New Dungeon Master's Guide | Deep Dive | Core Rulebook | 5E | D&D

[@richthegreyjoy]

Every time that I'm about to give up on the game they put Chris Perkins out there, and I finally feel like at least one person there actually gets DND.

[@purpleyeti705]

Amen brother. I like Matt Mercer as much as the next person, but Chris is my guy. The dm's dm. My own role model and guy i look up to the most

[@johnshull2454]

Exactly

[@MisterSmith00]

I do genuinely enjoy listening to him talk about the game.

[@mammonclarke]

@@purpleyeti705 yeah I have said that before. While Matt Mercer is a great DM, I would give anything to play at Chris Perkins table. I have been playing since 1984 and Perkins is definitely the DM I respect the most.

[@soldierbreed]

I promise you thats not a coincidence

[@nissanfreak22]

Please make sure to include detailed information about downtime, professions (and tools), and travel!

[@KevinVideo]

Hopefully the tool proficiency rules from Xanathar's is included in the DMG.

[@nissanfreak22]

@@KevinVideo For sure! But I feel like they could also expand the tools and professions way more

[@benreed638]

@@KevinVideo Hpefully not, Ive had enough of reprinting rules already found in other books

[@MaxPatatePowa]

Maybe I missed it, but I hope they add a proper end of book index for quick lookup of the page of a particular information! That would make finding the actual info that is in the book much simpler.

[@joyful]

it would be really nice to have all dm tools in one place. having to reach for different books, but having to remember which book has the info i want, is annoying.

[@wardhuckabay8262]

I’d really love to see them show a scaffolded approach to prepping a session. Kind of like Sly Flourish’s “Lazy Dungeon Master” approach. That was a super helpful book for my own journey.

[@Lukasaske]

I love that book so much. It completely changed everything for me.

[@wardhuckabay8262]

Right!? After reading the DMG, I was like, “Okay, cool. But how do I make a session?” It was a weird experience.

[@bayardmartins]

I can stress enough how much Sly Flourish improved my games... And some stuff is on creative commons, they could do something really cool

[@zwolga]

Yes yes yes yes

[@Taven03]

even as an experienced DM I love rereading Lazy Dungeon master and Lazy Dungeon master two! they can help so much

[@franBa22]

Hearing Chris talk always gives me this need of a new show with him DMing. I really miss Chris Perkins behind a DM screen!

[@garysmith4742]

I like this approach of moving things around and making it more user friendly. I don't need a new edition, I just need a more refined version of what I already love, keep it up.

[@garypotter5569]

Some integrated bookmarks/ribbons would also be a nice upgrade. No more than 3, as DMs already have enough on their minds. In my experience, when you are researching quickly during gameplay, 3 is the optimal number. PS all of the main reference books should have these 3 ribbons integrated imo: a black one, a red one, and perhaps a green one.

[@Timetonut]

I can’t tell you how long I spent looking for the details of what to do when a player is stable but at 0 hit points and no way to bring that number up. What is the mechanic? How does someone gain a hit point?

[@alienmagic]

@@Timetonut Page 198 of the Player's Handbook: A stable creature that isn't healed regains 1 hit point after 1d4 hours.

[@Timetonut]

@@alienmagic so not in the DM guide also?

[@bayardmartins]

You know what would be great in dmg? An adventure. A 5 Page adventure with a starting village, a Quest giver, a 5 room dungeon.

[@TyranAmiros]

I'm guessing that's the "surprise" in chapter 8 and the pull-out map

[@Kangaxxter]

4e DMG has like an entire campaign setting

[@0-w-l-0]

9:08

[@Kaelyn91]

Kind of like the adventure he legitimately mentioned would be in this updated DMG. Seems like your feedback was preempted.

[@Xyphyri]

@@Kaelyn91 he seemed to explain it more so as how to build one and what one should contain. But it could easily be in the form of an example adventure, which would be perfect if it also breaks down *why* it includes what it does in the adventure.

[@FreeXenon]

A storytelling guide such as: * 3 act structure or 5 act structure * stories and arcs vs campaign * character subplots * campaign themes * collaborative storytelling * character driven plots vs story driven plots and how to run them. The Fate Core system has a lot of great tools for storytelling, especially when combined with the act structures.

[@TheCBoysDotCom]

All the stuff we look at in writing and theater really needs to be in the dmg for sure. The rules are not as hard as people think when they start, it’s the plot management that most DMs struggle with fr

[@FreeXenon]

@@TheCBoysDotCom Agreed.

[@richardhealy]

Like how to design a faction. How to plan sequential steps so initial antagonist is low level functionary who reports to more senior lieutenants of a bigger villian/influencer. Make a city sure, but what makes it sing is how to conceptualise the different factions it may contain and where they are in opposition or alignment.

[@FreeXenon]

@@richardhealy That is a good one.

[@kaelinboone9218]

Love the fate core system. I also use pathfinders 2e Dm's guide to supplement my downtime activities

[@Zieuro]

Thank god because as a new DM I’ve always been lost with the current DMG. I love DMing but I often have to rely on my more experienced players on helping me with DMing. I’m really excited about this new DMG

[@JakAttack]

I have been DMing 5e since it was D&D Next and even I have barely used the 5e DMG for anything other than the random tables in it LOL! Its barely a guide for DM's, if at all.

[@Zieuro]

@@JakAttack very true that’s why I’m glad that they are taking action to fix the DMG and make it better and easier for new and old DMs alike

[@hoid9407]

Been DMing for 3 years now. Without being able to google to reference rules and ruling I'd be lost because nothing is where it feels like it should be in the DMG. Super glad they're doing this.

[@briansanner]

The current DMG is completely useless. Only good thing in it are the magic items and random treasure tables.

[@VinceValentine]

I've been DMing since 1998. The current 5e DMG is useful when you're an experienced DM who likes homebrew, because it starts with all that. For newer DMs or if you only run premade adventures, it's less helpful. This overhaul is necessary and good.

