
Making a Monster
Media & Entertainment Podcasts
Game designers show you their favorite monster, how it works, why it works, and what it means. Each bite-sized episode features a D&D or TTRPG designer and the monster of their choice.
Location:
United States
Description:
Game designers show you their favorite monster, how it works, why it works, and what it means. Each bite-sized episode features a D&D or TTRPG designer and the monster of their choice.
Language:
English
Website:
https://feeds.bcast.fm/
Email:
lucas@scintilla.studio
Episodes
Giant Sharkbowl Ooze by Kobold Press
7/17/2023
Megan Maricle shares the deadliest catch for dungeon delvers everywhere!
Read the transcript and get more from the show:
https://scintilla.studio/monster-sharkbowl-ooze/
Get stat blocks, bonus content, and other monstrous perks: www.patreon.com/scintillastudio
Join the conversation: www.twitter.com/SparkOtter
Meet my guests:
https://koboldpress.com/the-kobold-team/
Music by Jason Shaw at Audionautix.com
Duration:00:09:03
Wave Lurcher: Astra Fauna by Sarah Dahlinger
6/26/2023
An alien shark feeding off the living islands of an alien world, the wave lurcher is a partner in the search for life.
Read the transcript and get more from the show:
https://scintilla.studio/monster-wave-lurcher/
Get stat blocks, bonus content, and other monstrous perks: www.patreon.com/scintillastudio
Join the conversation: www.twitter.com/SparkOtter
Meet my guests:
My about page has all my bio info :) https://www.sarahdahlinger.com/about
Sarah's Website
Music by Jason Shaw at Audionautix.com
Duration:00:22:10
Extinction: The Dodo
3/20/2023
The dodo is a funny-looking bird with a funny-sounding name that never knew what hit it. There isn't a more fitting icon of extinction.
Back the Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/magehandpress/book-of-extinction
Download a dodo: https://magehandpress.com/2023/03/the-dodo.html
Join the conversation:
https://www.instagram.com/sparkotter/
https://twitter.com/sparkotter
"Extinction Theme" by Alex Miller, the Boy King of Idaho: https://www.instagram.com/theboykingofidaho/
Duration:00:18:07
OGL 1.1 & The Extinction of D&D
1/7/2023
OGL 1.1 risks killing the thriving ecosystem of valuable third-party content for Dungeons & Dragons. Don't wait: tell Wizards of the Coast they're making a mistake, and tell your favorite third-party creators it's worth staying in the fight.
Transcript of the episode:
Legal analysis of OGL 1.1: https://medium.com/@MyLawyerFriend/lets-take-a-minute-to-talk-about-d-d-s-open-gaming-license-ogl-581312d48e2f
Io9 leak: https://gizmodo.com/dnd-wizards-of-the-coast-ogl-1-1-open-gaming-license-1849950634
Polygon review: https://www.polygon.com/23540640/dnd-ogl-1-1-leak-dungeons-dragons-pathfinder-2e-wotc-hasbro
The aurochs as "Nazi Supercow": https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-nazis-tried-bring-animals-back-extinction-180962739/
Join the conversation: www.twitter.com/SparkOtter
Duration:00:18:25
Ol' Chap Ettercap, ft. Critical Crafting
10/11/2022
O'l Chap Ettercap is a monster whose story grew in the telling, from meaningless
Download Ol' Chap Ettercap in every form a tabletop needs:
https://scintilla.studio/monster-ettercap-critical-crafting/
Get stat blocks, bonus content, and other monstrous perks: www.patreon.com/scintillastudio
Join the conversation: www.twitter.com/SparkOtter
Meet my guests:
Dillon Onley, Creative Director
Cameron DeFord, Marketing Director
https://www.critical-crafting.com/
Music by Jason Shaw at Audionautix.com
"Creepy Dungeon Ambience" by DrMinky from Freesound.org
Duration:00:20:30
Mörk Borg's 7 Deadly Sins
10/5/2022
Mörk Borg, the doom metal TTRPG by Free League, gets an adventure with seven deadly sins chained in an off-shore prison boat where nothing is as it seems.
Read the transcript and get more from the show:
https://scintilla.studio/monster-mork-borg-dolja/
Get stat blocks, bonus content, and other monstrous perks: www.patreon.com/scintillastudio
Join the conversation: www.twitter.com/SparkOtter
Meet my guests:
Zac Goins, World of Game Design
https://twitter.com/wogdesign
Music by Jason Shaw at Audionautix.com
Duration:00:17:50
Shoebill Cockatrices show a terrifying biodiversity of monsters
9/21/2022
Many monsters are combinations of animals, like the owlbear - but which owl, and which bear? Atlas Animalia by Metal Weave Games shows a terrifying biodiversity of monsters, including the shoebill cockatrice.
