Rewarding Your Players! (Game Master Tips)

[@92bagder]

my favorite reward was in my first session i got half a dead lizard from a goblin. I kept that half a dead lizard for 8 lvls and kept trying to find the other half till it become comical for the party till the DM had each PC to pass a test and got different rewards. Mine was the missing half of the lizard and when combine it turned into a dragonling

[@aodhannewton-creemers858]

That sounds hilarious! Also what did you do with the dragonling?

[@92bagder]

it become an animal companion

[@ShadowAraun]

3 words. notes notes notes

[@teagan_p_999]

That's great, my brother's bloodthirsty character started collecting 2 human teeth from every enemy we killed to turn into a necklace a few months ago in our Savage Worlds game. He wanted to get it enchanted to give him bonus charisma. We were leaning towards making gear out of fallen enemies, too, because the GM kept draining our money after every fight by making us pay, in his words, "a bank-draining amount" for healing. There was a monster that was really hard to kill, when we did, he dragged the corpse back to town and paid an innkeeper a small fortune to store it "forever, until I come back for it," with the hope of turning it into armour when we can find someone skilled enough. It's getting better now, though, I finally got to buy a better weapon last session.

[@SgtSplatter782]

@@TinyMonkeyBrain notes notes notes and did we mention notes?

[@fussel5000]

At low levels I love to dole out liquor or cheese or other consumables. They don't add to the PCs' powers, but add a lot of flavour.

[@frknspacewizardbrett6044]

Literally. That does actually seem like a cool idea though. I might have to use it myself.

[@genroynoisis6980]

"flavour" lol

[@raidedsalt7110]

BADUMTSSS

[@teagan_p_999]

Ooh, I like that idea.

[@johnharrison2086]

Is the liquor and cheese for the characters or the players???

[@josephtuccillo6438]

Rogue:" I just found 50g on this Bugbear!" Cleric: "Where?" Rogue: wiping his hand on the fighter's cloak - "Don't ask"

[@Harrowed2TheMind]

I suppose he meant Owlbear? I see nothing wrong with a Bugbear carrying currency...

[@alexandersvideopicks8735]

Ha ha ha!

[@WindStreak_]

I am like 420

[@bilbobaggins3464]

@@Harrowed2TheMind Yeah, It's very interesting that this has 560 likes. Since when do Bugbears eat gold coin? (1.3k likes now? I guess bugbears do eat coin in a lot of people's games... Weird)

[@firstpersonstudios5514]

i legit came from the future to say the same thing. talk about a dollar short. 😅

[@Oniwah]

I need like, a sound snippet of the "no that's too powerful", and "no that's bullshit" on my phone. I just listened to that part about 6 times..

[@shadowX2121]

That's my favorite part too.

[@matthewjames7504]

You can download them here -> soundcloud.com/matthew-ledesma/sets/matt-mercer-sound-clips

[@stickman3208]

3:21, 3:22

[@batwimp]

One thing my players enjoy as a reward - a lot more than I thought they would - is a small piece of land with a title such as Lord/Lady. They can build a small house and have some horses or whatever. It doesn't do them much good at all during game play or in the overalls scheme of things, but they seem to enjoy having it.

[@scotthuizinga]

+batwimp That is such a cool idea, especially good if they have some gold to burn up.

[@devondevon2454]

Considering how paltry 5th ed magic items are, parcels of land are perfect.

[@ImSquiggs]

We shook down a local mayor for some land and I gotta say it's been a blast exploring it and trying to raise some buildings so far. It gives us a good place to collect ourselves between missions and I'm looking forward to building all kinds of stuff on it that you normally wouldn't have a personal version of and would have to find in towns, like a smithy for example.

[@anderskaare]

I gave my group the opportunity to build an inn, when they helped a bunch of villagers take back their old town. It has evolved so much, that they all run their own businesses, and the bard was actually elected Chieftain of the town. They seem to enjoy this a lot, and they have something to fight for now, and a base of operations. :)

[@Harshhaze]

I committed tax fraud on my land, so we fought the Spanish Inquisition

[@samanthaaiello]

Due to being the only person that put effort into laying a fallen PC (halfling) to rest, my dwarven druid was gifted Halfling Luck. After casting faerie fire all around, my character opened all the flowers in the area and set a flower on the halfling's chest.

[@Arkhansyd]

Cool gesture from both the player and you. Also I love the implications of that reward in particular. Every time that re-roll saves the druids ass, he and everyone else will remember that beautiful example of roleplay, both in and out of character.

[@samanthaaiello]

Andrea Carenzi The other players in our group, and I, had become a little complacent when it came to roleplay. We had been stuck in the underdark for so long, and I think we were all a bit defeated by it. I thought, "someone just died. How are we not doing something about it? This is someone we fought and lived by for so long." We couldn't bury her or set a fire because we were trapped in an underwater tower, but I decided a *very* druid response would be just as meaningful- flowers and nature, it is. Halfling Luck saved my druid twice, and each time, she would whisper the name of the Halfling that passed. I think the burial gesture really sparked the roleplay in each of us again. I look back on moment as one I'm most proud of in D&D. :)

[@sarika3689]

Samantha Chen That's the coolest thing ever actually.

[@skaionex]

😭😭😭

[@simonpelletier8047]

50% of why I like those videos is the way he says "Hello"

[@GrecoRichard]

I think a reward option you didn't really get into, which I think is one of the most fun, is favors. It's unspecified, and delayed, but if it's kept track of it could be great fun. The players could head back to that one wayward tavern owner whose daughter they rescued and ask for help to set up a sting for a group of bandits or some such. It makes deeper connections with NPC's and the world while also switching up from what standard plans players might have.

[@SgtSplatter782]

did something similar and after a set of adventures with this one tavern owner in a city they were granted access to a network for adventurers that was much like John Wick's "Continental Hotel" chain. Sure they had to do jobs for the network every so often but nothing to bad *coughkillcultworshippingamarilithcough*

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

Richard Greco yup

[@SeanLaMontagne]

Oh thats cool. Gearing up for a big battle "Hey, doesn't that Dwarvish Mayor owe us a favor? Say we to get him to loan us some troops and a couple horses?"

