D&D: Brace yourselves. Dragonlance is coming!

This week's D&D Unearthed Arcana article points convincingly toward a new book for Dragonlance. Given that Wizards has already said they will revisit classic settings this year, there is high chance one will be Dragonlance.

So what do you think they will do with the setting? I have some thoughts and speculations on that. Also, how can you play in the world of Dragonlance *right now* even before a book is released? I'll tell you! (...around minute 21) Timestamps below.

Player's Guide to Dragonlance (2e) - only $4
Drangonlance Campaign Setting (3.x) - about $10

00:00  Intro
00:25  Unearthed Arcana - Heroes of Krynn
02:05  New Dragonlance novels coming
02:52  Wizards' Dragonlance promotion opportunity
03:40  Fans of the original Dragonlance series now have kids playing D&D.
04:58  What will Wizards do with the setting?
05:40  The style of Dragonlance vs. "standard" D&D 5th Edition
07:20  Can superhero fantasy fit with Dragonlance?
09:30  Dragonlance isn't a high power setting.
10:05  How Wizards could tweak 5e to fit the Dragonlance style.
11:30  How Cubicle 7 adapted The One Ring to 5th Edition mechanics.
14:00  How Wizards could adapt Dragonlance to 5th Edition.
14:25  A Dragonlance-specific Player's Handbook / campaign setting book.
17:45  Any Dragonlance book will be a hit, but here's my wishlist.

21:15 Run a Dragonlance campaign!
21:20 What to get if you want to run Dragonlance right now
    22:00  Player's Guide to Dragonlance (2e) - only $4
    24:10  Drangonlance Campaign Setting (3.x) - about $10
26:00  Consider running Dragonlance under an Basic or OSR version
27:45  Rules Cyclopedia - $30 Hardback
29:55  A brief glimpse back at Dragonlance 5th Age
32:00  Outtro -- Please Like and Subscribe!
32:15  What do you think Wizards should do with the Dragonlance setting?

D&D 5e: Short Campaigns and One Shots

About 6 months ago (already?), I suggested that running one of the long hardback adventures from Wizards of the Coast may not be the best idea for a new Dungeon Master. You can watch the video for all the details, but to summarize:

• The Wizards hardbacks are often long intricate plots involving a large number of NPCs.
• You have to read and digest a couple hundred pages (at least) to fully understand everything going on and be able to foreshadow events (which generally is not done well in the adventure itself).
• They span as many as 10 to 15 levels of play, which is a lot of game to bite off for your first campaign.
• It's a lot just to learn to run the game much less keep 200+ pages of heavy plot in your noggin.
• Short episodic adventures give the DM much more freedom to improvise with much less preparation.

Instead, I suggested perhaps a more short-form campaign would be a better choice. Prepping smaller 3 to 5 session modules and one-shots (single session length) adventures might be better for the new DM. A shorter length campaign (5 to 7 levels) is also a better introduction to the challenges of game mastering.

There are a few exception. If you are a new DM and you haven't run the D&D Essentials Kit or the Starter Set adventures, those are both amazing introductory (and relatively short) adventures. The Dragon of Icespire Peak (Essentials Kit) is a little more modular and has more bite-sized chunks for the newer DM, but the Lost Mine of Phandelver (Starter Set) is also a very well done scenario with a plot arc the underlies all the encounters. Together, they can be used to introduce a new group of players to the Sword Coast (Forgotten Realms). Tales from the Yawning Portal, Ghosts of Saltmarsh, and Candlekeep Mysteries also contain shorter length adventures that are self-contained.

But, that's not what I'm here to talk about.

Short Campaigns and One Shots

This topic resurfaced because I was asked on social media, "What are some good one-shot or short multi-session adventures that can span a number of levels?" 

