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+# Dungeon Master Guide for Published Adventures
+
+This guide covers best practices for running published D&D adventures effectively, with focus on using CandleKeep to reference adventure content.
+
+## Table of Contents
+
+1. [Campaign Preparation](#campaign-preparation)
+2. [Session Structure](#session-structure)
+3. [Running Encounters](#running-encounters)
+4. [NPC Management](#npc-management)
+5. [Improvisation](#improvisation)
+6. [Rule Adjudication](#rule-adjudication)
+7. [Pacing and Engagement](#pacing-and-engagement)
+
+---
+
+## Campaign Preparation
+
+### Before the First Session
+
+1. **Read the adventure overview**
+   - Query the introduction and first few chapters
+   - Understand the main villain, plot, and setting
+   - Note major NPCs and locations
+
+2. **Prepare the hook**
+   - How do the PCs get involved?
+   - What's their motivation?
+   - Create compelling opening scene
+
+3. **Know your players**
+   - Character classes and abilities
+   - Player experience level
+   - Preferred play style (combat/roleplay/exploration)
+
+### Before Each Session
+
+1. **Review last session notes**
+   - Where did we leave off?
+   - What hooks are active?
+   - Which NPCs did they meet?
+
+2. **Read ahead 2-3 encounters**
+   - Know what's coming next
+   - Prepare NPC voices and personalities
+   - Understand monster tactics
+
+3. **Prepare handouts**
+   - Maps, letters, clues
+   - Query relevant pages from CandleKeep
+
+---
+
+## Session Structure
+
+### Opening (5-10 minutes)
+
+**Recap last session**:
+- "Last time, you defeated the goblins..."
+- "You're currently in the Cragmaw Hideout..."
+- "Your quest is to find Gundren Rockseeker..."
+
+**Set the scene**:
+- Where are they now?
+- What time of day?
+- What's the immediate situation?
+
+**Get player input**:
+- "What's your first action?"
+- "Who's taking point?"
+
+### Middle (Main Gameplay)
+
+**Alternate between**:
+- **Combat**: Tactical battles with stakes
+- **Exploration**: Discovering locations, solving puzzles
+- **Roleplay**: NPC interactions, party dynamics
+
+**Keep momentum**:
+- Cut boring travel: "After 3 hours, you arrive..."
+- Move between scenes: "As you leave the inn..."
+- Use cliffhangers: "You hear footsteps behind you..."
+
+### Closing (5-10 minutes)
+
+**Natural stopping point**:
+- After a major encounter
+- Arriving at a new location
+- Before a big decision
+
+**Wrap-up**:
+- "Great session! Here's where we are..."
+- "Next time, you'll explore the castle..."
+- "Any questions or things I should know?"
+
+---
+
+## Running Encounters
+
+### Combat Encounters
+
+**Before initiative**:
+1. Query monster stat blocks from adventure book
+2. Describe the scene: terrain, lighting, enemies
+3. Roll initiative for monsters (or use average)
+
+**During combat**:
+1. **Narrate actions**: "The goblin lunges!" not "He rolled 15"
+2. **Track HP and status**: Keep notes on damage and conditions
+3. **Use monster tactics**: Smart enemies use cover, focus fire
+4. **Describe hits/misses**: Make combat cinematic
+
+**Example**:
+```
+DM: "The goblin archer (AC 13, 7 HP) looses an arrow at you.
+     That's a 16 to hit - does it hit your AC?"
+Player: "Yes, I'm AC 14."
+DM: "The arrow strikes your shoulder for 5 piercing damage.
+     The goblin cackles and ducks behind the rock."
+```
+
+**After combat**:
+- Describe aftermath
+- Allow looting and healing
+- XP/milestone advancement
+
+### Social Encounters
+
+**Prepare NPC personality**:
+- What do they want?
+- What's their attitude toward the party?
+- What information can they provide?
+
+**Play the NPC**:
+- Use distinct voice/mannerisms
+- Have goals and motivations
+- Don't just exposit - make them interactive
+
+**Example**:
+```
+DM: "Sildar Hallwinter is grateful you rescued him. He's a
+     human warrior in his 50s, gruff but honorable. 'You have
+     my thanks, friends. Those goblins were taking me to their
+     boss - some bugbear named Klarg.'"
+```
+
+### Exploration Encounters
+
+**Describe environment**:
+- What do they see/hear/smell?
+- Any obvious features or dangers?
+- What can they interact with?
+
+**Ask for actions**:
+- "What do you do?"
+- "Who's checking for traps?"
+- "Do you open the door?"
+
+**Reward investigation**:
+- Perception checks reveal details
+- Investigation finds clues
+- Creative thinking gets bonus info
+
+---
+
+## NPC Management
+
+### Creating Memorable NPCs
+
+**Quick personality formula**:
+- **Voice/accent**: Gruff, high-pitched, formal, slang
+- **Mannerism**: Fidgets, intense eye contact, laughs nervously
+- **Goal**: What do they want from the PCs?
+- **Secret**: What aren't they saying?
+
+**Example NPCs**:
+- **Gundren Rockseeker**: Enthusiastic dwarf, talks fast, obsessed with his mine
+- **Sildar Hallwinter**: Serious warrior, protective, speaks formally
+- **Halia Thornton**: Smooth merchant, knows everyone's business, always has an angle
+
+### NPC Knowledge
+
+**What NPCs know**:
+- Query adventure book for NPC stat blocks
+- Review their background and motivations
+- Note what information they can share
+
+**What they don't know**:
+- Avoid omniscient NPCs
+- Make players work for information
+- NPCs can be wrong or misinformed
+
+---
+
+## Improvisation
+
+### When Players Go Off-Script
+
+**Stay calm**:
+- This is good! Players are engaged
+- You don't need to know everything
+- Make a ruling and move on
+
+**Improvisation techniques**:
+
+1. **Ask questions**:
+   - "What does that look like?"
