π³οΈβποΈββ§οΈD&D2024 Lv1 β Beginner-Friendly Cosmic Horror Campaign
Embark on a hero's journey that spirals into eldritch horror, fighting off increasingly frightening threats and uncovering a cosmic, horrifying truth.
TYPE
SYSTEM
LEVELS
LANGUAGE
EXPERIENCE
AGE
$15.00
/ Session
Details
Bi-weekly / Tuesday - 11:00 PM UTC
Mar 17 / Session 5
Session Duration / 2.5β3.5 hours
3 / 6 Seats Filled
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Schedule
About the adventure
π π ππππππππ πππππππ. ππ ππππππππ πππππππ. π πππππππ ππ ππππππππ. Phandalin awaitsβa backwater hamlet on the eastern coast with a troubled history. Once a thriving settlement, it fell to bandits centuries ago and has since faded into obscurity. Few travelers seek it out. Fewer still know its terrible secrets. You're headed there now. A simple job from a generous patron: escort a wagon of supplies to the remote village. They've gone ahead with a bodyguard while you follow with the cargo. Easy coin for an adventurer of your talents. If only life were so simple. This mundane mission is merely the first step on a spiral staircase descending into unfathomable eldritch horrors. What awaits you beneath Phandalin will test the very chains that bind your sanity. Ancient whispers will offer forbidden knowledge. Rival factions will demand your allegiance. Creatures beyond comprehension will challenge your courage and resolve. The caravan is loaded. The horses are restless. Phandalin calls. All you have to do... is step right in.
Game style
Combat Heavy
Roleplay Heavy
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
1 year on StartPlaying
65 games hosted
Highly rated for: World Builder, Storytelling, Sets the Mood
About me
Hey. I'm Sol, a 22yo autistic brazilian dude with a hyperfixation on Dungeons&Dragons. One day, someone at my table said: "If you have so many problems with D&D as a system, why don't you try to do a better job than they did?" I took that to heart. I am a lifelong actor and storyteller, and a 7-year-experienced dungeon master for Dungeons&Dragons, the great majority of which I have performed through online play. I am also undergoing the process of obtaining a bachelor's degree in theater, researching and writing a thesis about the potential of tabletop roleplaying games of elaborating moving emergent naratives, and how those narratives can be used as an emergent dramaturgical language for the elaboration of plays. My background in theater, in and off college, with 8 on-stage performances under my belt, should give you an idea of how big I am on roleplay. Hope to see you at my tables!
View Profile βCharacter creation
Creating your character
There will be a custom PDF file for Character Sheet Creation, which provides high editability, making it a perfect vehicle for character creation even with the numerous changes to the system I usually employ in my games. The following are the general rules regarding character creation, including general guidelines and variant rules: π²π₯π’ππ ππ’π₯ π¦π§ππ§π¦! All will roll 4d6 and keep the highest 3 rolls to determine each of the Ability Scores for their characters. Each player gets to roll two sets of results, re-rolling all results below 8 and re-rolling the whole set if no results are above 14, taking the preffered of two valid sets. β¨π ππππ¦π§π’π‘π πππ©ππππ‘π. Experience (XP) is not a used mechanic. All characters level up at the same time when reaching certain milestones in the story. This is also known as Milestone Leveling, and prevents any single player character from getting stronger than any other. π°π ππππ ππ§ππ π¦. You get 3 options for Magic Items your character can start with: A) One uncommon magic item of your choice, excluding the following: Bag of Holding, Broom of Flying, Decanter of Endless Water, Immovable Rod. B) Up to 5 Consumable Points which you can spend to have Consumable Magic Items, like spell scrolls, potions and the like. Commons cost 1, Uncommons cost 2, and Rares cost 3. Nothing above Rare allowed. C) One Rare Magic Item of MY choosing. The item is cursed, and the curse will be tailored to your character. βοΈ π£πππ¬ππππ ππππ¦π¦ππ¦. Artificer, Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Psion, Ranger, Rogue, Shaman, Sorcerer, Warlock/Witch, and Wizard.
