Sorrow of the Briarfather
Something angry lurks in the woods. Darkness coalesces, people have gone missing, and the space between the trees have gone silent. Why?
Free
Details
1 player following this game
Once / Sunday - 5:00 PM UTC
Jul 12
Session Duration / 4–4.5 hours
0 / 6 Seats Filled
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About the adventure
Generations have lived and loved alongside the Briargroves, but what has always felt like home now feels alien. An impenetrable fog permeates from the heart of the woods that feels cold and unsettling to the touch. The tree's canopies have knitted themselves together to be a bulwark to all light that would shine there; and a party of woodsmen who have spent the majority of their lives working among the trees haven’t made their way back after three days. The ancient council of Druids known as the Council of Seasons that protect the natural order sense something is horribly wrong there; as their chosen champions you have been sent to investigate and stop whatever fell works are at play. Can you stop whatever unknown calamity is boiling to the surface and help the common folk survive the Sorrow of the Briarfather? This is a modular one-shot I am workshopping/designing. I have pre-made 6 level 5 PCs I made for it(a ranger, animist, barbarian, monk, druid,rogue) alongside a number of uniquely stat-blocked critters to stomp. It is modular and i'm going to try to playtest it to run roughly 4 hours.
Game style
Combat Heavy
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(6)
Less than a year on StartPlaying
1 game hosted
Highly rated for: Inclusive, Teacher, Rule of Cool
Average response time: Under 1 hour
Response rate: 100%
About me
Howdy ya’ll! I’m Peter and I got my start playing tabletops with DnD 3.5e at a friends birthday party when I was 13 and I’ve been hooked ever since. From there I started playing years of pathfinder 1e with my online gaming friends and transitioned into dming because I loved the storytelling opportunities. Tabletop roleplaying games have always been about community, fun, and expression for me so I do my best to cultivate it in any play space. I believe the most important and fun aspects of tabletop roleplaying come out in the collaboration of everyone involved to advance the story; and this can only happen when everyone feels safe, respected, and like they are an equal part of the story. My whole philosophy as a GM is centered around keeping the story collaborative and fun for everyone involved. Creating investment with my players is key: This always starts with a session 0 where we get everyone on the same page for expectations. Players who join campaigns later will at the least get a quick one on one session 0 to prep. As for details about myself I am a non-straight neurodivergent man doing my best to turn my biggest hobby and passion into a job so I can share the things I love about it with others. When I’m not furthering that goal I am devouring my favorite media which includes everything horror and fantasy on my couch with a lap full of my elderly kitties and my partner by my side.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
All PCs are premade by me. There are 6 available level 5 PCs; an animist, barbarian, druid, monk, ranger, and rogue!
What to expect
Preparing for the session
We'll be using Foundry and Discord. So have a discord account and be prepared to join on foundry.
What Pert brings to the table
I will use my experience and vision to help foster the feelings of this one shots theme. My descriptive skills will drive home the feelings of corruption, mystery, and fear. I used a lot of my experience homebrewing to design a unique experience where the enemies, environment, and hazards all play into each other to create a sense of urgency and anxiety (ideally in a fun way!).
Homebrew rules
I implement a number of small quality of life changes on the fly. It goes heavily into my Rule of Cool GMing style where if something feels too crunchy or nitpicky I'll ask players if they'd rather handle it my shorter, sweeter way to resolve it. My best example is I like to modify/be rather fast and loose with recall knowledge so it feels better to use.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Pert creates a safe table
We will use my usual suite of safety tools which are Lines & veils, open door, breaks, and a debriefing at the end to discuss how everyone feels and where we're at.
Content warnings
Safety tools used