MADNESS OF STRAHD: ABANDON ALL HOPE - lvl3+ Gothic Horror
Dungeons & Dragons 5e | Campaign
About the adventure
One by one, groups of nomadic individuals known as the Vistani travel to realms forgotten, shanghaiing would-be heroes into the ominous mists. Little do they know, this path through the mist will lead them to a domain of terror. A world of dread. A land desecrated. Ravenloft. The lands lorded over by a great and powerful vampire that has terrorized his country for an immeasurable amount of time. Count Strahd von Zarovich. WHAT IS HAPPENING?: Curse of Strahd is a classic Dungeons and Dragons module with much popularity. However, I would like to do something to make this more enticing to those who have already been through Ravenloft and fought the Count before. Characters will have to wrestle with two homebrew mechanics as they make their way through the mists. Hope and Madness. Every horror and atrocity that your character experiences threatens their sanity in the form of Madness which will effect how you experience the game. Hope is your ability to resist that fall. But what happens if you lose all Hope? A hero without Hope is a hero forever trapped in this domain of dread. WHO ARE YOU?: An upstart adventurer? Someone running from a vile past? Or someone running to a story of legend? Whoever you are, you did not end up in the mists by accident. You were chosen. For one reason or another, Strahd sent the Vistani to collect you and bring you to Barovia. The Count's reasons are his own, but deep down inside... I think you already know why. ***BONUS*** if you have already been a player in a Curse of Strahd campaign and would like to play it again, you may bring your previous character for a second round in Ravenloft. SAFETY: There are a lot of heavy themes discussed in Curse of Strahd and also since I'm planning on leaning into the horror elements, there will be a lot of talk during session 0 to make sure that everyone has a safe time while they are being driven mad.
Game style
Rule of Cool (RoC)
“Rule of Cool” emphasizes creative story beats over sticking to a system’s rules as written. Players have the ability to push the limits of the rules or even break core rule mechanics at times if the Game Master thinks it is interesting, fun, or cool enough.
Theater of the Mind
“Theater of the Mind” uses little to no visuals for scene settings and combat. Instead, the narrative imagery comes from the Game Master’s descriptions and character action and movement comes from Players’ descriptions.
Roleplay Heavy
“Roleplay Heavy” games place the focus on the story, the characters, and the world they live within, and tend to lean hard into the various roleplaying elements of the game. These games will frequently find the party talking with NPCs, exploring the personal elements of their backstories, or even having emotional moments around the camp fire.
5.0
(17)
2 years on StartPlaying
35 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Teacher, Knows the Rules
Average response time: 1 hour
Response rate: 83%
Game Master Reviews (17)
Proficiencies
Players say this GM is great at:
Creativity
Teacher
Knows the Rules
Kevin
New review
Played 2 sessions
A good storyteller and fair to everyone. Does a good job explaining things and making sure everyone understands and is fair to one another.
David
Played 4 sessions
Terrific story teller, inclusive and engaging. Loved my time here.
Crystal-lee
Played 4 sessions
I came into this on a whim after deciding I wanted to try it out. I didn’t have any real true idea what to expect but our fearless leader made the experience so much fun. He laughs with us, encourages us, and made us all feel comfortable to get involved! I hope I can play a campaign with him and my fellow adventurers soon!
Reiner
Played 4 sessions
Matt is an amazing DM. Calm and patient with beginners, explained everything from character creation to combat, fostered a fun and creative environment. His experience, knowledge, and love of the game shine through. Highly recommend.
Alisha Evans
It was my first time doing a D&D Campaigns and I had an amazing experience with Wartornknight! Very calm and understanding and I would definitely love to go on another adventure with him!
kaylynn arrington
Played 1 sessions
This was my friend and mines very first time playing! Matt was incredibly patient and a wonderful leader. I couldn't ask for a better introduction to DnD. Definitely recommend for beginners.
Additional details
How to prepare
Webcams are not required, but definitely encouraged. Microphone is mandatory.
What I provide
We will be making characters on DnDBeyond and using Owlbear Rodeo as a VTT. I will also go over how Madness and Hope will work in session 0. I do character voices, but players are not required to do so, and I have a healthy balance between RAW and Rule of Cool.
Gameplay details
During session 0, a RPG Consent Checklist will be provided where you can fill out any possible triggers you might have. Several are listed already to give you ideas, and there is space provided for you to add other triggers that are not listed. I am always available through private messages before/during/after a session, please let me know if anything comes up at all that I can do to help you. Time will also be allotted after sessions to allow for debriefing and aftercare if it's ever needed at all, as well as a break roughly halfway through the session.
Content warnings
• Abuse
• Alcohol Use
• Animal Death
• Blood
• Body Horror
• Cannibalism
• Character Death
• Child Death
• Death
• Drowning
• Drugs (addiction, use, withdrawal)
• Emotional Abuse
• Extreme Violence
• Fire
• Forced Blood Draining
• Genocide
• Gore
• Kidnapping
• Language/Cursing
• Lifechanging Injury
• Mass Death
• Memory Erasing
• Mental Illness
• Mind alteration
• Mind Control
• Murder
• Mutilation
• Mutilation of Corpses
• Nightmares about Traumatic Events
• Panic Attacks
• Paralyzation
• PTSD
• Scars
• Sexual Content
• Small Spaces (Claustrophobia)
• Suicide
• Terrorism
• Torture
• Trauma
• Violence
Safety tools used
• Aftercare
• Bleed
• Breaks
• Debriefing
• Monte Cook RPG Consent Checklist
• Open Door
• Session 0
How will character creation work
Players are able to make characters before session 0 if they wish, but we could also go through character creation as well. Any player bringing a character from a previous campaign of CoS must bring the character back to lvl3 to start and have stats/inventory approved by the DM before play begins.
Players can expect
Combat / Tactics
High
Roleplay
High
Puzzles
Low
Experience level
Open to all
Platforms used
• D&D Beyond
• Discord
• Owlbear Rodeo
$20.00
/ Session
Each player will be charged when a session starts.
Details
Weekly / Thursday - 9:00 PM UTC
2-4 Hour Duration
0 / 6 Seats Filled
Requirements
Experience required: Open to all
Age: 18+