So I'm DMing my first long campaign. I'm not using a premade adventure, so the world is being built around what the story needs and so on. So far it's working OK since I'm using the Monster Manual a lot to make the battles and the DM Book (Don't remember the name) to do the traps and all that stuff.

My question comes with DMPCs. I love making characters, so I'm making entire character sheets for each prominent character in the story, not only friendly to the party but enemies as well. So, to experienced DMs, should I make entire character sheets for each important character or take a stat block from the Monster Manual? If so, how do I know what level an enemy should be (since they don't have a CR)? And my last question, how many DMPCs is it too many?

Thanks for your answers! Sorry for bad english, it's not my native language.

My character is a wizard with a Cloak of the Bat. The description for Darkness says that it cam be cast on an inanimate object and moved. Can i cast Darkness on my Cloak of the Bat to gain that 40ft of flying speed for 10 minutes?

I believe this is one of the worst things a player can say; it clearly highlights the low level of play they are bringing to the table.

D&D and most other tabletop roleplaying games (with a few notable exceptions) require group play, where the choices and actions of individual characters must remain coherent. The crucial point is ensuring that a character’s decisions contribute to the narrative progress of the entire group.

This doesn’t mean everyone has to get along perfectly; it can involve internal conflict, debate, and resolution. In fact, the animosity between two characters who eventually find common ground can be far more compelling than simply defeating yet another boss.

But that phrase destroys everything. It leaves no room for interpretation, explanation, or anything constructive. It is nothing more than a stubborn, narrow-minded defense—and often, far too often, it’s a way to dodge accountability for a major, glaring mistake made during the game.

Have you had any experiences with this phrase?

PS: I don’t think I explained myself well.

What has been your experience with this phrase when it’s used to justify the worst kinds of behavior or a character’s inconsistency?

Step through the hidden wooden door inside an ancient tree stump! I built this infinity mirror portal diorama using organic textures (real pine bark, twigs, natural straw, pebbles, and jute) combined with a built-in LED optical effect. The entire structure is crafted on a sturdy base, featuring a custom wooden door with copper hinges and a discreetly hidden button on top that turns on the infinite tunnel light. I made this as a dark fantasy piece to bring a magical, mysterious atmosphere to tabletop D&D sessions or room decor. What do you think?

I'll be playing with a Sorcerer and Circle of Moon Druid, I'm really quite torn on which to play and I'm not certain how well a Bard at lower levels would handle combat with this group, damage output is a bit of concern as well as AC. I was looking at Oath of Vengeance or a Swords Bard to frontline.

Would Bard be an effective class in the party for combat?

Hey everyone!

I wanted to share my latest 1-hour dark fantasy ambient track that I’ve spent a lot of time creating. It’s designed to be the perfect background score for tense exploration, grim settings, forgotten ruins, or cold wastelands in your TTRPG campaigns.

It has a heavy, cinematic atmosphere where magic meets steel, and I kept it long so you can just hit play and focus on running your game.

You can listen to it here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hy6U28Fguag?si=N0vOiy39mCwFHp4M

I'm a small creator just starting out, so I would absolutely love to hear your feedback. Let me know if this fits the vibe of your current campaigns!

Safe travels in your adventures! ⚔️

Finally getting to play dnd again (Probably) (hopefully) It looks like it’ll be a pirate themed campaign, and I’ve got some ideas I’m working out. I’ve got this fighter, a warlock, and an artificer.
Haven’t played many fighters so if you’ve got a fun subclass rec it’d be greatly appreciated. Also I’ve really gotta start getting better with names.
I’ll prolly be drawing up the other 2 as well, if I’ve got the time.

I feel myself wanting to buy the new books as they are released, because of the "oooh, new and pretty" and because I like to look at them on my shelf.

But I find I only read tidbits here and there from the books I buy (most recently the Faerûn ones) and I find it hard to justify buying new books if I'm only going to skim them (until one of my players uses something out of the new book, then I will read it in depth).

Do you read the new books you buy cover to cover? Or do you only crack them open when your campaign needs it? Or do you mostly buy them to look pretty on your shelf and because it gives you dopamine to buy new pretty things for your hobby? (this last one is definitely me sometimes)

The Tale of Rekuf Rehtom Ro’ud (Human Ranger)

My name is Rekuf Rehtom Ro’ud. For decades I proudly served as a woodsman of the royal forest. I had a wife and a child and I was happy.  We lived humbly but happily in our small home  in the King’s forest. It  was modest but clean and warm.  

