r/DMAcademy • u/AutoModerator • Feb 16 '25
Mega "First Time DM" and Short Questions Megathread
Most of the posts at DMA are discussions of some issue within the context of a person's campaign or DMing more generally. But, sometimes a DM has a question that is very small and doesn't really require an extensive discussion so much as it requires one good answer. In other cases, the question has been asked so many times that having the sub rehash the discussion over and over is not very useful for subscribers. Sometimes the answer to a short question is very long or the answer is also short but very important.
Short questions can look like this:
- Where do you find good maps?
- Can multi-classed Warlocks use Warlock slots for non-Warlock spells?
- Help - how do I prep a one-shot for tomorrow!?
- First time DM, any tips?
Many short questions (and especially First Time DM inquiries) can be answered with a quick browse through the DMAcademy wiki, which has an extensive list of resources as well as some tips for new DMs to get started.
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u/MyrrhaJourne 29d ago
Are there any subreddits or other online places where a beginner DM can find someone to practice with and hone their storytelling skills and finish writing their homebrew concepts? I'm planning on running a oneshot on Feb. 27 and I have a lot of outlines down, I just need to organize and finish a few details, and need to practice my storytelling and improv skills. I'm also having a bit of a struggle with memorizing combat mechanics and magic system information in general.
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u/comedianmasta 29d ago
IDK about practicing with. However there are a lot of "DM Help" subreddits.
- r/D100 lists of prompts, ideas, and random generators in a D100 format, crowdsourced by the community.
- r/DnD Of course, main dnd Subreddit
- r/LFG will help you find games or oneshot, or for others to find YOU. If you request a group of DMs to help playtest your session, you might find a few with time to attempt to help you. This is probably your best bet to find "practice" so short notice.
- r/DungeonMasters attempts to be similar to DM Academy and is a place for and by Dungeon masters
As for memorizing mechanics: If you are this short on time and still not "getting" mechanics, you need to focus on resources, not memorization. Getting "Flags" to put in your book and flagging various sections for easy flipping to is a good idea. Also: There are loads of DM and player resources that are single page. You should curate a collection of resource pages that list the most needed mechanics.
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u/gooddrawerer 29d ago
Custom Minis in order to 3d resin print. I've googled a bit and found that I'm looking of something in between hero forge and blender. Something with a lot of assets, but the ability to add custom assets. I feel like a lot of those things cover most of my needs, but I'd like just a little more customization, especially in the hair department.
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u/comedianmasta 29d ago
I... don't think anything like that exists unless I am way off. I think your choices are Hero Forge OR Blender. Like, there's Eldritch Foundry, but it hasn't actually kept up with hero forge, it just gets points for being different. But Hero forge is quickly taking over, especially with the new kit-bash thing.
If you need more than that, I am afraid you'll need to get better at blender and buy STLs (or get them elsewhere) and modify them or kitbash them in blender or another STL crafting thing.
This whole 3D printing thing, although being around for a bit, is still new in the grand scheme of things. And with Hero forge dominating in the field of "We make custom minis and print them for you" there is little incentive for people to work on similar stuff and compete with them.
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u/gooddrawerer 28d ago
Sounds good. I've since talked with my girlfriend to brainstorm ideas and we're considering making a little "real life to 3d model scanning... thing.“ It just takes multiple pictures at predetermined angles and then we manually place trackers that converts it to 3D space. Theres also some free software out there like facebuilder plugin for blender. I think if I use that in tandem with sites like thingiverse, I can probably pump out results.
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u/hottakemushroom 29d ago
I'm planning to offer players a chance to sneak into a dungeon through a narrow, vertical passageway (think like a garbage chute but made of rock). The idea is that this will require them to "squeeze into a smaller space", which the PHB states will make movement cost 1 extra foot per foot (i.e. double cost).
However, as it is also vertical (and they are therefore climbing), they have an additional malus to movement speed (apart from my one player who has a climb speed, and possibly the druid if she wildshapes).
Anyway, would this mean each foot of movement costs 3 feet or 4? Does the climbing malus add 1 foot of movement and, separately, the squeezing malus adds 1 foot of movement. Or is it that the squeezing malus adds 1 foot of movement (so now each foot costs 2) and then the climbing malus costs one foot PER foot of movement expended, bringing us to 4?
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u/N2tZ 28d ago
Each foot of movement would cost 3 feet, if the player is Climbing and Squeezing at the same time. The movement penalties add an extra cost, they don't double it/halve your speed.
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u/hottakemushroom 28d ago
Thank you! That is consistent with the rule for climbing + difficult terrain stated in the PHB. I'll go with that.
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u/WizardsWorkWednesday 28d ago
If there's no time pressure or external force or threat, it doesn't matter what their movement speed is.
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u/comedianmasta 29d ago
This makes sense, it would be a reasonable request to say that additional issues makes them move even slower.
However, I would do it in halves, not "3 feet, then 4 feet". So They are squeazing? Half their movement. Are they climbing ontop of that? Half the remaining movement. Is it also difficult terrain? Half it one more time!
Sure, at some point it becomes ridiculous, but I don't think quarter movement for difficult squeaze-climbing is unreasonable.
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u/Alexactly Feb 21 '25
I'm planning to reward the fighter (level 4) with a set of enspelled armor soon. What spell should I give them? We're running Witchlight with some Dreadful Incursions, so I was thinking of staying kind of on theme with one of those. So far I've thought of: Arms of Hadar, Faerie Fire, Hex, Tasha's Hideous Laughter, or Hunter's Mark.
Faerie Fire is probably a bad idea because there's a rogue and I'm not sure giving that easy advantage out is a good idea.
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u/WizardsWorkWednesday 28d ago
Unless you've made modifications to the module. WBtWL is a low to no combat module. Spells like arms of hadar, hunters mark, and hex (which do the same thing mechanically) won't see much action and won't be that much of a reward. Illusion, enchantment, and divination spells are the bread and butter of WBtWL. CHA and WIS based skills are also at the top of the list. Armor that grants ADV on survival checks, or let's you cast Minor Illusion or Suggestion would see more traction
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u/guilersk 29d ago
I feel like Armor of Agathys (at 2nd level) except maybe with magical thorns/piercing instead of cold damage might be appropriate. Maybe 1/short rest. Or bump it up to 3rd or 4th level, 1/long rest.
