It’s A Mimic!

Latest Episodes:

B013 - Campaign Builder - Law (Level Two) Apr 23, 2020

Show notes

What does order look like, and what are some fundamental kinds of laws and orders that a Dungeons & Dragons party might run into? In this week's episode of the Campaign Builder, Dan and Adam dig into their unique definitions of law, and how they think about applying rules within their D&D worlds. Because, after all, rules are meant to be broken...

Different Kinds of Law and Order:
- Religious Law
- Legal Law
- Organization Law
- Customs
- Status (Honour)
- Popularity (Reputation)
- Morality or Ill-Repute
- Survival of the Fittest
- Magical Law

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M008 - Mailbag of Holding - Unearthed Arcana: Magical Tattoos (@gelfwings) Apr 22, 2020

Show notes

In this special mailbag episode, the panel of Dungeon Masters has a pointed discussion about the recent Unearthed Arcana addition: Magical Tattoos. Things get a bit needly as they try to draw clear conclusions, but before the ink dries on this topic, you'll be able to see the whole picture. Thanks to everyone who participated in the Giveaway, and stay tuned for more opportunities to control the flow of an episode's conversation!

The Tattoos:
Absorbing Tattoo
Barrier Tattoo
Coiling Grasp Tattoo
Eldritch Claw Tattoo
Blood Fury Tattoo
Illuminator's Tattoo
Lifewell Tattoo
Ghost Step Tattoo
Masquerade Tattoo
Spellwrought Tattoo
Shadowfell Tattoo

Giveaway Winner: @gelfwings

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Intro/Outro Music by: Cory Wiebe

Shout Out Music by: Tyler Gibson

Logo by: Kate Skidmore

E065 – Dungeon Mastery - Condition Effects 1: Sensory Deprivation, Poisons, Frightened, and Confusion Apr 21, 2020

Show notes

This episode of the It's A Mimic! podcast sees Adam, Dan, Terry take a look at some common conditions in Dungeons & Dragons 5E. All five of the conditions listed impede or disrupt the player's agency in some way, so how do we make these fun and interesting at the table? How can we keep the roleplay rolling and the combat coming?

Blinded, Deafened, Poisoned, Charmed, and Frightened all leave something to be desired, but is homebrewing additional consequences too cumbersome? Or do we need a little 3.5 in our 5e? It's time to argue, once again, as the panel of Dungeon Masters tears into the game design and discuss fairness, balance, and expectations.

On-Air Shoutout: @pepperina_sparklegem

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Intro/Outro Music by: Cory Wiebe

Shout Out Music by: Tyler Gibson

Logo by: Kate Skidmore

B012 - Campaign Builder - Horror (Level Two) Apr 16, 2020

Show notes

In Dungeons & Dragons, nNot every day is a walk in the park, and not every walk in the park happens during the day. The frightening, the weird, and the outright malicious lay just around the corner of most adventures, but how do you raise the tension and build horror around the table? This week, the Campaign Builder focuses on how to bring horror to your table, even at low levels. It's not just ghosts and ghoulies in this episode. Adam and Dan talk about pushing boundaries, reading the table, and understanding the different types of Horror.

Different Threats in Horror:
- Bizarre
- Cosmic
- Creature
- Monster
- Phobic
- Religious
- Stalker
- Undead

The Five Pillars of Horror:
- Disgust
- Dread
- Suspense
- Helplessness
- Pain

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Intro/Outro Music by: Cory Wiebe

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E064 - Port-FOE-lios - Constructs: Machinations of Death Apr 14, 2020

Show notes

In this week's episode, we say thank you very mucho, Mr. Roboto to our favorite mechanical (or magical?) constructed horrors of Dungeons and Dragons 5E, the Constructs. Adam, Dan and (of course) Dave, chime in in an ordered fashion about the general rules and flavor of Constructs. And, like clockwork, have some disagreements about the nature of constructs to the plane devoted to all things construct, Mechanus (how do you say that word?).
Then, the panel of DM's breaks down three top tier mechanical threats and how to use them in your campaigns; The Marut, the Steel Predator and the Hellfire Engine. They spin their wheels and grind their gears while coming to a general consensus about this often-overlooked monster class.

On-Air Shoutout: @wolfedges

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Intro/Outro Music by: Cory Wiebe

Shout Out Music by: Tyler Gibson

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B011 - Campaign Builder - Urban Unrest (Level Two) Apr 09, 2020

Show notes

Riots! Urban unrest! Mobs and crowds and chaos! This episode focuses on what happens when an urban environment descends into chaos and how to disrupt the status quo! Dan and Adam are at it again, this time with angry and frightened citizens, insane religious leaders, and overwhelmed city officials! It's mayhem, havoc, and disruption as far as they eye can see, so brace yourselves for another episode of the Campaign Builder. Because things are about to get messy!

