hello! i'm a new dm and i'm currently running a longer term campaign for my players at the moment. there was a moment that my players had at a recent session that i was very proud of them for, but i don't want to repeat if i can avoid it.

essentially, the party of 5 level 5 characters (thief rogue, oath of vengeance paladin, twilight cleric, battlemaster artificer, and circle of stars druid) were able to convince a mini-boss to leave town looking for someone, they then realized that when he came back without the person he was looking for, it'd be their heads on pikes, so they followed him out of town and killed him. i am VERY proud of how they played this, but they were able to get a surprise round off on the mini boss, and then they cast hold person. the mini-boss did not get a single hit in because of the paladin being able to walk up and auto crit. i want to say combat was over in three rounds because of this.

before starting this combat, i raised this enemy's AC from 14 to 16 and buffed his hit points a bit, but i'm beginning to think that isn't going to be enough very soon. is there anything else that i can do to buff combat? in hindsight i probably should have given him a few guards with him just to make things a bit harder, but is there anything else i should do? i don't want to immediately kill my players, but i also don't want combat to be a cake walk for them either and i want there to be an appropriate amount of challenge (particularly with how good their builds are). this is my first campaign im running, any advice would be appreciated, thank you!

tl,dr: my players whooped ass quite hard and i'm not sure where to start for buffing combat encounters.

edit to add: this is specifically for fifth edition dnd

Hello! I wanted to see if anyone could help me with a super intense test for my characters. They're trying to get a Crone to assist them in their main quest. She's a powerful, very old witch and helps keep the balance of the Humblewood forest outside my city. She wants to test the PCs and I need help generating ideas for a nature- and balance-themed quest. Any ideas? <3

For context. This is the players 3rd character in this campaign and was to my knowledge one of the more invested players. The party had set out to save an important npc to them and on this quest they find out that a massive "storm" is heading right for a town that acts as their base of operations and it is going to destroy this town. This storm is not a normal storm and they know this. It is also tied to the aforementioned characters back story. The party is now on the clock. They succeed in saving person and make it back with meer hours to spare, but are injured from the successful saving of this npc. They do some last minute prep and through some clever questions and insight checks manage to piece together that the most likely reason this "storm" is here is for a girl in town that to the parties knowledge is the only known person in the world that can work this mystical homebrewed metal that is important to the plot.

So some of the party takes the girl to the storm to hand her over in hopes it will save the town, while the rest stay behind to help with evacuations. They encounter a man who demands they hand the girl over or he will kill the party and every man woman and child in the town. The players try negotiate ask questions if who he is and why he wants the girl. He responds with the next person to speak that does not hand the girl over I will kill. The player in question through another insight checks noticed that there is a shimmer behind the the powerful npc and pieces together that it is an illusion hiding something behind him but decideds to try and use a spell to deactive this guy's fancy magic armor (another homebrew thing)instead of just handing the girl over as planned. Player fails and takes a big hit when the guy retaliates this initiating combat. I tell this player hey I am going to give you one chance to back down here and I am never going to do this again for anyone in the game. He says no I want to continue this.

I have everyone roll for initiative and combat will follow. Iend the session there for the night. After about 10 minutes later I recieve a message from the player that says he isn't having fun anymore with the campaign and he acknowledges that I gave him the opportunity to back down, but quote" I won't be playing anymore after this character and wanted to give that character a final end befitting the character."

I am now between a rock and a hard place. This player initiated a fight with an NPC that will almost asuradly result in a team wipe if the fight and will result in 2-3 character deaths as half the team is right in front of the powerful npc and his army that was hidden behind the mirage. This player has now forced a confrontation that could kill the party all so he could give his character a good death before he bounces.

Long explaination to ask my question.

How should I handle this? His reason for doing this is incredibly selfish to me.

For my campaign I want my players to enter this city with a lot going on. I have a lot of adventures that they can experience while they are in the city but I have the general idea of each adventure. The city is supposed to be the capital of the Region, so I want the city to seem very complex. With a certain government system, military system, and the way the citizens view the inter workings of the city. Where and How do I start creating said city? (If you need more details on the city let me know. First time Dming and first time asking)

Does mentioning ejaculate count as NSFW...?

