Dungeon Master's Guide (DC Universe Supplement)

“ But Superman never treated me as anything but an equal. At six inches tall he made me feel like a giant. Now I had to be that giant for him. ” —Ray Palmer, The Atom

This page is part of the DC Universe Campaign Setting

Any player can roll dice to kill an enemy anywhere, but the D20 Modern game allows for plenty of said action. However, what really brings a game session to life is the Dungeon Master's ability to provide a colorful and enthralling world for the player's to explore. As Dungeon Master, the DC Universe can meet and exceed all of your party's game needs. The content on this page is designed to assist you in providing a vibrant setting for your players. Before going any further, remember: You're the Dungeon Master! As such, any parts of the DC Universe you don't like, you can change! Add or alter the world to your whims!

Campaign Setup Overview

Prep Station

Take a moment and change, delete, or exchange any specifics of the DC Universe setting that you prefer before the game begins. Though small changes can be made later (such as minor town names or characters), major changes should be known to your players before beginning, such as allowing or disallowing certain superpowers. If you're a strong planner, come up with some plot hooks, story lines, or characters that you can use to help keep your Player's in action and keep the game moving. Remember, never rely solely on one plot, as PCs should be free to explore the world at random. Some DMs prefer to mostly wing it at the table, and if so, just think of some base ideas to at least get your players talking together and initiate the first encounter. If all goes well, the rest should do itself.

Choose where in DC to begin

Before the first dice is rolled, a good player should have a character concept. When you being recruiting for your campaign, you should be able to provide a general background so that the characters know certain things. The DC Universe provides players with a vast array of concepts to run with. Generally, you should know what part of the Universe you wish to start your campaign in. The adventuring party should have a home within reasonable distance to the starting area (Starting at level one but saying you've already traveled the entire globe seems odd). Read up on the places and lands of DC and decide where you wish to have your setting begin.

Player Character Building

Begin by explaining the general basics of the DC Universe to your players. If a player asks about what setting the campaign is in, you can tell him/her something along the lines of "This game is running in a D20 Modern setting where Super Heroes exist and there is great technology as well as known alien life. You'll be starting in (insert name of town here - example:) Metropolis, the largest world city and home to Superman." This allows your player to get a vague idea of where they are playing and allow them to begin a character concept, while not giving away any plot details. This small amount of information may allow a player to come up with a back story ("My character is a superhero looking to get out of the shadow of Superman"), and get the gears of the character creation process moving.

Character Introduction

Decide how you intend for your characters to meet. Maybe they were all drafted or of age to join the local militia or guard and meet at boot camp. Perhaps they are all University Students sharing the same Dorm. Even a seemingly coincidentally timed Bar visit can bring PCs face to face for the first time.

Begin your Campaign

At this point the players should be your main focus, and the world should shape around them. Alter any DC Universe details to meet you and your player's needs, and remember: Have Fun!

---

Back to Main Page → D20 Modern → Campaign Settings → DC Universe Campaign Setting

This page may resemble content endorsed by, sponsored by, and/or affiliated with the DC Comics franchise, and/or include content directly affiliated with and/or owned by DC Comics. D&D Wiki neither claims nor implies any rights to DC Comics copyrights, trademarks, or logos, nor any owned by DC Comics. This site is for non profit use only. Furthermore, the following content is a derivative work that falls under, and the use of which is protected by, the Fair Use designation of US Copyright and Trademark Law. We ask you to please add the {{needsadmin}} template if there is a violation to this disclaimer within this page.