Arcanix Academy- a Beginner D&D Campaign in Magical Mayhem
New to D&D? Join Arcanix Academy! It's "Hogwarts" meets "Muppet Treasure Island". You'll explore Planes, Train, and Automaton your way thru EBERRON.
$15.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Saturday - 9:00 PM UTC
Session Duration / 5–6 hours
Campaign Length / 15–20 Sessions
0 / 8 Seats Filled
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About the adventure
New to D&D? Excellent. We prefer our apprentices only mildly flammable. Welcome to Arcanix Academy- this ain't your muggle mamma's magic school. The legendary floating University of Magic in the world of Eberron — is where brilliant minds study the arcane arts of many kinds and where forgotten artifacts have been locked in a basement much deeper than it seems. Please try not to accidentally summon anything larger than your dorm room. This is an absolute beginner-friendly Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition campaign. You do not need to know the rules. You won't even need dice; I got you some. You just need curiosity, a sense of humor, and a willingness to collaborate on morally questionable monster murder. ***I’ll guide you step-by-step.*** THE STORY: You are freshmen adventurers. You have no guild connections. No noble dragonmarks. No money to your name. And no dorm room! Instead, you’ve been “temporarily assigned” to the former dean’s boarded-up guest house — which definitely isn’t haunted and absolutely does not have something moaning downstairs. You’ll investigate magical mysteries, research arcane anomalies, and slowly explore the forgotten corners of the academy that might hold world-changing secrets or something that wants to eat you. Surviving pledge night is the least of your worries. ABOUT THE WORLD (No Homework Required.) You don’t need to know any lore to start. I’ll introduce the world naturally through play as you explore and travel outside the safety of campus. This game is based on the "Eberron: Rising from the Last War" & "Forge of the Artificer" campaign settings. The kingdoms of Khorvaire are recovering from a massive war. Now lightning-powered trains run across the continent as magical industry is booming. But political intrigue and dangerous secrets simmer beneath the surface. So leave your prejudices at the door even if the NPC's don't. Because in the vast gray morality of Eberron, goblins have grannies. And even villains file paperwork in triplicate. WHY THIS IS GREAT FOR NEW PLAYERS: *Step-by-Step Guidance – I teach the rules as we go. *No Reading Required – Show up and we’ll build your character together. *Welcoming Table – No gatekeeping, no rules-lawyering. *Roleplay Encouraged, Not Forced – Speak in character if you want. Or just describe what you do. *Balanced Gameplay – Investigation, roleplay, exploration, and exciting combat. Creative solutions often beat the rules as written. *Mistakes Are Part of the Story – Especially at magic school. WHAT TO EXPECT: *A supportive, beginner-safe environment. *Clear explanations of mechanics. *Collaborative storytelling. *Humor mixed with real stakes. *Character growth from awkward freshman to arcane powerhouse. *No experience necessary. *No accents required. ***Just show up ready to learn How to Adventure!*** You weren’t Arcanix Academy’s greatest choice. But you might become its greatest legend. Or... best I can do is Legendary Mistake?
Game style
Organized Play
Realm Building
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Theater of the Mind
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
1 year on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: Voices, Teacher, Storytelling
About me
Hello adventurers! Do you want to learn D&D 5e while enjoying story-time for big kids along with collective hallucinations and epic battles, all while using weird accents or bad puns? If you answered YES, then we're practically family already! I'm your Cuzin Merv, an experienced GM, storyteller, writer, maker, teacher, and father. Let's explore the depths and uncover the intrigue of Eberron. I enjoy an atmosphere as relaxed as the "Legends of Avantris" mixed with the chaos of "Muppet Treasure Island" but in a world as dangerous as "Arcane" (on Netflix). Join me if you want to make friends, love fantasy, and find breaking the rules fascinating. (*No puppets were harmed in the making of this advert.)
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
At Session 0- you'll pick your characters, classes, and stats together and hit the ground running at level 1 thru my shared DnDBeyond campaign Link- (you will only need a free account.) Linked to my campaign, you'll be able to access special treasure, gear, and other features. ***We'll jump into gameplay the very first night.*** It is not necessary but feel free to read "Eberron: Rising from the Last War" or other online Eberron content for a history of the world you are about to enter.
At session 0 we will explore your interests and how that will best fit as a beginner in D&D. And you'll be able to change your own focus as you level up facing more threats, more treasures, and more mysteries!
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Once included in our group. You'll receive links to join (Free Accounts) : D&D Beyond Campaign. Roll20. Discord Server. MS TEAMS.
What Cuzin Merv (Brad) brings to the table
Hello There! If you're looking for a D&D group that balances varied combat with wacky roleplay, magical tinkering with sketchy necromancy, high fantasy with creative collaboration, and a great group of friendly folks who enjoy bad accents or "dad" joke... so am I! I use the following for all of my D&D 5e 2024 games. Depending on players' experiences, I may slowly add a few extra homebrew rules over the course of gameplay. I.E. - Harvesting and Crafting, Airship Combat, Planar Travel, etc. Applications Used • Live Online Play. East Coast Time. • A mixture of Theater-of-the-Mind and Maps. • D&D Beyond (I’ll share content and character creation tools) • Roll20 for gameplay visuals, maps, and soundtrack. • Discord for communications, extra info, and interactions between games or downtime activities. General Expectations • This is intended to be a collaborative, creative game for everyone to enjoy. • Mutual Respect for others and their own choices is paramount. • The “Rule of Cool” often beats “Rules as Written” at the GM’s discretion. • This game setting sometimes contains adult topics such as violence, gore, murder, death, religion, substance abuse, prejudice, greed, etc. (but of course in the funnest ways possible- HA!) • If certain topics are a concern for you, please communicate with me so we can make adjustments that are best for all players. *As a person of faith, I personally tend to steer away from a lot of expletives, sexually explicit language or scenes. **My games are open and welcoming to all with respect and room for others' beliefs. If you have any questions, feel free to message me. I’m excited for another great adventure with fantastical folks like you!
Homebrew rules
Some homebrew rules may be added over the course of the campaign, depending on the group's comfort as their understanding of the normal D&D 5e rules builds.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Cuzin Merv (Brad) creates a safe table
Communication and Respect are vital to a group playing and enjoying a game together. We'll discuss safety tools and comfort in Session 0 and provide access to the documents through Discord Server channels. As an example of a Line/ Veil- I personally do not use many expletives. But am comfortable with others as long as it's not directed at fellow players. I never use sexually explicit language or scenes.
Content warnings
Safety tools used