DND 5e Lost Mine of Phandelver (Perfect for Beginners)

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.

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

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.