Guides
From the herald's desk
Notes on the tools of the trade and the craft of running a table. Where a page compares Herald.ink to another tool, it says what that tool does better; a herald who flatters his employer is not worth his salt.
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World Anvil alternatives for Dungeon Masters (2026)
Five alternatives to World Anvil, compared honestly: LegendKeeper, Kanka, Obsidian, Amsel Suite, and Herald.ink, with prices and what each one actually does best.
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Herald.ink vs World Anvil
An honest comparison of Herald.ink and World Anvil for campaign management: depth of templates, learning curve, live-play tools, AI drafting, and what each costs.
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Herald.ink vs LegendKeeper
An honest comparison of Herald.ink and LegendKeeper: writing experience, nested maps, live-play tools, AI drafting, and pricing for each.
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Herald.ink vs Kanka
An honest comparison of Herald.ink and Kanka: free tiers, structured campaign wikis, permissions, AI drafting, and live-play tools.
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Herald.ink vs Obsidian for campaign management
An honest comparison of Herald.ink and Obsidian for running TTRPG campaigns: plugins vs built-in tools, local files vs hosted, and what the real costs are.
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Herald.ink vs Amsel Suite
An honest comparison of Herald.ink and the Amsel Suite (Tome, Lore, Harp, Scry): buy-once offline desktop tools versus a hosted campaign manager with AI drafting.
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How to make a villain your players will hate
A practical method for building D&D villains players genuinely despise: a respectable want, progress between sessions, petty use of power, and a d20 table of small injuries to inflict long before the boss fight.
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Why CR-appropriate encounters feel too easy
Why D&D 5e encounters built by the challenge rating math keep collapsing in two rounds, and how to actually balance a fight: action economy, the adventuring day, and five fixes that work at the table.
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Give every NPC a want, a fear, and a secret
The three-line method for making D&D NPCs memorable, why it works at the table, and 20 ready-to-steal NPCs built with it: name, role, want, fear, and secret included.
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How to design a boss fight that lasts more than two rounds
Why D&D boss monsters die in two rounds and how to build ones that don't: phases, legendary resistance players respect, initiative tricks, the room itself, and a reusable three-phase boss template.