Curse of Strahd
Vampires, Werewolves, things that go bump in the night, and every party's favorite thing: a sexy BBEG!
$20.00
/ Session
Details
3 players following this game
Weekly / Friday - 12:00 PM UTC
Oct 30 / Session 20
Session Duration / 4–4.5 hours
Campaign Length / 100–500 Sessions
2 / 6 Seats Filled
Top Game Master
One of StartPlaying's top-rated GMs, a player favorite and highly recommended.
Report Adventure
StartPlaying Money Back Guarantee
If your game doesn't happen, we guarantee a refund. Just reach out to StartPlaying Support. Refund Policy
Schedule
Meet your party members
2/6
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
Combat Lite
Rules as Written (RaW)
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Roleplay Heavy
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(15)
2 years on StartPlaying
101 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Inclusive, Storytelling
Average response time: 4 hours
Response rate: 100%
About me
Hey guys, I'm Reese! I'm a trans-male DM of 8 years, and I started out as a player- at least, I attempted to. My very first game was with a group of friends that ultimately fell apart because real life hit our DM hard and fast. I would come to know the Curse of D&D on a personal level over the next few years as I tried to enjoy D&D as a player, but ultimately lost DMs over and over again to the dreaded beast known as Real Life. It was in my final game as a player that something sparked within. We were playing on Mondays and Tuesdays when our DM at the time was given an ultimatum. It's her, or the game, and he (respectably) chose her. Our group was distraught, and it was then that I offered to try to run the game for them. That day 8 years ago began my journey and I have been DMing every game I've played since. For as long as I can remember, I've had a creative imagination that demanded I write fantasy novels of all types since I was in elementary school, which then lead me to RPGs later on. I'm a 90s kid, so I've played several in my time, mostly in video form. I first got into longform RP when I was 12-13 years old and stumbled upon my first MUD; text-based games where I could describe in intricate detail what my character was doing and saying. (It definitely became an 'addiction' later on, both as a creative outlet and as a means of socialization with other people, haha). All of this really gave me the necessary tools I needed to both play and run TTRPGs, and I am still running games for people from some of my original groups when I was trying to just be a player at the table. (I'm even DMing for one of my old DMs now!) I'm funny, I know when to draw the line between wacky and serious, and have an eye for detail. You are 100% guaranteed to have a good time in any number of my games, and I hope to see you at the table soon!
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Stats will be decided through point buy or standard array, and you are welcome to create your character with help during session zero. We will start at level 1, and I plan on continuing your hero's journey up to level 20. Please do not read the Strahd or Ravenloft books ahead of time, and if you've played in this setting before, do not spoil it for everyone else! Characters will be created on the DnD Beyond website.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Please have a Discord account, a DnD Beyond account, and access to a microphone. You should have basic knowledge of the rules of D&D, via the free Basic Rules book on the DnD Beyond website. You may also use the phone app, though the Maps feature is not yet integrated into it, so a web browser will be your best bet.
What Dungeon Daddy Reese brings to the table
I have a Master Tier Subscription to D&D Beyond and access to a good portion of their content, so there won't be too much of a limit on your race/class. If you can provide me with a good enough reason that your non-native character race is here, I'll allow it. Impress me! We will be using DnD Beyond's Maps tool to keep track of your individual tokens, Discord for voice/video chatting, and the Avrae Bot in the Discord channel just to keep track of characters out of session. My DM style is a combination of Rule of Cool and Rules as Written. If something you're trying to do piques my interest but wouldn't normally be allowed, I have what are called Emphasis Rolls, in which you flip a coin (roll 1d2) to see whether the attempt is either a critical success, or a critical failure. Just as well, I try to do cool, fun, and unique voices for each of my NPCs, but I'm no Matt Mercer or Brennan Lee Mulligan. I'm not a professional actor, voice or otherwise. Please bear with me and be forgiving- I will do the same, haha.
Homebrew rules
You can quaff potions as a bonus action. Rolling a Nat 20 on initiative grants you a surprise round.
Equipment needed to play
Computer
Internet
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Dungeon Daddy Reese creates a safe table
Included in our free Session-0 will be a discussion of my personal Lines and Veils (as well as any of the players') and my personal safety system, similar to XNO which is Red, Yellow, Green. At the end of session, those who don't have to leave immediately are free to stay behind and chat, slowly coming out of character or coming down from whatever excitement may have occurred during the game. In addition, Session-0 will also be used for character building and background integration. If you feel confident in your character-building capabilities, feel free to make your own without help, but have it submitted to me MINIMUM one day before Session-1 so that I can review it, or you won't be able to play on that day.
Content warnings
Safety tools used