D&D New DM help

[Judge Hades]

No, not a starting group, but I have had many epic battles between the PCs and sometimes they are more fun that what I actually had planned.

[213374U]

A question for you DM types, that has a 10+ page discussion dedicated to it over at the NWN2 boards.

 

How do you handle HPs per level? Do you allow to reroll 1s? Half max HPs or dice roll, whichever is higher (a la NWN)? Always max HPs? Max HPs at 1st level?

Do you adjust creature HPs accordingly?

 

I ask this because one of the most common arguments is that allowing for completely random HPs per level adds variety, but I don't really see how. It's the only character variable that's still random, and it's one of the instances where a bad roll can really affect the game (think a barbarian that rolls 1,2,1), while the rest are all tabulated and follow a supposedly balanced progression.

 

This is a PnP question, I don't care about the CRPG concerns. And while in PnP a 5th level barbarian with 24 HP might survive, there are IMO plenty of other instances where luck plays a role without permanently conditioning the player's game and restricting their options.

 

Thoughts?

Edited November 1, 2005 by 213374U

[Judge Hades]

Maximum hit points at first level then the character gains half the hit die +1, then add in Constitution Modifier. That is how I handle HP gain in the d20 System. So your Barbarian, being at 5th level, would have a base of 40 hit points before Constitution mods.

Edited November 1, 2005 by Hades_One

[Kaftan Barlast]

I dont really GM D&D but in Starwars d20 I give them max Vitality points/level. I dont like killing player characters.

 

 

 

But it is very strange to have HP depened on randomness, the swede rpgs I played in my youth all had values that depended on an attribute.

[Reveilled]

I do max HP at first level, allow rerolls of 1s at second level, and thereafter what you roll is what you get.

[metadigital]

Depends on the character class, too. A mage with two hitpoints at level two is dead, Zed. A fighter may well have a constitution bonus to add, but I agree in principle with Reveilled's stance, as the first level is the most important (by far).

[Volourn]

"Creating enemies - (low leveled, level 3-5)"

 

Make them varied. Don't just do basic goblins, orc, or zombies. Use animal/zombie skeletons, use a goblin fighter, use a orc sorceror, or have goblins riding mean dogs (goblins typical ride woves; but wolves are a tad much for 1st level PCs). At level 3-5, have spider riding duergar (though duergar can be tircky as their extra abiltiies like invsibility and imunity to paralysis hurts low level spells like hold person and the like)

 

 

"How to best describe areas -"

 

It varies. If you are in some cave, you shouldn't have to describe each room in detail since most cave rooms should feel, and look basically the same. In a more elaborate setting like a castle or a manufatcured dungeon (ala the steroetypical abandoned dwarven mine/stronghold) then be as colourful as you can as long as its meaningful to the players.

 

"How to make use of the PC's abilities -"

 

Take advantage of their abilities. One example is that even a low level decent charisma cleric can take out low level undead like skeletons and zombies in bunch. If you are sneding half a dozen skeletons to tackle a part of 4 1st level adventurers; normally that would be a challenge; but that cleric can destroy those undead before they even enter melee making the encounter meaningless other than to show off kewl turning powerz. Send instead a score of undead so the cleric can kill many if not most of them while the other characters will still have a chance to be useful in battle. In areas where the players will be tackling undead, add traps or doors that cna be picked by rogue to make them feel usefuls ince a rogue's primary combat ability - sneak - is worthless versus undead. Create situations where spellcasters cna't always depend on the same old spells but places where odd spells like spider climb and the like may be useful.

 

"Things to NOT DO as a DM"

 

Don't taregt one PC because for whatever reasona nnoyed you.

 

Don't give powerful magical items out unless you've gone over what kind of effect it may have your campaign long term as well as short term. Even a helm of underwater action can be unbalancing in the wrong situation.

 

Don't force players to complete your quest. If they seem interested in soemthing let them explore whatever they want. Even if they are first level, and they want to explore 'The Swamp of the Damned'

 

Do not fudge the dice in favor of the monsters. Ever. If players find a way way to beat your Uber Monster tm. then elt them enjoy the victory. Don't make it artifically harder. You can always make notes for the next encounter to up the challeneg if needed. You cna't take back player deaths; but you can learn from defeated monsters what your party's abilities are.

 

 

 

 

"Things Encouraged as a DM"

 

Do not be afraid to fudge the dice in favor of the PCs. Pcs only have one life; monsters don't matter in the long term. However, do not to this often as the purpose is to challeneg the PCs not make it easy on them.

 

Use rumour, myths, and innuendo to bring the PCs to wher eyou wnat them to be. Players are more liekly to be interetsed in adventure they looked for then one brought to them because the local family asked for help or the king ordered it. Or as I put it, let the adventurers seek adventure.

