Looking for advice as I run my first premade adventure

[theonesin]

So I've played DnD(3.5, 4e, some 5e) for several years, but only a couple times have I stepped into the DM chair. I'm planning to run White Plume Mountain from "Tales of the Yawning Portal"(because I tried running the 3.5 version once with mixed results, but still have the Maptools map laid out), but I'm not sure about all the preparations I need to go through for this.

Obviously I've read the adventure several times, and I'm working on condensing all the monsters to an excel doc for easy access. What I'm not sure on is more basic 5e DMing mechanics. I've played some partial campaigns in 5e, and watch Critical Role, but I'm not sure the extent to which I've passively absorbed the rules, especially things that are more on the DMing side of thing. I know the answers are probably in the Dungeon Master's Guide, but which sections do I really need to know? Any other general advice? Also, if anyone knows good pdf DM screens/cheat sheets, I'd appreciate that too(running this online, and I can use a laptop I have for the screen/cheat sheet to keep my monitors on the map and book/monsters).

Thank you.

[Adar]

Well, I can’t be a tremendous amount of help because I’m in a very similar situation to you (played 1e and 3/3.5e and have just started DMing a 5e campaign, and I’m utterly green to 5e).

But I have found that the red-dragon WotC DM screen is pretty awesome, for its proportions and more importantly, the really excellent information it has printed on the inside. It’s all very useful stuff, well laid out and easy to read. It’s generic information, not specific to any one campaign or even setting. I got mine as a part of the boxed set (PHB, MM, DMG) but you can buy it separately. I watched this review, which gives a nice overview of it. I agree with everything they say. (No affiliation with the makers of the review, yadda yadda.)


https://youtu.be/bf2xcFvDArQ

[ad_hoc]

The 5e rules are meant to be intuitive. You should be able to guess at the rules and be right most of the time.

So, don't worry about not knowing everything. The game will run fine.

That said, it's good to have the conditions handy as well as any spells you're going to be using. I have the spell cards for that.

I think the most important thing for the DM to do is pacing.

Introduce a scene, ask everyone what they're doing. Resolve those actions and move on to the next scene. You control the flow of time in other words.

I haven't personally run that adventure but I have run a bunch of published adventures. You're a step ahead of me by reading the whole thing, I usually just read the introduction and then read it during play as we go along.

Reading the intro to the adventure, it looks like there are a lot of wandering monsters about. Let the players know up front what resting will be like. It's not fun to sit down to rest and just have it interrupted over and over again. So let the players know that a long rest probably won't be possible and they will need to go back to the nearest village. A short rest will probably need to occur outside and is very likely to involve a random encounter. The random encounter rate is so great that the players will need to work their way through quickly and avoid as many combats as they can to keep their resources up.

[BloodSnake'sCha]

https://trello.com/b/D4PCtl95/dm-screen-5e-public

Someone sent it in this forum sometime ago and I bookmarked it.
Really useful if I didn't just remembered the rules.

[Pelle]

To run 5e you need to be able to:
- listen to the players describing what their characters are doing
- decide if that automatically succeed or can't possibly succeed
- if the outcome of the action instead seems uncertain, make a judgement call of what the difficulty (DC) is and what ability check to call for (add prof if relevant).

As long as you are comfortable with the above you can start running the game, and figure out more of the rule details as you go or look them up after the session.

[DevilMcam]

Here is the dming advice I gave all my friends that wanted to dm.

1.Read the aventure
2. Learn the aventure
3. Prepare all the sheets, maps, you May or may not need
4. Forget everything
5. Have fun

[ad_hoc]

To run 5e you need to be able to:
- listen to the players describing what their characters are doing
- decide if that automatically succeed or can't possibly succeed
- if the outcome of the action instead seems uncertain, make a judgement call of what the difficulty (DC) is and what ability check to call for (add prof if relevant).

As long as you are comfortable with the above you can start running the game, and figure out more of the rule details as you go or look them up after the session.

