D&D 5E First time playing D&D and I'm the DM. Anyone feeling helpful?

[Denalz]

Session #2 Update

So this time my players were less shy and I felt that if they struggled with participation it was more because they just aren't used to thinking about things outside of combat and conversations directed straight at them. I think this will come with time. I used accents and voices this time around and while I was a bit embarrassed at first, I think my players appreciated the effort.

Where the Story Went

So my players had absolutely no issue with my NPC "Akira" acting as their guide. She led them out of the village and to a river where they traveled uneventfully in canoes until they were a few hours hike away from the hag's house (her name is "Auntie"). Right when they arrived on the river bank they were attacked by a pack of five baboons. At first I was worried that they were going to be strong but thanks to the wizard accidentally misusing one of his abilities, they were easily dispatched (we realized the mistake after the game and no one seemed to mind).

They were about an hour away from the hovel and nearing sunset when Akira instructed them to gather flowers which were useful for healing. The paladin stood guard and a panther cub fell from the tree tops onto his head. They were then attacked by the cub's parents (I know panthers don't raise young in pairs bu.... encounter balance, lol). Due to my own misunderstanding of the "Pounce" attack the group had a very difficult time destroying them and ironically the two tanks on the team suffered the most damage. Overall they seemed to have fun... except for the paladin who spent most of the fight with his face in the dirt.

Due to the setting sun the party rushed to Auntie's home (without time to heal) which sat on a tiny river island. Crossing the river bridge they allowed Akira to enter the underground/tree home first. Auntie is revealed to be an ancient Tongu hag living in filth but blissfully unaware of the squalor. After the group is convinced that Auntie has information about the Yuan-Ti that will be useful to them, they are met with her heinous proposition that Akira hand over the child she is pregnant with as a price. The group is surprised to hear this and quickly ask for another option. Auntie then tells them that instead they may harvest blossoms from the island's sacred "Mother Tree" for her potions, and then they are to burn the tree down. This sends the party into a heated argument as the ranger and druid refuse to consider this and the Paladin (party leader) is adamantly against handing over Akira.

Auntie, enjoying the discord, stirs the pot further by suggesting that she would in fact be doing Akira a favor by taking the child as it has been sired by her younger sister's fiance. This sends an emotional Akira from the house. The paladin follows her and asks her to consider whether giving up the child to save her people would be better than burning down their sacred tree. Akira refuses to choose and when he states that the party will choose for her if she doesn't speak up, she postures for a fight. He asks Akira if she has any idea where the Yuan-ti are and she states that she can only knows where they used to be... long ago. (I awarded the paladin inspiration dice for this extra role play initiative. I explained to the other players other circumstances in which they could earn inspiration.) The paladin then returns and announces to the group that they will find another way to defeat the Yuan-ti apart from the hag's help. The others agree.

Upon hearing this, the hag expresses her rage and then transforms into a parroted harpy of sorts. The party, finally learning to coordinate their attacks a bit, dealt nearly half the creature's HP in damage before she even had a chance to really respond. Instead of fighting she moved to grab Akira and flee the house (easy since Akira was standing in the door anyway). Thanks to some good rolls, the party killed her in only three rounds. The whole fight seemed rather anti-climactic to me but my players all said it was their favorite fight so far. Fine by me, lol.

They ended up looting a poison ritual dagger, a healing potion, a poisoners kit, and a scroll with the two spells that I gave Auntie. Not sure if this was a good loot cache but it was my first try. The ranger put the poisoner's kit to use that same night though his first attempt to craft something failed. They spent the night outside the hovel on the island.

The next morning the party set off toward the ancient home of the Yuan-ti. While traveling they came to a swampy area and saw movement in the distance. What they see is a group of five bullywugs standing in the swamp speaking with a cloaked humanoid. The druid and wizard took off to investigate and when they failed stealth checks, the druid transformed into a wolf, trying to blend in, and the wizard sent an illusion in the opposite direction.

The paladin and ranger also start to move in and suddenly they have three bullywugs behind them and Akira (who stayed behind) has one behind her. The initial bullywugs and cloaked figure turns to see what the racket is and the party suddenly realizes they are in the presence of a Yuan-ti.

This is where our session ended. It wasn't supposed to but one of our players had a homeowner's emergency.

