Zarban TTRPG
@zarbanttrpg.bsky.social
I write a lot of junk about old-school D&D. Zarban.com
Pro tip: instead of spending thousands on one of those expensive custom gaming tables, just get a normal table and a cheap side table to sit between each pair of players. Much higher utility for the same price as one fancy accessory.
December 18, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Pro tip: instead of spending thousands on one of those expensive custom gaming tables, just get a normal table and a cheap side table to sit between each pair of players. Much higher utility for the same price as one fancy accessory.
You know--for kids!
December 17, 2025 at 8:31 PM
You know--for kids!
They literally did the meme
December 17, 2025 at 5:26 AM
They literally did the meme
Months ago, I posted about a school of magic with maps adapted from old floor plans. I've spent the last two days refining them further. 5 floors & a mezzanine, plus implied dungeons.
December 16, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Months ago, I posted about a school of magic with maps adapted from old floor plans. I've spent the last two days refining them further. 5 floors & a mezzanine, plus implied dungeons.
It is in my opinion!
December 13, 2025 at 12:22 AM
It is in my opinion!
But he was caught in a death trap, so 1 minute wasn't enough for him to escape…. On the wall are dozens of tally marks--1 for each time the ring "saved him" until its magic finally failed. It was all he had time to do. ☠️☠️/☠️☠️
October 27, 2025 at 8:24 PM
But he was caught in a death trap, so 1 minute wasn't enough for him to escape…. On the wall are dozens of tally marks--1 for each time the ring "saved him" until its magic finally failed. It was all he had time to do. ☠️☠️/☠️☠️
I like to think of spirit & soul as separate things that, when channeled, power arcane & divine magic. But they also occur naturally in living creatures &, depending on their balance, determine a creature's demeanor. Altho too complicated to replace alignment, it's helpful for playing NPCs.
October 25, 2025 at 5:45 PM
I like to think of spirit & soul as separate things that, when channeled, power arcane & divine magic. But they also occur naturally in living creatures &, depending on their balance, determine a creature's demeanor. Altho too complicated to replace alignment, it's helpful for playing NPCs.
Simplify old-school saving throws by saying all saves have a target of 14, & characters can add half their level (rounded down) to the roll. You can then give certain classes or ancestries their own bonus here or there as a class feature. ("Paladins get +3 on saves vs death.")
October 21, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Simplify old-school saving throws by saying all saves have a target of 14, & characters can add half their level (rounded down) to the roll. You can then give certain classes or ancestries their own bonus here or there as a class feature. ("Paladins get +3 on saves vs death.")
Where does the PF2e screech come from? I just see a grab, which is something I'd assume of any predator.
September 11, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Where does the PF2e screech come from? I just see a grab, which is something I'd assume of any predator.
Please stop putting pianos in D&D maps. It should be a harpsichord or pipe organ (some of which were small enough to be portable).
August 21, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Please stop putting pianos in D&D maps. It should be a harpsichord or pipe organ (some of which were small enough to be portable).
Don't throw out alignment. Loosen it up. Allow creatures to be their assigned alignment or one step away up, down, left, or right, but not diagonal. So "lawful-evil" can be LE, LN, or NE. "true neutral" can be be NG, LN, N, CN, or NE.
August 9, 2025 at 5:07 AM
Don't throw out alignment. Loosen it up. Allow creatures to be their assigned alignment or one step away up, down, left, or right, but not diagonal. So "lawful-evil" can be LE, LN, or NE. "true neutral" can be be NG, LN, N, CN, or NE.
D&D artists love the 1873 cold-blast kerosene hurricane lantern.
July 22, 2025 at 7:12 AM
D&D artists love the 1873 cold-blast kerosene hurricane lantern.
𝔅𝔞𝔤 𝔬𝔣 𝔴𝔥𝔦𝔪𝔰: Contains an unknown number of enchanted coins, each of which grants an ability (1d6): flying, invisibility, gaseous form, teleport, & shapechange (into a beast you've encountered). Empty until you use the drawn coin's power. On a roll of 1, the coin is mundane & the bag forever empty.
