DM Tip Twitter Archive: June 2010

Posted on July 15, 2010 by Mike Shea

Below is an archive of all of the Sly Flourish DM Tip Twitter posts for June 2010. Get daily DM tips at http://twitter.com/slyflourish!

#dnd tip: Watch out for too many dazes and weakens – they generally just slow down a battle.

#dnd tip: When customizing monsters, think about what makes that monster unique. Example; vampires have dominate, enervate, transformations.

I dig the Sunwarped Magic Zone from the Sunwarped Flats article: Arcane check; fail= surge dmg; success = +1d10 per tier elemental dam. #dnd

#dnd tip: Remember not to run a monster more than 4 levels higher than your PCs. They might still win but it will take hours.

#dnd Want to make your game harder? Add damage to monsters instead of increasing level. Jump one scale up on DMG page 42 damage.

How do you feel about running evening home games like #dnd Encounters – one big well-thought-out battle each night?

#dnd tip: When characters fall off of high places, consider different repercussions than falling to their death. Catch footing after 5d10?

Absolutely awesome #dnd article on demonic death throes: bit.ly/d9bEYo – I love Final Spew.

#dnd tip: Take a specific approach when building skill challenges. Disarming an doomsday trap is more specific than exploring caverns.

#dnd Tip: Celebrate critical hits with the warming sound of the fine Vuvuzela! bit.ly/ccjtMQ

Here’s the #dnd post from @cwgabriel. Use minor actions for skill checks. I’ve used this too and recommend it. bit.ly/9ctE8t

#dnd tip: Remember that skill challenges fall between using regular skill checks and full-roleplaying sessions. Don’t overuse them.

#dnd tip from @wizards_dnd Insider, Steve Winter: Avoid dull skill challenges like general travel or general information gathering.

A Weekend at Bernie’s #dnd skill challenge sounds awesome. I’m definitely stealing this idea. bit.ly/aeRrQK

#dnd tip: Watch the show Breaking Bad for ideas in character development, organic plotlines, and off-stage storytelling.

#dnd tip from the DM Guys podcast: Don’t worry about feeling silly when speaking in the voice of your NPC. You’ll get over it.

#dnd tip from @chattydm and @monkeyking: Add encounters that let your PCs shine such as undead encounters for clerics and paladins.

Great #dnd tip from @davethegame in the DM Guys podcast (bit.ly/andlZE): Build an “out” into combat to end it early.

#dnd tip: Even if you dont use the card-over-the-screen trick, 3×5 cards folded in half work well for a fully-visible initiative order.

#dnd tip: Always give the players a chance for success even if a villainous NPC succeeds in a plot. Players hate losing and wasting time.

#dnd tip: Consider James Bond-style introductions – prefaces full of action that might only be superfluously related to the story.

#dnd tip: Philip Seymour Hoffman’s character in Mission Impossible 3 makes for a great sinister villain archetype.

#dnd tip: Damaging auras are a great way to power up weaksause Solos. Try 5 dam per tier scaling to 10 per tier when bloodied.

#dnd tip: Designate your table’s rules lawyer as the official rules arbiter, but only if he or she is fair as well as annoying.

#dnd tip: Treat Demogorgon as two different and often competing NPCs instead of as a single entity.

#dnd tip: Instead of random one-shots, build one-shots that fill out a piece of the main campaign story as yet untold.

#dnd tip: Forget experience points. Level PCs on the adventures met, the quests completed, and the encounters defeated.

#dnd tip: Don’t forget to have loot and experience ready to hand out at the end of your game. It’s sadly easy to forget.

#dnd tip: McFarlane toys and WoW minis work well for monstrous D&D miniatures: amzn.to/b8GK92

#dnd tip: Fire giant minis work well for death giants, animated statues, and enlarged Duergar in a pinch.

#dnd tip: Start your Eberron campaign off right by making your PCs choose one of three houses to ally with.

#dnd tip: Model your fantasy towns and cities after the economics of real medieval castles and cities. amzn.to/bOAkTA

If you enjoyed these tips, take a look at Sly Flourish’s Dungeon Master Tips book.

You might also consider using these links to purchase the Monster Manual 3, the Player Strategy Guide, the Player’s Handbook 3 or the Gamemastery Flip-Maps from Troll and Toad, an official Sly Flourish sponsor. You can also support Sly Floursh by bookmarking and using this link to purchase anything from Amazon.

