So I'm a new DM... [5E]

[el_pornstachio9]

I bought the starter set, Dungeon Masters Guide, and Player's handbook. We all sat down and played for the first time, and it went really well! But the starter set walkthrough doesn't have super detailed information about the process of play. I was wondering if anyone would mind laying out an attack order? I looked all over the net, I would say my biggest question is this - As the DM, I control NPCs and villains, etc. During an attack phase, do the enemies have a chance to defend or attack while the players are doing so also? We played through the initiative, but the goblins my players were fighting, I didn't use attacks with them. Not sure what to do, thanks!

[Oramac]

Yep! The goblins would attack the players on their initiative as well. So for example:

Initiative:

Player 1: 20
Player 2: 16
Goblins: 14
Player 3: 13
Player 4: 8

You would start with the highest number and work your way down. So after player 2 does his thing, the goblins get to attack. Or, you can roll initiative for each goblin individually, but this adds complexity.

The goblins can also use a reaction, same as players. So say Player 1 moves out of melee range of one of the goblins on his turn. That goblin could use its reaction to get an Attack of Opportunity against the moving player.

[Foxhound438]

when it comes turn in initiative order for one of your npc's turn, it gets to take combat actions like any of the players. Their stat block should tell you about all the actions they can take, but they can also take any of the basic combat actions, such as "dodge" or "dash". Think of it as being just like a player character, just with different abilities.

[el_pornstachio9]

Dudes, thanks a bunch for this info. I was definitely not doing this in our game. Am I understanding it correctly that when a player attacks, they roll their attack, and they play that against the goblins armor class? Following that, they would roll the specified die for their damage?

What is the benefit of grouping the goblins initiative together? Would I make 4 separate rolls for each goblin, is that fair?

Finally, I'm really interested in creating NPC characters for my players to interact with. How would I go about making them, the same as making a player character? Would it be possible to incorporate that new NPC into an existing game, possibly to provide the players with information about their quest or maybe to sell them something?

I really appreciate all the help, I'm having a blast doing this!

[Safety Sword]

Dudes, thanks a bunch for this info. I was definitely not doing this in our game. Am I understanding it correctly that when a player attacks, they roll their attack, and they play that against the goblins armor class? Following that, they would roll the specified die for their damage?

What is the benefit of grouping the goblins initiative together? Would I make 4 separate rolls for each goblin, is that fair?

Finally, I'm really interested in creating NPC characters for my players to interact with. How would I go about making them, the same as making a player character? Would it be possible to incorporate that new NPC into an existing game, possibly to provide the players with information about their quest or maybe to sell them something?

I really appreciate all the help, I'm having a blast doing this!

You're right. All of the goblins would act on the same initiative number. However, they all get their own move and action. They can attack the same character, different or none. That's up to you to decide as the DM.

When it comes to NPCs, they can be as simple or complex as you like. A storekeeper may not be fully fleshed out. You might give them a certain look or personality trait to make them interesting though.

[krugaan]

Finally, I'm really interested in creating NPC characters for my players to interact with. How would I go about making them, the same as making a player character? Would it be possible to incorporate that new NPC into an existing game, possibly to provide the players with information about their quest or maybe to sell them something?


I think, in general, it's not a great idea to fully flesh out NPCs like characters. Unless you intend to get them into combat, NPCs just need a description and a personality. A lot of the mechanics that apply to PCs just don't for the majority of NPCs, plus the PCs are the star of the story.

[el_pornstachio9]

Is there a way to create enemies? For example, in the starter set, enemy creatures have hp, movement, all that jazz. How do I determine that?

Furthermore, how would I award the xp?

[krugaan]

Is there a way to create enemies? For example, in the starter set, enemy creatures have hp, movement, all that jazz. How do I determine that?

Furthermore, how would I award the xp?

You should probably invest in the DMG, and maybe the monstrous manual.

The DMG explains how to rate a creature's difficulty (the CR or challenge rating), how much experience to award, how to guesstimate roughly how difficult an encounter is, lists of magical items, tips, etc etc.

[Knaight]

Is there a way to create enemies? For example, in the starter set, enemy creatures have hp, movement, all that jazz. How do I determine that?

Furthermore, how would I award the xp?

