Dark Elf Dice Blog

The good folks at Dark Sword Miniatures are at it again! Three brand new releases are available for your game table with an exciting Dragonborn Mage leading the pack.

Dragonborn Mage Miniature

The Dragonborn Mage miniature is another outstanding representation of the high quality craftsmanship of Dark Sword Miniatures. Sculpted by Jeff Grace, one of my all-time favorite artists, this mini is flat-out fantastic (note: Jeff has sculpted for all the best companies including Dark Sword, Reaper and Ral Partha Enterprises among others).

• Dragonborn Mage DSM7492

The detail on this model is amazing -- the flowing robes, the mystical amulet, the horned belt buckle, and the dragon-head staff are just a few of the features that make me want to roll-up a Dragonborn spell caster for game night.

You Might Like: New Dark Sword Miniatures October 2018

Is There A Cleric In The House?

Besides the Dragonborn Mage, two clerics have also been released. The first is a female dwarven cleric rearing back a mace (presumably to smite an undead horror -- that or an annoying party member... can't really be sure), along with a classic, heavy plate armored cleric with a mace and shield:

• Female Dwarven Cleric With Mace DSM7353
• Male Cleric With Mace And Shield DSM7349

The clerics were crafted by the legendary Tom Meier, another amazing talent who was one of the early sculpting innovators during the golden age of RPG gaming.

Yesterday, we added a new set to the Shadowstone dice collection -- Shadowstone Abyss. This new dice set has the hallmark, otherworldly color combinations as the other dice in the series, but with an added twist.

Shadowstone Abyss Dice

Shadowstone Abyss dice feature a mixture of green and purple with a soft infusion of iridescent glitter. The end result is a gorgeous, shimmering color. If you're looking to match dice with a character class, these are amazing dice for a wizard, sorcerer, or any magic-based character in Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, and other fantasy tabletop RPGs.

You May Also Like: Mystic Dice Have Arrived

Iridescent Glitter

It's no wonder that iridescent glitter is popular with gamers and collectors alike. First used in Chessex Borealis dice and the since retired Crystal Caste Moonstone dice (we miss you!), iridescent glitter gives dice like the Shadowstone Abyss an ethereal sheen that shifts and intensifies in the light. Glitter isn't appropriate for all dice mind you, but when used properly with the correct color base the dice have a seemingly added energy that adds to the fun of any game night.

Until next time fellow travelers! Dark Elf Dice is full of surprises and we'll be adding many more dice sets in the coming months, so stay tuned.

Late this afternoon we received a restock of Wiz Dice, including Philospher Stone and Royal Bubblegum. The dice are now live on the site.

Wiz Dice Arrivals

The following Wiz Dice sets are back in stock and ready to ship immediately:

• Copper Sands
• Desert Topaz
• Dwarven Brandy
• Jade Oil
• Philosopher's Stone
• Royal Bubblegum
• Sea Glass
• Serpent

You May Also Like: The Blended Dice Collection Keeps On Growing

Still Waiting...

While we received a large shipment, regrettably some sets are still out of stock, and will remain on backorder for at least another 30 days. The out of stock dice sets include: Celestial Sea, Cherry Blossom, Ghost Jade, and everyone's favorite -- Sparkle Vomit :)

We're also waiting on our shipment of 100+ Random packs and hope to have the dice in soon. If you'd like us to hold a set or sets of Wiz Dice for you, please contact us and we'll add you to the list. As soon as the dice arrive you'll receive an automated email with a coupon code to boot.

That's all for now fellow traveler's! If you have any questions about Wiz Dice or any of the amazing dice we sell here at Dark Elf Dice, but sure to send me an email. Happy adventuring!

A good Dungeon Master screen is a DM's best friend. Not only does a screen hide valuable information from players (that could otherwise ruin a carefully planned gaming session), it also serves as a resource for useful information while showcasing artwork to help set the mood of an adventure.

Screen Or No Screen?

Not every DM uses a Dungeon Master screen. Some believe that all dice rolls, etc. should be made in the open. That's perfectly fine, but as a player and DM I feel that a screen adds to the sense of wonder and mystery of a game. Dice rolls notwithstanding, I typically keep notes and maps that I don't want my players to be privy to. A DM has to keep secrets, and a Dungeon Master screen helps in this endeavor.

The Best Dungeon Master Screen

I've used many DM screens throughout the years, but my absolute favorite is the Master's Tome -- a completely customizable 4-panel screen. I like this Dungeon Master screen so much, that we started selling it here on Dark Elf Dice.

We carry the screen in three colors: black, brown, and red (I personally have a red one). Beside the color, there is no difference between the screens. Each has 8 pockets that fit a regular sized piece of paper. I keep my notes, maps, and reference materials on the side that faces me, and I put artwork, notes, and other useful information on the outside for my players (the Master's Tome comes with 4 art and 4 game mechanic inserts if you want to use them).

