Michael E. Shea's Blog

Instead of annotating every room on a dungeon map, write a list of possible chambers you can reference during play.

I'm a big fan of dungeon crawls ��� whether for infiltrating an inhabited location or exploring an old tomb. Exploring locations is just a fun activity for me as a GM and for my players. It also mostly fits my lazy style of prep �����I have no idea where the characters are going to go but I know it's somewhere in this location.

Dyson of Dyson Logos gave us 1,300 maps including 600 commercially licensed maps we can sift through to find great dungeon maps for our games.

But then we need to annotate them. What are each of those rooms?

Step 5 of the eight steps of game prep from Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master has us building fantastic locations. Each room on one of these maps might be a fantastic location but defining each room with three features that make rooms familiar, functional, and fantastic (using Rodney Thompson's great model for building fantastic locations) is a lot of work ��� too much work for a lazy GM like me.

In the optimistically titled Simplest Way to Annotate a Map, I talk about writing short room descriptions directly on a printed map.

But maybe' there's a simpler way!

List Chambers In Your Notes

Instead of putting down a detailed description of every room in a dungeon, write a list of locations abstract from the map. For example, we might have a map like this:

and instead of filling out every room on the map, we can list ten rooms like this:

Marrow Vaults. River styx, archway to Savandra's office, vault of forbidden tomes, underworld ziggurat, cracked obsidian sarcophagus, necrotic laboratory, squirming refuse pit, sacrilegious treasure vault, shrine to the Pale Lord, pain amplifier.

This loose list of room descriptions fits nicely into our "Fantastic Locations" section of our eight-step prep notes and doesn't require us to manually annotate the map.

If you're having trouble coming up with ideas for room descriptions like the Marrow Vaults, I have a list of twenty chamber descriptions for fifteen different types of dungeons in the Lazy GM's Resource Document released under a CC BY license.

Some descriptions clearly match specific rooms on the map but other ones do not. We can improvise these rooms as we need them from our list. Maybe a smaller chamber is a forbidden library. Maybe it's a sacrilegious treasure vault. Maybe it's a room with a pain amplifier or a cracked obsidian sarcophagus. You decide how tightly your room descriptions connect to the rooms on the map itself.

What you don't have to do is make a pretty annotated map.

This abstract annotation style fits a larger lazy GM principle: your notes serve only you. You aren't preparing a map for an adventure you're going to publish and sell. You're prepping these notes to help you run your game. No one else may ever see them. They don't have to be pretty. They don't have to be complete. They only have to help you run your game.

More Sly Flourish Stuff

Each week I record an episode of the Lazy RPG Talk Show (also available as a podcast) in which I talk about all things in tabletop RPGs.

Last Week's Lazy RPG Talk Show Topics

Here are last week's topics with time stamped links to the YouTube video.

Track Turns the Shadowdark Way, The Secret of the Eight Steps of Lazy GM Prep300 Room DescriptionsDMs Guild Humble BundleDungeon Master Diaries on Playing Games OnlineDaggerheart Initial ThoughtsRoll for Monster TargetsPatreon Questions and Answers

Also on the Talk Show, I answer questions from Sly Flourish Patrons. Here are last week's questions and answers.

Dealing with the Mid-Campaign BluesGetting Players to Spend TreasureTalk Show Links

Here are links to the sites I referenced during the talk show.

Track Turns the Shadowdark WayThe Secret of the Eight Steps of Lazy Game PrepRoom descriptions in the Lazy GM Resource DocDMs Guild Humble BundleDungeon Master Diaries ��� Playing OnlineDaggerheart

Last week I also posted a couple of YouTube videos on Adjudicating Stealth and Hiding in D&D 2024 and 5e and Sunspear ��� Dragon Empire Prep Session 37.

RPG Tips

Each week I think about what I learned in my last RPG session and write them up as RPG tips. Here are this week's tips:

Reiterate quest goals often. Throw the kitchen sink at high level characters. Nothing increases the threat in combat like more damage. Shrink dungeons to fit the time you have. Mix roleplay and exploration challenges in dungeon crawls. Use rank choice voting to determine the next quest of three. Choose monster targets randomly. Related ArticlesUse Dyson's MapsKitbashing DungeonsPrepping a DungeonGet More from Sly FlourishArticlesNewsletterBookstorePatreonPodcastYouTubeBuy Sly Flourish's Books City of Arches Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Lazy DM's Companion Lazy DM's Workbook Forge of Foes Fantastic Lairs Ruins of the Grendleroot Fantastic Adventures Fantastic Locations

Have a question or want to contact me? Check out Sly Flourish's Frequently Asked Questions.

There's a hidden secret of the eight steps of game prep outlined in [Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master]. The steps themselves are less important than helping you feel like you're getting a handle on the game you're going to run.

Often that feeling of being prepared doesn't come from the notes themselves but from having a step-by-step process to get your head around the practical implications of the game.

You have friends coming over or jumping online to play ��� what are you going to run for them? Our games can feel limitless. Often we stare into the empty void of possibility and feel madness creeping in like we're some ill-fated Lovecraftian protagonist.

Structure fills this void. The structure of the eight steps helps us follow a step-by-step procedure to turn this giant ball of proto-soup into real things we can use during our game.

Our game prep process helps us feel like we have a handle on the game we're going to run. That's the most important thing. The specific elements of our prep might be less important.

Your prep has one purpose ��� to help you get your hands around the next game you're going to run. Whatever steps get you there ��� those steps are there to serve you. You don't owe your prep process or notes anything.

Because our prep process serves us to run great games, it's important to look at each element of our prep and ask if it helped serve that purpose. If it didn't, maybe we skip it next time and re-evaluate after our next game. Shaving down our prep to what we need saves time and gives us more freedom to let the game evolve at the table. It's easy to chase perfection ��� prepping more and more material we don't actually need ��� when "good enough" might be the better target.

Ensure your prep process and materials serve you to help you run a great game.

That is their only purpose.

More Sly Flourish Stuff

Each week I record an episode of the Lazy RPG Talk Show (also available as a podcast) in which I talk about all things in tabletop RPGs.

Last Week's Lazy RPG Talk Show Topics

Here are last week's topics with time stamped links to the YouTube video.

