Michael E. Shea's Blog, page 13

Use a Damage Pool for Lots of Monsters

Sometimes, when running lots of monsters, it's a pain to track the damage done to each monster. Thus, GMs don't tend to run more than sis to eight monsters at a time.

But some of the best fantasy fiction focuses on a small band of heroes facing overwhelming odds. It's a staple in the genre and we want to have that option available to us when running our game.

One tool to manage this problem is the "damage pool" ��� an easy way to track damage being done to as many monsters as you want to throw at the characters. This trick is one part of a larger set of guidelines for running hordes available in the Lazy DM's Companion.

For a video on this topic, see my YouTube video on Running a Damage Pool for Lots of Monsters.

Track Damage in a Damage Pool

Here's how a damage pool works:

Instead of tracking damage done to individual monsters, track damage done to the whole monster group in a single tally ��� the damage pool.Each time the damage pool takes enough damage to kill a single monster, remove the last monster hit and reset the damage pool to zero, rolling over any remaining damage.Round each monster's hit points to the nearest 5 or 10 so the math is easier.If you're running combat in the theater of the mind, track the number of total monsters. Remove monsters from this number as they're killed. If using tokens or miniatures, use the tokens or minis to track the number of monsters.If a creature takes enough damage to kill multiple monsters in group, remove multiple monsters and narrate how the attack kills those extra monsters. Remove whichever monsters you want. Reset the pool.If the horde gets hit with an area of effect doing enough damage to kill a single monster, remove all of the monsters hit by the spell.If the group gets hit with a smaller area of effect spell, like burning hands, multiply the damage by the number of creatures in the area and add the total to the pool, removing monsters when the pool crosses over the hit points of a single monster.Example: Fifty Skeletons

Let's say you're running a battle with 9th level characters who opened up a huge tomb and unleashed fifty skeletons. We round the hit points of each skeleton up to 15 just to keep the math easier. We could lower it to 10 hit points if we wanted them to drop faster.

Our fighter hacks at the skeletons twice, using power attack. On the first hit, she does 22 damage. That hit hews down one skeleton, and carries 7 damage over in the damage pool. Her next swing hits for 25 damage. This second attack brings the damage pool to 32 �����enough to kill two skeletons. We remove the two nearest skeletons, reset the pool to zero, and carry over the remaining 2 damage.

Now the wizard drops a fireball into a horde of the skeletons. The resulting inferno likely kills all of the skeletons in the blast, so we remove them all as their burning bones fly through the air. No math needed �����just colorful narrative.

If the wizard instead fires off burning hands for 10 damage against four skeletons, we multiply the damage by the number of monsters hit �����a total of 40 damage. We remove two skeletons and carry over the remaining 10 damage to the pool. If that remainder was enough to kill a third skeleton, we kill three and reset the pool once again.

Explain the System to Your Players

When you're running a new system like this one, describe it to your players so they won't be surprised. When you've used it enough, players understand how a damage pool differs from damage done to individual monsters. It often benefits them so players aren't likely to complain.

Why Not Minions?

Some GMs prefer the 4th edition style of "minions" which have only 1 hit point. If a minion is struck with a successful attack or fails a saving throw, it dies. While this shortcut is simple to use, it tends to make monsters too weak. The damage pool solves this issue by giving monsters the same hit points they have as individual monsters but an easier way to track the damage done to the group.

A Tool for Fantastic Storytelling

This damage pool concept goes hand-in-hand with other techniques for running hordes such as managing multiple attacks and multiple saving throws. The damage pool, however, works well on its own to manage tracking damage even when you have lots of monsters on the table.

Related ArticlesRunning Hordes: The Lazy Way to Run Lots of D&D MonstersMob Damage Calculator for 5e Dungeons & Dragons Tracking Combat in D&DGet More from Sly FlourishArticlesNewsletterBookstorePatreonPodcastYouTubeBuy Sly Flourish's Books Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Lazy DM's Companion Lazy DM's Workbook Forge of Foes Fantastic Lairs Ruins of the Grendleroot Fantastic Adventures Fantastic Locations

Have a question or want to contact me? Check out Sly Flourish's Frequently Asked Questions.

Building a D&D Situation ��� Castle Orzelbirg from Empire of the Ghouls

I love running situation-based RPG sessions. A situation-based session is one in which the GM sets up the situation at a location and lets the characters navigate the situation as the players wish, while inhabitants of the location react to the actions of the characters. The easiest way to think of a situation is a heist, even if the characters aren't trying to steal anything.

When prepping a situation, build the following components:

The location. Where is this situation taking place? Often it's a big location like a castle, a manor, a bunch of caves, a lair, or a dungeon. We ensure the location has multiple ways in and multiple ways to move throughout it.The inhabitants. Who resides at the location? These residents might be guards, villagers, cultists, or whoever populates the location. Some denizens might be powerful and hostile. Some locals might just be the serving staff or non-combatant villagers. Some areas of the location might have intelligent and organized creatures while others have nasty monsters or ravenous undead. This presents a good mix of options the characters can choose from when dealing with the inhabitants. Few adventurers try to negotiate with an otyugh.Behaviors. What are the inhabitants actually doing here? What patterns do they follow? What would they be doing if the characters weren't here? Knowing what their normal behavior is will help us determine what happens when the characters start doing things.The goal. Why would the characters come here? What do they want? Are they trying to steal something? Recover something? Save someone? Stop a ritual? Give the characters a reason to come to that location and set measures for success other than killing everything.Potential complications. What complications might take place? Is someone big and powerful returning soon? Is another group trying to steal the same thing? What might shake things up in the middle? These complications help shift the course of the situation as it plays out in ways no one can predict.

Once we've planned this situation, let the characters learn about location and inhabitants, and allow the characters to reinforce their goal. Then, during the session, we let the players choose their characters' approach and enjoy the outcome.

Setting Up Castle Orzelbirg

In Empire of the Ghouls, Castle Orzelbirg is a keep overtaken by servants of the vampire King Lucan. In my running of the adventure, I determined that it's inhabited by followers of Hristina, duchess and grand marshall of Karakva.

