Into the Mists | Curse of Strahd (LGBTQ+ Friendly!)
The lands of Barovia have long been suffocated by thick mists, harboring malicious creatures mostly under the control of one being. He knows you.
$15.00
/ Session
Details
Bi-weekly / Friday - 9:00 PM UTC
Session Duration / 2.5–3.5 hours
0 / 6 Seats Filled
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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." --- The lands around Castle Ravenloft, known as Barovia, have been consumed by dark mists that shroud danger and lure in adventurers. You, by one way or another, have found yourself here, in the shadow of the magnificent castle ruled by one of the strongest vampires in known history. He is having guests for dinner, and you are invited. The written intent of this module is meant as a gothic horror story, with plenty of death-defying and terrifying moments. I am not going to run the campaign *exactly* as written, but the general story will be the same. My goal is to provide you with the same harrowing experience that the writers of this module wanted to provide, while still putting my own spin on it in the sense that the player characters feel like a more important part of the story. Hopefully, in this game you will get the chance to figure out what Count Strahd von Zarovich is planning, what it has to do with you, and what you can do to stop it and save yourself and your allies from certain death. Please note: while I will still try to allow time for humorous and light-hearted scenes, this will not be a nice campaign. If you are a beginner, feel free to join but hold on to the understanding that there will be high amounts of stress and emotional turmoil that both you and your character will experience. We will have plenty of time before and after sessions to debrief and manage bleed, since my priority is your well-being. I just wanted to put this paragraph here for those of you that aren't familiar with the module or the setting. Someone who has never played D&D or any TTRPG before might have a better time in another campaign of mine (which you can find by clicking on my profile and scrolling all the way down to the bottom). All things aside, I hope that we can work together to create an amazing story! I look forward to starting this campaign with you <3
Game style
Combat Lite
Roleplay Heavy
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Theater of the Mind
Meet the Game Master
2 years on StartPlaying
8 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, Inclusive
About me
Hey there, adventurer! My name is Maple, and I'm here to dive deep into a world richer than your wildest dreams. I'm a 22-year-old trans woman from the West Coast of the USA, and my greatest hobby is telling stories that explore worlds, create thrilling environments, and challenge players to see their characters in ways they never have. I am here to build an experience, to make you laugh, cry, or both. I am here to help YOU build the story you want to build, with others who want to create their own stories. Okay, that's enough fancy talk- I'm not a movie trailer. Truth be told, I like playing TTRPGs. If you're looking for a GM who is passionate about their craft and spares no detail, you've come to the right place. This is also a place where we go light on the rules. The rules as they are given are a guideline for me, a good way to understand the spirit of the game. When playing in systems I am less than familiar with its easier to follow the rules more strictly, but that only lasts as long as it needs to. To me, the story is the most important thing. That means if something is cool, or fun, or cinematic or even just silly, I'll probably let you do it. We'll figure it out as we go along! There are no restrictions when you're creating your own narrative. There also aren't any restrictions when it comes to who is allowed at my table! I welcome people of all identities and experience levels. Feel free to join a game and we can write an amazing story together!
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
There will be two "phases" to character creation: The first phase will be individual one-on-one sessions with you (the player) and me (the DM) to discuss your character's past, present, and future. The goal of this will be to ensure that you have a good idea of who your character *is* as a person. I like to challenge my players to add depth to their characters and to think of them as more than just their statblock. We'll talk about things such as your characters aspirations, their inner thoughts, and who (or what) is important to them! The second phase will be our session 0! In it, we will discuss a multitude of things such as expectations for the table, content warnings, house rules, etc., but we will also get the chance for the whole party to come together and talk about how your characters would know each other or act towards each other. This is a collaborative story that we are telling, after all - it'll be more fun to work together to create something amazing!
What to expect
Preparing for the session
YOU WILL NEED: - A working computer (REQUIRED) - A (hopefully stable) internet connection (REQUIRED) - A Discord account (REQUIRED) - A character sheet (optional, if you do not have one we can create one together!) - Headphones (optional but highly recommended for a better experience) - A keyboard (REQUIRED, we will be rolling our dice through a bot in Discord) And most importantly... - YOUR IMAGINATION (required, obviously)
What Maple brings to the table
As a DM in this (and all future) campaigns, my ultimate goal is to immerse my players in a world that feels cinematic and full of life. This means that you can expect things from my games like: - Varied voices and personalities for NPCs - Time- and location-appropriate background music through a bot in Discord - Thought-out stories that challenge your character's mindset and allow them to shine in the spotlight - A rather hands-off presence at the table, to encourage character roleplay and PC-to-PC interaction - Rules-light campaign, focusing more on what feels appropriate for the situation!
Homebrew rules
- 1 free feat at 1st level - Drinking a potion is a bonus action - Bonus actions can also be used as actions (no benefit other than being able to do two bonus actions in one turn) - Failing any amount of death saving throws = one level of exhaustion
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Maple creates a safe table
Safety Features in use at this table: - Your Lines and Veils, as well as preferrent content, will be written in a Google Form, where the only person who will see your answers will be me. We'll make sure everyone has done this as part of their one-on-one session. - My DMs will always be open to you! You're more than welcome to shoot me a message if you have a question or concern related to the game, or even if you want to share something fun about your character! - X, N, and O cards will be handled through DMs as well. This way everyone has their privacy and will be able to move past a scene without having to mention it to the group - I will handle the transition forwards. - After every session, we will take a few minutes to talk about what we enjoyed from the session, anything we didn't like as much, and what we hope happens in the next one! There will also be a Discord channel where you can voice your thoughts about what we did that week.
Content warnings
Safety tools used