<style> .phb#p1:after{display:none;} .phb#p2:after{display:none;} .phb#p3:after{display:none;} .phb#p4:after{display:none;} .phb#p5:after{display:none;} </style> <img src='https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1J0mY8xooIY9S1j7ASM9vl1NUS_nnlvln' class='image-bottom'> <div style='text-align:center;' class='wide'> <h1> Once Upon a Time in Strøy</h1> ___ An upcoming Online D&D 5e Campaign in a homebrew setting. </div> ### Basic Game Information * D&D 5e * 4 players, 1 DM * Roll20.net for character sheets and visuals * Discord for voice chat * English * Estimated start date: **early March** ### Game Style * Focus on **storytelling** and **character development**. * "Serious" tone rather than *beer and cheetos* or slapstick. ### Scheduling * One session/week * 2.5 hour session * On a weeknight (based on player availabilities) * Between 7 and 10 pm EST (4-7 PST) * We'll take breaks to accommodate holidays and such. ### My experience as a DM I started playing D&D in 2018 with Curse of Strahd playing an Eladrin Conquest Paladin and I got hooked! After CoS, I DM'ed a vanilla campaign of Lost mines of Phandelver and when that was nearing its close, I began creating the setting of Strøy for the followup campaign. Throughout 2019, I ran a homebrew campaign within this setting with four players. I've learned that what I most enjoy in the game is the collaborative storytelling and character development. This campaign is a stage to explore exactly that and as such, I am looking for players that will engage with the world and actively explore their characters. \columnbreak ### Campaign Scenario The Campaign's scenario isn't developed yet as I will make the game **you** want to play. The setting of Strøy has all the components necessary to host any kind of story be it an intrigue around a cult, a case of corrupt politicians, a quest for artifacts, the defense against an invasion, a survival against a plague, etc. ### From Finding Players to Session 1 Once I have 4 players, we will hold a session zero. In this session we will: * Get to know each other. * Pick the weekly time slot. * Review the [expectations](#expectations). * Exchange ideas about what **you** want in the campaign. ___ Based on the information gathered in session 0, I will develop a scenario and pitch it to you. Once we agree on the scenario, I will give you information on the starting point and we will move into character creation. ### Enrolment **Enrolment is now closed** I received 63 submissions! Thank you for your interest. \pagebreak <div class = "wide" style='text-align:center'> <h1>A Brief History of Strøy</h1> <br> </div> <img src='https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1B2N5N7b2Pa0JO8uDJJ8Ow4jtjl2c4H3m' class='image-bottom-right'> ### A Continent of Varied Landscapes Folktales from across Strøy tell of fertile and varied landscapes which have always supported its inhabitants. Whether it be in the snow laden mountains, throughout the dense forests or the windswept plains, all kinds of forms of life have adapted and thrived. In some places, the more intelligent inhabitants have banded together to survive the brutal wilds. ### The Shattering About 7483 years ago, a cataclysm changed Strøy forever. Over a three month period, the earth quaked constantly, volcanoes erupted and spewed ash into the sky blackening it for weeks at a time. Storms flooded the valleys and fires razed across forests. The continent ripped in two and the oceans filled the chasm now known as the deep scar. It was followed by a period of mass extinction and the civilized world nearly collapsed. The tales say that trade ceased for months as empires fell to ruin and humanity degenerated into chaos. Over time, civilization reestablished itself and the relative safety of villages allowed them to grow into towns and then into cities. ### Modern Times Today, most civilizations are somewhat prosperous. Agriculture, metalworks and maritime transport have developed and enabled somewhat safer travel and trade. The humankin (humans, gnomes and halflings) population is estimated at around 100,000 and has settled the west in two distinct provinces. The Alds province and the province of Brightholt. The the dwarves are about 20,000 and have settled across three dwarven halls: Oregate, Fairden and Eastrock. As if the constant threat of the wilds was not enough, there are often conflicts between the humankin. The dwarves try to remain neutral but since their economy thrives on trade, it is a difficult and delicate balance. ### The Arcane and the Imparted Until about 2000 years ago, the arcane was the stuff of tales and illusion to most people of Strøy. Only the reclusive elves of Whenlyn forest sought to understand the curious phenomena of the arcane and studied it. Then, arcane surges, at first barely noticeable, started being reported around the continent. These surges became bursts and started changing the inhabitants. Elves were the first peoples to wield the arcane and a few decades later, other humanoids began harnessing arcane powers. These rare individuals are known as **Imparted** and one thing is for sure, an Imparted friend is a powerful one. It is rumored that those who are pious enough can themselves be Imparted. Otherwise, it is a question of chance. \columnbreak ### The Mythology of Strøy The oldest of myths say that Aeons ago, even before the planes existed, the forces of the universe mingled in a storm of chaos. By pure chance, out of the tempest of chaos, the weave emerged and the universe began structuring itself. In this process the five gods were formed. Union, Balance, Dream, Flame and Divergence. It is said that they each shaped the chaos of the universe according to their whims. Union tried to have them work together, Balance tried to set order in the chaos, Dream experimented with the forces, Flame relished in the tempest and Divergence... Divergence stayed away from the others. Overtime, as the span of the universe grew and its details became too tedious to manage, the gods created avatars to act on their behalf giving the universe as it is known today. Although