This video has good insigths. Here's some non-canonical advice for new GMs: - If you have a problem and don't know what to do, talk to your players directly, not the internet. If you think Reddit knows better than your friends, go ask a random hobo for advice and you may actually get more sensible answers. - If you don't want to get your precious NPCs riddiculed, insulted, etc. don't play them as if they know there's an omnipotent god watching over them at all times and screw around, respect goes both ways. - If you don't want an enemy NPC killed too early (like a BBEG), don't introduce them to the players too early - think "They're standing right before the mad mage, he's as good as dead now" not "Oh god I didn't account for the mad mage to die here, how do I GM-bullshit my way out of it?" - If you think the combat is too easy, just add more enemies in the next one. Don't tweak the statblocks, you don't know what you're doing. - Don't run full casters - if you have to run casters, do only casters with spells you'll instnctively understand what to do with in combat. Players have their sheets for weeks/months and still sometimes need to think for a moment, there's no way for you to learn an equivalent before the session and utilize it properly. - Do experiment with terrain, the earlier the better. - If you want to force outcomes, don't GM. Might sound overly harsh, but I've played with good and bad GMs. The good ones would talk with their players and let go of their precious stuff when necessary. The bad ones would follow the Reddit rules to a T and wonder, why their players are gone. Good luck!
If you're a player considering homebrew or other non-standard options, talk to your DM first. I often guide players away from homebrew and third-party resources (sadly, it's often just homebrew with flashy packaging and a price tag). Because I simply am too busy as a DM already trying to get a game off the ground and keep it going. I don't have time to review and vet every player's pick-n-mix homebrew options to ensure they're not broken by being too powerful or not powerful enough. However, I can often help players find a way to reskin or interpret something that already exists within the game's first-party, play-tested, published materials that will get them what they want. And I don't have to do extra homework to ensure all the PCs are appropriate.
Very true! All player-suggested hombrew puts extra work on the DM, who already has enough on their plate creating and running the campaign. Reading and vetting (and maybe then adjusting) homebrew can be a tiresome task.
Q1. Is Balanced? What is Balance? More easy to ask, "Is this right for my game?". Q2. How do I challenge players (combat)? Action economy (many enemies), undying enemies (puzzle mechanic revives them), More HP/Armor on enemies, Magic~, many options. Q3. Is it ok for me to play my own game? YES BUT ... your character gets no special treatment period, they only get to speak when making suggestions or breaking a tie if the party split on a choice. Q4. How do I let my bad guy talk to the party without combat? Magic~ but if you want them there have their minions/full force there much like Cyanwraith can ask the party for a challenger because he has hostages and a small army backing him up. Q5. How do I force "Outcome" on party? You do not. The bad Guy gets immortality but that doesn't mean the party loses/dies, now they have to figure out how to beat this stronger bad guy. Tiamat gets summoned, the game isn't over just have to figure out how to beat her.
On Homebrew Balancing: I want to note that not even rules as written are fully and thouroughly play tested. There are plenty of books in various RPGs I fully banned. Usually later books, where the authors either felt the need to up the power level to stay interesting/relevant or utilised ideas they didn't originally use for a good reason. ---> Basically, limiting the resources is a good idea to make your life easy as a DM and also make clear where the setting is going. On GM Characters: They can be a really good thing depending on how you utilise them and it has nothing to do with the issue of using a player sheet or stat block. (There even is no difference in many games.) Especially small or inexperienced groups profit from NPCs travelling with them. And it is nice if they are actually fleshed out. What I would NEVER do is assuming control over a player character. This is a big nono for me as both player and GM. It takes away agency. Otherwise solid advice. Wish people would read watch this time of FAQ before dropping the same question in 10 different threads a day.^^
Really good points there! There is definitely some power creep in later books (Silvery Barbs being a prime example)! And yeah, a companion NPC can work really well in the right hands; the problem is that you just read so many horror stories online about DMs misusing them.
I made a homebrewed fey sorc subclass that people seem to like, its focus is primarily on positioning through misty step, and social manipulation, with summons playing a minor role (capstone feature is Summon Fey 3x/long rest without concentration or material, duration lowered to 1 minute, reflecting the Fey Wanderer feature at 11th, but it still takes the spell slot), rather than damage increases. Heavily uses bonus action so that stacking features together is difficult
We have a D&D wiki homebrew race in our D&D campaign. I sat down with the player, and asked them to find the most ridiculous ways to exploit that race/class combo, and then we balanced it together. Works well, so far.
@@NazirNorth He's a bugbear wielding a polearm and is specced for that weird Reach combo thing. He can use all of the OP stuff on a battlefield, where he has space, but in tunnels, stairways, etc. he gets more out of switching to sword and board
My players are only level 3 and already two of them have a fucking AC of 23 and 22. I kind of hate how powerful characters get in 5e. I'm not sure how to counter this because they can't be hit by any normal enemies ..
What builds are they running for such high AC? One solution is to make sure each encounter has at least one enemy with an ability that requires a saving throw, rather than attacking AC directly.
But it's a rule on the internet that every D&D question has to be uselessly answered with "Ask your DM" 😂 I joke, but this is the most irritating thing to read when you're either planning to Dungeon Masturbate (as it were) or you are currently without a group trying to learn the rules.
Haha, true! "Ask your DM" is usually *technically* the right answer, but isn't always particularly helpful when you're looking for a more detailed explanation of a problem!
This video has good insigths. Here's some non-canonical advice for new GMs:
- If you have a problem and don't know what to do, talk to your players directly, not the internet. If you think Reddit knows better than your friends, go ask a random hobo for advice and you may actually get more sensible answers.
