Weave legendary stories in the world's greatest roleplaying game.   All you need to run a Dungeons & Dragons game is your imagination, some dice, and this book. The Dungeon Master's Guide teaches you how to how to run D&D adventures for your players-- how to invent monsters for them to fight, mysteries for them to solve, and fantasy worlds for them to explore.   The Dungeon Master's Guide is one of the three main Dungeons & Dragons books, along with the Player's Handbook and Monster Manual. It's a reference used by the Dungeon Master (the game's narrator) to create adventures--to run Dungeons & Dragons games and fill them with characters and stories.  

Fill your Dungeons & Dragons games with deadly monsters from the Monster Manual. The Monster Manual teaches you how to how to fill your Dungeons & Dragons games with monsters--how to populate the game with pesky goblins and mighty dragons for players to battle or beguile, outwit or outrun. Inside the Monster Manual you'll find more than 150 classic D&D creatures, with vivid illustrations and rich descriptions to help breathe life into your zombies and liches. * The Monster Manual is one of the three main Dungeons & Dragons books, along with the Player's Handbook and the Dungeon Master's Guide. It's an essential resource for Dungeon Masters to use in populating any type of challenge they might contrive for their players.

Create heroic characters for the world's greatest roleplaying game.   The Player's Handbook is the essential reference for every Dungeons & Dragons roleplayer. It contains rules for character creation and advancement, backgrounds and skills, exploration and combat, equipment, spells, and much more. Use this book to create characters from among the most iconic D&D races and classes.   The Player's Handbook is the first of three D&D core rulebooks, along with the Monster Manual and the Dungeon Master's Guide. The Player's Handbook is the cornerstone. It's the foundational text of D&D's fifth edition--for beginners and for veterans alike.  

Discover everything there is to know about dragons--the most iconic of D&D monsters--in this quintessential reference guide.   Meet Fizban the Fabulous: doddering archmage, unlikely war hero, divine avatar of a dragon-god--and your guide to the mysteries of dragonkind.   What is the difference between a red dragon and a gold dragon? What is dragonsight? How does a dragon's magic impact the world around them? This comprehensive guide provides Dungeon Masters with a rich hoard of tools and information for designing dragon-themed encounters, adventures, and campaigns. Dragonslayers and dragon scholars alike will also appreciate its insight into harnessing the power of dragon magic and options for players to create unique, memorable draconic characters.   Introduces gem dragons to fifth edition!

A bestiary of wondrous friends and foes for the world's greatest roleplaying game Sparkling with the musings of the wizard Mordenkainen, this tome features a host of creatures for use in the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Compiling and updating monsters that originally appeared in previous D&D fifth edition releases, these creatures represent some of the most benevolent and malevolent forces that D&D heroes might face.   The book also gathers together fantastical peoples from many different worlds. Each of these peoples represents a race option when you create your D&D character, expanding on the choices in the Player's Handbook.   Includes more than 250 monsters--updates to the monsters include making spellcasters easier for Dungeon Masters to run, giving many monsters more damage and resilience, and improving the organization of the stat blocks themselves Includes more than 30 playable races--brings the game's setting-agnostic races into one book, complementing the races in the Player's Handbook A multiverse of lore--includes updates to monster lore that refocuses their stories on the D&D multiverse, rather than on any particular world

A magical mixture of rules options for the world's greatest roleplaying game. The wizard Tasha, whose great works include the spell Tasha's hideous laughter, has gathered bits and bobs of precious lore during her illustrious career as an adventurer. Her enemies wouldn't want these treasured secrets scattered across the multiverse, so in defiance, she has collected and codified these tidbits for the enrichment of all.

Explore a wealth of new rules options for both players and Dungeon Masters in this supplement for the world's greatest roleplaying game. The beholder Xanathar--Waterdeep's most infamous crime lord--is known to hoard information on friend and foe alike. The beholder catalogs lore about adventurers and ponders methods to thwart them. Its twisted mind imagines that it can eventually record everything!   Xanathar's Guide to Everything is the first major expansion for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons, offering new rules and story options.

