Character Creation

for Secrets of the Barrowmaze

It’s Time to Create Your Character!

Use this guide to ensure your character meets the requirements to participate in Secrets of the Barrowmaze!

We’ll be using DNDBeyond.com to build your character, so navigate over there and create a free account for yourself if you don’t have one already.

Step 0: Home Settings

When you hit “Create a Character” in D&D Beyond, first select the Standard Character Creation Method.

Once that’s done, you’ll find yourself on the Home menu.

Here we’ll adjust a few settings to ensure your character setup matches the rest of the campaign.

• • Enter your Character Name
  • Turn all Sources off
  • Turn all Partnered Content off
  • Turn Dice Rolling for this character off
  • Turn Optional Features on
    
  • Turn Customize Your Origin on
  • Set Advancement Type to XP
  • Set Hit Point Type to Fixed
  • Under Use Prerequisites, turn Feats and Multi-class Requirements on
  • Turn Show Scaled Level Spells on
  • Set Encumbrance Type to Use Encumbrance
  • Turn Ignore Coin Weight off
  • Set Ability Score/Modifier Display to Scores Top
  • Set Character Privacy to Campaign Only

Permitted Resources

Players can use any of the content from the Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition Player’s Handbook. No content from other supplements or homebrew content is allowed.

Step 1: Choose Your Species

First, set “Filter Race Sources” to Player’s Handbook, and turn off “Show Legacy Content”

You will be able to select the following species:

• Halfling
• Half-Elf
• Half-Orc
• Tiefling

Step 2: Choose Your Class

Select your class from the following:

• Paladin
• Ranger
• Rogue
• Sorcerer
• Warlock
• Wizard

Step 3: Select Your Ability Scores

To ensure balance, all characters are to pick their Ability Scores using the Standard Array or Point Buy.

The Standard Array is 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, and 8.

Step 4: Fill Out Your Character Description

Alright, now we’re getting to the juicy part.

Select your Character Background

Select your background from the following:

• Knight
• Noble
• Outlander
• Pirate
• Sage
• Sailor
• Soldier
• Urchin

Custom Backgrounds are allowed with DM approval.

All Alignments Are Allowed

Yes, even Evil characters. Evil characters have plenty of reason to go into the Barrows to seek riches and power for personal gain, but even the brashest of villains recognizes that there is safety in numbers, and that double-crossing their fellow party members (even those who are diametrically opposed, ideologically) is a terrible idea.

Playing an Evil character is not license to initiate PVP combat, engage in trolling, or otherwise grief your fellow players. And no, “BuT iT’s WhAt My ChArAcTeR WoUlD dO” is not a valid justification for toxic behavior. Toxic players will be removed from the campaign. No refunds.

Deities and Religion in the Duchy of Aerik

Here is the main exception to the rule of Official Wizards of the Coast D&D supplements as the only allowed character creation resource: religions. In this campaign, we are substituting out the default pantheon of Faerûn for the deities featured in Barrowmaze Complete. They are divided up into two categories: the Old Gods, and the New Gods.

The Old Gods

The Ancient Ones, called the Anganach by the folk of the region, represent the elder gods. Whether they preexisted in the forests, swamps, and old streams of the land, or whether they were brought with the first humans, few can say. The humans who founded Ironguard Motte, Helix, and Bogtown (called the Second Settlement by local sages) found protection in the worship of Silvanus (Green Man), Herne the Hunter, Cromm Cruach, Impurax, and to a lesser extent, Nergal. Through respect and reverence for the wilderness and its deities, the human settlers learned to survive and established their villages. With the migration of the new gods from the civilized kingdoms to the east, the Anganach are in decline.

The New Gods

The New Gods, called the Futurus, include the faiths of St. Ygg and Arcantryl, and the more clandestine cults devoted to Orcus and Set. Slowly their priests have made their way to the duchy. The clerics of St. Ygg have been aggressive in their attempts to convert the people from the “primitive” faiths of Silvanus and Herne. They established a stone temple at Ironguard Motte, converted the Ironguard family, and began to spread their influence from the major trade and political center of the district. Although the cults of Orcus and Set are not openly worshipped their influence has started to grow in the dark corners of the region.

The Dark Gods

For plot reasons, player characters are not allowed to worship Set, Orcus, or Nergal.

Step 5: Starting Equipment

For simplicity’s sake, select from the Starting Equipment package options rather than gold buy. Additional equipment can be purchased in game at the Silver Standard.

You’re all set! 

Once your character is created, post the D&D Beyond link in #the-barracks channel on the Campaign Discord. You will be sent an invitation to the Campaign Discord when you Book Your Session 0 with GM Greg.

Then you can mix and mingle with your fellow players in the in-game tavern in the #the-early-grave channel and plan your next adventure!

As soon as you have a party assembled, it’s time to Book a Game Session with GM Greg!

Simple as that!

Skeleton illustration by Mac Teg. MacTeg.com
Deity shield illustrations from Barrowmaze Complete by Dr. Greg Gillespie
Scroll illustration by Dean Spencer