Dad's Dungeon Dudes

Chris Pretorius

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Games
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What happens when a Dad leads his three sons into the wilds of the Multiverse? Total chaos—and a lot of fun. Dad’s Dungeon Dudes is an actual-play D&D podcast following a father and his three boys (all under 12) as they battle dragons, outsmart goblins, and probably get distracted by a cool-looking tavern dog. It’s a show about imagination, heroism, and the legendary bond of a family on a quest. dadsdungeondudes.substack.com

Aug 21

The Verdant Awakening 16 - The Toad and the Treasure

In this episode of Dad’s Dungeon Dudes: The Verdant Awakening, the party continues its escape through Xanathar’s lair in search of the mysterious sapphire artifact. With the reluctant help of captured guard Piddick, Thornsley Shatterscale, Ebonyclaw Shadowtooth, Saldrin, and Gabriel Brightwing disguise themselves as Xanathar’s guards and make their way toward the vault. But getting there means crossing a deadly bridge packed with invisible beams, tripwires, floating beholder sentinels—and, somehow, a suspicious number of hamburgers. After setting off the alarm, the adventurers finally reach Xanathar’s treasure hoard, where mountains of gold surround the sapphire artifact they’ve been searching for. Unfortunately, standing between them and their prize is an enormous half-mechanical, half-living toad with a devastating croak and a surprising secret. What begins as a battle soon takes an unexpected turn when the party discovers the creature is one of the Alpha Beasts, imprisoned by Xanathar and forced to guard his treasure. Freeing him will require a sacrifice—and some very creative thinking from the Dungeon Dudes. Can the party free the Alpha Beast, claim the sapphire artifact, and escape Xanathar’s lair before the guards arrive? Join us for traps, treasure, terrible rolls, questionable tactical decisions, and plenty of laughs in The Toad and the Treasure. Get full access to Dad's Dungeon Dudes at dadsdungeondudes.substack.com/subscribe
Aug 15

Bonus Q and A Episode

Find out more about the players, what they like, what their favourite moments were and how this has shaped them. Get full access to Dad's Dungeon Dudes at dadsdungeondudes.substack.com/subscribe
Jul 30

The Verdant Awakening 14 - Unsuspecting Guards

Welcome back to another hilarious family D&D adventure with Dad the DM and his four creative sons! In this episode, the boys find themselves face-to-face with the terrifying Xanathar the Beholder after escaping a giant terrarium. Desperate times call for desperate, laugh-out-loud measures as the brothers try everything from faking their own deaths to holding a beloved goldfish hostage just to escape. But the danger isn’t over yet, as a run-in with castle guards leads to chaotic battles, accidental friendly fire, and some very smelly spellcasting. ▶️ Subscribe now: https://www.youtube.com/@DadsDungeonDudes #DnD #DungeonsAndDragons #familypodcast #actualplay #Xanathar #Beholder #TTRPG #DadsDungeonDudes #SpikeGrowth #GuidingBolt #FunnyDnD #TabletopRPG Get full access to Dad's Dungeon Dudes at dadsdungeondudes.substack.com/subscribe
Jul 22

The Verdant Awakening 13- - Fey Food Guy

Trapped inside a giant glass dome with the air rapidly running out, the heroes of The Verdant Awakening must think fast. Having defeated the dome’s clockwork spider guardians, Ebonyclaw, Saldrin, Gabriel, and Thornsley search the wreckage for useful upgrades—discovering sapphire carapace shards and a mysterious Clockwork Core Box—but their victory is short-lived when a high-pitched hiss signals that their prison is becoming increasingly dangerous. With no obvious exit, the party tries everything: crowbars, healing magic, spider legs, clouds of daggers, poison-infused attacks, and a particularly inventive firebolt-powered throw. Their desperate efforts shatter the dome, but the escape only creates a new problem: part of the party is trapped beneath a second glass enclosure, while Gabriel suddenly grows to an astonishing size outside. As a summoned fae waiter from Feed Your Face charms an unusually important goldfish, the group finally discovers where they are—and who the fish belongs to. Their escape ends on a chilling reveal as Xanathar, the infamous beholder crime lord of Waterdeep, turns his many eyes toward the party. Can a group of fifth-level adventurers talk their way out of this? Or have they just made a very powerful enemy? Get full access to Dad's Dungeon Dudes at dadsdungeondudes.substack.com/subscribe
Jul 9