Takeaways:
- A world-shaking event should feel chaotic and out of control by keeping the pressure on the players.
- Disrupting the status quo doesn't mean punishing the players or taking away their recent rewards.
- The simple act of making impactful, positive decisions during a riot will steer your players toward community leadership roles.
- As Dungeon Masters help the players learn the world in early sessions, it is equally important for the Dungeon Masters to observe and learn how the characters react to their world.
- If players don't take the bait on some dynamic encounters during the chaos, let it go. Don't remove agency by forcing their hands.
- Dragging the party out into the city will allow them to continue to explore and map out the city as they fight to keep the city from tearing itself apart.

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Intro/Outro Music by: Cory Wiebe

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E063 – Class: Divine Intervention - Clerics: Holy Rollers Apr 07, 2020

Show notes

The panel of DM's dives back behind the pulpit to further discuss some of the divine domain choices of the Cleric in Dungeons and Dragons 5E. Before they do that, however, they break down what a holy site or temple could look like, the depth a keepsake could bring and what kind of drama a secret could add to your tables. Finally, once that's all through, they try to capture the power behind the Trickery domain, uncover the hidden secrets of the Knowledge domain and challenge themselves to unlock the storm with Tempest Clerics.

From crazy cults, to Midsommer communes, to crazy paladins with pet rocks; Dan, Megan and Adam attempt to do the Cleric and the options made available in Xanathar's Guide to Everything justice all while positing some interesting characters, both PC and NPC worthy, to inject into your games. They also discuss the merits of being divinely chosen, or choosing the divine!

On-Air Shoutout: Welland Gaming Group by Matt W.

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Intro/Outro Music by: Cory Wiebe

Shout Out Music by: Isaac Callender

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B010 - Campaign Builder - Foundations: Building Dynamic Encounters Apr 02, 2020

Show notes

Dynamic Encounters can add chaos and complications... for good or for ill. So how do you keep it on the side of good? In this episode, Dan and Adam run through the common issues that they've run into with designing and managing dynamic encounters and how they've managed to troubleshoot these issues. From downtime to puzzles to interrupting a conversation with combat, they cover the gamut of dynamic encounters and even cover when to bail on the encounter and just move on.

Takeaways:
- Variety is the spice of life for encounters.
- Know the difference between dwindling resources and character fatigue.
- Occasionally tempting or goading the players forward can have their own agency drag them into the next part of a dynamic encounter.
- Understand what your triggering action is, and why it will trigger.
- At higher levels, when the players are operating like experts and superheroes, start to require combinations of skill checks to pass some encounters.
- Not every failure has to be life and death. But every failure - and every success - does need to have a consequence.

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Intro/Outro Music by: Cory Wiebe

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X002: Ulhemanzerfindle's Spectabulous Depository of Dangerful Know-ables and Five-boding Scriptances (Actual Play) Apr 01, 2020

Show notes

Happy April Fool's Day! It's been a year, and that means it's time for another bout of roundtable DMing in this sequel to episode W001, the infamous Wizard's Tower episode.

Big Ivan is back, and he's looking to put together a new crew. His last gang is dead or missing, but the Philosopher's Stone has been relocated to a Wizard's Bank: Ulhemanzerfindle's Spectabulous Depository of Dangerful Know-ables and Five-boding Scriptances. Those that live will be founding members of a new gang. Those that die or arrested will be forgotten and disavowed. The new crew is comprised of:

Parindmoor the Tortle Druid (played by Dan)
Vash the Kalashtar Bard (played by Adam)
Ron Thacker the Halfling Barbarian (played by Terry)
Pandandion "Dandy" the Dragonborn Cleric (played by Dan)
Terrance Daniels the Changeling Rogue (played by Adam)
Julia Featherleather the Gnome Wizard (played by Terry)
The riddle/poem included is:
In the line with glory, the elders paced,
And sought the story of this wondrous place,
But when they stood lost and bewildered,
Thrice they yelled out to their wonderful wizard,
He stretched out and snickered to himself with pride,
And down his hand traveled to his side,
And with a flick of the wrist the landscapes hissed,
And made plain where the elders should stride.

All donations through the website will be used to help pay for the poor Minotaur family's medical bills and ongoing psychotherapy.

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E062 - Class: Half-Casters, All Fun - Rangers: Bow Strings Attached Mar 31, 2020

Show notes

The panel of DM's return to the trail oft-overlooked in Dungeons and Dragons 5E: The Ranger. This time, they are tackling the subclasses available in Xanathar's Guide to Everything: The Horizon Walker, The Gloom Stalker, and the Monster Slayer. Even though they faun over these subclasses, they have slightly different opinions about the flavour suggestions available in XGtE, and offer other inspirations for your far-travelling Rangers.

From mechanical power creep to underwhelming flavour options, Dan, Dave, and Adam trade ideas back and forth for new inspirations, unique characters, and alternative perspectives on this class. Not all rangers are created equal, and this episode lays bare that truth from the outset.

On-Air Shoutout: @swgamingsociety

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Intro/Outro Music by: Cory Wiebe

Shout Out Music by: Isaac Callender

Logo by: Kate Skidmore