Tips for a new DM (for adventures)

[Kchaisson]

Hello Out there. Thanks for taking a peak at my post. I'm a (relatively) new dm and would really love some tips and stuff. My campaign world is codesigned by my husband (who used to be our all the time DM) and myself. We have a fairly decent world but I'm having trouble with adventure plots.

Long story short: Dragons were gone now but now they're back (but shh no one knows yet). Party is currently level 6.

Also, I really really suck at combat. I need help with spicing things up.... Things get beheaded or have their liver torn out a lot (wolves.. we have a summoning druid who likes wolves).

Thanks :D

[FrznTear]

here are some published adventures recovered from the depths of the internet

http://web.archive.org/web/20090123093048/http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/oa/20030530b&page=1

[Phelix-Mu]

Alright, generally speaking, there are a few elements I usually develop for a long-running campaign.

1.) Direct plot: A primary event going on in the world. Or a series of events.

2.) Role playing stuff: Chances for the players to steer the campaign outside of combat, either through making friends/allies, joining organizations, or whatever.

3.) Subplots: These usually start as more short-term missions, brief quests for local npcs, but I also like to tie them into larger events if a certain npc or event was popular or seemed to pose a good challenge.

4.) Individual story development: Tie stuff into the character's backstories. Usually, this is a way to reward people for taking time to create a good character, but it can also be used to catalyze creativity after the game has begun. Example: The party takes a trip to the area where the barbarian's tribe is from. Meet the family ensues, along with some stuff tied to things the barbarian probably has an interest in (like who inherits control of the tribe after the aging chieftain passes away).

And then there is often some random stuff thrown in. Like, if things have been going easy for the party, I may randomly toss something at them that is way harder than what they have seen. Because the best swords are tested in flame.:smallwink: Careful, though, for this way lies many a TPK; I have decent mastery of the game, so I can handle things on the fly, but even I face the truly unexpected or the player-instigated curve ball.