The Verdant Awakening 12 - Stuck in a big ol' bowl

Welcome back to Dad’s Dungeon Dudes, the family-friendly D&D podcast where massive ideas, custom forge upgrades, and tiny heroes make for giant-sized fun! This week, our newly minted Level 5 heroes take some well-deserved downtime at the Heroes’ Hearth. But safety at the home base doesn’t mean things stay quiet. Before stepping through the erratic next portal, the boys visit Barnaby and Lyra to cash in their hard-earned spoils from Silas’s vault, leading to some epic gear customization! However, the peace is shattered when they activate the Emerald Key. Instead of walking into a new kingdom, the portal behaves completely erratically—instantly shrinking the boys down to the size of ants and trapping them inside a glittering, miniature Sapphire Terrarium sitting on a giant criminal mastermind’s desk! 🌟 Episode Highlights: * The Masterwork Forge: The boys spend their downtime upgrading their arsenals with pristine Glass-Metal Alloy: * Thornsley (Teddy): Upgrades his druidic focus into the Verdant Staff +1, reinforced with beautiful metallic tree filigree. * Ebonyclaw (Ruben): Forges the Dancer’s Blades—twin daggers with specialized hilts that can clip together to form a double-ended blade staff! * Saldrin (Isaiah): Equips a spiked Shield +1 infused with a real-life Minecraft “Thorns” enchantment to deal retaliatory damage to close-range attackers. * Gabriel (Hugo): Upgrades his studded leather armor with stylized scale-like shoulder spikes for extra defense. * The Ultimate Sky-Ride: In a hilariously terrifying downtime moment, Teddy uses his new draconic wings to give Barnaby’s little girl, Adrienne, a 100-foot joyride in the sky, featuring a fast swoop-and-catch that leaves Dad (and Barnaby) shaking their heads! * Trapped in the Jar: The boys wake up on crushed sapphire soil next to a skyscraper-sized writing quill and a black sea of ink. When a massive pair of eyes peers into the glass, Saldrin uses a Command spell to make the giant eyes “Drop” in slow motion. * The Maintenance Swarm Attacks: A clockwork security trap triggers, unleashing three glass-carapaced mechanical beetles and a giant brass clockwork spider! * Tactical Leg-Melting: After Saldrin scores a critical perception check to spot the giant spider’s weak gear joints, Thornsley and Ebonyclaw combine forces, using their Copper and Black Dragonborn acid breath weapons to completely immobilize the mechanical monstrosity. * Crossbow Shatter-Shot: Gabriel stays clutch under pressure, using a pre-loaded crossbow reaction to obliterate the bloodied giant brass spider into a thousand flying pieces. 🕷️ Collateral Damage: To wipe out the remaining clockwork bugs, Ebonyclaw launches a calculated Level 2 Shatter spell directly into the mosh pit. He successfully blows up the swarm, but collateral damage is dealt to Thornsley, who claims he took extra psychic damage just from “being totally creeped out by all the mechanical spider oil everywhere.” The Swarm is breaking, but the jar is still sealed, the air is getting warmer, and the mysterious runes beneath their feet are starting to glow. Can our micro-sized heroes find a way to break the sky-glass before they cook? 💬 We Want to Hear From You! What would you do if you were shrunk down to the size of a paperweight? Let us know your escape plans in the comments on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube! Share the adventure with a friend, drop us a 5-star review, and you might get a legendary shout-out on next week’s episode! Get full access to Dad's Dungeon Dudes at dadsdungeondudes.substack.com/subscribe
Jul 3

The Verdant Awakening 11: Plundering Silas' Treasure Room + Level 5!

