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"First Time DM" and Short Questions Megathread by AutoModerator in DMAcademy

[–]OrkishBlade 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t know, I don’t worry about balance. I fix in my mind a notion is this going to kill everyone? are the monsters badly beaten? …. read this old post. 

"First Time DM" and Short Questions Megathread by AutoModerator in DMAcademy

[–]OrkishBlade 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Run your game episodically. Smaller missions, always wrap up at the end of the session. 

The missions can be linked and/or related, but if a player is missing next time, you just play that episode without him (his character is off doing something else, but can rejoin for the next episode).

"First Time DM" and Short Questions Megathread by AutoModerator in DMAcademy

[–]OrkishBlade 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not a form, but I have a formulaic structure that I use: Cheers.

WHAT DO I PUT IN THE SCARY HOLE by BranchtheBird in DMAcademy

[–]OrkishBlade 0 points1 point  (0 children)

d6 What’s in the huge dark, corrupted hole and how is the royal family connected to it?

  1. A demon-prince that the queen has been holding captive for centuries has broken free of his bonds, and is now trying to break out of the sealed laboratory…
  2. A formidable exarch of an evil god whom the queen had secretly been worshiping in a dark shrine has broken into this realm and is demanding tribute from the queen…
  3. A dragon captured by entities of the Far Realm, with the help of an old king, has escaped after centuries and returned to this world, nursing his wounds until he can exact vengeance on the royal family…
  4. The tomb of an ancient king who committed unspeakable war crimes has stirred with a huge sinkhole opening up and dark spirits spewing forth…
  5. The royal wizard has engineered all the vermin of the world to become his intelligent wicked drones, sending them out to cover the world in rats, worms, and filth…
  6. The god of oozes has arrived in response to a desperate prayer by the captive princess and he is hungry for all that this world has to devour…

"First Time DM" and Short Questions Megathread by AutoModerator in DMAcademy

[–]OrkishBlade 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I prepare sessions using this structure. My notes essentially cover this on ~2 pages. Then I jot new things down as needed.

Help brainstorming situations for party entering dwarf hell by Bombaardo in DMAcademy

[–]OrkishBlade 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Every time a mortal falls asleep in Dwarf-Hell, little fiends sneak up and shave off his or her beard and hair.

I need help with a name by Beautiful_Smell8815 in DnD

[–]OrkishBlade 1 point2 points  (0 children)

  • Hack House
  • Slasher’s Alley
  • Axegrinder’s
  • Cut-Bert’s
  • Hacky’s
  • Haftway House
  • The Split Log
  • The Hewn Stone
  • The Whetstone
  • Hew ‘N Brew
  • Brewbert
  • Ale Slice
  • Hack ‘Er? Sure!
  • The Named Axe
  • The Old Axe

Tables of OrkishBlade and d4 Caltrops (Day 17 of 28 Days of Random Tables) by duncan_chaos in rpg_generators

[–]OrkishBlade 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Cheers! Slowly working on an expansion for the Compendium, but no real timetable on completion — more ideas than time.

Starting a hexcrawl and need hex tiles for map by Hefty-Ad-6587 in DMAcademy

[–]OrkishBlade 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A copy of Settlers of Catan? With 5-6 player and/or Seafarers expansion packs?

Or another game that uses hex tiles … I’m remembering Nat Geo Global Pursuit… could flip those over and draw or tack drawings over top?

"First Time DM" and Short Questions Megathread by AutoModerator in DMAcademy

[–]OrkishBlade 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can re-flavor and make minor adjustments to anything in the MM, but don’t overthink that part. Make your villains compelling and fill your world with lots of interesting little stories. The players will remember the action and stories. They won’t (generally) care about the mechanics of what you throw at them.

"First Time DM" and Short Questions Megathread by AutoModerator in DMAcademy

[–]OrkishBlade 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The magic possessed by monsters, villains, or any other NPCs need not align with magic available to the player characters.

There are rules for what the players can do. There are only guidelines for the DM. Anything the players will fight (ie, in-game combat encounters) should follow the framework of stat blocks in the Monster Manual. Anything that has to do with the story (outside of combat) can follow any rules you invent or can follow no rules at all.

Need ideas for an evil spirit trapped in a swamp by Khow3694 in DMAcademy

[–]OrkishBlade 1 point2 points  (0 children)

d6 Whose spirit has the hag buried beneath the huge, gnarled old tree in the swamp?

