Basically Owlins

Owlins are a unique idea that was presented to us, but it wasn't explored. Enjoy a little rant with a pinch of my insight, at the end of the day I wish they just put as much effort into new releases as they did PR safety and legal documents.
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[@jimbrody4945]

“‘You’re free to follow these suggestions or ignore them.’ Thank you, book. I now have free will.” I felt that.

[@thomasrose2149]

What does it mean though?

[@jimbrody4945]

@@thomasrose2149 Many WotC books have these lines of text that spell out the fact that you don’t HAVE to do things exactly how the books tell you to. That might be fine for new players every now and again, but recently it’s just become tedious to read. It doesn’t make the game more accessible, it just comes across as an underpaid freelance writer padding out the page count.

[@hypernova_119]

As someone who made an Owlin Wizard for a campaign I'm doing with friends, I have spent months upon months creating a story for him, as well as physical/emotional characteristics. I didn't even know Owlins were given this kind of treatment by WotC, but I'm glad I've tried my hardest to give my character the lore he deserves.

[@arny554]

can you show some of that lore?

[@MillenniumTinnyRod]

I’m also an owlin wizard! I know this comment is a year old,but I’d love to hear some of your lore

[@harrymusson7266]

This is exactly why supporting non WotC creators is so important. Original, ballsy, weird, and lovingly crafted creations from people who play and understand the game. Love your work Logan

[@unlbishop]

Hey friend, you got any recommendation on creators or races you like? ( If not, thats fine, thanks for taking the time of your day to read this comment if you do :) )

[@harrymusson7266]

@@unlbishop kobold press has spectacular monster compendiums that're weird and whacky but beautifully put together. The big one I'm a fan of is the kick-starter project Valda's Spire of Secrets. Enormous addition to classes and subclasses Edit: and check out Logan's stuff! Twisted Taverns is really professionally put together and is such a great template for DMs who want to make good set piece locations

[@yuvalgabay1023]

@@harrymusson7266 aww yes the book whit the GM worlock subclasses

[@BrendenTait8858]

"WotC bad, ok give me my internet points now"

[@yuvalgabay1023]

@@BrendenTait8858 here *head pats*

[@dylancook5893]

I'd love to hear you cover lore events, locations, or specific characters, like "basically Drizzt," "basically Waterdeep," "Gnomes: A Short History," "Basically the Spellplague." Maybe try long-form content and go into further detail on some things, or share tips on writing, like your thought processes that went into creating Stibbles Codex or Sunken Isles. On another note, you're my favorite KZbinr and I'm so glad to see you back, the way you explain things is just fantastic!

[@jaredphillips5105]

I think that's the problem he is complaining about. Moving forward, there just isn't enough lore there to do anything longform, atleast not for anything new. I believe he has to find a new IP.

[@tonesofbones2498]

Maybe start a new series called "Basically locations", in which you'd discuss locations, such as grass planes, snowy forests, undersea ruins, busy cities or other more fantastical locations with possible NPCs, plot hooks, set pieces, monsters and so on. I'd love to see all the ideas for worldbuilding you have in your brain-noggin! So glad you're back on YT

[@zxjurassic0220]

I second this

[@silveryphoenix44]

and other specific places that are common for adventurers to be at like: wizard towers, Noble courts in Castles, ships, a hunter's lodge, a noble's country villa, Legal Courts, Prisons, and the homes of random peasants the party want to hang out with.

[@Lukasaske]

And maybe something on the supernatural regions in TCE as well? Some of them are pretty cool.

[@hawklegs6940]

This would actually be really cool, because so many adventures take place in a default deciduous forest, we need some terrain differentiation up in this hizzy!

[@petesalzl1]

Specifically interested in plains, mountains, forests, swamps, and islands. I don't know why

[@bloomp9676]

The owlin entry is strikingly similar to how I write in English class after insufficient sleep and feeling too sarcastic

[@thomaslackey423]

As an enthusiast in the genre, I wouldn't mind a Runesmith-style guide to writing horror in TTRPGs, because there is a surprising amount of depth to the art of spooking your friends with words, mood-lighting, and minis.

[@karlfairbanks1574]

if you have never watched Calamity by critical role, i suggest it so highly

[@Fyrverk]

Goblin cure from MÖRKBORG. Edit: Goblin curse

[@miloetripnoend3053]

@@karlfairbanks1574 Brennan Lee Mulligan also did a whole horror show on Dropout! He's good at it.

[@TheBiggestMoneyBoy]

Honestly first step in doing so is to play a non dnd system

[@gabrielrussell5531]

The Owlin are the textbook example of post-Tasha's design and writing: "We can avoid fleshing things out to leave things open for the players, which means we don't have to do any actual work!" We like having defined lore and alignments to work with or against. If we want to change it, we will.

