hey all, not sure if this is the right place to post this but i have a few questions, and i feel as id get the best answers here.
recently ive been itching to play in a campaign as its been over a year since the last time ive played. my last campaign was a homebrew that my childhood best friend DMd alongside some of our friends. the game lasted about 14 months with consistent weekly sessions. as i stated, its been over a year since then, and my friend has not began his new campaign as it’s not finished, according to him. because of that, i have been considering playing online on Roll20. i have no experience playing online, or with new players, really- so its a bit intimidating. i’m used to homebrew campaigns that last a while but im unsure if this would be the case on Roll20 as it seems they’re all following modules. i would like to know if this is something worthwhile. is there anything i need to know beforehand?
i understand that each session comes with a paywall- which at this point isn’t a concern as i really miss playing. any advice on what i can do and or expect? i’d like to know your experiences with playing online before jumping in. thanks

The Headless Horseman is more than just an undead rider with a flaming pumpkin for a head. He's a vengeful spirit bound to the mortal world by an ancient curse, with his steed, armored body, and spectral jack-o'-lantern forming a single, inseparable entity.

Legends tell of a fallen soldier, executioner, or knight who was beheaded for his crimes and returned under a cursed harvest moon. Some believe his spirit is connected to Samhain, when the boundary between the living and the dead grows thin enough for restless spirits to cross.

Wherever he rides, crops rot, animals panic, and the air fills with the smell of smoke and freshly dug earth. And simply defeating him isn't enough. Unless a specific funerary ritual is performed, the Horseman eventually rises again to continue his hunt.

Mechanically, the Headless Horseman is a CR 14 undead built around mobility, relentless pursuit, and devastating attacks. His Fiery Greataxe deals slashing and fire damage, with additional necrotic damage against frightened enemies, while Laughing Skull allows him to hurl his flaming pumpkin head at enemies, unleashing a fiery explosion that deals 10d6 fire damage.

His Ghostride ability lets him pass through solid objects, while his legendary actions allow him to charge across the battlefield, stun enemies with Glare of Embers, or mark a target with Harvest Mark, making that creature especially vulnerable to his attacks.

I've also included four optional traits to customize the encounter, from leaving burning hoofprints behind to relentlessly tracking creatures that try to escape him.

The Headless Horseman is from Undead & Undead: The Ultimate Undead Handbook, available for 5E and the 2024 Edition on DriveThruRPG!

The manual includes 90+ undead statblocks, each with optional traits and variants, alongside an undead lair system, 50+ magic items, customizable templates, necromantic rituals, campaign tools, and VTT resources. It's designed to give DMs plenty of options for building undead encounters, from minor restless spirits to powerful necromantic horrors.

My Kickstarter for 300+ Mythological Items for 5E and 2024 is also live now! The campaign includes a physical hardcover, as well as printed editions of my previous manuals.

You can find more of my creatures, magic items, and manuals on DriveThruRPG, my Linktree, or over at r/JonnyDM!

I love playing online, but I miss rolling actual dice with friends. That’s why I’m building DiceHub: roll physical dice using your phone or webcam, send the result to Foundry, and let the table watch the roll live.
This update brings faster readings, a smaller draggable tray, and some extra drama for those natural 20s… and 1s

I'm thinking of creating an encounter where i strive to simulate the weeping angels from Doctor Who. Think an abandoned crypt with a rumoured Basilisk infestation. But when the players come to investigate/root out the basilisks they encounter something unexpected.
I'm thinking of modifying the Gargoyle-stat block in some way but i was wondering: Has anyone done an encounter like this before? What was the takeaway, pros, cons, what could have been better?
Any tips in general are welcome!

For my Big Mouth fans and others let me introduce you to the

Father Johan

The Eater of Winter Children

Large Fey, Chaotic Evil

“When the last bell tolls, close your eyes, little one. If you can hear the flute, he can hear your blood.”

Got my idea from here

The Folklore

Every village near the great river knows the story of Father Johan.

Once every year, on the night of the winter solstice, the villagers ring their bells. The last bell is the signal. The test has begun.

Far beneath the river, Father Johan awakens in his castle, a palace constructed from the bones of children who failed the test in winters past. He rises from the depths, carried to the surface by a living braid of fifty black eels, twisting together like a rope.

First comes the smell.

Black licorice.

Then comes the flute.

Father Johan has the body of a walrus, the sharp teeth of a dolphin, and the legs of countless crabs, which click and scrape against the frozen earth as he approaches. Around his enormous neck hangs a string of tiny bells, each one taken from a child who once tried to escape him.

His flute is made, as you might have guessed, from children's bones.

He does not care if you have been naughty or nice. In his region, good children and bad children taste exactly the same.

Fortunately, the villagers have discovered a loophole.

Father Johan only hunts the living. If you can trick him into believing you are already dead, you are no longer a fresh meal. The customary method is to climb inside a child's coffin, close the lid, and lie perfectly still until he leaves.

But even then, there is one final hope.

