THE EXPLORERS' GUILD

CAMPAIGN MANUAL
An Alternative 3rd-Party
Shared Campaign System for 5e D&D

By Derek Madson

Resurgēns:
m, f, n (genitive resurgentis); third declension
- rising from the dead, being resurrected

First Edition v1.0

Copyright © 2018 Solon Games Incorporated
INTRODUCTION: WHAT IS THE EXPLORERS' GUILD?
The Explorers' Guild (EG) is a 3rd party shared campaign for organized play
of 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons created using the Shared Campaign rules in
Appendix A of Xanathar's Guide to Everything (XGE).
Explorers' Guild games can be played anywhere, anytime, as long as the
Dungeon Master runs each session according to the rules laid out in this manual;
public, private, home, store-run, online or at conventions and other large gaming
events. Anywhere that you would normally play Dungeons & Dragons is fair
game for EG.
Explorers' Guild has been created by players, for players, and is expressly
designed as an alternative to the official Adventurers League (AL) shared
campaign administered by Wizards of the Coast. The possessive apostrophe
indicates that Explorers' Guild puts the needs of the players first. Our motto is
"RESURGENS," and our coat of arms features the phoenix, symbolizing the
rebirth of an alternative shared campaign. We believe that Adventurers League
has lost its way, as 4th edition lost its way. EG is our attempt to put organized
play back on the path where players want their fantasy role-playing to go.
In order to insure a fair and consistent experience for players and DMs alike,
all EG games must follow the same universally consistent set of rules. EG games
may only run officially published and approved adventures (Hardcover, DDEX,
DDAL, CCC, in-house adventures) and must be strictly conducted according to
the 5th edition rules as written (RAW). "Homebrew" or "house rule" modifications
are strictly forbidden.
A universally consistent set of rules allows players to use any EG "legal"
character at any EG "legal" game session, anywhere in the world. This
consistency insures a degree of fairness, and provides a solution to the real-
world barriers that life throws at us. It allows players to take their character to
different events with different DMs, and to miss campaign sessions with no
negative consequences. In The Explorers' Guild your busy life schedule is no
longer a barrier to playing D&D!

VERSION CONTROL
This is the First Edition v1.0 of The Explorers' Guild Campaign Manual. The
rules within are mandatory for all Explorers' Guild games while this manual is in
force. This manual is a work in progress, and will change, develop and receive
corrections over time and as the Guild grows. This version will cease to be in
force when a newer version is released, at which time the newer version will be
mandatory for all Explorers' Guild games.

A WORD ABOUT HOW WE GOT HERE: SEASON 8 & AL

The Explorers' Guild explicitly rejects the changes to Adventurers League
rules made for Season 8. Like the highly unpopular 4th Edition D&D rules, the
new changes take the game away from the core essence that makes fantasy role
playing great.
 Looting treasure hordes and finding magic items has been a cornerstone of
the high fantasy genre ever since Gandalf found Glamdring in the troll cave. The
Season 8 AL adoption of treasure points, treasure "salary" and advancement
check points system is specifically rejected as a fundamental repudiation of core
elements essential to fantasy role playing from the origin of the genre. A role-
playing game without XP, treasure chests or the looting of dragon hordes is a
sanitized experience that has been stripped of the core essence that makes the
game fun. It may be an elegant game design, but it is not what we are interested
in playing.

BENCHMARKING
EG uses existing season 7 AL rules as a general starting point for most things
and then seeks to improve upon them, much the same way that Pathfinder
rejected the 4th edition rules and continued to use and develop 3rd edition as an
alternative to the official "off the rails" direction the game was headed in.

FACTIONS
For the first 7 seasons of 5th edition D&D the 5 standard player factions of the
Forgotten Realms campaign setting have been integral to the play experience of
many characters and the stories they have told. To forcibly expunge such a
central story element does violence to the shared narrative that defines the role
playing experience. Under EG rules the factions will continue as they have
always done. See the FACTION RULES section below for details on how
factions will operate in EG (Hint: nothing much changes).

"PROBLEM" ITEMS
Many of the items on the AL "problem" list are not significantly overpowered,
while many other items that continue to be permitted in AL are far more game
breaking (I'm looking at you, Wand of Viscid Globs). We do not believe that
stripping items from players who have spent countless hours building their
character's story around legitimately acquired items is the right way to go. In EG
we will continue to permit legitimately acquired "problem" items under the same
rules as they have always operated under, with one exception: they may no
longer be traded.

