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  • Dungeon Master Tips

Dungeon Master Tips

  • How to Play Hags Like Terrifying, Tragic Villains
    Mar 24, 2021 by DeAngelo Murillo

    Despite how well-rounded hags are, they’re typically just dumped at the bottom of a cave between players and treasure- or worse, put on the backburner completely by many Dungeon Masters. But with a little creativity, you can make hags unforgettable...

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  • Candlekeep Mysteries is Available to Buy on D&D Beyond
    Mar 16, 2021 by Joe Starr

    Candlekeep Mysteries, the new anthology book featuring 17 new adventures for characters of 1st to 16th level, is now available on the D&D Beyond Marketplace!

    Read More
  • Why Your Low-Level Characters Should Have Unusually Powerful Items
    Mar 12, 2021 by Jeremy Blum

    “If you want a ring of invisibility to fall into the hands of a 1st level character, so be it. No doubt a great story will arise from that event.”

    Read More
  • Build Your First Homebrew Adventure in 10 Easy Steps
    Mar 10, 2021 by Amy Dallen

    Once you’ve decided to build an adventure, you’ll discover your needs are basic. For some folks, constructing elaborate scenarios seems to come easily, but if you’re just starting it may seem like an intimidating prospect. The good news is that it’s a skill you can learn, like any other, and the bones of the process are simple. Ask yourself these questions, in any order, and write down your answers!

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  • How To Play Oozes Like Body-Devouring Terrors
    Mar 5, 2021 by Jeremy Blum

    These fragments of the demon lord Juiblex are often overlooked by DMs in favor of enemies that actually have limbs, but they’re arguably some of the most fearsome foes a group of low-level D&D adventurers can face. Why? Because unlike a normal monster that might be satisfied with killing a character, oozes are motivated by the undiscriminating desire to consume everything in their path!

     

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  • Adapting D&D Horror for Kids of All Ages
    Mar 2, 2021 by FranklyEmily

    Horror isn’t for everyone, right? Wrong! Whether you’re an online party of friends, a middle school Dungeons & Dragons club, or even a family that does game nights with young kids, here are a few tips and tricks for creating a game that is both frightening AND fun for everyone!

    Read More
  • How to Make Your D&D Battles More Dynamic With Environmental Hazards
    Feb 25, 2021 by Jeremy Blum

    When we think of what hazards mean in D&D, we too often only imagine the rogue stopping at a dungeon door to roll an Investigation check, or perhaps the druid creating difficult terrain with Spike Growth. But there are a plethora of other ways that we can integrate these features into our battles and encounters...

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  • How to Adapt Marvel's WandaVision for D&D
    Feb 19, 2021 by Riley Silverman

    When a piece of media rockets to the epic status that a show like WandaVision has, you can almost hear the collective sound of Dungeon Masters around the world clapping their hands together as they begin to scheme... Here are some tips for how you can make a WandaVision style “Hex” work for your table. 

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  • How To Create Gripping Chase Scenes In D&D
    Feb 17, 2021 by Jeremy Blum

    Chase scenes remain in a viewer’s head forever.  And with some planning, any Dungeon Master can create the same nail-biting moments in a game of Dungeons & Dragons, delivering just as many thrills as a combat encounter when done well. Here are some tips to outrun any chase in your game!

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  • The D&D Starter Set and More Adventures for New Dungeon Masters
    Jan 22, 2021 by James Haeck

    What are the best D&D adventures for new Dungeon Masters? We weigh in with our top picks that are easy to pick up and easy to run.

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  • New Player’s Guide: Character Relationships
    Jan 22, 2021 by James Haeck

    The best characters in fiction form meaningful relationships with each other, allowing these relationships to help them grow. That’s what separates a true character from a stock archetype. Now, how do you do that in D&D?

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  • How to Run a Session 0 for Your D&D Game
    Jan 8, 2021 by James Haeck

    The best way to start a D&D campaign is to get everyone on the same page with a session 0. If you're looking to get some ideas for topics to cover during your session 0, check out our checklist!

    Read More
  • How to Create Fun and Fascinating D&D Puzzles
    Nov 25, 2020 by James Haeck

    Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything tapped veteran RPG puzzle designer Elisa Teague to help you create puzzles for your D&D game. Let’s expand on her masterful work and create simple, useful rules for designing puzzles for your dungeons!

    Read More
  • Design Better Adventures Instantly with Outlines
    Sep 30, 2020 by James Haeck

    Blank page got you spooked? Whether you’re an overworked home DM or an overworked DMs Guild author, here’s one trick that’ll make your adventure-writing more efficient: start by outlining!

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  • The Best Monsters From Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
    Sep 23, 2020 by James Haeck

    Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden is flush with over 50 cool new monsters. Take a look at some of the new creatures you can find in the frozen north!

    Read More
  • Creating Terror without Being a Jerk
    Sep 18, 2020 by James Haeck

    Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden is all about horror and eerie encounters in the snowy wastes. How can you make your players feel the horror without killing the fun?

    Read More
  • Epic House Rules: Talented Checks
    Aug 26, 2020 by James Haeck

    Expand your D&D game with new unofficial house rules. Try this method for speeding up gameplay: characters with certain skill or tool proficiencies automatically succeed on certain ability checks.

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  • New Player’s Guide: Customizing Spells
    Jul 17, 2020 by MellieDM

    Learn how to modify spells to tailor your D&D experience to the needs of your group. Want an iceball spell instead of a fireball? What if cure wounds were a wizard spell? Learn the basics of homebrew in this installment of New Player's Guide!

    Read More
  • Worldbuilding with Magic
    Jul 15, 2020 by James Haeck

    What spells are common in your world? How many high-level magic-users are there? Ask yourself these questions to reveal surprising information about your homebrew campaign setting!

    Read More
  • Worldbuilding with your Players
    Jul 1, 2020 by James Haeck

    Why leave all the work of worldbuilding to the Dungeon Master, when you could share the load with yours? Dungeon Masters willing to let go of a little creative control over the campaign setting can actually make their game more fun and immersive by worldbuilding with their players! Here’s how.

    Read More
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