Annabelle's Nerdy D&D Blog

How do Spell Slots work in D&D 5e?

Posted by Annabelle Collins on

How do Spell Slots work in D&D 5e?

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...

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How Modular Realms helped healthcare workers in the COVID 19 pandemic

Posted by Annabelle Collins on

How Modular Realms helped healthcare workers in the COVID 19 pandemic

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...

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Taking a closer look at custom mini making with Eldritch Foundry

Posted by Annabelle Collins on

Taking a closer look at custom mini making with Eldritch Foundry

  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...

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How to tailor your DMing to individual D&D classes

Posted by Annabelle Collins on

How to tailor your DMing to individual D&D classes

One of the keys to DMing a great Dungeons and Dragons game is tailoring the game to the party navigating it. This is as true for a Dungeon Master journeying through established sourcebooks as it is for one writing a homebrew campaign! A fantastic starting point is to weave the strengths and abilities of each character class into your storytelling and encounters. In this guide I'll give an overview of the 12 core D&D classes, highlighting their unique capabilities and offering tips on showcasing their strengths within your campaign.   Understanding D&D Classes - A quick primer   “Classes” is the name D&D gives to the...

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The D&D Alignment System Explained

Posted by Annabelle Collins on

The D&D Alignment System Explained

So what is the D&D Alignment System?   Character alignment is how Dungeons and Dragons measures a character's moral view of the world. Alignment acts both as a guide for roleplay and as a mechanic for determining the effect of certain spells or items. Morality tends to be subjective, so I wouldn’t recommend taking the alignment system too seriously in your games! It's not set in stone either. More often than not I see a characters alignment being determined by the roleplay rather than the other way around!     The alignment chart   The D&D alignment system measures characters...

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