How exciting! Take a look at that screenshot from the preview video for the Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Players Handbook (PHB)! They’re showing a picture of a character in a wheelchair and talking about new ways to customize your character!

I told my family and friends. I said, when we launched Limitless Heroics, that this is a movement, that we’re showing the industry that people care about disability, neurodiversity, and mental illness representation. Wizards of the Coast (WotC) hired a fantastic consultant to talk to them about the importance of authentic representation. They showed us what was coming in that video. Even if our work wasn’t an impetus for this change, it’s a Divine Smite against ableism!

So I talked to some of my friends who got advance copies and asked them how the 2024 PHB handled disability inclusion! “There’s nothing there.” Is there maybe a wheelchair in the equipment section?! “No, nothing like that.”

Really?

Today, I looked for myself to see whether they missed something. I searched the D&D Beyond version for anything that might reveal an overlooked section. Nothing. That video was poorly planned at best and completely misleading at worst.

Roll for Racism

But it doesn’t stop there. Because WotC (admirably) wanted to remove terms like half-elf and half-orc due to problematic racist connotations, they removed all rules for creating any character of mixed ancestry. They could have included an adapted variation of the custom lineages from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything as a paragraph or two instead, but they didn’t, so the 2024 core rules allow only pureblood people groups, effectively gamifying miscegenation laws.

Then, by refusing to follow the distinction between biology and culture as begun with the excellent Ancestry and Culture that nearly every 5e variant since has emulated, they doubled down on the bioessentialism that they attempted to avoid. Contrast that with PJ Coffey’s excellent Homebrew and Hacking: Crafting Heritages and Cultures, which not only offers an infinite variety while distinguishing between biology and culture but also offers a Creative Commons licensed SRD including a digital braille version for accessibility!

GM: “A Hadozee and Tanis Pureblood-Elven walk into the tavern….”

OK, but what about neurodivergence?

Neurodiversity gets even less authentic representation than physical disabilities in games and other media, but WotC showed their (one-time) commitment to this by introducing Asteria in the Book of Many Things, their first autistic character. But sadly, their ADHD representation wasn’t as accurate.

With ability scores, the PHB suggests, “Once you’ve assigned your ability scores, give some thought to what those scores might say about your character’s appearance and personality.” It includes suggestions for high and low scores, but the only remotely neurodivergent trait included, “Fidgety,” is listed under High Dexterity. I can tell you as a fidgety guy with ADHD, Dexterity is my dump stat. Clumsiness is a common trait for ADHD, so if that was an attempt at subtle inclusion, they did not hit the necessary DC for a success.

But not a critical fail

That said, they did make some improvements.

The artwork includes a vast range of demographics, showing far more diversity than ever, although still no body differences like face differences, body proportion differences, or pigmentation varieties such as vitiligo. The inclusion of disabled characters in the artwork is commendable, even if it’s a picture that lacks 1000 words that should explain them.

Common Sign Language has been added to the common languages list.

The physical version has a larger font for better readability than before but still no braille, not even electronic braille, even though WotC promised this back in 2020.

The Best Improvement

But if I could get them to include one subtle change, one Limited Wish, it would be the inclusion of this sentence, which does appear in the 2024 PHB:

Many effects impose a condition, a temporary state that alters the recipient’s capabilities.

Conditions like Blinded, Deafened, and Paralyzed have often been used to represent the permanent experiences of blindness, deafness, and paralysis, but we have argued that conditions in 5e, in spite of the problematic images in the 2014 PHB (Thanks for removing those!), are designed to represent temporary circumstances, not the permanent disabilities we encounter and experience in the real world. WotC finally codified that.

This is a critical inclusion. This clarifies that disabilities are more complex than rolling with disadvantage. It hints that disabilities are nonbinary spectrums. It removes the insinuation that people can’t learn to adapt to their disabilities and even thrive with them.

Yeah, I’m probably reading too much into that, but we’ll take our victories where we can get them and use them to ascend yet another step in an inaccessible world.

We are still in Initiative, and it’s our turn.

Discover New Realms with Our Limited-Time Bundle!

Elevate your Dungeons & Dragons 5E campaigns with a treasure trove of new content! This limited-time bundle on DriveThruRPG brings together exciting titles from multiple publishers. Get incredible value and fresh adventures for your table. For a limited time, you can get this amazing collection at a significant discount.

