It’s A Mimic!

E082 - Off to the Races - Half-Elves and Half-Orcs: Or, You Know… Half-Humans

In this week's episode, Megan, Dan, and Dave discuss the concept of half-humans in Dungeons and Dragons 5e by highlighting the "good" and the "bad" poster children of the concept.  The hosts go into the mechanics that both races bring to the table, as well as the four variants (Aquatic, Drow, Wood, and High Elves) offered up for those Half-Elven players who want a little more depending on their pointy-eared heritage.  

 

Orcs be Orcin' just one way I guess.  

 

The panel then discusses some roleplay and social options for Half-Elves and Half-Orcs, but then get distracted and try to brainstorm what other half-humans we want to see in our campaigns.

 

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Intro/Outro Music by: Cory Wiebe

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E081 – Dungeon Mastery - Condition Effects: Captive Audiences

In this week's episode, the panel of DM's are stunned to tackle another round of Condition Effects.  This time though, they are paralyzed with fear of having their agency removed with all those pesky effects that make your characters turn's go by way quicker than you had ever planned: Stunned, Paralyzed, Incapacitated and Petrified.  Adam, Dave, and Megan chat about their likes and their dislikes about these action-removing statuses and some of the monsters from Dungeons and Dragons 5e that will use some of these effects against you.

 

So, get up, stretch, and move around while listening in.  We'll do the same because the last thing we want it to be petrified to our chairs.

 

This episode is sponsored by Wildbot 3D.

 

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Intro/Outro Music by: Cory Wiebe

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T013 - Touring the Multiverse - Eberron: Sharn, Menthis Plateau, Northedge, and Tavick's Landing

As we wrap up our discussion on The City of Towers, Dave takes Adam on a tour of the entertainment district, some religious temples, and the dangerous fringes of society.  But how effective are the law enforcement agencies in Sharn, where are the best places to avoid, and what evil lurks beneath the deepest ruins below?

 

Quarters:
Central Plateau
Dura
Menthis Plateau
Northedge
Tavick's Landing

 

Landmarks:
The Dagger River
The Hilt
Skyway
The Cogs
The City of the Dead

 

Menthis Plateau Districts:
The Seventh Tower (Upper Menthis)
Den'iyas (Upper Menthis)
University (Upper Menthis)
The Little Plains (Middle Menthis)
Cassan Bridge (Middle Menthis)
Warden Towers (Middle Menthis)
Smoky Towers (Middle Menthis)
Everbright (Middle Menthis)
Firelight (Lower Menthis)
Torchfire (Lower Menthis)

 

Menthis Plateau Locations*:
Little Xen'drik (The Seventh Tower)
Morgrave University (University)
Burning Ring (Various in Lower Menthis)
Khavish Theater (Den'iyas) 
Stargazer Theater (University)
Ten Torches (Torchfire)

*Menthis Plateau Locations are listed erroneously in E:RftLW as "District[s]" in the table on page 169.

 

Northedge Districts:
Crystal Bridge (Upper Northedge)
Oak Towers (Upper Northedge)
Shae Lias (Upper Northedge)
Holdfast (Middle Northedge)
High Hope (Middle Northedge)
Longstairs (Lower Northedge)
Stoneyard (Lower Northedge)
North Market (Lower Northedge)

 

Northedge Locations:
Gates of Passage (Shae Lias)
The Veil of Flesh (Shae Lias)
Daca's Watch (High Hope)
Fathen's Shrine (North Market)
Nightshade (Shae Lias)

 

Tavick's Landing Districts:
Twelve Pillars (Upper Tavick's Landing)
Silver Gate (Upper Tavick's Landing)
Deathsgate (Middle Tavick's Landing)
Graystone** (Middle Tavick's Landing)
Tavick's Market (Middle Tavick's Landing)
Terminus (Lower Tavick's Landing)
Wroann's Gate (Lower Tavick's Landing)
Black Arch (Lower Tavick's Landing)
Dragoneyes (Lower Tavick's Landing)
High Walls (Lower Tavick's Landing)
Copper Arch (Upper Tavick's Landing)
Cornerstone (Middle Tavick's Landing)

**Graystone is listed erroneously twice in E:RftLW as "Graywall" in the table on page 174.

 

Tavick's Landing Locations:
The Deathsgate Guild (Deathsgate)
The Three Towers (Copper Arch)
The Cornerstone (Cornerstone)
Chance (Dragoneyes)

 

Other Locations:
Skyway
Cliffside
The Cogs
The City of the Dead
Old Sharn
The Sewers
Fallen
Khyber's Gate

 

Forces of the Law:
The Sharn Watch
The King's Citadel 
- The King's Dark Lanterns
- The King's Shields
- The King's Swords
- The King's Wands
The Redcloak Battalion

 

Other Organizations:
The Circle of Song
The Esoteric Order of Aureon 
The Guild of Starlight and Shadows
The Closed Circle

 

Monster:
Dyrrn the Corrupter (Daelkyr)

 

Um...  I think Djed may need some real help...

