Best Ways to Run Overland Travel in D&D 5e

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Whats your Favorite Way to Travel? One of these? OR one of your own!? Let me know! 🔴 JOIN 🔥 Become a KZbin Member kzbin.info/door/z8xkTADYdRQR7GP-f2PjOAjoin 🐲 Become a Patron 🐉 www.patreon.com/thedungeoncoach ▶️ Dungeon Coach Homebrew Playlist 📱 kzbin.info/aero/PLMzshUEANAtOovJb_pr27pwLOTR3nn19g

[@bobbymolloy215]

Just stumbled on this. Really like the travel roles idea. Ensures rangers get to use some of the less exciting skills and also more of an order to the start of any ambush or other surprise.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Bobby Molloy glad to have ya here! And you’re exactly right! This gives you a chance to let those certain players strengths shine!!

[@christopherwhittemore6002]

Hey trying to find the PDF associated on your website but I can't. What is the name of the PDF or place to find the PDF associated with this video?

[@Hakujin_0]

I know I’m suuuuper late to the party here, but in case anyone sees this I just have to say that this was a phenomenal video. It was exactly what I needed at this point in time and the advice within really helped me solve some of the pain points I have been having when running my sessions. I pride myself on how I’ve run my game and how engaged my players have been both in role play and in interesting combats. But I just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing- and that was exploration. These tips really helped me to both recognize and enhance this crucial 3rd pillar of the game that I had been neglecting.

[@victorcasado3559]

For the nothing strategy, ask them to make a skill check anyway to scare them. It works really well. Thanks for the advice!

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Victor Casado hahaha I love asking for fake “scare rolls” haha thanks man!

[@AdmiralStoicRum]

Your suggestion of a roc in the grasslands made me want to make a pun. You see a giant rock flying toward you, what do? I shoot with an arrow; i try to conceal myself in the grass; i move 5ft to the right. The arrow bounces off the surface of the igneous projectile unaffected.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Admiral Stoic Rum and the meteorite SLAMS into the ground barely missing you!!! Hahaha

[@catchovalzwendar3350]

Me: I throw a sheet of paper over the Roc! ;)

[@RulesandRulings]

I'm fond of just throwing little bits of the world in their path and seeing how they react. In a recent game the group stumbled upon a shrine to Lady Luck. Now the divination wizard is considering a possible faith.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Stephen Harris SEE!!! THATS IT! Something so simple has possibly changed that players story and path! Possible multi class eh?? That’s next weeks video too! multi-classing Homebrew system

[@RulesandRulings]

@@TheDungeonCoach Yeah, I polished off my Luck Domain homebrew because he seems pretty set on the multi class.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Stephen Harris that’s awesome, it all makes sense from the discord post now! I see it!!

[@IsaiahR-ob9mi]

I did the same thing. But now our barbarian has multi classed into a paladin for that deity.

[@40yearoldninja61]

Best thing about rewatching an older video is seeing you hope for 200 likes and the video now had 2000. I'm going to use the roles in their next session, thanks. I tried skill challenges but at level 2 with a bard and a cleric's help they were rolling over 20 most times.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

HA! Thanks for that! It has been a WILD ride! :)

[@Hathathn]

I've looked at a gazillion dnd you-tube channels. This is by far the best one imo. Great content, great format. The content is tight, like you have been playtesting forever. Thanks man, I pride myself on my homebrew, but you have made my games much better in several ways already. Cheers!

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Joel Puetz wow man... I’m honestly blown away by that comment... thank you so much! This has been a dream of mine that I was hesitant to go for... but I’m SO glad I did! My entire purpose is to share efficient creative content to help people out. Thank you so much man! Cheers!

[@goodshepherde6442]

Agreed. You're articulate and very importantly, to the point but not in a glance o er kind of way. Other channels are good but they can DRAG on and get convoluted, not naming names...*ahem* anyway. Keep on it. Grays on doing what makes you happy too; no small win there. Promise I'll join your patron and KZbin memberswhen I'm not broke

[@matthewshroba1511]

He’s up there for sure. Been watching this”type” of content probably like, between 3 and 20 hours a week for years (lol… true… 20 hrs years ago when I was new and basically watched EVERYTHING lol and that’s not including Critical role. Somehow I just found Dungeon Coach abiut six months ago and am BLOWN AWAY, Not just by how good the info is and his delivery, but just how much is ORIGINAL ideas and stuff I’ve never heard of before… pretty hard to do to me. DC, Matt Coleville, Bob Worldbuilder… I’d say are my personal top 3 on DM “running the game” style videos or homebrew or anything like that (not primarily lore etc.). Very appreciative to DC.

[@justinbruce8949]

My favorite encounter idea is a social one where adventures come across the grave of an epic hero. If they are polite and respectful they get something helpful. Or if they are rude....

[@garryame4008]

1:26 Travel Roles for PCs 7:48 Skill Challenge 11:08 Nothing (Skip travel/fast travel) 13:44 Encounter Tables

[@dmshowerthoughts5034]

"What do you two talk about?" Genius advice. Simple and effective. Again, congrats on the 1000 subscribers! Keep it going dude!

[@TheDungeonCoach]

DM Shower Thoughts whats awesome is since I ALWAYS ask it, and am crazy consistent with it... they know it’s coming so they start to prepare for it! It’s been great And the 1000 subs is crazy cool too! I want to do my first live stream soon!

[@Lionrhod212]

@@TheDungeonCoach Was just watching a video, by Dael Kingsmill, where she suggested a friend of hers' advice: Between games contact the players and ask them to enact a scene together during Watch. For example: "Could the two of you have a minor argument about something?" Then the PCs consider it over the break, and when night comes they both take watch together, and have a minor argument, which may or may not have been scripted by the players over the course of the break. While that's fun - especially if they agree to argue, but don't determine what about and their opinions. However, I think a simple, "what do you talk about?" is a far better way to handle this. 1) It doesn't matter WHO is on watch. Whoever volunteers to take watch together gets to play out the scene. 2) It's not pre-scripted. That means they can do anything from talk about plans for the future battle to their histories and childhood traumas to hopes, fears, whether or not they should kill off their captive goblin scout or something entirely different. 3) It eventually involves the whole party, even if only one night at a time, and gives even those who don't feel entirely comfortable about RPing a chance to do so. (Doesn't hurt to put a strong RPer on watch with a shy player, and have them draw him out.)

[@TheDungeonCoach]

@@Lionrhod212 thank you for that, I love Daels stuff too and yes this has worked wonders for my players as well

[@morrigankasa570]

My preferred method is limited random encounters (sometimes will be nothing), BUT NOT JUST COMBATIVE! It could be a Traveling Trade Caravan or a random thing you can explore or a Traveling Troupe of Minstrels/Entertainers or a random Farm with a Food Stand. The only amount of Combat Encounters is 10% at most & even then it would most likely be a random Animal Attack.

