Carracosta Ruleset

West Marches Campaign

West Marches is a campaign style coined by Ben Robins, though its basic principles reflect how D&D was typically played. It involves a large group of players and Dungeon Masters coming together to play an exploration / combat focused campaign. There are no set groups or times and everything is planned on a week-to-week basis. The DMs have access to an objective hex map, but players and their characters do not know the exact layout of the world, and thus must figure out the layout of the land based on their adventures. This campaign is played using Discord and Roll20. Once you have created a character, you can find quest prompts in either the #requestboard and respond to them in #requestboard_discussion on Discord. As usual, the #questboard has a number of quests for different ranks available. You are free to join any of these sessions (though we do prioritize players who havent played in a long time) by pinging the DM or the player posting the (re)quest, or asking in the #requestboard_discussions channel.

Character Creation

Carracosta has guidelines for character creation. These rules help to keep the game fair and balanced for everyone involved. The rules are reviewed in meetings and by DM voting. Many Homebrew and UA options have not been reviewed at this time. Others have been reviewed and explicitly allowed or denied and are noted below.

Level

Everyone starts at level 5 when they join the campaign. In the event of your untimely death, you must create a new character. This new character starts one level below the level of your previous character (Minimum of level 5) and keeps all of your current tokens. If you choose to retire your character from adventuring for a reason that is not a debilitation handicap such as losing all of your limbs from wild magic, you lose one level and your tokens.

If your new character starts at a level above level 5, you begin with starting equipment for higher levels for a Standard Campaign [Medium Magic] as per the DMG page 38. You take the standard GP without the added bonuses.

• Levels 5-6 - 500GP and normal starting equipment. You may use this 500GP to buy one uncommon magic item before starting. Said uncommon item must be approved by a DM.
• Levels 7-8 - 1,000GP + 1 uncommon item, as well as normal starting equipment.
• Levels 9-10 - 2,500 GP + 1 rare item, as well as normal starting equipment.
• Levels 11-16 - 5,000GP and two uncommon magic items as well as normal starting equipment.
• Levels 17-20 - 20,000GP two uncommon magic items, one rare item as well as normal starting equipment.

Ability Scores and Hit Points

• We use the point buy or stat array system. No rolling.
• All players take average HP when leveling up their character.

Show Spoiler

You do not take average HP at level 1, if that wasn't clear. You take the max of the Hit die + CON at level one as outlined in each class.
How to calculate average HP: Average HP is (Hitdie / 2) +1
This would be 6 + CON for a fighter [D10 hitdie] or 4 + CON for a sorcerer [D6 hitdie] for example.

Character Races and Classes

You can only use character creation options from the following sources:

• These Races.
• These Classes are allowed.
• Backgrounds from PHB, SCAG and ToA.
• XGtE backstories are allowed but all rolls must be made in the presence of a DM.
• We only use the Revised Ranger. For their Primeval Awareness trait, you can sense all of your favored enemy in one tile (18 miles). This ability recharges on a long rest.
• We allow these Fighting Styles from the Martial Arms Training Manual PDF.

The following options are not allowed:

• Races with an innate flying speed are not allowed and as such, we allow players to play an Aarakocra, but only one without a flying speed/wings. In exchange, Aarakocra receive a 30ft movement speed.
• Evil player characters. Playing an evil character requires a bit more nuance and we have found that many players simply lack this. As such, we have decided to disallow evil characters.
• DMG content (such as the Oath breaker Paladin or Death Cleric) is not allowed.

You can check which classes and subclasses are in which books by following this link It should show you all sources between brackets.

Multiclassing

Multiclassing is allowed. In this world, you cannot multiclass into sorcerer, as sorcerers are born as sorcerers. It is possible to discuss a possible 'dormant' power that was awakened inside of you at later levels. Multiclassing into warlock requires a pact. You must contact a DM and discuss the contents of said pact with them.

Feats

We allow the following feats, outside of the feats that are available in the books we allow above:

• Weapon & Tool Mastery Feats - We allow all of the Weapon Feats, with the exception of the Warhammer Master Feat as it is already covered by Fell Handed. We also allow the Gourmand Tool Feat. The Fell Handed feat loses it's third point that states you always deal damage to an enemy, even when missing.
• Skill Feats - All Skill Feats are allowed.
• The Feats on this page.

The following feats are banned:

• Sharpshooter
• Great weapon master

Please don't argue with us about these feats. We have banned them after careful consideration so we could implement our own magic items without grossly disturbing the balance of the early game.

Fighting Styles

The following Fighting styles are allowed and have extra usages:

• Martial Arms Training Manual Fighting styles
• Classes that have access to a Fighting Style can switch their Fighting Style out on the levels where they receive an ASI.
• There is a Fighting Style feat on the Feats page.

