Into the Geisterwald

Into the Geisterwald

Dungeons & Dragons 5e on Discord, Tarrasque.io

Price per player-session

You will be charged when a session starts

$30.00

Information

  • Duration: 3 to 3.5 hours

  • Number of players: 2 to 6 players

  • Experience required: Intermediate

Price per player-session

$30.00

About the adventure

For more than a thousand years, the forests of the Geisterwald have loomed at the edge of the Kingdom of Gaus, littered through with small enclaves of humanity, clutching desperately to their torches as they stand against the darkness. Long shadows hang across their settlements, and in the deep places, many terrors lurk. The country roads are dangerous. If you're lucky, bandits will be the least of your troubles, and in the distant capital the new queen pushes an agenda of conversion that will see all of Gaus don the iron collar . . . or burn for their heresy. Whatever your reason, you have escaped from the outside world, seeking relative safety within the confines of the great, haunted forest that is the Geisterwald. Its untamed lands may be lawless, but there is a peace to be found there away from clan, country, and king . . . or so you hope. Did you flee from service? From disgrace? From your crimes? * * * * * Welcome to "Into the Geisterwald"! This game is a passion project for me, taking place in my own, homebrewed setting. In a dark fantasy world where magic is fading, the other races are lost, and superstition rules, mankind huddles together alone in the long night. Survival is difficult, and nothing comes cheaply. Set off with your companions into the Geisterwald, work hard for your coin to earn whatever brief respite you can within the towns you come across. Though the people may not trust you, there will always be work for people such as you . . . if you have the stomach for it. Just be careful that you don't venture too far into the wilds unprepared. Many a sellsword has found their untimely end beneath the gnarled branches of those forlorn trees. This game will focus heavily on exploration, survival, dark and gritty fantasy, as well as themes of horror (both human and supernatural). Inspirations come from such works as "Darkest Dungeon", "The Witcher", "Gargoyles", Arthurian legend, and many more beside. * * * * * The game will make use of a short list of houserules to better adapt d&d 5e's mechanics to the sort of game and mood I intend to capture. These will cover leveling, lethality, exploration, and more.

LGBTQ+
Queer
Women/Femme Identifying

3 years on StartPlaying

280 games hosted

Highly rated for: Storytelling, Creativity, Sets the Mood

Additional Details

How to prepare

For gameplay, I will be using 4 websites/programs. [list] [*] Dndbeyond - My collection includes all major published works which will be made available via content sharing on the campaign page. I'll also share special homebrew backgrounds that can be chosen to enmesh yourself in the setting, and homebrew items that can be acquired in game. [b]Create a free account in order to access my shared content.[/b] [*] Discord - We'll use this for voice and dice rolls with the help of free browser extension called "Beyond20" which allows for virtual dice rolls off your dndbeyond sheet to be forwarded straight to discord chat. [b]You'll need a free discord account and either the desktop app or the in-browswer client.[/bl] My discord has guides for helping to set everything up. Install Discord and create a free account. If you're using firefox or chrome, I encourage you to also install Beyond20 for character sheet and dice integration. [*] Tarrasque.io - This is a low-weight virtual tabletop currently in beta that I'm helping to test, and by participating in my game, you'll get an invitation to make a free player account and try it out. It's quick, efficient, and entirely browser based. After joining the game, I'll send you an invitation to make a free player account. [*] HeroForge - As part of the game, I invite you to create a mock-up of your character on Heroforge.com and share them with me. I'll create a token and portrait of them for use on the VTT, yours to keep when we're done. [/list] Other than those, you'll need a microphone and a stable internet connection.

What I provide

Dndbeyond content. Discord Server. Virtual tabletop with custom maps and tokens.

Gameplay details

The Geisterwald is a setting steeped in horror, both human and otherworldly. People do vicious, brutal things here in the name of survival and greed, all in the shadow of unnatural forces that prey upon them all. All that said, this game is likely to touch on sensitive subjects, as any horror game does. I do, however, believe that it's important to foster a healthy game environment where people's boundaries are respected. Before any campaign, I run a session 0 to discuss hard and soft limits, as well as safety signals that can be used. I am always available through direct message, during and after gameplay, to discuss potential transgressions. Otherwise, typical sessions will involve exploration and coming up against the horrors of the Geisterwald, surviving them through grit or cunning.

Content warnings

    (none)

Safety tools used

    (none)

How will character creation work

For character creation, we'll make use dndbeyond. I possess all major publications there and will make content available via content sharing. While details will be repeated and elaborated on in the campaign page, the basics are as follows. [list] [*] Characters are level 2 [*] In line with the setting, human (and variant human) is the only allowed player race. [*] Magical classes are not forbidden (they're encouraged!), but the people of the land are a superstitious lot, and even the most benign spellcraft might earn their suspicion or dread. [*] There are a number of house rules in use that relate to rests, leveling, and exploration, as well as some others. One of the most immediately gameplay altering is the gritty realism rule from the dungeon master's guide. It extends the time required for rests, slowing the pace of the game down to better reflect the traveling story I'm intending. [/list]

Players can expect

  • Combat/Tactics: Medium

  • Roleplay: High

  • Puzzles: Low

  • Experience Level: Intermediate

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