Posted in Twitter Tips Archive | Leave a comment

Monster Optimization: Vampires

Posted on July 12, 2010 by Mike Shea

Vampires are a staple monster in nearly every Dungeons and Dragons campaign. They invoke a common sense of mystery and dread, something we would almost love to be and certainly love to kill. Today we’re going to build some unique high level vampires, each with unique abilities and using techniques learned from the recent Monster Manual 3. The creatures below are intended for groups between level 23 and level 25 depending on the challenge you wish to provide.

Note: These creatures have had their damage boosted using the new damage output charts in the July update. You are best off consulting this chart or Jhaelen’s chart posted at enWorld.

Vampire Guardian

We begin with the Vampire Guardian. This armored soldier acts as the front line for a group of vampires. They stand firm in front of the others, avoiding most of the vampiric subtlety of other members and going in straight for the kill. All of the vampires in this article have unique gaze attacks that fit the type of creature they are. Rather than a straight dominate, the vampire knight has an ability to push away those he cares not to face. He might use this on a troublesome defender, for example, so he can get to the back line strikers. The Vampire Guardian’s blade is coated in its own blood, stealing the life out of those it strikes.

Vampire GuardianLevel 25 Soldier

Initiative +25

AC 41;Fortitude 38; Reflex 37;Will 36

HP 234; Bloodied 117

Immune disease, poison; Resist 15 necrotic; Vulnerable 10 radiant;

Speed 6

Standard Actions

Life Draining Longsword – At-Will

+30 vs AC; 2d12+20 damage; the target is marked and loses a healing surge.

Minor Actions

Shield Slam; Recharge 5,6

+28 vs Fortitude; target is stunned.

Dread Gaze; Recharge 4,5,6

range 20; +28 vs Will; target is pushed 4 and weakened. This attack does not provoke opportunity attacks.

Triggered Actions

Lethal Guard – when a marked enemy shifts or attacks another.

make a longsword attack

Vampire Assassin

The vampire assassin is a clear lurker, seeking to strike those upon whom it has combat advantage for maximum effect. Like the Guardian, it has a unique gaze attack that assists it. In this case, the attack confuses its target giving it combat advantage and a further reduction in the target’s defenses.

Vampire AssassinLevel 25 Skirmisher

Initiative +25

AC 39; Fortitude 37; Reflex 40; Will 35

HP 236; Bloodied 118

Immune disease, poison; Resist 15 necrotic; Vulnerable 10 radiant;

Speed 8; Spiderclimb 5

Traits

Vampiric Assassination – At-Will

+15 damage with Combat Advantage

Standard Actions

Bloodletter – At-Will

+30 vs AC; 4d6+19 and ongoing 10 damage.

Dance of Death – Recharge 4,5,6

Shift 6 and make two Bloodletter attacks before, during, or after the shift.

Minor Actions

Gaze of Confusion; Recharge 4,5,6

+28 vs Will; Target grants combat advantage and takes -2 to defenses (save ends).

Vampire Bloodhunter

Not all vampires are as strong as those above. Some, the younger spawn left behind in the vampire’s quest for blood, rise as near-mindless beasts.

Vampire BloodhunterLevel 25 Minion Skirmisher

Initiative +21

AC 39; Fortitude 34; Reflex 39; Will 33

Speed 6; Spiderclimb 6

Standard Actions

Tearing Claws – At-Will

+30 vs AC; 16 damage.

Triggered Actions

Bloody Death – when reduced to 0

close burst 2; +30 vs Reflex; 20 necrotic damage

Vampire Mastermind

A vampire mastermind controls all of the others. This mastermind is a master of deception, turning friends against one another and using his mastery of dark magic to draw blood even when far away from his target.

Vampire MastermindLevel 28 Elite Controller

Initiative +22

HP 500; Bloodied 250

AC 45; Fortitude 42; Reflex 44; Will 43

Immune disease, poison; Resist 30 necrotic;

Saving Throws +2

Speed 6; Levitate 4

Action Points 1

Standard Actions

Chilling Touch – At-Will

+31 vs Fort; 1d6+18 damage.

Arcane Bolts – At-Will

+33 vs Reflex; two targets; three targets when bloodied; 3d10+19 damage; if two bolts strike the same target, the target is dazed until end of this creature’s next turn

Vascular Purge – Encounter; Recharges when Bloodied

Range 20; +33 vs Fort; 4d8+27 necrotic and target is weakened (save ends). Two targets when bloodied.

