The Hunt for the Covenant

Creating your character

Character creation happens after Session Zero. Do not arrive with a completed character. This campaign has a strict tone, historical grounding, and faction structure. Session Zero is required to align expectations, establish party composition, and ensure every character belongs in this world. Characters that do not fit will be rejected. All characters begin at 1st level. You are not seasoned heroes. You are untested men and women entering a war already lost by braver souls than you. Survival is the achievement. All characters must be human. No exceptions. No mixed heritage, hidden bloodlines, or narrative loopholes. This setting relies on human fear, faith, and mortality. Removing that breaks the campaign. Only classes from the 2024 Player’s Handbook are permitted, and only when they make sense in-world. This is not a high-fantasy sandbox. If a class does not fit the theology, culture, or historical logic of the setting, it will not be allowed. Expect discussion, not debate. The majority of characters must be Fighters or Paladins, representing Hospitallers or allied militant Church orders. Clerics are explicitly allowed, serving as Hospitaller chaplains and battlefield priests. A very limited number of other classes may be approved if strongly justified, but the party should feel like a disciplined military-religious unit—not a mismatched adventuring band. Ability scores will be determined using a method agreed upon during Session Zero (typically standard array or point buy). No rolling ahead of time. No exceptions. Characters will be created collaboratively during Session Zero or immediately afterward, using official tools only (DnD Beyond or approved equivalents). All sources must be visible to the DM. Homebrew content is not permitted. Backstories should be brief, grounded, and unfinished (I will be assisting with backstories). No legendary deeds. No grand destinies. You are entering a world already burning. This campaign rewards cohesion, discipline, and restraint. Build for the setting—or be left behind.

Preparing for the session

This campaign places a strong emphasis on immersion, shared tone, and historical atmosphere. A little preparation goes a long way toward making the experience deeper and more rewarding for everyone at the table. Players are strongly encouraged to have a basic familiarity with medieval history around the year 1356, with special attention to the Holy Land and its cultural, religious, and political landscape. You don’t need academic expertise—just an awareness of how medieval societies functioned, the influence of the Church and military orders, and how different faiths and cultures interacted in this period. Keeping a medieval mindset helps the world feel grounded and cohesive. The game is played entirely on Discord, which will be used for voice chat, coordination, and announcements. A Discord account and a working microphone are required. Please make sure your audio is functioning properly ahead of time so sessions run smoothly. All characters will be created and managed through D&D Beyond. You’ll need a D&D Beyond account and be able to share your character sheet with the DM. This helps keep everything transparent and easy to reference during play. Before Session Zero, players should: • Join the campaign Discord server • Read any setting or introductory material provided • Review the character creation guidelines • Test Discord audio and connectivity • Ensure D&D Beyond access is ready Character creation takes place after Session Zero. Please don’t arrive with a completed character—bring ideas instead. Party composition, class approvals, and final details will be handled collaboratively. The Hunt for the Covenant is a story-driven campaign set at the edge of faith, duty, and history. A bit of preparation helps everyone step fully into that world and enjoy what unfolds there.

What Terrance brings to the table

I provide a deeply immersive, story-driven campaign grounded in history, faith, and consequence. This game blends grounded medieval realism with dark, restrained fantasy. The world reacts to your choices. Actions have weight, not just outcomes. Narration is vivid and cinematic. I use descriptive scene-setting and character voices (when appropriate).These elements are there to support immersion, not overpower play. Combat is tense, dangerous, and tactical, especially at low levels. Fights are not designed to be fair by default. Positioning, timing, morale, and retreat matter. Violence is never casual. Every battle carries the risk of lasting consequences, physical or narrative. Clever play is rewarded more than brute force. We use a Critical Hit and Miss table. Characters can lose limb or other permanent injuries, and there is even an instant death result. Rules-wise, I lean Rules as Written as the foundation. Consistency and fairness matter. However, I allow measured flexibility when it serves clarity, drama, or momentum—never in a way that breaks tone or undermines stakes. “Rule of Cool” exists, but it must make sense in-world and come at an appropriate cost. This is a roleplay-forward campaign. I encourage in-character decision-making, faith-driven choices, and moral tension. You will be asked not just what your character does, but why. Characters are shaped by doubt, fear, loyalty, and belief as much as by skill. I provide: • Clear expectations and rulings • Strong narrative hooks and meaningful NPCs • Player agency with real consequences • A respectful, focused table environment You can expect a GM who is prepared, consistent, and invested. This is a game about duty under pressure, not power fantasy. If you engage seriously with the setting, it will give you unforgettable moments in return.