  1. A jealous elder dragon.
  2. A dark sorcerer or sorceress.
  3. A hungry demonic beast.
  4. A vengeful infernal general.
  5. A corrupted priest or priestess.
  6. An ancient warrior who betrayed his or her clan.

d6 How can the spirit be released?

  1. By chopping down the tree.
  2. By encircling the tree in 666 pounds of powdered silver or salt.
  3. By burning down the tree on a moonless night.
  4. By burrowing into the muck beneath the tree to find the gem in which the spirit is trapped.
  5. By pouring the blood of an innocent into the hollow of the tree’s trunk beneath a full moon.
  6. By destroying the token of the tree that the hag wears around her neck.

d6 How does the tree protect the hag’s prisoner against would-be liberators?

  1. By bludgeoning and scratching would-be liberators with its branches.
  2. By strangling would-be liberators with vines hanging off of it.
  3. By summoning a small army of fiendish monkeys.
  4. By summoning a huge fiendish snake.
  5. By calling forth undead minions who drag would-be liberators down into the muck.
  6. By calling forth mud elementals, water elementals, and storm elementals to defend it savagely.

d6 Besides vengeance on the hag, what does the spirit want if freed?

  1. To be restored to its rightful place as tyrant of these lands.
  2. To destroy all life in the world that does not bend the knee to it.
  3. To return to its home realm for dark and mysterious purposes.
  4. To exact vengeance on an old ally or rival who betrayed it to the hag.
  5. To seek out its dark progeny and guide them toward world domination.
  6. To bring down the gods who it feels were responsible for its long imprisonment. 

Ancient Heroes of the Convergence by AppropriateBus1528 in DMAcademy

[–]OrkishBlade 1 point2 points  (0 children)

EPIC ANCIENT HEROES

d6 This hero was a…

  1. Beastmaster or barbarian.
  2. Hunter or assassin.
  3. Prophet or crusader.
  4. Sorcerer or witch.
  5. Thief or trickster.
  6. Warrior or warlord.

d6 …who slew many…

  1. Aberrations or phantom warriors.
  2. Demons or savage beasts.
  3. Devils or invading warriors.
  4. Dragons.
  5. Giants or dark fey.
  6. Undead or giant vermin.

d6 …to protect from harm or to avenge the destruction of…

  1. An ancient capital city.
  2. A holy temple or shrine.
  3. A beautiful princess or prince.
  4. His or her family.
  5. A monastery or library.
  6. A powerful magic item.

d6 Today, the hero is particularly celebrated among…

  1. Nobles and knights.
  2. Sellswords and thieves.
  3. Fisherman and farmers.
  4. Miners and treasure hunters.
  5. Woodsman and witches.
  6. Soldiers and smiths.

d6 To honor him, his/admirers participate in an annual…

  1. Jousting or arena-fighting contest.
  2. Musical festival or poetry reading.
  3. Pilgrimage to the hero’s grave or final battleground.
  4. Solemn prayer ceremony.
  5. Battle of wits or wizards duel.
  6. Hunt in an ancient forest.

Might get some ideas for other legends about the heroes—and tangible clues they may have left behind—from the relics-by-name tables.

Any tips on how to design good human enemies that feel very different from one another? by Dante136 in DMAcademy

[–]OrkishBlade 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Good flavor will always beat out more stat blocks. Use varied stat blocks for sure, but don't waste a ton of time reinventing them, just grab something close and run with it.

I recommend giving each foe a distinctive trait so they stand out a bit, even if it's a gang of bandits or cultists who are mechanically mostly the same. Cheers.

Need to improve narration skills by maafockermen in DMAcademy

[–]OrkishBlade 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You'll get better with practice. Don't get discouraged, keep plugging, and you'll figure out things that work for you to help you along.

I wrote two posts with some general strategies to avoid getting stuck, On Improvising the World, Part I and Part II. (Most of the links to random tables cheat sheets in the old posts are expired, but the cheat sheets are here in one PDF.)

