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.
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
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!
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!
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
Weekly / Sunday - 3:00 PM UTC
0 / 6 Seats filled
Weekly / Monday - 1:00 AM UTC
0 / 6 Seats filled
Weekly / Monday - 3:00 PM UTC
0 / 6 Seats filled
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
$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+