Top 10 First Time Dungeon Master Tips for D&D 5e
The role of Dungeon Master can be intimidating, so we created this list of our top 10 first-time DM tips for D&D 5e to help new players get started.
1. Don’t over-prepare
The famous pugilist-philosopher Michael Gerard Tyson once said, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”
This is true in war, sport, and tabletop roleplaying games. It may seem like a great idea to plan the whole session and map the exact series of events that the players will advance through. But I can tell you, it never is.
There is always a player that will, purposefully or not, go down the path less expected. If you have spent hours and days preparing NPCs or encounters that the party unexpectedly bypasses, your gut reaction is to redirect the players back to your prepared material.
This, in essence, is punishing your players for thinking outside of the box. The players will likely be aware of what is happening. While some may resist and get mad, most understand the DM process and will feel guilty for “messing up your game” if they do something “they aren't supposed to”. This can stand directly in the way of incredible collaborative storytelling.
As DM, have a general goal of what the characters are trying to do and identify possible paths they could take (and events you could use for guidance). Only create a few important scripted lines for NPCs and instead focus on their own motivations and attitudes so you can react appropriately when roleplaying.
Even think about an event that you can use if they go completely off script (attack a vital NPC, destroy key items, etc.). This way, you give the perception of freedom while maintaining the overall story. It also takes less time, which is a major bonus.
+1 Having a pre-planned event to throw in the mix when the party gets off track is a great way to bring them back into the story.
If you keep having a player that purposely deviates from the obvious and takes joy in chaos, talk to them about it. They are likely frustrating the other players also and ruining their enjoyment.
“That's what my character would do” is easily rebutted with, “then we would kick you from the party”. If they persist anyway, is that someone you want to play with? Give ‘em the boot for real.
2. Engage Everyone
As DM, it is your role to make sure that the party are the protagonists, not a main character with supporting roles.
Players will likely fall into normal roleplaying (RP) roles without guidance based on their personalities. Sometimes a player with a large personality will act as de facto leader and spokesperson, both with the DM and with the NPCs. Others will hang out and respond to direct inquiries but will not take the initiative with RP or party decisions.
You need to be aware of the party dynamics and how active everyone is at the table. Give everyone who wants it a chance to be in the spotlight. You are the director of the story, so give everyone a close-up from time to time.
Here are key questions you should be asking the players.
Is everyone in agreement on this? This keeps more vocal characters from unknowingly railroading the party decisions.
What does your character think about this event? or What is your character doing during all of this? This lets the player roleplay and give input.
You could even have the NPCs involved in this. “I know how you feel about this, but I am interested if anyone else has any other ideas” or “I have heard enough from you. Someone else speaks for a change.”
3. The dice are king, but you are God
An unannounced random roll now and again helps keep the players on their feet. If you only roll for checks when there is something there, the players will pick up on this.
In almost every situation, DMs should be rolling behind a screen (literally or figuratively). A secret roll maintains the mystery, prevents metagaming, and gives the DM more freedom to make decisions.
This should not be carte blanche to invent whatever rolls you think work best. Sometimes an anticlimactic miss or a random crit is great. Let the dice help write the story.
If you keep changing the rolls to what is convenient and/or safe, the players will realize, tarnishing the idea of real consequences for the players' decisions. Being honest will also build trust, so when you do fudge the numbers, no one will suspect anything is different.
There is one time when I like to roll out in the open. That is when a character’s life or something else extremely dramatic is on the line. Think of it as the player going all-in in poker and dealing the cards face up.
If your barbarian is wrestling an ogre on the edge of a volcano, roll the contested strength check in plain sight. Pull back the curtain and let the players see. This will add drama to the event and should the barbarian be thrown into the lava, the player will know that it was just luck of the draw.
4. Small details create an immersive experience
Killing troll #3 is neat, but killing the fire-scarred troll is epic. It may take a tiny bit more effort to keep track of the monsters this way, but it will enhance the narrative and help the players keep track of who is who.
The adjective doesn’t have to be visual. Give one of the enemies a stutter or a squeaky voice. Flavor and personality shouldn’t be reserved for permanent NPCs. That low-level cultist that the rogue just stabbed had a childhood, a family, dreams, and aspirations.
Adjectives can also be used to differentiate enemy stat blocks and add variety to combat, especially when the party is constantly facing the same enemy type.
Perhaps the slender bandit has lower strength and higher dexterity. His to-hit and damage would be -1, but his AC and saving throws would be +1.
The fat goblin has a few more hit points, but his speed is 5ft less. Change up weapons as well. Not every guard will use the same weapon, and many have the same damage (spear vs. longsword). Variety is the spice of life.
When running combat, describe the results, don't just state the results. A low roll is a clear miss, a middle roll glances off the armor or is narrowly dodged, and a hit pierces the armor or slips past the defense.
"You attack, and it misses" versus "you stab out with your shortsword, but your thrust is turned away by the armor" - which one sounds better?
5. It’s not ‘Them vs. You’
The party's goal should be to overcome all obstacles that the DM throws at them, and the goal of the DM should be to tell a good story. If you find yourself actively trying to kill the party, check yourself before you wreck the game.
