🩸Face Him in the Mist🩸| 🦇Curse of Strahd🦇[Session 1]

Creating your character

Character creation guidelines are discussed in depth during Session Zero. You’ll need to finalize your character before Session 1 so I can review it and import your sheet into Foundry VTT. We use D&D Beyond with shared content for character creation. You can use either D&D 5E 2014 (Legacy) or D&D 5E 2024 (Core) to create your character. Please follow the matching guidelines. Characters on D&D Beyond may not use any partnered content (i.e. Critical Role). Dungeons & Dragons 5E 2014 (legacy) Guidelines: The following character creation guidelines apply unless I state exceptions in the listing: 🎲 Ability Scores: Use Standard Array or Point Buy ⛔ Rule Set: Do not use content from the 2024 rules 🧬 Ancestries/Species allowed: Player’s Handbook & Volo’s Guide to Monsters 🧾 Backgrounds: All official backgrounds allowed, except those that provide feats or spells 🧙 Classes/Subclasses: All official subclasses are allowed – All classes except Artificer are allowed 🎒 Encumbrance: Use Encumbrance + Coin Weight – Official D&D material only 🔫 No Guns 😈 No Evil alignements 🫠 No AI Character Art Level Advancement Type: Milestones Dungeons & Dragons 5E 2024 (Core) Guidelines: The following character creation guidelines apply unless I state exceptions in the listing: 📜 Rule Set: Use only official 2024 content 🚫 No legacy content 🧬 Ancestries/Species allowed: Player’s Handbook (2024/core) 🎲 Ability Scores: Use Standard Array or Point Buy 🎒 Encumbrance: Use Encumbrance + Coin Weight – Official D&D material only 🔫 No Guns 😈 No Evil alignements 🫠 No AI Character Art Level Advancement Type: Milestones This is a grounded, character-driven campaign where survival, trust, and moral choices matter more than flashy heroics (at least at first). You start humble and are shaped, slowly and painfully, into the kind of people who might actually liberate the valley of Barovia. Starting Equipment: 🗡️ Gear: One weapon or one spellcasting focus 🎒 Pack: Explorer’s Pack 💰 Wealth: Maximum of 20 gp 📜 Backstory Items: Specific personal items tied to your background can be added after a quick check-in between Session Zero and Session 1 Backstory Guidance: Keep your backstory short and focused: one page maximum, ideally just two to three paragraphs. Focus on who your character is now, not their whole life story. Leave space to grow with the party and the campaign. Bring a flaw, loss, or regret that can evolve through play and be prodded by the setting itself. You will also receive a personal Dark Secret, tailored to your character, that ties you directly into the campaign’s story and themes. Maybe you already have a couple of ideas for your Character's development? Maybe you're a Warlock and have an idea for a patron? Or a Fighter who wants to Multiclass to Paladin? Awesome! Write me a DM and we can talk about it and think about to weave it into the setting.

Preparing for the session

Think about your potential characters before Session Zero. What kind of people do you enjoy playing and how would they fit this setting? Pick at least two classes that would make sense for them. Is there a moment in their past, a loss, a regret, or a mistake that shaped them and left a mark? Tech and accounts • Free accounts on The Forge, Discord, and D&D Beyond • A current browser, Chrome or Edge strongly recommended, Firefox sometimes causes issues with Foundry VTT • Laptop or desktop PC with stable internet • Headset with a good microphone - clean audio is very important! If you want to know how you sound, check this link and test your mic: https://webcammictest.com/check-mic.html • A webcam (optional but I recommend it) Your final D&D Beyond character sheet and portrait image are due 24 hours before Session 1 so I can import everything to FoundryVTT and prepare your token.

What Sam brings to the table

I will provide you with a private environment on my Discord server where I will host our sessions. You will have dedicated channels for NPC information, session recaps, potential quests and points of interest, rumors, and handouts. There will also be a chat channel where you can discuss the adventure, share theories, and ask questions. I will post weekly session recaps and handouts, and I expect you to keep track of the other information in the channels provided. Sessions are hosted on Foundry VTT. I will teach you FoundryVTT during Session 0. I will provide maps, animated Theater of the Mind backdrops, music, and soundscapes. NPCs have distinct voices and mannerisms. Each character is tied to Barovia through a personal Dark Secret. You provide a portrait (no AI art), and I handle token creation and sheet import.

Homebrew rules

Remove Curse Remove Curse is not available to player characters in this campaign. If your class or subclass would grant it when you level up, talk to me and choose a different spell instead. The power to break curses exists in the story as something you can discover through the adventure, not as a spell on your list. Daylight and Sunlight Any spell or feature that creates sunlight (such as the 3rd-level Daylight spell) is unavailable to player characters. Light and darkness are central to the mood of Barovia, and the scarcity of true light has shaped its society. Effects that create sunlight exist in the setting as story elements or special magic you may encounter, but not as spell or feature options for your character. If a spell that produces such an effect would normally be granted automatically when you level up (for example, as a Light Domain cleric), we will choose a different spell together. Leveling up All level ups happen during a long rest, even if you reached a milestone during the session. Flanking We will not use the optional flanking rule. You and your enemies will need to find other ways to gain advantage. Spell components If a spell requires components with a monetary cost, you must find or produce those components in game before you can cast it.

How Sam creates a safe table

This module is meant to be played and enjoyed comfortably by everyone. It is gothic horror and can touch on intense material, but the goal is shared fun and a story we remember fondly. Some content is flexible and negotiable. Please review the content warning tags on the listing and bring any concerns to Session Zero. Session Zero sets expectations, calibrates tone, and confirms the safety tools we will use. Lines and Veils We define boundaries together. Lines are hard limits. Content placed behind a line will not appear in play, will not be referenced, and will not be hinted at. Veils are soft limits. When veiled content arises, it may be acknowledged briefly without description, or we cut away with a fade to black. Breaks We play for about 2.5 to 3 hours with one 10 minute break around the halfway point. If anyone needs a quick break outside of that but does not want to miss important moments, just say so and we can take another short 5 minute break. If you need to step away for any reason, simply do it and rejoin when you can. This is an open door table. Open Door Anyone may step away at any time for any reason. No explanation is required and your well being comes first. Stars and Wishes At the end of each session I invite you to share stars and wishes. Stars are the moments you enjoyed: a scene that landed well, a fun bit of roleplay, a ruling that felt good, a cool combat beat, or anything that made you smile. Wishes are the things you would like to see handled differently next time. This can be pacing, spotlight, tone, themes, rules clarity, amount of combat, intensity of horror, or any content that did not quite work for you. You can share your stars and wishes in two private Discord channels just for our group, or send them to me directly via Discord DM if that feels safer or easier. I use this feedback to gently adjust the game so it keeps feeling right for the table.