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Image by Cool Boy Shane
(Wed) Curse of Strahd - The Complete Adventure
Lost in strange mists, you emerge into a gloomy land. Joined by others, you search for answers, power, or an escape from the dark lord of Barovia.
$60.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Thursday - 1:00 AM UTC
Dec 18 / Session 87
Session Duration / 3–3.5 hours
Campaign Length / 65–85 Sessions
6 / 6 Seats Filled
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Schedule
About the adventure
"Mists have mysteriously appeared... and a small number of adventurers have each become lost within them. They emerge to find themselves trapped together in the dreary, gray mountain valley of Barovia... with no clear way back home. Worst of all, something about Barovia feels... wrong. The mostly human populace appear listless and crestfallen, or worse - unhinged and violent; darkness blankets every corner of the valley, its deep shadows hiding evils long forgotten; nightmares plague those that hope for restful slumber; and overlooking this awful land is a dark, imposing castle said to be home to "the devil". Can these adventurers brave the terrors of this hostile domain and find some means of escape? Or will they succumb to the many horrors that exist within?" Hello, friends! My name is Cool Boy Shane! ✌😎 I'm an artist, music producer, long-time nerd, and I specialize in running 🦇Curse of Strahd🧛♂️! Curse of Strahd is the beloved retelling of "Ravenloft", the classic gothic-horror adventure module from AD&D, adapted for 5th edition and expanded into a full campaign! I've played and DMed it numerous times, and I've loved it every time. This adventure inspired me to get into animation and music, and to tell the story of my first time playing it on Youtube. Since then, I've dived headlong into the setting of Ravenloft, reading and studying the original material from older editions for personal enjoyment. After much trial and error, I've ironed out many of the mechanical and story wrinkles from the original book. I've also incorporated more material that helps enrich the world of Barovia for players, both from the older books and from the experiences of myself and other DMs. To clarify - this adventure is what's in the 5e book AND MORE! The complete experience! It's only missing one thing... a motley crew of one-of-a-kind protagonists to star in this story! What to Expect: 〰 👥 4 - 6 players 〰 💪 Level 2 to 10 〰 ⏱ 3 hour sessions 〰 🔟 Session 0 is only $10 〰 🎲 Roll20 and 🎮 Discord (microphone required, camera optional) 〰 👨🎨 I will HAND-DRAW your character tokens! 〰 🎨 High quality custom art assets! 〰 🎶 MUSIC sets the mood during game! 〰 🗣 Story/Roleplay Focused 〰 ⚠ Lethal Encounters 〰 🔞 Mature Themes (CW: consent, abuse, violence towards minors and animals, unfair treatment of minorities)
Game style
Theater of the Mind
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(9)
3 years on StartPlaying
212 games hosted
Highly rated for: Sets the Mood, Visual Aid, Voices
About me
Hello fellow nerds!!! I'm Cool Boy Shane! ✌😎 I'm an artist, animator, and music producer with a decade of experience playing and DMing 5e D&D! I specialize in running a particular adventure: 🧛♂️CURSE OF STRAHD!🦇 My primary goal for any game I run is to give my players a one-of-kind experience that's immersive, fair, and fun! I put a *ton* of effort into the polish of my games to help make them even more immersive. Aside from doing my best acting to make NPCs feel real and alive, I also make comprehensive music playlists that play during our sessions, create customized art for the tokens, and use high-quality battle maps! Most importantly though, I work WITH my players, not against them. I want us all to tell a story that's engaging and fulfilling for everyone at the table. If you place your trust in me, I will give it my all to give you the best experience I can!
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Please wait to create your character until AFTER you gain access to the full "Character Creation" document! There are some specific limitations, reworks, and new material! 🎇Key Points: - Point Buy (with a twist)! - Bonus proficiencies based on Intelligence score! - 1 Common Magic Item OR 1 Advanced Weapon (eligible item lists provided)! - 1 free feat at 1st level (that isn't "Lucky")! - Characters start at 2nd level! - New and reworked lineages, classes, subclasses, spells, and feats to choose from! - Characters MUST be made and updated in Roll20! Please read the full document for more details! 🚫Not Allowed: - Murder-hobos, lone wolves, and "joke" characters (These playstyles are overtly disruptive and undermine the experience for others.) - Multiclassing into or out of Hexblade or Twilight/Peace Cleric (Twilight and Peace domains are too powerful as multiclasses, and I don't wish to roleplay 6 sentient weapons across my different games.) - Artificers (Curse of Strahd is not designed to accommodate this class.) - Critical Role content (Classes, subclasses, spells - most are setting-specific, and almost none of them are balanced well.) - Unearthed Arcana (Or any play-test/homebrew material I haven't reviewed first, for that matter.)
