When you compare the firearms in the DMG with crossbows and bows you’ll immediately notice that they deal a fair amount of extra damage. That being said, it comes at a cost. The Renaissance guns are by no means the efficient weapons that we have today. These are clunky, noisy, and of course, expensive to maintain. That is literally the point of those weapons and the rules in the DMG. If you don't want to increase the damage for firearms, don't use firearms in the first place. They are far more powerful than more primitive weapons and should be played as such, not doing so because they're 'too powerful' is stupid.
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Contents
Firearms of early modern earth are more reliable and accurate than early firearms, and produced for war on a much more massive scale than even the advanced firearms listed here. Modern firearms use brass cartridges loaded into a chamber rather than shoved down the muzzle. Firearms’ capacity for these cartridges—particularly in long guns—has increased significantly, increasing the rate of fire. Another significant development is the invention of automatic fire, which allows belt-fed machine guns the capability to mow down targets with an amazing rain of fire, showering lead on opponents. Though the firearms presented here were most commonly used by soldiers in World War II, these statistics can be used to simulate most other firearms of the same era. The costs listed for the various weapons and gear here represent the costs associated with a world where guns are everywhere, and thus cost 10% of the amount they would cost in a place where they are rarer.
Automatic Weapon Quality: Modern firearms include a new type of firearm—the automatic firearm. A weapon with the automatic weapon quality fires a burst of bullets with a single pull of the trigger, attacking all creatures in a line. This line starts from any corner of your space and extends to the limit of the weapon’s range or until it strikes a barrier it cannot penetrate. When an automatic weapon attacks all creatures in a line, it makes a separate attack roll against each creature in the line. Each creature in the line can only be attacked with one bullet from each burst. Each attack roll takes a –2 penalty to account for recoil, and its attack damage cannot be modified by precision damage or damage-increasing feats such as Vital Strike. Effects that grant concealment, such as fog or smoke, or the blur, invisibility, or mirror image spells, do not foil an automatic weapon’s line attack. If any of the attack rolls threaten a critical hit, confirm the critical for that attack roll alone. An automatic weapon misfires only if all of the attack rolls made misfire. A single attack with an automatic weapon fires 10 bullets. An automatic weapon cannot fire single bullets that target one creature. When taking a full-attack action with an automatic weapon, you can fire as many bursts in a round as you have attacks.
Firearm Proficiency: In a 20th century Earth-style campaign, guns are everywhere. Early firearms are seen as antiques, and advanced firearms are widespread. Firearms are considered simple weapons, and the gunslinger loses the gunsmith class feature and instead gains the gun training class feature at 1st level.
Capacity: Modern firearms typically have a much greater capacity than earlier firearms, and are frequently easier to load. When making a full-attack action with a single-shot or semi-automatic firearm, you may fire a firearm as many times in a round as you have attacks, up to the number of cartridges in the weapon (or more, if you can reload the weapon as a swift or free action while making a full-attack action).
Loading Modern Firearms: With the exception of antique weapons, almost all modern firearms are chamber-loaded, in that a plastic or brass cartridge is inserted directly into the chamber either by hand or by an ammunition-feeding mechanism such as a magazine or clip. Otherwise, loading follows the rules for advanced firearms. Other rules for loading a firearm depend on the firearm’s overall capacity and replaceable magazine capability.
Internal Magazine Firearms: Some firearms, such as modern shotguns, bolt-actions, lever-actions, and older styles such as revolvers, retain their ammunition internally, either through a permanently attached tube-feed magazine, an internal holding chamber, or a revolving cylinder, along with more archaic designs. Unless otherwise stated, it is a move action to load up to 6 rounds of ammunition into a one-handed or two-handed modern firearm of this nature.
Magazines: Reloading devices such as clips, ammo belts, “stripper clips,” speedloaders, and detachable magazines allow many modern firearms to be reloaded more quickly than their predecessors, with the entire magazine being replaced relatively swiftly. Such firearms require a swift action to load a one-handed or two-handed advanced firearm to the capacity of the replacement magazine.
Weapon Descriptions
Flamethrower: One of the most infamous devices to evolve as a result of trench warfare, the flamethrower is still in its infancy in the early twentieth century. The device consists of a cumbersome backpack of two tanks and a swivel-mounted, handheld projection unit, or “lance.” When the device is aimed and a small hand lever depressed, a small gas burner ignites the oil, which is propelled forth in a blazing stream of intense flame. A flamethrower with full tanks is capable of unleashing up to 6 charges of ignited oil, to devastating effect.