+   - "How do you do that?"
+   - "What are you hoping to achieve?"
+
+2. **Use the adventure structure**:
+   - Redirect to main quest hooks
+   - "You hear rumors about Phandalin..."
+   - Make their detour lead back to the story
+
+3. **Roll with it**:
+   - Their creative solution works? Awesome!
+   - They avoid an encounter? That's smart!
+   - They create a new subplot? Develop it!
+
+4. **When you don't know**:
+   - "Let me check the book..." (query CandleKeep)
+   - "That's a great question - I'll rule X for now"
+   - "What do you think would happen?"
+
+### Making Up Content
+
+**When you need to improvise**:
+- **NPCs**: Use simple personality (greedy, helpful, suspicious)
+- **Locations**: Describe 2-3 sensory details
+- **Encounters**: Use stat blocks from similar creatures
+- **Lore**: Keep it vague, add details later
+
+**Example**:
+```
+Player: "I want to talk to the blacksmith."
+DM (thinking: There's no blacksmith in this section...):
+    "Sure! You find the smithy near the center of town. The
+    blacksmith is a dwarf woman named Thora. She's hammering
+    a horseshoe and barely looks up. 'Need something?'"
+```
+
+---
+
+## Rule Adjudication
+
+### Core Principles
+
+1. **Keep the game moving**: Don't pause for 10 minutes to look up rules
+2. **Be consistent**: Apply the same ruling each time
+3. **Rule in favor of fun**: When in doubt, let cool things happen
+4. **Defer complex lookups**: "I'll check between sessions"
+
+### Common Rulings
+
+**Advantage/Disadvantage**:
+- Grant advantage for good ideas or clever approaches
+- Impose disadvantage for difficult circumstances
+- Don't stack - it's either advantage, disadvantage, or neither
+
+**Ability Checks**:
+- DC 10: Easy
+- DC 15: Medium
+- DC 20: Hard
+- DC 25: Very Hard
+
+**Rule of Cool**:
+- If a player has a creative idea that's mechanically questionable but awesome, let it work (this once)
+- "You want to swing from the chandelier and dropkick the goblin? Roll Athletics... 18? You do it!"
+
+### When to Say No
+
+**Safety and comfort**:
+- Respect player boundaries
+- No PvP without consent
+- Skip uncomfortable content
+
+**Game balance**:
+- Don't let one rule break the game
+- "That's too powerful for 1st level"
+- Offer alternative approaches
+
+---
+
+## Pacing and Engagement
+
+### Keep the Game Moving
+
+**Cut the boring parts**:
+- ❌ "You walk for 8 hours..."
+- ✅ "After a day's travel, you reach..."
+
+**Use montages**:
+- ❌ Detailed shopping for every item
+- ✅ "You stock up on supplies and head out"
+
+**Time pressure**:
+- Add urgency to decisions
+- "The room is filling with water..."
+- "The goblins will return soon..."
+
+### Vary the Tempo
+
+**Fast-paced**:
+- Combat
+- Chases
+- Timed challenges
+- "What do you do?!"
+
+**Medium-paced**:
+- Exploration
+- Standard roleplay
+- Investigation
+- "You can look around..."
+
+**Slow-paced**:
+- Character moments
+- Major decisions
+- Planning
+- "Take your time..."
+
+### Player Engagement
+
+**Spotlight rotation**:
+- Give each player moments to shine
+- Ask quieter players directly: "What is [character] doing?"
+- Let different skills matter
+
+**Build tension**:
+- Describe danger before it strikes
+- Use dramatic pauses
+- Make consequences matter
+
+**Reward creativity**:
+- "That's a great idea!"
+- Grant advantage or lower DC
+- Let unusual approaches work
+
+---
+
+## Common Pitfalls
+
+### Avoid These
+
+❌ **Over-preparing**: You can't predict everything
+✅ **Flexible prep**: Know the story, improvise details
+
+❌ **Railroading**: Forcing players down one path
+✅ **Multiple paths**: Let players find their own way
+
+❌ **Adversarial DMing**: DM vs. Players
+✅ **Collaborative story**: You're on the same team
+
+❌ **Ignoring the book**: Making up everything
+✅ **Use the book**: It's there to help you
+
+❌ **Perfectionism**: Getting every rule right
+✅ **Good enough**: Keep the game fun and moving
+
+---
+
+## Quick Reference Checklist
+
+**Every session**:
+- [ ] Review last session notes
+- [ ] Read ahead 2-3 encounters
+- [ ] Prepare NPC personalities
+- [ ] Query key content from CandleKeep
+- [ ] Have monster stat blocks ready
+
+**During session**:
+- [ ] Recap previous session
+- [ ] Set the scene vividly
+- [ ] Ask "What do you do?"
+- [ ] Narrate actions cinematically
+- [ ] Take notes on key events
+
+**After session**:
+- [ ] Update session notes
+- [ ] Update campaign summary
+- [ ] Note any rulings made
+- [ ] Prep for next session
+
+---
+
+Remember: **The best DM is a prepared, flexible storyteller who puts player fun first.**