How to Be a Better DM: Dungeon Master Tips for the DM Newbie, the Hobbyist and the Forever DM

The dinosaurs had been one thing, but this was ridiculous.  You stand there facing down a humanoid who looked to be wearing armor of some type that completely covered their head. It was black, but it seemed to have a glass faceplate that allowed the person to look out. The glass seemed to be glowing though as if lit with some strange magic. The person had a pack on that was metallic and sleek...

You and your companions wake up on a sandy beach. You rub your eyes to try. Your head is aching and you feel as if you’ve filled with water and strung out to dry. You stand up, looking around. You see flotsam littering the shore as well as rocky crags a few meters into the ocean. That’s right. You and your companions shipwrecked. You were sailing until a storm hit. Next thing you knew, some creatu...

You stand in the central chamber of this strange cavern. You and your companions look at each other warily. Suddenly a spectral form emerges from the rock wall. It faces you and then starts drifting slowly in a wide circle around your band. Suddenly more emerge. They too begin floating lazily around you in a wide circle. As every second passes, more and more ghosts surround you and your companion....

You look down from the walls of the Keep. This castle was constructed as an outpost of the kingdom. No one travels this far north, certainly not invading armies. The people of this land were more accustomed to marauders rather than martial campaigns. Your eyes took in the scene. You can see a numberless horde of nightmarish creatures. You recognize creatures here and there, but most seem literally...

Suddenly a scream erupts from somewhere outside the tavern. You look at your hand and then up at your opponent. “It looks like we’ll have to finish our game another day,” you say as you lay down the cards and follow your companions out the door. The half-orc you were playing throws his cards on the table in disgust. It seems he had a winning hand. You and your companions burst out of the tavern do...

Last time our adventurers found themselves fighting a rug of smothering which had completely smothered Ulv. Luckily the group was able to dispatch the rug rather quickly and were able to continue on their journey. The group then entered what appeared to be a library. This library seemed completely empty which caused minor consternation for the whole group. The group then entered what seemed like a...

“I don’t like the look of this.” Sefereth whispers. You look back at the slender elven woman. She wears plate armor as if it weighed nothing, a great sword in her hand. You smile. “You are wise as you are lovely my dear.” Your hands grasp each others, a brief moment of affection between man and wife. It was only a tenday since you and your beloved were wed. Others might decide to honeymoon in larg...

The mechanical man cries out in pain. You and your party walk in the baron’s great hall and you see the mechanical man bound by chains. He hangs from a nearby wall. A large thug stands near the automaton with a cudgel, beating him leisurely. You and your party walk forward past the courtiers, and the sycophants to address the baron. He sits on a large chair near a great hearth tearing hunks of mea...

You look at the case of glass bottles. Cobwebs cover most of them. On a whim, you grab one of the bottles and look at its reflection in the fragment of the mirror you shattered in the great hall. Your whim paid off. In the reflection, the bottle is filled with an inky black substance. You remember the great hall with all the writing on the walls that could only be seen through the mirror’s reflect...

You crawl forward slowly, every inch causing you pain. The last thing you remember is investigating a cabin in the woods with your friend before he stabbed you in the back and left you for dead. After falling down a ridge you crawled yourself to this cave seeking shelter. You can feel yourself bleeding out. You look forward into the darkness of the cave. It’s hopeless. Desperate, you cry out, “Hel...

You find yourself walking through a forest. Your arms and hands are cold. It’s then that you notice the terrible blizzard obscuring most of what you see. You try and wade your way forward, looking for a clear path to shelter. That’s when you see the bear. This is one of the biggest bears you’ve ever seen. It stands there facing you on the path amidst a raging blizzard. It then turns and walks away...

Are you interested in trying out being a dungeon master, but are not sure where to start? Maybe you’re a veteran DM and things have gotten a little stale. Regardless of where you are, one of the best ways to start D&D or spice up your current Dungeon Mastering is with a one-shot. But how do you make a one-shot lively, timely, and fun? In today’s show, I’ll give you 8 tips to make your one-shot...