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She is the Ancient | Curse of Strahd - The Amber Temple (L8)
The master of Castle Ravenloft is having guests for dinner. And you are invited. Will you ever escape this land?
$30.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Sunday – 1:00 PM UTC
Jul 13 / Session 40
2.5–3 Hour Duration
3 / 5 Seats Filled
Schedule
About the adventure
Bury yourself in gothic horror. Under raging storm clouds, the vampire Countess Strahd von Zarovich stands silhouetted against the ancient walls of Castle Ravenloft. Rumbling thunder pounds the castle spires. The wind’s howling increases as she turns her gaze down toward the village of Barovia. Far below, yet not beyond her keen eyesight, a party of adventurers has just entered her domain. Strahd’s face forms the barest hint of a smile as her dark plan unfolds. She knew they were coming, and she knows why they came—all according to her plan. A lightning flash rips through the darkness, but Strahd is gone. Only the howling of the wind fills the midnight air. The master of Castle Ravenloft is having guests for dinner. And you are invited. ABOUT THE GAME Weekly 3-hour sessions hosted on Roll20. Audio on Discord. Experienced or new players welcome. Campaign will take characters from Level 1 to 10 HOW IS THIS CURSE OF STRAHD DIFFERENT? This will be very gothic horror, and true to Curse of Strahd. This version of the classic story also puts women in the driver's seat, and flips the script on some of the racism and targeted violence against women and children. Ajax DM has included over 160 gorgeous maps to explore, with full dynamic lighting and click-to-open doors, plus over 460 beautiful tokens and handouts and professionally produced, officially licensed music and sound effects. WHAT PLAYERS SAID ABOUT AJAX DM's CURSE OF STRAHD "Curse of Strahd takes everything I like and just amps it up to 10! I love Ajax DMs voices for the characters and the ever looming threat (that she’ll follow through on) as the party navigates this strange and terrifying world. Get in on it if you can!" - Don "Allison is a fantastic DM for Strahd because she cares about both the party and how the material is presented to the party so they can get the best out of it. To be frank she scares the heck out of you." - Marcelo "I’m loving this campaign so far. It’s full of suspense and dread and she’s been able to tie our characters into the story a bit as she weaves it. She has some wonderful tools with this campaign as well as some beautiful maps that really help bring the setting to life – she also plays the characters and npcs wonderfully and helps set the mood. I’m loving this campaign and the people I’ve met and played with so far, I can’t wait to see how it ends!" - Cherlyn ABOUT AJAX DM Ajax DM offers paid weekly games you can count on. Weekly 3-hour D&D 5e game sessions on Roll20 using official campaign materials, licensed music and sound effects, 3D dice rolling, Dynamic Lighting (revealing maps as you explore), sourcebook/compendium sharing and scripts which automate manual tasks. We use Discord for audio and each group gets its own channels to talk between games.
Game style
Rules as Written (RaW)
Roleplay Heavy
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(124)
4 years on StartPlaying
1496 games hosted
Highly rated for: Teacher, Inclusive, Creativity
Average response time: 2 hours
Response rate: 100%
About me
Ajax DM is a full-time professional DM with 50 completed multi-year campaigns, over 2,850 sessions (in-person and online) - including 1,000+ on StartPlaying - and 10,200+ hours on Roll20 (since March, 2020). Ajax DM offers paid weekly games you can count on. Weekly 3-hour D&D 5e game sessions on Roll20 or Alchemy RPG, using official D&D 5e campaign materials supplemented with additional maps, premium licensed music and sound effects on Syrinscape, 3D dice rolling, Dynamic Lighting (revealing maps as you explore), scripts to automate manual tasks, sourcebook/compendium sharing. We use Discord for audio and each group gets its own channels to talk between games. New or experienced players and those just coming back to D&D, learning 5th Edition rules are welcome. You’ll learn as you play. Ajax DM was honored to be selected to DM at Gen Con 2024 independently as Ajax DM, and with Limithron (Pirate Borg) in 2024, to DM for StartPlaying at Gen Con in 2023, for Kobold Press at Gen Con both 2022 and 2023, and as one of a handful of Dungeon Masters for Kobold Chronicles, Kobold Press’ monthly virtual play event.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Characters will enter at the same level as the rest of the party. If you join after the group's Session 0, please set up a separate 1-on-1 with Ajax DM. In the Roll20 forum (on the landing page, before launching), read the character guidelines and sourcebooks we'll be using Launch Roll20 game. - To make a character, roll for stats in chat (4d6 drop the lowest * 6). You may opt for Standard Array if you dislike your rolls. - You can build your character in Roll20 (+ D&D Beyond if desired) using the Charactermancer, before the game. Please allow a day for the DM to review your character before the game. - If using D&D Beyond character sheet, you will still need to roll for and use ability score rolls from Roll20 chat. - Include at least 2 paragraphs of background story with at least one named person in their story. - Characters should get along with others. Please do not choose the "do not trust others" trait. - There are no evil characters, "neutral" characters that are veiled evil characters, no emo loners who don't trust others. - Fill in physical description and personality traits, ideals, bonds and flaws. - Edit your Roll20 character sheet to include desired round token image, or you can send token image to Ajax DM via Discord, or request to select one from Ajax DM collection in Roll20. - If you require a familiar or Wild Shape forms or Summon creatures, please alert Ajax DM well before the game.
We have a wizard, cleric, bard in the party.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Computer and Internet required. High speed internet will make for a more enjoyable experience. Mic and headphones required (speakers cause echo). Set up free accounts on Roll20 and Discord. Recommend Chrome or Firefox browser for Roll20. Install Discord app on computer. Join Ajax D&D server. Install Beyond20 app in browser if using D&D Beyond character sheet.
What Allison - Ajax DM brings to the table
Ajax DM uses official D&D 5e campaign materials supplemented with additional maps, licensed music and sound effects, 3D dice rolling, Dynamic Lighting (revealing maps as you explore), scripts to automate manual tasks, purchased tokens, sourcebook/compendium sharing in Roll20. We use Discord for audio and each group gets its own channels to talk between games.
Homebrew rules
At my table, fire spells do not work in water.
Equipment needed to play
Computer
Headphones
Internet
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Allison - Ajax DM creates a safe table
Safety Note: This is gothic horror. We'll have a table rules and safety discussion as part of the group Session 0 or in a private 1-on-1. This is a welcoming table and we expect respect and kindness for all. Rape and Sexual Assault will not be part of our game. No homebrew characters. There are no evil characters, "neutral" characters that are veiled evil characters, no emo loners who don't trust others. Remember, you're heroes.
Content warnings
Safety tools used