Character Creation

Here is where you can roll up and create your PCs. 4d6 down the line; any race, class, and background combinations is allowed. Recall the stuff in the Session Zero thread about the party's starting level and the kind of protagonists I want to see in a story like this. However, don't let those suggestions limit you.

level
I am fine with either level. I wonder what we miss out when skipping the opening stary though?
If it is very plot related I rather play it. But if it is skippable I am fine to skip it :)

4d6 down the line
Are we rolling in actual stat order then? I might have missed that in the recruitment thread. It is a nice challenge on character design but my two suggested there are a warlock and wizard while my rolls scream cleric/druid in that case (Cleric works for me (I dislike druids/shapeshifting), but I'd like to be sure first before commiting to character design).

Also, would you be ok to open custom character sheets? The custom D&D one is so much better than the normal one especially for casters.

Level
I do like to develop from the start, and may give us time to build a beginning of a relationship between the characters.

4d6 down the line
Ok here we go. Shorty they are good solid rolls, I hope for something similar :)

Well that went well :)

Custom Character sheets? Where do you find those?

Oh wow. Those rolls are insane for a monk or such


Better sheets are here, but only if the dm allows custom sheets
https://gamersplane.com/forums/thread/21532/?p=1141454#p1141454

Thank you Shorty.

Yeah I know! The dice smiled on me, hopefully I haven’t used up all my good dice lol

Are we using we using Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything rules for Customising Origins, choosing abilities bonuses, etc ?

Alrighty... let's give this a go.

Knowing my luck, I feel like I should ask ahead of time if there's the option to re-roll (or at least default to point buy or stanard array) if my rolls go how they often do?

EDIT: NGL, I'm pleasantly surprised.

Wait... if all is to be in order down the line, we are the wisest group ever.

It's only a number.....it's only a number

Funny thing, I could still do my planned build even if stats truly are "straight down the line."

Almost forgot... starting at Level 1 vs. Level 3.

As much as I don't love the first few levels of the game, I would still advocate it in the case of Curse of Strahd, so that we get the full experience.

I haven't played it, but I recall hearing the "starter material" (for lack of a better term) is highly thematic amd does a solid job of setting the tone... so I feel like if there was ever a time to truly start at the beginning -- this is it.

That's a complete mistake on my part. I guess I've been playing too much OSR and I wrote "down the line" without thinking, lol. Rest assured, you can arrange your stats any way you like.

The starter dungeon doesn't have really anything to do with the plot, and its main purpose is to funnel the party to level 3, but MaJunior is right that it does set up the grim tone and atmosphere very well. It's also a good chance for the PCs to bond early through a terrifying life-or-death situation. It's a classic "escape the haunted house" setup if that sounds interesting. I personally recommend including it for the narrative reasons, but not everyone wants to start at level 1.
I have no problem with that, as long as you can narratively justify the changes you make. If it's something crazy like a gnome who speaks Abyssal, there should be a very good reason (that might even introduce narrative complications). That's not to shoot anyone down but to encourage creativity around the Custom Origin stuff.

I will consider the custom D&D sheets, but from a glance they look way cleaner than the default one.

That sounds great. Which means I can create either the celestial warlock or the wizard I suggested in the tavern post :)

Perfect, I will not be doing anything to wild just like to know for my build. I will definitely include reasons while building my back story :)

I have started my character on a custom sheet so if I am to submit it in this format, I need the DM to authorize or I can start another one.

Level

I vote for starting at 1st level as well from what MaJunior and our DM say about it helping to set up the tone and game, but I have no objections to starting at 3rd level if anyone really wants to get into the meat of the campaign right away.

Character

Still planning to keep my dwarf paladin with her backstory that I originally created for this game, but if someone else wants to be paladin and we want to avoid duplications, I can change the class so it still fits the character.

Roll away!

I am still going with my original plan of a Monk/Rouge.

Currently working on his history, character sheet and portrait.

I have created my own background called ‘Haunted Acolyte’, which combines the backgrounds of Acolyte and the haunted funny enough :)

You have spent your childhood in the service of a temple to a specific god or pantheon of gods. You act as an intermediary between the realm of the holy and the mortal world, performing sacred rites and offering sacrifices in order to conduct worshipers into the presence of the divine. You are not necessarily a cleric — performing sacred rites is not the same thing as channeling divine power.
But all changed upon witnessing something so terrible that you dare not speak of it. You’ve tried to bury it and run away from it, to no avail as it haunts and hunts you. Whatever this thing is that haunts you, it comes to you as a shadow on the wall, a bloodcurdling nightmare, a memory that refuses to die, or a demonic whisper in the dark. The burden has taken its toll, isolating you from most people and making you question your sanity. You must find a way to overcome it before it destroys you.

Or

Custom sheets are now allowed in this game, so feel free to use either the default 5e one or the repository one :)

That background looks great, and I'm super excited to see what happens to your character! Hopefully we find out what terrible burden they have. One thing I will add, based on the pictures, is that the people of Barovia are extremely isolated and fearful of outsiders, especially if they're clearly not human. The module mentions that they would react to orcs and elves the same way we would in real life. Seems like you're down to roleplay that, but just letting you know that your race would be a more prominent feature that usual.