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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So I've recently been asked by some friends to be a dm for their D&D game, while Ive known about D&D for years and even played BG3, i have no idea how to Dm to 5 new players who have barely heard of the game. I'm just looking for some tips on how to prepare and start. I have chosen stormwreck isle as the first campaign since i have the box already.
Read the DM’s guide cover to cover.
Heyo! You can call me Link. Here’s a bit about me:
Roomba Knight, Architect of the Cataclysm, Foxy Lunar Archpriest. Dubbed The Fluffy Bowman by Golden. He/Him
Theatre Kid, Ravenclaw, bookworm, DM, Lego fanatic, mythology nerd, pedantic about spelling. I also love foxes, cats, otters, and red pandas!
I love K-pop Demon Hunters and Korean Mythology. If you want to ask me about something, send me a PM!
I try to keep the peace and be neutral most of the time…
Stormreck island with martials/half caster
First piece of advice is DON'T PANIC! We've all been there and you'll get through this.
Second piece of advice is yopu don't need to read through the entire Dungeon Master's Guide. I'd be surprised if even half of DMs have read itb cover to cover and the fact no one reads it is a meme in itself at this point. You don't even need to read the full Player's Handbook, just download the free rules from this site and read the 30-40 pages of that and you'll know enough to run a basic game.
Now for the real advice; choose something that's easy to run. A lot of new DMs jump straight in the deep end and try writing some elaborate story they've had for years if this is your first time keep it simple and spare yourself the cognitive load. Your best bet (in my opinion) would be something like Dragon of Icespire Peak, you can buy it on D&D Beyond for $15 or grab a copy from Amazon or eBay where you'll find it called the Essentials Kit, a box that contains the adventure and a lot of other helpful DM stuff like a screen and a set of dice. It's designed for first time players and first time DMs and contains lots of helpful advice and tips on what you need to do.
And lastly don't be embaressed to admit to players if you get stuck. It's their first time too so they should understand and if something comes up you don't have an answer for just say and take a couple of minutes to look up a rule or think of an answer. We all do it from time to time and even if you're wrong it's ok to say "I was wrong, we'll play it like that this time but next time the rule is..."
Good luck
If you run Lost Mines of Phandelver and your players want to continue and you’re hitting the end, buy Phandelver and Below. It’s worth it.
Heyo! You can call me Link. Here’s a bit about me:
Roomba Knight, Architect of the Cataclysm, Foxy Lunar Archpriest. Dubbed The Fluffy Bowman by Golden. He/Him
Theatre Kid, Ravenclaw, bookworm, DM, Lego fanatic, mythology nerd, pedantic about spelling. I also love foxes, cats, otters, and red pandas!
I love K-pop Demon Hunters and Korean Mythology. If you want to ask me about something, send me a PM!
I try to keep the peace and be neutral most of the time…
Do a tutorial pre made: lost mines, dragons of ice spire, stormreck isle
Some great advice has been given already, but I want to add the why to that advice.
Lost Mine of Phandelver in particular is great to run for both DMs and Players because it serves as a model for how to build and run your own adventures. Many of the questions that newer DMs ask on these forums could be avoided if they had only just run this adventure. As you run the adventure it introduces you to:
If you're looking out for these things, Lost Mine of Phandelver really does make for the perfect D&D Starter Adventure. The newer starter sets, Dragons of Stormwreck Isle and Heroes of the Borderlands do not even come close to the amount that you as a DM can learn from running Lost Mine.
If you then want to further your knowledge base as a DM there are two further adventures I would suggest running: Dragon of Icespire Peak, and Curse of Strahd
Dragon of Icespire Peak is a great model (in my opinion) for how to run one-shots or shorter adventures. Set in Phandalin still, DoIP has a quest board from which players can choose their adventure. These smaller quests function a lot more as one-shots or short run adventures. They can be completed quickly and don't really connect beyond the loose theme that 'danger, there's a dragon about'. Still, seeing how this adventure was designed and how it runs is a great way to expand your DM knowledge base. DoIP does a great job in particular of describing the locations. It really does model for a DM how you can relay the atmosphere of a location with a short sentence or two. It is in my opinion the adventure from which DMs can learn the most beyond the basics.
Curse of Strahd really is an advanced player and DM adventure. This is largely because it takes the rules of the game and messes with them. It shows you as a DM how some rules can be bent or broken to create an atmosphere that works really well. Spells, and game mechanics are either non-functional or function differently in this adventure. The goal is to make the player characters feel trapped, claustrophobic, uncomfortable. As a DM running this adventure you get to learn how the original designers of 5e foresaw DMs breaking rules in order to make the game more fun for the table.
While others can pointed toward the DMG, I would largely agree that it's the wrong place to start. What I would suggest though is once you've gotten some DMing of 'proper' adventures under your belt that's when you really do need to read the DMG. Though the 5.5e (new) DMG really is trash compared to the depth and range of the old one. Better organised it may be, but it's less good than the old DMG for those looking to build their own worlds or customise the game to their table's liking.
A note about 5e vs 5.5e
You're coming to DMing at a rather odd time. There are some tables running an older version of the game (5e) and some tables running the newer version of the game (5.5e). Yet more are running a mix of both. In short, try not to worry about it too much. If you can only get your hands on the newer Player Handbook then run the above adventures using those rules. Don't worry about altering the monsters or anything else. It's not going to change much beyond encounters being easier. You'll still be able to learn all the rules well enough. Mostly the 5e adventure books all work for 5.5e and you really do not need to stress about switching up any monsters or anything.
