Strahd constantly lures the PCs to new locations throughout the castle, moving the scene of battle to monster- or trap-filled chambers (e.g., the gargoyles in K7 or the elevator trap in K61), while reserving multiple safe spaces to regenerate his health fully before returning to the fray. 2021 The Orr Group, LLC. If youre a new GM preparing to run Curse of Strahd, youll need to know: your players can either start at third level, or they can run through the introductory adventure "Death House." I've only run it once so far, but that did end in a TPK. Role playing epic skill fails and wins can be fun. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. There is no escape, not without first defeating the seemingly unstoppable vampire Strahd Von Zarovich. There is, as always, a driving main quest that keeps the action moving forward, but each stop along the way brings moral and ethical dilemmas to the partyand Strahd is always watching, waiting to see which party members evidence a dark side that he can play off the others". Strahd uses 2 legendary actions to bite a charmed or grappled enemy. The module also includes the Tarokka card decks using the Roll20 interface to shuffle and deal, as well as the deck of illusions, which appears in the adventure. If you choose this option, set Strahds default CR to 11. Using a deck of tarokka cards, the Dungeon Master can randomize parts of the adventure such as the identity of a powerful ally, the placement of important magic items across Barovia, and Strahd's location within Castle Ravenloft. If you use this option, leave Strahds CR unchanged. Curse Of Strahd is one of the best campaigns for Dungeons & Dragons. [8] Beadle & Grimm, a Wizards of the Coast licensee, released a limited run special "Legendary Edition" which included physical props for the Dungeon Master to use such as handouts, maps, props and encounter cards. I defeated the big story foe in the area, gain a level. Strahd uses a spell slot of 3rd level or higher to cast fireball. It's important to note, however, that this type of danger is a common feature of sandbox campaigns. So here's our top four tips for DM's running Curse of Strahd! Players should be made aware of this when starting the campaign and they should note that often discretion will be the better part of valor. Strahd is unaffected by any PC taunts specifically regarding Sergei, King Barov, Queen Ravenovia, or Tatyana. Here's a list of preparations a DM should consider when preparing the final battle with Strahd in the D&D 5e Curse of Strahd adventure module: Review the adventure material: Read through the Curse of Strahd book (or review this article to review the information in one place). Use this option if you would like to provide value to the Tome of Strahd and permit your PCs to win a moral and psychological victory over Strahd. Role-playing Games Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for gamemasters and players of tabletop, paper-and-pencil role-playing games. I should note, although the first encounter seemed easy, the second had them all nearly dead (and frankly, had I been trying to, could have easily killed them all). By contrast, a party of 10th-level PCs will face a slightly easier encounter, expending fewer resources and facing lower risk. Taunting works well on my playersget that grudge match on. As a result, they defeated every mini-boss and side quest and advanced to level 11 in the first half of the castle before the final encounter with Strahd. Once in Barovia, the PCs are free to explore the entire region in search of aid in their battle against Strahd as well as several powerful relics strewn throughout the land. The more details or "clues" you hand out, the more they want to know what is happening. (straight from pathfinder's gamemastery guide). First published. Curse of Strahd is a fairly free-form adventure where the characters are drawn into Barovia and must defeat Strahd to . Unarmed Strike. Leave them in the comments below! With delightfully macabre props and thoughtful changes, Curse of Strahd Revamped is the definitive version of a classic. In Curse of Strahd, as part of the Tarokka card reading, the party are told the locations of three "treasures"; the Sunsword, the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind, and the Tome of Strahd.. Strahd casts fog cloud before entering combat. Castle Ravenloft is frankly a BRUTAL dungeon, especially if you make your players go into it mostly blind (which I do) and don't allow them to rest. Given that I've now completed all the official maps for the Curse of Strahd adventure, I thought it might be helpful to