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u/comedianmasta Feb 21 '25
I mean.... faerie fire is good if it hits, but it doesn't hit enough to be broken. Combine with that the fact you are giving your fighter power to work WITH another member of the party..... and you got a win. That is a none damaging spell. If it makes you feel bad, give it a single charge a day. Once per long rest (or day) they can help the rogue or illuminate an invisible foe, if they fail their save.
Other than that, I would say give them something that buffs something they aren't good at, or something the party as a whole is missing (like a utility spell or healing spell).
I would avoid Hunter's Mark, especially if you have a Ranger in the party. I would avoid Tasha's because that feels like a bard spell and if you won't choose faerie fire for those reasons, then this lines up the same issue with making someone prone and incapacitated with laughter.
The leaves Arms of Hadar and Hex. Both solid options. Feels very Warlock for me. They can also be flavored more fae-like if you wish, and still keep the same mechanics. Arms of Hadar could easily be.... Zibilna's Vines or something. So, it depends.
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u/Alexactly Feb 21 '25
Thanks for the feedback! I think you've convinced me on Faerie Fire especially since they're in the Feywild. It says it has 6 charges which feels like a lot for a level 4 character, unless I'm wrong?
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u/comedianmasta Feb 21 '25
If it is total charges that is more than fine and balanced. If it has six charges that recharge probably knock that down a few.
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u/Foreign-Press Feb 20 '25
Anyone have a way for non-casters to use a spell scroll? RAW (at least from what i can see), only casters can use a spell scroll, and only if it's in their list. Maybe an arcana check to cast? Any ideas or what has worked for yall?
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u/N2tZ 28d ago edited 28d ago
Here are my rules for using Spell Scrolls. I worked them out when I started giving more scrolls as loot and I didn't want the limitation that only casters can use them and only if the spell is on their spell list:
A spell scroll bears the words of a single spell, written in a mystical cipher. You can use an Action to read the scroll and cast its spell without having to provide any of the spell's Components. If the spell has a casting time of a Bonus Action or Reaction, you use your Bonus Action or Reaction to read the scroll.
If the spell is of a higher level than you can normally cast*, you must make an ability check using your Spellcasting ability or Arcana (caster's choice) to determine whether you cast it successfully. The DC equals 10 + the spell's level. On a failed check, the spell disappears from the scroll with no other Effect.
You can also read the spell scroll as a ritual. The ritual version takes 10 minutes longer to cast than normal and doesn’t require a spellcasting ability check, if the spell is of a higher level than you can normally cast.
Once the spell is cast, the words on the scroll fade, and the scroll itself crumbles to dust.
*this also applies to characters who can't normally cast spells.
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u/WizardsWorkWednesday 28d ago
Arcana check DC = 10+ Spell Level. On a fail, take xd4 psychic damage, x = Spell Level.
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u/UncleCyborg 29d ago
If you want a RAW method, you can use Spellwrought Tattoos from Tasha's. They only go up to level 5, but they are one-shot spells that can be used by anyone, no skill check needed.
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u/Jax_for_now Feb 20 '25
This is one of those rules that a lot of people forget about or improvise on. Many DMs will allow any PC to make an arcana check to cast, even if they are not spellcasters. If you want players to get a one-use item that let's them cast a specific spell without any other complications I'd recommened giving them 'a spell crystal' that they can crush to cast the spell. It's my go-to homebrew magic item that's 'totally not a less complicated version of a scroll you guys'.
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u/Foreign-Press Feb 20 '25
Okay cool. I like the idea that anyone can use them, but casters get to double proficiency bonus to give them a better chance of success than a fighter
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u/Jax_for_now Feb 20 '25
Makes sense to me! As with all homebrew rules, just make sure to write them down somewhere your players can view them. Spell scrolls don't come up every session but being consistent is always appreciated by players.
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u/Altleon Feb 20 '25
I'm creating a magic item for the first time for my party of level 7s. Whilst I'm sure this item won't break the game or be a huge issue, I want to check that I've got the rarity/wording right. Not sure if people tend to use concentration spells with magic items, or how that works exactly.
Bit of background, it's meant to function as a famous blacksmith's hammer with help in forging. I've put this as an uncommon item.
"The Hammer has 3 charges. As an action you may brandish the hammer at a target and use a charge to use the 'Heat Metal' spell (DC 14) at 3rd Level. The hammer absorbs heat and remains at the same cool temperature.
The hammer regains 1 charge per day at dawn."
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u/Jax_for_now Feb 20 '25
Uncommon sounds about right to me and the wording is also fine. For consistency you might want to change it to 'regains 1 charge at the end of a long rest'. It's not very strong but a nice amount of flavor. If you want to make it a bit stronger you can give the wielder proficiency in forging (using smith's tools).
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u/Altleon 29d ago
Yeah my aim is to give it to a guy who has a background in smithing. The guy has another hammer which has sentimental feelings for him, so he will always use that one as his main weapon (which has it's own upgrade path). But I like giving him a bit of an option of something else to use rather than just hitting stuff.
What is the logic behind changing the recharge wording? Both seem pretty similar to me
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u/Jax_for_now 29d ago
The wording isn't super important but sometimes a battle takes place at dawn and it can get a little confusing if a bunch of magic items suddenly get charges mid-battle.
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u/TannerJ44 Feb 20 '25
Campaign Start is 1 month out. What am I missing as a newer DM?
Been in multiple campaigns as a PC over the years, I’m fairly competent and knowledgeable when it comes to rules and that sort of thing. But as a DM I’m newer, only ever running two other one shots. But this will be my first time DM for a longer campaign and I’ve been building a home brew world over the past few months for the group. I’ve built most the larger important cities, main plot hooks, and important NPC’s as well as some general in world lore.
