Oh, that makes more sense. Still, 18 sessions is very long for LMOP. It's officially 4 sessions, though that will vary based on experience. But 18 sounds pretty grueling. Hence my questions above, which you clearly have chosen to ignore. 🤣 Answer them for yourself, at least.
Also, as they weren't in initiative, that dragon was already flying away, so by the time the player had moved 80 feet, it's almost certainly out of reach.
I mostly just focus on table rules, then we do character creation so I can help noobs. By session 0, I've already talked to my players about what they are looking for in the campaign,so I've been able to create the framework.
My current party met at a market and immediately lit it on fire. With reasons, and it was a valid tactic, but I was like holy hell can we not get through session 1 without me scrapping everything???
Lol back around 2000 or so my female roommate got super bored one day and grabbed one of my Playboys. Like an hour or two later, I’m randomly walking through the living room and she blurted “Holy crap! The articles actually ARE really good!” I laughed so hard!
I wouldn't buff any of them, but you are considering giving one character a superpower in letting them fly. If you do that, everyone should get a superpower. Otherwise, if they want to fly, tell them they have to be a sorceror, warlock, wizard, or artificer and level up until they earn the spell. Just like everyone else.
My NPCS don't make social checks, because I describe what they say and how they say it. PCS can make insight checks to figure out if I'm lying. They can decide if they are intimidated based on how well I'm trying to scare them. They can make deception and persuasion checks to try and lie to me.
Look into the Blood Hunter class from Wilderun, in the Critical Role realm. It has a lycanthropy path, and it's official enough that it's already graduated from playtesting, which takes some burden off you.
This is what I was going to recommend. For a player who wants to "struggle against lycanthropy as a curse" and "eventually grow into some mastery of it," the Lucan path of Blood Hunter works well. Roleplay-wise, they are learning alchemical compounds to suppress it until they gain benefits by leveling.
Yeah, because on the one hand, you are a wildly powerful being with amazing buffs and immunities, and on the other hand... People don't like you? Terrible curse indeed. I wish I could get a similar curse in real life.
Require the player to describe the flavor of the reskinned spell. Don't take that on yourself. Otherwise, if it's mechanically the same, sure, try it out.
I don't even tell them what the monsters are unless it's obvious. HP or other stats? Absolutely not. They can burn a turn on a check if they want and I might give some more info, but I'm not sharing it freely.
When I started DMIng, I set out my table rules, for session zero. One is "I am going to screw up. My word at the table is law, but be a bit patient with me because I will not be perfect."
Um…you can maybe meet him kinda have way with every time the party levels. He “Lvls up” in HP with a 1 + Con but without like his class improvements. Then every 3 levels instead of the Improve stat or feat, he can get the magic item.
There's roleplay, and then there's roleplaying games of the sort we are concerned with here. As a DM, I am absolutely not going to craft scenes for my characters to go on dates. If they want to flirt in character, fine - to a point. But I would not personally run any romance for them.
I worry that your audience is people who have been boxed into DMing, and not the absolute nutballs on this sub (including me) who prefer DMing and spend hours turning overprepping into its own hobby.
I have learned not to overprep for specific things, which I did at first, but I "publish" a broadsheet that gets tacked up around town between sessions, summarizing the previous session in a news like way, hinting at things to come, and just including a lot of madness. I also bought a physical leather bound, hand made paper notebook and a calligraphy set and am doing my best to learn calligraphy just so I can pass some cryptic hints. Many would call this over prepping. I disagree.
What I can’t stand is when new players (usually the other half of someone) join and they get their character sheet made for them, and during the session just kinda sit there or they want to be on their phones. They don’t contribute, they don’t roleplay, and always say with embarrassment, “I don’t know, what should I do?” When they’re asked
Oh, that makes more sense. Still, 18 sessions is very long for LMOP. It's officially 4 sessions, though that will vary based on experience. But 18 sounds pretty grueling. Hence my questions above, which you clearly have chosen to ignore. 🤣 Answer them for yourself, at least.
Sorry, I focused on other questions.
"I began my journey with DND with no DMs"
Uuh...systems where players cant do this are systems where players cant do anything?
Also, as they weren't in initiative, that dragon was already flying away, so by the time the player had moved 80 feet, it's almost certainly out of reach.
I mostly just focus on table rules, then we do character creation so I can help noobs. By session 0, I've already talked to my players about what they are looking for in the campaign,so I've been able to create the framework.
If they do the first 5 me minutes what we expected....
My current party met at a market and immediately lit it on fire. With reasons, and it was a valid tactic, but I was like holy hell can we not get through session 1 without me scrapping everything???
If GMs would not use drow vampire assassin s to ambush the poor, peacelovingbPCs
Ha, they weren't drow but you nailed part of that. 😊
You could ask them to assign one player to manage party loot. One of my groups does that, at least for some magic items (potions, etc)
At my table, one player manages gold, another manages initiative. It's a huge relief for me as DM.