[@vinoup1]

One of the most important things that needs to be in the DMG is a chapter on encounter building, and not just combat encounter building but encounter in general. It needs info on building encounter in all three pillars of play. It also needs to talk about things like encounter goals, decision points, etc. that makes up the aspects of an encounter.

[@thesharkinthewater6564]

I oftentimes worry that the dnd team doesn't love dnd in the same way that my players and I do. Then Chris shows up...

[@ironlurker]

The creative team for D&D at WotC does, the mgt and execs at Hasbro? 😆🤣

[@zwolga]

Don’t 👏 Forget 👏 The 👏 Absolute 👏 Beginners So many rulebooks read as if you already know the basics. Matt Colville’s videos taught me more in a few mins than I ever learned from any books.

[@RichardBejtlich]

It sounds like they are trying to make it easier to run 5e, rather than change the rules. This is a great idea. It sounds like the book should be DMG Revised, or DMG 2024 edition, sort of like how Mongoose publishes date-named revisions like Traveller Core Rulebook Update 2022.

[@federicocaravani3474]

Always said 5e traded ease of entry for players with veteran requirements for GMs. To run 5e, you need to have learned in 3e/pathfinder first...

[@The_Crimson_Witch]

@@federicocaravani3474 I'm not sure I agree. I started running with 5e, I'm still running in 5e 6 years later.

[@DanteRavenkin]

I really appreciate Chris' humility regarding the 2014 DMG not being a 10/10 product, and I'm very excited for the 2024 revision of all three core books!

[@LeBigsou]

What I found with monsters is that often times their Hp is abysmal compared with their CR, they can do lots of things and dish out big damage, but a low initiative can mean the monster is not going to survive for more than 2 or 3 turns in total

[@ai.yeehaw]

My monsters always roll 10+CR rating = Initiative

[@SeiyaVenture]

@@ai.yeehaw Is a good solution

[@daviddalrymple2284]

Yeah. There are almost no monsters in the Monster Manual that can reasonably kill a fully-rested party of the level that they're supposed to, using the encounter guidelines in the DMG. For example, 4 Ettins should be a deadly encounter for four level-8 characters. A typical 8th level party with average luck on the dice is going to take those Ettins down in three turns. Yet, even if each Ettin hits with every one of their attacks, it will take at least four rounds to drop every character. Realistically, it will take even longer. The only way this is truly a "deadly" encounter is if the players have already been roughed up a bit. The disparity is even greater when you're dealing with a single monster, which in this case should be CR 12. A party of four level-8 characters is going to destroy any CR 12 monster in the MM or MotM in one or two rounds. That monster may get a chance to take down a single character in that amount of time, but it's not likely.

[@LeBigsou]

@@daviddalrymple2284 I put my five level 8 players against a tweaked greater star spawn emissary, I gave it 450 Hp and nerfed the damage on the recharging ability, I kept everything the same, guess how much time it took for them to kill it? Party composed of a vengeance paladin, a sun soul monk, a beast barbarian, a rune knight warrior and a fey custom but not overpowered sorcerer. Four of them killed a young white dragon so they had the infused weapons by Fizban, but I gave the star spawn complete immunity to fire and ice until it took 350 points of damage, at that point its damage would increase whilst losing some defenses. Everything was over by turn four at the end of the second player in the initiative order.

[@julienwood577]

@@ai.yeehaw yea this is how i do it too, keeps the flow going and focused on the players.

[@keithfricke5049]

The improvements to the forthcoming DMG sound great and exciting. For all you new DMs out there, jump in and just do it. I started playing DND 42 years ago when I was 16 and the home brew campaigns I came up with left a lot to be desired because I was learning as I went. I’ve gotten so much better at story arcs and incorporating player back stories. Chris Perkins’ description of the approach to making the DMG an easier- to-use guide is intended to do what all us veteran DMs want for the new generation of DMs- enjoying this amazing game and enjoying it a second time when you look back on it. My son started playing with me 10 years ago off and on in between sports. We’ve played with a group on Fridays for the past 6 years. He’s graduating from college in May and intends to keep playing. Have fun everyone!

[@briansanner]

I really hope they include more tables, not just telling you to make your own. It would be better in an updated monster manual, or even just a publication on its own of nothing but tables for random encounters based on different environments, better random treasure tables, and the like. For someone like me who doesn't like to spend weeks designing things only for the players to go a different route, random encounter tables are invaluable, as are lists based on CR.

[@ryuzakidestiny]

I really wish to see Harvest Monster Parts Rules and Crafting and Selling of Magic Items Rules. In my opinion it's the big missing thing in 5e.

[@ShadowmancerLord]

Well I mean, crafting magic items is in Xanathar's. Selling them is kind of a DM thing, you can't standardize it because of the differences in demand between campaigns, they might be worth a ton in a campaign where there isn't a lot of access to magic items or they might not be worth much in a huge city that has tons of magic crafters. I do love the Kobold Press monster part harvesting stuff though.

[@bonsummers2657]

What the bleep are you talking about?

[@SeiyaVenture]

@@ShadowmancerLord but, even with Xanathar is not so clear how sell it, is so abstrac. I thing it need be more concrete with the numbers, if you want a change it, change it, but for a new master is hard dont have numbers. I personaly want every magic item has a gold coin cost, for have a system to build a treasure with more direccions, not only for sale or buy magic items.

