Against the Cult of the Reptile Goddess

Creating your character

Characters will start at level 3 and will be created in FoundryVTT during session 0, with guidance from me before play begins. Players are encouraged to arrive at Session 0 with a character concept or rough draft, and we will use Session 0 to finalize sheets, establish relationships, connect each character to Orlane, and make sure everyone fits the campaign’s tone and premise. We'll discuss the inclusion of homebrew rules for character creation during Session 0. Ability scores will use standard Point Buy. This keeps the party fair and balanced.

Preparing for the session

- Join the campaign’s Discord. I will provide the invite link before the game starts. This will be used for voice chat, announcements, scheduling, questions, and between-session notes. - Come to Session 0 with a character concept or rough idea. Players should think about their class, personality, origin, and what connects them to Orlane or why they're going to Orlane to investigate. [We'll develop those motives together at Session 0] - Be ready to discuss tone, safety tools, boundaries, and expectations. This is a campaign with horror elements, such as torture and abduction, so we will make sure everyone is comfortable with the themes before play begins.

What Tom brings to the table

I provide a prepared, atmospheric, player-driven D&D table built around investigation, meaningful choices, and consequences. For this campaign, I’m bringing upgraded maps, visual aids, handouts, and a custom-built Orlane GM Dossier web app. This allows me to run a richer web of NPCs, clues, rumors, locations, and consequences, making Orlane feel like a real community under supernatural pressure: people have routines, secrets, fears, loyalties, and reasons to lie. My GM style is immersive and responsive. I enjoy portraying NPCs with distinct personalities, motives, and agendas. I do not force players down a scripted path: the world will respond to your choices. If your party decides to investigate an unexpected lead, trust the wrong person, start trouble in a dangerous place, or even walk away from Orlane entirely, that is part of the game — and I will be ready for it. Rules-wise, I'm a big believer in the Rule of Cool; but I also respect the rules as written; without rules-lawyering. I also embrace well-designed homebrew whenever it enhances the experience and helps us tell a better story together. Combat will not be constant, but when it happens, it will be dangerous, tactical, cinematic, and meaningful. I enjoy interesting terrain, monster abilities, positioning, objectives, and dramatic stakes beyond simply reducing enemies to zero hit points. That said, not every scene needs a battle map; I will use tactical play when it improves the game and theater of the mind when it keeps the story moving. Expect investigation, social tension, exploration, ambushes, hard choices, and fights that can turn deadly if the party ignores warning signs. I use safety tools and clear table expectations so we can explore horror, paranoia, and moral tension without losing sight of player comfort.

Homebrew rules

I love homebrew. But it has to be well-designed homebrew. And everyone at the table should agree of its inclusion at Session 0. In some cases, however, we'll all collectively agree on some house-rules as the game progresses. There are so many possible house-rules that we can't possibly cover them all at Session 0.

How Tom creates a safe table

Player safety and trust are essential. Before play begins, I will provide a few safety documents (such as Lines and Veils and Monte Cook) so players can privately share topics they do not want included, topics that should fade to black, moments that should be retconned, and etc. You can also tell me themes you're excited to explore. We will also go over tone, expectations, boundaries, and safety tools during Session 0. Nothing's set in stone. I'll curate the content of our sessions according to what's safe to include. Aracnophobia? All Spiders will be removed. You don't like Zombies? No Zombies will ever be featured. Certain political topics remind you too much of the real world? Say the word and they'll never appear in the campaign. I use several safety tools: • Lines and Veils before the campaign begins. • X, N, and O signals during play. Players may post them in chat, say them out loud, or message me privately. • Open Door policy: players may step away from the game at any time, for any reason, without needing to explain. • Regular check-ins during intense scenes. • Session 0 discussion of PvP, romance, horror intensity, character secrets and intra-party conflict. • Private messaging is always available if a player is uncomfortable or wants something adjusted. • No one needs to justify a boundary. If something is not okay, we move on. After emotionally intense sessions, I like to leave a little space for decompression. We may do a short debrief, discuss highlights, check whether anything felt too heavy, and adjust future sessions if needed. I want players to feel excited, respected, and safe enough to take dramatic risks with their characters. I'm a very caring GM. Or at least that's what people say. You being comfortable and joyous is very important to me. I believe in open communication. But I don't want anyone getting exposed either. PM me with any of your concerns and I'll guarantee my utmost discretion.