Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer Creatures
Frozen Sick
D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Basic Rules (2014)
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Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer CreaturesFrozen SickD&D Beyond Basic RulesBasic Rules (2014)Sign in to view your library & saved favorites.
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I am asking for help on the non story side (i got that down) but general help for a ftp dm.
Call me sun
Usually in cdt currently edt
He/Him
PM me if you need someone/cult down we'll discuss all in there.
The hitman of all cults.
one big one.
BE FLEXIBLE
dont make a ridged story, allow it to turn and shift, with them aiming for a general goal, like killing something, or returning something. dont be afraid to guide them back, but dont force it. the main things i find effective for dming
yes and. let them try everything. if its supposed to be impossible? pose a really high save, and make something bad happen if they fail
dont let them know your reaction. if its irl, keep a straight face, online, dont put any emotion into your word, unless your playng an npc. never let them know wheither something is positive, or negitive
finaly, dont be afraid to test them. sometimes, if their killing things easily, make a really hard dungeon, or throw a boss at them. let them figure out how they can win, and if needed, do some convinient naritive dmg
finaly, be descriptive. if they miss? tell what happened, if they killed something, dont be afraid to be gory (or let them decide how it dies) decribe the area like they are actulay seeing it. little details matter
another alt of void
the chains bind, the chains hold, the infection writhes within, but I hold it... I keep it. I don't let it out, for the chance it may claim us all
if they don't seem to be winning, god npc to save them time. make a final boss, throw it at them early, and have an npc save them.
Hello there! I have too many ideas. I am very impatient am sorry that I am rude sometimes. I love splatoon and obssess over any minmax. I'm sorry if anything I post is unkind or offends you. I'm well aware that I am very weird and I like it that way! call me adam or atomic. check out the never ending arena for good combat! No alts, there can only be one. My mottos:
goal number 1: be funny in all ways possible
goal number 2: be nice in all ways possible
goal number 3: have as much fun in life as you can!
that remeinds me, dont just tell them about the boss. have them interact with them. like in my camaign, my players are going to be kidnapped and brough to him, before being forced to quest for him. in a campaign where im a palyer, the dm used his knowlege of our backgrounds to threaten and bargan with us to join him. make your players meet you BBEG(s) before they fight them
another alt of void
the chains bind, the chains hold, the infection writhes within, but I hold it... I keep it. I don't let it out, for the chance it may claim us all
I agree. Use foreshadowing as much as possible, it’s a great story device that doesn’t get as much use as it should, and it’s a building block to a great campaign.
Hiya! You can call me Link. Here’s a bit about me:
Roomba Knight, Architect of the Cataclysm, Kitsumiho! Dubbed The Fluffy Bowman by Golden. He/They
Theatre Kid, Ravenclaw, bookworm, DM, Lego fanatic, flautist, mythology nerd, pedantic about spelling. I also love foxes, cats, otters, and red pandas!
I love Korean Mythology. If you want to ask me about something, send me a PM!
Aig amannan bidh mi air mo ghlacadh ro mhòr an-dràsta...yes. currently in my doom of athiria campaign there are tremors everywhere that are often (mwa ha ha)
Hello there! I have too many ideas. I am very impatient am sorry that I am rude sometimes. I love splatoon and obssess over any minmax. I'm sorry if anything I post is unkind or offends you. I'm well aware that I am very weird and I like it that way! call me adam or atomic. check out the never ending arena for good combat! No alts, there can only be one. My mottos:
goal number 1: be funny in all ways possible
goal number 2: be nice in all ways possible
goal number 3: have as much fun in life as you can!
I planned bbeg 1st sighting at lv 1 and I'm planning on respawns on big bosses (they lose all boss progress if 1 dies)
Call me sun
Usually in cdt currently edt
He/Him
PM me if you need someone/cult down we'll discuss all in there.
The hitman of all cults.
I am planning on foreshadowing a lot (what i call "jigsaw foreshadowing" where if they piece together evidence they are better prepared for the plot)
Call me sun
Usually in cdt currently edt
He/Him
PM me if you need someone/cult down we'll discuss all in there.
The hitman of all cults.
As with any creative activity be it painting or writing, DM's sooner or later have imposter syndrome. You are probably going to do better than you think, but in general you are starting from the bottom; you can only go up. Learn from your mistakes, get feedback. And be prepared to make things up as you go.
Well I have no self worth so dming is perfect for me!
Call me sun
Usually in cdt currently edt
He/Him
PM me if you need someone/cult down we'll discuss all in there.