When using a flamethrower, the wielder projects a 60-foot-long line of fire, attempting a separate attack roll against each creature within the line. Each attack roll takes a –2 penalty, and its attack damage cannot be modified by precision damage or damage-increasing feats such as Vital Strike. Effects that grant concealment, such as fog or smoke, or the blur, invisibility, or mirror image spells, do not foil this line attack. If any of the rolls threatens a critical hit, the wielder confirms the critical for that roll alone.
All affected creatures take 4d6 points of damage, and any creature hit by the flaming stream must also succeed at succeed at a DC 20 Reflex save or catch fire, taking an additional 2d6 points of damage each round until the flames are extinguished. A burning creature can attempt a new save as a full-round action, and dropping and rolling on the ground grants a +2 bonus on this save.
The device’s tanks and backpacks are awkward, and the wielder takes a –4 armor check penalty when wearing the cumbersome device. In addition, the tanks have hardness 10 and 5 hit points, and if the tank is ruptured in the presence of any adjacent flame (including the device’s own gas igniter), a mighty conflagration erupts, the wielder takes 6d6 points of fire damage, and all creatures within a 20-foot radius take 3d6 points of fire damage (Reflex DC 20 for half). Any creatures who take damage must succeed at a DC 20 Reflex save or catch on fire.
Flamethrower Fuel Tank: This pair of tanks—one filled with oil, and the other a propellant— provides enough flammable material to use a flamethrower six times.
Light Machine Gun: This imposing machine gun is light enough to be transported and wielded by a single user. Chambered for the military in 7.62.54mm, this machine gun uses a top-loading, detachable 20-, 30-, or 40-round magazine. Like most machine guns, it is only capable of automatic fire.
Machine Gun: This heavy machine gun uses 7.62.54mm ammunition in 250-round belts. Although a single person can fire a Maxim, it typically has a two-person crew: the gunner, and a loader who assists with feeding the ammunition belt into the weapon. As a full-round action, the loader can use a special aid another action to grant the gunner a +2 bonus on his next attack roll. Because of its size and heavy weight, this gun is often either mounted on a wheeled chassis with a gun shield for trench defensive use, or on the back of a horse-drawn wagon. Assuming a user can even lift the weapon, firing a Maxim M1910 machine gun that is not mounted imparts a –4 penalty on attack rolls and the recoil knocks the wielder prone. The machine gun is automatic-fire only. The armored shield provides cover when firing the weapon from the prone position.
Rifle: This bolt-action rifle is the mainstay of military forces. It is similar to the advanced firearms rifle with the following differences. It uses the same 7.62.54mmR ammunition as the machine gun, and is fed from a 5-round internal, nondetachable magazine that is typically loaded with 5-round stripper clips (loading it is a move action). Without stripper clips, you may only reload up to 2 rounds of ammunition as a move action. Ammunition is typically sold in groups of 5 rounds. The rifle has a lug for the attachment of a socket bayonet, and can be equipped with a unique sidemount scope system.
Nagant M1895 Revolver: This firearm is identical in operation to the advanced firearms revolver, though it has a capacity of 7 instead of 6.
Siege Firearms
Mortar: A mortar is an indirect-fire advanced siege firearm, consisting of a heavy steel barrel, a loading mechanism, and a folding bipod stand, and is used to launch explosives to penetrate enemy defensive lines. Aiming a mortar is part of the standard action required to fire it. Reloading the mortar is a full-round action, and the user loads a grenade-like projectile into the breech of the weapon’s steel barrel, along with a blank rifle round that propels the bomb when triggered. The weapon uses indirect fire to lob bombs in slow-moving, high arcs, and the user targets a specific square. Mortars can also be fired as direct-fire siege engines. When used for direct fire, they take a –4 penalty on attack rolls and their range increment is halved, but they do not have a minimum range. After the point of impact is determined, the shell explodes and deals 6d6 points of bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage to all creatures in a 30-foot radius (Reflex DC 20 for half). A mortar has hardness 10 and 35 hit points; it fires special, finned fragmentation bombs that cost 10 gp each and weigh 4 pounds each.
