The Weird World of Oddduck, Your 5e Homebrew Campaign

Creating your character

Character creation will begin during our session zero, this way everyone can know what world we're going into and can plan accordingly the type of character we'll play. Starting level will almost always be 3 to begin, but if the party is well established or have a higher level campaign in mind we can start above that. Character creation will be handled on D&D Beyond, and all the available source books for the campaign will be there as well. When we start the discussions during session zero I'll walk any new players through the character creation process so they know where and how everything applies during the game. For more experienced players I will start in a same way, but then give them freedom to ask me questions about the character. Stats will either be standard array pr [pint buy, which ever is more alluring to the group as a whole, but everyone will be using the same process once it's decided on to avoid any power gaps in party. Level ups will also be milestone based to avoid any power gaps. Ultimately I have no qualms or hangups with any specifics of character creation, just want everybody to play as what they want to!

Preparing for the session

For most of my games I make use of Discord and D&D Beyond. Discord is used for everyone in the game to be able to hear each other and for the party to see my stream as I display various battle maps, play accompanying music and ambience, draw on whiteboards to illustrate scenes and more. I don't use face cam nor do I expect the party to, only voice for everyone to communicate and hear the story. For D&D Beyond, players will have to make an account on the website, but from there will be able to access all the source books that I own through joining the campaign on there. Any problems the player may be having with either platforms I can help through the process to make sure everyone is in working order.

What GoodWeather brings to the table

My GMing style emphasizes immersion and fun. I try to make the players feel like the main heroes of a story, like they're in the middle of these adventures. That's because as far as i'm concerned the party IS going through these quests, I aim to bring that feeling to everyone at the table. As GM I use a variety of voices to differentiate and bring to life all the characters and interactions of the world. I encourage the players to try a voice for their character to help bring them to life and further embody them, but it is not at all expected. I encourage, but I don't push. Combat is always varied and I am always experimenting with new objectives and enemy types to be used. I try to include at least one combat scenario per session, but some sessions can lean heavier or lighter in that regard. I listen to my tables though and if the party wants more, we fight more, if party wants less, we fight less. I heavily embrace the Rule of Cool and apply it where I can. In this world, you are not the average mercenary or adventurer. You are a hero of the realm, and thusly can do things others could not. All that being said, if the party makes clear they want a crunchier system or to follow rules more to the latter, that is perfectly doable as well. I always want to find the proper balance for the group.

Homebrew rules

Homebrew rules are plentiful and arise at a whim sometimes depending on how a player frames a question or how impressed I am at a moment. Some of the big ones though would include bonus action potions, modified criticals (triple damage, sometimes just an outright finisher), opportunity attack on passing by enemy and not just leaving combatant, no encumbrance within reason (can't pocket a shelving unit) etc. Most are minor changes that slightly empower your character. If any homebrew rule is unpopular with table then it can be removed, and if the table has a homebrew rule they'd like implemented it can be added.

How GoodWeather creates a safe table

Ensuring the comfort and fun of everyone at the table is of utmost importance to me. If ever anyone isn't having a good time, I have fundamentally failed and I aim to avoid that. I establish a lot of boundaries before the campaign begins to try and limit and possible issues before they arise. Before we begin playing, I will always have a session 0 to ensure everyone is on the same page regarding topics and interactions to come. During this time is when as a group we'll establish lines and veils, what boundaries we have on topics that can, can not, and can sometimes be discussed and to what degrees. I'll also explain the X, N. O system, basically subtle messages to send to establish comfort levels during a scene and ensuring everyone is cool with what is happening, and if not for me to change the encounter at play. During play if anyone ever needs to step away for a moment it is always encourage and okay, and if we are ever aiming for a longer than average session we can plan breaks ahead of time. After every session I'll always ask the group about how they felt, favorite moments and if there was anything that should be changed or different for the next time we play. I'm always open to messages and to talk about anything that might be bothering someone at the table, and always want to make sure that my players are safe, happy and having fun. Any problems that occur, if they occur, will always be handled with the player's in mind.