Belly of Swallowed Coal - D&D Cosmic Horror One-Shot!
There is a legend so deeply hidden within your ancestry that it has long been forgotten - until the moment it pulls you across time and space.
$10.00
/ Session
Details
Once / Friday - 6:00 PM UTC
Apr 17
Session Duration / 4–6 hours
0 / 5 Seats Filled
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About the adventure
So long ago that almost everyone has forgotten its name there was a war waged between powerful beings that stretched across a nation. Not a battle of good or bad but rather annihilation versus existence. An Archfey of immense power was leading a force bent on destroying all life on that plane. Most of the gods came together to fight against this force but they were fractured and in-fighting was rampant. Thousands were dying as those on the side of existence struggled to work together. There was one Goddess who believed she could end the war and trap the Archfey. She knew she would only get one chance to make her plan work. She told only her most trusted associates before making her move. You are descended from those trusted associates. Bound through time by duty and loyalty you are called on to try and help your ancestors keep their promise. ------------------------ This one-shot includes hooks for role-play built around challenging combat. The players will have to work together to find a way out of the trap they find themselves pulled into. The themes are gothic and dark but not deeply gory. The focus is more on horror story-telling rather than specifically being scary or disturbing.
Game style
Dungeon Crawl
Combat Heavy
Hexcrawl / Exploration
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Puzzle / Mystery Focused
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(3)
Less than a year on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: Inclusive, Creativity, Teacher
About me
Hi! I'm a 40ish, trans masc, non-binary nerd that has gotten into Dungeons and Dragons hard as an adult. I started as a player but quickly started GMing games. It's important to me that people that are frequently marginalized feel comfortable at my table. I will always support my players and am always open to making changes so the humans in this game are not unintentionally hurt while trying to have fun. I've always loved writing and crafting my own campaigns, helping integrate players stories, and running NPCs has been a great outlet for that interest. It's been a wonderful creative process that I am so grateful to have in my life. GMing has also helped me grow as a person in ways I never could have expected. I have always been grateful that the first campaign I was in was run by a great GM that really showed me what TTRPGs can be. So I am always happy to help new players learn the game. I run difficult combat and sometimes complex stories but as long as a player is willing to learn they are always welcome at my table.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Characters will be level 8 with 3 feats and standard gear. Players will also get to choose 1 rare item, as well as 2 common or uncommon items for their character to have. Stats will be rolled and any number 7 or below can be re-rolled. Optional class features and custom origin creation is allowed. Characters can be any mix of race, class, or subclass that I have access to on DnD Beyond. Message me and I can send screenshots of the many options. There will be no lock-picking in this campaign but the players may encounter animals. Sylvan or Infernal may be the most useful languages to know but they are not required. There will be low lighting that may effect characters without dark vision.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
In order to participate in the one-shot players will need to have accounts with Discord and DnD Beyond. Both accounts are free to make. There is no account needed for Foundry but you do need to have Chrome downloaded because it works best in that browser. Once you have joined the table I will send you an invite to my Discord. You are welcome to stay in the discord after the game but it is only required while you are actively part of a game.
What Rocky brings to the table
The mechanics will always start from the Rules as Written (RAW). However I have some homebrew rules that I use and I will always try to use the Rule of Cool as long as it feels balanced. As long as we can come up with a roll to make I will try to let you do the fun idea. The one thing that may be a surprise is that I will be using hexes for the battle map. There is no change to how the rules work only a visual one. I record my sessions on discord for my own reference and learning purposes. Those recordings are stored locally and never shared publicly.
Homebrew rules
- I don't track spell components so I don't track ammo either. Everyone will just start with the +1 version of their ammo. - Players cannot kill each other or steal from each other. - If a player tries to grapple another we use classic grapple rules. Conflict between characters will be handled with rolls as long as it stays civil. PvP is allowed but it must make sense for the story your character is telling. Any player attempting to derail the campaign or bully other players will be asked to stop and then removed. - I don't use crit fails. a 1 is a 1. - Enemy or players; as long as two people are not on the same side they are considered flanking and get advantage on attacks. - Anyone can use any scroll, they don't have to be on your spell list. - Loot is put into a group inventory so everyone knows what is available and can decide as a group. - Players can use an action to persuade, intimidate, or influence while in combat. Basically if it would normally require a roll you can do it in combat with an action. For example to try and talk down an enemy. - Homebrew Potion Rules: - Potions can be used as an action or a bonus action. - Potions can be used on other players as an action or a bonus action; as long as you are standing next to each other. - If you have a tile or more between you then you will have to throw the potion and that uses your action slot for that turn. (Throw distance is a maximum of 60ft, the max range for improvised weapons)
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Headphones
Platforms used
Safety
How Rocky creates a safe table
I will be sending a google form for lines and veils. The information from that form will be shared anonymously and put into a document in the Discord. The first 20 - 30 minutes will be used as a pre-session 0. I will answer any questions, the players can introduce themselves with their name and pronouns, I will go over my table rules in depth, and we will cover lines and veils. In order to keep the time demands to a true one-shot instead of a separate session 0 we will cover everything before the game starts. The content warnings look intense but I would say that each of the elements is not the most extreme version of them. If you are familiar and comfortable with horror movies such as Evil Dead and The Decent or books like The Elementals or writers like Stephen King you will be right in your wheel house.
Content warnings
Safety tools used