The Tower | From the Underground to the Surface World!

Creating your character

So, how are your characters made? We are playing using Dungeons and Dragons 5.5e rules, with characters starting at level 3 (and will likely reach around 15th-20th level, depending on the story and paths taken). 📝 Your character sheets can be kept however you wish, whether that be paper, D&D Beyond, or some other character sheet creator. I only ask that you're open with your character stats with me. I typically do character creation on session 0, but as long as they're created before session 1, any time you make them is fine. 📊 As far as Ability Scores, we will be using the Point Buy or Standard Array (Your choice) system so no rolling for stats! You are allowed to roll for your Hit Points though! And iIf you roll a 1 on a die, you may reroll that die once. 🖌️ Being that this adventure is custom built, I'm absolutely willing to allow some forms of Homebrew and other content, as long as it's been given to me ahead of time that way I can review and approve it! (This goes for 5e D&D content and Unearthed Arcana content as well). In addition, I want to make any character of yours work in the setting. So please contact me (Via Discord) about any details of any character you want to play so we can work out their part of the story and how to fit them in. I'm happy to go as in depth as you'd like, and I have plenty of lore to work with! 🧰 The setting is low magic, but despite that, you can start with one common magic item! Level ups are somewhat sparse, and the Tower is rather difficult, so in addition to a common magic item, you'll be allowed to start with one extra Special Thing. This Special Thing could be an extra feat, extra items, or an extra feature on your character, but whatever it is, it should be related to your backstory. Both the Common Item and the Special Thing are meant to add more depth to your character from a roleplay, flavor, and narrative perspective. If you need help with character creation (Maybe it’s is your first time making a D&D character or you have a concept you're not quite sure how to bring to the table), as mentioned, shoot me a message and I'll be more than happy to help!

Preparing for the session

📞 There are no programs you'll need to download, however you will need a Discord account and the ability to use its Voice Chat feature. You will NOT need to do Video! 💻 You'll also need a browser where you can have Owlbear rodeo for combat. Your computer doesn’t have to be super powerful to run Owlbear, but a medium strength is preferred as sometimes Owlbear can be a bit heavy due to shadow and fog of war. 🎲 You won't need real dice as we roll using a discord bot! Just bring yourself and your character! If you have a good idea of the rules, that's great! But I'm also happy to help you learn them if need be, so it isn't completely necessary!

What HACtheGREAT (Alex) brings to the table

Alright, so now what am I giving you? What will be provided by your Dungeon Master? 📜 The first and most obvious is the adventure and story! The campaign is a ‘built from the ground up’ passion project that I’ve spent the better part of 2 years building. Not only have I poured my heart and soul into making an exciting experience, I’ve also had other players who’ve played this very campaign add to the lore that you get to interact with! With the constantly evolving nature of this campaign and its lore, I am giving you a world that you won’t get bored learning about and exploring. 📖 I also put in the world to get your character stories hooked to the main story! I'll provide lore and plot hooks that bring your characters into the main arc of the campaign, giving them all stakes other than just surviving. 📚 Perhaps most importantly, I also provide all the rules you’ll need to play this game! If you need any sort of resource such as a subclass, spell, magic item, or otherwise, I’ll find it and give you the stats for it if you don’t have them! 🗺️ Digital battle maps! Though I often don't make battle maps myself, I do spend my time ensuring the maps I choose create dynamic and following combats for you to enjoy. Not only that, I integrate the battlemaps I pick into Owlbear so you don’t just feel like a token on the board, you’ll feel like you’re actually in the battle itself. ♟️ I also make tokens for your characters once I'm given a description of what they look like! I make elaborate minis through Heroforge, so the sooner I get character descriptions, the sooner I'll be able to give you a cool token! Alternatively, if you have art you want to use on the battle map instead, send that to me and I’ll give it a golden border through my own art program so you can match with the rest of the party. IMPORTANT NOTE: AI generated images are strictly not allowed. 📻 For a majority of moments in this campaign, music plays a heavy roll in the narrative. I also provide music through discord to set the tone during battle! When your character has a cool moment, I’m also prepared to change the music to whatever song you’d like, so you can feel like the protagonist in your special moment!

Homebrew rules

While this campaign has a number of minor rule changes and additions (all available to read on the Discord Server!), two very important Homebrew Rules are detailed a bit below: ☀️ A crucial part of the story will be unlocking a special boon for your character, called a “𝑺𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒓 𝑨𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚”. The inclusion of these is to add another level of character depth, but also to give some more flexible, cool things to do at lower levels! These abilities will be obtained during the story, and also make up a large part of how enemies function, as they get their own abilities that your party will need to figure out creative ways to work around. As the biggest inspiration for a “𝑺𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒓 𝑨𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚” is Stands from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, they’re also music themed, often named after a song! So you get to express your music side as well! 🔄 I use tokens to determine where characters are facing and have some mechanics related to it. This also replaces Flanking. Instead of a guaranteed advantage with a pincer attack, you have to navigate an enemy’s blind spot, which opens up more strategy in how you approach combat. In addition, during roleplay on a battle map, it adds a layer or immersion! You’ll be able to tell exactly what your character is looking at!

How HACtheGREAT (Alex) creates a safe table

I’ve got two main methods to keeping you as a player under my care safe and comfortable while participating in my game! 📋 The main safety tool I use is the Monte Cook RPG Consent Checklist, communicating what is okay and what isn't through an issued PDF sheet. Session 0 is discussed through discord before the sessions begin, but there's always space for a more thorough talk should there need be! ✨ After any sessions I run, I encourage any and all feedback, especially if you feel that something crossed a line. I often do this using the Stars and Wishes method, allowing both likes and dislikes to be shared amongst the entire party. 🚪 Additionally, I have a strong Open Door policy! You’re always welcome to DM me about anything and everything! And while I enjoy keeping games flowing, I’m always willing to pause things to resolve a conflict or misunderstanding. Communication is key! And I’m always willing to use that key!