The Planar Vagabond's Guide to the Multiverse

One Night in Ravenloft 2025

Greetings, adventurers!

You are cordially invited to spend a brisk autumn evening with Count Strahd von Zarovich in his mountaintop abode, Castle Ravenloft…

This is mostly the same game that I’ve run for the past few years, but with a few randomized changes and “win conditions” to make each run through a little different (including clarifying the effects of magical daylight on Maaster Vampires – spoilers, it doesn’t immediately turn them to dust… anymore). The game promises action, horror, comedy, and several strange, terrifying new surprises.

For those who don’t know (or don’t remember), Ravenloft is the first official gothic-horror module for D&D (published for 1st Edition AD&D in 1983). The one-shot version omits most of the prologue and surrounding area, and sees the PCs begin by storming Castle Ravenloft itself with the legendary vampire hunter, Dr. Rudolph Van Richten, as they try to bring down the evil vampire lord, Count Strahd von Zarovich, and free the good people of Barovia from the dark powers of the mists.

As with previous sessions, we’ll be using the latest version of the HOSR system (Heroic Old-School Roleplaying), a set of (relatively short) rules based on the classic Basic / Expert D&D, but with some fun things like Critical and Fumble dice, useful thieves, extra classes and races, and a lower mortality rate. I made some revisions to the rules in the last year to try and provide a (more) unified task resolution / ability check system (and make magic a bit more unpredictable), but the system is basically the same one that I’ve run for the past few years / campaigns, and can be found at https://www.planarvagabond.com/rules/index.html.

On Sunday, November 1, 2025, from 1p-5p(-ish) ET, I plan on running the 3rd annual session of One Night in Ravenloft, the terrifying one-shot version of the classic horror adventure, Ravenloft, and I’m looking for interested players.

This is mostly the same game that I’ve run for the past few years, but with a few randomized changes and “win conditions” to make each run through a little different (including clarifying the effects of magical daylight on Maaster Vampires – spoilers, it doesn’t immediately turn them to dust… anymore). The game promises action, horror, comedy, and several strange, terrifying new surprises.

For those who don’t know (or don’t remember), Ravenloft is the first official gothic-horror module for D&D (published for 1st Edition AD&D in 1983). The one-shot version omits most of the prologue and surrounding area, and sees the PCs begin by storming Castle Ravenloft itself with the legendary vampire hunter, Dr. Rudolph Van Richten, as they try to bring down the evil vampire lord, Count Strahd von Zarovich, and free the good people of Barovia from the dark powers of the mists.

As with previous sessions, we’ll be using the latest version of the HOSR system (Heroic Old-School Roleplaying), a set of (relatively short) rules based on the classic Basic / Expert D&D, but with some fun things like Critical and Fumble dice, useful thieves, extra classes and races, and a lower mortality rate. I made some revisions to the rules in the last year to try and provide a (more) unified task resolution / ability check system (and make magic a bit more unpredictable), but the system is basically the same one that I’ve run for the past few years / campaigns, and can be found at https://www.planarvagabond.com/rules/index.html.

And now, the fiddly bits: As with last year, I don’t want to set a specific time (so as to be maximally flexible for those in time zones outside of US-Eastern), but I’m aiming for 4.5 hours start-to-finish (with hopes to be completely done by the 5 hour mark - a task we managed to complete during last year’s run).

Also, as I’ve mentioned before, I believe that it’s fairly difficult to run a remote, voice-based game with more than 4 players, especially when that game has very specific time constraints (as with a one-shot). So, I’m looking for up to 4 players to play, and if I can get 6 interested players (or more), I’m more than happy to split the group and run the game twice.

As with last year, PCs can be any race or class in OSE, BX, or from the Planar Vagabond site (although I’m always willing to entertain a custom race or class, if that’s your thing).

So, once again I ask: Do you have the courage to face the ancient evil that slumbers in Castle Ravenloft, and free the land from the curse of the mists by destroying the vile corruption once and for all? Will you join the likes of Tibber “Shadowpockets” Blipwig, Werner Caligari, Jack L Hyde, and Hesperia Sparklestitch in the hallowed halls of history (alongside Charlie Knight, Gus the Party Bus, Jerakeen, Maester Llewyn, and Yogi the Bugbear)? Or are you destined to become just another in a long line of fallen heroes, doomed by their overconfidence to serve as Strahd’s undead minions until the end of time?

Magic Items

I’m changing up magic items this year, similar to how I did them in Tomb of Horrors.

Each PC should pick 2 of the 3 tables below (or the same table twice, if that’s your thing), and then roll the appropriate die for it, either in Roll20 or Discord (/r 1d12 or /r 1d8, depending).