The Witherwild - A Daggerheart Campaign

Creating your character

One of the best things about Daggerheart is the collaboration fully built into the system, and that includes Character Creation! Feel free to start coming up with characters before the Session 0, as I'd love to work with any ideas you already have. You can use any of the character options from the Core Rulebook or the official Void content on the Daggerheart website. However, if there is any other Homebrew you would like to integrate into your character, we can discuss that during Character Creation in Session 0. We'll be using Demiplane to create your characters, which will then be fully integrated into Roll20 for ease of use in the VTT! Everyone will be creating characters at Level 1, but start thinking about how you want to level them up as I usually like to get started with advancements within the first 5 or so sessions so everyone can start exploring and experiencing all the awesome possibilities within the system! Once we get into Session 0, we'll start working through each step of Character Creation together to make sure everyone is on the same page about how it works, as well as start introducing the PCs to each other! A large part of Character Creation within the Daggerheart system is the "Connections" section, which allows players to come up with ways that their characters are connected to each other. This can be anything from how they met to the things they may have already experienced together adventuring. If you have any questions about Character Creation, let me know and we can work together to come up with a solution!

Preparing for the session

Let's get down to the nitty gritty part, shall we? First off, you'll definitely need to have a Discord account if you don't already have one. I use Discord as my main way of communication for all my tables, as a lot of the other platforms don't always have an mobile app and I am not always able to check certain places the way I am with Discord. It's also a great way to bring any and all information, links, pictures, etc. to the group in a fairly organized way. Second, we'll be using Roll20 for the VTT, and you need an account in order to join any games through them. As the GM, I'm the only one that needs anything other than a free account, so it won't be any extra cost to you to create one. Lastly, you will need a Demiplane account. This will be the main source of character creation and other rules from Daggerheart that are the most accessible. Demiplane does have content sharing enabled, but only for 25 people at a time. I always suggest supporting the creators of the games we are playing by buying the rulebooks, but I also understand finances are tight and you are already paying to be a part of the game. Just message me privately and we can definitely discuss what you need in order to fully enjoy the experience of this game! As always, if you have any questions as to what else you might need to be prepared to play Daggerheart, don't hesitate to message me through StartPlaying or Discord and I'll do my best to answer them!

What Jay Olson brings to the table

I've talked a lot about what you need to bring to the table, so now it's my turn! I'll be creating a private Discord Server in order to discuss any details about the game with me and the other players at the table. This is anything from scheduling changes to character ideas and worldbuilding. After all, Daggerheart is incredibly collaborative with the worldbuilding, and I wanna ask what you want to see in the world we create together! The invite to the server will be private and secure, and anyone not pre-approved by me will not be allowed to join. I'll talk about it later, but safety is number one when it comes to online spaces, and I want to establish that as soon as we hit the ground running. I love using music to set the tone for the scene and the session, so as part of each session, I'll either be sharing a my screen with a YouTube video pulled up of ambience or adding it to a music player in the server. If there's any kind of music or YouTube channels you love to listen to, let me know and I'll add it to the list1 I'm a big proponent of the "Rule of Cool" as a GM. We're here to have fun telling stories around the table, right? Obviously there has to be a line, but if you describe something really interesting or a unique way of using your abilities and experiences to help out in a situation, I'm always up to work with you to make the cool thing happen! As long as it doesn't interfere with the enjoyment of the other players at the table, let's do it! I also have an open-door policy as a GM. If you ever have any questions, concerns, or issues that need to be brought up, my DMs are always open to chat. I want to make sure that everyone at my tables are having a good time. I will listen to every side of a story and get the facts before making any decisions, but know that I am doing everything within my ability to make sure your voices are heard.

Homebrew rules

Since it's a fairly new system, and I'm still learning the ins and outs of it, there isn't a lot of Homebrew Rules I've developed so far when it comes to Daggerheart. Something that I haven't brought into a game currently but have been thinking about is making a Tag Team roll collaborative enough to pull off even if one person doesn't have the full 3 Hope it takes to do so. For example - if one person has two Hope to spend and the other in the Tag Team has one, I would allow there to be a Tag Team Action. This will only be applicable if both parties have only 3 Hope split between the both of them. If there is more than that, then the RAW is the ruling.

How Jay Olson creates a safe table

Now let's talk about the more serious but just as important part of any TTRPG table - The Safety Tools. As I have state before, I make it a priority in all my games to ensure that everyone at the table feels safe to explore different things while playing this game. This is especially true if you're playing with a group of people you may have never had much of a full conversation with before sitting down to start playing. Here are a few ways I ensure that safety at my tables: - There will be a Lines & Veils sheet given to everyone before the Session 0. I ask those be turned in at least 36 hours before we sit down for the Session 0 so I can ask any clarifying questions or jot down any specifics people feel comfortable with sharing in order to better cultivate the content within the scope of the campaign. These are private and never shared with any other person at the table. - Especially for any intense Sessions, I'll hold space afterwards before ending to make sure everyone checks in to see how they are feeling. This is also a big time to address any Bleed that might have come through during the Session. If nothing was brought up at the time, this time is to talk about that kind of thing to make sure nothing is ever sitting with someone if it has made them uncomfortable for any long amount of time. - In terms of X, N, & O cards, those are usually something I like to discuss with the table as to how they want to go about showing those. If you prefer to show them on video for everyone to see, then great! If you want to privately DM me with that as to not put your triggers out in the open, absolutely okay.