It’s A Mimic!

Latest Episodes:

E076 – Class: Gathering the Magic - Sorcerers: Points for Effort Jul 07, 2020

Show notes

In this episode of the It's A Mimic! podcast, a very special guest star joins the panel of Dungeon Masters to break down the natural casters in Xanathar's Guide to Everything! The funny and amazing @lilisparx teams up with Dan and Adam as we return to our conversation about Sorcerers and dig into both Shadow Magic and Storm Sorcery!

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Intro/Outro Music by: Cory Wiebe

Logo by: Kate Skidmore

T008 - Touring the Multiverse - Eberron: Dragonmark Houses 1 Jul 06, 2020

Show notes

In this episode of Touring the Multiverse, Dave and Adam go back and forth in a discussion about half of the Dragonmark Houses. Intrigue, plot hooks, and complex politics add a lot of flavour to the unique world of Eberron, and there's so much that this episode had to split in two... just like one of the houses!

House Medani - The Mark of Detection
Half-Elves led by Baron Baron Trelib d'Medani
Headquarters are the Tower of Inquisition in Wroat, Breland
Emblem is the Eye of the Basilisk

House Deneith - The Mark of Sentinel
Humans led by Baron Dreven d'Deneith
Headquarters are the Sentinel Tower in Karrnath
Emblem is the Chimera

House Vidalis - The Mark of Handling
Humans led by Baron Dalin d'Vidalis
Headquarters are the Foalswood in the Eldeen Reaches
Emblem is the Hippogriff

House Jorasco - The Mark of Healing
Halflings led by Baron Ulara d'Jorasco
Headquarters are the Vedkyar Enclave in Karrnath
Emblem is the Griffon

House Ghallanda - The Mark of Hospitality
Halflings led by Baron Yoren d'Ghallanda
Headquarters are the Gatherhold in the Talenta Plains
Emblem is the Blink Dog

The Houses of Shadow - The Mark of Shadow
Elves in two houses
House Phiarlan is led by Baron Elvinor Elorrenthi d'Phiarlan
Headquarters are the various Demenses (especially in Sharn)
Emblem is the Hydra
House Thuranni is led by Baron Elar d'Thuranni
Headquarters are in Regalport in the Lhazaar Principalities
Emblem is the Displacer Beast

Monster:
Living Spells, specifically Living Cloudkill

And make sure you hang around to the bitter end to hear what crazy cheap deal Djed is offering this week!

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Intro/Outro Music by: Melodica's Music

Logo by: Kate Skidmore

B023 - Campaign Builder - Captured (Level Four) Jul 02, 2020

Show notes

Stop. Put down your dice. Sit back and listen. Because in this episode of the It's A Mimic! Campaign Builder, we're taking away agency from the people around the table. Capture and imprisonment are old standards for Dungeons and Dragons, but they often result in real people getting really upset. So how do you handle this as a DM? Well, if you trust us... Just sit for a bit and listen to what it means to face Destined Loss.

Takeaways:
- Before taking away real agency from a player, be aware that this is going to frustrate and anger the party
- Building a good relationship between the DM and players for a week or two in advance will give a solid foundation for removing agency
- Sometimes metagaming is the easiest and simplest solution to defusing a situation
- Agency should be all or nothing. Minor scraps of agency give false hope and result in discouragement
- Never call your creatures or foes by name the first time your party meets them
- Slowly and subtly draining player characters' resources will result in a more subdued party when it comes time to remove their agency

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Intro/Outro Music by: Cory Wiebe

Logo by: Kate Skidmore

E075 - Off to the Races - Humans: The Humane Thing to Do Jun 30, 2020

Show notes

In this week's episode, the panel of DM's discuss the brash, short-lived, skilled, and incredibly numerous Humans. While the mechanics are kinda bland (humans being the gold standard of game design) the flavour options presented in SCAG offer far more story driven customization in the nineteen societies your human can call home on Faerun. Adam, Megan, and Terry break down the histories and in some cases the real world analogs to these incredibly flavourful humans in the form of:

