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

Why are prepping sessions so hard? Why can’t it be as easy as remembering a simple phrase, maybe something strange like PUT A CLUE? Why can’t I save time by learning this phrase PUT A CLUE and then using it to prepare my sessions so much faster? Friend, you’re in luck. Today’s episode is for you. Welcome back to How to Be a Better DM, the show to help dungeon masters new and old learn how to take their DMing skills to the next level. I’m Justin Lewis and I’ve been helping Dungeon Masters solve simple and complex problems with my cohosts for over 150 episodes now. We’ve talked with professional voice actors, writers, podcasters, and even real life blacksmiths, all to help you fix your DMing mistakes, and truly become the World’s Greatest DM. As I mentioned today’s show is about helping you do Session Prep in a way that takes less time, far less mental stress, and helps you structure yourself to get finished faster and in a more complete way. To do that, I give you the PUT A CLUE framework. Simply fulfill each of the aspects of this framework and your Session Prep is done. The PUT A CLUE framework breaks down as follows: Purpose: Understand the general goal and purpose of the session Unfinished business: Wrap up and recap what happened in the last session Timeline: Write down a general chronological plan of what you want to have happen Acts and Arcs: Separate that timeline into a few acts (or scenes) Characters: Prepare characters and their actions that are needed for the session Locations: Prepare the setting and maps needed for the session Unexpected: Prepare a twist or something unexpected for the session Encounters: Flesh out the mechanics and final details of each encounter Maybe it’s simplifying session prep, but in that case, GOOOD! There’s no reason session prep has to drain your soul. Try out the framework and see how it works for you. Thanks for listening to today’s show. This podcast is a part of the Session 0 Studios Network. Mentioned in this episode: Join Our Patreon You may be asking yourself, “How do I get more out of How to Be a Better DM?” You probably want even more tips, more entertainment, or perhaps access to a secret society that rules the world… Well, we don’t rule the world yet, but it sounds like what you need is to join our Patreon. You’ll get access to our private Discord which will give you direct access to all the hosts of this show as well as other dungeon masters who are just like you. You’ll also be able to make fan requests for How to Be a Better DM. Lastly, you help support the show so we can give you even better content. Go to https://session0studios.com/startadventure and join our Patreon today!

Dive deep into the captivating world of blacksmithing in Dungeons & Dragons with our special guests Matt and Stan from Wasatch Forge. In this thrilling episode, we unravel the secrets of the blacksmith's shop, from forging blades to the mystical infusion of magic into steel. Discover the craft behind the art, and uncover how you can enhance your D&D experience with authentic blacksmithing knowledge. Don't miss out on this immersive journey into the heart of craftsmanship and adventure! Welcome back to part 2 of our interview with Wasatch Forge. This is How to Be a Better DM, the show that is designed to help new or veteran dungeon masters become masters. Today we dive back into Wasatch Forge for the 2nd part of our interview. Check them out at https://www.wasatchforge.com/ From today's show you will: Mentioned in this episode: Always Have Your Sessions Prepared! You work 8 hours a day. You spend time with your family when you come home. You do work around the house and it seems you never have as much time as you would like to prepare your D&D sessions. Does this sound like you? Wouldn’t it be amazing to have endless material prepared for your D&D sessions anyways? That’s where Roll and Play Press comes in. Roll and Play Press provides D&D 5e Compatible materials for any type of session. Running a one-shot? Check out their One Shot Wonders book with over 100 one-shot ideas. Getting started with your new sci-fi campaign? Get their Game Master’s Sci-Fi Toolkit to have your games much more prepared. Why reinvent the wheel? Check out Roll and Play Press at rollandplaypress.com and get 10% off when you buy something by using the code BETTERDM10. Join Our Patreon You may be asking yourself, “How do I get more out of How to Be a Better DM?” You probably want even more tips, more entertainment, or perhaps access to a secret society that rules the world… Well, we don’t rule the world yet, but it sounds like what you need is to join our Patreon. You’ll get access to our private Discord which will give you direct access to all the hosts of this show as well as other dungeon masters who are just like you. You’ll also be able to make fan requests for How to Be a Better DM. Lastly, you help support the show so we can give you even better content. Go to https://session0studios.com/startadventure and join our Patreon today!

