Rise of the King | Folk Horror in Druskenvald

Creating your character

Character Creation will be based on rules provided in the 2024 Player’s Handbook (5.5e). Character Level: 1 Ability Scores: Standard Array or Point Buy Equipment: Starting gear for your class + background Backgrounds: Feel free to swap proficiencies on a 1:1 basis, your character should be good at the things you want them to be! Each character will receive a Thread of Fate, which will provide a call to action, rewards for narrative progression, and full personal arcs interwoven into the overall campaign narrative! Some questions to consider while creating a character for this campaign: - What are your character’s defining personality traits? - What ideals drive your character forward? - What are your character’s flaws? - What does your character fear and desire most? - Which archetype best applies to your character? - How has your character’s past shaped them? - How would you describe your character without mentioning what they do, what they have, or what they look like? - Are there any aspects of your character that are superfluous to the answers to the above questions or are thematically unfitting for a Folk Horror adventure?

Preparing for the session

Links to both the Discord server and the Roll20 VTT game will be sent to you upon joining the campaign.

What Jeri brings to the table

Ambient and scene-specific music, character creation materials provided through the Roll20 compendium, GM/player collaboration to make thematically fitting characters, and a desire to tell the most entertaining story as we can together!

Homebrew rules

- Species/Class Restrictions: If there is a 5.5e version of your species or class, use the 5.5e version (human, goliath, halfling, etc). Species/class options from Monsters of the Multiverse, Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, and Xanathar’s Guide to Everything are fine as long as there is NOT a 5.5e version. - Critical Success (Natural 20): Can happen on ability/skill checks and saves. Critical successes on ability/skill checks will impose advantage on any subsequent related ability/skill checks. - Critical Failure (Natural 1): Can happen on ability/skill checks and saves. Critical failures on ability/skill checks will impose disadvantage on any subsequent related skill/ability checks. - Number of Skill Check Attempts: 2 individual checks, 1 with advantage if one player is assisting another (help action). More than two PCs attempting the same check turns it into a Group Skill Check. - Group Skill Checks: Number of successes vs failures, critical successes count as two successes and critical failures count as two failures. Death/Death Saving Throws: Death saving throws are PRIVATE (whispered to the GM only). - Revivify: You may use the Revivify spell as normal, which consumes the diamond worth 300gp required as a component. Alternatively, you may choose to conduct the spell in the following 10-minute long ritual: A skill challenge that initiates for any resurrection spell that requires more than an action to cast. It must have at least three participants, and each contributes a unique method of guiding the soul of the departed back to the body. This can be anything from yelling at them to return, delivering an emotional speech, impressing them with a feat of strength, etc. A relevant skill check is rolled, with the DM determining the DC based on the method. When all contributions are made, the DM then rolls a final check, the DC being 10 + 1 for each resurrection the dead character has undergone - 3 for each successful contribution check by the participants in the ritual. On a success, the dead party member is returned. Casting the spell as a ritual does not consume the diamond. - Spell Scrolls: Any creature with the capability to cast spells (Spellcasting, Pact Magic) can use any spell scroll, regardless of whether or not it is on that creature’s spell list. - Healing Potions: A creature may choose to use an Action rather than a Bonus Action to drink a healing potion, receiving the maximum possible amount of HP. Healing 2d4 + 2 -> 10 Greater healing 4d4 + 4 -> 20 Superior healing 8d4 + 8 -> 40 Supreme healing 10d4 + 20 -> 60 - Fall Damage: The bludgeoning damage received from falling ignores resistances to bludgeoning damage. - Ready Action - Holding Spells: Using the Ready action to hold a spell doesn’t consume the spell slot unless the trigger is met. Concentration is still required to Ready a spell.

How Jeri creates a safe table

Before the start of the campaign, everyone will fill out an RPG Consent Checklist (trigger sheet). Every session will have a 10 minute break as close to the middle of the session as possible, and at the end of every session I will be checking in with the group as a whole to make sure everyone has a chance to decompress, discuss any potential bleed, and share any Stars or Wishes they have.