Encounter Building 101 │ D&December

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  • Опубліковано 21 лис 2024

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  • @josephcarmelo9185
    @josephcarmelo9185 8 років тому +355

    Projared: How can we make this sorcerer more dangerous?
    summon a boar

  • @jd42010
    @jd42010 8 років тому +203

    After having my first campaign as dm, I learned that improvising is important. I had a plan for 6 kobolds to surround their cart, but since the kobolds almost killed 2 of them, our barbarian rolled a crit on a kobold and I said that he scared all of them away. I didn't want the party to die and that gave me a golden opportunity.

    • @nicolaswarren3453
      @nicolaswarren3453 8 років тому +1

      Jeez, what classes were the two that died?

    • @themediocremaster2388
      @themediocremaster2388 8 років тому +12

      Nicolas Warren If I had to guess...squishy mages...

    • @dpad200x8
      @dpad200x8 8 років тому +27

      Improvisation is, I'd say, the MOST important thing to learn as a DM. Whatever plan you may have, your players will always work to undo it. I had a group that went the complete opposite direction of where they were supposed to go (as ordered by a king, no less) for some complete asinine reason. It's important to not say "No" in those instances, as it is their game to play, but just roll with it.
      Great job, btw, with how you resolved your issue. You can expand on this by having the surviving kobolds come back later, in larger numbers. Or, maybe the tale of this barbarian spreads among kobolds, giving them a permanent bonus on intimidation on other kobolds. Stuff like that can help flesh out your world.

    • @jd42010
      @jd42010 8 років тому +4

      Nicolas Warren A bard and a rouge

    • @jd42010
      @jd42010 8 років тому +4

      Attila The Hun by "almost" meaning they had to roll death saves

  • @gregburrow3350
    @gregburrow3350 8 років тому +1145

    D&d's bob Ross "let's just put a little kobold over here"

    • @Liveandlearn789
      @Liveandlearn789 8 років тому +83

      Greg Burrow
      "Oh you had a beautiful encounter but then you put that miserable kobold in there"

    • @ljaquos
      @ljaquos 8 років тому +111

      BrosifJoseph "So tell you what, let's just give him a couple happy little friends. Set him up as a real encounter threat."

    • @T4silly
      @T4silly 8 років тому +98

      Greg Burrow "We'll set up an invisible Rogue over here. That will be our little secret."

    • @ljaquos
      @ljaquos 8 років тому +20

      Dave McHugh
      "And if you tell *anyone* that that Rogue is there...I will come to your house and I will cut you!"

    • @hleghe810
      @hleghe810 8 років тому +1

      Greg Burrow ?

  • @Thanakil
    @Thanakil 8 років тому +34

    Some tips for inspiration:
    - The first rule to remember is that as the DM, you don't HAVE to follow the rules in the manuals. You can improvise and create new content, abilities, weapons, anything as long as it makes the game more fun for everybody involved. If you have a cool idea for a monster ability but it doesn't exist, you can create it if you know your players would have fun fighting against it.
    - Some monsters come with unique abilities, from the Monster Manual. I had fun making my party fight against 2 Ankheg, which can grapple+bite creatures, but also spit acid in a straight line, hitting everyone in that line. It made my party careful about how they were positioning themselves, as they wanted to avoid more than one player getting hit.
    - Mixing types of creatures. Maybe you have a human working with monsters. It could be a druid trying to protect some unique monsters, it could be a rogue who trained a wild creature, it could be a lord who bought an exotic beast. Mix and match when you can.
    - Giving monsters abilities that are normally reserved for player classes. Maybe some of the enemies your players encounter have Feats you don't always see. A monster could have the "Alert" feat, making it impossible to surprise. Maybe a large beast has the "Charger" feat. You could have a group of beasts attack your group, but only one of them (maybe its larger, maybe it has a different fur) has this special feat.
    - Sometime when making players fight human characters, it can be fun to give them Feats or abilities that combine well together. If you have two melee characters who will fight side-by-side, one character can have the Sentinel feat, allowing them to hit as a reaction anyone who attacks their companion. And maybe the other one is a polearm master, giving him a long range with his melee weapon and allowing him to hit anyone who enters his reach. It creates 2 melee characters who get to hit more often than you would expect at first. It can make your party wonder who to attack first, or if maybe they should try attacking them from range.
    -Every once in a while, you can have a monster who should be a priority target. Maybe the players see that one creature is giving orders and making the others work better as a unit. Or maybe one creature is moving toward a horn to call reinforcements. It can break the flow of combat if the players are follow a similar pattern every fight, give them something that changes their habit.

  • @benlink202forever
    @benlink202forever 8 років тому +482

    When I think of planning as a dungeon master, I try to think like a Fire Emblem Dev.

    • @rggrill3588
      @rggrill3588 8 років тому +15

      Like a Fire Emblem Fates Rev Dev or a Rekka No Ken Dev?There's a big difference between those

    • @benlink202forever
      @benlink202forever 8 років тому +1

      Sorry, but I haven't played Fates. Can you tell what the difference is? Because I feel like would say Rekka No Ken, but I'm not sure.

    • @rggrill3588
      @rggrill3588 8 років тому +8

      In Revelations there are a LOT of arbitrary Gimmicks (and i dont know where to start when complaining abut them)

    • @benlink202forever
      @benlink202forever 8 років тому +24

      Yep, then its going to be Rekka No Ken, or in my case, Sacred Stones. Because I think Sacred Stones is one of the best in set pieces when you get heavier into the game.

    • @XenofluxRaiden
      @XenofluxRaiden 8 років тому +76

      If you hate them just Radiant Dawn that shit.
      "WHAT DO YOU MEAN SEVENTH WAVE OF RIENFORCEMENTS? HOW MANY TOWN GUARDS ARE THERE?"

  • @Liliputian07
    @Liliputian07 8 років тому +38

    1. Environment.
    2. Variety of attacks.
    3. Creature interaction.
    4. Working off strengths and weaknesses.
    That's all you need. It's the best part of DMing.

    • @hugofontes5708
      @hugofontes5708 7 років тому

      basically Pokemon with a twist

    • @Liliputian07
      @Liliputian07 7 років тому +1

      Hugo Fontes​
      Basically Pokemon but not garbage

    • @hugofontes5708
      @hugofontes5708 7 років тому

      yeah, that's exactly the definition I was looking for

  • @DrunkenCoward1
    @DrunkenCoward1 8 років тому +80

    So, exactly a week ago I met with my Roleplaying group. And it was pretty nice.
    We have had, in fact, not a single fight. Our DM, he told me as we were driving, likes to make his campaigns possible to complete with as little fighting as possible.
    It's really nice, every character has a goal he's working towards and he's made a little motive for each character to fit into the story.
    We spent most of the night just talking to people, finding out what is going on and walking into a mine with a enormous glass ball inside of it that seems to eat beings.
    Think "Colour Out Of Space".
    It was interesting in that we've gotten no answers at all and all left thinking what the hell was going on.
    To be fair, I'm still trying to find my voice. It's hard to play a snobbish character who likes to be in the forefront of social interactions, when I myself am really bad at talking.
    However, it's fun. We'll meet again in January at some point in the middle of next month.

