New to Dnd. First time Dm'ing. [Archive] - Wizards Community

New to Dnd. First time Dm'ing. [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
cfo_x_ebxjt
07-07-07, 02:18 PM Hello,
As the subject title sugest's, I am new to Dnd.
I have brought 2 Starter Game Set's + The 3 main book's (PHB, DM, MM) Including, Hero Builders guide, Complete Adventure, Arms and Equipment, Savage Species, Book of Challenges and the Eberron Campaign Book.

I have read each book and played the Game's listed in the Starter Box Set. My problem is, I want to start a proper campaign. But I do not know where to start.

I am not aiming for the bigger picture or even a world map yet. Just a small little city of about 1,000 Population. Devestated by war and now rebuilding. The PC's will be level 2 to start with and enrolled in the local militia, There will be 6 PC's in total.

So far, I only have the Villian. Lord Vlaad a Fully fledged Vampire Dark Cleric (level 8 - Going to be a recurring pain in the rear!) doing naughty thing's in an Abandoned Church not to far from the town.

My problem is the Monster's. I want there to be only undead, But not skeleton's. Mainly Zombie's and a few odd trap's. But, How many Zombie's can I place ? What type of Trap's would be good ? Should I select Meckanikal or Magical trap's ? Should I up the HD of a few Zombie's to represent a *leader* ? etc...

My other issue is a Map. I cannot draw at all, Nor do I know anyone that can draw. How can I go about designing a Map ? What about wilderness encounter's ? how can I represent that as a map ? etc...

Please help a Paniced first time DM.
Thank you for your help in advance.
naturax
07-07-07, 02:47 PM My suggestion would be to download one of the adventures from here:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/oa/20030530b

I know it has next to nothing to do with the game you've already got in mind, but I had a good time running Wreck Ashore and you may want to use someone else's material before you run an adventure of your own from scratch.

The other good thing about downloading adventures is that you can just print out maps instead of having to draw them.

My advice: It's a lot of hard work to be a DM but you should be having fun too. Make sure you're going to enjoy the story you're going to tell the players.
Amaril
07-07-07, 06:12 PM Here's a list of suggested additional resources.

1. Get a copy of the Dungeon Master's Guide II. There's a ton of tips for DMing in that book that should have been included in the first DMG.

2. Flip through a copy of Libris Mortis. There are some great ideas in that book for undead campaigns as well as a huge collection of undead monsters.

3. Chech out WotC's Map-A-Week Archive (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/arch/mw), especially this page (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mwa/archiveall).

First, using a published adventure allows you to see how an adventure can be pieced together. The encounters are created for you, the plot hooks are already established, and the treasure is already accounted for. However, with a published adventure, you're a slave to the plot rather someone who can completely adapt the campaign as it unfolds. Often enough, the players want to zig while the module tries to force them to zag. Ultimately, it's the PCs' story, and they should determine what direction the adventure should move. That's not to say it's the players' story per se; the DM still has a story he wants to pursue.

Additionally, I recommend trying a solo adventure first. It's easier to be more flexible and forgiving of yourself and the development of the adventure with a single player rather than being under the scrutiny of multiple players each of whom you are trying to accommodate.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
cfo_x_ebxjt 07-07-07, 02:18 PM	Hello, As the subject title sugest's, I am new to Dnd. I have brought 2 Starter Game Set's + The 3 main book's (PHB, DM, MM) Including, Hero Builders guide, Complete Adventure, Arms and Equipment, Savage Species, Book of Challenges and the Eberron Campaign Book. I have read each book and played the Game's listed in the Starter Box Set. My problem is, I want to start a proper campaign. But I do not know where to start. I am not aiming for the bigger picture or even a world map yet. Just a small little city of about 1,000 Population. Devestated by war and now rebuilding. The PC's will be level 2 to start with and enrolled in the local militia, There will be 6 PC's in total. So far, I only have the Villian. Lord Vlaad a Fully fledged Vampire Dark Cleric (level 8 - Going to be a recurring pain in the rear!) doing naughty thing's in an Abandoned Church not to far from the town. My problem is the Monster's. I want there to be only undead, But not skeleton's. Mainly Zombie's and a few odd trap's. But, How many Zombie's can I place ? What type of Trap's would be good ? Should I select Meckanikal or Magical trap's ? Should I up the HD of a few Zombie's to represent a leader ? etc... My other issue is a Map. I cannot draw at all, Nor do I know anyone that can draw. How can I go about designing a Map ? What about wilderness encounter's ? how can I represent that as a map ? etc... Please help a Paniced first time DM. Thank you for your help in advance.
naturax 07-07-07, 02:47 PM	My suggestion would be to download one of the adventures from here: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/oa/20030530b I know it has next to nothing to do with the game you've already got in mind, but I had a good time running Wreck Ashore and you may want to use someone else's material before you run an adventure of your own from scratch. The other good thing about downloading adventures is that you can just print out maps instead of having to draw them. My advice: It's a lot of hard work to be a DM but you should be having fun too. Make sure you're going to enjoy the story you're going to tell the players.
Amaril 07-07-07, 06:12 PM	Here's a list of suggested additional resources. 1. Get a copy of the Dungeon Master's Guide II. There's a ton of tips for DMing in that book that should have been included in the first DMG. 2. Flip through a copy of Libris Mortis. There are some great ideas in that book for undead campaigns as well as a huge collection of undead monsters. 3. Chech out WotC's Map-A-Week Archive (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/arch/mw), especially this page (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mwa/archiveall). First, using a published adventure allows you to see how an adventure can be pieced together. The encounters are created for you, the plot hooks are already established, and the treasure is already accounted for. However, with a published adventure, you're a slave to the plot rather someone who can completely adapt the campaign as it unfolds. Often enough, the players want to zig while the module tries to force them to zag. Ultimately, it's the PCs' story, and they should determine what direction the adventure should move. That's not to say it's the players' story per se; the DM still has a story he wants to pursue. Additionally, I recommend trying a solo adventure first. It's easier to be more flexible and forgiving of yourself and the development of the adventure with a single player rather than being under the scrutiny of multiple players each of whom you are trying to accommodate.