Tomb of Annihilation! LGBTQ, BIPOC and Beginner Players Welcome!

Creating your character

Please come to our first session (session 0) with at least two character ideas if you can! It doesn't have to be a fully built or realized character with a complete backstory, but having a primary character concept and a backup will help a lot with party composition to make sure that the group has its bases covered while still allowing for some flexibility if two players both want to play the same class and subclass. I don't mind if players double up on a class, but as part of our session 0, I want to ensure that there's at least enough of a difference between everyone's characters that everyone can have an arc or character journey that feels like their own rather than stepping on another player's toes! We will be using the character creation rules for 5e (2024) with the Point Buy rules for Ability Scores but feel free to use older content! I am more than happy to discuss homebrew and custom options with you to figure out if there IS a way to fit within the rules or if we need to bend the rules to make your character work. We will be starting at level 1 and going to level 11 or 12 and multiclassing is totally allowed. The custom background options from the 2024 DMG will be available, just let me know if you plan to use them so that I can create a homebrew Background in DnDBeyond for you to use. I'm more than happy to discuss character builds/backstories with you one-on-one, so if you would like to do so prior to session one, feel free to message me so we can discuss!

Preparing for the session

The tools we will be using to play are Roll20 as our virtual tabletop, DndBeyond for Character Sheets, the Beyond 20 web extension (compatible with Chrome, Firefox, Vivaldi, and other browsers, info can be found here: https://beyond20.here-for-more.info ) to help integrate DndBeyond's functionality into Roll20, and then Discord for attending sessions and for more open communication. I am happy to discuss this setup with any player one-on-one, so feel free to message me directly either through Start Playing or through Discord and I'll be happy to chat or meet with you to make sure everything works!

What Kit, the UCF Jedi brings to the table

Once you've joined the campaign through Start Playing, I will provide you with invitation links to the campaign on DnDBeyond, Roll20, and the Discord Server to help you get set up. Additionally, I will send you a Google Form for the Consent Checklist, which IS Required to fill out in order to play. This is to ensure the safety of all players at the table to make sure that everyone is comfortable with the story we are telling. Just note that there are some content warnings for the campaign module that only allow so much wiggle room to alter, so it is imperative that you communicate any topics or issues that may be triggering or distressing in the Consent Checklist so that if any of those things DO come up, we can discuss it and come up with a solution. Expect from me a mix of character voices, ambient music, and some gorgeous maps to explore! I usually aim for a balance between Rules as Written, Rules as Intended, and Rule of Cool, so I am open to making additional rulings based on character concepts, roleplay ideas, or outside-of-the-box thinking that may not necessarily fit within to 5e 2024. As always, communication is key!

Homebrew rules

I have already mentioned my openness to homebrewing aspects of the 5e 2024 rules to help us all tell the story we want to tell, but on top of that, I will be adding some tweaks to the campaign module which may or may not be considered "homebrew." The original publication of Tomb of Annihilation from 2017 (and its original incarnation in "Tomb of Horrors") has a number of story elements tend to be racist, classist, or otherwise inappropriate, so I will be making slight changes to make our campaign less problematic and more enjoyable for all involved.

How Kit, the UCF Jedi creates a safe table

As I mentioned, I will provide all players with a Consent Checklist to open a dialogue of any Lines and Veils you have around triggering content and any Stars and Wishes for things you would particularly like to see over the course of the campaign. We will discuss this alongside some notable content warnings for the campaign during our session 0 to make sure that all players have an idea of what to expect without spoiling any major plot elements. While playing, you may realize that something has provoked you in an unexpected way. This is perfectly normal! It's actually very natural for people to only know something has triggered them after it happens. I will have a loose X/N/O system in place and I simply ask that if you DO need to take a break and pause playing to collect yourself that you simply message me (either through Discord or a whispered roll in Roll20) as soon as possible so I can assist. If you wish, you can even start the message with the card (e.g., "X-Card: This content is very triggering for me, I need to take a break from play) to make sure that it's clearly communicated. I am totally fine with excusing you from the table or implementing an emergency break to make sure that you have the chance to process whatever you need before you keep playing. Likewise, as we end each session, I will stick around in the Discord call for about 5-20 minutes to discuss how the session went as well as anything else that may come up, since my brain ALSO needs that time to decompress and process the session, so if you don't wish to use an X-Card or N-Card during a session, we can also use the post-session aftercare/wrap-up to discuss this as well. Alternatively, if you'd prefer to have that conversation one-on-one, please just message me directly so that I can help however you need! We can either chat via text or set up a time to talk using Discord's call functions, whatever you'd prefer!