[@EskChan19]

We actually had a campaign that was kinda build around that idea by our GM. NPC's would often offer us favors for favors, and eventually when it went against the big bad, he had actually conquered a small island with a town on it and fortified that town. So the Campaign culminated in us having to call in those favors to help us progress, like that thieve we once helped opened the gates for us, those couple of lords send us some troops to take the brunt of the enemy forces away from us, that captain we helped towards the beginning of the game sailed us over and so on. It was really statisfiying to see it all come together and it was pretty nice to use that chance to reminisce about what we had been through on this journey. It was a really neat idea.

[@SeanLaMontagne]

@@EskChan19 That sounds so cool. Imagine getting to the "okay time to plan our attack on the Big Bad" And knowing that your next 3 sessions will be spent calling in all those favors.

[@Wolfencreek]

petition to get grog a spaceship

[@aarongalloway9750]

+Wolfencreek Call it the S.S Vaxleth

[@alohadoodlez]

Nah, it should be called The Ale Express also ale

[@fieldy409]

Have you heard of Spelljammer?

[@matthewgallaway3675]

Matthew Gallaway, but in cursive.

[@demisketch1840]

That would be the end of exzandria

[@MysterySemicolon]

My favourite reward that I gave out, was to a small party when they first started out. An old mine with a thick vein of mithril running cleanly along one wall (it was home to a bunch of kobolds who were raiding a nearby village). It was worth more than anything they could imagine, but they couldn't get at it or figure out how to smelt it properly without either investing heavily in a whole operation or taking time to learn to do it themselves. They finally wound up recovering much of it around the time they were about 13th level and crafting their own legendary items from it. A reward that took nearly an entire campaign to realize fully.

[@Anon-qp3kt]

That's awesome!

[@danielmcgillis270]

We had a campaign where we would get rewarded with lots of art objects. After the second art object was it was a tapestry we decided it was a portrait of Elvis. After that any art object found was something of Elvis, a black velvet painting of Elvis, a pair of granite bookends that were busts of Elvis, a bust of Elvis, a gold music box that played "In the ghetto" ad nauseum. Once we had reached level 10 or about for the multi-class we built a keep. In the keep was a central hall where all of the some 20 objects of art all dedicated to Elvis Presley were displayed. A running joke that we turned into a memorial to the humor of not wanting to just say A tapestry or a statute, or a fine painting. Those were some fun times indeed.

[@Jeffk1]

+Daniel McGillis My group has something similar, but they decided it was frog porn instead of Elvis paintings.

[@ChaosWolf1982]

Elvish Presley.

[@danielmcgillis270]

AwwwhYyyyeah Shut up Carman! LOL

[@Lucasfghjsokfdkjheu]

+ChaosWolf1982 I think this comment is being less apreciated than it should.

[@Alex-cu6pj]

Elvis in d&d ?? 😒

[@Cerberusarms]

Great tips! I just started DMing and I'm having a lot of fun controlling the npcs and telling a story.

[@GaragePrimo]

Whaaaat D from Node watches Matt Mercer tip videos? These are literally the only two channels that I watch!

[@rumocrytuf72]

I know right?!?!

[@tristendraper9344]

D!!!!!

[@veloce2543]

D! what?!

[@paulbaeseman8834]

Lol

[@Mike_Hogsheart]

As a player, I respond really well to silly, gimicky items. Probably the best thing I ever got as a reward was the floating island that our group snatched from some bad guys. It came with a cauldron possessed by a fire elemental that originally spilled lava all over the place, making the whole island a floating menace of fiery rain that scourged the land. Anyway, we defeated the bad guys, got control over the elemental and told it to tone it down a bit and boom, suddenly I was the manager of a floating island resort with plenty of rooms for guests, a small patch of farming land to grow food on and a water system with unlimited warm water that fed right into the pit that was previously occupied by a lot of sand and some kind of land shark, aka our own, heated pool and spa area. I spent quite a bit of money on it, and it didn't have that many actual benefits, but omg it was so freaking awesome, floating across the land in our own island headquarters. People were obviously kinda scared wherever we showed up, but after they realized that we weren't a threat all that was left was a hell of a first impression. Unfortunately the rest of our group got themselves killed like idiots, trying to fight a white dragon head-on that was absolutely kicking our butts because it caught us by surprise. My character had decided that we should retreat and pick a better time and place to fight back, but they wouldn't have any of it so there I was a few minutes later, alone, my comrades killed by a dragon (although IIRC they managed to slay the dragon as well, dunno how exactly that happened) and the other players decided they didn't want to make new characters so we called the campaign quits. A shame, really. I miss my island. There was so much untapped potential still there…

[@adventtrooper]

The rumour I heard is that you only walked out of there by bargaining the island for your skin. The white dragon then instructed the fire elemental to make the pool really cold and has been on an extended trip to the snowy wastes in its mobile lair, running it as a holiday island for snow giants.

[@chrish4439]

Sounds like the GM set it up so you guys could be hero's and you just abandoned your party so they died in stead....

[@blacklightredlight2945]

@@chrish4439 Sometimes the GM just sets up an unbeatable monster you have to run from. His character retired in the sky hotel with steady income, he won.

[@benjaminoechsli1941]

@@adventtrooper Ooo, great character backstory for another campaign. _The floating island of Arctos slowly floats over the countryside, bringing winter wherever it goes. You watch out the window as it casts its shadow over your family's home, as everyone in town hides indoors in fear of the dragon that ruled it, which was known to attack the settlements it passed over when it felt especially cruel._ _Fortunately, no such cruelty befell you today. As the island continued on, your fellow townsfolk emerge to sweep away the fallen snow and save their crops as best they can. You watch the island as it shrinks on the horizon._ "I owned that island, once upon a time." _You turn to see your grandparent watching out the window, a distant look in their eye._ "You've heard me talk about my adventuring days when I was young. My party and I liberated that island from the hoodlums on it. It made a mighty fine base, before that accursed dragon found us. I was the only one who lived to tell the tale." _They turn to you, a glint in their eye you've never seen before. Hope, excitement, resolve._ "I've always seen a bit of myself in you," _they say._ "I was able to save a few pieces of my old gear through the years. It's not much, but it'd get you started. What do you say? Wanna pay that overgrown lizard for everything over the years?" _Their excitement is infectious. You feel the longing stir in your heart- a longing for the open road, for camaraderie, for struggle and victory, and the glory that comes with it. You nod your head, and your story begins..._

[@adventtrooper]

@@benjaminoechsli1941 Good idea for starting a new campaign. Then there's the question of why is the fire elemental keeping the island cold for decades. Is it leaching heat out of the prime material for some other scheme? Or geased to the task (maybe that control your grandfather struck decades ago, and needs one of his bloodline to release it). Definitely a possibility of getting it as an ally in the final assault to unexpectedly turn the tide on the dragon.

