hi im naterator05, im new to dnd but i love the game and the theme, the mechanics is where i struggle,i can tell a story and people can react accordingly but i cant factor damage or shield just a hit and a kill or miss and get killed and then things like ammunition for ranged weapons or magic or how to factor in things like in the 5e starter set when everyone in the begining loots the dead horses and theres always one person who wants to steal meat off the dead rotting horses body and i cant decide what dice they need to roll or what they get, i need a way to learn or somone to teach me. can anyone help?
I'd recommend not getting caught up in figuring out "the right dice to roll." Just whatever makes it fun, go with it. For weird stuff (like getting meat from a horse), I would suggest either:
A) If it's something they can obviously do, just let them do it (not like they are going to miss the horse when cutting it), or
B) Even just have them roll a 1d20 and a high roll means they do well, a low roll means they don't do well, and middle they kind of muddle by. So with the horse meat example, the higher the roll, the more meat they get but no matter what, they manage to get something.
Technically, you could try to find an appropriate skill like Survival. But when I first started long ago, we got really far with just "high rolls means you do better, low roll means you fail or do really bad." It's the story and characters that matter more than getting the rules right. The rules should serve the fun, not the other way around. As long as the rest of the group is fine with it, just have fun and worry about getting the rules right later.
Plus, being a player is a great way to learn the game. If you don't have a group, then there are often game nights at local game stores, or Play-By-Post games on various websites (including this one). Diving right into DMing at the start works for some people, but doesn't work for everyone.
Do try and play before you DM if you can . Playing will help you understand the nuts and bolts of this game, which will help when you come to dm. If you play via the interent a chunk of the game an be automated. playing on roll 20 using a partic character sheet,a macro can be set set so one click gives you a to hit roll and damage. Same for spell casting. As for dming you'll find different people have different styles. For advice have a look at these playlists on you tube.
These are just two of a large number of people on you tube proving help. As for the example over horse meat. Why is it important to not let them just take some meat? If it is, Look at their skills, background. Over iding useful cuts of meat. Or avoid tainted meat, use the dc marks given to decide. See if you can break down the action. I recall a you tube stor,y about a party at the top of the tower being worn down by an flying attacker, The barbarian loses patience and jump off the tower to grab hold of the attacker. There are no rules for this in 5e. So the dm looked at the players skills. He decides to jump and get close to the attaker needs acrobatics. Then to grab hold needs a grapple. Then to keep hold an athelics chk every turn until the extra weight from the player forces the attacker down. Failure would have resulted in falling damage.
I started by DMing but after watching Matt Mercer and Chris Perkins do it a lot, on Critical Role and Acquisitions Inc. They tend to act as two very different examples of how you might respond to a situation you're not prepared for. There's also Acquisitions Inc C Team and Dice Camera Action for some other streamed games to take inspiration from.
We're in an amazing age for D&D now, where there are Twitch streams and YouTube series of D&D groups playing, which you can watch and see how other people play and DM.
One of the first things you'll notice is a huge difference in how the groups play and enjoy themselves - some love to just mess around, some love combat, some love dramatic role-play - there are many variations and each is as valid as the other, as long as the group is having fun.
Sit down with your players and talk to them, find out which bits of the game are fun for them and you and focus on that.
If some of the rules get in the way, you aren't under any obligation to use them. :)
These boards and the r/dndnext subreddit are great resources for rules discussion if you ever have questions. I understand that doesn't really help when the game is going on, but ultimately, as DM, you have the right to use as much or as little of the printed rules as you want.
For example, this weekend one of my players wanted to use her whip for maneuvers that aren't covered in the Player's Handbook. It makes sense that there should be some versatility to how that weapon can be used, so I allowed her to essentially use a variation of the grapple rules. She had fun, her idea was creative, so I went along with it (she actually missed the roll so her plan didn't pan out, but I still let her try).
