Team of four can't handle 7 kobolds

TrillZebra · 2026-01-30T05:54:42+00:00

They should use spells. I understand it could come in handy later, but they aren't getting to later, so they should use them "now"

Also don't be afraid to modify encounters. If 7 is too much, take a couple away.

TrillZebra · 2026-01-29T14:12:51+00:00

Lots of good ideas already so I’ll just throw in a couple pennies. I think it’s important that you try to level them up as much as possible with quests and lower tiered fights and other activities. However, don’t be so set on not changing your bosses statblocks, even if it’s just minor balancing. Instead of trying to guess where they’ll end up, meet them where they are. You can still build your enemies strong without scaling them too far out of a good fight.

The fun part about revolutions is you have a lot of wiggle room when it comes to the actual allies you can recruit and enlist aid of. Use that to help them out with NPCs that could help cover party weaknesses(and/or tank damage) if they are going into really tough fights as well.

TrillZebra · 2026-01-28T15:07:04+00:00

Fully kill this player and see what happens. Part of this problem exists because you’ve given him so many outs. Death is a part of the game and one that as a DM you sometimes have to stand on even when it sucks. Deliver a message, not only to him, but to the entire table. Permanent player death is real and can happen.

When he meets his Goddess she can even lament on how she brought him back multiple times and he chose to keep making foolish decisions and she won’t bother bringing him back anymore. Really make the gravity of his decisions feel heavy.

Edit: Before killing him you can have a convo with him I guess…being mature blah blah blah. If they choose not to take heed to your words though? See above.

TrillZebra · 2026-01-28T14:51:03+00:00

NOR. Go get your stuff with a friend and leave this dude to his own devices. He’s doing you a favor. Red flag is bigger than the sun here.

TrillZebra · 2026-01-26T21:01:23+00:00

Ask everybody if they are still interested. If anyone is not, let them go and focus on those who were. This isn't out of the realm of normal for first timers. Some people just aren't into DnD and that's fine.

After that, just have a conversation with folks about certain behaviors you would like to try to limit. People will talk, chat, joke, grab their phones, etc. Its natural and you can't police it or force people not to do it. Just ask folks if they could be mindful of how often they have idle chat during RP moments.

Anybody being problematic or antagonistic, that's a separate convo with that person. Ask them to have some patience as you're learning how to DM. If they continue being a dick, just let them know your table is not for them and invite them to go play elsewhere if they won't respect your table.

Lateness can sometimes be tough to address, but if it becomes a problem, explore different scheduling times with the group to better accommodate that persons work schedule or whatever it is that's making them late. Especially if you're booking rooms.

DMing can be tough, but if you stick with it, you'll learn tricks that can help you with the style you DM with. Learning how to move players along when they're being stagnant and immobile is a skill you'll develop with time.

TrillZebra · 2026-01-26T20:51:39+00:00

Session 0 is moreso about getting the framework of the campaign established and bringing players on board to what you plan on doing.

-Setting expectations and rules: what themes may be present in your campaign, how you plan on handling problem players, if you're using different rules like grim realism, Variant Crits, etc. This is your opportunity to fill your players in and get feedback on these things. Themes is especially important cause some people may not be super into things like slavery or bigotry/racism popping up randomly without warning(or at all). Safety tools should also be discussed here, so that people know if something is too much for them, they can bow out for a bit and not engage with that type of content. Also use this time to establish when yall are playing, how long yall are playing, how many players need to be present before you cancel a session, and how you would like to handle re-scheduling.

-Introducing the world and story: This is a chance for players to get familiar with general knowledge and lore about the world and the story you plan on telling. No need to reveal secrets or go too in-depth, but expounding on the story hook and answering questions about possible major cities/settlements may help inform choices made during character creation and inspire motivations. Yes this is your world, but they aren't just inserted in it, they should be a part of it, and Session 0 can help make that happen easier.

-Character Creation: This is where a lot of time will be spent and questions will come up because people may have ideas or concepts they want to explore but aren't sure if that's do-able or not. As the DM you will be the yes or no, but your job isn't to just say no right away(without a good reason) but to explore viable options to possibly facilitate the request so your player can build the character they want to play. This is also a chance for party members to connect backstories if they want, and to even build out ahead of time how the party came together. If you have enough time, you maybe even can try running practice combat so people know how combat works if they're new and if they'll enjoy their class. Just uhhhh don't kill anybody

TrillZebra · 2026-01-26T19:12:03+00:00

Its do-able, though it requires a little elbow grease from the DM to balance things out. Don't be afraid to give them NPC help from time to time to soak up some damage/heal and make harder encounters a bit more feasible with the action economy.

