The War for Gaar Jethora - A Trench Horror D&D Campaign

Creating your character

We will do basic character creation during session 0. There, I will go over the basic rules of character creation and the various resources that are available to pick from. I encourage you to come with an idea of what type of character you'd like to play, but it is not required. Characters will start at level 3. Stats will be determined with the 4d6 method, dropping the lowest and rerolling 1s one time. For hit points, if you roll below the average on the die (half + 1), just take the average. Backgrounds will function slightly different. You may still come up with a background for your character backstory, but mechanically you will pick from a list of Archetypes that will give you starting equipment and feats. I have a number of third-party/homebrew character options available and can discuss those options further during session 0 for anyone who is interested.

Preparing for the session

I will provide a link to a Discord server. Outside of that, you will need an account on Owlbear Rodeo, which you can do for free if you have a Google account.

What Bryson (VP Breesone) brings to the table

I use a lot of in-depth descriptions and character voices when DMing. I try to use music for ambience and combat, but my initial endeavors to do so during online D&D have been...difficult. I also use battlemaps via Owlbear Rodeo, not the highest quality, but I value them for ease of use and simplicity. As a DM, I am willing to try out things that may slightly bend the rules if I think it will be cool or make for an interesting story. I still try to keep to the rules the best I can, but I won't be a total fun-destroyer the entire time.

Homebrew rules

Homebrew rules are as follows: -You can drink a potion normally as a Bonus Action, or drink the whole thing as an Action and gain the maximum amount of healing from it. -For critical hits, double the amount of damage dice before adding any other modifiers. -Flanking works for all creatures across the board, friendly or hostile. -Resurrecting dead characters will get more and more difficult, requiring the caster to convince the soul to return to the body (similar to Critical Role's rules). -All player characters have 3 Hero Points that they can use to give themselves a free reroll on any roll. It's frustrating to describe something extremely cool and dramatic and have the dice spit in your face. Hero Points replenish at the end of a long rest.

How Bryson (VP Breesone) creates a safe table

I will send out a form with various content inclusions to everyone for you to fill out. Session 0 will also feature a brief overview of the content you will encounter. There are built-in safety tools in one of the modules for Owlbear Rodeo that I use, such as X, N, and O cards. I will check in with everyone during the break and after the session so that everyone can also do Stars and Wishes afterwards. I want to tell a serious and intense story about the horrors of war, but my priority is making sure the players are comfortable and having a good time (even if everyone is "miserable" during the game).