Strahd Must Die Tonight! A Spooky Halloween One-Shot

About the adventure

Lightning streaks through the sky as your carriage hurtles towards Castle Ravenloft. "Tonight is our only chance to strike!" mutters the vampire hunter, Rudolph van Richten as he interprets the tarokka cards and their cryptic clues, telling you where the Relics of Power are hidden in the Castle that will be Strahd's undoing. Suddenly, a gargoyle swoops from the sky and tears Van Richten screaming from the cart and the two plummet over one thousand feet into the darkness... The carriage careens into courtyard of Castle Ravenloft and crashes as the horses fall dead and begin to decompose before your eyes. As you clamber from the wreck and rise, muddy and soaked through, a massive and ghostly apparition of Strahd appears before you. He cackles at your misfortune and raises an hourglass filled with blood-red sand... “I am the ancient. I am the land. I am Count Strahd von Zarovich. Gaze upon me and tremble, foolish hunters. You are in MY domain, and here, I reign supreme. You mean to hunt me? HAH! So be it. I grant you these 3 cosmic hours till midnight to explore the castle, uncover its mysteries, and confront me." Strahd turns over the hourglass and the sands begin to trickle into the bottom bell. "But when the sands of time run out, so too will your lives. Welcome to Castle Ravenloft. Please, stay for dinner!” his laughter hanging on the air as the vision dissapates. This One-Shot will have your characters racing against the clock as they search Castle Ravenloft for items and allies to finally put an end to the Lord of Barovia! There is a countdown mechanic where SOMETHING BAD will happen on the hour, till eventually you must confront the most Villianous of Vampires, Count Strahd von Zarovich himself. The 'stakes' are high in this game!

Additional Details

How to prepare

A mic and webcam (although the camera is not essential) You'll need an account on DnDBeyond and Roll20 as well as a Google Account for Audio/Video. If you need a assistance with DnDBeyond and Roll20 we can work something out before the game.

What I provide

DnDBeyond Master Subscription with all the Books. Roll20 Pro account. Maps, Handouts and spooky Audio tracks.

Gameplay details

This game will be played on roll20 with Google Meet for Voice and Video. You don't need to have your camera on if you're not comfortable with this. Voice is required though. The session could last between 3-4hrs. This particular adventure involves a exploration of Caste Ravenloft, building tension with a countown mechanic and all manner of nasty encounters one would find in an Ancient Vampires LAIR! For Safety we will be using (anonymous) X cards via macros in roll20, alongside an adapted google form of the Monte Cook Games Consent in RPG checklist. This sets boundaries for everyone to adhere to ensure an enjoyable experience for everyone playing, including me! With that in mind none of my games will ever contain: Harm to children Homophobia/Racism Sexual assault/manipulation/abuse This module includes: Body horror Gore Blood Undead Questionable Moral Choices Let me know if any of these if a big ol nope and I'll adjust if required.

Content warnings

(none)

Safety tools used

Breaks
Lines and Veils
Open Door
Session 0
X, N, and O Cards

How will character creation work

I will invite players to my DnDBeyond Campaign with content enabled if you would like to create your own characters but I will have a stable of pre-generated characters available of you just want to jump in without much prep.

Players can expect

• Find a game to join solo or search for a professional game master for you and your friends/coworkers/family.
• Book your session and wait for the Game Master to approve you.
• If you don't have a blast with your first game, your next game is on us.