 

Make sure the Pcs have a background, and eventually bring that background into play.

 

Introduce as many interesting npcs as possible. This is espicially important at low leevls as thats's where friendship bonds are built. The PC will have more motivation to 'rescue the farmer's daughter from the big bad ogres at 8th level' if danced with her at the village summer celebration when he was 1st level than any random farmer's daughter.

 

The list goes on; but I won't...

 

 

 

 

P.S. I tend to use max hit points at 1st level + random lows from then on. I only allow 1s to eb rerolled if it seems to occur tot eh same player over,a nd over again or simply give them half the die roll.

 

Bleeding I use the -10 + con bonus level.

 

Chance to stop bleeding unhelped is 10% + con bonus x5. Meaning with a con of 14 it would be 20% chance.

 

Resting gets you back 1hp + con bonus + level back.

 

 

That is all.

Edited November 2, 2005 by Volourn

[Reveilled]

Woah. Been up all night, Volourn? That spelling is uncharacteristically crazy for you.

[Jediphile]

A few comments on the top of my head... "

 

On planning:

 

Plan a lot! Now, this may sound strange coming from me, since I hardly ever plan my games - usually I just have a loose idea for a plot and nothing else. I hardly ever prepare stats or maps or anything like that. However, there are a few reasons for this.

 

For one, I don't play dungeon crawls. Period. Even though we play AD&D, our spelunking days are few and far between, because dungeon crawls usually have little or no plot - it usually comes down to "hole in the ground with treasure and monsters", which is boring and unimaginative to me plotwise. But it's not a bad place for beginning players to start..

 

Second, I've been a GM for well over a decade, and my current campaign has lasted over a decade now as well, so naturally I know the campaign, the rules, and the characters rather well by now. That's a luxury a new DM just won't have. This is also the reason why I can get away with not preparing stuff - I can modify or make up stats pretty much on the spot by now, so what's the point of preparing it all?

 

For a beginning GM this will not be much of an option, but he should still try to be flexible in both plots and options for the players.

 

 

On splitting parties:

 

I cannot say that this is a bad thing per se. Yes, if it's for the purpose of dissent and confrontations within the group, then it's very bad. Role-playing is a social activity, after all, and letting the PCs fight each other is anti-social and so destroys the game. My solution is usually to let the PCs face such stiff opposition and sly manipulators that they'll have to cooperate to survive in the long run. If they don't, then they're certainly doomed if not dead - it doesn't help to be alive if the king is convinced you're guilty of a crime and puts you in prison for 10+ years...

 

That said, splitting the party CAN be fun if handled right. No, it's no fun if one character spends two hours playing solo with the GM while the others do nothing but wait, but it can work if let every character do something and then take the cinematic approach and switch between them rapidly. Play a few minutes with character, then switch to someone else. This is especially effective if the character is getting into trouble and is left hanging when you switch. Cliffhangers are fun, after all. I mean, how often have you watched a show, where some of the heroes are in a major fight and then the scene cuts to something more peaceful elsewhere with some of the other heroes? It happens all the time, and it works because it builds suspense. Dramatic pacing is important, even in roleplaying. But it does require that you have the plot set up beforehand, so you know where the story is going.

 

I never did the doppelganger bit myself, but I did recently do something similar to my group. They were all captured by an old enemy, but managed to escape. They didn't know, however, that one of them had been charmed (actually geas'ed) to assassinate the king and that the group would be set up as scapegoats. I talked to the affected player about this and let him play his enchanted character. It was pretty fun once the other players began to catch on...

 

If you do something like that, I suggest you have a 'backdoor' to get out of it, though, because players are a wonderful source of constant amazement to GMs, as it can be incredibly difficult to predict what they will and - especially - will not find to be obvious... In my plot the 'backdoor' was an NPC who could give the PCs clues to what was going on if things were getting out of hand. Never hesitate to let an NPC tag along with the PCs to serve as the GM's voice. Just be sure to switch the NPC and be prepared to let him die immediately if it serves a dramatic purpose.

 

 

On fudging dice:

 

This I have no problem with. I'm the Game Master - the dice are not! If I need to fudge dice to give the PCs a fighting chance, then I will. If I need to fudge dice for a dramatic or plot-based purpose or just to let the PCs at least know that they were in a fight, then I will.

 

Besides, you should roll dice all the time to create suspense. Something you should roll dice both to determine what happens in the game as well as to create suspense... If the players are worried when you suddenly begin rolling dice, then be sure to do so now and then just to keep them on their toes

 

 

On being descriptive:

 

I usually don't go into a lot of detail, but then it depends on the situation and the players. After all, if the players aren't interested in the "background graphics", then why should I be? They can always ask for more detail if they want it, so I generally advice starting there - describe people present and objects that could have significance (a table could be an obstacle, a chair could be a weapon, etc.), but don't worry about describing the image on the painting or the tapestries - if the PCs are interested, then they should ask for the details themselves. Unless the image is particularly striking, of course.

