[Session 0 Free] [CoS] He is Ancient, He is the Land...

Creating your character

This is the fun part before the horror kicks in! We will create fresh Level 1 characters during our first session together (Session 0). The most helpful thing for me is for you to think about what kind of character you'd like to play. What's their story? Where do they come from? What are their hopes and dreams? What are they afraid of and what secrets are they hiding? As for the stats, I'm happy to let you roll for stats or to use the Standard Array. Whatever you prefer. We'll create our characters on D&D Beyond - I will share the content I have so you have access to my books. We will also use D&D Beyond to play.

Preparing for the session

Please make sure that you have a D&D Beyond account created so you can hop on the Virtual Tabletop (VTT). That's about all that we're going to need! If you're new, feel free to read up on the Basic Rules for D&D 5E 2024. It shouldn't take too long and it will help you to be familiar with the way the game works, at least in a general sense. Don't be too concerned about memorising everything, that's why I'm here!

What Rui Cadima brings to the table

Rule of Cool will rule at our table! This means that, if we have to bend the rules slightly so you can do something cool, that's what we're going to do! Within reason, of course! I love impersonating my NPC's and giving them voices so you can expect different voices (some silly, some serious) from me. I also love ambient music which matches what's happening in the story so you'll also get that! You can also expect some cool ambient lighting on my end which will match the situation you're in. I like to give my players a bit of everything: combat, exploration, RP, etc. Depending on what the group prefers, I'll lean more into any of those. The important thing is that we're all having fun together! I also really love teaching new players about the game. So, with me, you'll always have a DM who's willing to be patient and slow down things to make sure everyone is one the same page and understanding what's going on.

Homebrew rules

Paladin: Divine Smite won't cost you a Bonus Action. As a Paladin player myself, I understand how annoying that is. You can simply use Divine Smite as part of your Attack, if it hits. It will still cost you the equivalent Spell Slot though! Potions of Healing: Drinking these or giving them to a player will cost you a Bonus Action rather than an action. Drinking a potion of another kind will still cost you an Action. Helping with Ability Checks: Although you still have to have Proficiency in a skill to help, rather than give you Advantage I prefer to let you combine both players' bonus. E.g. if a player with +3 Intimidation is helping a player with +2 Intimidation, the player with +1 will actually get a +5 on their roll.

How Rui Cadima creates a safe table

On the buildup to our Session 0, I will give you a Lines and Veils document. This is so you can tell me anonymously what kind of content you're not okay with or you'd prefer to not go into in detail. You and I will be the only ones who know what makes you uncomfortable and I will keep that information private from everyone else. During our sessions together, you'll be able to message me directly if you're struggling with anything that's happening and we'll be able to resolve it pretty quickly with some form of backtracking or even a "fade to black" where the scene naturally fades out. I also like to follow-up with my players after each session, asking them for feedback and if they're enjoying the game. This will give you a chance to tell me if there's a problem with my style or the content that we're covering, thus ensuring that I can answer your needs and criticism.