All was well until prince Hal, that lowly degenerate son of the king took the throne upon his father’s death.  Soon he began extracting more and more from the people of the land, and began to engage in… depravities.  Children would disappear.  Wives were taken to be used up and thrown away to birth the new-king’s bastards.  I tried to keep my head down and my family safe but in that I failed.  My child was taken when he caught the leering eye of one of the royal guards at market.  

When I made an entreaty to the new king, I was frantic, and I may have been too angry in my demeanor, for his response was to tell me that I should be grateful he didn’t take my wife as well as my son.

I loudly declared that I had served his father for over a decade and that I was a loyal servant, and  that I merely requested the common decency that any decent king would grant to his loyal servants.  In response I was seized and imprisoned for daring to suggest the king wasn’t decent.  

My wife was taken, and I was made watch as the king’s most loyal servants made playthings of my wife and son.. Months after the murder of my family, I was released from the dungeon and  thrown into the streets outside of the castle, being told that the king no longer wished to feed me.

I slunk back to the King’s forest, where I found my cabin was burned to the ground and all my possessions destroyed or taken... There was nothing left for me. From that moment on I dedicated myself to whatever revenge I could extract from  this foul universe. I spent years retreating deeper and deeper into the forests at the outskirts of the kingdom, searching for knowledge of the old and hidden ways that might allow me to have my revenge.

Eventually I discovered the legend of the Rot.  A black fungus so pernicious and deadly that it could infect and grow in any warm blooded creature that ingested it or that had an open wound that touched it.  And after sifting through hundreds of wives' tails and legends concerning The Rot, I have come to believe there is a grove deep in the forests beyond Alderhearth where this Rot can be found.

I have the tools and the craft to safely gain a sample of the Rot, and when I do, I shall endeavor to destroy the whole of the castle and its nobility, infecting food and water supplies with spores of the Rot.  All I am, and all I have, and all I shall become is vengeance.

Hey yall, my Druid is gonna be level 9 and I’m wondering what rare magic item to give? I’ve looked into the staff of the woodlands but idk I guess it feels so on the nose for druids that I don’t think my player would really enjoy it? Of course my player would want something that does damage but I’m open to any interesting choices for magic items!

For the longest time I've always wanted to try DnD, I have access to communities to get started, and I even have a friend who DMs his own table group (and has been asking me to join for years now). But RP just intimidates me. I would like to know if there's hope when starting out from nothing?

My only RP experience is probably from GaiaOnline when I was 12 and even then I got mocked savagely for making a typical shoujo mary sue character (I was twelve!) and the thread barely lasted a couple of days before somebody godmoded so that hardly ever counts.

Sharing your stories of starting out as a new player and how far you've come now would be greatly inspiring for me, thank you. 🥹

Hello fellow DnD players, enthusiasts and DMs,

I ask this question purely out of intellectual interest as a DnD player:

Do you think powergaming, character/class optimisation and deep storytelling can lift the experience and fun of the whole party if applied correctly?

A few examples:

- helping other players who agree to optimize their characters classes and mechanical abilities

- creating art for the DM to help bring the world of the campaign to life

- suggesting available items to other players to increase their characters impact in roleplay and combat.

I’m very interested in how mechanics can deepen and enhance storytelling and how narrative informs mechanics for my own characters and the groups I play with.

I’m currently playing War of the Burning Sky as a Chronurgy Wizard/Twilight Cleric and a Tal’Dorei homebrew campaign as a Moon Druid.

Welcome any and all answers.

Using a freshly-made alt account for this post because I can already feel r/dndcirclejerk having fun with it

So for context, I'm a paid DM that works at a community center. Most of my players are first-timers, which means that I've been their first DM, their introduction to D&D and the one who taugh them the rules.

Side-note: I really don't mind it, this is the coolest job ever.

At the start of tonight's game, one of my players (M, somewhere in his 20's) told me that he joined another campaign recently with friends of his. I was really happy for him, until he told me that he hated his other DM's way of DMing. When I asked how it went, he kept pointing out everything this other DM did differently than me (stuff like calling for checks less often, narration being more railroady and player agency that felt like he was "kept on a leash", to quote him).