PHB+1
Explorers' Guild is devoted to an organized play experience that seeks the
highest possible fidelity to the 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons rules as written,
as defined by Jeremy Crawford, the lead designer of 5th edition. The PHB+1
requirement is an example where Adventurers League introduced a non-RAW
"homebrew" modification to Jeremy Crawford's 5e rules canon. No reasonable
justification has been provided for limiting player choice and creativity within
organized play, when such a limit is absent from the wider 5e official JC-
approved canon. If it is good for Jeremy Crawford's 5e rules, then it is good for
organized play. EG has therefore decided to abolish the PHB+1 rule limitation

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and adhere to the full 5e cannon as defined by Jeremy Crawford, the only person
authorized to define what the 5e rules are.

JOINING THE GUILD

Explorers' Guild is open to anyone from anywhere provided they abide by the
rules contained in this document.

CHARACTER CREATION & PLAYER RESOURCES

EG characters may be created from scratch by starting at level 1, or by
cloning an existing AL character at any level. Characters may draw freely from
race, class, sub-class, backgrounds, deities, feats, spells and all other character
elements within any of the permitted 5e player resources, in accordance with the
listed rules in each resource. EG permits the same player resources as AL,
which currently consist of the following:

• Elemental Evil Player's Companion

• Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide
• Volo's Guide to Monsters (including Aarakocra)
• Xanathar's Guide to Everything (including the Tortle Package)
• Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
Players may also draw from the following options without limit:
• Variant Human Traits
• Half-Elf and Tiefling Variants (including winged varieties)
• Option: Human Languages
• Blessing of Corellon

(NOTE: As a direct consequence of the abolishment of PHB+1, players will be

permitted to create or rebuild characters with previously disallowed combinations
of race/class/subclass/spells or other PC elements. This also permits races with
a fly speed at level 1 in EG play. The DM's Guide and Unearthed Arcana are still
notably absent from the list--this will not change.)

RUNNING EG ADVENTURES
EG sanctioned games must have at least one DM and must have between
three and seven players, inclusive. Games that have fewer than 3 or more than 7
players are not permitted in EG play. Such tables, if they occur, become non-
sanctioned "homebrew" games and may not affect EG characters in any way--
think of them as being a "dream" that the character wakes up from at the end of
the session.
DMs in EG may only run officially published and approved adventures,
positively no "homebrew" adventures are allowed. Permitted EG adventures are
drawn from a large stockpile of pre-existing publications that include the
following:
• Official Wizards of the Coast D&D 5th Edition Hardcover "seasonal"
Campaign Adventures, including the Starter Set.

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 • Any DDEX/DDAL/CCC modules available from the DMs Guild website that
are approved for AL play are also approved for EG play.
• Proprietary Explorers' Guild adventures available on DMs Guild or through
our website (coming soon)!

WWJCD?
Jeremy Crawford is designated by Wizards of the Coast as the lead designer
of 5th Edition D&D, and as such he is the sole authority on what constitutes the
official 5th edition rules. EG games must strictly follow his rulings on what
constitutes 5th Edition D&D.
Official rulings are compiled within the most recent version of the Sage Advice
Compendium, which shall be binding on all EG sanctioned games. Positively no
"homebrew" rules that conflict with 5th edition Rules As Written (RAW) shall be
permitted in EG sanctioned games.
EG Administration may rarely override a specific rule or JC ruling. This is
done sparingly and will be motivated by differences that are inherent to organized
play as compared to the wider D&D community. Where EG Administration rulings
conflict with official Jeremy Crawford rulings, the EG Administration rulings shall
override and supersede the wider cannon rulings for that specific case only.

OPTIONAL RULES
The following Variant Rules are permitted in EG play.
Player's Handbook:
• Variant: Customizing Ability Scores
• Variant Human Traits
• Variant: Playing on a Grid
• Variant: Skills with Different Abilities
Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide:
• Half-Elf Variants
• Optional: Human Languages

LOG SHEETS
All EG "legal" characters must maintain an accurate and up-to-date log sheet
at all times. An EG character may use any format of log sheet they wish,
provided that the log sheet tracks the following information for each play session:
Experience Points (XP), Gold (GP), Downtime (DT), Renown and Permanent
Magic Item Count (MIC). For each above listed category the log sheet must track
the total at the start of the session, the amount gained during the session, and
the total after the session.
Each play session must also list the adventure name or module number, the
session number (if multi-session adventure), the date, the DM's name (and the
DM's DCI if they have one) and a final section for recording general notes, where
things like story awards, copying spells, magic items acquired, trades, downtime
activities and other details are recorded for that session.

