Image by Antarik Fox
Icewind Dale: Adventures in the Dead of Winter
Icewind Dale is trapped in a lightless blizzard by the wicked goddess of winter Auril. Dark forces are rising and few are equipped to match them.
$20.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Saturday - 9:00 AM UTC
Session Duration / 2 hours
Campaign Length / 1–50 Sessions
3 / 6 Seats Filled
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Schedule
Meet your party members
3/6
About the adventure
Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden is a Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition adventure set in the world of the Forgotten Realms. The adventure starts as a open world adventure, which later transitions into a heavy plot line. Icewind Dale is a cold region to the north, filled with savages, small towns and a bitter waste that chills you to the soul. The Ten Towns are home to a stubborn and hearty people who cling to tradition and have a strong will to survive. The wild regions surrounding the Ten Towns have savage barbarian tribes, starving monsters and ancient unspeakable secrets. It is a time of upheaval; Auril the goddess of winter has wrought a terrible curse upon the land, the Rime of the Frostmaiden. A ceaseless storm blots out the sun, all who have attempted to brave the storm have failed, and the days are only getting colder. Food is getting harder to come by, every day is becoming a struggle for survival and the wilds are slowly creeping in. Dark forces are on the move, willing to carve a place for themselves in this lightless world. In Icewind Dale you must not only survive, but thrive. If you want to have any hope of living, let alone putting a stop to the Rime, you must have cunning, guile and strength. Are you up to the task?
Game style
Rules as Written (RaW)
Sandbox / Open World
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(4)
Less than a year on StartPlaying
5 games hosted
Highly rated for: Inclusive, Sets the Mood, Storytelling
Average response time: 1 hour
Response rate: 100%
About me
Kia Ora, I am Ariadne and I am from New Zealand. I enjoy reading, watching YouTube, making TTRPG maps and generally being a bit of a social potato. I have been playing TTRPGs for nine years and have been a major DM for five years. I am most proficient with the Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition ruleset. I recently gained the confidence (and lots of encouragement from my friends) to take my skills to this site because I know that I can provide a quality experience. It is one thing to run things and test games on your friends and another to run a business. I love playing and running games for people because I find enjoyment and fulfilment. I was introduced to TTRPGs when I entered a roleplaying club during university. I was exposed to a wide variety of TTRPG systems and game styles. I got started on Pathfinder first edition, but quickly found my home in Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition. I often used and dabbled in other systems such as Call of Cthulhu, d6 systems, and custom homebrew systems during my university days. I also did some LARPing, which was very enjoyable. I started dipping my toes into being a DM for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons after two years of being a player. My first attempts were disastrous, resulting in a homebrew one-shot TPK to zombies and I have come a long way since then. I really started to get the hang of things when I was running fifth edition games for my family and flat mates during the COVID lockdown. This is also when I learned of my love of map making. I have since created all sorts of battle maps, world maps and reginal maps in my spare time for games or personal interest. I have been DMing Dungeons and Dragons games in person and online for five years now. I have helped review and test homebrew TTRPG systems that they have created. I am not a streamer; none of my sessions will be recorded or used by me. I am inclusive sort and welcome all sorts of folks. I also take the Code of Conduct from this site very seriously.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Character Creation: - Use the 2014 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons rule set to create your character (not the 2024 rules). - Starting at level 1. - Use Point buy or standard array to create your character statistics. - All races/species & classes available. - Character creation will happen in the VTT Fantasy Grounds. - I will help you set up your character during session 0. - If you want a custom or 3rd party race or class, you will need to discuss it with me in session 0. - Make a character that is pleasant to be around. For example, no characters named dick tingle that's a perv. No characters that will do stupid, evil or jerkass things that the party doesn't agree with, while using the excuse "well, that's what my character would do" - Make a character that wants to be with the party. They must have a motivation; no "I'm just tagging along". You're reason could be a powerful backstory or a flimsy "I want fame and glory", but there must be a reason. - The more backstory you give me, the more I will be able to weave into the story. You don't have to give me a backstory if you don't want to, but if you do not give me any (relevant) backstory to work with, then do not be surprised if nothing from your character's past comes up. Please don't give me too much either; I'm probably not going to read and include all 34 noble houses from the 30 page document that you give me. Hit the sweet spot of maybe a page or 3 of backstory.
We have a Ranger, Monk, Warlock and Artificer currently in the team.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
VTT: Fantasy Grounds. You will need to download the free Fantasy Grounds application from Steam or their website: Discord: You will need a Discord account before we begin. We will be using Discord for voice chat (and optionally, video). I will be inviting you to my Discord server for the game. Equipment: A laptop or computer with internet, microphone (in-built is fine), optionally you use a camera.
What Ariadne brings to the table
DM style: - I am a detail oriented DM. I like to be prepared and meticulous before the session starts. I will always have a plan going in and a ridiculous amount of notes. - When things go off the rails, I can go with the flow and improvise. I am happy to follow the players within reason (you have to work with me here, Please!) - I will generally stick to the rules as written, but I am willing to let you roll to try something crazy. - I am a big believer in choice and consequences. - I enjoy detailed, interesting and varied combat, often with multiple objectives. - I like to add roleplay situations; a clever player will be able to talk your way into and out of trouble. - I will often use 3rd party content to surprise and delight veteran players and beginners alike. Additionally, I will frequently modify existing things to provide some spice. - I will be providing music, but I am happy to take some requests. You can turn the music off for yourself as needed.
Homebrew rules
- Potions drunk as a Bonus Action will have the health dice rolled. When drunk as an Action, you get the maximum amount of healing. - Earning inspiration through roleplay, clever tactics and session recaps. - Detailed homebrew creature scavenging & item creation rules.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Ariadne creates a safe table
Session 0: - Character creation: Helping you with creating your character and backstories. - Player and DM expectations: I will explain what the players can expect from me and the campaign. The players and I will outline the behavior/decorum we expect from each other. - About the Players: A meet and greet for the players and I. I will ask you about what kind of player you are and what brings you enjoyment from the game. - Boundaries: Ensuring that we are all on the same page about what we are each comfortable and uncomfortable with. For example, I had a player that couldn't stand the thought of amputation. The players and I all ensured that our descriptions didn't include any amputation. After session: - After each session I will be asking for feedback from the players. What went well? What went poorly? Were any lines crossed? What do you want to see in the future? - Players are free to talk to me via message or voice chat to discuss any issues, wants and needs. It can either be discussed in a group setting or individually. - I will guarantee privacy and secrecy for any topics discussed in confidence.
Content warnings
Safety tools used