Review: Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

A friend got me the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide, it was not a book I was looking to purchase myself.  I’ve given some time to going over it and here is my review of the book.   Though I must admit my review is on the biased side but I’ll explain that as you read further.

If you are setting your campaign in Faerun but aren’t very familiar with the Sword Coast then I’d say this book is very valuable.  There’s loads of information about how different races and classes act in this world.  I’d say for someone who is new to the Sword Coast, either setting a first campaign there or thinking about setting a campaign there, this book could be quite valuable.  Even then I don’t think it’s worth the WOTC asking price of $39.95, instead head over to Amazon.com where you can purchase it for $26.74 at the time this post is being written. 

Let’s say you’re not new to Faerun, you’re actually quite familiar with the realm.  When that’s the case I see this book as a lot less valuable.  It really isn’t going to tell you any information you don’t already know.  In this instance all it’s going to give you is some minor variations on classes and a few new backgrounds for characters.  There’s really not a whole lot of new information here.  There are no new classes and really no new races as the races listed just refer you back to the Player’s Handbook.

If, like me, you’re not into Faerun and you were just looking for some new material to incorporate into your world then this is not a book for you.  Other than the new backgrounds you’re not going to find features here to add to your game play.  This is why I say I’m biased about the book because it wasn’t intended for my demographic.  As I said I had never intended to buy it but since it was given to me I gave it a chance.

So is the book worth the money?  If you aren’t very familiar with the Sword Coast but are interested in starting to set your campaigns there then for you it’s probably worth the Amazon price as it tells you a lot about the basics of Faerun.  For anyone else, you have to ask yourself if getting a couple of new character backgrounds and a few minor class variations is worth the price to you.

You Need a Thick Skin

The act of DMing is rewarding but it also comes with challenges.  Being a DM requires one to develop a thick skin.  You’re going to have problem players and you’re going to take criticism.  Dealing with these situations can be quite difficult if you’re a sensitive person.  One needs a certain level of detachment and the ability not to take things personally.  This can be quite hard, especially when you pour your heart and soul into a campaign.

Taking Criticism

At one point or another you’re going to receive criticism from your players and it can be hard to take.  Take a step back and look at the criticism.  Is this constructive criticism?  Is the player bringing up a valid point that you need to address?  Some criticism is a good thing and it can help you improve your game.  When players bring up a valid point learn from it and adapt what you’re doing to make the game more enjoyable.  Ultimately, you want your players to be happy with what you’re doing, if for example your players want more role playing and less combat in the campaign the only way they can communicate that to you is through constructive criticism.  

While your player may have a valid point, they may not be able to present it in a non-confrontational manner.  It is your job as DM not to let yourself get defensive and become confrontational back.  In this case it is even more important to take a step back and analyze what the player is telling you.  Though the presentation may be less than palatable the player may still be giving you valuable criticism.  Don’t let their pour presentation hurt your feelings, not everyone is good at communication and may not know how to present their feelings in an appropriate manner.

On the other hand not all criticism is constructive and it is hard not to take this kind of criticism personally.  This leads us into the next topic, problem players.

Problem Players

Some people just want to watch the world burn and you can’t take it personally.  At some point in your DM career you are most likely going to run in to a problem player, someone who just has to stir the pot.  They’re disruptive and can even be hurtful.  It can feel like they are personally attacking you.  Realize that it’s really not about you but about their need for attention and control.  Remember, you are the DM and it’s your show not theirs.  What you say goes no matter what kind of tantrum they throw.  Pull players like this aside out of game time and discuss their behavior with them.  Many times this will resolve the problem.  If this fails you have two options.  Ignore their behavior and work around them or ask them to leave the game.  Anyway it goes down remember that their behavior is their problem and not yours.  You are not responsible for the behavior of others even if they try to blame their behavior on something you have said or done.

The main thing is to learn not to take things personally.    Learn to detach and see things from an objective point of view.  Decide if the player is actually presenting something helpful that you can use to improve your performance.  You’ve got to develop a thick skin to DM.

