thesnarkydruid:

tomahawkbunny:

D&D Gothic

– It’s still there. The only die you haven’t lost from your original set. It’s a d12. You’ve never rolled it once.

– The mini you’ve been using looks nothing like your character. You commission art of your character. The art looks exactly like you described. It looks almost exactly like the mini.

– The snack bowl arrives at your table. You reach over the DM screen to grab a chip. The bowl is empty. The session has yet to begin.

– A dice tower is constructed. The whole table goes silent. A d10 is balanced on a d4. You’re all silent. The tower sits, wobbling slightly. Silence. It crumbles for no apparent reason. You can finally breathe again.

– The DM draws a map. They’ve drawn a river on the side. It’s in red. A working blue pen is right beside them. No one mentions it again. No river is ever mentioned in game.

– A player’s character dies. Next session, they introduce their new character. Then themselves. You laugh. You know them already. Don’t you?

– You are telling someone about DnD. You want to tell them about funny stories with wacky hijinks. There are so many. You can’t remember a single one.

– This weeks session was cancelled. There is a disquiet at the time you should be there. Involuntarily, your hand shakes, then tosses a non existent object. Shake and toss. Shake. Toss. It is comforting.

– You roll for something important. The result is average. You look in the DM’s eyes pleadingly. They stare back for a moment, expressionless. They then say you pass. You feel relief, but a shiver runs down your spine.

– The DM hides behind their screen. They mutter softly. They look up, tell a player to roll for something, then look down, nodding. They don’t acknowledge the player’s result.

– You have many character concepts on hand. You love them all. You get a chance to play. You no longer have any character concepts you really want to try. At least, not until it’s too late.

– A deus ex machina occurs. Was the encounter unbalanced, or was it part of the plot? You aren’t sure. You’re the DM.

– Every time you look away, a die dissappears, and this one player’s cheeks get poofier. Eventually, their mouth seems like it’s about to burst. They do. Their mouth is empty. No one knows where the dice went.

– Someone tells an inside joke. It’s very funny. No one knows where it’s from.

– You pull out your notes for the encounter. You’re ready to begin. You have no notes. You search around. You swear you had notes. Everything is blank. You’re staring at blank paper. Your players stare blankly at you.

– You try for diplomacy. Maybe it’ll work this time. Maybe you don’t have to fight. You’re tired of fighting. Your DM speaks. Roll initiative. 

– You turn a corner in a dungeon. You find a group of kobolds.  You fight them. You turn a corner in a dungeon. You find a group of kobolds. You fight them. You turn a corner in a dungeon… 

– You roll a 19. That has to be enough. You look up at your DM. Their grin is wide. You feel unsettled. When did their eyes begin to crackle with energy? 

– “Does a 23 to AC hit?”….. “No.“ 

– You roll high for stealth. Your character isn’t seen. Your friends ignore you. They don’t seem to see you anymore or hear you. You watch as you fade from existence. 

– You roll up a new character. Elven ranger. It feels familiar. The other players already seem to know the character. You don’t remember playing this character before. You get this feeling of deja vu. You roll up a new character. You think an elven ranger would be good. 

– Your players say they’re going to the grasslands, you prepare for the grasslands. They’re in the mountains. You prepare for the mountains. They’re underwater. How did they get there? There is no Sea on your map. You make a Sea. They’re in Space. 

– Your name is Bronin the Dragonheart. No its Kialin the Effervescent. Herod the Cruel. Thia the Quick. Norrin, Kala, Leoros, Katarina, Damon, Hope, Zeek, Stormund… so many names and faces… who are you? You can’t seem to remember.