Advice for a first time DM (D&D)

[Caedis Animus]

So I'm working on making a Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 campaign for some friends. I'm out of home for a few months, so I'm taking the time to create the campaign; However, considering I've never DMed, just played, I'd like some advice on how to do so effectively. General advice is fine.

For clarification, I am using grids and character tokens (For lack of money, as I can't simply buy miniatures and legitimate board sets).

[Red Pins]

Don't get rattled - my brother and his friends introduced jet packs, riding ostriches, and decided to play NE characters.  I gave up in disgust.  Mind you, we were 12 and 10 respectively.

I guess just remember that improvisation is on both sides - be the neutral, not the narrator.  If they instantly grasp that the gold is at the bottom of the latrine, let them get it, then force them to defend it instead of trying to defend it.  Don't have a script and force them to follow it.

[Caedis Animus]

Ah, I don't think I'm going to let it get that out of hand. Oddly enough, I'm actually going to be the youngest person there too (An 18 year old DMing for a mix of 21-24 y-o players sounds funny, honestly), but I've also made it clear thus far that I'm not going to tolerate stupidity unless it really is funny.

Not that I expect too much from most of them. But I won't force them to keep on script-I've been in a campaign with that before, and I know how irritating that can be.

[Fallen_Raven]

Accept that at some point your so called heroes are going to start breaking into houses, making ransom demands, and committing arson. They'll get so comfortable with the idea that being the heroic protagonists justifies their actions that they stop thinking about what any onlooker would see.

Rather than trying to reign in their excesses wait until they do something really dumb, then have them get caught. It makes for an interesting twist when the heroes have to flee mob justice! ;D

[StCptMara]

1) Expect the PCs will mess up your carefully laid plans. They will kill that Bad Guy who is supposed
         to be a recurring villian with one shot. They will side with the manipulative prince over the honest,
         but blunt, beautiful princess. They will bypass the epic tomb of death for that small imperial
         waystation.

    Go along with it! Improvise. That Villian? Maybe he was a pawn of someone else, maybe he isn't REALLY
       dead, or maybe he was the only one keeping something else in check. Maybe they had a reason for
        siding with the guy you knew was evil...but you can always make them regret it.  And, why *IS* that
        Waystation so close to the Tomb of Death?  Why, in fact, is it half a days travel from the stations on
        either side of it, as opposed to a full days travel?

2) Know your rules. Because, frankly, if you don't, someone at the table is going to walk all over you.

3) When you decide you are going to make a target be random: roll which player is going to roll for the
     target. This will keep your dice from being accused of hating one particular player(True story: had a
    player who, over three GMs, whenever something was to target a random person, it targeted him,
    usually with insta-gibbed results), and give the illusion that their fate is in their hands.

4) Roll behind a screen whenever possible. This will allow you to fudge rolls to either hit or miss without
    PCs seeing what the rolls really are. However, never be afraid to put a critical, life and death roll
    "Out in the clear" so PCs can see the instrument of their doom (Also..when fudging a roll, never make
    it a critical hit).

5) Sometimes, you will take pity on a player for some really bad luck for their PC. In those instances it is safe
    to immediately as you see the result come up that natural 1, be distracted by something else, and tell the
    player "I did not see that roll. Make it again." (Of course..this is a one time thing..make damned sure you
    watching that second roll like a hawk, and if it is bad..well, sometimes the Dice will have their way.)

6) Read Darths and Droids, ESPECIALLY the commentary. I won't link to it because, sometimes it violates
    forum rules about self censoring of language, and, well, it is a screen-capture comic from the Star Wars
    movies. However, it has great advice for beginning GMS.

[Atlas3060]

Another resource to look at is Geek and Sundry's Titansgrave.
Wil Wheaton, as a GM, has the players help shape the game.
In fact, he has done a panel with the group. Which help put the behind the scenes stuff together. I found some of it interesting as a budding GM.

Sure the GM will have tent poles, some things they want to hit upon, but overall the players fill in the between stuff or even help shape things as they go.

Story and fun are more important to some GMs and players, see what the players like and decide if that meshes with your expectations.

[idea weenie]

The PCS are the main characters in the session, not the NPCs (you may have an important NPC, but it should be the PCs driving the story along).  (Had one game where at the end we were in a sailing ship catching up to a slaving ship.  The slaving ship had slaves, and along the centerline was set up a pot of boiling oil with handles on the fore and aft parts of it so it could be poured over the slaves.  Our 'homework assignment' was to figure out our assault on the slaving ship so they didn't fry the slaves.  The next week we had our plan, and were going to put it into action.  Then we saw the NPCs from the NPC-controlled ship teleport aboard the enemy ship and deal with all the slavers.  Yes, we were angry.)

