Introduction The Dungeon Master How to Use This Book Part 1: Master of Worlds Part 2: Master of Adventures Part 3: Master of Rules Know Your Players Acting Exploring Instigating Fighting Optimizing Problem Solving Storytelling
A World of Your Own The Big Picture Core Assumptions It’s Your World Gods of Your World Loose Pantheons Other Religious Systems Humanoids and the Gods Mapping Your Campaign Province Scale Kingdom Scale Continent Scale Combining Scales Settlements Purpose Size Atmosphere Government Commerce Currency Languages and Dialects Factions and Organizations Adventurers and Organizations Renown Magic in Your World Restrictions on Magic Schools of Magic Teleportation Circles Bringing Back the Dead Creating a Campaign Start Small Set the Stage Involving the Characters Creating a Background Campaign Events Putting Events in Motion When Not to Shake It Up World-Shaking Events Tracking Time Ending a Campaign Play Style Character Names Continuing or Episodic Campaigns Campaign Theme Tiers of Play Levels 1-4: Local Heroes Levels 5-10: Heroes of the Realm Levels 11-16: Masters of the Realm Levels 17-20: Masters of the World Starting at Higher Level Flavors of Fantasy Heroic Fantasy Sword and Sorcery Epic Fantasy Mythic Fantasy Dark Fantasy Intrigue Mystery Swashbuckling War Wuxia Crossing the Streams
Creating a Multiverse The Planes Planar Categories Putting the Planes Together Planar Travel Planar Portals Spells Astral Plane Astral Projection Color Pools Psychic Wind Astral Plane Encounters Ethereal Plane Border Ethereal Deep Ethereal Ether Cyclones Ethereal Plane Encounters Feywild Seelie and Unseelie Fey Fey Crossings Optional Rules: Feywild Magic Shadowfell Shadow Crossings Domains of Dread Optional Rule: Shadowfell Despair Evernight Inner Planes Elemental Chaos Plane of Air Plane of Earth Plane of Fire Plane of Water Outer Planes The Outer Planes Layers of the Outer Planes Traveling the Outer Planes Optional Rules Mount Celestia Bytopia Elysium The Beastlands Arborea Ysgard Limbo Pandemonium The Abyss Carceri Hades Gehenna The Nine Hells Acheron Mechanus Arcadia Other Planes The Outlands and Sigil Demiplanes The Far Realm Known Worlds of the Material Plane
Creating Adventures Elements of a Great Adventure Published Adventures Adventure Structure Beginning Middle Ending Adventure Types Location Based Adventures Event Based Adventures Mysteries Intrigue Framing Events Complications Moral Quandaries Twists Side Quests Creating Encounters Character Objectives Creating a Combat Encounter Modifying Encounter Difficulty Fun Combat Encounters Random Encounters Triggering Random Encounters Checking for Random Encounters Creating Random Encounter Tables Random Encounter Challenge
Creating Nonplayer Characters Designing NPCs Quick NPCs Detailed NPCs Monsters as NPCs NPC Statistics NPC Party Members Low-Level Followers Adventurer NPCs Optional Rule: Loyalty Contacts Patrons Hirelings Extras Villains Villain’s Scheme Villain’s Methods Villainous Class Options Cleric: Death Domain Paladin: Oathbreaker
Adventure Environments Dungeons Building a Dungeon Dungeon Inhabitants Mapping a Dungeon Dungeon Features Dungeon Hazards Wilderness Travel-Montage Approach Hour-by-Hour Approach Mapping a Wilderness Movement on the Map Wilderness Features Wilderness Survival Weather High Altitude Wilderness Hazards Foraging Becoming Lost Settlement Random Settlements Random Buildings Mapping a Settlement Urban Encounters Law and Order Random Urban Encounters Unusual Environments Underwater The Sea The Sky Traps Traps in Play Sample Traps
Between Adventures Linking Adventures Using an Overarching Story Planting Adventure Seeds Foreshadowing Campaign Tracking Recurring Expenses Maintenance Costs Downtime Activities More Downtime Activities Creating Downtime Activities
Treasure Types of Treasure Coins Gemstones Art Objects Magic Items Random Treasure Treasure Tables Magic Items Sentient Magic Items Creating Sentient Magic Items Artifacts Artifact Properties Destroying Artifacts Sample Artifacts Other Rewards Supernatural Gifts Marks of Prestige Epic Boons
Running the Game Table Rules Table Talk Dice Rolling Rolling Attacks and Damage Rules Discussions Metagame Thinking Missing Players Small Groups New Players The Role of Dice Rolling with It Ignoring the Dice The Middle Path Using Ability Scores Ability Checks Attack Rolls Saving Throws Difficulty Class Proficiency Advantage and Disadvantage Inspiration Resolution and Consequences Exploration Using a Map Special Travel Pace Visibility Outdoors Noticing Other Creatures Tracking Social Interaction Resolving Interactions Roleplaying Objects Statistics for Objects Combat Tracking Initiative Tracking Monster Hit Points Using and Tracking Conditions Monsters and Critical Hits Improvising Damage Adjudicating Areas of Effect Handling Mobs Using Miniatures Adjudicating Reaction Timing Combining Game Effects Chases Beginning a Chase Running the Chase Ending a Chase Chase Complications Siege Equipment Diseases Sample Diseases Poisons Contact Ingested Inhaled Injury Poisons Sample Poisons Purchasing Poison Crafting and Harvesting Poison Madness Going Mad Madness Effects Curing Madness Experience Points Absent Characters Noncombat Challenges Milestones Level Advancement without XP
Dungeon Master's Workshop Ability Options Proficiency Dice Skill Variants Hero Points New Ability Scores: Honor and Sanity Adventuring Options Fear and Horror Healing Rest Variants Firearms Explosives Alien Technology Firearms Plot Points Combat Options Initiative Variants Action Options Hitting Cover Cleaving Through Creatures Injuries Massive Damage Morale Creating a Monster Modifying a Monster Creating Quick Monster Stats Creating a Monster Stat Block NPC Stat Blocks Monsters with Classes Creating a Spell Spell Damage Healing Spells Creating a Magic Item Creating a Magic Item Creating New Character Options Creating a Race or Subrace Modifying a Class Creating a Background
Appendix A: Random Dungeons Starting Area Starting Area Passages Passage Passage Width Doors Door Type Beyond a Door Chambers Chamber Chamber Exits Exit Location Exit Type Stairs Stairs Connecting Areas Stocking a Dungeon Chamber Purpose Current Chamber State Chamber Contents Monsters and Motivations Random Dungeon Hazards Random Obstacles Random Traps Random Tricks Random treasures Empty Rooms Dungeon Dressing