From publisher blurb:
A DM's guide to preparing for a truly excessive and immersive Curse of Strahd, Expedition to Castle Ravenloft, or indeed any gothic-horror adventuring campaign, in Pathfinder or 5E/Fifth Edition
I've waited more than 30 years to run a Ravenloft camapign, and in 2021, I got my chance.
9 players. Many in different states. All playing via VTT.
How, then, to attract and keep their attention? How to use in-game artifacts to satisfy real-life curiosity? How to make Barovia seem, feel, and function fundamentally differently from how even the ultra-experienced players in the group might expect?
How do I terrify the PLAYERS, and not merely the CHARACTERS?
Some have called my approach to running Curse of Strahd "insane", "crazy", or "unhinged".
Me? I call it Overkill.
Contained in this over-the-top guide to DMs preparing for a Curse of Strahd campaign are the following:
Written for Pathfinder and with rules language included for 5E/Fifth Edition, the tools are easily adaptable into any fantasy / gothic horror fantasy tabletop RPG rules system.
New rules, including the Knowledge (Ravenloft) skill, Sanity Checks, and Insanity
A complete multi-page checklist guiding your preparation for the ultimate Curse of Strahd campaign
60 letters and handouts, each intended to invoke atmosphere, extend characterization, describe lore, subvert the party, and/or drive the PCs to action
76 magic items: coins, pendants, vials, and necklaces, intended as in-game artifacts that will delight and surprise even the most jaded and experienced of players
Multiple treasure tables to drive discovery of the new custom magic items
Rules for a complete overhaul of the economy of Barovia
Snippets that extend existing COS content such as making the processing of ghostly adventurers even more terrifying
An Excel file that catalogs everything in the document, including suggestions for background music taken from the Castlevania video games.
A PowerPoint file that catalogs each and every new magic item with visuals, intended for both players and DMs to reference.
Individual PDFs for each and every one of the 60 letters, ready to print and use in your game.
Microsoft Word files for Letter and A4 format versions of the 60+ letters, so you can easily adapt them to your own campaign.