[@Tomyironmane]

Because this way they can still charge you money while delivering exactly zero useful product. Honestly I'd likely homebrew something off Aracocra rather than use this gunk.

[@sev1120]

Not to mention Mordenkainen's, which was advertised as giving additional lore and love to previously printed races, when over half are literally just copy-pasted over, and there's literally nothing original in the book save for the hobgoblin which is a hobgoblin in name only

[@gabrielrussell5531]

@@sev1120 Oh, you meant Multiverse, not Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes.

[@sev1120]

@@gabrielrussell5531 Tome of Foes was one of the early books, and I believe introduced the Gith, Eladrin, Shadar-kai, Sea Elves, Duergar and Svirfneblin. Monsters of the Multiverse is a book of pure reprints with nothing truly new in it. I was expecting new racial feats from the book that promised to have EVERY printed race available in a single package

[@hitthere7722]

@@sev1120 It had very minor changes (i.e. setting every race to be a uniform standard in its racial ability score modifiers and some very minor fixing, like Aarakocra being fly speed = movement speed now)

[@JazzJackrabbit]

"What are Owlins?" "Who?" "You know, the owl creatures?" "W H O?"

[@derpbeholder1905]

We have to be careful. Someone in the room has been possessed by an owl

[@jamesd8169]

@@derpbeholder1905 who?

[@derpbeholder1905]

@@jamesd8169 that's the thing we don't..... Hey wait a minute!

[@ceecee6521]

"....You're messing with me, aren't you?" "Heehee, yeah! People tend to forget us saying 'Who' to humans is just our way of messing with your kind." "Sigh.....Shnk-" "Ah, don't hide it now, I saw that smirk! You're laughing at that, aren't you?"

[@jamesd8169]

@@derpbeholder1905 is something a fowl?

[@clayh1258]

As someone who is gonna try swapping over to Pathfinder, I'd be interested in seeing videos comparing and contrasting the playable races and the lore behind them.

[@JS-tl7jp]

I feel like Conrasus would get a lot of perplexion outta this fella

[@justinjacobs1501]

Same!

[@baba50040]

Ratfolks might be fun as well

[@Soladrin]

@@baba50040 Skaven*

[@Tortferngatr]

Versatile Heritages as a way of handling Tieflings/Aasimar/elemental people/a few other things could be another fun thing to go over, too. Sure, Tieflings are still basically just “fiend people,” but you can also run them as “fiend dwarf whose great-great grandpa is a contract devil” or “fiend orc whose great-great grandma is an Asura that wants to murder the gods” or (with Ghoran) “a Carolina Reaper plant person,” so it’s not completely carrying your ancestry’s characterization.

[@ninjojinjo7426]

I just made a bear-person race in like 10 minutes because a friend asked me to, but seeing this and how horribly shafted Owlins really were has inspired me to revisit my work and write more than a paragraph for each subrace for my own D&D world.

[@HeavyMetalMouse]

I would like to offer encouragement in your creative endeavor. A paragraph for each race is an excellent starting point from which to expand and develop outward as the needs of your game and setting demand. Knocking out the basics in 10 minutes or so is a fine place to be, particularly when testing things out and seeing where your players push for more details. :) Good luck!

[@atenek9243]

I bet the puns you put in these are unbearable

[@Neronix17]

Sounds like a grizzly task.

[@emilysmith2965]

The powers they get from hibernating are not to be slept on!!! (tbh a hibernating race might be a dope way to build downtime and city living into your game. And the people who would mostly do that for retraining or stat buffs instead of running a shop or castle or whatever garbage, could also have a mechanically strong option that catered to the way they like to play. Dang now I want bear people in my setting)

[@higueraft571]

Personally, just came up with this in like... 5 minutes. Just take the Owlin, and just slap the fuckin' Khajiit mechanics on them. Moon affects them as a people, affects how they come out as depending on Phase. Waxing? Anthro form. Waning? Feral form. Could even make the stage of the moon depend on their sizes and such too... Could go even more wild with that as a general idea. Instantly better than WotC's attempt

[@redcrossbow6389]

"I miss Volo's" hit so hard, I really loved that book

[@nonenone-hv5iq]

Owlin having the worst possible entry for a race in any book is real typical to be honest

[@hectorvivis3651]

You say that, but I think the ones from Spelljammer may have been the one with the worst possible entry. But hey, I suppose releasing underwhelming books after underwhelming books is a WOTC typical thing now.

[@Audentior_Ito]

@Hunter it's just how late 5e has been trending. Compare, say, Ebberon races to Spelljammer ones & tell me which fit in a cohesive (yet original) world vs which...barely exist on a mechanical level. Even among the brand synergies; GMtRavnica was an incredible loveletter to the plane & Theros remains one of my fav books with great devotion effects I can port into any setting. Strixhaven really doesn't show that degree of attention & it's b/c of this quantity over quality notion - D&D is insanely hard to monetize b/c rulebooks are easily pirated & don't "expire" after a campaign.

