Oooo, Who Is She?

In this special episode of Nerdom, I will introduce you to my latest D&D persona. She may be small but is as tough as stone. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you: Gabbro Stoneholder.

For those of you who are unfamiliar or maybe new to the idea, D&D stands for: Dungeons & Dragons. It is a adventure role playing game that is most commonly believed to be the pinnacle of "nerdom". D&D has recently become more popular thanks to the hit show, Stranger Things, and also thanks to big name actors talking about their love for the game, such as Joe Manganiello. But even though it may not have been as openly talked about before this, it has always had a large and dedicated following. It was originally published in 1974 and has been growing, in every sense of the word, ever since.

So, what do I mean by "adventure role playing game"? Well, lets break this down a little further. D&D is considered a tabletop game. Tabletop games are usually board or card games but D&D is different in the fact that it has neither of those components, though you do, in a way, have the option to add those now. Some people use maps, grids or dry erase boards and figurines but the only things this game really requires is a vast knowledge of the game mechanics, dice, and your imagination. There is more to it but those are the only base requirements for D&D. From there, we look at the two different kinds of players for D&D. The DM, or Dungeon Master, and the rest of the players which are adventurers.

The DM controls the game. They can run the game as a "one shot", which is a game that is played and completed in one sitting, or a campaign, which is a game that is played over the course of many sessions. A DM can used a pre-made world that the creators of the game already have made and ready to purchase for you or they can make their own world, as long as it can cater to the mechanics of the characters. The latter is hard to do but many enjoy the challenge. The DM narrates, plays all side characters, plays all bosses, and overall guides the players through their journey. It's a big job and not for the faint of heart.

The adventurers are all the other players. They build a character and role play as that character navigating the DM's world and story line. These characters are extensive and very detailed. Players pick from a number of different races to start, it is important to note that there are MANY races available now but the official players handbook only lists 9: Dwarf, Elf, Halfling, Human, Dragonborn, Gnome, Half-Elf, Half-Orc, or Tiefling. From there you pick a "Class". A class is, for lack of better terms, your characters profession or calling. The offical players handbook lists the following 12 classes: Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard. And on it goes, you keep narrowing things down further and further until you have a completely detailed character built to walk the lands of this new world.

---

Writer's Note: Resource Roundup

-An incredible source to learn more about anything D&D is: www.dndbeyond.com

This is the website for you to find source material, descriptions, and it has a character building tool that I have found to be incredibly helpful. If you are interested in learning more, check it out, because I have not even scratched the surface of what D&D is or what it entails.

-Another great resource, if you are more of a podcast learner is: The Dungeoncast.

You can find them on almost all streaming services, I listen to them on Spotify, my husband listens to them on YouTube, and I know they are also on Podcast Addict, iTunes, and many more. They are fun to listen to and are very good about giving you all the details you need on all the different subjects there is to cover on D&D.

-And last but certainly not least, an incredible resource and entertainment: Critical Role.

If you would like to learn more and actually watch game play, I highly recommend watching the show Critical Role. You can watch them on YouTube or on their website. Critical Role will show you the very best D&D has to offer, the players are all voice actors so their role play is excellent and their DM is considered one of the very best. You will not be disappointed.

---

Now that you know a little bit about D&D and have some resources to look more into it if you are interested, I thought it would be fun to take a look at my "newest" character. I say newest in quotes because I actually played a version of this character for a one shot as a joke but ended up liking the character so much I brought her back, revamped her a little bit, given her more of an extensive backstory than before. And now, I will be playing her in an upcoming campaign. So, let's take a look!

Gabbro Stoneholder

Gender: Female

Level: 1

Race: Mountain Dwarf

Class: Barbarian [Path of the Berserker]

Alignment: Lawful Neutral (She has her own code that she lives by, don't @ me!)

Background: Criminal

Trade: Blacksmith

Weapon: Warhammer

Height: 4ft

Weight: 130lbs

Eye color: Gray

Hair color: Dirty blonde

Skin color: Pale (but perpetually dirty and grimy)

Age: 45

Backstory: Gabbro, was born and raised in the dwarven trade city of Citadel Adbar. She was named after her mothers favorite type of rock. Yes, the Stoneholder clan were renown stone collectors. But they were not as renown for the collections themselves but their means of furthering it. Many generations back, the Stoneholder's were banned from working in the mines and with the stone mason's because their deep love of stone drove them to stealing most of what they cultivated. With the Citadel Adbar trying to reclaim its former glory, there was no time or patience for this type of nonsense, so the Stoneholders were converted from masons and miners to blacksmiths. Their work was very good too, though they completed every piece begrudgingly. This all leads us to the present day with Gabbro, who's mother has the greatest rock collection a dwarf has ever seen. But with the greatness she found herself with, her mother became arrogant and consumed with greed over the stone, and the exposure to this toxic behavior and lifestyle left Gabbro filled with an immense desire to over throw her mothers greatness at any cost and a rage to take out on anyone who stands in her way. After all she is a simple gal with simple desires... like rock. Gabbro leaves the Citadel and begins her quest to find rocks, the like of which her mother has never seen. But what will she find along the way?

I am so excited to be joining another campaign. I was invited to this one under a DM I have never worked with before, as well as players I have never played with before, which is completely nerve racking! But I am excited to embark on a new adventure. I have greatly missed playing D&D and have vowed to dive in fully and not hold back, accent and all!

---

Thank you for joining me for tonight's episode of Nerdom here on My Mess. I plan to keep you guys up to date with the adventures of Gabbro and I hope that you find yourself on an adventure soon too. Have a wonderful rest of your week, finish strong! I would love to have you all back this Sunday for The Mess, in the mean time stay nerdy and stay messy adventurers!