Before starting, ask the players what they want to do in the game.  This will help you build a campaign.  (It is also a cheap way to get ideas for a campaign.)

When setting up the campaign, give the PCs an idea of what sort of campaign it will be.  Otherwise their character choices will be all wrong.  If their choices are all wrong, let them re-spec.  (Had one GM who said we could play any type of character.  One player wanted to try a gnome illusionist.  It turned out to be an undead campaign.  The GM didn't allow the illusionist to re-spec.)

After each session, ask the players "What did you like/dislike, and what do you want to see more of".  (This lets you change the campaign so the players enjoy.)

Plan for players to be absent.  If one of them gets a nice piece of armor and is absent for several weeks after, your whole campaign plan might just vanish.

If a player has an idea, have them discuss it with you outside the game.   Chances are it could change/unbalance the whole campaign, so if you allow it, remind the player that if it proves to be unbalancing, you will either find a way to restore balance, or retroactively remove the item.  (I.e. a cleric using the "Craft Wondrous Item" feat from Pathfinder to make a resetting trap that goes off every combat turn, and casts "Cure Light Wounds" on the person resting on it.  Or creating a 'trap' that casts "Create Food and Water" every minute, effectively providing enough bland water and nutritious food for 21,600 people.  Then a wizard casts a permanent Prestidigitation spell so the food and water are flavored whatever the wizard wants.)

Three clues.  You are not providing a single clue to Batman, you are providing a bare hint to ordinary people.  The first clue they will miss, the second they will get wrong, but the third they will suddenly realize.

If it is a dungeon, make it 'breathe'.  If the PCs clear out the goblins on the top floor, what will move in after them?  If they ignore the kobold raids, then what will happen to the town?  If the wizard gifts a few magic missile wands to the local militia, what sort of favors/contacts will the wizard get in return?

If the party comes across a succubus with a wand of "Cure disease" that has 4 uses left out of 50, will they make the connection?   }:)

[Atlas3060]

You know when you make your words tiny like that, folks can't read that. It then gets really annoying. Sometimes I wish that feature was removed from this software.

[Mattlov]

Don't make a railroad adventure path.  The key thing I do is make a few encounters the PC may or may not run into during a session or two.  Make sure they have a long term goal, and maybe a side quest or two handy at all times.  Let the PCs decide where they are going and how they get there.  Remember the game is more about them than it is you.

Keep extra rule books to a minimum.  If you have not DM'ed before, don't use a bunch of advanced player guides and alternate rules.  Keep it simple for everyone.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Remember that you've got the right to veto a player idea if it doesn't fit in your campaign or is brokenly powerful compared to everyone else.

Also don't be afraid to step in if you've got a player who's hogging the spotlight or bullying one or more of the other players.  The game is supposed to be fun for the whole group, not just one person.

When designing encounters, take in mind the group's strengths and weaknesses.  The Challenge Ratings are guidelines, not hard numbers.  If you've got more spellcasters, a Golem that's immune to magic is a more challenging encounter than if you have a group of melee oriented characters who all pack Adamantine weaponry.

[Caedis Animus]

Yeah, I'm with Atlas 3060-I hate the supertiny text.

Anyways, I'm especially wary of Attention *Farming Instruments* in campaigns, being in a group with one in the past (Funny enough, he was actually the weakest in our party, even though he had a steel golem as a sidekick. That I could cut down in a single turn. OP ambidexterous dual weilding 110 HP at level 6 Ranger is OP.). It was frequently bickered about.

Would giving little "Buffs" to players completely outstripped by allies be considered the right thing to do, or is debuffing players that are overpowered compared to their party members better?

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

It really depends on what they're doing.  If someone's using three different books to create some sort of combo, don't allow them to do it.  If it's just a cleric or wizard, well, unless the player is amazingly incompetent they'll be overshadowing the fighter by about level 6 at the latest.  You can give out a few minor magic items or the like, but you don't really want to give too much stuff to any one player or it will probably come across as favoritism.

[StCptMara]

Yeah, I'm with Atlas 3060-I hate the supertiny text.

Anyways, I'm especially wary of Attention *Farming Instruments* in campaigns, being in a group with one in the past (Funny enough, he was actually the weakest in our party, even though he had a steel golem as a sidekick. That I could cut down in a single turn. OP ambidexterous dual weilding 110 HP at level 6 Ranger is OP.). It was frequently bickered about.

Would giving little "Buffs" to players completely outstripped by allies be considered the right thing to do, or is debuffing players that are overpowered compared to their party members better?

