Library of Gods: Murder in the City of Splendors [FULL]

Creating your character

You are a close confidant of Professor Thaddeus Guildenstern, and he has enlisted you to help him with some strange secret he's uncovered - and therefore unintentionally left you with the responsibility of solving his murder. Thaddeus is an older gnomish man dedicated to the study of divination magic in all its forms. It is expected that you will create a character with some reasonable connection to the professor and/or Blackstaff Academy. You do not have to make a student or professor, but having strong links to the Academy is encouraged. We will finalize character creation in our session zero, where we can decide whether PCs have any connections between them and create their character sheets in Roll20, starting at level 3 and using 2024 5e rules. I will work one-on-one with players as needed to flesh out backstory and character goals, but it is expected that players will put in a good amount of work establishing well-defined characters to engage with the world.

Preparing for the session

Games will be played over Roll20 and Discord, so it would be ideal to have accounts with both of those before starting. Once you have joined the game, you will be invited to the Discord server where further materials and resources will be provided!

What Maddie brings to the table

This is a custom game that I will be developing against the backstop of the Forgotten Realms setting. Roleplay will be a major focus, with PCs engaging with fully fleshed out NPCs complete with original art and character voices. Combat will be less of a focus, but when it does occur expect an intense, high-stakes encounter. While I tend to use rules as written, I encourage players to take agency in building the story and the world as the narrative progresses, and I am always open to discussion about what would be the most narratively satisfying in any given scene. When you play with me, you receive: - A GM with a deep understanding of the rules of 5e, who can provide challenging and unique encounters both in combat and roleplay - A bespoke game complete with immersive roleplay, music, and art - Dynamic combat where players are encouraged to think outside the box and find interesting ways to tackle problems - Unique, custom-made art of your character, created by the DM - Access to a growing Discord server of players who have participated in my games in the past, giving you first dibs on future games hosted by me. This Discord offers a community where you can discuss ttrpg, find other people to play with, and maybe even make a game of your own!

Homebrew rules

I allow characters to drink potions as a bonus action, but feeding another person a potion is still a full action.

How Maddie creates a safe table

When players join my Discord Server, they will immediately gain access to my "Lines and Veils" document, which details all of the subjects that I regularly avoid or gloss in all of my games. Before Session 0, I will send a new version of this document to the campaign players to fill out together, so that we have a running list to refer back to of topics to avoid. Before the first session with me, players will also receive a survey that will allow them to tell me more about the kind of game they're looking for. There is also a post-game survey that is live at all time, which anyone in my server can access whenever they like, even weeks after their game is finished. This survey allows players to let me know what they think went well in their game as well as what could be done better in the future. I also have an open door policy and everyone in my server can feel free to message me privately at any time to talk about specific concerns. All of these are optional, but I highly encourage players to take advantage of opportunities for feedback, as it helps make me a better DM and allows me to tailor the experience for individual groups!