Variant Rules

The following variant rules are in place:

• Downtime [Xanathar's Guide to Everything]
• Flanking - With these flanking rules players can't reasonably flank a huge or larger creature and can't flank while incapacitated or not looking at the creature. Basically, you have to be a threat to the creature to flank it. (can't be restrained/blinded/paralyzed/stunned or otherwise incapacitated) Creatures that are two sizes up from you cannot reasonably be flanked.
• When you would level up and gain an ASI, you can instead choose to forgo the ASI and pick a feat from the books detailed above.
• Wild magic sorcery is rolled on a d10,000 table. The result of the roll will be used as inspiration for the effect that the wild magic has on this world. Most wild magic effects are removable through Remove Curse or Dispel Magic.
• We use the following page for Magical Food items and the use of Cook's Utensils - Magical Food

Attunement

To attune to a normal Magical Item a creature requires a minimum of 5 INT, This is to signify the concentration required for the entire hour of attuning. Not every magic item can be attuned to by all creatures, it depends on the creatures shape and size as well as if the item has specific prerequisites etc. (DM fiat) A cloak, for example, would most likely fit (and magic items resize) most creatures that are medium sized.
A Collar or similar item that is specifically made for/can only be attuned to, by a Beastmasters Companion, does not require the 5 INT prerequisite. A Beastmaster's Companion has one special attunement slot for this. Your Companion can also attune to one normal magic item (within reason) if they meet the 5 INT prerequisite.

Extra Cantrips and Spells

The Cantrips and Spells on this page are viable options to pick when starting or when you can choose a new cantrip through leveling.

Gods

We make use of the Forgotten Realms pantheon.

Character Development

Any possible character development relies heavily on you. Please be sure your character has a reason for having come to Carracosta. Ask yourself - Did you come here to find riches? Perhaps you are on the run from something or someone? Were you drawn in by the promise of a fresh start? From there you can develop your character in the roleplay channels. You may also request quests that help to progress your characters story or goals. Individual DMs are not likely to know the narrative of your character. You will need to share that with them if you expect it to be written into a quest.

Character Sheet

Hopefully you have spent some time to carefully examine the rules so far. If you are ready to receive a character sheet, please ping the Dungeon Master role in our community discord #questions chat and ask for a bowl of soup. Show Spoiler

(Please, for the love of Amaunator, do not Private Message us.)

They will give you a character sheet in return. Don't forget to give them your Roll20 name as well, else they won't be able to assign you a sheet.

Questing

Questing is the primary source of experience and riches in the campaign. You may join a quest posted by DMs, but the idea of a West Marches game is that the players decide what quests they wish to endeavor on.

Requesting a quest

Post your request in the #requestboard channel. You may ping your adventuring rank in the #requestboard or #requestboard_discussion channel to find players to join your quest and a DM to locate a DM to run the quest once you have enough people. Four is just enough, Five is the maximum amount of players that can embark on any one quest. For Player Quests, you may collect the other players you would like to join in your quest or take people who request to join.

Quest Summary

Every player that posts a quest summary in the recap channel on discord receives a DM Inspiration point that can be used in their next quest to reroll any Saving throw, Ability Check, Attack roll or Skill check. Session summaries are posted in the #recaps channel.

Frequency of Questing

You may only join one quest per week. This is to combat a stretched out leveling curve and to give others a chance to play as well. A week is monday - sunday. A DM may allow you to join another quest in the same week at their discretion if there are no other players available. You will not receive a token for said quest.

Emergency Quests

Emergency Quests are exempt from the rule above. You may join an Emergency Quest and gain a token or half token regardless of if you have played a quest in that week.

Tokens

We have chosen to make use of tokens, rather than Experience Points, in this campaign. For each succesful quest, a player earns one token (Unless otherwise indicated by your DM.) A failed quest earns you a half token. Players must keep track of their own tokens and levels. Because tokens are not a physical object but rather a simplified version of Experience Points, they must be exchanged for levels immediately. You cannot hold on to tokens to hold off on leveling.
Below you will find the amount of tokens required to level:

• Level 1: 1 token to get to level 2.
• Level 2: 2 tokens to get to level 3.
• Level 3: 3 tokens to get to level 4.
• Level 4: 4 tokens to get to level 5.
• Level 5 and beyond: 5 tokens for each consecutive level.

Ranks

Levels are divided into the following bands. Players may ping a Dungeon Master in discord for a new role once they level up, allowing them to be informed of band-specific quests:

• Porcelain : 1-2 - This rank no longer exists.
• Copper : 3-4 - This rank no longer exists.
• Iron : 5-6
• Silver : 7-8
• Gold : 9-10
• Platinum : 11-12
• Mithril : 13-14
• Adamantium : 15+