CONQUEST OF THE SEA OF BLOOD

Creating your character

To ensure we hit the ground running with maximum narrative impact, character creation will happen before Session 1. Once you join, you will receive an invite to the campaign's Discord and our digital tabletop space to coordinate your clan's identity with the rest of the horde. Because this is a highly thematic campaign, every player will be portraying a fierce Red Orc clan Chieftain. Your foundation is built on primal fury, but how you adapt to survive the Sea of Blood is entirely up to you. Class & Multiclassing Rules The Barbarian Core: Every character must start the game with at least 3 levels of Barbarian. This ensures your Chieftain has their Primal Path unlocked immediately to define your clan's culture. The Path to Level 6: As the campaign progresses up to level 6, you have complete freedom in how you build your character: You can choose to continue on to level 6 as a full Barbarian. Alternatively, you can multiclass by adding 3 levels of any other class to create a unique hybrid Chieftain (e.g., Barbarian 3 / Paladin 3, Barbarian 3 / Rogue 3, etc.). Allowed Books: You can use any official D&D 5e books for your multiclass options. Homebrew & Custom Classes: I have a dedicated channel on our campaign Discord featuring a list of my personal, custom-made homebrew classes that you are completely welcome to choose from! If you want to use an outside, third-party homebrew class instead, you must check with the DM for approval first. Custom Race Selection The Red Orc: We will not be using standard, official book stats for your character's race. Instead, everyone will be playing my unique, custom homebrew race: The Red Orc. The full traits, abilities, and lore for this race are posted in our campaign Discord alongside the custom classes! The Mechanics Starting Level: Level 3 (Pure Barbarian to start, with multiclassing opening up as we level up). Stat Generation: Point Buy or Standard Array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8). Pro tip: Keep your eye on multiclass stat prerequisites when placing your scores! Where to Create: You are completely free to use whatever platform you prefer to build and track your character sheet (such as D&D Beyond, fillable PDFs, or standard sheets). Please note: I do not host a D&D Beyond campaign link for content sharing, so you will need access to your own sourcebooks if you choose to use it. HP: Fixed or rolled on Discord/VTT. If you roll and get below average, you take the average. Equipment: Starting class equipment + 100 gold pieces to customize your initial survival gear. Beginner Note: If you are new to D&D 5e or need help planning out a cool multiclass build that fits your clan's lore, do not stress! Reach out to me as soon as you join. I am more than happy to jump on a voice call or direct text message with you before the first session to walk you through building your Chieftain step-by-step.

Preparing for the session

Getting ready to conquer the Sea of Blood is simple. You won't need to buy any expensive software or spend hours fighting with a complicated virtual tabletop. Here is everything you need to do before our first session: Join the Campaign Discord: This is our main hub. Once you sign up on StartPlaying, you’ll get a link to join. This is where we will do voice chat, share the custom Red Orc race and homebrew classes, and coordinate characters. Have a Working Microphone: Clear communication is vital for our heavy roleplay and tactical combat. Please ensure you have a decent microphone and a quiet place to play. Camera is Entirely Optional: There is absolutely no pressure to be on camera if you aren't comfortable with it! Voice-only is perfectly fine. Prepare Your Character Sheet: You just need a reliable way to read and track your own character sheet during the game. Whether you prefer using D&D Beyond, a mobile app, a fillable PDF, or classic pen and paper at your desk, whatever works best for you works for me. How We Use the Virtual Tabletop (VTT) You do not need to purchase or install Tabletop Simulator. I will be running the 3D maps and tokens on my end and projecting/streaming my screen directly into our weekly Discord voice channel. You will be able to see the battlefields, monsters, and tactical grid perfectly just by watching the stream!

