dmdave

Poll #513 - Ooze Class Focus

Hey friends,

As we're past the half way point for Broadsword Guide to the Negative Energy Plane and I'm wrapping up the last bits of content (200 spells is a metric shit ton of spells, let me tell you), I'm starting the brainstorming on Ooze which'll be out in July.

I know that I want each set to have some sort of class focus for it. With Negative Energy, it's been Necromancers.

But what should it be for Ooze?

I'll create a supplemental book to go wit...

[All Patrons] Dungeons & Lairs #112 - Entrope Library (13th-Level Adventure)

Planar • Horror • Underwater • Underground • Aberration

• GM Difficulty: Moderate

• Player Difficulty: Moderate

• Length: Moderate (1-2 Sessions)

• Campaign Setting: Agnostic, Negative Energy Plane

This Fifth Edition adventure is designed to suit a party of three to five 13th-level characters. If played ...

Poll #512 - Entrope Adventure Locations

Hey friends,

I'm about to start writing the one-shot adventures for this month in Dungeons/Lairs style. The last poll had entrope winning as the featured monster. But where should it be?

1. The Boneworks Substation

A decommissioned necromantic power hub beneath the city streets, filled with tangled pipes, soul-reactive crystals, and failed containment tanks. An Entrope has begun corroding the ley-seals, drawing in elemental filth from othe...

[All Patrons] The Sphere of Annihilation

This historical review of the Sphere of Annihilation is included in the Broadsword Guide to the Negative Energy Plane, now on Backerkit.

Before they were called Spheres of Annihilation, they were known only as black balls—drifting, devouring fragments of non-being that predate even the gods. They are not artifacts in...

Poll #511 - Negative Energy Plane One-Shot

Heeey friends!

As the Negative Energy Plane campaign is going on, I have a one-shot opening up when we hit $20,000. So that begs the question... what should it be about?

I might do a few and make them into micro missions within the Mortisphere.

Pick the three that you like best. Top 3 win (assuming we get 3 made).

[Free] Demi-lich Lair Monster and Player Handout Pack

This player handout pack includes all the monsters and player handouts needed to run the adventure, Dungeons & Lairs #100 - Demi-lich Lair.

Creative Team

Writing and Design DMDave

Cartography Dyson Logos, DMDave using Dungeonscrawl

Art Rick Hershey, Matias Lazaro, Nacho Lazaro

Broadsword Guide to the Negative Energy Plane is Now Live

The Broadsword Guide to the Negative Energy Plane is a 190+ page hardcover tome diving deep into one of the most dangerous and neglected planes in the multiverse. Inspired by Second Edition lore and built for modern tables, this guide is your ultimate resource for turning death into adventure. Crowdfunding backers receive the hardcover book plus a FREE hyperlinked PDF with every print purchase.

2025-04-08 16:59:17 +0000 UTC View Post

[All Patrons] Just Passing Through 7 - 10 Lich Lairs for Any Fantasy TTRPG (The Scholar Eternal) - Sample

This will appear in one of the books coming for Broadsword Guide to the Negative Energy Plane. Follow here: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/707bfe67-fcb4-4547-8a11-307a1b707615/landing

The Scholar Eternal is a lich forged not from hate or ambition, but from relentless curiosity. In life, they were a renowned arcanist, philosopher, or historian—driven n...

[All Patrons] Velkeron's Tome of Forbidden Necromancy - Cantrips and 1st-Level Spells

Hey all,

Here is the first chunk of spells appearing in the forthcoming Velkeron's Tome of Forbidden Necromancy. It has some of the original spells a necromancy can take (for convenience sake) as well as a bunch of 2e spells I've converted to 5e.

The spells included:

• Chill Touch

• Corpselight

• Corpse Visage

• Dance Macabre

• Lainel's Delirum

• Lainel's Empathic Seizure

• Locate Remains

  ...
  2025-04-03 20:11:13 +0000 UTC View Post

Poll #510 - Organizing Spells in Velkeron's Tome of Forbidden Necromancy

Hey friends,

If you didn't know, there's going to be a big ol' tome of new spells with the next Backerkit campaign. The majority of the spells will be necromancy or at least necromancy adjacent.

