EpicSavingThrow.com: A Grognard's Notebook

Sci-Fi 5e Medicines And Equipment

January 11, 2021 mstanton Rules, Settings

Some homebrew items for a science-fiction flavor to D&D5e.

Rime Of The Frostmaiden: Blackmoor On Oerth

January 4, 2021 mstanton Settings

Details about the archbarony in the Greyhawk setting.

D&D5e: Prices For Spellcasting Services

November 30, 2020 mstanton Lists & Benchmarks, Rules

A houserule on the price and availability of hiring spellcasters.

D&D5e: Magic Item Prices

November 28, 2020 mstanton Lists & Benchmarks, Rules

A shopping list for magical items and spellcasting services.

White Plume Mountain Log

September 18, 2020 mstanton Settings

Notes on an adventure to recover three missing magical weapons guarded within a taunting wizard’s dungeon built into an active volcano.

Subtle Spellcasting House Rule

September 18, 2020 mstanton Rules

A clarification on spellcasting.

Faster Combat Tips

August 8, 2020 mstanton Rules

Cribbed from several YouTube videos and blog sites…

Renewing My Old City Of Greyhawk Campaign

July 23, 2020 mstanton Settings

Background notes on revising my college-days D&D campaign.

Gamma World for D&D 5e

July 12, 2020 mstanton Rules, Settings

Notes for playing Gamma World using the D&D 5e ruleset.

Dirty Tricks Of The Evil Spellcaster

June 29, 2020 mstanton Rules

Uses D&D5e PHB spells for espionage – surveillance, sabotage, psyops and assassination.

Valerie Valusek’s City Of Greyhawk Map Annotated

June 29, 2020 mstanton Adventures, Settings

Links to view a version of the City Of Greyhawk map with key locations labeled.

The Xro Dinn Chronicles RPG

June 29, 2020 mstanton Rules

A quick outline about a sci-fi role-playing game from 2001.

My Campaigns’ Metaplot

May 20, 2020 mstanton Adventures, Settings

What I’ve noticed as a consistent theme in campaigns I’ve run, and how they can be made to fit together into an ongoing cosmic mystery.

Why Does The King Send You On Adventures?

April 8, 2020 mstanton Characters

Besides the chance for fame, treasure and glory, what’s your personal link to the ruling king?

Shorthand Stats For D&D Monsters

January 19, 2020 mstanton Rules

Text crib notes for D&D monster stats.

Sample Riddles

December 13, 2019 mstanton Adventures

Riddles stolen from a bunch of different sources.

Fiend Rationales

August 7, 2019 mstanton Characters

Even the most primally evil beings in the multiverse consider themselves “good” from their own points of view…

Sample Fantasy Character Equipment Lists

July 29, 2019 mstanton Lists & Benchmarks, Settings

DUNGEONEER’S GEAR (AD&D) Adapted from Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. A melee weapon (longsword or battleaxe common). Leather armor (or better, unless forbidden). A waterskin (2

Role-Playing Mini Codes Of Honor

June 5, 2019 mstanton Characters

I once wrote up playing card-sized OD&D character sheets that included three guidelines to remember when role-playing characters. Some were distilled down from the “code

The Outlands (Revised)

August 12, 2018 mstanton Homebrews, Settings

What if Planescape was run without Sigil?

House Rules For Modern 5e

August 11, 2018 mstanton Rules

Some rough ideas on using the Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition ruleset for other genre games.

The Entity MacGuffin

June 8, 2018 mstanton Settings

Idea for a shared horror meta-plot across multiple games in which Nyarlathotep, Tharizdun, the Elder Elemental Eye and The Wyrm are all the same malevolent cosmic being.

Top Secret: New World Order Notes

April 14, 2018 mstanton Rules

Some initial notes on the 2018 reboot version of Merle M. Rasmussen’s original espionage role-playing game.

Fantasy Timelines

January 19, 2018 mstanton Settings

Example timelines of some Dungeons & Dragons campaign backstories.

Speed Benchmarks

September 21, 2017 mstanton Lists & Benchmarks

A range of movement rate examples per 6-second round.

