Beneath the Curse of Strahd 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈
You are trapped in the misty land of Barovia, to escape you must defeat the vampire lord Strahd and free yourselves and countless innocents from him
About the adventure
This game is set in the official D&D Ravenloft Setting. Ravenloft is a realm of gothic horror, dark melodrama, and tragic romance. To get the vibe think of the classic Universal Monster movies or the iconic Hammer Horror films that featured immortal characters like Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, and the Wolfman. As the heroes of this story you will confront true personifications of evil and defeat them with might, cleverness, and compassion. Ravenloft is a realm of gothic romance so we'll never lose sight of the tragic pathos of the setting but still empower you to be the heroes who purge evil from the land.
Game style
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Roleplay Heavy
Game themes
$20.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Saturday – 4:30 PM UTC
Session Duration / 2–4 hours
0 / 5 Seats Filled
GAME MASTER
Maggie Heath
she/her
Each player will be charged when a session starts.
Report Adventure
Meet the Game Master
Less than a year on StartPlaying
About me
I’m a seasoned game master and tabletop game designer with over 20 years of experience in running TTRPG campaigns. I strive to include deep role play, dynamic encounters, and evocative storytelling in all the campaigns I run. I also cultivate an inclusive environment where everyone feels empowered to be creative. My number one goal is ensuring you have an unforgettable experience. Whether you’re seeking high stakes intrigue, lighthearted swashbuckling, or a dark descent into the unknown I’m here to bring your adventure to life.
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Character creation
Creating your character
Create a level one character that suits the Ravenloft campaign setting. Use Standard Array for your attributes and make your choices from there. Please try to use official D&D Ravenloft materials please such as Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft or the upcoming Unearthed Arcana featuring horror sub classes. Anything outside of that, such as the character options in Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, is probably fine but check with me first. Keep in mind that Ravenloft stories often focus on tragic irony and grand melodrama, don't be afraid to use those elements in your character. I encourage a diverse array of characters with a wide variety of identities so don't feel restricted by stereotypes, feel free to be creative.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Create a level one character suited for the Ravenloft Setting, make sure to upload that character into D&D Beyond. You'll need to join my Discord server where we will have the audio for all our adventures but try to keep most official communicaiton with me on this site. We'll start off theater of the mind and gradually start using Foundry VTT for battle maps and atmosphere.
What Maggie Heath brings to the table
I love the atmosphere of Ravenloft and try to cultivate it as much as I can. Here are some things I do: I use Foundry because it’s the best VTT for atmosphere and user friendliness. I play thematic music with ambient sound effects appropriate for the environment. I don't do accents but I do change my tone of voice for different characters and play a little intro tune for them to signal to the players that a specific character is in play. This is a horror game and it does get dark but I believe that horror works best when your imagination fills in the gaps. I'm more interested in implying something menacing than explicit gory narration. I'm also mindful of players' feelings and try to avoid triggers. Safety tools are especially important in horror. When it comes to Ravenloft, I'm more interested in the drama and atmosphere than crunch. There is more of an emphasis on story and roleplay. Combat only takes place when it moves the story forward or contributes to the vibe. The rules take a backseat to creepiness and pathos. If you have an idea for a gothic character that isn't reflected in the rules I'd rather try and make that work than be pedanitc. People of all sincere identities are welcome to my games. If the idea of playing alongside a trans person or a BIPOC person upsets you, this isn’t the game for you. I also don’t tolerate mean spirited mockery of players’ identities or deliberately violating their boundaries. It’s very simple, don’t be a jerk. If you’re a jerk you’re not welcome.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Maggie Heath creates a safe table
I like to use Lines and Veils. At session 0, we'll discuss concepts you want to see as players, concepts you don't mind being referred to but don't want to see, and concepts you don't want touched at all. Concepts you don't want at all are lines, we won't touch those. Concepts you don't mind mentioning or veils, they may be mentioned or referred to, but they'll never be explicitly depicted in game. Sometimes you don't know you've crossed a line until you've crossed it. If something unduly upsets you during the game message me privately. We'll then take a break. We'll also discuss the trigger if needed. When the game resumes we rewind the action to before the offending concept and proceed as if it never happened. I try to be as accomodating as I can. But remember this is a game of gothic horror, if the mere suggestion of blood is too much this probably isn't the game for you.
Content warnings
Safety tools used
Additional tables
1 available
Weekly / Friday – 8:30 PM UTC
0 / 5 Seats Filled