Dungeons and Dragons 5e gets a lot wrong about Blacksmiths. There is almost no realism. Pretty strong statements right? But that's exactly what we dive into in our conversation today with Matt and Stan from Wasatch Forge, a local blacksmith school here in Salt Lake City Utah. Visit https://www.wasatchforge.com/ for more information. Welcome back to How to Be a Better DM. Today is the first part of our interview with Wasatch Forge. Come back on Saturday for Part 2. We talk about a few things today, not the least of which being: Overall it was a very fun conversation. Mentioned in this episode: Join Our Patreon You may be asking yourself, “How do I get more out of How to Be a Better DM?” You probably want even more tips, more entertainment, or perhaps access to a secret society that rules the world… Well, we don’t rule the world yet, but it sounds like what you need is to join our Patreon. You’ll get access to our private Discord which will give you direct access to all the hosts of this show as well as other dungeon masters who are just like you. You’ll also be able to make fan requests for How to Be a Better DM. Lastly, you help support the show so we can give you even better content. Go to https://session0studios.com/startadventure and join our Patreon today! From our friends at LUQ Visit LUQ.com for more information.

Finding player can be difficult. Having lycanthropes in your party can be difficult. Using the Longstrider spell can be difficult. Lucky for you, we talk about all of that. On today's BONUS episode, Tanner and Justin are invited onto the Next Session Podcast with Alyssa and Adam. They have a great conversation sharing tips for always finding players, tips on how make lycanthropy work, a cute cow/bumblebee mashup, and finally the Longstrider spell. Check out the Next Session Podcast at https://www.nextsessionpodcast.com/ They really do offer amazing content. Mentioned in this episode: Join Our Patreon You may be asking yourself, “How do I get more out of How to Be a Better DM?” You probably want even more tips, more entertainment, or perhaps access to a secret society that rules the world… Well, we don’t rule the world yet, but it sounds like what you need is to join our Patreon. You’ll get access to our private Discord which will give you direct access to all the hosts of this show as well as other dungeon masters who are just like you. You’ll also be able to make fan requests for How to Be a Better DM. Lastly, you help support the show so we can give you even better content. Go to https://session0studios.com/startadventure and join our Patreon today! Always Have Your Sessions Prepared! You work 8 hours a day. You spend time with your family when you come home. You do work around the house and it seems you never have as much time as you would like to prepare your D&D sessions. Does this sound like you? Wouldn’t it be amazing to have endless material prepared for your D&D sessions anyways? That’s where Roll and Play Press comes in. Roll and Play Press provides D&D 5e Compatible materials for any type of session. Running a one-shot? Check out their One Shot Wonders book with over 100 one-shot ideas. Getting started with your new sci-fi campaign? Get their Game Master’s Sci-Fi Toolkit to have your games much more prepared. Why reinvent the wheel? Check out Roll and Play Press at rollandplaypress.com and get 10% off when you buy something by using the code BETTERDM10.

Join host Cayden Ottley on How to Be A Better DM, on a captivating journey into the realms of fantasy and adventure within Dungeons and Dragons fifth edition. In this episode, Cayden shares five invaluable tips for crafting immersive worlds in your D&D campaigns. From establishing a rich history filled with legendary events to creating diverse cultures and societies, each tip is a gateway to deeper immersion for both players and Dungeon Masters alike. Cayden also emphasizes the importance of designing memorable locations, incorporating intriguing lore and mythology, and above all, encouraging player investment in the world-building process. Drawing inspiration from real-world cultures, mythologies, and personal experiences, Cayden's insights offer practical guidance for aspiring storytellers seeking to elevate their D&D campaigns to new heights. Tune in to How to Be A Better DM and embark on a quest to unlock the full potential of your imagination in the world of Dungeons and Dragons. Mentioned in this episode: Follow us on Instagram Thanks again for listening to our show. If you like our content and would like to engage with more of our content, head over to our Instagram account, @howtobeabetterdm, and give us a follow. Make sure to watch some of our helpful Dungeon Master Rules videos to give yourself some structure and procedure as a Dungeon Master. Don’t forget to reach out with a DM and we can talk shop. https://www.instagram.com/howtobeabetterdmpodcast/

