What is DMsGuild? (A Complete Guide for New Users)

If you’re new to Dungeons & Dragons, you may have heard veteran players refer to the Dungeon Masters Guild (often abbreviated to DMsGuild). But what exactly is it?

Simply put, DMsGuild is an online marketplace that sells PDF, ebook and print versions of official Dungeons & Dragons content created by Wizards of the Coast, as well as unofficial content created by third-party companies or individuals.

How Does DMsGuild Work?

DMsGuild allows creators to upload their own original and unofficial “homebrew” D&D fifth edition content, such as adventures, monsters, character classes, archetypes and backgrounds using existing Wizards of the Coast intellectual property. Users can set their own prices and offer products as either an electronic or print version, with DMsGuild taking a percentage of each sale.

Players on the other hand, can sign into the DMsGuild website with an account and scroll through products and make purchases. Given the wide range of content, the website also organizes products by category (such as adventures and campaign books) and allows users to leave reviews and ratings for each product.

What Does DMsGuild Sell?

Despite the seemingly open nature of DMsGuild, there are in fact limitations on the products that are offered. As part of their official licensing deal with Wizards of the Coast, DMsGuild only offers D&D content set in the official campaign settings of the Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, Ravnica, Theros, Strixhaven, Radiant Citadel or Spelljammer settings. Third-party D&D publishers cannot create new materials for legacy D&D campaign settings, such as Dark Sun or Birthright (although official legacy materials are available for purchase). Additionally, original, creator-owned campaign settings cannot be published on the platform. DMsGuild offers more information about which Wizards of the Coast intellectual properties (IPs) can and cannot be used on their Ownership and License (OGL) Questions page.

Within DMsGuild there are a wide range of products broken out by categories including:

• Storyline: Official best-selling D&D 5e campaigns like Curse of Strahd and Rime of the Frostmaiden
• Level Tiers: Adventure modules for different character levels (i.e. Levels 1-4, Levels 5-10 etc.)
• Theme: Adventures for different environments, such as Dungeon, Urban, Wilderness, Horror, Mystery etc.
• Setting: Campaign books and materials for official Wizards of the Coast campaign settings (i.e. Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, Theros etc.)
• D&D Edition: Legacy materials for past versions of D&D, covering the original first edition up to the latest fifth edition
• Format: Materials in different formats, including PDF, ebook, print and even virtual tabletop content for platforms such as Roll20
• Player Resources: This includes things such as maps, player handouts and even customizable DnD character sheets

Who Owns DMsGuild?

Currently DMsGuild is owned by OneBookShelf in partnership with Wizards of the Coast. Notably, OneBookShelf owns and operates a number of other digital download marketplaces, including DriveThruRPG, DriveThruCards, DriveThruComics, DriveThruFiction and Wargame Vault.

How long Has DMsGuild existed?

DMsGuild was officially started in 2016. That being said, the concept originally began in the early 2000s under the banner of RPGNow, a platform offering unique third-party creator owned content. In 2013, OneBookShelf partnered with Wizards of the Coast to create DnDClassics, which was designed to offer digital versions of out-of-print D&D materials. DnDClassics, however, was retired when DMsGuild launched. You can learn more on this timeline of DMsGuild.

Who Can Submit to DMsGuild?

Anyone with an account can submit content to DMsGuild. There are, however, a few important requirements:

• The material uses the D&D Fifth Edition (5e) ruleset
• The material uses only approved campaign settings (Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, Ravnica, Theros, Strixhaven, Radiant Citadel or Spelljammer)
• Content features original art that the creator has the right to use
• The DMsGuild square logo is featured prominently on the content’s cover and cover image thumbnail
• The content includes all of DMsGuild’s required legal text

You can review all of the requirements in DMsGuild’s Getting Started Guide.

How Much Do Creators Make on DMsGuild?

Products on DMsGuild range in price from free and pay-what-you-want (PWYW) to $20 or more. Content creators earn 50% royalties on all sales, with DMsGuild taking the remaining 50%. As noted above, content creators are able to set their own prices. You can learn more about how DMsGuild payment works.

Who Owns the Rights to DMsGuild Content?

When a user submits their content they must agree to the terms of use. This grants both DMsGuild and Wizards of the Coast a license to use a creator’s intellectual property at any time with no conditions or payments required . In rare cases, Wizards of the Coast has contacted creators about purchasing their IPs and incorporating it into official D&D content.

Is DMsGuild Content Any Good?

While anyone can submit materials, the overall quality of content on DMsGuild is extremely high. Bestselling products on the platform are as good (if not better) than many official D&D products from Wizards of the Coast when it comes to the writing, art and design.

What Are Some of the Most Popular Products on DMsGuild?

There are a number of best-selling products, but a few of the most popular include:

• Chronicles of Eberron
• Dragonlance Companion
• Monster Manual Expanded III
• The Ultimate Adventurer’s Handbook
• Call from the Deep
• Waterdeep: City Encounters

You can also check out their list of the Top 100 DMsGuild Products and check out our list of The 10 Best DMsGuild 5e books.

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