 

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Intro/Outro Music by: Melodica's Music

Logo by: Kate Skidmore

B028 - Campaign Builder - Preparing for a Fight (Level Five)

So much of our favourite pop culture is based upon destroying the status quo, making a hair-brained scheme, and then fighting the insurmountable odds, but in D&D the hair-brained scheme is often overlooked.  So how do you offer opportunity and agency without having the session go wildly off the rails?  Adam and Dan walk you through what it means to go from storyteller to audience, and why Dungeon Masters should not necessarily be concerned with the realism surrounding player schemes.

 

Takeaways:
- When the party plots and schemes while the tension ratchets up, and the Dungeon Master steps back to a reactionary role, the campaign is operating at peak performance.
- Revenge is a major motivating factor for most players, but they might try to surprise their DM.  If this is the case, be cognizant of whether or not this is because they want to have a big cool moment, or if they just don't trust you as the Dungeon Master.
- One of the major issues with giving the players total agency over a story beat is simply that analysis paralysis might set in.  Providing boundaries and nudges might be required to keep them on track.
- Dungeon Masters should take more notes than the players to maintain consistency.
- Using enemy powers and tactics against the players in this session may inspire them to use similar powers and tactics in the next session against the big boss fight.

 

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Intro/Outro Music by: Cory Wiebe

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E080 – Lore – Theros: Where There’s a “Hero” Within

Theros is all about big personas, gifts from gods, epic monsters, and heroic journeys, and in this episode of the It's A Mimic! podcast, the titans on the panel of Dungeon Masters clash together to Gather the Magic and go on a odyssey of mythic proportions as they explore the newest campaign setting for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition.  But even it all seems Greek to you now, there's enough divine insight in the episode to raise your knowledge to epic levels.  So step aboard the chariot and prepare your eloquence for glory!

 

Locations:
Akros
Meletis
Setessa
Oreskos
Phoberos
Skophos
Asphodel
Odunos
Skola Vale
Katachthon Mountains
Oraniad Mountains
Nyx

 

Gods:
Athreos
Ephara
Erebos
Heliod
Iroas
Karametra
Keranos
Klothys
Kruphix
Mogis
Nylea
Pharika
Phenax
Purphoros
Thassa

 

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T012 - Touring the Multiverse - Eberron: Sharn, Central Plateau, and Dura

In this first half of the discussion on Sharn, City of Towers, Dave leads Adam through the basic layout of the city, and does a tour of both the richest and poorest areas of the city. Remember that the neighbourhoods are called "Quarters", each neighbourhood includes three vertical regions called "Wards", and each ward has multiple "Districts".

 

Quarters:
Central Plateau
Dura
Menthis Plateau
Northedge
Tavick's Landing

 

Landmarks:
The Dagger River
The Hilt
Skyway
The Cogs
The City of the Dead

 

Central Plateau Districts:
Korranath (Upper Central)
Platinum Heights (Upper Central)
Mithral Tower (Upper Central)
Ambassador Towers (Middle Central)
Dragon Towers (Middle Central)
Sovereign Towers (Middle Central)
Boldrei's Hearth (Lower Central)
Olladra's Kitchen (Lower Central)

 

Central Plateau Locations:
Aurora Gallery (Platinum Heights)
The Korranath (Korranath)
Kundarak Bank of Sharn (Korranath)
Lyrandar Tower (Highest Towers)
Cathedral of the Cleansing Flame (Sovereign Towers)
The Citadel (Ambassador Towers)
The Panaceum (Dragon Towers)
Pavilion of the Host (Sovereign Towers)

 

Dura Districts:
Daggerwatch (Upper Dura)
Highhold (Upper Dura)
Highwater (Upper Dura)
Overlook (Upper Dura)
The Bazaar (Middle Dura)
Hareth's Folly (Middle Dura)
Rattlestone (Middle Dura)
Tumbledown (Middle Dura)
Fallen (Lower Dura)
Malleon's Gate (Lower Dura)
Callestan (Lower Dura)
Precarious (Lower Dura)

 

Dura Locations:
Moraggan's (Highhold)
Pegasus Spire (Highwater)
The Hollow Tower (Hareth's Folly)
The Anvil (Callestan)
The Clifftop Adventurer's Guild (Clifftop)

 

Bazaar Merchants:
The Seven Leagues
Sundry's Shop
Roll and Conquer

 

Criminal Organizations:
Boromar Clan (Halflings that gamble, steal, and smuggle)
Daask (Droaam monsters that focus on violent crime ad extortion)
House Tarkanan (Citizens with aberrant Dragonmarks that are mercenaries, thieves and assassins)
The Tyrants (Changelings and magewrights that focus on forgery, grifters, deception, and information gathering)

 

Planes:
Syrania
Fernia 
Astral Plane

 

Monster:
The Undying (Councilor and Soldier)

 

And Djed's place seems awfully quiet these days.  We hope he's alright...

