The Lamplighters: Adventures in Candlekeep (PBP 5th DnD Group)
In the greatest library in Faerûn, the danger isn’t what’s written. It’s what has been forgotten in the shadows the lamps don’t reach...
$10.00
/ Session
Details
Play by Post (Asynchronous)
Billed Weekly / Wednesday - 1:00 PM UTC
Session Duration / 2–3 hours
Campaign Length / 5–99 Sessions
0 / 3 Seats Filled
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About the adventure
Welcome to the The Lamplighters: Adventures in Candlekeep, a Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition play by post game. Exploring the mysteries of Candlekeep and holding the light up against the hidden darkness as the newest initiate into the Avowed and their Lamplighters' Guild. What will you find in the greatest library of Faerun and what will you do with that knowledge? This game is set up for either a small group (2-3 players) or as a solo campaign with one player and the DM. All characters will start with an enhanced 36 point buy and at 2nd level. This is an asynchronous play by post Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition 2024 campaign set in the Forgotten Realms and the library of Candlekeep along the Sword Coast. Many come to Candlekeep for knowledge and some even stay. These initiates are called the Avowed. Among the Avowed, there is a small group of three dozen students of magic in their ranks who were taken in by the masters of Candlekeep to learn the ways of the Weave and the arcane. Within the ranks of the Avowed, these students were the newest of the initiates and they occupied the proverbial bottom rung of the Avowed social hierarchy. As such, they were often tasked with the menial magic tasks of the Keep such as lighting the magical lamps that allowed the scholars and students to see at night. These students are known as the Lamplighters and it is one such student that has just joined their ranks that is now coming to Candlekeep. Play as one of the Lamplighters, a seeker of knowledge and magic in the depths of Candlekeep who maintain the magical lamps found throughout the library. All who seek to understand the Weave or search for answers in its shadowed stacks are welcome but what will await you in the places the magisters don't tread and the light doesn't reach? It will take place over Discord and use Avrae for dice rolls. I will post at least once a day but usually it will be multiple posts a game (I do take Sundays off). This game is focused on the mysteries of Candlekeep, exploring magic and roleplaying but combat, exploration and everything in between can be found! This game does NOT use AI for anything and I would prefer players who don't use AI for their roleplaying posts, please.
Game style
Play By Post
Roleplay Heavy
Puzzle / Mystery Focused
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Sandbox / Open World
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(8)
1 year on StartPlaying
491 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Inclusive, Storytelling
Average response time: 5 hours
Response rate: 88%
About me
Hi there, my name is Chris, your friendly Canadian DM! I am someone who has been playing and running various TTRPGs such as Dungeons and Dragons, ASOIAF, Changeling: the Dreaming, Vampire the Masquerade and many others for the last three decades. I also am a published game writer and designer with over 50 publications (mostly from the heyday of the 3.5 DnD OGL) as well as a small press publishing company called "Mad Scotsman Games" I've run since 2003. My degree in English Literature actually ended up helping me with a career outside of teaching! Woo! I tend to be the forever DM but that works out well because I love telling immerse stories and doing collaborative storytelling with my players. If you are looking for games with a heavy roleplaying focus, deep lore and everything in between, look no further! I look forward to gaming with you all.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
We will using the rules set for Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition, the 2024 version. We will be using the Player's Handbook and other official sources (such as Eberron's Artificer and the new Forgotten Realms guides) for races and classes for this game. More details are below. Characters will be created using the character creation guidelines found in the PHB, in addition to the ones below, and characters will be hosted on DnDBeyond. I have a Master account with content sharing that I will use for this campaign so every player will have access to the books they need, free of charge. *Character creation rules:* - All official races and classes from the 2024 5e PHB and other official sources are allowed, as long as they are not "legacy" content or from the 2014 rules set. Subclasses must also come from these sources. No homebrew, please. - 36 point buy - Starting level: 2nd - Free 1st level origin feat - Standard gold or equipment by class - No "murder hobos", please. This is a game about working within an established hierarchy of mages and academics, not burning down the town. Maybe. Hard to tell with scholars.. - A backstory would be very helpful for me to weave your characters into the narrative. Things like where they are from, their motivations, character merits and flaws, what they want in life would be perfect. Please keep it under one page in length. A character picture would be great as well. - All characters will be created before the campaign begins and added to the campaign link provided via DnDBeyond.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Please have a Discord and a DnDBeyond account for this game. Please have some experience playing the 2024 DnD 5th edition game or at least be familiar with the rules. We will also be using the Avrae discord bot for dice rolls in Discord. I will make sure to upload a tutorial for using Avrae but please have some basic knowledge of how to use it before we begin.
What Chris MacKay brings to the table
I will provide all the DnD books needed via my campaign link on DnDBeyond as well as set up and maintain the Discord server that we will play on. Players will also have their own private channels so they can chat with me freely about anything they need to. I tend to run with "Rules as Written" but favour the "Rule of Cool" over it when the situation calls for it and it would make the game more enjoyable for my players. Mystery and discovery are the main themes of this game. Combat is not the main focus of the game but there will be some measure of it in play. The main focus will be upon heavy roleplaying, exploration, and the mysteries you face in lighting the lamps of Candlekeep. We are all here to have a good time and that's something we can decide together just what that fun is!
Homebrew rules
Drinking a potion or feeding it to an unconscious party member is a bonus action. Otherwise, rules will be as written in the PHB or interpreted by the DM.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Chris MacKay creates a safe table
All walks of life, gender identity, orientation and gamers are welcome at my table. I do not tolerate bigotry, racism, sexism and all the other negative -isms. My gaming space is yours as well and will be a safe one. Period. We will go over any limitations and things we wish to avoid in a session zero discussion with all players present. I also use the "Red, Yellow, Green" system in play to help call attention to something that may make someone uncomfortable etc.
Content warnings
Safety tools used