(Part 2) Top products from r/DnD

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We found 227 product mentions on r/DnD. We ranked the 1,658 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.

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Top comments that mention products on r/DnD:

u/mrbiggbrain · 1 pointr/DnD

D&D Basics (Getting started)


The Absolute Basics


First you will want to grab either the Basic rules (Free), the Starter Set (Cheap), or the Players handbook, Dungeon Masters Guide, and Probably Monster Manual

Then you need to have at least a few items

  • Dice (Phone apps will work if absolutely necessary, or these)
  • Paper & Pencil (for notes)
  • Character Sheet (In the free PDF or an app)

    The starter set is nice because it does a bunch of the work for you, it has an easy to follow adventure, pre-made characters, Dice, and rules for the DM and players. And at half the cost of just the players handbook AND including an adventure, it is an incredible value.

    Once you finish that then looking at at least a players handbook for the extra races, classes, backgrounds, and other things is a good deal. That should let you run free adventures people have put online.

    The DM's guide will let you get deeper into rules and the right way to call them, break them, and make them.

    The monster manual can be a great tool to make better encounters.

    If you want to run a commercial adventure after the one's included in the starter set, "Tales from the Yawning Portal" includes the Sunless Citidel, considered by many to be an excellent adventure for those new to the game and just recently brought up from 3.5e into 5e

    Common Tools of the Trade


    As you start running more complex adventures you are going to want to have a few tools to keep things moving, either as a player or as a DM.

    As a Player


    The bare essentials every players should have are listed above, but most players agree having a few extras can make the game run really quick.

    Spell Cards


    These cards have all the spells available for specific classes or from specific books on really well organized cards that make it easy to set aside your prepared spells and quickly reference all the core details.

    Cleric, Arcane, Ranger, Druid, Bard, Paladin, Martial Powers and Races, Xanathars Guide to Everything

    Binders & Sheet Protectors


    Keeping everything neat and organized can be a huge time saver and make it much easier for you to find what you need. Binders can be a great way to keep your notes and other materials organized. In addition many sheet protectors easily erase dry erase markers making it easy to keep track of spells and other changes without ruining character sheets with constant erasing.

    As a DM


    DMs have their work cut out for them. But a few simple tools can make the game run smooth and leave everyone having that much more fun.

    Index Cards


    A set of index cards can go a long way to speeding up the game. Players can put details on spells or magic items on them. You can prepare loot for the game ahead of time and hand it out allowing players to look over the gear as the game continues. You can also use them to hide portions of a battle map or commerical map to give the effect of fog of war.

    Game Mats


    A game mat let's you make single maps by drawing on them with dry erase or wet erase markers. Many are made of vinyl and can last a long time. Normally they will have either 1" squares or hex shapes.

    Minitures


    These things can be expensive, but giving your game that 3D upgrade and helping players better manage space in a game can be well worth it. You can use actual miniatures (Like those from Reaper), Create custom ones on Hero's Forge, or even just buy some cheap stand in tokens from Game Mash.

    If you just need a cheap way to keep track of positions army men, bottle caps, colored game pieces, and even legos can all play the role.

    No matter what you use, you can pick up colored rubber bands to mark status conditions or other information.

    Where Can I Play?


    You can find tons of places to play D&D.

  • Get together a gaming group.
  • Find a Guild or club in your area. Meetup.com,
  • Most hobby shops and especially comic book and gaming shops offer games, usually Adventure League. WotC offers a tool to find stores here.
  • /r/lfg can be a great way to find others to play online with.
  • Play by Mail sites like RPoL allow you to play by forum post.

    Also:


    Critical Role - Voice actors playing DnD, Matt Mercer (The DM) is an amazing Dungeon Master and shows how the game should be played.

    Matthew Colville - Amazing videos on being a DM, must watch material for every DM. Even when your opinions differ he gives good reasons and great advice.

    Compendiums


    These let you ciew all the free open rules (SRD & Basic Rules) for D&D 5e at no cost.

    Roll20 Compendium - Has all the open rules for the game, so a good source for monsters, items, spells, etc.

    DnDBeyond - A more official source for the content, plus you can buy all the materials released by WotC to use, and has a great character builder.

    Adventures & Maps


    DMsGuild - Tons of free and paid adventures and other materials. The quality can be varying, but many are free and that can be great.

    /r/dndmaps/ - What more can they say, D&D Maps.

    Mike Schley Makes many of the maps for the D&D Adventures.

u/RTukka · 1 pointr/DnD

Here's a list of resources and products that will help you get started with D&D 4th edition.

Free Resources

The quick start rules are free and cover most of what a player needs to know to play the game, plus a few pregenerated characters; it lacks rules for character creation and advancement, and a few other advanced rules and options, but it's a good resource for those who don't yet own the books. Some additional pregens can be found at DungeonMaster.com.

Some other free resources were posted by /u/Dracoprimus, including a bunch of links to free adventures. Another good free adventure is EN World's Island at the Axis of the World, part of their Zeitgeist adventure path.

Kassoon's 4e crib sheet is a handy reference. Sly Flourish has a DM cheat sheet that can also be quite helpful, though you may have trouble making sense of it without access without a core DM resource.

Core Rules & Content

The following items are those you need to play a more robust campaign or adventure (you could technically get by without some of them, but you will be limited). You can save a few bucks by buying used. Ideally, each player (including the DM) should have a copy of a player resource, but in a pinch the players can share one player book for character creation/advancement, and then get by with the quick start rules linked above. Only the DM needs the DM resources.

  • Player resource: Heroes of the Fallen Lands (alternatives/supplements: Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms, the 4e Player's Handbook)
  • DM resource: The 4e Dungeon Master's Guide (alternative/supplement: the 4e Rules Compendium)
  • DM resource: The Monster Vault (buy a new or like-new copy so you can be sure you get all of the included components). You could probably get by without a monster resource if you run published adventures that include monster statblocks, as most do, but if you want to roll your own campaign or improvise, a solid monster resource is recommended.

    With those three products, you have everything you need to run a level 1-30 campaign.

    You should check out the errata and updates for any books you acquire -- especially the older ones, like the Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide.

    D&D Insider & Extras

    A D&DI subscription can substitute for the resources mentioned above to a large extent, and supplement them with tons of content, but reading through online glossary entries and a bunch of scattered articles isn't the best way to learn the rules. I would still recommend getting the core books even if your group has a DDI sub, and a DDI subscription is strictly optional.

    There are also many source books that I won't mention here, which include additional character options and content for the players and DM: new races, classes, powers, feats, items, monsters, traps, etc. along with accompanying lore. Personally though, in lieu of buying lots of extra source books for extra character options and monsters, I'd get a DDI sub. It gives you virtually everything published in those books, plus useful tools such as the Character Builder and the Monster Builder. The online compendium is also a much quicker and more convenient reference than a stack of books. I would recommend a D&DI subscription for any active DM or heavy player.

    Game Aids

    The following items are either necessary or very helpful to running a live, in-person game. If playing online, a virtual tabletop can cover these functions. Roll20 is the easiest virtual tabletop to get started with, and it's in active development. MapTool is a somewhat more robust, but many players have technical issues with it, and its pace of development seems to have slowed.

  • Battle mat: A blank, reusable flip-mat, like the Paizo basic flip-mat, plus some dry- or wet-erase markers. This is a good option for drawing up a quick map on the fly.
  • Alternative battle mat: A gridded easel pad, which you can get at an office supply store for around $17 for 50 sheets (which will last you a good long time), plus crayons, markers, or colored pens/pencils. This is a good option for either preparing detailed maps before the session, or drawing up a quick map mid-session.
  • Alternative battle mat: Yet another option for battle maps are poster maps and/or dungeon tiles. An even more upscale option are Dwarven Forge products; those utilizing the sturdy "dwarvenite" material are particularly nice. The DM's Craft YouTube channel has a lot of tutorial videos for creating nice-looking but inexpensive environments.
  • Dice: You'll need enough dice for everyone. Bulk dice like Chessex Pound O' Dice can be a good way to go. In a pinch, you can get by with a single set of dice shared by the group. At minimum you need one each of the following: d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20.
  • Miniatures, tokens or other character markers: The Monster Vault includes some cardboard tokens. You can make your own tokens, use dollar store plastic soldiers, Pathfinder Pawns standup tokens, buy miniatures of a range of qualities and price points (Reaper minis are nice), or buy products that come with miniatures, like Descent and the D&D Adventure System games. The latter two options are standalone D&D-like board games which also include dungeon tiles. Some miniatures come pre-painted, others are unpainted; note that painting unpainted minis isn't as difficult as you might imagine. In a pinch, you can use coins, bottlecaps or anything else that's a suitable size to represent characters and monsters.
  • Optional: Pipe cleaners, which can be bent into shapes to denote the corners of zones, or cut into pieces which can be bent into small loops, which can then be hung on miniatures to denote status conditions.
  • Optional: 3x5 index cards can be handy for initiative tracking, passing notes, or creating power cards or monster statblocks.

    Products to Avoid

    The following are products that I sometimes see recommended (or would recommend myself) but happen to be overpriced or are not worth it for some other reason.

  • The Monster Manual, and other 4e monster resources published before June 2010. The third Monster Manual was released along with updated math to govern monster attack bonuses, defenses, hp and damage, which was used in subsequent publications. In addition to the math updates, WotC got better at overall monster design as the edition matured. Other than the Monster Vault, some good monster resources include the Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale, the Dark Sun Creature Catalog and Monster Manual III.
  • The "Red Box" Starter Set. While it would be a fair value at its retail price of $20, it seems to be out of print, which means it's selling at inflated prices. The product itself is mediocre. It provides a fast, but not necessarily good introduction to the game.
  • The DM's Kit. This is actually a fine product, and contains a DM's Book which is a good substitute for the DMG or Rules Compendium. It also includes a very high quality adventure, the Reavers of Harkenwold. In addition, it comes with DM screen, two double-sided poster maps, and some cardboard punch-out tokens, and a small monster book. Unfortunately, the DM's Kit also appears to be out of print, and at the time of this posting is selling for well over $100 used. It's good, but not that good.
u/TheGuyInAShirtAndTie · 6 pointsr/DnD

A mere 4 months ago I was in your very shoes, having never played DnD but wanting to DM. Now I'm running 3 weekly games [Protip: Don't do this]. Luckily for me I found a couple great resources to help me out:

The Dungeon Master Experience is a collection of articles written by one of the best: Christopher Perkins. He's not only a Senior Designer for DnD, but he's also the DM for a number of groups including Penny Arcade, Robot Chicken, and the other designers over at Wizards of the Coast. This will be your most valuable resource.

New DM Guide Reddit's #1 Resource for new DMs.

So You Want To Be a DM: A great collection of starter tips.

/r/loremasters: A subreddit dedicated to worldbuilding.