You must pray to the Mongoose King.

Whether the king hears your prayer, whether he accepts your offering, and whether he can defeat Father Johan in their ancient dance battle are matters nobody can predict.

Every village tells the story differently.

Every village has its own version of the prayer.

And every winter, somewhere along the river, another village rings its last bell.

The Mongoose King

An ancient trickster spirit, patron of desperate parents, and undisputed champion of the riverbank dance floor.

When the village prayer is spoken and a suitable offering is left behind, there is a chance the Mongoose King will arrive.

He resembles an ordinary mongoose at first glance, except that he wears a tiny golden crown and a cape sewn from the whiskers of his enemies. His paws move so quickly that the snow beneath him never settles. He is clever, nimble, vain, and absolutely convinced that no creature in the world can dance better than he can.

He also happens to be the only being Father Johan respects enough to challenge.

The Prayer

The villagers kneel beside their children's coffins and whisper:

“Oh dear Mongoose King, please protect my tender children's bones from the jaws of Father Johan, and do enjoy this offering I left for you.

Oh, oh, Father Johan can hear your blood. Perhaps you're lucky, and your offering and prayers have attracted the Mongoose King.”

Summoning the King

A character must place an appropriate food offering before a small altar or on the snowy ground and recite the prayer. The character then makes a DC 14 Religion or Performance check.

On a success, the Mongoose King appears. On a failure, the offering disappears anyway, leaving behind a single golden whisker.

The king can be summoned only once each winter solstice.

The Dance Battle

Upon appearing, the Mongoose King eats the offering, wipes his paws, and challenges Father Johan to a dance battle.

Father Johan is compelled by their ancient pact to accept.

The battle lasts three rounds. During each round, the two contestants perform a supernatural dance while the village watches in terrified silence.

At the start of each round, one character can assist the Mongoose King with a DC 14 Performance, Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand, or Arcana check.

- Success: The Mongoose King gains a +2 bonus to his contest roll that round.

- Failure: Father Johan gains a +2 bonus instead.

After the assistance check, both contestants roll a d20: the Mongoose King adds +7, and Father Johan adds +5, along with any bonuses from the character's assistance.

The contestant with the higher result wins that round. The first to win two rounds wins the battle.

If the Mongoose King wins: Father Johan lets out a furious bellow, collapses into a heap of eels, and slides back into the river. His castle doors slam shut, and he sleeps until the next winter solstice. Every child in the village survives.

If Father Johan wins: The Mongoose King bows, accepts his defeat, and vanishes into the night. Father Johan turns toward the village, smiling with his terrible dolphin teeth. The test is over. The feast begins.

---

Running the Encounter

Father Johan works best as a terrifying social and combat encounter rather than a monster the players are expected to defeat through damage alone.

Give the party a few minutes to discover the local customs. The villagers might be frantically preparing coffins, hiding food offerings, or arguing about whether the Mongoose King is real.

Then ring the final bell.

Describe the smell before revealing Father Johan. Let the party hear the scrape of crab legs on the frozen bank, the click of fifty eels against one another, and finally the first notes of the bone flute.

Give players choices: hide in coffins, fight, escape, bargain, or attempt the summoning ritual.

Father Johan can be defeated in combat, but the folklore offers a different path. The players may discover that surviving the night is not about being stronger than the monster. It is about knowing the rules of a game that has been played for centuries.

And when the dance battle begins, make it ridiculous.

The Mongoose King performs impossible spins and moonwalks across the ice. Father Johan answers by swinging his enormous walrus body in time with the music, his crab legs tapping out a rhythm that shakes snow from the rooftops.

For one glorious moment, the entire village believes the mongoose might actually win.

Then Father Johan performs his signature move: The Fifty-Eel Waltz.

The music stops.

The Mongoose King stares in disbelief.

And Father Johan has danced him to cream.

Tonight, Father Johan wins.

Tonight, the village feasts on terror.

And next winter solstice, when the last bell rings, another village will learn the rules of the test.

New to DMing, struggled to find decent free map loops, after 4 hours and no clue what im doing, i generated this looping battle map. I have a WebM file thats even better, i but i dont know how to share it.

A half-elf lady from Crilong, the Red Dragonrealm. She is one of the hardworking individuals that helped build this great nation of mortals and dragons.

Crilong is one of the ten dragonrealms from our games in Theomachy!

About Crilong, the Red Dragonrealm

Ages ago, red dragons sought to tame an ancient land for their dragonborn progeny. Through perseverance, hard work, and legendary acts of courage, mortals and dragons together built the mighty and prosperous nation of Crilong.

The founding of Crilong mandated the creation of the Great Dragonwall, the world’s mightiest defensive structure, to protect this and the other dragonrealms from the crazed monsters and the fanatical hordes that roam the Endless Plains.

