5E Tyranny of Dragons (Complete)

[Dave0910]

FG License: GM Has Ultimate, so no License is needed.
Game System: D&D 5E

Time Zone: Eastern Time USA (UTC - 5)
Day of week and time: Based on player availability, I'm aiming Thursdays from about 6 to 10.
Planned start date: 12/13/18 (This is likely to change as the holidays will probably interfere)
Planned Duration & Frequency: Sessions, so far have been taking the full 4 hours.
Term: Long: This will be a minimum of 17 weeks, probably closer to 25.

Text or Voice: Both, text will be used for record keeping and with use of languages.
Voice software used: Discord will be used for voice communication. I'll set up a room for us.

Roleplay & Combat mix: This varies, based on the team and the nature of individual sessions. Some sessions will likely be 100% role-play, while others will be as much as 80% Combat.
Number of Players in game & needed: I would like to find between 5 and 7 players. Even with experienced players, this is a very difficult campaign (with a low chance of success).
Character starting level & equipment: Players will begin at 1st level and may choose a standard package or buy equipment with starting wealth.
Character restrictions: Any canon source, within reason.

I'll be running players through both halves of the Tyranny of Dragons campaign. Part 1, Hoard of the Dragon Queen will take players from Levels 1-7 while Part 2, The Rise of Tiamat will take the players from Level 8 to 15. The Campaign is both very Combat heavy and very Roleplay heavy. If you're not interested or willing to do both, please don't apply. I'd like to have a good mix of experienced and inexperienced players, both to teach and to learn. I tend to be very lenient, allowing players to choose from any canon source and allow players to roll for extremely powerful characters (my own version of a relic from AD&D 2E that rolled 5d6, discarding the two lowest), however, I will not tolerate Power Players (people who selectively set every option to make a combat heavy character). They are both unbalancing and disruptive. People attempting to do so will not only be blocked at every attempt, but on the 3rd offense, you will be kicked from the group. Consider yourself warned.

I'll be working with the players individually to set up their characters. You should have a detailed background planned out for your character (especially if you're a rare or non-standard race). This adds depth to the game, especially during role-play encounters (whether this is done during the first session or ahead of time is up to you. Chapter 1 is only about 2 hours). I'm firmly against forcing players to play a certain class in order to maintain balance, so you are free to choose any canon class, though I will tell you what classes are involved, so you can make your own decisions. As mentioned before, I'll allow most any race from canon sources. However, if you choose to play a monster race or a hated race (such as a Drow), be prepared to deal with the social problems that such species face in human settlements. I'll be sending some additional information to players regarding available background options (It is preferable for players to have been affected by or to have connections to the factions found along the Sword Coast (Forgotten Realms). Again, I'll allow most any Background created, within reason.

Note: I offer rewards for good role-playing (especially when acting in-character creates conflict with the team). In addition to Inspiration points, this will include additional experience, and possibly special items.

Update: The game, currently has 6 players. They’ve completed the first three Chapters and are at level 43. However, we’re currently without a dedicated healer. Players have asked that I advertise the opening. If anyone’s interested, PM me or post below. You’re not required to take any specific class, as long as you have access to healing spells/abilities.

Link to Gamecalendar page: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/calendar/?id=3286

[Minty23185Fresh]

[Edited original post]
Sorry I have to recant. Recalculated time slot. 6-10 Eastern won’t work for me. Really too bad for me! Would have very much like to join.

[Leftropolis]

I would be interested in join as I'm also in the est tz as well

[Lord_Blackrose]

I would be interested in joining this game. How do you want us to apply to join?

[Mytherus]

I'm in the eastern time zone and i can play within the days and times you are thinking about. (actually I could play any day M-F from 6 - 10)

Full disclosure -- I haven't played ANY "table top RPG" in over 20 years, but when I did play back then I played a lot and I was a DM as well (AD & D is what I ran most, but I've played few other systems in a more limited frequency like GURPS, TWILIGHT 2000 , even Car Wars if you remember that game..lol) .

If accepted into your game it would be two firsts - 1 ) First time I've played with Fantasy Grounds...but I did buy a license and I've been watching videos and doing practice "stuff" with it for a couple weeks. 2) I've not played a DnD 5th edition game yet. But like FG -- I've been reading the PHB quite a lot the last 2 weeks (also have the MM and the DMG that I'm reviewing too).

Thank you.

[Dave0910]

Lord_Blackrose - PM me with information about the character you're planning to create, race, background class and so on. When I have a full roster of players, I'll likely arrange to meet up on Discord to coordinate and create characters. We may also make those characters at the beginning of the first session, as the mission only is estimated to take 2 hours.

