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Thread: 1001 DM Tips

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    Default Re: 1001 DM Tips

    154. Reimburse your players for used consumable items. Try to be subtle, and never give them exactly what they lost. If they used a 1st-level potion on the adventure, give them a 2nd-level potion as treasure; If they used 10 flasks of acid, give them a box of alchemist's fire, etc, or they may never use anything you give them, saving it for a rainier day.

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    Default Re: 1001 DM Tips

    Quote Originally Posted by Scow2 View Post
    68. DO NOT CREATE A STORY ARC. Let your players tell the story, and just enjoy the show. Mediate as appropriate.
    155: On the other hand, if the players aren't sandbox-game types, don't expect on them to provide you all (or even any of) your plot hooks.

    Which brings us probably one of the single most important rules:

    156: Make sure your players are prepared to play the sort of game you're prepared to run. If you run something they don't want to play or you let them talk you running a game you don't like, the game will be no fun for anyone. This applies equally to play style, rules and genera.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Serpentine View Post
    152. The Greater Rod of Wonder is not a toy.
    Tell that to every insane gnome wizard I have ever met...

    157. One insane spellcaster is enough for any world, try not to rehash the same mental problems in important NPCs. The players tend to remember being turned into a tea cup and will attack the instant the NPC starts to talk to himself.
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    158. insane gnomes are FUN! remember to include at least 1 race of them with their own steampunk-esque magi-tech
    Last edited by DragonOfUndeath; 2010-10-15 at 02:47 AM.
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    Quote Originally Posted by newD&Dfan View Post
    156. insane gnomes are FUN! remember to include at least 1 race of them with their own steampunk-esque magi-tech
    You mean 158 right?
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    Default Re: 1001 DM Tips

    @ryu: i said 158 didnt i?
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    159. A nice, easy sort of adventure is to create a problem/monster/guarded location that is almost impossible for the players to beat straight up, give them lots of advance warning, and sit back while they create ingenuity.

    160. No traps in any chests are boring. A trap in every chest is boring. A trap in every fifth chest is paranoia fuel.

    161. If the players avoid a wonderous set-piece you carefully created and are emotionally invested in, congradulations! You've got a backup set-piece to use for later on if needs be when the players confuse you again.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Somebloke View Post
    160. No traps in any chests are boring. A trap in every chest is boring. A trap in every fifth chest is paranoia fuel.
    160a. Also, randomly rolling to see if there are traps in chests when you generate the dungeon. If there's a pattern, somebody will find it and exploit it.

    Also:

    162. Always keep a good stock of random dungeons on hand, in case the elaborate plot you created get solved in the first 10 minutes of the session. This way, you don't have to spend the rest of the session 'in town.'
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ryu_Bonkosi View Post
    Tell that to every insane gnome wizard I have ever met...
    Gnome sorcerer/cleric/mystic theurge, in my game. See the last Iron Avatarist for a visual aid.
    Quote Originally Posted by jiriku View Post
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    163. Don't be afraid to throw "impossible" monsters at the players. Odds are it isn't and you will be greatly suprised and/or amused by how they try to over come it.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Wookieetank View Post
    163. Don't be afraid to throw "impossible" monsters at the players. Odds are it isn't and you will be greatly suprised and/or amused by how they try to over come it.
    163a. You may also be surprised at how fast they will run from one.
    Quote Originally Posted by The Doctor
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wookieetank View Post
    163. Don't be afraid to throw "impossible" monsters at the players. Odds are it isn't and you will be greatly suprised and/or amused by how they try to over come it.
    Quote Originally Posted by dsmiles View Post
    163a. You may also be surprised at how fast they will run from one.
    163b. Also it may surprise you how fast your players will die when you do throw an impossible encounter at them.

    164. Make your own estimate of monster's threat level. CR is unreliable, at best.
    Last edited by Kaww; 2010-10-15 at 11:29 AM.

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    Default Re: 1001 DM Tips

    I feel slightly underqualified to be posting here, but I think this one deserves adding to the list:

    165. Don't explain to players how they should have solved the puzzle. Just let them believe you meant it that way all along.
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    166. If the players answer a riddle, and it is not the answer you expected, before you punish them for getting it wrong, think if it IS a correct answer.
    166.a. Unless the source of the riddle is evil nonlawful, insane, or the PCs were meant to get it wrong. In this third instance, make sure there are always more possible correct answers than the PCs have guesses for.

    167. If you map it, they will sandbox.
    167.a. Where your map ends, expect that the PCs will want to travel there, either use this to your advantage to lure them, or give them a large mystical bubble-dome sort of world, or a literal drop off of the map, or "everything just appears to stop existing beyond a wall." Whatever you do, don't punish their curiosity by making them just start making fort saves versus exploding for going outside of the prison of the map, or it'll actually feel like a prison, unless it's known that anything beyond the line will explode, then you have an element of atmosphere, paranoia, and potential epic level magical mysteries about what's beyond the line

    168. Governments/religions should never be obviously evil, unless it's a necessary evil. It baits the PCs into trying to overthrow them just because they can.

    169. Not every region is going to have the same pantheon. Make sure that if you pregenerate the campaign, you have many different deities to fall back on. The world becomes a lot less interesting if every town has the same greyhawk/eberron/faerun deities (unless it is specifically in that campaign setting)

    170. An optional rule of thumb to use on your PCs is instead of Fort or Die spells, which no true BBEG should be without and not afraid to spam if he's truly threatened, is reduce a PC to -1-1d6 HP for failing fort or die spells. Just remember to exercise consistency.