Halfling Trap Detector

We have had to change our game nights from Sunday to Saturday as Tyr has started a new job and we have also had to shorten our session time.  This was our first Saturday session and it went well even if it was short.  Still in the potion shop where the shop keep was found missing the party headed to dinner with the intent in setting off for the caves in the morning to begin their search for Saphris.  On their way back to Ri-el’s home they came upon a strange scene in an ally way.  It appeared that two priests were being attacked by bandits and their only line of defense were these strange fae creatures that appeared to serve as guard dogs.  Our heroes made quick work of the warlock bandits and then proceeded into the temple to check on the priests who were very grateful for the assistance.  The priests offered them a bag of rubies (the currency of this dimension) and the party declined.  Instead the priests gave them a map to part of the cave system below the city.

That morning Ri-el led them to the entrance of the caves and wished them good luck, he also promised to take good care of Argon’s (Tyr’s goliath cleric) ram until they returned from the caves.  To check for traps Finn (Tyr’s shapeshifter monk rogue) pushed Gaunt (Hal’s halfling barbarian) over the edge where the water was flowing and let him belly flop into the water.  Delving deeper into the caves the party found some foot prints and some drag marks that they started to follow and came across a chasm where the bridge crossing it had been cut away on one side.  They used a magic rope to pull up the end of the bridge and tie it off so they could cross.  Just as you would expect from the bridge crossings in the caves leading to the underdark earlier in our campaign Hal couldn’t succeed on a dexterity check to save his life.  It ended up that Argon had to hold the loose end of the bridge and send the magic rope to retrieve Gaunt, who was hanging off the side of the bridge.

That is where we ended the session for the night.

12 Tips to be a Better Roleplayer

Roleplaying comes easy to a few, the rest of us have to work at it.  Let’s face it roleplaying asks you to be an actor and we weren’t all meant for the big screen, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn to at least play on a community theater level.  Here are twelve tips to becoming a better roleplayer.

1.Create a character you are able to rolepaly.

Set yourself up for success by creating a character that you are better able to roleplay.  If you are new to roleplaying or recognize that it is a week point in your game then start by creating characters that closely resembles yourself.  When deciding what actions to take in the game you are always having to ask yourself not what you would do in this situation but what your character would do.  Creating a character that has a similar personality and moral compass to yourself allows you to more easily answer this question.  Make the character just different enough from yourself that it’s easy to answer the question of what your character would do instead of yourself.  As you get more comfortable roleplaying you can make your characters increasingly different from yourself.

2.Play up your backstory.

D&D is a world that only exists as we create it.  Spend time on your character’s backstory, as it should shape how your character acts and thinks.  Having an elaborate backstory though doesn’t do you any good if you don’t include it in your play.  Only what you say or do actually exists.  Your character’s back story is nothing but words on paper until you either talk about it or have your character act in ways that are directly related to it.  Your character’s backstory is the blueprint for how your character acts, thinks, feels, and behaves, make use of this tool by playing it up.  It does you no good to write an elaborate backstory of how your character fell in love with a dwarf who broke their heart and now they hate all dwarves  if you don’t act that out whenever your PC interacts with a dwarf.  Give life to your character’s back story because by doing that you create a much more memorable experience.

3.Be creative.

This one can be kind of difficult because in some ways you’re limited by how creative your character is.  Still play your character as creatively as you can.  Make him or her unique and memorable.  Maybe you create some sort of quirk for your character, like a dwarf that always has a belching fit after drinking ale.  Another way to get creative is to have your character come up with nontraditional ways to handle a situation.  It’s easy to have your rogue pick a lock but maybe your rogue has a wizard polymorph him into a spider that can fit through the key hole to sneak in and scout the room before opening the door for the party.

4.Be engaged in the game.

Be an active player not a passive player.  Don’t let others at the table make all the decisions, you don’t have to put in your two cents all of the time but make sure that you are participating more than just during your turn in combat.  Give the game your full attention and participate.

5.Don’t become distracted by the outside world.

 A game of D&D is supposed to transport us to another world.  Turn off cell phones and put away any other distractions when it’s time to play.  The DM and your fellow players deserve your full attention.  You can’t enjoy the game if you’re not paying attention to it. 

6.Take part in telling the story.

A campaign or quest is a story to be told that isn’t fully written.  The DM has a general outline but it is really up to the players what direction the story goes in and what happens along the way.  Make your character meaningful to the story.  Make your character advance the plot line in some way.  Involve your character in more than just combat rounds.  Interact with NPC’s.  When you’re in a shop, for example, ask if the shop keep has any family in the area.  His or her answer could lead to a side quest or just a richer experience when you’re in town because by making your character take an active role in the story telling you make the other characters come to life.