[Dave0910]

Mytherus - It's always good to have old-schoolers around, those of us who had to battle with THAC0's. The actual role-playing elements are mostly unchanged, and while the rolling system has undergone a massive overhaul, it's much simpler than 2E. After wall, we don't have to fill out those long lists of options for every stat (what was it? 6 saving throws?).

[Dave0910]

Okay, update for everyone who's interested. In addition to the base races and classes in Core rulebooks, I have added sub-race, Background and class specializations from the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide.
There are some things I'd be interested in seeing from players (more-so than exotic or monster races). The Faction Agent background would work well with this campaign as many of the more powerful factions are actively involved. A Mastermind Rogue could certainly be beneficial to the group, with the ability to inspire teammates. I like to see diverse groups, in race, class and background. The multiple perspectives on the situation allow for a lot of possibilities.
I won't go as far as to forbid any alignment, but given the nature of this campaign, chaotic neutral/evil characters are likely to cause massive disruptions, especially given that these alignments seldom care what happens to the world as a whole (and the WHOLE of humanoid life on Faerûn is going to depend on you).

[Mytherus]

Mytherus - It's always good to have old-schoolers around, those of us who had to battle with THAC0's. The actual role-playing elements are mostly unchanged, and while the rolling system has undergone a massive overhaul, it's much simpler than 2E. After wall, we don't have to fill out those long lists of options for every stat (what was it? 6 saving throws?).

:) Ahh yes I remember good old THACO.... I'm excited to get back in the game (figuratively and literally), reading the core books , watching FG vids (and a lot of Critical Role episodes of late) helped to stoke that feeling a lot more.

Anyway enough of that though to "business".... I'm assuming it would be in my best interest (and that of ANY other players interested) to PM you with intended character information similar to as you suggested to Lord Blackrose? (In truth I'll work on it this weekend either way)

[VarnFury]

I've been looking to do Tyranny of Dragons for awhile now, The time frame in general, works really well for me (Well, minus 15 mins. I'm a third shifter and have to leave by 9:45pm the latest). If your fine with ending just before that, I'm highly interested in giving this a go.

Bit of information on myself, I've been Role-playing for over 20 years from Forum posting to PC games. I've played many different systems from Savage-Worlds, Shadow-Runner, CoC, Pathfinder, DnD 3E/5E, and more. Over the last 4 years is where i started to dive more into Voice RP from games like Ark and Conan Exile, to a point it spills over into Non-RP games when i'm with friends, just for the hell of it.

If you would like a past character concept I've done, i'll send you a PM of the character's backstory to get an idea of what i would do (I might use him with some things change'd to fit better into the story) or if you would like to chat and see if i might fit in to the ideal players your looking for, my user is VarnFury#7559 on Discord. I'm off on the weekend, so i'll be around later in the afternoon.

[Silentagenda]

If there is still spots available I would be interested, getting back into D&D

[BlueEyedRaven]

Hello Dave,
I'd very much like to join as well. Like Mytherus, I am an old school gamer as well. I've only played 5e once at a face to face game and have yet to play on fantasy grounds. I've already subscribed to an ultimate license so there is dedication there. I'm on the west coast, so gaming time would be 3pm to 7pm Pacific time, which is perfect for me. The only issue would be that on Saturday the 15th, I will be all day at a memorial for my mother-in-law. As far as gaming, I was thinking along the lines of a rogue, druid, or monk. (I've never roll played a monk before). Although I'm pretty open to any class that's needed except Paladin. I usually stick to more common races over the exotic, so it will likely be human or halfling. Halfling monk might make for some interesting roll play as a armor-less halfling would probably be very underestimated by enemies and I love the art of deception. But if someone already has a monk in mind, Druid sounds very appealing to me as well. Just would need to somehow figure out a background that would lead him to join an adventuring party.

[Dave0910]

Assuming everyone who’s shown interest is joining, I have one slot. What kind of character do you want to play?

[Dave0910]

Hello Dave,
I'd very much like to join as well. Like Mytherus, I am an old school gamer as well. I've only played 5e once at a face to face game and have yet to play on fantasy grounds. I've already subscribed to an ultimate license so there is dedication there. I'm on the west coast, so gaming time would be 3pm to 7pm Pacific time, which is perfect for me. The only issue would be that on Saturday the 15th, I will be all day at a memorial for my mother-in-law. As far as gaming, I was thinking along the lines of a rogue, druid, or monk. (I've never roll played a monk before). Although I'm pretty open to any class that's needed except Paladin. I usually stick to more common races over the exotic, so it will likely be human or halfling. Halfling monk might make for some interesting roll play as a armor-less halfling would probably be very underestimated by enemies and I love the art of deception. But if someone already has a monk in mind, Druid sounds very appealing to me as well. Just would need to somehow figure out a background that would lead him to join an adventuring party.

