Stack o’ Dice

Part of the reason behind this podcast is to share what we're learning both about D&D and podcasting as we go. To celebrate our first mini-milestone of hitting the 10th episode, we talk about some of the things we're figuring out about our characters as well as the podcasting scene in general.

If this discussion prompts any game-related questions in your mind, share them with us on Twitter (@stackodice) or by email ([email protected]). We'd love to hear from you, and will try to answer them in future episodes. If we get enough, we might dedicate an entire episode to answering questions, but one step at a time!

The party's hopes for a restful night's sleep have been dashed by a disturbing dream unlike any they've ever had. The question of what it all means is on our heroes' minds as they set forth at last to Flenmoor, the large city to the north. They hope to find answers there. But a long road lies ahead, and the country is still quite wild. Join us as we continue our exciting story together!

Thanks for sharing our story; we really appreciate your support and hope you enjoy what we've put together. We're having fun sharing our adventure with you each week, and we'll only get better with time! If you like what you hear, please take the time to leave us a review on iTunes, since that bumps us up in the ratings and lets others join in the fun. For quick updates on a more real-time basis, follow us on Twitter (@stackodice), where we'd love to hear from you. Or if you want to share a question or idea with us, drop us a line at [email protected].

Our thanks for the week:

• @jongrahar for engaging us with a fascinating question on Twitter. Thanks for taking the time to share your question, and for giving us some valuable insights!

Though we're eligible to start using BattleBards sounds in our podcast, we didn't incorporate any this week. We did, however, use some Creative Commons sound effects and music in this show. For the sake of attribution, we list them here. The following were taken from freesound.org, a fantastic resource for free royalty-free sound effects.

Sound effects that fall under the Attribution license:

• Waterfall.wav is a copyright of cosmo235

Sound effects that fall under the Attribution Noncommercial license:

• Dinner table ambience.wav is a copyright of Mr_Alden

And now, on with the show-- we're excited to tell a story with you.

It's party time for Tira, Womberbash, and Peter. The Heroes of Arden make their way to the village green and engage in several different important conversations with those close to them. This evening of recognition is an important step in the lives of these young adventurers, but something much deeper awaits them at the Great Stag Inn.

Thanks for sharing our story; we really appreciate your support and hope you enjoy what we've put together. We're having fun sharing our adventure with you each week, and we'll only get better with time! If you like what you hear, please take the time to leave us a review on iTunes, since that bumps us up in the ratings and lets others join in the fun. For quick updates on a more real-time basis, follow us on Twitter (@stackodice), where we'd love to hear from you. Or if you want to share a question or idea with us, drop us a line at [email protected].

Our thanks for the week:

• Our admin site tells us we had a nibble from Kuwait! How exciting is that?!

Though we're eligible to start using BattleBards sounds in our podcast, we didn't incorporate any this week. We did, however, use some Creative Commons sound effects and music in this show. For the sake of attribution, we list them here. The following were taken from freesound.org, a fantastic resource for free royalty-free sound effects.

Sound effects that fall under the Attribution license:

• Applause 2 is a copyright of VlatkoBlazek

Sound effects that fall under the Attribution Noncommercial license:

• TribalDrums.wav is a copyright of HerbertBoland

And now, on with the show-- we're excited to tell a story with you.

After the fight with the bandits in the previous episode, the heroes now have to deal with some very real consequences of the things they experienced during their first big battle. Questions arise, clothes are changed, and horse water is discovered. See what happens now by tuning in!

Thanks for sharing our story; we really appreciate your support and hope you enjoy what we've put together. We're having fun sharing our adventure with you each week, and we'll only get better with time! If you like what you hear, please take the time to leave us a review on iTunes, since that bumps us up in the ratings and lets others join in the fun. For quick updates on a more real-time basis, follow us on Twitter (@stackodice), where we'd love to hear from you. Or if you want to share a question or idea with us, drop us a line at [email protected].

Our thanks for the week:

• Twitter continues to amaze, with likes and follows coming weekly. We appreciate your support, and ask you to spread the word to friends and family! The easiest way to do this is to leave us a five-star review on iTunes. Show us some love, and we'll mention your name at the end of an episode!

Though we're eligible to start using BattleBards sounds in our podcast, we didn't have time to incorporate any this week. We did, however, use some Creative Commons sound effects and music in this show. For the sake of attribution, we list them here. The following were taken from freesound.org, a fantastic resource for free royalty-free sound effects.

