Keith Ammann

ENNIE-winning author of The Monsters Know What They're Doing and other stuff. Humanist, antifascist, curmudgeon. Teeth on the board. ✶✶✶✶

Public Key

npub1v0mw6czrrxaptspagc2m9546nk6e90ytwal42klqam85y7tmnf0qrdawjr

NIP-05 Address

KeithAmmann@dice-camp.mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsx8ahdvpp3nws4cq75v9dj62afmdvjhj9hwl64t0swan6z09ae5hspz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0ds70mjsf

Publishing to

public.relaying.io

nos.lol

relay.damus.io

Author Public Key

npub1v0mw6czrrxaptspagc2m9546nk6e90ytwal42klqam85y7tmnf0qrdawjr

Show more details

Last Notes

2026-04-13 18:24:55 UTC

Daði Einarsson of the Mystic Arts YouTube channel recorded a response to a video that Matt Colville made. I watched Daði's video. Then I watched Colville's. Then I watched Colville's again. Then I watched Daði's again.
Then I wrote a response of my own. https://www.onefootinfairyland.com/the-elements-of-gamemastering-style/
#TTRPG

2026-04-10 00:46:07 UTC

Times have changed. The old rules no longer apply. Our foes have grown in strength. We must adapt.
Don't worry. I gotchu.
With updated tactics and brand-new tips for every monster, REMONSTERED! THE MONSTERS KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING comes out this Oct. 6. Preorder at https://bookshop.org/a/511/9781668236932. #DnD
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/116/377/646/971/964/342/original/873f05c06ebdfa1f.jpeg

2026-04-09 19:03:44 UTC

Break it down, break it down: Golgari NPC tactics. https://www.themonstersknow.com/golgari-npc-tactics/
#DnD

2026-04-07 17:08:00 UTC

2026-03-24 04:21:30 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…p0fq I don't think OrcaCon wants me, and ECCC is a tall order. But a lot may happen in the next year.

2026-03-23 04:57:03 UTC

Happy-tired at PDX after my weekend at #GameStorm. Portland continues to come through for me, and I'm glad to have had the opportunity to come out and express my gratitude. Thanks to Nicole Nowlin, Artemis Billington and all the rest of the con staff who facilitated my appearance.
P.S. If you missed me at the con, run-don't-walk to Powell's, where I signed all the books of mine they had on hand! 😉

2026-03-19 22:16:39 UTC

Here I am at GameStorm in Portland, Ore., paying an overdue visit to the city that buys my books at a higher rate per capita than any other. Thank you!
In a little under an hour, I'm running a monster design workshop, then D&D and Cypher games Friday and Saturday morning.
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/116/258/150/732/084/487/original/f070b696b1170f3e.jpg

2025-11-11 03:54:57 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…pdgt @nprofile…tkl4 @nprofile…p5am They're supposed to be banners, but I got lazy with the proportions.

2025-11-11 01:24:31 UTC

This Saturday, Nov. 15, starting at 6 PM U.S. Eastern Time (5 PM CT, 3 PM PT), join me and Lexi McQueen (blackgirlmage), @nprofile…tkl4, @nprofile…p5am and Brian Gray (urbanbohemian) as we play D&D and raise funds in support of our neighbors who are being threatened with harassment, assault and kidnapping in the name of immigration enforcement.
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/115/528/451/395/582/796/original/cc3590e783e74432.jpeg

2025-10-07 13:00:07 UTC

TODAY'S THE DAY! Making Enemies: Monster Design Inspiration for Tabletop Roleplaying Games, with cover illustration by Lio Pressland and interior illos by @nprofile…32ts, is now on shelves!
Get it at your local independent bookstore, at your friendly local game store or through one of these links: https://spyandowl.com/making-enemies
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/115/333/005/706/473/901/original/2467780a62ce56c7.jpeg

2025-09-07 16:46:14 UTC

Just one month away from the release of Making Enemies, my deep dive into creating #TTRPG monsters from the ground up, with system-specific advice for #DnD 5E, #Pathfinder 2E, #Shadowdark, the #CypherSystem and #CallOfCthulhu 7E! On sale Oct. 7—preorder today at https://spyandowl.com/making-enemies !
1/3
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/115/164/025/549/248/169/original/1e10665c69a8fd4b.jpeg