These bombs usually arrive on the battlefront in wooden cases containing 6 mortars each.
6 pounder: The 6 pounder is a direct-fire advanced siege firearm that must be mounted in place on a vehicle to be used. It fires high explosive (HE) shells that deal 8d6 points of bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage in a 30-foot radius around the point of impact (Reflex DC 20 for half). A 6 pounder is a Medium weapon and has hardness 10 and 70 hit points. High explosive shells cost 25 gp each and weigh 6 pounds each.
Explosives
The following explosives shook the battlefields of the Great War. Making an attack with a grenade is similar to throwing a splash weapon. Specific details for the explosives are listed in their descriptions.
Gas Cylinder (Mustard Gas): This large metal canister releases a cloud of toxic gas. It is usually placed on the ground and triggered so that the wind blows the gas toward enemy positions. Normally, multiple gas cylinders are placed in line and triggered together to cover a wider area of the battlefield. First, determine what direction the wind is blowing by rolling 1d4 (1 is north, 2 is east, 3 is south, and 4 is west). When triggered, a gas cylinder releases a cloud of mustard gas on in a 15- foot cone. On the following 2 rounds, the cloud extends by an additional 15-foot square away from the canister, forming a 15-foot-wide, 45-foot-long cloud at the end of 3 rounds. The cloud moves with the wind, rolling along the surface of the ground, and disperses after 10 rounds. A strong wind (21+ mph) disperses the cloud in 4 rounds, and a severe wind (31+ mph) disperses it in 1 round.
Grenade, Concussion: This time-delayed concussion grenade is a mainstay of trench warfare. The device appears to be little more than a metal cylinder tapering to a handle containing a spring-loaded lever. To detonate the device, you disengage the safety pin while depressing the handle’s lever, which releases the firing pin when thrown. The device detonates at the beginning of your next turn, hopefully in the area you targeted. The device relies on a concussive blast to deal damage, and all creatures within a 20-foot radius take 3d6 points of bludgeoning damage (Reflex DC 15 for half).
Grenade, Fragmentation: Standard grenades can be fitted with an optional fragmentation sleeve. This sleeve converts the normal concussive blasts into a cloud of deadly shrapnel at the expense of a decreased damage radius. The device is armed and detonated in the same manner as a regular grenade, though the explosion radius is reduced to a 15-foot radius and the grenade instead deals 4d6 bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage (Reflex DC 15 for half).
Grenade, Chemical: This grenade is modified and enlarged to release a cloud of toxic gas upon detonation. Resembling an overlarge metal can with a small lever and handle protruding from the bottom, the grenade is armed by pulling back on a metal firing pin held in place by the handle’s depressed lever, which is released when thrown. At the beginning of your next turn, the grenade spews forth a cloud of mustard gas in a 20-foot radius. The cloud disperses naturally after 4 rounds; a strong wind (21+ mph) disperses the cloud in 1 round.
Other Modern Military Gear
The following items were also used by the military units of this time period.
Bayonet, Socket: A socket bayonet fits onto a lug mounted on the barrel of some modern firearms. It has the same statistics as a bayonet, but a firearm fitted with a bayonet lug can be fired while the bayonet is in place, albeit with a –2 penalty on attack rolls. Each bayonet is designed for a specific model of firearm.
Gas Mask: Gas masks are rubberized-cloth masks fitted with thick glass eyepieces and a charcoal-dust filter in a rectangular canister that screws in near the mouthpiece. A gas mask is worn tightly around the head and face, allowing the user to breathe in hazardous environments. A gas mask grants immunity to inhaled poisons and other non-magical airborne attacks that require you to breathe them, and a +2 bonus on saving throws against magical cloud or magical gas attacks. Using a gas mask imposes a –2 penalty on hearing- and sight-based Perception checks. A gas mask’s filter canister can be used for 8 hours before needing to be replaced.
Scope: Scopes are telescopic sights mounted on rifles to increase accuracy at range by magnifying the target. Scopes reduce the penalty for ranged attacks by 1 for each range increment.
Tachanka: This vehicle consists of an agile wagon with a machine gun mounted in the back. The driver sits at the front of the tachanka while the machine gun crew sits at the rear. Though only one horse is required to pull the tachanka, sometimes two or more were used. The price and weight listed in the table above include the wagon and the mounted machine gun but not the horse. This vehicle uses the same statistics as the light wagon, but with the addition of a Maxim M1910 machine gun.