Challenging role-plays are always a plus (I’m currently playing a Kenku for that exact reason). PM me with more details about your character ideas. If everyone who’s contacted me is on board, we have the 7 players we need (which won’t leave us short if someone quits, plus, I have an NPC for backup).
Hopefully, we’ll be able to start on the projected date, either the 13th or the 20th.
If anyone wants to meet up ahead of time to generate characters, let me know. If not, We’ll generate them during the first session.

Update to this. I’ve had one cancellation, so there’s a new position open for this interested.

[Dave0910]

If there is still spots available I would be interested, getting back into D&D

One player just cancelled, so I have two slots open. The canpaign can be played with 5, but I’m aiming for 7. There are two reasons for this. One: It’s almost inevitable we’ll lose someone. Two: any fewer players are likely to be overwhelmed, especially early on.

[Silentagenda]

I am debating either a ranger or fiend warlock trying to decide which may be better

[Dave0910]

Well, I have two people interested in playing Spellcasters, so we might want the added muscle from a Ranger. However, the fiend’s superieor Darkvision would be very useful as well. Everything’s a trade.

[Mytherus]

Basic Character Idea/Summary: I am planning on playing a human Paladin (Paladeus) for the simple reason -- I just love that class. Paladins to me are the ultimate player class that embodies the "Crusader of Justice" ideal. Looking ahead , Paladeus, will seek the Oath of Vengeance. Paladeus is Lawful neutral. Backstory - Acolyte who turned to the path of the paladin after a personal calling from his [deity TBD] that he must cleanse the land of the evil that plagues it with mighty vengeance and wrath in defense of the people.

Source of how character was built: Everything on my character sheet is right from the PHB with some added flavor Traits, Goals and Flaws from Xan's Guide to Everything - Players. I didn't do ability rolls because I'd think they wouldn't be accepted without being done in presence of the DM, I also didn't pick a deity because (and even the PHB suggests "Work with your DM" to figure out which deity would be a good fit).

Edit / Update: Well my idea to send you the actual character export file (.xml) from Fantasy Grounds is out, I can't send attachments apparently through a PM.

[Dave0910]

Basic Character Idea/Summary: I am planning on playing a human Paladin (Paladeus) for the simple reason -- I just love that class. Paladins to me are the ultimate player class that embodies the "Crusader of Justice" ideal. Looking ahead , Paladeus, will seek the Oath of Vengeance. Paladeus is Lawful neutral. Backstory - Acolyte who turned to the path of the paladin after a personal calling from his [deity TBD] that he must cleanse the land of the evil that plagues it with mighty vengeance and wrath in defense of the people.

Source of how character was built: Everything on my character sheet is right from the PHB with some added flavor Traits, Goals and Flaws from Xan's Guide to Everything - Players. I didn't do ability rolls because I'd think they wouldn't be accepted without being done in presence of the DM, I also didn't pick a deity because (and even the PHB suggests "Work with your DM" to figure out which deity would be a good fit).

Edit / Update: Well my idea to send you the actual character export file (.xml) from Fantasy Grounds is out, I can't send attachments apparently through a PM.

Having an Oath of Vengeance Paladin will be a big help in this Campaign. I'll even allow an Oathbreaker Paladin. This campaign can allow for evil characters. Basically, all off the major factions on the Sword Coast will be teaming up to battle the Cult of Dragon, so you can always join the Zhentarim.
Don't do any pre-generated characters, because I have a custom setup. The only pre-loaded data I'm using is the Crit/Fumble tables (which we'll vote during the first session whether or not to use). Everything else has been keyed in manually (including the campaign. I have the books and don't want to pay for the digital version). As I've mentioned in an earlier post, I'm also using a system to roll super-powerful characters (trust me, you'll need them).

[Dave0910]

Okay, I've heard back from most of you with character ideas. It looks like we have a pretty well-rounded group. If we have fewer than 7 I may change my NPC to fill the Rogue position. Those of you who had more than one character in mind, pick your favorite. We'll have at least two melee combatants and 2 spellcasters. All of you, please PM me your final character ideas, and if you don't want to generate them the night of the first session, let me know. I'm free most days, so we can get in and build them in FG. Also, if you're using additional class options not included in the core rulebooks or Swordcoast Adventurere's Guide, let me know ahead of time, so I can get them entered. It's getting a bit laggy, so I'm going to save a custom module and remove ANYTHING not in use.