/r/dndnext: Like /r/dnd but solely for 5e.

The Angry DM: He can be a bit preachy at times, but Angry DM has a great amount of thought put into everything he writes.

/u/famoushippopotamus If you see him post on something, just read it. He's been DMing longer than most of us have been aware that DnD existed.

DnD Encounters is a weekly event at your friendly local game store. Check it out. It's also a great place to recruit players!

[Your head!](Link Not Found): The only thing you really need to get started is an idea, write it down. You'll learn a lot just putting your thoughts on paper and thinking of how to flesh it out.



I would recommend that you go and pick up the Starter Set (HOLY SHIT GUYS ITS $12 RIGHT NOW. BUY BUY BUY!). It comes with the basic rules, a set of dice, a prewritten adventure, and some characters for the adventure. Get a couple players together and this is all you need to get started. After that you can move onto other prewritten adventures, like Horde of the Dragon Queen, or you can write your own.

It shouldn't be that difficult to find people to play with, some people might care that you've never been a PC, but you don't need to play with them. If you have friends who enjoy gaming see if they're interested. And check out your FLGS (friendly local game store). If none of those work, there are plenty of online options as well.

One last note: In my short time DMing I have to say I did not expect the sheer amount of prepwork that goes into a single session. Players have to inhabit a single character and their mechanics. You need to understand not only the characters at the table, but every NPC, trap, and monster you put in front of them. It can be time consuming. It can be hard. But it is also one of the greatest feelings in the world when you hit that flow state where you and your players are building your world together.

Good luck! And welcome to DnD, where the rules are made up, and the rules don't matter either, as long as what you're doing is awesome.

u/Microtiger · 10 pointsr/DnD

I'm about to make a post about how I built a fully functional DM screen from scratch for about $14, but as far as original content that's it for me. However, here's some links that caught my interest or inspired me if it helps any.

Tips

ProJared: How to be a good DM

DM Support Group

Content Generation

DonJon Inn Generator

[World Gen] (http://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/14706/rules-for-generating-a-game-world-as-you-go)

Map making

Podcasts

For inspiration

Adventure Zone - A real play podcast with a group of seasoned improvisational comedians. The perfect, I think, blend of fun, fantasy, and storytelling. Certainly not serious, but still has really great storytelling and roleplaying. Griffin is an amazing DM and has really inspired me to create like he does.

Hello from the Magic Tavern - Doesn't play DnD, but lots of lore inspiration...for better or worse.

Dungeon Master's Block - Lots of good idea and discussions.

Materials

[Role 4 Initiative dry erase tiles] (http://www.amazon.com/Dry-Erase-inch-Dungeon-Tiles/dp/B016H1B0RW) - My dungeon master uses these, it is SO much easier than using one giant dry erase playmat. We used to totally cheese things in dungeons because we knew the action must be in the direction of the rest of the empty squares. With the tiles, it's not obvious anymore which doors to take and which direction to go.

[Color coded ball pawns] (http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Pawns-Accessories-Assorted-Colors/dp/B00JOPU3UY?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01) - I haven't gotten these in the mail yet, but I think they'll work great for marking the player characters. If I even run a longer campaign, I think it would be fun to use wooden peg dolls, painted with paint pens, as player characters, NPCs, most humanoid monsters...and other various wooden things for the bigger and weirder.

[1 inch wooden squares] (http://www.amazon.com/Package-Round-Disc-Unfinished-Cutouts/dp/B00CA1Y878?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00) - cheap way to make markers for enemies, can write on with sharpie or use a 1 inch circle cutter to use your own color. See the really good guide here.

DM cheat sheets

Ozuro

Ronny Hart

I don't think either of these are perfect; nobody else's DM screens will ever be perfect for how you run a game. I combined these two and added my own notes for my own screen.

Reddit threads I've saved

Overland travel

Sandbox play

Terrain features for encounters

Software

DM Minion - Seems like it would help a lot with organization, certainly not required for success. Can't get it to work with my PC.

u/PghDrake · 3 pointsr/DnD

For miniatures, be warned that the Heroclix and Mage Knight minis, while useable, are mostly larger than the 1" standard width (for a medium character or creature) - this is generally not that big of a problem but if you're going with modular terrain it means they may not fit well, especially along with other miniatures beside them.

Ebay is a good choice for miniatures, especially if you have particular needs for certain things - you want that male elf archer in leather armor, or are you looking for a beholder? You can find and get them there. Here's my favorite seller for these things, shipping is definitely reasonable and the choices are expansive:
http://www.ebay.com/usr/auggest?_trksid=p2053788.m1543.l2754

Another option to miniatures are tokens, and they are much, much cheaper. These are small cardboard circles that fit a 1" block as standard size (larger creatures will fill more, of course). The best starter set for this for a DM is the Monster Vault, but there are a ton of others as well. I suggest ebay for these for the most part, there are some that sell them by the sheet and others that sell the full boxed sets. You can get these for characters as well as monsters. Here's a link to the Monster Vault so you can see what you get with it:
http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Vault-Essential-Dungeons-Dragons/dp/0786956313/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1420725056&sr=8-2&keywords=dungeons+and+dragons+Tokens

Cheapest and most versatile "professional looking" option for the map / terrain is a chessex battlemat - make sure you have WET ERASE markers, not dry erase and keep it clean between adventures. Below are links to one of their mats (there are other sizes, just search on amazon) and to some excellent markers:
http://www.amazon.com/Chessex-Role-Playing-Play-Mat/dp/B0015IQO2O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420724703&sr=8-1&keywords=chessex+mat

http://www.amazon.com/Expo-Vis-A-Vis-Markers-Colored-16078/dp/B00006IFGW/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1420724703&sr=8-9&keywords=chessex+mat

Cheapest option for modular-type terrain would be tiles. These are cardboard "grids" that most often have designs on them and come in different sizes. The best starter set out there is the Dungeon Tiles Master Set - The Dungeon. It has a lot of tiles and is pretty versatile, at least for base grid options like dungeons and general floors. There are a ton of other options for them - again I suggest you look on ebay for these because you can often find used ones that are in perfect shape sold as a set, or even individual tiles if there's something in particular you need. This is the link to the aforementioned base set on amazon so you can see what it has:
http://www.amazon.com/Dungeon-Tiles-Master-Set-Essential/dp/0786955554/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420724907&sr=8-1&keywords=dungeon+tiles+master+set

If you want to spend more money and go with something much more dynamic, there are 3-d modular sets ranging from paper to near-stone like quality but they can cost a ton. I have a large set of Dungeonstone (www.dungeonstone.com) that I bring out and always get oo's and ahh's. But they're heavy to carry around a lot, especially if I need the whole set. Another option, that's generally slightly more expensive than dungeonstone is Dwarven Forge. You can look them up - but I only mention this in case you decide to spend more money than you want to at this point. :)

Good luck! I hope this helps.

u/De_Vermis_Mysteriis · 3 pointsr/DnD

Lots of links ahead, hopefully it helps ya!

I Read...
ALL THE THINGS!

I DM in the Forgotten Realms/Planescape/Spelljammer (They're all kinda linked by nature) so I spend a lot of time browsing classic Volo's Guides, Elminster's Ecologies, Dungeon/Dragon issues, and Candlekeep Forums are super handy for some quick inspiration or detail on a particular point of interest. You will find NO better FR resource than Candlekeep, even Ed Greenwood answers our questions there very regularly.

I also use tabs all over the damn place, it makes my books look like a hedgehog sometimes but it also helps with rapid flipping around mid encounter.

Encounter cards.

I use 3x5 index cards that I just hand write on usually with quick HP, AC, Init, gear information. I have pre-printed versions I made for the most common of common creatures like Orcs, Slimes etc.
I set these all aside in one spot.

Minis

I spend all the cash collecting books so I kinda neglected minis...for 27 years. Sad, right? Anyway I printed out a shit ton of pages from the ever useful Pathfinder Pawns sets and I (tediously) cut them out by hand, double sided two sheets, tape all 4 edges, and use binder clips to stand them up. Viola! Long lasting cheap as dirt minis with a diversity higher than you can usually buy in 3d form. I pop em into clips as I can usually predict encounters ahead of time, even as an improv DM.

MAPS!

I'm a digital hoarder, I have ~2000 battlemaps from everywhere I have collected. Thus I probably have something for almost any situation that will pop up. Worse case, I just tweak my descriptions to resemble the map available. I also use Virtual Battlemap on STEAM to make my own 3d animated maps but time constraints limit the time I can actually spend on this. Also, again as an improv DM it's pointless to make a crap ton of maps myself ahead of time because of how gameplay actually works. Here are a couple shots I made myself though.
These are projected on the table via ceiling mount projector.

For obvious places that we visit a lot I have city maps (like Suzail) made up with a key on the other side. Since I run these places A LOT I made them pretty high quality but still on the cheap. This helps me remember where things are, places etc etc which is important in multi-year campaigns. You can make cool PC versions also that will hold up well being passed around the gaming table for months if you use good photo paper!

Dungeons? Make a DM copy and scrawl any noted you need like this. 5e book maps are HORRIBLE, tiny and stuck in a book so take them out like this so you again have an easy to grab fast reference for YOU. That example is from an early crawl the group did several months back with my notes on it.


SPELLS

I use the retail D&D spell cards usually, but also supplement them with various iOS and Android apps because there are quite a few new spells in the game that are not printed yet in a new set. I make little spell books for the casters ahead of time. It's really only useful spells, not ALL spells. It's not like that Kobold Necromancer is going to live long enough to use half of them anyway.

NAMES

I created, using various generators I like, lists of NPC names in dual columns. Here you can see my actual probably-drank-to-much mid game notes! Each sheet is color coded. RED Human, BROWN dwarf, ELF green etc. I did this for every common NPC race. So instead of having to create a name on the damn spot I can just grab the sheet, look at "Oh Male Elf...hummm OH this works!" and pop it out. Then I write on the sheet who now owns that name. It helps organize all the NPC's for my frail memory and speeds up npc creation table side drastically in those sudden improv situations where the PC's decide to go bug some random NPC for muffins or something.




ETC

Anything beyond that is highly variable session to session. That depends on the group/situation...a personal oddity that my players noted is how I go into way to much detail describing the flavor and texture of every beer they ever order in game. Thats because i'm an admitted beer snob. To help my beer-love I utilize a printed chapter (because I don't use my original copy at the table, it's to old) from Auras Whole Realms that can be transplanted into ANY GAME! It's a good 15 pages or so of just beer, wine, mead, ale, and liquor with cool names and descriptions and history. It's a minor thing but it helps with those sudden PC questions like "What's on the menu?" that might suprise you.

u/FreedomPanic · 7 pointsr/DnD

It's hard, in my opinion, to levy that kind of criticism at a DM. What I would suggest is to just tell him all your ideas when you have them. My brother and I are both DM's and I play in his game and I hope he'll get a chance to play in mine. I am constantly gabbering ideas I come up with for my game to him. He obviously can't do the same, because I play in his game. I am a person that loves the challenge of design, so I'm pretty consistently developing new pieces of designs from world building, to mini games, to encounters, to narratives, to situations, etc. He has stolen or at least been intrigued by many of my ideas, which I love (since I can't always run them myself). I often ask him for design advice as well, so it's not one sided. He can't tell me about his ideas, but he can provide input on mine. Having consistent design discussions with a fellow DM can do wonders for both of your work.

