Icewind Dale: of Ice and Umbra

Creating your character

# When should I start making my character? Straight away! My recommendation is to make at least two characters that you could see yourself playing. Flesh out a general concept and think about what sort of story you would like to create with this character and others at the table. # General Guidelines * Level 1 * Stats may be chosen using either the standard array (8,10, 12, 13, 14, 15) or by Point Buy (otherwise known in the 2024 Player’s Handbook as ‘Point Cost.’). * At your discretion, I can provide a pre-generated character for you to play with. # Which edition should I use? Either one! Go with what feels most natural to you. If any issues arise at the table, we can address those together and rebuild as it feels appropriate. # What Class should I select? Barbarians, Druids, Rangers, and Wizards are perhaps the most natural fit within Icewind Dale. Each class can provide its own unique experience and flavour to an adventure so don't feel restricted to any particular recommendation. With that in mind, please bear in mind the following information for your consideration: * The adventure is set in a very specific set of environments (Arctic, Mountain, and Underdark), and contains a number of tribal groups (the Reghed Tribes; who themselves are divided by their worship of specific animals aspects: Bear, Wolf, Elf, and Tiger) who roam the fringes of civilisation away from the Ten Towns. * There will be several opportunities throughout the game for Wizards to copy spells from NPC wizard’s spellbooks. Not all opportunities will be available without challenge. # What about my Origin/Background? Have a general idea about what sort of person your character is, but don't write yourself into a corner before session zero. Give yourself at least a 25-word outline such as, "Berevor the Brave is a Fighter with a sordid past he longs to escape. He thought he could escape the past in the frozen north, but it has finally started to catch up to him ..." Once you have that, we can work together to provide more specific details to help you relate to and inhabit your character. My last piece of advice is to leave your characters past as an unresolved string and our adventure will be the place we can tie it into a satisfying conclusion. # Does my alignment matter? Your alignment helps inform your story but doesn't control it. Geralt of Rivia (The Witcher) has his Witcher’s code that he must follow (Lawful Neutral), but this code is flexible and intended to help him navigate difficult decisions in a way that reflect his notions of what he feels is right. Likewise, alignment should help you to make decisions in difficult situations, but it should never overrule your sense of what feels right to you. # Anything else? Please by any means ask me during, before, or after sessions if you have any concerns, queries, or clarifications you would like to ask. I am always happy to help.

Preparing for the session

Step 1. Join the Discord Server via the link provided Step 2. Access the VTT (Owlbear Rodeo) using the link provided Step 3. Have your character sheet accessible and at the ready Step 4. Play! I will be using a Discord Server to host each game. You can use either your web browser, or download the app on your desktop or mobile device in order to access Discord. An invite link will be provided to allow you to join the server and begin playing! I also use Owlbear Rodeo. A link will be up and available here and on the Discord Server to allow players to access the Virtual Tabletop server. The VTT will primarily be used for visual aids and battlemaps to supplement play.

What Jesse brings to the table

# Battle maps Each combat, generic and unique, will have its own battle map # Tokens Creatures, Spell Effects, PC's, NPC's, and so on will have a relevant token prepped in advance, or by the following session if something comes up in play that was not anticipated in advance. # Voices In a game where I have the opportunity to act as the world and the creatures you interact with, it would be my delight and privilege to do my best attempt to embody each creature you might interact with. There really are few things better than attempting to speak to a player as a goose. # Tactical Combat In my experience, the best combat has been one that doesn't leave the narrative framing at the door and also gives room for creative problem solving to circumnavigate threats. Whether general or unique encounters each combat will have a handful of solutions to overcoming it beyond the binary of reducing or being reduced to 0, and an overall goal that if accomplished will resolve the encounter. I will clearly frame the goal of each encounter to the best of my ability to ensure there is no confusion and be generous with information so that players can be tactical and make informed decisions. # Rules as Written ... with exceptions Having a general framework of actions, reactions and other traits that act consistently will allow players to make the most effective informed decisions in tactical scenarios. But this is a game of imaginative play, and if the rules as written don't necessarily reflect or support an idea I will be open to fleshing out an idea in play to support that. # Collaborative Worldbuilding In our games of imaginative play I find the best storytelling in the medium stems from working together to create the narrative. Watching our idea's grow and take on a life of their own is one of the many subtle joys of playing TTRPG's and using these moments to empower your idea's would be my pleasure.

Homebrew rules

# General Rules of Thumb 1. If you are ever not sure, ask! If you believe that I have made a mistake let me know at the end of the session and I can check over my ruling for future reference. If I have made a ruling that I believe is against the Rules as Written (RaW) I will do my best to say so and explain why in that moment. # Narrative Rules 1. A Critical Success, otherwise known as a 'Natural 20' during a narrative scene is not a guaranteed success and will still need to clear the set Difficulty Class. # Combat Rules 1. Potions may be consumed as a bonus action. 2. A Critical Hit, or 'Natural 20', on an attack roll allows the player to roll double the amount of dice for that attack. As an example, Berevor the Brave attacks with his Great sword, +1 and the dice roll for the attack is a 20 on the die. Ordinarily he would roll 2d6 and then add his strength modifier, however in this case he rolls 4d6 and then adds his strength modifier.

How Jesse creates a safe table

# Safety Tools ## Lines and Veils I will send a link to a Lines and Veils document so that each player can mark down the items that they feel necessary to ensure they have a positive overall experience. ## Session Zero If there are any concerns regarding the adventure, I will have an open discussion with players during the session zero to allow for clarification and concerns to be heard and addressed. ## Breaks and Open Door TTRPG's can be a very sedentary activity and for games that go up to 3 hours or longer, I like to schedule a short 10-15 minute siesta so that players can get up, move around and attend to any needs (biological or otherwise). Furthermore, at no point should a player feel obligated to stay put throughout a moment that they feel discomfort or stress, and I am always happy to have an Open Door policy so that players can step out and in as and how they need to. No one ingredient makes the cake, and if a scene is triggering or not working out in play having an over the table moment to appreciate that this isn't working and re-framing the events to better suit the overarching collaborative narrative is perfectly acceptable, within reason.