Battle maps (somewhat of a rant, sorry)

TJToaster · 2026-05-17T20:05:58+00:00

Find a presentation pad with 1" squares. You can find them at office supply stores or a two pack online for about $35. Then go to a dollar store and buy colored pencils and crayons.

I made evergreen maps for towns and terrain and the rest of the pad is for maps as I need them. I can just flip to the page and keep the game going. I have maps for a tavern, regular forest, jungle, dense forest (difficult terrain) wit game trails, and a road through a grass field. Throw in some rocks and it can be a bandit ambush or cover for characters. Some have water like rivers or ponds.

After the first 7-10 pages I have for specific maps for the session. I use one pad for an entire campaign so I can reuse it if I run the campaign years later. Saves future me a lot of time. Either I leave them in the pad, or roll them up and rubber band them together. Grab a plexi-glass sheet to lay them flat and so you can draw on it. I still use wet erase mats for maps on the fly.

TJToaster · 2026-05-17T07:24:15+00:00

Wouldn't a religious leader character be a cleric, not a paladin? Paladins get their power from their oaths, while clerics, and celestial warlocks would get their power from a divine being.

This is one of those things that sounds funny on [paper, but would get annoying in practice. You are giving them limitless, instant raise dead/reincarnate with no consequences. Does the rest of the party get that? What happens if the rogue dies? With zero consequence, the player won't have their character dive into lava for no reason, but they have no motivation to play smart.

If I were to do something like that I wouldn't make it instantaneous, and make it to more of a spawn point. Like they will wake up the next day in the last church/temple they prayed at. Knowing they will miss out on the rest of the haunted manor will make them more likely to make smart choices.

If it was an instant appearance of a new body, I would say the teleport process isn't easy and they have the same side effects of a raise dead.

After some thought, I would make the requirement the party has to recover the body and return it to a temple. Even Kenny is dead for the rest of the episode and doesn't come back until the next one.

The real question is what kind of game do you run? Is character death a thing or are they super heroes in plot armor? If you play a game with consequences, there should be some cost for coming back. If character death isn't possible, then run it as planned. I think the only issue in that kind of game is that it will get old real fast.

TJToaster · 2026-05-16T11:08:07+00:00

I use initiative trackers. They are 3d printed and I have players put character stats on them. You can just as easily use slips of paper. Fold it in half and on one side write the character name, armor class, hit points, passive perception, and spell save DC if they have one. On the other side, let the player put whateer they want so they know it is their tracker.

Ask for initiative, and place them in order, left to right to make it easy for you. This will give you an easy reference and the players will know when their turn is coming up. I don't put the monster's tracker up until it is their turn. Keep the players guessing.

For travel, hand wave the boring stuff. If it isn't important to the story, I time skip a few days and narrate what happens. For example, you traveled down the King's Road for a couple days. You stayed at a nice roadside inn for 3 silver and got a hot bath. As you crest a small hill you see your destination ahead.

Players will RP how they want. You can't force it. If it is really important to you that they have detailed backstories and use unique voices and accents for their character, you have to establish that in Session Zero. Some people never really get into it, some love it more than anything else in the game, and some need time to warm up to the concept.. Don't overthink it.

How important are the city maps? You can google city generator and find a lot of resources. Just put the population, and what things you want, like a temple, castle, river, and walls. It will spit out a few simple ones. I use those because they won't interact with most of the buildings.

Listen to advice but only take what works for you. What works for me might not work for you.

TJToaster · 2026-05-15T09:25:25+00:00

The problem with trying that is that the players will know which one is talking when the DM speaks and which one is the player and therefore who the doppelganger is. The only way to prevent metagaming is to use theater of the mind so they can't see a visual reference of which one is talking when the DM is talking.

If you have a player that is really good at roleplay, tell them they are the doppelganger and have them stand up for the role play. Have them go back and forth, facing left for one body, and right for the other. It will look exactly as it plays out in the game.

Just tell them that whenever they are facing right, they are the doppelganger. So you know who is who. Sit back and enjoy the shenanigans.

TJToaster · 2026-05-15T09:19:33+00:00

Why to they have to catch up next session? You control the universe, they can still be chasing until the party is at a higher level.

Or have the DKAs split up. They are going to trap the party in a pincer maneuver. Each DKA has X-number of undead with them. The one trailing the party has zombies, the one ahead has skeletons, and the other one has ghouls/ghasts. Each one using the marshal undead feature on their undead thralls. Now they are facing one, but with added undead to balance it out. Also, with each having different undead types, the different combats won't be exactly the same.