 

 

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Intro/Outro Music by: Melodica's Music

Logo by: Kate Skidmore

B027 - Campaign Builder - Betrayal (Level Five)

Aha! Bet you didn't see it coming! Out of nowhere, here comes an episode on the worst kind of surprises in D&D: Betrayals! This episode sees Dan and Adam break down the why, when, and how of using effective, meaningful betrayals in your Dungeons & Dragons campaign.

 

Takeaways:
- Some players will blame the Dungeon Master for a betrayal, and focus on the DM as the adversary. The best way to avoid this is by having the betrayal be plausible.
- Squash the impulse to talk about the betrayal after the session. The players still working through it and analyzing all the small details.  Hearing about how you designed the betrayal will put the attention on you and not the character.
- You can use your own attitudes and language to subtly imply that there is a distance between yourself and the villain you are revealing. Swapping from first-person perspective to third-person perspective is a good tool for this.
- Knowing the layout of the story in advance allows you to introduce some ideas quietly in the background of the plot while major issues, raising stakes, and resolutions are in full swing. This gives you the opportunity to drop hints about a betrayal early, so the players can look back on the plot later and see that the traitor was always there.
- Having a strong motivation is key to planning a betrayal. Without a proper motivation, this will seem like it's just a Dungeon Master adding a twist for their own selfish reasons.

 

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Intro/Outro Music by: Cory Wiebe

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E079 – Dragon Mastery – Silver Dragons: The Dragon Ag

In this week's episode, the panel of DM's goes chrome.  That's right, this is the week Dan has been waiting for as the It's A Mimic! podcast finally details Silver Dragons.  The goodest of the good, Silver Dragons cause a great divide between the hosts, and spurns on the debate about what is good and how it is allowed to affect your party.  All this while inspiring some shiny combat and social encounters.

 

So listen in as the hosts tackle the paragons of goodness for Dungeons and Dragons 5e, and try to work out a way to use them as a big antagonist in your D&D campaigns.  

 

Special bonus points to those who play this episodes drinking game, "Just like Dan!"  Take a drink every time one of the hosts claims Silver Dragons are "Just like Dan!"

 

 

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Intro/Outro Music by: Cory Wiebe/Tyler Gibson

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T011 - Touring the Multiverse - Eberron: Planes

This episode rambles about the planes of Eberron nearly as much as our hosts ramble about other topics and bad jokes.  But one thing is certain: This planar landscape is very different from the Forgotten Realms' planes.  So bear with Dave and Adam as they traverse these multiple landscapes and try to find parallels and theories about why these planes exist in the ways that they do.

 

Planes:
Danvi, The Perfect Order 
Dol Quor, The Region of Dreams
Dolurrh, The Realm of the Dead
Fernia, The Sea of Fire
Irian, The Eternal Dawn
Kythri, The Churning Chaos
Lamannia, The Twilight Forest
Mabar, The Endless Night
Risia, The Plain of Ice
Shavarath, The Battleground
Syrania, The Azure Sky
Thelanis, The Faerie Court
Xoriat, The Realm of Madness

 

Adam's Clerical Musings:
Danvi: Order Domain
Dol Quor: None.
Dolurrh: Grave Domain
Fernia: Forge Domain
Irian: Light Domain
Kythri: Life Domain
Lamannia: Nature Domain
Mabar: Death Domain
Risia: Arcana Domain
Shavarath: War Domain
Syrania: Knowledge Domain
Thelanis: Trickery Domain
Xoriat: Tempest Domain

 

Bonus Ideas for Different Kinds of Planes:
The Plane of the Arts
The Plane of Competition
The Plane of Motherhood and Birth

 

Monster:
Zakya Rakshasa vs Rakshasa 

 

And remember to stick around to see what crazy items Djed is trying to pawn off on Dave and Adam this week!

 

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Intro/Outro Music by: Melodica's Music

Logo by: Kate Skidmore

B026 - Campaign Builder - Scouting (Level Five)

Overland travel, wilderness encounters, and chases aside, there's another common kind of activity in the wild: Scouting.  On this episode of the Campaign Builder, Dan and Adam encourage their players to get proactive and take the fight to their enemies.

 

Takeaways:

- Scouting relies on stealth, self-sufficiency, strategy, and speed
- Patrols and guards are the direct opposition to scouts. 
- The frequency of patrols are dependent upon a number of factors, including landscape, enemy, and alertness.
- There are more dangers to scouts that just enemy forces.  The wilderness is fraught with many dangers.
- Counter intelligence scouting should be a real threat.

 

Available On: iTunes | Spotify | Podbean | YouTube

 

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Intro/Outro Music by: Cory Wiebe

Logo by: Kate Skidmore