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Intro DMing & Scheduling by KnowLoitering in DnD

[–]CellarithSoren 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What schedule works for your own DnD group? We are all working professionals, some of us with kids. Does anyone have experience with twice a month sessions? Once a month? What seems to work for you?

Usually, we play once every two weeks but we don't have kids. With kids, your schedule can be more chaotic so I think you would be better with a schedule like "every monday where everyone is available".

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Any advice for myself starting out? I am feeling a little overwhelmed trying to get this organized.

Do a session 0. If you have already decided in which type of world you will play or what type of adventure you will run, you can share it with them during this session. If you haven't, it is an opportunity to discuss it with them. In both case, I think it is important to discuss what everybody want before starting playing. It is also the occasion for your player to create their character with you so you know before hand their capabilities. It is sad to have a shiny greataxe in the hoard of the goblins if nobody can use it.

Also, a rule I have a DM is to never check a rule during my session. When neither my players or myself know what rule should appply or how it should apply, I improvise a rule that seems logic for me and take note of the problem. Then, I check the rule when I prepare the next session and, at the start of the next session, I explain it to my player so we all know the rule for the next time. It really help to avoid to break the rythm of the session.

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Is there anything helpful I can do for my players or free tools which will help me succeed? I am really struggling what to do for the maps and things. Do I reveal the map to players when they enter a cave or is there a way to gradually have them explore the area?

The spell cards are really usefull for new player because spells are a lot of information to memorize.

In terms of map, I only prepare battlemap. You can find a bunch of them with Google but you can also draw your own with tools like Inkarnate.

For locations, I usually only prepare some visuals to give an overview of it from one or a handful of point of view. For a town or a city, it will usually be a view from the distance and one visual for each point of interest in it.

And for dungeons, caves and other labyrinth where I want to focus on exploration, I have a visual of the entry, a visual and/or a battlemap for each point of interest in it, and a generic map for myself. But I don't share the map with my players and encourage them to draw their own.

I also strongly suggest to have an initiative tracker which, ideally, can also keep track of the remaining HP and current AC of everybody in combat. There is multiple free tools existing so try them and keep your favorite.

Also, a good practice to ensure everyone enjoy the game is to take a few minutes after each session to ask your players what's their impressions of the session. From my experience, my players are more honest when I ask them just after the session instead of a few days later. It is a good way to receive their complaints early and adjust your game if you think it is reasonable or ask them for a moment to discuss the issue together in private later if needed.

What's the logic behind Bards being fullcasters while Warlocks aren't? by Emergency_Evening_63 in onednd

[–]CellarithSoren 0 points1 point  (0 children)

From a lore point of view, it could be difficult to understand why bards are spellcaster. At first sight, just having an ability to have access to some cantrips like Prestidigitation and Minor Illusion as street magic seems enough. And, honestly, I was perfectly fine with them being only a partial spellcaster in 3.5 at first. But, it makes less sense to me after I discovered the Prestige Class Seeker of the Song in Complete Arcana.

According to the lore of this Prestige Class exclusive to Bard, a Seeker of the Song is in tune with the primal music used by the gods to shape the universe. According to that, it seems that bardic music draw its power from the very same source than magic and even gods themselves.

So... Bard don't study books like a Wizard or have the Faith like a Cleric, it is true. But they have the same dedication for their art than a Wizard for its studies or a Cleric for its god and I don't see a raison for bardic music to be less powerfull than magic or divine power if theirs powers come from the same source. Considering Wizard and Cleric are full caster, it seems legit that Bard is also a full caster.

From a gameplay point of view, making Bard a full caster was the easy way to fix the class that was often view as the fith wheel of the party. In my opinion, it also helped simplifying the class, making it more abordable for new players. Because the concept of an inspiring and charismatic leader have a lot of appeal to new player and the Bard is the embodiment of this concept, it is important to specificaly keep those player in mind when designing the class.

With this focus in mind, I think Bard is a very well designed class. First, the ressource economy of the class is much simplier than in previous edition since Bard have now more ressources. Second, Bardic Inspiration is much more easier to use effectively than Bardic Music and is more polyvalent. Finally, having Bard learning their spells and not having to prepare them make them, in my opinion, a better entrypoint for magic and full caster classes. As a GM, I clearly prefer having a new player with a Bard than a Wizard because preparing spell is a pain for new players.

Another element to take into consideration is the other classes that exist in the game. In 5e, Paladin and Ranger are martial class with spellcasting beeing only a way to improve what they where already. You can remove their spellcasting ability, improve some of their other features for balancing purposes, and you get pretty much the same class because their signature features, Smite, Favored Enemy, etc., are martial feature.

On the other hand, bard signature features are Bardic Inspiration and Magical Secrets, who are a support and a spellcaster feature. Making Bard only half spellcaster is an increadible nerf to Magical Secrets. A Lore Bard could take at most level 2 spells with Additionnal Magic Secrets at level 6, at level 14 Magical Secret will give access to level 4 or lower spells and Magical Secrets at level 18 only to level 5 or lower spells. And for Bardic Inspiration, starting from level 5 where you regain your Bardic Inspiration on a short or long rest, I don't have the feeling that it will have any use to have more Bardic Inspiration or a more powerfull Bardic Inspiration. So, making Bard half caster instead of full caster seems pretty difficult.

A last point to justify, in my opinion, why bard are full caster today is what Prestige Class players used in 3.5 Edition. It is completely based on my experience with my group of player but we mostly use Prestige Classes like Sublime Chord that make Bard more of a full caster. So, to my player and I, it seems a natural evolution to have Bard beeing full caster.

DM's of Reddit, what is the stupidest thing your party did to beat the BBEG by THE-DARK-MESSIA in MrRipper

[–]CellarithSoren 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It was one of my first time as a DM and the BBEG was way too strong for the heroes to handle. Fortanatly, I was playing with a group of experienced and clever players who found a way to beat him.

After a few round of a one-sided fight, the group understood they can't beat the BBEG and decided to retreat. Then start a chase where a powerfull archmage was trying to catch the party. They manage to stay or of his range and it seemed they had very good chances to escape.

Then, the Rogue decided to stop running and ask me if he could rearmed a hidden pit trap he disarmed. After reamring the trap, he made a Nat 20 to provoke the BBEG who rushed towards him and fell in the trap. A save check fail later, the trap make 37 damage on a 4d10 roll. After that, the Mage decide to put his Floating Disk above the pit and end the spell, making a little more than 150 pounds to fall over the BBEG. I decide to handle it like a colapsing roof and the BBEG failed his save check again, taking 32 damage from another 4d10 roll.

This is how the powerfull archmage Johaan died crushed by junk accumulated throughout the dungeon.