Deadfall: Espionage in the Red Wizards' Empire

Creating your character

⚔️ Character Creation ⚔️ Welcome, operatives! Before entering the shadows of Thay, you'll create an experienced hero recruited for one of the most dangerous clandestine operations in Faerûn. 🕵️‍♂️✨ 🎲 Starting Level Characters begin at Level 11. You aren't inexperienced adventurers. You've faced serious threats, earned a reputation, and developed the skills that caught the attention of Operation Deadfall. Consider what makes your character valuable enough to be recruited for a mission where failure could have devastating consequences. 📚 Character Options ✅ All official 5.5e content is allowed. ✅ Characters will be created using D&D Beyond. ✅ Sourcebooks and character options will be shared through my D&D Beyond Master Tier account. 🎲 Ability Scores We'll roll for stats at session 0 because high-level heroes should feel heroic! 🎲 Roll 4d6, drop the lowest die ➡️ Repeat 6 times ➡️ Assign the results however you like If fate is particularly cruel, we'll work together to make sure you start with a character you're excited to play. 💰 Starting Equipment & Magic Items As accomplished Level 11 adventurers, you'll begin with considerably more than a fresh set of traveling clothes! Each character starts with: ⚔️ Normal starting equipment from your chosen class and background. 💰 5,000 GP + 1d10 × 250 GP ✨ 2 Common Magic Items ✨ 3 Uncommon Magic Items ✨ 1 Rare Magic Item Magic items should make sense for your character and are subject to DM approval. I'm happy to help choose items that complement your build and character concept. 🛡️ Character Creation Process Characters can be created before Session 0, though stats are still rolled at session 0. 📖 Backstories Matter I love incorporating character backstories into the campaign. You don't need a novel, just a few paragraphs about who your character is, what they care about, and how they became the formidable adventurer they are today. For Deadfall, consider one important question: Why were you recruited for Operation Deadfall? Perhaps you're an expert infiltrator, accomplished warrior, political operative, renowned spellcaster, former intelligence agent, or someone with very personal reasons for wanting Szass Tam's regime brought down. The more you give me, the more opportunities I'll have to weave your character into the story. ⚠️ Final Notes 🤝 Team-oriented characters are required. 🎭 Characters need a reason to work with the party and participate in Operation Deadfall. 🧠 Espionage, deception, diplomacy, investigation, and clever planning can be every bit as valuable as combat ability. 💀 Thay is extremely dangerous. You're powerful, but so are your enemies. Sometimes knowing when not to fight will be the difference between completing the mission and blowing your cover. Your cover is prepared. Your mission is classified. Trust carefully. 🕵️ Welcome to Operation Deadfall.

Preparing for the session

🚀 Before Your First Session 🚀 Getting ready is quick and easy! Please complete the following steps before Session 0 or your first game: 🎤 Step 1: Join Discord We'll use Discord for voice chat, announcements, scheduling, and campaign discussions. ✅ Create a free Discord account if you don't already have one. ✅ Join the campaign Discord server using the invitation link provided after joining the game. 🎧 A working microphone is required. (Camera optional!) --- ⚔️ Step 2: Create a D&D Beyond Account All character creation and character sheets will be managed through D&D Beyond. ✅ Create a free D&D Beyond account. ✅ Join the campaign link I'll provide after you join. 📚 I maintain a D&D Beyond Master Tier subscription and will share access to official sourcebooks, subclasses, races, spells, feats, and other character options. No additional purchases are required. --- 🗺️ Step 3: Install AboveVTT We'll use AboveVTT, a free virtual tabletop that integrates directly with D&D Beyond. ✅ Install the free AboveVTT browser extension. ✅ Log into D&D Beyond. ✅ That's it! No complicated software setup required. AboveVTT handles: 🎲 Dice Rolling 🗺️ Maps ⚔️ Combat 📌 Tokens 📜 Handouts 🔍 Exploration --- 📝 Step 4: Create Your Character Create your character in D&D Beyond using the character creation guidelines found in the Character Creation section. --- 📖 Step 5: Bring a Character Concept You don't need a ten-page backstory, but I encourage players to think about: ✨ What motivates your character? ✨ What do they hope to accomplish? ✨ What are they afraid of? ✨ Why would they risk their life for others? I love incorporating character backstories into the campaign whenever possible. --- 🎲 What You Need on Game Day ✅ Discord Account ✅ D&D Beyond Account ✅ AboveVTT Installed ✅ Working Microphone ✅ A Sense of Adventure 👑 The fate of Thay awaits. See you at the table!

