GamingPanki
Villager
I need help creating my campaign on dnd but it's my first and I'm not experienced.
D&D 5E create a campaign
- Thread starter GamingPanki
- Start date
Whizbang Dustyboots
Gnometown Hero
OK, what kind of stuff do you want to happen in your campaign?
Do you want something like Lord of the Rings? Something like Honor Among Thieves? Something like Castlevania?
Answer that question and the other steps become a lot easier.
Clint_L
Legend
I recommend starting small. Using a pre-existing world is a possibility, but can also be overwhelming with the scope of what you have to learn to make your own stuff fit.
I run a new mini-campaign for beginning players every term. First, I figure out how many games it will be. Then I come up with some kind of basic story hook - why/how do the player characters meet, and what incentivizes them to stick together? I might come up with a unifying story (i.e. they have been hired by a village to save them from marauder's located in the nearby ruins) or go for something more episodic (local mucketty-muck hires the party to take care of some problems).
After that, I loosely plot out the broad story beats for each game - this is a few sentences, tops, and has to be open-ended enough to take into account player choices and successes/failures.
Here's an example of how I sketched out one campaign that turned into a fairly detailed storyline:
I run a new mini-campaign for beginning players every term. First, I figure out how many games it will be. Then I come up with some kind of basic story hook - why/how do the player characters meet, and what incentivizes them to stick together? I might come up with a unifying story (i.e. they have been hired by a village to save them from marauder's located in the nearby ruins) or go for something more episodic (local mucketty-muck hires the party to take care of some problems).
After that, I loosely plot out the broad story beats for each game - this is a few sentences, tops, and has to be open-ended enough to take into account player choices and successes/failures.
Here's an example of how I sketched out one campaign that turned into a fairly detailed storyline:
- Dungeon. Level 1. Characters begin trapped in a pair of dungeon cells and have to break out while also rescuing Archmage Maya Obsillian, returning with her to the nearby town of Feolinn. Maya becomes the party’s patron. Maya reveals that a number of mysterious incidents have been occuring and she wishes the party to investigate and discover whether there is a pattern.
- Cavern. Level 2. Maya sends the party to a cavern in the Cyrios mountains to investigate reports of a terrifying beast that has attacked local vintners. The beast, an unusually large nergaliid, seems to be controlled by a sigil (of the Remnants) inscribed on its collar.
- Forest. Level 2. On the way back through Cyrios End Forest, the party comes across a ritual at a ruined temple. The cultists summon a greater zombie to cover their escape while they flee, but leave behind a clue.
- Village. Level 3. Maya messages the party that gnoll raiders threaten a nearby farming village. The raiders have been paid off by the cult in an effort to ruin one of the local vintner families.
- Sewer. Level 3. The party breaks up a cult gathering beneath Feolinn. The party learns that the cult call themselves the Remnants and are sworn to the service of newly ascended Vecna. They seek two artifacts that, they hope, will allow them to weaken the Divine Gate enough so that he can return to Exandria.
- Fire. Level 4. Mission to retrieve the Orb of the Ancients, with Maya teleporting the party to a ruined dungeon under Mt. Mentiri in the northern Cyrios Mountains. The party fights elementals as they race to get the orb before Legrande, and before attracting the attention of Desirat herself.
- Ocean. Level 4. Having learned that the second artifact was lost at sea, Maya hires a ship, Sailor’s Delight, to transport the party. As they reach the location of the shipwreck, they are intercepted by the Remnants and attacked by the cultists mid-voyage.
- Undersea. Level 4. A sea fury attempts to stop the party from claiming the second artifact. After winning it they return to the Sea Spirit and make for Feolinn, but are contacted by Maya and told that Marquis Solinas has been deposed, the city is in chaos, and she fears that the Red Cultist will attempt the ritual with only the orb of power. She directs them to a deserted island where, in a hidden chamber, they find a teleportation circle to return to her tower.
- Urban. Level 5. Maya learns that the Remnants are going to attempt the ritual with only two artifacts, gaining the additional power needed from a mass sacrifice of the people of Feolinn. The party must use the one artifact they possess and their own skills to prevent this disaster.
