Travel & Explore in a High Magic Setting - New Players Welcome!

Creating your character

You will be starting with 1st level characters. We will create characters as a group during session zero. I also have some pre-made characters you can play if you prefer. It's a good idea to come to session zero with some ideas for characters you might like to play, but please save your final decision for session zero. With Daggerheart it's really best when everyone makes their characters together as a group. That way we can develop the characters through backgrounds and connect them via the connections much more organically and smoothly. Characters will be created as described in the Daggerheart core book. As far as character options, you can use any of the Classes and Ancestries in the Daggerheart core book and Hope & Fear book for making your character. You can use any of the Communities in the core book and Hope & Fear except Wanderborne. (This is due to the nature of the setup of the campaign. If you really want to play a Wanderborne character, we can probably come up with a creative solution. It just may be a little weird.) I don't allow the use of any third party content for creating characters. I am also available to do do an additional one-on-one session zero with you to help you flesh out your backstory if you'd like. If you'd like to do that, just let me know. This would take place after the group session zero. I ask that you play a good-hearted, heroic character who will rush fearlessly into danger where angels fear to tread in the spirit of Daggerheart. Owning the Daggerheart books is helpful but not required. All the needed rules are in Foundry and the SRD. No worries if you're new to the game. You will learn the game by playing the game, which is the best and most fun way to learn. I have a lot of experience running RPGs for new players, and I make the learning process very easy, effortless, and fun. You also don't need any experience with Foundry virtual tabletop. I'll be able to teach you how to use it, and making your character in Foundry is very easy. During session zero I will show you the basics of Foundry, and I'll also share some recommended settings to make the experience easier and more pleasant.

Preparing for the session

There's very little preparation you need to do before session zero. During session zero we'll make your character, develop their backstory, and connect them to the other PCs. I will give you login information for my Foundry server. You won't need an account or anything. I'll also give you access to a private area in my Discord server reserved for this group. There is a chat room, forum, and video chat channel we'll use during the game. You will need a free Discord account. You can run Discord in your browser, or you can install the desktop software. You can join the public part of my server ahead of time using this link: https://discord.gg/YgyH2Q7ybp Due to the recent increase in spam, bot, and AI accounts on Discord, I no longer accept friend requests or DMs from people I don't know on Discord. If you have a brief question about the game, please either message me through this SPG site, or join my Discord server before DMing me on Discord. However, most questions will be answered during session zero, as it's far more efficient to answer questions when we're all together as a group. You will need a computer to play (not phone or tablet). I ask that all players use headphones or earbuds during play. Using speakers leads to echo effects that are very annoying and distracting. I encourage all players to use a webcam if possible. It's OK if you want to turn your camera off to eat or something, but it helps everyone get to know each other when all players use webcams, as it enhances the experience of playing together as a team. As part of the onboarding process I will send you a Google form outlining the safety tools and asking you if you have any requests above and beyond the lines & veils I use by default. I'll also ask you for a Gmail address, so I can share various documents with you throughout the campaign in a Google Drive folder.

What Lex Starwalker brings to the table

I will provide custom curated playlists of ambient music through Foundry to increase immersion in the game. I will often use high quality maps with ambient sound effects. You can control the volume of all the music and sounds for yourself in Foundry, including turning them off completely if you don't want to hear them. Some scenes and combat may be theater of the mind, but I’ll use maps and other visual aids whenever possible. If you have any preferences that will aid in the accessibility of the game for you, please let me know. Once the campaign begins, I am available any time on Discord to discuss any concerns or questions you have, character ideas, or anything else to do with the game and campaign. However before the campaign begins, I'll save answering most questions until session zero when we're all together as a group. You’ll be able to use the private Discord chat and forum as much as you wish in between sessions to plan, ask questions, and/or roleplay. My number one goal is that players have fun at my table. I try to keep things as realistic and feasible as possible to aid in suspension of disbelief, as I've found that leads to the most immersive and enjoyable experiences at the table. But I'm also a fan of the "rule of cool" as long as it's not completely implausible, game breaking, or breaking of the tone we've created together. I love humor in my games, and love it when we're all laughing. I appreciate players who don't take things too seriously, but are able to allow serious and high-drama moments to occur when appropriate. You can learn more about me and my GMing style in my profile. I also have actual play games on my YouTube channel and as part of my podcast, Game Master's Journey. You can get a very good idea of what my games are like by checking out my most recent D&D campaign: Blood of the Avatars. YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@StarwalkerStudios Podcast https://lexstarwalker.com/gmj

Homebrew rules

I'm don't use any house rules or homebrewed systems. Rules are as described in the Daggerheart books. The Journey to Horizon campaign frame has an alternate resting rule we may try. I may modify it or go back to the standard rules depending on how it goes and player opinions. We'll discuss this in session zero and revisit it periodically as the campaign progresses.

How Lex Starwalker creates a safe table

I will go over all the safety tools during session zero. I also send out a safety form before session zero where you can privately let me know of any lines and veils you want respected, as well as any stars and wishes you'd like to see. You're always welcome to let me know if anything comes up during play. I have an open-door policy and am available to talk with you if you have any kind of issue with what's going on. Talk to me about it, and I'll do everything I can to make it right. Safety is very important to me. I want EVERY player at my table to have a good time, myself included. Nothing would make me sadder than for something to happen that made you feel uncomfortable or unsafe and got in the way of you having fun. Roleplaying is a creative and social activity. We put ourselves out there, so we all need an environment where we feel safe and free from judgment to feel comfortable. The campaign will not contain sexual assault, racial prejudice, violence against children, cruelty against animals, systemic racism, homophobia, or transphobia. There will be no PVP (player vs. player) allowed except in certain circumstances where all players are OK with it. There will be zero tolerance for harassment or violating the safety rules. You are always free to take a break during the game anytime you want. I just ask that you let me know. This can be as simple as putting an AFK (away from keyboard) or BIO (bio-break) in chat. And then let me know when you're back by putting a "back" in chat. This just avoids me talking to someone who isn't there. Regarding the content warnings, I chose some tags that are pretty common in fantasy games that I think may occur. But none of them have to occur. Your preferences will be respected.