[@underfire987]

Most wotc races based outside of mythology or the original roots of the game are pretty stupid.

[@valvadis2360]

The worst part is that Strixhaven (the Magic set, dunno the book), has some good lore about like Loxodon and Orcs and Dryads. But the race they release on the book is the one that's there because of aesthetic reasons only. Bird folk ain't even new to Magic worlds, they are just owls here because Parry Hotter said owls are witchy.

[@WhyYouMadBoi]

@@underfire987 Fucking false. Look at all of the WOTC playable races. Hell the half drow half shadow dragon has amazing lore.

[@aidenrhoads3801]

As a DM, I was really liking the tactics videos for inspiration in my encounter building. I think it'd be cool to see what you could come up with for weirder races like giff in tactical scenarios.

[@yurigouveawagner9432]

that would be awesome

[@celestialtree8602]

Oh I definitely second this!

[@Otakultimate]

This, yes

[@Pingviinimursu]

They are absolutely amazing, s tier dnd content, would want to be inspired again

[@tobiasvallely1261]

I really like this idea, you honestly did an amazing job structuring capable monsters who could give characters real trouble, seeing that at higher levels might be interesting, like mindflayers with a cult and servants against an overleveled party

[@potatoboooi5168]

You should do “Basically Goblins” As you did goblin tactics but I would like to see your opinion on the culture.

[@davidrosaschi342]

adding on this, I'd love a full breakdown including hobgoblins, ogres, orcs, bugbears, whatever is connected

[@WhyYouMadBoi]

@@davidrosaschi342 You would love AJ pickett or the mighty gluestick channel.

[@JacksonOwex]

If we're talking D&D goblins there is no culture, cultures are racist and whatever bad things they want to tell us!

[@WhyYouMadBoi]

@@JacksonOwex Uh there is, they have a culture of the strongest rules. They are scared as FUCK of dying cause they know dying means going to gehenna to work for Maglubeit forever in his army. Hell if they even go to another religion their souls go to him ANYWAY. Bugbears has 2 gods and its basically strong and brutal and cunning and stealthy. Hobgoblins are militaristic and has a strict hierarchy. They actually can make armor and weapon with a sort of bushido code. Goblins do have culture and I'm just glossing over it. They call magic booyagh and only hobgoblins know how to be wizards cause bugbears don't care and Goblins are fearful but respects it.

[@WhyYouMadBoi]

@@JacksonOwex but these new fuckwads who complain about races being bad are taking this lore away! It sucksssss

[@knightwriter7487]

A Basically Sahuagin video would be pretty cool, I feel like they get looked over to an extent and would love to hear your thoughts on them.

[@TheMariosack]

Volos is so fuckin good, I wish they’d do more stuff to evoke ideas. Reading through it got me hyped as a player and dm. Thinking about a character that can come from some interesting background that makes them more than just a reskinned human.

[@TheCondorcw]

hey Mario how you been/

[@Snowie7826]

I think that makes you a racism 😅

[@24601st]

volo said a racist thing about orcs on twitter and got cancelled. cancel culture has gone too far

[@camblycreeper7999]

Volo's elevated my ideas for Hags by a long way, going from a typical witch to evil hermits who strive to make themselves as repulsive as possible; carving scars into themselves, making clothes from rats or human parts, even possibly integrating thematic household objects into their bodies (Like a spinning wheel or a ship's wheel lodged in her back)

[@gregoryspurgeon8974]

I have only a passing familiarity with Volos, but my impression was that it felt a bit more like the kind of world building supplements pipeline that was so strong in the 3.5E (and apparently 2E, though I'm less familar with that) eras. Wizards could have just kept pooping out those thin hardcover products like "Lords of Madness" and such, and years later I would still probably be shelling out for "The Tasloi Codex" or "Book of Bullywugs", or whatever. Don't throw the high fantasy kitchen sink at me, inspire me! Runesmith has a similar appeal. If you liked Volos, check out the Humanoid Racial Preferences Table on p.106 of the AD&D DMG. Seriously, if you liked Volos, check out this tiny little table and see if it doesn't get your imagination humming.

[@BordrKing]

You asked for topic suggestions so here's mine. You should totally do more lore dives or in-depth series on other settings/rpg systems! Your city of mists series got me to buy those books and I'm really excited to try them out. i'd love to have overview/tutorials on new systems I can watch and point to when recruiting players for it.

[@jonathalon6022]

World of Darkness!

[@noelbedard8252]

came for the funny man to talk about the funny bird men, stayed for the poignant and succinct deconstruction of WotC's downhill business model.

[@NeverUseAnApostrophe]

Facts. This content is A+.

[@cydude5856]

This was actually a very good transition into the WoTC problem. I think the character creation portion of Strixhaven may have been a sign of the times to come, because with Dragonlance we also have the reintroduction of the Kender. I wouldn't be surprised if we get Grung or Thri-kreen stats soon.