Arkaiun
Bedine
Calishite
Chondathan
Damaran
Ffolk
Gur
Halruaan
Imaskari
Illuskan
Mulan
Nar
Rashemi
Shaaran
Shou
Tethyrian
Tuigan
Turami
Ulutiun

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Intro/Outro Music by: Cory Wiebe

Logo by: Kate Skidmore

T007 - Touring the Multiverse - Eberron: Dragonmarks Jun 29, 2020

Show notes

Bloodlines! Power creep! House benefits and racial variants! In this episode of Touring the Multiverse, Dave and Adam explore what it means to have a Dragonmark and what the houses have to offer in the way of plot hooks, backgrounds, and back stories!
Organization:
The Twelve

Dragonmarks and the Houses:
Mark of Detection - House Medani
Mark of Finding - House Tharashk
Mark of Handling - House Vadalis
Mark of Healing - House Jorasco
Mark of Hospitality - House Ghallanda
Mark of Making - House Cannith
Mark of Passage - House Orien
Mark of Scribing - House Sivis
Mark of Sentinel - House Deneith
Mark of Shadow - House Phiarlan and House Thuranni
Mark of Storm - House Lyrandar
Mark of Warding - House Kundarak
Aberrant Dragonmarks - No House Ties

Relationships:
Foundling
Independent Scion
Excoriate
Agent - including the background "House Agent"

Events:
Test of Siberys
War of the Mark
The Korth Edicts

Monster:
Kalaraq Quori (shout outs to the Hashalaq and Tsucora Quori)

And stick around after the credits to see what Djed says about the common magic items: the Imbued Wood Focus and Orb of Shielding!

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Intro/Outro Music by: Melodica's Music

Logo by: Kate Skidmore

B022 - Campaign Builder - Rural Adventures (Level Four) Jun 25, 2020

Show notes

What exists between urban and wilderness settings? Well, the farmland, of course! Join Dan and Adam this week as they take a stroll down some dusty roads to find out what farming might look like in a magical setting, how people might react to a party's presence, and what dynamic encounters they can bring to the table as they slowly begin to gear up for the next big plot reveal.

Takeaways:
- While rural settings can feel open and isolated, there is usually friendly help within yelling distance.
- People in rural settings are very resourceful by necessity, but there's a pride and honour in being so self-sufficient.
- Folk in the country may enjoy the freedom and simplicity of life away from the city, but they're not stupid and they have their own forms of political structures and information trafficking.
- Farmers and other rural inhabitants will still have access to magic, but will probably use it in different and unique ways.
- The priorities of people outside the city are very different from the people who live in the city.
- Ending on a warm, wholesome note without a pressing need or impending doom will allow you players to relax and enjoy a different kind of happy ending to a session.

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Intro/Outro Music by: Cory Wiebe

Logo by: Kate Skidmore

E074 – Lore – Chult: Rumble in the Jungle Jun 23, 2020

Show notes

In this week's episode, Dan hands out wilderness explorer badges to Dave and Adam as they tackle the vast expanse of the jungles of Chult, the brutal setting of the Tomb of Annihilation adventures released for Dungeons and Dragons 5e. With all that's going on this island (peninsula?), Dan hits the highlights while trying to stay as spoiler free as free as possible for Tomb of Annihilation.

The Dungeon Masters cover some key places of civilization in these wild lands, some of the important movers and shakers, as well as the mysterious lore around the island. So don your safari caps, load up on water tabs, and DON'T FORGET YOUR BUGSPRAY! But most importantly, don't get lost, because the totem-pole goblins, hordes of undead, roaming dinosaurs, flying territorial pterafolk, psionic monkeys, and evils long-hidden by the magical canopy will find you before you find safety...