However, I'm torn on how to organize them.

Do I do it in alphabetical order by spell name?

Or do I do it by level and then alphabetically?

Vote below.

Broadsword Guide to the Negative Energy Plane Product Preview

Hey all!

We're less than a week from the next Pre-order campaign for Broadsword, this time we're going to the Negative Energy Plane.

Same as last time, this book will have adventures, character options, and other fun stuff focused on the Negative Energy Plane.

Follow the Campaign, Now!

2025-04-02 18:44:58 +0000 UTC View Post

Call for Suggestions #127 - Velkeron's Tome of Forbidden Necromancy

Hey all,

I'm adding in a book of necromancy spells for the next Backerkit campaign and need some spell ideas.

In the comments below, come up with some of the darkest-sounding spells that you can. You don't have to say what they do (unless you want to). Just come up with a name and I'll do the rest.

Few rules:

• 1) Nothing too offensive (horror is okay, obviously, but you probably know what's not)

• 2) Keep it on theme... this is a book of necromancy ...

  2025-04-01 23:22:38 +0000 UTC View Post

Poll #509 - Best of DMDave Repackaging

Hey friends!

Going into the next Backerkit campaign which goes live next Tuesday, I'll be repackaging some Best of DMDave titles. THIS TIME, however, they'll be done in VHS format like so:

 These are the VHS formats that I did for Horror RPG, and I hope to use a similar design aesthetic for the Dungeons & Lairs series.

Each box comes with a book that fits into it (and is designed...

[Trinket+] Dungeons & Lairs #100 - Demilich Lair (Level 13)

Note: This adventure does not currently include the Monster or Player Handout Appendices. Those will be added to this post as well as to a public post in early April 2025.

For ages uncounted, the lich Velkeron the Hollow-Eyed, known to some as the Black Crown, has spread death and ruin across the planes. Once a mortal of unmatched intellect and ambition, Velkeron embraced undeath not to conquer but to unravel the essence of life itself, pursuing forbidden knowledge with a zeal ...

Announcement and Neato Artwork

Hey friends,

This is just a quick announcement to let you know that I've been working on a particularly big Tier 3 adventure, which will be available before the month ends, along with the last couple of months' Bucklers.

The artwork above is for some jerseys and promotional material that will be available for the next Backerkit campaign focusing on the Negative Energy Plane. This is all part of a "covert plan" to make hockey rules for 5e for later this year when I...

One-Word Prompt #161 - Megadungeon 01

Hey all,

I've got 47 rooms to fill. Gimme some one-word prompts.

Leave a word in the comments below. I'll make a room using your comment.

• 1) Two words per patron, preferably in separate comments

• 2) Keep it clean

• 3) Nothing too anachronistic

• 4) No proper nouns

• 5) Defenestration and mirrors are banned due to overuse

Poll #508 - What lurks in Megadungeon 01

Hey friends,

I'm putting together a new model similar to those Undercity maps I did a while back using the polls from the other day. I plan to make these somewhat brief in description so I can get through them a bit quicker (old school, if you will), and will likely land somewhere around 36 pages, with six pages per map.

Below are some monsters I want to feature at tier 2. Pick the ones that you like the best.

The top six monsters get their own lairs. The rest will be secon...

Poll #507 - What level? In case I have to do an adventure...

My last poll asks what to make. A couple of those things are adventures. If we do get an adventure, what level do you want it?

Poll #506 - What y'all want right now?

Hey all!

I just got out of the weeds with a couple of new tactics books I'll be releasing here and for the GMSG backers soon. For the time being, I'll be focusing on some content here. I'm still working on the mega-adventure for Negative Energy Plane, but I was looking to knock out some other low-hanging fruit for the time being.

The poll below has some ideas for content or other things I need to do. Pick the one you want me to work on first.

You're the boss, applesauce!

