| Playing | |
| Next Game Will Be | 1611162000 |
| Total Players Needed | 8 |
| Game Type | Role Playing Game |
| Frequency | Played Weekly |
| Audio / Visual | Voice only |
| Primary Language | English |
| New Players are Welcome | Yes |
| Mature Content(18+) | No |
| Pay to Play i | $15 USD per session paid via PayPal or Patreon |
| Pick Up Game i | No |
The cataclysmic events of the Spellplague have thrust the world into chaos. Great waves of reality-warping blue flame sweep across the land, motes of earth float in the air, and roving patches of wild magic make wielding magic perilous. A strange new connection with the world of Abeir - as well as spontaneous portals to the Feywild, Shadowfell, and Far Realm - have made the world a perilous place.
In the village of Phandalin, a band of unlikely heroes dubbed "The Stonehill Strangers" works to uncover a conspiracy of bandits, duergar, drow, and more intent on kidnapping spellcasters for some fell purpose, all against the backdrop of a rogue dragon, a claimant to the throne of Neverwinter, and a world torn asunder by the Spellplague!
G'day! My name is Chris and I have been DMing games of Dungeons & Dragons for 24 years. This will be my second time running Night Below, and my first time running the module in D&D 5e. I'll be merging in elements of other 5e modules including Lost Mine of Phandelver, as well as classic modules such as Keep on the Borderlands and White Plume Mountain.
Night Below is a truly massive epic that will take the players from quaint rural beginnings to the very depths of the Underdark, where they'll unearth a vile conspiracy intent on world domination. Along the way, they'll plunder ancient ruins, explore classic D&D dungeons, and explore the spell-blasted ruins of Neverwinter.
Not only do I have a pro subscription on Roll20, but I also have all of the core rulebooks currently available on Roll20, as well as a number of Kobold Press titles including Deep Magic.
Additionally, I have an extensive collection of tokens, a massive collection of high-quality battle maps, custom status tokens, and a truly colossal collection of third party reference materials (in excess of 1,000 titles).
Night Below is a classic AD&D adventure that pits the players against mysterious forces looking to dominate the world above from the shadowy depths of the Underdark. Originally designed to take players from level 1-16 in D&D 2e, I've adapted the adventure for D&D 5e, weaving in elements of both Lost Mine of Phandelver and Dragon of Icespire Peak.
On top of that, the campaign is set in the Spellplague era made famous in D&D 4e, meaning Far Realm incursions, adventures into the Shadowfell & Feywild, and raw magic soaking the world.
As if that weren't enough, I'll also be littering the lands of Faerun with classic dungeons including Keep on the Borderlands, Slave Pits of the Undercity, White Plume Mountain, The Sunless Citadel, and much, much more.
I am a story first kind of DM. This isn't to say that I don't love a bit of swashbuckling combat or a deadly dungeon crawl, but I am also keenly aware that you put a lot of time and effort into creating your characters. I like to reward that by building a narrative around your characters' wants and needs, as well as providing cinematic moments that give near-death experiences (and death itself) greater meaning.
We're collaborating to tell the story of a group of fledgling adventurers as they rise to power - not competing against one another. As long as you understand that, you're going to have a great time.
I'm looking for a party of six intrepid explorers to undertake the perilous journey to Phandelin, with an eye towards eventually completing a full length campaign from amongst the Wizards of the Coast canon.
Sessions will be weekly and played for 4 hours.
Characters should be designed using the standard array and can be built using any of the official Wizards of the Coast resources. Kobold Press and Unearthed Arcana rules will be assessed on a case by case basis.
In addition, I will make a carefully curated selection of third-party content available to the players including new races, classes, and archetypes, as well as optional systems such as monster harvesting, expanded equipment, and more.
Your $15 not only gets you an experienced DM with a tremendous set of resources at his disposal, but also goes towards purchasing additional content as needed. This includes the ongoing Roll20 Pro subscription as well as additional battle maps, sourcebooks, and content that will be used to add to the campaign.
I prepare high quality, dynamic lighting enabled battle maps (where needed), create a fully interactive landing page, and will have a purpose-built Discord server for both OTT and game chat.
Each week, you'll get a detailed (1,000+ word) recap of the session told in narrative fashion, a great way to keep track of all of the key happenings in the campaign.
For now, I'm just looking for keen players. You don't need to present me with a finished character just yet, but if you could provide me with an overview of your character as well as answers to the following:
What brings your character to the Phandalin region?
Have you played Lost Mine of Phandelver before? If so, what were your favorite (and least favorite) elements?
Have you played any of the D&D Adventurer's League titles? If so, which ones?
Have you played Night Below before?
What percentage of the following do you like in your games? Combat, traps & puzzles, roleplay, and exploration.
Tell me a little about you! How long have you been playing D&D? What are you excited for from this campaign? What are you looking for from your Night Below experience?
What official Wizards of the Coast module (past or present) are you most excited to play during your adventures? I own 'em all!
Below, you'll find a few testimonials from players both past and present. I am currently running six other successful ongoing campaigns (one homebrew, four Tomb of Annihilation, and one Rappan Athuk).