the gods are known by different names amongst the different societies, their influence is unquestioned. Some folks worship one god above others, some folks worship the avatars of the gods but most pay reverence to whichever god they believe will help them in their current tribulations... \pagebreak <img src='https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1gdhNPQWg9eYNdwpm3PiM6rsMGpEPrIe1' class='image-bottom-left'> <div class = "wide" style='text-align:center' id='expectations'> <h1>Expectations</h1> ___ *Everything our characters are going to do will be imagined and based on random dice rolls. <br>The feelings of victories, accomplishments, frustration, glee and gloom however, will all be 100% real. - u/Son_of_York* </div> ### What you can expect from me as DM * I will play by the rules. * I will not kill your characters cheaply. * I will address any issue you bring up promptly. * NPCs will talk to you in-character and they will have desires, opinions, fears, and other characteristics that can be exploited to resolve conflicts. * Your kindness will make you famous. Your crimes will make you notorious. * I’ve made a few modifications to the 5e system. Full disclosure below. \columnbreak ### What I expect from you as a player **Communication** * If something doesn’t feel right, tell me right away. * If I am incorrectly applying a rule, let me know. We’ll address it and move on. ___ **Respect** * Commit to the game schedule. * Be on-time. * If you must miss a session, inform the whole group ASAP on discord. * Drama between make-believe characters stays between make-believe characters. * Close other tabs, turn off the TV and if you need to step away, let us know. ___ **Engagement** * Interact with the world and pursue your character motivations. * Take notes about the game. They’ll come in handy. ___ **Role-play & Character** * Voices and accents are optional. * In-game discussions should happen in-character. * If a character loses his reason to adventure with the party, that character will be retired. * Role-play your flaws, avoid metagaming if possible. \pagebreak <div class = "wide" style='text-align:center' id='NCA'> <h1>Narrative Character Advancement</h1></div> ### Why? In 5e, character advancement is tied to defeating creatures which is ultimately under the control of the DM. By using Narrative Character Advancement, players have more control on character advancement and are rewarded for all aspects of the game; social, exploration, combat AND character development. Credit for this system goes to u/FTW_Yall. ### Gaining Experience At the end of each session, the table takes a few minutes *out-of-character* to reflect on the achievements of the session. #### Party EXP The party asks itself: “Did we…” : a. Overcome a notable threat (combat)? b. Discover something in the world (exploration)? c. Acquire privileged information from an NPC (Social)? ___ For each "yes", each player's character gains +1 EXP. You can get EXP from one type of interaction more than once per session. Missing party members will also get this EXP. #### Character EXP Each player asks themselves “did my character…”: a. Resolve any of their bonds? b. Act according to their ideal(s). c. Deal with their flaw(s). ___ When the answer to any one of these is “yes”, the player validates it with the party. If the party generally agrees, that player adds +1 EXP to their sheet (max +1 EXP/session). >While individual players may develop their character at different paces, the EXP gained from party achievements will overshadow these small differences. ### Leveling Up To level up, subtract the EXP required to reach the next level from your total EXP. EXP requirements by level shown below. This table follows the same advancement rate as 5e. | Reaching level | EXP points Required | |:---:|:-:| | 2 | 2 | | 3 | 4 | | 4 | 7 | | 5 | 10 | | 6 | 13 | | 7 | 16 | | 8 | 19 | | 9-20 | 21 | \columnbreak ### Bonds Bonds are the goals, relationships, beliefs and shared history that tie you in the world and to the party. Through play, you will gain, resolve and abandon bonds. Each bond is a statement that relates your character to: i. Another player’s character. ii. A personal quest, promise or relationship (or other). Examples of bonds are given at the end of this section. You are invited to write your own. #### Resolving Bonds Resolving a bond represents character development and is a source of experience. A bond is considered resolved when: i. The player of the character with whom you have the bond agrees the bond is resolved. ii. From your character’s point of view, a personal quest has been suitably completed. #### Abandoning a Bond Sometimes, circumstances will cause a bond to be no longer desirable, important or achievable. These bonds are simply abandoned as they do not offer character development. #### Bond Examples * ______ is a brave soul, I have much to learn from them. * ______ is always getting into trouble — I must protect them from themselves. * ______ trusted me with a secret that I must keep. * ______ does not trust me, and for good reason. * ______ seems like they would fold at the first sign of trouble. I do not trust them. * ______ is puny and foolish, but amusing to me. * ______’s ways are strange and confusing. * ______ is a good and faithful person; I trust them explicitly. * ______ is in danger, I will keep them safe. * ______ owes me their life, whether they admit it or not. * ______ is weak, but I will make them strong like me. * I will teach ______ the true meaning of sacrifice. * ______ has my back when things go wrong. * ______ knows incriminating details about me. * ______ is woefully misinformed about the world; I will teach them all that I can. * I have promised to ______. * One day I will return to ______. * I will get back in the good graces of ______. * ______ will pay for ______. * ______’s quick thinking saved me from the ______ we faced. I owe him ______. * ______ proved himself a coward in ______. He is a dangerous liability to the party and must be watched. * ______ won the ______ through trickery! It will be mine, I swear it.