#dmadvice

Mark S. Cookman

Feb 27, 2020
4 min

Stagecoaches are NOT just for Westerns

I have been working on a Kickstarter project recently, and that led me to research stagecoaches. I had always thought that the stagecoach was exclusive to the American Western frontier; a trope unique in time and space like cowboys, prospectors, and gunslingers. I was so wrong. I had no idea that stagecoaches were medieval. The first crude drawing and story featuring a stagecoach appears in a 13th Century English manuscript. That may mean nothing to you, but here is some cont

266 views0 comments

Wyatt's Rangers - NPC Heroes for Your Post Apocalypse Game

Mark S. Cookman

Nov 10, 2017
2 min

Wyatt's Rangers - NPC Heroes for Your Post Apocalypse Game

Today's post is a little different than most that appear here, although it stays within our current post apocalyptic theme. I don't create many NPC's to share, as I feel that is something that each DM/GM must do on their own. Wyatt Ferris is a different case, let me explain why. This week I encountered the following post on one of the Facebook groups that I follow: I was moved by this because I am a father and I wanted to help in whatever small way I could. I created this NPC

291 views0 comments

5 More Robotic Monsters or Minions for D&D 5e.

Mark S. Cookman

Sep 22, 2017
5 min

5 More Robotic Monsters or Minions for D&D 5e.

If you haven't seen my previous post, 5 Robotic Monsters or Minions for D&D 5e, then you should probably check it out. It will explain why this blog has suddenly become about robots instead of pirates. Sorry for my long delay in posting, but as many of you know, my family and I live on a boat. Well, we were right in the path of Hurricane Irma. We have survived it with no damage to our vessel and only some minor losses to our personal electronics due to a massive leak that occ

1,524 views0 comments

5 Robotic Monsters or Minions for D&D 5e

Mark S. Cookman

Aug 25, 2017
5 min

5 Robotic Monsters or Minions for D&D 5e

"OK, WTF? Robots for D&D 5e?!? Why would you waste your time making such things?" This is what my brain has been screaming at me since I came up with the idea for this blog post. The short answer is because I needed them for a game that I am running. Why I chose to share them with everyone is still a mystery to even me. Probably because I heartily believe that variety is the spice of life and this is decidedly different from the stuff that I normally post. I wish that I could

10,851 views0 comments

20 Sounds You Might Hear Just Before the Shipwreck

Mark S. Cookman

Aug 17, 2017
3 min

20 Sounds You Might Hear Just Before the Shipwreck

This is the third and last post in the series on shipwrecks. If you like this, then you should check out 20 Sailing Hazards that Could Wreck the Ship and 20 Treasures to Find in a Shipwreck. A shipwreck can occur for many different reasons, but the one characteristic that many shipwrecks have in common is a lack of visibility. When you can't see, sailing a ship becomes quite dangerous. There are numerous items that a good captain and crew keep watch for. Some include a chang

311 views0 comments

Mark S. Cookman

Aug 10, 2017
4 min

20 Treasures to Find in a Shipwreck

This week's list continues the nautical theme of shipwrecks that began last week. A shipwreck of your own vessel can be compared to the death of a close friend or family member. The captain and crew experience, albeit in a hurried manner, the five stages of grief. For those of you who are not familiar with these, they are: 1) Denial, 2) Anger, 3) Bargaining, 4) Depression, and finally 5) Acceptance. In the case of a shipwreck or a sinking vessel, the first three stages repres

8,188 views0 comments

20 Sailing Hazards that Could Wreck the Ship

Mark S. Cookman

Aug 3, 2017
8 min

20 Sailing Hazards that Could Wreck the Ship

Sailing can be a great deal of fun, but even in our modern world, it can also be quite dangerous. Ships are lost in storms, attacked by pirates, and run aground every day. Insuring a vessel that is capable of cruising the world, when you intend to take her into blue water (i.e. across an ocean), is quite expensive for just this reason. All that any good captain and crew can do is make every preparation for what might be encountered before leaving port. Even then, it might not

1,710 views0 comments

Mark S. Cookman

Jul 27, 2017
3 min

20 Unexpected Travel Delays

It's been a long time since I posted here and I am sorry for that. Rest assured that I have been quite busy. My wife, our son and I have purchased and moved aboard a sailboat. We are working to repair, refit, and provision her for cruising around the world. This has kept me much busier than I expected, plus there was about 6 weeks when we were completely without internet access. If you are interested in the ongoing trials and tribulations of new boat owners, then you may want

409 views0 comments

Mark S. Cookman

Mar 3, 2017
3 min

20 Cool Gifts You Could Get for Your GM

GM's Day is once again upon us. It's a time to show your GM's how much you love them by buying them something. Now I completely concede that this is much more of a "made up" holiday than even Valentine's Day, so I understand completely if you DON'T celebrate it. However speaking as a GM, (we loves to receive presents, oh yes, my precious.), I thought that I might put forth some suggestions for those who DO want to buy their GM's something nice this GM's Day, NOT that it will

1,688 views0 comments

A Few Online Tools to Help You Run Your Game

Mark S. Cookman

Feb 24, 2017
3 min

A Few Online Tools to Help You Run Your Game

We may not like to admit it, but we GM's all need help sometimes with our game. I know, personally, I am strong creatively, but often have problems with the "nitty-gritty" details of running the game. Regardless of your personal strengths and weaknesses, today's column will reveal a few online tools to help you run your RPG session, no matter the system. Know in advance though that some of the tools will be specific to D&D 5E. First off we will examine the different categorie