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CHARACTER CREATION
New characters must start at level one. Follow the Player's Handbook chapter
1 rules for character creation. Ability scores may not be rolled randomly, they
must use the 27-point-buy Variant: Customizing Ability Scores in the PHB.

ALIGNMENT & WHEATON'S LAW

D&D is a cooperative game. The Code of Ethics in EG prohibits any form of
player-vs-player conflict (PvP) and requires that all play be conducive to the
enjoyment of others. For this reason EG players may choose any alignment other
than Chaotic Evil or Neutral Evil.
Lawful Evil is permitted, but such characters must cooperate with other party
members and may not work to undermine or interfere with the efforts of individual
party members or the party as a whole. Players are warned that Wheaton's Law
(Google it!) is in full effect within EG play. "But my character would..." is never a
valid excuse for the violation of Wheaton's Law or the Code of Ethics. DMs and
organizers can and should take firm action when such behaviour arises.
Characters may change their alignment at any time. There is no faction
requirement for Lawful Evil alignment in EG play.

BACKGROUND & LIFESTYLE

A character may choose any background from any permitted resource, or
may customize the background per the rules listed in the PHB. You can change
your lifestyle freely unless some character feature restricts your lifestyle choice.
Custom backgrounds are permitted according to the rules listed in the PHB.
Custom background features are not permitted.

EQUIPMENT & TREASURE

Starting gold and starting equipment is determined by your class and
background choice. Non-magical mundane equipment may be sold at 50% list
price using the rules in the PHB. All equipment in the PHB may be purchased as
normal between sessions. In-game purchases are at the discretion of the DM
depending on the circumstances of the adventure.
Some spell scrolls and potions may be purchased using the Buying and
Selling rules in Appendix A, p.174 of Xanathar's Guide to Everything. Spell
scrolls purchased this way may only be for spells the character can already cast.
Permanent or consumable magic items found during an adventure may be
kept if and only if they are listed in the Treasure section of the encounter or
included in a defeated monster's stat block. Permanent or consumable magic
items may never be sold for gold unless the transaction is conducted in-game as
part of the adventure under the DMs guidance.

DEITIES
Any character may choose to worship a deity, but only clerics are required to.
Clerics must choose a domain from those listed among the portfolio for their

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deity. Any deity listed in the PHB or other approved resource may be chosen for
worship, regardless of pantheon or campaign setting. If no domains are listed for
a particular deity then only the Life domain is permitted.

CONSUMABLE MAGIC
Consumable magic items (potions, scrolls, and magical ammunition) may not
be sold or traded, although a character may "lend" or "give" a consumable item to
another character in-game. Any unused "borrowed" items automatically revert
back to the original owner at the end of the session.

REWARD DISTRIBUTION
Experience Points (XP) are awarded for every encounter that the party
successfully defeats. This need not require combat. It is up to the DM to
determine if the party has defeated an encounter, depending on the goals of the
mission and how the outcome played out. This may included killing monsters, or
it may include diplomacy, stealth, skill checks, role-play or other criteria.
XP is ordinarily awarded at the end of the play session. The DM totals the
entire amount of XP gained and divides it evenly among all players. If a player
character arrives late or leaves early from a session then that character is only
included in the calculations for the XP they were present for.
All forms of mundane non-magical treasure (coins, gems, jewelry, art,
mundane items listed in the Treasure section, etc.) are converted into gold (gp)
at the end of the session and distributed evenly to all party members present.
Only party members present (and alive!) at the end of the session are entitled to
a share of the treasure.
Consumable magic items (scrolls, potions, magical ammunition) should be
divided equitably among the party members at the end of each session according
to mutual agreement. If the party members cannot agree then the DM should
award the items based on a reasonably equitable distribution. Party members not
present at the end of the session forfeit their share of consumable magic items.
Permanent magic items are any magic items that are not potions, scrolls or
ammunition. They are awarded at the end of the session, and only those player
characters present (and living!) at the end of the session are entitled to receive
permanent items. For each permanent magic item to be awarded follow this
formula:
• If all party members can agree on who receives a particular item, then that
character receives the item regardless of other considerations..
• If more than one player character lays claim to a permanent magic item
then the character with the fewest permanent magic items recorded on the
log sheet Magic Item Count (MIC) is awarded the item.
• if more than one player character laying claim to a permanent magic item
is tied for the lowest MIC then those characters randomly roll off under the
DM's supervision to determine who is awarded the item.

