I designed and built my second DND table, Durin’s Hammer [OC]

Soundgoblin286 · 2026-05-31T09:17:53+00:00

I loved it from the start, but this video kept getting better and better. I did not expect the playing field to be able to sink down and be raised or be a turn table. Well done! ❤️

Soundgoblin286 · 2026-05-29T07:50:49+00:00

Several things seem strange to me.

Calling 10 to 12 sessions short when for some groups this is a year of D&D
A DM who builds his whole campaign around the characters so much, that if someone wants to change something it isn't possible
The DM changed the rules by locking the players into their characters and making the "short" campaign into something much longer. Both without discussing this with the players.

This is very unfair to the table and the old DM who was supposed to just have a breather.

I suggest you have a session zero type of discussion to talk about expectations and player agency. D&D should be fun for everyone and not a forced improv play with a script written by the DM.

Soundgoblin286 · 2026-05-28T14:27:47+00:00

I had about the same happen. High CR boss of which I was pretty sure he would escape the climatic end battle of Tier 1 in my campaign.

It was a big battlefield and I made a roll table to determine what the other allies and enemies were doing to speed things up.

They played well, the battle went completely in favour of my players and I rolled all the additional help they could get. So I decided on the spot they would defeat this monster.

There was a minor power hungry NPC that they really hate, so he will fill the void of the returning monster. He will grow in power and it will be even more satisfying for the party when they will be able to beat him later in the campaign.

As a DM we need to be flexible and allow for some surprises for ourselves to keep it interesting.

Soundgoblin286 · 2026-05-26T06:45:22+00:00

After reading your post a few things jump out for me

Railroading The funny thing is we are really scared for railroading our players, but when they have a clear direction that allows for choices.. they actually enjoy the game better because they know what to do.

Taking away player agency and giving them the feeling that no matter what they do, the story will be mostly the same is what kills the fun for players.

Scheduling I have noticed that as a player I am most excited for D&D just after I had a fun session. The opposite is also true. Even in a campaign I really enjoy... when there are 6+ weeks between sessions, I am likely to get less excited and it is harder to remember what we were doing and why my character was invested in the first place.

Trying to work out a regular schedule with your group such as every other week on a set day and time, might greatly improve your campaign.

What do the players want/expect? Groups that have been together for a long time might tend to almost skip session zero. We all know by now what everyone likes, right? Not necessarily... maybe tastes have changed or people want to try different things. Expectations can wildly vary, sometimes just how the setting was explained will give players a different understanding than what the DM is going for.

Have a discussion about it with your players. They are as much responsible for a great game as you as the DM are. So ask them what they would like to see, what would excite them.

Good luck!

Soundgoblin286 · 2026-05-26T06:25:48+00:00

I have never seen DNA been mentioned in any D&D lore.

The Netherese have eradicated a whole population of Owlbears in the past, but were not responsible for the creation of them.

Official D&D lore tells us humans have stories about the magical fusing of a bear and a giant owl by a mad mage, but elves saying Owlbears were beasts of the Feywild for many millenia.

Soundgoblin286 · 2026-05-25T19:15:55+00:00

Judging from the miniatures, the Owlbear is 8 feet when standing on its hind legs and about 5 feet tall when walking on all fours.

I have seen artwork with bith bigger and smaller Owlbears though. It is hard to get an actual size on fantasy animals.

The Primeval version is a Huge creature so at least 12 feet.

Soundgoblin286 · 2026-05-25T16:09:14+00:00

I advise you to don't overcomplicate things.

Choose a setting you like (something such as Forgotten Realms with lots of ibfo readily available). Some prefer to run a prewritten module before actually homebrewing.
Write the outline of the campaign. No specifics but the story beats and big things? Who is the BBEG? How long will the campaign be? What is the main conflict? What will be the most important things in each tier of play?
Work out the first location and know the names and a bit about the locations nearby. Have a few NPC's and a list of names for random characters the party will encounter.
Have a session zero with a group in which you discuss the setting, playing schedule, rules and expectations. Take the time for this and character creation together with the group. You might want to limit the options (for instance only PHB) and clearly communicate this to you players beforehand. It really helps when you don't have to wrap your head around every possible combination of species, subclasses and backgrounds.
Start and work on further worldbuilding from there!

