West Marches: Into the Wild [Beta]

DMs Wanted:

We are actively searching for DMs to join in on this community driven story.

Adventure Background:

Over a millennium ago we once lived on the surface of our proud glorious world, where we built monuments, studied the forgotten knowledge, forged great continent spanning empires. Now we live in the cold sky.

Over a millennium ago invaders from another world attacked, without warning in large ships that sailed above the skys of every Kingdom and Country in the known world. They were tall with with odd coloured skin and faces that srouted tentacles from them. Our ancestors fought them bravely sacrificing much in order for us to stand here today, free from their domination and provision of life.

We people of the seven cities have lived and lost much over the many centuries spent isolated from the surface world but no more for we will not and cannot live like this any longer. Five years ago our teleportation gates made by Arc-mages long forgotten that linked us with the other six cities suddenly stopped working, unable to produce enough food here in Bellfire to feed you all we sent settlers down to start farming the land. We now know with certainty that the other worldly invaders have abandoned our rightful homeland, this is both wonderful and horrible news to hear for the surface holds much life on it.

The surface holds monsters which have been left to fester for generations, barbaric remnants of traitorous humanoids still live on our homeland as if they own the land they aided in giving over to the Mind.... Flayers, powerful creature we once thought were extinct like the dragons have returned in numbers unprecedented in our records. Yet we call on those with an adventurous spirt and the skills needed to forge a path back to our homeland (while making a nice profit), we call on all of you to explore decrepit ruins in hopes of finding what was lost, we call on you to map out the surface world, we call on you to defend your countymen and slay the devilish monster that seek our devastation. We call on you to join the ranks of the Society of Seekers.

What to expect from the campaign:

• This is a homebrew setting based around exploring. I do have a few homebrew rules that are all explained in handouts on roll20 and I won't be surprising players with random homebrew rules.

• This game will be utilizing all three pillars (Combat, Social Interaction and Exploration) for play and as such we will be using Unearthed Arcana: Three-Pillar Experience.

• I will primarily be using Theatre of the Mind and player hangouts in combination with a large world map, yet saying that I will do my best to set up battle maps when I can and do ask all players to have tokens for their characters.

• This a West Marches Style Campaign, see at the bottom of post for more information.

• This game will have numerous opportunities for roleplay, combat will range from easy to challenging and even deadly base on the choice you made during the adventures you undertake, and there is a huge unexplored map filled with unique scenery and an organic world which reacts to the choices made by the players (whether you see the consequences of the choice or another player is yet to be seen).

• Player Buy-in: All players will be members of the Society of Seekers, which is a private paramilitary guild who has been tasked by the Great Floating City of Bellfire with the long-term project of establishing and expanding civilization on the surface. As a member you choose where to go and what to do. There will be a handful of obvious choices, but you don't by any means need to take them. The adventure is in your hands. You have the power of choice.

Player expectations

• Discord is required for all players, we will be using it to for voice chat during game sessions. I'II also be asking players to utilise discord chat channels to organise and plan with other players for session times, possible adventures which players may be undertake, points of interest within the world

• Stable microphone and Internet.

• Be a team player.

• If you are new to the game that is perfectly understandable and as long as your honest with what you need help with (Even if it is from the most basic level) fellow player and I as the DM are willing to help as much as we are able too.

• Each player is required to have some sort of backstory with plot hooks (But please keep it to at most 1 page). While this game is a West Marches Style Campaign I will attempt to weave your backstory and goals into the fibres of specific adventures when able.

• Able to speak English clearly and understandable.

• This is a Sandbox style campaign which means the players/characters will many options to choose, if Analysis (Choice) paralysis kicks in and I will help you out if you want, after all we play to have fun.

• I will ask all players to read and agree to a social contract before a player is ever given a character sheet. I ask this of my fellow geeks to minimise needless conflict between players and so that we may all conduct ourselves in a respectful manner with one another, while saying all of this I am going to make dark humour jokes and I DM to enjoy my time with friends. I hope to see friendships forged in the heat of adventure.

Looking for Co-DM

• We would very much appreciate more fellow DMs to aid in the process of DMing a West Marches Style Campaign, if you are interested please let me know down below - Jacob/Bolder

Character Creation & Rules

• Races: You may play any race from the Wizards of the Coast officially printed material. Unearthed arcana and 3rd party races may be allowed upon approve from DM. The only exception is human variant is not allowed.

• Stats: For your character we will be using point buy or standard array.

• HP: Max HP at first level and every level after that you may either roll or take the average
  (You may ask me to reroll your hp but you will have to take whatever I roll.)

• Background: Any from the books or Unearthed Arcana, let me know if you want a custom background.

• Level: Characters will began the game at level 1

• Classes: You are able to play any class/subclass from the Wizards of the Coast officially printed material. There will be no Unearthed arcana and 3rd party classes allowed.

• Optional Rules: Multiclassing and Feats
  (Resources are allowed from all official Wizards of the coast material, I will even allow unearthed arcana and 3rd party material upon approval from me.)

• Wealth: Roll 1d10 x 20GP for starting wealth and whatever you gain from your background

• Equipment: You gain all your Starting Equipment from your class. You may use your starting gold to buy more Equipment and/or sell your Starting Equipment for gold.

West Marches Style Campaign

• Players will be expected to organise session date and times (based on if a DM is available) or join sessions on an at-will basis. There is no assumed set party – characters can adventure in many different groups.

• Each session is presumed to be self-contained. Players venture into the wild, find or are found by adventure, and return home each session. (Exceptions from this rule can be made to accommodate longer adventures spanning over multiple sessions).

• The world of the West Marches persists beyond each session. If players have made a change in one session, other players will see that change if they follow the same path in a later session.

• The players organise the adventures, determining where to go and what to do as a party. The DM, after initial prep work, merely reacts to player choices.

• As all PCs are assumed to spend their downtime in the same town, word gets round about what happens on each adventure. Players are encouraged to write up session reports and distribute them to each other. It's a living world, the same goblin warlord cannot be killed by two different groups, so the second group that wanted to try needs to know if the first succeeded or not.

• New quest hooks can be picked up by any group of players.

• All initial objectives and later objectives that are discovered are marked on a shared map, which players can use to suggest placed they want to explore.