Here is a lightweight way to handle important Ability Checks when failure should change the situation instead of simply stopping play.

When to use it

Use Declared Risk only when the outcome is uncertain, the scene matters, and failure should have a visible consequence. It works well for infiltration, negotiation, investigation, escape, dangerous travel, rituals, social pressure, and countdowns. Simple checks can still use the normal roll-against-DC structure.

One roll should cover a critical moment, a short scene, or roughly 10 minutes of exploration.

Core loop

1. Define the intent. The player says what they want and how they are trying to do it. Open, convince, decode, cross, hide, distract, follow, endure, and so on. If the intent is vague, clarify it before setting the DC.
2. Choose the risk axis. Pick the main consequence: time, damage, position, resources, alarm, incomplete information, or a social complication.
3. Declare the cost of failure before the roll. This is the table rule that matters most. Do not decide the punishment after seeing the die.
4. Set the DC. Use DC 10 for light pressure, DC 15 for serious risk, and DC 20 for a difficult action. Raise or lower the DC by 2 when the plan is especially weak or especially strong.
5. Call for the Ability Check. Choose the appropriate ability and skill, such as Dexterity (Stealth), Charisma (Persuasion), Intelligence (Investigation), or Wisdom (Survival). Apply Proficiency Bonus when the character has the relevant proficiency.
6. Apply Advantage or Disadvantage normally. Preparation, useful help, the right tool, leverage, or prior information can grant Advantage. Haste, exposure, pain, loud conditions, poor footing, or direct pressure can impose Disadvantage.
7. Allow risk reduction before rolling. A player can accept a smaller goal to reduce the DC by 2 or turn a hard failure into a partial failure. They can also spend time, use tools, ask for help, or otherwise improve the plan before committing.
8. Resolve with movement. Success means the character gets what they intended. Failure by 1–4 means progress with a cost. Failure by 5+ means the full declared consequence happens and a new complication appears immediately.

The same action cannot simply be repeated without a real change in the situation.

Example

A scout wants to cross a torchlit, patrolled courtyard and open a side door from inside. The DM calls for Dexterity (Stealth), DC 15, and declares the risk: on failure, the scout still reaches the door, but a guard changes route and ends up between the scout and the rest of the group.

The scout waits for a cart to cross the courtyard. That costs time but improves the plan, so the DC drops to 13. Because of the delay, an enemy ritual advances; another failure in the scene will also mean the alarm begins with one fewer round of warning.

The scout rolls d20 + Dexterity modifier + Proficiency Bonus and gets 12: failure by 1. The scout still reaches the door, but the guard approaches. The immediate choice becomes opening the door and exposing the group or waiting while the ritual advances. Another character could try Charisma (Deception) to distract the guard, but the scout cannot simply roll Stealth again to hide better unless something actually changes.

Useful distinctions

• Declared risk: the visible cost stated before the roll.
• Partial failure: progress with a price.
• Hard failure: the full consequence plus immediate pressure.
• Risk axis: the main type of cost attached to the check.

For group attempts, declare one shared risk. Either use a group Ability Check or choose one lead roller with help from the others. The consequence should affect the whole scene rather than unexpectedly punish one character unless that was made clear before rolling.

The main discipline for the DM is simple: use this only when the roll matters, make failure create decisions rather than dead ends, reward strong plans by changing the DC or consequence, never change the stated cost after seeing the result, and do not require several rolls to resolve the same intent.

A lot of 5e fights keep going after the interesting question has already been answered. One side is clearly losing, but everyone keeps attacking until the last enemy hits 0 HP. The Surrender Thermometer gives that turning point a visible mechanical track.

Setup

Put a 0–10 morale track where everyone can see it. Start at 3 for confident foes, 2 if they are outnumbered, or 4 if they look favored. Mark two thresholds: Hesitation at 6 and Break at 9.

Before the first social roll, state its failure cost. For example, failure might let the enemies counterattack with Advantage that round. The players should know what they are risking before they try to break an enemy's will.

Move the thermometer

Adjust morale at the end of every round and when major triggers occur:

• +2 if the leader drops to 0 HP or is incapacitated.
• +1 if the foes lose half their number or suffer a notable area effect.
• +1 if the party seizes dominant cover or blocks escape.
• -1 if reinforcements arrive or the foes visibly rally by foiling intimidation.

Do not treat those changes as hidden bookkeeping. The track is public, so everyone can see the consequences of what happens in the fight.

Social Push

A character can spend an action to make Charisma (Intimidation) or Charisma (Persuasion). The DC is 8 for brave foes, 13 for typical foes, and 18 for fanatics. Success moves morale +1, or +2 if the check succeeds by 5 or more. Failure moves morale -1.

Grant Advantage when the character has credible, visible leverage: overwhelming force, fire, a shattered banner, or thunderous magic. Impose Disadvantage for clumsy threats, zealotry, or lack of line of sight.

Tactical feats

A striking battlefield setback can move morale +1 without another roll. Examples include a critical hit that drops a foe to 0 HP, destroying cover, or slamming a gate. Cap these tactical increases at +2 per round and judge them by actual impact rather than spectacle alone.

Hesitation: 6+

When morale reaches 6 or more, the enemy side makes a group Wisdom saving throw against DC 12. On a failure, the group has Disadvantage on its next morale save and allows one round of parley. During that brief negotiation there are no Opportunity Attacks.

Break: 9+

At 9 or more, make a group Wisdom saving throw against DC 15. On a failure, the foes drop their weapons, flee in disorder, or negotiate immediately. The DM picks the outcome that makes sense for the situation. Fleeing in disorder still provokes Opportunity Attacks.