What Peter KD(&D) brings to the table

🎲 What You Can Expect From Me As Your GM 🎲 My goal is simple: create an unforgettable adventure where your choices matter, your character's story matters, and every session leaves you excited for the next one. 🎭 Heavy Roleplay & Character-Driven Storytelling I love creating memorable NPCs, meaningful character interactions, and opportunities for players to shape the story through their decisions. ✨ Character backstories will be woven into the campaign. ✨ Your choices can influence allies, enemies, factions, and the success or failure of Operation Deadfall. ✨ Expect espionage, political intrigue, investigation, infiltration, and difficult decisions alongside high-level combat. In a campaign built around secrets and deception, who you trust may matter just as much as how well you fight. 🗺️ Custom Maps, Handouts & Visuals I put a great deal of effort into creating an immersive experience. You'll have access to: 🎨 Custom battle maps 📜 Handouts, intelligence reports, and lore documents 🏰 Location artwork and visual references 🧩 Puzzles and interactive encounters I want Thay to feel like a place you're actually infiltrating rather than a setting that exists only in our imaginations. 🕵️ Espionage & Creative Problem Solving Deadfall isn't a traditional dungeon crawl. Missions may involve surveillance, infiltration, sabotage, deception, blackmail, negotiation, intelligence gathering, or building alliances with people who have their own agendas. There won't always be one "correct" solution. Come up with a clever plan and I'll work with you to see where it leads. Sometimes the best victory is completing the mission without anyone realizing you were there. ⚔️ Challenging but Fair Combat When combat happens, expect it to matter. 🐉 Dangerous enemies 🧠 Tactical challenges 🏰 Dynamic battlefields 🎯 Objectives beyond simply reducing enemy HP to zero At Level 11 and beyond, your characters are extraordinarily powerful. That means I can take the gloves off and give you encounters worthy of high-level heroes. 🎵 Voices, Music & Atmosphere I use character voices and accents, ambient music, atmospheric descriptions, and cinematic scene-setting to help bring the world to life. I'm not a professional voice actor, but I'll do my best to make important NPCs distinct and memorable. 📖 Rules Philosophy ⚖️ I generally follow Rules as Written because consistency helps everyone understand how the world works. 🔥 But I also embrace the Rule of Cool when something is creative, dramatic, and makes the game better. If you develop a clever plan, expect me to work with you rather than against you. 🤝 Table Expectations This is a cooperative game. I ask players to: ✅ Respect one another ✅ Share the spotlight ✅ Support fellow players ✅ Communicate openly ✅ Create characters that work as a team If you enjoy immersive storytelling, memorable characters, meaningful choices, and solving problems in ways I never expected, you'll feel right at home.

