Crooked Moon | Beginner-Friendly | Folk Horror Campaign
Death was just the first stop. Now you're on a spectral train, bound for Druskenvald, a purgatory of lost memories and living shadows.
$25.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Sunday - 2:30 AM UTC
Session Duration / 3–4 hours
3 / 5 Seats Filled
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About the adventure
You died. Yet your story isn't over. You've awoken in Druskenvald, a purgatorial realm nestled under the gaze of a fractured, smiling moon. This is not a paradise nor a typical hell; it is a forgotten, rural landscape of misty moors, silent forests, and isolated villages. Here, the very soil and shadow feel alive, and the crooked moon watches your every move. You are an outsider, a soul displaced from the fantasy world of Dungeons and Dragons, now isolated in a place where the rules of life and death are as twisted as the branches of the local woods. This is a Folk Horror campaign using the Dungeons & Dragons ruleset, perfect for players who love atmospheric, slow-burn stories over endless dungeon crawls. We will explore themes of isolation, the weight of tradition versus the intrusion of the new, and what happens to morality when cut off from the world. The locals of Druskenvald are not mere villagers; they are a community bound by ancient pacts and a skewed belief system that venerates the moon and fears the deep, dark woods. Their hospitality is thin, and their secrets are buried deep. As the newcomers, your arrival is the spark that threatens to ignite the tinderbox. Your investigation into this strange afterlife will inevitably draw you into the community's hidden rhythms and bizarre rituals. Will you adapt to their ways to survive, or will you stand against them? The final, dreadful "Happening" is inevitable—a ritual or summoning born of this isolated creed. Your choices will determine whether you become a sacrifice to the moon, a participant in the horror, or the one who finally breaks the chain.
Game style
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Combat Lite
Roleplay Heavy
Meet the Game Master
4 years on StartPlaying
230 games hosted
Highly rated for: Storytelling, Creativity, Voices
Average response time: 14 hours
Response rate: 100%
About me
Hola! I'm Summy, a professional GM here to create some fun games with you! You'll take on many roles as we play games together, from veteran adventurers hoping to rescue the world of Barovia from a legendary vampire, to middle school kids from Smalltown, Michigan trying to uncover the secrets the adults are keeping from you. I mainly run Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition! Interested in what games I have open? Check out my listings on StartPlaying! If you're looking to get your feet wet, check out our dedicated Discord Server where current and past players discuss monster strategies, character builds, and post memes. Any rudeness or creepy behavior is not accepted https://discord.gg/Pc36jyp7Dy My games strive to be inclusive and LGBT+ friendly, and I'm always willing to learn how best to accommodate my players' needs. :)
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
We'll be creating our characters together between our first session (Session 0) and our Second Session. This is a collaborative process, and doing it as a group helps us weave our backstories and ensure the party feels like a cohesive team from the start. You will begin your journey at Level 1. In the world of Crooked Moon, you are newcomers, and we'll discover your strengths and the world's dangers together. For ability scores, we'll be using the Point Buy Method with 27 points. You may choose to build your characters on D&D Beyond or Foundry VTT. Both are free and easy to use and I will share all the necessary sourcebooks with you through your chosen platform.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Prior to our session 0, please have the following prepared: 1. 🎧 A headset and microphone 2.🎲 An account on D&D Beyond if that is your chosen character builder 3. 🎤The Discord App and an account
What Summy brings to the table
Your adventure is brought to life with full character voices, immersive ambient music, and dynamic combat that rewards creative thinking, forget simple "stand-and-attack" encounters. I believe your cool ideas deserve to work, and I'll actively collaborate to make them happen. Most importantly, your character's story matters here. I weave personal backstories directly into the narrative, ensuring everyone has moments to shine while we build an unforgettable collective journey together.
Homebrew rules
1) Opportunity Attacks Aside from moving out of melee range willingly from a hostile creature, rolling a 1 on the d20 while in melee range of the target will also provide this opportunity. 2) Doomed At three failed death saves, you are Doomed, and will have the opportunity for one last action as well as some final words before fully expiring. 3) Critical Hits When rolling a 20 on a d20 (Nat 20) to make an attack roll, assume that all dice rolled are rolled for their maximum amount, then roll a second set of all applicable dice! Modifiers and bonuses are not doubled in this way. For example, your level 1 character with a Strength of 14 and a +1 Greatsword hits with a Nat 20 so the damage math will look like this: 2d6 + 2 (Strength Modifier) + 1 (Magic Greatsword) + 12 (Max roll on 2d6) . 4) Alternative Uses for Inspiration Having only 1 use of inspiration sucks, so why not have 3!? With this change, players can now store up to 3 uses of Inspiration. In addition to the normal rules for Inspiration, players can opt to give another player their inspiration for doing some great roleplaying, clever thinking, or something else awesome in the moment. Now, whenever a player has 3 stored Inspiration, they may spend an action to convert those points into Gems. The different Gems are as follows: A. Gem of Insight In exchange for 3 inspiration, a player can gain and use a Gem of Insight to ask the DM (Summy) one fact about the world, whether that be some forgotten lore about a powerful artifact, an enemy's weakness, or the best route to proceed down in order to achieve a certain outcome. B. Gem of Certainty In exchange for 3 inspiration, a player can gain and use a Gem of Certainty to guarantee a Nat 20 roll. This Nat 20 can be used on any applicable roll in-game, and functions identically to a critical in regards to attack rolls. C. Gem of Contingency In a situation where the group is missing some super important item, such as a diamond worth X amount of gold or even just rations, they may use a Gem of Contingency to edit the scene, changing it so that they did in fact do that thing that they needed to. A player may have infinite Gems stored at a time. :) These rules are not set in stone and may be modified or added to as the campaign continues. 5) Using Expended Spell Slots In a dire situation that calls for the use of the spell slot when all their spell slots have already been expended, a creature with the spellcasting feature may cast a spell with an expended spell slot. Prior to the spell succeeding, the creature must make a Constitution saving throw. Should they succeed, they will gain 1 level of exhaustion. If they fail, they will gain 1 level of exhaustion and a random negative modifier ranging from a minor inconvenience to even incapacitation. The spell will cast regardless, even if the creature were to lose consciousness or otherwise.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Summy creates a safe table
At our table, we'll ensure all players are safe and comfortable by having a collaborative and detailed session 0 where we'll go over possible triggers and story elements that should be excluded from the campaign (Lines and Veils). Additionally, I will always be available either in-game or via private messages if something does pop up that makes a player uncomfortable. Just let me know what's going on, in as much detail as you're comfortable sharing, and we'll proceed from there! Your safety and comfort is most important in this weekly game.
Content warnings
Safety tools used
