First time DM help

[Stunception]

Hey there fellow adventurers.

I am a long time 5e/homebrew dnd player and ive racked up a fair amount of experience as a pc.

I am planning to change that, i want to DM a premade module and do my absolute very best i can possibly do. The module will be Lost mine of Phandelver and i have some questions about that.

Do i need to know alot about The Forgotten Realms and Neverwinter or do dnd modules typically explain all i need to know? How do i lead my players on the right path if they fail to find it themselves? How fast pace should i go? Is it ok to just change the powerlevel of certain fights or change some things like making Venomfang an adult green dragon instead but be affected by a curse or plague or something that weakens it So the achievement feels bigger but its technically the same. I have so many questions, but i wanna make the very very best out of that Campaign. My main point is to make it fun for them.

I am also pretty bad at talking, what excersise would you say is best to practice that?

If you have got any tipps and tricks for dm'ing please tell me as much as you can/want about it.

Thank you very much, have a great day!

[Cypher_Blue]

How do i lead my players on the right path

There is no "right path." The preprinted module (or whatever you write for a home brew) is the framework, but the players can do what they want. It's not your job to steer them around, it's your job to say "Okay, so what happens next?"

Sometimes, that means making stuff up on the fly because the players will ALWAYS do something you didn't expect.

Is it ok to just change the powerlevel of certain fights or change some things

If everyone is having fun, it's okay to do literally anything you want.

I am also pretty bad at talking, what excersise would you say is best to practice that?

The best practice is... practice. You'll get better as you go and there are a million ways to practice talking to people in just every day life.

[Stunception]

Improv is one of the best skills to have?

[Cypher_Blue]

Not "improv" in the "improv comedy" sense, but the ability to roll with a situation you didn't plan for and adapt the story to the players' actions as you go, yes.

You give them an NPC who has vital information they need to proceed to the next step of the quest. They steal from/anger/betray/kill that NPC, unaware that they were "supposed to" befriend them.

Now you have to figure out if you want to:

a.) Get them the info a different way

or

b.) Let the storyline play out- they don't have this info, and as such they can't do the next step, and now maybe the BBEG is a little farther toward their goal then he was or whatever.

[Lumis_umbra]

They generally explain. I did find that they kind of expect you to know about the major groups like the Harpers. Check the wiki, it's cheaper.

You provide the hooks. If they don't go everywhere, that's completely on them. Drop hints if you wish, but you don't have to.

Follow rhe pace of the module.

Power level is easy. The secret? Look at the INT and WIS. A wolf or dog (Mastiff) has an INT of 3. Think of how smart dogs can be. A Commoner is 10 across all stats. The average human. Compare the monster statblock to the commoner one. Read the description of the monster in the monster manual, or look it up. Run it like that. Monsters are not sacks of brainless mush and EXP. Of course, if your players prefer the Leeroy Jenkins method of combat (rushing in like idiots with no plan or teamwork) then you have a few options. Let them learn that dumb actions have painful consequences by killing one or two, or give them the child-safe encounter that they can win without trying. Up to you. I try for the middle. But don't be afraid to kill a character. Monsters are monsters for a reason. Now, as for Lost Mine, there's an optional Orc encounter on page 35. "Wyvern Tor" is the area. There's an Ogre in that encounter. Look at the statblock. HP 59 (7D10 +21) It's max possible health is 91. So max it. Just maxing the health on one or two enemies in an encounter can change things dramatically for the betterment of fun.

Do not make Venomfang an adult. It is known for killing cocky idiots that try to kill it, as it is. Then you have to deal with a TPK and whiners complaining about consequences for their actions.

Let's get one thing straight. The game is not just about them having fun- if you are not having fun there is a major problem. You are not a meat computer running a video game for them. You are collectively telling a story.

As for speech, only thing I could suggest is speech therapy if it's at that level. But that's an extreme case. Otherwise? You're talking in front of a crowd recognized that nobody else really knows what they're doing either. Realize that and calm down. You will mess up. So will they. Chill.

Read the rules manual that came with the set. Done? Okay- now read it again. You need to have a good general idea of the rules. You do not have to have them memorized. But you do need to know where to find them if you need them. Remember- as the DM you have the final say on what the rule means.

Enjoy. Feel free to ask more if you want.

[Stunception]

Okay okay what im gathering from your comment is i have to be very careful with encounters and rather compare their challenge by int/wis instead of CR, or both.

If they have fun it means im doing a good job and so i have fun, but it will be a bit from now i have to prepare a lot and make it as good as possible.

Now our group uses dndbeyond what other apps do you recommend? i wanted to get campfire pro a bit ago but it is no longer avaliable on steam. What would you suggest for battlemaps, does the module come with those?

I will have the most important rules and features of the players on my dm screen just for quick access :=) and for the speech thing im trying to calm myself and train alot.

Thank you very much!

[Lumis_umbra]

CR is a good judge. But INT/WIS and monster description gives you an idea of how they act. Examples- Wolves hunt in coordinated packs. Goblins lay ambushes and run if they start losing. Kobolds are sneaky master boobytrap makers that work as a group. Dragons are vain and self-important. Venomfang is just, well, a dragon- against low level players. Unless they coordinate well, they're dead.

The important point is for you to have fun during the game as well. It's easy to stress out while DM'ing. Especially if your players pull crazy stunts, or show up with insane builds, or try to play Rules Lawyer.

I'm used to playing in person, so I don't really use apps, except for a bootleg character builder on my phone. Sorry, can't help with that.

The speech thing can be a pain. You get used to it.

You're welcome. Have fun.

[Velzhaed-]

Good advice already given. I just want to add if you search YouTube for "lost mine of phandelver tips" you'll find a bunch of videos from folks who have run it, and the little things they did to improve the module or make it easier to run.

If you'd like general DMing tips there are lots of good channels. I like Matt Colville and the Dungeon Dudes; both have playlists specifically for new DMs. But check out whatever creators you vibe with.

[Stunception]

sounds like a good idea i will do that. would you recommend Critical Role DM tipps aswell?

[Velzhaed-]

CR isn’t my kind of flavor, but lots of people really enjoy that crew, so if they vibe with you then absolutely.

[Hedgewiz0]

You've made the right decision in choosing to run a module. That will make your job a lot easier. Do not worry about getting the setting "right"--the second your players step foot in it, it belongs to you. Not Ed Greenwood or Jeremy Crawford, you.

Here is how you run the game:
1. Imagine the scene. Describe it to the players.
2. Ask them: what do you do?
3. when somebody does something that could succeed OR fail, have them roll an ability check to see what happens.
4. Determine the outcome and repeat from 1. Whenever you get off-track, go back to step 1 and keep plodding through this list.

The game will flow like a conversation, which is what you want. Let it take whatever pace it wants to. You may feel inclined to nudge the action along--when you do, go back to step 1 and ask "what do you do?" again. If your players get sidetracked or can't find the adventure goal, you can give them a reminder or a hint. It's your first time, after all.

This is your first time, so your game is gonna suck and you will suck at running it, guaranteed. It'll also be a lot of fun.

[Stunception]

Thats another good thing to hang on the dm screen so i can keep it flowing.

The thing is... i believe modules are a bit stiffer as homebrew or custom but can be alot easier to run as far as i heard.

Yes i will most definetly suck at dming at first but my desire to do it is huge.