Curse of Strahd: A Gothic Adventure
Pulled across planes against your will, how will you deal with the mercurial and monstrously charming Strahd von Zarovich and his plans for you?
About the adventure
Under raging storm clouds, the vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich stands silhouetted against the ancient walls of Castle Ravenloft. Rumbling thunder pounds the castle spires. The wind’s howling increases as he turns his gaze down toward the village of Barovia. Far below, yet not beyond his keen eyesight, a party of adventurers has just entered his domain. Strahd’s face forms the barest hint of a smile as his dark plan unfolds. He knew they were coming, and he knows why they came—all according to his 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. **A 5e campaign for characters starting at level 1, focused on exploration, mystery, and a little bit of horror**
Game themes
$20.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Monday – 8:00 AM UTC
3–3.5 Hour Duration
2 / 5 Seats Filled
GAME MASTER
Steve K
he/him
4.8
(8)
Each player will be charged when a session starts.
Report Adventure
Meet the Game Master
4.8
(8)
2 years on StartPlaying
42 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, Inclusive
Average response time: Under 1 hour
Response rate: 50%
About me
As a professional author with over 15 years of experience, I know a thing or two about putting together a fun world to explore and play in, no matter the game. I do tend to prefer DnD, but any game with the potential for imaginative hijinks is going to end up on my bookshelf. I've run a number of campaigns, several of my own design and a couple of pre-written ones as well, and in each one the most fun I have is dealing with those moments when players go off-script. If you're looking for fresh, exciting games tailored to your party -- hit me up. I'll help you build it from the ground up if you like, along with a bit of an authorial flourish to bring it to life for you and your group. By the end of the campaign, you'll have a world you've made a real impact in, regardless of whether you took the expected path or not.
View Profile →Reviews (8)
Proficiencies
Players say this GM is great at:
Creativity
Storytelling
Inclusive
Ryan Whitmore
Played 33 sessions
Highly recommend. Steves reliable, responsive and organized as a dm. His DM style is engaging, relaxed, fluid, and approachable. He openly claims to a RP focused style, and in my experience that's exactly what he does. I personally, like to have conversations with characters and at times other players have more spoken 3rd person and he's meant into both approaches. Combats are simple and approachable and narrative doesn't seem over inflated or complicated which makes for a very easy come and go game. A little bit of fun escapism is exactly what he enables.
DrowzyBandit
Played 32 sessions
Steve might be a model candidate for anyone trying to enter the community here, much as I was when I joined his game. Steve by and large runs modules, at least as far as I know, but he impresses with his ability to adapt under pressure, and you can go as far off the rails as his blood pressure will permit. A formidable amount it turns out. I made a character that interrogates literally everyone they meet, and the efficiency with which this process takes place is largely due to Steve's mastery of the source material. overall, Steve makes for a damn fine choice.
D W
Played 31 sessions
Just a few sessions in and I'm really enjoying Steve's style of story telling.
Andrei Tonkikh
Played 5 sessions
Steve is amazing, really enjoyed playing with him!
Ορφέας Λιαπάτης
Steve is a terrific GM. He is very creative and allows for player creativity. There were no issues at the table at all and the game was very fun. He allows for cool things that progress the game and is not strict with his rulings. A star amongst DMs!
Greg
I've been playing D&D with Steve for years. I've joined multiple fantastic campaigns and one-shots with him, and it's always a great time. He's always happy to listen to what you want for your character, and find a way to bring them to the story. I especially enjoyed a campaign he ran a couple of years ago where he wrote his own fantastic time-travelling adventure in the Faerun setting. Highly recommended!
Character creation
Creating your character
We'll do character creation in session 0, but feel free to prepare one in advance if you want. We'll be using the point buy system, starting at level three, and we'll put the character sheets into Roll20 for easy rolling once the game is going. If you'd prefer to use DnD Beyond that's fine, but you'll also want the Beyond20 plugin to hook your character into the Roll20 campaign. Feel free to use any official source books for character stuff, but just let me know if you intend to use something from outside the default player's handbook so we can make sure it's all a good fit and I can read up on anything esoteric :)
What to expect
Preparing for the session
You'll need a Roll20 account and a Discord account. We'll be using Roll20 for the maps and the dice, and Discord for voice/video. This means you'll need to have Discord installed and downloaded, and a working microphone. A webcam isn't required at all, but feel free to use one if you want. A basic understanding of the rules would be helpful, but don't worry too much about it - if we need to look things up, we'll look things up, not a problem. As mentioned above, you don't need to come with a character prepared, but if you do then be aware it'll need entering onto Roll20 or you'll need the Beyond20 plugin.
What Steve K brings to the table
I'll be bringing a professional Roll20 account, maps, tokens, rulebooks, everything we need to get the game going.
Equipment needed to play
Computer
Microphone
Internet
Platforms used
Safety
How Steve K creates a safe table
- Rules and dice rolls are to enhance the fun, not constrain it; expect the dice to take a back seat to fun roleplaying. - Session 0 is for introductions, rolling characters, and defining limits. - X, N, O cards can be messaged in private to the DM and will be acted upon with complete anonymity. - Basically: be nice, have fun, don't try and ruin anyone else's fun.
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