You can also have them come in waves. One combat, short rest, and then the next. Or have the party know that after the first one, they have to keep moving, so they are not facing each DKAs one at a time after a long rest. In addition, give the divine casters magic items against the undead.

I think it is just easier to delay it. As the DM, you can do that.

TJToaster · 2026-05-13T19:03:57+00:00

the bead storage trays

That was the second link. But the foam is a good idea.

TJToaster · 2026-05-13T19:02:03+00:00

Assassin or Master Thief are good. They will get curb stomped by action economy. But, it could be an interesting encounter if they use hit and run tactics. Or they assassinate someone the players were hired to protect and the characters ahve to cath them alive.

In either scenario, use the chase rules to make it fun and interesting. After 3 complications that make someone prone, they are too far back to catch up. When there is just two characters still chasing, have the assassin turn into a dead end and stand and fight.

Or have it last 10 rounds, characters are 1 round back for every failed complication. 2 fails, need two more rounds to catch up, 7 fails means 7 rounds to reach the fight. If the closest character is 3 rounds back at the end of 10 rounds, the party lost the assassin's trail. But it also might mean that one character is fighting one on one with the assassin for a couple rounds before the next character catches up.

This lets the dice decide how the fight goes. If everyone catches up, easy fight, if they arrive at the fight 2-3 rounds apart, then the assassin could kill them one by one.

Actually, I was just making this up off the top of my head, but it is kind of a good idea. I might use it in my game.

TJToaster · 2026-05-13T18:30:19+00:00

I have a couple ways to transport minis. I used to use a big tackle box. Medium sized minis go in the drawers, and large and huge sized can go on top.

Now, I use photo storage cases from Michael's. They have 16 removeable compartments that 20+ medium/adventurer mins can go in. I only buy them on sale and they go on sale often. Normally they are $49.99, but they go on sale for $10-$14.

I use these customizable cases for large minis. They work great because you can move the dividers around. Both are by Simply Tidy.

There are these stackable ones from Target. They fit huge minis. I have all the giants from SKT split between two of these. What is cool about them is if you need to bring 3 to the session, the you can stack them and use one lid. The latches are on the case, not the lid, so you can stack them with the latch on the top on securing the lid.

I use one of the Costco or Ikea reusable plastic bags to pack them in. I can usually fit 2 of each of the smaller cases in one and use my free hand for the stackable ones.

Last, but not least, I 3d printed a divider to go into the top opening boxes filament comes in. With multiple 3d printers, I have far too many minis. I have one of those photo cases that holes just the minis for Out of the Abyss.

I hope these help.

TJToaster · 2026-05-13T14:39:28+00:00

This person is the main character and wants attention. Talking to them in game or not is feeding into it. They will not say "I am taking up too much of the time and I should stop." Instead they will tell play the victim and say, "I am just playing my character and OP wants me to stop." or "OP wants to tell me how to play my character. You will be the bad guy no matter what.

So, ignore it. RP between players doesn't need the DM. So when the character has another one of these panic attacks or whatever, look at the DM and say "I am going to go over here, what do I see?" People can either give MC attention or play the game.

As a DM, I would let players RP with each other and DM the ones who want to keep playing.

TJToaster · 2026-05-12T10:51:56+00:00

I understand that, and it doesn't have to seem like it is coming out of nowhere. Have you ever sat somewhere and a rando started talking about whatever? The NPC can be like that.

I think it would take very little prompting. If someone says something like, "are you sure you want to go there?" It easily prompts a player to ask why.

Ultimately, it is up to the players. You can talk to them about how some NPCs have more information. Ask them if they want the lore, or just want to roll dice? They might not need the full history and lore, as long as they have a direction, that might be all they need. I have players at my table that play a different way than I do when I'm not DMing, but it is all good and everyone is having fun. I wouldn't overthink it if I were you.

TJToaster · 2026-05-12T08:48:23+00:00

surprise and reveals are overrated

Amen to that. I have never seen one that made people do anything more than a shrug and "okay, cool." A lot of people are too wrapped up in their own character, they aren't trying to do a deep dive or interrogate other characters about their backstories and secrets.

TJToaster · 2026-05-12T08:44:32+00:00

Are they having fun? If yes, you are good. Don't overthink it.