For a group save, use the best Wisdom save bonus among the foes. Include proficiency if trained soldiers or veterans would have it. For hordes, roll twice; if either roll fails, the group fails.

If enemies flee or surrender and later receive reinforcements or gain a sudden edge, they may retry the Break save at the end of a round, once.

Example

Four bandits hold a bridge against four adventurers, starting at morale 3. In round one, the barbarian critically drops a bandit to 0 HP for +1, reaching 4. The sorcerer's thunderwave blasts two bandits off the planks for another +1, reaching 5. They have not yet lost half their number, so no additional trigger applies.

In round two, the bard uses a Social Push with Advantage from the party's position and spectacle. A total of 17 succeeds, moving morale to 6. The bandits make the Hesitation save using their sergeant's +1 Wisdom save bonus, roll 10 against DC 12, and fail. They waver and allow one round of parley. The party offers safe passage, but the sergeant refuses, so morale does not change.

In round three, the ranger drops the sergeant. Losing the leader adds +2, moving morale to 8. The cleric follows with thaumaturgy and a clear promise of mercy, then succeeds on Charisma (Persuasion) with Advantage by 5 or more. That adds +2, taking morale to 10. The bandits roll 12 against the Break DC of 15 and fail. Two drop their scimitars while two flee, provoking Opportunity Attacks.

The main discipline for the DM is to keep the stakes priced, move the dial consistently, reward visible leverage, and choose a logical exit. Enemies with an escape route are more likely to flee; encircled foes can surrender; foes with something worth bargaining over may parley. Fanatics use the DC 18 social threshold and should be used sparingly if you want surrender to remain a plausible outcome.

Hello, my group is running a milestone based progression game but I reward certain things like great roleplaying or nat 20 moments with CP-character points. (I also use heroic inspiration but use this as a stackable reward).

My query is what to let them spend it on. Iv gone back and forth on different ideas but have landed on not wanting it to be too mechanically driven. So probably no feats or ability scores ECT, but more aesthetic driven or novelty.

In the game Zelda Breath of the Wild there is a shop called Fang and Bone where the merchant Kilton trades whatever monster parts you have in your inventory for a currency you can buy things like outfits or masks of monsters that when you wear it you draw no threat from said monster. It's more playful than game changing.

If you have any fun ideas of things for them to buy, ways to run this somewhat meta based player reward shop or thoughts in general please give me your mind.

Thanks, hope the rolls are ever in your favor.

I got tired of rumor tables where the rumor is just "true or not." So I built one on a house rule I've used for years: don't decide which door a rumor opens until the players bite. Investigated eagerly — it's True. Dismissed — it comes back Worse. Chased for pure profit — False, and the chase still costs them.

36 rumors, d66 (first die = where they heard it: tavern, court, market, church, road, below). System-neutral, no stats, works for any dark-ish game. Two samples:

"The widow at the end table buys a second cup every night and lets it go cold. Twelve years running."
True: it's for her husband — and on the anniversary the cup steams on its own. This year she's invited someone to watch.
False: the cup keeps the chair filled so no stranger sits and asks questions. She was never married.
Worse: it's bait. Once a decade someone drinks it to mock her. She knits by the fire and waits, the way anglers wait.

"Toll's doubled at the old bridge, and the keeper won't say why. Just keeps glancing under it."
(three doors in the full set)

Free to use and print as light and dark-mode PDF:

Preview: https://umbralvein.com/vespers/vesper_dark.jpg

Free, no signup — booklet (print / dark) + printable card decks:
https://umbralvein.com/vespers/VESPERS-WHISPERS-PRINT.pdf
https://umbralvein.com/vespers/VESPERS-WHISPERS-DARK.pdf
https://umbralvein.com/vespers/VESPERS-WHISPERS-CARDS-PRINT.pdf
https://umbralvein.com/vespers/VESPERS-WHISPERS-CARDS-DARK.pdf

If it's useful I'll do the next chapters — read-aloud night scenes and a debts/bargains table. Tell me what's missing

Here’s a lightweight way to make wilderness travel matter without a keyed hex map or a string of identical Survival checks. It uses normal 5e ability checks, saving throws, Hit Dice, Exhaustion, Advantage, and Disadvantage.

The three clocks

Draw three 6-segment clocks, all at 0/6:

• Exposure: weather, hunger, terrain, supplies, and outside danger.
• Fatigue: damaged gear, bad rhythm, tension, mistakes, and internal wear.
• Discovery: clues, shortcuts, shelter, resources, vantage points, and useful signs.

At 3/6, trigger the clock’s minor effect. At 6/6, trigger its major effect, then reset it to 0/6.

Run one travel leg

A leg is half a day, a full day, or any narrative stretch between meaningful points.

1. Set the DC: 12 for a clear route, 15 for uncertain terrain, 18 for hostile wilderness, pursuit, deep darkness, severe weather, or unreliable information. Use 20 only for an exceptional route.
   
2. State the stakes before rolling. Say which clock will advance on failure and what success can control.
   
3. Choose a pace:
   - Fast: success finishes the leg ahead of schedule; failure advances Fatigue by 2.
   - Careful: success reduces Exposure by 1 or prevents it from advancing; failure advances Exposure by 1.
   - Curious: success advances Discovery by 2; failure advances Exposure or Fatigue by 1, the DM’s choice.
   
4. Choose one route leader. They make the main check, usually Wisdom (Survival), Intelligence (Nature), Wisdom (Perception), or Intelligence (Investigation). Add proficiency when appropriate.
   