[@PKLuver944]

Isn't there already a Grung addon that was released a long time ago?

[@sharkoj]

We got grung and thri kreen already… one grung above and spelljammer

[@cydude5856]

@@sharkoj more just me saying something stupid. I wouldn't read into it.

[@TheRogueCommand]

If they wanted to make a fantasy race based on owls because of a children's book series, Guardians of Ga'Hoole is right there

[@ravenpotter5131]

I read some that series! It was amazing! I never was able to finish it because I was a kid and couldn't buy my own books offline but still what I found in the library was great! !!!!! NEW CHARACTER IDEA!

[@elliejones9436]

Definitely didn't read that series all the way through about 4 times...

[@Cottonmouth255]

I still own the books, and despite the flaws, they’re still a fun time in a magical world of warrior owls. Time for a reread.

[@theredeft5319]

Might as well just play Humblewood. That exists already. Though yes owls of gahoole was an awesome book series.

[@stormsurge2103]

@Noob7Zilla my Lizardman: “ohhh, anthro Eglantine-I mean, I hope Hasbro doesn’t remember that Ga’hoole was a thing.”😅

[@cinammonstyx7622]

I started playing City of Mist partially because of your video on it, and I'd love a video talking about how to use its system for settings or story ideas outside of noir mysteries in a very specific urban fantasy city. It's a super flexible system! But the books have a tendency to act like there's only one way to play with it and that kinda bugged me.

[@TymofiiLisovychenko]

That's actually kinda typical for PbtA games in general - their moves, mechanics, playbooks etc. tend to reinforce a genre specific to the game, and if the material works outside of it, great, but the authors can't exactly take responsibility and say "look, this film noir is totally going to work as a heroic fantasy, trust me". Honestly, I don't think they should either - they wrote it for a genre, and anything else is a bonus.

[@duxgalore9834]

It’s awesome to see you posting again. As for video ideas, I personally think it’d be cool if you brought back your “Cryptids as D&D encounters” series

[@paulhermann2956]

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! I loved your D&D encounters!!!

[@tysonsteranka3364]

Yes, I love those videos!

[@thedamnguy2896]

oh yeah I love these

[@Masterwar.]

I always liked the videos in wich you presented scenarios, like the "how to do a mindflayer raid" or "building the most annoying dungeon ever". The way you presented this situations felt both natural and tactical thanks to the comentary you provided, on top of them being a really enjoyable videos.

[@unironicallylikesranger7122]

Since you asked, I’d recommend doing a “basically deathknights” since you’ve already addressed their wizardlyish counterparts

[@williamwontiam3166]

Yeah, that or some pathfinder crap out of sheer spite.

[@Dyundu]

I second the Pathfinder crap. Mostly because the majority of the worldbuilding for Golarion is pretty solid and not actually crap.

[@onomi-]

Wonderfully honest video, I appreciate your work on quickly explaining what is essentially vaguely bloated lore, which allows us to easily create new and exciting things for our players. Your content got me into DnD fully and i am forever grateful of that.

[@ilik3pi32]

Basically Flumphs! You did every other major aberration, now do the pancake and spaghetti monster that feeds on good vibes.

[@TriggersInBits]

I'd love to see your ideas for these blank canvas races, and where they'd fit in your worlds. If Wizard's won't give us cool lore we might as well make it ourselves

[@Hydromancerx]

Please do Leshys from Pathfinder. They are cute and adorable and not in 5e. Give some love to Paizo for creating such a cute and adorable race.

[@JS-tl7jp]

love me leshees

[@emilysmith2965]

Bro leshies are so cute and good 🥺 they are literally lil punkins. Sweet plant babies

[@WalkinStereotype]

Its funny to me how drastically different in appearance the pathfinder leshy is from most depictions of them. Usually its a hairy old woodsman akin to a Slavic version of a troll, and then you got these chiwinga-like lil guys

[@huntermeldrum6444]

I just image-searched these guys and now I understand everything. I want these guys as wotr Dlc now!

[@NimbusEntry]

Pathfinder lets you play a Gourd Leshy so you have a pumpkin head. Then make them an Oracle of the Mystery of Flames so your curse makes smoke and flames erupt out of your body as you cast your revelation spells. Their name? Jack O'Lantern

[@foreverpoacher9792]

I think it would be interesting to do a series about making common D&D tropes more interesting. For example, things like ancient tombs or knights’ orders are pretty standard D&D fare, so perhaps a series on how to take those tropes and make them more engaging? I don’t know if that’s a good idea, but I hope it helps. I’m glad to see you back, man!

[@milanmarkovic2721]

I wish the Basically subclass series returned.

