There’s a good argument that Curse of Strahd is the best Dungeons and Dragons campaign that Wizards of the Coast has released in the whole run of 5th edition – and there’s no argument that the Forgotten Realms is its most influential setting, whether we’re talking about decades of game supplements, smash-hit novel series, or the phenomenon of Baldur’s Gate 3. Indie D&D adventure maker Jim Witcher has taken those two great flavors and mashed them together to create Baldur’s Gate: City of Blood, an unofficial DM’s Guild campaign where the gothic horrors of Ravenloft invade the most famous city in all D&D.
City of Blood is set to release during the fall and winter of this year, but the first adventure, ‘Bones & Blood’, is already up for sale on the Dungeon Masters Guild. Designed for three to five level five characters, the party must defend the Elfsong Tavern from a horde of undead DnD monsters that has descended on the city of Baldur’s Gate, shrouded behind an unnatural mist…
A fantasy remake of The Night of the Living Dead, then. Witcher promises that the full campaign will take the party up to level 10, and will give them plenty of chances to make allies with famous characters from the Forgotten Realms. Bones & Blood features stats for dhampir vampire hunter Savra Sunstar – the daughter of Jander Sunstar, mentioned in Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft – while the heroes in the full campaign come “from across tabletop D&D, videogames, and novels: and across editions from 2e to 5e”.
Something else that’s crossed over from Barovia to Faerûn is a Tarokka deck reading. Used in Curse of Strahd to reshuffle the location of Strahd’s lair, the placement of key items, and the identity of a powerful ally for the players, Witcher says that in City of Blood the Tarokka deck “reshuffles the narrative, tailoring a distinct path for your party every playthrough”.
If you’ve played a great DM’s guild module, or spotted one that looks exciting, let us know in the Wargamer Discord community. Heck, if you’re writing one of your own, we have a self-promotion channel where you’re more than welcome to share it!
Source: Wargamer