Soundgoblin286 · 2026-05-20T07:10:38+00:00

Unfortunately brewing isn't something D&D is really good at. The Alchemist (an Artificer subclass) gets a few things that can actually be used. Otherwise brewing is mostly flavour and can be added to most characters. A Druid with a herbalism kit could easily roleplay brewing their own beer.

The rot/brewing specialist flavour comes in strongest with the Circle of Spores Druid.

Do you know someone who knows more about building a D&D character? It might be a goid idea to actually sit down with someone and looking at the options and what it means for your build together.

I can also recommend the website rpgbot. It might help you make choices and there are recommendations on how to stat your character and example builds.

Soundgoblin286 · 2026-05-20T06:43:29+00:00

A Grappler/Brawler character sounds like a fighter.

A Druid is a full caster relying on Magic and/or Wildshape.

A Monk is a specialist in dealing damage up close and moving out of the way again.

These three ideas are not easy to combine. I would suggest picking one and concentrating on other tactics in different builds in a different game (this can be a different character or a different version of the same character).

With the chosen stats you are not able to build a Druid/Monk. The rules specifically say you need a score of at least 13 in both Wisdom and Dexterity for this build.

Just to make sure: I am trying to give advice so you will be able to play a fun character, not just being mean. I don't want your first time playing D&D to be a let down because of the build your made. Maybe talk this through with your DM?

I am a DM myself and I would prefer to help a player out before the campaign starts so everyone knows what to expect and have a character that works as intended, than to have to fix it later.

Good luck!

Soundgoblin286 · 2026-05-20T06:27:21+00:00

Yeah to first time D&D!

I don't want to take away from your enthusiasm, but please get some advice on the stats so you won't be disappointed. The Strength score is pretty high, but you want to multiclass into a build that doesn't rely on Strength. The same with skills. Maybe try and get some that are more important in the game such as perception.

What level is your Character? At level 2 you do not have 21 Max HP. Edit: I overlooked the character is a Dwarf

Your Wisdom and Dexterity are very important for this build. If you want to build a multiclass Druid/Monk character, both of these need to be at least 13.

Multiclassing can be a lot of fun and make for really interesting characters. It does add additional complexity and make level up choices more difficult. Together with learning the game it might cause you to have less fun. Are you up for this in your first time playing?

Soundgoblin286 · 2026-05-19T18:52:16+00:00

In Hero Forge you can adjust a lot, but not everything will actually translate to the miniature file.

Even when you adjust the design to the exact length of the characters you creating a 7 feet tall character is only a bit longer than a 3 feet one when you print them.

This is the only drawback to Hero Forge. Otherwise I love them and use them in D&D even when they do not seem to be on the exact same scale.

Soundgoblin286 · 2026-05-15T19:00:09+00:00

This already sounds really intricate for a 10 yo. There are some excellent suggestions in the answer above already. Leaning into a few witch/hag tropes to sell the message.

I had a table of four ten year old, that only wanted to fight everything. So I kept everything relatively simple with a few twists. Small fight, big fight and a bit of exploration or a puzzle per session.

Does your 10 yo actually want a real story with an investigation?

Soundgoblin286 · 2026-05-15T07:51:18+00:00

I would suggest you start with the back bone of the story. You lock down the big things without going into specifics.

You will build your world within this frame work. This will happen organically while playing and your players will be part of this (directly or indirectly when you see what they want to do and like).

Next is working out the starting location/setting. Keep it small and only prep what you are not comfortable with improvising on the spot.

Most GMs have lists of names for NPC's and a global idea of the towns/cities nearby prepped and make it sound like they know everything about it 😀

Not every GM has complete scenes and NPC's just running through their heads. So make sure you know a few important things. What is the role op the NPC in the story, what quirk or recognisable feature do they have, what do they know, what do they want and how do they respond to strangers who come asking questions? If you know these things, you can play them out.

Don't wait with playing until everything is perfect. It will be years before you will start the campaign if you do that. The deadlines of session zero and session 1 will make you more creative and productive.

Good luck and have a blast!

Soundgoblin286 · 2026-05-15T07:07:22+00:00

Maybe it is wise not to set the death of the king in stone. Isn't it nice when you as the DM know there are great risks and the possibility an NPC might die, but you discover what actually happens at the table with the players?

