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Dungeon Master's Guide: Core Rulebook II (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.0 Fantasy Roleplaying)

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WoTC's treatment of the Dungeon Master's Guide at first glance seems unremarkable...Five chapters devoted to things like advice for DM's, Running the Game, and Adventures....but just wait 'till it gets going.

Veteran gamers will no doubt scoff at the advice the DMG offers new DMs and skip to the section on Magic Items. They shouldn't. The guidance for DMs that this book offers is (for a change) worth reading. Little things that a DM picks up over time like: "Agree on your house rules before you start playing" or "Keep a list of 20 or so unassigned names handy in case your players ask a passer-by for their name." Sure, a veteran DM knows to do that, but do I wish I'd read that when I bought my first DMG? Absolutely. This book is a guidebook for Dungeon Masters, and it sensibly devotes a sizeable portion of itself on telling new DMs the tricks of the trade. (Old timers will recognize the example of play section from the original '79 DMG has been used again, although they will note that originally the cleric said "I squash the nasty thing with my mace!" *grin*)

Building blocks: As any serious DM will tell you, a campaign is made up of lots of little details, usually assembled on the fly. Any charts, prefab'ed items or other labor saving devices are a godsend. This book devotes pages to structural properties of objects, animals and traps typically found in a dungeon. It also offers useful information on prefabricating towns and eleven pages of tables to generate Non-Player Characters.

My award for the biggest "It's about time award" goes to the new rules on the creation of magic items. After two sets of rules have told us that the creation of magic items was expensive, arduous and required rare ingredients, (oh and a constitution point if you wanted the item to last), WoTC has now given us a cohesive set of rules in a core rulebook (imagine!) that shows us how it can be done. Players now can, and undoubtedly will, create their own magic items within the game which (in my opinion) can only add to the gaming experience. One of my players' favorite jokes is making fun of the poor old wizard from AD&D who gave up all his constitution points making a dozen +1 arrows, (under the old rules, it wasn't clear why minor magic items existed at all, they simply cost too much to make). Now there is a framework for creating magic items, and with a little DM guidance, we can turn our player's limitless ingenuity in a whole new direction. Plus the existence of a sling bullet +1 won't seem so stupid now...

Options...Any player who read the Player's Handbook and complained that a particular option or characteristic had been written out of D&D raise your hand. Now use it to smack yourself in the head, because between the DMG's new "variant" rules, alternate character races, prestige classes, and campaign world options there is simply nothing you can't do. There are stats in this book from everything from a katana (d10, exotic- yummy!) to laser guns. (no, I'm not kidding. Purists who go pale at that fact should remember that since it's an option, you don't have to use ray guns if you don't want to). DMs are given a framework for creating (among other things) Troll player characters, and guidelines for creating ability modifications for customized sub-races. Anyone out there have a player who's been whining about the demise of the Assassin class? Show that player the prestige class section and watch them start to smile... show them that Blackguard characters who are ex-paladins get bonus abilities for being so nasty-and watch that player reach for some dice.

Prestige classes: Wow. Prestige classes like the assassin and blackguard are absolutely fantastic additions. Essentially, a prestige class is open only to mid-level characters who qualify (there might be skill level requirements, attack bonus minimums, etc.) and is taken as a second character class. Now when players run into an assassin, they know that at the very least that he's no pushover. These new classes offer DMs limitless possibilities. I've never met a DM who didn't have a special secret organization or knightly brotherhood in their campaign... now you can make those organizations a prestige class and give them entry requirements and special abilities. This kind of seamless additional class is a direct product of the flexibility of the new Character level/Class level system, and it positively shines.

My only complaints with this edition are small are directed more at the format of the publication. First off, whoever decided that putting a pullout page of coupons in the back of the DMG was a good idea should be given their walking papers right now. Most gamers I know don't buy a rulebook so they can gingerly tear a page out of it as soon as they buy it. Second, the inclusion of a glossary in the Players Handbook (a runner-up in the "it's about time" category) was inexplicably absent in the DMG. Aren't there a host of new terms in the DMG that are worth defining?

