Dungeon Master Assistance
Where anyone over 18 can share thoughts and ideas on RPGs.
About Me
My name is Ronny Hart. I was born in 1948. I have been a dungeon master for over 40 years.
I have accumulated a lot of information and created some rules for situations that I would like to share. I thought that this would be a good place to put some of this. You are welcome to use anything you find here in your own games. Hopefully you will share your experiences. Most of the material here can be used with little modification for any gaming system.
I am hoping to start a dialog with other dungeon masters and players of the game.
If anyone is interested, I am also an artist. You can see my photo-realistic pencil drawings HERE. I also have a Ko-fi site where you can support my art and see photos of my latest work-in progress HERE.
Dungeon Master Assistance 
All very good advice. I do have dry\wet erase tiles but they are rigid. I’m admittedly addicted to 3D printing the terrain. Don’t think I could go without now!
On our next session (we’ve been going every other week) out eldest will find her surprise and I’d like your input. When we get to Old Owl Well the antagonist will present her with a disk containing the sign of Marthammor Duin and a hidden engraving of dwarvish runes. The disk will be a lithophane so the runes will only be visible in the light. She is a hill dwarf cleric of the Dankil clan. Once she solves the jumbled runes she will be presented with a chest containing a warhammer. At first glance it will seem to be a common warhammer but will give her a happy feeling. After killing enough undead, maybe the 12 zombies near by, it will whisper “Whelm” to her. She will not have access to all of its power. I plan on having Whelm level up and gain more personality and power along the way. It will be happy to return to Dankil clan and I’ll come up with more quests to help rid it of the shame of its past.
So basically a melding not Legacy Weapon and Sentient Weapon. As I see it Whelm is weakened from serving the vampire and needs to be awakened. I’ll have to work on back story on how it ended up at Old Owl Well. Also the DMG says Whelm will do anything to return to Dankil clan and since she chose that name I find it fitting.
Now I need to come up with a story for our middle daughters battle axe, she’s a noble human fighter.
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You are doing much better than I did back when I first started as a DM. Keep up the good work. I like the idea of a magical weapon becoming more powerful as the character advances in level. That way it doesn’t have to be too powerful at lower levels and the PC doesn’t have to swap it out for more powerful weapons later and it can stay with the character throughout his carrier. For help with sentient weapons – hopefully this can nudge you in the right direction.
ITS SENTIENT ABILITIES ARE NOT KNOWN TO THE PCs.
My take on sentient objects is that when they were created, however they were created, so much magic was forced into them that they became sentient, usually by accident.
For each sentient item you need to answer the following questions.
What are its ability scores? for these abilities: Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma
How does it communicate? This can be whatever you want: verbal, telepathically, only in whispers to one who holds it – to anyone within a certain range, only to one who is attuned to it, whatever you want it to be.
What languages can it speak, read, and understand?
What are its senses? Example: It has Hearing and Darkvision to 120 ft.
What is its alignment?
What (if any) is its Special Purpose? Example: The item seeks to defeat or destroy dragons.
What is its personality? Example: Severely depressed (like Marvin the Paranoid Android in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy). Except when it is near a dragon it gets very excited and demands that you try to destroy the dragon.
What demands goes it make if there is a conflict? If its wielder acts in a manner opposed to the item’s Alignment or Purpose, conflict can arise. When such a conflict occurs, the item makes a Charisma check contested by the wielder’s Charisma check. If the item wins the contest, it makes one or more demands, Example:
The item insists on being carried or worn at all times.
The item demands that its wielder dispose of anything the item finds repugnant.
The item demands that its wielder pursue the item’s goals to the exclusion of all Other Goals.
The item demands to be given to someone else.
What will it do if its wielder refuses to comply with the item’s wishes? Example: the item can do any or all of the following:
Make it impossible for its wielder to attune to it.
Suppress one or more of its activated Properties.
Attempt to take control of its wielder.
If a sentient item attempts to take control of its wielder, the wielder must make a Charisma Saving Throw, with a DC equal to 12 + the item’s Charisma modifier. On a failed save, the wielder is Charmed by the item for 1d12 hours. While Charmed, the wielder must try to follow the item’s commands. If the wielder takes damage, it can repeat the Saving Throw, Ending the Effect on a success. Whether the attempt to control its user succeeds or fails, the item can’t use this power again until the next dawn.
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Thanks for the compliment, it means a lot coming from a long time DM!
