Elazar

he/him

5.0

(7)

Timezone

America/los Angeles

Identity

LGBTQ+

Neurodivergent

About Elazar

Hello, wannabe adventurers! I'm Elazar :) I am a new father and a university student studying mathematics and statistics. I've had a passion for tabletop RPGs since my earliest years of high school, and, as I'm sure is the case for many of you, have had a persistent role-playing itch ever since. I pride myself on being adaptable. Not only do I learn on the fly, but I make it a point of learning from my mistakes. I believe it's the primary reason I've become as good of a GM as I am. Additionally, I'm trying my hand at sci-fi settings (Eberron and a homebrew setting) and Pathfinder 2e after having D&D 5e as my main fix for the longest time. I love the game, but I'm excited to see what it has to offer.

At a glance

3 years on StartPlaying

8 games hosted

Highly rated for: Storytelling, Inclusive, Sets the Mood

Featured Prompts

I became a GM because

The funny answer would be because I found myself stuck there. But, honestly? I love it. I love the creative freedom that comes with new people, new player characters, and new settings, and it gives me an outlet for some of my favorite ideas that I've always wanted to put into motion. It's fun!

My favorite books are

Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth (Rick Riordan), Circe (Madeline Miller), Silver (Chris Wooding), Morpheus Road/The Light (D.J. McHale), and The Way of Kings (I'm new to Brandon Sanderson).

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

Taking care of my son, refreshing myself on math I've forgotten for a class I'm enrolled in for the next semester, or playing chess on Duolingo. Sometimes I pick up "The Way of Kings" too.

How Elazar runs games

1. Roleplay This is my favorite bit of TTRPGs as a whole, and I attempt to reflect that in my games. I encourage player action through thoughtfully crafted plot hooks and engaging non-player characters, and I strive to weave the player characters' backstories into the plot in a reasonable manner. If it's a written module, it can be more difficult to do the latter, but nothing is impossible in a world of infinite possibilities! 2. Combat This is something I've fine-tuned over the years. I've come to realize that what matters most is the foundation of combat: who is fighting? Why are they fighting? Who would they target and why? How smart are the combatants? Would they run away? These are questions that I feel make the combat feel more grounded within the setting. In general, I like to have combats be transitional, moving from plot point to plot point. 3. Exploration I prefer when players go out of their way to look for new information or use their in-game knowledge to progress the story by going to new locations or talking to new NPCs, but I understand that not everyone is comfortable with that. Some people need an extra push, and that's not something that I mind doing at all. Depending on the system I'm using, or the agreed-upon game style, I encourage this by rewarding XP for social interactions and discovering important or secret locations. 4. Communication I like to start off every game with a session 0 where everyone and I discuss character options, triggers, and table etiquette. I also use this time to establish set homebrew rules that will be used during the course of the one-shot/campaign. A note about that: rules can only be taken away, never added, unless it's to the players' benefit, and I say yes to it. During session 0, I have people vote on which homebrew rules they would like to use over the course of the game, and I check in intermittently to see if people are still comfortable with the rules. If ANYONE votes no on the homebrew rule and explains why, that rule is taken out, end of story. Outside of session 0, I am a fan of private messaging if there is discomfort and general communication to make the game more comfortable for everyone involved, including myself.

Featured Prompts

I once ran a session...

That tested my idea of an "unwinnable" fight. The players were level 12, and the enemies were shadows and an adult red shadow dragon. It was a race to revive the cleric to use Word of Recall and escape while waves of shadows came in every round. It was probably my favorite encounter ever.

My favorite trope is...

The parent who would do anything to save their child, even something profane.

Rules are...

Generally meant to be adhered to, but they're loose and flexible. If something is fun or a rule makes something feel less fun, then something needs to be changed. Despite this, I feel like rules give us the borders of a sandbox to play in: freedom within a confined space with tons of creativity.

Elazar's ideal table

I like to make everyone get to know me, and ideally, each other, before anything else. I like a table of players that can be invested in their characters. It doesn't have to be super intense, and the players don't have to have deep emotional stakes in their characters' backstories, but being excited about where your character is going/might go is a must. Make a character you like to think about on your off time :)

Featured Prompts

I love it when a player

Uses obscure rules or features to accomplish something absurd or amazing. It makes me feel like they really know their character.

I think min/maxing...

Is awesome. I love it when people are really good at some things and really bad at others. It makes others feel needed, and it can make them feel special. Plus, why wouldn't you want to be the best at what you do and the worst at what you don't care about?

My perfect party mix is

Either all martials, all casters, or the classic adventuring party composition of a warrior, rogue, mage, and healer. All martial brings a more creative spin on RPGs (in my opinion), all casters can bring unique spells to new situations, and the classic composition is just a good vibe.