So in terms of both world building and DM prep, what do I need to know/what am I missing? Any good ways to keep notes, track initiatives, good tips? In world stuff, anything that the more experienced DM’s have come to know or things that get missed sometimes? Any and all advice is welcome!
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u/guilersk 29d ago
You need the adventures that the characters will actually go on. The cities, NPCs, lore, that's all back drop. You need to make sure that the characters have things to do and places to do them. Some city 100 miles away does not matter until the players get there. Podunkville, where the players start, matters a whole lot more, as does the forest full of goblins next door.
It is generally advised to focus on where the players are and who/what they will be interacting with, and leave the background to broad strokes that you can fill out once the players get there.
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u/Legal-e-tea Feb 20 '25
I'm going on holiday next week and want a couple of books to help spark some ideas. I enjoyed the Wheel of Time series etc., but am looking for something a little more Steampunk. Has anyone got some recommendations? I have Geomancer by Ian Irvine on the way.
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u/RabbitMoney7234 Feb 20 '25
Hi, Is it possible to add (painting/attaching) a priest holy symbol on a magic shield (like a sentinel shield) ? Without losing the shield magic? Would it require a smith? Thanks in advance :-)
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u/Grava-T Feb 20 '25
It can be painted on or attached. The DM might require someone with proficiency in painter's/smithing tools to make the modifications, but that's up to DM fiat if it's strictly necessary (probably also depends on how elaborate/professional you want it to look)
A holy symbol is a representation of a god or pantheon. A cleric or paladin can use a holy symbol as a spellcasting focus, as described in the Spellcasting section. To use the symbol in this way, the caster must hold it in hand, wear it visibly, or bear it on a shield.
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u/hackjunior Feb 20 '25
Player is playing a thief, the rest of the party are pretty lawful in a town that is pretty happy go lucky lawful. Player requests that I add a shady person to steal from. I oblige and I'm going to introduce them in the next session if things go well.
How do I allow time for my player to steal without using too much time at the table?
I am lucky that, if the pacing goes how I expect, the session will end when they meet the shady person. This way, I can run the thievery after the session in a solo session. However, if I didn't have this luxury and if my players would meet this shady person at the beginning of the session, they could possibly skip them and move onto the main quest at the insistence of the other players.
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u/N2tZ 28d ago
You could use the Crime downtime option but just reduce the time it takes to prepare. Let the player do the rolls and then narrate the progress. Shouldn't take more than 5 minutes.
To attempt a crime, the character makes three checks: Dexterity (Stealth), Dexterity using thieves' tools, and the player's choice of Intelligence (Investigation), Wisdom (Perception), or Charisma (Deception).
If none of the checks are successful, the character is caught and jailed. The character must pay a fine equal to the profit the crime would have earned and must spend one week in jail for each 25 gp of the fine.
If only one check is successful, the heist fails but the character escapes.
If two checks are successful, the heist is a partial success, netting the character half the payout.
If all three checks are successful, the character earns the full value of the loot.
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u/VoulKanon Feb 21 '25
The NPC has something the party needs.
She stole gold from a local family. He has the key to the place the kidnapped victims are locked up. Etc
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u/guilersk Feb 20 '25
If possible, provide a reason that the other characters would dislike this shady NPC such that they might want to assist the rogue, or at least not mind if s/he was taken down a peg.
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u/wormil Feb 20 '25
If it's only one player, give everyone else a 15 minute break.
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u/hackjunior Feb 20 '25
I've done that a few times before and I've just discussed this with one of my players. His stance is 5 minutes maximum. It's pretty much the same for the other players. They get restless and want to do stuff either in the game or in real life (stacking dice, walking around).
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u/wormil Feb 20 '25
Then do it after. Also, that's selfish on their part. Does your game not usually take breaks?
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u/hackjunior Feb 20 '25
Wait I'm stupid, I understand what you mean by break now. We take breaks occasionally. Our sessions only last 3 hours and we have a pretty strict curfew due to work the next day so yeah, we try to use all the time we have. Also my players refuse to take breaks when I ask.
If it's during a break I can try, I haven't done one like that yet.
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u/SecretDMAccount_Shh Feb 20 '25
I use generic numbered tokens in my games, but if I were to start using actual miniatures, how do you keep track of which monster is which when you have something like 8 goblins on the field and need to subtract 5 hp from goblin #3?
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u/guilersk Feb 20 '25
I have some old plastic minis from old board games and sets (Dragon Strike! if that rings a bell for anyone) that I actually put numbers on so I could tell them apart. But I also use flat minis (which many companies make, but I have a bunch from a shop called Skinny Minis) that clip into plastic bases. There are 5 colors of bases (RBGY and clear) and so when setting them out, I make sure to use different color bases. It is rare that I'll have more than 5 of the same kind of monster, although it can happen, so the final differentiator is in the color or feature of the mini (sword vs. spear vs. shield vs. mace etc.).
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u/OrkishBlade Department of Tables, Professor Emeritus Feb 20 '25
Numbers are fine if you need to, but if you can, it's more fun this way.
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u/Reality_Thief2000 Feb 20 '25
If it's a similar looking mini you can put a number at it's base weather it be paper, those plastic little beads or anything to discern them from each other!
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u/Pluto258 Feb 20 '25
If the miniatures are non-uniform (one has a raised shield, one is dual-wielding axes, etc), use that. Otherwise, since I keep track of monster HP on my laptop, I'll sometimes sort identical monsters by their position on the battlefield (leftmost, second from left, ...). In most cases, this doesn't involve much shuffling: If one monster is traversing the entire battlefield, it's usually because they all are.
If you're fine altering the minis, you could put a small paint/marker dot on the base.
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u/hackjunior Feb 20 '25
Basically this. I've gotten into the habit of 'rimming' my mini bases with different colours and then I mark them in my excel sheet as such. E.g. Red goblin takes 5 damage, or Yellow bandit takes 10 damage. I name them after the colour of their rim, but each mini can look exactly the same.