[@SquireOlibert]

One thing I would love to see in the future is your DM setup - for example the way you have your notes, screen, models and table set up and laid out for you, and why. I think that would be really useful to see - especially for people like myself who would like to start hosting a game but are unsure how to effectively set it up to make it run as smoothly as possible. It would be pretty awesome to see. :)

[@georgefleagle8789]

while it would be incredibly informative and extremely useful to see thats, it would break the magic.

[@inkkSUNA]

well boy are you in luck because they posted it a few days ago.

[@codystewart4946]

The irony is that he has

[@Hoovinoyse]

An item that my players have dueled over many times was a Cloak of Epic Billowing. It was a big, white cape that flaps epically in the wind at all times, even when there isn’t any wind. There’s also the Orb of Slope Detection, and Ring of Fire Detection, both of which were pulled from online and the players have been trying to pawn off.

[@devin5201]

kills a wolf, finds silver ring.

[@notjustaperson2259]

skyrim has entered the chatroom

[@thechosenfundead6626]

darksouls has entered the chat

[@sontypohnenamen5161]

Obviously because the wolf bit off the ring finger of another adventurer, duh.

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

Kills a wolf, finds a silver ring... on a woman at the edge of bleeding to death in the den the wolf dragged her to so that her children may feed.

[@neinherman9989]

Kills a wolf, has no teeth

[@nikolasversteeg]

one thing that has become somewhat of a running joke in my campaign is "A statue of a smug halfling" It was one of the 100 trinkets that you could possibly get in the trinkets table, and when i saw "carved bone statuette" on the treasure table, I decided to give them one. As i was rolling art objects to get them, I rolled carved bone statuette 6 times! So he got 6 statues of a smug halfling. This happened again and it seemed fate whenever i would roll for an art object, it would be a carved bone statuette. I believe the players have upwards of 13 by now? I kind of place them as little trinkets across the campaign, and have already created a halfing 'Favored Soul' ( a 3rd edition class brought back to life on the forms, basically just another path for the sorcerer) for them if they collect 100 of the statues.

[@Arkhansyd]

colectible side-missions at it's best XD

[@pixelchickenrider9566]

I always liked giving out unique, often goofy items like that. After clearing out a kitchen of demon chefs I awarded one of the players a "Measuring Cup" that gave a +1 intimidation bonus vs male characters and a +1 persuasion bonus vs female characters when worn by large male character. The warrior and the cleric got in a fight over it.

[@Zerpderp0]

blacktiger994 one of the best things I learned about dice rolls is that Nat 1s are both a gift and a curse.

[@dcariocaGamer]

My players always want magic itens. So i invented some useless magic itens like a key that can enter in all keyholes but cant open none of them

[@bighandsomehoosier]

Haha, that's awesome

[@ImSquiggs]

I love the idea of this, especially if given to the players without telling them the second part and letting them try to figure out what the hell it is. Hey, no one said everything you find is gonna be super useful. I can pick up a shoe on the walk home from work today, but that doesn't mean it's gonna be a Shoe of Swift Kicking... sometimes it's probably just a shoe.

[@RikkuTakanashi]

Did the key retain it's shape after being pulled out? That could actually be incredibly useful for a thief. All they'd have to do is make a mold of the key, pour some kind of resin or metal into the mold, and boom! Instant key! Or near instant, at least. Could make for a fun thing, honestly. The thief has to get to the keyhole in question, use their morph key to get the shape, escape, make the duplicate, then go and use the key. Could be a multi day process which requires lots of skill checks and could potentially create alot of hilarity.

[@hicuprule]

Rock of Gravity Defying - When dropped, confirms the presence of gravity Sharpened Club Boots of +2size - Whenever someone puts these shoes on, they turn 2 sizes too large for that person Axe of Pleasant scents - A canister that sprays a manly smell, explodes dealing 1d4 damage if punctured - Causes Poisoned if consumed Hemming Sword - A rapier that seems different than any other, except that it magically repairs cotton garments when it impaled them - if used on magic robes, the robes have a 1 in 4 chance to lose their magic properties Boombox - A box that takes up a 1foot by 1 foot space, plays a song when activated that requires a constitution saving throw or you are deafened for 2 turns *When the song ends, Boombox has a chance 1 in 10, of exploding

[@greeninferno1339]

Dcarioca useless magic items seem fun

[@volk551]

Then drop 4 Dragons on that kingdom destroying the cities

[@lordscrubbinton858]

I get that reference

[@acertainredpanda1115]

I recently started a D&D group as a DM, and I have never played an RPG before. I read a lot of the rules, created a bit of a world, helped my players make their characters, and watched all Matt Mercer GM tips I could find. Because of him I was able to get my players invested in the game, and they constantly tell me they have a blast. Like other people said, he is a true legend!

[@Alexis_Nemesis189]

One of the players in my group often asks the DM “do I find any cool rocks” and during the 1st session they found a dead lich skull. At another session I asked if I found any cool rugs or furniture and I ended up with 2 very fine rugs and some nice furniture.

[@SeanLaMontagne]

#CommunicatingYourDeairesWithYourGMImpactsYourLootDrops

[@HoverHamster]

5:28 or a magic carpet that has -1000 resistance to acid

[@devenwyckoff8468]

LOL. Poor carpet.

[@veng3r663]

Hmmn I wonder if Thordaks gonna fry Vex's preciousss stolen broom..?

[@TobiCatsith]

TOO SOON. D:

[@bighandsomehoosier]

Far out, man... this carpet feels like I'm flying...

