Ok i have just decided that i want to put my card into dming and have a couple questions.
First: Should i split my sessions in two, meaning should i have dndbeyond Chr sheets and Fantasy ground actual playing?
Second If i do that should i get Source books in dndbeyond and adventures on FG
Third what would be the perks of doing it all on FG and just do away with dndbeyond?
Fourth Before i do any Homebrew i think i need to start with some adventures made by dnd which ones would u guys suggest for starting DM?
I have been going to alot foruming posting this trying to get the feel of what decision i make.
Unfortunately, I cannot help you with the first few questions as I use Roll20 as a battle map and rest through D&D beyond with all its sources and pen-paper notes.
You are taking the correct approach as a new DM but at least starting with a published adventure before heading into your own homebrew. I would recommend either LOST MINE OF PHANDELVER or SLEEPING DRAGON’S WAKE which is developed for just that first time DMs.
Yeh LMoP will be my first adventure to buy i am just so hesitant to do anything cause once it starts its going to be a spending spree!
The one caution I would express is that wait to go all in. Wait to look at Fantasy ground because if you are learning DM D&D and the DM though FG at the same time it may be a little overwhelming and divides your attention. I'd say focus on DM D&D games through tools like Zoom or Discord, it may feel clunky at first but things will smooth out as sessions are played. Once you have a level of confidence with DMing then look into Fantasy Grounds to bring a more immersive game.
I'd go with the core books PHB, MM through D&D Beyond. DMG is more of an optional buy, (In my opinion) just not rush into all sources at once. Start small and build your library of resources as you develop your game or you want to get deeper into other published campaigns.
I started by looking up "5 room dungeons." Basically a 5 phase adventure--they don't have to be literal rooms. There are lots of free ideas out there. You don't need to start with an epic campaign!
You can simplify further to 3 phases, your adventure hook, one obstacle/trap/fight, and a final bigger fight.
Choose monsters that are straightforward (no crazy special abilities), like goblins or skeletons or beasts like alligators. The most important monster stats are AC, HP, and to hit and damage. Low AC monsters are easier to hit, and more fun for beginners to fight.
If I accidentally made the fight too hard, I used to drop the AC after the monster had taken some hits. I didn't want to kill the party because I had gotten my estimates wrong!
Or you can buy a module, if that works better for you.
Also, online, I just do theater of the mind. It's less tech and expense.
In person, we sometimes use giant pieces of paper and pens to draw maps as we go, 3d printed minis, and physical lego/duplo/wooden blocks to make battle terrain for the big battle. I usually assign someone else to make the battlefield with rough instructions. "Make some sort of cave", etc. They love it.
IMO, if you are going Fantasy Grounds, just go whole-hog Fantasy Grounds. There is very little advantage to doing part here, and part there.
I use Foundry and as a DM, I just go whole-hog Foundry. The difference is you can't buy the books in Foundry. So my players still use DDB for their character sheets and every couple of weeks I re-import them to update the changes. Also, Foundry is only "live" when I am running a session, so players can't log in to do things to their character sheet between sessions, which they sometimes want to do (level up, update notes, change background text etc).
You may have the same "persistence" issue with FG but I would argue, just deal with it, rather than buying everything twice. It's not worth it, and DDB gives you almost nothing that you can't get from a fully purchased set of books on FG.
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WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
Thanks so much for u guys help and input i am slowly crawling into making a decision but it does seem like i am going all in on FG but will take my time first with it just whith PHB and build a couple 5 man dungeons like mentioned above and then expand more when i get the hang of FG thanks so much guys!!
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Ok i have just decided that i want to put my card into dming and have a couple questions.
First: Should i split my sessions in two, meaning should i have dndbeyond Chr sheets and Fantasy ground actual playing?
Second If i do that should i get Source books in dndbeyond and adventures on FG
Third what would be the perks of doing it all on FG and just do away with dndbeyond?
Fourth Before i do any Homebrew i think i need to start with some adventures made by dnd which ones would u guys suggest for starting DM?
I have been going to alot foruming posting this trying to get the feel of what decision i make.
Unfortunately, I cannot help you with the first few questions as I use Roll20 as a battle map and rest through D&D beyond with all its sources and pen-paper notes.
You are taking the correct approach as a new DM but at least starting with a published adventure before heading into your own homebrew. I would recommend either LOST MINE OF PHANDELVER or SLEEPING DRAGON’S WAKE which is developed for just that first time DMs.
Yeh LMoP will be my first adventure to buy i am just so hesitant to do anything cause once it starts its going to be a spending spree!
The one caution I would express is that wait to go all in. Wait to look at Fantasy ground because if you are learning DM D&D and the DM though FG at the same time it may be a little overwhelming and divides your attention. I'd say focus on DM D&D games through tools like Zoom or Discord, it may feel clunky at first but things will smooth out as sessions are played. Once you have a level of confidence with DMing then look into Fantasy Grounds to bring a more immersive game.
I'd go with the core books PHB, MM through D&D Beyond. DMG is more of an optional buy, (In my opinion) just not rush into all sources at once. Start small and build your library of resources as you develop your game or you want to get deeper into other published campaigns.
Just some thoughts.
I started by looking up "5 room dungeons." Basically a 5 phase adventure--they don't have to be literal rooms. There are lots of free ideas out there. You don't need to start with an epic campaign!
You can simplify further to 3 phases, your adventure hook, one obstacle/trap/fight, and a final bigger fight.
Choose monsters that are straightforward (no crazy special abilities), like goblins or skeletons or beasts like alligators. The most important monster stats are AC, HP, and to hit and damage. Low AC monsters are easier to hit, and more fun for beginners to fight.
If I accidentally made the fight too hard, I used to drop the AC after the monster had taken some hits. I didn't want to kill the party because I had gotten my estimates wrong!
Or you can buy a module, if that works better for you.
Also, online, I just do theater of the mind. It's less tech and expense.
In person, we sometimes use giant pieces of paper and pens to draw maps as we go, 3d printed minis, and physical lego/duplo/wooden blocks to make battle terrain for the big battle. I usually assign someone else to make the battlefield with rough instructions. "Make some sort of cave", etc. They love it.
IMO, if you are going Fantasy Grounds, just go whole-hog Fantasy Grounds. There is very little advantage to doing part here, and part there.
I use Foundry and as a DM, I just go whole-hog Foundry. The difference is you can't buy the books in Foundry. So my players still use DDB for their character sheets and every couple of weeks I re-import them to update the changes. Also, Foundry is only "live" when I am running a session, so players can't log in to do things to their character sheet between sessions, which they sometimes want to do (level up, update notes, change background text etc).
You may have the same "persistence" issue with FG but I would argue, just deal with it, rather than buying everything twice. It's not worth it, and DDB gives you almost nothing that you can't get from a fully purchased set of books on FG.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
Thanks so much for u guys help and input i am slowly crawling into making a decision but it does seem like i am going all in on FG but will take my time first with it just whith PHB and build a couple 5 man dungeons like mentioned above and then expand more when i get the hang of FG thanks so much guys!!