LFP
Paid
D&D Beyond
Game: D&D 5e
Group type: Online using Roll20 and Discord
Experience: New and Veteran players alike are welcome
Timezone: Central Standard Time (CST)
Schedule: Games Scheduled for Saturdays at 7 pm CST. This is subject to change based on availability, we are free most days.
Roles sought: Group size of 4 players, 2 slots left!
Game style: Serious, Story driven, Survival, Gothic Horror. Emphasis on Roleplaying, Social interaction, and Exploration.
There! Something just creaked upstairs! A floorboard, and was that other sound you dismissed earlier the sound of a window opening? No... it could just be the house settling, adjusting to its new arrival. But it could also be something... far worse. You've seen your fair share of monsters in your adventures, but ever since your arrival in this strange mist covered land you know something has been watching. "Has it been waiting, all this time, for me to finally let my guard down?" you can't help but worrying. There's no way you can sleep now, despite the walls keeping out the cold a prickling chill runs across your arm and down your spine. Steeling yourself for the worst, you clutch your axe in one hand and your arcane focus in the other, and slowly approach the stairs. If the house can't keep out the chill then perhaps a little fire can, and you focus on the words needed to unleash a firebolt from your fingertips. It's only when you crest the peak of the stair can you begin to smell the rot - a putrid mix of death, blood, bile, and decay. Your meager firebolt fizzles as both your concentration and your arcane focus slip; the latter dropping from your grasp and clattering down the steps. Nothing could have prepared you for this, not 20 years of adventuring, not all the training and books on mage craft in the world. You don't even attempt to recover your arcane focus or the rest of your belongings as you flee in terror back out into the haunting mist. The last thing you remember seeing before you leapt down the stairs and out the fractured front door is the glint of two polished fangs, and two pinpoints of light - eyes; their overwhelming malice and hatred seared into your mind for years to come.
Get ready for a revamped, remade, and reimagined version of what is widely considered the best published D&D 5e adventure - Curse of Strahd! Through hundreds of hours of tireless work and the support of the dedicated Curse of Strahd subreddit, I am bringing THE definitive version of this classic adventure to a willing group of players... or perhaps... victims! Brave the cursed land of Barovia, shrouded in swirling mists and home to all manner of terrifying monsters, maniacal rulers, and exceptional fun! If you are looking for a serious, gothic-horror themed, character-driven story with morally challenging decisions that will shape the land and its people you will find no better campaign - and no better DM. I have been a DM for this game since 5e came out and started doing so full time over the pandemic, so I have the time and energy to work with you to ensure you have the best experience possible. I've run this adventure to completion multiple times, each and every time discovering new ways to engage and excite my players, so if you are looking for a finely crafted world full of multi-dimensional NPC's and challenging (but always fair!) gameplay, this is it.
Players: I am seeking 2 more dedicated (but not necessarily experienced) players who will be able to play consistently. If you are new to the game I am willing to answer any questions in and outside of game, have patience if you ever forget or mess up something, and have private sessions to help teach you the rules - all at no additional cost.
Schedule: Sessions are planned to be weekly on Saturdays at 7 pm CST. This is extremely subject to change, whatever time works best for the group (exempting Sunday afternoons and nights) is when we will play. Sessions will last 3-4 hours, but can also be longer if the group desires.
Gameplay: This adventure features lots of interacting with NPCs and exploration, and focuses on realism and low fantasy as opposed to high fantasy. As socializing with the variety of interesting characters in the land of Barovia is integral to the story of the campaign, some roleplay and social interaction from you is expected. This does not mean you need to be good at character voices, accents, or performances, simply you should act in a way your character would when interacting with the world and other characters/NPCs. There is an emphasis on survival horror, with fewer, more challenging and engaging combat encounters. Due to the nature of the content depicted in the game, this game is 18+. There is not a focus on s*xually explicit or gory content, but there will be s*xual themes, blood, and mature horror content.
Homebrew: There is a small amount of homebrew, which I keep readily available for anyone to reference in game. Some notable changes from the normal game include: potions always heal for their maximum amount, a new lockpicking system, revised feats, and slight tweaks to items and combat.
Allowed Content: Player options from official D&D publications are allowed no questions asked - Except for certain classes and races from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything and Monsters of the Multiverse respectively (looking at you twilight cleric). Homebrew content is allowed granted I can review it first.
