Adrift With Style On the Star Winds - Spelljammer

Creating your character

A 30-minute Session 0 will be coordinated either day-of the session or in the couple days prior. During which, players will get acquainted, safety considerations will be discussed, and game day expectations will be set. If time permits, I'll take live Q/A for any character creation questions at the end. I will be available to answer questions via text Discord or on Start Playing leading up to the session for character creation. Characters will begin at level 5. Players will be asked to either develop their own character sheets with my guidance and final-approval, or to select a pre-made sheet. Pre-made, interesting, setting-appropriate character sheets personally written by me will be available for new players or those not interested in customizing their own. Stats will be point-buy allocated by the players. The following books are permitted for reference: Players Handbook, Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, Xanathar's Guide to Everything, Spelljammer Astral Adventurer's Guide, Mythic Odyssey's of Theros, & Mordenkainen's Monsters of the Multiverse. ((please note, I welcome 2024 D&D 5.5e sourcebooks, however I do not own the books so may need some assistance/patience if that is your choice of sourcebooks)) Homebrew, Unearthed Arcana playtest material, and Non-official WOTC sourcebooks are not permitted for reference.

Preparing for the session

Players should have a discord account and join my discord server. Players should have a Foundry VTT account and join the campaign’s VTT server. Ahead of session start, players should have either chosen one of the pre-made character sheets or have a fully-built and DM-approved character sheet ready to go. Players should make sure their microphone and webcam is in working condition. Players should have ideally already eaten, or have any needed food/drink ready with them for the session before session start.

What Eric brings to the table

I'll bring an absolute joy to be playing D&D - and a genuine enthusiasm for the hobby that's infectious. I have a very robust set of personally-made Spelljammer music playlists that match the tone and vibe, my TTRPG DJ-ing skill is elite. I'll have thought-out the sessions' NPCs, the settings, and built the VTT in such a visually fascinating way that players can drop right into the action and have that magical feeling like the world is alive. I'll go all-in on Roleplay for my characters. I know the module back-to-front such that I can comfortably modify it to more reflect player's desires without sacrificing quality. Expect the Rule of Cool (RoC) to make a frequent appearance without cheapening player choice, its goal is always to enhance the story. Crunchy tactical Rules as Written (RAW) challenges will be baked-in to a game experience that is built for pace and player fulfillment. I'll keep it lighthearted and humorous - as Spelljammer is about the zany, the weird, the thought-provoking, and the great expanse of variety found amongst the stars.

Homebrew rules

Rule of cool is the best rule, I will sometimes go off RAW rules if it’s in the interest of running a better game (pacing, story, & sometimes just because) Rule of cool =/= god mode, player character death can happen — it’s not personal. If a PC dies, it’s permanent. Combats and encounters are designed balanced so ideally this will not come up too often. However, stakes will be kept real as dice will fall as they may even if it’s 3 failed death saving throws. DM will work to make sure pre-written (or secondary player-customized ones) character sheets are available to continue play in the case of unexpected character death mid-session. “Sad that [PC] died… look, the Joe the Ranger happens to be here! They can help us!” play option to be continued ability within game rounds of PC death. DM will work with player to make a newly rerolled character to be ready for player before the next game session. Drinking potions as a bonus action is allowed. Ignoring encumberance, carry whatever loot you can within reason. (I.e you can carry 25 cabbages if you so choose, but you cannot take all the furniture out of the king’s throne room)). The equivalent of an automatic “bag of holding” magic item for the party. “Magic pockets” style inventory, any player has access to any non-equipped item the party has earned as though it was in their own pocket. No matter who picked up the item or last held it. ((I.e. player 1 picks up a health potion and later in the session is knocked down to death saves — player 3 can pull that same health potion out of their own ‘magic pocket’ and use it to administer aid to player 1 with no additional searching or checks needed)) Ignoring rations, or the need to manage food or sleep. This is not a survival style campaign. Food and sleep is for roleplay flavor or story, or any associated bonuses in special circumstances. Also, food and sleep aren’t required in the Astral Sea anyways per RAW rules. Chaotic Evil player characters are not permitted. All other alignments are permitted. Player-versus-player (PVP) actions are not permitted. No attempting to harm or kill other player characters. No “it’s what my character would do” excuse for PVP. Cooperation amongst Players is the goal. Actions you take will reflect on your adventuring party as a whole. Things done against the wishes of the majority of your party, and DM 'hints,' can have dire in-game consequences for your character. If it is done in a way that is toxic as a bad habit, it can lead to out-of-game being removed from game. Crits maximized, maximum dice damage allotted for crits + a normal attack roll to determine additional damage. Occasional lazy initiative, if you roll higher than “all the monsters” you’re in the “fast group” of players that all go simultaneously. Then goes the monsters, then any PCs that rolled lower than them the “slow party”. After which, initiative resets.

How Eric creates a safe table

Players will be messaged a PDF Session 0 primer document syllabus that outlines expectations and boundaries for the campaign. Players will be encouraged to read this ahead of time and consider and boundaries I have not already outlined that would make the game better for them. During Session 0, the syllabus will be reviewed and highlight additional important boundaries as anonymously submitted and discussed openly as a table. We will also discuss social rules such as “web cams almost always on during gameplay, except as needed for personal matters,” how breaks will be pre-scheduled, and what to expect for my availability as a DM out-of-game. We additionally go over methods of Roleplay, speaking etiquette, my personal DM style as it pertains to this campaign, potential “removable from game offenses,” and the other in-game and post-game safety tools I plan to make available. X, N, & O cards will be physical and I will encourage players to hold them up with webcams to ensure smooth gameplay. Aftercare, and “stars and wishes” will be discussed as a potential day-after session conversation via Discord chat. I will be open to recieve feedback and check-in emotionally as it pertains to the direction of gameplay to be as amenable as possible. These tools are meant to provide voluntary feedback as a conversation piece, and are not meant to be required action on the part of the DM. The door will be open but the understanding must be that the game is for a group, and that group’s best interests may not align with the needs of an individual player — in which case, I will work with Aftercare and Stars and Wishes tools to pivot as best as possible to the maximum comfort of the maximum amount of players + DM.