Eberron: Rise With The Mourning | 2 Free Sessions! |

Creating your character

Players should create their characters using the 2024 D&D rules, using the basic rules from The Players Handbook and with additional features from Eberron: Forge of the Artificer. We won't be using the materials from Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerun or Astarion's Book of Hungers. We will be building the characters in Roll20, I have the materials and they will be shared with the players. Players will use standard array or point buy for stat allocation. Players should come to session 0 with a few character ideas in case multiple people want to play the same thing (class and species). Players shouldn't have their entire character mapped out, but instead have a general idea about their personality/motivation and together we can situate them in the world and party. Choosing your species and class will be your choice but how your character fits will be collaboration with the players and GM. We will probably flesh out your backstory during session 0. Rule of thumb - Players don't keep secrets from other players, but characters can absolutely keep secrets from characters. If the players know you are secretly a member of a dragon house but there is no way for their characters to know, it's the job of the players to enjoy the ride of discovery naturally. Don't start prodding at every moment that they have a secret, I will call you out on this and if it keeps up we will discuss what it means to be a good player. I never want to remove a player from the table but if they can't behave, well then sometimes you have to do what you have to do. Of course we can have some secrets/backstory reveals for later but in general if you are trying to pickpocket someone the players will know even if the characters don't.

Preparing for the session

Players need to have a Roll20 account, a Discord account, and access to a microphone and webcam. First 2 session free. After that normal weekly sessions will be paid, and if players join after the campaign has started they will be given the same benefits.

What Brian brings to the table

Things I will do. 1. Character voices - They will be bad, inconsistent, and often forgotten, re-used and hopefully not problematic (its all fantasy but we take inspiration from real life. If anything ever is over a line I hope a player would let me know as that is never my intent). 2. Sometimes music - I have struggled with finding the right technology for adding music to games online. Some GMs pay for discord bots, others import music to their VTT and manually craft all the playlists. I have tried the later but it has been inconsistent at best but for important moments I will try to have the atmosphere set well with sound. 3. Collaboration - This isn't my campaign, it's ours. Together we will explore the world of Eberron but the players/characters will be the guiding force and lens. If you aren't interested in the major religious factions you won't be forced to engage with them. During session 0 we will discuss the actual thrust of the campaign and what topics, themes, and genre we all want to engage with and let that be the starting point. From there we will have check ins and the story will be shaped by what the players do and where the put their focus. Of course if part way in they discover they want to explore topics that weren't discussed before we could change directions, but only everyone agrees on the new direction. 4. Backstory matters - Even if your backstory is a simple farm hand now seeking a better life and adventure, it matters. I want each player and character to feel invested in the world and knowing how you have fit in it before helps. Additionally every player will have major and minor connections with other players so that there is reasons for them to work together. This isn't just a random assortment of people, this is a party of adventures that care if harm comes to each other. 5. Customization - If there isn't a clear magic item that fits your character, lets build one. If there isn't a faction that truly aligns with your characters goals, LETS BUILD ONE!!! You get the idea. The world is massive with many hidden parts, we can fill in some of the blanks with things that work for us.

Homebrew rules

Homebrew will be optional at a table by table basis but here are some of my favorites. 1. Exhaustion - Exhaustion is either game breaking or doesn't matter at all normally. My exhaustion rules are simple, when you gain a level of exhaustion you take a stacking -1 to all d20 tests. If you get 7 levels of exhaustion your character dies. That's it. So at 4 levels of exhaustion you get a -4 added to all rolls. 2. Healing from being dropped to 0 - This only applies if we use the exhaustion HB but doesn't have to be added. If you are healed from 0 hit points and regain consciousness you gain 1 level of exhaustion. This is to prevent the ping pong effect of just giving someone a few HP and having them go down again every turn. Additionally healing exhaustion is modified. Now on a long rest you remove 2 levels of exhaustion and once per day you can remove 1 level of exhaustion during a short rest. 3. The Help action - You can only help on a skill check if you have proficiency in that skill (having a bunch of morons attempt to help with brain surgery probably would make it harder not easier). Similarly a familiar can only help you on a skill that you are proficient in sense they get their training from you, kinda. 4. Crazy multi-attack multiclassing stuff - This is too hard explain and probably won't be used since no party has ever chosen to but here is the TLDR: you aren't punished as much for multiclassing as a martial class before level 5, but you are also rewarded for sticking with 1 class to level 5. 5. Resistances and vulnerability - These are like exhaustion, either game breaking or not a part of the game at all. My HB is that most creatures have a vulnerability but they don't take double damage. Instead, they take 2x the attacking creatures level as bonus damage once per turn (this damage doubles on a crit). The damage is the same type as the vulnerability and only is once per turn to prevent nova damage from weak multi-attacks getting massive damage increases. Every player and monster turn can have a proc so having lingering damage, AOEs, and reaction attacks can all stack on more damage. Resistance is the same as vulnerability but it doesn't happen only once per turn (reduce the damage by 2x your level or CR for monsters). This makes resistance against low damage abilities very strong but less good against fireballs and cones of cold. Resistance could be modified if this seems unfair. In past campaigns resistances turned some key fights into cake walks and I'd like to keep the threat and tension in these big moments.

How Brian creates a safe table

Primary safety tools will be "lines and veils" which we will establish at session 0 and re-check throughout the campaign. If things begin to happen at the table that a player isn't OK with then we can employ the X Card to change what just happened (not changing rolls but changing the story so that it doesn't cause harm to the player). Additionally we will set expectations for player interactions such that even if your characters are having a difficult time working together the players are all on the same page and still enjoying the gameplay. If character bleed starts to take place we will back off and rehumanize the players and try to distance them from the characters. If a problem continues, changing how a character acts might be necessary for the health of the group (hopefully with a satisfying story reason as well). The most important safety tool is good communication from everyone involved. If some content is rough but manageable for a player I don't want to make that a central part of the story, but it may be alluded instead. We will be respectful of each other, try to extent grace when someone makes a mistake, and do our best to learn how to be a good table to play at together. Not every group is meant to play together long term and forcing a table to stick it out isn't healthy. Instead we want to create a positive, enjoyable, affirming, and learning experience for everyone. If the campaign lasts a month or a year these goals should be the same (though the scope might change). For player feedback I'd like to employ the Stars and Wishes system to help create a game for the players, not just about them.