RPG a Day 2021

DM tip: Make sure that you give descriptions that hit at least 2-3 of the 5 senses. What can they hear as they enter the town? Are there any good (or bad) smells? Do the boots squeak on the floor?

As the Dm it's important to have a plan. Your players will NEVER go word for word through the book. They will have things to, places that were barely mentioned that they will want to go visit. I like to have 2-3 random places and encounters to pull out incase the party strays off or needs a side quest break.

Who needs Siri or Alexa when you could have the following options to help guide your travels?

• A judgmental dwarf who will make snarky comments by will 100% get you lost in the woods

• The wood elf that wants to go off-roading because "survival checks" through the woods = short cuts.

• The halfling bard who's just along for the ride but will play you music, tell stories and share their pipe on long road trips.

Risk- There is no reward without risk. As a DM it is hard for me to sometimes balance the amount of risk and danger that must be taken on to truly “earn” loot or to push them to the next threshold. As adventurers go, your PC’s have chosen a life of risk and though they shouldn’t be in grave peril all the time there should be risks to their actions and the adventures they have.

Shout out to my dear DM Bork, and my players for keeping me going, giving me good vibes and for helping support me as a DM. I love ttrpg and love sharing the table creating memories.

Search- I like having players search for their own answers and to make rolls to see what they can find. It’s not fun when puzzle answers or mysteries are solved when you are hand fed all the solutions. Have players search to see what loot they find, have them roll survival checks on foot prints and see what the characters make of the world around them.

I like to reward players for making my laugh, for doing something clever and for playing their character well. Good role play deserves reward. Sometimes I will reward a little extra xp to that player, give inspiration or sometimes I'll let them find something cool and related to their character.

The best throne moment was when one of my players after the party cleared out the hobgoblin Chief of the Sunless Citadel, took over the throne and in true David Bowie fashion went full “You remind me of the Babe” on the goblins that came into that room after

Include: I like to always include my own homebrew or flair when it comes to my campaigns. Even if I am doing a published adventure or campaign there are always some things that I change or include to make it more me. I like puzzles and logical things for players to solve. Traps I like to add and make more complex. I also like including rp and encounter flavors to long travels.

I have been so amazed by the #ttrpgfamily on Twitter & Instagram. There are so many discussions and creative minds to talk to/bounce ideas off of and lots of support. I love how much ttrpgs, no matter which you play, can bring people together.

Let your players explore outside of the written game. Perhaps your players want to explore the environment, let them and bring some cool epic encounters to make memories with.

Don't forget that there are special travel paces as your players leave the paths to go exploring.

"Find the Path" is a 6th level spell that I don't feel is worth that high level of a spell slot .

I like the Path of the Storm Herald for barbarians. I love the Storm Aura as you rage. I wish the Raging Storm did more than take a speed down to 0 for an enemy.

Small and lucky are the halflings. Give a halfling a reduce size potion and have fun with all of the crazy things that a tiny halfling can do.

I love getting inspiration for my different ttrpgs. I use Youtube to make play lists of ambient music to listen to. I like going to speak easies (like the Velveteen) to get into a Cthulhu mood and I like reading/listening & playing games/finding minis to inspire my games.

As a Dm I always try to find ways to be a better DM. Whether it is listening to audio books or other streams to get inspiration or looking up improv things I always want to improve for myself and my players.

Engage- It is important to make sure that all of you players at the table are engaged. Make combat interesting and don't drag on. Make sure that you are also talking to players to make sure that they are enjoying the game and see what other things they want to have happen as well.

Just finishing up the video parts on my end for our new Twitch Stream that will be going live next Sunday. 8/15/21 you can join us on my Twitch channel to watch a live game of Dragon of Icespire Peak as I run a group through the Essentials Kit.

Really cool medium creature: The Arclight Phoenix from Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica. It is a really cool elemental that caught my attention. I really love it's Crackling Death feature.

Role- The majority of the time at the ttrpg table for me is as a GM/DM/Keeper. I love this role and don’t mind being in the “Forever Dm” spot as being a player is special. The Dm is an important role as the story teller guide. The story is built by everyone at the table and the dice rolls. It’t the role of DM to guide the stories reach different points, to run the monsters and help the players achieve their goals and story arcs.

My major emotion with TTRPG’s is excitement. Excitement that we get to play, that I get to hang out with friends, excitement over knowing what surprises are coming and the unknown as players will always do the unexpected and crazy. Can you tell I’m excited about TTRPG

I want my players to trust me as their DM. Trust that I will challenge them but give them a fun time. Trust that I’m there to cheer them on and not try to out right kill them. Trust that I’ll help guide their Pc’s through a likable adventure and respect boundaries

When I think of conscience I think of player morality and alignment. If your player is good alignment but is doing evil things I might have dreams or have the players feel/weight of their actions.

