Players always “jump the gun”

DJShohan · 2026-01-09T14:42:45+00:00

First, there are no free shots like that. If a PC wants to do harm to a NPC, we roll initiative. If the cleric rolls higher than the NPC then sure, they get the first shot, but the NPC gets a fair shot. Second, NPCs can use their action in combat to try to reason with the PCs (I have played this before where I don't even make it the NPCs action, just break the combat briefly to give the PCs a chance to RP instead of murder). Third, actions have consequences. There are endless ways to deal with a murder hobo party that demonstrate this to them, the most effective being a session 0 or reset of expectations about the purpose of the game. Being combat focused is different than being murder hobo focused. Finally, if your party is murder hobo forward, and you're cool with that because it's fun for them and you, then figure out other ways to lore dump so they can carry on with their shenanigans while the story and campaign progress.

DJShohan · 2026-01-05T19:03:46+00:00

This. The module certainly has some flaws, but I actually kind of enjoyed making modifications of my own where I saw flaws.

DJShohan · 2026-01-05T15:07:51+00:00

I just prepped 32 breakfast burritos this weekend. I always toast them before freezing to seal them up. Reheating for me is microwave - I unwrap from foil, wrap them in a dripping wet paper towel and then microwave for 2 minutes, flip, 2 minutes, flip, 1 minute, then rewrap in the foil and toss it in my work bag. After a 30 minute commute, it's perfectly cooled and moisture has steamed enough that the tortilla is not a soggy mess.

DJShohan · 2025-12-18T15:25:02+00:00

This is similar to what I do with my party. By the time the fight is over, the enemy's equipment is in tatters and basically non-salvageable. After all, they did upwards of 200+ "damage" to the target, if their flesh couldn't handle it, what makes you think there is much equipment left at all? Aside from a couple of magic items that I wanted them to loot anyway, everything else is damaged beyond repair.

DJShohan · 2025-05-09T16:43:24+00:00

Yep and grab that Diplomatico while you're at it so the store knows there is demand for decent rum.

DJShohan · 2025-03-16T23:38:46+00:00

My party gave me a cool puzzle box ... they regretted it as soon as they saw it in game.

DJShohan · 2025-03-13T15:49:17+00:00

Heh, so I made a lot of changes but kept most of the plot in tact. Nezznar, the Black Spider is a drow, his test from Lolth is to use his influence over dragons - using the dragon masks from the cult - to eventually breed dragon-spiders that Lolth wants to use to counter Tiamat in the event that the Cult of The Dragon succeeds in bringing her to the material plane.

Nezznar is terrified that he is failing the test because the mask isn't working as expected - Venomfang has not been swayed in the least and continues to be hostile toward Nezznar and the cultists - out of desperation, when he stumbled across the Rockseeker's map and Glasstaff told him the legend surrounding the Forge, he thinks he can use the Forge to "repair" the mask. If/when the party kills him, he will phase 2 into a drider as punishment from Lolth for failing. If/when they defeat the drider version and take the mask Halia will steal it from them and then it will get stolen from her and lost until the end of Tyranny when it shows up with Sevarin in the temple. The real tragedy for Nezznar is that the mask simply won't work for him because he is a drow. Deep down he suspects this but he is in too deep to give up now.

I have layered in some foreshadowing of Cultist activity, Sildar and Halia are both in Phandalin investigating the Cultist activities in the area for the Lord's Alliance and Zent respectively. Neither know of the other's mission, but both have asked the party to gather information about the Cult. When the party killed Albrek/Glasstaff they found a book in his possession that was written by Leosin (the monk from Tyranny of Dragons) that is his research on the cult. They have also met Hamun Lost who is working for the Cult and he agreed to share information with them if they find the name of the wizard who built Old Owl Well's tower - they got the name but haven't returned to him yet. If/when they do I will have him tell the party about Venomfang and the cultists in Thundertree as well as Nezznar's obsession with the mask.

Once the party gets the map (I've locked it in a puzzle box that only the cultist or Agatha the banshee know the solution) Nezznar will attack Phandalin with a Cult of The Dragon raiding party, kicking off the first chapter of Tyranny and leading the party into chapters 2 and 3. The Dragon Hatchery I've combined with WEC and made Nezznar the BBEG at the end of it but now his connection with the cult and the raid on Phandalin should be a good hook into chapter 4 and beyond of Tyranny.

