Love in a Game of Charades - Dark Fantasy on a Sea of Fire

Creating your character

We build your character together in the free Session Zero. Bring a sheet, or a concept, or nothing at all. • Standard array or point buy. Rolling physical dice is allowed if the whole table wants it and we do it together at Session Zero. • Level 3 start. All official 2024 species, classes and backgrounds are open. • Third-party and custom content: ask me before Session Zero. I say yes more often than not, but I want to read it first. • Your backstory will be used from the start. It will live in a shared section where you, I, or anyone in the party can easily reach it, with your permission. One or two paragraphs are plenty, but if you like writing, I honestly like reading what other people create. Example: give me a person you owe something to, a thing you are afraid of, and a reason you were on that ship. • Pre-generated characters are ready if you would rather just play. It is the easiest way to start, and you can switch to your own character at any time. • You can import PDF and D&D Beyond characters into Foundry VTT. • Most of the campaign takes place in the Dimension of Eternal Flame. Fire, cold and water magic work differently there, so please read the Homebrew Rules section, where I explain it in detail.

Preparing for the session

Almost nothing, and that is on purpose. • A Discord account and a working microphone. Headphones help more than an expensive mic does. • Click the game link once before the day, just to confirm it loads. If anything looks wrong, message me. • Read the house-rules. It is short. • If you know how to create your character bring it to session-0 - Image, sheet and backstory. If you are new: you do not need to prepare a voice, a personality, or a plan. Turn up curious.

What František (Frael) brings to the table

• A GM who answers messages within a day and does not cancel. • A safe space to open your hidden treasures and shadows, and to grow from both. • A table I have cast deliberately. A good group is half of a good night, and I treat who sits at it as part of the job. • A world that reacts. Your choices change things, and the changes stay changed. • Roughly 60% roleplay and exploration, 40% combat. • Maps, ambient music and scene lighting that match where you actually are. • Character art and tokens for the people you meet. • A written recap after every session, so nobody loses the thread. • Pre-generated characters, rules taught at the table, and no assumed knowledge. • A free three-hour Session Zero with one hour of real play in it. An evening of forms is an onboarding call, not a session zero. • Open feedback on sessions: during a session, after it, or through an anonymous form. • If I cancel, or something I promised you is not there, I refund you. You do not have to ask.

Homebrew rules

The cosmology is D&D's own. The story inside it is original. The rules are 2024 D&D run close to rules-as-written, and every change I make is listed here. You will never discover a house rule halfway through a session. HOW I RUN THE TABLE • Drinking a potion is a bonus action. • A short rest is 30 to 60 minutes. • Death is a story tool. You will not lose a character to one unlucky round without a chance to decide your fate. • Souls are currency here, literally. There are mechanics attached to soul-coins, and they are explained in play. • Downtime between sessions is real and short. You get one meaningful action, resolved by message before we next meet. HOW THE PLANE CHANGES MAGIC Most of the campaign takes place in the Dimension of Eternal Flame, and the elements do not behave the way your spell list expects. • FIRE is doubled. Fire spells roll double dice and cover double their normal radius. That is double dice, not double damage. The catch is that almost everything native to this plane resists or ignores fire, so the strongest tool you have is the one that works least often on the things trying to kill you. • COLD is the opposite trade. Casting a cold spell here takes a spellcasting ability check against a difficulty of 10 plus the level of the spell. If you fail, the slot is spent anyway and you roll on a wild magic table, because the plane answers back with something neither of us chose. But a great many things down here are vulnerable to cold, and vulnerability works as written: double damage. The spell you can barely cast is the spell that ends the fight. • WATER is a hazard, not a convenience. The moment water appears there is a 50/50 chance it splits into hydrogen and oxygen, and that ignites for 1d10 fire damage per 5 gallons, in a radius of 1 foot per gallon. Create Water makes 10 gallons, so a coin flip decides between water for a few moments and 2d10 going off in a 10-foot radius exactly where you put it. If you notice a house rule in play that is not listed here, please tell me. I will be glad someone else read this page. We will settle it at the table, and I will either correct my ruling or add it to this list.

How František (Frael) creates a safe table

At Session Zero we will go over every safety tool available, and what to expect from the campaign. • LUXTON TECHNIQUE AND ACTIVE LISTENING - An honest discussion of potential traumatic triggers before play, in a supportive environment. - When a player encounters triggering material in play, they can, if they choose, tell the other players. When they do, the rest of us listen. - As part of talking about it, and possibly the only thing they need to say, the player is given absolute say over that material, expressed as a want or a need. - A player never has to justify a request with their traumatic experience. We simply honour it. - A player does not have to be the one to speak first. We keep an eye on each other and watch for anyone who seems withdrawn, unfocused or upset. If we are worried about someone, we ask. - We play towards accommodating that player's request. • X, N AND O CARDS. Anyone can call X to stop a scene, N to steer away from something, or O to ask for more of it. No explanation is owed and nobody will ask for one. • BREAKS. We take at least one in every session, and anyone can call one at any time. • MONTE COOK RPG CONSENT CHECKLIST, filled in before we start. • AFTERCARE AND DEBRIEFING at the end of every session, including Stars and Wishes. • OPEN DOOR POLICY. You can step out for a few minutes to breathe, skip the rest of a session, or leave the campaign for good. Nobody will interrogate you, guilt-trip you, or demand to know why. We respect your boundaries, and you are welcome back if and when you choose to return.