[@nubluva]

great vid, thanks 👍

[@samchafin4623]

Really enjoying the channel, Coach. Keep up the good work! I know I missed the cut off, but here's my random encounter: The party encounters a weary man on the road attempting to pull a sled with a boy of about 12-14 lying on it, wrapped in blankets. One of the rails of the sled is broken, and though hardy, the man is fatigued. He explains that the boy is his son who is injured/sick/cursed (whatever puts him near death, and outside of the ability of the PCs to heal him), and is near death. He is trying to get him to a secluded monastery high on the nearby mountain where the boy can be healed. He adds that if his son dies, he will not be able to work his secluded farm well enough to feed his family, and they will likely all die. He begs the PCs to help him up the mountain to the monastery. The fun part about this encounter is that it is a moral choice for the PCs, and it can either be legitimate, or it can be a trap, and the man and the boy are part of a troupe of bandits luring travelers off the main road to an easy ambush site. You're the DM - it's up to you!

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Sam Chafin OMG that’s brilliant I LOVE the DM has some options like you said too, wow that’s good! Glad to have you in the Crew!!

[@madmadame1508]

I am so glad you mentioned Marching Order, I recently implemented this is in my games because players gets suspicious and meta-game when I randomly ask them where everyone is in a room or on the road. Now they're locked in regardless of whether movement is for flavor or a precursor to battle.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Mad Madam exactly! That’s another great point I should of said in the video!! So you know where they are and keeps things clear and straight forward. And you consistently do it so the players are never suspicious, yup yup!

[@midnightwaps]

Very apt timing, my players are about to embark on an overland journey of several days.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

midnightwaps Perfect! I try to anticipate needs!! You could even mix and match these across several days too! Just to keep it fresh!

[@midnightwaps]

The Dungeon Coach what should I do when I ask for marching order and everyone says “I’m somewhere in the middle.” 🤪

[@TheDungeonCoach]

midnightwaps if my group consistently did that I would throw something at them that makes em scramble and frantic (ambush, avalanche etc) and since there was no leader the group could be trapped on opposite sides of the cannon... BOOM split combat!?!? Haha OR if something bad were to happen I’d just “roll” randomly and have a random person in the front have some negative thing happen. OR have a combat break out and I get to position the players on the map instead of themselves, some random order that provides zero benefits lol Or just talk to em, but that’s less fun 😆

[@donblack1571]

Dang well wishes.

[@Amornar]

Encounter idea: Coming upon the destroyed camp of another adventurer group that was ambushed on their own long rest. Use a skill challenge to figure out what happened and if they succeed the challenge they are rewarded by finding useful information or an item that was missed by the attackers. Bonus points if you can tie a dead adventurer to a party member’s backstory/previous group adventures.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Amornar AHHHHH this is great! They could even (with enough successes) find one of the party members still alive! Tie into the backstory is great too... this is legit!

[@JacobMatthewAmes]

This guy is a wizard... a hairy wizard and everything he says is pure gold. Thanks man for your stuff. It's good.

[@EricVulgaris]

Your point about thinking about what failure looks like at an individual level and at a group level is some cash money advice! hope you're doin well!

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Eric Vulgaris cash money! Haha thanks man! Things are goin great! I just love giving back and giving y’all some useful tools

[@RATLordGeno]

Holy Hannah - this was posted in March and you jumped up FOUR THOUSAND subscribers?! I’m late to the party, but I figured I’d share a little bit about I handle travel. Just like you, I tend to focus more on travel in the early game, and spend less time with it later in the game. Of course, that is dependent in the scenario. First things first - variety is the spice of life. Sometimes they walk. Every so often, a ship is the best way to get there. Maybe an airship or a flying creature offers to take them somewhere when speed is important. Horses (or in the case of my Great Plains dwelling halfling civilization, their mounts are kirres (giant tigers with six legs, horns, and a barbed tail...they are SO bad ass), or whatever near mount the civilization they are helping or near happens to use. The occasional wagon. Heck, those halflings even have wagons with sails - a literal Prairie Schooner that sails across the Plains. And if the party is lucky, someone helps them teleport if they can’t do it themselves. But, there is no such thing as a free lunch! One thing I absolutely love is - not all encounters have to be a fight. You can have hostile bandits, and someone in the party might try the unthinkable - actually TALKING to these people. I reward the heck out of that. Or, maybe a traveling salesman (maybe a snake oil salesman, or maybe he has real stuff.) Depending on how the party reacts with this guy, maybe he might offer a quick side-quest to them, with a fairly decent reward. Of course, if they don’t like him, or are busy trying to steal from him/distrustfully interrogate him/etc. he is just going to want to get away from them. But, I really like keeping them on their toes. The scraggly looking pair of guys traveling down the road, obviously hungry, and seemingly on the run from someone by the way they keep nervously looking around, or how uncomfortable they are during stops or in open areas - they turn out to be really good people who just happen to be distrustful because people can be awful, and they’ve been bamboozled before. Or, the old lady and her grandson who the party instantly has a soft spot for. She offers to cook dinner, and when the party wakes up, they find out half their gold and their food is gone, or maybe just one high-value magical item. If they ever get caught up with, they find out the “old lady” isn’t so old, and the grandson isn’t so...”grandson.” It could be illusion magic, or just really good disguises...maybe the group is a pair of lovers, enjoying the open road and the apparent freedom it has - still too young to understand the consequences of their actions. One thing I really try to drive home - these people GENERALLY don’t do these things to hurt the party - that’s a side effect. And in this vein, if my party is willing to have a real talk with them rather than kill everyone, or take them straight to the authorities, I will have it so the party can get all their things back, and they will have taught the thieves a lesson to the tune of possibly changing their lives for the better. Then, one day while traveling, who do they run into but the same duo, only this time living their best life? Conversely, if they lay a beating on them, or send them to jail for their actions? Well, if they run into them again, this time they are tougher, meaner, life has been hard on them and as a result they are less sympathetic to anyone else. And the party? Well, rather than recognize their guilt - they have a bone to pick with the party, One last thing about travel before I GO ON MY WAY *get it?* I usually have some kind of time pressure. Not a LOT, it’s usually somewhat forgiving. But, along the way, there may be some things that take time that they can choose to do. Maybe a shepherd boy lost his herd of goats, and the party decides to help. Or, a huge tree fell across the road, and a wagon is stuck there now, with a sick or injured person in the back that needs to get to the next town to see a doctor. It will take half a day to clear the road...but the party is supposed to be at their destination tomorrow afternoon. If they help, there is NO WAY they will make it there on time. Although I won’t force the players hand either way, what I will do (and they learn this over time) is reward the behavior. Sure, Lord Stickinass might be a complete dick about it. Sure, maybe they lose 200 go of their reward because they were late. I will rarely completely bone the party for doing this, but I will ALWAYS have it come back to them in a much bigger way. For one, maybe one day the guards capture the party for some shenanigans their rogue got into...well, maybe this group of strangers (that it turns out was the group in the wagon) comes and tells the guards there is no way these are the right people - the group you have in chains before us JUST travelled into the city with us this afternoon. Or maybe they have some kind of amazing tip. Or maybe it’s a couple years later, and the sick child in the back of the wagon is now a man - who works as a city guard. He won’t allow the party to do brazen illegal acts, but he might let them go somewhere they aren’t supposed to for a good reason, or share some important information he was privy to. Basically, you never know how Karma is going to manifest on the open road, and I try to facilitate its path as DM, and usually all I have to do is play off of how the players themselves choose to handle situations. They can absolutely choose to be jerks - but they are ensuring a colder, harder world for themselves. And they can be great people - bad stuff may still happen to them...but just like in life, how they choose to handle it and bounce back from the negative influences how the cosmic scales tip to their favor or not. Lemme know what ya’ll think! Sorry for the miniature book!

