In the fall of 1984, Jay opened his first Basic Set of D&D. It was a gift on his 10th birthday. It had orange dice that he had to color in the numbers with a black crayon. The older teenage kids who lived next door taught him how to play, and he in turn taught all his friends. He went on to play many, many different RPG and table-top battle systems. But there has always been something about D&D that felt like coming home to him. Thirty years later, along with his son, Jay has come home to the game in a big way. He plays at a few different tables each week, and runs his own "limited edition" mini-campaigns during holiday breaks when he can get friends in a room for extended periods for several days in a row. He still has that first set of dice.
Jay has hosted 123 Episodes.
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Tonight We Ride
Episode | January 29th, 2021 | 1 hr 2 mins
adding flavor, mounted combat, one-shot, steal this character, steeds, tips, weirdness
We look at a few ways to have more fun with the whole party on steeds! And not just your average horses. Tune in for all the details on how to build cool characters that ride, and where to find the perfect one-shot to test them out in
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Candlekeep Lore
Episode | January 22nd, 2021 | 48 mins 43 secs
candlekeep, group patrons, libraries
With the announcement of a new D&D adventure book, The Candlekeep Mysteries scheduled to come out this spring, we stop to have a quick look at the lore surrounding Candlekeep and find out why it attracts knowledge seekers like moths to a flame. We also discuss group Patrons and how to run one from a library.
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How to Stop Over-prepping and Trust Your Improv Skills
Episode | January 15th, 2021 | 53 mins 14 secs
adding flavor, dm skills, improv, preparation, random tables, social interaction, table fables ii, three pillars, tips, weirdness
Right now, DMs are out there planning for something for their next session. They making maps, building encounters, and weaving intricate plots. There are also DMs who are stressed out because they don't have enough time to put together all that great stuff. If you fall into category two, we are hear to offer some comfort: have a few handy random tables in your pocket, and trust in your improv skills.
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Multiclassing With Two Spellcasting Classes
Episode | January 8th, 2021 | 56 mins 57 secs
adding flavor, cleric-wizard, druid-warlock, multiclass, steal this character, subverting tropes, tips, weirdness
This week we lean merge together different spellcaster classes and ask if these are really two great tastes that taste great together. We look at a 6th level Druid-Warlock and a 20th level Cleric-Wizard.
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Resolutions for a New Year of Great D&D
Episode | January 1st, 2021 | 26 mins 23 secs
adding flavor, background occupation, subverting tropes, tips, weirdness
A quick look at some of the classes, races, weapons and more that the hosts of Like Dragon Like Son are hoping to play this year
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Which Magic Items Does Your Character Want Under the Holiday Tree?
Episode | December 18th, 2020 | 1 hr
character buffs, magic items, tips
This week we make our list a check it twice, finding out which magic items are naughty or nice -- it's like a holiday gift guide for all those DMs out there who don't know what to give their players...or for the players who don't know what to ask for this mid-winter festival.
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Top 10 Tips For Playing D&D Online
Episode | December 11th, 2020 | 53 mins 1 sec
adding flavor, digital tools, roleplay, three pillars, tips, vtt
As more and more of us find our way to online games of D&D, we need to look for the best practices that unlock the best experience possible. This week we count down out top tips for being a good, maybe even great, virtual adventurer.
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Calling For More Roleplay Not More Skill Checks
Episode | December 4th, 2020 | 1 hr 1 min
ability check, proficiencies, roleplay, social interaction, three pillars
This week we take a look at how as a DM (and players) we can choose to make fewer calls for skill tests, and instead use those moments of the game to do more roleplay. We look at reducing how often the dice decide (and derail) the story, and how to use Ability Checks best when conflict demands it.
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Fresh Spells From the Cauldron of Everything
Episode | November 27th, 2020 | 37 mins 33 secs
spellcasters, spells, tasha's cauldron of everything
This week we look at the spells made official in the recent release of Tasha's Cauldron of Everything
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Into the Cauldron, Part 2 -- The UA that made it, got nerfed, or got cut
Episode | November 20th, 2020 | 59 mins 46 secs
fighting styles, subclasses, tasha's cauldron of everything, unearthed arcana
In this second part of our special two-part episode, we look back at the UA documents and compare what we have been playtesting with what is now official content in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything.
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Into the Cauldron, Part 1 -- The UA that made it, got nerfed, or got cut
Episode | November 20th, 2020 | 58 mins 57 secs
fighting styles, subclasses, tasha's cauldron of everything, unearthed arcana
With the release of Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, we look back at the UA documents and compare what we have been playtesting with what is now official content.
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Subclass Survey: The Best & The Worst
Episode | November 13th, 2020 | 1 hr 39 secs
rules, subclass, subclass survey, tier list, tips
In preparation for the release of Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, we take a look at some of the best and worst subclasses in the game so far (in Jack's opinion), explaining why each one deserves their spot among the greats and the not so greats.
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The Endless Web
Episode | November 6th, 2020 | 45 mins 45 secs
gameplay, level 20, rules, tips
Have you ever felt that combat isn't spicy enough anymore? This week, we discuss a 20th level halloween one-shot we played, sharing our experiences and giving tips on how to make your 20th level combat work as a player and a DM. We delve into the spooky details and difficulties both on the table and in the character sheets.
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DM's Workshop: College of the Dirge
Episode | October 30th, 2020 | 35 mins 12 secs
bard, college of the dirge, homebrew, rules, subclasses
This week we return to the DM's Workshop to explore one of our own homebrew subclasses for bard, the College of the Dirge. A bard which turns their bardic inspiration into a curse and draws from the clerical powers of destroying undead. We discuss tips and tricks when designing subclasses, and talk about how to design abilities around a theme.
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Finding the Right Balance for Combat Encounters
Episode | October 23rd, 2020 | 46 mins 59 secs
adding flavor, combat, three pillars, tips, weirdness, xanathar's guide
Answering the age old question: how to make combat challenging, without killing the whole party.
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P.A.N.D.A. PVP
Episode | October 16th, 2020 | 37 mins 14 secs
combat, homebrew, pvp, rules, tips
Have you ever wanted to run a battle against your friends at the table? Do you feel the pvp in dnd kinda sucks? This week, we take a look at how to make P.V.P. (Player versus Player) combat actually fun, by following a core set of rules we refer to as P.A.N.D.A.!