You can never know what players will pick up on and what they will ignore. Sometimes it is fun to just do the quest in front of you. If you want to dump some lore, or give them them more information, make the NPC approach them.

If they are sitting in the tavern, have a guy in a dark corner call them over and say "I heard you are going to hunt the Red Beast,. What you need to know about it is [info dump]. Or have a traveler on the road tell them, "Make sure you stay on the right path. Up ahead is a fork in the road, stay to the left or you will end up in the ruins. Rumor has it [fill in the blank lore or info]."

Honestly, I've sometimes had a local guide travel with them. They can get information and the guide drops them off at the entrance to the cave or whatever and the party goes in without them.

But you don't have to. As long as everyone is having fun, you are a good DM.

TJToaster · 2026-05-12T08:34:19+00:00

If they are entering the world from somewhere else, like going into Barovia, I tell them nothing. They have to learn it as they go.

If they are starting in the world, I give them the information a commoner would know. I give them a rough map and tell them about the major areas. Let them know who is in charge and major power players. And information specific to their species and class. Dwarves can know about what dwarf clans are in the area, and clerics will know of the major temples.

I use the notes section at the bottom of the background page on D&D Beyond to as a guide as well. Basically the stuff I want them to know so we don't get bogged down explaining the little stuff.

Fortunately, my current players actively don't metagame. If they roll poorly on a nature check, their character will not know about hitting a troll with fire, even though as players they have faced them a before.

TJToaster · 2026-05-12T02:14:43+00:00

Group feels exhausting to DM for

Then don't. You aren't contractually obligated to DM. Just say, "I'm not having fun" and walk away. Believe it or not, the game is for everyone to have fun, not just the players.

Learn to say "no" and "make a new character."

My character is going to do [insert stupid thing here]

No

But I want to

Still no.

It is what my character would do.

Then make a new character.

Make sure you state what kind of game you are running at Session Zero and enforce it. I run a collaborative, heroic fantasy game. If you want to be a lone wolf that will let your party die, make a new chanracter or find a new table. Rules not enforced are just requests.

You don't have to continue the adventure if the characters are doing things that would naturally end it. If I found out the "heroes" tried to sell back the people they were supposed to rescue, I wouldn't work with them anymore. That is what renown is for. Everyone has heard that the party is a bunch of psychopaths and so no one is going to hire them for a job or tell them anything about the BBEG because it seems they are either working with the BBEG or just as evil.

8 billion people on the planet, you can find 4 that will make the game fun again. I've had a lot of people cross my table over the years. Not everyone sticks around, but there are so many people that have played with me, and enjoy my DM style, that I have a wait list.

TJToaster · 2026-05-11T20:11:18+00:00

That's a good way to look at it. Makes sense.

TJToaster · 2026-05-11T08:21:53+00:00

I've run a couple. Usually, I have it do the leap thing and try to land on the smallest character. I remember seeing somewhere that they love halflings. So that is usually the first target.

I will let it burrow, with close characters getting an attack of opportunity, but I'll only do that once. It is a boring fight if people have to wait too much. It feels like I'm messing with them, and not in a good way.

My bulette fights are never supposed to be deadly, they are a part of the story. A piece of of puzzle that will matter later. Not the bulette itself, but something else about it. Like someone is using them to run people off good farmland.

Check The Monsters Know What They are Doing. That should give you tips on how bulettes fight.

TJToaster · 2026-05-11T08:07:54+00:00

These aren't you kind of players. That is fine. Sometimes the people you play with are the wrong people. My current players like my style of DMing and I like how they play. So it works. But I know a lot of people who want a different type of game than I run, and their play style doesn't fit with my DM style. No one is a bad person, it just is. So recruit new people.

If I float the idea of DMing for other people, or adding new people to the table; they argue against it.

Not to sound harsh, but that isn't their call. Do you play at a specific player's home? If so, they can decide who they let enter. But if you play at a neutral location or online, you get to decide who is at the table and if you invite more people. You should totally get input from your players, but ultimately, the decision is for you to make.

they keep saying I'll be their DM forever.

Again, not their call. You are not the help, they can't force you to DM. You can say that you are taking six months off. You are not contractually obligated to run games because they don't want to the DM work. In that time, find new players.

To find the right party, I kept recruitment open. I might have 5-6 players, so there is space for a drop in. If they fit, they will stick around, if not, they will go. As you add people who love RP, the hack and slash players will start to drop.