Advice Needed

Okay, so this is the part where I ask for help. Had the players obtained information from the Hag, they would have learned that the Yuan-ti are currently based out of the Temple at Kriel (the same place Akira is taking them to now). The basic story I have worked out is that after nearly being destroyed as a race on this island, the few remaining Yuan-ti have been in a deep slumber. A year ago a great earthquake woke the Yuan-ti and they found among their number that an Anathema has been born (yes I know these are incredibly rare, but bear with me). They have taken these events as a sign that their god (Not sure if I should use Dendar, Merrshaulk, or Sseth) is bidding them to rise once again and take over the world. Since then they have been abducting Tongu people in increasing frequency for the Anathema to make serpentine-grafted slaves of them. They are seeking to increase their numbers and workforce so that they can eventually exit the island and begin their initially diplomatic bid for world domination. Though they prefer to avoid brute force, they must make an exception with the Tongu as they are trying to gain some traction in the very early stages of this plan.

I'm hoping to convey to my players that the easiest way to stop this is to destroy the Anathema and let the rest of the Yuan-ti scatter and fall back into hibernation. Of course, this would include freeing what Tongu captives they can, particularly Akira's sister. My big question is, how do I do this?

Right now the group have happened upon a Yuan-ti pureblood who is attempting to enlist some sort of help from the bullywugs (I could also use a suggestion on what type of help). As I assumed, my players have already told me in post game conversation that they plan on capturing and interrogating the pure-blood. I think I can make this happen easily enough so long as the group is diplomatic enough not to piss off the bullywugs and are successful in capturing the pure-blood. I assume I will make the bullywugs distrustful of the Yuan-ti's bids for friendship and indifferent toward my PC's. Maybe they could sort of say to both my party and to the Yuan-ti, "Whatever issue you have with each other... just take it off our land"? And this would leave the PC's open to attack the diplomat.

Also, after this scene and before the group reaches the temple, I plan on having Akira kidnapped by the Yuan-ti in order to remove her from play in the final act. Gives the group a chance to be heroic rescuers of a character they've spent time with and also makes sure that she doesn't steal the spotlight at the end. But maybe I should keep her around just in-case I need her to sort of spoon feed an essential element about the temple to the group? Might be handy in a pinch.

Direct Questions

#1 What could the Yuan-ti want from the bullywugs?
#2 What and how much information should the party reasonably get from the Yuan-ti diplomat?
#3 Should I have the diplomat escape before or after the PC's interrogate her?
#4 What should I have going on at the Temple at Kriel when the PC's get there?
#5 How difficult should I make it to find the Anathema?
#6 Would you guys have more guards or make the temple more trap heavy?
#7 Would you remove Akira from the third act or keep her in the party?
#8 Should I make the final act a sort of "sneak in and go straight for the kill" sort of climax or rather more of an "uh-oh, you've been captured and taken straight to the place you were trying to sneak into, let's see you get yourselves out of this one"?

As always, thank you all for your amazing support on this forum!

 

[hastur_nz]

I've only got some general advice - try not to script the plot too heavily.

For example, in session 1 you didn't expect the PC's to flee from your snake, you wanted to make sure they had a fight - IMO you should always try and set up Encounters, not Fights; let the players decide when it's time to fight, flee, talk or whatever. In session 2, I love how you presented the players with a Dilemma in the hag's hut, but it almost sounds like you wanted the players to do something else and a fight ensues - as a casual reader, it's not clear what the hag's actual motives / goals were here, but I'll assume she was trying to drive the PC's to her goal and in anger she snapped and tried to bully them into it?

In terms of your specific questions, I'd rather leave them and say that you're better focusing on a smaller number of questions, along the lines of "what kinds of options can I help guide my players towards, and what kinds of plans should I try and be prepared for?" For example, let them decide whether they sneak in, attack it outright, or whatever - if they fail, allow Capture to be an outcome rather than TPK, and prepare for how the players might still escape and continue. Have a think about various Clues the players can find, and which ones you want to definitely happen vs might happen if the players do certain things (don't assume your players are hard-core detectives, and don't make everything random). Don't script Akira being captured - by all means, put her in jeopardy, but leave her ultimate Fate up for grabs depending on what the players do in response.

