#gm ideas

[dungeonmalcontent]

Hey GMs, when your players beat a legendary monster start spreading rumors about them. Just for fun. Try it.

One of them deals the finishing blow to a mercenary warlord intent on ravaging a countryside and burning villages to the ground. The people in that area start calling them "the peacemaker". They don't even know the character's name. Just the legend. The story that some stranger risked their life for no apparent reason and brought peace to the land.

Another player beheads a mind flayer that had been hiding in plain sight in the city. They earn the nickname "octopus". The name becomes feared in the criminal underbelly of the city as someone that feels no fear, sees through all enchantments, and strikes without warning.

One player character outsmarts a vampire, knowing they stood no chance in overpowering it. The vampire is good on its word upon losing their game of wits and absconds to more obscure realms, though the character knows their for us far from done. Nonetheless, the character earns the nickname "the bloodless", a figure the vampire could not consume. It carries the impression of a cold and calculating personality, one people are not eager to cross.

[faxmachine0210]

Hey, since I've actually had some other lancer campaign ideas in the past, I'm just gonna quickly post some other ones. I am not really much of a writer, I'm firmly more in the artist category, and I do not really have the time to flesh out many of these ideas, but I think that giving some inspiring GMs some potential prompts of places to go wouldn't be a bad idea.

• A race of ancient beings buried beneath a desert planet who have developed the technology to decorp themselves.

•A colony on the long rim is set up relying almost entirely on subaltern work seems to be being attacked by a Horus cell, but turns out that group may actually be horizon collective activists, as these subalterns seem to be rebelling themselves...

•You do not recognize the bodies in the lake. They do not look like you and the members of your crew who have been stranded on this ancient world. You did not hear your companions screams as they were dragged off into the jungle outside. You did not find something in that ancient tomb. You do not recognize the bodies in the lake. (Yes, I did steal this from Markiplier, no I'm not sorry.)

• Mech fight club but its actually a slow dawning realization that the people who run this show are actually using this as a front for horrible bio experiments with a population of citizens who are non-the-wiser.

Just a few quick suggestions. Personally, I feel like the setting is versatile enough that you could really do any number of things you might want to with it, and realistically you don't have to follow the exact rules for the setting as they are written in the Lancer rulebook. Heck, some of the official modules break some of the fundamental world building In some interesting ways. If you've played or ran Wallflower you know what I'm talking about.

[flightyquinn]

Years back, I had a player express to me that they found dire animals boring. For some reason, that's stuck with me. On the one hand, I get it. In a world full of fantastical creatures like dragons and chimeras, "a wolf but bigger" doesn't seem very exciting. On the other, they're a fantasy staple too, and they have decent stat blocks.

So, here's a thought...

What if they weren't just an animal, but bigger and meaner?

According to Webster's dictionary, "dire" means "exciting horror", "warning of disaster", or "desperately urgent"...so what if we took "dire animal" and really meant it?

I'm imagining a version of dire animals that only vaguely resemble the creatures that they're compared to. Things truly terrible to look upon, with an alien appearance and twisted features, or in other words, creatures that are truly monstrous.

Suppose, for example, that your "dire wolf" looked like this, and communicated with its packmates through high pitched whining and chittering. Or perhaps something even more bizarre, with too many limbs, a face too long and narrow, that's too much mouth, with clustered eyes and warped proportions. I think you could even go really nuts, and turn dire animals into aberrations, though there is something to having them be animals, just very strange and dangerous ones.

[8one6]

A perfect setting for a modern rpg. Easy to see how you would use it as a GM: the PCs need something from the lowest level of the mine. Is the threat just the probably toxic water and a likely eminent collapse? Is it the pitch black water making navigation difficult as their oxygen supply burns down? Or is there something else down there with them?

Stairs down to the flooded level deep inside a mine.

[probablybadrpgideas]

Oh no!

You mixed up your GM (Game Master) and GM (General Manager)!

[thegoodmorningman]

Make it your BUSINESS to have a Good Morning no matter what!!!

[rumbringer]

A good idea for when I gm

“Do I Know Someone Who Can Help Us With ____?” (2d6)

2. No; the person you thought could help refuses and adds another complication to the situation. (Example complications: they demand payment for a past debt, they are with someone you wanted to avoid, or they call the authorities regarding your illegal activities.) 3. The person you know who could help has gone missing, you’d have to find them first. 4. Yes, but they demand a steeper price than you would expect. Furthermore, if you refuse they will be offended. 5. Yes, but things are awkward between you. The price they ask will be generous, but only after an uncomfortable conversation. 6. Yes, but the help they can offer is sub-par, or only half of what you need. 7. Yes, but they need you to do a small favor for them right now before they help you. 8. Yes, but you’ll owe them one. Could be a future favor they call on, or a cut of whatever money you’re after, or something else. 9. Yes; they’ll give you a good price but it’s not free. 10. Yes, but they don’t seem too happy about it - you’ll have to look for help somewhere else next time. 11. Yes, there’s someone who owes you one and you can cash in that favor. 12. Yes, and that person also gives you an unrelated piece of helpful information.

