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Your one best piece of GM/DM advice?
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<blockquote data-quote="pming" data-source="post: 7311783" data-attributes="member: 45197"><p>Hiya!</p><p></p><p>I have two that are equal in importance.</p><p></p><p>(<strong>1st</strong>) Think in terms of Campaign and Setting FIRST, with the actual Characters of the Player's SECOND.</p><p></p><p>(<strong>2nd</strong>) Be CONSISTENTLY NEUTRAL in all things. </p><p></p><p></p><p>With regards to the <strong>1st </strong>thing, don't "design adventures based on the Players PC's". Design them from the perspective of the world and it's NPC's as a whole FIRST. Only take into consideration the PC's for very specific circumstances...and by "specific" I mean "generally specific". <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /> So if two of four PC's have nautical 'backgrounds/skills', and you are writing an adventure involving slavers...feel free to add in a waterborne aspect that the slavers would 'logically use'. But DON'T design that 'waterborne part' specific to the PC's (e.g., don't set DC's based on the PC's capabilities...see below for that).</p><p></p><p>With regards to the <strong>2nd </strong>thing, set a "Baseline" for pretty much EVERYTHING YOU CREATE. If you set swimming in a calm, warm lake as DC 8, don't suddenly change it to DC 15 just because the PC's are all expert swimmers. Remember, you are the DM and your first and most important thing to remember is that you are not AGAINST the players/PC's...but you are also not FOR the players/PC's. With your DC 8 swimming in calm, warm lake waters, put it to 10 for cold water. Cold and windy? Bump it up to 12. Very windy and cold? Ok, how about 15. Very windy, very cold, and at night? Fine, DC 18. The point is to be consistent with regards to the CAMPAIGN WORLD. You should be totally unconcerned if the PC's all are awesome swimmers, or none can swim. If none of the PC's can swim, yet the Players insist that their PC's swim out to the "rocky island, 150' out"...at night...in winter...during a storm...just so they can "perform some spell/ritual"...well, sucks to be them. DC 18. Maybe even at disadvantage if they all came from the desert.</p><p></p><p>Anyway, yeah. Those are my "two peas in a pod" rule of thumb that I've lived by for decades now. World first, PC's second, and always, <em>always</em> make notes of new DC's/rulings as you make them so that you can remain consistent.</p><p></p><p>OH, and if/when the PC's all die...don't feel bad. It's not your fault...unless you put the PC's in an unwinnable situation (remember the 1st rule of thumb though...so this should never happen unless you have really poor players).</p><p></p><p>^_^</p><p></p><p>Paul L. Ming</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="pming, post: 7311783, member: 45197"] Hiya! I have two that are equal in importance. ([B]1st[/B]) Think in terms of Campaign and Setting FIRST, with the actual Characters of the Player's SECOND. ([B]2nd[/B]) Be CONSISTENTLY NEUTRAL in all things. With regards to the [B]1st [/B]thing, don't "design adventures based on the Players PC's". Design them from the perspective of the world and it's NPC's as a whole FIRST. Only take into consideration the PC's for very specific circumstances...and by "specific" I mean "generally specific". ;) So if two of four PC's have nautical 'backgrounds/skills', and you are writing an adventure involving slavers...feel free to add in a waterborne aspect that the slavers would 'logically use'. But DON'T design that 'waterborne part' specific to the PC's (e.g., don't set DC's based on the PC's capabilities...see below for that). With regards to the [B]2nd [/B]thing, set a "Baseline" for pretty much EVERYTHING YOU CREATE. If you set swimming in a calm, warm lake as DC 8, don't suddenly change it to DC 15 just because the PC's are all expert swimmers. Remember, you are the DM and your first and most important thing to remember is that you are not AGAINST the players/PC's...but you are also not FOR the players/PC's. With your DC 8 swimming in calm, warm lake waters, put it to 10 for cold water. Cold and windy? Bump it up to 12. Very windy and cold? Ok, how about 15. Very windy, very cold, and at night? Fine, DC 18. The point is to be consistent with regards to the CAMPAIGN WORLD. You should be totally unconcerned if the PC's all are awesome swimmers, or none can swim. If none of the PC's can swim, yet the Players insist that their PC's swim out to the "rocky island, 150' out"...at night...in winter...during a storm...just so they can "perform some spell/ritual"...well, sucks to be them. DC 18. Maybe even at disadvantage if they all came from the desert. Anyway, yeah. Those are my "two peas in a pod" rule of thumb that I've lived by for decades now. World first, PC's second, and always, [I]always[/I] make notes of new DC's/rulings as you make them so that you can remain consistent. OH, and if/when the PC's all die...don't feel bad. It's not your fault...unless you put the PC's in an unwinnable situation (remember the 1st rule of thumb though...so this should never happen unless you have really poor players). ^_^ Paul L. Ming [/QUOTE]
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