sequence/combat encounter for five different patrons over Discord and Foundry VTT. These sequences/encounters will use the same content as the homebrew encounter...
Join Saturday's Patreon Discord Workshop on Horror Games at 1 PM ET!
This month's Patreon Discord Workshop on Trajectories of Fear: How to Create Tension & Payoff in Horror Stories, will be tomorrow, Saturday, May 28 at 1 PM ET.The workshop is inspired by an essay that you can read at https://nerdsonearth.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Trajectory-of-Fear.pdf, and will include a practical aspect where we build a horror one-shot together.Hope to see y'all then!Cheers,Dragna
Our Worlds Within: A Homebrew TTRPG Puzzle Encounter
As the characters turn in for a long rest, the weight of their recent trials and tribulations looming in their thoughts, they find their dreams touched by a mysterious and powerful entity. This invader, however, has only benign intentions, and weaves a mystical challenge to test and empower the party’s creativity and will.Four fey creatures linger in the world of the dream, awaiting a showing of empathy, understanding, and compassion. Can the characters uncover the spark of inspiration within ...
Three-Act Adventure Planning Template | DM's Toolkit
I've previously written about how a novel's three-act structure can make it easier to prepare and run TTRPG one-shot adventures. Now, I'm excited to release a Google Docs template for planning any three-act adventure, from start to finish!Why use a three-act structure? It organically uses player goals and dramatic questions to drive the story forward, creating a satisfying and robust linear experience. It avoids "feature creep"—the natural tendency of us DMs to pack dungeon...
May 2022 Silver+ Homebrew Encounters Poll
The time has come to vote on this month's homebrew TTRPG encounters!Click here or the link above to vote on: which monster(s) you'd like to see this month what encounter environments you'd like to see used what genres of play you'd like to see what tiers of play you'd like to see supported & what kinds of gameplay you'd like to seeClick here to vote now, and make sure to submit your vote before 11:59 PM ET this Monday night!
One-Page Oneshot: Hunger of the Stars
In this short adventure for five fourth-level characters, the characters are adventurers asked to investigate the isolated mining town of Vardur—known for its rich veins of sapphire and gold—which has abruptly ceased all shipments and communications.Yet when the characters discover a system of mysterious caverns beneath the town and a force of aberrant invaders within, can they rescue the townsfolk before the earth collapses overhead and buries them all alive?Hunger of the Stars is the next ...
Workshop | Efficient Storytelling: How & Why to Convey Exposition
In this month's Patreon-exclusive workshop, I talk about the role of exposition in TTRPGs and how we can best use it to drive our storytelling at the table, as well as notable pitfalls and how to avoid them.Efficient Storytelling is a live TTRPG workshop recorded via Discord in conversation between myself and members of the Patreon. Bronze-tier patrons and higher can download it from the Bronze Masterpost. Members of the deprecated Copper tier can download it from the Copper Masterpost.Enjoy...
The Aboleth's Antechamber: A Homebrew TTRPG Encounter
As the adventurers descend deeper into the subterranean lair, the caverns fill with stagnant, murky waters. A viscous mucus lingers atop each underground river or lake, and a vast, ancient consciousness probes the intruders’ minds. Far below, legions of enthralled slaves work to fulfill an alien purpose, their minds wholly snared by their fell master’s designs.Will our heroes penetrate these watery antechambers and gain entry to the hidden lair beneath? Or will they perish at the webbed hand...
Announcing April 2022 Discord Workshop | Efficient Storytelling: How & Why to Convey Exposition
April's Patreon Discord Workshop has been confirmed! On Saturday, April 23 at 1 PM Eastern time, join me for a live workshop on the Patreon Discord server to discuss Efficient Storytelling: How & Why to Convey Exposition.Feel free to drop any specific questions or topics you'd like us to cover in the comments below! Otherwise, looking forward to seeing you there.Cheers,Dragna
The Werewolf's Hunt: A Homebrew TTRPG Encounter
In this adventure, the characters are stalked by a pack of six wolves led by a lone werewolf, which finally attacks as the characters enter a small woodland clearing flanked by dense foliage.As the werewolf engages the PCs, its packmates target the weakest among the party—before dragging them away to feast.The Werewolf's Hunt is a homebrew horror encounter for five fourth-level characters. Silver-tier patrons and higher can download it from the Silver Masterpost.Enjoy, and feel free to let...
