<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Helpful NPCs]]></title><description><![CDATA[Helpful NPCs]]></description><link>https://www.helpfulnpcs.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Thu, 14 May 2026 12:44:23 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.helpfulnpcs.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[5e and Design Bloat]]></title><description><![CDATA[Some iconic artwork. D&#38;D 5e is a bloated mess, and it shouldn't be. At its core, there is a simple, streamlined system that ought to be fast at the table: 1d20 + modifiers vs. DC and a simple pass/fail resolution. The variable modifiers of previous editions have been trimmed down to advantage and disadvantage. Despite this, the game is somehow bloated in its design. Why? How? Well, it's because 5e refused to create a cohesive system and offloaded all its complexity to its class mechanics and...]]></description><link>https://www.helpfulnpcs.com/post/5e-and-design-bloat</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69fc8f5675e14b340e56de78</guid><category><![CDATA[RPG Theory & Design]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 11 May 2026 23:48:57 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a1f1f5_635a33022f4944f4af36a202c864935e~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_940,h_710,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Helpful NPCs</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[OSR: Converting D&#38;D to Utilize d6s Instead of that Blasted d20]]></title><description><![CDATA[I have recently been on an OSR D&#38;D kick recently, and it has come to my attention that the system is basically a d6 engine. Consistent through several elder editions: Ability scores are generated via rolling 3d6. Starting gold is calculated via rolling 3d6. Reaction rolls are determined via rolling 2d6. Morale rolls are determined via rolling 2d6. Surprise is determined via rolling 1d6. Initiative is determined via rolling 1d6. Forcing open and listening at doors are determined via rolling...]]></description><link>https://www.helpfulnpcs.com/post/osr-and-d6s</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69f4fbd090b4365cb860cb79</guid><category><![CDATA[RPG Theory & Design]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 03 May 2026 18:20:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a1f1f5_dd6677292bd54b58ab337715f74f8fee~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Helpful NPCs</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dungeon World's "16 HP Dragon" Is Cope]]></title><description><![CDATA[The 16 HP Dragon from Dungeon World 1e is pure cope and the system doesn't support dangerous encounters.]]></description><link>https://www.helpfulnpcs.com/post/dungeon-world-s-16-hp-dragon-is-cope</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69cb053120141e70489db869</guid><category><![CDATA[RPG Theory & Design]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:47:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a1f1f5_282d6263ecaa4624ae7b1ac47961032e~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_740,h_493,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Helpful NPCs</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Reddit RPG Roundup #1]]></title><description><![CDATA[Grab you d27 and get ready to roll on critical hit table XIV as we talk about our experiences with Dungeon Crawl Classics!]]></description><link>https://www.helpfulnpcs.com/post/reddit-rpg-roundup-1</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c17d7eadda444fefaecce3</guid><pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 2026 17:57:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a1f1f5_1444a74c346448d0a837e3402f946406~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_938,h_710,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Helpful NPCs</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dungeons, Dungeon Crawls, and Dungeon Crawl Classics]]></title><description><![CDATA[Grab you d27 and get ready to roll on critical hit table XIV as we talk about our experiences with Dungeon Crawl Classics!]]></description><link>https://www.helpfulnpcs.com/post/dungeons-dungeon-crawls-and-dungeon-crawl-classics</link><guid isPermaLink="false">696554adf1ba376a5bbce447</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcasts]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 12 Jan 2026 20:24:25 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a1f1f5_9a8f5a2e7b134ce4a8e82347d3f596d7~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Helpful NPCs</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Humans &#38; Hit Dice]]></title><description><![CDATA[What ARE Hit Dice, anyway? I'll discuss how they function and my take on humanoids with Hit Dice.]]></description><link>https://www.helpfulnpcs.com/post/humans-hit-dice</link><guid isPermaLink="false">694ee931ff1e0f06d9c364f5</guid><pubDate>Fri, 26 Dec 2025 21:10:45 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a1f1f5_d350c45afb364309b55312d2bfedda86~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_940,h_705,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Helpful NPCs</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Armor Class vs. Armor Classes]]></title><description><![CDATA[It is an inevitability that people needlessly demand expansions to the rules of a game for no good reason. They desire options and demand choice regardless of the (usually negative) impact on the rest of the system. Armor Class in D&#38;D is one such arena where being spoiled for choice worsens the game. Today, we're all familiar with the bloated list of armor types and options available to players: padded, leather, studded leather, spiked armor, scale mail, halfplate, full plate, the list goes...]]