Preface on Tabletop Role Playing Games
Welcome to Adrovia!
If you have played a Tabletop Role Playing Game (TTRPG) before, then you will be familiar with the concepts discussed in this section; but, you should read it anyway, to learn of my Game Master (GM) style.
What is a TTRPG?
In general, humans enjoy telling and being told stories; it is one of the most fundamental concepts that can be found across every culture in the world, from the very beginning of civilization. With TTRPG's, unlike most games, the players collaborate with each other instead of working against one another. Additionally, there is no win-state; the point is to collaboratively tell a story. Depending on the system of TTRPG you play, and the type of people you play with, this storytelling experience can be markedly different.
May it be a science fiction adventure, drifting at hyper-speed to the edges of the galaxy; may it be a detective story, with a group of people attempting to figure out eldritch horrors that are beyond their conceptions of reality; or, an experience in a fantasy world with monsters, wizards, gods, and abundant heroism and hope. Adrovia focuses on that last storytelling experience, with a rag-tag group of adventurers attempting to leave their mark on the world by saving it from terrible monsters, or even as political figureheads attempting to take control of nations.
The system that Adrovia uses is a heavily modified version of Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, otherwise known as D&D 5e. To distinguish this system from D&D 5e, I call it 5e: Adept.
How do I Play?
To play 5e: Adept, you take control of a Player Character (PC), which goes on adventures along with a number of other players and their PC's. The conductor of the story, the player whom controls the world beyond the PC's, is known as the Game Master (GM). They act as the 5 senses for the adventurers, offer quests for them to venture forth on, act as Non-Player Characters (NPC's) that can be friendly or hostile, and are the final arbiter on the rules of the game.
I (Grive#0570 on Discord), will act as the GM. The backdrop of your story will be Adrovia, and my main goal is to create the most fun experience possible for both me, you, and all other players that may collaborate in this experience.
Here is the basic cycle of any given session of play:
Step 0: The GM (and in some cases other players) recaps the events of the last session. This is meant as a refresher to help the players remember the events which may have transpired weeks before in out of game time.
Step 1: The GM describes the environment the characters find themselves in. This is typically done through what the PC's experience through their five senses. The players are not omniscient, and only know what their characters would know.
Step 2: The PC's describe what they want to do. This is the most important step of the game, as it is what most of the session is going to entail. You may do anything that the GM determines as reasonable for your PC to be able to do. The rules of the game also help determine the extraordinary abilities your character may have, but anything not listed that should be reasonable for a normal person to do is completely O.K. to attempt.
Step 3: The GM describes the consequences of the PC's actions. The description of the events the PC's have just set into motion bring us back to step 1. Through the course of a session, this cycle could repeat dozens of times.
The Pillars of Adventure
In 5e: Adept, you can do almost anything you want to do. But, it helps to categorize the types of activities that you will be partaking in into three categories:
Exploration is the general concept of interacting with the world, and doesn't fall into the next two categories. Charting new lands, learning of the world's lore, solving a riddle, and discovering a long-lost magical tomb all would fall into this category.
Social Interaction involves the interaction between relationships of PC's and NPC's. This can be anything from inter-party conflicts, requesting the aid of a king's army, or attempting to lie to the villain you are fleeing from.
Combat is pretty self explanatory. It is the process of slinging spells, clashing swords, and shooting bows. But, this can also include tavern brawls, assassinations, and ambushes. You need not fight to the death with every enemy you fight, either; taking captives is always a valid strategy of war.
The Rules
Unlike a game of make believe, this particular collaborative experience involves some rules; they are not meant as an obstruction of enjoyment, they merely serve as structure for the storytelling experiences we create. They determine whether or not your character hits an enemy or they hit you, how damaging a massive explosion of fire is to the unfortunate enemies that are caught in its range, and how close a character is to death. Most of these situations are determined by a roll of some sort of die, and in some cases a lot of dice.
The Dice
Dice are the blood of 5e: Adept. They introduce randomness into the game, to keep both the GM and PC's on their toes and fully involved in the game.
Dice are referred to by the letter "d", followed by the number of sides it has: for example, the die that you are likely most familiar with, the cubic one with six sides, is known as a d6. A twenty-sided die is known as a d20. The most common number of sides a die has are listed as follows: d2, d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20, and d100.
The d20
The d20 is probably the die you will become the most familiar with. It is used to determine whether the outcome of an event is uncertain. The higher the number you roll on the die, the greater the chance of success.
Every creature and character in the game has its capabilities defined by six ability scores: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. What these abilities represent are discussed below. For adventurers, they usually range from 6 to 20. For creatures of great power or weakness, these scores can range anywhere from 0 to 40. These ability scores, and the modifiers that come from them, are the basis for almost every d20 roll in the game that is made for a creature or character.
Ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws are the main three situations for making a d20 roll. All three follow these simple steps:
Step 1: Roll the die and add a modifier. Roll a d20 and add any relevant modifiers. Typically, these modifiers are derived from an ability score modifier or proficiency bonus.
Step 2: Apply circumstantial bonuses or penalties. A spell, class feature, or some other effect may add or subtract to the roll you make.
Step 3: Compare the total to the target number. If the total you get from a roll meets or exceeds the target number for an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw, it succeeds. Otherwise, it fails. The GM determines the target number for you to meet if it is not already given, and sometimes this target number may be hidden from the PC's.
The target number for an ability check or saving throw is known as a Difficulty Class (DC), and the target number for an attack is known as an Armor Class (AC).
Advantage and Disadvantage
Sometimes an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw is modified by special situations called advantage and disadvantage. Advantage reflects the positive circumstances surrounding a d20 roll, while disadvantage reflects the opposite. When you have either advantage or disadvantage, you roll a second d20 when you make the roll. Use the higher of the two rolls if you have advantage, and use the lower roll if you have disadvantage. For example, if you have disadvantage and roll a 19 and a 6, you must use the 6. If you instead have advantage and roll those numbers, you use the 19.
Specific Rules Beat General Ones
Sometimes, a rule may contradict another that is given. These may be spells, special traits, class abilities, or anything else that is extraordinary. When a special rule contradicts a general one, side with the specific rule.
Most of these contradictions are found within the many spells of the game. For example, an adventurer cannot normally walk through walls. But, if you are under the affects of a spell that allow you to do so, that special rule overrides the general rule that adventurers cannot walk through walls.
Round Down
When you divide a number and it becomes a decimal or fraction, always round down. Even if the fraction or decimal is greater than 1/2 or .5, you must round down.
Character Creation
To get started creating your character, go here.