Firstly, this homebrew is actually still being developed and no campaigns are close to starting at all, but I want to know the general angle to come at the narration of the story so I can form the rest of the outline around that angle.

I should also preface that I'm very much inspired by From Software's games. For normal stories, I don't really reference them all that much, but since I'm trying to write a story that will be able to morph into a game, I've been paying a lot more attention to how NPCs and bosses work in the Souls games, especially Bloodborne.

Finally, before I explain the story and then the mechanics I want to add, I'll breakdown the map. I'm probably not going to keep everything in its exact location in the future, but it works for now.

Clough: The city the story takes place in, settled in a conveniently barren desert of dust and flakes. The only way in and out of Clough is through the train tracks that sprawl throughout the city and the desert. Inexplicably, the gates to the city and the machines that operated the railroad cars had all rusted overnight.

The Mold: The birthing place for Copperheads. First, an alloy consisting of ejaculate, ovaries, bone marrow, brain tissue, peeled muscles, and copper is made in the Crucible. The alloy is then poured into intricate molds which spin at a slow, constant pace, ensuring homogeneity. After a time, the mold is opened and the soft, taffy-like substance is taken from the mold, and is encased in a capsule that's similar to a human skeleton. That capsule is than installed into whatever chassis is available. If a chassis is destroyed, the endoskeleton can be salvaged and installed into a new chassis, though this can only be done with a machine that is only present within the Mold (respawning).

The Coughing Forge: Accessories, augments, upgrades, repairs, and refurbishes are allocated to Copperheads here.

Peacock's Tail / Peacock Ravine: Copper is most commonly found in a form called Bornite, which is also called Peacock Ore. Human workers are not allowed into the ravine, as its mineshafts and equipment was specifically designed for Copperheads. All of the ore and materials taken from the ravine would be sent to the Crucible through Antaria's Pilgrimage, though the railroad that fed into the Crucible withered away.

The Cage: A large prison built in a panicked haste. After all of the city's metal had begun to rust at a supernatural rate, the rust spread to people and Copperheads. Those Rusted who couldn't be saved were sent to the Cage.

Slag: A large, flat area that ends in a large hole that goes halfway through the mantle of the earth. The Rusted are disposed of here.

Lower Clough: The poor, residential slum of Clough. Most jobs included loading trains with ores and minerals, and nothing more.

The Vacuum: As the Crucible was being developed, the wealthier citizens of Clough distanced their homes from the common people. A shambling mass of deserted buildings now act as a physical barrier between the poor and the rich.

Upper Clough: The only entrance to the Crucible.

The Crucible: The multipurpose, nine-story forge. Of course, it melts and alloys metals. Why would a simple forge need to be so huge?

A barebones outline of how the world map will look

Onto the actual thing I need help with.

Restricting the player character to a Copperhead is... restrictive. But, I have a whole system that allows players to augment their chassis. They can scavenge, salvage, and create unique arms, legs, heads, and bodies. What I hope is that, at the beginning, all of the players will have somewhat similar builds, and as the game progresses, they'll be able to communicate and allocate different augments amongst each other, slowly making each character a specialist in things like hauling, observation, data processing, so on so on.

Most importantly, each "module" of a player's chassis has its own individual health and AC. I make this distinction knowing that players will most likely have ambidextrous modules. As well, each player's modules will house things varying importance for the player. It will hopefully create a "this or that" kind of situation whenever a player is attacked. This also applies to enemies, which will have modules on their bodies that are more or less threatening to the players.

A breakdown of the custom stats. Charge is replenished batteries, which are similar to Estus in Dark Souls.

Rusted people and Copperheads will be roaming around literally every part of the map, so players will need to do their best to take down enemies with bodies that are designed to work, not fight. Their reward will be rusted materials, which they can bring to an NPC called the Discordant in the Coughing Forge. It will be able to purify and then use those materials to make upgrades and repairs for players.

And finally, the players themselves can succumb to Rust, just like any other NPC or object. Some modules and skills will allow players to cleanse themselves and their friends of Rust, but this will always come at some kind of a price. The only way to totally purify yourself is at the Discordant.

