Land of Frozen Tears | An Icewind Dale Adventure

Creating your character

Once you sign up, I’ll share a link to the D&D Beyond campaign. From there, you can create your level 3 character. We’ll cover backstory and other important elements together during Session 0. You may create your character using either D&D Beyond or Foundry VTT. I’m happy with either, choose what’s more comfortable for you. We will use the 2024 D&D rules. Allowed content includes: All modernised / updated rulebooks (e.g. PHB 2024, Eberron: Forge of the Artificer, Heroes of the Forgotten Realms, etc.). Content explicitly marked as compatible (Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything (TCE), Xanathar’s Guide to Everything (XGtE), Monsters of the Multiverse (MotM) and other compatible 2014 extended rulebooks) Legacy content is not allowed. I generally prefer to avoid homebrew. Small, flavour-only tweaks are fine. Anything mechanical → ask first. Partnered content must be approved before use (Grim Hollow, The Crooked Moon, other third-party partnered subclasses, races, or classes) as it can clash badly with campaign tone, balance, or themes. If in doubt → ask. I’m open, just cautious.

Preparing for the session

You’ll need: - A Discord account (for voice and chat) - A Forge account (for access to Foundry) - [optional] A D&D Beyond account (for character creation) You don’t need any paid subscriptions or extra tools; everything will be shared with you.

What Gene brings to the table

Expect atmospheric music, a few questionable character voices, and plenty of opportunities for creative roleplay and exploration. I follow the Rule of Cool over rigid RaW when it makes the story more fun, but combat and dice rolls will be handled cleanly through Foundry VTT. You can expect balanced combat, downtime for character moments, and an open world that rewards curiosity and bold choices.

Homebrew rules

Instead of tracking hunger, warmth, or food, players track their Stress, a measure of how much the cold, despair, and horror of Icewind Dale have eroded their spirit. About Stress: Your Maximum Stress equals the sum of all your Ability Modifiers. Example: modifiers +3, +2, +2, +1, +0, +0 → Max Stress = 8 Characters experience a Stress event when they go through significant hardship; the GM calls for a Stress Save (Wis, Con, or Cha). Pass: You keep it together. Fail: You gain 1 Stress. At anytime, the GM can spend up to the PC’s current Stress Level per Long Rest to a. impose Disadvantage on any roll (Stress saves included) at a dramatically appropriate time. b. call for a re-roll on a particularly good roll. This does not reduce the PC’s current Stress level. c. hijack turn order once per encounter. When Stress equals Maximum Stress, each further Stress-triggering event causes 20% Max HP loss, which stacks. Should the PC's health drop to 0, their mind shatters, and they die. Reducing Stress: Supportive deed for the party (hunting, tending camp, firekeeping) → –1 Stress to the acting character (note: healing a party member or helping a downed party member does not count) Shared warmth (the party shares a meaningful, uninterrupted moment of warmth (campfire talk, shared meal, storytelling, prayer, music)) → –1 Stress to one character of the party’s choice Showing mercy to an enemy → –1 Stress to all characters involved in the decision Performing a meaningful act aligned with the PC’s beliefs (religious, philosophical, personal code), especially under hardship.→ –2 Stress Long Rest in a safe, friendly environment → –1 Stress to all characters Quest completed for the good of the community (best outcome) → –3 Stress to all characters Heroic deed (defence of a town, breaking major conspiracies, defeating the arc villain) → All Stress cleared for all active party members Voluntarily revealing your Secret to the party → Clear all your Stress. Allies who meaningfully support you → –1 Stress each

How Gene creates a safe table

Before we begin, we’ll go through a Lines and Veils discussion to establish everyone’s comfort zones. This helps ensure a welcoming, respectful, and fun table for everyone. Players are always encouraged to speak up if something feels uncomfortable! Your enjoyment and safety come first.