I totally get what he was trying to say: he tried someone else's DMing, and he vastly prefers mine. And I accept that compliment, really. But I can't help but to think that maybe I've accidentally set an unreal expectation for him: as I said, I'm litterally paid to run this game, of course I'll go the extra mile on all front for it to be worth the money. That other DM was (likely) running it for free, so expecting the same quality from this DM is unfair.

Now, maybe this DM was actually bad, I'll never know. But judging from what my player told me, they seemed... fine? I guess? No DM is running the same way, and this one was definitelly doing it differently than me. It really feels like I've brewed my own micro-version of the "Mercer effect", and I don't want it to ruin future games for him...how should I approach this situation? Like, obviously I'll talk to him about it, but I'm just unsure on how I'll explain it so it doesn't sound like a lecture.

On one hand, we have Baldur's Gate 3 and it's portrayal of the Githyanki, where they are presented as mighty warriors capable of conquering entire worlds. Their combat prowess is glorified on multiple occasions throughout the game by different characters including Wyll, Gale and Shadowheart. Minthara - an experienced Lolth-sworn Drow Paladin - shits in her pants thinking Githyanki are about to claim Toril for themselves by the end of the game. The Emperor, backed up by the might of The Netherbrain - the strongest Elder Brain ever and a multiversal threat with the Crown of Karsus at it's disposal - is reluctant to go up against them due to their numbers. The Gith bosses we fight are some of the strongest enemies both mechanically and narratively - i mean, who in Act 1 is comparable to Ch'r'ai W'wargaz, one of Vlaakith's elite combatants who is stronger then Kith'raki, resides in her palace and is potent enough that your ability to actually best him impresses the Undying Queen, which she's not shy to admit?

It's also worth mentioning that their legendary Silver Swords were hyped quite a lot in Neverwinter Nights 2 from what i remember - specifically, they were capable of harming King of Shadows, the main antagonist of the game.

On the other hand, their DND stat blocks fookin' suck. I can't describe it in any other way. They are pathetic. The mightiest mortal warriors - the fookin' Space Marines of the setting - with unimaginable combat experience by hundreds, or thousands of years, with some of the best technology in existence, including illithid tech, have CR of 14 at best!

WTF?!

Now of course you lore eggheads would remind me that Vlaakith eats the most competent of them. But how in the fook is that an excuse? Is she an idiot to weaken her own Empire making it vulnerable and tempting to attack and destroy? Can't she eat her subordinates in a smart way, given her 30 INT stat? By the way, regarding her stat block - CR of 21, or 23 according to some sources? Are you kidding me? An immortal Lich who lives for who knows how long, with access to the greatest knowledge there is, with access to the technology of Illithids who had a multiverse-spanning empire at one point, is weaker than your fookin' Szass Tam?!

Overhyped via games lore, but suck balls when it comes to their DND stat blocks, to put it mildly.

The question is - how powerful is the Githyanki Empire, really? Multiverse-level? Planar-level? Fookin' regional? Are they all hype and no substance?

How good are they?

I’d like players’ and GMs’ perspectives on this situation.
I’m in a paid campaign where a player recently used a Red Card to stop a session because she felt her character was being excluded.
The session focused on several PCs confronting NPC 1. Her character, OC 1, is one of NPC 1’s most loyal supporters, so she had less reason to participate in the conflict.
I believe not every character needs equal spotlight in every session. Character choices also have consequences: OC 1’s loyalty naturally limited her involvement unless she chose to challenge or betray NPC 1. We’ve also repeatedly encouraged her to initiate interactions and create opportunities for her character, but she didn’t. And just said a red card in the middle of the session when she said she felt excluded after having a scene with NPC.

The Red Card halted the session, affecting the other paying players, schedules, and next week’s game. I understand that feeling excluded can be upsetting, and safety tools should be respected when someone is genuinely distressed. However, I’m unsure whether dissatisfaction with narrative focus is an appropriate use of a tool intended to address safety concerns.

So:
1. Is feeling narratively excluded sufficient reason to use a Red Card?