7.Don’t tell other players how to play their character.

Everyone has their own way of viewing what their character would and wouldn’t do, their character is their creation.  It is not up to anyone else to decide how someone should play their character.  If it’s an alignment issue trust that the DM will work it out in game if it is necessary.  You want to play your character how you envision him/her, afford other players the same right. 

8.Get along with the others at the table.

 No one can focus on properly playing the game when there’s infighting going on between players.  If you have an issue with another player pull them aside before or after the game and talk things out with them.  Chances are talking to them will resolve any issues.  If that doesn’t solve the differences between you then at least come to the agreement that you will keep your personal differences aside during the game.  Just because everyone at the table needs to get along doesn’t mean the PC’s have to be best buds.  Your paladin may not trust your buddy’s rogue and that’s okay as long as you don’t let it go too far in game and as long as the conflict between PC’s doesn’t carry over to the players.  Maybe your paladin keeps a closer eye on the rogue than the other PC’s but don’t have your paladin strip search the rogue, while amusing that takes things too far.

9.Respect the DM.

DMing is not an easy job and your DM is putting in a lot of hours behind the scenes to bring you an enjoyable campaign.  For the length of your session your DM has spent at least that same amount of time during the week preparing things.  The DM works hard and deserves your respect. 

10.Don’t be a rules lawyer.

Rules lawyers can drain all the fun out of a game.  Honestly the rules are more like guidelines and to make things work in any given campaign the DM is going to have to fudge the rules a bit or make their own house rulings.  Don’t argue with the DM over rules or other things, trust that your DM has a method to their madness.  When you start bickering with the DM you take everyone out of the moment and drag them all back into the real world and bring things to a screeching halt.  Respect and trust in your DM and play on.  If you really think that something needs addressed discuss it with the DM outside of game time.  The game isn’t so much about the rules as it is having a good time and telling a good story.

11.Accept failure.

The dice are going to hate you some nights.  Maybe you can’t succeed on an acrobatics check or you don’t get the information you need from a NPC or you fail your death saving throws.  At some point in your D&D career you’re going to fail at something.  Do so gracefully and figure out a way around the problem.

12.Have fun!

The most important thing to being a better roleplayer is to have fun and the more fun you’re having the more fun everyone will have.

New Dimension

Last night Tannis (Carter’s ranger) was reunited with his love Amara.  The party entered Tannis’ hometown without any real incident; though his and the party’s presence defiantly gave the town gossips something to buzz about.  Tannis presented the chalice to Amara’s father, Lord Falafel. .  I know the name is ridiculous but it was the first thing that came to mind and it gave my players a good laugh.   He then went to the town garden to look for Amara who he found at the fountain, they had a touching reunion and Amara told Tannis that they must marry right away because she didn’t trust her father to not go back on his word. 

A feast was held that night in honor of the party bringing the chalice to Lord Falafel.  During the feast the lord sent a servant with a message to the party, they were to meet with Falafel in the morning to discuss wedding arraignments. 

When they arrived at Lord Falafel’s chambers he was not alone, there were four clerics with him.  Falafel began some chit chat about the wedding but as they talked the clerics sent the party through a dimension door and they landed on a street in a foreign town.  The whole party was disoriented but a girl motioned for them to follow her and not knowing what else to do they went along with her.  She explained that she saw them blink into existence, that this was not the first time she’s seen strangers come here from another dimension.  Ki-el, the helpful girl, led them to her uncle Ri-el’s house.  There the two of them explained to the party that they were in a town called Ilotha.  Here everything is powered by magic.  This is sort of a steam punk world where everything is powered by magic instead of steam.  Ri-el found clothes for the party and offered to take them to Saphris, a sorceress that could send them back to their dimension. 