Discuss Design for Fun: I think what you'll find is that if you just tell him design ideas you come up with just for the sake of discussing design for fun, your DM will naturally begin to pick things up and start experimenting with your ideas. You'll probably find that your ideas inspire them to come up with their own. I strongly encourage facilitating design discussions with anyone that has interest, including your DM. If, after a couple of weeks of discussing design, your DM still hasn't upped their game, that's when I would confront the issue. Say "hey, we've talked about a dozen different ideas, but you don't seem to be implementing anything new into the game. What's the deal?"


New D&D Supplements: Another really helpful tool for a DM (especially if they don't have the time to create interesting homebrewed scenarios) is the book Tome Of Beasts: https://www.amazon.com/Beasts-Wolfgang-Baur/dp/1936781565

The monsters in that are great and much more difficult than the ones in the monster manual. I still prefer designing my own stuff, because there are 400 monsters in that book and it takes a while for me to go through it. Just an example of a beautiful design in the book is the Living Wick. It's a construct, that comes to life when their wick is lit and they attack (or serve their master). They can also burn their wick in a single go and explode, doing a decent amount of damage for a low level party (like a toned down fireball, but I recommend turning it into a full on fireball). The trick to beat them, aside from killing them, is to dowse their wick. You might homebrew them a tad so they can fight against your players by also making them either immune to fire, or cause fire to make a massive chain reaction that causes them to explode. Also, using them as an ambush and having them tackle the party and explode.

Here's an idea I had for my low level from the tome of beasts: "You enter through the large doors. It's pitch black in here, but as you walk you can here your foot steps echo in what must be a massive chamber. If you create a light (or have dark vision), you can see that this is a great reception chamber, entirely made out of a deep blue marble. The walls are accentuated with impressive pillars. The marble chamber has such a high, elaborate ceiling that goes up about 50 feet. The hallway extends to the a decorated portcullis at the end. Along the full length of the hall are a parallel series of pedestals. Sitting atop the pedestals are a dozen or more statuesque figures, all positioned in various 'thinking' sitting poses. A closer inspection reveals that they are made out of wax. Above the hearth you entered is marble slab, jutting out from the wall with two metal tubes extending out of it. When the players walk close enough, two brilliant jets of fire shoots out from the turret above the hearth, illuminating the dark marble of the chamber. These two lines of fire rocket downward and the jet across the backs of the wax statues, before arcing back up into the ceiling and dispersing. The wax statues are now lit, like a candle from a protruding wick on their back. This dim glow is the only light in the room. The players here a quiet hiss (like the sound of a burning fuze) come from the burning wicks. They suddenly come to life in fluid, short bursts of movement. They move unnatural, almost like dancers. They move quickly and suddenly for seconds at a time, and then come to a complete stop, and then moving again. They all turn towards the players and immediately sprint towards them."

tl;dr: Start creating discussions about game design to bounce ideas with them, so they get a chance to hear some cool design thoughts without it becoming uncomfortable. Recommend the book Tome of Beasts

u/nargonian · 1 pointr/DnD

Here is a link one many agree is the best starter set and it is cheap in comparison to many other ones out there.

Besides that, there is The Players Handbook. Which is the only book I would say is a necessity for playing dnd (even being a dm) as it goes over all the rules and mechanics and gives you a lot of classes and races to work with. After that there is Xanathars Guide to Everything and the Monster Manual that are good starts to expanding your knowledge and options when playing or creating a DND world

If you are looking for good things to watch in your free time to improve your knowledge and get new ideas, I like Dungeon Dudes or Critical Role. Both are on Youtube and provide lots of good material to work with.

Then (shameless plug) I actually have a website that does in-depth analysis on many dungeon and dragons items such as mechanics, spells, and races that go into their strengths lore and other stuff. So check it out! It's called wizardofthetavern. If you have any other questions feel free to message me I will be more than happy to help you out!

u/protectedneck · 2 pointsr/DnD

Play around with the tiles a bit to see if you like them! You can go as deep down the rabbit hole as you want, to be honest. The common consensus is that simple eraserboard tiles/maps work great as the workhorse for drawing out combat areas. These kinds of tiles are really useful because you can simulate line of sight/closed doors/etc by not placing down your tiles until your players advance further in. And you can draw features on the tiles to represent things in the area that are important.

I like to incorporate these blank tiles with other terrain that I've made or purchased as a way to make "filler" tiles. Say you have some city tiles that work for an encounter, but you need a walkway between two buildings or you need an alley between two buildings or something. You can place the blank tiles down, then place your city tiles on top and tell your players "the white space is an alley between these two buildings." Or in a recent game I had a small shrine in the wilderness where the party was attacked by a predator that was stalking them. I set up my blank tiles and put the terrain that represented the shrine on the table. Now the blank tiles represented the forest around the shrine.

I think it's better to start with stuff like this than it is to spend a bunch of money/time on Dwarven Forge or Hirst Arts specially made terrain. Over time, if you have the money and interest, you can eventually build up a collection of whatever kind of terrain you want. But for now, start with things that will be useful almost all of the time and are relatively cheap.

If you're looking to go three dimensional with your terrain/accessories, I can't recommend papercraft terrain like Fat Dragon Games makes enough.

As far as minis go, you have a LOT of options. WotC sells blind-box miniatures boxes that have decent quality, prepainted minis. And there are sites like Miniature Market and Troll & Toad where you can buy the specific miniatures you want. You also have a massive variety of unpainted miniatures you can use. The D&D officially branded Nolzur's miniatures are high quality and well-regarded. I also highly recommend the Reaper Bones line of minis. The quality is slightly worse than the Nolzur line, but the variety and price are difficult to argue with.

One option I don't see mentioned enough are "flat" miniatures. Pathfinder has a box set of popular monsters printed on cardstock that you put on stands to represent what the players are fighting. I've also seen plastic versions of these which I have never purchased, but Sly Flourish speaks highly of. If you do some googling I'm sure you can find tons more resources for printable "paper miniatures."

Hope this helps!

u/OneCritWonder · 1 pointr/DnD
        • -

          I highly recommend the Starter Set. It's $15 on Amazon, has the core rules, a set of dice, premade characters, and an adventure that will last you a half dozen sessions or so. It's a great place to start--go figure--and is designed for brand new players and brand new DMs.

          The Essentials Kit is another great resource. It's usually $25 but looks like it's currently on sale for $16. It's full of all sorts of handy stuff like GM Screen, items/rules cards for quick reference, dice, and has an adventure that plays from level 1-6. It and the Starter Set take place in the same area of the game world and the kits work very well together actually.

          This unboxing video compares the content of the two boxes, notes the different style of the adventures, and might help you pick one if funds are tight.
u/combat_wombat96 · 1 pointr/DnD

hey man! little update for you. so the switch is definitely an upgrade. a major upgrade. i am absolutely loving 5e. its making my job as the Dm a lot easier and all of my players seem to like the much more role play centered, streamlined game play of it. we dont have to keep track of as many numbers and its really freeing for the players at a role play stand point, and me from a story telling stand point. another great thing about it if you're a dm is that there are so many books available! i bought the standard players handbook, monster manual, and Dungeon masters guide and they are all solid upgrades from 3.5 especially the dm guide. and with volos guide to monsters, and Xanthars guide to everything also available there are so many more options for fights, npcs, and playable characters. so i 100% recommend the switch if you are considering it. you will not regret it.

i also highly recomned this DM screen...lots of super useful info, and none of the fluff. DM screen

u/ridik_ulass · 39 pointsr/DnD

I'm with you buddy, I used to tease my friend for playing, calling him a nerd and a dork, and so on... but once I played I haven't missed a game in 10 years.

There is firstly Leagues, D&D adventure leagues, they are often hosted at conventions or in stores that sell the material, either of those locations regardless of the league should have ideas, information, or social media social groups for which you can find out.

there is also /r/LFG

you might want to grab Dungeons & Dragons Core Rulebook Gift Set

Its cheaper than buying the books individually, cheaper than buying 2 books.


There are also other games, /r/rpg is a place for things that are not just D&D, vampire games, robots, D&D in the future (shadowrun) war-hammer fantasy and 40k...battle tech, exalted, traveller.... many many games. Some might be more or less for you than others.


D&D is the most popular by far, games everywhere, its easier to find groups, get material, use digital resources all kinds of stuff.


you might want to get your own dice too, you can get plastic, metal, rare metal, rare stone dice, all kinds.



You can even play with your friends online, using online group meet -up's


I played D&D first on skype and IRC, There is a thing called D&D beyond but its a bit pricey for not giving physical copies of the material. Roll20 is another (but the owners are assholes) and some others people might know of. I also played starwars edge of empire on google hangouts for a year, it had a dice roller app, and we displayed our digital character sheets as out profile picture.

u/hmph_ · 3 pointsr/DnD

TL;DR If you want large, vinyl, hexes, and wet erase: look to Chessex. If you want large-ish, laminated, no hexes, and dry erase: look to Pathfinder. I'd say measure your game space first.

The mat you're most likely talking about is the Chessex MEGAMAT.($30) This is by and large the most popular battlemat on the market. It's vinyl, rectangular (3' x 4'), hex reversible, quality make, but it's wet erase. (You'll probs need to buy wet erase markers) This is also the mat I have. Here's my brief critique: it is larger than I have ever needed, though I will admit I have sometimes been encouraged by the mat's size to make a larger battlefield. It's so large that it barely fits on the table, giving my players little room for their papers, making it difficult for me as a DM to quickly access all parts of the map, and making transporting it a minor annoyance. The wet erase is only slightly annoying, but if you're going to be doing a lot of erasing, you'll quickly tire of the rags and water. However, it is very high quality, plenty big, and terrific if you have the right space and table to use it.

A very similar mat is the regular Chessex Battlemat($22) It's smaller (2' x 2'), vinyl, square, high quality, hex reversible, and still wet erase. Really again a great mat that's very similar to the MEGAMAT, just a little less. . . MEGA.

Another large vinyl one more similar to the MEGAMAT is the Wiz Dice Battle Mat.($32) It shares all the same qualities of the MEGAMAT, but owners have claimed that is does not erase quite as nicely. However, it is a clean white mat, rather than the sort of textured beige of the Chessex mats.