Our topic today is something that you may not have experienced as a DM, since it is a very specific type of adventure mechanic. But, with the right party and right campaign, it could be a new, fun experience for you and your players. Namely, today we are talking about building a stronghold. Or, you might call it your base, your homestead, your castle. Heck, you could even go The Swiss Family Robinson route and make it a treehouse. Whatever it is specifically, in the end it is a place for your players’ characters to call home. Let's learn about it! Also, if you'd like to get your own Magic Mind subscription, go to magicmind.com/dungeonmaster and use code dungeonmaster20 Mentioned in this episode: Signup for Our Email Newsletter Do you love the show but can't always listen to it? Do you prefer written content? Go to session0studios.com/newsletter/ and sign up to get weekly tips and tricks sent to your inbox so you can become the greatest DM the world has ever seen.

Welcome back to How to Be a Better DM. This is a special bonus episode. In today's episode we give you Episode 2 of the Pact and Boon actual play D&D show. If you want to subscribe to the show, check out session0studios.com/pactnboon Mentioned in this episode: Signup for Our Email Newsletter Do you love the show but can't always listen to it? Do you prefer written content? Go to session0studios.com/newsletter/ and sign up to get weekly tips and tricks sent to your inbox so you can become the greatest DM the world has ever seen.

Welcome back to How to Be a Better DM. In honor of the release of our newest podcast, The Pact and Boon (session0studios.com/pactnboon/) we are releasing the first episode of that show on this podcast today. Pact and Boon is an Actual Play 5e D&D podcast and we are so excited about it. Go and check out the rest of the episodes that are out right now (a total of 4 episodes right now). If you come back tomorrow you'll get to hear episode 2 on this show of the Pact and Boon. Mentioned in this episode: Signup for Our Email Newsletter Do you love the show but can't always listen to it? Do you prefer written content? Go to session0studios.com/newsletter/ and sign up to get weekly tips and tricks sent to your inbox so you can become the greatest DM the world has ever seen.

Do you dream of trying out being a dungeon master, but are unsure of yourself or your abilities? Do currently DM but wish some parts of it weren’t as hard or complicated? Today’s episode is filled with 20 tips to help you skip some of the mistakes that we’ve made in our DMing journey. With these tips, you can gain the confidence to DM like you never have before. More importantly, with these tips, you’ll know that you are a good DM right now and that with some practice you can get even better. TLDR: The tips can be boiled down into a couple of META tips: Relax and Play the Game (It’s just a Game)Everything you Do can be improved even just 1%Practice is what will improve your game. Feel free to read the tips below, or read the full episode transcript if you want to dig in deeper. The tips: Mentioned in this episode: Signup for Our Email Newsletter Do you love the show but can't always listen to it? Do you prefer written content? Go to session0studios.com/newsletter/ and sign up to get weekly tips and tricks sent to your inbox so you can become the greatest DM the world has ever seen. Introducing Wolfgang Meet Wolfgang. This is who Tanner will be playing in our upcoming Actual Play Show, Pact and Boon. Go to Session0studios.com/pactnboon to learn more information.

Have you ever wanted to go to that cool game store down the road and play a fun game of D&D but are maybe somewhat shy and nervous about being a DM in a public place? Wouldn't you like the ability to DM in any place at any time? Today we are going to walk you through some tips on how to manage yourself in those public places and how to make sure it's fun for you and your players every single time! This is How to Be a Better DM. Today, Justin, Tanner and Cayden sit down with Tavern Keeper Andrew Ashby from https://www.wegeektogether.org/. Here's what we talked about: We enjoyed today's episode so much and want you to check out We Geek Together. Make sure to get your seat for the upcoming Dead Wars event (the world record breaking D&D game that's coming up, yeah you should be there!). Go to https://www.thedeadwars.com/ and get your seat! Mentioned in this episode: Signup for Our Email Newsletter Do you love the show but can't always listen to it? Do you prefer written content? Go to session0studios.com/newsletter/ and sign up to get weekly tips and tricks sent to your inbox so you can become the greatest DM the world has ever seen. Listen to Our New Podcast As a listener of this show, you obviously love story. Now that you’ve learned how to craft your own story on this show, wouldn’t it be nice to have some inspiration? Or maybe just a moment of immersion and escape? Then come join us in our new Actual Play D&D 5e show, Pact and Boon. Enter the World of Calignos where our characters, Jolly, Wolfgang and Alon will meet each other in Hell. Enjoy our troublemaking and near-death experiences wherever great podcasts are heard. Just go to session0studios.com/pactnboon and start listening today.

