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Nocturne in Chrysanthemum & Sword: An Eastern D&D One Shot

Nocturne in Chrysanthemum & Sword: An Eastern D&D One Shot

It sounds like a simple job: you were gonna escort Noboru Sato San to the shrine up the mountain.

TYPE

One-Shot

EXPERIENCE

Intermediate

AGE

18+
About the adventure

It sounds like a simple job: you were gonna escort Noboru Sato San to the shrine up the mountain; he's gonna pray, and then pay you a surprisingly large sum of money. But why would you argue when the client's being generous, right? Jobs have been scarce since the war. Only one catch -- you've been hearing about some sort of a curse up that mountain. Some of the customers at the Izakaya were also saying that they've heard strange music in the woods at night -- a woman's voice, singing and playing shamisen with such sorrow. And what's up with the blizzard in the middle of summer? Inspired by Uncaged Anthology (a groundbreaking, critically acclaimed collection of myth and folklore themed adventures written for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition that subverts tropes around female mythological creatures or monsters including hags, harpies, medusas, and much, much more), this is an original one shot adventure designed for 11th level characters. Combat level will fluctuate between low and medium depending on your characters' choices. Like all my games, your words can be more powerful than your swords / magic. The setting itself is very loosely based on post WWII Japan (hence the title of the one shot), except this was a different war (we have an abundance of them after all), centuries in the past, in a fantasy alternate universe, in a country called Akai.

2 NEEDED TO START
$25.00

/ Session

Details

Once / Saturday – 11:00 PM UTC

Mar 22

3.5–4 Hour Duration

0 / 5 Seats Filled

GAME MASTER

Lantern Keeper (Ran)

she/her

5.0

(56)

This game will begin once 2 players have joined

Each player will be charged when a session starts.

Meet the Game Master
Streamer
LGBTQ+
Queer
BIMPOC
Asian
Neurodivergent
Published Writer
Artist
Cosplayer
Teacher/Educator
Women/Femme Identifying
Game Designer
Multi-lingual

3 years on StartPlaying

56 games hosted

Highly rated for: Storytelling, Inclusive, Creativity

Average response time: Under 1 hour

Response rate: 100%

About me

Come hither, seekers of realms uncharted, how fortunate indeed that we should meet. Allow me to spin you a tale from the loom of imagination. Within this virtual tapestry, I bid you welcome to a world where the boundaries of reality yield to the boundless horizon of collaborative storytelling. Gather 'round, intrepid souls, as we embark upon journeys where your dreams shall intertwine with the strands of fate. The stories are yours, and I am but your humble guide, as well as occasional enforcers of rules, forged by this sacred covenant of respect between us all, where each voice is a note in the symphony of our shared narrative. Fear not, for here, the dice are but tools, and the true magic lies in the synergy of your creativity and that one phrase that rules them all, "yes and". ************* Hello, I am hornoured to run a game for you. I've been a player of various TTRPG for almost a decade now. As a professional Playwright and theatre director, collaborative storytelling is in my blood and soul. I love that in a TTRPG, the characters drive how the story unfold, and it becomes a constantly evolving organism shaped by both fate and choices each player would make. I have played various published modules and loved many of them, but something I've always felt deeply is the mostly eurocentric nature of the fantasy lores. As a storyteller, more than anything, I feel inspired by mythological and folkloric tales from various cultures around the world. And as someone who grew up drenched in the fantastical Eastern myths and lores, I want to fill that gap in fantasy themed games. As a GM (game moderator), I value safety above all. Nobody's fun should cause harm to anyone else at the table. I cultivate a table that encourage creativity and open communication. Overall this is a game space, so there's no need to take anything too seriously. The vibe is possibly going to be a little "wholesome morbid", because that's generally my personal vibe. I'm not interested in stories where murderhobo-ing your way through it all can get what you want. My principle is that TTRPG isn't a game about winning or losing, and that every choice has a consequence. Anyway, hope to see you soon.