Heat And Power Benchmarks

September 21, 2017 mstanton Lists & Benchmarks

Random notes on temperatures.

Star Trek Fast Traveller

February 22, 2017 mstanton Rules

Notes for running a Traveller game in the Star Trek universe.

T.I.M.E Stories Rules

February 12, 2017 mstanton Rules

A summary of basic rules to Space Cowboys’ “decksploration” board game.

Adventures In Middle-Earth 5e

December 19, 2016 mstanton Rules

Some early notes on the D&D sourcebook / conversion of THE ONE RING role-playing game.

D&D5e: Inspiration Hack

November 30, 2016 mstanton Rules

An alternative method for determining when and how a character gains Inspiration during play.

D&D5e: Downtime Activities

November 25, 2016 mstanton Rules

Notes about what characters may do between adventures. More roll-play than role-play but nice to have some guidelines for DMs and players to set expectations.

D&D5e: Magic

November 25, 2016 mstanton Rules

Notes about spellcasting, magic items and guidelines for effects and limitations in play.

D&D5e: Skill & Tool Use

November 25, 2016 mstanton Rules

Notes about ability checks and various proficiencies, plus clarification on the “Hide” action.

D&D5e: Combat & Health

November 25, 2016 mstanton Rules

All kinds of notes about running combat, “to-hit” rolls and damage, hit point loss and recovery and class abilities.

D&D5e: Time & Travel

November 24, 2016 mstanton Rules

Recap of rules and house rules for travel by land, air or sea.

Hack: Defusing Bombs/Traps

November 24, 2016 mstanton Rules

An RPG mechanic for solving short codes such as defusing sequences for bombs or traps.

About This Site

November 23, 2016 mstanton Adventures, Settings

A brief introduction to this hodgepodge online dump of RPG ideas and notes.

RPG Industry News

November 23, 2016 mstanton Tools

A collection of links and latest headlines about RPG-related websites.

RPG Podcasts

November 23, 2016 mstanton Uncategorized

The Adventure Zone, One-Shot, Film Reroll, Happy Jacks, Imaginary Worlds, Hello From The Magic Tavern and more.

Seed: Omniscient Killer AI

November 20, 2016 mstanton Adventures

What if characters pissed off an artificial intelligence that has full access to hack the internet of things?

Seed: Kill Me, I Beg You

November 20, 2016 mstanton Adventures

Here’s an encounter during which a powerful NPC attacks the characters for apparently no reason, all part of a hidden plot.

RPG Starship Sizes

September 22, 2016 mstanton Lists & Benchmarks

Some baseline measurements, maybe for use with High Guard/Trillion Credit Squadron?

Cypher System

August 25, 2016 mstanton Rules

A hack to the “buying down Difficulty” rule in Monte Cook’s Cypher System Rulebook.

My Cthulhu RPG

April 6, 2016 mstanton Homebrews

My hack of Harper’s “Lasers & Feelings” RPG to experience Lovecraftian horror.

Benchmarks: DC Heroes APs

February 25, 2016 mstanton Homebrews, Lists & Benchmarks

A look back at the logarithmic ability score scale Mayfair Games used for their first superhero role-playing game.

My Star Wars RPG (v.1.0)

December 30, 2015 mstanton Homebrews

My hack at creating a Star Wars role-playing game.

D&D5e Range Chart

November 20, 2015 mstanton Rules

Comparison of some range distance limits in Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition.

Call Of Cthulhu 7th Edition

October 31, 2015 mstanton Rules

An expanded version of Matt Puccio’s Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition cribsheet.

Fantasy Forensics

March 15, 2015 mstanton Rules

BlogOfHolding’s fantastic post on how magic changes criminal investigations in a fantasy world.

GURPS: Ghellen the Elder

October 3, 2014 mstanton Characters

Another character callously murdered by GM Stanley Miller, this one by getting run down by elite-level stone golem karate grandmasters. Screw you Stan.