Basically, always try and remember that the players want and need Agency, i.e. their Actions should have Consequences. Even if that's not always strictly true, i.e. there's stuff hidden from their view so to speak, players need to feel that they have a part to play in shaping the story. That's exactly the reason that your players would have loved the scene and fight with the Hag - they found themselves in a Dilemma, made some Decisions, got a Response, and ultimately they kicked her Butt (3 rounds vs a solo is a decent duration BTW - it's all about quality vs quantity).

OK, so looking back at your questions, I'd say
1) look at the MM - yuan-ti plot to supplant and dominate all other races and to make themselves gods, while bullywugs consider themselves the right and proper rulers of the swamps. Your average yuan-ti is kick-arse compared to a bullywug, so I'd say the yuan-ti want to enslave the bullywugs, but some form of deception is likely in order because there's probably way more bullywugs than yuan-ti.
2) let them get some useful information, but make it challenging to get truth vs lies
3) the diplomat should TRY and escape at the most convenient time, and the PC's should most likely have some chance of preventing this, or at least seeing them disappearing into the swamp.
4) didn't you already answer this? They are seeking to increase their numbers and workforce...
5) the Anathema sounds like the BBEG / end-boss - it should be encountered towards the end, of course, i.e. hard to get to, which also means your PC's should have gained a level or two and stand a chance of defeating it, yeah?
6) this is a story question for you... it sounds like your temple is sparsely populated, but maybe the yuan-ti have already gathered a number of slaves to help guard the place? that gives the PC's potential allies, too, not just sneak vs fight options.

 

[S'mon]

Having Akira kidnapped & rescued sounds fine, but as hastur said don't force it if the PCs have a way to foil the attempt.

You can spoonfeed clues by requesting low-DC INT checks, eg INT (History) for generic stuff, and telling the player on a success. You don't need an NPC around and indeed players like the thought it's their PCs knowing stuff, even if it's only they need to go talk to the Sage.

You don't need to pre-plot solutions. I hardly ever do. The usual best approach is to let the players come up with solutions, then you decide if they are credible, erring on 'say yes' if unsure, or roll a die. If completely stuck the Saving Throw mechanic works - plan succeeds on a 10+. Usually I just set odds on a d6 and roll.

Re dungeon design - if in doubt use the encounter-building rules. Have about an xp-adjusted Adventuring Day's worth of monsters in there by default, with at least one treasure Hoard (or +50% if the monsters are not
allied). I generally recommend about half the rooms have
monsters, though 2 in 6 works for a sparser feel. Have patrols/wandering monsters. 1 in 6 every 20 minutes of game time works well. Have most rooms be easy-medium encounters, but the inhabitants will usually react to combat nearby & several groups converging can easily turn Deadly.

However some monsters may be sleeping and not react to a brief nearby combat. Recently I had a
bunch of goblins who resolutely refused to turn up to a nearby fight when I kept checking (3 in 6 I
think, rolled a bunch of times) - I eventually decided they were passed out dead drunk.

 

[Denalz]

Thank you so much for your thoughtful response! I went ahead and replied to a few of your points/questions below (sorry, I don't know how to use the multi-quote feature).

"as a casual reader, it's not clear what the hag's actual motives / goals were here, but I'll assume she was trying to drive the PC's to her goal and in anger she snapped and tried to bully them into it?"

No she was just carrying out her ultimate goal of harvesting the child which she planned on doing regardless of whether the PC's completed the alternative task. If you read up on hag lore it states that they frequently double cross those they make deals with. She was less attacking the group and more trying to abduct and flee with Akira. However, they beat her down so quickly she didn't get the chance.

"Basically, always try and remember that the players want and need Agency"

This is a hard concept for me to fully grasp. I'm a writer so I'm not used to trusting forces outside myself to make a plot work. I'll get there eventually, lol. Sooner rather than later I hope. Just terrified of my players wandering around bored, aimlessly unsure of what to do.

"didn't you already answer this? They are seeking to increase their numbers and workforce..."

I meant more along the lines of "what would the scene look like". Are they all just standing around? Or are they engaging in some ritual or something. Just looking for ideas. I haven't built a dungeon before so I'm rather nervous about it.

 

[Positiveimpact3]

Here are the main things I need help with for session 1...

1. I need a minor buff provided by the tribal tattoo. It needs to be small due to the permanence of such a mark.

2. I am unsure if I should create another encounter as a condition for receiving the tattoo. I was thinking like a trial by fire or one on one combat with the tribesmen (I like this idea less as it would be time consuming individually). Any ideas?

