I’m looking for players to join my homebrew world, The World of Gaian. Gaian is a world with thousands of years of history in game time and twenty years of history in real life time. The world is plagued by a magical cataclysm that destroys the surface of the planet every two-thousand years, forcing the surface inhabitants to flee to the Deep (a system of tunnels that run deep within the world) to escape certain death. The world is currently on its thirteenth cycle (twelve cataclysms have passed) as the present societies continue to grow and thrive, not fully knowing the danger that’s to come. The campaign storylines follow a narrative that the players can heavily impact with their decisions, dictating how the story plays out and what NPCs might live or die. More information about the world and various storylines can be found on my Discord.
About Me
I’ve been playing D&D for close to thirty years, primarily as a Dungeon Master. For most of that time, I’ve designed and run my own world on a weekly basis. I’ve been running games professionally for about two years and I run nine weekly games of varying storylines. Roll20 is my platform of choice and I’ve been working with it for about eight years. I’m familiar with the Foundry platform, though I haven’t yet used it to run professional games. In addition to D&D (2nd through 5th), I’ve run Pathfinder, Dungeon World, Gurps, Star Wars, Shadowrun, White Wolf, and Amber (though admittedly, my knowledge and experience running these is much more limited compared to D&D). I’ve also worked in the video game industry for around fifteen years, five of those spent working at Wizards of the Coast on D&D and Magic the Gathering projects. I love storytelling and game design, often trying to come up with new and unique mechanics to make the games I’m running more enjoyable and immersive. I love both the storytelling and game design aspects of D&D and find the best games are the ones where these aspects are both utilized to their fullest.
My philosophy towards game design is to create challenging but enjoyable experiences where players can express themselves but still be constrained by the dangers of an immersive world. I believe in not just empowering individuals, but encouraging teamwork where skills are combined to creatively overcome challenges. I believe a good D&D game is facilitated best through teamwork and friendship, employing skills that can often carry over into the real world. At the end of the day, my job is to provide a fun experience for each player and the table as a whole.
My Style
I like to define my style as “structured sandbox.” I have events taking place in the world which I insert players into to see how they change things. I don't believe in creating set solutions to obstacles, rather, I create the obstacles and let players approach them using their skills and abilities. For me, D&D is a game about problem-solving using resources, skills, and creativity to find effective solutions to problems. Creativity and teamwork are key to not only overcoming obstacles, but overcoming them in a way where you can change the world for the better (or fill your pockets with gold).
Suspension of disbelief is important to me, so I'm constantly trying to balance a believable world with fun gameplay. I want my players to feel immersed by the world and their RP, but I also want them to feel challenged by the gameplay aspects. When designing, I'm constantly balancing these factors against one another to try to create an immersive, challenging experience that players will enjoy in the moment and talk about later.
Combat is important in my games, but there is also value to skills and RP ability as those can have a huge impact on the story. I try to reward creativity, as long as what is being attempted is something a character can do given their skill set. I feel it’s important to balance gameplay aspects and abilities with the “rule of cool” outlook. I want players to be creative with their abilities and resources, but what they’re attempting should also make sense given the skills and resources of their character. At the end of the day, I think players feel better about winning if the victory is achieved through their own abilities rather than just being handed to them.
The World
Gaian is a world strongly connected to the flows of magic that is constantly undergoing change. The world is plagued by arcane fires that ravage the surface every two-thousand years, completely destroying anything in their path. To save themselves, the races of the surface flee into the depths of Gaian, waiting for a time when they can re-emerge and rebuild their fallen empires. This destruction has created time periods known as cycles in which great civilizations rise and fall. Perhaps one day a hero will put a stop to these cataclysms, saving Gaian from these devastating cycles of destruction.
The world of Gain is a deep, rich setting that's about 20 years old (real time). As such, it has a lot of history spanning thousands of years with the rise and fall of many civilizations whose ruins can still be found deep underground or in abandoned areas of the world. Players will not only adventure within the world, but their decisions may shape society for decades to come.