1,541 views0 comments

Mark S. Cookman

Jan 12, 2017
4 min

20 Ways to Work Boats into Your Game

First things first, happy 2017 to everyone. I'm sorry that it has been so long between posts, but a couple of bouts of bad health, plus the stress of the holidays, pretty much put me out of action for the last quarter of 2016. I'm hoping 2017 will be a better year and to that end, here's a new list. Today's list is a collection of sneaky ways that DM's can use to introduce a nautical section to their game, even when the game is set far from any coastline. A couple of the item

643 views0 comments

Mark S. Cookman

Oct 7, 2016
3 min

20 Things to Find in a Witch's Lair

This is the second of my October posts for 2016. Today, we are going to explore another spooky location; this time we'll be discussing the lairs of witches. The first question that you must answer when designing a witch's lair is, of course, which witch? In other words, what kind of witch is this lair for. Numerous elements must be considered about the NPC before the lair can be planned. This is NOT a one-size fits all kind of situation. Here are some of the questions the GM

2,788 views0 comments

20 Things to Find Inside an Ancient Barrow

Mark S. Cookman

Oct 4, 2016
5 min

20 Things to Find Inside an Ancient Barrow

Today's post is the first of my October-themed posts for this year. In this article we will delve into a barrow or kurgan, in other words a burial place or tomb, to see what one might find there. Before jumping straight to the list of things, let's first take some time to analyze the structure of the barrow, as well as the types of creatures one might find inside. Barrows, (also called tumuli, burial mounds, and kurgans), are mounds of earth and stone raised over one or more

1,489 views0 comments

20 Spell Components Found in the Daerkwood

Mark S. Cookman

Sep 29, 2016
5 min

20 Spell Components Found in the Daerkwood

Today's post is a transition from the orc series into some more Halloween-themed posts. Given the orc clans and other terrible monsters that live there, why does anyone ever venture into the Daerkwood? This same question can be applied to any dark and spooky place. There are numerous secrets hidden within the Daerkwood to attract adventurers, but the most-common reason people go there is for the components used in powerful magics. The Daerkwood is an ancient forest steeped in

566 views0 comments

Mark S. Cookman

Sep 23, 2016
6 min

What Makes Good Orcs Go Bad?

This is the 14th post in the orc series and probably the last for a while. I promise you that we have not seen the last of the orcs, however the release of Orcs of the Moon Skull Clan is being delayed for a re-work involving more material and some custom art. Look for the orcs to finally come out around the holiday season. The art today comes from Publisher's Choice Quality Stock Art (c) Rick Hershey / Fat Goblin Games. Rick is one of the artists that I hope to get some piece

222 views0 comments

Mark S. Cookman

Aug 31, 2016
3 min

The Code of the Moon Skull Clan

This is the 13th article in the orc series. Today's topic is an odd one; we are going to examine law among the orcs. Many may argue that orcs are chaotic evil in alignment and therefore do NOT have laws. I hold the opinion that chaotic evil societies may not have laws (other than the strong dominate the weak), but they do have codes of conduct. In my campaign, these codes of conduct are simple, no more than a few rules that all orcs in a clan are supposed to follow and what w

202 views0 comments

Mark S. Cookman

Aug 24, 2016
3 min

6 Types of Orc Encounters

This is the 12th article in our orc series. Today, we will examine and detail the different types of orc groups that you might encounter in the Daerkwood. As I have said on other occasions, these groups might not fit into your world. If they don't, I hope that you can find some use for this information. If nothing else, it might serve as a model for the different types of encounters you can have with a single monster type. Players can be a troublesome lot. Sometimes it seems

2,718 views0 comments

Mark S. Cookman

Aug 19, 2016
5 min

10 Orc Heroes of Renown

This is the 11th post in the orc series. I fear that little time remains before the orcs are upon us. I hear their drums in the distance and I know they are coming for blood. Who will be brave enough and hearty enough to withstand the charge of the Moon Skull clan when they descend among us? This remains to be seen, but in the short time that we have left I wanted to share some information about a few well-known orc heroes. The information provided below will give you the bas

308 views0 comments

Mark S. Cookman

Aug 18, 2016
5 min

10 Obscure Orc Religions

"Orc Shaman" by Mark Molchan. Check out more of Mark's amazing work here. Well, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I have managed to escape from the orc town of Kharzaag. The bad news is that I'm pretty sure that the orcs are following me and will be here in a week or less. Also, I'm pretty sure that they are furious at me for stealing the secrets of their culture and revealing them, so I think they are coming with at least a war-band and maybe even a horde.

2,535 views0 comments

Mark S. Cookman

Jul 28, 2016
3 min

20 Orc Named Magical Weapons

This is the ninth post in our orc series. Today, we will discuss magic weapons created by or for orcs. Clearly, this is a topic that every DM will have their own opinion on. I've run campaigns in which the idea of orcs having magic items at all would be patently ridiculous and I have also run campaigns in which the orcs were the most technically and magically superior race among humans and demihumans. If orcs having magic upsets your worldview, then perhaps you can find some

4,151 views0 comments

BLACK SHARK ENTERPRISES