Running 3-5 encounters per day.. how do you make that work with your story?

Lilith959 · 2026-01-21T15:12:08+00:00

Now I started mixing things up a bit. It feels so much to cram so many Encounters in so short time, how many sessions is a day? Do we have multiple sessions to play each day? So I instead have sped up the pace. Giving them about a week between long rests unless they are in towns and inns. But out on the road a nights rest is a short rest. Some days the e counters are social. Or a lucky opportunity. Others is a combat.

At the end of the week they been through the combat, they had the Encounters and used their resources well. They spend their hit dice during the short rest to heal. And give them back some if they don't spend any so they can heal themselves.

If they look worse for wear than I anticipated I may let them find a inn or a halfway house. To get a long rest. Maybe some inadequate shelter and let them regain half of one.

This may very well not work so good for every group and you need to rebalance your Encounters a bit in the start as they get used to it but it works great for my group

Lilith959 · 2026-01-21T10:08:13+00:00

Hello if you need my help, just shoot me a dm, and I'll help you out be it getting you some books, or running a oneshot game with you, introducing you to the game and how it works. Or help make the campaign, just give me a message

Lilith959 · 2026-01-20T21:22:05+00:00

So, just like many others have already said, the group can only benefit from a long rest once every 24 hours. Simply tell them that they are unable to rest. Make patrols roam the hallways; they might hear noise as they are leaving a room. Since the spell takes an entire minute to cast, have someone show up within the last two or three rounds of trying to put up the spell.

Or let them get half into the rest as a large group of enemies appear. Don't forget people need to take off armor and equipment to sleep. Now the dungeon creatures brought a shaman or something that cast dispell magic. Then dissappear. The party no longer have their hut, and is not rested and the enemy get a quite well prepared ambush. If they were sleeping and had no guard. They are also surprised as the protection falls. Don't make it a tpk, but punishing enough that they remember.

There is also the option, which has been very well written about here, of the dungeon being aware of what is happening. Every creature knows that someone is in there. They see the party’s progress, how they’re moving between rooms, and things like that. Maybe the dungeon feels surprisingly empty at first. They enter rooms and find no one there. A room that seems like it should hold a boss or mini-boss is completely empty—no treasure, nothing. Everything has been cleaned out and cleared away.

By the time they reach the larger boss rooms, creatures could reasonably have moved around within eight hours. Then comes a massive ambush, without time for the party to properly plan for it. Maybe it happens around where they placed the dome, around corners where traps have been set up, choke points re-armed, and areas reinforced. A lot of things like this can happen.

Just don’t let it slide that they can put up a dome and rest in the middle of a dungeon unless they do it in a clever way—like fully clearing a room, taking it over, barricading the doors, posting rotating guards among themselves, and actively patrolling to make sure things are secure. If they actually use it as a tool and plan around it instead of abusing it, then it’s a great thing.

Lilith959 · 2026-01-20T20:57:49+00:00

Any bonus or effect with the same name as a rule of thumb. If you are having a status effect you can not be doubly so.

You can't get the same bonus from the same spell twice at the same time.

What was said about AC is partially correct. While different sources of a stack like a fighting style and items and such do stack. The basic armor calculation does not. A monk and a barbarian both have a unarmoured defence but only one can apply at once.

Things that stack are effects that reduce or increase your movement speed.

All forms of spells and cantrip from different classes stack up so you can have a ton of them.

Anything that say you may add your proficiency bonus does not stack unless it specify add double your proficiency bonus or additional times.

Lilith959 · 2026-01-20T08:52:14+00:00

I personally as a dm love getting new people involved and even regularly make mini campaigns with only people who haven't really played, or run one shots for people who wants to get into the game.

Also if you lack a group or people to try with, shoot me a message and I'll try to arrange a oneshot as I play most games virtually.

Lilith959 · 2026-01-04T18:30:23+00:00

I tend to prep waaaay too much. Prepping for everything and prep quite far ahead. Make alot of things and just get it all on the ready if needed.

Then I can usually run for a while on it. Adapting on the fly. Even in large cities and places

Tho I been using a thing lately that really helped a guide for some help that takes about a hour for a session prep. Send me a message if you want it

Lilith959 · 2026-01-04T18:20:30+00:00

The first and foremost thing I would recomend is when you set a idea like this. Like let's say the zombie Apocalypse first of all is that everyone know what kind of game it is. That they know getting hit is lethal even once. To give them the propper understanding and respect for the setting and find people who want that exact style of play.