[@brendancrosby2965]

Sounds like you have a fun group

[@DominikJirajhaGriesser]

​@@SeiyaVenture On the DMs Guild, "Wraith Wright Productions" (search the phrase including parenthesis) did a fantastic piece of work about Equipment, Wealth and Magic Item distribution. It critically analyzes what's good/bad in Item and Wealth distrribution in the PHB+DMG+XGtE and suggests actual soluitions to occuring problems, numbers and examples for every step of the way. Think of a (multi-100-pages) scientific paper on the topic, but written in the accessible style of the PHB. I cannot recommend the _All Items Supplement Bundle_ enough to tackle your problem exactly. :)

[@fortunatus1]

I really hope that the Monster Manual is arranged according to Creature Type and then alphabetically within that type. This is the easiest way to find the creatures you need to make an adventure. It is a lot harder to remember all the names of the indiviual monsters than it is to look up Undead that could be the minions of a Lich or the Order of the Emerald Claw.

[@bradleyhurley6755]

I disagree. It's fine if you have played a lot and already know what the monsters types are. It's awful if you haven't and have no clue where in the book to look. Somethings like undead might make sense, but is a wraith in the undead section or the W section? I'd prefer just alphabetical.

[@thebitterfig9903]

I think the best organization principle would be challenge rating, but only if they fix challenge to make it a sufficient tool for balancing combat encounters. It’s way easier to follow an alphabetical index than a CR index, and CR has the potential to be the single most important thing for mechanical usage.

[@bradleyhurley6755]

@@thebitterfig9903 While I was going to go with that, I think it might be odd having a CR 1/4 skeleton hundreds of pages away from a CR 1 skeleton, hundreds of pages away from a CR 3 skeleton. CR only works if every creature or variation of that creature has the same CR.

[@MrNickInc]

Strongly agree. In monsters of the multiverse I vehemently dislike that demons/devils/angels and creatures like that are completely scattered throughout the book away from each other. It is just bad for session planning

[@DominikJirajhaGriesser]

@@bradleyhurley6755 There's a difference between structuring the book, and also having good indices and gloassaries. Using Creature type for structuring and session planning makes it easier to plan in advance and redues prep-work by a long shot. And an additional alphabetical index to find something specific helps immensily, looking something up on the fly. I'd actually like to see the book being structured By Creature Type and Creature Group, like a humanoid chapter with a sub-area, that has Goblins (and Hobgoblins), one with Orcs, etc. And then to have an alphabetical index and an additional one by challenge rating + Key-Feature-tagging to support the task of: "I need to find a a CR2 creature that can impose a condition on the fly... Oh, let's take the stat-block from a ghast."

[@MrSirhasArrived]

I would love if the Monster Manual was organized by terrain first, challenge rating then alphabetical.

[@captcorajus]

You could easily add bonus actions and reaction to quite a few of the existing monster to make them correctly match their CR. The biggest issue with 5E monsters is that they are simply fodder for the PCs due to the action economy.

[@portsyde3466]

They've been doing that a bit in some recent books, like Monsters of the multiverse. I'm running ROTF and when using duergar, I noticed that, compared to their MM versions where they have to enlarge/reduce as an action, the MotM versions can do so as a bonus action. I wholly expect the revised MM to go in a similar direction.

[@ANDELE3025]

Sounds like you arent doing the recommended adventuring day worth of challenges.

[@captcorajus]

@@portsyde3466 YES! That's the exact kind of thing I'm talking about. Without, the monsters are frequently dead before they can even get a chance to use their abilities.

[@Newnodrogbob]

@@ANDELE3025 …how does it sound like that? Anyone who thinks monsters are too easy isn’t using the correct number of encounters? Oh…yeah. That actually tracks. To be fair, even the published adventures don’t usually follow those guidelines.

[@oscarfellini6500]

Yeah, nothing better than listening to the group talk, interact, solve mysteries and plan. When the players take ownership of the game. So cool.

[@lachlangraham6826]

I'm a fairly young DM. But Started playing towards the tail end of 4e. And have been DMing and playing all of 5e. I have social anxiety in my daily life, but love storytelling and wanting to share in the storytelling exprience with others, for some reason when it come to DND i mentally switch into taking on the role of the character. Or when DMing I would stress before the session but when the session start it like the opening of a theatre performance and I switch into performance mode acting in ways and using voices that i wouldn't every use in my daily life. I been taking this passion for the hobby to my local game store to help run adventure league for the players that come each week. But even with my anxieties when DM its like letting off of stress and let the voices in my head narrate the NPC and creature of the world so players can explore.

[@krisbrown6692]

I really want a robust, in depth, crafting system. One that takes into consideration what materials are used in the crafting, as well as different modifications that can be add to items.

[@johnfree1717]

I am excited about the Monster Manual being bigger.

[@georgeluiz5650]

This is The BEST. O am really excited for this.

[@briansanner]

I really hope they include the random encounter tables in it like they had in the 2nd Ed Monsterous Compendiums. They had tables based on CR, or like 20 tables based on different environments, like artic forest, temperate forest, temperate grasslands, hills, mountains, underarm, urban, rural, everything, man. It was awesome. I ran entire campaigns that were born out of random encounters. I used to spend hours and days and weeks drawing up whole worlds and castles and dungeons and campaigns, then the players wouldn't even visit like 90% of what I'd made. So I adjusted my style to create things that could be used in any part of the world and just move them to put them in their path and use random encounters to fill in the gaps.

[@onappap]

I’m afraid their just going to package all the random books from 5e together and reprint it instead of new content

[@Newnodrogbob]

@@onappap yeah, there likely won’t be a lot of new monsters. Little useful tools like random encounter tables are a possibility though.

[@bonsummers2657]

What do you do with a Monster Manual?

[@trinioler]

The thing that the DMG needs critically is a fundamental model of interaction at the table. I had to go to blogs and videos (like Matt Colville's video series) to get this.

[@muddlewait8844]

Good ol’ 1st edition DMG “Example of Play” made all the early games I ran possible.

[@odesseus]

It sounds like they will try to create a framework for the idea, but the enormously value of Colville's ongoing series "Running the Game" has the ability to address the topics more throughly and in a much more dynamic and timely method. BTW, for any DMs out there, new or not, Matt Colville's "Running the Game" series is an *invaluable* resource. Even after being a seasoned DM, I still found lots and lots of great advice and information.