[@LunaLament]

omg this was a great video! I'm very new to actually playing DnD and writing characters and stuff, but I picked an Owlin because they sounded cool as a race - then I go to look up some stuff and like????? huh??? this video highlights my feelings exactly when it came to this race - and hey, I'm having a lot of fun playing an Owlin but damn if I'm not making most of it up as I go because I have no clue what the Owlin history is or why they might interact with people or anything..... But I do know they 'might' be nocturnal!!!!!!!!

[@randomfuckingaccount8489]

thank god youre not gonna make me wait another 10 years after your last video

[@cheatcode436]

With the OGL, the drop in quality, AND the Pinkertons, it’s safe to say that WotC doesn’t care about us.

[@culturalrebel]

Potential topic to cover: the many, *many* fantasy RPGs that have branched off from D&D, from retroclones (Old-School Essentials is basically B/X D&D, but with a modern layout and a few houserules codified) to completely out there (like Sword World, which started when TSR rejected the Record of Lodoss War setting, or basically everything Kevin Crawford does.)

[@hughjazz5046]

I really loved those cryptids into a stat blocked monster videos, I think you should make one for Nessie, or maybe even the Oklahoma Lake Octopus?

[@ScadrianGhostblood]

I would watch you talk about Pathfinder ancestries. Even newer ones have interesting cultures like Kashrishi. Also your videos on city of mist were great

[@ywatcher2106]

Maybe more of the making cryptids/folklore videos? I absolutely loved the bigfoot race and especially loved running your mothman and wendigo. The mix of lore and combat tactics they would realistically use was phenomenal and so much more useful in getting into the mindset of the monster as I run it then any neat monster stat block I've found online. Maybe a Leshy or a jersey devil or something else like that? Plus would let you stretch out the DnD content available for the basically DnD videos further. Not that these last two haven't been a wonderful return to form after your break. Its great to have you back and frankly I'll be excited pretty much regardless of what videos you choose to make since it's always entertaining! Glad to have you back!

[@firewalkwithjuno5421]

It'd be lovely to see a Pathfinder set covered, love the style

[@v01ded69]

Honestly, in terms of ideas, I seriously enjoyed the video about how city guards would handle adventurers. Handling things like invisibility with flour bombs or caltrops, using bolas to catch fast characters. I'd like to see more of those in depth analyses about how things might work. Off the top of my head, how might guilds be structured? How would a king's court be structured? What would be the night and day differences between slums within a city, and say, a noble district? I always love the food for thought you present us with, it seriously helps get my creative gears turning and almost anytime I watch one of your videos, my creative roadblock is demolished for a few days. Either way, thanks for making content Logan!

[@IanSpeaksable]

Love that we've already gotten two videos since you've come back to uploading! I'd love to see an Aarakocra video, since they were mentioned here! And maybe a revisiting of Gem dragons and Dragonborns since the release of Fizban's?

[@mrsatterday5287]

Video Topic Suggestions? I would love for you to retread the cryptid D&D conversions. I know they were mostly for Grim Hollow, but I loved how you took the legend of those monsters, added your own brand of creativity to give them new fitting abilities, and then came up with both an in-game reasons for them to existence in a fantasy setting as well as encounter ideas.

[@derpbeholder1905]

You are one of the few people on here that as soon as you post something new I have to immediately stop what I'm doing to watch it. Wizards of the Coast has been slowly killing off their fans for years. The main reason why I even stick with the game is because of content creators like you. You were the first I discovered followed by JoCat, puffin Forest, dingo doodles, Blaine simple, and a few more. Y'all keep the game alive and that's really awesome. I would absolutely love to be able to play in the game with y'all. Not because you're famous. But because I genuinely like you guys as people and imagine it would be awesome just sit at a table and play with y'all. Maybe even introduce y'all to one of my most loved / hated characters

[@powerist209]

I guess Games Workshop has a challenger on "being dicks to fans" after their shenanigans that killed off Emperor Text to Speech.

[@philliphinojos3577]

I just discovered your channel about a month ago and I was really sad because I thought you were going to stop posting videos. I’m happy that you’re back at it! I love your stuff! I hope you keep it going

[@LadyKaira]

Random idea that I think people would love and probably wouldn’t be super intensive… going over old characters you’ve either played or developed for the back burner we all have. Maybe going over why they were made or what drove you to actually play them. Stretching that out into a bit of inspiration for us… creatively starved creatures

[@schreiterfamily7927]

I would love a sequel to the basically tardigrades video you made a while back where you just talk about another topic you find interesting. Love your work btw!

[@acronscawlernc6697]

Love your content, keep killing it. As long as your taking suggestions, I'd love to see more "Make your class" stuff. I think everyone should consider what their class can be like beyond the most obvious thing ever.

[@tophatstudios9069]

I would honestly love to hear you talk about any homebrewed lore you may have.

[@homieseaotter5190]

Honestly I just like hearing you talk about fictional lore, doesn’t have to be dnd related.

