Some classic themes for campaigns include treasure hunting, saving the kingdom from danger, and slaying deadly monsters. If you want a truly epic campaign, you might send players on a crusade into hostile lands. This kind of setting provides plenty of opportunities for combat. Beginners may want to start with simple, one session campaigns to get the hang of DMing before moving to more complex ones.
Without conflict in your campaign, characters might feel at a loss for what to do. By having a definite conflict for players to contend with, this sense of aimlessness will be less likely to occur. If you plan on pitting player characters against an antagonist like a villain, it might help you to come up with a list of immediate and long-term goals for that villain. This way, you’ll have a better idea of what the antagonist is doing at any point in the campaign.
NPCs are also a powerful way you can make your campaign seem more realistic. It’s only natural that other non-player characters populate cities, towns, and farms in your campaign. Common NPCs players might encounter in your game include kings, queens, princes, princesses, dukes, duchesses, counts, countesses, barons, mayors, governors, knights, lieutenants, generals, shopkeepers, merchants, innkeepers, guilds, craftspeople, and more.
Many beginner D&D players overlook small details, like light. In a cave or dungeon, it’s unlikely there will be much natural light. Be sure you remember to include this detail when running your campaign. It may help you to imagine your setting better if you write down the sensory perceptions for each location ahead of time.
An example of a plot point might be something like the assassination of an important NPC, like a queen or duke. Natural disasters are often times used as plot points with built-in conflict. These can be paired with a magical disturbance, like the meddling of an evil wizard, to create an interesting plot. It can be useful to plan consequences even for unlikely player actions. For example, if a player chooses not to fulfill a quest, you might have the kingdom hunt the player down as a criminal. [6] X Research source
Simple shapes and labels work well when drawing a battle map. You might use squares to represent boxes, triangles to represent trees, and circles for boulders. It can take some time to draw your field of battle. To ensure the game is uninterrupted, you may want to draw your map before running your campaign. If you have player characters fighting in several different settings, you may have to draw several battle maps for your campaign. In some cases player characters may have important actions to fulfill in a town or city. Drawing a map for this kind of “social battle” can help players visualize things better. Most towns in D&D have at least a shop, tavern, and inn. [7] X Research source
If there are violent or dangerous creatures active in your setting at night time, like wolves, bears, lions, or similar creatures, it might be important for players to set watch at night. If they fail to do so, you might come up with consequences, like supplies being eaten. You might base your environment off one that already exists on earth, like a jungle, forest, desert, or cave. You might even use one developed in a previous game you have played. [8] X Research source
Some examples of common traps include pitfalls, chambers that fill with water, arrow traps, and falling rocks. Crumbling ledges, rotten trees, rotten flooring, loose rocks, and slippery surfaces are common terrain hazards. [9] X Research source
The information of many monsters, beasts, and other enemies are available online. These online bestiaries often come with CR, base stats, and some flavor text describing the creature. In some cases, you may not know how to stat a certain creature you’ve created for your homebrew campaign. In this situation, you might give your creature the same stats as a similar, pre-existing creature.
Plan the position of enemy units on your battle map so you have a rough idea of how the action will take place once the battle begins. [11] X Research source
A mysterious person may have sent all the player characters a message to meet outside a cave. This way, you might tie some other aspect of the plot in with its beginning.
Evil gods and their followers are often a compelling point of conflict player characters will have to contend with throughout your campaign. You could create your own group of gods using the D&D model as your basis. This model can be found in the core D&D books or online. Many experienced DMs have posted well thought out and nuanced pantheons of gods for other players to use online. [13] X Research source
Important NPCs often interact with player characters. In these cases, it can be difficult coming up with dialogue on the spot. Having a backstory for these NPCs may help you with this. The region your campaign takes place in may be feeling the effects of a significant event in the past, like a war or natural disaster. These details can help you establish the tone of your campaign.
Many games require a special quest item, like a rare kind of metal, to create a powerful weapon or relic. You might use this conceit for one of your side quests. [15] X Research source
You might include one or two important cultural items to tie in the story of your setting with NPCs. As an example, your setting might have people that worship a god of flight, and all NPCs might wear feathered necklaces to indicate their faith. When coming up with environment specific equipment, ask yourself, “What would this environment require for one to survive?” Arid cultures will likely value water highly, but polar climates will prioritize shelter, warmth, and snow tools. [16] X Research source