[@Mastikator]

I'm going to take this chance to give a bit of advice to other DMs. Between sessions ask the players what they collectively want to do next, this will give you a heads up when they want to skip town or ignore a dungeon or investigate that nothing that you can turn into a something. It also helps group cohesion IMO when the players agree on what they want to do. Between sessions ask players individually what they want to achieve, what goals they have for their character. This can be a treasure trove of ideas and options for your players.

[@Mcleody9]

We need a Sword Coast / Forgotten Realms source book. I only just realised (as a fairly new player myself) that the D&D rulebooks dont actually talk about the Forgotten Realms much. Obliviously Waterdeep and Baldur's Gate are covered in their campaign books but if I want to set a homebrew in the Forgotten Realms at a wider-scope I'd have to cross-reference several books to get a overall view?

[@tomsteer3485]

Agreed. I literally bought Dragon Heist and Descent Into Avernus for the gazetteers. The Sword Coast Adventurers guide does a fine job of giving plot hooks in its description of the area, but good grief do you have to do a lot of work to get it to the table; my group recently hex crawled from Evereska to Baldur’s Gate and that took far too much work on my part to make it happen.

[@Koenigsdisziplin]

I think they should release more Setting books. An updated Greyhawk or Forgotten Realms book for example.

[@MonsterTeegs]

As a potential new player I'd also love to see Dark Sun ported to 5e but brand new unique settings would also be fantastic.

[@kajetan9906]

maybe a forgotten realms book that isn't focused on the sword coast?

[@simonfernandes6809]

I sense there is going to be a new Forgotten Realms setting book next year.

[@ShadowmancerLord]

@@MonsterTeegs They already said Dark Sun isnt happening

[@Edino_Chattino]

@@MonsterTeegs As interesting as Dark Sun is, it´s never getting released in the world we live today, as people are seemingly too frail to deal with subjects like slavery or cannibalism.

[@nikkothegoblin]

Reading through the manual and preparing to run Stars Without Number has opened my eyes to the tools that can be given to GMs. I would love to see a more fluid and helpful book in this iteration

[@januarygrey]

• *Magic. Item. Prices.* • CR calculation rules that identify how to adjust the CRs of monsters to the magic items of the party. (We currently don't have much to go on in 5e to inform us of what a party that is a good match for a CR 26 creature looks like, or how to account for a party stacked with +3 items)

[@benreed638]

Magic item prices are already a thing in the DMG, near the magic items, one of the many things thats already in the game

[@jr22hon]

I hope they're basically renovating what they already have in place and try and make things easier to understand and actually listen. I really hope for a rewrite of the Tyranny of dragons.

[@anthonyambrose7830]

I believe they have or are

[@edheldude]

There will be a rewrite of ToD. It's in the pipeline.

[@bobr4024]

The dungeon Masters guide for 5e is a PREP book. Lots of good ideas to prep for your game. There needs to be more stuff or even an entire section on kind of a “grab and go“ stuff. Tables and such that a GM can just use, without prep - a section dedicated to this type of improvisational insertion. There’s spattering’s of this type of material, but it needs to be centralized and separated. Separate the prep stuff from the improv stuff.😊

[@slackeratlarge575]

Ghost of dragon spear castle was my first big DM adventure. A year and a half run with a party of 5. It was amazing, shout out to Chris and team

[@benjaminmurray412]

I'd like to see specific rules on making groups/swarms/packs, like a group of 30 or more soldiers, a large pack of wolves or goblins, without actually having to control/play 30+ creatures slowing a combat session. An expansion on the Dragonlance large scale battle/war rules, fighting against an army. Also maybe rules for play beyond level 20.

[@The_Crimson_Witch]

I agree, I wish there was a set template to apply to statblocks to make them into a swarm so that way you could turn a guard statblock into a legion in an army. While there aren't set rules on swarms, every swarm I've seen adds the same damage resistances and condition immunities, the swarm trait as well as increasing the creature's strength and con scores by 4.

[@hasturnz1445]

all good, but change the CR and Encounter Building system to make it easier and more intuitive (like 4e was e.g. four CR 1 monsters are a moderate challenge for 4 level 1 PC's, not the crazy system where it's like 4 CR 1/4 or whatever and it just doesn't add up easily for higher levels; baseline should be one foe per PC not a group of PC's dog-pile a single monster or two).

[@peterreuben5791]

These two are always enjoyable and informative to watch

[@josefx1389]

I have a hell of a time with gods, big events, and famous locales that I have not played video games in. This format sounds awesome to just get blurbs about major things I can not grasp yet. After googling and reading wikis I end up understanding less and knowing where to start to learn about some of these things the book reading seems endless. I am always impressed by Matt Mercer and Spencer from Harmontown as they know so much and can rattle off gods and demons and the way things are but feel daunted in reaching one tenth of their level of understanding. I look forward to checking this out as Perkins has been a godsend.

[@odesseus]

I really enjoyed this video. As a DM, I often have to dive into the DMG for a variety of things, and have little tabs with things written on them to make them easier to find. Loot tables, types of magic items, encounter info, etc. I love the idea that there will be a clearer and more structured approach to real-time-use issues that the DM can easily locate and refer to. It's hard when important information is scattered throughout the different books sometimes (although it can also be fun!), but the basics should all be in one, less complicated spot. I hope it's a massive tome! I look forward to it!

[@KevinVideo]

More monsters is always good, especially if they're going to hit their CR better. I like the idea of having an introductory adventure in the DMG with maps, to help new DMs.

[@joyful]

if you want to help dm's quickly find information, make the dmg electronic with a search/find function. such as a pdf....with bookmarks or an outline

[@williambradford6575]

You mean like D&D Beyond?

[@joyful]

​@@williambradford6575 just based on the table of contents, i would say not even close.

