I am a relatively experienced GM with multiple years of experience in the 5e system. I have run multiple different games with multiple different groups, each one saying that I'm a pretty excellent GM. HOWEVER, I have some OOC issues that have caused a few difficulties in maintaining groups. I have high-functioning autism which means sometimes I'm a little unaware to how I phrase things, and because of this HFA I also dislike rescheduling games due to liking having a routine. Hence the desire for mature players who can commit to a long-term campaign. Requirements - Relatively free calendar: I'm willing to adjust session times to when the group can make it, but if you can only make four hours out of an entire week it becomes nearly impossible to schedule people with you. Furthermore, I live in GMT and therefore I cannot do certain times for American players, unfortunately. - Microphone: Whilst I have DM'd in the past entirely via text, I find running games by mic to be far easier and simpler. - Discord: Discord is the easiest system to use to organise games and to host voice calls. - Good internet: Whilst my own internet can, at times, be spotty, I believe having good internet is important if we're going to run something like this for a long term. If you continuously miss sessions because comcast is being an ass, then it can cause problems in the long term. - Friendship: Friendship is obviously something I look for out of D&D, as there's no point being in a cold, frigid environment. - Creativity: This game is more narratively based than mechanical. Whilst there are obviously mechanics since its run through the 5e system, it is more focused on the story behind a fight rather than the fight itself. - Maturity: Whilst this game tends to have comedic moments and not focus on grimdark topics, there are some adult topics involved and it does help to encourage the last, and most important thing. - Tolerance: I cannot stress this enough, this game requires a significant amount of tolerance. There are a fair few openly LGBT characters, I myself am neurodiverse (HFA, depression, etc.), and I do not wish either of these things to become an issue. About the DM As said, I have about two-three years as a DM, having DMed both in person and over the internet. I am a narrative DM, who focuses on telling stories and giving unique story development over purely mechanical things. In terms of priority, I would say I go 1) story 2) exploration 3) combat, although there will be ample of each. Furthermore, I am what is known as a linear DM. I like to tell a concise story rather than giving a sandbox and letting people go anywhere and everywhere. This does not mean that you will be railroaded, you will have creative freedom about how you go about certain tasks and how you achieve certain goals. I like to think that I am a nice person, but I think everyone thinks that. I try and be open and compassionate with people, and expect the same in exchange. I am a Masters-level student in a British university, and I speak with a slight lisp although its not particularly noticeable apart from on specific words. I like to make campaigns that have a balance of themes and tones - in a current campaign I'm running, there was an entire session about a large player character trying to survive living in a town made for dwarves and gnomes, resulting in hijinks like getting stuck in bathtubs and banging their heads against doorways. There was also another entire session based on the accidental genocide of an island community. I have been told I manage to blend these tones nicely without making it jarring, but I think that may come down to the individual. I also have a large amount of experience not just with DMing but also with D&D material. I have watched all of Critical Role's Wildemount campaign and their one-shots like Taliesin's CoC story (although I have yet to sit through C1), I have watched the OxVentures, and (as should perhaps be obvious based on the world information I'm about to give) I have also watched every single episode, series and non-subscription-based liveshow of The Adventure Zone. The World The world has changed. Has changed, changes, will change. Our story picks up eleven or so years after the birth of a new technological age, what one may even call an industrial revolution. While there have long been lesser forms of technology, with the Miller Foundation and WIllow Solutions being major powerhouses within various countries, the technology level ramped up violently about a decade ago, going from the equivalent of Renaissance Europe to Victorian-age technology. Trains connect every major city going all hours of the day and night, skies above the major cities are blocked out by smoke from the factory stacks, those few skirmishes are fought less with bow and arrow and more with gun and bayonet. From Neverwinter, the glorious capital of the North, to Goldcliff, the banking capital of the south, the cities have expanded and exploded, growing more and more populous with each passing year. It is not unusual to see even monstrous races like minotaurs, goblins and half-orcs in the cities although they're rarely in the more expensive districts. In contrast to this, those that resist the changing of the times have become more and more forcibly nomadic. Bands of bandits and raiders leave the cities to try and seek freedom they cannot find within the cruel system of industrialisation. Many of these groups are peaceful, many others are violent and attack interlopers to defend ancestral lands. These clans tend mainly to be orcs, goblins and tabaxi although seeing humans and elves among them is not rare. Despite these contrasts, for much of the last ten years the world has been at peace. Some of this is facilitated by the explosion in intercity communicaiton, with lacrimas delivering messages across the world through great communication pylons, although much of it has relied on a growing awareness of the world's mortality. The last great census revealed the world's population is at 60% of what it was one generation ago. Rumours that the world is dying has fallen through the different rungs of society, with pessimism and cruel pragmatism on the rise. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to The Adventure Zone! What Players Should Expect 1) Unique leveling system. Considering the linear nature of the story, the story is divided into overall chapters that take place linearly (although not directly consecutively). You will start the first chapter at level 1, before leveling up to level 2 midway through the first chapter. After that, every level will take place during post-chapter sessions known as "Interludes". These sessions will be almost entirely RP-based, focusing on explorations of inter-character dynamics, buying items and getting rewards for your various accomplishments. 2) The campaign's length is based upon how often the game is played. Whilst each chapter averages at a month's length and there are ten chapters, if a chapter is cut short by a creative shortcut or manipulation of the game system, or if it is prolonged by someone focusing on a particular part, then it may take longer. Ideally the people who start the campaign would be the ones to finish it, but I understand if people need to be swapped out or leave. 3) As mentioned you level up twice at the end of each chapter and there are ten chapters. This means that you will be going from level 1 to level 20. Therefore, try to make a character who you will want to play for long periods of time rather than one-shot ideas. Whilst I do not expect anyone to come to me with a dissertation-length backstory (and ideally you would just come with a synopsis that can be fleshed out more later) I do expect each person to have a backstory and be willing to answer an in-character questionaire that will inform later story decisions. 4) Having watched The Animated Spellbook, I am demoing a system that was not in the original module - the Honour System. Having had one too many parties decide that the most reasonable solution to an adventure is to just go murderhobo and kill everyone involved, DMNPCs included, you will be held liable for your actions. However, unlike other stats, you do not spend points on them. Instead, you all start at 10 (+0) with maybe +1 or -1 based on backstory. 5) As said, this game is based on The Adventure Zone: Balance. Whilst there will be some narrative changes to allow for greater player freedom and to cover a few mistakes made by the legendary Baby Brother Griffin, the story is treated very much like a module. Just as one might have a different ending each time you play Wrath of the Righteous, the story is nonetheless fundamentally similar. Therefore, whilst players with complete knowledge of the system are allowed, preference is made for those who are unaware of story developments. 6) character creation rules. Point buy, standard 27 point system, able to go as low as 6 and as high as you can afford with the points. Starting level 1, all officially published content allowed. If you want UA or other homebrew, I will review them independently and give you "yay" or "nay" on a case-by-case basis. No murderhobos, some basic backstory expected. Other minor rules about characters: - Have to be at least 11 years older than their species' age of adulthood (this ensures they would have some level of awareness of what the world was like before things changed) - Good or neutral alignment only. Furthermore, and I cannot emphasise this enough, if you are a good character BE GOOD. Do not give your character a neutral good tag and then make them a death-monk who wants nothing more than death - Bipedal characters only (this is tied to plot reasons) Please respond to this ad with your name, age, timezone, RP experience, some basic information, general time available and a basic concept of what kind of character you'd like to play. Even a one sentence explanation like "mystic kenku with teleportation specialisation and a heart of gold" would be sufficient.
