Bellapax

he/him

4.8

(6)

Timezone

America/chicago

Language

English

Identity

Queer

Neurodivergent

Published Writer

Educator

About Bellapax

Hello! I'm Bellapax. (He/him or They/them.) I'm a writer, former academic philosopher, and six-year Dungeon Master. I've channeled that background into crafting D&D 5e experiences that hit different: Stories with genuine depth, layered moral and philosophical meaning, and combat that will actually challenge you. I love running games that operate on more than one level. On the surface: adventure, tension, and the thrill of the unknown. Underneath: real questions about power, identity, loyalty, and what it means to choose well when there's no clean answer. My worlds have texture and history. My NPCs have inner lives and competing loyalties. My moral decisions have real stakes on every side and no easy exits. At my table, you don't just read about the dilemma. You live its difficulties and its consequences. Whether you're navigating the politics of a fantasy empire, surviving the gritty streets of a city that doesn't care if you live or die, or facing down a villain who isn't entirely wrong, every session is built around *you*: your choices, your character and the story we can only tell together. My games are designed for collaboration, world-building, character growth and those cinematic moments that make people lean forward in their chairs. I'm here to help you create stories you'll be talking about for years. My table is proudly LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and beginner friendly.

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

8 games hosted

Highly rated for: World Builder, Inclusive, Beginner Friendly

$20 per session

Featured Prompts

My favorite shows/movies are

The Witcher, Andor, The Mandalorian, The Star Wars Original Trilogy, Alien, Aliens, It, The Thing, The Babadook, The Lord of the Rings, The Expanse, Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, Futurama, Home Movies, King of the Hill, Rick and Morty

My favorite system of all Time is

Dungeons & Dragons 5e (2014)

The three words my players would use to describe me are...

Fun, imaginative, ruthless

How Bellapax runs games

I run games for D&D 5e (2014 and 2024) that are built around four key goals: compelling and immersive story, meaningful player agency and development, role play that is genuinely engaging, and nail-biting action. Combat in my games is designed to challenge you. Encounters are tactically layered, with enemies that adapt, environments that matter, and decisions that have consequences beyond the current round. Depending on the session, we use battle maps in Owlbear Rodeo for complex, high-stakes fights, or theater-of-the mind for faster, more fluid encounters. Both are fully supported. I match the tool to the moment. Outside of combat, your choices genuinely shape the world. NPCs react, factions shift and the story goes where your decisions take it. My one-shots are self-contained adventures set within my broader campaign world: complete and satisfying on their own, but also natural entry points into the larger setting if you love the experience and want to go deeper. My campaign is set in a Multiplanes, shifting in flavor from high fantasy to gritty contemporary urban to sci-fi, and anything in between. It all depends on where the players go. If you're new to D&D, you're in the right place. I'll walk you through everything you need at the pace you need it, no prior experience required. All my games include safety tools, boundaries and table expectations. We play on Discord and Owlbear Rodeo, both free and easy to set up.

Featured Prompts

If my games were Movies they'd be directed by...

Greta Gerwig, James Cameron, Ridley Scott, David Fincher, Christopher Nolan, John Carpenter, David Cronenberg or Akira Kurosawa (showrun by Tony Gilroy)

My games focus on...

emotionally and philosophically rich role play, challenging tactical combat, and exploration and puzzle-solving. I enjoy all of these elements of the game, and I tailor the calibration to individual player's preference.

Rules are...

tertiary to fun and story. They are like the Laws of Physics in the Matrix. They can be bent and even broken by coolness.

Bellapax's ideal table

My ideal table has a mix of styles. I firmly believe that there is no one right way to play this glorious game, so I welcome and am comfortable with anyone who is willing to enjoy cooperative storytelling, role playing, exploration and combat.