🦇 Wednesdays at 8pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) 💸 Session 0 is only $10! 👨🎨 Free hand-drawn tokens for your character!
What to expect
Preparing for the session
~ NEED ~ 🖥 Computer with internet access 🎤 Working microphone 🎮 Discord account 🎲 Roll20 account 🧾 Fill out Consent Sheet and return to me ~ HELPFUL ~ 📹 Webcam (optional, but I think it can add a lot to roleplay) 📖 Reviewing my house rules and homebrew options 💡 Character design and/or backstory ideas 😎 Trust in me! Strahd is scary, but Shane comes in peace! ✌
What Cool Boy Shane brings to the table
👨🎨 HAND-DRAWN character tokens! (tokens will be made after your 2nd session with me) 🗺 High-quality regional and battle maps! Some with dynamic lighting! 📝 Item and Lore handouts within Roll20! 🎨 A plethora of hand-drawn NPCs! (these seriously took me months to make) 🎶 Curated playlists of music that play during our sessions! (plays in browser tab, volume adjustable) 📚 PHB, XGtE, and TCoE digital books available on Roll20! 📜 Expectations, house rules, and homebrew options made available as Google Docs! 🤩 The excitement of DMing my favorite published D&D adventure for you!
Homebrew rules
We play using a variation of the 2014 5e rules called... Cool 5e. 😎 The idea is that it is just like the game you probably already know how to play, but cooler! Most of the core rules are the same, with minor tweaks and additions to make gameplay more balanced or fun. The biggest changes are updates and fixes to character classes/subclasses, spells, and feats. All of these changes can be found in the google docs below! ~ Player's Guide: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_MiZP4_HnXMORQtr9b7_GpZ9BBKXVHjKA-5nZxRvla0/edit?usp=drive_link ~ Spells & Feats: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uj7FOxOJWyKt1UYcoZU32bdw7ShCgNQxRD6HPS2Sf88/edit?usp=drive_link ~ Gear & Crafting: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cTuo_9J3Cb6z0cvzIlea4-v1_Oz7MLwBYLrFmpRbGM4/edit?usp=drive_link
Equipment needed to play
Computer
Headphones
Internet
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Cool Boy Shane creates a safe table
When you join this game, you'll get access to a google drive link with the following documents: 🧾 Consent Checklist (Please fill out the checklist first, and send it back to me.) 🎭 Game Expectations 📙 Rules 🧝♂️ Character Creation 🔥 Spells 🏹 Weapons 🔧 Crafting Session 0 is only $10 instead of full-price, and we go over these documents together. This game is LGBTQIA+, PoC, Disabled, and Neuro-Divergent FRIENDLY! If there are any conflicts with your checklist and this game's expectations, we can discuss whether or not continuing is advisable. Afterwards, we'll use the rest of Session 0 to discuss character creation and backstories more in-depth, and have them made in Roll20. One-on-one calls can be had to better define your backstory details and fill out character mechanics. Sessions will go for 3 hours (give or take 30 minutes). There will usually be at least one 5-10 minute break, typically after the first hour or two. I have an Open Door policy as well, in case someone needs to take their own break at any time. If this adventure affects your emotional state outside of the game, and you wish to talk about it after the session ends, I have provided a group chat on Discord for that purpose, and my DMs are always open. While this may be a horror game and thus will have its share of frightening and intense moments, at the end of the day I want you to be having fun and looking forward to each new session - not dreading them (that's for your character, not you!) ⏰ Please prioritize our sessions when scheduling, and let me know as soon as you can if you are running late, or unable to make it to a session altogether. 🎨 I draw character tokens for players some time after the second session! So stick with the game and you'll have art of your character that matches the aesthetic of the world! 🎶 I use RPGsounds to play music live during our games. I find it enhances the experience, and you can adjust the volume to your liking!
Content warnings
Safety tools used