Eberron: Pawns and Players

 A character-driven, action-packed conspiracy thriller. A group of Sharn-based private investigators have uncovered a dark mystery rooted in the days of the Last War and beyond, and now prepare to take down an interplanar conspiracy.

Game in progress: Looking for one player to fill a slot vacated due to real life. We are 45 sessions in, with the PCs at level 10, about to go to 11.

Working as inquisitives in Sharn, a seemingly ordinary case has put our heroes in possession of a repository of secret information. They uncovered the secrets of Cyran magical experiments from the Last War and foiled an attempted coup in Breland that would exploit that knowledge. Following the trail, they ventured into the Mournland and explored a Cyran black site, uncovering the secret history of the creation of the warforged. They now know that the enemy they face is a conspiracy by the Dreaming Dark that has infiltrated multiple nations and dragonmarked houses. Will they be mere pawns in the games of the powerful, or will they become players themselves?

Long-running story: We're past the midway point and you'll be joining the final chapters of a long-running campaign. You are, of course, not expected to learn everything that has happened so far - we'll catch you up on the most important stuff! The current team has been together for a long time, but it is a group of friendly, welcoming and thoughtful players and both I as DM and the party will do our best to include you.

About the game

Character-driven: It's not just that your actions and decisions shape the plot and the world. This is your story - we start with a loose framework, but much of the plot itself is designed around the backgrounds and themes of your characters.

Action thriller genre: Intrigue, RP and combat, with less emphasis on exploration. Tense social standoffs and daring escapes! Two-fisted action and hidden agendas! Spectacular heroics and ambiguous moral choices!

Themes: Noir intrigue, espionage, politics, mystery.

Open to all: Everyone is welcome even without much experience with roleplaying, roll20 or the Eberron setting (although players with setting knowledge are preferred). ESL speakers are welcome as well. If you're new to D&D and need to learn the system, well, I'm a teacher in my day job.

About me: I'm a 33 year old English teacher and translator, and tabletop RPG's have been my main hobby since my early teens. I've run numerous campaigns in many different systems and settings, and like to bring those outside ideas to D&D. I love the truly weird and out there in fantasy and science fiction, but also find a lot of inspiration in real-world history. It's why I've fallen in love with Eberron, a wonderfully fantastical world being dragged kicking and screaming into modernity - and I'm excited to explore our version of it with you!

Character Creation

To hook a new PC into the plot and give them clear stakes, it will be greatly appreciated if you bring a character with a core connection to one or more of the following factions or aspects of the setting: the kalashtar/Dreaming Dark conflict; Cyre and the Mourning; House Sivis; House Cannith and the warforged; the Aundair/Thrane conflict over Thaliost. If you are not well versed in Eberron lore, I can help figure out which you could find most compelling.

We are currently at level 10, so your character should already be an accomplished and highly capable adventurer; preferably someone who is aware of the Dreaming Dark and the quori. The current party is: a Warforged Ranger, Aundairan Human Bard/Sorcerer, Zil Gnomish Artificer and Cyran Changeling Rogue, so please bring a character that doesn't double up on current party roles.

What to expect for your money

Regular, reliable games in a friendly and fun atmosphere with an experienced DM. The occasional cancelled session is an inevitability, but you can be assured that this campaign is a labor of love and will be taken to its conclusion.

Roll20 used to its full potential: maps, dynamic lighting, advanced macros and scripts to make gameplay fast-paced and immersive.

No modules, no rails in a campaign built from homebrew and remixed content, personalized with creative input from the players. Who the characters are informs the themes, people and places we explore in the campaign.

Plenty of immersive written material including in-game newspapers that reflect the actions of the party!

Fast-paced, tactical combat against a wide variety of enemies, many of them custom-built with interesting abilities.

An engaging story with many twists, plenty of intrigue, and lots of player agency.

Access to a shared compendium with all relevant official materials and lore.

If you're new to D&D, to roll20 or to the setting, get help and guidance from a professional educator.

Rules & Key Info

Payment is 10€ via paypal, to be made the day before the session. Sessions last 4 hours with a 10 minute break in the middle. No payment if you inform me in advance that you'll miss a game, but no refunds if you ghost a session or cancel last minute. You don't have to pay for your first session if you decide the campaign isn't for you.

The game is at 10AM UTC and the time does not move with daylight savings, as we have players from different hemispheres.

Always allowed content is PHB, Xanathar's, Eberron RftLW, Exploring Eberron, and most of Tasha's (details to be hashed out in character creation). Other books, third-party content and UA need GM's approval, but this is mostly a formality, I'll generally approve anything thematic and interesting with a handful of exceptions. Multiclassing is generally OK except that warlock, paladin and sorcerer cannot multiclass with each other.

No evil characters, no joke characters, no murderhobo-ing. Keeping secrets from other players is fine, PvP plotting is not.

Don't be a jerk or an edgelord, no discrimination, slurs, sexism, racism, homophobia etc. This game is open to all regardless of race, creed, nationality, gender identity or the like. Respect for boundaries is important; excluded content will be discussed during character creation.