></description><link>https://www.helpfulnpcs.com/post/armor-class-vs-armor-classes</link><guid isPermaLink="false">694aac9ec47fff7362f9e034</guid><pubDate>Tue, 23 Dec 2025 21:06:42 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a1f1f5_d350c45afb364309b55312d2bfedda86~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_940,h_705,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Helpful NPCs</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[THAC0 is Easy If You're Smarter Than a 10-Year-Old]]></title><description><![CDATA[If you'll kindly note the frequency of the phrase "ages 10 and up." I'm feeling bombastic today, so I'm taking a moment to defend THAC0 and descending Armor Class as a whole. Why? Because I was an ignoramus up until today, when I had a flight of whimsy and decided to learn how they work. I am here to report back that neither descending Armor Class nor THAC0 are confusing unless: You are illiterate and/or innumerate. You suffer from poor pattern recognition skills. You are less mentally...]]></description><link>https://www.helpfulnpcs.com/post/thac0-is-easy-if-you-re-smarter-than-a-10-year-old</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6942fcffaf6ab01fbdcee227</guid><category><![CDATA[RPG Theory & Design]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 18 Dec 2025 15:07:34 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a1f1f5_69e7ae0558dc4dc5b3822d4a7ccf1f0f~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_940,h_705,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Helpful NPCs</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The "Or Else" Clause: On Skill Checks and Saving Throws]]></title><description><![CDATA[Skill checks are bad! Fix them with this One Simple Trick!]]></description><link>https://www.helpfulnpcs.com/post/the-or-else-clause-on-skill-checks-and-saving-throws</link><guid isPermaLink="false">694203f5031fac87aaa2eeb8</guid><category><![CDATA[RPG Theory & Design]]></category><category><![CDATA[Game Aids]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2025 15:57:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a1f1f5_36b8b6a48eec4cc2abdebfefd2e61a6f~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_940,h_705,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Helpful NPCs</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dungeon World 2e: A Tale of Two Editions]]></title><description><![CDATA[Dungeon World 2e is in development. Will it alienate its existing fanbase to draw in diehard PbtA fans?]]></description><link>https://www.helpfulnpcs.com/post/dungeon-world-2e-a-tale-of-two-editions</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68ff87c1dc39b5e10eb1a6d7</guid><pubDate>Mon, 27 Oct 2025 15:41:43 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a1f1f5_750959a0d0fb44a6be5a1f7d9649ef5d~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_940,h_705,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Helpful NPCs</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[DC 13 Is Great, Actually, And Bounded Accuracy Is Fine]]></title><description><![CDATA[The math in D&#38;D 5e is pretty solid with a few rough spots, and most of your skill rolls should be DC 13. That's a great starting point when we assume that: Skill checks are only made in dangerous or uncertain situations. The average adventurer is reasonably competent at core adventuring tasks . Superfluous (non-impactful) d20 rolls are elided. 5e is built around point buy, with the assumption that your primary ability score will have a +3 bonus with a 16 or 17 base. (Clerics have +3 Wisdom,...]]></description><link>https://www.helpfulnpcs.com/post/dc-13-is-great-actually-and-bounded-accuracy-is-fine</link><guid isPermaLink="false">67adf84e330ae9c65b905a84</guid><category><![CDATA[RPG Theory & Design]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 13 Feb 2025 16:33:14 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a1f1f5_d350c45afb364309b55312d2bfedda86~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_940,h_705,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Helpful NPCs</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Your Mechanics Feel Bad (So They Need to Be Redesigned)]]></title><description><![CDATA[Game designers obsess over probabilistic precision when designing their TTRPG mechanics. They'll run formulas through AnyDice and pore over the exact results, tweaking convoluted dice mechanics and numerics to achieve the perfect spread of results. Then they totally disregard how those mechanics play at the table. TTRPG mechanics need to "feel good" in play. You cannot design a good RPG around mathematically-perfect probabilities because RPG is not a math game. An RPG is a social game that...]]></description><link>https://www.helpfulnpcs.com/post/your-mechanics-feel-bad-so-they-need-to-be-redesigned</link><guid isPermaLink="false">672f8519c2cbdbdb4d114c68</guid><category><![CDATA[RPG Theory & Design]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 09 Nov 2024 16:37:55 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a1f1f5_5dbb9e5de3c546adb34fe69fd9adc91c~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_940,h_705,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Helpful NPCs</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[PSA: Baldur's Gate 3 Isn't D&#38;D]]></title><description><![CDATA[Baldur's Gate 3 is a great videogame. It's a terrible D&#38;D game. Baldur's Gate 3 utilizes the D&#38;D 5e (2014) rules to fuel its gameplay,...]]