Halloween 5th Edition DnD Oneshot[CLOSED]

It's Only A Legend



Halloween 5th Edition DnD Oneshot

The PCs journey to the peaceful farming village, only to discover that the nearby woods are stalked by the legendary phantom of Sleepy Hollow, the Headless Horseman. The PCs must unravel the mystery of the Horseman's reawakening, before more people lose their heads....

A one-shot adventure for PCs level 5, inspired by Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"
"A drowsy, dreamy influence seems to hang over the land, and pervade the very atmosphere. Some say that place was bewitched."

Playing into the spooky theme, this adventure is my first attempt to run a game online.

Violence will not be overly graphic. Triggers- dismemberment.

Fifth level character. No evil alignment. No monster class. No homebrew. 2014 rules.

I am striving for 5 post a week until we finish it up. I am likely to be available on the weekends but am flexible if others are not.

Discord is an option if everyone agrees.

State interest on this thread and I will decide my choices on Saturday the 21th (in the US).

Everyone is welcome at my table.

This last thing is very important to me. I categorize myself more as a writer than a gamer and I love creating compelling stories with human drama. I realize this is a one-shot but I still want the passion. I'm not sure yet how the mechanic will be fleshed out but role playing will be rewarded.

Not entirely sure what I'd bring to the table, but I dig the idea. Plus, it's spooky season, so anything accordingly themed is great!

Spooky.
I've got a Circle of Spores druid I'd love to take for a ride.

A Circle of Spores druid does seem to fit under the category of spooky!

A proposal:

Harold Remery Shaw was a stolid man of grim expression and grimmer disposition. Some whispered that Shaw awakened shadows and nightmares wherever he went. Women would cross themselves in superstitious acts whenever the man crossed their doorstep. The truth was, Shaw carried a heavy burden and had not the energy or motivation to bother correcting anyone any more. All he had was the road laid out for him, a road that led ever onward to the dark and macabre places of the world. To collect those shadows and bear them until the day he could lay in a soft grave and truly rest. Shaw looked forward to that day, it was a future that almost brought a smile to Shaw's face... almost.

Since we're getting spoopy, and the necromancer wizard and spore druid are already taken, I would like to propose an Undead Patron Warlock. Also I'm assuming it's allowed, so I'd like to go for Dhampir as a custom lineage, the idea being the Pact that gave me my warlock powers also made me into a Dhampir. I do understand if we're using just core races or something similar,though.

@AnonGL Well, she did say "no monster class." Admittedly, I assumed she meant races, but hey... never hurts to ask.

I would like to encourage each player to lean into those personality quirks that make up memorable characters. Don't quit with the species and class but think about what motivates your character.

I'm telling you that for me story reigns over rules and to prove it I am ignoring my own guidelines. AnonGL, your concept will be allowed but I want a character flaw that we will discuss if you are chosen.

Hey CW, a spooky one-shot based on Sleepy Hollow sounds cool. I don't have a specific class in mind, but I'm thinking of a very young character who's looking for his missing sibling, if it's possible to tie it in to the story.

The character recently lost both of his parents, and due to overworking to provide for his sibling, he fell asleep and woke up with his sibling gone. He's determined to find his sibling but he's burdened by his guilt, questioning his own self-worth, and repressing the trauma of recently losing his parents. Spookiness would be easy to incorporate, as nightmares and spooky stuff make him jumpy; he has a hard time sleeping and fears sleeping, etc.

I mean like I mentioned it, I'm fine with playing a variant human (or Dragonborne if that's not allowed either) instead of a dhampir, the dhampir was honestly more because it seemed in spirit and I though "Monster class" meant something else. He still would have gained his powers from a pact with a vampire, the pact would just not have turned him into a dhampir.

I'm thinking a detective might be in order. Someone sent in to investigate the killings. Variant Human Inquisitive Rogue, with the Investigator background.

That sounds awesome! Maybe a straight fighter? Like maybe something along the lines of, the streets were tough and he had to be tougher? Just thoughts

There is definitely a looming threat so having a missing younger sibling could be heartbreaking as it would be harder to tell yourself that all will end well.

I was thinking that he’s arrived at Sleepy Hollow because that’s where the clues to find his missing sibling have led him. So yeah, it could all end badly, but that’s the same for everyone else in the party right?

Anyway, that’s the basic concept I got. The class could be almost anything, so I’d need to think a bit more on that.

In addition, I love the support of fellow writers. Who doesn't need a bit of encouragement or someone to help refine a concept or eventually to produce the material that allows you to play your character even better because, let's face it, not every scene should be a monolog.

😉 I do hope that quote doesn't come back to bite me!

I think you're on to something there and such skills could be a real asset.

A small part of me wishes it was 6th level, only because most classes get their subclass at 3rd level. If I could go 3 and 3 I'd have a very different build idea... that said, I have fun with mechanics and builds, and have more character ideas than I can count. Lol

Last call!! Invitations will be sent tomorrow for this mystery!

As much as I enjoy your fantastic storytelling, I need to finish what's on my plate first.

By the way "It's only a legend"? *Chef's kiss* love it.

I'm a player in transition from mechanic to role playing. You will need to bear with my lack of role play skills if you invite me. But I'm eager to try role play character expecting a peaceful journey, like Gandalf arriving in Hobbiton. If playing a spooky character or character proficient with spooky things is not a prerequisite.

Your kind words gave me all the feels. Know you always have a chair at my table even if that bloody pipe makes my eyes water! ;)

I also am trying new avenues and stretching myself by trying my hand at being a GM. As such, if you extend grace to me then it would be churlish of me to not do the same. I however don't want to be a point of frustration because on a scale with RAW being one side then I probably would be on the complete other end. I am not throwing the rules out the window, mind you, as they give structure, randomness and foster ingenuity but I'm also not afraid to ignore an obvious written rule for the sake of the story.

Playing a spooky character is by no means a prerequisite. I'm afraid the Halloween season has many of us in the mood to lean toward the dark side. The story itself is a murder mystery ghost story so not a wholesome hobbit kind of village. If you are still interested then I will put your name in the hat.

Let's go, Halloween!

On my experience the other side of RAW is a strong storyteller. I'm a bit jealous as I'm not :)
Anyhow, considering other factors I've decided to withdraw my application. Good game everyone

Looks like the day has arrived and we have a spot for everyone that applied. Invites will be going out. Let's do this!