Lets also assume that his preferred actions include unarmed strike, fireball, sleep, and polymorph (frog); that his preferred legendary actions include unarmed strike and move; that he cannot use charm (+1 CR); that he primarily uses his phasing lair action; that he prefers to isolate characters through imprisonment; that he prepares between consecutive combats by casting fog cloud; and that his responses to provocation are vengeful (-1 CR). Although the ZIP files are now outdated (I have released . If you use this option, leave Strahds CR unchanged. 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. Why refined oil is cheaper than cold press oil? If you expect to successfully use this option at least five times while employing Advanced Phasing or Hit-and-Run Phasing (see above), increase Strahds CR by 1. What experiences have you had running Strahds RAW statblock in combat? 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. Why did DOS-based Windows require HIMEM.SYS to boot? Additionally, the raven should be extremely vocal in trying to ward off the players. [] 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". Use this option if you want Strahd to slowly chip away a single PC's hit points over a long period of time (e.g., 20 or more rounds of combat) from a position of near-absolute safety. 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. 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. 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. Even if my 4 party members get to level 10 before they face him, 4 CR 8 T-rexes and a CR 15 Strahd is a hard fight. This week I tell the tale of when I ran 'Death House' from 'Curse of Strahd' several years ago. Knowing a few of my players had been through it before, I dec. Doesn't Use Charm. It was released on March 15, 2016 and is based on the Ravenloft module . 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. This adventure hook leads into the Tarokka deck reading with Madam Eva very well, but not "Death House.". Stadh is the perfect cat - after 400 years he is bored. Each option is accompanied by a brief description, a proposed justification for its use, and its prospective impact on Strahds challenge rating. Is Curse of Strahd really hard, or am I DMing it wrong? The square grid maps will help your players navigate Castle Ravenloft on the virtual tabletop. The entire time I was reading this I kept thinking that your descriptions were validating the players that they were on the right track and should continue investigating. Curse of Strahd is an adventure book for the 5th edition of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. How long should it take to travel across Barovia? You can see more Curse of Strahd resources and commentary by following me on Twitter. At least one character is capable of casting wall of force to imprison Strahd and does so successfully on the first round of combat. Use of this option does not change Strahds CR. Strahd expects his battle with the PCs to be a marathon, not a sprint. If you use this option, increase Strahds CR by 2 for each PC with a Wisdom saving throw modifier of +2 or less. There are four possible adventure hooks designed to draw your players into the mists. A few miscellaneous notes on locations, things to remember, and further suggestions: Castle Ravenloft is a massive dungeon crawl that will drain your characters resources, but they may never need to go there. Reading it you get the impression that the adventure without extra pre-work anticipates a leveling structure based on milestones. The following points apply to any final battle with Strahd, notwithstanding any alterations made by specific tactics below: Strahd prioritizes targets in the following order: the PCs foretold ally; the holder of the Tome of Strahd (if known); wizards, warlocks, and sorcerers; bards, clerics, druids, and artificers; monks, rangers and rogues; fighters, paladins, and barbarians. Use this option if you want to run an unsatisfying, torturous fight. Make sure to give . 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. Curse of Strahd Adventure Summary and Contents, Four Random Tables To Improve Your Next DnD Campaign, Mousefolk Playable Race in DnD 5e: Homebrew Lineage Guide, Feinting Attack - DnD 5e Battle Master Maneuver Guide, Lost Mine of Phandelver DnD 5e Starter Set Adventure Guide, Tales From the Yawning Portal DnD 5e Summary and Guide. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Why are players required to record the moves in World Championship Classical games? 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. . 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. I completely agree with @ShadowKras. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. This article is for first-time Curse of Strahd dungeon masters to act as a sort of Barovia for Beginners to help you build immersion and enable fun for your players in Ravenloft. Use this option if you want to slowly (i.e., over 10 rounds or more) create a small army of shadows that can eventually one-turn kill an isolated, low-Strength PCor a PC that has been polymorphed into a frogoutside of sunlight using their strength drain attack. Unfortunately the party didn't take the hint. If at least one of your players knows the spell wall of force, Strahds CR cannot go above 9. By contrast, a party of 10th-level PCs will face a slightly easier encounter, expending fewer resources and facing lower risk. View Cover Art Contents Foreword Introduction Running the Adventure Marks of Horror Ch. 10 If you use this option twice or more per round on at least one-third of all combat rounds, reduce Strahds CR by 2; otherwise, use of this option does not change Strahds CR. Unarmed Strike. The adventure is firmly rooted in the horror genre and pits the players against ghosts, werewolves, and the titular vampire himself: Strahd Von Zarovich. 