D&D 5E Advice for Running 5E -- Your Experiences

[Reynard]

Next weekend I am running 5E at Carnage Con (for 20 hours of hexcrawling fun!). I am a longtime DM from 1E and B/X through 3E, PF and even a little 4E, so I don't need general DMing advice. And I am using various other edition GMing resources for the exploration rules that aren't available yet, from the 1E DMg to the PF Ultimate Campaign book. What i really need are some practical bits of advice ragarding running 5E specifically -- pitfalls to watch out for, things that are too awesome to not use in play, areas where previous edition knowledge can really mess you up, etc...

Note that I will not be using minis and battlemats, going for a "theater of the mind plus here's a sketch" method that has served me throughout every edition of the game. I also plan on treating ideals etc... like Fate Core aspects as it relates to gaining Inspiration (just because I like the mechanic).

Thanks a bunch for your input!

 

[Astrosicebear]

No 5' steps.

AOO on LEAVING reach.

Watch for actual reach of large creatures (ogres have 5ft reach).

Initiative isn't listed, its just +Dex mod.

Watch for rogues abuse of stealth.

 

[Tormyr]

What i really need are some practical bits of advice ragarding running 5E specifically -- pitfalls to watch out for, things that are too awesome to not use in play, areas where previous edition knowledge can really mess you up, etc...

Note that I will not be using minis and battlemats, going for a "theater of the mind plus here's a sketch" method that has served me throughout every edition of the game. I also plan on treating ideals etc... like Fate Core aspects as it relates to gaining Inspiration (just because I like the mechanic).

Thanks a bunch for your input!

pitfalls to watch out for - I believe you were the one that needed hundreds of pregens so that people sit down and play? it will greatly speed things up if the spells (what they actually do, how long, range, target, etc.) are actually printed out for easy access by the players. One way to do that would be my spell card generator. Just make the cards you need, but it will take some time to type everything in (although you can copy and paste lots of spells from the Basic PHB. Otherwise, you will be burning a bunch of time if the players do not know the spells or need to look them up in a PHB.
http://www.enworld.org/forum/rpgdownloads.php?do=download&downloadid=1119

things that are too awesome to not use in play - Inspiration points for playing up your character's flaws.

 

[sgtscott658]

Things I would recommend is do not use feats in your game, too many questionable situations seem to come up in most games and really up the players power level. Especially in HotDQ (I had to change up alot of the encounters due to just how powerful feats can be)

To me, the Rogues are a real pain in the freakin balls, with cunning action and disingage actions along with flanking sneak attacks can bring down a bad guy real quick like. So be on your toes for Rogue shenanigans.

Honestly, If I was to do my campaign again, I would probably have only allowed feats at higher levels, ah well live and learn.

Scott

 

[Joe Liker]

I always scratch my head when people complain about how much fun the players are having.

My advice on running 5e: If encounters are too easy for the players, increase the number of monsters, not the stats or the CR. The difficulty increase that happens when additional monsters are added is NOT linear. It adds up fast.

Drop a dozen CR 1/2 monsters on a level-4 party of four or five, and you'll see why the rogue needs every single trick the rules grant him.

 

[Boarstorm]

Pitfalls? Heck, I've had nothing but a smooth ride since we switched to 5E. I might warn you that early levels (1&2 in particular) can be swingy as all hell (a la Rocket Tag), but you probably gathered that just by looking at low-level monster stat blocks.

Bugbear, I've got my eye on you.

 

[Mistwell]

To me, the Rogues are a real pain in the freakin balls, with cunning action and disingage actions along with flanking sneak attacks can bring down a bad guy real quick like. So be on your toes for Rogue shenanigans.

There is no flanking in 5e.

 

[Mistwell]

My best advice: Don't sweat the rules. If you don't know how something is supposed to go in the rules, just make something up on the spot that feels right for the situation. 99% of the time you will end up being right anyway, or close enough that your decision won't have changed how things played out anyway. The game is very adaptable in this way - there is no delicate balance in play that you making decisions on the fly will break things. So just don't stress about something mid-game, keep going, keep playing, don't sit there looking stuff up all the time, just play on and it will be plenty of fun. You can look stuff up after the game and tweak it for the next session.

Also, if your players ask if they can do something and you're not sure if they can, just say yes, have them roll a d20 and apply the most relevant ability modifier to that task. If you think what they're trying should be particularly difficult, give them disadvantage. If it should be particularly easy, advantage. Use target numbers of 5, 10, 15, and 20 for DCs (depending on difficulty), or Armor Class, or an opponent's ability score for a saving-throw type situation, or an Opposed Roll, where appropriate. Just pick a tool that seems appropriate for that situation - they're not so far off from each other that things will break if you happen to pick the less-than-perfect one.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Things I would recommend is do not use feats in your game, too many questionable situations seem to come up in most games and really up the players power level. Especially in HotDQ (I had to change up alot of the encounters due to just how powerful feats can be)

To me, the Rogues are a real pain in the freakin balls, with cunning action and disingage actions along with flanking sneak attacks can bring down a bad guy real quick like. So be on your toes for Rogue shenanigans.

Honestly, If I was to do my campaign again, I would probably have only allowed feats at higher levels, ah well live and learn.

Scott

Huh, no offense, Scott, but I disagree with pretty much everything you say here. Feats are fun, exciting, and interesting. Rogues drop bad guys so you can get on with the story, "especially in HotDQ". IMO, feats are much more interesting than Stat bumps, especially at lower-levels when your character isn't too complicated anyway.

To each their own, I guess.

 

[stevenjcwinter]

Don't let players game advantage and disadvantage too much. Forget about the RAW statement that numbers don't count (i.e., advantage from one factor cancels disadvantage from 15 factors). In your role as DM, look at the situation as a whole and decide whether someone has a significant advantage or disadvantage. Ad/Disad is a great rule, but only as long as players aren't allowed to manipulate it for unreasonable gain. Advantage should be something characters must work for. If advantage becomes the norm, it's no longer a bonus and it stops being special.

Steve