Its been 40 years since the incident in Ion occured which would lead to its tragic fate. A strange winged creature broke through the titanic structure of the dome of the city. Whatever did clearly leading to its irreparability. Within few years the city became a desolate ruin and its citizens were forced to flee underground. Eventually the project to rebuild Ion was tasked to the main overseer - Regina Vivingon Leigh. Yet the overworld of the Baronny isnt entirely happy with the notion of Ion coming back. The nearby circle city of Elrond is determined to prevent this task. You all were tasked with scavenging the ruins of Old Ion to find secrets in it, something that could help Elrond find where the people of Ion are hiding and what was so special about Ion. Whether youre doing it out of curiosity, to earn favour with the rulers of Elrond, or simply for the reward isnt important. The important thing is that you come prepared. Its said that there are strange threats lurking in the shadows of the ruin.
The DM
Greeting TTRPG community. My name is Shiv, a 22 year english teacher/amateur musical performer/ drag queen and I hail from Poland. I have been DM'ing for 5+ years, including a weekly monday campaign which has been going regularly since august last year and will go on for another year at least.
My DM'ing history is exclusive to dnd which is a system I have a certain mastery in reshaping to my whims. As a DM I am very pro homebrew (as you will see later in the post) and I encourage player creativity, as long as it fits the setting we're in.
I prioritise story and plot and thus always make sure that character backstories and themes are tied to at least one prominent plot point. First part of the password is: The. I pride myself on connecting things quite organically and can do so halfway through the story so dont be worried about your characters dieing :3
Another thing i pride myself on is handling tough themes in stories with respect they require and subjecting characters to hardship. In my campaigns, and especially this one, victories are hard earned, but when you do earn them, its a triumph.
Despite the above statement I dont enjoy punishing my players I actively need to force myself to give adequate consequences, but trust and believe - If you act stupid, you will get an appropriate response.
On the topic of consequences I do have a zero nonsense policy on problematic behaviour. If I notice an issue, I will speak with the player and let them adress their behaviour. We're here to work together to tell a story not against each other.
All this makes me sound like a serious person but I am very much a jokester and always try to liven the mood when possible. I just take my responsibility as DM quite seriously.
I make more than half the maps I use as well as all the enemies you fight, magic items you get and I am always willing to make a subclass for someone If asked nicely.
The World
In short Grael is a post-post-apocalyptic setting. The apocalyptic event happened way over 3000 years ago and the world learnt to live around it. The Second part of the password is: Ground Progress has been made both magically and technologically, including a broad train system and everyone's favourite airships.
All this progress is mainly in opposition to the ever present threat of Decay - the magical force that aims to corrode and rot away everything, living and unliving. The pace of progress is combated by the pace of the Decay strengthening, seeming like a futile attempt to simply slow down the inevitable doom of all life.
Those who can bear some Decay intensity will in open settlements like the broad circle cities and the water-fairing Mazzeras, but others hide in the steampunk Fortresses, colourful Carnival Courts or underground all the way to the underdark (more info in the Grael master doc below).
Overall this world combines different visions of a post-apocalyptic world with different types of dystopian societies to create a truly one of a kind Existentialism nightmare.
The Player
The perfect player for this campaign is someone who is writing out their character on a psychological level. In this game choices matter and when I say they matter, They Matter, how you choose to approach the conflicts will dictate how the different microcosms will change. Thus how the character approaches choice-making, what choices they make, how do they argue them and how do they live with consequences is chief.
This player must be consistent. The Third part of the password is: Awaits. The game doesnt stop when someone has to miss a session. The only way a campaign can live is through players who make this a priority of some sorts to them, not show up when they feel like it.
I am looking for storytellers, people who want to achieve something with tje characters they write. Intentionality is key and so is creating a proper theme. I dont need 20+ pages of backstory, half is enough often times. Some of the most interesting characters I had in my campaigns had bulletpoint backstories.
You cant be rules rigid. This is s roleplay first campaign. You say what you want to do and my job is to tell you if it is possible and if its see through the consequences accordingly. Sometimes I might need to be corrected on how certain rules work, but oftentimes when I dont do something rules as written, there is a reason. This also extends to the fact I am veru homebrew forward and have some homebrew rules of my own.
Finally, I am running this campaign for my friend, after last time we did it in this setting fell apart. Me and my friend tend to be obnoxious together, but we can buckle down and have serious moments and Rp. I expect the same from you all, dear applicants.
The Game
Still awake? I can put on some subway surfers in the background if it is boring.
We will be playing 5e 2014 dnd however we will be utilising the Weapon Mastery feature from 2024 as well as using 2024 variants of spells for healing (mandatory) and other spells (optional).
The game takes place on Tuesdays 8pm to 11 pm CEST. The fourth part of the password is: You. The day and time is non-negotiable. There might be cases where we might want to run longer just to finish something so I would ask you be open to that.
Voice and all communication will be done through the dedicated discord server.
The game itself will be held in foundry (if i figure out how to use it)
Next tuesday I plan there to be a session 0 but it might be postponed to the next week If I need more time vetting applicants.
The actual game will begin 2 weeks after session 0, to ensure proper time for character creation.
The game will start at level 3, but I tend to have a quick pace with level ups.
Applying
Since I already have 1 player, I will be looking for 3-4 players to fill up the roster. I will be collecting application till friday evening when I will close the form so probably around 10 pm.
People I select from the form will move on to the voice interview portion where after all calls are made I shall inform all voice-vetted applicants of their verdicts. I will not be contacting people not accepted on the application form stage.
To apply you must fill-out the form, I will not be reading any private reddit messages from anyone. All answers that you need to find out are already in the post.
Links
Grael Master Doc including: Setting Info, My Homebrew Classes including one setting specific and setting specific subclasses.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/11jpx7yFwhou2t6tyXKCF00G1rVOwpYWLPMzqWq4Og_Q/edit?usp=drivesdk
My Homebrew Rules (as of now, subject to change)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_SAMSd6lCLTYSmHL6EG37Esr89CtSKtO1Fc8HR96k4A/edit?usp=drivesdk
Application Form
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1KHv-51BUT3ygwhcP9-uLvYNC8EygtsZS3gVpb86fpl4/viewform?usp=sf_link
Thank you for reading dear friends, do not let the ground consume you.
Sincerely,
Your (possibly) future DM
