GODSCAR. Dungeon Master's Challenge.

Creating your character

For both new and experienced players, character creation will be within a session 0 during a private discord call. This will ensure you can ask any questions you have, and they will be answered ASAP. It also allows me to get to know you and what may be the most interesting slice of the world for you and your character. Stats can be rolled within the discord server so there is a record of it for the sake of insurance of fairness. Typically, I will allow the use of any race/subclass you can think of as long as there is a fair ruleset for it and I have reviewed it beforehand. As for classes, I stick to the base game's classes plus the ones I have homebrewed myself. Though if there is a particular class you have in mind for your character, I would love to review it and incorporate it as best as I can. With all of that, know that I want the best characters possible for you, but also for the game. If something homebrewed does not fit within the world or could potentially break how the game works or how other players play their characters, I will refuse it. Even with my own homebrew classes, playtesting is fun as long as you understand nothing is set in stone. This game is meant to be fun, not meant to be pushed to break. For rules that already exist, go wild! I'm a big fan of the Unearthed Arcana rules and everything already created should be loved and enjoyed. If you have a fun idea or concept, don't shy away from it. Sometimes the best characters are the wackiest ones (just keep in mind your crazy character may have to be serious at times). Though with a grain of salt, first and foremost this is world is unattached from official D&D worlds and so the typical characters (patrons, deities, villains) probably don’t exist. Let me know if there is something you want incorporated and I will work with you to adjust according to this world’s lore.

Preparing for the session

To prepare, you should at least have a Discord account and a Roll20 account. I prefer it if everyone could also have a copy of Tabletop Simulator, however I understand if not everyone wants to (or can) get a copy of the game. If all players have Tabletop Simulator, the sessions will be on that platform. If not, it will be on Roll20. After signing up for the game, I will message you through Startplaying.games to connect you to the Discord server. Between the time you signed up for the game and the start of the campaign, MAKE SURE you have at least a few hours of free time to do a free session 0 within a discord call. If you do not know what your character will be, bring a few ideas or tell me if you need a bit of extra time. I will actively be available during the evening and night to help guide character creation process.

What Joe brings to the table

Experienced GM with 8+ years of D&D 5e experience •Know most core rules by heart, while still verifying rules when needed. •Passion for creating fun, unique mechanics and situations that let players shine. Homebrew & Creativity •Offers custom classes, races, items, rules, and other mechanics specifically designed for the world. •Open for inspiration from other worlds, games, movies, and other media. •Encourage creative player ideas and lean towards the “rule of cool” when it doesn’t damage the campaign or other players. Roleplay & Immersion •Use a variety of voices to give each character a distinct personality. •Tailored music that fits specific encounters, locations, and moods. Combat & Encounters •Design encounters ranging from simple to complex, often with an array of solutions. •Create memorable and satisfying boss fights. •Challenging encounters are balanced with meaningful choices and alternatives. •Aside from derailing, low chance of TPK (I've only had a hand full of character deaths across +200 sessions). The Player Experience •Prioritize memorable moments, creativity, and player agency. •Enjoy seeing players come up with fun and unexpected solutions. •Low punishment for misunderstandings, always willing to retcon issues with the story or characters.

Homebrew rules

Every encounter is specially crafted for the environment and/or story. Small changes include: free item interactions to use items like potions, flanking gives advantage, spell components not being too serious (except for the expensive ones). I have much homebrew content to be play tested and I often include them as NPC's or inside encounters. My biggest change that I am fond of is wounds instead of falling unconscious. Balancing the difficulty of some homebrew content, falling to 0 does not take you out of the combat. Instead, it gives you a chance to gamble your long-term health in trade to continue fighting alongside your allies. In addition, each of my campaigns adds a bound mechanic to build upon yourself to assist in the power-scaling of the campaign.

How Joe creates a safe table

Before the campaign, I do a free session 0 to go over your character, and this time will be utilized to cover any topics you find uncomfortable. During the sessions, I encourage speaking up about anything that does not make you comfortable and give you time such as a break during the session to unwind. After the sessions I stay to chat and review the session and the campaign as a whole. I am no stranger to constructive criticism and always enjoy hearing aspects my players hope to see within the campaign. I also do not tolerate players who do not respect the wants and needs of other players as D&D is a team game at its core. If someone does not respect these systems, they will at least get a warning, but I am not afraid of removing players from the campaign.