Sound effects that fall under the Attribution license:

• Dunk_water_009.wav is a copyright of johonbravo

Sound effects that fall under the Attribution Noncommercial license:

• TribalDrums.wav is a copyright of HerbertBoland

And now, on with the show-- we're excited to tell a story with you.

After the fight with the bandits in the previous episode, the heroes now have to deal with some very real consequences of the things they experienced during their first big battle. Questions arise, clothes are changed, and horse water is discovered. See what happens now by tuning in!

Thanks for sharing our story; we really appreciate your support and hope you enjoy what we've put together. We're having fun sharing our adventure with you each week, and we'll only get better with time! If you like what you hear, please take the time to leave us a review on iTunes, since that bumps us up in the ratings and lets others join in the fun. For quick updates on a more real-time basis, follow us on Twitter (@stackodice), where we'd love to hear from you. Or if you want to share a question or idea with us, drop us a line at [email protected].

Our thanks for the week:

• Twitter continues to amaze, with likes and follows coming weekly. We appreciate your support, and ask you to spread the word to friends and family! The easiest way to do this is to leave us a five-star review on iTunes. Show us some love, and we'll mention your name at the end of an episode!

Though we're eligible to start using BattleBards sounds in our podcast, we didn't have time to incorporate any this week. We did, however, use some Creative Commons sound effects and music in this show. For the sake of attribution, we list them here. The following were taken from freesound.org, a fantastic resource for free royalty-free sound effects.

Sound effects that fall under the Attribution license:

• Dunk_water_009.wav is a copyright of johonbravo

Sound effects that fall under the Attribution Noncommercial license:

• TribalDrums.wav is a copyright of HerbertBoland

And now, on with the show-- we're excited to tell a story with you.

Trouble is brewing in the tiny, remote town of Arden as bandits threaten the villagers' way of life. The heroes ready their weapons as the mayor rallies the desperate townspeople in the only defensive structure they have--the palisade on the Rock. What fearsome foes will our heroes face? Who will survive the day? Find out in this brand new episode!

Thanks for sharing our story; we really appreciate your support and hope you enjoy what we've put together. We're having fun sharing our adventure with you each week, and we'll only get better with time! If you like what you hear, please take the time to leave us a review on iTunes, since that bumps us up in the ratings and lets others join in the fun. For quick updates on a more real-time basis, follow us on Twitter (@stackodice), where we'd love to hear from you. Or if you want to share a question or idea with us, drop us a line at [email protected].

Our thanks for the week:

• What a week for exposure! We've found new friends on Twitter, and our little family is slowly growing. We appreciate your interest, and we value your interaction on Twitter or by email. For those who have reached out to us with feedback, we sure do love what you've had to say. It helps us improve as we go, and we want to be among the best.

We also used some Creative Commons sound effects and music in this show. For the sake of attribution, we list them here. The following were taken from freesound.org, a fantastic resource for free royalty-free sound effects.

Sound effects that fall under the Attribution license:

• Cry of great public 01.wav is a copyright of klankbeeld

Sound effects that fall under the Attribution Noncommercial license:

• TribalDrums.wav is a copyright of HerbertBoland

And now, on with the show-- we're excited to tell a story with you.

As a refreshing mountain breeze atop the Three Sisters plays through our heroes' hair, they find themselves faced with a difficult decision. A great prize and an important task lie on the other side of this choice, heralding a difficult time ahead. What is this all about? Whatever will our heroes do? And was that really a pickup line Wamberbash threw out there? Listen in now and see for yourself!

Thanks for sharing our story; we really appreciate your support and hope you enjoy what we've put together. We're having fun sharing our adventure with you each week, and we'll only get better with time!

If you like what you hear, please take the time to leave us a review on iTunes, since that bumps us up in the ratings and lets others join in the fun. For quick updates on a more real-time basis, follow us on Twitter (@stackodice), where we'd love to hear from you. Or if you want to share a question or idea with us, drop us a line at [email protected].

Our thanks for the week:

• Rob of Rob Ervin Voiceovers welcomes us to the land of Vardalon. Check out his stellar work at http://robervinvoiceovers.com/, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/robervinvoiceovers/, and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/RobErvinVO.

