Welcome to Thunder Rift! The Iconic D&D Campaign.
This class for beginner D&D Adventurers is designed to introduce students to D&D through a series of immersive encounters in the amazing setting of Thunder Rift, where they will be coached to reach their character's full potential.
Keith (M.A. Military History)
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(362)
What's included
1 live meeting
1 hrs 30 mins in-class hours per weekHomework
1 hour per week. There is no assigned homework. Students will be encouraged to write a reflective narrative (a biography of their PC) concerning their experience as a means by which to remember the lessons learned during the session for future adventures. Since students will be gaining experience points and perhaps moving up a level, they will be encouraged to conduct some research concerning their new skills and new spells in preparation for future D&D sessions. Perhaps students could conduct independent research upon the various historical themes, biomes, monsters, and game situations in order to enhance their exploration, role-playing, and combat (the Three Pillars of Adventure).Assessment
Students essentially "self-assess" through in-game guided practice through DM coaching. By writing an "after-action report" (reflective narrative) they can, in their own words, identify what aspects of the session went well and indicate what they might work on for future sessions. This journal approach is optional but highly recommended. Earning experience points can be a means of understanding progress since these are awarded for clever problem solving, creative thinking, bold leadership, skill in spell casting as well as success in encounters with monsters and villainous NPCs. Upon reaching a certain number of experience points the students will "level up", which - in and of itself - is a great achievement.Class Experience
Welcome to Thunder Rift! This forgotten valley is host to all the classic challenges that a beginner D&D adventurer might encounter: goblins, orcs, lizardmen, skeletons and of course dragons! In this unique sunken valley adventurers will experience a series of encounters in swamps, grasslands, deep forests, high mountain cliffs and deep dark dungeons. The adventuring team will grow in experience and reputation to eventually build castle keeps, command armies and take on epic level adventuring. Adventure awaits! This course is meant for beginning D&D players - those who have a tiny bit, a little bit, or no experience with Dungeon and Dragons 5E. Students can "drop-in" at any time. Upon signing up for the class please notify me so that we can set up a separate character creation time and I can discuss the Thunder Rift module and get you up to speed concerning the progress of the adventure team you will be joining. In this On-Going course students will create an awesome D&D character and learn how to become the best player possible through on-the-spot coaching and encouragement during the lessons. Students will explore a geographical biome that will be the setting for challenging scenarios where students are coached by the Dungeon Master (DM) to make full use of their Player Character's (PC) abilities, all the time encouraging critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork. Students will be encouraged to role-play their PC through various negotiations and conversations with historical and fantasy Non-Playing Characters (NPC) to avoid conflict and perhaps to persuade the NPCs to assist in their quest. Students will learn the basic rules of D&D 5e applying them to specific challenges which they solve with the help of their adventuring team. As the team works together solving problems presented in this unique scenario, they will earn experience points and perhaps move up in class level. The DM will coach the team all the way from their initial character build to their contest of wills against the mighty villains to ensure that the team and the student leaves the session feeling as if they are ready for a world of adventure in D&D and other role-playing games. This is a course where students can take their time learning how to cast spells, role play effectively, and learn special tactics against a host of monsters in a variety of challenging situations. Students will be encouraged to ask a lot of questions, take risks, and work with their teammates to overcome the many challenges presented adventuring in Thunder Rift. Below is a proposed schedule - depending upon the progress of the adventurers, some sessions may be extended beyond the posted week so that students can complete the adventure module. New students can "drop-in" at any point and will be integrated into the present adventure. Please contact me for a character creation session prior to joining. 9 July - Sunday - FIRST CLASS- Session 0 - Introduction to the 'world's greatest role-playing game', introduction to the Thunder Rift setting, and character creation. ALL "Sessions" listed below many not be completed in one class due to the nature of exciting D&D play. We do not want to rush a student's enjoyment or imagination and if we spend the entire class exploring the village of Torlynn than that is perfectly okay and encouraged. 