I am a first time dm and dont have the books so i would need to homebrew i have helped some friends homebrew before i just don't know the flavor i am looking for
For a first time DM, I’d suggest first running a published campaign, instead of jumping right into the deep end and homebrewing everything. Lost Mines of Phandelver is available for free, here on dndbeyond, as is really good for helping people learn to DM
Thanks i honestly expected no response. I am making the players be like the seven from heroes of Olympus but the players are uniting the greeks/romans with the norse and egyptians after all their big bads team up i plan on all being adopted by gods because mortals are the middle ground and all are blessed by 1 god of the pantheons that didn't adopt them each pick one domain of those gods. the big thing is should i add extra classes because of how some opportunities open up, how i would explain the villains teaming up. I also don't want to force them to do anything because they might not have fun. I hope i don't sound crazy but then again i think life would be borring if everyone wasn't a little bit crazy. just want to be clear my campaign is for young to mid teens. i am 15 myself turning 16 in October. i figured i should add that because i don't know your age or what to expect. also should i make new gods that are part of multiple pantheons. i just don't want to make a campaign with no plot. Also should i make custom races.
Xalthu, My friend group is all recently started dnd players every last one of them has started off with a homebrew campaign. litterally every one i don't want to break tradition though thanks for feed back. I know that i could sound rude right now but i mean no disrespect.
the big thing is should i add extra classes because of how some opportunities open up
If you're talking about creating your own playable classes, that's not really necessary. Any player can reflavor the descriptions of their character's abilities without touching the mechanics. Percy, for example, could easily be a storm sorcerer, tempest cleric, druid, way of the 4 elements monk, or even a fighter whose attacks just happen create lightning bolts - and nothing has to change with how the classes function mechanically. I'd generally advise against homebrewing playable classes, spells, or items until you get a better handle on what it's like to run combat. But hey, DMing is learning on the job, so you do you.
When constructing a campaign, think about what the baddies are doing and why they're doing it. Give them a reason to team up - maybe it's a shared goal, or a prophecy, or an alliance of convenience. Think about what the villains want and what they can (or would) do to get it.
I also don't want to force them to do anything because they might not have fun.
This is a great instinct to have! Also remember that your job as a DM is not to tell a story that your players act out. Your job is to create a world and throw some problems and options at your players to see what they do with it. You cannot force your players to do anything, really, and they will often do things you don't expect and you did not at all prepare for. This is normal. You do, however, have 100% control over what the villains do and how the world responds to the party. If you focus more on what's going on in your setting (rather than what you want the players to do in it), you'll be able to adapt to their choices a lot better.
also should i make new gods that are part of multiple pantheons. i just don't want to make a campaign with no plot. Also should i make custom races.
It's your world. If you want there to be homebrew pantheons, go nuts. If you want to use real-life mythology, go nuts. There's no right or wrong answer. As for homebrewing races, I echo what I said about homebrewing classes. Anything can be reflavored, and if what exists doesn't do what you need it to do, you can create it. My only caution is that homebrewing can wind up with pretty unbalanced game options (and maybe some jealousy or feelings of unfairness) unless you take care to make the power levels equivalent to published content. I tend to recommend staying away from homebrewing character options until you get more DMing experience or game design under your belt, but if you have it...go nuts. Just make sure you talk to your players about the possible need to nerf things if you realize you made a mistake with the balancing. Heck, Matt Mercer tweaks his homebrew in Critical Role all the time, and Wizards of the Coast releases playtest content precisely so people like us can give feedback about how the stuff they thought up works in actual gameplay.
As for the "campaign with no plot" thing...some campaigns don't have a plot, and that's okay. You don't need a plot, you just need some interesting things and threats to start with. The plot can come later. And it's also perfectly okay if the campaign is just a bunch of demigod kids using their powers to stop the baddie of the week.