On substance, though it's a winner. It will give you a jumping-off point for your ideas and the framework to turn them into a campaign. Nice job, guys... Now hurry up and make me a Monster Manual.

First, to all, a word of warning - this will not appeal to everyone! The 3rd Edition of Dungeons & Dragons is now fully revealed in all its glory, and it is two things - [1] a state-of-the-art customizable RPG, with extensive easy-to-use rules displaying impressive internal logic and coherence; and, [2] an EXTREMELY fun tribute to classic dungeon crawls.

The 2nd Edition of AD&D was all about diversity - new nations, new cultures, new horizons, new everything, in a bewildering array, from Dark Sun to Ravenloft. 3rd Edition, in contrast, retains a firm focus on the World of Greyhawk, a land with a much more thematically "pure" medieval setting. So if you loved 2nd Edition for its variety, you may find yourself looking through this book and wondering, "Where's my beloved sprawl of options?"

The answer is beyond the scope of this book - all of the options you could ever want are indeed here, as far as game mechanics are concerned; but if you were hoping for extensive details on cultures, ultra-customized PCs, and the mysteries of Oerth, you'll have to wait for future releases (and they are coming, believe me ;).

So now that we know that the book focuses strictly on rules, advice, and play guidance, we can judge it on its intended merits!

First of all, the play advice and rules on how to create adventures, campaigns, and worlds may seem trite to veteran DMs, in a very "been there, done that" déjà vu sort of way; but I strongly recommend reading these chapters carefully! There's so many pieces of good advice and clever time-savers here that even those who have played for decades (like me) can learn something of lasting value with just a single reading. Now that's quality game design! (As an aside, I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that the "example of play" is straight out of Gygax's original inspired 1979 piece in the 1st DMG - woe to all amateur players who fall into the clutches of such a sinister DM!)

But it's not all just for the DM - players are given even more options here as well! Why, you ask, was this information not included in the Player's Handbook? Well, all of these choices are powerful enough that they've been placed here for the approval (or disapproval) of each individual DM. It's a commendable design choice. Now, we have Prestige Classes: Stellar optional classes such as the Assassin (back at last!), the Witch (an eternal favorite, since the early days of The Dragon) and the Blackguard (a paladin fallen from grace, which may remind you of the Anti-Paladin of old); if they prove too powerful, the DM can always modify or prohibit them. If you (like me) are interested in creating truly customized character classes, you'll have to wait for the Hero Builder's Guide; but, there are rules for alternate races here that will keep you busy! (I've lately been re-integrating Half-Ogres, and thinking about how to balance the Drow. Time for old faves!)

But that's not all. The variety isn't just for PCs! The NPC generation system proves invaluable - now, you can whip up a hundred different, engaging, dramatic, and unique individuals in a single night, and have fun doing so. With this excellent guidework, it's actually a meditative pleasure to sit and contrive interesting people for your players to interact with in some later game session. That's a definite plus.

As far as player experience goes, however, some people will hate the open-ended nature of Challenge Ratings; personally, I love them. They're very easy to use; you can even include fair rewards for solving puzzles, role-playing, fulfilling quests, and evading traps and ambushes. If you prefer "The Old Way" of just rewarding hack-n-slash, more power to you; but for those of us who want to see more role-playing and player cleverness, these rules are wondrous. The one thing I'm worried about is excessive rewards leading to player boredom; personally, I'm strongly considering cutting all PC XP awards by 50%, all the time.

Another age-old problem, however, has finally been solved. One of the drastic omissions in the AD&D system of days gone by (Magister notwithstanding) has finally and decisively been integrated into the DMG - there are detailed rules on the creation of magic items! And they make sense! I was astounded, and immeasurably pleased. Rest assured, your players will enthusiastically find ways to twist these rules for their own amusement, but with this work in hand, you'll always be one step ahead of them. This section alone adds a huge amount of play value. (There's also a fully classified organization of *existing* magic items, which will save you a lot of hair-tearing in the middle of a game.)

