Session 0

Hook

The Highlands, wild and untamed, are protected by the mighty city of Pen Dara, where iron is forged and magic thrives. Pen Dara stands as the first line of defense against the Sturgian raids, keeping the Lowlands safe from their northern fury. But the Highlands hold mysteries far older than any kingdom, with ancient ruins scattered across the land—echoes of the giants who once ruled, their colossal structures now entwined with shadowed passages leading to the Underdark.

Your journey begins in the small town of Brackenburg, nestled among the craggy cliffs a few days' travel from Pen Dara. The mayor, a nervous and harried man named Adric Graveshield, has sent out a call for help. His miners, who’ve been working the local salt mines for years, have gone missing without a trace. No one knows where they’ve gone, but rumors have begun to spread—some say it’s the Sturgian raiders, others whisper of beasts lurking in the hills.

The mayor’s request seems straightforward: find the missing miners, and bring them back. But in a land steeped in ancient history, surrounded by both foes and adventure in the seas to the north, who can say what’s truly at work here?

And so, your adventure begins...

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Session 0 Agenda

Topics to Cover:

1. Character Brainstorm:

   • What class/role does each player envision for their character?
   • Discuss party composition and potential group dynamics.

2. Lore Questions:

   • Clarify any details about the setting, factions, or character backgrounds.
   • Address any specific inquiries about the world.

3. Setting / Mood / Theme:

   • Discuss the tone of the campaign (exploration, ancient mysteries, political intrigue, humor).
   • Set expectations for story focus (roleplay-heavy, character-driven).

4. Expectations:

   • From GM to Players: What i'll expect of you
     
   • From Players to GM: What you'll expect of me.
     
   • From Players to Players: What you expect of each other
     

5. Hook Discussion:

   • Why did your characters decide to take on the mayor’s request?
   • Explore potential shared motivations or prior connections.

6. Rules:

   • What ruleset we playing with?
   • Review any homebrew mechanics or adjustments (inspiration, downtime activities).
   • Discuss what players like or dislike about certain rules.

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Session 0 - Agreements

What we agreed during session 0.

Group connection/hook

• At the beginning you are all inhabitants around the Brackenburg area, and you have taken the task from the Mayor to help out

Rules

• We play with D&D 5e 2014 rules with the following homebrew adjutsments:
  
  
• Nat 20 gives advantage if you attack in the first round.
• Bonus action for drinking own health potion
• Action to administer potion to someone else.

Expectations

• We agreed that we should be more focused that we start on time (18.00) during game night.

Dates

• Backstories to be handed to DM latest December 9th.
• Session 1 will be the January 6th.

Campaign length & leveling

• Approximately 20 sessions
• End level around 7-9

Next steps

Character creation

You may use point buy. And tasha is allowed.

To create your character, please make them inside Kanka. You can use the general description of the entry to provide the other players "official" knowledge they may already know, your portrait or your reputation in Brackenburg etc.

After creating the character entry, you can add a "Post" to your character. Please use this and set the visibility to be "Only me and Admin". Use this to submit your backstory and your character traits.

Even if you dont have a name yet, please feel free to just create a placeholder for now.

In terms of backstory length, try and keep your initial submission to a one-pager which should be in the 2500-3500 character region. We can expand on certain things if need be later.

Getting DM input

If possible, I'd prefer that you share your initial character concept early if you can. And/or if you're ever feeling stuck, just let me know.
I think it is nice to get an idea of where you're going with your character. Plus it has the added benefit that i might be able to better contribute with lore ideas etc.

So please don't be afraid to spam me during character creation. I like feeling involved in this stage :)