Like Dragon Like Son - Episodes Tagged with “Dm Tips”

101 Things to Do In D&D Before You Die: Part 5

Jay and Jack Oatway — Fri, 15 Jul 2022 09:00:00 +0800

The summer celebration of our 100 episode milestone continues! Join us as we count down 101 Things to Do in D&D Before You Die! This week we focus on an area that sparked this podcast: building unusual characters. From 45-32 on our list, we will look at many of the different ways you can play against trope, step out from stereotypes, and play a character that is more interesting and rewarding than anything you've played before.

Welcome to Like Dragon Like Son, a podcast hosted by Jay and Jack Oatway where they discuss everything D&D, from character builds to personal experiences.

Stay tuned all summer as we continue our countdown to the #1 Thing To Do in D&D Before You Die!

Watch for new episodes on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Don't Let Combat Become a Boring Math Problem

Jay and Jack Oatway — Sat, 21 May 2022 18:00:00 +0800

We look at a number of ways to spice up your combat, from streamlining play so players get to act more frequently, to adding just the right type of crunchy table rules to provide extra excitement. Join us as we discuss the best ways to strike a balance between speeding up combat rounds, and making it still feel meaningful and carefully considered.

Welcome to Like Dragon Like Son, a podcast hosted by Jay and Jack Oatway where they discuss everything D&D, from character builds to personal experiences. Stay tuned for new episodes on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

If you love Like Dragon Like Son and want to help us out, you can support us by sharing this podcast with your friends. It's the support of listeners like you which motivate us to put out more episodes, so thank you!

Back to Class! Armor Class...

Jay and Jack Oatway — Fri, 06 May 2022 20:45:00 +0800

This week we discuss everything Armor Class. From how to calculate the old THAC0 to the bounded accuracy of 5E's system. We dive into the spells, feats, and races that can boost AC. And we take cover and dodge around to find more ways to keep from getting hit -- we even come up with a way to boost AC to 30, if only for 6 seconds. Stick around to the end for the actual maths on which class will give you the best AC.

How to Improve Your Conditions

Jay and Jack Oatway — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 09:00:00 +0800

Conditions are a fundamental component to D&D, but are often misunderstood, or poorly applied. We discuss better ways to use everything from grappling to poisoned, from incapacitated to invisible -- and we even offer a couple of new conditions. Don't be stunned by our unrestrained conversation that is prone to being charming.

What is Spelljammer?

Jay and Jack Oatway — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 16:00:00 +0800

We take a look into the newest announcement of D&D settings: Spelljammer. While we don't yet know all the details of how 5e will be different from 2e (the last time we saw official Spelljammer content) there are a few things we do know. Join us as we unpack this setting and look at some of its new monsters.

What Lurks Below? A Look at Aberrations, Old and New

Jay and Jack Oatway — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 20:00:00 +0800

With the release of the adventure, Call of the Netherdeep, D&D has a few new aberrations to check out. Generally as a cohort of creatures, Aberrations probably don't get looked at as much as Dragons, Giants, Fey or Fiends. But there is plenty of interesting ideas for unusual settings, or strange and terrifying twists thanks to the alien nature of these creatures. Join us to unpack some Aboleths, Flumphs, Slaads and Star Spawns -- plus a few new creatures you've never heard of before.

How To Create Your Own Amazing Dragon

Jay and Jack Oatway — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 09:00:00 +0800

Having spent some time digesting Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, we set out to put the book to the test: cooking up our very own Brass Dragon. We show you how to roll up the characteristics and features that quickly lead not just to a unique boss monster, but to an enticing NPC that a whole campaign could revolve around.

Fizban's Treasury reminds us of our recent forays in designing the Casion Dread Lord with Van Richten's Guide, and creating the Library Archfey with Domains of Delight. We get so carried away that within an hour we have rough out the framework for a campaign that would take months and months to play, and would sprawl across the multiverse. And it becomess clear that we can easily integrated our dragon story with interesting setting ideas we have taken from the other aforementioned source books.

Big Shoes To Fill: Playing with Giants

Jay and Jack Oatway — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 09:00:00 +0800

Jack and Jay go up the beanstalk this week to talk about all about something really big: giants! We work our way through the Ordning (social structure), from lowly playable giant-kin like Goliaths and Firbolgs, all the way to the top of the clouds and into the storms! We talk about their magic, their runes, their culture -- and even some fun ways to have a fog giant as your warlock's patron.

We dig through lore hidden away in forgotten tomes (Volo's Guide to Monsters, Dndbeyond, and ForgottenWiki) to paint the larger than life picture of giant life. Tune in for loads of fun ideas on how to incorporate giants into your campaign, or how to build a one-shot around them. Also, learn a cool way to introduce a new halfling character to your party via a giant!

How To Prep A Horror Game

Jay and Jack Oatway — Fri, 05 Mar 2021 09:00:00 +0800

We peer into the dark forbidden corners of adventure to reveal the elements that make horror jump out at your players in a way that regular campaign settings might not. We look at how to play up the unknown, how to unsettle characters, and how to use foreshadowing to make monsters worse in the minds of PCs. We talk about how to add terrifying details to scenes, how to be creepy, and how to push your player's buttons (and also how to know not trigger any real lif traumas).