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Actually, I’ve been playing a few clerics over the past few years, and come to think of it, I rarely swap out spells. Sometimes I have to force myself to remember that I can have my PCs pray for different spells each prayer time.

This reminded me of another thing I learned to do to prep 5 min before a game. I pre examine npcs the pcs are likely to meet and I make sure I have at least one character trait and motive so when they interact it helps me play the role. A quick description is also helpful. This is especially...

The only DM I left behind was a DM who already wrote a story and just placed the players within the story. We had very little chance to make real decisions and he narrated way too much. The DM was a creative writing major in college when I was in college too. RPG playing is very different...

This reminds me of the old joke. How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, Practice, Practice. That's the most important way I've improved over the last 30 years or so. As I practice, I've learned to do some of the following to make myself a better DM: 1) Keep the game moving and don't let...

That's the way we played when I was a teen in the late 70s and early 80s until death's door came around. I haven't done it since. I think it is really all up to your group. Also, since there are so many ways to get a PC back even after death now-a-days, death at 0 may be an inconvenience for...

I also like the character building system, especially using Fantasy Grounds. By following the "tracker" (something that FG put in to prompt choices), I can make a PC in 3 minutes (then buying gear takes about 10 more minutes, lol). I think it is smart to grant skills, ancestor feats, skill...

Shield use is really fun. First it has to be readied as an action (or fighters at a point get to keep it readied for free). Then it grants +2 AC bonus. When hit, PC can take a reaction to block the damage. If the damage is over the hardiness of the shield (5 in normal cases), the shield...

Congrats. I tip my hat to you and all who become a DM. Lots of great advice so far. Here’s mine 1) Before a session, I make a rough outline and create/decide on 2 or 3 possible add ins or off shoots (sometimes I create them and keep them in my back pocket for later use too when I need to...

You are so right about listening to your players to give them what they want. I’ve been DMing and playing a long time, and one thing I try to do is to balance combat, exploration and interaction in nearly all sessions, especially until I get a feel for the players. One of 5e’s major strengths...

Session 28 – Showdown with Aerisi (I'm changing the writing style of this entry to save time. This is more like notes using present tense rather than past tense narrative) Hundar hears screams of pain...tortured death from the northwest Strange viscous blackness fills the passages between...

I picked "Being A Fair Referee" because that is the essence of what a Referee is, and once that's compromised, nothing else matters. Being Organized, communicating, story telling and adaptability are all important, but first and foremost, fairness rules the day.

I like the mixed format books because they are probably much more profitable for the publisher, and I really do want them to succeed. For the most part though, I don't need all of the new stuff in print if if I use Fantasy Grounds. Finding and using material from the various books is really...

Before each game, it is good for all players to check PC inventory. Sometimes I even remind them to do that. As a player, I always do that. In one of the last games I played in, one of the PCs in my group was wielding a cursed blade. The player rolled a "1" so the blade took over and forced...

All true, but as long as a campaign has a mix of dungeon experiences and overland travel/exploration, there should be no problems with balance. Also, understanding that a party may only have a few encounters in any given day, the DM can make them more difficult, or the DM can include a few...

Unfortunately, I've only run a few campaigns so far, Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle that I ran for 5e and Princes of the Apocalypse (which I'm about 1/2 through). In both cases, the events kind of don't led themselves to downtime...lots of time constraints and chase the bad guys or get stuff...

I like to think that we all have mutual respect for each other and even if we don't agree with a comment, we still maintain a respectful tone. The moderators help set the tone, but I also think that most of the people who post here regularly have been around the block a few times so they are...

If a grapple and choke maneuver that silences a caster is too easy, every fighter would use it every time he/she encounters a spellcaster. Nobody would play wizards anymore and all the NPC wizards would be killed by fighters and intelligent monsters. In one game I ran, I allowed a 3rd level...

I see what you are saying and for some players, you are totally correct. I was lucky to have started playing D&D in the late 70s with a wizard pc and I quickly learned that conserving spell power, etc. was beneficial and it became part of the fun of the game for me. I know that other people...

I see what you mean, but to me, resting when possible seems like a natural choice for adventurers facing unknown danger. Resting only when the group knows a big encounter is in the next room seems contrived. If short rest is 1hour, how many times has it really been abused in actual games. In...

The key is to make sure the PCs don't actually know when and how difficult the last encounter will be. And, as long as the party can sneak in that hour rest, they should. I don't see anything wrong with Resting when needed. I do it all the time in real life. Lol. Funny thing happened when...