Toya Hotenshi

he/him

Timezone

Europe/rome

Language

English

Italian

Japanese

Identity

Multi-lingual

About Toya Hotenshi

I've been a nerd all my life, starting with cartoons and video games and more recently landing on RPGs. Like many, it started with Critical Role and since then I've had the itch to get more and more into D&D, though it hasn't been easy to find people to play with. I was a player in a few campaigns, both in person and online, that never really took off or that simply were never meant to (as in, one-shots). I then attempted to DM for a party during the pandemic, and we had several sessions. The group then disbanded due to real life commitments, but it led to me roping my father into playing, and we've shared years of one-on-one campaigns since then, most recently playing Baldur's Gate 3 together. In the meantime I managed to find a party to both play and DM for, and we've been going strong with two separate campaigns (one I DM and one I play in) since 2020 or so.

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

Featured Prompts

I got started GMing...

by running a game for a group of friends during the pandemic. We were all new and I offered to take up the mantle. The party has since disbanded due to scheduling issues, but I kept DMing for a smaller one as well as for my father.

When I'm not running games I'm...

either playing in them or enjoying a video game. I'm especially fond of strategy titles, though I played a bit of everything, including mostly action/adventure RPGs. I'm also an anime fan, though not super up to date on the latest releases.

How Toya Hotenshi runs games

I tend to enjoy being a team player, and as DM that means I'll do my best to give each character something fun and unique to pursue. That of course requires some help from the players, but I'll always try to put effort into spotlighting everyone. This usually translates into sidequests, custom magic items, NPC connections and so on. I'm fairly strict on the rules, and generally prefer not to use homebrewed races and classes, but I'll make concessions in other areas if necessary. What matters to me is that the game is enjoyable, and I like to see my players win, but not too easily. Combat encounters will be - as far as I'm able - balanced to be challenging, with a strong chance of seeing homebrewed or modified monsters even if I'm running a module. For those more interested in the social aspect, I'm of the opinion that dice rolls come second, and making a solid point first. I won't demand you make the speech of the century, but if you're going to ask the king to step down you better have a good reason to. In short, I weigh roleplay over dice rolls in social encounters, keeping in mind that not everyone is a bard in real life.

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Rules are...

rules. I tend to stick to them, but keep in mind the first rule of any TTRPG is that the GM can bend what's written if the scenario calls for it, and I enjoy creative solutions and discussing ways to approach a situation in less rules-heavy fashion.

When it comes to voices

I try to do them, but I'm not a professional voice actor. Don't expect Critical Role levels of quality, but I do believe a funny or memorable voice can give a character personality and will attempt to act accordingly.

Toya Hotenshi's ideal table

My ideal table is mature and open, able to deal with touchy subjects but also to have a laugh. I believe conflict between characters is healthy and encourages roleplay, but it shouldn't bleed into real life. As such, I want players who are capable of keeping the two separate and enjoy the drama without getting hurt, or be reasonable enough to calmly talk about what may be wrong. As for mechanics, I am a rules lawyer myself but while I enjoy having that type of player at my table I also like to see creative solutions to problems and generally encourage out of the box thinking. Your plan may run head first into a rule that disallows it, but if it was fun, smart or may have worked outside the game I'm happy to reward the attempt in some way. A mix of both rules lawyers and creatives, to me, is fun as long as they know not to get angry about each other's playstyle.

Featured Prompts

I think metagaming...

should be limited to what the GM allows. Rolled high to know what a monster's stats are? I might allow you to look them up. Want to know the lore of a certain person or place? If it's reasonable, I'll even link you the article. But please don't read a module before playing it. Exploring is fun.

I think min/maxing...

can be fine, if the party agrees to it. I can adapt to a min/maxed party, but if it kills the fun for the other players I'd advise not to do it. I personally prefer a fun but "underpowered" concept to a character built purely on mechanical benefits.

My perfect party mix is

half creatives, half rules lawyers. I'm in the latter category, but I think opposites attract and I love seeing a wild approach to a situation that just might work. As long as the players don't focus too much on their differences, I believe it's a great mix.