    171. Replace plot armor with alignment penalties for killing someone without a reason, and make evil characters unplayable.

    172. Do not be afraid to make people roll up level 1 characters (or wherever the starting ECL was at, or to a lesser extent, 1 ECL below their deceased character.) Even though they will be behind in levels, it'll make players less reckless with their characters.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dark_Nohn View Post
    167. If you map it, they will sandbox.
    167.a. Where your map ends, expect that the PCs will want to travel there, either use this to your advantage to lure them, or give them a large mystical bubble-dome sort of world, or a literal drop off of the map, or "everything just appears to stop existing beyond a wall." Whatever you do, don't punish their curiosity by making them just start making fort saves versus exploding for going outside of the prison of the map, or it'll actually feel like a prison, unless it's known that anything beyond the line will explode, then you have an element of atmosphere, paranoia, and potential epic level magical mysteries about what's beyond the line
    I actually used this one. The map ended, and so did the world. Standing about 10 feet out there in the blank grayness was a Solar wearing a safety orange vest and a hardhat holding a 'Road Closed' sign on a pole.
    Quote Originally Posted by The Doctor
    People assume that time is a strict progression of cause-to-effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint - it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly... time-y wimey... stuff.
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    Heh...
    Mine has a literal "end of the world", Discworld style. BUT. If the party could ever get over there, there's a whole other world on the other side of the world-layercake.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Serpentine View Post
    152. The Greater Rod of Wonder is not a toy.
    Greater Rod of Wonder?

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    Ta-da!
    'tis a fine stick

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    Quote Originally Posted by Serpentine View Post
    Ta-da!
    'tis a fine stick
    Ooh, that's nice. Seriously tempted to drop it into one of my campaigns, and see what happens.

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    173. Roleplaying and creativity should be rewarded, not punished.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Beowulf DW View Post
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    174. If the players decide to do an action which you let them know has bad connotations and do so regardless, roll with it -- you may be surprised to see how they pull themselves out of the fire.

    175. It's always good to have some backup surprises in an encounter, just in case the party manages to faceroll what supposed to be the boss.
    Last edited by DeathsHands; 2010-10-17 at 01:13 AM.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Serpentine View Post
    world-layercake.
    176. The world-layercake is a lie.
    Quote Originally Posted by The Doctor
    People assume that time is a strict progression of cause-to-effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint - it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly... time-y wimey... stuff.
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    Quote Originally Posted by dsmiles View Post
    176. The world-layercake is a lie.
    No it isn't, they just haven't found it
    And it has a tasty chewy centre of magma and everything...

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    177. Print your monsters out ahead of time and remove their names from the paper. That way The players cant guess what you're using based on the region of the books you're in.

    178. Practice your accents. Accents while speaking make NPCs more memorable, or at least more entertaining. Dont be afraid to sound funny, especially when roleplaying kobolds.

    179. Cell phones off during the game. Nothing ruins your slow, dramatic buildup [through the creepy-as-hell ancient, haunted giant castle to the finale, where the titan ghast, desperate and screaming, attacks for the first food its seen since it was trapped here] like having a cheesy version of wagner's Ride of the Valkyries suddenly start playing out of nowhere. (I actually shouted in rage over this.)
    Last edited by Jarrick; 2010-10-18 at 10:41 PM.
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    180. When designing an adventure, encounter, or scene get a clear picture of it in your head then ask, "how can I make this even more exciting?"

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rubikx View Post
    180. When designing an adventure, encounter, or scene get a clear picture of it in your head then ask, "how can I make this even more exciting?"
    180a. Then ask yourself, "How will the players screw up my vision?"

    181. If you design an adventure, be prepared to improvise everything after, "You meet in a tavern..."
    Quote Originally Posted by The Doctor
    People assume that time is a strict progression of cause-to-effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint - it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly... time-y wimey... stuff.
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    182. Make your players do your laundry.
    Quote Originally Posted by Thajocoth View Post
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jarrick View Post
    179. Cell phones off during the game. Nothing ruins your slow, dramatic buildup [through the creepy-as-hell ancient, haunted giant castle to the finale, where the titan ghast, desperate and screaming, attacks for the first food its seen since it was trapped here] like having a cheesy version of wagner's Ride of the Valkyries suddenly start playing out of nowhere. (I actually shouted in rage over this.)
    UGH, phones, the bane of immersion! One of the games I play in, I swear the DM gets more calls than everyone else I know combined. Some days it is every 15 minutes on the minute...

    On that note, some other issues when playing with him...:

    183: If there are other people in the house that do not play D&D with your group, make sure they are WELL AWARE that you are to be considered as if you were gone, barring some real emergency. If they don't get the point, it's time to change locales.

    184: If a friend or family member calls you to do phone tech support for them in the middle of the game, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD tell them you are currently busy, don't stop the game for half an hour+
    Been there, fought that, died horribly.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Choco View Post
    UGH, phones, the bane of immersion! One of the games I play in, I swear the DM gets more calls than everyone else I know combined. Some days it is every 15 minutes on the minute...
    If it were a player, I'd say that was a lifeline call...maybe your DM expects problems??

    185: Keep the pets out too.

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    Quote Originally Posted by PopcornMage View Post
    185: Keep the pets out too.
    185a: Ignore 185 if the pet in question is also the speaking object...

    186: Use weird speaking objects. Like handcuffs, dogs (medium or big - Golden retriever and larger) or pets that are hard to catch, especially when slightly drunk.

    186a: Don't give your players keys to handcuffs...

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