Tips and tricks for any game

Hello long time Dm here, so these are some of the little bits and pieces I use to help games along, if some are useful to you, feel free to snag them for your own! I hope you find them useful.

• If your adventure takes place somewhere you can map onto the real world weather, do that and just read the weather report for the real world as the one for your adventure.

• Boss monsters should be like puzzles, whilst no method is denied, some should be much easier. So for abilities pick cool name and get the ability to work correctly first and balance a long second, so hard way, is well, hard, easy way works as intended. Easy way is never your party’s default way.

• Not every encounter is a boss monster, mix it up.

• Waste nothing: If a scene has loose ends those ends help fill gaps in later scenes. Remember soap opera logic!

• Combo bonus: Create a bonus of encounters done/2 per long rest i.e. it resets every long rest. This applies to any d20 roll for the players. This creates a situation where Casters will tend to dominate early day and Martials later in the day. Bonus getting too big? Then lower it encounters done/3. Think short rests should cost something -1. (attb Draw steel, endless fighting videogames)

• Martial flexibility: If you are proficient in martial weapons then at the start of each of your turns you may split your proficiency bonus (PB) between to hit, AC and damage rather than just to hit. This lasts until the start of your next turn. (attb rolemaster)

• Relationships: Every character has 5 slots, 2 are goals and 3 are relationships that matter. Characters fill one slot and give it a score of 1 at character creation and can add or subtract 1 every time they level including filling other slots. No score may be above 3 and if a score reaches zero the slot is emptied. For any given roll a character may apply as many or few relationships to the roll as they can justify to the DM, adding the levels as a modifier. Once they do these slots become deactivated. To reactivate them the DM applies the level as a penalty to a roll of their choice. A relationship does not change state except through these methods. (attb V:tM, Fate)

• Little details: Any item in your game can have extra details so create a 2 column table and fill the first column with: Symbol of, decorated scene of, Motif of, Materials common to, Uses techniques of and the second column are the major civilizations of the region your players are in and maybe a few outsiders or previous civilizations. Then just roll twice to create instant detail, it hints at things and it’s up to you if it goes anywhere, So Orc sword is found on the site of battle between Elves and Dwarves perhaps a cover up or just A sword broke and someone had an Orc sword for back up, you choose. Use it on magic items and mundane ones as you need. Modify the chances of the civilizations so something from that ancient empire is a rare find even if it is just a fork.

• NPC generator: There are many on the internet, find one and just get a list of names, use this to name those incidental NPCs that the players suddenly find important to avoid the Dave1, Dave2, Dave3 Guard problem. Make a list of traits, make them strong, due to your NOT Oscar winning acting and the players being oblivious does not stop the trait shining through, you can always tone it down later. Any NPC is name and a trait. Create more detail as you need it. Oh and jot down as you might need it next session!

What is Soap Opera Logic?

There are no mistakes and no coincidences. No matter how badly you think you messed up, you don’t back down ever. It was always intended. Just described a star destroyer over Neverwinter? well its there now! The game only breaks if you admit you are wrong.

Use the same name twice? That’s not a mistake—it’s the same person, or its a doppelganger, a clone.

Use the same surname? They’re related.

Do not correct it. Do not explain it away. Say yes and move on.

Players will assume it was intentional. Let them, they will fix the mistakes and solve coincidences for you, just listen to what they say pick the version of explanation you like as the truth and move on.

I feel like a lot of your tips belong in the homebrew forums, especially the PB to damage, hit and AC stuff.

Fair enough, I hope you found some of it useful.

Can you elaborate on the boss monster puzzle thing? Is every boss supposed to be resistant to say, Slashing damage, but not to Bludgeoning or Piercing, or were you talking more about the classic "there are four pillars in the arena that make the boss nigh-invulnerable, and they need to be destroyed?"

Okay yes that works, people may scoff and yes its basic but if your group likes swords in all their forms a resistant to slashing damage opponent would be a puzzle granted a simple one.

Take the Beholder it is a puzzle monster it says no casting from the front, if you are far enough away or not in front cast away to your hearts content. Figure out a way to get that central eye away from your mage. I used a similar scheme for this monster: Doppel feel free to look up the others noted at the end they are all monsters with a strong premise and weaknesses to be exploited.

The point is the puzzle does reduce agency or its not a puzzle and the puzzle must upset the usual playstyle, no one cares if Your monster stops animal handling checks. The rules for the puzzle must be consistent and easily discovered, so your example of slashing resistance well you can see that, so easily found out. Doppel has a very nasty bloodied trigger which allows for unlimited counter spells, but only if she can see the cast and it's within 60ft. So hang around in the open casting fireballs is not going to go well, a subtle spell or stand 61ft away and the trigger does not bother you.

Think of it as Ali vs Foreman, Ali knows Foreman is a younger boxer and more powerful puncher and so he can try to just box the hard way or come up with a tactic: rope a dope to make things easier, your boss monsters need to be Foreman. 

Hope that helps :)