I think I have more to do on whelm, but it’s ready for the preliminary discovery. I’ve come up with my story for the final daughters surprise. Her bond on the character sheet is “My greateaxe is a family heirloom, and it’s by far my most precious possession.” So instead of her finding a new weapon she will find an elf prisoner at Wyvern Tor upon defeating the orcs. He will recognize her greataxe as the Moonaxe of legend. He will know the ceremony to help attune it to her, but only the first rune will be unlocked. Basically a reskinned moonblade Legacy weapon that was gifted to her ancestor for saving an elf princeling from orcs. The elf prisoner will happen to be a descendant of the princeling.
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Dear Ronny,
I’m very pleased to meet you, I’m a volunteer for the italian site https://www.dragonslair.it , one of the oldest no-profit realities in Italy about TTRPG and especially D&D.
On our site we translate pieces from various rpg blogs so that italian fans can benefit in their primary language from all the awesome material that is out there written by authors like you.
I discovered your blog some days ago and I immediately fell in love with it, you give a lot of useful resources to both players and DM thus I’m writing to ask you if you could kindly give us the authorization to translate your pieces.
Of course we always credit the authors, we put their name at the beginning of the article and a link to the original piece at the end of the article, here’s an example: https://www.dragonslair.it/index.html/articles/mostri-e-incontri-ii-reskinning-dei-mostri-r1962/
If you have any questions please let me know
Best regards
P.S. I tried to reach on you writing to the mail address you have in the Legal section of your blog, which is the only one I found, but while I didn’t receive any answer I feared my email could have been lost in the spam bin thus I decided to write you on here.
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I did receive your email and have just responded to it. I am quite pleased to have my posts translated and appear on your site. Thank you. The entire reason for this site is to share with the D&D playing community. I never expected it to include those whose first language wasn’t English. I only wish I knew more languages. This is the only one I know, and I struggle with it.
Your site certainly appears to be an excellent resource for those whose first language is Italian.
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I hope I have found the right person. Are you the same Old Dungeon Master that makes Inkarnate maps? May I make a request?
Me, oh glad you asked, 63 Retired Military, retired science teacher, fully retired, (liv’n the dream). I have a particular map need.
Won’t bother you with details unless you are willing.
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Sorry Ken,
Wrong Old Dungeon Master.
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Ok thank you
On Mon, Oct 25, 2021 at 9:10 AM Dungeon Master Assistance wrote:
> Ronny commented: “Sorry Ken, Wrong Old Dungeon Master.” >
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Hi Ronny,
We are going to be finishing LMoP in a few weeks. I have a one shot I’m writing that will center around a Coniferous Treant, Cousin “Neddy”, and a kid that’ll shoot his eye out. I plan to tie in a celebration the town is throwing for Christmas and to give in honor of the heroes beating the BBEG.
My problem is finding info on running a celebration. Do you have any insight?
Partway through the celebration will be interrupted because the town Christmas tree is gone as well as at least one of the children.
Thanks! Dan
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You might want to do a Google Search for “Activities Festivals, Fairs, And Holy Days”, this is a PDF by Andrew Hind. It has five ready-to-use festivals. I hope this helps.
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Thanks Ronny! I was not able to find that PDF, but I did find other similar information. Much of the information dealt with running carnival type games and I’m looking more for feast in honor of the heroes. Nevertheless, you did help me figure out what it was that I wanted. Thanks!
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Glad to be of help. Let me know how it works out.
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Hey I got a few questions on the ship to ship hex based combat system. I’m going to run the classic “Isle of Dread” and I would love to add some hex grid combat. I get a little lost when it gets to the sailing wind bonus since it’s allowing ships to cross the map in two turns. Your thoughts please?
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I assume that you are referring to the “Ship to Ship Combat – optional rules for Dungeons and Dragons 3.5”. There is a mistake in Table 2. The Close Hauled speed for Severe and Gale should both be 4 instead of 41 and 52. However, even in Moderate or stronger wind the sailing speed is quite fast. Please note, these are the fastest possible speeds – you can always choose to sail at a slower speed, just as a PC with a speed of 30 could choose to only move 10 feet.
I actually prefer my latest version:
– but it isn’t hex based.
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Thank You for all this great work you are doing here! I like the hexes for ships since it reminds me and the party of Battletech. If I may ask a second question…..When a sailing ship uses its movement points gained from the wind bonus (3-4 hexes based on wind speed etc.) does it exhaust those hexes/ turns based on the wind direction in the ship’s starting position? Then, if the ship is facing a new wind direction it uses its second move (5-6 hexes with the wind) exhausts those hexes / turns. The ship is now in the irons and only moves its base sailing speed. With its last sail movement point it turns into close hauled and gets 2-3 hexes of movement / turns. Is this how you intended it to go?