    • @N00BSYBORG
      @N00BSYBORG 8 років тому +3

      The Drunken Coward Just go with the flow and you'll get it eventually. It might also help to find a character you like that fits that description and breakdown their character interaction. Dialogue is a lot of fun to come up with once you get a grasp on it.

    • @Lulink013
      @Lulink013 8 років тому +4

      Dialogues, but also puzzles and ways to avoid your foes... Combat now seems to be only a small part of what makes an adventure.

    • @shadowgear7032
      @shadowgear7032 8 років тому

      The Drunken Coward as a dm i like to make interesting combat. but the best part of thesecis when my more experienced players avoid everything i set up in ways i never thoight of

    • @Bluemangrup
      @Bluemangrup 8 років тому +6

      Personally I like "story combat", which he showed in this video. You're hunting someone down, then you fight them. Or you finally find a king and you fight him for a magic weapon. If it advances the plot I like it. I rarely give players a non-story combat, unless it's just a bit of an XP grab to calm everyone down after a stressful session

  • @ZerkMonsterHunter
    @ZerkMonsterHunter 8 років тому +80

    man. I still remember the first low level scripted encounter I ever made.
    I had the party, inside a caravan, traversing the wasteland, when the wheel got stuck. the paladin NPC they had joining them was out cold drunk, and the team was a monk, a ranger and a barbarian. what happened was the caravan was jumped by several goblins. I remember specifically, having two goblins on one side, two more on top of the caravan, an archer or two, and one goblin who was wielding a claymore that was way too big and heavy for him. it was a super fun one to play, especially when I had such an awesome party in terms of specific decisions and builds, always fun for a first time DM.

    • @triforceadm7345
      @triforceadm7345 7 років тому +1

      ZerkMonsterHunter 4 aw hells yeah

    • @nickmanzo8459
      @nickmanzo8459 6 років тому

      ZerkMonsterHunter 4 I had an undead cult of Nerull send a group of zombies at the party as they were trying to get converts in a town square, as they had stolen power from the goddess of the harvest, and blighted their crop. The party had to set fire to wagons full of straw and dump them onto the zombies to burn them up

  • @ItsmeInternetStranger
    @ItsmeInternetStranger 8 років тому +48

    Just feel like adding my own thoughts/comments.
    So encounter #1 with the Kobolds. For something like this I would try to make things reactive to the player. I'm assuming the Kobolds didn't know the party was coming, so maybe have the spellcaster be asleep in a bed (since it's a living quarters and all!) and have him wake up when the fight begins, delaying his entry into combat by a round. Alternatively, if the players have made a lot of noise in the previous room, he could start awake, and the archers could have pre-flipped their table. When the Kobolds flee, what you could do is have them flee through a small, roughly Kobold sized hole NEAR the doors, so if your players have something like a halfling, they could use the same hole and unlock the door from the other side, or pursue the Kobolds on their own.
    For the second encounter, you hit on a really neat idea by having flying enemies that can get around the pits in the room. I would actually take this a little further by having those monsters be neutral. The wizard starts destroying the cavern, and maybe this wakes up bats or something that were living at the bottom, and they just attack everything in the room, not picking sides. You could use dice to determine who the bats attack, or steer them towards either the party or the monsters if you felt one side was winning too much.
    Third encounter, maybe what you could do is even have the water tied to the water elemental itself, so when the creature dies the water drains. Alternatively, you could have the platform the party is starting on actually part of a room, or else have a regular room just behind them. Why? Because then they can throw things in the water - tables, dressers, chairs, etc - to make platforms for themselves. Maybe his throne room was right behind his dining room and there are big, long tables in it that can serve as crude bridges. Overall though, a really interesting encounter.
    Just my 2 cents.

    • @SolarFlairIsBestPony
      @SolarFlairIsBestPony 8 років тому +6

      This guy gets it. Nice organic elements.

    • @NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself
      @NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself 7 років тому +1

      I like adding funny or gross elements, especially to either the non-critical encounter to make them more memorable or for the very serious ones for a little comic relief.
      I did one recently where the party opens a dungeon door to encounter some goblins relaxing and eating, and one was in the corner sitting on a chamber pot.
      In the chaos of the battle, the chamber pot knocked over and spilled goblin filth across the floor.

    • @cr-nd8qh
      @cr-nd8qh 2 роки тому

      U r a god

  • @Dw7freak
    @Dw7freak 8 років тому +267

    When a Zinogre invades your D&D campaign.

    • @tenBuschhole
      @tenBuschhole 8 років тому +60

      I blame Felyne Gamechanger

    • @brigid6378
      @brigid6378 8 років тому +33

      I just wanted to grab some honey.

    • @sielklavar
      @sielklavar 8 років тому +16

      wonder how much EXP the Zinogre is worth

    • @hulberto8106
      @hulberto8106 7 років тому +18

      Part of the fun of D&D is that you can throw in whatever monsters you want so long as you make a stat block for it. The Dungeon Master's Guide even has some guidelines for doing that and calculating the Challenge Rating of homebrewed creatures.

    • @ZenoDLC
      @ZenoDLC 7 років тому +12

      +Stereotypical Nerd Anything from a friendly rabbit to a Predator

  • @D.Dragon
    @D.Dragon 8 років тому +30

    Quantity=/=Quality. Good starting point for creating anything.

  • @nuclearbirds
    @nuclearbirds 6 років тому +4

    "What if he shoots the stalactites with magic missile? Those will be harder to dodge"
    Yes. Harder to dodge than magic missile.
    I love you Jared.

  • @ValeriusWraith
    @ValeriusWraith 8 років тому +127

    The Zinogre took me off guard... I really didn't expect it to appear.

    • @dracomundo1498
      @dracomundo1498 8 років тому +19

      I was like "wait a minute he doesn't mean YEP ITS HIM *Zinogre's theme and also ptsd*"

    • @hleghe810
      @hleghe810 8 років тому +2

      Dillon Smith it has a theme?