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Lord Geno haha yea we have grown a lot in a small time frame huh lol! Didn’t realize this was from 1k lol And WOAH I absolutely LOVE your perspective on travel! I have entire tables of non hostile encounters AND I always make my players think AND I love throwing time constraints to add a level or pressure/ tension! YES YES YES!! Good stuff!

[@parkernelson4324]

Very similar to the "what do you talk about" question Ive been asking things like "there was a party on board your ship during travel, what did you do during that party?" "You made a friend during this party who was it and why did you bond?" That was my favorite, my cleric met a vagrant and converted him, he became a permanent follower with some light healing spells to help the party between dungeons. I generally omit certain skill checks in these low stakes encounters, so that the player doesn't have to worry about failing during a good opportunity for roleplay or establishing their characters personalities.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Parker Nelson I love that approach!! It speaks to me! RP > Rules Lawyer any day! What a great way to do it!!

[@lolply54]

I’ve been fine for a while, happy to come back for this video, travel is one of my weakest point in GMing. Btw man you deserve an applause for the gorwing effort you put in the video, both narration and visuals. Every next one is better than the one before! Keep it up man! Ps travel tale (it happened in a Game i ran): my party was walking from one town to another and encoutered a traveling merchant, they traded some stuff with him and then left. After a while they found a naked family in the wood that told them someone stole their cart. It started this 30min chase in the countryside with the players tossing a scarecrow in the wheels of the cart (20nat) to Block it. It was one of the best things i ran (also they kept the scarecrow ahahah).

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Lilopolo glad to help round off your “DM Game”! And I loved that story!! It’s always the most random moments that people eat up! Thanks for that, I’ve been working hard and learning a lot!

[@lolply54]

The Dungeon Coach i liked a lot the “speaking during guard” bit. Would you consider a video on “How to involve e -nurture- new/shy players” PS the number of comment has increased a lot but not the delay in the answer, that’s impressive!

[@TheDungeonCoach]

@@lolply54 Haha thanks! youre the first person to aknoledge that! haha I try! I would love to do a "Bring your shy players out to RP" kind of video! Ill write it down on the list!

[@jimwalker1837]

I love that idea! It gives the players a moral choice.... do we help the family? Or keep going because we are on a time limit with our current mission? Might have to steal this one for my idea book!

[@brannynbell3984]

Encounter: basilisk! Always a fun one, it gives laughs and seriousness to the encounter especially dodging the glowing yellow eyes

[@TheDungeonCoach]

brannyn bell I do love that mechanic! Haha laughs and seriously bad all in one!

[@catchovalzwendar3350]

In 40+ years of DMing, I've never used a monster with petrification ... though I want to use basilisks, cockatraces, medusae, and gorgons. How do you handle turning a PC into stone? Do you give the party a way to reverse the process beforehand? Do you expect them to lug a statue to a temple and trade restoration for a quest? I have the same issue with creatures that steal life (ie 3.5 monsters that drain levels! Yikes!). Thanks for the feedback.

[@chiepah2]

I like this idea, I just started a game and there were some technical difficulties and we had to end the session short right before the traveling started. One of the players is an Aarakocra and was talking about how she was going to fly a bit to do some scouting as they travel. I, now, want to use skill checks plus that scouting to give them some options; option 1 potential combat, option 2 a skill challenge short cut, option 3 spend more time and go around. This will allow her to fly back to the party and report the options and the players can chose one of my 3 options or make a 4th (which will probably just end up being a skill challenge.) Thanks for the idea, I love it.

[@phillipbush9603]

Another great video, looking forward to many more, especially the camping one, as well as, the resurrections rules homebrew....

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Phillip Bush so many videos! So little time! Gonna try and get a bonus one out soon too! Depends on how much I can get in!

[@DDHomebrew]

I love the travel role idea, (which I will now use) and your defense of nothing at higher levels. Churning out random encounters can kill momentum when the players are trying to complete an objective. For me the trick to rolling tables was trying to create a cool story line for the random monsters on the spot, and then seeing if I could add it to existing story lines of the world: these random monsters existed before encountering the players, so they were interacting with that world.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

D&D Homebrew yes! I love when they blend together! So they aren’t just truly random encounters, it’s all about the story!

[@kingrune111]

My DM had a random stranger on the path during our travels. He asked us for food or a bit of money. After giving him some, he gifted each of us something awesome then disappeared. We think he was the god of travellers or something! Maybe a table for mystical but likely safe encounters would be awesome!

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Stephen A exactly! I love “positive” encounters! But... what if those items are cursed... and he’s waiting for a moment to strike... watching you at a distance...

[@kingrune111]

@@TheDungeonCoach OH NOOO

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Stephen A haha it’s in your head now!

[@jippedevries4762]

All those travel roles basically made me say "that's me!" Sincerely, any ranger

[@iainhaukka6553]

Your videos are criminally under-viewed. The quality of your videos in terms of content and production value are right up there with the big TTRPG content creators here on KZbin. I like what you're doing and appreciate your ingenuity, great work!

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Thank you so much!! I feel that way too but it’s so nice to hear someone else say it lol I keep trying to improve every week too so I’ll get a lucky break some time 👌🏼

[@iainhaukka6553]

@@TheDungeonCoach if I had to offer any advice, which probably doesn't mean anything because I'm just a random lurker, I'd maybe suggest focusing your brand a little bit to further distinguish yourself from other great DM content creators out there. For example, Matt Colville's videos are specifically designed for new DMs. Similarly, How To Be A Great GM also covers the foundation of how to really master the fundamentals of running a game. Both of these channels are really clear about their specific purpose, who their target audience is, and how they can help in their delivery, not only in their delivery, but their marketing and branding, too. I think this has contributed to their widespread appeal. (It probably also helps that their target audiences happen to be quite large -- people new to the hobby!) Your channel stands out to me as being a vivid example of trying to take already established DMs and bring their gaming to the *next level*, through homebrew or just re-envisioning of classic rules and game concepts, but I had to watch several of your videos (and explore your content on DMsguild) to fully appreciate this. It's sort of implied by your handle, "dungeon coach," but maybe you could do more to highlight this unique aspect that you bring to the RPG community on KZbin, and thus attract some more traffic to your channel. I feel like your content is on point, maybe it's just a matter of directing more attention towards you, and a slight shift in branding might help with that. Maybe that's not helpful, but I figured I'd toss my two cents in!