Clint_L
Legend
And here's an example of a very short campaign - 5 games or so - that is extremely open-ended after the first couple games:
- The adventurers are gathered at the Withered Bird Inn to meet with Wensforth, an aged goblin who wishes to hire them to retrieve the Tome of Ioun from some ruins in the nearby wilderness.
- Wensforth introduces the party to his boss, Yussa Errenis, who offers them his patronage and steady work, with lodging at the Withered Bird Inn, along with access to certain magical items and advantages. Their first task is to find a child who has gone missing in the Tidewash caverns, for which each will receive a magic item as a reward. Afterwards, he offers them a choice of tasks:
- Clear out a pirate cove and recover a stolen relic of the Wildmother, to be returned to Lightkeeper Darm Stonehand.
- Investigate rumors of some sort of infestation that is preventing reactivation of the Sluice Weave and resolve the situation.
- Recover a stolen tiara on behalf of his friend Marion Lavorre. It went missing from her dressing room at the Lavish Chateau.
- Take down a group of gangsters who are attempting to move in on the Open Quay and have apparently set up in a warehouse.
- Investigate the Reeky Swamp and take care of some sort of beast that has been troubling the local frog catchers.
Clint_L
Legend
Since you are new: keep it simple! Make sure the players have a clear objective and reason to be working together. Encourage each player to come up with a want and need for their character (a want is something external and basic, like to get money, rescue the prince, build a reputation, a need is something internal that they should not be aware of at first, like to become more trusting, to move past a traumatic event, etc.). This will help them role-play so that they wind up driving a lot of the narrative.
There's a ton of options. One is to go to DndBeyond.com and sign up for a free account. From there, go to Sources > Featured Adventures and download Lost Mines of Phandalver. While I don't generally use modules myself, this is one isn't bad as an intro mod and can at least give you some ideas on where to start. There's also a ton of resources out there if you find modules useful, although I'm probably not the best to give advice on that because I pretty much just run my own stuff.
If you want to run your own campaign, you then need to decide it you're creating your own world or setting in one of the established settings like Forgotten Realms or Eberron. There's pluses and minuses to that, personally this is another thing I just choose to do myself.
So assuming you're going to run your home campaign here are my thoughts. First, different people have different styles. What works for me (and the advice that follows) may not work for you.
I'm a lazy person. I don't do much more than what is absolutely necessary for preparation. So for me the basic prep steps include figuring out who's who, what creatures the PCs might encounter and setting and scenery.
Start Small
Even if your campaign starts out in a bustling metropolis, you only need a small amount of information. A list of people that are important in the daily lives of the young adventurers (which your players can, and should help with), a list of people that have direct influence over the area (whether king, magistrate or district council) and a list of people of which they may have heard vague rumors (the king of a large region, or neighboring countries).
But that list should be small, maybe a dozen, certainly less than 20. In addition, you only need vague descriptions and an outline of who these people are from the perspective of the adventurers. For the people that are in that tertiary list? They may not even know the name. Also see "Power Players" below.
Remember that historically, people lived their entire lives and were only really affected by a 20 mile radius of where they were born. I have a map of my entire world, but even though I've been DMing for a long, long time, probably 80% of the world just has some vague outline and a couple of lines of description on who and what lives there.
Set Dressing
Does your campaign take place in a metropolis or wilderness? Desert or Frozen north? Think about how to describe the locale. Buildings where there is a lot of snow will have steep roofs, buildings in a desert will often have flat roofs and tall ceilings (heat rises). Middle of a forest? A lot of the construction will be timber, whereas someplace with fewer trees may have more rock buildings.
What mix of races and cultures do you have? A bustling port city is going to feel different from an isolationist wilderness outpost. A city with a relatively high population of dwarves may have a preponderance of heavily built gray stone buildings with slate or copper roofs. It's a city built to last, with the beauty in the durability of the structures. A city influenced by elves will have more greenery, soaring architecture. Nothing is meant to last forever, so embrace graceful beauty while we can.