1. How should groups distinguish safety concerns from spotlight disagreements?

2. Is it reasonable to expect players to take initiative in developing their character’s involvement?

3. How should a paid GM balance one player’s needs with the time and money of the rest of the group?

I’m not suggesting anyone should be forced to continue if they’re genuinely uncomfortable. I’m asking whether this was the appropriate tool and how other groups would handle it.

Starting another campaign soon. I’ve been tinkering with two builds that I think I’d enjoy playing but wanted to hear from folks who’ve been there done that. We’re starting at level 1 expecting to go 10+

Human Trickery Cleric: A renegade, gambler type who tried to cheat a god and got a dagger through his hand and blessed for his hubris. I want to lean into the illusion/deception/controller route with this character.

Eladrin (Spring prob) Archfey Warlock: basically a nightcrawler character, but charming and a flirt. Really want to spam the bamf, teleport around and blast folks. Also like the idea of telekinetic/thorn whip/repelling blast for some forced movement

I don’t plan of using a weapon for either. Any and all feedback would be helpful and appreciated, homies

EDIT: I lied, I’m probably gonna reflavor darts as throwing cards for the Trickery Cleric bc why not

Google got me nowhere, and I'm terrible at mechanical analysis like this, so hopefully someone can help me out. Reposting after my first attempt contained a forbidden link (100% my bad, though I can't find one I know is 100% official/unproblematic, so I'm just not linking to the spell at all).

What's the approximate CR of the spirit summoned by a 3rd level Summon Shadowspawn spell? I've got a room trapped with two Glyph of Warding spells that each contain this spell. I'm currently going through the dungeon calculating the CR of each encounter so I can see where I'm at difficulty-wise, but don't know the CR for these spirits.

I'm guessing it's not high, my gut says maybe 2 or 3? But an approximate number from someone who's better at this than I am would be much appreciated.

I’ve been working on a world for my new campaign inspired by Norse mythology set in a world with various houses ruling over the lands united under one ruler. For centuries the kingdom was ruled by giants who took back the Norse equivalent of Prometheus’s fire or like the sun and would only give light and warmth To houses who remained loyal. All the disloyal houses eventually went mad and are called beastmen now.
in the campaign it’ll have been about 30 years since the giants were finally overthrown and im trying to debate whether or not the humans were able to get their light back? I also can’t decide whether or not the world has/had one permanent night or a regular or even lengthened day/night cycle that kept people loyal.
lastly I had an idea where the houses each were given a big brazier of fire that was their source of north.
I’d love to hear your ideas!

My sweet baby gurl!! I love Amy so much and watching her grow during the campaign so far(its been a year and a half!!!) Has been so so fun.

But for fun, here is her og backstory :) and if you wanna know more about her feel free to ask 👀

AMY BACKSTORY

Amy is country folk, she originates from a livestock farm, she grew up with siblings and her mother and father, her home life was well, maybe too well, amy grew up as Quinton, you're average hard working farm boy, he was his parents golden child and their oldest son. But that wasn't Amy. And yeah Her parents are pretty well off (if you're ok w/ it), own one of the most successful horse stables in Patonia, becoming a supplier for a large part of the world of divaria but she didn't want to follow in her parents footsteps and be the sweet little boy that they wanted him to be, to settle down and have kids and live a lie, due to this she chooses to run off with her shire horse bluebell and a dream. Though she plays it off she is running from her past, the family, friends and foes she's left behind are catching up on her. Her family is worried about her, but she tries not letting it get to her, because they aren't worried about her. They worry about who she used to be. And that isn't amy that's quinton. And she'll never be that boy again. Amy is constantly heavily fearful of the idea of her family and old friends finding her again and realizing that she never was a boy. Another reason why amy leaves isn't just her family, she was young and hanging with friends that weren't exactly the best influence, leading her to still be snappy and a bit cruel sometimes today, but after a stupid 'prank' at a local tavern and her friends, truefully, it was only a kid named 'Floyd', her best friend at the time and truly the only one who knew her as. Well her. (Floyd the barber :yum:) who had planned it all out. A damned robbery, guns and all. Ofcourse it didnt end well, floyd ended up shooting the owner of the Tavern and out of fear Quinton booked it when the law came, without warning she left her friends behind, booked it home and got the little things she needed and just jumped onto bluebell and ran, no goodbye, she just left it all behind. Her family, her friends, himself, and Floyd.