Children of Whitmore House | Gothic/Folk Horror Cottagecore D&D
Welcome, young one, to the Whitmore House... this is home now...
$16.00
/ Session
Details
Bi-weekly / Friday - 7:00 PM UTC
Session Duration / 3–4 hours
Campaign Length / 5–10 Sessions
1 / 5 Seats Filled
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Meet your party members
1/5
About the adventure
'There are many reasons why a child can find themself alone in this world, too often, however, the story ends there; in a tragic ending of ‘how sad for the child’ or the tale picks up later in life to the tune of ‘look at what they have achieved in spite of–’. What is more oft than not overlooked, is the time in between the tragedy and achievement. A very fortunate group of children find themselves matriculating in the halls of Whitmore House under the careful watch and astute tutelage of a woman they refer to as Grandmother Whitmore. These children from across lands each with shrouded histories, find themselves the protected wards of the domain of the strange and wonderful Whitmore House' In a small realm adjacent to the dark Mists of Ravenloft is a cozy estate that houses the lost and discarded children who have fallen through the cracks of their respective worlds. This story follows the children of House Whitmore from their early life (pre-Level 1) all the way to their eventual adult lives, and the mysterious letter from their "Grandmother" Cassandra Whitmore that draws them back into the mists to return to the house of their childhood.
Game style
Roleplay Heavy
Combat Lite
Puzzle / Mystery Focused
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(11)
Less than a year on StartPlaying
6 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, Inclusive
Average response time: 10 hours
Response rate: 50%
About me
Looking for immersive games, well-woven stories, and a guide through the manifold worlds of story hidden within your very own mind? Look no further wanderer… Hello All! I’m Josh! I’m a Midwest based DM, MC, GM, and general enjoyer of running TTRPG’s. I run the gamut from cozy combat-lite/combat-free games to lethal horror games. I love running for all levels of player curating games to challenge advanced players and curating experiences for those dipping their toes into a game system for the first time. I have been a gamemaster for 8 years! Much of that time has been spent bouncing between running long-term campaigns for primarily experienced players and running one-shots and limited-term campaigns for beginners. I believe that storytelling has the power to build community and forge a sense of togetherness. Storytelling is an act of collaboration, collectivism, and community-building, which is enriched by uniting through empathy, and curating a space where all stories are welcomed and given voice. Outside GM-ing, I spend much of my time as a playwright and theatre-maker. I use the skills from that aspect of my life to enrich gameplay including, graphics, projections, soundscapes, effects, character materials, and occasional costuming or physical props. Anything that serves to build a better story together! We all have stories to tell, and I cannot wait to hear yours. See you at the table!!
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Build and Concept for character creation will be one-on-one (either video call or chat exchange: player preference) to develop 'character relationship to world'. Session 0 will be building 'character relationship to character' and establishing group dynamics. We will start at 'Level 0' effectively working through various seasons and developing and selecting traits. We may develop into a class, or have a class we're specifically developing toward. [Character Creation and Session 0 Free!]
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Gameplay and Character Creation will happen over Discord! Once you join the server, you will be added to the channels for this game. After being added to the channel, reach out to me about setting up a character creation setting!
What Josh brings to the table
I'll be bringing in some visual aids (scene cards, digital maps, etc.) and some sound effects or soundscapes to help create a sense of immersion in the story. Also, as far as rules go, I am always a 'rules flexible' DM. Rules should serve the story we're telling. Rules as written provide solid guardrails for story, however are not universally useful. If we find something needs adjustment either in character creation or in between sessions, we can adjust it!
Homebrew rules
Starting Feat at Level 1 (see above in character creation) Critical Skill checks are in play! A Nat20 is a Nat20! Flanking gives advantage. Rule Flexible: (Rule of Cool Lite) Parameters are that the action is feasible, albeit outside of the implicit boundaries of the rule, AND, most importantly, are focused on advancing the story. So, can we adjust the margins of spellcraft to reflavor it to a creative use when relevant to a character's story arc, but we will not be doing a NPC rail gun or any other maneuver that is outside the bounds of genre, story, and setting. There's no penalty to acting outside of your alignment, however, feel empowered to adjust your alignment as you feel it reflects the story you're telling! This is a campaign setting where ideas of Evil and Good can sometimes have tangible effects. This campaign will begin using the game engine of The Quiet Year, as a way to collaboratively world build and build relationships together. The Curse of Aging: One of the dark curses of the Whitmore House is the penalty for those naughty children who refuse to 'act their age'. Each Whitmore character will have a definable parameter of an 'outburst' based on their Flaw. Every time they play into this flaw, their ability to age as normal may be hindered (via a d100 roll table). Innocence: Innocence is a valuable commodity in a realm this close to the Mists of Ravenloft, a place of truly damned souls. All children start with an innocence token. As long as they have this sense of innocence protected, they are under the effect of the 'Sanctuary' spell. Following incidents that would be stress inducing to a child, a roll for loss of innocence occurs. On a d100 roll, there is a chance of anything from loss of innocence to gaining a fear. This symbolizes the slow creeping presence of the horrors on the other side of the mists. Loss of innocence results in losing the Sanctuary condition and gaining either a Dark Gift (from Van Richten's) or a Fate Brand (see below). Using the template of Stress rules from Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft, these rolls can be progressively penalized. Fear: Each Whitmore character may develop a Seed of Fear. When faced or avoided creatively, players gain inspiration. The presence of a seed of fear or any larger terrifying source of fear may trigger a Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for a round. Fate Brands are small tattoo-like marks (perhaps its a birthmark or a scar or a burn) in shapes and symbols that portent ill. Mechanically, they are a unification of the Symbiotic Being Dark Gift in the form of a Spellwrought Tattoo. A D12 randomized table exists that directs the nature of the Fate Brand. These brands come with not only the attached spell effect, but also have a particular attunement to one of the many Dread Domains of Ravenloft.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Microphone
Computer or Mobile Device
Webcam
Platforms used
Safety
How Josh creates a safe table
I'll be using the RPG Safety Checklist. I'll be transferring that into 'Lines and Veils' a set of language that explains where 'hard lines' of content that we will not touch on, and 'veiled' content which we will not narratively detail and will only ever keep on the periphery of gameplay if at all. From there in any instance where a scene may appear to head towards a 'veil' we will either avoid the content entirely or 'fade to black' on that narrative beat and move to the scene that follows. The following content warnings are elements present in the lore and content of the world that will be filtered and managed carefully based on outcomes from the Safety Checklist. If you have any questions regarding the Content Warnings I would love to address that while going over the Safety Checklist!
Content warnings
Safety tools used