Author Archives: David Hartlage

A Butcher, a Baker, and Naughty Nannies in D&D’s First Setting Book: City State of the Invincible Overlord

Posted on August 6, 2019 by David Hartlage

In December of 1975, TSR had yet to publish any Dungeons & Dragons setting information other than the hints published in the Grayhawk and Blackmoor supplements. Blackmoor’s Temple of the Frog qualified as the only published adventure, although the armies … Continue reading →

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The Two D&D Feats Everyone Loves (For Someone Else’s Character)

Posted on July 30, 2019 by David Hartlage

In February, the folks at D&D Beyond shared the most popular feats among their users. The favorites included entries I would expect. The top three all appeal to risk-averse players building a wide range of characters. Hate losing spells to … Continue reading →

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How to Build a Sharpshooter Who Wins D&D (If the Rest of Your Group Doesn’t Mind)

Posted on July 23, 2019 by David Hartlage

The massive damage inflicted by characters built on the Sharpshooter feat can overshadow other characters and make potentially interesting encounters resemble an execution by firing squad. See Sharpshooters Are the Worst Thing in D&D, but That Speaks Well of Fifth … Continue reading →

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Sharpshooters Are the Worst Thing in D&D, but That Speaks Well of Fifth Edition

Posted on July 16, 2019 by David Hartlage

What would you think of Dungeons & Dragons feats that gave these benefits? You gain immunity to all melee attacks. Before making a melee attack, you can teleport to within melee attack range of your target, attack, and then teleport … Continue reading →

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Queen of the Demonweb Pits Opened Dungeons & Dragons to the Planes

Posted on July 9, 2019 by David Hartlage

In Dragon magazine issue 8, published July 1977, Gary Gygax proposed the Dungeons & Dragons cosmology, a great wheel of planes surrounding the prime material. The existence of infinite planes “will vastly expand the potential of all campaigns which adopt … Continue reading →

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19 Adventures in the Running for 10 Greatest Adventures Since 1985

Posted on July 2, 2019 by David Hartlage

For my list of the 10 greatest adventures since 1985, nominations, reviews, and reputation led me to consider many more excellent adventures than fit a list of 10. Today’s post reveals the adventures that fell short of my 10 greatest, … Continue reading →

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Making the List of 10 Greatest D&D Adventures After 1985

Posted on June 25, 2019 by David Hartlage

In 2004, Dungeon magazine published a list of the 30 greatest Dungeons & Dragons adventures. I saw few reasons to quibble with the choices, but the list favored early adventures. More than a third of the magazine’s picks came from … Continue reading →

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The 10 Greatest Dungeons & Dragons Adventures Since 1985

Posted on June 18, 2019 by David Hartlage

This list of the 10 greatest Dungeons & Dragons adventures since 1985, draws from ratings, reviews, and appraisals from D&D fans, and then uses my completely unscientific aggregation of opinions to rank the 10 entries. The list only includes adventures … Continue reading →

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Night’s Dark Terror (1986): Greatest D&D Adventures Since 1985—Number 1

Posted on June 13, 2019 by David Hartlage

Night’s Dark Terror (1986) is Basic/Expert Dungeons & Dragons adventure by Jim Bambra, Graeme Morris, and Phil Gallagher for levels 2-4. Lost Mine of Phandelver (2014) rates number 3 on this list of great adventures for introducing D&D’s most compelling … Continue reading →

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Red Hand of Doom (2006): Greatest D&D Adventures Since 1985—Number 2

Posted on June 12, 2019 by David Hartlage

Red Hand of Doom (2006) is a 3.5 edition Dungeons & Dragons adventure by Richard Baker and James Jacobs for levels 6-12. Red Hand of Doom pits the characters against an overwhelming horde of hobgoblins and monstrous allies loyal to … Continue reading →

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