StartPlaying logo
Grim Hollow; Rumors in the Dark (2024 rules)

Grim Hollow; Rumors in the Dark (2024 rules)

Dungeons & Dragons 5e | Campaign

About the adventure

The world of Etharis is one of dark fantasy. One where monsters rule over provinces, and people constantly fight eachother for survival. Hope may look just as gruesome as the threat itself. Darkness rules over the lands of Etharis, it just takes a different shape depending on where you go. In this game you will be able to explore three of the five main regions; The clashing governments of the Ostoyan Empire, one relying on the power of magic, the other fueled by undeath. The volitile wilds of the Grarjord, over-run by savages, lycanthropes, and elementals alike. And the aberrant-infested lands of the Burach Empire, a land that was once the heart of Etharis, now a hollow shell of itself, mutating both within and without. This game will go from level 1 to level 12, and I have designed this campaign to be open-world. Each country has its combat designed for a certain tier of play, but there is nothing stopping you from going to a different region at any point. Quests are given out at apropriate levels but world exploration is completely in the hands of the players. Different explorable areas are designed for different levels within that countries tier of play. Legendary monsters are hard! Their victories will be earned. Creative play is always rewarded at my table however, especially when it comes to roleplay! Perhaps you will even embrace your inner darkness by deciding to take on a transformation like a lycanthrope, or vampire! This game has high levels of both roleplay and combat. I also love incorporating my players backstories and storylines into the game so the more detail you add the better!

Game style

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.

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.

5.0

(24)

2 years on StartPlaying

203 games hosted

Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, Voices

Average response time: 5 hours

Response rate: 83%

Game Master Reviews (24)

Proficiencies

Players say this GM is great at:

Creativity

Storytelling

Voices

Daniel Morrissette avatar

Daniel Morrissette

Played 1 sessions

What a fun time! We played a one-off with Will and he was brilliant! He was incredibly patient with our lack of understanding with the 5E 2024 rules and made sure we all had a great time! He obviously loves this game and puts a ton of effort into being a good DM. My DND group is hopefully going to play with him many times in the near future!

Nicholas avatar

Nicholas

Played 31 sessions

Lovers of Grim Dark look no further than Will. Only the grimmest and darkest of tales await you.

Wes avatar

Wes

Played 32 sessions

Had a great time playing around in his world.

Christopher avatar

Christopher

Played 1 sessions

Christine avatar

Christine

Played 1 sessions

Will was a great GM for the oneshot I did today with him and one other player. He was gracious when I had trouble keeping track of my druid spells (my first time playing a druid), changed up the adventure to match our levels and the fact that there was only two of us, and was fair about our antics (well, mostly mine) when we were attempting silly solutions. His use of discord and owlbear rodeo also added positives to the experience. Thank you!

Josh Pitzalis avatar

Josh Pitzalis

Played 26 sessions

Will is hands down one of the best Dungeon Masters I’ve ever played with. One of my favourite things about playing with Will is the voices. Will’s voice-acting skills are unreal. He creates such an immersive world. Every NPC feels unique, and his performances make even the smallest interactions fun. You can tell he’s having as much fun as we are. On top of that, Will is super chill and welcoming. He’s great with new players and good at explaining the rules without slowing the game down. He makes sure no one gets crowded out and gives everyone a chance to get involved. It’s clear he genuinely wants everyone to have a good time.

Additional tables

6 available

1/2

4 NEEDED TO START

Weekly / Sunday - 3:00 PM UTC

0 / 6 Seats filled

1 NEEDED TO START

Weekly / Monday - 1:00 AM UTC

0 / 6 Seats filled

4 NEEDED TO START

Weekly / Monday - 3:00 PM UTC

0 / 6 Seats filled

1 SEAT LEFT

Weekly / Tuesday - 12:00 PM UTC

Apr 8 / Session 34

5 / 6 Seats filled

Additional details

How to prepare

A good mic is required. Message me on startplaying to get a link to my discord. I can walk you through making an owlbear rodeo account and can discuss your character concept and world lore with you.

What I provide

Owlbear rodeo server that will have all the maps we need loaded in. A discord channel where we will be using voice-chat. Ambient game music streamed to our voice chat via Spotify. All source books we need for reference.

Gameplay details

Player limits will be discussed during session zero. Its worth noting that most of the content warning themes will still be present, but fade-to-blacks will be more common if a certain theme makes a player uncomfortable.

Content warnings

• Abuse

• Animal abuse

• Blood

• Body Horror

• Character Death

• Death

• Drugs (addiction, use, withdrawal)

• Execution

• Extreme Violence

• Gore

• Hangings

• Hostages

• Human Trafficking (adult only)

• Kidnapping

• Language/Cursing

• Memory Erasing

• Mind alteration

• Murder

• Mutilation

• Suicide

• Torture

• Violence against Children

Safety tools used

Aftercare

Breaks

Lines and Veils

Session 0

How will character creation work

Players will start at level 1 and character creation will happen during session zero for those who havent made a character yet. Any character sheet is fine but for those using online sheets I recommend dndbeyond.com The method for stat rolling will be manual as it adds the most variety to the game. I allow all official 2024 5e races. All official 5e 2024 and 2014 subclasses. As for backgrounds and feats only the 2024 versions are allowed. Anyone who wants to incorporate knowledge about Etharis into their backstory can reach out to me or wait for session zero to ask me questions and make their character.

Players can expect

Combat / Tactics

High

Roleplay

High

Puzzles

Low

Experience level

Intermediate

Platforms used

Owlbear Rodeo

Discord

More upcoming games
4 NEEDED TO START
$17.70

/ Session

Each player will be charged when a session starts.

Details

Weekly / Tuesday - 1:00 AM UTC

4-4 Hour duration

0 / 6 Seats filled

Requirements

Experience required: Intermediate

Age: 18+

This game will begin once 4 players have joined