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Arostia: A Drop-In Campaign - West Marches Tier 1 Levels 1 to 4
From Hearthhold, explore deadly Arostia in a true West Marches 5e game—rising empires, ancient ruins, living factions, real consequences.
$15.00
/ Session
Details
Once / Saturday - 12:00 AM UTC
Mar 14
Session Duration / 3.25–3.75 hours
2 / 6 Seats Filled
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Meet your party members
2/6
About the adventure
From the guild city of Hearthhold, adventurers strike out into the vast and dangerous continent of Arostia—a land shaped by rising empires, ancient curses, and forgotten powers. To the west, the hobgoblin-led Kragspire Alliance rules from Vraakhall, uniting goblin tribes through both diplomacy and war as a failed ascension stirs beneath their ambition. Across the Inner Sea, merchant princes rule from the shining spires of Silverharbor, while the desert sun-throne of Thamur-Khet guides the fate of the Khir Estates. In the east, the swamp-empire of Kaletic, ruled from Kaledras, expands relentlessly, and far to the north the frozen ruins of the Arostic Spine whisper the secrets of civilizations lost to time. To the south, the Cursed Lands and the shattered island kingdoms still rot under a plague that rewrites reality itself. This is a true West Marches campaign—the world moves whether the party acts or not. Players choose their own destinations, gather rumors from the Guild, form their own groups session by session, and return to Hearthhold after each expedition with treasure, scars, and consequences. Factions evolve, borders shift, settlements rise and fall, and the map changes based on player victories and failures. No fixed party. No scripted path. Just an open world shaped by the table’s decisions. At my table, the focus is on clear storytelling, tactical combat, meaningful exploration, and fair rulings. I run a structured but flexible game where player creativity is rewarded, consequences matter, and everyone at the table gets space to shine. Whether you enjoy political intrigue, dungeon delving, survival travel, or mythic mysteries, Arostia supports it—and your actions leave permanent marks on the world. This campaign is also fully beginner-friendly. New players are guided through character creation, rules basics, and roleplay at a comfortable pace with no pressure or judgment. Veterans will find deep systems, layered factions, and long-term world progression, while new players will discover D&D in a welcoming, supportive, and exciting environment where it’s okay to learn as you play.
Game style
Combat Heavy
Roleplay Heavy
Tactical / Crunchy
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
4.6
(10)
1 year on StartPlaying
35 games hosted
Highly rated for: Inclusive, Creativity, Teacher
About me
🎲 Lifelong Player & Storyteller I’ve been playing tabletop RPGs since AD&D 2e, and for the better part of the last decade, I’ve sat in the DM’s chair. From quick one-shots to years-long campaigns, I’ve seen how much energy, creativity, and heart players bring to the table—and that’s what keeps me coming back. 🌍 Player-Driven Worlds I love creating settings that feel alive and responsive, but my focus is always on the players’ stories. NPCs, villains, and world events are just backdrops meant to highlight your choices. The real narrative is built from what you do, and I enjoy watching the world shift in response to your actions. 🎭 Roleplay & Collaboration I value the mix of roleplay, problem-solving, and even the fun chaos players bring. My goal is to give each player the spotlight at different times, so everyone has the chance to shape the adventure and feel like their character truly matters. ✨ Champion of the Players At heart, I’m a fan of the stories you create. My role as DM is to support, challenge, and celebrate those moments—whether it’s a clutch dice roll, a daring plan, or a heartfelt scene of character growth. Helping players bring their characters to life is what makes this hobby special for me.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Everyone will start off at level 1, feel free to think of a character as we will be creating the characters in Foundry VTT. I have a few house rules I use for creating character all posted on my discord. That you will get permission once you sign up here. When we create characters will be during the free Session 0. Characters will be starting level 1, they will either be choosing from a customer array or rolling 2d6+5 one or the other you choose before any stats/dice rolled. Players will have a free Feat at level 1 as well as deciding on an Item of Importance for their character.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
What ever class you pick please just look into the basic class just to get familiar with features. Please join my discord: https:/discord.gg/TWdbM2YmFf I use Foundry for Maps and character creation although you can create your character on DnDBeyond and import it. Please have a dedicated mic and camera, internet and preferably a computer to control your foundry character.
What DM Mode - Matt brings to the table
I'm very player centric, I love when players interact with my world and how the world responds to them. I do try to do character voices and slowly working on expanding my range and flexibility more. I usually do thing rules as written but if a player can mechanically tell, me how something can go that might not mechanically fit in a spell, I then might use the Rule of Cool and have the roll for the result. I do prefer combat over most, but for tactical combat I try not to make each session into a special ops game. I will always reward players to use different means to navigate encounters or taking a smart approach to a fight.
Homebrew rules
Here is a short list of some House Rules I use; -Crunchy Crits -Variable Potion Drinking -Injuries Table -Resurrection Ritual -Counter Spell/Counter Spell Rule -Enemy Spell Rules I have more House Rules I like to use but in general I'm an advocate for player agency and my Rules I feel are fair and reflect that.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How DM Mode - Matt creates a safe table
During Session 0 I ask players to send me a lines and veils checklist, I also provide breaks at a halfway point through the session, as well as have my players make an X and N cards incase of an emergency during the session. I also hold an end of session wrap up, where players discuss what they liked about the session then give themselves a pat on the back, as well as having an open door policy.
Content warnings
Safety tools used