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The most updated list of modifications/abilities is in the resource section. It includes combat maneuvers from the battlemaster fighter. http://www.enworld.org/forum/rpgdownloads.php?do=download&downloadid=1375 1 Action Surge (Fighter) Add one additional action and bonus action 1/short rest...

If you play/DM a lot, Fantasy Grounds is really worth it. I started using it during the 5e playtest paying $9.95/month, adding monsters by hand and using material a friend helped me create. After 2 months I upgraded to the ultimate license. Now that they have all of the books for sale, I've...

Yes! Everyone always remembers the times when their choices defy the odds. This is a major reason why I like swinginess to some extent. The D20 model with limited bonus modifiers (bounded accuracy) adds a little excitement. If I didn't run most of my games on Fantasy Grounds, I'd probably use...

Not to go off topic, but that is exactly how I felt DMing 4e. I was always looking for a power/rule that would let me do things rather than using generic easy to follow guidelines using contests, etc. Part of what all DMs have to do for 5e is not forget to use the generic tactics when they...

Yeah, this was my reaction too. At levels lower than 8 or 9, an encounter with a Marilith should really be just a "show me" type encounter. PCs have to bargain with it or they get lucky and something (a wayward NPC with special powers, or a magic item that they find) can help them repel it by...

Great thoughts. I agree. Matt Mercer's decisions and technique actually make it less boring to watch people playing D&D. Without his and his players talents at developing character and using flavor the way they do I would never be able to watch them for hours upon hours. Who would have...

I feel this way too. Sometimes, I even run turn based segments outside of combat because it can get unruly when a number of players declares action all at once. Also, at some tables, if I don't mechanically give each player a turn, the quiet ones get overshadowed.

Although I believe that the narrative and the way the DM plays the monsters can make any monster less "boring," I do think that many of the monsters that just have attacks (even multiple attack forms that are just "to hit" attacks) can be seen as "boring." For example, the Grick (although Stone...

I just updated the Modify Your Monster xls to include a section that has other possibilities including a section that lists many of the Combat Maneuvers from the Battlemaster Fighter. I'm finding that giving melee creatures (humanoids and monsters alike) a few Battlemaster options to try out...

I like what ArwensDaughter and Tony Vargas said. Flow charts and outlines really help me, especially because they allow me to as Tony said, "prep less and improvise more." I generally create an outline of possibilities, and then see where the players go. Each session, I reconfigure an outline...

In a game a few weeks ago, our 3rd level pcs faced an ogre in a cave with 6 orcs. The ogre wiffed against the Dwarven paladin about 5 times. Finally, it scored a hit. There was tension in the battle even though the ogre had "boring" attacks.

Yes. This would be great. I wonder if they avoid publishing something like this because it is a DM tool that players might not buy? It seems like their publishing strategy is to make books that appeal to both players and DM's (Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide and Volo's Guide, for example). If...

Yes, I see what you mean, and I totally support all discussion where community members point out what they feel as flaw in an attempt to determine a way to modify. I think overall with 5e, WotC is using more fluff and story as well as a reliance on most groups choosing PCs based on "fun" and...

I agree. From when I was playtesting 5e to now, I kind of feel that 3 PCs is actually the perfect number for using the encounter guidelines. It is challenging enough, but not too challenging. But, I played/DMd more experienced players so that might be why 3 worked well..instead of 4 or 5. As...

I get what you mean. Admittedly, I'm an old timer who began playing/DMing D&D late 70s early 80s so for me, 5e (which harkens back to the days of yore) is more comfortable than 4e, which, to me, changed a lot of the preconceived mechanics/ideas used in D&D. The funny thing about my experience...

I really like the Millennium Falcon example, hawkeyefan. To me, what it foregrounds is the idea that players need to know more clearly what is a "winnable" combat encounter and what will require more than just combat to survive, succeed, escape, etc. In 4e, there were more options for DMs to...

About a year ago, I was playing both 5e and Pathfinder on different nights, and personally, I hated the inferiority (no bonus to missile weapon damage) of Pathfinder. I bet that a lot of what WoTC did when designing 5e was based on feedback from playtesters that expressed a desire for more...

That's a tough issue to deal with in the DM side. I think your best bet is to make sure the players know that they don't have to fight everything. There may be times where the party will have to retreat and figure out how to escape or ambush the creatures later.

I like to pre-think/plan for TPK or near TPKs so that if it comes down to that, I can seamlessly change the scenario to give the PCs a way out. (Best if used only a few times in a campaign so it doesn't seem like Deus Ex Machina). For example, go through a list of possible scenarios: 1)...

Oh...this is a repost. I thought that I could just upload to resources, but apparently it added it here too. Well...this is a final list for now. Cheers.