Lazy 5e Magic Item Prices, Track Turns the Shadowdark Way, 14th Key of Worlds Scenario5e Artisanal Database Treasure GeneratorsIronsworn Bundle of HoldingAethereal Expanse Dreams of the Drowned God by Ghostfire GamingCritical Role Season 4 Uses D&D 2024Dark Sun Subclasses in PlaytestingCypher System 2e Preview from Monte Cook GamesNimble Boxed SetFixing Counterspell and Spell-Like AttacksPatreon Questions and Answers

Also on the Talk Show, I answer questions from Sly Flourish Patrons. Here's last week's question.

How to Reveal Character SecretsTalk Show Links

Here are links to the sites I referenced during the talk show.

Ironsworn Bundle of HoldingAethereal Expanse Dreams of the Drowned God KickstarterCritical Role Season 4 to Use D&D 2024Dark Sun Subclass PlaytestCypher System PreviewNimble Boxed SetNimble Quickstart Rules

Last week I also posted a couple of YouTube videos on Chessex Battle Mat Versus the Pathfinder Flip Mat Basic and Sapphire's Song ��� Dragon Empire Prep Session 36.

RPG Tips

Each week I think about what I learned in my last RPG session and write them up as RPG tips. Here are this week's tips:

Roll randomly or seek input from players to build out components of your adventure or campaign. Use books and paper character sheets. Digital sheets aren���t as convenient as you think. Seek to understand the relationship between monster power and character power so you can gauge the threat of a potential encounter. Start and end with the fiction. Describe flavor, then mechanics, then back to flavor. Run short simple adventures and encounters to understand new systems. A system may not be for you but that doesn���t make it bad. Find out why people love the ones you don���t. Build adventures from the backgrounds and motivations of the characters. Related ArticlesScenes ��� The Catch-all Step of the Lazy Dungeon MasterUsing the Lazy DM's Eight Steps At the TableWrite One Page of Prep NotesGet More from Sly FlourishArticlesNewsletterBookstorePatreonPodcastYouTubeBuy Sly Flourish's Books City of Arches Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Lazy DM's Companion Lazy DM's Workbook Forge of Foes Fantastic Lairs Ruins of the Grendleroot Fantastic Adventures Fantastic Locations

Have a question or want to contact me? Check out Sly Flourish's Frequently Asked Questions.

The awesome Shadowdark RPG has lots of ways to get things moving and keep up the pace during the game. Real-world one-hour torch timers ensure players don't spend too much time poking around. Effects with turn-based durations mean you're always tracking turns to see when things run out. Characters are always in initiative in Shadowdark ��� even outside of combat.

It took me time to grasp staying in turn order when playing Shadowdark but a simple trick helped me stick to it.

When my players and I sit down at our table, I write character names on the battle mat in front of me in a semi-circle, arrayed so the name of the character is aligned to the player around the table.

To keep track of turns, I use a token, often a skull-decorated lazy monster token. I put it on the character whose turn it is. As turns move forward, I move the token clockwise around the list of characters, asking the next player what they want to do ��� even outside of combat.

When the token moves all the way around, you can assume ten minutes have passed in the game. This passage of time might affect spell durations, potential random encounters, or other in-world timed events. Use tick marks to track the number of turns passed.

Shadowdark's "always track turns" rule is designed to ensure everyone at the table gets their time in the spotlight. It helps you avoid accidentally ignoring quiet players over loud ones and keeps the game moving forward at a good pace.

This trick works just as well in 5e as it does in Shadowdark. 5e has just as much a need to keep things moving forward and ensuring each player gets their time in the spotlight.

Sometimes the turn order gets away from us. Players jump in with ideas or break outside of their turn order to coordinate differently. That's fine. Let it happen. Then move things back to the turn order. See if anyone got left out when things jumped around and start the turn order with them.

When playing online, we don't have players sitting around a table. But we can still keep a list of the characters in front of us and use it to keep track of turns. We can make a copy of this list for initiative or to track abstract distances in combat.

The next time you're running a game, write down a list of characters oriented towards their players around the table and use a token to keep track of whose turn it is. This trick keeps the spotlight moving around the table, gives each player an equal chance to shine, and keeps the game moving at a good clip at the all at same time.

More Sly Flourish Stuff

Each week I record an episode of the Lazy RPG Talk Show (also available as a podcast) in which I talk about all things in tabletop RPGs.

Last Week's Lazy RPG Talk Show Topics

Here are last week's topics with time stamped links to the YouTube video.

NPC Betrayal, 5e Magic Item PricesReadings and Reflections 5eADB Dice Roller and Point Buy CalculatorTales of the Valiant Starter SetD&D Versus Magic the GatheringLazy Map AnnotationPatreon Questions and Answers

Also on the Talk Show, I answer questions from Sly Flourish Patrons. Here are last week's questions and answers.

Best Tools for Digital D&D?Shadowdark Feeling with 5eTalk Show Links

Here are links to the sites I referenced during the talk show.

Avoid NPC BetrayalLazy 5e Magic Item PricesTales of the Valiant Starter SetHasbro Earnings Call TranscriptBen Rigg's Gencon Panel: Solving the Mysteries of the D&D Business

Last week I also posted a couple of YouTube videos on Use Physical Books for Online or In-Person RPG Play and Seggotan's Anvil ��� Dragon Empire Prep Session 35.

RPG Tips

Each week I think about what I learned in my last RPG session and write them up as RPG tips. Here are this week's tips:

Expect boss fights to take twice as long as a normal combat encounter. Tailor treasure for your characters and the location in which it���s discovered. Write short lists of interesting encounters for your locations. Roll on it or pick one based on what feels cool for the moment. Mix two themes for locations like vampires and summoned elementals. Foreshadow bosses. Have minions talk about them. Use the urgency of the situation to keep a handle on rests. Dial the urgency back if the characters need a rest to proceed. Inform players that certain locations won���t allow for long rests and to conserve resources. Related ArticlesUse Physical Tools for Online GamesDelving Into ShadowdarkTen Easy Heist EncountersGet More from Sly FlourishArticlesNewsletterBookstorePatreonPodcastYouTubeBuy Sly Flourish's Books City of Arches Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Lazy DM's Companion Lazy DM's Workbook Forge of Foes Fantastic Lairs Ruins of the Grendleroot Fantastic Adventures Fantastic Locations

Have a question or want to contact me? Check out Sly Flourish's Frequently Asked Questions.

Sly Flourish Summer Sale! 20% off and free US shipping over $60!