I suspect like many people, I was drawn to try D&D following watching shows like Critical Role. Having last played some RP games back in the 80/90s I was lacking in-person options and was drawn to roll20 as a chance to dip my feet into the world. I tried many (many) free games with mixed success. I had fun, but never really lasting or satisfying games. Players (and DMs) would flake and drop out and I was considering stopping.
I thought I’d try one more shot and signed up for a paid game with Chris running “Tomb of Annihilation”. I could not be happier with that decision! Right from the start, Chris was welcoming and helpful, talking the group through any questions and involving everyone. He’s so well prepared, with fleshed out NPCs, locations, and events that it’s easy to get be engaged straight away. He allows players to build their characters and party dynamic while moving the story along subtly - decisions have ramifications but I always feel like I’m in charge of my character’s destiny!
I cannot recommend Chris enough - it’s worth the price for the preparation and summaries alone, not to mention his excellent handling of content.
I’ve been playing with Chris for about three years now, and he is such a fantastic DM. He really puts so much time and effort into making every session an experience. When I first joined I was new to D&D and Chris always made sure I felt supported and confident and never made me feel stupid for asking questions or needing extra help.
I’ve had the opportunity to play Tomb of Annihilation with him TWICE, the first time all the way through, and now again for a second time with a new group. While I absolutely loved the first round, this second game is even better! He’s really ironed out all of the kinks of the pre-written adventure and added his own content to make the game even more exciting.
I also play in another one of his home-brew games, which is fantastic as well. I’m honestly so impressed at the amount of time and work that he puts into not only the adventure, but the dynamic lighting maps, tokens, and fleshed out NPCs. Chris also loves you to have really fleshed out characters, and if you put in the effort, so will he! He’ll be sure to drop Easter Eggs just for your own character and pull in elements of your backstory, and current desires and ambitions. Chris is always tailoring the adventure to the needs and desires of the party, which I think is amazing and makes playing so much more fun!
Chris puts an incredible amount of effort into each session. You will genuinely feel like you're playing a sandbox no matter which campaign it is, or how much of a WILDCARD your party has.
I feel like its definitely value for money with the quality of entertainment you'll find in these sessions.
Chris has helped me with developing a more fun character concept very genuinely MANY times while playing a meat grinder campaign! He always works with his players to bring a fun story to life, and has a great understanding of the rules to deliver this for his players.
The summary that he makes for every session really reads like a diary of your adventure, and you can happily look back on it long after the session is over.
I am a paying player, early 40s, married with children, a working professional, and have been playing RPGs for nearly 30 years.
I have tried out three GMs since joining Roll20 at the start of C19 lockdown, and have stuck with CWB as returning burdens required me to cut back.
CWB is on time, prepared, respectful, enthusiastic, and runs a great session – interesting adventures, voice acting, facilitates RP between characters as well as with NPCs, thoughtful combats, manages difficult players, violence is not the solution to all encounters.
Chris can turn a plain book game into a visual masterpiece from great voice acting to perfect descriptions he will have you in full immersion. going out of his way to give great character hooks and fresh character options for any campaign. His rule knowledge is incredible, it is rare for him to encounter something he doesn't know the direct rule for but if this happens he is always fair on a judgement ruling. 9.5/10 because not even Matt Mercer could get a 10
I first played D&D with Chris back in 2017 when I joined a group that he was already DMing for and more recently he DMs for a new group with some beginners. His knowledge of the game has helped beginners learn and play as if they have played many times before. Chris’s style builds a great atmosphere throughout the game with excellent combat scenes, as well as the build-up and travel within the story, keeping every session a joy to play and makes you look forward to the next one. A highly recommended DM.
Chris is a natural storyteller with world-class improv skills. Chris' games are a perfect balance of humour and sincerity/gravity. After twenty years Chris is still able to surprise me with his talent and originality.
CWB has designed and organised my RPG lifestyle for over 5 years. He delivers regular sessions for both seasoned and newbie gamers, using both custom and source materials to suit the players' wishes.
CWB is an incredible GM, smoothly sailing his players through campaigns with both fairness and compassion. Long or short, games shared with CWB is time well spent.
Chris has been running our campaigns now for over 6 years, during this time he has put on awesome session after awesome session on a fortnightly basis.
I've been offered other campaigns by other DMs but they don't stack up to the immersion Chris adds to our games. I truly find it hard to game with other DMs. He is always fair in his rulings and gives the perfect balance of roleplay + dice rolling. 10/10 would game with again."
Chris is an accomplished DM/GM who provides an immersive experience for his players. He is a skillful world builder and engages his players with colourful character voices, and adaptable gameplay. Most of all, he puts effort into preparing his games and puts a priority on his players having fun.
I have been playing with Chris since 2016 and I can not recommend him highly enough. He is patient with beginners, happy to allow you to tweak abilities and classes to suit your character and I always look forward to a DnD session with him. The adventures we go on are unique, full of laughter and a good balance of roll play, aggressive battling and problem solving
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