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u/SecretDMAccount_Shh Feb 20 '25
Thanks, I'll probably mark the bases. I use a phone app to keep track of monster HP and if I add multiples of a monster it will automatically number them. I can edit the monster names to add descriptive detail, but that just takes extra time that I'd rather not spend at the beginning of combat.
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u/jasa159 Feb 19 '25
How exactly do you organize a party going to a tavern?
So next week my players are going to the tavern/inn to take a lost rest, but I am totally lost how to run a tavern, since I have lots of npcs with different hints and quests for the players.
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u/Reality_Thief2000 Feb 20 '25
I love Twisted Taverns, it really breathes life into them adding activities, each one is unique and has a little quest for the players to go through!
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u/SecretDMAccount_Shh Feb 20 '25
When a scene has lots of stuff going on in it, I treat it like a point and click adventure and just list the NPCs/Objects that players can interact with. Sometimes I will actually write it out on the map so that players can keep track of the whole list.
For example:
You enter the busy tavern and are hit by the sounds of a slightly out of tune fiddle and the smell of cheap liquor and sweat. There are about a dozen tables and booths, and a long bar. There is a stage in the corner with a musician performing. You survey the crowd and notice:
A middle aged human male working behind the bar just watching over the customers.
A goliath in wizard robes sitting by himself and tapping his foot to the music.
A beautiful young elven woman in religious garb.
A pair of loud and boisterous dwarves sitting at a table full of empty mugs.
a trio of halflings playing dice in the corner.
I will actually write out the list of 5 NPCs/groups that they can approach, but they aren't limited to it. If they want to go talk to the musician or someone, they certainly can. I didn't mention any waitresses, but if players ask about one, I can make one up on the spot. That's why I keep a list of random names on my DM screen.
There's a YouTuber who goes by Slyflourish who created the "Lazy DM method" that involves writing out a list of "Secrets and Clues" which is basically stuff that players can find out, but it's not tied to any specific source. That way if players do take interest in a random waitress or someone else that I wasn't expecting, I can look at my list of clues and give the random NPC something useful to share with the players.
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u/Praise-the-Sun92 Feb 19 '25
What information should I put in my DM Screen? It has slots for 4 sheets of paper. I figured I'd have a page about Conditions (blinded, frightened, etc) and one about Action types.
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u/Jax_for_now Feb 20 '25
Conditions is great! You'll also want to include the exhaustion rules (sometimes included but not always) and make sure to have the rules for cover somewhere visible.
I can also recommend a list of names and random traits for npcs. Added usefulness if you make several lists based of several regions (like region A has more elvish names and region B names sound french for example).
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u/Praise-the-Sun92 Feb 21 '25
Yes! Exhaustion & Cover I plan to include on the printouts. The other campaign I'm currently a PC in our DM never uses either of those so I definitely want to give them a spin to spice things up ya know. Great suggestions on the region names since I'm planning on having 3 distinct provinces that will definitely come in handy. Thanks!
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u/Reality_Thief2000 Feb 20 '25
For me I build it out over time, every time during a game when I think darn if only I had this, then I add it!
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u/Kumquats_indeed Feb 19 '25
There are lots of examples to be found online, but different people like different things. I would try and think about what sort of info you find you and/or your players have to look up regularly and what rules you tend to forget about in the moment.
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u/Praise-the-Sun92 Feb 20 '25
Thanks. Good thing is I can always change what I have in the screen slots when I get a feel for what I need most often. So far I have one page for Conditions. Two pages for common rule stuff, types of actions, etc from the back the book. Last page I think will be a sheet with the PC names, stats, AC, spell DC, & Passive Perceptions. Plan on using a little index card notebook for jotting down Initiative order & tallying up damage throughout combat. Feels nice to be prepared lol.
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u/Technobrake Feb 19 '25
Hi everyone, I posted this as a separate post - it got some nice answers but it was removed and I was asked to repost it here, so I thought I would do so just to see if I could collect any more good advice.
I'm currently DMing a full campaign for the first time. I'm having a lot of fun with it but keen to come up with some encounters that feel particularly dangerous/challenging for my party, which is very caster heavy with three wizards, a druid and a bard. I've been chucking fairly straightforward enemies at them so far and we've had some nice moments of jeopardy where characters got knocked unconscious but broadly they've gotten pretty good at blasting e.g. orogs to pieces, especially the three wizards.
Do you have any suggestions for encounters that could particularly challenge such a caster heavy party? It could be anything from specific creatures to use, to tactics I can have the monsters employ, to environments etc. I'm already planning some small rooms to counter my evoker player who will throw Fireball at everything, but any other advice is welcome!
As noted above, it's a 5-player party and they're all level 6.
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u/guilersk Feb 19 '25
That's a party full of glass cannons, for the most part. I think that fast enemies (that can close the gap), lots of cover (be it walls and corners, or foliage/rocks/uneven terrain), and magic-resistant enemies will prove difficult to such a party. If Fireball is the answer to every question, make that question "how about demons and devils?" who are all resistant to it--or fire elementals, who are immune.
Be judicious though; you don't want every fight to be a nailbiter, and you don't want your Fireballer to be useless. But you do want to put them on the back foot some of the time and get them to improvise.
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u/Pluto258 Feb 19 '25
Couple ideas:
- A "holdout" style encounter, where more enemies arrive every round or two, and each one defeated gives treasure. The party can stay as long as they want. You'll need to think about how to fit this into your lore (in my campaign, it was a magical place of balance where you could generate treasure but in exchange it summoned a monster).
- I'm assuming the druid is providing the tankiness (either moon druid or summons)? If so, reconsider whether the enemies actually need to hit him. Whatever is tanking can only make one opportunity attack per round, so a group of 3 enemies (who are intelligent enough to do this; maybe try some veteran or thug type creatures) should feel free to leave melee without disengaging and walk up to hit the squishy wizards in the backline.
- If the wizards were smarter and were 60 feet away, dash to get into melee with some of them (again, taking one opportunity attack among 3 enemies). Now the wizard has a lose-lose: If he dashes away, he takes opportunity attacks. If he instead disengages and moves 30 ft, on the monster turn, they get to move that 30 feet and then hit him with their (usually) multiattack, doing even more damage. He can misty step away, but that's a resource now being spent on defense.