Yeah, this is quite important.

I find new DMs call for way too many ability checks.

Rolling should be sparse but exciting when it does happen. There should be real tension, something on the line. If there are no consequences for failure then no check should be rolled.

[BloodSnake'sCha]

Yeah, this is quite important.

I find new DMs call for way too many ability checks.

Rolling should be sparse but exciting when it does happen. There should be real tension, something on the line. If there are no consequences for failure then no check should be rolled.

But he is not a new DM.

[Pelle]

But he is not a new DM.

Still, making sure you understand when checks should be called for is vital, especially coming from dming 3.5 where the philosophy is quite different.

[BloodSnake'sCha]

Still, making sure you understand when checks should be called for is vital, especially coming from dming 3.5 where the philosophy is quite different.

I can argue that there are no big changes but it is subjective so I will not.

I did my part with the DM screen above.

[JeenLeen]

If you have any NPC spellcasters, have short notes on what their spells do in case you forget the exact mechanics. Just a short brief on things like duration, shape (if AoE), and damage/DC, for example.

---

Also, especially if your group is used to not playing premade adventures, go over with them that this is a module. If the players start to go too 'off the rails' of the module and you're uncomfortable with that, just tell them that, as a module, what they're doing is breaking the game and please don't.
I realize this is probably bad advice in a lot of folks' opinions. I'm generally not for railroading. But modules have certain assumptions and don't always give ways for the story to resolve if they aren't fulfilled. If there's no contingency plans in the story, I think that's poor craftsmanship in making the module, but such might be what you have. Thus, for the sake of a fun game for everyone, just be open if things get too rough.

If you plan on possibly doing that, I also recommend telling the players beforehand that such might happen. That will prevent upset in the midst of the game.

Though, if you're running this for Adventure League (e.g., not your usual gaming group), then this probably doesn't matter as they'd be used to modules.

[Sigreid]

My advice is that the pre written module is a tool, not a script. If/when it goes off script, go ahead and run with it rather trying to force everything back into the author's plan.

[theonesin]

I appreciate everyone's advice here, thank you.

Also some clarification on what I've DM'd: I attempted to run the 3.5 version of White Plume Mountain(my first attempt at DMing ever, didn't go well), the 3.5 module "Sons of Grummsh"(also didn't go well), and some sessions of Paranoia(ZAP-style, so basically slapstick and no rules).

This will be the first time I run a premade adventure for this other group I'm in though.

[BloodSnake'sCha]

I appreciate everyone's advice here, thank you.

Also some clarification on what I've DM'd: I attempted to run the 3.5 version of White Plume Mountain(my first attempt at DMing ever, didn't go well), the 3.5 module "Sons of Grummsh"(also didn't go well), and some sessions of Paranoia(ZAP-style, so basically slapstick and no rules).

This will be the first time I run a premade adventure for this other group I'm in though.

Something I learned the hard way.
It is important to tell your players stuff like:
"Guys, I need you to agree to this noble."
"Don't make a murderer for the murderer searching quest"
"Don't wear Orcus holy mark in this game."

[Bobthewizard]

Here are the notes I made for White Plume Mountain. I like to have this to record HP and know basic attacks without reading the MM every round. The formatting might look wonky on here but if you copy and paste into a word document it should work fine. Feel free to use it. xp lists total for all of the monsters listed.