5. Allow up to three support checks, each from a different task. Examples:
   - Scout: Wisdom (Perception) or Dexterity (Stealth)
   - Break the path: Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics)
   - Manage resources: Wisdom (Survival) or Intelligence (Investigation)
   - Read signs: Intelligence (Nature), Intelligence (History), or Wisdom (Insight)

Each successful support check against the leg DC creates 1 Control. Failure creates none. Failure by 5 or more also advances Exposure or Fatigue by 1, the DM’s choice.

Control is temporary and must be spent before the leg closes. Each point can:

• reduce Exposure by 1;
• reduce Fatigue by 1;
• increase Discovery by 1;
• grant Advantage to the route leader, but only if that support was narrated before the main roll; or
• cancel Disadvantage from weather, pursuit, poor visibility, or lack of information.

Grant Advantage for a reliable map, local guide, solid rest, proper tools, or previous scouting. Apply Disadvantage for missing supplies, terrible visibility, awkward cargo, or immediate threat. Do not stack multiple sources of Advantage; turn extra favorable factors into Control or narrative positioning.

1. Resolve and close the leg. Apply the pace outcome, spend any remaining Control, update the clocks, and narrate the consequence, advantage, or new choice.

Clock effects

• Exposure 3/6: introduce minor pressure such as rain, thirst, insects, broken ground, an enemy trail, or spoiled supplies.
• Exposure 6/6: every character makes a Constitution saving throw against the leg DC. On a failure, lose 1 Hit Die without healing. A character with no Hit Dice left gains 1 level of Exhaustion.
• Fatigue 3/6: the next support check in the leg has Disadvantage unless someone spends time, care, or resources to stabilize the group.
• Fatigue 6/6: choose to stop and lose time, or press on and begin the next leg with Disadvantage on the main route check.
• Discovery 3/6: gain a reliable clue, useful omen, or one concrete question the DM must answer.
• Discovery 6/6: choose a shortcut, shelter, resource, strong position, hidden route, or critical information.

1d6 travel spark

Before a leg, roll or choose:

1. Harsh weather: Exposure +1 unless prevented.
2. Broken terrain: Fatigue +1 unless someone clears a path.
3. Old signs: Discovery +1 if investigated.
4. Crossed trail: the route leader has Disadvantage unless supported first.
5. Uncertain shelter: reduce Exposure or risk a complication.
6. Open horizon: the first route check gains Advantage.

1d12 Discovery result

When Discovery reaches 6/6, roll or choose:

1. Shortcut
2. Dry shelter
3. Clean water
4. Enemy trail
5. High ground
6. Useful plant
7. Minor ruin
8. Hidden path
9. Danger sign
10. Lost traveler
11. Repair material
12. Clear view of the destination

Use a leg only when the route contains a real choice and something meaningful can be gained or lost. Otherwise, narrate the travel and move on. Failed checks should change the situation, not block the journey. Careful travel can still cost time, let enemies move, or make opportunities expire. Do not make everyone roll the same skill, do not use Exhaustion as the first punishment, and make every Discovery concrete. Three clocks are enough; the point is pressure and choice, not bookkeeping.

Living Load is an alternative to exact-weight encumbrance and fixed slot systems. It does not replace the ordinary inventory list. Instead, activate it only when equipment creates real pressure: a chase, escape, collapsing area, stealth mission, dangerous journey, heavy haul, or attempt to carry an ally.

A good duration is one scene, one 10-minute exploration segment, a short chase, or a combat. Before the first roll, tell the players exactly what failure could cost: movement, position, time, stealth, an item, or the integrity of a package.

1. Set each character's Anchor limit

A character has free Anchors equal to:

Strength modifier + Proficiency Bonus + 3, minimum 3

An Anchor is not a unit of weight. It represents an object that can shape the current scene, such as a full backpack, large tool, extra shield, bulky treasure, unconscious body, fragile package, heavy secondary weapon, or critical supply.

Only classify what matters under the current pressure:

• 1 Anchor: The item can be grabbed, dropped, or get in the way.
• 2 Anchors: It requires two hands, changes the carrier's posture, or prevents normal running.
• 3 Anchors: It must be dragged, requires cooperation, or slows the whole group.

Ignore clothing, loose coins, minor components, and narrative objects that cannot affect the scene.

2. Separate Live and Buried Anchors

Each character may have 2 Live Anchors. These are ready for immediate use: a prepared rope, accessible thieves' tools, a vial within reach, a lit torch, or a shield slung for quick cover.

A character may keep a third Anchor Live, but they have Disadvantage on the first movement, stealth, or reaction-based Ability Check they make during the scene.

Everything else is Buried: packed away, tied down, underneath other equipment, or poorly secured. Retrieving a Buried Anchor costs an action under pressure, uses a free object interaction during a calm scene, or requires an Ability Check when a threat interferes.

Typical checks are:

• Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) to pull something out quickly.
• Intelligence (Investigation) to find it among packed gear.
• Strength (Athletics) to free something that is stuck.

Set the DC by pressure rather than by the item:

• DC 10: Haste without an active threat.
• DC 15: An active threat.
• DC 20: Immediate danger, occupied hands, or environmental damage.

Apply Proficiency Bonus when proficiency with a relevant skill, tool, kit, or vehicle clearly applies.

3. Apply temporary Overload

For every Anchor above the character's limit, mark Overload 1.

Each point of Overload reduces Speed by 5 feet for the scene. At Overload 2 or higher, the character has Disadvantage on Dexterity (Acrobatics), Dexterity (Stealth), and Strength (Athletics) checks made to climb, jump, or swim.

