New 5e Book is Ravenloft

 Ravenloft it is!.  Expanding outside of Bavoria, the new book for 5e seems to be more or less a campaign setting for Domains of Dread.  This is pretty exciting, because 5e has been slightly lackluster in producing classic settings.  The Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide was somewhat disappointing to me as far as a sourcebook goes, and much of the Realms has been... Forgotten?  I couldn't resist, so excuse that.  

As I said in a previous post, I didn't really see Ravenloft coming, not as an expanded campaign setting, but this is exciting, because I feel like Wizards is really focusing on the multiverse aspect of the game, and traveling to other planes of existence.  What I really mean by that, is that Ravenloft can easily be thrown into any existing setting, or be one all on it's own.  Plus, it is a great way to really expand the cosmology of the game into something larger, like Sigil or the Outlands, and not overwhelm people new to the game through 5e.  

Things I want to see are solidified and tangible use of negative planes, the Shadowfell, and of course corruption to characters.  5e has been good at using what I call "swappable parts" for older editions, but also putting things from a setting like Eberron into the Forgotten Realms (Living Spells is a great example).  I have always sort of looked at the game like this, but 5e plainly does a really good job with it.  Also, this really adds to the accessibility of 5e.  I feel like in the 90s until the end of the 3.X era of the game, things that happened in fiction based in the game, and just lore in general really impeded the game.  The Forgotten Realms in particular suffered from this in my opinion, because so much detail of the world became almost crippling--at least in my opinion--the the creativity of the DM.  The ease of just slapping something into a 5e game has really helped with that.  Of course, that is something I want to expand on overtime with this blog, but in a nutshell, Ravenloft as the new book really expands the way I want to play the game.

New 5e Book to be Announced 2/23/21

 Of course, no one will probably have read this by the time the book is announced, but it is looking like a Ravenloft book.  I want to be honest, that takes me a little by surprise because I was expecting an announcement of a setting for either another Magic crossover (I suppose it still could be), or Dragonlance because of the new novels, and the fact that it is Dragonlace.

Newest Unearthed Arcana from Wizards is Gothic character stuff, so Ravenloft makes a ton of sense, but I feel like an expanded Ravenloft campaign setting would be sort of a twist right now for Wizards.  Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining if 5e puts out more Domains of Dread.  

Of course, we will all know this time tomorrow, so let's see how far I was off.  

Speaking of campaign settings, I always like to discuss older ones that should be brought back, especially since 5e has been pacing themselves with this edition.  Are there any you want to see, or you would be surprised to see?  My wish list is Dragonlance, Planescape, and Greyhawk.  I also want to see Spelljammer, which is sort of funny because I thought it was lame back during 2e.  Turns out, I was the one who was lame as an adolescent, and Spelljammer really took the game in an entirely new direction that I just didn't want to see way back when, but that is a post for another time.

Resting in 5e

Resting in 5e is a much bigger topic than I expected when I started to brainstorm about this post.  Things I often hear is that clerics or healing classes aren't really need anymore because of the short rest, and that can be true, but it's a huge misstatement of the game.  The obvious glaring example is that if a party attempts a long or short rest in a dungeon, they are going to have to depend on other skills and abilities to not be ambushed and disrupt the rest.  This is of course where the Evil DM comes in, because usually players need to rest once they have used spell slots and have taken a beating, usually in a combat area.  Taking that away from them can easily result in a deadly session.

I have found there is a real art to disrupting rests.  It should never be expected, and it should always fit into the narrative.  Are the monsters or threats capable of actively looking for the party?  Are there monsters or threats further down that would stumble upon the party?  Role playing the monsters is super important here, because monsters and threats should be believable as often as possible in game.  Also, heavy handed disruptions make the game a drag if you use them too often.  

I personally like the idea of the short rest, because a long rest in a heavy combat area is unlikely.  Sure there are spells and items that can assist, but just as a general statement, a party isn't usually going to be setting up a camp inside of a dungeon.  Short rests however, can be done, and more than once (they have to be spaced, obviously).  Also, if you are a newer DM for 5e, keep in mind that the RAW for replenishing hit dice is you get half back per long rest.  This really helps with the economy of the game, because it doesn't have players unlimited HP farming, and it makes clerics and healers very useful.  