As an added bonus, the screen's customizable pockets are waterproof and notes can be taken with a dry erase marker (I find this useful when I'm keeping track of a monster's hit points).

If all this isn't cool enough, what I think is brilliant is that the screen can be changed completely between campaigns or even entire games (I use the same screen for D&D and Pathfinder -- just switch out the papers and I'm all set).

Final Thoughts

So what do you think about DM screens? Do you use one in your campaign? If so, what have you found to be the best Dungeon Master screen? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Until next time, fellow travelers! Keep rolling crits and live your best life ever.

One of the sweetest dice sets we carry is back! Even though it's now autumn and the temperatures are starting to fall here in Wisconsin, Watermelon dice are still in season.

Watermelon Dice

Since their initial launch earlier this summer, Watermelon dice have proven to be a customer favorite. As part of the Forbidden Fruit collection, the dice fit in perfectly with the popular Passion Fruit and Kiwi dice we sell. Alas, the dice quickly sold out, but thankfully we just received a big shipment.

Watermelon dice are made from three color layers to look like their namesake. The green and off-white layers represent the rind, while the semi-translucent red mimics the fruit. The dice even have little black specks that look like watermelon seeds. To top it off, complimentary gold numbers complete the look. As a whole, the dice give gamers something truly different for game night.

Final Thoughts

Until next time fellow travelers! If you're interested learning more about Watermelon dice be sure to visit the Dark Elf Dice store listing here or contact us if you have any questions.

It's no secret that Dark Sword Miniatures produces some of the most brilliant tabletop miniatures this side of the Misty Mountains. This award winning company never ceases to amaze us with gorgeous new minis.

New Dark Sword Miniatures

Within the week, we'll be stocking the new Dark Sword Miniatures: three awesome models just released and ready for your greatest roleplaying game adventures.

The miniatures are:

• Female Paladin with Great Sword DSM7343
• Female Sorceress DSM7344
• Male Elf Warrior DSM7346

All three minis were sculpted by the legendary Tom Meier, and as you can see in the photos they look fantastic.

Final Thoughts

I've never met a miniature that I didn't like, but my favorite out of the three is the female paladin. Yes, I'm biased (paladins are my favorite character class to roleplay), but the full plate armor, winged helmet, and flowing cape really do it for me -- a perfect miniature for a player character or NPC (captain of the guard, king's champion, etc.).

Until next time fellow travelers! Dark Elf Dice is constantly adding new products to the store so be sure to check back often. Whether it's new Dark Sword Miniatures, dice, or toys you'll never know what you'll find next :)

There's a lot of excitement surrounding the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game these days. The RPG fan favorite is undergoing a slew of changes in its upcoming Second Edition release. Gamers will get a chance to play test the new system at next month's GenCon (public playtesting begins August 2 and runs through the end of 2018).

There are hundreds of new spells, magic-items, feats and more. Core classes are also being redesigned in 2e, but it's the new rogue features that I find especially intriguing.

New Pathfinder Rogue Features

Rogues need to be quick and skillful, leveraging their unique abilities against unaware enemies. The Pathfinder Second Edition will help achieve this through a mix of classic and new game mechanics. Here's a quick breakdown of some of the new rogue features sure to excite players and Game Masters alike:

• At 1st level, rogues get a surprise attack feature and can treat any enemy that has not taken its turn yet as if it were flat-footed. Strikes against a flat-footed enemy grant extra d6s of precision damage.
• At 9th level rogues get to apply debilitating strikes against flat-footed enemies as well (allows the entangling or enfeebling of foes in addition to the extra damage). As a rogue levels, more conditions can be applied with debilitating strikes, culminating with Master Strike at 19th level (the potential to insta- kill!).
• Rogues will now gain skill feats at a quicker rate (one per level instead of one every other level).
• Skill feats are rich and wide-ranging, allowing rogues to enjoy varied play styles -- everything from iconic sneak and stealth rogues, to dungeon-delving specialists, to smooth talking con artists, to fences and burglars, to everything in between! Players will be able to use expanded skill feats to create a truly unique character.

RELATED POST: New Reaper Miniatures Feature The Red Raven

In addition to the features above, a variety of class feats will be available to rogues as they level. A few examples:

• Nimble Dodge: a reaction that increases a rogue's Armor Class by 2.
• Mobility: rogues move at half speed and ignore reactions triggered by movement (attacks of opportunity for example).
• Reactive Pursuit: as a reaction, a rogue can chase after an enemy attempting to disengage.
• Dread Striker: frightened creatures are treated as flat-footed.
• Gang Up: allows a rogue to treat creatures within melee as flat-footed.
• Instant Opening: a rogue can treat a single enemy within 30 feet as flat-footed until the end of the next turn.
• Cognitive Loophole: rogues ignore a mental effect for a full round before it takes hold.
• Blank Slate: immune to detection, revelation and scrying effects.
• Twist The Knife: after sneak attack damage is applied, rogues can then apply persistent bleed damage equal to half their current sneak attack dice.

