Lead the Resistance against Vecna! | Beginner Friendly
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EXPERIENCE
AGE
About the adventure
Imagine a world where Tiamat was summoned successfully. Where the Princes of Elemental Evil tread unfettered. Where Demogorgon prowls the Underdark with the Wand of Orcus, leaving an army of undead in his wake. Where the storm giants have been cast to the bottom of the Ordning. Where Baldur's Gate has been banished to the Nine Hells... Imagine a world where good has lost and evil prevailed. You will journey through this world to stop an ultimate evil that has risen in the wake of these calamities. A world where all of the heroes of the past have fallen. Their campaigns have failed due to scheduling (the ultimate enemy of any Dungeons and Dragons campaign) or defeat! Vecna has already risen - will you live to see him fall? This adventure will see the characters grow from 3rd-level adventures to 20th-level heroes through the Rise of Vecna and Fall of Vecna campaigns. About the GM My name is Josh (though I go by Brighthall Tavern on StartPlaying) and I have been running and playing in Tabletop Roleplaying Games for about 17 years and running paid games full time for over 2 years now. Over this time I have run games in a number of different systems and worlds and have gained a love for creating and crafting stories that bring joy to those around me. There is nothing quite like seeing a group overcome a particular challenge and come out the other side exhausted, but excited and ready to take on the next adventure! So, if you’re wanting to get out there and explore new worlds, battle creatures from your darkest dreams and defend the innocent from the evils of the world join me at the table and let’s tell some stories! I run an inclusive LGBTQ+ friendly table and do not support bigotry in any form. If you are looking for that sort of thing in your games, this table is not for you.
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
3 years on StartPlaying
508 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, Teacher
About me
You shove against the stiff wooden door, slowly sliding it open as it stands uncaring of your struggles. The door slowly budges and reveals a dimly lit room beyond. The crackle of a fire fills your ears and the smell of bread makes your stomach grumble. You only now realize just how long it has been since you last ate. The warmth of the fire calls you into the room as the door shuts behind you. A man sits at a table in the middle of the room. He beckons to the chair across from him and bids you to sit. The mead and bread already prepared to bring you forth as if pulled by an unseen force, unable to resist... Hail and well met, adventurer. Welcome to the Brighthall Tavern! Whether you are looking to fight a horde of goblins 20 feet above the ground on a perilous rope bridge, explore the tallest mountains, or parlay with kings to stop the coming wars.. or all of the above, I will be your guide on those journeys. My name is Josh and I have been running and playing in Tabletop Roleplaying Games for about 15 years. Over this time I have run games in a number of different systems and worlds and have gained a love for creating and crafting stories that bring joy to those around me. There is nothing quite like seeing a group overcome a particular challenge and come out the other side exhausted, but excited and ready to take on the next adventure! So, if you’re wanting to get out there and explore new worlds, battle creatures from your darkest dreams and defend the innocent from the evils of the world join me at the table and let’s tell some stories! I run an inclusive LGBTQIA+ friendly table and do not support bigotry in any form. If you are looking for that sort of thing in your games, this table is not for you.
View Profile →Reviews (33)
Proficiencies
Players say this GM is great at:
Creativity
Storytelling
Teacher
What first attracted me to Josh was the lead-in story he wrote. I adore freshly baked bread. How could I not enter Brighthall Tavern with that enticing aroma wafting about? Seriously though, his game is not just about role play, the battles are epic, the shenanigans awesome, and the NPCs in town make shopping fun. When it’s time to level up, Josh checks with each person to answer any questions they have about the process. He is knowledgeable, kind, funny, and makes a safe environment for his players. My party members have already spoken out on behalf of Josh, and I agree with everything they said. We all have different play styles and different levels of experience – from extremely knowledgeable to forgets their own name. Well, maybe I’m not that bad, but he is still extremely patient with my horrible memory. A year later and we are all still excited when game day comes around. Josh goes above and beyond to make a fun and friendly game experience for the whole party. Go ahead, join his campaign. Answer the call of adventure and don’t forget to try the bread. It’s delicious and the crust is perfect.
Character creation
Creating your character
Players joining before the start of the campaign will create characters during a Session 0 where we will meet and discuss the campaign and expectations for the experience. If players are new to the game this is also where we will go over the basics of Roleplaying and Tabletop Games in general. I will also have pre-gen characters available if necessary at the start of all games for any players who may be dropping in or out. In addition to the normal character creation stuff, we will jump straight into the adventure after finishing for a full four-hour first session (if time allows)! If joining after Session 0 then we will talk via discord before the player's first session to discuss the current party makeup and ensure that the new character fits well within the existing group. We will also discuss our tables safety tools. If one does not desire to (or doesn't have time) to create a character then pre-gen characters will be available as stated above.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
You will need a microphone and stable internet. You will also need Discord. You can find discord at http://www.discord.com We will be using FoundryVTT to run the game. This should run just fine on most computers. If you run into any issues we can enable some options that should help the game run even more smoothly. This will be tested during Session 0. FoundryVTT will be hosted on the Forge and runs in the browser so no installation is necessary. Links to the campaign will be provided to the group during Session 0. We will be using some custom content for the campaign. Level Up: Advanced 5e content is available and we will be using that system in Foundry, but all normal 5e content is compatible with the system if that is the route you would like to go.
What Josh | Brighthall Tavern brings to the table
- High-quality animated maps and tokens for all encounters (if possible, animated tokens and maps aren't always available, but I do my best to track them down). - Many encounters will use Foundry's 3d Canvas which provides an immersive and tactical combat experience. - The following books on D&D Beyond: Player's Handbook, Curse of Strahd, Volo's Guide to Monsters, The Tortle Package, Xanathar's Guide to Everything, Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica, Eberron: Rising from the Last War, Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, Lineages, The Wild Beyond the Witchlight. - This campaign also uses the Level Up: Advanced 5e rules, all needed books, and resources are provided as part of the game wiki along with the campaign's Player's Guide. This includes 20 new or reworked classes and over 200 Archetypes. Plus a ton of Heritage, Culture, and Background options. - If your character needs a feature from a book I do not already own then I will be happy to purchase one or two as necessary. This is a to-be-determined benefit and may not always be available. - Discord Server to manage group communications out of the game.
Platforms used
Safety
How Josh | Brighthall Tavern creates a safe table
The adventures "The Rise of Vecna" and "The Fall of Vecna" depict scenes of violence, coarse language may be spoken around the table, and some mature subject matter may be broached. All Safety Tools and Lines and Veils will be strictly enforced. If you have any questions about these tools or any concerns about the content of the adventure please let me know as soon as possible (either in-game during play or out). Your comfort is the most important thing to me as a DM. If you have any other safety tools or requests that you would like to see at the table please let me know before the start of the game (or session) so I can make sure to have these tools ready (and researched properly if I am unfamiliar) before the start of the game.