Welcome to Celencia. It's our world

Creating your character

For new players I will gladly sit down and go through full character creation with you or just sit down and chat about what kind of character you would like to play and generate some pre-made options for you to choose from. This will usually be done in and around session 0. For veterans I offer much the same though of course you are welcome to bring whatever wacky ideas you have right to me where we will instead sit down and make sure that everything works balance wise but also to situate the character you have made in the world of Celencia. This may mean tweaking some aspects to better fit the world and story but I am usually pretty accommodating. I will often adjust the starting level based on the general experience level of the group and their preferences. If you wanna go from 0 to hero then level one it is. But if the group prefers starting at level 2 or 3 I am happy to skip right to them. I usually stick to lower level games between levels 1-11. I usually like to offer players the choice of rolling for stats or using point buy and as long as everyone is ok with those who roll having the possibility of being more powerful (at least before I've had a chance to level the playing field with rewards and bonuses) I am happy to leave it to group consensus if some players would prefer one way or the other. All published books are fine by me and even homebrew as long as I have had a chance to review it before hand. I also reserve the right to realize something is broken half way through the game and work with the player to rebalance things in a satisfying way for everyone. As long as everyone feels like the game is fair, and that they are playing a character they like we have no issues.

Preparing for the session

A Discord account, a half decent mic and a Steam account (This is to join Talespire which is nice to have but you do not need to buy to join!) are all you need to play in my games. I expect no one at the table to be a rules expert and especially new players are welcome to come in looking to learn rather than know. HOWEVER, I desperately encourage my players to know and understand what their characters are capable of especially after a few sessions. You certainly don't need to know every detail of every spell or ability, but it is impossible to make decisions with your character when you are unfamiliar with what they can even do. This also goes for things like tracking magic items that are awarded to you and knowing what they do as well.

What Jonathan brings to the table

As someone for a deep love for the idea of dropping yourself into a completely different world full of wonder and adventure I strive to fulfill that fantasy to the best of my abilities as a GM. I want you to smell the fresh market bread and find a desperate curiosity for the things inside that one strange red box in the corner. To feel like there are no invisible walls and that the forest is there for you to wander into. Take up a profession and watch as you become a master alchemist or blacksmith. Learn a musical instrument even if you aren't a bard just to play for your party around the campfire. If you find yourself ready to shed a tear on behalf of a character and a world you feel so connected to, then I have done my job well. Expect full theatre kid energy from me as I throw out all the amateur voice acting I can muster with accents and wacky personalities to match. Mood music is often a must. Magic items usually come with pictures and reference cards for you to print, and if the situation calls for a specially crafted dungeon or area map I will arts and crafts the heck out of it for the fun alone. I am also an absolute game design nerd. This means that that if you enjoy the gamier side of things I have you covered from building awesome characters to combat full of interesting problems to solve and strategies to exploit. We run theatre of the mind to crazy virtual maps and more. I love creative solutions and maneuvers with rule of cool ideas or interpretations of spells and abilities. I often throw out rewards and praise for clever thinking. I am however quite strict about honoring the limitations the mechanics impose for an experience where wins feel earned, and the world keeps its sense of believability. No being able to jump 10 feet farther than usual just because it would make for a sick stunt. But freezing a lock with a cold spell so the barbarian can try smash it? Sounds awesome roll for it. Mostly I just like to keep open and constant communication with my players to make sure that everyone is happy with how things are going and that they understand exactly why I am making the rulings I make. I am a believer in there being no wrong way to play DnD but do note: If you are looking for a game where your character is just there for the comedy and wants to run around committing casual murder and trying to seduce dragons then this is probably not the table for you.

Homebrew rules

We use an alternative death saving throw system in my games in which players do not become unconscious at 0 hit points but instead stay up as normal, but then roll saving throws for death when they next take damage which can kill them instantly.

How Jonathan creates a safe table

My strongest and most often used safety tool is open communication. I like to make sure I know any specific things that my players would like to avoid seeing in my games in session 0 before we start playing. Outside of that I have absolutely no problem with a player stopping the game in it's tracks to voice concern that something is making them uncomfortable. I am also always open to talking post session about anything good or bad. Please note that as a general rule as stated in my profile, I tend towards including many more serious themes in my games with darker subject matter. I never aim to be gratuitous with these themes for the sake of shock value, but for the sake of a world full of stakes, consequences and immersion I tend not to shy away from them unless already discussed beforehand.