Speaking of drastic omissions, there are no rules here dealing with bravery, morale, monster retreats, moments of truth, and other such points of valor; if you're used to rolling dice to decide the fate of monsters and NPCs while the blades and spells flash... you're out of luck. Granted, you can come up with a role-playing solution to this conundrum every time, but "old school" DMs will no doubt be rather angered by this.

And my favorite part of the book? Well, besides the artwork (I love the new style), there's an invaluable section on monster abilities, unified and categorized. This makes the running of monster encounters so much easier that I can't imagine how I survived without it.

So... (sorry for the long read!) My final verdict? A masterpiece? Actually, yes. But not to everyone's taste. If you're a new player, you'll love it; if you're a veteran, you'll find yourself disagreeing with many of the design choices, because it's not "1st Edition" or "2nd Edition" or anything in between. For me, though, that's the beauty of it... this book is so cleanly designed that if you feel something's been left out that you simply can't live without, you can convert the old rules to synth perfectly into the new, and then you'll have the best of both worlds. Viva le difference! It's a new age, a new world... and this is your guide. Enjoy it.

For new players this might seem like the best thing ever. I have to admit I had some reservations about going from 2E to 3E with my players but they were all dying for it so away we go!

I suspect this review will be of more use to veteran types than novice types, as the latter have no comparison, but here goes:

THINGS I LIKE ABOUT THE 3E DMG

(1) WORLD BUILDING: the 2E DMG didn't have this aspect in it. You had to get one of the supplementary sources to figure out all the things that are now in 3E. Good step.

Howeer, let me point out that 1E had the best context and advice for building a world. I would say that if you want advanced techniques for world building to seek out that DMG as well as the 2E CAMPAIGN SOURCEBOOK.

(2) NPC CLASSES: it was always a hassle trying to make the queen tough enough to not be killed by one sword blow. To do that, you had to make her into a class and most of the classes didn't make much sense for someone who never got out and was in court.

Now, there are artisan classes, like a 20th lvl blacksmith, and the aristocrat. It includes usual skills and such as well as the die to use.

Great idea. Now, I don't have to make the court queen a 15th lvl thief to keep her alive.

(3) PRESTIGE CLASSES: a cool idea. These are organizations of very tough or unique people who have special powers.

BTW, for you 1E players, the assassin is now a prestige class. Glad they brought it back.

(4) RUNNING THE GAME: again, this wasn't in the 2E DMG; it was in the sources mentioned above but overall, this is great for new DMs. The book helps you describe events like one of story rather than just numbers.

(5) ENERGY DRAINS: PCs now get saves against undead hits. That was always a bummer to PCs in previous editions.

(6) COOLER PICTURES

(7) NEW MAGIC ITEMS: not seen in the usual 2E books;

(8) WAYS TO TONE DOWN DEMIHUMANS FROM BEING ANY CLASS: if you're a 1E and 2E purist like me.

(9) DC EXAMPLES: very helpful if you need a quick number for skill check.

(10) RESULTS OF HAZARDS: better details than in 2E; had to get this from supplements or make it up.

WHAT I DO NOT LIKE ABOUT THE 3E DMG

(1) MAGIC ITEM PROTECTION CROSSOVER: in the 1E and 2E rules, you couldn't combine magical armor and magical rings. No longer true. Now, you can wear both which can upset game balance potentially. Still exploring this issue.

(2) XP FOR MONSTERS: you can go up a level for every 2 sessions if you kill enough things. To those who want to give out xp for RPGing and other matters, I suggest you use the optional rule that tones down all monster xp by half.

(3) PRESTIGE CLASSES: it should be a lot harder to get into these since they're so powerful. Otherwise, wouldn't everyone do it?

(4) TRAINING FOR XP: I know this isn't popular with some people but I find it hard to believe you shoot up a level just b/c you got 100 xp for killing that creature.

If I want to teach myself tennis, it's true that I can do it to some extent by watching others and emulating them. But, at the same time, there are certain bad habits I pick up that will have to be unlearned and spotted by a good instructor. I know lots of people who play tennis with weak backhands and try to play around it. Works well with other people who have such weaknesses but you get killed against other players who slam the ball down to your backhand all the time.

