A retelling of the original Ravenloft module published by TSR in 1983, and renowned as one of the greatest Dungeons & Dragons adventures ever... A story of gothic horror... Under raging storm clouds, a lone figure stands silhouetted against the ancient walls of Castle Ravenloft. The vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich stares down a sheer cliff at the village below. A cold, bitter wind spins dead leaves about him, billowing his cape in the darkness. Lightning splits the clouds overhead, casting stark white light across him. Strahd turns to the sky, revealing the angular muscles of his face and hands. He has a look of power-and of madness. His once handsome face is contorted by a tragedy darker than the night itself. Rumbling thunder pounds the castle spires. The wind's howling increases as Strahd turns his gaze back to the village. Far below, yet not beyond his ken, a party of adventurers has just entered his domain. Strahd's face forms a twisted smile as his dark plan unfolds. He knew they were coming, and he knows why they have come-all according to his plan. He, the master of Ravenloft, will attend to them. Another lightning flash rips through the darkness, its thunder echoing through the castle's towers. But Strahd is gone. Only the howling of the wind-or perhaps a lone wolf-fills the midnight air. The master of Ravenloft is having guests for dinner. And you are invited... About the Dungeon Master I have been running Dungeons and Dragons games for about fifteen years; starting with 3.5E then to Pathfinder and now to 5E. My experience has mainly been with running in person custom games I create myself. I really pride myself with being collaboratively with my players to create their characters and creating the rules of the world we are playing in. If I don’t like a rule or it doesn’t make sense to me I will usually tweak to fit the style of play of the group and myself more. I am open to tweaking classes and races to make them the thing my players had in their head for the campaign we are about to embark on. I find joy in the process of creating the story, telling the story and seeing how my player’s characters grow and change as we progress through the world. My two biggest strengths are my story telling and combat scenarios, that is not to say I don’t or can’t roleplay it is just the thing I need continue to try and figure out the balance. I also enjoy the improvisation of the story and progression because prep can only get you so far and it is my mind to come in with the beats or high points you want your players to reach in the story and allow the things in between these high points to be a malleable thing the players can play with and shape as they see fit. So, all this is to say I do not try to place anyone in my game on rails and progress the story the way I see fit. I try to do this even when I run a module, just to make the game come more to life to me and my players. About combat I want every encounter to be challenging and make players think about strategy and how they accomplish the goal. Not all battles are fought with swinging swords, some are won with subterfuge and planning. So will I try to kill my players every game, to this I say no I do not but if they make a bad choice or the dice are not in their favor it may happen and having that as a possibility to me enhances the game and story. Because without real stakes in the game it really diminishes the story and how much you may care about your character and your party. I’ll close my about section with this the players enjoyment and fun is my top priority and the players as a group will inform my decisions on how much we roleplay, how much we battle the forces of good and evil and how much time we spend on the story. Game Details Campaign: Curse of Strahd (Forgotten Realms) Date: Weekly sessions every Thursday Time: 8:00 PM CST Place: Virtual tabletop on Roll20, voice and video chat on Discord Duration: Sessions last 3-4 hours Payment: $10 per player per session via PayPal, Venmo, and Cash App Roll20's required payment disclaimer: "This game will require payment to the Game Master at a rate of $10 per session via Paypal, Venmo, and Cash App. Roll20 is not responsible for any payment transactions and cannot enforce any private arrangements." Further Game Details Game system: D&D 5e Starting Level: 1 Progression: Milestone Allowed Sources for character creation: Any official published book by WotC Number of Players: 4-8 Session Length: around 3:30~ hours with a ten minute break somewhere in the middle Stats: Points Array (set by the DM) or 27 points buy will be chosen by player preference Free Session Zero: We will get to know each other, discuss expectations, answer questions, and make characters Inclusivity: this game is open to anyone, and I mean anyone. Sex, gender, sexual orientation, minority status, language skill, familiarity with the game – you are welcome here. This is non-negotiable and there will be zero tolerance for any disrespectful behavior. Game Add-ons and Additions Any races, subclasses and feats will be made available from these books listed below. I will also except some home brewed subclasses but we will need to discuss. Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes Xanathar's Guide to Everything Eberron: Rising from the Last War Mythic Odysseys of Theros Tasha's Cauldron of Everything Request an Invite to Play If you'd like to request an invite to play, then simply send me a private message with the following information: Your name: Campaign name/day/time: Curse of Strahd, Thursday, 8:00 PM CST Your Discord ID and number: Briefly describe what you're looking for in a gaming experience: Your online D&D experience: none / beginner / intermediate / expert Your overall D&D experience: none / beginner / intermediate / expert Do you understand that this game costs $10 per player per session via PayPal, Cash App, and Venmo? Provide a few details about your character such as name, class, race, and backstory. (It's OK if you haven't decided yet.) Note: If you get an error message when you try to send me a private message, then please post your application here in this thread. Don't forget to include your Discord name/number. (Remember, it's cAsE sEnSiTiVe.) <a href="https://app.roll20.net/lfg/listing/291679/curse-of-strahd-thursday-8pm-cst" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/lfg/listing/291679/curse-of-strahd-thursday-8pm-cst</a>