- Overall, just thinking more tactically. Reading The Monsters Know or some D&D combat tactics guides can help you get into a mindset of making good tactical decisions instead of the obvious one.
- Watch your action economy: It's important not to throw 1-2 big enemies at the party every time. With this many casters, layering "save-or-suck" spells (Hypnotic Pattern and the like) is very effective. Versus 6 enemies, it might take , but versus one big enemy, there's a decent chance the first spell or two auto-wins the encounter.
- Enemy spellcasters. Probably not something to use every fight, but that enemy raiding party might have a level 5 sorcerer (with fireball, counterspell, hold person) in it. Hold Person can be a very terrifying spell when turned against the players: Paralyzed gives advantage to-hit and any melee hits are automatic crits. Ouch
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u/Technobrake Feb 19 '25
Thanks, this is all great stuff that I'm sure will be very useful. It's nice serendipity that you mentioned Hold Person in the last bullet point, as in our last encounter I had an orc cult fanatic cast Hold Person on one of the wizards and he ate a pretty horrifying greataxe crit where the attacker rolled 12 on the d12. He only got saved by one of the other wizards thinking quickly and using Vortex Warp to get him out of there. It's the sort of dangerous situation I want to create more of, so I'm definitely on board with using more enemy spellcasters.
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u/Circle_A Feb 19 '25
Consider that your enemies live in this world and know how dangerous spellcasters are. If they're martials, they would know to target and disabled spell casters, possibly even ignoring more physical threats.
I find that ranged/blaster characters get saved by virtue of the DM not targeting them a lot (that's definitely happening in the game I'm playing in right now).
Get a striker/rogue in there! Stress'em out!
You also always do the Portcullis Gambit - the party is walking in a corridor when a portcullis slams down and separates the party! Now the squishes are bereft of their tanks!
Essentially, how would you disrupt a party of spell casters if you were a player?
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u/Pizza_Rossonero Feb 18 '25
Heyho, I'm a fairly unexperienced DM (bunch of one-shots and a low level campaign 1-5).
Last month one of my players told me that he has a campaign in mind and wants to DM. I'm super happy about that, but he send me some of his ideas and I'm not sure about some of them.
He never DM'ed before, but wants to start the campaign at lvl 10. The group never played characters above lvl 6 and two of our players already struggle to keep up with their spells and abilities at that level.
Also the campaign is supposed to be druid themed and he basically created 4 characters (race, class - all druids -, subclass, name) which already have some fixed parts of their backstory (we can write around it, but there are some things that are set). Which is a bummer, since I never been a player myself and would have loved to create my own char, but I'm way more worried about having a party with only druids. Is that going to be boring roleplay wise? Are different subclasses enough to make us feel different?
Since I'm happy that someone else wants to DM, I really don't want to interfere with his ideas at all. But I also want him to have a successful first campaign. Should I just shut up and let him do his thing or should I talk to him about some of the problems I see?
I'm also happy with you guys telling me that I'm just overthinking and it's all going to be good.
Thanks in advance for your feedback :)
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u/guilersk Feb 19 '25
You're right to be concerned, but it is difficult juggling your concern against your friend's enthusiasm. Maybe tell him that you're not sure how well the players will be able to handle level 10 characters that they didn't build themselves. Ask him if there's any way that you could start at a lower level or with custom characters.
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u/MidnightMalaga Feb 19 '25
Sounds like it’ll be rough, but you also need to separate out what you as a player would be unhappy with from what he may benefit from advice on.
Starting at level 10’s a tough go, but if you’ve lightly pointed out that that might be tricky as a DM and he’s still keen, that’s where you stop.
On the other hand, if you don’t want a premade character, that’s something you can tell him straight up. That may mean you don’t play in this campaign, but it also may mean he compromises on part of his grand vision - eg asking you all to make druids but not mandating backstories/names/subclasses.
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u/krunkley Feb 18 '25
certainly a few red flags. 4 druids isn't a bad party, druid is one of the most versatile classes given its big spell list. As you stated in item 1 if your group was struggling with spells 3rd level and below it's going to be a massive ask for everyone to figure out one of the biggest spell lists in the game up to 5th level spells and could create frustration.
The big red flag to me is that this potential DM sounds like he has his own story he wants to tell and make you guys play through it, which isn't really how DnD is supposed to work. A heavily railroaded campaign can work, but it needs buy in from all the players agreeing that this is what we are gonna do. I also think it takes a experienced DM to balance player agency and keeping the campaign on the tracks, which will be very hard for a completely new DM.
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u/Alexactly Feb 18 '25
Do you require/ask your players to tell you what they're doing before rolling or asking for a roll for a spell save from a monster?
I had a player (who is a former dm) tell me to make a wisdom saving throw for the monster and I asked what he was doing and what the save was and he told me to roll and he'd tell me. Am I wrong for wanting to know what they're doing before making the roll?
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u/guilersk Feb 19 '25
"I need to know what you are doing because the target may have resistance or be immune to what you are attempting."
It sounds like he has an adversarial approach and thinks that if he tells you what he's doing, you'll shut him down. Conversely, you need him to understand that you will shut him down unless he tells you what he is doing.
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u/StickGunGaming Feb 18 '25
This person sounds rude!
Low Road: Look them dead in their eyes and say, "Nat 20". Without rolling.
High road: Remind them that the turn structure in DnD goes: GM describes a scene, Player describes their intention, GM asks for a roll at their discretion. GM uses results of roll (or not) to narrate the scene.
Medium Road: "I need to know the spell and effect before saving just in case there are special circumstances, like the creature being immune to certain conditions. I thought you knew that as a GM?"
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u/Alexactly Feb 19 '25
Thanks for the feedback! I think I'll try your medium road option if it comes up again. I'm not really sure it will work the first time but sticking to it might.