• Total Value: $32.37
• Special Bundle Price: $17.77
• Savings: $14.60 (45%)

Included Titles:

1. Maze of Mezeria for 5e by Earl of Fife Games

   • A thrilling 53-page adventure filled with labyrinthine secrets and survival challenges, best for 1st or 2nd level characters.
   • Features new adversaries, a fully keyed map, and fatigue mechanics to test your players.

2. Stoneharbor (Andovir Atlas) by Wyrmworks Publishing

   • A vibrant port city that integrates accessibility and diverse cultures, perfect for any campaign world.
   • Includes adventure hooks, new ancestries, backgrounds, and NPCs to enrich your stories.

3. Cavern Crawl #047 – Vein Vengeance (5e) by Grim Press

   • A 4th-level adventure featuring new monsters, magic items, and detailed battle maps.
   • Perfect for a party of four to six players.

4. Asger Earthsculptor — People of the Vale by T.M. van Dalen RPG

   • Focuses on a wizard obsessed with earth magic, including a unique encounter and exploration-focused mini-boss battle.

5. Into the Paper World: Ashcan Edition by Echidna Design

   • A whimsical and dark setting inspired by forgotten creative works, featuring new monsters, magic items, and adventure hooks.

6. Siege of the Silver Stag (5e) by Scoundrel Game Labs

   • A horror survival one-shot where players must withstand waves of zombies while managing NPC interactions.

Don’t Miss Out!

This bundle is an unbeatable way to inject fresh life into your campaigns with diverse adventures and rich settings. Whether you’re exploring the depths of a maze, navigating a bustling port city, or surviving a siege, this collection has something for every D&D 5E fan. Grab it now before it’s gone and bring new excitement to your gaming table!

What’s the ideal number of players for a TTRPG game? Five or six? What about dozens? Or hundreds?

What if you wanted to run a Dungeons and Dragons 5e game for hundreds of players, most of whom have never played a TTRPG, all at the same time? Introducing Crowdplay, a solution that allows presenters to run immersive encounters for dozens or even hundreds simultaneously!

What is Crowdplay?

Crowdplay is simplified, streamlined system for teaching D&D 5e basics through shared narrative encounters. A presenter explains the game and uses “Table GMs” to facilitate the encounter. A Table GM needs no experience with Dungeons & Dragons or other tabletop roleplaying games. The Crowdplay system uses simplified rules that anyone can use without experience.

Key features:

• Designed for large groups of any experience level
• Focuses on core TTRPG mechanics: Ability Checks, Initiative, Advantage/Disadvantage, and, for some extra fun, critical successes and failures!
• Built on 5e to prepare players for full 5e play
• Demonstrates that experience is not necessary to have fun as a Dungeon Master
• Can be used in-person, online, or both at the same time
• It’s free to download and use

Teach TTRPGs Anywhere!

We designed Crowdplay to answer the question, “What is Dungeons & Dragons?” through a fun interactive demonstration. We tested it at a non-gamer event with 100 players, including 6–8 attending via Zoom. 5–6 total attendees had ever played a TTRPG before, and we updated the design based on that test.

We designed the final product to be usable in nearly any setting, such as:

• Business Conferences
• Family Reunions
• Motivational Speaker events
• Classrooms
• Neighborhood Barbecues
• Gaming Conventions
• Tween Birthday Parties and Slumber Parties
• Church Youth and/or Family Events
• Those times when a horde of kobolds invade your home looking for entertainment (As we’ve all experienced!)

A Little Problem: Examine the Kit

This all-in-one resource includes all of the files you need to run a Crowdplay game:

• Presenter’s guide PDF with tips for facilitating Crowdplay sessions.
• PowerPoint presentation file to visually set up the narrative and mechanics.
• Pregenerated character sheets representing a wide range of diverse heroes to demonstrate the limitless character possibilities that tabletop games offer
• Comprehensive Table GM guide for coordinating the encounter in person and across multiple “virtual tables” using apps like Zoom, with insider info on enemies, adjudicating ability checks, initiative chart, encounter management chart, and more.
• An escort mission with an encounter facing hostile goblins, including multiple possibilities for success.

Download it for Free

Download the free “A Little Trouble” Crowdplay kit from DriveThruRPG today so you have it next time someone asks you, “What is D&D?”

AI chatbots are immensely popular tools, and many have speculated about how to use them to improve D&D and other TTRPG games. Here’s a list of prompts that you can use to improve your game.