    • @ValeriusWraith
      @ValeriusWraith 8 років тому +2

      Hleghe Yes, it has... but fighting it I usually play Tadakatsu from Samurai Warriors 3

    • @dracomundo1498
      @dracomundo1498 8 років тому +1

      whatever works, really, I usually play Can't Wait to be King, cuz he reminds me of Simba a bit

    • @9oomtar
      @9oomtar 8 років тому

      Must've been a question mark somewhere

  • @bakedsnake7377
    @bakedsnake7377 8 років тому +1

    Another good tip to new creators of encounters is to remember the "3 T's"
    Timer - keep the room moving. Every so many turns or if the party converse too much in the middle of a battle create a new event on the map or have an hourglass for skipping a turn.
    Treat - equipment, currency or even environmental triggers make players want to keep going. Don't make it game breaking though. For example: a lever that activates a trapdoor or unlocks another room or a wheel that pours tar from an urn. Don't make the only goal clearing the room out through pure combat.
    Threat - obviously the enemies but think outside the box. Maybe water is flowing into the room or more enemies are flowing into the area trying to force the party into a certain direction or looking for a way to control the flow. Combined with the hourglass, this can make for a dramatic event.
    Just for those interested. Jared did a phenomenal job in the video, but you can never get too many tips.

  • @McSandwich121
    @McSandwich121 8 років тому +31

    He doesn't even make it a big deal that he just brought in a fucking Zinogre.

  • @rujo4
    @rujo4 8 років тому +90

    Now I want a D&D campaign with Monster Hunter monsters. That would be sick.

    • @misledflyer68
      @misledflyer68 6 років тому +7

      Edisson Proano i've already done that, and allowed them to make loot out of the monster's body parts like in monster hunter!

    • @mistahjenkins4826
      @mistahjenkins4826 6 років тому +3

      From where I'm sitting, it sounds like a hell of an idea, but it would take a LOT of time to actually implement such creatures. That is, unless you use actual DnD monsters. For example, a pair of magic katar (punching daggers) that was made using the claws of a Chuul.

    • @CapnShades
      @CapnShades 7 місяців тому

      Check out Amellwind's guide to Monster Hunting on GMBinder!

  • @AndrevusWhitetail
    @AndrevusWhitetail 8 років тому +15

    "Where they just completely tackle a challenge in ways that i didn't expect"
    "I reach out my hand and grab the ballista shot with my bare hands" :D

  • @DarrylCross
    @DarrylCross 8 років тому +82

    While it'd be awesome to have MH monsters in D&D, I'd begin to fear the occasional deviljho randomly wandering into any battles.

    • @Valoe7
      @Valoe7 8 років тому +15

      DarrylCross imagine a deviljho interrupting a hunt against a tarrasque

    • @dancorps1388
      @dancorps1388 8 років тому +17

      DarrylCross you enter the boss room to find many corpses and a deviljho

    • @jemm113
      @jemm113 8 років тому +3

      Better yet: foreshadow the appearing of a Deviljho with a jar of Deviljho's Extra Fancy Frisch-Gherkins

    • @noszelias
      @noszelias 8 років тому +4

      there are monster sheets for mh monsters, you just gonna search them out. In one campaign I ended up fighting a tigrex (and killed him by putting an greataxe in his skull)

    • @ThePanguinator
      @ThePanguinator 7 років тому +2

      It actually shouldn't be too hard to come up with custom monsters. I'm pretty sure you could just come up with a Deviljho using the system.

  • @N00BSYBORG
    @N00BSYBORG 8 років тому +34

    I get the sneaking suspicion that my "hit the thing" strategy wouldn't work out so well in one of Jared's campaigns.

    • @The15thpaladin
      @The15thpaladin 8 років тому +7

      N00BSYBORG
      it is all about HOW you want to hit them, friend.

    • @N00BSYBORG
      @N00BSYBORG 8 років тому +11

      The15thpaladin And then I died trying to suplex the dragon.

    • @The15thpaladin
      @The15thpaladin 8 років тому +7

      N00BSYBORG
      "Then the Dragonborn Paladin leapt from the ledge, driving the pick of his warhammer into the flying demon, crushing the demonic ribcage upon landing on the ground. He then died, after being swarmed by the hoards of other demons who were really scared of a holy lizard."

    • @Skallva
      @Skallva 7 років тому +1

      +N00BDYBORG
      I think you're playing a LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITLE bit too much FFVI.

  • @scizorking938
    @scizorking938 8 років тому +65

    Gonna play D and D for the first time in 3 days. Wish me luck.

    • @kungfudragon321
      @kungfudragon321 8 років тому +16

      quick tip: kill things while not dying in the process. and also hope that the dice don't hate you.

    • @nicolaswarren3453
      @nicolaswarren3453 8 років тому +1

      DM or Player?

    • @scizorking938
      @scizorking938 8 років тому +1

      Nicolas Warren Player

    • @nicolaswarren3453
      @nicolaswarren3453 8 років тому +6

      Nice! Have fun and may your rolls be ever natural!

    • @hiygamer
      @hiygamer 8 років тому

      Hope you have a great time. Any idea what kind of character you're going to play?

  • @geminijoule5522
    @geminijoule5522 8 років тому +2

    I was LITERALLY looking this up last night because im planning my first campaign and game ever, thanks Jared!!!

  • @U.Inferno
    @U.Inferno 8 років тому +43

    "Being protected by a Zynogre"
    Mixing games and genres are we now Jared...

  • @KHitsuga
    @KHitsuga 8 років тому +16

    "YARG! Nom nom nom!" ProJared 2016 quote of the year.

  • @thomasjenkins7506
    @thomasjenkins7506 8 років тому +43

    i always found it better to design the entire dungeon before ever placing enemies. fill it out with rooms so the dungeon is something that people actually live and operate in rather than a series of encounters.

    • @an1m8r
      @an1m8r 8 років тому +8

      This trips me up. Jared's earlier ones are good, but I find it really hard to know why there's a bottomless pit with a landbridge over it in this cave or whatever.

    • @thomasjenkins7506
      @thomasjenkins7506 8 років тому +8

      Stephen
      i won't say i've never used a narrow landbridge in a cave because it can work. i just would have put it somewhere other than where the final boss is, like near the entrance. if i was a final boss, i wouldn't want the enemy to go 3/4 into my home before they hit a choke point. i'd want to keep them out period. i wouldn't want to have to cross it every time i leave my throne room, either.
      i just never wanted my dungeons, caves, and keeps to feel like something designed to challenge the players. i want them to be some place those npcs have to actively defend, scheme, and otherwise live.