Finally, the most viable dry erase mats are the Evolve Skins battlemats($28) which come in white or beige, are not hex reversible, are laminated, are 3' x 2', and seem to not be entirely dry erase. A better choice would probably be the laminated, 2' x 2.5', dry erase, not hex reversible, Pathfinder battlemats.($13)

I'd recommend measuring your game space, prioritizing what you think are the most important qualities, and then comparing these options that I have presented.

u/ImTryingSheesh · 1 pointr/DnD

Well, make sure you have enough dice but that's a given.

Since you're running two people in a premade module, you're probably going to need to nerf the encounters a bit, as they're designed for 4 players.

The wotc dm screen is pretty nice, it has a bunch of lists and tables. If you don't already have a rulebook set, I'd recommend this one, it's at $90 right now and includes a dm screen, the player's handbook, monster manual, and dungeon master's guide. It's totally up to you if you want to get it, the basic rules will work fine.

If you don't want the books the dm screen is like $15 on Amazon.

Also, something really nice to have is a dice tray to keep your dice from rolling off the table and under something.

Regardless of the above, I bet you'll do fine.

u/Mizzko · 1 pointr/DnD

I printed a shit ton of maps out on my own printer and taped them together. It was a nightmare but it worked.

If you don't mind spending the money tossing a grid on top of a map together on a single file and the heading to your local print shop is your best bet. I was fortunate enough to have an architect friend print out 2 maps in black/white for 2 of the encounters (also in LMOP).

TBH the best thing ever has been using a dry-erase map with a premade grid. Now I'm able to draw basic designs out on the fly.

The ones I got are HERE

Definitely a worthwhile investment and the printed texture keeps it from being a boring white dry-erase.

u/BrittleCoyote · 1 pointr/DnD

Just started DMing myself, here’s my set-up:

— I use this Battle Mat. The pre-made campaigns do come with maps of both the dungeons and the surrounding areas (or at least the starter set does.) For the simpler ones you can copy them onto the mat room by room as the party explores. That can be surprisingly complicated, though, so for the more intricate dungeons I’ve taken to screen-capping them (I work with a PDF), blowing them up to 1” scale, printing them out, and then cutting out the individual rooms so I can lay them down one by one.

— I make my own tokens. They’re not quite as cool as the minis but they’re cheap, have a GREAT feel to them, and I love how perfectly I can customize them.

— Dice are dice. You can buy a big ole bag from Amazon, or if you like nice things you can go somewhere like Die Hard Dice. I bought these, which I like because all the players can claim their color but the whole set feels coordinated.

— In preparation for combat encounters, I screen cap and print the stat blocks of the monsters so I have them as handy reference and don’t have to keep flipping back to them in the book.

Are your players new to the game? If so, I STRONGLY recommend making reference cards for your players to hold on to. I think of myself as someone who knows the rules inside and out, but I was SHOCKED how much time I was spending looking up abilities in our first game. Now I screen-cap each character’s abilities, spells, and potions/magic items. I print them out as individual little cards that I cut out, but you could also put them together as a reference sheet. Saves them having to flip through a PHB every time they need to remember how their spells work.

u/robbzilla · 9 pointsr/DnD

How much do you want to spend?

I mean, you could buy him the authentic Wooly Mammoth Tusk dice... (WAAAAY expensive... a full set runs over $2100) or maybe a nice set of stone or metal dice... (Much more affordable. The Metal dice can be had for under $50, sometimes as low as half that) Or like another poster said: Hero Forge gift vouchers are good. But if he's mostly a DM, he might not need a character like a player would.

Another idea is a really nice dice bag. Something tasteful and made out of a premium material. Leather and Chain Mail are both popular.

Another thing he might appreciate as a DM is a customizable DM screen. https://www.amazon.com/Savage-Worlds-Customizable-Screen-S2P10002/dp/1930855591 I love mine because I can put whatever info that I want in it.

Other than that, a top notch mechanical pencil is always appreciated by me. Or maybe a really nice gear bag. I personally use the convention bag of holding from Thinkgeek, but they also have some nicer ones that hold more stuff... Those can run from $45 on up to about $129 depending on what you want.

I hope something in this grab bag has helped!

u/RandomDwarf · 2 pointsr/DnD

I have heard good things about the Starter Set. It comes with some basic rules, pre-made characters, an adventure (Lost Mine of Phandelver) and a set of dice. Although I personally haven't played it. For the more savvy players, they can of course roll their own characters.

I personally like the Sunless Citadel module, found in Tales of the Yawning Portal. It's a bit tougher for the PCs, but it's a solid two or three session adventure which will start the party at level 1 and go to about level 3.

I think these shorter adventures are the best place to start as a new group. Once your group tackles a few of these shorter adventures, maybe try an official campaign or homebrew your own.

u/breaksofthegame · 1 pointr/DnD


Boy you aren't kidding, there just really isn't much about Sossal in any sourcebooks I can find, even going back to earlier editions. The old boxed set only has:

>AT A GLANCE: Far to the North, on the far side of the Great Glacier, is the legendary kingdom of Sossal. This remote nation is the home of Sossarhim, a very pale, very blond race that dresses in
white, and can conceal themselves among the ice.

...etc. The 3e book has a similar short blurb, where it otherwise explains pages about the other nations of the Cold North. The most interesting sources I could find seem to be from the 2e splatbooks "Wizards and Rogues of the Realms" and "Warriors and Priests of the Realms". From W&P:

> Sossal This fantastic kingdom of pale, blonde humans is the
northernmost nation in the Realms. Their ability to flourish in such frigid conditions is a source of amazement to others. Their warriors are unparalleled in arctic survival and cold-weather combat. Warriors of Sossal have very pale skin, ice-blue eyes, and pale blonde hair.

...and so forth. W&P has some good roleplaying notes for the warriors, and W&R has an interesting take on the wizards. But as for maps or cities or anything like that, it seems to be overlooked.

u/LawfulStupid · 3 pointsr/DnD

The absolute best way to get started is the Starter Set. It's everything you need to get started including some dice and an adventure. As you get more into it, you'll want to pick up the Players Handbook, the Monster Manual, and the Dungeon Master's Guide (If you don't want to get them all at once, I recommend getting them in that order.) Also very useful is a Dungeon Master's Screen. Moving into more advanced stuff, Xanathar's Guide to Everything is a book full of a bunch of optional rules to spice up the game, and Volo's Guide to Monsters gives more monsters for players to fight, and some you can actually play as. If you need more adventures to run, Tales From the Yawning Portal is a nice big book of dungeons.

u/Ominymity · 3 pointsr/DnD

Does he use miniatures in his games? You could pick him up a random booster pack of D&D minis- new monsters to use can be inspiration for encounters.

EDIT: This would most likely be on budget and these are new figures! Came out in late July.
https://www.miniaturemarket.com/wzk72871-pack.html

If he plays 5e there are new books coming out still- you could look at what he has or order something upcoming for him to lean his campaign toward.

EDIT: Make sure you check his shelf/bin if you don't want to get something he has already!
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=5e+books

Maybe he is a fan of fantasy books/movies? You might have some luck picking something he would like- that could bleed through for inspiration.

Also, tabletop players always enjoy a new set of dice, if they are a shiny new color or something.
I suggest these!

https://www.amazon.com/Wiz-Dice-Pack-Random-Polyhedral/dp/B01KN7REWQ/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1502128441&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=alchemical+oddities+dice

EDIT:

This is kind of a stretch probably- but consider steering him toward something like https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1513061270/reaper-miniatures-bones-4-mr-bones-epic-adventure/comments which can be a near endless source of materials/resources.

You could try picking up one of the starter sets to see if he would like painting!

https://www.amazon.com/Reaper-Miniatures-08906-Learn-Paint/dp/B00NTMC49G/ref=sr_1_2?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1502128215&sr=1-2&keywords=reaper+bones+paints

https://www.amazon.com/Layer-Bones-Miniatures-Learn-Reaper/dp/B01N458GBK/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1502128232&sr=1-1&keywords=reaper+bones+paints

u/BlackRoseSin · 3 pointsr/DnD

Dry-erase tiles! These are the ones we bought at our local game store

All of our characters end up with similar Perceptions, so I draw the tiles [usually before game- I'm the best with drawing lines and colours and other such jazz]. Anything people can't see is attached later on, or we draw the dotted lines of dividing.

It can be a bit of a pain at the end of the night to clean, but the ability to create your map on the go = worth it. Bonus, you can break pieces off, erase and re-use as need be :)

u/flinnja · 2 pointsr/DnD

Unless you know what books they already have it might be a bit risky getting a book, but if you do get a book I would suggest getting something not in the "big three" as someone who's really into D&D is likely to get the players handbook, monster manual, and dungeon masters guide on their own. Better to get them something they'd like but might not buy for themselves since theyre not as "essential", like Volo's Guide to Monsters, the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide or Xanathar's Guide to Everything I think. Also, any d&d player will always appreciate a new set of pretty dice, a cool bag to keep their dice in or a dice tray to roll on are also solid choices.

u/neoman4426 · 4 pointsr/DnD

In addition to what others are saying about the SRD and basic rules versions being free to use, next month a gift set containing the core three books (Dungeon Master's Guide, Monster Manual, and Player's Handbook) along with some other goodies is coming out. It's a decent chunk of change, but if you guys decide you like the free version enough it might be something to save towards https://smile.amazon.com/Core-Rulebook-Gift-Wizards-Team/dp/0786966629 (or if you have a local gaming store sometimes they're cheaper there, and some are getting an exclusive version with some pretty sweet alt cover art). You can get a decent starter set of dice sets for pretty cheap, https://smile.amazon.com/Wiz-Dice-Bag-Devouring-Role-playing/dp/B01KP4T6TQ (20 complete 7 die sets for ~30 USD, might be a bit overkill for starting out) https://smile.amazon.com/Smartdealspro-Colors-Dungeons-Dragons-Pouches/dp/B01ABST9S4/ (5 complete 7 die sets for ~10 USD, might be a bit more reasonable)

u/Sorcerer_Blob · 3 pointsr/DnD

That's a great question. Especially since the Realms are constantly changing and in flux. Or at least it seems that way. Coupled with a rich history and meta-story, it can be difficult to really figure out what the hell is going on currently aside from trying to read each and every novel out there. While that's do-able for some, it's not realistic for most.

Probably the best book I can recommend is Elminster's Forgotten Realms. It came out during the end of 4e and while is considered a 4e book, it really isn't. It's actually "edition agnostic," which is just a fancy way of saying that you can use it with any edition of D&D without any hassle. There are no actual stats for stuff within, it's all story stuff. Which is cool. It's like the gazetteers of old.

The only problem with the above is that it came out in 2012, and so its Sundering info is minimal, if it exists at all.

As far as more up to date information, specifically regarding The Sundering, there is the Forgotten Realms Wiki, though I cannot speak to its quality or accuracy.