Add Variety to Your Game

Give me some recommendations for great D&D 5e books and resources from third party publishers

If you ask a chatbot for these resources directly, it can create suggested resources from adventures to stat blocks, but because AI uses an average of everything, you’ll only get average results. It can be helpful to get you past Blank Page Syndrome (AKA Writers Block), but everything gets repetitive quickly, and don’t expect any ideas that will blow away your players.

But by suggesting products made by actual design professionals, it might show you some of the more popular books by creative designers who know and love the game and have invested themselves in making your game better. Or you can check out the most popular titles at the DMs Guild.

It will hallucinate though, suggesting books that don’t exist, so you’re probably better off asking people about their favorite resources or going to the suggested companies’ websites.

Get Advice to Improve Your Game

Give me a list of D&D 5e blogs that give Dungeon Masters great advice, and give me directions how to subscribe to them

Because you don’t know what you don’t know, it’s hard to get general advice from a chatbot that’s helpful beyond the most generic suggestions. But thankfully, the hobby boasts many amazing blogs full of great tips that will answer questions you didn’t know you had and give you tips you’d never think to ask for. Or you can follow the RPG Blogroll to get a steady feed of insights and suggestions from people who know the game and write from extensive experience.

Get Feedback to Improve Your Ideas

Give me a list of online communities where Dungeon Masters give each other advice

While you could feed your latest adventure idea into a chatbot and ask for feedback, even minimal experience playing the game as a human will give you more insight than a chatbot. The problem is that chatbots don’t have insights. A black pudding has more insight than a chatbot.

Instead, find online places with other players and GMs. All of the major social media platforms have them. Personally, to avoid chasing algorithms, I prefer oldschool forums like EN World.

Make a Game Your Players Will Love

Give me a few questions I can ask my players to make sure they’re all enjoying the D&D 5e game that I’m running as Dungeon Master

You can’t ask a chatbot what your players value most in a game. It has no values. You have to ask the players. But a few pointed questions can be helpful.

Impress your players with amazing art for your encounters

Give me a list of sources to find low cost or public domain non-AI fantasy artwork that would work for my D&D game

Instead of exploiting talented artists by using their work without their permission, find some interesting art & use that for inspiration. It’s the reverse of how most DMs design their encounters, but perusing the Smithsonian collection, Wikimedia Commons, or other sources can give you many adventure, monster, or treasure ideas. Sadly, most public stock art sites have become nearly useless as they’ve been flooded with AI images. If you’re looking for something specific, DriveThruRPG is the only fantasy art site I know of that forbids AI images to be added as stock art (although they still allow it to be used in other products with a content flag and haven’t removed the hundreds of AI-generated images currently in their library), support actual artists so they can keep creating original pieces by purchasing stock art from DriveThruRPG.

Notice the Pattern?

OK, this article is a but tongue-in-cheek, but I hope you recognize the point. What makes tabletop roleplaying games great is the people. For all the amazement over AI tools, human creativity can ponder an idea, consider it, and imagine it. AI takes a Mrs. Murphy’s Chowder of words and mindlessly puts them into a mold, the opposite of what makes analog games so great.

Talk to people — local and online communities. Support creators, both the homebrew community and professional designers and artists. Get advice from people who care about their players and want everyone at your table to have a great time.

Are you or someone you know a Dungeons & Dragons player with print or reading disabilities? We’re excited to announce a new resource designed to enhance accessibility and inclusivity in tabletop gaming.

We understand the importance of accommodating diverse needs within our gaming communities. That’s why we’ve developed a set of character sheets tailored specifically for players who have difficulty with traditional text-based materials.

They should be fighting monsters, not their character sheet!

Our Accessible Character Sheets utilize 🧙emojis🧝 alongside text to help players navigate character information efficiently. Whether it’s tracking ⛑️🎶Abilities♿️🪽, ✨Spells⚡️, or ⚒️Possessions🪙, the intuitive layout makes it easy to find what you need at a glance. Plus, with blank spaces for personalized drawings, players can create visual cues that resonate with them, enhancing memory and engagement.

Key Features:

• 🧑‍🎨 Emoji-based design for easy navigation 🧭
• Blank spaces for personalized drawings
• Images of dice shapes for quick reference
• Available in PDF and DOCX formats for flexibility and customization
• Screen reader-friendly DOCX option for enhanced accessibility

We’re committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in gaming, and these character sheets are just one way we’re working to make TTRPGs more accessible to everyone. Best of all, they’re offered under a CC-BY-4.0 license, so you can share and adapt them to suit your gaming group’s needs and share your creations.

