Carnivals, Clowns and Chaos, Oh My!

Image by Tyler Jacobson

Carnivals, Clowns and Chaos, Oh My!

A childhood loss draws you back to the mysterious Witchlight Carnival. Find what was stolen in a Feywild realm of wonder, hags, and peril!

TYPE

Campaign

LEVELS

1–8

LANGUAGE

English

EXPERIENCE

Beginner

AGE

All Ages
2 NEEDED TO START
$15.00

/ Session

Details

Weekly / Monday - 10:00 PM UTC

Session Duration / 3–4 hours

Campaign Length / 16–32 Sessions

1 / 5 Seats Filled

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This game will begin once 3 players have joined

Meet your party members

1/5

About the adventure

You start your adventure standing at the edge of a twilight field, drawn to the glowing tents and strange music of a carnival that visits your world only once every eight years. You are here because of a loss you’ve carried since childhood; a vague, haunting memory of sneaking into this very carnival and having something precious stolen from you. It might have been your smile, your sense of direction, or even a piece of your very height; a nagging absence that has shaped your life in quiet ways. Now the carnival has returned, and an unexplainable pull has guided you back, determined to reclaim what was taken. You will find yourself among other troubled souls, each bearing a similar old wound, and together you’ll step through the glittering gateway of the Witchlight Carnival. But this is no ordinary fairground: it’s a living, shifting prelude to a realm of whimsy and peril. Beyond the ticket booths and magical rides lies a doorway to the Feywild, a place where logic twists and fairy-tale rules reign. Your quest to recover your lost things will lead you through treacherous, ever-changing lands ruled by cunning and cruel hags, where every bargain has a cost and every path is fraught with wonder and danger. Along the way, you’ll navigate swampy whimsical hellscapes, gloomy thief-ridden woods, and austere palaces of prophecy, bargaining with strange creatures and surviving the capricious nature of a world built on dreams and nightmares. Your success hinges not just on strength, but on cleverness, empathy, and the alliances you forge. Whether you choose to follow the trail of your own lost childhood treasure or answer a desperate warlock’s plea to find his missing patron, your journey will test what you’re willing to risk to restore what’s been stolen... or to claim a greater destiny. This is your invitation to a story where the personal and the fantastical collide, where a child’s long-ago mistake becomes an adult’s epic quest, and where the recovery of something as simple as a forgotten doll might just decide the fate of an entire realm. Your first step begins at the carnival gates. What will you find when you step inside?

Meet the Game Master

5.0

(4)

LGBTQ+
Queer
Disabled
Neurodivergent
Artist
Cosplayer

Less than a year on StartPlaying

1 game hosted

Highly rated for: Creativity, Inclusive, Rule of Cool

Average response time: Under 1 hour

Response rate: 100%

About me

Hello! I'm Salem (he/him), and I've been playing Dungeons and Dragons for the better part of 20 years and GMing for 10. I've played with lifelong tabletop nerds and brand new players alike.

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Character creation

Creating your character

This campaign will include a complimentary session 0, during which the GM (Salem) will assist players in creating their characters. Character stats will use the point buy system, and use the charactermancer function in roll20. Character creation will be limited to the races, classes, spells and backgrounds available in the Player's Handbook and the Wild Beyond the Witchlight. You do not need to own any of the D&D books, since Roll20 allows me to share my compendium with players.

What to expect

Preparing for the session

You will need a Discord and Roll20 account. You will need to join the Discord server and the Roll20 campaign.

What Salem brings to the table

As a GM, I use character voices, ambient noise and music to set the scene. My games focus on collaborative storytelling and roleplay, with the rules and combat being used more as a structure to facilitate that story and roleplaying, rather than the primary focus of the game. I will guide new players to assist them in learning the rules and how to use their character's abilities. I also provide visual references and combat maps, to help immerse the players in the story.

Homebrew rules

Drinking a potion is a bonus action. Weapons held in an off hand can be used to make an attack as a bonus action. Critical hits add the maximum of the damage die. For example, if you are attacking with a shortsword that does 1d6 and you roll a critical hit, the damage will be the result of the 1d6 roll plus an additional 6 damage. Spellcasters may cast multiple spells per turn, so long as they have the action economy and spell slots to do so. For example, a cleric may use Healing Word, which is a bonus action, and on the same turn use Word of Radiance, which is a regular action. We will be using 5e 2014 rules, but I will allow druids to speak when wildshaped, so long as the creature they are wildshaped into has a mouth. Variant ability score increases is allowed for all player species.

Equipment needed to play

Internet

Computer

Microphone

Safety

How Salem creates a safe table

Session 0 will discuss the potential triggering topics in the game, and players will have a chance to express any triggers they would not like included in game content. We will discuss character bleed, as well as the other systems used to ensure player safety and enjoyment such as breaks, debriefs, Open Door policy, Stars and Wishes and XNO cards.

Content warnings

Safety tools used

Frequently asked questions