Secrets of the Scriptorium (5e) - A Strixhaven Story

Creating your character

At Session 0, we’ll take some time to introduce the game and discuss character creation. I like to keep things pretty open when it comes to designing your character, so feel free to bring your creative ideas to the table. However, I do ask that everyone stays through Session 0 to ensure their characters fit well within the world of Strixhaven and the overall story we’re about to embark on. If you’re eager to get started, keep in mind that you’ll be playing a student at the prestigious Strixhaven University, a magical academy full of arcane learning and mysteries. Magic is central to the game, so characters with magical abilities or those connected to the arcane will fit naturally into the setting. However, non-magical backgrounds can also work—perhaps your character has a unique reason for attending the academy, or they discover latent magical potential during the campaign. The story will span your entire four-year journey at Strixhaven, beginning with your acceptance letters to the university. Characters will start at Level 1, and the campaign will take you through a full academic experience—learning spells, uncovering secrets, and navigating the intrigue of this mystical institution. Think about what kind of student your character will be and how they’ll fit into this world of magical academia!

Preparing for the session

There are a few things I require of my players. 1. A Discord Account and Microphone (Webcam always optional) 2. A quiet setting to play in (or with an easy ability to mute themselves so background noises don't overwhelm the discussion) 3. A D&DBeyond Account 4. A Computer/Laptop that can use Virtual Tabletops Everything else of note will be provided at Session 0, but I often request players to have an idea of what character they may want to play before arriving to the Session 0, but that is not a hard requirement.

What Jayke brings to the table

I am a virtual player by necessity despite enjoying physical play more, what this means is I have a lot of immersion tools I use for my digital games. This includes a free-to-use VTT System (Foundry) as well as a D&DBeyond Campaign Page with Content Sharing enabled for my players, while owning a majority of 5e Content for my players to use. I typically host over Discord and over Voice, but have no rules against Webcam usage, that's more for the table to decide if they are comfortable with or not. Using Discord I use my own personal Discord Bot for Ambience and Music as well as try my best to do voiceacting and some sound effects during play. I tend to rule the game loosely and value player "coolness" over the letter of the law, and so outside of some extremely rare situations, players often have incredible agency to do what they want in my games. I do like doing a lot of description however, so I will be doing that.

How Jayke creates a safe table

My campaigns and one shots all feature a three-pronged set of safety systems in place to make sure players are all comfortable at the table. This includes a in-depth Session 0, a 15-30 tabletop break, and a debriefing period. ~ SESSION ZERO ~ In Session 0, we cover: 1. Content Warnings for the game 2. Player Comfort and Triggers 3. Expectations of play Among other gameplay-focused things such as character creation and setting introduction. This is to make sure all players understand what will be in the game as well as making sure I can, in advance, avoid triggering content and that both the players and I understand what is expected at the table during play. ~ TABLETOP BREAK ~ Around halfway* through every session I will have a 15-30 minute break planned for players and myself. This is mostly so people can take a step away from the table and relax for a moment. This is also a time implemented for players to express concerns either to me in private or to the table at large and so we can sort out any issues of play we are having, making sure everyone is content with the game. ~ DEBRIEFING ~ After the game I always have a stay-and-chat moment with the players, both to take any compliments or critiques of the game (of which I take very seriously and implement into future games) but also just to gush about the session and make sure everyone enjoyed themselves at the table. For me, it's player enjoyment above all.