D&D (2024) What do you want in the revised DMG?

[Malmuria]

In days of old, provided at least one person had the books, IME* games and campaigns could and did start among friends almost on a whim. Roll-up was relatively simple (and considered part of play rather than almost being its own sub-game) and off it went from there.

* - and in the anecdotal experience of others, beyond just our crew.

I don't think such a section would get in the way of quickly getting started with a game (that's what the phb is for, after all). It's more just acknowledgement that the role of the dm is partially to facilitate the game for several people, and that's going to involve getting to know what those people want and don't want out of the game.

 

[Oofta]

Re: CR and monsters:
An example of modifying an existing monster for higher / lower level PCs, and an example of creating a creature (of some mid-range CR) from scratch. To show what you can calculate, and what you have to estimate.I

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There could always be more, so apologies if I'm just misunderstanding but it's already there. Chapter 9 Dungeon Master's Workshop under Creating a monster. It includes a chart of Monster Statistics by Challenge Rating that I use occasionally.

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[Oofta]

I'm starting to think that if we included everything people want (including me) the book might start to look like this:

 

[Malmuria]

There could always be more, so apologies if I'm just misunderstanding but it's already there. Chapter 9 Dungeon Master's Workshop under Creating a monster. It includes a chart of Monster Statistics by Challenge Rating that I use occasionally.

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the 5e monster creation guidelines are wrong

While messing around with monster creation, I started comparing 5e Monster Manual creatures with the 5e guidelines for creating monsters (DMG page 274). Based on my number crunching, it looks like …

blogofholding.com

fwiw, this is the sort of thing a dmg for 5e could bring to the table that would be very useful: 5e monster manual on a business card

 

[Weiley31]

I agree with working the CR calculations or at least something that helps ya out with making sure you don't overshoot the PCs into a TPK. No matter how much I try to read various explanations of CR and all that, I still cannot fathom it properly.

I mean, on the plus side, the level 3 Ranger PC my buddy plays as didn't get insta-killed by an Assassin stat block creature, which IIRC is a Challenge Rating of 8. *okay the 21 poison damage took out half of his HP(43 total is said Ranger's max HP) but the Ranger scored his victory against it. TWICE!.

 

[Oofta]

the 5e monster creation guidelines are wrong

While messing around with monster creation, I started comparing 5e Monster Manual creatures with the 5e guidelines for creating monsters (DMG page 274). Based on my number crunching, it looks like …

blogofholding.com

fwiw, this is the sort of thing a dmg for 5e could bring to the table that would be very useful: 5e monster manual on a business card

I agree it should be reworked, just like the encounter guidelines. That's the problem with having to come out with a DMG before the MM is even complete or you've had enough testing to really validate your guidelines. It's probably the biggest opportunity for rework for the 2024 edition.

 

[Minigiant]

A chapter on Worldbuilding

Designing Worlds
Designing Planes
Designing Cities
Designing Pantheons
Designing Factions
Designing Conflicts

The DMG should guide you on how to design the Plane of Anphibion with the Frogmen, Toadies, and Salamanders war for their smooth or warted gods. Ever on watch for Slaadi corruption.

 

[dave2008]

This is pretty much what I have taken to doing as well. Sometimes it works, sometimes not so I adjust on the fly. I would just like something a little more precise so I don't have to improvise at the table. If that happens great, if not then I will continue doing what I have been doing. Most of the time if my players are in real trouble I'll figure out a way to give them an out. My original point (I may not have articulated that sufficiently) was that by following the encounter building rules IME does not usually have the intended results for the level of challenge I'm wanting and expecting from how they are written, but it is quite possible there something I'm missing or misinterpreting.

I think the issue is really that there is so much variety in each PC group that one static set of guidelines can't do 5e justice. So what I would like is just some explanation on how to adjust the encounter guidelines for different groups, themes, play styles, etc. I think the encounter guidelines work for a very specific group, but we need guidance on how to adjust them for groups that deviate from those assumptions. Heck, if they even gave us a clear baseline assumption it would be helpful

 

[Yaarel]

Anything relating to adventuring, including skills, social interaction, combat, diseases, etcetera, belongs in the Players Handbook (not the DMG).

Anything relating to worldbuilding, including religions, languages, factions, NPCs, etcetera, belongs in the DMG (not the Players Handbook).

 

[Yaarel]

"Running the Game" pretty much belongs in the Players Handbooks.

All the variant options belong the DMG.