“In Dooms Wake” by Alcuin Gersh
A Game Mode with 36+ hours of D&D over the 4 Days!
Hardcore Mode Nov 4 - Nov 8, 2024
“In Dooms Wake” with DM Alcuin Gersh
The echoes of the Storm King’s Thunder are fading into memory. A coalition of giants and smallfolk was able to uncover the conspiracy seeded by the ancient blue dragon Iymrith, but with her dying breath she cursed their greatest heroes. These champions must face their dooms, falling one by one to the consequences of their choices and tragic flaws, and only then will the stage be set for the return of Annam and restoration of the Ordning. The giant heroes do not seek their fates alone at least; Their squires, pupils and handmaidens will join them on this final journey. Will these smallfolk have the strength to take up the arms of the fallen? To stand against foes that would challenge even giants?
Hardcore Mode for D&D in a Castle 2024 will be an opportunity for players to collaborate on an epic campaign. Each player will co-design a tragic giant hero, but also their entourage and support characters from a budget of 9 levels, as low as level 3 and capping out at level 6. The sessions of the game will each feature a specific giant facing their doom, accompanied by their highest level retainer and the highest level retainers of the other players. The featured player of the chapter controls their giant, allowing them to face their doom as they see fit, but by the end of that chapter the giant hero will no longer be part of the narrative. Each giant carries a relic that can be passed down to their followers for use in subsequent chapters. When a retainer dies, they are replaced by the next one in that player’s roster. The challenges and monsters in the chapters are tuned to reflect the strength and knowledge of giants, so as the campaign advances the difficulty increases as the party is whittled down to the least experienced of their shrinking number.
The campaign won’t just be about tactical thinking in the face of incredible odds, though. Players will also create connected backstories for their giants and supporters. These stories retell the events of the WotC adventure Storm King’s Thunder, to which In Doom’s Wake is a dark sequel. In the introductions to each chapter, and during downtime between them there will be opportunities for intense roleplay as the dwindling heroes of the present reflect on their shared past.The Hardcore Mode campaign includes a significant amount of planning between the Dungeon Master and players in the time leading up to the stay at the castle. The reward for this level of investment before and during the game is an unforgettable campaign, filled with satisfying emotional payoffs and action on an epic scale.