Location. Castle Orzelbirg is a keep on a rocky hill above the broken town of Orzelbirg whose people felt the claws and teeth of Hristina's forces at their throats for years. They're a broken people going about their days trying not to think about the oncoming night. The castle is well fortified with guard towers, an outer wall, an inner wall, and a central keep. A well in the inner courtyard leads to a series of caves in which servants of the Red Priestesses throw failed experiments. These cast-asides become beggar ghouls, wandering the caves and seeking any living creature to devour.

Inside the castle is a mess hall, a dungeon, and a chapel in which the resident high priestess of the Red Mother conducts her rituals. There's a bunch of other rooms you'd expect in such a place which are outlined in the adventure so I didn't need to prep them.

Inhabitants. The current inhabitants of Castle Orzelbirg include:

36 conscripts (guards)8 men-at-arms (veterans)3 ghost knights (the high lord, the master at arms, and the third in command)A high priestess of the Red MotherSix cult fanatics of the Red MotherThree darakhul ambassadors of the Ghoul ImperiumA vampire ambassador of King Lucan12 village servants (commoners)20 beggar ghouls (failed experiments)

You'll notice the challenge rating of the inhabitants ranges from very low CR 1/4 guards to CR 8 vampires and ghost knights. Just because the characters are 6th level doesn't mean the guards all turn into veterans. Killing guards with single attacks is a lot of fun. When they kick in the door to the chapel and see three darakhul (intelligent and powerful ghouls), a vampire, a ghost knight, a high priestess, and six cult fanatics ��� the characters are challenged with a real threat. Facing all these monsters in combat might not be the best solution to the problem.

Behaviors. One of the ghost knights takes four of the men at arms and a dozen conscripts and patrols outside of the castle looking for any trouble. Another dozen of the guards are usually asleep or eating while the remaining dozen conscripts watch the keep's towers and doors. At the time the characters approach, the high priestess, her cult fanatics, the ghouls, the vampire, and the high lord ghost knight are conducting or observing a ceremony in which a powerful warrior of Sif is being transformed into a darakhul. They're all in the chapel. The remaining Sisters of Sif are being held in the dungeon below guarded by two men-at-arms. The caves beneath the keep are filled with beggar ghouls. The ghost knight third in command walks through the halls and outer courtyards of the castle with two men-at-arms keeping an eye on things while the ritual takes place.

The goal. The characters come to Castle Orzelbirg to rescue the kidnapped Sisters of Sif and recover an artifact held by one of them, a reliquary of the holy robes of Sister Adelind. Four of the five sisters are in the dungeon while the fifth is being turned into a darakhul in the central chapel.

Potential complications. The ghost knight patrol could return. Allies of the characters might blow up a granary outside the castle to cause a distraction. The ceremony might cause the ghouls from below to crawl their way to the surface. A commoner cook or housekeeper might see the characters and scream. The ritual could cause arcane instability in the area.

A Blueprint for the Story to Come

With the description above, you can get a general idea of the situation without knowing exactly what the characters are going to do. Maybe they try to stop the ceremony first. Maybe they rescue the other sisters. Do they go in fireballs blazing or sneak inside? Do they pretend to be villagers or guards or do they crawl their way up from the ghoul caves below? We don't know and that's the fun of watching a situation unfold.

Hopefully this gives you a good example how to set up situations so you too can enjoy watching them unfold at the table.

More Sly Flourish Stuff

This week I posted a couple of YouTube videos on Projecting Deadly Battles and Scarlet Citadel prep Session 32.

Last Week's Lazy RPG Talk Show Topics

Each week I record an episode of the Lazy RPG Talk Show (also available as a podcast) in which I talk about all things in tabletop RPGs. Here are last week's topics with time stamped links to the YouTube video:

Sky Zephyrs KickstarterDolmenwood KickstarterShadow of the Weird Wizard KickstarterShadow of the Demon Lord Bundle of HoldingNew Roll 20 D&D Character BuilderCity of Arches OutlandsUncharted Journeys by Cubicle 7 Product SpotlightPatreon Questions and Answers

Also on the Talk Show, I answer questions from Sly Flourish Patreons. Here are last week's questions and answers:

Scarlet Citadel for Shadowdark RPGLooking for System Neutral RPG SettingsDefining My Style of RPGsRPG Tips

Each week I think about what I learned in my last RPG session and write them up as D&D tips. Here are this week's tips:

Consider what you really need for your very next session. Everyone feels nervous before running a game. Remember your friends love you and just want to have a good time. Secrets are the rewards of exploration. Build boss battles around waves of combatants.Give wizards big groups of low hit point monsters to fireball.Give characters who love to crowd control big weak-willed monsters to banish, polymorph, or hypnotize.Give heavy-hitters big low-AC monsters they can tank and cut down.Related ArticlesFocus Your CampaignBuild from the Characters OutwardsHow Do You Feel Rolling a Crit?Get More from Sly FlourishArticlesNewsletterBookstorePatreonPodcastYouTubeBuy Sly Flourish's Books Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Lazy DM's Companion Lazy DM's Workbook Forge of Foes Fantastic Lairs Ruins of the Grendleroot Fantastic Adventures Fantastic Locations

Have a question or want to contact me? Check out Sly Flourish's Frequently Asked Questions.

How Do You Feel Rolling a Crit?

When you roll a critical hit for a monster attacking a character, how do you feel about it? Does it feel awesome? Does it feel like justice? Do you feel guilty about the crit? Do you enjoy the suspense and heightened tension it brings?

What about when players roll a critical hit on a monster? Does their surprising success bring the same level of excitement? Does it make you frown? Do you check your monster stat block to see if there's any way to negate it?

How we feel about critical hits tells us a lot about what sort of approach we have towards the game itself. Are we fans of the characters? If so, we probably enjoy their critical hits and clench our teeth when the monsters return the favor. Do we see them as adversaries? Maybe those character crits don't feel so great if the plans we had for our big monster falls apart when they get squished.

What if you Don't Like the Answer?

What if, in your soul searching about critical hits, you realize character crits make you frown and monster crits make you happy but you wish it weren't so? What can you do about it?

Let go of trying to control the game. Remember that we play to see what happens. We set up situations and let the characters navigate them. We don't dictate a specific outcome. If a player crits and drops a monster early ��� cool!

Show off those awesome character abilities. Use lightning rods to set things up for characters to blow away lots of monsters or banish big ones to the forbidden zone.

Be fans of the characters. Learn about them with campfire tales. Ask for stars and wishes. Talk to your players.

