Arr! The Surprisingly Good Pirates of the Red Sea *pirate voice*

Creating your character

We'll be starting at level 1 and going to question mark, as they say lol. You'll get 37 points in point buy with more points acquired as we go along. I have a link to a calculator if you need it. Feel free to have an intricate backstory, most don't acquire great skill in weapons or magic. Your high stats can reflect a bit of glory, maybe some job-hopping or intensive childhood training. I don't exclude any official books/species/backgrounds and am willing to work with homebrew. You can come with your character created if you want to. We're going with 2024 rules, +1 free feat, +1 rare magic item. Feel free to make basic swaps of the standard gear (like if it comes with leather but you want plate, go ahead, or it comes with a longsword but you want a halberd? Have at. I'd keep an eye on gold equivalence, as you might end up with me owing you some gold! ;D).

Preparing for the session

I run things on roll20 and discord, but can help set up integration with dndbeyond if you prefer their character sheets. Mic required, discord account preferred but we could find workarounds if necessary, roll20 account (a free website that only requires an email) required. No homework required beforehand. Character creation can happen in or before Session Zero, if it happens before be aware that there will potentially be changes necessary before Session One, but I'm also willing to work with a character you love and want to bring to further life. I've only taught players that have at least listened to D&D podcasts and have a grasp of the rules, but I'm happy to teach a fresh newbie if they come along x)

What Allocated brings to the table

I run a sandbox game, meaning that what the party decides to do is what happens. I can be planning to run a module, and the team can decide to go riding the hornless unicorn they're meant to save off into the horizon. I do character voices, and attempt to have intense, tactical combat. This campaign should have a lot of shipboard combat (though there are generally ways out of a combat other than fighting). I play comedy-heavy, but that does not exclude the darkness, as I find a sense of humor to be the best coping tool. There will be lots of getting to know your crewmates (if you choose) and lots of saving a variety of species and creatures from the collapse of civilization and the planet and the consequences that come of that. I bring a wealth of experience, skills and resources to the table. I've been GMing for a few years now and absolutely love it. I love helping my players achieve a character arc they enjoy. I love helping a certain scene come to life. I love responding as the NPCs, who I really try my best to give voice and life to. I love adding fun twists my players enjoy, of the type they agreed to. I love finding out what each player wants at the table and trying to help them get that, both every session and during the overarching campaign. I am careful with my audio input in deference to the neurodivergent crowd (of which I am one). I'm perfectly happy with music or no music, though I'll generally do a musical sequence for boss battles, unless requested otherwise.

Homebrew rules

To start: Mechanics are meant to make the game more fun, so if you want a mechanic added to something with your character, I'm all here for it - DM Inspiration: Inspiration is an immediate critical success, and can be stacked up to 3. - Starter feat in addition to 2024 origin feat -Crits are 1 set of maxxed dice and 1 roll of the dice So if you crit on 2d8+5, you get 16+ (2d8+5) as your critical damage -You can gain skills by in-game downtime actions (e.g. Read a book on How to Make Friends and gain +1 Charisma, start lifting weights and gain +1 str after a set period of time) -I love the Bastion mechanics and I have always tried to give players a Home Base where they can keep stuff and have a home business or whatever they want. -We do run a modified Spelljammer world (meaning we have space-level "tech" that's a blend of magic and tech to achieve industrial and above tech levels for some existing societies) -Drinking a potion as a Bonus Action means you roll for the healing, drinking a potion as a full Action means you get the full effect of it (this is to simulate the possibility of spilling some, or moving too much while the wounds are healing and having to re-heal the same wound)

How Allocated creates a safe table

TW are examples of the types of things that may be referenced as existing, usually no more than that, generally as something for you to fix or defeat. We will be discussing lines and veils, as I want to make sure I understand as much as possible what I will need to avoid to make sure *you* have fun in the game. I do have a link to the Lines and Veils document in my Discord server under #resources. I have most content available in my updated roll20 server The Rogue's Trick 2024, including most of the old 'races', etc, ready to be updated to 'species' upon request by a player. Session zero is for everyone making sure they'll feel comfortable with the other people at the table, validating whatever they need to validate to know they have a safe space. It's for making sure the Players and Characters will click together well as teams. It's for any last-minute modifications to sheets or discussions about issues with the time period or anything else. It's for doing our best to set expectations.