Today, mortals and dragons live harmoniously off the rich bounty of Crilong, safe from the horrors from beyond the wall thanks to the realm’s tireless red dragon guardians. Carrying mobile forts with battle-ready soldiers on their backs, the guardians fly up and down the length of the Great Dragonwall. The three unconquered fortresses of the east: Yaosai, Bao, and Dilao, safeguard the nation against powerful enemies that would seek to attack by flying over the Great Dragonwall.

At the heart of Crilong, the Eternal Capital known as Huangdi serves as the realm’s political and spiritual epicenter. Southeast of the capital, the red dragonfather himself has claimed the fire mountain Huoshan, the largest active volcano in the whole east, as his own lair. Wise sages advise mortals and even young dragons to give the fire mountain a wide berth lest they feel the burn of ancient dragonflame. Mortals seeking enlightenment, as well as daring adventurers, gather at Hongse, the Red Temple, which rests at the feet of the terrifying volcano. The monks of Hongse don’t seem to mind the looming volcano, spending their days between lighthearted meditation and moderate merriment, following the philosophical tradition of Lifeism, as it was laid out by the life-loving dragonborn sage Umo-Wu ages ago.

To the northwest of the Eternal Capital, the city of Ningyo oversees the so-called Home of Rice, an enormous collection of rice fields that not only feeds the honest workers of Crilong, but also offers nourishment to hundreds of thousands of souls in the neighboring realms of Jinshu and Serebrygrad.

South of the capital, Laiwu City provides the realm with tasty freshwater fish from Chengzi lake, which many tales say is enchanted to yield limitless bounty. Laiwu has historically served as the rally point of allied armies and today is famous for the hospitality visitors can enjoy in one of its eighty-eight historical inns.

South of Laiwu, the mysterious swamp crones of Datong quietly cast their occult blessings on the land and its people, but should someone threaten the realm, their benevolent boons turn into terrible curses against Crilong’s enemies.

Dragons patrol the skies, mortals work the land, and the great nation of Crilong prospers.

What do you think? :)

A level 5 fighter would take two attacks, say, with their Shortsword, and then Nick (with Scimitar) in the same action, leaving them free to do something else with their bonus action? Second Wind for example.

Action Surge would take them to a total of 5 attacks, but Nick clearly states once per turn, so it's already been spent.

Sound about right to everyone?

Hallo Freunde ! Ich arbeite derzeit an einer Reihe von kreativen dnd-Charakter Ideen, die ich über meine Social Media Kanäle unter die Leute bringen möchte.

Ich habe noch einige Ideen, aber wollte hier schon einmal nachfragen:

Gibt es witzige, ungewöhnliche oder verrückte Charaktere, die ihr schon immer einmal spielen wolltet!

Freue mich auf kreative Ideen!

Hi everyone!! So my group is looking for one more player for our campaign. Preferably someone with DMing experience.

Our current DM is obviously willing to DM, but would also like to be a player so we’re hoping to find someone who would be willing to be the main DM but then switch off at times for our current DM to do some one shot campaigns.

If you’re interested please message me, I’ll fill you in on all the details of what we discussed that we want for our campaign, and then if that sounds interesting to you then I will add you to our GC on discord!!

EXTRA INFO:
18+ only

This is the address where we will be meeting for our sessions.
7655 W 88th Ave
Arvada, CO 80005
United States

We’re going to be meeting every Monday at 4:30

Not sure if there are technically better suited subs for this, but I am a newly and highly curious " want to be player" but feel like no matter where I go my lack of actual table top experience after most people have already been playing for god knows how long, is going to land some challenging circumstances to even get started. I have REALLY been wanting to dive to either a "nooby" campaign for fellow beginners or maybe even just some one-offs, but have no idea where to look. Are there any websites or anything that can kind of let me dive in? Or do some games stores kind of have nights for beginners or something? I would really love to get playing and have already been brainstorming some characters, so any amd all help would be greatly appreciated! 🙏

I was watching a video of "funny situations that happen while playing D&D." (That's this guy's schtick. He DMs a couple of players.)

Anyway, he's trying to describe what the Oracle is. It's a woman, and it's not a witch (but apparently rhymes with "witch"). And apparently it's a bad module. That's all I picked up about the module from the video.

Not wanting to spend money on a bad module (dmsguild), can someone spoil it for me?

Basically I'm currently playing in a campaign with four other people (DM including). A blend of Discord, Hero-forge and DND Beyond

I'd like to explore Dm'ing myself and I was curious about an idea.

Two of the players, I live close enough that I could play physically with them. With graph paper, physical battle maps and Tokens.

Would it be feasible/a good idea.

If the two mobile players, played by video chat basically?

Like, if, if I have the setup pointed at the battle maps They claimed the red token, then they would give their instructions

So that, the two players I have physically, would also act as their proxies and move the token of both themselves and the online token.

The reason I'm asking is to try to avoid common offenses when making adventures.

Just a quick description.

Doesn't need to be elaborate.

This would be a bit of the opposite of a writing bible, I'd think.

So my DM just did something… he had us make level 20 characters… what is he planning??? Should I be worried? What the hell is he about to do?!?!