Thornwake: Hunters at the Edge of Reality
Are you ready to dive into the thrilling world of hunting in 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons?
$25.00
/ Session
Details
3 players following this game
Weekly / Wednesday - 1:00 AM UTC
Session Duration / 2–4 hours
4 / 6 Seats Filled
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One of StartPlaying's top-rated GMs, a player favorite and highly recommended.
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Meet your party members
4/6
About the adventure
Beyond the walls of Thornwake, the world is wrong. Roads vanish overnight. Forests remember old grudges. Rivers bargain for memories. Entire settlements disappear because no one can recall they ever existed. And that is on the good days. Welcome to a dark fantasy monster-hunting campaign inspired by Heliana's Guide to Monster Hunting and Steinhardt's Guide to the Eldritch Hunt, where humanity survives only because a handful of brave (or desperate) hunters stand between civilization and the horrors beyond. The world is caught between two ancient forces. The Fey Wilds are beautiful, predatory, and deeply alien. They twist emotions, memories, promises, and even time itself. A forest may forbid iron. A path may lead somewhere different depending on your mood. A bargain made in anger may haunt generations. The Eldritch Deep is something far worse. It does not negotiate. It does not feel. It breaks reality. Its influence brings impossible geometry, living shadows, whispers in dreams, forgotten histories, flesh-warping corruption, and moments of time that simply vanish from memory. Where the Fey reshape the world, the Eldritch unravel it. Amidst all of this stands Thornwake, a fortified frontier town built within one of the last known Calmreaches—places where reality still mostly behaves as it should. Massive black timber walls surround the settlement. Ward-stones glow faintly along every street. Travelers are watched carefully. Hunters are treated like heroes. At the center of town rises The Beacon—a towering structure that is part cathedral, part lighthouse, and part ancient machine. Its light pushes back the darkness and keeps the surrounding land stable. The farther you travel from Thornwake, the stranger the world becomes. This campaign focuses on: ⚔️ Hunting dangerous and unique monsters 🔬 Harvesting creatures for materials, weapons, and upgrades 📜 Investigating mysteries, disappearances, and reality fractures 🤝 Building relationships within Thornwake and the Hunter's Lodge 🧠 Surviving eldritch horrors that challenge both body and mind 🌿 Navigating dangerous Fey bargains and ancient powers 🏆 Earning prestige, trophies, and recognition as legendary hunters Expect a mix of tactical combat, monster tracking, exploration, roleplay, crafting, investigation, and meaningful character growth. Thornwake is more than a quest hub. It is your refuge, your community, and perhaps the last place in the world worth saving. Because beyond the Beacon's light, something is waiting. And it has started to notice you.
Game style
Theater of the Mind
Rules as Written (RaW)
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Combat Heavy
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(27)
3 years on StartPlaying
294 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, World Builder
Average response time: 8 hours
Response rate: 100%
About me
Friendly & neurodivergent GM who has been playing tabletop for over 10 years; known as Brian or Lava(online). For my games I act, employ voices, and love to engage players in anything they need. I love DND 5E, DMing has become a passion and it is something I take seriously at trying to be the best DM that I can. I am LGBTQ+ and BIPOC friendly! Now using local currency prices! *-----------------------------------------------------------* GOALS ON THE SITE: I am looking to create a full time experience to my players at high quality value. Eventually I am looking to have a small number of tables in order to give more attention and time to the players/tables. I love to focus on quality and engagement with my players. I am happy to say that I am very close to being able to do this full time. Thank you to all who join and are at my table! Join today, lets start an adventure! *-----------------------------------------------------------*
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
We will have a session 0 where we can make characters and setup our group of hunters. There is a discord server setup for the session group and will have everything that you will need to keep track of the campaign. There will be full allowance of the 5e official sources but we can discuss builds and supplements that you were looking to add. I am more than willing to sit with you personally and build out a character to help anyone get started or flush out a idea. It should be something we can really dive into and create for you to enjoy and have fun with.
Currently looking for more players to play in this Hunting theme setting. We have 2 players who have placed things on paused while we look for more players. One Yaegar and warlock(parasite)
What to expect
Preparing for the session
You will need the following: A Discord account and join the server A Roll 20 Account At least a good Mic w/ optional Webcam if they would like. A Good stable internet connection is required. Need to answer messages from the dm and follow the instructions sent. Anything else that you would like to bring to the table
What Brian brings to the table
I will be bringing: A fully setup discord server with instructions laid out for you(I am available for messaging if help is needed) A full roll 20 setup with maps and information A mic so you can hear. A best attempt to voice act and act out the characters and scenes Full 5e compendium to be used by anyone Solutions and supplements to character building or world alternatives
Homebrew rules
I know a guy, Flanking, Bonus action to drink a potion, Milestone
Equipment needed to play
Computer
Internet
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Brian creates a safe table
I allow anyone to reach out to me if they need to discuss something and I will be available to reach at any time. That being said we will have a session 0 to be sure that the table works well together. Lines: I allow the topic of discussion of sex but I will not be describing scenes, however if this gets out of hand or becomes a clear discomfort to another player I will speak to you about it and submit required reprimanding. Causing direct discomfort to another player is not allowed. General discriminatory behavior is not allowed at my table against players and will result in an immediate removal from the game. (Transphobia, homophobia, biphobia, racism, xenophobia, cont.) Understand that everyone is at the table to play TOGETHER and that it is not one person's story but the parties. The DM has final say over any situation. I welcome feedback from the party but I have the final word. Non planned/consensual PVP is not allowed at the table. Meta gaming is not allowed(Must separate character knowledge and player knowledge) Veils: Hijinks amongst players characters in the story. Joking atmosphere allowed the same as a comedy club(upon consent to play at the table after session 0) Other rules: I expect players to be in charge of their characters and abilities. I typically run experience by milestone. For character creation we will be taking a vote for stat allocation. Rolls, Standard, Point-buy. Players will retain their player agency and can flavor something to how they would like but we will use the mechanics of the game to solidify game play. Anything else beyond this will be discussed during session 0 and I am open to questions that are not detailed here.
Content warnings
Safety tools used