A Guide for the Dungeon Master

By Samuel Mancia

Running Combat

• Make it clear that combat can be either easy, challenging, or impossible levels of difficulty.
• Players shouldn’t be required and locked in step in the story
• They have the option to retreat and attempt to run away if they don’t want to fight
• For a fair and challenging fight, keep in mind of balancing the enemies with the players

Combat Positions

• Combat can be played one of two ways in either
• Theater of the mind
• Using imagination; Good for short encounters demanding little to keep track of what’s happening.
• Battlemaps
• A restrictive method that offers easy location of each player and enemy
• Battles are basically
• Roll Initiative (d20 + Dexterity modifier). Rolling once for each group of monsters makes the combat much easier. These determine rolls
• Certain abilities improve these Initiative rolls
• Each combatant acts in initiative order. On its turn, it can move AND take one action (typically an attack).

Balancing Encounters

• Many factors affect combat in both enemies and players alike such as:
• Action Economy (how many times one takes their turn)
• Abilities
• Weaknesses/vulnerabilities
• Spells (environmental/utility)
• Items
• Damage and damage types
• Health
• Player feats
• Skill proficiencies
• Movement abilities
• Saving throws
• This is many times more difficult to plan for when the players aren’t fighting a prepared encounter

Clarity of the Players

• Make sure players have the understanding what are the implications of their characters and how that affect their personal story
• You may have to remind them about the implications of their character
• Make sure player understand that their own abilities and skills so for example:
• That despite being a Cleric or Druid who has been gifted divine or magical powers doesn’t necessarily mean that themselves know about religious institutions or nature
• Player background doesn’t define their power or levels. A person could literally be the child of two gods, BUT since they chose to be a player then they’re just a killable character like everyone else.

Clarity of the World

• Understand that the players don’t have an understanding of the universe that you do
• Through either experiences or dialogue introduce the players to the world they’re in
• Make the players understand the implications of their actions
• Their actions could have the impact on other NPCs, players, or the actual setting
• Make it clear that actions have consequences, but don’t spoil those consequences
• Make sure consequences aren’t unexplained after the fact

Magical Items/Artifacts of Power

• All magical items are incredible artifacts of wonder and power
• Recognize that magical items should be sparced out given their applications
• Uncommon items such as a +1 longsword can be found as early as level 2, but shouldn’t be given to everyone
• The acquiring of magical items should be spaced out as so
• All or almost all party members at level 5 would have at least 1 uncommon item
• All or almost all party members at level 10 would have at least 1 rare item
• All or almost all party members at level 15 would have at least 1 very rare
• Legendary items are never bought, but earned through great feats or by significant reasons
• Additionally, almost always magical items aren’t bought in public shops so unique vendors can be used to do this.
• Magical items as a whole are usually found or earned through interesting circumstances, not always in fights

The Issues of Memorability

• Don’t narrate the personal emotions or actions of the players
• They have their agency and therefore would prefer to make actions of their own free will
• If people are at the session and don’t pay attention to what is being said (beyond a misunderstanding)
• Suggest that they takes notes so they’re able to remember important plot details
• Give them a short summary of what’s happened so far, but beyond that don’t spend time telling them what has happened in the session
• Use voices however good or bad to create a memory
• Steal story elements and ideas as this game isn’t in the public
• You’re free to steal ideas from any other intellectual property or a real life location makes it easier to introduce in the story
• Similar ideas such as say a “magical academy that fights local cultists” or

Encounters

• Always keep in mind Difficulty Class (DC). It means the number you need to hit or beat to succeed at a roll. It ranges from rolls of 5-30
• Just as AC (Armor Class) is the number you need to hit or beat in order to strike an enemy with a weapon.
• Difficulty Class wouldn’t be used for easy tasks such as walking normally or an actual impossible task like bargaining with a murderous and bloodthirsty monster like a mindless zombie
• Recognize environmental or local effects for example:
• Nearby townspeople who are witness to a crime
• The spacing of certain objects and individuals
• How close you are from the enemy?
• Simplify the scene for ease of decision making
• Don’t ask for exact positions of say “where they’re sitting at” unless it’s important
• Whether or not one of them sits next to a target

Keeping Resources at Hand

• Always keep a reference at hand to look at rules and encounters to be prepared into what happens
• However this is for reference only and not to be relied. Story elements would need to be improvised if the players do something unexpected.
• Take time to consider your decisions
• It’s never bad to take some time to think about the implications or the requirements of an action like say
• “Am I able to use this weapon without training?”
• “I want to roll to see if I could manipulate this object in some way”
• Don’t memorize information that’s the purpose of having a reference. It all matters about the application of what you have.

Having a Clear Voice

• Understand the descriptions you give out as the Dungeon Master is separate from you speaking outside the role of the narrator:
• Sam: “Ok, time to introduce Todd. You all hear a thud from the outside”
• Alfonso: “Hi there Todd, who are you”
• Sam: “Todd isn’t here in the room right now. I mean to say Todd is going to be introduced NOT that he is introduced”
• If there is an issue with the scene given
• If there was a misunderstanding
• Correct the scene and insure that the player
• If there wasn’t enough information
• Then paint the scene with more descriptions such as sounds and sights

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Improvisations & Prepwork

• Be expected to improvise knowledge as more likely than not the player would do something you didn’t prepare for.
• Doing the quest in a far different way
• Asking for information that wasn’t prepared
• Appropriately determine the roll for the situation
• Have players give feedback on what they want from the game so you’re able to make enjoyable experience
• Whether or not they have problems with the mechanics of the game, their character, the story, or other players
• Your first priority isn’t writing a story novel but giving your players a fun game to play
• More likely than not expect to use content at all
• Players have the free will to get off the predicted story and that’s okay
• It’s better to give the players agency in this game than it is to lay a railroad that they must follow to the letter
• You can still incorporate written content in other ways if the opportunity arises

Gamemaster Warnings

• Be wary of personal homebrew
• The base game is balanced as is through the efforts of entire teams. Be wary of quickly introducing a custom ability without considering its power and impact
• Don’t be Married to the Story
• You may find enjoyment in the story and lore you create, however if that isn’t what interests the players then try something else
• Try introducing more action into the story
• The Trap of Worldbuilding
• To a certain you create the world, however this isn’t the game. The world determines current events and consequences of the players’ actions
• Avoid Splitting the Party
• Weakens the party dynamic and splits the attention of not only yourself, but also your players who are waiting on standby

Gamemaster Suggestions

• Familiarity builds consistency with the game. Consistent rules mean there is no surprise or question of the rules
• Build up challenges not impossibility meaning players aren’t super powerful, but no discouraged
• Use a Session 0 to acquaint yourself and the players with their characters
• Create intrigue & reason for encounters. Make a reason of why things happen however random
• Why do these trolls attack in the swamp?
• Let the players quit quests, drop missions, retreat battles so they’re not locked into a decision