Use the following loose guidelines to price 5e magic items:

Uncommon: 500 GP (3d6 x 50 GP, 150 GP to 900 GP)Rare: 5,000 GP (3d6 x 500 GP, 1,500 GP to 9,000 GP)Very Rare: 50,000 GP (3d6 x 5,000 GP, 15,000 GP to 90,000 GP)Legendary: 500,000 GP (3d6 x 50,000 GP, 150,000 GP to 900,000 GP)

When the characters come to a town or city where magic items might be available, roll on random treasure tables and select three interesting items they could purchase. Use the guidelines above to choose your own price, either randomly or based on the power of the item. Cut the cost in half for consumable magic items.

Looking at Five 5e Magic Item Price Lists

The above magic item prices come from investigating magic item prices in the 2014 Dungeon Master's Guide, the 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide, the Tales of the Valiant Player's Guide, the Level Up Advanced 5e Trials and Treasure guide, and Xanathar's Guide to Everything. The prices above are higher than the averages of those sources but aren't far off and it's easy to remember 500, 5,000, 50,000, and 500,000 as prices per tier.

Gold Earned and Gold Spent

The prices above generally assume the characters earn treasure as described in Lazy 5e Treasure Parcels. If we add up these parcels for a group of adventurers, we get the following amounts:

1st to 4th level (tier 1): 3,200 gp5th to 10th level (tier 2): 48,000 gp11th to 15th level (Tier 3): 360,000 gp16th to 20th (Tier 4): 1,600,000 gp

From this gold acquisition, you can see how many magic items the characters might purchase. Again, because prices go up in multiples of 10, uncommon magic items are much more easily acquired when the characters reach tier 2 and above.

Limit Availability

Price alone isn't enough to limit the acquisition of magic items. You likely also want to limit availability.

My favorite way to limit availability is to roll randomly when the characters run into a magic item vendor and choose three compelling items from my random rolls. Use the price list above as a guideline and customize the price based on the usefulness of the item even within its rarity. A +1 dagger won't have the same value as a +1 greatsword.

You can roll as though you're rolling up a treasure parcel or roll on a particular magic item table until you get three interesting items. Three options is usually a good enough selection without going too far.

Be Careful with Uncommon Magic Items

Uncommon magic items can be deceptively powerful. The Instrument of the Bards, for example, is uncommon but very powerful for bards ��� almost doubling the spell slots they might have available in lower and mid levels. If you're using D&D 2024 magic items, items like Rings of Resistance no longer require attunement, meaning characters can wear a lot of them. Vicious weapons got a huge boost in D&D 2024, no longer requiring attunement and dealing a lot of extra damage. Don't even get me started on enspelled weapons, armor, or items. Giving players open access to items like these is a surefire way to completely unbalance your game.

I read a horror story on EN World where a GM opened up magic items for purchase in their games and every character wore ten rings of resistance ��� one for every element. If you're earning 200,000 GP per session, you can buy a lot of Rings of Resistance.

Limit magic item acquisition ��� even for uncommon items.

What About Selling Magic Items?

You can use the price list above to gauge how much the characters can earn when selling magic items but it's unlikely they can sell them to just anyone. Few NPCs have the sort of money available to buy magic items. A barter system might work with a magic item vendor. Otherwise, if an NPC does have the resources, you can use the price list as a rough gauge ��� perhaps offering half the listed amount to buy the item.

We'll cover crafting magic items in a future article but you can use the prices above as a guideline for the component costs to craft an item. Also consider requiring rare ingredients to craft magic items so you don't end up with ten rings of resistance.

Driving Gameplay in the Right Direction

We don't want the buying and selling of magic items to overtake acquiring magic items on adventures. Fantasy games are about going on adventures. The best loot should come from those adventures. We don't want the buying, selling, or crafting of magic items to become the core focus of the game. Instead, add the buying and selling of magic items as an augment to the primary drive of our games ��� gaining magic items through adventuring.

More Sly Flourish Stuff

Each week I record an episode of the Lazy RPG Talk Show (also available as a podcast) in which I talk about all things in tabletop RPGs.

Last Week's Lazy RPG Talk Show Topics

Here are last week's topics with time stamped links to the YouTube video.

Lazy World Building, Avoid NPC BetrayalSummer Sale - 20% off books and free US shipping > $60City of Arches on ShardDM's Guide to Tyranny of Dragons by Beadle and GrimmMike Joins Luke Hart on DM's LairSly Flourish Partnering with Let's Quest for After-School RPGs5e Artisanal Monster DatabaseD&D Starter Set DetailsChoose Your Next RPGLose Yourself in FictionPatreon Questions and Answers

Also on the Talk Show, I answer questions from Sly Flourish Patrons. Here are last week's questions and answers.

Overwhelming Players with Villain Quest ProgressionRunning Games with One Online PlayerD&D 2024 Slowing Down Combat?Talk Show Links

Here are links to the sites I referenced during the talk show.

Twenty Percent Off Sly Flourish Books and free US shipping!Let's Quest ��� Empowering Schools & LibrariesLazy World BuildingAvoid NPC BetrayalCity of Arches on Shard TabletopBeadle and Grimm Tyranny of Dragons Legendary EditionMike on DM's Lair with Luke HartD&D Starter Set ��� Heroes of the Borderlands Details

Last week I also posted a couple of YouTube videos on Get Players to Try Other RPGs and The Helm of Teleportation ��� Dragon Empire Prep Session 34.

RPG Tips

Each week I think about what I learned in my last RPG session and write them up as RPG tips. Here are this week's tips:

Clarify how terrain and unique features like monuments work in combat encounters. Don���t make players guess mid-fight. Let players know things their characters would clearly know. Use classes and backgrounds to decide which characters recognize secrets or clues as they explore interesting locations. Stay in the fiction when running combat. What do the characters see?Mix combat, roleplaying, and exploration while dungeon delving. Try lots of different RPGs. Play with pencil and paper. Related ArticlesLazy 5e Treasure ParcelsThe Stories of Magic ItemsGems of the Tales of the Valiant Game Master's GuideGet More from Sly FlourishArticlesNewsletterBookstorePatreonPodcastYouTubeBuy Sly Flourish's Books City of Arches Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Lazy DM's Companion Lazy DM's Workbook Forge of Foes Fantastic Lairs Ruins of the Grendleroot Fantastic Adventures Fantastic Locations

Have a question or want to contact me? Check out Sly Flourish's Frequently Asked Questions.

Sly Flourish Summer Sale! 20% off and free US shipping over $60!