Mustard Gas5e Firearm Rules
Mustard gas is normally deployed via gas cylinders or chemical grenades. A cloud of mustard gas obscures vision like fog cloud and looks like a bank of fog, except that its vapors are yellowish-brown. Living creatures within a cloud of mustard gas take 3d6 points of acid damage when first exposed to the gas and must succeed at a DC 18 Fortitude save each round or become nauseated and blinded for as long as they are in the cloud and for 1d4+1 rounds after leaving the cloud.
Creatures that succeed at their save but remain in the cloud must continue to save each round on their turn. This is a poison effect. Because mustard gas is heavier than air, its vapors sink to the lowest level of the land, pouring down into holes and trenches. A gas mask protects the wearer from the nausea and blindness effects of mustard gas, though holding one’s breath does not.
Tank
Colossal land vehicle
Squares 96 (40 ft. by 60 ft.; 25 feet high)
DEFENSE
AC 2 (currently –5); Hardness 10
hp 1,920 (959) Base Save +3
OFFENSE
Maximum Speed 90 ft.; Acceleration 30 ft.
Ranged 6 pounder +10 (8d6+1/×3), 3 machine guns +11/+6 (2d8+6/×4); CMB +8; CMD 18; Ramming Damage 8d8
STATISTICS
Propulsion alchemical (4 squares of diesel engines on either side of tank; hardness 10,; hp 80)
Driving CheckCraft (alchemy) or Knowledge (engineering) +10 to the DC Forward Facing The tank’s forward Driving Device throttle and two levers to steer the tank Driving Space a single 5-foot-by-5-foot square in the middle deck that contains the tank’s driving device Crew 4 Passengers 6 gunners
Decks 3; The middle deck contains the 30-foot-by-10-foot crew compartment (including the driving square) with a 5-foot square machine guns on on each side. The lower deck is a 5-foot square inside the belly-mounted machine gun turret. The upper deck is a 10-foot-square turret. The decks all have small armored slits serving as windows (treat as arrow slits) that provide improved cover to the crew within.
Weapons One 6 pounder gun in the upper turret that can fire to the front, rear, and both sides of the tank; one machine gun in the belly-mounted turret that can fire to the front, rear, and both sides of the tank; and two machine guns in sponsons on the sides of the tank (one on each side) that can only fire out the side of the tank that they are mounted on and cannot fire to the front or rear.
Ten soldiers crew a tank and operate its weapons. Three soldiers crew the 6 pounder gun in the upper turret, while the three machine guns in the belly turret and the side sponsons are each crewed by one soldier. Inside the tank, the crew has improved cover, granting them a +8 bonus to AC and a +4 bonus on Reflex saves.
Common Troops
The following stat block represents an average troop of soldiers. These troops are normally outfitted with Mosin-Nagant M1891 rifles, M1914 fragmentation grenades, and gas masks, but some variant troops carry additional weapons. A rifle troop’s troop attack is a combination of small arms fire, bayonets, trench shovels, and other close-combat attacks. As a troop takes up the same space as a Gargantuan creature—16 squares—appropriate miniatures can be used to represent the troop for tabletop play, though it is important to remember that each miniature does not necessarily represent a single creature; all of the miniatures represent the troop in its entirety.
When running a combat with multiple troops, it is recommended to roll initiative separately for each troop. With constant interruptions from barrages of rifle fire, grenades, and mortar explosions during a combat round, the chaos of modern warfare will be all the more effective and horrific.
Rifle Troop CR 11
XP 12,800
LN Medium humanoid (human, troop) Init +3; SensesPerception +23
DEFENSE
AC 24, touch 14, flat-footed 20 (+3 Dex, +1 dodge, +10 natural)
hp 152 (16d8+80) Fort +11, Ref +13, Will +8 Defensive Abilities gas masks, troop traits
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Melee troop +20 (4d6+8) Space 20 ft.; Reach 5 ft. Special Attacks fusillade (DC 23), grenade volley (DC 21)
TACTICS
During Combat These hardened soldiers maintain a steely resolve, concentrating their rifle fusillades on flying opponents or supernatural threats, or readying actions to launch grenade volleys at charging opponents. In the absence of armor, troops seek any scrap of cover they can earn—particularly trenches, fortifications, and walls.
