I am fairly new to running games (started this year) and i really struggle with keeping fights interesting, and they tend to be my least favourite part of the game. Any tips or tricks?

I'm running an adventure tonight that is going to be something called The Blackwing Cliff Invitational which is a huge yearly fishing event that attracts thousands of folks to the famed Blackwing Cliffs of Viza Kuhl to watch small teams of fishing companies hunt the famed Blackwing Billy's which are basically marlin sized flying fish that are incredibly difficult to take down to their sheer speed, power and natural armor. They are hunted by small teams in skiffs that race alongside the billys and attempt to spear them as they jump out of the water. This requires incredible skill and precision to spear the giant fish at precisely the right moment as their wings are extremely powerful.and will easily deflect missed shots. The party will be entering this tournament as a team of 3 or 4, consisting of two humans and two halflings, or perhaps just one halfling. My question is how best to run this, meaning might anyone have any ideas on good ways to run dice rolls, obstacles they might face, strategies employed by other teams or just any ideas that could contribute to this adventure. I am a very new DM with limited experience in running real time events like this though our world is pretty well fleshed out. I really would like some ideas on best ways to run dice rolls! Thank you in advance!

My players have finally encountered the BBEG (Shal Khatesh in an Eberron campaign) by interrogating a changeling prisoner who has been working with the BBEG and now is possessed by her.

I did a large show of the changeling’s body lifting up the ground and becoming a huge version of the BBEG’s form. I don’t want them to fight the CR25 creature straight up, but any advise for a mechanic that conveys a possession and allows them to escape the fight by ending the possession and seeing how powerful the entity is?

I legit will make an entire campaign during a ADHD hyper-fixation after hearing a song and by the end of a week, up to a month, have a whole campaign(Beginning and projected end, the middle is generally up to player desire). I have made 8 campaigns and am working on more. Like stat blocks, npcs, bbegs, lore(not super deep, just relevant stuff to the campaign, improv whatever players inquire about past that.), and all that?

I have not been a DM yet but have spent approx. 6 years learning 5e and how to homebrew effectively, and am excited to bring my group into whatever world they choose and keep 'em happy!

On a top down map I mistook a well for a fireplace when giving a description. There is something hidden down the well, so rather than backtrack I 'm wondering what the significance of a well of fire could have.

My first through was delegation of folk from the elemental plane of fire. Genasi or azer that bring fire from the source into their homes, or drink it. But that feels like the plot point from Pixar elementals.

Hello everyone! So I'm going to jump in and DM for some friends as we all want to get into D&D. I've seen alot of recommendations of running a pre-made campaign for our first try I like that idea as it will help take the stress off of DMing for the first time. What pre-made would you recommend? We want something that's going to take a bunch of sessions to play through... I do t want to make a one shot one night adventure... I'd like something that would take us 6-10 sessions to work through. Any links or recommendations?

Hi everyone! A group of friends and I are all pretty née to playing D&D, and one of us needs to DM lol. I'm very interested in doing it, but need to learn more before I can do a good job. What are some (ideally free) resources to learn more about how to do this well? I'm comfortable with the storytelling aspect, but it's mostly the game mechanics and knowing what check to ask for etc that I feel I need help with. Thank you!

I'm running my first campaign, and while it’s going well, I find it challenging to create vivid descriptions. As someone with autism, I sometimes struggle with roleplaying. How do you remember what rolls do what, and how can you provide better descriptions? Any advice from fellow DMs with autism would be greatly appreciated!

With November finally being here, in less that two weeks we will finally be getting the 2024 Dungeon Masters guide. With the release of the Players Handbook, was it everything you were hoping for? Will the Dungeon Masters Guide be able to slowly help complete the three main books into something better than it was?

Here are the main points-

• Updates to existing classes
• Reworked Backgrounds, Species, and Feats
• Weapon Master to Weapons
• 100+ pages of spells
• Expanded Guide to Playing the Game
• Revamped Artwork
• Appendices that summarize all of the main rules terminology
• And more...