How prevalent is magic? Are the streets lit with continual flame lamps or is magic only whispered about in dark corners?
Who are the power players in the region.
A band of orcs in the area? They've probably been raiding local villages.
I'll want some kind of town leader I can go to, that can reward/motivate the players.
Maybe someone in the village is secretly helping the orcs. I jot a note down about this but don't worry about it too much. If it sounds appropriate when we're playing I'll throw it in.
Do the orcs have a leader that stands out from the crowd? I don't need one but if I have a fun idea I go with it. Think of LOTR or The Hobbit movies with their mass of generic orcs and a handful of orcs with highly distinctive look and feel.
Do the orcs answer to anyone? This can be left vague for the moment - maybe a symbol of a black star is prominent. I don't really care about the black star other than as a possible hook for future development.
Are there any other conflicting groups? Perhaps a group of ogres is demanding payment from the orcs, making them more daring/reckless than usual.
I generally limit power players to 2-5 in any given area, more than that and it gets too complex. It can be as simple as good guys vs bad, or complex court intrigue. But even if it's the latter, there are less than half a dozen power centers with some individuals that may have conflicting loyalties (there may be sub factions that I can expand on later).
Where is this happening?
Once again, I only do what I need. I have a rough map of the area, but honestly rarely map out details of city streets or buildings. Instead I think about what type of area I have (wilderness, city, temparate or desert) and jot down some notes.
If my adventure is set near a small village with some nearby ruins, I will have an idea of where things are and may or may not have some things sketched out. I frequently describe things at this stage as what do the PCs know? Most people only know their local area and only have a vague idea of anything outside of 20 miles away from home.
What events are in play
Largely based on the power players and their motivations, this is also kept at a high level. I know in my scenario that there has been low-level warfare going on between orcs and humans. That if nothing is done, it may erupt into full fledged war (and may end in war no matter what).
There may be other things in play however. A local kingdom may be pressuring the local villages into becoming vassals. There are rumors that they are secretly paying the orcs to raid villages to put pressure on them to accept protection. Is it true? Heck if I know.
Or maybe the orcs are fleeing the hills because there's some dark power rising that they cannot fight. The organization behind the black star could become an unwilling ally in the "enemy of my enemy is my friend" type of way. If that happens, there will be a great deal of conflict between the various factions who support the idea versus those that will never willingly ally themselves with orcish brutes.
Dangling Plot Lines
I like to end my session with a summary of where the PCs are, and options of which direction to go next. Do they investigate the orcs, or try to track down the rumors of the dark power and let the local militia take care of the orcs? Do they want to investigate what's going on with Felicia the Mad, who I just threw in as a random NPC?
Listen to what your characters seem interested in, what they talk about during the game. They can inadverantly give you some good ideas.
Random Lists
I rely heavily on improvisation with the aid of a few lists. What kind of lists? Do a google search for "random ____ name" for taverns, people, items, you name it. One site for example is behind the name for when I want somewhat realistic names based on real world cultures. I have a cheat sheet that I can refer to, so if someone wants to talk to the orc guard I can give it a name other than "Grog". I then make a note on my cheat sheet that the group interacted with "Yolmar, Son of Furbog", and that Furbog may be upset that they killed his boy.
You can also get character descriptions, motivations and so on. There are tavern generators for example that will give you a menu. Play around, find one you like. Generate a handful of entries for whatever you think you may need.
After the Game
After the game I like to do a quick summary for myself. I usually try to do this the day of or the day after the game. Quick things that summarize what happened so I can remember later on.
If I'm really ambitious (doesn't happen all that often, I'm lazy) I'll post a summary from the character's point of view.
Session 0
Whether you have a literal face-to-face session 0 or just chat over email, it's good to do some up front prep work. Here's my suggestions.
Do you allow evil?
Decide whether or not you want to allow evil characters. Some people enjoy playing and DMing for them, but I don't so I don't allow them. I also know that one of my players (my lovely wife) will always want to play a good character and it's not fair to her to force her character to play with someone her character would never associate with. If you can't decide have a secret vote. If even one person doesn't want to allow evil characters, don't allow them. I keep hearing about these amazing groups that were all evil, but I've never seen it work. Your mileage may vary.
