A Terrible Fate (Curse of Strahd)
It seems you have met a terrible fate. You have awoken in the domain of Ravenloft. There is no escape. There is no hope. There is only Strahd.
$20.00
/ Session
Details
Bi-weekly / Wednesday - 2:00 AM UTC
Session Duration / 3 hours
3 / 6 Seats Filled
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Meet your party members
3/6
About the adventure
Under raging storm clouds, a lone figure stands silhouetted against the ancient walls of Castle Ravenloft. The vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich stares down a sheer cliff at the village below. A cold, bitter wind spins dead leaves about him, billowing his cape in the darkness. Lightning splits the clouds overhead, casting stark white light across him. Strahd turns to the sky, revealing the angular muscles of his face and hands. He has a look of power—and of madness. His once handsome face is contorted by a tragedy darker than the night itself. Rumbling thunder pounds the castle spires. The wind’s howling increases as Strahd turns his gaze back to the village. Far below, yet not beyond his ken, a party of adventurers has just entered his domain. Strahd’s face forms a twisted smile as his dark plan unfolds. He knew they were coming, and he knows why they have come—all according to his plan. He, the master of Ravenloft, will attend to them. Another lightning flash rips through the darkness, its thunder echoing through the castle’s towers. But Strahd is gone. Only the howling of the wind—or perhaps a lone wolf—fills the midnight air. The master of Ravenloft is having guests for dinner. And you are invited.
Game style
Roleplay Heavy
Combat Heavy
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(7)
5 years on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: Storytelling, Creativity, Inclusive
Average response time: 2 hours
Response rate: 100%
About me
Hello my name is Trent and I am a D&D addict. I've been running two to three games a week for 10 years, and somehow still find time to play in one game a week and watch all of Critical Role, Dimension Twenty, Naddpod, Matt Colville's videos, Web DM, and so much more. My friends and family are concerned for me. So naturally I figure I might try to make money off my addiction.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
We will be hosting a session 0 where we will collaborate on character creation. But to preview, we will be using the 2024 rules with "SELECT" additional rules from genre appropriate sources. I ask that nobody fully build their character until we've had a chance to discuss themes, story threads, and what types of characters make great characters in Curse of Strahd.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
We will be playing over discord and using D&D beyond. You can sign up for both using free accounts without spending a dime. I suggest you have a web camera and a pair of earphones/headphones with a microphone, but I've run games where players have had to just use their phone for everything, so anything works. For a FULL campaign though, I suggest you invest in good camera and microphone if you can!
What Trent brings to the table
I have been running games multiple times per week for 13 years, hosting one shots and teaching new players of all ages and demographics. I've run multiple full campaigns, run games at conventions, and professionally both online and for teenagers at a boarding school. I've run Curse of Strahd multiple times, tweaking it for each table's enjoyment. If we want to really lean into the horror, I can dial it up to 11. If we want to feel like heroes fighting back against the creatures of the night, I can make you heroes. If we ALL want to play comical characters pointing fun at the absurdity of the gothic tropes and facing the darkness with whimsy and ridiculousness, we can do that too. We just all need to be on the same page, and it will be the most fun you've ever had.
Homebrew rules
In session 0 we will discuss what homebrew rules we want to play with, possibly including things like "No long rests outside of a sanctuary." or "one level of exhaustion whenever you fall to zero hp and/or fail a death saving throw." I have a few more rules that help sell the gothic horror genre in the game, but it will be up to the party to decide if it adds to their experience in a fun way or not. Otherwise, I stick to rules as written with the exception of rule of cool, which means if something makes sense in the context of the story and adds to the fun of the game, I allow it.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Trent creates a safe table
This is a table of love and acceptance. We will do everything we can to make everyone feel welcomed and safe. I will request any triggers before the game that we can stay away from, establish lines and veils of what is accepted in role play, and use X cards (or messages) to pause the game and check in with everyone. No homophobia, sexism, racism, or prejudice of any type will be tolerated. All that said, Curse of Strahd is built to be a horror story. If descriptions of horrifying things trying to kill you, violence against monsters, and evil manipulative villains, this might not be the best game for you. If in general you love that stuff, but have a specific problem with one or two of the content warnings, I can adjust to not include those. It's totally fine if you can't stomach animal abuse or drugs, but if you can't handle half the list, I might suggest finding a brighter, more heroic campaign.
Content warnings
Safety tools used