[dimehun]

Read through Batman : Batman and Son, now I am plagued with many thoughts. The horrors of getting blown up with a missile and getting a complete organ transplant is never brought up again !!

[rabbit-exe]

I very much do want to see the betrayer gods again because they are some hilariously petty bitches who would definitely try and pull some absolute bullshit, but also I will Never be able to picture Lolth the Spider Queen or Asmodeus the Lord of the Hells, in mannerism, in voice, or in appearance, as ANYTHING other than Aabria Iyengar and Brennan Lee Mulligan. they did it too good and now it's Them Forever

[rumbringer]

This idea is so much fun, I might just nab it for when I get to GM'ing

💎 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗺! Kobold Diviner’s Amulet
Wondrous item, uncommon ___

This necklace bears numerous rings and charms from its leather strap. The largest charm is a crystal ball, which is grasped by a draconic claw. While wearing the amulet, you can use an action to peer into its crystal ball and predict a number between 1 and 20. Then, roll a d20. If the result of the roll has a difference of no more than 2 from the predicted number, you magically foretell a sliver of future possibility. You then ask the GM one question about the events that will or can occur within the next 30 minutes, which must be able to be answered with either “yes,” “no,” or “uncertain.” At the GM’s discretion, the crystal ball may alternatively show you a visual answer. Once this property of the amulet has been used, it can’t be used again until the next dawn. You must be able to speak Draconic in order to use this property.

For example, you use the amulet and predict the number 14. You then roll a 16 on the d20, allowing you to ask the GM a question, such as “Will the prison guards be attentive for the next half hour?” The GM may then describe a vision in the crystal of a guard sleeping beside their post, or simply say “no.”

For the purposes of predicting a number on the d20, 19 and 20 are considered to have a difference of two from 1 and 2, respectively. Similarly, 20 and 1 are considered to have a difference of one. ___

✨ Patrons get huge perks! Access this and hundreds of other item cards, art files, and compendium entries when you support The Griffon’s Saddlebag on Patreon for less than $10 a month!

[heybiji]

hi i found your page cause of your Masks art!!

imma be running a game of masks and was wondering if you have any tips

Oh hello! Very cool you're gonna run a MASKS game, it can be a lot of fun!

I'm not sure how helpful my advice will be since I'm still learning and am not sure how well I actually run the game haha, but for starters there's a whole lot of great advice on Reddit that will help with the mechanics and the structure of the game. In my opinion, the Principles section in the GM part of the core book is critical and succinct and is great advice for running ttrpgs in general.

my top advice is:

"We play to get the next issue picked up!"

Play the game like we want people to buy the next issue and not put the series down! Take chances! Make big choices! Make it interesting! Be bold!!

other things:

Theme. Establish the themes of your story early on. This will help you understand how the world and story should respond to the PCs. And make the themes interesting to you! For example, beyond the general coming-of-age story themes already built into the character arcs, I lean heavily into the concepts of fame, celebrity, and the 24-hour news cycle. And all the things that were going on in the early 2000s.

Be a Fan of the PCs. This is my favorite rule from The Principles. Make sure all your players soak this rule in. The MASKS mechanics mean characters will often make less-than-optimal decisions, so players must feel supported in their character choices. You should be a fan of the characters, and so should your players! They should want to help bring out every character's arc, not just their own.

Treating Human Life as Meaningful is what Makes Threats Real. This is another principle, but yeah, make the world's NPCs feel like they matter, and that will make the world worth protecting. Treat them as people. Give everyone Drives, not just your Villains. Mentally treating even non-villain NPCs as having Conditions can do a lot to help with characterization.

Condense. Condense your world, your NPCs, make the world feel smaller. In our game, for example, having the Protege's mentor also be the same superhero who saved the Delinquent years ago was a great decision.

Playlists. I have a bunch of different playlists for the campaign, from a big one of music of the time (our game is set in 2004) to playlists for important NPCs, to playlists I asked my players to curate for their characters. Music inspires me a bunch, a song can help create a villain for me, and I also like choosing a different "ending" song for every episode based on whatever happened.

