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DM Shiv

DM Shiv (n/a)

5.0

(36)

2 years on StartPlaying

309 games hosted

Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, Visual Aid

About me

Hello folks! I'm Shiv, a 34 year old from Scotland and a Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) enthusiast turned professional Dungeon Master (DM)! I've been playing for around Nine years, initially forming an interest with a group of in-person friends. After several drunken meet ups, I was hooked and had to get my fix online due to the scheduling difficulties of adult life!! I played several online games before taking a stab at running my own. Turns out I love horribly plagiarising all the wonderful nerdy influences in my life such as Lord of the Rings, World of Warcraft, Attack on Titan, Dragon Ball Z, Castlevania, Warhammer 40k, and many, many more... I've been running regular online D&D 5e games for the last Seven years with over 5,000 hours on Roll20, my platform of choice. I've ran many campaigns including modules and homebrews and I've learnt a lot about what makes good, fun, interesting yet challenging sessions. Personally, I'm a big advocate of creating a realistic world, with impactful role play and time sensitive consequences. I also enjoy team strategy and building very challenging encounters. I'm a regular bloke, with a successful primary career, a fluffy dog, who enjoys escaping our reality and having a laugh with some likeminded individuals for a game of Dungeons & Dragons! When I run a game, my golden rule is 'We're all here to have fun'! The beauty of D&D is the collaborative story telling experience! I enjoy gently coaching my participants to become great players who revel in other character's storylines and also build genuine connections with your fellow players. If you are interested in any of my games, I must insist in having a chat over discord to make sure the game style is right for you! This has been a key driver of my success in the professional D&D world as it helps build fantastic and inclusive groups! I don't have huge amounts of reviews, this is because I don't have a high turnover of players! This can be seen from the games ran to review ratio. My price is at a premium, but I can proudly say, I put a huge amounts of work into building any games I run for a professional experience. This includes: 🔥Helping players create a character that has authentic links to the games narrative through a session zero 🔥Custom maps from amazing artist on platforms like Patreon 🔥Roll20 Macro's for easy player use 🔥Roll20 API's supplemental game play 🔥Custom Artwork 🔥Pre game script writing 🔥Character designs via HeroForge 🔥Discord Bot for music immersion 🔥Customising Modules for a unique world 🔥3+ Years Professional DM experience When you join one of my games, you are welcomed to my discord community. It has all the amazing players from my games who share memes and talk D&D. I advertise all my upcoming campaign and one-shots there first and priority is given to the community. I also share a number of resources and helpful links. Our community have all been verified by me and our awesome D&D players who are mostly professionals in their own industries world-wide. Including News reporters, Podcast Producers, VFX artists, Stock traders, Healthcare professionals and Lawyers. Current reoccurring game schedule and capacity: Wednesday: 😈Eye of Vecna! - Fully booked, started May '24 6/6 Player Thursday: 🐉Glory of the Giants - Fully booked started May '24 6/6 Players Replayable One Shots: 🏰Dragonlance: Breach of Dreadfort - not currently scheduled 🐲Shadow of Tiamat (Ultra high level Homebrew) - not currently scheduled ⚡Arena of Olympus (Mid level Homebrew) - not currently scheduled If you have any questions or interested my any of my adventure vacancies or upcoming games, pop me a message! If you do message or request to join please bare with me as I pick up messages when I can outside of running my main business. You can also contact me directly on Discord @dmshiv Thanks for viewing my profile, DM Shiv

GM Style

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Game platforms used
Game Master Reviews (36)

Proficiencies

Players say this GM is great at:

Creativity

Storytelling

Visual Aid

nik avatar

nik

Played 12 sessions

Shiv is a great DM! He keeps the pace of games flowing, keeps the players guessing on what to expect, and makes you want to pay attention to every detail. Shiv creates more than just a simple combat and then progress to the next town games, it is great mix of puzzles, exploration, infiltration, ambushes, social interactions, and even the combats have complexity to them. At the same time he is able to make everyone feel included and have times to shine. He delivers a spectacular game. I look forward to my games every week.

Jamie avatar

Jamie

Played 28 sessions

I've been playing in Shiv's Eve of Ruin campaign on Wednesdays, and it's one of the best DND experiences I've had! The amount of effort Shiv puts into our sessions on Roll20 is huge - every detail, from the tokens and custom battlemaps to the music and handouts, speaks volumes about his dedication. Whether it's letters, NPC profiles, or lore, everything is designed to pull you deeper into the game. The use of lore is amazing, especially considering the campaign spans multiple worlds. Shiv seamlessly brings both familiar and new characters, making each encounter feel fresh and exciting. It's clear that he spends a lot of time not just reading through the content but also enhancing it with his own spin. His additions are never random; they mesh perfectly with the existing material, enhancing the story in a way that feels natural. You always feel like the story is progressing and your actions matter. Combat with Shiv is always great fun, tense and unpredictable! He excels at creating custom creatures with unexpected abilities and designing interactions in combat that keep everyone on their toes. Shiv is fantastic at working with players to build great characters, considering both your play style and how to keep the game balanced and fun for everyone. He manages to uphold the rules while still making sure every player feels included and enjoys their time. One of the highlights for me is how we end each session with a chat where we discuss the game, share our thoughts, and get to know one another as players. This has really helped us gel as a group more than any other game I've been in, creating a strong sense of camaraderie and appreciation for each other's roleplay and tactics. If you're looking for a DM who goes above and beyond to create an engaging, well-rounded, and challenging experience, Shiv is your man! His passion, attention to detail, and dedication to making every session memorable truly set him apart. Highly recommended!

Perry avatar

Perry

Played 75 sessions

Shiv is an excellent and professional DM. He does a phenomenal job of keeping the pace of play, which I find a lot of DM's struggle with. He's worked with our players to really make us feel like we're cool and powerful. He takes feedback to heart and really shapes the games based on the desires of his players. Also, he's created the coolest combats I've ever been a part of as a DnD player. I couldn't recommend a DM more!

Tavem avatar

Tavem

Played 112 sessions

Shiv is a well rounded GM, but in my opinion the best aspect of his skillset is his willingness to listen and adapt to the feedback of his players in order to ensure that everyone is having as good of a time as possible. If the group collectively provides feedback or requests he will actively try to incorporate them into future sessions (when the requests are within reason of course haha) Give him a try if you are looking for a new DM, I don't think you will regret it.

Thomas avatar

Thomas

Played 29 sessions

A great DND GM is someone who possesses a deep understanding of the game mechanics and rules, allowing them to create immersive and engaging adventures for their players. They have a knack for storytelling, crafting intricate plots and memorable characters that keep players hooked throughout the campaign. An exceptional GM also excels at improvisation, adapting to unexpected player choices and keeping the game flowing smoothly. They are skilled at balancing challenges, ensuring that encounters are both exciting and fair for all players involved. I can say with absolute confidence that GM Shiv carry all of these qualities and more. To this end I highly recommend Shiv for beginners through to advanced players of DND.

Anthony Valdez avatar

Anthony Valdez

Played 9 sessions

I was getting back into D&D 5th Edition after a long hiatus and Shiv has made that transition smooth. As a DM, Shiv has many standout qualities that makes them a master of their craft. Shiv creates custom visual aids that enhances immersion and is an excellent storyteller. Whether you're a new player or an experienced player I would highly recommend Shiv.

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