Homebrew rules

⚖️ Homebrew Rules ⚖️ I generally run games using the official D&D 5.5e rules, but I do use a few homebrew rules that encourage cinematic moments, rewarding roleplay, and memorable stories. --- 🤝 "I Know A Guy" Once per campaign, each player may declare: 💬 "I know a guy." Need a wizard who knows an obscure ritual? A retired thief with knowledge of a secret entrance? A merchant who owes you a favor? You may introduce an NPC from your character's past and briefly describe who they are and how you know them. 🎭 The NPC now exists in the world! However, relationships are complicated... You'll make a Charisma check to determine how happy (or unhappy) this person is to see you again. Possible Outcomes 😄 High Roll They are genuinely happy to see you and eager to help. 🙂 Moderate Roll They are willing to help, but may expect compensation or a favor in return. 😒 Low Roll The relationship is strained. They'll help reluctantly—or only if persuaded. 😡 Very Low Roll Apparently things didn't end well... Expect complications. This rule often creates some of the funniest and most memorable moments in a campaign. --- 💥 Critical Successes Critical hits should feel legendary. When you score a natural 20 on an attack roll: 🎯 Maximum weapon damage is automatically applied. ➕ Then roll the damage dice normally. ➕ Add all normal modifiers. Example: A longsword normally deals: 1d8 + 4 damage. A critical hit becomes: 8 (maximum damage) ➕ 1d8 ➕ 4 This guarantees that critical hits always feel impactful and avoids the disappointment of rolling low damage after landing a natural 20. --- 💀 Critical Failures A natural 1 on an attack roll is always a miss. In addition: 🎭 The DM may introduce a minor complication based on the situation. Examples might include: ⚔️ Losing your footing 🏹 Exposing yourself to danger 🛡️ Leaving an opening for an enemy 🎒 Dropping an item 🌪️ Creating an unexpected complication The goal is not to punish players, but to make natural 1s feel as memorable as natural 20s. --- 🎲 Rule of Cool Creativity is always encouraged. If you come up with a clever, cinematic, or unexpected solution to a problem, I will do my best to reward that creativity while keeping things fair and balanced. 🔥 Heroic moments make great stories. ⚖️ Rules provide structure. The best games usually have a little of both. --- 🏰 One Final Note My goal isn't to "beat" the players. My goal is to create exciting adventures, memorable stories, and those moments everyone is still talking about months later. If a rule ever becomes a problem, we'll discuss it as a group and make adjustments together. After all, we're here to tell an amazing story. 📖

How Peter KD(&D) creates a safe table

🛡️ Player Safety & Table Comfort 🛡️ Creating an exciting adventure is important—but creating a table where everyone feels safe, respected, and comfortable is even more important. My goal is to provide an environment where players can immerse themselves in the story, take creative risks, and have fun knowing their well-being comes first. --- 🤝 Session 0 Before the campaign begins, we'll have a Session 0 where we'll discuss: 🎭 Character concepts and party connections ⚔️ Campaign themes and expectations 🏰 Tone of the game 📖 Table etiquette and communication 🧩 Preferred play styles 🛡️ Safety tools and player boundaries This helps ensure everyone starts the campaign on the same page. --- 🚦 Lines & Veils During Session 0, we'll discuss any content players would prefer to avoid or keep off-screen. 🚫 Lines Topics that will not appear in the game. 🎬 Veils Topics that may exist in the world but will fade to black rather than being described in detail. Player comfort always takes priority over storytelling. --- # ❌ X, ⚠️ N, and ⭕ O System I use the X, N, and O safety system throughout the campaign. ❌ X = Stop Something has crossed a boundary and should immediately stop or change. ⚠️ N = Caution The scene is approaching uncomfortable territory and should shift direction. ⭕ O = Okay Everything is fine and the current content is welcome. These can be communicated: 💬 Publicly in Discord 📩 Through private messages 🎤 Verbally ✋ Through chat or visual signals No explanation is required. If someone uses a safety tool, we move forward respectfully and without drawing attention to the player. --- 🌟 Open-Door Policy Life happens. Need a break? Need to step away for a few minutes? Having a rough day? No problem. Players are welcome to step away from the game at any time without needing to justify it. Your well-being comes first. --- 🎭 Dark Fantasy, Not Grimdark Crown of the Oathbreaker explores themes of mystery, corruption, political intrigue, danger, and heroism. While the campaign contains dark fantasy elements and high stakes, my goal is not shock value or player discomfort. The focus is on: ✨ Adventure ✨ Discovery ✨ Heroic choices ✨ Character growth ✨ Collaborative storytelling Rather than excessive gore, cruelty, or disturbing content. --- 💬 Communication Is Key I encourage players to communicate openly if something isn't working for them. Whether it's a rules concern, a story element, a scheduling issue, or simply a bad day, I'd much rather have a conversation and make adjustments than have someone feel uncomfortable or unheard. We're all here for the same reason: 🎲 To tell an amazing story together. 🤝 To have fun. 🏰 To create memorable adventures. If we can accomplish those things while making everyone feel welcome and respected, then we've succeeded.