![Shallow Grave: A Short Campaign[New Players Welcome!]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fspg-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com%2F239515d3-5955-432a-8250-8f79c899197d&w=3840&q=75)
Shallow Grave: A Short Campaign[New Players Welcome!]
A frontier town has gone silent. Investigate the rot into conspiracy, and face a horror older than the kingdom.
$15.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Saturday - 1:00 AM UTC
Session Duration / 3 hours
Campaign Length / 3–5 Sessions
2 / 6 Seats Filled
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Meet your party members
2/6
About the adventure
Welcome to Shallow Grave—where politics, monsters, mysteries, and the occasional “oh no, we caused that” are served weekly. A frontier town, Dellhodd, has gone silent. As a keystone of Hellanium’s agricultural supply, its loss risks famine, unrest, and political fallout. You are dispatched to uncover the source of the corruption, contain it, and excise it before it spreads. Bring your ambition, your bad decisions, and your best “we can totally talk our way out of this” face. This chapter can be tailored for D&D newcomers, veterans, or a mix of both--all are welcome! It runs levels 3–5 over 3–6 sessions. What begins as a straightforward assignment quickly spirals into political machinations, ancient terrors, and decisions that echo far beyond Dellhodd’s borders. Shallow Grave ends with a satisfying conclusion, but it also opens a door: the full Crippled Wyrm campaign continues where you left off, carrying your party to level 15 through political intrigue, creeping dread, and high-stakes decision-making across the kingdom of Hellanium. And beyond that, Crippled Wyrm is only the first campaign in the larger Arcanum Malefica Mega-Campaign. Every character you create becomes part of your personal roster of heroes. Across multiple campaigns, your stable of adventurers can eventually rise to level 30 for the grand finale. So, come on. It's time to roll initiative on your own story.
Game style
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Sandbox / Open World
Meet the Game Master
Less than a year on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: Storytelling, Creativity, World Builder
About me
I'm DM Tree, a forever DM turned pro, and I invite you to step into a world where your choices forge the path and every adventure is a grand saga waiting to unfold. Whether you're new to TTRPGS, or actually 3 kobolds in a trench-coat, I meet you where you’re at in your TTRPG journey. So without too much fanfare, Welcome to my world: Arcanum Malefica! Every 5E campaign in Arcanum Malefica comes with its own beginner-friendly meta-system—like the Passenger, Kingdom, or Artifact systems—breathing new life into the aged 5e without being overwhelming. Every campaign also weaves into a mega-campaign where your cast of characters continue to grow, and their stories evolve until the grand finale at level 30! How you deal with every campaign scenario creates dozens or even hundreds of unique variations. No two playthroughs are ever the same. So, come on. It's time to roll initiative on your own story.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
The character will be done before-hand. I'll be there to help via voice/discord with creation, setting primers, and getting to know how you work as a player.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
I make it super easy. Join the discord server and I'll contact you with support right away.
What Arcanum Malefica brings to the table
First and foremost, I'll provide a sandbox for each player to full explore! After that, I offer playlists, coaching, and, if necessary, a Foundry VTT server. As a DM, I am accepting of all things creative and will RP with what you give me. However, things are not always spelled out and obvious. Given you choose where to go next and where your attention goes, things play out very differently every time during these sessions, even if the material is the same. I also fully realize the Rule of Cool style of DMing where sometimes the rules can be bent to show off cool abilities/ideas
Homebrew rules
Note: Every homebrew rule will be discussed and voted upon by the party. Below are some examples of some rules and systems that could be deployed. -Potions to yourself are bonus actions and action feeding it to someone else -You may cast levelled spells for both actions and bonus actions -Death Saves Failed death saves persist until you complete an 8-hour sleep. When at 0 HP, you may choose: Stay down (do nothing): You roll death saves privately and DM-only. Don’t share results. Act while dying: You may move, take an action, or bonus action (non-healing only). You remain prone. You automatically fail 1 death save when you do this. -Critical Strikes A crit deals 2x damage. If you crit, roll again: If it’s a 20, the attack becomes 3x damage. Roll again—if it’s another 20, the creature dies instantly, no exceptions. This does NOT affect players. Instead, they recieve 4X damage. You cannot use Portent or similar abilities to force these 20s. There are other such systems that will be discussed as we get into the campaign. EX: Passenger System Kingdom Builder Artefact System Resurrection System Per-Campaign systems (Ships for Enrapture, Noble House for Dread Weapons, etc)
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Arcanum Malefica creates a safe table
Safety is my chief concern. I classically hold session 0s, lines and veils, and a google doc to expressly set expectations from the get-go. From there, I am watching pings or have a sound board/safe word for those who are uncomfortable with an unfolding scenario. I also offer after-game support and debriefing to ensure everything is handled appropriately.
Content warnings
Safety tools used