From vampires and demons to ghosts and zombies, interest in monsters in literature, film, and popular culture has never been stronger. This concise Encyclopedia provides scholars and students with a comprehensive and authoritative A-Z of monsters throughout the ages. It is the first major reference book on monsters for the scholarly market. Over 200 entries written by experts in the field are accompanied by an overview introduction by the editor. Generic entries such as 'ghost' and 'vampire' are cross-listed with important specific manifestations of that monster. In addition to monsters appearing in English-language literature and film, the Encyclopedia also includes significant monsters in Spanish, French, Italian, German, Russian, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, African and Middle Eastern traditions. Alphabetically organized, the entries each feature suggestions for further reading. The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters is an invaluable resource for all students and scholars and an essential addition to library reference shelves.

The digital technologies of the 21st century are reshaping how we experience storytelling. More than ever before, storylines from the world's most popular narratives cross from the pages of books to the movie theatre, to our television screens and in comic books series. Plots intersect and intertwine, allowing audiences many different entry points to the narratives. In this sometimes bewildering array of stories across media, one thing binds them together: their large-scale fictional world.Collaborative Worldbuilding for Writers and Gamers describes how writers can co-create vast worlds for use as common settings for their own stories. Using the worlds of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, A Game of Thrones, and Dungeons & Dragons as models, this book guides readers through a step-by-step process of building sprawling fictional worlds complete with competing social forces that have complex histories and yet are always evolving. It also shows readers how to populate a catalog with hundreds of unique people, places, and things that grow organically from their world, which become a rich repository of story making potential.The companion website collaborativeworldbuilding.com features links to online resources, past worldbuilding projects, and an innovative card system designed to work with this book.

Dungeons, Dragons, and Digital Denizens is a collection of scholarly essays that seeks to represent the far-reaching scope and implications of digital role-playing games as both cultural and academic artifacts. As a genre, digital role playing games have undergone constant and radical revision, pushing not only multiple boundaries of game development, but also the playing strategies and experiences of players. Divided into three distinct sections, this premiere volume captures the distinctiveness of different game types, the forms of play they engender and their social and cultural implications. Contributors examine a range of games, from classics like Final Fantasy to blockbusters like World of Warcraft to obscure genre bending titles like Lux Pain. Working from a broad range of disciplines such as ecocritism, rhetoric, performance, gender, and communication, these essays yield insights that enrich the field of game studies and further illuminate the cultural, psychological and philosophical implications of a society that increasingly produces, plays and discourses about role playing games.

Magic, Monsters, and Make-Believe Heroes looks at fantasy film, television, and participative culture as evidence of our ongoing need for a mythic vision--for stories larger than ourselves into which we write ourselves and through which we can become the heroes of our own story. Why do we tell and retell the same stories over and over when we know they can't possibly be true? Contrary to popular belief, it's not because pop culture has run out of good ideas. Rather, it is precisely because these stories are so fantastic, some resonating so deeply that we elevate them to the status of religion. Illuminating everything from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Dungeons and Dragons, and from Drunken Master to Mad Max, Douglas E. Cowan offers a modern manifesto for why and how mythology remains a vital force today.  

The Digital Age has created massive technological and disciplinary shifts in tabletop role-playing, increasing the appreciation of games like Dungeons & Dragons. Millions tune in to watch and listen to RPG players on podcasts and streaming platforms, while virtual tabletops connect online players. Such shifts elicit new scholarly perspectives. This collection includes essays on the transmedia ecology that has connected analog with digital and audio spaces. Essays explore the boundaries of virtual tabletops and how users engage with a variety of technology to further role-playing. Authors map the growing diversity of the TRPG fandom and detail how players interact with RPG-related podcasts. Interviewed are content creators like Griffin McElroy of The Adventure Zone podcast, Roll20 co-creator Nolan T. Jones, board game designers Nikki Valens and Isaac Childres and fan artists Tracey Alvarez and Alex Schiltz. These essays and interviews expand the academic perspective to reflect the future of role-playing.