Boy, howdy... there are lots. I do have some recommendations for publishers I've enjoyed. I've come to prefer the more episodic "monster of the week" style campaign because you're not locked into a really long plot arc that the players may lose interest in over time. Smaller adventures are over in 3 to 5 sessions and if one of them just isn't working out, you can scrub that particular mission without feeling like you lost $50 and tons of prep work. Just move on to the next episode.

Horror Shorts

For my first recommendation, I wrote out a list of One-Shot Halloween adventures a few years ago. These are great 1 to 2 session length adventures, but they are largely horror themed, so I wanted to include a broader variety of adventure types for this post.

Tales of the Old Margreve

Tales of the Old Margreve is not a full campaign, but more a collection of short adventures centered on a particular region of Kobold Press' Midgard campaign setting. Three of the adventures are directly linked and can be run as a part of a plot arc, but the rest are are just nice little 1 to 3 session vignettes that can be dropped into almost any campaign. Hollow was a nice starter adventure to set the tone. The introductory adventure leans toward the horror theme as well, but most of the book involves forces of the fey as opposed to forces of darkness.

Prepared #1 and Prepared #2

Sticking with Kobold Press for a moment, the Prepared series is a wonderful collection of short adventures intended to be dropped into a campaign with a very small amount of prep work. They're all just a handful of pages, so one could read them on a Friday afternoon in preparation for a Friday night game, and the adventures span from level 1 to 15, so there is almost always something that you can mine for your campaign.

Quests of Doom

The Quests of Doom series from Frog God Games is written to emulate an "old school" play style found in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. These adventures are not only available for D&D 5th Edition, but Pathfinder and Swords & Wizardry as well. The writers include notables such as Ed Greenwood, Matt Finch, Skip Williams, and Jim Ward. The Darkening of Namjan Forest is one of my favorites and will cause your players to poop their pants when they encounter shadows everywhere!

Fifth Edition Fantasy

Known for their old school Dungeon Crawl Classics line of adventures and DCC RPG, Goodman Games also produced Fifth Edition Fantasy which is another series of relatively short adventures that can be dropped into any 5th Edition campaign. The adventures can run anywhere from roughly 16 to 24 pages and usually completed in just a few sessions. 

Dungeons On Demand

Dan Coleman Productions puts out the Dungeons On Demand series. These short adventures can be bought individually or as bundled collections at a discount. Dan uses maps with friendly iconography that allow the DM to easily see where the most important points of interest, clues, encounters and other details are at a glance. These are also collections where you can reasonably read most of the adventures the day of your game and still run them proficiently that night.

5th Edition Adventures

Last but certainly not least is Troll Lord Games 5th Edition Adventures series. The Troll Lords are know for releasing the Castles & Crusades RPG back in 2004, arguably the first "Old School Revival" RPGs. Their 5th Edition line is largely translations of the C&C adventures over the years, but sometimes with additional content that did not appear in the originals. Two of the absolute best campaign starters are A1 Assault on Blacktooth Ridge and A0 The Rising Knight

In Summary

This list really only scratches the surface of what's out there, and it is likely I will need to create another follow up list highlighting adventures from the DMsGuild.com... but that may have to wait for another day. In the meantime, check out Nothing Unusual Here -- a weird little tale about a village and its unusual fondness for their pet dwarf pigs. I hope this is a good start for those looking for short adventures for their home brew game.

Is D&D 6th Edition really coming in 2024?

In a word, "No".

In a few more words, "It's complicated... but perhaps not that complicated." The thing is, don't worry. Your investment in D&D 5th Edition won't become obsolete.

D&D "Little Brown Books" from 1974

First, let me take a moment to reflect. In 2024, Dungeons & Dragons will be 50 years old. This is a fairly mind-blowing anniversary. A vast majority of the player base these days is younger than the game itself. The legacy D&D has left on pop culture, video games, and tabletop gaming is practically immeasurable because it has literally influenced so many corners of the entertainment industry as a whole. 

The very first Dungeons & Dragons box set shipped in late January of 1974... and it's been a wild ride since then.