Yeah..the glory hogs? You know how I fix them? I give them exactly what they want. Their deeds travel the land, and are twisted and misinterpreted by bards far and wide! Seriously, go find this song on Youtube: The Leslac Version. It is a pair of adventurers telling the real story of what happened while a bard tells his rendition of it..And then, the REAL fun begins
when the Glory Hound is being given credit/blamed for things he didn't do. It falls into the "Give players what they
want out of the campaign....and this guy wants to be famous and important.."

And, as for the whole buffing and debuffing PCs? No. Instead, look at where the other PCs are GOOD, and make that
important. If there is a guy who is really good in melee, and another who has a build that is great at range, give
them fghts where that is necessary. If there 7is a guy who is weak in combat, but is great at research/lore/social
stuff(you know...like, say, a Bard), then give them those sorts of things as well.  Give everyone a chance to shine.
Also, remember that some PLAYERS are more creative or extroverted than others. This means they are going to
run roughshod over the more timid/shy PLAYERs. Part of being a GM is being a good read of people, and being
able to encourage the quiet people to feel they have as much to say, do, or contribute as the loudmouth.

[Fatebringer]

Howdy (Waves)

As a previous new GM running very experienced player, I had the 'pleasure' of having to take a firmer tone then I would have liked to, but I had to tell them that the shenanigans I've seen them do in previous games won't fly in mine. It sounds like your running with a pretty fresh group, but if you want to have control of the adventure I recommend taking a firm grip on things from the start. I always give my players a heads up whenever we start a campaign with new character. To that end, I let them know:

If I make a decision about something should work a particular way, it will work that way all the time. I provide the gist of the adventure theme and an overall story feel. (Example: There will be a lot of travelling by boat with scrupulous folk, sea monsters and plenty of politics.) This should help them in figuring out what they want to play. And most of all, I tell them the games are based on actions and consequences, I’ll take things easy on them to start and never kill a character off unless it’s absolutely unavoidable in the first two levels, but after that the gloves come off and NPC’s that want them dead, will try to kill them.

Let them know it’s your world, but it’s their adventure. Encourage them to figure out why they're working together or who’s in charge, it will save you time and will get them more invested in their characters than if you do it for them. I suggest strongly that you start off by talking to your players about what they want to play before you let them make characters because if you have to veto someone’s concept, it goes a lot smoother before they do their sheet up than after, and yes, don’t be afraid to Veto something you don’t think will work in your campaign. I’m currently running a party with 3 evil characters out of 7, because of the aforementioned I wouldn’t let someone play a Paladin. If you need someone to play a role that’s missing from your group such as healer and no one steps forward, don’t be above bribery ;) Find a useful item or Free Feat someone who helps out in that aspect. ;)

Make sure you have a spell list from each caster and track Spell use / Ammunition / Wand Charges, it's not that hard if you put these things into Excel first. If your more about the story then the rules, tracking Encumbrance becomes an optional thing, it can slow down an adventure to have them stop to unload things all the time. The only real fix is to not tack it or have a way for them to have Bags of Holding / Handy Haversack’s / mounts / minions … which is why some GM’s opt out.

If you suspect cheating, take charge and insist on watching all rolls and visible dice. Things to watch out for Rolling on surfaces away from the table where players are constantly rolling 15+, players with "bad eyesight" and invisible dice picking up the die that's purposefully hard to read and watch him ever so gently twist it and point it to someone else, and ask innocently "That's a 20 isn't it?" We have one player that has to roll with bright yellow dice with black numbers for that reason. Also watch out for the person that rolls ahead of time "testing dice" and just leaves it on the best roll and says, "this is what I rolled, look it's still there!"

For your own Dice Rolling, this is the CBT site ;) Megamek is a great program to roll multiple dice at the same time and with any number. Also, if you want to do real dice, creating a Dice Box is very useful. I’ve seem B-Tech GM’s make them for SRM / LB solvo’s and they’re really easy to make. Fill one row with D20’s and the following roll with row of damage dice, and repeat for each two rows you have. If players accuse you of cheating, then you have a whole different issue and need to talk to your group before you go any further. If your group doesn't trust you, you can't run an effective game.

As a first time GM, I recommend you start at low levels so that there’s less for you to need to know to start off. Stay away from the super-duper extra affects crit charts and work on learning the basics. You will always relish the days when there are less spells for you to need to know if you start low and save links to sites that you can search quickly. Limiting books that you are playing from will also make your first experience easier to manage. Also, try to find a Forum to bounce questions off of. I like Giant in the Playground.

My favorite way to create an adventure is to start with an end goal based on my players and find or make a unique item with an elaborate background. Doing so will give you a history that your players can track and you can create a reverse outline on how the players can get this information and develop side plots from there filling out fluff as you go. Don’t be afraid to deviate, telling players “No, you can’t” is a morale killer. Let them take their side arcs, and have messages reach them about things that are happening on your main plot. That’s just my usual thing, also I don’t make the first starting point of their adventure too close to their starting city that way they can travel and you can test out your random encounter tables and see how they work together.