    • @JulzarMoonstone
      @JulzarMoonstone 8 років тому +4

      Yeah designing the dungeon first is the way to go. Since it gives you a better idea on what kind of monsters to add in, and how they'll interact with the environment. Gonna put a narrow unstable bridge? Sounds like a good place to add Grells. Have a pressure plate that drops a portcullis in front of the party? Putting goblin archers on the other side makes them more likely to trigger it.

    • @chromiumex2384
      @chromiumex2384 8 років тому +4

      From a game designers percpective, designing dungeons is super fun. One thing I do in my games is make the level seem like a liveable, created enviroment, or naturaul, but design them in such a way that it would never be a thing in real life. Design it just linear enough to guid the players, while adding some larger exploration to give the players a since od accomplishment. Great vid, by the way.

    • @thomasjenkins7506
      @thomasjenkins7506 8 років тому

      GamerKingNation
      designing the towns, dungeons, castles, map, etc. is easily the most fun part of building a campaign.

  • @doctornorth6419
    @doctornorth6419 8 років тому +52

    Last time I was this early, I still had friends to play dnd with....

    • @oxiclean4x
      @oxiclean4x 8 років тому

      Tim Thomas shut the fuck up. early jokes arent funny

    • @jackmanleblanc2518
      @jackmanleblanc2518 8 років тому +3

      It's okay. I never had any in the first place so I haven't gotten a chance to play yet at all lol

    • @chaddixon9764
      @chaddixon9764 8 років тому +5

      Jackman LeBlanc Try roll20.net

    • @pokemonduck
      @pokemonduck 8 років тому

      Try not back-stabbing them next time C:

    • @fan9775
      @fan9775 7 років тому

      Red Leader Is..is that Turd fom Edd'sWorld?

  • @That_Alex
    @That_Alex 8 років тому +53

    And what if he also has this um.. ZINOGRE! *dies laughing*

  • @Nirakolov
    @Nirakolov 8 років тому +3

    Ok, I was busy typing on Reddit so I was only partially paying attention to the video - so I was imagining this encounter with kobolds and then an Ogre shows up, because I heard zinogre and just assumed Ogre... so when I tabbed back to the video and saw ZINOGRE I was just like "Geez, this battle escalated"

  • @4u5t
    @4u5t 8 років тому

    This video actually really inspired me.
    I've been working on a fantasy world for D&D for a really long time, but almost all my work has gone into story and lore.
    I knew my encounters should be compelling and engaging, but I hadn't given them much thought or planned them out.
    Now I'm actually excited to create interesting and creative encounters.

  • @RocketarmsMedia
    @RocketarmsMedia 8 років тому

    I tend to ask myself 3 things when developing an area: background, environment, and interactions. The background helps determine why the enemies are located there, giving some story. Like the video, what common (or uncommon) objects exist in the environment, and how is the layout different from similar encounters. And again, just like the video, how can the party interact with the world around them; burning braziers, swinging across chasms, or propelling party members with catapults followed by a player's feather fall.
    Great video to help any Dungeon Master (and love the extra MH bit near the end).

  • @tonyhakston536
    @tonyhakston536 8 років тому +3

    I like that support pillar thing from early on, because if a party member happens to have any explosives, well... you know what I'm getting at.

  • @jacksonparham2576
    @jacksonparham2576 8 років тому

    Jared I'm loving these tutorial vids. As someone who DMed when all of my friends got into Dnd at the same time, I can say definitively these help out for people like us who didn't have an experienced player helping out. Can't wait for next December!

  • @aquin3066
    @aquin3066 8 років тому +5

    Jared should gather the Normal Boots crew up and DM a D&D game. But get costumes and props, sort of like what the Yogcast guys did for Yogquest.

  • @Shmandalf
    @Shmandalf 8 років тому

    Some really good tips here, I employ a lot of the same things when designing my encounters. Recently the party was sent to get a man's family back from a tribe of barbarians, and to get to their village they had to go into a small connecting cave, which had a bridge over an abyss similar to what Jared was talking about here. You're damn right they thought about cutting the bridge if they had to. The warlock also tried to poison their stew while using an illusion to disguise himself, but the chief caught on and won his checks, so that didn't work out too well, and our paladin almost got cut down because of it.
    So yeah, just little things are what make the game and experience great. I love thinking on my feet and my players constantly throw me for a loop, been such a blast.

  • @brandoncoles3211
    @brandoncoles3211 8 років тому +40

    AND THEN A ZINOGRE SHOWS UP!! XD

    • @XylonLionheart
      @XylonLionheart 8 років тому +3

      Could be worse. He could've pulled a Qurupeco and summoned a Deviljho.

    • @brandoncoles3211
      @brandoncoles3211 8 років тому +1

      This is also true lol

  • @predcon1
    @predcon1 8 років тому +8

    "The Theatre of Your Mind..." -ProJared, final words of 2016

  • @fgregerfeaxcwfeffece
    @fgregerfeaxcwfeffece 8 років тому +2

    Your D&D Stuff is actually one of my favourite types of projared content.
    So i really appreciate D&D-cember.

  • @PhoenixFireZero
    @PhoenixFireZero 8 років тому +3

    I believe you should do these outside of December. You are a very good teacher.

  • @liquifieddonatsu1423
    @liquifieddonatsu1423 8 років тому

    Thank you so, so much for this Jared! I'm an aspiring DM, since I love putting my creativity to use with games like D&D. And sure, being a player is fun, but I still want to create more than just my character. I want to create a world for my players to enjoy to the utmost extent! So, all of these tips are extremely helpful for me, who doesnt think as tactically as I probably should whilst making encounters.

  • @Merrsharr
    @Merrsharr 8 років тому +1

    Also: consider what the enemies are doing before the party shows up.
    Kobolds are seemingly having dinner, but depending on the amount of noise the party makes, they may already take combat position before the door opens

  • @Aaron_Djela
    @Aaron_Djela 5 років тому +1

    these videos about D&D are sooo cool!!! I just watch them now and it's amazing Jared. I hope you'll do a D&December for this year because it's really great. I love you man

  • @BHRaccoon
    @BHRaccoon 8 років тому

    This was fantastic! Thank you so much for doing this :) I've been a DM for a few years now, and I still struggle to make encounters more interesting than just "Side A: Attack -> Side B: Attack" by the end of it. It's especially tough when my non-combat oriented players complain about their attacks being weak and I need to find something for them to do during the fight. The water room was especially creative for multiple party playstyles! I do hope you do this again and more things like this. DMing tips are never unappreciated!