Final Thoughts

The above is only a sneak peak (pun intended), and there are many more new and exciting rogue features in store for Pathfinder Second Edition. All in all, the planned changes should allow players more variety when creating and roleplaying their characters.

So there you have it fellow travelers! What are your thoughts on the new Pathfinder rogue features? Do you plan on taking part in the upcoming Second Edition playtest? If so, what would you like to see tweaked or added to the rogue character class? Share your thoughts and ideas in the comment section below. Until next time! Remember: life is the ultimate adventure, so keep rolling natural 20s.

The wedding season is upon us! The weather is warm, the roses are in bloom, and there's so much romance in the air that it makes the poets weep with joy. Is it any wonder that this is the most popular time of the year to get married?

Geeky d20 Wedding

Still, even though weddings are popular now, gamers like to do things a little differently than most (hey, no one ever accuses us of being ordinary!).

One of the trends we've seen through the years is the rise of the geeky d20 wedding. Instead of the traditional clanging of glasses at the wedding reception (you know, where guests CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! their glasses with knives and forks to get the newlyweds to kiss), couples are substituting a giant inflatable d20 for the ritual.

A Happy Surprise

When we first started selling the inflatable d20's here at Dark Elf Dice, we just assumed that people wanted to use the giant dice at outdoor events or pool parties. They're more or less awesome, geeky beach balls and they seemed a natural fit for batting around on the sand or rolling across the lawn at a neighbor's BBQ.

It wasn't long however that customers started writing and telling us how they were going to use the inflatable d20s at their wedding reception. How cool was that! We're passionate about the dice and miniatures we sell, and it made all of us happy to think that a product we offer was being used in one of the most important celebrations in a couple's life.

A New Tradition

Basically, this is how the geeky wedding works: instead of guests clanging glasses, they take turns rolling the inflatable d20. On a successful roll between 11 and 20 (a hit!), the newlyweds kiss, and on a failed roll between 1 and 10 (a miss!) the guests in attendance have to kiss their partners. We've heard of variations of this new tradition, but this is the gist of the geeky d20 wedding.

Final Thoughts

One of the great things about gaming is how the hobby brings people together. Gaming events are times of happiness and laughter, and it only seems natural that the inflatable d20 would take a life of its own and be used in geeky weddings.

Have you used an inflatable d20 at your wedding reception, or do you know someone who has? We'd love to hear your story! Please feel free to share your experience in the comments section below.

Until next time fellow travelers! If you're one of the lucky ones getting married this month I congratulate you. You're embarking on one of the greatest adventures this life has to offer, and you'll be sharing this special time with your best friend in all the multiverse. Happy adventuring!

At Dark Elf Dice, we're always adding new dice to our impressive catalog, and some of the newest dice launched were Blended dice -- polyhedral dice in unusual two-color mixes.

New Blended Dice

Since we started carrying Blended dice late last year, the collection has steadily grown. The three newest dice sets came out last week, and are sure to offer something special for gamers and collectors.

The new Blended dice include Glamour Spell, Vorpal Blade, and Wild Magic (you can view these and other Blended dice here).

Glamour Spell dice are an unusual mixture of yellow and rose -- two of the rarer colors on the market today. The end result is a beautiful mix that appears soft and velvety. These dice are a great choice for Bards and spell casters.

Vorpal Blade dice feature a mix of purple and green. Unlike other purple/green mixes we sell, these Blended dice have a soft, metallic sheen. Combined with bright gold numbering, Vorpal Blade dice evoke the mystery of magical weapons.

Rounding out the newest Blended dice in our collection is my personal favorite, Wild Magic dice. A purple and red mixture is the hallmark of Wild Magic. Where the two colors blend together, an almost coppery-hue is created. Again, these are awesome dice for spell casters -- especially sorcerers of any alignment.

Final Thoughts

If you enjoy our newest Blended dice, be sure to check back often! As always, we'll be launching new dice sets over the coming months.

Until next time, fellow travelers! Take time to enjoy the precious gift of life, and have fun gaming :)

At Dark Elf Dice, we're big fans of Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game. It's hard to believe this horror classic is already in its seventh edition, but a game this good can't be stopped!

New Call Of Cthulhu Dice

Like most tabletop roleplaying games, players need dice, and Call of Cthulhu is no exception. For several years now, Q-Workshop has created amazing dice for CoC that help capture the mystery and horror of the game (to see the Cthulhu dice collection click here).

