Curse of Strahd: Looking for 1 More Player! Fridays @ 7 PM EST | ~3 Hours | Roll20 + Discord | D&D 2024 "The mists have already begun to close around them. There is still room for one more soul." Hey everyone! I'm currently running a Curse of Strahd campaign and I'm looking to add one more player to our group. We're still very early in the campaign , currently the party is just finishing session 3 this friday and we haven't even gotten to the meat of the campaign yet so it would still be very easy to introduce you to the group. This is a gothic horror adventure with plenty of roleplay, exploration, mystery, character development, and dangerous combat. I'm running the bones of Curse of Strahd , but I heavily customize my campaigns, so even players who are somewhat familiar with the module may encounter things they haven't seen before. This will be a newbie friendly game - I just ask that you please do your due research in knowing what your character can do but I am open to help. About the Campaign System: D&D 5e using primarily the 2024 rules Campaign: Curse of Strahd Platform: Roll20 Voice: Discord Schedule: Every Friday at 7 PM EST Session Length: Usually around 3 hours Players: Looking for 1 additional player Style: Roughly 50/50 roleplay and combat, although that naturally changes depending on what the party decides to do. Expect: Gothic horror Mystery and investigation Dangerous encounters Character-driven stories NPC relationships Exploration Humor mixed into the darkness Choices that can genuinely change the direction of the campaign Barovia is not a static videogame world waiting for the players to arrive. NPCs remember what you do, enemies react to you, situations can change without you, and your choices have consequences. About Me: The DM I've DMed and completed 5+ long-term campaigns over the years, with plenty of ridiculous stories, character deaths, dramatic moments, terrible decisions, and memories that my groups still talk about. One of the biggest things I enjoy as a DM is making the player characters feel like they actually belong in the story. Your backstory isn't something you write and then forget about. I love taking pieces of a character's history, relationships, fears, enemies, goals, and personality and weaving them into the campaign. I want everyone at the table to have moments where the story suddenly becomes their story. I've recently returned to DMing after taking a few years away from running regular campaigns, and I've been having an absolute blast getting behind the screen again. I also modify published adventures pretty heavily. I want this version of Barovia to feel like our group's version of Barovia, not simply a book being read aloud. How I Run My Games Actions have consequences. If you make an enemy, they might remember you. If you save someone, they might show up again. If you ignore something happening in the world, it may continue without you. Combat can be dangerous. I don't generally fudge things simply because a fight is going badly. Character death is possible, although I'm never actively trying to kill the party. I usually roll openly. Some information-based checks may occasionally be handled more subtly when knowing the result would affect the roleplay, but most combat rolls happen in the open. Rule of Cool - within reason. If you want to try something creative, my response will usually be some version of: "Okay... but here's what it would take." I like rewarding creative solutions rather than forcing every problem to have one predetermined answer. Humor is welcome. This is Curse of Strahd, not three hours of everyone whispering sadly into their microphones. The campaign can get dark, but there will absolutely be stupid jokes, ridiculous plans, strange NPC interactions, and moments where the party somehow turns something horrifying into comedy. Character-Focused Campaign One of my favorite parts of DMing is incorporating characters into the world. You might encounter: Someone connected to your past An old enemy A missing family member Someone who knows something about you that they shouldn't Temptations specifically designed for your character Side quests tied directly to your backstory NPCs who develop relationships with your character Personal victories — and personal tragedies I don't expect a twenty-page backstory. Give me a few interesting threads , and I'll happily start pulling on them. What I Bring to the Table Roll20 Dynamic Lighting Battle maps and visual aids Scene-specific music Ambient sound and horror effects Handouts, letters, journals, clues, and other props Customized encounters Character-specific storylines Discord roleplay between sessions when appropriate If the party reaches a period of downtime and you want your character to visit an NPC, research something, have a private conversation, or pursue something personal, I'm happy to occasionally handle that through Discord text RP between sessions . It gives characters opportunities to