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The Curse of Strahd: A tale of horror and tragedy (D&D 5e-2024)
Step through the mists of Barovia and confront its twisted dread lord as you unravel dark secrets and tragic betrayal in a land of death and shadow.
$15.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Sunday - 11:00 PM UTC
Dec 21 / Session 20
Session Duration / 3–5 hours
6 / 6 Seats Filled
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Schedule
Meet your party members
6/6
About the adventure
"Deep in the shadows and mists of Ravenloft there resides one Strahd Von Zarovich, one of the most reclusive and dangerous of the dread lords. He is known throughout the multiverse as the epitome of evil, master of the cursed lands of Barovia, and a blight upon all who dare to enter his domain. He has bested the greatest heroes of many worlds, adding their ghostly souls to his collection over the years. Whether you came in response to the Burgomaster of Barovia's desperate plea for assistance, if you were dragged through the mists by his dark servants, or if you were a hapless wanderer in the mists of a portentious midnight stroll, you will come to Barovia, you will meet his dark lordship, and... you will die." The Curse of Strahd campaign is a challenging and exciting entry in the world of Dungeons and Dragons. Each telling of this story differs from the others in often-subtle and not-so-subtle ways. Whether you have played through this module before or if you are new to Dungeons and Dragons entirely, I invite you to join this campaign!
Game style
Rules as Written (RaW)
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
4.8
(22)
1 year on StartPlaying
142 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, World Builder
Average response time: 22 hours
Response rate: 100%
About me
I am a 30 year D&D veteran and Forever-DM for my friends and family. I have many, many books for 5th edition and access to just about every published module on D&D Beyond (and I'll take requests too if given a little time to read/prepare). While I'm willing to run any modules/campaigns out there, my passion is in my own homebrew world called Korentil (google it), which I've been developing for over 30 years with a fully fleshed out world history and canon which I fill with the adventures of my players over the years in a sort of never-ending story. I also draw many of my own world and battle maps. My strongest asset is my ability to improvise, which gives me the ultimate freedom in running my games in that I will follow my party along whatever storyline they want to go on. I have a vivid imagination and am able to pivot quickly from my script to accomodate whatever direction the party wants to take. I am an expert linguist, and use my cunning linguistic abilities in my descriptions to create immersive scenes for my players. I build NPCs into meaningful characters that your PCs will love, hate, or anything in between by their actions. I portray a living world to my players, and give them the clay from which to mold their grand adventures! Another of my strengths is my ability to DM for larger groups than others. 4-6 players is ideal and allows me to craft individualized story arcs which I incorporate into the campaign. The largest group of players I've effectively DM'd for was 12 players - although I'll admit the individual attention had to scale back to more group-oriented story arcs. In general, I would like to run my games on Fridays for maximum availability on my time, but I can run games on Sundays as well. Oh! and I almost forgot - I do NPC voices! Some of them are cringey, but darn if they aren't fun! :D I think that's about it! I hope you'll give me a chance and I look forward to helping you create your next great adventure!
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Characters will begin the campaign at level one, but if you join after session one you may be asked to level up prior to joining the party. We will use Milestone advancement. Any 2024 compatible race/class is allowed from official DND Beyond content, as well as specific homebrew content authorized by the DM (whisper Ozylanthe#8403 on Discord if you have questions). We will be using Roll20 for VTT. Discord is our primary voice chat software for in-session communications. Once you join I'll send you a link to the discord and get your roles set up. Standard rules for 2024 5e will apply if you have to create a character above 1st level adventuring gear. I use the Beyond20 extension on DND Beyond to integrate DND Beyond characters into Roll20 - no knowledge of Roll20 required to join as the DM bears the brunt of the technical components of gameplay. Some maps may require a more capable computer (but we can always work around with theatre of the mind if a map is unable to load for you). We use Watch2gether.com for music/background. I give the players full control over which music plays (but I have a list of thematic music to help establish the gothic/horror ambience).
The adventure will begin with everyone at level one - you can be from any campaign world, any character race (official content) or approved 3rd party content (consult with me before picking anything too outlandish, My emphasis is on balance for the party so everyone has fun). I run a strong mix of combat vs. RP and social challenges. Character death is a thing in my games, and resurrection not always avialable especially in Barovia - so back-up characters are a good idea. The campaign started at level one, and is currently level 4 (new characters will join as level 4 characters), with standard starting gear for starting a character above 1st level. Each PC may choose a non-magical item worth up to 100 gp as an heirloom item that is special to them - if you choose something mundane like a lantern or book, the item is of fine quality and is worth 100 gp regardless. If you join after the campaign has started, you'll be leveled up appropriately to the party and given magic items to match the level and gear outfitting the party has. Strahd is a cunning enemy, and will do what is in his best interests. Expect a brutal, challenging and rewarding campaign where every decision could have disasterous or wondrous consequences.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Please ensure your microphone is working in Discord. Download the Beyond20 Chrome/Firefox extension. This is the primary method for communicating your character's dice rolls into the Roll20 VTT. If you aren't able to download/use the beyond20 extension, please let me know and I have some work arounds we can use. You should have an account on roll20.com as well, as this will be the primary method used for maps (I generally will use maps with token vision enabled but I will also use splash-screens with related artwork and theatre of the mind for role-play and combat situations alike. You will need to create a character for this game - we are starting at level one but if you join after it begins, we will start a character at the same level as the party (milestone advancement).
What Trevor brings to the table
You can expect good storytelling as I will help you immerse in the cultures and world of Ravenloft. I pride myself on my ability to adapt to player actions, and I will rarely if ever tell a player they can't attempt to do something - succeed or fail, it will make for an epic story! Be prepared for difficult encounters with combat, puzzles, and roleplay/situational consequences - unwinnable situations are built into the Curse of Strahd module by the author's designs, so you will NEED to approach each situation with some flexibility and a willingness to adapt - this ability may be the difference between TPK and a narrow escape for your group! First session will be April 13th if we have at least 4 seats filled. Drop-ins are welcome provided you can complete a character setup by the time game starts. Your character may be from any timeline or world of your choosing. Ravenloft exists in a unique place in the multiverse so that any campaign setting/background is feasible. Barovia is multi-ethnic due to this fact, and her population has grown as more and more souls become trapped by Strahd in his dark domain.
Equipment needed to play
Computer
Headphones
Internet
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Trevor creates a safe table
I am a flexible DM, and I always check in with my players after each session to ask what they liked, what they didn't like, and what they would like me to adjust in the future. I've rarely been able to adapt my style/storytelling to accomodate player requests. If during gameplay something is causing you an unhealthy level of anxiety, please let me know via whisper/messaging or if you are comfortable raising it with the group, please do so! Inter-PC conflict is only allowed if both players are consenting. This includes stealing items from one another, non-lethal combat, spellcasting against another PC, attacking another PC, and any other activity detrimental to a PC within the party under the control of any player at the table. I do not tolerate player harrassment of any kind and reserve the right to kick any players who engage in personal attacks against any other player. If I suspect things are getting personal I will pause the game to check in with each person, and de-escalate the conversation if needed. Respect is the cornerstone of a comfortable, exciting and enjoyable game table, and everyone who joins these games is paying for the privilege of playing with each other with a professional DM. I intend to make sure you each feel comfortable at my table, with me and with the other players.
Content warnings
Safety tools used