Willowran

About me

As a person I've a passion for escapism through stories. I write and edit for a living, and read for a hobby; the better the story the more engrossed I am. I prefer homebrew settings and stories than published adventures since they make for a less restricted campaign- although I am wary of homebrew mechanics and items since in my experience they are often wildly imbalanced. I'm a big fan of a Pillar System of Perfect Imbalance. Sometimes there's more combat, sometimes more dungeon crawls, sometimes more exploration, etcetcetc- I recognize that it won't always be an even split, but I prefer games that utilize all game pillars rather than using one to the exclusion of others. DnD is a game with mechanics. Mechanics are meant to be used. Games that limit the pillars of play mean players have fewer choices and options, whereas I prefer games that give people more options. My characters tend to be both mechanical and narrative. On the mechanical side of things I usually look for under-utilized blends of mechanics that lead to niche effects, such as a wizard cryromancer maximising Armor of Agathys or a Barbarian/rune-knight specialized in grappling. My PCs try to excel in their field, but have baked-in weaknesses that prevent them from ever reaching 'optimal/power-building' levels. I'm a strong believer in flaws being as fun as strengths. On the narrative side of things I tend to subscribe to the Knife Theory . In a perfect world there are plenty of opportunities to weave my story into the grander narrative, but it shouldn't be required if a DM is taking us in a different direction. I like immersion where possible. I'm always driven to see what's next in the story- whether my own story hook, the DM's, or another player's. I am an extrovert, and comfortable RPing. As a player... well. I've been a DM for nearly a decade now. The same skills that lend themselves to making a fun campaign apply in a PC's seat, too. Everyone has their story and spotlight, and I take as much enjoyment out of helping other PCs see their joy realized as I do pursuing my own. When folks work together both above and on the table, campaigns tend to do well.