Entertain and Inspire Your Players

It's GREAT to be the Dungeon Master! Not only do you get to tell fantastic stories about heroes, villains, monsters, and magic, but you also get to create the world in which these stories live. Whether you're running a D&D game already or you think it's something you want to try, this book is for you.

Inside you'll find world-building advice, tips and tricks for creating memorable dungeons and adventures, optional game rules, hundreds of classic D&D magic items, and many other tools to help you be a great Dungeon Master.

Master of Worlds

Build Your World

From city maps to magical systems, the Dungeon Master’s Guide will help you colour in a rich, engaging world for your players to explore.

You'll also get a Dungeon Masters-only tour of the D&D multiverse, discovering what adventurers may encounter in each plane and effects they may experience there.

Tell a Good Story

Learn how to craft compelling plots and balanced combat encounters.

The Dungeon Master's Guide provides a multitude of suggestions for how to kick off your campaign with a thrilling introduction, complicate matters with moral quandaries, and end it all in an epic finale.

Whether it's fresh level 1 characters picking a bar fight or a level 20 party battling a dragon god—guidelines are also provided to help you craft level-appropriate encounters that are as easy or deadly as you want them to be.

Master of Adventures

Create Unforgettable Characters

Inventing non-player characters on the fly is a tricky task. In this book you’ll find tables for quickly creating dis­tinctive characters—from memorable quirks to personal ideals and intriguing family secrets. You’ll also find tips on creating the perfect villain, with ideas for dark schemes, key weaknesses, and even spe­cial class options.

Discover Legendary Treasures

Some adventurers seek more than just glo­ry. The Dungeon Master’s Guide is where you’ll discover D&D’s most coveted treasures. Sentient weapons and bags of holding lie amongst glittering jewels and magic rings.

Objects have backstories too! Consider lists of sug­gested origins, histories, and special properties that will make your items truly awe-inspiring finds.

Master of Rules

Master the Rules

As the game's referee, a Dungeon Master needs to not only know the rules but know how to make quick judgment calls when players do something unexpected—and they will!

This book provides DMs with rules and advice for running all three pillars of a Dungeons & Dragons game—exploration, social interaction, and combat.

Create Your Own

Get tips and blueprints for creating your own monsters, NPC stat blocks, spells, magic items, and character options. Optional rules are also included for DMs looking to add a few twists to their campaign, with rules for coping with horrors, using firearms, figuring out alien technology, and more.

Playing Dungeons & Dragons

Become an Adventurer

Adventurers come in all shapes and sizes. Find one that’s fun for you.

An elvish cleric, driven from society for trespassing on tradition. A dwarven paladin, atoning for an ignominious past. The Player’s Handbook provides the skeleton for your characters. Flesh them out however you choose.

Join the Party

D&D brings people together and forges new friendships. Silly moments spawn inside jokes; moving battles leave treasured memories—whether in the heat of battle, embroiled in social intrigue, or solving clever puzzles, your party has your back.

Choose Your Own Path

The woods are growing dark. Behind a mass of ivy, you see the stones of a crumbling castle. What do you do?

In D&D, your options are limitless. Because the Dungeon Master, as narrator of your tale, can improvise in reaction to any choice you make, what happens next is entirely flexible. Do you dare go on?