Think about how you feel about critical hits. Think about how you feel about your relationship with the game and with the characters. Are you their adversary or are you their biggest fan?

More Sly Flourish Stuff

This week I posted YouTube videos on Using a Monster Damage Pool in D&D 5e and Scarlet Citadel Prep Session 32.

Last Week's Lazy RPG Talk Show Topics

Each week I record an episode of the Lazy RPG Talk Show (also available as a podcast) in which I talk about all things in tabletop RPGs. Here are last week's topics with time stamped links to the YouTube video:

Flee Mortals For SaleWhere Evil Lives Crowdfunding CampaignFree Giants of the Star Forge Adventure on D&D BeyondShadow of the Weird Wizard Preview2023 Award Winning RPG ProductsNew Starfinder 2 in 2025AI Art Used in Bigby's Glory of the GiantsDon't Forget Why We Love RPGsPatreon Questions and Answers

Also on the Talk Show, I answer questions from Sly Flourish Patreons. Here are last week's questions and answers:

Concerns with Planescape and other WOTC SourcebooksPrep During Long Breaks with Different PlayersBeing Overwhelmed by Huge SourcebooksWhere Do You Get Puzzles?Engaging Players Between SessionsRPG Tips

Each week I think about what I learned in my last RPG session and write them up as D&D tips. Here are this week's tips:

Make NPC names distinct from one another. Select a handful of solid NPC names during prep. Give dungeons multiple potential entrances. Warn players when their characters should get back together after splitting up. Switch regularly between two or more split up groups of characters. Offer options in situations that fit the pillars ��� combat, exploration, or roleplaying. Don't overuse that one well-loved NPC. Related ArticlesGive Boss Monsters Awesome NicknamesTwenty Things to Do Instead of Checking Social MediaBuild from the Characters OutwardsGet More from Sly FlourishArticlesNewsletterBookstorePatreonPodcastYouTubeBuy Sly Flourish's Books Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Lazy DM's Companion Lazy DM's Workbook Forge of Foes Fantastic Lairs Ruins of the Grendleroot Fantastic Adventures Fantastic Locations

Have a question or want to contact me? Check out Sly Flourish's Frequently Asked Questions.

Ask Players to Describe New Character Abilities

Each time characters level up, ask players to describe their characters' new abilities.

One way to make our games great is to regularly talk to our players. I've written before about the value of talking to your players, running a session zero, using pause for a minute, and setting up campfire tales.

Another way to keep our players engaged in the game is to ask them what new abilities their characters picked up when they leveled up.

Like many of the best lazy dungeon master tricks, this idea offers many benefits.

Learn About and Showcase New Character Abilities

Players get excited by their new abilities and want to see them work. When they describe them to you, now you know what they're looking forward to and can build encounters to showcase those new abilities. Write down these skills and spells so you can consider them during your first step, "review the characters", from Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master. How can you give them a chance to use those cool new things they got?

Other Players Learn About those New Abilities

Players often focus on their own characters but they'll listen as other players describe their new abilities. They may come up with fun ways to work together. They might better spread their abilities around if it looks like they're aiming for the same feature or spell. Letting the whole group discuss their new abilities brings them closer together.

You can Audit Character Abilities

This one's a bit of a negative but hearing players talk about their options makes sure everyone understands them. If you're playing with a limited set of sources (a great way to focus a campaign), this review gives you a chance to ensure players choose abilities from the sources selected for the campaign. If you're using new character options from 5e publishers outside of Wizards of the Coast, both you and your players may be unfamiliar with these abilities and you can learn about them together.

You Hear from your Players

Anytime we ask questions like this, we get feedback from our players about the things they're enjoying and maybe the things they're not enjoying. Any chance we have to hear from our players often gives us information we can use to make our game better. This discussion about new abilities is just one opportunity for more dialogue.

Keeping Communication Open

Communication with our players is critical to making our games fun session after session. Each time your characters level up, ask them to describe their new abilities. They'll enjoy talking about them. Other players will enjoy hearing about them. And you'll get brand new ideas on how to make your game even more fun.

More Sly Flourish Stuff

This week I posted a couple of YouTube videos on Experiences Running a Shadowdark RPG 0-Level Gauntlet and Scarlet Citadel Session 31 ��� Lazy GM Prep.

Last Week's Lazy RPG Talk Show Topics

Each week I record an episode of the Lazy RPG Talk Show (also available as a podcast) in which I talk about all things in tabletop RPGs. Here are last week's topics with time stamped links to the YouTube video:

5.1 SRD Released in Four LanguagesShadowdark RPG Game Jam ResultsPathfinder 2 Remaster PreviewMap Crow Uses Forge of Foes and Return of the Lazy Dungeon MasterMoving Things ForwardPatreon Questions and Answers

Also on the Talk Show, I answer questions from Sly Flourish Patreons. Here are last week's questions and answers:

Balancing Spotlight and Player CreativityRecommendations for Nautical Seafaring AdventuresTips for Sci-Fi 5e gamesRPGs that Emphasize Theater of the MindHandling In-World DowntimeRunning Consecutive Campaigns in the Same SettingRPG Tips

Each week I think about what I learned in my last RPG session and write them up as D&D tips. Here are this week's tips:

Share information freely. Tell the players what their characters would know.Mix in opportunities for roleplaying right into combat. Talk while you fight!Keep a list of all those proper names you've been throwing out.Think about what the monuments in your big set-piece battles do.Help the players make important decisions at the end of a session so you know where things are going to go in the next one.Move things forward by summarizing the remaining exploration of a completed dungeon.Tell players when they've fully explored a location.Designate a note taker and treasure keeper.Related ArticlesBuild from the Characters OutwardsGive Boss Monsters Awesome NicknamesCalm Pre-Game Nerves with Session-Focused Character HooksGet More from Sly FlourishArticlesNewsletterBookstorePatreonPodcastYouTubeBuy Sly Flourish's Books Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Lazy DM's Companion Lazy DM's Workbook Forge of Foes Fantastic Lairs Ruins of the Grendleroot Fantastic Adventures Fantastic Locations

Have a question or want to contact me? Check out Sly Flourish's Frequently Asked Questions.

