Who: 4 to 5 players. See "character creation" section for more details
What: A battle with Strahd and friends, more details in "why?"
When: irl, sometime in the next few days. Anticipated duration: around 2 weeks. In game, it's complicated and it doesn't matter
Where: Bluetspur. Van Richten's Guide mentions it briefly, but this scenario is part of an adaptation of the Ravenloft module by David Wise. I will create a new thread to host the campaign. Bluetspur is an 'alien' world inhabited by mind flayers. It might ir might not be in the far realm, but the point is moot for our purposes and outside the scope if this single encounter, which takes place in a subterranean laboratory.
Why: I had a player in a campaign place a trans-dimensional object in a handy haversack and get kicked to the Astral plane which led them to confronting cosmic horrors in Bluetspur. The events that follow lead to this encounter which is really a memory being shared with the PC.
They will be one of the players but they are reliving the experience of a strange experiment attempting to create vampire mind flayers and using analternate PC for this event.
Somehow Strahd is involved in all this and he brought friends. This combat has you in swapped bodies, but rather than randomly assigning you some pre-gen or swapping characters so you dint play the one yiu created (ughh), the effect is simulated here with just having a zero proficiency bonus.
Character creation:
Start with a level 11 PC. I might actually bump this level up before we begin, but let's see what the party looks like first.
Add any mundane equipment desired and up to 6 magic items as follows: 1 very rare (or lower), 1 rare or lower, 2 uncommon or lower and 2 consumables- single use items of rare or lower. Static modifiers for items are capped at +2.
Your proficiency bonus is zero. D&D Beyond wasn't specifically designed for this, so if you want to have it automatically calculated on your character sheet snf in your dice roller, you'll have to add a negative modifier to saving throws, spell save DCs, attack rolls and skill checks. There's probably a way to do this. I don't really care how you go about it, whether with D&D Beyond or a different app, an excel spreadsheet or pen and paper; it's all the same to me. I acknowledge it's a big ask, but there it is. If I increase character level as noted above, your proficiency bonus will remain zero. The point is to simulate the body switch that had just taken place. You are no longer proficient in doing anything, but your prior training and knowledge still reflects, so you still know spells and you still can swing a sword, you're just not in your own body.
That segues well into the next section and explains why I didn't put it first: ability scores. 3d6 drop the lowest, no rerolls. If you have a bad stat, you have a bad stat and that's that. The stats are applied in the direct order rolled. You can generate these stats three times and pick your favorite group of scores to build your PC.
The order is: Str Dex Con Int Wis Cha.
If you're still here after all that, I will say that there is no need for a backstoey. If you want one, great. You can roleplay and I will support it. You may or may not recognize Strahd, that's up to you. You just woke up in a lab under glass where you effectively died and had an out of body experience post-ceremorphosis, but your soul or whatever was pulled back into a body and the why's and how's of that are beyond your Ken, for now at least.
In the unlikely event that you survive the encounter, you're still in this underground mind flayer lair. Players are welcome to continue on or just run away to freedom, whatever prospects that might offer on a harsh and barren alien world.
Some things might just not work here. Earlier modules were very big on specific spells or types of spells not working in exotic areas. The idea is not to allow circumventing rhe encounters and that most had to do with tournament play to force all players theough the same scenarios. In a similar fashion, the while point if this is this scenario so if you do something thst I deem avoids it, like plane shifting to another world or something that just removes you from combat, expect rhat to juat not work here. In general, things that interact with the creatures objects and environment where the encounter is taking place will not be effected, though they may insure legendary resistance failure as normal.
Race/class. Any. Pick anything you want feom any source. Homebrew is unlikely, but you can always ask and I will take a look. Whatever you choose, it's up to you to know the abilities of your PC. I.m8ght look.at yiur character sheet when we start. But it won't be often if I do.
Did I miss something? Screw something up? Ask questions. Poke holes here and in the game if you're selected. DM me if it's complicated or just ask here in the thread if it's a general question others might also wonder about.