There's some tables in the Monster Manual on how to create them, but it's more an art than a science. I'd recommend holding off until you have a better handle on the system.

[Safety Sword]

You should probably invest in the DMG, and maybe the monstrous manual.

The DMG explains how to rate a creature's difficulty (the CR or challenge rating), how much experience to award, how to guesstimate roughly how difficult an encounter is, lists of magical items, tips, etc etc.

The OP noted they have the DMG.

So... invest time reading it a few times and take some notes on running adventures and NPCs.

It'll be worth it!

[Lord Il Palazzo]

There's some tables in the Monster Manual on how to create them, but it's more an art than a science. I'd recommend holding off until you have a better handle on the system.I'd definitely recommend picking up the Monster Manual. It's got a really good variety of monsters you don't have to build yourself with written descriptions that can give a lot of ideas for how to use the monsters to build adventures (where they're found, tactics they use, etc.) If you don't want to pick up the book or just want something to fill in the gap until you have a chance to buy it, a lot of the monster stats in it are available in the System Reference Document PDF you can download here: http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/systems-reference-document-srd (but it doesn't have the write ups and has a handful of monsters left out.)

Also, a trick I use a lot is reskinning a monster I have stats for so I can describe it (maybe with a few minor changes) and use it in place of one I don't. For example, I had a game once where I wanted some minor devils but didn't like any of the devils the Monster Manual had for the fight I was planning. Instead of starting with lemures (super weak devils) and trying to buff them up to increase their challenge, I just took goblins, replaced their armor with natural armor and their scimitars with claws (same attack bonus and damage) and maybe added fire resistance. They worked perfectly and I didn't have to do any extra work building a monster from scratch and calculating a new challenge rating.

[Mjolnirbear]

Some tricks and tips:

1) write down the stats for commoner, thug, Knight, priest, and spy. That Barkeeper? In the unlikely event he needs to swing a weapon, he's a commoner. The guard? Thug or Knight depending on rank. That sneak? A spy. 90% of NPCs can use these, even though 95% of NPCs don't even need stats. Keeping them handy avoids flipping through books

2) rule of cool. If its awesome, do it. If the halfling in the tree wants to backflip off the branch, spin, and plant his daggers into the eyes of his victims as he lands, say yes and figure out how to do it (probably a combination OF skill rolls and attacks)

3) stick with published adventures. You can even use 3rd edition adventures if you update the treasure and skill dcs. Making a campaign from scratch requires experience.

4) don't try to kill the characters
5) don't be afraid to let the characters die, but give them chances to avoid it
6) the player can't read minds. Plan at least three clues if you have a puzzle or riddle.
7) say no to any player who wants to be a spy, assassin, thief, or evil character if they intend to target other players. That player may find it fun, but the others will hate it. There are ways to do this but see above re: experience.
8) don't force the players to follow your plot.

[NewDM]

Your best bet is to watch the Youtube show Critical Role. They do a good job of showing "in general" how to play a table top RPG: https://youtu.be/i-p9lWIhcLQ?list=PLqTT_VuffgDP0I6accl0jP5p3kxBRPVPa

[Knaight]

Your best bet is to watch the Youtube show Critical Role. They do a good job of showing "in general" how to play a table top RPG: https://youtu.be/i-p9lWIhcLQ?list=PLqTT_VuffgDP0I6accl0jP5p3kxBRPVPa

It might also be worth trying to get in a session or two in an online game. For whatever reason, the D&D developers seem committed to not providing particularly useful advice for entirely new groups, on the assumption that people will just join an existing group and learn from them. They usually will, but there's a case to be made that the absence of useful advice is a contributing factor there.

Fortunately, with the magic of Skype, G+ Hangouts, or other voice thing plus Roll20 or Maptools, D&D can be played online. Finding a nice one shot could be really useful.

[Demonslayer666]

NewDm has a good point. Reading/watching examples of play is a great way to get familiar with how to run a game.

[ChelseaNH]

What is the benefit of grouping the goblins initiative together? Would I make 4 separate rolls for each goblin, is that fair?