Random encounters, every 10 minutes, roll d12 on 1 roll d6 for encounter
1 black pudding AC 7, +5 d6+3+4d8 acid, splits with lightning, slashing HP 85
1100xp
2 5 bugbears AC 16, +4 2d8+2, +7 if surprise HP 27 , 27 , 27 , 27 , 27
1000xp
3 2 gargoyles AC 15, x2 +4 d6+2, resist nonmagic, immune poison exhaust, petrify, HP 52
900xp
4 invisible stalker AC 14, x2 +6 2d6+3, resist nonmagic, immune any restraining, poison, HP 104
2300xp
5 3 ogres AC 11, +6 2d8+4 (2d6+4 javelin), HP 59 59 59
1350xp
6 2 wight AC 14, +4 d6+2 DC13 CON or HP max reduced, resist necrotic, nonmagic, exhaust, poison, HP 45 45
1400xp

Rooms
2. Gynosphinx AC 17, x2 +9 2d8+4, teleport 120’, shield, banishment x2, great invis., immune psych, charm, fright
7200xp
3. Green Slime DMG ch5
4. 3 shadows AC 12, +4 2d6+2 Str reduced d4 until SR, HP 16 16 16
Resist acid, cold, fire, light, thunder, nonmagic, Immune necrotic, poison, restraining
300xp
Air elemental AC 15, x2 +8 2d8+5, or slam it’s space (large) DC13 Str or 3d8+2, flung 20’ and prone, HP 90
Resist light, thunder, nonmagic, immune restraining
1800xp
Gray ooze AC 8, +3 3d6+1, nonmagical metal armor -1, hits cause nonmagic weapon -1 damage, HP 22
Resist acid, cold, fire, immune blind, charn, frightened, exhausted, deafened, prone
100xp
For silver ring in sphere 8, eliminate fly and wish
5. 5 flesh golems AC 9, x2 +7 2d8+4, HP 93 93 93 93 93
Lightning heals, immune poison, nonmagic, charm, exhaust, fright, paralyzed, poison,
9000xp
8. Vampire AC 16, grapple (DC18) and bite +9 4d6+4 reduces HP max and heals vampire, resist nonmagic, HP 144
Charm DC17 Wis or charmed, shapechange to mist or bat, regain 20hP at start of turn.
3 legendary actions – move 30’, grapple, or bite (costs 2 actions)
At 0hp turns to mist and enters coffin, body there revives in 1 hour unless stake to heart, running water, or sunlight
10,000xp
10. 2 Kelpies (app B), AC 14 look like seaweed if still, slam x2 +4 2d8+4 grapple (12), HP 67
charm DC11 or enter water to drown. save/turn. Immune bludge, fire, pierce, blind, deaf, exhaust
2200xp
11. Veteran from 12 (let one through, light oil for second, then web, then fear if another through, then firebolt)
12. Veteran AC 17, xbox +5 d10+3, swords x3 +5 d8+3, HP 58
700xp
13. Werewolf/Wizard AC 13 DC 14 mirror image before, web in tube, fear once through, shield, HP 58
2 attacks +4 d8+2 DC12 CON or become werewolf
1800xp
17. Giant crab p103 AC 12, x2 +9 4d10 +5 DC14 grapple, immune charm, fright, paralyze, HP 161
3900xp
20. 8 ghouls AC 12, +4 2d6+2, DC10 CON or paralyzed 1 min, repeat save each round.
HP 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22
1600xp
24. Champion AC 19, x3 +6 2d6+4, adv to fright HP 95
1400xp
8 Knights AC 18, x2 +5 2d6+3 or d10 ranged, adv. to fright, HP 52 52 52 52 52 52 52 52
5600xp
26. 6 giant crayfish AC 15, claw x2 +4 d10+2, DC 12 Str or grappled, HP 45 45 45 45 45 45
2700xp
6 giant scorpions AC 15, claw x2 +4 d8+2, sting +4 d10+2, DC 12 CON or 4d10 poison, HP 52 52 52 52 52 52
4200xp
4 sea lions (app B) AC15, x3 +6 2d8 +3, jump 25’ out of water, pack tactics, HP 90 90 90 90
7200xp
3 manticores (cannot fly) AC 14, x3 +5 d8+3 tail spike, HP 68
2100XP
27. Oni AC 16 +7 glaive x2 2d10+4, darkness, invis at will, HP 110
1/day charm person, cone of cold 8d8 CON save ½
Regenerate 10HP at start of turn if >0HP,
2900XP