[@Nystagmium]

My current campaign features a vast island that is very sparsely populated: think colonial Iceland in a magical world (Skyrim meets Thor: Ragnorok). Lots of overland travel, little shelter, and no shops. My travel rules are very similar to what you've outlined here, and I will be stealing the "Role rolls" you've detailed. I've been playing & DMing for a very long time now (I started with the red box) but I still find your videos to be helpful in thinking up ways to make 5e better for my players.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Nystagmium Thank you! I try to keep things fresh and push the limits of the game. I love being able to help DMs who have been playing forever too! Your campaign sounds awesome! I totally see it from your description. Definitely travel focused and dangerous! Love it!!

[@snobgoblinDK]

Great video! I really appreciate the text format, since I have difficulty remembering stuff from just listening :)

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Aedan Blounsø awesome! I do it in all my videos because I’ve been told it helps! I’ll keep it up for ya!

[@nickolasmorin5600]

I love what you do with your channel! You are definitely the go to homebrew DND channel. All your suggestions are always practical, fun, and easy to implement. Keep up the good work!

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Nickolas Morin That means a ton to me man! Thank you!! I was nervous to label myself Homebrew... but it’s honestly me to my core and I love it too much for it not to come out! Glad it’s appreciated!

[@nickolasmorin5600]

@@TheDungeonCoach I honestly wish more DND channels would talk about homebrew for DMs since it's more realistic for the games people actually play. So I'm glad your channel offers something like this. I really hope your channel continues to grow, you really do deserve more subs

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Nickolas Morin dude you rock! Thank you! I remember all the times I wish there was a solution for my D&D problem... and had to dig through multiple 20 min videos to then have to combine them and make my own... was a lot of work! So I’m trying to save y’all the trouble haha

[@jonatanklock3206]

I really liked the content and the pace of this video. Right to the point with some vivid examples to make it real. Excellent

[@jakubfrankovsky6983]

Rly a intereting way of make traveling more interesting. I will definetly try this tomorow with my group :)

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Jakub Frankovský tomorrow? Perfect timing!! Glad you liked it! Hope you have fun with it!

[@bharl7226]

Excellent ideas, mate! All kinds I've been considering including in my own game! 🤔 I particularly love the idea of peaceful travel as downtime activity amd role-playing opportunity. And I've always thought that putting important encounters in their travel path was just good prepping! Here are my two lists of roles I've been working on: GAMEPLAY ROLES/BUILDS: - Warrior - Rogue - Mage - Support - Advisor - Provider group roles: - leader - guide/navigator - scout/sneaker - hunter - cook - doctor - lookout/spotter - finder/forager/gatherer - warrior/defender - muscle - face/voice/talker - knower/informant - maker/crafter - researcher

[@TheDungeonCoach]

DUDE once again we are synced up! group roles: - leader : I literally use this every time and think its a great thing for the party to decide on, even if its just logistically instead of socially - guide/navigator : One of the 4 roles I use so perfect! - scout/sneaker : One of the 4 roles I use so perfect! but I like the sneaky component to it - hunter : great for getting rations! - cook : more ration management (i feel like id like to keep track of rations if I was a player, idk lol) - doctor - interesting especially if no PC is competent in medicine - lookout/spotter One of the 4 roles I use so perfect! - finder/forager/gatherer : Rations, check - warrior/defender : One of the 4 roles I use so perfect! - muscle : What do they do compared to the defender? more like a body guard for one specific thing/ person? - face/voice/talker : Totally useful and a cool thing to get the players thinking about - knower/informant : nice in spy/ espionage stuff, would be fun - maker/crafter / researcher all useful for those times when they have to spend travel focused on making something Great roles as usual man!

[@bharl7226]

@@TheDungeonCoach heck yeah, bro! Syncing up again! My thinking for the muscle would just be the strongest person who does the lifting, breaking, intimidating, and whatnot. Has nothing to do with fighting, lol, but could certainly be a bodyguard type role too.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Benjamin Harl ahhhhh ok yea I see that role for sure, got it! 👌🏼 I’ve also been told pathfinder 2e has a good travel role system

[@bharl7226]

@@TheDungeonCoach yeah it's actually pretty similar to what you laid out in this video, lol! From what little I've seen of PF2 actual play shows.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Benjamin Harl o yea?? Cool haha Then the comment they gave me must have been on how similar it was, that makes sense!

[@sunborn2477]

Thank you so much for this video, travel has always been something i struggled with making engaging for my group!

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Liberty I was super excited for this one! Because I struggled here too! Glad to help ya man

[@mattcatlett1065]

Love your stuff! Encounter: Someone who is after a party member catches up to them in the night.

[@TimothyEdwards]

In a friend’s Eberron campaign, they travel by Lightning Rail, and there is always a murder mystery. They don’t run them after the first, but time back in talking about the murder they just solved, all adding details about what just happened.

[@rpaalevato]

Best travel content in KZbin!

[@charlesellis3889]

Found this video from your arctic survival house rules. Super useful! Thank you for all your work. Definitely going to utilize some of these strategies in my Rime of the Frost Maiden campaign.

[@charlesellis3889]

Also, can I just say, I really appreciate the brevity in your video. Your examples are entertaining, but still short and keeps this video to the point.

[@TheWillCarter]

Great stuff. This channel is quickly becoming one of my favourites.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Will Carter Thanks man! I will keep the grind going! It’s been a HUGE learning curve but it’s feeling better each week!

[@Kizlak]

This is awesome, love all your videos and advice! Getting ready to start a new campaign and soaking it all in!

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Keith Brown o that’s awesome! Glad to be of service fellow DM!!

[@ItsJon-g2o]

Very good ideas. Implementing for sure. Thank you.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Jon Speedgato Figueroa thanks for the comment! Always glad to help!

[@F2t0ny]

Sweet DBZ reference with the instant transmission haha. I wrote a terrain difficulty travel system that made the players make a survival check after passing through 6 squares or hexes. The DC was set by the difficulty eating of each of the 6 squares added together. Those who failed would take a level of exhaustion. Eventually I realized my players hardly knew the core rules and it might be a bit much for them. It could be fun with the right group though.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Anthony Lyon yeah, your entire travel system will depend on your party, because that sounds awesome to me but someplace with absolutely hate that, LOL 😆

[@xoxlyss]

Another one I just sent to my players. I love the idea of giving them roles! Thank you for sharing!

