FAQ

Game questions

Can I use a non-roll20 character sheet?

Yes, but I also would like a copy maintained in Roll20. If you don't mind maintaining a sheet in 2 places, go ahead.

Can I roll physical dice instead of using a virtual dice roller?

Yes, but I'd prefer you have a webcam pointed at your dice to do so.

Can I use a homebrew class/species/spell etc.?

With time for me to review it ahead of time and a conversation if we think it needs balancing.

Do I have to use the house rules?

Some of them, yes (ex: how we do Crits, certain skill check procedures etc.). Some are player-by-player choice (ex: using the Crit Hit/Failure tables). If you're extremely uncomfortable or confused by one you think you have to follow, let's talk about it!

How will leveling happen? Do I need to track experience points?

Nope! Leveling will happen based on milestones so I’ll let you know when it happens (like after a big battle, or escaping a tricky dungeon).

Do I need to track equipment weight, rations, materials etc.?

In general, no.

• Weight: Iwon’t be a stickler about weight so long as it isn’t absurd (a gnome carrying 800 pounds of gold statues)

• I will ask you to track ammo for things like magical guns or arrows, however.

• For spell components, we will assume spellcasters know to carry the basics they need (a bit of feather down, a small gem etc.). For larger components (ex: "a diamond worth at least 100gp") we will just have you deduct that gold worth from your sheet.

• Rations and water will only come up if you’re in a dire survival situation where you’re likely to run out of the standard amounts an adventurer would have (like you’re stranded in the desert or trapped in a cave).

In general, I personally don’t enjoy that level of inventory management so if you want to do it, that’s all you, but it will not be required.

World questions

How does magic work for characters that are empowered by deities (ex: clerics, Aasimar)? What about for characters that do not rely on a deity (ex: wizards, druids)?

In the land of Ostelliach, magic is tied to The Web which can be harnessed in many ways. In the time since the gods' deaths, all were affected, even if they did not pray to deities for their magic. For instance, wizards found their magic through the pursuit of knowledge, which was emboldened and empowered by Unun, the god of divination and understanding. Thus, even they were affected without the conduit that allowed their studying to actually tap into The Web.
In the time since, clerics and others traditionally tied to a deity would still be possible mechanically (access to xyz spells or skills) but in the lore of the world they may devote themself to a cause, a type of magic, a certain belief instead. For instance, you could have:

• An Aasimar tied to the pursuit of beauty

• A cleric that draws strength from righteous protection (likely abjuration)

• A druid that uses the power of the moon(s) for strength

Much like the temples of today are not dedicated to gods but instead concepts, and indeed the original gods were not "the god of the sea" or "the god of death" plainly so much as creation, knowledge, perception, energy etc.
If in doubt, ask your DM to help workshop the concept! You can still play all sorts of magic users, none of them are removed from play mechanically.

So my character can't worship a god?

Not by name necessarily (and not the gods of the standard D&D pantheons, Tymora and Beshaba and all of them). But, again, there is a lot of space to play in here for being devoted to the same concept a god might have represented (to use Tymora as an example, the concept of luck, fortune, and bold risks).
My goal with this setting was to remove the very standardized "good gods, bad gods" and play with the notion that many of these concepts may overlap between gods. For instance, the old gods of Transmutation (Irtotoninax) and Conjuration (Lothiniel Anai) both would have championed ingenuity, creativity, resourcefulness. However, one person may view this differently than another, and I didn't want people to be tied down to specific pantheons as dividers. Instead, you may have two characters that use magic to create, such as an artificer and a conjuration-based mage, viewing and using magic in different ways.

Do I need to memorize all of these different places and names?!

Goodness, no! Your character in all likelihood is not a walking atlas and historian and neither do I expect you to be. I have built up all this tasty lore for you to play with, but it's up to you how much you utilize it. In addition, if it ever comes up where your character would definitely know something but you the player do not, we can have a talk about why your character would know this or have you make a roll to see how much you know and I will tell you the information you needed to have. I'm the last person to judge people for memory issues!