If you can't trust your players to track gold, it's pretty easy to do in excel.
Say no. You are the game master. Be one, and say no.
Art purposes
"I read it for the articles"
Lol back around 2000 or so my female roommate got super bored one day and grabbed one of my Playboys. Like an hour or two later, I’m randomly walking through the living room and she blurted “Holy crap! The articles actually ARE really good!” I laughed so hard!
It's actually true. Don't get me wrong - back when I owned a few, it wasn't for the articles. But they were a legit news source at one point.
I would deal with this by encouraging it, as creativity is the heart of roleplaying. Dealing with combat creatively does not trivialize it.
What buffs are you considering for your other PCS so that they don't feel left out?
So I should consider buffing them?
I wouldn't buff any of them, but you are considering giving one character a superpower in letting them fly. If you do that, everyone should get a superpower. Otherwise, if they want to fly, tell them they have to be a sorceror, warlock, wizard, or artificer and level up until they earn the spell. Just like everyone else.
My NPCS don't make social checks, because I describe what they say and how they say it. PCS can make insight checks to figure out if I'm lying. They can decide if they are intimidated based on how well I'm trying to scare them. They can make deception and persuasion checks to try and lie to me.
Sure. That's entirely valid.
Exactly. First, it's fun for me, and second, it encourages the less-roleplay inclined to actually do it.
Look into the Blood Hunter class from Wilderun, in the Critical Role realm. It has a lycanthropy path, and it's official enough that it's already graduated from playtesting, which takes some burden off you.
This is what I was going to recommend. For a player who wants to "struggle against lycanthropy as a curse" and "eventually grow into some mastery of it," the Lucan path of Blood Hunter works well. Roleplay-wise, they are learning alchemical compounds to suppress it until they gain benefits by leveling.
Yeah, because on the one hand, you are a wildly powerful being with amazing buffs and immunities, and on the other hand... People don't like you? Terrible curse indeed. I wish I could get a similar curse in real life.
Everyone is focusing on how playing flawed characters is still fun. That is very true.
I think this is fine, provided it's just a skin.
Yeah, the Rule of Cool definitely has a slippery slope.
Require the player to describe the flavor of the reskinned spell. Don't take that on yourself. Otherwise, if it's mechanically the same, sure, try it out.
First, the most important rule is always setting expectations. You should have done this in session zero.
I don't even tell them what the monsters are unless it's obvious. HP or other stats? Absolutely not. They can burn a turn on a check if they want and I might give some more info, but I'm not sharing it freely.
When I started DMIng, I set out my table rules, for session zero. One is "I am going to screw up. My word at the table is law, but be a bit patient with me because I will not be perfect."
Um…you can maybe meet him kinda have way with every time the party levels. He “Lvls up” in HP with a 1 + Con but without like his class improvements. Then every 3 levels instead of the Improve stat or feat, he can get the magic item.
No, that's not fair unless you offer everyone the same option. Which is going to make wildly unbalanced encounters. It's a bad idea.
Ok, yea re-reading and thinking about it more, if this DMs PC makes it a deal better.
As a DM, I do not want to rewrite the entire PHB in order to find a balanced way to do this. So it's flat out no.
By the book, players don't have to act. That's all I was saying. The rules are in the handbooks and it never says you need to act.
5 years before I considered myself decent. Gonna be 16 years since I started by now.
I think we are just miscommunicating a bit. I agree with all of that.
DM screen. I don't really use the inserts but it adds a bit of mystery (plus mine looks cool)
There's roleplay, and then there's roleplaying games of the sort we are concerned with here. As a DM, I am absolutely not going to craft scenes for my characters to go on dates. If they want to flirt in character, fine - to a point. But I would not personally run any romance for them.
That's something you should have handled at session 0/character creation. You should not be defining your pc's character's patron.
So he's going to be a murder hobo. No. Absolutely no.
This has already been answered well, but I'll give my short take anyway.
I worry that your audience is people who have been boxed into DMing, and not the absolute nutballs on this sub (including me) who prefer DMing and spend hours turning overprepping into its own hobby.
I have learned not to overprep for specific things, which I did at first, but I "publish" a broadsheet that gets tacked up around town between sessions, summarizing the previous session in a news like way, hinting at things to come, and just including a lot of madness. I also bought a physical leather bound, hand made paper notebook and a calligraphy set and am doing my best to learn calligraphy just so I can pass some cryptic hints. Many would call this over prepping. I disagree.
What I can’t stand is when new players (usually the other half of someone) join and they get their character sheet made for them, and during the session just kinda sit there or they want to be on their phones. They don’t contribute, they don’t roleplay, and always say with embarrassment, “I don’t know, what should I do?” When they’re asked
Well, it's hard to walk into if you don't know what you're doing. It is kind of the dms job (and veteran players) to help the noobs.
He doesn't think it's his problem? Why not? Make it his problem. You're the DM. Make it his problem.