Thanks for tuning in today! Today's show was hosted by Cayden Ottley, and focuses on (in our opinion) the best online resources to help create a more immersive experience for your players. Here are the links to all of the websites mentioned in the episode: https://www.fantasy-plus.com/https://www.dndspeak.comhttps://www.thievesguild.cc/shops/https://chartopia.d12dev.com/chart/561/https://watabou.itch.io/ All of these resources except Monument Studios are free. And let's be honest, $4.99 is a steal for what monument studios is offering. I hope you can put these to good use! Mentioned in this episode: Listen to Our New Podcast As a listener of this show, you obviously love story. Now that you’ve learned how to craft your own story on this show, wouldn’t it be nice to have some inspiration? Or maybe just a moment of immersion and escape? Then come join us in our new Actual Play D&D 5e show, Pact and Boon. Enter the World of Calignos where our characters, Jolly, Wolfgang and Alon will meet each other in Hell. Enjoy our troublemaking and near-death experiences wherever great podcasts are heard. Just go to session0studios.com/pactnboon and start listening today. Signup for Our Email Newsletter Do you love the show but can't always listen to it? Do you prefer written content? Go to session0studios.com/newsletter/ and sign up to get weekly tips and tricks sent to your inbox so you can become the greatest DM the world has ever seen.

Welcome to How to Be a Better DM! Do you ever see your players losing interest halfway through a quest, a dungeon, or an NPC conversation? Well, they may be bored, which means you should learn to speedrun certain plot point and encounters for the sake of your players' fun. Tanner discusses when to shorten, speed up, or cut out certain parts of your well-planned sessions, and how to do it effectively. Mentioned in this episode: Always Have Your Sessions Prepared! You work 8 hours a day. You spend time with your family when you come home. You do work around the house and it seems you never have as much time as you would like to prepare your D&D sessions. Does this sound like you? Wouldn’t it be amazing to have endless material prepared for your D&D sessions anyways? That’s where Roll and Play Press comes in. Roll and Play Press provides D&D 5e Compatible materials for any type of session. Running a one-shot? Check out their One Shot Wonders book with over 100 one-shot ideas. Getting started with your new sci-fi campaign? Get their Game Master’s Sci-Fi Toolkit to have your games much more prepared. Why reinvent the wheel? Check out Roll and Play Press at rollandplaypress.com and get 10% off when you buy something by using the code BETTERDM10. Signup for Our Email Newsletter Do you love the show but can't always listen to it? Do you prefer written content? Go to session0studios.com/newsletter/ and sign up to get weekly tips and tricks sent to your inbox so you can become the greatest DM the world has ever seen.