[@Fyrverk]

Symbaroum

[@kyr58]

In my campaign, the Owlin Guard were a series of Automatons, a living armor fueled by experimental gnomish magic. Once they had subdued an criminal, the Owlin Guard would open their empty body cavity to swallow them, then march literally march them to jail. The Owlin Guard were modeled after owls because they flew, fought, and hunted in magical silence, which would also extend to any mage they captured, nullifying most of the magical arsenal of their prey. A coup by the Eldritch Witch Cazzidus saw the Owlin Guard filled with hungry mutagenic familiars. When the Owlin Guard captured their prey, the target would instead be devoured and melded with the suit. This would combine the sentience of the victim with the power of the armor, and then make that new monstrosity subservient to the Witch. And that's how the Owlin were born.

[@RafeLaet]

You should try talking about pathfinder monster races! I found out recently that they have different goblins, hobgoblins and kobolds!

[@user-be2nt8bi9j]

2 runesmith uploads in the same week? This must be heaven

[@bodhixzx]

i know this transition of content is almost cliche at this point. but Pathfinder has tones of lore that i dont know about but would love to learn

[@ArchAngelxDemonChao]

I hope you are doing well, Runesmith! I'm happy to see you again making videos! You're always a treat to listen to. Video Suggestions: 1. An overall guide on what you enjoy playing as a race/class combo. Examples as to why you enjoy it. For instance, I love Arcane Trickster Rogue and I primarily play humans. Humans can blend into most environments with ease, and having magic makes it easier. But I will admit I love AT primarily because I can have a little owl companion help my Rogue see in the dark. 2. A video describing what it's like being a player versus a DM. Little things to take into account and understanding the dynamic here and there like how you made those videos before. I know you made videos on rules lawyers and beginners, but it'd be cool to see an all encompassing one for folks who might be truck drivers or listen to you in a podcast fashion. You could also link your other videos in the description or comments for full descriptors. 3. Describe adventures you've personally been on. Not just in D&D but maybe let us know more about you. It'd be interesting to see what you do behind the scenes to get all this stuff set up and ready. I enjoyed your class videos when you did live action stuff primarily because the neighborhood and locations looked awesome!

[@Duhad8]

Given the state of Wizards... 'Basically Pathfinder [Player Race]' might not be a bad direction to go in? Goblins, Kobolds, Gnolls and many other races that kinda just get pained with the same generically 'evil slaver' brush in D&D got allot more love in Pathfinder 2e and if the OGL thing continues on its downward trajectory, exploring the lore of another setting/RPG series might not be a bad idea.

[@veangoushawk1641]

Glad you are back and enjoying your videos. You asked for suggestions on video topics: I love your encountersand used them to great success (kobolds, goblins, Bandits, guard reactions). Especially the tactical preperation detail. More of them would help with on the road encounters a lot, or if player persue stretches not anticipated for (again!). Like Orc Raids, Hobgoblin Army Camps, Lizardfolk hunting parties...

[@growingsage]

I really liked your summaries of famous fairy tales. I wouldnt mind seeing those again.

[@rpbattleman]

Perhaps talk about magical weapons and how to create your own? Maybe go over undersea enemies like Sahuagin, Krakens and Merrow

[@jayoctopus8832]

some random video ideas: pathfinder/golarion (or other rpgs) lore videos in a similar style of the “basically…” series Making videos taking an underdeveloped race or concept in dnd and adding new possible lore player character ideas. Backstory, build, whatever

[@LowHanginFruit]

I always loved your tactics videos. Goblins, Kobolds, Bandits and Mindflayers. Would love to see more.

[@deansturtevant45]

Thank you for doing what you do I love watching your videos and all your awesomeness

[@seeliesnowdrop7638]

I loved your encounter videos like the Goblin, Kobold and Mind flayer ones, it would be cool to see more of those again. And the subclass explained series is one I always seem to come back to.

[@jacksonbrubaker1399]

Well, the easiest and closest thing you could grab for new video ideas is Pathfinder. I've read some of their setting book, and I think it would translate well into your style of content. And I'd bet the various races, monsters, etc would also do well. Beyond that, you could go to multiple ttrpgs and do this style of content. It would require additional reading, but it also might lead to some new and interesting ideas

[@sarkysuchus8350]

A backstory for owlins I thought of in 10 mins " Owlins originate from the unseelee feywild. Created as roaming gaurdians for the fey court, they patrolled and guarded individual territories, only occasionally meeting to trade information or seek aid against more dangerous intruders. This solitary lifestyle followed them into the material plane, and they now live in loose tribes and that can cover even the largest of forests. While they spend most of their time hunting alone in their own territories, they meet regularly in 2s and 3s to share information and socialise. This network means an owlin will likely know the details of events occurring hundreds of miles away, leading the uneducated to believe they are supernaturally wise and knowledgeable. While this is untrue, Owlins do have a propensity towards scholarship. Their observational talents and feylike curiosity make them adept at study, and their willingness to share all they know makes them a common sight in any magical institute."

