Behind the Gates of Cizah: A Horror Campaign [free session 0]

Creating your character

Players will start at level 3. As this is a homebrew setting that will emerge as the campaign (and potentially future campaigns) progress, players have a good level of freedom in terms of their characters backstories. The main restriction is that they adhere to a somewhat grounded and horror-esque feel. For newer players or those who would like some more guidance I am happy to arrange some one-off, free sessions to help create characters and their backstories together. The first session of the campaign will be a discounted session zero that will (amongst other things) finalise characters, their backgrounds and starting relationships. Once you have joined my campaign on DnD Beyond you will have access to the 2024 player manual which I would encourage you to use to help create your character. Some homebrewing is permissable, but you will need to run it past me first.

Preparing for the session

I will run the game using DnD Beyond and Discord. Please make sure you have an account for both of these platforms. Once you have signed up I will contact you to add you to the campaign on DnD Beyond and add you to the dedicated Discord channel. Outside of that, please let me know if you are a new player to DnD 5e (2024) and I will happily talk you through the basics prior to the first session and arrange opportunities to help you get into the game.

What Tom Butt brings to the table

First and foremostly my campaigns are intended to be as inclusive as possible. I am a LGBTQ+ ally and will work tirelessly to make sure all my players feel comfortable at the table and can participate as much as they want. I offer character driven campaigns that blend intense and engaging elements with some brevity. As an educator outside of Dungeons and Dragons, I offer a supportive environment that is a good entry point to new players, while I can also produce more challenging experiences should the need arise. I am happy to adapt my approach to reflect the preferences of the party, having delivered both rule-intensive gameplay-heavy campaigns and more story-driven campaigns in which the rules can take a backseat at times. In the campaign I will utilise the DnD Beyond maps system to offer supporting visuals during exploration and combat. I will also do character voices. I have a number of official DnD books linked to my DnD Beyond account which players will have access to whilst in my campaign.

How Tom Butt creates a safe table

I have included a detailed overview of the content I anticipate coming up in the campaign. During session zero I we will conduct a Lines and Veils safety exercise, in which you can anonymously suggest any specific areas that I should not focus on or avoid entirely during the campaign. At the end of each session I will arrange some time to debrief and discuss any concerns you may have. I will also make myself available for individual messages if you have any concerns you would rather not raise to the group.