I think what's most important is a very detailed guide to balancing encounters. There are 7 people in my group. And the XP allocation in the DMG is helpful, but not entirely accurate. I think something that has some detailed description on making sure encounters are perfect would be lovely. 

Quote from TxTSaint >>

im curious when something is described as a "negligible" weight. what does that mean? basically nothing? under a pound? a pound? half its normal weight? please help!

 I would assume basically nothing. 

Quote from Blahdalizer >>

I like the Paladin class, and I think Cleric Is one of the most essential classes. But I'm a Christian and I don't feel comfortable having me or anyone in a campaign I may run play a character who worships a god that the player doesn't worship. And I can't have the Christian God in D&D because I was told that would be taboo. Can I run a D&D campaign without gods and still have Paladins and Clerics?

 Actually, yes. A good example is Ravnica, where clerics and Paladins are powered by their belief in an ideology rather than in a god. You can also look at the “Philosophies” header in the Religion section of the DMG. 

I’d like to know how to make a sandbox adventure. Two types come to mind, one where the characters don’t really have a goal other than exploring some wilderness, and the other is where they are trying to find a locale in a very large area. How do they navigate to a location they don’t know, and how do I get them interested in mini adventures?

Quote from Sneakypher >>

How about some details on two weapon fighting for fighters and non-fighters?

• can a longsword and shortsword be used together since the longsword is versatile?
• can a melee attack be made with one of the weapons and then throw the other weapon?

Are there any instances where you can cast a spell and make a melee attack?

 

 1) A longsword and shortsword cannot be used together unless you have the dual wielder feat. Both weapons must be light, and a longsword isn’t.

2) Yes, you can throw a weapon you are dual-wielding instead of a melee attack, however, if you don’t have the two-weapon fighting fighting style, you don’t add your ability modifier to the damage roll of your off-hand weapon, unless it is negative, even if you throw it.

3) Only eldritch knights of 7th level or above can, using war magic. However, until 18th level, you can only use it with a cantrip.

Edit: spelling mistakes

Quote from Blahdalizer >>

I like the Paladin class, and I think Cleric Is one of the most essential classes. But I'm a Christian and I don't feel comfortable having me or anyone in a campaign I may run play a character who worships a god that the player doesn't worship. And I can't have the Christian God in D&D because I was told that would be taboo. Can I run a D&D campaign without gods and still have Paladins and Clerics?

For sure. In my current campaign, most of the gods are dead (long explanation). So some still worships the old gods, but many of those who practice "divine magic" follow virtues and personal beliefs instead of actual gods, gaining their power from that belief. It works well for me and my campaign so it's what i'd suggest. 

Hi! Love your articles James. I am interested to learn best practices in building one-shot campaigns. One-shots often become 2 or 3 shot campaigns and I'd love to get a better handle on how to keep it to 4 hours or less.

This isn’t a new players guide question, but if you’re restarting other series, can you do a how to play for slaadi? I’m not sure how you play them as ultra-chaotic and destructive without making them fell evil.

how to improvise on the spot while DM'ing

Why is it that I can't even look at what certain races (e.g warforged) or certain classes (e.g. artificer) can do without having to buy the sourcebook. I understand buying it if I'm making a character. But it's not letting me even view the details of them.

Thank you for the break down.

But the longsword can be used with one hand.

I was asking if you can melee and throw in the same turn.

MAgic items

As a DM, what is the best way to balance a created spellcaster based on CR? How I create a wizard foe may be easy, but what if I want to create a bard foe who does not rely just on damage.  I know the DMG discusses monster creation, but it seems harder when the "monster" is a humanoid with a playable class background.

A previous article on customizing spells was interesting. Perhaps though you could delve into customizing existing magical items or creating unique ones altogether.

um, how about a new race, maybe? please? PLEEEEEEAAAAAASE!?!?

HOW TO DESIGN HAG WEIRD MAGIC PLEASE!!!

I would really like some tips for allowing players to make meaningful choices about where they go in the world, while still having interesting things for them to find.

How to describe an endless trek through the desert without it being mindnumbingly boring

I’m a fairly new DM, and have only DM’d a short campaign once before. I spent a couple of weeks creating a campaign for me to DM and my friends to play, and they’re literally just messing around and being idiots in the world. Are there any hooks or lines to get the story back on track?