That morning they proceeded to the potion shop that Saphris runs but the store was untended.  They wondered about the store taking in all of the unusual objects.  As they investigated they found one large white feather and they noticed that the door to the basement was cracked open.  In the basement stockroom they came across three pookas stealing some items.  Pookas (a type of fae) don’t exist in the MM, I created them for this quest.  Carter tried to talk to the pookas and told them to put down what they had but they just looked at him blankly because pookas don’t speak common.  Ri-el spoke their language and tried to get information out of them but he wasn’t getting anywhere with them so Argon (Tyr’s goliath cleric) cast tongues so he could speak with the pookas.  They aren’t very intelligent and answered his questions in one word.  He asked what happened to Saphris and they said, “fly.”  He asked where she went and they answered, “caves.”  Argon was very frustrated with the pookas but he suppressed the urge to just squash them his war hammer.  Ri-el told them that the pookas must mean the caves under the city.  He told them they must find her, because she is the only way he knows of to get back to their own dimension.

Next week Ri-el will take them to the entrance of the caves to begin their search for Saphris.

Potions All Around

Last night was the conclusion of the drow war and it was pretty harrowing for my players.  They began the night as we left off last week where they were facing two giant spiders, two minotaur, two drow fighters, and a drow wizard.  The intrepid heros’ situation quickly went from bad to worse.  A fireball from the lady drow general took most of the party’s hp down quickly.  Fortunately for them it didn’t take much to finish of the minotaur.  Then the general trapped the halfling barbarian in a web, leaving him out of commission for the rest of the battle because he just couldn’t roll a strength check high enough to break free.  In a couple of rounds after that she took out the goliath cleric with poison spray, knocking him down to zero hit points.  The party really couldn’t handle much more from her and luckily the monk rogue, or mogue as I like to call him, took her out with a couple of well-placed arrows and the remaining spider she had summoned disappeared with her.  This left a two on two battle between the ranger, the mogue, and the two drow fighters.  The fighters dealt a little more damage, but were taken out fairly quickly by Carter’s ranger.  At the end of the battle Tyr’s mogue moved to revive the cleric.  Carter’s ranger moved to free Hal’s barbarian from the web, but the halfling had his pride and refused the help.  Hal rolled strength checks until the halfling finally freed himself.

After the battle they ventured back to the surface drow town and collected their earnings.  They shopped for supplies including hitting the newly added to the campaign potion shop.  I think I talked about this in one of my other blog posts but I’m tweeking 5e to allow a lot more magic and one of the ways I’m doing that is making potions much more available.  I combed through the DMG and made a list of every potion or potion like substance.  This one and only time the potion shop had at least one of everything so that they could get an idea of what all is available.  From now on when they come across someone offering potions I will control what potions are available and how many are in stock.

After shopping they had a nice meal together where Carter’s character revealed that his real motive for going on the mission into the Underdark was to retrieve a magic chalice, which he found when they raided the map room in the tower when they were in the Underdark.  He explained to them that he needed to return it to his home so that he could be allowed to marry his love Amara.  A full elf that he had been forbidden to continue seeing because he is only a half elf.  He asked the rest of the party if they would accompany him back to his town with the chalice.  They agreed though Argon, Tyr’s goliath cleric, made no bones about the fact that he was going only because it might further his own quest for a magic item lost to his people.

As they made their way to Tannis’s home they came across an interesting set of ruins.  When they sat under a stone the stone would speak a riddle.  Upon correctly answering a riddle the stone would ring and a stone in the center of the circle would turn.  They got a little hung up on the fourth riddle but they did eventually solve it, at which point the center stone began to hover above the ground revealing a beautiful mithral wand.  Argon succeeded on an arcana check, which meant that he identified the wand as one he remembered reading about.  It was created by the faery folk and casts the spell Conjure Fae.

Next on their interesting journey they came across a cat standing on its hind legs with its paws up on a stone.  It was looking at them with an intelligence in its eyes.  Hal’s halfling started to work a ritual for speaking with animals but Carter’s ranger said heck with that and just started talking to the cat who answered him in common.  Turns out she had lost an item down a well and asked them if they would retrieve it for her.  Argon, the cleric, cast augury to see what the outcome of helping her would be and was reassured that it was the right thing to do.  Both Carter and Tyr were very suspicious of her.  After they returned her item to her she offered to give each one of them a potion of their choice.  Shortly thereafter the party arrived at Tannis’ town.

Combat Can Bore Me

This week’s blog is pretty short since I wasn’t over the moon for this week’s session.  I prefer the straight role playing parts of D&D to the straight combat parts.  The party is still in the thick of battle, which they will thankfully finish next session.  Hal is in his glory because he really plays just for combat, but I think Carter and Tyr are starting to feel the same way I do; that it’s time to move on from this.  This was the third week of straight combat and I’m so over it.