Avoid including primary quest-giving NPCs who betray the characters. Primary NPC betrayal breaks trust with your players, drives players to become cynical of the world, and builds fragile quests that either fall apart the minute the characters realize what's going on or require railroading the characters so they don't learn the truth too early. Instead of NPC betrayal, include shady NPCs the characters know they can't trust. Doing so gives the characters the agency to navigate the world in ways you can't predict.

"Once in a while, it can be interesting for the characters' patron to betray them. Pulling that trick more than once in a campaign, though, is likely to make the players unwilling to trust any future patrons and possibly suspicious about any adventure hooks you put in front of them."

That quote comes from the 2024 Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master's Guide. I'll take it a step further. It only takes one betrayal before your players lose trust with you, your future NPCs, and any future adventure hooks you might put in front of them. When a trusted NPC betrays the characters, players can take it as a betrayal of trust between you and them.

Primary quest-giving NPC betrayal has three big problems:

Players lose trust in you.Players become cynical of the world.Adventures hinging on NPC betrayal easily fall apart if the betrayal is discovered early.

Let's put aside breaking your players' trust in you and the world you've created for a moment and focus on the fragility of adventures built around betraying NPCs.

Later on, the 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide offers the following adventure prompt for the adventure sample "Horns of the Beast":

"An unassuming human merchant named Melchis (secretly a Chaotic Evil Fiend Cultist devoted to Iuz) hires the characters to escort him on an expedition to find an ancient temple lost in the jungle."

What happens if the characters find out Melchis is evil and learn of his betrayal? Would they still go on the quest? Not likely!

Numerous WOTC-published D&D adventures, including big and expensive hardcover adventures, focus on this same trope. The Planescape adventure Turn of Fortune's Wheel, the Spelljammer adventure Light of Xaryxis, the entire plot of Vecna Eve of Ruin, and one of the adventures in Dragon Delves all hinge on not discovering the betrayal of a major quest-giving NPC. In each case, should the players discover the betrayal, the adventure falls apart.

Here's a simple question you can ask yourself:

If the characters find out the truth early, would they still go on the adventure?

If the answer to that is "no", the adventure is too fragile.

Some of the WOTC-published adventures I mention above offer ham-fisted guidance describing how to try to get the characters back on track if they find out the truth too early. In Vecna Eve of Ruin, the book describes how you, the DM, can rewrite the adventure to fit this new situation ��� skipping roughly eight chapters of the book. Most of the time there's no suggestion for handling the situation should the characters figure out the ruse too early.

Because there's typically no good way to do so.

Ten Alternatives for Horns of the Beast

Looking back at Horns of the Beast, here are ten better ways to run a quest like this:

Melchis is a good priest who gets possessed when in proximity to the crown.You're working against a parallel group of evildoers Melchis hired.Melchis simply wants to get rid of an evil artifact before anyone gets ahold of it.Melchis is a known priest of Iuz but the characters want to get the crown anyway before he sends other artifact hunters to do it first.The characters are under cover for another faction. They know Melchis is a villain but want to follow the quest through to stop him from getting the crown.Melchis isn't evil but has nightmares of this crown and needs it destroyed before it corrupts him.Melchis is a known shady agent but he offers the characters something they need.The twin brother of Melchis worships Iuz and seeks the crown himself.Melchis is a fallen celestial who doesn't manifest until he's destroyed the crown.Melchis has a loved one cursed by Iuz and must use the crown to restore them.

Each of these plot elements might be discovered early or throughout the adventure without preventing the characters from wanting to go on the adventure. These alternative quests also don't betray the characters' (and your players') trust.

Introduce Shady NPCs

Here's an alternative to the betraying NPC ��� the shady NPC. Shady NPCs might betray the characters and the characters know it. Your quests must be compelling enough that the characters want to go on them anyway �����maybe planning their own betrayal of the shady NPC before the NPC betrays them first!

Shady NPCs add a fun variable to the decisions of the characters and force you to build larger situations the characters navigate instead of a single story arc that executes only one way.

Intelligent magic items make fantastic shady NPCs ��� the jeweled skull of a dead lich, the sword possessed by a splinter of Lolth, the barbed puzzle box possessed by a chain devil of Mot ��� the characters know these beings can't be trusted. But that doesn't mean these NPCs aren't useful. Finding the right balance of offering valuable information wrapped in a twisted agenda is hard, but really fun ��� much more fun than treating the characters (and your players) like a bunch of rubes.

Shady NPCs can also shift their alliances. The characters can convince them to do good things or the situations can turn them to side with the characters. They can go back and forth depending on the actions and arguments of the characters. Shady NPCs are fun and flexible agents. Like the rest of our best prep for our games, they shift as the game shifts.

Above all, shady NPCs give the characters agency. The characters know what's going on. They aren't being led by the nose through a pre-conceived plot. Instead, they're working with the variables they have and thus the story unfolds as they make their decisions.

Secret NPC betrayal creates brittle adventures that steal player agency. Instead, use resilient adventure models that don't break your players' trust and give players the agency to fulfill their quests in ways you never could have imagined.

More Sly Flourish Stuff

Each week I record an episode of the Lazy RPG Talk Show (also available as a podcast) in which I talk about all things in tabletop RPGs.

Last Week's Lazy RPG Talk Show Topics

Here are last week's topics with time stamped links to the YouTube video.

Ten Heist Encounters, Lazy World BuildingMap Annotator in 5eADBENNIE WinnersCypher System Revised by Monte Cook GamesDaggerheart Class Decks, New Adventures, New Worlds with Keith BakerCritical Role Season 4 with Brennan Lee MulliganPathfinder Abomination Vaults on D&D BeyondD&D Beyond Isn't a Fair Business PlatformExclusive Forgotten Realms Products on D&D Beyond"Welcome Back" post by Dan AyoubFive ScenesPatreon Questions and Answers

Also on the Talk Show, I answer questions from Sly Flourish Patrons. Here are last week's questions and answers.

3-2-1 Quest Model Without a Job BoardTalk Show Links

Here are links to the sites I referenced during the talk show.

ENNIE WinnersCypher Evolved by Monte Cook GamesDaggerheart Gencon 2025 AnnouncementsBrennan Lee Mulligan GMs Critical Role Season 4Pathfinder Abomination Vaults PDFForgotten Realms Digital Exclusives for D&D BeyondWelcome Back to the Table: D&D's New DirectionD&D Beyond Terms and ConditionsJess Lanzillo interview with Christian Hoffer3-2-1 Quest Model

Last week I also posted a couple of YouTube videos on Tips for One-on-One D&D Games ��� Lazy GM Tip and Din of the Void ��� Dragon Empire Prep Session 33.