2025-08-18 19:24:50 UTC

Some of a monster's most memorable attacks are ones that are first primed, then detonated—using a condition or maneuver to gain an edge, or forcing a PC to decide whether to buy off the impact of an extra-hard hit.
Making Enemies goes on sale Oct. 7—preorder now at https://spyandowl.com/making-enemies. #TTRPG
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/115/051/402/987/566/589/original/f16e2b5959dda1b4.jpeg

2025-08-05 17:02:20 UTC

In praise of anchored high fantasy, a worldbuilding and play style that the TTRPG market is abandoning. https://www.onefootinfairyland.com/a-wizard-creates-a-mountain-the-mountain-creates-a-rain-shadow/

2025-08-04 00:50:22 UTC

My blog got 1,300 hits around 7 this morning, and I have no idea why.
More than half of them came from Poland.
Was there a TikTok or something?

2025-07-30 16:19:18 UTC

Excited for the release of Making Enemies: Monster Design Inspiration for Tabletop Roleplaying Games? Let other folks know: Mark it as "Want to Read" on Goodreads and Storygraph!
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/224039145-making-enemies
Storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/2c9d9f32-f889-4404-8c2a-2649483de439 #TTRPG #DnD #Pathfinder #Shadowdark #CypherSystem
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/114/943/089/516/491/888/original/f3b426d0fbb6bcac.jpeg

2025-07-16 18:02:32 UTC

Finishing a manuscript draft is a great time to dig through the out-of-control piles of paper on one's desk, and what's this I just dug out?
Recipes for a dwarven feast? https://www.onefootinfairyland.com/dwarven-feast-fine-dwarven-feast/

2025-07-07 18:06:17 UTC

Just three months away from the release of Making Enemies, my deep dive into creating #TTRPG monsters from the ground up, with system-specific advice for #DnD 5E, #Pathfinder 2E, #Shadowdark, the #CypherSystem and #CallOfCthulhu 7E! On sale Oct. 7—preorder today at https://spyandowl.com/making-enemies.
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/114/813/277/101/437/741/original/a6a024d9405df8f2.jpeg

2025-04-23 17:52:07 UTC

Are you a Barnes & Noble member? Preorder Making Enemies: Monster Design Inspiration for Tabletop Roleplaying Games today—in hardcover, e-book or audio—and get 25 percent off list price.
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/making-enemies-keith-ammann/1146902901
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/114/388/548/060/161/133/original/f3b69dcc0a423ba6.png

2025-03-04 22:00:16 UTC

Want to show your gamemaster some appreciation this #InternationalGMsDay? Give them a copy of How to Defend Your Lair (https://bookshop.org/book/9781982171353), or preorder them a copy of Making Enemies: Monster Design Inspiration for Tabletop Roleplaying Games (https://bookshop.org/book/9781982171353)! #DnD #TTRPG
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/114/106/408/340/498/062/original/c97936883d3b5b2c.jpeg

2025-02-18 21:00:04 UTC

Bumping this announcement because Making Enemies is finally available for preorder through Bookshop. If you've been holding off because you support independent bookstores and/or want to withhold your money from Amazon, you're my kind of people, and I love you, and you can use this link: https://bookshop.org/a/511/9781668093344
#TTRPG #DnD #Pathfinder #Shadowdark #CypherSystem #CallOfCtulthu
https://dice.camp/@KeithAmmann/113918372220802337

2025-01-24 20:34:55 UTC

For the second year in a row, the ENNIE Awards are accepting products that include AI-generated content. (I only found out this week, because last year I had nothing to submit.)
Because of this policy, I've removed the award bug from The Monsters Know What They're Doing's banner image and all references to the ENNIEs from my retailer copy and social media profile bios.
I intend to return my ENNIE medals, but I haven't gotten a reply to my query concerning where to send them yet. #NoAI

2024-04-05 17:24:43 UTC

- reply

@npub19ll…nvrx Biden joined Threads; not exactly the same thing. The link you include is an obvious parody account.