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 Permanent and consumable magic items must be claimed by a character
present at the end of a session. Those that are not simply dissolve back into the
Weave and vanish from play.
Downtime and renown is awarded at the end of the session according to the
listed amount in the module played, or in the case where no amount is listed
(such as for Hardcover adventures) then five downtime is awarded to every
character for each two-hour block in the play session, rounded up. One renown is
awarded to every character with a faction at the completion of the session,
regardless of length, unless otherwise specified.

FACTION RULES
Choosing a faction is optional but permitted in EG. The Faction Agent
background is not required. Factions operate within the Explorers' Guild
according to the Season 7 DDAL Faction Guide. In EG there are no faction
requirements for particular alignments or races. Any race or alignment may
choose membership in any faction.

CLONING EXISTING AL CHARACTERS INTO EG

Any pre-existing Adventurers League character of any level may be instantly
cloned to The Explorers' Guild through the following simple process.
Make a duplicate copy of all character documents, including log sheets, spell
lists, certs and any others. This can involve writing out all the character details
onto a duplicate sheets, or it could be as simple as photocopying or taking
photos of the documents on your smart phone. All that matters is that the
information is captured and stored in a sufficient resolution to be clearly legible.
One copy is marked or filed "original AL" and remains untouched as a sort of
backup of the AL character. The other copy is marked "EG clone" and can be
played in EG game sessions from that moment onwards as if the character's
double just stepped into a parallel EG universe. The original copy is put aside
and kept as an archive of the original AL legal character. Both characters can
continue to exist and be played, one in the AL universe under AL rules and the
other in the EG universe using EG rules. Over time the two copies may diverge
substantially if you continue to play in both the AL and EG parallel universes.
Cloned AL characters may retain everything, including loot, factions and
legitimately acquired "problem" items banned under the season 8 rules. You can
keep your loved character and continue to develop their story the same as
always under EG rules. If for some reason you want to play AL rules (at a
convention, perhaps) you can do that too, simply by breaking out the "AL
original" version and playing that under the new AL regime.
A pre-existing AL character may only be cloned once, and obviously the
cloning process is a one way trip from AL >> EG but never EG >> AL. If the EG
character dies or is changed it can never revert back to the AL version. Think of
the cloning as a birth into a new parallel universe that is instant and singularly
permanent for that character. Once cloned the new clone must make their way in
the parallel universe the same as any other character in AL or EG.

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CONVERTING EXISTING AL GAMES INTO EG
The system of character cloning will permit entire parties, tables, groups or
clubs to transition from AL to EG at the drop of a hat, while leaving your AL
characters unaffected for potential future AL play. A DM that wants to convert
their table simply has to have each player at their table make a duplicate EG
clone of their character using the method above.

REBUILDING
Tier 1 characters may, as always, rebuild without limitation.
Because EG has abolished PHB+1 all Tier 2+ characters that are cloned from
AL will be permitted 1 rebuild anytime prior to the character starting their third
session in EG. Once the character begins their third session in EG without
rebuilding they will no longer have access to this feature.
When rebuilding a character you may change anything except their name. A
rebuilt character retains all the loot, possessions, XP, downtime, faction renown,
gear, story awards, secret missions or other attributes they have accumulated
along the way. If the faction changes then their renown and secret mission count
returns to zero.
Starting gold and equipment must be swapped if you change your
background and/or your first level character class.

CHARACTER ADVANCEMENT
Feats and multi-classing are fully permitted in EG. When a character gains a
level they must take the fixed average hit points listed for the character class of
the new level. You may never roll your hit points randomly in EG.

CHARACTER DEATH
Character death in EG is generally just a bump in the road, not a permanent
condition. Unless otherwise specified in an adventure's documentation, a
character's body is always deemed to have been recovered by
friends/allies/family/faction members for the purposes of being raised from the
dead. When a character dies in EG play that player has several options:
• PARTY MAGIC: Another member of the party may use their abilities or
resources to cast revivify, raise dead, or other similar life-restoring magic
in game using the usual rules.
• RESURGENS! Stay dead and create a new level 1 character. While the
least popular option, it does remain an option. A new character is
completely new and retains nothing whatsoever from the dead character.
• PAY FOR A RAISE: The player can have the party take their character's
body to an NPC spell caster and spend the character's gold to pay the
1,250 gp casting cost of a Raise Dead spell. Alternatively, some or all of
the other party members may choose to share in splitting the cost of the
Raise Dead through deductions from their portion of the treasure for that
session. A raised character still receives their share of the rewards at the
end of a session, so long as they are alive.