FREE Class Homebrew | The Sorcerer RELOADED
I'm proud to finally release the public playtest version of my wholesale revision of D&D 5e's Sorcerer class, titled The Sorcerer: Reloaded!I’ve always been disappointed in 5th Edition’s version of the Sorcerer. While folks from older editions might view Sorcs as metamagical spell-twisters, I’ve always envisioned them as white-hot, overcharged, living batteries of pure magic.This revision, the “Sorcerer: Reloaded,” is built to be the Barbarian “jock” of casters: able to dra...
Workshop | Total Party Kill: How, When & Why to Kill Your Characters
In this month's Patreon-exclusive workshop, I talk about the role of character death in TTRPGs, how and when to approach it, and how to avoid—or make use of—TPKs in your campaigns.Total Party Kill is a live TTRPG workshop recorded via Discord in conversation between myself and members of the Patreon. Bronze-tier patrons and higher can download it from the Bronze Masterpost. Members of the deprecated Copper tier can download it from the Copper Masterpost.Enjoy, and don't forget to vot...
Copper Rewards (Deprecated $1 Tier) Masterpost | Workshop Archives
This post has links to all of the Patreon TTRPG workshops that Copper members can currently access. Each link below will take you to the specific unlisted YouTube video that hosts that workshop's recording. Enjoy, and don't forget to vote on upcoming workshops in the Patreon Discord server!WorkshopsWorkshop #1: Building & Running Skill ChallengesWorkshop #2: Running Complex Social EncountersWorkshop #3: Running Fast & Engaging CombatWorkshop #4: Encouraging Player Roleplay / Rewarding Pl...
Horns of the Bull: A Homebrew TTRPG Encounter
When the adventurers find themselves ensnared in the labyrinth of a wicked cult of Baphomet, they must use all their cunning and skill to slay the minotaur before it can hunt them down. Yet the beast is not alone: twin cultists with dark designs lurk in the shadows, fell magics at the ready, as a dark shrine burns at the center of the maze.Will our heroes triumph and defeat the monster? Or will they become another set of sacrifices to the Demon Prince of Beasts?Horns of the Bull is a homebrew ad...
The Shamblers of Fengrave Marsh: A Homebrew TTRPG Encounter
As the adventurers delve into the blighted swamp in search of a witch's hidden cottage, a lonely light beckons them from the misty mirk. After hours of cold, thorny travel, the prospect of a warm meal and a clean bed seems too inviting to resist.Yet beware! For all in this swamp is not as it seems. As the will-o'-wisp lures travelers to their boggy doom, ancient warriors of forgotten tombs lurk amidst the darkness. Meanwhile, beneath the bubbling muck, undead hands wait to welcome new co...
The Shamblers of Fengrave Marsh: A Homebrew TTRPG Encounter
As the adventurers delve into the blighted swamp in search of a witch's hidden cottage, a lonely light beckons them from the misty mirk. After hours of cold, thorny travel, the prospect of a warm meal and a clean bed seems too inviting to resist.Yet beware! For all in this swamp is not as it seems. As the will-o'-wisp lures travelers to their boggy doom, ancient warriors of forgotten tombs lurk amidst the darkness. Meanwhile, beneath the bubbling muck, undead hands wait to welcome new co...
One-Page Oneshot: Murder at Silvercrest Lodge
In this short adventure for five third-level characters, the characters are guests at the Silvercrest Lodge preparing to celebrate the Silvercrest Festival, an event set for the first day after the first full moon of the year.Yet when a statuette bearing the curse of lycanthropy is stolen and a guest of the Lodge winds up dead, can the characters identify the killer, uncover the lost Silvercrest charm, and defeat a werewolf before moonrise?Murder at Silvercrest Lodge is the first in a series of ...
D&D Livestream: Join Me for "Murder at Silvercrest Lodge"!
Tomorrow, Friday, March 25 at 7 PM Eastern, I'll be livestreaming the premiere of "Murder at Silvercrest Lodge," a horror mystery adventure!This game will be the first episode of Dragna DMs The West Marches, a monthly series of streamed homebrew oneshot adventures run by me for Platinum members of the Patreon.You can catch the game live on Twitch tomorrow evening. (I'll also by hanging around the Patreon Discord to chat afterward, so feel free to stop by!)Next week, I'll also...
Courtyard of Crows: A Homebrew TTRPG Encounter
As the adventurers traverse the web of slinking alleys that threads across the urban landscape, a distant infant’s call lures them to the courtyard of an abandoned estate.Yet when the child’s cries are revealed to be an impersonator’s lure, and the avian statuary atop the decaying eaves begins to stir to life, can our heroes escape this trap with their lives—and their valuables?Courtyard of Crows is an urban fantasy encounter for five fifth-level characters, and the second in a series of...
