THE NINE HELLS (Layers 6 - 9) - Remastered: Beyond the Gates: A Deeper Dive
Release Date: 05/16/2026
2014 DnD 5e MONKS Levels 5 - 20 (Remastered) - Beyond the Flurry of Blows: Strategic Tips for Mastering the Class
The RPGBOT.Podcast
At levels 1 through 4, the 2014 Monk is a beautiful dream: you punch, you kick, you spend ki like a raccoon with a stolen credit card. Then levels 5 through 20 arrive, and suddenly the class asks, “Would you like to stun a dragon, run across a lake, catch a missile, become immune to poison, astral project emotionally, and still somehow worry about running out of ki before lunch?” This episode dives into the Monk’s awkward, glorious, high-speed middle and late game, where every turn is a choice between tactical brilliance and blowing your entire budget on Flurry of Blows because punching...
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CASTING MISSILES - Adapting DnD to Other Levels of Technology
The RPGBOT.Podcast
This week on the RPGBOT.Podcast, the hosts ask the eternal tabletop question: what happens when your beloved fantasy RPG grows up, gets a driver’s license, discovers firearms, and immediately becomes everyone’s problem? We begin with PishPash My Memory is Trash merch, accidental mug design crimes, Pride, wizard bazookas, and Ash’s long-simmering legal case against the movie Bright. Then we get to the real issue: how do you let someone fight Tiamat with an Uzi without turning your campaign into a spreadsheet, a war crime, or Shadowrun with the serial numbers filed off? Show Notes In this...
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PF2 ROGUE Part 2 - Scoundrels, Ruffians, and Weaponized Gaslighting
The RPGBOT.Podcast
Before the rogues can reach legendary proficiency, the episode must first survive the real high-level threats: Producer Dan being sleepy, Tyler’s aggressively early bedtime policy, Ash explaining the freedom of having no kids, a Starfinder boss who walks through space walls, and the devastating possibility that a spider might disrupt Tyler’s routine. Once everyone finally remembers this is supposed to be a Pathfinder 2e rogue episode, the party returns to levels 11 through 20, where rogues stop being “sneaky knife people” and become invisible, paralyzing, truth-proof, pants-stealing...
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2014 DnD 5e MONKS Levels 1 - 4 (Remastered) - Ascend to Greatness or Stumble in the Shadows
The RPGBOT.Podcast
Monks are supposed to be serene masters of body, mind, and spirit, which is adorable because in 2014 DnD 5e they mostly begin life as a lightly dressed Dex-Wis-Con spreadsheet sprinting toward danger with 10 hit points and a dream. This week, the RPGBOT crew enters the monastery to ask the big questions. Can you punch your way to enlightenment? Is ki a precious spiritual resource or just a tiny battery labeled please do not waste on disappointment? And at levels 1 through 4, are Monks ascending to greatness, or are they simply discovering that inner peace does not count as armor? Show Notes...
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PF2 ROGUE Part 1 - Accurate, exhausted, and one step from an infomercial
The RPGBOT.Podcast
Once the table finally escapes the opening chaos and cat crimes, Tyler, Randall, and Ash dive into Pathfinder 2e rogues, proving that the class is not just a sneaky knife gremlin. It is also a walking toolbox, a social menace, a battlefield problem, and so much more Show Notes This episode begins the RPGBOT.Podcast breakdown of Pathfinder 2e rogues, covering levels 1 through 10 and exploring how the class develops from nimble opportunist into a precision-damage nightmare with more skills than common sense. Tyler, Randall, and Ash each bring a different rogue racket to the table, with Tyler...
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ADAM BRADFORD'S FORGOTTEN ODDYSEYS: BadEye Adam built a Greek nightmare and we brought snacks
The RPGBOT.Podcast
Welcome to Forgotten Odysseys, the game where surviving the Trojan War is apparently the easy part. Adam Bradford, also known as BadEye Adam, has created a MÖRK BORG-compatible Greek fantasy nightmare where the gods hate you, the sea hates you, the dice hate you, and sometimes your own party decides that prophecy is just a polite suggestion to commit murder. In this episode, the crew sets sail for home, immediately gets distracted by pork, insults a goddess, and proves that if Odysseus had access to a live Twitch chat, he probably would have died even faster. Show Notes This week on the...
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THE ABYSS (Remastered): A Guide to Surviving the Demonic Hordes
The RPGBOT.Podcast
Welcome to the Abyss, the multiverse’s least relaxing vacation destination, where every layer is somehow worse than the last, the locals are made of teeth and bad decisions, and the gift shop only sells trauma. This week on the RPGBOT.Podcast, we descend into the infinite chaos of demonic nonsense to ask the important questions: how do you survive a plane that actively hates zoning laws, why are demon lords like this, and at what point does a heroic expedition become an HR violation with initiative rolls? Show Notes This week, the RPGBOT.Podcast heads screaming into the Abyss, home of...