3. I'm not sure if the events described in the first session will be enough to fill out a 3 hour block. Maybe they will be too much, what do you all think? Are there enough encounters to keep things interesting?

4. Since there are no shops on this island, what starting items (like healing potions) should I allow my PC's? They have no dedicated cleric.

5. Is it too boring to end the session without combat? Is entering the jungle exciting enough to make the players wan to return?
____________________________________________________________________________________________

If you are still reading then let me know if you would like a synopsis of the second and third session, especially if you think it would help you answer my questions for the first session. Thank you very much!

I will start with the questions and then give a little advice of my own at the end.

1. "Once per long rest you may use a bonus action to activate the tribal mark to gain advantage on your next attack roll.

2. Players generally enjoy earning power, not getting it for free. As such i recommend an encounter to earn the mark. I recommend a test or puzzle or 1v1 combat to further differentiate your encounters.

3. There is no way to know if your first session will have enough content but you have session 2 ready so if they blow past session one then at least you have more content prepared and can keep going. You can also say "okay thats session one, i expected it to take longer. Lets stop for now and do something else and we will do session two next time." At least now you will have a better idea of how much content your group will go through in 3 hours. As a rule of thumb it is generally better to over-prepare rather than under-prepare.

4. For starting items: i suggest the ones given in character creation. Besides that maybe give them some gold to spend at the tribal village or merchant general goods. As for other items - you can put them in the game as rewards when it makes sense.

5. It depends on the players. Some players love combat, some love social interaction, some love exploring the world, some just want to feel powerful or feel like their choices matter and make a difference, and some have no preference and just want to watch the story unfold. Most enjoy some combination of them to varying degrees but generally have preferences towards 1 or 2 over the others. I have a friend who feels like they arent doing anything unless they are making skill checks and solving mysteries for example. In short - ask your players what they like, what they enjoy doing in the game and try to cater to them.
If you want a non-combat session thats fine just try to make the other elements or encounters interesting. Encounters arent just combat - its also traps, puzzles, negotiations, traveling in dangerous terrain (survival) or any non-trivial roadblock that hinders the players progress.

Some of my own advice:
-If players arent having fun then stop. You probably just have a group that doesnt gell well. If you enjoy being a dm then dont give up just because this group may not enjoy the session. Their are plenty of d&d loving groups hoping for a dm to run a game for them.

If you want to dig in for more advice and knowledge for dming I suggest checking out mattcolville's "running the game" youtube series. Great for beginners and veterans alike. I would be happy to give further advice if you have more questions. Good luck on your sessions.

 

[Bradley Hindman]

"Basically, always try and remember that the players want and need Agency"

This is a hard concept for me to fully grasp. I'm a writer so I'm not used to trusting forces outside myself to make a plot work. I'll get there eventually, lol. Sooner rather than later I hope. Just terrified of my players wandering around bored, aimlessly unsure of what to do.

This is a hard lesson to learn, particularly if you are a writer. The DM should present situations but not solutions. Have a good idea what will happen storywise if the characters don't intervene, but be fully expect the characters to intervene and wreck the villains plans in ways you can't predict. Also keep in mind that a good ending for a book, isn't always a good ending for a RP game. However, if the ending achieved is a group effort it will always be enjoyable.

As for the fear of "players wandering around bored, aimlessly unsure of what to do," the best solution is to ensure that they have plenty of information. I find that surprise "reveals" rarely work as well as the DM thinks it will. Players can only make meaningful decisions if they have enough information to judge what is going on. As a DM it is almost always the case that you can't give out too much information. So, for your particular story, be prepared to have the capture Yuan-Ti diplomat spill the beans. Yuan-Ti are proud aren't they? Have him monologue about the inevitability of their victory. Have him threaten the PCs with the power of Anathema. Try to frighten the PCs with the foregone conclusion that they will become grafted-slaves. If the PCs are polite to the bullywugs, perhaps the bullywugs know something of use (a secret entrance, information about the temple's outer defenses, etc.) The bullywugs could even approach the PCs. Perhaps they are already worried about the rise of the Yuan-Ti and see the PCs as a chance to lance that boil without getting their own hands dirty.