Understanding the Six Truths of Your Campaign Setting

Joshua, a [Patreon of Sly Flourish] asks:

I'm having trouble squaring the Six Truths about a world with not providing spoilers to the players. What if one or more of the truths are entirely unknown to the characters? What if one of the Truths is also one of the Secrets/Clues within the campaign? I don't see how a DM should share that in a session zero without "giving away too much."

For reference, chapter 16 of [Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master] describes using "truths" of a campaign world to help you and your players focus on what makes this particular campaign different from others. These truths are known facts about the world. You know them. Your players know them. Their characters know them.

These truths aren't the same thing as [secrets and clues] which are bits of more specific information the characters might learn in the next session you run. Secrets and clues aren't known until the characters discover them. They don't even become true until the characters learn them.

If there are secrets about your campaign world that the characters don't know, exclude them from your list of truths. Those secrets are better kept in your own brain. You might be tempted to write out and plan the revalation of big campaign secrets but I recommend against it. These big secrets aren't real yet. You might change your mind as the campaign moves forward. Focus that energy on the things your players and their characters are going to see in the next session you're going to run.

Example Truths from 5e Campaigns

Below you'll find example truths from my [one page campaign guides] I give to players before we start a new campaign.

If you're familiar with these campaigns, you'll see these "truths" aren't the same as secrets and clues. They help players understand what's going on in the world but they don't tell them the whole story.

Campaign truths summarize the main points of your campaign you want your players and their characters to know as they begin a campaign. Secrets and clues are the elements of the story and the world the characters might discover as they explore the world around them.

Truths from Wild Beyond the WitchlightThe Witchlight Carnival comes to your land only once every eight years. A few days later, it disappears.The Carnival is said to visit many worlds and rides the edge of the border between the world and the realm of the fey - the Feywild.The Feywild is beset by a strange corruption. Some folks believe this corruption is a collision of the realm of the Fey, our world, and another world.In the land of the fey, the archfey Zybilna has gone quiet. Those attuned to this patron have not heard from her in more than a year.Beings from the fey know that within the Feywild, visitors and natives alike best follow the Rule of Reciprocity, the Rule of Hospitality, and the Rule of Ownership.For unknown reasons, the numbers eight and three have power in the realm of the fey.

Here's my Wild Beyond the Witchlight One-Page Campaign Guide for more details on this campaign.

Truths of Rime of the FrostmaidenThe sun hasn't risen in Icewind Dale for two years.The two-year night has cut off the frozen north from the rest of the Sword Coast.The Children of Auril demand sacrifices from the people of Ten Towns in the Frostmaiden's name.Ancient and powerful secrets lie under the ice.Shadowy figures lurk in the mountains hammering upon strange black metal.

Here's the Rime of the Frostmaiden One-Page Campaign Guide.

Truths of Empire of the GhoulsCity at the Heart of the World. The Free City of Zobeck stands at a great crossroads, south of the vampire-filled Blood Kingdom, east of the dwarvish cantons, north of the chivalrous Magdar Kingdom, and west of the ancient Margreve Forest. It is a city where adventurers, merchants, and scoundrels from all nations intermingle and a place where wondrous inventions of steam and brass are forged.Within the Last Century. The citizens of Zobeck overthrew the longtime rulers ��� House Stross ��� and Zobeck became a free city, governed by a mayor and 11 consuls.Ley Lines and Shadow Roads. Midgard is alive with magic running in great, invisible rivers. Centuries ago, the elves used these rivers, known as ley lines, to create fey roads across their vast empire. After the elves��� retreat, most of these magical roads fell into disrepair. They are now known as the dangerous and unstable "shadow roads"".Rise of the Blood Kingdom. The vampires who rule Morgau and Doresh, known collectively as the Blood Kingdom, joined forces with the ghouls who live underground to conquer the Electoral Kingdom of Krakova, which sits a few hundred miles north of Zobeck. The surviving members of the royal family went into hiding, and the common folk now suffer under undead rule in the new province of Krakovar.Rising Tension in Zobeck. The dangers external to Zobeck create rising tensions within the Free City where normally friendly citizens seek scapegoats for the dangers lurking outside the walls.

Here's my Empire of the Ghouls One-Page Campaign Guide

Hopefully these examples help you see the difference between truths the characters know right from the beginning of the campaign and the secrets they discover as they explore the world around them.

More Sly Flourish Stuff

This week I posted a couple of YouTube videos on a Shadowdark RPG Deep Dive and Prepping for a Shadowdark 0-Level Gauntlet.

Last Week's Lazy RPG Talk Show Topics

Each week I record an episode of the Lazy RPG Talk Show (also available as a podcast) in which I talk about all things in tabletop RPGs. Here are last week's topics with timestamped links to the YouTube video:

Shadows of the Weird Wizard Coming Soon500 Year Old VampireFantasy Age 2 ReleasedHydra Co-op OSR Bundle of HoldingOwlbear Rodeo 2.0 Fully ReleasedWhat is the Easiest RPG for GMs to Run?Patreon Questions and Answers

Also on the Talk Show, I answer questions from Sly Flourish Patreons. Here are last week's questions and answers:

Linear vs Railroad vs Sandbox Adventure DesignUsing Forge of Foes for Rival Adventuring PartiesCustomizing Downtime for the CharactersWhat Issues as a GM Did I Have and Change?Standing Firm on Cliffhanger EndingsHandling Tag-Along NPCs in Light of XaryxisRPG Tips

Each week I think about what I learned in my last RPG session and write them up as D&D tips. Here are this week's tips:

Reskin published NPCs as character relations ��� relatives, former lovers, former enemies, lost legends, and so on.Offer multiple meaningful paths and options in most situations.Use swarms of undead or necrotic mists to push characters through doorways.Drop monuments into combat encounters, let the characters manipulate them to shift the environment.Quick sketches of maps on a dry-erase map work well for dungeon crawls in in-person play. Print out bigger detailed chambers as needed.Print or post pictures of monsters, NPCs, scenes, and villains. Show them to your players.Share information freely. Tell the players what their characters would know.Related ArticlesWriting a One-Page Campaign GuideSpiral Campaign and World Building in D&DBuild from the Characters OutwardsGet More from Sly FlourishRead more Sly Flourish articlesBuy Sly Flourish's BooksWatch Sly Flourish's YouTube videosSubscribe to Sly Flourish's PodcastSupport Sly Flourish on PatreonBuy Sly Flourish's Books Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master The Lazy DM's Companion Lazy DM's Workbook Fantastic Lairs Fantastic Adventures: Ruins of the Grendleroot Fantastic Adventures

Have a question or want to contact me? Check out Sly Flourish's Frequently Asked Questions.

