29 DM Ideas for Spicing Up D&D 5E: New Twists for Campaigns, Combat, Equipment, Magic and More!

DMing is all about bringing your ideas to the table, but some ideas reach beyond the story and dialogue to change the way the game is played. Today, 3 Wise DMs open a Pandora’s Box of DMing ideas and inspiration for D&D 5E. From campaign setting ideas to new weapon rules, combat formations, vampire and dragon age categories, and more, in this episode, Thorin, Tony and Dave pitch the craziest D&D house rules and setting features they’d love to play with in the future. 1:00 Campaign ideas1. Dark Sun for 5E: Could you resurrect the survival desert setting full of slavery and cannibalism?2. Spelljammer space travel for 5E (Note: we recorded before WotC revealed it’s happening)3. Planescape for 5E: Plane shifting between different, wacky worlds and dimensions4. Call of Cthulhu in Ravenloft with PCs like Van Helsing and Jonathan Harker5. Celts vs. powerful nature spirits vs. Romans in a pseudo-historical setting with limited NPC magic6. A prehistoric game with more intense magic and active gods, but low-level technology7. Clerics vs. Wizards: A world where arcane magic has been branded heretical8. Do you need to limit PC class selection in worlds with low magic or low technology?25:00 Mechanical ideas for combat and encounters9. Technologically low and high-quality swords with non-magical +/- bonuses10. Injury rules and not recovering all your health after long rests11. Weapon wear and breakage12. An aside on Viking sword and shield usage13. Capping hit points at a lower level14. Combat formations: shield walls, pike hedges, etc.15. New weapon properties and action: long reach, weapon grapples16. Called-shot attacks (Aim for the eyes!)17. Weapons that give an AC bonus18. Improving the shield bonus, but making it something you can lose19. Heirloom weapons that get progressive bonuses/powers as the player advances in tiers62:00 Magic and magic item ideas20. Expanding spell concentration (perhaps by allowing a familiar or item to hold concentration on one of your spells)21. Creating unique spells22. Places of power where players can cast unique spells 23. Rare spell components that boost the spells cast with them24. Rebalancing charges71:00 Monster ideas25. The bag man and other Candy Man type horror monsters26. Giving dragons wider age categories and introducing mightier Great Wyrms 27. The Corpse Flower garden28. Expanding vampire power levels and roles29. Spirts of the Land82:00 Final thoughts