[@raidedsalt7110]

Carpet: *looks at an orange somehow* Carpet: *spontaneous combustion*

[@DrMattsuu]

I just wanted to drop a comment to let you guys know how much I appreciate this series. As a self-described novice these videos have really helped me get back into GMing my Star Wars tabletop rpg - restarting my with my group that I had previously been burnt out on now with a ton of fresh new ideas and I'm really taking the advice to heart. Again, Thank you a ton :)

[@nateatavares4268]

one of my players lost an arm because he was using magic far beyond his ability and control and got burned (figuratively). He lost the whole arm, down to the socket. after losing his life to a comrade, he was chosen by the great spirits of the realm to safeguard the spirits from mortals that planned on sacrificing a great number of spirits for their private wars. after a journey through the spirit realm, he learns of these dangers first-hand and agrees to help them. They craft a body for him and send him back to the physical world. this time, he'll make his life mean something. he is going to make good on his word, as they did when they gave him a second chance at life.

[@ethanodis6440]

Hehehe first hand

[@cmartinxv]

I use KARMA DICE as a reward to players. Make me laugh, come up with an awesome idea, take one for the team or be an excellent role-player and I may reward you with a Karma Die. Karma dice may be used to modify ANY die roll that affects your character. Skill checks, damage, and luck rolls are a few examples. You may use them for your benefit, or for the benefit or detriment of NPC's whose die rolling actions are affecting you. Attack rolls, damage, first aid checks are some uses. If in doubt, ask. Karma dice are one-use items, and once used are expended. Karma dice must also be used in the gaming session in which they are awarded, they don’t carry over to the next game.

[@seanymackels]

+cmartinxv Matt occasionally does that with a inspiration die (or secret bonus xp), though not super often since Scanlan produces a lot of those as it is.

[@koreshura641]

So it's a stronger Matt Mercer inspiration... I love it!

[@teagan_p_999]

In Savage Worlds, we get "bennies." The GM give everyone 2 or 3 at the beginning of the session, and more for stuff like that, also, usually for refilling his drink. They're like inspiration. I like the name "karma dice," though.

[@samr8828]

Kid, that’s called inspiration. I DO like the name Karma Die way better though

[@NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself]

I've been playing around with a "Hero Dice" (still haven't decided on the name) idea, which is like awarding Inspiration, but instead of granting an individual player a single advantage die, you award the the party with a d8 for particularly heroic or tactical action -that succeeds. The party can pool these dice as they accumulate, and any player may take one at any time to add to any die roll. The pool empties if any party member takes a long rest. - This encourages more heroics per day.

[@procrastinatinggamer]

The Boons bit reminds me of how some quests in the Elder Scrolls games give you a permanent passive bonus rather than conventional loot as their reward. I always liked that concept, although I'd keep such rewards relatively sparse so that they don't lose their novelty and tailor them a bit both to the character and what they did to earn it (and spread them out across all of the party members, of course).

[@j.a.mallard7826]

I love the personalization of equipment. There are two items that we use in our campaigns that are cool. One is the Shield of Wonder, a shield where if it is struck with a melee weapon weilder rolls a d100 and a random effect happens ranging from good to bad. Another is a group of weapons we call Rings of Alzar. These rings give the wearer the benefit of either a feat or a spell, but they have to be atuned to and we have a limitation of how many we can wear at any given time.

[@joshuawisniewski738]

I love watching these while brushing up on starting a new campaign. It helps get the creative juices flowing.

[@shardliveactionroleplaying1113]

Nice video! "Energy flows where attention goes"-- sometimes individual attention or GM effort towards a particular player's story can be its own reward.

[@ragingbubbles1220]

Something that happened in a campaign I played was pretty interesting. The GM was giving us magical items, scrolls, and potions left and right - to the point of ridiculousness. We had so much magical stuff that we never used most of it... until the BBEG of the campaign was resurrected through a 12th level spell that drained the entire world of it's magic. Suddenly we couldn't cast any spells other than cantrips, we didn't heal as quickly, and making magic potions became impossible. One thing remained however... Enchantments! Magic items, scrolls, and potions that already existed still had their magic within them, and all of those items we'd been gathering suddenly became 1000 times more valuable and useful. This was for level 15 and above, and it was an amazing challenge for us - some of t he most fun I've ever had in a D&D campaign

[@StudySoundsLofi]

2:33 This clip made me laugh so hard! I love how dynamic Matthew Mercer is!

[@mxmithril]

watching this whole playlist as i'm preparing to be a first-time DM after just being a player for a while. I'm so excited!! i'm having a great time working on my own world and talking to my party about their characters.. can't wait to start our games :D

[@Jukettaja]

How to handle death? What is a proper way to handle bringing back dead players (if that option is available) so that it does not diminish the gravity of death?

[@carmilladracul3488]

+Jukettaja bringing dead characters back to life should be VERY difficult, and should ideally require an entire quest.

[@Pantjay]

Have the rest of the party assault a hellscape, leave clues as to where their friend is and have them break them out. Alternatively have a Devil or God appear, allow them to make a deal with the devil to return your PC. You could have that pc come back to life without the parties input having made a deal with a Devil or Arch demon, have the bard beat him in a fiddle contest, or to see who can bed the most creatures in a day, have the fighter/barbarian fight through an arena in hell, make the rouge break out and climb the walls of an arch devils castle to return with critical information. Have the pc's soul be captured before they could die by some lich, trying to resurrect a champion to defend them as they prepare a new phylactery. Make the way the PC gets back seem like a legendary tale, or give them a reason for not crossing over. Imagination is your friend here. That said if they are close to a temple, let them resurrect easily, but give them scars, mental trauma, have them fear the monster that ended them.

[@Arkhansyd]

To me, the Ancient Greek way is the best way in most cases. Instead of the players questing for an elder sage with the spell wish and convincing him, or for some rare chalice or whatevs, get them an entrance to the particular hell or heaven that soul went to and have them bring it back from there. This leaves room for a lot of super esoteric puzzles and interesting riddles and rules. Don't ever look back, don't try to take anything else, don't kill, having every soul have a mask which you can't take of or else the soul disapears so you have to trust that you're taking out the actual PC instead of an evil spirit (which could very much be what you as a DM want). Anything is better than using wish or any other resurecting spell IMHO.

[@HoxtonHoxworthDoesNotExist]

You can't really bring a player back to life without diminishing the gravity of death. Just saying.

