(Thursday) Shattered Dreams | 1-20 Epic Adventure

Creating your character

This is a character-first, ensemble-driven table. Characters here are people, not builds; Collaborators, not spotlights; Beginnings, not finished legends. If you’ve ever felt like you were carrying the emotional weight of a table alone — or wished you could finally bring your A-game and trust that everyone else would too — you’re in the right place. Character creation happens during Session 0 and the entire week leading up to Session 1. We will have a 1 on 1 creative session together. We’ll build your character together with intention: who they are, Where they came from, how their journey so far has shaped them, and how they fit into the story. Each character begins their journey in an individual Level 1 prologue. These prologues exist to ground your character in the Starting city and set clear narrative momentum from the start. Characters are not lone wolves, chosen ones, joke concepts, or experimental builds. They are not born of sexual violence, written solely as trauma objects, or designed to disrupt the table. Characters are not Evil, and if they’re chaotic, they are thoughtful and aware of consequences. Narrative tension is welcome; PvP, theft, adversarial play, and other disruptive playstyles are not. Backstories are starting points, not novellas. You’ll be given a structured form upon requesting to join the campaign, designed to capture what’s actually useful: NPCs, goals, open threads, secrets with purpose, and hopes for how your story might unfold. Depending which campaign we are doing; I’ll use as much as you give me — as long as it’s digestible. Expect small between-session prompts from time to time to help deepen your character and the city around them. If you’re unsure whether your concept fits, that’s a good sign. Bring the idea. We’ll shape it together. --------------------------- Stats Roll: 4d6 drop the lowest. No stats array or point buy --------------------------- Allowed Races: Dwarf, Elf, Halfling, Human, Gnome, Half-Elf, Goliath, Kobold (DM Approval required) No Evil Alignment / Characters BANNED Classes / Domain - CLERICS: Death, Peace and Twilight Domain. PALADINS: Oath Breaker. Artificer Soft Ban: Warlock - Gonna need to hear a good reason / backstory to allow it. Thematically - they are extremely frowned upon in my world. There is Baggage attached to them if playing one. However I am not totally against them. Soft Ban: Moon Druid - You can play one, but there are some restriction - Please discuss with me if interested and agree to some logical rules. Heavy on RAW Soft Ban: A Halfling Wizard of the School of Divination can not multi-class Multiclass is mostly allowed. You can not Multiclass into a Warlock Hexblade and Warlock Hexblade players can't Multiclass. Banned Feat: Lucky, Magic Initiate (Specifically for Eldritch Blast, Goodberry*) I'll explain Goodberry in discord. Banned Spell: Silvery Barb

Preparing for the session

We will be using Roll20 & Discord. This campaign is intentionally paced and deliberately curated. Campaign preparation isn’t busywork — it’s how we make sure that when the game starts, everyone arrives ready to play together. The game may not start immediately. This is a premium, potentially long-form campaign, and the early groundwork is part of the experience. We will begin when we have four-five characters. Platforms & Tools • Discord is central. It’s where announcements, roll call, downtime roleplay, recaps, and between-session communication live. Players are expected to read recaps, acknowledge announcements (even a quick emoji), and respond to roll call. If you only want to engage during session time, this table will not be a good fit. • Roll20 is the VTT used for play. Players are expected to be comfortable navigating the interface and managing their characters without interrupting session flow. Technical Expectations • A mic/headset is required (no feedback or echo). • Camera (and voices) are strongly encouraged, but not required. • Stable internet and basic technical readiness are assumed. Engagement Between Sessions Out-of-session engagement happens at the pace of real life — regularly or irregularly, as schedules allow — but it does matter. Expect occasional light prompts or exercises to help deepen characters and the city around them. Downtime RP is optional, but encouraged; the story lives there too. This preparation process exists to protect the table, respect everyone’s time, and create the conditions for meaningful ensemble play. If you’re excited by intention, collaboration, and showing up prepared — you’ll feel right at home!

What Novercalis brings to the table

1) 20+ years DMing D&D (heavily experienced in 2e, 3.5e, pathfinder and 5e) 2) With over 20 years steeped in Forgotten Realms and a reddit moderator for several major communities dedicated to FR modules, I keep my finger on the pulse of canon, fan theories, and ideas. This means your characters won't just wander the Sword Coast generic-land — they'll encounter NPCs who reference real historical events, secret lore ties that reward your backstories, and dynamic world reactions that evolve with your choices. No inconsistencies, every tavern rumor, ancient ruin, or god's whim feels meticulously crafted and alive, pulling you deeper into Sword Coast Lore than most GMs ever dare. 3) I only run two tables. Period. You get my full focus, time and commitment. Because of that... 4) minimum 5 hours of dedicated prep per session: custom encounters, tailored to your characters’ backstories & goals 5) 1-on-1 character creation + prologue RP session so your character feels right from session zero 6) Beautiful, cinematic, high end production Roll20 experience. High quality Assets, Regular and Animated Maps/Tokens. Dynamic Lighting, Visual/Sound effects, Curated music and voices, interactive Virtual Tabletop. 7) Full access to my massive Roll20 compendium (almost every official book) + custom character macros to keep combat fast and smooth 8) Session recaps, post-game notes, and active out-of-session RP on Discord 9) Direct access to me between sessions — questions, backstory ideas, planning, all welcome I prioritize deep immersion, rich storytelling, and meaningful agency for both players and my NPCs within a strictly Rules as Written (RAW) and Rules as Intended (RAI) framework. Your characters' choices matter in a living, reactive world where NPCs drive their own goals and agendas, and events evolve independently, no matter what you do. This is an authentic D&D experience that demands strategic, thoughtful play—rewarding preparation, clever tactics, and bold decisions.

Homebrew rules

Any homebrew / house rules will be located in my discord and will be explained in my discord. Lots of the house rules are optional and will be discussed during session zero if we wish include them. (Gritty Ruleset, modified exhaustion system, official variant rules, etc)

How Novercalis creates a safe table

My games are for adults 18+ and may include mature themes (violence, horror), but never erotic roleplay (ERP) or explicit sexual content. Session Zero is mandatory. We’ll spend time discussing comfort levels, boundaries, and tone expectations. I primarily use a Lines & Veils framework (and will share my template document beforehand) so everyone can clearly state what they want to include, what they want to avoid entirely (Lines), and what they’re okay with happening “off-screen” or fade-to-black (Veils). Bottom line: This is a collaborative, adult fantasy game. Your comfort and enjoyment come first. We set clear expectations upfront, respect every boundary, and keep communication open so everyone can have fun.