[All Patrons] Broadsword Guide to Undead - Crawling Hands

Feared as tireless sentries, crawling hands serve as spies, assassins, and guardians for priests and mages who have the means and knowledge to create them. These grotesque constructs vary in appearance—some retain rotting flesh, others are skeletal, and many exist somewhere between, their tendons twitching with unnatural life.

Contents

This guide to crawling hands includes:

• New monster stat blocks for crawling hands, swarms of crawling hands, spectral hands, gian...

  2025-03-04 17:38:58 +0000 UTC View Post

Poll #505 - Monster alignments or no?

Hey friends,

Quick poll. Do you care if Monster blocks have alignments or not?

The All-New, Easy-to-Master DMDave Content Library Sheet

Latest Update: January 21st, 2026

• Tactics Posts added to a second tab; this includes the playbook sheets for all of the SRD Giants

• All adventures from April 2021 to January 2026 are up.

• Let me know in the comments any typos or mistakes you see.

As requested, I've started working on an all-new, easy-to-master DMDave Content Library Sheet.

Here is the link:

2025-03-02 19:03:11 +0000 UTC View Post

Poll #504 - What mood or theme does DMDave convey?

Hey fam,

I’m working on convention booth designs for 2025 and beyond. I’m trying to come up with a mood/theme for it.

Poll #503 - Making this your one-stop spot

Hey FRANDS,

I'm at GAMA (big trade expo for folks in the biz) thinking of ways to improve this biz.

What kind of stuff should I add to improve this page?

Poll #502 - Next Dungeons/Lairs Series

Hey friends,

Since it’s about 50/50 on campaigns and drop-in adventures on the latest poll, I figured I’d spice things up with some Dungeons & Lairs adventures.

I will start with a “life draining undead,” theme, “ordinary” undead (as in those featured in the main book) that also appear in the Negative Energy Plane.

Vote for your favorite three. The top four monsters get picked for standalone one-shots.

Poll #501 - What kind of content do you want to see going forward?

Hey friends,

Below is a survey with all the stuff I make. Let me know what type of content you prefer by checking all the things you like to see. The first hunk is all digital, and then there's some printed stuff, too. Only click the printed stuff if you actually like and purchase that stuff, whether it's from me or someone else.

This will be very helpful for me deciding what content to make going forward.

Broadsword Guide to the Negative Energy Plane launching in April

A Full-Length Campaign of Cosmic Horror, Planar Intrigue, and the Ultimate Undead Foe for 11th-level Characters (Fifth Edition)

A devil’s bargain. A journey into darkness. A desperate fight against an undying master of death.

FOLLOW THE PRE-ORDER CA...

2025-02-21 18:50:57 +0000 UTC View Post

[Free] Adventure - Tether: The Mystery of Skirvin Manor (3rd-Level) with Cze and Peku and The Griffon's Saddelbag

Mystery • Horror • Ghouls • Demons • Haunted House

• GM Difficulty: Difficulty

• Player Difficulty: Moderate

• Length: Moderate (3-4 Sessions)

• Campaign Setting: Omeria, The Echo, Agnostic

Tether: The Mystery of Skirvin Manor is a Fifth Edition mystery adventure for three to five 3rd-level adventurers. ...

[Copper+] Adventure - Tether: The Mystery of Skirvin Manor (3rd-Level) with Cze and Peku and The Griffon's Saddelbag

Mystery • Horror • Ghouls • Demons • Haunted House

• GM Difficulty: Difficulty

• Player Difficulty: Moderate

• Length: Moderate (3-4 Sessions)

• Campaign Setting: Omeria, The Echo, Agnostic

Tether: The Mystery of Skirvin Manor is a Fifth Edition mystery adventure for three to five 3rd-level adventurers. ...

Poll #500 - Where to next?

STOP! I have decided… this Spring:

THE OOZE/RADIANCE WAR!

Two books, one campaign.

The Paraelemental Plane of Ooze will rise up against the Quasielemental Plane of Radiance.

As I’m at the midway point of crafting Broadsword Guide to the Negative Energy Plane and THIRTEEN NAILS IN THE MOUTH OF GOD, I wonder where we will head next in the vast and strange cosmology of the D&D multiverse.