Good luck and happy gaming.

u/TornadoCreator · 1 pointr/DnD

If you want a really good book to go for, I have an off the wall suggestion. Pick up, "Elminster's Forgotten Realms".

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Greenwood-Presents-Elminsters-Forgotten-Realms/dp/0786960345

The base setting for 5th Edition is Forgotten Realms anyway, so unless your GM is specifically going against the flow, this will likely be useful. Additionally, this is written (at least in part) by the guy who originally designed the setting of Faerun in Forgotten Realms. It's a great read, and all it is, is background information about how people in Faerun live day-to-day. Things everyone would know like, how the temples are run, what kind of food they have, how the calendar works and what the regular festivals are. It's great for making the world feel like a living breathing world.

u/mycynical30s · 1 pointr/DnD

I would also agree with "The Sunless Citadel."

You can grab it on [Amazon] (https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Yawning-Portal-Dungeons-Dragons/dp/0786966092/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1498073181&sr=8-1&keywords=tales+of+the+yawning+portal) for 29.99 if you have prime in the Tales of the Yawning Portal book.

It basically has 7 stand alone adventures that you could weave together to go from lvl 1-10. This might be a good way to share the DM role as well. Someone could jump in and pick up 1 of the 7 or you could all trade off, each doing one.

EDIT: YES, I would DM if I were you:) Especially since you already have a group of friend who you know are cool and that you know won't be jerks and that you will get along with.

EDIT 2: Check out the APP "Game Master 5" for iPhone, iPad, or whatever. It lets you plan out you encounters. I have started to do this because I wasn't to run The Sunless Citadel myself. It will be my first time DMing:/
You can input all of the NPC's beforehand with all of their stats, keep track of their initiative & HP, and basically plan out every encounter.

u/Decra · 1 pointr/DnD

I got this screen a couple of years ago: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Savage-Worlds-Customizable-Gm-Screen/dp/1930855591/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511608403&sr=8-1&keywords=savage+world+screen

Its pretty neat as I can print out what ever I feel I need on my screen which is pretty useful. It also means I can change the outward sides with art themed for the campaign.

I assume you are in the UK so with the change check out https://monstermashteas.co.uk/product-category/cabinet-of-curiosity/

There are some pretty nice looking items

u/TypicalPalmTree · 2 pointsr/DnD

If you play on a grid, I would look into a dry or wet erase grid to work with. That is what my group uses and it works well enough. The only downside is you are limited to however many mats you have, if your dungeon is bigger, then you need to erase and redraw. (something like https://www.amazon.com/RPG-Battle-Game-Mat-Polyhedral/dp/B075WS9DGL/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510605712&sr=8-1&keywords=dnd+paper)

Alternatively, you can get a pad or roll of 1 inch grid paper (something like https://www.amazon.com/Pacon-Grid-Roll-Inch-Rule/dp/B000XP23O8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510605653&sr=8-1&keywords=large+1+inch+graph+paper)

Alternatively to all these, you can go a bit more modular and go with something like https://www.amazon.com/five-inch-interlocking-role-playing-miniature-tabletop/dp/B016H14JFM/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1510605750&sr=8-4&keywords=dnd+tiles where you can pre-draw sections of a dungeon, and connect them as the party explores.

Hope this helps! Any questions feel free to ask!

u/berlin-calling · 1 pointr/DnD

The newest edition being released book by book right now is 5e (previously D&D Next when it was still in the playtesting phase). Player's Handbook (PHB) and Monster Manual (MM) are the only rule books out right now. The main storyline book out right now is Hoard of the Dragon Queen (HotDQ) and soon The Rise of Tiamat (RoT).

What you need to play D&D IRL:

  • D&D Basic Rules for Players and DMs
  • 3-4 players (PCs or player characters) is ideal
  • 1 Dungeon Master (DM), who runs the game
  • Dice (Wiz Dice is a good starting point if nobody has dice. Just buy the big bag.)
  • Paper and pencils
  • Optional: A battle mat (like this one from Chessex)
  • Optional: Miniatures (minis) to represent your PCs, NPCs, and monsters. I use dice to represent monsters in my games, because minis are expensive.

    If you want to play a D&D online tabletop:

  • Roll20.net
  • Use /r/lfg, /r/roll20lfg, or their dedicated LFG function/forums to find other people
  • Roll20 itself has all you need to play the game - character sheets, dice rollers, built in webcam/mic, special view for DMs versus players, music, handouts, macros, etc.
u/ChristophColombo · 1 pointr/DnD

There are tons of premade campaigns out there. I'd recommend kicking off with either the Starter Set or the Essentials Kit. They include basic rulesets, dice, and a short campaign. You can get started with just one of these sets just fine.

If you want to get more into the rules, I'd strongly suggest picking up the Player's Handbook at a minimum - it goes more in depth on the rules and lays out more race and class options for your players than the limited ones in the starter sets. Next priority would be the DM's Guide, which gives tips on how to run the game, random tables for lots of stuff (items, encounters, etc), and suggestions on how to make your own world if you're interested in that in the future. If you do get into homebrew or other published campaigns, you'll also want the Monster Manual- the starter set rules only include stat blocks for the monsters that they use.

Edit: D&D is more than semi-scripted storytelling. Encounters (both combat and non-combat) are generally scripted in the sense that they will occur when certain conditions are met, but the outcomes are dependent on more than just the dice. D&D is a roleplaying game, which means that you (the DM) and the players are playing characters. You play all of the NPCs, and it's your goal to try to understand their motivations and thought processes and have them do what they would do in a given situation. A published adventure might have some scripted outcomes in the event that your players take a predictable course, but if they decide to do something off-the-wall, you'll need to improvise. And of course, you can always tweak the published material if you're comfortable doing so. It's not like Wizards of the Coast is staring over your shoulder making sure that you follow the text to the letter.

u/ericedge · 1 pointr/DnD

It seems to be this screen given the three-panel black vinyl layout. Twice as expensive as the official D&D screen, but the flexibility of the clear pockets is pretty spiffy.

For even less money and with more color choices and 33% MORE PANELS, there's this screen. It seems to stand a little taller than the first screen, too, if that's a bonus at all.

u/OddBen11 · 1 pointr/DnD

It's annoying, but it is perfect for what a DM is looking to do. Really makes me happy to draw these out with my crayons.

If you want something a bit more useful in the long run, try looking into dry erase ones. This one is great

u/JakeEkiss · 1 pointr/DnD

Sidekicks are paired down helper NPCs that you can find either in the new Essential's Kit that was recently released (as well as on D&D Beyond, where you can pay a discounted price for *just* the sidekick options) or you can use the slightly less streamlined (but free) rules from unearthed arcana that were the prototypes for the essentials kit versions.

Basically sidekicks are like a monster statblock, but friendly, and designed to be helpful to players, but with fewer options to keep track of.

You *could* make them as full characters, but if so I'd make your sidekicks a level or two lower than the party. That said, a full PC character is a lot of detail to put in for a character that is only there in a support role.

u/Team_Braniel · 5 pointsr/DnD

Also if you have the MM and are looking for yet more monsters for your campaign, OR have players like mine that all know the MM by heart and it becomes a challenge to surprise them constantly with new and creative monsters... check out The Tome of Beasts by Kobold Press

Its worked great for me so far.

u/Devil_Nights · 2 pointsr/DnD

Pathfinder Pawns are a very good alternative to plastic minis. They won't have some of the more iconic D&D baddies like Beholders, but that is a minor complaint. I also use the Paizo battle mats but that is just because I got them for free somewhere. I lay a piece of plexi-glass over the map and just use a dry erase marker on the plexi. Way easier to clean up than the maps.

Tome of Beasts is a great supplement full of 5e monsters.

I like using the Dungeon Crawl Classics dice set. It is a simple, fun way to have "unique" monsters or abilties that roll odd dice to hit or for damage. Players always get a kick out of using something like a D30 when they roll to attack.

u/Ryngard · 6 pointsr/DnD

I think 5e is far better but your mileage may vary.

You can look at the Basic Rules here for free.

The buy-in for 5e is really slim. I HIGHLY suggest the Starter Set.

> You have the Core Rulebooks:

u/MmmVomit · 19 pointsr/DnD

> So, I only have 30 minutes with the group once a week as a DnD club. I figure that I'm just going to be there to facilitate them getting into groups and finding their own DMs so they can play outside of the school day.

Yes, this sounds like the way to do it. It sounds like you'll have a weekly clinic for people to level up characters, talk out rules issues, work out group issues, share awesome stories and such.

> I also will likely need to start some fundraisers for game materials since we're in a VERY high poverty school.

Since you have so many players, you're getting into territory where buying in bulk becomes realistic.

  • Dice at $1.50 per set
  • Butt loads of paper for tactical combat
  • Meeples instead of minis

    Even if $1.50 is too much for these kids to spare for a set of dice, if the kids are playing at school after hours, these can be club materials.

    You might also reach out to book stores, game stores, theater groups, art stores, office supply stores and such to see if there's any type of sponsorship opportunities to help with some of this stuff.
u/Ackbladder · 1 pointr/DnD

I'm partial to the 2nd Edition Campaign Setting (Grey Box). They look to go for outrageous prices on Ebay, but if you can find one at a used bookstore I'd snap it up.

One of my beefs with Forgotten Reams is that TSR/Wizards took a charming setting, and tried to introduce in-game events to reflect rule changes. Things like the Spell Plague, and replacing cool deities like Myrkul and Bane with lamo poseur deities like Cyric and Kelemvor.

With 5E, I've decided I'm taking my FR back to Ed Greenwood's 2E Grey Box roots, and ignoring all the crap that came after.

Sadly, there is no PDF of the 2E campaign setting on www.dndclassics.com, but the 3E PDF is available for $15.99. I haven't looked at that, but it seems to get high marks on Amazon!.

In addition to the Cleric Quintet, I really liked the Elfsong books by Elaine Cunningham, if you'd rather explore by fiction.

Finally, once you have a general feel for the Realms, Candlekeep! and the Wiki! are great for looking up any particular bit of info.

u/Cubic_C333 · 6 pointsr/DnD

There's all sorts of pre-made campaign modules that have already established worlds and towns and people and adventures. You can find them in game stores or pretty much anywhere online. A few of them include Curse of Strahd, Horde of the Dragon Queen, and Storm King's Thunder.

Best of luck with the DMing!

u/PhilWinklehart · 24 pointsr/DnD

A dry erase DnD map. I got one as a gift and it was the best DnD gift I’ve ever gotten. I’ll link the one I got below.

A DM screen is always a safe bet too if they do not have one. I assume you can find that thru Amazon.


Map: https://www.amazon.com/Battle-Grid-Game-Mat-36/dp/B01MQHECUR

u/MeekTheUndying · 21 pointsr/DnD

A few particular items of interest from Amazon :

u/SergeantIndie · 3 pointsr/DnD

Thats nice, but a chessex battlemap is durable and amazing. Not even that expensive. They last years and are well worth the investment. Mine is 10 years old and I'm pretty sure I'll get another decade out of it at least.

