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The Pack Mule, New and Improved
Hello! The Helpful NPCs crew here. We've updated the Pack Mule class with some snazzy new designs and artwork. Take a look at...
Blog of Many Words
Hear ye, hear ye! Welcome, fair traveler, to this blogspot, whereupon you shall be enlightened, ensorcelled, and endowed with great wisdom by heeding our counsel.
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Helpful NPC Thom
- May 8
- 3 min
D&D 5e's Skills (Part 1): What's the DC for Open Heart Surgery?
Hello, Helpful NPC Thom here, and I'm going to talk about how to make 5e's skill system work for you, but first let's talk about the DC...
11 views
Helpful NPCs
- Apr 21
- 1 min
April Fool Me None-Ce
Not many days ago, we posted a lengthy lament about Wizards of the Coast abandoning us olden dayes gamers in favor of a younger, hipper,...
4 views
Helpful NPC Ryan
- Apr 5
- 1 min
Magic Item Alert: Ease your burdens with this humble construct
Some of our favorite magical items are not the ones that slay dragons. We love the simple stuff that gives parties flavor and utility. ...
21 views
Helpful NPC Thom
- Apr 3
- 3 min
Paizo's Abomination Vaults Comes to 5e
Paizo has made waves by announcing a conversion of their adventure The Abomination Vaults to D&D 5e, or what they pointedly describe as...
3 views
Helpful NPC Thom
- Mar 24
- 3 min
How To Trap Like a Furrier
As Helpful NPC Ryan noted, there's a methodology to making traps a part of your roleplaying game. Sadly, I wail and lament that good...
8 views
Helpful NPC Ryan
- Mar 24
- 2 min
Are Traps out of Touch?
Helpful NPC Thom says: No, it's the children who are wrong. One of my friends was recently discussing Elden Ring with me (which I’ve not...
7 views
Helpful NPCs
- Mar 7
- 1 min
5e Sidekick Class: The Camp Master
Hello, fine friends of the Helpful NPCs! We have something exciting to share with you: a new sidekick class for the fifth edition of the...
13 views
Helpful NPCs
- Mar 4
- 1 min
Chapter 6, Episode 3: Roleplaying Alignment
How should players approach alignment in D&D? With fear and trembling and consideration of the rest of the table. No classes have an...
3 views
Helpful NPCs
- Mar 2
- 1 min
Chapter 6, Episode 2: DMing Alignment Without Killing Your Game
Nothing kills a game faster than bad DMing, and alignment is ground whereupon a DM must needs tread carefully. As most DMs handle...
6 views
Helpful NPCs
- Mar 1
- 1 min
Chapter 6, Episode 1: The Malignment of Alignment
Take a listen to the fresh beats of the Helpful NPCs crew as they tackle the controversial system of alignment. It has been (rightly and...
6 views
Helpful NPCs
- Dec 2, 2021
- 1 min
The Pack Mule Playtest
Come one, come all, to the mighty mule's playtest! We discussed it in our previous podcast episode (Chapter 5, Episode 3), but we're here...
27 views
Helpful NPCs
- Dec 1, 2021
- 1 min
Chapter 5, Episode 3: The Mighty Mule
In D&D, our parties always have a faithful mule companion. We have never once run a game where the pack mule isn't a central facet of...
8 views
Helpful NPCs
- Nov 29, 2021
- 1 min
Chapter 5, Episode 2: Loot and Plunder
Following up the previous topic of frittering away your gold, the Helpful NPCs crew discuss treasure management within D&D. You're going...
4 views
Helpful NPCs
- Nov 28, 2021
- 1 min
Chapter 5, Episode 1: Money, Money, Money
Managing your money in D&D - a primer. How do you spend it all? In D&D 5e, the options are somewhat limited, so you might need to get...
3 views
Helpful NPC Thom
- Nov 3, 2021
- 6 min
On the Virtues of Railroading
Choo-choo! That's the Dragonlance module leaving the station. Prepare yourself for a one-way ride in the land of Krynn as you watch Tanis...
5 views
Helpful NPCs
- Oct 13, 2021
- 7 min
Ten Things I Fate About You: Aspects and Codifying Best Practices
Helpful NPC Thom back again to talk about the Fate RPG. Today's topic: Aspects. It turns out that you, as an excellent GM, have been...
21 views
Helpful NPCs
- Oct 9, 2021
- 2 min
Arguing About Hitpoints Three Thousand Years Later
I was there, Gandalf. I was present and accounted for during more than one of the pointless and boring bickerfests about what hit points...
3 views
Helpful NPCs
- Oct 6, 2021
- 2 min
The Deck Of Nostalgic Things, Or The Millennial's Magic Emporium
Ryan and I (Thom) backed a Kickstarter awhile back for The Deck of Nostalgic Things. It was a whim, a fancy, a chance encounter. The...
59 views
Helpful NPCs
- Oct 4, 2021
- 1 min
What To Play When You're Bored of D&D
Spoilers: It's Savage Worlds. Sometimes D&D can get a bit samey and you need a break from d20s, hit points, and saving throws. The...
8 views