Persona Non Grata: The Interns of Saltmarsh

Creating your character

We will do character creation as a part of session 0. This will allow us to build a more cohesive party and develop backstories that integrate your characters into the world of Thabreus. Characters will start at level 1. Sources: Any officially published D&D material. I’m totally cool with reskinning something to make it fit your concept or tweaking it if we have to. I’ve had a player run a “warlock” that mechanically was a sorcerer to allow him to do the character concept he wanted. If you really want to play a really obscure race, we can find a reason in your backstory for you to be in the Corarane Region. Base classes/information from the Players Handbook can be drag and dropped from the Compendium on Roll20. Other official sources are fair game, we just manually edit your character sheet. Stats: We will use the standard array method to determine stats. You will be able to select which number goes into each of your six stats (8, 10, 12, 13, 14, and 15). Then we will add in any bonuses to end up at your final stats. Starting Gear: We will begin with the gear provided by your class and background at level 1. We'll do this part during session 0. Leveling: Milestone leveling As you overcome obstacles, solve problems, and complete quests you will be rewarded milestone experience. This means that you will gain levels as you complete objectives/adventures, instead of using the XP system that requires you to kill monsters to gain levels. The goal is to reward problem solving and narrative advancement. All characters will be the same level for the duration of the campaign. You can either roll for hit points or take the average (your choice) for levels 2-5. Once we're past level 5, we'll all roll for hit points. Note: If you find your class/subclass isn't working for you, you're more than welcome to retool those at any point in the first five levels. I'd rather have you playing the character you want to play than not enjoy the experience.

Preparing for the session

Discord We will be using Discord for audio/visual communication. A microphone is required. It doesn't have to be a fancy one, but you do have to have it to be able to communicate with the rest of the players in the game. A camera is recommended for video, but isn't required (it limits the amount of people accidentally trying to talk over each other). See the link to the discord server in the links below. You can download the app for free (for computer, phone, or tablet) and it’s really user-friendly. Roll20 We will be playing on Roll20. It is a virtual tabletop that allows us to all look at a map during encounters, helping us all be able to visualize what is going on. It is also where character sheets and any in-game information will be stored. The nice part is that you can log on and access your character sheet and the information at any time, you don’t have to wait for me to be online and have the game running. It’s really user-friendly, and does a great job of simulating sitting around a table together while playing. You don’t need a paid account to play, so it doesn’t add any cost to you. Player Primer I would highly recommend you read the player primer. It gives a basic rundown of the campaign environment, and the basic premise of the campaign. This helps you wrap your head around who your character is, where they could be from, and what their history is. All of which make it easier to step into your character’s shoes and play them. Reading it ahead of Session 0 will be especially helpful if you want to build your own character instead of playing one of the pre-generated ones. Session 0 Document We will have a Session 0 the first time we meet. Not only will this help introduce everyone as players, but it will also help us establish the guidelines we’ll have as a group for playing. If you suffer from arachnophobia, this is when you’d let me/us know so that we can accommodate everyone and we can all have a good time. If you’re not comfortable letting everyone know about your triggers, lines, etc., then please feel free to drop me a line on Discord and I’ll address it with the group. We’ll also do character selection/creation during Session 0, allowing me to walk anyone through the process if they need help. If we get all the session 0 stuff squared away quickly enough, we’ll jump right into the campaign and get rolling! (In all seriousness though, Session 0 is probably the single most important part of making sure everyone has a good time).

What Dylan brings to the table

Discord: Audio/visual communications will be handled on my Discord server. There's a channel just for this campaign, as well as the opportunity to interact with the players in other campaigns that are going on in the world at the same time. Roll20: All game information will be provided on Roll20, accessable to players 24/7. We'll also use tactical maps when appropriate for gameplay (combat, dungeon exploration, etc). Books on ROll20: Players Hand Book, Dungeon Master's Guide, Monster Manual, Ghosts of Saltmarsh. Physical Books: Xanathar's Guide to Everything, Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, Volo's Guide to Monsters, Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, Acquisitions Incorporated, Ghosts of Saltmarsh, Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage, Balder's Gate: Descent into Avernus, Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden, Tales from the Yawning Portal, Candlekeep Mysteries (we can add anything you need from these books to your character with NO problem). Custom tokens: I'll provide tokens for players. If you have/find character art you'd like to use, shoot it my direction and we'll get your token to match it. In general I try to keep players on a landing/welcome page between sessions that shows all current and past objectives, current date and location of the party, and any other relevant information to the campaign.

How Dylan creates a safe table

Session 0 will be free of charge, and we’ll do character creation together. We’ll clarify any questions about the campaign, the environment, etc. If you learn that the campaign isn’t for you, you’re totally allowed to bail at this point without any hard feelings. Once we get rolling, I do expect everyone to be committed. Things we’ll cover: - Any questions about the campaign/environment; - What you want to see happen in the campaign; - Things you DON’T want to see/happen in the campaign; - Things that make you uncomfortable, but you’re okay with a fade-to-black situation; - Feelings about swearing, alcohol, drug use, sexuality, and other adult themes to make sure we’re all on the same page; - Protocol for X, O, and N cards; - Protocol for letting everyone know when you can’t make a session; - Protocols for when there aren’t enough people available to play (holidays, travel, etc.); - Agreement to social contract by all players and myself as the DM; - Character creation;