Dungeon Master Guide

Purchase PDF from Dungeon Masters Guild

• Errata (DMG)
• Credits (DMG)
• Forward (DMG)

Ch 1: Player Character Ability Scores

• Player Character Ability Scores
  • Giving Players What They Want · Choosing a Character Creation Method
• Super Characters
  • Identifying Too-Powerful Characters · Dealing with Too-Powerful Characters
• Hopeless Characters
  • Dealing with Hopeless Characters · Dealing with Dissatisfied Players
• Wishes and Ability Scores
• Players with Multiple Characters
  • Multiple Character Problems
• Character Background
  • Letting Players Do the Work · Problem Backgrounds · Background as Background

Ch 2: Player Character Races

• Player Character Races
• A Non-Human World
• Racial Level Restrictions
  • Slow Advancement (Optional Rule)
  • Standard Class and Level Limits · Exceeding Level Limits (Optional Rule)
• Creating New Player Character Races

Ch 3: Player Character Classes

• Player Character Classes
  • Class, Level, and the Common Man
• 0-Level Characters
• Adventures and Society
  • Fighters · Paladins · Rangers · Wizards · Priests · Thieves · Bards
  • Character Classes in Your Campaign
• High-Level Characters
  • Defining "High-Level"
  • Changing Campaign Styles
  • Above 20th Level
• Beginning Character Levels
  • Mixing New and Old Characters
  • Pre-Rolled Characters
• Creating New Character Classes (Optional Rule)

Ch 4: Alignment

• Alignment
  • Player Character Alignment
  • Role-Playing Alignment
• NPC Alignment
  • The Limits of NPC Alignment
• Society Alignment
  • Using Area Alignments · Varying Social Alignment · Alignment of Religions
• Alignment of Magical Items
  • Magical Alignment Changes
• Alignment as a World View
  • Alignments in Conflict · Never-Ending Conflict
• Alignment as a Tool
• Detecting Alignment
  • Asking · Casting a Spell · Class Abilities · Keeping Players in the Dark
• Changing Alignment
  • Deliberate Change · Unconscious Change · Involuntary Change · Charting the Changes
• Effects of Changing Alignment

Ch 5: Proficiencies

• Proficiencies (Optional)
• Weapon Proficiencies
• Min/Maxing
• NPC Proficiencies
• Nonweapon Proficiencies
• Adding New Proficiencies

Ch 6: Money and Equipment

• Money and Equipment
  • Monetary Systems
• A Short History of Commerce
  • Goods · Letters of Credit · Barter
• Coins
  • Types of Coins
• Expenses
  • Squalid Conditions · Poor Conditions · Middle-Class Conditions · Wealthy Conditions
• Draining the Coffers
• Expanding the Equipment Lists
• Altering Prices
• Equipment by Time Period
  • The Ancient World · The Dark Ages · The Middle Ages · The Renaissance
  • Adjusting Equipment Lists
• Quality of Equipment
  • Lock Quality
  • Horse Quality · Horse Traits (Optional Rule) · Risks of Horse Buying
  • Weapon Quality · Ornamentation · Armor Made of Unusual Metals (Optional Rule)
• Damaging Equipment
  • Item Saving Throws · Attack Forms

Ch 7: Magic

• Ch 7: Magic
  • Initial Wizard Spells
  • Player Choice · DM Choice
  • Player/DM Collaboration
• Acquisition of Spells Beyond the 1st Level
  • Gaining Levels · Copying from Spell Books · Scroll Research · Study with a Mentor · DM Control of Spell Acquisition
• Spell Books
  • All Sizes and Shapes · Spell Book Preparation · Spell Book Cost · How Many Pages in a Spell Book?
• Expanding the Schools of Magic
  • Adding New Spells · Expansion Through Campaign Detail
• Spell Research
  • Suggesting a New Spell · Analyzing a Spell · Solving the Problem of a New Spell · Setting a Spell's Level · Determining Spell Components · Determining Research Time · The Cost of Spell Research · Adding a New Spell to the Spell Book · Researching Extra Wizard Spells