How to Write a DND Heist One Shot Welcome back to How to Be a Better DM, I’m your mastermind for today, Justin Lewis, and you’re here with me to learn how to tell better stories for yourself and your friends as you DM sessions of Dungeons and Dragons 5e. aHow to Be a Better DM is presented to you by Session 0 Studios, D&D podcasts and shows to sate your ever deepening hunger. I’m excited for today’s show because it’s actually something that I’ve been working to improve personally. I’ll explain a little later in today’s show, but I’m really excited to get into today’s show. Before we do, I don’t know who needs to hear this, it’s probably you, the DM listener that I’m currently pointing at, but you need to hear this. You’re doing wonderfully. You may think you aren’t a great DM or you may have had a session recently that was less than encouraging, but know that you are doing well. First of all, most players could never do as well as you are as a DM. Second, being a DM is hard and it is a skill that requires practice. You’re doing splendidly so don’t give up. Now, I hope that wasn’t too sappy for you because today we are going to talk about doing a DND Heist One Shot! Why Do One Shots at All Before we talk about heists, I want to take a moment and talk about why you would even consider doing a one shot. Back on episode 82, https://session0studios/captivate-podcast/reserve-1/, we talked about 10 reasons why you should one shots. Let me just summarize one of the points and also explain why this particular topic appeals to me. You see, with one shots you can try new mechanics, and new scenarios that might be intimidating to pull off in your actual campaign. Doing one shots challenges you. Why Do a Heist One Shot Now the next question is why you should do a heist one shot? Well the first answer is that, it’s fun. Think about all of the heist movies you’ve seen. There’s the Italian Job. Oceans 11, 12, 13 and so on, Army of Theives (which if you’ve seen, then in our upcoming live play Show, Calignos, the character played by Tanner Weyland, my cohost on this podcast, resembles the main character of Army of Thieves so much it’s delightful). The list of fun movies is endless. The second reason is that I think a heist, more than other types of one shots, is somewhat more technically challenging. Let me explain. In order to make any particular one shot as good as it can be, there requires a certain level of believability. You must also strike a balance of difficulty. If the crown jewel of Tethrezrembot is only moderately difficult to steal, then your party will likely think the one shot was more a joke than an actual challenge. To that end, the thing that the party is trying to heist has a perceived value proportional to the difficulty of stealing that object. That means if the party is to believe the value of the target, then the defenses need to be difficult and believable. Also the party will want a sense of accomplishment. Original Characters or New Characters? So the first question you need to ask when doing any one shot is whether or not it will be canon in your campaign or not, and whether or not your players will create new characters. These are generally two separate questions. For example, in my current campaign, I am planning an extra special one shot for my players. This is a spoiler so if any of my players are listening please stop listening. In my campaign the BBEG is named Dreamtaker, and he was a very powerful Fey Creature who was split into pieces in order to be stopped previously. The pieces of Dreamtaker are all items. In my current campaign the party has fought against Dreamtaker a little here and there, and one of the characters has actually been possessed by Dreamtaker...

Are you tired of making throwaway NPCs that your players forget the next day? Then this podcast discussion with Tanner, Justin, and Cayden is for you! We discuss when to utilize realistic NPCs and ways to improve the realism of your NPCs, as well. Let's roll initiative! Mentioned in this episode: Signup for Our Email Newsletter Do you love the show but can't always listen to it? Do you prefer written content? Go to session0studios.com/newsletter/ and sign up to get weekly tips and tricks sent to your inbox so you can become the greatest DM the world has ever seen. Listen to Our New Podcast As a listener of this show, you obviously love story. Now that you’ve learned how to craft your own story on this show, wouldn’t it be nice to have some inspiration? Or maybe just a moment of immersion and escape? Then come join us in our new Actual Play D&D 5e show, Pact and Boon. Enter the World of Calignos where our characters, Jolly, Wolfgang and Alon will meet each other in Hell. Enjoy our troublemaking and near-death experiences wherever great podcasts are heard. Just go to session0studios.com/pactnboon and start listening today.

On today's episode, Cayden talks about his experience in creating home-brew worlds and mechanics without knowing much about DND in the first place. For those of you who want to play but may not have a great basis in the game, this episode is for you! But Seasoned players, don't turn away just yet. You may learn a thing or two about getting creative and improvisation. Mentioned in this episode: Signup for Our Email Newsletter Do you love the show but can't always listen to it? Do you prefer written content? Go to session0studios.com/newsletter/ and sign up to get weekly tips and tricks sent to your inbox so you can become the greatest DM the world has ever seen. Listen to Our New Podcast As a listener of this show, you obviously love story. Now that you’ve learned how to craft your own story on this show, wouldn’t it be nice to have some inspiration? Or maybe just a moment of immersion and escape? Then come join us in our new Actual Play D&D 5e show, Pact and Boon. Enter the World of Calignos where our characters, Jolly, Wolfgang and Alon will meet each other in Hell. Enjoy our troublemaking and near-death experiences wherever great podcasts are heard. Just go to session0studios.com/pactnboon and start listening today.

