D&D 5E Most useful DM tools at the table? Please share
- Thread starter the_redbeard
- Start date
Flexor the Mighty!
18/100 Strength!
My two main tools are index cards to track initiative and a stiff drink of bourbon for when the players are on my last nerve.
practicalm
Adventurer
I use this all the time too and I've contributed to creating xml data for some UA and some monsters
LordEntrails
Hero
Thanks for the share.
I will comment that the layout of your site is... less than conducive. For instance, It takes an entire webpage to view just 4 of your tool entries. I don't want to scroll all over the place to read what should be something like list of 20 or 30 different items in each group.
Hope the feedback help.
I made a "custom" DM screen that's one of those cardboard tri-folds, some binder clips, and sticky notes. Prior to a session, I'll write out most of the relevant info I expect to need on sticky notes and put it on the tri-fold for quick reference. Of course the players go off the rails 10 minutes into the session and I only end up using a few of the notes, but it's there for next time!
I organize it like this-
Left-side:
Right side:
This gives me pretty much everything I need for immediate reference during the game without having to use a tablet or laptop. I prefer taking the ~1 hour before a session to write these things out, since it helps jog my memory, get some inspiration for the upcoming game, and makes it easier to respond to things on the fly without digging through an app or spreadsheet. Since everything is on post-its, I can also just re-use or re-organize between sessions as needed.
Something else that I've found has worked great is covering our play table in a roll of butcher paper and tossing a bunch of markers out for my players use. I have a large group (7-8), and while we use minis (mostly because I like painting them and it gives me a good excuse), most of our game is theater of the mind. As I describe the environment, my players are sketching away creating a collaborative map on the fly based on the descriptions. This is cool for a few reasons. First, it means that my descriptions have to be on point! I get to know in real time if I'm describing clearly what I'm imagining when I create the encounters. But even better is when they start interpreting the environment in a way that's different (and lots of times better!) than I planned. I can see how they are picturing it as they draw it out, and run with that. Sometimes I may step in and make a correction if it's something absolutely crucial to the encounter, but usually I just roll with how they are interpreting the description and it ends up leading to great encounters. It also ends up saving me lots of time not needing to draw out maps since we aren't using the grid anyway, and only relative positioning ends up being important for our combats.
Bonus with this is it gives the players the ability to note-take and doodle during the game. We end up with really great documentation of the session (often full comics of all the nonsense the party gets up to), and will send it around between sessions for people to see.
I organize it like this-
Left-side:
- NPCs and items. Includes stat blocks, descriptions, any good quotes/traits that have popped into my head to trigger roleplaying the NPCs.
- List of skills w/ associated ability (coming from playing pathfinder, I still get the skills goofed up so prefer to have this for quick reference);
- PC cards (includes their initiative bonus, AC, passive perception, what they get on a long/short rest, and any backstory info that is likely tie into the current/upcoming sessions)
Right side:
- Pre-rolled monster initiative (I roll out ~50 before a session and just go down the list when an encounter comes up so I'm not wasting time on extra tracking);
- Monster stat blocks- I write these on post its and include HP, AC, attack bonus, ability scores, and any attacks/skills/spells they get.
This gives me pretty much everything I need for immediate reference during the game without having to use a tablet or laptop. I prefer taking the ~1 hour before a session to write these things out, since it helps jog my memory, get some inspiration for the upcoming game, and makes it easier to respond to things on the fly without digging through an app or spreadsheet. Since everything is on post-its, I can also just re-use or re-organize between sessions as needed.
Something else that I've found has worked great is covering our play table in a roll of butcher paper and tossing a bunch of markers out for my players use. I have a large group (7-8), and while we use minis (mostly because I like painting them and it gives me a good excuse), most of our game is theater of the mind. As I describe the environment, my players are sketching away creating a collaborative map on the fly based on the descriptions. This is cool for a few reasons. First, it means that my descriptions have to be on point! I get to know in real time if I'm describing clearly what I'm imagining when I create the encounters. But even better is when they start interpreting the environment in a way that's different (and lots of times better!) than I planned. I can see how they are picturing it as they draw it out, and run with that. Sometimes I may step in and make a correction if it's something absolutely crucial to the encounter, but usually I just roll with how they are interpreting the description and it ends up leading to great encounters. It also ends up saving me lots of time not needing to draw out maps since we aren't using the grid anyway, and only relative positioning ends up being important for our combats.
Bonus with this is it gives the players the ability to note-take and doodle during the game. We end up with really great documentation of the session (often full comics of all the nonsense the party gets up to), and will send it around between sessions for people to see.
There are a few things I make sure I have handy before I DM any game.
1. A small whiteboard or mirror or something else for initiative. I have the players roll their initiative and one of the players collects the scores and writes them in order on a mirror on our wall while I roll monsters and get my own sheet set up. Then I have them read the numbers and names of the player initiatives so I can have them in front of me in the same list as the monsters and they have their own reference. One initiative sheet for me and one for the players has sped up and simplified combat a lot for our group. Having players know their turn is coming up makes a huge difference.
2. A recording device, usually my cell phone. I'm honestly surprised I don't see more people employing this. I record every session I do so I don't have to waste all my time taking notes versus running the game. It allows me perfect recall of the session and is invaluable to me for planning for future sessions and arcs. They're also often quite entertaining. I have a large group and as a table we drink plenty. Listening back allows me to hear the session from a 3rd party perspective and gives me a chance to hear things I might have missed during live play. I highly recommend others record their sessions, even if only for note taking purposes.
**An important note: If you decide to record your sessions be sure to get everyone's consent first. In some places it can be technically illegal to record without consent but beyond that it's a simple courtesy that should not be overlooked.**
3. Visual aids. This isn't for everyone but I like to do sketching and painting as a hobby. Creating portraits for NPCs has been a fun way to practice my art and give the players a visual anchor for NPCs.