[@dfw_sleepypillz1007]

As someone who has every DMG since 1982 - I am greatly looking forward to seeing what the team is bringing to the table. A lifetime DM can never have enough tools in the arsenal. Rock on!

[@Baraz_Red]

Suggestion for the Lore glossary : "Earth : mostly harmless." (source: Douglas Adams. This humor fits well in D&D considering ancient civilizations of real-life Earth would be deemed quite harmless for fantasy realms. None of their heroes can plane shift and, at best, they might reach their moon in many many centuries.) nb : by the way, I am told Earth technically exist in the Forgotten Realms / multiverse (not to be confused with Oerth, which is the Grayhawk world).

[@ANDELE3025]

Ironic as way back the Draconic Pantheon of FR deemed Earth a deadly universe ending disaster, with all dragons that went there either ended up in hiding before returning terribly changed or under Nulls (aka the deathwyrms) guidance (aka dead).

[@hircenedaelen]

cool idea, might be copywright issues

[@Baraz_Red]

@@ANDELE3025 Oh, did not know that. Earth seems to mostly have no lore in D&D and maybe, frankly, should not exist. :P

[@superspeed3675]

So, I am as brand new to the game as you can get. I am a middle school teacher who played once when I was 15 and now and the DM for two groups of 11 to 13 year olds. The most pressing problem is working through the myriad of rules for the different classes and races. It is really hard to keep track of abilities and how they should operate. Plus figuring out how the magic casters work has been a serious challenge. Honestly, KZbin what has helped the most in understanding the rules. What I could really use is the base information to be clearer and have more than one example on how it should work.

[@ElocNodnarb]

I regularly DM for 8-14 year old boys and honestly the issue is less about a gap in the tools and more that this is generally not the right game for that age group. The DM is meant to be an arbiter, but at a successful table the players are meant to be responsible for THEIR rules. We need to have conversations with the players outside the game to help them understand how their character and abilities work, but during the game we don’t have room in our heads for their whole character sheet. I often have adult players read spells or abilities to me at the table but when running a game for young kids, I have to keep the group small so that I CAN keep their whole character in mind and help them remember their abilities.

[@danielgiversen658]

As mentioned in the video, the party might choose to do something entirely different from, what the DM planned. I hope you'll consider adding a paragraph about the 'DM's Emergency Toolkit' into the DMG. This would include spezialized travel rules as well as suggestions to prepare a generic one-shot, a generic dungeon, random combat encounters etc. Rules for specialized travel includes caravans (Hoard of the Dragon Queen), seafaring (Ghost of Saltmarch), wagon race/pursuit etc. An emergency toolkit allows the inexperienced DM to improvise - even to prepare content in the opposite part of the continent or across the sea between sessions - if that's where the party chooses to go. Maybe the DM adapts the plot to this new location - or events happen at the original location while they were gone - changing the conditions dramatically. An entire quest-line may become difficult or unavailable, because the party didn't interfere. But with an emergency toolkit, the DM is never caught off guard, and the players might not even notice, as the DM rides the tsunami and get time to adapt - instead of being tossed around. And the players propably won't even notice.

[@BrianKrienke]

You mentioned the monster manual. I think it would be helpful for a new player like myself to have quick reference tables that contain a list of all monsters contained in the book, but sorted according to different DM goals. For example sorted according to difficulty and the alphabetically. And another table that sorts and groups by type of damage resistance etc. I'm just throwing out examples. But it would be a useful guide to have as an appendix

[@turnipslop3822]

I think one of the biggest challenges right now is how large the gulf is between the mechanics of D&D and expectations of the players. The DM basically has to fill that gulf right now. The DMs guide doesn't really help you become a story teller, a master improviser, how to balance encounters is a nightmare, and the information on how to structure a session is so dense. The world building is overwhelming and I'm glad they recognise that. I'd love to see the new guide take from other books which show flow charts for simple one shots, or campaigns, that can give a strong template to follow. Helping on board newer DMs really needs to be a focus for this next one. I think a section on how to run a one shot would be extremely valuable too, as all though in some ways it's more challenging than the next session of a campaign, it's far less daunting for new DMs. I'd strongly encourage that being a focus too.

[@simongervais9302]

Tables tables tables !! We need matrices to create content on the fly. Also the main advice : Start from one hamlet. Of course there will be the obligatory 'Talk about sensibilities' and session zero. Maybe WotC should also look into AI-assisted DM-ing 3:50 a chapter written by Mercer maybe ? 4:10 the surprise map for sure the Planescape content, the all encompassing cosmology of DnD beyond even the Forgotten Realms Monster parts harvesting and crafting would be very good ! Recipes for specific potions that list ingredients found on monsters etc. An armor system that's more interesting than the basic thing we have right now, using monster parts. 11:30 The main anxiety is the work that comes with the position. What would be good is to have tools to randomly generate stuff. How to create NPCs on the fly. How to deal with a difficult player. Scheduling. Monster Manual should be regrouped in categories like it was but even more like a set.. Like monsters that synergize well together and that make sense to have in the same place. ELEVEN DAYS !

[@SmileyTrilobite]

I love the idea of the “flavors of fantasy“ section on page 38, but would like it expanded. Many entries have good examples, but the explanations focus mainly on surface subject matter easily found and not on the more valuable, deeper tropes and themes that really make the genre. For example, swashbuckling is more than ships and rapiers; it focuses on quick wit, daring risks for riches and romance, and dramatic, flamboyant spectacle. Wuxia is more than flying Chinese people. It concerns martial arts societal intrigue, the role of martial arts in the greater world, and self-cultivation to the extent that any “magic” is actually martial arts training, not traditional magic. Anime tropes are separate, and from Japan, as is chanbara (sometimes called “samurai flicks”, though famous examples such as Lady Snowblood and Zatoichi are not about samurai). Chanbara explores the role of violence in a society usually where governing authority is either corrupt or absent.