Now, getting back to "6th Edition"... This isn't a thing. 

During D&D Celebration, Wizards of the Coast announced they would be releasing revised core rule books in 2024. The revised books will update the character creation rules slightly to match what been published in Tasha's as well as include content from the books note above. Ancestries will replace Race... but they are still basically the same mechanically. Non-humans get some combination of +2/+1 in ability scores with their other special abilities and humans will use something akin to the Variant Human option. Ability bonuses will likely follow class or background rather than race selections.

Aside from character generation, all errata will be included and likely a number of spells will be altered or clarified. It is probable that some class paths will be tweaked, but I don't expect anything too stunningly different from class paths we've already seen in Xanathar's and Tasha's. We do know for certain that creature stat blocks are changing and we're seeing the first steps of that in Wild Beyond the Witchlight.

Historical Note: The AD&D 2nd Edition Revised covers removed
"2nd Edition" from the title graphic and downplayed "Advanced".

I've seen a lot of people refer to the upcoming updates as "5.5" which is a reference to when Wizards of the Coast revised 3rd Edition and printed the D&D 3.5 Core rule books. It's hard to gauge the accuracy of that take. The 3.5 rules did some fairly significant changes to combat, and moved the game much more toward an on-the-grid tactical combat (To be fair, third edition had started that trend, but 3.5 really cemented grid play as defacto standatd).

I'd hesitate to say we'd see sweeping changes. Calling it "5.25" might be more accurate, or perhaps just "5th Edition Revised" is more than sufficient. We've seem this before with AD&D. Second edition had new black cover revised books come out several years after 2e's introduction. It didn't really change the game much, but did offer some class changes in the form of "kits" and other skill option (which laid some of the foundation for 3rd Edition).

But the point it, Don't Panic. It's still D&D 5th Edition.

Episode 11: "Fixing" Maelstrom - Running Storm King's Thunder

In Episode 11, I reveal how I adapted the "Fixing Maelstrom" Reddit post to my own game. I also talk about how I tie all the loose threads and weak plot points together into a more cohesive (IMO) set of motivations for the major villains. Timestamps follow below the video.

Reddit discussion on Maelstrom:  https://www.reddit.com/r/stormkingsthunder/comments/guo93z/fixing_and_expanding_maelstrom/

00:05  Introduction
01:30  My changes to plug perceived plot holes.
03:42  Why haven't the giants resurrected Queen Neri?
05:00  The Kraken's Motivations
06:30  Why is Hekaton captured and not killed?
08:35  Iymrith's Motivations
10:00  Klauth's Motivations
11:55  Looking for Maelstrom ideas
13:55  My party's link to Serissa
15:20  Getting to Maelstrom (in summary)
18:00  Convincing the Giants
23:15  Persuading the Cloud Giants
27:35  Facing off with the Fire Giants
32:30  Setting up the Ambush
36:40  Audience with Serissa
38:20  Making a major enemy
39:28  Wrapping up

DM 101: Persuasion can't do that!

Can we discuss this like civilized people?

I've read a lot of new DM questions that come up on social media, and one that seems to really confuse a lot of newbies is the use of the Persuasion skill.

Some of this confusion results from the misunderstanding of skill checks in general, but much of it is related to how powerful Persuasion can be when used. To clarify, let's start with skill checks in general. A skill check is just a special kind of ability check that allows the PC to add their proficiency bonus if they are proficient in that skill. Here are the Rules as Written in regards to ability checks. 

WizKids Adult Red Dragon Unboxing and Review

Hey folks!

In today's video I unbox and talk about the Icons of the Realms Adult Red Dragon (~$70) which is one of the new huge miniatures (bigatures?) from WizKids. As you may know they've gone a bit dragon crazy lately, so it you're into big. nasty dragons for your game or display shelf, there's no better time to buy. In the video, I compare today's offering with the past ICONS Gargantuan Dragons from Wizards of the Coast back in the early 2000's. 