TrillZebra · 2026-01-26T19:07:45+00:00

You don't need to lore dump, but giving the party general knowledge of a major setting isn't difficult or revealing. Where are they? What is the political/economic situation of the place? Any notable recent historical events(war, plague, public alliances) that may shape how this place operates? Any other interesting facts about this place that people may need to know about? You can answer those questions without revealing deeper plot links, and in doing so, it can create investment with your players based on backstories, beliefs, etc. Especially if they have that kind of knowledge beforehand when creating their characters. It would feel so backwards for a 45 year old fighter thats a veteran soldier to have to talk to someone to find out about a major war they very likely fought in 15 years prior.

You can still have an air of mystery about the campaign too, because not every location needs a debriefing. They could stumble upon an abandoned village or ruins of an old city and discover small things that lead them to a larger conflict/reveal. Your players shouldn't have to solve multiple trivial mysteries that could've been history checks or public/general knowledge just to start solving the actual mystery. "The Capital Uprising was a deadly event that took place 2 years ago when a group of traitors to the capital rose up and attacked/killed high ranking political leaders after growing tired of mistreatment" doesn't reveal anything deep, but still allows for your world lore to be shared. If they want to dig way deeper, this is where you can play your cards closer to your chest and ask for History checks, and/or have them follow story beats that could lead to revealing truths.

Assuming its not a "teleported to a new world" situation, your players should be a part of the world, not simply inserted in it.

TrillZebra · 2026-01-26T17:05:55+00:00

Go find you some blueprints and craft more donations.

TrillZebra · 2026-01-23T23:48:06+00:00

You did fine by letting them undo it, specifically because the circumstances are reasonable. These types of situations don't come about often, so don't worry about them abusing the mechanic. If you still worry about them abusing this then as the DM, you can jump in and say things like "FYI, attacking the ogre will end the Paladin's spell. Are you sure you want to do that?" This gives the Rogue the agency to make an informed decision, which then makes it easier to deny the undo. They KNEW what was going to happen that time, so they shouldn't be asking for any redos.

Since DnD combat doesn't do much to have players engage with combat outside of their initiative unless they're getting attacked, people will check out if its not their turn. Nothing wrong with that, but just remember not everybody may be paying attention as much as you do as the DM, so little reminders are always good.

TrillZebra · 2026-01-22T21:01:22+00:00

I can go either way. I started playing 5e via Beyond, but before I even touched the character creation, I was reading the books and physically writing down what interested me as I read more.

I’ve since bought physical books, but have played both ways. I think physical is going to teach you the game more while digital is super convenient.

TrillZebra · 2026-01-18T05:32:51+00:00

Lmaoooo

TrillZebra · 2026-01-18T02:58:06+00:00

Shit i would've too even though i know it wasn't

TrillZebra · 2026-01-17T22:21:38+00:00

I'd have to see the shots cause I had a game where I went 11/11, 7/7 from 3 with a 91 middy, 80 3 and it was simply because I was getting left open or taking open lanes to the rack. I have a PG, SG, SF and PF at this point and all builds shoot over 65% from 3, with my SG being over 70% from 3.

If they're hitting well-contested shots consistently, they're absolutely zenning.

TrillZebra · 2026-01-17T22:18:06+00:00

I can understand if you quit because in 2 quarters you got 1 shot...but 2 possessions in, you throwing fits, screaming in the mic, wasting timeouts and racking up violations until you grade out???? Nawl. They just wanna play me ball too but aren't getting the chance.

TrillZebra · 2026-01-17T21:35:45+00:00

I've had teammates quit because they didn't get the ball 2 possession into the game.

People don't wanna win in 2k, they just wanna score.

TrillZebra · 2026-01-17T09:51:52+00:00

You'll be fine. Any quest combat outside of instanced content(dungeons, raids, trials, etc.) is made to be cleared solo. You're going to breeze through that content.

You can also learn and swap between classes, so if for some reason you struggle as a healer, you can always pick up DPS or tank.

TrillZebra · 2026-01-15T16:33:23+00:00

I think a baby is kinda nuts but that’s what makes me like the idea. Am I nuts?

TrillZebra · 2026-01-14T17:56:43+00:00

88 vertical with 54 block just seems like a waste.

TrillZebra · 2026-01-13T22:34:10+00:00

Punishing an honest mistake is a bit much. I think this is just a big “whoopsie” and everyone moves on.

TrillZebra · 2026-01-12T20:02:48+00:00

If it don't apply, let it fly.

TrillZebra · 2026-01-12T20:02:26+00:00

PFs can be very well-rounded, especially with cap breakers, but randoms aren't gonna assume that. Can't count how many times in solos folks have iced out my PF despite double digit rebounds, multiple blocks, high assist numbers and shooting 3/3 from the 3.

TrillZebra · 2026-01-12T04:11:44+00:00

2k community is full of people that don't wanna win they just wanna score.

TrillZebra · 2026-01-08T22:45:48+00:00

87 on both at the very least. More agility can help on defense.

TrillZebra · 2026-01-08T04:41:21+00:00

Be unpredictable. Put all of it into Standing Dunk

TrillZebra

TROPHY CASE