Tomb of Annihilation: The Mortal Law

Creating your character

Characters will start at Level 1 and should be created on D&D Beyond using the 5.5e ruleset. All officially published Wizards of the Coast (WOTC) material for 5.5e is allowed, along with 5e material that has not yet been updated for the new rules. If you're unsure whether something is allowed, just ask! For ability scores, you can use physical dice, D&D Beyond's dice roller, or an AI to generate your rolls. Use the normal 4d6, drop the lowest method for each ability score. You can replace any one of your rolls with an 18 unless you have an 18 already. We'll have a Session 0 before the campaign begins, and there will be time to finish creating characters, ask questions, and make sure everyone is on the same page. Third-party material isn't automatically allowed, but we can discuss it during Session 0 and decide as a group whether we're comfortable using it. I will be perfectly happy to use Third-party material from Ghostfire Gaming, Kobald Press, etc. I likely won't allow personally homebrewed material. Feel free to write as much or as little backstory as you want! A few sentences is perfectly fine, but if you want to write pages about your character's past, I'll happily read them. If you'd like, I'll do my best to incorporate your character's backstory, goals, and important details into the campaign.

Preparing for the session

All you need to play is a **Discord account** and a **D&D Beyond account**. We'll use Discord for voice chat and D&D Beyond for character sheets and dice rolls. We'll also be using **AboveVTT** for our virtual tabletop. If you've never used it before, don't worry! It's a free Chrome extension that works alongside D&D Beyond. You'll need to install it before our first session, but I'll provide instructions and can help you get it set up during Session 0 if you run into any trouble. That's really all you need. If you're new to online D&D or any of these tools, don't worry—we'll get you set up!

What Benjamin brings to the table

I like to keep my games fairly relaxed and flexible. I'll do voices for NPCs, although I can't promise they'll always be good! Some characters might sound genuinely cool, while others might end up being a little silly. I like having fun with the characters and letting the table's energy shape the game. I'm also a big fan of the Rule of Cool. If you have a creative idea that isn't exactly covered by the rules, I'm usually willing to give it a shot if it makes the game more fun. When it comes to encounters, I may adjust monster stat blocks or encounters depending on how the party is doing, adding in some of my own monsters for extra flavor. My goal is for combat to be challenging and exciting without feeling unfair or hopeless. Most importantly, I want players to have agency. Even though we're playing a published adventure, your characters' choices can take the story in unexpected directions. I'm happy to improvise and see where those choices lead rather than forcing everyone back onto the intended path.

Homebrew rules

I don't have a huge list of house rules. I prefer to keep an open dialogue about the rules and discuss things with the party as they come up. If there's a rule that doesn't feel right for our table, I'm happy to hear everyone's thoughts and figure out what works best for the group. One house rule I do use is that **drinking a potion yourself is a Bonus Action** rather than an Action. Other than that, most things are open for discussion. If we can't come to an agreement quickly during a session, I'll make a temporary ruling so we can keep playing and we can revisit it afterward. The goal isn't to find the one "correct" interpretation of every rule. It's to have a game that everyone at the table enjoys.

How Benjamin creates a safe table

I like to keep things pretty simple. We'll have a Session 0 where we can talk about expectations, boundaries, and anything anyone wants the group to know before we start. Beyond that, I want to keep communication open throughout the campaign. If something comes up during a game that makes you uncomfortable, speak up. We can pause, talk about it, and figure out how the group wants to handle it. Nobody should feel awkward about saying something or asking for an adjustment. The goal is for everyone at the table to feel comfortable and have a good time.