  • @thoventhegamer1526
    @thoventhegamer1526 8 років тому

    I always try to add a dynamic of the encounter that changes halfway through. For example, in one combat your fighting a couple guards in a sub-terrain storage room. Halfway through the fight, a giant spider bursts from a chamber blocked off earlier! This adds a whole new dynamic to the fight, and the PC's can then go explore the tunnel revealed by the spider.

  • @solblackguy
    @solblackguy 8 років тому

    You would love Shadowrun, Jared. The amount of open ended encounters you can generate in that game are ridiculous. Not only do you have to worry about the battlefield, but if you have a decker in the group, you have to deal withe the matrix as another plane of existence. I did a run where me and my friends were raiding a corp building that we all had to branch off and navigate certain areas with any and almost all special abilities. I hacked the security system, but kept getting blocked off by throttled internet so the shaman who was the face of the group had to infiltrate the building and go to the corresponding floor to hit the different server arrays while the street samurai, adept, and mage fought their way through the parking garage, running distraction, but constantly on the move to keep the security busy.
    It was a deep, intricate and tactical campaign done by a first-timer, but the most fun I ever had.

  • @Elizair213
    @Elizair213 8 років тому +23

    If we kill Zinogre in this scenario, do we get the carves?

  • @giovannirocket9954
    @giovannirocket9954 8 років тому +71

    The six dislikes are the kobolds from the first room.

    • @PuckisWasTaken
      @PuckisWasTaken 6 років тому +3

      They brought friends.

    • @luckycapgaming5957
      @luckycapgaming5957 5 років тому

      A whole extra 60, as of Jan. 22, 2018 at 1:31 New York time zone

    • @fenylzero
      @fenylzero 3 роки тому

      Looks like their numbers are multiplying by the dozen

  • @samantics4366
    @samantics4366 8 років тому

    Good points on using the environment as a challenge in the encounter. I've read over many encounters in campaign books and modules that are just there without any context or flavor. I definitely agree with changing things up to be more challenging. Also, make sure all your players can do something in combat. It is heart breaking to fell left out when initiative starts, but as a DM keep that in mind especially when you have large parties.

  • @OmegaEnvych
    @OmegaEnvych 8 років тому

    I remember one really interesting encounter. We were playing 4th edition D&D with around Level 12-13 party. We were trying to stop a disease, called "Ash Plague" which has plagued most of the continent's northern forest. It was infesting on all life - trees, bushes, animals, giant spiders etc. Basically infected creatures were turning into ash slowely. My Shardmind wizard got infected and was constantly slowed, but we managed to get to the place where infestation started. What we found, was a giant hole in the ground, that was leading to the Ash demiplane (Basically a portal there) and a giant Mushroom that was infected by demiplane's natural magical radiation. So, we had a giant room with several areas where we were jumping around and this whole mushroom colony was constantly sending infected creatures against us, while the "Boss" itself was super-passive (It was gigantic mushroom after all). It was actually really fun fight. So fun, that I used parts of it in some of my games later - like fight over bottomless pit in my Megaman X/Zero RPG where party was fighting against reploid, named Puppeteer Spider, who was constantly moving over her web, was destroing it for party and creating new for herself. And was also shooting her body parts (Spider legs and her humanoid legs later) as well as mechaniloids at party.

  • @pastaking3639
    @pastaking3639 8 років тому

    I love watching these videos. As an aspiring DM's my mind races with cool things to do when I finally get to be a DM.

  • @GRex7777
    @GRex7777 8 років тому

    you have no idea how helpful this video is. I've not had...too much trouble DMing so far, and can even reskin/customize creatures decently, but I'm never sure how many to throw in and such, so this is gonna help like nuts.

  • @almightyk11
    @almightyk11 6 років тому

    I was going to be running a game soon, and thought I should come back and rewatch these guides for help and inspiration.
    I don't regret it.
    Inspiring as always Jared

  • @little_isalina
    @little_isalina 8 років тому +2

    This video is excellent. Something not only new DMs can learn from.

  • @Mellion555
    @Mellion555 8 років тому +43

    So I'm guessing a Zynogre would be a land dragon capable of using both electric spells and Monk skills?
    edit: and is always accompanied by a full orchestra of bards to play its battle theme, which gives it stat boosts so long as they're playing. :3

    • @dracokitty7113
      @dracokitty7113 6 років тому +2

      Go bug nets

    • @mattp2788
      @mattp2788 6 років тому

      @@Shemegory now I want a Monster hunter type DnD game.

  • @ShadowEclipex
    @ShadowEclipex 8 років тому +6

    I really want to do a Legend of Zelda D&D campaign!

  • @Argetlam3002
    @Argetlam3002 8 років тому

    Jared, I always love your D&December videos, you're great to listen to and very informative. I honestly wish you would make more of these outside of just December, I'd probably watch all of them.

  • @KaessirAddaj
    @KaessirAddaj 8 років тому

    This is exactly what I needed, thank you so much ProJared, I'm gonna have a session tomorrow as a DM and I had no idea how to deal with encounters to make them more interesting. I really wish there were more D&December left, can't wait for next years episodes!

  • @arrowsmith000
    @arrowsmith000 8 років тому

    Legitimately very helpful. I've played a lot over the years but only in the last 8 months or so started DMing. It's definitely a bit difficult to get used to but tips like these will go along way so thanks Jared!

  • @Drowmerc
    @Drowmerc 8 років тому

    Thanks for this video I've been a DM on and off for around 18 years now, and I have to admit making combat encounters non standard has always been a bit of a weakness These are certainly some good points.

  • @renav.3239
    @renav.3239 8 років тому

    Hey Jared!
    I recently purchased the PHB and the DM's guide for 5e on amazon, with the hopes of being a DM with some friends after the holidays. Thank you for this video! Very simple, natural, and intuitive ways to spice up encounters! I'm taking notes!

  • @jeremiahbreitenbach4663
    @jeremiahbreitenbach4663 8 років тому

    I love Volo's Guide to Monsters. I finally got to build an encounter with a Kobold Inventor, kept the frontline fighter sickened by the skunk in a cage, I am so happy the random roll didn't have it spray the kobold. Good times, loving that new book and it has plenty of replacement options for existing encounters.

  • @schwarzerritter5724
    @schwarzerritter5724 8 років тому +103

    Giving a low level wizard the sleep spell is what got Spoony fired from organized play.

    • @Darigan222
      @Darigan222 8 років тому +4

      Lol yea being fair to monster's is apparently bad. By the way I am happy he is continuing his counter monkey series since you brought him up. Also great video as always Projared. Love your videos man.