Exactly how and when to disrupt a long or short rest is usually up to the DM, but what I tend to do behind the screen is take the highest perception of the most intelligent monster within an area (I estimate approximately 100 feet as the crow flies on the map), and make a check.  Adjust the DC as you see fit based on how many walls and doors are between the party and whatever is looking for it.  Also, think about the monster and how likely it would become a wandering monster.  During a long rest, I do the same thing, but do it every two hours depending on if the party is taking turns on a watch, and decrease the DC each watch (again, according to what you are working with).  If the players aren't setting watches in an area with active threats, I set the DC at a 5 or 10, depending on what I'm working with, or just roll % to see if an attack would happen.  I tend to make it more likely than not that the party will be attacked if there is no watch set, because c'mon.

Also take into account the donning and doffing of armor.  Sure, we have the 24 AC paladin, but if they are sleeping in their armor, they will take a level of exhaustion unless they have some mechanical reason to bypass that by an item, feat, or ability.  If the party gets ambushed, the paladin isn't putting on their full plate anytime soon, always use RAW for donning armor.  Much of this sounds like common sense, but I feel like I run into it a lot in games, and it is one of the details that can seem more tedious and easy to overlook when you are running a game.  

DM-ing games is a balancing act.  If it is too easy, the game gets boring, if it's too hard, players stop showing up.  The rest system in 5e for me, is a great way to let the dice decide the fate of the party, and add just enough randomness to make the players on edge.  Of course, don't always let the dice decide, if the party is due for it, they are due for it.  The same goes for TPK situations when they party is worn out and you could easily wipe them with that CR 5 creature they don't know about.  The real decision comes down to the DM, and I tend to give the party the benefit of the doubt in long campaigns, but that is just me.  

Random Item Table

 Mundane items help bring low level monsters to life.  I don't think I have ever ran a game where the party didn't loot the bodies, and I often make small charts before a session with a few random items that they will find that are totally useless, but may spark imagination of the players, or just make them think they have found something interesting.  More importantly, it also helps flesh out a monstrous race in the campaign by allowing players to see what kind of items a creature would have.

It also adds to story immersion, and is a simple way to personalize a goblin.  Seems obvious, but in planning, tiny details are sometimes overlooked, and I've found that if I have charts made up before hand, I don't fumble on the fly, and it seems like I know what I'm doing, and I usually get players returning to the table (which is sort of the point).  Fumbling as a Game Master is the easiest way to break immersion, and it happens, particularly in mundane details.  

A quick note about monsters: in most of my games, orcs and goblins, et al are monsters.  I am well aware of some of the controversy and commentary about the idea of an outright evil race, but I started playing in 1989.  To me, orcs are evil and eat the flesh of men.

This is an example of a chart I would make, this particular one is a 1d6 to find trinket items on a goblin.  It was used making the Homebrewery, which is an absolutely awesome resource.  Of course, this isn't official Dungeons and Dragons content, and is not approved by Wizards of the Coast for play, it's purely just something I created.  Feel free to use it an adapt it if you want.  All resources on this blog are free.

Zine Quest 3

I am hoping to participate next year in Zine Quest 4, so I wanted to promote it a little for this year.  If you aren't familiar, Zine Quest is an annual prompt for creators to make a TTRPG zine, pretty straight forward.  There is tons of cool stuff up, and you can check it out here.

Basic Encounter Design: Traps

I need to talk about traps.  You need to use traps.  Why am I seeing rare use of them in your adventures, and why aren't more DMs using them to waylay and destroy parties?

Traps are, easily one of the least utilized elements of the game.  I'm specifically talking about Dungeons and Dragons 5e when I make that statement.   It isn't really an issue with the system, there are plenty of rules and resources in official published material covering traps, I think that the issue is that people tend to just forget about them when they are planning out a dungeon or an encounter.  Realistically, nearly any creature with a decent intelligence would use traps, especially inside of a dungeon.  Particular creatures such as gnolls, goblins, orcs (yes, orcs are usually evil in my games), and especially kobolds would and should always use traps.  In my games, orcs often use traps to capture and maim creatures (especially PCs) that they later eat, torture, or both.  Goblins and kobolds use traps as a defense, and they are often more than just set backs.  Gnolls--in my games-- are a combination of both.  

