We mentioned earlier today that we're playing Dungeons & Dragons on Alpha Flight again this year! Tune in Sunday thru Thursday at 1:30pm PST to watch live or catch the replays on the Desert Bus for Hope YouTube channel.

Then, on Friday during Alpha Flight, we'll host DM's Corner. We'll share how you can ask your questions later on this week.

Buuut... ahead of tomorrow's first session, we wanted to give you a small sneak peek into the world our players will be adventuring in this year...

The Setting

The D&B games from Desert Bus 2022 start in the ancient city of New Harbour. New Harbor, which is on the coast, is separated from the vast Empire of Law by a magical wilderness called the Shrub. The Shrub is maintained by a group of fey-like beings called the Kind Ones, for a fee.

Every so often, perhaps once a year, a benefactor (identity unknown) pays off the Kind Ones to permit a group to travel through the shrub and into the Empire of Law, to bring the poor oppressed citizens who live in the Empire of Law hope (i.e., contraband).

Nearby to the City of New Harbour is the Threshold Atoll, a very chaotic place that is littered with unstable portals to strange dimensions and other places within the world. Nobody can control the portals, and their destinations frequently change.

Backgrounds

Characters are encouraged (but not required) to pick one of the backgrounds in this set...

Imperial Refugee
You fled the Empire of Law and made it to New Harbour, though not by journeying through The Shrub. There is a price on your head in the Empire, and every once in a while a bounty hunter shows up in New Harbour with a list of people that includes you. Describe the reason that the imperial bureaucracy is so interested in bringing you to justice and why certain imperial citizens might recognize you as a folk hero. Name the person you left behind in a terrible situation who inspires you to risk everything in order to rescue them.

Magic Weapon
Your weapon of choice (from your starting equipment) is tainted with the chaos magic that’s so prevalent near The Shrub. Give this weapon a name. When you roll a 1, 19, or 20 on an attack roll with this weapon, something happens. A 1 will typically give you a bad result, while a 19 or 20 will likely be a positive result. The strength of these effects varies enormously. Tell your DM.

My Mom Rules
Your mom is one of the thirteen people currently considered one of the rulers of New Harbour. Even though many of the thirteen are technically considered Evil, she doesn’t have to be if you don’t want her to be. Describe why she is furious with you. Name her aging personal assistant who has a soft spot for you.

Never Speak the Name
You know the secret truename of one of the Kind Ones who maintain The Shrub. You were never supposed to learn this name. If you speak it out loud within New Harbour then that Kind One will immediately be aware of you and will seek you out. Describe the recurring nightmare that you have of the repercussions of speaking the name.

Shrub Groomer
You have seasonal employment trimming back The Shrub that encircles the non-ocean border of New Harbour, separating it from the Empire of Law. You have Advantage on any non-combat roll against a Plant creature, and once per session you may declare one of your hits on an attack roll against a Plant creature to be a critical hit. You have a strange love-hate relationship with The Shrub. Once per session while in physical contact with The Shrub you may describe a boon you receive. Once per session while you are in physical contact with The Shrub, your DM may describe an event of their choosing and you may not resist. Any time you touch The Shrub or an object made from it then roll a d6. If you roll a 1 then tell your DM.

Smuggled Contraband
You have a single object that you stole from a pirate captain based in New Harbour. Name the captain. This item is ridiculously valuable, but it doesn’t do anything helpful and would be immediately recognized if you tried to fence it (or even just display it). You are currently being blackmailed by a member of the captain’s crew who claims to have proof you’re the thief. Describe the blackmail situation.

Vermin Friend
The portals that open intermittently in Threshold Atoll are near enough to New Harbour that exotic creatures sometimes make it all the way into town. You personally seem to attract weird insects for some reason. At any given time, you probably have several insects on your person (possibly in your clothes or belt pouch or even in your hair). You have advantage on any roll to resist venom or disease, as well as any attempt to draw an insect toward you. Once per session you may pull a venomous insect from somewhere on your person. This has an injury-based venom that causes great pain for a full minute and requires a DC 14 Constitution saving throw to resist. (Failure causes another ten minutes of great pain and 1d4 points of damage.) If you are ever in a social situation that might be affected by the appearance of an insect crawling across your body then tell your DM.