In this article, I explain how to design D&D encounters to make them as fun and exciting as possible. There's no question that encounters are one of the most important parts of Dungeons & Dragons. At its most basic level, D&D is simply a series of connected challenges (encounters) the characters try to overcome.  Without encounters, there are no adventures. Without adventures, there are no campaigns. Encounters are the fundamental building blocks of everything else!  Because of this, we should make the best  ..read more

So you want to write a 5E D&D adventure? I'm glad you're here, because in this article, I'll teach you how to do that step-by-step. My name is Kelsey Dionne, and I’m a full-time adventure writer and publisher who got started in all this by googling “how to write a DnD adventure” (the results I got in 2016 made me wish someone had written this article). These days, I write D&D adventures for a living. I’ve faced the gauntlet of hundreds of public critiques here, here, and here (to name just a few), and even Wizards of the Coast recommended my material during&nbs ..read more

"Imagine first, design second."  One of the web's most notorious adventure reviewers had agreed to talk to me about a project of mine that felt dead in the water. We were halfway through a video call when, out of nowhere, he looked up and told me with oracular clarity that that was the problem with the adventure I was writing. It seemed like a revelation to both of us at the same time. I blinked in surprise. "Imagine?" I said. "Like, imagine the space? The combats?" "All of it," he said. "What you're doing here is designing. And it's not bad, it's just... boring. The adventure i ..read more

Kelsey from The Arcane Library here to talk about a question in the gaming world that is heavily debated: Is milestone leveling or XP leveling better? Now, I should preface this by saying that I almost never believe one thing is always better than the other (although Jif peanut butter is the best, and you can't persuade me otherwise). You can expect a similar take here, but I won't just declare a tie. In this article, I'm going to present a (totally experimental) alternative to both milestone and XP leveling! First, why is this even a debate? As is of ..read more

Why is making D&D maps so hard? I might be in the minority here, but I find designing maps to be one of the trickiest parts of adventure writing. Still, after ungracefully stumbling my way through drafting a lot of maps over the years for publication, I've learned a few ways to ease the process. If you've ever stared at a blank sheet of grid paper and been totally lost about what to do next, this article is for you! I'm going to show you how I got this: Out of this: A note before we proceed: Not all adventures need maps, but most adventures have some element of site-base ..read more

I had an epiphany during a gaming session when my character died in the vicious jaws of a manticore. It hurt to lose a character I loved (our reactions were caught on live stream), but I also knew I wouldn't have traded that outcome for anything less.  I realized that without the serious danger that resulted in my character's death, her demise, and the campaign itself, would have been far less exciting and meaningful! So in this article, I want to look at how Dungeon Masters can use the forces of danger and death (D&D... oh wait... that's already taken) to creat ..read more

Tension! The driving force behind some of the best scenes in film, comics, novels — you name it. Tension is what keeps us on the edge of our seats waiting to find out what happens. For example, a great source of tension in my life during the first season of The Mandalorian was wondering whether Baby Yoda would survive yet another kidnapping attempt. If you're like me, you were glued to The Mandalorian each week making sure our precious, broth-sipping meme of the year wasn't coming to any harm. And this is a powerful effect we can put to use in our D&D games ..read more

Has another Dungeon Master ever asked you if you're a "sandboxer" or a "railroader?" Or maybe you've heard someone decry adventures that are railroads and then talk about chasing the illustrious, ever-elusive sandbox-style campaign. You may even be wondering what I'm talking about with all these buzzwords.   First, a brief explanation. Railroads and sandboxes are both styles of D&D adventures that focus on limiting the players' choices (railroad) or offering a huge abundance of choices (sandbox). A quick example of a railroad: a dungeon where the rooms are laid ..read more

I want to share an adventure-writing technique with you that has saved me in countless emergency situations. My secret lies in the Five Room Dungeon! Hats off to expert game designer Johnn Four for originating the idea. If you’ve heard of these before, you know their power. And if not… welcome to the ancient order, my friend. Full disclosure: I've also used the Five Room Dungeon technique to write full-out adventures, most notably Crypts of Azarumme. So they're not just for emergency situations. But you can rely on them in a pinch! In this article, I'm going to write a comple ..read more

Have you ever had a spell completely derail your entire D&D adventure? I've heard a few horror stories, including one where a druid used speak with animals and a few pointed questions to uncover the adventure's surprise villain within the first ten minutes. Or the time Taliesin Jaffe's character in Critical Role managed to sideline an entire naval battle with a good roll on a control water spell. These moments of unexpected triumph can be incredibly fun for the players, but they can catch even the most experienced Dungeon Masters off guard. So what can DMs and adventure writers do about al ..read more