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Let’s say you have a Caravel, which has a sailing speed of 6 hexes. Lets further say that it is pointing North and there is a Moderate wind out of the South. This gives it a sailing speed bonus of 10/6/2 (10 Running/ 6 Broad Reach / 2 Close Hauled). One hex of sailing speed can be used to move one hex. One or more hex of sailing speed (depending on your ship’s maneuverability rating) can be used to turn. Each of the sailing speed bonuses is the maximum number of hexes you can add when travelling in a specific direction relative to the wind direction. This is the maximum bonus number of hexes you can use when travailing in that direction, even if you turn into that direction more than once on your turn. Because the speed and the bonus to speed is used for moving forward and for turning, I find it useful to refer to these as “speed points” that you can spend.
1) Because it is pointed North, it will have to start by moving North.
2) On one turn the ship could use all of its turn to travel as far as it could continuing North. That would give it 16 speed points to spend (6 for the ship’s speed + 10 for running with the wind = 16 speed points). Then it could travel a maximum of 16 hexes North. Because the Caravel has a maneuverability rating of 1 it will cost it 1 speed point to begin to move if you began with the ship stopped, so it could then only move a maximum of 15 hexes. Also because of it’s maneuverability rating of 1 it will cost you 1 speed point to turn one hex face, you could spend one speed point to turn to facing the North West or the North Ease, at the end of it’s turn. Or it could spend more speed points to turn more.
3) Another option would be to use some of it’s speed points to move North one or more hexes at the beginning of it’s turn, then spend some of its speed points to turn, spend some more of it’s speed points to move in the new direction (it now uses the bonus for wind from the new direction), spend some speed points to turn again, and continue moving and turning until it runs out of speed points.
I hope this answers your question. By the way, this conversation would be more useful to others if you had asked it as a comment at the bottom of the page where I posted the rules you are asking about.
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Hi Ronny, I have enjoyed your work for years now. Just 1 small thing. Is there a way to just download the Page 3 “Character Background and/or Notes Overflow sheet. I gottalota stuff to write down.
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Her you go:
Click to access character_sheet_page-3.pdf
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Hey Ronny, I own Mystery Dice Goblin and we would love to send you some of our Mystery Dice Bags for a review on your site (highly rated on Etsy – 4.9 stars), would this be something you would be interested in?
Here is a link to our site if you would be interested: https://mysterydicegoblin.com
Thank you,
Lee
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Hello Lee,
I appreciate your offer. To be honest, I haven’t heard of Mystery Dice Goblin, but I haven’t been in the market for dice in a while (I have LOTS). Yes, if you want a honest review, I will be glad to give you one. Your site looks good, and if your dice are as good as they appear to be on your site I am sure my review will be a good one, and I will definitely include a link to your site.
Thanks for the offer, Ronny
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Send me an email (you can find my email address under the “Legal” tab above) and I will send you my mailing address.
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Hi i’m not sure if this is where I should leave a question but my session is tommorow and I’m kinda desperate at this point. So mine is online do you have any tips in actually putting the tokens on the map like I have my map I just need somewhere to put it into so I can put my tokens on it, I tried roll twenty but honstly its too much does anyone have a simple solution, sorry if I wasted your time I dont know who else to ask have a good day.
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If you need to use it today, you need something FREE, and simple to use. Try
https://gamescape.app/
You can use your map, but it uses generic tokens, so you can’t use the tokens you have made.
When you sign up, if the email they send doesn’t show up quickly, check your spam folder.
Click on “Create Map”
Type in a name.
It will give you a grid. (there are tools for drawing a map, but you say you have one so…)
Select the “Layers” icon (top right of the screen.
Click on “Select an image to add to your background”
Find your image and select it.
Enter the width and height of the image in grid squares
Select the “Token Box” at the bottom left.
Type in a name, and click on “add to box”.
Then you can drag the tokens onto the map, and move them around.
It has a few other tools but this should let you play today.
Good luck.
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You’re still playing 5e!? Sheesh! I thought you would have dumped that lame system a long time ago. Change over to a REAL game, like Rolemaster Unified or Castles & Crusades. Heck, even Fate Core or Pathfinder 2e would be better.
Even though you’re tainted with 5e cooties, I thought I’d drop you a comment and say I hope you are doing well.
I might be starting a game on Foundry if you’re interested. Assuming you can guess who I am. (note: I’ll send you an invite)
Your site is growing in awesomeness Ronny. Well, if it were my site, and you were visiting, you’d say “its all wrong and I don’t agree”. Ha ha. But we both know you like to debate. Anyway…
Job well done!! I hope all is well with you.
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I have a pretty good guess as to who you are. Good to hear from you.
I’d love to play an on-line game with you. I’ve never played on Foundry, but I’ve heard good things about it. I’m running a Tales of the Valiant game on Fantasy Grounds now. It is currently on pause for a few weeks, but if you would like to join let me know.
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