Other Dungeon Masters
Due to high demand, I’ve recently brought on more Dungeon Masters to help meet the demands of the game requests. Each dungeon master has their own distinct style and background, but all are running games within the world of Gaian. Information on each dungeon master, their styles, and their schedule availability are available on the “World of Gaian” discord.
Game Info
This game will require a payment be made to the Game Master through Paypal and payments are collected on a monthly basis. Games start at $18 per session (4 sessions in a month), but may be more depending on the time slot, demand, and the age of the game. For more information on payments and available games, ask me or see the information section of my discord. Twitch Viewing
If you’d like to watch/join me during some of my games, I have a channel on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/dm_ravenx Contact Me
I can be reached by sending a friend request on discord to (DMRaven#2692). Once I get your friend request, I can add you to the community and we can get you set up in a game. You can also message me directly on this site, though that method could take me longer to get back to you.
Current Openings
We now have several different Dungeon Masters running games at different times throughout the week. If you're interested in joining, contact me and I can add you to the server for more information on the available openings.
The "Trouble at Chaur" storyline begins with a group of mercenaries, brought in by a caravan company to help with protection of the Chaur caravan route on this most recent run. What's strange is that the caravan route to Chaur is usually pretty tame without any need for security beyond the few guards that go for protection. Rumors have been swirling around Highguard that some sort of siege has been taking place at Chaur. This could have something to do with your recent hiring, but not much is known as very little concrete information has been gathered.
There exists a mysterious group of characters known as "Constants." These beings seem to encapsulate aspects of an abstract quality of humanoids. These "constants" often possess items that embody the essence of the abstract they represent.
The destruction cycles are called The Cataclysms, which appear to happen every two-thousand years or so. The fire from these destructive events cause the people of the surface to retreat deep into the caverns of Gaians settling in an ancient area known as "The Deep" while the fires of the cataclysm rage on the surface.
Void energy, a more pure form of necrotic energy, seems to have it's origins within the negative energy plane. It's a mysterious element that quickly saps any life force it touches and seem to have...almost an intelligence to it. No arcanist has yet figured out how to communicated with it or even if it wants to be communicated with.
The minions of the all-consuming maw have existed within Gaian since before the arrival of humanity. These demons, led by their dark master and strengthened by the worship of the gnoll tribes destroy and consume anything foolish enough to be caught in their wake.
Many say a city exists outside the destructive influence of the cataclysms. This city, Nightweather, is said to be the first city of men containing unbelievable magics and technologies held over from the original empires of man which existed far away from the world of Gaian. Sadly, no one knows how to get to Nightweather as the secrets of its location has been lost to the cycles.
During the end times of a cycle, the people of the surface rarely even realize the danger they are in. Whole empires sometimes choose to write off the Cataclysm as some political tool used to invite fear and unrest in their citizens. This unfortunate reality has led to millions of deaths as the fires are set upon an unsuspecting population with no time or knowledge on how to survive. This is one of the reasons the "Dusk's Melody" organization is so important, as they've devoted themselves and their descendants to reminding the people of the surface of the incoming cataclysms, helping them to get ready for the inevitable.
The Artisan's Guild has recently discovered an ancient dwarven subway filled with technology from a bygone era. Large steam engines and miles of underground tracks seem to connect several underground ruins that once helped move dwarves all over the continent. The significance of this find can not be overstated as it will likely open all new options for the citizens of Terruvia for quick and safe travel across the empire.
The giants of the the northern mountains have been at war since the cataclysm fire subsided. Lately however, they've started to come down from their peaks to attack the citizens of Terruvia. Huge, multi-headed blue monstrosities have laid waste to several lumber camps making the people of the north desperate for any aid they can get.