Don't be a jerk.
Never assume that someone isn't going to bring a narcissistic, chaotic character who's only goal seems to be causing disruption in the group. If you want to be a griefer, play a video game. Along these lines, I simply don't allow PVP theft, murder or other shenanigans (unless someone is being controlled). I've seen hurt feelings between players (not just their characters) because the party rogue decides they're a kleptomaniac. Just say no.
It's all about relationships.
Everyone in the party should know at least one other person in the party. They don't have to all know each other, but usually they should know at least one other person even if only as a distant cousin or someone they know by reputation. I have occasionally thrown people together by having them being raw recruits in a nation about to be invaded but I'm more likely to have a couple of sessions of them as children.
Why are you an adventurer?
Every PC should have an answer for this. Gold? Glory? The greater good? Because you ran away and you need to do something to survive?
Set the scene.
As a DM, you need to give your players a broad overall picture of the type of campaign you're envisioning. Don't write a novella on your background (or if you do, don't make it required reading) but give them a rough idea. "It's a time of war, when orcs threaten to destroy your peaceful kingdom..." is enough. It should be a paragraph or two at most. I give information I think the commoner on the street would know, which often isn't much.
Listen to your players.
I'm not talking about just listening to feedback when you explicitly ask for it, but also pay attention when they chat among each other. I've gotten some of my best ideas from players when they say things and think I'm not paying attention.
Have fun, and don't sweat the small stuff
Different groups game for different reasons. For some it's just an opportunity to roll some dice while eating junk food and talking about their daily lives. For others it's about building a deep fantasy world where when you are at the table you are Torg the Barbarian who has never heard of this "football game" of which you speak. Let the group guide you as much as you guide them and try to find a balance.
Just remember that nobody is a perfect DM. If people are engaged and having fun you are doing it right. Good luck!
If you want to run your own campaign, you then need to decide it you're creating your own world or setting in one of the established settings like Forgotten Realms or Eberron. There's pluses and minuses to that, personally this is another thing I just choose to do myself.
So assuming you're going to run your home campaign here are my thoughts. First, different people have different styles. What works for me (and the advice that follows) may not work for you.
I'm a lazy person. I don't do much more than what is absolutely necessary for preparation. So for me the basic prep steps include figuring out who's who, what creatures the PCs might encounter and setting and scenery.
Start Small
Even if your campaign starts out in a bustling metropolis, you only need a small amount of information. A list of people that are important in the daily lives of the young adventurers (which your players can, and should help with), a list of people that have direct influence over the area (whether king, magistrate or district council) and a list of people of which they may have heard vague rumors (the king of a large region, or neighboring countries).
But that list should be small, maybe a dozen, certainly less than 20. In addition, you only need vague descriptions and an outline of who these people are from the perspective of the adventurers. For the people that are in that tertiary list? They may not even know the name. Also see "Power Players" below.
Remember that historically, people lived their entire lives and were only really affected by a 20 mile radius of where they were born. I have a map of my entire world, but even though I've been DMing for a long, long time, probably 80% of the world just has some vague outline and a couple of lines of description on who and what lives there.
Set Dressing
Does your campaign take place in a metropolis or wilderness? Desert or Frozen north? Think about how to describe the locale. Buildings where there is a lot of snow will have steep roofs, buildings in a desert will often have flat roofs and tall ceilings (heat rises). Middle of a forest? A lot of the construction will be timber, whereas someplace with fewer trees may have more rock buildings.
What mix of races and cultures do you have? A bustling port city is going to feel different from an isolationist wilderness outpost. A city with a relatively high population of dwarves may have a preponderance of heavily built gray stone buildings with slate or copper roofs. It's a city built to last, with the beauty in the durability of the structures. A city influenced by elves will have more greenery, soaring architecture. Nothing is meant to last forever, so embrace graceful beauty while we can.
How prevalent is magic? Are the streets lit with continual flame lamps or is magic only whispered about in dark corners?