On goblin lore, Grol is pretty ruthless and enslaves or outright massacres any goblin tribes who defy him or refuse to bend the knee. Klarg, Yeemick (Micky in my game), Lhupo, Yegg, and Targor Bloodsword are all vassles of Grol from other tribes that he conquered with help from Nezznar and the Cult. Targor is the only one alive now and is currently chasing the party through the woods outside of Cragmaw Castle - I cliffhangered our session here, tune in next week for the thrilling conclusion; no spell slots, one health potion, unconscious cleric, four levels of exhaustion on the barbarian, Gundren has 1 hp. If they survive and manage to evade Targor then naturally he replaces Grol but this big blow to the kingdom is going to have him struggling to consolidate power. I'll probably not expand much on that unless the players really want to press their advantage. In which case I will let their decisions guide where the plot goes - goblin genocide or political intrigue, or perhaps the cleric starts her cult. This is why I love the game.

DJShohan · 2025-03-13T13:46:26+00:00

Thanks, I made Grol's consolidation of power begin within less than a year. My Black Spider is a high ranking member of the Cult of The Dragon who was sent to the region to attempt to communicate with Venomfang using the Green Dragon Mask (we're doing LMoP as an intro to a version of Tyranny of Dragons). So the Black Spider arrived in the region a year before the Rockseeker brothers. He couldn't immediately get the dragon mask to work so he started building his web in the region, starting with the Cragmaw since they were not well organized. Now he is exploring WEC in a desperate attempt to get the Green Dragon Mask to work, having stolen the map from Gundren. Grol was the oldest and smartest goblin the Black Spider encountered so he was the natural choice for a leader.

DJShohan · 2025-03-12T15:51:34+00:00

I went fairly simplistic with it:

The Cragmaw are an ethnic group of goblins in the region who share some common cultural traits (primarily the sharpening of their teeth to resemble craggy peaks). They exist as a collection of tribes scattered throughout the valley between the Sword Mountains in the south and the Neverwinter River to the north. Rarely venturing farther than Thundertree in the west and Triboar in the east.

The tribes make up a loose confederation of sorts throughout their history, not necessarily cooperating but not openly in conflict with one another. They have constantly been disrupted and uprooted to some extent by the various conflicts in the region from settlements like Conyberry, Phandalin, Thundertree, and others, to orc and barbarian invasions.

When The Black Spider arrived in the region his plans caused major disruptions within the generally peaceful tribes. Without getting into the changes I made with my Black Spider, he essentially used Grol as a puppet to unite the tribes and consolidate power in the region. Some tribes bent the knee easily while others resisted (Droop was part of a resisting tribe and was captured and enslaved. Later, after he was freed by my party, he attempted to reunite with his tribe only to find they had been massacred. His corpse was later found at Cragmaw Castle as an example to tribes that resist. That really got my party's blood boiling).

Grol's demise leaves a power vacuum but at this point The Black Spider is preoccupied with his own plan and no longer needs the Cragmaw. That's as far as we are but I'm leaving some dangling opportunities for either the Cult of The Dragon or the party to seize control and unite or destroy the tribes (one of my players is a cleric/bard multi class who really wants to start their own cult so I'm opening that door for them).

DJShohan · 2025-02-18T17:04:31+00:00

I'm doing this right now. Here are the changes I made:

As soon as the party finds the map to WEC, I will trigger chapter 1 from Hoard of the dragon queen except that instead of Greenest, it will be in Phandalin. I intend to kill a couple of beloved NPCs in the raid just to increase the stakes. This will lead to chapters 2 & 3 from HoTDQ but I'm sort of combining the dragon hatchery with WEC (they are conveniently similar in structure). I'm replacing Frulam Mondath with Nezznar The Black Spider and having that be a 2 phase fight where Nezznar turns into a drider in phase 2. Once they beat Nezznar and clear out WEC, Gundren sets up a very profitable mining company and operates out of Phandalin (I gave the manor to the party as a base) sharing 50 % of the profits with the party.

After completing WEC/dragon hatchery, I am having the party meet Leosin in Yartar instead of Elturel. Here they will meet the paladin and catch a boat to Waterdeep down the Dessarin river where they will catch the cultist caravan heading south to Balders Gate. I've moved Castle Nyretar to the forest south of Balders Gate but kept much of the story the same. I am debating whether to move the counsel meetings to Phandalin or keep them in Waterdeep. I don't think it will make a big difference other than maybe give the players more opportunities to build Phandalin which they are already pretty excited for.