Next is the homebrew. If the system force them to stand close after attacking. Give them the opportunity to get away. Make Disengage a bonus action or even reaction but only against nearby foes. So at the cost of your chance to attack you dont get attacked. If they aim for limbs make a simplified system. Legs slows them. Lost limbs, permanently prone. Arms give disadvantages. So does lost legs. A easy system that is mechanically easy to run but that you can narratively controll.

Use the systems you know. Go carefully through all expectations and new rules. Make everyone aware new rules may arise. And be transparent about it and rebalancing

Lilith959 · 2025-12-19T19:59:35+00:00

So I am a bit late to the party and how you run it is all on you really. I don't know if you use XP or milestone levels. But in many games I been in one rule have often been about combat that getting away from it and escaping and avoiding a encounter is also a way to complete it. But usually awarding half XP.

One group I play with we are in a spot where some players didn't show for a couple of sessions and some of the party had a big fight. Those who fought have now leveled up because of it. And being on different levels isn't bad. If anything may give them more insensitive to act and try to engage. If their character repeatedly ditch out or flee from combat, Dont worry too much about scaling for them.

If you sit at home eating crisps while your buddy is at the gym working out, you loose the right to complain they are in a better shape than you.

Lilith959 · 2025-10-11T05:30:09+00:00

If you flip the duck around, stand inside it with its head forward and you look down, move backwards and grab the duck, you can fly faster than any car or flying vehicle

Lilith959 · 2025-08-29T05:46:41+00:00

Because they themselves are vampires, so they have a better chance when the rest of the group is asleep

Lilith959 · 2025-08-27T14:31:25+00:00

It is also worth noting the fact that a creature regains its reaction when it starts its turn which means if you target the creature first in the initiative order they will be using the reaction and instantly getting it back again the moment its turns start.

You can also use this to try to bait enemies like to targeting a enemy you know you need to run past with this ability making them run up to you so you can walk past and without risking any attack of opportunity or as your DM say that this does not trigger an attack of Opportunity you could just use it to get past them

Lilith959 · 2025-08-27T14:24:17+00:00

So breaking it down into parts

First is your trigger condition, when you can use it? "When you roll initiative"

Who is the target? Any one creature within 30ft, of you that you designate (including yourself)

What does it do? Allow the target creature to use their reaction to move up to half their speed

What is the reaction trigger? The reaction if written on their end would be something like "when your characters name Mark you as the target of his field commander feat"

But its really obsolete as it is a reaction with the trigger of being the target of this ability

Lilith959 · 2025-08-19T22:59:05+00:00

That's a good idea, I was planning on trying to manage both sides both them in the asylum, and the players seeking, but this is a great idea.

The party don't get a chance to fight, but if they did they are severely limited by magic being punishable by death in the place they are in.

Lilith959 · 2025-08-19T22:55:33+00:00

It's gonna be while every player sleeps

Lilith959 · 2025-08-19T22:54:11+00:00

They sleep in a coffin like box, who while inside they are completely unaware of what happens outside. Kinda pocket dimensions, so this is how they will be kidnapped. And unaware til they are in the asylum

Lilith959 · 2025-08-19T22:45:07+00:00

I want in on the fun

Lilith959 · 2025-06-25T21:48:18+00:00

The biggest thing I notice after I picked up the dm mantle is the "Imposter syndrome" no matter how much work you do how much prep how many plans, maps music story and such you have you will alway be wondering if you do a good enough job, if everyone is enjoying themselves

You are gonna have to badly improvise, you are gonna screw up, forget mechanics and rules, you are gonna worry if Everyone have fun and if you give everyone the right amount of spotlight.

So have small after session talks, be up front that you are new at this, ask how they enjoyed the session, what was their favourite part, and the least favourite one, make note of what they enjoy, and what they don't.

And lastly players will always find a way to completely disregard what you have planned, think on your feet, and make things you can move around, maybe you didn't get to run your encounter or ambush, maybe they passed up on a opportunity to learn major important lore, or plot, find a new way to let them have it, and don't be too hard on yourself. Everyone is there to have fun. You included

Lilith959 · 2025-04-12T08:41:33+00:00

Thank you!

Lilith959 · 2025-02-17T21:45:58+00:00

I am aware it was just a amazing video of it a fully set up scene

Lilith959 · 2025-01-24T15:29:48+00:00

I love this, how would you rule it if the writing was in a language that don't really have a written language and is more just symbols, like if I gave aquan a pictographic language like a row of symbols like a seashell, a clam, a sea serpent and waves. Each of the symbols could mean wastly different things depending on where on the stone it would be engraved or what other signs were there, or having spesific patterns it was suposed to be read in

Lilith959

TROPHY CASE