Smoke and Steel: The Red Reckoning

Mini campaign
System: DnD 5.5 (2024 rules edition; DND-OGL) with Homebrew rules: Morea campaign rules, Aptitude rules
Theme: Steampunk
Tone: Gritty but poetic.
Conflict: Class struggle and inequality
Sessions: Estimated 8 to 12 sessions.
Number of player(s): 3 to 6 players
Level: 5
Alignment: non-Lawful
Starting equipment: A set of clothing, non-magical weapon (can be a snaplock pistol or snaplock musket), shield, (military uniform, studded leather, breastplate, splint) armor, standard pack, one Uncommon item, 80 gp)
Character options: All species, all classes (custom steampunk classes available on demand) and backgrounds available in the Free rules/Player's Handbook 2024 including the species listed in the Playable Species section. Backgrounds can be customized (take any Origin feat, Ability Score Improvement, 2 skills and (2 tools or 2 languages or 1 language and 1 tool). Custom backgrounds are subject to review and you may be asked to alter parts by the DM.
Attribute Scores: Standard array or Point Buy; additionally you can trade 2 points of one Ability Score to buy 1 point in another, only once!
Hit Points: Average fixed

World background information: Welcome to Morea - an introduction
DNDBeyond character creation: https://www.dndbeyond.com/campaigns/join/68049713008929369
WorldAnvil (character sheet, journals, notes and inventory): WorldAnvil Heroes - Character management
Character Creation Questionnaire: Character Questionnaire

Description

War has broken out with the Kingdom of Theresia, and the poor are bearing the brunt of it. They are being drafted into the army and snatched up by greedy army recruiters. The Emperor has declared a tax to fund the war, doubling the grain tax and driving the poor and hungry even further into despair. Meanwhile, policemen roam the streets with debt collectors, extorting what little the people have left or dragging them off to prison.

Lysandra has called upon all the Red Fists to meet her in the Rookery in an abandoned building for an emergency conference!
 

Important Characters

Allies

Lysandra, The Red Fury
Lysandra’s father died in a preventable mine collapse orchestrated by a greedy Noble, and when the courts refused justice, she executed a corrupt magistrate and exposed his crimes—starting the Red Fist organisation.

Now, she and her right hand Tiberius Thorne wage a shadow war, blackmailing officials and arming labor unions to dismantle the Empire’s rot from within.

Her revolution blurs the line between justice and vengeance, forcing the question: Can a system built on blood be reformed, or must it all burn down?

Tiberius Thorne, The Old Captain
Once a decorated Imperial officer, Tiberius Thorne deserted after witnessing the Empire’s atrocities—from the burning of Elven villages to the plunder of the Green Island—leaving his rank behind in disgust.

Years later, hardened by war and working as a mercenary, he joined Lysandra after hearing her fury echo his own, becoming her strategic counterbalance.

Now the mastermind of the Red Fists, he channels his military brilliance into dismantling the Empire he once served, one blackmailed official at a time.

Victra, Lysandra's Knife in the Dark
Abandoned as a foundling and raised in a temple, Victra found her true home on the brutal streets of the Rookery. Rising through the ranks of a gang, she seized leadership by slaying her predecessor in a duel, turning the group into a bloodthirsty force that drew the attention of the Constables. Betrayed and left for dead in an ambush, she alone survived—now consumed by a vow to slaughter every Constable she can find.

Rescued by the Red Fist, Victra was molded into a deadly agent under Lysandra’s guidance, her rage honed into precision. Armed with knives, gadgets, and a ruthless will, she strikes from the shadows, a ghost of vengeance and a blade in the dark. To the Constables, she is a nightmare; to the Red Fist, she is Lysandra's Knife.

Neutral

Theodosius Rasmuran (a.k.a. The Professor)
He grew up in a rich household living in a huge mansion in the Spire Heights. As a young child he has shown his genius speaking 3 languages before he was 5, taking apart new technological gizmos and writing thesis for the scientific journal of the Society of Innovation.
He attended the university at a young age and completed it with full honors.
Later he listened to the speeches of Lysandra and agreed that something revolutionary must be done to change society for a better. He met with her and explained that all people must be freed and the market place should be open for everyone, no matter their class or species.

Shanna Ymea, Little Green
A Half-Elven woman who works as a journalist for the The Truthseeker. She roams the streets, bars and markets looking for news, gossip and scoops to be printed in the newspaper. Her cheery attitude makes it easy for her to extract information from the locals.
She has taken an interest in the Red Fist organisation and is investigating them for a story. Trying to get an interview with the leader Lysandra and finding out the ultimate goals of this upstart organisation. Recently she heard of a group of heroes working for the Red Fist and interested in finding more about them.
She comes from a Half-Elven family from the south of the Empire and has Wood Elven blood.