The Howl in the Mists: A Curse of Strahd Campaign

Creating your character

We will be hosting a free session zero to create characters and establish backstory as needed. Any races, backgrounds, and subclasses from officially published 2024 edition of Wizards of the Coast 5e source books or adventures are acceptable (although I'm happy to retrofit 2014 edition of 5e material as needed). I can also provide pre-designed character sheets for anyone who needs them.

Preparing for the session

For gameplay, you'll need a webcam and mic (your default phone or computer cam and mic are fine) as well as Discord, which will host our voice/text. For most of our encounters, we'll be using Roll20, offering players the opportunity to move around on a map as they face off against giants. In addition to having a Roll20 account, please have your own method for rolling dice. For creating characters, you'll need to use D&D Beyond to create a digital character sheet. However, I will be able to share paid D&D Beyond content with you in advance to broaden your character building options. Once you have this digital character sheet, you can use it to keep track of spells, abilities, items, and gold. If you have a Player's Handbook and any other books, feel free to have them with you for reference, but they won't be necessary. And have something to take notes in case there are things you want to remember from session to session.

What Nick Luckenbaugh brings to the table

I'll be working to bring the creepy, dangerous, romantic, gothic Strahd experience to life as much as possible through voices, storytelling, and character building. As mentioned, I will provide battle maps to help provide tactical gameplay when in combat. That said, my gameplay style also emphasizes social interaction and exploration, so come ready to interact with NPCs and leave a mark on the world.

Homebrew rules

I allow players to stack inspiration points and carry them over from session to session. When making saves on area effects, I allow enhanced or reduced damage on critic fails or successes. Should it come up (as it sometimes does in this campaign), I also have particular rules surrounding PCs as werecreatures.

How Nick Luckenbaugh creates a safe table

Curse of Strahd is a horror campaign featuring darker themes surrounding death, loss, and classic horror creatures including vampires, werewolves, and zombies. While these themes will be heavily present through the game, we'll be setting lines and veils prior to the start of gameplay during a session zero to ensure maximum comfort for each player. These lines and veils will inform gameplay and ensure the ability to "fade to black" whenever needed. We'll also be ending each session with a brief Highlight Reel and Wrap Session to discuss the game session and ensure fun and engaging future sessions.