RPG Tips

Each week I think about what I learned in my last RPG session and write them up as RPG tips. Here are this week's tips:

Offer choices at the end of the session so you know what to prep next. Clarify group goals, alignments, and bonds before character creation. It���s never too late to re-establish your game���s baseline agreements.Show the world reacting to the actions of the characters. Running a party or celebration? Ask what they���re wearing!Turn a single stat block into multiple unique monsters with flavor. Anything can be the inspiration for a scene or adventure ��� a map, a mini, a piece of art. Anything. Related ArticlesTroublesome Quest ModelsPrep Three QuestsThe 3-2-1 Quest ModelGet More from Sly FlourishArticlesNewsletterBookstorePatreonPodcastYouTubeBuy Sly Flourish's Books City of Arches Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Lazy DM's Companion Lazy DM's Workbook Forge of Foes Fantastic Lairs Ruins of the Grendleroot Fantastic Adventures Fantastic Locations

Have a question or want to contact me? Check out Sly Flourish's Frequently Asked Questions.

From the latest polls I've run, about half of GMs who responded run their own adventures in their own campaign world. I've argued before for running homebrew adventures in published settings but some GMs really prefer to have their own world for a few possible reasons:

They have full control over it.They don't have to worry about a player's metagaming in a world they know better than the GM.They know it better than any published world because they built every part of it.

But world building is far from a lazy style of GMing. A lot of work goes into those worlds.

Or does it?

What if there's a lazier way to build a world for our RPGs?

Worlds Versus Campaign Settings

First, it's worth drawing a separation between "worlds" and "campaign settings". Campaigns are large stories ��� even stories that haven't happened yet. They involve plots, villains, locations, adventures, and hooks for the characters. They might be big or small but they're often event-driven. Something happens or is happening ��� something that often must be stopped.

Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master takes one approach at campaign building called "spiral campaign building" ��� focusing a campaign around the characters and building outwards. That's the bottom up approach but in Return we also include a little bit of top-down campaign building:

Have a clear campaign hook we can say in just a few words.Have a handful of villains with their own goals and quests.Offer truths we share with the players to separate this campaign from others.

Then we focus on the next adventure we're going to run, with a thought about the adventures we might run after that.

And that's it.

Building Worlds

Worlds are different. Worlds are independent of the characters and their goals. Worlds are generally independent of the plots being driven forward by villains. Worlds include

gods & religionsfactionshistorygeography

and other stuff.

There's a reason I still promote using published settings ��� published campaign settings have all this stuff already baked into them. You can focus on the parts you want to use for your campaign and adventures and skip what you don't want to use. You can make published worlds your own.

The same is true even when you're building your own world. You don't need to focus on a single campaign world. You can take from lots of them.

Gods & Religions

One example is gods. Several great RPG books include lists of gods ��� some from our own world, some from fantasy worlds. We can use these lists of gods as a model for our own. Kobold Press's Midgard setting includes several real-world gods ��� there's no reason you can't do the same. But if including real world gods is too close to reality, reskin them. Rename them. Change genders and appearances.

If you want a good list of real-world gods and how they might fit into a 5e campaign setting, check out page 360 to 362 of the 5.1 System Reference Document (and be sure to download your own copy!). You can use these real-world deities as a model and change them to fit your own campaign.

You don't have to write pages of text for each god either. Usually just a few lines will do.

For any given god, include:

A nameThree alternative titlesDomains (light, darkness, death, life, nature, etc.)A symbol (something you might find on a shield or a holy symbol)A short description of the god.

Here's an example from a supplement available to Hero-tier Patrons of Sly Flourish called Scions of Light:

Elvenya

Alternative Titles: The Star���s Song, Lady of the Skies, the Astral TravelerDomains: Travel, Light, Stars, the Astral PlaneSymbol: Finger pointed upward towards a multi-pointed star.Description: Elvenya was the goddess of the star elves ��� a species no longer seen in the lands surrounding the City of Arches. The star elves were known to build great magical ships able to travel across the Astral Plane and visit many worlds. It is said they battled the Nameless King and lost ��� the king stealing knowledge to build his own armada of astral warships. Temples and shrines to Elvenya remain in and around the City of Arches. A new group of followers recently began worshipping the elven god again. Elvenya is often depicted as a silver- skinned elven woman with star-filled eyes and jet black hair set with pinpoints of light.

The alternative titles serve as "masks" ��� an idea I first saw in Midgard. Masks are another appearance of gods, other names they go by, or ways one god might disguise themselves. Different factions might worship the same god in different forms ��� even forms completely opposite in alignment.

How many gods do you need? Start with twelve and try to build gods around the characters. What domain does your cleric follow? Make a god for that. You can do the same for villains. Build gods around the arc of the campaign you're planning to run. You can always make more gods.

Factions

Factions are like gods. They have names, symbols, descriptions, and potential masks. Factions and their leaders great villains but they can be useful to the characters as well. You don't need as many factions as gods. Maybe three to five will do.

Geography

Here's where our lazy campaign building and lazy world building meet up. We don't need to build an entire world of geography. Where do you want to set your campaign? Start there. Where will your characters begin their adventures? Fill that place out. A town is good ��� just big enough to have some people to talk to but not so big you get lost in the details. What fantastic feature does the town have that sets it apart?

Then what adventure locations lie nearby? Think two horizons out. Three adventure locations within a day or two of travel works well. Use random tables to give you ideas for these locations.

History

Reveal history in secrets and clues as the characters explore the world. You don't need to write a giant book of history. Think about the history that ties to the events of the campaign you're going to run. Who ruled before? What villainy was thwarted in times past? You might just need a general historical outline and then, as you flesh out your campaign from adventure to adventure, you can write and expose more of that history as you go. Clear the path in front of the characters as they walk it.

Power Tip: Build a Faction List

All these elements work really well in a big random faction list. Write numbered lists of gods and factions. Roll on them to flavor locations, monuments, items, NPCs, encounters, and anything else the characters run into. Use these lists to build interesting scenes, unique to your world, throughout the adventures you run.

Focus On What's in Front of You

Above all, focus on the practical elements of your world to help you prepare and run games for your friends. Don't get overwhelmed building an entire planet and an entire cosmos above it. Instead, build each part as you need it for the next session. Focus on that next session ��� it's the most important game you're going to run.

