The Story Set-Up

A wizard, displaced in time and space, finds himself on Earth, a world without magic. In his search for a way to return home, he discovers the origins of Christianity and embraces the faith. He travels to Jerusalem to pray at the Wailing Wall. This show of faith opens a portal back to his world. A rabbi, struggling with his own faith, follows him through. Together they spread the teachings of God in this new land. Adonai hears their prayers and reveals himself to this place, transforming a part of Aeramor into a version of biblical Israel.

This sets the stage for an epic battle between good and evil, for wherever God is at work, the Enemy is as well. As this divine movement grows, the opposition also increases. The faithful remain steadfast, trusting in this righteous effort to save all who believe. As the followers of the Enemy become more brazen, heroes are called from both worlds to uncover his evil plan. They must find common ground and seek a way to stop his demon and devil armies from destroying both realms.

The wizard, the rabbi and these brave heroes, along with their growing group of followers, must navigate a perilous path. Can they rely on their faith and newfound allies to thwart the forces of darkness? Together, they must strive to protect the innocent, spread the word of hope and find a way to defeat seemingly insurmountable physical and spiritual enemies. Two worlds of God’s children are at risk as the ultimate battle between good and evil is at hand.

What is a faith-based campaign for Christians

1. Wholesome – Romance oriented players and murderhobos are not going to enjoy this campaign. There are plenty of options out there for that style of gameplay, I even run some. This is not it!
2. Reverent – The greatest form of magic is prayer. “Believers” all pray for their abilities. They can never use necromancy. There are optional homebrewed subclasses for each class. For example: Warlock patron is Adonai.
3. Spiritual – The players live in this world bringing glory to Adonai through their actions and words. The ultimate ideology is ‘Coram Deo’. The idea that whatever they do is “before the face of God” and believers should act like they know it.
4. Compassionate – Just but merciful – Players should always temper justice with mercy. No one they kill can repent and surrender to God. Lives should be taken only when necessary. Some enemies won’t give you a choice. It’s you or them, make it them.

What you need to play

Please ensure that you have a working mic/headset and webcam (optional but encouraged).

You will need D&D Beyond (FREE version).

You will need the ABOVE VTT app (FREE from the Chrome Store). It will attach to your D&D Beyond account adding a blue “Join with Above VTT” button to your character.

Lastly, please join the Discord server upon registration.

Materials Provided

The GM will provide you with access to all needed materials on D&D Beyond, AboveVTT and Discord.

Why you will enjoy this game

This is a faith-based campaign. There are Judeo-Christian stories, Christian themes and biblically inspired encounters. The story itself relies on collaborative storytelling about fantasy heroes adventuring in a world of magic, mystery and fantastical creatures. Your character background will be entwined in the adventure and will undoubtedly provide challenges and difficulties as you progress.

The Heavenly Places Campaign has been tested twice by live groups over the past two years. It is designed with a balance between combat, exploration, and roleplay. The over-arching mission provides a basis for the adventure, but the actions and choices of the players determine the story. Combat can be embraced or avoided depending on the situation and your play style. How you roleplay your characters will determine the direction of the story and the outcome of the adventure.

Your choices not only determine the direction of this story, but they have ramifications in the world around you. What you do changes the greater world for future adventures and even for other groups adventuring in this homebrewed world.

If you want a wholesome campaign with biblical themes, challenges and Christian values you will enjoy this campaign.

If you enjoy movies like Constantine or Legion you will love this campaign!

If you like intrigue and story twists, you will enjoy this game.

If you like exploration, puzzle solving, and roleplaying to determine allies and enemies, all while your character’s life is in jeopardy, you will enjoy this game.

If you enjoy surprises, twists and telling your character’s story as the greater story affects their life and those of the people around them, you will enjoy this campaign.

Character Creation Guidelines

You will need a Level 1 character using the D&D 5e or 2024 ruleset (Legacy and Expanded). You will be invited to a D&D Beyond Campaign group and will have access to my homebrewed subclasses (if you choose to use them). Create a compelling character aligned loosely with the Story Set-Up (above) but leave room for character growth. This is a long-term campaign of heroes gathered to fight the forces of the Enemy. With that in mind consider the following during character creation;

• Is your character from Earth or Aeramor? Any species can be selected even if from Earth.
• If from Earth your character will start as a normal human Christian, until they go through the “portal”. Their Earth background can be kept simple, but their Aeramor background will be largely unknown to them. They enter Aeramor as their Earth selves mentally, but in a new body that instinctively knows how to use their abilities. Characters from Earth start as “believers” so keep that in mind as we play. The campaign needs at least one character from Earth, more are preferable.
• If your character is from Aeramor you decide if they are a “believer” in Adonai or not. Believers must be of good alignment but do not have to be lawful.
• If your character is not a “believer” there is no alignment restriction for them. You do however need a logical reason why evil or chaotic characters would be on this mission. If you choose these alignments, be prepared to be challenged in roleplay.
• When creating your character’s background, each character in the group must have a valid reason to be on this adventure. Though everyone will have their own reasons, choices and even secrets, they must be rowing in the same general direction.
• We will finalize character choices as a group before we begin the adventure. I will ask you why your character is with this group and what is their common goal.

The Heavenly Places Campaign and any follow-up campaigns or side quests take place in the homebrewed world of Aeramor. Everything in D&D is included in the lore somewhere, though not every detail is predetermined. The world is alive and changes as you interact with it. I will work out those connections, as we play, based on your actions. You are welcome to experiment, try things and go “off-book”. I play by the rules, but I temper them with “the rule of cool”. If it doesn’t unbalance the encounters or derail the campaign, I will always rule in favor of the player.

As previously mentioned, backstories and character concepts are encouraged whether your character is from Earth or Aeramor. Keep it simple! A paragraph is usually enough to give you something to start with while allowing your character room for growth during the adventure.

Gameplay Themes/Content Warnings

While this is a faith-based campaign complete with biblical history and Christian values is still a D&D adventure in a fantasy world. It will include violence, treachery, betrayal, persecution and outright evil. Romance will be kept PG-13, with a fade-to-black style when it becomes intense. Know that if you have specific lines and veils they will be heard and handled respectfully even if not found until after we have begun. Player enjoyment is my top priority!