Fantasy

Dungeon Master's Guide

Dungeon Master's Guide

  • Downloads：3844
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-07-25 07:52:35
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Mike Mearls
  • ISBN：0786965622
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Everything a Dungeon Master needs to weave legendary stories for the world's greatest roleplaying game

The Dungeon Master's Guide provides the inspiration and the guidance you need to spark your imagination and create worlds of adventure for your players to explore and enjoy。

Inside you'll find world-building tools， tips and tricks for creating memorable dungeons and adventures， optional game rules， hundreds of classic D&D magic items， and much more！

- The third of three core rulebooks， this book contains tools a Dungeon Master needs to provide captivating stories and game play。
- An excellent resource for new and existing Dungeons Masters to engage in both adventure and world creation， with rules， guidelines， and sage advice from the game's experts。
- Created as part of a massive public playtest involving more than 170，000 fans of the game。

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Reviews

Jasper Le Comte ，

I'll be honest: I didn't read this one cover to cover， but I only skipped the stuff that you really don't need to read and that's much more for reference， like Appendix A （ten pages full of tables to use to randomly generate dungeons）。 I'll be honest: I didn't read this one cover to cover， but I only skipped the stuff that you really don't need to read and that's much more for reference， like Appendix A （ten pages full of tables to use to randomly generate dungeons）。 。。。more

Richard Burley ，

Lots of usable material here including random dungeon generation， classic magic items， and great descriptions of the fantasy genre。 Not quite as cool as the old AD&D dungeon Masters guide that I had in high school。 But this one is cool enough。

Hazel ，

A useful guide 😃

Redsteve ，

I'm very favorably impressed by the changes between this （5e） and the AD&D that I used to play in the 80s。 Not only have the rules changed， but this version of the DMG is greatly improved in focus and organization， being less about charts and rule minutiae， and more about how to actually design， plot， and run an excellent fantasy RPG tailored to your （and your players） preferences。 Deeper into the Guide， the authors include rules variations and design tweaks that a DM can to to dramatically chan I'm very favorably impressed by the changes between this （5e） and the AD&D that I used to play in the 80s。 Not only have the rules changed， but this version of the DMG is greatly improved in focus and organization， being less about charts and rule minutiae， and more about how to actually design， plot， and run an excellent fantasy RPG tailored to your （and your players） preferences。 Deeper into the Guide， the authors include rules variations and design tweaks that a DM can to to dramatically change the tone of the game。 Like its predecessor， this version does have a fair number of random generation tables， which， in some cases are a bit ridiculous - one example that springs to mind is the ADVENTURE INTRODUCTION table， that gives equal likelihood of finding a map that directs the party to the dungeon and simply falling through a sinkhole while walking through the woods。 On the other hand， the guide does point out that it's often better to design your own tables tailored for your game and suggests that the tables can be best used as starting points， so I'll give them a pass on that。 I also liked that the organization of this DMG gives world building pride of place。 Solid 4 stars。 。。。more

Daniel Macgregor ，

The place to begin if you want to become the head geek in your pack of friends。

Robert Andrew Colin Hadley ，

Useful for people trying to DM。 I mean I'm still totally lost and don't understand D&D at all， but this book has actually helped my fiction writing and the book itself has some beautiful artwork。 Useful for people trying to DM。 I mean I'm still totally lost and don't understand D&D at all， but this book has actually helped my fiction writing and the book itself has some beautiful artwork。 。。。more

Luca Grifo-Hahn ，

A classic

Lauren ，

This personally is my go-to book to get me thinking about new ideas for writing and running games。 I'd recommend moving on to this book from the Player's Handbook after playing in several campaigns and one-shots。 I would also use this book in conjunction with the Monster Manual when creating encounters and general world-building。 This personally is my go-to book to get me thinking about new ideas for writing and running games。 I'd recommend moving on to this book from the Player's Handbook after playing in several campaigns and one-shots。 I would also use this book in conjunction with the Monster Manual when creating encounters and general world-building。 。。。more

