Long story short, I'm in the works of creating a homebrew one-shot (for now), and I'm looking for generalized tips for preparation. So far, I've been keeping actual maps down to a minimum, and instead use a story telling method to play. As well, I'm setting up all of the NPCs, and encounters, with a couple extras on the side, should the party decide to go off elsewhere. I am planning on setting up the one-shot as a full campaign, but only after I get into the swing of things, and maybe run this one-shot a couple times around. Also, some other questions are present. I was thinking of changing some mechanics for the 5e D&D. IE: One thing I want to alter is determining flanking. A and B are attacking C. To gain advantage on their attack rolls (except for thieves, they ago gain advantage) the average dex of A and B has to beat the dex of C. I know the DMG is more of a guideline, but should I be trying to change mechanics as a new DM? Secondly, what rolls shouldn't I hide? Personally, I wanted to hide the initiative all together, as well as the NPC checks and/or attacks. The reason is, I want to try a be descriptive as I "tell the story" and I feel that hiding the checks/attacks will help stray away bland "hit or no hit" rolls. I think it's more fun to hear that your thirteen roll can either be an axe bouncing off the scales of a dragon versus finding that chink in the armor to embed your dagger. I apologise if this is a bit all-over-the-place. I was trying to type these questions out before heading off to work, and it's a bit hard to sort through the questions/ideas in my head.
