#d&d tips

Any DM tips for playing/creating an evil doppelganger type character of a PC?

I got just the trick for you. Exaggerate a city you’re already familiar with. A hometown? Capital? Friend’s town? Exaggerate it with fantastical elements and maybe even inside jokes. Not too long needs to pass before you got a convincing fantasy city.

A small rural town known for its flowers? A secluded village swallowed by giant boughs of wildflowers, where masterful but painstakingly traditional druids live.

A city with terrible potholes and construction that never ends? Make it a city built upon massive caverns and canyons, repairing the results of constant dangerous dragon attacks.

Detroit? A city of thieves, that upon entering, with each passing hour you yourself become more and more thief-like.

In D&D I love being a DM. I really do. With one exception.

Money.

Knowing how much a character should buy or sell something for is just way out of my grasp. For a rare item the price can be anywhere between five hundred and five THOUSAND. That’s a big difference! How am I supposed to know in between those two numbers what it should be?

I googled. And googled. And googled. Thinking *there must be a better way* and couldn’t find a single thing that made sense. Well me and two other DM friends got together and we figured it out. The magic system of pricing.

So first you take the pricing by magic item rarity in the DMG

Then you go to Xanathars and look at the Magic Item Tables to determine if the item is major or minor

Divide the prices in the rarity into major and minor. Major the higher half and minor the lower.

So that makes

Rare Minor - 500 - 2,500

Rare Major - 2,501 - 5,000

Very Rare Minor - 5,001 - 30,000

Very Rare Major - 30,001 - 50,000

Legendary Minor - 50,000 - 300,000

Legendary Major - 300,000 - 500,000

Then

THEN

It’s all up to a persuasion roll. Because let’s face it, what’s a fantasy shopping adventure of magic items without bartering and haggling?

So you divide the amounts into roll milestones. So a persuasion roll of 0-10 you pay the highest and 20+ you pay the lowest.

Like so:

Common Items: 1d6 x 10

Uncommon Items 1d6 x 100

Rare Minor:

0-9: 2,500

10-11: 2,100

12-14: 1,700

15-17: 1,300

18-19: 900

20+ : 500

Rare Major

0-9: 5,000

10-11: 4,600

12-14: 4,200

15-17: 3,800

18-19: 3,200

20+: 2,500

Very Rare Minor

0-9: 30,000

10-11: 25,000

12-14: 20,000

15-17: 15,000

18-19: 10,000

20+ : 5,000

Very Rare Major

0-9: 50,000

10-11: 45,000

12-14: 40,000

15-17: 35,000

18-19: 30,000

20+ : 25,000

Legendary

0-9: 250,000

10-11: 200,000

12-14: 150,000

15-17: 100,000

18+ : 50,000

Legendary Major

0-9: 500,000

10-11: 450,000

12-14: 400,000

15-17: 350,000

18-19: 300,000

20+ : 250,000

I hope you're doing well. 🙂

My random question is (because I think you've mentioned DND) : For someone wanting to start playing dnd, what advice would you give?

Thank you for asking! Always exciting to see somebody else getting into D&D. I haven’t played as much as others, but hopefully this will help get the ball rolling.

First rule everyone should know: No D&D is better than bad D&D

We’re all here to have fun, so if you're not having fun then you should stop

It doesn’t even have to be because you’re having a problem with a person at the table, it could just be the story everyone is telling is just not one you want to participate it

We have a limited time on this earth, don’t force yourself to do something you don’t really want to do

Next, don't do a paid campaign for your first game

There are a lot of paid campaigns online and while I'm not opposed to the idea, you're still learning and so shouldn't have to pay for a DM

If you don't have somebody to play with in person, check out your local gaming store to see if anybody is running a game, failing that, roll20 and D&D Beyond forums are a good place to start

Once you find a group, make sure to communicate any boundaries or triggers you have early

This is a role playing game and depending on the game, things can get intense, so make sure you're at a table that will respect those boundaries

After that, talk to the DM as much as possible

DMs want you to ask about the story they're trying to make, you're not bothering them with questions, I promise you

If you're having trouble figuring out a backstory, they're the best person to ask; and if they're being cagey about helping you, that's red flag

Also, try to get to know the other people at the table before game time

If you're playing with strangers, you should have a session zero allowing everybody to chat and get a feel for each other

These are the people you're going to be telling this story with, take the time to listen to them and ask about their characters

This is collaborative story telling, so communication and listening to each other is essential

I'd also recommend starting with a low level campaign (levels 1-3) to get a grasp of the rules

Staring with a martial character (barbarian, fighter, rogue, or monk), might also be best too as you don't have to keep track of spells

Of course, if a martial class isn't fun for you, disregard, I'm sure you can figure it out

I'd also say that at the minimum you should buy The Player's Handbook. The rest can come with time and necessity

D&D Beyond is also a really good resource when it comes to character sheets and creation

Also, remember that the game you're going to play isn't going to be like a live play or Baldur's Gate

You're a bunch of nerds playing make believe with more math; chances are a lot of it is going to be derivative, and that's okay

Swarming Bugs With Too Many Legs

A glittery, levitating white orb with an unidentifiable magic aura

Incel guards

A single, faceless mannequin that eerily resembles a party member

A pair of twins about the age of seven who speak in unison

A serene, elderly woman who knits in her rocking chair, apparently oblivious to the eldritch horrors amongst which she dwells

A friendly gatekeeper who, on closer inspection, is an incredibly lifelike marionette with an unseen controller