Hey all I'm very new to d&d and have been buying some books and wanna maybe try my hand at being a DM i wanna start the players off with hoard of the dragon queen but my biggest problem is that i don't really know how to describe places in narration, so what I'm asking is; is there any advice you can give to actually describe locations. also idk if this is in the wrong thread or not sorry if it is in advance
I think your best bet is to start with the blurbs in the book. Most significant locations in an adventure module will have about a paragraph worth of text to read aloud to your players. These blurbs usually outline the basic scenery. One thing I like to keep in mind when trying to describe locations are the five senses, sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.
Your goal in describing some location or scenery is to help your players get a feel for the location their characters are in, and what they might be experiencing. It can be easy to just describe what they see, but don't forget the other senses. They can often be more visceral than just sight, and usually a lot of information is conveyed by describing a given smell or taste. You'd be surprised how far you can go by just dropping one other sense in with what the players are seeing in a given location.
I like to tell my players that they can come up with small stuff too. For example: a rogue in my campaign was on a balcony and wanted to get down real quick because of... reasons (which may or may not have involved an angry spouse). Though I did not describe the balcony as such, he described how he stuck his dagger through the tapestry next to it in order to descend to safety. There was no tapestry in my description but I went with it; since it seemed appropriate and it certainly evoked images of swashbuckling adventures such as Pirates of the Carribean.
Also, if you "forget" a detail that is not significant to the story, nobody cares but you. Just remember one thing: the players don't know what it's supposed to look like. So go with it, be nuts, be creative and most of all; have fun doing it. Add details you want, keep out what you don't need.
What I've learned is that often times less is more, the player's imagination will fill in the details better than you can. Instead of getting caught up in the overwhelming task of trying to describe every detail, pick out what is important in each "scene" and describe those. For example, listen to this description:
"As you enter the temple, the smell of frankincense fills your nose. The sanctuary is lit by candles with the only outside light coming from a single stained glass window of a blonde haired man holding a baby. The light scatters across the pews, revealing a group of pilgrims weeping at an alter"
The important things were described within those 3 sentences. The mood and the key plot points: the stained glass window and the crying pilgrims. We also hit three of the five senses: Smell, Sight, Sound. Everything else is filled in by the players, and trust that your players will ask questions if they want more details.
A great way to practice this "skill" (at least that's what I think it is) is by taking a simple thing and describing it as much as possible.
For example let's describe a wooden beam (pretty basic right?):
Ahead of you is a long sturdy beam made of Oak from the nearby forest, approximately 10ft. long, 3 ft. tall, and 3 ft. wide. When you approach the wood you can see runes etched deep into its fibers. A simple glance over them tell you they're unlike anything you've seen before. When you knock on the wood you hear something different than what you had expected. Instead of the sound of fist on bone, you hear something similar to metal on metal. Perhaps there is more to this wooden beam than what was thought before. Everyone roll an Arcana check....
Hey all I'm very new to d&d and have been buying some books and wanna maybe try my hand at being a DM i wanna start the players off with hoard of the dragon queen but my biggest problem is that i don't really know how to describe places in narration, so what I'm asking is; is there any advice you can give to actually describe locations. also idk if this is in the wrong thread or not sorry if it is in advance
I think your best bet is to start with the blurbs in the book. Most significant locations in an adventure module will have about a paragraph worth of text to read aloud to your players. These blurbs usually outline the basic scenery. One thing I like to keep in mind when trying to describe locations are the five senses, sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.
Your goal in describing some location or scenery is to help your players get a feel for the location their characters are in, and what they might be experiencing. It can be easy to just describe what they see, but don't forget the other senses. They can often be more visceral than just sight, and usually a lot of information is conveyed by describing a given smell or taste. You'd be surprised how far you can go by just dropping one other sense in with what the players are seeing in a given location.
ok cool stuff thanks so much
I like to tell my players that they can come up with small stuff too. For example: a rogue in my campaign was on a balcony and wanted to get down real quick because of... reasons (which may or may not have involved an angry spouse). Though I did not describe the balcony as such, he described how he stuck his dagger through the tapestry next to it in order to descend to safety. There was no tapestry in my description but I went with it; since it seemed appropriate and it certainly evoked images of swashbuckling adventures such as Pirates of the Carribean.
Also, if you "forget" a detail that is not significant to the story, nobody cares but you. Just remember one thing: the players don't know what it's supposed to look like. So go with it, be nuts, be creative and most of all; have fun doing it. Add details you want, keep out what you don't need.
Subclass: Dwarven Defender - Dragonborn Paragon
Feats: Artificer Apprentice
Monsters: Sheep - Spellbreaker Warforged Titan
Magic Items: Whipier - Ring of Secret Storage - Collar of the Guardian
Monster template: Skeletal Creature
What I've learned is that often times less is more, the player's imagination will fill in the details better than you can. Instead of getting caught up in the overwhelming task of trying to describe every detail, pick out what is important in each "scene" and describe those. For example, listen to this description:
"As you enter the temple, the smell of frankincense fills your nose. The sanctuary is lit by candles with the only outside light coming from a single stained glass window of a blonde haired man holding a baby. The light scatters across the pews, revealing a group of pilgrims weeping at an alter"
The important things were described within those 3 sentences. The mood and the key plot points: the stained glass window and the crying pilgrims. We also hit three of the five senses: Smell, Sight, Sound. Everything else is filled in by the players, and trust that your players will ask questions if they want more details.
All great tips thanks guys
A great way to practice this "skill" (at least that's what I think it is) is by taking a simple thing and describing it as much as possible.
For example let's describe a wooden beam (pretty basic right?):
Ahead of you is a long sturdy beam made of Oak from the nearby forest, approximately 10ft. long, 3 ft. tall, and 3 ft. wide. When you approach the wood you can see runes etched deep into its fibers. A simple glance over them tell you they're unlike anything you've seen before. When you knock on the wood you hear something different than what you had expected. Instead of the sound of fist on bone, you hear something similar to metal on metal. Perhaps there is more to this wooden beam than what was thought before. Everyone roll an Arcana check....
I turned a boring old wooden beam into something creatively magical through using very specific and descriptive words.