We also used some Creative Commons sound effects and music in this show. For the sake of attribution, we list them here. The following were taken from freesound.org, a fantastic resource for free royalty-free sound effects.

Sound effects that fall under the Attribution license:

Minor Key Music Box is a copyright of DarkWaryurMC

Draw Bridge Lower is a copyright of hykenfreak

And now, on with the show-- we're excited to tell a story with you.

Do one-dimensional NPCs in your games have you feeling. . . blue? In this special episode, Rhett wants to share a really neat NPC creation technique. The original idea comes from an interview between Satine Phoenix and Taliesin Jaffe in an episode of Satine's excellent GM Tips series.

GM Tips video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQZR4smjUEc

This video inspired Rhett to create a spreadsheet version of the technique Taliesin introduced, but with a slight twist: https://1drv.ms/x/s!Ai_DSO_CT_ACg4Ao9hDNfPcymdn7rw

To use the spreadsheet, first save it to your computer. Click on the ellipsis (...) in the upper right corner of the screen, then choose to Save a Copy.

Once you have the sheet, simply type anything into the grey cell, then press Enter. This will cause the sheet to recalculate, generating a new NPC persona. Anytime you change the contents of the grey cell and press Enter, the sheet will update. If you want to make changes to the contents, just follow your spreadsheet program's instructions to unlock the spreadsheet first. There is no password.

Use it in your game, and have a great time with the result! How does it work out for you? Did it lead to any fun experiences? Let us know!

As always, thanks for sharing our story; we really appreciate your words of support and hope you enjoy what we've put together. We're having fun sharing our adventure with you each week, and we'll only get better with time! If you like what you hear, please take the time to leave us a review on iTunes, since that bumps us up in the ratings and lets others join in the fun. For quick updates on a more real-time basis, follow us on Twitter (@stackodice), where we'd love to hear from you. Or if you prefer email, send us game questions or comments at [email protected].

Do one-dimensional NPCs in your games have you feeling. . . blue? In this special episode, Rhett wants to share a really neat NPC creation technique. The original idea comes from an interview between Satine Phoenix and Taliesin Jaffe in an episode of Satine's excellent GM Tips series.

GM Tips video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQZR4smjUEc

This video inspired Rhett to create a spreadsheet version of the technique Taliesin introduced, but with a slight twist: https://1drv.ms/x/s!Ai_DSO_CT_ACg4Ao9hDNfPcymdn7rw

To use the spreadsheet, first save it to your computer. Click on the ellipsis (...) in the upper right corner of the screen, then choose to Save a Copy.

Once you have the sheet, simply type anything into the grey cell, then press Enter. This will cause the sheet to recalculate, generating a new NPC persona. Anytime you change the contents of the grey cell and press Enter, the sheet will update. If you want to make changes to the contents, just follow your spreadsheet program's instructions to unlock the spreadsheet first. There is no password.

Use it in your game, and have a great time with the result! How does it work out for you? Did it lead to any fun experiences? Let us know!

As always, thanks for sharing our story; we really appreciate your words of support and hope you enjoy what we've put together. We're having fun sharing our adventure with you each week, and we'll only get better with time! If you like what you hear, please take the time to leave us a review on iTunes, since that bumps us up in the ratings and lets others join in the fun. For quick updates on a more real-time basis, follow us on Twitter (@stackodice), where we'd love to hear from you. Or if you prefer email, send us game questions or comments at [email protected].

It's a party, and you're invited!

Adventuring is hard. That's why it's important to celebrate achievements! We'll record a special leveling episode each time the party levels. This is the first in what (we hope) will be plenty of level-up celebrations.

Follow the leveling process as we talk through what benefits Tira, Womberbash, and Peter gain for hitting this milestone. From squat thrusts to HP envy, this episode has it all!

As a reminder, the Unearthed Arcana article pertinent to Wizards' in-development Mystic class is located at https://media.wizards.com/2017/dnd/downloads/UAMystic3.pdf. Check it out to see if it will fit into your own campaign!

As always, thanks for sharing our story; we really appreciate your words of support and hope you enjoy what we've put together. We're having fun sharing our adventure with you each week, and we'll only get better with time! If you like what you hear, please take the time to leave us a review on iTunes, since that bumps us up in the ratings and lets others join in the fun. For quick updates on a more real-time basis, follow us on Twitter (@stackodice), where we'd love to hear from you. Or if you prefer email, send us game questions or comments at [email protected].