Minor Actions

Friend to Foe – Recharge 5,6

Two Targets; +33 vs Will; target moves its speed and makes a basic melee attack against a target of Zovelle’s choice. Aftereffect: The target is dazed (save ends)

Triggered Actions

Bloodcloud Teleport – reaction when struck with a melee attack; Recharge 4,5,6

Effect: Zovelle teleports 10; +33 vs Fort on attacking target; 4d8+18 necrotic damage.

These vampires are designed for high level encounters but it would be easy to lower them to a more appropriate level should you wish them for a lower level group. Consult the tables in the Dungeon Master’s Guide 2 for appropriate defenses, attack scores, and damage. When calculating damage, double the static damage bonus if the vampires are paragon tier or above.

Hopefully these vampires will give your group the scare they deserve.

If you enjoyed this article, please consider using these links to purchase the Monster Manual 3, Open Grave, or the Dungeon Master’s Guide 2. You can also use this link to purchase anything from Amazon.com. Pick up any vampire miniatures you require from Troll and Toad, an official Sly Flourish sponsor.

Posted in Monster Optimization | 6 Comments

Dungeon Master Tips book released

Posted on July 9, 2010 by Mike Shea

This week I released Sly Flourish’s Dungeon Master Tips, an e-book focused on giving you useful tips to help you prepare and run awesome 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons games.

You can learn all about the book or buy the PDF directly from Paypal for $7.99. You can also buy it at the Kindle Marketplace or buy it in ePub or Mobipocket formats.  The paperback version should be available next week from Lulu.com.

I wrote this book to help DMs who have run a couple of games or even veterans who may have run a whole lot of games. I wanted to write a short book with clear tips for building awesome stories, designing exciting encounters, and running an great game at the table. Sample chapters, artwork, and the table of contents can all be found at the book’s official site.

This is a completely original book, not a rehash of this website. While it has tips for running any tabletop roleplaying game, it primarily focuses on Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition.

Jared von Hindman of Head Injury Theater did the cover art for this book as well as nine pieces of original internal artwork.

If you have a friend who might like this book, please send them a link to the book’s official page at http://slyflourish.com/book/.

Of course, you can send me any questions or comments to mike@mikeshea.net.

Now go build your next awesome D&D game.

Posted in 4E Mechanics, 4e D&D, DM Advice | Leave a comment

Three D&D Tips from Breaking Bad

Posted on July 5, 2010 by Mike Shea

Breaking Bad is one of the greatest television dramas in the past twenty years. With an amazing depth of character, great writing, and wonderful cinematography, Breaking Bad makes us wince but never look away.

There are some valuable tips for Dungeon Masters when watching a show like this. Today we’re going to look at three tips from Breaking Bad that can make your game’s story a lot more fun.

Tell past stories to fill in the gaps

In one memorable episode of Breaking Bad, we are treated to a small flashback that tells the story of a drug dealing uncle who teaches his sons a lesson in dedication to family by sticking one of the children’s head under water until the other hits him hard enough to release him. It’s a chilling tale of two of the show’s villains, the Cousins.

A short background story on your game’s NPCs, perhaps sent over email, can give your players a far greater sense of depth than a few lines thrown out here and there. Write up a short story to tell the tale of your game’s villain. Make it specific but representative of the character they will face.

Actions have reactions

In Breaking Bad, a series of terrible events all occur from a tiny element of chance early on. Like the show, don’t shy away from a chain reaction of events that change your campaign’s entire path.

For example, perhaps your characters poked fun at a particular bar maid. Perhaps that bar maid, cursing her luck, joined a ragtag band of thieves only to slowly become a master assassin. Perhaps this master assassin shows up again 20 levels later to exact her revenge.

Good and bad is relative

Breaking Bad is the story of a once-good man who steps closer and closer to the darkest evils of the world. While his initial intentions are good, Walter finds himself getting deeper and deeper into a world of narcotics and murder. Worse still, he begins to like it, taking a dark pride in the work that he chooses.

In D&D, good and bad are just as relative. In a world like Eberron or Dark Sun, there is less of a distinction between good and evil. There is a large muddy gray sea where good intentions can lead to bad actions. Use this principal to put your players into positions where they must choose which path they will take, the ideal path or the practical path.

Breaking Bad is a wonderful show. It’s the sort of show that sets your imagination on fire and can, when channeled, lead to some great stories in your D&D game.