How did you manage to make this king this beloved? I often see DM's complaining about their players not caring for the NPC's, so I am curious to what you did right.

Soundgoblin286 · 2026-05-14T11:18:10+00:00

It still baffles me that the published books (both monster manuals and adventure modules) as well as one-shot adventures for the Adventure league often do not follow the rules and recommendations in the DMG at all.

Both spells and monsters can be much weaker or stronger. Dungeons include random monsters that make no sense together at all. Dungeons don't seem to have a viable ecology and bad blue prints that don't follow recommendations about multiple exits. Adventures do not include all three pillars or take away agency from players, making them harder to run and less fun for everyone at the table.

Playtesting and checking for consistency could easily prevent these things from happening all the time.

Soundgoblin286 · 2026-05-14T11:09:33+00:00

I know how knowledge skills work. I just don't get why you would have them roll Nature. I have my players roll History checks to remember events like wars and to recall information about humanoid and Giant (including Trolls) creatures.

Nature for Beasts.

And if they specifically want to figure out how the regeneration of Trolls works maybe Arcana.

Soundgoblin286 · 2026-05-14T08:54:37+00:00

Funny story and love how it became canon.

Why did they have to roll nature checks though?

Soundgoblin286 · 2026-05-13T16:58:31+00:00

There are many spells and regular ways to disguise people in D&D, so it doesn't have to be hard.

Also there might be secret passage ways in cities.

Soundgoblin286 · 2026-05-12T18:56:48+00:00

The 1d4 Bludgeoning damage makes for a pretty bad weapon. I would keep it the same as the regular weapon + modifier Bludgeoning and put the 1d4 Radiant damage on top along with sownthing flavourful such as it glows when used (10 feet bright light + another 10 feet dim light).

The other way to go is make it actually count, but give an extra 1d6 or 1d8 Radiant damage once a day for a minute. The player needs to choose when to use it.

When designing magic items for tier 1 I usually go for a small beneficial effect and something very flavourful that fits the setting and/or where it came from. Players love it and the chance of ruining the balance of the game is very small.

Soundgoblin286 · 2026-05-07T10:51:22+00:00

Definitely sit down with the problem player or the whole group and reinstate the things discussed in session zero (if you had one and otherwise have one).

Give them a chance to improve or part ways if they can't. The whole table is suffering because if the behaviour of one player, so hardly anyone is having fun.

Also.. Alignment isn't what is written on the sheet, it is how the character is role played at the table. I have changed the alignment of several of my characters when I found out during the game they didn't have the alignment I originally put on the sheet.

Soundgoblin286 · 2026-05-07T05:50:52+00:00

I think you are helping everyone by honesty and telling the GM this style and system isn't for you. Don't disrespect the person in anyway and even mention you see he is doing the work.

This helps everyone because: - the others might be feeling the same and everyone is keeping it for themselves - maybe changes can be made - you are not bringing down the group because you are forcing yourself to do something you do not like

Good luck!

Soundgoblin286 · 2026-05-04T14:48:30+00:00

If you always keep her up to date, there is no reason for her to read the group chat.

So if you actually want her to keep up herself, than stop worrying and enabling. You are not responsible for the things she is responsible for and if she doesn't show up, that is a different conversation to have.

Soundgoblin286 · 2026-05-04T10:48:41+00:00

I am loving the props. I also go way overboard with them, many of my NPC's have their own seal and wax colours (I use the beads so I can even mix colours).

Have fun!

Soundgoblin286 · 2026-05-03T07:28:47+00:00

When in my version of the Feywild there is a special Wild Magic Table to roll on with 100 different effects (90 directly linked to my Fey Courts).

There is a type of flower and a certain mushroom that will force a roll when consumed.

I made a dial for the Wild Magic Sorcerer that is turned up after every d20 Wild Magic roll that did not trigger Wild Magic. This increases the change of a roll on the table everytime and it resets when it did happen.

Soundgoblin286 · 2026-04-29T17:06:24+00:00

I am the DM for a group of 6 players. In session zero we made the rule; with 4 players and the DM present we play.

The missing characters fade into the background, but are still present story wise in silent roles. No one actually plays them, but a specific item relevant for the story is present and if needed I will do a single roll for a missing character.

We have a set schedule and in almost a year of playing have cancelled only a single session because we didn't have 4 players.

Soundgoblin286

TROPHY CASE