The Classic Adventure Expanded | Curse of Strahd: Fleshed Out

Creating your character

We will all come together on Session 0 to create our characters. The Fleshed Out expansion of CoS comes with Player Primers to aid in making and fleshing out your concepts. We will be starting at level 1 and be using D&D Beyond for character sheets. I will have most of the core books available through content sharing. If you want to use anything not a part of the normal core books you can run it by me. We will be using the “Legacy” 2014 rules and be rolling for our ability scores. I am open to opting into the new 2024 rules if the party decides that would be fun. This is all stuff we will discuss in Session 0.

Preparing for the session

Things you will need (all free btw): Roll20 account (https://roll20.net/welcome) - Virtual Table Top Discord (https://discord.com/) - Voice (video optional) D&D Beyond (https://www.dndbeyond.com/) - Character sheets

What RyLee brings to the table

Content Sharing is going to be enabled in D&D Beyond so you should be covered for most of the content you could want to use! I do my best to do voices for my NPC's. I'm not great by any means, but I try! For this campaign specifically I use a fan made album by Travis Savoie for music and ambience. It's absolutely fantastic. This campaign is notorious for difficult encounters, but being smart and knowing when you're in over your head will keep fangs away from necks. I'm all for the rules, but if you want to bend something that is just plain cool then I won't stop you.

Homebrew rules

Movement You can move through another allied creatures’ space however it is considered difficult terrain. If you do not have enough movement to move all the way through or through and back again, you can not move through the space. Moving through an enemies space requires a contested check. If the check succeeds, the same rules apply. Potions You can drink a potion as a bonus action. Administering a potion to an ally takes a full action. You can take a full action to drink a healing potion to gain the maximum amount of healing instead of rolling. Death Saving Throws DM rolls death saves. *evil grin* (or saves are sent directly to the DM, whichever is easier) Important NPC's get one death saving throw. Spell Components Super specific spell components that spells use (i.e. an ivory statuette of yourself) must be purchased or procured in some way and aren't covered by having a components pouch or spell focus. They won't be necessarily hard to find, but this makes things a bit more interesting and fun. Identifying Magic Items Using an Arcana check or a Short Rest to identify a magic items only reveals a small bit of information about the item. This encourages the use of the Identify spell and actually gives it a purpose. Having someone else identify the item for you is also a possibility. Leveling Up Milestone Increasing Hit Points Roll if you want. Take average if you want. If you roll and get a one, you can re-roll. If you get another one you have to keep it. The dice have spoken. Inspiration DM inspiration starts as a d6 to add to your attack rolls, ability checks, or saving throws and are used after you roll, but before the DM determines the outcome. At the end of each session the players can vote to give one player a "Player Inspiration". Player Inspiration is an additional d20 roll that is made when you make an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw. You take the higher of that roll or your original roll. Skill Checks In most skill check scenarios, the DM will call for one person to make the roll at advantage or for two separate players to make rolls. Pass or fail, no other checks may be made regarding the same scenario without the DM's permission. The Strength of Curses To be blunt, Remove Curse is both too powerful and too prevalent in Curse of Strahd. While curses can be interesting in any game, they're arguably much more important in this specific campaign. "Curse" is in the title, for goodness sake. Curses are supposed to be major plot points and have significant effects on character growth, should they come into play

How RyLee creates a safe table

Creating a welcoming, inclusive, and safe environment is my top priority. I use a Lines and Veils document that I share with all players prior to Session 0 to establish boundaries and ensure everyone feels comfortable. During Session 0 we will openly discuss expectations, themes, and any sensitive topics. During regular sessions we set clear boundaries using the X, N, and O system to allow real-time communication of comfort levels. For quick reference: X: Stop - I'm uncomfortable with this. N: Let's fade to black or skip - I'm okay, but I'd prefer not to linger. O: Everything's good - I'm comfortable continuing. These can be messaged directly to me on Discord or Roll20 or signaled during the game. After each session, I’ll be available for aftercare discussions to talk about any concerns or highlights, and adjust accordingly if needed. My goal is to make sure everyone feels safe, respected, and excited to explore the world of Barovia together.