Magnillas Mage School: The Arcanist’s Trial

Creating your character

Characters will begin at Level 5 as advanced students of Magnillas University, one of the most prestigious mage schools in the world. This campaign is set in a fully established homebrew setting with multiple past campaigns and consistently glowing player reviews—so you’ll be stepping into a world with real history, ongoing lore, and plenty of room for your character to matter. At the start of the story, your character is awaiting official word on whether they’ve been selected to participate in The Arcanist’s Trial—a high-status magical gauntlet designed to test adaptability, teamwork, and critical thinking under pressure. These invitations are rare and fiercely competitive, and being chosen can determine your future access to elite mentors, powerful organizations, and highly sought-after post-graduate positions. ✅ Class Requirement: Any class is allowed as long as it includes some form of spellcasting (full caster, half caster, or partial casting—if you can cast spells, you qualify). 🎲 Stats: Standard Array (no rolling) 🧙 Character Building Platform: We will build characters in D&D Beyond using a campaign link that will be provided after joining. 📌 Session 0: We’ll finalize character details together during Session 0, including party connections, tone and table expectations, and how your character fits into Magnillas life before the Trials begin.

Preparing for the session

Before we begin, please complete the following steps so you’re ready to jump in on game day: Join the Discord Server- invite sent after joining You’ll be invited to our Discord community where you can connect with players from other campaigns, ask questions, and stay up to date on announcements. Join Your Party’s Private Channel You’ll also have access to a private party chat just for your group, so you can plan, discuss theories, share notes, and stay connected between sessions. Install & Set Up AboveVTT We will be using AboveVTT for our virtual tabletop during sessions. Please have it installed and ready to go before our first game so we don’t waste time troubleshooting. If you ever need help getting set up, just ask—I’m happy to walk you through it.

What Freydis brings to the table

I aim to run a game that feels immersive, fast-moving, and character-driven, while still keeping the table fun and welcoming. You can expect a strong mix of roleplay, puzzles, tension, and tactical combat, with plenty of moments for creative problem-solving and clutch decisions. 🎧 Immersion & Presentation I use a curated collection of music, ambient audio, and sound effects to help scenes feel alive. I also provide handouts and visual elements when relevant (especially for puzzles, clues, and key story moments), so you’re not just listening—you’re investigating and interacting with the world. 🎭 Roleplay & Character Voices I do character voices as best I can, and I put a lot of effort into making NPCs feel distinct, memorable, and emotionally real. If you like games where conversations matter and your choices shape relationships and outcomes, you’ll fit in well here. ⚔️ Combat & Challenge Style Combat is meaningful and can be tactical, but it won’t be endless grind. The goal is to keep fights cinematic, tense, and fun, with real stakes and room for clever plays. The Arcanist’s Trial will challenge you, but it’s designed to reward teamwork, creative thinking, and adapting under pressure—not just raw damage output. 📜 Rules, Rulings, and “Rule of Cool” I run a balanced mix of Rules as Written and Rule of Cool. Most mechanics will follow 2014 rules, with a small amount of 2024 content mixed in where it makes sense and improves gameplay. If something comes up mid-session, I’ll make a quick ruling to keep the game moving, then we can clarify between sessions if needed. Overall, my goal is simple: give you a game that feels worth showing up for every week—one where you get to be smart, heroic, messy, brilliant, and unforgettable.

Homebrew rules

Crits: On a Nat 20 attack roll, calculate the max damage if you were to roll the highest damage possible given your attack, then roll the dice like normal and add the result to the max. If a saving throw fails with a crit 1, then it applies the maximum damage possible for the spell, + rolled damage. Ex: lv 1 Eldritch blast 1d10 damage. 10 is the max of this roll. Then roll like normal. Say we roll a 6. Add those two numbers together 10+6=16 force damage. Helps keep the crit feeling like a crit. Selene, a rogue, uses her Dagger with sneak attack: thats 1d4+3 for dagger then Sneak Atk would be 2d6. You would add 7(dagger) +12 (sneak attack)=19. Then you roll damage as normal and add that to the 19. roll a 2+3 for the dagger, then 5 for sneak attack= 29dmg. Evan cast Toll the dead: 1d8/1d12, enemy rolls nat 1 on Widsom save. The creature takes 8 or 12 damage plus what ever the damage rolled is. For example 5 + 12= 14. 2. Flanking: You gain advantage when an ally is on the exact opposite side of the target, and is in melee range of the enemy. 3. Skill assist: To assist an ally in a skill check, you must be proficient in that skill. If you're not proficient, you may not assist in the action. 4. Grapple: Attempting a Grapple: You can use the Attack action to make an unarmed strike to initiate a grapple. If the attack hits, the target is grappled and may immediately use their reaction to contest it. The target makes an Athletics (STR) or Acrobatics (DEX) check (their choice) against the Grapple DC. Grapple DC: 8 + Proficiency Bonus + Strength Modifier of the grappler. Escaping a Grapple: On their turn, the grappled creature can use their action to repeat the check (Athletics or Acrobatics) against the same DC. Success ends the grapple. Movement While Grappling: The grappler moves at half speed while moving a creature their size or smaller. The grappler cannot move if the grappled creature is larger, or if they’re grappling more than one creature. This accounts for the grappled “fighting” back against the action. 5. Health Potions: Use an action and get full benefits. Use a bonus action and roll for results. Its an action to hand or administer a potion to a fellow party member. They must roll for results. 6. Intimidate: Barbarians may use their STR mod to intimidate instead of CHA. This may apply to other melee focus characters. 7. Social Skill checks: Please try to roleplay these checks as best as you can.

How Freydis creates a safe table

Player comfort and safety are priorities at my table. D&D is meant to be fun and collaborative, and I want to make sure everyone feels respected and supported while we play. Open Door Policy: My door is always open. If something is bothering you—before, during, or after a session—you can message me privately, and we’ll work together to address it. Lines & Veils: Before we begin, I provide an anonymous Lines & Veils document for players to fill out. This helps define clear boundaries around sensitive content. The results are collected and shared with the group during Session 0 so we all know the table’s comfort zones. Aftercare: At the end of heavier sessions, I’ll check in with the group to make sure everyone is feeling good. If difficult themes arise, we’ll debrief and reset before the next game. Together, these tools create a respectful and supportive space where we can explore dangerous jungles, curses, and tombs in-game—while knowing everyone at the table is safe and comfortable out of game. Keep in mind, although i use lines and veils, Some campaigns have themes and those themes may not allign with your ideal game setting, keep this in mind, before asking me to leave gore out of a horror game, or some other odd request.