Unlike the prime material plane, the Shadowfel and the Feywild are unaffected by the cycles of destruction. Because of this, the empire of the Shadar-kai and the courts of the Feylords have continued to grow, only limited by the in-fighting they often visit on each other. Recently, the Shadar-kai cult known as "The followers of Shadow," have become much more active. There is worry that their actions are being guided by a new leader who may have risen from the infighting to take control of this dangerous group.
Sensing the re-awakening of the Shadowlord, the Children of Shadow cult has become very active in the Shadowfel, seeking to find and bolster their once lost master. Terruvian arcanists have been in touch with Shadar'kai representatives and remain vigilant to defend against and errant necromancers who might show themselves.
Reports of mutated monstrous giants have been coming in from the northern mountain ranges. It's rumored that several of the frost giant tribes have been practicing rituals given to them by the evil god Vaprak in an attempt to strengthen their numbers and bolster their ability to engage the fire giants as well as any enemies that might oppose them.
The wood elves are a race that have undergone immense change throughout the cycles. There was a time in the 5th cycle where lush forests covered most of the continent of Wrenalia giving rise to the wood elf empire of Rilean. Since the fall of that empire, the wood elves have held small communities and countries at times and almost always within a lush forest. The wood elves are friendly but also fierce fighters willing to rise in an instant to defend their homes and families. They also hold some ancient grudges with races they blame for the fall of their empire. Not all elves still observe these hatreds, but pockets of prejudice have always existed within the masses. In general, wood elf settlements are well defended, usually found in places of powerful primal energies which the wood elves harness to grow food as well as power their magic. The wood elves will defend these places with fervor as they still feel a strong connection to Gaian and the old magics. That said, not all wood elves live in elves settlements. Large numbers have given up the old ways to live with humans, start families with humans, and protect the human interests even though they themselves often face prejudice and distrust with the human settlements and empires.
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I’m looking for players to join my homebrew world, The World of Gaian. Gaian is a world with thousands of years of history in game time and twenty years of history in real life time. The world is plagued by a magical cataclysm that destroys the surface of the planet every two-thousand years, forcing the surface inhabitants to flee to the Deep (a system of tunnels that run deep within the world) to escape certain death. The world is currently on its thirteenth cycle (twelve cataclysms have passed) as the present societies continue to grow and thrive, not fully knowing the danger that’s to come.
The campaign storylines follow a narrative that the players can heavily impact with their decisions, dictating how the story plays out and what NPCs might live or die. More information about the world and various storylines can be found on my Discord.
About Me
I’ve been playing D&D for close to thirty years, primarily as a Dungeon Master. For most of that time, I’ve designed and run my own world on a weekly basis. I’ve been running games professionally for about two years and I run nine weekly games of varying storylines.
Roll20 is my platform of choice and I’ve been working with it for about eight years. I’m familiar with the Foundry platform, though I haven’t yet used it to run professional games.
In addition to D&D (2nd through 5th), I’ve run Pathfinder, Dungeon World, Gurps, Star Wars, Shadowrun, White Wolf, and Amber (though admittedly, my knowledge and experience running these is much more limited compared to D&D).
I’ve also worked in the video game industry for around fifteen years, five of those spent working at Wizards of the Coast on D&D and Magic the Gathering projects.
I love storytelling and game design, often trying to come up with new and unique mechanics to make the games I’m running more enjoyable and immersive. I love both the storytelling and game design aspects of D&D and find the best games are the ones where these aspects are both utilized to their fullest.
My philosophy towards game design is to create challenging but enjoyable experiences where players can express themselves but still be constrained by the dangers of an immersive world. I believe in not just empowering individuals, but encouraging teamwork where skills are combined to creatively overcome challenges. I believe a good D&D game is facilitated best through teamwork and friendship, employing skills that can often carry over into the real world. At the end of the day, my job is to provide a fun experience for each player and the table as a whole.
