New DM looking for advice

[Mand]

So I'm set to the task of running a campaign since the person who was going to be our DM disappeared, and I'm looking for advice. I'm well versed in the mechanics of 3.5, so that won't be an issue. My questions are generally broader in scope:

How do I avoid the one-encounter-per-session style of play? In the games I've played before, it takes forever to do anything, and there were only one or two encounters despite sitting down for about six hours.

To go along with the first question, how do I design a dungeon that's actually able to be completed? We're starting at level 1, and I'm worried about them running out of steam considering half the party could die in one hit. I have the idea for an old ruined monastery that they have to explore, but it won't be much fun if they can only fight twice before finding what they need.

The DMG has nice sections explaining generally what to do, but I was hoping for a more first-hand point of view. Also, if there are any major things you've learned while DMing to avoid or to encourage, I'm all ears.

 

[Dandu]

Write things down on something easily visible. Make players keep track of things. Institute a 2 minute turn policy per person so they can't spend ages delaying other people. Look through premade adventures for ideas.

 

[cdrcjsn]

The long, bogged down combats don't really happen in 3.5 until you hit higher levels and you get multiple attacks per round. So to avoid it, either plan to retire the characters at 10th level or ... actually, I don't have any other ideas about this. Even Pathfinder didn't manage to fix the problems of mid/high level play.

The fragile nature of 1st level characters is an issue. If this is a major concern, you can have everyone start at 3rd level.

Another option is to take a bit of what works for 4e and let everyone use their Constitution score to add to their hit points at 1st level and not just the modifier. Have them keep track of how much their normal hit points would be (using the standard rules) and when that meets or exceed the new method, switch over.

This way, they're stronger at 1st level, but will be about average by 3rd or 4th level.

 

[parinho7]

have a look at unearthed arcana, about Armor as Damage Reduction and Vitality Points

 

[IronWolf]

How do I avoid the one-encounter-per-session style of play? In the games I've played before, it takes forever to do anything, and there were only one or two encounters despite sitting down for about six hours.

As others have mentioned, at the lower levels the length of encounters isn't so bad. PCs and critters have fewer attacks, fewer special abilities, etc. Use these early encounters to help form good habits that will help the mid to higher level encounters run a bit more smoothly.

Such as rolling your attack and damage dice at the same time, players having their idea for actions ready to go as their turn comes up (use a timer if you need to to help), suggest having their spells descriptions readily available and from the DM side make sure you are familiar with the NPC creatures you will be running and their attacks and such to reduce time the DM spends figuring out how to run a critter at the table.

To go along with the first question, how do I design a dungeon that's actually able to be completed? We're starting at level 1, and I'm worried about them running out of steam considering half the party could die in one hit. I have the idea for an old ruined monastery that they have to explore, but it won't be much fun if they can only fight twice before finding what they need.

First level can be a bit tricky gauging the difficulty of the encounter. The DM getting on a hot streak with his dice rolls can make things go south for a character quite quickly.

One house rule is to allow characters to go to negative CON score before dying. My DM has been doing that for years and it does add just a bit more survivability to a character - in fact that house rule saved my 8th level character just last week!

Beyond that, perhaps the person or organization encouraging the exploration of the monastery grants the party a few cure light wound potions as their way of providing assistance.