I'm interested in how to make good adventures that allow freedom for players, and aren't forcing them from one place to the next without their input.

(Just read the article again. If you have to choose one question, the second is most beneficial to the community and the players in my campaign!

I'm interested in learning about how to make a good shop experience for the players. Most of the homebrew systems we've used have been VERY cumbersome or require too many dice.

I am a first-time druid. The DM and I are friends and fairly new to the game. We are not sure if the spell shillelagh would override the +2 dmg that you get from Duelist, the fighter trait, or will it stack? Also, if I had a +1 quarterstaff will Shillelagh override the +1 or will it stack?

Quote from Dungeon_Master_Lokito >>

I am a first-time druid. The DM and I are friends and fairly new to the game. We are not sure if the spell shillelagh would override the +2 dmg that you get from Duelist, the fighter trait, or will it stack? Also, if I had a +1 quarterstaff will Shillelagh override the +1 or will it stack?

 If it's plus one, it stacks. I'm not sure about the other one. 

I'd be interested in learning more about interesting dungeon design; specifically out of the ordinary stuff like being inside a monster, underwater caverns etc. 

First off: Class 101 is back! Secondly, I would love an article covering party mechanics. Specifically how to get your players to cover different pillars of gameplay (social, exploration, and combat) and how to avoid outshining each other. It's something that I've encountered a few times, certain players see that one guy dealing the most dpr they have ever seen and feeling they need to pick up the slack. 

I love DMing, and always like to write my own campaigns!!! The only problem is, I can't really come up with good ideas for campaigns, as in the main idea or overall plot of the campaign. I would love an article with strategies to come up with campaign "main plot" ideas, like how in Tomb of Annihilation the main idea is, of course, the Tomb of Annihilation.

How do I incorporate things from other settings like Eberron in a homebrew world? The setting I run has features from Eberron and other sourcebooks and I want to know how I could incorporate things like Lightning Rails more organically.

Not a new player, but a question that's been getting to me - as a DM, what kind of tools might one use to design encounters that are interesting for a table where half the group are just "ooh, that sounds cool, lets take that feature!" and the other half of the group are "I've planned out all 20 levels to maximize my damage and critical hit capabilities?"

Quote from EngieBenji >>

I'd be interested in learning more about interesting dungeon design; specifically out of the ordinary stuff like being inside a monster, underwater caverns etc. 

 Me too.

Quote from AdrieLiadon >>

I love DMing, and always like to write my own campaigns!!! The only problem is, I can't really come up with good ideas for campaigns, as in the main idea or overall plot of the campaign. I would love an article with strategies to come up with campaign "main plot" ideas, like how in Tomb of Annihilation the main idea is, of course, the Tomb of Annihilation.

 Again, me too.

(Well, I have never actually written a campaign, but I want to and have loosely started building a world. But ideas for campaigns is a problem.)

Hi James.  Love your articles, thanks!

Would love to see more articles based on creating short one-shot adventures, the thought process that goes in to them and how to craft them from simple ideas.  Maybe taking ideas from fellow DDB'ers and working them in to a useable adventure?

My idea - an adventure based on a teacher who has lost her students.  Each student needs finding and rescuing.  Perhaps a unique encounter per student?

I recently started playing and it has been such a joy! What are typical mistakes new players make and how can you avoid them? What magic items should you aim for as a warlock? And: Is there a goblin horn🙈 which summons a horde of helping goblins (overload fan talking)!

While this is the responsibility of the DM, I think that the pre-written dungeons need to be more streamlined and dynamic. Too many rooms are empty/meaningless and some encounters are too easy or non- thematic. For example... why is there a nothic in the Red Brands hide out in Lost Mines? It's a cool encounter but it doesn't make a lot of sense. My question, finally, is how can designers and DMs make the dungeons seem more alive?

P.S. Please create a dark mode for the site. As a person with a low-vision disability, the bright features on character sheets and monster stat blocks make the site difficult to use.

Quote from TwiceTwice >>

I recently started playing and it has been such a joy! What are typical mistakes new players make and how can you avoid them? What magic items should you aim for as a warlock? And: Is there a goblin horn🙈 which summons a horde of helping goblins (overload fan talking)!

 There is no goblin horn, but there is a magic item called the horn of valhalla that summons berserkers. You can talk to your DM about having it summon goblins instead of berserkers, but berserkers are soooo much better than goblins.

And yes, a "Best Magic Items for [insert class here]" series would be cool.

How can we find a quick rule of thumb for how much gold to give per encounter per level? The tables on page 136 of the DMG are a nice start but that's a lot of rolling and page flipping. I'd like to have a number I can start from and scale up or down on the fly without having to do a bunch of dice rolling if I need to extemporize an encounter. 

Quote from BramblefootDruid >>

Quote from Dungeon_Master_Lokito >>

I am a first-time druid. The DM and I are friends and fairly new to the game. We are not sure if the spell shillelagh would override the +2 dmg that you get from Duelist, the fighter trait, or will it stack? Also, if I had a +1 quarterstaff will Shillelagh override the +1 or will it stack?

 If it's plus one, it stacks. I'm not sure about the other one. 

The +1 stacks with Shillelagh, because Shillelagh doesn't provide a +1 it upgrades your dice. Keep in mind that you could not then have your wizard cast Magic Weapon on the quarterstaff as well, since that spell can only target a mundane item, and Shillelagh makes the item magical if it is not already.

How to make a good puzzle dungeon? (Or any dungeon really)

As a new player or as a DM, how should I approach creating a party for an adventure? Do you worry about having good compilation of classes, or just see what each person wants to play and adapt as necessary?