Vault Plunder, Base Upgrades, and Level 5! Welcome back to Dad’s Dungeon Dudes, the family-friendly D&D podcast where big imagination, tactical teamwork, and sibling rivalries make for the ultimate adventure! With Silas the Glass Shaper defeated, his freezing spell completely shatters. In a beautiful wave of emerald light, the rigid jade frost vaporizes, revealing green summer pines, wild forest flowers, and chirping birds. The Jade Spires are officially saved! But the victory lap is short-lived. A mechanical clink-clink-clink echoes through the floor as Silas's central platform rotates away, revealing a spiral staircase leading deep into a coarse granite bunker: The Room of Flaws. 🌟 Episode Highlights: Crossbow Trickshots & Fire Traps: Gabriel (Hugo) channels his inner Indiana Jones, wisely using his heavy crossbow to shoot the pulsing green Emerald Key right off its pedestal from a safe distance—perfectly bypassing a hidden jet-of-fire trap! The Loot Train is Rolling: The boys completely clean out the vault, pocketing a velvet pouch of rough emeralds, fire opals, and ancient sea-glass tokens worth a whopping 2,520 GP. Plus, they snag The Mona Silas mosaic portrait to add to their base gallery! Dagger vs. Diary: Teddy and Ruben discover Silas's childhood diary detailing the mysterious Elias Thorne. Naturally, they try to split the book in half with a dagger before Saldrin (Isaiah) steps in with a clutch Mending spell. ✨ LEVEL 5 UNLOCKED! ✨ The party reaches a massive milestone, unlocking game-changing Tier 2 Boons and features: Thornsley (Druid): Unlocks Swiftness of the Wild (+10 walking speed, and a blurry silhouette that forces disadvantage on opportunity attacks!). Ebonyclaw (Bard): Attunes to The Bent Tuning Fork, granting +1 to spell attacks and save DCs, plus a Misty Step feature that shields adjacent allies' AC. Gabriel (Ranger): Unlocks Multi-Attack and the Scope of the Unseen spyglass to highlight tracks and traps in the dark, alongside a reactive Shielding Glare. Saldrin (Cleric): Shatters the second iron lock on the Ledger of Legends, allowing him to cast Shield as a glowing grid of mathematical formulas. 🦌 The 100-Foot Legendary Leap! With Silas gone, the terrifying Glass Stag transforms back into a majestic, golden-brown elven elk named Hoof Strider. After a quick animal handling check, all four boys mount the elk to cross the massive canyon gap. While Gabriel and Ebonyclaw freak out and deploy their wings, Saldrin is left clinging desperately to the elk's antlers, screaming: "This is very irregular and very logical!" On the path home, they recruit Lyra the Gaffer, a master glass enchanter left without a job under Silas's fallen rule. 🏰 Stronghold Upgrade: Heroes' Hearth Level 2! Back at base, the boys pool their gold to purchase massive renovations: The Hall of Heroes (1,000 GP): Complete with massive wooden double doors, a plush red carpet, a grand conference table, and custom leather chairs featuring metal nameplates for each boy. The Enchanting Atelier (1,000 GP): A custom workshop equipped with a magical cold-fire glass furnace for Lyra to start crafting upgrades using their new stockpiles of Raw Jade Residuum and Pristine Glass-Metal Alloy. With the base upgraded to Level 2, the blind seer Veridiana and Whisper the Tabaxi reappear. The gateway to Arc 3 is ready... but are the boys? 💬 Give us a Shout-Out! We love interacting with our listeners! Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, share the show with a friend, or drop a comment below. If you're lucky, you might just get featured on a future episode! Get full access to Dad's Dungeon Dudes at dadsdungeondudes.substack.com/subscribe
Jun 26

The Verdant Awakening 10: The Shattered Masterpiece!