Britt O'Duffy ，

A helpful reference text for world-building。 It offers guidance around developing the setting， plot， and characters - offering prompts and fantastical springboards for writers and DMs alike。I didn't read it cover-to-cover as that's not how this book is meant to be consumed。 That said， I'm marking it as "read" as I did consume significant chunks while trying to prep for my first attempt at DMing。 While it didn't prepare me for the volume of ongoing mathematical calculations， it aided my ability t A helpful reference text for world-building。 It offers guidance around developing the setting， plot， and characters - offering prompts and fantastical springboards for writers and DMs alike。I didn't read it cover-to-cover as that's not how this book is meant to be consumed。 That said， I'm marking it as "read" as I did consume significant chunks while trying to prep for my first attempt at DMing。 While it didn't prepare me for the volume of ongoing mathematical calculations， it aided my ability to navigate moments of choose-your-own-adventure chaos generated by certain chaotic neutral characters （*cough* Priti Boneseeker & her quasit Sit *cough*）。I think I may try my hand at DMing again， not least because all of my players developed super compelling characters with phenomenal backstories and I want to watch them continue to interact。 。。。more

Emily Stargardt ，

Definitely glad I read it before my first DM session。 I feel like I was better prepared & able to come up with more solutions when changes happened to the original storyline I came up with。

Julia Raymer- Brito ，

So thorough and beautiful and helpful。 A fantastic Christmas present， helpful for DnD lovers and fantasy/adventure writers alike。

Emma ，

I'm so excited to create my own adventures🔮✨🎃💀 I'm so excited to create my own adventures🔮✨🎃💀 。。。more

Krzysztof ，

This book is a strange kind of a mess。 I was pumped after reading Player's Handbook， but this one was a disappointment。 It seems like it was created using tables with random book ideas and then stitched together。 It's incoherent in the topic selection， audience target， and level of details it provides on different occasions。 If you had some previous experience with D&D and DMing， this handbook is perfectly skippable。 Part 1: WorldbuildingWhat's the most important thing a person should know when This book is a strange kind of a mess。 I was pumped after reading Player's Handbook， but this one was a disappointment。 It seems like it was created using tables with random book ideas and then stitched together。 It's incoherent in the topic selection， audience target， and level of details it provides on different occasions。 If you had some previous experience with D&D and DMing， this handbook is perfectly skippable。 Part 1: WorldbuildingWhat's the most important thing a person should know when they design their own world？ Well， this book opens with gods， so I guess this must be crucial。 It gives an extra example of a gods pantheon （to add to 4 different examples from Player's Handbook）， and 3 pages on different religion systems （polytheism， monotheism， anlimalism。。。）。 There is nothing really meaningful or inspiring here。 The presented pantheon has only names， symbols， and domains。 There is no description of the gods， their nature， possible influence on the world in general and players' adventure in particular， or how they or their followers can enrich adventures （e。g。 how demi-gods， prophets， cultists， or god's champions can be included， what relationship characters have with gods， especially those using divine magic）。 It mentions some of the gods are non-human， but we don't even know what race they represent and what it matters for that race。 I would also expect tips on creating unique gods and making a pantheon work as a whole， but instead， authors use and recommend copy-pasting gods from different mythologies （"this is Athena with a different name， and this one is basically Seth"）。 These kinds of issues and questions are common in the rest of this handbook。Few pages further we get more than 1 full page about coins。 It can be basically summarized as "Design different names， shapes， and imagery for coins in different lands， cities， and ancient cultures" or even better with one picture showing examples。 The tip is not bad， but is it really so important？ I could find more meaningful things DMs should remember about。Next！ Factions and organizations。 We get names and symbols for 5， but （very short） descriptions only for 2。 What DM is supposed to do with the other 3 having no information about their goals， structure， members， and possible impact on adventures？ I wish they used this one page from coins to get more detail here。。。Only after those very specific subjects， we get more generic things like different sub-genres of fantasy， style of your games， how to treat magic， etc。 which I personally would start from。 Multiverse and all the rest is OK。Part 2: Adventure designThere are some good tips and rules somewhere in this part。 But it might be hard to find them as several chapters are basically random adventure generator。 You get many tables with some decent hooks to use while crafting your campaigns， but little information on how to combine them in a single and exciting narrative that makes sense。 For my taste， it was not enough information about good storytelling and too many tables with absurd purpose。What is really frustrating？ You get 12 intros to kick-off the adventure and。。。 a table to roll d12 to pick one。 You get 20 ideas for exciting locations and。。。 a table to roll d20 to pick one。 You get 20 kinds of shops you can find in a small city and。。。 a table to roll d20 to pick one。 What's the point of including all those tables？ Just write "We will give you some ideas， roll a die to randomly select one"。 Saved space could be used to describe how to stitch those together in a coherent way。。。My biggest disappointment by far was the complete omission of the story hooks that were introduced in 5e character building。 There is absolutely nothing about how to use and develop some of the options presented in Player's Handbook like backgrounds， bonds， flaws， or mysterious items that characters can start the game with。The whole chapter on magic items and artifacts was OK。 I think it's a standard that everyone would expect from this book。 Illustrations are very good， some of the descriptions could be more concise as all of this takes a significant part of the whole book。Part 3: Rules （and Appendices）This is the most decent part of the book。 Extra rules， optional variants， guide to making your own rules， monsters， classes， etc。 It is clear， concise， and concrete。 Appendices include a random dungeon generator and some lists， maps， and tables that can be useful in some games or just are neatly organized。 。。。more