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 • FACTION CHARITY: Tier 1 characters (levels 1-4) who are members of a
faction have the option to receive a free Raise Dead casting from an NPC
loyal to their faction if they do not have the resources to cover the cost
themselves. Characters that take faction charity must forfeit *ALL* rewards
for the entire session, including XP, treasure, downtime and renown. The
party still calculates rewards as though the dead character were included,
but the character's share is considered to have gone to the faction as
payment/penalty for being so careless!

DEFAULT SPELL SERVICES

The following spell services can be purchased from an NPC anytime between
sessions, or in-game during a session when the characters are present at a
settlement of town size or larger. Additional magical services may be available in-
game at the discretion of the DM and the adventure involved. NPC spell casters
never make "dungeon calls." Dead bodies are always considered to have been
recovered in EG play unless the encounter in question specifically states
otherwise.

DEFAULT SPELL CASTING SERVICES:

Cure Wounds (1st Level): 10 gp +1 Downtime Day
Identify: 20 gp +1 Downtime Day
Lesser Restoration: 40 gp +1 Downtime Day
Prayer of Healing (2nd Level): 40 gp +1 Downtime Day
Dispel Magic: 90 gp +1 Downtime Day
Remove Curse: 90 gp +1 Downtime Day
Speak with Dead: 90 gp +1 Downtime Day
Divination: 210 gp +1 Downtime Day
Greater Restoration: 450 gp +1 Downtime Day
Raise Dead: 1,250 gp +1 Downtime Day
Resurrection: 3,000 gp +150 Downtime Days
True Resurrection: 50,000 gp +350 Downtime Days

The downtime cost for Resurrection and True Resurrection can be reduced
by 50 DT for each faction rank above 1 that the purchasing character possesses.
The minimum DT for any Spell Casting Service is 1 day.

COPYING SPELLS
Wizards in EG must spend downtime days to copy spells into their spell book,
as per the "Your Spellbook" sidebar on p.114 of the PHB and the "Spell Scroll"
entry p.200 of the DMG.
One downtime day allows up to 8 hours of copy time into their spell book.
Wizards in the same party can simultaneously engage in this downtime activity to
effectively trade spells. This downtime activity must be conducted during play
with DM supervision since rolls may be required and failure is a possibility.

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TRADING
Permanent non-unique magic items of Common, Uncommon, Rare, Very
Rare and Legendary categories may be traded between characters. Trades must
be one item for one item of the same rarity. Each participant must spend 15
downtime for each transaction, unless both characters are participating as
players in the same adventure at the time of the trade, in which there is no
downtime cost.
When trading each participant must record the details of the trade on their
character log sheet, including the name of the items involved, the name of the
player (and that player's DCI number if they have one), the character they are
trading to, and any specific variable details about the item that may be relevant.
Items that do not have a published rarity are considered Unique and may not
be traded. The DMG or adventure documentation define the item rarity and other
attributes.

CATCHING UP
Because characters may come and go from session to session it is common
that regular players participating in a common player group may level their
characters at somewhat different rates. Because of the hard divide between tiers
it is possible that players in the same play group may experience a situation
where some of the characters in their group level into the next higher tier while
others do not. This can have the effect of splitting up a play group, which does
not serve the larger goal of having fun and can be a general drag. To fix this
situation the lagging characters are permitted to jump the last level of a tier in
order to "catch up" to the next higher tier by spending an amount of downtime
commensurate with the level they are skipping:
DOWNTIME COST
4th-5th: 20 days
10th-11th: 100 days
16th-17th: 300 days
While intended to fix the above-described problem, this downtime activity is
permitted for any character currently at 4th, 10th, or 16th level. After spending
the downtime required, the character gains XP precisely necessary to put them
at the start of the next higher level.

PLANE SHIFTED CHARACTERS

EG characters that find themselves the victim of Plane Shift or similar magic,
or otherwise find themselves adrift on a plane other than where they wish to be
may spend 50 downtime days to wander their way through the planes until they
are able to find their way home. Characters without sufficient downtime are
considered "lost" until such time as they can acquire sufficient downtime (through
DM rewards or other means.) Characters without sufficient downtime, unable to
acquire more downtime, and without other options, are considered "retired" from
EG play.

