New DM Handbook: Your Story Doesn’t Matter
This is going to be by far my most controversial post, which I believe says a lot. Based on my observations, it would seem that the mentality among Game Masters is they have a story to tell, and the players are there to play in...
“The Girl With The Dragon SNAFU” – Out of The Box #35 D&D Encounters
Introduction: To finish out the run of “Out of the Box” for 2016, I thought it would be appropriate to use the one creature that is likely the most difficult to run. A dragon. The problem with dragons is they are immensely powerful and capable of destroying a party outright within a few rounds if played to their potential. It then falls to the Dungeon Master to try and create an encounter that is both reasonable to the players and yet fair to the beast in question. You want the moment to be memorable, and the only way to do that is to do the creature justice.
New DM Handbook: Old New Players
Last week I DMed my first game. I originally didn’t have any intention of addressing it right away, and I won’t get right back to it. I still have a number of things I wanted to talk about how I see things before getting to it, but this is something that new DMs should be aware of.
This article is written based just on one session, with two players being completely new, and two having played a long time ago. It’s not a very effective sample size, but what I observed is worth consideration for other new DMs.
The Old New Player
What do I mean when I say Old New Player? They’re someone who played a long time ago but fell out of the hobby, and are now coming back after many years (if not decades). Why they left doesn’t matter. Maybe they stopped playing because they felt they grew out of it, they didn’t have time for it anymore, or maybe they stopped playing due to peer pressure. It doesn’t matter. You’re
putting together a game, and they’re excited to get back into something they really enjoyed a very long time ago.
“Madam Versiliplex’s Magical Wonders” – Out of the Box #34 D&D Encounters
Introduction: I’ll bet one of the most commonly asked questions placed at the feet of any Dungeon Master is, “Is there a place where I can buy magic items?” This might have been a common occurrence in past editions of D&D, but Fifth Edition has limited access to a magical marketplace. That’s not to say they do not exist, nor can one never find purveyors of such rare and wondrous items. Far from it. But the danger in dealing with such a market bears the risk of trying to prove its own economic worth. Rare components, or those gained through dangerous tasks, would make most proper magic items either impossibly expensive or priceless. Those that might be common enough for sale would be overpriced due to their difficult creation or high demand. It truly would be a seller’s market.
This encounter would be for those brave DMs who would wish to rise to that question with an even more difficult bargain. For those familiar with such works as “Needful Things” or even Pixar’s “Brave,” a shop might well exist to address the player’s needs. The answer to the question “Is there a place where I can buy magic items?” might be “How bad do you want it?”
For your possible use, I present Madam Versiliplex and her Magical Wonders.
Environment: Anywhere. You could make this a small shop in a city, or a cabin in the woods.
For the purposes of versatility, I have made this a horse-drawn wagon.
Suggested level: Any, but for those who wish to take on Madam Versiliplex, level 5.
Description: Perhaps the players are seeking someone who deals in magical wares, or even more suspiciously, are just discussing where to find such a place. At that time, feel free to have a local unnamed peasant wordlessly direct them to an approaching oxen-drawn cart.
The cart will be drawn by a single ox – the bell hung from the yoke below its neck loudly clanging to the rhythm of the beast’s stride. The cart will be an elaborate affair. Constructed from wood with simple wooden wheels, it will have several strings of bone, crystals, and small bells hung from a low arched roof. A lamp hangs from the front and another from the back, both giving off an eerie green glow. Tiny wisps of smoke trail into the wind from each lamp. The walls of the cart are covered in sun-baked paint peeling from wear and neglect. A single window, tightly shuttered, marks each side and the front of the cart, and a small metal stove pipe trails white smoke from the ceramic-tiled roof. Painted in elaborate, yet faded colors are the flowing script-like words in Common: “Madam Versiliplex’s Magical Wonders.”
A single small door allows entrance. A knocker in the shape of a grinning child’s head biting a loop, bids you welcome.
If the characters approach, the cart will stop and allow them to draw near. The door will remain locked until the characters knock. If they knock with their hands, they will have a wait of at least one full minute. If they use the knocker, each knock will sound thunderous inside – like a massive empty room lays beyond. When they knock three times, steps of wood will unfurl below the door as if made of cloth. The click and clack of several locks will be heard beyond the door, and then the door will creak open.
