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Concept first, so the character will be fun to play. Then optimisation to ensure they're a benefit to the party. Latest creation is Nicholas Shiftskin, who I imagined as a regular looking human who can mutate his body to create weapons. That led me to Pact of the blade warlock, where I could...

As far as pixel-bitching is concerned, I think there's a miscommunication or a disconnect between this idea of: (a) DM requires a specific course of action for the PC to succeed and, (b) DM requires some specificity in the PCs description of their action in order to adjudicate properly. Sure...

I like the grapple idea! Could steal a version of the Gelatinous cube's Engulf ability. The zombie swarm can move into a PC's space and they must save or be restrained. Could even swap out the auto acid damage of the cube for some auto piercing damage; Once you're restrained by the zombies, they...

I'll try and rephrase my question to discount the rather specific series of events we've all started focusing on. A player has stated they want to make a skill check. As the DM you determined the DC, and what success and failure look like. The player rolls, and you narrate the results of their...

So what happens when they roll low, you tell them the rot grubs are now trying to eat them, and they protest, saying, "I wasn't using my hands, i was poking around with my shovel!" Do you: Stick to your ruling, grubs squirm up the shovel handle to the investigator's hands. Quickly retcon, it's...

To represent their dense numbers, I would write them up as "swarm" type monsters. Call each zombie swarm a group of 10 individuals. Multiply zombie HP by 3 or 4 and buff their strength score. Assume advantage on attacks from the help action, so add +5 to their to hit modifier. Double their...

Yeah, you've got me there. Creating and exploring new settings is one of the aspects I find most fun (outside of game time).

Oh I do that for sure! So far they have uncovered a prophecy, defeated an invading plane-hopping Efreeti and his army, prevented the ascension of Yuan-ti cultists from poisoning a city, put down an orcish uprising with the help of a Black Dragon and eventually discovered the location of a...

I have two DMs in my current home game. It would be strenuous to say the least to try and have them pretend not to know everything they do, so I baked it into the concept of the game. All the PCs started the game having just graduated from an adventuring academy. The Monster Manual is a real...

Broadly speaking they go from 1st to about 11. My campaigns tend towards having an end point in sight because the pitch is based around some big event, and sooner or later that event WILL occur. I actually started out my current home game as very open world with quests leading off in all...

This might just be the root of the divide between your two playstyles or approaches. Of the three @iserith campaigns I've played, one ended at session 20, one at about 25, and the current one is at about 25 and feels like we're 80% through. Each one told a self-contained story about dealing with...

As one of Iserith's regular players I can attest to the amount of material we cover in a single session. To use a recent session as an example, playing his one-shot Fimbulvetr, we had: A PC introduction scene that lead into a social interaction scene trying to sway a crowd of NPCs. A combat...

This seems like a perfectly legitimate tactic for the cultists, and I think your ruling works fine. The healed amount is specified as being twice the damage taken, not rolled.

I can't speak to the Map pack. But a Waterdeep specific DM screen is currently with the printers. From the cover sheet: This screen is the perfect companion for those dungeon masters running the Waterdeep: Dragon HeistTM adventure. The front features images of bustling streets, looming statues...

I think being explicit can help, but I tend to do it before most rolls anyway. Here's an example from a campaign I ran where the PCs specifically asked for PC's lives to not be at stake: Very first session, PCs are on an airship that is under attack from hobgoblin sky-pirates (of course). A...

Wait til you guys hear about Masquerade! I had this book as a child and was completely enthralled by the idea of real-life treasure hunting. Of course, it had already been found by the time I was reading it.

Take a leaf out of Pillars of Eternity. As they fix up their village, the craftsmen discover the entrance to a long forgotten ruin lying just beneath the surface.

One thing not mentioned already. Towards the end of the campaign Iserith revealed that each level of the Delve was a roughly equal to the CR of encounters found there. Each level also had at least one higher CR encounter tucked away, tempting great reward but with its danger telegraphed VERY...

Speaking on behalf of Fjolki, the doomcrying druid from the last one-shot, "They're all doomed! The Wyrm of ice and snow will sup upon their cold frozen corpses before the night is through! There is no escape, they must accept that Ragnarok is upon them!" Also, the paladin is the only...

I run it both ways. Attacks that target the heroes are typically grazing blows, shallow wounds, or narrow misses that take a lot of energy. Eventually that energy gets worn down, or the enemy lands a Crit, and that's when serious wounds happen. But for enemies, it's the opposite. Every strike...