Here is technique that I use often. Once the players are given a glimpse into what is truly going on, they will start to speculate among themselves. Sit quietly, listen, and take mental notes. Your players will often invent fantastic possibilities and story ideas that you never considered. Steal from them liberally. At the end the story told will be collaborative, usually more inventive than you could have accomplished on your own, and the players will feel smart for figuring out your plot line.

 

[Denalz]

Re dungeon design - if in doubt use the encounter-building rules. Have about an xp-adjusted Adventuring Day's worth of monsters in there by default, with at least one treasure Hoard (or +50% if the monsters are not
allied). I generally recommend about half the rooms have
monsters, though 2 in 6 works for a sparser feel. Have patrols/wandering monsters. 1 in 6 every 20 minutes of game time works well. Have most rooms be easy-medium encounters, but the inhabitants will usually react to combat nearby & several groups converging can easily turn Deadly.

However some monsters may be sleeping and not react to a brief nearby combat. Recently I had a
bunch of goblins who resolutely refused to turn up to a nearby fight when I kept checking (3 in 6 I
think, rolled a bunch of times) - I eventually decided they were passed out dead drunk.

This is what I feel like I need the most practical advice on... dungeon design. Thank you. I will take this advice to heart as I work on deisgning the temple.

 

[Denalz]

5. It depends on the players. Some players love combat, some love social interaction, some love exploring the world, some just want to feel powerful or feel like their choices matter and make a difference, and some have no preference and just want to watch the story unfold. Most enjoy some combination of them to varying degrees but generally have preferences towards 1 or 2 over the others. I have a friend who feels like they arent doing anything unless they are making skill checks and solving mysteries for example. In short - ask your players what they like, what they enjoy doing in the game and try to cater to them.
If you want a non-combat session thats fine just try to make the other elements or encounters interesting. Encounters arent just combat - its also traps, puzzles, negotiations, traveling in dangerous terrain (survival) or any non-trivial roadblock that hinders the players progress.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my earlier questions. I feel bad because if you read my post at the top of page five you'll see that I've already made it through session two and have a whole bunch of new questions, lol. But I still appreciate reading what you wrote. In particular, I find it interesting how the DM's style differing from his/her players can make such a big difference. I am a woman and I prefer social interaction as encounters. However, I am running a game for four adult men and while they enjoy some social interaction, the combat is what makes the game for them. Maybe I'll be able to win them over in the future. For now I'm just giving them exactly what they want.

 

[Denalz]

As for the fear of "players wandering around bored, aimlessly unsure of what to do," the best solution is to ensure that they have plenty of information. I find that surprise "reveals" rarely work as well as the DM thinks it will. Players can only make meaningful decisions if they have enough information to judge what is going on. As a DM it is almost always the case that you can't give out too much information. So, for your particular story, be prepared to have the capture Yuan-Ti diplomat spill the beans. Yuan-Ti are proud aren't they? Have him monologue about the inevitability of their victory. Have him threaten the PCs with the power of Anathema. Try to frighten the PCs with the foregone conclusion that they will become grafted-slaves. If the PCs are polite to the bullywugs, perhaps the bullywugs know something of use (a secret entrance, information about the temple's outer defenses, etc.) The bullywugs could even approach the PCs. Perhaps they are already worried about the rise of the Yuan-Ti and see the PCs as a chance to lance that boil without getting their own hands dirty.

Here is technique that I use often. Once the players are given a glimpse into what is truly going on, they will start to speculate among themselves. Sit quietly, listen, and take mental notes. Your players will often invent fantastic possibilities and story ideas that you never considered. Steal from them liberally. At the end the story told will be collaborative, usually more inventive than you could have accomplished on your own, and the players will feel smart for figuring out your plot line.

Love it! This is the kin of practical advice I need to hear. Thank you very much! I think I will be incorporating the advice about the bullywugs potentially offering secret entrance information on the temple. I also like the examples on the tone of the upcoming interrogation scene.

 

[Bradley Hindman]

I am a woman and I prefer social interaction as encounters. However, I am running a game for four adult men and while they enjoy some social interaction, the combat is what makes the game for them. Maybe I'll be able to win them over in the future. For now I'm just giving them exactly what they want.

Whacking things on the head is often the most obvious solution when you are just starting out. This is particularly true when almost everything on you character sheet is related to combat. However, once the players get fully invested in the story you are telling together, I suspect you will find that they will start interacting with the NPCs and world just because they are interested.