[@Chancetaylor215]

I’ve been home brewing a setting recently with unique classes and lore, so I think a video on making new settings would be nice.

[@camdenthompson4307]

if you want video Ideas, may I recommend something like what you did with the Cryptid D&D encounters, you could even do more besides cryptids. just get some random monster ideas from myths and legends and throw them to the wall and see what sticks. hell, I'll list a few: Jersey devil, Chupacabra, tsuchinoko, jackalope, thunderbird, kaiju, tengu, spring-heeled-jack, davy jones, gremlins, sylphs, kitsunes, bibically accurate angels, dragur, lindwyrms, tazelwyrms (think that's close enough to what they are?), set animals, etc.

[@theraginggamer5809]

Continuing videos on what battle tactics to use for certain enemies would be interesting. Similar to the 'How to Play' town guard, bandit, or mindflayer videos. Or perhaps videos on restructuring poorly written races or creatures to make them more interesting & unique.

[@Aberrant17]

I'm a big fan of the tactical breakdown videos you've done so far (goblins, kobolds, illithid raids, guards, bounty hunters, druids, heists), and I'd love to see more of those. I'd be especially interested in siege tactics and the defenses of a mage's sanctum. Even the tactics of a wolf pack would be compelling if played realistically. I also love the story of Otis the pug, so if you have any more wacky "campaign diary" stories along that vein they'd be a joy to hear about.

[@WalkinStereotype]

I would be interested in seeing a video somewhat touching on how to implement custom mechanics. In the Eldermancy books, there’s been a few introduced systems, and I think a lot of DMs could use tips on creating their own

[@avakio19]

I personally enjoyed your breakdowns of encounter design content (guards, mind flayers, etc), but definitely wish the subclass series continued.

[@deusmortis9751]

Besides the big ones of Basically Star/Pathfinder Bascially Gem Dragons Basically Gods/Demon Lords/ Devil Lords/ Cosmic Entity Basically X Subclass I would like to see a Basically Kender, Basically Kalashtar, Basically Aetherborn, and Basically Sub Races (A video going over possible subraces of something and why they exist. The Firbolg in 5e being a subrace of firbolg in 2e fir example

[@TeaneyKnight]

Just an idea but you could do something along the lines of "basically mechanics" and talk about weird or flawed d&d mechanics and offer possible improvements or alternatives. You could even spotlight alternative mechanics you like from the community. Glad to see your back making videos by the way, I love your stuff.

[@Logical_magic19]

You could try the lore in other RPG systems. I also would personally love a Basically series about 3rd party books giving a small summary of what's cool about them.

[@monsieurm0u731]

I played an Owlin character and had a blast. I feel like the fact that you can make them basically anything you want without having to justify or change anything is a good thing.

[@Geostelar4920]

I actually made custom lore for Faerun Owlins which is basically "Selune Chose some of her Favorite Owls and made them humanoid to serve as protectors and gaurdians pf the night, defending the innocents in the dark from the creatures that lurk in it." They all have a bit of divine power and while Owlins can be any class, they are most likely to be Divine Soul if theyre an adventurer, with Selune awakening their divine spark or it awakening itself in self defence.

[@slayallrebels5996]

Glad to see you back, Runesmith! Since you asked, here's some video ideas: Basically Elementals Basically Goblins Basically Giff As for non Basically X videos, I'd like to see a return to the series where you built encounters around cryptids. Like, I would love to see you craft encounters around things like The Jersey Devil or Chupacabra.

[@Rutgerman95]

Well this video was a hoot! Also, I wouldn't mind seeing more class videos, or something about Shifters

[@Echosinabox]

Tbh honestly I would find it really interesting for you to do a series describing the basics of worlds in other trig systems like each world gets two to three episodes 1. About th world in general and general premise 2. About character stuff and 3. About cool dm ideas and concepts for potential games

[@Snowie7826]

I hate the way new races aren't even given any measurements or lifespan info. "Oh no no no, that would be bioessentialism," says WotC. "You wouldn't want us to give you actual lore, would you? That would just be racist! We *have* to be lazy and vacuous!"

[@bumblehoney7206]

You asked for video ideas and one of my favorite videos was the how to make a great villain video. Iirc, you had used your own screen play to present your points. I loved the story and your input on guiding characters, and would really love to see a few more videos on writing/creating content for memorable stories

[@RobMcGrath1983]

I've love to see a series of introductory guides to others systems, from a D&D player's POV. I.E. What is Pathfinder, and how does it differ from D&D? How are core rules and gameplay different, and how to adapt homebrew content (classes, monsters, spells) to the new system's power curve. Basically lowering the barrier to switching systems, and introducing the major alternatives, in case we all need to jump ship.