In this episode, we learn how to focus... not in general, but rather how to focus on a short list of problem areas rather than a multitude so you can see some real growth as a DM. We also share some announcements for what's happening with us, the podcast, and the closure of Monsters.Rent... But the rise of something you'll enjoy much more. Stay tuned. Session0Studios.com Mentioned in this episode: Signup for Our Email Newsletter Do you love the show but can't always listen to it? Do you prefer written content? Go to session0studios.com/newsletter/ and sign up to get weekly tips and tricks sent to your inbox so you can become the greatest DM the world has ever seen.

Welcome to How to Be a Better DM! Your host, Tanner Weyland, along with guest host Cayden Ottley, explore an important question: How can you make player characters experience growth in an interesting and earned way when they often enter an adventure with highly experienced backstories? Can every hero have a zero-to-hero moment if they automatically come into an adventure as ex-master thieves, army commanders, or incredibly wise wizards? Well, we help you out so you can give your players a more fulfilling growth arc. Also, we'd like to thank our sponsors, Magic Mind. Check out this link and use code BETTERDM20 to get yours: https://www.magicmind.com/betterdm Mentioned in this episode: Signup for Our Email Newsletter Do you love the show but can't always listen to it? Do you prefer written content? Go to session0studios.com/newsletter/ and sign up to get weekly tips and tricks sent to your inbox so you can become the greatest DM the world has ever seen.

Welcome back to How To Be a Better DM, the Official podcast of Monsters.Rent. I’m your Tour Guide today, Justin Lewis, and we have another special tour lined up today. First, before we get into today’s tour, we need to talk about our sponsors: you. Without you, we wouldn’t have this tour, so thank from the bottom of our hearts. 2nd, we do have a gift shop. You can visit it at the end of the tour, just go to monsters.rent/shop and there you can pick up all the knick knacks and things that you’ll never use that you only pick up on vacation. There will be also your classic “I went to the Feywild and All I got was this T Shirt” T shirt, but you don’t really want that because let’s be honest, Vacation gimmick shirts never ever look cool. 3rd thing, in the show notes of today’s tour, there are some links that may be affiliate in nature, meaning that if you purchase something from the link, part of that will go towards supporting Better Dungeon Master Tours. Be aware of that fact. Ok, with the boring stuff out of the way, let’s get ready. First, everyone, make sure you are wearing your protective yellow vests. Do these vests have special protective charms? No. Are they reflective and very bright so they are easy to see? Yes. Will Better Dungeon Master Tours charge you a fee for losing your vest? Yes. So please do not lose them. I see we have some familiar faces here today. I recognize a few of you from our Tour through the Shadowfell. It’s great to also have some first timers here with us a Better DM Tours. As I said, I am Justin Lewis, and I’ll be your tour guide today. If you love the tour or have comments about my Tour Guide style, feel free to leave a rating or a review. If I get a good rating and a review, my bosses might give me a raise (although let’s be honest, my boss is a real hard case and would never give me a raise). Anyways, who’s ready to have some fun!!! Mirror Planes Ok, follow me, the tour has officially begun. As most of you know, there is a multiverse of dimensions and planes. Most of you know this because most of you came from different realms. Within each Universe, there are also different planes of existence depending on the model that the Universe follows. The Dungeon Master’s Guide actually makes pretty good mention of this. It talks about different Universe models that connects different planes. It ranges all the way from the Soap Bubble model where each plane is sort of like a soap bubble, randomly bouncing off or intersecting with other planes, all the way to the One world model, where all of the planes are just places on the same world. In many models, the Feywild is a distinctly different place than the material plane. In many of those models, the Feywild is also considered a mirror plane. In fact, in this universe, that is exactly what is the case. The planes are separate places, but the Feywild is a mirror plane of the Material Plane. Ok, follow me everyone. So pay attention to your surroundings right now. As you’ll notice we are in a forest, you can see that in this part of the forest, it is fall. The leaves are losing their color, you can see that we’ve been walking through piles of leaves and there is a slight nip in the air. Remember that. Oh and yes, Mr. and Mrs. Craig, please don’t wander off, I know those bunnies are cute, but I really wouldn’t. Bunnies can often lead you into places that are rather difficult to escape from. Anyways, let me give you a brief refresher on mirror planes. Mirror planes are planes that closely resemble another plane. Often, landmarks like cities, forests, oceans are in the same location and the same general shape. Each plane does have its own effect on the landmark though so you may notice some changes. Yes, I see a couple of...