On top of the fact that I just generally don’t like combat as much as role playing I’m really getting frustrated with the 5e balance of things.  The PC’s are just so overpowered compared to the monsters and I do a lot of work tweeking things so that my players don’t walk through combat in three rounds.

The battle they are currently in pits them against two drow, two minotaur, two giant spiders, and a drow wizard who is the general of the army.    The players’ abilities are making it difficult for me to get anywhere near them but I have managed to dole out some damage between the wizard’s fireball and the minotaur’s brute strength.  It helped that I rolled well.  At least the guys keep things entertaining.  Tyr transformed his shapeshifter into a medium white dragon.  He and a minotaur are currently facing off.  Though I’m bored of battle it should be an interesting encounter to finish.

Raining Dead

This week’s blog covers last night’s session and some changes I’ve made to how I DM.

Last night’s session was definitely a memorable one.  The players are still in the thick of the battle fighting waves of drow.  It took the whole night to get through the wave I put them against.  I was a mean DM and put the three PC’s up against four drow fighters, one drow wizard, one drow psionic, and two drow barbarians on riding lizards. A trebuchet was manned by the four drow fighters.   Starting out the evening the heroes were at level five, but after working so hard to defeat their foes the rose to level six after the encounter. 

Tyr was still in griffon form when we began but quickly decided that this battle required him in his natural form.  He dove down for a landing knocking three of the fighters on the trebuchet prone as he landed.  Hal’s barbarian raged hard but he was pummeled by the two lizard riding barbarians and the psionic, bringing him near death several times during the fight.  As the party started to worry that they wouldn’t all survive this encounter a goliath in black armor and a ram companion came charging at Gaut’s (Hal’s halfling barbarian) back wielding a great hammer.  Before the party could determine if this goliath was an ally or an enemy the goliath brought his mighty hammer down over Gaunt’s diminutive head……striking the barbarian that was trying to kill Gaunt.  Immediately after striking the barbarian the goliath patted Gaunt on the back, healing him.

The stranger’s presence gave the party a second wind.  They rallied, defeating the last of the wave.  I started a new mechanic last night.   When it gets to the last enemy and a player makes a roll that will be the death blow of that last enemy I ask them “So how do you want to do this?”  They then describe the manner in which they kill the last opponent.  Carter had the pleasure last night, he took out the last fighter by shooting him in the foot with an arrow then dragging him over and loading him into the trebuchet.  The party turned it around so that it would fire back into the enemy’s lines and fired the drow back at his own.  They then proceeded to loot the bodies, taking what was of value and then loading the rest into the trebuchet and firing it.  They also loaded the rest of the dead drow in so that they could send the dead raining down on the advancing army.

The goliath introduced himself as Argon a cleric (played by Tyr).  They know little about him but they can use any ally they can get.

We’ve been playing 5e since it came out last year, and something that my players have whined about is that 5e is a very low magic world and they just don’t like it.  I’ve decided to make it more like 3.5 where magic played a heavy roll.  To do this I’m making scrolls and wands more available.  I’ve also gone through the DMG and made a complete list of all of the potions and they will be available in varying degrees throughout the realm.  Everything is much more common that 5e intends.  They will also be finding magic items more often. 

High magic doesn’t work well with the way 5e is written it makes the PC’s too overpowered so I’m compensating for it by tweeking the monster stats and providing potions and magic items to their enemies as well.  My players are ecstatic that I’m going back to my 3.5 handling of magic items.  Time will tell if this will work but I think I can pull it off.

We will finish the battle next week and I hope it turns out to be worth the build up.

5 Tips to Help the DM Play Adversaries

Part of being a quality DM is creating memorable encounters and in order to do that a DM must be able to bring creatures and villains to life. We spend time creating memorable NPC’s but it can be easy to forget about role playing and make combat nothing more than a numbers game. The following are some tips for the DM to bring the creatures and villains in your encounters to life.

