Playing Mondays OR Thursdays depending your availability 8:15pm EST-11:59pm EST (earliest - latest). We've been playing for almost a year and two players had to drop out due to school. We are looking for two replacements. This is a 5e campaign with 20 chapters and multiple side trek adventures in between. This campaign will have air ships, dungeon crawls, politics, player decision points, exploration and plenty of epic battle scenes. If I had to put percentages to it, I would say the campaign is 10% social, 20% exploration and 70% combat. Leveling/experience will be done by major chapters points. We currently have a Warlock and Paladin. So here are some of the basics about my DM style and custom campaign- I've
done all the writing and I have illustrated about 50% of the maps.
Each chapter offers a little more information about the overall plot so
it unfolds slowly. As you get to a new chapters PCs are presented with
new problems from that region and NPCs that you have to make decisions
about their motives. Occasionally, you have to decide who lives and who
dies, or, alternatively, if you help one side of a conflict, you may
have inadvertently helped a different side. Or, if you didn't help
someone, would they help you in chapters down the line? Some effects are
immediate, some subtle and some will be seen in the future. I like
emotion to be brought into the story when you realize you didn't do
something that would have helped in the future. I also like to add in
exciting elements to battle, whether it be a pit of spikes, fire,
heights, thin or rickety bridge, lightning rail train speeding on its
path, cliff face, etc. Anything that adds to the drama of combat, but is
realistic to the situation. As a DM I try to be as creative as
possible and give PCs their opportunity to create both content and
interesting actions. I allow players to make decisions and not try to
influence them, except through the scenario with the information that's
been presented to them. I try my best not to overwhelm a party, but if
someone slaps a dragon, they will suffer the consequences. I really try
to make each NPC unique. I don't always know ALL the subtleties of the
rules or spell nuances, but collectively we all have the knowledge.
We've had a ton of fun so far. Basically, though, my DMing is
like an hourglass. You are fed a few adventure hooks to go off of and
then I let you explore. All roads generally somehow lead to the main
point of the chapters which then gets funneled into a new set of
adventure hooks. Occasionally I have to push the players into a specific
area, but ultimately, if players wanted to explore somewhere else, I
just need a week to create the content. I have largely used the
standard Eberron deities and history. I have not changed anything except
for some behind the scenes stuff to fit my story line in the greater
scheme of the multiverse. The plan is to continue all the way to level
20 in which it will reveal the pinnacle of the story. The basic overview of the story- The
PCs started in Breland and were initially hired to find out if one of
the other kingdom's (Karrnath) was planning an attack on them. They met a
few NPCs along the way and eventually got side tracked after a major
event on an airship went horribly wrong. During their travels, they
encountered a disease/poison substance that has been turning entire
towns into undead monstrosities. The PCs have found it's happening all
across Khorvaire. In the last chapter, the PCs found a portal in
combination with the disease and there is a demon connection as well
which they haven't uncovered what that means. An NPC named Maelstrom
learned from his order of another demon portal, and his suspicion is
that there are 2 more after they find this one. Currently, new PCs will enter in the Shadow Marches. Players as assistant DMs- The
whole idea is that 95% of the time I am the DM, but I can't be 100% of the time and I
expect players to recognize that I am a human with a job and a life
that can get in the way, too. Once, I was away on military training and I
didn't want to lug all of my books and be responsible for creating
content while I was in limbo so I had someone DM a side trek for a
month. Earlier this summer, someone was leaving on vacation for a month,
so one of the players did a month long side trek until we were able to
come back together as a group. If there is a loose end to an adventure
hook that someone wanted to do, I would be more than happy to let them
explore their own DM talents and create it, or if they wanted, I would
need a week or two to create it myself. In a dream like hope,
eventually, when my campaign is done, I would love to continue playing
with the same group on some adventure ideas that they wanted to explore.