When players wake up from unconsciousness have the pc's feel pain. Waking up with 1 hit point should hurt, not feel like you instantly want to run back into battle because you're invincible.

Light is such an interesting cantrip. I love that the light can be any color that you want, and it lasts one hour. You can cast it on something that an enemy is holding or wearing to act as a beacon to help you see it. It lasts for an hour and can be done multiple times. Color code your party with colored lights.

Sometimes I like to award my players advantage to their rolls if they roleplayed something super well or if they can give me an amazing in character reason why something they want to do should have advantage. The dice are supposed to tell the story, there is no reason why advantage can't be rewarded for good playing.

My two favorite wildernesses to send my players through are coastal (variety of creature types) and desert. I wish I could use more Arctic wilderness in my games. I overuse forests in my games.

Listen- As a DM it is so important for a dm to listen to (and respect) their players. It’s the job to mix things up to make their players want to listen and enjoy listening to the story. It’s the players job to listen and take notes.

Heavy- I don’t like Heavy Armor. You will always have stealth disadvantage and I just don’t feel like Heavy Armor is worth having compared to medium armor. I usually don’t play a tank so I’m sure it does have it’s worth.

Players should learn to fear encounters for their player's safety (there's no such thing as a safe adventure) but they shouldn't despair when it comes to combat. Keep things flowing and progressing.

Give players time to think through what you present to them. If there is a big battle coming there is no harm to give the players 5 minutes at the table to discuss what they want to do.

Make sure that as a dm you are catering to the group consensus. Players should be able to have discussions and figure out what they want to have happen. If you can avoid it, don't rail road players into doing things they don't want to do.

Deep- Can I say how much I love the Deep Crow. Terrifying Large monstrosity with triple digit hit points and a CR of 9. If you haven’t seen one check out the Deep Crow in Acquisitions Incorporated.

As a Dm I love celebrating my players triumphs. Slay my BBEG, I’ll toast with you. Finish the campaign I’ll be just as emotional as you. Also, don’t forget that little things can be triumphs to. First nat 20, first boss battle, have a great RP night: triumphs

If you use the 4th level spell "Control Water" you are able to flood an area up to 20 feet into water. And it has a range of 300 ft. Nothing like the possibility of drownings armies with a 4th lvl spell.

As a DM, you will be expected to improvise all the time. Players will surprise you with who they want to talk to, what they want to do and sometimes it will be like herding cats but believe in yourself and have fun improvising the world around you.

Dice will bring you doom and joy. There will be days where you roll more nat 1's than anything else or days where you cant' roll above a 10. The dice give and they take.

Looking for a not so great vacation destination? Check out Festerwill pool in Wildemount. You may find harpies.

There are moments during games when there are high stakes or intense moments that may bring people to their limits. As a DM, it is important that I am able to recognize those moments. Sometimes we need to take breaks in a game for some breathing room/ brain break and the return when everyone feels able to again.

The main reason why we play TTRPGs are to have fun.

During session zeros I ask what sort of things players are looking forward to/ hope to see at the table to make sure that I can bring the most fun to the table I can.

Sometimes your players will want to know basic physics on if they can do something crazy with a spell or action. Just remember that big items can gain momentum...

Did you know you can move earth with a handy level 6th spell? Make yourself a dirt statue, you can dig yourself a trench to hide in, or you can slowly make yourself elevated. Downside is it takes time to move the dirt. Hope you can keep up your concentration.

I really like how in 5e DnD you can break up your moves. Its nice that you can move, do an action and then continue with the remaining movement.

It is important to be aware of the different speeds in your party. Be careful to not leave your party members behind.

Don't forget that some clerics and warlocks should be paying tribute to their deities in play.

I am always humbled when players pay me DM tribute. I never expect it or ask for it but the gifts are always so loved. I also love snack tributes.

When creating your own ttrpg villain it's important to have a full character. The BBEG (big bad evil guy/gal) is the reason that your party is together and the thing that they have been going on an adventure to defeat.

When I make a villain I try to give it 3 things about it. This could be accent/appearance/tick/prop/pet/etc.

Also figure out your villains motivation before you introduce them.

My favorite fiend creature is the Nabassu with soul stealing gaze, magic resistance and abyssal telepathy. Cr 15 and a great pick from the Abyss.

Anything can be turned into a trap to add flavor. Trap the door, trap the floor, trap the pouch on that skeleton. Make them interesting, some can be complex with multiple parts. I love Xanathars guide for all their trap info.

Crime Syndicates are great to throw your players up against or even having your rouge or players become part of a syndicate.

Crime can be anything from burgling, roughing up thugs, cons and heist to high level assassinations.

Did you know that you can have different crime clans fighting each other and make players have to choose sides as well.

