NEW, RECRUITING—Curse of Strahd Fridays—Fabled Folklore presents
They say Count Strahd is the oldest vampire. The most powerful. Maybe the first. This is his house. You're trapped inside—and you have his attention.
$25.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Friday - 6:30 PM UTC
Dec 19 / Session 10
Session Duration / 3.5–4 hours
3 / 5 Seats Filled
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Schedule
Meet your party members
3/5
About the adventure
The rain is incessant. Oppressive. Weary, footsore, and soaked to the bone, you pass through the threshold of a weathered stonework gateway. As you trudge through the muddy streets of the small town beyond, what few souls are out in this weather greet you only with stares. Distrust—perhaps disdain, even—lingers in their eyes. A flash of lightning illuminates the place: ramshackle homes in disrepair, a sagging church building up the hill, and beyond—far beyond—a precariously-built castle looms over all from its clifftop perch. A single wolf's howl cuts through the pitter-patter of raindrops—then another, and another, and soon an entire canine chorus rings through the streets. The rest of the locals retreat inside their various dwellings. Lovely place this time of year. This is a classic adventure of gothic folk horror, and considered by some the best official adventure published by Wizards of the Coast for Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition. I'm Carson, and I'll be your guide as you explore the twisted sandbox domain of the vampire lord Strahd von Zarovich. Find allies and make enemies in your quest to... well, that's up to you. Just remember, the trees have eyes, and the devil in the castle is always watching.
Meet the Game Master
4 years on StartPlaying
1402 games hosted
Highly rated for: Storytelling, Sets the Mood, Inclusive
Average response time: Under 1 hour
Response rate: 100%
About me
Ladies, gentlemen, and friends from beyond the binary—well met, and a pleasure to meet indeed! As you step inside, do please leave your boots at the door. All settled in? Then come, and picture with me the following… A group of four, clad in the colors of their order and armed with weapons of the Old World. They tread with caution through the decrepit remains of a once-proud public library—best to be wary of the new librarians. Or instead, imagine this—a devil-horned man and an angel-winged woman ready their suppressed handguns, stack up on either side of a door, and nod beneath the flickering fluorescent light. The point of no return is nigh—if the gods won’t act, they’ll handle it themselves. Or picture yet again—pandemonium! The lich-king has won, and skeleton warriors run amok in the streets! There’s no stopping them now—how will you survive? These unique worlds and more await at my table. Players new and experienced alike are welcome—the only requirement is a good attitude!
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Characters will be created before session one. We'll hash out any details that need hashing out at session zero, where everyone can help each other brainstorm and establish relationships. Characters will start at level 3. The encounters in this module are so dangerous that it includes a side-dungeon meant to boost the level 1 players straight up to level 3 so that they aren't immediately killed by everything else they might run in to; for my money, I figure we might as well skip the rigmarole and start at the place the module really wants you to start at.
Party is level 3 of estimated 14-15. Check your My Games page after signing up for the info you need to play: https://startplaying.games/my-games/
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Players should have a microphone, a stable Internet connection, and access to Discord and Roll20. Beyond that, just bring your character sheet and a good attitude. New to StartPlaying? You can also get $10 off your first session by signing up for your website account using this link! https://startplaying.games/referral/60cacd9cc01e2400076180af
What Carson | Fabled Folklore Gaming brings to the table
The magic ✨ I also have the player resources books on D&D Beyond for character creation using official content, as well as a Google Drive folder full of official references and curated third-party publications for the homebrew aficionados.
Homebrew rules
My house rules are generally modest and all targeted at pain points I've identified in D&D5e after running over a thousand game sessions. I use some simple optional rules from the Dungeon Master's Guide to streamline the game, a small number of spell tweaks, and a change to the exhaustion mechanic that encourages players to proactively help one another stay standing in combat rather than engage in "yo-yo healing".
Equipment needed to play
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Carson | Fabled Folklore Gaming creates a safe table
As written, Curse of Strahd contains themes that some players may find unpleasant. Violence and death are an inescapable element of fantasy horror—especially horror so inspired by Eastern European folklore as this—and I lean into it to evoke that unnerving atmosphere. However, the module is also written to include incidences of callous cruelty and even harm directed towards children, among other potentially distressing themes. With this in mind, a major part of this campaign's session zero will involve discussion for how we want to handle such story elements. I typically employ lines and veils as a general safety tool for such things, and am prepared check in during the campaign to make sure everyone is still feeling OK as needed. Additionally, you may have heard some things about the hurtful negative Romani stereotypes this module employs. I endeavor to revise this presentation to make the relevant characters more nuanced, retaining their rich and interesting qualities while trimming out the historically harmful clichés. I am not a cultural expert in this topic, but I ask my players to join in a good-faith effort to try to avoid these tropes.
Content warnings
Safety tools used