LFP
D&D Beyond
Introduction.
The how was so utterly unfathomable that the world forgot to ask why.
Seven years have passed since the sun was torn from the heavens— ripped from its throne by a cabal of madmen whose names are now lost to ash and whisper. In a single act of blasphemy, they unraveled the day itself, plunging the world into a night that does not end.
The skies are a ceiling of endless black, veined with stars that burn cold and distant. No dawn crests the horizon. The moons hang motionless, unable to cast any light on the world that has not seen colour in nearly a decade. The oceans have grown still. Forests mutter to themselves in foreign tongues. And the cities, those that still stand, burn more candles than hope.
Yet, by some miracle, some grace of gods, the world endures. Crops grow beneath arcane lanterns, frost is kept at bay through magic unspoken. The will of mortals remain unbroken.
For seven years, they have searched— desperately, ceaselessly— for a way to undo what has been done. And now, the Archmages of Ilton have found a way to do it, to weave a star from nothing.
It will take years to cast. The spell is a lattice of madness and genius, and the material components required might as well be written as a suicide note. To gather them is a quest only fools, or legends, would dare undertake.
And Count Xarathiel Nastase knows exactly who she needs, and he knows exactly where to find them.
My Inspirations.
The Vibes ™
The game is gritty and heroic at the same time. The darkness is overwhelming, but you remain unshaken. You are champions, chosen ones. This does mean the foes you face are champions, too— this is why the combats will be tough.
The world is gloomy, but you must remain vigilant. The game will have a fine balance of good hearted fun and serious moments where darkness threatens your minds.
Do not let my inspirations fool you. This is not a horror game.
Who Will You Be Playing?
You are those who will be sent out to collect the components of the spell, old friends (or foes) of Count Xarathiel Nastase. Your character needs to have a drive to want to do this extremely dangerous job, be it money, glory or truly just the good of mortalkind.
There are no alignment limitations, as long as you can make me believe it will work with the game.
Structure of the Game.
The game will be a 40/30/30 balance of rp/combat/exploration.
There will be a lot of travelling, both within the material realm and other planes of existence. There will be a lot of dungeons, and probably not a lot of dragons. The main goal will be to collect certain items and deliver them to the mages at Ilton, and that will be the game loop.
Your backstories, of course, will be worked into these adventures. There will be sidequests, and the game is a sandbox that has proper train stations should you wish to get on the rails.
The game is, at the end, more rp based and story driven than combat.
Scheduling.
The game will start somewhere between mid June and late June. Looking to recruit players early in order to get everything ready. The game day and hour will be discussed upon finding the group, though it will most likely be on a weekday evening.
We will be playing every two weeks with 4-5 hour sessions, and the game will take about a year to finish.
I, the DM, am in GMT+3.
Experience.
I have been playing ttrpgs since 2009, DMing for the majority of it. I have run 4 games to completion (levels 2-20) over the course of years, and countless smaller games and modules. The setting we are playing is one of my most established settings, if not the most. It definitely is my favourite.
The game has a lot of homebrew, so I do not recommend this game to be the first step anyone takes into D&D. If you are willing to brave through it, I do not mind teaching the game to those who are passionate and willing to learn.
Character Creation Rules
We start at level 14.
Homebrew
Outsourced homebrew will be approached with extreme prejudice, but might be allowed. That being said, the game is very heavily homebrewed and I, the DM, am quite proficient at homebrewing. Any and everything you might want worked can be worked, from background to subclasses to spells to feats.
The game itself has a lot of house rules. Some examples are lingering injuries, stacking advantages, called shots and extra combat actions.
Stats
Heroic stat generation, 6+3d6kh2 and place as you wish. You roll twice, and choose whichever set you fancy more.
[[6+3d6kh2]][[6+3d6kh2]][[6+3d6kh2]][[6+3d6kh2]][[6+3d6kh2]][[6+3d6kh2]]
HP
Roll with advantage.
Skill Proficiency.
If you are getting a proficiency (from your background, race or class) which you already have, you may either choose another proficiency or gain expertise.
Races.
Ignore race stat increase. You get +3 you can put anywhere, either as +2 & +1 or as +1 & +1 & +1
Custom lineage is not allowed. Allowed races:
Further Buffs.
Multiclassing.
Multiclassing is allowed, and some requirements might be overlooked on a case-by-case basis (you want to build a strength rogue to go with your paladin? Sure.)
Levelling Up.
We will use XP levelling but you will get XP when completing quests and encounters, when you find an important piece of information and only sometimes when you kill an enemy. This is done to help with pacing, which is something I struggle with at times.
Game Philosophy.
As a DM, my philosophy always is to buff and never nerf anything. If I see a player having something that is more powerful than the rest, I will give others buffs to help them catch up.
Additionally, I want my players to feel unique in the world. My stories are not stories about the uncaring universe. You are in fact the main characters, and the gods are watching. Act like it.
This is where you fulfil a power fantasy, because I will do my best to get you there.
All this talk about power aside, I want you to make characters, not class builds. Do not think about optimal builds or broken ones, do not think about the viability of what you want to play. All the buffs which I have listed, all the changes— everything is to ensure that you can make any character you want.
I urge you to make roleplaying choices. I have the right to say no. I would rather not, but if I feel like you are thinking purely mechanics and it has no story value beyond “I hit harder,” I will say no.
You have read this far? Wonderful. Later, when applying, in the form there is a question “What kind of characters do you enjoy playing?” I want to hear about the concept and theme of your characters, not classes.
Expectations.
Came this far? Great! The characters will be high level, so they will have already seen grand adventure. I will ask my players to write such stories of grandeur, so I may incorporate that into the setting and allow my NPCs to react to such legendary figures.
You will have all met Count Xarathiel Nastase, a vampire count who has been a well respected scholar within Ilton for decades. I will need a story on how you have met him, and how the interaction went. You must have left an impression for him to seek you out. Whether you trust him or not is up to you, but he has full support of Ilton.
I want you to work with me, weave your character into the setting. Build your character for the story, do not attempt to bend an existing character for it.
I gently ask you to pay attention to my games, for your enjoyment more than mine. Also, to know when it is time to be silly, and when the situation demands sobriety.
Warnings.
This campaign explores mature themes and includes elements that may be upsetting or triggering for some players. These themes include but are not limited to: Graphic Violence & Gore. Racism & Xenophobia, Torture & Cruelty, Horror Elements, Moral Ambiguity, Oppression, Addiction & Mental Health Struggles…
While not truly a warning, I would recommend you to not consider the game if you are very religious, simply because the amount of religious imagery I use in vain might be upsetting. If you have no problem with this, then we are good!
All these being said, these are in game elements. Any kind of hate between my players will NOT be tolerated.
Technical.
We will be using Roll20 for the maps and character sheets, and Discord for communication.
How to Apply?
Easy! Fill out the form: https://forms.gle/xD7aNKLvWss7j5Yy7
If you have any questions, you can message me at bb_bat on Discord.