(5) CRITICALS: in the old rules, only the die was doubled or tripled and then the bonuses were added. Now, you total all the bonuses and double or triple it. Personally, I think that has the potential to kill a lot of PCs but my players want to play with it so they'll regret it soon enough. :)

(6) OVERLAND TRAVEL: this isn't listed as it was in the 2E DMG. From it, you could figure out how long it took to get to certain places. Important during downtime especially when PCS are going all over the place.

(7) SPELL COSTS: 2E listed some popular spell prices; not in 3E; bit of a turn off.

(8) LESS INFO ON HIRELING COSTS AND SUCH: more details in 2E if you wanted to hire people for your castle or get soldiers;

(9) NO TERRAIN COMBAT DETAILS: the 2E has more info on underwater and aerial adventures if that floats your boat.

(10) EQUIPMENT LIMITATIONS BY MEDIEVAL DATE PERIOD: in 2E, certain things didn't exist if you based it on Historical models. This was for a good reason. For instance, plate armor probably wouldn't be around if you wanted to run a dark ages campaign and, if it was, then you would have some really powerful people around who would be harder to hit.

(11) SOME MAGIC ITEMS MISSING: in 2E, there were a lot more. Not in 3E but maybe the missing ones will come out in a supplement.

(12) LACKING IN NEGOTIATION AND ROLEPLAYING: this really isn't a problem with 3E but D&D overall. When I was younger, hack and slash was the way to go with a few puzzles and tricks. But, that got old and broke up our group for a while. When we came back, I kept those elements but factored in more of a mulitilayered plot story with context, History and more roleplaying.

(13) SOME GREAT MATERIAL LOST: RAVENLOFT belongs to WHITE WOLF now; couldn't handle the extra work or cutting back? Also, unknown of PLANESCAPE and several other realms that may no longer be used in 3E. Big bummer as many of them were good. I especially liked PLANESCAPE even though my campaign wasn't in PLANESCAPE.

Anyway, my advice to old and new RPGers is to consider some points I rised. It's a lot easier to change things now then later when players are used to certain rules. Whatever the case, some things are good and some are not in my opinion.

To the more seasoned people, hope this helped some. :)

Now this is exactly what a Dungeon Master's Guide should be! Rather than simply repeating the rules from the Player's Handbook as the 2nd Edition guide did, the 3rd Edition DMG provides rules for how to run a D&D campaign--everything that the most novice, first-time DM would need. Many of the subjects that the 3E DMG deals with were previously found only in specific supplements and Dragon Magazine articles, geared towards helping the DM prepare an adventure, populate his campaign world, and narrate the story. These essential pieces of advice, far more important than the agglomeration of rules, are what the DM needs as the storyteller.

In addition, much was done to re-vamp the magical items section of the DMG. The new methodology of magical item creation is sensible. The tables provide for greater variety of interesting magic items, drawing somewhat upon the Diablo system of magic item generation, wherein enhancements (such as flaming burst, holy weapon, etc.) are interchangeable for different weapons and armors. The result is an increased number of possibilities. At the same time, the DMG lays the foundation for race and subrace, prestige class and character class generation, so that any DM can make his campaign truly unique.

Finally, a number of different suggestions for handling situations that might come up in the game, such as unusual actions, random encounters, and such, is included. Default tables for NPCs, personality tables, and an assortment of charts designed to ease gameplay prove rather useful as well.

The 3rd Edition DMG, indeed the system itself, harkens back to the days of 1st Edition AD&D. Overall, this is a good change, which provides greater options and fewer limitations. However, the default classes and races are somewhat restrictive, very class-level oriented. The experienced DM will find the sourcebooks to be of lesser use, but under the guidelines of 3rd Edition D&D, he will no doubt be able to use the suggestions within to create his own 3rd Edition campaign, unique to himself and his gaming group.

Thus, beginning and advanced DMs alike will find the 3E DMG to be an invaluable sourcebook, though in different ways. All in all, it lays a solid foundation for D&D in the decade to come.