5E even has rolls for players to attempt a crime. With Stealth, dex thieves tools, investigation, perception and deception the players can see how much loot they are able to get and see if they are able to escape. There is a section for crime in Xanathar's Guide under downtime revisited.

I like in session zero to ask players if they have nay nemesis or a person from their backstory they have wronged that might come back for revenge. I like pulling out personal ghosts for the players to have to deal with from time to time. There are also instances where my players create a villain in their backstory and make it more dastardly than I could have made it for them.

Ebberon: Rise from the Last War also has a nemesis table if you are looking for a foe to haunt your past.

I have found that it is very important to give different ttrpg's a try. There are so many different officially published and ttrpgs created by community members that I have found you need to try sampling more than one. You will find that there are different aspects of ttrpg games that you can adapt and bring to whatever game that you decide is best for your table.

I try to write for my blog when ever I can. After work I'm usually so tired and unmotivated. I write during nap time, and in my car on lunch breaks. When we're driving somewhere we listen to music/ttrpgs and I write. I keep a mini notebook in my purse for writing.

The spell Compelled Duel is a level 1 spell with a Wisdom Save that some of my players have used against my monsters and creatures. The spell has your enemy, on a failed save, drawn to the caster with disadvantage on attack rolls for any creatures other than you. It effectively makes it useless in combat unless it is fighting against the person who compelled it into a duel.

In Tomb of Annihilation you can visit the Valley of Lost Honor. A good place to release some undead encounters.

I personally do not run games with the Honor score. In the Dungeon Master's Guide there is a section talking about adding two new ability scores to your game: Honor and Sanity. This can be added to your campaign when a character has a devotion to a specific code. You can give honor to your players based on their actions when, when their adventures proves they understand their code. There is a whole section on honor checks and saving throws.

The most ridiculous rival that is in published WOTC material is the background "Rival Intern." Once upon a time your character was an intern at a rival of Acquisitions Incorporated. I have the Acquisitions Incorporated book, and though I do not use it a lot it does have a lot of amusing things, like this background.

I like having different themes to my campaigns. There is always the story of good and evil, and the theme of heroism in my games. I also like adding some of the power corrupts and revenge/betrayal to add some conflict in the game.

Faire Storm is a fantastic 7th level spell that can really pack a 7d10 fiery punch.

I really enjoy the campaign "Storm Kings Thunder" I am currently running a second group through this particular campaign.

I personally have a rule of cool style of Dming. I want my players to write a story, one that the rules as written may not have taken into consideration. I like having a game that is a good mix of Rp, exploration and combat.

There are so many different patrons to pick from for warlock and I love that there is also a chance to make your own flavor of patron as well. I'm a particular fan of The Archfey and The Great Old One.

The foundation of my D&D journey was a family game. Now I am happily the Forever DM. I like being the foundation of so many different games. I love creating games for my players to explore and to help build their story. I love putting down foot stones for players to follow or completely ignore and go off exploring on their own.

Tasha's Cauldron of Everything brought us the Peace Domain. These clerics are trying to bring peace to the realms. The domain spells are that of protection and those of purity and hope. A person with this domain doesn't have to be completely passive, defending oneself in battle is ok, but they are usually a cleric of peace and tranquility.

I player in character creation comes to the player to decide their lineage. Perhaps they are dragon born and they pick which dragon color they come from. Perhaps they decide what stereotypes they break.

As a dm I like to make sure my players fine/have a powerful ally. In Storm Kings Thunder they get Harshnag, and Crit Role had Gilmore. It's important to give the party someone who can help occasionally (sometimes in op ways) and keep up spirits.

When writing notes for my planned games I like to leave notes to be simple. I found that the more I write the less that gets used. I like to have bullet points of encounters and things that I would like my player to get through for the session.

I am not a fan of Challenge ratings for monsters. Sometimes there is not a good label on certain monsters. I want to throw encounters at my players that pose a challenge, and they give the chance to be harmed but I never want to give just deadly encounters to my players.

Call of Cthulhu is one of my favorite ttrpgs because we get to use fears and phobias for players and the sanity rolls are great. Fear can be a powerful motivator and story teller. I have my players invent at least one fear for each of their characters.

It's important that your villains have a motive that makes sense and fits the story line. Why did the BBEG become that way? What motives do they need to act and speak a certain way?

I have a terrible memory. It is another reason why note taking is so important. Dm Bork is my external memory drive as well.

I get my best ideas during the evening. I do a lot of my writing for campaign work and come up with new one shots. I like to get ideas from Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram as well. Pictures, sentence starters and music can all be sparks for innovative ideas.

I love having a quick reference guide up to help make the game go smoothly. I like this one by Crobi specifially.

My players love getting the surprise on their opponents. Surprise is suppose to take place in initiative in 5th edition and I am sometimes terrible at remembering that based on older ttrpgs I've played.