More Sly Flourish Stuff

Each week I record an episode of the Lazy RPG Talk Show (also available as a podcast) in which I talk about all things in tabletop RPGs.

Last Week's Lazy RPG Talk Show Topics

Here are last week's topics with time stamped links to the YouTube video.

Three Quests, Ten Heist Encounters, Endless Warrens Adventure ScenarioToken Maker in 5e Artisanal DatabaseSigned Sly Flourish Books and Hexploration Kits at Gencon Inkwell Ideas Booth 150Eddie Munson Stranger Things D&D SetCthulhu by Torchlight on D&D BeyondExperiences Running the D&D 2024 LichPatreon Questions and Answers

Also on the Talk Show, I answer questions from Sly Flourish Patrons. Here are last week's questions and answers.

Fitting RPGs into a Busy LifeConverting City of Arches and Grendleroot to DaggerheartTalk Show Links

Here are links to the sites I referenced during the talk show.

Prep Three QuestsTen Easy Heist EncountersStranger Things: Welcome to the Hellfire Club D&D Boxed SetCthulhu by Torchlight

Last week I also posted a couple of YouTube videos on Run the D&D 2024 Beholder and Colosseum of the Red Sun ��� Dragon Empire Prep Session 32.

RPG Tips

Each week I think about what I learned in my last RPG session and write them up as RPG tips. Here are this week's tips:

Test boss encounters. Find in-story ways to run your boss multiple times and tune accordingly.Use quest-based leveling ��� the characters level after completing a successful quest.Each level, ask players what they got and what they're excited to use.Use miniatures for abstract positioning and describe in-world location features.Keep a character sheet or log with info on equipment, level features, stars and wishes, and campfire tales. Check it each session for ideas.Give yourself plenty of time for big boss fights. Expect 90 minutes to two hours for big high-level multi-phase battles.Don't presuppose how scenes and encounters end up. Be ready for the story to shift.Related ArticlesBuild a Campaign-Unique Faction ListBathe Your World in LoreSpiral Campaign and World Building in D&DGet More from Sly FlourishArticlesNewsletterBookstorePatreonPodcastYouTubeBuy Sly Flourish's Books City of Arches Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Lazy DM's Companion Lazy DM's Workbook Forge of Foes Fantastic Lairs Ruins of the Grendleroot Fantastic Adventures Fantastic Locations

Have a question or want to contact me? Check out Sly Flourish's Frequently Asked Questions.

Run more easy encounters!

Here are ten encounters that can take place while the characters are engaged in an infiltration- or heist-style adventure:

A couple of angry rats leap out at an inopportune time.A guard snoozes at her post.Three guards play dice when they should be busy.The master-at-arms comes back from the garderobe.A rival rogue comes in from another path.A goblin stumbles through struggling with a big pot*.Two guards walk down the hall chatting about considering quitting.The leader's pet worg wanders in.A dangerous prisoner escapes from the dungeons below.The floor collapses into a mimic hole.

Easy heist encounters escalate into hard encounters if the characters don't deal with it quickly and quietly.

* Bonus List: Ten Things in the Goblin's PotFavorite bonesPet rust monstersDisgruntled frogsMurder hornetsMimic potLots of copper coinsBell collectionLord Grobarb's chamber potFavorite NPC's headRattling jars of alchemist's fireMore Sly Flourish Stuff

Each week I record an episode of the Lazy RPG Talk Show (also available as a podcast) in which I talk about all things in tabletop RPGs.

Last Week's Lazy RPG Talk Show Topics

Here are last week's topics with time stamped links to the YouTube video.

Take it Easy, Prep Three Quests, Shadowdark Adventure, Creative Spark AppearanceLazy 5e Treasure GeneratorBlack Flag Released in Creative CommonsEberron Forge of the Artificer is a Weird Product2025 D&D Starter SetExperiences Running the D&D 2024 Death KnightLazy 5e Magic Item PricesPatreon Questions and Answers

Also on the Talk Show, I answer questions from Sly Flourish Patrons. Here are last week's questions and answers.

Where Do Your RPG Tips Come From?Converting D&D 2024 Material Back to 2014Talk Show Links

Here are links to the sites I referenced during the talk show.

Take It easyPrep Three QuestsGuest on Creative Spark talking about being an RPG YouTuberBlack Flag released in the CCEberron Forge of the Artificer delayedD&D Starter Set InfoRPG Tips in the Creative Commons

Last week I also posted a couple of YouTube videos on Build a D&D 2024 Character on Paper in 10 Minutes and Alien Invasion ��� Dragon Empire Prep Session 31.

RPG Tips

Each week I think about what I learned in my last RPG session and write them up as RPG tips. Here are this week's tips:

Use Luck and Doom Points from Tales of the Valiant in any of your 5e games. Show legendary resistances to your players so they can watch their save or suck abilities cracking through a boss���s defenses. Let boss monsters eat minions for temporary hit points. Your own experience with the characters gives you a better gauge of their capabilities than encounter building guidelines. Build bigger battle arenas. What five scenes might take place in your next session?Fill scenes with evocative locations, interesting NPCs, and scary monsters.Related ArticlesTwo Different 5e Games at the Same TableWhat Is 5e?Choosing Monsters for your 5e GameGet More from Sly FlourishArticlesNewsletterBookstorePatreonPodcastYouTubeBuy Sly Flourish's Books City of Arches Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Lazy DM's Companion Lazy DM's Workbook Forge of Foes Fantastic Lairs Ruins of the Grendleroot Fantastic Adventures Fantastic Locations

Have a question or want to contact me? Check out Sly Flourish's Frequently Asked Questions.

During prep, think about the three next quests that stand in front of the characters when they're done with their current quest. Where will they go next? What options lay ahead of them?

Stick these three potential quests at the end of your "scenes" step from Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master.

This idea combines three previous topics:

The 3-2-1 Quest ModelScenes ��� the Catch-all Step of the Lazy Dungeon MasterThink Two Horizons Out

We want to think about these three future quests early ��� even if it's just a couple of words. When the characters (and players) start to think about where they're headed next, we can drop them on the table and have them choose one.

Ideally, players choose their next quest somewhere close to the end of a session so you know what to prep next. You can even put these quests out to your players before they're finished with the current one just to get an idea of where they want to go next.

Prepping three quests early helps you avoid the situation where you're in the beginning of a session and your players are only now deciding what they want to do next.

What Is a Quest?