[@TheDungeonCoach]

xoxlyss no no no! YOU are the one that is sharing haha and thank YOU 🙏🏼

[@davidpoudrier4132]

Encounter Idea - The party comes across a Warlock on the road, the warlock tells them that up ahead there is a goblin fort. Someone there has stolen something important to the warlock (magic item). He/she/they would love it if the party created some sort of distraction so he could get in undetected and steal it back.

[@davidpoudrier4132]

If the party backtracks through the area later (regardless of what kind of distraction they created), the fort is in complete ruins and there is evidence of many fires. The Goblins are scattered and trying to regroup.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

David Poudrier wow such an n depth encounter’ love it!’

[@josephdellavecchia7828]

Hey Dungeon Coach, you rock. Congrats on all the new subs. Wow these rules are amazing and straight forward.i can't wait to start uaing them. I also appreciate the shoutout.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

No thank you! Haha Glad these rules hit home for ya, and any rules I make I try and have them be simple and easy to implement, even mid campaign 👌🏼

[@taeurus]

Coach, this video had quite a distance to go to live up to all you have posted before, but it made that journey with new horizons set beyond the mile markers you had set it. You are mapping out such a wonderful set of information of homebrew goodness that blazes a trail new potential game play enjoyment for so many people! I cannot wait to ride this train to its next station of fantastic content to see what you have to drive home for us next!

[@TheDungeonCoach]

taeurus love the metaphors! You paint a great picture! Thanks man! I think Travel is a big thing people struggle with/ find missing in their games. I did a script re-write 3 times for this and I’m happy where it ended up! More to come! Haha

[@taeurus]

@@TheDungeonCoach well this can be expanded as well for not only travel in the wilderness but exposition travel as well like a train or caravan or maybe even commercial airship. Just because it is a set path with added protection services doesn't mean the Travel Titles (since you wanted a new word beside "roles") can still take up their hats and assist. Maybe the Navigator talks with other travellers/staff of what is along the way or ahead to better understand the land/culture; maybe the defender makes checks for suspicious people in the groups or for out of place items/races; maybe the Scout takes inventory of what everyone group has so they not caught offguard or helps the security somehow keep eyes and ears out for trouble. So much potential with the way this is outlined to expand beyond just the group and integrate into bigger things. If it is a big enough city like the major planar ones like Sigil these guidelines can even be used for that. Waiting for the guide book at this rate ;P

[@TheDungeonCoach]

taeurus way to think outside the box!! Man that would be so cool! I totally see it, and I love “Travel Titles” it’s alliterative

[@taeurus]

@@TheDungeonCoach for random encounter table suggestions, my two cents is thus: travel complications/boost table! Result one: active weather while traveling/delay result from weather like mud slide [complication] Result two: unnoticed slip through planar boundary of Feywild or Shadowfell [both complication and boost as can either increase or decrease travel time based on possible Skill Challenge or additional random encounters] Result three: area monster uses spell effects to hinder travellers as entertainment like using Fog Cloud or Entangle to slow travel [complication] Result four: role play situation where strong creature assists travel either physically or by sending word to others to not disturb [boost] Result five: moral dilemma like repairing fellow travellers' broken wagon or aiding the injured Result six: hey there's a shortcut! Or at least that is what a seemingly helpful passerby tells the party when they inquire where the party is going [complication/boost]

[@TheDungeonCoach]

taeurus that one comment is JAM PACKED with great ideas! Haha knew I’d love em once I saw your name

[@hewettlo]

Just found your channel and as a long time DM, I'm finding good material to use here. Very nice editing, content and presentation. I look forward to watching more. I was thinking there might be a conflict with the Marching Order: Navigator having to make checks if they had the Outlander background, but on close reading, I can see it says they just have a good head for the maps and landmarks. That would imply advantage to those rolls. Very nicely done. I'll be importing that to my game next week.

[@totsytaylor]

Great work fella, love the ideas. How about bumping into a group of folk going the same way (trying to do what the party is trying to do) Might be help, friendly competition or could turn nasty further along the road

[@TheDungeonCoach]

totsytaylor Oooooo great encounter! I love how many ways that could go based on the RP / social interaction between the two groups... man that’s a good one. Fun stuff! Will they join forces with the NPC group? Just to backstab them later?? Or do they actually make friends? So many directions!

[@nickiekalla6766]

My favorite random encounter is Tinker Town. This is a traveling group of shop keepers / Tinkers. Gypsy like interplaner travelers. They travel to distant lands and planes bringing back exotic goods. They have a variety of things for sell, magical, exotic and mysterious. Shops like Flutes Fortunes, Or Tiny Tinkers Toys. The possibilities are endless and it's a once in a campaign encounter. I've enjoyed creating the vendors for my traveling town. I've made them interplaner as well. They have connections in Sigil and have items *Including food, animals, and raw materials from other planes* Some of the vendors are villainous, and it's possible for so many plot hooks.

[@tommoses1372]

Travel as a skill challenge is definitely something I’m going to implement, great idea!

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Tom Moses especially when it’s dangerous!! Haha, really have had some cool moments from this!

[@alexfikar7757]

put this to the test and gave my players roles this past week.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Alex Fikar yea!? How’s the first run through go??

[@VolosynT]

Hey! just found this channel! Thanks for the great tips. Now i'm looking forward to more and seeing you and your channel grow! +1 subscriber

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Travis Volosyn welcome to the channel man! I’ll keep em commin!! I appreciate the support +1 hype

[@nojkno140]

Ha, the psychedelic jelly reminded me of when one of the players I was playing with used mushrooms to make a powder strong enough to get a dragon high, then when the airship we were on burned down that powder was thrown into the fire causing a gas to be emitted and it made everyone so high that nobody remembered what happened after that

[@sheaashbee7968]

Kinda scanned through the comments looks for this question, but what kind of things would you have the leader roll for? Found your channel a week ago or so, and I am stealing so much of your content goodness , love it keep up the amazeballs work.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Shea Ashbee haha thank you! Glad to have you here!! I like to have a leader roll so I know who’s in the front of something crazy happens out of nowhere. Good and bad, first person to receive a gift from a random kind stranger... OR first person to be spotted as the target of an assassination attempt I might ask them for rolls like perception/ survival, or even a dex ST to trip a trap nobody saw commin!

