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A lot falls to the shoulders of the Dungeons and Dragons Dungeon Master. They have to know all of the rules, they have to uphold them, they have to make sure their players are having fun, and they’re responsible for all of the preparation for the game.
It’s not all stress and disaster though. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be people who run campaigns for years at a time. There are tons of glorious perks to being the Dungeon Master, giving plenty of reasons for DMs to want to become one of the best of their breed.
10 All Of The Final Decisions Are Theirs
If there is a fight, a disagreement, or even just a confusing set of rules, a Dungeon Master gets to be the final say on what happens. Everyone knows a DM is the one who runs the campaign, so once they say something, their word is law.
This also means that if players are totally stuck and can’t figure out how to progress, the final decision on what to do falls to the DM. It can give some of them big heads, but for others, it’s a good last resort.
9 The Whole World Can Come From Their Ideas
For extremely creative people, there is little more enjoyable about being a DM than designing the whole world, story, and everything surrounding a campaign and then having players explore it.
It’s also valid to start with a dungeon crawler and then build from that, but no matter what world a campaign takes place in, it gets to have some of the DM’s own creativity thrown in. This is really part of the charm of taking up the role.
8 They Can Fudge Rolls & Decide What Rolls Mean
Since everything falls on the Dungeon Master to decide, that also means the dice rolls do, too. If a DM is feeling particularly merciful or vicious, they can also override what the dice say and that’s the end of it. Not that it makes sense to do this capriciously, since that’s a sure way of losing player interest and agency.
Additionally, a DM can also decide to flip the script and make low rolls important instead of high rolls. They can also decide how often to randomize, what that roll ends up really meaning, or change a roll’s importance entirely. This can make for some very interesting interactions when done well.
7 Homebrewing Is A Fun Part Of It All
Homebrewed rules don’t exist within a game’s official rulebooks, but are adopted in individual games and campaigns. This can mean anything from a custom item to an original monster. A Dungeon Master can homebrew anything they want to fit within the confines of the game, or even to expand a game’s dimensions to fit their needs.
They have to make sure new rules are balanced, though, because otherwise, things are going to get out of hand fast. It gives DMs the chance to really customize games for their players and make something even the most experienced player has never seen.
6 They Can Also Set The House Rules
House Rules are similar to homebrewed ones. They are rules that are only relevant for that campaign, group, or literally that house and not in the actual rulebooks. A common house rule is that a natural 20 roll means instant success, for example.
A Dungeon Master gets to put these into play, but they also have to make sure to keep them balanced,keep them straight, and consistent throughout the whole game or it all falls apart.
5 The Whole Game Gets To Be Their Production
Some Dungeon Masters take their jobs so seriously that every session is almost like a party. There’s food, drinks, fancy lighting, music, sound effects, miniatures, and every other thing someone could possibly do to really immerse their players.
Others don’t do much more than setting up the table and having a good voice, and that’s okay too. It’s hard to sit through a game with a monotonous or bored-sounding DM so the ones who manage to give their NPCs big personalities and voices are almost always more fun and engaging.
4 DMing Can Be An Exercise In Building Real Skills
It might sound like a joke, but a Dungeon Master actually has to put together a lot of useful real-world skills in order to be successful and enjoyable. Many of these sorts of skills even transfer over into a professional setting and some people successfully make their DM skills relevant to their resumes.
DMs need to be good at organizing the time of multiple people, building time management skills while they prepare, developing research skills to find everything they’re going to need, learning how to speak well in a group, making decisions on the fly, and many other real-world skills that aren’t readily apparent from the outside.
3 Map-Making Is Surprisingly Fun
One of the best parts of any D&D campaign is the maps. Whether they are just big overviews of a city or intricately planned dungeons, a DM gets to make them. Even if they don’t make them entirely from scratch, they get to decide what goes into them.
All of the monsters, the loot, any special events, they all fall back on the DM and that gets to be really exciting. It’s a lot like building houses in a video game but this way there are other people to admire their work, too.
2 Their Ideas Can Build Lasting Memories For Their Players
The DMs and players fill critical roles in a Dungeons and Dragons game. Since the DM is the one creating the story, keeping all of the rules in their heads, and every bit of where the players are going and what their actions mean, a lot of their job involves making memories for their friends.
The best dungeons, experiences, and difficult battles that will linger on in the players’ minds all originate with the Dungeon Master. A good DM can inspire players to become gamemasters themselves, and every DM leaves a bit of themselves with their players.
1 The DM Gets To Answer All The Questions
Whether it’s the answer to a dispute or the revelation of what’s behind a secret door, players all look to the DM to get the answers to their game’s questions. When a die rolls its meaning is the DM’s decision. No one really knows what’s going on without a Dungeon Master’s input.
Sometimes it can get annoying, but a DM should theoretically have all of the answers. If they don’t, they have to be able to effectively find them or make them up. DMs can also be admired for their best work. Having all the answers is a great way to make a good impression on a new player.
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