The Prisoner of Pain: A Level 3-4 Dungeon Crawl

Creating your character

Characters will be created during session 0. This is so that the players can talk the process over with each other, and everyone can be comfortable with the party that they are putting together. If they are not finished by the end of the session, then they will be easily finalized over the following week. I do allow imported characters, but they may need to be edited depending on the books and rules used for them. The books I allow are 2014 Player's Handbook, Xanathar's, Tasha's, Fizban's, both Mordenkainen's, and Sword Coast Adventure's Guide. I do not allow any Homebrew, Unearthed Arcana, or any other books. I also do not allow certain variant features from Tasha's or certain duplicate content that appears in Sword Coast's. When it comes to rolling up the character, I use The Point Buy System. I will gladly assist in making any backgrounds or stories for the characters if needed. I also do not rush any part of this process and will be 100% certain that everyone is prepared, and has what they need to succeed before we start officially playing.

Preparing for the session

Players must know how to work both Discord and Roll20. You will be invited to my private Discord server where everyone there is or has, played in my online games. If you are a bit new to the platforms, then that is more than okay; I simply do not want to lose too much playtime in explaining basic function of the tools we are using. A little bit of guidance or help is completely acceptable though.

What Jelani brings to the table

I am very into RaW (Rules as Written) with only a few exceptions. As such, I will provide several books, shared through the R20 compendium; this includes The Player's Handbook (2014) as well as several other Player Books. I voice many of my characters, provide visual aid through my personal webcam, use custom music to paint the perfect scene, and provide ethically sourced and edited art for several scenes and characters. I create all the character tokens that will be used on the R20 board, using both free and paid online software. I also offer to assist in finding or making character art in some way for players if they so desire. Otherwise, I expect my players to provide me with some kind of art for me to use as a token.

Homebrew rules

I use very little homebrew for character class and abilities. I do use a couple of variant rules for the game itself: stacking advantage/disadvantage, climbing on large creatures, tumble, extra movement for diagonals, etc. All of which are gone over during Session 0 and can be reviewed at anytime during game. I also use bucklers, tower-shields, and some other custom items I've added here-or-there. But I do try very hard to keep player abilities true-to-form from the books. I alter monsters constantly to keep things fresh as well.

How Jelani creates a safe table

Lines and Veils are covered through direct messaging with Discord as soon as you join my game (no explanations needed). You will be completely anonymous to the other players when requesting these. In addition, they will be gone over at the start of session 0 or when a new player joins. I reference After Care by briefly ensuring my players feel safe and comfortable after each scene that feels a bit intense. I also make sure that my players know that they can speak to me at all times (before, during, or after game); they can talk to me about anything they need to.