All Questions
Tagged with narration dnd-5e-2014
30 questions
16
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Can you safely assume that Beholder's rays are visible and audible? (based on rules / lore / novels / famous campaign streams, etc)
Some context:
We're running Dragon Heist and the party is facing Xanathar himself. This question actually was caused by this discussion about the tactics of a party trying to distract the Beholder and ...
- 1,939
12
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Can I use a trap that will kill a character, if the party can either find a creative solution around it or cast Revivify?
We're running a series of one-shots with differing DMs every session, keeping the same characters and only swapping out the person who is DMing. The party is a little overpowered, and I wanted to do a ...
- 247
45
votes
3
answers
7k
views
How do I respond to players who keep asking powerful NPCs to help them in ToA?
I'm playing Tomb of Annihilation(ToA) with my group right after playing Waterdeep Dragon Heist. The group have met powerful characters like Vajra Safahr, the open lord Laeral Silverhand, Mirt, Artus ...
- 431
21
votes
8
answers
6k
views
Is there need for messengers in DnD 5e, if spell Sending exists?
In my campaign (DnD 5e) I would like to send players on a quest to save a kidnapped person. The person has high value information. He/she was ambushed and taken prisoner.
My question is: is there a ...
- 321
17
votes
3
answers
2k
views
How to describe that an enemy can avoid opportunity attacks?
I'm the DM of my group. When we are playing I try to describe the effects and actions of enemies and npcs without spelling out exactly what they are to keep some mystique to the actions. Like ...
- 1,109
7
votes
3
answers
847
views
How do I narrate Laeral Silverhand's Silver Hair attack?
Laeral Silverhand's statblock appears in the Waterdeep: Dragon Heist adventure (p. 207). Among her action options, she has an attack option labeled "Silver Hair":
Silver Hair. Melee Weapon Attack: +...
- 293
7
votes
4
answers
2k
views
How do I deal with long travels?
My group has faced a lot of just traveling; so sometimes I just say it's been 3 days since you started traveling, because I don't really have anything big planned on that particular road.
However in ...
- 913
13
votes
5
answers
2k
views
A Rogue dilemma: to roll for Stealth, or not to roll?
I need some guidance about how to best use Stealth checks for a campaign.
When it comes to Stealth, say of a Rogue*, would it be better to allow players to roll for their own Stealth skill check, or,...
- 1,916
7
votes
3
answers
2k
views
What does leveling up feel like as a character? [closed]
I am trying to grasp the narrative feeling of leveling up as a character in D&D 5e.
Suppose at the end of a session a Sorcerer has enough experience points to level up. I am using the Sorcerer ...
- 689
14
votes
4
answers
2k
views
How to flavor my narration of a fight in a creatively plausible way without affecting mechanics?
I'm DMing a recently-started campaign with 5 new players. They are completely new to RPGs and roleplay.
In a combat, they often phrased their attacks in ways such as "I aim at the eyes in order to ...
- 1,734
27
votes
5
answers
9k
views
How can I describe hit point damage without talking about wounds?
The PHB's description of hit points (p. 196) says:
Hit points represent a combination of physical and mental durability, the will to live, and luck. Creatures with more hit points are more ...
- 30.3k
14
votes
1
answer
20k
views
Are there specific descriptions of what each of the racial languages sound like?
Running adventures with varied races of NPC, I run into a lot of times where I simply say "It sounds like they're speaking Elvish/Orcish/etc etc". I'd like to know if perhaps there are descriptions of ...
- 305
42
votes
8
answers
8k
views
How do I narratively explain how in-game circumstances do not mechanically allow a PC to instantly kill an NPC?
Inspired by this question, in particular this aspect:
. . . how do I handle realism and one-shotting bosses out of combat?
My understanding is that any creature, even a "normal person", cannot be ...
- 1,555
10
votes
4
answers
2k
views
How can I avoid "railroading" my players by giving them a limited set of choices with only basic descriptions?
I play Dungeons and Dragons 5e.
I have a habit of highlighting certain choices, without realizing I'm doing it, because what I feel like I'm doing, is telling not showing. I have a problem with my ...
- 117
13
votes
7
answers
8k
views
How big is a gemstone in the DMG gemstone table?