Ch 8: Experience

• Experience
  • The Importance of Experience · Too Little or Too Much?
• Constant Goals
  • Fun · Character Survival · Improvement
• Variable Goals
  • Story Goals
• Experience Point Awards
  • Group Awards · Individual Experience Awards (Optional Rule) · Experience Tables
• When to Award Experience Points
  • Effects of Experience
• Training (Optional Rule)
• Rate of Advancement

Ch 9: Combat

• Combat
  • Creating Vivid Combat Scenes · More Than Just Hack-and-Slash
• Definitions
• The Attack Roll
  • Figuring the To-Hit Number
  • Modifiers to the Attack Roll
• Weapon Type vs. Armor Modifiers (Optional Rule)
  • The Various Types of Weapons
  • Impossible To-Hit Numbers
• Calculating THAC0
• Combat and Encounters
• The Combat Round
  • What You Can Do in One Round
• The Combat Sequence
• Initiative
  • Standard Initiative Procedure
  • Initiative Modifiers
  • Group Initiative (Optional Rule)
  • Individual Initiative (Optional Rule)
  • Multiple Attacks and Initiative
  • Spellcasting and Initiative
  • Weapon Speed and Initiative (Optional Rule)
  • Magical Weapon Speeds
• Attacking
  • Number of Attackers
  • Facing
  • Weapon Length
  • Position of Attackers and Attack Rolls
  • Pole Arms and Weapon Frontage (Optional Rule)
  • Shields and Weapon Frontage (Optional Rule)
• Hitting a Specific Target
  • Called Shots
• Movement in Combat
  • Movement in Melee
  • Movement and Missile Combat
  • Charging an Opponent
  • Retreat
• Attacking Without Killing
  • Punching and Wrestling
  • Overbearing
  • Weapons in Non-Lethal Combat
  • Non-Lethal Combat and Creatures
• Touch Spells and Combat
• Critical Hits (Optional Rule)
  • Critical Fumbles
• Parrying (Optional Rule)
• Missile Weapons in Combat
  • Range
  • Rate of Fire
  • Ability Modifiers in Missile Combat
  • Firing Into a Melee
  • Taking Cover Against Missile Fire
  • Grenade-Like Missiles
  • Boulders as Missile Weapons
• Special Attacks
  • Attacking with Charmed Creatures
  • Gaze Attacks
  • Innate Abilities
  • Breath Weapons
• Special Defences
• The Saving Throw
  • Rolling Saving Throws
  • Saving Throw Priority
  • Voluntarily Failing Saving Throws
  • Ability Checks as Saving Throws
  • Modifying Saving Throws
• Magic Resistance
  • Effects of Magic Resistance
  • When Magic Resistance Applies
  • Successful Magic Resistance Rolls
• Turning Undead
  • Evil Priests and Undead
• Immunity to Weapons
  • Effect of Weapon Hits
  • Silver Weapons
  • Creature vs. Creature
  • Using Immune Monsters in a Campaign
• Morale
  • The Role-Playing Solution
  • Dicing for Morale
  • How to Make a Morale Check
  • Failing a Morale Check
• Injury and Death
  • Wounds
• Special Damage
  • Falling
  • Paralysis
  • Energy Drain
  • Poison
• Specific Injuries (Optional Rule)
  • Is This Injury Necessary?
• Healing
  • Natural Healing
  • Magical Healing
  • Herbalism and Healing Proficiencies
• Character Death
  • Death from Poison
  • Death from Massive Damage
  • Inescapable Death
  • Raising the Dead
  • Hovering on Death's Door (Optional Rule)
• Unusual Combat Situations
  • Siege Damage
  • Mounted Combat
  • Aerial Combat (Tournament)
  • Aerial Combat (Optional Rules)
  • Underwater Combat

