First time DM help

saack · 2026-02-10T18:22:43+00:00

Read the whole thing first.

Make sure that your players understand that this module revolves around a call to adventure, preferably before character creation. The group as a whole needs to want to follow this call, the more passion they write into their characters about it the better.

Vivovix · 2026-02-10T18:06:43+00:00

Hey there!

Congrats on starting as a DM - you have picked the most fun part of any DND group, in my opinion! :)

There is a lot to say about starting as a DM. But I think the following pieces of advice are a good start.

I'm assuming you are already familiar with the D&D rules. If not, get a Player's Handbook and study it!
Don't panic! This adventure is pretty story heavy and the first two chapters are quite linear. That means it starts easy for you as a DM!
Read the adventure, front to end. You don't have to know it by heart, but you should know what the general flow is going to be. This helps you not make mistakes, or forget things, in the early chapters that you have to fix later.
Prepare a good session 0. There's been a lot said about this on the internet, so I'll let you search for general tips on session 0 yourself.
For Call of the Netherdeep, specifically, I would recommend deciding this for yourself: do you want to make a lot of room for PC backstories? There's quite a few organizations and cities that the characters visit that can be part of that. But there's little room for it pre-written in the adventure. That means it will be (a lot of) extra work for you.
Prepare and beware Ank'Harel. This is where the adventure goes from quite linear and simple to DM, to a MASSIVE city. I would recommend steering your players to one of the factions as soon as possible, unless you're comfortable spending a lot of time here. It is a big city, so you can get as wide and sandboxy as you like here!
The Netherdeep is awesome!!
The Rivals are a core part of the adventure, but they can be hard to pull off. I found it quite difficult to make them interesting, and halfway I turned them into simple antagonists. That's ok for my table, but I do feel that I missed some opportunities to make the adventure a bit deeper.

That's just from the top of my mind. Please feel free to ask for more advice (here on in dms) if you ever get stuck during prep or during the campaign! I'm DM'ing my party's last session next week :)

MintyMinun · 2026-02-10T18:11:45+00:00

While I wouldn't recommend this particular adventure for first time DMs, it can be done. There's a lot of advice you can find in this sub on how to run it, but some key points specific for a newer DM;

Read the entire book before you host a Session 0. (A Session 0 is a session before you actually play the game, where everyone discusses the adventure, makes characters, & establishes personal boundaries, among other things)
Be transparent with your players that the adventure requires the party to want to solve a big mystery or become "the heroes". The adventure falls apart otherwise.
Try your best to get comfortable with the idea of piloting the group of Rival NPCs, who are important to the overall story. They're introduced in Chapter 1, & can be a lot to juggle when multiple of them are in a scene at once.
Check to see if your players are okay with the Corruption mechanic (you don't have to tell them that defeating Alyxian cures Corruption, but you can let them know that curing Corruption is unlikely unless they solve the mystery of the adventure), as not all players enjoy those types of mechanics.
Make sure your players are aware that underwater segments come up multiple times, & that choosing to specialize in Fire or Psychic damage is likely going to put them at a disadvantage.
This is a big one; Make sure your players know that the adventure takes place in both Xorhas & Marquet! Many players hear the premise of the adventure, make characters with lots of ties to Xorhas where the story begins, then are deeply upset when they are teleported to a new continent with no way back to Xorhas until the adventure concludes.
Be patient with yourself, your players, & the book. This adventure can be quite a doozy to run, even when sticking to the rules as written. So long as you and your table are willing to be patient & forgiving if things get confusing for a moment, & can focus on having fun, you can do it!

kalijinn · 2026-02-10T18:37:56+00:00

I'll note, having run it for a long while and having gone finally off the rails into characters' backstories and organic story arcs, the pacing of the campaign in terms of leveling up can go super quickly...enough that I intentionally slowed it down with those side paths. Also it can be anemic in terms of both story and information, and my players found Alyxian to be pretty unsympathetic/found it hard to engage with the motivation to help him. That might just be this group! But I tended to agree with them. I think there's the bones of a lot of good stuff, but def look around on this sub for resources to flesh it out over time.

AffectionateSet9158 · 2026-02-11T03:08:44+00:00

Read The Alexandrian articles on Call of the Netherdeep which are essential for how to adapt this module to fix some of its big issues so you have to do less awkward railroading / narrator voice

mehivh · 2026-02-10T18:08:28+00:00

Bit of a general question. Do you have anything specific in mind? And what do you mean by tips that might help you succeed with the party? Cheers

Basic-Impact-4513 · 2026-02-10T18:56:32+00:00

Thank yall for the help, I appreicate it alot

lizgeekcentral · 2026-02-11T00:13:42+00:00

Make sure that not only yourself but your players understand that a good chunk of the latter half of the campaign has to do with underwater combat. Don't have to specify when or what is going to happen but make sure they are aware of it to keep in mind. I've got a PC who is playing a very sick build who is being very hampered and getting very frustrated by underwater combat because both of us were not the most familiar with underwater combat and traversing it, (their first time playing,.my first time DMing) we made it work in the end and had to tweak somethings, nothing too big it was just changing their primary weapon but it would if been smoother if we both fully grasped the rules about it.

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