Eorath: The Black Road

Creating your character

Create your character before the first session using D&D Beyond. I’ll review characters before the campaign begins so we can resolve questions and make sure everyone fits naturally into the world and the campaign. Stats are generated by rolling 4d6 on my discord server, rerolling the lowest die, then assigning the three remaining dice to any ability score. This is an evil-character campaign, so your character should be capable of making morally questionable decisions and working with other self-interested characters. You can be a criminal, mercenary, ruthless adventurer, opportunist or something darker, but the group needs a reason to work together. The aim isn't to create characters whose only motivation is random destruction or deliberately disrupting the game. Standard 2024 Player’s Handbook species and classes are preferred. Unusual options, older material or homebrew require prior approval and must fit the setting. Additional books or material must be supplied by the player for me to review. Starting equipment follows the normal 2024 rules, although I'm happy to discuss reasonable alternatives where they make sense for the character. Before creating your character, send me a basic concept and background. Tell me who they are, what motivates them, and why they would sign on as a mercenary. You don't need to write an essay. The important thing is creating a character who can function as part of an adventuring group while still being genuinely evil or morally dubious. Everyone should arrive at Session 1 with a finished character. Session 0 will be used for introductions, expectations, boundaries and final questions rather than spending the session building characters. You don't need to own a collection of D&D books to play. D&D Beyond will be used for character creation, and I'll provide the campaign-specific information you need.

Preparing for the session

Join the campaign Discord server. Discord will be used for group communication, announcements and anything we need to discuss between sessions. Create or have access to a D&D Beyond account. Your character must be created there so I can review it before the campaign starts. Send me your character concept before completing the character sheet. Your character should fit the setting and be capable of working with the rest of the group. This is an evil-character campaign, but you don't need to play a cartoon villain. Self-interest, survival, ambition, greed and personal power are all valid motivations. Complete your character on D&D Beyond before Session 1. I’ll review the sheet and resolve any questions or changes beforehand. Install the AboveVTT browser extension/plugin and make sure you can access the campaign from a computer before the first session. AboveVTT is the virtual tabletop we'll use for maps, tokens, combat and other game elements. A computer is required. You don't need to be an expert with AboveVTT. I'll provide the campaign link and instructions and make sure everyone can connect before play. Read the campaign information provided after joining. You don't need to memorise the world or its history. Much of Eorath is intended to be discovered through play. You simply need enough information to understand your character's immediate circumstances and why they have joined the caravan. Make sure you have a reliable microphone, headphones or speakers and a reasonably stable internet connection. A webcam is not required. Please arrive ready to play at the scheduled time. These are four-hour sessions, and we'll have a short Session 0/introduction to establish expectations, introduce the group and deal with any final questions before the campaign begins.

What Dead_One brings to the table

You’ll get a fully developed setting, long-term story, detailed locations and NPCs, maps, tokens, handouts and other material needed to play through AboveVTT. This is a character and story-driven campaign, even though your characters may be considerably less heroic than those in my other campaigns. Your choices matter, and the world reacts to what you do. Factions have their own agendas, enemies will pursue their interests, and consequences can follow you for a long time. You are free to play your character as you see fit, provided the group can function together. I won't dictate how evil your character must be. You might be ruthless, ambitious, greedy, criminal, self-serving or simply interested in survival and power. What matters is that you make decisions based on who your character is rather than what is mechanically optimal. I don't rely heavily on character voices. Instead, I use descriptive narration, NPC personalities and motivations to bring the world to life. Music, ambience and sound effects will be used where they add something to a scene. Combat can be dangerous, but it isn't the entire game. I aim to keep combat moving while giving players meaningful choices. There will also be exploration, roleplay, investigation, travel, negotiation and plenty of opportunities to make decisions that have unexpected consequences. I use the Rule of Cool where it makes sense. If you have an unusual idea, tell me what you're actually trying to accomplish and how your character intends to do it. If it works within the situation, I'll find a way to make it work rather than simply saying "there isn't a rule for that." You don't have to perform or use character voices to roleplay. You can describe what your character says or does in character, in third person, or simply explain your approach. Good ideas and thoughtful descriptions can change how I resolve an action. Most importantly, this campaign gives you something you don't often get in D&D: the opportunity to play the other side of the story. You aren't here to save the world. You may end up trying to control it, profit from it, survive it, or simply stay alive while much more powerful forces hunt you down. The world is yours to exploit. Just remember that it can exploit you back.

Homebrew rules

I use the same core house rules across my 5e campaigns. They are designed to keep the game moving, reward good descriptions and make actions feel grounded in the situation. Natural 1s: A natural 1 on an attack automatically fails and ends your turn. On significant checks, a natural 1 represents a meaningful failure where appropriate. Natural 20s: A natural 20 on a check is not an automatic success if something is genuinely impossible, but it always produces an exceptional result. A failed check may become an almost-success, while a successful check may produce an especially good result. Flanking: I don't use the standard flanking rule simply because two characters stand on opposite sides of a creature. Position matters when there is a genuine tactical reason, such as attacking from behind or catching a distracted opponent. Sneak Attack: The normal 2024 Rogue rules apply, but I expect players to create the circumstances for a sneak attack rather than simply announce it. Describe how you're hiding, approaching unseen or exploiting a distracted target. Potions: Drinking a potion yourself is a Bonus Action and uses the normal healing roll. Spending your full Action gives maximum healing. Feeding another character a potion takes an Action and uses the normal roll. Roleplaying is encouraged but doesn't require voices or acting. Describe what your character says or does, in character, in third person, or simply explain your approach. A convincing plan may give advantage, reduce the difficulty, or remove the need for a roll entirely. The general principle is simple: tell me what your character is actually trying to do. The character sheet tells me what they can do; your description tells me how they do it.

How Dead_One creates a safe table

Player comfort and safety are important to me, particularly in a long-running campaign where the group will spend a lot of time together. Before the campaign begins, we’ll discuss expectations, boundaries, campaign style, player behaviour and how we want the group to work together. I’ll provide a Lines and Veils document for players to complete before the campaign. Lines are subjects you do not want included in the game at all. Veils are subjects that can exist in the world but should be handled off-screen or without graphic detail. Boundaries can be changed at any point during the campaign. This is an evil-character campaign and may involve violence, death, disturbing situations, criminal behaviour and mature themes. Playing an evil character does not mean players are expected to tolerate content they are personally uncomfortable with. I will respect individual boundaries and use discretion when handling sensitive material. During play, players can privately message me if something makes them uncomfortable. You don't need to justify the request. X means stop or remove it, N means change direction or reduce the intensity, and O means you're comfortable continuing. There may occasionally be a short delay before I see a message during an intense scene, but I'll respond as soon as possible. Session 0 will cover expectations, boundaries, campaign style, player behaviour and how the group will work together. After particularly intense sessions, I'll check in with the group where appropriate and I'm always available privately if someone wants to discuss something that happened during the game or raise a concern. Harassment, discrimination, bullying, sexual harassment, deliberately disruptive behaviour or behaviour intended to make another player uncomfortable will not be tolerated. Everyone should be able to enjoy the game without having to defend their right to be there. You are never required to explain a boundary to the group. If something isn't working for you, tell me privately and we'll deal with it.