Nathan Brant ，

I never appreciated how well done these manuals were when I was a kid。 I'm glad my kids are interested in D&D today。 I never appreciated how well done these manuals were when I was a kid。 I'm glad my kids are interested in D&D today。 。。。more

Dannii Elle ，

This is essentially a rulebook to aid in playing the infamous game of Dungeons & Dragons。 In reality it is so much more！ Each page is beautifully illustrated and a wealth of information can be found inside， suited to spark every imagination and begin a multitude of adventures。 The completionist in me had to read this from cover to cover， and make many a scribbled note in the process， but this is undoubtedly a book I will return to on multiple occasions。I also found this a wonderful writing tool， This is essentially a rulebook to aid in playing the infamous game of Dungeons & Dragons。 In reality it is so much more！ Each page is beautifully illustrated and a wealth of information can be found inside， suited to spark every imagination and begin a multitude of adventures。 The completionist in me had to read this from cover to cover， and make many a scribbled note in the process， but this is undoubtedly a book I will return to on multiple occasions。I also found this a wonderful writing tool， which was an unexpected but pleasant surprise。 This forces the reader to consider their creations from multiple angles and to include the smallest and most easily of overlooked details to deliver ultimate authenticity， so this was incredibly helpful to me on two counts。 。。。more

Byron Hill ，

A very good book， but not necessary。 You can successfully DM and play without this book。 I will say， however， that this book gives an incredible amount of tips and guidelines on how to run campaigns， make campaigns， etc。 Most of the tips in this book can be found online on forums or in youtube videos， but all of the tips are very helpful。

Erik Burke ，

Maybe one of the best DMs guides yet。 It's super easy to understand， and has a lot of great stuff for DMs to use。 I never felt overwhelmed once when reading it。 Maybe one of the best DMs guides yet。 It's super easy to understand， and has a lot of great stuff for DMs to use。 I never felt overwhelmed once when reading it。 。。。more

Martin Maenza ，

A must-have for anyone planning to run a 5th Edition D&D campaign。 This volume gives a good foundation of instruction to achieving that goal。

K。N。 ，

Definitely helpful。 I have to bookmark several tables and make a list of items for the campaign I’m running。

Will Cooper ，

So much information， but in a good way。 Everything I needed to know to help me shape my ideas into a massive world with many fun levels。 :D

Nathan Wilder ，

I like the pictures lol

Julian ，

Great Book for DMs！This book was a great introduction to the basics of the Forgotten Realms setting， its planes， and expectations。 It has quite a bunch of resources for world-building， from tips on building towns and cities to how to get a story rolling using some predetermined events。The only warning I would give is that around 40% of this book is filled with descriptions of magic items， which can be useful but if you are not that keen on magic items it can be a bit of a downer。Nevertheless， th Great Book for DMs！This book was a great introduction to the basics of the Forgotten Realms setting， its planes， and expectations。 It has quite a bunch of resources for world-building， from tips on building towns and cities to how to get a story rolling using some predetermined events。The only warning I would give is that around 40% of this book is filled with descriptions of magic items， which can be useful but if you are not that keen on magic items it can be a bit of a downer。Nevertheless， the illustrations are great and the tips and tricks are useful。 I bookmarked quite a lot of sections！ 。。。more

Peter ，

What can I say？ It's the Dungeon Master's Guide to D&D 5e。 It has lots of extra guidance for DMs that enhance the game。 A common misconception that new DMs make is that this book is essential to running the game。 Not true， all you really need is the basic rules （a free download） or the Player's Handbook （well worth it）。 These contain all the rules and knowledge to play D&D。Having said that the Dungeon Master's Guide is very helpful for creating adventures， designing dungeons， planning the plot， What can I say？ It's the Dungeon Master's Guide to D&D 5e。 It has lots of extra guidance for DMs that enhance the game。 A common misconception that new DMs make is that this book is essential to running the game。 Not true， all you really need is the basic rules （a free download） or the Player's Handbook （well worth it）。 These contain all the rules and knowledge to play D&D。Having said that the Dungeon Master's Guide is very helpful for creating adventures， designing dungeons， planning the plot， developing NPCs and so on。 The tables provided to cover all kinds of game elements that are useful and practical。If you need to buy D&D books to DM my advice is， start with the Players Handbook， Monster Manual and a published adventure。 Then， once you've run some games get the DMG and you'll find it more helpful for the finer points of the game。 。。。more

