The Light of Barovia: A Curse of Strahd Campaign

The Light of Barovia: A Curse of Strahd Campaign

A land hidden from the sun for centuries, rained by darkness for millennia. Will you be the heroes to make the sun rise on Barovia once more?

TYPE

Campaign

LEVELS

2–10

LANGUAGE

English

EXPERIENCE

Beginner

AGE

18+
3 NEEDED TO START
$20.00

/ Session

Details

Weekly / Wednesday - 8:00 PM UTC

Session Duration / 3–4 hours

Campaign Length / 50+ Sessions

0 / 6 Seats Filled

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This game will begin once 3 players have joined
About the adventure

An iconic character and setting from D&D History and one of the most popular modules of 5th addition, take on the role of heroes driven to save the shrouded land of Barovia from its evil overlord, Strahd von Zarovich. In this campaign, you will be a party of heroes trapped in a land of gothic horror seeking a way out. You will be working to bring light and succour to a land that has long suffered under the magic of its dark lord, and maybe you will be the ones you make the sun rise over this cursed valley once more. Tone. This will be a heroic fantasy adventure in a dark fantasy/gothic horror setting. Your character should be a hero. Be prepared to cooperate and collaborate with the other players in order to succeed. Theme. While this campaign will not explore or focus upon your character's personal backstory, you should allow the campaign's characters and setting to inspire your character to confront their own regrets, traumas, flaws, and fears. Engagement. This campaign takes place in a setting with a deep history, including complex relationships between several dozen non-player characters. You should expect to take notes and take a sincere interest in the lore of this world. Tactics & Difficulty. This campaign has been balanced to present a challenging, but fair gameplay experience. However, to succeed, you will often need to recruit additional allies while avoiding alienating potential enemies. Consider the consequences of your actions carefully, and avoid taking actions without careful consideration. Roleplay. This campaign is primarily driven by the stories of its non-player characters, and their relationships to the party. Be prepared to form meaningful relationships with the characters you encounter, and allow yourself to emotionally invest in those characters' success. Rewards. Treasure, magic items, and other material rewards will be far more scarce than in an ordinary fantasy campaign. Instead, most rewards will take the form of allies, information, and new story hooks, with experience points awarded for narrative milestones you achieve as you proceed through the campaign. Narrative. The campaign begins with a linear structure, but soon evolves into a more expansive sandbox. Be prepared to balance and prioritize multiple quests, including many with clear deadlines.

Game style

Roleplay Heavy

Theater of the Mind

Meet the Game Master

5.0

(2)

LGBTQ+
Neurodivergent

Less than a year on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: Knows the Rules, Sets the Mood, Storytelling

About me

A decade of D&D experience, a DM who wants your characters to have an impact, and a seasoned profesional DM. I adore this game and creating stories and roleplaying are my favourite things in the world. At my table, character choices are impactful, combat is dynamic, and we tell exciting stories together. I like to start planning with a conversation with my players, understanding what type of game they want and how they want the story to go. Players should join my table if they want high RP, impactful choices, and combat that is less about grinding XP and more about progressing a story. Let’s tell tales together.

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Character creation

Creating your character

Characters will start at level 2. This campaign uses feats but not multi classing. All content from the 2014 Player's Handbook is permitted. Races from other sources will not be allowed. Content from other sources may be permitted but on a case by case basis. Below is an agreement for character creation and how to approach the game. I will make and play a character who is—while potentially flawed—either (a) actively heroic; or (b) a sociable, cooperative character who inevitably and actively begins growing towards heroism within the first five sessions. I will allow my character to feel true, powerless fear when faced with an overwhelming threat, and allow that fear to impact my character's actions, growth, and development. I will make every reasonable effort to build meaningful short- and long-term relationships with NPCs, and allow myself to become emotionally invested in their lives and goals. This campaign requires alliances and cooperation with NPCs and other players, rather than paranoia or antisocial behavior. The DM will not try to trick me, and will give me a fair chance to avoid bad situations through clear foreshadowing. However, NPCs will withhold nonessential lore and character information unless specifically requested. This campaign will largely focus on social encounters, investigations, and exploration, and combat may occur as infrequently as once every two or three sessions. Treasure, magic items, and expensive spell components will be rare and infrequently obtained, with most rewards taking the form of relationships and alliances with friendly NPCs. This campaign will take place in a "fish-out-of-water" setting, and elements from my character's backstory will not directly appear or be referenced in the campaign. It is my sole responsibility to collaborate with the DM and other players to provide my character with an internal emotional character arc if desired. Some powerful enemies will be impossible to defeat through combat, and that we will need to either gain levels, allies, or resources in order to do so. Creature alignments and morality will not always be determined by their species or type. Some monsters can be neutral, or even friendly, while some humanoids can be monstrously irredeemable. The DM has balanced any expected combat encounters to make a TPK unlikely unless we make poor decisions; should a TPK occur, the party may have an opportunity to "fail forward" and continue the campaign, albeit with severe consequences. This campaign has altered the statistics for many official D&D 5e monsters, and has introduced additional mechanics or altered statistics for other enemies to create a balanced, high-tension combat experience that may differ from the Monster Manual and other official supplements. I will not seek out any information, artwork, videos, or other media relevant to Curse of Strahd, or any characters, locations, or lore within the campaign.

What to expect

Preparing for the session

Ensure you have a discord account but this is the only essential program. We will be using theatre of the mind for combat. You are welcome to make your character using any method you would prefer, including paper sheets. We will be using a digital dice roller to ensure fair rolls across players.

What Morgan brings to the table

Backing Music - Environmental music will be provided throughout the campaign to add atmosphere Digital Handouts - Art for characters and items will be used throughout to help you visualise the world around your characters Engaging combat - Combat in the game is engaging and thoughtful, reducing the likelihood of dying to random wolf number 9 Roleplay - Roleplay is encouraged and rewarded

Homebrew rules

There are home-brew monsters in this campaign but there are no rules the players need to know for this game.

Equipment needed to play

Internet

Computer

Microphone

Webcam

Safety

How Morgan creates a safe table

Players will always be welcome to communicate if they are uncomfortable with a scene and if it needs adjusting. I will also familiarise myself with any discomfort players may feel to ensure the campaign works for their enjoyment.

Content warnings

Safety tools used

Frequently asked questions