Annabelle's Nerdy D&D Blog

Whether you use dungeon tiles or not in your games, I highly recommend bringing 3D elements into combat!   Bringing 3D elements into your scenery makes a huge difference to your battles. Not only does it bring visual clarity, it also makes for more exciting and immersive gameplay.    I also find combat runs quicker and more smoothly when everyone can see what the environment they're in looks like! Another joy of using 3D battle maps is the opportunities it opens up for tactical gameplay. Suddenly your players begin to make more use of higher ground, cover and other obstacles. ...

Spell scrolls are one use consumable items in Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition that allow characters to cast the spell contained within the scroll without expending a spell slot.   There are a lot of rules and conditions around using spell scrolls. We’ll take a look at them in this post. Personally I (and many other DMs) find the rules as written around spell scrolls somewhat limiting so I’ll also introduce you to some of the common homebrew rules that have evolved around the use of spell scrolls in D&D games.     What are Spell Scrolls?   In DnD 5e, spell...

Spell slots are how Dungeons and Dragons represent the energy needed to cast a spell. They are a resource used to cast magic, a measurement of magical stamina if you will.   Smaller spells take less energy to cast so use lower level spell slots. Larger spells take a bit more oomph, and so need a proportionately higher level spell slot. When a character casts a spell in D&D, a spell slot of the appropriate level is then used up to show that energy is spent.   Spellcasters can only channel so much magic before they need a rest to recuperate so...

Hi, I'm Annabelle! Modular Realms is my business. This is my account of the early days of COVID and what Modular Realms did to help out.   In the weeks leading up to the 2020 COVID 19 pandemic, I was a student living in New Zealand preparing for my first Kickstarter. I wanted to see if people would be interested in magnetic, double-sided dungeon tiles... (spoiler alert! They were!) After a few months of work I had everything ready to go. I decided I'd launch my Kickstarter next Tuesday....   That Saturday New Zealand went into level 4 lockdown.     In...

  Like a lot of people, my first mini was an off-the-shelf adventurer. It didn’t really capture the essence of character, but it was ok. How things have changed! Whenever I play in a campaign now (and often when I DM), creating beautiful and accurate minis is well-loved part of my experience! The two biggest mini maker sites are Eldritch Foundry and Hero Forge.   In this guide, I'll walk you through the process of crafting your own epic custom minis using the popular platform Eldritch Foundry.     Oh by the way, this is sponsored :D   Full disclosure, Eldritch...