Murder Dice - A 5e Dungeons & Dragons Podcast · Dungeons and Dragons

Murder Dice - The Gates Ep.45

·1 hr 7 min·5 clips

Freakness wields a cursed sword that transforms him into a monstrous, gooey creature while the party debates attacking.

This episode follows the player characters as they navigate the second circle of Hell after meeting its ruler, Lucifer. Host and Dungeon Master David guides players Ben, Christina, and Kyle through their characters' infernal journey. The party has just accepted Lucifer's offer of rest before facing a test to earn a key to a mysterious gate. The group takes a short rest at a magically conjured campsite, where the character Freakness is lured by a sentient, cursed sword called the Venom Blade. The sword speaks to Freakness, promising greatness before black tendrils temporarily transform his appearance. The character Ubu casts Protection from Good and Evil to help Freakness regain control, and the entity within the sword says to call it "Pokey." Lucifer returns and has his minions push the party into the second circle, a windswept area marked by a gate with the number two. Inside, they encounter three figures: Nitro from *American Gladiators*, a Medusa-like creature with snake hair, and Cleopatra holding a mirror. The party initiates combat, with Ubu and the character Brent focusing their attacks on Nitro. Kyle's character uses a Hexblade's Curse and a maneuver that grants the next attack advantage, while Christina's character, Nya, marks Cleopatra as her prey. Nya's attack misses Cleopatra due to her magical Bracer of Defense and Ring of Protection. Ubu uses a thunder damage breath weapon affecting all three enemies, dealing 13 points of damage after accounting for a raging bonus. Freakness attacks Cleopatra with the Venom Blade, using a tendril strike for a bonus attack, and defeats her dramatically. The Medusa creature then attempts to use a petrifying gaze on Ubu, forcing a constitution saving throw. The combat occurs in an environment where movement is halved due to magical, burning winds, and all characters suffer a minus-one constitution penalty while in Hell. The hosts digress into a discussion about the sentient sword's potential, comparing it to the Marvel character Venom and noting a comic where Venom possesses Godzilla. They also share personal anecdotes, including a story about accidentally kicking a child in the eye and a debate about whether Kmart still exists. The conversation shifts to American reality TV, with the group noting *American Gladiators* was revived during writers' strikes and that network television is declining. One host recommends the British show *Taskmaster* for its low-stakes, pun-filled comedy, while another prefers documentary-style programs like *Fake or Fortune*. During the fight mechanics, the Dungeon Master reveals Nitro has an intelligence score of nine, a detail included for a player's amusement. The tone is highly conversational and improvisational, filled with humorous tangents and casual banter between friends. The style blends cooperative storytelling with loose, comedic role-playing that frequently breaks the fourth wall. Listeners who enjoy actual-play podcasts with a heavy emphasis on off-topic humor and personal anecdotes will appreciate this episode. Those seeking a tightly paced, serious Dungeons & Dragons narrative focused solely on gameplay might find the frequent digressions distracting.

As heard by us

A messy, funny descent where banter and hellish staging keep colliding.

Murder Dice takes a funny, messy turn here. The crew returns after months away, drops into the black gate, and then gets pushed toward the next circle.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want a reunion-heavy actual-play crawl that opens with table banter and drops you into the gates of Hell.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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