16 July - Sunday - THE QUEST FOR THE SILVER SWORD - Adventure Overview: In this module, a group of beginning adventurers sets out to help the small town of Torlynn. This village has mysteriously fallen under a dreadful curse - a curse that has locked the area in a terrifying state of perpetual winter. The burgomaster of Torlynn has discovered that the creature responsible is hiding in the ruins near Torlynn, but has been unable to do anything about it. Every he has sent to investigate has thus far failed to return. 23 July - Session 1 - Into the RIFT! The 'Call to Adventure' for our heroes as they begin the Quest for the Silver Sword. 30 July - Session 2 - Quest for the Silver Sword 13 August - Session 3 - Quest for the Silver Sword 20 August - THE KNIGHT OF THE NEWTS - Adventure Overview: For years, adventurers seeking the ultimate challenge have sought their fortunes in the Ruins of Kraal, deep in the Black Swamp. It is believed by many that great riches lie rotting in this keep, protected by vile men who are said to look like reptiles. Since no one has ever returned from any expedition to this brooding place to say otherwise, no one really knows. The player characters can now try their hand at cracking the legendary ruins of Kraal. August - Session 4 - The Knight of the Newts September - Session 5 - The Knight of the Newts September - Session 6 - The Knight of the Newts ASSAULT ON RAVEN'S RUIN - Adventure Overview: Years ago, a master thief called Raven retired near the small village of Kleine. he built an underground keep in the Burning Hills, using the labor of goblins that lived there. Raven drove the humanoids away after they completed the keep, and he settled in. About two years ago, Raven disappeared, and he is now presumed dead. Recently, the goblins returned to the keep, known now as Raven’s Ruin. They use it as a headquarters and have begun harassing travelers and raiding local farms. A daring raid took place just a few days ago, during which the goblins snuck into Kleine and sole a magical scepter that was used in court proceedings. The player characters are asked to go to Raven’s Ruin and retrieve the scepter, find out who or what is organizing the humanoids, and put an end to the raids. OCTOBER Session 7 - Assault on Raven's Ruin Session 8 - Assault on Raven's Ruin Session 9 - Assault on Raven's Ruin THE GOBLIN'S LAIR - "Red Hand Trail" - Adventure Overview: A young and ambitious goblin chieftain has led a small warband raiding out of the Burning Hills and into the settled lands of Thunder Rift. From a base in a cavern complex, the raiders have destroyed several isolated farms. The caverns have other inhabitants, as the goblins have discovered in the course of exploring, but they are content to secure an area for their own use and leave the rest. This means that the player characters will face other monsters as well as goblins when they enter the caves on their punitive expedition. NOVEMBER Session 10 - The Goblin's Lair "Red Hand Trail" Session 11 - The Goblin's Lair "Red Hand Trail" or "Trouble Below" THE GOBLIN'S LAIR - "Trouble Below" Adventure Overview: A goblin warband has found the secret tunnel which leads from the dwarven keep of Hearth-Home to the nearby hills. The tunnel is intended to be a means of escape if the keep ever falls to attackers, but now it has provided goblins with an easy way into the Underkeep. DECEMBER Session 12 - The Goblin's Lair "Trouble Below" Session 13 - The Goblin's Lair "Trouble Below" Session 14 - The Goblin's Lair "Trouble Below" or "Palace of Dread" THE GOBLIN'S LAIR - "Palace of Dread" - Agents for the mayor of Kleine have discovered the stronghold of the Red hand goblins deep within the Burning Hills. They have also discovered that the goblins are forming an alliance with local hobgoblin and bugbear tribes to sweep the humans out of Thunder Rift forever. DECEMBER & JANUARY Session 15 - The Goblin's Lair"Palace of Dread" Session 16 - The Goblin's Lair "Palace of Dread" Session of Thunder Rift (Phase One) Heroes of the RIFT DAY OTHER THUNDER RIFT MODULES ARE LISTED BELOW- Others "To Be Announced" in Late January 2021 FEBRUARY 2023 THE HAUNTED TOWER - Adventure Overview: Adventure Overview: Alurn, the Mayor of Melinir, and Enora, the High Cleric of Melinir, seek a group of brave and experienced adventurers to rout a band of undead. Settlers in the Great Grasslands bordering the Gloomfens are being attacked during the night by animated skeletons, zombies, and ghouls. The settlers have lost many of their stock animals and crops. Tragically, those who tried to defend their holdings have lost their lives or those of family members to the teeth and claws of these foul beings. The adventurers must travel deep into the Gloomfens to discover and eliminate this threat to the people of Melinir. MARCH 2023 SWORD AND SHIELD - Adventure Overview: The adventurers receive an invitation to a tournament at the Black Knight’s keep. The brave adventurers go with the intention of finding and rescuing an old woman from town who’s been captured by this mysterious warrior. When they arrive, the players will joust against six warriors in a spectacular medieval contest and participate in many other contests of martial skill. All this medieval military activity seems to be meant to keep them busy while the mystery deepens. ........and other exciting adventures in Thunder Rift to be announced plus a huge number of other D&D modules. Truly unlimited number of "Old School" D&D adventures we can explore. Your character should expect to proceed from Level 1 through.......well as high as you want to go! Your imagination is the limit!
