Where to now?

[DadDM]

Wonder if I could get some advice, my son got starter set and from this I have been DM for him and a small group as we work our way through the scenarios. My question is this we are nearing the end where should we go now?

If the party wish to retain their characters, which would be the best adventure, but as a newbie DM I need this to be pretty logic work through. Or should I be looking to get DM and players manuals ect. first? Do I even need the manuals if using the pre gen characters and scenarios (assume these have all relevant information in them to play them)?

So any advice on where to go next would be much appreciated thank you?

[Grear Bylls]

Wonder if I could get some advice, my son got starter set and from this I have been DM for him and a small group as we work our way through the scenarios. My question is this we are nearing the end where should we go now?

If the party wish to retain their characters, which would be the best adventure, but as a newbie DM I need this to be pretty logic work through. Or should I be looking to get DM and players manuals ect. first? Do I even need the manuals if using the pre gen characters and scenarios (assume these have all relevant information in them to play them)?

So any advice on where to go next would be much appreciated thank you?

I suggest picking up the Players Handbook, the Monster Manual, maybe (MAYBE) Xanathars Guide to Everything, and an officially published adventure book. The PHB is most important as it's the root of the game. The Monster Manual provides all the monsters you'll be for adventures. Xanathars is a great book for more player spells and options. A module like Storm Kings Thunder might be nice. I haven't run it, but it's easy to pick up at level 5. You don't have to work it into the LMoP, but you could say that several townsfolk in Phandalin heard rumors about Giants or whatever.

Some other good books might be Volos Guide to Monsters or Mordenkainens Tome of Foes. These option some races for players and new monsters for you. The Dungeon Masters Guide is really only important for magic items, but you could find the items online. I do suggest getting all of the above things first though.

Hope this helps!

[DerficusRex]

Wild Sheep Chase is a fun looking one-shot I'm planning to run around that level. It's free on DM's guild: http://www.dmsguild.com/product/170937/The-Wild-Sheep-Chase--A-SingleSession-Adventure

Might do Leomund's Misplaced Manor after that (pay-what-you-want, suggested $2): http://www.dmsguild.com/product/173233/Adventure-Leomunds-Misplaced-Manor

Secrets of Skyhorn Lighthouse is another good level-5ish one I'd like to do sometime (free on DM's guild): http://www.dmsguild.com/product/215629/The-Secrets-of-Skyhorn-Lighthouse

I particularly like the way the author of Skyhorn presents information. You can see more of her stuff at https://www.thearcanelibrary.com/

edit:
As for reference books and materials - I agree with Grear Bylls about the order of usefulness of the books. I wouldn't say you need any of them, especially if you're not making new characters yet and only playing pre-written modules, but the PHB is definitely the most useful.

If you have regular reliable internet access where you play, you might consider getting the books through dndbeyond.com. I find the ease of reference really handy, and I rarely use my physical copies anymore. You can also get partial content from dndbeyond (for example, only the magic items from the DMG) and then if you later decide to purchase the whole thing, the amount you already spent on the partial piece is deducted from the price.

[opaopajr]

With Basic 5e .pdfs you are good to go. They have a Basic 5e PHB (players handbook), Basic 5e DM/MM (dungeon master [guide] & monster manual), and plenty of other goodies available for free at WotC website (Wizards of the Coast, the publisher of D&D 5e).

One of the best pieces advice is to use your own imagination! :smallcool: Basically, that Chapter 3 where you have party freedom to pursue different sub-missions in any order, is where you insert exploration and social frameworks to entice your players to Adventure! further in your version of the campaign world. This seems hard at first, but with practice you'll do fine, here's a few tips:

* Treat travel, both between places and at target location, like a Travel Guide! Have Points of Interest! Think of it as making Locations like a Character themselves! :smallsmile:

*Treat NPC (non-player character) socializing, both between places and at target location, like a melodrama! Make Intriguing Characters. Think of it as making People (including smart, talking monsters) like a daytime soap opera! :smallsmile:

* Describe, describe, describe. And don't be afraid to be bold and obvious -- players miss WAY MORE than you think. :smalltongue: (The above two mindsets about places and people helps you create with commitment.)

* We all make mistakes. Learn to forgive yourself. :smallwink:

* Take NOTES! For yourself, before, during, and after. For your players, expect notes or memories from them. That "paper trail" helps create more content! And that Persistence of NPC changes shows tangible evidence that your player's characters have a meaningful effect upon the world.

Hope that helps! :smallbiggrin: