Underdark Ecology: Dwarven Staples
by Let’s face it: Dungeons and Dragons specifically and fantasy RPGs more broadly have problems with biology. For a pretty innocuous example, can you recall the …
Tag: worldbuilding
Dex Dylan Feature 2/10/2021
by Editor’s Note: On behalf of the Charmstone staff, I must apologize for the presentation of this week’s regularly scheduled feature. As you may know, Dex …
Are You Afraid of the Doors?
If I were to download my Roll20 chat logs, I’d probably find that about 20% of all rolls are random investigation checks. With a little …
Nightmen and Gong Farmers
As 2020 drew to close, I noticed an alarming trend on social media. People seemed to be conflating the end of the calendar year with …
Sorta RPG Review: Heroes’ Feast
If you’ve been reading the Charmstone blog for a while, you probably picked up that I love thinking about fantasy food. I’ve written on the …
Weirdness of Fantasy Taverns
Fantasy RPGs are replete with tropes. Chances are you’re going to run into a cult trying to summon an ancient evil, a crooked monarch trying …
Magic Locations As Treasure
Maybe you’ve noticed. Maybe you haven’t. But, my articles usually come out on Fridays. Here we are on a Monday, so what gives? Well, I …
Better Underdark Ecology: Bat Farms
I really like dwarves. It’s hard to explain, but I just find them fascinating. When I’m driving through the foothills near where I live, I …
10 Flavorful Village Features
In all my years of playing D&D, I can remember a slew of fantastic dungeons, castles, and temples. What I have a harder time remembering …