Eric Gallagher ，

Is what it is。Wysiwyg。 Last time I read a DMG was 3。5 and that was years ago。What I take from this。。。"flowery description of the different planes""tables of stuff we mad you can ignore""do what you want， here's some numbers"Would have been nice if it had a short story or one shot in there too。 Is what it is。Wysiwyg。 Last time I read a DMG was 3。5 and that was years ago。What I take from this。。。"flowery description of the different planes""tables of stuff we mad you can ignore""do what you want， here's some numbers"Would have been nice if it had a short story or one shot in there too。 。。。more

Rob Moore ，

How could someone not like this book？ So comprehensive， so helpful， so readable， and all the while putting power into the game master's hands to customize as she wishes。 A must-read for DMs and players alike and anyone who is interested in how games and storytelling can complement one another。 How could someone not like this book？ So comprehensive， so helpful， so readable， and all the while putting power into the game master's hands to customize as she wishes。 A must-read for DMs and players alike and anyone who is interested in how games and storytelling can complement one another。 。。。more

Natalie Grace ，

Studying to be a DM is super fun。。。so much better than school :）

Husain Alshatti ，

Essential for any DM out there。 May the dice roll in your favor

Nic Morgan ，

A book you will read and read and read again if you are a DM。

Zachary Coffin ，

Certainly useful if you do not have any dungeon master's guides on hand， but I would argue that it is not worth the price of admission。 I have my copy of the 3。5e dungeon master's guide， and this book does not have any meaningful information that the prior did not also have。 Sure tables and rolls are slightly different， and the new feats rules are a change， but I feel the real substantive changes from the ruleset are best summarized in the player's handbook。 So if you are trying to go from 3。5 e Certainly useful if you do not have any dungeon master's guides on hand， but I would argue that it is not worth the price of admission。 I have my copy of the 3。5e dungeon master's guide， and this book does not have any meaningful information that the prior did not also have。 Sure tables and rolls are slightly different， and the new feats rules are a change， but I feel the real substantive changes from the ruleset are best summarized in the player's handbook。 So if you are trying to go from 3。5 e to 5e， get the player's handbook but skip the dungeon master's guide until you really find yourself into a pickle that the tools on hand cannot help you with。 。。。more

Scot ，

When I was about 8， some older boys in the neighborhood invited me to join them to play Dungeons & Dragons。 I had already started reading YA fantasy novels and loved movies about knights and dragons and wizards， so I went for it。 I was immediately hooked！The older kids lost interest and moved on to other things， but I dove in。 I started recruiting friends and I would host games as the Dungeon Master （DM）。 I had no idea what I was doing， but did my best， and everyone seemed to have fun。I too even When I was about 8， some older boys in the neighborhood invited me to join them to play Dungeons & Dragons。 I had already started reading YA fantasy novels and loved movies about knights and dragons and wizards， so I went for it。 I was immediately hooked！The older kids lost interest and moved on to other things， but I dove in。 I started recruiting friends and I would host games as the Dungeon Master （DM）。 I had no idea what I was doing， but did my best， and everyone seemed to have fun。I too eventually moved on to other things， but at least kept my treasure trove of books and game modules。 When I was in college， a friend of mine out of nowhere suggested we start a campaign。 I was quickly reminded of how much joy the game brought me。 And then again in my late 20's and early 30's， another friend started a campaign online that we played for almost 10 years。So here we are in quarantine and I am going through my collection of old things and find my treasure trove of D&D books and am inspired to DM again for a new group of folks， including a kid just a little bit older than when I originally started。 So， I ordered the latest editions of the Dungeon Masters Guide， Players Handbook， and Monster Manual and dove back in。The rules have changed a bit since the early 1980's， but the spirit remains the same。 The new DM guide is a great resource， helping you think through world creation， plots and characters， and your own pantheon of Gods and magical creatures。The authors walk you through city and wilderness building， how to keep your players engaged and stimulated， and the rules that are important as well as the ones that are made to be broken。All in all， it was an amazing stroll down memory lane and had everything I need to kick my own campaign into gear。Recommended for anyone interested in becoming a DM and running their own games。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Dungeon Master's Guide

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Dungeon Master's Guide&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Dungeon Master's Guide&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0