If you want to premap out rooms ahead of time instead of drawing on the spot? Get something like this. It's 50 sheets of 24x37, that's a lot of rooms/hallways/buildings to map out. If you do a lot of DMing then they even come in a 4 pack.

Think that is overpriced? Get a roll. The grid isn't exactly an inch, but it's close enough. We're gaming, not trying to land on the moon. It's 34" by 200 feet. That's enough for entire campaigns.

Is 200 feet too much investment for you? 8 bucks gets you 12 feet, that's twice the length of typical wrapping paper (I seem to find 6 feet the norm). Hell, they threw the word "gaming" into the name and seem to have forgotten the 200% price mark up that normally accompanies the term.

Wrapping paper has to be the single most ridiculous way to do D&D. They don't all have grids, and the price is not great. Maybe if it goes on some sort of supersale and you can ensure that it has grids on the other side, go for it, but there's just better sources of grids available out there.

u/Violenze_ · 2 pointsr/DnD

I just bought this Battlemat and it works great for everything we would need it for. The size is kinda in-between both of the ones you linked, and as a bonus it comes with markers (which work really great btw).

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MQHECUR/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

u/SwampDonQuixote · 3 pointsr/DnD

Questions for DM/Players DnD [5e]

Hey everyone, I have some questions coming from a DM's standpoint. I've recently drug my friends into DnD and everyone seems to be loving it. I still have a few questions regarding how to go about things as a DM though or how other groups go about it, anyways here goes. (We're currently running LMoP by the way)

​

  1. How do you go about telling certain players what they see if another player might not see the item/object? Do you just tell them, send them a text, write it on a piece of paper, etc.?
  2. We're currently using a dry erase grid How do you go about revealing areas of the map to them? Do you draw them out in whole and let them venture through, or go about it in sections as they walk into them then drawing out what they see?
  3. Also how do you go about picking targets if they're engaged in combat? I always feel like I pick on the closest one to the enemy when combat breaks out, am I wrong to feel that way?

    These are some of the questions I have for now, but I might be back with more we'll see lol. Anyways thanks in advance for any suggestions or answers!
u/MerroStep · 1 pointr/DnD

Awesome advice, thank you.

In regards to which books to invest in, do you think I, as a "player-first, potential DM second," I should just stick with buying the Player's Handbook now? Especially since I would only be DMing new players almost exclusively for the near future?

Or should I buy the Rulebook Gift Set which is cheaper on Amazon right now for about $8 less than the 3 books separately?

u/gatesvp · 2 pointsr/DnD

Have you grabbed "Tome of Beasts" from Kobold Press?
https://www.amazon.com/Beasts-Wolfgang-Baur/dp/1936781565/

It's not "official", but it's pretty high quality. Many of the creatures are pulled from their Midgard campaign setting, so that may be your best source.

u/bondlegolas · 1 pointr/DnD

http://www.amazon.com/Hoard-Dragon-Queen-Adventure-Wizards/dp/0786965649/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1425978484&sr=1-2&keywords=rise+of+tiamat

Not pdf form but it's cheap enough on amazon that you can try it and see how you enjoy it. There's also a second book to this specific campaign and between the two takes the characters from level 1(? not sure) to around 15. Also keep in mind most of these are made for 4 person parties

u/1D13 · 7 pointsr/DnD

Personally I enjoy my Wiz Dice Bag of Devouring: 140 Polyhedral Dice in 20 Guaranteed Complete Sets

The dice seem well balanced. I don't have weird outliers like I seem to always get with Chessex, plus it comes in a sweet bag of devouring bag. Plop that baby down at a table and gamers ooh and awe.

u/Zukazuk · 2 pointsr/DnD

We use these and our whole group thinks they're great. We can quickly mock up the map with dry erase markers and it's easy to add a tile on if the battle shifts. Our current party is 8 with the NPCs without including any enemies so it really helps us keep track of where everyone is. It also helps justify my miniature obsession.

u/occam7 · 1 pointr/DnD

I play a sorcerer as well, and love it.

As far as real-life purchases, other than a PHB, I find spell cards extremely helpful, though they are by no means required.

You can find the main Arcane set here (will cover you if you decide to play a Warlock or Wizard in the future as well), and a few additional spells here (you can probably live without these).

For some reason those links are showing insane prices, so I'm just including them for the pictures. You should be able to get the arcane set for $20 or less, and the archetypes set for less than $10 at your FLGS.

u/jrobharing · 2 pointsr/DnD

Easiest solution:

  1. Buy this.

  2. Buy dry-erase markers (or washable markers, depending on your preference).

  3. Use the markers to draw terrain and walls as needed.

  4. Anything extra you have is icing on the cake. Toys, miniatures, printed custom maps, pathfinder flip-mats... just slowly build your collection for the rest of your DMing career, great side hobby.

u/Chance4e · 1 pointr/DnD

It takes a lot of time to design a campaign. The one I'm running now, I started penning two years before I even met these players. And it's just a heroic tier setting, for levels one through ten.

If I were you, I'd pick up Hoard of the Dragon Queen. I think this was the first full-sized adventure for 5e, apart from the starter kit. It should have plenty of material for you guys to enjoy.

u/worldtravelinlover · 1 pointr/DnD

For a one time investment, you will never need to buy grid paper ever again. Ok, that's a lie. Each one lasts about a year in my experience. We use like 4-5 feet of it each session, but the size and ability to erase lets us keep track of temporary modifiers, hitpoints, Spells/day, active effects right in view of everyone. It also lets the DM reuse or modify maps as necessary. I think he keeps them in labeled poster tubes in his closet, personally...

u/MelissaJuice · 2 pointsr/DnD

The standard 5E DM screen is excellent.

The starter set is also excellent.

u/PoseidonsHairyNipple · 1 pointr/DnD

If you and the bois haven't ever played before, one of you should pick up either the D&D Starter Set or the D&D Essentials Kit. They're each $12 on amazon and have a beginning adventure, basic rules set, and pre-gen characters to play. Solid place to start. The Starter set has the adventure "Lost Mines of Phandelver", which is a classic.

If you get through one or both of those, the next step would be for the group to decide who'd be the DM. That person should pick up the Core Rule Set books (Players Handbook, DM's Guide, Monster Manual). It'd help if the other players picked up their own copy of the Players Handbook.

u/bydias · 2 pointsr/DnD

Probably too late for this weekend, but what you want is this: https://www.amazon.com/Greenwood-Presents-Elminsters-Forgotten-Realms/dp/0786960345/

That's the book Ed Greenwood put together talking about what everyday life's like in the Realms. Very interesting if you're looking for those sorts of tidbits.

u/TroubledViking · 1 pointr/DnD

I use the Pathfinder Play-Mats, just the generic brown mat worked fine for me and it's wet/dry/permanent erase too. They also have themed maps (forest, hills, ship, tavern, etc) if that interests you but the basic brown/grey mat works great. This one is probably the most versatile for ~$20.

u/Colossal_Ika · 1 pointr/DnD

I went for the Dungeons and Dragons DM Screen Reincarnated:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/078696619X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_h4RoDb8RDFYX5

Its not too expensive and comes with all the basic info you would need on hand in a game. But feel free to stick more to it as well Haha.

Edit: edited broken link

u/Sarlax · 4 pointsr/DnD

My screen is actually a vertical four-panel vinyl screen with 8 clear pockets (four on the DM side, four on the player side), so you can slide sheets into each one like so. I usually put in stats for important NPCs, maps, indexes, etc. And since it's clear vinyl, I can mark off used powers with dry erase markers.

Here is a similar one with a horizontal layout.

u/Schtorples · 1 pointr/DnD

You're missing one. Granted, it's not a WOTC product but definitely well worth it in my opinion.

u/Heyydin · 2 pointsr/DnD

There is no free official PDF for Critical Role. You can check out the Critical Role Fandom Wiki to find things that have occurred in the stream to help you out.


They have an official book that you can purchase. I don't own the book (yet) but my friend does and it's filled with so much information. It's worth the purchase if you're looking into having a CR campaign.

u/infinitum3d · 1 pointr/DnD

I always recommend allThingsHeroscape.com has a set of 4 warriors already painted for $5 USD and a Red/Copper Dragon for $6 USD and a set of 30 figures for under $30 USD but some of those are robots and army guys, so they'll need some modifications and repainted.

Ok, don't laugh too hard at me, but I got this "bucket of monsters" really cheap, and you'd be surprised at how many will work for D&D, especially if you paint them. It's 100 monsters for, like $18 bucks American.

Edit: This is a "fantasy creatures" bucket for $23.

u/historianLA · 1 pointr/DnD

I really like this map made for pathfinder. This pack has two-double sided maps (stone, grass, water, and dirt). I find it very versatile and works great with wet erase markers. They make other maps with basic buildings/rooms on them too!

u/Duzzit_Madder · 2 pointsr/DnD

Get familiar, it's a crazy map. Part of a crazier adventure module. Find it in the book "Tales from the Yawning Portal" which compiles all of the best modules in DnD history. When I first saw it I was impressed. And that's saying something as I'm from the MTV generation, we feel neither highs nor lows.

u/doryteke · 3 pointsr/DnD

I ordered these for our first campaign and they worked great. Bunch of options and it was 22 bucks. Have everyone pitch in 6 bucks and you should be good.

u/DyingDutchmanNL · 1 pointr/DnD

I recommend either the Starter Set adventure or the Essentials set adventure, as both are great at teaching the game to new players and DM's alike.

u/forlasanto · 0 pointsr/DnD

They missed the window for this product in a pretty huge way. This should have come out about the same time as the PHB. Now, everyone who needed one either has resorted to crafting their own, or has found VASTLY superior alternatives.

u/Reptar_Jesus · 1 pointr/DnD

Some book stores, you can go to a Barnes and Noble and ask an employee who can have it ordered for pickup for you. Other wise you can get it on sale on amazon right now

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1936781565/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_18Z-zb6VDY9JY

u/chaos_47 · 3 pointsr/DnD

First came the chessex "pound of dice".
https://www.amazon.com/Chessex-001LBCHX-Pound-O-Dice/dp/B008C0KXYS/


Then Wiz dice came out with their "Random Bag" (which people found to not be too random and usually was almost full sets, usually 15 sets, sometimes 14 and one incomplete, but only 1 was "guaranteed").
https://www.amazon.com/Wiz-Dice-Random-Polyhedral-Multiple/dp/B009R6J8RY/


So then Wiz came out with the "Bag of Holding" with 20 guaranteed sets
https://www.amazon.com/Wiz-Dice-Bag-Holding-Polyhedral/dp/B01476QV14/
This is the one I got and love.


