Dagger in the Heart: You Could Turn Back. You Won’t.

Creating your character

Character creation for this campaign uses the rules from Heart: The City Beneath and will take place collaboratively during Session 0. You do not need to create a complete character in advance, but you should arrive with a few ideas ready so we can move efficiently and make sure the group fits together. Before Session 0, please prepare at least two character concepts. These only need to cover: - Ancestry - Calling - Class This helps us avoid overlap, especially in class, and ensures everyone gets a character they’re excited about. Once we’ve aligned on concepts as a group, we’ll build the rest of the character together. To help shape your ideas, consider the following questions: - What does your character think they want from the Heart? - What do they really want, even if they won’t admit it? - Name three people or places that matter deeply to them. These don’t need to be fully defined yet; they’re touchstones we’ll return to during play. During Session 0, we will: - Finalize each character’s ancestry, calling, and class - Select one major ability and three minor abilities from your class (standard starting Delver setup) - Establish relationships, tone, and party fit - Introduce and discuss Beats, including custom Beat Sheets written specifically for this campaign You will not need to choose your starting Beats during Session 0. Instead, you’ll select two starting Beats between Session 0 and Session 1, after you’ve had time to reflect on your character and the campaign’s direction. After Session 0, I’ll work individually with each player as needed to: - Tie characters more closely into the setting - Adjust details for narrative fit - Incorporate personal elements that emerged during discussion This ensures everyone begins Session 1 with a character that feels grounded, motivated, and ready to descend. Rules Access All core ancestries, callings, and classes from Heart: The City Beneath are allowed. If you do not own the book, I will provide all necessary rules references and materials via Roll20. Character creation is meant to be collaborative, focused, and evocative—not a test or a homework assignment. Come with ideas, be open to refinement, and trust that the details will sharpen as we go.

Preparing for the session

This campaign uses Roll20 for the virtual tabletop and Discord for voice chat and between-session communication. Before the game begins, players should ensure they have: - A free Roll20 account - A free Discord account - A reliable microphone and stable internet connection Once you join the game, I will provide: - An invitation link to the campaign’s Discord server - A Roll20 game link, shared in Discord prior to Session 0 No additional software, paid accounts, or rulebooks are required to begin play. Character creation will be handled collaboratively during Session 0, so there is no need to create a character in advance beyond preparing your initial concepts. If you have any technical concerns or questions before Session 0, you are welcome to raise them in Discord once you have access.

What Michael brings to the table

I provide a well-prepared, atmospheric campaign focused on descent, consequence, and character-driven play. This game is about pressure building over time, physical, emotional, and spiritual, and about what your character becomes as they push deeper into the Heart. Player choices matter, and they shape not only the direction of the story, but how the world responds to you. I emphasize immersion and tone through clear, evocative description, strong visual framing, and consistent thematic focus. The Heart should feel strange, intimate, and unsettling, but also coherent and grounded in play. I use character voices sparingly and only when they support clarity or mood. My priority is communication, pacing, and ensuring everyone understands what is happening and what is at stake. Rules are applied fairly and transparently, with respect for how Heart: The City Beneath is designed to function. I generally follow Rules as Written, especially where they reinforce stress, fallout, and difficult decisions. When rulings are required, I favor interpretations that support tone, player intent, and narrative coherence over technical optimization. Momentum and clarity matter, but so do risk and consequence. Combat is an important part of the game and is treated as dangerous, dramatic, and consequential, not as a tactical miniatures exercise. Fights are often fast, intense, and costly, and they tend to change the situation even when the characters are successful. Violence is a valid option, but it is rarely clean or isolated from the rest of the story. Choosing to fight, like choosing to press deeper, is a meaningful decision with lasting effects. I provide clear visual aids, handouts, and reference material through Roll20, including campaign-specific resources. I communicate consistently and remain available on Discord between sessions for questions, clarification, or character development. I actively manage spotlight to ensure everyone has space to contribute and that collaboration is encouraged. Above all, I aim to run a trust-based table. I am upfront about expectations, responsive to feedback, and attentive to player comfort. This campaign asks players to engage with difficult choices, personal motivations, and the consequences of descent. I will meet that investment with preparation, consistency, and care. This game is best suited for players who enjoy strong atmosphere, character arcs, and meaningful consequences, and who are excited to explore what survives the journey into the Heart and what must be left behind.

How Michael creates a safe table

This campaign explores difficult themes, including obsession, desire, loss, and the consequences of choice. Creating a space where players feel safe, respected, and comfortable engaging with that material is essential. I use clear, established safety tools and set expectations early to support a trust-based table where players can take risks in the fiction without feeling unsafe as people. We will begin with a Session 0 focused on alignment and consent. During Session 0, we will discuss the tone and themes of the campaign, review expectations around play style and content, go over all safety tools and how to use them, and establish Lines and Veils together as a group. I will provide a Lines and Veils document for players to review and update. This document is a living resource and can be revisited or revised at any point during the campaign. Lines represent content that will not appear in the game. Veils represent content that may exist in the fiction but will not be described in detail or played out on screen. These boundaries are respected consistently and without question, and players are never required to justify or explain a boundary. During play, we will use digital and verbal X, N, and O tools: - X to immediately stop or remove content - N to signal discomfort or request a shift in tone - O to indicate that everything is going well These tools can be used via Roll20 chat, voice, or a simple verbal cue. No explanation is required. If one is used, we will pause, adjust, and continue respectfully. Open communication is encouraged throughout the campaign. Players are always welcome to raise concerns, request adjustments, or ask questions either during sessions or privately between sessions. Player comfort always takes priority over plot, tension, or surprise. Safety tools are normal, expected, and supported, and using them will never carry negative consequences. This campaign asks characters to make hard choices in fiction. It should never ask players to feel unsafe at the table.