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Email: info@itsamimic.com

Intro/Outro Music by: Cory Wiebe

Logo by: Kate Skidmore

T006 - Touring the Multiverse - Eberron: Distant Lands Jun 22, 2020

Show notes

This episode of Touring the Multiverse focuses on the distant lands of Eberron, which is thematically on point, as Dave and Adam seem to be all over the map, with their talk of Dragon Horns, a city in the Forgotten Realms' plane of fire, and which nation in Eberron is the cleanest. Also, they get distracted by the Draconic Prophecies for a little while, which seems about on par...

Continents:
Khorvaire
Sarlona
Frostfell (North Pole)
Everice (South Pole)
Argonessen
Xen'drik
Aerenal
Khyber

Nations:
Riedra
Adar
Ohr Kaluun

Cities:
Kasshta Keep
Dar Jin
Newthrone
Dar Qat
Stormreach
Shae Mordai (The City of the Dead)
Shae Cairdal
Pylas Talaear

Landmarks:
The Foreign Quarter
Koronoo River
The Abyssal Forests of Khar

People:
Keeper of the Word
Queen of Winter
Aureon
Cul'sir
Boldrei
The Traveler
The Devourer
The Dreaming Dark

Organizations:
The Iron Gate
The Dreaming Dark
The Sovereign Host
The Dark Six
The Storm Lords
The Undying Court
The Cults of the Dragon Below

Planes:
Mabar
Irian

Monster:
The Inspired (shoutout to the Quori)

And don't forget to stick around to see what Dave is going to buy from Djed this week: An Everbright Lantern, a Shiftweave, or maybe some Spellshards!

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Email: info@itsamimic.com

Intro/Outro Music by: Melodica's Music

Logo by: Kate Skidmore

M009 - Mailbag of Holding - Why Dan? Jun 20, 2020

Show notes

It's Petrified Ent Liches, evil dragons as PC's, and lycanthropic players! This special mailbag episode runs the gamut from personal truths to ridiculous puns and everything in between. So buckle up for some more insanity, and head to Reddit, Instagram, Facebook, and info@itsamimic.com to ask questions for the next round!

We answered questions from the following people.
Crystal from Facebook
Coffee Bitch Dave
@thejyoung
@saladman_77
@pepperina_sparklegem
@alexander_anotherskip_davis
@spidey_rich
@breakyourheroes
MissRogue1701 from Reddit
@itsgrahamslife
Bill from Facebook
@dalecritchley
@tyler.kohlman
@nick._.long

Available On: iTunes | Spotify | Podbean | YouTube

Don’t forget to Like/Follow/Subscribe/Whatever when you listen!

Social: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Reddit

Email: info@itsamimic.com

Intro/Outro Music by: Cory Wiebe

Logo by: Kate Skidmore

B021 - Campaign Builder - Caravans (Level Four) Jun 18, 2020

Show notes

Being a part of a caravan can be very different than escorting an NPC or two, and in this episode of the Campaign Builder, Dan and Adam sit down and look at what travelling looks like when the party isn't necessarily calling the shots. From boxing matches to purple worms, this episode has a surprising amount of action for a scenario with supposedly-little combat!

Takeaways:
- Caravans should be thought of as nomadic civilizations, and there will be many of the same characters and issues that a town face during a long trek.
- Think about the kinds of environments your campaign is in, and what domesticated magical beasts people would use to help with travel through some of the unique challenges.
- Some of the challenges when dealing with large groups of NPC's present are balancing combat, pacing encounters, and handling non-social players.
- Caravans leave little opportunity for exploration, so side quests and smaller missions may be a welcomed break from monotony.
- Caravans are filled with many people with many jobs, many motivations, and many secrets.

Also, beware the arachnacamel!

Available On: iTunes | Spotify | Podbean | YouTube

Don’t forget to Like/Follow/Subscribe/Whatever when you listen!

Social: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Reddit

Email: info@itsamimic.com

Intro/Outro Music by: Cory Wiebe

Logo by: Kate Skidmore