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Reviews (56)

Proficiencies

Players say this GM is great at:

Storytelling

Inclusive

Creativity

Wren avatar

Wren

Played 10 sessions

Ran was hands down the best GM I've had! She brilliantly moved the story along with wonderfully detailed descriptions and voices, pulling us into the story and making it vividly immersive and entertaining!

Jessie avatar

Jessie

Played 9 sessions

Ran is a wonderful storyteller and a pleasure to play with :) would definitely recommend

Roxas avatar

Roxas

Played 9 sessions

Absolutely fun GM. Was able to take a fun idea I had for a weapon and implement it quite well without it distracting from the overall story. Allows the players to help set certain aspects of the scene and continues to utilize those choices all throughout the session. I can easily see myself coming back for another session in the future.

Michael avatar

Michael

Played 8 sessions

What a beautiful one-shot story. Ran is a great GM: a teacher, a storyteller, an expert on the rules. She allowed the players to drive the story and adjusted to accommodate our roleplaying, all the while keeping the session interesting and alive. I would come back for another session in a heartbeat!

Jo avatar

Jo

Played 8 sessions

Ran is a wonderful DM, her storytelling is amazing. I've enjoyed every moment spent at her table.

Cait avatar

Cait

New review

Played 6 sessions

I have done a one shot and am in a campaign with Ran and I can honestly say I love every session. She’s so good at working with us to create *amazing* stories - she really comes up with such great complementary ideas with players on the fly as well as doing phenomenal world building and characters before our sessions even start. If I could select all the traits to describe her I would - fun voices, rule of cool, brings out the best in her players for role playing, great ambience and music, and also really great at teaching a newbies. 10/10 stars, I’m already looking forward to next session!

Character creation
Creating your character

Create a lvl 11 character using either D&D 2024 rules. You may use the 2014 legacy version, in which case give yourself a free starting feat. Stats: you may use point buy, standard array, or roll two sets and choose one you like (and if you hate both options, use point buy). Equipment: choose the starting equipment that comes with your starting class. You can have an additional 100 GP to spend on spell components (please be sure to only pick spells that you can afford the components of). Magic Items: You can have 2 magic items and only 1 of them can be up to rare tier. You may forgo 1 item for a spell casting material component up to 100 GP. Magic items that set stats to a certain number are not allowed (Amulet of Health, Belt of ___Strength, etc.). Banned: conquest paladin, custom lineage. Magic items that alter your stats to a set number (for example, amulet of health, belt of giant strengths, etc.) Grimhollow and humblewood content unless discussed ahead of times. Table rules: we are using 2024 spells but the emanation spells triggers are using the 2014 rules. Once the character is done, you can add it to this campaign https://www.dndbeyond.com/campaigns/join/331290931530240 And please be sure to submit your character art (in its original form without token frames) ahead of times. A detailed backstory is not required for the one shot but if you have it, it'll help me integrate your PC into the world.

What to expect
Preparing for the session

You will need a working mic but webcam is optional. Please join this discord and we'll discuss further there https://discord.gg/tyjy26UdgT

What Lantern Keeper (Ran) brings to the table

I'll be using roll20 for battle map as well as visual aids, where I'll also create custom tokens for both NPCs and PCs. I provide in depth characterization of NPCs and encourage creative problem solving. (I'll always prioritize the story over needing to include more combats just for the sake of it. However, in cases where players resolved the adventure entirely peacefully, we'll go into an alternate ending and go for a standalone combat so that we can all see the cool things your PCs can do.

Equipment needed to play

Computer

Internet

Platforms used
Safety
How Lantern Keeper (Ran) creates a safe table

We will be setting up lines and veils together as a table on a case to case basis. We will discuss it ahead of the game as well as at the beginning of the session so that everyone is on the same page.

Content warnings
Alcohol Use
Animal Death
Devils / Demons / Fiends
Freezing
Human Trafficking (adult only)
Misogyny
PTSD
Trauma
Safety tools used

Frequently asked questions

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