[@Arkhansyd]

Hoxton Hoxworth I'm not entirely with you. There're certainly cases where it'd diminish the gravity either way, but in the D&D oficial lore resurrecting is a thing that can be done. Sometimes with just a spell (wish) players can get by natural progression in their class. It's hard but it's done, so the death were always less grave than IRL, given you play in the Forgotten Realms. Since souls exist and there're mortal and astral planes. The only way a soul is unable to go back to life in the vanilla rulebook of D&D5 is if the soul itself is trapped.

[@Gashnaw]

Currency, Items and EXP are my common "go to" rewards. I often gift them items that grants a minor bonus (like a sword that deals frost damage) or an amulet that gives them +1 to initiative or something along that. it does not benefit the greatly but they like it. There are often items lying around,which they are usually war of as there was the gold ring incident. A ring that was curse causing the wearer to take damage every time he dealt damage (even to door) He could not remove the ring as it had dug spikes into his finger, so in the end, he cut off his finger. Now it is common to have a guild known as "the gold ring guild" or something that references the gold ring. Just a light kick in the nuts.

[@ersgutertilman]

remember one of the most fullfilling loot can be noncombat stuff... one of the best rewards i got in 14 years of p&p was my gm letting finally somebody invent the saxophon in our world and inviting me so i could recognize it and afford one. ( i was allways talking about how i was envisioning the character with a saxophon etc.)

[@HodskiVIP]

Thank you! I'm just getting started down the path of becoming a GM after never having played at all. These videos are super helpful.

[@Islyndar]

Ive got another idea: Reputation. As the party travels and helps many ppl, slay monsters etc. they become famous, get free drinks, discounts in shops, a little charisma-bonus etc.

[@Caitlin_TheGreat]

I think one of the tough things to figure out -- at least it was for me -- is that rewards don't always have to be tangible. Of course, we're talking fiction so none of it is actually tangible, but I mean that you can have rewards be story-based. Players may get some renown in a certain faction or gain the affection or friendship of an NPC. They may get some sort of mark or letter from a village elder proclaiming them a hero which they can then present to the region's Lord for that thing they wanted to do. Maybe you earn a _favor_ from some professional like a smith or cartwright or potion brewer or evil hag. Maybe you get a discount at the local tavern. Maybe that mysterious NPC confides a secret. Maybe the village makes a statue of you... Or you could hand out some limited-use item: it can be used only so many times or only under certain conditions (every day at sunset or sunrise a magical mirror allows you to communicate with the holder of the paired mirror, a young lass trapped in the employ of a Feywild arch fey). Or maybe it's a pouch that fills with enough food for 4 adventurers every morning... but it's emblazoned with someone's name and sometimes the food is very peculiar like a salad of short pine needles, maple leaves, acorns, and hot peppers. This is of course for those times when you _don't_ want to just hand out another item or pouch of gold. Also, something I feel dumb for having learned only after a few years of DMing, treasure doesn't need to be found _on_ a creature. That owlbear the players killed may award them some gold, but as far as the players know that gold is being given to them by the farmer who's paying them for saving his livestock and wasn't found jammed up the owlbear's.... snout. Or maybe they find it among the remains of the owlbear's last victim. You can also "save up" rewards from several encounters to give the players a sudden windfall after a long drought, especially if you want to signify the wealth or generosity of a certain employer who just hired them.

[@jennaozzy6863]

Tailoring some of your magic item rewards is SOooooo cool and useful. Finding something that an NPC enemy might have found (perhaps even the item that gave them the power to lead their cadre of baddies) and use against they party is epic. Making sure it's either valuable in some other way or useful to the party somehow is just icing on the cake; it could even be a quest in and of itself with a little thought

[@Grimgariano]

Thanks again, guys. Starting a new game tomorrow. Wish me luck! :D

[@EmileVinesh]

+Moacir Rodrigues Good luck and have fun! :D

[@Grimgariano]

Thank you :D

[@aarongalloway9750]

+Moacir Rodrigues Good luck :) I just started DMing recently and we're about 6 or 7 sessions in.

[@isaacgr7314]

+Aaron Galloway how often do you play?

[@Grimgariano]

Aaron Galloway Wow, that's amazing. My last group only lasted 4 session max. Now i think i've created an even better world for players. And I'm holding myself to not speak about it with you. LOL. Don't want to take your time. Anyway! Thanks and good luck you too.

[@jaybea365]

The worst is when you give your players a really cool item, and they never even use it...

[@Pantjay]

I know the feeling, I gave my players a note that told them who the main villain likely was and none of them remembered it between sessions, so despite having a note in their inventory that they just need to show to the cleric that can read Elven and find out who the main villain is and some likely allies against her, they are going in blind. Against an Illusion mage... Someone is gonna end up her puppet. This note also would have let them know to chase the guy that attacked them right after they found it and cut about a weeks journey through monster infested mountains, then having to assault the enemy keep from the front and find a way through the gate. This is just what happens sometimes PCs are dumb, and I kinda want to be like "Hey you remember that note that you were going to ask them about," but I am not a PC, and I'm not going to help them or they wont learn. I will just take my frustration out on the party, then tell them after it's too late. I want to see their faces when I tell them especially the guy that found the note and proceeded to not show it to anyone.

[@chainer8686]

Lol dude, my players got 4 Beads of Force during session 1 of their game, by sheer dumb luck, never used them, and much later traded away.

[@maynardshellholeofrandom5069]

THEY ABANDONED AN ANTI-TANK RIFLE

[@EskChan19]

As a player i can only say: But what if we use it and next session we get into a situation where we would need it EVEN MORE?!

[@blacklightredlight2945]

@@chainer8686 If you give your players a very valuable consumable, they'd much rather sell it than use it and "lose" the gold. Kind of the same way that in fallout I have 200 plasma grenades and I refuse to use them, because I can sell them for a better gun or stimpacks.

[@izzaacalley]

My rewards are usually things they can roleplay with. I gave one of my players jade owl statue which can turn into a real owl that he has an emotional connection to. He didn't know it was sentient until it suddenly burst out of his pack at a mouse that scurried across the path. He lets it sit and poop on his shoulder now.

[@videomajka472]

I'm currently working on a D&D adventure that will hopefully get some of my friends into role-playing, so I'm REALLY grateful for all these tips!

