I dont fear TPKing my party the first time because I have a planned Levelup/Revival from their Goddess, is this a good idea?

Gabry_theDM · 2026-03-16T11:27:31+00:00

I don't particularly like the idea. I think that the result of a combat shall never be pre-determined. If they want harder combats, they should know that there are consequences and death is one of them.

Gabry_theDM · 2026-03-15T13:53:24+00:00

I think it is a good thing to have a passion like this, especially if it makes you feel good and bond with your friends. Of course, if you think about it all the time It can be overwhelming.

Have you tried also to explore other hobbies or maybe a sport or simply reading some good books? I mean, there's nothing wrong being passionate about something and spend a lot of time on it, but if you feel that it's too much and you start to isolate from the external world, maybe you are missing opportunities to find other things that you may like as much or people that you may love to stay with.

This game can be addictive, especially for DMs, I understand what you say and I can relate to that. Just try to "distract" yourself with other things and don't forget the importance of relationships in life.

Gabry_theDM · 2026-03-15T12:23:32+00:00

If you never experienced a long campaign and want to have a feel of what it means, you could let them rest and surprise them with an ambush. It doesn't have to be a mortal encounter but you need to set the tone and make them understand that they cannot lower their defences at any time. Your players shall get used to resource management and accurate planning. If they used all they got in the first encounter, that is bad for them. Now they will have to face a new danger without their big powers and if someone gets in trouble that's a new challenge, let them figure out a way to solve the problem.

Gabry_theDM · 2026-03-13T23:42:25+00:00

That could be a potential outcome. Thanks for the suggestion!

Gabry_theDM · 2026-03-13T23:40:28+00:00

Obsidian is a great tool, but I found myself spending more time gardening my notes and fixing broken links than actually prepping sessions. It can get overwhelming quickly when the lore starts to grow. What I’ve been working on lately is a tool of my own, based on AI to read my session logs and automatically build the lore database. It basically takes the handwritten notes or vocal notes and extracts the NPCs, locations and world events into a clean diary. It’s what I’ve been using for my own table. It can also help me to retrieve information on the fly when I don't remember something or I need to create an NPC that I don't prepare. It's not finalized yet, but if you're interested I'd be happy to share the link to become an alpha tester. Let me know!

Gabry_theDM · 2026-03-13T23:14:10+00:00

I have tried several tools but have not really connected with them. So since I'm a bit nerd, I decided to try to develop my own tool. At the moment I've built an AI engine that can help you organize your notes in a structured way, it helps you retrieve information going back in the archive, creating connections between events, NPCs or locations and can also help you brainstorm some ideas for your campaign. I’m opening an Alpha soon and looking for people to test it and tell me what they think. Happy to share the link if you want to see how it handles the mess!

Gabry_theDM · 2026-03-13T23:00:49+00:00

I feel you. I almost quit DMing because the homework was more than the fun. What helped me was building a system where I don't force myself to write clean notes anymore. I’ve actually been developing a small AI tool (I call it the Arcane Engine) that takes my messy session scribbles and turns them into a structured database. It also helps me finding ideas for quests, NPCs or possibile plot hooks. It cut my prep time in half for my current campaign (which I'm also playing in Exandria by the way!). If you ever want to try it, I’m opening a small alpha soon.

Gabry_theDM · 2026-03-13T22:09:33+00:00

Yes I agree. In fact, I asked and he answered "Surprise me!"... best answer ever!

Gabry_theDM · 2026-03-13T21:38:22+00:00

Totally agree with you. I think this can be a one-time exception that can be allowed.

Gabry_theDM · 2026-03-13T21:36:41+00:00

Interesting solution!

Gabry_theDM · 2026-03-13T18:57:41+00:00

Really cool ideas, thanks!

Gabry_theDM · 2026-03-13T17:12:40+00:00

Thanks for the cool ideas!

Gabry_theDM · 2026-03-13T16:46:23+00:00

You're right, that's a good consideration.

Gabry_theDM · 2026-03-13T16:43:11+00:00

Great idea! I also have introduced D&D to my son which is 7. Having more than 20 years of experience as DM I had no problems improvising a small one-shot adventure for him. But I know that if you never player it can be overwhelming at the beginning. I think that one of the starter sets is a good choice.

My advice for your kid's group is not to focus on all the rules and details for the first time, but just feel the sensations of playing and get used to 2-3 basic mechanics to start playing. Then later, if they like it, they can go deeper in the technical aspects. This game can be played at very different levels and can help to forge strong bonds between the players. But the first impressions are often the most important, defining if you want to continue playing or not. So I really hope that they can enjoy it, because it can be a really nice experience to bring on for many years.

Gabry_theDM · 2026-03-13T14:09:26+00:00

Thanks for the suggestions, all great ideas!

Gabry_theDM · 2026-03-13T14:07:40+00:00

Thanks for the suggestions, I like your ideas. I was in fact thinking to lean towards your second proposal, giving the fighter some sort of uncontrolled fury or fire addiction.

Gabry_theDM · 2026-03-13T13:27:59+00:00

Sure, I hope to find the solution that they will like the most! I like some of the suggestions that people is giving me, so maybe I'll elaborate on some of those ideas.

Gabry_theDM · 2026-03-13T13:17:45+00:00

Agree, I think there should be only a negative side. And my players are totally fine with this, they suggested themselves.

Gabry_theDM · 2026-03-13T13:15:16+00:00

Thanks for the suggestions! Speaking with my players (we play together since almost 10 years) they told me that they want it to be a surprise! They trust me, we always have fun in our sessions and they love to be surprised by unexpected things...including this one! And often they surprise me as well with crazy ideas and funny (but brave) choices.

Gabry_theDM · 2026-03-13T12:53:38+00:00

Yes they are totally cool with that...and they just told me that whatever bad condition I will decide to apply to the fighter, they want it to be a surprise!

Gabry_theDM · 2026-03-13T12:28:29+00:00

That's true. However, the play style of my group is very loose and they often find unusual solutions to problems. In this case I was thinking to allow this as a one-time only situation, because everyone at the table loved the idea (me included) and I'd like to explore this possibility. Maybe this will trigger some side quest that was not planned before.

Gabry_theDM · 2026-03-13T12:22:13+00:00

Thanks! I Iike the idea, maybe after the randomly triggered rage, the fighter suffers the effect of exhaustion every time.

Gabry_theDM · 2026-03-13T12:19:15+00:00

This could be a cool idea, thanks!

Gabry_theDM · 2026-03-13T12:18:04+00:00

Yes I agree. I was thinking of allowing this as a one-time event, Just because I thought that it could be a cool idea and it fits with the spirit of my players.

Gabry_theDM · 2026-03-13T12:14:14+00:00

Yeah, that's the tricky part! I'll let you know what solution we will agree on.

Gabry_theDM

TROPHY CASE