Read the transcript and get more from the show:
https://scintilla.studio/monster-atlas-animalia/
Get stat blocks, bonus content, and other monstrous perks: www.patreon.com/scintillastudio
Join the conversation: www.twitter.com/SparkOtter
Meet my guests:
Sarah Dahlinger: https://www.sarahdahlinger.com/
Andreas Walters: https://metalweavegames.com/
Music by Jason Shaw at Audionautix.com
Duration:00:32:18
Migo: Stillfleet's bio-tech super-future scientists with Wythe Marschall
8/29/2022
Wythe Marschall, creator of Stillfleet, shares a monster born in the frozen ammonia crystals of Yuggoth at the far reaches of our solar system 100 billion years in the future.
Don't wait, get it now! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wythe/the-stillfleet-core-rulebook
Get stat blocks, bonus content, and other monstrous perks: www.patreon.com/scintillastudio
Join the conversation: www.twitter.com/SparkOtter
Meet my guests:
Wythe Marschall: https://twitter.com/hollowearths
Music by Jason Shaw at Audionautix.com
Duration:00:40:18
Extinction: The Call of the Giant Beaver
8/22/2022
The size of a black bear, this Ice Age giant didn't build dams, but it guarded the water with a fearsome call just the same. Meet the world's most complete fossil giant beaver with Heather Lerner, the ancient DNA expert who brought her to life!
Get three extinct animals raised to life as monsters in D&D: https://www.scintilla.studio/extinction
Episode transcript: https://scintilla.studio/monster-extinction-giant-beaver/
Guides:
Dr. Heather Lerner, Curator of the Joseph Moore Museum
https://twitter.com/moore_museum
Join the conversation: www.twitter.com/SparkOtter
"Extinction Theme" by Alexandre Miller, The Boy King of Idaho
Duration:00:59:51
The Mukad: aberrant insect harbingers from Grim Hollow by Ghostfire Games
7/25/2022
The mukad are insect-like aberrations following the orders of a slumbering god of destruction as they lurk in the walls.
Read the transcript and get more from the show:
https://scintilla.studio/monster-mukad-grim-hollow-ghostfire-games/
Get stat blocks, bonus content, and other monstrous perks: www.patreon.com/scintillastudio
Join the conversation: www.twitter.com/SparkOtter
Meet my guests:
Joe Raso: https://twitter.com/_joe_raso
Grim Hollow by Ghostfire Games: https://ghostfiregaming.com/grim-hollow/
Music by Jason Shaw at Audionautix.com
Duration:00:26:40
Aurochs, De-Extinction, and the Racism of Orcs in D&D
6/27/2022
Get three extinct animals raised to life as monsters in D&D: https://www.scintilla.studio/extinction
Episode transcript: https://scintilla.studio/monster-extinction-aurochs-nazis-orcs/
Guides:
Steve Sullivan, director of the Hefner Museum of Natural History at Miami University in Ohio
Jessica Marcrum, Uncaged Author and producer of the Threeflings actual play podcast, www.jessicamarcrumwrites.com
James Mendez Hodes, game designer and orc historian: https://jamesmendezhodes.com/
Did you like this stat block? Let me know on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SparkOtter
"Extinction Theme" by Alexandre Miller, The Boy King of Idaho
Closing music by Jason Shaw at Audionautix.com
Duration:00:43:31
The Frog of Holding, ft. Nature Check
6/13/2022
A team of scientists encounter the Frog of Holding, a giant monstrosity with an extradimensional space for its young!
Get three extinct animals raised to life as monsters in D&D: https://www.scintilla.studio/extinction
Partial transcript: https://scintilla.studio/monster-extinction-frog-of-holding/
Guides:
Sheryl, The Roving Naturalist: https://twitter.com/RvingNaturalist
Ethan Kocak: https://twitter.com/Blackmudpuppy
Chelsea: https://twitter.com/ChelseaHerps
Maria Gatta: https://twitter.com/M_Gatta
Did you like this stat block? Let me know on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SparkOtter
"Extinction Theme" by Alexandre Miller, The Boy King of Idaho
Duration:00:47:54
Extinction: Dragon Bones & Cave Bears
5/30/2022
The cave bear is more than just a monster variant on MM 334. It's the source of piles of dragon bones in caves all over Europe, and fulcrum where archaeology turned from fantasy to science.
Get three extinct animals raised to life as monsters in D&D: https://www.scintilla.studio/extinction
Get stat blocks, bonus content, and other monstrous perks: www.patreon.com/scintillastudio
Join the conversation: www.twitter.com/SparkOtter
"Extinction Theme" by Alexandre Miller, The Boy King of Idaho
Duration:00:09:35
Giant spider chucking goblins in the MCDM monster book
4/18/2022
How does it square with your heroes when the bad guys treat their animals better than the good guys? What if your villain pets the dog?
Read the transcript and get more from the show:
https://scintilla.studio/monster-war-spider-mcdm/
Get stat blocks, bonus content, and other monstrous perks: www.patreon.com/scintillastudio
Join the conversation: www.twitter.com/SparkOtter
Meet my guests:
James Introcaso: https://twitter.com/JamesIntrocaso
Flee, Mortals! The MCDM Monster Book: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mattcolville/mcdm-monster-book
Music by Jason Shaw at Audionautix.com
Duration:00:42:22
Solarpunk in Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel
4/15/2022
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel's creator was inspired by the solarpunk and hopepunk movements, but what even are those?
