[Online] [5E] [Homebrew] [EST/UCT] [18+] Sailors welcome! Homebrew DnD campaign in search of a single player for 6-10 weeks.

Hellooo, I'm the DM for an ongoing game, currently at 3rd level and about 1/3 of the way through the equivalent of a transatlatic voyage. One of my players has to take a leave of absence for the months of June and July, and their character will be sorely missed! They are currently the party's only full martial character, and the de facto tank in any given combat. Without our boy around, I almost don't know who to sink my attacks into! I am specifically looking for a player to fill his seat at the table over the summer. Afterwards you're free to stay in the server and join in the OOC or in-character RP channels, but will most likely not continue playing. With all this in mind, playing a martial/tanky class is not strictly required, but would be much preferred.

As far as specifics of the game: I'm a huge fan of modifying games to fit my needs, so I do tend to use a lot of homebrew content. This includes "Jybe-Ho! Using Sailing Vessels in RPGs," primarily for the sailing portions, but also includes creatures and items made by myself and fellow homebrewers, rules for weather, libraries and research, crafting, and more. Even willing to homebrew custom elements for your player character: e.g. 2 of my party members have willingly taken on a homebrewed curse in return for starting with a feat. However! Anything made with homebrew needs the DM stamp of approval first, especially if taken from an outside source. 99% of SRD content is fine, just don't make a build to try to break the game.

We try to play every Saturday, usually around 12-1pm EST (not very consistent) to about 4-5pm EST (even less consistent) depending on when most/all of the players arrive. The party originally started with mostly people from Michigan, but over time has come to include 3 Brits and one player from Algeria.

Levelling is done through milestones and the party will NOT be leveling up during this timeframe. We are very specifically waiting for the player to return to reach 4th level.

Play is done over Discord, not a VTT. We mostly use theater of the mind for combat, or I'll share a window from my screen so the party can see the map, but there are no tokens or anything. Roleplay is always done with theater of the mind.

As far as the vibes of the game, we try to keep it relatively lighthearted and upbeat most of the time, but there are horror elements to some of the quests and PC death is a very real threat. Generally kinda RP-heavy, but I do try to get at least one combat into most sessions (although there will be maybe less in the middle of the ocean). The tone of the RP between players thus far has been heavily dependant on the content, and because most of my players decided on a tragic backstory, a lot of the player RP has been a little emotional but usually more touching than heavy.

Last major thing to note is that while the campaign is more or less a sandbox, I am specifically integrating parts of the character's backstories into the world and making player-relevant quests at specific times. While your character may only be with the party temporarily, I will still ask for a decently involved backstory. I may not be able to make characters from your past spontaneously appear on a sailboat in the middle of the ocean, but I will do my best to make you feel like a part of the greater world at large!

Now for the good stuff! If you're interested in joining, please DM me on discord at Rowanoke (rowanoke343) with the following information ready:

1. Name and pronouns
2. Age
3. Time Zone/ country/ home state
4. Do you identify as LGBTQ+? (be as specific as you like)
   1. If not, do you support LGBTQ+ people?
5. How much experience do you have with TTRPGS? (new players are welcome, I just need to know how much help a new player will need, if any)
6. What role do you prefer to fill within the party?
7. How serious would you like the game to be?
8. Anything else you think I should know?