My Style
I like to define my style as “structured sandbox.” I have events taking place in the world which I insert players into to see how they change things. I don't believe in creating set solutions to obstacles, rather, I create the obstacles and let players approach them using their skills and abilities. For me, D&D is a game about problem-solving using resources, skills, and creativity to find effective solutions to problems. Creativity and teamwork are key to not only overcoming obstacles, but overcoming them in a way where you can change the world for the better (or fill your pockets with gold).
Suspension of disbelief is important to me, so I'm constantly trying to balance a believable world with fun gameplay. I want my players to feel immersed by the world and their RP, but I also want them to feel challenged by the gameplay aspects. When designing, I'm constantly balancing these factors against one another to try to create an immersive, challenging experience that players will enjoy in the moment and talk about later.
Combat is important in my games, but there is also value to skills and RP ability as those can have a huge impact on the story. I try to reward creativity, as long as what is being attempted is something a character can do given their skill set. I feel it’s important to balance gameplay aspects and abilities with the “rule of cool” outlook. I want players to be creative with their abilities and resources, but what they’re attempting should also make sense given the skills and resources of their character. At the end of the day, I think players feel better about winning if the victory is achieved through their own abilities rather than just being handed to them.
The World
Gaian is a world strongly connected to the flows of magic that is constantly undergoing change. The world is plagued by arcane fires that ravage the surface every two-thousand years, completely destroying anything in their path. To save themselves, the races of the surface flee into the depths of Gaian, waiting for a time when they can re-emerge and rebuild their fallen empires. This destruction has created time periods known as cycles in which great civilizations rise and fall. Perhaps one day a hero will put a stop to these cataclysms, saving Gaian from these devastating cycles of destruction.
The world of Gain is a deep, rich setting that's about 20 years old (real time). As such, it has a lot of history spanning thousands of years with the rise and fall of many civilizations whose ruins can still be found deep underground or in abandoned areas of the world. Players will not only adventure within the world, but their decisions may shape society for decades to come.
Other Dungeon Masters
Due to high demand, I’ve recently brought on more Dungeon Masters to help meet the demands of the game requests. Each dungeon master has their own distinct style and background, but all are running games within the world of Gaian. Information on each dungeon master, their styles, and their schedule availability are available on the “World of Gaian” discord.
Game Info
This game will require a payment be made to the Game Master through Paypal and payments are collected on a monthly basis. Games start at $18 per session (4 sessions in a month), but may be more depending on the time slot, demand, and the age of the game. For more information on payments and available games, ask me or see the information section of my discord.
Twitch Viewing
If you’d like to watch/join me during some of my games, I have a channel on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/dm_ravenx
Contact Me
I can be reached by sending a friend request on discord to (DMRaven#2692). Once I get your friend request, I can add you to the community and we can get you set up in a game.
You can also message me directly on this site, though that method could take me longer to get back to you.
Current Openings
We now have several different Dungeon Masters running games at different times throughout the week. If you're interested in joining, contact me and I can add you to the server for more information on the available openings.
I'm interested in the Trouble at Chaur campaign since it works with my schedule. My discord username is Poro Poro#5050
Hi,
The monday session sounds good to me.
Would love to get some more information on how to join etc...
I'll send a discord request in a few moments.
The "Trouble at Chaur" storyline begins with a group of mercenaries, brought in by a caravan company to help with protection of the Chaur caravan route on this most recent run. What's strange is that the caravan route to Chaur is usually pretty tame without any need for security beyond the few guards that go for protection. Rumors have been swirling around Highguard that some sort of siege has been taking place at Chaur. This could have something to do with your recent hiring, but not much is known as very little concrete information has been gathered.
i was hoping to join the sunday game if possible
discord is Forteko#6971 i sent you fr but hope we can talk soon sounds like it will be alot of fun
I'm interested
There exists a mysterious group of characters known as "Constants." These beings seem to encapsulate aspects of an abstract quality of humanoids. These "constants" often possess items that embody the essence of the abstract they represent.
