Theo James Taylor
Bio
Writer, MCU lover, and HUGE RPG nerd (but especially D&D). I have been a ghostwriter for blogs and other publications for 5 years now, but love the freedom Vocal gives me. You can find me DMing an outrageous Homebrew Campaign every Monday!
Stories (69/0)
The Best Magic Items for Bards in Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) 5e
Magic items in Dungeons and Dragons are meant as magical rewards for adventuring and exploring your campaign. Every D&D campaign is full of great loot placed by your DM, but if you ever have a pile of gold burning a whole in your pocket and are looking for somewhere to put it all, here are some suggestions!
By Theo James Taylor3 years ago in Gamers
A New Player’s Guide To Alignment in Dungeons and Dragons (D&D)
The alignment system in Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) can be complicated for new players. Terms like Lawful Good and Chaotic Evil are thrown around, and what they mean isn’t exactly what you think based on the word choice. I have been playing D&D for nearly 14 years now, and the way that the terminology has evolved over time has also helped to change the way that we think about these alignments as a whole. Evil and Good aren’t necessarily as black and white as they used to be in the days of AD&D.
By Theo James Taylor3 years ago in Gamers
How to Start Playing Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) 5e
If you know nothing at all about Dungeons and Dragons (referred to as D&D from here on), then I always suggest starting by watching some liveplay videos or streams. Many of these have professional level production value and props, so be sure not to get hooked into expecting this same level from your own Dungeon Master (DM). Look up Critical Role, Dimension 20 or High Rollers on Youtube for the best streams online right now.
By Theo James Taylor3 years ago in Gamers
How to Dungeon Master (DM) for New Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) Players
It’s time! You are the DM! Whether you are brand new to D&D, been playing for a while but want to start running a game or simply want to enrich your own DMing, this article is going to help you out.
By Theo James Taylor3 years ago in Gamers
How to Stay Motivated During Covid-19
“During these unprecedented times”... how many times have we all heard those words these last few months. Well, they’re not wrong! The world has become crazy, everyone’s doing their best to social distance, to ‘flatten the curve’ and stay on top of the Covid-19 pandemic the best that we can. For many people that means working from home, seeing our friends and family less, for those of us who live alone it can be a lot of isolation.
By Theo James Taylor3 years ago in Motivation
How To Overcome Writer's Block
Just about everyone who has ever called themselves a writer has experienced writer’s block at some point in their life. You might be working on a piece for your own pleasure, for work, or have a grand idea for a novel in the works. No matter what, know that writer’s block is real and that addressing it head on is the best way to get yourself back on track and back at the keyboard. It can be annoying when someone accuses you of simply being lazy, or declaring that writing is an easy job. Those of us who sit down to spin our stories every day know that that is simply not true!
By Theo James Taylor3 years ago in Journal
5 Tools to Improve Your Writing on Vocal
So you want to write better articles and stories on Vocal? This article will take you through some of the tools I like to use on Vocal. As someone who has been writing as a career for some time now, I’ve just recently discovered Vocal. Vocal is an excellent online media platform that allows you to host your stories and articles and make money off the views that you get. In order to produce high quality articles, it helps to use a wide variety of additional tools to supplement your writing. These allow for a better writing style, more reads, and better formatting for your Vocal articles. All of these tools I am about to tell you about are free to use, but many of them do have additional assets to them that are enabled through a pro plan. I use most of their free plans, but I’ll tell you which ones can be worth investing in if you’re a serious writer like me!
By Theo James Taylor3 years ago in Journal
5 Backstory Ideas for Your Wizard in Dungeons and Dragons (D&D)
Wizards are the book learners of D&D. Their magic comes from endless study, whether that be at the hands of a mentor, in a military academy or the halls of a great wizarding school. Wizards aren’t born inherently being able to cast spells, though many might have some slightly adeptness for magic in general. Instead, they must study. Wizards may not be as spontaneous as sorcerers or bards, but they make up for it in terms of pure versatility. When it comes to the sheer amount of magic a character can learn, few can compete with the skill of a wizard. Unfortunately, wizards have low HP and AC, so while they have extreme power, it comes at the cost of being weak physically, and they need to be protected to shine. Now it’s time to come up with a few quick backstory ideas to help bring your character to life. Here are five intriguing ideas to use in your game, or to build off of to create a unique character you’ll love to play.
By Theo James Taylor3 years ago in Gamers
5 Backstory Ideas for Your Warlock in Dungeons and Dragons (D&D)
The Warlock is one of my personal favorite classes in D&D. Having made a pact with some kind of powerful being, they wield magic like no other class. Having the ability to use both spells and invocations, they get intriguing abilities that no one else has access to. The Warlock has mid-tier armor class, the ability to wield several types of weapons and a decent hit die. They make good frontliners or ranged damage dealers depending on how you design your character. Now it’s time to come up with a few quick backstory ideas to help bring your character to life. Here are five intriguing ideas to use in your game, or to build off of to create a unique character you’ll love to play.
By Theo James Taylor3 years ago in Gamers
Why "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is the Show We Should All Be Binging Right Now.
About a month before I was born, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (starring Sarah Michelle Gellar) premiered. It began as an adaption of a movie of the same name, but developed into something entirely new, something entirely different, and something far more relevant than the creators might have ever been able to imagine. The show depicts the journey of a young woman and her close knit group of friends (Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg, Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris and Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase). A journey of growing up and growing old, of standing up for what’s right and for what matters. Above all else, it depicts a journey in which the choices individuals make matter more than anything. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” isn’t just about a rag-tag group of friends saving their school or the world week to week, it’s about agency, something a lot of us have little ability to exercise right now. This supernatural story helped me grow up even though I watched it a decade and a half later. When I watch it today, it feels timeless and all too fitting to the world we live in today.
By Theo James Taylor3 years ago in Geeks
5 Backstory Ideas for Your Ranger in Dungeons and Dragons (D&D)
The Ranger is like a mixture of Druid and Fighter. They are best at firing on their enemies from afar, serving as a ranged damage dealer. However, they also have a limited variety of spells, ranging from utility to a bit of healing. The Ranger brings natural skills to the table as well, helping their party track enemies, forage for food or even prevent them from getting lost. Now it’s time to come up with a few quick backstory ideas to help bring your character to life. Here are five intriguing ideas to use in your game, or to build off of to create a unique character you’ll love to play.
By Theo James Taylor3 years ago in Gamers
5 Backstory Ideas for Your Sorcerer in Dungeons and Dragons (D&D)
The Sorcerer is the quick-casting, highly volatile arcane caster. Unlike the Wizard, the Sorcerer didn’t learn their magic through study. Instead, inherited bloodlines surfaced, whether passed down each generation, or dormant for centuries. The Sorcerer benefits from being able to twist their spells with metamagic or by being able to vary the number of spells they can cast each day. However, they lack spells known overall. The Sorcerer has lower HP than most classes, and has to be protected in combat, but will pay off by high damage ceilings. Now it’s time to come up with a few quick backstory ideas to help bring your character to life. Here are five intriguing ideas to use in your game, or to build off of to create a unique character you’ll love to play.
By Theo James Taylor3 years ago in Gamers