Morale A troop disperses when reduced to 0 hit points or fewer.
STATISTICS
Str 26, Dex 17, Con 18, Int 11, Wis 12, Cha 11
Base Atk +12; CMB +20; CMD 34 FeatsAbility Focus (fusillade), Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Great Fortitude, Iron Will, Skill Focus (Perception), Skill Focus (Stealth), Toughness SkillsClimb +15, Craft (firearms) +4, Knowledge (engineering) +1, Perception +23, Profession (soldier) +6, Stealth +10, Survival +8 Languages Russian
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Fusillade (Ex)
Rifle troops can fire a fusillade of rifle bullets as a standard action. This attack takes the form of up to four lines with a range of 200 feet. These lines can start from the corner of any square in the troop’s space. All creatures in one of these lines’ areas of effect take 6d10+6 points of bludgeoning and piercing damage (Reflex DC 23 for half). The save DC is Dexterity-based, and includes the bonus from the troop’s Ability Focus feat.
Gas Masks (Ex)
The soldiers of a rifle troop are all equipped with gas masks. This makes the troop immune to inhaled poisons and other non-magical airborne attacks that require breathing, and grants it a +2 bonus on saving throws against magical cloud or gas attacks.
Grenade Volley (Ex)
Rifle troops are equipped with grenades. As a move action, a rifle troop can target a single square up to 60 feet away with a volley of fragmentation grenades. A volley deals 12d6 points of piercing and slashing damage in a 30-foot-radius burst (Reflex DC 21 for half). The save DC is Dexterity-based.
Variant Troops
Some troops are equipped with additional weapons that provide them with special attacks in addition to the abilities listed above.
These variant troops are as follows.
Chemical Warfare Troop (CR 11)
Some troops are equipped with chemical grenades in place of fragmentation grenades, and are able to unleash a devastating chemical attack. They gain the following special attack that replaces the grenade volley special attack.
Gas Attack (Ex)
As a move action, a chemical warfare troop can target a single square up to 60 feet away with a volley of chemical grenades, creating a 20-foot-radius cloud of mustard gas. Living creatures within the cloud take 3d6 points of acid damage when first exposed to the gas and must succeed at a DC 22 Fortitude save each round or become nauseated and blinded for as long as they are in the cloud and for 1d4+1 rounds after leaving the cloud. This is a poison effect. Creatures that succeed at their saves but remain in the cloud must continue to save each round on their turn. The cloud disperses naturally after 4 rounds; a strong wind (21+ mph) disperses the cloud in 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Flamethrower Troop (CR 12)
A troop equipped with a flamethrower gains the following special attack.
Flamethrower Attack (Ex)
A flamethrower troop can attempt a flamethrower attack as a swift action. This attack takes the form of a 60-foot-long line and deals 4d6 points of fire damage (Reflex DC 21 for half). The save DC is Dexterity-based. Creatures damaged by this attack must succeed at a DC 20 Reflex save or catch fire, taking an additional 2d6 points of fire damage per round until the flames are extinguished.
Machine Gun Troop (CR 12)
A troop equipped with a light machine gun or a machine gun gains the following special attack.
Machine Gun Burst (Ex)
A machine gun troop can attempt a machine gun attack as a swift action. This attack takes the form of a 300-foot-long line and deals 4d8 points of bludgeoning and piercing damage (Reflex DC 21 for half). The save DC is Dexterity-based.
Mortar Troop (CR 12)
Some troops are equipped with mortars and gain the following special attack.
Mortar Barrage (Ex)
As a swift action, a mortar troop can target a single square up to 400 feet away with mortar shells (minimum range of 50 feet). This attack deals 6d6 points of bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage to all creatures in a 30-foot-radius burst (Reflex DC 21 for half). The save DC is Dexterity-based.
Rifle Soldier CR 5
XP 1,600
Humanfighter (trench fighter) 6 LN Medium humanoid (human) Init +3; SensesPerception +7
DEFENSE
AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 10 (+3 Dex, +1 dodge)
hp 67 (6d10+30) Fort +8, Ref +5, Will +3 (+2 vs. fear) Defensive Abilitiesbravery +2
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Melee socket bayonet +7/+2 (1d6+1) Ranged rifle +11/+6 (1d10+6/x4) or Rapid Shot rifle +9/+9/+4 (1d10+6/x4) or concussion grenade +9 (3d6) Special Attacks trench warfare (rifle), weapon training (firearms +1)
STATISTICS Weapon ele dmg.
