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I was wondering if I could get anything such as tools or materials for the DM to make DMing go easier. I've already got most of the paizo pathfinder books such as core, advanced, bestiary 1,2,3, racial guide, ultimate magic/combat, beginners box, rise of the runelords adventures (all), and tiles and flip mats. I was thinking of getting the inter sea guide and a white board with some erasable markers to track initiative. Does anyone have any advice to make my friend's life as DM easier because my group is hard to handle and each encounter takes a while to get through. I was hoping to make the DM's life easier by providing matirials other then the online content so he had something solid to read.
I find the status and buff card decks come in really handy, especially for anyone in the group who is fairly new to the game.
Another thumbs up for status and buff cards - or a home made equivalent - they certainly help,.
Also, cards with the stats for "summon monster" favourites certainly make the game go quicker. Not sure theyre commercially available, but some time spent with a printer and the Srd or bestiary are very productive.
Erasable markers for initiative...meh. Pen and paper are actually easier in practice, or at least I found it so. YMMV.
Oh yeah, stat cards for summoned monsters are a great time save if someone is playing a Druid or similar.
I found white boards really handy for when I DM. A large one for drawing terrain and scenery and things players need to see, and a tiny one for me to keep track of monster HP and all the spells and effects with limited round durations. I follow it better than pen and paper since the writing is so big.
We use pieces of cardboard with the players name on, and some generic ones (Bad 1, Bad 2, etc.) for the enemies. These are pretty good for tracking initiative, as they can be laid out in the right order when combat starts, and moved around as players delay, ready and such.
It also much easier to have a piece of paper with the essential stats of an enemy, than to keep looking in the Beastiary and AP's. Most advemtures have some sort of common cannon-fodder enemy, and it helps a lot if he has prepared cards for these, rather than having to look them up all the time.
Furthermore, when I'm GM'ing, I don't allow recalculations and such after your turn is done. If you forget your +2 to hit because you were flanking, or didn't think to upscale the dice when you were enlarged, then to bad. Allowing players to redo the math, or alter what has allready happened, really slows down the game.
I almost forgot about the stat and buff cards. Do you guys know if there are multiple cards of each in one deck, such as if i cast Bull's strength on multiple people. and the cardboard with players names on it sounds great, maybe I can stick some thumbtack on the other side to move them around and have some pre-made ones for generic monsters. Ill defiantly try that out.
Spell cards. Always keep little thumb notes on spells that way I'm not constantly opening books. Bonus points if there is are extra decks for the DM and player to both have one on hand.
Yeah there are more multiple I think
Hero Labs has made DMing much easier for me
I almost forgot about the stat and buff cards. Do you guys know if there are multiple cards of each in one deck, such as if i cast Bull's strength on multiple people. and the cardboard with players names on it sounds great, maybe I can stick some thumbtack on the other side to move them around and have some pre-made ones for generic monsters. Ill defiantly try that out.
The status cards come in multiples of four, printed on both sides (so exhausted/fatigued appear on the same card etc).
The buff cards just have one card per buff so you have to share, or put it in the middle of the table (or create your own).
The Combat Pad is on my to do list. What about the other card packs like the equipment pack and the chase packs. Does anyone know if they are worth it. In my perspective the equipment pack seems limited.
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Actually, don't get the Combat Pad. Instead, get Index Cards. Seriously the single best GM/Player tool I have ever used, bar none. 48 cents for a pack of 100 and you can use them for everything. Initiative Tracker, Stats for Bad guys, Spells, Items, Chase Cards, Maps... everything. Save some money and get index cards and believe me, you will not regret it.
The chase pack is quite fun too, but it met with a mixed reception at my table. Some players loved it, others hated it.
If you have the time you're better off making your own chase cards, as the ones in the deck are limited to certain terrain/situations and you can tailor the skill checks to what suits the party best.
I 2nd the index cards. Cheap and as Odraude says you can add all the stats on the cards. All you I do is have cards for all PC'S, Monsters and NPC's in a combat write the intaitve number in the top right corner and put them 1 behind the other highest to lowest, then put the card to the back once they have acted. Works like a dream.