provide a list of the maps and links! Each option is accompanied by a brief description, a proposed justification for its use, and its prospective impact on Strahds challenge rating. Use this option if you want to allow Strahd to fight at full strength while within sunlight (i.e., by inflicting the blinded condition against PCs who refuse to look at him) and increase his survivability against damaging attacks and vision-based spells (e.g., hold monster). I like Skill Challenges from 4E to let players use their skills to run, hide, find novel solutions that do not have to be fight based. Strahd uses his lair action to close and lock one or more doors and windows. Was Aristarchus the first to propose heliocentrism? Lets assume that Strahd uses his No Phasing strategy and does not expect to retreat upon taking damage, setting his default CR to 6. Use this option if you want to threaten a particular low-HP target and/or grapple a PC who you plan to separate from the party. However, part of running a module is accepting a loss of control. The square grid maps will help your players navigate Castle Ravenloft on the virtual tabletop. The Dark Lord of Barovia, the master of Ravenloft, the first Vampyre Count Strahd Von Zarovich is a contender for the title of D&Ds most iconic villain of all time, right alongside the Vecna, Acererak, Xanathar the mad beholder crime boss, and Halaster Blackcloak. Then, he built a gigantic gothic monstrosity of a castle because of his gigantic (gothic) unresolved mommy issues. there is a passage there that I'm not entirely sure I can repeat here without a copyright issue, but it should solve your problem. Based on the classic Advanced Dungeons & Dragons adventure, I6 Ravenloft, released in 1983, Curse of Strahd expands the original adventure into an entire region complete with 13 adventuring locations, including the Village of Barovia and Castle Ravenloft. I am creating classic rock playlists for music in curse of strahd and I need some help with Strahds Final Battle music. Horizontal and vertical centering in xltabular. Use this option if you want to allow Strahd to isolate a grappled PC or keep Strahd away from sources.of sunlight, out of sight of hostile spellcasters, and/or out of range of hostile melee enemies. [5], In July 2020, Wizards of the Coast announced a new edition of the Curse of Strahd module, entitled Curse of Strahd: Revamped. Of course, a highly strategic or well-equipped party will likely face a somewhat easier encounter, while a novice or ill-prepared party will face a correspondingly harder encounter. Dont forget cosmetic spell modifications (outlined in chapter 2). The Dungeons & Dragons SRD rules are available by search in the sidebar, as well as any other content you own and have added to the game via Compendium Sharing. the ending of the death house section completes with two scenarios both leveling your party to level 3. Here, assume that Strahd uses the Hit-and-Run Phasing strategy, setting his default CR to 13 if the players know at least one spell of 7th level or higher that can automatically incapacitate Strahd, and 17 otherwise. There was not much room for exploring, they simply followed the road and noted that this was one of the places they were recommended to visit. Is there such a thing as "right to be heard" by the authorities? Use this option if you want to allow Strahd to isolate a grappled PC or keep Strahd away from sources.of sunlight, out of sight of hostile spellcasters, and/or out of range of hostile melee enemies. It only takes a minute to sign up. If you use this option and expect your players to make strategic use of such tactics, leave Strahds default CR unchanged if employing No Phasing and reduce Strahds default CR to 7 otherwise. Rumbling thunder pounds the castle spires. Much of their threat depends on the party composition and their ability to output magical damage. If Strahd ever takes more than 21 damage in a single round, or if Strahd ever takes radiant damage, he immediately retreats to a safe location in order to fully regenerate his hit points. The adventure is firmly rooted in the horror genre and pits the players against ghosts, werewolves, and the titular vampire himself: Strahd Von Zarovich. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. As such, he carefully reserves his high-level spell slots, using them only when doing so is sure to create a lasting advantage or opportunity. . Irrespective, he cracked open the crates, triggered an enormous fight and ended up dying. There are many shapeshifters in Barovia, from vampires to hags to werewolves, and each has a rollable token on the Roll20 virtual tabletop. Their image didn't match the Bela Legosi [sic] vampire quite so much. In Vallaki, the party has the opportunity to run into a nest of vampire spawn whilst investigating a coffin maker's shop. Greater Invisibility. For groups that ride the thrill of horror and intrigue, however, this is 100% the book for your party. Set in the realm of Barovia, a Domain Of Dread within Ravenloft, your players find themselves transported here and trapped. I realized later one of the other problems is a lot of the "warnings" are probably just waived off as flavor text, considering the campaign setting. It is intended for 4 players, taking them from level 1 to 10. I'm looking for more ideas for bosses or minibosses to sprinkle through Barovia. Note that each strategy assumes that, before preparing for combat, Strahd uses his phasing ability and/or legendary actions to retreat, waits at least one minute, and attacks again only once the PCs have left initiative. Ashton Duncan started as a Roll20 content conversion contractor with Curse of Strahd five years ago and is now a product manager. If you expect to successfully use this option to incapacitate a character wielding the Sunsword for at least one minute, increase Strahds CR by 2; if not, use of this option does not change Strahds CR. [] While modifications do fix things like the stereotyping of the Vistani people as 'uncivilized' and heavy drinkers, the module still gives the Vistani abilities to curse and hypnotize players or cast spells like Evil Eye, which, along with unrevised art that heavily conjures stereotyped imagery of the Romani, leans into tropes that suggest the Romani have mystical, dangerous powers, tropes that have been used in the past to target Romani for persecution". 28. The following options refer to the attacks and spells that Strahd might employ using his action on his turn in combat. Before you even get to the module itself, there is a whole section devoted to Strahd, his personality, and his goals in the adventure. Close/Lock Doors and Windows. If you use this option, increase Strahds CR by 1. By contrast, a party of 10th-level PCs will likely slaughter Strahd within two rounds. Dynamic lighting and the Jukebox are your best friends in a horror game. Curse of Strahd - Boss Encounter (Spoilers) So, Strahd has Polymorph. The series of events literally led them straight here after the fortune reading to find an artifact. Also to note. Strahd flees combat as soon as a PC casts a powerful Concentration spellsuch as Haste or Polymorphand returns only once those spells have ended, even if that takes multiple minutes or an hour. On top of that, this is a horror campaign - it is not unreasonable that if the characters poke around the dark corners of Barovia whilst uninformed of what lies within, they may end up angering something much more powerful than themselves. you really don't need to buff strahd if you have him use the environment to his advantage and make the party tackle the castle to get to him, Strahd isn't actually the end boss of Curse of Strahd, Scan this QR code to download the app now. March 15, 2016. If the DM hasnt read the full adventure, be prepared for a bored party. Now, Strahd has become convinced that a young Barovian woman is the reincarnation of his beloved Tatyana and wishes to make her his bride. Curse of Strahd transforms Dungeons & Dragons 5e from sword-and-sorcery fantasy to a nightmarish realm of gothic horror where the master of Ravenloft awaits atop his castle as lightning flashes across the sky with blood dripping from his fangs. What's a reasonable Green Hag Coven encounter for a party of 3 level 8 PCs? $41.95 at Amazon $55.99 at Amazon $55.99 Pros + Gorgeous box and DM. The story is set in the pocket dimension of Barovia, a nightmarish domain of dread ruled by a powerful vampire: Count Strahd Von Zarovich. It has also been updated to reflect Wizards of the Coasts June 2020 errata. This scenario most closely resembles that run by novice DMs encountering Strahds statblock for the first time. It's fairly easy to tweak encounters, although as a warning it is also not too hard for the PCs to wander off-track and bite off more than they can chew! The short version is that he was a mortal warlord who murdered an entire valley full of people because of his unresolved daddy issues. I am however following the setup/plot within the actual setting exactly. A Comprehensive Guide to Strahd's RAW Final Battle Tactics. The master of Castle Ravenloft is having guests for dinner, Adrian Martikov Alenka Alexei Amalthia Anastrasya Karelova Angrath Woodwise Anna Krezkov Arabelle Ariel