D&D4e: War Challenges

May 1, 2014 mstanton Rules

Repost of “Skill Challenges of War” by Michael Brewer, Jonathan Jacobs, and Quinn Murphy.

AD&D1e Fast Characters

March 23, 2014 mstanton Characters

Tournament play character sheets for use with S1: Tomb Of Horrors (also works with other AD&D modules for levels 8 to 14)

AD&D1e Fast Treasures

March 23, 2014 mstanton Rules

A collection of treasure items a party might have in its possession during an adventure.

Alternatives To Death

July 22, 2013 mstanton Rules

So, a character has died. Now what? here’s ideas to avoid a player having to “start over” with a wholly new character.

Hit point loss could be meat, OR condition of armor OR self-confidence, focus and resisting shock in combat OR ability to ignore nuisance effect like dirt in eyes or awkward stumbles OR lots of things…

And Then, Things Got Worse

November 25, 2012 mstanton Adventures, Homebrews

Adventure details on making the worst out of anyplace the characters might go.

D&D3e: Ruhg Norwind

June 15, 2012 mstanton Characters

An ancient red dragon who inexplicably awoke one day in the body of a lowly human, he set out on a violent quest to regain his former form. Made for Daniel Scribner’s D&D campaign at the NYC Google offices.

Seeds: Ideas From ‘Who’

June 14, 2012 mstanton Adventures

Three brief summaries of Traveller adventure ideas stolen from episodes of Doctor Who.

Pre-Rolled Dice

June 11, 2012 mstanton Rules

Lists of dice rolls in a random order repeating multiple times for each die type.

Pre-Rolled d20s

June 11, 2012 mstanton Rules

Lists of modified d20 rolls to make attack and saving throw rolls easier for DMs managing multiple opponents.

Cycles And Aeons

March 3, 2012 mstanton Settings

Notes for a weird little “timeline framework” I made for time travel campaign.

AD&D 1e Skills

December 14, 2011 mstanton Rules

A summary of the original “non-weapon proficiencies” allowed to player characters, sometimes called “secondary skills” in rules by Gary Gygax.

AD&D1e Equipment Lists

December 14, 2011 mstanton Lists & Benchmarks, Rules

A list of items, services, prices and weights.

AD&D1e Age Ranges

May 22, 2011 mstanton Rules

AD&D1e followed short lifespans for rapid-population-growth humanoids and ridiculous Tolkien-based ages for elves.

Microlite20

December 2, 2010 mstanton Rules

Microlite20 is a super-simple RPG rules set created by Robin Stacey back in 2006 and widely modified by fans ever since. It is meant to

Espionage LARP

October 13, 2010 mstanton Homebrews

Initial notes about designing a spies-and-terrorists espionage-themed live-action role-playing game.

RPG Weight Benchmarks

April 22, 2010 mstanton Lists & Benchmarks

Sometimes it matters how much things weigh: carrying allies to safety, lifting things with magic, and so forth. The following “close enough for gaming” benchmarks can be used.

Area Threat Levels

October 22, 2009 mstanton Rules

Suggested degrees of “local danger” found in various types of locations.

Prices In A Fantasy Setting

April 22, 2009 mstanton Lists & Benchmarks, Rules

A collection of benchmark standards for use as a house rule for most traditional fantasy marketplaces.

Planescape Campaign Notes

October 10, 2008 mstanton Settings

Conversions of the AD&D2e setting for use with D&D4e.

Planescape Factions

October 10, 2008 mstanton Settings

Notes for revising the planar factions of 1994’s Planescape.

NYC Dark Timeline

October 3, 2008 mstanton Settings

A chronology of about 240 real and often horrible events that happened in New York City, used as a backdrop to a supernatural campaign.

OD&D Fast Characters

January 10, 2008 mstanton Characters

Some grab-and-go PDF player character sheets for use with the 1974 edition of Dungeons & Dragons.

The Kindred Of NYC

December 1, 2007 mstanton Settings

A big list of NPC notes made for a vampire campaign set in New York City, circa 2007.

nWoD Vampire Powers

December 1, 2007 mstanton Rules

Lists of supernatural powers for “new World of Darkness” Kindred characters per Vampire: The Requiem.