- If you don't want to get your precious NPCs riddiculed, insulted, etc. don't play them as if they know there's an omnipotent god watching over them at all times and screw around, respect goes both ways.
- If you don't want an enemy NPC killed too early (like a BBEG), don't introduce them to the players too early - think "They're standing right before the mad mage, he's as good as dead now" not "Oh god I didn't account for the mad mage to die here, how do I GM-bullshit my way out of it?"
- If you think the combat is too easy, just add more enemies in the next one. Don't tweak the statblocks, you don't know what you're doing.
- Don't run full casters - if you have to run casters, do only casters with spells you'll instnctively understand what to do with in combat. Players have their sheets for weeks/months and still sometimes need to think for a moment, there's no way for you to learn an equivalent before the session and utilize it properly.
- Do experiment with terrain, the earlier the better.
- If you want to force outcomes, don't GM.
Might sound overly harsh, but I've played with good and bad GMs. The good ones would talk with their players and let go of their precious stuff when necessary. The bad ones would follow the Reddit rules to a T and wonder, why their players are gone. Good luck!
Cheers! That's some great advice there too!
If you're a player considering homebrew or other non-standard options, talk to your DM first.
I often guide players away from homebrew and third-party resources (sadly, it's often just homebrew with flashy packaging and a price tag). Because I simply am too busy as a DM already trying to get a game off the ground and keep it going. I don't have time to review and vet every player's pick-n-mix homebrew options to ensure they're not broken by being too powerful or not powerful enough.
However, I can often help players find a way to reskin or interpret something that already exists within the game's first-party, play-tested, published materials that will get them what they want. And I don't have to do extra homework to ensure all the PCs are appropriate.
Very true! All player-suggested hombrew puts extra work on the DM, who already has enough on their plate creating and running the campaign.
Reading and vetting (and maybe then adjusting) homebrew can be a tiresome task.
Q1. Is Balanced? What is Balance? More easy to ask, "Is this right for my game?".
Q2. How do I challenge players (combat)? Action economy (many enemies), undying enemies (puzzle mechanic revives them), More HP/Armor on enemies, Magic~, many options.
Q3. Is it ok for me to play my own game? YES BUT ... your character gets no special treatment period, they only get to speak when making suggestions or breaking a tie if the party split on a choice.
Q4. How do I let my bad guy talk to the party without combat? Magic~ but if you want them there have their minions/full force there much like Cyanwraith can ask the party for a challenger because he has hostages and a small army backing him up.
Q5. How do I force "Outcome" on party? You do not. The bad Guy gets immortality but that doesn't mean the party loses/dies, now they have to figure out how to beat this stronger bad guy. Tiamat gets summoned, the game isn't over just have to figure out how to beat her.
Good answers, completely agree!
On Homebrew Balancing:
I want to note that not even rules as written are fully and thouroughly play tested.
There are plenty of books in various RPGs I fully banned. Usually later books, where the authors either felt the need to up the power level to stay interesting/relevant or utilised ideas they didn't originally use for a good reason.
---> Basically, limiting the resources is a good idea to make your life easy as a DM and also make clear where the setting is going.
On GM Characters:
They can be a really good thing depending on how you utilise them and it has nothing to do with the issue of using a player sheet or stat block. (There even is no difference in many games.)
Especially small or inexperienced groups profit from NPCs travelling with them. And it is nice if they are actually fleshed out.
What I would NEVER do is assuming control over a player character. This is a big nono for me as both player and GM. It takes away agency.
Otherwise solid advice.
Wish people would read watch this time of FAQ before dropping the same question in 10 different threads a day.^^
Really good points there! There is definitely some power creep in later books (Silvery Barbs being a prime example)!
And yeah, a companion NPC can work really well in the right hands; the problem is that you just read so many horror stories online about DMs misusing them.
I made a homebrewed fey sorc subclass that people seem to like, its focus is primarily on positioning through misty step, and social manipulation, with summons playing a minor role (capstone feature is Summon Fey 3x/long rest without concentration or material, duration lowered to 1 minute, reflecting the Fey Wanderer feature at 11th, but it still takes the spell slot), rather than damage increases. Heavily uses bonus action so that stacking features together is difficult
Sounds interesting!
We have a D&D wiki homebrew race in our D&D campaign. I sat down with the player, and asked them to find the
most ridiculous ways to exploit that race/class combo, and then we balanced it together. Works well, so far.
Which one was it, if you don't mind me asking? They can certainly work well if you're able to put in the time to balance it out!
@@NazirNorth He's a bugbear wielding a polearm and is specced for that weird Reach combo thing.
He can use all of the OP stuff on a battlefield, where he has space, but in tunnels, stairways, etc. he gets more out of switching to sword and board
My players are only level 3 and already two of them have a fucking AC of 23 and 22. I kind of hate how powerful characters get in 5e. I'm not sure how to counter this because they can't be hit by any normal enemies ..
What builds are they running for such high AC? One solution is to make sure each encounter has at least one enemy with an ability that requires a saving throw, rather than attacking AC directly.
can you timestamp the questions pls thanks!
Good suggestion! I've added the timestamp links to the description.
But it's a rule on the internet that every D&D question has to be uselessly answered with "Ask your DM" 😂
I joke, but this is the most irritating thing to read when you're either planning to Dungeon Masturbate (as it were) or you are currently without a group trying to learn the rules.
Haha, true! "Ask your DM" is usually *technically* the right answer, but isn't always particularly helpful when you're looking for a more detailed explanation of a problem!