D&D (2024) The New DM Tools In The New Dungeon Master's Guide

The 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide contains a 'toolbox'. The DM's Toolbox is the third chapter in the book, presented as an alphabetical miscellany of varied things to help you prep or run a game.

Each entry is 1-2 pages long and includes things like creating monsters, fear and mental stress, chases, firearms and explosives, and traps. For example, it goes in depth into chases, with details about wilderness or urban chases.

Much of the topics were already in the 2014 DMG--albeit organized differently. Some new topics include character death, and more detailed look at alignment--and how actions determine alignment and not vice versa.

Also included is a big table of 'dungeon quirks'--why, then, and by whom was it built? Examples include made by giants (with everything being larger scale), built on top of a cloud, and so on.

There's plenty more stuff--environments, a settlement tracker (Chris Perkins and James Wyatt roll up a random settlement in the video), hazards, mob rules, marks of prestige (rewards like deeds, medals, or titles).

 

[Distracted DM]

Something I appreciated about the 3.5e DMG was all the "behind the curtain" sidebars - where the designers talked about things like the possible implications of implementing rules variants and such. I wish there was more transparency like that in the 5e books.

I love that kind of transparency and familiar language as well- it's part of what makes Red Hand of Doom and the 13th Age books such valuable resources.

 

[Chaosmancer]

I was expecting to hear the word 'Downtime' mentioned but I don't think I did? I suppose it's not really a 'tool'.. but I don't think I've heard the word mentioned once in the DMG content so far. Given the focus given to it in Xanathar's (and Acq Inc), part of me had expected to hear it mentioned at some point by now. I guess we'll see.

I can easily see that in Chapt 2 "How to Run the Game."

 

[Micah Sweet]

I mean, the old madness rules were basically "gain a role-playing flaw" which didn't actually have any mechanics behind it. Stress at least hurts and its not easy to recover from (a full day of rest to reduce one point or magic to remove more).

If you take the roleplaying flaws seriously, and enforce them at the table, they work just fine.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Sure, that's one approach. The one WotC chose to not take. Shrug.

Depictions of "madness" and mental illness in RPGs has traditionally been . . . poor. WotC moving away from doing so is probably wise. I'm all for it.

Not generally a fan of removing content. If you have to put more effort in, then "I'm all for it".

 

[Micah Sweet]

So, in this same vein, WotC may just get rid of the term "Downtime" moving forward because of the connotation it was with some players.

That is IMO a terrible idea. What's wrong with downtime?

 

[Micah Sweet]

A waste of time. I've seen players that seriously think Downtime activities detract from the game

That needs to be nipped in the bud, ASAP! My players certainly don't feel that way. I'd hate to see the community moving away from roleplaying away from the active adventure.

 

[Parmandur]

Really? They talked about Sanity, Loyalty, Firearms and explosives, mob fights... sure that's not every single thing that was a variant rule, but quite of few of these were variants.

Nothing about plot points, proficiency dice, etc.

 

[Oofta]

So in today's "Let's imagine the worst thing possible!" We have .... get rid of all role playing opportunities between encounters!!!

 

[Micah Sweet]

So in today's "Let's imagine the worst thing possible!" We have .... get rid of all role playing opportunities between encounters!!!

For the record, I am supporting the concept (and verbiage) of downtime, not saying that WotC has dropped it without any evidence. Someone suggested it had a bad connotation, and I was refuting that.

 

[dave2008]

Those

Really? They talked about Sanity, Loyalty, Firearms and explosives, mob fights... sure that's not every single thing that was a variant rule, but quite of few of these were variants.

those are optional rules, not variant rules (as in a variant to an existing rule)