The Mirage of the Damned | Isekai | D&D 5.5e | Egyptian Mythos

Creating your character

📜 Character Creation & Session Zero We will walk through character setup together during Session 0! You do not need to build a standard D&D hero ahead of time. Before Session 0: What You Need to Bring Before our first session, you only need to think about your character's mortal identity in 1922 Earth: * Name & Concept: Who are they in the 1920s? (e.g., a weary war veteran, a Cairo academic, a cunning tomb robber, or an eccentric occultist). * Species: Choose any official species from D&D Beyond. [Note: To reflect your mortal state on Earth, your species traits and supernatural abilities will remain dormant until magic awakens within you!] How Character Creation Works * Starting Stat Block: You will begin as a fragile mortal using one of four Survivor templates: Apprentice, Disciple, Sneak, or Squire. * Stats: Your initial attributes are set by your chosen Survivor stat block—no rolling or point buy required to start! * The 6-Session Awakening: You will play as a Survivor for the first 6 sessions. As you battle for survival in Har’Akir, your choices, actions, and the intervention of ancient gods will awaken your latent powers. By Session 6, your species traits will ignite, and you will fully evolve into a Level 1 D&D Class (using 2024 rules) shaped by your journey. Allowed Content * Permitted Sources: All official content available on D&D Beyond is allowed for your eventual species and class options (we are using the 2024 D&D Ruleset). * Preserve the Mystery: Please avoid looking up campaign details about Har’Akir or the Darklord Ankhtepot—the traps, curses, and ancient secrets are best experienced fresh!

Preparing for the session

How to Prepare Getting ready for The Mirage of the Damned is simple! Before Session 0, please make sure you have completed the following steps: 1. Accounts & Apps Needed Discord (Free): We will use Discord for voice audio during sessions, as well as text channels for announcements, lore updates, and between-session chatter. D&D Beyond Account (Free): Your character sheets and digital dice will be hosted here. Google Chrome : We will be using AboveVTT for our virtual tabletop, which runs directly as a browser extension on Chrome. 2. Extension Setup Download and install the free AboveVTT Extension from the Chrome Web Store. AboveVTT embeds tactical maps, tokens, and fog of war directly into your D&D Beyond campaign page—no heavy downloads or separate VTT software required! 3. What You'll Receive After Joining Once you join the game, check your inbox for a Welcome Email. It will contain: 🔗 Discord Server Link: Join our dedicated campaign server so we can set up your voice permissions. 🔗 D&D Beyond Campaign Link: Join the campaign link provided. Content Sharing will be enabled, so you'll have access to all official sourcebooks on D&D Beyond for your character building! 4. Mental Prep Think about your character’s 1920s mortal identity (name, background concept, and species choice). Bring a working microphone (headphones recommended to prevent echo) and a desktop/laptop computer (AboveVTT requires a computer browser to run properly).

What Hooli brings to the table

What I Provide & My GM Style When you sit down at my table, you aren’t just rolling dice—you’re stepping into an atmospheric, high-stakes 1920s horror cinematic. Here is what you can expect from me as your Game Master: 🏜️ Atmospheric Worldbuilding & Rich Environments I build deeply immersive scenes designed to evoke all the senses. From the bustling, spice-scented bazaars of 1920s Cairo to the stifling heat, obsidian sands, and bone-chilling silence of Har’Akir’s ancient tombs, you will feel the environment around your character. 🎵 Custom Music & Soundscapes To set the tone, every session features curated ambient music and situational audio. Whether it's ambient desert wind, looming tomb dread, or heart-pounding combat tracks, soundscapes will keep you locked into the horror and excitement of the moment. 🗺️ Tactical Visuals & High-Quality Maps Through AboveVTT, you’ll have dynamic battle maps, clear tokens, and fog-of-war exploration. You will always have a crisp visual layout for complex tactical fights, ancient tomb puzzles, and dangerous dungeon crawls. 🛠️ A Custom Survivor-to-Hero Mechanic I’ve designed a unique, 6-session progression framework tailored specifically for this campaign. You’ll get to experience the raw, pulse-pounding thrill of low-resource survival before watching your mortal character organically awaken into a full D&D hero touched by ancient gods. ⚖️ My GM Philosophy: Rule of Cool > Strict Rules Creative Freedom: I heavily favor the Rule of Cool. If you come up with a clever, cinematic, or dramatic idea that isn't explicitly in the 2024 rulebook, I will almost always say, "Yes, let's roll for it!" Collaborative Storytelling: Your choices, character decisions, and creative risks directly shape the narrative. I treat the story as something we write together at the table. Fair & Thrilling Stakes: The Mists of Ravenloft are dangerous, but I am never DM vs. Player. I bring high-tension encounters where smart thinking and teamwork win the day!

How Hooli creates a safe table

During our session zero, we will go over characters, house rules, table expectations, team building exercises, scheduling, and most importantly, our safety system. Our safety system is color-based and functions similarly to "X, N, & O." The colors represent different levels of comfort and consent: - Green means everything is good to go. - Yellow means proceed with caution or check-in. - Red means stop immediately and address the issue. I want to create a safe and inclusive space for everyone to enjoy the game, so please don't hesitate to use these colors if you need to communicate your comfort level during our sessions. I will also provide a checklist during our first session to ensure that we are all on the same page and have a clear understanding of the rules and expectations for the game.