Greeting the characters will be a small Gnome woman of great age. Her white hair will be long and tied in a massive bun. The gnome will be adorned with tiny bones and gold chains with delicate charms. Red robes covered in sigils are tied about her waist with a belt heavy with pouches, vials, and scroll tubes. Her arms hang with many bangles, and rings decorate every finger. A rat, its eyes reflecting red by torchlight, pokes its head out of her robe to peek at the strangers.
“Ah, my curious little children. I wondered when you would finally come. Come in, come in.” She will beckon them and offer tea. When the characters enter, what will unfold might be surprising. The interior of this tiny cart will be a 20’ x 20’ cabin. A roaring fireplace adorns the far wall with a large pot happily bubbling along. Shelves line the walls, covered in books, scroll tubes, and dusty bottles. A suit of armor stands quietly in one corner while a dusty rack of melee weapons stands in another.
A large round table sits in the very center of the room surrounded by six chairs, and a rocking chair sits beside the fireplace. In the center of the table sits a large, sealed, glass jar filled with a smoky, swirling fluid or gas. The table rests upon a fat, wooden barrel instead of legs.
The place smells of wood smoke, tallow candles, and fresh bread. The taint of mildew and sulfur are also present.
She will greet them and be very inviting. Madam Versiliplex will listen attentively to the party’s needs and concerns, and will offer hot tea to those who wish it.
But always keep this one fact in mind:
Madam Versiliplex is a Night Hag who has polymorphed into this Gnome guise to throw off suspicion. She is cunning and experienced, and will not reveal her intentions until she has the players truly hooked. If they ask for simple magical wares like Potions or Scrolls, she might have a few on hand. The first couple of Healing Potions might be a little more expensive than normal (say, 1.5 times regular cost). If the players cannot afford them, then she might offer a deal. She’ll be willing to trade potions and such for simple tasks. She might claim a local magistrate has been taxing her unfairly, so she only has a few items to spare. If that magistrate’s bully son were dealt with, maybe she could be more generous. Or perhaps she’ll claim wolves are harassing her ox. She might have a special bait for the wolves to eat that will make them stop attacking the local cattle. Feel free to invent your own task.
But the task should have a twist. The magistrate might well be unreasonable, or have a bully son, but perhaps they are trying to find out more about Versiliplex. She cannot allow this, so she’ll set up events so the “offenders” fall victim to a tragic “accident,” likely when the player characters are present. Her pet rat, Skek, is actually an Imp familiar, so he’ll work behind the scenes while Invisible to track the players and set up any accidents. Perhaps Wolves are actually attacking cattle. But her bait will transform them into Death Dogs and they will then begin to ravage the countryside. Should the players track down and kill the Death Dogs, they’ll still have to somehow deal with any who have been diseased by the Death Dogs. Versiliplex might have the cure … but there’s this thing she needs you to do … These are but examples.
The following items are in the shop. Each will have its own complication as noted under the item. Versiliplex will warn the party that everything is either older or has “a personality” due to former owners.
Potions of Healing – Five in stock. Versiliplex can make more after a few days. These will heal like normal Potions of Healing (2d4+2 hit points), but for every one consumed, similar potions from other sources will work less. For every one of Madam Versiliplex’s healing potions drank, remove a cumulative -2 hit points healed from other potions. For example, if you’ve drank two of her Potions of Healing, then you heal 4 fewer hit points from the next Healing potion that’s NOT made by her. This effect ends with a Remove Curse cast upon the drinker.
Potion of Ogre Strength – Only three in stock. This potion acts like a Potion of Hill Giant Strength (page 187, Dungeon Master’s Guide), but with only a Strength boost to 19 instead of 21. The effect lasts for 1 hour like other potions of this type, and has no boosting effect upon a character whom already has a Strength of 19 or greater. For every potion of this kind drank, the imbiber must make a Constitution saving throw with a cumulative -1 per “Potion of Ogre Strength” drank to resist the desire to each raw flesh. A character who fails will be driven to eat anything raw (insects, small animals and the like. If a character gets to the point where they fail a saving throw and the penalty is -5 or worse, then the character becomes cannibalistic until a Remove Curse is cast upon them.
Goggles of Night – one in stock. For this item, Versiliplex will need a task performed that is equivalent to stealing an item from one innocent victim and “returning it” to another unknown innocent victim. She will be adamant about the player not being discovered. She’ll claim the item was wrongfully taken and she would like her friend to get it back without violence or further embarrassment to either family. Her plan is to reveal the item and start both families fighting with each other — likely leading to someone being beaten or killed — if she has her way. The player’s will not know this or be told of it willingly. Furthermore, the Goggles carry an additional property: Madam Versiliplex will see everything that the character sees. Otherwise they work like standard “Goggles of Night” (page 172, DMG).