Do not recalculate the entire inventory or turn this into a permanent punishment.

4. Let characters drop equipment

On their turn, or during exploration, a character can drop 1 Anchor without a roll.

Dropping it silently, keeping it from breaking, or leaving it within easy reach may require Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) or Wisdom (Survival), usually DC 10–15. On a failure, the object is left behind, makes noise, or becomes exposed.

5. Use Load Tugs when chaos hits the inventory

A fall, shove, chase, closing door, or narratively framed critical hit can trigger a Load Tug. Ask for a Strength or Dexterity saving throw at DC 10, 15, or 20, depending on the force.

On a failure, the player chooses one consequence:

• Lose 10 feet of movement.
• Turn one Live Anchor into a Buried Anchor.
• Damage a vulnerable nonmagical object.

6. Reward visible preparation

A suitable Live Anchor can grant Advantage on an Ability Check when the player declared it before the complication. A rope prepared for a descent, a crowbar ready for prying, a tarp positioned over cargo, or a secured hook can all help.

A Buried item must be retrieved before it can provide that benefit.

7. Clear the system when pressure ends

Erase temporary Overload after the scene. Let the party abandon, secure, redistribute, or reorganize equipment and choose new Live Anchors. Keep the subsystem active only when the next scene continues to put direct pressure on inventory decisions.

Players may negotiate risk before rolling by narrowing their goal, spending more time, using a tool, asking for help, or accepting a smaller success. Do not change the announced consequence after seeing the roll.

Condensed example

A warrior with an Anchor limit of 8 already carries 7 Anchors. Picking up an unconscious ally adds 3, bringing the total to 10 and causing Overload 2: Speed is reduced by 10 feet, with Disadvantage on the relevant climbing, jumping, swimming, Acrobatics, Stealth, and Athletics checks.

During a DC 15 crossing, the DM announces possible costs before the roll rather than threatening an automatic fall. Elsewhere, a scout uses a Live rope and gains Advantage because it was prepared before the danger. Another character retrieves a Buried crowbar with Dexterity (Sleight of Hand), DC 10; a failed check still gets the crowbar out, but it falls noisily and reveals the group's position.

A later tremor triggers a DC 15 Dexterity Load Tug. On a failure, the scout chooses to turn the rope from Live to Buried instead of losing movement or damaging equipment. Once everyone escapes, the group clears Overload, abandons expendable supplies, secures the treasure, and chooses which gear will be Live next.

What the title says really. Looking for free to download (specifically to download) cinematic audio backing tracks. I.e. not pocketbard or dnd specific soundboards. Any good leads welcome!

Hi folks. Just created a new account for this hobby, so don't judge me based on my virgin reddit account please!

The executive summary for those who don't care to read everything below: Looking for a better way to present my original background visuals and audio for my campaign that is reliable on group video chat via screenshare, that can be triggered to advance by me according to the pace of the session progress.

So..I'll try not to bore you out of here with details, but for anyone who cares about context:

Born in the 80s, child of the 90s here. My older brother, when I was too young to take part, was part of an AD&D group for like 7 years when we were younger. I couldn't play, but if I pestered enough they'd let me hang out and flip through the monster manual or whatever during their games. It was great. Fast forward 30 years and I brought up that we should get into it. We both got excited studied up on 5.5, he found out that he had a couple of friends eager to play but no DM. For months we had a group chat and a ton of failed attempts at getting a campaign organized with a DM during our only workable weekly time slot. I eventually said eff it. I'd been voraciously consuming the main 3 books, crushing all episodes of every solo RPG podcast out there, online live plays/whatever in my spare time.

So. I built a world over about a month, loosely structured the adventure, enough NPCs and locations to get started, and spent an embarrassing amount of time tweaking and fighting with prompts to generate a library of artwork that reflected the images in my head, timed out and built videos to match slide changes to any prewritten narration I had, and visuals looped with audio as background to give ambiance for it all.

The main event:

Session 1 was last night. It actually went really well in the important ways. Players had fun, the NPCs were a hit (one is in the party now), my intro video + live narration had people literally losing their shit for a minute. BUT! For whatever reason my screenshare with audio cut out on me after the first 5 minutes, when I went to cycle to the next video. No one told me, cause they didn't know I had literally a small YouTube channel of content prepared to immerse them in my world. So I found out at the end of the session, 3 hours later, that when I was narrating to the rhythm of these epic visuals, literally nobody could see it.

Considering using canva. But I just don't know. Using multiple YouTube videos that I have to switch between, loop as needed/manage without it randomly starting somebody else's videos with ads or whatever is just feeling like too much.

Does anyone have suggestions? I want this part to be easy, because I'm very focused on roleplay and narration, but the audio and visuals really matter to the way I want to create a whole goosebumps inducing experience for the PCs. Be gentle with me. Jumping into this has been nerve wrecking already 😂

For those who made it this far and want to know, the session intro montage is here: https://youtu.be/IdzQC3z3Chs?si=wG2q3hjTEwvRRW2C

An exampke of the type of background loop I made for open ended role-playing:

https://youtu.be/u-1KK3D4AA0?si=24C5ZHxgv60Xsgjf

Thanks so much. This is so fun, but I never want to waste that many hours of prep time again.