I really like how Robert Schwalb calls adventures "quests" in Shadow of the Weird Wizard. "Quests" focuses adventures down to the actual goal instead of just the situation. What are the characters supposed to accomplish?

Quests can be described in single sentence with a template like this one:

An NPC wants the characters to accomplish something at a particular location.

We can fill this model out by saying "who's asking?", "where does it take place?", and "what are we supposed to do?"

Not every quest focuses on this model but generally you have a motivation, a location, and a goal.

Here are several example quests:

Roselyn Zeshe wants the characters to stop the Children of the Red Rose from assassinating the queen's sister-in-hiding at Heron's Stride.

Queen Karsara wants the characters to infiltrate the Dread Necropolis, face the Dread Knight Karavon, and prevent his war against the City of Arches before it begins.

Garland Willowmane wants the characters to travel into the Vault of the Key of Worlds and recover the artifact before either the marilith Sylisa Sixblade or the erinyes Vether Voidwalker find it first.

You need no more detail than these single sentences when presenting such quests to your players. They choose the one they want to go on and then you fill out the rest of the adventure with NPCs, location details, treasure, secrets, monsters, and the rest of the eight steps for game prep from Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master.

Keep Things Simple

Focusing things down to the next three quests helps simplify the whole act of GMing. We GMs have a lot going on. Anything we can do to help build templates and add simple clear steps to our prep makes our lives easier and lets us focus on the high fantasy and adventure stories we build with our players.

Next time you're prepping your game, prepare three quests and present them to your players near the end of your next session.

More Sly Flourish Stuff

Each week I record an episode of the Lazy RPG Talk Show (also available as a podcast) in which I talk about all things in tabletop RPGs.

Last Week's Lazy RPG Talk Show Topics

Here are last week's topics with time stamped links to the YouTube video.

Treasure Parcels, Take it Easy, Shadowdark Adventure5e Artisanal Database Encounter calculatorNew VP of D&D and a D&D Franchise ModelCity of Arches SpotlightWhat Do You Need To Run Your Next Session?Patreon Questions and Answers

Also on the Talk Show, I answer questions from Sly Flourish Patrons. Here are last week's questions and answers.

Are We Leaving Fun at the Table?Revealing Character SecretsTalk Show Links

Here are links to the sites I referenced during the talk show.

City of Arches (with link to free preview)

Last week I also posted a couple of YouTube videos on Fast, Medium, and Slow Monster Initiatives and Darkstar ��� Dragon Empire Prep Session 30.

RPG Tips

Each week I think about what I learned in my last RPG session and write them up as RPG tips. Here are this week's tips:

Replace Legendary Resistance with ���Dreadful Blessings��� bosses can use for rerolls, auto-saves, attack advantages, extra turns, or minion sacrifices for temp HPs. Give characters a good reason to attack other monsters than just the boss in a boss fight. Account for the fact that players love to focus on the boss in a big fight. Bosses need extra protection. Make the consequences of the characters' choices clear when they make important decisions. If offering the ability to buy magic items in stores, limit available items to three random choices. Telegraph bad inevitable news early.Describe out of character cut scenes as dreams and portents. Related ArticlesThe 3-2-1 Quest ModelTroublesome Quest ModelsScenes ��� The Catch-all Step of the Lazy Dungeon MasterGet More from Sly FlourishArticlesNewsletterBookstorePatreonPodcastYouTubeBuy Sly Flourish's Books City of Arches Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Lazy DM's Companion Lazy DM's Workbook Forge of Foes Fantastic Lairs Ruins of the Grendleroot Fantastic Adventures Fantastic Locations

Have a question or want to contact me? Check out Sly Flourish's Frequently Asked Questions.

Go easy on yourself. Your game doesn't have to be perfect. Your voices don't need to be A-list quality acting. It's fine to look things up in your books at the table or ask your friends for the clarification on a rule.

The growth of the internet over the past 30 years helped us game masters expand our knowledge of RPGs tremendously. We're able to get the opinions of thousands of other game masters and use those experiences to shape our own style when we sit down with our friends and run our games.

But there's a risk. We hear it when we discuss the "Mercer Effect" in which GMs worry that players expect Critical Role levels of performance from our games and are disappointed when it turns out to be a normal game. My expectation, based on some data, is that the Mercer effect isn't as much of a problem as some might think. Most players just want to enjoy a game. They don't need (and shouldn't expect) Hollywood-level performances around our dining room table.

Going beyond the Mercer Effect, though, I hear GMs who put a lot of pressure on themselves for things like

A-tier NPC voiceworkrich deep storylinesintricate combat environmentsexpert combat tacticsperfectly interwoven character backgrounds and story threads

and so on.

RPGs are an incredible opportunity for us to get together with our friends and experience awesome creative stories together. They're also just games. Your players want to have a good time and to watch their characters do awesome stuff. It's ok to screw up an NPC's voice, forget their name, or forget what they did last time. It's ok to fall back on your players to help you fill in parts of the game you might have dropped. It's ok to forget some monster ability or forget to mention a crucial description of a room only to remember it later.

You don't need to be perfect to run a fun game. Focus on the fundamentals that make games great:

Let the story unfold during the game.Set up situations and let the characters navigate them.Be fans of the characters and their heroic activities.Prepare what you need to help you improvise at the table.Focus on the friends in front of you, the session you're running, and the characters they're playing.Pay attention to pacing.

Seek to improve your craft as a game master session by session. Take in new information, advice, tips, tricks, tools, and other materials. Continually hone your GMing technique one piece at a time.

But go easy on yourself at the same time. Focus on your friends and your game and having a great time.

More Sly Flourish Stuff

Each week I record an episode of the Lazy RPG Talk Show (also available as a podcast) in which I talk about all things in tabletop RPGs.

Last Week's Lazy RPG Talk Show Topics

Here are last week's topics with time stamped links to the YouTube video.

Chessex Mat Review, Treasure Parcels, Shadowdark Adventure5e Artisanal Database Advanced Search FeaturesRPG Mega Bundle on Humble BundleFree League Summer Sales2025 ENNIE NominationsDungeon Delves Core Book Compatibility and Betrayal AdventuresLabyrinth by Kobold PressThe Two Opposing Truths of RPGsPatreon Questions and Answers

Also on the Talk Show, I answer questions from Sly Flourish Patrons. Here are last week's questions and answers.

Maps and Theater of the Mind Breaking ImmersionTalk Show Links

Here are links to the sites I referenced during the talk show.