Homebrew rules

This campaign uses a small set of homebrew rules to reinforce realism, danger, and consequence. These mechanics are intentional and serve the tone of a brutal medieval world where violence leaves lasting marks and survival is never guaranteed. Critical Hit & Critical Miss Tables Natural 20s and natural 1s trigger a roll on a custom critical table. These tables are lethal by design. Results may include severe bleeding, crushed or severed limbs, permanent disfigurement, loss of eyes or fingers, and in extreme cases, instant death. Critical misses can be just as dangerous—exposed vitals, self-inflicted injuries, or catastrophic battlefield mistakes. These outcomes are not exaggerated for spectacle; they reflect the reality of armed combat in the medieval period. Every attack roll matters. Broken Limbs Must Be Set Before Magical Healing If a character suffers a broken limb, it must be properly set and secured before magical healing can restore full use. Healing magic will dull pain and halt bleeding, but it will not correct misaligned bones. This requires time, tools, and a successful Medicine check or trained assistance. Until set, the limb remains impaired or unusable. Battlefield medicine and careful treatment are essential. Embedded Arrows Must Be Removed When arrows or similar projectiles become lodged in a character, magical healing will only stabilize the wound until the object is removed. Extracting an arrow requires care and a successful check; careless removal risks further damage, bleeding, or infection. Retreat and treatment matter as much as martial skill. In addition to injury mechanics, the campaign actively tracks weather, time, supplies, and regional events. Weather affects travel, visibility, fatigue, and combat conditions. World events continue whether or not the party intervenes and are recorded using Chronica, ensuring a living, reactive setting. Resources such as food, water, ammunition, light, and medical supplies are tracked. Poor preparation won’t end the story—but it may end a character. These rules are not meant to be arbitrary or cruel. They reward caution, teamwork, and forethought, and they make survival itself an achievement worth remembering.

How Terrance creates a safe table

This campaign is gritty, mature, and uncompromising in tone. It explores violence, fear, faith, loss, and morally difficult outcomes within a medieval context. Combat is brutal and unforgiving. Setbacks can be permanent. Not every story ends cleanly or happily. Because of that, this game is not suited for sensitive players or those seeking a power-fantasy experience. If you are looking for a low-stress, heroic PC game where the world bends to protect characters, this is not that table. Tragic outcomes are possible, and sometimes unavoidable. That said, the goal is serious storytelling, not shock value. The game is never tasteless, gratuitous, or exploitative. Violence and hardship are presented as realities of the period, not for cheap spectacle. I do not sanitize the medieval world, but neither do I revel in cruelty for its own sake. Player safety is handled up front through clear expectations and consent, primarily during Session Zero. We will discuss the tone of the campaign, themes that will appear, and what players should expect narratively and mechanically. This is the point where players should honestly assess whether this game is right for them. I do not use ongoing safety tools such as X-cards, Lines and Veils documents, or aftercare systems. Session Zero is the place to raise concerns. Once play begins, the story will not be altered due to player sensitivity. We are all adults, and players are expected to manage their own boundaries. If at any point you find the material distressing or triggering, the expectation is that you step away from the campaign. No judgment—but the game will continue as designed. Comfort at the table comes from respectful conduct between players, clear communication, and trust that everyone understands what kind of story is being told. This is a focused, serious table, and mutual maturity is required. The Hunt for the Covenant is a campaign about endurance in a harsh world. The safety here is honesty: you will know exactly what kind of game you are stepping into.