Who are the power players in the region.
A band of orcs in the area? They've probably been raiding local villages.
I'll want some kind of town leader I can go to, that can reward/motivate the players.
Maybe someone in the village is secretly helping the orcs. I jot a note down about this but don't worry about it too much. If it sounds appropriate when we're playing I'll throw it in.
Do the orcs have a leader that stands out from the crowd? I don't need one but if I have a fun idea I go with it. Think of LOTR or The Hobbit movies with their mass of generic orcs and a handful of orcs with highly distinctive look and feel.
Do the orcs answer to anyone? This can be left vague for the moment - maybe a symbol of a black star is prominent. I don't really care about the black star other than as a possible hook for future development.
Are there any other conflicting groups? Perhaps a group of ogres is demanding payment from the orcs, making them more daring/reckless than usual.
I generally limit power players to 2-5 in any given area, more than that and it gets too complex. It can be as simple as good guys vs bad, or complex court intrigue. But even if it's the latter, there are less than half a dozen power centers with some individuals that may have conflicting loyalties (there may be sub factions that I can expand on later).
Where is this happening?
Once again, I only do what I need. I have a rough map of the area, but honestly rarely map out details of city streets or buildings. Instead I think about what type of area I have (wilderness, city, temparate or desert) and jot down some notes.
If my adventure is set near a small village with some nearby ruins, I will have an idea of where things are and may or may not have some things sketched out. I frequently describe things at this stage as what do the PCs know? Most people only know their local area and only have a vague idea of anything outside of 20 miles away from home.
What events are in play
Largely based on the power players and their motivations, this is also kept at a high level. I know in my scenario that there has been low-level warfare going on between orcs and humans. That if nothing is done, it may erupt into full fledged war (and may end in war no matter what).
There may be other things in play however. A local kingdom may be pressuring the local villages into becoming vassals. There are rumors that they are secretly paying the orcs to raid villages to put pressure on them to accept protection. Is it true? Heck if I know.
Or maybe the orcs are fleeing the hills because there's some dark power rising that they cannot fight. The organization behind the black star could become an unwilling ally in the "enemy of my enemy is my friend" type of way. If that happens, there will be a great deal of conflict between the various factions who support the idea versus those that will never willingly ally themselves with orcish brutes.
Dangling Plot Lines
I like to end my session with a summary of where the PCs are, and options of which direction to go next. Do they investigate the orcs, or try to track down the rumors of the dark power and let the local militia take care of the orcs? Do they want to investigate what's going on with Felicia the Mad, who I just threw in as a random NPC?
Listen to what your characters seem interested in, what they talk about during the game. They can inadverantly give you some good ideas.
Random Lists
I rely heavily on improvisation with the aid of a few lists. What kind of lists? Do a google search for "random ____ name" for taverns, people, items, you name it. One site for example is behind the name for when I want somewhat realistic names based on real world cultures. I have a cheat sheet that I can refer to, so if someone wants to talk to the orc guard I can give it a name other than "Grog". I then make a note on my cheat sheet that the group interacted with "Yolmar, Son of Furbog", and that Furbog may be upset that they killed his boy.
You can also get character descriptions, motivations and so on. There are tavern generators for example that will give you a menu. Play around, find one you like. Generate a handful of entries for whatever you think you may need.
After the Game
After the game I like to do a quick summary for myself. I usually try to do this the day of or the day after the game. Quick things that summarize what happened so I can remember later on.
If I'm really ambitious (doesn't happen all that often, I'm lazy) I'll post a summary from the character's point of view.
Session 0
Whether you have a literal face-to-face session 0 or just chat over email, it's good to do some up front prep work. Here's my suggestions.
Do you allow evil?
Decide whether or not you want to allow evil characters. Some people enjoy playing and DMing for them, but I don't so I don't allow them. I also know that one of my players (my lovely wife) will always want to play a good character and it's not fair to her to force her character to play with someone her character would never associate with. If you can't decide have a secret vote. If even one person doesn't want to allow evil characters, don't allow them. I keep hearing about these amazing groups that were all evil, but I've never seen it work. Your mileage may vary.
