D&D General What's your best D&D tip (50 words or less)

Here are some of the best tips I've collected from various social media:
  1. When a player rolls a death saving throw, ask them to share a flashback from their character's life.
  2. Skill checks are more interesting if you let players choose between two reasonable options, which have different ability bonuses. Not every character is going to approach the same problem the same way.
  3. Insight is not a "lie detector". It allows you to see signs of how an NPC feels about specific subjects. "When you mention the Captain of the Guard, you notice that the sergeant bites his lips and tenses his knuckles."
  4. 0 HP doesn't have to equal death; it can just be the failure of the character. It's often more interesting to ask them what they lose rather than tell them to roll up a new character.
  5. Not every encounter has to end in combat. Use some form of monster reaction rolls.
  6. Rarely do living creatures fight until death. Make morale checks once the battle starts going poorly.
  7. "Show, don't tell" is a classic, but it works. Does a tyrant rule the city? Have the PCs see a squad of city guards frisking peasants against a wall or witness a public execution.
  8. Let anybody attempt to cast a spell from a scroll, but their chances of success vary based on their experience with magic. It can be a game-changer in a pinch!
  9. Describe all attacks as hits, even if they bounce off armor or get parried. If everything hits, it feels better.
  10. When a player reduces a monster to 0 HP, ask them to describe their killing blow.
  11. When attuning to a magic item, the character should experience a flashback to the last (or most important) use of that item. Perhaps that magic sword was once used to slay a dragon. Loot becomes a story.
  12. If a player asks if they can use an alternative skill to what you've set for a particular task, say, "Okay, sell it to me," to give them a chance to explain themselves into doing something awesome.
  13. Encourage players to make a short list of narrative objectives they want to accomplish. "Next Session: Ask Bob about that strange guy that threatened him."
  14. When introducing new NPCs, try to "show" who they are instead of having them in passive roles. Are they meeting the captain of the guard? Maybe she is shouting at a subordinate who fell asleep while on duty.
  15. Don't have the unconscious condition; replace it with the critical condition where your character knows they're on their last legs but have restricted movement and restricted actions; that way, they can RP their final moments.
  16. Instead of killing a PC, have a powerful entity show up to save them. It's a devil with a contract, an arch-fey with a deal, etc. It creates future roleplay and goals for that PC.
  17. At high levels, round damage to the nearest five. At really high levels, to the nearest ten.
  18. Emphasize, early in your campaign, that running is always an option.
  19. Roll hit and damage dice at the same time.
  20. If players have a problem with procrastination, don't just ask them, "What do you do?" Instead, provide concrete choices and list examples of actions they can take.
  21. For DMs who have trouble keeping track of Monster HP: Add up to the HP; don't subtract from the HP total.
  22. Make sure actions have consequences. If my party robs a courtesan, they will find out the hard way that she has a powerful patron next session.
  23. Ask the players not to share the results of their Death Saves, pass or fail. It tends to lead to a sense of tension and urgency during the encounter.
  24. Do you struggle to come up with personalities for random NPCs? Choose an animal for the NPC to copy: weasel for a traveling peddler, bear for a guard captain, etc.
  25. It's okay to remind the players what their characters know. Perhaps only an hour of character time has passed, but you last played a month ago.
 

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Quartz

Hero
Try not to railroad; players instinctively rebel and fight to the bitter end. If the adventure demands a particular set-up, start there and take a step backward. "You all wake up in a prison cell / you are standing in front of the baron accused of X / whatever. We're now going to game how you got there." And pull details from that encounter forward. Maybe during whatever happened they saved the jailor's wife or the baron's mistress and they now help the PCs. The key is that the players know they can safely surrender or give up.
 

p_johnston

Adventurer
Lots of good advice here already hitting the big points so ill try for a slightly nore niche one.

"If your part of a long running group try mixing up your seating arrangment or even where you play."

With my group i find that they've been playing together so long they can get into ruts in thinking. Swapping up seatimg arrangements/locations can help break people break out of that.
 



GMMichael

Guide of Modos
Don't prepare adventures with scripted scenes and outcomes.

The only “story” in RPGs should emerge from the combination of the referee’s obstacles, the players’ choices, and the luck of the dice.

Some freelance and in-house adventure writers are rolling in their chairs right now. And probably some homebrewers.

Also - it seems that a high proportion of the advice here is GM-focused. Interesting...
 




R_J_K75

Legend
I suppose this could be said for any in person TTRPG. Whether you're the DM or a PC, show up on time and be prepared. If you have to cancel don't do it last minute unless it's really an unforeseen circumstance that's unavoidable.
 

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