breathe outside of the main group session. Table Rules Pretty simple: Make a character who wants to be part of an adventuring party. You don't have to play a perfect hero. Difficult, selfish, morally questionable, and complicated characters can be fantastic. But your character should have a reason to work with the group. No stealing from other PCs. No PvP unless everyone involved is comfortable with it and it genuinely makes sense for the story. Don't intentionally ruin another player's fun. Characters can argue. Players shouldn't. You need a working microphone. And probably the biggest thing I'm looking for: Please communicate about attendance. Life happens. Work happens. Family happens. Computers explode. Missing a session occasionally is completely understandable. I'm mostly asking that if you know you're going to miss a game, please let me know as early as you reasonably can so I can plan around it. I'm looking for someone who can make Friday nights fairly consistently and wants to stick around for a long-term campaign. Character Creation We'll work together on your character since you'll be joining an existing party. General rules: 2024 D&D rules are our baseline. 27 Point Buy or Standard Array Official species/classes are generally allowed. I'm very open to discussing character concepts before you commit to anything. Your character doesn't need to be optimized. Your character does need a reason to travel with the party. The campaign is expected to reach approximately level 10, and advancement will be milestone-based. When you gain a level, you automatically receive half the maximum value of your class Hit Die. You then roll a die with half as many sides and add the result, followed by your Constitution modifier. For example, a Barbarian gains: 6 + 1d6 + Constitution modifier. Most importantly, make somebody you're excited to play for a long campaign. Content Warning Curse of Strahd is a gothic horror campaign and contains potentially heavy subject matter. Themes can include things such as: Death Undead Violence Abuse Child endangerment Cults Body horror Psychological horror Manipulation Addiction Loss and grief If there is something you absolutely don't want appearing in the game, tell me privately before joining . I'm completely willing to adjust material when necessary. Horror works best when everyone at the table is actually having fun being scared. Who I'm Looking For You absolutely do not need to be a D&D expert . Newer players are welcome. Experienced players are welcome. I'm mostly looking for someone who: Enjoys roleplaying with the other players Lets other characters have the spotlight Gets invested in the story Doesn't mind occasionally difficult combat Enjoys horror without needing everything to be relentlessly serious Communicates with the group Can reliably make Fridays at 7 PM EST Wants a campaign they can become invested in If you're the kind of player who ends a session wondering: "Okay, what the hell is Strahd planning?" You'll probably fit in pretty well. A Quick Note About AI For transparency: I do occasionally use AI-assisted tools when preparing the campaign , particularly for things like visual handouts, character/NPC images, atmospheric images, props, or other supplemental material. I work full-time and unfortunately don't have unlimited prep time, so these tools sometimes let me create things for the game that I simply wouldn't have the time or artistic ability to make from scratch. That doesn't mean the campaign is being generated and run by AI . I still put a lot of time into preparing sessions, modifying the adventure, developing NPCs, working player backstories into the campaign, designing encounters, and actually running the game at the table. AI is simply one of the tools in my DM toolbox , alongside Roll20, music, maps, published material, third-party books, and my own ideas. If the use of AI-generated imagery or supplemental material is a dealbreaker for you, I completely understand I'd just rather be upfront about it before someone joins. Interested? Leave an application below or here <a href="https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/12805694/players-submit-apps-here/?pageforid=12805694#post-12805694" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/12805694/players-submit-apps-here/?pageforid=12805694#post-12805694</a> with: Name / What should we call you? Age: Pronouns: Timezone: D&D/TTRPG experience: None is completely fine. What do you enjoy most in D&D? Roleplay, combat, exploration, mysteries, character building, etc. What kind of character are you thinking about playing? You don't have to have one ready yet. What makes a D&D campaign memorable for you? How comfortable are you with gothic horror and darker themes? Can you normally make Fridays at 7 PM EST for roughly three hours? Have you played or DMed Curse of Strahd before? Having prior experience isn't necessarily a dealbreaker, I just want to know beforehand. Welcome to Barovia.
