The Wizard Of Strahd

Creating your character

Characters are premade at level 1 with some new backgrounds and traits I've added in specifically for dark Oz-style characters. Starting at level 1 means that you can customize their build as you level up. And though each character has a class chosen already, I'm very open to switching their starting class if you can make a case for it. (ex. the Lion could arguably be played as a Paladin rather than a Barbarian if you so choose) The characters and classes are as follows: They are as follows: 1. Dorothy - human bard, custom background: farmer 2. Scarecrow - medium construct ranger, "haunted one" background 3. Tinman - warforged fighter, custom background: woodsman 4. Lion - Tabaxi barbarian, noble background If another player is interested in playing, Toto may become playable as a gnoll or something haha. All characters are given detailed background descriptions, personality traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws to keep in mind when roleplaying them. The point is to have fun playing their tropes and also building their levels in an interesting a story-driven way. Everyone can pick their character during our free session zero, which will likely be an hour or so long. We're looking for teamwork, friendship, and "yes and(ing)" during roleplay so be open and be kind - we can't all be Dorothy.

Preparing for the session

You will need a discord account as well as a Roll20 account before session zero. The basic, free Roll20 account is enough to experience all the bells and whistles the VTT has to offer since I have a pro account that shares everything with you. Once our players are all agreed on a session zero date and time, and at least 24 hours before that date/time, I will provide links to my private "The Great GM" (TGGM) Discord server where you'll find the Roll20 game link.

What The Great GM (Kevin) brings to the table

I use lots of music and sound effects to set the mood on Roll20. I also like using their 3D dice animations so it feels more like we're all actually rolling dice. With my pro subscription we have access to all kinds of maps, artwork, lighting effects, and other immersive Virtual Tabletop (VTT) functions. I love doing characters and voices, and most importantly, responding to player choices and situations. I will mostly go off the Rules as Written style play, but there is ALWAYS a place for "the rule of cool." So absolutely ask if you can do something wild and out of the ordinary in any given situation. Take risks, seek rewards! I don't actively or intently try to kill my players. That being said, they are not invincible, even with what should be plot armor from The Wizard of Oz, our world is much darker. BaroviOz is an unforgiving land full of horrid monsters and evils far beyond any 1930s movie. So if, for example, the scarecrow dies...then he is dead and our story will change. That player, of course, is welcome to roll up a new character and join the party in a different capacity! I would never kick someone from the table just for dying lol.

How The Great GM (Kevin) creates a safe table

Roll20 has a set of safe cards built into our game and I can give a quick tutorial to all on how to use them. I also encourage physical safety cards that can be held up quickly on webcam if someone needs to reject something triggering immediately. We'll also discuss boundaries in session zero, and I will provide a private survey/document where you can request omission of any phobias, content, etc. (for example, "no spiders please!")