[@jgook1207]

Hey DC! Some of the content on this channel is lit. Your skull challenge vid made me look at them in a while other line of sight! Speaking of which, did you ever do a video on your instant skill challenge you mentioned in this video? I ran a great skill challenge encounter type where a horse escaped in a city and they had to restrain it. Became so dynamic. Each failure obviously put the individual player further behind. Each success brought that player closer! But each ‘lair’ action became a different ‘setting’ with other things to interact with. I also added a timed fail state: if they didn’t pass the skill challenge by round 5, the horse had escaped out into the wild. It knocked into other horses which were running towards them: do they stop them from hurting civilians or run past. I had ladders to climb up to the roof (which didn’t count as neither a success of failure - essentially miss a go. Each success for them thereafter was 2 successes.) It knocked a civilian in a river. Offered possibly shortcuts where a failure meant they were out of the challenge but would count as two successes. In fact, anything where they focussed on anything other than the chase put them out (stopping the horses or helping people) The idea of making these cinematic montage scenes helped visualise that dramatisation massively. Like in films, there’s often that little ‘breather scene’ where they’re just running with nothing really to do but have a conversation or argument. So, during just a straight run (where I didn’t off any call outs just to break the encounter up) I said, ‘What do you talk about?’ The arguing that ensued after one of the players had knocked some barrels over causing the other group to make Dee saving throws and ‘narratively’ mentioned they fell behind (no failures) was hilarious. Right before they then realised the horse in the next ‘lair’ kept over a decent sized wall. Thankfully they caught it and a couple of sessions later the guy returned asking them to have dinner - turns out this guy is a pretty seedy man and they’re regretting their decision. I love this game So, thank you!

[@TheDungeonCoach]

JGook wow! I love this game too!! Skill challenges are perfect for exactly what you just said, you just can’t get across those big cinematic moments without em! And the instant skill challenges/ one round skill challenge is coming out in about 4 weeks! I have the script 2/3 done!! 👍🏼

[@DShayShaidarol]

This is a really cool, and well thought out system.

[@drewpydrewdrop3841]

youre killin it my man

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Drewpy Drewdrop Thanks! I’m tryin to make the most useful videos I can! Just making my rounds through all the big topics 👍🏼

[@blueicer101]

Player watch forced rp is such an amazing idea and I would like to incorporate it in my next session.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

blueicer101 it is probably the #1 thing I do that brings our RP in my players, has been great!

[@Lionrhod212]

Great video. I especially like the inclusion of a "utility" role to spark player involvement in the story.

[@justanotherdayinthelife9841]

You can also have a failed check seem inconsequential, yet the pcs picked up spores or burs (seeds) that they trek across the land. This could be an invasive species that trek everywhere, or specific spores that fall into specific areas, either way, when characters get done with their mission they then realize that crops are failing everywhere theyve been and they have to go solve it. This could lead to a bunch of other opportunities for story hooks.

[@spencerbodine7118]

Encounter Idea (that I'm waiting to get a chance to use): A group Goliath Warriors known as The Norns who guard an ancient relic called The Well of Fate. The Well's water can cause those who drink it to receive visions of their future. The Norns are led by an Elder named Vomak Fatekeeper and they are very protective of The Well, resorting to lethal force if intruders reside in their territory for too long.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Spencer Bodine Oooooo love it, what a great and rich encounter. There is a story of an entire people in one encounter. Can be social too since these people are misunderstanding that the PCs are accidentally in the Well of Fates proximity. I see it!

[@scottrasnic5870]

I factor exploration heavier in my game and use a hex map variation. Upon watching this and a few other similar videos I am developing a skill challenge method to include in my game for travel. Base DC10 + (1d4 -1 for how familiar the characters are with the route they choose) + (1d4 - 1 for weather or seasonality impacts) + (1d4 -1 for potential dangers). Average comes out to 14.5, but it creates some variability to add some tension. Plus you can increase a die (to a 1d6 or a 1d8) for added tension, like they characters are charting unexplored territory or they're being hunted. Or you can eliminate a die if it won't have any real impact, like the players are highly familiar with the route or the area is patrolled for safety. Players pick a skill they are proficient with to contribute and roll. I also like the idea of travel roles, and may explore that some.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Scott Rasnic I love that you took the process of assigning a DC and “systemized” it! That’s so cool, do you roll in front of the players?? Specifically for that DC check roll

[@scottrasnic5870]

@@TheDungeonCoach since the characters cannot know for certain what the road ahead holds for them the roll is made in secret. If risk is higher or lower I will generically communicate that and adjust the die accordingly.

[@scottrasnic5870]

@@TheDungeonCoach Players know the method used but not the DC roll outcome. This also limits metagaming.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Scott Rasnic I totally see the logic, love it! Now... do your players know the DC after it is don’t (I’m assuming no) or do they figure it out on the fly like kinda like AC?

[@scottrasnic5870]

@@TheDungeonCoach The players kind of figure it out on the fly as the outcome is narrated. Conditionally, I may allow additional rolls to contribute as the situation unfolds.

[@johnsikking4891]

I know I’m late to comments, but traveling during the Middle Ages was dangerous, therefore many different groups traveled together to common destinations. You could run an adventure that was a traveling band, ala Canterbury tails. This would allow for more intrigue and social adventures. Also a group of pilgrims is a pretty standard traveling encounter.

[@CoffeeStained]

Something else is to always give travel a dual purpose at the beginning. Wealth is hard to come by and travel is dangerous, so your players need to figure out how to squeeze as much value out of a trip as possible. Have them seek out side quests ending at their destination. Each player could have a side hustle. The Paladin is escorting a traveller, the cleric has been asked to look for and collect healing herbs and make a potion for a person at their destination. The ranger is hunting and scouting for the party, and finds places or things that foreshadow a future payoff.

[@WisdomThumbs]

If your party contains a Psi Warrior or two, or any class/race/backstories that deal with psionics or the Astral, throw a lucid dream at them. Maybe let them sense a dream or two nearby, and act/roll to make the rest of the party lucid, for shared dream shenanigans. If you've got fertile thematic material to throw omens and background lore at them, too, and you understand the limits of lucid dreams, it can be an amazing experience for everyone involved. It was for me.

[@zarutodaskira]

You should check pathfinder 2e exploration Mode, it can give some ideas about roles and such

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Federico Hernandez I love stealing from Pathfinder 2e! I did it in my Death Homebrew video, great idea! I will be looking into that for sure, could flush out that system even more. Thanks for the tip!

[@BennyPino]

Really like the PC roles to enhance travel - just about any advice to center the game more around the players is right on IMO. Will be utilizing it in my campaign and my "fast travel" will be teleportation circles and spells for the most part.

[@dieharddane84]

Hey DC! This video for whatever reason took me awhile to watch. I was inspired currently I am running my players through a module as it was the first time I have DMed in 5th edition. But ever since starting it I have felt the need to make my own world, which I am prepping for my players to explore next! I love the travel roles but I have 6 players, have you came up with different ideas for more roles for larger parties? Thanks as always as I use said before I am really liking your content and just joined the discord yesterday, so happy to be be a part of this community!

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Dane Thomsen welcome to the crew man! 6 players? Yea that’s a handful! Two thing I got for ya 1. Let the party come up with creative options for that utility role (current group added a researcher and an animal handler role - they have a party dog lol) 2. Let them double dip roles and do things together, that makes things more efficient and can open up some good RP one on one moments too!

