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The Mystery of Lady White: A Level 16 D&D 5e Story
West Lake is a jewel of a town where many cultures converge. You are here for the festival, and perhaps discover something unexpected along the way.
$30.00
/ Session
Details
Once / Sunday - 11:00 PM UTC
Dec 14
Session Duration / 3.5–5 hours
5 / 5 Seats Filled
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Schedule
Meet your party members
5/5
About the adventure
West Lake (ancient fantasy eastern not-China) is a jewel of a town where many cultures converge, especially during its week-long tea festival in the spring, at the first blossom of the plum trees. The town is famed for its teas infused with medicines (or something a little stronger), as well as natural & archaeological attractions. It is said that the waters here are blessed by ancient gods that grants everlasting life or supernatural powers to those who are pious and worthy. You (PCs) find yourself at this year's festival for insert backstory reasons (perhaps in search for a cure of an ailment of yourself or a loved one, perhaps just to see the sights, or for other more nefarious reasons, let me know ahead of times) and heard that the featured presenter of the festival, proprietor of most renowned apothecary/Tea House, Lady White, had disappeared. Everyone's disappointed as many had travelled across oceans for her teas, as well as concerned for her safety. This is where you come in to solve the mystery. (This one shot is based on one of the adventure from Volume I of the Uncaged Anthology: a collection of myth and folklore themed adventures written for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition. Each original adventure subverts tropes around a female mythological creature or monster including hags, harpies, medusas, and much, much more.) Since this is a relatively high level one shot, the character building aspect is perhaps geared more towards folks who already have a basic grasp on the 5e system. However, If you're a brand new player and wishes to participate, I'm more than happy to work with you to go through the foundations before game time. Since this is a one shot, there might not be extensive opportunities to play out any character backstories, but I do strive to weave into the narrative as much detail as possible that's related to your character. On playing in a fantasy Chinese setting: avoid cliches. This is the main reason why I am not setting the hook as "you are heroes from the far realms recruited to be western saviors to this eastern town". That is also why I encourage you to step into the mindset of a local. Furthermore, if you choose to play a "Chinese" character, avoid stereotyping. Think about it this way: is your character defined entirely by a stereotypical hobby, a Kungfu master, for instance? Your characters should be whole individual with different aspects and aspirations. Bottom line is: feel free to ask questions if you're uncertain about anything.
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
3 years on StartPlaying
104 games hosted
Highly rated for: Storytelling, Creativity, Inclusive
Average response time: 1 hour
Response rate: 100%
About me
Come hither, seekers of realms uncharted, how fortunate indeed that we should meet. Allow me to spin you a tale from the loom of imagination. Within this virtual tapestry, I bid you welcome to a world where the boundaries of reality yield to the boundless horizon of collaborative storytelling. Gather 'round, intrepid souls, as we embark upon journeys where your dreams shall intertwine with the strands of fate. The stories are yours, and I am but your humble guide, as well as occasional enforcers of rules, forged by this sacred covenant of respect between us all, where each voice is a note in the symphony of our shared narrative. Fear not, for here, the dice are but tools, and the true magic lies in the synergy of your creativity and that one phrase that rules them all, "yes and". ************* Hello, I am hornoured to run a game for you. I've been a player of various TTRPG for almost a decade now. As a professional Playwright and theatre director, collaborative storytelling is in my blood and soul. I love that in a TTRPG, the characters drive how the story unfold, and it becomes a constantly evolving organism shaped by both fate and choices each player would make. I have played various published modules and loved many of them, but something I've always felt deeply is the mostly eurocentric nature of the fantasy lores. As a storyteller, more than anything, I feel inspired by mythological and folkloric tales from various cultures around the world. And as someone who grew up drenched in the fantastical Eastern myths and lores, I want to fill that gap in fantasy themed games. As a GM (game moderator), I value safety above all. Nobody's fun should cause harm to anyone else at the table. I cultivate a table that encourage creativity and open communication. Overall this is a game space, so there's no need to take anything too seriously. The vibe is possibly going to be a little "wholesome morbid", because that's generally my personal vibe. I'm not interested in stories where murderhobo-ing your way through it all can get what you want. My principle is that TTRPG isn't a game about winning or losing, and that every choice has a consequence. Anyway, hope to see you soon.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Level 16 character with 1 free starting feat Stats: whatever way you wanna generate stats (if it's rolled, you can do the two sets pick one; and if they are both horrible, switch to point-buy etc). I like this roller. https://rgbstudios.org/projects/dnd-dice/character-roller?r= But you can use whatever you're used to. Please use starting equipment. You may re-sell your starting equipment at half of its original cost. You may have 2 magic item 1 of them up to rare. Stat setting items like amulet of health or belt of XXX strength are not allowed to augment extreme low scores (so that we're not getting barbarians who actually only had a STR 5, please distribute your ability scores within reason of your class/build. And as always, exempts can be made, please talk to me). You also have an additional 300 gold to spend. Make sure you have your spell material components if they cost money. Any race/class but I encourage you to build someone who's a local or has some connections to the setting (so I can tell you things). I do NOT allow custom lineage or conquest paladins.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
You will need to send me your character sheet through discord. as well as character art of your choice the day before the game, ideally, so I could create your character's token. Please also send any summon/wildshapes so I have that in mind. Webcam is encouraged but not a requirement (It prevents cross-talking) Please have a mic and decent internet connection. Please also have downloaded Beyond20 before the game as we will be using D&D Beyond character sheet and send those rolls to Roll20. https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/beyond-20/gnblbpbepfbfmoobegdogkglpbhcjofh?pli=1
What Lantern Keeper (Ran) brings to the table
VTT, custom maps/tokens Ambient music And years of experience as a professional storyteller (playwright + theatre directing) I try to stick to the rules because, well, they're what most people know and exist as a guideline. I'm sure many of us interpret certain things differently, so when disagreements happen I ask that the table defer to my (the GM's) interpretation of rules rather than spending a long time arguing over it. I very much welcome Rule of Cool as a result of creative problem solving and am happy to come up with ways to use the existing game mechanics to enable folks to do the cool things they want to do. Ultimately I care a lot more about the stories than the rules. Note on combat: I've listed medium as this one shot's combat level but in truth that is in flux. Depending on what your characters do, combat can either be extremely intense, or you can avoid it altogether. As a player as well as a GM, I've always believed that combats are not the most exciting aspect of D&D, so if you talk your way out of every fight, I'll only be here cheering you on.
Equipment needed to play
Computer
Internet
Platforms used
Safety
How Lantern Keeper (Ran) creates a safe table
We'll use a combination of digital X, N, O cards as well as using message functions. I will be checking in with each player regarding their lines and veils. We will go over them at the top of session as well and post a full list in the gaming text channel so we're all aware. At my table, there's a standing line against PvP charm/agency taking spells, that is to say, please do not cast spells like Detect Thoughts, Charm Person, Suggestion, Friends, Hold person, Polymorph, etc., against your fellow Player Characters. Exceptions will be granted for special scenarios with consent from all involved party. Other lines include: PC initiating torture; coupe de grace on an NPC if another PC had decided to use non-lethal force upon them. After the game, I'll be around for a few minutes for any debriefing needs or feedbacks. Bottom line: open communications and be respectful, then we'll be able to have more fun within the safety of the magic circle.
Content warnings
Safety tools used