2023-09-23 20:03:04 UTC

- reply

@npub1u4k…vxe4 @npub1t3z…f87n Except that from everything I can tell, WotC's presence at Big Bad Con is going to be significantly smaller than its presence at Gamehole Con was going to be.

2023-09-23 02:16:39 UTC

- reply

@npub1t3z…f87n Wait, did WotC pull out of Gamehole Con? All of a sudden it's off the event calendar. That can't be right, can it?

2023-08-30 03:24:50 UTC

TFW you add a bunch of posts to a long-running Mastodon thread only to realize you forgot to set the post with the hashtag on it to Public. Sigh. #CypherSystem https://dice.camp/@KeithAmmann/110976277047947625

2023-08-10 17:00:11 UTC

Spelljammer’s vampirates bear only superficial similarities to the vampire and vampire spawn of the Monster Manual. They’re not sensitive to sunlight, they don’t drink blood, they’re indifferent to running water, they don’t regenerate, and they can march right into your house whether you’ve invited them in or not.
https://www.themonstersknow.com/vampirate-tactics/ #DnD
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/110/866/386/769/720/373/original/72a3c30e11c91537.png

2023-08-05 17:36:43 UTC

- reply

@npub1u4k…vxe4 @npub1ztk…lanu There's a new company called QuillBot that IS referring to its "writing assistant" as "AI." And not only Grammarly but Notion, Word, Google Docs and even Jetpack are introducing "AI" tools that are supposed to help writers.
In the end, though, they're nothing but crutches—substitutes for writers' own skill and judgment. They don't make you a better writer. Nor are they adequate substitutes for an editor, if your work needs editing.

2023-08-05 15:00:09 UTC

In light of the recent revelation that WotC chose to include artwork that was at least partially “AI”-generated in Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants, I will not buy that book or analyze any creature in it unless and until the art in question is replaced with entirely original art by a human artist.
https://www.themonstersknow.com/a-note-on-ai-in-dd/ #DnD
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/110/837/603/260/845/228/original/670b33d0eb6a667f.jpg

2023-07-31 12:14:09 UTC

- reply

@npub1zdp…vqv8 That guy's face is going to smack into the seamless. 😳

2023-07-25 15:23:27 UTC

I've gotten 26 new followers on Bluesky in the last 24 hours.
On #Mastodon, I've gotten … one.
Folks, we are NOT doing this right if Elmo's cosmic screwups are no longer resulting in waves of new Mastodon signups. Folks like @npub1xzm…eykm need to be listening to folks like @npub1qmc…v6gx about how to break down the technical barriers and discourse behaviors that are repelling users, both before and after they join.

2023-07-14 22:38:44 UTC

- reply

@npub1u4k…vxe4 It's VERY WELL HIDDEN

2023-07-14 22:38:26 UTC

- reply

@npub1u4k…vxe4 It's HIDDEN

2023-07-05 15:29:19 UTC

- reply

@npub1u4k…vxe4 How well did you sleep last night?
There ya go.

2023-07-05 14:35:56 UTC

Got an invite to Bluesky and set up an account over there just to have it.
Turns out, that's where nearly all the D&D/TTRPG people have gone. And also a whole bunch of news and history folks I used to follow.
Well, shit.
I still like it better here. I wish that opinion were more widely shared.

2023-07-05 14:26:41 UTC

If you care about making #TTRPG gathering spaces safer for ALL gamers, please sign this petition asking #PAX to bring back mask and vax requirements for #PAXUnplugged. The decision is not yet made, so now is the best time to make our voices heard. https://chng.it/zqjvrV9j5c

2023-07-01 23:55:10 UTC

- reply

@npub1u4k…vxe4 Yeah, that was all 2021 and 2022. This year was supposed to be about what comes next.

2023-05-15 18:54:34 UTC

- reply

@npub1yk6…4zz4 I also couldn't see your reply to my reply. Had to guess it was you and visit your profile to confirm. 🫤

2023-03-15 23:42:08 UTC

Why is so much venture capital wasted on these stupid AI projects when they could be spending it on something that will effectively clean a broiler pan