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RAVENLOFT - THE HORRORS WITHIN: The Best Ravenloft Book Since Ravenloft
The RPGBOT.Podcast
Welcome to Part 4 of our Ravenloft: The Horrors Within review, where the real horror isn't Strahd. It's Ash's campaign. In the span of ten minutes, his players accidentally created Baba Yaga, nearly invented a magical nuclear weapon, tried to break the multiverse "just to see what happens," and immediately asked if they could automate it with a Rube Goldberg machine. At this point, the Dark Powers aren't tormenting the players. They're trying to survive them. Show Notes We wrap up our four-part review of Ravenloft: The Horrors Within by touring the remaining Domains of Dread, digging into...
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RAVENLOFT - THE HORRORS WITHIN: The Dark Powers Finally Updated Their Monster Manual
The RPGBOT.Podcast
Ravenloft is a setting built on fear, tragedy, and impossible choices. Naturally, we spent the first ten minutes arguing about whether Florida is its own Domain of Dread, listening to Ash tell a story about getting magically demoted from noble to peasant, and debating whether "lofting ravens" is a real phrase. Honestly, the Dark Powers couldn't have written a better introduction. Show Notes In Part 3 of our review of Ravenloft: The Horrors Within, we finally leave the player options behind and dive into the heart of the setting itself. Wizards of the Coast dramatically expands the Domains of...
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HELP, AID, ASSIST (Remastered) - Enhancing the Help Action: Character Options and Abilities
The RPGBOT.Podcast
So today's episode is about the Help action, the mechanic that exists so your party can finally contribute after rolling three consecutive natural 2s. We'll answer life's toughest questions: Is sacrificing your turn to give someone advantage actually worth it? Can an owl legally become the MVP of every combat? And how many class features can be stacked before your DM quietly starts targeting the familiar instead? Grab your emotional support Help action, because we're about to optimize teamwork so hard your rogue might actually say 'thanks.' Show Notes The Help action looks simple on paper:...
info_outlineThe descent into the deepest layers of the Nine Hells takes things from dangerous to existentially terrifying. This episode explores Baator’s final four layers, where infernal politics, cosmic oppression, and impossible ambition reshape reality itself. The closer the journey gets to Nessus and the throne of Asmodeus, the less the planes feel like fantasy adventure settings and the more they resemble living manifestations of lawful evil.
Malbolge collapses under the weight of punishment and failure, while Maladomini stretches into endless ruined cities built by eternal dissatisfaction and vanity. Cania freezes everything beneath terrifying magical power and cold intellect before the journey finally reaches Nessus, an abyssal seat of infernal authority where mystery and control dominate everything.
The discussion digs into why the deeper hells work so well for high-level campaigns focused on politics, temptation, cosmic horror, and morally impossible decisions. Rather than relying on endless combat encounters, these layers thrive on manipulation, hierarchy, contracts, and the terrifying realization that Hell functions exactly as intended.
For Game Masters, the episode offers plenty of inspiration for building infernal adventures that feel oppressive, alien, and unforgettable without turning the Nine Hells into a repetitive dungeon crawl.
Key Takeaways
- The final four layers of the Nine Hells become increasingly abstract, oppressive, and philosophical.
- Malbolge represents failure, punishment, and collapsing ambition.
- Maladomini embodies vanity, corruption, and endless dissatisfaction through ruined cities and abandoned projects.
- Cania combines frozen isolation with immense magical power and terrifying intellect.
- Nessus serves as the mysterious and overwhelming domain of Asmodeus.
- The deeper hells work best as settings for political intrigue, temptation, and cosmic horror.
- Devils become more frightening when portrayed as organized manipulators instead of simple combat encounters.
- Infernal hierarchy and bureaucracy are central to the identity of Baator.
- High-level planar adventures benefit from moral complexity and long-term consequences.
- The Nine Hells are most effective when each layer feels philosophically distinct.
- Infernal campaigns thrive on impossible bargains, systemic oppression, and personal corruption.
- The deeper layers should feel psychologically oppressive as much as physically dangerous.
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Meet the Hosts
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Tyler Kamstra – Master of mechanics, seeing the Pathfinder action economy like Neo in the Matrix.
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Randall James – Lore buff and technologist, always ready to debate which Lord of the Rings edition reigns supreme.
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Ash Ely – Resident cynic, chaos agent, and AI’s worst nightmare, bringing pure table-flipping RPG podcast energy.
Join the RPGBOT team where fantasy roleplaying meets real strategy, sarcasm, and community chaos.
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