[@SerenityValley84]

Another in a long line of helpful and informative videos. Thanks Matt Mercer!

[@leonielson7138]

I think it's important to talk to your players and find out what they want as rewards for their characters. If the player wants a magic sword then have them write a magic sword into their backstory: a magic sword was stolen from his/her order, and the character is on a quest to recover it. When he finds the weapon it has been used in a profane ritual and must be cleansed before it can be used safely. At 5:30 Matt gave me an idea for a SF campaign reward where the players are searching for a lost starship, or have to raid the starship of a totalitarian regime, but the real treasure is the navigation computer. That Navi-Comp contains coordinates for a treasure trove or secret prototype. In a Fantasy setting it could also be a map to a new dungeon that hasn't been picked clean by previous adventurers, or maybe even the location of a secret passage inside a dungeon that they've already visited.

[@roberttaylor9518]

my favorite reward has always been chocolate coins to give away when the party behaves well and doesn't murder everything that may or may not move...

[@tobyw2u2348]

This is real heckin late, but I think a cool way to keep players engaged in magic items is to not tell them right off the bat what they do, so that there will be a tinge of intrigue and mystery, or pride when one member of the party figures it out, or the hilarious moment of accidentally finding out what it does.

[@radiumllama3911]

I like the idea of physical ways of showing items. My gm is currently making item cards that work well for keeping track of everything.

[@brianshaffer5108]

I created an item for a players backstory that I've ended up using for an interesting mechanic. The item is called the potion of last call. It's a mixture of alchemy and magic that even it's creator doesn't know. What it does is makes the last spell cast on the user permanent. And if no spell had been case then they would get a random one. For spells that have a recast time or charge they have a reprieve for that time. One man had fireball which caused him to explode every few rounds since he was a pesant it took longer for the magic to gather and recast itself. One if my characters used him as a....lockpick.... to get into a building to rescue a friend. It's great because it's incredibly rare to encounter in potion form usually it's by accident so you can use it for just about anything you want to permanently affect the player

[@BreandanOCiarrai]

Another tool in the arsenal for DMs are spells that disenchant magic items. My players got a little too dependent on their magic items and were mowing through challenges, so I set up an encounter with a lich who hit them with a disenchantment spell (this is a 1e/2e AD&D hybrid) that wiped the magic from over half of their items. This turned a challenging-but-doable encounter into a full route, and led to months of play as the characters went on quests to recharge their items that was both fun and brought their levels up commensurate with the gear they had.

[@acm4bass]

Land, Titles,or if you do access a new civilization, then maybe you start a business for long term income, like selling dwarven ale to a gnome city.

[@BlueRadium]

Playing a Beguiler in 3.5, we once found a black (evil assignment) Robe of the Archmagi while in a deep undead-filled crypt with hundreds of ornate burial chambers. I was chaotic good, so wearing the cloak took away three of my levels when worn, but for our level finding a 75,000gp item was a huge deal. I had invested in a maxed out Use Magic Device and had a high charisma, putting my base UMD at exactly 20 at the time. My DM allowed me to take 10 to pass my emulate an alignment check of 30 to automatically hit 30 on the 24 hour re-up and boom, beguiler had himself a functional, evil-looking Robe of the Archmagi. NPCs who were magically inclined would often mistake me for an evil wizard, which added a lot of RP potential. I was able to use it to better infiltrate evil organizations and the like to do beguiler-ee stuff. That one piece of loot drove me to take the Shadow Weave Magic feat after my party stumbled upon knowledge of the shadow weave. I could play an extremely convincing bad guy/Church of Shar Beguiler with the evil magic and evil item draped over me, which became a major component of my RP. It's the most memorable loot I've ever found.

[@CultOfJim]

I wrote up a campaign for Good/Neutral aligned party, but the players drew up Evil PCs. It was no problem for me reworking the motivation, and they did eventually face off against the mindflayer lich who was playing to be the Paladin Emperor in a holy theocracy. I think they loved the reward for destroying him I gave them more than the titles, land, and money I had drawn up if they were a good party- "You have 24 hours before we hunt you down like the dogs you are." They spontaneously cheered out of character before fleeing the nation in character.

[@92bagder]

I like randomness in my games, a space rpg I had the party raid a enemy warehouse. One of the crates ended up being full of delicious king crab; there is no earth so the crabs to the right buyer would be worth a fortune. unfortunately the alerted the guards ended up blowing up the station and forgot the crabs and regretted it ever since xd

[@kokokat06]

+92bagder I was running a D&D 5e adventure for my cousins recently and they walked into a decent-sized room in the place they were exploring. There was nothing there, but they kept trying to guess something that was there until one of them said "My mum!". At which point I just went with it and said "Yes, there is, for some reason, a strangely accurate statue of your mother in the middle of the room." with as straight a face as I could manage XD

[@dimtsax]

Matt, thanks a million for those videos! they are golden for anyone interested in starting or even anyone knowledgeable in pen and paper!

[@Xyxox]

I an over 5 years behind this video, but Matthew hits every point I would use as a FM since my start in 1977. He's pretty good.

[@Tyrannimarja]

I like to reward players with something I call meaningful experience. Every action is a design choice and they may morph from situation to another in relation to the direction the players go or perhaps change the direction into another altogether. No matter if it is a sack full of gold coins or grains of sand, the item has a purpose in the adventure; multiple ones. Like a piece of a puzzle, but it fits into multiple spots. :)

[@Goomzz]

I think the reward my players end up liking the best item wise are unique or even silly items. The Ring of Butter and Bagpipes of Invisibility were two favorites. I rewarded serious gameplay with bouts of silly. I've also found that information is a great reward for playors in a game with a lot of mystery. My most recent game they didn't get a lot of items in this area, but they found out a secret that can lead to later reward.

[@zidanetribal1406]

1:02 Classic Final Fantasy in a freaking nutshell xD Edit: Also this kind of reminds of the system used in FFXII, where instead of dropping gold and such, the enemies would drop their hides or other valuable parts that can be sold, and then used to make certain items using the bazaar

[@achimsinn7782]

You can also use those rewards to further the story or to start a sidequest. Like when you let your party find a treasure map of some sort or a piece of armor that is meant to be used as part of a set of armor, so your players would be searching for the remaining parts of the set somewhen later in the campaign. Or just something simple and funny like a set of pretty flowers that have been preserved by some kind of spell with just some few missing. You could then tricklefeed the party with missing flowers they can collect aside from their actual quests. And when only 2 or 3 are left, you make finding the missing pieces of the set a quest that is neccessary for reaching their goal.

