So What's In The New DM Screen?

The new deluxe D&D 5th Edition Dungeon Master's Screen released today in preferred retail outlets (it releases on Jan 20th everywhere else). Games Plus in Illinois is one of those outlets, and the store owner thalmin reports on the contents of the screen.

First Panel

• NPC Characteristics (d20)
• NPC Ideals (d20)
• NPC Bonds (d10)
• NPC Flaws (d12)
• Name Generator (d20) Beginning Middle End syllables

Second Panel and almost half of third panel is Conditions with Exhaustion

Third Panel

• Setting a DC
• Cover
• Obscured Areas
• Light (Candle, Torch etc. area and duration)
• Skills and Associated Abilities

Fourth Panel

• Travel Pace
• Encounter Distance by Terrain, Audible Distance, and Visibility Outdoors
• Damage By Level and Severity
• Something Happens! (d20)
• Quick Finds (d12)

For more D&D 5E release schedules click here. For photos of the DM screen, click here. Let us know what you think of the screen by rating it.

 

[WayneW]

I was really hoping for weather as well.

What are 7, 9-12 on Quick finds?

 

[aramis erak]

The Encounter Distance table seems to be new...
the Something Happens table is new...
the Quick Finds table is new...

The Encounter distance table, IMO, should have been in the DMG. But it's not. And note: the DMG has a water entry for it that isn't on the DMS table...

So, Panel 4 is almost all new. It's one page of stuff missing from the DMG.
Sneaky, Wizards. Bloody sneaky.

 

[Iosue]

Don't forget encounter distance.

Eh, to my mind, encounter distance is one of those things tangentially related to combat, not inherently so. I did forget the damage by level table, though. I was just expecting something much more akin to the 4e DM screen, with a list of all combat actions, the XP encounter budget table(s), and things like the proficiency bonus by CR table. Possibly some figures showing cover for squares and hexes. I more than half expected a list of common advantage/disadvantage situations.

It just seems like DMs will be using the screen more out of combat than in it. Since the TSR screens were all about combat tables, it looks like this might be the least combat focused screen ever.

 

[guachi]

I can see that being there when you have to come up with a quick NPC to roleplay on the fly. Not everyone is good at that.

What would you want Guachi?

I would never use panel one, even if I can see if being really useful for others.

I would never use panel two. Not because I think conditions aren't really useful but because my PHB had a terrible binding and because of the sequence I used to fix it. I got a manual comb binding machine to bind all the cool stuff I bought on dndclassics.com. My combs are somewhat small considering most modules are 32-64 pages so I had to divide the PHB into 4 sections when I rebound it. Part 3, the spell book part, was my last of four sections. The very last page of the spells (289) and the first page of conditions (290) are the same sheet of paper so I appended Appendix A onto the spells with the rest of the appendix pages on the end of part 2 (because part 2 was really short). So, for me, it's really easy to find the Conditions - they are right at the back of my spell book.

The rest of panel 3 is really useful to me.

I would rarely use panel 4.

Since that is the case, I could just as easily take one 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of paper and put those items from panel 3 on it.

Personally, I think I may compile a fluff-free few pages of class abilities, feats, weapons, and armor.

 

[aramis erak]

From the photo, I can make out all but lines 7 & 11 of the "Quick Finds" table.

 

[Grainger]

I just want a really big screen I can hide behind when my players throw serrated objects at me. If I can annoy them by chanting the contents of tables at them as they aim, all the better.

 

[Blueace]

Who is the artist of the art with Thraxata ?

 

[thalmin]

Who is the artist of the art with Thraxata ?

Craig J. Spearing

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I like it.

 

[BrockBallingdark]

Looks like I'm driving up to Mt Prospect to get me a DM Screen tomorrow! Looks great!