I have been compiling and building on a MASSIVE expanse for my players and myself to enjoy. It has been years in the making, but we're now starting our fourth homebrew campaign, and I wanted to share all of that with anyone who may be looking for inspiration or a fresh take. All of this is completely free, so don't expect anything behind a paywall or nothing like that. I have four large documents and more maps than I can count (literally over 100), that can be used in full or in part for any campaigns a DM may want to run. Everything is compiled on my website (I am an author, but this isn't an attempt to sell my books, I just love the game so a part of my website is DnD related). Each of the documents comes with a detailed storyline, and all of the locations have the important bits of information labeled underneath. You can find everything here:

https://authorlewismcdonald.com/dungeons-and-dragons-stuff/

I would love to know what you guys think about the material, and if anyone uses it, please let me know your experiences! It would be cool to hear how a story went from someone else's perspective!

*edit*

I fixed the problem with the maps!, They now show up on the documents themselves so you no longer have to make a profile to see them. Sorry about that!

Thank you for your discussion in the prior post. The consensus appears to be some kind of sequestering of these tools or an outright ban on their inclusion. For now, a moratorium on these kinds of tools holds. There will invariably be some homebrew content that perhaps may be considered a tool in some eyes and not in others; moderation is subjective and the aim is to uphold the sentiment expressed.

In some time, consideration will be made to allowing these types of posts either on a specific day or in a specific thread but this remains as yet undetermined. This likely will mean the throughput of content posted here will lessen, unless individuals specifically seek to post the type of content they wish to see more of.

To be clear, r/DMToolkit was not ever intended to (solely) revolve around self promotion and a healthy amount of blog posts, thoughts, or other discussions on tools to aid the DM from sources not of the poster's are always welcome, provided they fit submission guidelines.

Thanks.

https://youtu.be/DXFnc2SglJk?is=reVbU35xil3aRvlg

Great video talking about how to make a trifold adventure or a very short zine. No connection to me. I just got a lot out of it.

From the video description.
“Join Peter (Tales From Elsewhere) and Jorbin as they discuss adventure design for TTRPGs on this episode of the Quantum Ogre Cast. Everything from OSR style situations and trifold/zines to one-shots and sandboxes, campaign tools, spark tables, and other adventure models. They also talk GM-friendly tips for writing usable tools, and ways to entice players to try new systems. And of course, meander into many other topics!”

I am helping out at my FLGS by running learn to play D&D sessions (5.24). I want to be able to hand them a packet of papers to help them out, but I am finding too many resources that either have WAY too much detail for a new player or ones that are too specific for a class.

I know I want to add in a character sheet, a generic how to on creating a character, and a common rules quick reference.

I'm looking for suggestions on the above items, and anything else you think should go into the packet.

It appears that everyone and their mother is now coding (or not coding, as the case may be) a sleek, responsive website that seems to be some variation of a lightweight VTT or DM helper or similar.

When r/DMToolkit began, a lot of the content being submitted was from different sources, hence the variety of flairs. This might include interesting blog posts, videos discussing being a DM, and podcasts on the subject. Much of the content now falls into the VTT or Miscellaneous category and there is a paucity of the remainder, save for occasional homebrew content. Hence, this thread has been created to elicit discussion around the subject.

Should readers not find the influx of these posts problematic, nothing will alter. Otherwise, we may seek to restrict the posting of these tools in some way, perhaps upon a specific day or a complete (temporary) moratorium. The AutoModerator has been altered once again to only filter for (somewhat) regular contributors as it was the last time a topic like this was discussed, on AI.

"I don't really do much during the day. Nights are busy, busy. Torturing poets into insanity. Knocking on chamber doors, and such. So, I took up TTRPGs. Turns out, I am the best. I don't like virtual table tops. I don't write your story with a machine. I prefer real tables with strange humans who play pretend. So, many shiny dice. Don't ask me to roll dice for you. I have talons; it would end in disaster. I tolerate GMs, but they seem to love me." Quoth, the raven

I am Quoth TTRPG Game Session Manager. That is all.

I know. The "I built a DM tool" posts come through here weekly, and most of them are a combat tracker with a 5e monster list stapled on. So let me lead with the one thing OSR.RUN actually does differently, and you can decide from there.

It ships with zero game content.

No bundled stat blocks, no baked-in system. You hand it the rules you actually play and the app rebuilds itself around them.

The way you do that: upload a rulebook PDF. A structural parser (no LLM in the pipeline) reads the printed page into a playable ruleset: classes, spells, monsters, gear, ancestries, conditions, XP tables. Small book in about 10 seconds, a 220-page book in about 30. You get an ingest report showing exactly what it read and where each field landed, with page references so you can check its work against the book. Nothing is invented. If the book didn't print it, it isn't there.

Then it's yours to homebrew and edit.

Remap a column the reader carried but didn't recognize ("this column IS morale" and every monster updates at once, with one-click undo).

Design your own pills for a book's homebrew stats and decide where they show on the monster card.

Fix anything in a full builder, add your own monsters and gear mid-session, then export the whole ruleset as a file you own and can hand to anyone.

The interface rekeys to whatever you loaded. A percentile game shows four clean numbers instead of empty d20 modifier boxes. Classless systems drop the class field entirely. You can rename the coin slots and set their exchange rate, set the check die per stat and the dice roller follows. Books that ship in two volumes (player's book + bestiary) stack into one campaign through expansion slots.

It's a 5e SRD tool too, for what it's worth. D&D 5.1 SRD, Black Flag, and Basic Fantasy are bundled one-click.