4. My children's toys. I have two boys, 2 and 5 and I am not ashamed to admit using their toys as battle props. In particular last session we had a fun battle on a river ship against a froghemoth from Volo's. My sons have a Little People Noah's Ark toy and a weird peek-a-boo frog that's about eight inches tall. It worked amazingly and was a lot easier than buying props or hacking together pieces of Amazon Prime boxes. Duplo legos and Megablocks are also great props for dungeons, walls, barriers, or even elevation markers.
None of these are revolutionary ideas but they work for us.
I love the idea of butcher paper rolls. It reminds me of places like Macaroni Grill with the crayons and paper tablecloths. I might have to give that a try next time.
1. A small whiteboard or mirror or something else for initiative. I have the players roll their initiative and one of the players collects the scores and writes them in order on a mirror on our wall while I roll monsters and get my own sheet set up. Then I have them read the numbers and names of the player initiatives so I can have them in front of me in the same list as the monsters and they have their own reference. One initiative sheet for me and one for the players has sped up and simplified combat a lot for our group. Having players know their turn is coming up makes a huge difference.
2. A recording device, usually my cell phone. I'm honestly surprised I don't see more people employing this. I record every session I do so I don't have to waste all my time taking notes versus running the game. It allows me perfect recall of the session and is invaluable to me for planning for future sessions and arcs. They're also often quite entertaining. I have a large group and as a table we drink plenty. Listening back allows me to hear the session from a 3rd party perspective and gives me a chance to hear things I might have missed during live play. I highly recommend others record their sessions, even if only for note taking purposes.
**An important note: If you decide to record your sessions be sure to get everyone's consent first. In some places it can be technically illegal to record without consent but beyond that it's a simple courtesy that should not be overlooked.**
3. Visual aids. This isn't for everyone but I like to do sketching and painting as a hobby. Creating portraits for NPCs has been a fun way to practice my art and give the players a visual anchor for NPCs.
4. My children's toys. I have two boys, 2 and 5 and I am not ashamed to admit using their toys as battle props. In particular last session we had a fun battle on a river ship against a froghemoth from Volo's. My sons have a Little People Noah's Ark toy and a weird peek-a-boo frog that's about eight inches tall. It worked amazingly and was a lot easier than buying props or hacking together pieces of Amazon Prime boxes. Duplo legos and Megablocks are also great props for dungeons, walls, barriers, or even elevation markers.
None of these are revolutionary ideas but they work for us.
I love the idea of butcher paper rolls. It reminds me of places like Macaroni Grill with the crayons and paper tablecloths. I might have to give that a try next time.
redrick
First Post
I am always on the lookout for the right tool to help how I run my sessions, so I appreciate threads like this.
That being said, in practice, I don't use much:
Official DM screen, but I never look at the charts, tables, etc, during play, even when I should. I usually forget what's on the damn thing. In practice, I find it is good at hiding my notes and rare secret rolls from the players, but I try to keep my eyes on the table and the other players. I did recently purchase a customizable screen for a Cthulhu game I'm running. I put a one-sheet summary of the adventure (so many more characters, dates and "clues" to keep track of) in that, which was helpful, though incomplete because I ran out of time sketching everything down before the session started.
I keep a notecard or a sticky behind the screen with every PC's name and their passive perception. Sometimes I'll ask for languages. In Cthulhu I keep a note for every Knowledge skill they have.
We've stopped using mats because cleaning them off was too much of a pain. I just use a piece of graph paper or printer paper these days. Some of the players are willing to map themselves, which is a huge help (frees me up from having to lean over the screen drawing corridors all the time.) I've thought about giving a dry erase board a try, just to allow for drawing larger maps that are easier to see. We haven't run gridded combat in a while, but we often throw bottle caps, coins and under-utilized d12s on the table to help keep track of larger combats. We gave up using actual minis, as we travel by subway to our game every night, so packing them around was a pain. I've thought about printing numbered chits on card stock to use in larger combats, so I can more easily remember hit points for larger groups of monsters.
That being said, in practice, I don't use much:
Official DM screen, but I never look at the charts, tables, etc, during play, even when I should. I usually forget what's on the damn thing. In practice, I find it is good at hiding my notes and rare secret rolls from the players, but I try to keep my eyes on the table and the other players. I did recently purchase a customizable screen for a Cthulhu game I'm running. I put a one-sheet summary of the adventure (so many more characters, dates and "clues" to keep track of) in that, which was helpful, though incomplete because I ran out of time sketching everything down before the session started.
I keep a notecard or a sticky behind the screen with every PC's name and their passive perception. Sometimes I'll ask for languages. In Cthulhu I keep a note for every Knowledge skill they have.
We've stopped using mats because cleaning them off was too much of a pain. I just use a piece of graph paper or printer paper these days. Some of the players are willing to map themselves, which is a huge help (frees me up from having to lean over the screen drawing corridors all the time.) I've thought about giving a dry erase board a try, just to allow for drawing larger maps that are easier to see. We haven't run gridded combat in a while, but we often throw bottle caps, coins and under-utilized d12s on the table to help keep track of larger combats. We gave up using actual minis, as we travel by subway to our game every night, so packing them around was a pain. I've thought about printing numbered chits on card stock to use in larger combats, so I can more easily remember hit points for larger groups of monsters.
Rod Staffwand
aka Ermlaspur Flormbator
Scraps of paper for recording improvised NPCs, important events and other notable facets occurring during the course of play. The scraps of paper are then quickly and invariably lost.
Arnwolf666
Adventurer
Dice. The most useful tool at the table. Very good at resolving conflict and many decisions. Note: Some dice like the twenty-sided are very useful and the twelve-sided dice is rarely used.
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