A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Yawning Portal
The destination might be Undermountain, but this is the story of all the crazy stuff that happened on the way there....
$15.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Thursday - 7:00 PM UTC
Session Duration / 3–3.5 hours
0 / 6 Seats Filled
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About the adventure
Today is the first day of the rest of your life...and today is the day you start your journey. You grew up hearing the tales of Undermountain, of the exploits of Durnan the Wanderer and Mirt the Merciless who not only survived the massive dungeon but returned with a ridiculous amount of both wealth and power, and the Yawning Portal tavern which Durnan built around the only publicly-known entrance to Undermountain, in the City of Splendors known as Waterdeep. It is said that Durnan charges adventurers a gold piece to both enter the depths of the dungeon and another to leave...though not all who enter come back. It is the Yawning Portal you seek, a chance to enter Undermountain, prove your worth, and have the adventure of a lifetime. This is NOT that story. This is the story of you and your band of like-minded adventurers immediately getting sidetracked at the very beginning of your journey, and how you continuously get sidetracked every step of the way toward Waterdeep, until ultimately the "adventure of a lifetime" you end up having is the one you have on the way to the place you were going to have your adventure of a lifetime. This is a story of seven increasingly-difficult Acts on your way to the Yawning Portal: Act I: The Sunless Citadel Act II: The Forge of Fury Act III: The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan Act IV: White Plume Mountain Act V: Dead in Thay Act VI: Against the Giants Act VII: Tomb of Horrors You'll start at 1st level, and where you end up from there is entirely up to you.
Game style
Combat Heavy
Dungeon Crawl
Hexcrawl / Exploration
Roleplay Heavy
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
4.6
(13)
3 years on StartPlaying
118 games hosted
Highly rated for: Storytelling, Creativity, Sets the Mood
Average response time: 1 hour
Response rate: 100%
About me
Everyone has a story in them. Let me help you find yours. It can be hard for those who want to play TTRPGs, but either can’t find a group or just don’t know how to get started. Let me make that easier for you by offering my services as a professional Game Master for whatever game system you’re interested in playing. Let’s build a story together, while leaving you the freedom to explore and enjoy the world you’re creating without being bogged down by rules and multiple plotlines to keep track of. I've been doing this for over 30 years and have garnered a reputation for being a little outside the box but--at the same time--being 100% inclusive. The goal is for everyone to have fun and for nobody to feel left out. Also, if you see me advertising a game with no players yet, and the scheduled day and time doesn't work, message me with a day and time that would work and I can possibly move it to that schedule. Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions!
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Characters will start at 1st level. Character creation will take place during Session 0, but you are welcome to get a head start if you like. My basic guidelines are as follows: 1. Stats are determined by rolling 4d6 and dropping the lowest per stat. 2. Leveling up is milestone-based. 3. Encumbrance is enforced, but coin weight is ignored. 4. I allow all official content (including Unearthed Arcana), as well as most 3rd-party content with prior approval.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Players will need access to a mic, as well as both Discord and Roll20.
What Paul brings to the table
I'll set the scene, but remember that we're telling this story together as a group; feel free to exercise a little creative license, as I will be doing the same. At the same time, I will be respectful and inclusive of everyone at my table, and I expect all of you to be the same. All are welcome, so long as an individual's beliefs do not openly conflict with the beliefs of others. Having said that, I will be doing voices for NPCs (you are welcome to do the same for your PCs), and I will try to be as inoffensive as possible with those voices so please let me know if a particular accent makes you uncomfortable. I also utilize ambient music depending on the mood and the environment of the game, but I will try to keep it in the background as much as possible. I also embrace the Rule of Cool in most situations, so long as your arguement for a particular action is compelling enough.
Homebrew rules
I have two homebrew rules I personally use, and we can talk about including others during Session 0: 1. Healing potions can be used as bonus actions. The difference is that if you choose to use them as a regular action, you get the maximum effect of the potion without rolling dice. 2. Should a player need to roll a death save, only the player who rolled it and the DM are allowed to know the results for each roll. All other players will just have to guess how close or far away from death their comrade actually is.
Equipment needed to play
Computer
Internet
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Paul creates a safe table
Session 0 is used for character creation and to set expectations. Lines and veils are provided upon request, as well as debriefing.
Content warnings
Safety tools used