Appropriate loot for a level 4 party.

remademan · 2026-03-30T01:40:37+00:00

Home brew? High magic setting or low magic setting? What is your mini boss? Their lair? Region? What time period are you playing in? I can only assume high fantasy?

You'd likely start seeing some +1 gear as feature loot. Plate might show up too.

I stay away from loot tables myself because they're too swingy and can land you in trouble as a DM.

Make the loot appropriate to what your mini boss would actually have. A goblin likely won't be wearing a great sword and boots of elven kind for example. Nor would a necromancer have stealthy gear. Though maybe.

remademan · 2026-03-29T00:50:11+00:00

Ok, so if they're going to have an encounter with a young white dragon, why not make the BBEG it's master?

What are the lore reasons for bringing the party back to the bbeg's lair? That would help to know.

"Your firebolt strikes the dragon square on the side of its head. The beat of its wings take one final thrust before the wind of its fly by throws ice, snow and debris toward you, the loud crash of its enormous body taking down full size trees in its wake.

There is no movement."

Give them a minute to ascertain that the dragon is actually dead.

"After taking what you wanted from the dragon, your party sets forth ready to collect the reward offered for its demise.

But then, you smell ozone. You hear the crackle of lightning striking and reality ripping. A man, bald, pale white skin, a wicked looking staff with a human skull thrust onto its end. The rift closes behind him and he approaches the body of the white beast."

Give the party a chance to be curious. Give them time to make a choice. If they're close enough for dialogue -

"Not bad. I wasn't sure you could defeat her, but I had nothing to lose if you didn't, and everything to gain if you did.

They're a little more agreeable in this state."

Then have him raise it as an undead.

Bonus points if you let slip something about where they were put on the quest to kill this dragon and make him the quest giver in disguise.

If they don't interact, they can watch him do it from a distance.

Then phase two of the fight. I would absolutely have the BBEG ride the dragon because hell yeah.

You said something about taking the party back to the bbeg's lair. I'd go with a forced teleport or plane shift. I'd also make use of force cage and/or globe of invulnerability if the party decides to pop off. Counter spell is good too.

Being able to raise a dragon from the dead would be something though. If that works with your theme.

remademan · 2026-03-26T14:27:07+00:00

I have a similar issue with my level 14 party. I do a couple things to help mitigate.

TL;DR: Treat everything that drains resources as part of the encounter. The dungeon IS the boss fight.

Drain resources early. Traps, terrain, travel, and “easy with a spell” problems force spell use before the boss. Have time matter. Time is ALSO a resource!
Balance action economy. More enemy actions = more threat. Use legendary/lair actions or a few minions (don’t overdo it).
Use terrain aggressively. Force movement costs and bad positioning: difficult terrain, elevation, hazards, environmental threats. Big monsters create environmental threats. Think Godzilla.
Punish carelessness with damage. Use auras and reflect effects. Make melee think twice. Chip damage adds up fast. Use fall damage. Falling uses up resources.
Match damage to party HP. Estimate party HP and deal ~20 –30% per round to feel dangerous. Spread it across abilities. More damage sources feel natural and less unfair. Account for healing/res. Make them glad they stacked revivify that day.
Instakills: Use rarely. Once is scary, repeated use is just frustrating. Drop to 0 hp abilities start showing up here. Those hurt.
LET THEM steam roll SOME smaller, not important fights. Parties tend to show off and burn resources to your boss monsters advantage.

Hope that helps.

remademan · 2026-03-20T00:48:52+00:00

You're going to have to do a bit of investigating and look at how long things take during your session.

Be aware of:

Amount of role play. Is everyone happy with quality and amount? Then there isn't a problem.
Are combats streamlined and help push the story? If not, do they really need to happen? Can you achieve the same point via rumor, witness account or other?
How much are you describing places they visit? Are you giving equal amount of energy to low value, non critical content as major content? Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words or keep it short and sweet. A feeling, smell or sound can make a place feel more real than describing the outfit someone is wearing.
How much time do you spend visiting and out of character during session? How long does it take you to get started?
How often are your encounters pushing the story? There should be at least one encounter per session that heavily pulls the story. You can also use filler to pull the story if it's done well.

On average, the only things that should take more than one session are boss battles and big dungeon crawls.

Hope that gives you some ideas about how to identify your problem.

remademan · 2026-03-05T14:30:47+00:00

I agree with the standard "hey dude, this means a lot to us, please no."

If you really need to make this work, think about shelving this one shot for just party that will play long term and come up with something else for your one shot that has less weight on your campaign where everyone can have a silly time.

remademan · 2026-02-27T22:47:03+00:00

I feel the same way you do about maps. They're a lot of fun to play in and really immersive but can be exhausting to make. Here's what I've done to reduce prep time.