Over the years, board games have evolved to include relatable characters, vivid settings and compelling, intricate plotlines. In turn, players have become more emotionally involved--taking on, in essence, the role of coauthors in an interactive narrative. Through the lens of game studies and narratology--traditional storytelling concepts applied to the gaming world--this book explores the synergy of board games, designers and players in story-oriented designs. The author provides development guidance for game designers and recommends games to explore for hobby players.

Experience the ultimate urban treasure hunt in this adventure for the world's greatest roleplaying game. Welcome to Waterdeep. You're summoned by Volothamp Geddarm, famous explorer and raconteur, to complete a simple quest. Is anything ever really simple though?   * Waterdeep, known as the City of Splendors, is one of D&D's most iconic locations. Also the setting for the board game Lords of Waterdeeep, it's the jewel of the Sword Coast--a sprawling melting pot held together by firm laws and swift justice.   * Take players through levels one to five in this Dungeons & Dragons adventure. Five story arcs guide players through each level for a multi-session campaign experience inspired by classic heist films.  

Stand with your guild in the first Dungeons & Dragons book to explore the world of Magic: The Gathering.   In Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica, the world's most popular roleplaying game meets the world's most popular trading card game. Released to coincide with the Magic set Guilds of Ravnica, it's the perfect blend of story from the creators of Magic: The Gathering, wrapped around the rules, monsters, and magic of fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons.   * Everything you need to create characters and run adventures in Ravnica--one of the richest, most beloved settings in Magic: The Gathering.

A war brews on a continent that has withstood more than its fair share of conflict. The Dwendalian Empire and the Kryn Dynasty are carving up the lands around them, and only the greatest heroes would dare stand between them. Somewhere in the far corners of this war-torn landscape are secrets that could end this conflict and usher in a new age of peace--or burn the world to a cinder. Create a band of heroes and embark on a journey across the continent of Wildemount, the setting for Campaign 2 of the hit Dungeons & Dragons series Critical Role. Within this book, you'll find new character options, a heroic chronicle to help you craft your character's backstory, four different starting adventures, and everything a Dungeon Master needs to breathe life into a Wildemount-based D&D campaign...

Fight the War Against Draconic Oppression in this Adventure for the World's Greatest Roleplaying Game nbsp; In an audacious bid for power the Cult of the Dragon, along with its dragon allies and the Red Wizards of Thay, seek to bring Tiamat from her prison in the Nine Hells to Faerun. To this end, they are sweeping from town to town, laying waste to all those who oppose them and gathering a hoard of riches for their dread queen. The threat of annihilation has become so dire that groups as disparate as the Harpers and Zhentarim are banding together in the fight against the cult. Never before has the need for heroes been so desperate. nbsp; *nbsp;The first of two adventures in the Tyranny of Dragons(tm) story arc, Hoard of the Dragon Queen provides everything a Dungeon Master needs to create an exciting and memorable adventure experience.nbsp;nbsp; *nbsp

Feel the cold touch of death in this adventure for the world's greatest roleplaying game. Beneath the unyielding night sky, you stand before a towering glacier and recite an ancient rhyme, causing a crack to form in the great wall of ice. Beyond this yawning fissure, the Caves of Hunger await. And past this icy dungeon is a secret so old and terrifying that few dare speak of it. The mad wizards of the Arcane Brotherhood long to possess that which the god of winter's wrath has so coldly preserved--as do you! What fantastic secrets and treasures are entombed in the sunless heart of the glacier, and what will their discovery mean for the denizens of Icewind Dale? Can you save Ten-Towns from the Frostmaiden's everlasting night? Brave the frozen North of Faerun in this Dungeons & Dragons adventure for characters level 1-12.

