Curse of Strahd - Endless Hunger |2 free session, 2024 rules|

Creating your character

We will be starting at lv5 with 2024 characters. Refrain from using 2014 subclasses, spells, feats, ect. Characters will be built in Roll20 and we will have a session 0 to help flesh out character connections. Characters should have background based on The Sword Coast of Faerun and are expected to be either someone heroic or someone who got caught it the middle of the problem and wants to find a way out.

Preparing for the session

Make sure you have a working Discord account, a Roll20 account, and basic things to play games on the internet. This includes a microphone, headphones/headset, a webcam, a working computer (phones and tablets don't work well), and internet access. For character prep you should have multiple ideas about possible characters, specifically class/species combos. We don't want players to be forced to play the same class unless both players want to and think that is interesting.

What Brian - AreWeBadYet brings to the table

This will be combat heavy, with choices outside of combat possibly fully negating the need for certain encounters. If you scout ahead, see an ambush and decide to summon flying mounts and fully avoid them, great! Just don't forget about them if you head back that way. You choices of friends, enemies, and everything in between will matter. If you make yourself appear to be a powerful necromancer seeking allies, you might find them at the cost of some truly horrible actions. List time! Things I will do/provide: 1. Voices. Bad Voices. Inconsistent Bad Voices. My characters will come to life somewhat but between sessions I will forget how they sound and will try to make it not bad. 2. Music - It will be in the background and you can ignore it if you want but I will try to make it fit the vibes 3. Custom made items, backstory being woven in, descriptions that might get you demonetized on certain platforms (with consent of course), and a passion for playing fun games together and telling an interesting story. 4. Generally I will stick to the rules but if certain rules are just making it less fun for everyone we can discuss changing/removing them. For instance I have a Paladin in a 2024 game that really doesn't enjoy the new smite rules. We came up with a middle ground that still lets them smite more but doesn't have the every attack, bonus attack, and opportunity attack smiting of 2014.

Homebrew rules

All homebrew is optional, meaning I won't force you to use homebrew. This doesn't mean all homebrew is a valid option. Everything well be checking with the GM and players before it is allowed. Some standard things I normally allow. Things currently in UA (unearthed arcana, D&D official test material). Some stat changes for classes, like an Intelligence based cleric or strength based rogue. Mild quality of life improvements, like canonizing how falling long distances work, allowing surprise to matter some but not wreck the game (single action by surpriser, not whole party), making Hunters Mark work/scale on Rangers (big change but doesn't effect anything til lv 7) I have many more HB options, most untested but any HB we choose to use can be modified further or removed from the game if it feels like it isn't making the game more fun or better.

How Brian - AreWeBadYet creates a safe table

Primary safety tools will be "lines and veils" which we will establish at session 0 and re-check throughout the campaign. If things begin to happen at the table that a player isn't OK with then we can employ the X Card to change what just happened (not changing rolls but changing the story so that it doesn't cause harm to the player). Additionally we will set expectations for player interactions such that even if your characters are having a difficult time working together the players are all on the same page and still enjoying the gameplay. If character bleed starts to take place we will back off and rehumanize the players and try to distance them from the characters. If a problem continues, changing how a character acts might be necessary for the health of the group (hopefully with a satisfying story reason as well). The most important safety tool is good communication from everyone involved. If some content is rough but manageable for a player I don't want to make that a central part of the story, but it may be alluded instead. We will be respectful of each other, try to extent grace when someone makes a mistake, and do our best to learn how to be a good table to play at together. Not every group is meant to play together long term and forcing a table to stick it out isn't healthy. Instead we want to create a positive, enjoyable, affirming, and learning experience for everyone. If the campaign lasts a month or a year these goals should be the same (though the scope might change). For player feedback I'd like to employ the Stars and Wishes system to help create a game for the players, not just about them.