Last thing I want to say is on the topic of homebrewing your first campaign: ignore the gatekeepers and naysayers. If you want to run a Riordan campaign, you run it. Homebrewing isn't that hard, and this entire hobby is founded on it. Even if you do pick up a module, you're going to have to homebrew stuff to flesh it out - and completely make up stuff when your players go "off-script." You have a ton of existing source material with the Riordan books, which will give you NPCs, plot hooks, villains, threats, and lore you can either straight up use or adapt for your purposes. Heck, you can even use the books as a template for the adventure if you want, changing details and villain activity as needed. Or you can create an entire universe from scratch. It'll be more work, but if you like that kind of thing, it'll be really fun work.
DMing is a bit messy and chaotic on the back end, but the great thing is that because your players don't know what's coming, you can change your mind partway through and they'll never know! Most importantly in all this is: have fun. Your campaign sounds awesome. I wish you the best as you get it off the ground!
Xalthu, My friend group is all recently started dnd players every last one of them has started off with a homebrew campaign. litterally every one i don't want to break tradition though thanks for feed back. I know that i could sound rude right now but i mean no disrespect.
None taken. Others have given good advice. I hope you all have fun, and good luck.
The vilains are Apophis, Loki, and Gaea i think how im going to get them to team up is that they think that if they send monsters from a different pantheon at one that isn't use to those monsters and also celestial bronze and imperial gold doesn't work on other pantheon monsters, bone steal doesn't work on other pantheon monsters, Egyptian magic doesn't work on other pantheons so they team up to weaken the enemy.
The vilains are Apophis, Loki, and Gaea i think how im going to get them to team up is that they think that if they send monsters from a different pantheon at one that isn't use to those monsters and also celestial bronze and imperial gold doesn't work on other pantheon monsters, bone steal doesn't work on other pantheon monsters, Egyptian magic doesn't work on other pantheons so they team up to weaken the enemy.
Make sure the players know, so they can balance their party accordingly. And when you say “doesn’t work” I’d suggest using resistance (half damage) so that you won’t have some party members be totally ineffective, just less effective.
One way i think ill add a mechanic to raging for example child of zues gains an aura of lightning that deals 2 d 4 lightning damage and it adds 1 d 4 per level
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The 3 are magnus chase, percy jackson, and kane chronicles
I am a first time dm and dont have the books so i would need to homebrew i have helped some friends homebrew before i just don't know the flavor i am looking for
What kind of help are you looking for? This isn't very much to go on.
If it's just a matter of spitballing adventure ideas, here's a bunch of random generator ideas to get you started. If you don't know how to build a D&D campaign, try this DDB article or this step-by-step article.
For a first time DM, I’d suggest first running a published campaign, instead of jumping right into the deep end and homebrewing everything.
Lost Mines of Phandelver is available for free, here on dndbeyond, as is really good for helping people learn to DM
Thanks i honestly expected no response. I am making the players be like the seven from heroes of Olympus but the players are uniting the greeks/romans with the norse and egyptians after all their big bads team up i plan on all being adopted by gods because mortals are the middle ground and all are blessed by 1 god of the pantheons that didn't adopt them each pick one domain of those gods. the big thing is should i add extra classes because of how some opportunities open up, how i would explain the villains teaming up. I also don't want to force them to do anything because they might not have fun. I hope i don't sound crazy but then again i think life would be borring if everyone wasn't a little bit crazy. just want to be clear my campaign is for young to mid teens. i am 15 myself turning 16 in October. i figured i should add that because i don't know your age or what to expect. also should i make new gods that are part of multiple pantheons. i just don't want to make a campaign with no plot. Also should i make custom races.
Xalthu, My friend group is all recently started dnd players every last one of them has started off with a homebrew campaign. litterally every one i don't want to break tradition though thanks for feed back. I know that i could sound rude right now but i mean no disrespect.
