I am joining a campaign set in 4 distinct kingdoms. The kingdom this campaign is going to start in is one that has many undead and spirits as background NPCs and ancestral family servants. I am trying to find undead that can be used as retainers for my paladin to assist with the mundane tasks of this world.

Does anyone know of any minor or weak undead that can do things like setting up camp, cooking, help with the donning of armor? I am trying not to be overpowered and looking more for flavor with already existing creatures over trying to create a new one.

How do we feel about doing virtual sessions over an app like telegram or discord? Bonus points if there's a preference between those two apps 💚

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Their 3 session. I love that my little girl wants to play and even manged to convince the wife to play.

Hello. So, I'm working on a world in which the Material Plane is divided into two parts: a surface world and a hollow world. The Hollow Material Plane is made up, actually, of six of the outer planes which would become geographical locations like regions, continents, etc. These six planes that are now parts of the Hollow Material Plane are the Beastlands, Arborea, Ysgard, Gehenna, Baator (Nine Hells), and Acheron. Could this type of concept work? What do you guys think it would be like to have these six planes together in the same plane?

All comments, advice, and constructive criticism would be most appreciated.

Hello people of Reddit,

This is my first ever post so please bear with me as I need advice. A few months back a friend reached out about starting a D&D group as I have played (as a Player) about 7 years ago and loved it so I jumped at the chance. I got volunteered/elected to be the groups D.M.(it would be my first time), to say I was nervous was an understatement but I was excited for the challenge.

Long story short, during me learning how to be a D.M. and run/create the first adventure (Lost Mine of Phandelver) we had our group established, 4 players (using pre-made character sheets). Right before the adventure started one of the players "R" asked about his wife joining. We talked and due to me being new and trying to learn this from scratch I said no for this adventure but as soon as we go to the next campaign sure!

It was just to much to add another person without me even doing 1 session. I never brought this up to the group, I saw no reason to, I was making the story and was struggling just to learn those 4 characters, and how the world would work. As they are all new players I was trying to relearn how to play as well and ensure it was gong to be a fun time.

Fast forward about 6 sessions (2-3 hours each), 1 that I had to make a mini-side quest from scratch as 1 person was absent (it went awesome). Now we are moving more into the story and all is going well but ...Sandy... we will call her. Asked about adding another player to the game. I said:

"The first week we started playing R had asked me about adding his wife (who is an avid D&D player) and I told him no that keeping it at 4 people would help with the pace and make it more manageable for me (learning to be a D.M.).

My statement to him, “I would be happy to have her apart of the next campaign” and the same goes for your friend as well. We can add them both (potentially, after we talk as a group) when we start the next campaign “Dragon of Icespike Peak”. This should be sometime in January depending on if we have a few long sessions over the Christmas/ New Year Holiday, it could be right after the New Year.

I hope you understand, it is nothing personal but as I was already a stern no with R’s wife, I will keep the same stance until we get to the next adventure."

"Sandy" is adamant I should have talked to her and the group about about R's wife joining when it came up. I have mentioned several times in chat that I am overwhelmed and even spacing out sessions more because i cannot keep up and now she wants to add another player in and is upset I never brought to the group?

As the D.M. I never brought adding more players, as why would I? I am already overloaded and doing my best, what would the point have been (in my mind). As I handle all of the worlds interactions adding another was not something i felt comfortable with).

As the creator of the world/adventure, why would I bring up these things to the players who simply play in the world? I am honestly really insulted that Sandy is stating I should have asked the players about adding another person....I was at my limit and am doing my best...why should i bring it up to the players when it is a hard no for me?

Does anyone have any advice for me on how to respond? I am starting to not like being the DM for this group as over the past 3 weeks it has been something constant like this. I was really loving this and the challenge with it but with this stuff coming up the past 3 weeks every week and at the point where i might just quit. I find myself not preparing and not wanting to run a session and no longer enjoying it.

Sandy acts like this is a democracy and i do not know how to explain, i create they game and they are the players...they do not have the final say in game that is created. I do not mind suggestions and i always appreciate their input on play style but adding another player is something all together.

Am I wrong to think that as the D.M. to feel that the players have no say in me adding another person? Am I wrong? How can i reply to Sandy nicely to describe that she is just a player and that when it comes to world decisions I am in charge?

Help, please.

Hello everyone, I’m a monk with a homebrew subclass focused on speed. At level 17, I have the ability to cast Wall of Force for 7 ki points. However, my DM and I feel that it doesn’t really align with the theme of a speed-based subclass. Do you have any suggestions for abilities that would better match a speed-oriented subclasse

https://preview.redd.it/k2ce7rl7134e1.png?width=911&format=png&auto=webp&s=9d6ea32be73a7d30c32ee65f5be1a27d8f8252bc

So it was pretty rushed, and I did it on MS paint with a mouse so I know it's kind of janky

So I'm the DM of a little group and since I am DM I can't play, but I added this character as a merchant who I can use to talk though and help explain mechanics I've added without actually going out of the game, and I wanted to know if this is a good idea?

The campaign is inspired by Dante's Inferno (Because I'm my family is Roman Catholic and I often go by the name Dante) so it's set in the multiple layers of hell. It's also got aspects from the game ULTRAKILL, with the fact that blood is fuel (currency for the merchant, though), god is dead, and hell is full.