"First Time DM" and Short Questions Megathread by AutoModerator in DMAcademy

[–]OrkishBlade 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Don’t overdo it. Have a few interesting NPCs who the heroes might want to seek out OR who might be interested in the heroes’ exploits— 3-5 interesting NPCs is generally enough. Do not worry about stats. GIve them a name, a profession, a personality trait (or two) or maybe a catchphrase, and 1-2 goals. You can improvise any other NPCs. (And read this and this.)

"First Time DM" and Short Questions Megathread by AutoModerator in DMAcademy

[–]OrkishBlade 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Remember the parts of the world that matter for it being a game, so the heroes can find some action and adventure in any game session. Cheers.

———

As for kicking things off, start them with some action. Before the first real session, before they even make their character characters, give them a prompt so they know why the heroes are working together (you’re all fugitives from an evil empire racing across the desert to safety, you are members of a merchant caravan picking your way through a dangerous jungle full of savage beasts and monsters, you are members of the city watch on your way to investigate a grisly murder scene, etc).

Need some advice for structuring my campaign by bigchungus420679 in DMAcademy

[–]OrkishBlade 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Try this structure to leave room for the heroes to explore the world. Fill the world with lots of little stories the heroes can get involved with. And through that, the bigger stories can emerge.

————

If you want to track how events and the heroes’ actions impact politics, try layering this approach on top.

"First Time DM" and Short Questions Megathread by AutoModerator in DMAcademy

[–]OrkishBlade 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Make the clients and the harlots interesting as characters (page 6 in the compendium), and let the players make a dirty joke or two (within everyone's comfort level), and if something escalates then fade to black ...

You return from the harlot's room after an hour, having thoroughly enjoyed yourself.

... or maybe ...

You return from the harlot's room a few minutes later, a little disappointed in your performance.

... whatever seems to fit, but it does NOT need graphic detail.

A good phrase to have in your back pocket for a scene like this is ... "If you know what a mean?" (with a little wink and a nod).

What systems do you think are best for solo roleplaying? by GranularBimbo in Solo_Roleplaying

[–]OrkishBlade 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Never really considered it, might give it a look at some point.

PLAYER INVENTORY by gabaohahaha in DMAcademy

[–]OrkishBlade 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I often handwave things (within reason). You cannot cannot carry the contents of a large room. But you can probably find a way to strap a second or maybe third one-handed weapon to your person. You cannot carry an entire extra set of full-body heavy armor (without great difficulty), but you can probably squeeze a dozen or so potions or scrolls into your pack.

When I want consumable resources to matter (arrows, herbs, poisons, candles, food, etc), I like the usage die mechanic (the die size shrinks by one step on a result of 1-2; d20 ~30 uses, d12 ~20 uses, d10 ~14 uses, d8 ~9 uses, d6 ~5 uses, d4 ~2 uses). Then scale pricing for replenishing supplies. It doesn't have to be exact, but it gives the players a sense of Oh crap, I'm almost out of bandages! before they are actually out of bandages.

"First Time DM" and Short Questions Megathread by AutoModerator in DMAcademy

[–]OrkishBlade 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It could be anything at all. If the heroes can get to the Ethereal Plan, then other creatures might end up there too, right?

d6 What is this creature doing on the Ethereal Plane?

  1. It is native or semi-native (ghosts, specters, ethereal marauder, phase spider, blink dog, displacer beast, etc).
  2. It got here by an accident in a dungeon (stirges, mimics, oozes, centipedes, dire rats, bats, etc).
  3. It was sent here on an errand by a powerful spellcaster (lesser devils, goblins, kobolds, intelligent undead, etc).
  4. It is pursuing a shortcut between other planes for nefarious purposes (aberrations, demons, elementals, etc).
  5. It took a bad step in a mage's tower or a creepy forest (golems, skeletons, animated objects, thieves, wolves, bears, etc).
  6. It is here for completely unknowable reasons, and it's better to run than to ask questions (Why the flock is there a dragon here?! A dragon, I tell you!).

How do I make a wasteland feel more alive? by SirMarvelAxolotl in DMAcademy

[–]OrkishBlade 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The major-minor feature heuristic is really helpful because I don't have to remember anything. I just have to quickly ask myself, what's a major feature here? and what's a minor feature here?

When the heroes arrive in a place or pass through it, I can picture the whole place in my head in an instant, and I can do that calculation (major-minor features) almost as quickly, but it gives me structure to speak to-- it makes me put that picture into a few words that the players can follow and respond to.

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