Read the transcript and get more from the show:
https://scintilla.studio/monster-solarpunk-journeysthroughtheradiantcitadel
Get stat blocks, bonus content, and other monstrous perks: www.patreon.com/scintillastudio
Join the conversation: www.twitter.com/SparkOtter
Meet my guests:
David Somerville, author, Planegea: https://www.twitter.com/Planegea
Mike Rugnetta & Taylor Moore: twitter.com/funcityventures
Kierán Suckling, Executive Director and Founder of the Center for Biological Diversity
https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/
Tierra Curry, Senior Scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity
https://twitter.com/TierraMussel
Music credits:
"Limousine" by Jason Shaw
"Extinction Theme" by Alex Monroe
Duration:00:24:15
Extinction: The Florida Fairy Shrimp
4/11/2022
Get three extinct animals raised to life as monsters in D&D: https://www.scintilla.studio/extinction
Episode transcript: https://scintilla.studio/monster-extinction-florida-fairy-shrimp
Guides:
Tierra Curry, Senior Scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity
https://twitter.com/TierraMussel
Did you like this stat block? Let me know on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SparkOtter
"Extinction Theme" by Alexandre Miller, The Boy King of Idaho
Duration:00:36:59
The False Hydra & Larry the Kung Fu Kraken
3/21/2022
The best game-breaking exploits in D&D. This week: the false hydra, the most terrifying homebrew monster ever made; and the Kung Fu Kraken, an ancient titan of the deep somehow less effective than a straw dummy.
Read the transcript and get more from the show:
https://scintilla.studio/monster-false-hydra-kung-fu-kraken/
Get stat blocks, bonus content, and other monstrous perks: www.patreon.com/scintillastudio
Join the conversation: www.twitter.com/SparkOtter
Meet my guests:
Jeremy Vine: www.twitter.com/talumin
Jarrod Jahoda, Mid-Level Adventurers: www.twitter.com/midlvladventure
Danilo Vujevic, Thinking Critically: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk/
Rebecca Gray and Steven Myers, Eberron: A Chronicle of Echoes: https://www.sivisechoerstation.com/
Music by Jason Shaw at Audionautix.com
Duration:00:33:47
Arrow of Destruction & The Wireless Troll
3/14/2022
D&D players have spent almost 50 years breaking the game. This week: the arrowhead of total destruction, nuclear warhead powered by extradimensional spaces; and the wireless troll, communication via regeneration.
Read the transcript and get more from the show:
https://scintilla.studio/monster-arrow-of-destruction-wireless-troll/
Get stat blocks, bonus content, and other monstrous perks: www.patreon.com/scintillastudio
Join the conversation: www.twitter.com/SparkOtter
Meet my guests:
Jeremy Vine: www.twitter.com/talumin
Jarrod Jahoda, Mid-Level Adventurers: www.twitter.com/midlvladventure
Danilo Vujevic, Thinking Critically: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk/
Rebecca Gray and Steven Myers, Eberron: A Chronicle of Echoes: https://www.sivisechoerstation.com/
Music by Jason Shaw at Audionautix.com
Duration:00:35:53
Peasant Rail Gun & Quantum Ogre
3/8/2022
D&D players have spent almost 50 years breaking the game, creating exploits that became monsters in their own right. This week: the peasant rail gun, an army of hirelings with a light-speed projectile; and the quantum ogre, the monster who is everywhere until it is observed.
Read the transcript and get more from the show:
https://scintilla.studio/monster-peasant-rail-gun-quantum-ogre/
Get stat blocks, bonus content, and other monstrous perks: www.patreon.com/scintillastudio
Join the conversation: www.twitter.com/SparkOtter
Meet my guests:
Jeremy Vine: www.twitter.com/talumin
Jarrod Jahoda, Mid-Level Adventurers: www.twitter.com/midlvladventure
Danilo Vujevic, Thinking Critically: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk/
Rebecca Gray and Steven Myers, Eberron: A Chronicle of Echoes: https://www.sivisechoerstation.com/
Music by Jason Shaw at Audionautix.com
Duration:00:37:11
Luthic the Blood Moon Witch in Uncaged Goddesses
2/21/2022
Read the transcript and get more from the show:
https://scintilla.studio/monster-luthic-uncaged-godesses/
Get stat blocks, bonus content, and other monstrous perks: www.patreon.com/scintillastudio
Join the conversation: www.twitter.com/SparkOtter
Meet my guests:
Jessica Marcrum: https://twitter.com/angrynerdgirl
David Markiwsky: https://twitter.com/DavidMarkiwsky
https://www.dmsguild.com/product/382873/Uncaged-Goddesses?affiliate_id=1485089
Music by Jason Shaw at Audionautix.com
Duration:00:37:06