Learning Goals
Students will learn how to get the most out of a D&D 5e character they created in Session Zero.
Students will explore a 'real' biome (i.e., woodlands, mountains, caverns, and swamps) in Thunder Rift. (vicariously learn about physical geography...bonus!)
Students will learn the value of preparation and planning for successful future encounters.
Students will experience opportunities to interact with NPCs, their teammates, and other creatures through role-playing their PC in this adventure. (work on interpersonal and communication skills....bonus!)
Students will gain confidence in their character's abilities through a series of challenging scenarios.
Students will understand the importance of teamwork and cooperation in problem-solving during the adventure.
Students will gain an understanding of a fantasy medieval/feudal setting through their role-playing interactions in the scenarios
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Students will experience the Three Pillars of Adventure: exploration, role-playing, and fantasy combat. Players will be advised to seek means other than conflict to solve problems in the most clever manner possible. The adventuring team will encounter beasts, monsters, and maleficent NPCs and must defend themselves and their teammates. All combat encounters will be designed to practice fighting and spell casting skills with monsters often choosing to flee to fight another day. Fantasy violence will be downplayed and descriptions of such will be superficial at best.
Supply List
On the Outschool platform, I will present a Powerpoint with landscapes, characters, monsters, and maps to assist with visualization. Students MUST have an account with Roll20 (free) prior to joining; this is the platform we use for our adventures. On Roll20 I can share my Player's Handbook, Monster Manual and other compendiums (the digital versions), yet I cannot share my Roll20 screen since that will give away the location of all the monsters and all the treasure. Students may wish to print out their character sheet and may perhaps want to make notes to record their skills or spells.
4 files available upon enrollment
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Joined September, 2020
5.0
362reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
3 Degrees
Master's Degree in History from American Military University
Bachelor's Degree in Education from University of Maine at Farmington
Bachelor's Degree in History from Acadia University (Nova Scotia, Canada)
As a certified Social Studies teacher with 30 years of experience and a huge fan of D&D, I am excited to share my enthusiasm and knowledge with Thunder Rift adventurers. My experience with Outschool D&D classes over the last year has been fantastic! It is really a blast!
For the past year, I have integrated D&D 5e with my Social Studies teaching, especially my on-line/remote teaching, and have found this effort very successful. Classes similar to the ones I have recently added Outschool soon (e.g., D&D Immersion: Beowulf).
As an AP World & European teacher with overseas GCSE/A-Level/I.B. History experience, I have immersed myself in Ancient, Medieval, and Modern History for the last thirty years. With a B.A. in History, a B.S. in Education, and an M.A. in Military History, I have a great deal of knowledge to subtly "sneak" into the fun and enjoyment of "the world's greatest role-playing game". Reviews
Live Group Class
$35
weekly1x per week
90 min
Completed by 13 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 12-17
3-8 learners per class