Anatomy of an Environmental Effect �����Chernobog's Well

Including monuments with environmental effects the characters can dork with is a great way to spice up combat encounters. It's important to get the mechanics of said dorking correct though, or they can end up being boring or a slog. We can also prepare such environmental effects to have different effects depending on the timing or beats of the encounter.

Here's an example for Chernbog's well, an unhallowed ritualistic circle outside of a tomb to the elven god Bacco from my Empire of the Ghouls campaign set in Midgard.

The Setup

In this encounter, the characters face eighteen skeletons, four skeletal veterans (from the Level Up Advanced 5e Monstrous Menagerie), and a Marsh Dire (from Tome of Beasts 2). The cultists of Chernobog created the circle and animated the dead surrounding the tomb. When the characters arrive, the cultists are gone but the twisted circle and animated dead remain. Given the power of the characters (6th level) compared to many of the monsters (big piles of CR 1/4 skeletons), the monument can significantly affect the whole battle without making the monsters too dangerous.

Effects of the Well

Chernobog's Well gives all undead the following traits:

When a character hits an undead creature affected by Chernobog's Well with a melee attack, the attacker takes 3 (1d6) necrotic damage.The skeletons have advantage on attacks and inflict an extra 3 (1d6) necrotic damage on a hit.

These effects are powerful but given how much weaker the monsters are than the level 6 characters, it's probably appropriate.

Disabling the Well

To disable Chernobog's Well, a character must be within 5 feet of the well and use an action to make an Intelligence (Arcana or Religion) check with a DC of 15 to pull the unholy energy out of the well like drawing venom out of a wound. It takes three successes to completely close the well. A character can automatically succeed if they cast remove curse or dispel magic on it. A character can attempt to disable the well recklessly by using a bonus action instead of an action. If they fail the check while doing so recklessly, they take 9 (2d8) necrotic damage.

One important note is how the characters learn about the mechanics of a monument like this. Three words solves this conundrum: just tell them. Tell them how it works. Share the DCs. Negotiate with your players when they have an idea they want to try. Don't bury the info �����share it.

Balance Effects and Consequences

When creating an object like this, we want the effects to be powerful but not so powerful that there's no choice but to deal with the artifact. Having advantage on attacks, extra damage on attacks, and a damage shield is a lot of stuff but it's survivable even if the characters decide to skip dorking with the well.

We also want to offer options to deal with the well itself. The characters can use normal ability checks or spells if they make sense. They can also use actions to be careful or bonus actions if they're willing to take a risk. They have to get over to the well which gets them moving around — always a good thing — although spells can be cast from a longer range, which is also a nice option.

Add Dials to the Monument

We can even put some dials onto this monument. What if, during play, the well turns out to be too powerful? Maybe we have one or more of the effects go away when only a single check succeeds. Maybe we remove effects behind the screen without telling the players. Maybe only certain undead have the abilities. Likewise, if things aren't enough of a challenge, maybe the effects get more powerful as the rounds go on until the monument is disabled or the monsters are destroyed.

When we look at an object like this, we need to think about it from the point of view of the player. Is it worth getting over there? Is it just a pain in the ass? Is it fun? Is the threat too hard or challenging but doable? We want such a monument to matter but not matter so much that there really is no choice.

Dorking with monuments is a good place for negotiation. Can a character knock out two of the three required successes with a casting of a higher level dispel magic? If two characters use their actions together, can one of them roll with advantage but have it count as two successes? Let the players come up with creative ways to screw with the monument and negotiate with them with an eye towards their success.

An Option for Ending Combat Early

We can also use the monument as a way to end combat early if we want. If combat goes long, maybe all the skeletons are destroyed when the well is disabled. This flexibility gives us another possible end-state for the battle other than just destroying all the skeletons, which, of course, is also an option.

Change Up Combat Encounters with Monuments and Effects

Adding monuments and environmental effects to combat encounters is a great way to add another variable to combat encounters. We don't need them all the time but they're a great way to shake up the situation.

If you're looking for some good generators to spark your own imagination while coming up with fantastic monuments, check out either the Lazy DM's Workbook or the Lazy DM's Companion.

More Sly Flourish Stuff

This week I posted a couple of YouTube videos including a Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands Deep Dive and Top Tips for D&D Dungeon Masters

Last Week's Lazy RPG Talk Show Topics

Each week I record an episode of the Lazy RPG Talk Show (also available as a podcast) in which I talk about all things in tabletop RPGs. Here are last week's topics with timestamped links to the YouTube video:

Free A5e Monster Tokens2023 Ennie NominationsSwords of the SerpentineRunning CitiesPatreon Questions and Answers

Also on the Talk Show, I answer questions from Sly Flourish Patreons. Here are last week's questions and answers:

Running Cozier Fantasy GamesRunning Tier 3 and 4 campaignsThe Differences between Grim and Heroic D&DBuilding Fantastic LocationsRPG Tips

Each week I think about what I learned in my last RPG session and write them up as D&D tips. Here are this week's tips:

How are you going to get the characters out of that stupid doorway?Use published maps as inspiration for your own designs or story ideas.Game cancelled? Take the extra time to flesh out what you had planned.Review and refresh your notes as close to game-time as you can.Pantheons are a fantastic wrapper for otherwise mundane locations. It's not just a crypt. It's a crypt in worship of Anu-Akma!Don't expect the characters to choose a given path. Be ready to go with whatever choice the characters make.Related ArticlesRunning Travel Scenes in 5eBuild from the Characters OutwardsAncient MonumentsGet More from Sly FlourishRead more Sly Flourish articlesBuy Sly Flourish's BooksWatch Sly Flourish's YouTube videosSubscribe to Sly Flourish's PodcastSupport Sly Flourish on PatreonBuy Sly Flourish's Books Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master The Lazy DM's Companion Lazy DM's Workbook Fantastic Lairs Fantastic Adventures: Ruins of the Grendleroot Fantastic Adventures

Have a question or want to contact me? Check out Sly Flourish's Frequently Asked Questions.

