HALLS OF THE BLOOD KING: A Heroes Quest Coaching Experience

Creating your character

Character creation begins the moment you join our Discord server—no need to wait for Session Zero! Your private coaching channel becomes our collaborative workspace where we'll build your character together. Sign up early and we can start rolling dice and brainstorming immediately. Rolling Old School Style: We use the classic 3d6 in order method—you roll the dice and discover who shows up. Maybe you'll get that brilliant but clumsy wizard, or the charismatic fighter who faints at the sight of blood. That's part of the fun! Old School D&D was always about playing interesting characters, not optimal ones. Some of the best stories come from the halfling with 5 Strength who became the party's greatest hero through sheer cunning. The Hexfold Path Blessing As initiates of the Order, you receive one blessing to shape your fate: The Exchange: Swap one pair of ability scores The Focus: Add +2 to one score of 14 or less The Balance: Add +1 to two different scores If your dice absolutely hate you (we're talking multiple single-digit scores), we'll call it a practice run and roll again—but honestly, some of the most memorable characters come from "terrible" stats. In our private channel, we'll figure out who this person is and why they're brave (or foolish) enough to enter a vampire's manor. Everyone starts at Level 3. You're tough enough to not die from stubbing your toe, but still mortal enough that a lucky goblin stab could end your tale. Victory isn't guaranteed, and that's what makes it glorious. The dice tell you what you've got. You decide what to do with it. Welcome to Old School adventure! For this adventure, I'll allow any OSE character variants (including optional rules) published by Necrotic Gnome. If that doesn't cover something you want we can talk, but let's build characters that are fun and have some story to them (we'll talk about how to do that in the Discord server).

Preparing for the session

We will provide a link to our Discord Server and from there, a link to our Foundry VTT set up on Forge. You can also download the basic OSE rules for free here: https://necroticgnome.com/collections/ose-free-downloads

What Frank - Heroes Quest Coaching brings to the table

This is an inaugural offering. I’m a professional counselor and an amateur DM, still learning the ropes of Foundry and Discord. You won’t get a high-end production (yet), but you will get a sincere, challenging experience designed to push you both as a player and a person. I run the game mostly by the book, with a focus on player agency, meaningful consequences, and the kind of tension that makes every torch flicker feel important. Expect to have to use your wits. "You found a potion bottle with blue liquid in it." "Is it a healing potion?" "How would you know?" After each session, I’ll invite you to reflect on your character’s choices and actions through the lens of ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy). No therapy-speak during play—just good, gritty dungeon crawling. Then we unpack what it meant.

Homebrew rules

To support meaningful play and keep things flowing, we use a few custom rules: Potions as a Bonus Action: While OSE doesn’t have formal bonus actions, we allow drinking a potion alongside another action during your turn. Death Saving Throws: At 0 HP, you roll death saves (3 successes = stabilized, 3 failures = death). This replaces instant death and adds tension. Milestone Leveling: XP tracking is waived. Level-ups happen at key story moments. Encumbrance Waived (Within Reason): We won’t count every coin. If it fits in your pack and makes narrative sense, you’re good. Ascending AC: We use ascending armor class for clarity (higher AC = harder to hit). Critical Hits: A natural 20 means you roll your damage dice twice. No modifiers are doubled—just the dice. These tweaks preserve the spirit of Old-School Essentials while making the game more intuitive and cinematic for modern players.

How Frank - Heroes Quest Coaching creates a safe table

This is a gothic horror adventure. It includes psychological tension, moral dilemmas, and moments of mild fear and discomfort. That’s intentional. Part of this experience is learning to sit with those feelings—to notice them, reflect on them, and grow through them. That said, your safety matters. We use a full suite of digital safety tools in Foundry VTT, which we’ll review together during Session Zero. These include: X/N/O Cards: Tap out, pause, or signal curiosity at any time. Lines & Veils Document: Shared in advance via Discord. You can add or update it anytime. Open Door Policy: You can leave the game at any time, for any reason, no questions asked. Neurodivergent-Affirming: Flexible pacing, sensory-friendly options, and no pressure to perform. This is not therapy, but it is therapeutic. You’ll be challenged—but never cornered. You’ll feel tension—but never helpless. And you’ll always have tools to step back, speak up, or take a break.