The Black Notebook Podcast

Was Unearthed Arcana really the final word on AD&D, or did it just make the game heavier? In this episode, I take a close look at Gary Gygax’s bold claims, the new rules and options inside the book, and whether this famous expansion actually improved play or simply added more weight to an already complex game. #ADnD1e #UnearthedArcana #OldSchoolDnDSupport: https://Patreon.com/TheEvilDMWebsite: https://blacknotebook.org

In this episode, I look at the Son of Kyuss from the Fiend Folio, one of the nastiest undead in AD&D. This is not just a monster fight. It is fear, disease, worms, panic, and long-term trouble for any party that gets careless. I talk about why it works so well at the table, how to use it in a dungeon, and why monsters like this are a big part of what makes AD&D feel dangerous.

In this episode, we break down Feather Fall from the AD&D Player’s Handbook.This is a simple spell that keeps your characters alive. It slows falling, prevents damage, and turns bad calls into recoverable moments. We walk through how it works, where it shines, and how both players and GMs can use it to change the flow of the game. If your group ignores this spell, they are taking risks they do not need to take.You will hear:What the spell actually does at the tableIts limits and why timing mattersSmart ways to use it in combat and explorationHow it opens up vertical dungeon designWhy this spell saves more characters than damage spellsShort episode, practical use, straight to the table.

I was sitting around thinking about monsters again, and it hit me after watching one of those late night skinwalker videos. In D&D everyone always jumps straight to the doppelganger, but that misses the real fun. A skinwalker doesn’t rush the party. It watches. It studies. It follows them through the woods for days. It waits for someone to wander off, someone to get curious, someone to make a bad choice. That’s where the tension comes from. The party starts noticing animals that appear too often, shadows that move wrong, and the feeling that something is out there just beyond the firelight. By the time they realize they are being hunted, it might already be sitting at the campfire with them.Background Music:Attribution Code"Zombie Hoodoo" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Most games give players a cushion. More hit points. More healing. More second chances. Over time, that safety turns the dungeon into a resource puzzle instead of a threat.In this video, I break down why starting at 1 HP changes everything. How it strips away mechanical plot armor. How it forces smarter play. How it restores real tension to exploration, combat, and decision making. We look at the illusion of safety in modern systems, how to implement a 1 HP start without making your game unfair, and how to reward survival instead of kill counts.If you want your table to respect the dark again, this is where it starts.

Today we are cracking open D1 Descent Into the Depths of the Earth. This is not your cozy ten-foot corridor crawl. This is survival, pressure, and moral compromise wrapped in darkness. You are not the hero down here, you are the infection sneaking through a living, breathing underworld that wants you gone. Stick around and I’ll show you why the real descent is not just into the depths, but into your own choices. Keep up with me: https://solo.to/theevildm

I walk through the Donjon website and show how I use its generators to spark real campaign ideas. I focus on how a single prompt turned into the Black Tome of Cordelia, a dangerous silk-paged book with no quest giver and no safe way to use it. I break down how I would introduce it into a fantasy game, how player choices create pressure, and how consequences build slowly over time without obvious punishment. This is a practical look at turning random generators into usable, table-ready material.https://donjon.bin.sh/#Donjon #OldSchoolDnD #OSR #DungeonMaster #DMAdvice #tabletoprpg

Most AD&D monsters teach players to hit harder or cast faster. The flail snail exists to break that habit.In this video, I talk about why Gary Gygax included the flail snail in AD&D, what problem it was meant to solve, and why so many tables misunderstood it. This is not a stats breakdown. This is about design intent, spell reliance, and how pressure actually works at the table. Used wrong, the flail snail is a joke or a loot source. Used right, it forces hesitation, planning, and uncomfortable choices.If you have ever watched a confident party freeze when their best option stopped working, this monster did its job.

This is Part 2 of the Manual of the Planes deep dive. Part 1 covered what the book is and why it matters. This video is about actually running planar adventures at your table without turning them into a TPK or a rules lecture.How do you introduce planar travel without making it feel casual? How do you start small with border regions before throwing characters into full exposure? How do you use environment as your primary weapon instead of relying on exotic monsters? This video covers all of that. Rest isn't guaranteed in the planes. Safe zones should be rare and memorable. Magic should feel unpredictable, not useless. Planar NPCs matter more than monsters because they give players something to bargain with instead of always fighting.