Last year, Q-Workshop and Chaosium teamed up yet again to expand the CoC dice line and launched an exciting Kickstarter project to bring new dice to the table. The Kickstarter proved to be a huge success, and 2,723 backers pledged over $280,000 to make the dream a reality.

Thanks to the Kickstarter, the new Call of Cthulhu dice are here. Four new plastic sets have been released under a sinister collection titled The Outer Gods. The dice are available in four separate colors: blue, green, red and yellow -- each color representing one of the Outer Gods of the CoC mythos (Azathoth, Cthulhu, Nyarlathotep, and Hastur). Like all Q-Workshop creations, these dice are rich with artistic carvings and symbols and quite frankly look flat-out amazing.

Metal Cthulhu Dice

As if four new CoC dice sets weren't enough, Q-Workshop also released the crown jewel of the Call of Cthulhu dice series: a premium metal set. These Cthulhu dice are a work of art: each metal die is adorned with sculpted tentacles and fanged mouths of madness on the corners. Really, there hasn't been anything produced quite like it in this or any other universe.

As soon as we introduced the metal dice on Dark Elf Dice, we sold out within a day. At the time of this blog post we're still sold out, but we have a new shipment inbound :)

Final Thoughts

In my opinion, the Q-Workshop/Chaosium partnership is one of the best collaborations in gaming, and has been for years. I was thrilled that both companies launched a Kickstarter to bring new Call of Cthulhu dice to CoC. It really is a good time to be a gamer and collector!

Until next time fellow travelers! May all your dice throws be critical hits, and all your enemies' dice throws be critical misses!

At Dark Elf Dice we're always looking to add new miniatures to our site, because you can never have too many minis! This week we added two new collections: Kitsune and Tengu miniatures.

Kitsune And Tengu Miniatures

A growing number of D&D gamers like to think outside the boundaries of traditional fantasy. Certainly there's nothing wrong with the abundance of elves, dwarves, and halflings that populate our imaginary worlds, but sometimes it's fun to challenge perceptions and roleplay a rare and exotic race. Both the Kitsune and Tengu races help satisfy that desire (the Kitsune being a race of anthropomorphic "fox people" and the Tengu "crow people").

That said, it's been hard to find good Kitsune and Tengu miniatures for the game table. D&D is at heart a pen and paper game where imagination reigns supreme, but miniatures have always been a way to add a level of fun to a game. Often times players wanting to roleplay a Kitsune or Tengu have had to use substitution miniatures (humans, elves, etc.) to establish their characters.

Thankfully, both Reaper and Dark Sword Miniatures carry a limited selection of Kitsune and Tengu Miniatures that we're now proud to carry on our site. The miniatures are exceptional, and are the same high quality gamers and collectors have come to expect. Many of the familiar classes are represented in these models: magic-users, fighters, rogues, etc. and gamers should no longer have to settle for substitution minis.

Final Thoughts

Though we're happy to add the new Kitsune and Tengu miniatures, there's always room for more! Both races are still underrepresented and hopefully Reaper and Dark Sword will continue adding new figures. When they do, we'll be sure to offer them on our site.

Until next time fellow travelers! Life is a precious gift so be sure to appreciate each and every day and make every moment count. Happy adventuring!

What time is it D&D fans? It's time to get excited! A brand new hardcover Dungeons and Dragons book is scheduled to be released on May 29, 2018, and from what we know so far it's going to be a doozy.

Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes

On Friday, Wizards of the Coast announced the latest expansion of Dungeons and Dragons 5E: Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes. Like previous releases, this latest tome will be part rule book and part lore book. Written from the perspective of Mordenkainen, an esteemed wizard from the world of Greyhawk, Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes will focus on the multiverse and new monsters.

Release Date

As mentioned above, the book's announced release date is May 29, 2018. Here's a few other details that will get gamers excited:

• Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes will be a hardcover release
• The book will be 256 pages
• Content will focus on the D&D multiverse and new monsters
• There will be a regular and variant cover for collectors.

Official Description

Here's the Wizards of the Coast official description for Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes to help whet our appetites:

This tome is built on the writings of the renowned wizard from the world of Greyhawk, gathered over a lifetime of research and scholarship. In his travels to other realms and other planes of existence, he has made many friends, and has risked his life an equal number of times, to amass the knowledge contained herein. In addition to Mordenkainen's musings on the endless wars of the multiverse, the book contains game statistics for dozens of monsters: new demons and devils, several varieties of elves and duergar, and a vast array of other creatures from throughout the planes of existence.

Final Thoughts

As excited as I was for Xanathar's Guide To Everything, I'm more psyched for Mordenkainen’s . I'm hoping this latest book will open up new adventures and stories based in legendary Greyhawk, one of the earliest D&D campaign settings. Fingers crossed!

Until next time fellow travelers! Happy adventuring!