DM Rules that Need to be in Basic - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 The_Jester Sep 18, 2014 19:20:45	It's great that WotC is releasing D&D Basic, allowing players and DMs to try the game without purchase, enabling people to make characters without the purchase of an expensive rulebook or even run the game using the published adventures. A month or so ago we had the release of the DM rules, which were a smattering a monsters and the rules for building encounters. These seemed a little lackluster, seeming to be as useful for players (providing mounts and new forms for the druid to wildshape into) and not really providing all the rules needed to run a campaign. The document didn't even incorporate the monsters and magic items from Tyranny of Dragons. What other basic and foundational rules or elements are necessary for DMing? What else should be included in Basic D&D to make the DMG as optional as the PHB? What content should be provided to allow people to run the game or try their hand at adventure design before taking the $50+ plunge into the DMG and its rules modules and content creation advice? My thoughts are pretty simple: Treasure. I think treasure tables are lacking. With magic items not being necassary and no set wealth-by-level, it's hard to know how much treasure is right and how much is too much. You don't want your PCs to feel poverty stricken or begging for food, but you also don't want people buying castles. NPCs. Rules for the challenge of classed monsters. Traps. A few sample ones would be nice. Trap creation would be better, but like monster creation that can be held back and sample traps provided. What do you think? What would you like to see?
#2 arnwolf666 Sep 18, 2014 20:35:38	I think treasure and magic items is up to the playstyle of the setting IMHO.
#3 lawrencehoy Sep 18, 2014 21:25:57	I'd like to see what updates they do make, after the DMG is released; then contemplate how to answer this question, on the survey(s) they've already alluded to providing next year.
#4 DemoMonkey Sep 19, 2014 9:16:46	"I think treasure and magic items is up to the playstyle of the setting IMHO." If all you have are the Basic Rules, what "playstyle of the setting" could you have? Traps, Treasure tables, Magic items, NPCs, and the introductions to the "Worldbuilding" section and the "How to Not Be A Terrible DM" section.
#5 CCS Sep 20, 2014 20:32:56	Things needed: basic info of what an RPG is. Basic race stats/descriptions (human, elf, dwarf, halfling). Basic classes (fighter, cleric, wizard, rogue). Basic rules for character creation (& leveling up to about 3rd lv). Basic rules for weapons/armor/equipment. Spells up to about 3rd lv. for both the cleric & wizard. Basic rules for combat & saves. About 10 pages of simplified monster stats/descriptions - classic things that 1st-3rd lv characters would normally face (and dragons!). A section on how to build encounters/run games. A means of generating treasure. And yes, a section containing magic items..... I'd also include a two page walk though ex. Of a game. ~~ in short, just make a modern version of my BASIC book from 1980. Release it all at once & be done with it.
#6 The_Jester Sep 21, 2014 8:24:25	CCS wrote:
#7 sleypy Sep 21, 2014 9:39:58	I think they need to offer more than a pdf full of charts. I would like to see some defaults choices added to the MM Default treasure and equipment list in the monster state block. (Weapons and armor are not enough.) There needs to be example encounters created using the Building Combat Encounters rules. An encounter state block ( or short hand) listing including monsters, treasure, challenge rating, xp. Having to strip away all the unneccesary prose of the starter adventure to find examples is probably more work than is reasonable for a new DM.

Post/Author/DateTime

Post

The_Jester

Sep 18, 2014 19:20:45

It's great that WotC is releasing D&D Basic, allowing players and DMs to try the game without purchase, enabling people to make characters without the purchase of an expensive rulebook or even run the game using the published adventures.

A month or so ago we had the release of the DM rules, which were a smattering a monsters and the rules for building encounters. These seemed a little lackluster, seeming to be as useful for players (providing mounts and new forms for the druid to wildshape into) and not really providing all the rules needed to run a campaign.

The document didn't even incorporate the monsters and magic items from Tyranny of Dragons.

What other basic and foundational rules or elements are necessary for DMing? What else should be included in Basic D&D to make the DMG as optional as the PHB?

What content should be provided to allow people to run the game or try their hand at adventure design before taking the $50+ plunge into the DMG and its rules modules and content creation advice?

My thoughts are pretty simple:

Treasure. I think treasure tables are lacking. With magic items not being necassary and no set wealth-by-level, it's hard to know how much treasure is right and how much is too much. You don't want your PCs to feel poverty stricken or begging for food, but you also don't want people buying castles.

NPCs. Rules for the challenge of classed monsters.

Traps. A few sample ones would be nice. Trap creation would be better, but like monster creation that can be held back and sample traps provided.

What do you think? What would you like to see?

arnwolf666

Sep 18, 2014 20:35:38

I think treasure and magic items is up to the playstyle of the setting IMHO.

lawrencehoy

Sep 18, 2014 21:25:57

I'd like to see what updates they do make, after the DMG is released; then contemplate how to answer this question, on the survey(s) they've already alluded to providing next year.

DemoMonkey

Sep 19, 2014 9:16:46

"I think treasure and magic items is up to the playstyle of the setting IMHO."

If all you have are the Basic Rules, what "playstyle of the setting" could you have?

Traps, Treasure tables, Magic items, NPCs, and the introductions to the "Worldbuilding" section and the "How to Not Be A Terrible DM" section.

CCS

Sep 20, 2014 20:32:56

Things needed: basic info of what an RPG is. Basic race stats/descriptions (human, elf, dwarf, halfling). Basic classes (fighter, cleric, wizard, rogue). Basic rules for character creation (& leveling up to about 3rd lv). Basic rules for weapons/armor/equipment. Spells up to about 3rd lv. for both the cleric & wizard. Basic rules for combat & saves. About 10 pages of simplified monster stats/descriptions - classic things that 1st-3rd lv characters would normally face (and dragons!). A section on how to build encounters/run games. A means of generating treasure. And yes, a section containing magic items..... I'd also include a two page walk though ex. Of a game. ~~ in short, just make a modern version of my BASIC book from 1980. Release it all at once & be done with it.

The_Jester

Sep 21, 2014 8:24:25

CCS wrote:

sleypy

Sep 21, 2014 9:39:58

I think they need to offer more than a pdf full of charts.

I would like to see some defaults choices added to the MM

Default treasure and equipment list in the monster state block. (Weapons and armor are not enough.)

There needs to be example encounters created using the Building Combat Encounters rules. An encounter state block ( or short hand) listing including monsters, treasure, challenge rating, xp. Having to strip away all the unneccesary prose of the starter adventure to find examples is probably more work than is reasonable for a new DM.