Other then that, if you have the cash: hero lab (expensive but worth it IMO), a GM screen (If you get the paizo one make sure you copy the actions in combat page and pin it one of the panels, its the one chart you need and its not on the 4 panels), dice, lots of dice, scatter dice are great for random rolls, others have said condition and buff cards (good) and if you can do it a chexmat, some of the dungeons in the ap's are difficult to define with tiles and sometimes its easier just to draw them.
Oh yes, spell cards too...Perrams spellbook (google it). Print the spells out by level and class, keep one for yourself and give one to nay magic using PC's. So much easier than wading through the books.
Thirding index cards.
Immensely useful. Also ,great for when you invent an npc on the fly, you have something to refer back to the following week when they return to that improvised location , the Inn on the Misty Moor ,etc
Google docs or some other convenient place to post all the PC statblocks so the GM can always get at them.
Having the current PC statblocks on hand while doing adventure prep makes a huge difference.
Another +1 for Index Cards.
My prepared casters make index cards for each of their spells, color code the corner by level, then pick out which ones to have at their ready. For multiple prepares, they'll use a paperclip or something along the top like a slider over numbers to keep track.
Putting together a cheat-sheet for status +/- effects is a great idea too.
I actually made one a while back in Open Office... had all seriously relevant things. Printed on front and back were all concentration modifiers, which things drew attacks of opportunity, what penalties each condition gave, which bonuses stacked with each other, the general hardness and HP of a bunch of materials, what concealment and cover did at a glance, etc etc. It was basically everything you might need to know on the fly, right there and ready.
Frig... I can't remember where I put it either.
If I can find it, I'll look to post somewhere and give a link if anyone's interested.
One of the best things you can do for your DM, as a player, is familiarize yourself with your own bonuses.
Before it gets to your turn, if you know you're going to make two attacks, commit to memory what your bonuses for those two are.
"+17 on the first, +12 on the second. Both deal +12 damage"
Simply knowing that little snippet of information can save a LOT of time.
It's a personal pet-peeve when you're only doing one or two actions, and we still have to wait a minute per-roll to figure your totals.
Well that settles it, Ill create a treasure trove of index cards for my wizard. Ill probably do the same for the other players because they need all the help they can get.
I could see that. See, I keep stats and initiative separate.
This thread has actually helped me as well, though I entered it without that expectation.
Somehow, the notion of a dry-erase board has eluded me...
Tracking initiative and current HP of monsters? Brilliant!
I can probably get one cheap through our company business account~
Hmmm... Further note.
My company also does some small work with creating apps.
Meaning I can possibly make one myself.
If one could be created to track the HP of multiple enemies, and/or initiative order, and/or combat and skill penalties - and was relatively cheap (like a buck or two) - is that something other people would actually be interested in?
Personally, I'd consider it if I was looking, but that's just my opinion.
I was wondering if I could get anything such as tools or materials for the DM to make DMing go easier. I've already got most of the paizo pathfinder books such as core, advanced, bestiary 1,2,3, racial guide, ultimate magic/combat, beginners box, rise of the runelords adventures (all), and tiles and flip mats. I was thinking of getting the inter sea guide and a white board with some erasable markers to track initiative. Does anyone have any advice to make my friend's life as DM easier because my group is hard to handle and each encounter takes a while to get through. I was hoping to make the DM's life easier by providing matirials other then the online content so he had something solid to read.
I just wanted to say that I think it's very nice you're doing this!
Index cards are one of my key tools for GMing. I also have a couple of small whiteboards that I use regularly. And I use the Combat Manager application as well.
Other than that, the main thing I do as a GM to make the game easier to manage is that I ask my players to help with some of the tasks. I ask the rules expert to help with rulings. I ask the math whiz to help with off-the-cuff calculations, I ask the proto-munchkin to help the casual player level up his character, etc.
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Just me on status and buffs:
1) get a pack of index cards.