[@WiseWordsbyWiki]

I actually played a Blakiston's fish owl Owlin recently and mentioned to the DM that this species basically had no lore or info, but out of the three character sheets I brought everyone wanted the giant owl faith healer/scam cleric who spent half the game arguing with her goddess and whose body shape could best be described as 'round' and 'fluffy'.

[@danacarajb]

I've always really enjoyed your videos on the lore of various monsters and species, so something along those lines might be nice. In a similar vein, you could really get into the flavour of certain subclasses as well, and how you tend to interpret them. Also, your tips on DMing and your test encounters videos where you explore how to go about design certain plot threads always give me amazing ideas. Overall, I really enjoy any work you do, and look forward to the next video :)

[@jeffgoode9865]

@Runesmith Topic ideas: -How to introduce and scale monster difficulty progression as a DM in a campaign with new players. -Best aspects of each race series, with a focus on finding the best creatures for a quick, simplified, campaign. -Worst aspects of each race series, and how they could be changed, improved, or altogether forgotten for a smoother experience. -Combat or other gameplay that could be improved (I know that's not very original) -retreading old content, just for those who are new to the channel, and if you have anything you've changed your mind on.

[@Lukasaske]

But when those racial features said, "It's owlin' time", I was convinced.

[@FlaresZProductions]

So one thing I love to see from you in your expertly made videos on how to run encounters. It gives us a baseline of how these creatures naturally behave and will adjust a setting to their needs.

[@hithere4762]

This is gonna sound dumb, but I would like to see more videos about systems other than D&D. They probably won't do as well but I really liked your City of Mist series! More videos on writing and story-telling tips could also be nice.

[@jaxwarp8373]

I'd love a video of just your hot takes about villain tropes, like evil cyborgs or necromancers or clone armies or something

[@Evergreenwood]

One of your favorite KZbinrs is back in an all new adventure! Race, lore, and so much more! Follow Runesmith as we learn about the creatures of fantasy! Remember to stay safe out there travelers.

[@worldwisethinker]

You put this problem very concisely, and I totally agree. We love your work, and your audience isn't just here for 5th Edition D&D content; anything that you are interested in making, we'll appreciate. With that being said, since people are looking to other systems, and some groups and companies are making new systems in light of the OGL news, you could cover; general fantasy concepts and ideas, popular tropes, things like goblins and orcs, which appear in a ton of fantasy media and usually have some similarities or common pitfalls? Or maybe poke fun at other game systems and their respective works. But I digress, I hope you're able to find your footing, you're among the best at what you do here on KZbin. Cheers.

[@FreedomAndPeaceOnly]

Love your videos. ❤ Thx for being active again.

[@JacksBrainStem]

Beyond your humor (which I really enjoy), what I've always valued about your videos is your ability to condense a lot of content into a concise and compelling summary. For new video subjects, what comes to mind for me is how you can use your natural style and apply it to either other games or other topics. The "So Basically [insert thing]" format is so flexible, I would think you could do it for anything. Pathfinder is getting attention now, maybe do some "So basically" from its content. Or, maybe you could apply it to the 3rd party releases of d&d. There are some compelling stories out there in the 3rd party space and people seem interested right now in finding non WotC publish content. Maybe that would be worth giving a spin? A final thought, I would speculate that a good portion of your audience would follow you to different topics entirely. You're a genuine guy that does quality work. If you have other passions than D&D, perhaps a 2nd channel to express those your way would be the next horizon? Hope this helps just a little as you think through the next steps!

[@Guidrion]

I'd watch a "Basically" series about Pathfinder's Golarion or Kobold Press' Midgard. Not the newest settings but they're big enough to make this kind of things fun. This but for Ghostfire Gaming's settings would help digest them as well, including yours!

[@rielmaja]

I would love to see anything from the Rifts or Nightbane tabletop settings. Great to have you back and I'm sure to enjoy whatever you end up covering in the future.

[@jaythefae1595]

I love owlins but purely because me and my dm made up better lore for them in our campaign lol, also I would actually love to see more city of mist stuff BCS I'm starting my own city of mist game and I love it

[@manaheart6027]

Some ideas you could do, covering specific magic items like artifacts, cover harder to understand mechanics for newer players, or even making more of the videos around a type of character would be cool to see again like your "Making Bounty Hunters" video! Love your content and glad to see you making videos again!

[@HoloNetHero]

Just realized you’re back! sick!!!

[@BennyLava19]

Thank goodness you're back, Runesmith

[@inazumathelightning]

I'd love to see you do some pathfinder concepts I think you'd could have a lot of fun with how crazy they are.

[@Vanq22114]

I absolutely loved the Basically Wondrous Power video you did a while back, I would love to see some more videos like that just kinda spitballing on the origins and nature of magical artifacts. I don't know if that's possible, but it would be cool.