If you don't quite have the cash for one of the larger adult dragons, there are some slightly smaller, or unpainted versions for much less, like the unpainted Gargantuan Red Dragon ($25) or the City of Lost Omens Adult Red and Adult Black together for around $50 (more links below). 

WizKids also offers an Adult Blue, an Adult White, an Adult Green, an Adult Black, a Blue Dracolich, and a Green Dracolich. If you really want to go big, there's always Arveiaturace the Ancient White.

Grenadier announces new Tiamat miniature

April 1, 2021 - Grenadier Models announces a new Tiamat miniature for use with Dungeons & Dragons retailing at $398. They new model measures a stunning 8” from heads to tail.

“Not only do we have this fantastic new Queen of the Dragons, we are using a new casting material that is extraordinarily durable that we’re calling Plumbum, or ‘Pb’ for short,” says Grenadier CEO, Julie Guthrie. 

“With our cheaper and more durable metal minis, WizKids can eats our dust!”

PS - Apologies to Julie. We love your sculpts!

Wizards announces D&D 6th Edition play test

April 1, 2021 - In a move that surprises many in tabletop roleplaying, Wizards of the Coast announced that the playtest for the 6th Edition of Dungeons & Dragons would begin as early as June 2021.

"We believe in striking while the iron is hot," notes Wizards of the Coast CEO Chris Cocks. "D&D 5th Edition is selling more that any edition in the history of the game. There is no better time than now to begin testing the latest ideas and improvements for the next iteration.”

New D&D DM asks: Which hardback should I run?

I often see new Dungeon Masters asking on social media what hardback they should run after the Starter Set or the Essentials Kit. While the hardbacks from Wizards of the Coast are excellent, they are not always the easiest to run for newer DMs due to the sheer volume of adventure. In this video, I break down my recommendations for what adventure(s) to run next. Number 4 might surprise you!

D&D Hardbacks - Candlekeep Mysteries, Ghosts of Saltmarsh, Tales from the Yawning Portal

Kobold Press - Tales of the Old Margreve

Troll Lord Games - 5th Edition Adventures

Goodman Games - Fifth Edition Fantasy

The Village of Hommlet (4e)

Ep 10: Running the Giant Lairs - Running Storm King's Thunder

In Episode 10, I summarize events in my game after Kraken's Gamble and then dive into the challenges I faced running Grud Haug, Lyn Armaal, and Iron Slag. The first half is plot details specific to my game (i.e. - ideas for yours). My discussion on challenges running the enclaves starts around 29:00. Timestamps after the video below. 

00:00 Intro

01:00 Pacing Challenge

01:38 Summary of My Campaign

01:50 Yartir / Kracken's Gamble

05:25 Harshnag Set Up

06:48 Yartir Redux

07:15 Aboleths and Villain Contingencies

10:00 Eye of the All Father, Harshnag, & Zephyros

12:50 Frost Giant Subplot

18:15 Grud Haug - Focus on Prisoners

19:28 Lyn Armaal

22:30 Rescuing Felgelos

23:54 The Dark Side of Felgelos

25:40 A Surprising Turn

29:00 Challenges DMing Giant Enclaves

29:30 Grud Haug

30:42 Lyn Armaal Constraints

37:35 Iron Slag Issues

40:54 What To Do When Things Go Bad

41:22 Alternatives to a TPK

45:15 Keeping Players Focussed on Goals

47:00 Summing Up

49:36 Outtro

GM 101: How To Say Yes

There are many ways you can say "Yes!" to your players to give them more control over narrative or lore in your campaign. In Episode 8 of my Game Master 101 series, I discuss ways you can give a player the spotlight even if it bends or breaks the rules a bit. I also discuss some other narrative controls you can hand to a player during play. 

As a new Dungeon Master, you may be hesitant to bend or break the rules in a way that benefits the players. When they ask if their PC can do something which normally they could not, think about how you can give them the opportunity to perform their requested action even if it is not covered in the Rules As Written.