Grouping the goblins' initiative just reduces overhead. If you wanted to give each goblin its own initiative roll, you could -- but then you'd have to track which goblin rolled which initiative. When you get to combats that have more than one type of creature (e.g. goblins and bugbears), then you usually group each type of creature for initiative, but you could also divide them according to "teams" -- all the ones on the left and all the ones on the right, for instance. Whatever helps you keep track.

You do want to have each goblin attack independently. They can choose different targets, or even different actions.

[Sigreid]

1. Look up the rules you think you will need before the session. If something you didn't expect comes up, give your best ruling and move on. After the session, look it up and next session tell your group if you will be ruling it differently in the future. Few things are less fun in a game than stopping everything to look up an obscure rule.

2. If you know that a skill check will come up, put some thought into what happens if it fails. An example would be in Return of the Jedi when Han fails to sneak up on the troopers. It leads to some exciting times for the heroes that could have gone horribly wrong, and the allies they eventually needed. Failure should have consequences but doesn't have to be disastrous.

3. Don't be afraid to wing it. Your party will eventually start doing crazy and brilliant things that you never thought of. Get used to it. :)

[el_pornstachio9]

You are all beautiful people. Sorry I haven't replied, I have college to finish up. Now that summer is here, it's game on!

So using the starter set, my adventurers killed 3/4 goblins, tied the last one up, got his information, and then sent him walking in the opposite direction of where they are heading. I want to use this goblin again, creating a backstory where he finds the adventurers for revenge later in this campaign. How should I go about that again? I have the DMG, so I read creating encounters and random encounters, but I'm still a wallowing babe, which means I have 0 experience. Any advice?

I was looking to either make him a villain with a small crew and dungeon, or just have him alone but up a few levels to fight them on the road again.

[NewDM]

You are all beautiful people. Sorry I haven't replied, I have college to finish up. Now that summer is here, it's game on!

So using the starter set, my adventurers killed 3/4 goblins, tied the last one up, got his information, and then sent him walking in the opposite direction of where they are heading. I want to use this goblin again, creating a backstory where he finds the adventurers for revenge later in this campaign. How should I go about that again? I have the DMG, so I read creating encounters and random encounters, but I'm still a wallowing babe, which means I have 0 experience. Any advice?

I was looking to either make him a villain with a small crew and dungeon, or just have him alone but up a few levels to fight them on the road again.

Turn the goblin into a boss. Look up the monster creation rules and then look at various boss monsters and design around them. Up its CR by a few and then increase its stats as per the monster creation rules. If you can look at some of the 4e boss monsters they are actually better designed than 5e boss monsters who rely on 'cheap shot' features like Legendary/Lair Actions/Resistances.

Then throw the thing at the players either in a dungeon or in an ambush while traveling. Make sure that it has a number of normal goblins equal to the number of members in the party.

[Sigreid]

You are all beautiful people. Sorry I haven't replied, I have college to finish up. Now that summer is here, it's game on!

So using the starter set, my adventurers killed 3/4 goblins, tied the last one up, got his information, and then sent him walking in the opposite direction of where they are heading. I want to use this goblin again, creating a backstory where he finds the adventurers for revenge later in this campaign. How should I go about that again? I have the DMG, so I read creating encounters and random encounters, but I'm still a wallowing babe, which means I have 0 experience. Any advice?

I was looking to either make him a villain with a small crew and dungeon, or just have him alone but up a few levels to fight them on the road again.

The goblin striking from the shadows when they are in Thundertree is a good start. He probably has a decent idea about them now, and knows who he can hit and when to make a fight turn bad before running away. Alternately, he could attempt to contact other opponents such as the dragon and just let them know where the party is.

[Toadkiller]

I like the informer idea. If they find out he sold them out after they showed mercy it might really get them riled up.

You can also give him a magic item and/or capabilities for a player class. Something to give him more power. It is often great fun to have a recurring opponent like that. We just finished one at our table on our third encounter with him.

First time we ran from him. Second he ran, finally cornered him!

[Celcey]

I like the idea of him selling them out and doing other subtle things to disrupt the group, causing th m trouble without them knowing what's going on until they finally have some kind of confrontation. It might also be fun to give the players a chance to notice him. For example, if he's following them, roll a stealth check against the players' passive perception to see if they realize he's there. This is also the kind of character you might want to give PC levels to. Somewhere on this forum there should be a guide to what CR to rate a monster with PC levels.