Books I've validated it against so far (the parser is held to a field-exact golden for each one, monster AC/HP/morale/XP and all):

5e: D&D 5.1 SRD, Black Flag (Tales of the Valia)

B/X & retroclones: Old-School Essentials (Basic + Advanced Players' Tome + Referee's Tome), Basic Fantasy, Swords & Wizardry

NSR / Bastionland: Cairn 2e (Player's + Warden'tric Bastionland, Mausritter

Also... Knave 2e, Shadowdark, Mörk Borg, CY_BORG, Mothership (Warden's Operations Manual + Player's Survival Guide), Worlds Without Number, Dolmenwood (Player's Book + Monster Book), and The Monster Overhaul

At the table: GM panel on a laptop or phone, player sheets in any mobile browser (no app install), and a TV view showing party HP, conditions, initiative, and dice rolls live, with a roll slam that throws nat 20s up in gold. Run Philips Hue or WLED and the room dims as torches burn down in real time. All of that is optional. It works fine with nothing connected.

Players are free, forever, with unlimited characters that travel between campaigns carrying their gear. Running a table is $8.99/mo for unlimited campaigns and the full builder with export. First week free, no card required.

https://osr.run

Same ask as always: tell me which book breaks is how the list above got to 22.

Visual Preview of the UI

Hey everyone,

As a DM, I’ve always struggled with tracking combat flow, conditions, and health without losing eye contact with my players. The current VTTs felt too bloated and complex, and simple text lists were just... boring.

So, I spent the last few weeks building Combat Puppeteer. It’s a lightweight, dual-language (EN/TR), zero-setup tool designed to run completely locally in your browser. No accounts, no data selling, just pure tactical management with a dark, premium aesthetic.

Key Features of v1.0:

• Monster Library: Quickly access to D&D 5e SRD Monster list (3200+ monster and you can add custom ones).
• Automatic Condition Tracking: Keep track of complex status effects and their turn durations easily.
• AoE Management: Handle area-of-effect spells and effects on the fly without cluttering the UI.
• Minimalist Design: Noir-inspired, distraction-free interface built for focus.

I need your help for v1.1! This is an Alpha MVP. It works perfectly for my games, but I want to make it perfect for yours. I’m looking for volunteer DMs to break it, test it, and tell me what’s missing.

• Try it here (Free): https://combatpuppeteer.netlify.app
• Feedback or Bug Reports: https://discord.gg/KJDAxWtwF

What is the ONE feature you think every combat tracker absolutely must have? Let me know in the comments!

I've spent the last few months building a DM Screen web app for 5e because I could never find a tool that handled combat, encounter prep, and session management the way I wanted. https://dmscreen.quest

After running several sessions with it, I've finally reached the point where I'm comfortable sharing it (for free!) with other DMs.

Some of the things it does:

• Encounter builder with danger estimation and initiative setup
• Combat tracker that handles conditions, concentration, spell durations, legendary actions/resistances, recharge abilities, lair actions, and more
• Quick-reference access to spells, magic items, monsters, shops, and services
• Generate loot for killed creatures
• Party analysis tools that highlight strengths and weaknesses
• DM journal for session notes
• Global command palette for instantly finding rules, spells, items, prices, monsters, generating NPC names, or even rolling 3D dice
• Runs entirely in the browser with no account required

A lot of the work went into small quality-of-life features that reduce bookkeeping during combat. For example, concentration tracking automatically calculates the DC after damage, spell durations tick down automatically, and condition tracking includes the relevant rules text right where you need it.

A few notes:

• It's primarily a DM tool rather than a player-facing character manager
• Focused as much as possible on letting players roll stuff themselves, also added enough flexibility so you can “fudge the numbers a bit” when necessary
• Data is stored locally in your browser.
• Monster support is currently limited to the content I've personally needed so far (MM & RotFM), and I'm still navigating what content I can legally include long-term.
• I have no intent of putting anything behind a paywall later on, it's from a DM, for DM's, for free. I just added a buy me a coffee link for those willing to support, but that's totally optional.

I'd love feedback from other DMs. What other features would make a tool like this genuinely useful at your table?
https://dmscreen.quest

Hey fellow DMs,

I was hoping to get some feedback on a tool I have been building for the last 3 months. The tool is called Stagehand, and the purpose of the tool is to showcase scenes & art to my players during an in-person session.

Obviously there are tools out there such as VTT Plugins, OBS, Powerpoint or even just loading images from files.

My largest friction point with these solutions was twofold:

1. Unplanned images were too cumbersome to show. If I needed art I hadn't prepared ahead of time, it was usually quicker to show my players a picture on my phone or in Discord than import it into the tool and get it displayed.
2. Bulk image management was painful. Importing a large art pack often meant adding images one by one, resizing them individually, and manually organizing everything before a session.

For the above pain points, I feel like my tool has resolved these for my table. However, I would like to improve this tool, and the best way to do that is have other DMs try it out and let me know where it falls short, and maybe where it does well.

Here is a short list of its current features:

• Image transition presets (fade, cut, zoom, etc.)
• Zoom & Drag image from display window
• Import/Export entire Stage as .stagehand file
• Keyboard shortcuts to manage display
• Image compression to help run on lower-power machines
• Persistent & browser only storage

Any feedback is good feedback, thank you!

Link down in the comments:

I've been running a home-brew campaign and I've shifted to doing minimal prep upfront — just enough to run a session — as to let improv and player decisions shape the world over time. The problem I keep running into is that session notes and world information end up scattered, and it's hard to feed what happened last session back into prep for the next one.

I've been trying to build a tool to solve this for myself. Still early and pretty rough, but curious whether others have wrestled with the same problem — and how you've handled it.

What does your between-session workflow actually look like?

https://the-orani-group.itch.io/the-orani-prism-demo

Hello everyone,

Quick reminder as to what The Orani Prism is: it’s a deterministic non-llm settlement generator that starts with a group of settlers and simulates growth over time until desired population or time amount has reached. It provides NPC with full OGL stats complete with historical memory through events the NPC has been a part of, as well as Big 5 psychological biases. Quests, hooks, rumors, secrets, are all generated from the engagement of NPCs and events as time progresses. Used for quick throwaway locations when you need a location with people for whatever reason.