1.Read the description in the monster manual. This is a role playing game and it’s not just the players who role play; the DM has the daunting task of role playing all NPC’s and all of the opponents that the party will face. It’s easy to get caught up in the combat and forget that it’s not just as simple as slashing with a sword and casting spells. Playing the advisory is more than just a numbers game, and it is the DM’s responsibility to make encounters richer by role playing each creature and villain the party encounters. When you choose an opponent for your players to face the first thing I recommend you do is read the description in the Monster Manual. It is not just fluff, the description about each creature contains valuable information to help you play the opponent you’ve chosen.

2.Do they fight alone or with friends? This ties in with tip number one. Some creatures fight alone, some fight as a pack, some are usually found alongside other creatures. Reading the description in the Monster manual will give you insight into this question. By following the advice found there you can construct more fulfilling encounters. Fighting an ogre that has crossed the party’s path is fine, but knowing that ogre bands are frequently found with goblinoids, orcs, or trolls makes an encounter much more exciting.

3.Play up or down to their intelligence. It’s easy to have the creatures just fight as you deem would be the best course of action, but remember this is role playing. You have to think about how intelligent your creature or villain is. Ask yourself, “How smart is this creature or person? Would it have the sense to take out the biggest threat first or would it just target whoever is closest to it?” An ogre is not going to have the same tactical knowledge that a half-elf barbarian has. As the DM you need to look at things through the intelligence level of the creature you are playing and be sure to play true to that creature's abilities.

4.Find their motivation. Being a DM is a lot like being an actor. Good actors always know why their characters are doing what they do. Role playing a creature or a villain is no different. Why the creature is doing something affects how they do it. A halfling forced to steal an artifact or have his family killed is going to have a different fighting style than a human warlock bent on world domination. Always know the back story of why your villains and creatures are doing what they do even if the motives will never be revealed to your players.

5.Understand their tactics. This is where you need to have at least a little knowledge about how animals hunt and military strategy. You don’t have to be an expert but having some knowledge will help you out. Watch some documentaries on predatory animals. Knowing that a wolf and a shark hunt in different ways will help you to bring life to your creatures by making your encounters more fleshed out. Watch some history documentaries, how was the Huns’ fighting style different from the Romans or the Celts? By looking into these real world examples you can make your villains more three dimensional and realistic. Have different villains or creatures use these different tactics and you will create memorable encounters.

Take to the Skies

My players are always full of surprises and creativity, that’s what I love about being their DM. Here was last night’s situation with a bit of background. Their party has been hired to aid a town of surface Drow who is under threat of attack from a group of Underdark Drow. Our intrepid heroes were first tasked to infiltrate the Underdark Drow city to discover when they were planning their attack for. They managed to steal some parchments from the war room which contained two plans for routes of attack but none of the parchments said when they would attack. The priestess in charge of the above ground Drow asked them upon return if they would stay and aid in the fight against the Underdark Drow. There was quite a bit of debate about whether or not to stay but after a long discussion, they all agreed that they would stay and aid in the town’s defense. They had two days about town before the Underdark invasion began, the army of Underdark drow coming at them from three sides.

The party decided that they would aid the side with the least defense. Their plan of attack was not something I expected. Tyr is playing a shape-shifter (a race that we homebrewed) and their plain was to used aerial combat by having him shift into a griffin. Here’s the mechanics of how I ran the all-out war. The surface Drow have an army comprised of themselves and the aid of a dwarvish division and a deep gnome division. The other side is composed of Drow and slaves of varying races. Everyone is technically fighting all at the same time, our party is engaged with one small group of bad guys at a time. When that group falls they engage the next group of combatants. There is no time for rest or even to down a healing potion in-between encounters.

Hal and Carter’s PC’s jumped on Tyr’s Griffin took to the skies circling over their prey. Carter’s PC is an excellent archer so he was doing some amazing damage from the back of the griffin. Hal, to the contrary, is not designed for ranged combat so after a couple of rounds of him not even giving the evil Drow a sting he waited until one of the times Tyr dove down for an attack and jumped off of Tyr’s back in order to engage the enemy on the ground where he was more effective. Now this is one of those times where you have to not be a slave to the rules. If you want to be technical for Hal to dismount Tyr would have had to land and stay standing on the ground until Hal’s next turn for Hal to take the action to dismount. That would mean that Tyr and Carter would have to stay vulnerable on the ground until it got back around to Tyr’s turn again when he could use his movement to take back to the skies. It doesn’t make for very entertaining game play. However a griffin screeching on an attack dive with a raging halfling barbarian leaping from his back and landing soundly on the ground beside an opponent, now that is interesting game play. For the rest of the night this is how they battled; with Hal on the ground raging connecting with flail and shield bash (aiming specifically for the Drow’s groin region), Carter sniping them from the sky with his bow, and Tyr ripping them to ribbons with his griffin talons and beak. It was pretty epic.