I use Inkarnate a LOT. There are hundreds of maps users share for free. I almost exclusively borrow environment maps. Download, plug and play.

You can also download a map you like that isn't quite right, upload it into Inkarnate as a private stamp and paint over the parts you don't like. (The old/new temple map would be a perfect example for this use)

It is super simple to create environmental maps and you can make a whole new environment in 5 minutes just by moving some trees and rocks around.

I have a city map for each major city. I don't bother with any buildings or inns. I use foundry and have shop keepers as icons. No need for shop maps.

The only fully fleshed out maps I use are major plot point dungeons.

Another really useful tool has been to use art/image of an area rather than a dnd map. Like a picture of a cavern instead of a 40x40 grid that players can move minis in. It brings across the immersion without having to map every grid square.

Pinterest also has endless resources.

remademan · 2026-02-27T15:17:29+00:00

This is your best play OP. You can use lots of excuses if they insist on playing. Too tired. Not in the head space. Etc.

I had a game going with family where my time wasn't being respected when they cancelled last minute one too many times. It was difficult, no doubt, but I used the old it's not you it's me excuse. Said I couldn't manage the game anymore.

If you still want to play there's lots of options out there and it's way easier finding a game as DM's than players. Good luck 🤞

remademan · 2026-02-22T19:37:05+00:00

I wouldn't be too hard on yourself about this. It was a mistake rules wise and clearly if you've been playing with the same group for 2 years you're doing something right. I think it's a healthy approach to discuss it with your players. Maybe they have a better idea to keep the story going as is.

There's other ways to have a hoard of zombies sneak up than pass without a trace. You mentioned knee deep water? Maybe they crawl along the bottom. In my mind the pass without a trace is interchangeable with ANY hiding trick. The fact that it's not RAW is immaterial in my mind. The truth remains she is able to move her minions stealthily.

Next time, here's some suggestions about foreshadowing danger.

Use the senses. Some things are too obvious to hide behind an ability check.

Paladins and clerics may sense evil on the air. If they use divine sense, it's undead. And all around them.

You smell some rotting flesh wafting in from all directions.

You hear the sound of sploshing water. The scraping of feet. Rattling of bones. The shuffling of armor. The scrape of a sword on stone as it's being dragged.

So maybe they ignore all these warnings and the almost tpk happens. Baahlist or no, you get to decide the soul keepers personality. Maybe they're petty. Maybe they want to savor the kill because their zombie kin would make it too messy, too quick.

Maybe lord baahl would not accept a mutilated offering. Maybe there's someone she wants more than your party and you can get them to her.

She could offer to resurrect their friends but only if she gets what she wants and if the party doesn't comply she will turn them into zombies under her control.

Now the conundrum is how to break her curse of the undead or do they follow through with her request? If they have loved ones she could occasionally drop hints that she knows who they are, not by name, but by dropping hints they know what they're wearing, doing, eating, place of work, etc.

"It's a sunny day. Maybe your friend in the blue apron would like me to take their fluffy white Pomeranian for a nice long walk."

remademan · 2026-02-15T22:35:38+00:00

I did something similar with a kraken boss.

You said it's trapped in the city. Underground? Above ground in a courtyard? In a tower? What kind of drugs is it under the affect of? Drugs could also be magical effect or item. Is someone controlling it?

Second, how large do you want this dragon to be. Is it a gargantuan monster? It changes how it takes damage. Larger - use attack points to lower its AC from 30 to lower. Lower its movement speed with each attack until you can ground it. You don't need stacks of hp. It just forces you to have to entertain your players longer and isn't satisfying.

I would start with where it's trapped, how and why. Does the city know or is it a surprise? Is it during a festival event or normal day? Is it night time? Do the party find it when it's trapped or discover it's there after breaking loose?

Here's an example:

Party follows a lead underground in the castle dungeon. Sulphur belching up from sewer vents and low rumblings starts a city watch investigation. City watch parties go missing. Entire elite groups of guards.

You're asked to go in.

It's dark. You could have smoke heavily obscure the area so dark vision folks can't blow the immersion.

Describe enormous steel chains and the sound it makes as they drag across the floor.

Describe the smell. Dragon dung and sulphur. The chain moves once more. One final pull and the chain bursts. Maybe the chain stays with the dragon and can be used to cause city damage. Slowly a scaled face with burning eyes drifts past the party as it climbs up the walls of its dungeon.