    • @danielgehring7437
      @danielgehring7437 8 років тому +18

      It was more the one wizard who went around killing the sleeping party than the fact that they were sleeping, but the real problem was actually the Charm Person (that charmed the thief). A 2 vs. 4 fight against a bunch of spent mages would have been much easier to deal with than the clusterfuck 1 vs. 5 "and oh yeah you can't kill one of them" fight that ensued.
      One of the most common pieces of DM advice you'll find is that you shouldn't really even consider removing the autonomy of the players at all with spells like Charm Person, and especially not at such low levels and in a combat situation. It's just no fun and no fair, and that story is a great example of why it doesn't even really fit in for NPC motivations to use it: the wizards wanted to _kill_ the party, not turn them into unwilling slaves.

    • @SilverFoxR
      @SilverFoxR 8 років тому +1

      Yes... but if you'll recall, the fight was pathetically easy. Their prior spells were all Magic Missile, which wouldn't have done enough damage combined to kill a single player. These were three mages going up against a party of 6, three of which were speciality priests and the remaining characters were a wizard, a thief and a fighter. Even if it was an even 3 on 3 battle, the party would have curb-stomped the wizards. Just changing the spells each of the wizards had changed the battle and, like Spoony said, it ultimately came down to the dice, which he got a really good roll with.
      His whole "leaping wizards" video was pretty apt - the RPGA are pretty hand-holdy and there needs to be some risk of death in an adventure... otherwise, there's barely a conflict and it's pretty boring overall. That is, however, unless the adventure is designed in where you don't want your party to lose by death and want to play with them on a more personal level. Call of Cthulu, for example, is more about madness than death. Or, perhaps you want to see the players fail their quest instead of killing them... either corrupting them into monsters or even turning them against each other, thus the most dangerous enemy to face is themselves

    • @danielgehring7437
      @danielgehring7437 8 років тому +4

      Shrug. If you already have experience with the game, then essentially you're not in the RPGA's demographic. The harsh truth is it's geared almost exclusively towards younger players and people who can't find a group.. that's why there wasn't already a table at the 'Con, because nobody who could wrangle up a game at their own kitchen tables would waste time with it. It's _supposed_ to be a saccharine experience to entice new players to go out, buy the books, and find their own groups to provide them with a meatier challenge. Getting mad because they're making it too easy is a little bit too much like buying a copy of Kirby's Count to One Two Three and then bitching because it's not a gritty, realistic first person shooter giving you the challenges you're up to. That's not the company's fault.
      That being said, I don't disapprove of Spoony's choices or him killing off the party or anything, I just think that in his shoes I probably would have tried to build tension with, say, Dancing Lights or something rather than using up a spell slot to make two strangers pretend fight each other.

    • @Darigan222
      @Darigan222 8 років тому

      Daniel Gehring Wel I don't do RPGA's myself. I did do one organized group that went badly. I had one guy who was this teifling magus who boasted he was the son of the devil to everyone, which honestly if you do good luck dealing with every paladin and their mother trying to hunt you down and slaughter your ass. He used a silence spell on my character just because I wanted to stand on the front lines as a fighter, because he should be on the fronts lines as he is more important and he should lead, meanwhile I just did that to get closer to the action. Then in the middle of a fight in close quaters this asshat threw multiple fireball spells hitting us along with the enemy and ended up knocking out my character, not killing him though, but still afterwards I didn't go back. Its a team game, and if you rather be an ass who cares only for your glory then there is a problem. That's the problem with D&D players to me no matter which edition I play, yes I played AD&D edition 1 as well, most people just seem to glory hound, and not focus on the RP part of it, yet these same people bitch when 4th edition was made for these guys. Listen if you are that guy who dumpstats charisma for no other reason than it doesn't help me kill things faster then go play 4th. Its more balanced for people like that so they aren't breaking the game with their overly min maxed characters and so others can play and have fun.

  • @RagbagMcShag
    @RagbagMcShag 8 років тому +8

    Lmao the freaking Zinogre made me laugh too hard

  • @marcellocarvalho4491
    @marcellocarvalho4491 8 років тому

    You really inspired me to begin DM. It was not this video in particular, but all DnDecember. thx for doing this series

  • @djd40000
    @djd40000 8 років тому +11

    'he is also protected... by a zinogre'
    because why the ever loving fuck not?

  • @EmperorNeuro220
    @EmperorNeuro220 7 років тому

    Solid advice, especially the part about expecting your party to do things you'd never expect them to. Not sure how one plans for their warlock turning the rest of the party into T-Rexes, but it sure made the Gore Magala encounter that much more entertaining.

  • @KamenRiderGreed
    @KamenRiderGreed 8 років тому

    Thank you so much, I needed this video in my life, I've not been playing the DM for vary long, so I had been having trouble coming up with interesting, and more importantly difficult encounters for my party, with this, you've exposed to me a whole new dimension of encounter creation, I cant wait to use these techniques the next time that I meet with my group.

  • @TheWasprevan
    @TheWasprevan 8 років тому

    im LOVING these videos, i wasnt watching you for last years but i caught myself up and you honestly get me SO HYPED to try D&D. Youre doing an amazing job with them and i hope theres afew more left.

  • @andrejewell7698
    @andrejewell7698 8 років тому

    jared. Thank you so much for your help and guidance. I've learned so much from D & December. Im now in a campaign with a couple of friends in a homebrew of 5th edition. im a dragonborn paladin and i juat took my oath of the ancients.

  • @happyhealsgaming7614
    @happyhealsgaming7614 2 роки тому

    One thing I did in the Lost Mines of Phandalver encounter with the Cragmaw Hideout cave.
    Our adventurers reached there, took out the lookout, and before we went in, it started raining heavily. We got into the cave, and using the sound of heavy rain fall we managed to sneak past the first 3 wolves in the cave since they wanted to try and rest.
    After clearing out the cave, all that was left was a bugbear, his pet wolf and 2 goblins, easy encounter yes?
    Well put a small twist where as soon as the combat started, the Bugbears wolf let out a loud howl in teh cave, and while the adventurers were fighting, the 3 wolves from teh entrance actually broke their rusty chains, and ran AROUND the cave to flank the adventurers. What made it more interesting was, the Prisoner they saved, the adventurers at first had him stay behind just outside of the encounter, but when our Fighter realized the wolves were coming, he instead grabbed the prisoner and pushed him into a nook far away, and instead got ready for the flanking wolves, for a moment leaving only 3 adventurers to fight the 2 goblins, bugbear and the wolf.
    It was actually a small but very interesting engagement, that feeling of "Ok, we HAVE to take out as much as possible before the reinforcement comes!" feeling.

  • @heyheythrowaway
    @heyheythrowaway 8 років тому +13

    Zinogre? Now I want a pencil and paper game based on monhun!