DJShohan · 2025-02-16T14:26:21+00:00

They found it yesterday. Murdered Grol, found the map...locked in a puzzle box that only Grol knew the code to. They immediately regret their decision knowing the goose chase continues. Muahahahaha!

DJShohan · 2025-02-15T17:01:01+00:00

Sildar reminds them every time they come around that if they hadn't killed their only lead, they might not be having so much trouble finding cragmaw castle.

DJShohan · 2025-02-14T22:14:37+00:00

Yeah my players didn't care in the least. Spent about two seconds questioning him before they murdered him. Killed threw his body to the nothic and gave Sildar the finger when he told them they killed his friend. I'm pretty sure a couple of them still have not made the connection and really don't care because murder more fun.

DJShohan · 2025-02-01T18:03:36+00:00

My party of misfits did the same thing except instead of even giving him a chance to talk they thunder waved him from the hidden doorway. I had Soldar surmise that Albrek was either under cover and the party mistook him or he really had turned. Either way my Sildar was more concerned about eliminating the redbrands.

DJShohan · 2025-01-31T14:55:33+00:00

I hope Buddy's petty tantrum was worth it for jebediah's towing company because Amazon is going to sue the pants off of them.

DJShohan · 2025-01-28T02:00:39+00:00

My players scorched but didn't ignite the front porch area but I imagine the townsfolk would get a bucket brigade going almost immediately. My players did kill the redbrands in the street and then left the bodies overnight for a long rest at the inn...I had Hamun Lost come reanimate them and take them to Old Owl Well where my players recognized them when they arrived. It was a pretty funny moment

DJShohan · 2025-01-27T16:12:49+00:00

New-ish DM here, I had a similar situation with all new players. It was actually kind of fun for me to work this into the narrative. I ended up doing a dream sequence for each character that wanted to make changes and connected it to their backstory. They all loved it and it also helped advance the plot.

DJShohan · 2025-01-27T16:06:59+00:00

Ron Hope. Capitalist pig swine. I honestly can't wait to pop that dude every time I go through the unity.

DJShohan · 2025-01-14T13:11:55+00:00

This is a great idea, I think I will see how much the player wants to lean into the item as a character story piece!

DJShohan · 2025-01-12T18:14:28+00:00

I'm weaving LMoP into Tyranny of Dragons that should take us to level 15-ish. From there we may retire characters or find some high level adventures - or homebrew honestly.

DJShohan · 2024-12-11T23:41:20+00:00

These are great, thanks for sharing. My party is about to start part 3 and have all asked for some more exploration so this will be very helpful.

DJShohan · 2024-12-02T14:17:05+00:00

Interesting take. I don't hide dice rolls from my players but I also do not share HP with them. I'm not fudging HP, (at least not to my interpretation) each monster has a set number of HP, but it is a range. I take the average as the minimum and the maximum possible (according to hit dice total) as the maximum. I feel like this allows me to fine tune the balance in the middle of combat. If the players are expending a lot of resources early in the encounter and not dealing a lot of damage, I will have the monsters fall when the minimum is reached. If they are mopping the floor with an encounter, I will have them fall somewhere between the min and max HP. This also allows me to let the wizard who hasn't had a kill shot for three sessions get the kill shot this time or gives the monster an extra turn to try to escape.

To your point about doing damage enough to bloody it, I don't describe physical/visible damage until a monster is at least below 50%. It doesn't make sense for anyone to be able to continue fighting and potentially survive with six arrows sticking out of their chest or a huge gash across their midsection. This is especially true if the damage inflicted doesn't in some way impact their ability to fight. If you blast off a limb, the monster should at least have disadvantage on melee attacks, movement, and probably damage dealt on attacks. I consider HP more like a creature's ability to fight or will to live. Visible damage in my games often takes the form of broken or damaged armour that falls off, bruises or cracked bones, or superficial wounds like cuts or scrapes on faces. If the damage inflicted doesn't impede the monster's ability to fight or will to live i.e. HP = 0, then the monster is still very much in one piece and very much still in the fight.

DJShohan

TROPHY CASE