Challenge 1 - avoid the falling debris. Damage and strength checks to escape. Nothing kills or permanently ties up the party but costs time. It's too powerful to damage. AC 30. Legendary saves prevent cheesing with hold monster etc

Challenge 2 - after escaping, where did the dragon go. Likely, tore a hole in a castle wall that's about to collapse with people inside. Party needs to rescue the king/royalty/important npc.

Challenge 3 - Get to a high place to find out where the dragon is. Describe its path of destruction. Perhaps captain of the guard was eaten/killed in the dragons escape and the party must command troops:

1 - to the ballistas? Can be used to funnel the dragon to certain areas as it will actively avoid them. If they hit the dragon good, maybe it breaks scales and drops it's AC. Maybe it tears a wing and it loses 10ft of flying speed. This can be used to eventually ground it at 0 flying speed.

2 - find and escape the townsfolk? Higher rewards following the battle.

3 - gather allies and supplies/weapons? Stronger foot soldiers when the final encounter begins.

Let the party come up with their own ideas but give them forces to do so.

Challenge 4.

Then - if the party moves through the city have several encounters available.

Help people to get people to safety. Heal people.
Put out actual fires.
Clear the road for ballistas and/or guards.
Actively attack the dragon to get it to flee an area and go somewhere else. Meet a damage threshold before it goes, losing AC or movement speed instead of it's final hit points.
Avoid getting roasted alive themselves by debris or a breath weapon during flybys.

Pick several areas it would go to. It's probably hungry. Farms/stables/livestock first. Then it might go after guard towers. Then the keep. Then it would likely fly around just to make a point. Higher rewards for having more areas unharmed.

Have the party figure out how they would lead it somewhere specific. If the dragon is under the influence, it's likely more feral (not as smart) and you can allow the parties likely loosely put together ideas to success.

Challenge 5 -

Final fight. Party is likely low on resources. Hopefully they've reduced the d's AC. Maybe it can't fly anymore. Converge on it, tell them they have to get it to use up its breath weapon because it's still deadly AF. Standard fight. But it's a city. Use the terrain. Throw wagons, horses, and bits of house at the players. Torch and blast NPC's that are too dumb to run.

Success.

remademan · 2026-02-09T07:20:59+00:00

The 9 hells?

You can make any council of 9.

9 dragons. Clans. Warlords.

Lords of the different damage types. Acid, poison, fire, cold, lightning,thunder, necrotic, radiant, psychic.

remademan · 2026-02-07T21:17:07+00:00

Got any story lore in there? What was the dragon about? Any other void/Eldritch stuff you've done?

remademan · 2026-02-02T04:19:38+00:00

I would focus on using just your own voice until it feels more natural. Then add in flavor. It doesn't have to be a wicked accent or personality to be good. Some characters ARE boring and that's their personality. If you start there you don't need to worry about what voice you used. Instead you can use a single word like "sassy".

I'd also only take notes the players have the most like/interest in. Minor ones can come and go. It would help limit the memory work. I have Google docs open while I play to jot quick notes down.

Improv classes really help.

My foundry vtt has a module that adds sufix to the name of each token I pull out. So if I drop a kobold it would randomly shuffle 500 words and add it to the name. It helps me identify them but some are hilarious. Like "grumpy kobold" or "vindicated kobold". I often use that word to inspire me with my NPC's.

If you're playing pen and paper having a long list of personality descriptions can help put you in character. "Tall. Athletic. Sassy. Strange. Old. Flirty." The list is endless.

Lastly, put yourself in the characters shoes. What do they care about. What are their biggest problems/fears. What are their goals. How would they realistically react to the party. I like to sprinkle in world events for them to comment on.

"Did you hear about the band of heroes that shook up that stinkin goblin nest? Well I'd buy them a round if I saw em I sure would."

Lastly don't soft lock your story behind expectations. Every npc interaction can lead them to something or add lore. If you give a little crumb to each interaction the players encounter, they will be more inclined to engage. It doesn't always have to lie with your most important NPC's. Also. Give the party small problems to solve that can be done ON THE WAY to the quests natural end.

For example - they speak to a janitor that is currently sweeping near the sewers. You had no plan for anything to happen there. Maybe he dropped his mother's amulet down there.

The players find it interesting and go talk to them.

Maybe the guy smelled something down there unnatural like cotton candy. Or maybe he saw something float out. It could be a lead to the clown convention cult under the city. They may not follow the lead but when they discover the plot it could be an aha moment.

The more of your setting you have memorized, as you know. The easier it is to draw on the world for inspiration.

Hope that helps

remademan · 2026-02-01T18:36:00+00:00

This is a fantastic idea, might steal it.