The important advice I have for you is this: do not try to mix and match player options. So, don't let players choose subclasses or feats from the older books if you run 5.5e (the newer books). While it is possible, you all need to learn the basics first. There's still some of us who don't believe that the two versions of the game mix and match, but what I think most people agree is that it adds complexity that a new DM does not need.
A recommended purchase list in order:
DM session planning template - My version of maps for 'Lost Mine of Phandelver' - Send your party to The Circus - Other DM Resources - Maps, Tokens, Quests - 'Better' Player Character Injury Tables?
Actor, Writer, Director & Teacher by day - GM/DM in my off hours.
Strahd is great, but it's definitely better if you run at least a one-shot or something beforehand so you have a bit of experience. If you want to find some one-shots, you can check out Arcane Library, they've got some goodies there.
Heyo! You can call me Link. Here’s a bit about me:
Roomba Knight, Architect of the Cataclysm, Foxy Lunar Archpriest. Dubbed The Fluffy Bowman by Golden. He/Him
Theatre Kid, Ravenclaw, bookworm, DM, Lego fanatic, mythology nerd, pedantic about spelling. I also love foxes, cats, otters, and red pandas!
I love K-pop Demon Hunters and Korean Mythology. If you want to ask me about something, send me a PM!
I try to keep the peace and be neutral most of the time…
Try listening to someone else do it a bit so you know what things are supposed to sound like and so you can internalize the ruleset. There's a ton of live play shows (critical role season 1 or Adventure Zone season 1 are good, basic places to start).
Your game won't be exactly like a professionally-produced and cast live-play show, so you should manage your expectations for your game while listening, but listening is a great way to learn the game when you're just starting out.
I think you misunderstood, or failed to take in what I was saying. I was saying that Strahd is for after the beginner adventures. It's where you go once you've got to grips with the basics. Sometimes merely skimming a long post misses the nuances of what is being said.
DM session planning template - My version of maps for 'Lost Mine of Phandelver' - Send your party to The Circus - Other DM Resources - Maps, Tokens, Quests - 'Better' Player Character Injury Tables?
Actor, Writer, Director & Teacher by day - GM/DM in my off hours.
First rule of DnD: Everyone has fun, including the dm.
I'd read teh 2024 Players handbook for these sections:
intro,
chapter 1 playing the game,
chapter 2 creating a character,
chapter 3 maybe skip until you know what you're players are going to build
chapter 4 background, origins
chapter 5 maybe skip until campaign gets to level 4 and players can access feats
chapter 6: equipment, skim
chapter 7: just read the intro part. stop when you get to spell descriptions
skip the rest for now.
2024 Dungeon Masters Guide
Chapter 1, basics
Chapter 2, Running the game
Chapter 3, read the sections on Death
At this point, the pieces you really need to know are:
initiative, turn order, action/bonusaction/reaction, rounds
attack roll (which modifier to use for what attack, melee attack, ranged attack, ranged/mele spell atack),
armor class
saving throw, ability check, skill check, tool check
DC for grapling, spell saves,
For spellcasters, they can only concentriate on one spell at a time
And if they take damage, they need to make a Constutition Saving throw,
DC=10 or half the damage taken (round down), whichever number is higher, up to a maximum DC of 30.
Some things to know about speciic classes:
rogues have sneak attack damage. its fine. Some DM's panic about it.
druids must pick their chosen wildshapes as they level up so they're not leafing through the monster manual during a game.
They can't fly until level 8. Moon druids get tougher shapes.
Paladins will want to smite everything and do a lot of damage. They eventually run out of spell slots.
And then go to DMG chapter 4, adventure examples, level 1-7
and run those adventures, they are simple, straightforward and good place to get your feet wet.
If that works well and you and the other players want more, then I'd recommend a premade starter campaign
Maybe something like "Lost Mines of Phandelver"
The goal of DM'ing isn't to "win" or defeat the players, you're job is to create a world, NPC's with opposing goals, and throw it at the players, and let them choose their paths. Cheer their victories, mourn their defeats. You're their coach, referee, and teh opposing team, all in one.
Good luck!
That is also what I meant. Yes, Strahd is good for amateur DMs and players… not beginners. Definitely run a one-shot (s) or a beginner adventure or two first.
Heyo! You can call me Link. Here’s a bit about me:
Roomba Knight, Architect of the Cataclysm, Foxy Lunar Archpriest. Dubbed The Fluffy Bowman by Golden. He/Him
Theatre Kid, Ravenclaw, bookworm, DM, Lego fanatic, mythology nerd, pedantic about spelling. I also love foxes, cats, otters, and red pandas!
I love K-pop Demon Hunters and Korean Mythology. If you want to ask me about something, send me a PM!
I try to keep the peace and be neutral most of the time…
Naddpod is also good, but it’s a little, shall we say… inappropriate.
Heyo! You can call me Link. Here’s a bit about me:
Roomba Knight, Architect of the Cataclysm, Foxy Lunar Archpriest. Dubbed The Fluffy Bowman by Golden. He/Him
Theatre Kid, Ravenclaw, bookworm, DM, Lego fanatic, mythology nerd, pedantic about spelling. I also love foxes, cats, otters, and red pandas!
I love K-pop Demon Hunters and Korean Mythology. If you want to ask me about something, send me a PM!
I try to keep the peace and be neutral most of the time…
I have heard great things about Strahd, but I don't think that it's necessary to buy a module before the Monster Manual. No matter how good the content is, a monster book on hand is very useful, and just paging through it can inspire adventures.
He doesn't have much besides the skin on his bones. Me: I'll take the skin on his bones, then.
"You see a gigantic, monstrous praying mantis burst from out of the ground. It sprays a stream of acid from it's mouth at one soldier, dissolving him instantly, then it turns and chomps another soldier in half with it's- "
"When are we gonna take a snack break?"