[@crystalthunderheart8895]

I remember dragonfable actually explained why creatures had gold when they really shouldn't. There is this girl that was going out knocking out all these monsters and just giving them gold

[@eruphin3601]

didn't expect robina to pop out from a year old comment, but hey, a salute to one fan to another

[@annabarich4712]

One piece of advice from a player working under several inexperienced GMs. If you feel like your players are under-rewarded for their efforts, maybe because they're failing to look for/find the loot you planned for them, or the things they've done just wouldn't make sense for there to be a physical reward, PLEASE don't constantly replace those rewards with experience. I know doling out that skinner box satisfaction of leveling up seems like a quick solution to keeping the players engaged, but the result invariably ends with characters that are high level but still running around with starting equipment and maybe 200 gold to their name. Instead, work on finding ways to insert windfalls wherever you can to make up for the perceived lack. Maybe the next person who hires them for a job might be willing to pay a bit more generously than most, or there could be some sort of competition they could partake in with a cash prize. The point is, you need to keep the ratio of experience points to other rewards relatively balanced, and it's your job to find ways within the story to correct that balance. Also something Matt failed to mention: Consumables. Potions, scrolls and other limited-use items are great physical rewards, because they can be more powerful than the stuff the players normally find, but the fact that they have a limited use keeps them from being game breaking. Smart players will usually save them for a clutch moment, or come up with a use so creative, it ends up being one of those stories you're talking about for ages afterwards.

[@blacklightredlight2945]

Well, unless it's a scroll of resurrection, I'm selling or trading it in for a constant items. We could keep 4 potions of spider climb, or we could sell them to get that much closer to get to our next constant item.

[@thorbeowulf2832]

We had books (The Dark Eye) starting with recipes for meals like a +1 on illness checks "chicken" soups (or other side effects if not propper cooked or substituted chicken with rat), healing potions, theoretical knowledge on medicine (+1), up to spells, depending on requirements to read ... mostly liked by mages

[@TzarNicco]

I enjoy awarding titles, land, and keeps for the team to use as a base of ops. They love that

[@MrWingedRats]

Playing the Star Wars TTRPG a few years back, my GM had a very tense scene where we were at a casino and made us play actual cards. After a very tense game, we ended up winning millions of credits. Such a fun and rewarding game.

[@georgemercer402]

When giving scrolls to the Arcane spellcaster, the caster can copy it into their book and learn the spell while leveling up (prevents the OPPC bit) as an example.

[@jeremydavis6209]

I wish these videos were longer with some examples from his gaming experience

[@Kavou]

I usually,most of the times I reward with unique items that can easily break or be destroyed(usually having one ability,after it's use,they fade somehow),which feels more better for a player while gives him the "progression" feeling +more combos and critical thinking with his teamates.

[@Torchbuscus]

The campaign I'm currently in is a pirate/seafaring type adventure. We recently boarded a pirate ship and killed the crew (with the help of some crabs we found on the seafloor, don't ask, the crabs had godly rolls). Our reward was the ship itself, and the cargo within, which was some kegs of alcohol and some fine cloths. This opened up a cool side objective of selling the loot at the harbor market to get our pay.

[@veryloudcat8839]

I remember my first time playing DnD. 9th grade, my really cool science teacher DM'd a campaign for my friends and I during lunches and occasionally after school. As if he couldn't get any cooler, when we opened the big treasure chest at the end of our first dungeon, he dumped a big jar of chocolate coins all over the table. It was a fun day.

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

Find the cache of treasures in the den or midden of the beast as a lead in. You give them the sword but the armor is useless- torn and bent around the dried ribs the beast apparently couldn’t remove. A few gems. If the party tries to leave with the loot then the creature tracks and stalks them before ambushing them in their worst position. Attempting to take the treasure without adventure just means that now you’re the type of hero that adventure is thrust upon.

[@JBlochNielsen]

Reward player creativity when it comes to rewards. If they have ideas to get more loot, let them. Did they just have a fight with a shark? Haul that baby to the harbour and sell it at a fish market (Yes, we did that.) Did you just turn an enemy to stone? Might fetch a nice price. You could also allow skill roles to discover valuable materials. Not necessarily useful to the group but could be sold. For example a nature roll could reveal that this particular type of Giant spider has venom sacs that could be used to make antidotes for a variety of poisons and venoms (or could be made into poisons if you were so inclined). An arcane check might reveal that elementals usually leave behind pebbles that are useful to alchemists and wizards. They might also be edible, providing a short-lived buff (suck on them, don't bite).

[@Zerpderp0]

Watching Zito's campaign in TFS at the table has taught me a lot about many things. Especially with rewards, best laid plans of Mice and Men, Nat 1s in knowledge being fun af.

[@Clancyman2012]

This is a great and helpful tip. Many years ago some friends and I were taking turns DM/GMing. I missed one session and one of the guys in the group was all about finding the best species and having the most money and best equipment. When I found out that he obtained a hug amount of money and procured quite a bit of equipment that was just to powerful to have I created an adventure that actually took him down a peg. Even though he didn't die, all of his equipment was destroyed and the money that he acquired in the last session was stolen. Needless to say he wasn't very happy even though he enjoyed the adventure. The other players enjoyed the adventure as well.

[@wesleyt.4581]

2:46: one of my favourite magic items that I made is a Magic Deflecting Sword, it does what you’d think it does. 3 times every day, if you’re attacked by magic, you can roll a DC 10 dexterity saving throw and if you complete it, the sword deflects the magic away from you. It isn’t super overpowered, but is really useful.

[@Nathan-oe8ut]

Useful but boring, maybe a light extra punishment for failing the save?

[@MetPhD]

First time as DM in 20 years! My players are going up against a bandit leader next week. Love the suggestion of contraband as part of treasure!

[@NicDude583]

Great advice! I’ve been working on some stuff for a West Marches game and I’m actually putting stuff for PC levels in the world to find, like spell books and hidden knowledge pertaining to the principles of magic or warfare, and you gain levels as you learn techniques. I’m even making mini-classes called Disciplines based around battle tactics or magic item crafting, even travel. I’m excited about it.