Str 13, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
Base Atk +6; CMB +7; CMD 21 FeatsDeadly Aim, Dodge, Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Toughness, Weapon Focus (rifle), Weapon Specialization (rifle) SkillsClimb +5, Craft (firearms) +4, Knowledge (engineering) +4, Perception +7, Profession (soldier) +5, Ride +7, Stealth +9, Survival +5 Languages Russian Combat Gear M1914 concussion grenades (2); Other Gear Mosin-Nagant M1891 rifle with 20 metal cartridges, socket bayonet, gas mask
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Trench Warfare (Ex)
A rifle soldier gains a bonus equal to his Dexterity modifier on damage rolls when firing a rifle.
Land Mine CR 11
XP 12,800
Type mechanical; Perception DC 29; Disable Device DC 29
EFFECTS
Trigger location; Reset none Effect explosion (8d6 bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage, Reflex DC 21 half); multiple targets (all targets in a 20-ft. radius)
Each round when moving through a minefields there is a cumulative 20% chance of setting off one of the buried land mines. If the PCs realize the danger the minefields present, however (either by setting off one of the land mines or by discovering or disabling one), they have a chance to avoid other mines. Each time a PC is about to trigger a mine, allow that PC to attempt a DC 29 Perception check. If successful, the PC notices the mine and can avoid it without triggering it. If the check fails, the mine goes off. Regardless of how many mines are triggered or found, award XP only once per minefield (a total of two CR 11 encounters), when a mine either goes off or is found or disabled.
Pathfinder Adventure Path #71: Rasputin Must Die! © 2013, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Author: Brandon Hodge.
It’s finally here: the third and final core book for 5e D&D – the Dungeon Master’s Guide. Let me tell you it was worth the wait. This books if fantastic. It is 320 pages of everything I was expecting from the 5e DMG. If you’re planning to stick with 5e then there’s no question, you’ll want this book.
I’m going to go through the highs and lows of each chapter. The DMG is massive and there is a lot of great material here. I can’t possibly do it all justice so I’m going to really try and focus on the things that I felt were worth noting; the things I’d want to know if I was reading a review of the 5e DMG. If you have questions about any of the things I discuss or you want to know about something you thought was in there but I didn’t cover, leave me a comment below.
After I’ve had my piece I’ll give you my final thoughts on the book and then it’s up to you to decide if you want to buy it or not.
General Observations
Before I get into each section and each chapter I want to make a few general comments. First of all I love the style of this DMG. Each section gives you just enough to get the point but not so much as to bog you down in rules and specificity. There is a tremendous emphasis on sharing the general concept and leaving it to you the DM to decide on how to reach the specific. Imagination is more important that hard rules. This is the case throughout every chapter of the book, for better or worse. Personally I think it’s great. It’s one of the things I’m enjoying most about 5e. Show me the way and then let me walk the path on my own. I don’t need you to hold my hand. I may stumble along the way, but I’m going to have a lot of fun in the process. Keep that in mind as you’re reading this review and as you’re reading the DMG.
The art in this book is fantastic, starting with the great cover. Last dmg game boy game. The are in the DMG is everything I’ve come to expect in a 5e rule book. After seeing the exceptional job done in the PHB and Monster Manual, I expected nothing less. The full splash pages are beautiful and really give you a sense of what D&D is all about. The fantasy worlds and creatures come to life on every page. There is a little bit of art that was borrowed from previous publications, but I can certainly forgive that.
To say there are a lot of table in the 5e DMG is an understatement. This book is packed full of tables. Every section has tables to help the DM use the mechanics quickly and easily. All the tables reminded me of the original 1e DMG, whihc was a good thing.
Part 1Chapter 1: A World of Your Own
If you’re a new DM who’s never played before or you’re a player who hasn’t played in a very long time then this chapter provides a great introduction to world-building. If you’re an experienced DM and you’ve played any previous edition of D&D in the last few years then you can skip this chapter.
For experienced DMs the only things that you may want to take a look at quickly is the section on Factions & Renown and Tiers of Play. Although these sections are only three pages each, there is some new and interesting material in there.