If you're talking about creating your own playable classes, that's not really necessary. Any player can reflavor the descriptions of their character's abilities without touching the mechanics. Percy, for example, could easily be a storm sorcerer, tempest cleric, druid, way of the 4 elements monk, or even a fighter whose attacks just happen create lightning bolts - and nothing has to change with how the classes function mechanically. I'd generally advise against homebrewing playable classes, spells, or items until you get a better handle on what it's like to run combat. But hey, DMing is learning on the job, so you do you.
When constructing a campaign, think about what the baddies are doing and why they're doing it. Give them a reason to team up - maybe it's a shared goal, or a prophecy, or an alliance of convenience. Think about what the villains want and what they can (or would) do to get it.
This is a great instinct to have! Also remember that your job as a DM is not to tell a story that your players act out. Your job is to create a world and throw some problems and options at your players to see what they do with it. You cannot force your players to do anything, really, and they will often do things you don't expect and you did not at all prepare for. This is normal. You do, however, have 100% control over what the villains do and how the world responds to the party. If you focus more on what's going on in your setting (rather than what you want the players to do in it), you'll be able to adapt to their choices a lot better.
It's your world. If you want there to be homebrew pantheons, go nuts. If you want to use real-life mythology, go nuts. There's no right or wrong answer. As for homebrewing races, I echo what I said about homebrewing classes. Anything can be reflavored, and if what exists doesn't do what you need it to do, you can create it. My only caution is that homebrewing can wind up with pretty unbalanced game options (and maybe some jealousy or feelings of unfairness) unless you take care to make the power levels equivalent to published content. I tend to recommend staying away from homebrewing character options until you get more DMing experience or game design under your belt, but if you have it...go nuts. Just make sure you talk to your players about the possible need to nerf things if you realize you made a mistake with the balancing. Heck, Matt Mercer tweaks his homebrew in Critical Role all the time, and Wizards of the Coast releases playtest content precisely so people like us can give feedback about how the stuff they thought up works in actual gameplay.
As for the "campaign with no plot" thing...some campaigns don't have a plot, and that's okay. You don't need a plot, you just need some interesting things and threats to start with. The plot can come later. And it's also perfectly okay if the campaign is just a bunch of demigod kids using their powers to stop the baddie of the week.
Last thing I want to say is on the topic of homebrewing your first campaign: ignore the gatekeepers and naysayers. If you want to run a Riordan campaign, you run it. Homebrewing isn't that hard, and this entire hobby is founded on it. Even if you do pick up a module, you're going to have to homebrew stuff to flesh it out - and completely make up stuff when your players go "off-script." You have a ton of existing source material with the Riordan books, which will give you NPCs, plot hooks, villains, threats, and lore you can either straight up use or adapt for your purposes. Heck, you can even use the books as a template for the adventure if you want, changing details and villain activity as needed. Or you can create an entire universe from scratch. It'll be more work, but if you like that kind of thing, it'll be really fun work.
DMing is a bit messy and chaotic on the back end, but the great thing is that because your players don't know what's coming, you can change your mind partway through and they'll never know! Most importantly in all this is: have fun. Your campaign sounds awesome. I wish you the best as you get it off the ground!
None taken. Others have given good advice. I hope you all have fun, and good luck.
The vilains are Apophis, Loki, and Gaea i think how im going to get them to team up is that they think that if they send monsters from a different pantheon at one that isn't use to those monsters and also celestial bronze and imperial gold doesn't work on other pantheon monsters, bone steal doesn't work on other pantheon monsters, Egyptian magic doesn't work on other pantheons so they team up to weaken the enemy.
Make sure the players know, so they can balance their party accordingly. And when you say “doesn’t work” I’d suggest using resistance (half damage) so that you won’t have some party members be totally ineffective, just less effective.
ok that makes sense it was a rough draft anyways.
One way i think ill add a mechanic to raging for example child of zues gains an aura of lightning that deals 2 d 4 lightning damage and it adds 1 d 4 per level