“You are not entering this world in the usual manner, for you are setting forth to be a Dungeon Master….you will breathe life into the stillness, giving meaning and purpose to all the actions which are to follow.” – Gary Gygax

The narrators and story tellers of our server are our Dungeon Masters (DM). These benevolent individuals are the ones responsible for creating and running the game, setting the scene, and guiding the players through their story quests. Often times, they are the ones who come up with the plot, create the setting, design the encounters and challenges that the players will face.

DMs are often considered to be a glutton for punishment, having to deal with difficult players, rule disputes and unexpected plot twists. However, they are rewarded with the few perks that come along. Seeing players’ reactions to their quests and make epic moments through a collaborative storytelling experience are some examples.

• • Players may apply for Trial Dungeon Master status after being in the server for a month and be of T2 status.
  • Interested in trying your hand at hosting? Reach out to any of the Dungeon Masters for information or to apply for Trial status.

Guidelines for Our Dungeon Masters

​1. Dungeon Master’s have the right to remove any player they feel are disruptive.

2. At the end of a session Dungeon Master’s will get experience and downtime.  There should be a healthy mixture of social, environmental, and combat encounters within a session most of the time. Downtime = 2d4+8 days,​ twice as much for DM’s!

3. A summary of the future game will be posted by the DM in the #session-announcement by either apollo or text message. If the latter, please include a time zone.

• • Sessions must be tagged with either the tier name or @non-canon so players know what type of session the game is.
  • Mixing tiers does not double the rewards allocated or increase the reward pot. Standard guidelines apply. In the event of such quests, the lowest tier guidelines apply, unless the game is min 5 hours. Then and only then, may players receive an item of their current tier as reward. 

4. Details of the session after you run it will be posted in #session-log. This will include the following:

1. • Time played in hours. If players joined late, add the hour amount for which they played.
   • Downtime earned, rolled in #downtime-roll.
   • Loot and rewards gained. Refer to the reward guidelines for determining how many magic items may be handed out.
   • Names of the players are to be written, not pinged. Exception is for non-canon games, with the character name added for the XP being given.
   • Name of DM’s character. This character is awarded both the downtime and experience.
   • General synopsis in minimum of 5 sentences. 
   • Number of downtime days rolled in #dtd-rolling.
   • DM are required to post the session log within 24 hours of the downtime being rolled or the session is deemed as non-canon.

5. Some monsters just aren’t going to have treasure. Wolves don’t typically carry around gold coins. Quest givers won’t always give out sacks of gold or platinum for doing quests that may cost you, your life.

• • Treasure hoards are typically going to involve a legendary creature or a very difficult fight. A lair or other environmental mechanics are often involved. Don’t award the magic items on these randomly generated lists unless they fit the magic item reward guidelines, and you feel they fit the situation, scene, and challenge level. These are a WIP and should not be ran.
  •  Always use your best judgement and/or ask your fellow dungeon masters’ opinions when crafting your own magic items.
    • All custom (homebrewed) items must be approved by the Rules Lawyers before being dropped in session. Once approved, post the information in #magic-item-listing.

6. Dungeon Master’s need not always award magical items, and anything awarded should fit the situation, scene, and challenge level. The listed values are guides as always. Always use your best judgement and/or ask your fellow dungeon masters’ opinions.

7. Experience rewarded must make sense based on the challenge. Things like gambling, fishing, and a beach romp with busty bikini girls were in no combat occurs shouldn’t typically provide experience. Your character can still gain information and possibly other rewards depending on the situation.

8. Magic item rewards should follow the reward guidelines. This is a standard and not a rule but should be followed for the most part. Consumables do not count against the standard and can be rewarded in addition up to what is within reason for the tier.

9. The reward should, for the most part reflect the challenge of the encounters faced during the adventure. Encounters include all types: social, environmental, and combat. No favoritism will be tolerated.

• • MacGuffin’s are an object, device, or event that is necessary to the plot and the motivation of the characters, but insignificant, unimportant, or irrelevant in itself. These do not count against this limit, but DMs should think long and hard about anything they reward to the players to avoid imbalance.
  • Magic items aren’t going to be rewarded every session, nor should they be.
  • Don’t be that DM that ruins the game for others due to poor judgment and failure of understanding how the economy works. Don’t understand something? Ask

10. One game must be ran per 2 months (60 days) to keep Dungeon Master status. Failure to adhere will get role revoked and dropped down to Trial. If a game hasn’t be ran for 3 months for trial status, this role will be removed.