Spell scrolls – For the list of spells available, see page 176 of the Monster Manual under “Coven Spells.” Madam Versiliplex will claim her list of spells is limited and her resources have been depleted over time. These are all she has left, she’ll say.
Plate Armor, Mariner – This suit stands in the corner and, although dust covered and neglected, it bears fine engraving and looks well made. The design of a giant squid covers its breastplate with engraved tentacles spreading to the arms and the legs. The suit acts as Mariner’s Armor (page 181, DMG). Madam Versiliplex will claim that “she can’t possibly part with it” and will take some convincing …which is all a ploy, of course. She will demand some silly price for the armor, like 5000 gp, but will allow herself to be talked down to half that amount. She will then carry on like the suit was meant for the character receiving the armor, as it fits so well. Furthermore, once donned, the armor will refuse to be doffed. It will take a Remove Curse to get the armor off. Once it’s on, the wearer will be Vulnerable to Fire damage and at Disadvantage to resisting any effect that has a Fire component (Fireball, Burning Hands, extinguishing Alchemist’s Fire, etc.)
Longsword +1 – One of the many weapons on the dusty rack is this enchanted sword. Madam Versiliplex will be very resistant to parting with it, but may let it go for a successful Persuasion check of 20+ and a bribe of 1,000gp. She’ll claim a dangerous beast has been lurking about the area, terrorizing the populace, and she intends to use the sword to slay the beast. If a character volunteers to do so for her, she’ll let the sword go for half the price. The beast she’ll want slain is actually a local Druid in Bear form that she’ll claim is a lycanthrope gone mad with an ancient curse beyond her ken to cure (use Druid from page 346 of the Monster Manual). Should the character or party fail to kill this Druid, the sword will animate as per Flying Sword and attack its former wielder (Animated Object, Flying Sword, page 20 of the MM).
Monsters: Madam Versiliplex – Night Hag (page 178, Monster Manual)Rug of Smothering – page 20, Monster Manual
Treasure: See above for “treasure.”
Complications: The items all have their own, as do the associated tasks. Versiliplex will wish to have as many complications as possible. Keep in mind it is always Madam Versiliplex’s intention to have the characters gain these items if they want them, but she will make them think the items are more precious than they actually are. She’s a very long-lived Night Hag with centuries of experience in lying, manipulating and duping mortals. When the players are in negotiations with her, do NOT prompt them to make Insight rolls to tell if she’s lying. If they OFFER a roll, by all means allow it. The DC on any Insight check against Madam Versiliplex’s deceit will be a 20 to know something’s up. To know that she intends harm to them will be a DC 25. This is quite high, but this is her con, and she’s played it well for over 200 years.
Should the players wish to attack the Hag in her wagon, she will not be alone. Not only is her Imp “Skek” always with her (unless it’s spying on the players), but the Armor and the Sword will animate as per Animated Objects (pages 19 and 20 of the Monster Manual), and the carpet on the floor will also become a Rug of Smothering (page 20 of the Monster Manual). Her first action will be to go Ethereal and escape, letting the Animated Objects fight in her stead. The wagon itself is her “Hag Vehicle” (Volo’s Guide to Monsters, page 56), and obeys her commands. The Ox is there simply for show and is pushed along by the cart. If the Objects are defeated and the Hag is not within, the wagon will also go Ethereal, leaving the characters behind.
New DM Handbook: An Introduction
Welcome to my new series, ‘New DM Handbook.’
I know it’s a weird name, but it’s way better than “My Journey as a New DM, the Lessons I Learn Along the Way, and a Guide to New DMs and Players from Someone Just Like You.” Plus, it’s a lot shorter. If “New DM Handbook” is still too long, NDH will work just fine.
Straight to the point with D&D
My goal with this series is to chronicle my exploits as not just a new Dungeon Master, but as one who is almost completely new to the hobby. Veterans to Dungeons & Dragons who provide insights for us inexperienced players are invaluable, but decades of experience can become overwhelming for those just trying to figure things out. There’s so much D&D history which experienced players draw on. So many kinds of mechanics, and so much lore. There’s multi-classing and optimized building. There are endless experiences to draw from.
“Wooden Dragon” – Out of the Box #33 D&D Encounters
Introduction: One standard preconception modern gamers have about any fantasy world we game in is this - the common person is just as sophisticated as we are. Before you laugh, allow me to explain. It wasn’t too long ago in our history that we collectively...