[@ramiel555]

Yeah, the current DMG does have lots of good stuff, but being from the start of the edition, there's plenty more to add/adjust, like the Tasha's stuff that they mentioned. Also, yes, the layout is...not ideal, lol. Making it more intuitive to find stuff would be a huge QOL improvement, especially when it's something you gotta stop and look up while playing, the faster the better. I'm hoping the secret chapter 8 is a huge compilation of variant/alternate/optional/homebrewish rules and ideas for us to look through, so we can really customize our games into something perfectly suited to our own specific table. That could be especially helpful for newer DM's just as a method of getting them to think about certain rules and things they may not have before.

[@WTH13SERIOUSLY]

Everything I am hearing in this is so wonderful. I am a somewhat new DM and this sounds so amazing. My favorite this is going to be the rule glossary for sure.

[@FellVoice]

This update will go on my shelf right next to my 4E D&D books, the ones that don't exist.

[@n05ta1gia5]

Dude doing the interview smiling like the grinch killing me

[@toranas1500]

Can we please get better structure for buying and selling magic items?

[@LordGrimmie]

Chris says that most people these days get their first exposure to "what a DM is" via KZbin. My first experience was watching him lead the Robot Chicken writers on a merry little adventure, and for that I'll be forever thankful. I've been playing since 3.5e and went immediately into the DM role after buying the books off ebay and convincing my friends to play. I love D&D, and I love seeing Chris at the helm, continuing to make the role of running the game engaging, accessible and exciting ♥.

[@pedrostormrage]

11:35 "It's now increasingly common that DMs learn by watching other DMs [...], they watch Critical Role [...], I think a lot of DMs think 'I can do that, but I'm not sure I can do it as well' " It would tickle me to see a line like "You don't need to be Matt Mercer" in the DMG (Matt's dedication is clearly deserving of that kinda acknowledgement)

[@StabYourBrain]

Which would really not be fair towards a lot of great Dungeon Masters who are just as dedicated to their craft but simply less well known. We don't need to call people out like that and i think Matt would absolutely appreciate to be left out of a statement like this.

[@HeatherVerhagen]

I've been able to scim through it. I'd love it if you included info on what DMs are expected to do and not do and how. I'm a new DM and I asked everyone in my session zero what their expectations for me were. There were crickets. They had no idea. I had to come up what I thought they should be based on issues I've seen at tables over the past four years or so. I just had someone drop out of my campaign because her expectations for me just weren't what I am responsible for. I'm going back and making edits to my rules/expectations. In my mind, the expectations are suppose to help us avoid conflict. You can't ever avoid all of them, but setting out expectations before you start really helps.

[@thecompletejake]

Will our dnd beyond digital books get updated with any new mechanical changes? (I don't expect the new DMG content for free...but I do sort of expect any mechanics to kept current.)

[@outofideas42]

I'd love to see sample layman statblocks in the DMG, or perhaps in the monster manual in a section called "common folk". Show me an artisan, a priest, a politician. Give me samples of people fill a city, as well as how that city is built.

[@stevenwaters591]

Can I ask why a common folk would need a stat block?

[@outofideas42]

​@@stevenwaters591 primarily social interactions. Flat 10s for commoners is pretty dire. Players going shopping and haggle? I've got stats for the skill contest, or the perception check when the rogue tries to steal. It's small, but it's good for a DM not comfortable with improvising.

[@andrewtempest2092]

The Monster Manual has the commoner, priest, guard, noble. It's not too much trouble to give these higher ability scores, and different skills or tool proficiencies.

[@Noctis198]

Name aside, I really hope they improve on encounter building. Also, can we get a campaign setting in Greyhawk? You guys dont want our money?

[@portsyde3466]

@@paulcoy9060 I mean, they're doing planescape this year; don't know if it's a boxed set or not, but it is coming.

[@hoid9407]

I feel like they said something recently about giving Greyhawk another look and adjusting it before re-releasing it, because of some questionable content historically? Idk, I know I heard this somewhere...

[@ExplosiveFloofBall]

If I recall correctly they don't have ownership of one of the major characters from Greyhawk

[@portsyde3466]

@@hoid9407 I mean, technically Saltmarsh by default takes place in Greyhawk, but I think that's the only 5e book that does so far. They also give options for other equivalent areas in faerun and other settings, so it isn't firmly in Greyhawk either.

[@drmirabilis]

I’d LOVE to see some ideas on “gated DCs” vs “sliding scale” failing forward for standard rolls like Perception checks, Stealth rolls, and Lockpicking/Athletics to open doors. Making a system that is explicitly “fail by 5 or less” = complication that moves the plot forward with examples of guards being alerted, monsters noted on scene that the PCs fail to see in the meta, or losing a chance at a surprise round. Allowing people to just brute force reroll at the table for these checks until there is a success halts the game - and other RPGs with partial successes handle the story components perfectly that One D&D can now reintroduce and feel totally natural.

[@MrPapalias]

Great stuff! One of the things I want to see in the new DMG is one of the early promises of d&d next - adding shifts and gears to the rules. What kind of changes to the rules you need to do if you want to run a low magic campaign, or a horror story. Which spells you want to plan ahead for when creating a murder mystery. What type of extra rules you may need if you are aiming for a different fantasy theme - like steampunk. Stuff that can help you create your fantasy in d&d

[@demiurge2763]

How about some actual crafting rules? I'd love to have one of those.

[@droghtak]

Man I'm so thrilled by this video... I remember my first dnd 2nd edition, not being a DM since then and you made me really really like getting back to DMing!!!!

[@RichGillis]

Hopefully they will include Alternate character designs Such as Gestalts, Tristalt ( taking three classes) Partial Gestalt( ( getting two classes at levels 2, 3, 4, 8,12,16.19.20) and Take Three System where players can choose between making characters wiith two species or two backgrounds)

[@ravendaee]

It's always a delight to hear Chris . I look forward for the new books

[@Welther47]

16:09 I love seeing this. This is a grown-ass man talking about something he is excited about like a kid. This is what D&D does to people. it's a beautiful thing.

