Atmospheric DM

[chomskola]

SO I am a new DM and new to DnD. Actually developed my interest in Fantasy reading fighting fantasy and lone wolf books at the meagre age of 7. As I like the idea of creating atmospheric encounters and play in general, I wondered do any other DMS focus on that, I dont just mean props and so on, as in delivery, languaging and so on? Id very much like to create the "atmosphere" of a fantasy roleplay book" but without the predetermined choices. I have seen some DMs on the net, even experienced ones, who put down all the monsters and stuff in a room, and then after everyhting is visible go "shock horror, or bang you suddenly hear a crash" or whatever, it kinda sucked, although im sure the reason is, trying to be suspenseful and surprising probably wears a bit thin after 50+ encounters. I suppose my question is really, what do you guys do as DMs to give that special RP/suspense/horror/fantasy feel or vibe to your games?

[Water_Bear]

Atmosphere is about how you build something up in someone's mind. So obviously the first thing you need to do is grab your players attention. I find that music can help with that; a generic battle music for random encounters, theme music for different locations, and leitmotifs for each major NPC (Villain or not). Also the way you describe things can really make a huge difference, I suggest reading some Lovecraft just to get the tension-building diction right.

If your players are more meta-game oriented, you can use that to help as well. Nothing scared my players more than when they first realized the BBEG was throwing out 25-30+ Save DCs and countering their best attacks with obscure spells like Wings of Cover. This is mainly a good way to get fear and surprise, but you can also harness player's hatred for a well-optimized enemy or a poorly optimized ally.

I've never used props, mainly because I used to play in my dorm's lounge and was already getting too many weird looks just for the dice and miniatures. People do enjoy LARPing though, so maybe the prop-people are on to something, IDK.

[The Rabbler]

I don't DM (because I'm terrible at it), but my DM always surprises us with in-game scenarios that we almost never see coming. For example, a sepia snake sigil trap on the wall right behind a ladder leading up to the next level or a grey render that has been deemed "mother" by a small pack of bulettes.

Creating atmosphere (from a player's standpoint, ofc) only really takes some interesting adjectives and some non-standard challenges or encounters. Assuming your players are able to really get into the roleplaying aspect of the game, that is.

EDIT: also, try not to describe more than what's necessary. I always like to try to picture the room by letting imagination fill in any holes.

[chomskola]

ok..so I have a follow-up question. The corebooks, AFAIK don't discuss how you relate to players damage taken by enemies, and how much hitpoints they have, what abilities they have and so on. What i mean is that, not tellnig players the HP left of any monster, would ratchet up suspense a notch but might be too flaky for the players to enjoy..from a reward/goals point of view. How much meta is a good or bad thing? how much can players be informed by the DM of what the consequences are of any of the monsters SQ's, weapons, natural armour etc etc etc. And where do DMs stand on this HP question? I for one am fascinated at the prospect of the answers to these q's :) :) :)

[BlueEyes]

Depends on the group and it's style.

[Water_Bear]

Never tell your players how much HP a monster has left, their AC, Saves or any other such info. Ever.

Characters already have access to a lot of information about monsters. A Sense Motive check can determine the relative CR [see Rules Compendium] of an opponent, Knowledge (X) checks can give players information about the monsters which isn't immediately obvious, and spells like Deathwatch can give a vague idea of a creature's current HP. Since players know their character's Attack Bonuses and Save DCs they can make educated guesses about the monster's AC and Saves.

Describing the results of a hit can make it more satisfying and pull the players more into the game world. But avoid the temptation to reward meta-gaming, or else you risk pulling the players out of the story rather than engaging them.

[LansXero]

Ive played under "atmospheric" DMs a couple of times. It wears thin really fast, and doesnt add that much. You are either into the game or you are not, and lengthy descriptions or music wont change that.

Not to say you shouldnt try and bring the game to life, just make sure you know your group before trying, because while some people love the drama and suspense, others find it silly and boring, and you may feel bad if you set your expectations too high without knowing what your players actually want.

[chomskola]

I suppose what i mean is descriptive language, intonation, Dming "in character" to a certain extent. Hope the group wont find it silly or boring, but maybe varying it with vanilla flavour DMing will be better

[Feralventas]

Setting up an atmosphere for a game can be an important aspect of it regardless of the type of game you want to run, but it's not all that difficult to get a good one going. If you want a light-hearted adventure, some basic hack'n'slash, with a little bit of puzzling on the side then just let the players gab and joke around for a little while before the game session. It'll go a long way toward making sure everyone's settled in.