Give Boss Monsters Awesome Nicknames

This excellent Reddit thread by BigEditorial describes the value of adding Zelda-like "boss subtitles" or Dark Souls-like epithets to RPG bosses to easily add richer flavor to our named monsters. This fantastic lazy idea works perfectly alongside Building Villains like Pro-Wrestlers and creating Villainous Heralds.

The idea is simple. Give bosses and unique monsters a nickname that defines them in the world. We could have Sephek, Blade of the Frostmaiden or Tekeli-li, Red Fang of the Glacier or Xardorok Sunblight, Chardalon Mastermind.

These nicknames can appear throughout the game as rumors they hear or notes they pick up before they meet the villain. Sometimes proper names are difficult to spell or remember but nicknames are memorable and easy to write down. They help players remember their villains and teach them about the world in which those villains live.

Here are twenty such nicknames to get your mind going.

The Silver FireThe Red BladeScourge of NetherwildsHerald of the VoidFather of the World's EndThe Stone BurnerLady RednailExsanguinator of ChultFather of FliesThe Storm CallerSleeping DeathShield of the NorthMaul of AvernusThe EbonheartThe Night's KissThe BarrowmakerThe Withering of JoyOrphan's SorrowThe Bog BornCaller of the Deep

A boss might have multiple names. Different groups or regions may know a single villain by different names. An assassin may be known as the Shadow's Touch in Luskan, The Ice-eyed Devil in the Icewind Dale, and Brother Death in Amn. Each name may come to the characters as they learn more of the villain who they hunt, or who hunts them.

The next time you're whipping up a notable villain, give them a title or two and drop those descriptors in front of the players to watch those villains come to life.

Check Out ttrpg.network

The original Reddit post that inspired this article was posted before Reddit became fully enshittified). Since then I've really enjoyed ttrpg.network, built on the opensource federated Reddit-like service of Lemmy. Give it a look.

More Sly Flourish Stuff

This week I posted YouTube videos including (Scarlet Citadel Session 30](https://youtu.be/uEiWaPKqzew), The Eight Steps of Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master (2023), and Map Options for In-Person D&D.

Last Week's Lazy RPG Talk Show Topics

Each week I record an episode of the Lazy RPG Talk Show (also available as a podcast) in which I talk about all things in tabletop RPGs. Here are last week's topics with timestamped links to the YouTube video:

Guest Host on Mastering DungeonsThe RPG Fediverse and dndblogs.comFind Players for Non-5e RPGsProject Deadly ThreatsPatreon Questions and Answers

Also on the Talk Show, I answer questions from Sly Flourish Patreons. Here are last week's questions and answers:

Adjusting Spells with the Monster DialsChallenging High AC CharactersRunning Cozier Heroic 5e GamesRPG Tips

Each week I think about what I learned in my last RPG session and write them up as D&D tips. Here are this week's tips:

Even in sessions of heavy roleplaying and narration �����make sure there's something for the characters to DO. Focus on opportunities for decisions and actions.Introduce cities by the locations you think specific characters would be interested in visiting.Gangsters like hanging out in bath houses.Focus less on the intentions for a scene such as one focusing on combat, roleplaying, or exploration. Set up the situation and see how it plays out.Focus on one monster book at a time. Pick out cool monsters befitting your next session's situations.Write down random NPC names as soon as they're spoken. Keep track of them.Ask players to take notes and draw maps.Related ArticlesTwenty Things to Do Instead of Checking Social MediaBuild from the Characters OutwardsCalm Pre-Game Nerves with Session-Focused Character HooksGet More from Sly FlourishRead more Sly Flourish articlesBuy Sly Flourish's BooksWatch Sly Flourish's YouTube videosSubscribe to Sly Flourish's PodcastSupport Sly Flourish on PatreonBuy Sly Flourish's Books Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master The Lazy DM's Companion Lazy DM's Workbook Fantastic Lairs Fantastic Adventures: Ruins of the Grendleroot Fantastic Adventures

Have a question or want to contact me? Check out Sly Flourish's Frequently Asked Questions.

Focus Your Campaign

"Child Rowland to the dark tower came."- Robert Browning, 1852

Chapter 16 of Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master describes focusing your game around a single campaign hook and presenting this hook to your players during your session zero. Example hooks include:

Prevent the rise of the Ghoul Imperium at the Crossroads of Midgard.Save Ten-Towns from the endless night.End the theft of souls in Chult.Prevent the second Mourning.Stop Tiamat's rise.Kill Strahd.

Such focus clarifies the campaign and its goals to your players. It offers a clear sense of direction for both you and your players. You have a shining star by which to navigate the campaign.

The plot can still get complicated. There are still side quests. There are still twists and turns as the characters follow their path. Clarifying your campaign early doesn't tell you how the characters attempt to accomplish this goal. That happens as the campaign plays out.

Blow the Surprise

We're tempted to hold back the goal and theme of the campaign. This leads to a common problem: the GM sits back with all of the secrets of their rich campaign hidden behind their GM screen while players fumble around wondering what they're supposed to do. Don't hide your campaign's goal and drive. Spill the beans. Show them what they're in for. Let players build their characters knowing where they're headed. Every week they'll know what to do and where they're going.

Big Goals, Small Steps

Think about the goal of our campaign as a big shining north star with lots of potential adventures leading up to it. Each adventure takes small steps toward the big conclusion. Don't map out each step along the way. Focus on the very next one and keep that shining star in sight. None of the rest of the campaign matters compared to the next session you're going to run. That session is real. The rest are just ideas.

State the Goal, Not the Approach

When we're thinking about our campaign and its big central drive, don't think about how the characters will accomplish it. Build situations where we set up locations, inhabitants, and goals, and the characters choose their approach. Such a focus feels like railroading but it's not. We don't dictate the characters approach. We don't decide the outcome. We experience the story right alongside our players.

State the goal. Prep your next session. Let the characters choose their path.

