D&D (2024) What can WotC do in OneD&D to make the DM's Guide worth buying?

[Micah Sweet]

A section on magic items. Add how to modify and craft them. Say you wanted a sword that shoots a lightning bolt, what does this do to rarity, cost, crafting? Maybe modify attunement, but not sure how.

A section on encounters. Add encounter charts based on locations and how to modify them. Examples of mixing monsters for varied challenge ratings. Maybe skip the wandering harlot table.

A section on style of play. What is a sandbox and how that differs from a linear campaign. Do you need to make encounters balanced or do you just make the world and the PCs react or die? What about a political game vs hack and slash.

Add a starter town like 4e did with Fallcrest. Show how you add secrets and hooks in with the NPCs.


A lot of all this can be found online and even here where we talk about it, but put it all in one place and people will buy it.

Apparently, just putting the name "D&D" on it is enough for people to buy it (or so I've been told).

 

[Maxperson]

It's a serious question. The "Big Three" books of D&D have always been the Player's Handbook, the Monster Manual, and the Dungeon Master's Guide. The DM's Guide has always sounded like it is really important, but I don't think it has ever been an essential text in any version of D&D, aside from being where we hide the magic items (for some reason).

So what can actually make this book worth buying and reading, while remaining true to the basic 5e toolkit?

It was important in 1e and 2e as it had actual rules in those editions, including how to run combats. 3e started the DMG as primarily advice + magic items and traps. As a result, I didn't bother to buy the 3.5 DMG when it came out. I can see the 5.5e DMG suffering a similar fate.

 

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

Wow, snarky comment. That was useful. Let's assume that I wouldn't have made this thread if I had not. I still have my AD&D DM's Guide, for that matter. It was also the least useful book in that edition.

There's been a running joke on ENWorld around no one reading the DMG. Maybe you missed those posts.

 

[Maxperson]

I really don't want to see magic items in the PHB. They are a DM resource to hand out to the players and should remain in the DMG.

 

[Bill Zebub]

I think it should be chock full (25%? More?) of advice on how to DM. I might learn something myself, or at least it might cause me to reflect more consciously on something I hadn't thought very deeply about. But really I don't want it for myself, I want it for all the newcomers, in order to make the hobby stronger. Heck, it could even present multiple conflicting opinions on how to DM. Anything to get people to be more intentional/deliberate in the approach they take.

Magic items: although I wax nostalgic thinking about reading the magic item section of the original DMG, with flashlight in the wee hours, back in the 8th grade, I wish they'd dedicate some of that page count toward the creation of unique magic items.

Encounters: not just how to compute CRs, but how to design encounters (and play monsters) to make combats more exciting/challenging.

Travel: I'd love to see some kind of intelligent subsystem for travel, something akin to what Cubicle 7 did for AiMe (and is now releasing separately).

 

[Shiroiken]

Not if example & custom curses are secondary things that the GM can attach to any item

I kinda wish that was a thing, but it's really hard to do for so many different types of items.

Fair, but that's my point: for those saying to basically keep it as it is...why should anyone buy it? Why is it considered one of the three "core" books when, magic items aside, you can play the game fine without it?

There are a lot of game rules in the DMG, they're just hidden due to the poor organization. You can run the game "fine" without them, but you force the DM to make up those rules. Examples include item AC & HP, social interactions, secret doors, etc.

 

[MNblockhead]

Here's what I'd like.

• Move magic items to the PHB. I consider that player-facing anyway (especially when their characters have the ability to craft magic items.)

Magic items belong in the DMG just as monsters belong in the monster manual. The PHB would otherwise just get too unwieldy. Of course this is all a print problem. I almost entirely use DnD Beyond to look up magic items using filterable list section it has for the purpose. Personally, if I were relying on print, I would want all the magic items from the various rule and adventure books printed in a separate book on magic items. I would also prefer spells to be in a separate book. I would just find that must more convenient to use in game. Even when I was running games in person, we used spell cards. I realize I'm in the minority here, which is fine. As long as I have D&D beyond, it doesn't really matter to me. But I don't think I've look up a spell or magic item in the PHB or DMG in over 5 years.

• Drop the high-minded "how to be a DM" advice. There are better examples of actual plays and DM advice online.

The print books are for people who want to engage the rules in print. If you are going to design the book on the assumption that people should consult online sources, why have print books? The DM guide should, in my opinion double down the how to DM. The basics of how to run a game should be in the PHP, but the DMG should give advice, examples, and tools to help you improve your DM skills and run various styles of games.

• List many examples of traps (including complex ones) and environmental hazards

Yes. 100% agree.

• Have a completely overhauled "player rewards" section. How to award XP, treasure, etc.

Agree. The default XP rules plus perhaps a short treatment of simple milestone leveling should be covered in the PHP, but the DMG should do a deeper dive into different approaches. XP for non-combat, mini-milestone approaches, etc.

• Downtime rules

Yeah. There is some good stuff for downtime, but it is currently spread accress at least three books: PHP, DMG, and Xanathars. I would like to see downtime rules consolidated and expanded. Included in this could more fleshed out options for stronghold rules, faction & reputation rules, and expanding on the Xanathar complication tables, which I find to be a bit uninspired.

• Encounter design

This is one area I am confident they are going to redo. I would like to see encounter design to include mechanics for adding environmental challenges into your encounters.

• Travel vignettes, skill challenges

Yes please! I would also like more ideas on how to make passive abilities more flavorful. More tips on how to balance dungeon crawling/exploration between a constant roll to check slog on the one hand and auto-pilot passive checks on the other. I think skill challenges has a place in this.

But basically, I think we keep getting DMs Guides because of tradition. I don't think it's a necessary book. I'd like to see a two-core book model.

Personally, DnD Beyond has me past the book model. I would love to have DND Beyond to continue organizing all of its content by major categories. I should never have to select a "source". But for those who like to work with the print books, I think you would end up with huge, unwieldy tome that would intimidate new players, and annoy players who want a way to quickly reference a rule in print. For print, I would prefer going the opposite direction: Put spells and magic items in separate books. Have PHP, DMG, MM, Spell Book (SB), and a Treasure Chest (magic items, expanded treasure and equipment items, tables, and rules - crafting rules could go in here as well)

Treasure, crafting, downtime rules in the PHB.

Traps, encounter design, hazards, skill challenges, etc., in the MM (adversary guide?)
Have the DM's advice stuff on D&D Beyond columns and in-print in the various "beginner DM" adventures.

 

[Zaukrie]

I'd like it to be two or three books, not one.

One book full of magic items and how to make them, change them, etc.

The next two could be one or two books....
One book with advice and examples on how to run the game.

One book with all kinds of rules, RAW and optional.

 

[Catolias]

At risk of crossing the streams, I do like how PF2e just has a single core rulebook covering players and the GM. A seperate book exists for those wanting to lift their game (so to speak).

Downside: it’s a hefty book. Upside from the downside: the glossary serves as an index and is really useful.

A lesson for WoTC?

 

[Zaukrie]

At risk of crossing the streams, I do like how PF2e just has a single core rulebook covering players and the GM. A seperate book exists for those wanting to lift their game (so to speak).

Downside: it’s a hefty book. Upside from the downside: the glossary serves as an index and is really useful.

A lesson for WoTC?

That's certainly an option. I kind of like, bit doubt they'll take