Mavens of Mystery: a D&D 5e Mystery Campaign
Dungeons & Dragons 5e | Campaign
About the adventure
In Mavens of Mystery, you and your fellow players will face an invasive force creeping into the lands. We will be focusing on small scale scope, such as the relationship between a network of villages, a few scattered remains of fallen Bastions, local heroes and villains. But be sure that if you do not act quickly and with intent, the dangers could grow to a world-ending apocalypse! Everything in this campaign will be timed! You are working against the clock to save locals from an extremely dangerous series of events. But missing a clock does not end the game - it merely means that events occur in the background that push the story further down the line until, one clock will be all that is between the world and total annihilation. Combats will be short and devastating. There is a homebrew "Encounter Mechanism" that will shift the dynamic focus of a combat or social encounter should certain thresholds be reached. This means, there should be no standard swing-miss, swing-miss feel to combat. I want the players to be creative. Inspiration will be used, however it can be "stocked" like any other resource, up to a maximum of one-half the character level (so at Level 3, when the game starts, you will still be limited to 1 point). Mechanics for Inspiration have also been changed: you can use them for Re-Rolls. You will also get Hero Points for moments of great role-play, creative use of magic, mapping adventures, keeping group notes, phenomenal team work, and any other reason the DM decides upon. There Hero Points can be used to slightly alter the flow of the game by making a creative change in the story as it occurs. For example, a Fight who lost her sword earlier can say "I happen to find a well-made sword in this raided this armoury. Too bad the looters missed it; it's mine now!" Other changes to the game can be found on the Discord channel, but these are the major ones.
Game style
Rule of Cool (RoC)
“Rule of Cool” emphasizes creative story beats over sticking to a system’s rules as written. Players have the ability to push the limits of the rules or even break core rule mechanics at times if the Game Master thinks it is interesting, fun, or cool enough.
Roleplay Heavy
“Roleplay Heavy” games place the focus on the story, the characters, and the world they live within, and tend to lean hard into the various roleplaying elements of the game. These games will frequently find the party talking with NPCs, exploring the personal elements of their backstories, or even having emotional moments around the camp fire.
Combat Heavy
“Combat Heavy” games emphasize the combat mechanics within their systems over roleplay or puzzle solving. There are frequent and longer battles with enemies and a greater emphasis on tactical game play.
Dungeon Crawl
A “Dungeon Crawl” is a scenario where players navigate a dungeon or labyrinth-like environment for the entirety of the adventure. It emphasizes battling monsters, collecting loot, and avoiding traps to survive to the end!
Theater of the Mind
“Theater of the Mind” uses little to no visuals for scene settings and combat. Instead, the narrative imagery comes from the Game Master’s descriptions and character action and movement comes from Players’ descriptions.
Sandbox / Open World
In "Sandbox" or "Open World" games, players are given a tremendous amount of freedom to pursue their stories without the restrictions of a more linear game style. Players are encouraged to explore and engage with the world, and find their own story as they do so. These games offer the players the opportunity to help drive the narrative, and allow for the story to evolve organically through the choices they make.
5.0
(23)
1 year on StartPlaying
56 games hosted
Highly rated for: Storytelling, Creativity, World Builder
Average response time: Under 1 hour
Response rate: 100%
Additional details
How to prepare
Please read all available information for players and characters within the appropriate Discord sections. You will need a mic that is in good working order. It doesn't have to be expensive - it just needs to work and sound great.
What I provide
I have been running ttrpgs since '82. I got started with D&D Red Box and then moved to 2nd Edition pretty quickly. But I have played every edition of D&D ever conceived. I am also a professional game designer. I can promise you a unique world with a cast of varied NPCs. I cannot do voices very well, but I make up for it with inflection and dialect. I own most all content on D&D Beyond, and it will all be available for the player character creation during Session Zero. Mavens of Mystery will be a survival game, wherein you have to track every arrow, every ration, and every coin. I expect players to take excellent notes for their own characters, what they have on them, what is in their Bastion (once we hit Level 5), and the names and deets on important character we come across during our journey.
Gameplay details
During Session Zero, we will discuss the setting, how it will be growing based upon how players interact with it. We will also cover Aftercare and Debriefing expectations at that time. But basically, I will address the group after the game, every session, and get a feel for how the players grok the session that day (this is why the game session time is set for 5 hours). Each game will feature at least one ten minute break and the half-way mark. My Open Door policy is that any player at any time can message me and say anything without fear of being called out in any way. I can't fix a problem if I am unaware of it. And while it says "Stars and Wishes", I call it "Rose, Bud, Thorn". A Rose for something enjoyed in the game, a Bud for something wanted in the campaign down the road, and a Thorn for anything that is disliked.
Content warnings
Safety tools used
• Aftercare
• Breaks
• Debriefing
• Open Door
• Session 0
• Stars and Wishes
How will character creation work
You will make a character with a non-standard array of the following Ability Scores, placed in any order you desire for your character: 16, 14, 13, 13, 12, 10. We will be starting at Level 3, so everyone will get to select a subclass. Legacy races are allowed. 2024 Classes only, please. Feel free to use any book available on D&D Beyond for character creation. Everyone begins with 2 Common Magic Items. Also, begin with standard equipment, plus have an addition 3d6x10 in assorted gold, silver, copper, and gemstones.
Players can expect
Combat / Tactics
High
Roleplay
High
Puzzles
Medium
Experience level
Beginner
Platforms used
• Discord
• D&D Beyond
• Above VTT
$5.00
/ Session
Each player will be charged when a session starts.
Details
Weekly / Friday - 2:00 PM UTC
Jun 20 / Session 16
4-5 Hour Duration
5 / 5 Seats Filled
Schedule
Requirements
Experience required: Beginner
Age: 18+