[@Comicsluvr]

Cheers for changing the organization! The current DMG has piles of data but much of it is hard to find. Taking the DM through the shallow end of the pool first is a good start. I REALLY want a magic item crafting system! It doesn't have to include every item but SOME sort of guidelines are needed, especially if the Artificer is going to be better! Magic items need more parity! DOZENS of melee weapons and like 3 bows? REALLY? We also need more weapon and armor options! A main gauche should do dagger damage and count as a small shield for a +1 AC. Despite some of the kerfluffle that's happened this year, I'm encouraged by the DMG if nothing else.

[@tw7086]

Better call Professor Dungeon Master. He's got what you're looking for in a DMG. Also, ribbons please!

[@Mrdr]

I really hope they address the default 5-8 encounters per day & make it more flexible. Would require a complete rework of the CR system I think

[@0pticalstatic832]

Can’t wait for the new books! A super beginner DM here and just really excited to read more about the game!

[@BeaverValleyLabs]

Chapter 8 is about D&D VTT and I will cry.

[@jayman9810]

As a DM. I'm glad looking up information is easy in this upcoming DMG. Im glad session 0 exists because people who play my games i throw them into the campaign and see where it goes. Also im glad looking up info is gonna get easier cuz 80% of gameplay is referencing things and 20% is gameplay. I can't wait to pick this up to include in my current campaign.

[@valeri0n38]

Restructuring the DMG is an amazing idea. I get tired of trying to find things that aren't where I think they are. One thing I how gets addressed is creating monsters. I have been trying to use the system that's currently in place and it gets difficult to figure things out sometimes. New Monster Manual! Yes! Are there going to be critters from Mordenkainen's Monsters of the Multiverse added in? Even if they aren't, I'm still looking forward to seeing what's new.

[@Mark-ki7ic]

Object AC etc., Should be up toward the front. This hopefully includes examples of the various types of doors.

[@Mr_Boyer]

Literally on the DM screen.

[@ShadowmancerLord]

@@Mr_Boyer you mean the DM screen that no one has when they play online?

[@Mr_Boyer]

@Kyle you mean the DM screen that sits next to my books when I DM online for quick and handy reference? Yeah I do. Genius.

[@ShadowmancerLord]

@@Mr_Boyer I literally don't own a physical book for DnD. There are hundreds of thousands of DMs out there who are online only. Your experience doesn't reflect everyone else's. I mean no one as in figuratively, obviously. The vast majority of DMs online do not set up a whole in person setup to run games through VTTs. The compendium is much quicker and handier than flipping through a physical book

[@Mr_Boyer]

@Kyle I don't set up my DM screen like I would for an in person game, it just sits there and I can flip it open way faster than looking through a digital book or even a physical one. I would suggest keeping a digital copy of the DM screen bookmarked. It saves so much time because that is what it is designed to do.

[@lonniusmaximus3836]

This sounds really great! The Lore Glossary? Great idea! I've played D&D for years, going all the way back to the 80s, but I didn't have access to all the stories and lore, especially from The Forgotten Realms (apropos name, since even the stuff I did know I've since forgotten!) As someone who owns the current DMG in DnDBeyond, it would be nice to get an "upgrade" price, but I'm not counting on that.

[@afictionate]

One of the biggest things I want (only halfway through the video) is stat blocks for npc adventurers. I don't want to have to build a sorcerer character, or whatever, to quickly get the stats I want. I love the wizards and warlocks in MotM and I'd love to see more

[@HeatherVerhagen]

Things I wish we had: how to control a table, manage various personalities. How to prep a session, how and when to resolve interpersonal conflict at your table, and how to help your players choose which class and party role they want to take on. I say the latter because I just taught my players the concept of balancing a party with different party roles. They had no idea.

[@karkajouautomaton4882]

Party role like the classic Caller, Leader, Mapper, Treasurer, or the more modern MMO style?

[@HeatherVerhagen]

@@karkajouautomaton4882 I've seen people use terms like Striker, Healer/Support, Face, Blaster and Defender in articles and KZbin videos. I don't think it matters what terms they use, they just need to explain the difference between them.

[@danoconnell4192]

My biggest dream: Give me some balancing guidelines on Magic Items similar to the balancing guidelines for Monsters. There's 2-3 different ways to balance encounters with homebrew monsters with calculated CR's. I want something similar to know how +1 Plate rates as Rare when +1 Chainmail rates as Uncommon.

[@MarineS0n2]

The only thing I'd ever ask for is some form of rules for ship to ship combat & wildspace system creation, since we didn't get any in the Spelljammer product itself.

[@simonfernandes6809]

Been running Spelljammer since November and played in a 2e Spelljammer campaign back in the 90s. Yes we need a Wildspace system generator. No, we really don't need a detailed ship to ship combat system. Why? Your PCs lose a battle in Wildspace? Great, welcome to a TPK. Space combat isn't a good idea in D&D.

[@74gould]

I’m guessing the “surprise chapter & poster map” are a DMG setting overview of Faerun & a map to go with it, since that’s their current default world… But I’d be happy to be wrong. :)

[@SANSd20]

I am wondering if it is an adventure or mini-campaign that will walk a new DM thought a game

[@fanusobscurus]

Honestly, I'd just kill for setting lorebooks like what Kobold Press did for Midgard. Just an entire book dedicated to a setting. Towns, regions, local plot hooks, lore, how the world is structured. Hell, back in the 3 and 3.5e days, there was a 3rd party setting that had an entire published Atlas with everything from topographical maps to prevailing wind currents.

[@74gould]

@@fanusobscurus I agree. I love setting books... I wish they'd go back to that sort of content instead of feeling like *everything* they release either has to be a massive adventure or new player options. DMs are the ones spending the most money -- give the DMs the kinds of books they really want!

