The Ascension Game

Creating your character

Character creation happens entirely during a dedicated free Session Zero before the campaign begins. This session is roughly 2 hours and covers world introduction, the campaign's custom Shardbearer mechanics, collaborative character building, party connections, and safety tools. You do not need to arrive with a finished character or backstory. Come with ideas, themes, and rough concepts — we build the characters together at the table. This ensures every character is fully integrated with the campaign's world and connected meaningfully to the other players from the start. Characters begin at level 3 and will advance to level 20 across the campaign. Stats are generated using the Standard Array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8). All official Dungeons & Dragons 5e content is permitted — Player's Handbook, Xanathar's Guide, Tasha's Cauldron, and all official setting books including Eberron, Wildemount, Strixhaven, and others. No third-party or homebrew content is permitted at this time, though specific exceptions may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Character sheets can be created in either D&D Beyond (which integrates with Foundry VTT) or directly in Foundry VTT. I'm happy to assist with either platform during Session Zero. Beyond standard 5e character creation, you'll select your character's origin from one of the six fortress cities of the old world, choose a Core Concept (the specific divine fragment your character carries), and establish at least one meaningful connection to another player character. All of this is built collaboratively during Session Zero. After Session Zero, players are asked to write at least one page of backstory based on what we developed together. This becomes the foundation for personal storylines woven throughout the campaign — your character's history will matter, and I will use it.

Preparing for the session

Before our Session Zero, please complete the following: 1. Create a free Forge account at forge-vtt.com. The Forge is where I host all Foundry VTT sessions — you will not need to purchase a Foundry licence or host anything yourself. You'll receive an invite link to the game's Forge instance after booking. 2. Create a free D&D Beyond account at dndbeyond.com if you prefer to build and manage your character sheet there. Foundry VTT can pull characters directly from D&D Beyond, so this is the smoothest workflow. Alternatively, characters can be built natively in Foundry — your choice. 3. Join the campaign Discord server. A link will be sent after booking. Discord is used for voice during sessions, scheduling, between-session roleplay, and sharing materials. 4. Read the campaign lore primer I will send after booking. You don't need to memorise it — it's a reference so you arrive at Session Zero with context. 5. Bring character concept ideas to Session Zero. Themes, archetypes, names you like, mechanical builds you're curious about, anything that excites you. We build the actual character together at the table.

What Ink & Iron brings to the table

I bring eight years of GMing experience and a commitment to making every session feel like it matters. My approach is character-focused, collaborative, and cinematic — designed for players who want their choices to leave permanent marks on the world. Voices and atmosphere. I voice every recurring NPC distinctly. I run ambient music and scene-specific tracks throughout sessions to keep the table immersed. I use the Exalted Scenes module in Foundry VTT to create cinematic scene cards with custom music and imagery for key moments — entering a new location should feel like stepping into a film, not a spreadsheet. I source high-quality custom maps for major locations and encounters. Scene descriptions lean cinematic — I want you to see the fog, hear the bells, feel the weight of the moment. Combat. Grid-based and tactical, but always cinematic. I prioritise dramatic encounters over perfectly balanced ones — though every fight is built to be fair. I embrace the Rule of Cool. If you describe a creative action that fits the moment, I will find a way to make it happen, even if the rulebook didn't think of it first. Combat at my table is fast, brutal, and meaningful. Roleplay. Social interactions are central to my games. NPCs are written as people, not quest dispensers — they have agendas, contradictions, and lives that continue when you're not in the room. I actively encourage and reward inter-party roleplay; some of the most powerful moments at my table come from players engaging with each other rather than with me. Flexibility. I follow the players. If a session veers into political intrigue, we play political intrigue. If you decide to ignore the main plot to investigate a side character, we go there. Your character backstories will be woven into the campaign directly — your history is not background flavour, it is material I will use. Between sessions. I do session recaps, often inviting a player to lead the recap with inspiration as reward — I love hearing how the session looked from your perspective. I respond to messages between sessions and welcome inter-session roleplay. I actively seek feedback after every session and adjust my approach to serve the table. My philosophy. A great game is one the players enjoyed. That's it. If you leave the session excited for the next one, I have done my job. I build sessions around three pillars: meaningful choices, epic scenes, and fun shenanigans. The rest is just delivery.

Homebrew rules

The Ascenion Game uses a small set of custom mechanics layered on top of standard 5e. These are explained fully at Session Zero. The Shardbearer Framework. Every player carries a fragment of a dead god. Your Core Concept defines a personal theme and unlocks distinctive abilities as you climb — powers that grow alongside your standard class progression. Manifestation. Once per long rest, you can call on your full divine aspect for one cinematic, decisive action tied to your Core Concept. Choose your moment carefully. Fractures and the Taking. Alongside hit points, Shardbearers accumulate Fractures. At four Fractures, you Shatter — unconscious and vulnerable. An enemy Shardbearer can then channel the Taking across two rounds to permanently absorb your Core Concept. Allies will fight desperately to reach you before the channelling completes. This is a central tension of the campaign. Party vs Party. When Shardbearer parties clash, the encounter follows a distinct dramatic shape: skirmish, Manifestation, Shatter, and either the Taking or the retreat. These are the most important fights of the campaign — and they feel like it. Standard Tweaks. Potions are a bonus action. Inspiration rewards good roleplay and creative thinking. Crits deal max damage on the first die. Death saves are private. Rule of Cool. If your action fits the moment and feels true to your character, we'll make it work. The rules are the foundation, not the ceiling.

How Ink & Iron creates a safe table

Player comfort is non-negotiable at my table. The Ascension Game covers heavy themes — apocalypse, divine death, identity, sacrifice — and I want every player to engage with that material from a place of genuine safety. Session Zero Safety Discussion. Before we play, we have an open conversation about lines (topics that are off-limits entirely) and veils (topics that can occur but happen off-screen). I will share a Lines and Veils document for you to review and add to privately. Anything you list is added to the table's permanent boundaries — no questions asked, no justification needed. Hard Lines for This Campaign. There is zero romantic or sexual content involving player characters or NPCs at this table, full stop. This is non-negotiable regardless of player preferences. Other common lines (graphic torture, harm to children, etc.) are excluded by default and can be expanded based on Session Zero discussion. In-Session Safety Tools. I use PAUD — Pause, Adjust, Undo, Done — as the table's live safety tool. Any player at any time can invoke any of these to pause the scene, adjust the content, undo what just happened, or remove the theme entirely. PAUD is communicated verbally or in chat; there is no need to explain why. The scene shifts immediately. Aftercare. After heavy sessions, I check in with players individually through Discord. If something landed harder than expected, we talk about it. Adjustments are made to future sessions as needed. Your comfort matters more than my plot. Ongoing Communication. Lines and Veils can be updated at any point during the campaign. If something becomes uncomfortable mid-campaign that wasn't an issue at Session Zero, tell me — privately or at the table — and we adjust. The campaign exists for the players, not the other way around.