VERZAMMTEBURG | 5E Survival Horror Dungeon Crawl

Creating your character

You can either bring your own pre-built character, or we will build them together during session zero. I'm happy to work with players to create a character and backstory that links your character to the plot. Level: Characters start at 3rd level. Stats: Point buy or standard array. Races/Classes/Subclasses: All are allowed. Gear: Choose your own starting equipment; feel free to request magic items! (Some restrictions apply 😏) Sources: Any official 5e books are allowed; select homebrew or Unearthed Arcana may be approved. Ask first.

Preparing for the session

Character Sheets: D&D Beyond works best, but any shareable character sheet is fine, as long as it’s ready and approved before the game begins. Connect via Discord using voice or video. I’ll stream a live tabletop with maps + miniatures, giving you a clear, top-down view of the battlefield. That's all you need! Just a digital, sharable character sheet, and a device that can handle discord for voice communication!

What Bardic Meystro brings to the table

I've been a fan of the survival horror genre since I played Resident Evil 2 on the original PlayStation over 25 years ago. I wanted to bring my experience with video games in that genre to the world of tabletop gaming, and thus, VERZAMMTEBURG was born! Taking inspiration from titles like Left 4 Dead, State of Decay, and XCOM 2, I've done my best to build an adventure that encompasses both the action of games like CoD, Black Ops: Zombies with the atmosphere of a Resident Evil title. In this adventure, I included many mechanics that emulate features found in those games: power-ups, randomly found weapons that may give your character a significant (yet limited) power boost, and traps built into the fortress for your use to defend against the undead horde. Much like the systems used in those kinds of games to scale difficulty to player skill and experience, I also adjust difficulty on the fly to challenge players without unfairly overwhelming them. New players will find an experience that eases them in, only increasing in difficulty in proportion to their confidence level. Experienced players will find substantial challenges every step of the way. I tailor the experience both to the individual as well as the table as a whole. Regardless of experience level, the enemies you face will feature a wide variety of familiar undead archetypes, as well as additions to the roster that you may not be expecting, and some might behave in unexpected ways. My rules approach is a blend of rules-as-written and the rule of cool: I will allow players to stretch the use of their skills, abilities, and spells in unique ways, so long as it fits the world and doesn't break the game.

Homebrew rules

Homebrew Rules for Verzammte-Burg Critical hits deal maximum damage plus normal damage. Drinking a potion is a bonus action on yourself, or an action to use on another. Player-created homebrew may be approved if it fits the adventure. All other rules follow standard 5e, tailored to the fast-paced, survival-action style of the game.

How Bardic Meystro creates a safe table

I hold a session zero to set expectations & outline any potentially triggering content. Players can pause, request a break, or indicate discomfort at any time. Frequent check-ins and short breaks ensure comfort throughout the campaign. The goal is to balance survival-horror tension with a safe, collaborative, and fun experience for everyone. Trigger Warnings Violence and gore (combat against undead, blood, and physical harm) Horror and dread themes (isolation, fear, confinement, survival tension) Firearms and weapon use (modern or arcane firearms) Strong or dark language and tone Occult and necromantic themes (curses, possession, undead magic)