[@74gould]

@@SANSd20 Yeah, I could see that being the case, too.

[@asgergotved1263]

@@74gould With the current removal of any culture from the player races, I'd love for that to be re-introduced in setting books. Have open, more-or-less loreless player options, that allows players and DM's to build their own fantasies, couple them with settings that introduces cultures "Humans on the Sword Coast are usually [...]", and "Dragonborn on this island are all druids", or whatever. Then also add campaigns in those settings.

[@nickh3205]

Can we get some 15+ level content please

[@jaredlocke4300]

They know it's hard to make so they don't bother lol

[@feramosjn]

Please bring back magic item with prices on their descriptions! It's very important for new dungeon masters not to break their world's economy by selling items with a "standard" price. This would be essential for magic item descriptions, and the general and generic rules could be on how to adapt this "standard" price to their universes 😊

[@richardhealy]

The "Sane magical items pricing" list pdf found everywhere online exists for this reason.

[@feramosjn]

@@richardhealy Fair enough, I use it a lot, but thinking that they want this book to be new player-friendly, this could be something already included on the DMG.. :)

[@alexnieves]

As a new DM this all sounds wonderful.

[@mosescosme8629]

I started DMing (and playing) for the first time in January and was blown away by how awful the DMG was. It was written, very obviously, for people who have already been playing DND for a while now. The index is also very incomplete, which sucks for newer players. I'm glad to hear these things addressed in this video. Looking forward to the updated guide!!

[@toranas1500]

For the MM, grouping by families can still work, but an easy fix for an alphabetical search would be an index at the back of the book for quick reference. Most source books already have an appendix section. Adding an alphabetical list in that section with page numbers just makes sense.

[@fitnessandfandom]

For all the new books, please invest the time in creating, editing, and iterating comprehensive Tables of Contents and Indexes. I have purchased all the core books and several expansions since I started playing and DMing last year, and this is obviously an area that needs work. Some books don't even have indexes.

[@dennismoon6693]

I realize that there is a long history of a trifecta of core books for each edition of D&D: Dungeon Master's Guide, Player's Handbook, and Monster Manual. I also realize that they've started doing Starter/Essentials boxed sets aimed specifically at new players, but they have the downside of being sealed, preventing a person from flipping through to get a sense of what's involved. Maybe they should consider a basic "Intro to D&D" book that gives a general overview of what's needed for anybody (player or DM) playing the game. Just the simple basics - what dice you need and why, an overview of the general mechanics a handful of races and classes, and just enough skills, feats and spells to get those classes up to 2nd or 3rd level. A handful of monsters and a simple adventure, possibly written in a way that includes the thought process of a "typical" DM that can serve as a guide to the new DM.

[@ajax_dm]

It may be too late in the planning, but I’d like to see MAGIC ITEMS in a separate book, with School of Magic and Suggested Price for each item. I think this would be appreciated by both players and DMs (and maybe sell more books).

[@theblindbuildergrandminuti5648]

I like a lot of what I’m hearing I am hoping for the best. As a player and a DM, I am glad to hear you are buffing monsters up to make CR make more sense. A higher level play it’s something I know a lot of people wanted further support for.

[@jefry6782]

Another thing that the old DMG lacks is some magic weapons for other archetypes. Therw are almost no magic bows, any crossbow between other examples. I think the worst problem is spread and variety (The same that wappened with PHB amount of subclasses and now is fixed or what your trying to do with monster types and CR spread)

[@SIZModig]

I've yet to see a good "introduction to DMing at the DM screen" video. Surely there are some basics that work for all tables instead of all these DMs that show off their tailored setups? I need me an image with labels for the Basic DM Screen which you can modify later

[@sortehuse]

Yes, PAGE NUMBERS. Please include PAGE NUMBERS in the digital version.

[@RottenRogerDM]

I agree.

[@IamZemyn]

It would sure be nice if that mystery section was on crafting and pricing magic items in the kind of detail 3.5 used to have.

[@michaelhockman3420]

I appreciate the honesty here. It says a lot

[@wariorneverdie]

Session prepping and a deeper section about exploration/travel are what I wish the new dmg improves on. Also a small section on heist adventure type?

[@valerievalise]

I'm new to D&D and almost right away jumped into DMing - it's the role I was born to play in this game. It's exciting to hear that there are updates coming to the DMG, which I've struggled to get through beyond referencing as needed.

[@paidabodyndwp5357]

I mentioned this on Twitter, but worth mentioning here as well. I’d really like to see DM advice on how to handle Do or Die situations in 5e. So in 5e how do you handle dramatic do or die narratives, such as a grappled, or tied up pc threatened by a villain NPC with an knife to the throat? How do you keep the threat in game when if you play RAW, mechanically a high level/hp character could comfortably survive/absorb the knife damage? Very likely this is a game situation ill suited to the combat rules, which requires a different approach. As it stands the DMG doesn’t offer this advice to Gm’s. Be great to see DMG advice on this kind of dramatic narrative which depends on Maintaining a level of threat.

[@thegeneralthomas2645]

I would really appreciate exact costs for magic items. I can always change them to fit my world, but it would be really handy to know more eact pricings than just "somewhere between 1,000 and 10,000 gp". That could also be an indicator at first glance of how powerful a magic item is.

[@Edino_Chattino]

Also, some basic guidelines for really expensive stuff, like buying property or maintaining armies, stuff that was discussed way back in the AD&D2E days.

[@CellarSinger]

I know this isn't exactly the best place to put it, but in the players handbook, either in the index or under the druid details. Could you put an index of creatures for shapes change?

[@didyouknowthatcashewscomef9425]

FYI, they probably will if they decide to keep it as "choosing from creatures" instead of using Generic Stat Blocks in the future.

[@Valkyrion126]

I hope you include how to build magic item guide similar to 3E. I liked having a guide to where certain properties like vorpal was +5 and a magic item could have up to +10 total properties.