D&D F.A.Q.


Here are some of the answers to the most frequently asked questions we receive about Camp Dragon Online!

How do I get started?

Create a profile! Then, you can sign up for either one of our fantastic Character Creation Sessions or an Origins game! Our stand-alone Character Creation Sessions are free, but don't include an adventure. Our Origins games include a small Character Creation Session at the beginning, before the main quest begins, but it does cost Dragon Coins.

Well, how do I play?

We currently use a combination of platforms! We use Zoom for our Audio/Visual purposes and Roll20 as our Virtual TableTop. We know everyone has their favorites, but we use these two services as the best combination for both worlds.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, am I going to need to pay for a fancy Roll20 account or a top-of-the-line webcam?

Nope! All you'll need is a free version of Roll20 and the ability to run Zoom on your device. While we heartily recommend using a camera during our games, we understand that not everyone has access to a camera on their computer. That being said, we advise players to NOT use their phones when trying to play our games, as it is likely to cause issues.

How many Characters can I make?

Currently, players are allowed a maximum roster of 5 characters. If you want to make additional characters, you'll have to delete old character profiles.

Where's the game link?

You can find your game links to Zoom and Roll20 in either your "Upcoming Games" tab or on the Game Details page itself, 15 minutes before the start of your game and up to 5 minutes after.

Gee, I tried to register and I keep getting back a "you did something weird" message, what gives?

Ahh, this is a common error that happens when your initial registration didn't go through properly the first time. You probably got sick of waiting for a confirmation email that wasn't coming and clicked "Resend Confirmation Email". If you do that, and you're not properly registered to begin with, then you get sent a false positive confirmation. It'll look VERY odd to begin with when it "confirms" your information. The best solution is to try to register again from the beginning. If it keeps happening, email us at info@campdndonline.com and we'll try to troubleshoot your issue!

Hey, why are your games only scheduled a week in advance? I want to plan out all my dice-slinging for the next fiscal quarter!

Camp D&D Online operates on a "First come, first sent on quests" model. Many of our players have formed parties and made friends with fellow adventurers. So, in order to give parties the best chance of playing together in the next session, the following game is posted by the DM after the previous game finishes, giving the players the first crack at grabbing those slots.

Wow, do I need to buy items for my character in the gold and mythic stores? I'm not spending real money on that, am I?

Oh goodness no! The items in our Downtime stores can only be purchased with Gold and Mythic Coins respectively, which can only be obtained by playing in games. The only purchases that can be made on our website are Dragon Coins, which can only be used to purchase game time. Those stores are our downtime bazaars! The Gold store has almost every mundane item one can think of (besides mounts, vehicles, and siege engines)! The Mythic Store is constantly updating and if there's an official item that you'd like to see but don't yet, let us know!

I was a Kickstarter backer and I added my items to my first ever character. Can I transfer them to the other characters I play? I abandoned that first character after like a week.

You're in luck! If you were a Kickstarter (thank you, thank you, thank you!) then any of the special items gained from being a backer are applied to your account rather than your individual characters. Just let your next DM know that you were a backer and they'll quickly check your roster to see if they were ever applied to another character. If they can't find them there, they'll contact our Head DM to ascertain your status. But any and all of your characters can have your items applied to them!

How do I know what games to play?

Great question! There's a handy-dandy "Quest Atlas" in the player resources tab! It guides you along the progress track for your early levels and helps you make some key choices. Better yet, we also have level recommendations on the quest descriptions themselves!

I'm a pro at Roll20 and D&D, why do I need to go through a character creation session? I don't need my hand held!

Ahh, but there are a few homebrew rules that we use to speed up combat and keep the games going. They're properly explained during our Character Creation Sessions, not to mention all characters used in Camp Dragon Online must be made in one of our Character Creation or Origins games and must be approved by one of our DMs.

Why? What's so special about the characters we need to make?

Well, they're special because you made them and you're a hero!....Did that work? No? Well, the real reason is to maintain relatively similar power levels among characters of the same level. Thus, all new characters are made using the standard array, starting class gear, and using official published 5e material for Classes, Backgrounds, and Races (though sometimes we don't have the newest material as we wait for our VTT to patch it!). There are a few restrictions. We don't permit evil-aligned characters, Blood Hunters (Sorry Matt!), variant humans (we do permit feats later down the progression line, ask your DM!), or purely customized/homebrew characters built via Tasha's. There is wiggle room for a custom lineage, but no, you can't make your favorite undead half gnoll, half-oozefolk warlord.

I've had an emergency come up before my game! What should I do?

If you'd like to leave a game for any reason, you can do so by going to your "Upcoming Games" tab and clicking "Leave" next to the name of your session. Thus, you can make room for another player to snap up your spot and you'll get 90% of the original fee refunded (the last 10% is kept as a deposit, this is a business after all!). Sometimes, if it's too close to the start time of a session, the players will be locked in. In that case, it's always best to email us at info@campdragononline.com to alert us of your absence (or even if you're just running late!) so we can inform your DM. In the case of an emergency especially, we'll do our best to accommodate you so that you can recoup your lost coins and join another adventure!

Can I transfer gold, items, or exp between my characters?

Short answer: no. Long answer: no, though how kickstarter items work might be confusing. Those items are technically shared amongst all your characters and aren't being transferred. There currently aren't any other items like this, and each purchase or quest loot drop are particular and unique to the original character that purchased/discovered the item.

Can we Tip the DM's?

While tipping your DM is not mandatory it is a very common practice. We have a Venmo set up for just this purpose, @CampDragonOnline — 100% of your Tips go to your DM, please just mention their name in the comments.

How much money do people generally tip their DMs?

Anywhere between $5 and $10 is considered common. Of course you can do more for truly exceptional game play.

So how do you deal with Character Death?

When a character dies (and we mean fully die, death saves, the whole 9 yards) during an encounter, their player has to sit out the rest of the encounter, but is allowed to continue with that character for the rest of the session, with penalties. These penalties include: missing out on the dragon coin bonus awarded at the end of the session, losing any gold accumulated during the session, and experience points for the session. Also, your party as a whole will take a dragon coin bonus penalty and aren't allowed to loot your temporarily deceased corpse, so it's in their best interest to keep the entire party hale and whole. In the event of a TPK, which is disheartening even during home games, players may experience one of several possible outcomes. The context of the TPK is very important. While we do allow friendly fire, fireballing your party to roast some mind flayer calamari will result in the pyro-passionate player losing a Dragon Coin Bonus in lieu of their teammates. Cooperative play and team effort will always be rewarded over selfish completionism. If a TPK occurs because that's the way the dice fell, yes, the typical dragon coin bonus would be removed like when a PC typically dies as will the EXP and gold. However, any sort of resurrection magic completed before a short or long rest (or the end of the game if that's how far along you are) is considered a way to bypass any penalties.