Given all of this, I've outlined two major ways I'll likely narrate whatever campaign I DM using this homebrew:

- A challenging campaign that requires courage and sacrifice (Essentially Bloodborne, but with less dying)

I'll make enemies more formidable and I'll reduce the player's supply to batteries and materials. The story will be driven primarily through describing how the players' bodies react to each action they make; how they feel themselves rust, how they observe the thickening haze of metal dust, how the surrounding environment is so monotone and crumbled that it leaves the players with a consistent feeling of helplessness, as if the world is trying to tell them that their journey is already over.

- A mysterious campaign that requires observation and foresight (Like a survival horror)

Enemies will be less abundant and kind of stupid, with some exceptions. Instead of testing the party's resolve to discover the secrets of Clough and how their own robot bodies came to be, I'll just guide them through the story. It'll still be dangerous, as boss characters will be emphasized in order to create more obvious and rewarding milestones for the party, but there probably won't be any "Oh shit" moments.

I REALLY love the first one, just because I like being a villain and torturing the party is really really fun, especially when they overcome a challenge and use that experience to navigate future challenges. IT FEELS SO GOOD BRO.

However, I'm REALLY scared it'll be too hard, so the second one will be easier for the party, but it won't really spur any kind of perseverance. The connections they'll make with NPCs and between themselves just feels like fluff if there's nothing that can threaten those ties.

If any of you have any ideas or advice, PLEASE tell me!!!! I do genuinely appreciate any amount of feedback. I'd also be happy to clarify any questions you might have, especially since I'm tired of typing and I've most likely messed up a statement or two.

So, Im thinking about making the switch to only gold and platinum pieces. No more copper or silver. Anyone have any opinions?

I feel like copper and silver are essentially useless after you level past 1st level anyway.

One of my players requested their character’s arm gets his arm chopped off and his adoptive warlock son gives him a fae wild arm. I for the life of me can’t figure out a stat block for it and I need serious help (we’re level 10 atm)

Is there a method, converting a character level into a cr or Xp? I'd like to let my players fight another character. But I dont know which level this character should have to be a challenge. Can someone help me?

Hello DMs!

Where have you found the sweet spot to be regarding how much flavor text to be adding, whether it be describing rooms or combat? With every new room, how much to add when describing it? Combat - do you describe every attack action's outcome?

I'm really curious what works for you all.

Does this story make sense/sound engaging?

Okay, SO. To preface, this is a pirate-themed campaign.

The PCs started out on a ship called the Crimson Wave, captained by Captain Ros Bloodstone. (original, I know haha)A few sessions in, and they met the bbeg known as the Wraith. He utterly destroys the ship, literally sucks the power from Ros, and leaves them stranded in the middle of the ocean. The captain stepped down, deeming herself a failure, and so now the PCs are taking over command of what remains of the crew.

This next session, they will be commandeering their first ship and setting off!

The Wraith is chaos incarnate, basically. There is a section of the map known as the Wilds, which is known for chaos and untamed magic. He's the cause of this, and his motivation is to plunge all of the charted world into the chaos. He's begun by taking down pirate captains who keep some sort of semblance of control over the seas, he's been disrupting trade routes and naval routes, and slowly, ever so slowly, bringing that chaos magic close and closer to the civilized regions.

He also loves to toy with mortals and see how they respond, hence why he tends to keep pirate captains and others alive. He wants to watch them suffer and wither away in their failure, and he's curious if any will rise back up again. (Spoilers, the PCs are definitely going to do this.)

My main question comes in the form of some of the story plot points going forward. There is another man on the seas known as the Reaver (actually is the father of one of the PCs in game). He's a BAD dude who makes money through slavery. He rules over an area of the map called the Crimson Isles (actually where Ros and a couple of them are from).

My idea is that the Reaver actually works for the Wraith. Centuries ago, unbeknownst to my PC, the Reaver went to the Wilds and made a deal with the Wraith. The Wraith broke off a piece of his horn and gave it to the Reaver, which gave the Reaver incredible necrotic magic.