Context
The DMG treasure tables (DMG p134) describe six categories of gemstone: 10gp, 50gp, 100gp, 500gp, 1000gp, and 5000gp. What does this mean? An agate can be worth anywhere between 10gp and ...
- 6,361
7
votes
2
answers
713
views
How can I best narrate the position of an unhidden invisible skeleton?
While fighting through a wizard's tower, the party breaks into an unexplored storeroom to take cover from enemies down the corridor outside the room. Unbeknownst to them, there is an invisible ...
- 67.9k
0
votes
1
answer
542
views
What resources are available to help describe spell effects? [closed]
Are there any resources out there (tables, examples) to help describe spell effects to increase cinematic narrative?
Most spells in D&D 5e do not have much description as to specific somatic or ...
- 596
7
votes
4
answers
13k
views
How can you describe a character with low Constitution but high Dexterity and Strength?
I just rolled up stats for a new campaign, and ended up with the following:
15 Strength
13 Dexterity
6 Constitution
18 Intelligence
8 Wisdom
6 Charisma
I'm going to be playing a wizard, but I'm ...
- 10.3k
22
votes
5
answers
6k
views
How do I reveal the Big Bad only by foreshadowing, without the reveal being too early or late?
What I plan for my campaign is to drop hints about some greater evil, and whenever my players reach the natural point of realization, have them go off on a search to stop it. I wanna do it naturally, ...
- 565
16
votes
4
answers
3k
views
How do I communicate to players that a room is unimportant? [duplicate]
Recently, I DM'd the "Death House" one-shot from Curse of Strahd where the players explore a haunted mansion. A lot of the rooms have great descriptions about their contents (e.g. a dining room with ...
29
votes
10
answers
3k
views
How do I telegraph the difference between life-hating and faithful-guardian undead at a distance? [closed]
(In my world...)
Some undead are raised for evil purposes, and are motivated to extinguish any life they encounter. But some undead were so dedicated/faithful in life that they do not leave their ...
- 102k
3
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Should I immediately tell players when a monster dies?
I have noticed that my PCs can dispatch a hoard of high health things pretty quickly, and as soon as they have put enough arrows/swords at one thing, they move onto the next. That makes me think, ...
- 4,321
22
votes
5
answers
4k
views
How to design and run cinematic combats that move between zones?
I've been running D&D for a few years now, and I just want a little more from my combats. I've already got a very solid handle on designing environments to make combat more dynamic, but what I can'...
- 12.9k
13
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Are there guidelines for how to narrate different degrees of success/failure?
I find myself getting caught up in a story and sometimes when players roll skill checks I give them the information or allow for a success depending on several factors(their description, their ...
- 2,359
3
votes
2
answers
793
views
How would you describe a character in heavy armor taking damage? [closed]
In order to properly describe combat Id like a clearer understanding of what it look like when a player in plate armor takes damage.
PHB 5e. Plate consists of shaped, interlocking metal plates to ...
- 398
5
votes
3
answers
582
views
How can I efficiently convey different perceptions of the same thing to different players? [duplicate]
I'm building an encounter around illusions, but this works for other similar situations.
The party moves along the narrow corridor. As they turn the corner, they see just another regular corridor.
...
- 47k
46
votes
9
answers
19k
views
How to improve my descriptions of the health status of monsters
A bit of background; I'm a new GM to two players, one of whom played a bit of 3.5e and 4e while the other is a complete newbie. The veteran is used to knowing when creatures are "bloodied", as per 4e, ...
- 8,140
13
votes
6
answers
2k
views
Can giving players "target numbers" like AC improve narration, and with what side-effects?
My players aren't narrating their actions as much as I want them to. Oftentimes, the narration is left solely up to me, the DM, and it's exhausting to come up with every successful (and failed) ...
- 28.7k
11
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Properly describing enemies: how much detail to provide?
Faced with a group of enemies, players in our group tend to ask for enemy descriptions in some detail--the kind of armour/clothing they're wearing (to get an idea of who are the casters, the nimble ...
- 13.6k
11
votes
1
answer
946
views
Are there any sources more concretely describing the Shield spell?
This question stems from an exercise in rule interpretation that happened in a friendly brawl after our game ended. A Dragonborn blasted an acid breath at a mage player who blurted out "I use the ...
- 7,307