Dungeon Dad

he/him

5.0

(9)

Timezone

America/new York

Language

English

German

Identity

No Gen AI

About Dungeon Dad

Good evening, foolish mortals. I am Dungeon Dad (aka Dan). I have been a DM for D&D 5e/5.5e for 10 years. I started a guild of D&D adventurers consisting of family and friends that we have affectionately named The Candlelight Covenant. Historically I always hosted in-person games (and still do), but I am starting my next quest as a professional DM to begin hosting here virtually! I have experience hosting D&D sessions for anyone from children, to adults, to even psychiatric patients. One of my missions as a DM is to recruit as many new players to the hobby as I can, so I have a passion for teaching new players. While I do admit using a VTT will be new to me, I am confident that my Expertise as a game master will contribute to my players having an unforgettable tabletop fantasy role playing experience. As the name suggests, I am a proud father that makes time for D&D as a hobby. I also work as a registered nurse in my personal life, and started off hosting tables for nurses/ other healthcare workers. When you come to the table, you become part of my family as well; everyone is treated with respect. My table is a Safe Space free of judgement. At the end of the day, the goal is to have fun. I have received overwhelmingly positive feedback over the years, and have been encouraged to host games online. I have also received criticism, which I gladly use to refine my GM'ing style constructively. I look forward to meeting you among the Candlelight's glow, and cannot wait to forge legendary adventures with you!

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

6 games hosted

Highly rated for: Voices, Inclusive, Beginner Friendly

$24 per session

Featured Prompts

My favorite books are

The Broken Empire series by Mark Lawrence, and the Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski

My favorite system of all Time is

D&D 5.5e, because I think that the shift from giving ability score bonuses/ feats to backgrounds instead of species (race) breaks the old meta of having to use certain species. Now a character's experiences in life shape their ability...not what species they were born into!

People are always surprised when I tell them

I was an Eagle Scout, I played bass and vocals for a heavy metal band, I played bass in marching band as well as orchestra, or that I am a male registered nurse!

How Dungeon Dad runs games

My style of DM'ing is always Fun First. While I do adhere to Rules as Written (RAW), I always reward a player that comes up with unique and/or fun solutions to a problem that are not explicitly. Secondly, I strongly encourage players to truly roleplay their characters - meaning I expect you to make decisions based on what your character would do. Put yourself in their position: take into account alignment, personal ambitions, and especially flaws. If you have a paladin oath or a patron for instance, you had better take heed... or else who knows what will happen... Because this is a safe and fun space, I do encourage players to act out their character (voices/ accents are appreciated but not required). I always give NPCs unique voices (probably to my own demise) but you should not feel pressured to do so. My games take place in a homebrewed world called Ila ["eel-la"] where all my 10 years of games have shaped the ever-evolving history and lore. Every detail from character species or class has meaning in the world. I always tell my players to assume that most details carry some meaning. I put a lot of work into making each characters' backstories fit into the main story line of each campaign in an effort to give everyone their moment in the spotlight. Most of my games are very story-driven and cinematic, featuring memorable NPCs and epic scenes primarily embellished by theater of the mind. While I do host a homebrew world, I am open to hosting any official D&D content if it is the wish of the table. I have experience running various difficulty ranging from casual to crunchy survival.

Featured Prompts

I prep by

Listening to music for inspiration, particularly heavy metal. Even one song can inspire an entire adventure or even a campaign. Album artwork, lyrics and the overall energy of a song can invoke strong imagery and help me create some truly epic encounters.

My games focus on...

The intricate connections between events in lore, the current dynamics, and the characters involved. Every detail is important, and players that can keep track of events or characters find themselves putting the pieces together for the grand "AHAH!" moment.

When it comes to voices

...there can never be enough of them! The species of my homebrew world all speak with specific accents, such as Gnomes being Australian, Drow being eastern European, and halflings being NY/NJ. Voices are not required, but are highly encouraged and rewarded. Just get weird with it and have fun!

Dungeon Dad's ideal table

My table is very dynamic, in that the goal of FUN is always first. I love to laugh, and players that can enjoy a laugh with me, thrive. I almost always have at least one player that is new to the hobby, so my tables are also a space for learning among patient players that equally love to see new people in the game. The players that do the best at my table are the ones that really IMMERSE themselves in roleplaying their character, as well as taking relevant notes. I always dip back into past events, and when players engage with the story and remember those nuggets, they are rewarded the most. Players at my table are also challenged - the tone of the story can shift at unexpected times and difficult time-sensitive decisions must be made. Therefore, players should always be on their toes!

Featured Prompts

I love it when a player

offers me deals or takes big risks with challenging/ unique skill checks. In many cases I am willing to bypass RAW if the players proposed skill check is unique and original enough within context - it makes for such legendary and memorable experiences!

I think min/maxing...

is not fun. My personal hot-take is that you only deprive yourself of a great TTRPG experience by being consistently exceptional at a few niche things, then taking a backseat with challenges you lack proficiency with. It is for that reason I witness rolled stats if a players chose that method.

My table is not the place for...

MAGA and other hate group sympathizers/ ideologists. My table is a safe space free of hate.