Finally, the day has come.

A 15 year RPG vet, I cut my teeth on the D&D basic set at age 10, moved to ADD and the World of Greyhawk by 12, switched to 2nd Edition when the time came, and enjoyed many years of gaming enjoyment in ADD. However, by the time I was 14, I started to branch out into other systems and settings and came to the realization that, while the settings for ADD were great, the system that supported it showed its age. Years of innovation on other games had left the once sufficient system in thier dust.

In short I switched to other games which allowed greater freedom of character development and more seamless integration with role-playing and adventure. Eventually, I undertook a request from my group to convert ADD to the more flexible HERO System (Champions, et al) so that we could once again walk the World of Oerth, but with a cleaner mechanic to play by. This I did ( http://www.nestofthorns.com )and fun was had by all.

However, with the advent of the 3d Edition, the need for a better system by which to play in our favorite world has dissapeared. The system laid out in the Players Handbook and the well illustrated and cleanly structured guidance laid out in the new DMG changes all of that. The fact that Greyhawk has once again resumed its rightful and preeminent position as the D&D default setting is simply extra icing on the cake.

With Prestige Classes, a top down and classified organization of Magic Items, organized definitions of abilities for all varieties of creatures, objects, and items, the Challenge Rating system, and general vision laid out in the DMG, the system has the backbone needed to provide a solid framework for not only Dungeon and Dragons campaigns, but with as-needed additions any type of campaign regardless of genre.

In my experience you can judge the overall quality of a thing by the length of the run-on sentences used to describe its various qualities. In the case of the new DMG, the run-on accolades are long indeed and the run-on complaints non-existant. Monte Cook has earned a place on the list of BIG NAMES in the industry with this brilliant and well-envisioned contribution to our hobby.

In summary, dont deprive yourself of this breath of fresh air thru hallowed halls. If youve ever played D&D or AD&D or enjoyed the sword and sorcery genre but bemoaned the limitations of the D&D rules system, buy this book (and the Players Handbook). I dont think you will regret it.

This book is a revolution! It is a must-read book for all DMs.

The 2nd Ed. DMG was nothing more than a list of magic itens. To be honest with you, the DM and players don't really need 2nd Ed. DMG to play, they can do it without the book if they have some list of magic itens like Encyclopedia Magica.

The 3rd Edition is much better! You can verify it in the chapters list below. While in the 2nd Ed. DMG, the chapters' structure was the same of the PHB, beeing only a different way to help DMs on HOW-TO-DO, the 3rd Ed. DMG has different chapters helping the DM on building creative campaigns.

The Dungeon Master Guide is finally a reference book helping DMs on build their worlds. The information isn't repeated on this book, like was on the 2nd Edition.

Chapter 1: Dungeon Mastering Chapter 2: Characters Chapter 3: Running the Game Chapter 4: Adventuring Chapter 5: Campaigns Chapter 6: World Building Chapter 7: Rewards Chapter 8: Magic Item

Unlike previous editions of the Dungeon Master's Guide, the Third Edition DMG is not just a compilation of obscure rules and magic items. It has quality information on how to run and judge a D&D game. That's not to say that it doesn't have its share of obscure rules and magic items. It has rules for many situations that D&D adventurers find themselves in from drowning to politics, and the new rules for all the magic items you know and love. Beyond the rules and charts it's a tome about how to run a role-playing game, including advice on structuring adventures, creating campaigns, and designing worlds. Although much of the information is old hat to me as a long time GM, I still found new ideas and practical advice that I can start using right away. I think that more inexperienced GMs will find a wealth of information and ideas that will make GMing easier and more fun. I was especially pleased to see a series of sidebar-like entries called `Behind the Curtain' which discuss how the design team came up with some of the rules, and why they decided to make the system the way they did. This is both a useful and entertaining look into the structure of the game. The writing style is very accessible, and avoids the overly dry flavor that plagues GM books for many games. Many of the rules include examples that I found to be both useful and entertaining. As with the Player's Handbook the production value is very high, and I found the DMG to be easier to read than the highly stylized font used in the PHB. The art is similar to the PHB in both style and high quality. What didn't I like about the DMG? The theme of Third Edition D&D is DUNGEONS, a fact for which the author makes no apologies and states loud and clear. I'm a fan of a classic dungeon hack now and again, but I would have appreciated more attention to non-dungeon and combat related activities. For example, all the rules for non-medieval games (including advanced tech are for weapons and combat. Overall my impression of the book is that although it seems a little slim, it has both style and substance to support the monolith that is D&D.