The Faction section lacks the details about special missions we were hoping for, which was disappointing. The Renown section talks briefly about attitudes of members and perks. There is new rules on losing renown and new rules for how to use renown for pious characters to measure their devotion. The rest of what’s covered in these sections pretty much repeats what we already know from other 5e sources.
The Tiers of Play section names the four tiers:
There is also guidelines for beginning play at higher levels and an interesting sidebar that recommends how much equipment, money and magic to give PCs starting above level 1 in low magic campaigns, standard campaigns, and high magic campaigns.
Chapter 2: Creating a Multiverse
If you’re an experienced DM who’s ever flipped through a Manual of the Planes (any edition) then you can likely skip this chapter too. It’s essentially all the good stuff from every Manual of the Planes condensed into 25 pages. It’s very useful if your campaign spans the Multiverse, but for everyday adventures, especially the kind you generally see at low levels and introductory play, this is too much too soon. I will call out the great 2-page write-ups on the Feywild, Shadowfell, and Sigil. This is all I was interested in and what was here was enough for now.
D&d 5e RevolverPart 2Chapter 3: Creating Adventures
This is where the DMG really began to pay dividends for me. The chapter begins with a good breakdown of what makes a good adventure and then talks about the difference between playing a published adventure and one you make up yourself. From there we get helpful hints and many great tables that present numerous options detailing the different types of adventures, complications like plot-twists and side quests, how to create encounters with a strong focus on objectives and monsters, and how and when to use random encounters. This chapter covers how to manage XP budgets to create suitable encounters for your party’s level. It’s brief, but it covers the basics.
What this chapter really illustrated for me was that each section give you a very brief recount of what the intent is, but it leaves the specifics to the DM. This edition is light on rules, and heavy on imagination. They provide framework and it’s up to you to fill in the blanks as appropriate for your gaming group. We’ll continue to see this throughout the DMG in every chapter.
Chapter 4: Creating Nonplayer CharactersD&d Firearms 5e
The chapter begins with eight tables that let you quickly throw together memorable and unique NPCs just by rolling some dice. Then we get a three pages on NPC party members and hirelings which is something we never got in the official 4e books. There’s a nice optional rule here about using a loyalty score to determine what NPCs will and won’t do in the face of danger.
Then we move on to villains where three more huge tables give the DM plenty of options to choose or roll when they need a quick villain that’s not your standard bad guy. The real gem in this section are the Villainous Class Options. The Cleric can chose the Death Domain and the Paladin can choose Oathbreaker. These are set up like the class options in the PHB, but are skewed for evil PCs. These look very interesting and will make experienced players salivate with delight at the prospect of playing these builds. The Oathbreaker in particular can actually atone and change back into a good aligned Paladin, but it’s a difficult undertaking. Fortunately there’s a DM sidebar to help adjudicate this eventuality. Assuming you want to give up your ability to control undead, your Aura of Hate, or your level 20 Dread Lord status.
Chapter 5: Adventure Environments
If you’ve never played D&D before then this is an important chapter because it talks about campaigns that take place in a dungeon, in the wilderness, or in an urban setting. It talks about how to describe these settings, how to map them, how to fill them with challenges and monsters, and how to survive in the harshest of environments. However, if you have played D&D before then this is another section you can pretty much skip until you need it.
The four pages on Adventures in Unusual Environments, like underwater or in the sky, are nice to have and were entertaining to read through. But the real high point of this chapter for me was the final four pages which were all about traps. After a very brief overview of how to use traps, there are 11 great sample traps. I’m sure all DMs will find clever and creative ways to use these deadly traps in their campaigns soon enough.
Chapter 6: Between Adventures
I think what we all want to know is what can I do with my downtime days? The DMG gives a few additional options beyond those already described in the PHB.
Chapter 7: Treasure
Most of this chapter is the description of magic items. Like the spell descriptions that make up so much of the PHB, you won’t need these descriptions until the items come into your game. However, the descriptions are wonderful to read. Most items have full colour pictures which always makes an item seem special. Some of the illustrations pay homage to previous editions of D&D. For example the Manual of Bodily Health looks a lot like the 3.5e Epic Handbook, the Talisman of the Sphere is shaped like the demon face carving some may recognize from the Tomb of Horrors, the Deck of Many Things shows the faces of nine cards that look similar to the cards provided with the 4e Madness at Gardmore Abbey, and the Book of Vile Darkness looks a lot like the 3.5e supplement of the same name. Also included after all the descriptions of magic items are details for sentient items and good old artifacts.
