Ars Magica | Dies Irae: The Great Pestilence
Welcome to Mythic Europe, the medieval Europe of legend, tale, and myth where faeries cross paths with humans, demons stalk the earth seeking to deceive and corrupt, mortal lords rule their domains and go to war, and magi wield awesome power. Dragons horde treasure, giants threaten villages, the undead seek revenge, mythical beasts hunt and are hunted. Above this all is the Divine. Hidden amongst the mortal realm is the Order of Hermes, a society of Mages (Magi) with the Gift, the power to wield magic. Most Magi live in their Covenants apart from other humans, with their mundane Companions and Grogs to protect, assist, and provide for each Covenant's magi. In Dies Irae: The Great Pestilence, the Order meets its greatest threat, a pestilence unlike any that have come before. While plagues have passed over most magi and their covenants before, this one affects the not just the moral realm but Realm of Magic itself. As magic rots away, can magi heal reality itself or is Great Pestilence the End of Days.
TYPE
SYSTEM
LANGUAGE
EXPERIENCE
AGE
$30.00
/ Session
Details
Bi-weekly / Friday - 11:00 PM UTC
Session Duration / 3 hours
Campaign Length / 11+ Sessions
2 / 5 Seats Filled
Top Game Master
One of StartPlaying's top-rated GMs, a player favorite and highly recommended.
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Meet your party members
2/5
About the adventure
Welcome to Mythic Europe, the medieval Europe of legend, tale, and myth where faeries cross paths with humans, demons stalk the earth seeking to deceive and corrupt, mortal lords rule their domains and go to war, and magi wield awesome power. Dragons horde treasure, giants threaten villages, the undead seek revenge, mythical beasts hunt and are hunted. Above this all is the Divine. Hidden amongst the mortal realm is the Order of Hermes, a society of Mages (Magi) with the Gift, the power to wield magic. Most Magi live in their Covenants apart from other humans, with their mundane Companions and Grogs to protect, assist, and provide for each Covenant's magi. In Dies Irae: The Great Pestilence, the Order meets its greatest threat, a pestilence unlike any that have come before. While plagues have passed over most magi and their covenants before, this one affects the not just the moral realm but Realm of Magic itself. As magic rots away, can magi heal reality itself or is Great Pestilence the End of Days. ------ In Ars Magica, the players portray the members of a Covenant, which is a both a group of magi and the home and sanctuary they share with each other and the mundane people who support them. Each player has two characters: A Mage (magus/maga) and a mortal Companion character. The group also shares a number of Grogs, the supporting characters who protect the magi and manage the mundane needs of Covenant. - This is a beginner-friendly game designed to be engaging for experienced players. - Balance of roleplay, exploration, magical research, social encounters, and combat. - This is a welcoming, open table and there is no space for racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, or transphobia.
Game style
Theater of the Mind
Puzzle / Mystery Focused
Realm Building
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(18)
3 years on StartPlaying
103 games hosted
Highly rated for: Inclusive, Beginner Friendly, Creativity
Average response time: 4 hours
Response rate: 100%
About me
Welcome! I'm Gunnhrafn (he/him), and I'm a long-time GM (26 years of experience) who loves to run a wide variety of games for a wide variety of people, including introducing new players to role-playing games and introducing players to new games. I first started GMing in 1986 and I first began playing TTRPGs back in 1982. As a GM, I enjoy shared story-telling and collaborative world building. I use Discord for communication, and a mix of theater of the mind, Foundry VTT, Roll20, Quest Portal, and Google Sheets depending upon the game. For custom bookings for groups please contact me with an inquiry. I'm available to run one-shots, short-run games, and campaigns for groups and individuals (for one-to-one gaming). I'm also available to teach game systems or help with character creation. Rates will vary depending upon the request. I'm also available to run guided solo and other one-player/one-GM style games. Rates generally run $15-$18.50 for a 60-75 minute game and $25 for a 2 hour session. Depending upon the time, I can run weekly and bi-weekly games. For a complete list of guided solo/one-to-o e games I can run, please see my list of guided games at https://tinyurl.com/buft7utu. Most of these games can also be run play-by-post.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
We'll discuss character creation during Session Zero. Players will have the opportunity to make a magus/magi character, a companion character, grogs, and collaborate on the creation of the Covenant. A character creation guide will be provided for those without access to the Ars Magica 5e / Definitive Edition core rulebook. Premade characters are available on request.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
To play, you will need: - A reliable internet connection and ability to access our Discord, Foundry VTT, and Google Drive (and if we choose to use it, the web-based LegendKeeper). - A reliable microphone for voice chat via Discord. Web cameras are optional. - A free Discord and Foundry account. (Also LegendKeeper account if we choose to use it)
What Gunnhrafn brings to the table
- A Discord site for voice and text chat to be used before, during, and after our game session, and if we wish, a LegendKeeper site for us to record campaign details. - 24/7 access to our Foundry VTT site. - A guide to character creation and quick-reference sheets of the game's mechanics. - Mechanics for players to establish and achieve short and long-term goals for their characters and to build those interests into our campaign. - My 26-years experience as a GM, and my ability to run games that are both beginner-friendly and enjoyable for long-time players.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Safety
How Gunnhrafn creates a safe table
Maintaining a comfortable and inclusive experience for everyone in our game is a top priority, and we have a number of tools to help us achieve that goal. First, I strongly encourage player feedback, both in what you like about current play, what you would like to see happen in future play, and what hasn't been working for you during play. I see my job as trying to create the best experience that I'm able to for each player, and that requires good feedback from you. We'll discuss the following table tools during Session Zero and as needed, and we are always able to renegotiate our use of these tools. |Inclusive Table| This is a welcoming, open table and there is no space for racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, or transphobia. |Open Table and Breaks| Players may come and go as suit their needs in the moment, whether that's to walk away from an intense or difficult moment or to let the dog out or answer the door to get dinner. During each session, we will have at least one 10 minute break, roughly halfway through our game. |Monte Cook RPG Consent Checklist (lines and veils), X-card, and Script Changes| Before our Session Zero or as soon as possible, players should fill out our version of the Monte Cook RPG Consent Checklist to indicate content we should remove (lines), content that should be off-stage (veil), and content they would like to see included. During play we have both the X-card (a request to end a scene or shift the content immediately — An in-game call for a Line), as well as the following Script Change tools (Rewind, Pause, Fast-forward). | Roses and Thorns, Stars and Wishes, and Debriefing| In our Discord, we'll have channels to discuss past sessions using to give each other feedback about game play. - Roses and Thorns: Identify what you particularly liked about a session (Roses) and what you wish was handled differently by your or the group (Thorns). - Stars and Wishes: Identifying particularly strong player contributions (Stars) and indicating what you'd like to see happen in the future (Wishes). - Debriefs: A place to discuss issues that are hindering your fun.
Content warnings
Safety tools used