Half-ogres stomp into the realm of AD&D with raw strength and brutal charm, but are they the ultimate power fantasy or a one-way ticket to a broken campaign? Today, we dive into the dark swamps of hybrid races, uncover the hidden dangers of tinkering with game balance, and find out why a lecherous pixie might just be the key to total chaos.

In this video, I take a focused look at the AD&D Manual of the Planes by Jeff Grubb, starting with what this book is actually for and why it still matters. This is not an adventure book and it is not light reading. It is a Dungeon Master’s guide to how reality works once you step beyond the Prime Material Plane.Part 1 is an overview. We walk through the structure of the planes, how the Inner, Ethereal, Astral, and Outer Planes are presented, and why this book acts as a turning point for long running campaigns. I talk about spell interaction, survival pressure, alignment as a force, and why planar travel is meant to be dangerous, limited, and deliberate.This episode exists because of a viewer request from DM Dan, and it is aimed squarely at DMs who want to understand the book before trying to run it. No adventures yet. No how to play guides. Just what the Manual of the Planes gives you, and what it expects you to handle responsibly.#adnd #manualoftheplanes #dungeonmaster #osr

Today’s Monster Spotlight looks at the Ki-Rin, one of the strangest and most misunderstood creatures in AD&D. Part celestial, part unicorn, part dragon, the Ki-Rin is powerful, intelligent, and almost never meant to be fought. We break down what it can do, why it exists in the game, and how using it wrong can derail a campaign, while using it right can change one. #ADnD #OSR #MonsterSpotlight #DungeonMaster #OldSchoolDnD #TTRPG

Today's episode introduces a custom AD&D magic item, the Ledger of Oaths, a book that records spoken promises and punishes those who break them. We talk about how oaths create tension at the table, why intent matters more than wording, and how this item forces players to think before they promise anything. It’s a tool for trust, consequences, and real choices, not power creep. #ADnD #OSR #DungeonMaster #TTRPG #OldSchoolDnD #TabletopRPG

Today’s episode clears up one of the most misunderstood AD&D rules, characters with two classes. Not multi-classing. Not dual-classing as later editions define it. The original rule, how it actually works, and why people misread it. This is about switching careers, not stacking powers.

That’s a wrap on 2025 in the AD&D Universe, a year of rulings over rules, forgotten DM tools, hard calls at the table, and why old-school AD&D still works when you let the referee decide. #ADnD #OSR #EvilDungeonMaster #OldSchoolDnD #TTRPG #RoleplayingGames

This episode is a year-end wrap up for the AD&D 1E podcast. I talk about what we covered this year, what I enjoyed, and how the show has grown. More important, I ask you where you want this podcast to go in 2026.Do you want me to keep it focused on AD&D 1E. Do you want AD&D to stay the core, but with the occasional chat about other games and things I am into. Do you want me to try something new. I lay out the options, share my thoughts, and ask you to send your feedback so I know what you want to hear next year. I have a poll here on spotify, or you can go to my website and answer the question!

A short, weird Christmas one-shot with psychoactive mushrooms, evil gnomes, and a were-reindeer named Rude Olf by @Goblinshenchmen.A 4 page oneshot Christmas themed adventure that an be run for literally ANY EDITION of D&DLink to adventure: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/340232/grimbo-grotto-christmas-farcical-horror-adventure?affiliate_id=421647

We break down Raise Dead from the PHB. What it restores, what it cannot fix, and the risks that come with it. I give clean rulings, quick examples, and a table story where a player tried to bend the spell around missing body parts.Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheEvilDMWatch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheEvilDMWatch on Rumble: https://rumble.com/TheEvilDM

The feast is set. The bird vanishes into a thin Astral slip. We chase a thunder-turkey, juggle a parade heist, fight a kitchen spirit, and bring dinner home before sundown. Drop-in scenes and tight rulings you can use tonight. Listen now.Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheEvilDMWatch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheEvilDMWatch on Rumble: https://rumble.com/TheEvilDM

Today we break down the Shadow Demon. It lives in darkness, slips through battles, and punishes parties that rely on torches. I cover how its light-based AC works, its fear and darkness tricks, plus quick hooks.Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheEvilDMWatch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheEvilDMWatch on Rumble: https://rumble.com/TheEvilDM