Here are today's sponsors:

Worldsmith - Easy D&D Prep - Start a Free 7 Day Trial: https://session0studios.com/worldsmith-podcast

Roll and Play Press - Easier D&D: https://session0studios.com/rollandplay

We've all been there: the endless turns, actions, and HP ticking down as you slog through another combat that you don't know how to end fast enough. Why did your combat become like this? And how can you make it enjoyable and fun again?! Let's talk about it.

Also, want ad-free podcasts with additional content while also supporting us? Check out our Patreon: patreon.com/betterdungeonmaster

Special thanks to:

Benj Weyland for Graphic Design (https://www.instagram.com/benjweydesign/)

TJ Max, Juka, and TechSenpai for being amazing moderators

Foxy Beard, Kyle Wilson, and Nick Ammann for being our patrons.

Mentioned in this episode:

Brought to you by Session 0 Studios

Visit session0studios.com for more information.

Start Leveling Up As a DM

Wouldn’t it be nice to gamify your dungeon master abilities? In D&D, characters can reach level 20, so why can’t dungeon masters? We’re happy to tell you that now, you can. We created the Dungeon Master Level-Up Guide. It’s a simple tool to gamify your progression to higher and higher levels of dungeon mastering. It includes Dungeon Master Levels 1 to 20 with associated XP requirements as well as a long list of Dungeon Master activities that will give you XP. Each activity has a Challenge Rating and an XP amount. In order to level up, all you need to do is find out how much XP you have, find out how much you need and pick activities to try. You can get the Dungeon Master Level-Up guide for free by going to session0studios.com/newsletter/, sign up for our newsletter and we’ll email you the Level-Up Guide. Finally, leveling up as a DM can be as fun as leveling up a character.

Level Up Guide

Give Us a Rating and Review

You obviously have really good taste, you’re listening to How to Be a Better DM after all. We thank you for your support. If you’ve ever gotten anything useful from our show, take a minute to give us a rating and a review. It goes a very long way to making it so How to Be a Better DM can help many more dungeon masters just like you. If you love our content, help others become better dungeon masters too.

Add the Magic of Sound to Your Gameplay

When you set the scene you need to tap into the five senses. When it comes to sound one of the best ways to do that is with music, sound effects, and ambience. That’s why we’ve teamed up with Monument Studios. Monument Studios provides an easy-to-use Soundboard perfect for Dungeon Mastering. If you want to see this in action, go to fantasy-plus.com and get 10% off of your first month of their Fantasy+ App by using the code BETTERDM at check out. Again that is fantasy-plus.com and BETTERDM at checkout.

Monument Studios

Here are today's sponsors:

Worldsmith - Easy D&D Prep - Start a Free 7 Day Trial: https://session0studios.com/worldsmith-podcast

Roll and Play Press - Easier D&D: https://session0studios.com/rollandplay

AI is here—and it’s not going anywhere. But what does it mean for Dungeon Masters?

In this episode, Justin and Tanner dive deep into how artificial intelligence is already impacting the tabletop RPG space—from ethical dilemmas to practical time-saving hacks. Is it a crutch or a creativity booster? Are you giving away core skills without realizing it? And how can you use it intentionally to become a better DM?

We’ll also share:

• The right way to use AI for session prep
• Why AI won’t replace storytelling, but might reshape it
• Real-world examples of how we’ve used AI in our own games
• A brand new sponsor-powered segment featuring a ridiculous, pizza-based spell 🎶🍕

If you're curious, concerned, or just cautiously optimistic about the AI takeover—this episode is for you.

Special thanks to:

Benj Weyland for Graphic Design (https://www.instagram.com/benjweydesign/)

TJ Max, Juka, and TechSenpai for being amazing moderators

Foxy Beard, Kyle Wilson, and Nick Ammann for being our patrons.

Mentioned in this episode:

Give Us a Rating and Review

You obviously have really good taste, you’re listening to How to Be a Better DM after all. We thank you for your support. If you’ve ever gotten anything useful from our show, take a minute to give us a rating and a review. It goes a very long way to making it so How to Be a Better DM can help many more dungeon masters just like you. If you love our content, help others become better dungeon masters too.

Brought to you by Session 0 Studios

Visit session0studios.com for more information.

Try Worldsmith Today!

Give yourself access to infinite possibilities with Worldsmith! It's the ultimate tool for Dungeon Masters to spark creativity or just save your bacon when you're in a bind. You can generate infinite stories, traps or treasures. Sign up at https://session0studios.com/worldsmith-podcast

Worldsmith

Sign Up For Dungeon Master Coaching

Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone in your corner as a DM? Maybe having someone who can help you find solutions to your DMing problems and help you improve every aspect of your game. Well, here at How to Be a Better DM we are trying an experiment. We are offering 5 free coaching sessions to listeners of the show. During these coaching sessions, we’ll work with you through your strengths and weaknesses as a DM and help you generate a game plan to make both better. You can either send in a recording of one of your games, or we’ll attend it live if able. If all else fails, we can still chat about your struggle and talk through any prep you’ve done for your upcoming games. Just go to session0studios.com/coaching and sign up.

Dungeon Master Coaching

Is it important for you NPCs to "feel" a certain way when players interact with them? And more importantly, does making a fleshed out, goal-driven NPC add to the story or just add to your stress levels when prepping for your next session? Tanner discusses with DM Shea and DM Kyle from the Dungeon Master Talk podcast!

Also, check out their podcast at https://dungeonmastertalk.buzzsprout.com/ for some more sage advice from these awesome DMs!

Mentioned in this episode:

Sign Up For Dungeon Master Coaching

Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone in your corner as a DM? Maybe having someone who can help you find solutions to your DMing problems and help you improve every aspect of your game. Well, here at How to Be a Better DM we are trying an experiment. We are offering 5 free coaching sessions to listeners of the show. During these coaching sessions, we’ll work with you through your strengths and weaknesses as a DM and help you generate a game plan to make both better. You can either send in a recording of one of your games, or we’ll attend it live if able. If all else fails, we can still chat about your struggle and talk through any prep you’ve done for your upcoming games. Just go to session0studios.com/coaching and sign up.

Dungeon Master Coaching

Give Us a Rating and Review

You obviously have really good taste, you’re listening to How to Be a Better DM after all. We thank you for your support. If you’ve ever gotten anything useful from our show, take a minute to give us a rating and a review. It goes a very long way to making it so How to Be a Better DM can help many more dungeon masters just like you. If you love our content, help others become better dungeon masters too.

Brought to you by Session 0 Studios

Visit session0studios.com for more information.

Why Listen to Ads?

Ugh, another ad break. Let’s be real—ads are the worst. If you’re anything like my wife, you’d rather quit a show entirely than sit through another ad. So why suffer? Just skip them. Join our Patreon at patreon.com/betterdungeonmaster and enjoy ad-free episodes with exclusive patron-only content—all for just $5 a month. Look at you, all fancy with your uninterrupted listening experience. So stop wasting time on ads (like this one). Go to patreon.com/betterdungeonmaster and upgrade your listening today!

Patreon