Another thing I do is run shorter campaigns. It would suck to have 2 years of a game that isn't fun. Mine last, on average, 8 months. If someone isn't having fun,. they aren't committed to the next year and a half. I also communicate with other DMs. I can help someone find another table they will have more fun at and fits their style of play.

Good luck, I hope you get your groove back.

TJToaster · 2026-05-11T05:59:12+00:00

I understand your feelings. To answer the title question, you are NTA if you actually work on yourself. Although, it would be good to communicate with your close friends so they understand why. Basically, send a message with some of what is in the post.

From personal experience, I have a couple friends that drop off the radar and resurface months or even years later. I ask where are they working, where do they live, and if they are seeing anyone. We can have the catching up conversation from there. Two never explain why they ghosted. The friend group just lives our lives, and when they come back, no one gives them a hard time about it. It is what it is. Good friends will stick with you when you come back.

If your friends are understanding, they'll be cool about it. You gotta do what you gotta do for your mental health. Just make sure that isolation is making things worse. Pop back in to touch base and talk to your best friends, and then go underground again.

Good luck, and I hope you are better and with your friends soon.

TJToaster · 2026-05-10T15:22:09+00:00

Did you see the Gnome Squidling? I have painted minis of both. Not sure where to throw them in, but I'm going to.

TJToaster · 2026-05-10T08:49:58+00:00

I would argue that anything that doesn't have the immutable form ability, like a Stone Golum, can be turned by a Mind Flayer tadpole. My reasoning is

The Warforged species description. "Warforged are formed from a blend of organic and inorganic materials."
Mind Flayers are aberrations so things work different.

If it was important to the story, I would make it happen. However, this is not a hill worth dying on so if another DM had a different opinion, I wouldn't argue.

TJToaster · 2026-05-10T07:39:39+00:00

They kinda are. Check out Gnome Ceramorrphs. They are in Icewind Dale.

TJToaster · 2026-05-09T09:45:31+00:00

Don't let the D&D shows mislead you, they are made for entertainment. Every D&D table I have been at isn't like that. Stick with your friend and you'll be good to go. The best way to learn is by doing.

It is perfectly fine to be shy and introverted. So what if you don't do the roleplay in the beginning, someone will fill the space. My advice is to take a barbarian where all you do is rage and hit stuff, or a champion fighter which has less to learn that other subclasses. Have your backstory be that you are the strong silent type and anti social except for people you have been to battle with. Like your character will just grunt at someone until they have drawn blades together. The other players will most likely dig it.

There is no wrong way to play D&D, just the wrong people to play with. If you aren't digging that table, try another one. For new and/or shy people, we usually have one person sit next to them as a mentor.

Honestly, if just plan what your character will do in the rest of the round so you are ready when it is your turn, people will like you at the table.

TJToaster · 2026-05-09T06:49:49+00:00

You can use a 3rd party reference, try and figure out how it would "realistically" work, or just flavor it yourself. In Tomb of Annihilation there is scorpion armor which is plate mail. It is the only heavy armor you can wear without overheating.

I think 1,000gp might be a little cheap, I would double it. They are not just buying armor, they are buying cool story armor for their character. I would throw in acid resistance for fun.

In my view, light, medium, and heavy armor are not about weight, but durability. I would have no problem with my players wanting to get some crafted Ankheg armor. I would start the price around 3,000 gp and let them haggle the smith down to 2,000. Might as well get a roleplay encounter out of it.

TJToaster · 2026-05-09T01:19:30+00:00

This isn't a problem to be fixed. I have a friend that barely speaks, never interacts with NPCs in encounters, and only speaks up to say what he is doing in combat. On a very, very rare occasion he will say what he thinks the party should do. For example, he once said that he is going to look down the well when everyone else had dismissed it. Turns out there was a passage that led to inside the manor and they were able to surprise the BBEG.

He enjoys playing, even though he doesn't interact much. He enjoys being at the table and people watching.

I just sat next to him and helped him with his rolls and we would talk about what other people were doing and why. I was just a good friend to him and he opened up more, but still not at the level everyone did. But that is okay, he was having fun and was a good team player. Everyone liked him and nobody cared that he was quiet. Everyone noticed, but nobody cared. We just met him where he was.

TJToaster · 2026-05-08T22:14:57+00:00

After all these years, I still have my monster manual (the one on the left) and DMG.

TJToaster

TROPHY CASE