dungeonmaster
Tabletop game arbiter
A dungeonmaster is the person who runs a tabletop role-playing game, especially Dungeons & Dragons.
The dungeonmaster creates the world, controls non-player characters, narrates events, and referees the rules while players make decisions for their characters.
Often abbreviated DM.
The role requires improvisation, storytelling ability, and managing group dynamics: Our DM spent weeks preparing the campaign.
Outside gaming, dungeonmaster occasionally appears in BDSM contexts for someone who oversees activities in a dungeon space.
Organized effort toward goal
- encounterUnexpected meeting or confrontation
- initiativeSelf-directed action capacity
- diceMarked cubes for chance
- d20Twenty-faced gaming die
rulebook · homebrew · balance · session · module · combat · stats · modifier
Account of events
- plotStoryline or land parcel
- worldbuildingConstructing imaginary universes for fiction
- NPCsNon-player characters
- loreTraditional knowledge transmitted orally
improvisation · pacing · tension · cliffhanger · foreshadowing · dialogue · backstory · motivation
Legendary fire-breathing reptile
- wizardPractitioner of sorcery
- orcSavage fantasy humanoid
- goblinMalicious folklore creature
- paladinHeroic knightly defender
tavern · realm · sorcery · magic · quest · artifact · summoning · necromancer
Authoritative decisions on matters
- arbitrationNon-court binding dispute resolution
- adjudicationFormal decision on disputes
- fiatAuthoritative official decree
- vetoOfficial refusal to approve
disputes · enforcement · fairness · impartiality · judgment · discretion · interpretation · consistency
campaign
Organized effort toward goal
- encounterUnexpected meeting or confrontation
- initiativeSelf-directed action capacity
- diceMarked cubes for chance
d20 · rulebook · homebrew · balance · session · module · combat · stats · modifier
narrative
Account of events
- plotStoryline or land parcel
- worldbuildingConstructing imaginary universes for fiction
- NPCsNon-player characters
lore · improvisation · pacing · tension · cliffhanger · foreshadowing · dialogue · backstory · motivation · arc
dragon
Legendary fire-breathing reptile
paladin · tavern · realm · sorcery · magic · quest · artifact · summoning · necromancer · lich
rulings
Authoritative decisions on matters
- arbitrationNon-court binding dispute resolution
- adjudicationFormal decision on disputes
- fiatAuthoritative official decree
veto · disputes · enforcement · fairness · impartiality · judgment · discretion · interpretation · consistency · boundaries
dungeonmasterplayer
Game participant
player character · PC · party member · adventurer · hero
dungeon, master, dungeons, masters, mastered, mastering, masterly, masterful, masterfully