Well I have been a D&D player and DM for a few years before so here is my basic take on this. Overall this book provides more info than the 2cd edition version. However the rules were a bit more complex. It used to be fairly simple to come up with magic items and mosters as needed in a campain. The new rules in my opinion contain a lot of extra details... that make it less free form that it was originally. Perhaps I am simply biased about the rule changes simply because they are new, but I am not really sure that they were neccisary. Anyway I do believe that Third edition will become the accepted standard for D&D in most places so If you are a serious gamer, or just starting you might as well give in and by this and or(depending on how much you want to spend and how closely you want to follow it) the players handbook and mosters manual. Hope this was useful.

Back in the middle 70's we found these three little white books... Melee, Blackmoor and Chainmail... who knew it would get so big?!?!

The latest installment of Dungeons and Dragons... wow... I had no idea. I frankly (as an old fogey and grumpy-old-codger©) I had no intention to give my money to the people that brought the world Magic: The Addiction... Boy was I wrong.

The 3rd edition rules keep all of the traditions and conventions of the original system and streamline them into an amazing and completely playable game. The graphics are exciting and gorgeous to look at and the prose is... not too bad really.

The New DM's Guide is full of Options and opportunities. The best part is that it delivers on so many of the things the 1980 edition of the DMG promised and later editions ignored:

Coherent Rules for PC Monsters High tech weapons from Matchlocks to Laser-rifles Spell creation systems with plausible formulae Treasure tables with Balance An Experience system that allows you to gauge EVERY encounter Levels for NPCs... yes... you can have a 20th level stonemason...

If you WERE a fan... become one again... if you are a gamer that has never experienced the Grandfather of gaming... have a look, cause th old man has been working out.

When Wizards of the Coast (WoTC) came out with the Players Handbook, it needed a bit of polishing. The extra month of work which went into the new DM Guide shows, as this is the best version of the Dungeon Master's Guide yet written.

The new DM Guide has everything a beginning DM will need. While much of this book is geared for newbie DMs, even the most experienced of DMs will find useful material. Perhaps the most exciting development is the change in corporate outlook. In the old TSR days, house rules and customization were considered sacrilege of holy writ. Not anymore. If a DM wants to have Trolls as players, make changes to a character class (such as the flawed Ranger class), or even create new character classes, WoTC actually encourages DMs to give it a try. Never fear, there's also plenty of information on playing strictly by the written rules.

WoTC has added a number of fun enhancements, one of which is the prestige class. This is a character class which is added to an existing class, and is not available as an initial character class. Included in the prestige class are the Assassin (remember him/her?), the Arcane Archer, the Blackguard (think anti-Paladin), the Dwarven Defender, the Shadowdancer, and the Loremaster (think the sage Non-Player Character [NPC]). Although a bit more info would have been useful, the prestige class gives additional depth for characters and allows for interesting NPCs.

The old 0-level NPC has also had a sensible reworking. Now NPCs can be Artistocrats, Experts, Warriors, etc., with level advancement within these NPC classes. Hence you could run into a 6th level Aristocrat and her 8th level Warrior bodyguard.

One of the most enjoyable sections in the DM Guide has always been the magical items listed at the end of the book. WoTC has done a great job detailing these items, and has provided useful illustrations. There are some changes: wands, staffs and rods all have 50 charges, and it doesn't seem that items can be recharged, unless specifically listed. But this section is well done.

The latest incarnation of the DM Guide is the best yet, and is a must have for any DM.