Romp through Dungeons & Dragons adventures as a band of rugrats in TRPG supplement Dungeon Babies
Diapers not included.
Ever thought your Dungeons & Dragons 5E group was just too competent? That crossing dangerous environments or manoeuvring courtly intrigue would be more interesting if, perhaps, every character were no older than a toddler? That’s the premise of Dungeon Babies, a tabletop RPG supplement that takes childish adventuring very seriously.
Within its 78 pages are rules on how to play a mostly defenceless adventurers, if you don’t count all the implements of murder and destructive magics these babies have readily at hand. The book outlines 13 additional classes that are largely just the classic fare - Druids, Fighters, Warlocks, etc. - but with Baby appended to them. All of the core abilities have been translated to match the ridiculous flavour, such as animating stuffed animals or dual-wielding scissors that are definitely not child-proofed.
Also included are 34 new feats to make character creation feel more appropriate for pint-sized pugilists and newly hatched Dragonborn. I’m not exactly sure what the combat advantage of Rolling Over or Babbling might be, but I’ve also never been lost in a goblin hideout searching for treasure! Speaking of, the player-controlled tykes can gain instant experience by doing what babies do best and shoving foreign, inedible objects such as gold, gems and valuables directly into their gob.
Creator Jason Bradley Thompson became a father in 2020 and says on his official website that he channelled the joys, frustrations, confusions and wonder of being a parent into this supplement. He wanted to replicate some of that feeling of being a tiny creature in a world brimming with catastrophe, nevertheless pushing forward with what seems like boundless curiosity and heedless abandon.
“I’ve thought a lot about parenting and what this means for all my various interests including roleplaying games,” Thompson wrote on his website. “Sure, there’s lots of RPGs aimed at children, but what about a RPG where you play children?
Dungeon Babies works best with those groups who are aiming for something more “back to the basics", with sessions largely pertaining to the gaggle of droolers being ferried from one destination to another by The Stork in their arduous journey through the land of Vyraj. The game also works well as a one-shot generator emphasising hijinks and the kind of humour one expects when the population of a daycare attempt to pummel a lich into submission.
Those interested can read more about Dungeon Babies on its DMs Guild webstore page. The digital PDF contains everything needed to adapt a D&D 5E setting, though obviously the core books should be on hand. It also comes with character sheet, content guidelines for different approaches, actual play reports and tips for both the players and the DM.