DM_Nocturne

Greetings fellow Dalelanders,

I'm an old DM returning for another round, and am here for plots, tales, adventures, hijinx, and all manner of gnomery.

My availability is rather lmited during the weekdays (usually from 8 - 11 PM or so EST), but I try to be open and flexible on the weekends. Some timezones experience an acute dearth of DM coverage, but with a day or two's notice, I would be more than happy to hop on client for aid or help move a plot forward at any time, day or night, on Saturdays (4 AM EST RP? Come at me!).

On that note... what you can expect from my events:

• I am in no way invested in the outcome of any particular plot or event series. I do not care what happens, just that things do. I will not railroad or insist X be done in Y fashion. An advantage of a Persitent World is that you don't need to win every encounter to keep the plot alive, and that every outcome can be woven into a greater narrative.
  
• Actions have consequences.  If your PC is trying to rescue a group of hostages, and opens by casting Fireball on the enemy, with the hostages nearby? Those hostages may well get burned too. Cast Earthquake in an underground cavern? Rocks fall, everyone dies.
  
• You decide what happens. Want to kill the evil baron and take his stuff? Go ahead. Want to distract him while the mages shrink all the refugees so that they can flee? Go ahead! Unscrupulous rogue in the party sells out his comrades? Also valid. Charm the dragon into giving out rewards with a moving bard song? That's good RP!
  
• You can try just about anything, especially in smaller events. Novel applications of spells, complex Rube Goldberg shenanigans, hin punting, etc. While actions beyond what is allowed by the game client are ultimately at my discretion, I will favorably consider anything your PCs could reasonably do.
  
• Rewards are by DM discretion. I will never guarantee that you will come away from any event with any particular reward or outcome. If you want a Sword of Holy Awesome Kickassery, you may certainly search for it, but you may well end up with the Gnoll Chef's Not-So-Sharp-Cleaver. Item rewards distributed make RPsense, follow the logical arc of the story, and may include an element of randomness.
  
• Tell me what you are doing during events. You want to search a corpse for loot? Emote that. Want to study the mystic bindings by the window? Let me know. I'll ask for rolls as necessary (or roll for you, in secret...), but I need to know what your PCs would be doing. I won't prompt you to check for traps, or tracks, or gnomes hiding under cubbies. What happens, success and failure, are largely determined by PC actions, diligence, and creativity.
  
• Stay in character as much as possible. If your PC would stay out of an event, for whatever reason, don't feel obliged to tag along. I'll work with you and reward you as appropriate. Staying behind to take care of the injured orphan NPC is just as valid RP as being part of the adventuring band that goes to rescue his mother, and I'll make sure those kinds of actions are well and properly rewarded.
  
• The world does not exist in a vacuum, and interference is possible. Other PCs may stumble into your group, and try to aid or hinder. One of your crew may have a separate agenda, and be wiling to sacrifice your team for the greater good (theirs). All of these will be allowed, if supervised, and I will work with all parties involved for a fair and equitable encounter. Do note that the game mechanics can be very faulty when it comes to things like Stealth/Detection and combat, so I may adjudicate those beyond what the system allows.
  
• Often, events end with unresolved questions hanging in the air. I want to make events feel real, to have a  persistent impact, and so I will always allow players to follow-up on what has happened. Perhaps a cultists escaped, perhaps you found a strange artifact, maybe a disease is spreading around the local farm population. I will make note of these things, and leave a guide for my fellow DMs, what has happened, what could happen, the general thrust of the story. If I have time when I long on, I will allow anyone who has IC knowledge of these things to try and follow up on it. However, the fact that information will be shared means that another DM, too, could potentially follow up. Get in touch with another DM, if you wish, see if they are willing to continue the plot or let you investigate something. However, do note that different DMs have different storytelling styles, and would help progress the story in different ways than I would. I am not invested in any outcome, just that a story be told, and I have implicit confidence in my fellow staff members; I will not retcon or alter what happened under their guidance, and will instead fold it in to the larger story and continue moving forward.
  

May our path be full of adventure,
Nocturne

<3

^

as someone who didn't get to play with you during your first run, im excited to now have that chance. you seem like a terrific DM!