du Plumette Arik Lorensk Arrigal Aziana Baba Lysaga Bella Sunbane Beucephalus Bianca Bildrath Cantemir Bluto Krogarov Bray Martikova Brom Martikova Carlon Amoffel Clovin Belview Cyrus Belview Dag Tomescu Damia Danika Dorakova Davanka Davian Martikov Davra Jassur Dmitri Krezkov Donavich Doru Elvir Martikov Emil Toranescu Endorovich Eravien Haund Ernst Larnak Escher Exethanter Ezmerelda d'Avenir Fiona Wachter Freek Gadof Blinsky Gertruda Godfrey Gwilym Gunther Arasek Haliq Helga Ruvak Henrik van der Voort Ireena Kolyana Ismark Kolyanovich Izek Strazni Karl Wachter Kasimir Velikov Kellen Kiril Stoyanovich Klutz Tripalotsky Kolya Kolyan Indirovich Kretyana Dolof Lanniver Strayl Lars Kjurls Lazlo Ulrich Lief Lipsiege Lucian Jarov Lucian Petrovich Ludmilla Vilisevic Luvash Lydia Pertrovna Mad Mary Madalena Madam Eva Majesto Marzena Belview Milivoj Mirabel Mishka Belview Mordenkainen Morgantha Morwen Daggerford Muriel Vinshaw Myrtle Neferon Nikolai Wachter Norganas Offalia Wormwiggle Otto Belview Parpol Cantemir Patrina Velikovna Piccolo Pidlwick II Rahadin Ratka Rudolph van Richten Sangzor Savid Sasha Ivliskova Selvek Serelim Skennis Sorvia Strahd von Zarovich Stefania Martikov Stella Wachter Stanimir Szoldar Szoldarovich Udo Lukovich Urwin Martikov Vargas Vallakovich Varushka Vasilka Victor Vallakovich Vilnius Vladimir Horngaard Volenta Popofsky Wencensia Wintersplinter Yelena Arasek Yeska Yevgeni Krushkin Zelraun Roaringhorn Zuleika Toranescu Zygfrek Belview, Animated object Arcanaloth Baboon Banshee Bat Barovian Black pudding Blue dragon Cat Clay golem Crawling claw Death slaad Deer Deva Dire wolf Dretch Elf Flameskull Flesh golem Gargoyle Ghast Ghoul Ghost Giant goat Giant spider Goat Gray ooze Grick Hell hound Horse Human Imp Invisible stalker Iron golem Lich Mongrelfolk Needle blight Night hag Nightmare Nothic Phantom Quasit Rat Raven Red dragon Revenant Roc Saber-toothed tiger Scarecrow Shadow Shadow demon Shambling mound Shield guardian Skeleton Smoke mephit Spectre Strahd's animated armor Stirge Stone golem Toad Tree blight Troglodyte Twig blight Vampire Vampire spawn Vine blight Vistani Vrock Wereraven Werewolf Wight Will-o'-wisp Wolf Wraith Zombie. Just in case someone or something tries to push them down the stairs. The following options refer to Strahds use of his phasing lair action, which permits him to temporarily pass through the solid walls, doors, ceilings, and floors of Castle Ravenloft as if they werent there. Set in the Ravenloft campaign setting, the module revolves around the vampire Strahd von Zarovich and the Demiplane of Dread that serves as his prison. Even with this, however, encounters can and should have the potential to be fatal. Lured to Barovia by the lands dark master and trapped there by a supernatural mist, the players are forced to travel throughout the realm gaining knowledge and experience before finally confronting the vampire Strahd himself. Each magic item and named NPC has a distinct handout you can show to your players, and the adventure text interlinks to these, to descriptions of locations, and to included rules text, so you never have to leave the virtual tabletop to look up pale tincture or desecrated ground. Lets assume that Strahd uses the Minor Phasing strategy, setting his default CR to 9. Jeremy Crawford, Laura Hickman, Tracy Hickman, Adam Lee, Christopher Perkins, Richard Whitters. Final Boss Music For Strahd. It's a great adventure - but it can also be a bit overwhelming and hard to run, especially if it's your first time as a DM. But Curse of Strahd also involves plenty of exploration and and social interaction, so Bards, Druids, Paladins, Rangers, Rogues, Purple Dragon Knight Fighters, Samurai Fighters, Sorcerers, Warlocks, and anyone with the Prodigy feat can be huge assets outside of combat too. I personally feel that without such a threat, the player paranoia and tension necessary to maintain an effective horror theme can end up being lost or diminished. I know that Zealot's radiant damage would be useful . Under raging storm clouds, the vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich stands silhouetted against the ancient walls of Castle Ravenloft. The daylight spell produces light that is not considered sunlight. The following options refer to Strahds preferred means of isolating and subsequently eliminating a grappled (via Strahds unarmed strike attack) or incapacitated (e.g., via polymorph or sleep) PC. Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. Make sure to give . Set in the Ravenloft campaign setting, the module revolves around the vampire Strahd von Zarovich and the Demiplane of Dread that serves as his prison. The Vistani at Tser Pool may have warned the party away from there, knowing their destination and based upon what is written on pg. Which ability is most related to insanity: Wisdom, Charisma, Constitution, or Intelligence? [1] It was released on October 20, 2020. Curse of Strahd is an adventure module for the 5 th -edition of Dungeons & Dragons, published by Wizards of the Coast in 2016. [4] On the development process, Perkins said: "Without the Hickmans, this project would've died on the vine" and that "the Hickmans envisioned Strahd differently than he's depicted in the original Ravenloft adventure. No content creator has published a comprehensive guide to customize Strahds Rules-As-Written tactics to perfectly suit a partys preferred play experience and skill leveluntil now. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. Dancing With The Wolves (Combat Theme) - Curse Of Strahd Soundtrack by Travis Savoie RPG Music Maker - Travis Savoie 24.7K subscribers Subscribe 1.8K 180K views 2 years ago Perfect for. As always, be prepared to tune your preparations to the needs, skills, and expectations of your playersand above all else, make sure that you and your players have fun. Contrary to the book I would probably not have the shadows pursue the party out of the room, and may have them vanish if (for example) the orb was returned. Session zero: Let players know there are things that go bump in the night that can kill them without breaking a sweat. Use of this option does not change Strahds CR. Now, I realize there was some obvious deficiencies on these monsters that make them slightly easier in general - for instance the first boss fight, they could have easily kited him around the room and never given it the chance to attack (his movement was only 20ft per round). The book does suggest that milestone-based leveling might be best, but only throws out a few examples of appropriate milestones, leaving the DM to really have to do a lot of thinking about how to award for various things. If you use this option, leave Strahds CR unchanged if employing Cant Use Charm (see above), and increase Strahds CR by 1 if not. The shadows, however, are extremely avoidable and are essentially a consequence of a lack of caution. The party is his new toy, he does not want to break it too soon. What happens to Sergei and Ireena after Curse of Strahd? Although the ZIP files are now outdated (I have released . Use this option if you want to dramatically increase Strahd's ability to avoid his most potent weaknessgrapplesand force your players to waste spell slots casting dispel magic. Lets also assume that his preferred actions include unarmed strike, fireball, and bite (-1 CR); that his preferred legendary actions include unarmed strike and bite (-2 CR); that Strahd doesnt use charm; that he primarily uses his conjure specter lair action; that he prefers to isolate characters through defenestration; that he does not prepare between consecutive combats; and that his responses to provocation are wrathful. He knew they were coming, and he knows why they cameall according to his plan. A place to discuss the latest version of Dungeons and Dragons, the fifth edition, known during the playtest as D&D Next. Share them with anyone. Strahd casts the ray of frost cantrip. Curse of Strahd Dragon of Icespire Peak Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen Dragons of Stormwreck Isle . Welcome to the orphanage. I wanted them to talk to one turning into a spider, who will eventually disappear, and on their way to the Amber Temple they will be followed by hordes of little spiders, webs appearing on their tents at night etc, until eventually they face off with the spider boss and spider minions. Conjure Specter. [19], Jon Ryan, for IGN, wrote "the updates to the adventure itself mostly consist of previously-published amendments to the book, such as tweaks to an additional character option or corrections of printing errors, but the most notable updates are to some items that were deemed insensitive or offensive after the original publishing []. Use this option if you would like to highlight Strahds status as a flawed, fallible villain. In this encounter, Strahds effective CR is 15, meaning that a party of 15th-level PCs attuned to the Sunsword and Holy Symbol will likely face a challenging, resource-intensive final encounter. Otherwise, use of this option does not change Strahds CR. Rogue turning a slip into a tumble and roll, etc. [19] Muncy highlighted that the errata and the Revamped edition "sought to undo some of the harmful stereotyping of the Vistani people, along