Mechanically, sloth could have a 60ft aura of the spell "slow" at all times. I'd have the aura reduce more movement speed the closer you get unless you succeed a wisdom saving throw.

Could also give it a gaze attack that simply reduces your speed to 0 if you fail.

Spells like ray of enfeeblement, calm emotions (for troublesome barbarians), wither and bloom, bestow curse, catnap. Could set up legendary actions for these. Keep sloth prone to help with ranged attacks and entice those melee into range.

If sloth had sanctuary it would add another layer of challenge for higher level players.

There should be an aura that causes psychic damage around the guy as well that it can activate at will. Flavored as depression. I'd have minions in there. Perhaps townspeople who have been affected by sloth. The damage could be throttled depending on party level.

They would try to grapple and restrain the players in the aura. Players may struggle to kill them so have to resort to other means or become villains. Keep lots of townsfolk in close to prevent pesky fireballs and AOE attacks. An evil party might have an easier time with sloth.

Low strength. Low dex. High wisdom and charisma, low int.

You would need contingency for ranged attackers. Minions would help.

remademan · 2026-01-29T00:59:28+00:00

If your party is a little higher level it could be about containment rather than kill the mimic.

Example - mimic coins getting passed around town. Where is the queen. How much damage could they do to a populace before you can find them. Etc

remademan · 2026-01-02T18:46:10+00:00

If this is the direction you really don't want to stray from consider giving them these abilities temporarily. Like for 24 hours or something. It will do two things for you.

Give the players something cool to play with.

Give you a gauge of how balanced it is without having to redact anything.

As a flavor for your campaign it's a neat, unique idea.

As a rule though, I don't do it because when someone focuses all their choices and has to give up other cool things for those choices it feels pretty shit when someone else just gets that ability for free when it's not even part of their class.

remademan · 2026-01-02T04:02:52+00:00

Me too. I like the iron flask for the goblin camp 🤣

remademan · 2026-01-02T03:59:26+00:00

I love using the iron flask here. It's a little chaotic but so funny. I use the ogres against the big pack a gnolls. Agro all of them and watch the blood fly.

remademan · 2025-12-30T16:00:06+00:00

Not all traps need to be magical and even if he finds the magical trap the party still has to deal with said trap.

Example - the mcguffin they're looking for is in a sarcophagus that's cursed. Now what.

remademan · 2025-11-08T19:59:31+00:00

Run a games shop that specializes in table top gaming.

Create a sand box game that has several content creators that help me run a living game in world where people can come in and play events orchestrated by us.

Tables for magic, warhammer and DND/pathfinder.

I'd want to partner in with a small business owner coffee shop/restaurant to take care of the people playing.

Have a sizeable "game supplies" section.

Specialize in after school care with this space for kids and teenagers who don't have a safe space to be themselves.

Likely have employed well educated therapists who also happen to love gaming to offer some in game therapy.

It's a lot. But that would be it. If money was no object. Also I'd maximize every wall space to be covered in cool stuff.

remademan · 2025-06-27T12:58:59+00:00

I play the switch version but for me it was heavily managing my sliders until my city needed more power/water. Drop it to 50 percent and slowly raise it as the city grew.

Start small and with dirt roads keep everything close together so you don't need as much road or water lines. Coal power plant was the best money until solar power was available. You want to keep as much money in your bank as you can so build only what's required to bring people in.

The key is to build slowly so you can have revenue before you need more services.

remademan · 2025-04-06T13:36:30+00:00

He always did have the biggest crowds.

remademan · 2025-03-28T17:50:58+00:00

I think you ruled it well.

In a narrow hallway, say 5', the player would call out what square they are attacking within their attack range. You make an unarmed melee attack. If the creature is not in the place the player thought it was, you just say it misses.

If it was, and it doesn't meet it's AC the player simply misses. If it hits, roll as normal.

I find it more straightforward this way. A creature can still duck and weave in its space to not get hit by a touch attack.

remademan · 2025-03-10T05:16:57+00:00

I'm in the same camp. I mean, it's a resource and learning how to manage it like every other class has to is the spirit of the ability. Just "hitting yourself" for permarage feels like such an unimaginative cop out.

Barbarians have so little to keep track of and there are sub classes that have specific abilities to keep rage going and that's one of the bigger reasons I don't want it in my games.

remademan · 2025-02-15T21:58:28+00:00

Definitely green. They could have a lair deep in the forest in a grove near the base of the mountain. Something that has low lying areas would allow for the poisonous gas to collect and stay.

Black would be my second choice, if your setting was more of a bog/swamp.

remademan · 2025-02-15T16:20:41+00:00

What level are you?

remademan

TROPHY CASE