Dungeon Master Assistance

Let me introduce Bold Against Monsters. (You can call it BAM.). This is a new D&D 5E compatible rules-light Role Playing Game that I – the Old Dungeon Master – just finished writing.

Download your free 74 page PDF copy of the BAM Core Rule Book HERE.
An updated version is available for free (or pay what you want) on DriveThruRPG. Here is the link:
https://olddungeonmaster.com/2025/10/31/bold-against-monsters-free-pdf-of-published-version/

I started with the 2014 versions of Dungeons and Dragons (5E). Then, based on my 40+ years of DMing, I eliminated or changed things I thought could be improved, added things I prefer from the 2024 versions of Dungeons and Dragons (5.5) and Tales of the Valiant (ToV), and used some of the concepts found in ShadowDark RPG (SD), modified for a more 5E compatible campaign. To all of this, I added some of my favorite house rules to come up with the Table Top Role Playing Game – Bold Against Monstrers. This is the game I like best. Give it a try, I think you will like it too.

This Core Rule Book contains everything you need to play the game (except for the dice). It is compatible for use with any published 5E adventure for characters up to level 10. It can serve as an introduction to 5E role playing for new players or anyone looking for a game with familiar characters you can easily create and quickly play. Character creation, level advancement, inventory tracking, proficiencies, spellcasting, combat, and more have been simplified without moving too far from the basics I love about the 5E game system.

This was made possible through the use of the D&D 5E and D&D 5.5 rules as published under Creative Commons License in SRD_CC_v5.1 and SRD_CC_v5.2 respectively, the ToV rules published as “Black Flag Roleplaying” under the ORC license, and the “Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License V1.1”. No AI was used in creating this. All artwork was found on-line with commercial licenses, or created by the author.

Update #1: 6/24/2025 (BAM Rules_v2.pdf) Minor changes
Removed the “Lifting and Carrying” and the “Push, Drag, or Lift” sections. They were in conflict with “Gear Slots”. I renumbered the pages (and updated the Table of Contents) so now when going to a page in the PDF, the number on the page will match the page number of the PDF file. Corrected misspellings (thanks to the comment from larrymannplays). Made a couple of cosmetic and formatting changes.

I’m always looking to improve my resources for the D&D community!  I would love to hear your feedback on this new RPG. Let me know what you think in the comments below. I am especially interested in your opinion on which rules you like or would have done differently.

Download your free form-fillable PDF BAM character sheet HERE.

The BAM Core Rule Book includes a character sheet on the back cover, but I also created this form-fillable version.

You will need to enter your ability modifiers and character level before the calculations for Weapons and Armor Class can be made. You can select Ancestry, Background, Class, Deity, and Weapons from drop-down lists, or enter any text in the box. For selected text, the features and other information below will fill in. For Ancestry, Background, Class, or Weapons text you typed in, you can enter any information below as you would like. To change the information below a selection you made, just change the name (adding a space behind the name will do). Clearing the text in the box, or making a different selection from the drop-down, will delete all the text below it.

Selecting your armor and shield from the drop-downs will calculate and display your Armor Class (AC).

Refer to the BAM Core Rule Book for information regarding Gear Slots. All the Weapons, Armor, Tools, and other equipment listed in that book can be selected from drop-downs, or you can type any text you want into the boxes.

There are now free Class Reference Sheets available to download HERE.