Don't be a jerk.
Never assume that someone isn't going to bring a narcissistic, chaotic character who's only goal seems to be causing disruption in the group. If you want to be a griefer, play a video game. Along these lines, I simply don't allow PVP theft, murder or other shenanigans (unless someone is being controlled). I've seen hurt feelings between players (not just their characters) because the party rogue decides they're a kleptomaniac. Just say no.
It's all about relationships.
Everyone in the party should know at least one other person in the party. They don't have to all know each other, but usually they should know at least one other person even if only as a distant cousin or someone they know by reputation. I have occasionally thrown people together by having them being raw recruits in a nation about to be invaded but I'm more likely to have a couple of sessions of them as children.
Why are you an adventurer?
Every PC should have an answer for this. Gold? Glory? The greater good? Because you ran away and you need to do something to survive?
Set the scene.
As a DM, you need to give your players a broad overall picture of the type of campaign you're envisioning. Don't write a novella on your background (or if you do, don't make it required reading) but give them a rough idea. "It's a time of war, when orcs threaten to destroy your peaceful kingdom..." is enough. It should be a paragraph or two at most. I give information I think the commoner on the street would know, which often isn't much.
Listen to your players.
I'm not talking about just listening to feedback when you explicitly ask for it, but also pay attention when they chat among each other. I've gotten some of my best ideas from players when they say things and think I'm not paying attention.
Have fun, and don't sweat the small stuff
Different groups game for different reasons. For some it's just an opportunity to roll some dice while eating junk food and talking about their daily lives. For others it's about building a deep fantasy world where when you are at the table you are Torg the Barbarian who has never heard of this "football game" of which you speak. Let the group guide you as much as you guide them and try to find a balance.
Just remember that nobody is a perfect DM. If people are engaged and having fun you are doing it right. Good luck!
EzekielRaiden
Follower of the Way
Before doing any campaign writing, decide what kind of game you want. Some (not all!) of the questions you could ask are, in no particular order:
- What tone do I want, and what tone would my players like? Dark (lots of wickedness/no heroes) or bright (evil is an aberration/heroes abound), grim (heroes can't "fix" big problems) or noble (heroes can change the world)?
- What overall genre should it be? High fantasy (epic adventures more like LotR), low fantasy (down-to-earth adventures like GoT), science-fantasy, horror, etc.
- Are there any elements I really want, or that my players really want? E.g. "I've always wanted to include a faction of evil druids," or "I know one of my players loves the whole idea of wizard academia and research."
- What kinds of adventures or challenges excite my players? Some players are big into acting/roleplaying, others love to explore, some are all about the combat, some just love the feeling of Big Number Goes Up, etc. Knowing what your players want will help you give them a game they'll love.
- How long do I want to run this game? Long (over a year), short (a few months), medium (somewhere in-between), one-shot, etc. It sounds like you already know the answer to this but it's good to commit to something specific.
- What are my players likely to play? If you know that one of your players loves dragonborn or dwarves or the like, you can prepare in advance to include these things and make them interesting.
- How much time will I have for each session? This will help you determine how to present the game and how much stuff you can expect to offer the players. (I'm really bad at this, and continually over-estimate how much we will get through in any given session.)
- How many magic items do I want to give the players? This is a surprisingly contentious question--it's good to know well in advance whether you want to give many, few, or moderate amounts of magic items. Different players value different things.
MichaelSomething
Legend
I would advise you to read the DMG but it's not meant to support newbies.
Do you know other DMs in your local area you could go to for guidance?
Do you know other DMs in your local area you could go to for guidance?
iserith
Magic Wordsmith
If you ask this question in ChatGPT, you will get good answers and can ask follow-up questions that make a lot of sense to me. I'll add to those answers, read the DMG! (ChatGPT agrees with this too.) You can use this tool to help plan your games, too. It saves a LOT of time.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Whizbang Dustyboots
Gnometown Hero
EDIT: Just rewatched these, and this is the one I'd recommend. It even has an easy and useful worksheet!
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