I have compiled some of what I would consider the most interesting new tidbits in detail here - 2024 Players Handbook Was Released - What's New?

Me and my SO run a TTRPG club at our youth center. Each season, we present campaigns, and the kiddos vote, with all three tables playing that campaign. The campaigns are connected so the actions of one rable can affect the other two.

This is the first year, where two tables have actually run into each other.

A giant, monstrous tree, like the Black Goat of the Woods from the newest Alone in the Dark, is on a rampage towards a town. Group A was leaving town and spotted it, and are now engaging in combat with the tree. Group B are following its trail, and will soon come upon it.

So, it looks like both groups will be engaging in combat, which is why we're looking for ways to make the proces easier.

Each table has six players, all between the ages of 13-17. We're thinking we'll still be at separate tables, and simply update each other on what has happened (HP updates, significant things done, etc.) over Discord. So in effect, it is still two different combat scenarios, at their own tables, but with added narration.

We'd love ideas on how to better facilitate this in a way that doesn't make it a slog, ao any ideas will be taken under advisement - even suggestions on how to possibly run it at one big table ;)

For context, I am a newer DM but I love doing it. I've tried creating monsters/encounters from scratch and have re-skinned monsters as well.

In the few games I've run, my problem has been either creating monsters/encounters I thought would be tough but are simply too easy for my players. Or ones that are simply impossible.

I want to strike that balance between tough, where it's possible a player or two go unconscious or could die.

How do you go about striking that balance?

Hi, I'm just starting my experience as a DM. I was looking to add music to my campaigns and researched various options. I wasn't happy with what I found (Youtube videos or apps which I felt are just too complicated and take too much time or attention away from the actual action), so I decided to see if I could build my own tool. I managed to get to something that automates playing music and sounds during a campaign, so that I can focus on the DM'ing. I have 2 asks:
- what do you DMs for sounds? are you happy with it?
- anybody want to give me feedback on my tool? (I can send you a link to play with it)

I just got the new Players Handbook. As I'm sure most of you know by now, half-elf and half-orc are no longer included. I thought there would be something to address this in the new Dungeon Master's Guide, but folks who have gotten their copy in advance have said the topic is not addressed there either. So.....

A) Am I mistaken? Did I miss it and there is no need to work on a home brew option? If so, where are player characters with mixed ancestry addressed?

B) Since they are called species now, the term mixed race seems to no longer apply. I have recently switched to saying mixed ancestry, but am open to suggestions if you think you have a better term for it.

C) Finally, and most importantly, does anyone have their own home brew system for determining the appearance and other characteristics of a player character with ancestry from two different species? Yes, I could take the time to create my own, but I'd rather not reinvent the wheel if I don't have to. Anything you wish to share will be greatly appreciated.

Hey all!

Main idea is: Players get sent 700 years into the future where there's a heat wave that's been slowly getting worse over the past ~500 years. Technology is more advanced (Guns, semi-magical vehicles, scrap, etc.) Magic is less common and often associated with crime. Water is scarce, crime rate is high, faith in gods has decreased, all that fun dystopian jazz. Same world, just hotter.

Forests are less common, rivers have gone dry, water is obtained through wells or in deep underground caves, wildlife is dominated by heat tolerant species, some races/species of people have migrated to more temperate areas, magical " cooling crystals " are used in some areas to keep a more tolerable environment, farming is difficult, and growing anything other that corn, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, or squash is practically impossible.

I'm taking some aspects of Blades & Blasters and implementing salvaged material (changing it from alien tech to more magical/suspicious tech) so the players can sell what they find to a "scrap dealer" or "mechanic" or maybe even find enough to make their own cool things.

Primary Question: What are your thoughts? What are some things you would add to get the mood across?

Also feel free to tell me about your favorite npc's!

