DM Tips Twitter Archive: July 2009

Below is an archive of DM tips posted throughout the month of July to my Sly Flourish Twitter feed. Enjoy!

#dnd tip: Everyone in Eberron has been affected by the Last War. Everyone knows someone who died. How will that play into your PCs and NPCs?

#dnd tip: for a powerful party, use terrain effects that don’t affect monsters. It’s an experience-budget-free way to increase challenge.

#dnd tip: Run some encounters as flashbacks or dream sequences to show instead of tell the background of the story. Don’t overdo it.

#dnd tip: awesome tip of using a double dog dish as a dice roller from @unclebear : tr.im/qnB8

#dnd tip: send email to specific players to give them info only their character knows. Be careful not to drive a wedge between them, though.

#dnd tip: Dungeoncraft essays by Ray Winninger recommended by Mike Mearls: tr.im/qeLN

#dnd tip: little cut out circles of red construction paper make great pools of blood to decorate the battlefield during an encounter.

#dnd tip: try running random encounters without a battle map. Just use descriptions. Mix them with skill challenges.

#DND tip: Don’t use or create zones that immobilize or stun. There’s almost no way out. Zones that affect character movement are dangerous

@DaveTheGame No Country for Old Men makes a great D&D seed. One of my favorite villains was based on Anton Sugar. #dnd

#dnd tip: The gargantuan blue dragon mini works well as a Tarrasque.

#dnd tip: Bosses dying too fast? What if they are immortal except if their orbs of power are broken?

#dnd tip: Watch Indiana Jones or Maltise Falcon to get in your Eberron mind-set. Think high adventure!

@goblinsreach exploding barrels of mead. A bar on fire let’s you change the environment between encounters. Maybe rats fleeing. #dnd

#dnd tip: Use changing environments to really spice up a battle. Did that fire elemental open a pool of molten rock? Will the walls burn?

@lessthanpleased On running dragons: add brutes or skirmishers, add environmentals that favor the dragon, houserule stuns and dazes #dnd

#dnd tip: Precision dice may sound cool and the Col sure is a great salesman, but the ink runs and round-edged dice play just fine.

#dnd tip: Take a minute to review the monsters in your next encounter just before running it. Any auras or immediates to remember?

#dnd tip: Why do your bad guys think they are right? What makes them heroes in their own eyes?

Wow, the #dnd 4e “False Demilich” trap is actually an excellent old school true Demilich. Not sure why it’s “false”. tr.im/sWeF

#dnd tip: think early about where each character’s epic destiny may lie. Where is their path taking them?

#dnd tip: If you’re too shy or embarrassed to “use the voices”, try roleplaying in the third person. It’s not quite as odd.

Excellent #dnd pre-generated NPCs from At Will. Print and stick them in your DM ad-lib toolbox: tr.im/sHIy tr.im/sHIX

Really great articlefrom @ChattyDM dissecting the Wizards #dnd DMs at the Penny Arcade games. Lots of great tips: tr.im/sEI4

I thought this was a really good #dnd 4e article full of house rules to help improve your 4e game: tr.im/sECz

#dnd tip: Write out your treasure parcels on sticky notes you can paste right into your adventure books.

#dnd tip: War devil minis can stand in for many other demon and devil minis. They’re a good universal winged red nasty.

#dnd tip: The straight dracolich in MM1 is probably too stun-heavy for a good time. Consider the dracolich alts in Open Grave instead.

@newbiedm @jasonhobson My house rule works but I’d also like to be able to play everything RAW. I vacillate back and forth. #dnd

#dnd contemplating going back to normal monster stats after houseruling 3/4 hp and +1/2 damage for about two months. Want to see how it is.

#dnd tip: Reuse old battle maps from published adventures by changing the monsters and the environmental effects.

@WeNeedtheXP Dominated folks should be able to do anything other than burn encounter or daily powers. They get one standard action. #dnd

#dnd tip: Stunning a paladin is a good way to break off his or her divine challenge. This can be critical for solo creatures.

#dnd tip: Not every battle has to be in wide open rooms. Consider a series of cramped hallways as a single encounter.

#dnd tip: Use Asmor’s treasure parcel generator to build out a level’s worth of treasure ahead of time: tr.im/phlH

#dnd tip: What motivations guide the drive of a thousand year old lich? What would such a creature want? Consider age with motive.

#dnd tip: Everything in Eberron is fantastic. Towers so vast they have weather within them. Bridges that span drops beyond sight. Fantastic.

#dnd tip: not everything needs to be a skill challenge. Sometimes all you need is a series of skill checks.

#dnd tip: always consider what environmental effect you can add to an encounter room.

#dnd tip: Who will be the Belloq (of Raiders of the Lost Ark fame) in your Eberron campaign. Nothing builds a good story like a good rival.