Looking back into them today it appears that there are some new versions...


"Random Bag II" now with guaranteed 15 sets
https://www.amazon.com/Wiz-Dice-Pack-Random-Polyhedral/dp/B01KN7REWQ/


"Bag of Devouring" with guaranteed 20 sets
https://www.amazon.com/Wiz-Dice-Bag-Devouring-Polyhedral/dp/B01KP4T6TQ/


u/SynV92 · 1 pointr/DnD

So if you're willing to spend the coin


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0786966629/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


These books are all on sale for the same price as buying all 3 of them individually. It comes with a DM screen, and all 3 books are foiled. Super cool.

u/OverlySexualCellist · 1 pointr/DnD

Does it need to be a board/inflexible? I use these and am also planning to get this when funds allow it. They're great because they're portable and work with dry and wet erase pens (chessex mat is only wet erase I believe).

u/KWiP1123 · 4 pointsr/DnD

I use these D&D tokens.

They're (relatively) inexpensive, and you get a ton of them in the box. I can't always find exactly what I'm looking for, but I can pretty much always find something suitably close. 1 set of these has sustained me for a year of playing. They even have individually-numbered multiples for most of the creature types, and some of the more common creatures (humans, goblins, zombies, etc.) have 10 or more that you can use at once.

u/btmontanye · 1 pointr/DnD

I know one cheap solution has already been proposed, but I just wanted to throw these out there:

https://smile.amazon.com/Dungeon-interlocking-role-playing-miniature-tabletop/dp/B016H1B0RW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497531919&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=dungeon+tiles+dry+erase&psc=1&smid=A380WD9LOHYW0R

They are white board pieces that assemble like puzzle pieces. This allows you to continuously build onward when in a dungeon crawl situation, or have an enormous board if that's your thing. Slightly pricey, but highly recommended.

u/Filthybiped · 40 pointsr/DnD

For DMs who have most/all of the 5e material I highly recommend The Tome of Beasts. It's 400+ new monsters for 5e done by Kobold Press. I am thoroughly impressed with it!

u/atribecalledstark · 2 pointsr/DnD

I used these when I first started DMing, not really all to scale but close enough and super cheap for a bunch of minis.

Bucket of fantasy miniatures

Bucket of monsters

Bucket of mythical

Bucket of knights

u/SporeZealot · 1 pointr/DnD

You're welcome. They're sold on Amazon. I bought the bag of devouring. I like them.

Wiz Dice Bag of Devouring: Collection of 140 Polyhedral Dice in 20 Guaranteed Complete Sets for Tabletop Role-Playing Games – Solids, Translucents, Swirls, Glitters, Alchemic Oddities https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KP4T6TQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_T9tSCb0VBEP8W

u/daren_sf · 1 pointr/DnD

When I started play testing Next I purchased this book: http://www.amazon.com/Greenwood-Presents-Elminsters-Forgotten-Realms/dp/0786960345

It's Edition Agnostic! (It's just Ed detailing the Realms…) The photo with that link is awful. The material of the cover is fantastic! It feels like suede.

u/Quietus87 · 2 pointsr/DnD

Grimtooth's Museum of Death, the old Grimtooth books, and Grimtooth's Ultimate Trap Collection are full of dirty ideas. There is also the classic Tomb of Horrors (converted to 5e in Tales from the Yawning Portal), and Deadly Trappings which collects traps from the Knights of the Dinner Table magazine. Using most of these can be an overkill, but they are great for mining ideas.

Also, watch Indiana Jones.

u/hans_co · 3 pointsr/DnD

Thanks!

EDIT: uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh and ummmmmmmmmmmm wat

Welp, guess I'll tell my friend not to play Essentials.

u/GenericCabbage · 3 pointsr/DnD

Here's an easy cheap one using 3 ring binders. You could always try something like a menu cover with the two folds and the clear plastic cover so you can slip easy to forget rules or character names or just a picture or something on the outside and all your notes and things on the inside. If you don't want to go that route there's always the Savage Worlds customizable GM screen. Matt Mercer has tips on what to include when you set your DM screen.

u/AxisOfJedi · 3 pointsr/DnD

This book from 3E. Its actually one of the absolute best written D&D books covering a setting there is. Stunningly detailed. Pick it up on Amazon if you can.

https://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Campaign-Setting-Dungeons-Roleplaying/dp/0786918365/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509952365&sr=8-1-fkmr2&keywords=forgotten+realms+3e

u/RuroniHS · 2 pointsr/DnD

Best dice deals are on amazon. 17.99 for 15 sets of dice.

u/isaacpriestley · 2 pointsr/DnD

Most anywhere you'd buy the Player's Handbook or the Dungeon Master's Guide, I would think. Your local game shop, Amazon.com...

For example:

https://www.amazon.com/Next-Arcane-Spell-Deck-73904/dp/B00P81YZS4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467255825&sr=8-1&keywords=d%26d+spell+cards

They've got a pack of cards with each spell for each of the spell types--Arcane, Cleric, Druid, Ranger, etc. They also make cards with spells for Cleric Domains, for racial abilities, and for some other special abilities too.

u/Invisachubbs · 2 pointsr/DnD

If you want to get into 5e, get the core book set. It is a good place to start. I'm partial to Eberron, and getting that setting book could be a decent way to get into the as well, with it having just released.

u/NoNoNota1 · 3 pointsr/DnD

http://www.amazon.com/Pacon-Grid-Roll-Inch-Rule/dp/B000XP23O8/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top Not used it myself, but it has decent enough reviews for the purpose it serves. And it's pretty cheap considering you likely won't need another roll for a few years.

u/matthileo · 4 pointsr/DnD

Elminster's Forgotten Realms is pretty good, and it's not tied to any edition.

u/BmpBlast · 4 pointsr/DnD

Two options:

  1. Free

  1. Buy premade cards:

  • Elemental
  • Bard
  • Paladin
  • Ranger
  • Druid
  • Cleric
  • Arcane

    I have not yet personally bought the premade cards yet, but I have heard other mention that they don't have overlaps. In other words, if you bought say the Cleric set you would be missing any spells considered Arcane that the Cleric can learn. Even if you only want the Druid or Cleric you're probably going to need to buy 4-5 sets if you want all the skills for those two classes. In this case, it might be worth buying the two sets you want and filling in the blanks with the first option until you can afford the rest (I'm just making the assumption you don't want to drop $100 on spell cards all in one go here).
u/TheSheDM · 5 pointsr/DnD

Ebay is a terrible place to buy small amounts of minis. I only go there if I have a chunk of cash to drop on a big lot of minis.

http://www.beholderthebargains.com/ is generally a little cheaper than troll and toad. You can get some cheap minis even on troll and toad though, so if you're picky about some minis, then yes expect to pay more.

Fighters/Paladins/Barbarians/Rogues/Whatevers for less than $2
http://www.beholderthebargains.com/servlet/the-1447/Anvil-of-Thunder-Aberrations/Detail
http://www.beholderthebargains.com/servlet/the-1453/Man-dsh-at-dsh-Arms-Aberrations-Dungeons-Dragons/Detail
http://www.beholderthebargains.com/servlet/the-1475/Emerald-Claw-Soldier-Aberrations/Detail
http://www.beholderthebargains.com/servlet/the-1478/Half-dsh-Elf-Hexblade-Aberrations-Dungeons/Detail
http://www.beholderthebargains.com/servlet/the-1456/Aasimar-Favored-Soul-Aberrations/Detail
http://www.beholderthebargains.com/servlet/the-1459/Cleric-of-Garl-Glittergold/Detail
http://www.beholderthebargains.com/servlet/the-2146/Captain-of-the-Watch/Detail
http://www.beholderthebargains.com/servlet/the-1567/Cleric-of-Dol-Arrah/Detail
http://www.beholderthebargains.com/servlet/the-1568/Dwarf-Raider-Angelfire-Dungeons/Detail
http://www.beholderthebargains.com/servlet/the-1572/Spiker-Champion-Angelfire-Dungeons/Detail
http://www.beholderthebargains.com/servlet/the-1583/Elf-Swashbuckler-Angelfire-Dungeons/Detail
http://www.beholderthebargains.com/servlet/the-1587/Longstrider-Ranger-Angelfire-Dungeons/Detail
http://www.beholderthebargains.com/servlet/the-1589/Talenta-Halfling-Angelfire-Dungeons/Detail
http://www.beholderthebargains.com/servlet/the-1465/Sharn-Cutthroat-Aberrations-Dungeons/Detail
http://www.beholderthebargains.com/servlet/the-1464/Longtooth-Barbarian-Aberrations-Dungeons/Detail
http://www.beholderthebargains.com/servlet/the-1491/Carrion-Tribe-Barbarian-Aberrations/Detail
http://www.beholderthebargains.com/servlet/the-2143/Shifter-Claw-Adept-Against/Detail
http://www.beholderthebargains.com/servlet/the-1811/Half-dsh-Orc-Spy-Blood-War/Detail
http://www.beholderthebargains.com/servlet/the-1336/Githzerai-Archfiends-Dungeons-Dragons/Detail
http://www.beholderthebargains.com/servlet/the-1595/Xeph-Warrior-Angelfire-Dungeons/Detail -- Monk for less than $1
http://www.beholderthebargains.com/servlet/the-1816/Soldier-of-Bytopia-Blood/Detail -- gnome for less than $1
http://www.beholderthebargains.com/servlet/the-1842/Kobold-Monk-Blood-War/Detail -- kobold monk for less than $1
http://www.beholderthebargains.com/servlet/the-1852/Doomguard-Blood-War-Dungeons/Detail -- female rogue less than $1

Spellcasters for less than $2
http://www.beholderthebargains.com/servlet/the-1592/Wand-Expert-Angelfire-Dungeons/Detail
http://www.beholderthebargains.com/servlet/the-1649/Wizard-Tactician-Underdark-Dungeons/Detail
http://www.beholderthebargains.com/servlet/the-1382/Aramil%2C-Adventurer-Giants-of/Detail
http://www.beholderthebargains.com/servlet/the-1706/Mephling-Pyromancer-War-Drums/Detail
http://www.beholderthebargains.com/servlet/the-2012/Blood-of-Vol-Fanatic/Detail
http://www.beholderthebargains.com/servlet/the-2092/Tiefling-Warlock-Dungeons-of/Detail
http://www.beholderthebargains.com/servlet/the-1949/Wild-Mage-Night-Below/Detail

There's more. They're there, if you have the patience to find them.

If you're pressed for money over minis I'd recommend get nice minis for your PCs and invest in a nice set of tokens for your bad guys. Maybe splurge on a cool mini for your BBEG, because at this stage minis are pricey if you're buying for monsters.