Tanner Weyland (00:01.046) Hello and welcome to How to be a Better DM, the official podcast of, wait, I should probably not say that anymore, shouldn't I? Justin Lewis (00:09.162) So as of this recording, you should still say, well. See, that's part of the logistics that I wanted to talk about tomorrow, but I'd say just say it until we decide on anything specific tomorrow with Kayden. Tanner Weyland (00:27.446) Okay, cool. Sorry, you'll have to cut this all out. Okay. Hello and welcome. Oh, sorry. You're good. Justin Lewis (00:33.352) No, it's fine. Justin Lewis (00:37.354) . Tanner Weyland (00:40.534) Hello and welcome to How to be a Better DM, the official podcast of Monsters .Rent. My name is Tanner Weyland and I'm here with Justin. Say hi, Justin. Justin Lewis (00:52.042) Hey, how's it going? Tanner Weyland (00:54.644) Oh man, so good. So good. How are you? Justin Lewis (00:58.79) I am recovering from moving, which is the worst. So I'm actually doing pretty good, though. What about you? Tanner Weyland (01:09.366) Good, yeah, you know, it's, my wife and I are trying to get back to the gym, which of course is its own bag of stuff. You know, you go, you're like, oh, there's so many people. I feel so self -conscious, but it's been good. So we got back from that today, but yeah, excited for that, because we used to be really into it, and then we moved last year, and we just haven't been, you know, for a whole year. Uh, but yeah, we're doing better now with that. So excited about that. And I'm more excited to talk about our topic today, which is conditions. Now, specifically, I'm thinking like, uh, conditions that affect the status of the player, like exhausted, petrification, prone, poisoned, things like that. Uh, Justin, tell me, uh, what has your experience been either as a DM or a player in regards to conditions? Like, have they been a positive, a negative or or something not even worth mentioning for you. Justin Lewis (02:12.554) I think they've been sort of both. Naturally, when you're a player, if a condition is foisted upon you, it's generally a bad thing, right? There are few good conditions. As a DM, my experience with conditions has really mostly been in combat. So I'm really excited today to talk about possibly ways that conditions can be. Tanner Weyland (02:31.358) Mm -hmm. Justin Lewis (02:42.458) expanded upon in combat and possibly outside of combat. Tanner Weyland (02:49.414) Agreed because I think that's a real issue, right? Where, uh, when a condition is done for the DM, it's just another, you know, plate to spin. And for the players, it's usually like against them because frankly, I think we can agree on this. A lot of time players have seen that it's not worth specking in, in the ability to cause conditions. That's not always true, but I do find that a lot of players are like, Oh, If it's an enemy we can kill pretty quickly, it's not worth, you know, blinding them or something. And if it's a big boss, chances are their resistances are too high or something. You know what I mean? Justin Lewis (03:31.176) Absolutely, you definitely, this is really going into the mechanics of gameplay and this is probably, I would say as DMs, you're probably either good with the story aspect or the mechanical aspect. Justin Lewis (03:52.042) Or if you're a lucky DM, sorry, I just had to yawn there for a second. Or if you're a lucky DM, you're good with both. And this is definitely more commonly used with the mechanical aspects of D &D where you have to, you know, I saw on a TikTok the other day where you look at your...

Hello, and Welcome to How To Be A Better D, the official podcast of Monsters.Rent. My name is Tanner Weyland, and together we will learn about how to prepare the best adventures and environments for our players to enjoy. Today my dear friends, we are going to talk about how you can help your players advocate for themselves. Also, this episode was sponsored by Magic Mind. Go to this website: magicmind.com/JANbetterdm and use our code, BETTERDM20 to get up to 40% off your subscription. Mentioned in this episode: Signup for Our Email Newsletter Do you love the show but can't always listen to it? Do you prefer written content? Go to session0studios.com/newsletter/ and sign up to get weekly tips and tricks sent to your inbox so you can become the greatest DM the world has ever seen.