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. 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.
A fantasy-horror adventure for characters levels 1-10.
Campaign Information
Tips for Playing Curse of Strahd
House Rules for Curse of Strahd
Character Creation
Session Logs for Curse of Strahd
What is Curse of Strahd?
Curse of Strahd is an exciting, tense, fast-paced adventure. It is a vivid exploration of classic gothic horror tropes and monsters, from werewolves to vampires, ghosts, and more. It is a true sandbox; providing players with the freedom to make their own choices and build the kind of adventure they enjoy. It is an unabashedly character-driven campaign, giving your player character an incredible chance to shine and make their mark on the story your group tells.
However, Curse of Strahd is also a brutal, stressful, and alienating experience. Your character will be trapped in a bleak, gothic land quite different from the world they know. The adventure contains several encounters and areas that will likely be far beyond your capabilities when you first encounter them. It does not provide routine or readily available loot or magical items.
For a player who’s not expecting it, Curse of Strahd can suck. Really suck. Let me put it this way: if you want the freedom to engage in combat and exploration without worrying about the potential risks, this is very possibly not the campaign for you. Likewise, if you are potentially triggered by gruesome depictions of horror or psychologically disturbing relationships, or if you prefer a D&D campaign that features only victories or setbacks (rather than the potential for outright defeat), you might want to try a different campaign.
Now, if you’re still around, stick with me – because there are reasons to play this (excellent, engaging, incredibly memorable) campaign.
Reasons to Play
You should play Curse of Strahd if you:
- Love gothic horror tropes and themes
- Want to engage with a character-driven story that pushes you to develop relationships with multiple vivid NPCs and factions
- Prefer roleplay, investigation, and relationship-building to combat or dungeon-delving
- Enjoy setting your own goals and pursuing means of achieving them
- Enjoy facing an active, powerful, and personally antagonizing villain
- Want to participate in a tense, adrenaline-fueled experience that will create memories to last a lifetime
Content Warning
Curse of Strahd, as written, is full of disturbing and graphic content. If you are potentially triggered by any of the following themes please speak with me either offline or in session zero. We can work around any of these issues that you do not want to include in the game
- Abuse of those with disabilities or mental illness
- Animal cruelty
- Body horror
- Cannibalism
- Child abandonment
- Child death
- Elements of child abuse
- Implied necrophilia
- Mind control
- Murder
- Portrayals of alcoholism or drug abuse
- Potential incest
- Racism
- References to stillbirth/miscarriage
- Situations paralleling sexual assault
- Stalking and gaslighting
- Suicide
- Torture
Understanding the Setting
You will begin this campaign in the Forgotten Realms setting on the Sword Coast, which is in the north-west of the continent of Faerûn, which in turn is on the planet Toril. You will be heading north on the Trade Way, past the Misty Forest and towards the town of Daggerford and the city of Waterdeep. If you’re new to the Forgotten Realms, worry not. While the world lore of Dungeons & Dragons is vast and can be overwhelming to new players, you don’t need much information to dive into this campaign.
If you are new to the Forgotten Realms, the following section is a quick guide to help you understand the cosmology of the setting, its different planes of existence, and how they interact. Should you desire a more in-depth explanation of the planes of existence, refer to Appendix C in the Player’s Handbook or Chapter 2 in the Dungeon Master’s Guide.
A Brief Understanding of the Planes of Existence
The cosmology of the Forgotten Realms contains a vast multiverse consisting of the planes of existence. Most player characters will have at least some basic understanding of these planes.
The Material Plane is the foundation and centerpiece of all planar knowledge. It contains multiple worlds, like Eberron, Greyhawk, and Toril, and is the starting plane for most adventures. In general, the Material Plane makes up the mundane world around all characters, and the many different worlds within it act almost as alternate dimensions.
Traveling Between Planes
Traveling between planes, whether between other worlds on the Material Plane or to more foreign corners of the multiverse, almost always requires magic.
When such travel occurs, most use either the Ethereal Plane or the Astral Plane to complete their journeys. These planes primarily serve as pathways between one plane to another. The Astral Plane is a realm of thought and dreams while the Ethereal Plane is a realm of mist and distortion, often reflecting other planes nearby. Of the pair, the Ethereal Plane is more well-known and more commonly used for planar travel.
The Shadowfell and Feywild
The Shadowfell and the Feywild are reflections of the Material Plane. A forest that exists in the Material Plane also exists in the Shadowfell and Feywild, similar to an alternate reality.
However, the Shadowfell is marked by its lack of color, lethargy, and apathy. The reflected forest would be grim and rotted, haunted by foul creatures.
Alternatively, the Feywild is known for its overwhelming color. It is opulent and wild, rich with an overwhelming abundance of chaos and life. A forest reflected in the Feywild might have trees with crystal leaves.
The Inner & Outer Planes
The Inner Planes are composed of the four Elemental Planes: Air, Earth, Fire, and Water. They are prone to great elemental chaos and most are unsafe for non-native creatures.
The Outer Planes consist of over a dozen planes, each considered either an Upper Plane or a Lower Plane with either positive or negative energy, respectively.
The Upper Planes are generally home to good aligned beings, like angels and devas. Elysium, for instance, is one ofthe most commonly known Upper Planes and is home of the good aligned gods. Conversely, the Lower Planes are home to more morally ambiguous or evil creatures. The Nine Hells is one of the most recognized Lower Planes.
Demiplanes
Demiplanes are created under a variety of circumstances butt end to reflect elements of other planes. They may be small as a room or large as a realm but follow their own rules of reality.
The Domains of Dread and Barovia
Long ago, a piece of the Shadowfell bled into the Material Plane, creating several dark demiplanes with some of the physical laws of both their parent planes. This collection of ill-disposed demiplanes is often called the Domains of Dread.
Centuries ago, there was a land called Barovia, conquered by a king long forgotten. Barovia was part of the Material Plane but was touched by the Shadowfell and promptly became one of the Domains of Dread. Of the collection of dreaded demiplanes, Barovia is the primary plane that the odd scholar remembers. Beyond its name, however,exceptionally little is known about Barovia and less still about the other Domains of Dread.