TLDR: If the ask is small, and it's going to get your player more invested in the campaign or encounter, then do it.

Castles & Crusades - D&D Alternatives, Episode 4

In Episode 4 of my D&D Alternatives series, I talk about Castles & Crusades which is an old-school hommage to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons but with cleaned up modern game mechanics The C&C the Player's Handbook is also currently free to download right now from the Troll Lord Games web store, so this is no reason not to check it out.

Castles & Crusades was one of the first old school games published in the modern era under the Open Game License. It uses a single d20 mechanic for all attribute checks across the game, so it eliminates a lot of the messy mechanics sometimes associated with D&D and AD&D retro-clones.

In addition to Castles & Crusade, Troll Lord Games published numerous 5th Edition Adventure modules for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, which are absolutely fantastic and worth checking out, especially A1 Assault on Blacktooth Ridge (also part of this awesomely inexpensive bundle).

Adventures in Middle Earth and The One Ring - D&D Alternatives

2022 UPDATE: The One Ring is now back in print with its second edition. Adventures in Middle Earth is currently still out of print, but may be coming (somewhat) soon.

In the 3rd episode of my impromptu series, I explore two RPGs set in the Tolkien's Lord of the Rings universe -- The One Ring and Adventures in Middle Earth. 

Both RPGs are low fantasy / low magic to match the narrative feel of the The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The One Ring has a mechanic based on d6's and a d12, while Adventures in Middle Earth uses the familiar D&D 5th Edition / d20 mechanics. Both systems are wonderful, although The One Ring has a bit less power creep than its 5th Edition translation. Adventures in Middle Earth has many ideas and mechanics that can be adapted to your standard D&D 5th Edition game or other d20-based low fantasy game.

If you're a fan of the Lord of the Rings and D&D-style fantasy, you absolutely need to pick these offerings while they are still available at retail prices (they are now out of print). See the video for what I love about these two games and how they differ.

The One Ring RPG - Books / PDFs
Adventures in Middle Earth - Books (currently out of print)

Stop trying to win D&D

AD&D's power gamer wet dream

Over the last few editions, there has been a trend toward "winning" at D&D. The seed was planted with the AD&D Player's Options: Skills & Powers, which came out late in the product cycle of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition... but the tree of this trend really grew from the soil of D&D 3rd Edition (and also Pathfinder).

I'm not simply talking about power gaming here, but a change in the way the power gamer approached character generation due to the internet. Power gamers across the world now could converse and compare optimizations, which have lead to forums meant for just one topic... "character builds".

Character Builds

I can already hear the critique of this post. This post will likely be labeled as a "Your fun is wrong!" rant without actually considering my words, so bear with me a moment and read on before you judge.

Here's the thing. Role-playing games are form of improvisation. Your PC acts within the story and the story changes. And the story will also ideally change your PC. I don't just mean levels and hit points, but hopefully non-mechanical personality growth will occur. Goals will change. Motivations will change.

Perhaps a PC who is a bit churlish and grumpy will experience something that softens his heart. Or, conversely, a faithful paladin might experience something that hardens her and she eschews her deity for a demonic warlock patron... or the wizard, having experienced a divine intervention of some kind, decides to become a devotee of Pelor.

When you start out with that new character, you don't know what will happen at the table over the course of the next several months. Don't plan out all your feats and multi-class options at first level. By focusing on a "build" you will be missing out on opportunities for your PC to grow organically within the campaign. The "optimal" wizard build doesn't take into account that you might want to change to a cleric or paladin for story reasons for a couple levels.

If you are fixated on the pre-destination for your character (as outlined in some build guide), you are closing your mind off to changes that could occur during the actual play at the table. You don't know what will happen in the game to your PC at level 5, or 8, or 12... so consider not planning every single mechanical leveling up detail at level 1. Let what is going to happen be determined by play. If you are locked into a single character strategy, you have shut out the in-play possibilities.

