Oily Rain
The swamps were a peaceful place to homestead, but a rain tainted with oil polluted the land and brought ruin upon its inhabitants.
$20.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Tuesday - 2:30 AM UTC
Session Duration / 3–4 hours
Campaign Length / 3 Sessions
0 / 6 Seats Filled
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About the adventure
This west-marches mini-campaign will take place over 3 sessions. The swamps of Continent are a largely unsettled area, but the small towns and communities that have developed live a quiet life. Most are druidic, well-taught in the ways of nature and cautious of the advancements of dwarves in the mountains or expansion of humans in the grasslands. Life has been changing lately, though. The common rains' puddles have recently begin eroding the soil and splattering into the mud deep enough to release reservoirs of dark oil that leaks and lingers in the large lakes and ponds of the region. The crude, black liquid contaminates the water these villages need to live, and the supply runs thin. Rumors have circulated that the oil has spread to the sky, raining down and tainting pools farther. Townsfolk move constantly between village to village in search of safe sources to drink from. Tension between local communities is tight as families wonder whether the supply will last until they find another source. Farther still, people speak about a group of travelers who roam the swamps. Different rumors say different things about them. How they are faceless, how they are stalkers, how they may be beings with ætheric abilities. The confusion of the 'oil drummers' only makes the tension worse. Lastly, the gaze of an industrial society grows ever-more curious to the magical oil tainting the land. They wait until they can confirm the rumors before their plans to exploit the earth commence.
Game style
Puzzle / Mystery Focused
Roleplay Heavy
West Marches
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(10)
Less than a year on StartPlaying
14 games hosted
Highly rated for: World Builder, Storytelling, Creativity
About me
I am a GM who's been hosting DnD 5e specifically for ~4 years and have been writing both in my homebrew world's universe and as a hobby for nearly a dozen years. I write, read, and play in my free time. My experience with ttrpg systems is mostly-contained to DnD 5e, but I've played in a few other systems (Kids on Bikes and Monster of the Week, most notably). I've spent about equal time as DM and player over this time, playing in a couple dozen oneshots and 4 campaigns while having hosted a similar number of oneshots and 5 campaigns of my own. I'm usually making homebrew, prepping for my sessions, playing some game, or writing any one of multiple of my stories to pass the time in my free time, which is usually anytime I'm not asleep or working. I started DnD 5e play while I was still in school and latched onto it. I'd known about ttrpgs for a while, and wanted to participate. I was a player first, but I always knew I'd want to make and run a campaign of my own. The challenge of making a world from scratch is a process I'm familiar with, and it satisfies an itch I have to create what I find interesting. I draw a lot of inspiration from the media I consume and from conversations I have with others. I have a soft spot for sci-fi fantasy and body horror specifically. I try to keep content I make/create tactically sound and 'balanced', as the tactical aspect of ttrpg systems greatly satisfies the numbers side of my brain. I like to balance, test, and rebalance a lot.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Characters will start at 3rd level. There are no class restrictions or subclass restrictions, though some subclass features have been adjusted. More detail can be found by contacting me. - I am more familiar with 2014 content, but I am open to running for characters that use the 2024 classes/subclasses. However, most gameplay will use 2014 rules. Ability scores are determined by using the point buy method. Generally, race choices are limited to the following: Human Dwarf Goblin Kenku Half Orc Orc Centaur Skeletal (Homebrew) Sulphur Axolotl (Homebrew) Starting equipment and backgrounds done as normal. Use 2014 content for background and gear when possible. Spells should be kept to 2014 spells, with minor exceptions (True Strike 2024 is alright) I have 35 homebrew subclasses and many more subclasses from various books on D&DBeyond, if you want to postpone your character creation until seeing all of what is available. Generally, third-party content and homebrew content (that is not mine) is allowed on a case-by-case basis. Contact me with what you want, and I'll look over the content. If your character is a martial, they get access to maneuvers (similar to Battle Master Fighter). Contact me for more information about maneuvers.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
If you have interest, you can reach out to my Discord user, sleepywinner578. There I can facilitate things such as character creation, giving you the invite link to the server, discussing content warnings/safety tools, and more. Discord, Roll20, and D&DBeyond are all used for gameplay in the campaign. If you'd like, you can look at Beyond20 for a way to integrate D&DBeyond and Roll20's systems.
What Sleepy brings to the table
You can reach me at my Discord user, sleepywinner578, for clarification on what's written here and to allow me to give you links for joining the campaign! My homebrew and purchased content won't be available for you to use before you join the server and campaign I link. I try to at least give each NPC their own voice (even though I'm not the best with some). I utilize music often and have lots of out-of-session ways to provide players with content out of session. One such thing is nicknames I give to the players after the session that emphasizes a specific thing that happened with their character. I provide a lot of homebrew items and content that rewards foraging and scavenging as well as being creative in how to use those raw materials. Examples include turning beast parts into weapons that are usually more powerful than standard counterparts or turning exotic mushrooms into unique potions using Alchemist's Tools. I run combat close to RAW (with my alterations to some parts), which often leads to more tactical combat. The rule of cool is not absent, but it is not often used. Most sessions will have at least one 5-15 minute break/intermission to let people get food, use the bathroom, or for any other reason. Small pauses in play may also happen as players have to quickly do something outside the game. Players are encouraged to message me for issues/questions/ideas/whatever they may need, even in session (though it may take me a slight amount of time to see things sent, of course).
Homebrew rules
Character Creation / Level Up: - Martial and half-caster classes and Warlock (Fighter, Barbarian, Rogue, Monk, Blood Hunter, Ranger, Paladin, and Artificer) gain a special feat that allows them to use maneuvers, similar to the Battle Master Fighter subclass. - Artificers, Fighters, Rangers, and Rogues get proficiency with firearms. - One free feat at character creation. - Characters live from 80-100 years. Combat: - Flanking rules, with caveat that the creature flanking uses their reaction to do so. Items: - Firearms are weapons that have fixed damage instead of rolled damage to differentiate them from arrow/bolt weapons. - +1, +2, and +3 equipment is not magical in this setting.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Sleepy creates a safe table
The content warnings cover all I believe could come up, but I'm not perfect. Once you show interest, I'll talk with you about any triggers you may have, and have conversation about how anything you may have questions about might come up in the campaign (or say that it will be adjusted/removed if said content is a line for you). At any time during session, if a player is uncomfortable, they are welcome to step away or call for me to change/rework/fade-to-black/exclude the scene altogether. After session, if anything lingers, communication is always open with me to discuss thoughts about the campaign and topics within it. Depictions of severe weather occur.
Content warnings
Safety tools used