If you enjoyed this article, please consider using these links to purchase Breaking Bad Season 1, the Dungeon Master’s Guide 2, or the Player’s Strategy Guide. You can also use this link to purchase anything from Amazon.com. Need any gaming accessories? Visit Troll and Toad, an official Sly Flourish sponsor.

Posted in Storytelling | 5 Comments

Dwarven Forge Buyer’s Guide

Posted on June 28, 2010 by Mike Shea

If you’re a continuing reader of the site or you’ve visited my Flickr album of D&D pics, you’ll notice I’m a big fan of Dwarven Forge. I wrote about these heavy resin-based 3D dungeon props in my Dwarven Forge Review, and my Battle Map Comparison articles. I recently received an email from someone who had about $600 to spend on Dwarven Forge and wanted to know how to get started.

First off, the disclaimer. Dwarven Forge is expensive and addictive. A single set of Dwarven Forge costs as much as 14 Dungeon Tile packs and you can’t buy just one set. You don’t buy this stuff if you want a low or even average cost solution for your game. There’s no reasonable explanation when spending this much money on your D&D game. You simply buy Dwarven Forge because you want the best.

That said, there are ways to maximize your dollar when you’re buying Dwarven Forge. It is this maximum Dwarven Forge per Dollar that we’re going to talk about today.

Rooms and Passages

With your first $600, your best bet is to buy a few sets from the Rooms and Passages line. These are relatively generic brick-style pieces that can fit in just about any setting. You can build ancient temples, crypts, castles, buildings, basements, or catacombs with them. They are the most universally usable pieces in the Dwarven Forge line.

This is a double-edge sword, of course. Too generic and your players will become bored of it. It loses the excitement after your first few times using it. There’s a way around this, however, and that’s to use a lot of the unique accessories that fit in well with this set. These accessory packs, however, come at a price.

Here is a list of the sets you will want from the Room and Passage line:

Room and Passage set: $119
2x Room sets: $99
Wicked Additions 1: $99
Wicked Additions 2: $99
Fantasy Floor set: $69

This is enough sets to build out a variety of rooms and interconnecting hallways. If you want fewer wide-open rooms and more hallways, buy an extra set of the Room and Passages instead of the extra Room set.

The detailed accessories of the Wicked Additions and Fantasy Floor sets will give you nearly unlimited options to make the rooms different and exciting. They add a whole variety of floor and wall pieces as well as much-needed stairway pieces to help you build upwards with your Dwarven Forge sets. Building multi-platform 3d environments is what really sets Dwarven Forge apart from flat maps and tiles.

Caverns

Though not nearly as universally usable as the Room and Passage set, the Cavern line is easily my favorite line. It uses large 4×4 pieces instead of the normal 2×2 pieces. The detail is amazing and the look is just awesome. It works well for any ancient chambers, caverns, or underdark realms. You don’t need as many sets of this to build out a few nice rooms. Here’s a buyer’s guide priced out at $550.

2x Cavern sets $140
Cavernous Passage set $120
Cavernous River and Wall sets $150

If you want more elevated platforms, consider adding a Cavernous Chasms set into the mix for another $119.

Realm of the Ancients

Finally, if you’re looking for something more detailed than the room and passage set, the Realm of the Ancients set is the most detailed set I’ve used. It’s very well designed with lots of options and setup arrangements. It isn’t as universal as the room and passage set but it is very highly detailed. It works perfectly for ancient temples, crypts, castles, and other ornate setups. You can also build a lot of different arrangements with only three sets:

2x Realm of the Ancients 1 $140
1x Realm of the Ancients 2 $140

Your Set of Expensive Golf Clubs

Dwarven Forge is for those who want to take their hobby up a notch. It doesn’t work well if you travel a lot or play at any other home than your own. It’s heavy, expensive, and not as flexible as your standard dry-erase mat or a bunch of Dungeon Tile sets. That said, Dwarven Forge will make your encounters look as cool as they ever can. I have never been disappointed with my purchases. Be warned, however. Once you buy a set, you won’t be able to stop. There is a reason Dwarven Forge enthusiasts call it “The Addiction”.

That said, the above guide can get you on your way with the best bang for your buck.

If you enjoyed this article but Dwarven Forge just isn’t in your budget, please consider using these links to buy D&D Dungeon Tiles from Amazon or the Gamemastery Flip-Maps from Troll and Toad, an official Sly Flourish sponsor. You can also support Sly Floursh by bookmarking and using this link to purchase anything from Amazon.com.

Posted in 4e D&D | 12 Comments