[@dieharddane84]

@@TheDungeonCoach Good advice, sometimes it is hard to remember that as the DM you do not have to come up with everything yourself...I will take that advice with all your tips going forward. BTW thanks for answering my questions, it means a lot to me.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Dane Thomsen for sure, just giving an option of creativity (like my “I know a guy” rule from my Homebrew rules video) let’s them customize their experience and sometimes the world! 👍🏼

[@nickiekalla6766]

I've tossed in random encounters with well known D&D NPC's. Volo is one of my favorite. I mean the guy travels everywhere. So I have had the PC's stumble upon his camp. Where he has regaled them with tales of places he's travelled, drops names and rumors, and gives advice on where to stay in the town the PC's are travelling to,, and perhaps as a reward they get a copy of his latest tour book! Or maybe even a job offer. Send in reviews of places they stay at or visit, and he'll pay a few gold for each review. It might be interesting for players who like to write.

[@sharpie3247]

Loving the DC tshirt!

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Vargj Haha! yeeeea the wife made it! I forgot to mention it! Once we’re at 10,000 subs they have a t-short thing I can add to the channel lol

[@guyfawkes8873]

Starting up a semi One Piece semi Polynesian Mythology inspired campaign on sunday and this kind of stuff is so useful x) also I think roll tables will work out well for me at least... The first island they'll be going to is an animated magical archipelago created by a society of necromancers. You know classic level 1 stuff. Had to think real hard about how that EVER became level 1 material. But I worked it out, and the place is a lot more interesting than I think I had come up with without the randomness.

[@The21damax]

Encounter idea: some foe the party has faced, needs their help. Could be fighting a monster or they just want the protection of a larger group. They can give some campfire talk about their lives and how they are doing now, maybe share something important to the party's quest.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Maximillian Johnson oooooo this could turn a villain into a friend... that’s SO COOL!!! Writing that one down!!!

[@fleetcenturion]

3:52 - Those are wildebeest. No water buffalo in Africa!

[@TheDungeonCoach]

fleetcenturion o god did I say water buffalo.... wow!! I literally looked up what they were for the script, knew it was wildebeests... and then still said water buffalo! Dang!! Haha 😆

[@fleetcenturion]

@@TheDungeonCoach - I forgive you... this time. =P

[@justadad7230]

I have a non combat encounter for when the PC’s travel. They find the skeleton of a dead warrior slumped against a tree with his spear/lance impaled in the skeleton of a dead owl bear. Or monster of your choice. Ask them what they do? Loot them? Bury them? Leave them alone?

[@animebladez1387]

Thank you for this great video I’m a New DM and want to know as much as i can to make my first game as fun as possible

[@nickiekalla6766]

A mysterious illness overtakes the party. It's starts as the party is taking their long rest. Feverish dreams begin to plague the party. Exhaustion points are given to those that fail their saves. The saves increase the closer they get to their destination. The small dwarven town has been plagued with this same sickness. DM's choice as to what is causing the sickness. But mine was a sleeping green dragon whose lair was connected to the areas water source was having nightmares.

[@jccraftmage2313]

ENCOUNTER IDEA: The party is walking down a forest trail and your scout here's the sound of the pitter-patter of many small feet. Your defender shoves his way to the front of the marching order and brings his shield to bear. After a moment you see a mob of small armored figures riding different creatures. Both warriors and mounts are clad and chain and plate mail each bearing their own unique weapon and heraldry coat of arms and tabards. There's a red face dwarf writing a hog a wild-eyed gnome writing a Mastiff, a barefoot halfling kicking his heels into the flanks of a giant badger, and all these knights are being led by a an onion knight kobold leading the charge on a capybara with a scaled to size jousting lance. The charge is fast paced and the noise is cacophonous as it charges straight for the players. The players can choose to move out of the way and let the charge proceed stop and try to fight at which point they will engage if negotiations turn sour. or the players can stop them and have dialogue if so they find that they claim to be on the tail of a questing beast (to be determined by the DM). When speaking the hafling can only seem to mumble under his breath, the dwarfs absurdly thick accent prevents anyone from understanding what he's saying, and the gnome speaks too fast for anyone to comprehend. It is always the cobalt who addresses anyone directly however he can only speak draconic his yipping and squawking only understood by few but those who speak draconic hear an eloquent soprano whose speech pattern is filled with eloquence and polish. The Cobalt turns rears his mount around and addresses the defender "I say, do not cause us to tarry for we are on the trail of the (questing beast) now stand aside, lest ye be smote!" A perception or investigation check reveals that the strange group might be able to back up those threats...

[@TheDungeonCoach]

JC CraftMage OMG... that was AMAZING! You are SO good at descriptions!! It was like a little move i just watched reading that!! SO GOOD! And such a great little encounter idea!!

[@jccraftmage2313]

@@TheDungeonCoach Maybe I'll become a super patron just to play my heroic kobold knight, who can say.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

JC CraftMage THAT would be an epic character to bring to a table!! Haha! I’d be honored sir onion knight! 😂

[@bahamutkaiser]

I have a player with an Observant Ranger with max wisdom and perception expertise, so yeah... 29 passive perception senses things coming around blinds...

[@Femonnemo]

Super nice video and PDF about Travel System! Could I have your quick opinion on something, dear reader? I´m trying to use the Role´s System mentioned in the video. I would like to add the Utility Role, twisted to some kind of Motivator: Charismas check to determine the morale of the group. I´m not sure what kind of bonus and maluses would be neat, balanced and interesting for that. Could I have some ideas? TY

[@catchovalzwendar3350]

@Ronaldo Tazoniero ... I know I'm replying to a comment made 9 months ago ... but if you are looking for a role that plays the part of motivator, have you considered Minstral? Something along the lines of Brave Sir Robin's Minstral (who is constantly rolling 1s on his motivation checks!)? You could call them an entertainer. They could be a priest who is reading their scripture to inspire (or encourage, or sway) the group. It could be a talkative hero who likes boasting of their past exploits, or a snake oil salesman telling stories of the feats achieved by those that have used the salesman's products in the past. I'd say that many of these roles would be filled by NPCs but they might give others a starting point to make additional suggestions.

[@Femonnemo]

@@catchovalzwendar3350 ty for your idea and time. Never heard of. Gonna look up... don't believe I missed it before. Very nice

[@joshacei7725]

thanks coach!!!

