DEMENTLIEU: The Grand Unmasking

Creating your character

We will all make characters together during Session Zero, using the following guidelines: > Start at 3rd-Level > Use your choice of physical or digital character sheet > Roll for ability scores (with thresholds) > Take the average die roll for HP when leveling up > You may choose any option from the following sourcebooks: Player's Handbook (2024), Xanathar's Guide to Everything, Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse, Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants, The Book of Many Things, and Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft. Additionally, if one of the options from these sources has been updated since its release (such as the Bladesinger and Artificer from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything being updated in Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerûn and Eberron: Forge of the Artificer), use the updated version. > Backgrounds from pre-2024 sources are not allowed. You may only select Backgrounds from the Player's Handbook (2024). > Other homebrew options may or may not be provided. > During Session Zero, we will discuss whether or not evil-aligned characters are allowed. > No lone wolves or characters who refuse to cooperate with the party. Your character must have a reason to stick with the group. If your character ever decides they would rather go off on their own, it's time to retire that character until they decide to join back up with the party. > Write a 100-150 word backstory. Any other details can be retroactively filled in as we play. Try to avoid giving your character any strong ties to their homeland, as they will be arriving in Dementlieu as a stranger and will be unable to return. > Pick two things your character is afraid of.

Preparing for the session

If you don't have one already, create a Discord account and an Owlbear Rodeo account (both are free).

What Moth brings to the table

> Music, ambience, and sound effects via PocketBard and curated playlists! > Immersive maps and tokens through Owlbear Rodeo! > 3rd-party content purchased from DMsGuild, directly supporting independent creators! > 8 years of GMing experience, running horror games in Ravenloft for nearly half of that time! > Detailed session summaries each week! > Expertise in the lore of Ravenloft and the rules of D&D 5e! > Personalized adventures and encounters catered towards your interests as a player! > An open world where your choices matter and you can achieve anything you set your mind to, provided you have the wits and skill to pull it off! > Storytelling and roleplaying-focused sessions with tactical, dynamic combat when violence does occur! I WILL NOT KNOWINGLY USE ANY AI-GENERATED CONTENT IN MY GAMES (artwork, writing, music, etc.). All artwork, writing, and music used is 100% made by humans.

Homebrew rules

TERROR: You step on a rusty nail while trying to sneak past a masked killer. You drop your weapon when think the monster is dead, only for it to suddenly lunge at you again. Your torch suddenly burns out just as you catch a glimpse of a pale figure scuttling towards you in the darkness. Horror stories are full of moments like these, where it seems like the universe itself is conspiring against the protagonists. The Terror mechanic is meant to simulate this feeling by introducing complications into the narrative at dramatic moments, while giving the GM a limited resource to incur such complications, and giving the players agency to resist them. Every time a player rolls a Natural 1 on a d20 test, the GM gains 1 Terror. At any point during the session, the GM can spend Terror to introduce complications into the narrative. This could be anything from enemy reinforcements appearing during combat, to the rope you're climbing fraying mid-ascent, to a hated NPC coincidentally arriving at the same tavern as you. Terror represents rotten luck rather than a failure of skill, so player characters can't make a saving throw or ability check to resist the effects of Terror. However, a player can mitigate the effects by spending Heroic Inspiration, or XP (1/5th of the XP required to reach their next level, e.g. 60 XP at Level 1 or 120 XP at Level 2). During particularly climactic moments, the GM may declare Horror Mode. While Horror Mode is active, the threshold for incurring Terror rises every time a player rolls beneath it. For example, the first time a player rolls a 1, the threshold is raised to 1-2, then 1-3, then 1-4, and so on until Horror Mode ends. Horror Mode typically lasts until the climactic moment is resolved, whether through victory, retreat, or some other means. OTHER HOUSE RULES TO BE DISCUSSED AT SESSION ZERO

How Moth creates a safe table

I believe that horror can be a great way to confront the things we fear in real life in a safe place where the threat isn't real, and we can walk away at any time. It's very important to me that everyone's boundaries are respected in my games, and so I will be doing my best to foster communication and get consent before introducing themes that may be upsetting. Starting at Session 0, I will be opening a Lines and Veils document that anyone can view. That being said, expect that anything in the Content Warnings section will come up in game. If there's a particular topic that you don't want in your game at all, please let me know so I can ensure that it doesn't appear.