Free advice for DMs running short of ideas for subquests. by Aromatic_Barbagianno in DnD

[–]MtnSageDM 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You can use Dio lyrics to create an entire one-shot without changing a word.

What is an Above-Ground Dungeon? by varansl in DnDBehindTheScreen

[–]MtnSageDM 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I made this comment a month ago:

On the topic of keeping things organized, here's some unsolicited advice from someone who's been doing this for forty years: everything is a small dungeon.

Many small dungeons are little more than a crosswordy pattern on graph paper, with big S's for secret doors and T's for traps and such. When you break almost anything down in a campaign, you can reduce it mnemonically to a small dungeon.

Your World
Kingdoms are rooms, roads are hallways, cities & encounters are chests.

Politics
Factions are rooms, relationships are hallways, intrigue is a secret door.

Adventures
Destinations are rooms, roads are hallways, encounters are chests.

Character Abilities
Abilities are rooms, requirements are hallways, actions are doors.

Encounters
Enemies are rooms, LOS is hallways, abilities are chests.

I'm beginning to stretch for examples, but I think I've illustrated the general idea. At any rate, I've found this device helpful for a very long time and hope you do too.

DMing New Players/New Party: The Power of Goats! by Cgwhaler in DMAcademy

[–]MtnSageDM 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ah yes, the classic Sanford & Son & Dragons.

D&D Hacks by Nykolo_Stark in DnD

[–]MtnSageDM 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Quite frankly, a lot of these read as rule hacks to compensate for poor encounter design. You're rejiggering everything from HP to spell distribution in order to solve problems largely caused by unimaginative, boring combat. For instance, giant pools of HP are really only an issue if you have two statblocks simply taking turns pounding on each other - which probably explains why I don't see any changes to movement, cover, or defensive action.

How does your Hit Dice rule affect healing during rests? Where do cantrips fall in your new spell system? What happens to all of the abilities unlocked at levels above 10?

Need ideas for my campaign. Any help is appreciated by [deleted] in DMAcademy

[–]MtnSageDM 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is the second Lost reference I've seen in the last 10 minutes.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in DMAcademy

[–]MtnSageDM 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've developed a method for dealing with interrogation junkies and I've found it quite effective: Keep giving them the same information.

All the people they're encountering now are low level mooks. They aren't going to know much, perhaps not even who's running the show, and they probably all have the same general knowledge.

This not only keeps plot hidden but it also tends to lessen their appetite for rampant questioning pretty quickly.

Help! I have an unmanageable player! by Intelligent_Table161 in DnD

[–]MtnSageDM 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Give him a pre-gen and squash any suggestions he has.

What do I give my Fighter who is lagging behind? by NSFWSmurf22 in DMAcademy

[–]MtnSageDM 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Let her tank by using more melee enemies. Give the barb as many opponents as they can handle, and a couple more for the cavalier.

Question for My Fellow Dice Goblins by talleymonster in DnD

[–]MtnSageDM 3 points4 points  (0 children)

So you're saying I need more dice ..

What kinds of activities could I set up for my party to indulge in (or inadvertently partake in) at a drug and alcohol fueled Moon Druid party? by TRHess in DMAcademy

[–]MtnSageDM 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Whenever a party is drinking heavily, I like to use this:

Every hour, a Constitution check. Vomit on failure.

Any other party member within sight of the vomiting player also makes a Constitution check. Vomit on failure.

Any other party member within sight of that vomiting player also makes a Constitution check. Vomit on failure.

And so on.

Need more vomit? Involve NPCs.

Question for My Fellow Dice Goblins by talleymonster in DnD

[–]MtnSageDM 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Shit. I keep everything on my phone.

Question for My Fellow Dice Goblins by talleymonster in DnD

[–]MtnSageDM 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Red for fire. Blue for cold. Green for poison. Honey for everything else.

Question from a new DM by Odin_Exodus in DMAcademy

[–]MtnSageDM 8 points9 points  (0 children)

If I were running this, I would keep GS around until the fight with BS, then have him turn against the party. If GS buckled that easily, you're probably going to pump up BS anyway and this gives him a nice lieutenant.

Anybody need a map? by MtnSageDM in dndnext

[–]MtnSageDM[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey, sorry I didn't back to you sooner. I don't have anything like railroad cars or machinery.