Hey, this looks promising. I’d like to join either the Thursday or Sunday game. Sent a request from GreatestShowman#1495
The destruction cycles are called The Cataclysms, which appear to happen every two-thousand years or so. The fire from these destructive events cause the people of the surface to retreat deep into the caverns of Gaians settling in an ancient area known as "The Deep" while the fires of the cataclysm rage on the surface.
Void energy, a more pure form of necrotic energy, seems to have it's origins within the negative energy plane. It's a mysterious element that quickly saps any life force it touches and seem to have...almost an intelligence to it. No arcanist has yet figured out how to communicated with it or even if it wants to be communicated with.
do you need to pay for it or is it free
The minions of the all-consuming maw have existed within Gaian since before the arrival of humanity. These demons, led by their dark master and strengthened by the worship of the gnoll tribes destroy and consume anything foolish enough to be caught in their wake.
Many say a city exists outside the destructive influence of the cataclysms. This city, Nightweather, is said to be the first city of men containing unbelievable magics and technologies held over from the original empires of man which existed far away from the world of Gaian. Sadly, no one knows how to get to Nightweather as the secrets of its location has been lost to the cycles.
During the end times of a cycle, the people of the surface rarely even realize the danger they are in. Whole empires sometimes choose to write off the Cataclysm as some political tool used to invite fear and unrest in their citizens. This unfortunate reality has led to millions of deaths as the fires are set upon an unsuspecting population with no time or knowledge on how to survive. This is one of the reasons the "Dusk's Melody" organization is so important, as they've devoted themselves and their descendants to reminding the people of the surface of the incoming cataclysms, helping them to get ready for the inevitable.
The Artisan's Guild has recently discovered an ancient dwarven subway filled with technology from a bygone era. Large steam engines and miles of underground tracks seem to connect several underground ruins that once helped move dwarves all over the continent. The significance of this find can not be overstated as it will likely open all new options for the citizens of Terruvia for quick and safe travel across the empire.
The giants of the the northern mountains have been at war since the cataclysm fire subsided. Lately however, they've started to come down from their peaks to attack the citizens of Terruvia. Huge, multi-headed blue monstrosities have laid waste to several lumber camps making the people of the north desperate for any aid they can get.
Unlike the prime material plane, the Shadowfel and the Feywild are unaffected by the cycles of destruction. Because of this, the empire of the Shadar-kai and the courts of the Feylords have continued to grow, only limited by the in-fighting they often visit on each other. Recently, the Shadar-kai cult known as "The followers of Shadow," have become much more active. There is worry that their actions are being guided by a new leader who may have risen from the infighting to take control of this dangerous group.
Sensing the re-awakening of the Shadowlord, the Children of Shadow cult has become very active in the Shadowfel, seeking to find and bolster their once lost master. Terruvian arcanists have been in touch with Shadar'kai representatives and remain vigilant to defend against and errant necromancers who might show themselves.
Reports of mutated monstrous giants have been coming in from the northern mountain ranges. It's rumored that several of the frost giant tribes have been practicing rituals given to them by the evil god Vaprak in an attempt to strengthen their numbers and bolster their ability to engage the fire giants as well as any enemies that might oppose them.
The wood elves are a race that have undergone immense change throughout the cycles. There was a time in the 5th cycle where lush forests covered most of the continent of Wrenalia giving rise to the wood elf empire of Rilean. Since the fall of that empire, the wood elves have held small communities and countries at times and almost always within a lush forest. The wood elves are friendly but also fierce fighters willing to rise in an instant to defend their homes and families. They also hold some ancient grudges with races they blame for the fall of their empire. Not all elves still observe these hatreds, but pockets of prejudice have always existed within the masses.
In general, wood elf settlements are well defended, usually found in places of powerful primal energies which the wood elves harness to grow food as well as power their magic. The wood elves will defend these places with fervor as they still feel a strong connection to Gaian and the old magics. That said, not all wood elves live in elves settlements. Large numbers have given up the old ways to live with humans, start families with humans, and protect the human interests even though they themselves often face prejudice and distrust with the human settlements and empires.