Comprehend languages is such a cure all for when you need to translate old text or languages that players may not know off the top of their head. This spell ahs wrecked many translation puzzles I have done.

I love it when my players have crazy things about their characters that they get to share in the story with everyone. I also enjoy that table top gaming is creating a story that is shared by everyone that is there at the table.

We've all heard about ancient dragons, but have you checked out the ancient construct? It is only a CR 4 but is super op when it comes to damage and condition immunities. It also has a heavy slam and the slow ability can be intense if it has lots of recharges.

Sometimes my players find it hard to solve the puzzles and riddles that I pose. It is always nice to add clues and hints leading up to the puzzle or room to give the players a better chance of solving things.

Welcome to my dungeon. I love having different groups come to my table to share different stories.

As a DM it is important that every feels welcome and feels as if they are treated equally at your table.

It is tradition that when we do in person games that we do a pot luck. We have healthy snack options such as fruit trays and veggie trays.

Fresh ideas are important and sometimes there is no better place than to ask your players what they want. Sometimes they come up with crazy things that they wan to explore or try in the game that give a fresh look at the game you have been playing.

I really like the starter and essential kit boxes as starting points for new gamers trying out D&D 5e. I also like that Starfinder and Pathfinder also have starter boxes that can introduce players to those games. I look forward to looking at the Starfinder box and putting up a review here in the future.

With Avernus- Path of Demons, there is a section called "A Wizard's Theory" where there are 8 standing stones which is a puzzle/experiment. This encounter has some crazy effects with the standing stones and the air does damage as well.

I wish there was more time in the week to play ttrpg. Most of my groups play bi weekly for 2 hour sessions (3 groups). My weekend groups play for longer anywhere from 4-10 hrs depending on if it's in person or on line with breaks for meals. My one shots play for 4 hrs.

A sorcerer gets to choose their magic origin. There is a draconic bloodline and a wild magic choice in the player handbook. As fun and random as the Wild Magic Surges can be, there is a great danger with some of the effects (like the casting fireball on yourself surge).

Renew- if you are checking out books from the library don't forget to renew them (like seriously, I have forgotten while using library books for D&D and it is is frustrating to wait a month to get them again).

Make sure that you are dividing up a session equally to make sure that everyone is getting a chance to do what they want. Think of your game as a pie chart. Each player should have the same fraction of individual attention as any other player at the table. Also make sure your roleplay to adventure to combat ratios is at a ratio acceptable to all your players.

It's ok to practice your character or practice your dm skills. I love one shots as practice exercises. I also love to do little writings to help practice for those "what if" situations when you players go off the deep end and off script.

I like finding prompts from Pinterest or twitter to use as writing practices. I also like to throw ideas out in DM Bork's way to work through some Dm brain exercises.

Don't expect your party to kindle friendship instantly. Friendship and trust come with experiences that grow over time. It makes the party more meaningful when things happen naturally than trying to force it along.

As a DM, it's ok to recognize if a group is not for you. You will come across many groups possibly in your time. Not all groups will work well together and the main thing is find a group that works well for you and where everyone can work together and have fun.

Solo- I really love how Chaosium has some Keeperless solo adventures for Call of Cthulhu. I love playing ttrpg and I wish there were more solo games that you can play by oneself for when you feel like you really shouldn’t pick up another campaign to fill the TTRPG itch.

I also love running one-on-one games. It brings a different dynamic when it is a solo player and a Dm/Gm/Keeper and a player. You get more into role play if that’s what you’re into or you can explore very specific ideas that the player wants.

Dream- The dream would be to do more TTRPG. I love running games, writing one shots and playing games. The whole ko-if tips and audience participation during streams has been so overly positive it makes me happy to know people are liking the content.

I would love to dedicate more time to the Dungeon Fox Chronicles Blog and not be extremely tired after doing a 40 hr work week. If there were more time in the day there would be more TTRPG time.

Open: I like keeping communication open to my players during game time. I have discord/private chats/ roll20/ texting etc. all available for my players to reach out. I never want players to feel like they can’t ask questions or be open with me. I also am working on being more open with my players. I am not good with self care and D&D is my escape to happy during the week but sometimes I need to be open and go I just can’t tonight (mostly due to physical health reasons). Players are always free to message me off game time too. I love hearing back story stuff during the week to help go into my dm planning.

There's nothing like a good old fashion Dungeon Delve for players to be run through. In 1998 the first Dungeon Delve appeared at GenCon Game Fair.

Delves can be quick short dungeon dives to give players and DM's a chance to run different short games to do different D&D experiences. Try out new elements, different story factors or just go through RP with players.

I do Delves when players of mine can't make it to a session so there is still a D&D game for the rest who can make it.