Entertain and Inspire Your Players

“The DMG is a Dungeon Master's best friend. It's the one book to rule them all, the most comprehensive and powerful set of resources needed to run a game of D&D.” —Charlie Hall, Polygon

In a game of Dungeons & Dragons, the Dungeon Master (DM) serves as a narrator who creates a world of wonders and challenges for the player characters to encounter.

Whether you're running a D&D game already or you think it's something you want to try, this book is for you.

Jump Into Play with D&D Beyond

Purchasing a digital copy of this book unlocks it for use in the D&D BEYOND compendium and toolset. D&D BEYOND is the official digital toolset for DUNGEONS & DRAGONS. Create characters in minutes, play directly on your character sheets with digital dice, and prep less and play more with Dungeon Master tools like the Encounter Builder and Combat Tracker. Unlock Maps, D&D BEYOND's virtual tabletop, with a Master Tier subscription. Host game sessions on dozens of official maps, or make your own and use our player and monster tokens to take your gaming to the next level!

Tell a Story of Epic Adventure

Kick off your campaign with a thrilling introduction, complicate matters with moral quandaries, and end it all in an epic finale.

This book will teach you how to craft compelling plots and create balanced combat encounters that are as easy or deadly as you want them to be—from fresh level 1 characters picking a bar fight to a level 20 party battling a dragon-god.

Build Your World

From city maps to magical systems, the Dungeon Master’s Guide is full of worldbuilding advice to help you color in a rich, engaging world for adventurers to explore.

Create Unforgettable Characters

Inventing characters on the fly is a tricky task. This book includes tables for quickly creating distinctive non-player characters with memorable quirks, personal ideals, and intriguing family secrets.

Create the Perfect Villain

Get tips for designing the perfect villain—with ideas for dark schemes, key weaknesses, and even spe­cial class options.

Create Your Own Monsters

Try out blueprints for creating your own monsters, spells, magic items, and more.

Discover Legendary Treasures

Some adventurers seek more than just glory.

The Dungeon Master’s Guide is where you’ll discover D&D’s most coveted items—sentient weapons and bags of holding lie amongst glittering jewels and magic rings in a treasure horde spanning almost 100 pages.

Helpful Tools & Optional Rules

While the Player’s Handbook contains all the rules you need to play, the Dungeon Master’s Guide gives DMs advice and additional tools for running all three pillars of a D&D game—exploration, social interaction, and combat.

Optional rules are also included for DMs looking to add a few twists to their campaign, with rules for coping with horrors, using firearms, figuring out alien technology, and more.