Ch 10: Treasure and Magical Items

• Treasure and Magical Items
• Who Needs Money?
• Forms of Treasure
• Placement of Treasure
  • Who's Got the Treasure?
  • Planned and Random Encounter Treasures
  • Treasure Tables
• Maintaining Balance
  • Too Little Treasure
  • Monty Haul Campaigns
• Magical Items
  • Creatures and Magical Items
  • Buying Magical Items
  • Magic-Rare or Common?
  • Researching Magical Items
  • The Nature of Magical Fabrication
• Scrolls and Potions
  • Scrolls
  • Potions
• Creating Other Magical Items
• Recharging Magical Items
• Destroying Magical Items
• Artifacts and Relics (Optional Rules)
  • Designing an Artifact or Relic
  • Sample Artifacts and Relics

Ch 11: Encounters

• Encounters
• What is an Encounter?
• Planned Encounters
  • Keys
• Triggers
  • Combining Keys and Triggers
• Random Encounters
  • Should You Use Random Encounters?
  • Characteristics of Random Encounter Tables
• Creating Encounter Tables
  • The 2-20 Table
  • The Percentile Table
  • Dungeon Encounter Tables
  • Wildernesss Encounter Tables
  • Special Encounter Tables
  • Spicing Up Encounter Tables
  • Table 54: 2-20 Encounter Table
  • Table 55: Dungeon Level
• DMing Encounters
  • Encounter Checks
  • Is This Encounter Necessary?
  • Encounter Size
  • Table 56: Frequency & Chance of Wilderness Encounters
• Surprise
  • Table 57: Surprise Modifiers
• Encounter Distance
  • Table 58: Encounter Distance
• Encounter Reactions
  • Table 59: Encounter Reactions
• Fixing Things in Play
  • The Encounter is Too Difficult
  • The Encounter Gave Away Too Much Treasure
  • The Encounter Was Too Easy

Ch 12: NPCs

• NPCs
• Hirelings
  • Medieval Occupations
  • Table 60: NPC Professions
• The Assassin, the Spy, and the Sage
  • Assassins
  • Spies
  • Sages
  • Table 61: Fields of Study
  • Table 62: Sage Modifiers
  • Table 63: Research Times
• Soldiers
  • Descriptions of Troop Types
  • Table 64: Military Occupations
• Employing Hirelings
  • Who Might Be Offended?
  • Repopulate at Your Own Risk
  • Securing Permission
  • Finding the Right People
  • The Weekly Wage
  • Table 65: Common Wages
• Henchmen
  • An NPC Becomes a Henchman
  • The Player Takes Over
  • Role-Playing Henchmen
  • Henchman Bookkeeping
• Officials and Social Rank
  • Titles, Offices, and Positions
  • Table 66: Europeans Titles
  • Table 67: Oriental Titles
  • Table 68: Religious Titles
• Spellcasters
  • Finding a Spellcaster
  • Convincing the NPC to Help
  • NPC Magical Items
  • Table 69: NPC Spell Costs
• Personality
  • Walk-On NPCs
  • Significant NPCs
  • Other NPC Characteristics
  • Morale
  • Table 70: General Traits
  • Table 71: Permanent Morale Modifiers
• Quick NPCs

Ch 13: Vision and Light

• Vision and Light
• Effects of Light Sources
  • Being Seen
  • Creatures and Light Sources
• Light Tricks and Traps
• Infravision
  • Standard Infravision
  • Optional Infravision
• Other Forms of Sight
• Darkness
  • Table 72: Optional Degrees of Darkness
• Invisibility
  • Detecting Invisible Creatures