FREE PDF | In Their Skin: A Homebrew TTRPG Encounter
As they traverse a forest haunted by werewolves, banshees, and worse, the adventurers seek shelter from a sudden thunderstorm in an old, abandoned cabin a few hundred yards from the woodland road. The cabin, despite the dust covering its floors, the deteriorating state of its furniture, and the prevalence of mouse-holes in the walls, appears functional enough for a night’s rest.Yet this seemingly hospitable home hides a dark secret—and the cabin’s original occupants are in no mood to welco...
CoS Reloaded Color PDFs: Introduction, Death House & Village of Barovia
I've released printable color PDF versions for the first three chapters of Curse of Strahd: Reloaded: the Introduction (including both "Adventure Hooks" and "Tarokka Readings"), Death House, and the Village of Barovia. You can find them linked at the bottom of the new Bronze Rewards Masterpost here.(One quick thing—if you're currently a $1 Bronze tier patron, you'll need to upgrade to the new $3 version of the Bronze tier in order to access these new color PDFs. Onc...
Patreon Update: New Perks, New Prices & More
Hey all, and hope you’re doing well!If you’ve been lurking in the Patreon Discord over the past several weeks, you may have noticed some conversations about a few revisions I’ve been planning to make to the Patreon. This post is a formal announcement of a few changes, additions, and general tweaks that I’ll be making to hopefully make the Patreon a more useful, rewarding, and helpful community.Here’s what’s coming up:The Bronze Tier is getting two new perks: access to a library of pr...
Total Party Kill: When, How & Why to Kill Your PCs | A Patreon-Exclusive Workshop
Next Saturday, March 25 at 1 PM Eastern, I’ll be hosting a live workshop on the Patreon Discord server to discuss one of the trickiest parts of many combat-focused TTRPGs: character death!Join me for a live, hour-long conversation and seminar about the role of character death in TTRPGs, how to talk to your players about it, when and where to use it, how to avoid it, and the stories we can use it to tell.Make sure to bring questions, thoughts, and discussion points regarding your own interests ...
Announcing: Dragna's West Marches Campaign!
Starting next Friday, March 25 at 7 PM Eastern, I'll be streaming monthly West Marches oneshots live on my personal Twitch!If you're not familiar, "The West Marches" is a type of D&D campaign where players can easily drop in and out, playing persistent characters through a variety of regular oneshots.Next week's game will feature an adventure for 3rd-level characters, and I'm excited to run and share it, so come hang out!I'll also be hosting a post-game debrief/chat o...
Now Available: Patreon Workshop #10 | Collaborating with Players to Tell Satisfying Stories
The YouTube recording of Patreon Workshop #10, Collaborating with Players to Tell Satisfying Stories, is now available on YouTube! You can find a link to the video in the Bronze Rewards masterpost here.Enjoy, and don't forget to vote on upcoming workshops in the Patreon Discord server!
Silver Rewards ($5 Tier) Masterpost | Encounter & Oneshot Archives
This post has links to all of the Patreon-exclusive developer blogs, homebrew encounters, and one-page oneshots that Silver members can currently access. Enjoy!Developer BlogsThe Road to Vallaki (Jan. 14, 2023): choosing and designing random encounters, prompting exploration during travel, writing flavor textPutting the Pieces Together (Jan. 23, 2023): creating dramatic encounters, streamlining session planning, explaining "narration" and "description," conveying design intent, w...
Bronze Rewards ($3 Tier) Masterpost | DMing Tools & Workshops
This post has links to rough drafts of my current projects, as well as all templates, tools, and resources in the DM's Toolkit and all Patreon TTRPG workshops that Bronze members can currently access. Enjoy, and don't forget to vote on upcoming workshops in the Patreon Discord server!Curse of Strahd: Re-ReloadedWorking Document.The current in-progress arc.Act IV Goal Diagram. A diagrammed outline of every arc and scene I haven't written yet (requires Obsidian).Trello Board & Changelo...
New Patreon Tier Perks + Project Updates
Hey folks, and I hope that your March is off to a good start! I've got some news regarding the Patreon and my own upcoming projects, so let's dive right in.Let's start with Patreon news:First: Gold+ tier patrons will now begin receiving exclusive access to monthly homebrew combat encounters. My goal for these is to create interesting, strategically engaging encounters with a strong sense of narrative, unique environments, and helpful tactical guidance. I expect to begin with some enc...