The Reaver used this to conquer the Isles. However, the Queen of the Isles, Queen Alani, discovered the secret to the Reaver's power and stole the horn as a last-ditch effort to save her people. It was an effort in vain, and to further keep the horn from the Reaver, she locked herself and the horn in a magic mirror in an attempt to hide.

The players just found this mirror, and one of them (not the Reaver's son) is wanting to communicate with her next session. Is this story too much? I can tone it down if needed. I am worried about making too much of an emphasis on the story history and stuff, and taking the light off of the PCs. But I also know that a good story will keep them hooked.

And in regards to the horn in the mirror, the Wraith needs it back. He wants to turn the Isles into a chaos nexus, if you will, and he needs his full power, broken horn included, to do this. So one way or another, he either needs to get the mirror and break the Queen and the horn out, or the PCs will get her out.

I'm also torn on if she should still be the kind, brave queen that she was, or........perhaps she comes across that way, but in reality centuries alone, trapped in a magic pocket dimension with a corrupted, chaotic artifact, has corrupted her. So she goes from being helpful ally that they can sympathize with to showing her real colors as a villain.

Any advice on all of this word vomit would be great! Haha

Hello! I am remaking the stablock for the BBEG of my campaign (Bavlorna from Witchlight), and I want to make her have an attack where she swallows an enemy, and they take acid damage from inside her. The problem is, I don't want to swallow a PC, fail a few rolls, and then they feel completely useless for the final fight of the campaign.

Does anyone have a good idea on how to fix this?

Hi all,

Party is going from Point A to point B and I want to insert a one-shot styyle encounter that revolves around (or can be reworked) as a plot of a village that is about to be attacked by demon or cultists. Something in that realm. Anything comes to mind I can look for?

In the last session one of my players got killed by an intellect devourer, intelligence to zero, body stolen, fighting the rest of the party, the whole deal. This player had a VERY intricate backstory and we’re currently deep into a story arc that revolves around her, so she’s upset and my plots are a mess.

I’m thinking about secretly telling her she can use roughly the same character, but her and I will know that her rogue is now another intellect devourer piloting the body. The rest of the party will leave the dungeon then BAM suddenly she’s back with no explanation. She’ll have the memories of the old character but have to try keep the others from discovering her secret.

She’s a changeling, so id like to take those species abilities and give her something else, like as an action she can leave her body and use the intellect devourer stats and abilities, but if she stays out too long the old body does really die and she has to find another. Something like that.

What do yall think? Any ideas for situations that would hint to the rest of the party what she really is? Are there any spells that would unexpectedly reveal the intellect devourer in her head?

1st: can the enlarge spell stack with a potion of growth? I allow it in my campaigns but have never seen or heard anyone else really do it. Ex: we have a barbarian who drinks a potion after being enlarged reaching a total of 24ft

2nd: when it comes to weight increase the enlarge spell says the weight increases by 8, is it safe to assume the weight increases by 8 again if the size goes up from another source?

Hello fellow DMs, forever DM here and I recently decided to start playing again. I haven't been informed about the latest releases since 2021 and I was wondering if

1. There are any new published Campaigns that you consider good
2. If, as a DM, I should look at the latest " official patches" as to implementing improvement.

Thank you 😊

Does anyone know of a Christmas or winter holiday themed one shots that might be good for teens? I’m open to adapting anything though, if necessary.

Hey, first time DM and I totally got in over my head. Im doing this massive campaign based off a favorite game of mine and I thought I'd have the time to do it. Then I realized that the campaign is taking much longer then expected. Some of my players won't be around for very much longer but want to see the end of the story. How do I streamline a campaign without compromising the story and delivering on plot details that were alluding to a larger story?

Edit: the game in question is tales of Symphonia if that helps

Hi I’m a new dnd player and I wanted to know how to play, I already have the equipment for dnd but I don’t know what the dice are for and what type of session there are, like what is a 1 shot session and I know there’s more but I just don’t understand what they are and how they work and what do the editions mean, and what are the books I need to buy, I know I don’t need specific ones but it would be better to know all of there official books. I’m super confused and I really need help so what tips and tricks you have for me thank you.