Role-playing Games Stack Exchange
Role-playing Games Stack Exchange

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1500 questions
47
votes
7 answers

How much do I tell new players about new monsters?

Background I am a brand-new DM, about to lead a game for brand-new players. I have a lot of knowledge of rules from playing Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights over and over, leafing through a friend's books, and finally buying the three basic…
Ben
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12 answers

Maximum bookkeeping fantasy game with magic

So far, I've seen questions about minimum-bookkeeping game recommendations, to keep it simple easy, and fast-to-play. That is understandable, since many play their games in-person. However, lots of bookkeeping is not that much of a problem in…
Baka-Mastermind
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3 answers

My ranger has tamed an absurd number of Animal Companions with Handle Animal

One of my players is a ranger and she is really, really into animals so every time I design an encounter with an animal as an enemy she automatically tries to tame it and make it a companion. As a result many of my encounters end up being far easier…
HungryForWords
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14 answers

How can I replace a player character with an impostor without alerting the group?

I recently picked up a book of example NPCs (the Pathfinder NPC Codex, incidentally) and came across an entry for a "master spy". In the flavor text, it describes how his "secret identities have secret identities" and how he might pose as another…
Problematic
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9 answers

How do I avoid clichés while improvising?

Tropes are not bad, but clichés usually are. Sadly, when I need to come up with something on the fly it's much easier and faster to use clichés: if I suddenly need a barkeep, he's probably fat with a stained apron, wiping down a mug with a greasy…
BESW
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9 answers

How to deal with a PC being played as homophobic?

I’m about to start a sci-fi campaign using Ultramodern5 (a modification of D&D 5e for non-fantasy settings). I’ve been working with players to help build their characters, and one player character has me a bit worried. The player wants his character…
Gwideon
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7 answers

How do I, as a DM, handle a party that decides to set up an ambush in a dungeon?

Warning: Lost Mine of Phandelver Chapter 1 spoilers below. When playing LMOP, my PCs cleared out the the west side of the cave in part 1, namely area #6. They then decided that since the area had only one entry and exit, they would basically just…
Yash Capoor
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5 answers

Skills the player has, but the character doesn’t vs. skills the character has, but the player doesn’t

This question results from a small debate I had last weekend with our gamemaster during a session on Call of Cthulhu. A player wanted to check if an NPC is alive or not. The players had put zero points in medicine. The players argued that they would…
MrTony
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8 answers

As DM, how do I deal with PCs that expect everything in the game to be relevant to the story?

I've started DMing a new group. We've only had two short, 2hour sessions, and most players are new to DnD. I've been a DM before (though just a dozen or so sessions) but in those cases it was with a group who had years of experience, so I only have…
Joren Vaes
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6 answers

Players constantly capture enemies and question them, how to deal with it?

I'm running a campaign for five sixth level players and the bard has hypnotic pattern. Whenever the party runs into any fights with enemies who can speak, they always find some way of making an enemy incapacitated or doing non-lethal damage so they…
Curios Maximus
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18 answers

What to do when a player loses or forgets their character sheet?

Sadly, most of the games I play in have monthly sessions at best. Also, players travel from a somewhat greater distance to play. During the month, many players misplace their character sheets or accidentally leave them at home. Depending on the…
Apreche
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5 answers

Keeping the world alive whilst PCs take a rest mid-adventure?

My players and I just started up Lost Mines of Phandelver and upon discovering the Cragmaw Hideout at the start of the adventure, they decided to double back to where they left the oxen at the initial ambush site and attempt to take a long rest…
Vextream093
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8 answers

What's the simplest class for a child?

I've been asked to run an adventure for my girlfriend and daughter (7). What's the least complicated class she could easily get to grips with? Is there a generally considered easy starter class? Not too complex abilities/trigger Not too specialised…
ErosRising
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9 answers

How do I deal with players persistently arguing for rules loopholes, even after I've tried to finalise my rulings?

TL:DR question is at the bottom. I'm pretty new to being a DM (2nd run) and started with a party of 6 (I know, it's a tough way to start) players who are all incredibly inexperienced. We had a session zero where I outlined a bunch about the world…
KingdomGnark
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2 answers

Does an Ooze (Gelatinous Cube) float?

If I have a situation where an ooze, such as a Gelatinous Cube, is near a source of water, like a small pond or underground stream, is there source material somewhere that says whether the ooze floats or sinks? Is there any mention of their density…
as.beaulieu
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