D&D 5E What you have on your DM screen

[Li Shenron]

I am updating my DIY DM screen before we start our next adventure so I am considering what to remove/add on it. I thought I would just ask what people have on their own, particularly if it's self-designed.

My current screen is 3 pages, and I am thinking of making it 4 pages, but I don't want to overload it with rules that are rarely useful, and I already have some redundancy in those 3 pages. I instead plan to use the additional page to clip adventure-specific notes that I replace every session.

Here's a list of stuff I currently have on it:

• activity while traveling
• vision and light, hiding, unseen attackers and targets
• AC and passive scores of the PCs
• typical DCs for ability checks
• jumping and falling
• underwater combat
• suffocating
• equipment packs content
• cover
• ranged attacks in close combat
• concentration
• grappling and shoving
• instant death, death saving throws, stabilizing

Some of these are old, like typical DCs and cover bonuses, I can safely remove them as I should remember these by heart. Concentration will stay at least as a reminder because I still often forget about asking for that ST in the first place

Feel free to share your thoughts and suggestions, in addition to letting us know what you have on your own DM screen!

 

[R_J_K75]

Id add conditions while probably removing equipment packs and underwater combat. One thing I can never remember is healing spells/potions values so I'd probably add that too. I might also have a short list of critical fumbles and wild surges. In all honesty since most of the official D&D screens over the last 2 decades were pretty bad, I haven't used one in a very long time and never got up the motivation to make one. The revised 2E DM screen and the Kalamar 3E screen were great. With the internet and smartphones looking up the occasional rule is pretty easy. if not quicker, than using a DM screen anymore, at least IMO.

 

[Li Shenron]

It may sound strange but we haven't had that frequent need for checking conditions, but now that we are growing in level and going to face monsters and spellcasters which can often cause conditions, I think it's a must for me to add them to the screen.

I can probably remove equipment packs tho... I kept them there so that players would just mark which pack they had and asked me "do I have a <insert mundane tool> in my pack" instead of marking down everything on the character sheet, but at some point I designed and printed extra equipment sheets so they could keep track of everything.

Underwater combat will stay as we have a Druid who likes luring foes into water and then turn into a shark

 

[Asisreo]

Seems odd, but downtime activities. It comes up at the end of every adventure which is every 2-3 sessions max so it's really handy to have. (Of course, there's living expenses).

There's the rules for noticing other creatures too. The travel pace is there as well. If I have organizations that players are joining, I put their renown system there. The random treasure table is there as well. And the social pillar table.

Yeah, it's an oddball list but I already know the easier rules like combat, initiative, hiding, ability checks, conditions, etc. It would just be wasteful having those take up DM screen space.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Here is our DM screen.

 

[R_J_K75]

I can probably remove equipment packs tho... I kept them there so that players would just mark which pack they had and asked me "do I have a <insert mundane tool> in my pack" instead of marking down everything on the character sheet, but at some point I designed and printed extra equipment sheets so they could keep track of everything.

As far as equipment, I got sick of players going on endless shopping trips, trying to keep track of the mundane adventuring necessities that any adventurer is likely going to carry, so now I go off the assumption that they usually have what they need within reason. I came up with this table in the event that a player asks for something out of the norm, but its still only for mundane items.

1%-75%: Common
76%-90%: Uncommon
91%-98%: Rare
99%-100%: Unique

Saves alot of time and aggravation as I'm not afraid to just say no or if they've been in a dungeon with no way to resupply. Seems kind of arbitrary and it is but it works for us.

 

[R_J_K75]

Here is our DM screen.

View attachment 124372View attachment 124373View attachment 124374

Very solid DM Screen. Probably one of the few ones that Ive seen that Id use as long as I can read when its printed.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Very solid DM Screen. Probably one of the few ones that Ive seen that Id use as long as I can read when its printed.

Thanks. I made it but our DM uses it as do our other player when he DMs. I bought one of the quad-folds with sleeves so you can slide them in and have one slot left over for notes for the adventure or NPCs or whatever.

The font is "smallish" at 8-pt, but I can read it fine as can the others. I could probably bump it up to 9-pt and keep most of the info the same.

 

[R_J_K75]

Thanks. I made it but our DM uses it as do our other player when he DMs. I bought one of the quad-folds with sleeves so you can slide them in and have one slot left over for notes for the adventure or NPCs or whatever.