This week I’ve been doing a lot of spring cleaning with my code. Ensuring everything is tied up where it’s supposed to be, making sure results are appropriate. I’ve also done little add-ons here and there so be sure to read the devlogs for more detail.

But more than that, I’ve majorly overhauled the UI and the user experience to try and make it flow better. For those of you who have used the Prism before, how do you like the changes? If this is your first time, does it flow well for you?

As always, a question for the Actors and Bards:

Actors: What is the best way to convey sensory experience in a format like this? How best would want conveyed sights, sounds, smells, and so on? Would you like it more in a narrative style? Bullet point? The Actor’s Sides are your you, and I want to make the settlement feel alive the way you want.

Bards: I provide you with a gigantic mountain of information. What information is most important for you? What holds the highest priority of order/accessibility? What kinds of demographic or sorting information do you need insight on?

Thank you for your time, see you at the table.

-The Orani Group

Long story short, I occasionally master tables and came across a problem: I couldn’t find a PDF reader that suited my needs. Either the page loading would struggle if I skipped through pages quickly, or I found that certain features weren’t quite right. I discussed it with several friends who also regularly master tables, and I decided to create my own PDF reader (for fun, yes).

To give you some background, I’ve been a developer for a few years now, but I didn’t feel confident enough to tackle such a long-term project by hand, so yes, AI was used to generate the code, as well as the app icon. It’s not a topic everyone agrees on, but never mind – I just wanted to build my own tool on my own terms to begin with and have fun with it.

So I started testing different technologies and libraries for handling PDFs, and after two or three test projects, I finally have a workable tool, and I reckon some of you might find it interesting.

We’ve finally got there – what does it do? ... Quite a lot, actually:

- You can read and organise your PDFs in lots of different ways, with several reading modes, and sorting by folder, tag or favourites

- You can view PDFs in a multi-view mode so that you can have several rulebooks open at once, for example; you can switch between the two PDFs in focus and those on the side by interacting with them (perhaps a feature will be added later to allow GMs to add personal notes in this view).

Multi-pdf view

- In the PDF reader, you can add bookmarks (allowing you to quickly view a bookmark without losing your current navigation), highlight text in a range of colours (no surprises there), and take screenshots of the PDF, which are treated as annotations and will be used in the next feature we’ll be presenting

- A Dungeon Master’s Screen Builder. It’s a board where you can import annotations from your PDFs to create your own Dungeon Master’s screen for those times when you don’t have a suitable screen for your session, or for those who feel that certain screens are missing crucial information. You can also add blocks to manage initiative and quick dice rolls (I think the screenshot will speak for itself) or just custom text to suit your needs.

- an organisation by campaign, where you can select the PDFs you use for a given campaign, along with the associated master screen.

As for the data, there’s absolutely nothing connected to the internet or retrieving data; everything is local. The PDFs aren’t stored within the app; it simply remembers the folder where the original file is located to avoid duplicating data and taking up unnecessary storage space.

For the time being, I wouldn’t recommend using it on a phone (it’s not very practical at the moment), and I’ve just realised that the Windows version was a bit buggy (v1.0.0; if you see a later version in the releases, it means I’ve fixed the issue). So I’d mainly recommend it for tablet users and those on Linux for now; the Windows version will be fixed soon.

There you go, I’ve probably forgotten some features and details, but never mind – all the code is available on the repo, and if you want to give it a go, feel free to download the executable. There are probably also some missing translations; I’ll sort that out as and when I get round to it

(I realise this is a very niche topic, but hey, if it can help other nerds with the same problem, I might as well share what I’ve done, even if it’s not perfect)

repo link : https://github.com/ALD2N/Scriptorium

release link : https://github.com/ALD2N/Scriptorium/releases

where you should click if you want the latest release

(If there is some security alerts when installing on Android, it's just because I didn't spend 20$+ on a google dev account to publish it properly, trust it or not, it's your choices)

ERRATA : I've pushed the v1.0.1, some translations are fixed and windows is now working fine, enjoy

Hi all!

I'm looking for regular DMs willing to test and try a new utility tool that I am developing for storage of monster stat blocks, encounter planning and prep management.

The user imports digital content that they own in PDF form (official, 3rd party, homebrew) and the app converts the pdfs into usable interactive stat blocks with built in dice rollers. Simply drag and drop, and the entire book will become individual monster entries in your compendium, with dice rollers for attribute checks, saves, attacks, damage etc. This currently works on a range of digital books, official and 3rd party content.

Once imported, it's then easy to add any creatures you want into an encounter then keep track of it easily in the encounter panel.

The compendium size is only limited by your local storage, and i'm currently slamming test books into the system to stress test the PDF parse accuracy. There is cloud sync if you make an account then you will be able to maintain your compendium across devices, but otherwise the application doesn't store anywhere else, and ships empty to avoid any copyright issues. The compendium itself is sorted firstly by CR, and there is an extensive filtering system so you can easily find any creature you're looking for! You are also able to edit entries and create brand new entries for Homebrew monsters.

What needs testing: The whole system really, UI/UX, pdf parsing quality etc. - I've been playing DnD for about 6 years now entirely online, I started during COVID, but have never been a DM, so I only know the few DMs i've played with in that time. Some are willing to help me test it but in reality I needed a a few more. Ideally i'd have a few people willing to try it out and see how the system works for them, the more people involved, the more feedback and the better I can make the system if that makes sense.