Join us in fostering a more inclusive gaming community. Download our Accessible Character Sheets today so everyone can explore together!

Together, let’s make tabletop gaming accessible for all.

We’re committed to creating a more inclusive gaming experience for everyone. We’re thrilled to announce the release of the first-ever braille conversion of the 5th Edition System Reference Document (SRD), making the core rules of 5th edition accessible to a wider audience of players and creators.

This comprehensive resource is completely free and available in multiple formats:

• Players Guide: Explore core character creation options, including races, classes, backgrounds, and equipment.
• Game Master Guide: Discover essential rules for running the game, crafting engaging campaigns, and utilizing magic items (with harmful content removed).
• Monster Guide: Encounter a vast library of creatures, faithfully adapted for braille readers.
• Spellcasting Guide: Master the art of magic with comprehensive spellcasting rules and descriptions.
• Step-by-Step Tutorial: Designers, open your games and supplements to more fans and customers!

Designed with accessibility in mind, the SRD braille conversion comes in two formats:

• BRF: Optimized for dynamic braille readers and physical embossers.
• BBZ: Editable in BrailleBlaster software for further customization.

This resource is released under a CC-BY license, allowing anyone to freely use and adapt it for their projects. We encourage the RPG community to embrace accessibility and make their content inclusive for all players!

This braille conversion marks a significant step towards a more inclusive gaming space. While we continue striving to create RPG materials that are not only accessible but also celebrate diverse representation, this resource provides a valuable starting point for players and creators who are blind or visually impaired.

Join us in breaking down barriers and making gaming a more inclusive hobby for everyone!

Download the 5th Edition SRD Braille Conversion and Tutorial Files

We’d love to hear your feedback and suggestions! Share your thoughts in the comments below.

What’s the most unstoppable monster in any D&D game? The tarrasque? An ancient red dragon? Nope.

Throughout its entire history, what monster has wiped out more parties than any other, through every edition?

Nothing can TPK an adventuring party before it even sets out like the dreaded Schedule! (Mwah-hah-hah…yeah, I know. It’s so deadly, it’s not even funny.) Trying to coordinate 4–6 schedules and find a time that works for everyone consistently is a feat that few with outside responsibilities ever gain.

And even when you can set something up, what do you do when three players have to cancel at the last minute?

Imagine a magic item so powerful that it can give you advantage against such a powerful foe! Introducing…

Ready-to-Roll Adventure

Wondrous item, Common

This adventure has 1 charge. While carrying it, you can expend the charge as an action to start an adventure with the 1 or 2 players who could still make it. The adventure regains its charge every time you’re with a different player.

That’s right — a one-shot adventure for a DM and 1–2 players that’s designed to require no prep. You can carry it on your phone, as a pamphlet, or as a card deck in your pocket, ready to play for characters of level 1–4! The adventure includes quick reference tools to help the DM keep track of NPCs and other details. And you can get the whole adventure for only $1!

The First in a Series

The first Ready-to-Roll Adventure, Feyweather Friends, launches on Kickstarter this spring. Mix an invasion of new aberrant Far Realm nasties with fey creatures, and you’re sure to have a great time instead of calling it off and going home!

And of course, like all of our work, this adventure is designed for inclusivity.

Ready-to-Roll Adventures are also ideal when:

• Your kids want to play D&D, and you have some time but didn’t have a chance to prep anything for them.
• You’re waiting for a flight, a bus, or in line for concert tickets.
• You learn that the person next to you on the plane is also a D&D player!
• You want to play during a lunch break, a free hour between classes, or another last-minute opportunity.
• Someone learns that you play D&D and asks you what it is.

Available Extras

If you play online, we’ll have FoundryVTT and Roll20 versions ready.

If you like handouts and other extras so you don’t have to sacrifice a deluxe gaming experience, we’ll have that available as well!

Sign up to get notified when it goes live, and be the hero that saves your party!

