Death House: Curse of Strahd One-Shot (D&D 5e 2024)
You step out of the mist... and nothing looks familiar. Two children wait outside a dark house. Their baby brother is inside. So is something else...
$25.00
/ Session
Details
1 player following this game
Once / Friday - 3:30 AM UTC
Oct 9
Session Duration / 4–6 hours
0 / 5 Seats Filled
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About the adventure
Mist rolls in off the Svalich Woods and swallows the road behind you. Ahead is the village of Barovia, and a tall, crooked townhouse where two scared children say their baby brother is trapped inside. Seems simple enough. Walk in, grab the kid, walk out. This is Death House, the classic lead-in to Curse of Strahd, run as a single Halloween session. Expect slow-building dread, creaking floors, hidden passages, and a house that doesn't want to let you go. It's deadly, and I won't pull punches, but if you play smart and pay attention, you'll always have a fair shot at making it out. I run the game in Roll20 with maps, dynamic lighting, and ambient sound, so you'll only see what your light reaches. New players are welcome, and I'll walk you through anything you need. Pre-generated characters are ready to go, or you can bring your own level 2 character with my approval. If you've ever wanted to see how Curse of Strahd begins, this is a great place to start. Content warnings: death of children, gore, body horror, cult activity and sacrifice, and a real chance of character death. I use a chat-based X-Card and go over Lines and Veils before we start.
Game style
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
1 year on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: Rule of Cool, Beginner Friendly, Inclusive
About me
I've been playing D&D since middle school, back when you still had to calculate THAC0. I've played through most of the editions since then, but 5th edition is the one I've enjoyed the most, both as a player and behind the screen. At the table, I work hard to weave visuals, sound, and descriptive text together into a story that pulls players in. I love giving players those cinematic moments they end up talking about for years, whether that's a desperate last stand, a plan that somehow actually works, or a door that really should have stayed closed. Right now I'm running a Tomb of Annihilation campaign with my own homebrew layered on top. I run my games in Roll20 with maps, lighting, and music, and I'm happy to help new players get set up before we start. Outside of D&D, I'm a 40ish dad living in Oregon, and I lead software engineering teams during the day. I want everyone at my table to have a great time, so I check in with players and make sure every character gets a moment to shine. Whether you remember THAC0 too or you're about to roll your first d20, pull up a chair. Let's roll!
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Once you book, I'll share the Roll20 link to the game, and you're welcome to make your character there before the session. Characters start at level 2 using the 2024 rules. For stats, use the standard array or point buy. Your character should be someone who's willing to work with the group, so no betraying or attacking the other party members. I have most of the books, so if you have a specific idea for what you want to play, message me and we'll figure it out. If you'd rather skip character creation, I'll have pre-made characters ready to go.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
1. Make a free Roll20 account at roll20.net if you don't have one already. 2. Make a free Discord account if you don't have one. We'll use Discord for voice chat during the game. 3. After you book, I'll send you an invite to my Discord server and the link to our Roll20 game. Join both before game day. 4. Build your character in Roll20 (or grab one of my pre-made characters) and have it ready at least a day before the session so I can take a quick look. 5. Have a working microphone, and a headset if you can. It keeps echo down and makes the creepy sound effects hit a lot harder. 6. Roll20 works best in Chrome or Firefox on a computer. Tablets and phones can work in a pinch, but they make the game harder to play. 7. Try to join the Discord voice channel about 10 minutes early so we can sort out any tech issues and still start on time.
What Jeff - Weaver of Tales brings to the table
Here's what you can expect at my table: Voices and atmosphere. Every NPC gets their own voice, and I run background music and sound effects the whole game. For Death House, that means creaking floors, distant chanting, and things moving in the walls. Headphones strongly recommended. Maps with real darkness. The game runs in Roll20 with full maps and dynamic lighting, so you only see what your light reaches. What's waiting in the next room stays a mystery until you open the door. Lively combat. Fights move fast and stay fun. I describe the hits, the misses, and the big finishing blows, and I keep turns moving so nobody's sitting around waiting. Rule of Cool. If you want to try something wild, tell me what you're going for and we'll roll for it. Clever ideas get rewarded, and I'd much rather say "roll for it" than "you can't do that." Just remember this house is deadly, so cool and reckless aren't always the same thing. Ready-to-play characters. Pre-made characters are available if you'd rather skip building one. A safe table. I use a chat-based X-Card and go over Lines and Veils before we start, so everyone can enjoy the scares without getting blindsided by something they didn't sign up for.
Homebrew rules
Drinking a potion as a bonus action is a common one that I run with.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Jeff - Weaver of Tales creates a safe table
Before the game: Once you book, I'll send a short Lines and Veils form through Discord. Lines are things that won't show up in the game at all. Veils are things that can happen but fade to black instead of being described. Your answers stay private between you and me, and I'll adjust the game around them. Pre-game check-in: We'll spend the first few minutes going over the tone of the game, the content warnings on this listing, and how the safety tools work. Death House is a horror adventure, so I want everyone to know what they're getting into before the lights go out. During the game: I use X, N, and O cards in chat. You can type them to the whole table, or whisper them privately to me with /w gm if you'd rather not call attention to yourself. - X means stop. I'll skip past or rewrite that content right away, no explanation needed. - N means nudge. Something's getting close to uncomfortable, so I'll ease off or move the scene along. - O means okay. You're good, keep going. I may ask for these during intense scenes as a quick check-in. Breaks: Horror can be a lot. If you need a minute, just say so and we'll take a short break. After the game: I'll stick around on Discord voice for a few minutes after we wrap to decompress, talk through the game, and hear how it went. If something bothered you and you'd rather say it privately, message me anytime and I'll take it seriously.
Content warnings
Safety tools used