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CHARACTER PORTABILITY
Characters may play in any legal EG play session provided the DM running
the session and the character in question both adhere to the EG rules contained
in this manual, and further provided their character meets the level range
requirement of the adventure in question. Characters may move back and forth
between campaign settings (Forgotten Realms, Eberron, Barovia, etc.) at will
without penalty.
Characters that enter play into a hard cover adventure for the first time must
be within the required level range of the hardcover. Characters playing in an
ongoing multi-session hardcover campaign that level beyond the maximum level
range may continue to play within that campaign provide the character does not
play a session outside of that hardcover adventure. If a character plays a session
outside of a hardcover adventure and levels beyond the maximum level cap of
the hardcover then that character is not permitted to return to the hardcover
campaign in question.
Characters that participate in ongoing multi-session adventures may only be
permitted a long rest between sessions if the DM allows. If the DM does not
permit a long rest between sessions then each character must record their level
or resource depletion (spell slots, hit points, hit dice, etc.) and the character must
return to that state at the start of the next continuing session. If the character
levels without the benefit of a short rest they may add the immediate benefits of
leveling without restoring depleted resources.

TIERS & PERMITTED LEVEL RANGES

EG adventures can be divided into two categories: modules and hard cover
campaigns.
Hard cover campaigns are "seasonal" adventures produced by Wizards of the
Coast for 5e play. Modules are produced by third parties, are typically published
on the DM's Guild website, and at the moment all have the DDEX/DDAL/CCC
designations. In the future EG will be offering their own in-house modules to add
to the list of permitted adventures available to be run by EG DMs.
Hard cover adventures, including the Starter Kit, each have their own
individual associated level range. EG characters must be within the proscribed
level range to start playing the designated hard cover adventure. Characters may
Modules follow a four-tier structure:
Tier I: levels 1-4
Tier II: levels 5-10
Tier III: levels 11-16
Tier IV: levels 17-20
Characters *MUST* be of a level within the permitted level range to
participate in a given adventure. This is mandatory and inflexible for those
adventures that have a Tier requirement.
Most hardcover adventures published by Wizards of the Coast substitute a
Tier requirement for a custom level range. In this case only may characters of
different tiers potentially adventure together in the same party, but care must be
taken or under-level characters may be ineffectual and vulnerable to unbalance

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lethal challenges, while over-leveled characters may make unfairly make other
characters ineffective and/or make reduce the challenge level to the point of
making the encounters boring.

DM REWARDS & QUESTS

All AL previous season DM Quests are valid and honored in EG play. Basic
DM Rewards in EG are based on Average Party Level (APL). For each hour of
play DMs receive XP equal to the amount listed in the following chart, cross-
referenced by the party APL. If the party APL is not known the amount of
XP/hour will be according to the listed default for the Tier of play.

Average Party Level (APL): XP/Hour

TIER 1 1 50
2 75
3 100 *
4 150
TIER 2 5 225
6 250
7 325
8 375 *
9 475
10 575
TIER 3 11 650
12 725
13 800 *
14 925
15 1125
16 1250
TIER 4 17 1550
18 1675
19 1875 *
20 2500
* TIER Default

DMs also receive gp equal to half the amount of XP from the above chart, as
well as the same amount of downtime as their players.

MISCELLANEOUS
Adventurers League modules with the DDEX/DDAL/CCC designations are
subject to Adventurers League FAQ and Errata rulings when being played in EG
sessions.

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 The Season 7 DDAL FAQ document is binding on EG play until further notice.
Where the DDAL Season 7 FAQ conflicts with this document (EGCM) then this
document shall take precedence.
No pre-casting or long rests are permitted before an adventure starts.

