I’m curious if anyone would like to play something loosely based on D&D 5e.
Haha what does that even mean
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Actions and their outcomes will be controlled by probability, however most of the story, how you progress through it, and what you do will be decided by the players.
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This will almost certainly be more story intensive than a role-playing game, however role-playing is strongly encouraged for a more entertaining game.
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I will be ignoring most of the complicated combat rules because they’re complicated and I want the game to be a bit more casual and not have to keep track of precise locations/cover, et cetera.
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Most actions will be determined by the value of the role of a 20-sided die (or a virtual random number generator). Actions will most frequently be determined by rolling with a stat, which will give a bonus or subtract from your score depending on how high that stat is.
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People would be allowed a certain amount of points to assign to the following stats: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma.
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I would probably keep the skill system or maintain the basics. Skills each have a root stat and you will be allowed to be proficient in a certain number of skills (based on your class).
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You will be allowed to choose a class and a race and get the associated benefits.
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Certain things will be more story-based rather than governed by a strict set of rules, such as weight limits on items (just be reasonable) and languages spoken by characters.
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Essentially, it will be like a kind of reduced D&D that is focused heavily on telling a story, rather than specific combat strategy, but will still use many of the fundamental constructs from D&D.
You will not need to have any D&D specific resources to play (or anything other than the internet, for that matter), I will make sure to guide everyone through the basics of how to play my version and ensure that everyone feels comfortable playing the game.
- Definitely interested, tag me.
- Depends on the plot, tag me.
- Kinda interested, don’t tag me.
- Not interested.
Additionally, I will be using a free, premade campaign, since they have more resources and will be easier for me to work with, given my limited experience.
So, I’m going to also ask y’all to vote for which campaigns you think are interesting, based on a quick summary of them. If you do want to play, I would strongly encourage you not to look up the actual campaign information, as it will contain spoilers and make a less enjoyable experience. (Sorry for mentioning it and causing the temptation, it’s much harder to avoid it if someone says not to.)
All of the following campaigns are designed to be decently short (for D&D, at least) and should only range a few levels.
Death House
Death House is the name given to an old row house in the village of Barovia. The house has been burned to the ground many times, only to rise from the ashes time and again—by its own will or that of Strahd. Locals give the building a wide berth for fear of antagonizing the evil spirits believed to haunt it. The wealthy family that built the house practiced the dark arts. Through seduction and indoctrination, they expanded their cult to include a small yet nefarious circle of friends. When word got out, the rest of the village turned a blind eye to the house and the nightly debaucheries happening within it.The cult tried to summon malevolent extraplanar entities with no success. The cultists also preyed on visitors, sacrificed them in bizarre rituals, and hosted morbid banquets to feast on their corpses. When nothing came of these ritualized murders, the cultists’ activities became thinly disguised excuses to indulge their lurid fantasies. The ranks of the cult thinned as members began to lose interest in the debacle. Then Strahd von Zarovich arrived. The cultists regarded Strahd as a messiah sent to them by the Dark Powers. Drawn to Strahd like moths to a flame, they pledged their devotion for a promise of immortality, but Strahd turned them away, deeming the cult and its leaders unworthy of his attention. The cult-ists withdrew to Death House in despair. The cult’s habit of trapping and devouring wayward visitors proved to be its downfall. On one occasion, the cult snared a band of adventurers whom Strahd had lured to his domain to be his playthings. A black carriage arrived at Death House soon thereafter, and from out of its black heart stepped the vampire himself. The cultists tried to impressed Strahd. In response, he slaughtered them for slaying his playthings. Centuries later, the cultists’ spirits haunt the dungeons under the house. The building itself, it seems, is unwilling to let the cult be forgotten.
The Scroll Thief
Shortly after the Zhentarim assumed control over Phlan in 1380 DR, the Lord Protector began a campaign of book-burning. Documents that portrayed the Zhentarim or Bane in a derogatory manner were secreted away in a subbasement beneath Mantor’s Library, and put to the torch. Rumor has it that the fanatical Zhentarim also locked various political prisoners within the burning archive, conveniently killing two birds with one stone.
Ellison Berenger, a member of the Cult of the Dragon, has come to Phlan for two purposes: to gather evidence to support his claim as a descendent of a noble house, and, more importantly, to recover information on the workings of the Pool of Radiance for his masters within the Cult. After months working covertly within Mantor’s Library, he finally found the location of the three books, and subsequently the archives deep beneath Mantor’s Library and the secrets buried within.
Out of the Abyss
Deep beneath the surface of the world lies the Underdark, a realm of endless labyrinthine tunnels and caverns where the sun never shines. The Underdark is filled with races and creatures too numerous to count or list, and foremost among these are the dark elves—the drow. Hated and feared even by their fellow dwellers in darkness, the drow raid other settlements in the Underdark as well as the surface world, taking prisoners back with them. Rendered unconscious with drow poison, then collared and shackled, these prisoners are eventually sold as slaves or entertainment in the dark elves’ subterranean cities.The adventurers have all had the misfortune of falling to such a fate. Captured by the drow, they are prisoners at one of the dark elves’ outposts, awaiting transportation to Menzoberranzan, the City of Spiders. Whether they came into the Underdark seeking knowledge or fortune, or were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, they were ripe prey for a drow raid.
The characters’ goal in this chapter of the adventure is straightforward: escape from the drow outpost of Velkynvelve, with an eye toward escaping from the Underdark. However, this goal is complicated by the adventurers’ lack of familiarity with their surroundings. Even if the prisoners can get away from the drow, where will they go and how will they survive?
If you’re still with me, thanks for reading this much.
If you’re interested in playing, select any and all scenarios that you would be interested to play in.
- Death House
- The Scroll Thief
- Out of the Abyss
I probably won’t even make it so if you like this idea just make it.