That is not to say that you should not try to defeat your party in combat or test them with dangerous and deadly challenges. It is only that you are not “trolling” the party, and you should not revel in their misery.
The party will likely overcome everything you throw at them, and that is good. Any DM can design unwinnable combat. That does not make you the victor.
If you have a party or character that is overcoming difficult enemies with ease using a mechanic that you find annoying or unbalanced, don't try to kill them out of spite or frustration or change something to punish them.
Applaud them for being effective so far and then find a way to negate or nerf the overused mechanic occasionally to make them rethink their strategy.
This can work in-game if you have a foe talk about it when it occurs, “Not so fast, Vutrisiran! You rely on that magical darkness far too much. Let us fight in the light for once and see how you fare.”
It will make for a better story and keep things interesting.
6. Don’t be beholden to anything
As DM, you are the master of all in the game. Feel free to change or edit anything that you want, even something that is published in an official Wizards of the Coast book.
If you don’t like a rule, change it. If you think a monster should have different stats, change it. If you want to change the pre-written adventure’s NPC or setting to match a player’s background for story reasons, for Pete's sake, do it!
There are references and discussions about ambiguous rules on online threads. Use them for reference or guidance, but they are not law. We all know that player who is a “rules lawyer”. Let them make their case on any dispute or disagreement, but ultimately it is your decision.
It is always best to be consistent to avoid the appearance of favoritism, so stick with your decisions. Your players will generally understand rule changes as long as you apply the rules evenly.
7. Reward good roleplay or creative ideas
Roleplaying and story development should be the drivers in your game, while combat and obstacles should progress and enhance it. The strive for “efficiency” should not limit creativity.
If a character wants to do something interesting and unique in combat or dialogue that is not outlandish or infeasible, reward it by making a successful attempt have beneficial consequences.
If your rogue wants to swing from a nearby rope and attack the baron below, have him roll an acrobatics check against AC along with the attack roll and have a success become a critical hit.
If the fighter and the cleric flank an ogre and want to make a combined trip attempt using both of their actions, give the attack advantage and make the ogre prone and stunned for one round as it falls back over the prone cleric and bangs his head.
Have a bardic rap battle. Let the barbarian throw the halfling across the chasm. Challenge the captain to a wrestling contest.
I could come up with hundreds of examples, but the goal is to get your party to come up with these ideas themselves.
The worst thing you can hear at a table is “I don’t know, that would be really cool but I don't see it in the rules. I should probably just do ___.”
8. Let the players lead
The players are in charge of the story. They are deciding what to do, how to do it, and if it is successful or not. Even though you may have written the adventure, you are not writing the story, only directing it. (Sorry, Christopher Nolan, no writer/directors in D&D.)
It is often easy to take over the narrative, so here are a few story don'ts that will help keep you in the background.
Do’s
Do reward them with inspiration, flavor items, or the creative freedom to add their mark to the world. That can be as simple as describing the killing blow or long-term like a character studying a book and gaining an advantage on checks for the subject.
Present opportunities for the party to engage each other, not just your NPCs. Think of ways to facilitate that without slowing down the game (think moderation).
Do let them zag when you expect them to zig. Develop your improv and flexibility skills to roll with it as you gently bring them back on track.
Let them shine, even if that means the players are talking or planning for 40 minutes and don’t even acknowledge you. That means you’re doing your job facilitating a great experience and the players are invested!
Don’ts
Don’t add in your opinion when they are discussing their options. You can clarify risks and rewards, but don’t tell them which one is better or worse.
Don’t direct the characters to what they should do next. As a clue you can always remind them of something that the players might have forgotten but the characters likely didn’t, like something an NPC said or something they have in their inventory.
Don’t interrupt their roleplay to continue the “story”, as roleplay is the story. If they are talking amongst each other while exploring and they hit a trap, wait for a break in the discussion and then interject with the trap description and the consequences.
Don’t take over control or force their characters to do things. Ask before you decide something for their character. Let them describe how they do something cool or neat if they succeed on a tough roll or land the killing blow. I even let players control characters that are mind controlled (albeit with guidance and veto power).
9. Use twists and coincidences sparingly
A good twist makes a story exciting, but don't get all Shyamalan about it. After about the third time you reveal a character from the party’s past, you will get eye rolls and sighs.
Also, players may see right through it. They may assume the all-too-goodly king to be the villain the first time they meet him and confront him early on in the story. At that point, if you ignore them and save the big reveal you originally planned, you are punishing the player for having insight and reinforcing that they have no real power over the story.
Another scenario that can get played out is characters being saved from a losing or unwinnable fight by some deus ex machina. Being rescued once by a wandering metallic dragon is a great event.
Still, if the party is constantly rescued from near-death encounters, they have no fear of death, no exhilaration from overcoming difficult combat, and the story lacks any relation to their actions.
10. Embrace the rule of fun!
This one is the easiest and most important one of all. If ever in doubt, go for the option that is more fun. Always and without question. D&D is a game, after all!
However, there are a couple of considerations. The rule of fun at the expense of others is a fast track to ruining your game. Also, too much fun without balance can actually lead to boredom when the party is no longer challenged. Use the F-rule with discretion!
These are just some of our favorite tips, but we’re curious what yours are! Email us a note or shoot us a tweet and let us know your best tips!
