DM Tip Twitter Archive: June 2010

by Mike Shea on 15 July 2010

Below is an archive of all of the Sly Flourish DM Tip Twitter posts for June 2010. Get daily DM tips athttp://twitter.com/slyflourish!

#dnd tip: Watch out for too many dazes and weakens - they generally just slow down a battle.

#dnd tip: When customizing monsters, think about what makes that monster unique. Example; vampires have dominate, enervate, transformations.

I dig the Sunwarped Magic Zone from the Sunwarped Flats article: Arcane check; fail= surge dmg; success = +1d10 per tier elemental dam. #dnd

#dnd tip: Remember not to run a monster more than 4 levels higher than your PCs. They might still win but it will take hours.

#dnd Want to make your game harder? Add damage to monsters instead of increasing level. Jump one scale up on DMG page 42 damage.

How do you feel about running evening home games like #dnd Encounters - one big well-thought-out battle each night?

#dnd tip: When characters fall off of high places, consider different repercussions than falling to their death. Catch footing after 5d10?

Absolutely awesome #dnd article on demonic death throes: http://bit.ly/d9bEYo - I love Final Spew.

#dnd tip: Take a specific approach when building skill challenges. Disarming an doomsday trap is more specific than exploring caverns.

#dnd Tip: Celebrate critical hits with the warming sound of the fine Vuvuzela! http://bit.ly/ccjtMQ

Here's the #dnd post from @cwgabriel. Use minor actions for skill checks. I've used this too and recommend it. http://bit.ly/9ctE8t

#dnd tip: Remember that skill challenges fall between using regular skill checks and full-roleplaying sessions. Don't overuse them.

#dnd tip from @wizards_dnd Insider, Steve Winter: Avoid dull skill challenges like general travel or general information gathering.

A Weekend at Bernie's
#dnd skill challenge sounds awesome. I'm definitely stealing this idea. http://bit.ly/aeRrQK

#dnd tip: Watch the show Breaking Bad for ideas in character development, organic plotlines, and off-stage storytelling.

#dnd tip from the DM Guys podcast: Don't worry about feeling silly when speaking in the voice of your NPC. You'll get over it.

#dnd tip from @chattydm and @monkeyking: Add encounters that let your PCs shine such as undead encounters for clerics and paladins.

Great #dnd tip from @davethegame in the DM Guys podcast (http://bit.ly/andlZE): Build an "out" into combat to end it early.

#dnd tip: Even if you dont use the card-over-the-screen trick, 3x5 cards folded in half work well for a fully-visible initiative order.

#dnd tip: Always give the players a chance for success even if a villainous NPC succeeds in a plot. Players hate losing and wasting time.

#dnd tip: Consider James Bond-style introductions - prefaces full of action that might only be superfluously related to the story.

#dnd tip: Philip Seymour Hoffman's character in Mission Impossible 3 makes for a great sinister villain archetype.

#dnd tip: Damaging auras are a great way to power up weaksause Solos. Try 5 dam per tier scaling to 10 per tier when bloodied.

#dnd tip: Designate your table's rules lawyer as the official rules arbiter, but only if he or she is fair as well as annoying.

#dnd tip: Treat Demogorgon as two different and often competing NPCs instead of as a single entity.

#dnd tip: Instead of random one-shots, build one-shots that fill out a piece of the main campaign story as yet untold.

#dnd tip: Forget experience points. Level PCs on the adventures met, the quests completed, and the encounters defeated.

#dnd tip: Don't forget to have loot and experience ready to hand out at the end of your game. It's sadly easy to forget.

#dnd tip: McFarlane toys and WoW minis work well for monstrous D&D miniatures: http://amzn.to/b8GK92

#dnd tip: Fire giant minis work well for death giants, animated statues, and enlarged Duergar in a pinch.

#dnd tip: Start your Eberron campaign off right by making your PCs choose one of three houses to ally with.

#dnd tip: Model your fantasy towns and cities after the economics of real medieval castles and cities. http://amzn.to/bOAkTA

If you enjoyed these tips, take a look at Sly Flourish's Dungeon Master Tips book.

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