Aside from the 75 pages of magic items there are also a few other details worth noting in this chapter. At the beginning are some great tables for determining treasure by challenge rating. Following that, there are random magic item tables (tables A-I) with each table listing increasingly more powerful items. It’s got a very old school look and feel to it.
Other good tidbits include 11 tables for randomly determining gem and art objects. They’re not as detailed as the ones in the classic 2e Forgotten Realms Adventures hardcover, but they’ll certainly do the job. There are also good options presented on attuning items, identifying items, and cursed items – so players beware.
One thing I do in my home camping is allow PCs to mix potions. It often creates some random happenstance. There is a table in this DMG that lists some possible consequences of mixing potions. It’s not as imaginative as my list, but it’s nice to see it included.
Finally there are six pages that talk about other rewards beyond gold and magic items. These include things like blessings, medals, land, favours, strongholds, and training. https://yokmur.weebly.com/blog/free-cleaner-and-optimizer-for-mac-comp. The last section in rewards is Epic Boons. They’re only available to PCs who are level 20 and they are truly epic.
Part 3Chapter 8: Running the Game
A lot of what’s in this chapter is covered in the free DMG Basic Rules PDF that Wizards already made available on their website. If you’ve DMed before, especially D&D Next or 5e then this is just a good refresher. For new DMs this section will tell you everything you need to know to run a good session. It covers a lot of details but each section is very short and to the point.
We get a few optional or more advanced rules in this chapter including ways to adjust monster damage severity, as well as guidelines for using maps (grids or hexes) and how to determine the tactical aspects that come with it such as flanking to gain advantage and facing rules. There are rules for handling chases, stats for siege equipment, and two pages on poison including the details for some of the deadlier varieties.
Chapter 9: Dungeon Master’s Workshop
Dmg securities. This is where they’ve hidden the best stuff in the new DMG. This is all the stuff that we didn’t get in previous editions. When I got my DMG this is the chapter I flipped to and read first. It was all the modular stuff they promised us when they first released D&D Next. Some of these things I’m itching to use in my games, others I’m sure I’ll never use. But I’m certainly glad that all of this stuff is in here because you never know what you may want to add to your campaign down the road.
Before I get into some of tis stuff I want to stress that this is all optional. None of what’s in this chapter is expected to appear at every game table. If you like or dislike something you read in this chapter, talk to the players and DMs in your group and as a group collectively divide which ones you think will work and which ones wont.
Appendix A: Random Dungeons
This is the down and dirty way to create a dungeon. There are 12 pages jam packed with tables allowing the DM to roll up a dungeon in just a few minutes. It’s got everything fom door type, to stairs, to the dungeon’s purpose, to the state of the dungeon when the PCs arrive, to traps, and all kinds of dungeon dressing.
Appendix B: Monster Lists
This is everything we wanted in the 5e Monster Manual and didn’t get. Monsters listed by 11 different types of environments and monsters listed by challenge rating.
5e Dmg Firearms RulesAppendix C: Maps
You need a quick map, here are nine that should work. Some of the maps may look familiar. On pg 312 is the Vault of the Dracolich map, on pg 314 is a boat from The Talon of Umberlee Lair Assault, and on pg 311 is an updated version of the map printed on pg 95 of the original DMG.
Appendix D: Dungeon Master Inspiration
Want to become a better DM and a better storyteller? Here is a lost of great books and resources. Enjoy.
Thoughts
The only negative thing I can about the 5e DMG say is that it’s expensive, but even that’s not such a big deal. I think the investment of $50 US / $58 CAN is well worth the price considering the quality of the book you get. When balanced against the number of years I’ll be using and referencing this book, I think the price is right. Remember that only one person in your gaming group actually needs a DMG, but if you’ve got the money I’d certainly recommend you pick it up. Christmas is right around the corner. Why not ask Santa to get you a DMG?
What more can I say about this book? This is the DMG that we were waiting for. It delivered on all accounts in my opinion. The history of D&D is deeply steeped into all the 5e core books and the DMG is the best of them. If you’re a serious gamer you’ll want the 5e DMG.
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