Required Software
Discord (free): Text and voice chat software. Speak with Jason to get a link to his Discord server.
Tabletop Simulator ($20): A video game available on Steam. Used as our virtual tabletop to display battlemaps, visual aids, and stream adventure music.
D&D Beyond (free): A website for tracking your character sheets, access official D&D source books, and create custom homebrew content. Allows you to dynamically update your character sheet export it to PDF whenever you want.
Campaign Invite
You will need a special link to join the campaign on D&D Beyond. Doing so will give you access to additional source books you can use to create your character. I will provide this link during Session 0 and email it to everyone after Session 0.
Character Creation
Boiler Plate Info
Characters will need to be created on D&D Beyond using the website’s character creator. When creating the character, use the following settings/choices (unlisted settings are your choice).
| Sources | Homebrew Content Critical Role Content Magic: The Gathering Content Eberron Content |
| Advancement Type | Milestone |
| Hit Point Type | Fixed |
| Use Prerequisites | Feats Multiclass Requirements |
| Ignore Coin Weight | Yes [turn on the slider] |
| Ability Scores | Point Buy OR Standard Array |
Starting Equipment
All characters begin the adventure with a free set of cold weather clothing in addition to the standard starting equipment they receive from their class and background choices.
1 Potion of Healing
1 additional Common magical item of your choice IF you make a backstory for your character
- DM determines if the backstory is of sufficient quality to warrant this additional magical item.
- Revenant Double-Bladed Scimitar cannot be chosen
Starting Currency
| Gold | 2 |
| Silver | 20 |
| Copper | 100 |
Trinkets (optional)
Appendix A provides a table of trinkets appropriate for characters who start their adventuring careers in Icewind Dale. A player whose character has a trinket can roll on this table instead of the Trinkets table in the Player’s Handbook.
Useful Links & Resource
| For New Players | D&D Beyond’s webpage dedicated to helping new players get started with D&D. |
| Map of Faerun | The continent the adventure takes place in (Icewind Dale is located far to the North). |
| Map of Icewind Dale | The map of Icewind Dale and the Ten-Towns area. |
| Playable Races | A list of playable races to choose from. |
| Playable Classes | A list of playable classes to choose from. |
Character’s Race
The people of Icewind Dale don’t have many of the hangups regarding certain races that the more southern regions do. Are you an Orc? Not a problem. A Goblin? No worries. As long as you respect the laws of each town and contribute to the community in a positive way, you are welcome, regardless of who or what you are or where you come from.
Character’s Backstory (optional)
Come up with a backstory for your character. You can make it as detailed as you want. While a backstory is recommended, creating a character with no backstory is okay.
When you make a character, you don’t have to over develop their backstory, but develop some of that history and leave a few open spaces, leave some mysteries. These open spaces and mysteries can be threads the Dungeon Master could pull on throughout the course of the adventure.
Only write what your character is aware of. They aren’t aware of everything related to their backstory necessarily.
Questions to Ask Yourself
Here are a few questions you can ask about your character to help you flesh out their backstory. Answering these questions is entirely optional.
- Were you born and raised in Icewind Dale, or do you hail from distant lands?
- If you are a native of Icewind Dale, what town or tribe did you grow up in? Do you have a profession? Do you enjoy living in Icewind Dale?
- If you were born and raised elsewhere, where was that place? What brings you all the way up to Icewind Dale?
- How long have you known the other player characters, if at all?
- What secrets–if any–are you hiding?
- Is there anyone or any entity that would wish to see you fail your goals should you encounter this person or entity? Is there anyone from your past that would wish to see you harmed or killed?
- “Failing your goals” could include, but is not limited too:
- Exile
- Death
- Economic/Political/Social ruin
- Humiliation
- Discrace
- Destruction of a relationship
- “Failing your goals” could include, but is not limited too:
The following sections can help you answer these questions.
Background
The Player’s Handbook contains character backgrounds that are well suited for this adventure. D&D Beyond’s character creator asks you to choose one of these backgrounds. If you are having trouble fleshing out your character’s background with details about Icewind Dale, consider using one of the following hooks tied to specific backgrounds (DOING THIS IS ENTIRELY OPTIONAL).
Character Class
A NOTE ON PARTY COMPOSITION: While there is something to be said for a well-rounded party (1 tank, 1 healer, 2 DPS, etc), such a composition is not required to be successful in D&D 5e. Unlike other RPG systems (video game and tabletop alike), you can be successful in D&D with untraditional party compositions. The various character classes and their sub-classes are deep enough to allow such party mixtures, and the DM can also help round out any rough edges the party might have. For instance, say you gather a party that does not have a healer. Well, that is a challenge you as the players will need to be aware of and be prepared to deal with as you play through the adventure. As the DM, I can help you with this as well (to an extent). For example, you might come across more healing potions than usual or healing potions might cost less, or perhaps you run across an NPC who is a healer and decides to join you on your journeys, or perhaps you save a demigod that bestows upon one of you the Cure Wounds spell, or something else.
The point is, don’t feel like you have to choose a specific class to fill a specific role in order to conform to a traditional RPG party composition. Pick a class you think would be fun to play or that fits with the type of character you want to create.
Homebrew Rules
- Potions and drinks, such as healing potions, can be drank as a bonus action
Alrick, Rook, Protection, and Flanking
- Alrick can have the Echo use Protection for another Creature/Object, if and only if Alrick can see the target (creature/object).
- Alrick can use Protection on the Echo.
- The Echo cannot use Protection on Alrick.
- Alrick cannot perceive himself in the way the fighting style requires, and Protection cannot be used on the PC themselves.
- Can only move the Echo to a location you can physically see.
- Echo has weight and can interact with the world. It acts very similarly to the Unseen Servant.
- Protection (official rules)
- When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.
- Flanking: Matt Mercer & Jeremy Crawford
- Echo is a class feature, not an ally creature.
- Echo does not give flanking advantage.
- An Echo Knight’s echo is an object. It’s a translucent, gray image that occupies space; it isn’t a creature; and it can be targeted. Object.
Cybernook 