HALLS OF HEROES - AN ORGANIZED PLAY CAMPAIGN FOR D&D 5E - DUNGEON MASTER GUIDE v1.1.2 - Effective Date: 2019-May-21

Oct 5, 2026

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Halls of Heroes is an organized play system for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition that applies shared rules so characters can travel between adventures and Dungeon Masters seamlessly. The guide outlines core DM responsibilities, required material components, and practical preparation steps: read the adventure fully, balance encounters using party size and APL, and adjust challenges without guaranteeing victory. It also covers table procedure, character and downtime logistics, spellcasting services, and pacing, with a focus on keeping all players engaged.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryComic

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time6 min

AccessFree to download

THE BASICS

Settings

Available Adventures

BEING A DUNGEON MASTER

MATERIAL COMPONENTS

PREPARING THE ADVENTURE

SITTING DOWN AT THE TABLE

MAKING ADJUSTMENTS

HAVING FUN

SPELLCASTING SERVICES

HALLS OF HEROES AN ORGANIZED PLAY CAMPAIGN FOR D&D 5E DUNGEON MASTER GUIDE v1 . 1 .2 Effective Date: 2019-May-21 Website: [hallsofheroes.com](hallsofheroes.com) Facebook: [https://www.facebook.com/groups/HallsofHeroes/](https://www.facebook.com/groups/HallsofHeroes/) [Twitter:](Twitter: @Halls_of_Heroes.)[ ](Twitter: @Halls_of_Heroes.)[@Halls_of_Heroes](Twitter: @Halls_of_Heroes.)[.](Twitter: @Halls_of_Heroes.)[ ](Twitter: @Halls_of_Heroes.)[Reddit at](Reddit at /r/HallsOfHeroes)[ ](Reddit at /r/HallsOfHeroes)[/r/HallsOfHeroes](Reddit at /r/HallsOfHeroes)[ ](Reddit at /r/HallsOfHeroes)Discord: [https://discord.gg/Kf8sEen](https://discord.gg/Kf8sEen) | THE BASICS | | --- | | Halls of Heroes is an organized play system for Dungeons & Dragons, 5th Edition, continuing the spirit of the first seven seasons of Adventurers League. As with all organized play, the players and DM follow a shared set of principles so that characters may move from adventure to adventure and from DM to DM freely.
Settings
Halls of Heroes currently has two settings: Forgotten Realms ( FR) and Eberron ( EB) . See the Halls of Heroes Players Guide for the relevant setting for character creation and advancement rules for each setting.
Available Adventures
See Appendix C; Content Catalog for the full list of adventures for each setting. | | BEING A DUNGEON MASTER | Every Halls of Heroes game needs a DM. Every player can become one. MATERIAL COMPONENTS Here’s what you have to have to DM: ● The D& D Basic Rules ● A Halls of Heroes Legal Adventure ● Dice ( Rollers gotta roll!) ● Note-taking equipment Here’s what else you can use: ● The Dungeon Master’s Guide ( DMG)(ignoring any Optional or Variant rules) ● Supplemental Creature Books (for editing encounters in thematically-appropriate ways to challenge and surprise players) : ○ Monster Manual ( MM) ○ Volo’s Guide to Monsters (VOLO) ○ Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes ( MTF) ● Battlemap and miniatures or markers for face-to-face grid-based combat ● A Virtual Tabletop (like Roll20 or Fantasy Grounds) to play with friends online ● Dungeon Master Screen (to hide your notes from players’ prying eyes) PREPARING THE ADVENTURE Before you sit down at the table, you want to have read through the adventure to get an idea of what’s going on behind the scenes. Not all adventures explain everything up front, and so it’s a good idea to have read the entire adventure to get the big picture. You can also use this time to run what-if scenarios for how to make an adventure more or less challenging on the fly. SITTING DOWN AT THE TABLE Whether the tabletop is real or virtual, eventually the players gather around. Ask players for relevant information about each of their characters that will help you balance and run the adventure. What’s relevant may vary from adventure to adventure, but often includes things like character name, classes, levels, armor class, and passive perception scores. You might review the character sheets to make sure nothing is out of order. All players will do their best to abide by the rules, but sometimes mistakes are made. It’s better to correct them before the session starts. Make sure characters have logs and that new players know how to keep them. Remind players that if they need to spend downtime before the adventure or make purchases from the PHB list, then that’s the time. MAKING ADJUSTMENTS Every party of characters is different. In order to make an adventure challenging but not overpowering, you may need to make adjustments to encounters and challenges as you run the adventure. However, it’s not your duty to always allow the party to win when they make foolish mistakes or unlucky dice rolls. Many one-shot adventures will offer suggestions for how to adjust encounter difficulty based on party strength. You can use the following table as a guide. APL=Average Party Level | Party
Size | Compare APL
to Target APL | Party
Stre

FAQs

What is Halls of Heroes and what does it enable in D&D 5e organized play?

Halls of Heroes is an organized play system where players and DMs follow shared principles so characters can move between adventures and DMs freely.

What materials are required to run a Halls of Heroes game as a Dungeon Master?

You need the D&D Basic Rules, a Halls of Heroes legal adventure, dice, and note-taking equipment. Optional tools include the DMG, supplemental creature books, battle maps and minis or markers, and a virtual tabletop.

How does the guide suggest balancing encounter difficulty during play?

Use party size and compare APL to the target APL, then adjust encounters and challenges as needed. The DM should make things challenging but not overpowering, and not always allow wins after mistakes or unlucky rolls.

Oct 5, 2026

Upload by asda1da