Setting Seeds: Zero-sum Game

Sometimes you’re reading things online and you come upon an off-the-cuff comment that just deserves to be hoisted up and displayed to the world.
For example, there might be a Good/Evil zero sum rule. So every demon that enters the world allows an angel to enter to balance him. Which btw explains why the forces of [...]

Steal this Setting: Vampires of Zendikar

The vampires in Zendikar have an interesting mechanical theme in that many of them get stronger when your opponent is at 10 life, 10 life being half the 20 life each player starts with in a game of Magic. Once I realized how similar that was to 4th edition’s bloodied mechanic, I realized that I [...]

Random Encounters: Nineteen

I received this email earlier today.
Subject: Your Monster Maker
Okay, I have been trying to find stuff for 3.5e of D&D.
Mainly, how to make a monster.
Even more-so, HOW DO YOU DETERMINE a monster’s Challenge Rating?
I can’t figure it out for 3.5. I’ve scoured the net trying to find how to determine a custom-made monster’s challenge [...]