Dungeon of the Mad Mage / 5E 2014 / level 4-20

Creating your character

We'll use the character sheet and compendium in my Roll20 game (I don't use dnd beyond anymore) I’m old school and strongly prefer everyone making their characters at the same time (during session 0) with my shared content on Roll20 after everyone meets each other and discuss party dynamics. Once you join the campaign, I’ll send you a link to discord where there will be a little more detail about character creation. Feel free to start thinking about ideas for your character but please don’t finalize them until conversing with everyone else. Rember party dynamics and balance tend to make the game better for everyone so keep an open mind. Often players meet and start discussing ideas in the discord before session 0 which is also ok, We’ll start at level 4, I’m fairly open with character races and classes however you are starting out inside a big city some race/class choices will make more sense than others. Probably best to save any ideas for monstrous races like Goblins for back up characters since there existence will be easier to work in narratively once your down in Undermountain. Finally, a note about back stories- Please remember the adventure is in front of you. Often times less is actually more. Some adventure experience is ok but remember your low level and just starting out so keep it small. Honestly the 2 most beneficial things to include for this campaign are: 1. some sort of connection to Waterdeep (the city above the dungeon) the characters will have the option of returning to the surface periodically and a reason to do so will be helpful for story purposes. Here's a few examples: it could be family, friends or business partners. Perhaps there's a family business or reputation to consider. Don't forget the possibilities of negative relationships like rivals, enemies or dept collectors (gambling is legal in Waterdeep) 2 A reason to explore the Undermountain. Obviously fame and fortune could be the only motivation in that case just can focus on what you want to do with it once you've found it. But here's a few facts specific to Undermountain that you might create a connection to: *much of the ruins Halistar converted into dungeon were once a dwarven city of the Melarirkyn clan *its common knowledge there's a lot of Drow down there *many believe the Shadowdusk family is hiding down the lower levels-they were disgraced Noble Family from Waterdeep *it's a known fact that there are gates to other dimensions in the lower levels *My final suggestion is that rumor has it that Halistar himself runs a magic school down there still looking for apprentices Undermountain is a big and diverse place so feel free to come up with a different idea and we can discuss if it'll work

Preparing for the session

You’ll need a working microphone, free discord and Roll20 accounts. A working camera is preferred, but certainly not required. Most importantly just show up ready to play and have fun! Don’t worry If you know nothing about the city of Waterdeep, Undermountain, or the Forgotten Realms setting in general. Even though I was playing when this setting was originally introduced back in the 80s I don’t have everything memorized nor do I want too. A lot of this setting will be original content inspired by the material rather than an exact history lesson of published material. Also don’t worry If you ARE familiar with the mad mage module. Please avoid meta gaming regarding spoilers you suspect are coming but I'm making plenty of changes and expanding almost every dungeon level so there will be plenty surprises for you for you as well.

What Shawn (old school) brings to the table

* I have Most official (2914)5e books available on Roll20 including both mad mage and dragon heist modules (witch this adventure will take a lot of inspiration from) * I also bring 40years of experience as a game master and player who visited these locations in older additions. I still own most of those physical books. * I often use 3rd party content witch also own on Roll20 for example Tome of Beasts and vault of magic from Kobold Press * As an artist, I try to provide A lot of original reference artwork myself to provide a unique and fresh adventure. I also search some reference images on google (original art is fairly time consuming) * I create my own maps usually with Inkarnate, which produces beautiful, detailed maps. Most rooms will be "furnished" with objects and details. from dangers like a hole in floor to mundane things like tables and chairs it will usually be visually represented. * Since I make ALL my own maps, they'll be consistent in appearance. while traveling threw a passageway it won't be obvious if it is a direct copy of the published maps or original content I've added. Also, many of my copied maps will be slightly modified. * Finally, I've chosen to use slightly different colors and textures to distinguish different levels while maintaining a similar tone.

Homebrew rules

There'll be a few after all even though I like the 2014 5e system I think everyone can agree there are a few broken mechanics. In session 0 we'll figure out most Homebrew rules we'd like to use for this game. Plus, I like dungeon crawls to be a little grittier than the base rules suggest. So we'll agree on these rules, and I will set up quick references in our Roll20 game. Because the important thing about ANY rule is consistency.

How Shawn (old school) creates a safe table

We'll talk about safety more in the session 0 as needed. I avoid real world politics, religion, racial and sexual orientations. Basically, I treat everyone with respect and expect everyone in my games to do the same. I love running sessions where everyone feels as welcomed and happy as possible and I will check if I notice anything seems off but sometimes things do go unnoticed. So if anything disturbs you, please tell me in the chat or privately message me right away or after the session is over if you prefer (just let me know because I won't likely fix a problem if I don't realize it exists) I am always happy and willing to talk to you or the whole group about the contents of the session in any manner. If you enjoyed something and want more of it, if you felt like there wasn't enough of something, or you feel overlooked; please let me know! I want everyone to have the most fun possible! Also, we take breaks as needed, especially for medical reasons. If you need drinks, bathroom breaks or whatever feel free to communicate that with me and the group. I know I will.