D&D Campaigns center around making decisions - but what is the meaning of choice without the possibility of consequence?  This week, the Beyond the Material team break down a moment from their own campaign which nearly became a TPK (total party kill), the range of consequences the party might experience for their actions, the impact of PC death on a campaign, and the balance between realistic consequences and fun, collaborative story-telling. The design item of the week is the Rod of the Stalker.

Episode Points of Interest:0:22 Welcome
3:45 Punishing Players
8:05 Proportional Consequences
10:30 When is a TPK OK?
16:00 Is Character Death a Good Thing?
17:40 Alternative Consequences
20:30 D&D as Collective Storytelling
24:30 The Joy of Creating New Characters
26:30 The Rule of Proportionality
29:09 Design Idea of the Week: Rod of the Stalker

  • Download the Rod of the Stalker
  • Beyond the Material Homepage
  • DMZM.net, Zach's homepage

Beyond the Material is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.