Stories. Okay, here's the thing. I don't really care much for superhero stories. Why did I choose to run MASKS, you ask? Because of the emotion-based mechanics. That's my shit. But anyway, I don't take in much superhero media... But I do LOVE movies and television and stories in general, and I think taking in a lot of "short stories" is helpful to develop an instinct on how to pace a story, make a character or moment memorable, etc. And because MASKS has an episodic nature, this is extremely important! The sheer amount of movies I've watched has helped me a whole bunch, since they have to get the Beginning, Middle, and End done within such a short time frame.

Don't Wait. This is an instinct I've picked up from some of my favorite media. Don't wait for The big important moment. Make a lot of big important moments, and make the characters have to make a lot of important choices, and keep the momentum going. Paint yourself into a corner and then force yourself to think of ways out! It makes the story more interesting. (this may not apply to everyone, I get this kind of mindset from shows like Breaking Bad and Succession, which for your story could be too much haha)

Everyone Works. Okay, I am not a benevolent, sweet GM, I will not smile with tears in my eyes and quietly work away and accept that without complaint. no way. I make my players help me a lot. I'm gonna whine. Guys I'm doing so much work! Guys this is hard! Weeehhh! MAKE THEM HELP YOU. RUNNING A GAME IS SOOOOO MUCH WORK OH MY GOD IT'S SOOOOOO MUCH WORK!!! Ask them to take notes! Ask them to treat the world with sincerity! Ask them to make NPCs! Ask them to play NPCs! Ask them to help fill out the world! Ask them to tell you what their character wants to do next so you have extra time to consider it! Ask them to make playlists for their characters to help you figure out how to engage with them! Don't let them just show up on playday!! I'm a "you get what you give" kind of GM. You're a player too and you deserve to enjoy the game as well, and having the other players help you helps a BUNCH. PUT THEM TO WORK.

what else. uh. visuals help a lot with engagement so i subscribed to a bunch of modern battlemap patreons. i run using Foundry which lists the rules upon every roll which is great for me, someone with horrid memory. if you're lucky and favored by god, you'll have a benevolent player that will be the scribe for your sessions and log everything down so they can be referred back to (again, great for someone like me with a horrid memory). remember to give focus to the PC's out-of-costume lives as well. make NPCs in response to your PCs (superheroes, villains, touch on something of a PC in the creation process). be silly. be serious. be sincere.

i'm still figuring out how to run the game, maybe i'll have better advice on a later day, but i hope this can help some! sorry this is longwinded and more a stream of consciousness than it is succinct.

[thornaelle]

A portrait of my Pathfinder character Sabella's current mental state. She's having A Time.

▸ Everything she thought she knew about her life was a lie. ▸ Her great-grandfather is not just dealing with a fiends, he is one. He's a Rakshasa, has probably been several of her ancestors through reincarnation or impersonation, and he wants her to come home and be a good little pawn, sorry, grand-daughter. He particularly wants her back now he knows she can change her form and hide that she's a tiefling. ▸ But she wasn't actually born visibly a tiefling! Her older brother Cesare was though, and that was deemed unacceptable because they needed a respectable face for the family heir and not one that openly advertised that they had been dealing with fiends. Their second born, however, could be safely kept out of sight until they could find a way to permanently hide her fiendish blood too. So their heritages were swapped via horrible transmutation magic involving a painting stretched over a frame of magically re-shaped ribs, which has been hanging in her bedroom most of her life :) ▸ Totally unrelatedly hahaha; She's missing a rib! Cesare is probably missing one too :) It's fine, it probably contributes to her ridiculous acrobatics modifier she's real bendy :) :) It's fine :) Or could that be the ancestry involving a creature know for having wierd joints? Certainly no-one's looking at the way she moves with new eyes at all hahahahaaa :) ▸ Her parents may have been trying to protect her all her life which meant pushing her away and making her want to leave. Real shitty way to discover your parents might not actually hate you, might in fact love and want you very much. ▸ AND her dad has "business dealings" with the Azarketi ambassador, of the kind that mean they light up when they're in the same room and her mother is really pissed off. Is your family life not complicated enough already, dad??? ▸ Everything is Fine. ▸ :) :) :|

She's quite looking forward to getting to go and hit things that are completely unrelated to her fucked up family. (I am having a great time. Sabella may be in the middle of a nervous breakdown.)

[twnj]

MSN Culture and Sports correspondent Alistor Kirkland managed to catch a few words from Shikamaru Nara, GM and former World Champion (seen in video above) on how his Candidates tournament has been going so far.