What BIGJose brings to the table

As your Dungeon Master, my goal is to deliver a living, breathing world that reacts to your choices, rewards your creativity, and challenges your survival instincts. When you sit at my table, you can expect a premium, high-energy storytelling experience. Here is exactly what I bring to the table for our weekly games: Distinct Character Voices & Living NPCs: I don't just read text boxes. From the booming, ancient threats of the giant kings to the unique personalities of your rival orc chieftains, I provide distinct voices and deep roleplay for every NPC you encounter to make the world feel completely immersive. Intense, Tactical Combat: The Sea of Blood is unforgiving, and the monsters here won’t pull their punches. Combat at my table is deeply tactical, high-stakes, and challenging. To match the brutal nature of this campaign and make your victories feel incredibly satisfying, we run a "Crunchy Crits" house rule—a natural 20 maximizes your base damage dice before adding the extra critical roll, making every crit feel devastating. Heavy Role-Playing: While the combat is fierce, the story is driven by who your Chieftains are. I provide a deep space for character development, inter-clan politics, and heavy roleplay. Your backstories, choices, and the culture of your specific clan will directly shape the unfolding narrative. The Rule of Cool: While we keep the game balanced, I firmly believe that fun and cinematic storytelling come first. If you want to use your barbarian rage to pull off a wild, creative, and epic feat of strength that isn't explicitly covered by the rulebooks, I will always work with you to find a way to make it happen. If it’s awesome, let's roll for it. A Full Tabletop Projection: I provide a fully managed virtual tabletop experience streamed directly to our Discord. You get to focus entirely on your character sheet and your strategy while I handle the 3D maps, tracking, and visual spectacle of the archipelago.

Homebrew rules

Crunchy Crits: If you roll a natural 20 on an attack, it equals full damage dice plus the roll, including all your bonuses. For example: if your attack damage is 2D4 +2, you automatically do 10 damage, then you roll your 2D4 +2 and add the 10 to it. D4 Loot Rolls: Whenever you kill something with effort and you want to loot them, roll a D4, then roll a D100 for each number 4 and below. 4 = platinum pieces. 3 = gold pieces. 2 = silver pieces. 1 = copper pieces. Proficiency equals advantage on rolls. If you roll with advantage or disadvantage and you roll 2 natural 20s, you get double the max damage roll plus 2 rolls, or if it was on a check or save, you get an astronomically better result. The Rule of Cool: If you make it sound badass, it will dead ass happen! (if you roll high enough) If you say something that lets you see the DM's uvula, you get a D20 inspiration. If you get any of the DM's references, you get a D20 inspiration. If you do something cool enough, like role-playing or a cool move or anything the DM just generally likes, you get an inspiration varying in value depending on how much I like it. Advantages don't stack after the normal Advantage; anything else giving additional advantages is a +2. Cantrips are bonus actions. Even if you have DM inspiration, natural ones always fail.

How BIGJose creates a safe table

Though the Sea of Blood is a brutal, dangerous, and unforgiving setting, my priority is ensuring that the actual human beings at the table always feel safe, respected, and comfortable. Because this campaign deals with dark themes, monster hunting, and tribal warfare, we use a structured, completely private system to manage boundaries. Here is how we keep the table safe: RPG Consent Checklist: Before the campaign begins (or whenever a new player joins the horde), you will be asked to fill out a standard RPG Consent Checklist. This allows you to privately state your boundaries, comforts, and triggers. 100% Privacy & Discretion: I handle all safety tools with absolute privacy. We will not open up your checklists for group discussion or debate during Session 0 or Session 1. Your boundaries stay between you and me. While I personally do not have hard narrative lines and am open to running a wide variety of dark or gritty themes, I will strictly enforce a hard ban on any content that a player marks as a "hard no" on their checklist. In-Game Direct Messaging (Digital X-Card): If a scene, description, or narrative direction ever makes you uncomfortable or crosses an unexpected line during live play, you can privately direct message (DM) me on Discord at any moment. I keep my eyes on my messages, and I will seamlessly adjust, fade to black, or redirect the scene immediately without drawing public attention to you or making a scene at the table. Open Door & Step-Away Policy: Your real-life well-being comes first. If you ever need to step away from your computer to take a breath, grab water, or just decompress, you are completely free to do so. All I ask is that you drop me a quick private message letting me know you are stepping away so I know not to call on your character. Take all the time you need to feel comfortable, and re-join the game whenever you are ready.