6 of Curse of Strahd under character levels? For reference, the locations are sorted based on this map by DragnaCarta. Is there such a thing as "right to be heard" by the authorities? Sleep. $41.95 at Amazon $55.99 at Amazon $55.99 Pros + Gorgeous box and DM. Copy the n-largest files from a certain directory to the current one. Strahd always focuses his damage on a single target at a time, and prefers to target wounded enemies over healthy ones. [12], In 2016, Henry Glasheen, for SLUG Magazine, highlighted the legacy of the original Castle Ravenloft and wrote "Curse of Strahd carries on this legacy admirably, diving deeper into the bloody past of Count Strahd. Now, Strahd has become convinced that a young Barovian woman is the reincarnation of his beloved Tatyana and wishes to make her his bride. We did want to make sure that if Beadle and Grimm [a company that specializes in high-end D&D box sets like this one or this one] [sic], for instance, were doing their own version of it, we wouldn't eventually be duplicating what they would do. Hide Action. Strahd takes the hide action using his +14 to Stealth (Dexterity) checks. 2021 The Orr Group, LLC. I think you need to add monsters if you aren't using milestones to ensure the PC's are of sufficient level to enter that area. [9], Publishers Weekly included the book in their "Best-selling Books Week Ending March 28, 2016", in which Curse of Strahd was #6 in "Hardcover Fiction". Strahd attempts to always maintain a distance of at least 40 feet from any hostile melee combatant who has a Strength (Athletics) modifier of +4 or greater. [5], In July 2020, Wizards of the Coast announced a new edition of the Curse of Strahd module, entitled Curse of Strahd: Revamped. Any Domain of Dread is a fascinating setting for an adventure; each is a limited sandbox for player characters to explore encompassed by the Mists. Use this option if you want to allow Strahd to dictate the terms of every engagement before the PCs have a chance to respond, either by casting a spell like polymorph or animate objects or by swiftly grappling and isolating a chosen victim. I am however following the setup/plot within the actual setting exactly. These include changes like undead familiars and steeds as well as alarm screams and ominous telepathic eavesdropping. [] Punctuate your horror tales with moments of relief, comedy, and fortuitous consequences. [17] Christian Hoffer, for Comicbook, wrote "while it doesn't have enough extra material to justify a second purchase, Curse of Strahd Revamped is a great box set for the DM/player group that hasn't traveled to Ravenloft and wants to commit to the campaign with a grim flourish. The following options refer to the attacks and spells that Strahd might employ using his action on his turn in combat. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! Strahd uses 2 legendary actions to bite a charmed or grappled enemy. Note that the use of a Lair Action other than phasing can allow your players to restrain and/or kill Strahd within 1-2 rounds unless he has a clear escape route and ample distance (60-90 feet) separating him from the majority of the party. Like so many RPG video game sandboxes, the mists surrounding Barovia act as a warning: leaving the playable area that limits the narrative of the game, but they are especially unique in one regard: they act as both barrier and catalyst for adventure. I am creating classic rock playlists for music in curse of strahd and I need some help with Strahds Final Battle music. Dont forget cosmetic spell modifications (outlined in chapter 2). The following options refer to the frequency with which Strahd chooses to use his Charm ability in combat and the means by which the players avoid or resist it. Be forgiving when they run, chase and play with them like a cat would, for the fun of it, but let them escape. What happens in Curse of Strahd if the players destroy Strahd's coffin or prevent him from returning to it? Which only now gets them level 5 but they have been fighting CR 5's most of the way, with the occasional CR 1-3. If you use this option on at least one-third of Strahds turns in combat, increase Strahds CR by 2 if Strahd is employing Hit-and-Run Phasing (see above), and reduce Strahds CR by 2 if not. Lets also assume that his preferred legendary actions include unarmed strike and move; that he cannot use charm (+1 CR); that he primarily uses the phasing lair action; that he prefers to isolate characters via defenestration; that he prepares between consecutive combats by using the hide action (+1 CR); and that his responses to provocation are petty. I'd also love to put some bosses in there that mimic Strahd's tactics (retreating, summoning minions etc) so that when they finally face him, they have some form of believable tactics so it feels like their characters have improved tactically. 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. It is intended for 4 players, taking them from level 1 to 10.