I have included several restrictions, so I am not sure what the response will be. I hope to have enough players to get started Nov. 1st, but we'll see how it goes. I am looking for feedback on the magic items, in particular. I csn say that the earlier editions were really written for DMs, speaking directly to them and as such this very module suggests how many magic items it expects players to have. Obviously it doesn't translate 1:1 (there's no mention of rarity) but in this scene it doesn't say your captors took away your personal belongings and definitely assumes you hsve your equipment, so you woukd have some magic items, certainly.
Zathistura Human Fighter (psi warrior) 6 / wizard 5.
Zathistura is a warrior mage of an ancient order of Jedi monks, bent on righting the wrongs of the universe. They believe all gods are beings of power that don't deserve to be worshipped, and only through ones own actions should one be judged.
I think we've got enough applications. I'll take a look at everyone tomorrow and offer any feedback. Assuming you've followed my directions, and I wrote them properly, this gs will probably be fine. If anything I might veto a magic item or something. I'll generate the game for this and DM you the link. Thanks and, you know, try not to die, I guess.
One more thing. I usually use owlbear.rodeo for maps, so probably will again here. If for some reason that doesn't work, I could be persuaded ro switch to somwthing else like fungeon alchemy or talespire, but I can't do any of that from my phone so it always takes longer if for no other reason thst I cant do it whenever I have a spare minute.
I also tend to post with numerous typographical errors. I will do my best to curb this, but if it renders my intention incomprehensible, please let me know a d I will correct ir. Sorry in advance for this. I do tend to do this on my phone and often have to decide between making the game wait for 6 hours or just typing a reply hitting send and looking again 6 hours later. I generally choose the latter.
(Some people say this works, others have reported it does not. It always works fir me, but it tomes out quickly, apparently. I csn always recall the map even when it does time oit for mw, as the data is stored locally. Anyhow, if it works, great, if not, no big deal.)
Initiatives: (auto-generated by encounter builder)
You hear a pulsating buzz thst throbs in your mind. It comes as a series if waves, slowly building to a crescendo, then stopping, for a time.
Magical darkness spreads from the crnter of the room, enveloping the entire space. A creature with darkvision can't see through this darkness. Non-magical light, as well as light created by spells of 8th level or lower, can't illuminate the area.
@everyone: Roll a Wis save for half of 43 psychic damage.
You hear a pulsating buzz thst throbs in your mind. It comes as a series if waves, slowly building to a crescendo, then stopping, for a time.
Magical darkness spreads from the crnter of the room, enveloping the entire space. A creature with darkvision can't see through this darkness. Non-magical light, as well as light created by spells of 8th level or lower, can't illuminate the area.
@everyone: Roll a Wis save for half of 43 psychic damage.
<I was tempted to just guess a high number, but I found the required stats from 2e and applied proficiency bonus from Epic Legacy (3rd party) to come up with an actual number. Hence the delay.>
Edit: Doesn't really lend to the horror aspect of the nightmare, imo, but asked answered.
"You're all going to die down here."
Who: 4 to 5 players. See "character creation" section for more details
What: A battle with Strahd and friends, more details in "why?"
When: irl, sometime in the next few days. Anticipated duration: around 2 weeks. In game, it's complicated and it doesn't matter
Where: Bluetspur. Van Richten's Guide mentions it briefly, but this scenario is part of an adaptation of the Ravenloft module by David Wise. I will create a new thread to host the campaign. Bluetspur is an 'alien' world inhabited by mind flayers. It might ir might not be in the far realm, but the point is moot for our purposes and outside the scope if this single encounter, which takes place in a subterranean laboratory.
Why: I had a player in a campaign place a trans-dimensional object in a handy haversack and get kicked to the Astral plane which led them to confronting cosmic horrors in Bluetspur. The events that follow lead to this encounter which is really a memory being shared with the PC.
They will be one of the players but they are reliving the experience of a strange experiment attempting to create vampire mind flayers and using analternate PC for this event.
Somehow Strahd is involved in all this and he brought friends. This combat has you in swapped bodies, but rather than randomly assigning you some pre-gen or swapping characters so you dint play the one yiu created (ughh), the effect is simulated here with just having a zero proficiency bonus.
