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Deratio

Deratio (he/him)

5.0

(18)

3 years on StartPlaying

61 games hosted

Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, Rule of Cool

About me

I love Dungeons and Dragons. When I was too small to play, I would crouch in a darkened stairwell and eavesdrop on a game the teenagers would play - truly secret magiks and forbidden lore! Eventually, I learned the rules and began the lifelong journey of telling stories with my friends - each more engaging and emotional than the last. I never lost the near-mystical reverence and wonder that was born in that darkened stairwell. Then Covid happened and we were all locked in our houses. I picked up my books and launched an online game, and we escaped to those old lands that we had trod all those years before. Then I launched another, and another. And with each, new friendships and a glittering hoard of memories. Join me, and I'll show you some of these places. It's dangerous, and the trail is well-hidden, but if you are like me, the discovery draws you on.

GM Style

I love when the elements of a game synergize. I love games with heart. I feel that too much of any element will spoil a game, and I am careful with my story and situations to try to maintain this balance. The most successful games that I have been lucky enough to run have had widely varying play-styles from player to player, and with my help, each of their unique takes on the game made something more than the sum of its parts. I run pretty close to rules as written, and my games run the gamut, from large-scale, tactical combat, to player driven, improvised roleplay. Creative solutions and outside-the-box thinking are not only tolerated, but enthusiastically encouraged. By consequence, the events and outcome of even the pre-published adventures that I run can vary widely from group to group. I consider D&D to be a cooperative game for both the players and the DM, but I consider it equally important to present the challenges fairly and evenly from the perspective of NPCs and monsters. I do most of my rolling in the open, so you can be sure that the result of your choices is interpreted accurately, and not just by whim. This also means that character death and total party kills are definitely possible.

Game Master Reviews (18)

Proficiencies

Players say this GM is great at:

Creativity

Storytelling

Rule of Cool

Joel avatar

Joel

Played 28 sessions

What a great GM. As a beginner player, was a bit overwhelmed with what I can do. He was willing/able to help with all my questions and give advice on how to play and listened to my ideas(regardless if they were good or not). Would definitely look for another chance to play with again

redknight avatar

redknight

Played 6 sessions

With what Deratio has been doing in d and d I would be really happy to do more campaigns with him he is amazing open understanding and shows a lot of pas hints and helps you out in the game if you get lost or confused he be willing to help you out. Most of shows repack to his players and makes it fun for the plays to play.

Doug C avatar

Doug C

Played 14 sessions

He's been great at working in storylines that the players wanted to emphasize despite the published module, while still keeping everyone involved. It's also been great that he's been helpful teaching the tools of the VTT. Highly recommend!

Bee Sarmiento avatar

Bee Sarmiento

Played 2 sessions

An amazing time GM Cody gave us! We played a mystery investigation one shot and this was definitely right up my alley. GM was able to set the scene with the stakes and really painted the scenery and environment so that we felt like we were in our character's shoes. He also let us lean into the roleplay and shenanigans. Thanks for also allowing creative solutions with spells, and I felt the DM was always rooting for us, but still fair and keeping combat deadly. If I had to say what was the most memorable part, it was definitely the DM and our party getting fully engrossed in the investigation. With us finding clues, asking townsfolk and generally RP-ing with each other, the whole time we were playing time flew by so fast. Book GM Cody TODAY :D

Gin avatar

Gin

Played 2 sessions

Deratio was a fun and relaxed DM who presented us players with fun character interactions, exciting worldbuilding and plenty of patience for our shenanigans! Be sure to check out his games if you’re looking for to get into D&D~

Matt Pinto avatar

Matt Pinto

Played 2 sessions

Very descriptive and pretty good voices

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