Stories of the Fifth Age – The Mad Adventurers Society Archive

Inheritance is a complicated concept. It can carry many layers of context and subtext depending on who is giving and who is receiving, and what is being given in the first place. With the inheritor background, this act of receiving shapes your character’s life,  and will direct them going forward. In this episode, Leslie and […]

Possessed of mysterious and unique powers, unlike those of other wielders of magical might, the warlock is an oft misunderstood class. Due to their pacts with beings that provide them with these unusual gifts and talents, they may be maligned or hated at worst by those who fear the nature of their power’s origins. The […]

A cataclysmic storm raging amidst blackened skies; thick mists hanging low along the mud slickened ground; a forest with beams of bright light cutting through the thick boughs as the sunlight overhead pierces through. Weather helps set the tone of a setting, it brings out instinctive feelings and thoughts, reminds us of moments, and when […]

Whether it be the proud ranks of an ancient knighthood, or the shadowy fellowship of a multi-national faction working behind the scenes, members of either organization will have intrinsic ties to the groups they call home. Despite how different the organizations may seem, the backgrounds share more in common than you might think. In this […]

Mastery over nature, and balance between the four elements are the ways of the Druid. A class of unique power and role within the options of D&D, the Druid presents many ways for its abilities to interact with the world at large, and retains a distinct mystique behind the society that binds the druidic orders […]

Stepping into a new town can be an alien experience, surrounded by the swirl of a culture that isn’t your own. To be able to find a familiar connection within this unfamiliar terrain is a powerful experience. All too often, both of these experiences, the isolation and the familiarity, are things we neglect in our […]

Amid the political shifts and jockeying for power or position, the role of the courtier has many possibilities to fit into any given court. From the foppish hangers on, to those who play vital roles in the background, the courtier presents a very unique way for characters to have found their beginnings. In this episode, […]

Powerful forces of spiritual and physical might, the monk represents a being of martial discipline and mental fortitude. But when we look at the class, what expectations do we put on it, what stereotypes are placed on the class just by the preconceptions of the style in which it was created? In this episode, our […]

Fewer aspects of D&D can create mystique or wonder quite like the idea of the multiverse, the spanning expanse of the planes. From the elemental planes and their encircling chaos, to the Outer planes and the Astral sea, with the Hells and Heavens. All this with the material worlds at the center, mirrored by the […]

From petty thieves to the heads of organized gangs, criminals come in many different forms and intentions. Just as much a product of their environment as their training and skills, this background presents some of the widest range of possible circumstances, and yet might be the most easily stereotyped by those looking it over. In […]