The Arith Chronicles | Urban Conspiracy Homebrew | D&D 5e | New Players Welcome!

About the adventure

- Explore the streets of capital cities that are full of life and wonder. - Join up with a cause and fight back against corruption. - Uncover the truth of a continental conspiracy to spark a war. - Fight back against ancient powers as you discover the sins of the past. "The continent of Arith is on the brink of war. After the assassination of a foreign ambassador at a prestigious Gala, tensions are impossibly high between the two kingdoms involved. The capital city is torn between the refugees at the outskirts of the city walls and the fear-mongering nobility within. Olivia Montwell, former aid of the dead ambassador finds herself leading the refugees as hidden forces conspire against her from the shadows: riots where guards are shot and killed from within her ranks, inciting violence and mistrust between the two factions. She needs help from outside her ranks to root out the corruption and discover the truth before its too late... and the city erupts in all out war." This is a campaign based mostly in capital cities throughout my homebrew continent of Arith. From the religious nobles of Niskaira to the wealthy mages of New Lavinia, you'll have to navigate the seedy underground as well as the high politics of noble life to piece together the threads of a grand conspiracy. Can you stop the forces at play before its too late, and save the continent from war? This campaign will take you from level 1 to 11, taking between 40-50 weeks (about a year, though this will be flexible and subject to change). It has overall themes of politics, mystery, war and terrorism. Players are caught up searching for the truth of a grand conspiracy to stop a continent from breaking out into war! This campaign will start at level 1 and is a great way for beginners to ease into the mechanics of the game while exploring an urban adventure. Although mostly an urban adventure, this campaign is not railroaded and can include exploration of dungeons, the high seas, the open road, and wherever else the journey may take you. There is no set path to the end goal, only a mystery to uncover and your own solution to it to find! I use the Milestone system, and as such, players can expect to level up based on their progression through the story, not necessarily their combat encounters. You are just as likely to level up from a successful difficult social encounter as you are a deadly fight!

Additional Details

How to prepare

Must be 18+ years old. Players must have a stable internet connection, a PC or Laptop with Zoom, capable of handling image, audio and video streaming for 3 hours. A good microphone and headset, a quiet place where you can focus without background noise, camera is optional. Make sure you have a Discord account for communication outside of the sessions. A D&D Beyond account will be necessary for character creation and tracking during the campaign. A copy of Talespire is optional as I will be streaming my map for the players to access, but I highly recommend picking it up if possible: this allows you to create a custom Heroforge mini and import it, as well as be completely immersed in the game during the session. Please see the minimum PC requirements of Talespire before purchasing.

What I provide

I bring immersive music, character voices, custom maps on Talespire, AI art backgrounds (and character illustrations for permanent characters) as well as custom Heroforge digital miniatures to each and every session I run. I will host a Discord server for us, and an online wiki for the campaign will be developed as we continue. This wiki will include lore, art, and custom maps for the players to explore at their own pace that they will have access to, even out of game!

Gameplay details

This game contains themes of war, terrorism, diaspora and the corruption of politics. The campaign will take place mostly in urban capital cities, but is not restricted to these and may wander from underground crypts to the high seas as you explore the world. I use the Session 0 to go over a safety checklist, the X cards safety tool, as well as lines and veils for the campaign. Your actions will have consequences in the world and rampant destruction will not be tolerated in the game world. I do not tolerate: racism, sexism, homophobia, any aggressive behavior or general hostility towards players or myself. We are all here to have fun and create a safe environment for everyone while we're at it! Roleplaying and character growth are the driving forces behind my games: every backdrop and setpiece serves to further the story in relation to the characters and their wants/needs. Although I respect the rules of 5e I'm absolutely a rule of cool/rules as intended DM. Combat should feel fun and fast paced, thrilling and dangerous. Mystery and intrigue will always play a role in my games, with clues of a grander narrative being sprinkled throughout the story.

Content warnings

(none)

Safety tools used

Lines and Veils
Monte Cook RPG Consent Checklist
Session 0
X, N, and O Cards

How will character creation work

Characters start at level 1 (or the party level if you are joining later in the campaign). Race, background, class and subclass should be from any of the official D&D Sourcebooks. UA or 3rd party material can be discussed with me prior to joining the campaign on a case by case basis. Feats are allowed, HP is average, optional class rules from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything are allowed. You start with your initial class and background equipment. Message me privately on Discord with your backstory ideas and I'll help you incorporate it in regards to my homebrew world, Almara. It features many of the options you'll find in other official worlds, such as high magic, technology, and different gods to worship - simply set up a backstory as normal and we'll change the names and scenarios to match! I also provide you detailed information on the world if you're interested in a more in depth character creation process.

Players can expect

• Find a game to join solo or search for a professional game master for you and your friends/coworkers/family.
• Book your session and wait for the Game Master to approve you.
• If you don't have a blast with your first game, your next game is on us.