The Haunting of Lament House

The Haunting of Lament House

The House stood on top of the hill. Amongst its piles of secrets lie curious artifacts now desired, and whatever guards those, speaks in echoes.

TYPE

One-Shot

LEVELS

3–4

LANGUAGE

English

EXPERIENCE

Open to all

AGE

18+
3 NEEDED TO START
$15.00

/ Session

Details

Once / Sunday - 4:00 PM UTC

Jul 19

Session Duration / 2–3 hours

0 / 5 Seats Filled

Report Adventure

Money Back Guarantee

StartPlaying Money Back Guarantee

If your game doesn't happen, we guarantee a refund. Just reach out to StartPlaying Support. Refund Policy

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

The game will take place in a haunted mansion. Your group was tasked with retrieving a lost amulet for a spiritualist association claiming it as theirs. As the former lady of the house was one of the organization’s members, they warn you for the vengeful spirits that are known to dwell there. The game will feature exploration and some combat, and will focus on themes relating to hauntings: something lingers that needs to be resolved; deep stories that the smallest details tell and putting spirits to rest. The game assumes that you know what tabletop role playing games are and if you are a new player you have familiarized yourselves with the character creation process. You will make your character before the game; however you don’t have to have extensive knowledge over the rules. The system is mostly about fighting monsters and overcoming challenges, and usually encourages superhero power fantasies. However if you enjoy suspense, are inspired by dark fantasy and gothic horror, and you don’t mind playing as heroic but flawed characters that might fail and face difficult choices my game is for you! Aligning themselves with the themes at play, gothic heroes are often virtuous, deeply passionate, or courageous, as sacrifices feature prominently in gothic stories. However, the lines between good and evil will be blurred and choices might involve deciding which outcome is least bad. The players could also consider making heroes who are pure-hearted or unsuspecting individuals, whose resolve is shaken by the story’s events, haunted perhaps themselves. In terms of classes, I would propose that we exclude barbarians and maybe monks for thematic cohesion, all the species are allowed. Characters should start at level 3 as it is set by the Dungeons and Dragons 2024 Player’s Handbook.

Game style

Combat Heavy

Roleplay Heavy

Rule of Cool (RoC)

Meet the Game Master
Queer
Artist
Multi-lingual

Less than a year on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: World Builder, Voices, Storytelling

Average response time: 4 hours

Response rate: 100%

About me

Hello! I'm Gabriel (he/him) and I am a gothic heart from Greece. I love fantasy, horror and mystery (books, movies, comics, the whole lot!) - big big nerd! I love running gothic horror and dark fantasy games for Call of Cthulhu 7th edition and DnD 5.5 edition set in the classic setting of 1920’s America and the domains of Ravenloft respectively. I take particular delight in creating spooky stories driven by mystery, exploring gothic themes, but also experiencing suspense and action with my players!🦇

View Profile →
Character creation

Creating your character

The character creation happens before the game by the players. The stats could be rolled (generated) or a player could use the standard array given by the Handbook. The players’ primary sources will be the 2024 Player’s Handbook and any other publication contains subclasses the players consider might be aligned with the themes of the game (i.e. Unearthed Arcana, Ravenloft: The Horrors Within). I would like to receive a pdf (or a scanned copy) of the character’s sheet after the creation which the player could send me via a message or via Discord.

What to expect

Preparing for the session

I would require for the player to make an account on roll20 and send me their email in order to invite them to the game.

What Gavriil Athanasiadis brings to the table

Even if I love Dark Fantasy and Gothic Horror quite much, I am mostly enthusiastic and chill as a Dungeon Master! Although my gaming style is open and free flowing based on conversation and vivid description in order to serve a narrative game, I tend to always serve an atmosphere encouraging “serious” moments from time to time. I create atmosphere using a music selection from movies, TV and games, utilizing distinct descriptions of places and characters and sometimes making sounds and using a particular voice for a specific NPC. I enjoy running battles and danger is always on the table as these can be quite intense and decisive for the course of the narrative. Although I follow the rules of the game I don’t forget the rule of cool! Don’t hesitate to propose interesting ideas, as I am always open in offering situational advantages.

Homebrew rules

The rule of cool goes a long way in my games! Don’t hesitate to propose interesting ideas, as I am always open in offering situational advantages. I‘ve also injected interesting mechanics from other games, like negotiations and montage tests from Draw Steel.

Equipment needed to play

Internet

Computer

Microphone

Webcam

Safety

How Gavriil Athanasiadis creates a safe table

I would send my players a document detailing multiple themes for lines and veils to be drawn upon, and also some questions that are optional for them to answer relating to specific fears and character death. I am always ready to call for a break and I tend to leave a ten to fifteen minute space after each session for highlighting specific moments that the players did or did not enjoy and for getting a general vibe of how things are going with the group emotionally. The key is for everything to feel light after the session. When it comes to the X card, I would prefer to be held up in video, as I would normally not be checking the chat and focusing on the players’ reactions.

Content warnings

Character Death
Death
Gore
Uncanny Valley
Trauma

Safety tools used

Frequently asked questions