[@alexfikar7757]

Hey DC, love this video as much as the others. ESPECIALLY different roles during travel rather than the boring survival. Need to find a way to implement the mechanic of not everyone getting long rests all the time. Side note, I have a question for you. You’ve inspired me to consider making a channel of my own. I’m a brand new DM and the topics in your videos have made me want to share my journey as a new DM, as I don’t see a lot of novice DMs on this platform. I was thinking of a channel starting by sharing my campaign and the story, while also sharing what I think was good and where I messed up right afterwards. Giving feedback and real life examples laid out for those who are so nervous to mess up. I wanted to know your thoughts and if you would be willing to share any starting tips? What equipment you recommend that doesn’t break the bank, how to engage in a creative way, etc. if not I understand, but regardless, look forward to more and more content and growth from this channel :)

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Alex Fikar thanks man!! I agree! It was a legit problem that I wanted to share my fix for! For sure! Yea!?!? KZbin is a crazy fun but crazy intimidating thing to learn! Especially if you want to grow fast! I have a TON of information and stuff I’ve learned over these months and I’m actually going to be starting another channel for tips/ tricks on how to grow as fast as we have. I would love to help you, but being honest here’s the thing. I have almost no time (even starting to get hard to comment on ALL the comments like this lol) But I have a Patreon Reward tier that has one on one time (Adult Dragon) but I have 2 other KZbinrs that have joined it BUT instead of DM tips I work with them on KZbin Tips instead. Review their videos/ teach about thumbnails/ ideas/ best practices. So if you’re looking for some JAM PACKED learning It would be worth it, but idk how “all in” you’re going with it. I truly wish I had the time, BUT my first son is born in 6 days too, so I have to really manage my time wisely! Hope you understand bro and I’d love to helpS hear back from you!

[@alexfikar7757]

@@TheDungeonCoach thank you sir and I completely understand. Congrats on that baby! Your new adventurer is going to push the ol' DC into a new campaign setting any day now. Should be a great and exciting time for you and your family.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Alex Fikar thanks man! I’m just trying to get as ready as I can!! Haha

[@catchovalzwendar3350]

@Alex Fikar ... As a DM, when my players roll up new characters I give them a few short rules: 1) No evil characters - I don't want infighting; 2) The PCs parents must be alive - this gives me, as DM, plot hooks; 3) After characters are created but before we start adventuring, I expect each player to tell the rest of the group a short (less than 5 minute) story about where their character comes from, as well as how/why they got into adventuring.

[@duieb]

Hi Coach! Did you make that random encounter table you talked about in the video?

[@TheKrucifix12]

Kruthic's crash land kind of like the monsters in a quiet place, as a meteor flies over their heads or their camp as it crash lands a few miles away they see a wall of force traveling rapidly towards them as the dust and debris from the crash flashes past them swirling dust in the area, As they approach the crash site they see these strange looking creatures hastily moving about the crash site, many of them are digging into the ground several tunnels can already be seen including one much larger tunnel (think aliens for this next part) No matter which tunnel they descend they begin to see hundreds of eggs already layering the walls of these tunnels with slimy ichor soaking coating the walls and surrounding the pulsing purple eggs. The eggs contain rot grub swarms(reflavored, Kruthic eggs,larvae) while the young a d adult kruthic's attempt to push them out of their quickly formed tunnels which many are easily collapsible. At the end the encounter a Kruthic Queen,( reflavored a black dragon with some features from the core spawn, but you can choose your own queen) And there's many different ways this could go, do they contain and kill the queen? Is there another Queen they're unaware of? What if more meteors come? With this even shooting star sightings become a spectacle. As at a time more could come, now I reflavored the kruthic for this giving them less of the lizard feel and more of an insectoid theme. Thanks for all the awesome advice😊👍

[@jlar1752]

Encounter idea: Swindler snake oil merchant that is actually 3 goblins in a coat. Players can trade with him/them or fight them.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

JLAR 17 omg I would love doing a description of this NPC to the party lol... walking the line between suspicion and humor... using this one for sure!

[@sylvanex5202]

That is an absolutely fantastic idea!

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Sylvanex why thank you! I try my best!

[@meatKog]

What is you only have 3 players? what if you have hirelings or henchmen on the team?

[@donblack1571]

Awesome

[@deanburton6536]

Two people on watch at the same time? Is this what I should be doing...? I’ve been running one character per watch shift

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Charles Burton you can, and I still have that at my table too, THIS just gives times for those one on one moments!

[@razorboy251]

One of my big problems with overland travel and encounters that involve potential danger and damage (whether from combat or non-combat sources) is that this damage seldom matters in the grand scheme of things. The damage just gets healed by the party healer, or during a short or a long rest and does not impact the party upon arriving to their destination. I've looked at the rules from Adventures in Middle Earth (where the damage sustained during overland travel doesn't get healed until after the party has arrived at their destination) but I have a feeling my players would be very upset with this ("Why can't my cleric just heal his 20 missing hp right now?!). How do I get around this?

[@catchovalzwendar3350]

@Hunter of Dreams ... if your party had multiple random encounters in a row, maybe on two consecutive days, then they would either be low on HP for the second encounter, or the healer would be low on spells. Alternately, they could take a long rest on the road after an encounter ... to make sure they are healed up for the next encounter ... but this could delay their arrival and still doesn't guarantee they won't continue to have random encounters. I also like @Dungeon Coach's suggestion of a quest with a time limit.

[@bright9595]

Encounter Idea: A squadron of armored knights riding their white steeds confuses a member of the party of being a wanted criminal. (dm tool to bring npcs to a specific town if they fail to change the minds of the knights)

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Bright Skeleton First Encounter Idea! NICE! I also love this as a re-direct / coarse correction tool for the players (sneaky DM tools FTW) great idea!

[@MrToastOmnomnom]

This is legit like dungeon world

[@fushicon6121]

Did you really think you could slip that shirt by us unnoticed??

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Fushi Con OMG I totally forgot to mention it!!! Haha I’ll talk about it next video lol! I got so lost in all the travel talk (pun intended) My wife made it for me, she makes shirts! Gonna a prize during the giveaway live stream!

[@badgerman6666]

What if you have a party of 6 - 8 players?

[@enchantedhobbit]

This concept is borrowed from Cublicle 7 Adventures in Middle Earth

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Scott Allen o yea?! Do they have more roles?? I’d love to see how they broke it up!

[@davidpotter9421]

Slavers escaped and are running away from Slavers when party encounters them: Do they help or just continue on their way??

[@TristenRS]

I wished I watched this a year ago…

[@kingrune111]

First again!!!

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Stephen A Lighting Fast! Impressive sir! As usual lol

[@cloak5857]

Watching DC makes me want to work out. Is that weird?

[@Lilith404]

yes

[@AdmiralStoicRum]

Travel I am not adverse to horses or hiring carriages

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Admiral Stoic Rum I love when my players get horses and then I throw things at them to make em save them 😈

[@vincejester7558]

Just skip travel. Only boring movies and TV shows have travel. Just give everyone a stone of teleportation. Pop! from one exciting scene of exposition to another without tedious dice rolling, or combat, or monsters.

[@vincejester7558]

Or just spend all night talking about travelling, then skip to the next philosophical debate at the next royal court of demi god tiefling lycanthrope swordancers.

[@vincejester7558]

This is the best D&D parody, ever.

[@catchovalzwendar3350]

I once read a bumper sticker that said ... D&D: where a 3 hour road march takes 5 minutes, and a 3 minute combat takes 5 hours!