The hitman of all cults.
If you have YouTube, hopefully on a PC, look up Matthew Colville. Click on his channel, then go to playlists, and then find the playlist titled “Running The Game.”
Matthew Colville is not a typical D&D YouTuber, not that the normal ones are bad, but they often tend to repeat simple, easily discovered advice. Matthew Colville on the other hand gives insights that I honestly would’ve never thought of or articulated how he can. I hate so many YouTubers, but Matthew Colville is one of those rare channels that makes YouTube not just a pile of cheap junk videos
kinda tired so apologies if the wording is weird. Long story short check it out
Ok ill check him out sometime.
Call me sun
Usually in cdt currently edt
He/Him
PM me if you need someone/cult down we'll discuss all in there.
The hitman of all cults.
The players do not have your context, never assume you dropped an obvious clue. Chances are you dropped a obvious clue about X, but players are thinking it is about Z.
You need to drop many clues and some (probably 0-1) will be picked up. During a break, have the players give you a synopsis of what is going on. That synopsis should let you know if the players are on track or completely off the rails.
I'd say make sure there's lots for your players to engage with, items to sell, loot to find, hidden meanings etc.. look at your players characters and see what skills they have like arcana and history etc. Set up some things for them to come across that has relation to the adventure etc. Don't try and add too too much but enough to keep people interested, in character, and gives the feeling of subtle progression through those efforts. Don't forget to reward inspiration for accurate role play and dedication
I agree, making the clues subtle and many, help them unravel a mystery over time
A couple things I've learned (a lot of duplication from above):
- First, use or ditch ALL of our advice and the rules as written based on how your game develops. You'll figure out your own game.
- As people have said above, definitely keep things flexible! Personally, I write a short summary and bullet points of the story elements I want to hit. When I write my own campaigns, I also always make sure to draw out the maps in advance. But not much more than that.
- Take notes during the game. It's SO easy to forget things you said/did/added. And that's always the one thing your players remember.
- Roll behind the screen, and don't always tell your players the DC of a check (i.e. say "it's pretty hard" instead of "it's a DC 20). Especially at lower levels, you're going to want to fudge the numbers from time to time to keep your players alive. And use "near miss" rules for skill checks. If they fail by only a little bit, maybe have them succeed but with consequences.
- Do not use critical fails in combat. A natural 1 misses, but nothing else. I did that at first. "You drop your dagger!" etc. But it's a 1/20 chance that you'll roll a 1, so with several players and a lot of rolls it's going to happen more often than you think.
- I do like using critical successes in skill checks. It's not canon anymore, but I'm still a fan of the nat 20. But remember to balance that with what's possible and fun. "I roll to persuade the BBEG so he'll abandon his plans and leave town" should not give someone a 5% chance of one shotting the entire campaign. When someone crits a skill check that they can't accomplish, give some sort of narrative or storytelling bonus that rewards the effort without breaking the game.
- It's going to take a while to get the balance right on combat. Kobold Fight Club is your friend, but even then combat can be super swingy. Again, that's especially true at lower levels where even the martial classes are kind of glass cannons. As people have said above, don't be afraid to deus ex machina your players out of a situation if it goes poorly. Have them rescued, or taken prisoner instead of killed, etc.
- Balance challenge and storytelling. In general, it's not you vs. the party, it's you with them. You're trying to tell them a story, not defeat them. But from time to time don't be afraid to throw the book at them to give a good challenge.
- Talk to your players about what they're enjoying, what they would like more of/less of/etc. For example, my group really loves the storytelling element of the game more than anything else, so I emphasize that over combat. With most major fights, I even build in story elements they can discover to gain advantages over the monster, because they like narrative more than pure dice-chucking. Other groups prefer a more old-school dungeon crawler vibe that emphasizes the fights. The best way to figure out what your friends want is to ask them.
- Make a cheat sheet with your players' passives (I included perception, insight, arcana, investigation, dexterity and constitution). I also needed to add the different situations where you include skill bonus and/or proficiency and/or neither to various rolls in combat. I kept forgetting.
- Don't be afraid to change things on the fly if your players come up with good ideas.
Edit:
- Don't be afraid to give your players clear signposts. Clues, mystery and an open world are fantastic, but if it seems like your players aren't sure what to do next, drop in a mysterious stranger or wise old innkeeper to give them a specific direction.
- Relatedly, don't assume your players will understand clues the same way you do. You will think something is very clearly X, and they'll immediately agree that it must be Y. Roll with it.