 

 

On rules-lawyering:

 

The GM is a referee, not a lawyer. He's a judge, not the police. That means he is there to consider when the rules apply. He is not there to make certain they are always followed and then enforce them when they're not. Know the rules, certainly. But also be sure to know when to throw them out the window.

 

 

On PC backgrounds and stats:

 

Whether this is important depends a great deal on campaign style. In pure dungeon crawls, it probably doesn't matter so much. My own campaign is heavily plot-based, however, and so background is essential and has been key to most the adventures we've played. I enjoy planning by plots so that they are triggered by the PCs' backgrounds and friends.

 

Make sure you use continuity in the campaign to your advantages. There is no reason why the wizard who helped the group out three adventures ago can't suddenly be missing and so in need for the PCs to look for him. Also, let enemies escape if they get the chance. That way they can return for revenge later and cause new trouble for the PCs, especially if the make an alliance with other enemies. Or the evil wizard the PCs defeated could have been part of a secret cult, which is now less than happy with the PCs and so sends assassins after them every few weeks...

 

Whether to play on romantic interests is a matter of taste. I tend to stay clear in most cases, since it's so clich

[metadigital]

...

On being descriptive:

 

I usually don't go into a lot of detail, but then it depends on the situation and the players. After all, if the players aren't interested in the "background graphics", then why should I be? They can always ask for more detail if they want it, so I generally advice starting there - describe people present and objects that could have significance (a table could be an obstacle, a chair could be a weapon, etc.), but don't worry about describing the image on the painting or the tapestries - if the PCs are interested, then they should ask for the details themselves. Unless the image is particularly striking, of course.

...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree with all your ramblings there; I especially liked the analogy for the GM to a judge.

 

I would underline the above sentiment, too. There has to be some buy in from the players, if they aren't intersted enough to ask about their surroundings, then don't automatically describe them as if they were playing Zork in verbose mode, and you are the talking book ... One camouflaged monster is all it takes to make the players take a healthy interest in their surroundings ...

[Rush]

Well, Im not quite sure how much my advice might help but I'll add it anyways. I also got this from having a VERY bad DM.

 

-DMs should know their players especially if you have been DMing a game for them for about a year. This means that if you know your players only do the first thing that comes to mind instead of listening to your obvious hints, the treasure should not ALL be burried in the walls or some other obscure place. You'll know your doing a bad job of handing out treasure when either the monk starts stealing the only loot you got from an entire dungeon after killing the boss, or people start making new characters just so they have enough for bracers of armor.

 

-Planning is good, do it often, especially planning for the unnexpected. But do not spend so much time planning the unexpected as to forget to plan the obvious. There was a time my DM had us defending from seiging goblins, and he gave the generals all names and backstories and other things, but forgot that most people in our party would just slaughter them without even a battle plan.

 

-Give the players spare time to do things. One night in a town is not always enough time to buy what you want or go where you want, either. Between adventures is definetly the best time to let them rest up for a week or so, maybe more depending on the town. My DM forgot to do this and was very suprised to find we all ran out of food halfway through the desert.

 

And lastly, NEVER let your personnal feelings get in the way of D&D. My DM and I got in a big fight, and because of it, killed my character, as well as the one I made after it. If you have that much anger towards a player, talk to them about it and be the bigger person.

[Reinoc]

Do not, ever, hand out a Deck of Many Things to a player. We, the players, had asked to pick cards from it, just for the kicks. It was out of game completely, but the DM allowed it and said it would be effective anyway, with no going back. All five players chose to pick 3 cards . Two players were lost (one by imprisonment, the other by a bad wish ) I lost all my possessions but won a 4th level fighter as companon (yay), one came up even and the other won 10 000 xp (we were 5th level) and a random outsider ennemy (turned out to be a balor who, to give the player a little chance, send a succubus to the job, killed him anyway). So, it destroyed the entire party, but we had asked for it so we were not mad at the DM. Turned out to be fun though.

[Blank]

Does this break a record? Two-year necropost. Impressive.

[Musopticon?]

Nah, somebody necroposted in the very first Off-Topic thread from about 3 and a half years back just recently. Now that was a necro.

[Blank]

But was it intentional? Does this one hold the natural-occurence necroposting record?

Edited November 5, 2007 by Blank

[Musopticon?]

Who can say whether it's a natural or not?

[Blank]

Evidently not you.

[Musopticon?]

zing, damn

 

 

If I recall correctly, the idiot then thought the thread funny, so yeah it was intentional. "lol, look I cans neccor!!!11"