LIST OF EG BANNED/RETIREMENT ITEMS

The following items lead to the retirement of any character that retains them
in their possession.
• Wand of Orcus
• Wyrmskull Throne
• Blackrazor
• Wave
• Whelm
• Ring of Winter
• Bookmark

"PROBLEM" ITEMS
These items may continue in EG play as they have always done, but have
specific modifications under EG play.
• Dawnbringer: Can't be traded.
• Deck of Many Things: Can't be traded. Can't be introduced into play any
more. Any character who drew a card, retroactively, must add 1 to their
permanent magic item count.
• Drown: Can't be traded.
• Giant-Sized Staff of Power (SKT): Can't be traded.
• Hazirawn: Can't be traded.
• Holy Symbol of Ravenkind: Can't be traded.
• Icon of Ravenloft: Can't be traded.
• Ironfang: Can't be traded.
• Lost Crown of Besilmer: Can't be traded.
• Mask of the Dragon Queen (complete or partial): Can't be traded.
• Mithral splintmail +1: Can't be traded.
• Shatterspike: may not destroy magic items.
• Shield Guardian (and amulet): Can't be traded.
• Slaad Control Gem (any): Can't be traded.
• Spell gems (all levels): Can't be traded.
• Staff of the Forgotten One: Can't be traded.
• Sunsword: Can't be traded.
• Tinderstrike: Can't be traded.
• Waythe: Can't be traded.
• Windvane: Can't be traded.

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CODE OF CONDUCT

Explorers' Guild Prime Directive:

Fun is the overriding first principle. All participants in Explorers' Guild events
must conduct themselves in a manner that is conducive to the enjoyment of other
participants.

Principles:
- Fairness under the rules should guide each and every DM decision: DMs
and players must strictly follow 5th Edition rules at all times.
- House rules/home-brew is strictly forbidden. We are here to play RAW 5e
D&D. DMs are not D&D game designers and are not qualified, entitled or
empowered to make balanced changes to the game.
- DM adjudication only applies in situations where the rules are ambiguous.
Where a clear rule exists, a DM may never contravene that rule. Many rules
explicitly invoke DM adjudication, in which case the DM decision is final.
- The 5e rules are complex and not always clearly explained. DMs and
players should always be learning and welcome rule clarifications from players or
others.
- If a DM ruling is found to be in error (in contravention of a clear 5e rule and
not merely a case of DM adjudication) then the DM should seek to correct the
situation with the minimum change possible. Often it is sufficient to acknowledge
the mistake and state how the rule will be implemented in the future. Mistakes
are bound to happen, both players and DMs should accept them and use them
as tools to better hone the mutual knowledge of the complex 5e rule set.
- Rule disagreements should never interrupt play. If disagreements threaten
to halt play then the DM should make their best judgment at the time and keep
play moving along. Later investigation can resolve the question and take
corrective action if necessary.
- Event organizers have the right to remove disruptive players from an
event/premises and ban them from the group or future events.
- Explorers' Guild Administration shall be the final authority on EG regulations
or rule questions.
- Jeremy Crawford shall be the definitive authority on what constitutes official
5e rules. Where EG Admin and Jeremy Crawford contradict each other, EG
Admin shall be the final authority.
- Organized play in EG and elsewhere is based completely on the honour
system. Rule-breaking undermines the entire system and represents an
existential threat to the continued viability of organized play as a whole. For this
reason all players, DMs and organizers should be vigilant to follow the rules.
Where rule-breaking and or deliberate cheating are suspected, those involved
should be dealt with delicately but swiftly. Warnings should be given at first, but
repeat violations can and should result in expulsion from EG organized play.

Player Policy:
- D&D is a cooperative game. Voluntary or deliberate player vs. player conflict
(PvP) is strictly forbidden. Players may not seek to undermine or interfere with

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the efforts of individual party members or the party as a whole. Violators will be
warned, and if the behaviour continues will be banned from participation. See the
EG Prime Directive above.
- players are free and encouraged to correct DM rule errors if and only if they
are able to quote an official rule source that contradicts the DM ruling, and only if
correcting the error does not significantly slowdown play. In the interests of
keeping play moving along the DM ruling will be final.

DM Policy:
- The purpose of a D&D session is fun, collaborative story-telling. DMs play
with--not against--the players.
- DMs have the right to remove disruptive players from their game.
- Previous editions of D&D fostered an attitude that DMs were gods and
dictators, changing the game and even the rules at will by DM fiat. This
sometimes created an attitude that DMs played against the players, not with the
players. This attitude is strictly forbidden in EG.
- DMs must maintain a positive, supportive and fun relationship with all
players at all times. Under no circumstances are DMs permitted to cultivate an
adversarial relationship with players.
- DMs should approach the job as guides and teachers who help shape and
craft the collaboration with the players, not as a tool to massage their ego.

JOIN THE EXPLORERS' GUILD

To join the Explorers' Guild please visit our Facebook group by searching for
us there or following the links below:

https://bit.ly/2Nwj0nv

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