(scroll down to see the campaign info)

Hear ye, hear ye!
To players new and experienced, all are welcome here.

This campaign will closely follow D&D 5th edition (5e) rules and all characters will start at level 1.

Joining this campaign requires a D&D Beyond account. After you join in, you’ll have access to the digital 5e Player’s Handbook within D&D Beyond. (It’s because I own it here, and I can share it with all members of the campaign.)

We will be making characters using the “Standard Array” for stats.
If you don’t know what that is, NO PROBLEM! It will be explained at character creation time.

Our first sessions (April  4th and 11th) will be all about character creation and learning the interface.

Also, you’ll need to use a PC or Mac using Google Chrome browser to play. (No iPads, sorry.) The reason is we’re using a Virtual Table (VTT) called AboveVTT. It’s a Chrome extension you can install on any Chrome-based browser such as Chrome, MS Edge, Dissenter, etc. Here’s a link to the extension:
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/abovevtt/ipcjcbhpofedihcloggaichibomadlei?hl=en

If you wish to donate to the live stream, you can do so via PayPal.
All funds donated from here will be used to procure more D&D Beyond resources for this current AND all future campaigns.

PayPal

If you’d like a Gaming Journal that also supports the game:
Tabletop Adventure Journal

Campaign: Deagol vs. Smeagol

Since some players are new to D&D, we will start our adventures by playing a modified version of a pre-made adventure for new players called “Dragon of Icespire Peak.”

DO NOT READ AHEAD ON THAT MODULE!

If you’re already familiar with this adventure, please play dumb and don’t ruin it for the others. The story will be close to the same, but the in-game challenges and rewards have been changed to accommodate so many adventurers.

Starting Gear:

Items:

When making a new character in D&D 5e (specifically D&D Beyond), you can choose to get starting gold or starting equipment.
Please choose EQUIPMENT and pick items from the given lists that best work for your character.

Gold:

Your starting Gold varies per class, but everyone will start with 50g. For role-playing purposes, you can start with less than 50 if you choose, but nobody can start with MORE than 50.

Combat Encounters:

In 5e, combat happens in rounds. Order of who goes first, second, etc. is determined by an “Initiative” roll. All PCs and NPCs involved in the combat will roll initiative with a D20, and any ties are settled by the DM. Highest number goes first – lowest is last.

One round is complete once everyone & everything has performed their actions (or dies), and the next round begins.

Every participant in the encounter is assumed to take 6 seconds to perform their action(s) when it is their turn.

Example with 4PCs and 2 NPC monsters:

Some actions and spells take more than 6 seconds. If this happens, typically these actions require concentration rolls and other PCs sometimes (usually) have to protect anyone trying to take time to concentrate on an longer action.

Other actions take recharge time and require a set number of rounds to complete before the action can be performed again.

Items – Buying and Selling:

It is inevitable that PCs will want to buy and sell items to NPCs in towns, villages, or even one another. Personal sales are held between players, so good luck on making a good deal. Buying and selling to and from NPCs generally follow a set price chart for many common goods, and general price ranges for uncommon goods.

If you SELL an item with a set price to an NPC, you will receive 50% of the value. Charisma rolls make no difference for the prices of common items, but spells that specifically affect merchant interactions can. For rarer items, do your best to make a good deal.

Please check the online rulebook for general armor, weapon, and item costs:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules/equipment#Weapons

To keep the flow of the game moving, if you ever wish to buy or sell any common items, and you can wait to do so, you can simply choose these to happen between gaming sessions. Simply make a list of what you bought and sold to the DM between sessions… especially with the price of common items being known. Uncommon items may still require game time to perform, so check with the DM between sessions.

Time, Movement, and Travel:

Another aspect of D&D is travel and time. We all have “speed” which is calculated in feet per round, but this generally (and usually) for combat movement. Walking throughout a small town like Phandalin will not require specific movement unless combat takes place in town. In other words, if you simply say “I’m going to the Inn,” in most cases you just walk to the Inn.

Long-distance travel:

If you and your party need to travel long distances, 5e has a maximum ground movement of 24 miles per day. Of course bad weather, difficult terrain, or random encounters along the way could stall this. Conversely riding fast mounts or being pulled along in a wagon could quicken this.

Don’t forget, if you do have to travel overnight, be prepared to use up rations or go foraging for food! (Some races do not need to do this.)

One Last Thing:

Please don’t be a “Murder Hobo.”

Also, while avoiding being a Murder Hobo, please don’t be the extreme OPPOSITE of a Murder Hobo….

Please don’t be a “I’m-going-to-perform-a-billion-different-things-to-be-weird-and-strange-and-we’ll-never-actually-move-forward-with-the-story” Hobo.

Don’t be either of them.

Most importantly:

HAVE FUN!