Skip the game guides. Build a personality.

My biggest issue with the focus on builds is that they have nothing to do with character growth through role-playing during the game. They are completely about playing D&D as if it were a video or strategy board game. In addition, excessive optimization can lead to one character hogging the spotlight over other PCs in the game due to having the highest... of everything.

Stop worrying about every little +1 bonus, feat, or ability score improvement from level 1 through 20. Play the character, not the mechanics. Then, when you actually achieve those levels, perhaps make a choice that makes sense for the character's story arc instead of trying to gain the highest possible DPS. I'm not talking about making a "gimp" character here. I'm just talking about not focusing so much on every minor bonus and think a little more about what makes sense within the fiction of the game, rather than the mechanics.

Character growth within the fiction of the campaign is one of the primary reasons we play in-person RPGs instead of games like World of Warcraft. Stop trying to make the perfect monk that can move 400 feet and stunning strike every enemy on the field in 1 round. This is D&D, not League of Legends.

Embrace the non-optimization.

POST-SCRIPT:
I'm getting a lot of "Stop telling me your fun is wrong" replies, and that's NOT what I'm saying.
1) To be clear, I never said you should purposely build an ineffectively gimpy character.
2) I never said you shouldn't pick a combat-effective option or think about what's coming up level-wise.

3) I never said tinkering with mechanics isn't fun in and of itself.

One of the comments from Peter Olsen on Facebook put it best:
"... extreme focus on progression and builds lends itself to removing attention from where the character is right now."

This. So much this. I'm just trying to advise players (especially newbies) to not think about what's happening 8 levels from now. Think about what is happening in the game right now. Make character choices based on those events. Don't be a slave to the cookie-cutter "optimal build" if something happens in game that might lead your character to pick a different feat, multi-class into something slightly less optimal, or make some other choice that isn't in "the build".

GM 101: Adversarial Dungeon Mastering

GM 101, Episode 7 - Adversarial Dungeon Mastering

Using the power of the Dungeon Master, there are many obvious ways one could screw the players in a game. But there are also way you may be unintentionally hindering the players or passive-aggressively acting in an adversarial manner. Don't be the "Gotcha!" DM.

B/X-5 Design Log: Dwarf

In creating B/X-5, a 5th Edition homage to early D&D, I've tried to engender the spirit of the early Basic box sets while not being a "retro-clone". As such, I've tried to model Race-as-Class in such a way that also incorporates D&D 5th Edition class design. My updated idea of the Dwarf as a 5th Edition class combines some elemental magic with a touch of divine warrior, so it's a bit of a divergence from a B/X Dwarf. Significant play test will be required to test the power curve on this class.

You can also check out the work-in-progress B/X-5 rules as well as the my design log for the Elf class.

Dwarf

Ability Scores. +2 to either STR or CON. +1 to one other ability score.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet.
Dungeoneer. You gain Advantage on Investigation or Perception rolls related to earthworks, stonework, or clockwork mechanisms, especially as related to traps, secret doors, concealed doors, sliding walls, slanting passages, etc.
Low Light Vision. You can see in dim light within 90 feet of you as if it were normal light. In non-magical darkness, you can only see the outlines/silhouettes of creatures or objects within 30’.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Dwarf.

Class Traits - Earthshaper

Hit Dice. 1d8 per level
Hit Points at 1st Level. 8 + your Constitution modifier
Armor. All armor, shields.
Weapons. Simple weapons, martial weapons.
Spell Casting. Your spell casting bonus is based upon your Wisdom ability bonus.
Saving Throws. Wisdom, Constitution
Skills. Choose two from Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, Persuasion, and Religion.