[Silentagenda]

just making sure we do have a cleric? Would hate not to

[BlueEyedRaven]

If there's no healer, I can forgo my monk and create a druid. Not really a fan of role playing clerics.

[Mytherus]

Well my character is a paladin , granted not a "healer" per say in the trinity sense anyway...but he has healing ability. Then again what Dave has been implying is we are gonna get a whooping in this campaign so a strong healer probably needed.

[VarnFury]

I've done very little of the campaign but yes, the start is pretty rough and i have no idea how bad it can get. It would be ideal to have a discord channel or something so we can figure out what we are working with. I normally do fill in classes though i was looking at maybe doing rogue... mainly because it was stated something along the line, if there wasn't enough, there would be a NPC rogue.

[Dave0910]

I've done very little of the campaign but yes, the start is pretty rough and i have no idea how bad it can get. It would be ideal to have a discord channel or something so we can figure out what we are working with. I normally do fill in classes though i was looking at maybe doing rogue... mainly because it was stated something along the line, if there wasn't enough, there would be a NPC rogue.

Your timing is impeccable, as I was just about to post on the subject. I've just sent out the invite link. If I missed any of you, send me a PM so I can get the link to you.

[Dave0910]

For new potentials just seeing this post, there is 1 more opening, though we have enough players to start the campaign. We currently have 2 Wizards, a Bard, a Monk, a Paladin and one undecided between Warlock and Ranger.

[Dave0910]

just making sure we do have a cleric? Would hate not to

We have a Paladin, so there will be limited healing, but we have no cleric. On the plus side, there's ample treasure to be found, so you should be able to afford healing potions.

[Dave0910]

I've done very little of the campaign but yes, the start is pretty rough and i have no idea how bad it can get. It would be ideal to have a discord channel or something so we can figure out what we are working with. I normally do fill in classes though i was looking at maybe doing rogue... mainly because it was stated something along the line, if there wasn't enough, there would be a NPC rogue.

Personally, I think a Rogue is a better asset to the group than a Cleric, but it would be nice to have a "dedicated" healer. I would prefer everyone play their first choice, having had bad DM's who forced me into rolls I didn't want to play. Currently, there are 6 of you, so I can fill one of those rolls with an NPC (I'll be honest; I hate using them). Provided you act nobly (I'll say no more), you'll receive some healing potions after the first mission. You'll be able to buy some after the 2nd or 3rd (2nd if you have a good rogue).

Really, the best way to play this campaign is to fight only when necessary. Any time you can avoid combat, you should. For one, it can get you some unexpected allies. For another, with a total of 5 counsels (possibly more) in the latter half of the campaign, rollplaying to gain allies will be a way of life, sooner or later.

[Silentagenda]

Still debating warlock or ranger, any thoughts from the group?

[BlueEyedRaven]

Still debating warlock or ranger, any thoughts from the group?

We have 2 fighters and 2 magic users, so I would say choose which one you're most interested in. :)

[Epoch]

Assuming that nobody has privately messaged you about the last open slot, I'd be interested in joining. Based on the sounds of it, I'd be the least experienced player at the table; I only have about 3 1/2 years of experience, almost exclusively DMing, though I suppose I've had more playtime with 5e specifically than the others. I'm in the same time zone as you, so despite the early time I'm posting at I shouldn't have any schedule conflicts Thursday evenings between my classes or work.

I've always wanted to try out Tyranny of Dragons, but I've been reluctant to join a public game because I've heard it requires more work on the DM's end but also couldn't really check if that was true without spoiling myself. I read through your original post a few days back (didn't have an account at the time) and thought that you sounded like a good fit to me. Regardless, I held off a few days and seemingly almost missed the opportunity to apply because I didn't check if the thread had multiple pages the other night.