They are only two encounters into the war. There are waves to come and a few other surprises up my sleeves. The guys enjoyed themselves and hopefully they will continue to have fun with what lays in store for them. It will probably take two if not three more sessions to get through the war. I’m know I’m looking forward to it, and I hope my players are too.

5 Tips for the New DM

I remember the overwhelming feelings I had the first time I DM’d. It seemed like a most daunting and perhaps even an insurmountable task had been laid before me. I didn’t know any other DM’s at the time, I had no one to ask for advice or to guide me through the process. Below you’ll find a few things that I’ve learned that can help out those new to DMing.

1.Make the game more important than the rules. Yes, we need agreed upon rules in order to play the game but don’t become a slave to them. No rules lawyers need apply. What is most important, first and foremost, is providing a great game for the players. Sometimes the best way to do that is to fudge the rules or in some cases make your own rules. What playing D&D is about is telling an engaging interactive story. Never forget that your most important job as a DM is to tell a great story for the players. Everything with DMing is a judgment call. Trust your judgment, if a player wants to do something and it doesn’t quite fit with the rules but it would make for a great part of the story always feed the story, not the rules.

2.Don’t be afraid to really role play NPC’s. It can be difficult not to feel self-conscious but as a DM you need to have multiple personalities and act them out. One of the things that is often talked about among DM’s is how to get their players to better role play their PC’s. The DM sets the stage. Play your NPC’s to the hilt. Firstly, because it makes the game more alive and memorable. Secondly, because the DM sets the tone. It may take some time but if you as the DM throw yourself into role playing NPC’s it will set the example and create an atmosphere where players are more comfortable with role playing themselves. They don’t have to feel so self-conscious because you’ve created an environment where role playing is normal not, weird and they aren’t alone in role playing. One thing players have told me as to why they shy away from role playing is because they feel weird about it. They don’t want to be the only one at the table doing it. If as a DM you are putting your heart into role playing then the players no longer feel weird about it because they aren’t the only one trying to role play.

3.Appeal to the senses. None of it is real but a good DM tries to make it feel real to the players. Immerse your players in the game through their senses. Don’t overload them but whenever they are in a situation try to appeal to at least two of the five senses. Do they smell pies cooling in a window or maybe the stench of sweaty mud covered orcs? It’s easy to focus on what the players see but be sure to include other senses to make the encounter more complete.

4.All creatures are not created equal. Your players will encounter many creatures and villains through your campaigns and they do not all used the same fighting styles and tactics. An abolith doesn’t fight the same way as a kobold or an acolyte. Part of roleplaying is making sure that you make things challenging and interesting by basing your creatures’ actions on their own intelligence level and what tactics they would naturally use. The monster manual can help with this, read the description of each creature you will be using. Take some time to think about what that creature’s natural behavior would be. Does it make knee jerk reactions or is it more calculating? Is it usually found alone, in a pack, or with specific other creatures? Answering these kinds of questions will give you a better understanding of what makes the creature tick and using this information will make your encounters richer and more memorable.

5.Don’t be afraid to wing it. Whether running a mod or a campaign of your own design you must keep in mind what I call the law of DMing, “Your players will always find a way to mess up your best laid plans.” At some point they, are going to deviate from what you expect or want them to do. Don’t let this send you into the wall. Wing it. Always be ready and willing to wing it. One of the things I do is think about what some of the different choices my players might make when presented with a situation. Thinking about this ahead of time helps me to be more prepared but even then I still have to wing it at some point in almost every session. Have no fear and remember that your campaign isn’t written in stone; it’s okay to just fly by the seat of your pants. The main thing you have to remember in pulling this off is not to let your players know that you’re making it up as you go. If you’ve ever seen a cat fall off of a chair and get up and walk away like, “I meant to do that,” that’s the attitude you need to take. If you act like you meant to do that all along your players will never be the wiser and the game will go on without a hitch.