Also, if you're looking for guide material, th book that helped me the most in learning how to play is probably Of Dice and Men, by David M. Ewalt. I recommend you get the Monster Manuel first, but if you ever get the chance it's a really amazing book. Maybe check your local library.

[Ninja_Prawn]

I was looking to either make him a villain with a small crew and dungeon, or just have him alone but up a few levels to fight them on the road again.

I prefer the 'quirky miniboss squad' idea. Have him team up with a wacky gang of unique goblins - or even an evil adventuring party made up of a goblin knight, kobold sorcerer, bullywug druid and a pixie 'token good teammate'. Or something.

General advice for the OP: combats work best if the number of fighters on each side is similar. Assuming you have a party of four, you should try to use two to six monsters most of the time.

A single, huge monster will struggle to threaten the party, even if its CR indicates that it should, because it won't be able to keep up in the action economy. Equally, a horde of lesser monsters could overwhelm them, thanks to bounded accuracy.

[Sir cryosin]

Here is some more tips I don't kow if anyone else has said it but go find a group thats playing and ask the DM if you can sit in and watch what he's / she is doing and how they run stuff. From my experience the DM community is alway nice and willing to show people the ropes. Try looking online and watch different d&d shows the Dm all have different play stays but they all understand how to run a game. Or try finding a group and being a player half of my group I play with are DM's my self included. We come to play together on Tuesdays but through out the week we have different groups we dm for. I'm a new dm myself I found it easyer to learn the rule as I was playing as a pc not as a dm stuiding to run a campaign. A little tip a lot of it is Improving. Now you may not know everything as you run a campaign. But don't let it discouraged you in my group even with other DM's playing we all still correct each other when we miss something or if something is not working right. Sorry I'm just rambling now

[el_pornstachio9]

How about how long the initiative lasts? My adventurers made it halfway in the cave and we had to stop. They are not in an encounter, but just finished one. Is their initiative the same the whole campaign, or when does it change?

[WhiteEagle88]

You usually roll up new initiatives for the players/monsters at the begining of each combat.

[Ninja_Prawn]

You usually roll up new initiatives for the players/monsters at the begining of each combat.

Me too, though sometimes defining 'one combat' isn't clear, like if they go into a dungeon and the door guards are able to raise the alarm such that people from the next room(s) join the fight part-way through. I tend to treat that as one combat, as long as the PCs can see at least one hostile at all times.

If you're doing a skill challenge that needs initiative order, I'd roll at the start of that as well, even if you segue immediately from a combat to a challenge (such as if the PCs are trying to chase down fleeing enemies).

[Estrillian]

You are all beautiful people. Sorry I haven't replied, I have college to finish up. Now that summer is here, it's game on!

So using the starter set, my adventurers killed 3/4 goblins, tied the last one up, got his information, and then sent him walking in the opposite direction of where they are heading. I want to use this goblin again, creating a backstory where he finds the adventurers for revenge later in this campaign. How should I go about that again? I have the DMG, so I read creating encounters and random encounters, but I'm still a wallowing babe, which means I have 0 experience. Any advice?

I was looking to either make him a villain with a small crew and dungeon, or just have him alone but up a few levels to fight them on the road again.

If you want the Goblin to be a villain that your players properly remember, give them time to learn to hate him. Have him steal something precious from them; have him place a reward on their heads with other goblins; have him hire some people to attack them; give him a change to deliver a monologue where they can't fight him (so they know his name). If he just turns up in the road later they won't know him from any other goblin - make him a proper recurring foe.

Also remember, although D&D is a game with a heavy focus on combat, it is most certainly not *just* about combat. Your Goblin will be a better antagonist if they get to encounter him outside combat, and get frustrated or challenged by him. Maybe he turns up when they have been captured and taunts them through the bars, or maybe one character encounters him alone somewhere where fighting is risky. Ideally you want a villain that makes your players groan, seethe or rage well before they actually get their hands on him.

As for stats, leave it open. If your idea is for this Goblin to be a boss style monster then his stats are probably left undefined until a fight arrives, at which point he should just take the stats of some humanoid monster of appropriate CR (e.g. a Bugbear, Goblin Chief, Ogre or what have you). Think of it like their foe levelling up as they do.