Dungeons and Dragons

Welcome traveller! You have reached my shrine dedicated (mostly) to the fantasy tabletop roleplaying game, Dungeons & Dragons, and to TTRPGs in general. I've been a fan of the game since childhood but it was only in more recent years that I finally had the opportunity to play it properly. I've always enjoyed fantasy as a genre and like creating characters and senarios, so it was always going to be a hit for me. Here I will mainly be sharing my characters and the adventures I have played or run.

Characters

Here are all the beloved characters I've played. Character portraits were made using Crowesn's Picrew open_in_new.

Tanar'ri

Pronouns: They/Them
Race: High Elf
Class: Wizard (Bladesinger)
Background: Far Traveller
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Age: 150 (ish)
Height: 5'10"

An exile from the mysterious elven kingdom of Evermeet, who Tanar'ri was before they arrived by ship in Waterdeep is known only to them. Their customs and mannerisms mark them as different from your average adventurer and they make a point of accentuating these differences. They cannot after all give the impression that they are anything like the uncivilised folk who inhabit the lands outside of their distant elven homeland. Tanar'ri is a bladesinger, an elven wizard who combines magic with weapon mastery. Their longsword, an ancient family heirloom (or so they say), is their most treasured possession.

Halin "Hal" Summerwood

Pronouns: He/Him
Race: Stout Halfling
Class: Monk (Way of Shadow)
Background: Hermit
Alignment: Lawful Good
Age: 35
Height: 3'2"

Until recently, Hal had spent most of his life in near solitude, devoting himself to prayer and reflection. His time alone gave him a certain clarity, and he believes that it was revealed to him that he should leave the confinement of his monastery and begin a life of adventure. It is only through this pursuit that he should finally gain enlightenment and understand his true purpose.

Ceryn

Pronouns: They/Them
Race: Human
Class: Sorcerer
Backgrounds: Noble, Student of Magic, Spy
One Unique Thing: They've never experienced fear
Age: 26
Height: 5'5"

Although a 13th Age character rather than D&D, I have decided to include Ceryn anyway because I love them (plus 13th Age is very similar to D&D). Born into a noble family, Ceryn has been nothing but trouble for the people around them. Their lack of fear often puts them in troublesome situations. Eventually, it was discovered that they were selling family secrets to rivals and they were forced to seek work somewhere else. Their reckless attitude can be both a blessing and a hinderance. They travel with a raven familiar named Winter, and weild a spear.

Helja Ironfist

Pronouns: She/Her
Race: Hill Dwarf
Class: Cleric (Divine Domain)
Background: Soldier
Alignment: Neutral Good
Age: 43
Height: 4'7"

My first D&D character. She was one of the premade characters provided by the 5th Edition Starter Set, that I adapted to make my own. A cleric of Marthammor Duin, Helja is a former soldier who fought with a mercenary company for a time before becoming disillusioned with her fellow soldiers. She instead chose to devote herself to the worship of her deity. She is cousin to Gundren Rockseeker, one of the main NPCs in Lost Mine of Phandelver.

Adventures

Here are the official adventures that I have so far taken part in, starting with the most recent.

Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

"The Greatest Dungeon of Them All

Explore the mega-dungeon of Undermountain in this adventure for the world's greatest roleplaying game.

In the city of Waterdeep rests a tavern called the Yawning Portal, named after the gaping pit in its common room. At the bottom of this crumbling shaft is a labyrinthine dungeon shunned by all but the most daring adventurers. Known as Undermountain, this dungeon is the domain of the mad wizard Halaster Blackcloak. Long has the Mad Mage dwelt in these forlorn depths, seeding his lair with monsters, traps, and mysteries—to what end is a constant source of speculation and concern.

This adventure picks up where Waterdeep: Dragon Heist leaves off, taking characters of 5th level or higher all the way to 20th level should they explore the entirety of Halaster's home. Twenty-three levels of Undermountain are detailed herein, along with the subterranean refuge of Skullport. Treasures and secrets abound, but tread with care!" - Fandom Wiki open_in_new

My Comments: Technically we never finished this game as our GM went abroad, but quite honestly that was a bit of a relief for me. This campaign is great if you like dungeon crawls but, as someone who prefers roleplay and intrigue, I found it a bit boring in places. Not that this adventure doesn't have merit. I'd say it's very well put together, with some great maps and awesome monsters. The rest of the party loved it. I'm just weird.

The Sunless Citadel

"Evil Grows beneath the Earth

Why should anyone travel the cracked cobblestones of the Old Road? The fortress that once cast its shadow across the road does so no longer - some whisper that the earth swallowed the fortress whole in an age long past. Four brave adventurers resolved to discover the truth and set off down the Old Road, but they never returned.

'The Sunless Citadel' is the first in a series of eight stand-alone adventures for the Dungeons & Dragons game. This carefully crafted adventure, designed to challenge 1st-level D&D heroes, follows a path to a mysterious dungeon where evil has taken root, and a terrible tree and its dark shepherd plot in darkness." - Fandom Wiki open_in_new

My Comments: Remember when I mentioned I didn't like dungeon crawls? Okay, but honestly this was a perfectly enjoyable little adventure. Not too long, and I liked the final battle. I'd say this would work well as part of a longer campaign or a series of connected adventures, to give players a better chance to develop their characters. We didn't end up doing this ourselves, which is a shame, but maybe we'll come back to it one day.

Storm King's Thunder

"To Fight Giants, You Must Be Giant

Ages ago, giants and dragons waged war across the Savage Frontier. These battles are long forgotten by the human civilizations of today, but ancient relics remain. And now, the land shudders once more with the thunder of giant footsteps.

Hill giants raid farms for food and livestock, as stone giants lay waste to settlements in their path. Frost giants plunder coastal towns, as fire giants gather slaves. Cloud giant castles drift across the sky, casting ominous shadows on the cities of the North. But no threat compares to the wrath of the storm giants, who stand betrayed.

Puny adventurers must rise to the challenge, gather their strength, unlock the power of ancient runes, and take the fight to the giants' doorsteps. Only then can they discover a hidden evil fomenting a war between giants and small folk. Only then can they forge an alliance to end the war before it begins." - Fandom Wiki open_in_new

My Comments: I ran this campaign online during the height of the pandemic. Despite everything that was happening in the world, we had a lot of fun with this. My one issue with it is that it's not very easy for inexperienced GMs to run (as I was then). Its open world aspect was interesting but hard work for me, and it was sometimes difficult to get the players back to the main plot. All in all it was still a wonderful adventure, and one of my players even got custom mugs made to commemorate completing it.

Lost Mine of Phandelver

"Everything you need to start playing the world's greatest roleplaying game.

Explore subterranean labyrinths! Plunder hoards of treasure! Battle legendary monsters!

The Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set is your gateway to action-packed stories of the imagination. This box contains the essential rules of the game plus everything you need to play heroic characters on perilous adventures in worlds of fantasy." - Fandom Wiki open_in_new

My Comments: This is a great little starter adventure, and a good way to introduce many of us newer players to the wonderful possibilities of D&D. It had a little bit of everything in it, which was great. We ran it as a stand alone adventure, but there are lots of possibilities of having it serve as an introduction to a larger campaign, something I'm considering doing in the future.

This is just a list of D&D related sites that I've either found useful or just think are cool.