As far as actual character stuff goes, I'm unfortunately not very interested in playing a Rogue, since I'm playing one in a different campaign at the moment (I'll obviously be messaging you all of the information for the character, but for the other players, I'm looking at Sorcerer(seems only fitting) or Warlock(This one is for weird reasons) right now, but I'm not married to it). In an effort to be completely honest with you, I want to forewarn you of three things: Firstly, especially at first, I don't see myself really being good with character voices. I know this wasn't really mentioned in your original post but I figure I should make that point known since most people would look at a DM and expect him/her to be good at and comfortable with making up voices. Secondly, I have been in a HotDQ campaign before, that I joined while the campaign I was a part of at the time was taking a break, but the DM didn't seem to have read the books at all, and only ran about 3 very uneventful sessions before dropping off the face of the earth, and therefore I don't think I have much of any knowledge of the module outside of the first couple of minutes. Thirdly, the character backstory I had in mind is a little weird, and does somewhat rely on the small amount of meta knowledge I have, that mostly being that it is inspired by two of the player backstory choices from the beginning of the module (I can tell you which ones they are but I'm not sure which numbers they are or what page the background options are on in the first place, I just know they exist from other LFG posts for Tyranny of Dragons I've read through in the past), which I did notice you didn't explicitly mention, but I hope that isn't a problem.

I'll be rather busy today and won't be home until this evening to check this thread. However, I will be putting together the character information ASAP to send to you. It seems like you were okay with private messaging, so I'll probably do that if I get approved. If you get the chance, if you reply by like 6-7 PM EST tonight, I should see it (I'm hoping to be home by 8) and will promptly put together my character concept/backstory if I haven't already and send it to you, assuming you're okay with having me in your game. Sorry for being so wordy, I guarantee I probably made this unnecessarily long, but the reply box is pretty small and I was trying to be thorough. Thank you for your consideration.

[Dave0910]

Epoch - Yes, we do still have the opening. I'm not too concerned about what classes players take. There are ways around the absence of most classes. As far as doing voices, why are you worried about that as a player? The only time I can see players doing voices is if you're a Dwarf (and most players forego the Scottish accent, in my experience) or a half-orc. Either way, it's not a huge concern (and I'm not too great at doing voices either).
As far as knowledge goes, I read the DMG and MM cover to cover as well as having read through the adventures in this campaign twice (once on a basic readthrough and again as I entered it into FG). I'll also be rereading each adventure to refresh memory before we begin. Additionally, I've read the Core Rulebooks for every major release since AD&D2E, so I even have some info on races that hasn't been released since the late 1990's.
At any rate, the current lineup is 1 Paladin, 2 Wizards, 1 Monk and two undecided players, one going between Paladin and Bard, the other Warlock and Ranger.
PM me your player concept if you're still enterested, and I'll PM you a link to the Discord chat room.

[Epoch]

Alright then, sounds good. One of my prior obligations today was cancelled so fortunately I can get to this a little sooner than I expected; I'll be PMing you shortly.

[ZackT]

Hi Dave,

I'm bummed that I saw this thread a bit late. I have not played these modules and the campaign you described sounds incredibly fun. I have been playing 5e for a couple years now and have used fantasy grounds for the last year. If you have any cancellations or any other openings become available please give me consideration. Feel free to private message me.

I would not only be willing to play a rogue but quite intrigued by the possibilities. I would strongly consider a Mastermind or Assassin archetype, with a background in one of the factions available. He would essentially be a spy. Half elf, or human/human variant.

I wish you the best of luck with the campaign. I'll cross my fingers that I'm able to join somehow.


Regards,

Zack

[Dave0910]

Hi Dave,

I'm bummed that I saw this thread a bit late. I have not played these modules and the campaign you described sounds incredibly fun. I have been playing 5e for a couple years now and have used fantasy grounds for the last year. If you have any cancellations or any other openings become available please give me consideration. Feel free to private message me.

I would not only be willing to play a rogue but quite intrigued by the possibilities. I would strongly consider a Mastermind or Assassin archetype, with a background in one of the factions available. He would essentially be a spy. Half elf, or human/human variant.

I wish you the best of luck with the campaign. I'll cross my fingers that I'm able to join somehow.


Regards,

Zack

That actually fits the campaign well, and could easily tie the team to one of the factions. I'll definitely keep you in mind.

[Dave0910]

If anyone's interested, we're still looking for one additional player. We need a healer (or at least some backup for the Paladin). I won't restrict anyone to a class, but we definitely need one with access to healing spells or abilities. You'd be starting at Level 3. Our next game is on Thursday, Jan 3.

[Dave0910]

The team is still looking for a new healer. We're well stocked, everywhere else. This, again, is not class specific as even a second Paladin could help. PM me or respond on the game calendar under "Tyranny of Dragons (Complete)" if you're interested. The next game is at 6pm, tonight, so if you're able to roll up a character by then, you'll be welcome to join. Otherwise, you'll be starting at level 5, next week.