World Of Darkness Rules

December 1, 2007 mstanton Rules

Notes, summaries and a few house rules from The World Of Darkness Storytelling System Rulebook (2004 edition, aka “nWoD”).

Travel: What Can Go Wrong?

June 7, 2007 mstanton Settings

Customs, disease, toxins, animals, language misunderstandings, climate and gravity differences, civil taxes… Originally posted on Roleplaying Tips Weekly E-Zine Issue #71.

Magick Vs. Paradox Guidelines

October 8, 2006 mstanton Rules

Instead of “vulgar” and “coincidental” labels, instead look at the effect and and consider what a mundane would say if he directly witnessed the event.

Foreshadowing Mage Magick

October 8, 2006 mstanton Rules, Settings

The big limitation on magical powers in Mage comes from paradox driven by the counter-belief of non-mage observers. A little creative description can get around that issue…

Magick Effects

October 8, 2006 mstanton Rules

Guidelines for creating specific effects via the magick spheres using the Mage: The Ascension game.

Adventure 1: The Kinunir

October 7, 2006 mstanton Adventures

Four adventures based around the 1,200-ton Kinunir-class battle cruiser, set in the Spinward Marches 001-1105.

Free Trader Plans

October 6, 2006 mstanton Settings

Traveller notes for the 200-ton free trader starship, specifically a variant on the Beowulf class.

Mercenary Cruiser Plans

October 6, 2006 mstanton Settings

Traveller notes for the 800-ton mercenary cruiser starship, specifically the Broadsword class.

Adventure 2: Research Station Gamma

October 1, 2006 mstanton Adventures

Set in the Vanejen/Rhylanor/Spinward Marches: 300-1006.

Adventure 3: Twilight’s Peak

October 1, 2006 mstanton Adventures

Set in the Spinward main in Rhylanor, sometime after 300-1106 but before the start of the Fifth Frontier War.

Fast Traveller Rules 0.6

October 1, 2006 mstanton Homebrews, Rules

Another edit of “quick and dirty” home rules for running introductory Traveller games.

The Traveller Universe

October 1, 2006 mstanton Settings

An outline of the “standard” campaign setting found in the original version of Traveller by Marc Miller in 1978.

Traveller Psionics

September 29, 2006 mstanton Rules

Notes on using psionic abilities in the Third Imperium of Traveller, per the 1977 Basic Set.

We’re Not Who We Seem

August 27, 2006 mstanton Characters, Settings

What if the players’ character sheets and concept of their roles in the game was a lie?

Seed: Dead Letter Office

August 10, 2006 mstanton Adventures

What ends up in the postmaster’s dead letter office? And what happens when the player characters get their hands on “it,” whatever “it” is?

Traveller Character Variables

April 5, 2006 mstanton Characters, Settings

Variables creating non-player characters, patrons, and bystanders in original Traveller setting of the Spinward Marches sector.

GURPS Horror: John Brookings

November 23, 2005 mstanton Characters

GURPS 3.0 stats for use with Stan Miller’s horror campaign (2004-2005).

You All Meet In A Tavern…

August 27, 2003 mstanton Adventures

Six tropes to get a fantasy adventure started with new (or not-so-new) players.

Character Alignment

August 22, 2003 mstanton Rules

Summary of how the original nine basic alignments are meant to be used and role-played in D&D.

Fast High Guard

March 4, 2003 mstanton Rules

Some notes on running space combats with the CT 1979 rules, plus 1980 revisions and house rules.

Cop Gear, Spy Tools, Modern Equipment Lists

January 5, 2003 mstanton Lists & Benchmarks, Rules

GURPS 3.0 stats for equipment typically found in the trunk of a police cruiser / squad car.

AD&D2e: Vietman Era Soldier

September 15, 2000 mstanton Characters

This character template was created for a Gen Con 2000 event, an AD&D 2nd edition update to the Caves of Chaos found in B1: Keep On The Borderlands.