An anthology of thirteen stand-alone adventures set in wondrous lands for the world's greatest roleplaying game. Journeys through the Radiant Citadel is a collection of thirteen short, stand-alone D&D adventures featuring challenges for character levels 1-14. Each adventure has ties to the Radiant Citadel, a magical city with connections to lands rich with excitement and danger, and each can be run by itself or as part of an ongoing campaign. Explore this rich and varied collection of adventures in magical lands.    Through the mists of the Ethereal Plane shines the Radiant Citadel. Travelers from across the multiverse flock to this mysterious bastion to share their traditions, stories, and calls for heroes. A crossroads of wonders and adventures, the Radiant Citadel is the first step on the path to legend. Where will your journeys take you?    Thirteen new stand-alone adventures spanning levels 1-14, each with its own set of maps.

Dare to descend into the Underdark in this adventure for the world's greatest roleplaying game   The Underdark is a subterranean wonderland, a vast and twisted labyrinth where fear reigns. It is the home of horrific monsters that have never seen the light of day. It is here that the dark elf Gromph Baenre, Archmage of Menzoberranzan, casts a foul spell meant to ignite a magical energy that suffuses the Underdark and tears open portals to the demonic Abyss. What steps through surprises even him, and from that moment on, the insanity that pervades the Underdark escalates and threatens to shake the Forgotten Realms to its foundations. Stop the madness before it consumes you!   A Dungeons & Dragons® adventure for characters of levels 1-15

  Abolish an Ancient Evil Threatening Devastation in this Adventure for the World's Greatest Roleplaying Game   Called by the Elder Elemental Eye to serve, four corrupt prophets have risen from the depths of anonymity to claim mighty weapons with direct links to the power of the elemental princes. Each of these prophets has assembled a cadre of cultists and creatures to serve them in the construction of four elemental temples of lethal design. It is up to adventurers from heroic factions such as the Emerald Enclave and the Order of the Gauntlet to discover where the true power of each prophet lay, and dismantle it before it comes boiling up to obliterate the Realms.      * An epic adventure for characters levels 1 - 15, the Elemental Evil(tm) story arc, Princes of the Apocalypse provides everything a Dungeon Master needs to create an exciting and memorable play experience.

Take a stand against the giants in this adventure for the world's greatest roleplaying game Giants have emerged from their strongholds to threaten civilization as never before. Hill giants are stealing all the grain and livestock they can while stone giants have been scouring settlements that have been around forever. Fire giants are press-ganging the smallfolk into the desert, while frost giant longships have been pillaging along the Sword Coast. Even the elusive cloud giants have been witnessed, their wondrous floating cities appearing above Waterdeep and Baldur's Gate. Where is the storm giant King Hekaton, who is tasked with keeping order among the giants? The humans, dwarves, elves, and other small folk of the Sword Coast will be crushed underfoot from the onslaught of these giant foes. The only chance at survival is for the small folk to work together to investigate this invasion and harness the power of rune magic, the giants' weapon against their ancient enemy the dragons.

Rollicking campus adventures for the world's greatest roleplaying game.   The greatest minds in the multiverse meet at Strixhaven University. Professors convey fantastic secrets to eager students, and life on campus is frenetic. But danger lurks even here. Campus hijinks mix with mishaps and sinister plots, and it's up to you to save the day.   Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos introduces the fantastical setting of Strixhaven University to Dungeons & Dragons, drawn from the multiverse of Magic: The Gathering. It also provides rules for creating characters who are students in one of its five colleges.   Characters can explore the setting over the course of four adventures, which can be played together or on their own. Each describes an academic year filled with scholarly pursuits, campus shenanigans, exciting friendships, hidden dangers, and perhaps even romance.   Includes four brand new D&D adventures that can be played as stand-alones or woven together as a campaign from levels 1-10.