![]() ![]() Can the PCs find work in the city of Waterdeep before their private detective agency goes bankrupt? Unlike other dramatic questions, it’s more about providing context than demanding an immediate answer. The adventure’s first dramatic question will fuel the PCs’ motivations throughout the course of the session. Overall, Act I should take no more than 20 percent of your total one-shot playtime-around 45 minutes of a 4-hour session, including 5-10 minutes for character introductions. In general, Act I should move the PCs as quickly as possible toward Act II-the real “meat” of the adventure-while still taking time to establish the setting, stakes, and character motivations. As we do so, we’ll use three session concepts as templates: a mystery one-shot an action-adventure one-shot and a horror one-shot.Īct I provides the backdrop for your adventure, setting the stage for the trials to come. Let’s take a closer look at each of these acts, and how all of these disparate pieces fit together. #DND 3.5 CAMPAIN TEMPLETE SERIES#The Three-Act Structure generally comprises an alternating series of dramatic questions and dramatic consequences, with the PCs’ decisions building toward an inevitable dramatic climax.įor our purposes, we can break down a D&D-style Three-Act Structure as follows: Its linear framework makes it easy to prepare, but its player-driven narrative leaves the steering wheel in your players’ capable hands. Notably, by relying on dramatic questions, the Three-Act Structure forces DMs to put the player characters first: their goals, capabilities, and motivations. These acts can, in turn, be broken down roughly into an alternating pattern of dramatic questions- ”Can the PCs use X to do Y before Z happens?”-and dramatic consequences or developments that change the story’s stakes and environment. Traditionally a storytelling tool in popular fiction and screenwriting, the Three-Act Structure marries dramatic questions (read more about them here) with dramatic consequences, creating the space for your players to tell a natural and dynamic tale-while keeping your prep to a minimum.Īs the name suggests, the Three-Act Structure breaks down one-shots into three “acts”-a beginning, a middle, and an end. The Five-Room Dungeon is a popular framework for one-shot adventures, but its abstract naming structure (e.g., “Entrance with Guardian” or “Trick/Setback”) can make it difficult for DMs to fill in the blanks with playable content-or make it easy to create too much content for a single session.Įnter: the Three-Act Structure. If you’re just starting out, you might be unsure what a one-shot adventure should even look like in the first place-compared to a proper dungeon or campaign arc, where, exactly, should you start? ![]() If you’ve got too many good ideas, you might find that your “one-shots” inevitably become “two-shots.” If you’ve got creative players, you might struggle to prepare enough material to keep the session on a well-prepped path. ![]() Writing a satisfying D&D one-shot adventure can be hard. Try clicking on "Universal Ambience" on the top right.D&D One-Shot Fundamentals | 10 Tips to Get It Right □.Customizable Tabletop Soundboard (advanced)] ( ). #DND 3.5 CAMPAIN TEMPLETE PDF#Form-Fillable PDF Character Sheet (also automates calculations). ![]() Automated character sheet - Right-click, Make a copy, it’ll go to "My Drive", where you can then edit it.( ) (IMO the best character sheets for 5e I’ve come across).Suggested changes or errors in Adventure League modules.Towns and Villages (see also: MAPS AND MAP-MAKING TOOLS) ( ) provides flavor for items weaker than +1 but so much more interesting.On Tricks, Empty Rooms, and Basic Trap Design.Homebrewed Magic Item crafting/selling rules.The Alexandrian's System-neutral GM tips.Comprehensive Guide: Let's Build a Fantasy Setting.Geek and Sundry's Basic Tips for a Novice DM.So You Want to DM: Advice for New Players.Matt Colville's written advice to new GMs.This all exists on a Google Document, but I figured I should spend some time formatting it for Reddit. Thought I'd share all of my bookmarks I've saved for DMing, that I've been collecting for a year now. ![]()
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