My DM Journal

My first session DMing I had been offered a chance to DM a oneshot. I was loaned some books by the previous Dungeon Master and with some help from a friend I was able to have the larger group on a short adventure to save my character from that campaign. Brynn had been a Tiefling Druid with an Ocean circle set up. I had chosen pretty blindly but I rolled her up and doodled how I wanted her to look on the sheet. we got to a point where the DM had gotten tired of writing out his campaign or buying one shots and we did a few intermittent game nights before I asked if I could try it out which was no problem. The others in the group had no problems with any of it or said they wouldn't make it.

The night arrived and I was as ready as I could be, nervous for the public speaking bit but the guys did try. All six or seven of those playing for the night arrived and sat while I got set up as well. I only had two sets of dice at the time, one of which was a lovely mossy koi set off an Etsy sale the other was just a plain basic factory set. I started pretty basic with Brynn having been kidnapped and turned to stone, yes a clue, and they were given enough info to get to the lair as well as a magic item to transport them there and back. I didn't understand some of the rules and let them get to a certain point pretty easy, and then it got much harder.

I gave them ghast based homebrew monsters I found on pinterest or something and they had to fight these things with grouping effects all over the whole place I drew up, pushing them decently hard. Then the group got to the "glass bridge" Squid Game type puzzle where they actually pushed the monsters onto the tiles to figure it out thought some were able to jump it one way or another, one fell to take roughly 8 fall damage points. As they realized I was being a pain about fall damage they moved on only to find they could have jumped down into the hallway below for that small amount of damage. They found what they needed to and walked into a Medusa and my petrified character. Of course after trying to think of how to fight her one of the guys, the main DM at the time named Mat, wanted to seduce her and rolled a Nat 20! I was in shock and the guys were like "You have to let that succeed!" So I announced that Mat's character went off with the Medusa and they made a ruckus in private quarters while the others saved Brynn.

I didn't know I didn't actually have to but I let them have it just seeing how happy they were. As a female DM, I didn't know that would turn more toxic with time and my people pleasing nature won out. For the first time I had enjoyed the session enough to not leave bored and that was something meaningful to me having succeeded somewhat at a game like that.

After this a few weeks went by and the guys brought up getting a campaign book and Princes of the Apocalypse was the one that won. So then the conversation turned to who would DM, initially the others wanted to give my partner Erin a chance but upon looking at just the intro stuff he was overwhelmed. I got in the discord and asked if I could do it since I'd only had one session. They agreed and I began getting ready.

My partner gave me the books I needed and I set up for my grand intro and character introductions session zero.

"Otherworldly forces of neutrality/good pull all of you into a deep trance wherever you may be. First symbols flash through your minds.

Then visions continue to show the worlds destruction.

Entire world aflame! Burning creatures running desperately running into tidal waves just to die faster, land and sea cracking under all four gigantic elementals. The most merciful seeming to be the walking mountain merely crushing all the beings running beneath it as it walked. Sleet storms washing over many regions.

You three feel death and despair wash over you for a short moment before the visions calm to show cultists sacrificing many but a light wakes you three in the dim basement of an inn."

As they "woke up" they introduced their characters.

1. Erin chose a War forged Cleric build he named and would model after a Death scythe Gundam.

2. Alvinius Duskwail, a Wood Elf Rogue was Mat's.

3. Genshar Vasquez, played by Randy was a Half-orc Paladin.

Then we began with exploring The Swinging Sword and Red Larch.

I will tell you the rest in part 2.