Though some may picture their own Dungeons & Dragons troupe as being made up with powerful fantasy characters that are prepared to team up with each other, roam the countryside, and search for people to save and monsters to destroy, many Dungeon Masters have a very different impression of their group.
Some have likened the experience of being a DM to a party filled with level one players as being a babysitter for a group of rambunctious toddlers (in the most affection way.) And though being a DM can be a truly entertaining and rewarding position, there are some common mistakes that players (especially new ones) make that can grind their DMs gears.
10 10. Pick Fights In The First Scene
One of the most frustrating things a party can do is expire before the plot has even begun. And the easiest way for them to accomplish this is to go into the game guns' blazing and picking fights wherever they go.
Even if your character is of the chaotic evil variety, it is advisable to hold off on mass destruction and drunken brawls until you've leveled up enough to be able to hold your own.
9 9. Focus On Irrelevant Plot Points
Quests take a long time to complete and when players get caught up in insignificant details, it can get quite frustrating for the Dungeon Master, as they simply want to move on with the plot and get to the good stuff.
Having your players obsess over some random character in the middle of nowhere can be truly vexing, especially when you know that some truly fascinating creatures and storylines are laying just a bit further down that road.
8 8. Refuse To Talk To Each Other
A party is a team and an important part of teamwork is well... working as a team. Players need to talk to each other (both during the game and between sessions) in order to get a feel for their party members.
They need to strategize, know who has what items and abilities, and be able to help each other out when the battles begin. Simply running into battle without a plan is a recipe for disaster for all involved.
7 7. Forget About Stat Bonuses
When attempting to successfully complete a planned move, the higher the roll on the die the better the outcome. But forgetting to add your stat bonuses onto that total could leave you failing checks that you could have, otherwise, passed. And as sadistic as they seem, the DM truly does not want to see his party fail.
Sometimes a Dungeon Master will be rather merciful and will remind their players to include their stat bonuses in their rolls but not every DM will do so. In fact, some believe that helping their players, in any way, is against the rules they have set for themselves.
6 6. Try To Seduce Everything
In a similar vein to starting fights wherever the party goes, trying to seduce everything is one of the quickest ways to lose a party member as not everything in the game will enjoy being hit on.
Many creatures, gods, and tavern dwellers will be rather offended by the attempts to woo them and might retaliate in a rather fatal way. Tell your bards to keep it in their pants lest they wish to suffer a rather grim fate.
5 5. Forget About Their Spells
Why go through all of the trouble creating a character if you're going to ignore half of their abilities? Though one may wish to focus on the more physical aspects of combat in battle scenarios, it is important to remember that some party members have quite the selection of spells at their disposal and these spells can help you take down an enemy without putting yourself in danger.
Yet players continually forget about even the simplest of spells on their character sheets. It can be very frustrating for a DM to watch their party consistently forget about their magical abilities while they are drowning in monsters.
4 4. Lose Track Of Their Items
Another important thing to keep track of is one's items. Many of the items that players carry around with them could actually help them in a pinch- if they were to remember that they had them, that is.
Before kicking or blasting down a door, ask your party if they have any lockpicking tools on them. Before sneaking into the palace, check for any nobles kits or disguises that might come in handy.
3 3. Abandon The Main Quest
Though it can be easy to get off track with side missions and losing party members during battle, some players end up abandoning the main plot entirely and this is not ideal for a number of reasons.
The first being that the DM now has to improvise a way to get his entire party back on track without making it seem forced or ruining immersion. The second being that continued lack of interest in the main plotline could cause the quest to fall apart entirely, bringing the DM back to square one in terms of story planning.
2 2. Insist On Splitting Up
The number one rule in Dungeons & Dragons is to never split the party. If one person goes into a room, the entire party must follow their impulsive friend into that room. There is strength in numbers and dividing the party is never a good idea.
Yet some players absolutely insist on splitting up. They wander into different rooms in the dungeons, stay behind investigating a piece of scenery, or sneaking out of bed while everyone else is enjoying a nice long rest. The only thing the DM can do in these situations is send a monster or two their way to remind them exactly why splitting up is such a bad idea in the first place.
1 1. Spend An Entire Session In One Room
It can be rather difficult to get find a night that works for the entire group to gather and play what with jobs, children, and life getting in the way. And when the party is finally united for a good match, it can be rather disappointing if they spend the entire session stuck in one room and never progress further with the story.
Maybe the session simply wasn't long enough or perhaps the traps were a touch too difficult. But the sheer length of a good quest makes any lack of progress rather frustrating to deal with.