Beginner Friendly - D&D Starter Set: Heroes of the Borderlands

Creating your character

To start, beginning players will use the pre-generated character builds for the Starter Set. All you need to do is add a few customizations that are provided by the Starter Set, which we'll cover in the first session, called session 0. (That session will be free, by the way.) Experienced players will please use the standard array. I note the starter set builds aren't hugely powered so I want to keep the characters relatively fair. (Also, no tortles, paladins, or flyers for this game. In fact, with the exception of paladins, stick to the 2024 PHB. I'm keeping things simple to start off with.)

Preparing for the session

You'll need accounts on Discord, DnDBeyond, and Roll20. (Don't worry, player accounts on both DnDBeyond and Roll20 are free.) You should also be using a chromium-based browser like Chrome or Edge, although Chrome itself works best. And in that browser you'll need to get and enable a browser extension called Beyond 20, that makes DnDBeyond and Roll20 work nicely with each other.

What JW brings to the table

I will do limited voices because I enjoy it. I DON'T require any of you to do that. Most of my players' characters sound just like the players. :) I will be using some ambience music and the occasional sound effect. While I mostly stick to what's called "Rules As Written" (or, "RAW" for short), especially with beginners, sometimes the results of those rules make no sense in certain situations and I'll use "RAI" ("Rules As Intended") for those. And don't be afraid to have your character do cool, cinematic stuff! We'll have fun with that! We might bend a rule, or maybe have something funny happen if there's a failed roll, or just go nuts. Despite the adventure being a "sandbox", I like to get some backstory on characters so that I can put things unique to each character (and player) into the game as things move on. We'll work on that a little during Session 0. No pressure. We won't be writing books or anything. As things progress, stories should begin to unfold and I'll keep working with you all to see what you'd like to see your characters do in the future (or have done to them), etc. I'm sure I'm forgetting something but, if you join the adventure, we'll probably cover it in Session 0.

Homebrew rules

I don't like the rules for critical damage RAW. I prefer Critical Role-style. A crit (a natural 20 on a 20-sided die for you beginners) doubles ALL damage, including the modifiers. There's less math that way and things move a little faster. Other than that, especially due to likely new players, I try not to use too many homebrew rules. If we run into situations during the game where it appears we might need one, we'll take care of it then.

How JW creates a safe table

I'll start this description with my experienced players so they won't have to read the explanations I'll need to use for you beginners out there. If you're a beginner, skip down to where I say, "For you beginners..." :) For my experienced players, I'll be communicating with you individually over discord so I can get your lines and veils anonymously to then put into a document to discuss at Session 0 and distribute to everyone so they'll have it. During the game sessions themselves, there'll be a digital safety deck with a card for Stop, one for Caution, and another for Veils (fade to black). If problems arise, we will call a break. I will warn those who need warnings and listen to and speak to those who might need an ear and a shoulder. If someone crosses a line or veil two times (they don't have to be during the same session), they will be excused from the rest of the session where the second offense happened. If there is a third offense, they are kicked from the game.