2) Label them with the PC names, and with the monsters. (include bare bones stats, R/F/W HP, AC, and attacks.
3) roll initiative.
4) Put the initiative roll in the top right corner.
5) Put the cards in initiative order in front of you.
6) Put a huge d20 on who's turn it is.
7) As buffs and debuffs bounce around, put the name of the buff, the duration, etc. next to the appropriate stat on the index card.
8) use tic marks to indicate how long a buff has been in place.
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Side note (expensive).
If you happen to have a laptop or iPad, you can get Hero Lab, which can track all buffs, debuffs, conditions, etc. on the party with relative ease. Problem is, you have to buy each data package from Hero Lab. It is not free with purchase of books. I would rather have 500.00 in books than an iPad and software though. I am told there are a myriad of similar free programs that do roughly the same thing. Admittedly, I have both. iPad is nice at cons though for PFS since it holds everything!
One idea I've heard of, but haven't tried yet, is to have the player's sit around the table in order of their initiative bonuses. Then just have the PC with the highest initiative roll for the group against the BBEGs, and go in order around the table.
I usually use index cards for initiative. I once tried putting stats on them, too, but then I had to shuffle through all the cards to check the stats, which kind of defeated the purpose.
Maybe I should create a sheet with the PCs' AC, hp, Saves, Initiative, CMB and CMD, BAB, maybe Perception and anything else relevant, like speed.
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I'm waiting for google glasses to make my job as GM a breeze...
The free, non-material things that would make my life as a DM easier is for the players to:
-know their character powers better (including spells!)
-stay on topic and listen during key points (I welcome some banter, but not while I am giving an important description or during a complex battle)
-be prepared when their turn is coming up by knowing what they are going to do and having relevant dice handy
-keep the dice on the table! (I am tinkering with the idea of implementing a -2 or higher penalty if the dice rolls off the table)
as far as "stuff":
+1 on cards. I use something similar to index cards to track initiative, arranged in order on the table so everyone can see ahead of time when their turn comes up. I try to have these pre-made for the bad guys, with basic stats (AC mostly) written on the back.
I will have a player write down and order the initiative rolls, then I just line the cards up in order. If anyone delays or readies an action then I turn the cards or re arrange them as needed.
We also use colored rings (like from soda bottles and milk jugs) to put on the minis to give a visual indication of status effects. I use red for on fire or bleed, blue for armor buffs (mage armor etc), yellow for negative effects (stunned etc), and green for attack buffs.
I wish all players were as willing to help out the DM!
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The free, non-material things that would make my life as a DM easier is for the players to:
-know their character powers better (including spells!)
-stay on topic and listen during key points (I welcome some banter, but not while I am giving an important description or during a complex battle)
-be prepared when their turn is coming up by knowing what they are going to do and having relevant dice handy
-keep the dice on the table! (I am tinkering with the idea of implementing a -2 or higher penalty if the dice rolls off the table)as far as "stuff":
+1 on cards. I use something similar to index cards to track initiative, arranged in order on the table so everyone can see ahead of time when their turn comes up. I try to have these pre-made for the bad guys, with basic stats (AC mostly) written on the back.
I will have a player write down and order the initiative rolls, then I just line the cards up in order. If anyone delays or readies an action then I turn the cards or re arrange them as needed.
We also use colored rings (like from soda bottles and milk jugs) to put on the minis to give a visual indication of status effects. I use red for on fire or bleed, blue for armor buffs (mage armor etc), yellow for negative effects (stunned etc), and green for attack buffs.
I wish all players were as willing to help out the DM!
For players who don't listen, if they need to know something I went over, I make them make an int check to see if they remember.
For players who are not ready on their turn, I consider it RPing a stymied PC, and skip them over until they know what they want to do. It isn't fair to the other 3-4 people to let one person take 20 minute turns. A couple sessions, and they are all better.
I like the rings idea!
My group uses the Combat Pad that I picked up when I was running Kingmaker. It's made a huge difference. We have one particular player that tends to run it and it really keeps combat moving.