    • @mageofvoid4282
      @mageofvoid4282 8 років тому +1

      i once offered the idea to one of my hunter friends of making MH enimes in pathfinder but it never went anywhere

    • @zeph769
      @zeph769 8 років тому

      I just want to have a Mizutsune fight. I love those things.

    • @JamesTheCelestial
      @JamesTheCelestial 7 років тому

      once I get into DnD, I will make a homebrew monster hunter campaign. i'm trying to think of how to do it.
      i'm thinking of the return of the Frenzy Virus or something. maybe the Shagaru magala the main character slew in 4U already laid its egg for the century, and the egg gets mutated into hatching faster? I don't know how i'll do it, quite frankly. I just want to involve Gore Magala or at least Apex monsters somehow. and as another commenter further down suggested to another, I suppose for breakable parts you just need to treat the parts as different targets.

  • @StiusMarton
    @StiusMarton 8 років тому

    I just started being the DM for my group, this is very helpful. I love the elemental aspects

  • @MrShaunGamez
    @MrShaunGamez 7 років тому +1

    "Let's say you're party is level 4, they've got a bit of experience, they can probably fend off a larger foe. So let's throw a Terrasque at them to introduce them to fear."

    • @alucardbunche4197
      @alucardbunche4197 3 роки тому

      Terrasque are not that scary anymore when you know what you are doing

  • @pokemonduck
    @pokemonduck 8 років тому +1

    Gonna miss these awesome videos come january

  • @TFalconwing
    @TFalconwing 8 років тому

    Elevation and depth are two things I rarely see DMs implement to combat encounters. I understand that it can be difficult to represent on a game mat, but high and low ground are staple tactical features of all battlefields and there's a number of things you can do with them.

  • @BewbsOP
    @BewbsOP 8 років тому +10

    monster hunter monsters in d&d, count me in!

  • @Redgerman1
    @Redgerman1 7 років тому

    When your adventures steal a cannon and bring it every where every encounter is interesting. When the paladin cleric and monk use 4 week long rests to bless and enchant it you get even more interesting.

  • @LeviathanLP
    @LeviathanLP 8 років тому +2

    When you pulled out the Zinogre I was like "Whoa, can he do that?!"

  • @Latino-Gamer
    @Latino-Gamer 8 років тому

    This is one of my favorite D&Dcember videos you've ever done. I'd love to see more of these DM advice type of videos in the future. Thanks a lot, Jared!

  • @794_
    @794_ 8 років тому

    This was incredibly informative! I'm a DM and as you were expressing ideas to do, you were saying things I had just thought of moments before. Of course, you still said a lot of things I wouldn't think of, and that will be very useful to implement in future campaigns!

  • @Duchess_Van_Hoof
    @Duchess_Van_Hoof 8 років тому

    You (ProJared) and the commenters have convinced me to purchase some 5th edition books when I have fortified my Pathfinder collection a little bit. Seems like they deserve the monetary support for a product well made. And that it could help giving a fresh feel to the dungeoning and dragoning.

  • @AlluMan96
    @AlluMan96 8 років тому +2

    This was actually very good timing. I've been planning to DM for some time now and as a matter of fact, I may end up DMing for a specific party of 3. While I have thought about alot of these things myself, it's good to see it displayed in a practice. One thing I've also thought about;
    Even for filler-fights, I wanna try and make a story built around it. Like the house with the Kobolds. Perhaps they had a reason to be there, even if it contributes nothing to what is going on in the story. Maybe they are this band of thieves that were looting the place and as the party fights, these Kobolds can exchange banter between each other or towards the party. These guys could then become a re-occuring group. This goofy band of comedic villains, always getting into trouble and bumping into the party.
    Just to make encouters that much more memorable.

    • @reddragon8167
      @reddragon8167 8 років тому

      A quick and easy tip is to give your random encounters context.
      "You see Monster X" < "You see Monster X eating the corpse of a bear. It has a wicked cut on its face, fresh with blood."
      It makes it feel like there is an outside world going on and that the monsters didn't just pop into existence right when the players entered a room.
      "Up ahead, you hear yipping coming from behind an overturned cart. A kobold leaps on top, spies your party, and draws a scimitar as it alerts the rest of the scaly raiders."
      "You see two snoozing ogres lying against each other in front of a cave, barely covered by a tiny blanket. One of them appears to be using a large club as a pillow."

    • @AlluMan96
      @AlluMan96 8 років тому +2

      Red Dragon
      Exactly. Just give the monsters something to do. Instead of dungeons just being a place that houses a boss fight, build something of an event that's going on, maybe something that isn't even directly related to your main quest.
      Like if you're going to a fortress inhabited by bandits to get back a powerful magic artifact, don't just have them bumming around in random rooms. Think about what bandits would do after a successful heist; Most likely celebrating. As you enter the outskirts of the fortress, you see a wagon of stolen foods being pushed inside. When you're at the fortress, you can overhear a great feast going on in one of the rooms. Maybe the guards outside are groggy about not attending the party inside. If your group has people that are good with disguises, let the players even go and attend the party if they want to.
      Speaking of such, another thing is to not make every fight mandatory. Give players an option to avert a battle and seek different options around that. Cut off an enemy group approaching via bridge. Let the party disguise as members of whatever dastardly group you're up against, maybe letting that caged Owlbear loose could clear a room or 2 of enemies and sometimes, the enemy can be reasonable, someone you can bribe, decieve, convince to surrender/cooperate or run an errand for.
      Those are things I'm considering whenever I think about how I'd make a D&D campaign.

  • @MHMistol
    @MHMistol 8 років тому +3

    I see a zinorgre in the video, I like it, anyway this video is pretty nice to see what an encounter and the statistic feel to it

  • @ZorotheGallade
    @ZorotheGallade 8 років тому +4

    For me, it was Drow.
    Drow are fun to fight. Mainly because they're assholes, snobby and
    completely batshit crazy evil, doing all sorts of inhuman experiments
    and rituals, so every time you get to murder a few, it feels good and
    anyone on the good side of the morality scale will think you did a good
    thing.
    And also, they all carry potent knockout poison, which gives you one
    save to avoid becoming unconscious for one minute and then another to
    not be knocked out for hours, and are proficient in its use. Meaning a
    couple of drow scouts with hand crossbows and a few bolts dipped in it
    can down an entire party if the saving throws aren't merciful.
    Also, Drow are always looking to take prisoners to mutate with their experiments or sacrifice to their gods. Thus I gave all of them a rope and an Oil of Levitation so they could capture unconscious party members and carry them easily. The one they managed to partly drag away, a barbarian with an oversized sword, was pretty scared. The others saw the drow pulling a floating barbarian, sleeping like a baby, hugging a gigantic sword like a pillow, trailing it behind himself like a helium balloon.
    Yeah, it was funny.
    And the other who got tranquilized was the Paladin. During the surprise round. The crossbow does the minimal damage of 1, but he fails the Fortitude save. He has the time to say "Huh, I felt a prick" and comes crashing down.