Chessex Battle Mat ReviewLazy 5e Treasure ParcelsRoll Big or Go Home RPG Humble BundleFree League saleENnie 2025 nominationsLabyrinth WorldbookRunning Theater of the Mind CombatAbstract Battle MapsZone-based Combat

Last week I also posted a couple of YouTube videos on Defending Out of the Fun and Stonewatch ��� Dragon Empire Prep Session 29.

RPG Tips

Each week I think about what I learned in my last RPG session and write them up as RPG tips. Here are this week's tips:

Single foes against a full party will almost always be at a severe disadvantage. Accept it or account for it. Give characters hard meaningful choices. Do they destroy the evil citadel or send it back to the hell from which it came? Balance character to enemy actions (known as the action economy) for challenging fights. Assign the role of quartermaster to one of the players. They keep track of all loot and who took what ��� even when other players write that loot down. Double-entry bookkeeping like it���s 1299!If players are fond of abilities that shut down whole monsters ��� add more monsters. Every scene reveals more of the story. End before a big fight. Give yourself the strongest of strong starts for next time. Related ArticlesAssign Player RolesHow to Get Your Group to Play Other RPGsThe Two-Word Cure to Overpowered CharactersGet More from Sly FlourishArticlesNewsletterBookstorePatreonPodcastYouTubeBuy Sly Flourish's Books City of Arches Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Lazy DM's Companion Lazy DM's Workbook Forge of Foes Fantastic Lairs Ruins of the Grendleroot Fantastic Adventures Fantastic Locations

Have a question or want to contact me? Check out Sly Flourish's Frequently Asked Questions.

This guide offers simple treasure parcels for your 5e RPGs ��� whatever variant of 5e you're playing. Prep and award roughly one parcel per session.

Tier 1 (1st to 4th level) Treasure Parcel400 gp worth of coin, gems, jewels, and artTwo uncommon consumable magic itemsOne uncommon permanent magic itemTier 2 (5th to 10th level) Treasure Parcel4,000 gp worth of coin, gems, jewels, and artTwo uncommon or rare consumable magic itemsOne uncommon or rare permanent magic itemTier 3 (11th to 16th level) Treasure Parcel30,000 gp worth of coin, gems, jewels, and artTwo uncommon, rare, or very rare consumable magic itemsOne uncommon, rare, or very rare permanent magic itemTier 4 (17th to 20th level) Treasure Parcel200,000 gp worth of coin, gems, jewels, and artTwo rare, very rare, or legendary consumable magic itemOne rare, very rare, or legendary permanent magic itemUsing These ParcelsAdd a parcel to your prep notes for each session.Choose the parcel's tier based on the challenges faced by the characters.Award roughly two parcels each character level. If you have five or six characters, add one extra parcel per level.Customize gems, jewelry, trade bars, and art objects, subtracting their value from the gold value listed. 5e gamemaster guides often include lists of gems, jewels, and artwork you can roll on or choose from. Or you can make up something interesting that fits the theme of your adventure or campaign.Roll on your favorite 5e random tables for permanent or consumable magic items by rarity.Instead of random permanent magic items, add character-focused magic items you choose or items based on your players' wish lists.Include one common magic item per parcel if desired.Customize art objects and magic items with species, factions, conditions, or secrets and clues.Include relics �����consumable magic items with single-use spell effects.Tie daily-use spells to permanent magic weapons and armor to give them a unique flavor.Comparing Parcels Across 5e

These parcels are loosely based on an analysis of D&D 2014, D&D 2024, Tales of the Valiant, and Level Up Advanced 5e which broke out monetary treasure roughly as follows:

Tier 1

2014 D&D: 9002024 D&D: 500A5E: 600ToV: 200Average: 550

Tier 2

2014 D&D: 9,0002024 D&D: 4,400A5E: 4,100ToV: 2,500Average: 5,000

Tier 3

2014 D&D: 60,0002024 D&D: 36,000A5E: 21,000ToV: 11,000Average: 32,000

Tier 4

2014 D&D: 350,0002024 D&D: 330,000A5E: 90,000ToV: 45,000Average: 203,750

You can compare the Lazy Treasure Parcels to these lists and adjust as you choose.

Patrons of Sly Flourish gain access to the 5e Artisanal Database which include random treasure generators for the Lazy parcels described above,��D&D 2024, and Tales of the Valiant.

More Sly Flourish Stuff

Each week I record an episode of the Lazy RPG Talk Show (also available as a podcast) in which I talk about all things in tabletop RPGs.

Last Week's Lazy RPG Talk Show Topics

Here are last week's topics with time stamped links to the YouTube video.

New Articles, Weapons of Power, Combat TrackerWeapons of Power SupplementDread Necropolis Adventure ToolkitCombat Tracker in 5e Artisanal DatabaseNumenera Humble BundleDragon Delves for D&DBuilding a Lazy PantheonPatreon Questions and Answers

Also on the Talk Show, I answer questions from Sly Flourish Patrons. Here are last week's questions and answers.

Adventure-Breaking Character AbilitiesClimactic NegotiationsTalk Show Links

Here are links to the sites I referenced during the talk show.

Avoid Removing Player AgencyChessex Battle Mat ReviewNumenera Humble Bundle

Last week I also posted a couple of YouTube videos on Shadowdark House Rules and Salos Goldtooth ��� Dragon Empire Prep Session 28.

RPG Tips

Each week I think about what I learned in my last RPG session and write them up as RPG tips. Here are this week's tips:

Run small battles regularly. Add potential allies to infiltration situations who can offer information or distract enemies. Add hidden shrines or crypts to dungeons that even the current inhabitants don���t know about. Reveal secrets through mosaics, old scrolls, and the lore of NPCs. Keep a loose list of inhabitants and improvise encounters based on the situation and pacing of the game. Borrow ideas from books, movies, tv shows. Take ideas from everywhere. Infiltrating an occupied keep is a fantastic way to build a situation and let the characters navigate it as they wish. Related ArticlesGems of the Tales of the Valiant Game Master's GuideAward Treasure and Magic Items in 5eThe Stories of Magic ItemsGet More from Sly FlourishArticlesNewsletterBookstorePatreonPodcastYouTubeBuy Sly Flourish's Books City of Arches Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Lazy DM's Companion Lazy DM's Workbook Forge of Foes Fantastic Lairs Ruins of the Grendleroot Fantastic Adventures Fantastic Locations

Have a question or want to contact me? Check out Sly Flourish's Frequently Asked Questions.