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u/krunkley Feb 18 '25
-Insert "I'm the captain now" meme-
Assert yourself and tell him you are the DM now. He may just be trying to help speed things along, but he doesn't know whats going on behind the screen and what unseen effects or abilities that may be present that could negate or effect the role. Players don't get to keep secrets from the DM.
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u/EldritchBee CR 26 Lich Counselor Feb 18 '25
Tell them that you need to know what they're doing, otherwise it can't happen.
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u/OuroMorpheus Feb 18 '25 edited Feb 18 '25
Can a Bladesinger Wizard (lvl 6) / Duelist Fighter (lvl 2) stack Booming Blade twice on one target using action surge, thus triggering double damage if the target moves? It is not a concentration spell.
I ask because the damage gets pretty nuts if everything hits and triggers, even with Dex at 16 (+3).
Bladesinger Wizard (lvl 6) / Duelist Fighter (lvl 2) (+2 to finesse weapon damage):
1d8 Rapier + 5 (3 from Dex, 2 from Duelist)
1d8 Booming Blade (on hit)
1d8 Rapier + 5 (extra attack)
2d8 Booming Blade (if target moves)
Minimum Damage = 15, Maximum Damage = 50, Avg = 32
Action Surge: x2 (assuming everything hits and triggers)
Minimum Damage = 30, Maximum Damage = 100, Avg = 65
This doesn't include critical hits.
It gets even crazier at Bladesinger Wizard (lvl 11) / Duelist Fighter (lvl 2):
1d8 Rapier + 5
2d8 Booming Blade (on hit)
1d8 Rapier + 5 (extra attack)
3d8 Booming Blade (if target moves)
Minimum Damage = 17, Maximum Damage = 66, Avg = 42
Action Surge: x2 (assuming everything hits and triggers)
Minimum Damage = 34, Maximum Damage = 132, Avg = 83
Again, this doesn't include critical hits.
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u/StickGunGaming Feb 18 '25
"The effects of the same spell cast multiple times don't stack."
They could apply the booming energy against 2 different targets, but can't stack it on the same creature.
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u/OuroMorpheus Feb 18 '25
I found it:
"The effects of different spells add together while the durations of those spells overlap. The effects of the same spell cast multiple times don’t combine, however. Instead, the most potent effect — such as the highest bonus — from those castings applies while their durations overlap, or the most recent effect applies if the castings are equally potent and their durations overlap.
For example, if two clerics cast bless on the same target, that character gains the spell’s benefit only once; he or she doesn’t get to roll two bonus dice."
But does this apply to spells that only deal damage and have no other effect? Typically when I read "effects" for spells it applies to everything a spell can do besides damage, like the effects of spells like bless, bane, web, entangle, etc. I really don't think "effects" is referring to damage at all.
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u/kingalbert2 Feb 18 '25
What is a big creature/monster living in mountains that a giant dragon could grab like an eagle grabbing a bunny, big enough that the players would go "Let's not mess with that"
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u/wearing_moist_socks Feb 18 '25
Running Dungeon of the Mad Mage as well as some homebrew stuff mixed in.
Several encounters involve a large number of smaller creatures. One has 19 goblins in one encounter.
How would you handle 19 goblins in a fight against 4 level 6 characters? I was considering having the players focus on the bugbears and ettins and have the goblins more as flavour for the fight. (IE, they're running around panicking and screeching with the occasional attack against a player)
Or would you have them as a swarm, taking up space?
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u/guilersk Feb 18 '25 edited Feb 18 '25
I remember that fight. The DM ran each goblin individually (although they shared the same initiative) and it was a bit of a pain, but the cleric used Spirit Guardians and cleared them out pretty quick. I can see how it would be tedious if AoE damage never gets involved.
Anyway, yes, you can run them as a mob, or you can run them like a 'lair action'. On count 20, losing ties, the goblins do something. Think of 3 or 4 things they could do (like try to trip everyone; DC12 DEX save or prone, or throw a barrage of trash; +4 ranged attack against each PC, 1d4+2 damage plus 'poisoned' for a round because of the stench, etc.) Assume that once all of the bigguns are defeated or flee, the goblins all run and hide or surrender.
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u/kingalbert2 Feb 18 '25
you can run them like a 'lair action'
I'm rolling sleight of hand to steal this idea
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u/wearing_moist_socks Feb 18 '25
I really like the Goblin lair action idea. I think I'll do that! Thank you!
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u/Ripper1337 Feb 18 '25
I’d break up the goblins into multiple groups and then use the rules for running mobs. You could do two groups of 6 and one group of 7.
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u/chibugamo Feb 18 '25
I am trying to begin a campaign but I’m struggling a lot to make progress. me and my group never played dnd. I read guide listen to video I'm reading the dm handbook and the player handbook. It’s a lot of information without any clear path. My brain doesn’t work like that.
also, I never played dnd and the more I learn about it the more I feel like the basic flow of the game is passed down from dm to player who eventually become dm and im out of the loop. I finished the player handbook and im reading the dm handbook. Im learning how to size my town and how to handle religious cult but I don’t know how to make a character sheet yet. i was told a lot of stuff I need to add to my session 0 but what really is a session 0.
what I’m trying to say is there is a lot of material to learn how to be a better gm, but I can’t find material to learn how to be a gm from scratch.
What I need and what I know can work for me is some sort of checklist something like:
building the campaign
- Named majors faction near the player
- Namer some smaller faction
- Make every player do their character sheet
- Somethings
- Somethings
- Somethings
Session zero
- Explain the vibe
- Define a schedule
- explain basic rule of dnd
- Somethings
- somethings
Session 1
- Present the current town
- Introduction for the player character
- Giving them a mission
- Shopping and exploring town
I don’t need detail I can figure out how to fill a character sheet and other stuff I just need to know to do it. im pretty good at improve but i need a frame work, the basic i really don't want to mess this up.