Character creation:
Start with a level 11 PC. I might actually bump this level up before we begin, but let's see what the party looks like first.
Add any mundane equipment desired and up to 6 magic items as follows: 1 very rare (or lower), 1 rare or lower, 2 uncommon or lower and 2 consumables- single use items of rare or lower. Static modifiers for items are capped at +2.
Your proficiency bonus is zero. D&D Beyond wasn't specifically designed for this, so if you want to have it automatically calculated on your character sheet snf in your dice roller, you'll have to add a negative modifier to saving throws, spell save DCs, attack rolls and skill checks. There's probably a way to do this. I don't really care how you go about it, whether with D&D Beyond or a different app, an excel spreadsheet or pen and paper; it's all the same to me. I acknowledge it's a big ask, but there it is. If I increase character level as noted above, your proficiency bonus will remain zero. The point is to simulate the body switch that had just taken place. You are no longer proficient in doing anything, but your prior training and knowledge still reflects, so you still know spells and you still can swing a sword, you're just not in your own body.
That segues well into the next section and explains why I didn't put it first: ability scores. 3d6 drop the lowest, no rerolls. If you have a bad stat, you have a bad stat and that's that. The stats are applied in the direct order rolled. You can generate these stats three times and pick your favorite group of scores to build your PC.
The order is: Str Dex Con Int Wis Cha.
If you're still here after all that, I will say that there is no need for a backstoey. If you want one, great. You can roleplay and I will support it. You may or may not recognize Strahd, that's up to you. You just woke up in a lab under glass where you effectively died and had an out of body experience post-ceremorphosis, but your soul or whatever was pulled back into a body and the why's and how's of that are beyond your Ken, for now at least.
In the unlikely event that you survive the encounter, you're still in this underground mind flayer lair. Players are welcome to continue on or just run away to freedom, whatever prospects that might offer on a harsh and barren alien world.
Some things might just not work here. Earlier modules were very big on specific spells or types of spells not working in exotic areas. The idea is not to allow circumventing rhe encounters and that most had to do with tournament play to force all players theough the same scenarios. In a similar fashion, the while point if this is this scenario so if you do something thst I deem avoids it, like plane shifting to another world or something that just removes you from combat, expect rhat to juat not work here. In general, things that interact with the creatures objects and environment where the encounter is taking place will not be effected, though they may insure legendary resistance failure as normal.
Race/class. Any. Pick anything you want feom any source. Homebrew is unlikely, but you can always ask and I will take a look. Whatever you choose, it's up to you to know the abilities of your PC. I.m8ght look.at yiur character sheet when we start. But it won't be often if I do.
Did I miss something? Screw something up? Ask questions. Poke holes here and in the game if you're selected. DM me if it's complicated or just ask here in the thread if it's a general question others might also wonder about.
I have included several restrictions, so I am not sure what the response will be. I hope to have enough players to get started Nov. 1st, but we'll see how it goes. I am looking for feedback on the magic items, in particular. I csn say that the earlier editions were really written for DMs, speaking directly to them and as such this very module suggests how many magic items it expects players to have. Obviously it doesn't translate 1:1 (there's no mention of rarity) but in this scene it doesn't say your captors took away your personal belongings and definitely assumes you hsve your equipment, so you woukd have some magic items, certainly.
Good luck.
I am very interested. This sounds like a lot of fun. Let me generate some numbers at home.
Ability scores: 9 10 16 13 7 11
Ability scores: 5 15 9 12 9 13
Ability scores: 11 6 12 16 13 7
D&D since 1984
Stats:
Ability scores: 17 14 9 8 14 13
Ability scores: 10 13 16 10 15 15
Ability scores: 13 13 11 10 12 16
I will be taking the third set
Here is my character. This looks like it’ll be super fun! If you need me to change anything feel free to dm me.
This sounds like fun! I am interested!
Potential ability score rolls:
Ability scores: 10 12 14 11 16 10
Ability scores: 11 18 14 10 10 13
Ability scores: 15 10 7 8 18 16
Ability scores: 12 13 10 6 13 13
Ability scores: 15 10 13 14 12 12
Ability scores: 13 8 13 15 12 11
Gotta roll these before setting the character type....lets see what there is to work with....