The font is "smallish" at 8-pt, but I can read it fine as can the others. I could probably bump it up to 9-pt and keep most of the info the same.

Id have to print it out at least 12 pt font. 6-7 years ago I woke up one day and literally needed glasses over night. I cant see anything else when I have my reading glasses on, and cant read too well with my regular glasses. Oddly though I can see my phone or computer fine, just books, etc that I have trouble with I hate having to have 2 pairs so probably why I dont bother with a DM screen or looking up rules when we play.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Id have to print it out at least 12 pt font. 6-7 years ago I woke up one day and literally needed glasses over night. I cant see anything else when I have my reading glasses on, and cant read too well with my regular glasses. Oddly though I can see my phone or computer fine, just books, etc that I have trouble with I hate having to have 2 pairs so probably why I dont bother with a DM screen or looking up rules when we play.

LOL sucks getting older. I know I have harder times with things close up, but luckily my distance vision is great.

Here is the powerpoint file. Maybe you can resize the fonts and move things around to your tastes?

 

[R_J_K75]

LOL sucks getting older. I know I have harder times with things close up, but luckily my distance vision is great.

Here is the powerpoint file. Maybe you can resize the fonts and move things around to your tastes?

Great thanks I'll give it a shot.

 

[Coroc]

Zilch, open rolling on my side also, for the thrills.

But i got a spreadsheet, mainly a roster of the mobs which may appear during the session, plus some keywords on the adventure.

This sheet i do cover from the eyes of my players.

 

[Shiroiken]

Since I use a VTT instead of IRL, I technically have the advantage of infinite space, but before then I mostly focused on things that weren't easily recalled. Figured I'd never need the things I already know, so I went with the less common things. My focuses were:

• Conditions
  • can never remember all of them
• Vision/Light, Encounter Distance
  • useful for setting up encounters and giving descriptions
• Travel Rules
  • not commonly used, but I hate looking it up
• Environmental Hazards
  • like travel rule, I hate having to look them up if I need them
• Container Capacity
  • almost no one ever uses this, which is far more of a limiting factor than the encumbrance rules
• Costs: equipment, downtime, inns/meals, goods, services, etc.
  • helps keep play moving, giving the players a feel for the town (especially when I vary the prices up)
• DCs of standard effects (mostly PHB equipment)
  • most players are good about noting the DC and effects of their stuff, but some players are not, and it really kills the moment to have to look these up

 

[Stoutstien]

All my in person games have been put on a semi permanent hiatus until further notice so I haven't looked at my screen in a while.

Apparently there's a sticky note on my screen that says intravenous Jello injection bolts.

 

[Jediking]

I usually have a small list of NPC names and quick traits to glance at.

I also have a table with my players information to help me keep the pace of the game, especially with checks that they may not know about (traps, hidden doors, deceptive NPCs): AC, Passive Perception, Insight, Investigation

I ran one campaign where overland travel had a larger impact than usual, so also had a table of weather and each effect. Eg: heavy wind has disadvantage on ranged attacks and perception based in sound

 

[aco175]

I hardly use a screen, but just have some binder clips with some note cards where I can place some lists like NPC names in case I need one and the opposite side I can clip pictures of locations so the players can see. We used it before with the picture of Stone Bridge from the PotA and some random places I pulled off the internet.

 

[CleverNickName]

I'm anti-DM screen, actually. I keep my the map and encounter key in a 3-ring binder in my lap, and I roll all of my dice out in the open. So my "DM Screen" isn't really a screen, it's a clear plastic slip-liner that sits on the table next to me, with two sheets of 8.5x11 paper in it. On one side are the random encounter tables and weather tables I need for the current evening, and the marching order/AC/passive perception of the party. On the other side are the rules for movement, conditions, and actions/bonus actions.

Nowadays, with the pandemic and social distancing in effect, we play over Roll20 so technically everything is on my screen whenever I need it. But I still "roll all of my dice out in the open" by toggling off the Whisper feature on my dice rolls.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

My DM screen is nothing but a big message, a reminder to me about the fundamental rule of DMing.

“Sweep the leg Johnny. NO MERCY!”

 

[R_J_K75]

My DM screen is nothing but a big message, a reminder to me about the fundamental rule of DMing.

“Sweep the leg Johnny. NO MERCY!”

What if a player retaliates with a Crane Kick?

 

[toucanbuzz]

What my players see (Dark Sun campaign)



What the DM sees: