In the lives of common folk becoming afflicted with a disease poses as great a threat as monsters or magic. Pestilence can ravage a population directly or it can destroy crops, sicken livestock, and foul sources of drinking water, leaving famine and political turmoil in its wake. A settlement in the grips of a plague might develop oppressive customs that last long after the outbreak has passed, and ghouls and other terrors often take advantage of the hardships diseases bring.

Whether the party spends the night cavorting in the tavern, forging ahead through a furious storm, or subduing a camp of bandits they are having encounters. Each game session should be a mixture of three basic kinds of roleplaying that represent the pillars of Level Up: exploration encounters, social encounters, and of course combat encounters. 

Roleplaying games provide a chance at escapism, an outlet for creativity, and a unique opportunity for collaboration. They are also, however, often largely improvisational. Because of this players can be exposed to potentially upsetting or distressing scenarios. Safety tools give groups an easy way to cut these scenarios short or even avoid them all together.

The world is vaster than anyone could explore in a lifetime with mysterious corners that promise wonder and peril, yet there are other dimensions far stranger and deadlier, called planes. Many claim to have read the truths of those other realms in books or learned them from religious dogma, or even boast that they’ve visited in person. Their accounts may not be trustworthy, but they all tell of places that pose unique challenges and offer rewards unlike anything one could find at home.