Last Week's Lazy RPG Talk Show Topics

Each week I record an episode of the Lazy RPG Talk Show (also available as a podcast) in which I talk about all things in tabletop RPGs. Here are last week's topics with timestamped links to the YouTube video:

Build a Vampire Knight with Forge of FoesShard TabletopNew 2024 D&D Playtest PacketTwo Tales of the Valiant PlaytestsPatreon Questions and Answers

Also on the Talk Show, I answer questions from Sly Flourish Patreons. Here are last week's questions and answers:

Using PbtA Mechanics in 5e GamesGiving Bonus Info for High Ability RollsImproving Evocative Location DescriptionsTelling Players about Changes You Made in Published AdventuresRPG Tips

Each week I think about what I learned in my last RPG session and write them up as D&D tips. Here are this week's tips:

Clearly describe when characters face a foe too powerful to defeat. Give characters the option of engaging in random encounters or not. Plan one scene for roughly every 45 minutes of session timePrep locations, NPCs, villains, and goals. Let players choose paths and approaches. Mix easy combat, hard combat, exploration, and roleplaying scenes. Let players choose from three paths forward at the end of a session. Draw connections between character backgrounds and the story in front of them. Related ArticlesSpiral Campaign and World Building in D&DBuild from the Characters OutwardsTwenty Things to Do Instead of Checking Social MediaCalm Pre-Game Nerves with Session-Focused Character HooksFive Ways to Integrate Characters Into Your CampaignGet More from Sly FlourishRead more Sly Flourish articlesBuy Sly Flourish's BooksWatch Sly Flourish's YouTube videosSubscribe to Sly Flourish's PodcastSupport Sly Flourish on PatreonBuy Sly Flourish's Books Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master The Lazy DM's Companion Lazy DM's Workbook Fantastic Lairs Fantastic Adventures: Ruins of the Grendleroot Fantastic Adventures

Have a question or want to contact me? Check out Sly Flourish's Frequently Asked Questions.

Ensure the Resilience of Your RPGs

In January 2023 we saw the biggest up-ending we've seen for the RPG hobby. After 23 years, Wizards of the Coast attempted to de-authorize the Open Gaming License, shaking third party publishers of D&D and others who used the Open Gaming License for their own end. The backlash was the biggest I've seen in this hobby.

Such an event brings up many questions about D&D and RPGs in general. We really don't know what the future holds for the companies who publish our favorite RPGs and the directions they want to take them. Even those currently working at the company can't predict what decisions others may make in the future. Unlike an online video game, however, how RPG companies change doesn't affect the RPG products we have right now. Mostly.

Today we're going to look at what GMs can do to ensure our own handle on the tabletop RPG hobby stays resilient to changes in TTRPG companies and the industry overall.

The 6,000 Year Proven Technology of Books

Physical books are incredibly resilient compared to digital products. Even if you have all of your RPG material in PDFs, formats change, systems break down, drives go bad, shit happens, and those files can get lost. Books, however, can survive a whole lot. Their medium and their media are the same. There's no software. It's just the book. The oldest D&D books still survive today and, with care, there's no reason your favorite RPG books can't survive the rest of your life.

Also, thousands to millions of these books have been produced over the years. Unless your favorite RPG is very niche, you can likely buy a second-hand copy if yours gets destroyed in a flood.

The first step to keeping your RPGs resilient? Trust physical books.

Be Ready to Play with Pencil, Paper, and Physical Dice.

I know we love our online tools. It's been extremely hard to get even my own players to try pencil and paper again after the ease of D&D Beyond, but we can't trust D&D Beyond like we can trust pencils and paper. It was years before D&D Beyond existed and we still managed to play D&D 5e. You can do it. Your players can do it.

Even if you still want to use online tools to help with character creation, encounter building, and what-not — be ready with a backup plan. What happens if you decide you don't want to use D&D Beyond anymore? Can you still play? Are your players ready to play? Export and print those character sheets.

We don't have to avoid digital tools. We need to be ready to switch when these tools change or disappear.

Books and pencils have been around for 5,000 years. The d20 has been around for 2,000 years. That's resilience.

If You Can't Download It, You Don't Own It

Any money you spend on an online service isn't buying anything, it's renting. We've seen high profile online services terminate their services, leaving those who spent money on them with nothing. Every book you buy on D&D Beyond or Roll 20 isn't ownership, it's a rental. You're leasing that book as long as that service decides to keep it up. This is the part of the license agreements we tend to skip over but it's a big one. If you can't hold it in your hand (or download it to a thumb drive), you don't really own it.

It's fine to use services like these. Just don't pretend you own anything when whoever runs the company changes their mind.

Back Up Your Digital Products

As digital products go, PDFs are pretty resilient. If you can get your RPG products in PDF, you own it. Don't trust a server-side library to hold it forever and don't trust your computer not to explode.

Back up your stuff.

I know, it's like flossing three times a day, but seriously, back up your stuff. Set up a schedule. Follow the 3-2-1 backup strategy: have three backups, two local copies (maybe one in the cloud and one on your local machine), and one off-site copy. Update and rotate your off-line USB disk every 6 months and keep it somewhere safe and away from your other computing equipment. Set up a calendar event and follow through when the time comes.

Back up your digital products to your local computer, your cloud service, and an offline USB disk every six months.

Have an Alternate Stack

For online play, we GMs often rely on a digital stack of software. Maybe it's D&D Beyond and Foundry. Maybe it's Roll 20. Maybe it's Notion and Discord and Owlbear Rodeo.

Whatever online stack you use, be ready to find replacements. Sit for a moment and think about each piece of software you use in your online stack and ask what you'd use instead. If it's hard to find one, you're stack is fragile. If you have a solid replacement for every component in your software stack, you're pretty good.

Even if you've spent a lot of money on one platform, you may need to move anyway. Be ready and remember, you're just renting.

Ponder Other RPGs

There may come a time when, for any number of reasons, it's time to move to another RPG. Which one would you choose? Which ones would you try out? Why not give them a quick try between campaigns? The more you're not bound to any one RPG, the stronger your relationship with the hobby overall. Maybe you'll have a handful of RPGs you're happy to fall back on when the timing is right.

Think up list of alternative RPGs and run one-shot games. Strengthen your connection with the whole RPG hobby.

Resilient RPGs Aren't Easy

Our always-online digital world makes it easier than ever to play RPGs but comes with fragility. The more bound you are to any one online service, one owned by a big company, the more you're at the whim of that company and the chaos of digital loss. Books are resilient. Pencils, paper, and dice are resilient. The files you can hold on your own local systems are resilient. Online tools are fantastic, but they can't be trusted to serve you forever.

Be ready. Be resilient.