Dwarven Fighter https://ddb.ac/characters/86906551/bNm8sd
Garth Trueblood (Ret. Marine)
D&D since 1984
Ability scores: 13 14 8 8 15 14
Ability scores: 12 15 14 16 11 16
Ability scores: 10 14 17 11 14 12
I'm interested I like to play casters
Discord play-by-post lover. Hater of westmarches. Just gimme some character driven gameplay please.
https://ddb.ac/characters/83600734/ZqAl3T
Zathistura Human Fighter (psi warrior) 6 / wizard 5.
Zathistura is a warrior mage of an ancient order of
Jedimonks, bent on righting the wrongs of the universe. They believe all gods are beings of power that don't deserve to be worshipped, and only through ones own actions should one be judged.ps: What about learned wizards spells?
barbarian with the second stats
Character sheet
Brutus
https://ddb.ac/characters/86984178/Ln1JX5
Discord play-by-post lover. Hater of westmarches. Just gimme some character driven gameplay please.
I think we've got enough applications. I'll take a look at everyone tomorrow and offer any feedback. Assuming you've followed my directions, and I wrote them properly, this gs will probably be fine. If anything I might veto a magic item or something. I'll generate the game for this and DM you the link. Thanks and, you know, try not to die, I guess.
One more thing. I usually use owlbear.rodeo for maps, so probably will again here. If for some reason that doesn't work, I could be persuaded ro switch to somwthing else like fungeon alchemy or talespire, but I can't do any of that from my phone so it always takes longer if for no other reason thst I cant do it whenever I have a spare minute.
I also tend to post with numerous typographical errors. I will do my best to curb this, but if it renders my intention incomprehensible, please let me know a d I will correct ir. Sorry in advance for this. I do tend to do this on my phone and often have to decide between making the game wait for 6 hours or just typing a reply hitting send and looking again 6 hours later. I generally choose the latter.
Hey all. I guess it won't matter if we just run the game un this thread I'd thsts alright with everyone.
Not pictures, many tabkes with dead humanoids on them, and glass domes suspended overhead.
https://www.owlbear.rodeo/game/o_Tm1KLnR
(Some people say this works, others have reported it does not. It always works fir me, but it tomes out quickly, apparently. I csn always recall the map even when it does time oit for mw, as the data is stored locally. Anyhow, if it works, great, if not, no big deal.)
Initiatives: (auto-generated by encounter builder)
Drow A ▶️
Vampire ▶️
Vallana ⏸️
Drow B ⏸️
Brutus ⏸️
Mind Flayer ⏸️
Lyssa ⏸️
Garth ⏸️
Strahd ⏸️
Tamar ⏸️
Todd ⏸️
You hear a pulsating buzz thst throbs in your mind. It comes as a series if waves, slowly building to a crescendo, then stopping, for a time.
Magical darkness spreads from the crnter of the room, enveloping the entire space. A creature with darkvision can't see through this darkness. Non-magical light, as well as light created by spells of 8th level or lower, can't illuminate the area.
@everyone: Roll a Wis save for half of 43 psychic damage.
Drow A casts true seeing on drow B.
The vampire who looks a bit different from the other two summons the children of the night. (6 swarms arrive in 3 rounds)
Vallana is up.
Drow A ✅️
Vampire ✅️
Vallana ▶️
Drow B ⏸️
Brutus ⏸️
Mind Flayer ⏸️
Lyssa ⏸️
Garth ⏸️
Strahd ⏸️
Tamar ⏸️
Todd ⏸️
What is the DC?
21 for the save
Discord play-by-post lover. Hater of westmarches. Just gimme some character driven gameplay please.
DC 19
<I was tempted to just guess a high number, but I found the required stats from 2e and applied proficiency bonus from Epic Legacy (3rd party) to come up with an actual number. Hence the delay.>
Edit: Doesn't really lend to the horror aspect of the nightmare, imo, but asked answered.
(I don't see zathistura on the initiative count - also..would it be possible to counter spell the darkness?)