The Pathfinder boosters are decent and have some cool monsters. If you've got the cash, buying by the case can get you a good selection fast at better prices per mini than buying individuals. You'll have the advantage of getting a mix of PC minis AND monster minis with those. See here and here



I could go on, but if you take your time and browse, there's a lot you can find.

u/Huberland324 · 3 pointsr/DnD

Ya know, they have these things you can order known as "Pound O' Dice" that comes with quite a few sets. Perfect for your addiction.

I'm an enabler.

Edit: here's a link, JUST IN CASE.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KN7REWQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_3PVPybNTS3MQ3

u/ComicBookNerd · 10 pointsr/DnD

Highly recommend these alternative mapping options as well:

Dry Erase Dungeon Tiles, Combo Set of five 10" and sixteen 5" interlocking squares for role-playing and miniature tabletop games
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016H1B0RW/

u/DaemianX · 1 pointr/DnD

The new starter box set, Dungeons & Dragons - Essentials Kit, enables users to learn how to play the game or become a Dungeon Master.

​

>• Play with groups as small as two players (one Dungeon Master & one adventurer) for the first time in D&D fifth edition with the introduction of “sidekicks.”

u/willrobot · 12 pointsr/DnD

I have had a few friends buy this: https://www.amazon.com/Wiz-Dice-Pack-Random-Polyhedral/dp/B01KN7REWQ/ref=sr_1_4

It guarantees 15 full sets and the quality seemed fine. It's hard to beat for the price.

u/gradenko_2000 · 1 pointr/DnD

You can print up some small pictures, paste them on cardstock, clip the cardstock to a binder clip ( http://i.imgur.com/wOg2Ln3.jpg ) and then remove the "legs" from the binder clip so that it'll stand upright on its own. Cheap and effective.

If you want an official product, you can look at
http://paizo.com/products/btpy8tj5?Pathfinder-Pawns-Bestiary-Box
http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Vault-Essential-Dungeons-Dragons/dp/0786956313

u/DrYoshiyahu · 6 pointsr/DnD

Most of it is in the Tal'Dorei Campaign Guide, so posting any of it online would be piracy. I can still provide what I think may be a complete list, with sources, if that helps.

u/mrjwojcik · 2 pointsr/DnD

Hi, dm here - the battlemat is from the standard paizo flipmatset I think:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1601255578/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_2YKDCbD9CE4MJ

This set is really useful as it has green-grass, water, dungeon and market-square on it.

u/DankDungeonDelver · 2 pointsr/DnD

No, but if you're getting the core rules there's a set that's the 3 core books and a DM scree‏‎n.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0786966629/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_AaaZDbQBW1NAC

Really though the screen is just a nice add-on, anything would work, bit of cardboard, a book, whatever.

u/SailorDad · 1 pointr/DnD

If you're looking to spend money.

If not, I had seen templates from other people that you could print on your own. The main one hardcodex.ru seems down? You could try searching to find an up-to-date, active one? I think you may not find all the spells, as they would be under copyright, except the SRD ones, available here for one.

u/Hunyock · 1 pointr/DnD

My solution?
http://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Flip-Mat-Basic/dp/1601255381/

Or even better, the 2-pack http://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Flip-Mat-Basic-Terrain-Multi-Pack/dp/1601255578/

I can't believe these aren't more popular. I love mine - dry erase is so much easier and faster than wet erase!

u/JonTheBold · 1 pointr/DnD

You mean die-cut cardboard tokens? If so, they did do this for 4th edition D&D. You might be able to find it for a reasonable price on somewhere like eBay.

u/ZeroSumHappiness · 19 pointsr/DnD

1" Grid Paper Roll 34 1/2" x 200' for $42.

I'm also looking at other options because I really like this idea. I'm thinking a table with an electronic roller built in. You can use it to chart your whole campaign! Add some good electronics and you can press a button and have the roll change to the environment you previously drew to go back to the scene of a crime!

u/Enventions · 1 pointr/DnD

For those that are interested: DND Core Books w/ Screen

They are also currently running a deal "three for the price of two" which has a bunch of DND modules and such included if you search "DND" or "Wizards of the Coast". Deal found here

u/samuraivillain · 1 pointr/DnD

If your interested here is what we recently started off with

Battle Maps

Models for Baddies

And are using lego chars for our pcs

Edit: mobile formatting ftl

u/thelegitcelery · 2 pointsr/DnD

(5e) New DM (just finished the 5e starter pack). I plan on running Tyranny of Dragons soon and I just bought the adventure book (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0786965649/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) Will I need any additional books ( I.e the monster manual or dungeon guide?)

u/LimeBalthazar · 1 pointr/DnD

I've heard this book recommended several times. It's written by Ed Greenwood - the guy who created the Forgotten Realms - and apparently it just oozes flavor. It's been on my wish list for a while now.

u/Ianoren · 2 pointsr/DnD

The first two are the different core books. Player's Handbook, Monster Manual.

The last is a Dungeon Master Screen, which looks like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Dungeon-Masters-Screen-Reincarnated-Wizards/dp/078696619X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511802648&sr=8-1&keywords=dungeon+master+screen

u/autismrox · 2 pointsr/DnD

You can get rolls of grid paper like this; http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000XP23O8 try your local art supplies/craft store.

u/tanj_redshirt · 2 pointsr/DnD

Just because you got me looking ... I'm not affiliated with Amazon, I promise!

https://www.amazon.com/SCS-Direct-Fantasy-Creatures-Playset/dp/B0746TKNSL/

u/wittyallusion · 2 pointsr/DnD

There's the wiki, which can give you some useful info.

If you're interested in a more in-depth reading, you could also try Ed Greenwood Presents Elminster's Forgotten Realms, which is a very long and cumbersome title but it's an edition-neutral setting guide.

u/PerfectTortilla · 2 pointsr/DnD

If he has nothing, get the d&d Essentials set. It's got rules, dice, an adventure, and a dm screen.

Or if you wanna go big, get this.
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0786966629/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_OpEvDbK919KCC

u/AntAPD · 2 pointsr/DnD

Id go preconstructed but just tell everyone not to start googling each of the preconstructed stories because it will completely break the game.

My DM bought this

Available via Amazon Prime https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Yawning-Portal-Dungeons-Dragons/dp/0786966092/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1504191513&sr=8-1&keywords=yawning+portal

It has multiple different stories. So you each could DM a different one to prevent spoiling the story

u/Kriv_Dewervutha · 4 pointsr/DnD

Depending on the complexity of the dungeon I'll either predraw, draw as it goes along, or only day certain areas as needed (with the rest being theatre of the mind). I use these when dming.
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B016H1B0RW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ygmaCbW14X828

u/NotADoppelganger · 4 pointsr/DnD

SCS Direct Fantasy Creatures Action Figure Playset - 90pc Monster Battle Toy Collection (Includes Dragons, Wizards, Orcs, and More) - Perfect for Roleplaying and D&D Gaming https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0746TKNSL/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_9kboDbD95VX1P

u/Asmor · 8 pointsr/DnD

https://camelcamelcamel.com/Xanathars-Guide-Everything-Wizards-Team/product/0786966114

CamelCamelCamel keeps a price history on most (all?) Amazon products. It appears that this is indeed a recent price change for XGE.

u/V2Blast · 1 pointr/DnD

Looks like HOTDQ and Rise of Tiamat are also on sale for around $20:

u/SchopenhauersSon · 1 pointr/DnD

Try to get your hands on the 3e setting book. It comes with a giant map and a lot, I mean a lot, of content. Here's the Amazon link:

https://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Campaign-Setting-Dungeons-Roleplaying/dp/0786918365

u/nmdrums · 2 pointsr/DnD

Amazon has the official DM screen. Link here

u/Hyuu-chan · 3 pointsr/DnD

I think you can buy giant grid paper rolls on amazon.

Edit link

Edit 2: of course there’s also these: link

u/xaddak · 1 pointr/DnD

You could just buy them on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Next-Arcane-Spell-Deck-73904/dp/B00P81YZS4

The manufacturer, Gale Force 9, makes a bunch of different sets. Arcane, cleric, druid...

u/tswarre · 1 pointr/DnD

Piggy backing on this to include the Third Party Critical Role setting: Tal'Dorei

u/JamesUpskirtMecha · 3 pointsr/DnD

Nah, I bought them from Amazon. [Link]

u/Hallalala · 1 pointr/DnD

Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting is an official book from Wizards of the Coast. It was printed during 3.0, but the genasi races shouldn't need anything changed to be usable in 3.5 games.

You can also find each race online:

Air Genasi

Fire Genasi

Water Genasi

Earth Genasi

u/onesquarefellow · 1 pointr/DnD

You're right, there are a lot of books that focus on specific aspects of FR, but this is the book that I'm using for general knowledge.

u/SaltedDice · 2 pointsr/DnD

If I remember correctly they produced the updated stats in the Monster Vault box.

u/QKninjaQK · 160 pointsr/DnD

Xanathar's Guide to Everything ($29.99)

Amazon Link

The latest official D&D book with 25 new subclasses and loads of alternate rules and DM tools.


Suitable for both players and DMs, it's suitable for everyone and new, so most D&D'ers may not have it yet.

u/NihilCantabile · 3 pointsr/DnD

The new dm screen seems nice. All the previous ones of 5e are mostly useless, this one has the info you really need Screen

u/TheTinyGM · 1 pointr/DnD

I think the most updated version is in the Taldorei campaign setting.
https://www.amazon.com/Critical-Role-TalDorei-Campaign-Setting/dp/1934547840

u/greyforyou · 1 pointr/DnD

There are probably options for most editions. Here is an example of spell cards for wizards/warlock and sorcerers. The same company makes cards for all casting classes I believe.

u/super_dann · 4 pointsr/DnD

D&D Next: Arcane Spell Deck 73904 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P81YZS4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_zS2tybV4ERWRT
These are the arcane, and you can find the other class cards with a quick search.

u/Etteluor · 2 pointsr/DnD

I would really reccomend not getting the chessex bundle though. get the wiz dice one. Lat time i bought the chessex one it was 60% d6s.

The wiz dice set comes with a bunch of full sets. I've bought 3 of the wiz dice bundles and have had 0 stray dice, all of them are from a set.

https://www.amazon.com/Wiz-Dice-Pack-Random-Polyhedral/dp/B01KN7REWQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1487972754&sr=8-3&keywords=wiz+dice

u/AngryFungus · 2 pointsr/DnD

Bag o Dice

Wiz Dice Bag of Devouring: Collection of 140 Polyhedral Dice in 20 Guaranteed Complete Sets for Tabletop Role-Playing Games - Solids, Translucents, Swirls, Glitters, Alchemic Oddities https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KP4T6TQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_u5rMDb89MEBDG

u/MasterBaser · 3 pointsr/DnD

Get a battlemat. It's a big grid that you can roll up and draw on with markers.

https://www.amazon.com/Battle-Grid-Game-Mat-36/dp/B01MQHECUR