Fangs of the Mountain ⛏️ A Dwarven Dungeon Crawl
A dungeon crawl through the remnants of a dwarven citadel that slowly unfolds into a chaotic struggle for power between factions.
$15.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Friday - 2:00 AM UTC
Session Duration / 3 hours
Campaign Length / 5–10 Sessions
2 / 5 Seats Filled
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Schedule
Meet your party members
2/5
About the adventure
The orc tribes hunger for war. The drow outcasts scheme in the dark. The long-lost relics of a failed city spin and wail relentlessly in the darkness. Much has been forgotten beneath the Stone Tooth, and much must be uncovered if you are to reclaim the otherworldly power of the dwarven king who fell here. This is a good old-fashioned dungeon crawl through a dwarven citadel that has, to put it mildly, been through some s#!%. I've used the Forge of Fury module as a template, but revamped the enemies, lore, traps, and setup to make it interesting for a higher level party. I like to treat dungeons less like a series of obstacles to overcome and more like a mini-sandbox with competing factions acting independently, so creative players that like to push against the rails are welcome. My table is always LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent friendly, and I don't mind showing new players the ropes. Feel free to join even if the campaign is in progress, I've gotten pretty good at slipping new characters into the dungeon smoothly.
Game style
Dungeon Crawl
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Sandbox / Open World
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(11)
4 years on StartPlaying
7 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Rule of Cool, Inclusive
About me
Hey there! My name's Erik, but online I go by HoodieSticks. I'm an improvisational GM - the kind that is 100% ok with players that decide on a whim to ignore my carefully placed plot hooks and run off to a completely different city. I believe that meaningful choices and strong character moments can happen anywhere and anytime (with the right prompting). I want my players to feel free and immersed, instead of thinking about what the GM "intended" for them to do. But beyond that, I just want my players to have fun! Like many others, I got my start with Dungeons & Dragons 5e, but have since experimented with a wide variety of other systems (the FantasyFlight Star Wars RPGs, Pathfinder 2e, the AGE systems, Pugmire, Blades in the Dark, Bleak Spirit, and more). I've even created my own TTRPG rulesets and homebrew, because I'm a game designer at heart and I'm fascinated with the ways rules and mechanics can get people to roleplay. I love the camraderie and the wild moments that emerge when a story is being crafted on the fly, and I hope to keep creating those moments for decades to come. Here's hoping I get to meet you at my table sometime!
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
This campaign starts at level 5, because in my opinion that's when DnD combat gets fun. I'll be mostly relying on 5e (2014) rules, but players can bring 5.5e (2024) characters if they wish. Players will also need to decide what their character's main goal is: Uncovering Durgeddin's history, protecting the area, getting rich, avenging the fallen, or something else (message me). You can earn bonus xp or inspiration by following this goal.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
You will need accounts on Roll20 and Discord, and a mic for communicating in voice chat. Players will also need access to the Player's Handbook (the 2014 or 2024 version, either is fine). If you don't have this, message me and we can make arrangements. If you've never played DnD before, we can run through a tutorial encounter during session 0 so you can learn the basics. I'd recommend new players use one of the pre-generated characters (found in the Roll20 Journal tab), because creating a level 5 character from scratch can be overwhelming if you've never played.
What HoodieSticks brings to the table
I will be providing visuals, music, and battlemaps via the Roll20 virtual tabletop. The site has a built-in character sheet and some basic scripting to speed up gameplay. I am a Rule of Cool GM at heart, but with this campaign in particular I've paid special attention to creating interesting tactical puzzles for my players. I think it's absolutely possible to have it both ways.
Homebrew rules
There are some small houserules I use (bonus action health potions, private death saves), but I also have bigger changes that are opt-in. For instance, a more thematic version of 5.5e's Weapon Mastery system, and special bonus effects for Critical Hits (that enemies can also use against you if you opt in). The dungeon also has some bespoke mechanics of its own. Namely, an aura that makes long rests much more dangerous. The party will either need to leave the dungeon each night and rest outside, or convince one of the dungeon's factions to let them stay the night.
Equipment needed to play
Computer
Internet
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How HoodieSticks creates a safe table
Session 0 will be mostly for character creation purposes, but if everyone arrives with a character already made we might be able to skip it. We'll take a moment to establish Lines and Veils at the start of the campaign, and the list can be updated at any time (it's kept as a Roll20 handout, editable by anyone). I will ask players if they want to take a break halfway through each session. The break can be 5, 10, or 15 minutes depending on what people want, though players tend to want shorter breaks so they can get right back into the game. Players can use X cards at any time to indicate that there is content in the game that they feel uncomfortable with. They can do so publicly by typing an X in the game chat, or discretely by typing "/w gm x", which will whisper the message to just the GM.
Content warnings
Safety tools used