Session 0: Session 0 and character creation will be held in a private Discord call in advance of the first session playing with the group. I wish to work with you individually during character creation so that I can really understand your character and work to integrate them into the world and the story. It also provides a great opportunity to teach you if you are new or struggle with coming up with ideas for characters, and to aid in strengthening your character's backstory and sense of identity.
Experience: I started DMing 5e when it came out back in 2014, and have been a professional DM for 2 years now. I'm very familiar with D&D 5e (and to a lesser extent 3.5e and AD&D) and although I may forget specific rules now and again, I know how to competently run a game without long pauses in a session. I hope the text above provides some indication of the style and quality of my narration, and I am sure you will be satisfied with how I run other elements of the game. If you ever have a complaint or suggestion, I am always available to hear it outside of sessions and will do my best to solve any problems you may be having with the game or other players.
Dedication: I've spent hundreds of dollars and thousands, yes thousands of hours adding new battlemaps, art, tokens, quests, characters, items, and music to this adventure. I've commissioned custom art, subscribed to multiple creators patreons, and worked with other experts of this adventure on the Curse of Strahd subreddit. I've run it multiple times to completion with great success, and each time I learn new ways to engage and excite my players. Your payment ensures quality and consistency, and that your time is respected. If a session is scheduled, short of grave illness or a death in the family, I will not be the one to cancel it. Granted, if you or another player needs to reschedule, as long as you communicate so within the day that can be arranged at no cost.
An Enhanced Experience: Like I said earlier, I have supercharged this adventure with cool art, music, characters, and adventures. I voice act all my NPCs, and always have fitting ambient/combat music. I make extensive use of Roll 20's dynamic lighting to create locations with depth and my characters and monsters act realistically. I aim to make this a living-breathing world with a variety of characters that have fleshed out motivations, desires, and behaviors, strategic and fearsome monsters, and a world that is everchanging based on your characters actions and the passage of time.
Friendly and Tolerant: I respect all people and all beliefs. No matter your race, ethnicity, orientation, gender, disability, political beliefs, or D&D experience and ability, I will not attack or demean you and will make sure that the other players in the group do the same. I don't imagine any of the above will be of significance for the game (the beauty of D&D is we can be whoever right?) but I will also ensure that the way you choose to represent yourself through your character will be respected. There can still be some questioning of and disagreement over actions, behaviors, or ideas in game, but I want to ensure no one is made to feel stupid or alienated for their decisions on how to play their character or who they are. I hope you will try to be tolerant of the other players and their characters as well, and this extends to characters or players that might be offensive, edgy, or crude. There will be no hate at my table, but understand that everyone is different, has different opinions and sensibilities, and chooses to depict their character in different ways.
Schedule Flexibility: I am flexible! Want to play longer or shorter than 4 hours? Need to reschedule the session day or time? Permanent change to the session schedule needed? All possible no problem, no charge. I will work with you and the others of the group to make sure you can enjoy the experience with everyone else. As long as you are willing to be communicative I will do my best to accommodate your situation.
Payment Flexibility: If you are paid at certain times in the month or wish not to deal with the hassle of paying before every session, you can pay monthly rather than weekly. The price is $40 US per month, and if there happens to be 5 sessions instead of 4 that month you get an extra one for free! Additionally, if you ever are having difficulty paying, I can be flexible with when, and given extreme circumstances, how much, you pay. If you can't pay for a week or two, you can still participate those weeks and pay later - as long as payment is made by the end of the month. If a session is cancelled, whether because of another player or some unlikely emergency on my part, you will be refunded in full.
Disclaimer. Please understand that others are relying on everyone to be present to ensure the game is as engaging and enjoyable as possible. Since others are also paying and depending on you to show up, if you are unable to attend a session and do not provide notice more than 2 hours in advance, I will still need to charge you for the session in order to refund everyone else. If attendance becomes a serious problem (missing multiple sessions in a row or not communicating difficulty attending/paying) I may be forced to remove you from the campaign. But hopefully that won't happen! :)
When you do so, please provide me with a bit of cursory information:
Your name (or how you would like me to address you out of character), and pronouns (if you care)
Your discord ID and number (if you are messaging me through Roll20 or Reddit).
How much experience you have with D&D 5e or tabletop roleplaying games in general
What days/times you would be available or prefer for sessions
Any details about your soon to be character (if you have any, its ok if you don't)
Confirmation that you understand sessions are $10 US to be paid via PayPal (or another service if needed), and that you are able to pay this for several months as the campaign progresses. Once again as a reminder session 0 and 1 are free. Try it before you buy it!