r/DungeonoftheMadMage

I've been running DOTMM for a few years now and have started to clean up some of my old work. I recently compiled all of my assets I've used into one place.

If you haven't run level 1 yet, everything you need to do so should be here!

Included are:

-Tokens for all monsters on Level 1

-Monster cards for each monster

-Magic cards for the items found on Level 1

-Level 1 map

-An added puzzle from the great book: The Game Master's Book of Traps, Puzzles, and Dungeons.

Enjoy!

I am somewhat experienced in running a game as I have just completed running the "Dragon of Icespire Peak" for a party of 4, but by no means do I have complete knowledge of the entire D&D universe. I'm running DOMM next and I'm doing my homework trying to learn as much of the campaign as I can before we dig in. But, as you all know, it's HUGE. I'm going to read through Levels 1-3 at least, but I'm not going to have time to read through every level of this massive campagin before we dig in. What are the top level things I need to be aware of in the lower levels that may influence to top 3? I don't want to improv something only to find out I screwed up something on the lower levels.

My party just finished up Dragon Heist and was hoping to move into Mad mage relatively soon. I don’t want to play my character though, he’s really one note and was designed by the dm and I to finish his arc by the time Dragon Heist ended.

One thing I wish we explored more was the Xanathar guild because I think aberrations are cool, and I want to explore that more in Mad Mage. I was thinking about playing someone with a connection to the aberrations, maybe he was infected by an intellect devourer maybe one of his parents was a thrall of the mind flayer in the Xanathars guild, I’m not sure.

Without spoiling much, would playing a Kaleshtar be a good way to explore the aberration side of Waterdeep or is there something better I can do to explore that.

Gonna start DMing mad mage next week and need some advice. First, I want to do it with 2024 rules, I prefer them and that's it, for monsters I'll just use the MM25, and for those who arent on that (especially drow and duergar) im gonna use the mm14 version and that's it. Is it a bad idea?

But now the most important part, in the new OHB book, there are explicit rules about starting a campaign in higher levels, if you'd start at lvl 5 for example you'd have 500gp extra, a common and an uncommon magic item. I let them choose 1 uncommon or 2 common or 2 potion and 200gp or 400gp to start (I know it isn't "fair" because the potions alone would be 100gp and whatever, but I was truly in a hurry), the point is, do you guys think that this uncommon (or even the 500gp and the whole set of common and uncommon) would make the game easier to the extent that would be boring or not?

Hey, my party is trying to Head to Skullport through the Sargauth Level soon. It looks like a potential meat grinder. any tips on how to keep it lethal and challenging without accidentally causing a TPK? Any specific „death traps“ or encounters I should be extra careful with?

Do you think you could/should DM this in a way that the group can „sneak by“ or talk their way through there? The Drow seem very unpleasant but also unavoidable. Looking for Inspiration. Thanks!