"Thank you Shikamaru, and welcome back. And congratulations as well."

"Thanks, man."

"So I think I can speak on behalf of the chess community when I say it's a surprise to see you back so soon. There's obviously been a big change in your life recently - do you think it has affected your game this week? I think your opponents would say your middle game in most of your matches today were somewhat distracted, or confused. Do you think it was wise to return when there was so many new faces in the game now?"

Needless to say Nara was concise and blunt as ever with his responses, despite at one point being handed his three month old son.

"That's not a serious question. This Candidates is missing some players, for sure- one in particular [...] but the games were fairly decisive. And no one has given me a good fight yet. But I don't know, man [...] I think I just need more sleep. Next question?"

Find out more later on this week where we have exclusive commentary on the highlights by GM and World Champion Temari Koroleva!

Unofficial Grandmaster headcannon madness by TWNJ, inspired by my friends and some crazy cute new-dad Shikamaru pics posted by @eeveleon and original GM by @notquitejiraiya

[elftwink]

my toxic trait is that i can't listen to those "GM/DM from hell" ttrpg horror stories because i almost always agree with the GM even if they're being extremely unreasonable because at least 80% of the time it's immediately obvious that the entire table is trash and the GM put up with it for a saintly amount of time before snapping and now the players have to crawl to reddit to be validated, where they will be validated because any GM who wont take a bullet for their players and then suck their dick is lazy and selfish, obviously!!

for example one "unreasonable" rule ive seen floating around abt dnd is "you have to act out all charisma checks" and look. i am aware at least some DMs with this rule are trying to be the next Matt Mercer and want you to play the part of the next Sam Riegel, damn your comfort and either of your skill levels and capabilities. this should obviously be addressed with exactly what the DM expects and why; after all, they don't make you do a backflip for an acrobatics check

BUT. but. imagine, if you will. you're the DM. your players come to a tavern. you describe a bunch of NPCs and wait for players to instigate roleplay. one of them rolls a die without asking you and then says "I want to seduce the innkeeper. I rolled an 18"

"ok," you say, (even though they should have just said what they did and waited for you to ask them for a skill check) because you're a good DM and you roll with the punches, "cool. what do you say to her?"

"uhm. I rolled an 18."

"ok yeah but what do you say. like what happens. what do you want the outcome to be"

"im seducing her. I rolled to seduce. I got 18"

"okay I know— you know seduction is not a skill right? whatever. what happens?"

"I dunno, you're the DM. I rolled an 18 though"

you now have a couple choices. you can continue trying to coax this player into roleplay, and risk the table think you are denying them the success of the roll (a roll you didnt even ask them to make), or you can sigh and say "okay fine. you seduce the innkeeper. you retreat to your quarters after dinner" even though this isn't fun for you and is barely fun for anyone else, including the player in question who stopped caring about the specifics the second they saw a high roll.

NOW imagine this happens several times a session, at least.

this is a fairly common occurrence at most tables, mostly due to lack of skill and comfort with roleplay, but it can happen to anyone who just isnt feeling 100% that day for any reason. im extremely fortunate to have DMed at tables where prompts like "and what do you say" actually do kick-start roleplay, and when it doesn't we're all comfortable enough to take a pause and try to figure out what we want from the scene, if anything. some sessions may be full on dialogue and others just quick narration depending on what the party wants to focus on and if they feel like getting into roleplay that day. & because I know what my players want, it's way easier to nudge them in that direction, and I don't get any resistance because we understand we share a common goal.

but if this were to happen at my table frequently when I was less experienced, with players who internalize the players vs DM antagonism rife in so many dnd spaces, where my attempts to direct the game were belittled or ignored but also where every single player had to be fucking micromanaged in order to keep the game rolling... i also might deal with this by putting my foot down and saying "if you don't roleplay a charisma check, you do not get to make a roll". to me this is not rules tyranny. this is a desperate attempt to get players to actually play the fucking game with you rather than chat and fuck around at your expense, wasting your time and all the time you spent prepping. & that is why, your Honor, my client pleads NOT GUILTY!!! and furthermore the defense would like to state that this whole case is projection on the part of the plaintiffs and should have been thrown out long before getting to court.

(i will say. if you're a DM and you find yourself making extremely specific, borderline unreasonable house rules to deal with your party's antics, especially if the impact is to just make them use the RAW, you need to find a new table. yes even if you're friends. doubly so actually. your friendship will survive you quitting DMing for them. it may not survive the blowout fight you'll end up having if you continue trying to pretend that shit doesn't bother you.)