[skiltao]

Set up fights in interesting places. Bridge over lava (narrow or elevated places in general), narrow ice ledge path (hazardous footing in general), moving platforms of various sizes (mobile terrain in general), city alleys with giant barrels careening through (periodic hazards in general), whatever; just have terrain that's varied enough so that the battle might get split in two, that some people can get above other people, or something else moving around so the players have more to think about than simply running up to the enemies.

(Meeting important NPCs is similar- stairways, balconies, ball rooms, orchestra pits... anywhere that isn't a flat bare room with a single entrance. PCs might decide to kill 'em, after all.)

Enemies are often smart enough to run away (to have a quick exit prepared), or to send for reinforcements. Enemies are sometimes vengeful enough to make trouble for the PCs without engaging directly (turning an upcoming village against the PCs, cutting a rope bridge, stealing supplies, etc). Enemies who survive a trick or tactic are usually smart enough to adopt that same trick or tactic against the PCs.

Spread notable NPCs around liberally, but put only minimal work into each the first time you use them: you don't know which ones are going to be player favorites (let alone alive) in five levels; add a little more detail each time you use them, and don't get attached to villains (again, you don't know how long they'll survive) and friendly or neutral NPCs can always be turned villainous (whether by magic, by moral corruption, by legitimate conflict of loyalties, or because the PCs have (knowingly or not) chosen to undermine them).

The PCs can't intimidate, bribe or mind-read information out of an NPC if the NPC doesn't know that information to begin with. (The NPC probably knows someone who at least knows more than themselves, though.)

If a player is getting into stuff you don't want to spend time on, ask them what they're trying to achieve, figure what the chances of various outcomes would be if you reduced everything to a single roll, tell the player those odds, and (if the character proceeds) have them roll.

If a player is considering an action whose risks should be obvious to either the player or the character, tell the player up front what their chances of success are and what the chances (and severity) of other outcomes are.

Players must be given some way of anticipating lethal threats. Peasants talking about monsters or bandits; lots of howling before a wolf pack attacks; bones and debris strewn about where a monster has wandered; NPCs or animals dead at the entrance to a lethal room, or near a lethal object; decorations that the players know to associate with some other lethal place they've been before; that kind of thing.

If there's rules you know you'll need for the session, make enough notes so you don't have to flip around through books. If something comes up that you didn't expect, and it can't be looked up (or understood) quickly, make a spot rule "we'll handle it this way for now" (maybe rolling a die to decide between options), and make a note to look it up in between sessions. Ditto if players start spending too much time ("too much" depends on needs and tastes of the moment) discussing game mechanics instead of playing.

Never have a mission-critical obstacle that can only be resolved in one way. (Given enough resources, just about everything can be brute-forced, magicked, finessed or bribed.)

[idea weenie]

An interesting combo for a spellcaster would be summoning a few succubi, and casting Evard's Black Tentacles.

The tentacles spell covers a part of the floor with magical tentacles that attempt to grab and grapple anyone in the area.  Succubi are able to perform their level drain attack on anyone who is grappled.


Keep a list of spells that ignore spell resistance handy.  If the players get lots of spell resistance up, use that list.  If you have drow attacking a location, those are the preferred spells the local casters will use (and they will pay top dollar to be taught any they are missing).

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

If you're high enough level to be summoning succubi, relatively few of your enemies are going to have such a low grapple modifier that Evard's Black Tentacles will do much.  You'd be better off just nailing them with Enervation a couple of times.  Also, this idea involves voluntarily using 3rd Edition's grapple rules, and is therefore already a bad idea.

[Perigrin]

Steal shit from them. They will do anything to get it back.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Be careful how you do that.  It's really a (lousy) move on the GM's part if you're taking away the players' hard-earned equipment, especially if you do it frequently or use GM fiat to accomplish it.

[Perigrin]

Be careful how you do that.  It's really a (lousy) move on the GM's part if you're taking away the players' hard-earned equipment, especially if you do it frequently or use GM fiat to accomplish it.

The thing i did was give them an ENORMOUS amount of money for doing their first quest, let them use it for a bit, then had the Thieves Guild go after them for blatantly flaunting wealth. They went on a coupla adventures to get it back, and BOOM, instant level adjusted reward.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Okay, that's a little different.  I've had experience with DMs who'd dish out level appropriate loot, but then take it away from the players capriciously and with no chance of actually preventing the theft or recovering the stolen items.

[Perigrin]

I got to do a chase scene, a dungeon crawl, and a few levels worth of assorted tasks until they found it. And then some. Killer DMs, or just cruel DMs, are awful. I let them try to catch the guys running off with it, but the thieves got away.