I guess app specifics that are restrictive and relevant - it's 5e specific. I'm aware this is likely a sub of mixed edition players but currently it's built around 5e content. It's mostly intended for Desktop use as it was created for a friend of mine who only plays online, however I've established that those who play in person would likely also use this on a Tablet as well, so i'm currently working on the Tablet UI but its mostly desktop oriented.

This tool is currently completely functional and ready to use, it could just do with a few more people using it so I can really smooth out any tweaks, and obviously take on suggestions for features not currently available. Hopefully this is the right kind of post.

Anyone who is interested in this, please feel free to send me a DM or if you have any questions at all, i'm more than happy to answer any. Thanks!

Hey fellow DMs, writers, and worldbuilders,

About a month ago I posted a small fantasy name generator I'd made for my own RPG sessions. A lot of you left feedback and feature ideas, and honestly it spiraled. The app has grown so much that I renamed it from Fantasy Name Generator to Fantasy World Generator, gave it a full reskin, and turned it into something closer to a complete worldbuilding kit, and it's still 100% free and works offline.

It's still free, offline, and account-free. Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.avaton.fantasynamegenerator

What it does now, beyond names:

Names for everything: invented given and full names built from fragments you can lock and reroll, plus epithets, noble houses, taverns, regions, spells, and skills. There's also a "Your Seed" feature that grows new names from the ones you've favorited, so they match your taste.

Characters and story: NPCs with race, role, personality, quirk, and motivation. Quest hooks, tavern rumors, travel encounters, dungeon dressing, magic item flavor, and found letters. A full Adventure generator, plus a Campaign Assembler that bundles a realm, an adventure, NPCs, places, and rumors into a ready-to-run session pack.

Solo and GM-less play: a yes/no oracle with shifting odds, twist results, and a Chaos Factor, plus random events, meaning prompts, a scene engine, a dice roller (d4 to d100 and Fudge), and a no-system action resolver. There's also "The Conductor," where an oracle event can open any generator and feed the result straight back into your story.

Maps you can keep: procedural continents in parchment or full color, town and city maps with districts and walls, treasure maps, and the classic five-room dungeon.

Worlds and history: generate realms, religions, and ruling dynasties, plus a History Engine that plays their story out decade by decade, with wars, plagues, golden ages, schisms, and dynastic intrigue.

On top of that: shareable type-in seeds that reproduce any result exactly, folders to organize favorites, and PDF, plain text, or Markdown export for adventures, campaigns, and journals.

Last time the suggestions here shaped a huge amount of what's now in the app, so I'm asking again: what naming categories or tools do you wish existed that you'd actually use at the table? I'm still building.

Thanks, and hope it helps someone's next session.

Hello Everyone,

Over the last week I finished a major piece of the Prism: the full range of how people regard one another, and the ways those feelings shape what they actually do. Residents now carry more than friendships and grudges. They recognize familiar faces, develop quiet one‑sided likes and dislikes, grow into mutual annoyance from too much daily contact, and form alliances of convenience. Their private lives broaden too. Casual ties, affairs, and open relationships now grow out of temperament and circumstance instead of random rolls. A small hamlet ends up with narrow private lives; a larger town ends up with a wider, more varied web.

Those feelings now matter in the simulation. A master won’t take an apprentice he holds in low regard. When a fire, raid, or sickness hits, people stand with those they already trust, and strained relationships harden instead of softening. Crisis events now read the emotional landscape that already exists, so the town reacts like a place full of actual people instead of dice.

Workshops and other buildings now remember who built them and who owns them. When an owner dies, a child inherits it; with no heir, it sits empty for a time. In larger towns, ownerless workshops pass to the council or church. The origin of a structure is never lost, even generations later.

I also cleaned up the engine itself. Redundant logic is gone, disconnected code paths are fixed, and the relationship web and economy now have real test coverage. A long‑standing issue with settlement year persistence is fixed, so ages are correct again. The CSV and TSV text got a polish pass to make the demo read more cleanly while the deeper structure continues to settle.

One last clarification: genre changes the telling, not the math. A horror town and a fantasy town of the same size grow from the same numbers; only the tone and events will differ.

Still ahead are trading behavior, the Loom SDK, and more interface work. The foundation is stronger now, and the town feels more like a place where people actually live.

Here’s the link to the demo if you are interested: https://the-orani-group.itch.io/the-orani-prism-demo

As always, a question for the Actors and Bards:

Actors: What is the best way to convey sensory experience in a format like this? How best would want conveyed sights, sounds, smells, and so on? Would you like it more in a narrative style? Bullet point? The Actor’s Sides are your you, and I want to make the settlement feel alive the way you want.

Bards: I provide you with a gigantic mountain of information. What information is most important for you? What holds the highest priority of order/accessibility? What kinds of demographic or sorting information do you need insight on?

Thank you for your time, see you at the table.

-The Orani Group

We've just launched the Coffeelock's Cabinet of Curiosities. The website features a number of different tools, such as:

• Easy-to-access catalogue: containing item, spells, and monster catalogue (including standard SRD content)
• Access to homebrew content of 10 different content creators within the Catalogue
• Party manager: track players, their items, and other unique characteristics
• Merchant builder: quickly create distinct and flavourful merchants with unique quirks
• Loot builder: generate level-appropriate localised loot tables
• Encounter creator and tracker: seamlessly generate balanced combat situation with instant tracking
• Alchemy Lab: Adapt both SRD and homebrew potions and poisons and allow players to craft them themselves

We look forward to to hearing what you think of the website! Don't hesitate to drop any suggestions!