Annabelle's Nerdy D&D Blog

How to calculate armor class in DnD 5e

Posted by Annabelle Collins on

How to calculate armor class in DnD 5e

  Armor class (AC) is the measure of how hard it is for an attacker to hit you when rolling to attack. The higher your armor class, the harder it is to hit you. AC is really important in Dungeons and Dragons because if an enemy attack misses, you don’t take damage. There are a fair few factors that are used to calculate armor class including natural defense, armor worn, dexterity modifier, shields, spells, magic items and more. Calculating a characters armor class can get a bit confusing so I’ve broken it down into a step by step approach.  ...

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Dungeon Tiles Painting Guide: Old Stone Effect

Posted by Annabelle Collins on

Dungeon Tiles Painting Guide: Old Stone Effect

Hello all! I'm back with another painting guide! We're going to paint up a cracked stone dungeon tiles set to make them look all old and dungeon-y. I would rate this painting guide as easy-peasy - seriously, you don't even need a brush! It's kid friendly and doesn't take much time either whilst giving a realistic, textured stony effect perfect for dungeons. Materials Needed: Modular Realms terrain (It's magnetic, double-sided and super cool!) Sponge - I used these Black Primer - I used this one but any hobbyist primer should work. Grey paint - I used "Dungeon Base" by The Army Painter Paler...

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How to Use the D&D Beyond Encounter Builder: A Step-by-step Guide

Posted by Annabelle Collins on

How to Use the D&D Beyond Encounter Builder: A Step-by-step Guide

Creating fun, interesting and balanced combat encounters can be a real struggle for Dungeon Masters. It can be hard to gage whether your going too easy or too hard on your party - especially at the beginning. Add in trying to manage initiative order, stat-blocks, environmental changes and remembering extras like reactions or legendary actions ... it's no wonder it gets a little overwhelming at times! I'm a big fan of using Dungeon Master tools to make DMing easier and I find the D&D Beyond Encounter Builder genuinely does make running combat much easier for me.   What is the D&D...

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5 Fun Tabletop Adventure ideas for when you need some inspiration

Posted by Annabelle Collins on

5 Fun Tabletop Adventure ideas for when you need some inspiration

As a Dungeon Master, I love the thrill of diving into a fresh and exciting game scenario! On some days, however, I go to write a one-shot and sit there with blank-paper-syndrome for hours. Just in case you get hit with that problem as well, I’ve gone ahead and prepared five great scenarios to pique your imagination. These are great to use as inspiration for one-shots or something new to add to your campaign. While not all of these ideas will fit seamlessly into your existing campaign, they’ll definitely spark some ideas for game night!     Fathoms Below: Underwater Adventure   Why...

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Dungeon Tiles Painting Guide - Wooden Floorboards in three steps.

Posted by Annabelle Collins on

Dungeon Tiles Painting Guide - Wooden Floorboards in three steps.

Get a really effective look for your Modular Realms wooden terrain tiles in three easy steps.  First, prime your tiles brown, then put a dark wash over the top. Once they have dried, dry brush a lighter brown colour over the top to bring out the texture of the wood and give the effect of light hitting the surface. It really is as simple as that so let's get started!     Materials Needed: Modular Realms Terrain (it's double-sided, magnetic and super cool!) Brown Primer (I used this one) Black Wash - I made mine from diluting black acrylic paint with...

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