[@xxindigoAphrodithexx]

I'd love to see this as a playlist, Geek and Sundry! Pretty please! 🥺

[@meta_slave_6239]

in my very first campaign my party ended up with 3 rings of invisibility at level 2. i realised soon after that that is a LEGENDARY ITEM

[@ddeboy002]

I totally agree with equipment mod'ing. I one came up with a shocking longsword of leeching. What would happen on attack is the creature using it took 5hpts dmg but shock the opponent 1d12 +5. The player quickly found out-leeching isn't always the best thing even when it looks good on paper. Even parchment with a treasure map or a note from someone that pertains to an important quest. So many good things can be found. BE CREATIVE in rewards. What doesn't appear to be a reward is probably highly undervalued.

[@bart3580]

Never played tabletop RPGs, but I'm making a mobile RPG game and I find this video pure gold, so many awesome ideas!

[@lofthemoore3550]

These videos have been so incredibly helpful to improving my GMing skills. Thank you for making such fantastic content!

[@jamesjuld]

One thing that can be a great reward and is often the reason for doing a side quest is information, especially for the less lawful acting people: They find a letter tying a local merchant to a cult of orcus. Or they might find the location of a long forgotten ruin of a temple made for Tiamat through an old map. Maybe some seemingly useless like that there is a marriage between the butchers boy and the smith's apprentice planned. Which the ones in question might not yet know about Also things like when someone is somewhere, especially villains or important figures or even just patrolling guards. Maybe the information is dangerous and deadly, like the Rogue finding out that one of the closest advisors for the king is a spy who had people killed in the past quite a lot just for knowing this secret. It's also a great way to influence an encounter like the thief getting caught. A merchant might let them go with some information (which might be intentionally wrong and misleading, like "an invading force will attack Port Icecrown" , while the force actually will attack the nearby towns of Greenhill, Hayfall and Woodbridge.). This can also work for harmless npc at the mercy of a character. Maybe the girl caught stealing from the Rogue doesn't have money or so but instead knows all the rumors going around will be a new source of information for the party. Especially against compensation.

[@seththegreen5904]

My favorite type of rewards to give my players, are thing that can be upgraded, so they have something to spend their money on. Things like a run down building, or just a plot of land. The best reward I think I have come up with was a magical wagon. It started as a normal wagon, but as they dump gold into it, they can upgrade different aspects like defenses, a second floor with cover, or only the inside gets bigger and eventually becomes a full building

[@x0Vinny0x]

When I reward my players with magical items, it is usually given through a specific quest or event. That changes their perspective to upgrade another plus one shield into "this is the shield we got from killing that crazed wizard".

[@kaneo1]

Intangible rewards: -Spell or additional slot, especially if the class can't cast it. (Combat-affecting cantrips for a Fit/Barb? -'Training Montage' results in a feat or a stat bump. -Training in a skill to allow party-crafted items.

[@zenwalker9010]

I'm a new DM, but I've fallen in love with it. I've been building a campaign for my friends, and we're all excited to get down on some DnD. This channel is amazing for someone like me. I love it. +1!! Great Channel MM!

[@RyuSpike]

In terms of getting gold from monsters, I've been doing a sort of loot system where my party gather up monster parts and several them to merchants for cash.

[@Leongon]

Reward karma when a player does something surprisingly awesome. Can override a critical failure roll outcome to turn it less devastating than it would have been, or bump to critical success a roll that barely fell short of it, for example.

[@jamesreed2475]

I like unique magical items. It identifies as a +1 sword but the DM can add abilities as the players level up or accomplish goals. Then they unlock a latent power of their named weapon or item.

[@derwoodbowen5954]

We used to have a dm who was very generous with loot. We called it "Let's Make A Deal" dungeons. The problem with dumping loot on your players is that you will have to ratchet up the difficulty. I hope all your players are in it for the experience and not just for whatever loot comes their way. Good Gaming to you!

[@sonyagreen5801]

on my first session I accidentally gave one of the players a level 17 weapon cause I didnt realise that it was that overpowered :/

[@raidedsalt7110]

Wow, what could have caused that :o

[@ImSquiggs]

Looks like it's time for a Rust Monster of game balancing to poke its head out, hahah

[@MegaXdon]

Squiggs 【Glitches - ROM Hacks - Speedruns】 rust monsters don't hurt magic weapons though

[@chainer8686]

Black Pudding maybe?

[@MayHugger]

@@MegaXdon Wait, why not? So does breaking it not make it lose its magic property?

[@floridamancode_e2673]

i really like giving my players small random stuff. makes the treasure more interesting

[@AcaTea]

One time I threw a random stray cat into a town and granted the first player that pet it 1 Inspiration Point. Gotta love the open-endedness of RPGs.

[@GVD108]

One of the best DMs i've seen. Keep it up Matt.

[@nathanfarnaby8109]

Having different rewards is great, I could even argue that players may make their own rewards from situations as in a trapped warehouse encounter my players ignored the weapons, armour and art (they put it down the moment they found out it was abstract art) but rather stole the potions and "gentleman's literature". Later in the same campaign I was trying to think of how to give loot for a spider cave they were clearing out and the solution I came to was to have silk cocoons of dead past adventurers throughout the cave. My two favorite rewards I've given players would have to be a belt that reversed gravity in a small area when it was on and random effect grenades that were made of remnants of dozens of potions (anything from heal to harm, grow or shrink, change shape, teleport in random direction, etc.). Many hilarious situations came from those random alchemical grenades, like when they turned a swarm of tiny spiders into a swarm of tiny minotaurs.

[@classlessbard9762]

I like how you say Commandeer. The Rouge in the party rolled a natural 20 and stole a Boar from a Trow Rider. It was COMPLETELY unexpected but now the party has Oinkers and I didn't have to give them a enchanted dagger. So win-win

[@androsh9039]

Loving it. Please keep sharing your wisdom, Mr. Mercer.

[@keirantalent]

3:20 GM tips and tricks starring Eric Cartman.

[@andrewquentaro4411]

NPC attitude change is also a fine reward. When someone starts to trust you more, shares secrets, offers help, you know..