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hi im naterator05, im new to dnd but i love the game and the theme, the mechanics is where i struggle,i can tell a story and people can react accordingly but i cant factor damage or shield just a hit and a kill or miss and get killed and then things like ammunition for ranged weapons or magic or how to factor in things like in the 5e starter set when everyone in the begining loots the dead horses and theres always one person who wants to steal meat off the dead rotting horses body and i cant decide what dice they need to roll or what they get, i need a way to learn or somone to teach me. can anyone help?
Learn dnd fo sho
I'd recommend not getting caught up in figuring out "the right dice to roll." Just whatever makes it fun, go with it. For weird stuff (like getting meat from a horse), I would suggest either:
A) If it's something they can obviously do, just let them do it (not like they are going to miss the horse when cutting it), or
B) Even just have them roll a 1d20 and a high roll means they do well, a low roll means they don't do well, and middle they kind of muddle by. So with the horse meat example, the higher the roll, the more meat they get but no matter what, they manage to get something.
Technically, you could try to find an appropriate skill like Survival. But when I first started long ago, we got really far with just "high rolls means you do better, low roll means you fail or do really bad." It's the story and characters that matter more than getting the rules right. The rules should serve the fun, not the other way around. As long as the rest of the group is fine with it, just have fun and worry about getting the rules right later.
Plus, being a player is a great way to learn the game. If you don't have a group, then there are often game nights at local game stores, or Play-By-Post games on various websites (including this one). Diving right into DMing at the start works for some people, but doesn't work for everyone.
Do try and play before you DM if you can . Playing will help you understand the nuts and bolts of this game, which will help when you come to dm. If you play via the interent a chunk of the game an be automated. playing on roll 20 using a partic character sheet,a macro can be set set so one click gives you a to hit roll and damage. Same for spell casting. As for dming you'll find different people have different styles. For advice have a look at these playlists on you tube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTD2RZz6mlo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0SjRJNENME&index=3&list=PL7atuZxmT9570U87GhK_20NcbxM43vkom
These are just two of a large number of people on you tube proving help. As for the example over horse meat. Why is it important to not let them just take some meat? If it is, Look at their skills, background. Over iding useful cuts of meat. Or avoid tainted meat, use the dc marks given to decide. See if you can break down the action. I recall a you tube stor,y about a party at the top of the tower being worn down by an flying attacker, The barbarian loses patience and jump off the tower to grab hold of the attacker. There are no rules for this in 5e. So the dm looked at the players skills. He decides to jump and get close to the attaker needs acrobatics. Then to grab hold needs a grapple. Then to keep hold an athelics chk every turn until the extra weight from the player forces the attacker down. Failure would have resulted in falling damage.
I started by DMing but after watching Matt Mercer and Chris Perkins do it a lot, on Critical Role and Acquisitions Inc. They tend to act as two very different examples of how you might respond to a situation you're not prepared for. There's also Acquisitions Inc C Team and Dice Camera Action for some other streamed games to take inspiration from.
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D&D Beyond FoundersWe're in an amazing age for D&D now, where there are Twitch streams and YouTube series of D&D groups playing, which you can watch and see how other people play and DM.
One of the first things you'll notice is a huge difference in how the groups play and enjoy themselves - some love to just mess around, some love combat, some love dramatic role-play - there are many variations and each is as valid as the other, as long as the group is having fun.
Sit down with your players and talk to them, find out which bits of the game are fun for them and you and focus on that.
If some of the rules get in the way, you aren't under any obligation to use them. :)
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If you need help with homebrew, please post on the homebrew forums, where multiple staff and moderators can read your post and help you!
"We got this, no problem! I'll take the twenty on the left - you guys handle the one on the right!"🔊
These boards and the r/dndnext subreddit are great resources for rules discussion if you ever have questions. I understand that doesn't really help when the game is going on, but ultimately, as DM, you have the right to use as much or as little of the printed rules as you want.
For example, this weekend one of my players wanted to use her whip for maneuvers that aren't covered in the Player's Handbook. It makes sense that there should be some versatility to how that weapon can be used, so I allowed her to essentially use a variation of the grapple rules. She had fun, her idea was creative, so I went along with it (she actually missed the roll so her plan didn't pan out, but I still let her try).