Ch 14: Time and Movement

• Time and Movement
  • Detailed Timekeeping · Preparing a Calendar · Time as a Game-Balancer
• Movement
  • Mounted Overland Movement
  • Care of Animals
  • Vehicles
  • Terrain Effects on Movement (Optional Rule)
  • Terrain Modifiers in Overland Movement
  • Roads and Trails
  • Table 73: Terrain Effects on Movement
  • Table 74: Terrain Costs for Overland Movement
• Terrain Obstacles and Hindrances
  • Table 75: Terrain Modifiers
• Movement on Water
  • Ocean Voyaging
  • Weather and Ship Travel
  • Table 76: Boat Movement
  • Table 77: Ship Types
  • Table 78: Sailing Movement Modifiers
  • Table 79: Weather Conditions
• Aerial Movement
  • Table 80: Aerial Movement Modifiers
• Getting Lost
  • Just Lost
  • Hopelessly Lost
  • Dealing with Lost Characters
  • Table 81: Chance of Getting Hopelessly Lost
  • Table 82: Lost Modifiers

Ch 15: A DM's Miscellany

• A DM's Miscellany
• Listening
  • Table 83: Chance to Hear Noise by Race
• Doors
  • Concealed and Secret Doors
• Lycanthropy
  • Other Magical Diseases
• The Planes
  • The Planes of Existence
  • The Prime Material Planes
  • The Ethereal Planes
  • The Inner Planes
  • The Astral Plane
  • The Outer Planes

Appendixes

Appendix 1: Treasure Tables

• Treasure Tables
  • Table 84: Treasure Types
• Coins
• Gems
  • Ornamental Stones
  • Semi-Precious Stones
  • Fancy to Precious
  • Gems and Jewels
  • Table 86: Gem Variations
• Objects of Art
  • Table 87: Objects of Art

Appendix 2: Magical Item Tables

• Magical Item Tables
• Table 88: Magical Items
  • Table 89: Potions and Oils
  • Table 90: Scrolls
  • Table 91: Rings
  • Table 92: Rods
  • Table 93: Staves
  • Table 94: Wands
  • Table 95: Miscellaneous Magic: Books and Tomes
  • Table 96: Miscellaneous Magic: Jewels and Jewelry
  • Table 97: Miscellaneous Magic: Cloaks and Robes
  • Table 98: Miscellaneous Magic: Boots and Gloves
  • Table 99: Miscellaneous Magic: Girdles and Helms
  • Table 100: Miscellaneous Magic: Bags and Bottles
  • Table 101: Miscellaneous Magic: Dusts and Stones
  • Table 102: Miscellaneous Magic: Household Items and Tools
  • Table 103: Miscellaneous Magic: Musical Instruments
  • Table 104: Miscellaneous Magic: The Weird Stuff
  • Table 105: Armor Type
  • Table 106: Armor Class Adjustment
  • Table 107: Special Armors
  • Table 108: Weapon Type

Appendix 3: Magical Item Descriptions

• Potions
  • Identifying Potions
  • Combining Potions
  • Potion Duration
  • Table 111: Potion Compatibility
  • List of Potions
• Scrolls
  • Spell Level of Scroll Spells
  • Magical Spell Failure
  • Table 112: Spell Failure
  • Use of Scroll Spells
  • Casting Scroll Effects
  • Protection Scroll Effects
  • Who Can Use Scroll Spells?
  • Spell Level Range
  • Cursed Scrolls
  • Maps
  • List of Protection Scrolls
• Rings
  • List of Rings
• Rods
  • Command Words (Optional Rule)
  • List of Rods
• Staves
  • Command Words (Optional Rule)
  • List of Staves
• Wands
  • Command Words (Optional Rule)
  • List of Wands
• Miscellaneous Magic
  • Categories of Magical Items
  • List of Magical Items
• Armor and Shields
• Magical Weapons
  • Light Generation
  • Unknown or Unusual Qualities
  • List of Magical Weapons
• Intelligent Weapons
  • Intelligent Weapon Alignment
  • Weapons Abilities
  • Weapon Ego
  • Weapons Versus Characters
  • Table 113: Weapon Intelligence and Capabilities
  • Table 114: Weapon Alignment
  • Table 115: Weapon Primary Abilities
  • Table 116: Weapon Extraordinary Powers
  • Table 117: Special Purpose Weapons
  • Table 118: Languages Spoken by Weapon
  • Table 119: Weapon Ego