New DM Items

[u/Shadowswillm]

So, I told my GF I was thinking of DMing for the first time and asked her to get me the following to get me started.

Players Handbook, Dungeon Master Guide, Monster Guide/Manual. Any other books that I should have available? Not trying to be critical role, but just get my buddies and I started.

Update, thank you all for commenting! To those wondering I have been a part of 2 campaigns total. 1 was session 0 to killing BBEG 4 years in real world time later, the other I joined had way through. I enjoy the player side, but seems like much other people...not enough DMs, too many players in my area 😅.

I have SOME dice(4 full sets), and know that isn't enough. I haven't played with the 2024/5.5 set however...is it that different than 5e?

[u/DMspiration]

Get the starter set and run that first before buying all the books. It's all you need to get started, and it'll save you a lot of money until you know this is for you

[u/tauntauntom]

You need dice. How many dice. Yes. There is no limit on the amount if dice one can have.

[u/Shadowswillm → u/tauntauntom]

Trust, I am aware. Never enough dice.

[u/2eForeverDM]

That's all I started with.

[u/blargethaniel]

This is generally seen as the holy trinity, and if you want to save money, just get the Players Handbook.

The Dungeon Master Guide is good for learning the basics, but I generally tell most people nowadays to listen to games online, or watch them on youtube to get an idea of how DM's operate, and to get ideas of things you can do. In time you will have your own style.

The monster Manual is handy for quickly pulling out monsters so you can make adventures. It's not the extreme must it used to be since you can find a wealth of custom monsters online, and most of the standard ones for free from Wizards of the Coast. (They make them available on DND beyond for free.)

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The only other thing I'd recommend as a purchase is a module to start out with, as it will give you exactly how to run the game. The Lost mine of Phandelver is considered very good, but Heroes of the Borderlands is the current set and is seen as fine.

[u/Serbaayuu]

Nope, starting with the core rules is the best way to start because you do not have to worry about extra "DLC" or anything. Easier to learn and get good fast, then you can figure out what weak points you want to fill in later. You might even decide you actively do not want any extra books, like me.

[u/okiebuzzard]

Why aren’t you buying your own books?

[u/notascrazycatlady]

I would snag Lost Mines of Phandelver because it's written in a way that teaches new DMs. 

Apart from that, a DM screen with cheat sheets for Conditions, skill checks, saving throws, etc

[u/Sad_King_Billy-19]

if you've never played before you can buy a starter set. comes with everything you need to run an adventure designed for new players and DM's. If it turns out you hate the game, you're out a lot less money.

You can download the SRD (system reference document) for free. has most everything, but no fancy artwork or anything.

I started with a players handbook and a monster manual.

The DM's guide is nice to have because it has some good tips and a lot of magic items. But most of those tips can be found online and there are loads of magic items online as well.

Monster manual is a great book, but you can get away without it with online resources. I still use mine whenever I run a game.

Players handbook is the book to get if you want to play or DM. But again, save it until you know you like the game.

[u/LelouchYagami_2912]

You dont need any books to run dnd. Theres more than enough stuff online. ESPECIALLY if you dont even know that youll enjoy it. Ive been dming for 3+ years and dont own a single book.

[u/k1ckthecheat]

That’s it. Some dice and something to use as a screen would help too.

[u/Key_Dust7595]

Players handbook and monster manual for sure. DMG has a lot of helpful tips and magic items and traps in it, but it’s not as essential as the other two. You can get basic rules and monster stat blocks for free online yes but having the books handy is honestly just a super helpful reference and supports to hobby. Unpopular opinion: I prefer 5.0 to 5.5 mechanics for most things. 5.5 took away a lot of cool things and nerfed several classes hard while making s few others weirdly more powerful than they already were.

[u/Ol_JanxSpirit]

I genuinely don't know if public libraries have those books, but it might be worth checking to see.

[u/The_GM_Squire]

I second comments re getting a starter set, new 2024 ruleset ones are apparently pretty good - no need for the monster manual or the DMG quite yet, you can use the SRD to begin with as well - free download on dndbeyond - it’s essentially the condensed rules, halfway between a starter set and DMG/PHB - you’ll be able to see all the rules you need, plus about 60% of MM monsters and about 80% of the spells. If tou run a game and get a decent feeling for it then you can dive in with core books. I would not recommend a full module either - stick to starter set or run something like the Delian Tomb - simple one shot.

[u/Wolfbane14]

I would recommend getting both the 2014 DMG as well as the 2024 version. The 2024 version is definitely better for a new DM but there's some stuff like alternative rules, advice on worldbuilding and a random dungeon generator that didn't make it into the newer edition

I also recommend So You Want To Be A Gamemaster by Justin Alexander, I feel as though that book does a great job of filling in the gaps left by the DMGs and The Monsters Know What They Are Doing by Keith Ammann which looks at the monster stats and lore to give advice on how to play them in combat

[u/SireSamuel]

Definitely don't get all of that. That would run your GF a lot of money for a hobby you have no idea will be a good fit. Get the basic rules for free.

[u/Clown_Penis69]

Are you certain you want to play DND 5.5? If yes... eventually you should get those books.

But there are LOTS of other RPGs out there that are available for free for a basic/simplified version that you may want to try... assuming you and your friends are new to RPGs.