$30.00 / week
About the Adventure
Under raging storm clouds, the vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich stands silhouetted against the ancient walls of Castle Ravenloft. Rumbling thunder pounds the castle spires. The wind’s howling increases as he turns his gaze down toward the village of Barovia.
Far below, yet not beyond his keen eyesight, a party of adventurers has just entered his domain. Strahd’s face forms the barest hint of a smile as his dark plan unfolds. He knew they were coming, and he knows why they came—all according to his plan.
A lightning flash rips through the darkness, but Strahd is gone. Only the howling of the wind fills the midnight air. The master of Castle Ravenloft is having guests for dinner. And you are invited.
Dark Souls Variant
This game utilizes the Dark Souls variant for 5th edition gameplay. Become Hollowed, losing your lifespark upon character death. After death, retrieve your souls in order to advance your character level and empower you to take down powerful foes. But be careful, holding on to your lifespark for too long will attract the attention of hunters.
No prior knowledge necessary.
How to Prepare
Consider what kind of character you would like to play, but hold your ideas with flexibility. Together, the group will finalize character concepts and create characters during the first session.
Ensure that you have a working mic/headset and webcam (optional, but encouraged).
Create an account at dndbeyond.com
Please join the Discord server upon registration.
Materials Provided
The GM will provide you with access to all materials on dndbeyond.
Syrinscape will be available for game immersion.
In addition to the game-specific Discord server, you will be added to the EJ RPG server and become part of a growing community of like-minded people.
Who will like this game?
Fans of the Strahd, Van Helsing, Dracula, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne will enjoy this game; players of TTRPGs, and people who want to live an intense and dramatic story of character’s personal development will enjoy this game.
The campaign emphasizes exploration with combat and roleplay falling second and third (in that order); the group composition will help shape the balance in the direction that the players most prefer. EJ typically runs high-exploration games with ample opportunity to roleplay.
If you like contributing to a live and responsive world and the possibility of failure with real-world consequences, you will like this game.
If you would like to explore themes of centuries-long evil and the consequences of evil, you will like this game.
If you would like to find the light in the darkness and enjoy humor despite sorrow, you will like this game.
Character Creation Guidelines
Consider what kind of character you would like to play, but hold your ideas with flexibility. Together, the group will finalize character concepts and create characters during the first session.
All official 5e content is available for use (core, non-core, and Tal’Dorei).
Homebrew content may be used upon approval. Kobold Press materials are pre-approved.
Barovia is a particular realm within the Dungeons and Dragons multiverse, and you may wish to pay particular attention to Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft.
Small backstories (or concepts) are encouraged, 3-10 sentences.
Gameplay Themes/Content Warnings
This campaign explores themes of desolation, genocide, slavery, prejudice, unadulterated evil, and (possibly) torture. Violence is common, described with PG-13, and occasionally R-rated description.
EJ does a great job of building an exciting and engaging atmosphere whether it’s D&D, Cthulhu, or CyberPunk. Which is why I keep coming back, can’t recommend his games enough.
I’ve played a number of games with EJ as DM, now. Every game is always interesting, unique, full of intrigue, humor, action, surprise, sometimes even sadness. He is an excellent DM, he is flexible in his storytelling, and you’d do well to have him run games for you.
EJ’s story-crafting and character development made our one-shot extremely fun and entertaining. Can’t wait to do more in the future!
EJ lead a game I was unfamiliar with but made it easy and inviting. His storytelling, world building, and characters were great! I’d love to play with him again!
EJ introduced me and helps teach me new things every game
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