Spell Slots per Spell Level

Level	Bonus	Features	1st	2nd	3rd
1st	+2	Combat Specialization, Light Cantrip	̶	̶	̶
2nd	+2	Spellcasting, Warding Flare	2	̶	̶
3rd	+2	Elemental Spells, Stoning Smite	3	̶	̶
4th	+2	Ability Score +2, Specialization Talent	3	̶	̶
5th	+3	Extra Attack	4	2	̶
6th	+3	Elemental Spells, Improved Flare	4	2	̶
7th	+3	Soul of Stone	4	3	̶
8th	+3	Ability Score +2, Specialization Talent	4	3	̶
9th	+4	Elemental Spells	4	3	2
10th	+4	Skin of Stone	4	3	2
11th	+4	Improved Stoning Smite	4	3	3
12th	+4	Ability Score +2, Specialization Talent	4	3	3

** Specialization Talents are like mini-feats, giving a small bump to a PC's melee, ranged, or spell abilities. They are less powerful than 5th Edition Feats, so B/X-5 classes get the full ability score bump in additional to a Talent.

Combat Specialization 

At 1st level, Dwarfs may select one melee combat specialization: Defender, Duelist, Great Weapon Fighter, Protector, or Two Weapon Fighter.

Light Cantrip

Also at first level, you are able to cast the Light cantrip as an action twice without expending a spell slot. This feature recharges after a short rest or long rest. 

Spellcasting Ability

Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your Dwarf spells. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a Dwarfs spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

You prepare the list of spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the Dwarf spell list. When you do so, choose a number of Dwarf spells equal to your Wisdom modifier + half your level, rounded down (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Warding Flare

At 2nd level, you can interpose a spark of light between yourself and an attacking enemy. When you are attacked by a creature within 30 feet of you that you can see, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll, causing light to flare before the attacker before it hits or misses. An attacker that can’t be blinded is immune to this feature.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (a minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Elemental Domain Spells

Your connection to the elements of earth and fire grant you certain spells.  that do not need to be prepared. Once you gain a domain spell, you always have it prepared, and it doesn’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day.

3rd	Purify Food and Drink, Searing Smite
6th	Heat Metal, Magic Weapon
9th	Elemental Weapon, Meld Into Stone
12th	Stone Shape

Stoning Smite

Starting at 3rd level, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend one spell slot to deal force damage to the target, in addition to the weapon’s normal damage. The extra damage is 2d8 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d8 for each spell level higher than 1st, to a maximum of 5d8. 

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Improved Flare

Starting at 6th level, you can also use your Warding Flare feature when a creature that you can see within 30 feet of you attacks a creature other than you.

Soul of Stone

Starting at 7th level, your connection to earth and fire grant you the following features:

• You gain resistance to fire damage.

• While wearing heavy armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Skin of Stone
At 10th level, you can channel elemental energy to make your skin as hard as stone. As a bonus action, this feature grants the Dwarf has resistance to non-magical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage for 1 minute. This feature recharges after a short or long rest.

Improved Stoning Smite

By 11th level, you are so suffused with elemental might that all your melee weapon strikes carry elemental power with them. Whenever you hit a creature with a melee weapon, the creature takes an extra 1d8 force damage.


Dwarf Spell List (subject to massive change)

1st Level	2nd Level	3rd Level
Alarm Burning Hands Compelled Duel Create or Destroy Water Cure Wounds Detect Evil and Good Detect Magic Detect Poison and Disease Divine Favor Heroism Protection from Evil  Purify Food and Drink Searing Smite Shield of Faith Thunderous Smite Wrathful Smite	Aid Branding Smite Blindness/Deafness Continual Flame Darkness Lesser Restoration Locate Object Magic Weapon Protection from Poison Shatter Silence Spider Climb Warding Bond Zone of Truth	Aura of Vitality Beacon of Hope Blinding Smite Create Food and Water Crusader’s Mantle Daylight Dispel Magic Elemental Weapon Magic Circle Meld into Stone Protection from Energy Spirit Guardians Water Walk

Please let me know if you have any suggestions or feedback in the comments. Thanks!