So the characters are to get through the layers of hell (which I still have to design, each layer has their own types of demons and map) until they get to the centre to battle the final boss, Satan. (Though I named him Diavolo here to further tighten the connection to my culture) and he'll drop a anti-Christ necklace that can be used in future campaigns.

So the merchant is called Giggles the Clown, and his look is based on how I look (like literally, this is me down the the dot, and the clown costume is also me because for every Halloween and costume event I have attended I have been a clown) and he's got his own shop, items, lines, and backstory of why he's in hell. To shorten it, the cause of death is venom (from suicide after his wife passed away) so he's got the bottom half of a snake.

This feels like a lot of yapping but it's kinda crucial to answering the question if having him as a sort of in game narrator is a good idea.

So if you have any ideas of constructive advice, I'd love to hear it! I

'm still a bit new to being the DM of a larger group (it used to just be me, my brother and my dad) and now I've got 6 people, so keep that in mind!

Hi, I created a new character who's a dragonborn and loves to tell bad jokes about dragons, I found two or three examples but I need some more... If someone can tell me his worst joke with this topic, it would be amazing! Thanks!!

Hi everyone! I'm working on the backstory for my first Dnd character, and I’d love to hear your thoughts.
I’ve written the full backstory (below) to explore his motivations and personality, but since it's my first time I play a dnd campaign, I want to make sure it’s solid for the rest of the party too. My goal is for Alvyn to be interesting, well-integrated into the party, and a good fit for the story’s world. Do you think this backstory is enough to make him engaging? Should I tweak anything to make him more cohesive for group play or add hooks to better integrate him into a broader campaign?

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

Alvyn, the Lost Rock Gnome

Beneath the rolling hills of the southern lands, hidden from prying eyes, lay the secluded community of Gemscava. Among its twisting tunnels and glittering caverns, Alvyn was born, one of the younger gnomes of a clan steeped in tradition. From the moment he could walk, his world was filled with the hum of arcane energy and the sharp clinks of tools against gem-studded stone. Magic, to the gnomes of Gemscava, was as natural as breathing, drawn from the veins of the earth and focused through their beloved crystals.

Alvyn was no different—at least not at first glance. Like every other young gnome, he was gifted a green crystal when he came of age, a rite that symbolized both his connection to the clan and the magic he would someday wield. But Alvyn’s gift lay not in the practical arts of crafting and enchanting that his kin so cherished. Instead, he was drawn to the theoretical, to the dusty tomes in the clan's ancient library and the whispered legends of forgotten spells.

While others honed their skills to perfection, Alvyn’s mind wandered far beyond the safety of their caverns. The elders warned him to stay focused on his duties. "The world outside the hills," they would say, "is no place for our kind." But the world outside called to him, louder with every passing year.

One night, with his crystal tucked safely in his pocket and the quiet hum of his magic at his fingertips, Alvyn made a decision. Without a word to anyone, he left the only home he had ever known. The first steps were exhilarating: the crunch of grass under his boots, the cool breeze against his skin, the endless expanse of stars above. It was a freedom he had never known. For days, he wandered, marveling at the vastness of the world, driven by the sheer thrill of exploration.

But the thrill soon gave way to a creeping realization: he had no idea where he was. The hills, so familiar from within their boundaries, had become an indistinguishable sea of slopes and shadows. No landmark guided him back; no path felt familiar. He wandered farther still, hoping for some stroke of luck, but the world only seemed to grow larger, stranger.

Faced with no other choice, Alvyn did what he did best: adapt. He found a quiet place on the edge of a forest and made it his sanctuary. Over the years, he learned to live with the rhythm of the wild, using the skills passed down by his family and the magic he had studied so fervently. His nights were spent huddled by a fire, poring over his notes and the few books he had taken with him. His days were spent gathering food, crafting small charms, and refining his understanding of the magic that had become his lifeline.

Though isolated, Alvyn never allowed himself to succumb to despair. The crystal he carried became more than a tool; it was a reminder of the home he had lost and the legacy he hoped to reclaim. The years of solitude tempered his restless spirit, teaching him patience and resilience. He knew he couldn’t return to Gemscava as the same impulsive young gnome who had left. If he was to find his way back, it would be as someone worthy of the place he had abandoned.

When Alvyn finally emerged from his self-imposed exile, he was changed. The world that had once overwhelmed him now felt like a challenge waiting to be conquered. He sought not only to rediscover his home but to earn the right to return. His journey, he decided, would be one of growth and purpose. He would become a mage of renown, a master of the arcane, someone whose name would bring honor to Gemscava.

The path forward was uncertain, but Alvyn faced it with determination. Every spell he cast, every discovery he made, would bring him closer to the hills that had sheltered him. And when he finally stood before the gates of his clan, he would do so not as a wanderer, but as a gnome who had proven his worth to the world... and to himself.

Hi, everyone. I'm a beginner in D&D and I'm very interested in reading about the universe of the story. I'm interested in the books Places and Portals and Elves of the Evermeet, but I don't know where to read them. I'd like to mention that I'm Brazilian and that accessing this type of content here is quite expensive. I don't have the money to buy the books and I'm having a lot of trouble finding the books in PDF on the internet. Can anyone help me with this? If you can send them to me in English, I can translate them, but if any friend has them in Portuguese, I'd be very happyyyyyyy

I played many years ago and looking to get back into playing. I don’t have anyone local to play with, what’s the best way to find a group to play with and also start up like making a character sheet?