Why We Game: D&D, online gaming and real life
It’s crazy how many people I know who would be so freaking fun and amazing at playing D&D and they don’t even know it. There is always the usual self-doubt about not knowing or fully understanding a game, and there is the matter of time and space away from everything, ie. phones, family, work, chores, etc. Most of the people I know who would be great at it and don’t even know are usually self-doubters much like I was before I started playing. The idea of starting a new game can be quite an uncomfortable situation and one that often leads many to fleeing the hobby altogether.
Defending the 5e D&D Champion archetype for Fighter
From time to time I hear grumblings about the Champion archetype for Fighters in Fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. Usually such grumblings include something along the lines of the archetype being “plain” or “boring,” that “it doesn’t do anything,” or even that “it’s the most...
“Phoba’s Bet” – Out of The Box #32 D&D Encounters
brought up around multiple tables where a DM seeks to have some sort of bounty hunter or assassin. Perhaps this is to address some offense the player characters have created against a king, noble, wizard to guildmaster. Perhaps it’s to address some action that the player characters have done in a city where vital laws were broken.
Players can become very complacent when they do not have random encounters at night for a few nights. Go out of your way to make things very peaceful and calm if you want to. Make fake encounter rolls that don’t count and gloss over them as if you’re unconcerned. This will give you a great feel for who they put on watch and when. Consider this time that the bounty hunter is spending observing the party at a distance. She might even be “handling” those who might be thinking of attacking her valuable bounty. One can’t collect on a fee if one’s targets have been killed by Ogres. 😉Why Spell Casters Are Sexy
When first being introduced to DnD you will find a variety of classes that are presented before you and at first what draws attention to you might be something that suits your sexual orientation, masculine or feminine if you will. Most women might be more drawn...
New DM Handbook: My Philosophy on Mechanics
Introduction
Integral to this series is my initial philosophy on how to run my D&D games. In all honesty, I have no 
idea how to run a game without breaking it. For a vast majority of it, I’m not going to stray very far from the books, but I also recognize that 5E isn’t perfect, and it doesn’t fulfill all of my needs. As an example, I intend on being somewhat flexible with the Backgrounds, as is necessary, but really only if none of the preexisting ones don’t fit the character concept. Beyond that, my DM cornerstone is going to be if it’s logical.
Does it make sense?
My foremost directive when applying any decision or rule is if, as I just said, it’s logical based on game mechanics, my lore, and whether it makes sense. As an example, according to the rules, the Ranger Beast Master must use an action to give their Beast Companion (different than a pet) a command whenever they want them to perform an action. That follows the rules of how a Beast Master works, but it doesn’t make any sense. If every round is six seconds long, that means that the Beast Master makes a command, the Beast Companion follows the order, then sits back down without any command to stay. 
When was the last time an attack dog stopped attacking before the target is dead or down without a command to do so? Common sense would dictate that the Beast Companion would continue their last order until their target is dead or a new order is given. Without any kind of real-world experience, the balance in my mind is that the PC has to manage the Ranger and the Companion. If they’re not careful, they could be put in a situation that one or both are at risk to die. A smart DM would maneuver them to force them to choose between their Ranger and their Companion. That makes the most sense to me.
Logical Settings
“Dinner Party” – Out of The Box D&D Encounters #31 (Truth Serum & Short Term Madness in a Tavern)
Introduction: The Dungeon Master’s Guide is full of tables, information, and colorful references. However, an encounter idea can come from a simple reference to an item, property, or game mechanic. In this case, I stumbled upon the Sample Poisons listing while looking up Short...
What DnD Isn’t
Let me just start out with saying that DnD is probably not what you think it is. When people find out I play DnD they usually almost always ask me the same questions. As an adult woman who doesn't seem like the typical "nerd" they become...
It’s time for a 5th Edition D&D Unearthed Arcana book
[caption id="attachment_14051" align="alignright" width="430"] The original Unearthed Arcana book by Gary Gygax for First Edition Dungeons & Dragons.[/caption] Fifth Edition Dungeons & Dragons has been around for more than a couple of years now. Since its inception, it has been obvious the game’s publisher Wizards of...
“Fire for Effect” – Out of the Box D&D Encounters #30
Introduction: One trope in D&D that needs work is the concept of the encounter as a “one thing shows up and does one other thing.” There should be no reason why, unless otherwise specified, that multiple monsters of similar alignments and motivations would not work together.