Related ArticlesTwo Years Playing D&D OnlineShared Experiences Playing D&D OnlineOrganizing Digital RPG MaterialsSeven Fantastic Tools to Play RPGs OnlineJames Introcaso on Running Great D&D Games with Roll20 Get More from Sly FlourishRead more Sly Flourish articlesBuy Sly Flourish's BooksWatch Sly Flourish's YouTube videosSubscribe to Sly Flourish's PodcastSupport Sly Flourish on PatreonBuy Sly Flourish's Books Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master The Lazy DM's Companion Lazy DM's Workbook Fantastic Lairs Fantastic Adventures: Ruins of the Grendleroot Fantastic Adventures

Have a question or want to contact me? Check out Sly Flourish's Frequently Asked Questions.

Five Ways to Integrate Characters Into Your Campaign

When we think about where best to spend our time to maximize the fun of our game, we can do far worse than focusing our attention on the characters.

In the eyes of our players, no aspect of our game is more important than their characters. Characters are the interface between the players and the rest of the world.

Whether running a published or homebrew campaign, finding ways to integrate the characters �����their goals, motivations, backgrounds �����is time very well spent.

Here are five ways to integrate characters into our campaigns.

Relate to an NPC

Build relationships between characters and key NPCs. Maybe they're old war buddies. Maybe their cousins. Maybe they grew up together on the streets. Relate important NPCs to the characters so those NPCs become part of the characters' background. It's one thing to take down a high ranking cultist of the Cult of the Dragon, it's something else when that high-ranking cultist is the character's cousin.

When running a published adventure, either tie NPCs in the adventure to characters with your own connections or make up entirely new NPCs from the character's background and weave them into the adventure.

Build Meaningful Magic Items

Players love magic items. When we spend time tailoring magic items around the characters, and the desire of the players, we're almost sure to make players happy. Even better is when the story of that magic item relates to the character and their background. You might even work with the player to strengthen and solidify the bond between this magic item and the character.

Expose the Characters' History in Lore

When characters explore dungeons deep and caverns old we can bathe these locations in history and lore through secrets and clues the characters can discover. It works really well when the characters learn about themselves from these histories and lore. A paladin might learn more of their ancient order and the deeds the order fulfilled centuries ago. An occultist bearfolk might learn more of the strange cults they research and how their own lineage is woven in. A ranger in league with the deity known as the Hunter might learn more about past rangers and the path they took under the Hunter's mantle.

Reveal history and lore meaningful to the characters instead of just general history. Each session, look at the characters and ask how you can paint the location they're exploring in history that means something to them.

Change the Characters

One way to make a campaign more meaningful to a player is to have their character actually change during the campaign. This is something you'll want to work on very closely with the player before implementing anything. If they're into the idea that their character changes, lean into those changes. The player represents the character and you represent the world. How does the world react to this change?

Always make such changes a choice for the player. Don't take away their agency. Let the player decide how their character changes even if those changes weren't optional to the character. Examples include drinking eldritch fluid that changes the character into a vampyr, having a character realize their divine nature, or having a character physically evolve after a curse or as part of the nature of their ancestry.

Build Characters Around the Campaign

If we give players enough information about the campaign, the main story, the arcs, the organizations, and the NPCs before they build their characters, they can build their characters around these themes. If you hand the characters a list of potential patrons, they can decide during character creation if they're related to the patron. If you give the players a list of organizations, they can tie their background directly to these organizations. Give out meaningful campaign one-sheets before running your session zero and players can build their characters around the campaign just as you sew those characters into the campaign as it plays out.

Integrating characters into a campaign is a two-way street. You can bend, meld, and form the world around the characters. At the same time, players can bend, mold, and form their characters including history, background, goals, and motivations, around the themes, histories, and NPCs of the campaign.

Time spent bending your campaign around the characters, and vice versa, is almost always well spent. It's one of the best places we lazy DMs can spend our time and energy.

More Sly Flourish Stuff

This week I posted a couple of YouTube videos on Reddit's Enshittification and How it Affects D&D DMs and GMs and House Rules for the 2014 D&D Player's Handbook.

Last Week's Lazy RPG Talk Show Topics

Each week I record an episode of the Lazy RPG Talk Show (also available as a podcast) in which I talk about all things in tabletop RPGs. Here are last week's topics with timestamped links to the YouTube video:

The Lazy GM's Resource Document in JapaneseBob World Builder's Four D&D Combat House RulesAetherial Expanse Setting Guide by Ghostfire GamingChat GPT for RPG PrepPatreon Questions and Answers

Also on the Talk Show, I answer questions from Sly Flourish Patreons. Here are last week's questions and answers:

Making a Location Feel DangerousDealing With Emotional Drain After Intense Roleplay ScenesRunning Campaigns Built from Multiple Published AdventuresbWhat Are GMs Not Thinking About Enough?Let Campaign Themes Come Out NaturallyCombining 5e Subclasses with A5e ClassesRPG Tips

Each week I think about what I learned in my last RPG session and write them up as D&D tips. Here are this week's tips:

Mix up exploration, roleplaying, and combat encounters. Don't run too much of one series in a row.Strange healing pools are an easy upward beat in a dangerous dungeon.Mix up strange magic items and those that directly benefit a character's mechanics in your treasure hoards.Stick to one or two monster books at a time. Drawing monsters from too many sources can complicate your prep.Print or screen-shot artwork and show it off during your game.Treat single "gotcha" monsters as traps. A wraith hidden in an altar or a black pudding lurking in the bottom of a garderobe are fun traps but not big combat encounters.Paint dungeons with murals, statues, mosaics, and frescoes of their history.Related ArticlesBuild from the Characters OutwardsSpiral Campaign and World Building in D&DCalm Pre-Game Nerves with Session-Focused Character HooksBuilding a Great D&D CharacterHow Many Players are Ideal for a D&D 5e Group? Four.Get More from Sly FlourishRead more Sly Flourish articlesBuy Sly Flourish's BooksWatch Sly Flourish's YouTube videosSubscribe to Sly Flourish's PodcastSupport Sly Flourish on PatreonBuy Sly Flourish's Books Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master The Lazy DM's Companion Lazy DM's Workbook Fantastic Lairs Fantastic Adventures: Ruins of the Grendleroot Fantastic Adventures

Have a question or want to contact me? Check out Sly Flourish's Frequently Asked Questions.