></description><link>https://www.helpfulnpcs.com/post/baldur-s-gate-3-is-a-bad-d-d-game</link><guid isPermaLink="false">669fc00360d101e0f8fb8d28</guid><category><![CDATA[Podcasts]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 23 Jul 2024 14:48:46 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a1f1f5_c7eaf356fbf04fd18aa7339060d97c55~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_670,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Helpful NPCs</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ditching Ability Scores in D&#38;D 5e]]></title><description><![CDATA[Ability scores worsen 5e. They encourage cookie-cutter point-buy characters and they slow the game down because you're calculating derived values like saving throw DCs and attack values. I don't know about you, but I'd rather spend less time mathing around and more time playing around. Moreover, there's the disparate impact ability scores have on the game: Dexterity influences Armor Class, melee and ranged attacks, and the all-important ability to move around without alerting the whole...]]></description><link>https://www.helpfulnpcs.com/post/ditching-ability-scores-in-d-d-5e</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6691399f60071a0e9b747fa8</guid><category><![CDATA[RPG Theory & Design]]></category><category><![CDATA[Homebrew Rules]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 12 Jul 2024 17:09:55 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a1f1f5_5dbb9e5de3c546adb34fe69fd9adc91c~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_940,h_705,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Helpful NPCs</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[1d12 Urban Obstacles!]]></title><description><![CDATA[Although many adventurers find their fortune in dungeons and strange wildernesses, the cityscape provides another landscape for them to...]]></description><link>https://www.helpfulnpcs.com/post/1d12-urban-obstacles</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6569eb379164fc02201708ab</guid><category><![CDATA[Random Tables]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 01 Dec 2023 14:27:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a1f1f5_97b46b964972417ea5e4e13972b07c43~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_768,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Helpful NPCs</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Henchmen: The Bodyguard, Revised!]]></title><description><![CDATA[Hello, all! The Helpful NPCs team are here to present a new and REVISED NPC for your games: the BODYGUARD! Player characters can hire...]]></description><link>https://www.helpfulnpcs.com/post/henchmen-the-bodyguard-revised</link><guid isPermaLink="false">65392176865cf68c7816bded</guid><category><![CDATA[Homebrew Rules]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 25 Oct 2023 14:19:31 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a1f1f5_ec2cf4d25b6f461bbbb728e05a6811d1~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Helpful NPCs</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[One Page Encounters: An Oni-Rous Appetite!]]></title><description><![CDATA[Hello, all! The Helpful NPCs are here to present yet another drag-and-drop encounter.  Many of our encounters have focused on the...]]></description><link>https://www.helpfulnpcs.com/post/one-page-encounters-an-oni-rous-appetite</link><guid isPermaLink="false">64da210deb799fc0631e183e</guid><category><![CDATA[One Page Encounters]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 14 Aug 2023 13:00:42 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a1f1f5_71694aa8ac7a404d9f95b12fe02859a9~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_978,h_955,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Helpful NPCs</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Hide and Sneak! A 5e Cheat Sheet for Light, Darkness, and Stealth!]]></title><description><![CDATA[Hello, all! The Helpful NPCs crew are here again to provide a helpful reference cheat for you. This time, it's all about stealth. How do...]]></description><link>https://www.helpfulnpcs.com/post/hide-and-sneak-a-5e-cheat-sheet-for-light-darkness-and-stealth</link><guid isPermaLink="false">64a8095c1d174b635fda63e3</guid><category><![CDATA[Game Aids]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 07 Jul 2023 14:12:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a1f1f5_d4f0fb8465a24df28832e49a31deb54d~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Helpful NPCs</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Henchmen: The Bodyguard!]]></title><description><![CDATA[Hello, all! The Helpful NPCs team are here to present a new NPC for your games: the BODYGUARD! Surely you've run into a situation where...]]></description><link>https://www.helpfulnpcs.com/post/henchmen-the-bodyguard</link><guid isPermaLink="false">648217314df1f4a9c8acf984</guid><category><![CDATA[Homebrew Rules]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 08 Jun 2023 18:14:16 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a1f1f5_ec2cf4d25b6f461bbbb728e05a6811d1~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Helpful NPCs</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Wild Magic, Revised!]]></title><description><![CDATA[Hello, all! The Helpful NPCs are here to present to you a revision of the Wild Magic Sorcerer present in D&#38;D 5e. One of the players in my...]]></description><link>https://www.helpfulnpcs.com/post/wild-magic-revised</link><guid isPermaLink="false">646d07a54a76c79dfb2c2c2e</guid><category><![CDATA[Random Tables]]></category><category><![CDATA[Homebrew Rules]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 23 May 2023 18:41:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a1f1f5_c39bd7a8681b4fd399f4a15cccf025bc~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Helpful NPCs</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>