Welcome back to Dad’s Dungeon Dudes, the ultimate family-friendly D&D podcast where imagination, quick thinking, and family teamwork save the day! We pick up right on the edge of last week’s brutal cliffhanger. Silas the Glass Shaper has used a legendary action to trap Ebonyclaw, Thornsley, Gabriel, and Saldrin inside flawless blocks of solid glass. As our heroes stand entirely immobilized, Silas launches into a classic villain monologue about creating a perfect, unchanging world free of “messy autumn leaves” and weeds. But you can’t keep these Dungeon Dudes down for long! Unable to move their muscles or cast standard spells, the boys have to think outside the box—or rather, shatter it from the inside out. 🌟 Episode Highlights: Distraction Tactics: Gabriel (Hugo) breaks the villain’s telepathic concentration by casting Message to ask the ancient Archdruid a very important question: “Do you play Hollow Knight or Rain World?” The Great Tiger Burst: Thornsley (Teddy) realizes that shifting from a Medium dragonborn into a Large Tiger has an explosive structural side-effect. He shatters his own glass casing and immediately pounces to crack Gabriel free before suffocation sets in! Acid Melt & Windmill Arms: Ebonyclaw (Ruben) uses a clever Misty Step feature to bypass his casing, utilizes his acid breath weapon to melt Saldrin out of the ice, and channels his inner black dragon rage into a hilarious “dagger windmill arms” attack. Dangling over the Doom Chasm: Silas doesn’t go down easy! He unleashes a devastating Shatter Wave Chime that blasts the party backward. Saldrin (Isaiah) faces a near-fatal drop, catching onto a spinning clockwork gear by his fingertips at the very last second. Monologue Interrupted: Silas gets hit with the ultimate poetic justice. Mid-speech, Thornsley lands a clutch Poison Spray right down the villain’s mouth, sending the corrupted Archdruid tumbling into the deep chasm below. 🌸 Poetic Justice: As Silas’s magic breaks, the terrifying ice spikes across the atelier melt back into warm, beautiful summer vegetation. In a beautiful twist of fate, the villain who hated the chaos of nature ends up safely defeated at the bottom of the pit... impaled on a flower. With his final breath, Silas finally understands: “A life that never changes is a life that cannot love.” But the adventure isn’t over yet! As his magic fades, a mysterious thunk echoes through the room, and a secret spiral staircase opens up into the darkness below... 💬 Join the Conversation! Teddy wants to know: Why didn’t we level up yet?! What do you think the boys are going to find at the bottom of that secret spiral staircase? Drop us a comment on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube—we love reading your predictions and might give you a shout-out next week! Don’t forget to hit that subscribe button! Get full access to Dad's Dungeon Dudes at dadsdungeondudes.substack.com/subscribe
Jun 19

The Verdant Awakening 9 - Trapped in the Shattered Atelier!

🎙️ Episode Description: Welcome back to Dad’s Dungeon Dudes, the family-friendly D&D podcast where teamwork, big ideas, and lots of laughter save the day! Sorry for the delay in posting this episode - I have been stuck because I had to complete an assignment, but at long last here it is! In this week’s thrilling episode, the team deals with the immediate aftermath of Thornsley’s close call with petrification. Thanks to a legendary “Godberry” and the majestic Alpha Stag (now known as Hoof Strider), our favorite druid is back on his feet and ready for action! But there’s no time to celebrate—the final confrontation with Silas the Glass Shaper is finally here. The boys step into the Shattered Atelier, a breathtaking, dizzying glass dome floating high above a miniature model of the forest. Silas is inside a flawless glass pyramid at the center, just minutes away from completing a year-long ritual powered by raw sunlight that will permanently freeze the entire world into unyielding glass. To reach him, the party must cross a 100-foot sheer drop by solving a massive, spinning clockwork puzzle. 🌟 Episode Highlights: * The Return of Thornsley: Teddy’s druid wakes up from his emerald slumber and immediately wants to know if there’s anything to fight (or loot!). * The Battle Anthem: Ruben (Ebonyclaw) debuts his latest bardic masterpiece—the soon-to-be-viral hit, “Chicken Nugget Meatballs”—giving the entire party a massive morale boost. * Engineers of Chaos: Bypassing the spinning rings requires pure teamwork. Watch the boys combine an intimidation check from Isaiah (Saldrin), a crowbar heist, and a wild elemental chain-reaction of poison spray, fire, and Ray of Frost to rust the clockwork gears into place. * A Chilling Cliffhanger: The bridge is built, the party rushes forward, but Silas has one last trick up his sleeve. Will our heroes recover from a devastating flash of white ice? 💬 We want to hear from you! > Are you team Chicken Nugget or team Meatball? Leave us a comment on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform. Share your favorite moments from today’s session, or ask Dad a DM question—we might just give you a shout-out in a future episode! Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share this episode with your fellow adventurers! Check out the links in our show notes to stay connected with the campaign. Dad's Dungeon Dudes is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Thanks for reading Dad's Dungeon Dudes! This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to Dad's Dungeon Dudes at dadsdungeondudes.substack.com/subscribe

What happens when a Dad leads his three sons into the wilds of the Multiverse? Total chaos—and a lot of fun. Dad’s Dungeon Dudes is an actual-play D&D podcast following a father and his three boys (all under 12) as they battle dragons, outsmart goblins, and probably get distracted by a cool-looking tavern dog. It’s a show about imagination, heroism, and the legendary bond of a family on a quest. dadsdungeondudes.substack.com

Creator

Chris Pretorius
Years Active

2026
Episodes

20
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Chris Pretorius
Show Website

Dad's Dungeon Dudes

Comedy

Comedy

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