

Can you see where we’re going with this? It’s the Scoops Troop who first scouts out the dungeon-like, labyrinthine maze under Starcourt Mall after solving the puzzle to make it inside. Along the way the party battle enemies and find valuable items to aid them in their quest. Dungeon CrawlAfter the meeting at the tavern usually comes the dungeon crawl, a long trek through a dark cave or maze of rooms deep underground to defeat a monster and find treasure. Instead of ale, they swap stories and gather over Orange Crush and cereal. For Will the Wise and his party, their inn is Mike’s basement. She thinks quickly on her feet and looks for ways to get out of tight spots (literally and figuratively), can crack complicated codes, and she’s definitely wily. Like almost all great D&D stories, our heroes gather in the “tavern” and recruit new allies, like the clever and, dare we say, rogue-like Erica Sinclair. Play The Party Meets in a TavernScoops Ahoy isn’t just an ice cream parlor in Stranger Things-it’s also where the Scoops Troop begins their epic quest. El ripping the Mind Flayer’s head down the middle is the kind of impressive feat akin to rolling a Natural 20. And, it almost goes without saying, but Telekinesis is another powerful spell in a wizard’s arsenal in D&D that also serves as El’s primary means of attack. The object of your magical gaze has a chance to become aware of your presence, however, a hard lesson El also learns when Billy stares right back at her. Scrying is used to see any creature on your plane of existence, and the more familiarity you have with the target of your prying eyes, the better chance you have to succeed.

Eleven Is So WizardEl’s powers may be the result of scientific experiments, but any magic wielder in D&D will recognize the “spell” she uses for most of the season. Warning: Major spoilers for Stranger Things 3 follow! Note: Abilities mentioned below are described from the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons. Roll an arcana check as we dive into just some of them. The friends’ heroics to defeat the monster and save the village goes far beyond the tabletop as references, parallels, and homages make this season a huge, terrifying game of D&D. As much as Will pleads with his friends to play D&D in Stranger Things Season 3, he never realizes that he actually is in a campaign-in real life.
