The Shattered Crown of Vaelcrest Hold | Pure TOTM D&D 5E

Creating your character

Characters will be created using standard D&D 5e rules at Level 5. You can expect to advance to approximately Level 8 by the end of the adventure. You may use Point Buy, Standard Array, or rolled stats (rolled in a shared space so everyone can see). Please build your character fully by-the-book. All official D&D 5e (2014) species and classes are allowed. If you’d like to use any third-party content or homebrew, just run it by me first so I can give it a quick look for balance and theme fit. Characters may be created before Session 1 or during our opening session, depending on player preference. I’m happy to help with concepts, backstories, and mechanical questions to make sure everyone feels confident going in. This adventure leans into roleplay, investigation, and meaningful choices, so characters with motivations, connections, and personal stakes in the world are especially encouraged.

Preparing for the session

Step 1: Once you've joined the game, please join my Discord channel here: https://discord.gg/RDBV9eA3Ay. Then, you can message me here on Start Playing and let me know what your username is so that I can add you to the private chat once we get enough players to launch the game.

What The GM Philosopher brings to the table

I'll be providing a pure theater of the mind experience for this game. We will not be using a VTT, maps, hex grids, or anything like that. We will be voice chatting on Discord and keeping written notes. I will use music in the chat to add audio ambiance. Expect a lot of roleplay. I do some voices, and really enjoy acting out interactions. I like to observe the 'rule of cool' when players get great ideas. Combat is intense and cinematic... expect a lot more 'dramatic cinematics' than tactical, crunchy combat.

Homebrew rules

Tone & Purpose I run with a set of gritty, cinematic house rules that make the world feel real, dangerous, and alive. These aren't about punishing players—they’re about making your choices matter and giving weight to the story you’re helping tell. Flanking Flanking grants advantage—for everyone. If you and an ally outmaneuver a foe, you’ll be rewarded. But enemies can flank too, so watch your positioning. Potions Drinking a potion takes a full action. No quick sips mid-sword swing. Use them wisely or lean on your team. Critical Hits Critical hits mean double the dice rolled—not just double the total damage. If your attack lands, you roll all the damage dice again. It’s more dramatic, more fun, and just feels better. Lingering Injuries Lingering injuries are real. If a crit hits you above half HP, it might break a bone. If you’re below half HP, it could sever a limb. Broken bones won’t heal from a Cure Wounds, short rest, or even one long rest. You’ll need at least Lesser Restoration. Severed limbs require Regenerate. A severed head means instant death—no saving throws. A severed torso equals instant death with saving throws. (The head and torso are included on my 'limb' chart.) Death & Spirits Death isn’t always the end. If your character dies, you can choose for their spirit to linger. Coming back will be possible—but difficult. It may require a long quest, a costly ritual, or the mercy of something old and powerful. If you’re willing to walk the long road back, the story will make room for you. Failing Forward Fail forward is possible. If you miss an attack or flub a check but come up with a creative, logical idea that would still impact the situation (like granting an ally advantage), I may allow it. Not guaranteed—but cleverness earns chances. Inventory Precise inventory is expected. Track your gear—arrows, rations, coins, spell components. If it’s on your sheet, it exists. If not, it doesn’t. Passive Perception Passive Perception only matters when I call for a check. When I do, you can choose to use your passive score instead of what you rolled (whichever is better). Otherwise, if no check is called, you don’t notice anything—stay alert. Philosophy These rules aren’t about crunch—they’re about consequence. This world is brutal, but it rewards creativity, teamwork, and guts. If you’re ready to play bold, play smart, and play for keeps, you’ll thrive here.

How The GM Philosopher creates a safe table

Player safety and emotional comfort are key pillars at my table. This campaign explores dark, intense, and morally complex themes, but it should never do so at the cost of anyone’s real-world well-being. That’s why we’ll be using a Lines and Veils document—shared via Google Docs and pinned in our game’s Discord channel. It’ll be pre-filled with my baseline boundaries, and we’ll go over it together during Session 0. You’re encouraged to suggest additions or changes, and anything added will be honored without question. We also use X, N, and O tools during play. These are handled in the main discord thread, and are encouraged at any point. You're also encouraged to speak them out loud at any point. Those tools are always active, and I’ll always respond to them without question or delay. After heavier sessions, I’ll do check-ins via Discord or private message to make sure everyone’s doing okay. We’re here to tell a powerful story together—but real people always come first. To set clear expectations from the start, here are some of my non-negotiable boundaries: Hard Lines (Always Forbidden): - Sexual violence of any kind. This includes non-consensual acts or threats, even thematically. - Sexual content involving children, in any form. - Out-of-game harassment, bullying, or bigotry of any kind—racist, sexist, homophobic, or otherwise. - In-game bullying by players. Targeting another PC with lethal violence, manipulation, or harassment is not allowed, even in-character, unless fully pre-discussed and agreed upon by all involved. Veils (Handled Off-Screen or With Caution): - Sexual or romantic scenes will be veiled (fade to black) when they occur. - Torture may be roleplayed if it serves a story purpose, but if it crosses into gratuitously cruel or overly graphic territory, we fade to black. - Graphic Gore & “Gore-Core” Content: Descriptions of violence, blood, and injury are present (e.g., severed limbs, broken bones, blood-soaked floors), but they stop short of torture-porn or “gore-core” levels of detail. Think R-rated action or horror, not Saw or Hostel. We fade to black before it becomes gratuitously gruesome. - Other heavy themes such as loss, trauma, grief, and corruption may appear—but we’ll always prioritize emotional safety and pull back when needed. If something comes up during play that you weren’t expecting and it feels off, uncomfortable, or upsetting, speak up. You never need to explain or justify why. My job as GM is to build trust, protect that trust, and create a space where everyone can be brave, vulnerable, and immersed—without ever feeling unsafe.