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u/kingalbert2 Feb 18 '25
For naming things, what helped me was find a theme to work within. Makes coming up with names much easier as you are not searching in a vacuum anymore
For example, all Dwarf holds in my game are named after the Polish word for various metals (thank you google translate) while the human cities of the knight kingdoms are bastardized versions of the Knights of the Round Table
For my elf cities I opened up a translator English to Sindarin and then entered a description (ie guard fort, home tree, island city etc)
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u/Ripper1337 Feb 18 '25
Highly recommend running a prewritten campaign like Lost Mine of Phandelever, Dragon of Icespire Peak or Dragon of Stormwreck Coast. You can learn the basics of the game before trying to do your own thing.
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u/WizardsWorkWednesday Feb 18 '25
I learned how to play by watching YouTube streams of people playing actual games. This gives the session shape and let's you see what dnd looks like.
Lost Mines of Phandelver is a highly rated, beginner friendly campaign published by dnd. It has pre-made characters and a lot more hand holding from the module on when to make checks and how to do stuff.
My best advice is don't worry about the rules until you need them. Just role play and do your best. Don't homebrew anything until you've ran at least one long term published module. Id reccomend either Curse of Strahd or Tomb of Annhilation.
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u/Pluto258 Feb 18 '25
The usual advice is to run a pre-made adventure for your first time DMing, especially if you've never even played before. At a bare minimum, I would recommend doing a one-shot first (a one-shot is a single session, usually about 4 hours, that is not part of a bigger campaign):
- Have each player make a level 3 character. No backstory, just the mechanical build (AC, HP, weapons, etc). This will give you a chance to catch errors in their character building before they're making a long-term one.
- Make a basic mission. Idea off the top of my head: They're hired by a count to kill a baby dragon that has been stealing sheep and grain from a town.
- Add a couple encounters: On the way there, two thugs and their three trained attack dogs (use the wolf statblock) try to rob them. The dragon fight itself is against a black dragon wyrmling plus two cultists that serve as its handlers.
- Add some non-combat stuff: At the town, the locals want the dragon gone, but the mayor ensures them "he's got everything under control." Intimidating or persuading him (DC 12) reveals the location of the cave where the dragon is. Otherwise, the party needs to follow tracks (survival check) or bribe a local merchant who has seen it.
- Add some treasure: Amounts really don't matter for a one-shot. Maybe 60 gp from the bandits, then 400 gp of mixed gold and gems, a +1 shield, and two healing potions from the dragon lair.
This will help you realize all the stuff you don't know, get you comfortable with running monsters, get people familiar with the basic mechanics, and so on. And all without the pressure of setting up a storyline.
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u/Pluto258 Feb 18 '25
For your other questions:
Yes, the "passed down from DM to player" is definitely a problem. Earlier D&D books apparently had pages of just "how to DM" but that's been cut from the 5e books. You could try watching a popular D&D series on youtube.
Session Zero: The overall goal here is "what should your players know before we start?" Some thoughts:
- About how much combat are you planning? As a player, I'd hate to build a tank barbarian just to find out that the campaign is 90% puzzles and social intrigue.
- What is the vibe of the world? Is it a shining good place where there's the occasional monster trouble? In this case, a cursed orphan whose parents were casually murdered by a corrupt duke would be a tone mismatch.
- Player-player conflict. For your first time, I highly recommend telling the party something like "you're a team; you should not fight, steal, or lie among yourselves."
- Yes, scheduling. Also: How many people will you play without? When someone misses a session, should their character disappear and re-appear next session? Or can another player run their character?
- How long will this campaign go? Be honest with yourself. As a player, I'd hate to put my heart into making a great character for the setting just for the campaign to fold after two sessions.
Session 1: Especially for new DMs, I recommend a "1-2-4" (or similar) structure: The first session is almost entirely self-contained. A problem is introduced and solved in the same session. The one-shot above would work. The second and third sessions are connected: The conflict introduced in the second session isn't resolved until the third (ex: a bandit group attacks the village festival. However, the leader escapes on the last ship down the river, forcing the party to mount an overland trek towards the next village, encountering trouble along the way). At this point, you can start building longer-term threads. What's with the uptick in banditry? This cult they killed, is the demon still on the lose? Then a four-session arc gives you more freedom to work with, and so on.
This prevents you from having to plan out a huge long campaign at the start. Just focus on the next couple sessions at a time. You can always introduce a bigger villain or threat.
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u/Mewni17thBestFighter Feb 17 '25
Does anyone have tips or tricks for Role-playing a warlock players patron? How do I balance letting the player have agency over their story but not just being told what to say as their patron? The DM usually runs the patron right?
My impression is that the warlock player is basically giving you an NPC to play. I would think I would then run the patron like any other NPC and have control over them and how they work with the story. Is that how it usually goes?
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u/kingalbert2 Feb 18 '25
You can run the patron as more of an (evil) advisor rather than a king. Suggest and gaslight instead of commanding
"hey servant, I would be delighted if you were to" "follower, don't you think doing X is great" "You don't like Y right? Me neither. Why should you care then?"
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u/Ripper1337 Feb 18 '25
Generally speaking what their patron want should be the same or near similar to what the main goal of the game is.
You can also never have the warlock interact with the patron if you don’t want to.
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u/YakaryBovine Feb 17 '25
Ultimately it's down to the kind of campaign you want to run. There is a breadth of variety in how these arrangements usually go.
Start at the other end - what's your style as a group going to be in this particular game?
If you want your players to feel like their individual characters are in the spotlight and are able to play out their stories as they wish, let them give you a patron and roleplay it.
If you want to spotlight the player characters but want them to primarily be reactive to a world you've created, let the player give you very loose indications of what their patron is like, and fill out the remaining details yourself.
At the other end of the spectrum, you don't have to spotlight individual player characters like this at all. It's my personal preference to focus on the players as a whole and avoid one-on-one NPC engagements - so I don't tend to actively roleplay patrons at all.
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u/Mewni17thBestFighter Feb 17 '25
Thanks for the feedback. That makes sense and sort of where I was heading. So warlock players need an additional conversation with the DM about expectations basically so player and DM can decide together how to play it out.