We have exciting news! The pre-launch page for Limitless Champions Adventures is live! We’ve got a groundbreaking Kickstarter campaign on the horizon, and here are the top 10 reasons why you should click that “Notify Me” button right away:

1. Historic Inclusivity: Be part of history by supporting the first-ever published collection of D&D Adventures featuring a wide variety of disabilities represented. Join the movement for a more inclusive gaming world! 
   Click here to get notified 👈
2. You get to push the button! Unlike the elevator buttons where you had to take turns with your siblings to push them, you can push this one yourself without waiting! Push it now! Don’t wait your turn! 🔘👈
3. Versatile Adventures: These adventures can be used in any campaign world and at any 5e table. Whether you’re exploring the urban sprawl, braving the arctic tundra, scaling mountain peaks, wandering enchanted forests, or spelunking in dark caves, we’ve got you covered. Now you have my attention!
   
4. Free Adventure for Early Backers! Get a free bonus horror mystery adventure, The Insiders, if you back it for any reward tier within the first 48 hours of launching. I don’t want to miss out!
   
5. There is no 5th reason. Perfect! I like clicking buttons for no reason!
6. Hardcover Book: Get your hands on a beautifully crafted hardcover book filled with gripping narratives and diverse characters. Sounds like a good addition to my game shelf!
7. Cards and Handouts: Dive deeper into the adventures with tarot-sized character and encounter cards and immersive handouts. It’s all about the details! What a great deal! (Catch what I did there? 🃏)
   
8. Digital Options: We’ve got you covered in the digital realm too! Access our adventures in PDF and other accessible digital formats like plain text, audio, and ePub for easy integration into your campaigns, and all copies include downloadable 4K digital maps for every encounter. I am proficient in clicking!
9. Miniature Add-Ons: Enhance your tabletop experience with miniatures available as add-ons, plus links to extra free downloadable STLs or low-cost printed miniatures to complete the adventures. Paint ‘em, display ‘em, and bring your adventures to life! Color me intrigued!
   
10. Inclusion Tips: The book includes a section to help you make your game more accessible and add representation into your game. That alone sounds like a valuable resource!

So, what are you waiting for? Click that “Notify Me” button, join our quest for limitless adventures, and help us make gaming more inclusive than ever before!

Yes! I like pushing people’s buttons! 😏

I keep seeing headlines like, “(Some name) becomes first Black/Latino/etc. (some respected position),” and every time, I think, “Wow, what year is it that this is the first time?” But besides women, disabled people are the largest marginalized demographic in the world. Their “firsts” are still rare. For most of those same positions, “…becomes first disabled…,” hasn’t happened yet.

But we tabletop gamers live in worlds filled with minotaurs and merfolk, halflings and centaurs, so we of all people should have no problem imagining people with diverse abilities in every segment of society. And yet we encounter fewer disabled people anywhere in TTRPG worlds than in executive real-world positions.

We want this year to be “that year” in every TTRPG world where that representation isn’t happening yet, and we want to help you make that happen. To that end, we developed the largest, most diverse collection of disabled fantasy minis ever made, now available as downloadable STLs or printed miniatures.

Fighting ableism with stat blocks

Disability representation in tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs) fosters inclusive gaming environments. It creates a diverse and welcoming experience. Disabled miniatures enhance the overall storytelling and offer a more authentic and empathetic gaming experience. By incorporating disabled miniatures, RPGs acknowledge and validate the experiences of individuals with disabilities, promoting inclusivity and breaking down barriers. Players with disabilities can recognize themselves reflected in the game, communicating belonging and empowerment.

I never see my condition represented in any media, and now, I’m in D&D!

A Limitless Heroics backer

Diverse miniatures featuring representative characters also broaden the narrative possibilities within TTRPGs. They allow players to explore different perspectives, experiences, and challenges that disabled characters may face. This not only enhances storytelling but also encourages empathy and understanding among players. This representation promotes dialogue, encourages education, and contributes to a culture of acceptance and respect.

Accessible Conditions

Most TTRPG content is still only available in paper or PDF, two of the least accessible formats for blind and low-vision players, especially watermarked PDF, which screen readers can’t access, and PDF without image alt text, which is common due to all layout software except Adobe InDesign refuses to include image alt text capability. For miniatures, condition rings may be color-coded or use embossed text, which gives the same accessibility issues.

So we offer plain text versions of our products and audio and ePub for most, plus the Lair, our online compendium that’s accessible to browser tools and screen readers and offers the most affordable option to access all of our content.

For miniatures, we’ve included condition monitors as bases that give visual and tactile indications of their meaning, and as bases, they’re easy to use—players just set the mini on the base. The bottom of each base also has a braille label as an additional accessibility measure.

Find them all at our store.