I started playing around with Notion after a recommendation on here - I had been using Onenote. There are things I like about Notion, like the databases; however, it seems to lack the ability to create a custom view (like a formatted monster sheet like the monster manual uses pulling records from a monsters database in Notion). So what everyone's thoughts - pros and cons, etc.

I have noticed that more people are going to AD&D 2e lately. I have had requests from my local community to join my campaign or for me to start a campaign for them. But I have had to turn people away. What I really need is a good AD&D 2e character sheet in a digital format. Is their a template for one? Thanking you in advance. A 2e DM.

I'll go first!

A dwarf named Cornelius Clang. He notably has red hair, no beard, and huge rings on every finger. He loves a good joke, gossip, and drinking. Everything he met the group, he bought them tons of food and drink, but always had twice as much as them. Despite his jovial demeanor, he actually has 10s of mind controlled thrall (esentially slaves), which includes one of the players boyfriend. While trying to find a way to free him, the PCs had terrible nightmares that all the others could see. The PC w the boyfriend decided it was Cornelius, and ran to his mansion to attack him. However, once he arrived, it turned out that Cornelius was a faelord of dreams.

He's out of the picture for now, but little do they know, he'll be making an appearance in the next city they visit! I love him too much to let him go.

Your turn! Tell me abt ur favorite NPC you've made.

How much gold should I give my players by what levels?

I’ve only been running DnD for two years or so, and I’ve largely ignored shops and gold because the players had no reason to acquire it based on the main quest.

I’ve never really ran shops before in my campaigns, nor given out gold for quests, since the narrative of the campaign never suited it (no side quests or hustles, just a main big bad to beat.) that said, I want to give my players a chance to go shopping, and get better at that sort of experience. How much coin should I grant them? Also, what are some creative ways to have them ‘stumble upon treasure’ if they’re not being rewarded for a particular quest with gold.

Welcome back to Advent's Amazing Advice! The series where I take popular One-Shots, Adventures, Campaigns, etc., and fully prep them for both New and Busy DMs. This prep includes music, ambiance, encounter sheets, handouts, battle maps, tweaks, and more so you can run the best sessions possible with the least stress possible!

Harbin Wester is hopeful that a magic item from Gnomengarde can help against the dreaded dragon! It'll be up to your players to venture forth and request aid from the reclusive and secretive gnomes; however, far more threats await when they arrive. The Kings' have gone mad, and a gnome-eating mimic is on the loose! Will your player be able to bring peace to Gnomengarde once more?

Without further ado:

• Google Docs Notes for Part 2c Gnomengarde: DM Notes
• Link to: Gnomengarde Playlist
• Link to: The AAA Collection

Included in The AAA Collection is:

• A Word document with all my notes, including links to music tracks for ambiance and fights
• Special PDF for all encounters. This includes the enemy stat blocks organized neatly, along with an initiative tracker and spots to mark HP
• Custom Maps of Gnomengarde

Index:
Dragons of Icespire Peak:

• Part 1 - Phandalin
• Part 2a - Umbrage Hill
• Part 2b - Dwarven Excavation
• Part 2c - Gnomengarde
• Part 3a - Loggers Camp
• Part 3b - Butterskull Ranch
• Part 3c - Mountain's Toe Gold
• Part 4a - Axeholm (Coming Soon)
• Part 4b - Dragon Barrow (Coming Soon)
• Part 4c - Woodland Manse (Coming Soon)
• Part 5 - Icespire Hold (Coming Soon)
• Side Quest 1 - Shrine of Savras
• Side Quest 2 - Circle of Thunder (Coming Soon)
• Side Quest 3 - Tower of Storm (Coming Soon)

Over 6 dozen other Fully Prepped One-Shots, Adventures, and Campaigns: Click Here

As always, if you see something you think I can improve, add, change, etc., please let me know. I want this to be an amazing resource for all DMs and plan to keep it constantly updated! If you'd like to support me, shape future releases, and get content early, feel free to check out my Patreon!

Cheers,
Advent