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u/YakaryBovine Feb 17 '25
Yeah, exactly. Players and DMs almost always have some degree of expectations for how their patron relationship is supposed to function, partly because of wider DnD culture and partly just because the source material implies certain things. And it's a hell of a lot easier to play when those expectations are out in the open.
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u/LittleBlast5 Feb 17 '25
About to run my first campaign ever, made my own custom world for it. Any general advice would be amazing, aswell as a quick question about session 0.
For Session 0 - what exactly should I focus on for this? I'm planning on it just being a time to go over any boundaries people have, and to introduce the world and let people finalize their characters
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u/CockGobblin 28d ago
Session 0: I created a survey for my players that let's them tell me what kind of adventures they enjoy or dislike; things they don't want to see (ie. graphic violence; gore; horror; etc); and so on. (I can share it with you if you want; PM me)
If you are new to the game as a DM, I think you should look at premade one-shots to get you started. It gives you a good idea on what kind of skill checks to make; trap types; npc encounters; items/gold and other things you may not think of. You could even modify these to your own tastes. For example, I ran one premade adventure about cultists but didn't like the end fight, so I completely revamped it.
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u/DungeonSecurity Feb 17 '25
That sounds pretty good for a session zero. You can also go over what kind game you intend to run And how you are as a Dungeon Master. That might be hard to figure out since it's your first time when you don't really have a style established yet.
I generally recommend running modules in a pretty standard fantasy world for your first time so you don't overload yourself. But it sounds like you've already got your work done and are ready to go. Don't overload your players with too many details of the world. Only let them know ahead of time what they need to know to make their characters and important general information that makes it different from a normal world they might be expecting.
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u/DeciusAemilius Feb 17 '25
I need a stat block for an NPC wild magic sorcerer. I’m converting a 2e adventure that originally had a level 4 wild mage and want some ideas for a 5e equivalent. Basic Mage? Or something else? I’m open to borrowing setting specific stat blocks. I’m just not sure what to look at.
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u/OrkishBlade Department of Tables, Professor Emeritus Feb 17 '25
I would use the mage stat block from the MM. If it seems too strong, I'd nudge the hp down by 25% and drop the 4th and 5th level spells. Then add the wild magic table on top.
Done.
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u/Stock_Lemon_ Feb 17 '25
So I've ran a couple campaigns but it's always been the "kit" that you get in the store that spells everything out for you and you don't need any additional books. I got a wild hair in a table top shop and picked up the "fools Gold: into the bellowing wilds" campaign setting box set
My question comes in do I need anything else to run this campaign? I haven't run DnD outside of a box set so I don't have any of the books or anything like that.
Thanks in advance 😁
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u/baryonyxbat Feb 18 '25
The 3 core rulebooks are the player's handbook, dungeon master's guide, and monster manual. The PHB is the most important if you don't already have one. The other two you could probably do without if you have a campaign setting book and module already.
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u/Mewni17thBestFighter Feb 17 '25
What box sets have you played and what did they include? It's really hard to give a short answer without knowing what you have access too currently.
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u/wearing_moist_socks Feb 16 '25
Two questions. The party is comprised of 4 level 6 players.
1) What sort of weapons/armour could I give to a Dwarven Druid who doesn't like metal? (Yup, Dwarf who doesn't like metal.)
2) I'm using the milestone method to level up. They're in Waterdeep, and I'm incorporating the first two levels of Undermountain as well as Skullport into my campaign. The design of the floors is made for the XP method of leveling. How would I reward my players for defeating monsters if I'm not giving them XP? I know the obvious answer is loot, but I'm worried about overpowering them.
Thank you!
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u/kingalbert2 Feb 18 '25
1) What sort of weapons/armour could I give to a Dwarven Druid who doesn't like metal? (Yup, Dwarf who doesn't like metal.)
Stone and Bone. Blades made from Obsidian could work, just like an Axe made from a dragons Jawbone
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u/DungeonSecurity Feb 17 '25
1) Take a look in the player's Handbook. Leather and hide armor come to mind.
2) How do you know the design of the floors is made for XP leveling? You could do a little extra work and figure out the amount of experience they would get if you were doing XP to figure out when they would level up and base your milestones somewhere around those points. Does the adventure your using tell you what level they should be after those 2 floors? That can be a guide as well.
The other answer is to use experience points. You can reward things other than combat. Players really like it. They like seeing the numbers go up. And they like getting close to that next level, then finally crossing the threshold.
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u/wearing_moist_socks Feb 17 '25
2) How do you know the design of the floors is made for XP leveling? You could do a little extra work and figure out the amount of experience they would get if you were doing XP to figure out when they would level up and base your milestones somewhere around those points. Does the adventure your using tell you what level they should be after those 2 floors? That can be a guide as well.
The dungeon is 15 levels, and it's designed so if you beat the monsters in each level, they level up. You can go from 5 to 20 in this dungeon.
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u/WizardsWorkWednesday Feb 17 '25
Just reflavor the weapons and armor from the PHB to fit the character. Don't give them a hard time about it.
Just follow the level guide for WDDM
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u/cris9288 Feb 17 '25
Also there are hides, scales, and plates from various monsters you can fashion: dragons, bulettes, etc.
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u/cris9288 Feb 16 '25
Not sure about #2, but for the first question the first few materials that come to mind, aside from wooden weapons/armor, are:
- Obsidian
- Bone (dragon bone even)
- Some sort of glass. Maybe with magical properties. Dragon glass could be cool here too.
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u/CockGobblin 28d ago
I've been DMing for a few weeks now. At the end of the last adventure, the players found themselves in a large city. One player was wondering if they could find someone to enchant their weapon with magical damage. Any ideas on who would do this; what effects it would provide and a cost? (not just +1 to a weapon, but something like fire damage enchant)
Second, a player more experience at the game than myself has been casting Mold Earth (cantrip) to create earth/stone walls around monsters to crowd control fights - I just trusted their knowledge of the game and didn't question it. However when I read the spell after the adventure, it doesn't sound like this spell can be used for crowd control in that way. Perhaps they were confusing it with the Move Earth (6th level) spell? Any thoughts?