with revising the books approach to a specific characters disability to avoid ableist stereotypes. What happens in Curse of Strahd if the players destroy Strahd's coffin or prevent him from returning to it? Not to mention Strahd's summons, legendary actions, etc. The following options refer to the lair actions that Strahd may select on initiative count 20 of combat while in Castle Ravenloft. This is what I have so far https: . Sure, it's horror, and sandboxed, but if the answer to almost anything the characters can do or encounter when they start the campaign is, "just run away," it's not much of a story. Use this option if you want to provide your players with a multi-stage boss fight that artificially inflates Strahd's hit points, providing for a longer, more satisfying finale that ends as soon as the PCs successfully grapple or incapacitate him. Session 5 of our Curse of Strahd campaign. Its worth considering leveling up Strahds Enemy (the partys ally from the Tarokka reading) and any NPC tagalongs alongside the characters. [6] This module is the first released with the publisher's new focus on diversity and inclusion. If possible, Strahd never begins or ends his turn within 60 feet of the wielder of the Sunsword. Curse of Strahd is an adventure module for the 5th-edition of Dungeons & Dragons, published by Wizards of the Coast in 2016. If you use this option at least twice per 10 rounds, increase Strahds CR by 1 if employing No Phasing (see above), and decrease Strahds CR by 2 if not. Strahd fails to use his Charm ability, either because the players have the Icon of Ravenloft, the party includes a Paladin with the Oath of Devotion, or the DM has chosen not to use the ability. Strahd is the Darklord whose dominion is Barovia, but beyond him are the Dark Powers, the omnipotent and immortal beings that control the Mists of Ravenloft and all of the Domains of Dread, each housing its own horrible Darklord. I tried to give further hints - letting them spot many footsteps around large body sized crates in the dust of the storage room. However, it is entirely possible to run St. Andral's Orphanage as a stand alone adventure or incorporate it into another campaign. Virtual Tabletop Journey all Demongund patrons presents the iconic Curse of Strahd - Baba Lysaga's Walking Hut recreated for use in TaleSpire! Each heading in this guide will direct the Dungeon Master to either pick one option among several mutually exclusive choices, or to select and prioritize multiple options from among several.competing choices. In this case, you can have your player characters meet in the mist or camping together, but I would caution against starting in Barovia near Krezk. Use this option if you want to give your players a clear opportunity to easily kill Strahd with massive damage and/or grapple attempts without giving him an opportunity to react. 1 yr. ago "Pretty cool concept, as if that's going to stop us from burning it to the ground." -my players probably Player shenanigans aside, that's an intriguing take on the villain and Ravenloft in general. Personally, I find it MUCH easier to do milestone based leveling in custom adventures I write myself than to try to mind-meld with a published adventure series to that deep of a level and try to just guess its intentions toward specific milestones, but maybe that's just me. I even pointed out that the cleric in the party felt something deeply disturbing from the room. In this encounter, Strahds effective CR is either 17 or 21. Adventurers are mysteriously drawn to the realm of Barovia which is surrounded by deadly fog and ruled by the vampire wizard Strahd von Zarovich. A D&D party could even explore the inner workings of a warforged colossus early in their career before battling it's awoken form at the campaign climax. She writes and edits D&D 5e and independent TTRPG adventures, rulebooks, and supplements in her free time. We find that more exciting (not that there are not ways to act tactically to adjust deadliness). Creeping Fog is perhaps the easiest lead into Death House if you deposit your player characters near the village of Barovia, but also the least ceremonious. A few things to consider when choosing: Plea for Help requires the player characters presence in a generic old tavern, which is simple enough to manage but doesnt lend itself well to the "Death House" introductory adventure. In this encounter, Strahds effective CR is 5the minimummeaning that a party of 5th-level PCs attuned to the Sunsword and Holy Symbol will likely face a challenging, resource-intensive final encounter.
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