Am I missing the point?

[IamTheTest]

Im not going to lie; I shouldnt be a DM. I dont know the rules as well as a DM should, not to mention Im fairly new to the game. However, a few of my friends want to play D&D (3.0 is the PHB I have) so, being the one with the most experience in the game, I told them Id try to DM. Here is the issue: if I dont know the correct process for mundane things so I find myself making something up. This is not to say that I invent my own rules, I do try to justify why I think something should happen the way it does. Is this wrong or is my party's enjoyment all that really matters? Thanks.

On a side note, if anybody could send me links to good resources (preferably free, Im a poor college kid) I would really apprecite it.

 

[Sammael]

"Making rules up" is a perfectly fine way of Dungeon Mastering, as long as you are consistent with your rulings. If both you and your players are satisfied, and the game isn't out of your control, there is nothing wrong with your game.

As for resources, there are many articles on Wizards' site that are useful to a new DM. At the risk of being ridiculed by other forum members D), I'll also recommend downloading the D&D FAQ. Yes, it's full of errors, but it's still a pretty valuable resource that clarifies many aspects of the game.

 

[Piratecat]

No problem with that. Just try to be consistent so that your players aren't making wrong assumptions. Heck, making things up is half the fun!

 

[Corlon]

Read the PHB over about 3 times and run a couple failed campaigns


and you'll be a pretty good DM



That's what I did, I'd recommend finding someone who knows how to play pretty well to pick up on all the rules.

Then again, the point of the thread is if making up rules is fine. It's perfectly fine, as long as (as said before) you keep your rulings consistent. It keeps those rules lawyers on their toes too!

 

[Trainz]

My very first "game session" in 1985 was a solo game with a dude that didn't have ANY book. He had a few dice. That's it. He didn't really knew any rules either. It was in the chess club room in college.

I had a blast.

At our 3rd "game session", a guy saw our game for 5 minutes and said to him "this is ridiculous, you're not really playing DnD. You don't have books". I told him "go away, I'm having fun".

And that's all there is to it.

I suggest that you go on playing, and whenever you have the chance, buy the 3.5 Player's Handbook, Monster Manual, DM's guide, and read them at your leasure. But don't rush it. Don't stress yourself with the details. Eventually, you'll slowly slide into mainstream D&D mode as your grasp of the rules becomes more clear.

I envy you. You have years of marvels in front of you, that many of us jaded old timers have come and gone by.

 

[Ry]

Of course, there's the System Reference Document, which has everything except character generation and the xp table, which are pretty easy to make up. Don't let stuff in from outside the core rules (like the Complete Books, 3rd party stuff) until you get comfortable. Heck, stick to 4 classes (Rogue, Fighter, Wizard, Cleric) if you can.

 

[IamTheTest]

Thanks for the help. It feels good to know that Im doing alright by the standards of seasoned vets. So far everybody seems happy with the characters theyve made (bard, cleric, fighter, and monk) and everything is going well. My only concern is that I think my players are scared of magic users. It would be super if one would play a wizard or a sorcerer but I think the responsibilities of learning spells and their effects worries them. Is there an easy way to ease the tension that magic users create? Should I make a NPC that can introduce magic into my campaign? Should I pull aside the cleric or bard since they have some experience (only a few sessions but still...)? What do you think?

 

[jeffh]

Thanks for the help. It feels good to know that Im doing alright by the standards of seasoned vets. So far everybody seems happy with the characters theyve made (bard, cleric, fighter, and monk) and everything is going well. My only concern is that I think my players are scared of magic users. It would be super if one would play a wizard or a sorcerer but I think the responsibilities of learning spells and their effects worries them. Is there an easy way to ease the tension that magic users create? Should I make a NPC that can introduce magic into my campaign? Should I pull aside the cleric or bard since they have some experience (only a few sessions but still...)? What do you think?

Well, if one of them is playing a cleric, really a wizard or sorc is no harder than that. While there are a lot more wizard and sorcerer spells than cleric spells, the wizard or sorcerer player only really needs to know the spells their character knows, which is invariably far less than half of them. The cleric, meanwhile, could prepare any spell on the cleric list at a day's notice, and so really should be familiar with ALL, or at least a big chunk, of the available cleric spells.

A sorcerer is much easier for a new player to run well than a wizard, and in either case raising their hit die to a d6 isn't a bad idea.

 

[Amaroq]

First off - yeah, that's pretty much how we all started. Go to!

Don't be afraid to make something up; also don't be afraid to say 'Hey, y'know, I think we messed that up last session, and I'm not going to repeat it. Here's what we ruled 'on the fly' last session: *recap*, and here's how I'm going to rule it from this session on: *explanation*'. For the most part, its better to rule in directions that limit rather than enable: players are much less likely to complain at being given more power than given less. Its also plausible to say 'okay, I need half an hour to prepare: why don't you guys order a pizza or something' in the middle of a session if the players go an unexpected direction.

Feel free to ask for assistance on the boards - there's probably no question which SOME DM on the board hasn't had to give some thought to!

My only concern is that I think my players are scared of magic users. It would be super if one would play a wizard or a sorcerer but I think the responsibilities of learning spells and their effects worries them. Is there an easy way to ease the tension that magic users create? Should I make a NPC that can introduce magic into my campaign? Should I pull aside the cleric or bard since they have some experience (only a few sessions but still...)? What do you think?

Very common concern for new players - and understandably; it really is tougher to play a spellcaster: it feels like there are more rules and things to know.

I'd recommend, don't force them to play a class that they're not comfortable with - you've got a fine mix there. It gives you an opportunity to have that 'sorcery is a little evil' feel to your world, and that's fine: it leaves a lot of mystery in those magical encounters.

You-the-DM may need to watch out, as you create challenges for them: A high-level wizard who gets the drop on the party may well be a match for them. Also, monsters which can only be hit by magical means will be dramatically more challenging, at least until they start having magical weapons, etc. Read the monster descriptions, don't just rely on 'CR'! Some problems may take more creativity from your players (it usually does, anytime you're missing ANY of the core classes), but that's not a bad thing at all.

If there is a distinct definite need for the party to have a spell-casting wizard, you might let them encounter an NPC who can fill the void and might provide a plausible 'trainer' for somebody who wants to multi-class into some wizard levels. I'd recommend that this NPC be *lower* in level than the average level of the party, and be very clear that they are not going to stick around indefinitely. It's altogether too easy to wind up with a 'Here's a challenge which only the NPC can overcome; the players get to watch and wish they'd played a wizard,' and that can get awful boring awful quickly.

Best of luck, and let us know how it goes!

 

[barsoomcore]

Free rules online:

The Complete 3.5 Rules (including lots of stuff NOT in the PHB)

The Complete Modern Rules

You're doing just fine, IamTheTest. Remember the golden rule of RPGs: If you're having fun, you're doing it right. Have fun, learn the rules a little better if you think that helps, encourage your players to try new stuff if you or they are getting bored, and let your imagination take you where it will.