INFERNALs!
ON September 17, 2019 D&D will publish the new Dungeons & Dragons 2019 Annual Storyline. You can pre-order on Amazon now.
SLAYERS – Players don’t fit neatly into categories or labels
tip for player management: DISCLAIMER: Players don’t fit categories. Labels are for discussion purposes only. These are most useful when DMing for strangers. So far we have covered Actors, Instigators, Power Games, Storytellers, Optimizers, Explorers, Observers. (1/4) Today let's talk about SLAYERS. They want to kill monsters and take their stuff. Other parts of the game and the hobby might be OK to them or not, but they are generally clutching their dice and waiting for the next opportunity to fight something. (2/4)
— Shawn Merwin 🔜 #dndlive2019 (@shawnmerwin) April 25, 2019
SLAYERS are often the easiest players to keep happy, since the game has a crux (and a history) of being about adventurers going out to kill monsters and take their stuff. As long as they don't interfere with other parts of the game, they are enthusiastic and engaged. (3/4)
— Shawn Merwin 🔜 #dndlive2019 (@shawnmerwin) April 25, 2019
SLAYERS are not necessarily POWER GAMERS or OPTIMIZERS, meaning the challenge of the fights or the rewards for success don't need to be great. The fight itself is the reward for SLAYERS. Engage them by giving them lots of interesting ways to fight the bad guys. (4/4)
— Shawn Merwin 🔜 #dndlive2019 (@shawnmerwin) April 25, 2019
OBSERVERS – Players don’t fit neatly into categories or labels
#dnd tip for player management: DISCLAIMER: Players don’t fit neatly into categories. Labels are for discussion purposes only. These are most useful when DMing for strangers. So far we have covered Actors, Instigators, Power Games, Storytellers, Optimizers, Explorers. (1/5) Today let's talk about the OBSERVERS. They most often want to be included for the socialization or for entertainment, but they might not be comfortable with interaction with the game or with the story. They may be shy, self-conscious, or unsure of how to interact. (2/5)
— Shawn Merwin 🔜 #dndlive2019 (@shawnmerwin) April 24, 2019
OBSERVERS can be tricky, because we often want to draw them in to share in the excitement of the game that we feel, but being too pushy actually drives them away. It’s OK to let the OBSERVER observe if that is their comfort zone. (3/5) For OBSERVERS who are shy but to want to participate more, try to find their comfort zone and start there. If they don't like speaking in front of a group, ask them simple questions that can be answered yes or no. Ask them to roll dice for you. (4/5)
— Shawn Merwin 🔜 #dndlive2019 (@shawnmerwin) April 24, 2019
After a session, communicate with an OBSERVER one on one to see what they thought. Find out what they liked most, and add some more of that to the next session, with a chance for them to participate in the ways they are most comfortable. (5/5)
— Shawn Merwin 🔜 #dndlive2019 (@shawnmerwin) April 24, 2019
Addendum: with more people coming into the hobby via stream viewing, OBSERVERS are becoming more prevalent. Being able to engage OBSERVERS in ways that make them comfortable is going to be a larger part of DM duties as the hobby grows.
— Shawn Merwin 🔜 #dndlive2019 (@shawnmerwin) April 24, 2019
“My captives are not toys”
1)
“My captives are not toys. Unless I want them to be. Right now, no. You owe me, and I mean to collect.”
“Er…I’ve nothing with me at the moment.”
“I can see that. Perhaps your servant…oh.”
“OH. Where’d he go?”#epic fantasy— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 16, 2019
2)
“The younger one you were giving orders to? Opened that wall panel and slipped through it. And the other bare Lady with him.”
“Chantratha? By the gods, she must be insatiable!”#epic fantasy3)
“Oh, neither of them looked amorous.”
“Just stark naked and slipping off somewhere private together.”
“Er. Point.”
“Score early, score often.”
“You seeking to father a dynasty, or something?”#epic fantasy— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 16, 2019
I am quite interested in magic stuff that appeals to halflings and no one else
@TheEdVerse Friend Ed, this day I am interested in hin magic. I am quite interested in stuff that appeals to halflings and no one else, especially unique goodies and non-weapons. I looked at the stuff in The Five Shires, but it wasn't what I wanted. Thankee!
— Greysil (@Greysil_Tassyr) April 22, 2019
1)
In the Realms, hin daily magic is most concerned with growing things (edible plants, usually, and hin specialize in prettily flowering edibles), training growing things, and banishing blights and molds from growing things. Second comes cleaning: hin are.. 2)
…foremost, as a race, when it comes to small, simple spells that cleanse things and remove marks, stains, etc. Third is mending: hin are great at magic that consumes a raw material (material component) and uses it to knit tears or cuts or frayed areas, restore…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 22, 2019
3)
…worn-out fabric or rusted metal (turning things to “like new” condition BUT THE LOOKS THE CASTER WANTS, so if a mended garment or awning is faded, the “fixed” part will match…unless the caster wants the whole thing to look new and rich again). And fourth is.. 4)
…warding magics, that keep away unwanted intruders (of specific sorts determined by the incantation) and combine alarms and lighting if the caster wants them; i.e. makes it hard for a prowling predator to cross a ward-boundary around a tent or hin campfire, and..#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 22, 2019
5)
…brilliant lights the area (the boundary radiating light that due to the enchantment makes invisible beings visible, plus an audible alarm to awaken sleeping hin), and so on. Sixth is tracer magics (like Locate Object, but keyed to a favourite specific item 6)
…that's been lost or stolen, so the caster can find it again. Seventh: building surfaces; hin enchantments can make mud brick waterproof, keep oil-mix seals from leaking, and so on, to make simple construction sturdier and more long-lasting. See? Practical stuff.#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 22, 2019
No cooking spells? 😁 Oh, no. That's a point of pride among hin: to do masterful cooking without magical aid. Though there ARE "rescue this burnt mess" magics that turn scorched kitchen mistakes back into edible perfection. But hin don't talk about those. ;}#Realmslore
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 22, 2019
Would it be too much to ask to have Elm wield Whelm?
@JeremyECrawford @ChrisPerkinsDnD would it be too much to ask to have Elm wield Whelm?
— The Muckers (@Culturepunk) April 30, 2019
Hm, now I'm tempted to have Elm—our sweet dryad lad (aka drylad)—wade into combat … #DnD https://t.co/9qfldmh575
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) April 30, 2019
“Vornra, we haven’t a coin to rub against another”
1)
“Vornra, we haven’t a coin to rub against another, let alone to give to you. So if you’re going to insist on payment, we’ll just take these off again. There’ll be surplus clothing available in a moment or three.”
“Oh?”#epic fantasy— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 21, 2019
2)
“Oh, yes. Dead brigands have no need of clothing.”
“Was that a threat, crossdresser?”
“Not at all. There’s no point in offering any sort of threat in the presence of Lady Vornra, the King, and Lord Wolf. I can’t hope to come…#epic fantasy 3)
…close to the threats they can casually ladle out.”
“Well, I haven’t heard any, so you—King—come with us, or we’ll start breaking fingers. Kings don’t need fingers.”
“Sure they do. They have to sign things for you. So best to…#epic fantasy— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 21, 2019
4)
…leave the fingers on his writing hand.”
“Oh. Good point. Which hand does he write with?”
“I write with BOTH of them!”
“You do?”
“Of course. All kings do.”
“They do?”
“Bah! He’s lying!”
“All kings do.”#epic fantasy— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 21, 2019