Image by Xan (Startplaying stock images, Canva text editing)
The Heroes Aren't Dead
By royal decree heroes gather from across the land, but an unexpected TPK your town puts everyone else at risk. Can you fake your way into heroism?
$25.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Saturday - 2:00 AM UTC
Session Duration / 2.5–3 hours
1 / 5 Seats Filled
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Meet your party members
1/5
About the adventure
First time and experienced Daggerheart players alike are welcome in this tale of unlikely heroism when destiny comes calling its least likely heroes. -- The Wreztian Kingdom is in great duress and in times of trouble, those who call themselves heroes or have the skills to back up their personal price tag strive to overcome the challenges ahead. Of late, the kingdom has been besought by bandits and beasts alike and the time has come for the land to become one of peace and safety again. Or, that's what you would be led to believe by the missives and town criers. Gossip has it that parties of even middling strength and renown are routinely tasked with venturing to the kingdom capital only to be thrown into situations far beyond the scope of their abilities. Some defy the odds and retire with some degree of fame and wealth to soften the passage into old age. Far more often though, survival is measured in seasons or a handful of years; not decades. Those with the potential for great things can even be reluctant to embrace their strengths lest they become strong enough to draw the eyes of those who would ask the impossible of them. Our story starts in the town of Bexney: a middling sized community along a common trade route. Here the seasons are mild, save for the harshest weeks of winter, and those who stop for a break along their travels often find a mug of over-proof pear cider reason enough to stay the night. However, a group of adventurers break the typical itinerary when they're suddenly and unceremoniously found dead in the beds of the town's main inn. The death of travelers, much less adventurers, never helps a town that relies on trade and the assurance of safe passage. Unease spreads like wildfire as the news mysterious event passes from denizen to the next. Worse yet, they carried a royal summons to the court of Duke Tassilo. Some say that the embers of the last town who harassed a band of heroes headed to his court still smolder in the early morning chill. The thought of what would happen should Bexney draw the same ire is enough to send a shiver down the spine. To save the town, you must take up the mantle of the luckless fools growing cold of an unknown cause of death in their rented rooms. But before you can even set out on the quest that was awaiting those fresh corpses, you must first successfully pass yourself off as a group of some growing renown. Only then can you even begin the daunting tasks that lie ahead. With the death of these heroes throwing your entire town at risk, will you find the courage to take up the summons in their stead? -- Touchstones: Fake it til' you make it, Tropes turned on their heads, Long roads to success, High fantasy journeys, Aloof and uncaring leadership, Unlikely heroes. Original plot hook inspired by Drew Hayes's book "NPCs". Campaign rating: 13+ for the content warning below.
Game style
Roleplay Heavy
Theater of the Mind
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(23)
5 years on StartPlaying
108 games hosted
Highly rated for: Inclusive, Creativity, Storytelling
About me
Former fire-breather turned therapeutic GM. Cool, now that I've got your attention. I'm Xan, if the Therapeutic GMing is what got your eye the check out my psychology today listing at the bottom! My numbers and accomplishments are cool, so I'll list them below. Here's who I am though. I'm a life-long storyteller and performer. The love the smell of honey suckles and the sound of a cat's purr. I'll give you a run for your money with a pun contest *any* day of the week, and I live by the motto "Manic enthusiasm is still enthusiasm". Games have brought me joy, relief, and catharsis over the years and I can say without hesitation that they, and the friends I've made through them, have been a huge positive impact on my life. So I'm here to pay that joy back and be the background tapestry for your happy memories and kickass stories. "Rule of Cool" always par for the course and expect me to be just as invested in your characters as you are. I love to flesh a game out through how your character sees the world, "you walk into the market and an unexpected scent brings you back home for a split second. What is it?". I prioritize safety and making sure that I'm making my game suited to the players, not the other way around. Feel free to reach out to me if you'd like to talk about booking a private game or consultation about your own game. I'd love to help you make your own time as a GM the most rewarding it can be. I'm also available if you are looking for guests or experts in the topics at the intersection of mental health and TTRPGs. And, the numbers! 20+ Featured Speaking events (PAX, Save Against Fear, Therapeutic and Applied Gaming Growth Summit) 9 Years professional GM 1 published adventure in Rock and Roll 5e (zine) 50+ homebrew materials for the larger games 4 Hacks written 1 original game developed 1 Full length game in development 33 years of being a total badass Therapeutic Skill building‽‽ With games (or just with a cool coach)‽‽ Yup! Full disclosure though, listings on Startplaying *are not* therapeutic sessions. Those require a different approach, intent, and structure. Reach out on my Psychology Today page if you're interested and I'm happy to have that conversation with you on a HIPAA compliant server :) https://www.psychologytoday.com/profile/1380727
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
We'll talk plans and concepts on discord and get a vague idea of how and who everyone is looking to play. There'll be a session zero to work on the actual details on the character sheet and help create starting bonds and relationships between the characters to start the game out with a sense of connection and an idea of what the characters think of each other. If there are specific questions I'm available before session zero and between sessions to help make sure that everything is falling into play the way that it was envisioned. If your character isn't playing the way you'd like in the first session or two then its no problem to change mechanics or backgrounds and retcon a bit here or there to make it work. If anyone joins after the campaign starts, then I'll work with you to make sure your character is on the same page as other folks, and we'll work on some ways to tie your character to the narrative and current situation so there's an easy on-ramp to get you invested with the party.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
All you'll need is a discord and roll20 account. We'll use discord for voice/video, sharing some material, and planning between sessions. Roll20 will be for the actual characters and dicerolls in during the game itself. The only other thing you need is a desire to tell a good story with other good folks.
What Xan!!! brings to the table
The discord is already set up, and the roll20 is waiting for us to start. I've got a PDF of the core rulebook and the information accessible on roll20/demiplane so all the mechanics will be easy to find. I'll be providing ambient music to the scenes when appropriate if players want, and will provide a recorded recap between the sessions so we all have a good idea where the story left off last time. There may be a map or image shown every so often, but I don't use tactical/grid maps. If you're close, you're close enough. If you're far, you're too far. Luckily this is the style of combat that Daggerheart was built to support.
Homebrew rules
None to start, but I've been homebrewing for 15 years now so if there's something that you want to try lets see if we can make it work. Rule of cool and reflavoring existing abilities is almost always no problem whatsoever.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Xan!!! creates a safe table
There's a pre-game lines and veils checklist to establish what's likely to show up, and what topics need to be avoided (lines) or have happen off screen (veils). The games themself are open table, so you can always get up and take time to yourself if you need to, and we take a 10min bio about halfway through. The X card is always respected and in play. A safe game's story can't be sacred, so if we need to do some light retconning or fail in a way that feels more honest to your character or the story then that's all there is to it. That said, there's no going back from a result once the dice are rolled, this is a game where its easy to bite off more than your character can chew. At the end of the session we'll have a recap and debrief, and you're always welcome to message the channel or me directly if there's anything we need to follow up on.
Content warnings
Safety tools used