As a DM, I make extensive use of my laptop, iPhone, and iPad. Specifically, I use Excel to keep track of monster/NPC health. When I'm running a homebrew campaign, I use Word to keep up with my notes and for NPC Stat boxes.
I really like the idea of bottle caps as status effects and poker chips to represent health.
What I'd really love is a good iPhone/iPad app that allowed you to easily apply templates to creatures, like applying the advanced template to an NPC. Maybe one's out there and I just haven't stumbled upon it yet.
--photoshop/gimp + posterazor = all the maps that are not flip mats or map packs
--a sheet of plexiglass to lay over the above printed maps or map pack tiles/flip mats
--weighted construction paper squares for fog of war
(mucho respect to katie and joanna from SD who my wife and I cribbed this setup from)
--hero lab w/ the bestiary supplements for easy templating and rapid npc creation goodness
--an electronic tablet such as an iPad
--storage bins/tool boxes
--the *%*(@(%@*$# initiative tracker that all the awesome gms I have seen have that I cannot find anywhere
--3x5 index cards
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--the *%*(@(%@*$# initiative tracker that all the awesome gms I have seen have that I cannot find anywhere
You might actually be better off without this. My hands change colors to blue and green every time I use it. I've been thinking about ditching using it, even.
I've heard that ensuring players don't have gun-wielding monkey familiars can also make a GM's life easier?
Can't believe no one has mentioned Combat Manager yet. Free, constantly updated, and the developer is super passionate about the game.
Using plexiglass is an interesting idea, it could make anything into an interactive map while being cost effective in the long run. Also the ideas of the giant d 20 on who ever is up for initiative is a great idea (while everyone is in a circle). Maybe Ill ask the DM to have one of those speech sticks and only the person that holds the stick can talk while in their round because battles get way to rowdy. Now that I think of it we could use that for searching places too, while using initiative to see where everyone looks first in the room.
Hard items to be found at my table:
-Core, ARG, APG, all 3 Bestiaries, the Ultimates, any module with paperwork, printouts of encounters with any and all modifications
-Index cards for so many reasons, bought in bulk and at least one pack of multi-colored cards.
-CURRENT Initiative cards with PC stats, etc
-name cards in front of each player (bad memory and new players)
-condition cards I bought off the internet store, very useful. I need to do another printing
-Laptop with internet access and certain sites already tabbed
-Note pad for me to note when plot points are hit, avoided, etc. Actually, cards too often pull this duty
-several jars of glass beads for use as spell point markers (I use spell points)
-a lot of PF map sets in an expanding files
-PF's combat pad, for initiative, timers, and more
-Way too many dice, but I just switched to really big dice so I can see them.
-snack cakes or cookies in 'individual' packages for players who dazzle me (Hey, the players are there to keep me entertained!)
I currently lack my 'magic 8 ball' for arbitrary rulings, a great idea I stole of the 3.5 boards years ago!
A standing format that I use is passing out all the details to players during the game:
-Rules looking up (great for rules lawyers)
-Initiative
-drawing the map or laying out the tiles.
-recording loot, encounters, plot points
-I have often passed the running of the bad guys over to players, the last crew being far more savvy and lethal than I was being
Just have a pre-rolled initiative number for every monster out there, have them in order. Then when the encounter begins, just have the pcs roll initiative, insert them into the order and go. Rolling and setting up initiative charts can take quite a bit of time by itself on large battles.
--the *%*(@(%@*$# initiative tracker that all the awesome gms I have seen have that I cannot find anywhereYou might actually be better off without this. My hands change colors to blue and green every time I use it. I've been thinking about ditching using it, even.
I've heard that ensuring players don't have gun-wielding monkey familiars can also make a GM's life easier?
that is okay, I wear latex gloves while I GM
for safetyalso Lamontia's gun monkey has been quite easy to GM now that they have progressed to a point in the Skull & Shackles campaign to where they are essentially masters of their own destiny
If you're still using Initiative cards, one of those metal spiral letter things you see in some offices work well.