Heralds of the Cataclysm | An Eldritch Horror Campaign
They said you were dead, but that can't be right. There's blood, sure, and you woke up on that sacrificial altar, but the dead don't just come back...
$9.99
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Wednesday - 10:00 AM UTC
Session Duration / 3–4 hours
Campaign Length / 5+ Sessions
1 / 5 Seats Filled
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Meet your party members
1/5
About the adventure
You’re an adventurer. Not too new to the trade, but not up there with the greats just yet. You’re good – strong, capable, and reliable. A few more jobs, a couple ballads in your honour, maybe another boss fight, and you just know people will be shouting drinks and enemies will be fleeing in terror. But right now, you haven’t earnt that kind of renown. To the good and bad sorts across Kartos, you’re just another faceless adventurer, grinding away on the quest train. Nothing overtly unique about you to draw any attention – from either side. Which is why today is a bit out of the ordinary for you. Waking up in a dark cave with strangers, laid out on strange altars like blood-drenched centrepieces of a bizarre ritual. You can’t remember why or how you got here, nor can you determine why each of you share a strange new brand on your skin. The only thing you’re certain of is that you feel… odd, now. Different. Wrong. You can’t put it to words just yet, only that you get the vaguest sense that something is amiss about you. Something you can see reflected in the eyes of your new companions. It’s not good, that much you know. And it’s only going to get worse, unless you figure out a way to stop it… - Heralds of the Cataclysm is a versatile campaign focused on the unsettling side of horror fantasy. Play as a group of adventurers trying to find their footing in a handmade world under the sway of eldritch forces. Will you fight against fate and hold onto your own individuality? Will you try to control the twisted forces vying for your soul? Or will you simply embrace the madness and become a conduit to its will? This homebrew campaign presents players with opportunities to engage with all things D&D: you can roleplay, initiate combat, solve problems, make problems, strategise with comrades, test skills... everything and anything is possible. With a massive compendium available, a plethora of character-building materials on offer, and custom maps with dynamic lighting and preset macros, this campaign is ready to test the mind and soul of adventurers seeking to explore the unnatural side of reality. Fight it. Master it. Embrace it.
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(12)
Less than a year on StartPlaying
21 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Inclusive, Teacher
Average response time: 7 hours
Response rate: 100%
About me
Hello from Scandinavia! I'm Ash - Aussie expat, long-time DM, wayward dreamer, and weaver of stories! Tabletop gaming has always been a major passion of mine, having enjoyed it as both a player and a DM for more than a decade. I use handcrafted worlds, stories, maps, and lore to craft a range of adventures, from one-shot tutorial sessions for newcomers to multi-month campaigns for the veterans. And if you're new to the tabletop scene - no worries! I've a particular love for teaching new players the basics of systems (primarily D&D 5e) and their relevant mediums (roll20). Though my compendium of possible adventures is ever growing, my priorities as a DM will never waver. I work to ensure my players are comfortable, know that it is safe to speak up about anything, and are encouraged to engage with the rest of the party. And, of course, that everyone comes away from the game having enjoyed the experience!
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Characters are built from D&D 5e 2014 compendiums. CHARACTER LEVEL: 3 AVAILABLE CLASSES: fighter, barbarian, monk, paladin, bard, cleric, druid, ranger, rogue, sorcerer, warlock, wizard, artificer. AVAILABLE RACES/SPECIES: human, elf (all variants), half-elf, half-orc, dwarf, dragonborn, gnome, halfling, tiefling, aasimar, bugbear, firbolg, goblin, hobgoblin, kenku, kobold, lizardfolk, orc, tabaxi, triton, yuan-ti pureblood, gith, feral tiefling, centaur, loxodon, minotaur, simic hybrid, vedalken, changeling, kalashtar, shifter, warforged, leonin, satyr, owlin, autognome, giff, hadozee, plasmoid, thri-kreen, aarakocra, genasi (all elements), deep gnome, duergar, eladrin, fairy, githyanki, githzerai, goliath, harengon, shadar-kai, tortle, yuan-ti. Players can communicate their desired character race + class prior to the session, or pick from pre-made templates. Templates will be viewable on the Discord server.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Please ensure you have (free) accounts prepared on Discord and Roll20. Plan your character and message me prior to the game with your desired sheet details so I can set it up in game.
What Ash brings to the table
I will provide the following for the session: - Discord server for voice chat. - Roll20 server for the tabletop. - Compendium access, allowing users free use of my D&D 2014 compendiums during the game. - Ambient music playing via Roll20. - Teaching/training in D&D 5e 2014 mechanics, including character creation, sheet use, combat, roleplay, gaming elements. - Flexibility in the applicability of Rules provided in D&D 5e. The Rule of Cool is wholeheartedly supported here - if you can make me laugh, I'll allow your wacky schemes! - Support, encouragement, and patience as you learn or try new/silly things. - Responsive roleplay from NPCs under my control. - Fully open sandbox. No railroading on my end! The players drive the game, I merely describe the consequences of your actions. - Metagame management. I'll gently remind when metagaming occurs and keep us all honest. - Acceptance of fallibility. I'm still human, and I make mistakes. I'm incredibly appreciative when others point out any errors or omissions on my end. It keeps me honest as a GM and as a person. - Safety/comfort prioritisation during play. I provide an avenue for players to alert me to any discomfort/issues of safety they experience during the game via the "X" alert. If you don't like where a scene is going, or if a certain scenario/conversation is triggering/uncomfortable, messaging me X directly will cease that event/conversation/scene immediately and we will move on to another topic.
Homebrew rules
Drinking a potion or applying a weapon coating is a bonus action. Medicine checks do not restore health points. They can stabilise, however. No hard encumberance rules that micromanage item weight stats. Keep it realistic, however; I cannot stretch my imagination to allow a halfling player to carry 8 broadswords and 5 sets of plate armour. Every so often, I ask you to press a button in Roll20 that activates an effect on your character. It can be good (advantage on certain skills) bad (disadvantage on certain skills) or cosmetic. The effect may be random.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Ash creates a safe table
Prior to initiating the game, players will be reminded by the GM to alert if any topic is triggering/uncomfortable. This can be done privately via whisper command [/w gm [message]] to the GM on roll20. The GM will ensure that the game will stay away from such topic(s) and keep everyone comfortable and relaxed. During the game, if any player is feeling uncomfortable about a topic, they are encouraged to utilise the "X" card in Roll20. The purpose of this card is to provide players the opportunity to alert the GM privately when an uncomfortable/triggering topic is discussed during gameplay. It can be activated via a pop up text box when clicking a token on the board, or by typing "#activate-X-card" in chat.
Content warnings
Safety tools used