roleplay – Page 2 – The Daily SPUF

Why You Should Try D&D 1st Edition

April 5, 2023July 2, 2023 aabicus 0 Comments 1st edition, 1st edition D&D, cleric, d&d, Dungeons & Dragons, dungeons and dragons, gary mack, OD&D, roleplay, roleplaying

Dungeons & Dragons has come a long way from its early days. When OD&D first came out in 1974, it quickly caught fire and spread throughout the wargaming community. Almost five decades later, it’s still recognizably the game we love, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t also massively evolved. My only goal with this article is to encourage you to seize any opportunity to experience the singular wildness of old-school D&D. How? No idea, that’s probably the hardest part. I’ve only ever had one opportunity, and it was in 2011, while I was a professional Traveller GM for Strategicon. One… [Continue Reading]

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Call of Cthulhu: My 5 Favorite Under-Used Skills

November 22, 2022January 15, 2024 aabicus 0 Comments 6, 7, advice, Call of Cthulhu, list, roleplay, roleplaying, skill

By far the toughest part of Call of Cthulhu is how few skillpoints it gives you. When every skill uses a percentile and you only get a couple-hundred points to allocate, it’s really difficult to excel at more than a few checks. This naturally leads to the most obviously-useful skills (Spot Hidden, Library Use, Firearms, Stealth) seeing massive use across the playerbase. But today I wanted to talk about some rarer skills that I’ve nonetheless found worth investing in. Many times they can save you skillpoints in other areas, or unlock niche-but-effective playstyles. You certainly can’t pick them all, but at… [Continue Reading]

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D&D 5e: How to Build an Effective Naked Character

October 12, 2022February 16, 2026 aabicus 0 Comments armour, builds, d&d, D&D unarmored builds, Dungeons & Dragons, dungeons and dragons, guide, nudity, roleplay, unarmored

Okay, you don’t literally have to be naked, but this article is about unarmored builds and how to craft one that doesn’t sacrifice effectiveness or survivability. I always find myself gravitating to unarmored characters because it fits my personal fantasy of a heroic protagonist. From shirtless barbarians to suit-wearing badasses to unlucky everyman survivors… Fiction is filled with characters who take on the world without a shred of protection beyond their skills and smarts. But unfortunately, D&D’s primary form of AC is equipping armor (heck, the acronym literally means ‘Armor Class.’) Which means you need to keep some things in mind… [Continue Reading]

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D&D 5e: 5 Good Feats For Monks

August 29, 2022August 29, 2022 aabicus 0 Comments d&d, Dungeons & Dragons, monk, roleplay, roleplaying

Monks have a problem when it comes to grabbing feats in that they are highly dependant on ability score improvements (ASIs) to function. They need good Dexterity, Wisdom, and Constitution to function, and if you don’t improve those numbers, you’ll quickly fall behind. That means the only time I can really recommend taking a feat on Monk is as a 1st level Variant Human/Custom Lineage. (Or if you have an odd-numbered Dex or Wis and take a feat that boosts either stat by +1). With that being said, there are several stellar feat options if you go ahead and do… [Continue Reading]

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Playing Druid in D&D 5e: A Complete Guide

May 1, 2022July 17, 2024 aabicus 0 Comments d&d, Druid, Dungeons & Dragons, roleplay, roleplaying

This article will consolidate Druid Fortnight! I know it was a pretty niche topic, but I hope you enjoyed reading about one of the most multi-faceted character classes I’ve encountered in any gaming system. If you took away anything from this series, I hope it’s that druid is definitely worth experiencing. If you feel any desire to try the class out yourself, I highly recommend you give it a shot. Table of Contents Introduction (How I Learned to Love the Druid) The 5 Best Races For Druids 5 Good Feats For Druids The Oddest Shapeshift Form in the Game 5… [Continue Reading]

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D&D: 10 All-Purpose Druid Spells

April 30, 2022November 16, 2022 aabicus 0 Comments d&d, Druid, Dungeons & Dragons, magic, roleplay, roleplaying, spells

We’ve covered under-used spells, healing spells, and dedicated several articles to specific spells. But no series on druid would be complete without an article discussing the all-purpose tried-and-trues. These are the spells that most druids take because they’re usable pretty much no matter what. As always, this article is focused on early-game druids, so we’re only covering spells level 0-2. Guidance Guidance is D&D’s gift to clerics and druids, and everyone else wishes they got it. For free, you can now have a bonus D4 on every ability check (even initiative) when you aren’t surprised. And you can tag teammates… [Continue Reading]

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D&D Druid: On Choosing Your Weapons and Armor

April 28, 2022April 17, 2023 aabicus 6 Comments d&d, Druid, Dungeons & Dragons, loadouts, roleplay, roleplaying, weapons

Generally in D&D, full spellcasters are squishy but powerful, and martial classes are chonkier but with less magical versatility. But then there’s druid (and cleric), who gets both! Druid’s equipment options are structured differently from most other classes. You’re only allowed to use a handful of weapon types, and you can’t wear armor/shields made of metal. But there are nevertheless some great options in your proficiencies. Today I wanted to discuss some common considerations/options available to you when you kit out your new druid. And before we can discuss anything, there’s an important question you need to ask your GM.… [Continue Reading]

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D&D: Comparing Druid’s Healing Spells

April 27, 2022May 20, 2022 aabicus 0 Comments d&d, Druid, Dungeons & Dragons, healer, healing, roleplay, roleplaying

Druid is the second-best healer in the game behind Cleric. This means you should be bringing at least one healing spell to the party. But which one should you prepare? Should you take more than one? Let’s find out! (As always, this guide is designed for early-level players, so we’re only covering the healing spells below 4th level.) (Author’s note: To read about the one shapeshift form that can heal teammates, check out this article. I would not consider it a meaningful source of healing compared to your spells.) 1. Goodberry Let’s start by talking about the most unique healing… [Continue Reading]

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D&D: The 5 Best Races for Druids

April 26, 2022October 18, 2022 aabicus 0 Comments d&d, Dungeons & Dragons, roleplay, roleplaying, werewolf

I wasn’t originally going to write this article, as I don’t believe in choosing one’s race for stat reasons. Your character’s race is one of the most important parts of their characterization. Don’t go fishing for the right ability modifiers, pick something that calls to you for what it is. However, it’s likely that not everyone is so sentimental about choosing their character’s race. So, without further ado, here are some excellent choices for a druid character. Remember, Wisdom is your primary stat, with Dexterity and Constitution as distant seconds. Also, most of these are from tie-in sourcebooks, so I… [Continue Reading]

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D&D Druid: The Oddest Shapeshift Form in the Game

April 25, 2022May 29, 2022 aabicus 0 Comments d&d, Dungeons & Dragons, roleplay, roleplaying, snail, wtf

Today we’re covering one of the weirdest wildshape options available to druids. This is (somehow) a CR0 monster, meaning every single druid can turn into it so long as they encounter one. (And honestly, that’s probably the primary thing stopping you from using it. You’ll likely need to go on a special side-mission with your GM’s permission to find a specimen. I recommend the locate animals or plants spell after you’ve learned its rough habitat from research.) We’re talking about the haungharassk. No, I don’t know how to pronounce it. What the Shell? The haungharassk is a giant snail originating… [Continue Reading]