Not only does it make sense for these creatures to use traps as far as role playing the monsters goes, but traps are an extremely easy way to bulk up encounters, and make sessions less of a grind by just having everything optimized by combat.  Also, players have no idea what to expect when a series of well designed traps are thrown at them.  In my experience, even seasoned players tend to overlook traps, and to be fair, parties that are basically Min/Maxed (most parties) get boring to DM for after awhile, and the campaign goes flat fast. Throw some traps in there, and magic users and specialists classes have a change to shine besides rolling to hit or supporting combat like your game is an analog MMO server.  

Traps are an easy way to add to encounters, and you are only limited by your imagination.  You can use them in any environment, they can be magical or mechanical, and they can range from extremely deadly to a minor set back.  They are also absent from many products and sessions  have played in, and it's really too bad.  Adding traps is a really simple idea, and outside of resources that already exist in the 5e rules, there isn't a lot to add to it.  Use them.  Capture, kill, and maim your players with them.  

While I'm not big on selling products, I will say that one of the best resources on this subject is Nord Games Treacherous Traps.  This book not only is stocked with traps for all levels and situations, but it's also a great blueprint for making your own, and ideas of where to put them.  I stand by traps being not as important in 5e because people forget about them, or are just intimidated by using them because of mechanics, and this is a great book to have for any DM.  I use it as often as I use the Monster Manual.  

Travel as a Narrative?

Travel is perhaps one of the biggest parts of most games that I run.  Apart from combat, it seems that travel is probably the most utilized part of a game.  It is also something I tend to put the least amount of thought into.  I'm sure I'm not alone in this--many games I've played in have had lack luster travel sessions at best, but something that comes as rather obvious in many games, is that you often spend an enormous amount of time going from point to point.  Improving travel will definitely improve the quality of sessions, and fix something that sometimes can become one of the more tedious parts of a TTRPG for both the player and the GM.  

I find that the biggest problem, is lack of diverse encounters.  Travel often takes days, if not weeks in game, and you can only fight so many level appropriate bands of gnolls or orcs before you just feel uninspired as a player or a GM.  While it sounds rather obvious, the best way to immerse and world build, is by showing, or describing, the world to the players.  A perfect opportunity to do this is from going from point A to point B.  I want to look at a few things that should and probably are a part of your game, but are probably under utilized.  

Weather.  I try to roll for weather every day in game, but I usually fail doing that.  Weather is an easy way to have an encounter that isn't combat, and can throw players who tend to build just for a specific purpose.  It is also a great way to allow rangers to shine, because if we are being honest about 5e, they get few chances.  The new Wilderness DM screen from Wizards of the Coast is perfect for this, if you don't already have it.  I don't really intend to use this space to pitch products, but it is something I've already began using in my games, and it's fantastic because it puts things that can fill out your game right in front of you so you can't overlook it.  

Weird locales.  There are plenty of tables for this, and I would recommend taking from and using as many as you can find that make sense.  Like weather, it seems fairly obvious, but again, it's something I don't see as often as I would like.  One tip I also have for new game masters, is use as many of these as you can find to flesh out your world, and make a note of it on a "master" world map.  I use a dry erase hex sheet now and then transfer anything I think should be noted into a notebook with a world map in it.  

Dead magic zones.  Dead magic zones aren't something I see often in 5e.  Dead magic zones should be used not exactly to nerf the party, but force them to be resourceful and think outside of the box.  RPG games in general allow for characters to be able to do pretty much whatever is allowed within the rules, but it tends to come down to combat or abilities to just go through the same sequences again and again.  This will burn you out, and make your games boring.  All of a sudden, there is a five mile area where magic simply doesn't work, now the characters have to rely more on diplomacy.  Sometimes just getting players to talk in encounters works miracles for opening up role play.  

A final thing I would like to add about travel, is it is a perfect way to show major events in the world, without having to shoehorn the party into it.  I've played in plenty of games that have been ruined by DMs trying to create battles or some kind of major world events that just couldn't be pulled off.  As a DM, it's also way more work to try to do this, and as a storyteller, it is just lazy.  Everything should build in a game.  Players should walk into the aftermath of a battle, or some kind of major event more than seeing it first hand, at least at lower levels.  This is an easy way to push the story forward without having to force things, plus it is significantly easier to draw out events and prep for upcoming sessions as a DM then it is to just make something up on the fly.  

I hope this is helpful to someone.  After playing with many people I don't know over the past year because of Covid, I will say that travel seems to be one of the weaker parts of a lot of games.  It's also something that is almost certain to happen in most games.