Explore every episode of the podcast The Order of Initiative

Undoubtedly one of the most iconic D&D monsters, and for good reason. Listen to this week's episode to learn about their powers and get ideas on running one in your campaign! 

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Take a look behind The Order's DM screens for an idea of how we organize our games and what sort of information we need at a moment's notice. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theorderofinitiative/support

Everyone's favorite warrior with an anger management problem packs quite the punch in 5e. Listen to this week's episode to hear our thoughts on their core features and archetypes as well as some tips for creating and roleplaying a barbarian! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theorderofinitiative/support

Dragons are D&D's most majestic, mighty, and proud monsters, and their kin are no different. It's important to consider both the origin of Dragonborn as well as how they view dragons when implementing them in your campaign. Listen to this week's episode to hear out thoughts on these concepts and more! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theorderofinitiative/support

Thank goodness we've delving into humans otherwise none of our listeners would understand how to roleplay one. Honestly though, humans are an important part of a fantasy setting. Listen to today's episode to hear our thoughts on how you can use them to highlight other races and how playing a human can be a great resource for character design.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theorderofinitiative/support

Druids find beauty in the simplest of animals and the smallest of plants. They strive to preserve the balance of nature itself and stop those who threaten its destruction by offering themselves as a conduit to the will of nature itself. ...usually. Listen to this week's episode for some fun ideas about how to run a different kind of druid and understand what makes them such a versatile class.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theorderofinitiative/support

Thanks to their immense psychic powers, infallible memory, and underwater lairs Aboleths can present quite the danger for any adventuring party. But how can you make an Aboleth be truly memorable and build it up as the villain to an entire arc in your campaign? Listen to this week's episode to find out! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theorderofinitiative/support

Everyone's favorite smiths can be as deep as their mines if you know what you're doing. Listen to this week's episode to learn all about Dwarves and their culture!  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theorderofinitiative/support

Psionic tyrants from ages past plot in the dark to rebuild their cruel empire with only a handful of murder hobos to stop them. Will it be enough? Find out how you can make the most of Mind Flayers with this week's episode! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theorderofinitiative/support

When creating a mystery for your players you want to make sure they end up feeling like geniuses for putting together all the clues, not scratching their heads because they failed to meet an investigation check. Listen to this week's episode to find out how you can put together a compelling mystery! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theorderofinitiative/support

Dragons are easily one of the most iconic creatures in the entire fantasy genre and it's important to present them to your party with the magnitude that they deserve. Listen to the episode to hear how The Order recommends creating one and some interesting way DMs can approach the legendary status of a dragon to make it feel fresh and exciting. Below is a link to The 4 Dragons Of The Apocalypse from MonkeyDM we discussed on the episode. Consider buying it if you're interested! https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/338624/The-4-Dragons-Of-The-Apocalypse --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theorderofinitiative/support

Flexible encounters and reactive DMing are essential tools for a good sandbox game, but there's lots more that a DM can use to help a sandbox TTRPG run smoothly. Listen to this week's episode to hear our advice on running one! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theorderofinitiative/support

Part 2 of The Order's delve into Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything! The Order covers the feats, spells, and environmental hazards covered in the second half of the book. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theorderofinitiative/support

Part 1 of The Order's delve into Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything! In this episode The Order breaks down many of the new subclasses and discusses a new controversial character option.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theorderofinitiative/support

Not every situation at the table calls for a die roll. On this week's episode, The Order discusses why die rolls are important and when they're the most effective, as well as some things a DM can do in place of a die roll. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theorderofinitiative/support

Learn how to make every room of your dungeon interesting, keep your party on their toes while they explore, reward them for putting up with your infuriating traps, and more on this week's episode of The Order of Initiative all about creating dungeons!  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theorderofinitiative/support

Alignment is a fantastic place to start building characters or NPCs, but playing against those tropes and adjusting them into unique characters can be a lot more effective than limiting yourself to the confines of a predetermined alignment. In this episode, The Order discusses the place alignment has in D&D and breaks down each alignment, along with examples of the types of characters they promote.   --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theorderofinitiative/support

Charles, Karma, and Willis give you damn fools advice on drawing your players into your world and how you can make them feel totally enveloped in your session.

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Charles, Nathan, Willis, and Karma break down some simple tactics that make combat more interesting and challenging, like environmental hazards, complex objectives, and layered decision making. 

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The death of a player character in D&D is one of the most memorable experiences you can have while playing D&D, if done correctly. In this episode, Charles, Karma, and Willis offer advice on tactically using death in your campaign, and how to make it feel like a significant event in your story rather than a mild inconvenience. 

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Charles, Nathan, Willis, and special guest Karma talk about player character design and discuss how to make a character likable, motivated, built to change, and much more!

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Charles, Nathan, and Willis explore the many kinds of effective villains and how to best implement them to challenge your party. 

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Charles, Nathan, and Jake examine what's needed to make your NPCs memorable and interesting.

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Charles, Nathan, and Willis talk about when and why you might want to run a one-off and how they differ from your standard campaign.

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Charles, Nathan, and Jake discuss the perils of railroading and how to use just enough to help guide your players.

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Charles, Nathan, and Willis talk about what to ask from your players with a session 0 and how to start creating your own world from the ground up.

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