  • @zerocool8218
    @zerocool8218 8 років тому

    This was a good watch, i have been really enjoying the D&December videos so far. This and the one about making a character are awesome they are really good to be able to share with friends who maybe haven't been doing this for as long as i have and just want to learn a bit more. Keep up the good work Jared!

  • @johnsourvelis2415
    @johnsourvelis2415 8 років тому +37

    Please make more DnD videos besides DnDecember

  • @thisisthelukas
    @thisisthelukas Рік тому

    Coming back to this video, I have to thank you, Jared. I literally added a Zinogre to my Pathfinder 1e campaign after watching this video years ago, and it's still one of my favorite encounters I've ever run. XD

  • @whycantijusthaveausernameo3993
    @whycantijusthaveausernameo3993 8 років тому +6

    Wow, you really gave me some great ideas I wanna use! Thanks!

  • @russianwhiteandblackbear3617
    @russianwhiteandblackbear3617 8 років тому +93

    What kind of lamination does your battle grid have? Every time I laminate some grid paper the expo markers smudge and bleed through.

    • @projared
      @projared  8 років тому +49

      It's not great TBH. The red, blue and green markers leave smudges of color after cleaning.

    • @XxaxX360
      @XxaxX360 8 років тому +3

      Do you know how best to acquire a laminated battle grid similar in size to the one in the video?

    • @ArtemGlue
      @ArtemGlue 8 років тому +10

      RussianWhiteandBlackBear you can get a plexiglass sheet to lay over the grid

    • @russianwhiteandblackbear3617
      @russianwhiteandblackbear3617 8 років тому

      Well is the one you showed in the video the one that comes in the back of the book or custom made?

    • @bryan8259
      @bryan8259 8 років тому +10

      I use the reversible mega mat by Chessex. You can find them on Amazon. They're pretty great, hexes on one side and squares on the other and you can get them big enough to cover almost an entire dinning room table. They're meant to be used with washable markers, not dry erase, so you can wipe them clean with a damp cloth or even just a licked fingertip. DO NOT use dry erase on them as it'll seep in and never ever come off. Red and brown markers kill them too. Blue and green crayola markers are your best bet.

  • @kyoai
    @kyoai 8 років тому +8

    Greetings from germany. Thank you for this episode. While unfortunately i don't have anyone to play D&D with, i'll use these advices when designing my current computer game i'm working on. :)
    Keep up the good work and have some happy holidays! :D

    • @mothssmeat
      @mothssmeat 8 років тому +2

      There are online ways to play DnD with people :D
      Also, Whats the name of the game you're making?

    • @TheNoble117
      @TheNoble117 7 років тому

      Stefan Hohnwald if you are still interested in d&d Roll20.net is a online d&d site I use it for just about all my campaigns

  • @Rolaric
    @Rolaric 8 років тому

    Your music choice for these is wonderful, really adds a lot.

  • @qqq1701
    @qqq1701 8 років тому +3

    Don't forget the most important thing, go right.

  • @WhatEvenIsThat
    @WhatEvenIsThat 8 років тому +5

    i lost it when he whipped out the zinogre

  • @MrElloitsAlex
    @MrElloitsAlex 8 років тому

    "The big bad guy is also protected by a zinogre", Oh Jared...I'm so hype for Double Cross as well.

  • @Bluemangrup
    @Bluemangrup 8 років тому

    When I make encounters, I have a couple "go in and bleed them" easy fights, just as a way to help the party relax a little. But most of mine are story encounters. For example, the rogue in my group wanted to sleep with the captain of the guard of a foreign land. He shows her around, shows her gold, etc, and tells the barbarian to tell the barkeep to spike the drinks. So, the barbarian writes it down, in his words "as his stupid half-orc self", so the barkeep couldn't read it. Then the barbarian tried to whisper it to the barkeep, but he failed his whisper check and so the party has 8 guards to fight, and they've got the bar to themselves, with the exception of the barkeep and a drunk man who's been there for days. The encounter hasn't happened yet, but they'll need somem luck

  • @TheRealMichelozzo
    @TheRealMichelozzo 8 років тому

    I love converting monsters from other games / making custom monsters to give my encounters some spice. Not to mention a third party who may not immediately be on the party's side, but not on the 'enemy' side either. Makes things interesting.

  • @Bluecho4
    @Bluecho4 8 років тому

    With the encounter in the cave with the chasm, I would maybe create a hidden path through one of the side walls. Another cave that opens up into a little window into the main chamber, that archers or other ranged party members can snipe enemies with from a flanking position.

  • @mittensmacks9239
    @mittensmacks9239 8 років тому

    Yes!! "Even Monsters want to live". Best quote, since it is an oversite I see happen many times.

  • @LadyLunarSatine
    @LadyLunarSatine 8 років тому +1

    If you want to make a memorably frustrating encounter for high levels, have the PCs contend with a blue dragon that uses flesh golems as guardians. One lightning breath is more than enough to bring these things back to full health.

  • @NieroshaiTheSable
    @NieroshaiTheSable 7 років тому

    This is great advice, and something I try to do regularly. My problem, though, is killing the party too easily with relatively weak threats.

  • @potatolord9715
    @potatolord9715 7 років тому

    Thank you for all the d&december tutorial things, I really want to play dungeons and dragons, and these will be super helpful if I'm ever dungeon master

  • @abridgedfan
    @abridgedfan 8 років тому

    I'm not a very experienced player (I've only been in a few campaigns that were either insanely combat heavy with loads of min-maxed characters, or just completely horrible with a terrible DM) but I want to make a story-driven campaign where I'll be the DM. It'll be my first time DMing and I'm making loads of custom content. I'm almost done writing a 45 page player handbook for the campaign, so I'm super excited!
    I've been watching tons of videos about what makes a good DM, because I know a bad and inexperienced DM can ruin a campaign, and I really want to do this right. So I just wanted to say thanks for these videos, Jared. They're a huge help, and give me a lot of insight into things I would've never thought of, especially this video. Thanks so much, and I'm looking forward to the rest of D&December!

    • @Oneiroclast
      @Oneiroclast 8 років тому

      Chances are you're being way too ambitious. You aren't too good to start small.