The more specific the sort of atmosphere you want to provide, and the more contrast it has from the game's current setting (as in, your living room, the open garage, the FLGS, etc) the more work you'll need to go through to provide the difference.

For example, I once ran a mystery based game that was intended to be our group's "Halloween Special." We were starting at around noon or a little after, and meant to establish a somewhat creepy, unsettling atmosphere while still keeping the player's interest. So, at first, I let them settle in as normal, no crazy antics or tricks, just normal set-up while they start into the game, introducing characters and so forth. The mystery aspect of the game was an investigation into several people who'd gone missing at almost the exact same time, with minimal if any connection. Once the party discovered the connection (in record time because they know most of my cliches....) they were lead to a sort of haunted carnival as part of their search. At that point I began to put on my theater-hat (not a literal hat) and made sure to articulate more carefully, to be a bit more descriptive of the shadows moving just out of sight, and of the occasional laughter and honking sounds in the distance.

And I'd brought my speakers just to play This (http://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/blackest-heart-with-honks) and http://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/the-carnival at them.


A little music, a little literature, and a bit of playing toward your party's fears or ideals will go a long way.

The year before that, I actually put together an hour-long sound-track for the game, using my piano's synth effects to run effects on an unavoidable time-line. Start with strange sounds that don't make any sense in the first piece, large rumbling sounds mean The Thing From Underground Is Back; the heart-beat sound is the resounding thunder of their own pulse; everyone makes fort-saves, the person with the lowest roll dies as their heart explodes outward from their rib-cage. That singing? Totally happening. No, you don't see the source. And yes, that is the sound of rain and wind; the weather's picking up and it's probably already flooding the bridge out of here.
You'd best find some shelter. It's going to be a long night.

[Roguenewb]

Like so many parts of D&D, you and the party have to be in phase. If you want to play an atmospheric game with a fantasy novel flavor, you need to explain this to your players, and if they wanna be silly and attack with giant rubber marital aids, then they will. You can't ever control them. But if you get a bit of them going, and every time place a flavored element, and they are surprised or interested, the next one will be easier, and easier, and easier as time goes on.

[chomskola]

IF anyone knows any music or background audio that would be suitable, not too repetitive, whistling breeze, echoes of beasts, squeaky closing doors and the like in the mix, im all ears!!!

[Zarrgon]

The first, basic step in setting the atmosphere is to avoid describing everything like it's just a game. Never say ''Your sword hits the orc for six points of damage''. You should say ''Your sword cuts along the right side of the orcs body, cutting a bit into it's flesh".

In general how much damage is done is based on the targets total hit points. So that ten points of damage would be a near death blow to someone with twelve hit points, but only be a scratch to someone with one hundred hit points.

Also, all hit point damage in D&D is 'minor hits'. You don't do twenty points of damage and chop off a monsters arm, you do twenty points of damage and make a bloody cut into their arm. As long as a creature has one hit point, they have not suffered any major hit.

The players never know the monsters hit points, so they can only guess at how wounded it is, or go buy the description.

When a character is effected by something, in general, the players are not told what it is...especially in game terms. It is kept vague. They only know the effects.

[chomskola]

Following from this, isnt it a bit tricky, to in descriptive terms allow the players to identify the difference between damage taken..like a bunch of damage..and something with an actual in-game effect..like being stunned/staggered/terrified or whatever. hmmm???

[Water_Bear]

Following from this, isnt it a bit tricky, to in descriptive terms allow the players to identify the difference between damage taken..like a bunch of damage..and something with an actual in-game effect..like being stunned/staggered/terrified or whatever. hmmm???

Most of the time if an enemy suffers an effect like that it is because of something the players did like a Spell or Maneuver, so they'll figure out what you mean. Sometimes enemies can mess themselves up, either by flubbing a skill check like Balance or if you're using Morale rules [Heroes of Battle], and then you need to be a little more clear.

But generally, hit point damage is "You slice cleanly into the Orc" while other effect are more specific like "The Orc falls to the floor after you hit it with your Curling Wave Strike." Don't embellish it too much or you risk slowing down the combat and boring your players (http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=1098).