Party is at Level 2 - Leonin Artificer with the Criminal background - Kobold Rogue with the Foundling background - Snow Elf Sorcerer with the Noble background
What to expect
Preparing for the session
π₯οΈ A functional computer (laptop or desktop), with a reliable internet connection π A browser, prefferably Google Chrome, with which to view and interact with the Owlbear Rodeo VTT and the 5e content website ποΈ A working microphone and, optionally, a webcam π§ Comfortable headphones and a quiet workspace π€ A Discord account and a StartPlaying account π€ A friendly and respectful attitude towards all players, including the Game Master β No D&D, Owlbear Rodeo, or tabletop experience needed π Must be 18 years or older to play β no exceptions
What Sol brings to the table
My games are run almost entirely over Discord, with bots in place to take care of dice rolls and ambient music. Owlbear Rodeo is my VTT of choice, since it is much more streamlined for beginners in relation to other options such as Roll20. I am a very skilled and experienced roleplayer with a background in theater and creative writing, so I will do my best to create a fertile environment for the emergence of powerful roleplay moments and satisfying narratives. If you wish to learn more about my DMing style, check out my profile. I run a homebrewed version of the 5th Edition D&D system, completely compatible with the new rules coming out for the 2024 version of the system, but also containing a lot of rules taken from various different third party soruces and independent homebrew writers (me included), each personally and rigorously translated, balanced, modified, playtested, and documented. Here is what I can promise in my version of the system: - 15 Character Classes, each offering entirely distinct character fantasies and avenues of mechanical depth; - 67 options for Species (not including subspecies, lineages or ancestries) to allow for all sorts of characters to make themselves into heroes and work through the conflicts that arise due to the circumstances of their bloodline; - Modular Backgrounds, along with an expanded Origin Feat list, building and expanding upon the one found in the new Player's Handbook; - 1000+ Spells, unlocking the true potential of spellcasters by giving them an arsenal of a scale hitherto unseen; - A reimagined version of the Weapon Mastery system, allowing for a broadening of the versatility and complexity of playing a Martial class, and putting them truly on par with the versatility of classes like the Wizard. - A swathe of general rules tweaks that add mechanical cohesion to the game (especially at higher levels). All of this will be available in a series of channels in my Discord Server. I also have, available for all players, sourcebooks that highlight the rules of the game in their entirety.
Homebrew rules
ππππ ππ’π‘π¨π¦ πππ§ππ’π‘π¦ πππ‘ ππ πππ§ππ’π‘π¦. If an effect requires you to take a Bonus Action to use it, you can take an Action instead if you wish. You cannot take the same Bonus Action more than once per turn. πππππ§π'π¦ ππ’π’π₯. When you are reduced to 0 HP in combat, you can make a CON Save with a DC equal to the damage that brought you to 0 HP (min 15). On a success, you don't go Unconscious, but stay at Death's Door, a heavily debuffed state where you can act in limited ways, but still make Death Saves. πͺππ‘ππ¨π ππ₯ππ‘ππ. If you carry too much weight for your Strength score to handle, you will gain progressive debuffs. π‘οΈππ‘πππ‘πππ πππππ‘π¦ππ¦. You gain a bonus to your Armor Class and all your Saving Throws equal to half your Proficiency Bonus, rounded down. βΌοΈππ«πππ¨π¦π§ππ©π ππππ§ππ¦. If a creature at 0 HP that is not Stable gets healed, it must make a CON Save with a DC of 10 + their Proficiency Bonus + 2 for each previous success on the save, or they gain Exhaustion. πͺπ¨πππ₯π©ππ¦π§ππ‘π ππ‘π ππ₯πππ§ππ‘π. Some of the rules I use encourage harvesting crafting components from felled monsters, and using them to craft magic items. πππ‘π§πππππππ‘ππ π£π₯π’ππππππ‘ππππ¦. You gain a number of Tool or Language Proficiencies of your choice equal to your Intelligence Modifier. If you have a negative Intelligence modifier, you must lose one of these proficiencies that you gain from other sources. ππ πππ‘ππ¦π¦. If your character undergoes a traumatic experience, you must roll a DC 15 INT, WIS, or CHA Save (your choice). If you fail, your character sustains a random Madness effect for a few Long Rests, and the DC increases by 1. You can revert a failure by interacting with other player characters and working through your traumas with them during rests. 4 Failures leads to Insanity - your character becomes an NPC controlled by the GM. π₯π ππ¦π¦ππ©π πππ πππ / πππ‘πππ₯ππ‘π ππ‘ππ¨π₯πππ¦. If you take damage equal to or greater than half your MAX HP from a single effect, youβre conscious, and have at least 1 HP after the damage, you must make a DC 15 CON Save, or suffer a random pain shock effect. If you are Unconscious, or if the damage reduces you to 0 HP, you must make a DC 18 CON Save, or suffer a Lingering Injury depending on the type of the damage you took. βοΈπ£π’π§ππ’π‘π¦. Anything in a vial can be taken with your Bonus Action. If you do so with a healing potion, you roll the die, but if you take the potion with your Action, you regain Hit Points as if every die had rolled its maximum possible result. ππ¦πππ₯ππ§ ππππ§π π¦ππ©ππ¦. Death Saves are rolled in secret by the DM, instead of by the player. Only the player knows the result, and cannot divulge it to other players. π₯πͺπππππ§π¬ ππ₯ππ§π¦. A 1 or 20 on the die, for ANY D20 TEST, results in a Crit, with an additional effect applied depending on if it's a fail or success.
Equipment needed to play
Computer
Headphones
Internet
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Sol creates a safe table
NOTE ON CONTENT WARNINGS The list of trigger/content warnings below is a list of things that will, almost certainly, appear in the game. Other than the things outlined and mentioned below, additional triggering contents may come up during play. To make sure no one is put off by a topic they find sensitive, I always address, before character creation, any possible limits and boundaries, in the form of Lines and Veils, for each player, until we have made a comprehensive list of all things we should avoid in play. More rules regarding safety measures are detailed in the Discord Server in which the game will take place.
Content warnings
Safety tools used