May 23, 2025 at 7:37 PM
𝔅𝔞𝔤 𝔬𝔣 𝔴𝔥𝔦𝔪𝔰: Contains an unknown number of enchanted coins, each of which grants an ability (1d6): flying, invisibility, gaseous form, teleport, & shapechange (into a beast you've encountered). Empty until you use the drawn coin's power. On a roll of 1, the coin is mundane & the bag forever empty.
One I just did for NPCs: guess the approach the NPC likes & get a bonus. The players might get a hint from others who have dealt with the NPC. But this doesn't mesh with the one for monsters, & it seems like you should be able to be humble or charming when talking to a manticore.
May 22, 2025 at 3:33 PM
One I just did for NPCs: guess the approach the NPC likes & get a bonus. The players might get a hint from others who have dealt with the NPC. But this doesn't mesh with the one for monsters, & it seems like you should be able to be humble or charming when talking to a manticore.
Here's one I did where each category of monster had its own table. Maybe if the heroes take a friendly approach to an intelligent creature, they get advantage on the roll.
May 22, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Here's one I did where each category of monster had its own table. Maybe if the heroes take a friendly approach to an intelligent creature, they get advantage on the roll.
Trying to come up with a new way to do encounter reactions that works for beasts, intelligent monsters, & NPCs. It can't just be a 2d6 roll; the PCs' approach needs to matter. Here's Holmes Basic & Metzer Basic. Both random but Mentzer bizarrely so.
May 22, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Trying to come up with a new way to do encounter reactions that works for beasts, intelligent monsters, & NPCs. It can't just be a 2d6 roll; the PCs' approach needs to matter. Here's Holmes Basic & Metzer Basic. Both random but Mentzer bizarrely so.
Here's my "Battle of Wits" minigame from awhile ago to role-play a court case. State a simple position, then take turns rolling one of the relevant skills to capture a square. Three-in-a-row wins. Once per battle, take -2 to try to overturn a captured square. On a cat, the judge makes a compromise.
May 19, 2025 at 1:55 AM
Here's my "Battle of Wits" minigame from awhile ago to role-play a court case. State a simple position, then take turns rolling one of the relevant skills to capture a square. Three-in-a-row wins. Once per battle, take -2 to try to overturn a captured square. On a cat, the judge makes a compromise.
Oh, you like my waistcoat? It's enchanted. It keeps bulettes from attacking me. Quite handy out on the moors. Go see Garcini the Magic Broker & ask for the bulette-proof vest.
May 13, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Oh, you like my waistcoat? It's enchanted. It keeps bulettes from attacking me. Quite handy out on the moors. Go see Garcini the Magic Broker & ask for the bulette-proof vest.
My favorite illustrations of medieval manors and their villages. Lots of fields and pastures and woodland, not many houses.
May 11, 2025 at 7:56 PM
My favorite illustrations of medieval manors and their villages. Lots of fields and pastures and woodland, not many houses.
Okay, heroes, you behold the River Isle of Hanara, where legend says the tomb of Sir Storvik lies. How do you cross the 40-ft river rushing like a furious moat around the little island?
May 9, 2025 at 1:48 AM
Okay, heroes, you behold the River Isle of Hanara, where legend says the tomb of Sir Storvik lies. How do you cross the 40-ft river rushing like a furious moat around the little island?
Looking at Errant RPG.
April 28, 2025 at 3:51 AM
Looking at Errant RPG.
GMs should send their heroes threats. Good stuff.
April 25, 2025 at 3:07 AM
GMs should send their heroes threats. Good stuff.
I like the idea of goons, bruisers, and champions. Hit points ("courage") are based on this designation and the creature's level.
April 22, 2025 at 12:07 AM
I like the idea of goons, bruisers, and champions. Hit points ("courage") are based on this designation and the creature's level.