Hoard of the Dragon Queen DND 5e (All-comers welcome)
This is the quintessential 5e experience- a campaign where you indulge in dungeons, dragons and everything Faerun. The Cult of the Dragon awaits you.
$22.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Wednesday - 1:00 PM UTC
Session Duration / 3–4 hours
Campaign Length / 15–22 Sessions
0 / 4 Seats Filled
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About the adventure
Hoard of the Dragon Queen is an adventure that personifies Dungeons and Dragons. The campaign is for everyone, with ample opportunity for roleplay and combat alike. This is the perfect introduction to Faerun, and we can tailor the campaign to suit the players needs. Official Background Information: The time of dragons dawns. Calling upon ancient magic and a host of draconic allies, the Cult of the Dragon seeks to unleash Tiamat from her prison in the Nine Hells. By bringing the Queen of Dragons bodily into the world, the cult plans to scour away their foes and usher in a new age of draconic dominance. So far, they've gathered great stores of treasure, forged an alliance with Thay to assist with performing the required summoning ritual, gathered the five dragon masks central to the ritual (see "Dragon Masks," below), and persuaded or cajoled many of the oldest and strongest evil dragons of Faerûn into supporting them. However, not everything has gone according to the cult's plans. The discovery of an alliance between the Cult of the Dragon and the Red Wizards of Thay has shaken the various factions aligned against both organizations. The Harpers view any such alliance as an abomination, as does the Order of the Gauntlet. The Lords' Alliance recognizes the obvious threat to the lands and rulers of the Sword Coast and the North, while the Emerald Enclave suspects that anything Thay promotes is likely against the natural order. Even the Zhentarim fear the union of two such powerful forces. News of the alliance has thus brought the various factions of the Sword Coast together. The leaders of those factions understand that they must gather and rally forces to fight the cult, even as the situation in Faerûn grows more dire. Abductions and raids undertaken by the Cult of the Dragon increase daily, and refugees are fleeing from burned-out regions under cult attack to major cities and fortresses. Villagers have abandoned their homes, fleeing the constant predation of dragons. In many cities, all-out panic has created a growing movement in favor of agreeing to the cult's demands in the hope of winning concessions in return. It is difficult to muster troops when people are afraid they will be burned by dragonfire. This is a time for heroes to inspire the people of the Sword Coast with a great victory or two. Fortunately, the Forgotten Realms has just such a group of heroes.
Game style
Roleplay Heavy
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Organized Play
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
1 year on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: World Builder, Creativity, Inclusive
About me
I'm male (he/him), from the UK and on the wrong side of thirty. I love TTRPG's, playing them, and watching actual plays. I am an aspiring author, and love a variety of genres, with fantasy being my largest love. Working with my players to craft interesting stories and wonderful memories is my biggest hope, and I look forward to talking with many people on this site. And you won't see any Generative AI slop from me. Just human made fun :D
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
For character creation, I would encourage everybody to create a character on DND Beyond, as it is the simplest, most effective tool. If you would like to create a paper character sheet, that is fine too, but please send me a copy. If you do not feel comfortable creating a character by yourself, we can arrange a time during or after session zero to create one together. For stats, we will be doing a standard rolled array, and assigning the stats as we see fit. We will be rolling 4 d6, and keeping the highest 3. We will all be beginning at level 1 and finishing the campaign at level 5. You are free to use any of the options on DND Beyond to create your characters, and if you want to use items, subclasses or the like from other sourcebooks, I can help you with that process. I'm here to help you create the characters that you want to play, and write the stories you want to live in. The only exceptions I would say are the collaboration books (Borderlands and MTG), as they stray from the mythos of Faerun a little too much for my liking. Please feel free to reach out at any point for advice, assistance or just to ask a question.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
I will be using Discord for the voice/video calls, so please have an account ready. I will send you an invite to a campaign group when it is created. Please create an account on DND beyond for your character if possible, but you can use other tools if you prefer- just please send me a copy. I use Owlbear Rodeo primarily for battle scenes, but I don't believe you need an account to access the maps, so that should be fine. If any of you have preferred tools or sites, please let me know, and I can try incorporating them in.
What Benjamin Wagner brings to the table
I like character voices. I am NOT a voice actor, but I like to have fun and play around with character, and the voice can dictate a lot. I encourage you all to have fun with voices, but if you would prefer not to, that is fine as well. Combat will be fair, there will be challenge and stakes, but this isn't Dark Souls. My role as DM is not to try and kill the players, but to challenge you to think tactically and co-operatively as you pursue your goals. Rules are a guideline, and I very much embrace the rule of cool to stretch things. There are limits, of course, but I want to reward creativity, and not punish something that doesn't perfectly fit a rulebook. I will use ambient music and battle music, tech willing.
Homebrew rules
We can discuss these at session zero, but the homebrew rules I use regularly are: Potion on a bonus action Death save rolls in secret Flanking can give advantage (to you and your opposition) Carry weight for currency doesn't matter
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Benjamin Wagner creates a safe table
We will have a session zero to discuss the limits and lines of each player in the group. We should all be open minded, as things that we are fine with are not the same for everybody else. The campaign can easily be adapted to remove triggers or content that players find offensive so do not hold back in letting me know. In session, if you feel uncomfortable, either flag me by raising your hand or sending a message, and I will move on quickly. If another player is making you feel uncomfortable, please bring it up with them, or with me if you do not wish to confront them directly. I am happy to have aftercare discussions with those who wish for it.
Content warnings
Safety tools used