About the Blog

I mean, I could tell you that this companion is 100% exhaustive, 100% necessary, 100% cage-free, handier than an entertainer’s pack, more useful than a die of inspiration, even better informed than Elminster himself… but that might require a Charisma check on my part, and I haven’t been rolling that great recently!

The Friendly Bard’s Companion to D&D is just that—a companion. Not really a handbook or a manual or a guide, more like a buddy. A traveling pal. Like a… friendly, talkative bard.

Learning the rules is just the beginning, right? There’s so much more to playing. Everyone plays a little differently. Every DM has their own style. And those things evolve over time!

So, here’s the plan: I’m going to share what I’m learning as a player and DM. We’re going to talk about running long campaigns, running one-shots, writing adventures. We’re also going to discuss what it means to be a player, to play a character, and to participate in the story you, the other players, and the DM are making. Other stuff, too!

About the Bard

I’m Fen, and I started playing Dungeons & Dragons in 2015. Not too long ago, compared to the age of the hobby, right? Since then, I’ve played in a few campaigns—one of which is still going—and DM’d a few times.

As you might expect, I love playing bards (though other spellcasters are fun, too!), and I’m always looking forward to the next time we get our group together to play! Our current long-running campaign is split across two groups in the same world. I play an elf bard named Finnith Fëanor. When I stole that last name from Tolkien’s Silmarillion, it slipped my mind that I’d have to make the ë happen every time I typed it, whoops.

You can read more about the campaign I’m in, read about how I got into D&D, or see the latest posts.

You can find me on twitter (@friendlybard)!